The Official Website of Gene Autry, America's Favorite Singing Cowboy

News Archive: 2008

Buyer Beware: Bootleg DVDs of the Gene Autry Show
Updated April 8, 2008

Be an informed consumer and do not purchase unauthorized products from unscrupulous dealers!

Several months ago, several Gene Autry fans emailed Gene Autry Entertainment regarding a DVD set of The Gene Autry Show they found on the Internet. These DVDs were not listed on the Official Gene Autry Website and fans wanted to know if they were authorized DVDs. As it turns out, they are not licensed releases and, to add insult to injury, the bootleggers also used a "tweaked" version of Gene Autry Entertainment's logo on their packaging!

We replied to the fans that this release was unauthorized and advised folks not to buy it. Buyer beware! Since Gene Autry Entertainment was not involved with this release, the quality of the DVDs is suspect, and quite frankly, once you send in your money, who knows if they would even bother to send you the product.

As with any copyright infringement, we contacted our lawyers. Their investigation of the website selling these

DVDs, DVDAVENUE.TV, revealed that not only were they selling pirated Gene Autry television episodes, but other popular television shows as well. In fact, DVDAVENUE.TV appears to be a well-organized, and in our opinion criminal outfit operating under several different names, selling DVDs worldwide. Fans of Gene Autry and other television shows may have seen bootlegged DVDs on any one of the below sites. Consumers have suspected these sites are a single commercial enterprise or related in some other way.

  • AllMyFavoriteShows.com
  • DVDCRAZE
  • dvddonkey.com
  • raredvds.tv
  • TVAddicts.tv
  • TVboxset
  • tvdvdaddict
  • TVDVDMania.tv
  • Tvdvdplanet.com
  • TvMilk.com
  • TVonDisc.com
  • Ultimate DVD Shop

We are sharing these sites with you so you will be an informed consumer and know that if you find these sites selling Gene Autry DVDs, they are not selling authorized product. According to many consumers, DVDAVENUE.TV sells bootleg DVDs copied from stations such as TVLand, the Disney Channel, the Westerns Channel, and other sources. Many DVDs have been of poor quality, some having commercials and network logos on the screen, while others are just blank.

This company has been found advertising all over the web, including on Amazon.com and EBay. Our lawyers have informed Amazon of the fraudulent behavior and are currently in contact with EBay as well.

We've also learned that customers do not receive refunds as promised on advertisements and are frequently overcharged, double-billed, lied to, and kept on the phone on hold for months at a time. Others have complained of never having received the product, although the charges would appear on their credit card. And still others have reported having their identity stolen and their credit card numbers used in purchases unbeknownst to them.  From reviewing consumer websites and the writings of watchdog groups on the web, it appears this company is incredibly deceptive and the public has nothing good to say about them!

So what can you, the Gene Autry fan, do about this? First and foremost, do not buy unlicensed and unauthorized products. We realize that the deceptive tactics by DVD pirates can make it difficult for you to know what is legitimate and what is illegal. That's why we post new licensed products on the Official Gene Autry website so you can be an informed consumer and know what "the real deal" is when it comes to Gene Autry items. And please do continue to contact us with questions on Gene Autry DVDs, CDs, and other merchandise you see in the Internet world.

Gene Autry Entertainment extends an extra special thanks to our crack team of lawyers and paralegals who diligently researched this information for us to share with Gene Autry's fans.

Gene Autry Entertainment is dedicated to the preservation, restoration, and promotion of Gene's music, films, and television programs so that future generations may know and enjoy the work of America's Favorite Singing Cowboy, Gene Autry.



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