# Dont Copy That Floppy > Dont Copy That Floppy is a 1992 anti-piracy rap PSA by the Software Publishers Association, featuring MC Double Def DP warning against software piracy, that became an ironic internet meme for its earnest 90s hip-hop delivery. Don't Copy That Floppy is a 1992 anti-piracy public service announcement produced by the Software Publishers Association, featuring a rap song performed by M.E. Hart as "MC Double Def DP." The nearly ten-minute video was distributed on VHS tapes to schools across the United States, warning kids about the dangers of copying software. After surfacing on early video-sharing sites in the mid-2000s, the PSA's dated hip-hop style and earnest messaging turned it into an ironic internet favorite, spawning parodies, remixes, and a widely mocked 2009 sequel. ## Origin The video was produced in 1992 through a collaboration between the Software Publishers Association, the Educational Section Anti-Piracy Committee, and the Copyright Protection Fund, in association with Vilardi Films[1]. It was filmed at Cardozo High School in Washington, D.C.[1]. The SPA distributed it on VHS tapes mailed directly to schools across the country as a classroom teaching tool[7]. M.E. Hart, an American attorney and actor, played the rapping Disk Protector[4]. The two student characters were played by Marja Allen as Jenny and Jimmy Todd as Corey[1]. The SPA had a history of aggressive anti-piracy stances. In 1986, the organization canceled a planned award to Central Point Software after discovering the company's best-selling product was a disk copier[1]. - **Platform:** VHS distribution to schools (original), YTMND / YouTube (viral spread) - **Creator:** M.E. Hart (actor/rapper, MC Double Def DP), Software Publishers Association (producer), Vilardi Films (production company) - **Date:** 1992 ## Overview Don't Copy That Floppy is a nine-and-a-half-minute educational rap video designed to scare school-age kids away from software piracy. The video follows two teenagers, Jenny and Corey, who are playing a game on a classroom Apple Macintosh LC when Corey decides to copy it onto a floppy disk[1]. Before he can, a rapper calling himself MC Double Def DP, the "Disk Protector," appears on their computer screen and launches into a hip-hop number about how copying software destroys the game industry[3]. The rap is intercut with interviews from real game developers and industry staff working on an early version of Neverwinter Nights at America Online, who explain how piracy threatens their livelihoods[1]. The video name-drops The Oregon Trail, Tetris, and Where in the World Is Carmen Sandiego? as games that could disappear if piracy goes unchecked[2]. By the end, Corey decides to buy the game with money from his summer job instead of copying it[1]. ## How It Spread Before the video hit the internet, it was already getting attention in print. The New York Times and San Francisco Gate both referenced it in 1996 articles about the growing problem of digital piracy[4]. In 2000, it was incorporated into a National Science Foundation workshop on ethics and computing[4]. The video's online life began on April 17, 2003, when the internet culture blog NinjaCulture published a detailed, scene-by-scene synopsis mocking the clip[2]. The write-up called Hart "Corporate Rap Guy" and noted the video had "exactly the opposite effect" of its intended anti-piracy message[2]. YTMND picked it up next. The first YTMND page using Don't Copy That Floppy material went live on May 26, 2004[4]. Two months later, on July 24, 2004, the GeekNewz forum shared a download link along with the full lyrics[4]. The video hit YouTube for the first time on July 15, 2005, though that initial upload pulled in fewer than 10,000 views by 2012[4]. Between 2006 and 2008, the clip spread across a wave of internet humor and geek culture sites including Laughing Squid, Joystiq, CollegeHumor, RetroThing, Retroist, and LiveLeak[4]. CollegeHumor featured it with the description "hilarious anti-piracy ad from 1992, though no one could blame you for thinking the awful rap was from the 80's"[10]. In 2009, the Software and Information Industry Association (SIIA), which formed after the SPA merged with the Information Industry Association in 1999, uploaded a digitally remastered version to YouTube[4]. The official video passed 2 million views as of January 2022[1]. ## How to Use Don't Copy That Floppy works primarily as a reference and reaction rather than a template format. People typically: - Link the video or quote the rap lyrics ("Did I hear you right, did I hear you sayin' / That you're gonna make a copy of a game without payin'?") in any discussion about software piracy or digital rights management[3]. - Use screenshots of MC Double Def DP as reaction images when someone mentions pirating software. - Reference the title phrase "don't copy that floppy" as an ironic punchline whenever anti-piracy efforts come up. - Share the video as a nostalgia artifact from 1990s internet safety culture. The meme format is less about remixing a template and more about invoking the video's absurdity as cultural shorthand for heavy-handed corporate anti-piracy messaging. ## Cultural Impact The video's influence goes beyond internet laughs. The New York Times featured it in 1996 as part of a broader discussion on teaching digital ethics in schools[9]. The piece revealed a genuine tension between the software industry's piracy fears and the reality that cash-strapped schools couldn't always afford enough copies of educational software[9]. The sequel drew significant press attention in 2009. TechCrunch, Techdirt, and the Wall Street Journal all covered Don't Copy That 2[5][8][6]. The press response was almost uniformly negative, with critics arguing the sequel's aggressive portrayal of law enforcement raiding a teenager's home was wildly disproportionate to the reality of copyright enforcement[8]. The Wall Street Journal took a more measured approach, noting the original's cultural longevity while covering the sequel's release[6]. Since the creators always allowed noncommercial copying of the film itself, the video spread freely once video-sharing platforms emerged[1]. This ironic twist, an anti-piracy video that went viral because it could be freely copied, became part of the joke. ## Fun Facts - The video was filmed at a real high school, Cardozo High School in Washington, D.C., giving it an authentic classroom feel that only adds to its dated charm[1]. - M.E. Hart, who played the rapping Disk Protector, was actually an attorney by profession[4]. - The Apple Macintosh LC shown in the video was a real classroom computer of the era, adding to the time-capsule quality[1]. - The sequel Don't Copy That 2 references Doom and Klingon, both of which were already outdated for its teenage target audience by 2009[1]. - One student interviewed by the New York Times about the original PSA said he would become both a software maker and a "hunter" who tracks down pirates with "an army" of lawyers[9]. ## Frequently Asked Questions ### What is Don't Copy That Floppy? Don't Copy That Floppy is a 1992 anti-piracy PSA produced by the Software Publishers Association, featuring a rap song by M.E. Hart as "MC Double Def DP" warning school kids against copying software[1]. ### Where did Don't Copy That Floppy come from? The video was produced in 1992 by the Software Publishers Association in collaboration with the Educational Section Anti-Piracy Committee and the Copyright Protection Fund, filmed at Cardozo High School in Washington, D.C.[1]. ### What does Don't Copy That Floppy mean? The phrase is a direct anti-piracy slogan telling kids not to duplicate software on floppy disks. Online, it's used ironically to reference heavy-handed corporate messaging about digital piracy[3]. ### How do you use Don't Copy That Floppy? People share the video or quote its lyrics when discussing software piracy, DRM, or anti-piracy campaigns. It works as a nostalgic reference and an ironic commentary on corporate fear-mongering[4]. ### Is Don't Copy That Floppy still popular? The original video had over 2 million views on YouTube as of January 2022 and is widely recognized as a classic internet artifact from early viral video culture[1]. ### Who played MC Double Def DP? M.E. Hart, an American attorney and actor, played the rapping Disk Protector in both the original 1992 video and the 2009 sequel[4][1]. ### Who played Jenny and Corey? Jenny was played by Marja Allen and Corey was played by Jimmy Todd[1]. ### What games are mentioned in the video? The PSA name-drops The Oregon Trail, Tetris, and Where in the World Is Carmen Sandiego? as examples of games threatened by piracy[1]. ### Was Don't Copy That Floppy criticized? Yes. Educators like Dr. Helen Nissenbaum of Princeton criticized the PSA for promoting a one-sided corporate perspective without presenting alternatives like the free software movement[9]. ### What is Don't Copy That 2? A 2009 sequel produced by the SIIA featuring M.E. Hart reprising his role. It follows a college student arrested for selling pirated software and was widely criticized for misrepresenting copyright law[5][8]. ### When did Don't Copy That Floppy go viral? The video first gained traction on YTMND in May 2004 and was uploaded to YouTube on July 15, 2005, with broader viral spread across humor sites between 2006 and 2008[4]. ### Did anyone sample Don't Copy That Floppy in music? Yes, the band TV Girl used a sample from the PSA in their song "Taking What's Not Yours"[1]. ## References 1. [Don't Copy That Floppy (Advertising) - TV Tropes]() 2. [Don't Copy That Floppy – Musical Geek Friday]() 3. [Don't Copy That Floppy - Remastered Using AI]() 4. [Don't Copy That Floppy - Know Your Meme]() 5. [Don't Copy That Floppy - Wikipedia]() 6. [Don't Copy That Floppy - NinjaCulture]() 7. [Don't Copy That Floppy 2 is a load of rubbish | TechCrunch]() 8. [Gaming and Video Game News & Reviews | Engadget]() 9. [Gaming and Video Game News & Reviews | Engadget]() 10. [SIIA's Sequel To Don't Copy That Floppy Lies About Criminality Of Copying | Techdirt]() 11. [Hilarious anti-piracy ad from 1992, though no one could blame you for thinking the awful rap was from the 80’s.]() 12. ['Don't Copy That Floppy' Dusts Itself Off for the '00s - WSJ]() 13. [The Struggle to Teach Virtual Ethics]() --- Source: https://meme.com/memes/dont-copy-that-floppy Published by meme.com — The Internet Meme Library