The Association Against Copyright Theft said that the pirated DVDs of the film The Da Vinci Code, on sale at Valletta market, are not of the movie itself, but a documentary.

In a statement, the association said its attention had been brought to the fact that the “movie is on sale as a pirate copy from Valletta market stalls”.

The association clarified that although “the DVD comes wrapped in a sleeve that gives the impression that the inside material is the movie, in actual fact it is not the movie but a documentary”.

The sleeve itself is full of contraventions in that it carries a false censorship certificate. The sleeve picture, the names of the artists, the title logo and the Sony name also infringe trade mark laws, the association added.

The sale of this DVD is deceitful since it gives the impression that the contents are the film, whereas it is not, it said.

The AACT said it deplored the fact that people continue to sell illegitimate products openly, with the authorities seemingly unable to do anything. It said it intends to bring the matter to the attention of other bodies, including the MPA (Motion Picture Association) and the member studios.

It said it also regretted that the EU Copyright directive, which should have been in place within local laws by 30 April, has not yet come into effect.