Infamous anti-piracy campaign may have used pirated font

The early 2000s anti-piracy campaign, famous for its 'You Wouldn't Steal a Car' slogan, has been revealed to have used a pirated font in its materials, creating an ironic twist to its message against theft. Investigations by internet sleuths and journalists showed that the campaign employed XBAND Rough, an illegal clone of the commercial FF Confidential typeface created by Just van Rossum. Analysis of archived campaign PDFs confirmed the use of the pirated font rather than the licensed original. Van Rossum, the font's creator, found the situation amusing and does not intend to pursue legal action. This revelation adds to the campaign's legacy of being widely parodied and critiqued as ineffective, with the irony of its own infringement now part of internet lore. The case also highlights the complexities and pitfalls of digital font licensing.