Coded anti-piracy

They are not to be confused with cue marks, which are black or white circles usually in the upper right-hand corner of the frame.

The dots are arranged in a unique pattern as identification of the particular print of a movie, and are added during manufacture.

It makes use of more visible dots, and was developed to thwart film copying from theatergoers with camcorders, or prints that have been illicitly telecined to videotape or DVD.

The term "crap code" was coined on a movie projectionists' discussion forum, due to its quite intrusive nature when viewing.

These dots are usually placed on bright areas of a film frame, so they can be more easily identified, and are a reddish-brown color.