If you thought the top spine labels that seal DVD releases are bad, get ready for the next round, folks! It is getting worse! Today we have received a copy of Warner Home Video’s The Perfect Storm and apart from the top title and barcode label, this one now features another sticker, sealing the entire side of the DVD, labeled “Protected by anti-theft security system.”

I always felt it is bad enough to have to go through the annoying procedure of removing this top spine label with every new DVD, but this is going a little too far. Why? Well, the label runs from the top to bottom of the packaging and what’s even worse is that it reaches about 1 inch into the cover artwork on the front and back. Now before you say, “So what?”, keep in mind that Warner’s packaging is made of… cardboard!

There’s not even a “pull here” grip on the label, which means you will have to scratch it loose somewhere, and there is a very good likelihood you will actually destroy the print on the packaging when you don’t peel off the sticker VERY carefully – and it’s a long way to peel.

While, with a lot of creative thinking, this could be seen as an “extension of the DVD experience at no cost,” 15 minutes of nerve-wrecking label peeling is hardly what people want to go through every time they open a new disc. Theft protection is one thing, but missing the point is another entirely. Whoever had this idea, it was a very bad idea, trust me! You could just as well have called it “Protected by anti-watch security system.”

What’s next? The full body sticker, wrapping around the whole package without a grip? Hold it right there… we have that. It is called shrink wrapping!