History Main / IMadeCopies

* In one of the ''Film/FXMurderByIllusion'' movies, a killer demands to know if Rollie Tyler has made any copies of the video showing him committing a murder. Tyler denies it, then 'accidentally' glances at a pile of discs on his desk (in truth, he's only just found the evidence and hasn't had time to copy it). The killer moves to collect the discs, giving Tyler a chance to escape.

* In the ''WesternAnimation/RegularShow'', Benson realizes that Peeps is pretty awkward around the house. That prompts him to call and demand a refund. [[spoiler: Peeps shows him the contract and points out all the loopholes he missed]]. Benson begins to get angry and tears up the contract. Peeps only laughs and mentions he made copies.

-->--'''Chris [=McLean=],''' ''WesternAnimation/TotalDramaIsland''

* In the first episode of ''WesternAnimation/TotalDramaIsland'', Gwen tears up her contract when she finds out what the competition will really be like. Naturally, Chris is prepared for this.

* In the ''Series/BabylonFive'' episode "[[Recap/BabylonFiveS04E21RisingStar Rising Star]]," [[spoiler:Captain Sheridan]] is forced to resign his commission in exchange for amnesty for himself and his people for their role in [[spoiler:Babylon 5's rebellion against President Clark]]. This turns out to have been a {{batman gambit}} on his part, since he's now president of [[spoiler:the new Interstellar Alliance]], and so would have had to resign from [=EarthForce=] anyway to take up his new post. When he finds out, the General Foote demands the agreement of amnesty back, only to learn that it's "someplace safe," but the reporters outside all have copies.

* In the ''Series/BabylonFive'' episode "[[Recap/BabylonFiveS04E21RisingStar Rising Star]]," [[spoiler:Captain Sheridan]] is forced to resign his commission in exchange for amnesty for himself and his people for their role in [[spoiler:Babylon 5's rebellion against President Clark]]. This turns out to have been a {{batman gambit}} on his part, since he's now president of [[spoiler:the new Interstellar Alliance]], and so would have had to resign from [=EarthForce=] anyway to take up his new post. When he finds out, the head of the Joint Chiefs demands the agreement of amnesty back, only to learn that it's "someplace safe," but the reporters outside all have copies.

* In one episode of ''WesternAnimation/CatDog'', Winslow catches Cat reading Dog's diary and video records it. Cat agrees to be Winslows slave, but at one point destroys a video copy, only to learn that there are more copies.

* In the ''WesternAnimation/RegularShow'', Benson realizes that Peeps is pretty awkward around the house. That prompts him to call and demands a refund. [[spoiler: Peeps shows him the contract and points out all the loopholes he missed]]. Benson begins to get angry and tears up the contract. Peeps only laughs and mentions he made copies.

* In AynRand's ''We the Living,'' [[spoiler: Andrei Taganov]] blackmails Pavel Syerov by threatening to send the authorities a compromising note Syerov had written. As he realizes Syerov may have him killed [[spoiler: and in any event is already contemplating suicide, though he does not admit this]], he tells Syerov that he has made copies of the compromising note and given them to friends, with instructions that they should be sent out if Syerov doesn't keep his word.

-->'''Lilah:''' Hellfire wouldn't be eternal if it actually consumed anything.

* Played with in ''Film/ValerianAndTheCityOfAThousandPlanets''. Laureline threatens to shoot one of the Doghan Daguis (a trio of alien {{Knowledge Broker}}s) to motivate the others into giving her the information she wants. However they point out that their knowledge is divided among the three of them -- kill one and the rest of the information is incomplete.

* Inverted in ''Film/ValerianAndTheCityOfAThousandPlanets''. Laureline threatens to shoot one of the Doghan Daguis (a trio of alien {{Knowledge Broker}}s) to motivate the others into giving her the information she wants. However they point out that their knowledge is divided among the three of them -- kill one and the rest of the information is incomplete.

* ''Film/ValerianAndTheCityOfAThousandPlanets''. Laureline threatens to shoot one of the Doghan Daguis (a trio of alien {{Knowledge Broker}}s) to motivate the others into giving her the information she wants. However they point out that their knowledge is divided among the three of them -- kill one and the rest of the information is incomplete.

Bob realizes that he was caught into some type of trap or blackmail. Unfortunately, he has signed a contract. Bob goes to Alice, who tricked him and demands what the problem is. Alice points out all of the obvious not obvious statements in the contract, which leads Bob to rip up the contract in Alice's face. Alice's not too mad about it, since she made tons of copies. If used for blackmail or media release, this can be used in by a significantly GenreSavvy character to avert the GenreBlind response to HaveYouToldAnyoneElse. In pre-digital media involving blackmail photos, expect the blackmailer to say something like "I have the negatives."

** In another episode, Ricky and the Mertzes burn the novel Lucy wrote starring insulting caricatures of all them. Lucy laments, "If I'd known the type of people I was dealing with, I'd have made a carbon copy"... before smiling and saying smugly, "It just so happens, I ''do'' [[GenreSavvy know the type of people that I'm dealing with]]." She then proceeds to collect the three other copies hidden in various places around the room.

* A comic sci-fi short story by Creator/HarryHarrison had DaChief bullying one of his men to take on a mission instead of going on leave, citing a clause in his contract, which he produces for effect. The hero draws his raygun and disintegrates it, but the computer just prints out another one.

* Happens in ''ILoveLucy'' when Lucy tears up a paper saying that she would agree not to overspend, Ricky then pulls out a copy saying, "I made a copy."

* On ''Series/{{Angel}}'', Wesley burns Lilah's contract with Wolfram & Hart, only for a fresh copy to immediately appear in the drawer.

* In one episode of ''Series/CatDog'', Winslow catches Cat reading Dog's diary and video records it. Cat agrees to be Winslows slave, but at one point destroys a video copy, only to learn that there are more copies.

* In ''ItsAlwaysSunnyInPhiladelphia'', Mac tries to settle Dee's contract dispute by eating her only copy of the contract. When the Lawyer reveals that he now owns the deed to all of Paddy's merchandising, Mac snatches the deed and eats it. The Lawyer just laughs and says he's made hundreds of copies.
* ''DukesOfHazzard'': Boss Hogg once ate such a contract.

* ''{{Blackadder}} II'' played with this. When blackmailing the Baby-Eating Bishop of Bath and Wells by showing him the paintings made of him and Percy in a sexual romp, the Bishop attempts to destroy them. Blackadder stops him, telling him that "We have the preliminary sketches."

* In ''Veronica Mars'', when Weevil shows the blackmail material he has on the Fitzpatricks to "save" the PCHers. When asked if he made copies he replies "Lots of them!" and comments that now the Fitzpatricks will have to keep him safe to stop them getting out.
* Frank Drebin in ''PoliceSquad!'' does a Genre Savvy twist on this. In one case he has only a photostat (copy) of a piece of evidence, and the copy isn't admissible. So he instead cons the Big Bad by freely offering him the photostat as proof that he does actually have the evidence.