In case it matters; there is a cut on the back, through the UPC code, from the distributor. The purpose is for marking the DVD as discontinued, not necessarily a bad thing, as discontinued items sometimes go up in value, as they become more scarce. The depth of the cut is different on each DVD, but never comes close to the disc inside. If it is important to you, feel free to ask about the extent of the cut on this particular DVD. thanks ^TROY