I remember all sorts of bootleg media prior to the PS2 release, and what I suspect happened is that there were large crackdowns with FBI investigations and raid

I remember all sorts of bootleg media prior to the PS2 release, and what I suspect happened is that there were large crackdowns with FBI investigations and raids on bootleggers. They went after homeless people selling bootleg VHS and DVDs on the street, too. I haven't seen much counterfeit media since then. Modern DRM uses cryptography and remote attestation, but that wasn't around in the PS2 era.