Hollywood screeners on P2P networks
p2pnet news view | P2P | Movies:- Whatever happens at the end of this case, The Pirate Bay wins, says the last line of a story in the The Guardian, singling out TorrentFreak for well-deserved praise on its coverage of The Corporate Music and Movie Industry AssHats vs Four Guys who Run a Torrent Indexing Site case.
Enigmax is doing the TF reporting, and he’ll no doubt be continuing his good work in Week Two of the trial.
Meanwhile, among other things, “In a announcement designed to coincide with Oscar night, the FBI has tracked down a couple of BitTorrent users in California they accuse of uploading illegally copied screening versions of Oscar-nominated films including The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, Slumdog Millionaire and Australia,” says The Guardian.
Screening versions, you say? But aren’t they copies of movies released exclusively to people supposedly qualified as Oscars voters and who never, ever, let them out of their site (oops, sight)?
Somehow, though, as p2pnet has so frequently pointed out, more of these Hollywood insider flicks end up on the P2P networks than cammed copies, which the industry blames for its supposedly continuing devastation.
Nonetheless, “A federal grand jury indicted Owen Moody of San Marcos and Derek Hawthorne of Moorpark on Friday in two separate cases of federal copyright violation, according to the U.S. attorney’s office,” says the Fort Mill Times.
A third man, Jack Yates, hired by Paramount Pictures to make a screener of Love Guru for the Tonight Show, is also in trouble.
No doubt Jay Leno was set to take the piss out of the movie, honoured by the Razzies.
It pulled in worst picture and worst acting for Mike Myers, Jessica Alba, Verne Troyer, and Ben Kingsley.
Moody is charged with uploading Slumdog Millionaire, while Hawthorne is charged with uploading The Curious Case of Benjamin Button and Australia, says the story.
If they’re convicted, “they face three years in prison and a fine of at least $250,000″.
Yates allegedly gave copies of Love Guru to friends who uploaded the movie, says Fort Mill Times, adding:
“Yates is scheduled to be arraigned March 16. He faces six years in prison because he’s also charged with making false statements to the FBI.”
The Guardian – Pirate Bay: Preparing for another week humiliating The Man, February 23, 2009
doing the TF reporting – The Pirate Bay vs Them: Day Five, February 20, 2009
continuing devastation – Hollywood tales of woe are coming true, January 31, 2009
Fort Mill Times – 3 copyright violation cases involving Oscar films, February 20, 2009
worst picture – Canada Rulz the Razzies, January 22, 2009
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February 23rd, 2009 at 2:20 pm
http://static.thepiratebay.org/doodles/cartoonish.gif
February 23rd, 2009 at 2:21 pm
When is the courts going to tell these(film and music industry) to f**koff. Better industries to protect then these retards.
February 23rd, 2009 at 5:13 pm
“he’s also charged with making false statements to the FBI.”
wait a minute: when they question you as a suspect you are not allowed to “lie” (aka. make false statements)
February 23rd, 2009 at 7:03 pm
I dont quite see how they can put someone in prison and, ultimiatly ruin the rest of their life, FOR UPLOADING A FUCKIN MOVIE
February 23rd, 2009 at 8:45 pm
It’s because the U.S is a corporate controlled police state.