Who dropped the ball?
The initial copy released was a Workprint (WP) with the counter prominently displayed on the screen. WP’s rarely leak onto the Net and are definitely not circulated outside the studio because of their still undeveloped nature. Nonetheless, this WP copy was similar to the finish product and this fact points to only one conclusion: George Lucas dropped the ball on security inside his own studio.

Some (or many) might think this is little harsh criticism directed at Lucas but lets not forget: sharing isn’t stealing.

Moreover, new legislation protects him from “Cam” rippers inside the cinema. DMCA and the FBI help him hunt down those who rip DVDscreeners or DVD’s. He has the full backing of the MPAA and IFPI in tracking and prosecuting bootleggers around the globe. I assume LucasFilm LTD has the strictest of non-disclosure clauses tuck away in their employee contracts and top notch security systems surrounding their production facilities.

True, sharing the movie is technically illegal, but until such problems are stopped at the source, nothing is ever going to change.

Sucks to be the movie studio, doesn’t it?

It really isn’t that hard to way-lay a print of a movie for a couple of hours on it’s way to a movie theatre that still uses the old fashioned projectors and the big reels.

The are so many hands that touch the product in post-production that’s is very easy for any one of them to shag a copy of it also, even before it’s officially “in the can.”

If any other industry came to Washington bitching and fuming about this sort of ‘problem’ while it’s got such huge gaping holes for stuff to leak from, they’re just going to be told to go back and fix those problems before there is going to be ‘legislation.’