LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Taking a cue from the music industry, film
studios and the Motion Picture Association of America said on Thursday
that they were readying the first lawsuits against people suspected of
illegally distributing movies over the Internet.
The civil suits will seek to stop trading and damages of up
to $30,000 per film, the MPAA said, adding that damages could
reach $150,000 if the infringement was deemed willful.
Record companies have led the way with such lawsuits, targeting major
traders of song files who use Kazaa and other programs to swap songs
on the Web. The movie trade group, representing Hollywood's major
studios, plans to launch its own legal challenges beginning Nov. 16.
Studios have been slow to release DVD-quality films on the Internet
because of the twin piracy and technological shortcomings -- it takes
hours to download even a film at lower quality levels, while it takes
minutes or seconds to download a song. Improving technology is cutting
the gap, though.
"That distinction is rapidly vanishing, so we are taking these actions
to try and prevent this illegal activity from becoming mainstream,"
the MPAA said in a statement, adding that future technologies could
allow movie downloads in as few as six seconds.
MPAA President and Chief Executive Dan Glickman said at a news
conference that the music industry has had an impact on music piracy
with its lawsuits.
That campaign has had a mixed reception from consumers and some in the
industry, who have urged movie and music makers to develop easy-to-use
technology for buying or renting content that would be a viable
alternative to illegal downloads.
Apple Computer Inc's iTunes is often heralded as an example of legal
song buying that works.
"The industry should be thinking of new ways to deploy the new
technology rather than suing the consumer," said Mediaport
Entertainment Inc. Chief Executive Helen Seltzer, which makes kiosks,
or automatic teller machines, to buy and download music. "We find that
if students are given an easy way to download, they will do it and pay
for it happily," she said.
An MPAA attorney said studios would launch fewer lawsuits than the
record industry, which has pursued more than 5,000 people to
date. Studios would also use "John Doe" lawsuits that allow them to
pursue file traders without knowing the traders' identities.
Chris Ruhland, a former studio lawyer now at Orrick Herrington &
Sutcliffe, forecast the movie makers would win their days in
court. "The law is very clear that unauthorized distribution of
copyrighted material is illegal," he said.
Reuters/VNU
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