TELECOM Digest OnLine - Sorted: Hollywood Studios File New Round of Web Lawsuits


Hollywood Studios File New Round of Web Lawsuits


Lisa Minter (lisa_minter2001@yahoo.com)
25 Feb 2005 08:39:26 -0800

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Hollywood's major movie studios filed a new
round of lawsuits across the United States on Thursday against people
who trade illegally copied films and TV shows on the Internet.

The civil suits against unnamed "John Doe" defendants seek
up to $150,000 per downloaded digital file and come as the U.S.
film industry prepares for its annual Oscar telecast in
Hollywood where awards for top films and stars are given out.

The studios, represented by the Motion Picture Association of America,
took the opportunity of the Oscars to again press the case that the
illegal copying of films and their black-market distribution on the
Internet is costing them millions of dollars a year in lost revenue.

The studios claim they lose $3.5 billion worldwide in annual
revenues from sales of illegally copied movies on video and DVD
formats in street bazaars and black markets.

The studios argue that the lost revenue means fewer artists
will work to create movies or TV shows. Traditionally the films
that are rewarded by Oscar voters at the Academy of Motion
Picture Arts and Sciences are those that take thematic and
commercial risks.

"When rampant online theft occurs, these films become that much harder
to finance ... we cannot and will not let that happen," MPAA Chief
Executive Dan Glickman said in a telephone conference call with
reporters.

MPAA officials said "several" of the Oscar nominated films had illegal
copies on the Internet that could be downloaded, but they named only
comedy "Sideways," which is nominated for best picture.

"Sideways" is a low-budget movie but was considered a financially
risky one for its backers at Fox Searchlight because of its offbeat
subject matter. Fox Searchlight is a division of News Corp Ltd's
Twentieth Century Fox movie studio.

MPAA officials declined to say how many suits it had filed or whether
the illegal copies were made by video camera taping in theaters or by
copying videos or DVDs that are given away by the studios this time of
year to win Oscar votes.

Earlier this month, the MPAA filed lawsuits against computer networks
utilizing a software technology known as BitTorrent, but these new
suits were against end users, or people who actually downloaded the
films.

Reuters/VNU

NOTE: For more telecom/internet/networking/computer news from the daily
media, check out our feature 'Telecom Digest Extra' each day at
http://telecom-digest.org/td-extra . New articles daily.

*** FAIR USE NOTICE. This message contains copyrighted material the
use of which has not been specifically authorized by the copyright
owner. This Internet discussion group is making it available without
profit to group members who have expressed a prior interest in
receiving the included information in their efforts to advance the
understanding of literary, educational, political, and economic
issues, for non-profit research and educational purposes only. I
believe that this constitutes a 'fair use' of the copyrighted material
as provided for in section 107 of the U.S. Copyright Law. If you wish
to use this copyrighted material for purposes of your own that go
beyond 'fair use,' you must obtain permission from the copyright
owner, in this instance Reuters Limited.

For more information go to:
http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/17/107.shtml

Post Followup Article Use your browser's quoting feature to quote article into reply
Go to Next message: Monty Solomon: "Wal-Mart Is Upgrading Its Vast In-Store Television Network"
Go to Previous message: Lisa Minter: "Expensive Anti-Piracyware Threatens Open Standard"
TELECOM Digest: Home Page