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Gilberto Sanchez Gets a Year in Prison for Pirating 'X-Men Origins: Wolverine'
Tue Dec 27, 2011 at 10:00 AM ETTags: Piracy (all tags)
Wonder if he wishes he was famous for pirating a better movie?
Every once in a while, some poor sap gets dragged out and charged criminally as a warning to would-be pirates. The latest is a man named Gilberto Sanchez, who you may know better as "that dude who put the Wolverine movie online before it came out."
Sanchez put up an incomplete version of 'X-Men Origins: Wolverine' up on MegaUpload where it was quickly downloaded and spread throughout the internet as these things tend to do. Sanchez ended up in court and, after admitting his guilt, sentenced to a year in prison.
"The federal prison sentence handed down in this case sends a strong message of deterrence to would-be Internet pirates," says attorney Andre Birotte Jr. "The Justice Department will pursue and prosecute persons who seek to steal the intellectual property of this nation."
Source: Home Media Magazine
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- X-Men Origins: Wolverine (Blu-ray)
Bill to Make Streaming of Copyrighted Content Illegal Clears Senate
Mon Jun 20, 2011 at 10:00 AM ETTags: Streaming, YouTube, Piracy (all tags)
What this means for sites like YouTube is anyone's guess.
There has been a lot of focus on illegal downloads in the last few years, but streaming really hasn't been touched. Sure, some people will have their YouTube videos taken down and some sites will have their content pulled, but that's about it.
The newest bill to pass through the senate takes an incredibly harsh stance on illegal streaming. Those breaking the law could face up to five years in jail. Just what constitutes an offense? Any website that streams copyrighted content 10 or more times within 180 days is up for grabs. Seems a little harsh, doesn't it?
"Make no mistake: the illegal streaming of content for commercial or financial gain is a crime," writes the anti-piracy group PROTECT IP, "and the Commercial Felony Streaming Act places the appropriate criminal label on the activity."
Source: Home Media Magazine
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Netflix May be Helping to Eliminate Piracy in US
Wed May 04, 2011 at 10:00 AM ETTags: Netflix, Piracy (all tags)
With Netflix subscriptions doubling, the downloading of older movies has slowed.
Historically, the internet has been viewed by the music, movie and television industries as a wretched hive of scum and villainy, full of pirates who want nothing more than to kill profits. That isn't the case of course, and the success of Netflix goes a long way to prove it.
Companies have attempted to curtail the illegal downloading of their products in a variety of ways, including increased copy protection and lawsuits. In the end, the best solution is to offer a better alternative.
"Although no torrent site has gone out of business yet," writes Ernesto on Torrent Freak, "Netflix certainly is a serious ‘competitor’ for access to movies." He adds that nothing is conclusive, but the data seems to indicate that being able to choose from a range of movies at a low monthly price has beaten out illegal piracy for some.
Source: Torrent Freak
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Francis Ford Coppola Defends Piracy - Sort Of
Tue Feb 01, 2011 at 02:00 PM ETTags: Francis Ford Coppola, Piracy (all tags)
A recent interview has Coppola dismissing artists who expect big money, supporting those that download their music and movies.
Francis Ford Coppola is a great filmmaker, and one who seems to have a bit of disdain for those that expect to get rich off of their art. " You have to remember that it’s only a few hundred years, if that much, that artists are working with money. Artists never got money," he says in a recent interview with The 99 Percent.
Coppola says that money and art don't necessarily go hand in hand. " I’m going to be shot for saying this," he says, "But who said art has to cost money? And therefore, who says artists have to make money?"
"As we enter into a new age, maybe art will be free. Maybe the students are right," he continues. "They should be able to download music and movies."
Hit the source to read the full article, where Coppola speaks on great directors, great actors, and the need for a real job. No word on whether he plans to give his wine away for free or how he got the dough to found that vineyard...
Source: The 99 Percent
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Twelve Billion Pirated Videos Last Year
Wed Jul 08, 2009 at 07:00 PM ETTags: Industry Trends, Piracy (all tags)
Only fifteen percent of all videos downloaded in 2008 were legal.
Twelve Billion, that’s twelve, followed by nine zeros. Twelve billion videos were illegally downloaded last year, according to Ben Drawbaugh of Engadget making up around 85 percent of all videos downloaded. The reasons are plenty, though the main points seem to be the extreme DRM placed on most downloads, and the availability of movies and television shows.
It seems the television industry is going to have to adapt even more than it has if it wants to curtail piracy. Streaming shows next day on Hulu is a nice start, but for those more concerned about quality than instant access, there needs to be an option. That means giving viewers access.
Pay attention industry folks, the consumer is telling you what they want. They don’t mind waiting for a download if it’s going to be a quality picture and DRM free.
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