money.cnn.com/2005/02/24/technology/hollywood_lawsuits.reut -> money.cnn.com/2005/02/24/technology/hollywood_lawsuits.reut/
SUBSCRIBE TO MONEY Hollywood files more Web lawsuits Studios sue traders of illegally copied films traded online, seek up to $ 150,000 per download. February 24, 2005: 6:20 PM EST LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Hollywood's major movie studios filed a new round of lawsuits nationwide Thursday against people who trade illegally copi ed 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 film industry prepares for its annual Oscar telecast in Hollywood where awards for top films and st ars are given out. The studios, represented by the Motion Picture Association of America, to ok the opportunity of the Oscars to again press the case that the illega l copying of films and their black-market distribution on the Internet i s costing them millions of dollars a year in lost revenue. 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 thos e that take thematic and commercial risks. 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 co pies on the Internet that could be downloaded, but they named only comed y "Sideways," which is nominated for best picture. "Sideways" is a low-budget movie but was considered a financially risky o ne for its backers at Fox Searchlight because of its offbeat subject mat ter. 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 copyi ng videos or DVDs that are given away by the studios this time of year t o win Oscar votes. Earlier this month, the MPAA filed lawsuits against computer networks uti lizing a software technology known as BitTorrent, but these new suits we re against end users, or people who actually downloaded the films.
|