One year in federal prison for X-Men Origins pirate
Unfortunately it’s the norm today that most movies will be uploaded to file sharing networks either before or shortly after their official release. For some reason the movie industry has readily targeted downloaders rather than trying to weed out who stole the movie in the first place. But for once, the right person looks to have been prosecuted–at least for the digital piracy.
In 2009, a copy of X-Men Origins: Wolverine found its way on to Megaupload a month before it was due to appear in movie theaters. The so-called “workprint” copy was unfinished, so unfinished in fact, anyone viewing this copy saw green screens and wires attached to actors used to help with the more acrobatic movements during action scenes.
Hugh Jackman even commented on the leak, describing it as like getting a “Ferrari without a paint job.” Read more...
Swiss Govt: Downloading Movies and Music Will Stay Legal
One in three people in Switzerland download unauthorized music, movies and games from the Internet and since last year the government has been wondering what to do about it. This week their response was published and it was crystal clear. Not only will downloading for personal use stay completely legal, but the copyright holders won’t suffer because of it, since people eventually spend the money saved on entertainment products.
In Switzerland, just as in dozens of other countries, the entertainment industries have been complaining about dramatic losses in revenue due to online piracy.
In a response, the Swiss government has been conducting a study into the impact downloading has on society, and this week their findings were presented.
The overall conclusion of the study is that the current copyright law, under which downloading copyrighted material for personal use is permitted, doesn’t have to change.
Their report begins with noting that when it comes to copying files, the Internet has proven a game-changer. While the photocopier, audio cassette tape and VCR allowed users to make good quality copies of various media, these devices lacked a in-built distribution method. The world-wide web changed all that. Read more...