Domain Diva

I just saw this on the tech pages of Yahoo...thought it may interest a few here.


Tempted to see what the fuss is about over Oscar winner "The Hurt Locker"? Tread lightly, and keep away from file-sharing networks, because Voltage Pictures, which produced the film, is suing upwards of 50,000 individuals who allegedly pirated the film online, according to the Hollywood Reporter's media-law blog.

In the world of anti-piracy litigation, that number is staggering. Here's how to put it in perspective. As of 2008, after five long years of litigation efforts, the Recording Industry Association of America had threatened legal action against just 30,000 individuals, a drop in the bucket compared to the action Voltage is taking over a single pirated film, all at once.

While "Hurt Locker" was a critical success, it remains a commercial bomb, earning less than $13 million theatrically in the United States.

Pirates are to blame for the paltry take, right? While the reason for the film's commercial flop are undoubtedly far more complicated than a few thousand pirated copies, it seems that little will deter the legal action against those who saw it online (where it was available five months before its theatrical release).

Service providers are playing ball. According to a lawyer with the U.S. Copyright Group, the firm spearheading the lawsuit, ISPs are largely complying with the requests for information about the identities of those who are alleged to have downloaded the film online. One of the few holdouts is Comcast, but even it appears to be caving and will probably release another few thousand names to the prosecution within a week. Settlement offers are being made now (at an undetermined dollar amount), with full-on lawsuits promised if the demands aren't meant.

And this could be a sign of things to come. While the RIAA has slowed its legal campaign against music sharers, this could be merely the first volley for the movie studios, looking to stem massive revenue declines that are mainly occurring on DVD shelves (theatrical revenue, ironically, is higher than ever).

It can be rationally argued that the reason the RIAA's lawsuit campaign didn't work is that it wasn't big enough. If Hollywood increases those lawsuits 100-fold, could the scare tactics finally have a real effect?


Credit ? Christopher Null

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