Nov. 17, 2004


MPAA launches lawsuits against P2P pirates

By Brooks Boliek
WASHINGTON -- The MPAA on Tuesday began suing people who it alleges are illegally downloading motion pictures off peer-to-peer networks, a tactic the movie industry hopes will protect it from the rampant piracy that has damaged the recording industry.

The civil suits against individual infringers cover copyright violations on major P2P networks and seek damages and injunctive relief, the MPAA said. Sources said the suits number between 200 and 300 and were filed in different venues across the country.

"The motion picture industry must pursue legal proceedings against people who are stealing our movies on the Internet," said MPAA president and CEO Dan Glickman. "The future of our industry, and of the hundreds of thousands of jobs it supports, must be protected from this kind of outright theft using all available means."

Under the Copyright Act, an individual can be liable for as much as $30,000 for each motion picture illegally traded over the Internet, and as much as $150,000 per motion picture if such infringement is proven to be willful.


In addition to the lawsuits, the MPAA announced a pair of additional anti-piracy initiatives. In one, the MPAA will make available free software to help people determine what music and movie files and P2P applications are on their computers.

The free program identifies movie and music titles stored on a computer, along with any installed peer-to-peer file-swapping programs. Information generated by the program would be made available only to the program's user, and would not be shared with or reported to the MPAA or any other body. Armed with the program's findings, a computer user can remove infringing movies or music files, and remove any P2P applications.

"Our ultimate goal is to help consumers locate the resources and information they need to make appropriate decisions about using and trading illegal files," said Glickman. "Many parents are concerned about what their children have downloaded and where they've downloaded it from. They will find this tool to be an excellent resource. "

Meanwhile, the Video Software Dealers Assn. said it will bring the MPAA's anti-piracy ad campaign, "Rated I: Inappropriate for All Ages," to approximately 10,000 video stores nationwide. Beginning in December, those stores will play anti-piracy trailers on in-store monitors and display anti-piracy posters and counter cards.

"Video retailers are threatened with significant losses from illegal online file trading of movies and bootleg copies sold on the streets," VSDA president Bo Andersen said. "A key element of the strategy to confront this growing threat to our industry is to educate the public and change the culture from one of lawlessness to one of respect for the work and property of others. With their neighborhood locations and strong customer relationships, video stores are in an excellent position to educate millions of consumers about the problem and consequences of movie piracy."

Educating the public is a great idea. However suing your paying customers will burn your bridges very very fast. The movie industry is in a more vulnerable position than the music industry.

"In one, the MPAA will make available free software to help people determine what music and movie files and P2P applications are on their computers."
Isn't that special...

Can anyoone prove that downloading movies has hurt the industry? Let's face it, watching a movie on a computer screen is not the same as watching it on a television. That's why there isn't as big a problem with alleged infringement as with the music industry.

But let the MPAA sue customers to death. Let's see how long until it starts complaining about more lost revenue and suing more people (negating the fact that suing your customers to bankruptcy will put a dent iin your own wallet).

Well, they have made the move that will save me money. I won't be spending it on movies, movie tickets, or dvds anymore.

One wonders, inspite of the disclaimer if the the software isn't indeed loaded with spyware to tell them just what you do have on your hd.

If they can afford to lose customers this way, hey it is their business. I seriously doubt that I will be the only one to stop buying their products over this. However, cry as they will, it won't bring me back to the sales counter to buy anymore.

I long ago quit going to the movie theater where prices are so inflated for a bag of popcorn or a coke. They priced themselves out of my wallet. I am sure there are others that feel the same way. Price gouging isn't something I support.

I am sure from this day forward we will be hearing the whining and moaning of how much money they are losing as a justification for this action. I shall watch the quaterly earnings from this day forward with interest.

boycott MPAA.

The local theater in Long Beach, CA , the Edwards 20 is now 10 bucks for a show after 6
This is one of the many reasons i choose not to go to the theater, i just rent for 2 bucks.

It is NOT outright theft nor piracy. I hope the lawsuits from the MPAA create a tremednous customer backlash!!! It's called the free exchange of information on the Internet!! Nobody believe any of the BULSHIt brainwashing these thugs try and bring to the theaters and video stores nationwide!!!!! Downloading movies will never stop people from going to the theaters to see them. I mean the experience of watching a downloaded movie on your PC just isn't the same!!! This is a disgusting move on their part showing they care about nothing but power and control!!!!!!

I think the best tactic is start a compaign in your town for everyone to buy one DVD and donate it to the library. Then many people can see it for free, and revenues to the MPAA can be reduced.

I already avoid renting the top 10 movies. I just put my name on the reserve list at the library, and when it comes around, I check it out. Most of the time it wasn't worth paying money to see anyway.

And yes, I try to donate a movie or CD every few months to the library, so that people will not have to buy or rent those titles to see or listen to them.

nice work auto... ill have to try that... forst RIAA now the MPAA... but hey, i guess the little guys do loose money when i pirate movies... so i guess ill stop... the library is a good idea too dude thx

Yep, no more paying for movies for me.

Manny the Stuntman and all his cohorts can bite me. I find it ironic and maddening that when workers in Hollywood loose their jobs to greed (i.e. "runaway productions") that's okay, 'cause it lines the pockets of the movie execs, but when they lose it due to my downloading, well that's just STEALING! And its just WRONG!!

Phfffft.

My wife doesn't like going to movies with me any more anyway, because when that stupid "Manny the Stuntman" blurb comes on during the ads, I boo and hiss at the top of my voice.

It embarasses her, apparently.

yeah but look at the credits after the movie... when you download you CAN not saying you will but you CAN make all those people loos thier jobs... not saying assfleck should keep making millions, im just saying that the little guys, like the guys who build the sets and do make-up and all that stuff could loose their jobs... stop downloading... rent them from the library or sumthin... the only difference with RIAA is that their is no little guy. the MPAA is fascist too dont get me wrong, but they have more people under them... like a human shield so to speak...

I submitted this link this morning but as usual i didnt get posted so check it out ,its a chat/filesharing program that downhill battle is proposing that sounds interesting and safe to use. If you are a programmer you might want to pitch in and help its go9ng to be opensource . anyway check it out
http://downhillbattle.org/labs/gaim_filesharing_plugin/

lol going (typo)

http://downhillbattle.org/labs/gaim_filesharing_plugin/ for some reason it put in a space try this link , sorry

hmm well if it doesnt work copy it to your browser and remove the space

Its legal to sell out our jobs to the dam communist countries, but not ok to share files......screw the bastards they can eat thier movies, and lousy music. I really don't give a dam anymore. I hope they sue the shit out of all thier customers like the RIAA so the movie industry starts to dry up and blow away. Wallmart wages in this country are what they want. The rich get richer and everybody else is maxed out on credit

More...... p2p friendly sharing network
called Wirehog check it out


http://www.technewsworld.com/story/38188.html

"the MPAA will make available free software to help people determine what music and movie files and P2P applications are on their computers."

Out of touch dumbasses' thats like asking the mob to bring thier guns to the police station to check out serial #'s to see if the guns were purchased legally........what a joke.

forgive me if the data doesn't look right, but yearly domestic ticket sales at the box office for the last few years shows just how bad the movie industry is doing. (data from http://www.boxofficemojo.com/yearly/, year sales in millions of $).
2004 $8,018.8***
2003 $9,185.90
2002 $9,167
2001 $8,412.50
2000 $7,661.00
1999 $7,448.00
1998 $6,949.00

Video rentals have continued to excel, and with DVDs being dubed the "fastest growing consumer electronic product in history", they've got a second cash cow after the box office flops.

As far as the proliferation of piracy, the industry needs to look in the mirror. Headlines in the new around this time last year showed that over 70% of all piracy is generated from within the industry, or have they forgotten?

http://broadcastengineering.com/news/broadcasting_movie_piracy_comes/

As far as hurting the little man on the set, such as Manny the painter, he has more to worry about with movie outsourcing than piracy, since large films are more and more being filmed in canada, new zeland, or austrailia, where they find cheaper labor.

To that, I just have to say, "Welcome to the post 90's jobmarket."

So the question again is how is industry suffering from piracy?

"Meanwhile, the Video Software Dealers Assn. said it will bring the MPAA's anti-piracy ad campaign, "Rated I: Inappropriate for All Ages," to approximately 10,000 video stores nationwide. Beginning in December, those stores will play anti-piracy trailers on in-store monitors and display anti-piracy posters and counter cards."

using the internet to take back what you've been ripped off all these years is bad.

the MPAA is your friend.

the MPAA is your ONLY friend.

you will support the MPAA, and will trust her guidance in raising your children and administering her computer.

the MPAA is mother, the MPAA is father.

ZEIG HEIL!

thats interesting freeforall thanks for the link . we can keep banging our heads against the wall fighting these creeps or just get the next generation filesharing that makes them irrelevant . then it will be a matter of keeping the spys off the networks . i dont really need to download anymore i have over 2 terrabytes of files now but would like to share it without having to worry about getting busted lol

Sony, playing both sides, also announced today that they have a new DVD burner for the Mac.

Link for above...
http://www.forbes.com/infoimaging/feeds/infoimaging/2004/11/16/infoimagingmacobserver_2004_11_16_eng-macobserver_eng-macobserver_081539_2558395572086124665.html

hehehe yeah george wouldnt you like to be a fly on the wall during one of their corperate meetings

Seems the MPAA can do better than the RIAA? I don't think so. Monkey see. monkey do.

I think they can do better. Look at the MPAAs new idea, the p2p-detecting software. The RIAA would never think of something like that. It could even be effective - home users wont be concerned with it, but an office could find an automater p2p-scanner very usful for ensuring the lawyers dont bother them, and depriving the p2p community of their high-bandwidth line.

what is the MPAA bitching about? Every year they make more & more money with worse & worse movies that ironically cost greater & greater sums of money to make.

Perhaps if more money were spent on writers who can craft a well thought out story, Hollywood could make even more money.

It's a sad state of affairs when the most engrossing movies in the past 4 years were written in the 50s. (LOTR trilogy)

"Let's face it, watching a movie on a computer screen is not the same as watching it on a television. "

Hey hbkfan, I'll take you one further. Watching a movie on a television is not the same as watching it in a movie theater either. Even though large screen TV's and Home Theater Systems you may obtain today can make it close. But for those of us that don't have those luxuries, watching on TV isn't the same as a theater either.

Seems we don't really need Boycott-MPAA.com after all. Look at this website:

http://boycottdvdsales.com/

"you CAN not saying you will but you CAN make all those people loos thier jobs"

LOL

Suuuuureeee.....
If the profit of a movie is 100 millions instead of 150 millions, im sure they will cut out essential jobs, aka the common guys.

Do u really think they will fire someone in charge of special effects? The girl(yes, im sexist ) who's doing Afleck's makeup? The guy who built the fake houses?
They cant fire those people, they are essential. And they would have to fire tons of them to save a bit of money.

So what will they do?

Either cut in the big expenses: 10millions to Afleck, 5millions to britney to appear 5min in the movie, etc

Or late at night, they will cry cause they made only 100 millions of profit.

Shame on you people who make those poor hollywood guys cry.

Yes, at home you dont have the whinging children, the laughter, screams or snores (depending on movie) in the background, the people squeezing past you frequently...

A computer screen is actually higher quality than a normal TV - equivilent to HDTV, should you find content that uses that resolution.

Films now are getting shallower - its all about special effects, budget, huge-name stars, and espicially the marketing budget - just hype. It is not difficult to buy popularity, at least in the short term.

"It is not difficult to buy popularity"

WHEREEEEEEEEEEEE????????

I wanna buy some

I'm not ready to boycott the MPAA just yet. They are a little more timid, and there are a few more things at stake here. They only get maybe 100 dollars a year from me if they're lucky. I say we see what happens before we fire at the MPAA. I agree, educating consumers is the way to go, and the MPAA seems to be doing this. For now, we should wait and see. The MPAA hasen't tryed to sue a Fortune 10 company for not giving names. The MPAA hasen't gone after companys at all. The MPAA might end up just being timid and going after the extreme violaters. As long as the MPAA doesn't try and hit the people pirating TV shows I won't care.

i am. i say we fire at them now, possibly send a 'dont fuck with us' message to them.

Actually, the MPAA has been running low-level harrassment for years - running bots which index p2p networks and sent automated DMCA infringement notices to the ISPs of infringing users, demanding immediate disconnection. The RIAA has been doing the same. So have the BSA. Its always annoying, but the only consequence for the victims is the loss of their internet connection - and there are other ISPs.