The entertainment section of the Herald Sun is warning Australian movie file sharers that they best be careful. Apparently, Aussie's love to watch new movies, but they are a bit impatient and are getting too many from Internet sources for free. Many are already watching films like Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and even The Wedding Crashers, from the comfort of their living rooms, prior to the films making it to the town cinemas. This has local theater owners and more importantly the MPAA and AFAC alarmed, as the problem has gotten too large to ignore. Those that download the films are even claiming that recently, the American MPAA has been setting traps designed to lure downloaders with a tempting film, when in reality it's also used to glean the identity of the offender in order to intimidate or threaten them in a following mail.
|
But local pirates say some anti-piracy measures border on entrapment. They say the Motion Picture Association of America posts free films on the internet in the guise of regular users. "When you download it, it sends your (computer number) back to them so they can find you and sue or whatever," one downloader said. Melbourne movie pirates have received emailed warnings from the American group to "cease and desist" but often tout multiple warnings as badges of honour. AFACT said it shared the US group's information on file sharers and would not rule out setting its own online pirate traps. AFACT executive director Adrianne Pecotic said individual offenders could be sued if the traps revealed their identities through their computer numbers. However, the pirates are determined to keep movies free. |
While we can't defend the actions of the pirates, we have to wonder why the film industry still stubbornly refuses to release films in a more timely manner. Can't they see how this is hurting the local theater owners, the people that butter the bread of the film industry? It may not stop piracy of these films, especially if we believe the last line of the above quote, but at least it would give the theater owners a jump start on the situation.
If you would like to discuss this action further, please leave your comments below or better yet, pay a visit to the Music Download, Peer to Peer (P2P) & Legal Issues Forum.
Source: Herald Sun
