The flames of piracy are hard to extinguish, they are ablaze around the globe, with no signs of dying anytime soon. It appears a gang of 5 Hollywood studios have formed Voltron to battle C.H.I.N.A (the pirate robot). We get news of this altercation from the musky caves of Yahoo:
Five Hollywood studios have sued a Chinese online service and internet cafe they accuse of offering pirated downloads of “Pirates of the Caribbean” and other hit films, state media reported on Thursday.Beijing-based Jeboo.com and an Internet cafe in Shanghai face a legal showdown with Twentieth Century Fox, Walt Disney, Paramount Pictures, Columbia Pictures, and Universal Studios, the Xinhua news agency reported. The film-makers allege Jeboo.com created software the cafe used to run a movie download business, and they are demanding 3.2 million yuan ($432,000) in compensation, Xinhua said.
The streets of China are filled with ripped DVD’s, CD’s and whatever other formats people will buy. It is a booming business and it is no surprise to see pirated product being sold online. The demand is huge and theft is always the best way to get a deal. Fighting piracy in China is like trying to vacuum the desert.
The studios are doing the right thing by going after the companies and not the individual fans. You should always try and work with people that enjoy your product, even if you do not like how they got it. As bad as the problem is, they should be happy that people enjoy their work – they may simply have to find new ways to move their product if people are changing their habits.
I am certain these types of cases will be going on long after I am dead. Studios have a tricky time ahead in China, the piracy is rampant but the market is exploding. These 5 will need the wisdom of Solomon as they continue on in their battle.
