A month before X-Men Origins Wolverine was set to premier, a workprint copy of the film was distributed via filesharing websites and many people got a sneak peek at the unfinished movie.
The studios swore they would not take this breech lightly and set out to discover just how this copy ended up on the ‘net.
Well after months of investigation in December 2009, one Gilberto Sanchez was brought up on charges of illegal distribution of copyright materials and was set to go to court.
Today we find out that Sanchez pleads guilty and will face a hefty fine and jail time.
The Hollywood Reporter reports:
Gilberto Sanchez, a New York-based glass installer and musician, uploaded a work print of Fox’s hit superhero movie a month before its May 2009 release. Sanchez pled guily at a March 14 hearing in federal court. He will be sentenced on September 19 by U.S. District Judge Margaret Morrow and faces up to three years in jail and a $250,000 fine (or twice the gross gain or loss attributable to the offense).
I am not sure how they intend to prove how much this release may have affected the boxoffice. How do you put a dollar to that?
I think it is their duty to arrest and charge this person for sharing this pirated copy online. He is not being charged with stealing it; he is being charged with distributing it.
There is a geek prestige online being the one who did it first, but sadly they have to hide behind screen names to claim that glory. Perhaps charging the “first” to distribute this pirated content may cause others to hesitate. I doubt it.
There is no justifying stealing movies online, and its embarassing to watch people try. It is not your property and you stole it. End of discussion. You didn’t “preview” it or “borrow it” – it’s stolen. And it is illegal. Sadly until they start pressing charges more agressively, the “it’s only illegal if you get caught” pirates will casually multiply.
They should also be agressively charging street vendors who openly sell pirated movies on the sidewalks. How they are not being arrested wholesale is beyond me.
But the interesting thing is that the studio HAS to know which production house had this particular copy of the movie, and could determine what studio it was stolen from, but nothing public on that front.
I am sure SOMEONE got a stern talking to about their security measures.
Enjoy your downtime Sanchez. Was that “First” worth the prestige?
