Comic Book Movie Studios Suing Over Piracy

Comic Book Movie Studios Suing Over Piracy

Thirty-four studios join a lawsuit against iiNet claiming piracy, including the producers of The Dark Knight and X-Men Origins: Wolverine.

By bsprecher - Oct 06, 2009 01:10 PM EST
Filed Under: Other
Source: The Age


INT. LOBBY, BANK -- DAY
Bozo and Grumpy move down the line of hostages- Bozo hands each Hostage OBJECTS from a bag. A GRENADE.
Grumpy follows, PULLING THE PINS.

GRUMPY
Obviously, we don't want you doing
anything with your hands other than
holding on for dear life.

BLAM. Chuckles is BLOWN OFF HIS FEET- Grumpy and Bozo DIVE for cover- the Bank Manager steps out of his office, SHOTGUN in hand.


As in this opening scene from The Dark Knight, the massive piracy lawsuit against iiNet began with a bang! Footage of The Dark Knight was shown in Australian Federal Court as lawyers representing 34 motion picture studios--including Warner Bros, 20th Century Fox, and Village Roadshow--presented 94,942 instances where iiNet users made unauthorised copies of protected movies using file-sharing software such as BitTorrent.

Said the studios' attorney, Tony Bannon:

"There is no issue that infringements have been occurring on the iiNet network weekly, daily and hourly. iiNet authorised - that is sanctioned, countenanced and approved - these illegal activities on their network and only paid lip service to their own terms and conditions."

Should iiNet lose the case, the damages could drive it out of business. iiNet is currently Australia's third-largest internet service provider.

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SoItGoes
SoItGoes - 10/6/2009, 1:33 PM
FIRST

haha. i use torrents sometimes, not for movies, but man i hope the movie studios win.
thwhtGuardian
thwhtGuardian - 10/6/2009, 1:36 PM
So iinet is a service provider, like comcast or netzero? I don't get it, how can you go after an internet provider for what their users are doing? I can understand going after a site but the service provider? How does that work?
CorndogBurglar
CorndogBurglar - 10/6/2009, 1:36 PM
well it looks like these guys are F'ed
CorndogBurglar
CorndogBurglar - 10/6/2009, 1:38 PM
@ thwhtknight

you're right, that sounds kind of unfair. why aren't they going after every service provider if thats the case. the internet is the internet. all websites can be seen regardless of you ISP.
Imran
Imran - 10/6/2009, 1:38 PM
I was reading about this: They were saying something like it's okay to download the file but not okay to upload it.. If you upload it you are engaging in piracy?.. Software like Limewire and BitTorrent rely on users uploading their stuff..

I don't really get it.. All I know is, piracy is bad
but what can you do?.. How many people didn't download Superman/Batman: Public Enemies before it came out??..

Bet they put on the opening scene of The Dark Knight to grab everyone's attention.. Haha.. I know I would have..
CaptainAmerica
CaptainAmerica - 10/6/2009, 1:39 PM
lol stupid pirates
Imran
Imran - 10/6/2009, 1:40 PM
True say thewhtknight.. Does seem to be unfair, because the ISP isn't regulating their users they get sued?.. Provide them with the means and money to do so and maybe they will..

It's not easy to keep an eye on every single internet user using your service..
peterparker420
peterparker420 - 10/6/2009, 1:42 PM
i really don't download movies, i watch them in theaters and by DVDs, i don't like it when the movie footage is leak like the case with wolverine, i mean who wants to see an unfinished copy of the movie! it makes no sense to me.
ClintEastwood
ClintEastwood - 10/6/2009, 1:49 PM
Australia???!?!?! I THOUGHT THE PIRATES WERE IN SOMALIA! :D
LEEE777
LEEE777 - 10/6/2009, 1:54 PM
iiNET @ SHOULD SUE FOX for BORIGINS!!! ; D
bsprecher
bsprecher - 10/6/2009, 1:55 PM
@Sir: What the heck beer is that last piratess holding? Canadian? Never heard of it.
Imran
Imran - 10/6/2009, 1:58 PM
lol @ LEEE.. You really hate that film don't ya :-P
Set2Fallfirst
Set2Fallfirst - 10/6/2009, 1:58 PM
Her beer says it all O Canada....OH! Canada. ( I salute thee).
LEEE777
LEEE777 - 10/6/2009, 1:59 PM
And [frick] that i download!!

I downloaded DRAGON BALLZ you think anyone would pay to watch that??!

I bought quality movies like WATCHMEN, TDK, even movies like WARZONE lol, but [frick] paying for Sh!tE!!

FOX got my $10 bucks for SH!T-ERINES, an i want it back! : D

On a serious note, nothinngs wrong wiv downloading, but its best to buy the real thing!!

; )
LEEE777
LEEE777 - 10/6/2009, 1:59 PM
Imran @ yEAH HEH HEH!!

SET2FALL @ Lmao! : D
thwhtGuardian
thwhtGuardian - 10/6/2009, 2:00 PM
Personally I never download movies, not for any legal or moral reasons I just don't have the space on my hard drive. I do watch illegal streams of movies though.
I wasn't aware though that the service providers were responsible for their users, I mean then we could hold them responsible for kiddie porn and snuff films too, but I don't remember hearing of anyone doing that.
maybe the writer of the article got their facts messed up? I don't know.
Set2Fallfirst
Set2Fallfirst - 10/6/2009, 2:00 PM
@sir Shes a lil slice of heaven
NataliaRomanov
NataliaRomanov - 10/6/2009, 2:00 PM
I always thought it was the uploaders who get into trouble not the downloaders.
manofsteel71
manofsteel71 - 10/6/2009, 2:01 PM
Just say no to butt piracy..!!!
Set2Fallfirst
Set2Fallfirst - 10/6/2009, 2:02 PM
Im not saying I have but hypothetically if someone loved TDK so much they couldnt wait for the Release date for the dvd but then when it came out bought 2 different special edition blu rays and 3 differ versions of the regular dvd becuase of the covers being different i dont think thats bad that person contributed ten fold
bsprecher
bsprecher - 10/6/2009, 2:03 PM
It's difficult to say (for me, a non-lawyer) how different the piracy laws are in Australia versus the United States. It's possible they only went after iiNet because they felt the Australian laws were favorable to their case(s).

@Set: I totally understand your reasoning, but the law doesn't make such distinctions. You're saying it's only kind of wrong because you off-set the piracy by buying DVD's, but a there's no "kind of wrong" under the law. Not my opinion, necesssarily, but the way a lawyer would work you on the stand.
bsprecher
bsprecher - 10/6/2009, 2:07 PM
I think it's funny that there's a Canadian beer named "Canadian." That would be like Coors Light coming out with an "American" beer or Tecate coming out with a "Mexican" beer.
shiftysharp
shiftysharp - 10/6/2009, 2:11 PM
this is just stupid.
so if i phone someone and tell them i am going to kill them,then go and actually kill them the phone company(who is also my isp) is an accomplace to the crime for allowing that phone call to be made.
or lets say i go get blind drunk on JD and climb in my ford car and run someone over,is it JD and ford who are to blame as the provided me with the tools to carry out the deed.
bollocks. YAAAAAARRRRRRRRRR
LEEE777
LEEE777 - 10/6/2009, 2:12 PM
PIRACY is Good!

Just ask JOHNNY DEPP! ; D

SET @ Ya lucky git lol.
Set2Fallfirst
Set2Fallfirst - 10/6/2009, 2:12 PM
@brent Hypothetically of course you mean cuz its not said that certain events accord or happened and no saying it was I who done it hahaha.

but i will say I have a feeling i love batman more than anyone on this site sadly....its an obsession but i can manage hell i get my gf to dress up as harley quinn and cat woman every now and then i got it like that hahah but she loves comics shes a hottie too....shes the american dream
Set2Fallfirst
Set2Fallfirst - 10/6/2009, 2:15 PM
@lee o yea im lucky best thing is she loves zombieland (shes making me write this part) and she smells like spiced cinnamon
Spock
Spock - 10/6/2009, 2:29 PM
I don't drink & I don't care. Piracy is bad nuff said. Even thou mostly everyone has done it. Iam just as guilty. Some artist are for, there arugment is that if your stuff isnt' getting downloaded then your not gettin notice, its like u didn't even exist. Snoop Dogg believes in this thinking. Legal issue can be tricky, ask Martha Stewart, Bernie Madoff etc.
LEEE777
LEEE777 - 10/6/2009, 2:29 PM
SET2FALL @ Heh heh! ; )
LEEE777
LEEE777 - 10/6/2009, 2:36 PM


; D
LEEE777
LEEE777 - 10/6/2009, 2:51 PM
MULTI @ Lmao!! : D

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