Film download websites face legal action

Websites that allow people to download films on the internet are being targeted by the US movie industry.

11:33 15 December 2004

Websites that allow people to download films on the internet are being targeted by the US movie industry.

The Motion Picture Association of America is planning to sue the people behind the sites that provide information and links to illegal copies of films.

It has more than 100 server operators in its sights, the MPAA said.

Suits have been filed against users of the file-sharing programmes BitTorrent, eDonkey and DirectConnect in the US, UK, France, Finland and the Netherlands.

"The message today is clear: if you illegally trade movies online, we can find you and we will hold you accountable," said MPAA senior vice president John Malcolm.

BitTorrent is a particular target because, unlike most of the programmes, it allows files to be shared among multiple users at the time.

"We cannot just sit back and let internet pirates brazenly steal our movies and other intellectual property," said MPAA president and CEO Dan Glickman.

"Today's actions not only will protect creativity but also will bolster the nascent legitimate online market for motion picture creativity."

The legal action is only the latest in the MPAA's long battle against online piracy. Other measures include pushing for tougher penalties for pirates and the development of new technologies to detect and prevent piracy.

More than 3.5 billion will be lost to film piracy this year, excluding the losses from online file sharing, the MPAA said.