In August, the top 10 most coveted films in movie piracy world were Bruno, Inglorious Bastards, District 9, State of Play, The Hangover, Management, The Boat That Rocked, 17 Again, Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs and Fighting. Despite a lot of MPAA belly-aching that pirated copies of movies are severely cutting into their profit margins, the Box Office numbers suggest that people still really love going to the movies with their friends. For instance, Final Destination took in $28.3 million in its opening weekend; Inglorious Bastards - $19.6 million; and District 9 - $10.7 million.
One approach to putting an end to the piracy of movies is to crack down harder on the source of the pirated copies. According to Executive director of the Australian Federation Against Copyright Theft, Neil Gane, “Over 90 per cent of first-release pirated movies originate from illegal recordings being made in cinemas.” He says they’re working closely with cinema management to combat new download and pirated DVD leaks. He adds, “We are also focusing on syndicates that download and manufacture in large quantities, looking to cut off that element of supply.” Recently, a South Australian man received a 7-month suspended jail sentence for possessing more than 10,000 pirated movies, as well as DVD burning equipment.
Some of the anti movie piracy efforts seem a little misguided. For instance, Lionsgate, Paramount and Warner Brothers recently agreed to release some old and new movies in online/Div-X format through a store called “Film Fresh.” The problem here is that they’re assuming people are pirating videos because they really want to watch them on their computers, rather than at a theater or on their television sets. In reality, the computer is usually just the easiest way for people to get their hands on a movie that hasn’t come out just yet. It’s also the quickest way to share new content with friends and family. The motion picture companies believe that people will register with Div-X for the “privilege” of being able to buy these great movies for just $10 to $16 in the digital format. Yet it’s unlikely to put a dent in the bootlegging business.
Movie piracy continues to be a major headache for everyone in the entertainment industry. There seems to be little possibility of outsmarting every bootlegger around the world or stamping out every download of new movies. Yet perhaps true movie lovers can be appealed to on a moral level. “I hear periodically, ‘Well, Tom Cruise has enough money’ or ‘Tom Hanks has enough money,’ ” says John Malcolm director of worldwide anti-piracy operations for the Motion Picture Association of America. “I would say to movie lovers, stick around and watch all of the credits. When you see the hundreds of names scrolling across the screen, those are the people whose talents contributed to making that movie, and they need to make a living.”
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