Shit just got real in the War on Piracy with a US District Court judge handing out a year-long prison sentence to a New York resident for uploading a single, terrible movie.
To be fair, Gilberto Sanchez did somehow get his hands on an unfinished copy of the film that hadn’t yet made it through post-production. He reportedly purchased it from an unknown street vendor in the Bronx and then uploaded it a month before it hit theatres, hence the stiff penalty.
“The federal prison sentence handed down in this case sends a strong message of deterrence to would-be Internet pirates,” US attorney Andre Birotte Jr told The Hollywood Reporter. “The Justice Department will pursue and prosecute persons who seek to steal the intellectual property of this nation.”
I can’t begin to explain how unfathomably bad his idea was. What did he get out of this? A year in the clink. What did the public get out of this? A shitty version of a shitty film. And what did the US Attorney’s office get out of this? Precedent. [Electronista]
Sicarius123
Tuesday, December 20, 2011 at 10:07 PMThis is pretty low as far as pirating goes.
I knew heaps of people who’d seen this green screen shitty version before the movie even came out. This kind of thing really sucks for the people who made the film.
Gray
Tuesday, December 20, 2011 at 10:23 PMAt least the green screen version had an excuse for being shitty..
joe
Tuesday, December 20, 2011 at 11:22 PMnice article title, gizmodo….getting more like the daily telegraph every day
Space2099
Tuesday, December 20, 2011 at 11:56 PMIt seems to me that he uploaded this movie to show people how incredibly bad it was well before it was released. So it wouldn’t make a zillion dollars at the box office and we wouldn’t get an even worse sequel.
Mission accomplished, Instead of Wolverine 2 we got the excellent X-men: First Class and FOX learnt a lesson about the importance of a good script and good director. This guy should have been given a commission not sent off to jail.
It’s kind of sad, if it had been a great movie and the leaked work print had had grabbed a lot of positive buzz, more people would have see the finishes movie and I’m pretty sure no one would have gone to jail.
Some of the most successful TV show launches came after their pilot episodes where leaked online (Lost and Heroes comes to mind). Just saying that if you have something good then leaking it is a good think and if it is bad leaking it is a bad thing.
Ozoneocean
Wednesday, December 21, 2011 at 1:15 AMAfter just buying a new DVD yesterday and sitting through the very long and stupid unkippable warnings against piracy, then the very long and boring unkippable promos for blueray, and then the very, very long unkippable promo for some idiotically brainless dance movie, I beign to understand why pirating is so amazingly popular-
Not only do you save your money, but you also get the product you want WITHOUT the crap.
Hollywood is shooting itself in the arse, repeatedly.
Josh
Wednesday, December 21, 2011 at 8:59 AM+ 1 Billion!
InformedGamer
Wednesday, December 21, 2011 at 9:16 AM+ 1 more Billion!
Blake
Wednesday, December 21, 2011 at 10:51 AMSimilar experience buying a PC game for the first time in years.
So many things I had to install, accounts I had to set up, product keys, and then couldn’t even play when my net was being dodgy (it had to prove I was still me I guess).
I think I’ll stick to console games or DRM free PC games from people like gog.com.
Erebus
Wednesday, December 21, 2011 at 12:07 PMI’ve also never understand why my legit bluray/DVD has all these anti piracy ads about how piracy funds terrorism.
You’re telling the wrong people!
Mr Odd
Wednesday, December 21, 2011 at 6:02 AM“The federal prison sentence handed down in this case sends a strong message of deterrence to would-be Internet pirates,”
Yeah, don’t get caught!! ;)
Poor dude, becoming someone’s jail bitch over a single movie upload. This should be a civil case.
olearymo
Wednesday, December 21, 2011 at 9:22 AMYes, it should be a civil case. I can NOT believe these are criminal cases.
It’d be kind of like a software company copying someone’s patented idea, and then the entire board of directors being sentenced to prison.
But of course, this stuff doesn’t happen to rich people.
So, what’s the average sentence for breaking and entering? Or assault? I wonder how it measures up to uploading a movie.
Sean
Wednesday, December 21, 2011 at 10:13 AMSo kill Michael Jackson, get 2-4 years.
Upload a movie, get 1 year…
Kinda seems like the DOJ has it’s priorities skewed more towards Corporations/money than people.. Just saying
Ian
Wednesday, December 21, 2011 at 10:20 AMI kinda liked Wolverine :P
Rowan
Wednesday, December 21, 2011 at 11:49 AMi hate x-men, it sucks, but that unfinished copy of wolverine was the best x-men movie i has ever seen
Supreme
Wednesday, December 21, 2011 at 9:44 PMTo put this in a perspective,
He goes into jail with Murderers, Home Invaders, Rapists, Child Molesters and psychopaths.
Seems like they didn’t consider that he was only releasing a movie and not raping young children…..