Lawsuit says movie group hired hacker - GoFuckYourself.com

RhiannonAPM · 05-26-2006, 09:47 AM

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/articl...GHIJ282626.DTL

A popular Web site that helps users search and find links where they can download certain files -- including pirated television shows and films -- is suing the Motion Picture Association of America, accusing the group of paying a hacker to break into the site's computers.

Torrentspy.com, part of Valence Media, said in its lawsuit in U.S. District Court for Central California that the motion picture group hired an unnamed person for $15,000 to steal passwords, e-mails and detailed information about the company's finances and operations.

The lawsuit is the latest twist in the larger, ongoing battle between the movie studios and file-sharing sites, which make it possible for users to download digital files, including copyrighted music, movies and television shows, through the Internet. Last year, Hollywood studios lost some $2.3 billion from Internet piracy, the MPAA said.

Three months ago, the MPAA sued a series of Web sites, including Torrentspy, to stop them from helping users swap illegal files. The sites take advantage of torrent software, a tool that lets users share especially large files, and in many cases, pirated films and shows, such as "Lost" and the "The Da Vinci Code." Torrentspy is a search engine that points users to places where they can download those files.

In a statement, the MPAA said Torrentspy's lawsuit is just a move to strike back at the group.

"Having failed to persuade a federal court judge to dismiss the studios lawsuit against them, Torrentspy is making a desperate attempt to obscure the fact that they are knowingly facilitating piracy," said Kori Bernards, a spokeswoman for the MPAA. "This lawsuit is completely baseless."

But Torrentspy said its accusations came to light after the MPAA announced its suit against the Web sites in February.

After hearing about the MPAA's lawsuit, the hacker came forward, told Torrentspy what had happened and apologized. The suit said the person was an associate of Justin Bunnell, one of the principals of Torrentspy, but had nothing to do with the company at the time.

"I find it ironic that an anti-piracy organization would resort to piracy to get other companies' data," said Ira Rothken, the attorney representing Torrentspy.

Torrentspy is asking the court to stop the MPAA from using and sharing the information obtained by the hacker, including in its lawsuit against Torrentspy.

Separately, Torrentspy has also sought to dismiss the MPAA's lawsuit. It believes that Torrentspy and the other sites should not be sued because they do not traffic in copyrighted material; they are merely a search engine, like Google, that lets users find files they are looking for. Mountain View's Google, which also lets users search for torrent files, is not being sued.

Phoenix · 05-26-2006, 09:53 AM

fuck yeah...stick it to them...lots of big companies seem to think they can do whatever the fuck they please

i like it when someone calls them out

05-26-2006, 09:47 AM	#1
RhiannonAPM Confirmed User Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: Las Vegas, NV Posts: 728	Lawsuit says movie group hired hacker http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/articl...GHIJ282626.DTL A popular Web site that helps users search and find links where they can download certain files -- including pirated television shows and films -- is suing the Motion Picture Association of America, accusing the group of paying a hacker to break into the site's computers. Torrentspy.com, part of Valence Media, said in its lawsuit in U.S. District Court for Central California that the motion picture group hired an unnamed person for $15,000 to steal passwords, e-mails and detailed information about the company's finances and operations. The lawsuit is the latest twist in the larger, ongoing battle between the movie studios and file-sharing sites, which make it possible for users to download digital files, including copyrighted music, movies and television shows, through the Internet. Last year, Hollywood studios lost some $2.3 billion from Internet piracy, the MPAA said. Three months ago, the MPAA sued a series of Web sites, including Torrentspy, to stop them from helping users swap illegal files. The sites take advantage of torrent software, a tool that lets users share especially large files, and in many cases, pirated films and shows, such as "Lost" and the "The Da Vinci Code." Torrentspy is a search engine that points users to places where they can download those files. In a statement, the MPAA said Torrentspy's lawsuit is just a move to strike back at the group. "Having failed to persuade a federal court judge to dismiss the studios lawsuit against them, Torrentspy is making a desperate attempt to obscure the fact that they are knowingly facilitating piracy," said Kori Bernards, a spokeswoman for the MPAA. "This lawsuit is completely baseless." But Torrentspy said its accusations came to light after the MPAA announced its suit against the Web sites in February. After hearing about the MPAA's lawsuit, the hacker came forward, told Torrentspy what had happened and apologized. The suit said the person was an associate of Justin Bunnell, one of the principals of Torrentspy, but had nothing to do with the company at the time. "I find it ironic that an anti-piracy organization would resort to piracy to get other companies' data," said Ira Rothken, the attorney representing Torrentspy. Torrentspy is asking the court to stop the MPAA from using and sharing the information obtained by the hacker, including in its lawsuit against Torrentspy. Separately, Torrentspy has also sought to dismiss the MPAA's lawsuit. It believes that Torrentspy and the other sites should not be sued because they do not traffic in copyrighted material; they are merely a search engine, like Google, that lets users find files they are looking for. Mountain View's Google, which also lets users search for torrent files, is not being sued. __________________ ICQ---257-820-736

05-26-2006, 09:53 AM	#2
Phoenix BACON BACON BACON Industry Role: Join Date: Nov 2002 Location: Poems everybody, the laddie fancies himself a poet Posts: 35,462	fuck yeah...stick it to them...lots of big companies seem to think they can do whatever the fuck they please i like it when someone calls them out __________________ Skype Phoenixskype1 Telegram PhoenixBrad https://quantads.io