Court Hands Movie Leakers Suspended Jail Sentences
Written by enigmax on February 13, 2009Six individuals accused of leaking a DVD screener of a movie to the Internet have been handed suspended jail sentences and fines of 15,000 euros. Three of the sentenced are employees of a major European TV channel. None of the six made any money from their actions.
The movie Les Bronzes 3 Amis Pour La Vie (Bronzés III, Friends for Life) was France’s biggest box-office success in 2006, going on to sell an impressive 10 million tickets. However, in March 2006 two copies of the movie leaked to the Internet, one credited to a group calling themselves ‘AcRoChE’ and another with no credit.
The Internet uploaders had managed to acquire a DVD screener of the movie from insiders at private TV channel TF1, one of Europe’s largest television channels. By November 2006 it was reported that police had begun making arrests, including some at TF1. Eventually, three employees of TF1 were detained, including two men aged 45 and 47 who admitted making a copy of the movie for their own private use.
Another three from outside the company using the nicknames Darkpingoo, H2o and Vb2n were also arrested for leaking the movie to Usenet, following a complaint by the video editors Union (SEV) and the distributor of the film.
The case was heard yesterday at the 15th Criminal Chamber of the Tribunal de Grande Instance (TGI) in Paris. The court heard that the individuals didn’t profit from leaking the movie to the Internet but nevertheless, StudioCanal, the DVD publisher of the movie, was looking for stiff punishment. It demanded jail sentences of between 2 and 4 months for the six, claiming 13 million euros losses.
With lawyers for the prosecution branding the defendants a “Gang of Chihuahuas,” some actors in the movie demanded 1 million euros each in damages. The stars of the movie – Josiane Balasko, Thierry Lhermitte and Gerard Jugnot – requested a symbolic 1 euro each.
The prosecution said the leak was “helping to torpedo the cinema market,” but in their defense, the employees of TF1 Film Production argued that the practice of copying movies for personal use was tolerated at the company.
The court ruled that collectively the six defendants, aged 21 to 53 years old, must pay 15,000 euros damages to StudioCanal, but dismissed the multi-million Euro damages claim, issuing 1 month suspended jail sentences instead. The stars of the movie got their 1 euro each.
Recently, France has been gathering a reputation as being tough on Internet pirates, with President Sarkozy taking a very aggressive stance. According to Wikipedia, “key figures within TF1 are close friends to some of the most powerful politicians in France.”
Previously: P2P Researchers Fear BitTorrent Meltdown
Next: Music Copyright ‘Pension Extension’ Moves Forward
25 Responses
As a result, people who share continue to be reduced to underlings at the hands of copyright owners.
Yet, why are we underlings? It is not fate: we are not fated to be underlings. Rather, it is the fault of ourselves that we are underlings. The world may be more or less cruel and unfair, but however bad it may be, we humans still have human potential.
13 millions in losses? ‘kay.
Has anyone heard of this movie? Actors demanding 1 million dollars in damages when no one has even heard of them. 15000 euros and 1 month jail talk about BS.
@3 it was a french movie from france, of course you haven’t heard of it. don’t be retarded.
You’ve got to respect those actors who only wanted 1 euro each. They didn’t like what these people did, but they didn’t try to further destroy the people financially.
Because French films are only for the French?
Don’t be retarded.
Wow way to ruin someones life over a movie..
pathetic people, pathetic country..
@6 Of course French movies aren’t just for the French, but they’re not gonna be advertised very well outside of France are they?
Don’t be retarded.
Sarkozy is french Dubya
@9: No, he’s too evil to be a Dubya clone. Dubya and clones are just unimaginably stupid, not evil.
It’s very rare for French films to be advertised or released in a mainstream setting (not counting piracy) – at least in AU for sure.
This is a pity IMO – some French movies are really great IMO. Along with Spanish films I try (only somewhat successfully it has to be said) to view as many as I can along with English language films.
I’m just finding it hard to believe they were caught – the DVD may have been marked in some fashion to ID the copy or perhaps they told people about it. Or perhaps the TV station was the only outlet to recieve a screener (hard to believe).
This is why scene groups are so damn cautious about everything they do I suppose.
“France’s biggest box-office success in 2006″
“13 million euros in losses”
Something doesn’t quite add up I think…
Its stupid that they were jailed at all.
Why doesn’t France send the Foreign Legion after these awful pirates?
The irony is huge: How many people on the planet would know or care about some boring French movie? They’re getting the kind of publicity that they’d never dream of! Probably more people know about this now, worldwide, than any other French movie this century.
to #9 and #10. While traveling in France, I saw a campaign poster for Sarkozy. Someone defaced it by writing “Pro-Bush” on it. I thought if Sarkozy is pro-Bush he must be a great guy! Long live former U.S. President George W. Bush!
@8
Good movies from no matter where get around exceptionally well, regardless of mainstream advertisement or not.
It’s ok, though, I remember my first time on the intertoobs.
Don’t be retarded.
In France’s defence, their movie industry sucks.
“France installed an import quota of 1:7 – for every seven foreign films imported to France, one French film was to be produced and shown in French cinemas” – http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cinema_of_France#Late_19th_century_to_early_20th_century
However, as usual it looks like figures and information got blown out of proportion.
For getting caught they got off pretty lightly – 2500 euro each
damn, i cant wait for people to stop trying to make money outta films and make them for the love and passion like they used to, lol, we might actually get more than 1 half decent film a year!
It seem like there is one bad and one good news in that article:
Bad news) six men got arrested for shareing movie over the internet
Good news) One shitty movie less on the net!
“so bob what ya in for …..”
…
“ten years for a music video”
…
“ahh same as half the other peopel that can’t pay the fines”
15000 EURO = about 20000 CANUCK notice that that BILL c-51 was about same, and now you will see what happens when they can’t afford the fines.
like i said hollywood is now the terrorists, we have to fight them and eradicate them where ever found.
so what videos where they, and also what artists, as htey too are responsible here.
AND when the artists start pressuring them to stop we will stop calling you thieves of humanity and culture.
YOU ARE BAD all actors and musicians.
If your not with riaa/mpaa and dont sue people or get them fined then GOOD for you.
“damn, i cant wait for people to stop trying to make money outta films and make them for the love and passion like they used to, lol, we might actually get more than 1 half decent film a year!”
—————————–
damn, i can’t wait until EVERYONE stops trying to make money and just does EVERYTHING for the love and passion like they used to, lol…
because of French movies are bad one and because of French policy is maybe the most hardest around the world when we talk about copyrights.
help me
I don’t understand many french films cause i’m to dumb & slow to read the subtitles, some one please come down under & stop me stealing all this oxygen.
“key figures within TF1 are close friends to some of the most powerful politicians in France.”
What they mean is that Sarkosy is a great friend of Bouygue, the owner of TF1. They have had many deals together in the past, where national asset was sold by Sarkosy (then financial minister) at ridiculous price to Bouygue and bought back by Sarkosy at inflated price just 2 years later. A perfectly legal scam at the cost of the tax payer. These are the real crooks
3 references to this post
Responses are closed
All remaining responses will continue to be archived. Use the TorrentFreak forums if you want to discuss something.