Eight Charged in Copyright Infringement Involving Star Wars “Episode III”

FBI agents have charged eight persons with illegally copying and distributing the film Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith and one with uploading it to the Internet for distribution. The charges continue a pattern in the FBI’s aggressive pursuit of video and music pirates, begun when the Family Entertaiment Copyright Act was signed in the early summer of 2005. Agents also arrested a SAG (Screen Actors Guild) member who allowed another person access to his “screener”, a post-production copy of the film Million Dollar Baby. That copy found its way to the Internet, when it was illegally downloaded. Because SAG members are responsible by contract for the use of their screeners, that individual is still civilly as well as criminally liable. Read more here in a Variety article (subscription may be required, also available through LEXIS). Visit the SAG website here.