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MPAA Blames BitTorrent for Star Wars Distribution

Posted by timothy on from the what-do-you-burn-apart-from-witches? dept.

AI Playground writes "Slyck News reports on the MPAA's press release (.doc) blaming the BitTorrent protocol for the leak of Episode III. MPAA President and CEO Dan Glickman: 'There is no better example of how theft dims the magic of the movies for everyone than this report today regarding BitTorrent providing users with illegal copies of Revenge of the Sith. The unfortunate fact is this type of theft happens on a regular basis on peer to peer networks all over the world.'"

25 of 1,196 comments (clear)

  1. The only thing by William-Ely · · Score: 5, Funny

    that dimmed the magic of this movie was George Lucas.

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  2. Tragic by MattW · · Score: 5, Funny

    It's a shame that this has happened, and that Star Wars Ep. III is hardly taking in any money as a result.

  3. I blame.. by SocialEngineer · · Score: 5, Funny

    I blame internet. Lets sue Al Gore!

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  4. many thanks for telling me where to get it by Gunstick · · Score: 5, Funny


    Thanks to the MPAA announcing the availibility of Episode III on bittorrent, I know now which client to start and search for it. Great service.

    Georges

    --
    Atari rules... ermm... ruled.
  5. Re:And this is news? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    I, for one, watch only stolen movies. It makes me feel cool, like if I had a big penis.

    Of course, BitTorrent is responsible. The author of this un-American software should be arrested immediately and pay a fine of 400 million to the starving author of Star Wars.

  6. In other news... by Pedrito · · Score: 4, Funny

    Episode 3 is breaking records for how much money it's already made. Boy, I can really see how BitTorrent is just screwing the movie industry. Just how it screwed Battlestar Galactica on Sci-Fi. What a bunch of whining chumps.

  7. You, sir, are most correct! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    Revenge of the Sith only had a record $50 million opening day. This is a travesty! I will personally donate my yearly salary of $40,000 to George Lucas to help keep him from starving.

  8. Re:Yeah. by GuyMannDude · · Score: 4, Funny

    Yes, Bittorrent was at fault, and the economic impact was so huge, that Star Wars didn't make a single penny this weekend. And George Lucas is broke! John Williams is selling pencils on the street corner! Hayden Christensen... well let's not even talk about what he's doing to make ends meet!

    I'd rather talk about what Nathalie Portman is doing to make ends meet! :)

    GMD

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    watch this
  9. That's it! by NoMoreNicksLeft · · Score: 4, Funny

    We need a law that makes it a federal felony to "Dim the magic of the movies, with intention or accidentally, through the distribution of any electronic media."

    No longer will Ebert be able to safely sit there sending salvo after salvo at the movie industry, safe behind ill-concieved first ammendment rights!

    Please, help save the magic of the movies from dimming, think of the children!

    1. Re:That's it! by eddy · · Score: 4, Funny

      >[...] federal felony to "Dim the magic of the movies, with intention or accidentally, through the distribution of any electronic media."

      But wouldn't that put George Lucas in jail?

      Oh. Oh, I see.

      --
      Belief is the currency of delusion.
  10. Re:Once again... by nacturation · · Score: 5, Funny

    Plus, it's not BitTorrent's fault that the movie was released. The fault of the release is due to TCP/IP itself! I think we should lobby the government to ban the TCP/IP protocol, which makes all copyright infringement possible.

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  11. Funny, it doesn't work for me by Pac · · Score: 5, Funny

    When I heard about this BitTorrent program delivering non-released movies, new top-40 albums and great warez software I (being cheap and lazy) immediatelly downloaded, installed and opened it. Then I waited for the goods to start pouring into my disk. So far nothing has happened. Does anyone knows what I am doing wrong?

  12. Re:It's clear the damage that this has caused! by Scrameustache · · Score: 4, Funny

    For heaven sakes people! Lucas was only able to make $50 million on Thursday! HE HAS CHILDREN TO FEED

    You misspelled "younglings" ;-)

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    You can't take the sky from me...

  13. Not only BitTorrent by trezor · · Score: 5, Funny

    Of course, BitTorrent is responsible.

    No, no, no! Not only that! I got mine via FTP, so FTP is responsible as well! And I found the FTP-link by the web, so I guess that makes HTTP responsible as well.

    Oh.. and they all use IP. Which would make IP the one mainly responsible for the IP-theft! Yup. Sounds like double-A logic to me.

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    1. Re:Not only BitTorrent by TheAvatar666 · · Score: 5, Funny

      And they are all protocols in the internet! Al Gore invented the internet! Arrest Al Gore!

  14. OT: Penguins vs The Sith. by Stephen+Samuel · · Score: 4, Funny
    I was listening to CBC's "Definitely Not The Opera" where they mentioned that almost nobody is opening a film this weekend opposite Revenge of the Sith. One exception is the French documentary March of the Penguins, a French documentary all about - what else - penguins.
    Quote of the hour:
    Only penguins would stand up against Darth Vader.
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  15. Re:And this is news? by Seraphim_72 · · Score: 5, Funny

    You forgot that BitTorrent hides alien contact in Area 51, and that it also stole WMD's from Iraq just as we were going in. Also, it made me sterile just by watching a downloaded movie.

    Sera

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    Slashdot, where armchair scientists get shouted down and armchair theologians get modded up.
  16. Re:P2P and guns by tedrlord · · Score: 5, Funny

    That simile is flawed. Handguns have many uses, such as easing server bandwidth requirements and doing a lot to spread open source software, while bittorrent was designed mainly for use in non-military situations to kill human beings. It's fairly obvious that for practical purposes, bittorrent should be carefully controlled.

    Wait, I think I mixed things up a little there, didn't I.

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    [insert witty quote here]
  17. Re:And this is news? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    Where is this Bit Torrent person and when is he handing out free movies again?

    Also I heard that the RIAA is suing FTP for the lack luster sales of Ashlee Simpson's CD.

  18. Re:Once again... by ne0n · · Score: 4, Funny

    Let's ban George Lucas, since he has done more than anybody else to dim the magic of the movies. Maybe Paulie Shore comes close, but he's not around anymore.

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  19. Re:And this is news? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    I'm sure its not BitTorrents fault. Its Intels fault. If there were no computers there would be no piracy...

    Actually its probably the MPAAs fault, if there were no movies there'd be no piracy...

  20. Re:the blame game by mattspammail · · Score: 4, Funny

    Exactly! Finally, someone who gets it!

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  21. Re:And this is news? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    Every time you use BitTorrent, God kills a kitten.

  22. "on the newsgroups first." by Unknown+Poltroon · · Score: 4, Funny

    SHHHHH!!!!

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  23. Re:And this is news? by shutdown+-p+now · · Score: 4, Funny
    No, no!

    Every time you leech from BitTorrent, God kills a kitten.