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Disney Chief Bob Iger Says Hackers Claim To Have Stolen Upcoming Movie (hollywoodreporter.com)

Posted by BeauHD on from the ransom-or-else dept.

An anonymous reader quotes a report from Hollywood Reporter: Walt Disney CEO Bob Iger revealed Monday that hackers claiming to have access to a Disney movie threatened to release it unless the studio paid a ransom. Iger didn't disclose the name of the film, but said Disney is refusing to pay. The studio is working with federal investigators. Iger's comments came during a town hall meeting with ABC employees in New York City, according to multiple sources. The Disney chief said the hackers demanded that a huge sum be paid in Bitcoin. They said they would release five minutes of the film at first, and then in 20-minute chunks until their financial demands are met. While movie piracy has long been a scourge, ransoms appear to be a new twist. UPDATE: According to Deadline, the movie in question appears to be the upcoming film Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales. Disney appears to be working with the FBI and will not pay the ransom.

7 of 121 comments (clear)

  1. Piracy? by halltk1983 · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Too bad they already misappropriated the term piracy for online file sharing. This seems more fitting of the name. Ironic, given the content of the theft.

    --
    Watch for Penguins, they eat Apples and throw rocks at Windows.
    1. Re:Piracy? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Insightful

      'Meaning "one who takes another's work without permission" first recorded 1701....sense of "unlicensed radio broadcaster" is from 1913.'

      So it's meant copyright violation for 300+ years, but don't let the truth get in the way of a good pedantic argument over a commonly-understood word.

    2. Re:Piracy? by 91degrees · · Score: 3, Insightful

      But who cares? Pirates in the media are seen as heroic romantic figures. Jack Sparrow is very much a protagonist. Pirates of Penzance has a band of gentlemanly pirates. Even the villains like Captain Hook are presented as charismatic leaders.

      And even if they weren't, nobody associates media pirates with historical pirates. The connection makes a good joke but that's about it.

  2. We'll see if piracy affects sales by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Insightful

    If you can pirate a big name franchise before it hits theaters, but we still see huge ticket sales, then we can finally agree that piracy has no real impact on film profits.

  3. They should threaten to send it to movie critics by elrous0 · · Score: 4, Insightful

    "Give us the moneys or we show the movie critics how awful it is!" warned the pirates.

    In other news, this is the lamest publicity stunt ever.

    --
    SJW: Someone who has run out of real oppression, and has to fake it.
  4. Awwww by Opportunist · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Did shipping jobs overseas backfire?

    Here's the tiniest violin, made in the USA, playing just for you.

    --
    We used to have a Bill of Rights. Now, with the rights gone, all we have left is the bill.
  5. Re: so, quit outsourcing, esp. your security. by Kabukiwookie · · Score: 4, Insightful

    If you think hiring professionals is expensive, wait until you've hired some amateurs.

    --
    The mountains of madness have many little plateaus of sanity - Terry Pratchett.