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   Studios Sue Actor over Screeners

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Topic: Studios Sue Actor over Screeners (Read 159 times)

Rhune
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Studios Sue Actor over Screeners
« on: Jan 29^th, 2004, 10:18pm »

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Studios Sue Actor over Screeners

by Josh Grossberg
Jan 29, 2004, 10:15 AM PT

Hollywood is looking to make an example of Carmine Caridi.

Until this month, you might have recognized the veteran character actor's face but probably never heard his name. Now, the 70-year-old screen tough guy, a member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences whose credits include The Godfather: Part II and The Godfather: Part III, Bugsy and a stint on NYPD Blue, is at the center of a burgeoning piracy scandal that has landed him the crosshairs of two of Tinseltown's most powerful studios.

Warner Bros. and Sony Pictures Entertainment filed separate civil suits against Caridi after he admitted to sending out awards-screener tapes and DVDs to a friend in Chicago, who in turn illegally copied the movies and released them on the Internet.

The studios sued Caridi for copyright infringement for violating a written agreement with the Academy to be accountable for all screeners sent to him.

Warners and Sony-owned Columbia initiated the legal action after the thespian reportedly told the FBI that he had sent about 60 tapes in recent weeks to Russell Sprague. Caridi said he has been sending that many movies to Sprague each year for the past five years.

Sprague, a 51-year-old electrician, was charged last week with criminal copyright infringement after he and several others allegedly conspired to duplicate Caridi's screeners by transferring them to a digital format to make it easier to distribute them on the Web via file-sharing networks.

According to court papers, "after receiving the films from Caridi, Sprague illegally duplicated, exhibited and distributed the films via the Internet and other media in violation of Warner Bros. exclusive interests."

Warners decided to file the suit after learning that Caridi had sent Sprague tapes of two of the studio's Oscar contenders, Mystic River and The Last Samurai, both of which made their way onto the Net. Columbia launched its suit after copies of Something's Gotta Give and Big Fish popped up online.

Sprague and 10 unidentified John Does were also named as defendants in the civil complaints.

Warner Bros. and Columbia are each seeking up to $150,000 in damages for each film illegally copied. Other studios, like 20th Century Fox, who sent screeners to Caridi that were found in Sprague's possession are mulling similar suits.

Caridi's lawyer, Richard Millard, was out of town and could not be reached for comment.

Caridi has been an Academy member for over 20 years. Authorities do not plan to bring any criminal charges against him. In an FBI affidavit, the actor has denied having any knowledge whatsoever that Sprague illegally copied his screeners and said he thought his pal was just a film buff.

Last week, Sprague was arrested and charged in federal court for illegally copying the movies, becoming the first person ever charged in the U.S. with bootlegging screener tapes. He also faces separate charges for hijacking satellite TV signals. His bond was set at $25,000.

On Monday, U.S. Magistrate Judge Martin C. Ashman ruled that Sprague's case will be moved to Los Angeles, where he will be arraigned on the charges in the coming weeks.

Sprague has called the charges "baloney."

As expected, the studios are bringing out the big guns against Sprague and Caridi. The Motion Picture Association of America, the studio's Washington, D.C.-based lobbying body, says movie piracy results in $3.5 billion a year in lost revenue.

MPAA boss Jack Valenti tried to implement a ban on award screeners last fall, arguing the tapes were easily pirated. However, a judge lifted the controversial ban after several independent film companies sued, claiming the ban hurt their Oscar chances.

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Rhune
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Re: Studios Sue Actor over Screeners
« Reply #1 on: Feb 5^th, 2004, 12:56pm »

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Actor Expelled for Screener Piracy
Wed, Feb 04, 2004, 10:02 AM PT

LOS ANGELES (Zap2it.com) - Actor Carmine Caridi became the first member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to be expelled on Tuesday, Feb. 3 under its new anti-piracy agreement.

The 70-year-old Caridi is connected with multiple unauthorized screening videos that surfaced on the Internet in January. Copies of "Something's Gotta Give," "The Last Samurai," "Mystic River," "Big Fish" are among the titles that turned up for sale online.

In an FBI raid on Friday, Jan. 23, videos, copies and duplicating equipment were discovered in the Chicago-area home of Caridi's acquaintance, Russell Sprague. Sprague had received the screeners from Caridi via FedEx.

In an effort to curtail piracy, the Academy had members sign a document this year agreeing to safeguard their screeners or face possible expulsion, according to The Hollywood Reporter. In addition, the videos were encoded with unique invisible markings to identify their intended recipient -- which is how they were traced to Caridi.

Both Caridi and Sprague were sued by Warner Bros. Pictures and Columbia Pictures recently for infringing upon the studios' copyrights by duplicating and distributing copies of the films on both VHS and DVD. The studios are asking for compensation for the damages suffered or that the defendants be ordered to pay a minimum of $150,000 in statutory damages.

Caridi is known for his character acting and recently appeared in the upcoming "Runaways." His resume also includes roles in the second and third parts of "The Godfather" series and 1991's "Bugsy."

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