Eight people were charged yesterday over the illegal release of Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith on the internet the day before its official cinema release in May, according to reports.
The BBC reports that one of the defendants, Californian Albert Valente, 28, has been charged with copyright infringement for removing a copy of the film from the post-production facility where he worked.
Fellow Californian Marc Hoaglin, 36, has been charged with uploading the film onto the internet – a felony that may net him three years in prison if found guilty; while the six other defendants face copyright and distribution charges that may result in 12 months' jail-time.
The charges came the on the same day that prosecutors achieved their first conviction under a new US copyright Act that targets the unauthorised recording of films in movie theatres, and the distribution of pre-release copyrighted material.
Curtis Salisbury, 19, of St Charles, Missouri, pleaded guilty on Tuesday to two charges in connection with using a camcorder to make copies of the movies The Perfect Man and Bewitched. Copies of the films were then distributed on a computer network through warez sites, sites that offer pirated movies, games and software.
According to Reuters, Salisbury will be sentenced in February.
