Intellectual Property Law

Path of Illicit DVD Amounts to File Sharing on Steroids

By Ryan Singel, Kevin Poulsen, Sarah Lai Stirland, Kim Zetter, and David Kravets

Authorities said Friday they arrested a Los Angeles man in connection to last year's pre-release uploading of "The Love Guru," which found its way to the online Mininova BitTorrent site.

According to an FBI affidavit (.pdf), authorities at one point eyed an Irvine, California man whose open Wi-Fi connection was used to upload the movie. In the end, it was his neighbor who uploaded the movie, which originated from a Los Angeles print shop that was producing a screener DVD for Jay Leno's "Tonight Show" last year.

The route of the illicit copy of the film, which was watermarked with a message that it was for the "Tonight Show," amounts to an exercise of file sharing on steroids.

Jack Yates, 28, is accused of taking the watermarked copy from Los Angeles' Duplication & Broadcasting last May. He is also accused of lying to the FBI for allegedly declaring his innocence during an interview.

In the end, the Irvine man who uploaded the DVD was the neighbor of another man who the FBI initial focused on. The first suspect told authorities he was technologically inept, and did not know how to lock his Wi-Fi connection.

The real uploader told authorities that Yates gave the video to Yates' cousin. The cousin then gave it the uploader's former roommate who eventually gave it to the uploader.

File sharing at its finest.

See Also:

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• MPAA Urges Obama to Embrace Internet Filtering
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• Top Internet Providers Cool to RIAA 3-Strikes Plan
• Comcast Sued Over BitTorrent Blocking - UPDATED
• Prosecution Baffled by Pirate Bay's Anarchic Structure
• Pirate Bay Crew Chums Up to Foes Over Lunch
• IFPI Site Hacked to Protest Pirate Bay Trial
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• Pirate Bay Crew Defiant on Eve of Landmark Trial
• Prosecution Drops Some Charges Against The Pirate Bay

Full post as published by Threat Level on February 20, 2009 (boomark / email).