Director Speaks of Piracy's Necessity

Lexi Alexander, a Hollywood director, spoke out against the anti-piracy piracy work. She specifically called out the MPAA and the arrest in Sweden of Pirate Bay co-founder Peter Sunde. While she never states that she condones piracy, she acknowledges that anti-piracy legislation and safeguards promote the act more than discourage it, explaining that even she has resorted to piracy. Alexander finds major issue with the money Hollywood is willing to spend fighting piracy ($19 million in one year alone to support SOPA), but condemns them for not making content available because "we still can't watch most programs from back home, even though we're willing to pay good money for it.”

“For every IP block, DRM and who-knows-what security feature Hollywood spends thousands of dollars and hundreds of hours on, some piracy kid will undo it for free and within a couple of minutes,” says Alexander on her blog.

Alexander said she thinks piracy is necessary because of country content restrictions, and that while the wealth piracy begets for the pirates isn’t right, the freedom of access to content is.

“Piracy has NOT been proven to hurt box-office numbers - on the contrary, several studies say it may have boosted the bottom line.”

Alexander is the first person I've come across to argue the side of the pirates while living the life of the content-makers. I found her points to be relevant and thought-out, particularly the idea that even if a person does pay for services, it can still be impossible to legally obtain some content. My family pays for Amazon Prime, Netflix, and Hulu, yet there are still countless shows and movies that we can't find and are therefore unable to watch. Not only is it frustrating for consumers but also it is harmful to the success of productions.

Source:

Gibbs, S. (2014, July 10). Hollywood director: piracy is necessary, and doesn't hurt revenues | Technology | The Guardian. Retrieved from http://www.theguardian.com/technology/2014/jul/10/hollywood-director-piracy-is-necessary-and-doesnt-hurt-revenues

BitTorrent Claims Users Have Higher Rate of Purchasing Movies Than Average Internet User

In a survey of 2,500 users, BitTorrent discovered that its users are more likely to purchase or rent movies than the average Internet user. In fact, according to the results of the survey, which was conducted in September, 60 percent of its users said they bought or rented movies in disc format, and 52 percent said they had bought or rented at least one movie in the past month. This news is seen as unusual because, as discussed in a previous post, BitTorrent is a file-sharing website typically associated with piracy; meanwhile, this survey suggests that BitTorrent users aren't as illicit as they are made out to be.

Broken down by activity in the past year, 47% of respondents said they watched a movie in the theater; 38% said they bought a DVD or Blu-ray Disc title; 23% utilized a subscription streaming service; 23% bought a digital movie; 22% said they rented a disc; and 16% said they bought a transactional VOD movie rental.

The platform said 52% of 2,500 respondents in an online survey conducted in September said they bought or rented at least one movie in the past month. Another 16% said they acquired or rented at least one movie in the past few days; 12% in the past week; and 17% in the past six months.

BitTorrent said users spend an average of $54 a year on movies, with 35% of respondents spending more than $100. Notably, 60% of respondents said they buy or rent movies on disc.

I find it fascinating that BitTorrent users are being shown in a positive (for the industry) light, as most articles condemn them as pirating, heartless criminals with no concern for the laws of the land or the jobs in the industry. Those who pirate films are usually viewed as unwilling to spend money on the media they claim to appreciate, which can be true (I mean, hey, money isn't easy), but I believe this survey shows that while these users may pirate films, they are also willing to support the things they really love.

Source:
Gruenwedel, E. (2014, November 25). BitTorrent: our users buy/rent more movie discs | Home Media Magazine. Retrieved from http://www.homemediamagazine.com/research/bittorrent-our-users-buyrent-more-movie-discs-34690

Cinedigm uses BitTorrent to Advertise Arthur Newman

Cinedigm is a movie distributor that was in charge of the independent film Arthur Newman. The company partnered with a shocking group, though: BitTorrent. BitTorrent is a file-sharing network, but it is commonly known for acts of piracy. However, on April 22, 2013, four days before the premiere of Arthur Newman, Cinedigm teamed up with the network in order to advertise for the movie by offering a free seven-minute clip of the film on the website.

Movie studios lost nearly $2 billion in revenue on potential disc sales for the top 10 pirated movies of 2012, according to a recent research report, which cited data from BitTorrent.

The analyst believes Cinedigm didn’t opt for Facebook and YouTube to promote “Newman” (besides cost) due to the fact visitors to those social media sites are looking for something other than movies. Meanwhile, people primarily frequent BitTorrent to watch movies — for free.

“We’re able to connect Cinedigm with real movie fans that actively support content creators and by doing so BitTorrent can demonstrate how we add value through continued innovation,” said Shahi Ghanem, chief strategy officer of BitTorrent, in a statement.

If Cinedigm had been looking for a shocking act of publicity, it certainly got it. After hearing and reading big businesses complain about piracy and condemn the websites that either passively or actively allow it, I am quite surprised Cinedigm was willing to fraternize with this "enemy." However, I think it was a smart move to get word out to movie-goers, especially so close to the release date. 

Source:
Gruenwedel, E. (2013, April 22). Cinedigm, BitTorrent partner for new Colin Firth, Emily Blunt movie | Home Media Magazine. Retrieved from http://www.homemediamagazine.com/digital-evolution/cinedigm-bittorrent-partner-new-colin-firth-emily-blunt-movie-30224

U.K. Student on Trial for the First 3D Camcorder Piracy Case

Ciprian Florea, a 28-year-old film technology student in the U.K., is being accused of creating a camera that can record 3D movies and intending to record the movie Gravity. The device comprised of two high-definition camcorders placed in a custom-made box that recorded with the necessities of creating the left and right eye effect for 3D images. Movies have been "bootlegged" since cameras could be snuck into theaters; however, this is the first case where a person has allegedly attempted to record a 3D production. Florea's defense is that he brought the camera in but had no intention of using it to film Gravity.

Florea, a student of film technology at Birmingham City University, is said to have hired two special high-definition cameras the day before his arrest. These had been placed in a custom-made box in order to record the left and right eye as required for 3D imaging. 

With no specific “camming” legislation available to the prosecution, Florea stands accused of possessing a 3D camera with intent to commit fraud, i.e the recording and subsequent distribution of the movie.

It's fascinating to be around during a time when technology is developing faster than the media can keep up with it. After researching piracy for several weeks now, I have read about people and organizations accused of various different forms of piracy (see the nine types) and the repercussions for those actions; I have also read and watched several critiques of the film industry and its reactions to these pirates, and it is quite clear that the industry can't get the legislatures to keep up with the increasing abilities of consumers. It seems much more reactive than proactive. After all, the U.K. didn't even have a simple way to charge Florea.

Source:
A. (2015, January 6). First 3D camcorder piracy case: student on trial | TorrentFreak. Retrieved from http://torrentfreak.com/first-3d-camcorder-piracy-case-student-on-trial-150106/