Full-length copies of "Star Wars: Episode I -- The Phantom Menace" have been discovered in downloadable form on Internet sites as film piracy enters the cyberspace era. Other complete motion pictures, including "The Matrix" and "Payback," are finding their way onto the Internet within days of release or, as in the case of "The Blair Witch Project," sometimes even before the film hits theaters. "We're taking a very aggressive stance and working with the FBI and the MPAA to go after anybody who has put or intends to put our film on the Web," Lucasfilm spokeswoman Lynne Hale said, noting that the copies brought to Lucasfilm's attention thus far have been "of very poor quality." While that may be true, particularly in the case of bootlegs obtained by sneaking a camera into a movie theater, some observers claim to enjoy downloaded dupes with crisp imagery and pristine digital sound.
Stopping Bootleggers
Anyone with information pertaining to the selling and distribution of bootleg copies online, or in any format, please send it to hotline@mpaa.org, the MPAA's anti-piracy hotline. (The MPAA rewards program could earn you $15,000 if you report someone.)
Thanks to Will Norris for supplying the MPAA contact info.