MPAA Sues Hotfile for Copyright Infringement

The Motion Picture Association of America is suing the download hub service Hotfile for copyright infringement.

In a statement issued Tuesday, the MPAA charged that the website "is responsible for the theft of thousands of MPAA member companies' movies and TV shows" though a system that "encourages and incentivizes users to upload files containing illegal copies" of content.

On Hotfile, users load material onto the website and receive a download link that they can distribute as they see fit. The company says on its website, "Only the person storing a file on Hotfile gets the download link. That person decides who should have access to the link. A file can only be downloaded if the download link details are known."

The MPAA contends that with this system, "unlimited users can download the stolen content ? in many cases tens of thousands of times."

MPAA general counsel and chief content protection officer Daniel Mandil said, "The theft talking place on Hotfile is unmistakable. Their files are indeed 'hot,' as in 'stolen.' It's wrong and it must stop."

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heavyweight said:

BS this wont hold imo.
"encourages and incentivizes users to upload files containing illegal copies" wth

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zebrahat said:

I concur. The recent court case involving Blizzard suing WoW bot makers for "secondary copyright infringement" failed on this same point. Although the ruling found the bot maker had infringed based on DMCA issues, the "secondary" claim was specifically rejected because the party has to be directly involved in violating copyright in order to be liable for infringement. If Hotfile sticks to its guns and doesn't settle, MPAA should lose this one.

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CyberDilemma said:

What site did that quote come from? It was riddled with spelling errors. Very unprofessional.

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