Russell Sprague, 51, faces up to three years in prison for creating pirate copies of films including Kill Bill: Vol 1 and Seabiscuit. Assistant US attorney Chris Johnson postponed sentencing, saying he needs more time to calculate studio losses. But most of those attending the meeting in Los Angeles agreed the recent implementation of watermarking had been an effective tool in the fight against piracy. “Everyone in the room, including the FBI, agreed that watermarking technology has lessened the problem of piracy in connection to screeners,” said Independent Feature Project director Michelle Byrd.
“This means a step has been made in the right direction to provide technological solutions to combat piracy that don’t discriminate against independent films.” Actor Carmine Caridi, who had been an Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences member, admitted in an affidavit he sent Mr Sprague copies of several movies. He has not been charged. No decision has yet been taken over the mailing of preview tapes in the run up to this year’s award season, although awards groups continue to insist the tapes are vital for their members.
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