In a recent decision, Lions Gate Entertainment has won a court order regarding the highly publicized illegal online distribution of its upcoming movie "The Expendables 3". According to reports, a purportedly stolen copy of the blockbuster hit was said to have been making its rounds in countless torrent sites in the internet. To date, approximately 2 million people have already downloaded the movie prior to its public screening on August 15, 2014.
According to the Wall Street Journal, a complete and virtually pristine copy of the upcoming movie "The Expendables 3" was leaked online. This film was said to feature Hollywood action stars, such as Sylvester Stallone, Mel Gibson, and Harrison Ford.
Records reveal that this recent high profile online leakage is one of the most prominent cases of piracy leak, which include the partial online viewing of "X-Men Origins: Wolverine" in 2009. The latter was said to have been leaked online prior to its official movie debut. However, the "X-Men Origins" Wolverine" leaked movie only had an incomplete version shown to viewers.
In the case of "The Expendables 3", however, the entire movie was leaked online. To add to the notoriety of whoever leaked the movie, the copy downloaded by more than 2 million fans was as clear as the purported original movie.
In such a situation, this incident is alleged to have been done by a person or group of persons working directly for the movie.
A Hollywood movie piracy expert claimed that this kind of leak is exceptionally uncommon. The reason for the rarity of this situation is the fact that the movie studios and producers invest significant amounts in these high profile films. Therefore, the post-production process, as well as all events and arrangements leading up to the official debut of the film, are guarded and protected heavily.
A report from Variety confirmed that U.S. District Judge Margaret Morrow barred six domains from hosting, linking to, streaming, or utilizing the film. She also banned any third party user from participating in any action that may induce, cause, or materially contribute to the violation of the copyright exclusively granted to Lionsgate. Apart from these orders, Judge Morrow also warned users to not host, link, or provide access to the downloaded copies either via torrent files or trackers.
In addition, the judge ordered banks, payment processors, and advertisers to shut down accounts connected to the sites.
