Freeman warns of piracy threat (movies)

[Hellfighter]

Actor cites high-speed online access, says movie industry could be hit as hard as music business.
Dated: May 19, 2005: 8:17 AM EDT

CANNES, France (Reuters) - With high-speed Internet connections on the upswing, piracy could hit the movie industry as hard as it did the music business, Hollywood actor Morgan Freeman warned.

Freeman is telling movie makers that they must wise up quickly to stay ahead of illegal downloaders and file sharers who are using new software and high-speed broadband connections.

His company Revelations Entertainment and chip manufacturer Intel Corporation (Research) have set up a "virtual digital home" in a hotel suite to demonstrate to industry movers and shakers in town for the annual Cannes Film Festival the potential of new technology.

Downloading films to a PC and playing them in different rooms through an integrated system is one of many benefits digital technology can bring. The downside is that file sharing could cost studios and actors dearly in the future.

"One of the things that is terrifying the industry about digital content is that once it gets into the home, what happens to it?" Freeman told Reuters in an interview late Wednesday.

"Some government entities say that if it's on the Internet and accessible, then how can we call it piracy?"

By using an electronic key system, Intel's Kevin Corbett said that films could not be used by unauthorized users. But it would offer the unauthorized user the opportunity to pay for the movie and watch it legally.

"This technology can help us to stop the same chaos (as in the music industry)," Freeman said. "It is too late when the public is two or three steps ahead of you, and then you are playing catch-up," he said.

Citing the example of Sweden, where he said illegal peer-to-peer file sharing was a growing problem, he warned that the spread of broadband would only make life harder for the movie industry.

Freeman believes smaller, independent companies will develop the technology to protect new films, while major studios appear relatively unconcerned about their movie libraries, as opposed to new releases, being shared.

Freeman recalled how the music industry failed to adapt to the peer-to-peer networks that allowed users to share MP3 music files. The industry estimates that piracy has cost it hundreds of millions of dollars in lost revenue during the last few years.

While a movie involves a much larger file, broadband and increasingly popular file-sharing programs like BitTorrent are making it increasingly easy to handle the information.

source: http://money.cnn.com/2005/05/19/news...reut/index.htm
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this cost every one money in the pocket.
hate people who think getting free movie without paying for it by using P2P programs to share things with each other. i know it a old thing still it burns

[Dr. Bullet]

Tito, give 'em a tissue...

No flippin' industry has been hit by piracy. In fact, the last numbers I looked at said game (including PC) and music sales are up. It's sad that they have to sit there and beat their chests crying "woe is me." Last time I checked, it costs me $8.50 at the theater (sometimes more), and $20 for a new movie, but a lot of times $30. The actors are making millions, the director is making millions, the company is making millions. If anyone is getting wronged, it's the people buying the goods. I almost never go to the theater now simply because it costs way too much.

[Hellfighter]

sorry you feel that way any type of piracy on the internet is bad i really don't care if the party doing the piracy or sharing a copy of a software, movies, music with others i only hope the law enforcement get them in the end.

there no room for wartz or piracy software on the internet at all. i see it you can bit i will report it asap to the maker of the item or to the lacal law enforce were ever the site is base in.

by the way i my self have gotting at lease 4 site taken down and at lease 5 people put into jail by reporting on them for it. in the last 4yrs.

hell going to the movies one should always pay and the cost of liven will always go up. the oil/gas prices is not helping it any ether

[Dr. Bullet]

I'm not saying piracy is good or bad. All I'm saying is that these entertainment people act like babies, when in reality, they're making more money. It's just a stupid cause they can whine to...

[atholon]

Gaming is one of the biggest industries out there. They make 46 billion a year. They can whine on..not getting any simpathy from me.

[Hellfighter]

will they are people, a baby can cry too so when you make big money you can cry even loader lol

true i could like to see some one in the government speak out about it then some actor.

i remember something about the new Internet2 on a collage were they catch some kids 18-25 of ages sharing DVD movies the feds got them real good, they was clueless think this one only for them and no outside can see into internet2 at all.

file transfer is like 3GB in speed for internet2 in i think they said 38 or 48 collage in USA.

don't remember how many they busted think it was ether 30ppl or 76ppl

[atholon]

Yeah that is just stupid.

Picracy sucks...although I don't find anything wrong with downloading TV shows.

[Dr. Bullet]

I think if the industries would just work with the consumers, ie pirates, the whole mess of piracy would drop.

Take MS's chopped up XP for India. They say India has one of the highest rates of software piracy, especially XP. Obviously the people there want the OS. So now they have this cheap, butchered version of XP. The people who actually get it are going to either like it or not like it. Chances are, if they like it, they're going to want to get the real version. So instead of paying the insanely high price of a real version, they get it from their buddy, and bam, MS just lost money. I think they're just fueling the fire.

But anyway, if the entertainment industries would just lower prices, I think they'd see a significant drop in piracy, as well as a significant increase in sales. As of now, the RIAA gets no money from me, simply because I'm not going to pay $15-$20 just for a couple songs I like. The MPAA gets little money from me because I won't pay $20 for a DVD. I can spend that same $20 at blockbuster and rent all the movies I want for a month. The game industry doesn't get much money from me because I think $40-$50 for a game is outrageous.

If all these industries lowered their prices, they'd get so much money from me, it's insane. I know I'm not the only one out there that feels like this.

[Hellfighter]

Originally posted by Dr. Bullet
I think if the industries would just work with the

But anyway, if the entertainment industries would just lower prices, I think they'd see a significant drop in piracy, as well as a significant increase in sales. As of now, the RIAA gets no money from me, simply because I'm not going to pay $15-$20 just for a couple songs I like. The MPAA gets little money from me because I won't pay $20 for a DVD. I can spend that same $20 at blockbuster and rent all the movies I want for a month. The game industry doesn't get much money from me because I think $40-$50 for a game is outrageous.

think Novalogic, Inc gone that way for DF: Xtreme

i am happy they stop making people use the game-Cd in the tray ref; JOTR: Family and DF: Xtreme & got wiser in some ways too.

[Dr. Bullet]

Yeah, that was great. And, from what I hear, everyone loves it.

[EDGE]

I think they are all just afraid of losing money and having to live like the rest of the 90% of the world.

[Dr. Bullet]

Nah, they're just brats...

[Roshi]

for music and movies this is a bad thing but for programs it can become advertising and i say this because say a kid downloads a program such as 3d studio max, then uses it and likes it. he starts a business and needs a program to buy bam hes already got a program in mind because he has used it in his past see what im saying?

[atholon]

Yeah....

Roshi has a point. Not to MENTION that if they would lower the price for personal use they'd get a lot less people pirating. Obviously if it is intended for something like legitimate business, they can't have Warez software.

[Hellfighter]

Originally posted by Roshi
for music and movies this is a bad thing but for programs it can become advertising and i say this because say a kid downloads a program such as 3d studio max, then uses it and likes it. he starts a business and needs a program to buy bam hes already got a program in mind because he has used it in his past see what im saying?

sorry nope they can go to wal-mart have their family buy a cheap program software or put some money a side to buy it later on it not like it will not be for sale later down the road.

i known that Delta Force 2 was being warez, by people sharing it with others in P2P programs crap and same for Photo-shop 7 & 8, there are free image software out there and trial/Demo software to use. stealing it is not cool by ripping it off. to me you go to a store buy it, if you walk into shop-left it then your breaking the law.

P2P program to warez software with others is not cool.
shareware programs to use to share software with others is dead and can get one into trouble.

i can see that the law enforcement bust the door down and the computer is running 7/24 and no one seating on it? who you think going to court for it? ,mom and dad or the kid who work with the PC? the parent will see the judge the kid be keep out. do to they got the Pc and they are the one who knows what is going on in it.

[Trojan]

I hate a thief.

[Hellfighter]

Originally posted by Trojan
I hate a thief.

i too
it rip-off every one.

[Trojan]

If some crack head ever tried to take my wallet I would kill him in self defense and let the courts figure it out..

[BADDOG]

Personally I can't see the point in downloading movies form the internet as most new movies drop dramatically in price within a few months of being released on DVD.

I just wait till that happens and buy the movie I want for sometimes, 75% less that it originally cost and it's all strictly legal so why bother down loading at all?

Regards

[Lakie]

Ok, i never would have picked Morgan Freeman as the techie type but anyway....

I agree and support every effort made by companies to track down and sue / have charged etc etc copyright violators. Good on em. With all the "oh their big corporations boo hoo hoo" "they make more money than me" arguments in the world your still not getting over

1. The moral issue of blatently stealing; and
2. The legal issues of copyright infiringment, theft and the hundreds of other laws you break...

If a homeless guy broke into your house and stole your computer, i bet money on the fact you'd want him charged, yet the homelss guy can make the same arguments that you can afford it and that your so much richer than him...

I have deja vu, has this topic come up before here?