Video Pirating... Sticking it to the Man
Jacob Tucker, feature editor

Albert Valente took a movie that should have been far, far away and watched it a little too soon.

During the post-production of “Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith,” a copy was “borrowed” from the studio and passed among eight men.  One these men then put the movie on the Internet a day before the national release, and more than 10,000 copies are thought to have been downloaded.

Valente pled guilty to the charge of copyright infringement and faces up to a year in jail.  His co-conspirators also face up to one year in jail.  However, the one who uploaded the film onto the Internet, Mark D. Hoaglin, faces up to three years in prison for this infringement. 

This was not one of the brightest ideas for ol’ Valente or Hoaglin.  One needs to think twice before taking on one of the biggest titles in movie history.

Although I am a huge “Star Wars” fan, I say, “Stick it to the man.”

I had friends come up to me during the week following the film’s theatrical release saying that they had the copy of the movie.  I could not believe it.  That a movie as big as that had already been copied and produced as a knock-off was then unheard of to me. 

After I picked my jaw off of the floor, my friend then proceeded to tell me that the film was not any ordinary film, but one that was from “the inside.”  That meant that either someone at Lucasfilm leaked it, or the post-production team left it out on his or her desk a little too long and unattended.

I do not see the big deal.  The movie and music industries have nothing to worry about when it comes to the piracy of their materials.  Dan Glickman, president and CEO of the Motion Picture Association of America, MPAA, said that the premature release “dimmed the magic of movies for everyone.”

The release of this pirated film obviously had no effect on the opening day of the movie.  The day it was released, “Episode III” grossed about $50 million in ticket sales, a record for single-day ticket sales.  It also shattered the two-day, three-day, and four-day ticket sales by amassing an astounding $158.5 million.

Movies will always have that certain aura to them.  The excitement of going to the theater and watching a brand new movie is a feeling that just cannot be replaced.  There’s the smell of fresh cooked popcorn, the huge boxes of Sour Patch Kids or Junior Mints, and the previews.  Another thing that cannot be replaced is the sound.  The sound quality of a movie theater is outstanding.

Why would anyone want to just stick with a pirated DVD?  There are people getting up all the time and casting black silhouettes onto the movie screen.  What the bigwig movie companies do not realize is that these “pirates” are actually helping their movies. 

The premature release of “Episode III” helped the movie overall.  Statistics have shown that ticket sales increased after the leak.  Why?  Because the fans got a taste of what was to come.  The estimated loss for the movie due to the pirated film was a mere million dollars.  NO BIG DEAL!

This pre-release downloaded onto a disc is now a collector’s item that any “Star Wars” fan, like myself, would love to get his or her hands on.  In 2004, a workprint copy of the movie “Apocalypse Now” was released on the Internet.  It was a massive 289 minutes long and included many deleted scenes.  This quickly became a treasure for all fans of the movie to pick up.  Eventually this “Star Wars” leak will become such a jewel. Even the most avid fan will wish for a copy.  The MPAA still could care less.

Much like the Recording Industry Association of America has done for their music, the MPAA has done for its movies.  They have now created “The Family Entertainment and Copyright Act of 2005,” better known as FECA.  This strengthened the copyright laws of movies considerably by further outlining the punishment for violators.  The casual file sharer, if caught, could serve up to three years in prison. 

This act is completely ludicrous.  There is no way anyone can catch the people involved in downloading and sharing these files.  This act was created even before the “Star Wars” incident occurred.  That did not stop Hoaglin from uploading the movie anyway.

No form of entertainment now can be or is protected from Internet or any other form of piracy.  Big business can just take their handfuls of cash and walk away a few pennies short. 

If any more laws or acts are passed, people will figure out ways to bypass them. Piracy has now become a part of life around the world.  Unless these “pirates” grow a set of morals overnight, we will continue to see these things happening.