FBI Finally Arrests Alleged ''Wolverine'' Uploader
the FBI arrested the alleged X-Men Origins: Wolverine uploader.
The FBI finally nabbed the (alleged) guy who uploaded "X-Men Origins: Wolverine" to the Internet last spring. CNET reports that federal agents arrested 47-year-old Giberto Sanchez in Bronx, New York "without incident." If he's found guilty, Sanchez will face a $250,000 fine and up to three years in prison, or twice the gross gain or gross loss attributable to the offense, depending which is greater.
Although the new Wolverine flick did just fine in the summer box office, the release of the unpolished version caused quite a bit of damage. And despite missing computer-generated graphics and stunt cables were still visible, the unauthorized, pirated movie was seen 4.1 million times before the polished version hit theaters. The leaked movie wasn't exactly hard to come by: Sanchez uploaded the pre-release flick onto Magaupload, a publicly-available storage site.
"On or about March 31, 2009, in Los Angeles County, within the Central District of California, and elsewhere, defendant GILBERTO SANCHEZ, also known as ("aka") "theSkilled1," aka "SkillfulGil," aka "Skillz101," and aka "SkillyGilly," did willfully infringe the copyright of a copyrighted work by the distribution of a work being prepared for commercial distribution, by making the motion picture "X-Men Origins:Wolverine" available on www.Megaupload.com, a computer network accessible to members of the public, when he knew and should have known that the work was intended for commercial distribution," reads the indictment.
Currently it's unknown how Sanchez received the unauthorized movie. Laura Eimiller, a representative for the FBI, said that more arrests are on the way, however she would not provide details on the source of the original leak, or the additional suspects.
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Wow a new upload site
"Sanchez uploaded the pre-release flick onto Magaupload, a publicly-available storage site."
It's not new, it's been around for quite a while now
Magaupload != Megaupload
Sooooo it took the FBI that long to nab some 47 year old guy, AKA "SkillyGilly"? I dont know who looks worse in this article, the FBI or the 47 y/o guy that thinks hes a kid.
Poor SkillyGilly, he's in a deep dough now!
[citation]Although the new Wolverine flick did just fine in the summer box office, the release of the unpolished version caused quite a bit of damage.[/citation]
Right. Nothing to do with the fact the movie was an endless series of bored clichés.
I like the fact that the studios will give an estimate (pulled out of the stygian depths of their flesh, no doubt) of how much the pirated version cost them.
Thinking of it, it did do a lot of damage: if you downloaded it and watched it before it was out, you were able to tell your friends how bad it was and stopped the studio from bilking them.
I like the fact that the studios will give an estimate (pulled out of the stygian depths of their flesh, no doubt) of how much the pirated version cost them.Thinking of it, it did do a lot of damage: if you downloaded it and watched it before it was out, you were able to tell your friends how bad it was and stopped the studio from bilking them.
Yeah, no lie. Thanks to that steaming, pile of crap legislation known as the DMCA, groups like the MPAA and RIAA can pretty must just invent losses, then directly subpoena ISPs to give up people they claim are pirating their stuff, and then order those people to pay thousands of dollars or face civil and criminal charges for damages in the hundreds of thousands or even millions (isn't that extortion?).
It's pretty much a foregone conclusion that piracy doesn't cost them anywhere near what they claim. People who pirate fall into several categories; some are people who wouldn't have purchased it legally, others purchase it specifically because they were able to get the free (albeit illegal) preview, very few are in the category of, "I would have purchased it legally, but now I won't because I was able to pirate it).
Wasnt even aware of this being leaked in that kind of version. I remember though a long time ago when the first Resident Evil movie came out someone showed me a leaked version like that with cables hunging and I started laughing.
Anyhow, thing is that yeah it was ellegal etc I wont dissagree on the charge but he might have damaged them by making this piblic and some not watching on theaters for that matter.. I can accept its the case, but I dont think that people that watched it were that stupid in order to be affected in the way that implies from the article and statement of the report , as in it was bad quality and people couldnt understand that the final version wouldnt include the wiring and such in the final version. Specially since that was released before even the premiere..
Stupid Giberto, piracy is illegal... if caught.
How not to get caught? don't upload!!!
i think the damage done was not him but the krappy film itself.
bad movie.only thing i liked about it was the opening credits.
"...Sanchez will face a $250,000 fine and up to three years in prison, or twice the gross gain or gross loss attributable to the offense, depending which is greater."
I like how he could be fined for 2 times the amount of the films GAIN that this uploading caused... they really are that greedy. >_>
so random. Why this guy out of the millions?
Well... I think he has gone a little too far... unpolished version for an awful movie... WHO THE HELL WOULD WANT TO SEE THAT!?
"Magaupload" fail
I want to thank this guy. Really. That version of X-men- with cables and strange graphic effects- was something that impressed me. I regard it as artful, and definitely better that the normal x-men movies.
The movie was probably leaked on purpose so Fox can have something to blame for the average box office results for what could have been a blockbuster.
Alright, I have honestly had it up to here with the FBI, the RIAA, the MPAA being all high and mighty about this shit. I know for a fact all of the reasons WHY this is not right or it is illegal so no comments on that please. Instead let us look at it from this point of view. There are rapists, murderers, and druggies out there walking FREE right now. People doing harm to themselves and to others and just because this guy uploaded a fucking video, something intangible, he now faces up to 3 years in prison and a 250,000 dollar fine? To the United States of America and the FBI, the RIAA, and the MPAA, would you all go kindly fuck your selves up your asses because maybe if the FBI and CIA paid attention to the important problems in this nation things like September 11th would not have happened! Wake the fuck up assholes and go take care of the real issues!
his attorneys may argue the movie is such a piece of crap his client assumed they would freely distribute it.
this guy was a freakin idiot. the version he had was not even finished yet. it was a copy of the movie that had the special effects missing which im sure the movie didn't even make any sense without them. so he just uploaded a crappy version of a mediocre movie.
this guy was a freakin idiot. the version he had was not even finished yet. it was a copy of the movie that had the special effects missing which im sure the movie didn't even make any sense without them. so he just uploaded a crappy version of a mediocre movie.
Its called a workprint which are due at certain deadlines to show the producers how far along you are.
NOTE: This guy wasnt on the production team and therefore couldnt be the source. Only someone from the inside could have leaked this. The only thing this man did was push a few positive and negatively charged particles down a copper wire. The only crime here is that someone violated their contracted by removing company property off the premises and that person should face those charges.
4.1 mil wtched that crap release lol
anyway thx for the new site Magaupload
How exactly do they prove profit loss? They can prove that so many people downloaded it, but thats not proof of profit loss..
How exactly do they prove profit loss? They can prove that so many people downloaded it, but thats not proof of profit loss..
Simple they take how many times the download movie was seen, "seen 4.1 million times" then they multiply that by the $10 or more stupid outrageous, money grubbing price they charged for such a piece of crab and there you go. Of course the law may have stipulations that state, based on the charges, the amount they can actually get. Or at least this is the most logical way I can come up with to answer your question, but please do not take it as fact. After all we are dealing with some of the most illogical people in the business.
Wow, all that effort for such a shitty movie.
Wow, all that effort for such a shitty movie.
I am sure the unfinished version of a film was not copyrighted yet. Thus not copyright protection. Thus no law prevents him from sharing any copies. Thus he did not break the law.
Free Gilbert! - T-shirts coming soon. I see gilberts face with wolverine's blades bearing down on him from behind.
Who knew? Gilly might've been skilled, but he had horrible taste in movies.
First off they have the wrong guy, he's just the first person they were accidentally able to track. Unless SillyGilly is some hacker genius that broke into the studio servers (doubt it, see megaupload), Gilly simply got a copy like everyone during that period and simply wanted to share it with his friends and used a public transport to do so leaving himself wide open with a IP trail. The fact that the FBI, unless it was funded by the studio, spent any amount resource on this is more of crime then the crime itself.
...and this is why it is a bad idea to not proxy your uploads on the net. plus lol @ his silly nicknames. probably another one of those arrogant pirates from irc.