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[dmr87]

BitTorrent is used by millions of people every day, including people who work at major Hollywood studios. Those who are said to be suffering the most from online piracy are no stranger to sharing copyrighted files themselves. New data reveals that employees at Paramount Pictures, Warner Bros., Disney, Sony Pictures and 20th Century Fox are openly pirating movies, games and other forms of entertainment while at work.

While Christmas is a time for sharing there are certain files that some people believe should be excluded from that experience.

For more than a decade the MPAA has waged war against “thieves” who dare to share their movies online. Online piracy is costing the creative industries billions of dollars in lost revenue, they say.

The Hollywood group is therefore one of the main facilitators of the “six strikes” copyright alerts plan that will begin in the coming year. The main goal of this plan is to educate members of the public about piracy, and point them to legal sources.

However, new data uncovered by TorrentFreak shows that the MPAA might want to start in-house, as plenty of copyrighted material is being shared by employees of major Hollywood studios. With help from BitTorrent monitoring company Scaneye we found that BitTorrent piracy is rampant in Hollywood.

Let’s take a look at some of the files these Hollywood studios are sharing, starting with Paramount Pictures. Keep in mind that what we show here is just a small fraction of the files that are actually being shared. It’s the tip of the iceberg.

Paramount Pictures
Static IP-addresses registered to Paramount were associated (e.g.) with the downloading of a wide variety of content as can be seen below. The indie production Battle Force was one of the movies shared, as well as the Lionsgate film The Hunger Games. And what about Happy Feet, a movie distributed by competitor Warner Bros?

Warner Bros.
At Warner Bros. BitTorrent is also used by many employees. Here there appears to be a particular interest in adult entertainment. The Expendables 2 is also among the titles that were downloaded via Warner Bros. IP-addresses. This is not without risk, as the makers of the movie are known to sue alleged BitTorrent downloaders.

Sony Pictures
Moving on, we see that Sony Picture employees are sharing games, TV-shows and movies at work. The list below includes 20th Century Fox’s Ice Age: Continental Drift, and an episode of Top Chef.

20th Century Fox
20th Century Fox employees appear to be sharing the least out of all studios we checked. We only found three titles: the independent film Jeff, Who Lives at Home, an episode of 90210 and the Ubisoft game Hollywood Squares.

Walt Disney
Disney is the last studio we checked out, and even at this mighty copyright icon employees are carelessly sharing files on BitTorrent. Fast and Furious 6, for example, and the TV-shows Person of Interest and Downton Abbey.

Spoiler

Warner Bros. loves assholes

http://torrentfreak.com/hollywood-studios-caught-pirating-movies-on-bittorrent-121225/

 

[Baconsaurus Rex]

AssHoleFever sounds good

 

[SlowRevolution]

20th Century Fox has pretty bad taste.

Woodwork A Step by Step Photographic Guide sounds amazing. Did Nick Offerman write it?

 

[joe2187]

Asshole fever: The Summer of Magic

Best title ever

 

[Candeldandel]

Step Up Revolution? Really?

 

[strafer]

heads will roll

 

[Sarcastico]

They're stealing from themselves, so it's ok?

 

[StuBurns]

BlackMesa the Source mod? Rad.

 

[Starsunder]

Asshole fever: The Summer of Magic

Best title ever

I concur lmao

 

[Messi]

They're stealing from themselves, so it's ok?

And others

 

[Pop On Arrival]

Do you guys think everyone working for paramounts last name is paramount? 98% of those guys don't give a fuck and probably just downloaded something to bullshit around with while waiting for their work day to end.

Not saying this should be acceptable, just saying this isn't surprising lol.

 

[Lionel Mandrake]

Asshole fever: The Summer of Magic

Best title ever

The Summer IS Magic. I don't know if that's better or worse.

 

[SmithnCo]

LOL at the WB list

 

[Ultima_5]

Do you guys think everyone working for paramounts last name is paramount? 98% of those guys don't give a fuck and probably just downloaded something to bullshit around with while waiting for their work day to end.

Not saying this should be acceptable, just saying this isn't surprising lol.

This. Not sure what they're proving with this information. Though the asshole things made it worth it...

 

[Wes]

The Swedish subtitled version of Downton Abbey season 1 is enthralling.

 

[Dishwalla]

The Fast and the Furious 6? What are they downloading, pictures from the set?

 

[The Hermit]

AssHoleFever sounds good

 

[neorej]

Do you guys think everyone working for paramounts last name is paramount? 98% of those guys don't give a fuck and probably just downloaded something to bullshit around with while waiting for their work day to end.

Not saying this should be acceptable, just saying this isn't surprising lol.

It does kinda puts the whole "it's destroying an industry"-argument in a whole new light. I don't know many people who would put their jobs at risk in this economy.

 

[Gucci Messiah]

people download things illegally, more at 11

 

[Osietra]

So good.

 

[Goldrusher]

 

[Requiem]

 

[Lionel Mandrake]

I just searched to see if I could find a DVD cover or something for AssholeFever, to no avail.

 

[meltingparappa]

I think this is a sign of ubiquity, where it's easier to just download a torrent immediately then to send a PA off to store to get a freebie and having to fill out the paperwork.

Asshole fever: The Summer of Magic
Best title ever

Christopher Walken must be doing non-SAG cameos

 

[Secret Fawful]

Fire these employees based on their choices alone.

 

[captive]

Do you guys think everyone working for paramounts last name is paramount? 98% of those guys don't give a fuck and probably just downloaded something to bullshit around with while waiting for their work day to end.

Not saying this should be acceptable, just saying this isn't surprising lol.

This. Not sure what they're proving with this information. Though the asshole things made it worth it...

Maybe because this reeks of do as we say not as we do. Even if the people downloading this stuff arent CEOs or shareholders, do you know how incredibly easy it is to block torrent sites and downloads? The fact that they haven't even bothered to do that shows you how much they really care about people downloading their content illegally.

 

[GK86]

Fuck them. Bunch of hypocrites.

 

[Stellactic]

It's only stealing if you were actually going to buy the item in the first place. I'd never in my right mind pay for the items on those lists. Happy Feet 2? You'd have to pay me to see that.

 

[ReturnOfTheRAT]

These companies have fat pipes onsite. Asshole employee #1, 2, and 3 will legitimately pirate content if they can get away with it.

If on the other hand the studios' piracy divisions are downloading torrents to research what the pirates are putting out there, scene releases, files titled with future releases, etc., then they should mask what they're doing better.

 

[Joates]

It's only stealing if you were actually going to buy the item in the first place. I'd never in my right mind pay for the items on those lists. Happy Feet 2? You'd have to pay me to see that.

So if I steal a Ferrari, it's not stealing cause I could never afford to buy it?

 

[-Pyromaniac-]

Who the hell took the time to pirate step up revolution.

 

[Sleeplessnights]

Jeff Who Lives at Home is pretty awesome.

 

[Lionel Mandrake]

Fire these employees based on their choices alone.

Have you seen AHF:TSiM?

 

[StuBurns]

It's only stealing if you were actually going to buy the item in the first place. I'd never in my right mind pay for the items on those lists. Happy Feet 2? You'd have to pay me to see that.

I heard Downtown Abbey was the bomb.

 

[Dishwalla]

So if I steal a Ferrari, it's not stealing cause I could never afford to buy it?

brb, gonna go get me a Xmas gift.

 

[Jezbollah]

Unless these incidents have direct evidence that the studios concented to the BitTorrent use, then all this is, is misuse by the employees to their employers own internal computer usage policy. It can easily be discarded and explained as being so.

 

[Secret Fawful]

Have you seen AHF:TSiM?

I don't work at Warner Bros.

 

[Stellactic]

So if I steal a Ferrari, it's not stealing cause I could never afford to buy it?

A digital item is not the same as a physical item. A company will not gain or lose from somebody who was never going to spend the money in the first place. They would only lose if the person was willing to pay, but didn't because of pirating.

 

[thesoapster]

Asshole fever: The Summer of Magic

Best title ever

This got me as well.

 

[Makoto]

It's only stealing if you were actually going to buy the item in the first place.

Oh man, this thread lol.

 

[Dishwalla]

A digital item is not the same as a physical item. A company will not gain or lose from somebody who was never going to spend the money in the first place. They would only lose if the person was willing to pay, but didn't because of pirating.

But that's the same thing as the Ferrari analogy. I certainly don't ever plan on buying a Ferrari(unless I won the lotto or something, and even then I probably wouldn't), but if I took one off the car lot without any want for it or intention to pay for it it's still stealing. Just like if I went and downloaded Happy Feet 2 off of Pirate Bay, I don't want the movie, but I'm essentially taking 15-20 bucks out of that studios' pockets.

 

[Bladenic]

I didn't know Fast 6 was out.

 

[Arcteryx]

These companies have fat pipes onsite. Asshole employee #1, 2, and 3 will legitimately pirate content if they can get away with it.

If on the other hand the studios' piracy divisions are downloading torrents to research what the pirates are putting out there, scene releases, files titled with future releases, etc., then they should mask what they're doing better.

I think it's just idiot employees. If they were "fact checking", you'd imagine the studios doing the torrenting would be torrenting their own films/media.

 

[Prez]

It's only stealing if you were actually going to buy the item in the first place. I'd never in my right mind pay for the items on those lists. Happy Feet 2? You'd have to pay me to see that.

It's not a loss for the company if you wouldn't buy it otherwise but it's still stealing.

 

[Mario]

A digital item is not the same as a physical item.

Correct.

A company will not gain or lose from somebody who was never going to spend the money in the first place.

Even if a particular individual wouldn't spend money on a particular item, IP holders still lose. The act will further distort people' sense of entitlement and expectations of what they can and "should" get for free undermining the value of this and other digital items, and desensitize them further due to a probable lack of consequences, perpetuating the situation for themselves and perhaps others they try to encourage the behavior in.

They would only lose if the person was willing to pay, but didn't because of pirating.

This happens.

 

[Rubbish King]

i dont even

 

[Oersted]

A digital item is not the same as a physical item. A company will not gain or lose from somebody who was never going to spend the money in the first place. They would only lose if the person was willing to pay, but didn't because of pirating.

Weird way of arguing. If you are downloading something to consume it, you know what, you are still downloading it to consume it. You are just not paying for it. There is your harm ( besides ignoring rights).

 

[Great King Bowser]

But that's the same thing as the Ferrari analogy. I certainly don't ever plan on buying a Ferrari(unless I won the lotto or something, and even then I probably wouldn't), but if I took one off the car lot without any want for it or intention to pay for it it's still stealing. Just like if I went and downloaded Happy Feet 2 off of Pirate Bay, I don't want the movie, but I'm essentially taking 15-20 bucks out of that studios' pockets.

I guess what he means when referring to "digital items" is that by downloading something that you were never going to buy, the studio aren't losing any money directly. Whereas stealing a Ferrari would be because the company is directly losing money as they now have one less physical item to sell to someone who would pay money for it, which makes sense.

Not saying I agree.

 

[Dr.Acula]

Theatrical screenings themselves have anti-piracy measures built in, in the form of opaque dots, inserted into specific frames. Studios would want to DL these screen rips in order to find out where the piracy is taking place. A telesync would require access to the soundsystem in some way, indicating theatre operator responsibility.

DVD rips can provide information as to how the rips were encoded, using what kinds of software, hardware, and compression settings, which can then be matched forensically to any PCs that are seized during raids.

At least that's what I would tell my boss.

 

[StuBurns]

Piracy is such a complex issue, and given it's especially touchy on GAF, I doubt you guys are going to get anywhere, beyond possibly banned.