Pirates of the Internet.

VIDEO recording piracy; PIRACY (Copyright); SPRAGUE, Russell W.; MOTION picture industry; COPYRIGHT infringement; CRIME; BOOTLEGGING; ACTIONS & defenses (Law)

The article discusses the efforts of federal prosecutors to bring charges against those who produce and sell unauthorized copies of motion pictures. Movie studios lose more than $3.5 billion annually due to all forms of piracy, according to the MPAA, and that figure is likely to rise as software improves and more people get high-speed Internet access. Last year, in a widely publicized move, the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) announced a ban on the practice of sending Academy Award screeners (video and DVD copies of the year's noteworthy films) to the 5,803 members of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences who vote on the Oscars. After a battle over that ban--many studios and production companies argued that screeners were necessary to promote independent films--the MPAA relented and allowed screeners to be sent out, albeit ones coded with electronic tags. On Jan. 22 FBI agents raided the Homewood, Ill., home of Russell Sprague, 51, a drug-testing company employee. Authorities discovered DVDs, duplication equipment and DirecTV access boxes in Sprague's home. Sprague was charged with copyright infringement among other offenses. The charges carry a maximum penalty of five years in prison and $250,000 in fines.