NEWS: StarWarsIII Revenge of the Sith - downloaded 16,000 times before launch

CNET reported on 19th May that 16,000 people had already downloaded the movie through BitTorrent. What was truly surprising was that the print was leaked before the film was even released in theaters. In addition to the early leak, the unlicensed movie was time-stamped, suggesting it may have come from within the industry rather than from someone who videotaped an advance screening.

This begs the question the wisdom of the Motion Picture Association of America which spends its time and money prosecuting students and downloaders (see posts here several months ago) when it could have been better spent in also investing in better security over its prints.

In any case, this case would debunk the myth that Asia is the main problem for owners of electronic media entertainment. While there is indeed rife piracy, much of the problem that the MPAA has is very much homegrown.

See CNET - Final 'Star Wars' film leaked to the Internet