Los Angeles – A federal court has ordered online advertising
firm Triton Media to pay Hollywood movie studios Disney (NYSE: DIS) and Warner Bros. (NYSE: TWX)
$400,000 for "contributory copyright infringement," for its role in providing
material assistance to websites that post an index of links to unauthorized
movie sites.
The studios allege that Triton helped drive traffic and generate
revenue for pirate websites including Free-tv-video-online.info (FreeTV),
ThePirateCity.org and Watch-movies.net.
"Triton Media was a key
participant in the profit-making endeavors of a number of pirate sites and
served a vital role in facilitating copyright infringement by working to
provide a stream of revenue for those sites through advertising
referrals," said Daniel M. Mandil, senior executive vice president,
general counsel and chief content protection officer for the Motion Picture Association
of America.
"This judgment
underscores that those who knowingly facilitate the infringing activities of
pirate websites and who profit from these illegal businesses are equally
responsible and will be held accountable for their actions."
A copyright
infringement judgment has already been issued against FreeTV, which was ordered
to pay $1.5 million in damages.
Related Links:
http://tinyurl.com/26eo7vh
(PDF)
http://tinyurl.com/268nqkg
(DMW previous coverage)
