American sentenced to one year in prison for uploading X-Men movie

The American Gilberto Sanchez is sentenced to one year in prison, for uploading an unfinished copy of the movie “X-Men Origins: Wolverine”, one month before its theatrical release without consent of the copyright holders, the film company 20th Century Fox. The computer of the uploader will also be supervised and will contain some restrictions. The judge described his actions as "extremely serious".

In March 2009, the man posted the workprint of the movie, so without special graphic effects, online on Megaupload.com. The film company 20th Century Fox film ordered him to remove the movie on the site. The man removed the workprint from its Megaupload account within a day, but by then the damage was done and the film had proliferated like wildfire throughout the internet, resulting in up to millions of infringements and causing damage to the film company.

Now, it is unclear from whom Sanchez had bought the movie. Sanchez said he bought the illegal version of the film in 2009 in The Bronx, New York. The person, from whom the offender had bought the copy, was never found.

Andre Birotte Jr., the attorney of 20th Century Fox said: "The federal prison sentence handed down in this case sends a strong message of deterrence to would-be Internet pirates. The Justice Department will pursue and prosecute persons who seek to steal the intellectual property of this nation.“

Reference: The Hollywood Reporter