5 film studios sue Hotfile for copyright violation

[February 10, 2011]  NEW YORK (AP) -- Five major film studios have filed a copyright infringement suit against Hotfile Corp., a website that lets its subscribers download from a library of thousands of movies and TV shows.

In the suit filed in federal court in Miami, the studios describe Hotfile's service as "unabashed theft" of copyrighted material.

The studios allege that Hotfile encourages people to download content illegally, and sometimes pays people to upload copyrighted material and "promote" or disseminate links to a website where others can access it.

The plaintiffs in the case include Disney Enterprises Inc., Twentieth Century Fox Film Corp., Universal City Studios Productions LLP, Columbia Pictures Industries Inc. and Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc.

They're seeking unspecified damages and an injunction to shut down the service.

An e-mail sent to Hotfile for comment did not get an immediate reply.

[Associated Press]

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