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The film's co-producer Voltage Pictures has obtained court
orders in Singapore and Australia, forcing Internet Service
Providers (ISPs) to reveal the names of hundreds of suspected
offenders who downloaded and shared the film illegally.
The scale of the crackdown has been unprecedented, identifying
more than 500,000 unlawful distributors worldwide, according to
Voltage Pictures.
"We can only pursue a small proportion, but the hope is that
will be sufficient to raise awareness of this massive problem,"
said Michael Wickstrom, vice president of Royalties and Music
Administration at Voltage Pictures, said in an email to Reuters
The film, for which Matthew McConaughey won an Oscar for best
actor, is about a homophobic, rodeo-loving Texan who contracts
AIDS and becomes an unlikely savior for gay patients and drug
addicts desperate for treatment.
The legal case has sent shivers down the spine of illegal
downloaders globally.
"Everyone is now warning each other not to download illegally
online," said a 24-year-old Singaporean studying in the United
States, who wished to be known only as Clement.
Voltage Pictures has not demanded specific damages, but alleged
infringers are being invited to make a settlement offer. Failure
to comply will result in legal action, said Samuel Seow Law
Corporation, legal representative for Voltage Pictures in
Singapore.
But Wendy Low, a lawyer from Rajah & Tann who has been contacted
by some alleged infringers for legal advice, said court
proceedings were usually not pursued in cases of small-scale
downloads because of the legal costs.
"The damages recoverable may be pegged to the price of a
licensed movie download or a DVD, and this may outweigh the
legal fees and investigation costs involved," she said.
(Editing by Jeremy Laurence)
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