James Delahunty
29 Aug 2013 18:23
A U.S. judge has found that Hotfile is liable on charges of copyright infringement, in a case dating back to 2011.
The Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) touted the finding in an e-mailed statement to the press, but the official written judgement remains sealed for fourteen days for confidential and other information to be redacted.
Nevetheless, the MPAA is jumping for joy that the still-in-business Panama-based cyberlocker service apparently failed to convince the court that it is a legitimate service that is protected from liability for infringing user uploads under the safe harbour provisions in the Digital Millennium Copyright Act of 1998.
"This decision sends a clear signal that businesses like Hotfile that are built on a foundation of stolen works will be held accountable for the damage they do both to the hardworking people in the creative industries and to a secure, legitimate Internet," said Chris Dodd, chairman and CEO of the MPAA.
"We applaud the court for recognizing that Hotfile was not simply a storage locker but an entire business model built on mass distribution of stolen content. Today's decision is a victory for all of the men and women who work hard to create our favorite movies and TV shows, and it's a victory for audiences who deserve to feel confident that the content they're watching online is high-quality, legitimate, and secure."