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STUDIOS, CLAIMING PIRACY, HIT CHINESE ONLINE SERVICE
Friday, November 23 2007
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The five major studios, Fox, Disney, Paramount, Sony, and Universal, have joined in a lawsuit against the Chinese online service Beijing Jeboo and the Shanghai East Cybercafe, accusing them of providing illegal downloads of their movies. The studios, represented by the MPAA, claims that Jeboo provides the means for illegally downloading and/or streaming content to Internet cafes in China, which then charge users to watch them. The lawsuit says that among the movies illegally downloaded were Pirates of the Caribbean 2, Charlie's Angels 2, X-Men 2, and Night at the Museum. Meanwhile, a study published by the Thomas Jefferson School of Law in San Diego has claimed that the notion that China and East Asian countries account for a substantial percentage of piracy is a "misperception," confirmed by a not-well-publicized 2006 report by L.E.K. Consulting for the MPAA: "Mexico, the United Kingdom, and France accounted for over $1.2 billion in lost revenues, or 25% of the non-U.S. total -- and slightly less than the U.S. total of $1.3 billion," the TJSL study pointed out. China, in fact, is sixth on the list. The study concludes: "The gap between the perception and reality of international IP [piracy] matters because it affects U.S. policy. Incorrect understanding of the problem may influence trade laws and foreign relations, and law enforcement resources may be misallocated. And if the U.S. fails to appreciate the efforts already made by developing countries to address IP piracy issues, those countries may have little incentive to continue those enforcement efforts."
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