By Chris Kavan - 05/16/10 at 10:51 AM CT
Voltage Pictures, the financier behind the critically-acclaimed Oscar winner The Hurt Locker, is taking the copyright fight to the next level. Over 50,000 people who illegally downloaded the film are being sued, with more likely to follow.
Although lawsuits have been brought up in the past, they've been for films like Uwe Boll's Far Cry or Uncross the Stars - Nothing on the level of Hurt Locker. What's more, other studios and producers are taking notice and it looks like there may be a revolution forming over at Cannes this year. Could be a slew of new lawsuits coming if the practice is both feasible and can be won.
It's too early to tell whether this will fall in the trap of the notorious music industry, who has found that going after pirates is often not worth the trouble - and hasn't seemed to stop the juggernaut that is illegal downloading.
We'll have to wait and see if film industry can do a better job than the music industry.
