Fox goes too far: calls FBI and fires columnist over leaked Wolverine movie
The television company Fox is outraged over the latest piracy incident. The highly anticipated movie, X-Men Origins: Wolverine was illegally leaked onto the Internet a whole month before its release date. Fox has called for the FBI to investigate the incident. However, some feel that Fox may be taking things a bit too far.
X-Men Origins: Wolverine is the latest iteration in the popular X-Men series. The movie follows the back story behind the character Wolverine. The movie has been picking up a great deal of steam following its announcement last year. On April Fool’s Day, fans of the series were surprised to find a near complete version of the movie available on Bittorrent sites nearly a month before its release date.
According to Reuters, 20th Century Fox, the studio behind the movie, indicated that the illegally leaked version is missing some scenes, special effects and music. Apparently some of the missing sounds were spliced into the illegal copy to compensate for the placeholder.
A representative from the studio also stated, “The FBI and the MPAA (Motion Picture Association of America) also are actively investigating this crime. We are encouraged by the support of fansites condemning this illegal posting.” This isn’t the only action Fox has taken as the studio recently fired a Fox News columnist who talked about the leak.
According to Cinematical, Fox gossip reporter Roger Friedman was recently fired after admitting to downloading the illegally leaked version of the movie and watching it. He wrote on his column that the movie was good and that Fox has nothing to worry about.
I am actually in agreement with Fox’s decision to fire Friedman as he broke the law. However, some have criticized Fox for going as far as bringing the FBI into investigating the matter. I am sure the FBI has more pressing matters at hand than chasing after a leaked movie.
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April 6th, 2009
I watch those movies on the big screen.
Even if the movie is leaked. Those movies I watch over and over. Sometimes I watch them at the theater more than once.
I love the DC, Marvel movies.
I agree the FBI should not be chasing leaked movies.
April 6th, 2009
Actually this kind of thing hurts a lot of people and I think the FBI’s involvement is proper: obviously Fox is hurt, when content is leaked and people consume it for free then you are also hurting the rank and file at the studios, the gaffers, the best boys, the movie houses, the popcorn counter employees, etc. Obviously no one has any sympathy for a corporate behemoth like Fox, particularly one with such a questionable track on ethics and social issues itself, but the “little guys” who work in the industry and who make their living from movies also get hurt–all the worse in this economy. I would like to see the leaker in jail for that reason.
Although, there is a point that X-Men movies still get seen in movie houses (even by downloaders) simply because they are movies that look best on the big screen, so the effect may be smaller in this particular case.
I guess I agree with the firing the gossip columnist, although I think it’s overkill.
April 6th, 2009
Simon get real, please.
No-one gets “hurt” by this.
A garbage brain-deadening load of childish cr@p got leaked to a relative handful who will want to see it that way
(less all the finishing touches – it is not, apparently, even a proper final print of the full movie).
That POS movie will undoubtedly still go on to be one of the year’s best money-spinners.
No-one got “hurt”.
Not being able to maximise your theoretical cash take to the absolute ‘nth degree’ is not “hurt”.
If you want to talk “hurt” I’d call the stupefying endless stream of idiotic childish dumbed-down sh*t pouring out of Hollywood actually hurtful to the nation.
I guess it takes all sorts tho, huh?
In fact given the timing and the lengths those creeps will go to it would not surprise me if this is just some sh*tty PR stunt for the publicity.
They ought to be taking Hollywood to court for the harm they do to the country.
They should absolutely not be wasting the limited resources of the law busting some guy who leaked an unfinished copy of a crap movie to the relative minority who will bother getting very low quality copies of movies from the Internet.
Do we want our FBI officials wasting time on this idiotic crap or chasing the real threats to the nation?
It’s outrageous this passes by with barely a murmur.
Clearly those f*ckers at Fox have lost all sense of proportion, which just about sums up their entire ‘war’ on file-sharing.