Memphis man indicted, accused of selling stolen DVDs, Blu-rays online
MEMPHIS, Tenn. — A Memphis man is facing federal charges after he was accused of stealing DVDs and Blu-rays to sell them online, leading to one film being illegally downloaded millions of times.
According to the Department of Justice, 37-year-old Steven Hale has been indicted on two counts of criminal copyright infringement and one count of interstate transportation of stolen goods. Hale was reportedly taken into custody on Thursday.
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According to the DOJ, Hale worked at a DVD and Blu-ray manufacturing and distribution company. The DOJ claims that from February 2021 to March 2022, Hale stole 'pre-release' DVDs and Blu-rays for films such as 'Spider-Man: No Way Home', 'Black Widow,' 'Dune,' 'Godzilla vs. Kong,' and 'Venom: Let There Be Carnage.'
According to the DOJ, Hale sold the DVDs and Blu-rays through e-commerce sites. The DOJ claims that the Blu-ray for 'Spider-Man: No Way Home' was copied and illegally made available online a month before it was supposed to be released.
The DOJ says that copies of 'Spider-Man: No Way Home' were downloaded tens of millions of times, costing the copyright owner tens of millions of dollars.
If convicted, Hale faces a maximum of five years in prison on each count of copyright infringement and 10 years in prison for the interstate transportation of stolen goods charge.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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