Latest news with #Venom:LetThereBeCarnage
Yahoo
07-03-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
A Memphis man faces 20 years in prison for allegedly stealing pre-release copies of popular movies and leaking them online, spurring tens of millions in losses
Authorities charged a 37-year-old Memphis man for allegedly stealing pre-release DVDs and Blu-rays of movies such as F9: The Fast Saga, Godzilla vs. Kong, Dune, and Black Widow and selling them before they were available to the public. He faces up to 20 years in prison on the charges. Authorities have been cracking down on illegal copyright infringement and intellectual property cases, given the substantial impact on businesses targeted. Law enforcement agencies have collected nearly $3 billion worth of seizures in recent years. The Department of Justice charged Steven R. Hale, 37, with two counts of criminal copyright infringement and a single count of transportation of stolen goods on Thursday after he allegedly nabbed DVDs and Blu-ray discs of major movies and sold them online. Authorities said Hale worked for a DVD distribution company where, from February 2021 to March 2022, he allegedly schemed to steal pre-release copies of films as they were being prepared for commercial distribution. Hale allegedly stole Blu-rays and DVDs such as Venom: Let There Be Carnage, Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, F9: The Fast Saga, and Dune. A Blu-ray he allegedly heisted and sold, Spider-Man: No Way Home, was ripped from the disc—meaning a digital copy was extracted—and made available over the internet and illegally downloaded millions of times, officials said. The estimated loss to the copyright owner, Sony Pictures Entertainment, was estimated by DOJ officials as tens of millions of dollars. The FBI is currently investigating the case. If convicted, Hale faces five years on each count of copyright infringement and 10 years on stolen goods. Attempts to reach Hale were unsuccessful. Sony did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Federal and state officials have been increasingly rooting out criminal cases of copyright infringement in recent years, and laws protecting copyright and its intersection with AI are expected to shape the legal landscape going forward. The DOJ said enforcement agencies have collected more than $2.7 billion worth of products as part of joint enforcement among federal, state, and local law enforcement. As of January 2024, the Copyright Claims Board reported 644 cases involving infringement claims. In a case last June, five Nevada men were convicted for allegedly running the largest unauthorized and illicit streaming service in U.S. history. Jetflicks, as it was called, reproduced thousands of popular movies and TV shows like Game of Thrones and amassed a streaming catalog with more content than Netflix, Hulu, Vudu, and Amazon Prime—combined. The subscription-based service charged users $9.99 a month and generated millions in revenue, according to the Justice Department. Similarly, Minnesota man Joshua Streit, also known as Josh Brody, was sentenced to three years in prison for illegally hacking Major League Baseball computer systems and streaming copyrighted content from MLB, the NBA, the NFL, and the NHL on a website he operated. Streit pleaded guilty to computer intrusion and was ordered to pay $3 million in restitution and $500,000 in forfeiture. This story was originally featured on
Yahoo
07-03-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Man arrested in Memphis for stealing, selling hit movies before release
MEMPHIS, Tenn. — A worker at a DVD and Blu-ray manufacturing and distribution company was arrested in Memphis on Thursday and accused of stealing copies of popular blockbuster movies from the company and selling them before their release dates. Steven R. Hale, 37, allegedly stole and sold DVDs and Blu-rays for popular films such as 'F9: The First Saga,' 'Venom: Let There Be Carnage,' 'Godzilla v. Kong,' 'Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings,' 'Dune,' and 'Black Widow.' Hale is also accused of stealing and selling the pre-release Blu-ray 'Spider-Man: No Way Home,' which was found to have been 'ripped,' meaning he attained the film by bypassing the encryption that prevents the unauthorized copying of the material. CA company sues TN sheriff's office, claims hemp mistaken for marijuana The U.S. Attorney's Office says the digital copy of the Spider-Man movie was then illegally made available over the Internet more than a month before its official scheduled release date. Copies of the movie were downloaded tens of millions of times, which resulted in an estimated loss of tens of millions of dollars to the copyright owner. The thefts took place between February 2021 and March 2022 while Hale was working for a multinational company that manufactured and distributed DVDs and Blu-rays of movies, according to a press release. 📡 for Memphis and the Mid-South. 📧 and have the latest top stories sent right to your inbox. Hale was indicted on two counts of criminal copyright infringement, of which each count holds a maximum penalty of five years in prison if convicted, and one count of interstate transportation of stolen goods, which holds a maximum penalty of 10 years. The FBI is investigating the case. The U.S. Attorney's office says Senior Counsel Matthew A. Lamberti, Trial Attorney Debra Ireland of the Criminal Division's Computer Crime and Intellectual Property Section, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Raney Irwin for the Western District of Tennessee are prosecuting the case. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
07-03-2025
- Yahoo
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. 'Better be careful': Ford Jr. reports to federal court after bribery arrest 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.
