Movie Studios Sue Chinese P2P Provider

The six studios comprising the MPA have sued China's Xunlei for copyright infringement, claiming the file sharing operator makes hundreds of movies available to users.

The six studios which comprise the Motion Picture Association have filed civil copyright infringement suits against Xenlei, a Chinese P2P software provider, claiming the company makes hundreds of Hollywood movies available to users in violation of international copyright laws. The suits seek 7 million renminbi (about $975,000 U.S. dollars) in each case, and lists 32 titles in the complaint, including Spider-Man 3,Miami Vice,War of the Worlds, and other recent releases.

What makes this particular suit interesting is that U.S. Internet giant Google owns about 4 percent of Xenlei, after investing $5 million in the company in early 2007. The MPA is seeking damages as well as a public admission that the company engaged in copyright violation and a pledge not to engage in copyright infringement again.

The MPA is made up of six major motion picture studios—Paramount, Buena Vista, Universal, Warner Bros., Sony, and Twentieth Century Fox‐and represents U.S. film companies internationally. In the last two years, the organization has filed numerous copyright infringement complaints against Chinese companies, winning about 2 million renminbi in damages.