A Hollywood-based film group has sued a popular Chinese website
over movie piracy and demanded seven million yuan (US$1 million)
compensation, China Business News reported today.
The Motion Picture Association accused Xunlei Networking
Technology Co on Friday of allowing users of its file-sharing
service to download hundreds of movies from other websites despite
repeated warnings, the report said.
It also demanded Xunlei make a public admittance of its illegal
piracy act, the report added.
The association accused Xunlei of allowing users of its
peer-to-peer, or P2P, service download copies of movies including
"Spider-Man 3," "War of the Worlds" and "Miami Vice." It accused
Xunlei of continuing to allow violations after the group's lawyers
sent 78 warnings, the report said.
Shenzhen-based Xunlei claims to be the biggest download platform
provider in the world and covers about 100 million Internet users,
the report said.
Google Co said last year that it had invested in Xunlei, the
report said.
Xunlei and Google have not commented on the lawsuit, the report
said.
The association said it has filed a series of lawsuits against
Chinese vendors of illegally copied DVDs. The group says it has
been awarded two million yuan since 2006.
The Motion Picture Association is the international arm of the
Los Angeles-based Motion Picture Association of America. Its
members are Walt Disney Co's Buena Vista Pictures Distribution,
Paramount Pictures Corp, Sony Pictures Entertainment Inc, Twentieth
Century Fox Film Corp, Universal City Studios LLLP and Warner Bros.
Entertainment Inc.
(Shanghai Daily February 18, 2008)
