LOS ANGELES – A Tennessee man has pleaded guilty to criminal copyright infringement after stealing and selling pre-release DVDs while employed at a DVD manufacturing facility in Memphis. The 37-year-old defendant signed a plea agreement admitting his illegal conduct and now faces potential prison time, a criminal fine, and an obligation to pay restitution to victims harmed by his actions.
The guilty plea comes three months after the defendant was indicted in February by a federal grand jury. The government’s criminal investigation was initiated after a referral by the Alliance for Creativity and Entertainment (ACE), the world’s leading anti-piracy coalition.
“We commend the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Tennessee, the U.S. Department of Justice’s Computer Crime and Intellectual Property Section, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and the Memphis Police Department for their strong enforcement in this case,” said Larissa Knapp, Executive Vice President and Chief Content Protection Officer for the Motion Picture Association (MPA). “The defendant’s guilty plea is a clear admission of criminal wrongdoing and a powerful reminder that piracy is theft, plain and simple. It harms creators, workers and the entire creative industry. ACE will continue to pursue those who undermine the creative economy and will work relentlessly with global law enforcement to bring them to justice.”
The case highlights the importance of industry and government collaboration in protecting copyrighted content and ensuring those who profit from piracy are brought to justice.
About The Alliance for Creativity and Entertainment
The Alliance for Creativity and Entertainment (ACE) is the world’s leading coalition dedicated to protecting the legal creative market and reducing digital piracy. Driven by a comprehensive approach to addressing piracy through criminal referrals, civil litigation, and cease-and-desist operations, ACE has achieved many successful global enforcement actions against illegal streaming services and unauthorized content sources and their operators. Drawing upon the collective expertise and resources of more than 50 media and entertainment companies around the world—including sports channels and associations—and reinforced by the Motion Picture Association’s content protection operations, ACE protects the creativity and innovation that drives the global growth of core copyright and entertainment industries. The current governing board members for ACE are Amazon, Apple TV+, Netflix, Paramount Global, Sony Pictures, Universal Studios, The Walt Disney Studios, and Warner Bros. Discovery. Charles Rivkin is Chairman and CEO of the Motion Picture Association and Chairman of ACE.
Media Contact
Pamela Corante
pamela_corante@motionpictures.org
