WASHINGTON – The Motion Picture Association (MPA) today welcomed the criminal sentencing of Steven R. Hale to 21 months in federal prison by the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Tennessee for criminal copyright infringement. Hale stole and sold pre-release DVDs and Blu-rays of major films.
The sentence follows Hale’s guilty plea in May 2025, when he admitted to stealing more than a thousand pre-release DVDs while employed at a DVD manufacturing and distribution facility. A digital copy of at least one stolen disc was illegally distributed online, resulting in millions of infringing copies and causing substantial losses. The government’s criminal investigation was initiated after a referral by the Alliance for Creativity and Entertainment (ACE), the world’s leading antipiracy coalition.
The MPA is grateful to 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.
“Steven Hale’s actions caused enormous harm to copyright owners, the industry, and consumers alike,” said Larissa Knapp, Executive Vice President and Chief Content Protection Officer of the MPA. “This sentencing sends a clear message: copyright infringement is a serious crime with serious consequences. We are grateful to our law enforcement partners for their strong work on this case, and we will continue working together to safeguard the creative economy.”
About The Motion Picture Association
The Motion Picture Association (MPA) serves as the leading voice and advocate of the motion picture, home video, and television industries. It works in every corner of the globe to advance the creative industry, protect its members’ content across all screens, defend the creative and artistic freedoms of storytellers, and support innovative distribution models that bring an expansion of viewing choices to audiences around the world. Its member studios are: Netflix, Paramount Pictures, Prime Video & Amazon MGM Studios, Sony Pictures, Universal Studios, The Walt Disney Studios, and Warner Bros. Discovery. Charles Rivkin is Chairman and CEO.
Media Contact
Pamela Corante
pamela_corante@motionpictures.org
