Movies Pirated Before Premiere Al Pacino thriller 88 Minutes opened in U.S. theaters on April 18. But according to Bloomberg.com, prior to its debut, SurfTheChannel.com had already played the film roughly 51,000 times. A new danger in the Web piracy arena, SurfTheChannel links to a number of other sites, including Tudou.com, 56.com and many sites around the globe. Streaming technology makes movies and TV shows instantly available on Web browsers and hides viewers’ identities, making it nearly impossible for anyone to stop them. The site uses an Internet service to hide its location and links to sites that make copyrighted material available. According to a site spokesman, it’s legal because the content doesn’t reside on SurfTheChannel’s network. Sony’s 88 Minutes is just one of 95,000 titles on Stockholm-based SurfTheChannel, which boasts about 650,000 viewers a month. The site offers films that are still in theaters, as well as movies that aren’t out yet, such as Time Warner Inc.’s Good Chemistry. Online piracy cost the movie biz $7.1 billion in 2005 and, according to the Motion Picture Association of America, is the fastest-growing threat to the film industry A host of other sites, including QuickSilverScreen.com, Joox.net and SideReel.com provide similar services. SurfTheChannel even had a page on MySpace.com, a social networking site owned by News Corp. The page was blocked after the company learned of its existence. Sweden has recently started cracking down on pirates, though. In March, the government began focusing on file sharing after the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry registered complaints against PirateBay.com, which locates pirated material — just like SurfTheChannel does. Afghan Clerics Anti Indian Soaps Indian soap operas have caused outrage in Afghanistan in recent months. In April, a Muslim movement opposing the scandalous programs gained steam when members of Parliament, backed by the national Ministry of Information and Culture, issued a statement demanding that private TV channels stop broadcasting five of the controversial shows. Since they hit the airwaves, the soaps have provoked protests from conservative Muslim clerics and politicians. Opponents object to the shows because men and women are portrayed together, the Hindu religion is prominently featured and women are dressed “immodestly.” Following the demise of the Taliban in 2001, a dozen or so private television stations emerged and began to broadcast the soaps to eager subscribers. A spokesman for Tolo TV, the country’s leading private channel, dismissed the parliamentary declaration, claiming it was against the law. However, many of Kabul’s most influential Muslim leaders have taken up the campaign and have vowed to resort to violence if the shows are not removed. U.S. Video Game Sales Hit The Roof The ailing U.S. economy has not affected video game sales, according to industry data released on April 17. March video game sales in the U.S. were up 57 percent from 2007, reaching $1.7 billion. Nintendo, which led the boom with its Wii console sales, boasted its biggest non-holiday month ever. The sudden popularity of Nintendo Wii accessories has been attributed to the release of the “Super Smash Bros. Brawl” game. The company reported 720,000 Wiis sold, and an additional 2.7 million copies of the hit game. “Wii Fit,” an innovative game that encourages couch potatoes to get some exercise, hits the shelves in May. Nintendo is confident that, with the help of the new game, its strong showing will continue. Sony’s PS3 game console also took off in March, with figures doubling from MAY 2 0 0 8 (Continued on Page 6)
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