Piracy

A DVD-quality copy of the sci-fi blockbuster “District 9″ was posted to file-trading networks over Labor Day weekend. The movie was downloaded over one million times within the first 24 hours. Downloads are likely to exceed the leaked workprint of another SA-linked movie, “X-Men Origins: Wolverine,” which was downloaded over 4 million times.



Filmcontact.com says that most movies are available on the Internet within a few days of their release, but the quality is typically poor and all but the most prolific pirates avoid them. The “District 9″ release is described as an R5 copy, or a retail DVD sold in Region 5 — Eastern Europe, India, Africa, North Korea and Mongolia. Studios release R5 DVDs early and without any special features or image processing in an effort to compete with bootlegs in areas where piracy is prevalent......