Piracy battlefront pivots to cyberlockers

Hollywood has attempted to get the narrative within the fight against piracy by framework the problem as similar to stealing jobs or slowly destroying an outlet. But because the latest iteration of content trafficking technology emerges, some say possibly the greater example is really a pawn shop.Cyberlockers are fast-becoming the file-discussing means of preference, supplying piracy police having a greater reason to fret. These hosting services -- through which customers upload content right into a digital storage locker -- are relatively simpler to gain access to in comparison to Bit-torrent sites because they do not require just as much special software to do this. The larger concern towards the entertainment market is their belief the development of cyberlockers has hinged this is not on a culture elevated on getting content free of charge, but one that's to create a buck. Probably the most popular services depend on subscription costs, they also rely on website traffic, and to achieve that they pay customers who upload and promote links to typically the most popular content. Websites like these as Hotfile, Fileserve, MegaShares and RapidShare have experienced such incentive programs, even though latter dropped its rewards offer this past year when confronted with industry pressure.Which comes as Hollywood and also the major tech titans and merchants have paired as much as support their very own cloud-based locker service, UltraViolet, that launches this fall, and Disney's own Studio All Access service that stores digital copies of movies to experience using any device with a web connection. Apple has its own iCloud.What galleries see in lots of non-Hollywood cyberlocker services are endeavors that leech on the content -- as typically the most popular game titles in cyberlockers are usually movies which are still playing at multiplexes. Quite simply, if customers can get hold of a valued blockbuster unlawfully and upload it to some cyberlocker, they are able to get cash.In Feb, the main galleries sued against probably the most popular cyberlockers, Hotfile, declaring the hub committed copyright thievery on the "massive scale" which it are making money "handsomely from encouraging and supplying the way of massive copyright violation." Later that month, acccording to TorrentFreak, Hotfile customers began worrying on the wide scale that the organization was removing their accounts, while Hotfile stated it was undertaking a "more aggressive policy" toward customers which are the topic of repeated complaints of copyright violation. Hotfile argues that it's protected through the Digital Millennium Copyright Act's safe-harbor provisions, which shield sites from liability when they quickly remove infringing material in reaction to takedown notices. In legal filings additionally, it states the upload of copyrighted material has "little if any harmful effect available on the market for copyrighted work," and, furthermore, it is a "fair use" of fabric.However the situation required a turn this summer time. A federal judge in This summer ignored studios' claims that Hotfile involved in direct violation, but continues to be permitting claims of "secondary" violation to proceed. Much more interesting than individuals legal developments is the way in which Hotfile is pushing back.The organization is seeking records from the studios' own anti-piracy tactics, the means through which they monitor and identify infringing material by using security suppliers.Hotfile states that instead of falling short in making plans to eliminate infringing content, it required action that came compliments in the galleries. Hotfile notes it implemented a "special rightsholder account" system so copyright holders could immediately take lower files themselves, but the galleries "deliberately" stored their material as they ready to file suit.Within the situation of Warner Bros., however, Hotfile suggests the studio was excessively aggressive for the reason that it used its rightsholder accounts to get rid of material this didn't own, like software games and grown ups-only content. For instance, Warner Bros. designed a movie in the past known as "This Area,Inch it erased an audio book entitled "Cancer: As they are,Inch based on Hotfile's claim.Warner Bros. had no comment, however in previous filings the galleries have known as their anti-piracy records "irrelevant" towards the situation and also have stated the "fair-use" argument is applicable to clips, not entire movies. Even though galleries haven't filed the official reaction to the Hotfile counterclaim, they have established that it might be groundless.Because the legal situation drags on, attention is also concentrating on legislation.The Safeguard IP Act, a bill targeted at rooting out so-known as "rogue" websites, passed the Senate Judiciary Committee all, and will receive a large push through the Hollywood lobby to secure passage this fall. The legislation, however, doesn't particularly address cyberlockers, and sources say you will find now discussions about together with a provision covering such cloud-based storage services.If such provisions are incorporated, Hollywood could have a new tool to battle piracy, possibly free of the unpredictability from the courts. But surely that will not function as the finish from it. In the end, pawn shops might not be probably the most trustworthy companies on the planet, but they are still open. Contact Ted Manley at ted.manley@variety.com

The Wachowski Brothers and sisters & Tom Tykwer Set to Film "Unfilmable" 'Cloud Atlas'

3 years following the discharge of Andy and Lana Wachowski's 'Speed Racer,' the large return for that brains behind 'The Matrix' is available in the type of an near-impossible epic. THR reviews the Wachowskis is going to be joining track of director Tom Tykwer ('Run, Lola, Run') to evolve 'Cloud Atlas' for that giant screen. In line with the novel by David Mitchell, 'Cloud Atlas' involves the six roughly intertwining tales of six differing people that span in the 1800s towards the publish-apocalypse. Based on producer Stefan Ardnt, "Many have known as the novel unfilmable, but Tom [Tykwer] and also the Wachowskis have discovered a method to tell these tales within an amazing, linear and incredibly motion picture way." Regarding the techniques that they may use to create the novel to existence, Tykwer and also the Wachowskis will film as well as two separate film deck hands and also have their stars play numerous roles over the six different story lines. Starring within the film are Tom Hanks, Halle Berry, Susan Sarandon, Hugo Weaving, Jim Broadbent, and Ben Wishaw, amongst others. Sure seems like everybody here's got their work eliminate on their behalf, but when David Lynch could film 'Naked Lunch,' anything can be done. Filming is placed to begin in September, mind on to The Hollywood Reporter for additional particulars about the approaching film. You do too think 'Cloud Atlas' will act as a film? [through the Hollywood Reporter]

Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance Poster

Nic Cage shows us his rings of fire We're reliably informed that the devilish directing duo that is Neveldine/Taylor are releasing Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance's first trailer at 5pm or so today, GMT. Before that, however, they've unveiled a teaser poster to whet our appetites, and it's just as flame-based as you'd expect from a Johnny Blaze adventure. As you can see below, it's essentially just the Ghost Rider's hand holding onto a metal flaming chain, but with the trailer on its way, we can't help but get all, um, hot under the collar. So check out the poster below, and watch this space for the trailer's imminent arrival on the internets. Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance will be tearing through your cinema screens on February 22, 2012.

A raunchy summer

"30 Minutes or Less" It's been a hot summer for raunch at the box office, at least until recently. With six R-rated comedies having preceeded it on screens this summer, Sony's "30 Minutes or Less" is the last of the studios' louche laffers for the season, though it hardly brought the house down. Warner Bros.' "The Hangover Part II" leads the pack, with $253.8 million domestically, followed by Universal's B.O. shocker "Bridesmaids, with $166.8 million. The summer's crop of eight R-rated comedies (including the Weinstein Co.'s "Our Idiot Brother" ) is the largest of any summer since PG-13 ratings were introduced in 1984. The "Hangover" sequel had a considerable advantage over the summer's other R-rated comedies, following the first installment's massive popularity. But "Hangover II" also outgrossed the domestic total of popular family action franchise title, "Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides" ($239.3 million). The genre improbably has outperformed other family and action titles: "Bridesmaids" out-earned "Kung Fu Panda 2" ($163.1 million), while Warner's "Horrible Bosses," with $110 million domestically, should surpass the studio's "Green Lantern," ($114.6 million). Among the remaining three offerings, Sony's "Bad Teacher," which launched June 24, has done exceptionally well, grossing $97.9 million through Sunday, while newer entries "Friends With Benefits" and "Change-Up" have so far collected $53 million and $28.5 million, respectively. It's hard to whether the later two R-rated comedies are losing ground because so many had already opened this season, or because studios roll out their most promising titles earlier. The Weinstein Co.'s Sundance pickup "Our Idiot Brother," starring Paul Rudd, launches nationwide the weekend of Aug. 26. Contact Andrew Stewart at andrew.stewart@variety.com

Warrants Former Lead Singer Jani Lane Found Dead in Hotel (Report)

Jani Lane, the former lead singer of the rock group Warrant, was found dead in a Los Angeles-area hotel Thursday night, TMZ reported.Related Topics•Obituaries His body was found at the Comfort Inn in Woodland Hills, but no cause of death has been released. The singer had a history of alcohol-related arrests. He was taken into custody in June 2009 for reporting crashing into a parked car. He pleaded no contest to misdemeanor DUI and was put on probation for three years. PHOTOS: Hollywood's Notable Deaths A year later, he was arrested for a similar incident that landed him in jail for 120 days. Lane (born John Kennedy Oswald) also served as the lyricist and main songwriter for Warrant. He joined the band in 1986, two years after its formation by guitarist Erik Turner. The band is probably best known for their single "Cherry Pie," which Lane wrote. The song, a top 10 hit in 1990, featured a guitar solo by C.C. Deville of Poison, Jani's longtime friend and bandmate of Bret Michaels, who tweeted his condolences to Lane's family after the news broke. UPDATE: Hollywood, Fellow Musicians React to Jani Lane's Death Lane also wrote several other hits for the group, including "Heaven," "Down Boys" and "Sometimes She Cries" from their debut album, Dirty Rotten Filty Stinking Rich, and "I Saw Red" and "Uncle Tom's Cabin" from the group's second album, Cherry Pie. He left Warrant three times over the years, including the most recent, in 2008. He was featured on VH1's Celebrity Fit Club 2 in 2005 and last year toured with Great White, filling in for singer Jack Russell, who was recovering from surgery. Related Topics Obituaries

FX renews 'Louie,' 'Wilfred,' 'Philadelphia'

LandgrafFX, feeling confident with its burgeoning comedy slate, has given season renewals to "Louie," "Wilfred" and "It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia." Announcement was made Saturday at the cabler's Television Critics Assn. panel by network topper John Landgraf, who was given a three-year extension on his deal. Landgraf made comedy a priority about a year ago and the network now has five laffers on the air, with all performing relatively well. While "Louie" and "Wilfred" are getting one-season pickups, "Sunny" is receiving a two-season renewal. That means the low-budget skein will have reached nine seasons, making it the longest-running live-action comedy in basic cable history. It wasn't just the comedies that Landgraf was touting at the sesh. Timothy Olyphant-starrer "Justified" was up 14% in its second season and there are high expectation for the fourth season of "Sons of Anarchy," which returns Sept. 6. Overall, FX is coming off its most-watched year ever, up 18% in the 18-49 demo and 19% in total viewers. Of course, not all recent series were success stories. Both buddy cop series "Terriers" and boxing drama "Lights Out" were pulled after one season because of low ratings. Next up is "American Horror Story," from Ryan Murphy and Brad Falchuk. Murphy is a FX vet, having been the creative force of "Nip/Tuck" -- one of the cabler's signature series. Landgraf has also seen dailies on supernatural pilot "Powers" and Southern crime saga "Outlaw Country," and is expecting to make decisions on whether he will pick those up to series in the next two or three months. Another change coming to FX is that the cabler will be home of college football this fall, covering Big-12, Pac-12 and Conference USA games for a 14-week package. The pigskin addition will help the net broaden its offerings, and Landgraf acknowledged that with many cablers airing sports, FX needs to be in that game. "We want to be one of the largest networks in America and all of (our competition) have some sports," Landgraf said. "ESPN is there, as is USA and Turner. Fox Sports sees FX as a sports platform." In addition to picking up two seasons of "Sunny," as well as an option for a third, Landgraf said FX Prods. has entered into an agreement with RCG, the production shingle of "Sunny" exec producers Rob McElhenney, Charlie Day and Glenn Howerton. Net also announced it has pacted with Rogers Media to launch FX Canada. Channel will launch Nov. 1 as a digital service, offering FX's original series, as well U.S. acquired movies and series.On the bigscreen front, FX has bought the exclusive basic cable rights to "Rise of the Planet of the Apes" and "Crazy Stupid Love." "Apes" had a solid opening weekend and "Love," starring Steve Carell, has been a critical darling.The net's other recent movie pickups include "Captain America," "Friends With Benefits" and "Horrible Bosses." Contact Stuart Levine at stuart.levine@variety.com

Metanoia plays with 'Little Boy'

L.A.-based Metanoia Films is set to make helmer Alejandro Monteverde's "Little Boy," starring Kevin James, Ben Chaplin, Emily Watson and David Henrie.Pic is budgeted at $24 million, funded by a nearly 50-50 split between U.S. and Mexican investors."Little Boy" is a family drama set in small-town America in the early days of WWII.It revolves around an 8-year-old with developmental problems. His only friend is his father, and with his departure to war, the troubled boy is forced to confront the cruelty of schoolmates and others.Filmmakers held a nationwide casting for the titular role, coming up with first-timer Jakob Salvati. It will begin an 11-week shoot in Baja California at the end of August and should be ready for play in 2012.Metanoia is taking advantage of the state's new film promotion law that establishes a framework for films to work with the government and local industry, centered largely around the independent Baja Studios, where "Titanic" was shot.Film will also shoot in Rosarito beach, Ensenada, Tijuana and Tecate.Metanoia was founded in 2005 by Monteverde, thesp-producer Eduardo Verastegui, childhood friends from Mexico, along with Leo Severino.In choosing Baja, Verastegui noted the support of Governor Jose Guadalupe Osuna and praised Baja Studios prexy Kurt Honold for undercutting the competition in what the studios hope will be the start of a long relationship with Metanoia.The film will apply for the Fondo ProAudioVisual rebate that was created last year to attract "high-impact" productions. It would be the first of such projects for Baja California and the fifth overall to take the federal rebate.Metanoia's first outing was 2006's "Bella," helmed by Monteverde and produced by and starring Verastegui.Budgeted at $3 million, the pic earned $40 million worldwide and took the audience prize at Toronto -- a first for a Mexican director, paving the way for the larger scale "Little Boy." Contact the Variety newsroom at news@variety.com