Harry Potter film excerpt leaked online

Writing about web page http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-11783413

Warner Bros said it was "working actively" to remove the video, which it said was "stolen and illegally posted" on file-sharing websites on Tuesday.

"We are vigorously investigating this matter and will prosecute those involved to the full extent of the law," it added in a statement.

I look at this story and think that maybe Warner Bros should save themselves the effort. It's not the entire film that's been leaked.  No one is going to think, "I was going to go see the new Harry Potter film at the cinema but now that the first 36 minutes of it are available on the Internet I'll just watch that instead." On the other hand some people who are unsure about whether or not they want to go to the effort and expense of going to see the film in the cinema might see the first 36 minutes of it and subsequently go see the film at the cinema. The leak could in fact be beneficial for Warner Bros.

It won't be long before the entire film is available for free online via torrents and the like and being burnt on to DVDs slapped in a box with some dodgy cover art (E.g.) to be sold dirt cheap on market stalls in the far east. Consider that along with the above described possible benefit of the leak and I have to wonder, is it worth a lot of time and money, and it won' t just be Warner Bros' time and money but also that of various law enforcement agencies, being spent to "vigorously investigating" the leak of a 36 minute segment?

Warner Bros also say

"We are working actively to restrict and/or remove copies that may be available,"

Anyone with a passing familiarity of the Internet ought to realise this is futile. They'll never find all the sources because new sources will keep appearing.

Mike Willis : 18 Nov 2010 13:17 |  Comments (1) |  Report a problem