N.J. MAN ADMITS 'HULK' PIRACY FEDERAL PROSECUTORS FLEX MUSCLES.Byline: Greg Hernandez Staff Writer A New Jersey man admitted in Manhattan federal court Wednesday to showing a pirated pi·rate n. 1. a. One who robs at sea or plunders the land from the sea without commission from a sovereign nation. b. A ship used for this purpose. 2. One who preys on others; a plunderer. 3. digital copy of ``The Hulk'' on the Internet two weeks before its nationwide theatrical release. Kerry Gonzalez, 25, pleaded guilty to one count of copyright infringement Noun 1. copyright infringement - a violation of the rights secured by a copyright infringement of copyright plagiarisation, plagiarization, piracy, plagiarism - the act of plagiarizing; taking someone's words or ideas as if they were your own in a case that illustrates the motion picture industry's escalating fight against movie piracy. Such hits as ``Spider-Man'' and ``Finding Nemo'' have appeared online before being unveiled at multiplexes. ``The Hulk'' has been the top-grossing film at the box office since it was released by Universal City-based Universal Pictures last Friday. ``We are deeply grateful to the FBI and the Department of Justice for their prompt action in finding and punishing the individual responsible for posting a version of `The Hulk' on the Internet,'' Karen Randall, executive vice president and general counsel of Vivendi Universal Entertainment, said in a printed statement. According to according to prep. 1. As stated or indicated by; on the authority of: according to historians. 2. In keeping with: according to instructions. 3. the federal complaint filed against Gonzalez, he obtained what is known as a ``work print'' of the film through an acquaintance who got it from a friend employed by a Manhattan advertising agency. The agency was sent a copy by Universal on the understanding that it would not allow anyone to make or distribute copies. Prosecutors said Gonzalez, using his home computer, made a digital copy of the work print on which the movie's special effects special effects, in motion pictures, cinematographic techniques that create illusions in the audience's minds as well as the illusions created using these techniques. , graphics and soundtrack were not in final form. Gonzalez ran a program to manipulate the computerized copy in an effort to defeat a security tag See EAS and authentication token. , embedded Inserted into. See embedded system. in the movie, that permits unauthorized copies to be traced, according to federal authorities. He then uploaded the digitized copy of the work print to a Web site chat room hosted from the Netherlands and frequented by numerous movie enthusiasts who routinely post and trade bootleg copies of movies. Gonzalez is scheduled to be sentenced Sept. 26 by U.S. District Judge Gerard E. Lynch Gerard E. Lynch (born 1951 in Brooklyn) is a United States District Court Judge in the Southern District of New York. He was appointed to this position by President Bill Clinton in 2000. He is also the Paul J. Kellner Professor of Law at Columbia Law School. . Gonzales faces a maximum three years in prison and a fine of $250,000 or twice the amount of the gross gain or gross loss from the offense. He remains free on a $25,000 bond. Universal Picture President and Chief Operating Officer Chief Operating Officer (COO) The officer of a firm responsible for day-to-day management, usually the president or an executive vice-president. Rick Finkelstein said in a printed statement Wednesday that he believes all of the studio's films ``deserve to be enjoyed in their optimal form and environment.'' He noted that it took almost two years and significant spending to complete ``The Hulk,'' which reportedly had a production budget of $150 million. ``Unfortunately, there is small group of people who feel it is acceptable to steal our copyrighted films and make them available for free,'' Finkelstein said. ``Obviously, if this behavior went unchecked, we would not be able to produce and deliver films the caliber of `The Hulk' to the moviegoing public.'' ``Hulk'' had grossed $73.3 million as of Tuesday night, its fifth day of release. Its opening weekend gross of $62.1 million set an all-time June record. But the opening was still far below the bows of other recent recent Marvel adaptations, including ``X2: X-Men United'' ($85.6 million opening) and ``Spider-Man'' ($114.8 million). The box office performance of ``The Hulk'' caused shares in Marvel Enterprises Inc. to fall sharply this week. CAPTION(S): photo Photo: (color) Hulk, the Hulk, the character whose anger transforms him into monster. [Comics: Horn, 324–325] See : Anger Hulk, the the monster that David Banner becomes when angered. [Comics and TV: Horn, 324] See : Transformation eponym ep·o·nym n. A name of a drug, structure, or disease based on or derived from the name of a person. ep of ``The Hulk,'' is scaring off some Marvel Enterprises Inc. investors but not scaring off movie pirates. |
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