O.C. Man Admits Felony Internet Leaking of ‘Star Wars’ Film
A Huntington Beach man pleaded guilty Tuesday to a felony federal copyright violation, admitting that he uploaded the latest “Star Wars” film onto the Internet hours before its theatrical release.
Marc Hoaglin, 36, will be sentenced March 6 by U.S. District Judge Edward Rafeedie in Los Angeles.
Hoaglin’s plea deal calls for prosecutors to recommend a sentence ranging from probation to six months behind bars. He could have received up to three years in prison if he had stood trial and been convicted.
The case is one of law enforcement and the film industry’s most recent attempts to crack down on movie piracy.
According to the U.S. attorney’s office, Hoaglin is the first person in Los Angeles and the second in the country to be convicted under a 2005 law called the Family Entertainment and Copyright Act, which made it a federal felony to upload a movie before its DVD release.
Hoaglin was one of eight people charged in September in the case involving “Star Wars: Episode III Revenge of the Sith.”
Court documents allege that an employee of a postproduction facility took a copy of the film and gave it to several people, one of whom eventually passed it on to Hoaglin. Hoaglin uploaded the film onto www.potuk.com, a website called Pirates of the UK, on May 18, the day before the film started screening in theaters.
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