Star Wars pirate pleads guilty
2005-12-15 12:52
Los Angeles - A man pleaded guilty to unlawfully posting a copy of Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith on the internet the night before the film appeared in theatres.
Marc Hoaglin entered his plea on Tuesday to one count of uploading a work being prepared for commercial distribution, the US attorney's office said in a statement.
The illegal posting violated the Family Entertainment and Copyright Act of 2005, which made uploading a movie before its DVD release a federal felony.
Hoaglin, 36, was the second person in the nation convicted under the law, according to the US attorney's office. He faces up to three years in prison at sentencing March 6.
Hoaglin told the judge he obtained a pre-release copy of the Star Wars film from a co-worker in May.
The copy had been stolen a few days earlier from a post-production company hired by Lucasfilm Ltd to put finishing touches on the film, prosecutors said.
Seven others were charged in September for their alleged involvement in obtaining and copying the film.
- AP