With the rise of the internet a new wave of digital pirating has also been created: bootleg movies of Hollywood blockbusters available for download, and in some cases weeks before the films are out in theaters. The most recent case involved a copy of Ang Lee's THE HULK turning up online three weeks before the film opened in theaters on June 20. In the wake of the HULK movie incident, Universal has now taken the reigns of fighting digital piracy by finding the person responsible and prosecuting them to the fullest extent of the law.

A charge of felong copyright infringement has been laid against Kerry Gonzalez, the man who uploaded the copy of HULK to the net. Gonzalez has plead guilty and now faces sentencing. The maximum charge Gonzalez faces is three years in federal prison.


"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," said Karen Randall, Executive Vice President and General Counsel for Vivendi Universal Entertainment.


"This investigation proves decisively that the Internet is not an anonymous place, and illegal conduct is transparent and traceable. Universal Studios will pursue aggressively and hold accountable to the fullest extent of the law those who steal or abuse its intellectual property by illegally uploading or downloading it on the Internet."


Other highly anticipated films, such as THE MATRIX RELOADED, X-MEN 2 and FINDING NEMO have also found their way onto the net albeit shortly after their theatrical debut. While it's rare for a big budget film like Universal's HULK to be posted on the internet weeks away from its release, it has happened before. In the case of New Line Cinema's JASON X, that film was available for download months before its theatrical run began.