The country's two largest providers, BT and TalkTalk, last month lost the most recent stage of a court battle aimed at reducing the impact of the legislation. In the UK, the film industry is pinning its hopes on the controversial Digital Economy Act, which would force ISPs to warn those who illegally download to stop before eventually cutting off their internet altogether. Sales of new DVDs fell by nearly a fifth in the first three months of this year, though the drop was caused partly by a scarcity of cinematic hits and the late timing of Easter. But studios are in shock following publication of the latest DVD sales figures last month, which suggest a huge impact from legal and illegal downloading, and further court cases seem likely to follow.
Hollywood's official parent body, the Motion Picture Association of America, is not involved in The Expendables case and has so far restricted its efforts to targeting websites that illegally offer films for free download. The same organisation tried to sue a slew of people who downloaded the Oscar-winning film The Hurt Locker last year, but its efforts became mired in red tape. The suits have been filed by the US Copyright Group, founded by the Virginia law firm Dunlap, Grubb & Weaver to represent producers seeking damages for illegal downloads of their titles. However, previous attempts at suing individuals have proved fruitless for film companies due to the US's complicated federal legal system.
If Nu Image is successful, the downloaders could each find themselves hit with a bill for several thousand dollars in compensation.
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