Filesharing website Hotfile has been ordered to pay $80m to movie studios, and shut down unless it starts using filtering technology to prevent copyright infringement of their works.
The settlement came just before a court case triggered by a lawsuit against the online storage service, led by industry body the MPAA – its second such victory in a matter of months, following the shutdown of BitTorrent search engine IsoHunt in October.
"This judgment by the court is another important step toward protecting an Internet that works for everyone," said MPAA chairman and chief executive Chris Dodd in a statement.
"Sites like Hotfile that illegally profit off of the creativity and hard work of others do a serious disservice to audiences, who deserve high-quality, legitimate viewing experiences online."
While the MPAA claims that suitable filtering technology is available for sites like Hotfile to use, the website appears to have opted to close instead. "As a result of a United States federal court having found Hotfile.com to be in violation of copyright law, the site has been permanently shut down," explains a message on its homepage.
"If you are looking for your favorite movies or TV shows online, there are more ways than ever today to get high quality access to them on legal platforms."
http://www.theguardian.com/technology/2013/dec/04/hotfile-hollywood-filesharing-damages-mpaa
