Memphis man indicted, accused of selling stolen DVDs, Blu-rays online
According to the Department of Justice, 37-year-old Steven Hale has been indicted on two counts of criminal copyright infringement and one count of interstate transportation of stolen goods. Hale was reportedly taken into custody on Thursday.
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According to the DOJ, Hale worked at a DVD and Blu-ray manufacturing and distribution company. The DOJ claims that from February 2021 to March 2022, Hale stole 'pre-release' DVDs and Blu-rays for films such as 'Spider-Man: No Way Home', 'Black Widow,' 'Dune,' 'Godzilla vs. Kong,' and 'Venom: Let There Be Carnage.'
According to the DOJ, Hale sold the DVDs and Blu-rays through e-commerce sites. The DOJ claims that the Blu-ray for 'Spider-Man: No Way Home' was copied and illegally made available online a month before it was supposed to be released.
The DOJ says that copies of 'Spider-Man: No Way Home' were downloaded tens of millions of times, costing the copyright owner tens of millions of dollars.
If convicted, Hale faces a maximum of five years in prison on each count of copyright infringement and 10 years in prison for the interstate transportation of stolen goods charge.
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