MPAA Offer Legal Movie Downloads

The Motion Picture Association of America has tried any number of tactics to fight piracy, but its latest scheme might actually prove useful to movie consumers on the Internet.

The group is supposedly working on a new website that will offer information on how to find legit sources of movies so that users won't have to resort to copyright infringement i.e. illegal movie downloads.

The website, which does not yet have a name, would allow users to search for film titles, and in return it would provide links to places to buy movie tickets, to locations where searchers could buy or rent a DVD, or to sites where they can buy or rent a download from an online source.

All of the major movie studios are behind the initiative, an anonymous movie studio source told Variety, and all legit "partners" would be linked on the site. Assuming this information is accurate, it could include links to Fandango, Movietickets.com, Amazon, Netflix, iTunes, Xbox Live Video, Hulu, and more. The site will be not-for-profit (except, of course, that it will be pointing to a million places that sell/rent movies for profit).

The rationale for the venture was allegedly provided by research from the studios that found that many users have a hard time differentiating between legal and illegal content online.

While some of us may scoff at such an assumption?it's not exactly difficult for tech-savvy users to know the difference between downloading a movie from iTunes versus BitTorrent?such a confusion does sometimes come up among your average Joes and Janes.

Just casually chatting with several of my own family members shows that they haven't the foggiest idea of where to start looking for legal music and video content outside of "the Google," which has sometimes in the past pointed them directly to not-so-legit content.

Having a one-stop shop could definitely help in this case, especially if it doesn't discriminate between various online stores and merely provides a comprehensive listing for each film. Hell, throw in a column to list the price and even I would use it.

An MPAA spokesperson declined to comment on the website, but said that the organization is always looking for new ways to help users find legal alternatives.

Of course, most of the MPAA's past efforts to "help users" have not exactly revolved around making things easier for anyone; they have instead included legal attacks on P2P sites, pushing for Internet filtering on college campuses, trying to stop DVRs from recording movies, and paying $15,000 for the private e-mail addresses of TorrentSpy users. But, if this initiative turns out being as simple and straightforward as it sounds, and if it gains enough popularity to be widely used, then it could actually offer something of value to consumers.
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Movie Downloaders Opinions (from Slashdot)

Here are a few of the comments from Slashdot website regarding the above news:

Comment 1
Normally, I would pirate a movie because it's free, has no DRM, and is available at any time (even while the movie is still playing in theaters). Then when it came out on DVD or Blu-ray later, I would buy it and give the filmmaker their fair cut (I'm not not looking to rip them off, I just want a copy of the movie to play at home).

But now that the MPAA has given me a chance to pay money to download from a poor selection of movies that are all crippled by DRM, all I can say is "Thank God!" I mean, what I really want is a poor quality copy of a movie that requires me to connect to the internet and get the studio okay every time I watch it, won't let me make copies or share it with friends, and costs just as much as if I went and bought it on DVD (with the added bonus of none of the DVD extra content). Yep, the MPAA finally gets it!

Comment 2
I'd say most people download (illegally) because it's just easier. It's easier to find content via TPB than it is going to retail store xyz and finding a movie that's 2 years old. It's easier to get it in a format that works (Windows, Mac, Linux, etc). It's easier to deal with the files once you have them. (DRM, etc)

It's easier to get for free from torrenttracker123 than it is to pay for it from netflix, amazon, or wherever. It's too bad for the MPAA, too. If they had been even a little forward thinking to realize that people would use this big new technology to get content. If the **AA had thrown half as much energy and money at the problem of coming up with a decent distribution network/model that works via the internet, they could have beaten the pirates in a big way early on. As it is, they've allowed the pirates to come up with an easier way for people to get their content. I think they kind of missed the bus. They're struggling, but if they want to put an end to piracy in a big way, then they're going to need to come up with a distribution method that makes it easier for joe content user to get to and use. I truly believe that if it's easier, then enough people will pay for it to make it worth the content creator's investment.

Comment 3
People don't download copies of movies because they're free, but because they're free.

When you get a download from a P2P network, you get no DRM, no country restriction, no copy restriction, no media restriction, no troubles, no fuss, just a movie.

When you buy a movie, there's a chance that your player won't read it (because it's a DVD-Rom drive instead of a standalone player, which I don't have and don't see any reason to get), a near certainty that you can't put the movie on your server (which makes it much more convenient to play than to search for the DVD every time you want to play it), a good chance that a "foreign" movie gives you some headaches and no chance to put it on your mobile device (and for some odd reason, I don't see the reason to pay twice for content).

Here's your reason for copying. It's convenience, that's all. Care to tell me how I should explain people to pay for something AND have more hassle using it?

What is your comment / experience?
Comments below all welcome