14 DAY TRIAL // Court records reveal that a member of the Screen Actors Guild has pleaded guilty to the charges that accused him of illegally distributing the “Black Swan” motion picture on torrent sites.
According to Wired, Wesley DeSoto was charged with a single criminal copyright-infringement after FBI agents searched his apartment earlier this year hoping to find in his possession copies of titles such as The Fighter, The King’s Speech, 127 Hours and Rabbit Hole.
The authorities realized that the one who leaked the movies must have been someone from the Actors Guild as they were the ones who had access to the specific screeners provided on iTunes.
The FBI warrant issued for the search of DeSoto's apartment reveals more clues as how the culprit was identified.
It seems as Paramount Pictures inserted a watermark into the movie versions released on iTunes and after the bootlegs were discovered on Pirate Bay, they compared the identification marks, which apparently matched perfectly.
Hiding behind the username "mf34inc", the actor posted messages like “I'm a SAG member and thought I'd share these,” along with the files representing illegal distributions of the films.
The IP used to post the files and comments on torrent websites also tied DeSoto to the crimes after the FBI obtained information from Time Warner Cable company on the name and address of the person using it in the time frame of the uploads.
Other evidence from the internet was described in the FBI warrant as being used to make the connection between the username and the accused party.
The actor, expected to appear in court sometime next month, can expect a sentence of three years with probation and a full reimbursement of the financial losses experienced by the motion picture companies due to his actions.
It is obvious that state authorities have access to the technologies and means necessary to identify and capture those involved in piracy activities. This should represent a clear warning to those who think they can hide behind the screen of a computer to commit acts that constitute criminal copyright infringement.