Two weeks ago, we reported about some smaller film studios sueing the MPAA for not sending out screeners of new movies to members of the Academy Awards. Now judge Michael B. Mukasey has interdicted the MPAA to forbid sending screeners.
| The mighty MPAA announced in October, not to send DVDs or videotapes to the members of the Academy Awards - the jury for the "Oscar" and other movie awards. Three weeks later the MPAA eased the restrictions. Members of the Oscar jury received encoded videotapes, while other jurys did not get anything. Independant movie labels like "Talking Wall Pictures", "Sandcastle 5 Productions" and "Salty Features" sued the MPAA for this reason, expecting disadvantages because of the screener embargo. The judgement does not force the big Hollywood studios to send screeners, but they are now in a difficult situation. If they do not send screeners anymore, they are in danger of not being seen by the jurys. If they send them, they will undermine their own arguments. |
The MPAA has filed an appeal, so it is not clear yet if there will be a different judgement in the future. If it will stay this way, the big studios might get into problems if they will not send screeners while others do.
Source: Heise.de
