FBI finally makes an arrest over 'Wolverine' leak

By Eriq Gardner

The FBI has announced the capture of an individual connected with the leak of 20th Century Fox's "X-Men Origins: Wolverine."

Gilberto Sanchez was arrested at his Bronx, New York home this morning and is expected to go before a magistrate judge later today on charges of violating federal copyright law. According to the FBI, the 47-year-old man was indicted by a Los Angeles federal grand jury last week. A copy of the unsealed grand jury indictment indicates that Sanchez uploaded the film to file sharing network Megaupload.com under an alias. Information on how Sanchez allegedly obtained the feature film is still yet unknown. He faces up to three years in prison and a $250,000 fine.

The leak of "Wolverine" more than a month before its official theatrical release early this summer kicked off a firestorm of fury in Hollywood. In May, a News Corp executive estimated that the film had been downloaded four million times and the film topped piracy charts most of the summer.

"Wolverine" has raked in nearly $375 million in worldwide gross since its release. How much money the leak cost Fox will never be settled for certain.

Comments

[joe]

It's good the FBI has enough spare time to protect us from this dangerous criminal. The agents will really have something to brag about to their grandkids.

[gck12]

Joe--Congratulations on not having employment in an field dependent upon the creation of intellectual property.

[Bob]

@gck12
More people saw the movie because of the leak, and that statement is just as hard to prove as "Fox lost money".

[knux]

Honestly? Can you really say that Fox "lost" money? They had a blockbuster hit when the movie wasn't at all good. And that's not just a minority opinion, go out and ask 10, 100, 1000, 10000 people what they thought of Wolverine and the majority will rule that the movie was below expectations. Honestly, it is ludicrous that Fox is having FBI agents (using US citizen tax dollars no less) to go after one guy, instead of thanking him for being the best for of viral marketing they could have ever asked for. I went and saw it in the theaters, several times, in hopes that it would shut them up and show that people are willing to go to the theater to see movies instead of downloading like the freeloading "pirates" they call us. Yeah, I downloaded it but I also went and saw it in person and planned on buying the DVD. Now that this has happened, I may choose not to support their movies and I'm sure not the only one that feels that way. They have alienated millions of people by saying that they will go to no ends just to have their money, even when the proof is not there to justified they would have made it anyways.

@gck12, piss off, I have my stuff "pirated" everyday and I've made more money off of it since it was pirated than before, you know nothing and should say exactly the equivalent, NOTHING.

[skillfulgil]

I'm the 1 they arrested yesterday. They were really trying to leave me in and fly me to LA where they would've had a field day with me being Hollywoods turf. I really do regret me ever uploading it. Had to Bond out $50,000. That's crazy. If I can take that day back I will. But this isn't Back To The Future and I'm not Michael J. Fox.

[nemo]

Yes, "random dude on MegaUpload from New York" is definitely the one who leaked the workprint. Fox has this situation under control.

[entr0py]

I have to disagree with most of you, fox does have a plausible argument that they lost money due to the leak. Believe me, if you had seen the leaked movie, you'd have absolutely no desire to pay to see it again.

[dfuchs]

TO EVERYONE ABOVE:

There is an excellent argument to be made that the movie either hurt OR helped Fox. Fact is, there's no hard way to decide it one way or another.

[Holmes245]

@Bob

Bob, pirating is still wrong. You're stealing regardless of whether it would have cost the company or not. Think of someone coming into your home and taking something of your or hacking your bank account. I guess because they think you make enough and don't need all that money, it makes it legit, right? Yeah, sure.

[Holmes245]

I agree with entr0py. I'm sure there were people who, after seeing the leaked copy, decided not to go see it after having their curiosity satisfied. It's more likely that people wouldn't have gone and seen it in the theater after having seen the leaked copy than who would have. Doesn't make sense to say that, because they saw the leaked copy, more people would have gone and seen it. No, Fox lost money.

Regardless, why is it okay to pirate/steal from Fox if you wouldn't be okay with someone stealing your stuff (to those who think it's okay). That's a double standard.

[Wizard Prang]

Holmes245, Repeat after me: "piracy is not theft". If it were, we would not need piracy laws.

A pirate has not "taken anything", they have COPIED something. If someone broke into your home and copied everything, or they built another house that was identical in every way, what have they stolen from you? Nothing.

So what have they actually done? Trespass and breach of privacy (do we have privacy laws in the US? Er... No.)

piracy != theft; piracy = piracy