Hollywood filed a new round of copyright-infringement lawsuits Thursday against a half-dozen Web sites, alleging that they attempted to fool consumers into thinking the sites were legitimately offering copyrighted motion picture images for download.

In fact, the suits allege, the sites falsely claim or imply that by using their services, consumers can download movies legally on the Internet. Actually, they merely connect users to peer-to-peer sites that have pirated copies of movies, according to the Motion Picture Assn. of America (MPAA), the trade group representing the major studios. Should they download such movies, the consumer commits copyright infringement, which can bring serious consequences.

The lawsuit was filed in the Southern District Court of New York against http://wwwDownloadshield.com, http://www.Full-movie-downloads.com, http://www.MP3eternity.com, http://www.Moviesadvance.com, http://www.Thedownloadplace.com and http://www.Easydownloadcenter.com.

According to the MPAA suits, these Web sites charge a subscription fee ranging from $20 for a three-month trial to $40 for lifetime membership ostensibly enabling the member to download an unlimited number of movies online from P2P networks, which often include movies still in theaters.

Noting that these downloads are unauthorized and illegal, the MPAA is seeking a court order forbidding the sites to continue operating.

Source: Reuters