WebProNews

A movie pirate who misused BitTorrent software to share stolen films was convicted by a Hong Kong court for his actions.

It is thought to be the first case where BitTorrent software has figured in an online piracy case. Chan Nai-ming, an unemployed 38-year-old, copied "Red Planet," "Miss Congeniality," and "Daredevil."

His sentence on three charges of copyright infringement will be determined on November 7th. Chan was freed on about $645 USD bail by the Tuen Mun Magistrates Court, Kyodo News said.

Forbes quoted officials in Hong Kong as being pleased with the court's decision:

"This is an important verdict. This should scare people off from distributing any more unauthorized files on the internet," said Woody Tsung, chief executive of Hong Kong's Motion Picture Industry Association.

Hong Kong Commerce Secretary John Tsang also welcomed the decision, saying it is significant as it creates a deterrent for possible file-sharers.
BitTorrent has long disavowed illegal usage of its file sharing software. In August, a survey by CacheLogic showed that illicit file traders were moving to other services and away from BitTorrent.

"eDonkey and other P2P networks can have the entire piracy market because we're not interested in it at all," BitTorrent's COO Ashwin Navin said at the time.

David Utter is a staff writer for WebProNews covering technology and business. Email him here.