Tempting though it might be to download the yet-unreleased film, "X-Men Origins: Wolverine" from the various online file sharing networks, take heed! One entertainment reporter chose to do just that and it cost him his job.
I'm definitely looking forward to seeing the latest installment in the X-Men series (not a fangirl per se, but it's got Hugh Jackman and lots of comic book action, so what's not to love?). But I can wait until May 1st to pay my $12 at the local multiplex along with everyone else. It might be boring for me to go on and on about not participating in piracy (certainly some of my teen coder friends think I'm "way uncool") but it's legal, ethical and the right thing to do. And you can't live in Los Angeles without being highly sensitized to the economic woes of the entertainment industry. Even if your wallet is slimmer than normal or even if you are out of work at the moment, I urge you to avoid engaging in online piracy in order to enjoy the latest films. There are consequences though usually not as direct as what happened to reporter Roger Friedman of FoxNews.com.
Apparently, Mr. Friedman chose to avoid heading out into a rainy day to see this unfinished film (or waiting until the actual release date). He chose to download it from an online file sharing system. He's not alone. An estimated 1 million people have already done so from TorrentFreak alone. But he was foolish enough to write about it on the FoxNews site. Soon he found himself "agreeing to amicably part ways" or whatever the language is used when you are canned.
Congress has also taken notice. Granted, you'll get more camera time when you can hold up a poster of Mr. Jackman in his Wolverine glory, but it's still a heartfelt plea in these tough economic times to remind people of the jobs lost, the blow to our US economy every time someone avoids paying the ticket price to watch a film or listen to a song without paying for it.
There may be some good news in the piracy world. Fans of the X-Men series say even if they've downloaded the unfinished, leaked version, they will still line up to see the final edit. 40% of those in the survey who downloaded it said they would still pay to see it in the cinema. Only 6% said they wouldn't. Not sure what the other half said, perhaps they were too busy downloading other films to respond. (Actually, the other options in the study are: "I wouldn't have gone to see it anyway" and "I would have pirated it anyway".)
Since those who've seen the pirated version (which lacked all the special effects) know the ending of the film, I hope they don't sit near me and give it away.