The MPAA has launched a massive attack on P2P sites, but one of the sites is fighting back. TorrentSpy is a search engine for torrent files - it doesn't host the torrent files or the underlying protected material. In their response, they said that the MPAA might have just as well sued Google.
Fred von Lohmann said, "on closer examination it looks more like a wholesale attack against Internet indexing generally." Fred questions whether copyright can (or should) make the distinction between a good index and a bad index.
I guess TorrentSpy's main problem is that they haven't struck a deal with the MPAA.
In related news, seven major studios will begin selling movies through MovieLink and CinemaNow. The downloads will be released at the same time that the DVD is released and will $20-30. Unfortunately, the studios still don't get it - you have to wait until the DVD is out, pay MORE than the DVD, and not get the physical media? (You can't even burn a copy).
This would make a hell of a lot more sense if they released it at some point while the movie was still in theaters. Many would be willing to pay that premium to be able to watch new movies in their home theaters. At that price point, though, I'm not sure I see the value over the DVD itself. Why pay more and get less?