Carmine Caridi - Piracy Incident

Piracy Incident

On January 13, 2004, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced that it had identified a pirate copy of the film Something's Gotta Give, circulated illegally on the Internet, as carrying markings identifying it as coming from a video sent to Caridi in his role as an Oscar voter. Pirate copies of The Last Samurai, Mystic River, Big Fish and Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World were also said to have been traced to Caridi. The FBI subsequently began an investigation into the affair.

Later that month, the FBI charged Russell Sprague of Homewood, Illinois with criminal copyright infringement. Federal authorities allege that for at least three years, Caridi has given Sprague his screener copies of approximately 60 movies seeking consideration for the Academy Awards. According to the FBI affidavit, Caridi said that he sent his screeners via Federal Express to Mr. Sprague, who gave him FedEx boxes, pre-addressed labels and an account number. Caridi denied receiving money from Sprague, telling the FBI he believed that Sprague was a film buff.

Caridi and Sprague were sued by Sony and Time Warner on civil charges of copyright infringement. The studios are suing in the United States District Court for the Central District of California in Los Angeles, seeking damages of a minimum of $150,000 per movie, with hundreds of individual violations alleged. While awaiting trial on criminal charges, Sprague died of a suspected heart attack.

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced on February 3, 2004 that it was expelling Caridi for violating his agreement to safeguard their screeners, making him the first Academy member to be expelled under its new anti-piracy policy.