Filmmakers win order against screener ban
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NEW YORK (Reuters) -- A federal judge said Friday he would grant a temporary restraining order stopping major movie studios from enforcing a ban against advance distribution of movie videos to critics and industry voters who select winners for the Golden Globes and other awards.
The ruling by U.S. District Judge Michael Mukasey in the high-profile antitrust suit is a victory for independent filmmakers who argued that the ban limits the awards they can receive, making it more difficult to get financing.
The smaller producers want the ban lifted so that film award voters and critics can watch videos of competing movies at home rather than at studio screenings.
Mukasey issued his ruling from his Manhattan federal court bench.
The smaller filmmaking companies sued the Motion Picture Association of America arguing that the trade group is conspiring with major movie studios to inhibit competition and hurt the smaller producers.
The MPAA announced the ban on September 30 amid concern that videotapes and DVD of films vying for Oscars, which are known throughout the industry as "screeners," would be illegally copied and sold on black markets in the United States and overseas, or offered for free on the Internet.
The policy has ignited a bitter dispute with the independents, who argue that the partial ban threatens their livelihood.
The group said that a recent deal to lift the ban for Oscar voters at the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences did not alleviate the issue. The Academy is not named as a defendant.
Lawyers for the independent filmmakers urged that the ban be lifted immediately because judges for several awards shows would be nominating movies and performers over the next few months. For example, they said that ballots for Golden Globe nominations are due on December 15.
Copyright 2003
Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
