MPAA Asks “Is this you?” and files first lawsuits against movie swappers

The Motion Picture Association of America is running an advertisement [.pdf] in major newspapers this week that sends a clear message to movie file sharers:  "Lawsuits Begin This Week."

And they did.  Today, the MPAA filed several lawsuits [.pdf] throughout the country.  According to the MPAA, the suits are against individual infringers and "…cover copyright violations on major P2P networks and seek damages and injunctive relief."

The ad itself is quite interesting.  It looks like a credits screen from a movie, and includes the "I"rating (Illegal Downloading — Inappropriate for All Ages).  It appears on p. A16 of today’s Wall Street Journal, and in other papers nationwide.  The ad recites the statutory damages amounts for copyright violations, and lists e-mail addresses and network access information of (real?) file sharers.

An animated version of the ad is available here.