CNET: File-Sharing Site Names Alleged Hacker Hired by MPAA

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on June 23, 2006 - 12:57pm.

San Francisco - The operators of a search engine that provides links to copyrighted media on the BitTorrent file-sharing network has provided more details on its allegations the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) hired a hacker to retrieve information on the company, CNET News.com reported. Valence Media, the parent company of Torrentspy.com, said in documents filed Thursday in federal court in Los Angeles that MPAA representatives -- including director of legal affairs Dean Garfield --arranged to pay Canadian Robert Anderson $15,000 to obtain information on the company. Anderson says he hacked into Torrentspy's e-mail system and retrieved items including a spreadsheet of company earnings and expenses, information on file architecture and proprietary search functions, and a utility bill from one Torrentspy executive. In the court documents, Anderson says he contacted the MPAA with the hacking offer after a bad experience working with Torrentspy founder Justin Bunnell, but later had a change of heart and offered to provide the company details of what he had done. In addition to acquisitioning his hacking skills, Anderson said the MPAA hired private investigators to comb the trash of Torrentspy executives. News.com reported that the MPAA issued a "broad denial" to Torrentsy's charges.

http://tinyurl.com/j3ox3
http://www.mpaa.org
http://www.torrentspy.com