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The director of a large central Auckland internet cafe has been charged with illegally distributing movies, including the just-released James Bond flick, on his public computers.
It is believed to be the first time criminal action has been taken against an internet cafe for breaching the Copyright Act 1994.
The cafe was searched by police and computer forensics experts last week after an investigation by the Federation Against Copyright Theft.
It is alleged the movies were shown on public terminals without the permission of the copyright owners, breaching several provisions of New Zealand's copyright law.
Titles included the new James Bond movie Quantum of Solace, Wall-E, Iron Man, The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian and Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull.
Several movies were on the cafe's computer screens before their cinema release dates, including Wall-E, which screened two months before its September 18 release.
The cafe's 42-year-old company director was this week charged with 21 counts of distributing copyright material and has been remanded on bail to appear in the Auckland District Court on Monday. Police will not name the cafe or director in case he applies for name suppression.
Senior Sergeant Ben Offner said it was the first investigation he had been involved in in his 22 years in the police where an internet cafe had been charged with breach of copyright.
The federation said it was the first case it had heard of nationally.
"Internet cafe owners around New Zealand should take this as a wake-up call and review their operations to ensure they are not breaking the law," executive director Tony Eaton said.
The director of Walt Disney Studios in New Zealand, Robert Crockett, said the charges were satisfying.
"The illegal distribution of movies ... strikes right at the heart of the New Zealand film production and distribution industry."
Piracy cost the New Zealand film industry about $70 million in 2005 - 25 per cent of the potential market.
