Why the FBI is Investigating the Wolverine Leak

Litigation copyright infringement is generally handled as a civil matter (e.g., RIAA music downloading cases) but occassionally, the Department of Justice (DOJ) pursues criminal charges against copyright infringers under 17 U.S.C. § 506 and 18 U.S.C. § 2319. Such prosecutions are rare. So, the announcement that the FBI is assisting Fox in tracking who leaked the X-Men Origins: Wolverine movie, is a big red flag that a criminal charges will be filed. In this regard, one suspects that the DOJ will attempt to make an example of out of the person(s) responsible for this leak by pursuing the heaviest possible penalties under the federal sentencing guidelines. This should be a very interesting case to watch.