Motion Picture Association of America Gives Pirate Sites 24-Hour Deadline to Die

The Motion Picture Association of America sent out a stern warning on Friday to European piracy sites that had been sharing the films it represents...whether the call was heard remains less than clear. Although the MPA gave a firm 24-hour deadline for the offending sites to shut themselves down, the actual punishment if they didn't remained ambiguous (from Billboard).

"You are already aware of the extensive infringements of copyright...identify the illegal activities... and take appropriate measure against infringement," wrote Jan van Voorn, the MPA vice president of content protection and internet operations. "All opportunities provided by the Website to download, stream or otherwise obtain access to the Entertainment Content should be disabled permanently."

Obviously the Motion Picture Association has an issue with piracy and obviously its likely to release statements on it. But what sort of power is it holding over the heads of European pirate operators in this case? It might seem like a dull sword based on wording alone, yet Torrent Freak reports that at least one of the sites targeted—micromkv.com—shut down operations upon receiving the warning. Why?

So far there have been no updates from Torrent Freak—a website dedicated to file-sharing news—about whether the MPA brought any action against the parties that ignored its warning. Of course, maybe the reps at those sites had just taken the weekend off and will respond on Monday.

Stay tuned.