MPAA hired a hacker?

Torrentspy.com, part of Valence Media, has sued MPAA, accusing the group of paying a hacker to break into the site’s computers to steal passwords, e-mails and detailed information about the company’s finances and operations.

Torrentspy.com, part of Valence Media, said in its lawsuit in U.S. District Court for Central California that the motion picture group hired an unnamed person for $15,000 to steal passwords, e-mails and detailed information about the company’s finances and operations.

Three months ago, the MPAA sued a series of Web sites, including Torrentspy, to stop them from helping users swap illegal files. The sites take advantage of torrent software, a tool that lets users share especially large files, and in many cases, pirated films and shows, such as “Lost” and the “The Da Vinci Code.” Torrentspy is a search engine that points users to places where they can download those files.

In a statement, the MPAA said Torrentspy’s lawsuit is just a move to strike back at the group.

“Having failed to persuade a federal court judge to dismiss the studios lawsuit against them, Torrentspy is making a desperate attempt to obscure the fact that they are knowingly facilitating piracy,” said Kori Bernards, a spokeswoman for the MPAA. “This lawsuit is completely baseless.”

Source: SFGate.com