iTunes Screeners Have Traceable Watermarks, FBI Raids Uploader's Apartment

Traceable watermarks inserted into Screen Actors Guild movie screeners distributed via iTunes have been used by the FBI to identify an individual who was ripping the screeners and sharing them online, according to Wired.

Wes DeSoto is suspected of using the Pirate Bay handle mf34inc to upload the The King’s Speech, Black Swan, and numerous other titles.

The authorities pinpointed DeSoto as the alleged culprit, because the screeners he viewed contained unique watermarks. What’s more, the guild had snail-mailed traceable iTunes codes to its members, who could use the code to access the screener movies.


Deluxe Webwatch monitored the Pirate Bay for uploads from mf34inc and while Rabbit Hole was being uploaded they captured the IP address of the seeder. Time Warner Cable–Road Runner was then subpoenaed to reveal the account-holder and a warrant was obtained to search the premises.

Under the Family Entertainment and Copyright Act of 2005 it is a crime, punishable by up to three years in prison, to release a work online that is "being prepared for commercial distribution."

Read More [via 9to5Mac]