Hasta La Gadget!

We knew it would end up getting criticism from the start, but Kim Dotcom’s recently-launched Mega website is getting the stink-eye from movie studios in Hollywood. While Dotcom claims that his new service is completely legal, studios like NBC Universal and Warner Bros. think the contrary, and have asked Google to take down the website from search results.

Both movie studios have sent DMCA takedown notices to Google, saying that their copyrighted content is hosted on Mega and they want it taken down. Of course, Google receives takedown notices all the time, so this kind of thing is nothing new, but the fact that Mega’s founder is confident of the service’s legality has him up in arms with movie studios.

NBC Universal and Warner Bros. have asked Google to de-list the Mega.co.nz homepage from Google, but the homepage itself actually doesn’t include any links to files, making it a bit of a strange request. However, this could simply mean that the studios want the homepage, as well as all subdirectories to be removed.

Dotcom is aware of the takedown notices sent from these two movie studios, and he doesn’t agree with them one bit, saying that “the constant abuse of takedown rules and the ignorance of DMCA obligations by the content industry are based on the confidence that the current US administration is protecting this kind of behavior.” He also says that a takedown notice for Mega would be “the ultimate takedown by the content industry.”

Of course, this isn’t the first time that Dotcom has been put through this kind of abuse. Before he launched Mega, he ran Megaupload, which was eventually shut down due to the service hosting copyrighted content. He even had his house raided by police and federal officials, before he eventually was able to get back on his feet and launch Mega, which many anti-piracy advocates suggest is just exactly like Megaupload with a different name.

VIA: TorrentFreak

SOURCE: Chilling Effects (1), (2)

Mega under Hollywood fire: Google tapped to block search results is written by Craig Lloyd & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

It’s just as likely that you’ll know Acetrax from the video services it’s behind, as from its own branded offerings. Regardless of how you might use the service, its owner Sky is pulling the plug on June 21st. Impact to pay-per-view customers should mean nothing more than looking elsewhere, but those who bought titles outright will need to download them before the cutoff (there are a bunch of caveats though). The same goes for account credit — either use it, or face the hassle of claiming it back after the fact. There’s an FAQ on the website outlining the best course of action depending on your situation, so we’d suggest you head there first before working your way through your rental library.

Filed under: Home Entertainment, HD

Comments

Via: CNET

Source: Acetrax

On July 9, 2012, we reported that Michael Fassbender had been signed to star in the Assassin’s Creed movie adaption that, at the time, had an unspecified release date. The movie, which was originally slated for production late last year via Sony Pictures, will instead be developed by Ubisoft, which – after nearly a year of waiting – has finally announced the release date for the film.

According to the folks over at Digital Trends, which says it received confirmation from Ubisoft itself, the movie will hit theaters on May 22, 2015. As we heard last year, the movie will indeed feature Fassbender, who is reportedly serving as producer. There’s no word yet on who is going to direct the movie yet, but the distributor is pegged as Fox and New Regency.

This won’t be Ubisoft’s first movie, with the company having had (very little, by its own account) involvement in the so-so Jake Gyllenhaal movie Prince of Persia. Visual effects will be curteosy of Ubisoft’s own production studios. Aside from that, no other details about the film are known for now, except that Fassbender will probably be playing Desmond Miles.

If the name Fassbender sounds familiar, you may have seen Hunger or X-Men: First Class, both of which he has starred in. Likewise, you may be familiar with our interview with the actor back in June following the world premiere of the movie Prometheus, where we sat down with Fassbender – as well as Noomi Rapace, Guy Pearce, and Logan Marshall-Green – for a nice discussion.

While the date has been set, it isn’t etched into stone, and considering how massive of a year summer 2015 will be for blockbuster films, no one will be surprised if the release date gets shuffled. Other movies that will be releasing around the same time include the next Hunger Games and Pirates of the Caribbean movies, the long-awaited Star Wars film, Hobbit: There and Back Again, and more.

SOURCE: Digital Trends

Assassin’s Creed movie release date unveiled is written by Brittany Hillen & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

We’ve heard about the Angry Birds movie before, but Rovio has just announced today that the film will be released on July 1, 2016 and will be distributed by Sony, which will be available worldwide. Rovio says that “several major studios pursued the global film rights” to the movie, but Sony ended up being the winner.

The movie will be completely developed, produced, and financed by Rovio, with John Cohen and David Maisel hopping on board to help out. Cohen is best known for his role as producer for Universal’s Despicable Me, and Maisel is the former Marvel Studios chairman and executive producer for the Iron Man series, as well as The Incredible Hulk, Thor, and Captain America.

Overall, Cohen isn’t a huge name in the movie business, other than his role in Despicable Me, but he did have an executive role in several animated movies, including two Ice Age films and the 2007 remake of Alvin and the Chipmunks. He also served as vice president of production at Twentieth Century Fox Animation, and he also contributed to Horton Hears a Who and Robots, the former of which is a classic Dr. Seuss children’s book.

This will mark the first time that Angry Birds has ventured out into the movie entertainment business. The series recently scored its own animated web show, and has passed out merchandise licensing to several companies to make T-shirts and even plush toys of popular Angry Birds characters. Needless to say, the movie is expected to bring in a lot of sales.

The Angry Birds film first came to light back in 2011 when Maisel joined Rovio, which hinted to the possibility that Rovio was in the act of acquiring movie-focused talent. As for the plot of the movie, we’re left without any details and how the levels of Angry Birds will tie into a full-length film exactly, but Rovio said it will retain “full creative control” over the project by working outside the traditional studio system.

SOURCE: Rovio

Angry Birds movie set for 2016 debut by Sony is written by Craig Lloyd & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

The Need for Speed movie, which was announced over a year ago, has reportedly begun filming in Macon, Georgia. The downtown area will serve as the backdrop to the film, which seems a bit odd considering that a movie like this would usually be filmed in a larger city like Los Angeles, Chicago, or New York.

According to local television news station 13WMAZ, the filming began today at a local car wash, with multiple streets being closed in the area over the next few weeks. Details on the film are a bit scarce at this point still, but as filming continues, we could hear more about it in the future. However, we already know that Michael Keaton will star in the film, who is known for his roles as Bruce Wayne/Batman in the 1989 film, as well as Batman Returns in 1992. The movie will also star Breaking Bad’s Aaron Paul, Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter’s Dominic Cooper, and recording artist Kid Cudi.

As for the plot of the new film, IMDb states that Need for Speed will focus on a street racer who was just released from prison as he “joins a cross country race with revenge in mind.” At the same time, an “ex-partner” places a bounty on him at the start of the race. It sounds like a fairly typical plot to a street racing, and we can expect the usual things to happen in the film, such as explosion, cars crashing, and classic manly fist fights to even it all out. The film looks to take on the Fast and the Furious series, which will see its sixth installment release later this month.

The folks behind The Fast and the Furious series have been milking the movies for everything they’ve got, so we’re not expecting much out of this upcoming release. With a release date pegged for March 14 of next year, we have a long way to go before we’ll get to see it, but hopefully it’ll give the street racing movie genre a much-needed reboot, which is something that has been wanted for several years now.

VIA: Polygon

SOURCE: 13WMAZ

Need for Speed movie underway, will take on Fast and the Furious is written by Craig Lloyd & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.