Movie piracy blamed on film insiders

A WORRYING 77% of all pirated movies on the internet come from sources inside Hollywood, according to a shocking report from the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA).

The information that has so far been made public suggests the culprits behind the widespread problem include studios, film-makers and special effects houses.

However, former FBI veteran Ken Jacobsen, the sleuth appointed by the MPAA to get to grips with the $4bn (£2.3bn) in estimated losses that the industry suffers from piracy every year, has so far refused to identify who he believes is responsible.

'There are cases that are ongoing, but they're not at the stage yet where I can make them public,' he said.

Meanwhile, the Recording Industry Association of America, still smarting from criticism that it took too many years to address its own piracy issue in the music industry, has finally brought in a big gun of its own.

The organisation has hired Bradley Buckles, a former director of the US Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, to tackle piracy.

Buckles will work with a team of staff investigators and law enforcement agencies around the United States in an attempt to stamp out the problem that the music industry has blamed for slumping sales and lost profits.