Actor, Friend Sued Over ‘Screener’ Piracy

Warner Bros. and Columbia Pictures filed separate lawsuits Wednesday against actor Carmine Caridi and his friend Russell W. Sprague in connection with the piracy of Academy Awards “screener” tapes.

The studios, which accused Caridi and Sprague of unauthorized copying and distribution of copyrighted material, are seeking minimum damages of $150,000 per pirated film from each defendant.

The movies include “The Last Samurai” and “Mystic River” from Warner Bros. and “Something’s Gotta Give” and “Big Fish” from Columbia.

Also listed were 10 unidentified “Does” suspected of helping with the piracy.

Sprague was arrested by FBI agents Jan. 22 at his home in Homewood, Ill. In addition to the studios’ suits, he faces criminal charges that he conspired to violate copyrights and built equipment for the illegal interception of satellite-to-home television signals.

On Monday, a federal judge in Chicago ordered Sprague to stand trial in Los Angeles on the criminal charges. He maintains his innocence and says he has “zero idea” how the films made their way onto the Internet. Caridi, who told federal authorities he gave the tapes to Sprague, has not been charged.

The pirated films were traced to screeners sent to Caridi, who had signed an agreement with the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences not to allow the tapes out of his possession.