Zero Tolerance Entertainment Wins $15M Piracy Suit

CHATSWORTH, Calif. - Zero Tolerance Entertainment and its affiliated studios Black Ice Ltd. and Third Degree Films  have won a $15 million settlement in their copyright infringement lawsuit against Florida-based Movixo.com.

"The most important thing about this lawsuit is that it drove Movixo out of business," said ZTE president Greg Alves. "Hopefully, this will send a message to other pirates that we will do whatever it takes to have them prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law."

Originally filed in June 2006 in U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida in Fort Lauderdale, the suit charged Movixo with making unlicensed copies of hundreds of the plaintiffs' DVDs and renting them to Movixo's Internet subscribers.

"These companies simply do not tolerate piracy," said Clyde DeWitt, the plaintiffs' attorney. "Significantly, courts have consistently refused to allow judgments arising from piracy to be discharged in bankruptcy; and operating as a corporation does not insulate the operators from personal liability."