According to this article on CNET News.com the MPAA (Motion Picture Association of America) has filed some lawsuits against those who “trade” movies on the internet. They are also going to give out some free software so parents can check their child’s computer for P2P (Peer to Peer) programs (like eDonkey, Kazaa and so forth).

I’m really kind of torn on this issue. On one hand, stealing is wrong. We have been taught that our whole lives. Even the bible preaches that to us. I don’t ever want to condone stealing in any way. It’s bad. Don’t do it. (Notice I didn’t use a link for eDonkey or Kazaa…because I don’t want to be accused of sending people to cheat the system.)

But on the other hand, every single year the price of a movie ticket goes up and it makes it nearly impossible to go to go to the movie theatre. It’s almost cheaper for me to take my family to an amusement park for the day rather then to the movies (after the ever increasing ticket price, the soda, and popcorn and candy).

The MAPI claims this “theft” on the internet takes money away from the many, many employees who go in to making these movies. However, the movie industry is paying actors millions to star in a (usually) less then two hour movie. Hmmm….and to pay these millions to just ONE actor they raise the ticket prices. Let’s see…a teacher makes around $26,000 a year…a whole year. Cameron Diaz made $20 MILLION for her role in Charles Angles: Full Throttle [did anybody even see that movie in the theatre?!?]Does it take a year to film a movie? No! I’m not saying that Cameron Diaz didn’t work hard to make that movie. She probably had to work out, she had to memorize lines, she had to memorize that choreography and get it just perfect. I’m sure she worked long hours too. But was it worth TWENTY MILLION DOLLARS?? No it wasn’t. And then when Cameron is done with her part, there are tons of other employees who get down to the nitty gritty of editing and so forth to get the movie to screen. Do those editors make $20 MILLION? No.

Maybe if we paid actors a little less, we could still afford to pay the rest of the employees and us peons could still afford to actually go to the movie theatre to watch the show. Maybe if we paid actors less those that “steal” the movies on the internet would actually get off their ass, venture out in to the world and see the movie on the big screen. Maybe not, but it’s worth a shot.