‘MPAA and Hotfile lied about settlement amount’

The settlement between the MPAA and Hotfile is said to involve a significantly lower amount than both parties have alleged. Leaked Sony documents reportedly show that the compensation was not 65.5 million euros, but only 3.3 million euros.

In December 2013, Hotfile promised to pay the MPAA $80 million for facilitating copyright infringement. Converted, it was about 65.5 million euros. The file locker service was forced to close its doors.

TorrentFreak claims more than a year after the settlement that an incorrect amount has been disclosed. The compensation of tens of millions of euros would have been just a sham. One of the leaked Sony documents would show that Hotfile has transferred only 4 million dollars, or approximately 3.3 million euros. TorrentFreak therefore suggests that the MPAA’s main aim was to impress the outside world and to frighten similar services and consumers.

The medium also questions the MPAA’s settlements with IsoHunt and TorrentSpy. IsoHunt had to close in October 2013 because the organization was guilty of inciting copyright infringement. IsoHunt also reportedly had to pay the MPAA 80 million euros in damages. TorrentSpy suffered a similar fate.