The next bigger thing

Now this is interesting. Like the slow acceptance of online distribution of music by the big record labels, it appears that the Motion Picture Association of America is also now having a serious think about legitimising what has, until now, been the

Now this is interesting. Like the slow acceptance of online distribution of music by the big record labels, it appears that the Motion Picture Association of America is also now having a serious think about legitimising what has, until now, been the realm of pirates. Aarr! Anyway, pirate impersonations aside, Jack Valenti, mafioso-like head of the MPAA, believes that all it will take is about six months for movies to be digitally distributed online.

But before that can come to pass, Mr Valenti wants to see tighter laws to stop digital piracy, aarr!, and has appealed to Congress that the movie industry will continue to stop pirates (you know the drill - Aarrrr!) from distributing up to 350,000 movies every day. With such vast interest in downloading entire films, the movie industry has finally noticed that it may be able to make money from this crazy Internet thing.

Well, this is the same industry that thinks Gladiator is a better movie than Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon after all - we can't blame them for being a little slow in the uptake.