Filmkameratene, Norwegian production outfit, is closing in on a cinema projectionist who is alleged to have illegally filmed local blockbuster, Max Manus, and distributed it on the internet.

The producer, Sandrew Metronone, the local distributor, and the Norwegian Producers’ Association claimed at a District Court hearing that broadband operator Lyse Tele had disclosed the name of the file-sharing website that had distributed the film.

The court’s decision has yet to be made public as Norwegian legislation states that a verdict will not be released if it jeopardises the case. It will be published tomorrow (May 12) if no appeal is lodged.

Producers John M Jacobsen and Sveinung Golimo, of Filmkameratene, say they will seek damages from the pirate who copied Joachim Rønning and Espen Sandberg’s Max Manus, the biggest Norwegian cinema success since 1975, clocking in 1.1 million admissions in its domestic run.

The film was released on 103 prints but was illegal copies were made available online shortly afterwards. Filmkameratene tried to trace their origin from the so called ’water marks,’ different signals on each film copy which are not visible to the audiences, but readable to computers. The result has not been reported.

In 2007, a 45-year-old man in Frederikstad accepted a suspended sentence of 15 days in prison for having illegally distributed Arild Fröhlich’s Pitbullterje on the web. He also had to pay $7,900 (NOK 50,000) damages to the producers.

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