Ever since the MPAA announced that it would follow the music industry's disastrous tactic of suing individual users of file-sharing networks, the question has been: Which networks will be targeted by the movie industry? Bit Torrent, largely ignored by the music lawsuits, is the one that counts, and it is now clear that the MPAA knows it. The MPAA will announce today its intention to target Bit Torrent server operators. That doesn't mean that common users are safe, though, especially in a network where every user is, by definition, a supplier.

"The MPAA estimates that the studios lose about $3.5 billion annually to physical piracy like bootlegged DVDs but does not have a ready figure for Internet-related losses."

That's because, as with every other disruptive technology, the movie industry has no clue whether it is good or bad, an opportunity or a threat. Remember, this is the industry that fought VCRs tooth and nail, and now prerecorded movie product is its juiciest revenue machine.