Extradition Hearing for Alleged ‘Screener’ Pirate

A hearing is set in Chicago federal court today that could decide if Russell Sprague, arrested last week on suspicion of helping illegally post Oscar “screeners” on the Internet, should be transferred to L.A. for trial.

Sprague, 51, was charged Friday with violating Hollywood studio copyrights. Prosecutors contend he violated copyrights on “The Last Samurai,” “Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World” and “The Matrix Revolutions.”

Sprague’s case marks the first time anyone has been arrested and charged in the pirating of so-called screener copies of films supplied in advance to Academy Award voters, the FBI said. Sprague denies violating any movie copyright.

The Motion Picture Assn. of America last year banned the distribution of screener DVDs and videotapes over concerns about bootlegging, but eased the ban after complaints from filmmakers, producers and independent production companies.