Star Wars: Attack Of The Digital Clones

By Roy B. White

Star Wars director George Lucas publicly lashed out against online movie trading last week, but some wonder whether he didn't do himself a disservice by shooting Star Wars: Episode II--Attack of the Clones entirely with digital cameras, thereby possibly making it easier for pirates to copy the movie. The Lucas camp contends it is taking full advantage of industry-adopted encryption safeguards that ensure digital releases sent to the few theaters with digital-projection booths cannot be displayed elsewhere. Future digital films may have additional defenses: the Motion Picture Association of America is looking into digital-projection technology that will make it impossible to videotape digital movies off a theater screen. But Bruce Forest, an independent media-technology consultant, says the real battle may be on the home front: "The pirating technology is getting better and better, to the point that we're pretty much at DVD level. Who's going to want to wait for DVD or VHS releases?" The Lucas camp says no Star Wars DVD releases are planned until 2005.

--By Roy B. White