Illegal downloads of best motion picture winner surged Monday, just a day after it won the Oscar Sunday night.
TorrentFreak reported Tuesday that the number of users sharing the movie on BitTorrent, a file sharing service, tripled Monday compared to pre-Oscar levels, resulting in more than 100,000 additional illegal downloads.
An uptick in piracy is often the price that Oscar-winners must pay for their success. The Hurt Locker, which won the Oscar for best picture in 2008, also saw a temporary increase in piracy following the Awards, prompting the producers to sue more than 25,000 people who they said downloaded the movie illegally.
As of March 3, 12 Years a Slave had grossed more than $140 million in domestic and international sales, according to Box Office Mojo. That could increase, however. While piracy is no doubt a concern for movie producers, Oscar winners and nominees have also historically seen an increase in box office and digital sales, according to CNET.
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