Web piracy is hitting Hollywood sooner than the studios thought. “Hollywood, your nightmare is here. Thanks to two

pieces of software — one ‘liberated’ from Microsoft

Corp. by a global underground of video buffs and

computer hackers — high-quality digital movies,

available on a variety of Web sites, can be stored in 10%

to 20% of the space that had been required just six

months ago. That means that PC users with high-speed

DSL or cable-modem connections can download a

full-length movie such as “The Matrix” in an hour or two

from a spreading network of illicit Web sites. The entire

film can fit on a single CD or be stored on the

computer’s hard drive.” MSNBC