The man who uploaded a workprint of X-Men Origins: Wolverine to a torrent site a month before the movie was due to release was sentenced to a year in federal prison, according to Hollywood Reporter.  The availability of the movie so long before its scheduled release caused a sensation at the time, with over four million downloads in the first month (see “’Wolverine’ Tops Four Million Downloads”).  Among other ripple effects, Fox News canned a blogger who reviewed the early cut (see “Fox Axes Blogger”) of the Twentieth Century Fox movie, after other sites had agreed not to review the early cut.

Gilberto Sanchez, who uploaded the movie, claimed he bought it on a DVD on the street; the ultimate source was never discovered.

There was much disagreement on whether the early availability of the film helped, hurt, or had no impact on its box office receipts.  The film grossed over $373 million worldwide.