Two Men Arrested Over ‘Expendables 3’ Leak

Police in Britain have arrested two men on suspicion of leaking the third installment in Sylvester Stallone’s The Expendables franchise a month before its release.

The Expendables 3 emerged online in July prior to its cinema debut over the summer, infuriating writer/star Stallone, as well as movie executives at the Lionsgate studio who reportedly lost millions in box office revenue.

It has now been confirmed that two men from England, a 36-year-old from Merseyside and a 33-year-old man from West Yorkshire, have been arrested as part of a police investigation into the leak.

Detective Chief Inspector Danny Medlycott, of the police intellectual property crime unit (PIPCU), says, “Today’s operation shows you the significant impact intellectual property crime has on our creative industries, with millions of pounds being lost as a result of criminal actions.

“The public need to be aware that piracy is not a victimless crime. By downloading illegal music, film, TV and books, not only are you exposing your own computer to the risk of viruses and malware, but you are also putting hardworking people’s livelihoods at risk as piracy threatens the security of thousands of jobs in the UK’s creative industries.”

Stallone previously said of the leak, “I understand people want to get something for nothing, who doesn’t? But it affects the fact that studios will start to lose confidence and won’t put big big numbers in there and a lot of people will lose their jobs. It’s a ripple effect.”

Photo Credit: Lionsgate