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Red Digital Cinema settles with Arri over email hacking, terms undisclosed

One of the strangest corporate espionage stories in recent memory has come to a conclusion with a confidential settlement between cinema cam makers Red and Arri. It started when a former Arri honcho, Michael Bravin, pleaded guilty to hacking into email accounts at his ex-employer, camera distributor Band Pro Film & Digital. Red founder Jim Jannard claimed his personal account was also compromised during the attack and that other Arri executives were aware of it. As a result, Red sued its competitor for "unfair competition based on email hacking, invasion of privacy, conversion, misappropriation of trade secrets and unlawful trade practices, among other charges." In a post on Red's user forum, Jannard said "we are very happy with the terms of the settlement with Arri and glad to have this behind us." He added that a separate suit filed by Band Pro against Arri has yet to be concluded, saying "hopefully they will settle in a way that Band Pro is as happy as we are." Whether Red will be equally gleeful at the conclusion of its recent clash with Sony remains to be seen.