China's Web portal Sohu.com was ordered to pay 1.08 million yuan (US$138,000) to five film giants for offering downloading services for 10 movies without authorization.

The 10 movies are "Cheaper by the Dozen" and "The Day After Tomorrow" from 20th Century Fox, "Ocean's Eleven" and "Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban" from Warner Bros, "National Security" and "Special Weapons and Tactics" from Columbia Pictures, "The Lord of the Rings" from New Line Cinema, and "Honey," "Dawn of the Dead" and "Vanity Fair" from Universal City Studios. 　

The five companies separately sued Sohu.com, China's third-biggest Internet portal, in the 1st Beijing Intermediate People's Court. The court said the five companies had not used reasonable methods to determine compensation, so it ordered Sohu to pay 261,000 yuan to 20th Century Fox, 191,000 yuan to Columbia Pictures, 140,000 yuan to New Line Cinema, 241,000 yuan to Warner Bros, and 251,500 yuan to Universal City Studios.

Lawyers for both sides said they will have discussions with their clients on whether to appeal.

Source:未知