This month has been quite a month for the MPAA, who has been trying to squeeze copious amounts of money out of people who often don't even have it or will for sure never get it. Still, the courts have been "awarding" them millions of dollars left and right. Thus, it was no great surprise that they were once again awarded around $4 million in fines from two more companies. ShowStash.net and Cinematube.net have been defending themselves from the MPAA for some time since they were sued last year. The case drew special attention as neither company actually hosts any content, and acts merely as a search engine to pirated content.
The courts fined ShowStash $2.7 million and Cinematube $1.3 million for their transgressions. The MPAA made their goal clear, which is to "vigorously pursue litigation" against people and companies they think are harming them. In short, their goal is to sue. The business model of the MPAA and RIAA is clearer than ever now, with both companies thinking they can churn a profit in the courts.
Earlier in the month, the MPAA demanded $15.4 million from The Pirate Bay and "won" a whopping $111 million from the bankrupt TorrentSpy. It's clear by this point that all they are trying to do is publicize their anti-pirating efforts, as they cannot honestly expect to collect on these debts.