The Last Samurai is among films allegedly pirated

Russell Sprague, 51, is charged with conspiring to violate copyrights on films including The Last Samurai and The Matrix Revolutions.

Mr Sprague, of Chicago, first appeared in court in Los Angeles on Friday and was due to appear again on Monday.

The FBI said it was the first case involving alleged pirating of "preview" tapes supplied to Oscar voters.

Mr Sprague was also charged with making equipment designed to download and decode satellite-to-home TV signals without paying for them.

'Plot' denied

The judge set a $25,000 (�13,000) bond for Mr Sprague, and scheduled a hearing for Monday after federal prosecutors moved to send him for trial.

As he left court Mr Sprague denied the government's claim that he was part of a plot to violate Hollywood copyrights.

The Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA), which represents studios, last year banned the distribution of preview DVDs and videos for Academy voters over concerns about piracy.

The MPAA partly lifted the ban after complaints from film-makers, producers and independent production companies.

The ban caused disquiet in the UK, with officials from the British Academy of Film and Television Arts (Bafta) condemning it as "ill-conceived".