Valence Media, which operates the file-sharing portal site TorrentSpy, has accused the Motion Picture Association of America of <A HREF="http://www.eweek.com/article2/0,1895,1967942,00.asp?kc=ewnws052606dtx1k0000599">hiring a computer hacker</A> to help garner information for use in the industry group's copyright abuse suit against the site. In a lawsuit filed in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California, Valence claimed that the MPAA paid a known hacker to infiltrate the company's IT systems looking for potential evidence. The filing further claims that the MPAA paid its hacker $15,000 to steal emails and screen prints from Valence's servers, including client bills and the documents related to the firm's technology infrastructure.