Spanish rights society Egeda has launched Filmotech.com, A VOD service offering Spanish and European titles at a price lower than DVD rental costs.

Run by Egeda Digital, the site currently offers around 250 live-action features, shorts, documentaries and animated movies which either never received DVD distribution or can no longer be found at videoclubs.

This selection will be expanded by around 400-500 audiovisual works each year as the organsiation's catalogue of 6,000 titles is digitalised.

The site's arrival comes at a time when P2P piracy in Spain is reaching critical levels. Already video-rental giant Blockbuster has pulled out of the country, citing rampant copyright theft as the major reason.

Spanish Video Union (UVE) statistics show a piracy index rise from 5% to 60% in the last three years. 'Spain is the most pirated country in Europe,' says UVE president Jose Manuel Tourne. 'The Spanish government has reacted desperately slowly to the problem.'

Filmotech will offer titles, including Juan Antonio Bardem's Death Of A Cyclist and Nicole Kidman horror The Others, at rental costs of between $1.30 and $2.60 depending on their age, compared with video rental prices of around $4 to $7. Most of the titles will be released concurrently with their home video release in Spain.

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