Paramount, Universal, Sony, MGM, Warner Bros. and Fox will begin selling "permanent" versions of their movies online the same day those movies are released on homevideo. Those five studios are doing it through their "jointly owned" online portal, Movielink.com. Accoording to Variety, Lionsgate and Sony also will sell movies via Movielink's main competitor, CinemaNow, in which the former has a minority stake."I really do view this as a transformative step for our business," said Thomas Lesinski, head of digital media for Paramount. "People will look back and see this was as significant as the launch of the DVD." Only major absent from the launch of digital downloads is Disney, although the studio is examining the business. Absence of the Mouse House from the rollout is a surprise, since CEO Bob Iger has been a public advocate of digital distribution and his company was the first to sell TV episodes online.While movies have been available for online rental since Movielink launched three years ago, this is the first time permanent digital copies of studio pics will be sold online (legally, at least).