September 29, 2004
US bill aims to jail film pirates
Using video cameras to record films in cinemas would become a federal crime punishable by up to six years in prison under a proposed US bill, reports the BBC.
The Piracy Deterrence and Education Act urges the FBI to warn people whose web accounts are used for illegal activity.
Passed on Tuesday by the US House of Representatives, the Senate is expected to consider the proposal next week. Ten US states already prohibit people recording movies inside cinemas.
The bill would make the act a felony, which would permit local and state police to make arrests even when officers do not witness the illicit recording.
In the UK, Vue Cinemas chain equipped its staff with night vision goggles in May to enable them to detect film pirates."
Camera phones and video phones aren't doing much harm at this point - you can only view short clips. But still, the potential for ill use exists and can only get worse as technology improves.
Related articles:
-- Military-style night-sights in cinemas for launch of "The Prisoner of Azkaban"
-- US cinema reward to stop piracy
-- Will You Be Arrested The Next Time You Bring Your Camera Phone To The Movies?
-- Five Years In Jail For Putting A Movie Online
-- Leave your picture phone outside the movie theater
-- Bag and body searches at screenings
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