New law makes recording movies in theaters a misdemeanor

[Dave Farber <dave () farber net>]

New law makes recording movies in theaters a misdemeanor
GARY GENTILE, AP Business Writer
Thursday, December 4, 2003
©2003 Associated Press

URL: 
<http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/news/archive/2003/12/04//cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/news/archive/2003/12/04/financial1951EST0159.DTL>sfgate.com/article.cgi?file=/news/archive/2003/12/04/financial1951EST0159.DTL 


(12-04) 16:51 PST LOS ANGELES (AP) --

Sneaking a camcorder into a movie theater will soon be a crime in 
California under a new law designed to protect both copyrights and the 
livelihood of thousands of movie industry workers.

"This industry is the economic engine that moves this city," Police Chief 
William Bratton said at a City Hall press conference Thursday.

The new law, which takes effect Jan. 1, allows moviegoers to make a 
citizen's arrest if they see someone in a theater with a recording device. 
Signs will also be posted at all Los Angeles County theaters notifying 
patrons of the new law.

The effort is aimed mainly at camcorders, which account for 92 percent of 
all illegal copies of films that appear for sale over the Internet and are 
sold on street corners from Burbank to Beijing, according to the Motion 
Picture Association of America.

The law, which was signed by former Gov. Gray Davis, was written to also 
include future technologies and could be enforced against people recording 
all or parts of a film with a tape recorder, hand-held computer or even a 
cell phone.

City and county law enforcement officers say they will respond to calls 
from theaters to assist in making the citizen's arrest if resources permit. 
People convicted under the law could be subject to as much as one year in 
jail and a maximum fine of $2,500.

"These thieves are stealing from Los Angeles and are stealing from American 
creativity," city attorney Rocky Delgadillo said Thursday.

Clutching a palm-sized camcorder in one hand, Delgadillo paraphrased the 
movie character "Dirty Harry," portrayed by actor Clint Eastwood.

"If you carry one of these into a movie theater, you have to ask yourself, 
'Do I feel lucky?"'

The MPAA is seeking to enact similar laws in other states and is backing an 
effort to make the illegal taping of a film a federal felony.

MPAA president Jack Valenti said the new law would complement other 
educational and legal efforts to stem piracy, which costs the industry 
million of dollars in lost profits each year.

He said that having movie pirates arrested and prosecuted would send the 
right signal to other potential lawbreakers.

"I feel that will have a very redemptive effect," Valenti said.


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