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California Makes Recording in Cinema a Crime

Posted by michael on from the guilty-until-proven-innocent dept.

Maharet writes "According to this article in the Sacramento Bee, recording devices will be outlawed and you will be able to make a citizen's arrest if you observe someone recording a movie. I don't advocate piracy, but this just looks to me like industry pressure (although the MPAA, et. al. are not mentioned). What if my cellphone has a camera? My favorite quote from an LA city attorney: 'If you carry one of these into a movie theater, you have to ask yourself, "Do I feel lucky?"'"

3 of 558 comments (clear)

  1. Re:I don't understand... by trg83 · · Score: 5, Interesting

    Along the same lines, if technology advanced enough that you could download memories from the brain of someone with extremely good memory, would the brain be an illegal recording device? I read once that your brain can recall almost everything. Some of the material merely needs coaxing out (like with hypnosis). Hmmm....

  2. Screw Your Neighbor by core+plexus · · Score: 5, Interesting
    I mean, c'mon! I had a job delivering films, in their containers, to various movie houses. I would take my time, get high with my friends, and otherwise screw around the whole day. We had racks of films in shelves at the warehouse.

    My point? There are many opportunities to copy the films, and if one small, low-tech method is cut out, it will serve to make the other avenues more lucrative.

    The more important point, what's with the "turn in your neighbor to the movie cops" deal? That is one sick society.

    -cp-

    President Bush to Liberate Alaska

  3. Re:The real question here is... by shalla · · Score: 5, Interesting
    Actually, I'd say the real question here is why certain industries have laws enacted specifically to protect jobs and income while other industries are forced to adopt more realistic business models in order to survive?

    I don't think we should be promoting vigilantism so studio bigwigs can rake in huge salaries. I especially object to this law because it's based on the fallacious belief that recordings made in movie theaters are the source of most illegal copies. After all, didn't the MPAA try to ban all screeners because of piracy? And don't forget about the study which said that 77% of all pirated movies came from industry insiders.

    So... why are we encouraging citizens to possibly harrass or harm others for something that is not the primary culprit in economic losses?

    Can I make a citizen's arrest of tech CEOs who outsource jobs?