UK Copyright Group Tells Cinemas to Ban Laptops

Sockatume writes "Cinema chain Cineworld now has a policy banning anyone from carrying a laptop into a theatre, even if it is not used. The management claims that this is an anti-piracy move on the advice of the Federation Against Copyright Theft, the much-mocked source of all kinds of dubious anti-piracy statements. When it was pointed out that the laptop had no camera, the management made a temporary exception. For customers, the message is clear: leave your laptop in the car. For pirates, the message is clear: there is more money to be made slinking around cinema car parks looking for laptop bags."

Comments

Movies

[sopssa]

It's funny they had no problems with mobile phones that certainly have good cameras now a days, but with a laptop. Oh well, maybe that changes soon too.

I'm just waiting them to take off our eyes while in movie theatre.

Re:Movies

[91degrees]

The cameras on laptops tend to be pretty cheap things that are designed for video conferencing. They'd be abysmal for recording a movie.

On the other hand, smuggling in a reasonable quality camera would be fairly easy. I dare say it would be possible to bring in a tripod as well.

Re:Movies

[Nathrael]

Or maybe you went to cinema straight from school or work where you need your laptop with no chance to deposit it somewhere, or maybe you live somewhere out of the city and the next cinema is an hour of travel away so you take your laptop with you to do some work in the train, or...

Re:Movies

[commodore64_love]

That just means when you arrive at the theater, and the owner refuses you entrace, you can yell, "Congratulations dumb shit. You just lost $20 worth of sales," and walk away.

Businessmen hate losing money. It makes them hide in their office and cry. And it gives us, the citizens, power over them.

Re:Movies

[Kalriath]

Ah, but the question is - do you block people from entering just on the basis they have a phone/laptop, or do you advise them "please don't use those in here"? This is all about people not even being allowed in with these items - it makes perfect sense to ask them not to use them.

According to a blog post

[Sockatume]

Important caveat, neatly snipped from the start of the post.

Idiotic

[mark-t]

Banning laptops in a theatre to stop people from recording movies in a theatre makes about as much sense as banning people from drinking if they possess a valid drivers license because they could decide to drive home (the irony that one actually usually uses a driver's license to prove one's legal drinking age notwithstanding).

Re:why would you need a laptop in a movie theater?

[langelgjm]

Maybe you live in a city and don't use a car to go to the movie theater? E.g., you're out for the day, doing some work with your laptop, now this policy means you'll have to drop off the machine at home before catching the film.

Or maybe conveniently located rentable lockers will start showing up at the theater, which you can pay to store all your potentially infringing devices. Dump your laptop, phone, and any pens or pencils which may be used to write down dialogue. Also, when you leave the theater, please make sure to stop by our convenient memory erasing station, so that you don't carry unauthorized memories out of the theater.

Re:Why?

[TheMeuge]

While it seems like a rather silly policy, why on earth would people be taking their laptops into the movie theater? Are there that many occasions when people don't go home prior to going to a movie?

You don't have a job, do you?

Comment removed

[account_deleted]

Comment removed based on user account deletion

Well at this rate

[Pvt_Ryan]

The only people in the cinema WILL BE the pirates.
The rest of us will forego the spanish inquisition, the extortionate prices and the hassle in general of getting parked and bothering to go to the cinema, we will instead sit at home watching our bootlegged copy, pausing it to go to the loo and still have the poeple walking infront of the screen, laughing and coughing.

Actually I feel like doing piracy vs cinema:

Cinema:
Pros

• That surround sound and huge picture
• The popcorn
• The fact we are out in the real world with real strangers near us
  
  Cons:
• No pausing for toilet / food
• People talking
• People walking in front of the screen
• The High prices
• being treated like a criminal
• getting ID checked (if they happen to think you look under 21)
• Getting parked on a busy night
• getting a child minder
  
  Piracy:
  Pros:
• cheaper than a cinema ticket
• You dont have to leave the house
• no id required
• you can pause it to go to the loo.
• No child minder required.
• feels like the cinema, laughing and walking infront of the screen included.
  
  Cons:
• bad quality (assuming you have a cam and not a screener).
• You ARE a criminal

Re:Well at this rate

[meringuoid]

You ARE a criminal

I thought copyright infringement was a civil matter. Is that no longer the case?

A Better Answer

[Bob9113]

For customers, the message is clear: leave your laptop in the car.

I have a better answer: When they ask you to put your laptop in your car, ask for your money back and leave. Is it really worth being treated like a criminal to see that movie right now? Customer service matters. If the proprietor of some establishment is a dick, don't give him your money.

To stop filming, or stop twittering?

[srjh]

I wonder if this has more to do with the Twitter effect (see Brüno) than stopping piracy.

It seems rather implausible (to be generous) that someone would try to illegally film a movie using a crappy webcam on your average laptop (particularly if they manage to do it with the laptop in the bag). If you think about how a laptop is likely to hurt them financially, the reason should be pretty clear.

Re:why would you need a laptop in a movie theater?

[Assmasher]

Where I live we have trains, bus, and a great transportation system. I don't need a car either, I walk. I have never seen anyone bring a laptop to a movie theater, ever. So much for sarcasms [sic].

Re:why would you need a laptop in a movie theater?

[Minwee]

I have never seen anyone bring a laptop to a movie theater, ever.

Maybe that's because they leave them in their bags instead of holding them up in the air and waving them around while shouting "Hey, everybody, look at my laptop!"

Just a thought.

Unless you were trying to say that you have never, ever seen anyone bring a bag more than 30 cm wide into a movie theatre, in which case I would have to ask you just what kind of movies legally bind people enjoy.

Re:Seriously?

[Attila Dimedici]

Aside from the obvious absurdity of someone trying to record a movie with their laptop -- how much of a problem are off-screen recordings for the movie industry? I may be naive -- but I really have a hard time imagining someone saying -- "I was gonna go see this movie in the theater, but I have a copy that someone recorded with a video camera in the theater! This is just as good! Now I don't need to go see it!" Am I missing something here, or are these anti-piracy groups really that dense?

Actually what they are afraid of is: " I was gonna go see this movie in the theater, but I have a copy that someone recorded with a video camera in the theater and now I know it sucks! I'm not going to waste my time and money going to the theater to see it." (see also someone else's comment about twits tweeting how bad the movie is).

they should just ban people from their theaters

[Dan667]

No piracy, problem solved.