UK Copyright Group Tells Cinemas to Ban Laptops

Posted by CmdrTaco on Thursday October 15, 2009 @02:10AM from the but-i-need-to-code-right-now dept.

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."

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Re:Movies by selven · 2009-10-15 02:12 · Score: 4, Interesting

Good thing we have engineers working hard to remove the smartphone/laptop distinction.
This is very irritating by Peregr1n · 2009-10-15 03:00 · Score: 4, Interesting

I don't have a car. I commute by bus and ferry. There's a Cineworld on my way home that I frequent, but now cannot as I carry my laptop to work every day (I use it to get in a bit of work/browsing on the 2 x 30 minute ferry crossing daily commute).

Cineworld Southampton have therefore just lost my business. This is particularly stupid of them, as quite often (even with newly released films) I can count the audience members on my fingers.