Apple Patents a Way To Keep People From Filming At Concerts and Movie Theaters (qz.com)

An anonymous reader writes: Apple has patented a system that prohibits smartphone users from taking photos and videos at concerts, movie theaters and other events where people tend to ignore such restrictions. The patent has been award to Apple today and was first spotted by Patently Apple. QZ reports: "It outlines a system which would allow venues to use an infrared emitter to remotely disable the camera function on smartphones. According to the patent, infrared beams could be picked up by the camera, and interpreted by the smartphone as a command to block the user from taking any photos or videos of whatever they're seeing. The patent also outlines ways that infrared blasters could actually improve someone's experience at a venue. For example, the beams could be used to send information to museum-goers by pointing a smartphone camera at a blaster placed next to a piece of art." The report also mentions that the patent could in theory be used to help police limit smartphone filming of acts of brutality, or help a government shut off filming in certain locations. Last week, SlashGear reported that Alicia Keys is the latest musician to ban cellphones at her events.

Comments

Great!

[Anonymous Coward]

Now the cops can abuse people and you can't film them doing it!

Re:Great!

[tripleevenfall]

It's not the person receiving the abuse who films it.

Re:Great!

[amicusNYCL]

Well, assuming you're using an Apple iPhone(tm) with IR technology that responds to random outside commands, and the police are using an Apple iPhone Deactivator(tm) to remotely control your phone, then yes you won't be able to record them doing that. But, don't worry Apple fan, people with other phones who didn't want to pay royalties to Apple for the privilege of having their phones remotely controlled by random outside commands will still be able to film your beatdown.

Re:Great!

[macs4all]

It helps authorities disable your camera so you can't record them kicking your arse onto an encrypted device and/or up to the iCloud....

Maybe. But it is pretty clear that all cell phone (and maybe camera) manufacturers will be forced by the government to license this technology from Apple, and I expect the final version will not work with a separate IR sensor, it will just use the camera lens to capture the "DO NOT FILM" command and act on it. Of course you could cover up the lens, but that defeats the device too. I doubt if you can effectively block the signal that disables the camera and still have enough light to film the cops beating you or your family.

Hmmm. The IR thingy will be, um, IR. That is to say, outside of the visible light spectrum (or at least very close to the edge of visibility).

Howabout a little IR filter that blocks the IR and lets visible light through. Many surveillance cams already have such a thing to cut down on daylight "washout" from extraneous IR from sunlight.

By the way, there was some noise on Slashdot a couple of years ago about a very similar Apple patent. That one never went anywhere, either.

Sometimes I think Apple patents things they DON'T want to see developed, with absolutely no intention of actually developing the ideas themselves, either.

Fascinating...

[_xeno_]

That's a really interesting idea from Apple.

Because last I checked, the iPhone camera since the iPhone 4 has an IR filter on it and can't see IR light. Found this out at the Science Museum when there was a display of the visible spectrum and it told you to take out your phone and look at it via the camera.

Surprise! iPhones can't see the IR lights, but other phone cameras could.

Re:Fascinating...

[Anonymous Coward]

You are focusing to narrowly.

Stop focusing on the FEATURE, start focusing on the INTENT.

The INTENT is to let third parties disable your phone when desired.

Re:Black electricians tape

[devjoe]

The intent was that they would be picked up by the camera, making this option prevent using the camera at all. But you have exactly the right idea; people will use a film that filters out that IR frequency while being transparent to visible light.

Re:Didn't we do this once?

[thevirtualcat]

Also, infrared cut filters for SLRs are $20 on Amazon. I suspect it won't take long for someone to make one that fits discretely over a phone camera lens (perhaps as part of a phone case) that blocks the relevant wavelengths.

Let me be the first

[JustAnotherOldGuy]

Let me be the first to say, "FUCK YOU!" to any artist that does this.

I'll never attend your concert or buy your music. I'll go out of my way to pirate it if I like it, but you'll never get a fucking dime from me.

Re:Let me be the first

[Anonymous Coward]

Good, you're annoying.

The feature consumers have been waiting for

[MrLint]

Its good to know that Apple is spending their R&D effort toward making enhancements that the customers want; as opposed to the features the products wants.

And yes I said exactly what I meant.

How about No!

[DarkOx]

MY PHONE should obey MY instructions. If I say take of picture of something it should do so, not ask some third party not me if its alright.

What I do with the phone is my responsibility.

Five years ago

[elistan]

For what it's worth, this patent was discussed five years ago on Slashdot. The earliest date for this idea of Apple's appears to be December 2, 2009.

Re:Black electricians tape

[AaronW]

The camera is the sensor since cameras typically see near infra-red just fine. A near infra-red filter in front of the camera, however, would work.