Smuggling camera into movie theater can get you arrested

610 WTVN Radio ^ | January 2, 2004

[flutters]

Ohio has passed a law that lets police arrest people for videotaping movies in theaters. Governor Taft signed the bill last month and it takes effect in March. The film industry is trying to prevent piracy and they have several methods to fight it, including bag searches for people entering movie houses. But some say Hollywood's tactics could backfire. A recent study found that three out of every four movies leaked on the Internet came from industry insiders. That led the Motion Picture Academy of America to temporarily stop sending ``screener'' tapes and DVDs to Oscar voters.

[John Robertson]

Uh, bringing your own refreshments into a theater is against the law in most places, but prohibited by the exhibitor in all places. But a lost candy bar sale is one thing; tens of thousands in lost DVD sales is another.

[John Robertson]

"Here's a moral question. Is there any harm in sneeking into a "free" movie? Either jumping screens or faking the preview pass?"

Screen jumping to a second or third or fourth theater is of course stealing--you only paid for one showing of one movie. In my book, that's immoral. Of course, the fairly well-known fact that multiplex operators expect people to screen jump, and routinely tell their personnel to look the other way, doesn't discourage the practice, does it? Faking preview passes...the incidence of that seems so nominal as to not be an issue, though it's technically an act of fraud, isn't it?

"The passes already declare that they do not guarantee a seat. There is no financial loss to the studio/theater and the film will still get its "word of mouth"."

There is a definite, calculable loss to the studio and theater if you pay for one seat at Movie A, then take additional seats at Movies B, C and D. You paid for one, you took four. Try that at some retail outlet. As for "word of mouth," try that as a defense for a theft of services charge sometime: Your Honor, I know I didn't pay my way, but I intended to say very, very good things about it.

[John Robertson]

This law is to prevent bootlegging. If you tape your movie at home, then attempt to sell copies of it...welcome to felon land.

[Leatherneck_MT]

Never been to Japan have you? lol

I used to see it all the time there. There and in Korea. Damndest thing I've ever seen.

[waterstraat]

There is nothing wrong with screen jumping, that is the real only advantage of going to a multiscreen theater. If the movie is no good, you move to the next one. Done that lots of times, nobody cares either.

[OldCorps]

...including bag searches for people entering movie houses.

lol, i guess the days of byob to the movie theater are gone.

[John Robertson]

"There is nothing wrong with screen jumping, that is the real only advantage of going to a multiscreen theater. If the movie is no good, you move to the next one. Done that lots of times, nobody cares either."

Like I said, the theater owners expect this from the customers. But that doesn't make it right. You paid for one, you're taking more than one. Pretty basic, huh? I'm glad you're not my accountant.

[weegee]

My question was paying to see one movie and then screen jumping to a free preview.

Free movie screenings are designed to have word of mouth promotion of the film ("I saw xxxxx last night and..."). It is not debatable if this is the intent. The studios aren't being "generous" in inviting people to see movies for free, they want the movie they are promoting to get exposure.

You cannot compare this to "theft of property", it is "theft of service" but then if there is NO PRICE for the service, is it really theft at all?

[John Robertson]

Admit, you're unemployed. Only someone with too much time on his hands could be bending logic pretzels like you. By the way, it's obvious you know nothing about the movie exhibition business. Happy New Year.

[KKing]

You assume that Freepers, while an intelligent bunch, recognize or even know what alt.binaries.divx might represent.

UseNet and newsreaders are the internets best kept secret.

UseNet is an outlet for developers and hacks alike but it is also yet another very useful facet of the internet.

[tracer]

"Smuggling camera into movie theater can get you arrested"

Prior restraint of mere possesion, lack of rightful government jurisdiction on private property = increasingly common albeit unconstitutional infringement of our liberties -- by a government that long ago has gotten too big for its britches and is in sore need of the application of trainloads of canned whup-ass in civil and criminal appeals courts and at the ballot box.....

[HungarianGypsy]

We still have two drive-ins here in the Phoenix area. It's great to be able to take all the kids to a new double feature and bring our own food. The sound comes in on the FM radio. Plus, there is no worrying about the babies making too much noise and ruining it for everyone else. Although there was that time my son slammed the truck door on my foot and I let out a scream that I am sure was heard a few blocks away. But that was before the movie started, so the rest still stands.

[weegee]

I think that he is talking about walking out of a movie before it is completed and seeing something else. Pay for one movie, watch on movie.

I've only walked out of one movie in the opening 15 minutes (the 1990s The Getaway) but I have walked out of a movie (and the theater altogether) several times (Masked and Anonymous, Dancing In The Dark, and Breaking the Waves among them). Some films just don't know when to end.

He could go to the manager, get his refund, and then get a ticket for the movie he wants to see. By not doing so, he has shifted the ticket money away from the studio who's movie he watched, and instead left it with the studio that distributed the film that he did not watch.

There are actually some people who will boycott a film, studio, or director and pay for a ticket (say to a small independent film) and then see only one movie (George Lucas' Star Wars VIII). They rationalize it that George and 20th Century Fox will make more than enough (that does not justify this act).

It is all book keeping. The theater owner got ticket money and he is reporting to the studios how the money was paid to him (someone bought a ticket for screen A even if he walked into screen B instead).

Since the theaters make no money on the tickets, is it "theft" from the studios when the theater gives away free tickets to screenings? Passes may be prohibited for some screenings but there is never a ban on employees (and their friends) signing into a movie. The studio doesn't see a dime.

[tracer]

By the way, with videos, DVDs, television, etc. so widely available, why would anyone subject himself to the indignity of sitting in a dark, cold, and germy room in the company of a rude, noisy, and vacuous peasantry that peoples today's America.....

[weegee]

I said that it was a moral question. You took the question and twisted it to say something that I did not (I know that it is a theft of service to buy 1 ticket and see multiple ticket movies at a multiplex).

Don't bite my head off.

[weegee]

Why aren't police stationed at Kinkos checking for books (or movie scripts) being illegally copied? It is another example of copyright violation.

Enforcement of the copyright belongs to the individual copyright owner, not the civic authorities.

[John Robertson]

Okay. Sorry. Did you see Bring Me The Head Of Alredo Garcia? Sorry, couldn't resist.

[lormand]

I laugh when I hear people get excited using Kaaza and Napster.

Kids stuff.

[weegee]

What law is being violated in bringing private refreshments into a private establishment?

Liquor can legally be brought into businesses that only have a beer and wine license. There are even some that encourage customers to BYOL (there is a restaurant that will sell setups for margaritas but customers must bring their own tequilla). Ice houses and other bars also permit outside liquor.

I've even seen a restaurant that has no alcohol permit and allows customers to bring their own beer or wine.

Ever see a restaurant allow a group to bring in their own birthday/anniversary cake?

A lost candy bar sale affects the theater owner's bottom line because all of his money comes from the concession stand.

Money spent on bootleg DVD sales affects the studios directly (since they get the ticket revenue and rank against one another in a p!ssing contest based on ticket sales each week).

How much does a bootleg viewing audience affect a theater owner's concession sales? Do the viewers stop going to theaters altogther, or do they spend their money on another movie instead?

[Cultural Jihad]

Really, there's no comparison to a legally-obtained book you can carry anywhere with you, and a movie you have no legal rights to view, copy, or own. If the customers of Kinkos were doing as much damage to the economy (and inflicting tax-costly law enforcement and judicial resources) as are the video pirates, then I would expect to see some similar enforcement of rights, there.

Also, the theater owners have a right to free association, and it's well within their rights to not be associated with people who bring cameras into their private establishment contrary to the wishes of the owner.