James Delahunty
20 Apr 2005 20:35
The United States Congress today passed a bill that's very tough on movie pirates. Anybody who is caught trying to record a movie in a theatre with a camcorder could face up to three years in prison. In 2003, piracy cost the movie industry about £3.7bn in lost revenue. The US Customs Department blames 95% of pirated movies online on two sets of people. It blames the people who create CAM and Telesync copies of movies by recording a movie while it's showing in theatres and blames industry insiders who intentionally leak movies before their release.
The bill has been passed by both the Senate and House of Representatives and now President Bush is set to sign it. It is intended to clamp down on pirates who sell bootleg copies of new films. The Internet has become a massive resource for pirated movies, including movies that haven't been released yet. It is not uncommon for DVD or VHS Screener copies of movies to appear on the Internet long before a retail copy is available in stores.
Those found guilty under the new laws could face up to three years in prison, with six year sentences for subsequent offences. They may also face legal action from copyright holders (usually major movie studios). Anyone caught distributing a movie or song prior to its commercial release will face up to 10 years in prison.
Source:
BBC News