p2pnet - rss feed: Girl nailed for 20-second video clip
p2pnet news | MPAA news:- “Kids in our area are just like kids everywhere,” I posted last month shortly after I and my daughter, Emma, checked out the Transformers movie. 
I went on:
It’s common to see them carrying picture capable mobiles and during Transformers, Emma and I noticed several of the younger members of the audience using their cellphones.
I’d bet a dollar to a dime not one of them had any intention of doing anything illegal with the images, stills or moving.
But whether I’m right or wrong, one thing is sure: if these kids had been in the States, they would have stood an excellent chance of being arrested, giving them police records at best and, if they were old enough, jail terms, if the major studios had their way.
“Jhannet Sejas and her boyfriend were celebrating her 19th birthday by taking in a matinee showing of the hit movie ‘Transformers’ at the theater at Ballston Common mall,” says the Washington Post, going on:
Sejas was enjoying the movie so much that she decided to film a short clip of the sci-fi adventure’s climax to get her little brother hyped to go see it.
Minutes later, two Arlington County police officers were pointing their flashlights at the young couple in the darkened theater and ordering them out. They confiscated the digital camera as evidence and charged Sejas, a Marymount University sophomore and Annandale resident, with a crime: illegally recording a motion picture.
“I was terrified,” said Sejas, her voice breaking. “I was crying. I’ve never been in trouble before.” She said the assistant manager of the theater saw her holding up the Canon Power Shot and reported it to the general manager, who called police.
Sejas said she had no intention of selling the 20-second film clip. She just wanted to show it to her 13-year-old brother, who had said he wanted to see the movie. She was shocked when the officers showed up.
So, thanks to enthusiasm of whoever decided she was a camcording criminal and the major Hollywood studios, Sejas is looking at up to a year in jail and a fine of up to $2,500 when she goes to trial this month.
“Arlington police spokesman John Lisle said it was the decision of Regal Cinemas Ballston Common 12 to prosecute the case, a first for Arlington police,” adds the Washington Post, quoting Lisle as saying:
“They were the victim in this case, and they felt strongly enough about it.”
Excellent, Regal Cinemas. Good job well done.
And hearty congratulations to the MPAA (Motion Picture Association of America) and its owners, Time Warner, Viacom, Fox, Sony, NBC Universal and Disney for the successful implementation of legislation they’re responsible for.
Thanks wholly to the efforts of the major studios, Canada now has a new law under which unauthorised camcording in a cinema is illegal.
How long before a Canadian teenager, or someone even younger, has an experience similar Sejas’?
Jon Newton - p2pnet
Also See:
picture capable mobiles - Hollywood ‘Transformers’ travesty, July 11, 2007
Washington Post - Out of the Theater, Into the Courtroom, August 1, 2007
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August 2nd, 2007 at 12:37 pm
The simple answer to this oppressive behaviour would be to boycott theatres and cinemas. How long would they last without customers? A nationwide boycott of cinemas for a month would have a devastating effect. I’m sure they would think twice about enforcing this policy given such consequences.
August 2nd, 2007 at 1:03 pm
“They were the victim in this case, and they felt strongly enough about it.”
Bull-shit. Show me one instance when filming 20 seconds of a film for personal use has ever caused someone financial troubles.
August 2nd, 2007 at 1:34 pm
A massive boycott of all Regal Cinemas is in order here. Have
as many people as possible cite this case, tell theater managers
they will urge everyone they know to never patronize a Regal
cinema, and even write the CEO to this effect.
Jail time for recording a 20 second clip of a movie? And the
intent was not to actually commit piracy, but was entirely
innocuous? BAD MOVE, REGAL. I hope your chain suffers a major
negative impact due to the overzealous attempt to pillory a
young girl.
August 2nd, 2007 at 2:25 pm
If the facts of what happened are true then they broke no law.
There is a thing called “fair use.”
In this case you can use clips of a copyrighted movie to show to make comments on it.
Since this was a clip to comment on to get others enjoy it…
Fair Use.
And lawsuit against police for unlawful arrest, kidnapping, false imprisonment,,,etc.
August 2nd, 2007 at 3:01 pm
Trent
the problem is that it does not count that her intended use might fall under fair use if the means with which he tried to archive this goal are illegal under another law.
on the paper it is that recording in cinema is against some law, so kiss your fair use defense good bye.
Its just the same as if she would have wanted to use some clips from a DVD to show in a class project. the usage of a clip in class would be definetly fair use, but her extracting the clip out of a copyprotected CSS carying DVD would be a violation of the DMCA.
(Desclaimer: Note that I’m no expert in your laws)
But as the other commenters pointed out already, if the manager in that cinema is such a jerk and make such a trouble for this nonsense, just boykot that one and inform his superiours in the company chain what a jerk he is and why you will not spend any more money in their cinema chain!
Without the people as customers all those jerks in the entertainment industry are nothing!
August 2nd, 2007 at 4:43 pm
They lost me as a customer years ago. I will be writing a letter to Regal to explain why. I do know that if I were sitting on the jury, I would not convict the girl regardless of any instruction given to me by a judge. Citizen jurors were implemented by the Founding Fathers for precisely this reason - to give the common people a way do nullify oppressive and unconstitutional laws.
August 2nd, 2007 at 9:12 pm
Even if it is not fair use (which it is), how is Regal the victim? They don’t own the (ahem) Intellectual Property!!
And since when does the victim get to choose what the state prosecutes? Criminal law is not supposed to work like that.
This is wrong on many levels!!
August 3rd, 2007 at 6:14 am
Soon, just to get into a theater, you’ll be required to insert this happy anal probe. It will only scan your everyday moves and thoughts for a few hours, and it will evacuate by itself next time you go to the bathroom. You all should know that the ability to see is a priviledge, not a right. So stop complaining people.. here’s your probes.
Seriously, in one week we had the Guzzo incident (I will never go there again), and now this? Is my perception of the future so far from the truth?
August 3rd, 2007 at 8:21 am
I think it’s good that they arrested that bitch. She could have brought the entire industry to its knees with her 20-second recording.
August 4th, 2007 at 3:17 pm
To hell with boycott. I am not going to go to the theaters here in singapore, dont wanna take any chances. The laws here is stricter as most would know.
August 5th, 2007 at 10:01 am
How is this different than a critic sitting in a theater copying down quotes from the movie?
Doesn’t it only differ in the technology used, and the size of the audience for the critique?
August 5th, 2007 at 10:10 am
You know what would be funny? If someone cammed the commercial advertisement before the feature, then pretended to cam a section of the movie, so that when the evidence was produced all the judge would see would be a twenty second commercial for Viagra, or some such thing.
August 6th, 2007 at 10:22 am
Even better, they should cam the tacky warnings
August 24th, 2007 at 11:17 am
I know I’ve sent a message to Regal telling them I will carefully check the ownership of any theater I patronize to insure Regal never gets another dime of my money. If you want to tell them as well, send an email to
ddelaria@regalcinemas.com
It’s investor relations but it’s the email I have. I’m sure they will notice if their inbox begins to flood.
Donald De Laria
Vice President Investor Relations
Regal Entertainment Group
7132 Regal Lane
Knoxville, TN 37918
Phone: 865-925-9685
Fax: 865-925-7858
E-mail: ddelaria@regalcinemas.com
October 8th, 2007 at 12:17 pm
If anything, her 20-second clip would have encouraged her 13-year old brother to go see the movie with friends, thus the movie and theater would probably have made more money.
How ironic.