p2pnet.net News:- The UK Film Council is calling for the unauthorised use of camcorders in cinemas to be made a criminal offence, and for “incentives” to be provided for both staff and “members of the public” to watch for people using camcorders during shows.

The demands come in a report recommending, “tough action to tackle piractes [sic] of the ’silver screen’ “ to, “beat organised crime”.

This follows Hollywood’s adoption of the Big Music cartel sue ‘em all campaign under which the major studios are trying to eliminate p2 file sharing, claiming it’s having a ruinous effect on their multi-billion-dollar businesses..

The UK council doesn’t say if it, too, will develop an application such as the one touted by Hollywood’s MPAA (Motion Picture Association of America) which encourages parents to use a special software application to spy on their children on behalf of the film studios.

However, unlike its US counterpart, the UK council appears to recognize the Net as an integral component in the sale and distribution of movies in the digital 21st century.

It says it’s looking at ways the film industry can, “legitimately deliver films to consumers through the internet - within one day of release both The Matrix Reloaded and Finding Nemo could be illegally downloaded from the internet”.

It also obliquely acknowledges that movie insiders are a source for criminals, saying it wants to see improved security procedures for the handling of film prints and digital materials throughout the production process.

Other recommendations include -

• Cracking down on the sale of pirate products at car boot sales and street markets.
• Clamping down on car boot sale traders, "who use under-age children as a front for their illegal activity when registering with authorities to avoid liability"
• Introducing "exemplary damages" for copyright infringement
• Increasing co-operation with the EU and international trade organisations
• Putting pressure on countries with "relaxed anti-piracy laws where organised crime gangs often seek refuge"
• Campaigning to raise public awareness of the dangers of piracy
• "Educating young people about the damage of film piracy to jobs and future film development"

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See:-
criminal offence - Major new report recommends tough action to tackle piractes of the ’silver screen’, UK Film Council, December 13, 2004
spy on their children - MPAA sue ‘em all war, p2pnet, November 4, 2004

This entry was posted on Monday, December 13th, 2004 at 3:46 pm and is filed under Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

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