A new law is being pushed forward in New York that would make the crime of recording movies in theaters an actual crime. Go figure.
New York State Attorney General Andrew Cuomo was joined Monday by Tina Fey and a couple of other movie types for the unveiling of the “Piracy Protection Act,” which would make piracy either a misdemeanor or a felony, depending on whether you’re a first-time or repeat offender, and punish it with actual, y’know, jail time (up to a year for first-timers). They’re hoping to have the law in place within the month.
I agree with laws against video piracy. I will admit that I have toed that line a little too often but it just isnt worth it. The quality sucks, (even the “good ones” are crap) and they lack the special features that movie buffs like me want. But more importantly you are not supporting the filmmakers to begin with. Rant all you want about how much money they already have, but my purchase of a movie isn’t about their money. Its my vote and nod of approval to the creators.
You can download or buy yourself a ripped copy of a movie and the person you give your cash to (or not if you are downloading it) is not giving ANYTHING to the people who made the film.
The money you give your local retailer for a good solid copy of a movie is well worth it in my opinion. I have seen pre-release stuff and dvd rips and the poor to “near perfect” quality just isnt good enough for this movie fan.
So finally someone is taking the RIGHT move to fight piracy. Arrest the filmers.
The guys on the street pay very little for the shitty copies you buy, and if they get caught selling them they typically just take them away from you. Maybe a fine, and then the fencer is just going to go back to his stash and get another pile. Arresting these guys will do nothing.
Chop off a hydras head and another springs up in its place.
But if you cut the source of these videos THAT will make an impact. NY is a hotspot for this type of crime and the penalties are likened to that of a permit fee. The money these guys make for producing their half assed copies is the real crime. Give them a fine for $250 and they would ask you who they write the check out to.
They still have people running drugs which is met with stiff penalties, so I don’t know that this will curb pirates sneaking video cameras into a theater, but it will give the pause.
