Teen Caught with Camcorder at 'Spider-Man 2'
By Jesse Hiestand

LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) - A 16-year-old boy was caught early Wednesday using a camcorder tape the first showing of "Spider-Man 2" at a Los Angeles theater, the Motion Picture Assn. of America (MPAA) said.

The teen was spotted by a projectionist scanning the audience with night vision goggles. The boy, who was not identified because he is a minor, was arrested on suspicion of violating a California law that went into affect in January, barring the videotaping of movies in commercial theaters.

The MPAA, which represents the interests of the major Hollywood studios, said the projectionists and other employees at the Pacific Winnetka in the suburb of Chatsworth may be eligible for awards of up to $500 under a new program that seeks to enlist theater employees and owners in the fight against digital piracy. The rewards program was instituted earlier this month by the MPAA and National Association of Theater Owners.

Movies captured via camcorder are a source for the copies illegally traded on the Internet and sold worldwide as bootleg DVDs. The MPAA seized 52 million illegally duplicated optical discs worldwide in 2003, when optical-disc piracy reportedly costs the industry $3.5 billion in lost revenue.

"In theaters nationwide there are now thousands of eyes looking for camcording pirates and this incident proves that pirates who use these devices in theaters will be caught," said James Spertus, director of MPAA's U.S. anti-piracy operations. "The swift actions of theater employees will help reduce the number of camcorded films that are made available to organized crime syndicates in Russia, Malaysia and around the world, which in turn convert the recordings into illegally solid optical discs."

After allegedly using the camcorder at a midnight screening, the teen and two friends were escorted out of the theater and turned over to Los Angeles police, according to the MPAA.

"Hundreds of people have put tens of thousands of hours into making a truly great picture and the notion of having it stolen and sent out for free around the world is just plain wrong," said Jeff Blake, vice chairman at Sony Pictures Entertainment, which released "Spider-Man 2."

Reuters/Hollywood Reporter


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