ARLINGTON, Va. – A 19-year-old woman is facing up to a year in jail and a fine up to $2,500 when she goes to trial this month on charges of illegally recording part of a motion picture.
Jhannet Sejas readily admits she used her digital camera last month in an Arlington theater to film about 20 seconds of the climax of the hit movie “Transformers.” She said she wanted to show the clip to her little brother and had no intention of selling it.
But minutes after filming the clip, police showed up in the theater, shining a flashlight in her face. Sejas and her boyfriend were ordered out, and the camera was confiscated.
Just an overzealous usher and bored police, right? Well:
Arlington County police spokesman John Lisle said the theater wanted to prosecute the case, which is a first for the police department.
“They were the victim in this case, and they felt strongly enough about it,” Lisle said.
That’s right. A crappy 20 second video clip victimizes Regal Entertainment Group (Second quarter 2007 gross revenues of $684 million). Another blow to the beleaguered forces of overbroad copyright claims. How will they ever survive?
This is the closest theater to me, and while it’s not my favorite in the area, I’ve often used it out of convenience. In fact, I’d made plans to see a movie there tonight. Forget it. For tonight and every other night. I’d urge you to do the same.* Better environments and movies can be found at Landmark’s E Street Cinema, Arlington Cinema and Draft House, or even the AMC Theatre in Courthouse.
Update: check out the WaPo story for additional details and some choice quotes. From the general counsel of the theater owners’ association: “We cannot educate theater managers to be judges and juries in what is acceptable[.]” Well, there you go.
*And let them know why. You can contact Regal Entertainment Group corporate offices at:
7132 Regal Lane, Knoxville, Tennessee, 37918.
Corporate phone: 1-865-922-1123
Fax: 1-865-922-3188
Customer relations number: 1-877-TELLREGAL or 1-877-835-5734.
Brian
If you don’t like the rules, stay out of the theater – and stop whining.
Catzmaw
While the theater went a little overboard on this and could have just told this woman not to do it again rather than turn it into a major case, I don’t think they’re wrong to enforce their right to prevent filming in the theater. If she should be allowed to do it without consequence, just where do you draw the line against it? Should everyone be allowed to ignore bright-line rules and violate them a little bit? Should we all be able to film in theaters for five or ten or twenty minutes? When does it become reasonable for a theater to enforce its rules? If this young woman has no criminal record then the outcome will be that it will either be generally continued for a few months and then dismissed, or she’ll be given a fine and community service, with the case dismissed after a year if she has no further law enforcement violations,. She’ll get her camera back. Right now it’s just being held as evidence.
MB
Catzmaw, it’s not too much of a stretch to say this is akin to getting arrested and charged with battery for bumping into someone on your way up the Metro escalator. Sure, when your elbow smacked their arm, that was technically battery and the police technically have a right to arrest you. But if you don’t arrest, where do you draw the line?
Well, I’d draw it at common sense, even if the law doesn’t (and but for the 2005 act, she’d have a pretty decent fair use defense here). If they want to kick her out and ban her, go ahead (just one more customer who won’t be patronizing them). But you don’t need to invoke the threat of imprisonment for a 20 second recording. You don’t need to deal with the hard cases to answer an easy one.