New Canadian laws imposing greater restrictions and penalties on theater patrons camcording movies from their seats have apparently had little effect in Montreal, where much of the illegal camcording takes place, according to Bloomberg News. Theater chain owner Vince Guzzo told the wire service, "I caught four people trying to camcord Pirates Of The Caribbean. ... There are two types of people doing this: One type does it for kicks, then you have the professional criminal." But Michael Geist, a University of Ottawa professor and specialist in Internet law, noted that Hollywood continues to pile up enormous profits despite the piracy. "If camcording is a problem, it's a very small problem." And even those who acknowledge downloading movies illegally insist that they avoid the camcorded versions. An employee of a Montreal DVD shop told Bloomberg News: "Anytime I've seen a downloaded movie that's a pirated copy, it's really good quality, and those can only come from within the industry. ... Most people aren't going to watch camera jobs because they're really bad quality."


28/08/2007