Harry Potter and the wizard idea to foil cinema pirates
Martin Wainwright
Monday May 31, 2004
The Guardian
Cinema ushers across Britain go into action today with a new piece of equipment which makes their ice-cream trays and hand torches look tame.
Military-style night-sights have been sent to every outlet in the country showing the new Harry Potter film, The Prisoner of Azkaban.
Staff have been instructed to spend all two hours and 22 minutes of the film scanning the dark – for pirates making illegal copies.
“I’ve never known a company to go to such lengths to protect a film,” said Jamie Graham, manager of the Vue cinema at Cheshire Oaks, Wirral, where the red monocle devices are ready for action.
The precaution has been taken by the film’s distributor, Warner Brothers, after an epidemic of poor-quality, grainy versions of the two previous Potter films.
Surreptitious recording from cinema seats, sometimes interrupted by the head of the person in front shifting and blocking the action, has become a serious menace, according to the industry.
Related
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- MPAA going after Harry Potter traders
- Pirate Bay Attacked for ‘Helping’ Leak New Harry Potter Book
- New Harry Potter Book Leaked Onto BitTorrent
