LOS ANGELES, California (Reuters) — Three moviegoers were caught recording the recently released disaster flick “The Day After Tomorrow” with handheld video cameras in U.S. and Canadian theaters, the Motion Picture Association of America said Thursday.
Two of the purported camcorder pirates were arrested in theaters in Los Angeles and Canada over the weekend trying to record the 20th Century Fox movie on digital video recorders for resale, and a third fled a Los Angeles theater when he was approached by theater personnel, the MPAA said.
The practice known as “camcording” — a misdemeanor crime in California — allows video pirates to steal relatively high quality copies of films within hours or days of their release.
The copies then show up as pirated optical discs sold at street markets around the world long before the films are released on DVD.
More than 52 million illegal discs were seized around the world in 2003, according to the MPAA, the leading U.S. film studio trade group.
MPAA director John Malcolm said the industry has vowed to vigorously prosecute video pirates, and has encouraged theater owners to use metal detectors and night-vision goggles to secure screenings.
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