Sydney man charged for pirating drive-in movies

A Sydney man has been charged with a number of copyright related offences after using a video camera to record a movie at a drive-in cinema.

The 26-year-old was accused by police of using the video camera during a number of visits to the drive-in theatre, where he recorded several new release movies and uploaded them to the internet. Police also say the films have been linked to DVDs being sold in Australia.

The Australian Federation Against Copyright Theft told The Age that the arrest is a result of digital watermarking technology, identifying from which cinema the movies where illegally recorded. Operations director Neil Gane says the protection of copyright is an important issue.

“The importance of preventing the illegal camcording of movies during their cinematic release cannot be overstated.

“Over 90% of pirated movies that first hit the global internet or are sold on streets around the world originate from professional ‘cammers’ making illegal recordings in cinemas,” he says.

“Anyone thinking of illegally camcording a movie should be aware that the technology exists to identify them, track them down, and take them to court on criminal copyright charges.”