What to Do
Recording movies within theatres violates federal copyright law. Help fight camcording by educating your patrons, identifying camcording activity, and then taking steps to stop this illegal activity.As a general matter, theatres should post information in the lobby or at the box office informing all patrons that the use of recording devices is not permitted in the theatre and that it is a crime to record a film in a movie theatre.
The Canadian Motion Picture Distributors Association (CMPDA) and the Motion Picture Theatre Associations of Canada (MPTAC) have instituted a program to reward theatre employees who identify patrons illegally recording a movie. Employees may be eligible for a reward of up to $500.00 for identifying a person operating a video camera or other recording device to copy a movie in a theatre, for immediately notifying the police, for stopping the camcording, and for filing a police report of the incident.
Whenever a theatre employee witnesses a person operating a video camera or other recording device to copy a movie, the employee should immediately follow the procedures called for in his or her employer's anti-camcording policy. If your employer does not have a policy, here is a list of steps that theatre employees should take:
What to do when you discover a patron illegally recording a movie in the theatre:
- Advise your theatre manager immediately.
- Your theatre manager should call the local police immediately and provide as much information and assistance as possible.
- If a police officer has not arrived within 20 minutes of the end of the movie, theatre management and/or theatre security should STOP or INTERFERE with the recording, but NEVER touch the suspect or grab the recording device.
- Theatre management or security should politely but firmly ask the suspect to accompany them to wait in the lobby.
- Get the person's name and ask to see ID (copy it or write down the key information).
- Get a good physical description.
- Ask the suspect to hand over the recording device and the actual recording.
- NEVER PUT YOURSELF OR YOUR PATRONS AT RISK; NEVER USE PHYSICAL FORCE TO STOP THE ACTIVITY OR TO DETAIN THE SUSPECT.
If you have any questions or need assistance during the incident, call the 24/7 Anti-Camcording Hotline ((800) 371-9884). The CMPDA has investigators on staff who can come to your location and assist you. Regardless of whether you utilize the hotline during the incident, however, you should contact the CMPDA within 24 hours after a police report is filed so that they can take appropriate steps to assist local law enforcement and pursue the suspect. For further information about the reward program, contact MPTAC at (416) 969-7057.
Download the Best Practices Guide to Prevent Film Theft.