The BBC reports that the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) is pushing for tougher enforcement of laws against copying of films in the US. It is calling for citizen's arrests of those found copying,as well as stiffer fines and jail terms. The police have said that they will respond to citizen's arrests by cinemas if resources allow them to. Similar laws already exist in Michigan, Wisconsin and Pennsylvania. Now the MPAA is hoping that similar measures will be legislated for in California and Ohio. At the moment the penalty in Ohio is six months in jail and a $1,000 (£560) fine, whereas in Michigan it is up to five years in jail and a $250,000 (£140,000) fine.
The MPAA has expressed particular concern at piracy by those involved in the film industry, particularly Hollywood insiders and cinema projectionists taping the films from their booths. It claims that piracy is costing the film industry $3.5bn (£1.97bn) a year.
While the IPKat condemns piracy, particularly by those whose job it is to further the interests of the film industry, he feels that the fines and jail sentences envisaged may be somewhat excessive. Also, he wonders if the police have better things to do than mopping up citizen's arrests.
How to make a citizen's arrest here
How cinema pirates work here
Information for would-be cinema projectionists here
The MPAA has expressed particular concern at piracy by those involved in the film industry, particularly Hollywood insiders and cinema projectionists taping the films from their booths. It claims that piracy is costing the film industry $3.5bn (£1.97bn) a year.
While the IPKat condemns piracy, particularly by those whose job it is to further the interests of the film industry, he feels that the fines and jail sentences envisaged may be somewhat excessive. Also, he wonders if the police have better things to do than mopping up citizen's arrests.
How to make a citizen's arrest here
How cinema pirates work here
Information for would-be cinema projectionists here
I'LL HAVE TO ASK YOU AND YOUR PARROT TO ACCOMPANY ME TO THE STATION
![I'LL HAVE TO ASK YOU AND YOUR PARROT TO ACCOMPANY ME TO THE STATION]()
Reviewed by Anonymous
on
Sunday, January 04, 2004
Rating:
Follow the IPKat on LinkedIn 
![[Guest post] Thou shalt not discriminate the Lego block over any other kind of product – GRUR speaks out on C-211/24](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWJYQUJNvYydrZcjwSHPuxd14xX3_48aBusHKBogY-Wg1BPSJSABbFFjmGiUV3aqG2npP9xYaIl1vtWK5AsqGOQPgRD2TWFLhyyc4xGm1fHDD-tt9kHcrSSgAyju2P9wSKz0VW6h7D5MD4Hxd9vREyxKYzlMRNXxxtxc3DiNsXppfVaxgSxAMV/s72-c/21742619125_7c9e53cd39_o.png)
![[Guest post] Comparison of wine and gin: the EUIPO’s unquestionable Similarity Tool](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNfTEBXiPVS0XjZi4mNE1OtXLxXiEp1PUgcUK7MMMXlfyTkO5SMXv-VCMXXNdS_F1XdMMxYca1VbBTGvvDeTVpo5x-5YwR7atQJmK3x32T8LACpf4308kht3nEtaxPwEPcGGrB0s5xjGktmQPOiVwPVLRO5JbW19qupc7xUtiVutvaWHow0OpBkA/s72-c/Picture%201.jpg)
![[Guest post] Muddying the waters of copyright – a rapid reaction to today’s IPEC decision which sees the sinking of the WaterRower’s claims for copyright protection](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7chFANC7ppmZl4_nlR6_hZEcg6cOhVEJNVXqki4p82BoVlcLFotuOXzHWYD5lKLiiK_kRoWeXmJjjaV2DpoKsAWq8U3LFioO5W_841a9gcfDIFjvZWcGqfnr0jWJNtyXptIYR_8bxCssaDkJ9KMokuSqy1g65Il7p2hPwo4MfRCEGoUPQJesvbg/s72-w400-c-h189/Screenshot%202024-11-11%20at%2018.20.45.png)
Posts
No comments:
All comments must be moderated by a member of the IPKat team before they appear on the blog. Comments will not be allowed if the contravene the IPKat policy that readers' comments should not be obscene or defamatory; they should not consist of ad hominem attacks on members of the blog team or other comment-posters and they should make a constructive contribution to the discussion of the post on which they purport to comment.
It is also the IPKat policy that comments should not be made completely anonymously, and users should use a consistent name or pseudonym (which should not itself be defamatory or obscene, or that of another real person), either in the "identity" field, or at the beginning of the comment. Current practice is to, however, allow a limited number of comments that contravene this policy, provided that the comment has a high degree of relevance and the comment chain does not become too difficult to follow.
Learn more here: http://ipkitten.blogspot.com/p/want-to-complain.html