What to Do
Take Action and earn a Reward. Recording movies within theaters violates federal copyright law and numerous state laws. Help fight camcording by educating your patrons, identifying camcording activity, and then taking steps to stop this illegal activity.
As a general matter, theaters 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 theater and that it is a crime to record a film in a movie theater.
The Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) and the National Association of Theatre Owners (NATO) have instituted a program to reward theater employees who identify patrons illegally recording a movie. Employees may be eligible for a reward of $500.00 for identifying a person operating a video camera or other recording device to copy a movie in a theater, for immediately notifying the police, for stopping the camcording, and for filing a police report of the incident.
Whenever a theater 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 theater employees should take:
What to do when you discover a patron illegally recording a movie in the theater:
- Advise your theater manager immediately.
- Your theater manager should call the local police immediately and provide as much information and assistance as possible.
- It is advisable to call the MPAA ((800) 371-9884) immediately after calling the police so that the MPAA can liaise with the police on legal issues, if necessary.
- If a police officer has not arrived within 20 minutes of the end of the movie, theater management and/or theater security should STOP or INTERFERE with the recording, but NEVER touch the suspect or grab the recording device. Theater 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 Motion Picture Association of America's 24/7 Anti-Camcording Hotline ((800) 371-9884). The MPAA 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 MPAA 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 NATO at (202) 962-0054.
Download the Best Practices Guide to Prevent Film Theft.