Camcorder Use Now Illegal In Japanese Theaters
Just a reminder to all you pirates out there:
TOKYO — Japan’s anti-camcording law went into effect on Thursday, making it illegal to record pics in theaters.
The law was passed late in May, with a sentence of up to 10 years and a fine of up to Y10 million ($86,960) or both for violators.
Industry orgs — including the Japan and Intl. Motion Picture Copyright Assn., the Motion Picture Producers Assn. of Japan, the Japan Assn. of Theater Owners, the Foreign Film Importer-Distributors Assn. of Japan and the Japan Video Software Assn. — jointly lobbied the government for the legislation in January and pressed vigorously for its passage.
And to put that message into pictures, here is one of the PSA’s about the new law that was being shown before movies at theaters in Japan (which appears to have been filmed with a camcorder):
