Safety Cap's Journal: In your face, US! TEXAS RULES!!!!!

Okay, so the Texas State Senate passed a bill that the RIAA is creaming over: if you record a movie in a theater, you can be detained and get fined, etc.

The unintended consequences are CHOICE: no longer will I have to put up with stupid idiots who insist that their useless conversations on cell phones must take place during the movie.

The relevent sections of the bill:

Sec. 35.935. UNAUTHORIZED OPERATION OF RECORDING DEVICE IN MOTION PICTURE THEATER. (a) In this section:
(1) "Audiovisual recording function" means the capability of a device to record or transmit a motion picture or any part of a motion picture by means of any technology now known or later developed.

Yes, that would be a cell phone: it can transmit the soundtrack part of a motion picture.

(b) A person commits an offense if the person knowingly operates the audiovisual recording function of any device in a motion picture theater, while a motion picture is being exhibited, without the consent of the owner of the theater.

No, you don't have consent. That's why one of the many trailer/ads have the "turn off your cell phone/pager" riff. Answering the phone = "knowingly operates the audiovisual recording function'."

(f) A person may not obtain damages in a civil action against the owner or manager of a motion picture theater, or an agent or employee of the owner or manager, arising out of an act taken in the course of detaining the person on a good faith belief that the person had violated this section,

Okay, here's the sticky part: am I, as a patron of the movie theater, an "agent"?

The bill's sponsor thinks so:

Senate Bill 481 would establish new criminal penalties for unauthorized movie recordings and allow movie patrons to collar people they think are violating the law and detain the suspects until police arrived.

"I guess you could have a citizen's arrest," said the sponsor, Sen. Jeff Wentworth, R-San Antonio.

Wot a country!

woohoo

[nizo]

Time to bring cuffs and pepper spray to the next movie! Though if you can't record them talking on the phone, make sure you have a few witnesses not affiliated with the victim, err I mean criminal recording the movie. I hate people who talk on phones during a movie.

Cell Phones in Movie Theaters

[M.C. Hampster]

There are usually a dozen or so posts complaining about cell phones in movie theaters whenever the subject is brought up in a story on the front page. However, I honestly cannot think of a single time that I've ever seen someone using a cell phone in a theater after the lights have dimmed.

Perhaps I don't see enough movies or people in Phoenix are just more courteous? Looking at how we drive, I tend to believe the latter isn't true. :-)

Re:Cell Phones in Movie Theaters

[Safety Cap]

However, I honestly cannot think of a single time that I've ever seen someone using a cell phone in a theater after the lights have dimmed.

Dude no. The last time I was in the movies (Robots - pretty good flick), I heard a #&* ringtone and then:

Yeah, what's up?

...

Nothing, watching a movie.

...

Yeah, [insert comments about some mutual friend]

...

Cool, yeah, I'll call you when I'm done.

...

Later. (click)

Oh, and this brainiac wasn't whispering or anything. You know how people get all loud and stuff

Re:Cell Phones in Movie Theaters

[M.C. Hampster]

I'm so ready for this.

Sweet. I was going to ask you to have whoever was with you record the whole event, but then I realized you'd have to arrest them too.

Re:Cell Phones in Movie Theaters

[Safety Cap]

If you hear the movie and then later say the lines, you are transmitting it, right?

I'm going to arrest everyone. My Kung Fu is most powerful.

Re:Cell Phones in Movie Theaters

[arb]

I have unfortunately seen/heard people on their phones in cinemas countless times. Luckily for me, at the cinema closest to home it is impossible to get any reception, so mobile phones don't work inside, which means I only have to put with annoying ass-hats who like to talk to each other during the movie. (At least I get to hear both sides of the conversation.)

Civilized nation?

[Safety Cap]

For some reason, businesses here aren't allowed to deploy Cell-free zones [globalgadgetuk.com].

"Oh, but what if [insert relatively insignificant event] happens? How will we (get help/alert friends/call the media/look important)?"

Suggestion: run outside and phone from outside the dead zone, just like how we used to do before there were portable phones.

Re:Civilized nation?

[arb]

The cool thing with this cinema is that they do not use any devices to block the signal - the building design does that for them.

Maybe doctors and the like need to be contacted when they are on call, but they can always let the office know they are at the cinema and to call cinema management if there is an emergency. That is what used to happen before mobile phones and pagers and it seemed to work quite well back then.