Teen Pleads Guilty in Rare Theater Filming Case

Found on Wired on Tuesday, 21 August 2007
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The teen arrested last month for filming 20 seconds of Transformers in a Virginia theater has pleaded guilty to one count of unlawfully recording a motion picture in violation of state law.

The case is believed to be the first in which somebody was arrested and convicted for filming part of a movie for personal, noncommercial use in the United States.

Under last week's deal in Arlington County General District Court, Sejas was fined $71 in court costs and could have been on the hook for a maximum $2,500 fine, according to court records.

When arrested on her birthday last month, the Annandale, Virginia, resident said she was taking the short clip with a Canon PowerShot to show her 13-year-old brother.

"We hope that this case reinforces our efforts to educate the public that unauthorized recording, whether a clip or the whole film, in movie theaters is against the law."

Sorry to spoil your hope. This case only show how greedy and idiotic the industry is: sueing someone for recording just 20 seconds. In fact, those 20 seconds would have been a good PR, making her brother go watch the movie too. But no, instead run around like a crybaby yelling "those 20 seconds are mine, you must not show them to your brother".