Thursday, March 17, 2005

State Cracks Down on Film Piracy

State Cracks Down on Film Piracy
by DANNY FORINASH
WTRF (West Virginia), publication date: 17 March 2005
"A bill that would define recording films at a theater with an audio-visual device as a felony passed through the Senate Judiciary Committee after quick approval from the House of Delegates.

'This kind of camera theft has been around for some time,' said Todd Flournoy, Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) vice president and counsel. 'It's always been a problem. But bootleg copies used to be sold on the street. The quality was poor, and there was no easy means of distribution.'

...

So far, 21 states have passed laws concerning anti-piracy. The MPAA is lobbying 18 others, including West Virginia, this year.

"It's important to protect the movie industry in West Virginia," said Sen. Jeffrey Kessler, D-Marshall, Judiciary Committee chairman. "In the end, we hope to preserve a product that could be made in West Virginia and enhance the state's economy.""

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