News > Camcorders in theaters not illegal in Canada; Hollywood not happy

Via Variety:

Canadian law apparently doesn't ban people from bringing camcorders into a movie theater and taping what they see. And when Canadians are attending up north promo screenings, things start getting sticky. Warner Bros. is claiming 70% of pirated WB films that hit the streets in the past 18th months originated in Canada.

So starting June 7th, there will be no more promo screenings in Canada. The WB ban will continue until Canada passes a law banning camcorders. There will still be press screenings for credentialed viewers…but no more preview screenings for the Canadian public.

Says WB VP Darcy Antonellis: '"Within the first week of a film's release, you can almost be certain that somewhere out there a Canadian copy will show up."'

Say what you will about DRM and pirating screener copies etc. etc. until your face turns blue, but it is pretty ridiculous that at the very least Canadian movie theaters aren't allowed to check people's bags for cameras at promos screenings. I don't usually side with Hollywood when it comes to piracy issues, but this one is a no brainer – they should obviously stop promo screenings in Canada. Maybe I'm quick to agree because it won't affect me in the slightest (hehe that's why I live in America, people) but, c'mon.