LAUNCH OF ANTI-CAMCORDING PROGRAM: MAKE A DIFFERENCE 3
CINEMA OWNERS/OPERATORS PLEASE NOTE: To report camcording theft or to access MAD3 material, click here
- 24Aug 2011
Sydney: A new DVD training program was launched at the annual conference of the Independent Cinemas Association of Australia at Dendy Opera Quays Cinema today. The anti-camcording training program helps cinema managers and staff detect and prevent persons using recording devices to illegally copy movies being screened in their cinemas.
“Preventing camcording is one of the most important strategies for our film community, because, although it is extremely damaging, it can be stopped,” said Roy Billing at the launch of the program. “Ushers and cinema staff all over the country are doing a sterling job by preventing illegal recordings from taking place, however it’s a job that requires constant vigilance.”
“Illegally camcorded movies are the source of over 90 per cent of first release stolen movies on sale in Australia and around the world,” said Neil Gane, Executive Director of the Australian Federation Against Copyright Theft (AFACT), who produced the program.
“All it takes is one illegally recorded copy of a movie to trigger an avalanche of illegal copies which are then distributed and shared online, manufactured en masse and released on discs in back streets and markets across the globe. Prevention at the source – our cinemas – is an extremely important and valuable exercise to protect our film community.”
An anti-camcording trailer fashioned for drive-in cinemas was also launched by Roy Billing at the conference. Drive-in cinema owners attending the event were provided with 35mm prints of the 25 second trailer, which were produced with the kind assistance of Deluxe Australia.
On 2 April 2009, 26-year-old Craig Farrugia pled guilty and was subsequently convicted on movie theft copyright crimes involving the illegal camcording of a number of current release movie titles including He’s Just Not That Into You, Marley and Me, Yes Man, Bedtime Stories, and Beverly Hills Chihuahua, at a Sydney drive-in cinema. The court found that the movies illegally camcorded by Farrugia were distributed by international release group “PreVail.” They had been made available on numerous web sites as well as forensically matched to pirated DVDs purchased in Australia and a number of other countries around the world including the USA, Mexico, Britain, Spain, the Philippines and Malaysia.
The Make A Difference 3 training package was distributed to independent cinema owners attending the conference and will be distributed to every cinema in Australia over the next few weeks. An accompanying web site http://www.make-a-difference.sg/australia/ allows the training manual to be viewed online.
Members of the community can provide information on movie piracy to Crime Stoppers by calling 1800 333 000 or AFACT by calling 1800 251 996.
Penalties for copyright crimes under the Commonwealth Copyright Act are a maximum of $60,500 and/or 5 years jail per offence.
For more information contact us
Contact AFACT
About AFACT
AFACT works closely with the film and television community, government and enforcement agencies to address copyright theft and protect the interests of its members.
In February 2011, IPSOS and Oxford Economics released a study on behalf of AFACT entitled “Economic Consequences of Movie Piracy in Australia”. The key findings, outlined below, indicated the scale of harm caused by movie piracy to the Australian economy in the 12 months up to July 2010.
- $1.37 billion in revenue was lost across the entire Australian economy.
- 6,100 jobs were forgone across the entire economy.
- Tax losses to movie piracy amounted to $193 million.
- Direct consumer spending losses to the movie industry, ie. cinema owners, local distributors, producers and retailers amounted to $575 million.
