There was a Seinfeld episode in which Kramer struggled to videotape movies to sell as bootlegs on the street. What I didn't realize then was that this was a very real phenomenon, not just some goofy idea the Seinfeld writers came up with for Kramer to get involved in. Bootlegs of bands I can understand - performances change from night to night, setlists change, and people sometimes just want to mark the occasion of seeing a band with a bootleg, however crappy it may be - the sensation of knowing that you are in that audience is surreal. But bootlegging popular movies that are still in theater just boggles my mind - the effort one must go to in order to procure one of these bootleg videos, even with today's high-speed internet connections, is still tremendous. Even given today's steadily climbing ticket prices, I still can't find a logical reason to either hunt down a seller of these videos nor to spend much time downloading hundreds of megabites of poorly-shot video footage. But, alas, it happens, and Disney has found a novel way of combatting this ridiculous problem: night vision goggles.
That's right, Disney is employing Pinkterton security forces to patrol advanced screenings of its new Pixar film, Finding Nemo, armed with night-vision goggles to catch would-be bootleggers in the act of videotaping showings. Movie-goers are also forced to pass through metal detectors. And believe it or not, those caught attempting to capture the performance - either by videotape or even digital still cameras - could face up to 26 years in prison.
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