Search For Movie Piracy Equipment Was Invasion of Privacy
Written by enigmax on May 31, 2009A Canadian court has ordered a cinema to pay $10,000 damages after staff searched a family’s bags looking for camming equipment, but ended up breaching their privacy. The search by staff also turned up something embarrassing in older daughter’s bag. Mom had no idea. Not impressed.
A little while ago we reported on a case in the UK where a woman went to the cinema and claimed she was “treated like a criminal.” Searching for movie camming equipment, staff instead found some candy. Because she wouldn’t hand it over, they called security to deal with her and the whole thing descended into farce.
Well, it seems the Canadians have been at it too.
These days cinemas believe that all paying movie-goers are potential Scene pirates, so when a woman took her two daughters to Cinema Guzzo in Montreal to watch Shrek the Third in 2007, they were searched for camming kit. Big trouble ensued.
Finding a stash of illicit smuggled snacks, staff ordered them returned to their vehicle, to be locked securely away so it would be impossible to consume them while watching the movie. The trio complied.
The search of the bags continued and then, jackpot! Although staff didn’t find the latest DV camera, they did find some birth control pills in the older daughter’s bag, an event that didn’t go unnoticed by her mother. Until this point, she had absolutely no idea her child took them. Understandably angry, the mother sued the cinema for invasion of privacy, demanding $60,000 CAD.
Last week a judge ruled that the staff did indeed breach the privacy of the family and ordered the cinema to pay $10,000 CAD ($9,000 USD). Signs at the point of ticket purchase must clearly state that there is a bag search in place and staff must not put their hands inside people’s bags. Cinema Guzzo failed on both counts, not to mention causing sensitive problems within a family and guaranteeing that they never, ever come back as customers. Fail all round then.
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99 Responses
LOL
im 10 inches
With the amount of rude inconsiderate people who talk in the theaters these days, I don’t know why people still go to the cinemas. I saw 5 films in theaters over the past 24 months, and in every single one the audience was talking during the movie. If the industry ever wants me to see a movie in the theaters, they better make it worth it. Currently, it isn’t.
shouldn’t the mother be erm.. well.. happy that her daughter is smart enough to take birth control pills to begin with? what with teenpregnancies being ever on the rise and all.
though i suppose it’s a matter of age of said daughter, and parent’s insistance that their kids not have sex till they turn *atleast* 35.
FAILURE.Just failure….
Good for them and I guess mom should keep a better eye on her sex crazed little daughter rofl
SECOND!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! XD
#4 Fail
Affordable big screen TVs, CHECK.
Affordable projectors, CHECK.
Rude & inconsiderate move staff,CHECK.
Overpriced snacks at movies, CHECK.
Irritating other people at the cinema,CHECK.
Easy way to download off the net,CHECK.
Gotto be dumb or “unenlightened” or a sucker for punishment to go the to movies……CHECK?
-eZee.se
Classic….LMAO
This could be a good reason to don’t go anymore to cinema xD
@Rob: +1, I join you. Everytime i go to cinema, there always the annoying people who talk or calling with mobile :(
nice going idiots. not going to the movies if this keeps up and or you keep producing junk movies that arent even worth seeing for free.
Then there’s the rip-off prices that cinemas charge. In London, it’s difficult to find a cinema which doesn’t charge less than £10 a head – and this is the STUDENT rate! In my home city of Manchester, an affordable movie visit is still hard to find, with tickets at £5-£7.
They talk about the decline of movie visits and sales, blaming it on piracy, while simultaneously jacking up prices during a recession.
i don’t pay for movies
Going the the cinema in the UK has very little to do with enjoying a good movie, but does provide a constant reminder of where Chavs go to demonstrate the advances in chavness.
When you treat all your customers like potentiall criminals, you must be either plain stupid or just lying when you blame your decreasing sales on piracy.
This is so incredibly stupid! It’s like they want to chase people away.
Any cinema staff who read this: NOONE cares for CAM/TS! Make sure your Cinema is friendly to customers and doesn’t check people, if you don’t you only turn people into pirates.
I’m sure your boss (big expert of piracy I’m sure) tells you to check everyone because some idiot at the top of the movie business piramid thought cameras were worth it these ridiculous protections. They’re not.
The people who brings materials are smart people, they don’t fall for these stupid things.
Next to that, people download DVDRip (source R1 DVD), R5.LINE (source R5 DVDRip with quality english audio source) and DVDScreener. Noone cares for cams or TS. Only a incredibly small percentage of people care to watch that.
Couldn’t agree more with what http://www.eZee.se said… CHECK
lol i thought they were going to find a dildo or something from the description lol, although contraceptive pills are still quite funny.
I dont download Cams anyways, DVDRip or higher is all thats worth watching… cams are just too low quality.
My couch is much more comfortable than a theater chair. As well, if the movie sucks, I just download another one and don’t lose 10 bucks.
Who wants to go and sit with a bunch of teenagers at the theater anyways.
$10,000 CAD – that’s a fair few tickets to break even.
Tragic ;)
agree with @17. If the dougther was like 18+ a parent should be redy to face that she probobly is having sex
movies are gay
Hmm interesting, here the only one who can actually search your bare the police and in some very rare cases the military. Everything else is against the law and gets fined big time :) Well we don’t care about caming anyway, last time my cousin recordet 10sec of a movie to show me his handy makes better cams then the one I downloaded last time :D The staff didn’t care and the rest of the cinema couldn’t give less sh*t about it
people still download cams? *facepalm*
I have never been searched though, they ever try I’ll refuse and see the movie, if they try to stop me I’ll demand a refund and never go back there, save myself $10 everytime, just get the DVDRip although unless I buy a home projector I guess I won’t be seeing movies with friends :\
Decades ago when I was a movie usher, it was my job to shush blabbermouths who talked during the performance. Now this job has been eliminated along with that of professional projectionist and (sometimes) adult manager. All that is left is a few kids to rip tickets and pick up the worst of the trash left by the audience. The oldest kid gets to be the manager. Without a proper staff is it any wonder that some of the audience acts as though they were at a ball game. Of course the concession stand is still fully staffed and ready to poison the patrons. When you have to sneak your own refreshments into the theater its probably time to give up on the venue.
I’ve never been searched, rarely go to a movie where people talk. They’re quite considerate here. Dunno why…
Also, staff don’t care if you bring in sweets and stuff. I’ve carried loads in before in plain sight and they’re like “Screen 10, to the left”
;D
Up the Dubs!
I’ll bet that she wishes she’d just downloaded the movie!
I’ll bet that she downloads them from now on!
I’m sorry but I don’t think I’d allow anyone to touch my daughter’s purse like that.
I used to work in a cinema a while back. We were only “required” to look for anything that was “actually” suspicious such as someone carrying a recording device in plain view or a “red recording light” during the movie itself. The ONLY people who would go so far as to want to search people’s belongings (which was NOT actually company policy at all) are those that took their job way too seriously for what it was. The fact that there is a massive reward to staff for every find does not help either as the pay sucked and some would do everything they could to get more out of it.
I honestly believe theatres will lose more revenue through the bad PR from incidents like these than they ever would in the hands of true cammers. But you probably already knew that anyway.
Currency conversion fail.
What most people don’t realise is that when cinemas charge for a film they show they get pennies or close to pennies from the ticket the rest go to the movie studios.
What? did you think that sometimes hundreds of millions of cash they make from a movie comes from only got 1 or 2 pound from a 5 pound ticket?
If the movie studios get the majority of the ticket money where does the cinema make its money? Strangely mostly from snack sales. Cinemas could really be classed as food outlets as that’s where the majority of there money comes from.
Something to think about.
-J
O yea forgot to add in the middle of a depression (not a recession btw its been more than a year).
How many people will see this and go to cinemas with odd shaped bags and large coats and such hoping to get physical searched so they can sue the cinema use this case as an example and get free cash whoo.
-J
haha, pwned. Will teach them to act like they are some sort of authority.
F*CK OFF.
I’m the reason she’s on birth control.
my local movie theater is surprisingly lax in security…ive seen about ten movies this past year and never paid for one of them…i just walked in with my brother and sat down. saved me a small fortune.
#36 deadboy – so now help us out. Go cam the movies and upload them!
Comments on this article are just reDICKulous.. lol figured id add one to.
Havnt been to a movie theater since jackass two, and refuse to watch anything unless i am 100% sure its worthy of me being treated like a criminal when i attend the movie.
Dang, hopefully this doesn’t happen to this movie theater I go to. I found this movie theater that charges 4 dollars for college students and they are not complete dickheads. Some movie theaters I will never go to though is Edwards Cinema and AMC, they charge 10-12 bucks a movie. Fuck that!
Also no one downloads CAM or TS. I only watch CAM or TS when my dad buys bootlegs from the local bum XD Lol. I don’t download though.
Cloverfield was better on aXXo’s DVDRip than on theater!
cool, cineworld iam gonna sue your mpaa ass
The only time I ever go to a movie theater is when I can sneak in for free… which is more often than you think.
And I’m just gonna say this about the daughter: Good for her. Sex is not something to be cautioned upon.
I abandoned the cinema a long time ago. The last time I went, which is now about a decade ago, I remember sitting there and just thinking to myself… Why? Why even bother anymore? What am I paying for? THIS?
Fuck it.
And that was before the staff turned into paranoid nightvision goggle wearing fascist thugs, the ticketprices went through the roof, and they were only just starting to show commercials before the movie.
I can’t even imagine how many customers they’re losing these days. Actually, I can’t imagine why anybody goes to the cinema anymore, period.
Seriously. If they one day cease to exist, it’ll be good riddence as far as I’m concerned, and I’d say that whether or not P2P was available to me.
I still go to the cinema now and then when I know a good movie is going to play,the big screen is always nicer then any tv you can get for your home.
But if those f!@#$%s ever try to search me, then I will not restrain a dropkick to a zitty teenager’s face.
everyone should wear a red LED on their jacket when visiting the theatre
“Your response is awaiting moderation.”
wtf…..
@ 43 – epic win
Thats what they get for trying to help out the MPAA.
They deserve to get sued, so now I still wonder if the theater company will still suck up to the MPAA after this incident.
I never let anyone search my bag. I don’t even show my bags when I visit grocery stores if they happen to ask me to. I usually demand a police officer to conduct any search if they think they have a legitimate reason to do it. At that point the security staff etc. usually don’t bother with the trouble :D
@14: Or lack of advances =D
And yes, when a customer is being treated like a common criminal, it is an invasion of privacy. I wonder if the manager actually knows that the majority of piracy is actually commited by the projection room staff.
I use to love going to the theater. Mostly for the hot dogs. After going to see Star Trek at the IMAX last month though, I don’t think I will go back. There were like 4 specks of dust on the lens, and that was like dark blobs the size of a Hummer on the screen. Several of the people in the theater asked to have the lens cleaned but the staff wouldn’t do it.
I wasn’t searched though, or they probably would have taken the bottle of Crown Royal though. Also the hot dogs sucked.
Who goes to the theaters? This is the reason I don’t go..WHY I HAVE TO SPEND 8 DOLLARS FOR CANDY WHEN I CAN GET THE SAME SIZE FOR 1.50..LOWER YOUR FUCKING POPCORN AND SODA PRICES YOU THIEVES AND MAYBE I’LL GO..UNTIL THEN MOVIE FORUMZ AND 456356546546546 OTHER SITES MAKE ME WATCH THE MOVIE RIGHT FROM HOMES AND ENJOY MY DOLLAR SODA AND CANDY…JUST SAVED 20 BUCKS
Canadian theatres are becoming a joke.. All because of BS reports from copyright boards etc..
I am not be going to the movie theater for years because I am boycotting.
With all ther story about staff searching your stuff and so forth it is very unlikly I will go back to the movie theater anytime soon.
The daughter is a slut and great on the mother for profiting from her daughters sluttiness.
The MPAA (which doesn’t care about it’s customers and only sees them as cash dispensers) has their little ass kissing drones running around like mindless drones doing the dirty work for them. All of this apparently to ensure that all they can pay everyone whose name appears in the credits.
The truth is movies are still earning record profits during this worldwide recession and “rampant” and ever growing piracy.
Sorry MPAA. No one likes your fascist crap. No one appreciates you exploiting ordinary people, judges and politicians lying to them all that I’m hurting you while you earn record profits during this recession while record number of people are losing their jobs and homes relying on food banks just to feed their families.
The MPAA can go fuck themselves.
Older people always say how they used to go the cinema regular.
They:
a) didn’t have drive 10 miles because the local cinemas have closed
b) pay a sodding fortune for the ticket (and 5 pounds for popcorn… wtf its corn !!!)
c) have to put up with 1000 people with mobile phones on where the light is blinding in a dark room.
I hate the cinema, I just dont go any more, too far, too expensive, too distracting.
@26 good post !!!
I’d take an ordinary backpack, fill it with an assload of bloody tampons and enter the cinema looking as suspicious as possible. Then, when they’d want to check, I’d dumb the entire load of “treats” all over their concession stand. And then I’d sue the bastards for forcing me to ruin my priceless collection. Score!
dumb = dump
Also no one downloads CAM or TS. I only watch CAM or TS when my dad buys bootlegs from the local bum XD Lo
commments i tell ya hhahahahhahhahaaaahhahahhahahahhahhahahhahahahahahhahahahhahah
The only thing theaters are good for is taking a date to.
only 10k? :(
Movies are luckily still pretty cheap in Montreal (and Guzzo really went down hill, so I don’t go there anymore).
$5 CAD on tuesday ($7 for IMAX). Concessions are overpriced, but my loyalty card gets me 10% off, and they have a Tim Hortons in the theater (as a concession stand) that sells everything at ordinary Tim Hortons prices (sandwiches, coffee, iced capps, donuts, etc.)
Oh and yeah. I’ve never really had any problems like that with any theatres I’ve been to in Canada.
I don’t mind going to the theatre, but they can’t beat my massive HD TV, custom made media supercomputer with HDMI video/optical audio outputs, killer surround sound system and sub, comfy leather sofas and cheap snacks. I haven’t bought any Blueray movies and I’m not sure if I will considering I can download the best of the latest HD movies from the comfort of my leather sofa. Too bad my PS3 doesn’t have the ability to download payHD videos here in Canada yet as if that’ll ever happen (yes Sony, you’re losing out big time for not offering this service).
Anyways, the theatre is just a tad overpriced but they have their own expenses to pay, and I’m sure the MPAA is taking the lions share as usual while the theatre itself struggles to earn a decent living. Hey wait a minute, the RIAA does that too. What an interesting coincidence.
there’s just way too many crappy movies out nowadays that keep me from wanting to go to the theater. and not only that, keep me from wanting to download them. it’s sad that movies have gotten so bad that i won’t even consider downloading them. who knew that hollywood’s plan of combatting online “piracy” would mean that they would have to put out so many crappy movies? very sneaky, hollywood…..
I haven’t been to a movie theater in over 10 years..I’m a big StarTrek fan, but not enough to go pay $10-$12 at a theater, then listen to screeching kids, idiots on cellphones.. I can wait till it comes out on DVD…
This can be remedied by BitTorrent.
Another hit on the major-epic-fail target. \o/
ok here my last ever experience going to a theatre in canada
as part of a seminar for welfare that i finished top in for interview skills i received a card for a free movie
10$
expecting to go on cheap movie night and get a pop n popcorn i was shocked they at the booth took at ten bucks 1st off and that pop n popcorn was 17.07 with a 1$ off “savings”
then they were all staring at me like some nut or whatever and i sat where i was totally alone
and was still being watched
boy does it make ya feel poor and degraded yet that ya cant afford watered down pop n popcorn tat is stale yet?
cant bring food your self SCREW YOU THEN
seriously to del maestro NO TO A NEW IMAX THEATRE for peterborough ontario
WE DONT NEED MORE CRAP
Another idea: Take a NON-camera cellphone to the theater and hold it up during the movie like you’re recording it. If/when they ask what you’re doing, tell them that you were just checking the time, your text messages, whatever. Of course they probably won’t believe you and will demand to search your phone. Refuse and make them call the cops. Cooperate with the cops, show them that your cellphone doesn’t have a camera and then sue the theater for harassment.
Of course finding a cellphone that doesn’t have a camera in today’s world might be a little difficult. Don’t try it if your phone DOES have a camera as they’ll just say that you erased it.
Is the law the same in the US? sign + no touchy
Heavens, a daughter who is taking the extra step to not end up knocked up. Punish the little harlot!
Seriously, I’m surprised these days when I find out someone isn’t on the pill.. It’s hardly newsworthy to anyone concerned.
@68.. Actually theyll just ask you to leave and if you don’t then they will call the cops.. Says so on the retarded signs I saw last time I went.. Won’t be returned.. CAMS don’t come from Canada.. We are not a major source of PIRACY like the US would like every1 to believe.. It’s just another way the copyright lobbies are tightening the noose around Canada hoping to push draconian laws.. I’ve never EVER seen anybody camming a movie in Canada.. Yes we have been literally alone for movies (friends and I) .. Those were the good days..
ROTFLMFAO fail
I do feel the theater overstepped it’s boundaries.
Also, it would seem that many of you need to be forced to work as a movie theater employee for a few months.
How long does it take for some of the cinemas to realise that they actually lose more money to anti-piracy measures than they actually lose for piracy?
Same for the big movie industries, currently anti-piracy is eating more money than piracy has ever done.
yeah i havent been ta the theaters in like 3-4 months, furget, but its expensive n movies arent great anymore
Cinema staff… They’re so funny ^^
“Vince Guzzo, V.P., of Guzzo Theatres says the company is sticking by its policy despite having to pay damages to the family.”
What a dick…
@36
Sneaking to the movie is stealing. You are depriving hard working copywrite holders like Adam Sandler out of his extra millions. You basement living deadbeats think entertainment must be given for free. We all noes moviegoers sneak into movies. Theatres should be banned as they are aiding in theft like The Pirate Bay. That law breaking mom and her kids should be punished for stealing when they smuggled candy in order to deprive the creators of cinema candy goodness from there revenue. Not to mention the judge was out of line as he did not properly apply the Berne three step rule of moronic stupidity. Criminals.
I was in the cinema a while back when some guys phone went off… not only was he an ignoramus for leaving his phone on after the cinemas warning advert… he then proceeded to answer his phone and tell the person on the other end: “I can’t talk, I’m in the cinema”. I’ve seen people beaten up for less.
?? ??????? ??????? ?????? ????????. ?????? ?????? ? ?????? ??????.
What the cinema doesn’t understand is that they are not competing with cammed movies…
cinemas offer the ultimate experience in sound and video quality- cammed movies watched at home do not even come close
I remember a year and a half ago when I went to the movies for some reason, and I hit myself and said like so many before me… Im paying for THIS!?!?!?!? Go back home silly boy…
@54 diarRIAA
“The daughter is a slut and great on the mother for profiting from her daughters sluttiness.”
So I take it you know these people then?
At least the daughter proves to have common sense in having the contraceptives in the first place, so great on the mother for providing proper guidance to her daughter.
If only your mother had been as sensible as the daughter, she could have spared us from your brainless drivel.
As for the fine, far from being “profiteering”, if the cinema broke the law then they should compensate. I can only imagine how loud your screams of injustice would be if it had been you on the recieving end. So unless you have anything useful to say, STFU.
Also @62 DiarRIAA
“I don’t mind going to the theatre, but they can’t beat my massive HD TV, custom made media supercomputer with HDMI video/optical audio outputs, killer surround sound system and sub, comfy leather sofas and cheap snacks”
Seems you like everyone to know how hi tech your gear is.
I don’t watch DVDs. I download everything via my triple-core AMD Phenom PC with 1TB SATA hard drive and 4GB RAM, and transfer it onto a 1TB Network Media Hard Drive which is linked to my giant Samsung HD TV by HDMI. The audio is handled by a 1,000 watt JVC 7.1 surround system. The Network Media Drive holds all my CD/DVD collection too. Annnd, I also have leather sofas, which also recline.
But know what? NOBODY CARES what either you or I use.
You must care enuff to reply with the same crap…..Begone with you, you cretin.
Well .. considering that travel by air has increased since they started surprise body-cavity checks perhaps the cinemas just tries the same strategy?
“a stash of illicit smuggled snacks”
I always wonder why is illegal to enter a bag of the same chips that will be sold later for 3 times the price you would pay outside. do they carry an insurance in case i will drop them over another customer?
@85 JesusHatesLies
Yeah.. begone demon! Jesus must love you very much.. though I think you’re a c**t.
Shit happens in this world..
Just live with it.!
It’s only a matter of time before they try to search the wrong guy and security goon ends up in the hospital… or worse!
Disconnecting Internet users: Check
Arresting file sharers: Check
Threatning and breaking houses with false documents: Check
Making shure cinema clients never come back: Check
All checked and ready for Epic savings fail and blame on pirates.
The stench of cooked food, the noisy popcorn-eaters and rattling of papers, straws-sucking-sodas noisly, how is this the “total cinema experience” ? I stopped going to the cinemas when they stopped showing films and overwhelmed the viewers with junk food and inconsiderate behaviour! And I don’t need to own the film on a dvd, i just want to see it – and most films are not worth watching more than the first ten minutes they are such infantile scenarios !
I’m a go there and see if I can get 10k cash.
@1 – Multiplying by 10 doesn’t count.
tbh there’s no better place for a bj
I think I’m gonna find a theater that does search for cameras, then walk up with one in hand. When the guy/girl says I can’t bring it into the theater, I’m gonna make a big scene and refuse to watch the movie. LMAO! The camera will be on the whole time, of course!
You people should not go into the theaters with your own snacks, because then the theater will go bankrupt, as we take all the ticket money. We Rock!
I thought only 12 year old kids went to the cinema these days? That’s why they are all in day care centres(shopping malls)FFS spell checker centre is spelled CENTRE not CENTER – English!!!!!!
@98
There are multiple forms of every language. I can think of three immediately. UK English VS US English(favorite and favourite), Spanish Spain VS Spanish Latin America(Use of the pronoun vosotros/vosotras), and Portuguese Portugal VS Portuguese Brazil.
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