Previous |
Next |
August 23, 2007, 12:59 PM ET
Antipiracy Law Ensnares College Student
Jhannet Sejas, a sophomore at Marymount University who made news last month after she was arrested for filming a segment of Transformers in a movie theater, has pleaded guilty to violating Virginia law by unlawfully recording a motion picture, according to Wired.
Her arrest was unusual and outraged digital-rights activists since Ms. Sejas acknowledged filming 20 seconds of the movie only to get her younger brother psyched about the film. Many had assumed that the Virginia law and similar antipiracy laws in other states were aimed at nabbing those who sought only to profit from selling movies they surreptitiously filmed in theaters.
In exchange for her guilty plea, Ms. Sejas was fined only $71, much less than the $2,500 fine she faced when she was charged with the misdemeanor. A prosecutor in Arlington County, Virginia, told Wired that he was pressed by Regal Entertainment Group, which owns the theater where Ms. Sejas was arrested, to prosecute the 19-year-old college student.
Will the case discourage others from bringing camcorders into movie theaters to film short clips?—-Andrea L. Foster
Categories: Student-Life
Add Your Comment
Commenting is closed.