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Piracy time: call to ban ‘smart watches’ in cinemas

Been to a live concert lately? It’s a sea of smartphones, dutifully recording the action to upload to YouTube at a later date (probably).

Now, watches and even glasses are getting the ‘smart’ treatment, with increased recording capabilities.

It’s prompted two influential US film industry organisations to warn movie theatres to ban smart watches and eyewear or else risk mass movie piracy.

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The Motion Picture Association of America and the National Association of Theater Owners updated a film-theft prevention policy to recommend zero-tolerance when it comes to movie goers wearing “intelligent” devices with video-recording capabilities.

newdaily_210514_googleglassBest practices guidelines, which theatre operators are free to embrace or ignore, were modified to say that “wearable devices” as well as smartphones must be “turned off and put away at show time”.

The two associations did not specifically mention Google Glass or any other gadget in the policy update released on Wednesday after an anti-piracy joint task force meeting at an annual ShowEast gathering of theatre owners in Florida.

“Individuals who fail or refuse to put the recording devices away may be asked to leave,” the policy stated.

“If theatre managers have indications that illegal recording activity is taking place, they will alert law enforcement authorities when appropriate.”

Google Glass – hotly anticipated by some, feared by others – became available in the US in May to anyone with $US1500 ($A1622) to spare and a desire to become an “explorer”.

Google has been working to burnish the image of Glass, which has triggered concerns about privacy since the devices are capable of capturing pictures and video.

Glass connects to the internet using wi-fi hot spots or, more typically, by being wirelessly tethered to mobile phones. Pictures or video may be shared through the Google Plus social network.

-with AAP

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