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21 Month Jail Sentence for Illegal Movie Piracy
A man caught videotaping Hollywood movies with a camcorder in Maryland, Virginia, was sentenced to 21 months of prison after pleading guilty to charges under the United States’ Family Entertainment and Copyright Act of 2005. Michael Logan was caught in late 2007 when a theatre surveillance system observed him setting up his camera to record the movie "Enchanted". Based on evidence obtained from film in Mr. Logan’s camera, police were able to link him to illegal copies of numerous other films.
The Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) has concluded that Mr. Logan is responsible for pirated copies of more than 100 movies recorded in theaters in a five-state area around Washington D.C. According to the MPAA, over 90 percent of movies that end up online or on the street are sourced to a single illegal copy recorded using a camcorder at a movie theatre.
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