U.S. LEGISLATORS APPEAL TO CANADIAN P.M.

In a rare appeal by U.S. legislators to the head of state of another country, two U.S. senators have asked the prime minister of Canada calling for legislation to ban the use of camcorders in Canadian theaters. The letter from Senators Dianne Feinstein and John Cornyn to Prime Minister Stephen Harper was sent on March 1 and disclosed in the Canadian press today (Thursday). "The theft and sale of newly-released movies has always been a serious threat to the motion picture industry," the senators wrote. "Now, the advancements of digital technology and improved camcorder capabilities have compounded the problem." The letter referred to a controversial study that concluded that 50 percent of all original camcording is done in Canada. Under Canadian law, moviegoers are permitted to make video tapes of movies in theaters provided it's for personal use. "If Canada does not criminalize illicit camcording, we are afraid that illegal pirating will continue to mushroom in your country," the letter said.

08/03/2007