A Twilight fan is facing three-years in jail for using her camera at a birthday party inside a cinema screening of the film.
Samantha Tumpach, 22, was jailed for two nights in Chicago, after security staff saw her using her point-and-shoot camera inside the cinema during a screening of Twilight: New Moon.
Tumpach was at the cinema on Saturday celebrating her sister's surprise 29th birthday with friends.
She admitted to police there were small snippets - less than three minutes - of the film on her camera but claims she was just documenting the party and not trying to make a copy of the film.
Tumpach was pulled out of the cinema when a worker saw her recording video during the movie.
She was charged with one count of criminal use of a motion picture exhibition - a serious charged aimed at people who are attempting to bootleg films.
"It was a big thing over nothing," Tumpach said.
"We were just messing around. Everyone is so surprised it got this far." Managers from the theatre contacted police who examined the small digital camera.
Police spokesman Frank Siciliano said: "Officers found that Tumpach had taped two very short segments of the movie - no more than four minutes total."
Cinema managers, however, insisted on pressing charges.
Tumpach was jailed for two nights until she could appear in court on Monday, where a judge ordered her released on bail.
She plans to fight the charge in court because she said she did nothing wrong - and did not attempt to secretly tape the film.
Kate: So what do you think? Are they going too far or trying to send a message to get the point across and stop piracy??
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15 comments:
Wow, that's a bummer. I don't buy that she was just filming the party. OF COURSE she wanted to get some of the film on her camera. Who wouldn't want to relive a little Robward later on? But to me that's not such a big deal. Maybe it should be, but it seems silly to send the girl to JAIL over it. A fine would've sufficed, I think.
I agree, Izzy. Yeah, its illegal. But I don't think she needs to go to jail for three years, come on....
I don't buy she was only filming the party either...but a 3 year's sentence possible for only a few brief clips is a bit too much. I think a heafty fine would suffice for this "crime". But Hollywood is losing big money over pirated movies so I can understand they strike hard but still...the sentence she may face does not fit the crime here!
Seriously when rapists only get like measly 6 month's sentence o the same for a child molestor or whatever she may have to spend THREE YEARS in jail for a few secs of NM? Unbeliveable! Nope the sentence does NOT fit the crime here and I do not care what her true intentions where.
ok that was suppose to end with were, not where sorry.
That wasn't necessary. I mean she's not the first to record bits of the movie. The whole movie can be watched on YouTube already so what she did is nothing compared to what's going on on YouTube right now^^
And it's not like no one is going to go to the cinema to watch New Moon, just because she uploaded it (if she was going to...)
Every TwiHard watches it multiple times (which I think is the reason, why the movie earns so much money... It's not that a lot people are watching it, it's just that the same people are watching it over and over again^^)
Hmm I'm torn on this.. Look how many "recorded" trailers or scenes we all watched prior to nm coming out...
But.. I agree it's criminal and should pay a hefty fine...totally agree Maryanne about rapists & child predators, how many spend what 6 mon and then are released??
I've paid 7 times to see new moon..and will keep paying to watch it.
I don't buy her story of just filming the party, but I think a jail sentence would be ridiculous! She should pay a fine, but really, her having four minutes of the film on her camera isn't going to stop her/us going out and buying it on dvd or going back to the cinema to watch it again is it!
There are worse crimes out there that get much less of a sentence!
WTF!!! A girl can risk prison (= cohabitation with real delinquents, messing up her life forever) for having recorded a couple of minutes of one of the biggest commercial success of the planet?
I HOPE PEOPLE IDENTIFY THAT CINEMA AND NEVER GO THERE ANYMORE.
I feel it’s like a story from the mafia. Once you go in, you don’t know if you’ll ever get out alive.
WTF!!! A girl can risk prison (= cohabitation with real delinquents, messing up her life forever) for having recorded a couple of minutes of one of the biggest commercial success of the planet?
I HOPE PEOLE IDENTIFY THAT CINEMA AND NEVER GO THERE ANYMORE.
I feel it’s like a story from the mafia. Once you go in, you don’t know if you’ll ever get out alive.
Maryann I so agree with you. How come "financial" crime is always sentenced with several years, where as the stuff that really can mess up a persons life, only mean a few months in jail for the person who did it?
I don't agree that the girl should have 3 years, a fine would do.
It feels to me like the movie business is taking a stand, saying: We will not accept this!
and that is normally ok, but not in this tiny case.
EEEKS that does seem a bit overboard. If she had the whole film is one thing, but some clips don't seem to deserve jail time. I agree, a fine would suffice.
If this recordings have only about 4 minutes long, you can see more on the trailers. She didn't record a whole movie. She didn't sell it to anyone. It's obvious that someone will bring camera on the party.If they let her to make a party in cinema, it's they problem. It's sad that she was arrested. Somethimes officiouness is even worst than fascism. I think that's why i study law, to avoid that kind of situation.
@Maryann, totally agree. Jails are overcrowded as it is; this is just insane. The fact that she didn't record the entire movie is pretty much proof in my mind she had no intent to profit from any snippet taped.
BUT, I noticed this a week ago---that folks were saying that they watched NM on YouTube---that is piracy. I've paid 5 times to see it; probably will go again. How is it that YouTube and/or Summit hasn't gone after whoever posted a copy of the ENTIRE FILM online? Is it still there? (I have no desire to look for it.) Confused, I guess.
Al'right, al'right: "it's illegal", but, down to earth, please, the girls were just messing a little, having fun, celebrating a birthday... they had only 3 minutes!...
The sentence is absurd!
Yes, Hollywood is losing a lot of money over pirated movies, but this does not seem to be the case here...
Some perspective, please...
They're going too far, clearly she didn't want to make an illegal copy of the movie or else she wouldn't have had 4 minutes in total of the film. Yes, I agree... it's illegal but if she wasn't going to do anything illegal with it than I don't see the big deal.
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