No sooner had Google finally made a prototype of its Google Glass device available in the UK than the Cinema Exhibitors’ Association (CEA) has called for a ban on its use in movie theatres over fears that the gadgets could be used to make pirate copies of films.
Google glass spectacles allow the wearer to read emails, take videos and access the internet via a display fixed above the right eye. Retailing for £1,000 a set, the headsets can be controlled with the stroke of a finger or a voice command, so the CEA is worried that criminal gangs could use them to illegally record films and sell them on the black market, particularly since cinema recordings are already the source of more than 90 per cent of all illegal copies.
The CEA has no power to enforce a ban on Glass but a spokesman for the Association, which represents around 90 per cent of the cinema industry in the UK and supports the interests of groups such as the Federation Against Copyright Theft (FACT), said that they are suggesting that cinemas should treat Google Glass like any other mobile device and ask wearers to turn it off when they enter the auditorium.
As he pointed out, the fact that Glass is worn above the eyes and the screen lights up whenever it is activated, makes it a less than efficient device for recording things secretly, as well as only having a recording time of around 45 minutes.
However, criminal gangs can now combine video of different parts of the same film sourced from various cinemas, allowing them to mass-produce a whole movie for sale via download or on discs.
Therefore, cinema staff are being urged to be vigilant and the management could ask wearers to remove the headset once the light dims, in case it has been left on once the film starts. Most have also been given a guide to spotting pirates, who often sit in the middle of an auditorium and create a ‘human barrier’ around them to hide their illegal activity.