For Immediate Release

June 21, 2004

GILL BILL TO COMBAT CAMCORDER PIRACY OF MOVIES APPROVED BY SENATE

TRENTON - A bill sponsored by Nia H. Gill which would amend New Jersey 's anti-piracy laws to include camcorder piracy of motion pictures was approved by the Senate today by a vote of 39-0.

"The piracy of films through the use of camcorders represents a major threat to the motion picture industry, where bootlegs are often available days after a film is released for national distribution," said Senator Gill, D-Essex and Passaic . "We need to move to protect the creative works of filmmakers from being exploited by unscrupulous film piracy profiteers."

The bill, S-1515, would make it an offense under the "New Jersey Anti-Piracy Act," to knowingly operate a camcorder or other video recorder to record a motion picture in a movie theater without the consent of the licensor of the movie or the owner of the theater. The bill would create a graduated punishment scheme, based on the number of recordings within a 180-day period. The penalties range from a fine of up to $25,000 and up to 18 months imprisonment for a first offense involving the lowest number of recordings to a fine of up to $250,000 and 3 to 5 years imprisonment (see table, attached). Senator Gill said that the high penalties are necessary to discourage a practice that has, in recent years, reached epidemic proportions.

"The piracy of films has become commonplace in today's society, and if we are to root out the problem, drastic measures need to be taken," said Senator Gill. "The penalties established by this bill may appear harsh to some, but are absolutely necessary to send the message that motion picture piracy is no better than common theft. In New Jersey , such theft will not be tolerated."

To emphasize her point, Senator Gill noted that between May 2002 and May 2003, more than 50 major movie titles were stolen by camcording prior to their theatrical release dates in the U.S. , and 457,000 pirated optical discs were seized in the U.S. in the first nine months of 2003.