Recording Broadway/West End Shows?

I've recorded Broadway/West End/Other shows before which is said to be "illegal" (which I think is totally ridiculous) I've taken pictures and recorded videos/audios before. In February me (age 13), and my 10 year old sister went to a Broadway show alone and my sister was recording (but did no effort to hide her camera so it was pretty obvious), and she was caught and the usher was SUPER nice he nicely asked her to delete it and he said don't worry about it- it happens all the time. I was wondering can you go to JAIL for recording a Broadway show? What's the worst punishment that can happen?

Also does the same rule apply for movie theaters/certain museums/ exc.?

FYI we only record shows to show friends or keep as entertainment, not to sell.

well you are lucky that you are both fairly young and also this was your first time getting caught. so they gave you a free pass. if you were an adult and a repeat offender I doubt they would have been so kind to merely tell you to put away your camera :)

matildaandtheatre said: "
Also does the same rule apply for movie theaters/certain museums/ exc.? "

I think he's joking, guys. Or at least, I hope... This statement makes me think so...

In reality, the worst you'd probably face is an extremely stiff fine and confiscation of your equipment. But please, for the love of God, don't record anything in a theatre ever again. It ruins absolutely everything.

It's illegal. No need for quotation marks.

Having it happen "all the time" doesn't make it okay.

Just because you think a law is "totally ridiculous" doesn't mean it doesn't apply to you. It is illegal. Period. You're stealing the intellectual property of another person. You're getting something you have no right to have. The fact that you're not selling it makes no difference. Sure, I would love to have recorded any other shows I enjoy so I could watch them over and over or show them to my friends without having to buy more tickets. But I can't. I have to BUY tickets to see the show. If I think my friend would like it, they have to BUY tickets to see the show. That's how artists are COMPENSATED for their work. And yes it's absolutely illegal at movies, etc. It is illegal to copy (e.g. Photograph or video) a copyrighted work (which can be just about anything) without the permission of the the author. You don't have to sell it for it to be illegal.



Not to mention the fact that filming is annoying to everyone around you.



Stealing intellectual property isn't "frowned upon" or "illegal." It is theft. It is illegal. Period. If I had a 13 year old who I caught bootlegging I would punish them as harshly as if I caught them shoplifting. It's not a justification for shoplifting to say "well I'm not going to sell it; I'm just going to use it for my personal enjoyment and share it with my friends." It's not a justification for bootlegging either.



And discounted tickets are totally different because the producers have chosen to offer them. Shows may be suffering for it but it's a result of choices producers have made. No one has authorized illegal bootlegging. And it doesn't have to be "killing Broadway" for it to still be wrong.



Shoplifting isn't killing Macy's and people do it all the time but that doesn't make it ok.



Full disclosure: I'm an intellectual property attorney so I feel strongly about these things. But it's because I know just how much harm is done by misappropriation of IP and how hard it is to enforce. It's exactly because of attitudes like this.

I met a lawyer recently who had a very black and white view of the law and he (like you too, somewhat) remind me of Javert so much - the idea that "the law is the law" and that's final, without really caring or thinking about what the negative outcomes of the actual behaviour are.

For example, you've compared bootlegging to "shop lifting" as if they are the same. Yes, they might be both 'illegal' but they have different outcomes. When you shoplift something you take it away and deprive the owner of that merchandise a physical item. There is necessarily a monetary loss. When bootlegging takes place the negative outcomes are much less simple. For example, if any individual buys a ticket to see a show and then records a bootleg of the show for their personal use, there is actually no monetary loss to anyone involved.

And to take my point further (about distinguishing between legality vs negative consequences), yes the producers may 'allow' extremely discounted tickets and it may be 'legal' but again - the negative outcomes of these are often worse (in my opinion) than bootlegging. Someone who pays full price to see a show and then records it for personal use is absolutely contributing at a higher value (in terms of $$, at least) to all those involved in the show than someone who buys a ticket on TDF or a rush ticket but doesn't bootleg for personal use.

Personally, I'd rather avoid discussion of the law and talk about negative outcomes of behaviour (if we want to discuss what is 'right' and 'wrong'.

Updated On: 6/22/16 at 07:26 AM