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©The Sun (Used by permission)
by Opalyn Mok

PENANG (May 30, 2007): In a bid to record the latest blockbuster movies more discreetly, some syndicates are using students to record movies in cinemas using high-end 3G handphones.

Penang's domestic trade and consumer affairs enforcement unit chief M. Gunaselan said the department recently remanded three teenagers, two of whom were college students, for further investigations for allegedly using 3G handphones to record a movie in the Golden Screen Cinemas (GSC) cineplex in Gurney Plaza here.

"GSC personnel caught them and they were handed over to us for further investigations and action," he told theSun.

Gunaselan said he did not rule out the possibility that the teens, all aged 19, had planned to use the recording to reproduce pirated copies of the movie.

"We find that many people are burning copies of movies, especially the latest blockbuster movies, such as Spiderman 3, on their own from handphone recordings," he said.

The teenagers could be charged under the Copyright Act 1987 and if convicted, they are liable to a maximum fine of RM40,000 or 10 years jail or both for every copyright infringement.

When contacted, a GSC spokesman said the problem of students between the age of 16 and 20 secretly recording movies in the cineplex with their handphones had become very common.

"This is especially so for new blockbuster movies such as the (recent) case where the teenagers were caught recording Spiderman 3, which is a new release," he said, adding that it was the second incident this month.

He said the cineplex had stepped up security by placing more personnel and setting up closed circuit TVs in the movie halls.

We believe some of these students are being paid to record movies in the cinemas using their handphones, he added.

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