BBspot reports that the MPAA is lobbying Congress to push through a new bill that would make unauthorized home theaters illegal. Apparently, the group feels that all theaters should be sanctioned, whether they be commercial or the one in your home.
“Just because you buy a DVD to watch at home doesn’t give you the right to invite friends over to watch it too. That’s a violation of copyright and denies us the revenue that would be generated from DVD sales to your friends,” said the MPAA’s chief attack dog, Dan Glickman. "Ideally we expect each viewer to have their own copy of the DVD, but we realize that isn’t always feasible. The registration fee is a fair compromise.
“We didn’t act early enough with the online sharing of our copyrighted content. This time we’re not making the same mistake. We have a right to know what’s showing in a theater,” he continued.
The MPAA defines a home theater as any home with a television larger than 29-inch with stereo sound and at least two comfortable chairs, couch, or futon. Anyone with a home theater would need to pay a $50 registration fee with the MPAA or face fines up to $500,000 per movie shown.
