Theaters could try to ban smartwatches

It was just yesterday when we brought you word on how the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) as well as the National Association of Theatre Owners (NATO) has decided to advise movie theaters to utilize a zero tolerance approach when it comes to wearing various “intelligent” devices to the cinemas. In other words, all wearable technology with video recording capabilities oughto to be banned. Does this include the budding segment of devices known as smartwatches? It really depends on the individual theater operator, really.

A pair of influential US film industry organizations on Wednesday put out word that movie theaters should ban smart watches or eyewear that could be used to record movies. The Motion Picture Association of America and the National Association of Theatre Owners updated a film-theft prevention policy to recommend zero-tolerance when it comes to movie goers wearing “intelligent” devices with video-recording capabilities. Best practices guidelines, which theater operators are free to embrace or ignore, were modified to say that “wearable devices” as well as smartphones must be “turned off and put away at show time.” The two associations did not specifically mention Google Glass or any other gadget in the policy update released after an anti-piracy joint task force meeting at an annual ShowEast gathering of theater owners in Florida. “Individuals who fail or refuse to put the recording devices away may be asked to leave,” the policy stated.