"It's a drastic step," Snyder said. "But you've got to plug that hole somehow. It could be short-term damage for long-term benefit."
Cineplex has supplied theater managers with night-vision goggles and increased surveillance of theaters, particularly during afternoon screenings. After an extensive investigation, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police arrested one Montreal man in September for taping movies. Working with the FBI, Canadian police have traced his handiwork to black-market DVDs sold in New York.
Because prosecutors are still working out charges, the man cannot be identified. Sergeant Jean-Yves Ducharme of the Mounted Police in Montreal said the man is less than 30 years old and "a person who did not make a lot of money out of it."
The suspect, he added, was a computer enthusiast who appeared to be motivated by producing high-quality copies and distributing them as close to a film's release as possible.
Christian Girouard, a spokesman for Canada's justice department, said officials were discussing the situation with the industry and other government departments. He said he was unable to describe what, if any, measures might be taken.
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