# What's the rule for movie pirates? **URL:** \ **Category:** About This Message Board\ **Created:** [December 16, 2007, 4:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-rule-for-movie-pirates/430203 "2007-12-16T16:09:50Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Love\_Rhombus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/love_rhombus/32/10694_2.png) [@Love\_Rhombus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Love_Rhombus)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2007, 4:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-rule-for-movie-pirates/430203/1 "2007-12-16T16:09:50Z")
Maybe there’s another word for them. The people who take cameras into the theater and record a sneak preview or a trailer-are posting their Youtube videos allowed at the Dope? ---
**Author:** ![Sapo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ec9cab/32.png) [@Sapo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sapo)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2007, 4:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-rule-for-movie-pirates/430203/2 "2007-12-16T16:23:15Z")
Bootleggers. No idea about the local rules. ---
**Author:** ![BooBoo316](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e0b2c6/32.png) [@BooBoo316](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BooBoo316)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2007, 1:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-rule-for-movie-pirates/430203/3 "2007-12-17T01:19:58Z")
These clips tend to have a very short life on YouTube, so I would think the issue resolves itself without any help from the mods. ---
**Author:** ![Fear\_Itself](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fear_itself/32/19637_2.png) [@Fear\_Itself](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fear_Itself)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2007, 2:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-rule-for-movie-pirates/430203/4 "2007-12-17T02:22:53Z")
I thought this was about something else. _\_ ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Slant](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c57346/32.png) [@Mr.Slant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Slant)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2007, 3:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-rule-for-movie-pirates/430203/5 "2007-12-17T03:48:31Z")
I think that question, being about the SDMB itself, is more proper for the About The Message Board forum. No clue on the answer. I’d love to know. ---
**Author:** ![Balthisar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/balthisar/32/2825_2.png) [@Balthisar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Balthisar)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2007, 4:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-rule-for-movie-pirates/430203/6 "2007-12-17T04:42:28Z")
I for one don’t understand the question. Are you asking if such pirates are allowed here? AFAIK, as long as you follow the board rules, you’re welcome here. No one’s going to dig into your personal life to look at all of the possibly immoral/illegal things you’ve done. ---
**Author:** ![Hostile\_Dialect](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e495f1/32.png) [@Hostile\_Dialect](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hostile_Dialect)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2007, 5:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-rule-for-movie-pirates/430203/7 "2007-12-17T05:16:45Z")
Are you asking about linking to pirated movies on YouTube? Considering that one of the Board’s rules is that you can’t use it to advocate, promote or conduct illegal activity in the US, I’d assume you can’t. ---
**Author:** ![TubaDiva](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tubadiva/32/507_2.png) [@TubaDiva](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TubaDiva)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2007, 1:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-rule-for-movie-pirates/430203/8 "2007-12-17T13:24:17Z")
Movie previews are all over the internet legally. This is not an issue. I’ll have to take your word for it that people go into movie theaters and illegally record previews and then place them on YouTube, I’ve never seen that. I can’t imagine why, though. Would we object to links to such material on YouTube (or anywhere else, for that matter?) While we don’t want links to illegal material it is difficult to impossible for us to ascertain in such cases as you have stated. If I’m missing some important point here please enlighten me. I could be wrong. ---
**Author:** ![Hostile\_Dialect](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e495f1/32.png) [@Hostile\_Dialect](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hostile_Dialect)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2007, 6:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-rule-for-movie-pirates/430203/9 "2007-12-17T18:49:42Z")
**TubaDiva** , ISTM that the OP is referring to the longer sneak peeks at upcoming movies that you get at special debut screenings, conventions, etc. ---
**Author:** ![CarnalK](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnalk/32/486_2.png) [@CarnalK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CarnalK)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2007, 7:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-rule-for-movie-pirates/430203/10 "2007-12-17T19:22:25Z")
I seem to remember that in the past the Staff has said they don’t want the bother of patrolling ostensibly legal sites - so links to youtube are not going to be broken/checked out by mods here. It’s assumed that if it’s illegal, you can report it to youtube and _they_ will remove it. The mods will probably kill links to sites that are steeped in pirated material, however. If this was supposed to be a GQ about how local jurisdictions deal with it, Canada just [passed a new law](http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20071128.wmovies28/BNStory/Entertainment/home). ---
**Author:** ![TubaDiva](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tubadiva/32/507_2.png) [@TubaDiva](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TubaDiva)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2007, 7:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-rule-for-movie-pirates/430203/11 "2007-12-17T19:30:44Z")
Oh, okay. I just assume all that stuff ends up on the internet anyway. 🙂 And it’s not our job to police it. We have more than enough to say grace over here. Does that answer your question?