South Carolina Code of Laws
Chapter 11 - Offenses Against Property
Section 16-11-911. Definitions; unlawful recording of motion pictures.

(A) As used in this section:
(1) "Article" means the tangible medium upon which sounds or images are recorded or otherwise stored and includes any original phonograph record, disc, tape, audio or video cassette, wire, film, or other medium now known or later developed on which sounds or images are or can be recorded or otherwise stored, or any copy or reproduction which duplicates, in whole or in part, the original.
(2) "Audiovisual recording device" means any device, camera, or audio or video recorder with the capability of recording, transferring, or transmitting sounds or images of a motion picture in part or in whole, including any device now existing or later developed.
(3) "Person" means an individual, partnership, corporation, company, association, or other legal entity.
(4) "Motion picture theater" means a movie theater, screening room, or other venue used primarily for the exhibition of a motion picture but does not include the lobby or other common areas, a personal residence, or retail establishment.
(5) "Theater owner" means the owner, operator, or lessee of a motion picture theater and includes an employee or agent of the owner, operator, or lessee.
(B) It shall be unlawful for any person to knowingly and wilfully operate an audiovisual recording device in a motion picture theater, with intent to record a motion picture, without written consent from the theater owner.
(C) In any action brought by reason of having been delayed by a theater employee or agent on or near the premises of a theater establishment for the purpose of investigation concerning the unlawful operation of an audiovisual recording device, it shall be a defense to such action if:
(1) the person was delayed in a reasonable manner and for a reasonable time to permit such investigation; and
(2) reasonable cause existed to believe that the person delayed had committed the crime of unlawful operation of a recording device.
(D) This section does not prevent any lawfully authorized investigative agency, law enforcement agency, protective services agency, or intelligence-gathering agency of the local, state, or federal government from operating an audiovisual recording device in a motion picture theater where a motion picture is being exhibited as part of a lawfully authorized investigative, protective, law enforcement, or intelligence-gathering activity.
HISTORY: 2005 Act No. 64, Section 1, eff May 23, 2005.

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