Pen. Code, § 653z · Chapter 2. Of Other and Miscellaneous Offenses
Pen. Code, § 653z
Text — As published in the Legislative Counsel's database, tables dated October 18, 2026 (pubinfo_2025.zip)
(a) Every person who operates a recording device in a motion picture theater while a motion picture is being exhibited, for the purpose of recording a theatrical motion picture and without the express written authority of the owner of the motion picture theater, is guilty of a public offense and shall be punished by imprisonment in a county jail not exceeding one year, by a fine not exceeding five thousand dollars ($5,000), or by both that fine and imprisonment.
(b) For the purposes of this section, the following terms have the following meanings:
(1) “Recording device” means a photographic, digital or video camera, or other audio or video recording device capable of recording the sounds and images of a motion picture or any portion of a motion picture.
(2) “Motion picture theater” means a theater or other premises in which a motion picture is exhibited.
(c) Nothing in this section shall preclude prosecution under any other provision of law.
Notes and commentary — not statutory text
History
Amended by Stats. 2010, Ch. 351, Sec. 7. (AB 819) Effective September 27, 2010.
Source of truth
- Edition
- As published in the Legislative Counsel's database, tables dated October 18, 2026 (pubinfo_2025.zip)
- Official file
- https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/codes_displaySection.xhtml?lawCode=PEN§ionNum=653z.
- Text hash
- sha256 63bc4c4becb3e83a4d457d0e27ef716cac156bc69aedf855fcacc8f6215c15cd
- Composed by
- compose_ca.py 2026-10-22: the Legislative Counsel's CAML content files read by a tokenizer (caml_readers.reader_a); an independent xml.etree reading (caml_readers.reader_b) agrees on every section
Procedural information only. Not legal advice and not a substitute for the advice of an attorney. Confirm the current text with the official publisher before relying on it.