Man convicted for filming T2 Trainspotting in Glasgow cinema

A man has been convicted for illegally filming the Trainspotting sequel inside a Glasgow cinema.
The cast of T2 Trainspotting. A man has attempted to film the Trainspotting sequel in a Glasgow cinema. Picture: Dominic Lipinski/PA PhotosThe cast of T2 Trainspotting. A man has attempted to film the Trainspotting sequel in a Glasgow cinema. Picture: Dominic Lipinski/PA Photos
The cast of T2 Trainspotting. A man has attempted to film the Trainspotting sequel in a Glasgow cinema. Picture: Dominic Lipinski/PA Photos

Ryan Finnigan, 41, pled guilty in Glasgow Sheriff Court today to recording a cinema screening of T2 Trainspotting in February last year.

He has been convicted of an offence under the Copyright Designs Patent Act 1988.

Read More
Scotland trains could be slowed due to May bank holiday heat
Hide Ad

Finnigan admitted to trying to record the Danny Boyle film at The Vue cinema at the Fort in Glasgow on 23 February last year.

He was charged following a multi-agency operation involving Police Scotland, the Film Content Protection Agency and cinema staff.

It is only the second time someone in Scotland has been convicted of such a crime. The first case occurred in 2011.

Detective Inspector Ricky Hutton, from Police Scotland’s specialist crime division, said: “This conviction shows that Police Scotland continually works with our partners to protect our creative industries from the threats from intellectual property crime.

“The copying of films in the cinemas and subsequent release of pirate copies online have significant financial implications for the UK film industry and the ability to invest in jobs and future filming.

“Although people may think that this will have little impact on major film studios, make no mistake – the amount of money being lost is on a large scale.

Hide Ad

“People working illegally are impacting on the creative industry as a whole and our international reputation as a leading location for creative arts.

“Copies of illegally recorded films are also acquired by organised crime networks – typically operating for profit across multiple illegal activities and therefore it is vital that we are able to crack down on those recording the material.”

Hide Ad

Simon Brown, director of the Film Content Protection Agency, said: “This has been a significant criminal case involving the illegal recording of a film in a Scottish cinema, which was successfully spotted and disrupted by the staff there.

“Over 90 per cent of pirated films originate from a copy recorded during a public performance in cinemas worldwide, so it’s vital that offenders like Finnigan are disrupted promptly to prevent further damage to the film industry.

“Piracy not only costs the film industry millions of pounds but can also affect thousands of jobs, so we welcome this conviction. We thank Police Scotland for their assistance in this case.”