Three minutes of New Moon does not a pirate make.
Or so believes the film's director, Chris Weitz, who may have helped convince prosecutors to drop piracy charges against a 22-year-old woman who was caught using a video camera during a showing of the Twilight Saga sequel at a Chicago movie theater.
Samantha Tumpach had maintained that she wasn't trying to bootleg New Moon, but was rather shooting footage of her sister's birthday party when she was arrested on Nov. 28.
And Weitz believed her, writing in an email to the Chicago Sun-Times, "There is, needless to say, a difference between trying to protect the copyright of a film and making an unfair example of someone who clearly seems not to have any intentions towards video piracy."
Basically, spending your birthday with Jacob and trying to record the moment for posterity is not a crime.
In a statement released today, Summit Entertainment expressed its gratitude to the Muvico theater for treating piracy as a serious issue and said that Tumpach's arrest would certainly serve as a deterrant to others who are even thinking about ripping off the film industry by pirating a movie.
But overall, Summit's standing by its man, Weitz.
"Summit is pleased that all charges against Ms. Tumpach have been dropped and appreciate the efforts of the police and the prosecutors in this outcome," the studio said.
Tumpach was facing up to three years in prison if convicted on felony piracy charges.
"It was never my intention to record the movie," she said. "You can hear me talking the whole time."
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Who wouldn't want an early copy of New Moon to take home? Get your fix until the official DVD release in our New Moon Rising gallery.