Two U.S. senators have written to the prime minister and three cabinet ministers asking the government "to crack down on video and audio piracy, specifically banning the recording of movies before they are released to video."

"Walking into a cinema and surreptitiously videotaping a movie is clearly wrong, clearly inappropriate, and something that should clearly be prohibited," Senators Diane Feinstein and John Cornyn said in the March 1 letter.

They said that since the U.S. introduced tougher rules, the business has simply moved north: Camcordings made in Canada rose 24 per cent in 2006, compared with 2005. 

The illegal recording and sale of movies will "continue to mushroom" unless the government passes a new law to "help end this most egregious form of copyright piracy," the senators wrote.

The Conservative government is reportedly trying to develop a new copyright law. A bill proposed by the previous Liberal government died before it could be passed.

Canadian law today allows patrons to copy movies in theatres, as long as it's for personal use. It's illegal if the copy is to be resold, but once the copier says it's personal, all theatre owners can do is throw them out, the senators said.

In a posting on his blog, University of Ottawa law professor Michael Geist questions the claims. He said reports that Canada is a haven for piracy "invariably present a distorted picture." 

Movie camcording affects only three per cent of Hollywood films, he said. In another post, he said the economic impact of camcorded DVDs "is little more than a rounding error in a $45 billion US industry."

The senators also wrote to three ministers who would be involved in developing a new copyright law: Justice Minister Robert Nicholson, Industry Minister Maxime Bernier and Heritage Minister Bev Oda.