From every point of view, this is a delicate topic. Certain fans pay a considerable amount of money for concert tickets and, as a souvenir, decide to take a personal digital copy of the event. Some artists have no problem with that, others say that so many smartphones in the air affect the show, and then there are those who call recordings "piracy". Who decided to enter the debate? None other than Apple, after patenting an infrared technology concept with the potential to block photography and video capture at concerts and cinemas using an iPhone.
Mobile technology has forever changed many aspects of our lives, and one of them is the consumption of live events. Concerts, theater, outdoor cinema... it's most likely that we turn our heads and see someone holding a smartphone in the air. On one side are those who think there's no problem in preserving and sharing that moment, and on the other side we see those who think it's annoying with their selfies and recording. Logically, even the artists themselves have entered the discussion, and opinions are divided. In a way, it's the search for "the beginning and the end" of everyone's rights, applied to the era of mobile devices. Now, one opinion is missing in all this, and it's that of the manufacturers. In the specific case of the Cupertino giant, I think we already know its position.
To tell the truth, we've known it since 2009, if we let ourselves be guided by the mysterious world of patents. The news is that Apple received approval from the US patent office to establish a method based on infrared technology that could, under certain conditions, remotely and automatically disable the recording and photography capability on a mobile device like the iPhone. The patent is divided into two: on one hand, designation 20110128384 granted in June 2011, and on the other, patent 9380225, which was confirmed on June 28, 2016. Patents are not known for being very rich in images, but there are two that catch our attention: an illustration of an iPhone with the message "RECORDING DISABLED" while a band plays live, and another in which a vessel activates additional content on the device, a behavior we could associate with augmented reality.
To conclude, the usual warning: patents are only that, and they may be buried in a file, replaced by superior technology. The fact that Apple has spent seven years (yes, 2009 was seven years ago) exploring this possibility forces us to consider its potential, but unless the entire industry adopts a kind of "standard," all the enthusiast will have to do is bring another device...
