Comic-Con established a ban on Google Glass Thursday in San Diego to keep people from recording footage at screenings.
The new rule was cited in Comic-Con's official Convention Policies handbook, and marks the first time the device has been cited as a banned object during any part the four-day convention, according to Mashable. While the device is referred to by Google as "Glass", the book calls it "Glasses."
"You cannot wear Google Glasses during footage viewing in any program room," the handbook reads. "If your Google Glasses are prescription, please bring a different pair of glasses to use during these times."
The announcement follows Glass' ban from movie theaters in the U.S. and U.K. to keep people from pirating movies, PC Magazine reported.
"As a courtesy to your fellow audience members, and to prevent film theft, we ask that customers do not enter any cinema auditorium using any 'wearable technology' capable of recording images," the U.K.'s Cinema Exhibitors' Association (CEA) stated last month. "Any customer found wearing such technology will be asked to remove it and may be asked to leave the cinema."
Some theater chains, such as Alamo Drafthouse Cinemas and Vue Cinemas, still let patrons wear Glass until the lights go off.
Comic-Con said on its official website that it views Glass the same way it views smartphones and video cameras, which could be used to record footage in screenings, Engadget reported.
Glass is only capable of recording around 45 minutes of footage before its battery dies. While the device wouldn't be able to record a feature-length film, most clips shown at Comic-Con are trailers and movie clips that last for several minutes, which could present an opportunity to record footage with Glass.
While the new rule keeps Glass out of screenings, the device can still be used in other parts of the convention, such as recording people cosplaying as their favorite characters.
