Earlier this May, FilmL.A. revised the Terms of Service for its popular eNotification service. By adding new eligibility requirements for program participants and limiting to three the total number of program areas available to any user, FilmL.A. seeks to limit exploitation of its service for unauthorized personal and commercial purposes.
Until recently, FilmL.A. did not regularly monitor its subscribers’ declared eNotice preferences or click-through activity. That changed when some users were caught republishing eNotice information in violation of the program’s long-established rules.
“We have a dual obligation to filmmakers and area residents to keep on-location filming predictable and safe,” said Todd Lindgren, FilmL.A.’s VP of Communications and Public Affairs. “In keeping with our goal of making filming work in local neighborhoods, we’re taking steps to prevent disruptive film spectating, unauthorized set infiltration and trespassing.”
First introduced in 2006 to supplement FilmL.A.’s standard door-to-door notification service, eNotification offers residents in select areas a convenient way to stay up-to-date about filming in their neighborhoods. More than three million eNotices have been distributed since the program began.
The program is successfully used in neighborhoods such as downtown Los Angeles, the San Pedro Business District, Westwood Village and Hancock Park but is vulnerable to exploitation due to its openness and the geographic size of its program areas.
“One of our goals with eNotification is to make information available exclusively to locals directly impacted by filming,” added Lindgren. “We’re working on new geo-targeting technology, but as of now we’re monitoring our records carefully, holding users to a three-area limit and closing down user accounts we suspect of abuse.”
To preview the new Terms and Conditions and sign up for service, visit the FilmL.A. website.