CAP code

A CAP code is a multi-dot pattern that is printed on a couple of frames of a film print of a theatrically exhibited motion picture. It is part of a technology called CAP, or Coded Anti-Piracy. The dots are added to the print before it it sent to a theater, and the dots are usually in a pattern, to identify the particular theater that is playing the print of a movie.

The dots are usually placed on bright areas of a film frame, so they can be easier identified, and are a reddish-brown color. They are not to be confused with cue marks, aka "cigarette burns", which is either a black or white circle (or ring) in usually the upper right-hand corner of the frame, used to cue the projectionist that a particular reel of a movie is ending, as most movies come to theaters on several reels of film.

It was developed in 1982 by Eastman Kodak along with the Motion Picture Association of America, as a technology for watermarking film prints to thwart film piracy from theatergoers with camcorders, or prints that have been illicitly telecined to videotape. Even though it has been around for over 20 years, CAP and CAP codes have seen a resurgence in use, due to increased piracy of motion pictures on the internet.