Google Glass banned at Seattle bar, with violent repercussions for violators

In what may be a sign of things to come, a Seattle bar has banned Google Glass well in advance of its launch, promising an “ass kicking” to those violate the rule.

The 5 Point Café’s Facebook page featured a photo and brief caption outlining the ban, presumably in an effort to protect the privacy of patrons. Described as a local dive bar by GeekWire, the ban is thought to be the first of its kind by any restaurant – likely because Project Glass isn’t expected to go on sale until at least later this year.

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GeekWire interviewed some patrons on their way out of 5 Point in Seattle to see how they felt about the ban of the technology, and the reaction was pretty mixed:

While the decision to ban Google Glass was largely a publicity stunt by the bar, as admitted by 5 Point owner Dave Meinert on a local radio show, there is a degree of seriousness to it.

“Part of this is a joke, to be funny of Facebook, and get a reaction,” Meinert told KIRO-FM’s Luke Burbank Show. “But part of it’s serious, because we don’t let people film other people or take photos unwanted of people in the bar, because it is kind of a private place that people go.”

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The issue of privacy with the new Project Glass has been raised by several individuals and media outlets, including Joshua Topolsky of The Verge who has been providing monthly updates of his experiences wearing Google Glass. Topolsky asked one of the developers behind the device, Steve Lee, if there ‘Glass etiquette had yet been defined:

Google says it is preparing to release Project Glass by the end of 2013, and anticipates a price tag of “under $1,500.”

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