"Hollywood Preaches Anti-Piracy to Schools" Options

[Jobber of the We...]

Of course, an opening FAUX NEWS LOL2003!

SAN FRANCISCO  — As part of its campaign to thwart online music and movie piracy, Hollywood (search) is now reaching into school classrooms with a program that denounces file-sharing and offers prizes for students and teachers who spread the word about Internet theft.

The Motion Picture Association of America (search) paid $100,000 to deliver its anti-piracy message to 900,000 students nationwide in grades 5-9 over the next two years, according to Junior Achievement Inc., which is implementing the program using volunteer teachers from the business sector.

Civil libertarians object that the movie industry is presenting a tainted version of a complex legal issue — while the country's largest teachers' lobby is concerned about the incentives the program offers.

"What's the Diff?: A Guide to Digital Citizenship" launched last week with a lesson plan that aims to keep kids away from Internet services like Kazaa that let users trade digital songs and film clips: "If you haven't paid for it, you've stolen it."

"We think it's a critical group to be having this conversation with," said MPAA spokesman Rich Taylor, suggesting online piracy may not have yet peaked. "If we sit idly by and we don't have a conversation with the general public of all ages, we could one day look back at October of 2003 as the good old days of piracy."

The effort doesn't stop in the classroom. Beginning Friday, public service announcements are being released to approximately 5,000 theaters nationwide, profiling people in the movie industry and arguing that digital piracy threatens their livelihoods.

Indeed, Jack Valenti, president of the MPAA, told Penn State University (search) faculty and students this week that his industry is in "a state of crisis" over digital theft.

But some copyright law experts aren't pleased that the MPAA is the only sponsor for such classroom discussions. They worry that the lesson plans don't address "fair use" constitutional protections for digital copying for personal or educational use.

"This is really sounding like Soviet-style education. First they're indoctrinating the students and then having students indoctrinate their peers," said Wendy Seltzer, a lawyer for the Electronic Frontier Foundation. "The takeaway message has got to be more nuanced. Copyright is a complicated subject."

Melinda Anderson, a spokeswoman for the National Education Association, says it's unsettling when corporate presence in the classroom is tethered to sponsored incentive programs.

In this case, Junior Achievement is offering students DVD players, DVD movies, theater tickets and all-expenses-paid trips to Hollywood for winning essays about the illegalities of file-sharing. Teachers, too, can win prizes for effectively communicating the approved message in class.

"What it speaks to is kind of a new era in commercialism emerging in classrooms where the attempts to connect with students are becoming more and more sophisticated. Schools that are often strapped for cash are more tempted to partner with these organizations," Anderson said.

"Coming from school, these companies are getting a tacit endorsement for their product," Anderson said. "That's not a school's role — to be the purveyors."

The program got a rocky start during its first presentation, to some relatively cyber-savvy teens at Raoul Wallenberg High School in San Francisco.

Andrew Irgens-Moller, 14, buried his head into a backpack on his desk and rolled his eyes as the guest teacher warned of computer viruses and hackers that could take control of a user's desktop via file-sharing programs. He objected that antivirus software could scan downloaded files and only sophisticated hackers could pull off the remote desktop computer takeover.

Then the teacher cut him off.

Bret Balonick, a tax accountant on loan from PricewaterhouseCoopers to teach the anti-piracy class, was arguing that some downloaders have been affected by malicious activity. Besides, he said, it's illegal to upload and download unauthorized content online.

"If it's illegal in America, host it in Uzbekistan," snapped the 14-year-old.

Balonick then had the freshmen role-play as singers, actors, producers, computer users. But even the "producers" quietly acknowledged that they too share song files over the Internet.

"It's not illegal if you decide to give it away," said Wilson Cen, 13, regarding burning copies of music CDs for his friends. "They don't want you selling them. It's a gift, you're not selling it."

Brenda Chen said she uses Kazaa at home: "I just want certain tracks from the CD, not the whole CD. It's a waste of money."

David Chernow, Junior Achievement's chief executive, said in a telephone interview that the explosion of peer-to-peer activity among young people is a ripe topic for public school classrooms.

"We're really trying to teach young people to be responsible and to obey laws that they may not understand," Chernow said. "Just because it's easy doesn't make it right."

It seems the days of someone from the police force coming in and talking to the school about something like bike safety has been replaced with representatives of millionaires coming in and telling us not to warez. (IMG:http://forums.thesmartmarks.com/style_emoticons/default/blink.gif)

[Guest_Salacious Crumb_*]

So basically they're using prizes to try and create peer pressure against file-sharing?

[EdwardKnoxII]

Here's something else I've notice that they are doing this for grades 5 to 9, mostly grade school to middle school level. I have feeling they are doing to because a) they think they can stop them for doing it later in life if they start young and b) if they went into the high schools they know they would get a bunch of shit from the teens.

[OldSchoolWrestli...]

I guess they don't realize that they are actually going to be informing the kids in these grades that its possible to pirate movies. Nice.

[Skywarp!]

Every day, this country finds a new way to make me sick.

[kkktookmybabyawa...]

What they ought to do is bring in cops and threaten these kids by saying they could be tossing salads in the big house if they download the latest Britney Spears album...

[Anakin Flair]

Fuck this. I'm moving to Canada

[Skywarp!]

The next step is apparently to have big business-agenda education.

Philosophy courses will now be centered around the proposition: "Britney or Christina?"

History will put the fore-fathers of Coke and AOL on pedastools.

"The only thing we have to fear...is money burning in your pocket!"

I'm waiting for blackboards to have pop-up ads now.

[Guest_Plushy Al Logan_*]

Fuck this. I'm moving to Canada

Don't go yet. I have to pack up my things.

[Firestarter]

"What's the Diff?: A Guide to Digital Citizenship"

"What's the Diff?" "What's the Diff?!" Seriously, is this the best they could come up with? Sounds like an '80s sitcom with a bratty little kid whose zany antics make him the delight of his pretend parents, the horror of his pretend teachers, and the emetic of his unfortunate viewers.

"We're really trying to teach young people to be responsible and to obey laws that they may not understand," Chernow said.

When did this become the definition of responsibility? Jawohl, mein Fuhrer!

Junior Achievement is offering students DVD players, DVD movies, theater tickets and all-expenses-paid trips to Hollywood for winning essays about the illegalities of file-sharing. Teachers, too, can win prizes for effectively communicating the approved message in class.

Hilarious.

Industry spokesman: "This is your computer. This is your computer on Kazaa. Any questions?"
Cut to -
Junior high cheerleader: "I thought I was just sharing music with my friends. I didn't realise I was killing the artists I love."
Cut to -
Crowd of children holding hands with attorneys and CEOs, all singing: "We'll make it right, Britney! We'll... make... it... right!"
Fade to black. Text on screen: "Paid for by the Recording Industry Association of America." As industry spokesman reads text aloud, screen briefly flashes following text:
"THE RIAA IS MOTHER
THE RIAA IS FATHER"

This post has been edited by Cancer Marney: Oct 24 2003, 12:48 PM

[Justice]

The next step is apparently to have big business-agenda education.

Philosophy courses will now be centered around the proposition: "Britney or Christina?"

History will put the fore-fathers of Coke and AOL on pedastools.

"The only thing we have to fear...is money burning in your pocket!"

I'm waiting for blackboards to have pop-up ads now.

*weeps* Boo-hoo, next thing you know is big Oil is going to be telling my kids to screw the environment blah blah blah...

Okay, reality check here. I don't like the RIAA or the MPAA much, but Jesus Christ this has become some giant "OMG BIG BUIZNESS IS TEH BADZ!@#()*!" love in. I do believe that they should be getting a bit more non-biased people explaining copyright laws and the incentives are a bit weird, but some people have to just shut the fuck up and pull themselves back to the Earth. Gah. I agree with what is being said in here, but just calm down.

[Firestarter]

some people have to just shut the fuck up and pull themselves back to the Earth. Gah. I agree with what is being said in here, but just calm down.

THE RIAA IS YOUR FRIEND
TRUST THE RIAA

[Justice]

some people have to just shut the fuck up and pull themselves back to the Earth. Gah. I agree with what is being said in here, but just calm down.

THE RIAA IS YOUR FRIEND
TRUST THE RIAA

OMG I TRUST THE RIAA! THE RIAA IS GOOD! TH-

Ah Christ, this gets old way too fast. Seriously, stop overreacting like this were the damned Patriot Act and have some fucking intelligent discussion of the topic at hand.

My Opinion:

This certainly isn't the way this should be done. If they want to teach kids about Copyright stuff, get someone who works down at the Patent office for these things. Someone from the Government should be teaching this, not someone who is obviously biased. It'd still be favorable to the RIAA and those guys since the Courts agree with them and doesn't come off as some bad conspiracy to influence our kids.

On the essay... I might write in myself just for the prizes. They may just teach our kids how to be better liars than to actually believe in their view on copyright laws.

I guess they don't realize that they are actually going to be informing the kids in these grades that its possible to pirate movies. Nice.

Through all the repetitive bitching and moaning here's one of the funnier and ironic parts about their speeches: They'll probably end up increasing KaZaa membership rather than reducing it (IMG:http://forums.thesmartmarks.com/style_emoticons/default/biggrin.gif) .

[Jobber of the We...]

Okay, reality check here. I don't like the RIAA or the MPAA much, but Jesus Christ this has become some giant "OMG BIG BUIZNESS IS TEH BADZ!@#()*!" love in

But OMG BIG NUIZNESS IS TEH BADZ!@#()*! when it comes in during school hours and pre-empts science class to push their view.

How would you like it if your kid said "Well, English was cancelled today because Pepsi came in and explained the meaning behind their new slogan."

[Justice]

Okay, reality check here. I don't like the RIAA or the MPAA much, but Jesus Christ this has become some giant "OMG BIG BUIZNESS IS TEH BADZ!@#()*!" love in

But OMG BIG NUIZNESS IS TEH BADZ!@#()*! when it comes in during school hours and pre-empts science class to push their view.

How would you like it if your kid said "Well, English was cancelled today because Pepsi came in and explained the meaning behind their new slogan."

It is, I agree, business is bad by doing this. I don't agree with this. But illogical and unintelligent bitching about it doesn't really make for good discussion of the topic, does it? It wasn't that I disagreed with their views, but all the weepy shit surrounding it sours it for me, that's all.

[NoCalMike]

I have a feeling most of the kids probably just sat there with their heads in the clouds for the big speech and as soon as they got home, resumed downloading like usual.

[Highland]

I wonder if the more students would grade if the schools or board of education offered prizes or money for those that do?

[Guest_Smell the ratings!!!_*]

I wish I was in grade school now. Between terriorism and coporate sponsors it must be bizzare to the Nth degree. Maybe my little brother will let me ghostwrite his memoirs or something.

[MarvinisaLunatic]

You'll see a lot more of this crap too. Schools are desperate for money and they'll take it any way they can get it.

[Lightning Flik]

*shakes head*

...sighs... What's the world coming to? Idea is correct, but the application isn't.

[Vyce]

It is a LOST cause.

Pandora's Box has been opened. The RIAA will NEVER effectively stop piracy, not even with their lawsuits against unsuspecting teenagers.

Jobber's right, of course. I just have to laugh, though, at the utter waste of time and money with this school campaign of theirs.

[godthedog]

What they ought to do is bring in cops and threaten these kids by saying they could be tossing salads in the big house if they download the latest Britney Spears album...

exactly. fuck this essay shit, mtv needs to make a 'scared straight' special about file-sharing. i'm downloading outkast stuff as i type this, but if i went through THAT, it would keep me from pirating songs. forever.

6'5", 320-pound, tattooed puerto rican man: you share files? i will make you my bitch! we like skinny little white boys who can't defend themselves here. you will respect the RIAA, cause if you don't, you'll be sucking syrup out of my ass, praying for me not to kill you in your sleep!"

me: ...

too bad suge knight still isn't in jail. i'm sure he'd volunteer for that program, cause he tends to get really pissed about people taking his money. and i would do ANYTHING suge knight asked me to do.