ESA delivers antipiracy message to kids

  • By Anne Broache, News.com
  • Posted Oct 4, 2007 5:23 am AEST

Publisher trade group targets elementary school children as early as kindergarten with program on importance of copyrights.

From News.com

WASHINGTON--Tired of its antipiracy messages being ignored by the teen- and college-age set, the entertainment industry is attempting to indoctrinate far younger disciples.

Representatives from the Entertainment Software Association, the video game industry's trade group, and the Canadian Recording Industry Association shed some light on their strategies at an antipiracy summit hosted by the US Chamber of Commerce here.

"In the 15- to 24-year-old (range), reaching that demographic with morality-based messages is an impossible proposition...which is why we have really focused our efforts on elementary school children," said Ric Hirsch, the ESA's senior vice president of intellectual property enforcement. "At those ages, children are open to receiving messages, guidelines, rules of the road, if you will, with respect to intellectual property."

The ESA has gone so far as to develop a copyright education curriculum geared toward the kindergarten through fifth-grade set. Since 2005, the organization has been trying to find ways to get teachers to incorporate its tenets into their everyday lessons, although Hirsch did not say how successful that effort has been. The components, which include charts, teacher's guides, lesson plans, and a wall poster imploring students to "Join the © Team," are also now available online.

The reason for targeting youth at that age is that they're at an "inflection point" where they're just learning how to use computers and the Internet, and the classroom seems a perfect opportunity for delivering copyright education, Hirsch said. The ESA devised its own curriculum after finding "very little out there in the form of institutional education addressing this issue," he said.

The video game industry isn't alone in trying to infiltrate classrooms with its antipiracy messages, although it appears to be targeting younger kids than some of its counterparts. The Recording Industry Association of America offers a similar set of curriculum ideas, but none of them appear to target students younger than the third grade. The Motion Picture Association of America last year released a "Respect Copyrights" curriculum (PDF) tailored to merit-badge-seeking Boy Scouts in the Los Angeles area.

Some fair-use advocates have argued that the copyright-dependent industries send contradictory messages through such materials. For example, they've criticized an RIAA video intended for college students that they argue gives mixed messages about when it's legal to copy music for personal listening or to share with friends.

The Canadian record industry group, for its part, would like to work with provincial governments to help schools develop their own copyright-minded curriculums "so it's organic... It's not something they're tacking on," said Graham Henderson, the group's president.

Youthful voices may be able to help to influence parents who themselves don't set such a great example on the copyright-protection front, much in the same way some kids have been able to pressure adults to stop harmful habits like smoking, he suggested. Parents--and mothers in particular--do represent an important audience to educate, though, Henderson added. That means planting messages in places that may seem less than traditional, such as women's-interest or general-parenting magazines, he said.

92 Comments

  • Autokiller

    Posted Oct 5, 2007 8:51 am PT

    LOL SO SAD! there will always be crime, and "illegal" downloads (not illegal in holland!) i think its ok to download as long as you dont make DVD's and sell them (also called pirate copies)
    and btw its not stealing ITS SHARING!!! they make it sound like ypu are taking a DVD from a shop..
    I know a lot of teachers that either downloads movies or music.
    the best thing to do is to LOWER the price of the stuff.

  • Darth_Tyrranus

    Posted Oct 5, 2007 6:47 am PT

    This campaign is absolutely preposterous. Basically this amounts to the ESA indoctrinating children in a feeble attempt to save itself some money. The ESA obviously only cares about money, not the children. At least the don't do drugs campaigns had the children's best interest in mind. Not only are drugs illegal, but they are also not good for one's health as well. There is very little underlying incentive to follow this campaign, therefore it will never be successful.

  • Azhar85

    Posted Oct 5, 2007 4:51 am PT

    you can't prevent this...at least we can reduce it.....but in the end....it's still worthless efforts....trust me.....get used to it....

  • cdx00

    Posted Oct 5, 2007 4:20 am PT

    This is amusing. I remember back when I was in seventh grade, a good ten or so years ago, that I came across a story on the news about Napster, newsgroups, mIRC and other ways to acquire 'pirated' software. Until viewing this story, I had no earthly idea that you could acquire software and music so easily. You can bet your ass that after seeing that story, I begged my parents for money to buy a CD burner and went to town.

    In my opinion, the best way to handle such a situation would be to avoid it in its entirity. Don't make a big deal out of it, 'cos there are people out there like myself who will catch wind of this and voila, another pirate is born.

  • Ensii

    Posted Oct 4, 2007 8:08 pm PT

    Sharing, not stealing.

  • el_carl

    Posted Oct 4, 2007 6:20 pm PT

    I second Jenkins_2005

  • Jenkins_2005

    Posted Oct 4, 2007 3:15 pm PT

    What they should do is make piracy legal, problem solved.

  • Steinin

    Posted Oct 4, 2007 3:07 pm PT

    That poor kid on the C-team page, I fear how ashamed he might think himself later in life.

  • delcidanddarth

    Posted Oct 4, 2007 1:36 pm PT

    Hey, at least D.A.R.E. tried to keep kids away from something actually dangerous.

  • delcidanddarth

    Posted Oct 4, 2007 1:33 pm PT

    "In the 15- to 24-year-old (range), reaching that demographic with morality-based messages is an impossible proposition...which is why we have really focused our efforts on elementary school children,"

    So, we want to teach our very young children about intellectual property? It's hard enough to teach them about real property (such as sharing is caring, or don't steal your classmate's toy). I can only see this ending in a pudding fight.

  • Mooshu92887

    Posted Oct 4, 2007 12:08 pm PT

    C'mon gaiz, I thought you knew better! Don't copy that floppy!

  • Rect_Pola

    Posted Oct 4, 2007 11:36 am PT

    "In the 15- to 24-year-old (range), reaching that demographic with morality-based messages is an impossible proposition..."

    Wow, that's harsh. We're a complete loss cause because we have rotted, self-interested morals.

  • Lawnwake

    Posted Oct 4, 2007 10:29 am PT

    this is ridiculous. Good luck trying to brainwash those kids. This is just like the mp3 business. Lower the prices. Stop trying to be pimps and maybe people will listen to you.

  • williamshattner

    Posted Oct 4, 2007 9:21 am PT

    "Join the © Team" ?
    '…the classroom seems a perfect opportunity for delivering copyright education." ?
    Whatever happened to the school classroom being the perfect place to learn math? Whatever happened to school teachers being able to teach kids how to spell or find Egypt on a map? This is a major problem with our public school system. Everyone seems to think that hijacking school curriculum is their opportunity to push their own agenda, even their corporate agenda.
    Absolutely ridiculous. At least I rest in the knowledge that there is no chance that this is going to work. I am all for copyright protection (I take it seriously myself) but the recording industry does not have a clue on how to influence people to respect their IP. Hijacking public schools gives me nothing but ill-will.

  • dph1077

    Posted Oct 4, 2007 9:19 am PT

    This is something that should be taught in the home, not the classroom. Businesses should not be allowed anywhere near a school's curriculum.

  • amp180

    Posted Oct 4, 2007 7:53 am PT

    Im glad i don't live in america primary schools have enough campaigns "green schools, and the like" if there were any more peoples heads would explode!

  • artistry_

    Posted Oct 4, 2007 4:59 am PT

    you are a pirate

  • gamer082009

    Posted Oct 4, 2007 2:44 am PT

    Ok this is ridiculous, these kids need to be off limits to these big company's trying to make a profit. These schools already have enough curriculum to stuff in these kids head let alone this unnecessary anti-piracy mumbo-jumbo. The only reason these company's are so hell bent on piracy is because they can't buy their 3rd or 4rd private jet. People need to realize that game piracy really isn't that rampant especially with the anti-piracy measures put on consoles by Microsoft, Sony and Nintendo. Most people just don't have the brain power to actually hack these consoles and then figure out how to burn a game or whatever...so console game piracy really isn't that rampant so the ESA needs to find other means of getting the message out. Now PC game piracy is hurting those developers..but that's a whole nother story.

  • STEALTHGAMER22

    Posted Oct 3, 2007 8:45 pm PT

    THAT IS A BUNCH OF BULL@@%?!!!!!!!

  • soldjango

    Posted Oct 3, 2007 7:47 pm PT

    Good work guys >.> *vomits* Oh god...ESA...shoving crap down...throat *cough* *hack* *wheeze*

  • jjorland

    Posted Oct 3, 2007 7:45 pm PT

    This reminds me of the saying "Just Say NO To Drugs", instead "Just Say No To Pirating".Games and music are overpriced and I'm too cheap.

  • j2maria

    Posted Oct 3, 2007 7:39 pm PT

    lmfao, the c-team? thats gonna hook kids real good....
    they have to learn that stupid messages like this don't influence kids at all. however, scare tactics would probably work fine

  • gnutux

    Posted Oct 3, 2007 7:05 pm PT

    Ya, you see, that doesn't really work. Telling kids not to smoke and not do drugs at an early age didn't work out for many teenagers (myself NOT included). So, why the hell would they care about software piracy?

  • e-racer22

    Posted Oct 3, 2007 6:53 pm PT

    Wow, let's waste more time in the classroom. When the h*ll did, hey don't steal sh*t become a lesson plan? This should be just as intolerable as letting Coke come in and peddle their products. Apparently if they offer a lesson plan and curriculum its OK. If you read between the lines what they are really saying is the younger they are, the easier they are to brain wash.

  • Noname4me25

    Posted Oct 3, 2007 5:55 pm PT

    I really dont think this is going to help the issue any. If you tell these kids they can get a pokemon game (or any other game) for less than its selling at the store, they know their mom/dad is more likely to buy it for them. Instantly you just expanded the pirate market.

  • Karjah

    Posted Oct 3, 2007 4:57 pm PT

    Oh yes that's right we can't target the smart people in the prime of their life anymore that are the ones taking advantage of our losing billions of dollars while we sit on our yachts so let's target the 5 year olds.

    Brillant. Until some parent sues the pants off them.

  • GrimBee

    Posted Oct 3, 2007 4:24 pm PT

    In the UK - copyright is pretty OK.
    Under the law - you can copy something to view at a more convenient time.

    Mixed messages are too crazy about game piracy.
    People put music onto ipods from their CDs, people make cd's from various albums to listen in their cars or whatever.

    All that is fine, because you are putting what you already own - to be used at a later time.
    You can record stuff from TV to view at a later time, thats fine too. You can record a radiostation to listen to at a later time.

    It is the law of a VENUE to prevent copying material show in their premisis.

    For example - video cameras in cinemas. Did you know that it is not illegal to record a movie being shown in a screen outside, but it is illegal to record a movie being played INSIDE.. ?? Strange isn't it. What is illegal about recording outside is that NO MOVIES ARE ALLOWED TO BE SHOWN OUTSIDE - check on your disc "no public areas".

    Cinemas, etc, all have their own rules and regulations. When a cinema opens, they have to sign the copyright agreement.

    Notice on the discs of games and movies - you cannot play this content in public places, oil-rigs, clubs, pubs... etc etc, without the permission of the copyright holder.
    Cinemas get the permission, and in that permission "NO CAMERAS ALLOWED" because it is the copyright holders that will lose the money on people viewing the recording on a videocamera than paying the ticket to the cinema.

    People need to be educated about what is against the law, and what the companies THINK the law should be.

    Microsoft enforce their own laws, invasion of privacy and all that, by rooting around your PC to see if you have a legal copy of windows. And if you don't, it doesn't matter if you didn't even realise - you will be treated as a criminal and the software will stop working.

    Thats like you buying a watch that is fake (but you did not see that it was fake), seeing that it is a fake, and then taking it from you - with no questions asked.

    Console manufacturers get around the law by introducing firmware protection. Meaning, the physical console hardware is yours to do with what you please.
    But the software contained inside the console is NOT yours.

    Basically, if Microsoft decide to cease the 360 tomorrow, they can send an update to stop you using it - and you have no ground to stand on. because it clearly states that the operation of the console is owned by microsoft and can be altered as they like it to be.

    This goes for both Nintendo AND Sony aswell... this is why firmware's are so important these days - to combat the fast-growing nature of piracy.

    One thing which bothers me is that you can buy a CD, make a copy on your PC to listen to on itunes or windows media player - they even help you get the artist information and artwork (how nice of them! ).

    You can then make MORE copies of those files onto a zune or ipod, or put them on a psp or 360...

    But when it comes to making the backup of a game - it is promoted as being illegal. Making a backup of a movie is legal, i mean - mpeg players would be illegal otherwise...

    Making backups of music is legal. You can even have several instances in all kinds of formats of music.

    Legally - you can make copies and copies and copies of your game - for your own use of course. That is totally legal to do.

    But what is not legal is the alteration of the firmware inside the console, which will allow you to play backups.
    If you so much as sniff near that firmware you are breaking copyright laws because they are the constant property of the console manufacturer.

    Firmwares are always updated and a connected console is never truely yours to own. Sony, Nintendo or Microsoft can pull the plug on you wheneverthey like.
    They can even stop the console from playing certain games if they have a new console out. Because in the small print - the consoles operation is their property.

    Making copies of games is not illegal - hacking firmware is.

    But nobody seems to understand that...

    They want to educate children because they are too young to make decisions for themselves and understand the concepts of what is right and wrong.

    "downloading is bad" they will tell them. But if you own the music (or movie) at home already, you are perfectly OK to download a copy of it.
    Because if you couldn't make a copy of what you own - you rely on a third party to make that copy.
    Example - I can go into a store, they can legally copy my CD for me and charge me for that service.

    I can also go online and download a copy of something that I already own. For example, I have the movie terminator 2 on dvd. I want only a segment of the film to play on my ipod - I can legally download a clip and put it in my ipod.

    These laws are so confusing - they are getting to the kids first because they want the kids to know what THEY think is right before seeing it for themselves.

  • Raid3r

    Posted Oct 3, 2007 4:08 pm PT

    HEY TEACHER.....LEAVE THOSE KIDS ALONE!! Sometimes you can't escape from the simplest demand. Seriously you will never take away the choice and they will always make a choice..kids, people that is.

  • playstation_wii

    Posted Oct 3, 2007 4:00 pm PT

    These messages used to always be in movies

  • lamprey263

    Posted Oct 3, 2007 3:55 pm PT

    Well, being as FFVII hasn't been published in years, and may never well be, I could care less that people are pirating it, because I think it's more criminal that people are selling copies of the game for $200 to $500 a piece. If a company like Square Enix is going to complain about piracy, I think part of the blame goes to them for never publishing the game anymore in the first place. And the same goes for any other IP that companies sit on forever, like all those years Nintendo did nothing with their NES and SNES ROMs, even though emulator technology was ripe for exploiting it. Now, even with VC, they're not doing it like they should. So until something like Tetrisphere makes it to VC, I could care less if people want to pirate it, since, obviously, nobody cares to be making money off it at the time.

  • anamnawshad

    Posted Oct 3, 2007 3:53 pm PT

    How about making gaming cheap? Then piracy will decrease.....

  • GrimBee

    Posted Oct 3, 2007 3:42 pm PT

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hpv6_6pCpY8 .

    All you need is DONT COPY THAT FLOPPY!! That is all any campaign needs, whether it involves DVD, cartridges or downloads - That message is in stone tablets man...

    The crazy thing is - Why aren't movies costing us £40 at a time? .
    You rent games for the same price as movies - so why are games so expensive? When you buy a movie on DVD it costs you about £14. But a new game costs £40.

    Perhaps games should be sold in different ways other than just on ONE console.
    After all - movies make their money from the box office (cinemas) and also on DVD.

    Why alot of games have to stay on only one console... its no wonder why they cost so much.
    NeoGeo games cost so much because you could make money from charging people to play them!

    Devs must make cash from selling games that are exclusive to only one console - so I can understand the inflated prices for games that are only on one console.

    But when EA has their game on all the consoles out there- surely they will be raking in loads and loads more cash than one game on one console..

    Its a tricky thing to figure out. But I reckon that games need to get out there a bit more than stick to just one console.
    If games came out in arcades first - made their money there (we paid to play them like someone would pay to go to the cinema) - then devs could charge less for the cost of buying the game on a console.

    For example - Halo 3. You have a large complex (like most cinemas are) that are running all the newest games and things. Instead of immediately buying a game on launch - you would go and play them in these complexes.
    A few months later - after they have made their money off of us there. They release the game on a console, and because they made their cash in the complexes (i.e theatres) they can charge less for the home-version.

    Yeah - I know - what a stupid idea. But thats the only way that games will drop in price. If they can make money from their IP in places other than at peoples homes.

    But why are game rentals the same price as movie rentals?... strange..

    I can understand why devs would want to charge so much, but movie studios gamble with their titles don't they, producers lose money on movies for the sake of getting a big liscence that they can exploit.

    You see - games can be equally as popular as movies, people spend more time on games than movies.

  • 1357900

    Posted Oct 3, 2007 3:11 pm PT

    This article makes me laugh, 'cause it's a joke. Some of the comments make me laugh, 'cause they're true. Hiking up prices has, is, & always will yeild more pirates. I agree w/ Realtop, lower the prices. Then you will lower, the pirates. There will always be pirates, but less, & less of 'em, if the prices are lowered.

    And as for this in school ciricullum, our college/school/education systems are already in hell, as it is. This is both a morals, & economy issue, but not an education issue. This issue truly has spawned from ceo's, & "top-of-the-corporate-ladder" type people who don't care at all about the original artist/creator/whatnot who's signed with them, or what they make from their own works, but only about their own pockets, & vaguely about any shareholders. If I have children, I'm going to be the only one who teaches them all they'll ever need in life, as it concerns morals. And just to prove about wasted money, & tax dollars, has anyone here, who ever had D.A.R.E in school, has anyone ever really benefitted from it? I don't do drugs, but if I never took D.A.R.E., I still today wouldn't{key phrase} be on drugs. Realtop summed it up nicely: Lower the prices. When the prices drop, piracy will drop. That's the solution in a nutshell.

  • SteveTwo

    Posted Oct 3, 2007 2:56 pm PT

    This is great an all, really, but the way the puplic school systems in the US work they become less efficient every year. As more and more are added to the lesson plans each year, the old information still needs to be taught, leaving almost every school and teacher with more than they can possibly teach in the time given. The message is sound and should be passed on, but not at the expense of learning the things that NEED to be learned at that education level.

    As the son of a teacher and a friend to several in my adult life, I think teachers are just going to find this another layer to work through in teaching thier kids.

  • EYEInferno

    Posted Oct 3, 2007 2:39 pm PT

    Sorry for not reading the entire post, but i think this is a good idea. Indoctrinating the idea of piracy and copyrights in kids below age of 12 will be effective and i think it will decrease piracy greatly .

  • dn3datomiced

    Posted Oct 3, 2007 2:31 pm PT

    Can anyone say "Don't copy that floppy?"

  • paullywog

    Posted Oct 3, 2007 2:30 pm PT

    how can they fight the statement "nothing beats free"?
    i won't post my views on the topic because i get suspended whenever i try that kind of thing but they've got an uphill fight.

  • mailbox2112

    Posted Oct 3, 2007 2:24 pm PT

    these guys just want more money

  • Link_Destined_1

    Posted Oct 3, 2007 2:23 pm PT

    While I find this tactic quite distasteful and even disturbing, we all have to remember that all mass media, not just video games, are created by for-profit corporations. Their mission is to make as much money as possible. But I think eliminating piracy is impossible, even IF they lower the prices. People are going to want to hang on to every cent they can get their hands on, and will try to get stuff for free. That's why most pirated stuff (that I know of) is just free versions of stuff you'd have to pay for. The pirates who try to actually make money are the ones who usually get busted anyway.

  • lord-of-gamers

    Posted Oct 3, 2007 2:18 pm PT

    cant these people that have never played a video game in their life and probably sit around in billion dollar houses thanks to someone they sued just leave us alone? i would shoot the person trying to brainwash my bros like this... same with the stupid halo 3 air force crap... if you want to fight a war then go yourselves and stop tryin to get young ones killed for no reason

  • allmybase

    Posted Oct 3, 2007 2:15 pm PT

    Anybody else see a Scruff McGruff commercial coming out soon where he says "Take a bite out of copyright infringement," or is that just me?

  • can0of0cheese

    Posted Oct 3, 2007 2:15 pm PT

    It's gonna be sooo sweet when the next-gen-kids get mad and start calling each names such as pirate and haxxor.. When that day comes i will be the first to lol.

  • Twinturbo120

    Posted Oct 3, 2007 2:07 pm PT

    wow...does it matter? my 8 yr old cuzin already knos how to use the comp almost as good as me -.-

  • ShinAkuma777

    Posted Oct 3, 2007 2:05 pm PT

    this is crap along with the air force using halo 3 to recruit young ones let people get their own morales from their parents and themselves

  • Steel_Cyclone

    Posted Oct 3, 2007 2:04 pm PT

    So the ESA is lowering themselves to the level of the RIAA? Lovely, I've officially lost any and all respect for them.

  • jenovaproject

    Posted Oct 3, 2007 2:00 pm PT

    HAY KIDS LET'S PAY A LOT SO THEY HAVE MORE MONEY AND NEVER LOWER THE PRICES.

    If things were more reasonable, and board members didn't need such obscene profits (that's where most of the money goes, you know, not to the people who MADE the copyrighted material) they wouldn't need to do this.

    Give board members paycuts (boo hoo they'll need to wait a month for their gold plated shark tank, wah wah) and pass the savings on to us, the consumers.

    And yes, it's easy to brainwash children. Ever see Jesus Camp? Jesus is cool, but those guys are horrifying.

  • manyuca

    Posted Oct 3, 2007 1:51 pm PT

    In my opinion that is a disgusting act. That's almost as bad as PETA preaching their garbage on kids. I know we have to work to eliminate piracy but for gods sake you can't be pushing messages like that to kids. As a parent I believe this is crossing the line.

  • Video_Game_King

    Posted Oct 3, 2007 1:41 pm PT

    Fair enough, they don't want the industry declining. But I don't think it deserves an entire class on the subject. Maybe a few lectures or a few days of class dedicated to the subject, but not a year-round cirriculum (sp).

  • lamprey263

    Posted Oct 3, 2007 1:41 pm PT

    just a matter of time before they equate piracy with terrorism; hey, they did it for drugs

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