[quote] The BSA–a trade group supported by Microsoft, Adobe Systems and other major software makers to enforce software licenses and copyrights–revealed the new mascot Tuesday as part of a national campaign to scare kids out of using peer-to-peer networks.
The “Play It Safe in Cyber Space” campaign will culminate with a four-page comic book, distributed in conjunction with tot journal the Weekly Reader, meant to impress kids with the idea that it’s not OK to freely swap software, games, music and other copyrighted content. [/quote]
To me this seems utterly reprehensible. Yes pirated software is bad and copyright infringement is an issue that must be faced, but should the US indoctrinate school children with propaganda from Microsoft and its cronies?
That magazine is purchased widely by schools, but certainly no school is compelled to do so. They have a right to include the booklet, and in any event informing kids that stealing is wrong and potentially punishable by law, when they may not be getting that message otherwise, is not exactly what I would call utterly reprehensible.
The problem is that they are not teaching kids specifically that stealing is wrong, they are teaching them the copyright lessons that Microsoft, Adobe, et al want taught. The BSA was founded specifically as a lobby to promote a specific view of copyright law that protects corporate software manufacturers.
Though I have not yet seen the Weekly Reader magazine insert, the BSA has an example of the curriculum at playitcybersafe.com/curriculum/index.cfm . Looking at the curriculum, it is extremely one-sided with “copying software is evil and you are making a programmer’s child starve” type sentiments – without any mention of the concept of fair-use or software that is “freeware” or released under things like the GNU Public License. It is not well-rounded curriculum. Also, after reading PRC rhetoric to me it always seems like propaganda when phrases like: " Encourage students to examine their personal behavior using their computers, software, and the Internet" are used.
You are correct, no school is forced to buy Weekly Reader, but the fact is most schools will include the booklet simply because the main sponsor of the BSA, Microsoft, is also giving the schools laptops, software, etc.
I just find it extremely difficult to believe that in the US they allow organizations with an political agenda to provide curriculum for the class room. As one person I know put it, “It is like letting McDonalds write curriculum on nutrition.”
curriculum? give me a break it’s an insert. i have not seen it, however i assume it refers to copying of copyrighted material, which is against the law.this bpa is well within their rights to disseminate it, the weekly reader to distribute it. the schools can do whatever they see fit with it.it’s not like microsoft is going to stop giving out freebies if they toss them in the trash can. the kids will completely ignore it and go back to whatever they were doing. hardly a big brother scenario.
The insert is merely a portion of the curriculum, they also have teacher and parent guides with classroom activities to enforce what was learned within the Weekly Reader handout.
Beatnikmao, what is your problem with copyright protection. You think people have a right to steal intellectual property. As a writer I do not much agree with that. BSA has done a lot of outstanding work both here in Taiwan and elsewhere.
And any and all educational programs that instill in the little monsters (excuse me, I mean the dear children) the idea that stealing words is the same as stealing anything else is good by me.
Oftentimes people who trash talk IPR protection are confusing issues. Having a bitch with Microsoft (Microsoft is not my all time favorite company either) gets transformed into anti-IPR talk like you have made in this thread (and I think others too). Are you one of the local TaiDa kids with a hard-on for Microsoft who feel that “well since Microsoft overcharges for their software in Taiwan, “we” Taiwanese have a right to steal Microsoft software”. I really am fucking fed up with the Taiwanese half-assed approach to IPR protection.
I think Benz overcharges for their cars, does that mean I can steal a Benz off the lot tonight?
I speak strongly on this because “intellectual property” does put food on my table and a roof over my head. At 2 NT per word its not a grand living but it is my living.
I have absolutely no problem with copyright protection taken in a more moderate manner such as the Electronic Frontier Foundation en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sonny_Bono … ension_Act used to keep characters like Mickey Mouse out of the public domain so that corporations, not the creators, can profit.
I also have no problem with Microsoft enforcing their copyright and going after people who pirate their software, but I do have a problem the BSA, and any other politically-motivated groups, going after children in schools and presenting their single one-sided story in schools. Microsoft and others in the BSA have a proven track record of attacking legal open access copyright systems, such as the GNU Public License and BSD licenses, see the Halloween Memos opensource.org/halloween/ .
This is what I don’t get. If you don’t like their message fair enough, but why shouldn’t it be presented to children in schools? The message does accord with the law I presume. Children these days are quite computer literate and I’m sure able to understand these issues. Why should there be any other precondition to its presentation?
Not to mention, if you consider that the prevailing culture on-line is that no holds are barred when it comes to copying, the drop in the bucket of presenting the industry view of this in a school could hardly be called “one-sided.”
I have problem with the BSA, but this material doesn’t convince me that they’re doing anything unethical in this case. The only thing I have a problem with in this material is their projected sales losses, which in the case of poorer markets (e.g. Mainland China) are inflated. In many cases the software that is pirated would not be bought if it weren’t available for free, so the sales they’re claiming to have lost aren’t really potential sales. Most of these companies will lower their prices for Asian (and other) markets that have a lower per capita income, but it’s usually still much too expensive.
Ironically, it’s also the smaller competing software companies that lose out on this. My old company made some very good software that competed with some much higher priced “name” titles. In a free and honest market many people may have been compelled to buy our product (around $100) vs. their higher priced but better known product (around $600). But since they could download the “name” product for free we lost a potential sale.
Let’s agree on one thing: there IS a cultural issue to piracy. Many people (mostly younger from my experience) have no qualms about piracy, even though they can often afford to buy a legitimate version. They claim poverty but their PCs are crammed full of illegal versions of software. I have many Taiwanese friends who frankly don’t give a damn that they’re doing this, and in fact think I’m strange for paying for a DVD, movie ticket, or legitimate software. And after moving back to the U.S. I see that this is true here as well.
This is what I don’t get. If you don’t like their message fair enough, but why shouldn’t it be presented to children in schools? The message does accord with the law I presume. Children these days are quite computer literate and I’m sure able to understand these issues. Why should there be any other precondition to its presentation?[/quote]
For one thing, schools in the US should be spending more time on other things: math, reading, and basic science. I am not doubting the computer literacy of many of the school children, what I am doubting whether they will understand the complex notion of IPR, because it still seems to be misunderstood by many adults and even the courts in the US. It appears as if the BSA is trying to get them young to justify the fact they do not mention alternative licensing by saying “It would simply confuse them.” By presenting this single “copying software is evil” philosophy then what are they going to think about people copying a Linux distribution for a friend, even if it is totally legally and within the license.
I am not advocating we allow pirates into the school to extol the virtues of warez and Kazaa. There just needs to be a fair discussion of legal methods that software is distributed for free or cheaply.
The major problem is that the BSA is an organization with an extremely specific political agenda when it concerns copyrights. It has been set up, not to help creators of software maintain copyrights, but by corporations wanting to keep their profits high.
It is an immature field and not really consistent.
The IP field is at the forefront of making a new business paradigm of making ideas and concepts a commondity. And also setting up quite a lucrative infrastructure for governments that enforce IP laws.
That’s why they have lawyers.
As for the brochures I guess I would need to see them. Are they about stopping certain practices that is “costing” corporation revenue, or are they about really enlightening people to the realities of IP?
Something tells me is more about corporations giving a very narrow interpretation to hopefully regulate human behaviors for their own corporate benefit.
[quote=“beatnikmao”]
For one thing, schools in the US should be spending more time on other things: math, reading, and basic science. [/quote]
No doubt. However the schools will make that decision, i am sure an IP “curriculum” weekly reader style is not going to be displacing any of the main subjects. i’ll say this, if you demonstrated that the bsa was able to bring pressure on schools to teach this stuff i would agree with you.
[quote]
No doubt. However the schools will make that decision, I am sure an IP “curriculum” weekly reader style is not going to be displacing any of the main subjects. I’ll say this, if you demonstrated that the bsa was able to bring pressure on schools to teach this stuff I would agree with you.[/quote]
The following is from an official 2002 BSA document on their campaign to get their curriculum into schools. To me this looks like more than a non-profit trying to help out beleaguered teachers – I may be overacting though.
[quote=“Tempo Gain”][quote=“beatnikmao”]
For one thing, schools in the US should be spending more time on other things: math, reading, and basic science. [/quote]
No doubt. However the schools will make that decision, I am sure an IP “curriculum” weekly reader style is not going to be displacing any of the main subjects. I’ll say this, if you demonstrated that the bsa was able to bring pressure on schools to teach this stuff I would agree with you.[/quote]
But then, what if they threw in free computers or software as prizes for schools who do the most whistleblowing or whatever? They wouldn’t need pressure. They could use their own goods to help sway a school system who might be in need of some of what they have to offer.
Imagine a school district who has just had yet another school levy rejected, one that was going to be used to modernize their schools so that they could keep up with today’s educational standards. Along comes the BSA saying, if you push this program, we’ll give you state-of-the-art computers, free word processing and educational software, and have some of our employees come in to run simulations in your economics classes and do workshops for your teachers to help them become more computer saavy. All you have to do is run our program in your schools. What school board in their right mind wouldn’t be drooling over those things?
It’s similar to what the huge steel factory in my hometown did. They were notorious for their accidents (sometimes fatal) and the fact that their polluting the air, water, and soil had resulted in abnormal numbers of children with birth defects and cancers. From the look-out point in town, couples would make out to the glowing flames shooting from their smokestacks at night, spewing all s of toxins into the air. Then they sponsored a Junior Achievement program for the economics classes, had speakers come in and talk about environmental protection, do demonstrations in chemistry class, offer work experience for the OWA kids, and bought new computers for the whole school district. If they have changed their ways in safety and pollution, then it’s not openly visible and one can still watch the smoke pouring out in the day and Freddy the Flame (the yellow one) and Arnie the Arson (the blue one) shooting tens of feet into the air by moonlight to this day.
Will the BSA force schools to introduce their program to students? Probably not. I’m sure they have plenty of other ways to make schools want to volunteer.
I think so. I would expect they had a similar agenda. That doesn’t sway me off any of my earlier arguments.
Possible I suppose, but to be effective it would have to be done on a nationwide scale. Wouldn’t it begin to draw criticism then? I don’t think they would really want to go down that road.
[quote=“ac_dropout”]I find there are two issues with IP at this time.
It is an immature field and not really consistent.
The IP field is at the forefront of making a new business paradigm of making ideas and concepts a commondity. And also setting up quite a lucrative infrastructure for governments that enforce IP laws.[/quote]
Sure, the patent and copyright system has only been around in the U.S. since the 1790’s. And laws regarding audio copyrights didn’t get fully hashed out until the 1920’s. Can’t possibly expect the field to mature in so little time.
Ah, now you’ve come up with something. Of course it’s only what half the other posters in this thread have already said, but WTH.
Edit:
Amusingly, I just ran into this banner on a news website I visited:
