Microsoft Wants To Help Educate Kids About Piracy

Marketing efforts to educate teens about illegally downloading digital content appear to have fallen on deaf ears. Nearly half of the 500 teenagers between 7th and 10th grades surveyed by Microsoft in January admit to being unfamiliar with laws prohibiting them from sucking down copyright content from the Internet for free.

While teenagers who know the laws believe they are less likely to illegally download and share files, only 11% admit to understanding them. Teens familiar with rules for downloading images, literature, music, movies and software get most of the information from parents, relying on TV, magazine and newspaper articles, and Web sites for the remainder. Very little comes from schools.

Microsoft wants to change that. Findings from a field test program geared toward 8th-, 9th- and 10th-grade educators that ends March 28 provide the template to instruct teachers on educating students in schools.

The program gives teachers access to case-study lesson plans aimed at educating middle-school and high-school students on intellectual property rights and file-sharing laws. Accompanying the program, Microsoft plans to create MyBytes, an interactive Web site that provides a venue where students can create custom ringtones and share their own content, offer opinions and learn more about intellectual property rights regardless of their participation in the curriculum.

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Forrester research analyst James McQuivey says kids and adults need to take responsibility and know whether their actions can harm other people, animals, the environment or the economy. "However, it's nigh unto impossible for Microsoft and other companies with an economic interest in preventing piracy to be the source of that education," he says. "This is something the ad council could do if they wanted, just the way their 'this is your brain on drugs' campaign was far more effective than Nancy Reagan telling kids to 'just say no'."

Microsoft isn't the lone wolf in its efforts to teach kids and adults right from wrong. The Motion Picture Association of America spearheads efforts on behalf of member studios, such as Paramount Pictures, Twentieth Century Fox, Universal Pictures, Warner Bros., and Walt Disney Studios, running a series of public service announcements on DVDs. The association also offers programs on Internet safety that educate kids and parents on legal responsibilities of illegally downloading content, according to MPAA Spokeswoman Kori Bernards.

Last week in a 354-to-58 landmark decision, the U.S. House of Representatives voted to approve the College Opportunity and Affordability Act, a controversial 850-page, higher-education bill that includes new anti-piracy obligations for universities.

The bill states that colleges and universities participating in deferral financial aid programs must create plans for alternative offerings to illegal downloading, such as subscription-based services. The Copyright Alliance, whose members range from ASCAP to Microsoft, also supports the bill.

Meanwhile, results from Microsoft's initial study suggest students aren't getting the information they need to make intelligent decisions. Or they are just simply ignoring the facts, McQuivey says.

The January study, conducted by KRC Research on behalf of Microsoft, reveals that kids lack familiarity with rules and guidelines for downloading digital content from the Internet, which contributes to teen opinions that punishment is unnecessary.

Among teenagers who say they are familiar with the laws, more than eight in 10--or 82%--say authorities should punish violators, compared with 57% of those who are unfamiliar with the laws. In general, teenagers regard illegal downloading over the Internet as less offensive than other forms of stealing. Still, 48% believe punishment is appropriate for illegal downloading, compared with 90% who say it's more appropriate for stealing a bike.

Gender plays a role, too, according to the Microsoft study. Boys are more likely than girls to say they would not continue to download or share digital content after being told the rules over the Internet, teens are challenged by peer pressure and their wallets, and peer pressure and cost have strong influences on attitudes toward illegal downloading.

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