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BSA Asks Kids to Name Copyright Weasel
theodp writes "According to CNET News, this fall, 4th-graders will not only be treated to comic books and lesson plans from the Business Software Alliance and Weekly Reader, but also invited to name the BSA's mascot, a copyright-crusading ferret who teaches tech-savvy kids about the importance of protecting and respecting copyrighted works such as software, music, games and movies. More details in the BSA press release."
Yeah, the DARE program worked really well as an example...
Seems to me that teaching this in the schools gives the kids something to rebel against later.
Denver Isuzu Suzuki
In the article, it notes that we can write in "Sterling Ball" the guy who jettisoned all MS products after getting raided by the BSA.
Anyone know where the url is so we can vote?
- Zav - Imagine a Beowulf cluster of insensitive clods...
The BSA's favorite method is sending out threat letters to small-mid sized businesses, and warning about the dire consequences of having pirated software. The place I work got one, and the boss freaked out- especially since 1 Office 2000 CD had been used for all 6 computers in the office. The letter basically said we had 1 month to take care of any abuses, and if they caught us after that with illegal stuff, there would be hell to pay (since we were on notice).
I got some nice OEM copies to make us legit, but they never showed up. I heard a bunch of people throughout our area got these letters (San Diego), and I didn't really hear about anyone getting busted.
Also, do you like the idea of your kids being trained to rat out their peers? Always be a snitch? How far does it go... Should we also have them snitch on Mommy & Daddy?
Many moons ago there was a small video with some unknown rapper talking about the effects of piracy to 2 kids.
Someone's got it on the web somewhere. Quite possibly the funniest thing you have ever seen for propaganda.
Reminds me of the ~15 yr old campaign "Don't Copy That Floppy", with a rap song and dance and everything. It was way cooler than this half-arsed shite... ^_^
16 mb "Don't Copy That Floppy"
Intellectual property is not the same as physical property (for example, it [theoretically] expires) but let's not descend into the usual word games. Can you recognize, however, that -- though this does not justify infringement -- the copyright system is in fact malfunctioning, especially due to the unreasonably long time that passes before a work enters the public domain? And can we agree that the corporate stakeholders have persuaded the government to abandon the historic "copyright bargain" interpretation? And that late additions such as the Digital Millenium Copyright Act have tilted the playing field away from balanced -- in part by creating "access control rights" that have no grounding in the Constitution and, menacingly, no expiration date?
You don't have to be a eyepatch-wearing download junkie to see that things have gone awry.
The Mongrel Dogs Who Teach
It's not a matter of open source, it's a matter of a corporation using the public education system to indoctrinate people. I have similar beefs with Subway, Coca Cola, etc. - all of whom have encroached on my old High School in the name of hooking kids on their brand early. There's a particular marketing term for the practice of impressing a brand on people before they're old enough to make decisions (so they later decide on that brand), but I don't recall it at the moment.
The BSA has a specific agenda that they most certainly will benefit from financially if they can impress it on kids early on and make it stick. If they were only teaching the facts about copyright laws or providing those materials that do so, that's fine. However, this reaks of marketing and promotion, not education. That doesn't belong in a public school. If they think that copyright laws need to receive more focus, they can go to school board meetings like everyone else.
As far as emacs - emacs is the one true editor!!! .... oops... sorry, wrong discussion ;)
I don't think learning about the GNU - if it was relevant to the class - would be bad, but RMS is not the best person to be teaching it. The nice thing is, since it's OSS, you could always take that out. I'm not a particularly big fan of RMS, and I only use the GPL when I have no intention of using the code I write commercially...
Alito: A vote for Alito is a punch in the eye to put that bitch back in her place!
Don't cut n paste, please, but here's a copy of my email to pr@weeklyreader.com:
l aws/2100-1012_3-5303966.html .
Subject: BAS Alliance?
I recently read how Weekly Reader was going to help educate children and teens about copyright law from CNET, at http://news.com.com/Ferreting+out+copyright+scoff
I remember enjoying Weekly Reader when I was young, going over your website today has made me realize how much has changed over the years.
While I understand this is primarily a business decision, I want to urge you to reconsider distributing their supplement.
As a IT professional I am very familiar with the tactics the BSA and similar 'non-profit' organizations use to intimidate and deceive. While the company I work for is in compliance with current copyright laws, we must spend an inordinate amount of time and resources making certian that we can also prove we are in compliance.
I heartily encourage you to educate your readers on copyright laws, where they came from, what purpose they are meant to serve, and how they have changed and adapted over the decades to meet new challenges. I would strongly urge you against allowing the BSA to perform this education as I can assure you they are interested in how copyright protects copyright owners, and not how copyright also protects individuals and users of copyrighted works.
Thank you for your time and attention to this important matter!
-Adam