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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."
Because that ferret is destined to go on a long dark journey!
something to the effect of The philosophy of the schoolroom in one generation is the philosophy of the government in the next. This seems a good way for organizations to get laws changed in their favor.
I have no
It's not just for your parents anymore! :P
Error 407 - No creative sig found
Let's name him Darl!
Right is wrong when left is right.
Gosh, it sure reminds me of good ol' Frank Burns from M*A*S*H! Take THAT, Ferret Face!
Jory
Fucktard, the copyright weasel.
Don't Crease the Weasel!
BSA Asks Kids to Name Copyright Weasel
At least they choose the right animal. Has anyone heard when SCO will be letting us name their skunk mascot?
As the article says:
;)
The ferret, by the way, does seem to be an odd mascot choice for an organization devoted to strict legal adherence, given that the weasel-like mammals are outlawed in California and several other states.
Anyway, were I in 4th grade, I'd submit "nibbler."
You know. In honor of the old copy/backup programs often called "nibblers" frmo the C64/Apple2 days. Since they nibbled the disk bit-by-bit to make exact copies. And like ferrets.
Get it?
everything in moderation
BSA - I thought they make Motorcycles
This is bad because... ?
First of all, he looks like a rip-off of everyone else's favourite corporate cartoon character: Poochy. So "Snitchy" feels right.
Kids, make sure to copyright your entries!
This comment does not necessarily represent the views and opinions of the author.
While I will teach my child what *I* believe is right and wrong, we can hope that the children of parents that are not quite as diligent see thru this garbage.
Perhaps with a bit of luck this attempt at brainwashing will totally backfire.
Home schooling becomes more appealing each day.
---- Booth was a patriot ----
May I be one of hopefully many in saying WTF?? How is the BSA allowed to even infiltrate our PUBLIC school system, I mean what goes on at these meetings
BSA REP: "We will give you enough money to buy 10 more computers if you let us brainwash the kids"
Director of school: "I'm not sure thats a good idea, have you ever read 1984?"
BSA REP: "Of course I have, I'll make it 11 computers and I won't let RIAA charge you for illegal music downloads"
Director of school: "But i havn't downloaded any illegal music"
BSA REP: "Thats what they all say!"
Hey kids be a weasel and turn in your friends for downloading music!
While I'm all for respecting copyrights and all that intellectual property stuff, I find it strangely difficult to accept moral lessons from the BSA.
I suppose they'll be joining the ranks of MTV, musicians, and video games in the world of raising YOUR children.
Parents -- please take responsibility for your children. Please?
Too easy.
John Ashcroft
How about Captain Copyright?
See how the dauntless Captain Copyright sells out its friend to the BSA for talking about copying software.
Laught when Captain Copyright battles with the fearsom Product Pirates (and see how they get locked up for 30 years for running an illegal copy of Windows XP).
Be fascinated how Captian Copyright bribes and lobbies the Congress to introduce capital punishment for product theft.
+++ MELON MELON MELON +++ Out of Cheese Error +++ redo from start +++
For a second, when I read the title, I thought it meant the BSA was asking children to rat on their friends... Glad to hear it's just brainwashing!
If this program has any success like the Just Say No program did in the 1980s, then we should be seeing an entire generation of copyright violators in, oh, 20-30 years.
Raw raw brainwashing backfires.
I can't think of a better name than Hilary.
Do not touch -Willie
So how long until the kids are 'taught' to turn in their parents "to help them"?
Gotta love my tax dollars supporting this tripe.
let's remember that there's nothing wrong with protecting the copyright.
the problem lies in the fact that copyrights seem to be indefinite. we need to cut them down, not cut them out.
If you don't know what AltaVista is (was), get off my lawn.
Ah yes. That's just too appropriate. Weasels are the snakes of the mammal family. (Yeah, it's not proper taxonomic jargon. So sue me.) Always sneaking around behind other animals' backs, and fighting like holy hell whenever they get cornered. Oh, and weasels particularly like to eat young things.
Heck, just the fact that they've picked a weasel is funny enough for me. Could they possibly have picked a WORSE animal mascot? Maybe the cockroach...
p
In Korea, long hair is for old people!
Howabout "Orrin the Ass-Burrowing Money Weasel"? It's got a nice ring to it. You gotta admit.
blog |
A rodent that tends to smell like shit and is uncannily prone to getting rabies. Things like this are why I don't believe in coincidences anymore....
Click here or a puppy gets stomped!
Linux: Chubby, randy penguin. A rather inoffensive critter.
BSA: A maniacally-grinning weasel.
I wanna see all the logos that will be sure to come up involving Python and everybody's least-favorite weasel.
May we never see th
Satan?
Juares. Spelt W A R E Z.
Rock on!
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...
BSA guy #2: So he's proactive, huh?
BSA guy #1: Oh, God, yes. We're talking about a totally outrageous paradigm.
BSA guy #3: Excuse me, but "proactive" and "paradigm"? Aren't these just buzzwords that dumb people use to sound important? Not that I'm accusing you of anything like that. [pause] I'm fired, aren't I?
BSA guy #4: Oh, yes.
Apologies to The Simpsons...
How is the GNU mascot supposed to compete with the aptly selected weasel? A weasel is much more fun to play with.
I guess we have to lauch a counter movement, and tellthem to share and share alike. We'll then see which culture benefits better and improves faster.
Slashdot's rate-of-post filter: Preventing you from posting too many great ideas at once.
Good I'm not the only insane one on Slashdot then...first thing that came to mind when I heard of the copyright weasel was the Sexual Harassment Panda....uggggh....
...in bed
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.
A ferret is not the same as a weasel any more than I am the same as a chimpazee.
Although, you will have to take my word that I am not in fact a specially trained super chimp named Lullu typing this from my cage.
Ferrets and Weasels are of the same family which is Mustela. As a category this family also includes Weasels, Marters and Polecats.
So they are similiar to weasels but that is not to say that weasel should be used as another term for ferrets.
Also ferrets are domesticated creatures. There are no wild ferret populations compared to weasels who are wild, widespread through britian, and eat small rodents.
Hey! Leave me out of this!
Boobies never hurt anyone. - Sherry Glaser.
The problem is not that they are teaching legality, they are twisting the law to their own view.
Such as trying to convince children that its a criminal act to download ANY music file.
Problem is that its a CIVIL issue, ( at least for now, unless Hollings gets his way.. then it will be criminal ) and 2ndly its not illegal to download *copyrighted*material. Its illegal to download material that isn't permitted for distribution in that manner..
Its also legally debatable that its even illegal to download restricted data.. Remember fair use, libraries, copying excerpts.. etc.
Its also NOT the job of some industry to come and teach students. Even if I were to accept the concept of what they were trying to portray, its the SCHOOLS job to teach facts, not some company. ( and its parents job to teach morality ).
---- Booth was a patriot ----
Than Lemmiwinks.
After all, god knows the BSA's going to try to jam it up our asses anyways.
Striking fear in the authors of godawful fanfiction, I am here, appearing in darkness, Tuxedo Jack!
Scene: 4th grade Sally singing happy birthday in a public place. Copyright weasel jumps out. CWeasel: You owe me $19.95 for that! Cough it up. Sally: But I was just singing... CWeasel procedes to mull little Sally's face, turn her upside down & shake money out of her dress pockets. CWeasel: "And don't let me catch you doing it again."
pumps out thousands of "Copywrite Krusader" stuffed counterfeits. Look for them on a street corner near you.
Now THAT would be hilarious.
And on a more important note, a Ferret, what the hell? A friend of mine has two of these fuzzy things and one thing the BSA and Ferrets have in common is both want to get into your pants.
The name "ferret" comes from the Latin word "furritus" which means "little fur thief". It refers to the ferrets habit of stealing things, toys, food, socks etc. and dragging them away to hide them in it's lair.
A Cyber-Ethics Champion Code with items such as
Why? First of all, use of the mark is now optional, at least in the U.S. Second, the mark itself doesn't explain to the child (or anyone else) whether or not a program may be copied (e.g., GPL'd software is copyrighted). The license does. Which leads us to...
So the assumption is that a child young enough to be attracted to the weasel-ferret-whatever mascot will read and understand the license agreements included with his or her software? Perhaps the BSA wants to donate to some sort of fund for early legal education?
I guess the problem I have with all this is, there's currently a lot of controversy surrounding free software, copyright, patents, and other "intellectual property" issues, and if we're not prepared to educate our children about the issues, we shouldn't allow the "voice of the world's commercial software industry" to do it for us, any more than we allow McDonald's to educate our children about nutrition. Oh, wait...
To reinforce to the kids about how copyright works in the real world, the weasel's name should be...
Mickey Mouse.
If Slashdot were chemistry it would look like this:Cadaverine
Because pushing an issue on school children, trying to form their opinions at a young age, on behalf of CORPORATIONS, smacks of manipulation and self-rightousness.
Because the BSA is a blackmailing, self-interested money hungry group of lawyers which strongarms small businesses into "compliance", trying to bluff business owners into thinking they are guilty until proven innocent.
Because controversial issues that are not directly related to education or universally accepted understandings of right and wrong have no place in the public education system.
I wouldn't have the BSA forcefeeding my kids their garbage anymore than I'd invite PETA in the classroom. Either way, God willing that we can afford it, I'm not sending my kids anywhere near a public classroom if and when the day comes.
---
WARNING:Slashdot karma not redeemable in the afterlife.
...mandatory Simpsons reference?
"Weaseling out of things is important to learn! It's what separates us from the animals! 'Cept the weasel." --Homer
I just laughed. ALL my production software is open source.
That being said, this threat is serious to most businesses, and I have to help many customers get into compliance. All the more reason to use open source.
LedgerSMB: Open source Accounting/ERP
Alpha children wear grey They work much harder than we do, because they're so frightfully clever. I'm really awfuly glad I'm a Beta, because I don't work so hard. I know it's true because the weasel told me so!
Name this beast after the Congresscritter most thoroughly owned and operated by the RIAA and MPAA! I'm sure he's also owned and operated by the BSA as well, or at least sympathetic to their cause.
The species change would not only make it a better rhyming name, but one would have to do it because ferrets are still illegal in California. (and Hawaii, and the 5 boroughs of New York City, NY)
Knowledge is power. Knowledge shared is power multiplied.
You have to check out this game they cooked up to go along with this drivel. Notice that the CDs are "bad" along with the skull and cross bones. And, don't forget to grab to licenses or else your current business model might fail! "No thanks mom, I don't really want Doom 3 anymore now that I can play Pirate Deep Freeze!"
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"
Call me a hopeless optimist... But, unless both the parents and those schools are doing absolutely nothing outside of brain washing those kids...
Remember the "Red Menace" of the 50's-80's? We've all seen the films they used to show kids in schools, and the information from parents, wasn't far from brainwashing the kids to hate anyone who didn't live under a Democratic Government.
Need a more current example? Just replace communist with "Terrorist"
If you build it, nerds will come. Soylentnews.org
I dont mind the power company coming in with Larry the Lightning Bolt teaching kids to leave power lines and other nasty power stuff alone. But for a business such as this which tends to threaten businesses without a shred of proof then sue them if they refuse guilty or not should not be allowed into our schools to pitch their views on copyright.
It's the responsibility of eduacators to bring this topic up in the classroom. Explain what a copyright is and explain some of the history of it. It's up to the kids to decide if it's the right thing not some corporate sponsored entity telling our kids that copyrights are fine. All it does is breed a group of kids that will not challenge the system and sit around all day thinking certain laws are okay when in fact they may not be so perfect.
This set in wheels in motion to have those segragation laws declared unconstitutional in the USA.
It is your moral duty to refuse to obey laws that you know are simply wrong and immoral. It's called "civil disobedience" and has has a pretty decent track history of causing positive change without too much bloodshed.
PS: Note that I'm not specifically saying that this mp3 downloading ruckus falls in that category. I'm just saying that your affirmation that all laws need to be obeyed is just not right.
You've gotta love living in a country where teaching 4th graders morality will put you in front of a judge, but where it's apparently OK to indocrinate children with the corrupt money-mongering copyrighting system. Breach of copyright, now there's a sin we need to teach our children to avoid. But don't you dare teach them about chastity or good moral living.
Sorry, I just get upset with the priorities of this country sometimes.
An interesting sidebar to this whole story is that the way that both sides want to call the similar looking animal:
The RIAA wants to say "ferret" because that word is also defined as a verb that means to search for something in a group of others.
The anti-RIAA forces wants to say "weasel" because that word when used as an adjective means a person that is dishonest and/or greedy.
That's a sign of a bad PR person somewhere at the RIAA. No matter how cute the positive association is, you shouldn't put out a PR campaign with a mascot that easy to mock.
Do you own a Tivo or a VCR? Ever fastforward through commercials? Thief! You're depriving those poor advertisers of their hard-earned dollars!
Just because something is illegal (or unlawful, as is the case in CIVIL matters like these) does not make it wrong, and while there is definitely good reason to ensure that musicians continue to receive compensation, this issue is NOT as cut and dry as the Morality Police would have us belief. Taken to the extreme, beliefs like yours would outlaw all libraries because they take away money from authors and publishers.
Correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't the purpose of a school mascott, aimed at kids, to teach them important values? Loyalty, Devotion, Friendship, Thinking for themselves. Nah, kids these days will trade in all of those for some monopolist propoganda, uh I mean "comic", of some weasel telling them to rat out their friends for inovating so they can get next weeks exciting issue on how infringing copyrights can send you to hell. At least they chose an appropriate mascott. Looks like its time to get out the D-Con. --Copyrighted monopolys stiffle inovation. th!nk differently
Attached to the article is a lovely little game called Deep Freeze, and Christ almighty is it hard.
The point of the game is that you're supposed to use Rat Bastard (As I'm now referring to the Weasel) to kick a ball to destroy Pirates (Represented by a Skull and Crossbones) and Software (Represented by a CD. Note that I said software, not illegal software, just plain software. Interesting...) all while collecting Licenses to protect your city.
Ah, yes, you're asking the same question I was, "Protect it from what?" Quickly, you will learn the answer, to protect your fair city from being "frozen" by software piracy. The game is ridiculouslyhard and as far as I played it, is impossible to win. I can only assume that this is by design to show kids how hard it is to "defend" against the deluge of pirated software.
Man, does anyone else feel like they're in some kind of really weird, fucked up movie with a bad plot everytime they read this absolutly insane software piracy shit? Seriously, it seems like I'm inside of some horrible plot hole whenever I read the BSA is working in conjunction with Weekly Reader (Which I remember from back when I was in school) in order to indoctrinate 4th graders to believe software piracy is some sort of scourge of the Universe. Back when I read Weekly Reader, it had stuff about all kinds of exotic animals, something about space, or just anything else kids thought was really cool. Now it teaches them about Copyright laws?
What the fuck? This country really needs to get its shit back together. I love America, but I fear for our future when corporations can have the power to set ciriculum, especially for such young, impressionable kids like this.
Request: ECM unit, 1000 km fullerene cable, 1 tactical nuclear weapon. Reason: Birthday party for foreign dignitary.
Mod me down. I think you deserve to be sued if you rip off music.
I agree entirely, let's start with suing P. Diddy for ripping off everyone else's music.
Snowden and Manning are heroes.
In the common parlance, "ferret" refers to the domestic ferret, mustela furo. The cartoon mascot is clearly a black-footed ferret, mustela nigripes which despite the similar name is only obliquely related, sort of like a dog being related to a coyote.
The telltale signs are the cream-colored body and black-tipped extremities. Domestic ferrets in the most common sable pattern are colored somewhat more like a siamese cat: the legs and tail are solid black, and the hair is darker overall.
What's the difference? The domestic ferret is a fun-loving domestic species native to Europe and a popular family pet. The black-footed ferret is a fierce North American weasel that savagely devours cute, cuddly prairie dogs and takes over their homes. So they got the image right, but the name is wrong.
Didn't they "pirate" that acronym from the Boy Scouts of America?
That's my entry.
It can be a female, right? Well I propose the name Susan. Or just Sue, for short. ;)
I sure hope that weasel/stoat/whatever doesn't forget to remind kids that they have Fair Use rights too, guaranteed by law!
p.s. As for a name, I'm torn between "Frank Burns" and "Ratfink".
Don't blame me, I didn't vote for either of them!
Here's the url:
p y. wmv
http://www.mattkruse.com/humor/DontCopyThatFlop
"He's more machine now than man, twisted and evil."
Quisling is the only possible name for this weasel.
When all you have is a hammer, everything looks like a skull.
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
I've got a name for him ...
But I can't say it in front of kids.
"I hate to answer my own posts but you MUST download this and this!"
I think we all know what kind of effect that posts like this have on people's bandwidth issues. If you have any compassion or empathy for your fellow man, and the target of your post is the MPAA, RIAA, SCO, or the BSA PLEASE try to get these things to the front page. When the BSA servers start a fire that burns down their empire... and a daycare next door, but don't sweat the small stuff... you will know you made a difference. Don't you owe it to yourself?
My Blog
I also helped a customer past a BSAA audit threat (got the notice mid-afternoon, got inspected mid the following morning) by counting their holo stickers and hastily Linuxifying some of their generic workstations to make up the difference, and slapping the OpenOffice.org suite (and Mozilla for good measure) on all of the machines.
:-) and the allegedly technical dude shoving a diagnostic CD into the reception machine, which was at the time running Mandrake Linux (I think 9.2) and XPDE and - after a few minutes - asking where "My Computer" was so he could run the nice diagnostics.
Highlights of the visit were the BSAA dudes (local agents, I think, rather than BSAA proper) trying hard not to ask why nobody was using MS-Office (they eventually broke down and asked, I told them it was because it helped to avoid licence hassles like this one - IRL everyone was ostentatiously using OOo and Mozilla not MSO and MSIE because they'd been told to for that day
IIRC, we'd renamed the XPDE equivalent "Not Bill's Computer". Said dude's look of disbelief upon being appraised of the truth was worth framing; it took the Mandrake Control Centre to half-convince him. I don't think he was ever quite sure.
Got time? Spend some of it coding or testing
They're mustelids, not rodents. They aren't any more prone to rabies than other mammals - skunks (which are, admittedly, cousins), coyotes, foxes, and bats are the most common carriers of rabies in the U.S. So two out of the four are related to dogs, not ferrets... (I don't honestly know the figures for outside of the U.S.)
Have you been touched by his noodly appendage?
Class Action Lawsuit.
:)
Wait. I am not one who enjoys frivolous lawsuits or believes in them (in fact, I think we should have the same system as in several Eurpoean countries: the loser pays the winners lawyer fees and court costs) BUT I firmly believe that if my child was in a public school where they were going to let in the BSA to "teach" my children morality on copyright issues I would approach the school board with simple facts:
1) I pay taxes for my children to go to school to be taught HOW to think, not WHAT to think
2) Corporations blatantly "teaching" a one-sided version of "morality" for crass consumerism have no place in public schools (and I'm almost sure there is a bylaw or code that keeps corporations from doing just that)
3) It is MY responsibility as a parent (and yours, and his, and hers, etc) to teach children morality based on MY (and yours, and his, and hers, etc) belief system - not based on the BSA's.
With all these things in mind, I would simply tell the school board where my child was in class that I would be finding the MANY other parents who believed along the same lines as I did and we would be pulling our children out of school and forming a class action lawsuit against the school board (as a whole), each individual member of the school board, the principal of the school where the BSA was to "teach", and - if necessary - the STATE school board as well. I'm sure having 20% or more of the parents from one county (or parish) starting a class action lawsuit against the state and local school board would get a) severe media attention and b) the elected officals attention.
What better way to nip this in the bud than to use the legal system against the "rat bastard" BSA... and I'd be teaching my child the meaning of Irony at the same time
Dream as if you'll live forever.
Live as if you'll die tomorrow.
~Anonymous~
No, No, NO!
The guy was hopped up on P2P! It's way worse than PCP!
It's like any addiction. First it's only ROMS. Then a DV rip here or there. Then suddenly you find yourself one night in front of the computer with a box of tissues and a bottle of jerkens downloading "VixenBrittenyGoats.ex.mpg". Before long the street starts to notice as soon as your car pulls into the driveway, their internet connection come to a grinding halt as you consume a whole 57% of the regions available bandwidth. As you walk down the street you hear them cluth their ugly blue pleather purses just a bit tighter as they glace at you with those little beedy old lady eyes and whisper "I hear he's on that P-2-P stuff".
Yes Francis, the world has gone crazy.
now, my Firefox downloads list shows "young_girl.mpg" *delete*