James Delahunty
12 Nov 2013 4:40
A non-profit copyright group backed by the MPAA and RIAA is trying to bring Hollywood's anti-piracy message to elementary school children.
The Center for Copyright Information (CCI) has commissioned a school curriculum aimed at elementary-aged children to teach them the value of copyright and creativity, according to an LA Times report.
The proposed curriculum is titled "Be a Creator," and it includes lesson plans, videos and activities for patents and teachers to educate students about the importance of "being creative and protecting creativity." Topics include "Respect the Person: Give Credit," "It's Great to Create," and "Copyright Matters."
"It's important to prepare children to succeed and thrive and learn how to share and create and move files in a way that's ethical and responsible," said Marsali Hancock, president of iKeepSafe, a non-profit that aids children in the digital environment which is also involved in the plan.
The LA Times references one 45 second video that shows a student browsing a photo collection to decide which he wants to share, post online or sell. "You're not old enough yet to be selling your pictures online, but pretty soon you will be. And you'll appreciate if the rest of us respect your work by not copying it and doing whatever we want with it," a teacher is supposed to say after the video.
The proposed curriculum is already encountering opposition as it would use up valuable classroom time when U.S. public schools are already struggling.
"CCI was approached by the California School Library Association and iKeepSafe, a leader in digital literacy education, to work on a collaborative kindergarten through sixth grade copyright curriculum. The goal of the curriculum is to introduce age-appropriate concepts to children about artistic creations, including that children can be creators and innovators just like their favorite musicians, actors and artists. Ultimately, the curriculum will extend through the twelfth grade, and will explore concepts educational experts agree are more appropriate for teenagers such as the rationale for copyright and important issues like fair use. We hope that it will serve as an important prong of emerging digital literacy curricula currently being deployed in schools throughout the country." CCI said in a statement.