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New Scout Badge on Copyright
http://news.com.com/2061-10796_3-5693563.html
May 3, 2005, 8:18 AM PDT
Hollywood creates Boy Scout merit badge on copyright
Boy Scouts in Hong Kong now can earn merit badges for learning about
the wonders of copyright law -- at least the version described by the
Motion Picture Association.
The MPA, the Hong Kong Scout Association, and the Hong Kong government
announced the program this week. It's the first of its type anywhere
in the world.
"The Intellectual Property Badge Award Program will provide thousands
of young people -- future leaders -- with a better understanding of
the value of intellectual property and of the importance of protecting
it," Mike Ellis, senior vice president of the MPA, said in a press
release.
It's not unprecedented for one industry to create a merit badge. The
Boy Scouts currently offers a long list of badges including "American
Business," "American Labor," "Auto Mechanics," "Electronics," "Law,"
and "Nuclear Science."
It's not clear, though, how much time the MPA's merit badge curriculum
will devote to the value of fair use, the problems that region coding
on DVDs can create for legitimate purchasers, and the unintended
consequences of "anti-circumvention" laws like the Digital Millennium
Copyright Act.
Posted by Declan McCullagh
User Comments
(These do not necessarily reflect the beliefs of this site)
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Spwee
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Date: May 3, 2005 @ 3:05 PM
"It's not clear, though, how much time the MPA's merit badge curriculum
will devote to the value of fair use, the problems that region coding
on DVDs can create for legitimate purchasers, and the unintended
consequences of "anti-circumvention" laws like the Digital Millennium
Copyright Act."
That's the part I like. |
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axxis
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Date: May 3, 2005 @ 3:09 PM
Here is the new Boy Scout pledge:
On my honor I will do my best
To do my duty to God and my country
and to obey the Scout Law;
To help other people at all times;
To help big business always get loaded with cash;
To keep myself physically strong,
mentally awake, morally straight, financially strapped, and legally troubled.
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compmore
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Date: May 3, 2005 @ 4:06 PM
a merit badge for a boy in a youth orginazation who learns how to tote the party line. something simular was around 60 to 65 years ago I think.......... Hmmmmmm........... |
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wet1
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Date: May 3, 2005 @ 5:43 PM
Love that post, compmore!
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mea2214
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Date: May 3, 2005 @ 7:31 PM
Oh my god. I thought this article was going to be a joke. |
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stilltrying
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Date: May 3, 2005 @ 10:52 PM
The joke is the merit badge!!!!! |
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ShadowMom
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Date: May 3, 2005 @ 11:11 PM
Brain surgery with a fish hook? Tom, who did you have in mind? Anybody in particular?? |
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gdZiemann
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Date: May 4, 2005 @ 12:52 AM
First of all, I have to wonder what exactly is required in order to earn a Nuclear Science merit badge. Seems like radioactive material is pretty much required to do any nuclear anything.
Secondly, we're talking about Hong Kong, which is smaller than Rhode Island. I think disco just arrived there last year. |
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leflaw
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Date: May 4, 2005 @ 5:34 AM
that boy scout is so gay! |
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captdunsel
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Date: May 4, 2005 @ 8:55 AM
neat article on this on p2pnet.net
apparently this was in Hong Kong....
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independentm...
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Date: May 4, 2005 @ 9:28 AM
Frankly, I am not suprised. The enemy is doing everything it can to corrupt the hearts and minds of the people in regard to what copyright is/should be. Going after the kids at school or in scouts is one way that evil entities historically have attempted to spread their propaganda. ("Hitler Youth" anyone?)
It only makes our job that much harder. |
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tomsong
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Date: May 4, 2005 @ 2:48 PM
From the Standard:
Scouts unveil anti-piracy badge
Douglas Crets
May 4, 2005
The Hong Kong Scouts Association has unveiled a souvenir "protecting intellectual property rights'' merit badge.
The badge is not a typical merit badge, but is the reward for participation in a series of seminars to begin this summer.
The programs will attempt to teach the public about the importance of preserving copyright and intellectual property rights, an Intellectual Property Department spokeswoman said Tuesday.
``It is really what they call a proficiency badge - the badge cannot be put on the shirt,'' she said.
A Mercado Solutions Associates survey completed in November last year for the IPD showed almost 96 percent of the 1,214 respondents, aged 15 or above, said intellectual property rights should be protected.
Seventy-six percent of those respondents thought copyright infringement was a serious crime.
There were no figures readily available that could measure how much money Hong Kong loses annually from piracy.
The 100,000 scouts in the Hong Kong Scouts Association, both adults and children, will sit in on the proficiency seminars throughout the year to familiarize themselves with issues involving intellectual property protection, she said.
The move to install the ``IPR Badge'' into the Scouts curriculum was made by several organizations, including the IPD and the Customs and Excise Department. It was initially suggested by Victor Chan, a local Hong Kong Scouts leader, in early January, said the IPD spokeswoman.
Hong Kong has seen a steady infringement on its own film industry in recent years, in part because DVD piracy has soared, cutting into profits and even limiting the number of new releases.
The merit badge is not related to other moves made in Hong Kong over the past year, and at least one from outside the territory.
The Strategy Targeting Organized Piracy or STOP! initiative, sponsored in part by the United States Justice Department, was brought to Hong Kong last month after commencement last October in an attempt to work with ``like-minded'' parties to prevent the shipment of pirated goods into US ports.
That initiative includes scrutinizing in ports for potential shipments of fake goods from Asia.
It also includes close partnerships with countries such as Japan, Singapore, South Korea and the United States to crack down on piracy.
The STOP! team sends information to relevant police departments to assist in raids on suspected pirate manufacturers.
The IPR badge move drew mixed reactions in the United States in a report carried by the Los Angeles Times newspaper Tuesday, with a Boy Scouts of America spokesperson calling it a ``little unusual'' and a director of the Motion Picture Association praising the move.
According to the Los Angeles Times, Mike Ellis, Asia-Pacific operations director for the film association, said the merit badge program could instill ``the value of intellectual property and the importance of protecting it'' in today's youth. Greg Shields, spokesman for the National Association for the Boy Scouts of America, said in the Los Angeles Times report that the merit badge idea was not a typical Scouts effort.
``Abiding by the law would be in the very Scout oath and law,'' he was quoted as saying. ``[The IPR badge] would not be a merit badge, that's kind of an expectation, so to speak, of a Scout.''
Cheung King-fung, chairman of the Hong Kong Invention Association, said Saturday the unorthodox program was a welcome educational move.
``It enables youngsters to have broad and concise understanding of intellectual property and fosters respect for creativity,'' he said.
That move would ``give encouragement and support to young inventors,'' he said.
The IPD said it would first start with some lessons to teach young children, starting with the 11- to 16-year-old range this summer.
``The IPD has been promoting the concept of IPR protection via formal classroom tuition,'' said Stephen Selby, Director of Intellectual Property, during a press conference Saturday.
``This program can provide young people with an alternative, informal education about protecting IP in an interesting and interactive way.''
``It is a long-term process involving continuous training of scout members throughout their formative years,'' he said.
``It's a complement to our promotional program,'' said Janey Wong, a spokeswoman for the IPD.
``We want to educate the youngsters to respect IP, [to know] what IP is, and to learn what to do in daily life to concern themselves with IP.'' douglas.crets@singtaonewscorp.com |
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trekkeriii
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Date: May 4, 2005 @ 5:20 PM
As long as that merit badge isn't an Eagle Scout requirement, I don't think it's a big deal. You know what we should all do is become certified Copyright Merit Badge councelors and we add the fair use to the lessons and talk about how the DMCA violates the First Amendment, Assuming it becomes a merit badge needed for Eagle Scout. |
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godless-heathen
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Date: May 5, 2005 @ 1:47 AM
Oh good, something to put next to the Homophobe badge you get for joining the Scouts. Screw any organization that doesn't accept everyone just as they are. |
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dogpile
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Date: May 5, 2005 @ 1:04 PM
More like a brain washing B.S. merit badge. I guess later on we'll read that a scoutmaster was fined for downloading copyrighted material like the scoutmaster that was arrested for downloading child porn last month. |
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