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