Posted on 03/30/2006 5:36:46 PM PST by NormsRevenge
SAN JOSE – U.S. Attorney General Alberto Gonzales brought a simple message to middle school students on Thursday: Don't steal.
“I'm the top cop in the U.S. and I want you to know that if you illegally download a game or music or a video it's stealing, just as if you went into a store and stole blue jeans,” Gonzales told 7th and 8th graders at Windmill Springs School in the heart of California's Silicon Valley.
The lesson culminated an unusual four-day lesson on intellectual property and copyright infringement during which the nation's top law enforcement official became a classroom teacher.
Most children these days are exposed to Internet safety messages, both in television and in the classroom, but curriculum has only recently been developed about software piracy, copyright laws and intellectual property.
Entertainment software corporate leaders have repeatedly said the public simply doesn't understand that there are rules when it comes to usage of the Internet and computers.
But Windmill Springs students said Thursday that they got the message.
“Most kids know it's wrong to download some movies or songs or copy games and CDs but they figure that if they can do it on a computer then they will,” said Andrew Lopez, 13. “But not me. You can get a fine. You can go to jail.”
Gonzales said the consequences of intellectual property theft are just starting to be understood.
“I'm not kidding myself that we have a lot of work to do, but that doesn't mean we shouldn't try,” he said.
The Justice Department's Intellectual Property task force was established just two years ago. Since then the number of people prosecuted for intellectual property offenses has almost doubled as investigators have targeted hackers and counterfeiters.
With help from Ric Hirsch, a senior vice president for intellectual property for the Entertainment Software Association, students tackled some of the trickier questions surrounding these issues:
Is it legal to copy games just for your friends?
“No, it's not,” said Hirsch.
Can someone get in trouble for buying a pirated game?
“You shouldn't do it, but you probably won't get in trouble,” said Hirsch.
Why do computers even have CD burners on them?
“That's complicated,” said Hirsch, “but basically people want to copy their CDs.”
“People think one song, one game, what difference does it make,” said Hirsch. “Unfortunately the nature of this industry is that you can bleed to death from thousands of papercuts.”
Jon Dudas, director of the U.S. Patents and Trade Office, joined Gonzales at the school, telling students that while everyone understands why they shouldn't steal cars, understanding the law can be a bit more complicated when it comes to games, movies and music.
“If you steal your friend's car, they don't have a car anymore, but if you take a copy of a friend's video game they still have a copy,” he said. “You're not stealing the game, you're stealing ideas.”
The school event was video taped by Court TV for an upcoming public affairs program on intellectual property theft.
How about people respect the U.S. Constitution and 'fair use' first.
that what Gonzales didn't tell them - fair use is dead.
I like punk rock and alternative rock, and many of those bands like to attack capitalism and big business, so why should I pay for music that supports big business and capitalism if its supposed to be evil? Can't have it both ways buddy.
I'm pretty sure we'll soon see a U.S. Attorney General lecturing schoolchildren on the dangers of fast food, soft drinks, and failing to exercise.
Excuse me but isnt the President and the bloviators in the
senate trying to circumvent a law right now, why should anyone observe any of the stinking laws especially when they are inconvienient!
Excuse me but isnt the President and the bloviators in the
senate trying to circumvent a law right now, why should anyone observe any of the stinking laws especially when they are inconvienient!
You really shouldn't believe such BS. Or don't you remember the Supreme Court ruled making MP3s from your personal collection CDs is legal.
No, what Gonzales didn't tell them - fair use has been pretty much killed off by bought off politicians who have set ridiculously long copyrights/patent time periods which has in turn effectively killed the Public Domain.
Such irony is lost on the RIAA.
Laws they have to obey and laws they can ignore. Welcome to America where our kids are confused and we don't know why.
AG Gonzales expects our kids to obey copyright laws, but millions are not obeying our imigration laws and that's okay????
What a crock!
All talk and no action.
the new definition of fair use is:
you have fair use, but the industry will not allow you to legally acquire the technology/ability to exercise your fair use right.
so, do you really have fair use?
I buy a DVD, and want to make a copy of it to use in my minivan. look at the hoops you have to jump through to do it.
Good point, maybe the AG should start ENFORCING THE BLASTED IMMIGRATION LAWS FIRST.
The rea problem is that the copyright holders have purchased legislation in Washington which denies you your constitutional rights
And America sleeps
Lately I've been in no mood to give a sh#% what government drones think I should be doing or not doing. Let's see them do their damn jobs for a few years, stop embarrassing us with idiotic crap, quit stealing and squandering our money and we may take another look at things . . . . . .
If I go into a store and steal a pair of jeans, then I would have the jeans and the store wouldn't. If I download something from the internet, I have it and so does the person I got it from. That is not the same thing Mr. Gonzales.
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