Piracy: taking it to the classroom

With film & TV piracy ripping more than $230 million out of the Australian economy each year, key players in the industry have joined forces with the education sector to produce school resources on this important issue. Off the air speaks to the IP Awareness Trust’s Communications Director, Narelle Riley about how the industry hopes to get the right copyright message to kids.

OTA: Can you tell us how piracy is affecting the film industry now?

NR: With the digital world evolving so rapidly the barriers to piracy are being broken down, and now, more than ever, the film industry is at risk of copyright abuse and theft. Back in 2005 the estimate of loss to piracy was over $230 million – which represented half of the production investment in local and offshore drama that year – and we can't imagine that figure has reduced today. With 57% Internet penetration in Australia, and over 84% of those users on broadband, there are now more people with the opportunity to illegally download content, and faster, than back in 2005.

As we know, movie making is a risky business. Like every business, the industry relies on its profits to invest in future products. The revenue lost from piracy means there is less investment money available. Less money means fewer films are financed, which means fewer jobs are created, and there are fewer films for us to see.

OTA: What was the aim behind creating an educational package for kids?

NR: Technology is moving so quickly, but just because we can do certain things (like downloading films illegally), doesn’t mean we should. This resource aims to help students understand the value of copyright and how its abuse can impact on society.

Research has identified that the core piracy age is 16-24 year olds. This resource has been designed for students aged 12-16 to raise awareness and understanding of copyright before they reach the age that piracy is more commonplace. Ultimately the aim is to help them make informed choices.

OTA: What approach did you take in developing the resources and who did you work with?

NR: The IP Awareness Trust was established in 2005 to fund, develop and deliver educational messages to Australians on the value of film and television copyright. Its members include film distributors, exhibitors (cinemas), replicators (electronic producers of DVDs in Australia), retailers (Sanity, HMV, Virgin), and Australia’s largest rental chain (Video Ezy & Blockbuster). AFACT (the Australian Federation Against Copyright Theft) is also a key member of the Trust.

The IP Awareness Trust worked with experts in the educational sector to develop this resource – ATOM (Australian Teachers of Media) and Ryebuck Media.

ATOM is an independent, non-profit, professional association for media teachers and for teachers who wish to use media effectively in their classroom. ATOM aims to foster and encourage a generation of students who are both multi-literate and technologically savvy. Ryebuck Media specialises in the development of interactive educational multimedia and public awareness programs for national and international distribution.

The Trust’s objective was to demystify copyright and, along with raising awareness and understanding, to encourage students to value and respect copyright.

The resource aims to encourage free and open discussion over copyright issues and, through an educationally valid process, make clear the harmful consequences to society from film piracy. It is an educational approach that allows students to discuss significant civil and citizenship issues in regards to copyright and its abuse in society today.

The resource contains four print units, a video case study and three interactive units. It has broad curriculum appeal including: Commercial/Economics, History/SOSE/Civics and Citizenship, IT, English, Legal Studies, Values Education/Ethics and Media Studies.

It’s recommended that teachers start with the quiz in Unit 1 – to test students’ knowledge and understanding of the basics of copyright as it applies in their everyday school and home lives. After this, the video case study engages students with the topic and starts them thinking about the moral, economic, social and cultural issues. Teachers can then select from the remaining units that best fit the subject area they are teaching. Finally, to assess students’ knowledge and understanding, students can take the original quiz again. ”

OTA: In what other ways is AFACT working to educate people about the impact of piracy?

NR: AFACT was established in 2004 to protect the film and television industry, retailers and movie fans from the adverse impact of copyright theft in Australia. AFACT works closely with industry, government and law enforcement authorities to achieve its aims. It provides consumer guides on its website, outlining the legal and moral issues around film & TV copyright. It also sponsors the Wakakirri Story Telling Festival filmmaking section and is a supporting partner of Trop Jr.

These latest initiatives (the schools resource, as well as the latest consumer campaign ‘What Are You Really Burning?’) have been driven by the IP Awareness Trust, of which AFACT is a member. This campaign appears in cinemas, on DVDs and in DVD rental and retail stores nationally, challenging Australians to consider “what are you really burning?” before they burn, buy or download pirated films.

OTA: Are there any ways in which the industry can be involved?

NR: Definitely! All the communication delivered through the IP Awareness Trust is on behalf of the 50,000 Australians employed within the industry. It’s important that we all understand that reducing the trend of piracy needs to start from within – we need to believe and support copyright, and choose not to be involved in piracy in any way. And to help educate our family and friends – not by lecturing, but so that people start to understand the real implications of film and TV piracy so they can make an informed decision.