Re: [Fsuk-manchester] Fwd: Re: [pp.int.general] UK action idea: in schools

[Michael Dorrington]

This post mentions "Copying Is Not Theft" which can be found at:
http://questioncopyright.org/minute_memes/copying_is_not_theft

Remember with Free Software you are authorised to make copies.

Regards,
Mike.

Tim Dobson wrote:
> people might find this interesting...
> 
> -------- Original Message --------
> Subject: Re: [pp.int.general] UK action idea: in schools
> Date: Sat, 23 Oct 2010 03:46:44 -0400
> From: Richard Stallman <address@hidden>
> Reply-To: address@hidden, Pirate Parties International -- General Talk
> <address@hidden>
> To: W Tovey <address@hidden>
> CC: address@hidden
> 
>     I've had a quick look through the syllabuses for GCSE ICT and I can see
>     is half a lesson on "Copyright Law"; from my experience of both GCSEs
>     and the public understanding of copyright, this is unlikely to be either
>     particularly serious or accurate.
> 
> The screenshots I saw from samlearning.com are more "sharing is wrong"
> than copyright law.  Whether accurate or not, whether serious or not,
> it is propaganda for the enemy.
> 
> As for the GCSE IT itself, I don't know any specifics but I asked
> someone to send me a copy of the syllabus.
> 
>     As for the "study" web sites, they are more likely to be
>     propaganda-filled (being  commercial thingamies, so susceptible to
>     "sponsorship") but I'm not sure how much attention the average student
>     pays to them in the first place.
> 
> I was told that half the schools in England recommend samlearning.com.
> But even if it is only 10%, that is still a lot of students.  And
> their competitors may be similar.  Their message is likely to have an
> influence unless the students see arguments that sharing is good.
> They may keep sharing, but they will tell themselves "I am a bad
> person because I share."
> 
>     As with everything else, there is no way we can directly
>     compete with the anti-sharing lot on a commercial scale (and even then,
>     their "educational" campaigns are clearly failing - no one is
> interested).
> 
> If "compete...on a commercial scale" means using the same tactics they
> use, I am sure you are right -- but that isn't the only way to
> respond.  Here are two ideas that occur to me:
> 
> * People can complain to their local schools about recommending
> companies that include copyright industry propaganda in their
> "education".
> 
> * Distribute counter-information to students on CDROMs that say
> "Copy and Share this CDROM
>  Sharing is Good"
> 
> Maybe you can think of other ways.
> 
>     Having said all that, accurate education about copyright would be very
>     helpful but something of a challenge (both to publish material that
>     people will read and to get the details right - the BPI et al. have been
>     having trouble with both).
> 
> Education about copyright is not the response that's needed.  This is
> a moral point, not a legal one, so the response has to be on the moral
> plane too.
> 
> Nina Paley's one minute musical cartoon, "Copying Is Not Theft", would
> be great to use as the response, by itself or together with text.  The
> task is to get copies to lots of students and invite them to share it
> with more students.  Maybe PPUK supporters could do this.
>