Boy Scouts can now "Be Prepared" for the fight against piracy with a new merit patch designed to teach Scouts of the dangers of illegal downloading and smuggled DVDs.
The Los Angeles area Boy Scouts of America organization worked with the Motion Picture Association of America to create the curriculum. Dan Glickman, chairman and CEO of the MPAA said, "Working with the Boy Scouts of Los Angeles, we have a real opportunity to educate a new generation about how movies are made, why they are valuable, and hopefully change attitudes about intellectual property theft."
The curriculum is designed to teach participants about copyright theft and various forms of piracy, how to identify counterfeit CDs/DVDs, the consequences of film and music piracy, and why protecting copyrights is important.
Troops can choose from a number of activities that qualify them to earn a "Respect Copyrights" patch, including creating a public service announcement that demonstrates the importance of copyright protection or visiting a movie studio to learn about what is required to make a movie.
Victor Zuniga, Los Angeles Area Council public relations director for the Boy Scouts of America, said more than 52,000 Scouts--including Boy Scouts, Cub Scouts, Venturing and Learning for Life--have the opportunity to participate in the program. Zuniga also said they are "working to expand the program to include all Boy Scout councils within the Southern California area."
The MPAA said piracy cost the industry $18.2 billion last year--and that money can be translated into lost jobs. According to a report released in September by the Institute for Policy Innovation, losses to the U.S. economy due to movie piracy in 2005 resulted in 141,030 jobs lost and $5.5 billion in lost annual earnings among U.S. workers.
