This week's readings and videos have been enlightening in the sense that I have heard nearly every one of the myths that surround copyright law. My role as director of technology for our international boarding school is always challenging when I am trying to explain various tasks that I am responsible for maintaining.
A decade ago, I was introduced to the world of peer to peer applications (P2P). At that time, our network was connected to the internet via a T1 connection and we all thought we were sitting high on our thrones as dialup was the primary source for connecting to the internet at that time. With blazing speeds of 1.5Mb downloads, we were able to surf the web AND send email with attachments at the same time. Downloading was fast and music was free! (or so we thought)
As our network started to expand and the introduction of a 1:1 laptop program was introduced in 2003, I quickly saw how our blazing 1.5Mb downloads seemed to be a thing of the past and a new concern was arising--P2P was rampant and the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) was looking for the culprits.
Napster seemed to be the first to go under the chopping block while others started to appear and thumb their noses at the RIAA. Morpheus and Limewire quickly filled the void for ex-Napster users and it seemed like the attitude among the Generation X crowd was that nothing was going to stop this movement. The use of P2P applications seemed to be a social norm and people were not overly concerned about getting caught even though they knew that it was being deemed illegal.
At our school, it was particularly hard to convince our students that downloading music was illegal. While I had a hidden agenda of regaining our limited bandwidth, I tried to educate our students about the ethical and moral obligation to honor the copyright of this music they were downloading. Since many of our students are international, this task was undaunting and for the most part unsuccessful.
Like the founders of The Pirate Bay, we have students who live in countries where the copyright laws are very lax or are not enforced. I had one student tell me that I was wrong about P2P and downloading because his mother is a lawyer and has either conveyed a loose interpretation of copyright law or practices in a country where copyright was not a legal issue.
In any case, I feel I have armed myself with enough ammunition and understanding that I hope I convince today's youth that without copyright protection, they may never get to be that famed celebrity or businessman that they hope to be. Copyright protects those who have earned their way to the top and protects them from the next person who is trying to steal their ideas or work.
Dennis,
ReplyDeleteIt was very interesting reading your experience with copyright. You have a hard task in trying to make the younger generation understand the importance of copyright laws. Our cultures is in such a demand for what we can gain right away that we take no thought in how our actions affect someone else. I am sure you might continue having struggles with your students, but keep up the great work!