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Microsoft
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Law Project
Grade Level: ALL
GRADE LEVELS, K-4, Middle and High School
Curriculum Connections:Language Arts, Math, Economics
Required Software:Microsoft® Word, Microsoft® PowerPoint,
Microsoft® Internet Explorer, Microsoft® Publisher
In today's global marketplace, intellectual property is a hot
commodity --- and a concept sometimes lost on consumers of all
ages. As a result, thieves of intellectual property (also known
as "pirates") counterfeit a dizzying array of merchandise, from
software to toys to sneakers. As consumers, your students need
to understand what intellectual property is and how to safeguard
themselves against fakes. This project provides a fun, kid-sized
introduction to these concepts.
Counterfeiting affects a wide array of fields your students care
about
To understand the concept of intellectual
property and identify ways to overcome piracy and counterfeiting.
Prerequisite
Skills:
Basic computer skills
and research skills using library and Internet resources.
How
to Begin
- Ask
yourself: Should someone be able to "own" an idea? Is
it, yes or no. Then pose the question this way: What if
the idea took the form of an invention? A song? A design?
What rights should the person have who came up with the
idea? What protections should there be for the original
idea?
- Introduce
the concept of intellectual property in an age-appropriate
way:
- Use
the dictionary, library resources, and the Internet
to develop a working definition of intellectual property,
with examples of what it is and how it's protected
in key fields such as fashion and technology.
- Who
"invented" your favorite toy, cartoon, or song. Have
them use the library and the Internet to explore how
their favorites came to be --- and what keeps them
unique.
- Next,
go online to one of the Web sites listed on the Student
Activity page. While you're reading through the warnings
about counterfeiting, pose these questions: What's so
bad about this kind of copying? Who cares whether what
you buy is the real thing or a fake?
- Develop
a list of fields that particularly attract counterfeiters
(also known as pirates) and where those pirates might
sell their wares.
Is that CD you're spinning "the real deal?"
How about bean-bag toy you just added to your collection
or that designer shirt you're wearing? There's a booming
market in stolen ideas and illegal copies these days. To
be a smart shopper, you need to be aware of counterfeits,
knock-offs, and fakes ---not to mention the modern-day "pirates"
who create them! With this class project, you'll investigate
just how big a problem counterfeiting really is, why you
should care, and how to fight back.
Step
A
Find the Fakes
What to do: Piracy takes many different forms in different
fields. In this step, your team will explore the problem
in one particular field.
Present the facts you discover about "piracy" in your field
of focus.
- Choose
a field of focus, such as music, toys, publishing, or
software. Examine the examples of counterfeiting you might
have personally encountered. Did anyone ever copy a favorite
software program for you? Ever see Chicago Bulls jerseys
so cheap you just knew they must be fake? Make a list
of the many ways pirates might work in your field of focus.
- Now
go to the library and to the Internet to track down news
reports and statistics about counterfeiting in your field
(see "Real-Deal Web Sites" below for leads). In particular,
look for information about:
- The
volume of fake merchandise produced.
- Where
and when these fakes are most likely to be sold (such
as online, on the street, or through stores).
- The
financial impact on consumers, the industry, and the
economy as a whole.
- Common
types of piracy in this field and how to spot them.
- Problems
that piracy causes for end-users (such as inflated
prices or merchandise that doesn't work right).
- How
piracy affects the original creators --- musicians,
software developers, game designers, and so on.
- Law
enforcement action against fakes. Keep a list of your
facts to use in the following steps.
REAL-DEAL WEB SITES
Microsoft
"Be Sure It's Legal" Protection Against Software Piracy
Beanie Babies
Step B
Reality Check
What to do: Translate what you've learned about counterfeiting
into a fact sheet alerting other kids to the problem.
- Analyze
your various research results from Step 1. Which aspects
of piracy in your field will seem most important to people
your age?
- Create
a fact sheet with Microsoft Word to collect your most
compelling facts. Rephrase your points in language your
peers will pay attention to, and add graphics for impact.
- Share
your fact sheet either by printing or by creating a presentation.
Plan a campaign against piracy in your own field of focus.
Step C
Fighting the Good Fight
What to do: Build on your work in Step 2 to develop a campaign
against piracy in your field and others. Here are some ideas
you might want to try:
- Create
a Top 10 list, David Letterman-style. For example, you
might want to tackle "Top 10 Signs You've Got Bootleg
Software" or "Top 10 Ways a Pirated Video Can Ruin Your
Evening." (Remember, even though the subject is serious,
your Top 10 list should be funny, because the most important
points can sometimes be made through humor.) With the
help of your classroom computer, turn your Top 10 list
into a paper handout or a powerpoint.
- Develop
a slogan that captures your anti-piracy message in one
easy-to-remember phrase. You should brainstorm several
slogans and then pick a favorite.
- Create
anti-piracy reminders that your class-mates will see every
time they use their computers by turning your slogan into
"wallpaper" or a screen saver. To do this, use Microsoft
Publisher or Microsoft PowerPoint to create a catchy layout
with your slogan and some art, then use the PrintScreen
or "screen snapshot" function on your computer to "take
a picture" of your computer screen. You can then import
this picture into a graphics accessory such as Paint and
save it as a bitmap, which can then become wallpaper or
a screen saver.
- Wrap
up by thinking of some "big ideas" for getting your anti-piracy
message across. Imagine that you have a million-dollar
budget. What high-impact ideas might your group have for
reaching young people with an anti-piracy message? Would
you create a TV ad campaign, build a school Web site,
launch a blimp, run a contest? Decide together on your
three best ideas, and create a PowerPoint presentation
that explains each idea. Explain your strategy and include
mock-ups of slogans and art. Then present your campaign
to the teacher.
Step
D - For Cross Curriculum Studies
Setting the Stage for the Real Deal
What to do: Now your challenge is to take your anti-piracy
message to the world outside your school in a way that parents,
neighbors, and local business people can really understand.
A play's the thing!
The publicity committee can use Microsoft Publisher to spread
the word about your anti-piracy plays. Make banners to hang
in the hallways, then create invitations, a playbill, and
more!
- Bring
your small groups together as a class. Have each group
summarize the highlights of what it discovered in Steps
1 - 3, and how group members feel about what they learned
about piracy in their chosen field. What's the one thing
they would most want the general public to know about
this topic?
- Next,
each group should make up a five-minute skit dramatizing
the problem of piracy in its particular field. To keep
the skits fresh and fun, try an approach like one of the
following:
- Show
the perils of counterfeiting from the point of view
of a product: What if you were a real Beanie Baby
that someone was trying to make illegal copies of?
How might you play if you were a pirated computer
game?
- Make
up a super-heroine (or hero) character called The
Piracy Buster, and dramatize this character's exploits
in fighting fakes. Create list of smart tips for consumers
to guard against counterfeit merchandise --- and then
present it as a rapping rhyme.
- Be
sure to credit any music "samples" you use!
- Take
your audience on a tour of a "pirate's den" showing
how knock-offs are produced (and what dangers they
pose for consumers).
- Use
the form of an animal fable --- like those of Aesop
--- to explain why "making a copy for a friend" can
also be a form of piracy.
- Your
group should show the class a "rough cut" of your skit,
and ask for feedback on how to improve or clarify it.
- Each
group should designate a member to the publicity committee
to set a date or dates for the performance and start getting
the word out to families and the community.
- Each
group should also designate one member to be part of a
production team to write an introduction to the series
of skits, arrange the order in which the skits are presented,
plan for any needed scenery or props, and set a rehearsal
schedule leading up to opening night.
- When
the big debut comes, break a leg! (That means "good luck"
in theater lingo.) You'll already be doing your part to
break the piracy trend.
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