TRADING PIRATE PRODUCTS

You are going to look at a number of scenarios which raise issues about copyright and piracy.

Download the scenario sheet. Read through the different scenarios and think about the characters involved in each.  In pairs and groups, role-play some of the scenarios thinking about how the different characters might respond and why.

DISCUSSION

Thinking about the scenarios you have acted out, what can you identify as some of the key problems with dealing with pirate copies?

How might you be able to overcome some of these problems?

Here are some arguments why we should think about the people behind the pirated goods.  Read through these points carefully.  Do you think they are right? Choose THREE points that you think are the most serious and present them to your class in one of the following formats:

• a poster
• a poem
• a radio or TV advert

Piracy….

…Is wrong: Artists, authors and performers, and all the people who work with them to produce enjoyable or valuable products deserve to be paid. Pirates do not pay anything back to the people who make the work.

… Could be expensive: Downloading or streaming from illegal websites could put you at risk for identity theft and malware – which can steal your personal or credit card information.

… Is illegal: Piracy is illegal and obtaining pirated products supports criminals.

… Costs the public: People who deal in pirate and fake goods do not pay taxes, meaning less money for schools, hospitals, parks and other social programs.

… Supports bad working conditions: People who manufacture pirate and counterfeit products do not pay their employees fair wages or benefits, impose poor working conditions and sometimes even use forced or child labor.

… Supports organized crime: The profits from sales of pirated goods have been linked to organized crime, drug trafficking and even terrorist activity.

… Hurts legitimate companies: Many copyright works, especially films and computer games, cost a lot to make, because many skilled people are involved. People who manufacture pirated goods seek to profit unfairly from another person’s  investment. The lost sales and profits that result from this unfair competition translate into lower wages and lost jobs, and reduced numbers of new works.

Revisit your role-play scenarios and try to draft a script based on some of the different characters. To help illustrate more vividly the negative impact on families of pirating, you can develop, change and create new characters. If you have access to stills cameras or video cameras try to capture visually some of the key scenes.  Keep these images safe as they could be used in the final presentation at the end of this unit of work.