Kids Warned About Illegal Downloads
U.S. Attorney General Alberto Gonzales visited a public school in Silicon Valley to remind a group of 7th and 8th grade students that illegally downloading music, movies and software is a form of stealing.
"I hope you never have the misfortune to deal with me as a result of engaging in something you shouldn't be doing," he told the kids assembled at Windmill Springs Elementary school in San Jose, California.
The Attorney General's visit was part of a weeklong program in which the kids studied Internet dangers as well as the moral, social and legal implications of Internet piracy.
He said, however, that education rather than prosecution is the key to enforcing copyright laws.
"We don't want to have to get in the business of prosecuting young men and women who are downloading songs," said the attorney general. "We want you to learn to develop a culture of understanding that this is intellectual property and, if you want to have access to this property, you need to pay for it."
Another administration speaker, Jon Dudas, Under Secretary of Commerce for Intellectual Property and Director of the United States Patent Office, talked to the kids about how patents and copyrights help spur creativity and progress and how stealing intellectual property can hurt companies and their employees.
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In a roundtable with reporters after the event, Gonzales acknowledged that there is "lots of work to do (to prevent piracy) but that doesn't mean we shouldn't try."
He said he has an "obligation to make sure people understand that there are laws and, if you don't follow the rules, there are consequences." Speaking about the educational approach, he added that "if we repeat it and they hear it often enough, hopefully they will understand." He said he's "not at all discouraged that we have a challenge here."
The Department of Justice created a Task Force on Intellectual Property in 2004 which, according to the department, "helped increase the number of defendants prosecuted for intellectual property offenses by 97 percent from October 2004 through the end of fiscal year 2005."
The department also created five new Computer Hacking and Intellectual Property Units in the U.S. Attorneys offices in Nashville, Orlando, Pittsburgh, Sacramento and Washington D.C. bringing the total number of specialized units to 18.
Gonzales hesitated when asked if he would prosecute kids who steal music and movies. "We look at prosecuting certain infringements based on categories."
The nation's top law enforcer said that prosecution could be in order "if we're talking about intellectual property theft that affects health and safety of a community, if it involves a large scale criminal conspiracy or if it couldn't be addressed through civil avenues available to the victim."
He also pointed out that enforcement is not solely a government responsibility. "We look to the industry to do its part … talking to employees, suppliers and distributors about ramifications of stealing IP. Companies have technology and remedies. It's a joint effort."
A syndicated technology columnist for nearly two decades, Larry Magid serves as on air Technology Analyst for CBS Radio News. His technology reports can be heard several times a week on the CBS Radio Network. Magid is the author of several books including "The Little PC Book."
By Larry Magid