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FDA head targets 'tweens' in film piracy battle

March 16, 2010

The head of the body which distributes films in the UK has called for new methods to be employed in the battle to defeat internet piracy. During a keynote speech as president of the Film Distributors’ Association (FDA), Lord Puttnam said young people needed to be educated at an early age that it was wrong to illegally download copyrighted material.

“The concept of intellectual property and its value needs to be embedded inextricably into the school curriculum,” he said. “We need to establish beyond doubt that if people want films on offer in a variety of ways and formats, as we hope and believe they do, then they are required to pay a fair price.”

Puttnam highlighted a recent FDA project aimed at the vital “tween” generation of 8 to 11-year-olds, a teaching resource designed to stimulate classroom debate about why copyright existed. “Today, it’s encouraging to report that this resource has been supplied, free upon request, to almost one in five primary schools in the UK – that’s 4,000 out of a little over 20,000 schools,” he said.

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