The Industry Trust for IP Awareness, has today announced the launch of a new school resource focused on intellectual property that has been developed in partnerships with the advertising industry’s educational body, Media Smart.

The resource, focusing on film and TV piracy and the impact that has on the creative industries, introduces key concepts of copyright and copyright infringement to 11-14 year-olds, encouraging them to reflect on their choices when considering whether to illegally access content by exploring the risks to individuals, the associated impact on the film and TV industry, and wider links between copyright infringement and organised crime. Through real life scenarios and an engaging film featuring influencer Luke Franks and Sky One presenter Jacqueline Sheppard, students are encouraged to identify the consequences and impact of piracy and to assess how serious these can be.

Promoting further interaction with the resource, students are given the opportunity to create a short anti-piracy campaign in the form of a storyboard or a one-minute film. Via teachers they are given resources to support them with this creative process and are encouraged to decide which anti-piracy message would be most persuasive in changing the way their peers view engagement with pirated content. This element of the campaign will run as a rolling competition with prize winners picked each term, and with digital entertainment retailer Rakuten offering prizes including hundreds of downloads.

Media Smart will be promoting the piracy resource directly to schools and teachers registered with the organisation, while the Trust, its partners and stakeholders will also drive awareness through their own channels in support of a wider campaign that will see the resource promoted through Facebook and Google ads and via leading schools newspapers, First News. Additionally, the resource has secured accreditation from the PSHE Association, the national association for personal, social, health and economic education professionals, and will therefore be promoted through its channels targeting 12,000 PSHE professionals in its network.

The impact of the Media Smart resource will be measured by monitoring metrics pertaining to downloads, video views and competition entries, as well as by surveying teachers to understand how students’ knowledge and understanding of the topic has improved thanks to the materials made available.

Liz Bales, Chief Executive of The Industry Trust, said “Research conducted by the Industry Trust has found that young people are among those most likely to be tempted to infringe copyright. These studies highlight a need for anti-piracy and pro-industry messaging that engages with and informs younger audiences, allowing them to consider their actions and positively change attitudes towards piracy. Our aim is primarily to educate young people, to encourage them to value content and respect the creative industry and also to understand the personal and very real risks they expose themselves to if they do engage with illegally sourced content. We’re delighted to partner with Media Smart in order to produce this comprehensive and engaging resource that has the potential to reach millions of young people throughout the UK.”

Rachel Barber-Mack, Director of Media Smart, said “Media Smart’s supporters have long wanted to work with the wider creative industry in educating young people about piracy, a subject that is ever more important during COVID-19 – when kids are online more. We are proud to say that the teaching resource have been awarded the PSHE Association Quality Mark and developed to support the curriculum for living in a wider world with media literacy and digital resilience. Our partnership with the Industry Trust, Sky, MPA and IPO has enabled us to create innovative film-based materials plus competition that will resonate with and inspire our target audience.”

Full details can be found via the Media Smart website https://mediasmart.uk.com/piracy/