Woohoo Hulu
You never have to worry when an Eagle Scout is around! If you are drowning, he can save your life! If you are lost in the wilderness, he knows how to survive! And if he catches you illegally downloading, he can report you to the authorities! In January 2007, the Boy Scouts of America worked with the Motion Picture Association of America to create the “Respect Copyrights” badge. In addition to the twelve required badges, such as “First Aid” and “Citizenship in the World,” “Respect Copyrights” became a new option for one of the other nine badges a Boy Scout must earn in order to become an Eagle Scout. This badge is yet another attempt by the entertainment industry to stop illegal downloading.
Over the last decade, despite numerous lawsuits and education programs, people have continued to share files by copying them and/or using P2P networks. As CD sales continue to drop and Virgin Megastores continue to close, it seems as though the collapse of the entertainment industry is unavoidable. Why have multi-billion dollar corporations been so unsuccessful at altering consumers’ decisions to download illegally? The media often places blame on the technologies themselves and the consumers (i.e. the “cheap college student”). But a closer look at the situation reveals that the fault lies in the entertainment industry’s approach to the problem. The invention of the Internet established certain social values such as freedom and communication, which led to the creation of P2P networks. Instead of working within this established culture, the entertainment industry tried to alter it to support its own financial interests. The decade-long battle between the industry and the consumer reveals that this method does not work. However, all is not lost. During the last year, the television industry realized the benefits of encouraging Internet culture instead of suppressing