The World Wide Web (WWW) becoming the primary medium for information gathering and dissemination – from communication and business to education and entertainment – the threat this not so regulated sphere poses to the copyright ethics is immense.

The Unconventional nature of the Threat

Copyright laws provide incentives for creating by attempting to secure the work of the author. WWW has changed the way content distributors (authors) relate to their customers, and attempts at law making for copyrights are still in their nascent stages. That said laws could go only so far in thwarting online piracy, as the culture here is very dynamic – a shift in the paradigm every 2 years if not sooner. With the time and money (un) available to legal institutions, the long arm of the law, typically tries to make laws for bigger crimes to crack down on the shenanigans of big organizations, which in-turn use their financial muscle to fight the often long drawn battles, where the only winners are the lawyers on both sides. Those organizations even continue their business around piracy till a verdict, if any is reached.

There are always many arguments in favor of the time tested ‘rewards and punishment’ system that we have in the society now. And this write-up does not discount the approach of getting culprits to book through active legislation and enforcement. But again, the dynamics of this space is so fast, any efforts by predominantly non-techie law makers to help the situation is more likely to be reactionary than proactive. By the time one legal battle gets over, another war has already begun between different parties to leave the law- makers scrambling for newer laws and guidelines.

Need for the Preventive approach

The only ‘initiative’ that we are left with is to make people understand in their impressionable age that though everything in the web is available for free and in plenty, none of that can become a stolen tool to make a quick fast buck, neither for individuals nor for the organization that they represent. This approach of early intervention based on spreading morality is very relevant than before as the source of information is available for any interested user freely today as against the early days where it was accessible only to a privileged few. Hence the need to address the issue with the larger audience and again the need to address it at the earliest stage before corruption/ temptation sets in, and it can be achieved by pushing the ‘moral’ button.

A morally educated patron of the WWW is likely to ’stop’ a copyright violation in any form thereby increasing the pressure on powerful larger entities that he represents to fall in line. Piracy is a silent killer, killing the incentive for creation and hence the economy. So, considering the wide base of the users of WWW, the crusade to establish an order should focus its efforts at the grassroots. There has to be a sustained effort by individuals and organizations that care for copyrights to reach out to the younger lot that is going to occupy the web space in a few years from now.

Who will bell the cat

Who is to spend the money for this evangelizing is the next logical question. It can be surprising that there is not any need to spend money. The cheapest way to do it without upsetting any lobby is through schools. It is imperative for schools and colleges to spread awareness as part of their curriculum. As teachers are easily some of the soft targets of copyright violation, they will be in a better position to understand the need for this push.

The Silver Bullet Solution

The idea to fight illegal acquisition of wealth through education on morality cannot pass without a few sarcastic onlookers. But the enormity of the task of addressing such a huge ocean of users makes it imperative to think out of the box to fix the problem. Prior ‘Education’ is better than threats of ‘Punishment’.

MMSC is an event organized by the Manipal Institute Of Communication on the 18th and 19th of this month, as an effort to bridge the gap between the media industry and the academia. It is the first of the kinds where a platform is provided to create awareness about media and encouraging debates about various aspects of media. Indiblogger is also holding a meet for all bloggers in and around Manipal as a part of the event.

To participate in the event as a sponsored delegate, one has to submit a synopsis on one of the four topics specified in the registration process and it has to be selected by an expert panel. The topic I had chosen was ‘Copyright laws and online piracy’ and yes my submission is selected for a presentation too!

One of the main reasons for me to choose that particular topic is because of the whole Muziboo experience. The experience of working closely with the content producers has greatly changed the way I look at  distribution channels and copyright laws and how I (un)relate to fellow consumers intentionally or unintentionally promoting piracy. The synopsis was a good attempt at putting my thoughts together on the burning issue of online piracy that is clawing the industry and economics today and the consumer psyche behind it.

Posting my synopsis next.