RIAA's Elementary School Copyright Curriculum

Posted by on under counterfeit recordings, slashdot, grokster, hearts and minds, copyright infringement, menti, riaa, subtlety, copyright law, piracy, vocabulary, pirate, bias, damages, ing, curriculum, insights, math |

selven writes "In a blatant campaign devoid of any subtlety, the RIAA is fighting for the hearts and minds of our children with its Music Rules, a collection of education materials on how to respect copyright. The curriculum includes vocabulary such as 'counterfeit recordings, DMCA notice, "Grokster" ruling, legal downloading, online piracy, peer-to-peer file sharing, pirate recordings, songlifting, and US copyright law.' There is no mention whatsoever of fair use. Compounding the bias, it includes insights such as that taking music without paying for it is 'songlifting,' and that making copies for personal use and then playing them while your friends come over is illegal. On the bright side, it includes math showing that the total damages from copyright infringement by children in the US amount to a measly $7.8 million."

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

Tagi: counterfeit recordings, slashdot, grokster, hearts and minds, copyright infringement, menti, riaa, subtlety, copyright law, piracy, vocabulary, pirate, bias, damages, ing, curriculum, insights, math

Heavy Rain Previews Show Promise

Posted by on under quantic dream, mature game, heavy rain, somee, opposable thumbs, quiet moments, subtlety, storytelling, grabs, handful, release date, lighting |

As the February release date for Quantic Dream's Heavy Rain nears, several publications have gotten a chance for some hands-on time with the game and seem to be intrigued by what they saw. Quoting the Opposable Thumbs blog: "The game grabs you during the quiet moments where nothing 'happens.' When you look at a picture your child drew. When you're questioning someone about a crime. When you're trying to figure out how to react to a violent situation. The preview we were sent put me in different situations as I played a small handful of characters, and each one provided a few tiny moments that were surprising in terms of storytelling or subtlety." Eurogamer's previewer had a similar reaction: "To my great delight as well — Heavy Rain isn't a mature game because it has unhappy families and moody lighting, it's a mature game because it anticipates an adult response from the player and is prepared to receive it."

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

Tagi: quantic dream, mature game, heavy rain, somee, opposable thumbs, quiet moments, subtlety, storytelling, grabs, handful, release date, lighting