The IPE curriculum should seek to provide the rationale for copyright holders' exclusive rights for a particular time period. Teaching the students of the incentive to creators and that eventually the material will be distributed widely in the public domain is essential. All intellectual property at last becomes a part of the world's resources. This promotion of innovation will diminish copyright infringement and as these individuals grow older, they are better able to utilize their originality to produce personal and commercial revenue and wealth. The ideology would then perpetuate in the general arena and be passed generation to generation, thereby decreasing the level of exclusive rights contravention.
Oversimplification of the intellectual property message is a dangerous approach that obscures the authentic and legitimate discussions of the scope of copyright law. In a society that respects intellectual property, copyright laws and its enforcement should be the principal means of actively thwarting piracy, and the reliance of trusted systems (hardware and/or software that attempts to prevent piracy that is almost always eventually rendered ineffective) is decreased.
The lack of education concerning intellectual property has lead to infringement, disrespect for other's ideas, nearly billions of dollars of worldwide revenue loss, and worst of all, the hindrance of creativity and ingenuity. Childhood plays a large role in copyright violations, and many students do not even know the crimes and wrongdoing they commit while performing piracy. The immersion of IPE into the course curriculum of elementary, middle, and high schools will promote innovation and successfully reduce infraction. Students would become conscious of the basic doctrine and ethical standards of intellectual property law. More contributions and deposits to the information age would result, instead of mere removals and withdrawals. IPE in schools may not hinder the performance of commercial pirates; however, with trusted systems and copyright laws, it would in due course deter infringement.
References:
- Cui, Mei. Intellectual Property Issues in Middle Schools of the United States and the People’s Republic of China. River Forest, IL: Concordia University 199. http://www2.curf.edu/~crfetd/etd/etd-1999-01/thesis.pdf
- International Intellectual Property Alliance (IIPA). “USTR 2002 'Special 301' Decisions and IIPA Estimated U.S. Trade Losses Due to Copyright Piracy.” IIPA Online. http://www.iipa.com/pdf/2002_Jul11_USTRLOSSES.pdf