Survey: 40% of Parents Unaware File-Sharing of Copyrighted Material Illegal

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on March 17, 2004 - 5:15am.

Los Angeles -- A new survey conducted by Nielsen NRG for the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) has found that, despite the MPAA and RIAA media and legal campaigns intended to thwart illegal file-sharing, nearly 40% of parents are unaware that file swapping of copyrighted materials is illegal. Over 40% of the 396 parents who participated in the recent telephone survey know that their kids download music and movies over the Internet, and 55% of them know their kids did not pay for the content, while another 15% are unsure. In addition, one-third of those parents who have downloaded movies and music learned how to do so from their kids. "The same caring and conscientious parents who dedicate themselves to making sure that their kids are safe and conduct themselves lawfully and ethically in the real world abandon that role in cyberspace," said Robin Raskin, former editor-in-chief of FamilyPC. Rich Taylor, vice president of public affairs for the MPAA, added that, "Once parents take the time to get the facts and have the increasingly important 'download discussion,' they are taking yet one more step in keeping their family safe and raising good 'digital citizens.'"
http://www.nrg.com
http://www.mpaa.com
http://www.respectcopyrights.org