Intellectual Property Law

BSA Softens Anti-Piracy Message

By David Kravets

The Business Software Alliance has a new anti-piracy video that for the first time uses humor instead of scare tactics to get out its message.

The alliance, consisting of about 80 companies — including Apple, Microsoft and Adobe — is the counterpart to the Recording Industry Association of America and the Motion Picture Association of America.

The BSA’s latest video, posted to YouTube, is a parody of a popular Dateline series, “To Catch a Predator.”

“It uses comedy to convey what is a serious message,” said Peter Beruk, the BSA’s chief anti-piracy marketer. “It’s experimental.”

Like the actual television show that nabs real-life child perverts via fake propositions, a man dressed as a pirate is foiled the same way in the ad.

The BSA, which claims 41 percent of software is pirated worldwide, is well known for alerting authorities to piracy crimes. The most recent came with the arrest of a Southern California man charged with jailbreaking video game consoles.

The latest ad comes a long way from a recent BSA video of real-life captured software pirates, including a grandmother, discussing how their run in with the law ruined their lives.

And if you hate your boss, don’t forget about the 1997 BSA campaign, “Nail Your Boss,” which included a toll-free number to rat out your superiors for using pirated software.

Question: Now that the BSA has gone fluffy, will software piracy subside?

See Also:

• Texas Counterfeiters Cop Software Piracy Pleas
• Content Industry Applauds Pirate Bay Guilty Verdicts
• AG Mukasey Says IP Theft Threatens Public Safety, Fosters …
• Apple v. EFF: The iPhone Jailbreaking Showdown
• High-Court Nominee Mirrors Industry Copyright Stance ? Update …

Full post as published by Threat Level on August 18, 2009 (boomark / email).