Copyright Education Effective, Says ALCS, but we Want Some More

LONDON, December 4, 2012 /PRNewswire/ --

Education programmes can help improve understanding of copyright among young people, but more needs to be done to raise awareness of what is and isn't permissible in terms of downloading materials from the internet.

That is the finding of the Authors' Licensing and Collecting Society (ALCS) following the completion of its "What the Dickens?" copyright education project.

The project was devised in collaboration with the National Schools Partnership to celebrate the bicentenary of the birth of celebrated copyright campaigner, Charles Dickens. Its education programme has been run in over 1,000 schools across the UK throughout 2012.

As a result of participating in the programme:

91% of students gained an increased awareness of what copyright means

24% of students say they won't download material from free websites unless they know they are allowed to

32% of students say they will now check to see if they are legally allowed to download materials before doing so

41% of teachers expect that students will now act with more consideration for copyright

Commenting on the "What the Dickens?" project, Barbara Hayes, ALCS Deputy Chief Executive said:

"The creators of the works we enjoy and learn from need to earn a living. When a physical book, DVD or CD is purchased from a shop, there is no confusion about the fact that it has to be paid for. Attitudes to payment often change dramatically however when these works can be simply downloaded.

The increased awareness of copyright which the "What the Dickens?" project has brought about shows that educational programmes can improve understanding of what copyright means for creators, but more needs to be done to explain to young people what is, and isn't allowed online."

ALCS calls on the Government and Internet Service Providers to improve the level of copyright education in schools, colleges and universities to ensure the legal use of the works of creators, and to ensure that those creators are appropriately remunerated for all uses of their work on the internet.

Editor's notes

The Authors' Licensing & Collecting Society (ALCS)

ALCS collects fees on behalf of the whole spectrum of UK writers: novelists, film & TV script writers; literary prize winners; poets; freelance journalists; translators and adaptors, as well as thousands of professional and academic writers who include nurses, lawyers, teachers, scientists and college lecturers.

All writers are eligible to join ALCS: further details on membership can be found at http://www.alcs.co.uk. ALCS collects fees that are difficult, time-consuming or legally impossible for writers and their representatives to claim on an individual basis: money that is nonetheless due to them. Fees collected are distributed to writers twice a year in February and August. Since its inception, ALCS has distributed over £280 million to the nation's writers. For further information, contact alcs@alcs.co.uk or see http://www.alcs.co.uk

National Schools Partnership

National Schools Partnership specialises in reaching the youth and family audience through education. National Schools Partnership deliver social and marketing campaigns by using expertise in research, consultancy, digital, marketing, education and events. National Schools Partnership works with companies, brands, public sector organisations and charities to effectively educate, engage, entertain and inspire children, young people and their families.

For further information about 'What the Dickens?' visit the National Schools Partnership website http://www.nationalschoolspartnership.com or http://www.whatthedickens.org