From Good Morning Silicon Valley…

Boy Scouts in the L.A. area can now get credit for doing the entertainment industry a good deed. The little troopers can earn a “respecting copyrights” activity patch to sew on their sashes by taking a course designed by the movie industry to impress young minds with the evils of pirating. The patch (different from a merit badge in that it’s not required to advance in rank) shows a film reel, a music CD and the international copyright symbol, a “C” enclosed in a circle. Course work involves a hike through the swamp of intellectual property law, learning how to identify five types of copyrighted works and three ways copyrighted materials may be stolen. Also required is a project, like making a “just say no” public service announcement, or visiting a movie studio to see how many people would be out of jobs if the pirates win. “Part of being a Scout is being trustworthy and part of being trustworthy is being able to follow the rules in our society,” said Victor Zuniga, a spokesman for the council.