The Recording Industry Association Of America has joined forces with a US based not-for-profit "internet safety education" organisation, iSafe, to organise a new schools programme to educate teenagers about the rights and wrongs of sharing music files online. The programme, for both middle school and high school students, will try to persuade young music fans that illegally sharing copyright music online is not only illegal, but ethically wrong.
Confirming the partnership, RIAA Boss Mitch Bainwol told reporters: "When students think critically about these issues - why we have intellectual property laws, how they should apply on the internet, what constitutes ethical behavior online - that's a positive development for all". The programme will also try to communicate the "safety issues" of using P2P technology - ie that doing so increases the risks of user's computers becoming infected by viruses. Bainwol continued: "For the internet to truly be safe and secure, there needs to be balance and rules of the road".
How successful the new campaign will be remains to be seen. Some say that the vast majority of P2P users are already aware of the legality and ethics of sharing copyright music online, yet they continue to share music in this way all the same. Other critics also say the 'safety risks' of using P2P are often exaggerated. However, with the legitimate download sector continuing to boom, some surveys suggest P2P usage growth is slowing down, and the RIAA will be hoping that a new generation of teens who, unlike the last generation, have access to a plethora of legitimate sources of music, can be persuaded not to go the P2P route.