A recent survey found that kids are less likely to illegally download music and other content if they know the laws for downloading music and movies, according to a new study from Microsoft.
The company found that 49% of kids in seventh through 10th grade aren’t familiar with copyright laws, and only 11% profess to have a good understanding of copyright.
Of those that said they know about copyright, eight in 10 said violators should be punished. Overall, just 48% of teens surveyed thought that people should be punished for illegal downloads.
Microsoft has signed education outreach and communications company Topics Education to create a curriculum for middle school and high school teachers about intellectual property rights.
Microsoft will also launch a Web site, mybytes.com, where kids can mix music to create custom ringtones, share content and learn about copyright law.
