With the backing of NBCU, MTV, theater owners and others, the New York City Mayor's Office of Media and Entertainment has launched a new digital piracy campaign to be created by the demo most likely to be doing the pirating.
At a content theft summit in New York Tuesday, the office unveiled Create the Next Spot in its ongoing "Piracy Doesn't Work in NYC" campaign -- launched in 2007 -- to combat illegal distribution of digital works. "[W]hile young people are among the most likely to pirate digital content there is significant opportunity for education and increased awareness within that age group."
The idea is to get New York City students -- high school through college -- to produce their own creative campaign with the help of professional producers. The spots will run on TV, online and on the road (in taxis). "By asking New York City students to engage in the dialogue, the City hopes that they will think about the long-term consequences of digital piracy for the industry and for future generations in the creative industry," the mayor's office said.
Entries can be submitted and details gleaned at StopPiracyInNYC.com. Judges for the contest include Whoopi Goldberg and Sway of MTV News. The deadline is Oct. 19, with the top 10 posted for online public voting. The winning campaign will start airing in the first quarter of next year.
