For full contest details, visit: http://sife.regent.edu/mpaa.cfm

VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. – As the January 31 submission deadline quickly approaches, the Regent University SIFE Team anxiously awaits the receipt of the Anti-Piracy contest entries.

Sponsored by Regent SIFE and the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA), the contest challenges Regent students to create an informative, entertaining and persuasive 60-second video that motivates others to support legal downloading and the entertainment industry in hopes of curbing the theft of intellectual property and bringing to light the growing number of legal ways to download movies from the Internet.

 

Manufacturing, selling or distributing motion pictures or television programs without the consent of the copyright owner is illegal. 

“The contest is to spread copyright awareness among faculty, staff and students by implementing an anti-piracy campaign on the Regent University campus,” explained Dr. Greg Stone, SIFE advisor.

 

The video submissions will be judged in a preliminary round by a team of faculty, staff and industry professionals. The winning entry in this round will receive $1,000 and will be entered by Regent University SIFE in the National SIFE MPAA Anti-Piracy Competition where industry executives will review the entries for the final round of judging.

 

“Today, technology seems to be accelerating at a faster rate than our moral law can keep up with,” explained Simisola Komolafe, Regent journalism student. “A competition like this gives students clarity on the importance of downloading ethics. I am excited to see a competition like this on Regent's campus.” 

 

The MPAA and its international counterpart, the Motion Picture Association (MPA), serve as the voice and advocate of the American motion picture, home video and television industries, domestically through the MPAA and internationally through the MPA. Today, these associations represent not only the world of theatrical film, but serve as leaders and advocates for major producers and distributors of entertainment programming for television, cable, home video and future delivery systems not yet imagined.

 

Over the last two years, the MPAA contest has provided SIFE students across the country the opportunity to demonstrate their creativity and innovation by articulating the crucial need to protect intellectual property.

“In the process of making the videos, students will learn more about piracy and form a stronger opinion against piracy,” said Frieder Dappen, Regent leadership & management student. “That, in turn, will positively influence fellow peers.”

Even the industry professionals are excited.“College campuses around the country are the birthplaces of ideas,” according to Ron Meyer, president and chief operating officer of Universal Studios. “Whether a scientific break-through, an economic theory, or creative art, it is all intellectual property of which the creators have a right to protect from theft. The motion picture and television industry is no different.”

 

Courtny Fout saw how the Regent contest was a step in the right direction. “I think Regent’s initiative starts by putting a small dent in a big problem,” she said.

Ron Meyer added, “On behalf of everyone at Universal Studios, I thank Regent SIFE for being part of the solution and look forward to seeing the national winning PSA on mtvU in May!”

Video submissions must be received by January 31, 2008. Submissions should be sent to:

Dr. A. Gregory Stone, Sam Walton Free Enterprise Fellow, CRB 254, School of Global Leadership

& Entrepreneurship, Regent University, 1000 Regent University Drive, Virginia Beach, VA 23464.

Complete contest details can be found at http://sife.regent.edu/mpaa.cfm.

 

SIFE is an international not-for-profit organization active on more than 1,400 university campuses in 48 countries. SIFE teams create economic opportunities in their communities by organizing outreach projects that focus on: market economics, entrepreneurship, success skills, financial literacy and business ethics. To learn more about Students In Free Enterprise, visit the Regent SIFE website at www.regent.edu/sife or contact the directors at sife@regent.edu. If you are interested in joining partnering with and/or financially supporting Regent SIFE, please contact Dr. Greg Stone at gregsto@regent.edu or call 757-352-4277. 

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About the School of Global Leadership & Entrepreneurship

The School of Global Leadership & Entrepreneurship (GLE) is one of seven graduate schools within Regent University and is located in Virginia Beach, Va. Offering fully-accredited master's and doctoral degrees in a flexible online format, GLE provides rigorous, yet innovative academic programs that can accommodate even the busiest professionals. For more information, visit www.regent.edu/global.