My dd was shown a pirate copy of Madagascar in class!

[vwvic]

She is in Y2. A few of the other parents havebeen talking, and none of us thinks that this is really on. However, we are only 4 parents out of a class of 30.None of the others think that it is/was a problem.

Dh and I thought about talking to the head, but in previous similar situations she was of absolutely no help- her response was something like I trust my teachers to make their own decisions, and won't interfere. So we felt we had no option but to tell the education authourity. However, now I'm worried that we didn't do the right thing. I suppose it's too late to do anything now, but I'm just wondering what other parents would have done.

Thanks in advance.

Marina I agree that it contributes to loss-of-income. But the funding-organised-crime seems rather an excessive claim?

oh I know Marina, it's not right and I don't think the teacher should have done it. But maybe a word with the teacher, and hopefully a letter home from her to the child?

if the average running time of a kids film is 80 minutes (or so) thats only just over 10 minutes per day - why not just cut down your kids tv watching by 10 mins per day and then they wont be sitting in front of the tv for too long?

you may call me a sad bore on this subject if you like but there was a recent congressional report on this mp

is it possible this child's gun running uncle bought it for his dd/ds and then copied it for his niece?

wouldn't care about watching the film too much btw, it's the dishonesty/illegality I would have a very big problem with.

There was recently a lot of raids local to me in SE London, and the sellers of these DVDs were found to be illegal Chinese immigrants sent to pound the streets for pence under duress, and living in revolting conditions. That's a specific example of the industry exploiting vulnerable people that I know about. But no, I don't have any personal knowledge of profits being ploughed into the sex industry or drugs trades.

But Harpsichordcarrier has found an interesting link on the subject...

Yes I've seen that report quoted a lot of times but I can't help find it a little ODD (particularly interpol's suggestions about counterfeit goods funding Al-Qaeda!!!?!).

I'm sure that crime groups do make money from counterfeit goods but to make the leap from that to implying that all or a large proportion of counterfeit goods are funding crime groups is a BIG one.

Around here counterfeit goods mainly fund struggling pig-farmers...

There is a big difference between some local guy trying to make a quick buck by duplicating & selling a few pirate DVDs, and the massive operations based in certain countries (including China) which manufacture thousands of illegal DVDs for distribution internationally. You may only see the individual selling the goods on the street, but there is a huge lucrative organsation behind it. And yes, this is part of organised crime.

Licences are necessary to show films in schools -but all schools appear to do it, I have never seen or heard of a directive from the LEA to ensure schools have applied for the appropriate licence - it would appear to be something head teachers are willing to overlook.

Video/DVD Piracy is not on in my book either, however, I made exactly the same mistake with Madagascar, we were lent a copy by friends, I had not heard of the film before at all (I don't get out much!). It was only when dd said 'Mummy, somebody just stood up!' that I realised it was a pirate copy - yes - guilty - kids in front of TV and me in kitchen!

I believe it was perfectly possible for the teacher concerned not to have realised the dvd was a pirate copy.

I am not happy, however, with the children watching commercial videos at school. Last year apparantly my ds watched Lord of the Rings - I was shocked!! Schools should perhaps request parents approval for the commercial videos they may wish to show at school. Maybe it's a control thing on my part but I would prefer to know what films my kids are being exposed to...

This isn't on IMO. I wouldn't like my DS1 to watch films at school every week - I find it hard enough to tear him away from his dvds at home fgs!!

When I was at secondary school we used to watch films about once a month in the school hall - I can remember watching 'Walkabout' with Jenny Agutter, the boys going mad when she took her kit off.

There's nothing wrong with Madagascar as a film, but my DS would be well aware that it wasn't out on dvd yet and so would be nagging me as to 'why can't we get it mummy?' and I would have to try and explain to him. I wouldn't want to have to tell him that his school was doing something illegal when I expect him to respect and obey his teachers!

DS went to a Star Wars party in the summer hols and some knob of a parent brought along a bootleg copy of Revenge of the Sith. I didn't know about it until I picked him up and I was seething because
a) it's a 12 (or a 15??) cert and he's only 5
b) I had told him he couldn't watch it anyway because of a)
The parent who held the party felt she couldn't refuse to put it on. well, yes, you could! I would have!

Aha! DS told me that the Holiday Club children had watched a film called 'Moo The Gooster' which I eventually interpreted as Madagascar - I wonder if there is a roaring trade in pirates to educational establishments?

Haven't read all of this thread, but my two came home from childminder a few weeks ago proudly announcing they'd been watching Madagascar! I was gobsmacked!

is it illegal to tape a cassette too? because if it is im very very guilty? just wondering, idle question.