The UK’s Intellectual Property Office (IPO) has launched a new campaign to teach children about online copyright infringement. In a bid to make intellectual property “fun”, the IPO has produced a range of teaching materials for seven- to 11-year-olds, which centres on a series of cartoons following the adventures of Nancy and the Meerkats.
According to the BBC:
The five-minute cartoons tell the story of would-be pop star Nancy, a French bulldog, who battles her ideas-stealing, feline nemesis, Kitty Perry, and teaches friends, including Justin Beaver and a rather dim Welsh sheep called Ed Shearling, about the importance of choosing an original band name and registering it as a trademark.
The IPO, which believes learning to “respect” copyrights and trademarks is a “key life skill”, is spending £20,000 on the campaign, which is part-funded by the UK music industry.