Safe Surfing

Protecting Your Family

Essential Protection > Piracy

Do your kids download software and music? Do they think it's just harmless fun? Well, their fun could cost you thousands?

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Turkey is in hospital listening to music on his iPod. Chub tells Beverley that Turkey probably copied the songs onto his iPod illegally without even knowing it. He tells her that you can't just copy songs as it is technically stealing - the copyright on the song means it belongs to someone else, for example the band or singer. Beverley begins to panic as Chantelle and her mates are always copying music. She asks whether you can be put in jail for illegally copying music. Chub says you won't get a jail term, but you could be prosecuted for up to a thousand pounds - and it would be Beverly and Chub, not the kids, who are prosecuted.

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Whenever you copy anything or share anything that has a copyright mark on it and use this material for business or pleasure you are committing an illegal act and you may be fined. It is very common for children to share files of music and to download games, movies and other software, ignoring the copyright restrictions. Often they don't know that what they're doing is wrong, but you're the one who'll pay for it.