Chapter 4:
Intellectual Property

Intellectual Property is not a very prevalent topic in the episode. However, a few examples related to the topic of intellectual property are present.

The main example of intellectual property is how Kenny’s sister attempted to watch pirated movies for free on a third-party website. In the episode, Kenny’s sister visited a website to illegally watch movies for free and ended up downloading viruses onto Kenny’s computer. This incident is what leads Kenny to download the anti-virus software Shrive which is how the hacker gains access to Kenny’s computer. According to a 2019 study, in the US $29.2 billion to $71 billion are lost per year as a result of pirated films and TV shows [3]. This is a major profit loss for the entertainment industry and can result in the loss of jobs as well. The episode does not glorify watching pirated films and instead provides a warning of the dangers of visiting unknown illegal websites. The episode attempts to dissuade the viewer from illegally consuming content by showing that illegally watching movies is not only morally incorrect but can also lead to malware infecting your computer.

Another example of intellectual property is the video the hacker recorded of the main character Kenny pleasuring himself to child pornography. Under the Copyright Act of 1976, the creator of a work (in this case the video) is the owner of that work unless other legal arrangements have been made [1]. This means that under the Copyright Act of 1976, the hacker would own the copyright on the video of Kenny pleasuring himself. However since the video was made by secretly recording Kenny on private property with the intention of invading his privacy, the hacker has committed the crime of criminal surveillance [2]. Since Kenny was on private property and did not consent to be recorded, the hacker would not have copyright rights to the video because it was recorded illegally.

[1] Staff, Cornell Law School. “17 U.S. Code § 201 - Ownership of Copyright.” Legal Information Institute, Cornell Law School Legal Information Institute, https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/17/201.

[2] “State Audio and Visual Surveillance Laws.” STATE AUDIO AND VISUAL SURVEILLANCE LAWS Executive Summary, 2018, https://www.nar.realtor/sites/default/files/documents/2018-NAR%20Surveillance-Survey-Update.pdf.

[3] Danaher, Brett, et al. “Piracy Landscape Study: Analysis of Existing and Emerging Research Relevant to Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) Enforcement of Commercial-Scale Piracy.” SSRN, 16 Apr. 2020, https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=3577670.