WASHINGTON, May 21 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Copyright Alliance, a nonpartisan organization dedicated to the value of copyright as an agent for creativity, jobs and growth, today launched the Copyright Alliance Education Foundation (www.copyrightfoundation.org). The new charitable arm of the Alliance will develop educational programs aimed at helping America's next generation of creators succeed.

The Foundation announced its first projects, already underway: development and distribution of a copyright curriculum for educators; and a partnership with the West Potomac Academy of Fairfax County Public Schools in Virginia, to refine Alliance curriculum materials and supplement them with information important to arts education.

"Our nation has reaped the rewards both culturally and economically of the principle and practice of copyright," said Patrick Ross, Copyright Alliance Executive Director. "This system has served us well for centuries - so much so, that it has become an invisible underpinning in our country's prosperity. Now, as a new generation of creators populates today's classrooms, we must ensure that principle is not taken for granted and continues to be a foundation for creative success."

The Foundation will develop and implement educational projects designed to meet two goals. 1) Help maintain a copyright-aware environment in the nation's classrooms to ensure creators' long-term ability to thrive. 2) Provide educational resources to future creators.

The Alliance has developed a pilot curriculum for teachers, "Think First, Copy Later," a comprehensive multi-faceted program designed to help librarians and media specialists answer questions and provide information about copyright in the classroom to other educators. The materials were distributed to 5,000 librarians and media specialists this spring to gauge usefulness.

ABOUT THE COPYRIGHT ALLIANCE

The Copyright Alliance is a non-profit, non-partisan educational organization dedicated to the value of copyright as an agent for creativity, jobs and growth. For more information, please visit www.copyrightalliance.org.

Members of the Copyright Alliance include: American Federation of Television & Radio Artists; American Intellectual Property Law Association; American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers; American Society of Media Photographers; Association of American Publishers; Association of Independent Music Publishers; AT&T; Broadcast Music, Inc.; Business Software Alliance; CBS Corporation; Church Music Publishers Association; Directors Guild of America; Entertainment Software Association; Graphic Artists Guild; Langley Productions; Magazine Publishers of America; Microsoft; Motion Picture Association of America; National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing (NASCAR); National Association of Broadcasters; National Collegiate Athletic Association; National Football League; National Music Publishers' Association; National Basketball Association Properties, Inc.; NBC Universal; Newspaper Association of America; News Corporation; Picture Archive Council of America; PPL and VPL; Production Music Association; Professional Photographers of America; Professional School Photographers Association; Recording Industry Association of America; Reed Elsevier; SESAC; Software & Information Industry Association; Sony Pictures Entertainment; Time Warner; Universal Music Group; Viacom; Vin Di Bona Productions; The Walt Disney Company; Writers Guild of America, West.

FOR MORE INFORMATION: www.copyrightalliance.org or www.copyrightfoundation.org

SOURCE Copyright Alliance