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April 19, 2009

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Court Jails Pirate Bay File-Sharers

The four founders of the file-sharing website The Pirate Bay have been sent to prison. A court in Sweden sentenced the four men to a year behind bars. Their crime was to help millions of people around the world break international copyright laws. The court also ordered them to pay nearly one million dollars each in damages to major music companies and film studios. This falls far short of the $17 million demanded by the entertainment industry. The site Pirate Bay is the world’s most popular file-sharing site. Over 20 million people use it to download music, movies and computer games for free. Pirate Bay does not have any copyrighted material on its web servers; instead it acts as a search engine so visitors can find files on other computers.


The court’s decision may be the beginning of many more file-sharing sites being closed. The ruling has divided people. The entertainment industry praised the court for protecting the rights of singers, actors and other artists who made their living from their creativity. Industry spokesman John Kennedy said the decision sent a clear message to pirates. "The Pirate Bay did immense harm….There has been a perception that piracy is OK…This verdict will change that," he said. Swedish people are angry over the verdict. There is even a political party that supports The Pirate Bay. Its chairman Rickard Falkvinge said the courts and politicians “have declared war against our whole generation". He called for "file-sharing for the people”.


 
 

WARM-UPS

1. PIRATES: Walk around the class and talk to other students about pirates. Change partners often. Sit with your first partner(s) and share your findings.

2. CHAT: In pairs / groups, decide which of these topics or words from the article are most interesting and which are most boring.

 

founders / prison / crimes / copyright laws / damages / entertainment / search engine / decisions / praise / making a living / immense harm / political parties / generations

Have a chat about the topics you liked. Change topics and partners frequently.

3. ILLEGAL: Are any of these things illegal? Do you do any of them? Complete this table. Share your answers with your partner(s). Change partners and share again.

Things

Illegal?

I do it?

Punishment?

Downloading music

 

 

 

Using someone’s wi-fi

 

 

 

Photocopying a book

 

 

 

Reading a book in a shop

 

 

 

Videoing in a cinema

 

 

 

Recording from the radio

 

 

 

4. FILE-SHARING: Students A strongly believe we should all be able to share files on the Internet; Students B strongly believe file-sharing will destroy the entertainment industry. Change partners again and talk about your conversations.

5. DOWNLOADS: With your partner(s), rate these downloads from 10 (I can’t live without downloading this) to 1 (I don’t need this). Share your ideas with your partner(s).

_____  movies

_____  documents

_____  software

_____  wallpaper

_____  music

_____  photos

_____  games

_____  YouTube videos

6. FILM STUDIOS: Spend one minute writing down all of the different words you associate with film studios. Share your words with your partner(s) and talk about them. Together, put the words into different categories.


 
 

BEFORE READING / LISTENING

1. TRUE / FALSE: Look at the article’s headline and guess whether these sentences are true (T) or false (F):

a.

Four men who started a website called Pirate Bay were sent to jail.

T / F

b.

The men spent too long inside bars.

T / F

c.

The entertainment industry was happy they got $4 million in damages.

T / F

d.

Pirate Bay stores thousands of movies on its website computers.

T / F

e.

Everyone is very unhappy with the court’s ruling.

T / F

f.

The Swedish court protected the income of artists and actors.

T / F

g.

An entertainment industry spokesman said Pirate Bay was harmed.

T / F

h.

A Swedish political party is arguing for people to be able to share files.

T / F

2. SYNONYM MATCH: Match the following synonyms from the article:

1.

founders

a.

compensation

2

behind bars

b.

decision

3.

damages

c.

furious

4.

industry

d.

age group

5.

acts

e.

business

6.

ruling

f.

huge

7.

divided

g.

creators

8.

immense

h.

serves

9.

angry

i.

in prison

10.

generation

j.

split

3. PHRASE MATCH: Match the following phrases from the article (sometimes more than one. combination is possible):

1.

A court in Sweden sentenced the four men

a.

over the verdict

2

break international

b.

engine

3.

pay nearly one million dollars each

c.

from their creativity

4.

This falls far short of

d.

our whole generation

5.

it acts as a search

e.

in damages

6.

The entertainment industry praised

f.

to a year behind bars

7.

artists who made their living

g.

the court

8.

The Pirate Bay did

h.

copyright laws

9.

Swedish people are angry

i.

immense harm

10.

politicians have declared war against

j.

the $17 million

WHILE READING / LISTENING

GAP FILL: Put the words into the gaps in the text.

The four __________ of the file-sharing website The Pirate Bay have been sent to prison. A court in Sweden __________ the four men to a year behind bars. Their __________ was to help millions of people around the world break international copyright laws. The court also ordered them to pay nearly one million dollars each in __________ to major music companies and film studios. This falls far __________ of the $17 million demanded by the entertainment industry. The site Pirate Bay is the world’s most __________ file-sharing site. Over 20 million people use it to download music, movies and computer games for free. Pirate Bay does not have any copyrighted __________ on its web servers; instead it acts as a search engine so visitors can find __________ on other computers.

 

 

 

popular
damages
sentenced
material
crime
files
founders
short

The court’s decision may be the beginning of many more file-sharing sites being __________. The ruling has divided people. The entertainment industry praised the court for __________ the rights of singers, actors and other artists who made their __________ from their creativity. Industry spokesman John Kennedy said the decision sent a __________ message to pirates. "The Pirate Bay did immense __________ ….There has been a perception that piracy is OK…This verdict will __________ that," he said. Swedish people are angry over the verdict. There is even a political party that __________ The Pirate Bay. Its chairman Rickard Falkvinge said the courts and politicians “have declared __________ against our whole generation". He called for "file-sharing for the people”.

 

 

change
clear
war
closed
supports
protecting
harm
living

LISTENING:  Listen and fill in the spaces.

The four founders of the file-sharing website The Pirate Bay _____________ to prison. A court in Sweden sentenced the four men to a year behind bars. Their crime _____________ millions of people around the world break international copyright laws. The court also ordered them to pay nearly one million dollars _______________ to major music companies and film studios. This falls far short of the $17 million demanded by the entertainment industry. The site Pirate Bay is the world’s most popular file-sharing site. Over 20 million _______________ download music, movies and computer games for free. Pirate Bay does not have any copyrighted material on its web servers; _____________ a search engine so visitors can find files on other computers.

The court’s decision may be the beginning _____________ file-sharing sites being closed. The ruling has divided people. The entertainment industry _____________ for protecting the rights of singers, actors and other artists who _______________ from their creativity. Industry spokesman John Kennedy said the decision sent a clear message to pirates. "The Pirate Bay _______________ ….There has been a perception that piracy is OK…This verdict will change that," he said. Swedish people are _________________. There is even a political party that supports The Pirate Bay. Its chairman Rickard Falkvinge said the courts and politicians “have declared war _______________ generation". He called for "file-sharing for the people”.


 
 

AFTER READING / LISTENING

1. WORD SEARCH: Look in your dictionaries / computer to find collocates, other meanings, information, synonyms … for the words ‘pirate’ and ‘bay’.

pirate

bay

 

 

 
  • Share your findings with your partners.
  • Make questions using the words you found.
  • Ask your partner / group your questions.

2. ARTICLE QUESTIONS: Look back at the article and write down some questions you would like to ask the class about the text.

  • Share your questions with other classmates / groups.
  • Ask your partner / group your questions.

3. GAP FILL: In pairs / groups, compare your answers to this exercise. Check your answers. Talk about the words from the activity. Were they new, interesting, worth learning…?

4. VOCABULARY: Circle any words you do not understand. In groups, pool unknown words and use dictionaries to find their meanings.

5. TEST EACH OTHER: Look at the words below. With your partner, try to recall how they were used in the text:

  • sent
  • break
  • nearly
  • 17
  • 20
  • acts
  • closed
  • praised
  • clear
  • angry
  • war
  • people

STUDENT FILE-SHARING SURVEY

Write five GOOD questions about file-sharing in the table. Do this in pairs. Each student must write the questions on his / her own paper.

When you have finished, interview other students. Write down their answers.

 

STUDENT 1

_____________

STUDENT 2

_____________

STUDENT 3

_____________

Q.1.

 

 

 

 

Q.2.

 

 

 

 

Q.3.

 

 

 

 

Q.4.

 

 

 

 

Q.5.

 

 

 

 
  • Now return to your original partner and share and talk about what you found out. Change partners often.
  • Make mini-presentations to other groups on your findings.

FILE-SHARING DISCUSSION

STUDENT A’s QUESTIONS (Do not show these to student B)

a)

What did you think when you read the headline?

b)

What springs to mind when you hear the word ‘download’?

c)

How important is downloading to you?

d)

Do you worry about breaking the law when you download things?

e)

What do you think of people who download thousands of songs and dozens of movies?

f)

Do you think the Pirate Bay guys deserve to go to jail?

g)

Is breaking international copyright laws really so serious?

h)

How do you think the entertainment industry can stop illegal file-sharing?

i)

Do you think everyone expects everything for free nowadays?

j)

Should people be punished for downloading stuff illegally?

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

STUDENT B’s QUESTIONS (Do not show these to student A)

a)

Did you like reading this article?

b)

Would your life change if all file-sharing sites closed?

c)

Why do you think there are people who are unhappy with the decision?

d)

How angry do you think singers are with illegal downloaders?

e)

Do you think the decision has sent a clear message to the pirates?

f)

What do you think of the word ‘pirate’ for illegal download sites?

g)

Why do most people think piracy is not OK, but they do it anyway?

h)

Have the courts declared war on a whole generation?

i)

Do you think file-sharing will be legal one day?

j)

What questions would you ask the Pirate Bay founders?

LANGUAGE

The four (1) ____ of the file-sharing website The Pirate Bay have been sent to prison. A court in Sweden sentenced the four men to a year behind (2) ____. Their crime was to help millions of people around the world (3) ____ international copyright laws. The court also ordered them to pay nearly one million dollars each (4) ____ damages to major music companies and film studios. This falls far short of the $17 million demanded by the entertainment industry. The site Pirate Bay is the world’s most popular file-sharing site. Over 20 million people use it (5) ____ download music, movies and computer games for free. Pirate Bay does not have any copyrighted material on its web servers; instead it acts as a search engine (6) ____ visitors can find files on other computers.

The court’s decision may be the beginning of many (7) ____ file-sharing sites being closed. The ruling has divided people. The entertainment industry praised the court for protecting the rights of singers, actors and (8) ____ artists who made their living from their creativity. Industry spokesman John Kennedy said the decision sent a clear (9) ____ to pirates. "The Pirate Bay did immense harm….There has been a perception that (10) ____ is OK…This verdict will change that," he said. Swedish people are angry over the verdict. There is even a (11) ____ party that supports The Pirate Bay. Its chairman Rickard Falkvinge said the courts and politicians “have declared (12) ____ against our whole generation". He called for "file-sharing for the people”.

Put the correct words from the table below in the above article.

1.

(a)

founders

(b)

founding

(c)

found

(d)

founder

2.

(a)

rods

(b)

bars

(c)

pipes

(d)

poles

3.

(a)

broken

(b)

breaking

(c)

break

(d)

breaks

4.

(a)

so

(b)

on

(c)

by

(d)

in

5.

(a)

for

(b)

by

(c)

at

(d)

to

6.

(a)

such

(b)

because

(c)

so

(d)

to

7.

(a)

more

(b)

most

(c)

much

(d)

lots

8.

(a)

another

(b)

other

(c)

others

(d)

the others

9.

(a)

messaged

(b)

messaged

(c)

message

(d)

messaging

10.

(a)

piracy

(b)

pirate

(c)

pirates

(d)

pirated

11.

(a)

politically

(b)

politics

(c)

politician

(d)

political

12.

(a)

wars

(b)

war

(c)

warrior

(d)

warriors

WRITING: 

Write about piracy for 10 minutes. Correct your partner’s paper.

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

HOMEWORK

1. VOCABULARY EXTENSION: Choose several of the words from the text. Use a dictionary or Google’s search field (or another search engine) to build up more associations / collocations of each word.

2. INTERNET: Search the Internet and find out more about The Pirate Bay. Share what you discover with your partner(s) in the next lesson.

3. PIRACY: Make a poster about different kinds of piracy in the world. How can we combat them? Show your work to your classmates in the next lesson. Did you all have similar things?

4. FILE-SHARING: Write a magazine article about the immense harm file-sharing can do. Include imaginary interviews with a file-sharer and a singer who loses money because of file-sharing.

Read what you wrote to your classmates in the next lesson. Write down any new words and expressions you hear from your partner(s).

5. LETTER: Write a letter to a music company CEO. Ask him/her three questions about music piracy. Give him/her three ideas on what he/she should do to stop illegal file-sharing. Read your letter to your partner(s) in your next lesson. Your partner(s) will answer your questions.

ANSWERS

TRUE / FALSE:

a.

T

b.

F

c.

F

d.

F

e.

F

f.

T

g.

F

h.

T

SYNONYM MATCH:

1.

founders

a.

creators

2

behind bars

b.

in prison

3.

damages

c.

compensation

4.

industry

d.

business

5.

acts

e.

serves

6.

ruling

f.

decision

7.

divided

g.

split

8.

immense

h.

huge

9.

angry

i.

furious

10.

generation

j.

age group

PHRASE MATCH:

1.

A court in Sweden sentenced the four men

a.

to a year behind bars

2

break international

b.

copyright laws

3.

pay nearly one million dollars each

c.

in damages

4.

This falls far short of

d.

the $17 million

5.

it acts as a search

e.

engine

6.

The entertainment industry praised

f.

the court

7.

artists who made their living

g.

from their creativity

8.

The Pirate Bay did

h.

immense harm

9.

Swedish people are angry

i.

over the verdict

10.

politicians have declared war against

j.

our whole generation

GAP FILL:

Court jails Pirate Bay file-sharers

The four founders of the file-sharing website The Pirate Bay have been sent to prison. A court in Sweden sentenced the four men to a year behind bars. Their crime was to help millions of people around the world break international copyright laws. The court also ordered them to pay nearly one million dollars each in damages to major music companies and film studios. This falls far short of the $17 million demanded by the entertainment industry. The site Pirate Bay is the world’s most popular file-sharing site. Over 20 million people use it to download music, movies and computer games for free. Pirate Bay does not have any copyrighted material on its web servers; instead it acts as a search engine so visitors can find files on other computers.

The court’s decision may be the beginning of many more file-sharing sites being closed. The ruling has divided people. The entertainment industry praised the court for protecting the rights of singers, actors and other artists who made their living from their creativity. Industry spokesman John Kennedy said the decision sent a clear message to pirates. "The Pirate Bay did immense harm….There has been a perception that piracy is OK…This verdict will change that," he said. Swedish people are angry over the verdict. There is even a political party that supports The Pirate Bay. Its chairman Rickard Falkvinge said the courts and politicians “have declared war against our whole generation". He called for "file-sharing for the people”.

LANGUAGE WORK

1 - a

2 - b

3 - c

4 - d

5 - d

6 - c

7 - a

8 - b

9 - c

10 - a

11 - d

12 - b

 

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