Orbit Showtime Network (OSN), the leading Pan Arab satellite television network in is partnering with Dubai Customs to present the ”Copycat Combat”, the world’s first Content Protection virtual reality game at KidZania Dubai.
The primary goal of the event was to raise awareness about the intellectual property rights amongst children. Dubai Customs and OSN worked together on the development of the 60-second game, aimed at kids age 5-12. It will be available at all mall stands and other public areas across the region managed by OSN. In addition to that, it would also air in all UAE schools as a part of an ongoing campaign on the importance of protecting intellectual property rights.
The game shows how a group of thieves use laser rays to steal the OSN’s collection of movies, TV series, kids shows, and sports events. The children need to protect all the content with armored gloves in the virtual world.
The Chief Legal Officer at OSN, Sophie Moloney, commented how important it was to make kids familiar with the wrongdoings in the entertainment industry since a very early age. She hoped that thanks to the game, they would realize how vital content protection was.
Ahmed Mahboob Musabih, the Director of Dubai Customs, added that “the game did not only educate children about the intellectual property rights. According to him, it also encouraged them to innovate and develop entrepreneurial skills. The kids initiative was among the many others OSN and Dubai Customs would organize together to combat intellectual property crimes.”
There is no exact data on how much the MENA entertainment industries have lost because of content theft and breach of intellectual property rights. However, according to some conservative estimates, the damages were between US$ 500 million and US$ 1.2 billion a year.