[arg_discuss] ARGs for children?

[Brian Clark]

>Enforcement of COPA was blocked by a permanent injunction earlier

>this year. I'd seek legal counsel before launching something, but

>wouldn't shelve an idea over COPA concerns.


Totally agree on projects of a certain scope. I find sponsor's and patron's
legal counsels, though, to typically pursue a strategy of "reduce risk to 0"
instead of "minimize risk". My legal counsel is far more accommodating to my
wacky desires :) Very unlikely a small project would be a test case, but
look at how practices like BzzAgents in the states lead quickly to new laws
requiring disclosures that might make sense for "viral marketing" but
unintentionally sour the ARG and narrative waters as well. A big company
might. For Big Tobacco? Suicide marketing.

This was actually a topic that created much disease among the international
community, and you'll notice some companies (like my own) don't participate
in some organizations (like the Word of Mouth Marketing Association) because
we disagree on if what we do is a subset of their topic, and therefore don't
necessarily share their interpretation of best practices. I argue that
because they have to advance best practices like "always fully disclose your
relationship with a company and never pretend to be anyone but yourself" it
is a pretty good sign we belong MORE with the "branded entertainment"
community than the "WOM" community.

COPA is aimed at the kind of "worst practitioners" and one of them is likely
to be the first target of whatever new law or de-injunctioned version of
this moves forward. But notes of caution are warranted IMHO. 

Brian