Generation Y-Pay? Seriously?

When it doesn't see the market rate of digital content falling towards zero as a political problem, or a legal one, intellectual property clearing houses think of the issue as a marketing one.

And if you have a marketing problem, you have to identify a target market and give it a stupid name.

Ladies and gentlemen, allow us (or rather The Industry Trust for IP Awareness) to introduce Generation Y-Pay:

The new approach, unveiled today, fronted by Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels star Nick Moran, is born out of research that shows the film and TV industry needs to offer some "carrot" to go with the "stick" to change the attitude of the web generation. The Industry Trust for IP Awareness (Itipa) says the problem is that 16-to-34-year-olds, the so-called Generation Y, has an attitude to online content that it sums up as "Generation Y-pay?"

A survey has shown that while 74% of 16-to-34-year-olds agree that paying to rent or see films in daily life is right and proper, just 39% think they should pay for the same content when they are viewing the content on the internet.

If I were Itipa - after sorting out my stupid name - I'd be a bit more worried about the quarter of people who don't think they should be paying to go to the cinema.

So the idea now is that - taking a break from this sort of thing you appeal to their better natures:

The campaign appeals to young people by promoting the idea that making positive, legal choices ensures their favourite shows and actors stay on screen.

"With the digital revolution set to open up access to more unauthorised film and TV content, it is going to be more important than ever for people to understand the positive connection they have to the British creative industries, such as film and TV," said Liz Bales, the director general of the Itipa. "Our industry must share responsibility for showing the public the positive role they play.

"Film and TV is the industry that we as a nation are most proud of, the challenge is that Generation Y-pay underestimates how vital they are to funding future films and TV shows. They don't realise that without them [buying legal products] great British film and TV couldn't get made," Bales added.

Wow. Apparently the film and TV industry think that people have better natures despite being idiots.

You can't help wondering if this catch-more-wasps-with-honey approach would have been more effective if it had been launched a decade ago, rather than spending ten years scolding and then suddenly going "oh... but we love you, we really do."