Spider-Man, X-Men, And Captain America Headline Innovative, Multi-Tiered Campaign To Promote Internet Safety And Stop Online Piracy
New York, NY (July 13, 2004) – Marvel Enterprises Inc.’s world famous Super Heroes including Spider-Man, The Hulk, Spider-Girl and Captain America have teamed up with WiredSafety Executive Director, Parry Aftab, one of the world’s first cyber-lawyers and a recognized global leader in Internet law, privacy and policy, to fight a new breed of villains – Internet predators, cyber-stalkers and online identity thieves.
Through a unique arrangement, Marvel and WiredSafety, the world’s largest Internet safety and education organization, will develop a groundbreaking program designed to help parents and their children use the Internet safely, wisely and responsibly. The program will be unveiled by the two organizations today on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC.
The primary elements of the multi-tiered, grassroots initiative include: live stage shows starring the Marvel Super Heroes that will travel to community centers, malls, schools, state fairs and other destinations across the country; a new website, InternetSuperHeroes.org, an in-school Internet safety curriculum program; and a series of custom comic books each tackling a specific topic related to safe and responsible Internet use. The campaign has sparked enormous interest on Capitol Hill. Senator Ted Stevens (R-AK), chairman of the Senate Appropriations Committee praised Marvel and WiredSafety’s efforts to use the trusted Marvel characters to teach the important lesson of online safety to children and adults alike. Marvel and WiredSafety are now looking to work with corporate sponsors to further fund these and other exciting programs.
"The Marvel Super Heroes are instantly recognizable and are highly trusted by children and parents alike. They make for the ideal characters to help promote Internet security and educate everyone on key online safety issues," said Peter Cuneo, Vice-Chairman, Marvel Enterprises, Inc. "In bringing together our widely known Marvel characters and Parry’s expertise in Internet safety, we have developed a terrific program that educates kids and parents about Internet piracy and predators as well as promoting responsible and private surfing in a fun and engaging way."
Ms. Aftab added, "Internet privacy and security issues represent today’s biggest concerns for parents. As kids spend more time then ever before online, they’ve become more susceptible to such things as cyber-bullies, identity theft, scams and – even more frightening – sexual predators. Marvel fully shares with WiredSafety these concerns and should be applauded for taking strong action to fight this growing problem. Marvel’s willingness to give back and use trusted characters like Spider-Man to teach important Internet messages will keep our kids safer and teach them how to become more responsible Internet users."
Grassroots Super Hero Stage Show
To reach the widest potential audience, Marvel and WiredSafety are currently
creating a series of live mini-stage shows starring several of the famous Super
Heroes. The shows will address several Internet security topics in a fun, interactive
and easy-to-understand format. The tour will include stops at malls, schools,
retail locations, state fairs, and other large community events across the country.
In-School Curriculum Program
Marvel, Ms. Aftab and WiredSafety will develop comprehensive learning tools
that can be used in the classroom. Dedicated lesson plans, worksheets, and activity
guides will be some of the key elements of the in-school outreach program. These
elements will empower students to develop their own safe and responsible surfing
messages and programs.
Custom Comic Books
The worldwide leader in comic book publishing, Marvel will develop a series
of comic books that tackle Internet security issues using Ms. Aftab’s
expertise. Popular characters like Spider-Man and The Hulk will be featured
in storylines that deal with issues ranging from cyber-bullying and identity
theft, to online scams and piracy. These comic books will be distributed widely
through schools, giveaways at each stage show stop, and other channels.
Additional Elements
Marvel and WiredSafety are currently finalizing other campaign elements. These
include: InternetSuperHeroes.org, a dedicated web site, run by WiredSafety,
that will feature free, downloadable materials local parent, community and law
enforcement groups can utilize to deliver online safety programs; an online
updated edition of Ms. Aftab’s leading book, The Parent’s Guide
to protecting Your Children in Cyberspace (originally published by McGraw-Hill)
available without charge ; parenting guides on new issues as they evolve, including
wireless, text-messaging and interactive gaming; contests designed to empower
kids and teens to help create a safer online experience and smarter surfers;
and educating and mobilizing local law enforcement networks. The website will
help spread online safety, wireless and interactive game safety, privacy and
security messages and information about safe sites, parental control software
and tools. It will also encourage children and teens to develop their own awareness
campaigns on these and other issues, including anti-piracy for movies, software
and other intellectual property. Together with leading partners, the site will
also teach important information and digital literacy and encourage children
to use the filter between their ears.
About Marvel Enterprises Inc.
With a library of over 4,700 proprietary characters, Marvel Enterprises, Inc.
is one of the world's most prominent character-based entertainment companies.
Marvel's operations are focused in four areas: entertainment (Marvel Studios),
licensing, comic book publishing and toys (Toy Biz). Marvel facilitates the
creation of entertainment projects, including feature films, DVD/home video,
video games and television based on its character and also licenses its characters
for use in a wide range of consumer products and services including apparel,
collectibles, snack foods and promotions. Marvel's characters and plot lines
are created by its comic book division that continues to expand its leadership
position in the U.S. and worldwide while also serving as an invaluable source
of intellectual property.
About Parry Aftab and WiredSafety
Parry Aftab is a cyberlawyer and worldwide leader in the area of online safety,
privacy and security. As Executive Director of WiredSafety.org, the largest
online safety and help program in cyberspace, Ms. Aftab helps prevent and investigate
cybercrime and abuse for Internet users of all ages. WiredSafety.org operates
entirely through its corps of unpaid online volunteers from around the world.
Under its former name, her group was awarded the President's Service Award in
October 1998 from the White House and Points of Light Foundation. Ms Aftab also
works closely with law enforcement around the world to police the Internet and
is part of the Home Office CybercrimeTask Force in the UK. Author of The Parent's
Guide to Protecting Your Children in Cyberspace, the leading resource for parents
on Internet safety for their children, Ms. Aftab has spoken to many governmental
agencies and groups worldwide, conducted briefings for the U.S. Senate, been
a key speaker at two White House Summits and testified before leading legislative
committees and The House of Lords. WiredSafety.org also provides free online
education, information and awareness and helps encourage, safe, private, secure
and responsible Internet and wireless technology use.
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FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT:
For Marvel Enterprises:
Jeffrey Klein, Johanna Flattery
Dan Klores Communications
212-685-4300
jeff_klein@dkcnews.com/johanna_flattery @dkcnews.com
Matt Finick
Marvel Enterprises
212-576-4035
mfinick@marvel.com
David Collins, Richard Land
Jaffoni & Collins
212-835-8500
Collins@jcir.com/land@jcir.com