Moral and Ethical Issues Behind Software Copyright and Patents
Introduction
Over the past twenty years, the number of software patent and copyright infringement cases has been steadily increasing. The reason for this is quite clear. Software development only gained momentum in the 1970s, when the need for more complex and sophisticated software and their potential for commercialization was realised.1 With increasing investments being put into developing software, more legal protection was sought to protect these investments. These changing trends raise the awareness of the ethical and moral issues behind the current copyright and patent law framework. In this article, software globalization trend and related ethical issues are addressed, the current legal system and its restriction are introduced, and my point is that the combination of legal system and ethical values will help establish an ideal software society.
Software moral and ethical issues
First of all, let’s address the difference between copyright and patents. In general, software copyrights do not generate the same magnitude of influence as patents although patent and copyright law may seem similar in many respects. The first and most important difference is that, while copyright protects the expression of ideas, patent law protects the underlying idea itself. For example, if an inventor created a revolutionary design for a spacecraft, the design itself could be patented but only the design as it appears pictorially on a blueprint can be copyrighted. In software field, a copyright infringement can be invoked whenever an individual makes an unauthorized copy of software even if this person does not use the copy at all, whereas a patent is more likely to occ...
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Webster’s 9th College Dictionary
Skloot creates the correct atmosphere to make the reader feel sympathy for the Lackses throughout this novel. For this novel’s validity, she incorporates different types of statistics, including newspaper articles, personal journal, documents, etc. as shown in the following passage, “the Federal Policy for the Protection of Human Subjects, […] govern most tissue research” [Skloot 317]. Skloot also interviews Henrietta’s relatives, Johns Hopkins Hospital’s doctors, and other people that have knowledge of Henrietta Lacks that are necessary to write this novel. As the reader slowly reads through this novel, they would feel the sympathy. Therefore, this novel composes passion that Skloot wants to merge into the scientific world and reality.
Rebecca Skloot’s New York Times Bestseller, The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks, is an account of Skloot’s journey to uncover
World Book, 2014 -. Web. The Web. The Web. 23 Mar. 2014. The 'Standard' of the 'Standard'.
The gothic novel Frankenstein by Mary Shelley highlights the idea that the real monsters of the world are humans and society, and that most traits that most humans despise are actually within all of us. Frankenstein shows that any human can be so corrupt as to be a “monster”, and that beings society considers repulsive and evil can be human at heart. Shelley exposes human faults such as hubris and irresponsibility through the main character of the novel Victor Frankenstein, who creates a living being and refuses to care for it, sending it into the unwelcoming hands of society. Victors irresponsible actions lead to many deaths and events. As the novel progresses, Dr. Victor Frankenstein and the Monster he creates become more and more similar
Rubini, L. (2010). Microsoft on Trial: Legal and Economic Analysis of a Transatlantic Antitrust Case. Camberley, UK: Edward Elgar Publishing.
Rebecca Skloot’s The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks tells the true story of one woman’s oblivious contribution to the medical world and the ongoing ethical controversy behind it. Henrietta’s cells, commonly called HeLa, have given rise to many scientific advancements; however many scientists still do not know who she was. Her family is also exploited by researchers and the media as they receive no information in return for their cooperation. Although the scientific community and the media view Henrietta and her family as abstractions and often misuse the help that they provide, Skloot provides an honest portrayal of both sides of the story, including the scientific perspective and the Lackses’ perspective.
Skloot first heard about Henrietta almost thirty years ago, as she explains that she “was sixteen and sitting in a community college biology class” (8). Although Henrietta’s immediate relatives were hesitant to speak with outsiders, Skloot was very stubborn to let the world know the Lacks family’s story. Not every author would wait years for an interview, yet the content and research in “The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks” was carefully constructed over nearly a decade. While Skloot’s research is very thorough, however, the accuracy of her sources can sometimes be questionable. A primary source of information that is used throughout the book comes from an old man named Cootie. He is quoted as he mutters “‘I know I got some information on Henrietta in here somewhere,’ … from under the mattress” (Skloot 62). However, referencing Cootie only leaves a minor blemish on Skloot’s otherwise detailed research and does not heavily detract from the content of the
To really understand the plight of the Lacks family one must first know a bit about the scientific culture of the time. Ethics in human research has taken a long time to evolve and that progress came in part due to accounts similar to the life of Henrietta Lacks. Skloot wonderfully weaves several story lines together to cover all sides of single narrative.
The Vietnam war is such a controversial topic in America’s history. Some veterans that served in the war won’t even talk about it still to this day. The Vietnam war was a war that started in 1954, and lasted for about 20 years until 1975. America decided to join this war because they did not like the spread of communism and wanted to stop it at all cost. During this war, America had 4 different Presidents, Eisenhower, Kennedy, Johnson, and Nixon. Many people believe that the United States should have gotten involved in the war, while other people believe that the United States should not have involved themselves in the war. The three topics this essay will discuss are the problems that the United States created in Vietnam and also the
Cassius’ seek for power over others beings once he realizes how useful it would be to have Brutus as a
Brutus’s great character and nobility can be seen in Scene 2 of Act 1, when Cassius is trying to manipulate Brutus into joining the conspiracy. Brutus shows his close relationship with Caesar when he says, “I do fear the people do choose Caesar for their king...yet I love him well.” (I.II.78-82) Brutus at first didn’t like the idea of Caesar becoming King and Brutus didn’t want to join the conspiracy because he loved Caesar very much. Although, in Act 2, Brutus is so brainwashed that he decides that he needs to stop Caesar before things get any worse when he says, “That lowliness is young ambition’s ladder, whereto the climber upward turns his face. But when he once attains the upmost round, he then unto the ladder turns his back.” (II.I.22-25) Brutus does not want Caesar to rise in power, so that then he can turn his back on the people of Rome. Brutus saw that Caesar’s ambition could destroy Rome. Brutus shows his loyalty to his country when he says, “Not that I loved Caesar less, but that I loved Rome more.” (III.II.21-22) Brutus cared about Julius Caesar, but he loved the people of Rome more. Brutus’ intentions were noble and his ultimate goal was to save the people of Rome. Brutus’ ethical beliefs help him make the tough choices he encounters to protect the people he most cares about. Brutus is
Frankenstein shows that what looks like a monster in appearance my not be and what looks normal on appearance may be a monster. While a scary ugly creature may look like a monster a true monster is formed from within and is scene through actions. Along with this knowledge is power and power has the ability to make monsters. The pursuit to know more is a never ending road that leads to lies, secretes, and monstrosity. “How much happier that man is who believes his native town to be the world, than he who aspires to become greater than his nature will allow,” while knowledge is boundless and beautiful an excess of anything can create a monster.
When Meursault's mother dies his reaction is surprisingly dull. He reacts in a way that seems like he doesn't care. His unpredictable reaction...
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