Final essay: Respect for intellectual law is moral
Today, when using so many media, social networks, and having the information so available, it is very difficult to delimit who belongs to the information and what should happen so that someone else’s information becomes public.
For example, when looking for information about a topic, as it appears on the Internet in a public network in seconds, and it may have been transpired endless times, it is difficult to find the right author whoever accredits. Another example is music and television, which, being circulated illegally through the Internet, without giving deserved compensation to the authors, loses their legality and is considered a theft of intellectual property, where the work of the authors isused freely.
Therefore, intellectual property becomes increasingly important, and giving deserved credit to people who have invested in research and development. A controversial ethical case is presented regarding the theft of intellectual property, in which an engineer, named Fernando, is assigned to an engineering project, where a more efficient wind turbine has to be designed.
For lack of time, subcontracts an engineer, called Alejandra, to make part of the plans to do the final project. Alejandra fulfills her part and Fernando compensates her properly. However, after a few years, Fernando enrolls his project to a competence of renewable technologies, in which he is in second place, and earns a $ 1000 prize of $ 1000. Upon learning, Alejandra complains with Fernando, since part of the winning project is of his intellectual property, but Fernando tells him that he already paid his corresponding part and that he bought his work and now is his property.
Here the ethical dilemma enters, since it is not clear how far Alejandra owns her intellectual property. This is something that happens frequently in the areas of engineering and technology, since many times students have to do “talacha” work or only a part of research or measurement within the project, but in the end they are not given the creditWhat they deserve. Although it could be argued that it is not a case of theft of intellectual property, since when paying for the service, the appropriate remuneration was given for the work and the information is being purchased, in reality the author of the work is always ownedof intellectual property, since it comes from its performance and research, and in case of using it, the author’s consent and proportional compensation should be needed in case of generating more money. First, it is essential to protect the intellectual property of people because they are the ones who have invested their time, effort and money in producing a result, which is their property within their rights.
Intellectual property serves as a protection that allows authors to exclude others from the appropriation of their contents or the material created by them. When a human invests his intellectual effort in the creation of a new idea or knowledge, he adds a benefit to society, either in terms of development, economic, social or for problem solving. Therefore, for a society to maintain economic and social growth, it is very important to encourage innovation that focuses on developing technology, science, and energy efficiency. To promote this growth, it is necessary that society is aware that they have the necessary laws to protect their investment, that is, a regulation of intellectual property will surely make their innovation valid and give them adequate recognition. According to the National Institute of Industrial Property, intellectual property exists “to legally protect the moral and patrimonial rights of creators with respect to their creations and the rights of society in general to have access to them. […]
To encourage creativity and the application of the results of the knowledge developed, as well as to promote loyal commercial practices that contribute in turn to economic and social development.”(INAPI, 1). However, on the other hand it could be argued that when paying for a service, the appropriate remuneration was already given by the person’s work, and therefore, it was never his intellectual property, since only the investigation was carried outbecause she was commissioned by another. That is, when buying the service is like acquiring a product, which at the time of paying becomes the property of the second. In spite of this counter -argument, it is still considered that the most ethical way to approach this issue is through respect for the right to intellectual property, where everyone owns the work it produces.
Additionally, the moral and ethically correct in this case would be to require the consent of the author of the work in case of wanting external use of his information, since it will always be his property and should be asked for permission. That is, by providing a service that results in a new idea or knowledge, although it is in the hands of another, it always belongs to the original, and therefore its distribution should always happen under the author’s consent. If the author’s material appears somewhere else, without him agreeing, it is equivalent to someone stealing some personal property and using it for their benefit, without first having received your permission. In the event that the author consciously accepts his material for something else, anyway it is essential to give the necessary credit;Otherwise, personal rights are being violated and the individual’s moral integrity is being at risk. In this case, the rights of people are put at risk, because it is a protection that gives the Constitution, dignity, since stealing attempts against the respect of the individual, and justice, since it is not fulfilled what is due.
On the contrary, it can be argued that when paying for the service, the information is being purchased, and therefore changes the owner, as is the case when buying an ordinary product. With the new owner, it is no longer necessary to ask for anyone, since he decides what to do with the information. However, the ethical to do in this case is to always consider the consent of the other before using the information, since it always belongs to it and it is impossible for the owner to change.
Finally, after having received the author’s consent, he must compensate for the proportional part of any additional income that generates the information, since, if not for that information, it is possible that the project had not generated anything. That is, if the information is used for a publication, contest, presentation, etc. And this medium generates economic profits, it is essential that the original author of the information be rewarded for his work. According to the World Trade Organization, or WTO)incentives and means to finance research and development activities.”(WTO, 1). Therefore, society should feel worried about this ethical dilemma, since it can affect the entire population. Although, on the other hand, it can be argued that as the buyer of the material was the one who had the initiative to use it to generate more profits, and that if it were not for its financing, the idea would never have developed or managed to become a reality,It is not considered that this is the ethical or morally correct option.
In conclusion, although there are many arguments against and in favor of the right to intellectual property, and that it is easy to argue in favor of both intellectual law and the purchase of information as a legitimate method of acquisition, the most ethical response toThe proposed situation is always to respect and promote intellectual property, although it involves economic losses. Although there are many counter -arguments, the benefits of promoting and betting on always respecting copyright are much greater than the benefits of taking advantage of the purchase of information, since the first position reaffirms the dignity of people, of their rightsand of its integrity. Since there are no such specific laws that argue in favor of intellectual property in cases as ambiguous as this, it should be judged from an ethical point of view, where universal morals over the personal interests of the actors entered into play.
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