1 Ethical Issues in Computer Science CSCI 328, Fall 2013 Session 21 Intellectual Property III

2 Economic Models of Software distribution Proprietary software (PS): Developers want to have intellectual property rights so that they can sell the software. Free and Open Source Software (FOSS): Make money from supporting the software. (How?) Which is best? Which system produces the best and most useful software? Which system leads to most widely accessible software?

3 PS vs. FOSS Which system is best for production and distribution of software? Proprietary software (PS): How is ownership established? What is the argument for proprietary software?

4 PS vs. FOSS Which system is best for production and distribution of software? Free and Open Source Software (FOSS): How is software developed and by whom? What are other ways to reward programmers (than money)? Question: Is this enough to encourage software development?

5 Is Copying Wrong? Is it morally wrong to copy proprietary software? 1.It is illegal, but is it morally wrong? 2.Why do people copy PS software (when they wouldn't break the law in other situations?) (We will discuss this in class).

6 Morality of Copying PS Argument in defense of copying PS: Counter-argument:

7 What about Civil Disobedience? If one believes a law is bad, is it OK to break it? When is it ethical to disobey the law? Does software copying reach this standard?

8 Other Systems of Distribution 1.Music: 2. Creative Commons: 3.Volunteered Content: These are all new ways to distribute intellectual property. No more "middle man". Instead you have an automated "middle thing".