Ethical Issues in the Information Age

Paper Summary:

The following paper examines the ethical issues that relate to privacy, free speech, and protection of Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) with regards to the present era. The writer examines how all knowledge depends to a large extent on prior knowledge. The issue of innovators having the right to exclusive benefit from his innovation or creation [Intellectual Property] does seem to exist in principle, however this paper examines the strong need to properly define and delimit those rights. Similarly this paper examines the equally strong ethical case for such delimitation to protect people's right to privacy and free speech, which are sometimes at variance with one another. As the world is rapidly shrinking due to the communication revolution, new universally accepted laws are required to deal with these questions.

From the Paper:

"The problem raised by immense expansion of knowledge and the ways to process them, can only be solved through a thorough public debate and broad decisions on the ethical foundations on which the legislation is sought o be based. In view of the global implications of most of these laws, international agreements is also necessary on general principles on which the laws should be founded. Attention has also to be directed to attending to the basic problems of the allocation and distribution of resources in more appropriate ways than at present. This cannot be achieved by reliance on the operation of "free market" forces alone. There is another problem. The present laws regarding IPR favor the industrialized nations. Multi national corporations often indulge in unethical, exploitative practices. On the other hand, to identify legally constituted entities and bona fide community representatives with whom to deal as well as to determine the appropriate form and distribution of benefits may be difficult if Community Intellectual Rights are pursued."

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