Legal Concepts Worksheet
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Legal Concepts Worksheet
Concept Application of Concept to the Issue of Downloading Reference to Concept in Reading
Formalism and consequentialism two systems of ethics – applying to downloading music or video from the Internet
Downloading music and or video from the Internet is illegal and unethical if downloading is for profit and or personal gain even though the gain would allow the person to have the needed funds to pay for a college course by selling the downloaded material. The formalist would not support this decision even though the person had a good intent however, the consequentialist would believe that the actions justified the end of having funds to pay for a college course. Formalist requires that the person act with a good intent. “For the consequentialist, lying itself is not unethical. It is the consequences, or end results of lying, that must be evaluated for their ethical implications.” Reed et al, p. 32, 2004)
Intellectual Property
The downloading of intellectual property that is considered a trade secret and sharing it with others is illegal. Intellectual property is basically divided into two categories: “Industrial property, which includes inventions (patents), trademarks, industrial designs, and geographic indications of source; and copyright, which includes literary and artistic works such as novels, poems and plays, films, musical works, artistic works such as drawings, paintings, photographs and sculptures, and architectural designs.” (World Intellectual Property Organization, 2007)
“Intellectual property can be described as the original expression of ideas, as well as symbols and words that represent the products or services of a person and or company.” (Meeting Professionals Internationals, 2007) “Intellectual property illustrates that...
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