Explain ethics issues in intellectual property rights
Answers
Answer:
Intellectual property rights protect the interests of creators by giving themb property rights over their creations. IP is protected with laws (copyrights, patents, etc.) which enable people to earn recognition or financial benefit from what they invent or create.
multimedia production combines together elements of text, images, sounds, video, and animations. The Internet provides ready access to the raw materials of a multimedia production. The digitization of media makes it easy to combine multiple forms of media into derivative but original forms of expression. If you want to build on the work of others or incorporate the work of others in your own productions you should understand the intellectual property laws that govern creative work.
We are talking about intellectual property laws in this class because when you create multimedia content you should be aware of:
What are the legal and ethical issues associated with the use of intellectual property for which you are not the original author. (Very important when you are working for someone else and might be held liable for your actions.)
How to protect your own work and what protections are available to you.
There are other concerns (perhaps beyond the scope of this course) that make this an interesting and important topic:
There is also a growing spirited debate about the importance of having a free culture. Technology and recent changes and proposed changes in intellectual property laws (especially copyright laws) have brought intense focus on this issue. There is a growing concern that the ability to build on the work of others is being curtailed.
Some people are also concerned that mechanisms used to protect intellectual property such as copy-protection technologies are eroding fair use rights. What is allowed in the name of fair use when it comes to digital media?
Congress is also facing increasing pressure from the recording and motion picture industry to pass some type of legislation to curtail pirating of intellectual property. The concern is it will adversely affect lawful use of the Internet and intellectual property (possibly without having the desired impact on piracy). (e.g. SOPA (Stop Online Piracy Act) and PIPA (PROTECT IP Act).
What is Intellectual Property?
Intellectual property (IP) is any unique product of the mind or human intellect. Examples of IP include: music, movies, books, software, paintings, words, phrases, symbols, designs, chemical formulas, etc.
Intellectual property rights protect the interests of creators by giving them property rights over their creations. IP is protected with laws (copyrights, patents, etc.) which enable people to earn recognition or financial benefit from what they invent or create. By striking the right balance between the interests of innovators and the wider public interest, the IP system aims to foster an environment in which creativity and innovation can flourish.
Intellectual property relates to items of information or knowledge, which can be incorporated in tangible objects at the same time in an unlimited number of copies at different locations anywhere in the world. The property is not in those copies but in the information or knowledge reflected in them. In other words, intellectual property is distinguished from the media on which it is expressed. The physical pages of a book aren't the intellectual property. The intellectual property is in the words and their order no matter how they are expressed. You can't transcribe the contents of a book by hand and sell your notes.
Rational for Intellectual Property Rights
There is a question about whether or not there is a natural right to intellectual property. Regardless, in order to encourage its creation, most societies choose to grant intellectual property rights (legal monopolies) to people through laws. These laws recognize a form of property called intellectual property (IP). Intellectual property rights are like any other property right. They give people the right to own and profit from their artistic, scientific and technological creations for a designated period of time.
IP can be easily copied so it is hard to control. IP laws give creators more control over their work.
The US as well as most countries choose to grant intellectual property rights because of the beneficial consequences. Countries with strong IP laws tend to be sources of most inventions and creative work. IP laws promote creativity and the dissemination and application of its results