INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY AND ETHICS

Ethics

• Definitions:
  • Ethics: System of moral principles governing behavior of individuals or groups.
  • Morals: Personal principles of right and wrong.

Ethical vs. Legal

• Ethical: Conforms to accepted standards of conduct.
• Legal: Conforms to laws and regulations.

Ethics vs. Morality

• Ethics: Rules of right conduct provided by society.
• Morals: Individual beliefs on right and wrong.

Law vs. Morality

• Legal & Moral: Designing a safe system.
• Legal & Immoral: Human zoos in the 1940s.
• Illegal & Moral: Parking illegally to help someone.
• Illegal & Immoral: Killing an innocent person.

Ethical Decision Making

• Steps:
  1. Read and understand the scenario.
  2. Describe the ethical dilemma.
  3. Make an ethical decision (yes, no, neutral).
  4. Justify your choice based on an ethical framework.

Case Study Example

• Scenario: A developer's open-source code caused traffic control system failures leading to fatalities. Consideration of ethical responsibility for consequences.

Professional Codes of Ethics

• Association for Computing Machinery (ACM): Defines ethical conduct in computing.
• Australian Computer Society (ACS): Promotes professional ethics and accountability among members.