ethics and file sharing music?

Question

I'm currently taking a ethics class in college and I have to write a paper on the topics above. What are your thoughts on the subject?

Answer 1

Your very question illustrates the ideas BEHIND your question.

First, my answer may be considered to by my 'intellectual property.' If you use my ideas without attribution then you have stolen my idea and you have knowingly plagiarized. However, if done unknowingly, or out of a lifetime of living and researching, your use of an answer that I gave to you sometime in the past may have become 'yours' if you don't follow the specifics of my thoughts and words. Obviously, copying - say - a music file is done knowingly.

File sharing moves us into another dimension. The material by be copywritten. If the law says 'Don't copy this,' and you do, you are breaking the law and in most ethical systems that carries some decree of ethical condemnation.

Counter to this someone may argue that the law is unjust or that societal mores are outdated and that other rights supercede the law/custom. If so, the truly ethical response is to do the copying and then LET THE AUTHORITIES KNOW THAT YOU'VE DONE SO! Then you are protesting and accepting the responsibility both for your actions and for your ideas.

Ultimately the technology involved is so new that no social contract has developed around it and so ethical principles from related areas are being shoehorned into covering the territory here. We have a way to go on this one.

PS - Ethicsprof works at Heritage College and Seminary in Canada- just in case you want to cite him in your paper. :)

Answer 2

the central issue seems to be whether the artist and other rights-holders are to be paid for their investment or not. basically, i think it is stealing if someone downloads a song without paying for it. it is unethical for sure...