For this week, you are to consider the following questions as we explore issues related to intellectual property:
Are patents necessary or beneficial for society?
Should patents be granted for software artifacts?
How do you reconcile the existence of patent trolls?
Is open source superior to proprietary licenses?
Is the distinction between free software and open source meaningful?
How do you respond to things like HeartBleed and ShellShock?
Is it ethical for companies to use DRM to protect their copyrighted material?
Is it ethical for users to circumvent these DRM schemes?
How do you respond to ripping CDs or DVDs you own?
Is it ethical for consumers to pirate copyrighted material?
Is it ethical for users to "sample" or "test" copyrighted works and share them with others?
How do you respond to the emergence of streaming services such as Netflix or Spotiy?
Note, you should not simply list the questions and answer each one directly. Instead, the questions are there to help you brainstorm about the question:
Should intellectual property be afforded the same, more, or less protections than physical property? In today's world, do IP laws encourage or prevent innovation?
Your writing reflection should ultimately answer this question.