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Lecture Review: The Ethical Case Against Intellectual Property

 


Since this week's readings focused on the concepts of intellectual property, privacy, and ethics, I decided to dive into a YouTube search focused on these topics. In this search, I stumbled upon this lecture from David Koepsell. I was intrigued by the points Koepsell makes on the concepts of ownership versus possession. When I first began the lecture, my immediate response was "how on earth can we function with intellectual property law? What is to stop anyone from taking anyone else's intellectual work as their own?" but this does not seem to be the point that Koepsell is trying to make. My understanding is more that he believes intellectual property should be free and available to the masses- we should not be met with paywalls to access information. He has a few key points he makes throughout his lecture:

  • Commons by Necessity v. by Choice: commons by choice are things we intentionally keep public, such as national parks. Necessity refers to things kept public because they cannot physically be owned, such as air and sunshine. 
  • Violation of Autonomy and Self-Expression: In this part of the lecture, Koepsell emphasizes the idea that intellectual property law is restrictive of people's ability to explore and express ideas freely. These restrictions are wrong as they infringe on people's autonomy and the right to share and build upon knowledge. 
  • Critiques Utilitarian Justifications: Kroepsell points out that proponents of intellectual property law believe it encourages innovation, but he disagrees. He says that the economic benefits do not justify the ethical implications of restricting the individual's access to information. 
All in all, Koepsell believes IP laws are indefensible due to the privatization of resources that should be accessible to everyone. As a public educator, this concept resonates with me. It makes sense to me that every student has access to the same information and resources, despite their socioeconomic status. I also lean towards the idea that progress is made by building on what has already been done, and that progress can be easily halted or saved for select people with IP laws. 

Definitely something to look into a bit more deeply, but I found the lecture fascinating nonetheless! 

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