Establishing an Ethical Justification for Intellectual Property

Authors

  • Wesley T. Hong

Keywords:

intellectual property, ethics, property rights

Abstract

This paper presents an overview of intellectual property law. It assesses the modern controversy regarding the entitlement to intellectual property rights, as well as the difficulty in defining the domain of intellectual property. Both the view of property rights theorists and free thought theorists are presented thoroughly. In the end, this paper asserts that the ideal scenario permits free thought while protecting the justice that we believe entitles individuals to intellectual property rights. It concludes by providing a manner of defining intellectual property rights as limited to property that may be deemed directly profitable, as supported by Lockean property rights.

Author Biography

  • Wesley T. Hong

    B.S. Candidate | Materials Science & Engineering

    Stanford University | Class of 2011 

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Published

2010-10-14

Issue

Section

Special Essay Section: Ethics and Public Policy