Intellectual Property

Analyze the question/prompt below, take a position and support your position. Your analysis should include not only the reading specifically assigned for Day #3 of the module, but the entire content of the module including all readings, class discussions, class activities, etc. Consider the status quo where many, if not most, of your peers access their favorite music and movies in ways that violate current intellectual property laws. Is this a problem for society? - If so, who is harmed by these current practices? How should enforcement of intellectual property laws be changed to correct the problem, and who should bear the costs for doing so? Would there be any negative consequences beyond the direct costs of enforcement? - If not, how exactly do the benefits of illegal streaming/downloading outweigh the costs? How should the law be changed to better correspond to current practices and social values? In either case, explicitly consider the effect your proposed changes would have on the incentives of inventors, creators, musicians and film-makers.      

Sample Solutions