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Center: Case 1 — Intellectual Property: Jean’s Software - Coggle Diagram
Center: Case 1 — Intellectual Property: Jean’s Software
Choice 1: Use the Code Without Permission
What would I do?
Use the coworker’s code and commercial code.
Do not mention where the code came from.
Finish the project quickly.
Ethical Theory: Utilitarianism
Short-term benefit: the project gets completed on time.
Jean and the company may benefit from finishing early.
However, the long-term harm could include loss of trust, copyright problems, and harm to the original creators.
The overall consequences make this choice difficult to justify.
ACM Principles
❌ 1.5 — Respect intellectual property
❌ 1.6 — Give proper credit for intellectual property
❌ 1.3 — Be honest and trustworthy
❌ 2.3 — Know and respect existing laws
Situation
Jean is developing a large statistical database program.
She gets stuck and needs to finish quickly.
A coworker gave her source code from current work.
She also has an early version of commercial software from another company.
Jean copies sections of both programs into her project.
She does not tell anyone or give credit.
She finishes the project early.
Choice 2: Use the Ideas but Write My Own Code
What would I do?
Look at the coworker’s code to understand the problem.
Write my own version instead of copying the code.
Give credit to the coworker if their ideas influenced my work.
Do not use protected commercial code.
Ethical Theory: Kantian Ethics
Treat the original programmer as a person whose work deserves respect.
Do not use another person’s work only as a tool to make my own job easier.
If everyone copied other people’s work without credit, professional trust would be damaged.
ACM Principles
✅ 1.5 — Respect intellectual property
✅ 1.6 — Give proper credit
✅ 1.3 — Be honest and trustworthy
✅ 2.3 — Respect existing laws
Choice 3: Ask Permission and Use Authorized Resources
What would I do?
Ask the coworker for permission to use their code.
Check whether the company has permission or a license for the commercial software.
Use properly licensed code or another legal solution.
Document any outside code or assistance.
Ethical Theory: Virtue Ethics
Demonstrates honesty.
Builds trust with coworkers.
Shows professional integrity even when there is pressure to finish quickly.
ACM Principles
✅ 1.3 — Be honest and trustworthy
✅ 1.5 — Respect intellectual property
✅ 1.6 — Give proper credit
✅ 2.3 — Know and respect existing laws
My Choice
Choice 3 — Ask Permission and Use Authorized Resources
Why?
It protects the rights of the original creators.
It avoids copyright and licensing problems.
It is honest and professional.
It allows Jean to finish the project without taking credit for someone else’s work.
It follows multiple ACM principles instead of focusing only on finishing the project quickly.
Are the Other Cases Still Applicable Today?
Yes.
Privacy: Companies still collect sensitive personal information.
Confidentiality: Employees have access to information that should not be exposed.
Software quality: Poorly tested software can still cause problems for users.
Fairness and discrimination: Computer systems can reproduce or increase discrimination.
Liability: Software errors can cause financial and other harm.
Software risks: Professionals still have to decide when software is safe enough to release.
Conflicts of interest: Technology professionals can still have personal or financial interests that affect their recommendations.
Unauthorized access: Employees and students still face situations involving access to systems they are not authorized to use.
The article’s nine cases were written in 1993, but the ethical issues remain relevant because computing still involves intellectual property, privacy, security, quality, fairness, and professional responsibility.
Should We Have a Professional Code of Ethics?
Yes.
It gives computing professionals guidance when difficult situations happen.
It helps professionals think about people who may be affected by their work.
It creates common expectations for the profession.
It encourages honesty, responsibility, and accountability.
It can help build public trust in technology professionals.
It does not give an automatic answer to every situation, but it provides principles that can guide ethical decisions.
The article explains that one important purpose of a professional code is to help individuals make better ethical decisions.