dc.contributor.author | Hogan, David | |
dc.date.accessioned | 2011-05-16T18:28:39Z | |
dc.date.available | 2011-05-16T18:28:39Z | |
dc.date.issued | 2011-05-16 | |
dc.identifier.uri | http://hdl.handle.net/10222/13689 | |
dc.description.abstract | Historically, there have been two moral theories which have dominated the analysis of 'intellectual property': Natural law theory and Utilitarianism. The former argues that authors have an inalienable right to control the products of their minds while the latter argues that the moral status of a law establishing 'intellectual property' is inextricably tied to the attempt to maximize societal well-being. In this thesis I argue that few justifiable natural rights to the products of our minds can be found and, subsequently, the justification of such rights must stem from the latter theory. I argue that Utilitarianism places many strong limitations on the extensiveness of the powers granted to 'intellectual property' right-holders by a moral law. Finally, I argue that independent of a given societal state-of-affairs, we have two moral obligations: to follow the trend set by moral authors, and to lend them our support. | en_US |
dc.language.iso | en | en_US |
dc.subject | Ethics | en_US |
dc.subject | Intellectual Property | en_US |
dc.subject | Natural Rights | en_US |
dc.subject | Utilitarianism | en_US |
dc.title | Moral Groundworks for the Establishment and Analysis of Rights to 'Intellectual Property' | en_US |
dc.date.defence | 2011-04-29 | |
dc.contributor.department | Department of Philosophy | en_US |
dc.contributor.degree | Master of Arts | en_US |
dc.contributor.external-examiner | Dr. Chike Jeffers | en_US |
dc.contributor.graduate-coordinator | Dr. Michael Hymers | en_US |
dc.contributor.thesis-reader | Dr. Nathan Brett | en_US |
dc.contributor.thesis-supervisor | Dr. Darren Abramson | en_US |
dc.contributor.ethics-approval | Not Applicable | en_US |
dc.contributor.manuscripts | Not Applicable | en_US |
dc.contributor.copyright-release | Not Applicable | en_US |