[LINK] Is it unethical to infringe a patent?

[Geoffrey Ramadan]

Kim Holburn wrote:
> On 2006 Aug 18, at 11:49 AM, Geoff Ramadan wrote:
>> Kim Holburn wrote:
>>> On 2006 Aug 17, at 12:06 PM, Brendan Scott wrote:
>>>> Just an open question really.  Assuming that patents are a form  of 
>>>> property:
>>>>
>>>> (a) would it be unethical to infringe a patent?  (eg: exercise a 
>>>> patent without the permission of the patent holder)
>>> Unethical?  Very tricky.  Depends on your ethics doesn't it?  If you 
>>> have the ethics of a modern company then no, nothing much is 
>>> unethical because companies aren't people and have no ethics.
>>
>> Surely companies are run by people, decisions are made by people (on 
>> behalf of a company) therefore the ethics of the company relate 
>> directly to the ethics of the people running the company.
>
> Well, related but maybe not directly.
>
>> However, this doesn't stop People hiding behind the facade of a company.
>
> And it doesn't stop a decision by one person being altered by another 
> in such a way as to change the ethics of the decision of the first 
> person.
I think this demonstrates my point. Ethics is determined by people 
directly... not the company.
>
> Also the basis on which company decisions are made, in most cases is 
> profit for the shareholders.  That is no basis for ethics, well, 
> unless maybe you have some very long-sighted executives.
Kim have you held a company executive position or owned a company?
Do you own your consultancy business?
Do you operate ethically?
Is it unethical to make a profit?

I think you will find that most companies make a profit and do it 
ethically (as I assume you do). Granted not all, but most.

Geoffrey Ramadan

>
> Hmmm... is ethics about the big picture?  (Sorry, just thinking aloud.)
>
> Kim
>
>
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> Kim Holburn
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