For your second writing assignment, please answer the questions associated with one of the following topics.
1. Is downloading music or software from a peer-to-peer (P2P) network, without the permission of the copyright holder, ethical or unethical? Why? In your answer, please address some of the arguments we have discussed concerning intellectual property and the Internet. You may find it helpful to look at section 29.22 of the Canadian Copyright Act if writing on this topic.
2. Is Canada’s current Copyright Act, as amended by Bill C-11 (June 29, 2012, with minor later amendments), good or bad policy for Canada? Why? In your answer you must either defend controversial provision(s) from criticism, or explain how it could be modified so as to be a better policy. You can find discussion of Bill C-11 at http:// www.michaelgeist.ca/2012/11/c-11-effect/ Note: to complete this assignment, you must appeal to at least one reputable source other than the ones we have read together. News sources, online or in print, are acceptable sources. Blogs are usually not. You may contact me if you are uncertain about the appropriateness of a source. Please provide, at the end of your paper, the name of the source, the author, and the publisher and publication date. If the article is available online, please also provide the URL. For works assigned in the class, please indicate attribution as follows: (AuthorName, pg. #); e.g. (Johnson, 47), or (Bok, 47). In answering the questions, please apply the method of philosophical analysis. This means doing the following. (i) Pick an answer to the questions. You cannot complete the assignment without providing clear answers to the questions. (ii) Justify your answer with arguments. These arguments should apply the ethical theories we have discussed in this course. (iii) Consider arguments which lead to conclusions other than the ones you reach. Explain why you think these arguments do not work. To do well on this assignment, your writing should reflect understanding and application of the theories we have been discussing in class.
