I've always felt like ethics are a matter of doing the right thing; knowing what to do is easy, it's just that sometimes it's hard to commit to doing it. I like to think that right and wrong are simple and intuitive. However, after reading TCT chapter five, I do think there are some subjects in the topic of ethics where right and wrong take a back seat to what's legal and what isn't.
An example of this is the new concern I have after completing the reading about trademarks and my instructions project on Excel spreadsheets.
When I read the reading response prompt, I could not think of any potential ethical problems with my instructions project, but I hadn't thought about the likelyhood that Excel is a Microsoft trademark or the problems that could cause. I think this is worth a discussion, because my instructions are (obviously) meant to be informative. People often turn to other internet users for help with many kinds of products, and users who post help on message boards usually are not affiliated with the company. So is there a line drawn when it comes to third-party instructions and help?
I can image a scenario where Microsoft would not want its users to associate my instructions with the Microsoft brand for whatever reason, in which case I could be pursued for violating a trademark on Excel. Another potential problem could arrise from the fact that my instructions are stored on and made available from a Purdue server. Purdue likely has some sort of agreement with Microsoft that make its possible to sell office to students for cheap and make it available through the labs and through software remote. Whether because of the trademark issue or a different issue, I could potentially get Purdue into trouble that way.
Another possible twist is that the user might not reallize that my manual wasn't made by Microsoft, which could potentially cause other problems.
Fortunately, this isn't much of a moral dilemna. There is no underlying ethical struggle, and the potential problem would probably be easily fixed by adding a simple statement that Excel is a trademark of Microsoft and that I, the creater, am not affiliated with Microsoft. Still, I'd be interested to know how copyright and trademark laws are applied in cases like this one.
Morals vs. Laws
You bring up a very good point. Most of wrote instructions for a program that we are not affiliated with at all. I would also be interested to know what kind of action could be taken if you write something for the improper use of a product Sometimes a product gets know for its improper use, not the responsible use of it. This reminds me of the whole steroid argument. They get a bad rap because a few people have flow off the deep end and done something crazy, when in reality they are just like any other drug, some people have side effects, and some don’t. Since they are banned, there now exists a moral dilemma between the law and what right. They’re just a synthetic hormone, like Cortisone or birth control, but for some reason are illegal. For this reason many people don’t think it is morally wrong and go against the law. So who is right?
Bain
Crap, I forgot to tag it.... Again.