Case Study

Online downloads - how much can or should be shared?

Nicole has an iTunes account where she purchases a lot of music for her own personal use. When she purchases songs to download, it is understood that she is purchasing intellectual property and that she has the right to install the download on up to five listening devices. Nicole and her friends have figured out that if they burn CDs of their purchased songs, they can share the CDs and upload many songs at no additional cost (except for the nominal cost of the blank CD). What are the legal and ethical issues associated with this situation? What choices does Nicole have available? What are the benefits and consequences associated with each choice? What decision(s) do you recommend that she make?

Module

Ethical Consumer Decisions

CASE STUDY QUESTIONS

Describe the ethical dilemma presented, and explain why the situation described is an ethical dilemma.

On a scale of 1 (not an ethical dilemma) to 10 (strongly an ethical dilemma), rate the extreme to which you believe this situation to be an ethical dilemma. Explain your response/rating.

What, if anything, could have been done by the parties involved to reduce the existence of the ethical dilemma?

Would you have done anything differently from the actions of the decision makers in this case? If so, what? And, why?

As the boss or CEO of the companies involved, how would you handle the situation at hand?

Do you believe that this ethical dilemma could have been avoided? Should it have been avoided? Why or why not?

In addition to the questions above, respond to the following:

What are the issues?

How does the action affect the producer (designer, artist)?

What are the benefits to the customer?

What ethical approaches can be applied to the action?

What are consequences to the manufacturer and the consumer?

Are there long-term implications for the greater economy? For consumer freedom?