You are asked to read Chapter 8 (Computer Ethics) from the course book: Introduc

Question

You are asked to read Chapter 8 (Computer Ethics) from the course book:

Introduction to Engineering Ethics, Mike W. Martin and Roland Schinzinger.

Then answer the following questions

1)

Consider an engineer who develops a program used as a tool in developing other programs

assigned to her. Subsequently she changes jobs and takes the only copy of the first program with

her for use on her new job. Suppose first that the program was developed on company time under

the first employer’s explicit directives. Taking it to a new job without the original employer’s

consent would be a violation of that employer’s right to the product (and possibly a breach of

confidentiality). As a variant situation, however, suppose the program was not written under

direct assignment from the first employer, but was undertaken by the engineer at her own

discretion to help her on her regular work assignments. Suppose also that to a large extent the

program was developed on her own time on weekends, although she did use the employer’s

facilities and computer services. Did the employer own or partially own the program? Was she

required to obtain the employer’s permission before using it on the new job?

Explanation / Answer

First situation is totally against the ethics as it is intertribally the property of the old company, whereas the second case scenario is a debatable.

Program in question has employer ownership right is dependent on property rights this piece of code has, we are very clear of the fact that algorithm cannot be copyrighted but the question is about the program in source code which can be copyrighted. As the program was written in the facility of an organization and written for the company’s data only , the program depends on Trade laws of the company or employer, which sees if the copyright applies to specific code or not. As the employee code was for own works of organization and not for any client or for organization software or data system, this may be hardly the case but ethic rules states that any design or piece of code made by engineers are in the rights of employers and it is his property. So it will be unethical for engineer to take the code without employer’s permission.

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