The moral significance of intellectual property regulation

Abstract

Fundamental ethical principles provide guidance for the protection and wider use of intellectual achievements. As regarding established rules for claims of authorship in scientific publications, use of intellectual property is not a matter of providing an open unregulated access but to honor the intellectual achievements while providing an avenue to wide application for promotion of innovation to the benefit of society. This is done through a balancing of different interests. In this article I examine some of the basic principles for this balancing task. A special concern in the discussion about intellectual property regulation has been the need to fit new scientific and technical innovations within the changing moral landscapes of different countries. Innovations must not offend what is considered "public order". I put this claim into perspective by demonstrating that this value laden concept needs to be adjusted in accordance to changing moral landscapes that often follow when new innovations become part of main stream technology and provide significant benefits.