Final Draft, for CECS 311: Computer Ethics & Law; recieved no direct grade for this paper

Companies need to come down from their Ivory Towers and talk to the people with whom they hope to create relationships.

Intellectual property rights laws expanded over the last two centuries to give businesses a near unprecedented control over the growth of culture. This is not just bad for the culture, but it is bad for the business. As technology changes the rules of the markets, the old models of publishing and the old concepts of information ownership are forced into reconsideration, and those that aren’t changing are becoming obsolete. The biggest problem is that these expanded intellectual property laws have become a life support system for these outmoded content models. Where these laws once used an incentive of profit to promote a free culture, corporate culture and modern politicians seem to belief the purpose of these laws is solely for profit control having seemingly forgotten the original intent of the law. In the interests of a free culture, forward-thinking businesses will need to break from this life support by embracing new models and new choices.

The issues in question shall be dealt with in reference to the laws of Copyright, but could be applied to the other intellectual property rights just as easily.