When is it good to steal? A moral reflection on current trends in intellectual property

Abstract

This paper explores the role of intellectual property rights in the distribution of information in the marketplace. It is argued that the current trends in IP legislation bring an imbalance between access to scholarly information and its control. It is further argued that scholarly information is essential in nature and that people cannot be excluded from it. It therefore poses a moral concern. Based on the work of John Rawls general guidelines are proposed that can be used directly by policymakers with regard to the fair distribution of scholarly information in the marketplace. © 2006 International Federation for Information Processing.