Is running a program like Napster ethical? The United States Government does not think so because lately they have been closing the doors on these programs. We will look at Mill’s Utilitarian principle, Kant’s End Principle, and Rawls three principles of Justice. Also we will see if these theories would be for Napster distributing music or against Napster.
Looking at Mill’s Utilitarian principle we see that it is the greatest happiness for the greatest amount of people. Mill’s probably would have agreed with Napster because a lot of people were happy with it. Considering how many people used it. Mill’s also implicates the defense of liberty. Such as freedom of speech, free market, and freedom to unite. Napster provided a free market of songs over the internet. Some say it was illegal others think it was other. In Mill’s eye’s it probably would have been alright to share the music because it made more people happy then mad.
In Kant’s End Principle he states that you should always treat people as you want to be treated. In other words it is referring to the Golden Rule of “Due unto others as you would do to them.” So I guess the owners of Napster would let people have the keys to there house or cars readily
My own personal opinion on Napster was it was an ok thing. I thought it was just a program set up so other people put music in there program. The owners don’t supply the music the users do. Realistically I think Napster is morally wrong. It did let people copy documents that were copyrighted. But people weren’t selling them. Or at least a far share of them weren’t being sold it was for personal use most people didn’t even have a CD burner when Napster first came out. For all of the other websites and programs out there they are doing the same thing. Most of them bigger then Napster ever was or would have been. And yet they are still up and running full steam ahead. It is something I don’t get. When I think about it what these programs are doing is morally wrong, but the owners are not committing the crime. They just supply the program to share the music. The users of the program are committing the crime of stealing. I will admit I download all the time it is a cheaper way of getting songs. I think the artist make enough money and have other ways of making money so they should really care less. For all of the theories I wrote about I am not sure I share all the same opinions as they do but some make a strong point. But I believe the wrong people were targeted. It a new door open that will just get bigger. It is a risk people are willing to take and will be a really long time if ever it is stopped.
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