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Showing posts from October, 2011

The Ethics of Viewing Unlicensed YouTube Videos

Abstract The purpose of this document is to address the ethical quandary of whether it is right to watch Copyrighted videos on YouTube without a license. The paper introduces the issue by defining what YouTube is and what unlicensed videos are. Next, a brief summary of background information is presented, including the basics of how YouTube works, and how copyright licensing works for YouTube videos. After the introduction and background information, the paper addresses counterarguments before presenting the main points of the paper’s arguments. Counterarguments that are addressed include the value of copyright laws and the question of following laws that a person does not agree with. Other counterarguments include who has the responsibility to ensure that people have the proper rights to the video, and whether the viewer can blame the artist, the host (YouTube), or the uploader. Finally, the paper succinctly presents a few of arguments against viewing unlicensed YouTube videos, inclu