Question

how is legality different from ethics? what are the three questions to answer when faced with a potentially unethical action such as deciding to download or upload a video that is copyrighted protected? how can we tell if business decisions are ethical? who should be held accountable for the copyright violation the people who uphold material or the web sites that carry it? if the web aren't held legally responsible, do they still have an ethical responsibility to find and remove the protected material?

Answer 1

how is legality different from ethics?

Legality basically governed by laws, that’s the reason they are called legal.

Ethics mostly related to human rights, moral values, governance and all. Perspective actually makes sense while considering ethical values.

what are the three questions to answer when faced with a potentially unethical action such as deciding to download or upload a video that is copyrighted protected?

1. Is the unethical practice is also a illegal practice?
2. Is unethical practice can cause harm to organizations in their operations and brand value?
3. What is the impact of unethical practice on stakeholders moral and values?

how can we tell if business decisions are ethical?

There are ethical practice within an organization under their governance structure. We can always fall upon our ethics and value team to make ethical decisions.

who should be held accountable for the copyright violation the people who uphold material or the web sites that carry it?

People who are involved in decision making process should be held responsible. We should also consider the person who asked him/her to take that decision. Circumstance should also be considered in such scenarios.

if the web aren't held legally responsible, do they still have an ethical responsibility to find and remove the protected material?

Yes, they still have ethical responsibility. Ethical practice should be the responsibility of every individual working in an organization. So technically, it should be the responsibility of team who is working related to protected material.