The problem. The earliest text on ethics in computing, Deborah Johnson's Computer Ethics, describes the case of a fictional company known as Bingo Software. It employs 15-20 people, invests $2 million, and spends three years developing an operating system for networked microcomputers. Bingo successfully markets its system for one year. >>

This is a discussion on a hypothetical case of inadvertent patent infringement by a student-written software program. Read the description of the case from the Online Ethics Center, and comment on the five role-play preparation questions at the bottom of the page. (We will not actually assign specific students roles to play, however.) >>