Computer Ethics, Fall 2019

Mondays 4:15-6:45, Corboy 208

Class 11: Nov 18

Readings

Read Baase chapter 3 on speech
Read Baase chapter 4.3-? on software patents.

The main course notes are in the Notes Organized by Topic section on the main web page. Reading assignments, comments on the class discussion and occasional special notices are in these week-by-week notes.


Supreme Court agrees to hear Oracle v Google: nytimes.com/2019/11/15/us/supreme-court-google-oracle.html.

Google wanted to use Java. Oracle said no. Google build their own version of Java. But they copied the Oracle API method signatures (though they reimplemented everything). A district-court judge ruled strongly in Google's favor, but, on appeal, the case ended up in the (notorious) Federal Circuit, because there was also a patent question. The Federal Circuit is not friendly to fair-use claims.


Security researchers and not-in-MY-building: arstechnica.com/information-technology/2019/11/how-a-turf-war-and-a-botched-contract-landed-2-pentesters-in-iowa-jail.


How Google Interferes With Its Search Algorithms and Changes Your Results -- Wall Street Journal

It turns out Google Search is not so neutral after all!





Software Patents