This document discusses the potential legal and ethical issues relating to a product idea for an app about Cambridge. In terms of legal issues, it addresses implications for copyright, libel, intellectual property rights, personal data protection, identity theft, and cyber stalking. Copyright could be an issue if images or fonts without permission are used. Libel laws require facts to be verified from reliable sources. Intellectual property rights determine ownership over content and ideas created for the app. Personal data, identity theft, and cyber stalking are not relevant since no personal user information will be collected. Ethical issues around misrepresentation and decency are also considered to ensure all groups are portrayed accurately and the app content is appropriate. Testing will be done against

1. EXPLAIN THE LEGAL
AND ETHICAL
ISSUES RELATING
TO PRODUCT IDEAS
Unit 4 Lo2

2. Legal Issues:

3. You should explain the relevant legal and/or
ethical issues that you must be consider in
implementing your product ideas.
You will be presenting this as a powerpoint presentation. Things you should cover are:
What are the POTENTIAL implications in terms of: legal (e.g. copyright, libel, intellectual property rights, personal data protection,
identity theft, cyber stalking)
ethical (e.g. misrepresentation, decency)

4. What are the POTENTIAL implications in terms of copyright
Copyright is definitely an issue which will come up when I create my app. This is because I am planning to use pictures and
different fonts, and if I use some that don’t belong to me I could face some Copyright issues. As the things that I need are
likely to be copyrighted, there are only a few things that I can do. I can contact the original owner of the copyrighted item and
ask for permission. However, there is a chance that they will want me to pay for these and this will be difficult as I am building
this app on a small budget.
I can also hire a photographer to take photos for me, but again this will take up a lot of my budget, so I may have to take the
photos myself.
Also, a font will also have to be considered for copyright issues, I may have to create my own font and then copyright it
specially for the app, however this will be expensive as well.
If I do use any of the above form someone else, I will have to make a contract specific to that agreement, this is so they can’t
claim any of the money I make from the app. It is also so they can’t take the case to court if they think they have the rights to
the content after I bought it.
Also, as the app itself could be re-created by others, so I will need to apply for a Patent to make sure that no one is able to
re-create the app. ​

5. What are the POTENTIAL implications in terms of libel
There are some potential issues around Liability when creating my app, this is because I will be talking about Cambridge and
the people within it.
Liable is the defamation of a character or place, which means giving out information about a person or place that is
incorrect, thus causing a negative effect on the place or character. This would easily affect my app because I am supplying
facts about Cambridge and people in it. To prevent this issue occurring, I will need to make sure that my facts are 100%
correct and backed up by others. I will do this by researching in reliable sources, and backing their results up with another
source. I will also write under information supplied where I got it form and the date.
As I will also be adding a section which takes you to websites, there will be an information section with the supplied link. I
will make sure that the information is quoted from the website's actual information section, that way my facts aren’t wrong
and the website owners can’t complain.

6. What are the POTENTIAL implications in terms of intellectual property rights
The intellectual property rights are very likely to affect my app. This is because I will be using images, fonts and other
workers to help me with the creation of this app. The client will be the owner of the app as they are the ones paying for it to
be created for them, so all the rights will go to them. As I could also use a photographer for the pictures, I will have to pay
them to take the photos, so therefore those pictures don't belong to the photographer as they are under contract and are
being payed to take them for me.
Another issue will be the fonts, if i decide to create my own font and pay for it, it then belongs to me and no one else can use
it. So I have to make sure that it has a patent so I have the rights to it. Also, it means that no one can sue me for using
another font which I don’t have the rights to.
As workers are possibly being payed to code for me (I will be the one coding), then their ideas will not have to be told to me.
This is because they are under contract and they are being payed to come up with them, this is so they can't recreate the
app with the knowledge of the app which I wish to create.

7. What are the POTENTIAL implications in terms of personal data protection
The Personal Data Protection Act will control how individuals personal information/data is used by a business or the
government (information like bank details and addresses). I will not have to worry about this legal issue as my application
will have no form of users putting in their personal data and sending it.
As this legal issue isn't really relevant to me, I won't have to worry too much about it, but I will still have it in mind when I am
creating my app.

8. What are the POTENTIAL implications in terms of identity theft
Identity theft won't be an issue when creating my app, this is because this legal issues can only happen when someone
puts in their own personal information and someone else can see it. Or when someone can put in another person's
details and then act like they are that person.
This won't be an issue in my app as I won't have a section where personal information can be imputed, but I will still make
sure that I am considering this during the creation of my application.

9. What are the POTENTIAL implications in terms of Cyber Stalking
Cyber Stalking won’t be an issue when creating my application, this is because this legal issues can only happen when
someone puts in their own personal information and someone else can see it. And they harass that user on the app or with
the details inputted, another media platform.
This won't be an issue in my app as I won't have a section where personal information can be imputed, but I will still make
sure that I am considering this during the creation of my application.

10. Ethical Issues:

11. What are the POTENTIAL implications in terms of Misrepresentation
Misrepresentation is an Ethical issue which could possibly come up when creating my application. Misrepresentation is
when a location or group of people are generalized, which will give off an impression which isn't true. This could be
presented through photos or written information.
To prevent this Ethical issue from happening, I will make sure to include all groups of people and consider which photos to
use thoroughly, I will also make sure not to give opinions on these groups and locations. I will also have it checked by a
testing audience to make sure that these issues don't come up.

12. What are the POTENTIAL implications in terms of Decency
Decency is another Ethical issue which I will have to consider when creating my application. I need to make sure that all
the content I want to use is appropriate. My app needs to be appropriate for people of all ages, so I will look at some
regulatory bodies and see what is needed. For example, I won't be able to show people talking drugs within my app.
To make sure that the application is decent, I will test it agains the selected regulatory bodies and then also test it against
an audience, they will check that the app is working and that none of the issues come up.