This document discusses several key issues relating to intellectual property and ethics in information and communication technology (ICT). It addresses the importance of considering ownership over digital content created for educational use. It also examines complex ethical questions around topics such as freedom of expression, privacy, and intellectual property rights that have arisen due to globalization and digital convergence. The accuracy, accessibility, and ownership of information are identified as particularly important ethical domains to consider regarding ICT. Registering intellectual property in Malaysia can be done by applying online through the Malaysia Intellectual Property Organization website.

1. Intellectual property issues are of tremendous importance when developing digital content
for use in education. Ownership of content developed is a key issue to consider.
Complex issues such as ethical, legal and societal issues have been raised due to
globalization and digital convergence in the emerging knowledge of society. Complex and
difficult questions regarding the freedom expression, information access, cultural diversity,
privacy rights, and rights for intellectual property are examples of notions we have to face
nowadays. Information and communication technology (ICT) should be guaranteed as a basic
right to all human beings since it is regard as an instrumental need of all humans for the
gathering of information and knowledge (Sembok, 2003). As ICT becomes even more advanced
and more global, we tend to depend more on it to the point that it now has made influence on our
lifestyles, works, social circles, the way we learn, interact and even relax, along with the
expectation for the information to be correct. Thus, the integrity of the information is a crucial
thing to be considered for public good (Rogerson, 2017) which calls for the role of ethics in ICT.
Laudon et al., defined ethics as:
“…moral standards that help guide behaviour, actions, and choices. Ethics are grounded
in the notion of responsibility (as free moral agents, individuals, organizations, and
societies are responsible for the actions that they take) and accountability (individuals,
organizations, and society should be held accountable to others for the consequences of
their actions). In most societies, a system of laws codifies the most significant ethical
standards and provides a mechanism for holding people, organizations, and even
governments accountable.”(Laudon et al., 1996).

2. The impact of a new technology, in this case, ICT is very challenging to be analysed and
evaluated. The main component of ICT is information that represents data, information and
knowledge, which means, ICT also involves epistemology besides the technological aspects that
goes along with it. The ability of mankind to capture, store, process, understand, use, create, and
disseminate information at the scale and speed that were thought to be impossible before is made
possible with the assistance of ICT nowadays. Although some of the changes and impacts are
obvious, many remain subtle. The costs and benefits of ICT development need to be studied
more thoroughly in order a nation can improve its citizen’s life quality (Sembok, 2003).
The issues of ICT whether ethical or not are varied. Mason (1986) categorized these
issues into four domain; privacy, accuracy, accessibility and property (Mason, 1986). Privacy is
one of the ethical issues of computer usage that is very visible. As the value of information
increase and the access to other computers and information stores become easier, it can also
bring up a reverse situation where others can also easily access to our information and computers
(Alakurt et al., 2014). The accuracy of information comes in second. This is because in every
second, vast amount of information are produced. Thus, any inaccuracy of the information stored
will lead to unbearable damages in many cases (Alakurt et al., 2014). The next domain,
accessibility domain is said to be the second in the controversial list of ICT ethical issues.
Accessibility or access rights are controversial because in the era of internet, the sharing of
information is vast and hard to control. Besides, the rights in each country differ from each other.
Users can just simply change their internet provider address in order to access the information
that their country might ban. Lastly is the property domain. Property domain or can also be
translated intellectual property (IP), is the most controversial in ICT ethical issue. This is because
it has many differences comparing to other domains in at least three ways (Weckert, 1997);

3. i) Owing intangible thing or an idea is different from owing an object that is
physical
ii) The extent of “What idea is mine?”
iii) The distinction between commodity and moral rights to intellectual property.
The first way can be describe in a way that owing intangible things are hard to be talked about as
they cannot be expressively explained, defined or measured. Second way of difference adds
more controversy to IP a human being is by natural creation is a social creature that requires
minimum of daily interaction with others, how can we place an indication to what extent the idea
belongs to the owner? Lastly, moral and commodity rights are at constant disagreement. For
example; students are typically known to have financial problems but they are required to use
expensive (some are even overrated) computer software to aid them in their study thus they get
the illegal copy of it. While there are others that could afford the software in legal way, there are
still black markets for the software.
The IP issues do not only revolve around overly expensive computer software, but also
the digital educational content that has been increasing in production in these years. This report
concerns about the ownership of content developed by educators and whether or not they
realized their rights of ownership over their products, and how to apply for IP in Malaysia.
According to WIPO, intellectual property is “the creations of the mind, such as inventions;
literary and artistic works; designs; and symbols, names and images used in commerce”(WIPO,
ret 2019). IP covers many forms of ownership over varied items such as copyrights, patents,
designs, trademarks, confidential information, trade secrets, expertise/ know-how, reputation,
assets with commercial value, chip topography and sector-specific rights (Lakhan & Khurana,
2008). The purpose of IP is non-other than to give individuals the ability to create and invent as

4. well as reap the benefits of their creative genius and provide freedom to express the original idea
and impart it to the public without fear it will be distorted, misused, or exploited by others. Next
is to protect the incentive to create and be original as it will diminish if an author of an original
work cannot have control or gain monetarily and in other ways from his work. It is also to
prevent the impulse to copy receives impetus and for the society to benefits greatly from new
advances in technology, science, medicine, and art (Lakhan & Khurana, 2008). The three most
common IP is copyright, trademarks and patent. Copyright is the law intended to protect a
creator's original ideas, theories, and concepts that are fixed in tangible form. Trademark protects
drawings, symbols, logos, words, and names a business uses to distinguish itself from others,
while patent deals with the protection of original methods, concepts, processes, and machinery,
as well as inventions that are useful, unique, and hard to pinpoint (Lakhan & Khurana, 2008).
Registering your IP in Malaysia is breeze and does not require you to be present at the
department. You can simply browse to Malaysia Intellectual Property Organization website
owned by the Malaysia Government; www.myipo.gov.my and you will be directed as how to
apply for your IP.

5. REFERENCES
Lakhan, S. E., & Khurana, M. K. (2008). Intellectual property, copyright, and fair use in
education. Journal of Academic Leadership, 6(4).
Laudon, K.C., Traver, C.G. and Laudon J.P. 1996. Information Technology and Society,
pp.513.
Mason, R. O. (1986). Four Ethical Issues of the Information Age. MIS Quarterly, 10(1),
5. doi:10.2307/248873
Rogerson, S. (2011). Ethics and ICT. Oxford Handbooks Online.
doi:10.1093/oxfordhb/9780199580583.003.0027
T. Sembok, T. M. (2003, November). Ethics of Information Communication Technology
(ICT). Paper presented at Regional Meeting on Ethics of Science and
Technology, Bangkok.
The Official Portal of Intellectual Property Corporation of Malaysia – (MyIPO). (2019,
May 15). Retrieved from http://www.myipo.gov.my
Weckert, J. (1997). Intellectual Property Rights and Computer Software. Business Ethics:
A European Review, 6(2), 101-109. doi:10.1111/1467-8608.00057