Ethical dilemma: Should knowledge be free?

301,057 plays|

Michael Vazquez and Will Kanwischer |

TED-Ed

• June 2025

In the city of Ockham, spellcasters invent incantations and publish them in scrolls that others can purchase. Unfortunately, you can’t always afford them. But one day, a friend tells you he uses an illegal duplication spell to copy scrolls. So, do you use his counterfeit scrolls to further your own research? Michael Vazquez and Will Kanwischer explore the ethics of intellectual property rights. [Directed by Patrick Smith, narrated by Adrian Dannatt, music by Stephen LaRosa].