There was a time when Japan was greatly criticised for copying American and European designs in the 1960s and 1970s. Very little evidence emerged to castigate Japan's practices. So it is interesting in the modern era to observe a case where Japanese employees are being accused of selling intellectual property to Chinese competitors. One has to wonder whether these 'accused' parties learnt their moral convictions from their fathers - who plausibly sought out American engineers to pay off for American secrets. There is of course the sordid paradox for Japan to deal with. Are Japanese people guilty of doing what Chinese nationals are doing today? Would not the Chinese government feel entitled to ignore the accusations of the Japanese government, as the Japanese government did years ago?
OR....we could accept that moral imperatives are not subjective or pragmatic; and that intellectual property serves a very important 'conceptual' value in rewarding minds; notwithstanding the flawed regime which has a tendency to protect 'monopolies' than reward ideas.
