John Stuart Mill
The John Stuart Mill case introduces one of the most important defenders of utilitarianism and asks how his view might apply to modern engineering and technology. Mill argued that actions and policies should be evaluated by their consequences for human happiness or well-being, but he also distinguished between higher and lower pleasures. The case uses Mill’s life and work to raise a question about modern copyright laws for computer software. A utilitarian analysis would ask whether copyright protections produce more overall benefit by limiting access, increasing costs, and restricting the spread of useful technologies. The main question of this case is whether intellectual property rules are justified by their social benefits, rather than by ownership claims alone. This case highlights the way utilitarianism can be used to evaluate laws and institutions, not just individual actions.