File Suit

File Suit

In the present situation, Frederick should definitely file suit against his professors. The professors stole Frederick's idea and used it for their own monetary benefit. Even though Frederick never protected his business invention via patents or copyrights, he still has the rights to the idea because it was his intellectual property. In the legal world, the rights to intellectual property are just as valuable as the rights to physical property. While deeper research would need to be done before filing suit, the information available provides a clear basis for a lawsuit to be filed. Not only did Frederick approach his professors with the idea, but he also did a research project on his invention for one of his classes.

Turning to the ethical side of this dilemma, it is not unethical for Frederick to sue the professors, as he was the victim of theft. However, Frederick does not necessarily have to take the professors "for everything they've got," as the lawyer had suggested. Mary Szto cites John Calvin's interpretation of the Sermon on the Mount, and how it relates to the legal realm. She says "Calvin taught that the Sermon on the Mount allowed Christians to bring lawsuits but without rancor, because the civil authorities exercised God's vengeance" (M. Szto, 2000). She goes on to highlight Romans 12, in which it is made clear that God ordains all civil authority (M. Szto, 2000). Frederick should file for all the gains the professors had received from his business invention, and for what he had lost from their theft, if anything. By doing this, he is not going out of his way to cause grief to the professors who stole from him. This way, he can still love his neighbors. Furthermore, Frederick can witness to the professors, explaining that the reason he did not take them for everything they had is because he is a Christian who believes in Biblical principles.