When developing a Web site, which of the following actions would be considered unethical?

Question

Options

• ABorrowing music from another site with the owner's written permission
• BCreating new code that provides a look and feel similar to another site
• CLinking your site to another site with permission
• DCopying some code from another Web site

• B
  9% (2)
• C
  5% (1)
• D
  86% (19)

Explanation

Copying code directly from another website (D) is unethical - and often illegal - because it violates copyright law; code is intellectual property protected the moment it's created, regardless of whether a copyright notice is displayed.

Why the distractors are wrong:

• A is acceptable because written permission from the owner grants legal right to use their content.
• B is acceptable because look and feel can be inspired or similar without copying actual protected code or assets - reimplementing something from scratch is not theft.
• C is acceptable because hyperlinking with permission is a standard, legitimate web practice.

Memory tip: Think "copy = crime, inspire = fine." Permission transforms borrowing into a legal transaction (A and C), and recreating a style independently (B) is design inspiration - but lifting someone's actual code (D) is the same as plagiarism, no matter how small the snippet.

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