Basic Downloads

Are you new to speech and debate? The following downloads are for you. They contain introductions to various events that the Monument Membership explores. These downloads are updated every summer to prepare for the new year of competition.

Your Basic Downloads Source Material for Season 22:

File Name	S22-Policy-Stoa-05-AFF-IntellectualProperty.docx
File Size	602.62 KB
Date added	September 6, 2021
Category	Policy (Stoa)
Author	Vance Trefethen

Resolved: The United States federal government substantially reform the use of Artificial Intelligence technology

Case Summary: This plan reforms intellectual property (IP) rights (patents, copyrights) on work produced by artificial intelligence. Currently the output of an AI system cannot be protected as an original invention because it’s not created by a human being. This plan makes it possible to protect it under IP law.

Note #1: Please be careful to distinguish this case from patenting AI technology, which is currently done in the Status Quo and is a whole separate issue from this case. Patents on AI technology means patenting the process or “how the AI system works,” and current law allows it (in some cases). This case is about patenting the output, the end resulting newly created “thing” (chemical formulas, works of art, recipes, etc.) or “what the AI produced.” The AI system “how” can be patented under current law in certain cases. The newly created AI output “thing it produced” cannot be. Example: You might be able to patent an AI system for producing new music. But you could not copyright one of the new songs it writes.

AI output should be protected as a “Work Made For Hire” under existing legal doctrines governing creative output produced by employees on the job. Today, many companies hire workers to create things, paying them a regular salary to compensate them for all of their outputs. When they create something that is protected by IP rights (e.g. a new mechanical invention, a new pharmaceutical, a new work of music or art), the employer owns the IP rights.

The employer paid for the creative worker’s time and supplied the materials, so the employer can claim the patents or copyrights that result, since that’s what the employer was paying for when they hired the worker. AI is “employed” by its designers to create things, so its designers should own the IP on AI outputs. The designers of the AI can contract with others, sell licenses to use the AI to produce things, etc. and work out contractually how they will get paid for what the AI produces.

Note #2: Do not confuse this case with other legal issues surrounding the “inputs” to creative AI. There is also a separate controversy in the legal world about potential misuse or copyright infringement when AI looks at inputs taken from copyrighted works to use as material from which it then creates its own original work. For example, imagine all the songs of the Beatles were “read” by an AI system, which then writes its own original song based on what it “learned” from its input. The new song itself does not infringe on the copyrighted Beatles music, but was it a misuse of the copyrighted music to have the AI “read” it and “learn” by imitating it or “copying” it internally for its own processing? We don’t know and for the purpose of this case, we don’t care. All we care about here is the AI (and its owner, employer, author…?) being able to copyright the new song that came out.

Download Your Preseason Documents, too:

You may still access Season 21 downloads here.

All Season 22 Basic Downloads will be updated by August 31, 2021. They will remain available through Season 22.

Easy Entry to the World of Speech and Debate

All Members have access to the digital copy of Easy Entry to the World of Speech and Debate by Chris Jeub. Download it below or order a hard copy.

Season 22 Release Schedule

Monument releases content all year long, from one national tournament to another, in what we call "seasons." We are entering Season 22 (2021-2022). For a list of all Member downloads for Season 21, click here. The following is the general release schedule for Season 22:

End of Season 21 - Officially archived on June 28, 2021. The new Season 22 releases begin July 5, 2021.
July-August - The first Monument Monday releases July 5, 2021. Basic informational material will continue through the summer (e.g. summaries, resolutional articles, etc.).
August 30, 2021 - End of the Pre-season, beginning of the official year of Monument Speech and Debate.
~~Christmas~~ Thanksgiving 2021 (we finished early!) - All foundational downloads are complete! Summaries of all releases are now available.
Through March 2022 - BONUS material released to members on a more as-needed basis using our Coaching Request Form.
April-June, 2022 - Qualifier and Nationals Preparation work is arranged...and Monument Members will be prepared to win!

Season 22 Debate Resolutions

Resolutions for Season 22 are posted here as they are announced by various speech and debate leagues.

Policy (all season):
- NCFCA: "Resolved: The United States Federal Government should significantly reform its policies regarding convicted prisoners under federal jurisdiction."
- NSDA: "Resolved: The United States federal government should substantially increase its protection of water resources in the United States."
- NSDA Vote for Season 23 (Due December 15, 2021):
  - OPTION 1 – GLOBAL CLIMATE CHANGE – Resolved: The United States federal government should substantially increase its support of multilateral greenhouse gas emission reduction regimes.
  - OPTION 2 – GLOBAL GEO-POLITICAL CRISIS: EMERGING TECHNOLOGIES – Resolved: The United States federal government should substantially increase its security cooperation with the North Atlantic Treaty Organization in one or more of the following areas: artificial intelligence, biotechnology, cybersecurity.
- Stoa: "Resolved: The United States Federal Government should substantially reform the use of Artificial Intelligence technology."
Lincoln-Douglas:
- NCFCA (all season): "Resolved: In the context of innovation, the proactionary principle ought to be valued above the precautionary principle."
- NSDA releases six resolutions through the year:
  - Sept/Oct Novice: "Resolved: Civil disobedience in a democracy is morally justified."
  - Sept/Oct Varsity: "Resolved: The member nations of the World Trade Organization ought to reduce intellectual property protections for medicines."
  - Nov/Dec: "Resolved: A just government ought to recognize an unconditional right of workers to strike."
  - Jan/Feb: "Resolved: The appropriation of outer space by private entities is unjust."
  - Next release is due February 1, 2022.
- Stoa (all season): "Resolved: In the field of biomedical engineering, restraint ought to be prioritized over scientific advancement."
Other Formats:
- Big Questions Debate (all season): "Resolved: On balance, societies benefit from religious belief and practice."
- Public Forum for Sept/Oct: "Resolved: The North Atlantic Treaty Organization should substantially increase its defense commitments to the Baltic states."
- Public Forum for Nov/Dec: "Resolved: Increased United States federal regulation of cryptocurrency transactions and/or assets will produce more benefits than harms."
- Public Forum for January: "Resolved: The United States federal government should legalize all illicit drugs."
- Public Forum's next release is due January 1, 2022.

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