Intellectual Property Rights and software Essay Example for Free

Intellectual Property Rights and software Essay Moral theories such as utilitarianism are used to defend Intellectual Property Rights of software produced by companies such as the Microsoft. It is important to differentiate between physical property rights and intellectual property rights. The government needs to analyse pros and cons of protecting rights of companies such as the Microsoft. Intellectual Property Rights or IPR is generally defended based on the assumption that they are similar to physical property rights. The ethical argument is that legal experts have upheld the need to protect property rights of individuals. Consequently, due to such rights individuals are able to protect their ownership rights, as they are allowed to approach court of law when their property is encroached. It is not possible to accept this argument in the context of intellectual property. This is due to basic differences that persist between physical property and intellectual property. Physical property allows purchaser to use property and alienate or dispose property at the later period. (Lea 2006) Software patent rights gives the right to use, but does not allow the user to either modify or alienate. This is because software can be produced in large quantities with the assistance of modern technology. Property, on the other hand, cannot be produced in large quantities. Reproduction and duplication of software can affect profitability of a company like Microsoft or author of the program. (Lea 2006) IPR in the context of software cannot be justified on two counts. First, it cannot be compared with physical property. There is no moral justification to protect rights of the creator of software. It is true that it is important to protect rights of individuals who author a computer program. But, at the same time, it is important to protect rights of consumers as well. Based on this reasoning, Wright brothers were not able to patent Airplane. Patents can sometimes discourage creativity. Consequently, modern scientists were able to produce airplane designs and contribute to enhanced facilities to people. The major purpose of patents and copy rights is to encourage people to contribute to scientific knowledge. (Lea 2006) Patents can be considered as recognition of talent of individual. Innovative products can inspire other individuals to produce similar or other products. As software is protected by IPR, it cannot be modified. One needs to differentiate between copy right acts and software patents. Copy right acts protect interest of authors. Generally, mass production of a book involves huge expenditure as it requires investment in printing and machinery. Software production, on the other hand, does not involve such huge investment. This argument is used to defend software patents. But, this argument alone cannot be used to defend right of a person who authors computer programs. (Lea 2006) Utilitarianism believes in welfare principles. Property rights are essential to achieve general welfare. Lack of property rights can affect large numbers of individuals. Non-software copy rights have encouraged producers to enhance production. They are able to obtain recognition for their contribution to their sector. On the other hand, software patent has affected large numbers of individuals, as they are not able to modify source code of a computer program. Duplication of software will affect income rights of a person or organization that produces software. The author will continue to enjoy the right to control the product. At the same time, additional features can be created by tweeting source code. This can benefit large numbers of people as they use free and modified software. Lea 2006) One needs to appreciate the fact that computer programs cannot replace essential goods required by large numbers of world population. In the 1990s, American population depended on computer revolution, which created employment opportunities for large numbers of individuals. At the same time, a country cannot solely depend on computer programs. This is because comp uter programs cannot replace other economic activities such as agricultural and industrial production. (Lea 2006) Protection of monopolistic companies such as Microsoft has created disparity between rich and poor nations. It is not possible to defend high price charged by companies for their software. This is because companies do not invest heavily in R D, unlike non software industry. From utilitarian perspective, it is not possible to defend IPR of software. This is because the aim of world leaders should be to reduce disparity between rich and poor. IPR in software, on the other hand, has enhanced gap between rich and poor. This is because countries such as the US depend heavily on software export. The US enhanced its software trade surplus which crossed $20 billion in 1999. (Lea 2006) Second, from libertarian perspective also one cannot defend IPR. This is because IPR does not allow freedom to individuals as they are not able to modify and sell software. This can affect their creative abilities. IRP affects autonomy and freedom of individuals. In a free and democratic country such as the US it is not possible to justify protection of organizations such as Microsoft. Free software movement emerged in order to defend the right of individuals to freely distribute software. In the 1960s, computers had to install software as a distinct bundle. Aim of such measure was to avoid monopoly of a particular company. Microsoft believes in protection of its IPR. In actuality, the main attempt of this organization is to protect its commercial interest. Lack of IPR rules in the context of software will erode profitability of this company. By the use of cyber laws, the company is able to reach a monopolistic position. This has contributed to inflated price of software produced by this company. It is interesting to note that the company hired services of professional detectives in Europe to identify people who used unlicensed company products. Microsoft has faced criticism from European countries due to its monopolistic position in the international software market. Lawsuits are filed against this company for discouraging competition from other companies. (Lea 2006) Computer consumers are expected to purchase legal software from designated commercial areas. At the same time, one needs to note that absence of IPR in software would not affect company profitability. This is because it is not possible for individuals to use different free or licensed computer programs. Today, most users depend on Microsoft Windows and Internet Explorer. Other products are not used due to compatibility issue as these programs are not compatible with Microsoft products. This shows that even if Microsoft products are not protected by IPR, consumers will continue to use them as they are accustomed to this company product. In the year 2001, the government compromised with Microsoft by structuring IPR in such a way as to protect interest of this company. (Lea 2006) Data shows that 90 percent of computers use Microsoft products including Windows and Internet Explorer. (Lea 2006) This has affected competition in this sector. Consequently, large numbers of people are compelled to buy products from Microsoft. The solution for this problem is that Microsoft should be divided into two sections. One section can deal with legal and licensed software, which can be sold at a particular price, while another section can concentrate on products such as video player, which can be freely downloaded. This implies that government is taking sufficient measures to protect interest of consumers who in the IPR regime tend to buy software at inflated price. Another alternative is to abolish IPR of software so that it becomes equivalent to mathematical formulae or a scientific law, which consumers can use and modify based on their subsequent research. This can encourage creativity and innovation and achieve welfare of a large section of world population. (Lea 2006) Utilitarian and libertarian perspectives show that software patent rights do not achieve social welfare, as they aim to protect interest of companies such as Microsoft. Software patent rights have affected autonomy and freedom of individuals who are not legally allowed to modify computer programs. The government needs to introduce regulations restricting software prices. This can encourage companies to offer free software, which can be modified and redistributed for non commercial use.

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When doing business meetings in Italy punctuality is not a priority, being late with a good reason will not have any negative consequences. The typical business hours of stores in Italy are from eight am to one pm and from three pm to seven pm and usually do not open on Monday mornings. Some major stores will stay open through lunch breaks some may not. Malls and Food Markets are open all week except on Sundays, although there are some specific Sundays which they do open. In major cities supermarkets are open from 9am till 9pm and are open Monday through Sunday. The bank hours in Italy are from eight thirty am to one thirty pm, and then they have a break for about two hours or so and return to work at three till four thirty in the afternoon. Banks are not open on the weekends or on national holidays. Post offices work from eight thirty am until six thirty in the afternoon; they are open from Monday’s through Saturday’s. The Monetary Denomination in Italy is the euro. On e US dollar equals 0.73 Euros or 1.00 Euro has the value of 1.367 USD. In Italy the currency has more value than the currency in the United States. â€Å"In Italy they have twelve national holidays the first one is Capodanno which is celebrated on January first, this holiday is the celebration of the first day of the year. The second holiday is Befana celebrated on January six. This holiday is to celebrate the arrival of the three kings to the stable where newborn Jesus is staying with his parents, this holiday is like the holiday that is named â€Å"el dia de los Reyes magos† to Hispanics. The third holiday is named Carnevale; Carnevale is the period of relaxation and parting before Lent. The fourth holiday is Pasque, which is the same as Easter in the United States, this is... ...hen all of a sudden the company takes a hit because the business partners which you did business with did not look at the major risk factors and at the end your company is the ones who takes a hit, that is one of the major factors which you should look at. Another advantage you have for working with Italians is that the monetary denomination has more value than the monetary denomination in the United States. A disadvantage that your company may encounter is that Italians do not work much, which means that businesses are not opened the regular hours American businesses are open for; this means that there are many hours in which your company may not be making progress or making money. That is the only major disadvantage that may impact your business. Throughout this research paper you and your company can see more advantages that your company may have.

Wear and Appearance of the Army Uniform

In the army there are many uniforms a soldier has to wear. This is for the different activities a soldier does. For everything from their daily Physical Training (PT), their regular working uniform Army Combat Uniform (ACU), or their dress uniform either the Army Service Uniform (ASU), or the Army Green Service Uniform (Class A). Each uniform is design to fit a specific task and to be worn a in certain way. A great resource for either the ASU or the Class A is the â€Å"U. S. ARMY UNIFORM GUIDE. I found this little book a great resource because it shows every form of the ASU for both males and females soldiers, for officers and enlisted. I found this to be great because it shows where everything goes, and how to measure everything, and for a new soldier like me it is important to have the little things right. Over time the uniform of a soldier has change. Since the days of the Revolutionary War to today modern wars in Afghanistan and Iraq the uniform has change but the guide lines h as not. As the uniform evolved, so has the regulation that covers it has also.The regulation that covers this is Army Regulation 670-1, the covers everything from how to cut and maintain your hair to how to wear jewelry, eyeglasses and sunglasses. This regulation is something every soldier should read, even the ones who have been in for over ten years. Because from what I have learned is that this regulation is constantly changing. How to wear the army uniform is important because when we put on the uniform we don’t just represent ourselves but the army as a whole as well. One thing I have learned in my short 20 years of life is how important the clothes you wear impact you as person.Because they can be tell tell sings of what type of person you are. As in the book â€Å"APPERANCES† witch talks about how the clothes you wear can say a lot of what type of person you are, or how do you live your lifestyle. When I was a little boy I would always watch how a few of my neig hbors, which were in the National Guard, would be dress and how I notice that each of their uniforms would be. All of them looking good, with their boots clean and polish, uniforms clean, looking how a soldier should be.When I was is the Navy Junior Reserve Officers Training Corps (NJROTC) I learned how to wear the uniform, even more when I came into the army. In basic training I learned how correct looks like. My drill sergeants would always be looking professional at all times and I would always say this to myself (there nothing ever wrong with any of their uniform). But they would always say â€Å"if you see something wrong with any of our uniforms tell us, and the same goes for your battle buddy. † That’s when I really learned to start to look for the little things most people would not notice.That when I started to pay more attention to my own uniform. I would always taking one last quick peck before formation, always trying to look for the things that other peopl e would not see but would notice. As a military police soldier I think we should be held to a higher standard. In everything from the physical training we do, to how our uniform should be. All of our pockets should be lie down flat. All of our buttons and zippers should be button and zipped. Our boots should always be clean, rid of any and all dirt and mud. The uniform as a whole should be cleaned at all times.Because we are the first ones who people see on the gates. Because first impressions are everything, I would never see my dad going to work looking like garbage, he would always look professional. This applies to us even more because when we are patrolling we are the ones who people see giving tickets. We are the ones who respond to when people have any type of an emergency, we are the ones who will show up at the scene of an accident. The general population expect more of us because we are not only police officers we are military polices soldiers.Which many people would assum e since we are in the military we should have more discipline. When you see that soldier who uniform is all messed up, you would assume either him or one of his leaders don't have the discipline to maintain the uniform. That’s something we as military police soldiers can't be. Whenever you pull over that first sergeant, or that captain that are not only going to look at your rank but your uniform as well, because they are most likely going to think â€Å"his uniform look like shit, how do I know if he is doing his job correctly when he can't even maintain his uniform looking as it should. That where I believe our leaders come into play, they are not only there to help us, but also to fix us when we are wrong. So when I keep blowing off the fact my uniform did look like shit, I should have gone to one of them to see if they could help me fix the mistake. It’s important to wear to army uniform correctly because the habits you do while you are home in a safe environment will continue when you deploy. Whenever you go on a mission you should always double and triple check yourself to make sure you have the right equipment.To make sure you are not missing the little things like you camel bag, or even the big things like you weapon. That’s why it’s important to always check yourself in the mirror before you leave. Not only to check you have the right things but also to make sure everything is in the right place, looking how it should. The same goes for whenever you go out, you always want to be looking good at all times, where ever you go. That’s the same type of thinking you need to have every time you put on the army uniform.Because for me every time I put that uniform on I fell a since of pride, knowing I am a soldier, knowing I am one of the few people of this nation that is willing to and able to. As soldiers we are required to do certain things, some of these include doing physical training daily, keeping our leaders notified , keeping our uniforms squared away at all times. Because you will never know when your first sergeant or sergeant major decides to do a surprise inspection on you, we have to be ready at all time.One bad soldier can have a huge negative impact on the rest of the team, because that one bad soldier can influence the good soldiers around him, to make him do the bad and wrong things. Every time when we wear the uniform we are not only representing ourselves but the army, our country, and the ideas of a free country. Therefore the uniform should always be neat; there should never be any excess for why our uniforms are ever out of order. The army is a team, on that team ever one wears the same uniform. If you teammate on basketball, football, soccer, or volleyball you would go over a correct them.The same has to apply to the army. When we are in that uniform people are going to be looking at us not just because we are in the military but sometimes because the people who are looking at us are old retires who want to see the next generation of soldiers keeping the same traditions alive. Or they could be a person in a different branch of the military looking to see how the other branches wear their uniforms. When we wear the army uniform in public we should not bring bad attention to ourselves. One the type of attention that would make that little boy says â€Å"I want to be like them some day. That how first got interested in military. The proper wear of the army uniform is important for many reasons. One of these reasons is to have a strong discipline soldier at all times. Because when you wear the army uniform correctly it does show you have discipline. But it also reflects how your leaders are, either the ones who really don’t care about their soldiers or the type of leader who takes the time to get to know his soldiers. Another reason why it’s important to wear the army uniform correctly is because it instill a since of pride that only those who ha ve earned the right to called themselves United States Soldiers.

Essay on RFID Tagging - 1647 Words

Radio Frequency Identification Detection (RFID) is a technology that involves a silicon chip and an antenna, which together is called a TAG. The tags emit radio signal to devices that are called readers. One of the things that is important to know about the Electronic Product Code (EPC) is that some people use RFID and EPC interchangeably, but they are different. Would RFID work to track Products? Well, Bar Codes require a line of sight, so a person(s) with a bar code reader has to get right up on the bar code and scan it. When you are thinking about a supply chain, somebody in the warehouse would have to look at every single case. With RFID, all of the cases on the pallet would be picked up by a single swipe of a reader, even the ones†¦show more content†¦The Average gas consumer may have already used this technology without knowledge. The â€Å"Speed Pass† by Mobile Gas, and the â€Å"Sun Pass† used in our local Toll System are just a few examples of RFID technology in use. â€Å"The same computing power that once required and entire building to harness now can be inserted in you left arm.†(Professor Warwick chips in†, Computerworld, Jan. 11, 1999) The simplest implantable microchip is a miniature passive transponder without any power source. It stores a permanent, unique identification number that can only be read but not modified. The transponder then responds by emitting the stored number. These devices are called implantable transponder or RFID tag. RFID tagging â€Å"Micro Chipping† is an implantable microchip that is injected under the skin. It contains and electromagnetic coil and a microchip enclosed in a glass capsule the size of a grain of rice. A veterinarian using a special syringe is currently implanting these devices in animals. This passive transponder does not need a power supply and it last for decades. The identification number, which can be matched to the owner’s name, address and phone number in a national pet database. Lost pets are scanned with hand held readers at animal shelters and returned to their owners. This technology is mostly used in Western countries for domestic type pets, like dogs, cats, birds and reptiles,Show MoreRelatedBp Case Study1509 Words   |  7 PagesEMBA Theme IIIÂâ€"Corporate IT Management Assignment 3: None of Our Business, Roberta A. Fusaro, a 2004 HBR Case Study I. RFID Definition Radio Frequency Identification Ââ€" RFID Ââ€" is an established data-carrying technology used throughout industry. Data relating to an item is stored on a tag, which is attached to the item. The tag is activated by radio waves emitted from a reader. Once activated, the tag sends data stored in its memory relating to the item back to the reader. 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On the other hand use of RFID to tag objects can solve this problem. It can beRead MoreThe Key Facts About Raydar Electronics1343 Words   |  6 PagesKEY FACTS: †¢ Raydar Electronics was a Manhattan based company and rated among top five makers and integrators of RFID tags and readers in United States. †¢ This organization developed and sold an inventory tagging technology which permits its customers to streamline their supply chains. †¢ But organizations like Raydar electronics were considered as enemy by consumer advocates, politicians, religious leaders and also executives from other organizations. †¢ Raydar clients rarely ran out of supply whichRead MoreThe Characteristics Of Radio Frequency Identification And Its Types779 Words   |  4 PagesRadio Frequency Identification Tracking mobile assets has always been a challenge for all businesses. Radio Frequency Identification, also known as RFID, is an increasingly popular data storage technology used to identify and track any mobile object (Bethel, 2017). An RFID system consists of an RFID tag that is placed on the mobile object, a reader to retrieve information from the tag, local software, and finally the networked central computer system. This system is quickly taking the place ofRead MoreRadio Frequency Identification ( Rfid ) Technology1726 Words   |  7 PagesIntroduction History of RFID How does it work? Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) technology has a long-standing history despite its more recent application in society and infrastructure. The understanding of electromagnetic energy in the early 1800s followed by the discovery that light and radio waves are a form of electromagnetic energy by Michael Faraday in 1846 began the process to RFID technology. The advances led to German physicist Heinrich Rudolf Hertz being the first to transmit andRead MoreRfid Tags And The Checkout Counter Have Rfid1662 Words   |  7 Pages1. Introduction Nowadays, RFID has been used widely in many industrial services, distribution, manufacturing and security. It can help to identify and monitor items (products, people, animals, etc...) wirelessly within a specified range. Although RFID technology dates back to WWII, it has not been used commercially until fairly recently, when Wal-Mart began using it for inventory management. In an attempt to fully integrate the RFID system, thereby substantially saving on logistics and manpower costs