Friday, October 18, 2019
On the Natural Order of Opulence Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words
On the Natural Order of Opulence - Assignment Example the occurrence exploitation in that system along with mentioning the oust and superseding of that system with bartering system that commeasures the whole society along with establishment of robust enforced system (Smith). The article further asserted upon the accent of megalopolis for being a platform for accession of surplus as well as economy. By keeping emphasize on metropolis and metropolitans alms for the city. Ultimately, the writer makes a contrast between those citizenry in which dearth of equity is observed along with the termination of provision of privileges to their skilful and laborers with those societies where egalitarianism is followed along with justified privileges to the artificers. He further laid stress on the comparison of development of affluence along with thriving of both countries which reveals a healthy difference along with superimposing of egalitarianism based country (Smith). Although a little partiality is observed as well the accent of the found to be was city dwellers and artificers with a little tint of sarcasm in the tone but the deliverance of the argument was well written. Regarding the feudalism I have gone through one article before titled ââ¬Å"Feudalism in Europe during the Middle Agesâ⬠by Michael Totten that supports the argument followed in this article. However, I have never been through any article opposing this argument. Conclusively, this article is a scaffold to comprehend the facts and figures regarding the natural order of opulence that will flourish a country towards
Thursday, October 17, 2019
Research Project Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words - 1
Research Project - Essay Example Tesco deals in electronics, food, cloths, mobile, and internet service with competitors being ââ¬Å"Morrison, Asda, Sainsburryââ¬â¢s, Waitrose, Iceland, and Aldiââ¬â¢sâ⬠(Jennifer, 365). The main reason for the business high sales and profits are that the business aims at always being the best in whatever it sets to do (Humby et al, 2008). Tesco prides itself of three main pillars aimed at augmenting their satisfaction as a means to up sales as customers, communities and the employees. From an abstract position, this would seem to be the case, but is it? This study aims at answering the question by investigating if Tescoââ¬â¢s loyalty program measures up to customerââ¬â¢s expectation (Pearson Education, 2011). The study will make great use of secondary data for the formation of the conclusion. The study will mainly consider the various ways Tesco uses to meet customer needs and make the overall conclusion if these efforts are bearing enough fruit for effective custo mer expectation delivery. This will allow the study to make a concrete conclusion to meet the need for the formation of a conclusion that will be a guide for us to meet the needs of this research on if it is meeting customer expectations (Egan, 2001). ... The introduction of customer loyalty card was aimed at meeting customer expectations and needs better through the following ways. Tesco Loyalty Card Tesco in the aim to augment consumer satisfaction and retention of loyal customers through rewarding them introduced loyalty cards for its consumers. This was a revolutionary technique aimed at gaining a competitive advantage over its main rivals Marks and Spencer, Waitrose and Sainsbury (Plimmer, p. 377). The Club card aimed at rewarding loyal customers for the purchase of items at Tesco shops. One point was awarded for every dollar spent and other currencies earn a one point to the client for each unit of currency spent and the use of Tesco cards for access to all other products of the company (Jennifer, 366). The points can be redeemed for flying time, used for club card deals for use for three times the value and the ability to be converted to Avios. These allowed the company a means to offer appreciation to their clients and the cus tomers feel cared for and appreciated to make the comeback increasing service and retention of customers. Tesco Baby Club and Student card There have been improvements to the loyalty card by Tesco with the aim of augmenting the benefits and tailoring the uses of these cards to the specific needs of the customers. The student card was aimed at rewarding students for making purchases at Tesco through the incorporation of benefits and bonuses on products tailored for students. Increased utility by the teens increased their allegiance to Tesco and allowed the company to meet their demand by giving their preference and requirements feedback. The Tesco Baby Club was aimed at women in their pregnancy terms and through to two years after child birth.
Starbucks Issues and Solutions Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words
Starbucks Issues and Solutions - Essay Example Certain solutions for resolving the ethical dilemma of becoming a curator of popular culture for Starbuckââ¬â¢s are presented here. First are the alleged financial links to the Israeli government. The strategies used by boycott organizers to generate awareness for their campaign and to manage media usage to target desired audiences are also discussed (Knudsen, K., Aggarwal & P. Maamoun, A. 2008). Starbucks was targeted because of its CEOââ¬â¢s comments on Israel-Palestinian conflict issue. Starbucks was the prime target of an Arab boycott after remarks CEO Howard Shultz made in Seattle. Boycott strategies have been classified into three domains: awareness, media, and targeting. Many people have begun to regard Starbucksââ¬â¢ corporate image as snooty. Customers are of diverse ethnic, income and age groups (Cherian, C., Dasgupta, N. & Doreswamy, A. G., 2007). Starbucks has learned to embrace the diversity and provide better customer service. Every campaign is approved through a panel about potential issues the adjusted based on its recommendations. The best course of action is a method of strategic cooperation (Mahapatra, S. & Saklani, A., 2007). Three things can trigger boycott calls: government actions, corporate actions, and individual actions. Starbucks should respond to rumors, distance itself from controversial issues, making charitable contributions, emphasize local connections, demonstrate the impact on the local economy, localize the marketing mix and influence government actions.
Wednesday, October 16, 2019
Research Project Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words - 1
Research Project - Essay Example Tesco deals in electronics, food, cloths, mobile, and internet service with competitors being ââ¬Å"Morrison, Asda, Sainsburryââ¬â¢s, Waitrose, Iceland, and Aldiââ¬â¢sâ⬠(Jennifer, 365). The main reason for the business high sales and profits are that the business aims at always being the best in whatever it sets to do (Humby et al, 2008). Tesco prides itself of three main pillars aimed at augmenting their satisfaction as a means to up sales as customers, communities and the employees. From an abstract position, this would seem to be the case, but is it? This study aims at answering the question by investigating if Tescoââ¬â¢s loyalty program measures up to customerââ¬â¢s expectation (Pearson Education, 2011). The study will make great use of secondary data for the formation of the conclusion. The study will mainly consider the various ways Tesco uses to meet customer needs and make the overall conclusion if these efforts are bearing enough fruit for effective custo mer expectation delivery. This will allow the study to make a concrete conclusion to meet the need for the formation of a conclusion that will be a guide for us to meet the needs of this research on if it is meeting customer expectations (Egan, 2001). ... The introduction of customer loyalty card was aimed at meeting customer expectations and needs better through the following ways. Tesco Loyalty Card Tesco in the aim to augment consumer satisfaction and retention of loyal customers through rewarding them introduced loyalty cards for its consumers. This was a revolutionary technique aimed at gaining a competitive advantage over its main rivals Marks and Spencer, Waitrose and Sainsbury (Plimmer, p. 377). The Club card aimed at rewarding loyal customers for the purchase of items at Tesco shops. One point was awarded for every dollar spent and other currencies earn a one point to the client for each unit of currency spent and the use of Tesco cards for access to all other products of the company (Jennifer, 366). The points can be redeemed for flying time, used for club card deals for use for three times the value and the ability to be converted to Avios. These allowed the company a means to offer appreciation to their clients and the cus tomers feel cared for and appreciated to make the comeback increasing service and retention of customers. Tesco Baby Club and Student card There have been improvements to the loyalty card by Tesco with the aim of augmenting the benefits and tailoring the uses of these cards to the specific needs of the customers. The student card was aimed at rewarding students for making purchases at Tesco through the incorporation of benefits and bonuses on products tailored for students. Increased utility by the teens increased their allegiance to Tesco and allowed the company to meet their demand by giving their preference and requirements feedback. The Tesco Baby Club was aimed at women in their pregnancy terms and through to two years after child birth.
Tuesday, October 15, 2019
Annotated Bibliography Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words - 4
Annotated Bibliography - Essay Example According to the authors, the need is to establish a strong link between theory and practice in order to improve the supervision of studentsââ¬â¢ activities within the classroom. This article also relates to the subject of supervisory principles in education in a sense that it provides an effective framework for supervisorsââ¬â¢ training which teachers can use to improve their supervision skills. The purpose of this article as mentioned by the authors is to identify the key empirical and theoretical considerations that should be able to support the need of effective training for educators and supervisors. The authors have explored the content of different training courses to know whether an appropriate model of supervision exists in the field of medicine or not. In this article, the authors argue that if there is no explanatory model in place for training, the training of supervisors should be based on relevant existing information about models of supervision and learning processes. This article is based primarily on the need to improve teacher efficacy and supervision in the education resource-room context. The objectives of the research were to prove the validity of the Gibson and Dembo Teacher Efficacy Scale in the special education context, as well as to examine the association between the use of instructional supervision and teacher efficacy. The authors of this article examined the relationship in order come up with the judgment about the strength of the relationship and its role in improving studentsââ¬â¢ learning. The article contains a good amount of information on the relationship between teacher efficacy and instructional supervision. In this article, the author discusses the importance of translating the principles of managing human behaviors and organizational activities into successful business practices. The main idea presented by the author is that the
Monday, October 14, 2019
Cognition, Memory and Perception Essay Example for Free
Cognition, Memory and Perception Essay Forgetting is the inability of a person to retrieve, recall or recognize information that was stored or still stored in long term memory. (McLeod, S. A. 2008). In terms of short term memory, forgetting is caused by interference between past and new information that most modern accounts that holding on to. In some older models, forgetting is explained using a process of passive deterioration of information. Comparing both accounts, interference seems to have a better explanation of forgetting. Secondly in terms of long term memory, forgetting occurs when one fails to remember and unable to reactivated the memory circuit of given information. In general, forgetting seems to happen in between short term and long term memory. It will occur when information is to be encoded or information is not linked to any memory circuit through interference. (ââ¬Å"What is forgetting in psychology? â⬠, 2008). However, nowadays, there are theories of forgetting in cognitive psychology that are still difficult to test by researches, because one may in fact not forget, but have trouble retrieving information from oneââ¬â¢s memory storage. For examples, one forgets about an event such as attending a friendââ¬â¢s birthday party just because the individual were only remembering another event that is more important to him such as a wedding dinner. The examples of the theories of forgetting are encoding failure, decay theory, interference theory, retrieval failure, motivated forgetting and repression. The author of this paper will going to critically asses on the psychological theories on why people forget. According to Freud (1901), the father of the psychoanalytic school, believed that one will forget of what threatens them. For example, experiences that express in abusing, horrifying, hurtful, tense and ego-dissatisfying will pushed back to the unconscious. Based on the opinion of writer on this paper, it is not necessarily that one just forgets about what threatens them but also forgets the information that does not seem important to them. This scenario is similar to the theory of encoding failure whereas the particular information in short term memory that did not manage to encode in the long term memory and the information did not enter to the memory. Besides that, encoding failure also can be result of stress. Based on Yerkes-Dodson Law, too much stress results can cause performance to decline, sometimes sharply if cognitive or nervous breakdown is triggered. A downturn can also be caused by excessive attention to a task such that extra factors that are important get missed. Secondly, the decay theory, this theory suggests that memory traces in the brain will fade over time through lack of use and become inaccessible. Decay theory suggest that forgetting is a psychological process and it is an idea that when a memory has a physical or chemical trace of the experience in the brain when it is laid down. This traces will fade as time passes unless it is reinforced through repeated times of use. For example, when a person meets a new friend, the name of the friend is just like a trace to the brain. But when the person did not manage to meet up with that new friend for a few days, the name of the friend will slowly decay and might not recall it after. However, researchers have not shown that decay theory causes forgetting of something that is stored in the long term memory. In addition, based on the authorââ¬â¢s opinion, memory such as driving skills, riding bicycle skills and swimming skills would not decay even though after a period of time, not every memory trace will fade over time. Some studies of the hippocampus have shown a pattern of rapid and then gradual decline of neutral pathways by Anderson (1995).Besides that, there are two types of the interference theory that is, proactive interference and retroactive interference. The definition of the proactive interference is when old information interferes with the new information that cause forgetting. Example of proactive interference theory is when a person who learned many formulas in additional mathematics for a year and learned new sets of formulas for modern mathematics for a month and the person will interfere with the knowledge of additional mathematics while doing modern mathematics. On the other hand, retroactive interference occurs when new information learned interfere with the old information that stored in the memory. Remembering the names of the new students by a lecturer is an example of retroactive interference where the new students name will nterfere with the names that were previously stored. However, researches pointed out that real life interference might not occur so readily. The retrieval failure theory was proposed by (Tulving amp; Thomson 1973). This theory is known as a cue dependent forgetting that explains forgetting as inability to retrieve material due to an absence of the right cues. In order that one person to retrieve information from the long-term memory, they must depend on the type of cue or prompt which they use and this theory explained that why sometimes that one who unable to remember the material that is certain in our memory. For example, a person cannot remember doing his homework until him or her saw the workbook on the table. This proves that the workbook provide the right retrieval cue. According to Freud (1901), the retrieval of the repressed memories is possible only under special circumstances using a few psychoanalytic techniques. On the other hand, there is a tip-of-the-tongue phenomenon (TOT) that could help one to retrieve forgotten memories. TOT is an example of how we intentionally search for cues that will prompt the retrieval of a specific memory. For example, a person that forgets their neighbor petââ¬â¢s name and only remembers the dumbbell which hangs around the neck of the pet. By reading the word dumbbell, TOT assists the person to recall that the neighbor petââ¬â¢s name was Dumble. Furthermore, the motivated forgetting is a case of retrieval failure referred to Freud, (1901). What it actually meant by motivated forgetting? According to Freud (1901), motivated forgetting is that we are motivated to forget the events or actions that is painful that cannot be solve in the memory by pushing it into the subconscious and actively repressing with it. In other words, these experiences are repressed in the unconscious and unable to retrieve when needed. Besides motivated forgetting causes oneself repression of memory, it is possible that one forgets is based on instructions of others and also known as the intentional forgetting or directed forgetting. Anderson, Baddeley and Eysenck (2009) stated that intentional forgetting also refers to forgetting which is initiated by a conscious goal to forget. McNally, Clancy, and Schacter (2001) also stated that loss of autobiographical memories, especially memories for unpleasant or disturbing events has used to explain the intentional forgetting. However, based on the authorââ¬â¢s opinion, motivate forgetting on the memories of pain, unpleasant, and disturbing events are unhealthy to oneââ¬â¢s body, physically and mentally. What if the capacity of the subconscious has a limit and it cannot continue to repress any more of the memory of negative events, it will causes an unwanted pressure and stress on the individual emotionally and lead to suicide if it reaches the limit. Last but not least, theory of repression, proposed by the psychologist Sigmund Freud. Freud (1901) stated that the unpleasant memories such as sexual abuse, bullying, torture or any traumatic experience which undergoes the psychological process which automatically and unconsciously prevents emotionally distressing memories from coming into our conscious awareness. In the event or experience in the present such as watching a video, hypnosis or hearing music may triggered the repressed memories back into conscious awareness. However, he stated that, repressed memories cannot deliberately bring back unless it was triggered. The memory researches pointed out that the retrieval memories come back into awareness through suggestion by the patientââ¬â¢s therapist in fact are false memories. In the nutshell, all the theories above that have discussed which are the encoding failure, decay theory, interference theory, retrieval failure, motivated forgetting and repression. Overview of this research, readers can determine that every theories of forgetting have relation between one another and it is all related to the short-term memory and long-term memory. If the short-term memory does not exist, there is no long-term memory. In the authorââ¬â¢s point of view, some of the theories that have discussed above are too narrow in scope and did not manage to cover all the factors such as emotion of a person that will lead to forgetting. In the authorââ¬â¢s opinion, every psychologist that is doing on the same research should investigate and plan the experiments together so that all the psychologists able to brainstorm on their findings and share their thoughts together in order to improve their theories. Besides that, I believe that, all the human being does not want to repress all those negatives events that had ever happened in their lives into their subconscious mind. This is because after repressing or suppressing those memories into the subconscious mind, it would not provide safety precautions in terms of physically and mentally to everyone. What if one day, one person those who suffer from sexual abuse and torture since childhood and triggered that memory back and do the same thing to others. This will lead to even more people suffers.
Sunday, October 13, 2019
English Copyright Law
English Copyright Law English copyright law does not protect ââ¬Ëideas but the ways in which these ideas are expressed. This was established in Harman Pictures NV v Osborne (1967) and recently affirmed in the case involving the Da Vinci Code novel, Baigent and Leigh v The Random House Group (2006).Where the work has been literally reproduced there can be no question of copying. However, difficulty arises where use is made of subtle aspects of style, commonly referred to as ââ¬Ënon textual copying. The impact that copyright law has had on the computer industry and internet use has also led to much discussion about the effectiveness of the law in this dynamic and ever changing area. The courts, who see the matter as being one of degree, continue to adopt a narrow perspective on what constitutes infringement of copyright. The Copyright Designs and Patents Act 1988 aims to protect work in the following categories: literary, musical, dramatic, typographical arrangement and artistic. The Copyright Computer Program Regulations 1992 included computer programs within the list of literary works along with books and song lyrics. The protection afforded by the Act includes prohibition against any work in the above categories being copied, adapted or distorted without the consent of the copyright owner. Based on s16 of the CDPA 1998 the court has formulated the following test to establish whether there has been an infringement of copyright. Firstly, the work for which copyright protection is being claimed must be clearly identified and established as original. Secondly there must be evidence that this original work has been copied. Thirdly, if the work has been copied, then the courts must decide whether a substantial part of the work has been reproduced. This test was outlined by Jacob J In Ibcos Computers Ltd v Barclays Mercantile Highland Finance Ltd (1994). The defendant created a computer accounting package and licensed it to the claimant. Together, they later marketed the package as (ADS) under the company name PK Ltd where the defendant was the sole employee and Managing Director. The defendant then left the company and joined a competitor as a consultant. There he wrote a programme called ââ¬ËUnicorn designed to compete with (ADS). Later the Claimants claimed the Unicorn was developed from (ADS) and therefore infringed their copyright. The court held that (ADS) was a compilation and that copyright existed in the individual programs, their various modifications as well as the whole suite. On comparing Unicorn and (ADS) there appeared to be overwhelming evidence of copying. The latter was an enhancement of the former and not an independent creation. In the absence of independent evidence similarities were due to copying as opposed to the defendants individual programming style. The striking similarities in the interaction of individual components in both packages caused the court to conclude that the ââ¬Ësubstantial part arm of the copyright infringement test had been satisfied. The copyright in the whole (ADS) package as well as the individual copyrights had been infringed. In arriving at his decision, Jacob J provided some guidance on general and detailed ideas rejecting the analysis in the earlier case of John Richardson Computers v Flanders (1993) where the American model for assessing infringement was adopted. He held that this was an incorrect approach which would lead to unnecessary complications. ââ¬ËFor myself I do not find the route of going via United States case law particularly helpful. It is likely to lead to [the] over citation of United States authority based on a statute different from ours. In the end the matter must be left to the value judgment of the court He dissented from the view held by Judge Baker in Total Information Processing Systems Ltd v Daman Ltd (1992) and was of the opinion that the table of contents of a novel could be compared to the data division component of a computer programme. They could both be integral to the success of the work and sufficient to constitute a detailed idea. They could also constitute a substantial part of the work depending on the skill labour and judgement involved their compilation. In deciding whether a substantial part of a work has been copied one must look at the words of a novel and source code of a computer program as well as other factors such as, the plot of a novel and general structure of a computer programme. He held, ââ¬ËI therefore think it right to have regard in this case not only toà ¢Ã¢â ¬Ã ¦literal similarities but also to à ¢Ã¢â ¬Ã ¦ program structure and design features Later on in his judgment he questioned whether copyright subsisted in the ââ¬Ëdesign features of the programme as highlighted by the plaintiff. In any event he was of the opinion that even if they could be afforded copyright protection the ideas were not detailed enough to form a substantial part of the work. ââ¬ËWe are here at a level of generality where there is little of the programmers skill, labour and judgment. Even if the set were copyright, the mere taking of those functions would not be an infringement-it would be the taking of a mere general idea or scheme In relation to the contention that if there is only one way of expressing an idea that way cannot be subject to copyright, Jacob J held that this was an error and copyright could still exist. Again dissenting from the opinion of Judge Baker in Total he submitted that Kenrick v Lawrence (1890) was not authority for this proposition. In the Kenrick case the issue was whether copyright existed in the picture of a hand showing voters how to vote. He held that this was an idea and the decision in this case is authority only for the proposition that there is no copyright in an idea as a different picture displaying the same idea would not constitute infringement. Speaking directly about general and detailed ideas, Jacob J asserted that in relation to all work, ââ¬ËThe true position is that where an idea is sufficiently general, then even if an original work embodies it, the mere taking of that idea will not infringe. But if the idea is detailed, then there may be infringement. It is a question of degree It is therefore important to assess how the courts have set out to separate the expression of the idea in detail from the general idea itself. It seems that in the former, attention is given to finer details of the work. In the final analysis, a balancing act must be performed to protect the author of the idea and encourage literary and technological innovation. Over the past decade there have been many cases involving the protection of computer source and object codes much like an author would seek to protect the words of a book. In John Richardson Computers v Flanders the courts extended the concept of an idea to include user interfaces stating that the way a program is used and responds to a user should also be copyrighted. Here the plaintiffs claimed that the defendants had copied the ââ¬Ëlook and feel of their computer software developed for the pharmaceutical industry. However as computer use became more widespread courts had to reconsider copyrighting ââ¬Ëlook and feel or ââ¬Ëbusiness logic of programs. This was highlighted in the case of Navitaire Inc v Easyjet Airline Co Ltd (2004) where Navitaire claimed that Easyjet online ticketless booking system eRes was a copy of their original programme, Openres. Navitaire owned the copyright in the source code for the computer programme and did not allege at any time during the case that this was copied. The allegation centred on the fact that eRes was almost indistinguishable from OpenRes in relation to the ââ¬Ëuser interface or interaction between user and programme. The Plaintiffs alleged non textual copying in relation to the ââ¬Ëlook and feel of running OpenRes, user commands to achieve particular results and screen reports in response to user instructions. Copying was alleged of the whole of OpenRes or the various modules that make up the system. What was further considered in this case was whether there could be an infringement where two computer programs produce the same results but the author of the latter had no information of the former apart from the end function. In this scenario the question arises as to whether the general idea alone has been copied or something more detailed. No infringement was found in Navitaire and it was held that to side with the plaintiffs in this case would be ââ¬Å"an unjustifiable extension of copyright protectionâ⬠. Simon Stokes in The development of UK software copyright law notes, ââ¬ËIn light of Navitaire, the chances of a successful software copyright look and feel case appear limited unless there is a clear misappropriation of a copyright workà ¢Ã¢â ¬Ã ¦ or underlying source code. In Nova Productions Ltd v Mazooma Games Ltd (2006) the restrictive approach in Navitaire was reaffirmed. Here the defendant produced a computer programme based on the game of pool that was similar to that of the plaintiff although he had no access to the original source codes. Again the plaintiff here alleged that although the computer programme language or sources were not copied, the user interface or ââ¬Ëlook and feel of the programme was. It was held that parts of the computer programme copied were of a ââ¬Å"high level of generality or abstractionâ⬠, common in the industry and did not form a substantial part of the program itself. The court agreed with the Navitaire judgement and stated, ââ¬Å"merely making a programme which will emulate another but which in no way involves copying the programme code or any of the programs graphics is legitimateâ⬠The present state of the law is that copying the end result of a computer programme in itself does not constitute infringing its copyright. In both Navitaire and Nova, the court included in its judgement the provisions of the Software Directive recitals 13-15. The Directive provides that, the expression of a computer program is protected but ideas and principles which underlie any element of a program or its interfaces are not. Many believe that spells bad news for creators and brand owners. In the European Intellectual Property Review, Peter Nunn states, ââ¬ËAs the law currently stands, non-textual copying claims in the software field appear doomed: ideas and user interfaces can seemingly be freely copied It would be useful to consider the courts approach in other cases regarding protected work. In the case of Green v Broadcasting Corporation of New Zealand [1989] the issue of general and detailed ideas were also discussed in relation to a television broadcast. Here the British presenter Hughie Green sought to sue a New Zealand television station for copyright infringement of the format of his game show, Opportunity Knocks. The English Privy Council however rejected this attempt to claim that the format was a dramatic work, asserting that there was no copyright in an idea and the format as presented was ââ¬Ëconspicuously lacking in certainty. This has led to difficulties in the television industry in relation to protecting various unscripted game show formats however unique and original they might be. Lord Bridge stated that there was, ââ¬Å"difficulty [in] the concept that a number of allegedly distinctive features of a television series can be isolated from the changing material presented in each separate performance (the acts of the performers in the talent show, the question and answers in the quiz show etc.) and identified as an ââ¬Å"original dramatic workâ⬠In the more recent case of Miles v ITV Network (2004) again involving television format rights it does not appear that English copyright law has moved any further forward. The claimant James Miles supplied ITV with promotional material for a cartoon programme where the main characters were a traffic light and traffic furniture. Later, ITV launched a programme called Dream Street where a recovery truck was the main character. Although Mr Miles conceded that the look and feel of the two programmes were very different, there were similarities between the characters and the presence of traffic equipment. However, the creator of Dream Street produced evidence to show that his work had been in existence before Mr Miles sent his material to ITV. The appeal was dismissed on the basis that the only similarity between he two programmes being the use of traffic equipment meant that the claim was ââ¬Ëhopelessly weak Mr Justice Laddie in IPC Media Ltd v Highbury-SPL Publishing Ltd [2004] drew on the Green case in his ruling on whether IPCs Ideal Home Magazines design, subject matter and presentational style had been copied. Perhaps it is the presentation of its case in this manner that caused the judge to conclude that what they were trying to protect was the general idea behind the magazine as opposed to the expression in the idea evidenced by the detail, in content cover and articles. Justice Laddie quoted from the Green Judgement as follows: ââ¬ËThe protection which copyright gives, creates a monopoly and there must be certainty in the subject matter of such monopoly in order to avoid injustice to the rest of the world: The issue here is of course as with television programmes magazine formats remain skeletal as to allow a dimension of spontaneity and creativity within the series. It is therefore difficult to pinpoint a detailed format and attach a copyright to it if details change monthly or even weekly. Justice Laddie concluded that the design techniques used by IPC were common in the industry and could have been applied by anyone designing a home magazine. Because the nature of a magazines cover and contents is to keep the buyer interested by constantly changing various features, it was difficult for IPC to state clearly what had been copied. No infringement was held to have taken place and again the English courts refused to extend copyright protection to general ideas. Justice Laddie concluded, ââ¬Å"à ¢Ã¢â ¬Ã ¦even if, contrary to my findings, Highbury had been ââ¬Å"inspiredâ⬠in some of its design choices by what it saw in IDEAL HOME, it would have been at far too high a level of generality to amount to infringement of copyright.â⬠The plaintiffs in IPC struggled to prove their case for copyright protection and may have succeeded if they had alleged ââ¬Ëpassing off as their focus seemed to be on a visual comparison of the two magazines. This matter was addressed in Designer Guild Limited v. Russell Williams (Textiles) Limited (Trading As Washington Dc) [2000] and referred to in the IPC judgement as well as other subsequent cases. Here both parties were designers of wallpapers and fabrics. The plaintiffs alleged infringement of one of their designs. The trial judge found that the defendants had access to the original work and had copied a substantial part of it. The defendants appealed to the Court of Appeal who after making a visual comparison held that the two designs were not sufficiently similar and highlighted a number of differences. The Court of Appeal held that although there was some copying this did not form a substantial part of the work and therefore allowed the appeal. The claimants then appealed to the House of Lords who agreed with the initial trial judges decision that the copied features formed a substantial part of the plaintiffs work. Lord Millet commented that the judge who found for the defendants in the Court of Appeal erred in his approach as he treated what was a copyright case as though the claim was one for ââ¬Ëpassing off. If passing off had been alleged, it would have been sufficient for the court to have used visual similarities as a main point of comparison as here the charge would have been the defendants taking the plaintiffs goods and trying to ââ¬Ëpass them off as their own. Where there is insufficient similarity on a visual inspection the action will fail. In the case of copyright however, the preoccupation is not with the appearance of the defendants work but with its origin. In the area of film, the extent of protection offered by copyright law has also been discussed in Christoffer v Poseidon Film Distributors Ltd [1999]. Here the court had to decide amongst other matters whether Mr Chistoffers copyright in the film script of the story of the Cyclops based on Book IX of Homers Odyssey had been infringed by the film production company Poseidon. On the basis that there was evidence of direct copying and adaptation of the Cyclops script in which Mr Christoffer held the copyright, infringement was found on the part of Poseidon. Justice Parks highlighted that words in the final script do not have to be identical in order for there to be sufficient evidence of copying. ââ¬ËIn the context of a literary work the concept of copying embraces taking the content of the work, or of a substantial part of it, and reproducing it, whether or not the alleged infringer reproduces the content by using the original authors words or by using his own words In relation to books, protecting the expression of ideas was discussed in Harman Pictures v Osborne (1967) where an injunction was granted to restrain the production of a film on the grounds that it infringed the copyright in the claimants book as phrases and expressions were directly copied and they both ended with exactly the same quotation. Baigent and Leigh v The Random House Group (2007) is the most recent case in which the court have had to decide on the issue of copyright in books and whether a substantial part of a work had been reproduced. The claimants were publishers of a 1992 book, the Holy Blood and the Holy Grail and the defendants the publishers of Dan Browns 2003 novel entitled Da Vinci Code. Baigent and Leigh contended that in writing six chapters of Da Vinci Code a substantial part of their work had been copied. The claim was dismissed at trial however the claimant were granted leave to appeal to the Court of Appeal. Mr Justice Smith who heard the case in the first instance agreed that the six chapters highlighted were based largely on the claimants work but still went on to reject the copyright claim. Lord Justice Floyd in the appeal judgement reiterated how the courts would assess a claim for breach of copyright in a literary work. Firstly if there was material in both an early and later work and the author of the later had access to the former, an inference of copying is made. The court would then look closely at the material to establish if there was in fact any copying and whether this amounted to a substantial part. Baigent and Leigh did not contend that the text of their work was copied directly or that it was in some way adapted. The claim was that Dan Brown had copied the ââ¬Ëtheme of their work in his novel. The courts therefore had to decide whether the theme was protected by copyright bearing in mind the established law that copyright does not subsist in ideas but the expression of these ideas. Dan Brown did not deny that there was a similarity in theme between the two works but contended that he derived this material from other sources. Dan Brown also argued that if the claimants work had been used, the part copied was at a high level of generality and for this same reason could not be said to constitute a substantial part of the claimants work. The judge concluded that a central theme did not exist in the original work as if it did, it would have been recorded somewhere. ââ¬Å"If it was one would have expected at least to find somewhere a statement that this is the Central Theme. This is where the Green case [Green v Broadcasting Corporation of New Zealand [1989] RPC 700] is relevant.â⬠He went on to conclude that if there was such a theme it was too generalised and therefore on the wrong side of the line between ideas and their expression. The judge held that the claimants failed to show structure and architecture to their scheme which remained a number of facts, ideas and assertions. This being the case, there is insufficient evidence of the skill labour and judgement needed in order to attach copyright to it. On appeal, Lord Mummery agreed with the courts decision and dismissed the appeal after clarifying the need to separate issues of copyright subsistence and infringement. The issue was not whether what was outlined by the Claimant as a central theme was copyrightable but whether it had been copied and whether it formed as a substantial part of the original work. It is in relation to these two points that the judges found the claimants had failed to establish their case. The above cases highlight the complexities faced by claimant, defendant and judge in protecting copyright in any given work. The efforts expounded in the original work and the need to encourage creativity are both in fierce competition with each other. Simon Stokes seems to suggest the reason for this balancing act is because, ââ¬Ëà ¢Ã¢â ¬Ã ¦go too far one way and innovation is stifled because the public domain of ideas is encroached upon; go too far the other way and copyright creators may be disinclined to create copyright works if the law does not adequately protect their works Non textual copying where there is no clear evidence of a direct reproduction of the work will continue to be difficult to prove for so long as it is the expression of the idea that attracts copyright and not the idea itself. In relation to magazine and TV industries, the IPC case indicates that it would be extremely difficult to succeed in a copyright claim where there are changing formats envisaged. Peter Nunn States, Laddie J. found that so many elements of the ââ¬Å"formatâ⬠which the claimants sought to protect were commonplace, including the strapline on the front coverà ¢Ã¢â ¬Ã ¦that he arguably shut the door on future claims to protect a magazines format It would be fair to say especially on analysing the Baigent judgement that the ideaexpression dichotomy works on two levels, both in relation to copyright subsistence and also to its infringement. In relation to subsistence the courts continue to assert that there can be no copyright in a general idea as was the case in Green and IPC. In relation to copyright infringement, Baignet shows that taking a general idea in a copyright work will not constitute infringement. The balance to be struck by the court appears to be a ââ¬Ëwork in itself as the facts of each case must be carefully examined as what may appear to be an expression is only an idea due to its generality, the fact that it could have been obtained from a number of other sources or it is common practice in a particular industry. What follows in establishing infringement is the concept of substantiality which the courts assess by weighing the amount of skill and judgement applied to the original work. Perhaps Chen Lin Saw rightly observes in Protecting the Sound of Silence in 433â⬠, ââ¬ËWhile the idea-expression dichotomy is well established in copyright law and is easy to state in theory, its actual application in practice is still masked by a cloud of mystery and uncertainty
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