Chapter 6: Intellectual Property

Vignette

1. Is the RIAA’s strong stand on copyright infringement helping or hurting the music recording industry?

Of course it helps the music recording industry because the RIAA works to protect the intellectual property and first amendment rights of music labels, so having this it lessen the piracy in our society and we can assure that we can buy, avail an original copy not the piracy one.

2. Could an ISP’s implementation and enforcement of the RIAA’s multitier strategy have a negative impact on the ISP?

No, because RIAA says that the music industry has fully embraced the Internet as a major channel for distribution to consumers, the group has called on the Federal Communications Commission, they can also help to lessen piracy through internet.

Lotus v. Borland

Discussion Questions:

1. Go to your school’s computer lab or a PC software store and experiment with current versions of any two of the Quattro, Excel, or Lotus 1-2-3 spreadsheet programs.  Write a brief paragraph summarizing the similarities and differences in the “look and feel” of these two programs.

In both Excel and Lotus 1-2-3, you can perform a operation, such as sorting, on a range of multiple cells. A cell in the smallest container of data in a spreadsheet, the intersection of a row and column. In Excel, if you wish to manipulate a series of cells, you must first drag your mouse over them to select the entire range, then process a command, such as sorting. However, in Lotus 1-2-3, this order is reversed. First, select command, then select cells.

 

2. The courts took several years to reverse their initial decision and rule in favor of Borland.  What impact did this delay have on the software industry?  How might things have been different if Borland had received an initial favorable ruling?

 

In this accident will result into unfavorable court, for allowing Borland product for several years to the public without knowing its infringement.

 

3. Assume that you are the manager of Borland’s software development.  With the benefit of hindsight, what different decisions would you have made about Quattro? 

 

Assuming that I’m the manager of the Borland’s software development I will make sure that all my employee are well oriented because it helps to maintain the secrecy of my company and all my trade secrets.