Examines the current protection afforded to brand owners within the realms of cyberspace, specifically the World Wide Web. Trade mark law currently provides a benchmark for the…
Abstract
Examines the current protection afforded to brand owners within the realms of cyberspace, specifically the World Wide Web. Trade mark law currently provides a benchmark for the law and its attempt to regulate the problematical operation of Internet addresses and Web sites. These commercial sites can be contacted by potential customers through the operation of “Internet domain names”. It is the abuse of these valuable domain names, however, that has aroused considerable controversy for brand owners over recent years. In particular, the apparently powerful terrestrial brands have proved easy targets as cyberbrands – for those rather unscrupulous individuals seeking to take advantage of considerable brand goodwill by placing them on the Internet, only to ransom to the highest bidder, often the (terrestrially) “legitimate owners”. Brand owners must remain vigilant, and this article analyses the curent situation and offers sensible and practical advice for those seeking safe and cost‐effective brand exposure on the Information SuperHighway.
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As the third part of an article, this explores and reviews current trans‐national protection for brands in Europe. How have the recent European trade mark reforms impacted on the…
Abstract
As the third part of an article, this explores and reviews current trans‐national protection for brands in Europe. How have the recent European trade mark reforms impacted on the whole area? Looks at a pan‐European strategy which benefits the large players. Linguistic and cultural differences still affect the behaviour of the European consumer. Future applicants of a CTM need to understand these implications in order to follow a cost‐effective and practical means to safeguard their brands.
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Provides a practical snapshot of the legal situation governing the protection and exploitation of brand power within the European “grey market”. Predominantly, this occurs through…
Abstract
Provides a practical snapshot of the legal situation governing the protection and exploitation of brand power within the European “grey market”. Predominantly, this occurs through the use and enforcement of intellectual property rights, namely the trade mark. However, legal events over the last year or so have fundamentally affected the antics of grey marketers and the subsequent powers granted to the owners of a range of branded marks, including famously lucrative names such as Levi’s, Nike and Calvin Klein. The recent pronouncements from the European Court of Justice (ECJ) in Luxembourg together with national court decisions have created a degree of confusion. The landmark Silhouette Case has proved immensely controversial with regard to the operation of trade mark law throughout the European Union (EU). The decision seems to prohibit the importation into the EU of branded goods or services, unless such activity has been specifically consented to by the brand owner. At a glance, the culmination of these legal precedents seems to have dealt the grey market operators and traders a severe blow – with potentially adverse effects for the European consumer as well. Seeks to analyse recent events by providing the backdrop to the controversy and then putting the cases into perspective so as to offer sound and practical advice to all interested parties in the now modified grey market environment.
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Human performance, particularly that of the warfighter, has been the subject of a large amount of research during the past few decades. For example, in the Medline database of…
Abstract
Human performance, particularly that of the warfighter, has been the subject of a large amount of research during the past few decades. For example, in the Medline database of medical and psychological research, 1,061 papers had been published on the topic of “military performance” as of October 2003. Because warfighters are often pushed to physiological and mental extremes, a study of their performance provides a unique glimpse of the interplay of a wide variety of intrinsic and extrinsic factors on the functioning of the human brain and body. Unfortunately, it has proven very difficult to build performance models that can adequately incorporate the myriad of physiological, medical, social, and cognitive factors that influence behavior in extreme conditions. The chief purpose of this chapter is to provide a neurobiological (neurochemical) framework for building and integrating warfighter performance models in the physiological, medical, social, and cognitive areas. This framework should be relevant to all other professionals who routinely operate in extreme environments. The secondary purpose of this chapter is to recommend various performance metrics that can be linked to specific neurochemical states and can accordingly strengthen and extend the scope of the neurochemical model.
Souha R. Ezzedeen, Marie-Hélène Budworth and Susan D. Baker
Emerging adult women are actively engaged in career and family explorations, amidst changing opportunities and constraints. The purpose of this paper is to investigate whether…
Abstract
Purpose
Emerging adult women are actively engaged in career and family explorations, amidst changing opportunities and constraints. The purpose of this paper is to investigate whether such women felt they could balance a high-achieving career and a family life, or what has become known in the popular discourse as women “having it all.”
Design/methodology/approach
This qualitative study utilized focus groups to explore subjective perceptions of balancing career and family held by emerging adult women. The sample (n=69) comprised female university students in a large Canadian metropolitan area.
Findings
Thematic analyses unearthed six distinct yet overlapping positions on the possibility of balancing career and family: Optimism (“I can have it all.”), Pessimism (“I cannot have it all.”), Uncertainty (“I am not sure I can have it all.”), Choice (“I don’t want to have it all.”), Pragmatism (“This is what I need to do to have it all.”) and Support (“Will I access the support necessary to have it all?”).
Research limitations/implications
Limitations include the potential of focus groups to elicit group polarization and to lead participants to censor opinions to conform to conversations. Still, the study reveals more nuanced positions held by women than reported earlier.
Originality/value
The study extends prior research by revealing the range of positions held by women toward career and family, highlighting women’s understanding of the complex issues involved and showcasing their awareness of the crucial role of social support.
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Maarit Kinnunen and Antti Honkanen
The purpose was to examine the prevalence and type of inappropriate behaviour gender minorities face and how they perceive such behaviour. The study is framed within Gidley et al…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose was to examine the prevalence and type of inappropriate behaviour gender minorities face and how they perceive such behaviour. The study is framed within Gidley et al.’s social inclusion model, indicating areas where actions are needed to avoid social exclusion.
Design/methodology/approach
The research data comprised over 12,000 responses to a web survey, which included 184 responses from gender minority members and four in-depth, semi-structured interviews. The data were analysed using statistical methods and interpretative phenomenological analysis.
Findings
About 59% of gender minority members had experienced inappropriate behaviour, compared to 34% of female festival attendees. The most common form of inappropriate behaviour towards gender minorities was harassment because of gender, followed by sexual harassment, physically threatening situations and harassment because of appearance or clothing. Interviews were analysed against the theoretical framework of social inclusion, determining how the experiences influenced access, participation and empowerment.
Practical implications
Festivals must have unisex toilets. Safer space policies should be better communicated, more visible and more practical. Instead of having one harassment contact person, there should be a whole team. Training the festival personnel, particularly the security staff, is highly important. People are reluctant to report problems to the security personnel since those personnel might be part of the problem. There should be members of gender minorities among performers, workers, security staff and volunteers.
Originality/value
Studies on inappropriate behaviour at festivals have concentrated on female experiences of sexual harassment. Gender minorities have hardly been studied, even though they face more inappropriate behaviour than any other minority group. Furthermore, gender minorities are typically grouped with sexual minorities even though their experiences differ from one another. We applied Gidley et al.’s hierarchical model of social inclusion to gender minority members in the context of music festivals. In doing so, we added knowledge of attitudes and practices that reduce and endanger feelings of access, participation and empowerment.