Are Intellectual Property Laws Hindering the Technological Innovation?

It must be stated that intellectual property laws are some of the most confusing set of laws for the everyday citizen to interpret, despite the fact that they constantly affect our lives. This confusion has left many in the tech industry feeling slightly all at sea; with a real inability to understand what they can actually get away with when innovating and if it is even worth innovating within. This passage will aim to breakdown the intricacies of Intellectual property law, how it may be hindering technological innovation, and what you can do to avoid intellectual property law infringement.

Overview

To try put this all into layman terms Intellectual property is the ownership by the law of both a person’s ideas and property. Its basic purpose is to protect you and your product from other people or corporations from stealing your ideas without fair compensation. With these laws in place if another person or company would like to use your ideas or work then they must ask for your permission, and it is highly likely that they will pay you in some form of compensation for your work. Now protection of your work can be done in a few forms which I will explain and explore later in this passage. Basically, the laws should be in place to protect you. Some critics of the laws have called them rather draconian, and actually halt cooperation between both innovators and creators. While others believe that the laws do their job and protect the little guy and the independent.

Patent, Copyright & Trademark

Now, let us break down how you can protect your work through the law. Firstly, you can be granted a patent by the government. A patent will give you the right to have complete control of your inventions; which as the possessor of said patent it will give you the right to exclude others from making, producing, or selling your invention; it legally belongs to you. Obviously, there are some requirements for getting a patent, it has to be original, innovative to a suitable extent, and actual application. Your patent will though in return become public knowledge.

Next to be summarised is the process of copyrighting your product. Copyright does not actually have to belong to the owner; it can be bought from you or simply expire, usually by a 70 year period. A good example of this is with The Beatles and their musical discography, who do not actually own the copyright to their own music as Sony outbid them in an auction. Meaning Sony can license out The Beatles music for car adverts without actually having done any of the work. Very strange indeed.

Finally, the trademark is less a protection of ideas, but more of a protection of image. What your trademark makes your company you. Think of the Coca Cola logo which belongs to Coke, I cannot start a soft drink company and use the logo it belongs to Coke as it has been trademarked. This is especially important for building a brand.

How it is Hindering Innovation

Now, this is the real meat of the passage how are these laws hindering technological innovation.  Like I previously mentioned the usage of someone else`s patent is all up to the patent holder, and they have full choice in how much this will cost, and well human beings are greedy so this seeking of permission can hold up innovation as the patent holder holds up for the highest bidder, not the most innovative idea.

Intellectual property law also predominantly benefit larger corporations. Large corporations can swallow patent after patent, which squeezes and bullies’ smaller firms out of the market. Like I previously mentioned with Sony owning the entire discography of The Beatles; well they actually own the copyrights to 37% of all music including the Happy Birthday song; which again they use to bully smaller firms.

Finally, the weak patent protection will lead to a discouragement of innovation, as the amount of money a patent may cost will halt larger companies from coming up with their own ideas; as they can simply buy it off of someone else.

How to Fight Intellectual Property Law

This inclusion is especially personal to me as someone who constantly has to combat intellectual property law. My biggest advice would be to use royalty-free music and be polite when asking for permission. I have also experienced big companies bullying me when my work is a fair use; to that end, this lawfirm is great at protecting intellectual property and has helped me many a time, so if you are ever in doubt do not be afraid to consult a lawyer.  Finally, there is no real way to fight against a fair case of intellectual property theft so my advice to you would simply; be original, obtain licenses correctly, and like I said use royalty-free music! Just be careful and keep creating!

8 Enviornmentally Friendly Technologies Worth Investing In

As a nation, we have become far more environmentally conscious than any generation that has come before us. This is because of recent discoveries of just how poor the condition of the earth is. As well as being on the forefront of trying our best to defeat any environmental issues, we are also in the midst of a technological revolution that is quickly developing in complexity. These two may not appear to go hand in hand, but a lot of people creating this new technology are doing their best to make sure they’re as environmentally friendly as possible, some are even created with the sole purpose of helping the environment. Here are 8 Environmentally friendly technologies worth investing in.

Solar Panels

Solar panels are no new technology and have been making their impact on the planet for the last few decades. As time has gone on, solar panels have become far more attractive and thus more appealing to have on your property. They work by using sunlight to generate electricity that can power your home. There is the option to install these yourself easily at home or companies will install them for you. Solar panels are not only extremely good for the environment, but they will also save you a lot of money in the long run when it comes to electricity bills.

Septic Tanks

Septic tanks are under home drainage systems that are separate from usual sewage systems. These are better for your environment as they mean that waste is not being drained into local water systems and harming the environment. There are many local septic tank installers that will install them for an extremely reasonable price.  They can be quite expensive when initially installed, but are great for the environment and are much more affordable than other filtration techniques.

Energy Saving Light bulbs

Energy-saving light bulbs are not terribly exciting bits of tech but they are still incredibly useful. Energy-saving light bulbs will produce far more natural light that will prevent any headaches caused by false lights. Energy-saving light bulbs also last a lot longer than an ordinary bulb as they only use the energy that they need to use, not only do they last a long time but they are also far less draining on your electricity. Meaning that you will spend a lot less money lighting up your home.

Electric Bikes

Electric bikes may seem worse for the environment than the use of a regular bike, but they are far better for the environment than any car or public transport alternative. If you want to travel to work locations or to places of importance, you won’t want to use a regular bike that can be a lot of work and cause sweating. Electric bikes aren’t even too expensive, meaning you won’t be spending a lot of money while reducing your carbon footprint.  They also come in a lot of different models, some with storage features, meaning you will be able to use them much like you would use a car for its functionality.

Garden Water Barrels

Garden water barrels are not extremely exciting bits of tech but they are incredibly useful and do not harm the environment at all. They work by collecting rainwater and filtering it so that you may use it again. This is a better alternative than getting water from taps for things that you do not necessarily need completely sterile water for.  This bit of tech will be especially useful for people who garden, as it will give you a reliable resource to water plants that have all the natural minerals in them. They can also be used to help oxygenate any backyard ponds.

Back Garden Wind Turbines

Miniature wind turbines are great alternatives for anyone that doesn’t live in a particularly sunny area and will not benefit from the use of solar panels. They work in a similar way but instead use kinetic energy to produce electricity to power your home. These will only work in windy areas and so are probably not a great idea for anyone that does not experience this, if you live near the coast you will get coastal breeze that will help power them easier. Again, not only do they help the environment, but they will save you plenty of money on electricity.

Outdoor Electric BBQ

There is nothing better than having a BBQ when the weather is nice outside. Though it is really fun to have friends and family around for a bite to eat, people often forget how bad for the environment using a BBQ can be. Most of them work through the burning of coal, which as you may know is a fossil fuel that is extremely harmful to the Ozone layer. Outdoor electric BBQs can help prevent this as they work on electricity to cook your food and can be charged for a full day of use. They are also more likely to safely cook your food, which is another bonus.

Mercury Intelligent Heated Jacket

These jackets use smart technology to meet your body temperature needs by using mercury to detect the heat of your body in comparison to what it should safely be.  This will save money on heating up your home in order to keep you warm and will do it through the use of science.

The Media Battle: Streaming Services vs Cinema

We live in a world where technology is everything. Since Netflix was released in 2008, it offered up something new, a change. They came up with the idea of having an incredibly large number of movies and TV shows all in one place, all for a low set price per month. People couldn’t believe their luck. In their mind, gone would be the days of cinema. The world was moving forward, and streaming services would be the way to go. But as time would tell, that wouldn’t entirely be the case. As its popularity grew, there was a noticeable dip in people going to the cinema. But, potentially a surprise to the streaming service founders, it didn’t last. Soon after, people were heading back to the cinema, and there, the media battle began.

Why Streaming?

Well, part of the appeal of streaming services such as Netflix was, to put it as basically as possible, it was cheaper. Looking just at the films on Netflix, if you considered the price of buying either digital copies or DVDs of each of the films available, it would be jaw-droppingly dearer than the monthly fee Netflix is asking for. Not to mention the added bonus of TV shows and anime. Streaming services put a wide variety of films for all ages and preferences all in one place at the touch of a button. It offers up hours upon hours of different entertainment without having to move an inch from the couch – the farthest you’ll have to go will be to get some more snacks. And there are countless food delivery sites like UberEats that will stop you from going hungry. Streaming also offers up the opportunity to find films that you may not otherwise have discovered.

Over the years, streaming has amassed a massive collection of films from all over the world. From Korea to Spain to Bollywood, you can find all kinds of films on Netflix that you may not be able to find anywhere else. Since companies were able to observe their success and growth, many have been trying their hand at creating their own streaming service. There have even been streaming sites created that are entirely free! If you’re curious, you can find out about couchtuner alternatives here. But, moving back to the paid streaming services, there has been a boom in streaming services in the past few years. Most recently, and arguably most notable competitor is the addition of Disney+. As can be expected, the opportunity to get every single Disney owned franchise (of which there are many) Marvel, Star Wars, Disney/Pixar, and National Geographic all in one place has had everybody jumping. But, it may have a negative impact on sites like Netflix, which have now lost the rights to all of this content. That is one of the issues people have with certain streaming services, whilst there is an unbelievable amount of content – it won’t have everything.

So Why Go to the Cinema?

It may be hard to understand why so many people still go to the cinema when there’s a much cheaper and easier alternative available. But, despite this, there’s something so appealing about taking a trip to the cinema. The reason we believe it’s survived is that the cinema is an experience. The big screen and the overpriced, yet utterly delicious snacks. It’s something that can never be replaced. Seeing a new film for the first time in a room full of people, the excitement as the lights go down. It may not be making as much money as it used to, but it will still be a beloved treat for many people all across the world.

How Software Companies are Improving Medical Awareness

There is always a lot of talk about hardware when it comes to the medical field. This is mainly due to the fact that the general public will look at a machine, see how it works, and assume the hardware is the whole package. And the hardware is important. But no hardware is complete without the software to go with it.

Medical software design is rarely handled by medical professionals or medical researchers. They often lack the in-depth knowledge of the software design to do it. So more often than not the software will be outsourced to different tech firms working in collaboration with the hardware designers and the medical experts to design the complex machines. Sites like https://practicebloom.com/telemedicine-marketing-advertising/ are a prime example of this collaboration between medical experts and software development.

But it goes further than simply the machines you see within hospital walls. Software companies have been assisting the medical field and raising awareness through several different means. And this might seem shocking. How can software companies go about this? Below we are going to look at how software companies are improving medical awareness around the globe.

Tracking Software

Undoubtedly you will have seen, or even own, a Fitbit. This is the prime example of what we are going to call ‘tracking software.’ The idea of a Fitbit is that you wear it throughout the day, or while exercising, and it can monitor your vitals, calorie burn and heart rate throughout. You might think this is pretty simple stuff, but the implications this software has had on the medical community and general awareness cannot be understated.

Firstly, thanks to the advent of this software, people can look at their personal health in greater detail. Normally they would have to go to a doctor or a clinic to obtain this sort of information. This general had the adverse effect of increasing wait times for clinics and forcing doctors to spend less time with their priority patients. But with this information now readily available, people are more aware of their health and spending less time clogging up clinics and allowing doctors to give the extra care to those who need it.

Secondly, this software is making people think about their daily activities, diet and general wellbeing differently. It is often said being unaware of what is happening to your body is what leads to greater problems. So when people can see their activity at the end of the day, they will approach their daily activities with greater care and forethought. This general awareness is a massive boon for the medical field. People will pass this attitude and knowledge on to those around them.

Online Diagnostic

It is all too common for someone to log onto WebMD and type in their symptoms and suddenly think they are dying because they are confusing their symptoms with something serious. This is a problem that will most likely always exist. But software companies are working to make this issue lessen and improve the quality of online diagnostic tools greatly.

As technology gets smarter and AI improves, software developers, working with medical professionals, can create virtual doctors that can give a more accurate diagnostic to a patient. By having online patients enter in-depth and accurate symptoms, this AI will be able to help.

But this system can go further. By using picture recognition, and the mentioned tracking software, this AI can scan medical databases and use this data to get a much more accurate diagnosis. Of course, this system is not a replacement for seeing a medical professional at all, but it serves to give people peace of mind, reduce wait times in clinics and to generally improve the medical awareness of those using this software.

Educational Software

The world has become digital. This is undeniable. And the newer generations are growing up with technology in their hand. Apps and games are the new forms of education and they have been proven to be extremely effective at what they do. A teacher can stand up and recite basic medical information to a class, but if they have access to something interactive.

Of course, medical professionals lack the software skill to design a game or app, most of the time. At times they will be skilled enough to do it and that’s great. More often than not they will outsource it to a development company.

These medical education games are a great way to raise medical awareness in people from a young age. Children are much more receptive to knowledge and forming habits. If habits can be instilled in someone from childhood, they are more likely to carry it on into adulthood. To that end, educational software is an invaluable tool in the fight of raising medical awareness.