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This document is a modified LL.M. exam paper on Private International Law that presents a problem question involving a dispute between an Austrian company, M, and S, a Nigerian student studying in Berlin. The question asks the reader to determine the applicable law to the dispute, which is brought before the court in Vienna. The model answer analyzes the character of M's claims and discusses the potential application of the Convention on Contracts for the International Sale of Goods (CISG) and the Rome I Regulation. It concludes that the choice of Austrian law is valid and that the rules on consumer protection in the Rome I Regulation may apply. The text also discusses the applicable laws for a contractual claim and a non-contractual claim between M and S. For the contractual claim, Austrian law applies, except for the issue of a tariff change, which is governed by German law. For the non-contractual claim regarding an alleged infringement of intellectual property rights, both Austrian and German law may apply, and the specific laws governing each claim will determine the assessment of compensation. [Extracted from the article]

In recent years, the wide application of deep neural network models has brought serious risks of intellectual property rights infringement. Embedding a watermark in a network model is an effective solution to protect intellectual property rights. Although researchers have proposed schemes to add watermarks to models, they cannot prevent attackers from adding and overwriting original information, and embedding rates cannot be quantified. Therefore, aiming at these problems, this paper designs a high embedding rate and tamper-proof watermarking scheme. We employ wet paper coding (WPC), in which important parameters are regarded as wet blocks and the remaining unimportant parameters are regarded as dry blocks in the model. To obtain the important parameters more easily, we propose an optimized probabilistic selection strategy (OPSS). OPSS defines the unimportant-level function and sets the importance threshold to select the important parameter positions and to ensure that the original function is not affected after the model parameters are changed. We regard important parameters as an unmodifiable part, and only modify the part that includes the unimportant parameters. We selected the MNIST, CIFAR-10, and ImageNet datasets to test the performance of the model after adding a watermark and to analyze the fidelity, robustness, embedding rate, and comparison schemes of the model. Our experiment shows that the proposed scheme has high fidelity and strong robustness along with a high embedding rate and the ability to prevent malicious tampering. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Modern innovative organisations incorporate management tools such as strategic flexibility (in the form of mass customisation, subcontracting or outsourcing of non-critical activities and the use of contingent or temporary workers), informal communication by leveraging information technology and business-to-business collaborations along their value chains. Efforts to foster Research, Development and Innovation (RDI) is relatively low in Trinidad and Tobago. The Innovation Pillar of the Competitiveness Index from the World Economic Forum shows that only a small number of patents are filed in Trinidad and Tobago. The Republic of Trinidad and Tobago is ranked relatively low regarding Innovation. Varied approaches are employed to foster innovation. Intellectual property developed domestically is managed and protected in a variety of ways including patenting, licensing, trademarks and at times via various forms of confidentiality arrangements. The protection of Intellectual Property (IP) is only one cog in the wheel of a sustainable Innovation Management System. Some financing is also available along with expertise in science and technology. This paper examines the best practices regarding Innovation Management Systems (IMS) and reviews one such system as it applies to a local company and its development of new asphalt products from the natural asphalt from Pitch Lake. It discusses the impact of strategic management, management tools and organisational culture on product commercialisation. Based on the discussion, LATT’s IMS would be improved from both behavioural and environmental perspectives, that the Company has patented 33 products in 33 years, and 8 have been commercialised. This paper proposes a structured approach to Innovation Management Systems that fosters success in new product development with appropriate protection for intellectual property rights. It also recommends possible strategies for allowing LATT to commercialise its existing IP through licensing agreements. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: This study constructs an efficiency evaluation framework for assessing the human, structural and relational capital in the semiconductor industry of Taiwan. Furthermore, we analyze whether there are significant differences in efficiency across different levels concerning the industry supply chain (upstream, midstream and downstream), employee service tenure, capital scale and company establishment years. Design/methodology/approach: This study focuses on Taiwanese semiconductor companies, utilizing data sourced from the Taiwan Economic Journal (TEJ) Database for the period spanning 2017 to 2021, encompassing a total of five years. Due to the nondisclosure of intangible asset values by all companies, an effort was made to ensure a comparable baseline by excluding companies with incomplete or missing data. Finally, empirical analysis was conducted on a sample of 64 companies using the dynamic network data envelopment analysis method. Findings: (1) Overall efficiency demonstrates structural capital as the most prominent, followed by relational capital, while human capital shows relatively poorer efficiency. (2) To enhance the efficiency of intellectual capital, priority should be given to improving the efficiency of outputs related to intellectual property rights such as patents. (3) The midstream segment exhibits the best efficiency in both structural and relational capital. (4) Companies with longer employee service tenures exhibit superior efficiency in human capital in the long run. (5) Companies with extended establishment years and larger capital scales demonstrate superior efficiency in both human and structural capital. Originality/value: Reflecting on past literature, scholars have primarily focused on the relationship between intellectual capital and firm efficiency, often emphasizing the overall efficiency of intellectual capital. However, within organizations, human capital, structural capital, and relational capital are interrelated. This study, for the first time, assesses the efficiency of these three components within an organization. The research addresses the challenges in analyzing the efficiency of intellectual capital and introduces a highly contemporary approach – dynamic network data envelopment analysis (DNDEA). Using the semiconductor industry in Taiwan as a case study, this paper conducts empirical analysis in a captivating and worthy industry. Therefore, the ideas presented in this paper are original. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The importance and urgency of IPLE (intellectual property literacy education) are increasingly prominent. This paper aims to build an IPLE mode to provide support for the talent cultivation in university libraries facing opportunities and challenges in the service transformation period. The IPLE mode and content of the Regional Patent Information Centers (PIZ Regional Centers) in German universities and university libraries are studied through network research, literature research, and comparative analysis. Based on the practical experience, educational characteristics and advantages, this paper constructs an IPLE mode of university library that includes six modules. Building the IPLE mode of university libraries can provide reference for university libraries in the work of IPLE, and gradually form an IPLE system that meets the needs of users' training, conforms to the university's talent training objectives, and improves the development plan of the university libraries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents several patents related to paper deacidification, the most common and widely used process of paper conservation. The early years of paper making tends to be more acidic, and preserving proves to be a big challenge for the early conservator. The search for remedies to deacidify the paper begun as early as 19th century and the first patent dates for paper deacidification started on 1936. Environment friendly processes of paper making begun on the early 1990.

Once an author/s submits a manuscript to a journal, editorial and review processes are initiated which will determine acceptance or rejection of a manuscript. Understanding the editor's perspective and role enables authors to appreciate the factors that can ensure that the submitted manuscript meets the editor's expectations. This increases the chances that the manuscript passes the initial scrutiny and is forwarded for peer review. The reviewers' comments and recommendations make or break the manuscript and will take the form of comments for the authors as well as confidential recommendations to the Editor. Rejection should not lead to dejection. Authors need to digest the reasons for rejection, review comments and suggestions and incorporate them into the revised manuscript prior to identifying another journal for possible submission. If the manuscript is accepted with minor or major revisions, the authors need to make sure all comments and recommendations are dealt with. Once the manuscript satisfies the editor's and reviewers' expectations, it is on its way to publication. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In a world dominated by the distribution of global media franchises, what are the impacts on creativity when intellectual property law seeks to control what can and cannot be written? The development of modern distribution mechanisms that allow corporations to distribute copyright protected works such as film franchises globally and across many different media has had a significant effect on the cultural vernacular. Generations are now growing up with storyworlds that are the intellectual property of multinational businesses, rather than within the public dimain (as might previously have been the case with folk stories and religious texts). With Jenkins’ ideas of Participatory Culture perhaps sidestepping the consequences of intellectual property ownership, this paper looks to Hyde and others to question whether current intellectual property discourse properly acknowledges the issue of how the pervasive marketing of ringfenced storyworlds is affecting the creative community’s relationship with the cultural vernacular when seeking to create commercially exploitable work. This paper argues that moral as well as legal questions must be raised regarding the extent to which corporations should be effectively allowed to own elements of the collective story consciousness and, as a consequence, to exert control over the creation of new works. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Amidst globalization and the Fourth Industrial Revolution, indigenous language preservation and promotion gain paramount significance. These languages encapsulate rich cultural, historical, and ecological value, embodying unique knowledge systems and identities. Nevertheless, challenges stemming from historical, social, resource, and institutional constraints impede preservation, with digital media technology thus emerging as a pivotal tool in this endeavour. This paper meticulously explores the role of digital media technology in indigenous language preservation during the Fourth Industrial Revolution. Through a comprehensive review of reputable literature, including scholarly articles, case studies, and expert insights, the paper underscores the imperative of language preservation, delving into the obstacles hindering preservation efforts and spotlighting the pivotal role of digital media technology in rejuvenating indigenous languages. The paper also examines various digital tools and applications that facilitate preservation, emphasizing their accessibility and engagement, while also underscoring the importance of collaborative efforts involving indigenous communities, linguists, and technology experts. Ethical considerations, encompassing intellectual property rights and informed consent, are of paramount importance in indigenous language preservation, and thus this paper also consolidates insights derived from the findings and provides recommendations for effective preservation strategies, underlining the necessity of ethical guidelines and emphasizing the indispensable role of government support. The study concludes by addressing prospects and challenges in indigenous language preservation, providing a comprehensive view of safeguarding linguistic heritage in the digital age. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Against the backdrop of the current political developments in Central and Eastern European (CEE) countries, such as Ukraine, Poland, and Romania, the question arises as to the role played by economic transformation and the resulting innovation linkages in these countries over the last 20 years. The main purpose of this paper is to explore the impact of economic and institutional dimensions on the development of CEE countries, explicitly distinguishing between European Union (EU) members and non‐members, and thus reflecting the differences in institutions and path dependency. Furthermore, the paper contrasts the performance of CEE countries with that of Western European countries. To achieve these objectives, the impact of factors such as innovation, institutions, and political practices on the economic development of 37 European countries from 2000 until 2020 is followed using fixed effects regression and Ordinary least squares (OLS) regression. The results of the analysis show the importance of institutional factors such as low levels of corruption, political freedoms, and intellectual property. The effect of institutional variables was particularly pronounced in the case of non‐EU countries, which indicates the particular importance of the development of stable institutions for achieving higher levels of economic development for this category of countries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Green innovation (GI) can enable win‒win style economic and ecological benefits. Using China's pilot scheme for the construction of the intellectual property protection (IPP) system as an example, this paper empirically tests the impact of IPP system reform on the GI level and its spatial spillover effect. The results show that IPP system reform has significantly promoted urban GI, indicating that a progressive reform model characterized by experimentalist governance is applicable to innovation policy practices in developing countries. The dynamic effect analysis shows that IPP system reform can be applied to continuously promote urban GI. The mechanism analysis shows that such use of IPP system reform can improve the level of urban GI by promoting investment and talent agglomeration, confirming the viewpoint of the institutionalist school. The heterogeneity analysis shows that IPP system reform plays a stronger role in promoting GI in peripheral cities than in central cities, in cities with lower rather than higher scientific and educational levels and in cities with weaker rather than stronger GI capacity. Consistent with the theory of institutional diffusion, IPP system reform has a significant spatial spillover effect, promoting GI activities in surrounding cities while working to improve the local GI level. This paper affirms the effectiveness of the pilot regional innovation policy with Chinese characteristics, with important theoretical significance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Internet of Things (IoT) powered by high level synthesis (HLS) provides huge opportunity of progress in the area of hardware design. However, the present era of hardware design involves globalization which poses security threat to the design integrators that rely on third party intellectual property (IP) cores for increasing design productivity at reduced design time. This paper presents for the first time in the literature, a low cost optimized hardware Trojan secured HLS approach for hardware (or application specific core) designs that is based on single or nested loop control data flow graphs (CDFG) applications. The paper presents multiple novel vendor allocation schemes (each with its own attribute of delay and area) as security constraint that yield Trojan secured schedules at behavioral level. Demonstration of the proposed approach on a nested loop case study asserts our proposed theory. Results on standard benchmarks indicate significant reduction in final solution cost compared to a similar approach. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Social media tools, including blogs, social networks, and media-sharing sites, help nutrition and dietetics practitioners reach broader audiences and connect directly with the public. In many ways, social media has transformed the practice of dietetics and has opened up new avenues for communicating food and nutrition information. Social media has been an effective tool for virtual nutrition counseling, patient education, peer-to-peer support, and public health campaigns. Increasingly, nutrition and dietetics practitioners are using social media to network and collaborate with colleagues, conduct a job search, stay current with new research, champion a cause, promote products or services, and build a business. The potential role of social media in the profession is far reaching, yet there are important guidelines to follow related to ethics and professionalism. When using social media, nutrition and dietetics practitioners must remember that they are governed by the same Code of Ethics that guides all other aspects of practice. In addition, it is critical to have a thorough understanding of all the factors related to social media professionalism, including disclosure rules from the Federal Trade Commission, patient/client privacy and confidentiality as covered by the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, and copyright laws that protect intellectual property. In today’s digital age, it is essential for nutrition and dietetics practitioners to recognize the professional opportunities and challenges of social media. Failing to effectively and ethically use social media can reflect poorly on the individual practitioner and the profession. Certain violations may have legal implications. The purpose of this Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics practice paper is to provide guidance on social media’s relevance, potential applications, best practices, benefits, and risks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Deep learning‐based models have become ubiquitous across a wide range of applications, including computer vision, natural language processing, and robotics. Despite their efficacy, one of the significant challenges associated with deep neural network (DNN) models is the potential risk of copyright leakage due to the inherent vulnerability of the entire model architecture and the communication burden of the large models during publishing. So far, it is still challenging for us to safeguard the intellectual property rights of these DNN models while reducing the communication time during model publishing. To this end, this paper introduces a novel approach using knowledge distillation techniques aimed at training a surrogate model to stand in for the original DNN model. To be specific, a knowledge distillation generative adversarial network (KDGAN) model is proposed to train a student model capable of achieving remarkable performance levels while simultaneously safeguarding the copyright integrity of the original large teacher model and improving communication efficiency during model publishing. Herein, comprehensive experiments are conducted to showcase the efficacy of model copyright protection, communication‐efficient model publishing, and the superiority of the proposed KDGAN model over other copyright protection mechanisms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

India's knowledge economy thrives on innovation, but financing such ventures requires alternatives to traditional tangible asset-based collateral. This paper explores the potential of intellectual property (IP) as a viable option. While challenges in valuation and enforcement exist, IP holds significant value. It is argued that IP acts as a two-pronged signal for lenders. Strong IP portfolios indicate a borrower's creditworthiness, while the potential loss of valuable IP discourages defaults. However, India's regulatory framework presents hurdles. Streamlining legal procedures, empowering financial institutions to assess IP value, and establishing centralised registries for recording security interests are crucial first steps. Risk mitigation strategies are equally important. Government-backed risk-sharing programmes and promoting IP insurance can incentivise banks and protect all parties. Finally, educating businesses about IP financing opportunities unlocks this avenue for securing funding. By addressing these challenges, India can create a robust environment for IP-based collateral, thereby fuelling economic growth and technological progress. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: With the global economic slowdown in 2023, most universities in the central and western regions of China may face the problem of shortage of government financial funding, which is directly related to the development of science and technology of the universities. With the support of the local government, most of the ordinary universities have shifted attention to the transfer and transformation of intellectual property based on school-enterprise cooperation, hoping to seek more commercialization income as an extra source of income. Therefore, this paper aimed to study the current situation of university intellectual property, i.e. the reserve and distribution of transferable patents, discipline distribution of patents, and regional cooperation of university patents. Design/methodology/approach: A patent database of 10 key universities in Henan Province of China from 2012 to 2021 was established. The evaluation indicator model by the Entropy method was conducted to reveal the interaction mechanism between quantity indicators, quality indicators, and value indicators. Based on the data analysis, the development direction of the discipline construction and school-enterprise cooperation for local universities was clear. Findings: The findings indicated that the number of patent applications from ten key universities in Henan Province has been increasing rapidly over the years. The trend for authorized invention patents has remained relatively stable. Compared with the patent applications and authorizations, the growth of transferable patents was notably slow. The significance of strategic layout of dominant disciplines and related high-value patents was not appreciated enough by Chinese government and universities. There was a large difference of dominant disciplines between 10 key universities, and the patent level of each university was directly proportional to the number of dominant disciplines. The university patent level heavily relied on the researchers' contributions and the distribution mechanism of scientific research resources within the university. Guangdong Province and the Yangtze River Delta of China, being economically developed regions, exhibited the most active engagement in patent technology cooperation. Conversely, the central and western regions displayed relatively lower participation in high-value patent research and development. Research limitations/implications: This study can provide a unique perspective to understand and solve the financial bottleneck problem of ordinary universities in the central and western regions of China. The discipline construction and school-enterprise cooperation are just one of the existing schemes, but it still cannot solve the financial problems faced by local universities in China towards the government. Practical implications: The findings of this study can serve as a foundation for further investigation into policies aimed at improving the financial problems of ordinary universities in the central and western regions of China. Originality/value: As an important attempt, the study tried to focus the financial problem of universities in the central and western regions of China based on the evaluation of the current situation of university intellectual property. This research findings are of great value in finding optimal layout between university patents, disciplines and school-enterprise cooperation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In order to adapt to the development of teaching informatization and meet the needs of students, teachers and parents, it is necessary to strengthen the active participation of students and integrate various curriculum resources, and improve teaching quality and the modes. Comprehensive multimedia software should be produced, including audiovisual and other sensory experiences. This is a concentrated expression of media diversity and networking, which not only breaks the traditional single-source education model, but also improves students' interest and enthusiasm for learning. As a new teaching tool, multimedia teaching uses the latest computer, multimedia and network technologies to make the presentation of teaching materials more dynamic. This is because it can break through the constraints of time and space and show a high degree of flexibility and interactivity. However, most multimedia teaching and learning in China are faced with problems such as poor interactivity, insufficient programming, product personalization, intellectual property rights and insufficient knowledge of software automation. Therefore, this paper designed the multimedia teaching system from the perspective of psychology through human-computer interaction, so as to improve the teaching quality and promote the diversified development of teaching. The results showed that the multimedia teaching improved by about 9% compared with the traditional model, and the students' learning effect also improved by about 11% compared with the traditional model. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A trademark's image is usually the first type of indirect contact between a consumer and a product or a service. Companies rely on graphical trademarks as a symbol of quality and instant recognition, seeking to protect them from copyright infringements. A popular defense mechanism is graphical searching, where an image is compared to a large database to find potential conflicts with similar trademarks. Despite not being a new subject, image retrieval state-of-the-art lacks reliable solutions in the Industrial Property (IP) sector, where datasets are practically unrestricted in content, with abstract images for which modeling human perception is a challenging task. Existing Content-based Image Retrieval (CBIR) systems still present several problems, particularly in terms of efficiency and reliability. In this paper, we propose a new CBIR system that overcomes these major limitations. It follows a modular methodology, composed of a set of individual components tasked with the retrieval, maintenance and gradual optimization of trademark image searching, working on large-scale, unlabeled datasets. Its generalization capacity is achieved using multiple feature descriptions, weighted separately, and combined to represent a single similarity score. Images are evaluated for general features, edge maps, and regions of interest, using a method based on Watershedding K-Means segments. We propose an image recovery process that relies on a new similarity measure between all feature descriptions. New trademark images are added every day to ensure up-to-date results. The proposed system showcases a timely retrieval speed, with 95% of searches having a 10 second presentation speed and a mean average precision of 93.7%, supporting its applicability to real-word IP protection scenarios. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents new evidence on knowledge flows in the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region of China, involving 43 cities (districts) in the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region, based on the invention patent transfer data from the State Intellectual Property Office of China. First, the characteristics of technology flows in the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region are analyzed in terms of changes in the number of flows, types of flowing subjects and spatial distribution characteristics. Then, a multi-level patent technology flow network in the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region was constructed, and the structural characteristics and node characteristics of each level network were explored separately. The key findings of the study are as follows. (1) The number of patented technology flows has been growing over time, showing obvious phase characteristics during the study period. As a whole, the intra-city (district) technology flow in the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region is higher than the inter-city (district). (2) The multi-level patent technology flow network in the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region shows dynamic characteristics, with more and more mobile subjects participating in the patent technology flow network, some network nodes becoming closer to each other, and the trend of small group technology flow increasing significantly. (3) Enterprises are the core hub of the patent technology flow network in Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region. Individual invention patent technology transfer also occupies a high proportion and the participation of universities and colleges in the patent technology flow network in the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region is gradually increasing. (4) Over time, the flow of patent technology in the 43 cities (districts) in the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region has gradually become active and no longer relies excessively on a particular city (district) for patent technology transfer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In December 2020, Singapore made global headlines by being the first country to approve the commercial sale of lab grown meat. This approval was part of an effort by the city state to intensify the development of novel foods on the island. This paper describes this recent growth of novel food companies in Singapore. Singapore's novel food policies ostensibly aim to create food security for its citizens. We argue that the embrace of the technology that surrounds novel foods also aligns with Singapore's vision of building a "smart nation." Although food is not a digital technology, the approaches to novel foods being taken in Singapore share many parallels with the rollout of digital technology. These parallels can be seen in the domains of standardization, regulation, intellectual property, data-gathering, and training. We anticipate that these shifts in procurement, regulation, consumption of foods, may ultimately challenge traditional food pathways and Singapore's food identity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Early industrialization of the developed countries has enabled their leadership in technological innovation, including environmentally sound technologies. ESTs are technologies that help prevent, control, or reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Endorsed as an integral part of climate action, a binding obligation to ensure access for global south to these technologies remains missing from international environment law and international intellectual property rights law. Transfer of technology also faces certain economic barriers such as lack of infrastructure and human resources that enable adoption and absorption of ESTs. Moreover, there exists ideological differences between developed countries and developing and least developed countries regarding mechanism of technology transfer, creating an impasse in international negotiations to achieve EST transfer. In this paper the author has attempted to reframe the discussion on transfer of ESTs through a climate justice perspective. An incorporation of the practical aspects of the common but differentiated responsibilities of the developed countries into the TRIPS regime, in the form of binding obligations to technology transfer and financial assistance, or relaxations in patent protections, may provide adequate resolution. A balanced and rational approach to EST transfer, beyond the exigencies of global politics, is necessary for the continued prosperity of the Earth. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Using the panel data of Chinese A-share listed companies from 2010 to 2019, this paper empirically tests the impact of intellectual property protection and religious culture on enterprise dynamic capabilities. It is found that intellectual property protection and religious culture have a significant promoting effect on the dynamic capabilities of enterprises. And there is a substitution effect between intellectual property protection and religious culture. After the robustness test, the benchmark research conclusion is still valid. Heterogeneity analysis shows that intellectual property protection and religious culture have heterogeneous effects on firms with different financing constraints. Further analysis shows that intellectual property protection can improve the innovation level of enterprises by improving dynamic capabilities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In recent years, machine learning (ML) has become increasingly popular in various fields of activity. Cloud platforms have also grown in popularity, as they offer services that are more secure and accessible worldwide. In this context, cloud-based technologies emerged to support ML, giving rise to the machine learning as a service (MLaaS) concept. However, the clients accessing ML services in order to obtain classification results on private data may be reluctant to upload sensitive information to cloud. The model owners may also prefer not to outsource their models in order to prevent model inversion attacks and to protect intellectual property. The privacy-preserving evaluation of ML models is possible through multi-key homomorphic encryption (MKHE), that allows both the client data and the model to be encrypted under different keys. In this paper, we propose an MKHE evaluation method for decision trees and we extend the proposed method for random forests. Each decision tree is evaluated as a single lookup table, and voting is performed at the level of groups of decision trees in the random forest. We provide both theoretical and experimental evaluations for the proposed method. The aim is to minimize the performance degradation introduced by the encrypted model compared to a plaintext model while also obtaining practical classification times. In our experiments with the proposed MKHE random forest evaluation method, we obtained minimal (less than 0.6%) impact on the main ML performance metrics considered for each scenario, while also achieving reasonable classification times (of the order of seconds). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In Safe Harbor for the Innocent Infringer in the Digital Age (Safe Harbor), I argued that certain classes of direct innocent infringers of copyright--namely, accidental and mea culpa infringers--should be afforded safe harbor from liability in light of current accepted online practices of users deemed essential for the proper functioning and progress of the Internet and digital technology. I offered a statutory amendment to Section 512 of the Copyright Act, one that would apply specifically to direct users and protect them in ways similar to the protections currently available to online service providers. In this Article, I approach the same topic from the damages phase and argue that a user's actual or constructive knowledge of a copyright holder's rights should be a factor in determining whether the holder's damages award should be limited to the currently discretionary minimum award. Knowledge could even serve to create a presumption of culpability during the damages phase after liability has been determined. However, notice of copyright alone should not serve as a complete bar to a defendant's ability to assert an innocent infringement defense that triggers a minimum statutory damage award. This approach is fairer and more just, especially in light of the fact that copyright infringement is a strict liability offense and exposes even the ordinary, low-level infringer to damage awards that are often questioned by commentators and judges alike as egregious and, in some cases, unconstitutional. Accordingly, I argue that in lieu of--or in addition to--my user safe harbor proposal in Safe Harbor, Congress should adopt a more meaningful minimum statutory damage award under Section 504(c) for certain classes of noncommercial infringement and commercial infringement causing little or no economic harm. This proposal would apply in cases where liability is established and the use is not otherwise legally permitted or excused. It would reduce statutory damage awards for technically infringing uses that support progress because they are socially beneficial, technologically desirable, or both. In light of the Department of Commerce's 2016 Internet Policy Task Force report on statutory damages and the Copyright Office Section 512 Roundtables on the same topic, I discuss the report's findings, as well as Canada's approach to user rights for illustrative purposes, against the backdrop of my own recommendations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite that access to justice is a universally recognized human right, comparative antitrust experience from both sides of the Atlantic demonstrates that bad faith litigation of intellectual property may constitute the abuse of dominance under the competition law. There has been an anti-monopoly case in China where bad faith litigation of intellectual property raised competition concerns, yet the Chinese anti-monopoly authority does not have sufficient experience in addressing these concerns, leaving some problems to be solved. Arguably, the Chinese authority neither provided a clear test for the assessment of bad faith litigation of intellectual property nor considered the interest balance in the case. This paper critically examines the US and EU approaches to analysing the bad faith litigation of intellectual property under antitrust law, and argues they in nature share a similar approach. In this regard, by learning from comparative experience, this paper suggests that China should establish an antitrust counterclaim in an infringement lawsuit of intellectual property and adopt a clear-up test for the bad faith litigation of intellectual property under the anti-monopoly law. Additionally, China should specify two specific circumstances: the first is related to a circumstance where the intellectual property holder has known that it was not entitled to any kind of legal intellectual property rights, and the second is related to another circumstance where the intellectual property in question becomes a standard. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper presents some aspects and examples of handling intellectual property (IP) at universities or R&D institutes regarding how to promote and to protect innovative results or products. The first example is an outline of a strategy for the implementation of a university policy in the field of intellectual property. The second example is the European IPEDU project and its implications in the continuing education of librarians. The project is an original initiative with ethical implications for and considerations of intellectual property. The paper focuses on the main result of the project: the postgraduate course with five modules aimed at librarians and recent graduates to strengthen their knowledge in the field of intellectual property and industrial property. The structure of the course and the main modules are outlined. This course is considered essential for librarians and non-law students, as understanding the wide range of relevant information and practical implications of intellectual property is critical in today's world of information-based careers. As a freshly accredited programme, it needs evaluation, because there has not yet been any feedback from the learners. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Lenin once defined imperialism as the highest stage of capitalism, since ownership was separated from the function of management, i.e., big capital was divorced from the running of enterprises, which was in the hands of professional managers. Nowadays, neo-imperialism is the final stage of imperialism because big capital is separated from production itself, and relies on its power to appropriate the benefits. Lenin maintained that the imperialist stage of capitalism emerged in Europe around the beginning of the twentieth century; this article holds that the stage of neo-imperialism emerged in the 1970s. In Lenin's view, the key economic characteristic of imperialism was the export of capital. In this article, the export of paper money is considered the key economic characteristic of neo-imperialism. Since exchanging paper money for gold ceased to be possible following the collapse of the Bretton Woods system, this money in essence amounts to IOUs. Furthermore, neo-imperialism utilizes intellectual property rights to exact rents, and charges carbon tributes for excess carbon emissions. Neo-imperialist nations that export IOUs engage in struggles against one another as changes occur in their relative strength. The end of neo-imperialism and the complete demise of capitalism are not only inevitable, but also not particularly distant. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The study utilizes bibliometrics to explore papers and patents in the field of fuel cell to examine the scientific and technical development in the area. The research data were retrieved from the WOS database and USPTO patent data from the period between 1991 and 2010, which consists of 20,758 papers and 8,112 patents. The authors analyzed numbers of papers and patents to examine the trends in the papers and patents in different countries, organizations and individuals. The results indicate upward growth in both papers and patents in fuel cell, with a higher growth rate for papers. The study shows that major paper and patent output are concentrated in a small number of countries. An imbalance exists between the number of papers published and the patents granted in organizations. The organizations that published papers and patents vary in type and category. Very few individual researchers are able to produce high numbers of both papers and patents. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Photocatalytic paper encompasses a range of materials based on paper and nonwoven fabrics which performs a function based on the light-activated catalytic activity of colloidal TiO2. The literature describing photocatalytic paper is surveyed, including mechanisms, applications, limitations and future opportunities. The technology is in its infancy with less than 10 patents and as many scientific publications appearing over the last decade. The main applications described are the destruction of organic molecules (mineralization) and photo-disinfection (sterilization). These disclosures build upon a much larger literature describing photochemical properties of TiO2 both supported on non-cellulose substrates or simply as suspended particles in water or air. Current photocatalytic paper developments include methods to fix TiO2 to cellulose substrates to minimize photochemical damage to the paper. Another theme is the use of multiple approaches, such as zeolites, for enhanced mineralization, and metals, such as silver and copper, for enhanced photocatalytic disinfection. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The push towards research commercialisation at universities has highlighted the importance of intellectual property (IP) policies in fostering innovation and guiding and managing research commercialisation activities. This paper undertakes a content analysis of intellectual property policies of all (37) Australian public universities, focusing on policy objectives, definition of IP, ownership of IP created by different creators, and distribution of net commercialisation revenues. It is found that all universities assert ownership over staff-created IP, particularly when related to employment or utilisation of university resources. For students, policies tend to balance their rights with university interests, with nuanced approaches for different types of student participation, but the focus of most policies was on postgraduate students engaging in research activities. While some policies had clear arrangements for IP created by visitors and affiliates and Indigenous cultural and intellectual property (ICIP), about a quarter of policies did not specify arrangements for these groups. Revenue sharing arrangements vary but generally award something between a third to a half of net revenue to creators, to both acknowledge their contribution and incentivise further innovation. Policies included a broad spectrum of objectives, from protecting and commercialising IP to fostering innovation and societal benefit, reflecting varying strategies across the higher education sector. Policies could benefit from further clarity in certain areas such as the rights of students or other creator groups. Research is needed to assess the effectiveness of these policies and their influence on innovation and commercialisation activities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Interoperable multi-vendor High-Voltage Direct-Current (HVDC) grids are a key enabler for the integration of renewable energy (in particular offshore wind) and its transmission over longer distances to consumers. However, most HVDC systems today are single-vendor and point-to-point. Various technical and non-technical aspects need to be considered, for example, (real-time) testing, legal aspects (intellectual property and regulation), and the multi-vendor interoperability process. This paper presents findings from the READY4DC project, which is a larger and open European effort involving diverse stakeholders, including HVDC manufacturers, transmission system operators, wind developers, academia, and research institutes. It summarizes key technical recommendations, emphasizing comprehensive interaction studies and the development of a structured legal framework to facilitate the development and operation of a multi-vendor, multi-terminal HVDC grid. The READY4DC project highlights the need for increased harmonization, transparent communication among stakeholders, and future-oriented research to ensure the robustness and interoperability of interconnected grids. Collaborative efforts are key for addressing technical complexities and advancing the deployment of multi-vendor multi-terminal HVDC technology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BACKGROUND: Exosomes have become one of the frontiers of biomedical research in recent years because of their promising applications in clinical diagnosis and therapy. OBJECTIVE: To reveal the basic research and technology development trend of exosomes at home and abroad, and provide suggestions for related scientific and technological research and development in China. METHODS: This paper presented a quantitative analysis of the overall research and development situation, the frontier hotspots and future development trends in this research area by means of bibliometric methods and tools. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION: The research and development hotspots in this area have entered a high growth phase with the application of new tools and methods. Many new technologies and products are facing clinical applications and markets with the development of a large number of clinical translation experiments. Comparative analysis at home and abroad reveals that China has made more remarkable achievements in basic research in this field, but there are still weaknesses in the possession of independent intellectual property rights, clinical technology translation, and regulatory system standardization and management, which need to be further strengthened in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Artificial intelligence technology has developed rapidly in recent years. While improving the convenience of labor, it also has a certain impact on the current legal system. In particular, artificial intelligence products presently align with the external characteristics of objects protected under intellectual property laws. Consequently, numerous scholars argue that they warrant protection as intellectual property rights, sparking considerable debate. Taking into account the value pursuit of intellectual property law, the stability of the system, and the internal requirements of the objects it protects, this paper proposes denying intellectual property attributes of artificial intelligence products. Instead, it suggests affirming their legal status as fruits and establishing a civil protection framework under the concept of "fruits mode." [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Over the past few years, machine learning models have significantly increased in size and complexity, especially in the area of generative AI such as large language models. These models require massive amounts of data andcomputecapacitytotrain,totheextentthatconcerns over the training data (such as protected or private content)cannotbepracticallyaddressedbyretrainingthe model"fromscratch"withthequestionabledataremoved or altered. Furthermore, despite significant efforts and controls dedicated to ensuring that training corpora are properly curated and composed, the sheer volume re- quiredmakesitinfeasibletomanuallyinspecteachdatum comprising a training corpus. One potential approach to training corpus data defects is model disgorgement, by which we broadly mean the elimination or reduction of not only any improperly used data, but also the effects of improperly used data on any component of an ML model. Model disgorgement techniques can be used to address a wide range of issues, such as reducing bias or toxicity, increasing fidelity, and ensuring responsible use of intellectual property. In this paper, we survey the land- scape of model disgorgement methods and introduce a taxonomyofdisgorgementtechniquesthatareapplicable to modern ML systems. In particular, we investigate the variousmeaningsof"removingtheeffects"ofdataonthe trained model in a way that does not require retraining from scratch [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To promote the theoretical research and business development of intellectual property pledge financing, this paper summarizes the research status of multi-agent game in intellectual property pledge financing. At present, scholars' research on multi-agent game in intellectual property pledge financing mainly focuses on the game between borrowers and lenders, the game between lenders and third-party intermediaries (or platforms), and the game between borrowers, lenders and third-party intermediaries (or platforms). Overall, scholars have conducted extensive research on the game between borrowers and lenders, while research on the game between borrowers, lenders, and third-party intermediaries (or platforms) is relatively weak. Especially when the government implements financial subsidies and interest subsidies for borrowers, financial subsidies for third-party intermediaries (or platforms), and risk compensation for lenders, there is a lack of research on the intellectual property pledge financing game with the government as an independent game subject. Future research can focus on the game between borrowers, lenders, and the government under government incentives, as well as the game between borrowers, lenders, third-party intermediaries (or platforms) and the government under government incentives. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Genetically modified (GM) crops have been on the market for almost 27 years and since the beginning have been protected by intellectual property (IP) rights that restrict their use and commercialization by third parties. In addition, their development is typically associated with elevated costs, making their production by public research institutions extremely difficult, especially in developing countries. Nevertheless, many patents for the first generation of GM crops have already expired, and others will do so soon, opening the path to generic GM crops. Using technologies in the public domain makes it possible to deliver GM seeds adapted to the local environment at affordable prices. This paper describes the development of the first Latin American off-patent GM corn and discusses the relevant IP and regulatory issues that allowed its commercial release in Colombia. The approach exposed here can be utilized for other crops or characteristics of agronomic interest. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The cultural diversity brought by migrants has attracted widespread interest in recent years. This paper investigates the relationship between migrant cultural diversity and regional innovation by constructing panel data of provincial migrant cultural diversity and combining them with invention applications data from China's State Intellectual Property Office. The empirical results show that the migrant cultural diversity, measured by migrant's hukou and dialect respectively, has a positive impact on regional innovation. The effect still holds after a series of robustness tests and addressing endogeneity issues. Furthermore, the further analysis implies that the effects of the migrant cultural diversity in workers aged from 30 to 50, engaged in an innovative occupation, working in high market‐competitiveness or inclusive provinces are more pronounced. Our study supplements the current research on the relationship between migrant cultural diversity and regional innovation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To adhere to and capitalize on the benefits of the FAIR (findable, accessible, interoperable, and reusable) principles in agricultural genome-to-phenome studies, it is crucial to address privacy and intellectual property issues that prevent sharing and reuse of data in research and industry. Direct sharing of genotype and phenotype data is often prohibited due to intellectual property and privacy concerns. Thus, there is a pressing need for encryption methods that obscure confidential aspects of the data, without affecting the outcomes of certain statistical analyses. A homomorphic encryption method for genotypes and phenotypes (HEGP) has been proposed for single-marker regression in genome-wide association studies (GWAS) using linear mixed models with Gaussian errors. This methodology permits frequentist likelihood-based parameter estimation and inference. In this paper, we extend HEGP to broader applications in genome-to-phenome analyses. We show that HEGP is suited to commonly used linear mixed models for genetic analyses of quantitative traits including genomic best linear unbiased prediction (GBLUP) and ridge-regression best linear unbiased prediction (RR-BLUP), as well as Bayesian variable selection methods (e.g. those in Bayesian Alphabet), for genetic parameter estimation, genomic prediction, and GWAS. By advancing the capabilities of HEGP, we offer researchers and industry professionals a secure and efficient approach for collaborative genomic analyses while preserving data confidentiality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

ChatGPT, an artificial intelligence large language model, took the world by storm in November 2022. Its launch was met with excitement, and it garnered over 1 million users within the first five days of its release, surpassing social media giants like Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and even the top search engine, Google. Having been trained on volumes of data, ChatGPT has displayed the ability to produce human-like responses to questions. Concerns have been raised among members of the academic and research community regarding the ethical usage of ChatGPT and language models in education and academic/scientific research. This paper examines the development and rise of ChatGPT and similar AI tools, their pros and cons, their impact on academic research and possible intellectual property conflicts. It concludes that ChatGPT and language models are here to stay and makes recommendations for its ethical usage to prevent and detect plagiarism and protect intellectual property rights. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The setting up by the African Union of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), which should govern matters relating to, inter alia, trade in goods and services, investment, trade facilitation, intellectual property rights, and competition policy is a step in the right direction. However, this paper argues that the limited inclusion of informal economy actors such as informal cross border traders (ICBTs) appears to undermine the potential of the AfCFTA as the architecture for inclusive socio-economic development in Africa. The paper advances the need for African countries to craft policies which are sensitive to and respond to the circumstances of ordinary people on the ground and not a wholesale application of policies such as neoclassical integration theory, the outcome of which deserts ordinary people. Such policies must be transcendental to the extent of being informed by views from the ground, which does not appear to be the case with the AfCFTA on the score of ICBTs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper explores cycles in innovative outcomes corresponding with the timing of political turnover. Using data on local government officials and firm level innovation activities in China, firm innovation is found to be negatively associated with a turnover of local political leaders. We examine several potential explanations and find evidence supporting the premise that political turnover reduces firms' incentives to innovate until the uncertainty is resolved. This paper also indicates that local political turnover significantly inhibits firms' research and development investment, government subsidies, and expansion decisions, leading to less innovative outcomes. Moreover, reductions in innovation are greater in cities with higher levels of government expenditure or intellectual property rights trials, or in smaller firms or non-state-owned enterprises during the rotation of local government leaders. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Colombian industrial sector is widely recognized as a good example of a diversified economy. At present, Colombian government is seeking to deepen this outstanding feature by favouring activities in new sectors intensive in knowledge and capital. Biotechnology offers an opportunity to integrate its great biological diversity into research and development (R&D) activities. A public policy paper published last year depicts a set of activities considered essential to achieve the consolidation of biotechnological sector in Colombia. On the other hand, past and current activities deployed in the context of so called Bio Trade initiatives have demonstrated to offer little space to R&D activities by public sector research institutions. This paper aims to illustrate the importance of up-stream research undertaken by public sector research institutions as well as the relevance of Intellectual property management as enabling tools for the consolidation of biotechnological sector. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sellers of Native ceremonies offer the opportunity to non-Natives to participate in ceremonial traditions with roots in Native spiritual communities-- for a price. These "plastic shamans " have appropriated some Native ceremonies, sometimes with fatal results. Commodifying these spiritual practices removes important communal identities from their sources and furthers the stereotype that Native communities and their cultural practices are relics of the past--a concept reinforced through divorcing cultural practices from vibrant, modern Native societies struggling to maintain an identity. In response to ceremonial appropiiation by plastic shamans, some Native spiritual communities have sued operators of botched ceremonies, and have further advocated for legal protection of Native ceremonies in Western legal concepts. However, Western law misses the mark. While spiritual identity is offered protection through exemptions to generally applicable laws, the Western requirement of a brightline object to represent spiritual identity does not allow for the protection of an intangible ceremony from appropriation. Furthermore, Western concepts of intellectual property are market based, and directly conflict with the intent to protect Native ceremonies from being commodified. These conflicting values demonstrate the tension in protecting spiritual identity. And when Native cultural composition, transformative ceremonial practice, and distributions of ceremonies between Native groups are taken into account, the difficulty becomes even more apparent. This Comment explores the approach of current Western laws seeking to protect cultural heritage, and then applies one Native proposal through a First Amendment analysis to demonstrate the difficulty of protecting Native spiritual identity in Western law. Some of the current means of protecting and preserving Native spiritual identity make appropriation even easier through documentation requirements. While there is a compelling reason to protect Native ceremonies from appropriation, Western courts are limited in their ability to favor one group's religious practices over another. This Comment concludes that while difficult to protect in law, public awareness is the most likely cure to prevent shopping for spirituality--enlightenment and selfactualization cannot be bought off-the-shelf with the clerk asking at checkout "paper, or plastic?" [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article summarizes the discussion at a forum hosted by the University of Akron School of Law's Center for Intellectual Property and Technology on October 26, 2012 regarding the problems with the patent system and the use of health information proprietarily and their potential solutions. Topics covered include alternatives to the patent system, incentives for health-related innovations, and IP law's role in resolving the conflicts of IP with other non-IP values that are important in health.

There has been a long history of research into the structure and evolution of mankind's scientific endeavor. However, recent progress in applying the tools of science to understand science itself has been unprecedented because only recently has there been access to high-volume and high-quality data sets of scientific output (e.g., publications, patents, grants) and computers and algorithms capable of handling this enormous stream of data. This article reviews major work on models that aim to capture and recreate the structure and dynamics of scientific evolution. We then introduce a general process model that aim to capture and recreate the structure and dynamics of scientific evolution. We then introduce a general process model that simultaneously grows coauthor and paper citation networks. The statistical and dynamic property of the networks generated by this model are validated against a 20-year data set of article published in PNAS. Systematic deviations from a power law distribution of citations to papers are well fit by a model that incorporates a partitioning of authors and papers into topics, a bias for authors to cite recent papers, and a tendency for authors to cite papers cited by papers, and a tendency for authors to cite papers cited by papers that they have read. In this TARL Model (for topics, aging, and recursive linking), the number of topics is linearly related to the clustering coefficient of the simulated paper citation network. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]