Debate on patentability of biotechnological studies in Turkey.

The article examines the legislative attempts to regulate the protection of biotechnological inventions through patent in Turkey. In line with the membership process of Turkey to the European Union, the Turkish Draft Law on the Protection of the Patent Rights is in compatible course with the Directive 98/44 EC of the European Parliament and of the Council on the Legal Protection of Biotechnological Inventions. According to, the present article holds a critical view towards the Turkish Draft Law on the Protection of the Patent Rights and the EU Directive. Concepts of invention, discovery, simple and qualified invention that are in the both instruments are especially examine.     

A Pre-Trial Domestic Violence Intensive Supervision Unit: Exploring Case Seriousness and Successful Disposition

This study measures the seriousness of domestic violence cases from the population of cases (N = 96) sentenced to a pre-trial domestic violence intensive supervision unit in one county probation office in Florida from April 1, 2006, to April 30, 2007. No significant differences were found in seriousness across sex, self-reported drug use, or attorney type. Furthermore, no relationship was found between the number of special conditions imposed by the court and the seriousness index value for a case. However, non-Whites had a significantly higher mean case seriousness index than Whites. Findings suggest that using the seriousness index presented in this study, some of the cases examined were not serious enough to warrant being sentenced to the pre-trial domestic violence intensive supervision unit. Implications for future research, including the use of lethality assessments, are addressed.     

Etiological Similarities Between Psychological and Physical Aggression in Intimate Relationships: A Behavioral Genetic Exploration

Previous research has consistently shown that there is a strong association between psychological and physical aggression in intimate relationships. Theories as to why this association exists include that they have a single underlying etiology with differing thresholds, or they have separate etiologies and there is a two-step process by which psychological aggression moves to physical. The current study suggests that these two theories are not necessarily competing theories. The genetic and environmental covariance between psychological and physical intimate partner aggression were examined in 134 monozygotic (MZ) and 41 dizygotic (DZ) twin pairs. Results showed that psychological and physical aggression have largely the same genetic etiology, and any differences between the two are a function of differing nonshared environmental influences.     

Forest for the Trees: Economics of Joint Dominance

Recent court rulings, e.g., in the Gencor and Airtours cases, and the new EC Merger Regulation hint that the legal concept of joint dominance in oligopolistic markets should be interpreted as the economic concept of collusion. This is sensible and based on accepted economic theory. I discuss how competitive assessment in case law has taken some economics lessons seriously but ignored others. Economists and antitrust practitioners seem to speak past each other on these issues. This paper attempts to bridge the gap, and to clarify the concepts of joint dominance and coordination of market behavior. I discuss some recent advances in economic theory and empirical economic evidence related to joint dominance in order to draw policy conclusions.JEL Classification: L40, K21This article is a part of the joint research program of BRIE, the Berkeley Roundtable on the International Economy at the University of California at Berkeley, and ETLA, the Research Institute of the Finnish Economy (). Financial support from Nokia and the National Technology Agency (Tekes) is gratefully acknowledged. The article has benefited from comments by Ilkka Aalto-Setälä, Petri Kuoppamäki, Pekka Ylä-Anttila, and two anonymous referees. All opinions expressed and errors made are those of the author.     

CONFLICTING ROLES IN CHILD CUSTODY MEDIATION

This article will first discuss the conflict in the mediator's role as a neutral and impartial third party with no interest in the outcome and his or her role as guardian or advocate for the best interests of the child. That discussion will define terms, consider the legal standard for the best interests of the child as it is used by the courts, and lay out how the legal standard is problematic in general but even more so for mediators. Part 3 will discuss options for mediators attempting to resolve this conflict by looking at a continuum of alternatives, using examples of opening statements that illustrate positions ranging from extreme nonintervention to complete inte mention. An assessment follows each example.     

Konflikte durch Bäume an der Grenze

In letzter Zeit sind mehrere Urteile des BGH und auch von Oberlandesgerichten veröffentlicht worden, die sich mit Konflikten zwischen Grundstücksnachbarn wegen Bäumen befassen; sie geben in mancher Hinsicht Anlass zu Überlegungen und Erörterungen. Im Einzelnen geht es um folgende Aspekte: