Intellectual property (IP) management: organizational processes and structures, and the role of IP donations

This paper examines intellectual property (IP) management in U.S. companies and addresses three questions: What are typical sources of IP? How do companies manage IP? What role do donations of IP play in IP management? We used in-depth interviews and an on-line survey to gather data. We found that firms develop their IP position from a wide variety of sources such as joint ventures, acquisitions, and consulting contracts, but internal development is still the primary source of IP. Organizationally, three structural archetypes of IP management were identified: a centralized structure, a purely decentralized IP structure and a compromise structure involving a divisional assignment where a multi-business unit or division committee oversees IP. IP donations clearly do not appear to be a major phenomenon at the present time. Our survey results suggest that tax benefits are an important driver and that recent tax law changes have diminished the incentives to donate IP. The uncertainty of tax benefits and the costs associated with IP valuation appear to be the main disincentives.     

Sudden infant death with periventricular leukomalacia

Periventricular leukomalacia (PVL) is a form of cerebral infarction occurring in neonates, particularly in low-weight and premature infants. PVL is well-known to neonatologists, but generally considered nonfatal. Many infants with PVL die in the hospital with multiple medical problems. Those infants with PVL who survive because of intensive care will have serious motor and sensory deficits, but these problems are rarely recognized before one year of age. When infants with PVL die at home, death seems sudden and unexpected. However, it is important to distinguish death caused by PVL from the Sudden Infant Death Syndrome because the implications for the family are quite different. This case report emphasizes that PVL may be fatal.     

Black and white complainants and the police: A comparison of individual and contextual characteristics

Citizens have always had an important role in the crime control process; they are most often responsible for the detection of crime. It is imperative, therefore, that citizens perceive police officers to be competent and just in the execution of their duties; in the absence of such confidence, the process suffers. Ironically, the groups which are most often the victims of crime hold the most negative attitudes toward the police. Minorities in urban communities, particularly blacks, fit this pattern. These attitudes appear to be linked to the perception of negative, differential experiences with the police, experiences which often lead to the filing of a formal complaint. Using a data set from the complaint files of a large American city, this article explores the relationship between the attitudes of blacks toward the police, experiences with the police, and complaints lodged against the police.     

Improving linear computer assisted learning

This paper draws upon research done at the Centre for Law and Computing at the University of Durham into different types of Computer Assisted Learning ('CAL') programs in law. The research concentrates on linear CAL programs and the features which authors may wish to incorporate into their programs in order to increase their effectiveness. It examines four linear CAL programs which were written with the specific goal of developing an understanding of basic legal principles. The findings of the research highlight the limitations of linear CAL, whilst making several specific suggestions how such programs should be implemented and enhanced.