Towards an EC directive on plant breeder's rights?

Legal context: Although ‘Brussels’ has established many Directivesand Regulations in the field of IP law during the last two decades,there is still no Council Directive on plant breeder's rights. Key points: The article first examines the current national plant varietyprotection laws in force in the EC Member States. It then focuseson some figures with regard to national applications and Communityapplications for plant breeder's rights filed in the years 2001–2005.Subsequently, it discusses a number of optional provisions laiddown in the 1991 UPOV Convention and it points out the manydifferences in national laws that result from this UPOV text.In particular, it draws attention to national differences withregard to the protection of products made directly from harvestedmaterial, the farmer's privilege, and the term of protection. Practical significance: The article concludes that national applications for plant varietyprotection still play a significant role next to Community applications.It argues that the establishment of a Directive would be worthconsidering, as the differences between the laws of the MemberStates lead to barriers to the free movement of goods and toa distortion of the conditions of competition on the commonmarket.     

Reduce optimisation time and effort: Taguchi experimental design methods

Development and validation of new methods and technologies frequently require long periods of time and high costs to determine the optimal system. A commonly used approach to optimisation is the factorial method, where each variable is tested at every level of the other variables. An alternative approach is to modify the experimental design using a multifactorial approach. The Taguchi design method utilises orthogonal arrays, which distribute the variables in a balanced manner, thus greatly reducing the number of experiments required. We applied the Taguchi experimental design method to PCR optimisation, and significantly reduced the number of reactions required to create highly successful reactions. We found the Taguchi design method a valuable tool for the optimisation of multifactor experiments.     

Does Sanskrit Knowledge Exist?

This paper addresses the near impossibility of writing the social history of knowledge production in India. It also considers the question of the historicity of Sanskrit traditions. It concludes with pointing at a major lacuna in the SKS project, namely the examination or ritual and religious knowledge.     

The incantations of the EU organised crime policy making

This article provides an analysis of the knowledge base of organised crime assessments and policy making in the European Union. It is argued that the current European organised crime (threat) assessments are no reliable and relevant instruments to make meaningful statements about organised crime. The data collection system of the current assessments is defective and to a large extent dependant on what Member States decide to disclose and not based on clear developed concepts, definitions and methods. There is no discernable “counting unit” as a basis for deducing threats or risks. More fundamental: the definition or criteria list used is defective, providing no basis for further deductions or conclusions. The conclusions of the open versions of the European reports are of a very general nature, not substantially different from what can be found in open sources. Though European decision making claims to be founded on these assessments, it looks more like a ritual incantation than a knowledge based process.

---

The effects of physical effort on police officers' perception and aggression in simulated shooting incidents

Abstract

In the present experiment the effects of physical effort on police officers' aggression and perception in simulates shooting incidents were investigated. Based upon Kahneman's (1973) variable-allocation capacity model it was hypothesized that physical effort will result in a decease in aggression towards aggressive offenders. Based upon Kahneman's model and Easterbrook's (1959) Cue-Utilization-Hypothesis it was further expected that this decrease in aggression will be caused by an incorrect judgement of the aggression of aggressive offenders (and not by an impaired perception). The findings confirmed these hypotheses.     

Uniform Rules for Contract Disputes: Putting Activity-Related Jurisdiction on the Agenda

Netherlands International Law Review - This article addresses the need for uniform jurisdiction rules in cross-border contractual disputes and attempts to put it back on the diplomatic agenda. It...     

Globalisation: concept, outcome, future—a continental view

‘Tax policy takes place in times of globalisation’, runs the invitation to the conference. This note focuses on the last notion. It examines the concept of globalisation, which is a major characteristic of capitalism, its free-trade aspect. A preliminary definition is required, since globalisation is often used without prior definition and even as a synonym of internationalisation. Thirty years ago it was not to be found in a dictionary. Another concept, the human rights is related to globalisation and is cherished by the globalisation’s supporters. It is the subject of a separate section. The hypotheses underlying the free-trade doctrine and the extent to which the facts correspond to them are discussed after that. The next part deals with the globalisation’s effects on the economic system, the culture and the social environment. The decline of capitalism since the eighties and still more its collapse in 2008 had heavy consequences for its essence and its outcome. This paper ends with some considerations on the future of globalisation, more particularly the American and European position in this respect. Nothing seems to stop its further triumphal procession.     

Strategic Narratives of the Past: An Analysis of China’s New Silk Road Communication

ABSTRACT

Political actors communicate strategic narratives to shape the meaning of place-images in the past, present and future. Whether narratives about the past are persuasive depends on the translation of historical ideas embedded in these narratives across time and space. Moreover, the imagination and re-imagination of historical place-images in foreign policy communication are contentious, because they stand for specific power relations and identity narratives. Therefore, actor’s selective uses of history require disambiguation to increase positive perception. This abstract argument is theorised in an investigation of China’s Belt and Road Initiative, specifically the communication of a New Silk Road. China’s promotion of the Silk Road legacy is frequently contested with Great Game interpretations. Through the novels of Marco Polo and Rudyard Kipling, which present historical imaginations of the Silk Road and the Great Game, this study shows the contentiousness of historical place-images across time and space.