Intellectual property strategies for US security and privacy

Legal context. Some state legislatures are considering billswhich would require those applying for a driver’s licenceto provide one or more biometric identifiers. The US federalgovernment is tending towards eavesdropping on conversationsand investing in data mining efforts while on the other handanti "big-brother" technologies are also emerging to counterthis trend and protect privacy. The demand for technology toprotect privacy will no doubt increase as the demand for defenceand security spending increases. We also live in a world wherebioterrorist acts are a constant threat and therefore demandfor biological detection devices and nanotechnology is growingdaily. Key points. Current technology advances in biometrics, surveillance,biological detection and nanotechnology can be used both toprotect and to jeopardize the security and privacy of individuals.As such, the importance of intellectual property in these areascannot be underestimated. Practical significance. Companies are advised to ‘go onthe offensive’. All companies should aggressively protecttheir core technology in numerous facets such as patent protection,copyright, trade marks and trade secrets. In the high tech arenathis is especially important because the demand for securityand privacy necessitates the development of advanced applicationsand in turn the quality of protectable IP for the companiesthat develop the technology increases. Additionally, companiesshould also pursue an offensive strategy that includes analyzingemerging standards and competitor focus so that they can acquirea competitive advantage or secure cross-licensing of another’stechnology.     

Court finds software patent wilfully infringed but refuses to enjoin the infringement

In the wake of the US Supreme Court's recent decision in eBayv MercExchange, a Texas district court has refused to enjoinMicrosoft's ongoing patent infringement, holding that no presumptionof irreparable injury should be given to the patentee even whenthe patent is upheld by a jury and is found to be wilfully infringed.     

School bullying and tackling strategies in Hong Kong

In view of the rising problem of school bullying in Hong Kong, scholars have endeavored to study the prevalence, causes, and tackling strategies of school bullying. This article highlights some typical incidences of school violence and reports research results of school bullying. It is noted unresolved school bullying problems are often a precursor of school violence and delinquency. Based on results from local studies of bullying, this article identifies risk and protective factors that contribute to the emergence and continuation of the bullyvictim problem in Hong Kong. The article argues that suppressive tactics, such as reprimanding bullies, calling parents to school, and suspension, are ineffective. Other than suppressive tactics, adopting a comprehensive antibullying strategy such as assisting students to develop adequate self-competency, strong social skills, and good relationships with parents and teachers seems to be a useful antiviolence strategy.     

Health insurance for Americans approaching age sixty-five: an analysis of options for incremental reform

This article provides a systematic evaluation of the options for incremental health insurance reforms aimed at older Americans nearing age sixty-five. It presents three basic arguments for giving special consideration to this age group: (1) early retirement and its effect on access to employer insurance; (2) changes in health and health care expenses associated with increasing age; (3) the vulnerability to unexpected economic or health "shocks" that will affect people throughout their retirement. The analysis of policy options begins by specifying criteria for evaluating alternative approaches to reform. The proposed criteria emphasize that reforms for this age group should be designed to fit with other financial plans and decisions made during such a transitional stage of life. Policy options should be judged according to fundamental goals such as equity and efficiency, not simply ranked according to the number of uninsured who will gain coverage. After offering a comprehensive catalog and evaluation of available options, the analysis identifies and discusses a preferred approach-which preserves choices while offering universal and subsidized access to Medicare before age sixty-five.     

Consistency and Accuracy of Batterer Typology Identification

Researchers in the field of domestic violence have derived “typologies” to better conceptualize the differences found among batterers (e.g., Holtzworth-Monroe and Stuart [1994]. Psychol. Bull. 116: 476–497). Efforts have since been made to evaluate clinicians' accuracy in classifying batterers into subtypes (Langhinrichsen-Rohling, Huss, and Ramsey [2000]. J. Fam. Violence 15: 37–53). The present study investigated the accuracy and consistency with which experienced clinicians could sort profiles into an empirically derived MCMI-based batterer typology (Hamberger, Lohr, Bonge, and Tolin [1996] Violence Vict. 11: 277–292). Seven PhD level psychologists with experience in the field of domestic violence were asked to sort 36 MCMI profiles into three piles. Each pile was represented by each of the three prototypical cluster types described in Hamberger et al. (1996) using the Basic 8 MCMI subscales. Overall, expert raters were able to sort most profiles into the three clusters accurately. However, the expert raters had the most difficulty correctly sorting some of the “nonpathological” profiles, as 40% were placed into the antisocial cluster and (6%) were sorted into the negativistic-dependent cluster. There are a number of possible explanations for the lower accuracy in sorting the nonpathological cluster. Results suggest that psychologists with domestic violence training can accurately sort MCMI profiles of batterers into the main three subtypes derived from empirically-based typology research. Clinical implications for typology assessment are discussed.     

Drug and violence prevention: Rediscovering the critical rational dimension of evaluation research

Following criticism of government-funded drug prevention activities of the early 1990s, a spate of best practice or science-based lists of alcohol, drug and violence prevention programs have been produced by federal agencies in recent years. The writings of Donald T. Campbell on validity have had a profound influence on the development of the methodological quality scales that have been utilized in the review processes used to generate these lists. Implicit in this approach to the identification of science-based prevention programs is the idea that science is equivalent to research methodology and study design. Following Karl Popper and Campbell, I contend that, while certain designs are clearly better than others in dealing with threats to internal validity and allow for better generalization of results beyond the study population, utilization of these designs in and of itself is not sufficient to designate an evaluation study as scientific. Nor can the accumulation of data from such studies be used to proclaim an entire area of research a science, as has occurred with the field of so-called prevention science. Rather, the fundamental criterion by which to judge the scientific status of a theory is falsifiability. If the field of drug and violence prevention is truly a science, then it should be subjecting its predictions about the effects of intervention programs to genuinely critical tests and not attempting to verify these hypotheses. It is argued that it has failed to do this, and two specific examples of prevention programs that appear on a number of science-based lists of prevention programs are discussed.     

Racial Solidarity and Political Participation

Studies conducted in the 1960s and 1970s generally confirmed that racial group solidarity boosted rates of participation among African Americans. But since the 1980s, research has tended to conclude that the effect of solidarity on voter turnout among blacks and other minorities has moderated if not faded entirely. We hypothesize that part of this observed decline is explained by a dilution of measures of group solidarity in recent studies. We argue that a fair test of racial solidarity requires using a comprehensive measure that incorporates both psychological “identification” and the ideological beliefs that comprise “consciousness.” Moreover, we hypothesize that the effects of solidarity, will vary across forms of participation and be greatest on political activities that require group coordination. Our re-analysis of the 1984 NBES using separate measures of identification and consciousness indicates that the more narrowly circumscribed measures of these concepts used in recent studies are likely to have underestimated its influence on political participation. We show that racial identification and consciousness had a modest effect on voting turnout in 1984, but a significant influence on participation in several traditional campaign activities, petitioning government officials, and especially participation in protests and boycotts.     

The effects of mass media on crime prevention awareness,attitudes, and behavior: The case of crime stoppers

Research has been limited on the effects of mass media in increasing awareness of and participation in crime prevention programs. Mass media campaigns have been criticized as ineffective because they are neither informative nor motivating. Crime Stoppers is a program that appears responsive to these criticisms. The program involves dramatic reenactment of unsolved crimes and promises monetary rewards and anonymity for persons with information leading to the arrest or conviction of criminals. The present research examines the effects of Crime Stoppers on awareness, attitudes, and behaviors. Implications for theory and policy are discussed.