九味书屋 > 文学经管电子书 > 30+mba >

第55部分

30+mba-第55部分

小说: 30+mba 字数: 每页4000字

按键盘上方向键 ← 或 → 可快速上下翻页,按键盘上的 Enter 键可回到本书目录页,按键盘上方向键 ↑ 可回到本页顶部!
————未阅读完?加入书签已便下次继续阅读!



Kerviel plans to file a plaint for unfair dismissal and extract 
pensation from his employer based around three points of defence。 
First; Societé Générale appears to have terminated his contract without 
a face…to…face meeting; as is required by French labour laws。 
Second; the bank’s losses may only have occurred while unwinding 
Kerviel’s positions in January 2008; during what was an unprecedented 
period of global stock market turbulence。 This situation makes it unclear 
exactly how much responsibility Kerviel bears for the total losses。 
Third; he had no obvious motive and seems to have made no personal 
profit from his trades。 In fact his behaviour has made him a folk hero in 
France; with over 150 Facebook groups showing an interest in his fate。 
His chances of success in an unfair dismissal case look at least fair。 In 
April 2007; Laura Zubulake; 44; won £15。5 million from UBS in New York 
after a male executive said she was fired because she was ‘old and 
ugly and she can’t do the job’。 Three years earlier; Elizabeth Weston 
received a £1 million settlement from Merrill Lynch over a colleague’s 
‘lewd’ ments over a Christmas lunch。 
Although Kerviel’s actions put him at the top of the ‘rogue trader’ list; 
he is unlikely to head the unfair dismissal stakes。 That title is likely to go 
to six women; five female employees in New York and one at London 
office of German…owned bank Dresdner Kleinwort Wasserstein (DKW)。 
They are suing for £800 million over allegations that the pany 
refused to promote them and discriminated against them by allowing 
after…hours trips to strip clubs for male colleagues and humiliating sexual 
banter in the office。
186 The Thirty…Day MBA 
the market。 It is equally important that such an advantage cannot be easily 
copied。 In other words; there is a barrier to entry preventing others from 
following the same path to riches。 The advantage can be anything – the 
business name (Body Shop); a catchy slogan (Never knowingly undersold 
– John Lewis); some technological wizardry (Dolby Noise Reduction); an 
instantly recognizable logo (Google) or even a jingle such as that used by 
Microso。。’s Windows operating system during start…up。 
The generic title covering this area is ‘intellectual property’; usually 
shortened by MBAs to IP; and it splits down into a number of distinct areas。 
Businesses spend a lot of time and money creating and protecting IP; so you 
need at least an appreciation of the legal issues involved。 The case below 
is an example of how things can go wrong from the outset。 You should 
also read up about Dyson’s ‘Patent Nightmare’ (dyson。uk/about/ 
story/patent。asp); as graphic a description of a contest between David and 
Goliath as you are likely to find。 
When Mark Zucherberg; then aged 20; started Facebook from his 
college dorm back in 2004 with two fellow students; he could hardly 
have been aware of how the business would pan out。 Facebook is a 
social networking website on which users have to put their real names 
and e…mail addresses in order to register; then they can contact current 
and past friends and colleagues to swap photos; news and gossip。 
Within three years the pany was on track to make 100 million sales; 
partly on the back of a big order from Microsoft that appears to have 
set its sights on Facebook as either a partner or an acquisition target。 
Zuckerberg; wearing jeans; Adidas sandals and a fleece; looks a bit 
like a latter…day Steve Jobs; Apple’s founder。 He also shares something 
else in mon with Jobs。 He has a gigantic intellectual property legal 
dispute on his hands。 For three years he has been dealing with a law suit 
brought by three fellow Harvard students who claim; in effect; that he 
stole the Facebook concept from them。 
Patents 
A patent can be regarded as a contract between an inventor and the state。 
The state agrees with the inventor that if he or she is prepared to publish 
details of the invention in a set form and if it appears that he or she has made 
a real advance; the state will then grant the inventor a ‘monopoly’ on the 
invention for 20 years。 The inventor uses the monopoly period to manufacture 
and sell his or her innovation; petitors can read the published 
specifications and glean ideas for their research; or they can approach the 
inventor and offer to help to develop the idea under licence。
Business Law 187 
However; the granting of a patent doesn’t mean that the proprietor is 
automatically free to make; use or sell the invention him… or herself; since to 
do so might involve infringing an earlier patent that has not yet expired。 
A patent really only allows the inventor to stop another person using 
the particular device that forms the subject of the patent。 The state does not 
guarantee validity of a patent either; so it is not unmon for patents to be 
challenged through the courts。 
What you can patent 
What inventions can you patent? The basic rules are that an invention must 
be new; must involve an inventive step and must be capable of industrial 
exploitation。 
You can’t patent scientific/mathematical theories or mental processes; 
puter programs or ideas that might encourage offensive; immoral 
or antisocial behaviour。 New medicines are patentable but not medical 
methods of treatment。 Neither can you have just rediscovered a longforgo
。。en idea (knowingly or unknowingly)。 
If you want to apply for a patent; it is essential not to disclose your idea 
in non…confidential circumstances。 If you do; your invention is already 
‘published’ in the eyes of the law; and this could well invalidate your 
application。 
Copyright 
Copyright gives protection against the unlicensed copying of original 
artistic and creative works – articles; books; paintings; films; plays; songs; 
music; engineering drawings。 To claim copyright; the item in question 
should carry this symbol: 。 (author’s name) (date)。 You can take the 
further step of recording the date on which the work was pleted; for 
a moderate fee; with the Registrar at Stationers’ Hall。 This; though; is an 
unusual precaution to take and probably only necessary if you anticipate 
an infringement。 
Copyright protection in the UK lasts for 70 years a。。er the death of the 
person who holds the copyright; or 50 years a。。er publication if this is 
later。 
Copyright is infringed only if more than a ‘substantial’ part of your work 
is reproduced (ie issued for sale to the public) without your permission; but 
since there is no formal registration of copyright the question of whether or 
not your work is protected usually has to be decided in a court of law。 
Designs 
You can register the shape; design or decorative features of a mercial 
product if it is new; original; never published before or – if already known 
188 The Thirty…Day MBA 
– never before applied to the product you have in mind。 Protection is 
intended to apply to industrial articles to be produced in quantities of more 
than 50。 Design registration applies only to features that appeal to the eye 
– not to the way the article functions。 
To register a design; you should apply to the Design Registry and send 
a specimen or photograph of the design plus a registration fee (currently 
£90)。 The specimen or photograph is examined to see whether it is new 
or original and plies with other registration requirements。 If it does; 
a certification of registration is issued which gives you; the proprietor; the 
sole right to manufacture; sell or use in business articles of that design。 
Protection lasts for a maximum of 25 years。 You can handle the design 
registration yourself; but; again; it might be preferable to let a specialist do 
it for you。 There is no register of design agents; but most patent agents are 
well versed in design law。 
Trademarks and logos 
A trademark is the symbol by which the goods or services of a particular 
manufacturer or trader can be identified。 It can be a word; a signature; a 
monogram; a picture; a logo or a bination of these。 
To qualify for registration the trademark must be distinctive; must not 
be deceptive and must not be capa

返回目录 上一页 下一页 回到顶部 0 0

你可能喜欢的