Intellectual Property Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Intellectual Property - Essay Example It was argued that Topshop had infringed the rights of Rihanna and that consumers were misled into thinking that she had endorsed the use of her photograph on the T-shirt, and this might have led to enhanced commercial sales and consumer confusion, which in turn had damaged her reputation. This is because Topshop’s action may have represented a loss of control of Rihanna in the fashion industry.3 As a result, Rihanna filed a suit against Topshop for manufacturing and retailing T-shirts bearing her photograph without her authorisation. The judge hearing the case ruled in favour of Rihanna. In the United Kingdom, there is no personality right that prevents unfair exploitation, in cases where a party evokes a celebrity’s image.4 Therefore, in the United Kingdom, there is no general right that famous people or any person can enjoy and use to control the reproduction of their images. The law of passing off is used by celebrities to protect their image. However, they have to show that they have goodwill in their image. They also have to show that there has been a misrepresentation, leading to public deception. This was ruled out by Mr Justice Birss who said that consumers of this era have full awareness that music artists take part in merchandising and endorsement in fashion apparel. According to Mr Justice Birss, consumers may not want to purchase products which have been authorised by artists, but they will rather purchase products with pictures on them because they love the look of it.5 One of the key factors that persuaded Mr Justice Birss to pass a ruling in favour of Rihanna was that Topshop, the fashion retailer, had engaged in promotional efforts involving Rihanna. For instance, there was a competition, in which the entrants could win a personal shopping appointment with Rihanna in 2010.6 Also, Topshop sold the T-shirt two weeks after there had been

Democracy in Modern World Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Democracy in Modern World - Essay Example Gladys argument focuses on the fact that democracies cannot wage successful wars as the case of Athenians waging war in Sicily’s. I do support her argument that democratic countries should distinguish between good and bad leaders, but I find certain flaws in her argument. I agree with Gladys’ premises that suggest the country frightened their generals into sending better news home than the facts on the ground and chose weak generals to wage the war. This argument leads to her argument that democracies cannot wage a successful war. A look at all the premises helps Gladys conclude that a democratic country cannot lead such a war is viable.Her argument in her conclusion is valid since there need to be better strategies in war, and the failure of Athenians was a result of poor strategies and poor execution by the generals. There was a need to evaluate leaders and have better alternatives. In her argument, it is clear that poor intelligence brought the wrong generals, and th ey were overextended. This situation showed that to have the best plans there is a need for good executors for it to be successful. In conclusion, I agree with her argument that democratic countries cannot wage successful war since their strategies are prone to hope and checks and balances. Such checks limit the passion experienced in such wars but to be on the safe side all parties in a war need to appreciate and differentiate between choosing weak and strong leaders to wage wars.