United Kingdom Copyright Decisions 2013

This report highlights seven copyright cases from the UK in 2013 concerning the legality of temporary copies created while browsing the Internet, the scope of copyright protection for computer programs, the scope of the sui generis database right, blocking orders, and the scope of the right of communication to the public in the context of peer-to-peer file-sharing websites and streaming media

United Kingdom Copyright Decisions and Legislative Developments 2014

This report highlights the main UK copyright decisions in 2014, which relate to the right of communication to the public, website blocking injunctions, policies implemented by Internet hosting providers to take advantage of the E-Commerce Directive’s “safe harbour” provisions, the application of European copyright case law on partial reproduction by the UK courts, and the moral right of attribution. It also discusses the new exceptions that have been introduced into the copyright statute by recent legislative amendments, as well as several existing exceptions whose scope has been extended by these amendments

Experimental Study of Wave Forces on an Offshore Wind Turbine Tower Model

study of a tapered wind turbine tower is performed using particle image velocimetry and numerical methods. A 1.5 MW wind turbine base was studied and re-designed. A scaled model of a simple tapered tower base was studied in a wave channel using Particle Image Velocimetry (PIV) to understand the flow phenomena at the tower base. Theoretical and experimental results were found using Morrison equations. The diffraction parameter shows that the linear wave theory is not valid for inertial co-efficient calculations. A direct value of 2.0 resulted for the inertial coefficient values while a lower drag influence was noted at coefficient of drag = 0.315. The turbine’s horizontal force profile is improved in this study to yield a 69% reduction in overturning moment by redesigning the turbines submerged tower

Putting a Face to the Game: The Intellectual Property Implications of Using Celebrity Likenesses in Videogames

Licensing deals between videogame developers and celebrities for the use of the latter’s likenesses in the former’s products are becoming increasingly commonplace. These are activities that would be governed by the law relating to the ‘right of publicity’ in the US and by the law relating to the ‘right of personality’ in various continental European jurisdictions. However, no equivalent legal framework exists in the UK. This article considers the extent to which the relevant intellectual property frameworks in the UK prohibit or permit the unauthorised use of celebrity likenesses in videogames, in particular copyright law, the law of passing off, and trade mark law. The article concludes that, given recent developments within the law of passing off and the law of trade mark, it may no longer be untenable to suggest that such uses could be caught by these two legal regimes. In doing so, it also highlights how far the ambit of these two regimes has expanded in recent decades

Micro Membrane Filters for Passive Plasma Extraction From Whole Human Blood Using Silicon Nitride-based Microfilters and Plama Collection Using Agarose Gels

AbstractThe novelty of this study resides in the fabrication of a passive, operating on capillary force, penetration-flow microfluidic device for plasma separation, based on both silicon nitride combination (SiN-SiO-SiN)-based microfilters and agarose gels, and its characterization for plasma separation from whole human blood. The fabrication processes are compatible with IC process protocols, with merits of mass productions and precise size control. The fabrication process for silicon nitride membrane was reported at Lab Chip [1], and quantification its applications to affinity-based protein separation on the silicon nitride was reported at MicroTAS’07 [2]. Our method differs from that of group Yobas [3] in the specific separation method and materials, and of group Pizziconi [4] in the geometry of the filter, and fluidic components with the structure

Evaluating the mandatory death penalty under section 398 of the dangerous drug act 1952

The mandatory death penalty under section 39B of the Dangerous Drugs Act 1951 is now 23 years old. This paper seeks to evaluate this penalty from two main perspectives: the nature of the death penalty itself, and the mandatory nature of the punishment under section 39B of the DDA. The first section traces the legislative history of section 39B and other provisions related to the offence of drug trafficking. The second section will examine, first, whether the mandatory death penalty has achieved the aims for which it was promulgated, and secondly, whether these aims are in fact-desirable, bearing in mind that the ultimate goal of any legal system is to achieve justice. The third section is an exposition on the international view of the death penalty. This paper will conclude with a summary of our findings

Guest Editorial Special Issue on Cardiovascular System Monitoring and Therapy: Innovative Technologies and Internet of Things

The papers in this special section focus on cardiovascular system monitoring and therapy. The number of devices for the measurement and interpretation of biological systems that describe performance of the cardiovascular system is growing. Among others, this is due to the improvement of circuit and system design that renders the devices wearable and easy to use. Moreover, internetworking enables these devices to exchange data. Their true impact on patient care is highly dependent on the quality and relevancy of the data acquired. The design of circuits and systems to answer the growing demand and the necessity to have portable and connected devices lead to a focus on designing ultra-low power apparatus, mixed-signal devices, using nanoscale electronics. Microelectronic issues are therefore at the heart of the demand. All this requires inter-disciplinary collaborations between scientists, engineers, medical researchers, and practitioners. The interconnection of these embedded devices, known as Internet of Things, is expected to usher in the medical field, among others to study the cardiovascular system of patients. Data processing and storage will also take place in the healthcare information technology. Furthermore, key issues such as data security and privacy will be determinants of the utility of these systems and impact in healthcare monitoring and management. This special issue aimed to provide a forum for both established experts and newinvestigators to share their developments, knowledge, and insights for the further design of circuits and systems aiming at being integrated in sensors to monitor or treat the cardiovascular system

Shutdown of an offshore wind power plant without using a brake to meet the required ramp rate in various storm-driven conditions

This paper proposes an offshore WPP (wind power plant) shutdown algorithm that does not use a braking system and meets the required ramp rate in the grid code in various storm-driven conditions. The proposed algorithm determines the number of WGs (wind generators) to shut down simultaneously to achieve this requirement without using brakes. Based on the storm speed and direction measured at a WM (wind mast) installed several kilometers away from the WPP, the storm-arrival time from the WM to each WG is calculated. Then, an arrival-ordered sequence is generated for the WGs based on these storm-arrival times. The WGs are grouped in a predetermined number to shut down simultaneously. The shutdown start- and end-times of the WGs are determined by considering the storm-arrival time and the shutdown duration time. The algorithm re-calculates the storm-arrival times and the shutdown start- and end-times of the WGs if the storm speed and/or direction change. The various test results demonstrate that the algorithm successfully shuts down the WPP without using a brake by meeting the required ramp rate even when the storm speed and direction change