Causes and prevention of intellectual property crime

Intellectual property refers to the ownership and rights to use creative work that result from intellectual activity. Although there are four recognized categories of intellectual property (patents, trademarks, trade secrets, and copyright), copyright violations have garnered much attention of late because of the copying of software, movies, videogames, and music that deny publishers and authors' economic returns on their property. In order to understand this growing form of theft and the costs and consequences of such actions, the current research has three foci. First, the types of activities that fall under the rubric of intellectual property are identified and defined. Second, the causes or theoretical arguments developed to understand intellectual property theft are identified and discussed. Third, prevention techniques are examined in order to understand what is currently being done to control and prevent the misuse and theft of intellectual property. A research agenda outlining data collection efforts is also presented

The Only Thing We Have to Fear Is Fear Itself Investigating the Relationship Between Fear of Falling and White-Collar Crime

Criminologists have long been interested in understanding why people commit crime. Perhaps an even more interesting question is what accounts for the offending of individuals who occupy white-collar positions. Most explanations of white-collar offending have relied on extant criminological theories that have been developed to account for street or juvenile offending. One theoretical explanation that was specifically developed to explain white-collar crime is the fear of falling hypothesis or the notion that the motivation for crime is the fear of losing what one has worked so hard to obtain. This study presents the results of an original data-collection effort designed to test this hypothesis. Data collected among business-experienced adults indicate that the fear of falling is inversely related to intentions to price-fix but positively related to internal and legal constraints against price-fixing. Taken together, these results suggest that the fear of falling may serve as a reminder of the attainments that could be lost, should the illegality be committed

Exploring Lawyer Misconduct: An Examination of the Self-Regulation Process

Although white-collar professionals are often held in high esteem, sometimes persons in privileged positions engage in misconduct. Unfortunately, very little is known about the correlates associated with professional misconduct and even less is known about the sanctioning process among lawyers who are licensed by state bar associations and therefore subject to the bar rules regulating their professional conduct. We examine 213 complaints filed in one fiscal year with the Florida Bar alleging attorney misconduct and evaluate the factors that influence whether the complaint continued through or was discarded at each stage of the self-regulated grievance process. Using selection models that examine both the staff’s decision to send a case forward to the grievance committee as well as the grievance committee’s recommendation about sanctioning the lawyer, results show that both legal and extra-legal variables are related to these two processes

Identifying the Most Successful Formula 1 Drivers in the Turbo Era

Background: Formula 1 is the world’s fastest auto racing circuit and one that is among the most-watched of all televised sports. With its international flair and glamor and the glitz it brings to viewers and spectators, it is no surprise that fans, commentators, and media covering the races enjoy ranking the most successful teams and especially the most successful drivers of all time. Yet, there are few empirical studies that have developed and/or applied rigorous methodological techniques to examine which drivers are the most successful within the recent turbo-hybrid era. Objective: This study uses novel group-based trajectory methods to rank the most successful drivers within the turbo area, 2014-2019. Methods: Group-based trajectory methods are used to identify distinct groups of drivers according to accumulated points. Results: Using total points accumulated during each respective season as our measure of success, results showed that the 45 drivers who competed during this time period could be classified into three groups, with the top-performing group of drivers being Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg. A second better-performing group of six drivers followed and included Bottas, LeClerc, Räikkönen, Ricciardo, Verstappen, and Vettel. The remaining 37 drivers were classified into a third low-performing group, a great number of which scored zero points during the time period. Conclusion: The most successful Formula 1 drivers during the turbo era were able to be identified using group-based trajectory modeling, with Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg identified as the best drivers based on accumulated points

Theories of White-Collar Crime and Public Policy

Unfortunately, the study of white-collar crime does not occupy a central place in the study of crime and criminality (although Travis Hirschi and Michael Gottfredson [1987] argue otherwise) and thus has done little to add to the policy discussion regarding what can and should be done to control crime and criminal behavior. Despite Edwin Sutherland’s early attempts to debunk the myopic view of crime and criminality as being only a street-level phenomenon engaged in by those of the less privileged classes, the study of white-collar crime still does not command the research attention of the vast majority of scholars workin

Because Crime Hurts, Justice Must Heal: John Braithwaite

John Braithwaite stands out as an academic whose ideas not only have shaped criminology and sociology but also have had a much larger impact on influencing the social movement towards restorative justice, both in policy and practice terms. He has been a highly productive and influential academic throughout his entire career so it is important to understand not only the scale of his scholarship's impact but also the key experiences and influences that have shaped him and his thinking over time. Here, Piquero and Mazerolle provide a sketch of the early influences on Braithwaite growing up in Australia, as well as the events and experiences that occurred later in his life, including those from the early stages of his professional career. They further explore some of the major events and circumstances that have influenced him professionally as well as various intellectual influences that have shaped his thinking and scholarship. Finally, they describe Braithwaite's perceptions of the future of restorative justice and the direction for criminology