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45) In West Africa, Burkina Faso, the Ivory Coast and Senegal are former French colonies, while Nigeria, Sierra Leone, and Ghana are former British colonies. Based on this information, which of the following would be correct?
A) Burkina Faso, the Ivory Coast and Senegal are civil-code countries, while Nigeria, Sierra Leone, and Ghana are common-law countries.
B) Burkina Faso, the Ivory Coast and Senegal are common-law countries, while Nigeria, Sierra Leone, and Ghana are civil-code countries.
C) In West Africa, Ivory Coast and Senegal are the only common-law countries.
D) All the West African nations mentioned above are likely to be civil-code countries.
E) All the West African nations mentioned above are likely to be common-law countries. 72) Which of the following best describes the legal basis for protection of trade secrets, patents, and copyrights in the United States?
A) Trade secrets, patents, and copyrights are protected by federal statutes.
B) Trade secrets, patents, and copyrights are protected by state law.
C) Trade secrets are protected by state law, while patents and copyrights are protected by federal statutes.
D) Trade secrets are protected by federal statutes, while patents and copyrights are protected by state law.
E) Trade secrets, patents, and copyrights are not protected by any laws. Answer: A patent is a formal legal document that gives an inventor the exclusive right to make, use, and sell an invention for a specified period of time. Typically, this invention should be a new, novel and/or non obvious creation. On the other hand, a trademark is defined as a distinctive mark, motto, device, or emblem that a manufacturer affixes to a particular product or package to distinguish it from goods produced by other manufacturers. A copyright establishes ownership of a written, recorded, performed, or filmed creative work.Counterfeiting is the unauthorized copying and production of a product. An associative counterfeit, or imitation, uses a product name that differs slightly from a well-known brand but is close enough that consumers will associate it with the genuine product. The worst form of counterfeiting is known as piracy, which is the unauthorized publication or reproduction of copyrighted work. Counterfeiting and piracy are particularly important in industries such as motion pictures, recorded music, computer software, and textbook publishing. The United States in particular has a vested interest in intellectual property protection worldwide since it is home to many companies which have patents, trademarks, and copyrighted materials. Answer: Antitrust laws in the United States and other countries are designed to combat restrictive business practices and to encourage competition. Agencies such as the U.S. Federal Trade Commission, Japan's Fair Trade Commission, and the European Commission enforce antitrust laws. According to some legal experts, the pressures of global competition have resulted in an increased incidence of price-fixing and collusion among companies. The Sherman Act of 1890 prohibits certain restrictive business practices, including fixing prices, limiting production, allocating markets, or any other scheme designed to limit or avoid competition. The law applies to the activities of U.S. companies outside U.S. boundaries, as well as to foreign companies conducting business in the United States. Nippon Paper Industries was found guilty in a U.S. court of conspiring with other Japanese companies to raise fax paper prices in the United States. The Japanese government denounced the U.S. indictment as a violation of international law and Japan's sovereignty. A U.S. federal judge struck down the indictment, ruling that the Sherman Act does not apply to foreign conduct. However, a federal appeals court reversed the decision. Answer: Managers have to realize the fact that bribery is a fact of life in world markets. It is not going to change overnight or based on how ethical the U.S. companies feel about their business. In fact, bribery payments are considered a deductible business expense in many European countries. Two alternative courses of action are possible. One is to ignore bribery and act as if it does not exist. This may be a very hard option. The other is to recognize the existence of bribery and evaluate its effect on the customer's purchase decision, in other words, treating it as just another element of the marketing mix. The overall value of a company's offer must be as good as, or better than, the competitor's overall offering, including bribe. If possible, a lower price, a better product, a better distribution system, or better advertisement/promotion can be undertaken to beat the competition. The best line of defense is to have a product or service that is superior to that of the competition, whether a bribe is included or not. Thus, a bribe should not be a factor that will sway the purchase decision. 