Week 6: Illicit, What do you think?

Today we watched a National Geographic documentary in my Friday Afternoon class, Contracts & Negotiations. The film was called Illicit and is all about the illegal trade market. In the past I’ve downloaded songs through peer sharing networks or by borrowing friends CD’s and ripping the songs to my computer. I never used to think much about the process until now. As it turns out; every time someone purchases a knock off product or any item of an illicit nature they are contributing to a greater criminal organization. Just the thought that purchasing a fake Rolex helps to fund human trafficking makes me sick. Most people would claim the two transactions are not even related. I was among those people, until today. It makes a lot of sense when you really think about it. Let’s assume an organization wants to smuggle some fake Louis Vuitton hand bags into the United States from China. It is common sense that the organization would need to grease the wheels of the system, maybe bribe some customs officials. Now that the officials are paid off and in play it would be easier for the organization to leverage any prior activity against the official. In essence, the organization would have the official in their pocket. Much as certain drugs are considered “gateway” drugs. The smuggling in of knock off hand bags and designer clothing is a “gateway” event for the organization. After this they can move on to smuggling drugs, then slave labor. That’s not even the worst of it. What if the organization gets an opportunity to smuggle plutonium or the machinery needed to build an Atomic Bomb into the United States? When do we draw the line? If people exist in a constant state of apathy and think that their actions don’t affect the greater populace then they are horribly misinformed. I’ve known plenty a person who believe that voting is a waste of time. They say things like “what will 1 vote matter anyway?” The truth is that type of thought process is contagious. The same can be said for buying illicit brands. It may not seem like a big deal yet, but one day it will. I am glad to say that I do not want to be part of this system. Today was a real eye opener.

Week 4 EOC: 10 Important Vocabulary Terms

1. Patent
2. Patent Infringement
4. Filing Date
5. USPTO
6. Filing Date
7. Issue Fees
8. Allowance
9. Internet Patent
10. Blocking Patent