NAME: FAJEMILUA BEN

MATRIC NO: P19DLBA80482

COURSE: BUSINESS, GOVERNMENT & SOCIETY (BUAD 825)

Question 1: Explain in details the interacting elements in society. Give some

practical examples of your society.

Answer

Elements of interacting in the society

Interacting elements in the society can be defined as ways in which two or more
people in the society come together and exchange some views. The society is made
up of different elements of interacting which include; social status, culture, groups,
and social institutions.

1. Culture - it refers to the beliefs, values, signs, symbols and religion that bind
a certain society together. It can also be the language, rites, food or even
fashion uniting a society. culture is continuous. It is passed from one
generation to the other. Every society has its own cultural beliefs and
practices. For example, in the Kamba community, it is believed that when one
dies, he or she goes to the spirit world and join aimu. The Kamba community
is also well known to believe in witchcraft and the use of magic to speak to
the spirits of the dead. The Kamba believe that these spirits can intervene and
fight for them.
2. Social Status - it can be defined as the rank people assign themselves in the
society. It can either be attained after birth or even it can be assigned to a child
upon birth. Some people tend to have more power than others in the society
and hence rank themselves at the top. Social status plays a vital role in social
interaction. Most commonly, people interact according to their status in the
society. For instance, people of high social status interact with each other.
They do not like associating with the people of low social status. For example,
in the Kamba society, people with wealth tend to interact among themselves
while those who are less fortunate tend to interact together. They do not like
being associated with the wealthy.

3. Groups - it can simply be referred to as the collection of people who are

united by similar interests, language, backgrounds or even family ties. Groups
pay a very important role in interaction in the society. When people in the
society come together, they share different views and come to a solution to
problems in the society. Groups sometimes can be used to identity a certain
person in the society. For instance, if a person is a member of a wildlife club
in a certain society, he or she may be assumed to love wildlife. Individuals in
the society group themselves according to their shared interests. For example,
some youths who like playing football may come together and form a football
Club. In the Kamba community, people mostly form groups according to their
age or gender. For instance, Kamba middle aged women form a group of
assisting each other in the farming activities.

4. Social institutions - This is another element of social interacting in the

society. An institution is simply an order governing behavior of people in a
 certain society. Institutions can either be formal or informal. Formal
institutions are created with the aim of governing the human behavior in the
society. A good example is the Roman Catholic Church. Marriage is also a
form of social institution and it is governed by some rules on how the married
people should live. Social Institutions help people to interact together in the
society. People in the society tend to interact according to their social
institutions. For example, in the Kamba society married women interact
together without involving the unmarried.

5. A System of social relationship: According to Maclver Society is "a web of

social relationship". Social relationship is the basis of Society. The family
alone is said to have as many as fifteen relationships based on age, sex and
generation. Outside the family there is no limit to the number of possible
relationships. Reutor says" Just as life is not a thing but a process of living, so
society is not a thing but a process of associating". The meaning of social
relationship shall be clearer if we draw a distinction between physical and
social relation. The relationship between pen and ink, earth and sun, a book
and bookshelf, fire and wood is physical relationship because these physical
objects do not have any reciprocal awareness whatsoever. On the other hand,
the social relations exist between the mother and the child, the teacher and the
thought are determined by reciprocal awareness. Without this awareness,
there can be no social relationship, and therefore no society.

6. Likeness: Likeness is an essential prerequisite of society. Maclver Says,"

Society means likeness". It exists among the like beings, like-bodied and like-
minded". It is likeness or similarity, which provides for understanding each
by the other. An understanding of this sort lies at the root of our friendship,
 intimacy, association, institution and any such other type of social
relationship. In the primitive society, the sense of likeness was focused on
kinship that is real or supposed blood relationships. But the scope of likeness
has broadened in modern societies. People establish similar social
relationships in a society on account of similar traditions, folkways, mores etc.
Thus, similarity or likeness is the basis of society.

7. Difference: Society also implies difference. If individuals are exactly alike,

their social relationship would be very much limited. There would be little
reciprocity, little give and take Family, for example, rests on biological
difference of sexes. People differ from one another in their attitude ability,
talent; personality etc. people pursue different activities because of these
differences.

8. Inter-dependence: Interdependence is another essential element of society.

Family, for example, is based on the biological interdependence of sexes. One
depends upon the other for the satisfaction of one's needs. Today not only
countries but also continents depend upon one another.

9. Co-Operation and Conflict: Society is based on cooperation. It is the very

basis of social life. Unless people cooperate with each other they cannot lead
a happy and comfortable life. No society can be healthy and prosperous
without co-operation. Family rests on co-operation with one another to live
happily. In the words of [Link] “cooperation is the most elementary process
of social life without which society is impossible”. Co-operation avoids
mutual destructiveness and results in economy.

Along with co-operation, there is conflict in society. It is the cause of

evolution. It makes us think of the process of struggle through which all things
 have come into existence. Maclver says that "Society is co-operation crossed
by conflict".

10. Abstractness: Society is an organization marked by division of labour of

some kind or other. It consists of social relations, customs, laws and mores
etc. These social relations are abstract and intangible. It cannot be seen or
touched. It can only be realized. In this way, abstractness is an element of
society.

Question 2: What do you understand with the term Intellectual Property (IP)?
Explain the two branches of Intellectual Property citing examples with any practical
experience.

ANSWER

What Is Intellectual Property (IP)?

Intellectual Property Industrial property legislation is part of the wider body of law
known as intellectual property (IP) which refers broadly to the creations of the
human mind. IP rights protect the interests of innovators and creators by giving them
rights over their creations. The Convention Establishing the World Intellectual
Property Organization (1967) does not seek to define IP, but lists the following as
protected by IP rights: • literary, artistic and scientific works; • performances of
performing artists, phonograms and broadcasts; • inventions in all fields of human
endeavor; • scientific discoveries; • industrial designs; • trademarks, service marks,
and commercial names and designations; • protection against unfair competition;
and • “all other rights resulting from intellectual activity in the industrial, scientific,
literary or artistic fields

The importance of protecting IP was first recognized in the Paris Convention for the
Protection of Industrial Property (1883) (Paris Convention) and the Berne
Convention for the Protection of Literary and Artistic Works (1886) (Berne
Convention). Both treaties are administered by the World Intellectual Property
Organization (WIPO). Countries generally have laws to protect IP for two main
reasons: • to give statutory expression to the rights of creators and innovators in their
creations and innovations, balanced against the public interest in accessing creations
and innovations; • to promote creativity and innovation, so contributing to economic
and social development.

Branches of the intellectual property

The Two Branches of Intellectual Property IP is usually divided into two branches,
namely industrial property and copyright.

1. Industrial property
The industrial property is of different types and forms. These are the trademarks,
patents which are essential for inventions in the businesses, industrial designs which
help the businesses to come up with unique designs to fight competition in the
market, commercial designations and designs.
Industrial property is one of the three main classes of commercial property assets.
Most of us are familiar with the residential real estate, and the benefits of property
investment, but not everyone knows much about commercial property. Definition of
commercial property is the property that is built and used solely for business
purposes. There are three main types of commercial property: retail, office, and
industry.

Industrial property helps in protecting the customers from buying illegal products.
For me I find it difficult to purchase a product without the KEBS mark. A product
without such a mark I consider it to be unworthy
Industrial property is used for industrial purposes. It sounds simple, but it comes in
all shapes, sizes and covers various types of businesses. Then the property is grouped
into three sizes, namely small, large and very large.

Intellectual Property Protection

Entrepreneurs and business owners need to understand the basics of intellectual

property (IP) law to best protect hard-earned creations and ideas from unfair
competition. Intellectual property includes distinctive items that someone has
created and ones that give the owner an economic benefit.

An owner may seek professional experience from an intellectual property attorney

to help the company plan for success and avoid theft of ideas, designs, and other
concepts. Owners should also investigate international patents as well as those
registered in the United States.

Since filing and refiling IP applications can get expensive, and waste time if done
incorrectly, the owner must determine what to protect when it comes to IP. The
owner must also decide which ideas fall under which specific protection option and
file as quickly as possible to reduce chances of losing out on protection.

Protection of intellectual property examples are:

 • Copyright
• Trademark
• Patent
• Trade Secrets

Filing for intellectual property protections as soon as you can is the best way to
secure rights to your idea. Failing to quickly file your application may result in you
losing the ability to protect your creation.

If you are applying for a patent, you should be sure to research patents registered
both domestically and internationally.

Intellectual property rights also cover something known as moral rights. Basically,
moral rights apply to how a work gets published. Moral rights allow you to publish
your work anonymously, but also require maintaining the integrity of your creation.
This means that when published, your work cannot be:

1. Altered
2. Mutilated
3. Distorted

A utility model is another form of IP protection that provides similar rights to a

patent. When you have a utility model, you can prevent other people from using your
invention for commercial purposes for a set period of time. Like patents, utility
models are only valid for a limited amount of time, and you will also have the ability
to license the use of your invention.

IP protections also cover database rights. A database refers to reference materials

collected in either physical or electronic form. Copyright laws protect databases.

Other forms of intellectual property protections include:

 • Industrial design rights: Protects an object's visual design used in the
manufacturing of the object.
• Indigenous intellectual property: Provides indigenous peoples the right to
defend the knowledge of their culture that could be considered intellectual
property.
• Plant breeder's rights: Gives plant breeders the right to protect harvesting and
propagation of a new plant species they have created.

2. Copyright

Copyright relates to literary and artistic creations, such as books, music, paintings
and sculptures, films and technology-based works (such as computer programs and
electronic databases). In certain languages, copyright is referred to as authors’ rights.
Although international law has brought about some convergence, this distinction
reflects a historic difference in the evolution of these rights that is still reflected in
many copyright systems. The expression copyright refers to the act of copying an
original work which, in respect of literary and artistic creations, may be done only
by the author or with the author’s permission. The expression authors’ rights refers
to the creator of an artistic work, its author, thus underlining that, as recognized in
most laws, authors have certain specific rights in their creations that only they can
exercise, which are often referred to as moral rights, such as the right to prevent
distorted reproductions of the work. Other rights, such as the right to make copies,
can be exercised by third parties with the author’s permission, for example by a
publisher who obtains a license to this effect from the author.
Copyright protects intellectual property of a creative or artistic nature. Copyright
often lasts 50 to 70 years after the creator's death. In some countries, copyright must
be registered to become effective. In the United States, copyright is established as
soon as a work is created, and in the case of software or a digital drawing, even as
soon as it is saved to the hard drive.

Copyrights protect original works of authorship. Intellectual property examples of

copyrights are:

• literary works
• music
• dramatic works
• pantomimes and choreographic works
• sculptural
• pictorial, and graphic works
• sound recordings
• artistic works
• architectural works
• computer software

With copyright protection, the holder has the exclusive rights to modify, distribute,
perform, create, display, and copy the work. In order to qualify under copyright laws,
the work must be fixed in a tangible medium of expression, such as words on a piece
of paper or music notes written on a sheet.

Registered works may be eligible for statutory damages and attorney fees in a
copyright infringement suit, so the creator may want to consider registering the work
through the Nigerian Copyright Office.
The creator can register a copyright online by completing an application, submitting
a nonrefundable fee of N5,000, and sending in a nonreturnable copy of the work.
The average processing time for e-filed copyright applications is 2 1/2 months and
a little more than 5 1/2 months for paper filing.

Copyright duration depends on several factors, but generally, for works created after
Jan. 1, 1978, the copyright lasts for the life of the author plus an additional 70 years
and is nonrenewable.

All expressions of creativity and original thought are protected by copyright law. A
copyright may be registered with the Copyright Office. However, even if the
creators of such an expression do not register a copyright, they will still hold the
copyright and all the rights that go with it.

Reference
Dratler Jr, J., & McJohn, S. M. (2020). Intellectual Property Law: Commercial,
Creative and Industrial Property. Law Journal Press.
Epstein, Eve. "What Is Intellectual Property?" InfoWorld. 19 June 2000.
Foster, Frank H., and Robert L. Shook. Patents, Copyrights & Trademarks. Wiley,
1993.
Gartman, John, and Kevin McNeely. "A Summary Checklist for Dealing with
Intellectual Property." Providence Business News. 26 June 2000.
Lickson, Charles P. A Legal Guide for Small Business. Crisp Publications, 1994.
"Markets for Ideas: Rights in Intellectual Property." The Economist (US). 14 April
2001.
Prencipe, Loretta W. "Intellectual Property Due Diligence." InfoWorld. 30 October
2000.
"Protecting Intellectual Property: An Introductory Guide for U.S. Businesses on
Protecting Intellectual Property Abroad." Business America. July 1991.