Intellectual Property II

Adding Value to Members Intellectual Property

By RAIA CEO Michael Peck AM LFRAIA March 2001 Members will recall that the Institute has for a number of years been lobbying the Federal Government in respect to bringing Australian Copyright Law in line with the provisions of the Berne Convention. An important aspect of the amended legislation recently en-acted is the establishment of Moral Rights for creators. For architects this provides two significant rights of which members should be aware. In respect to the moral Right of Integrity it is now illegal for a building owner to demolish the creative work of an architect without;

firstly, if possible identifying and notifying the architect and secondly affording the architect an opportunity to record the work before it is demolished or altered.

To those accustomed to the moral rights enjoyed in some Napoleonic Law countries this may not appear to be insufficient reform. However it is for Australian architects an important acknowledgement of their creative contribution. In practical terms it also provides the original architect with the possibility of conveying to the current building owner, or architect, a better understanding of the original design intent and the possibilities inherent in the design for future modification and improvement, if that is the owners intent. The new law also establishes the Moral Right of Attribution. It has long been a fascination and irritation to architects to note that virtually without fail magazines, newspapers and journals acknowledge the artists responsible for the paintings and sculptures that are published, yet most often the architects of featured buildings are not mentioned. Now, however, under the new legislation it is illegal for the published work of an architect not to be attributed to that architect. The Institute has also played a part in two other significant wins for the profession on copyright which I have reported on elsewhere; The recommendation from the Intellectual Property and Competition Review Committee to the Federal Government that the Crown no longer enjoy preferential treatment under the Copyright Act and The amendment to the Australian Standard AS4122 which now requires any Proprietor who wishes to have the copyright in an architects work to pay for it separately and in addition to the fee for architectural services. So next time the question arises on what does the Institute achieve for its members - raising the value of architectural intellectual property is not a bad subject to start with. Michael Peck AM LFRAIA

So what we have is an industry example, already enforced to protect the beautiful works of architects.

Link:
1. Article from - architecture.com.au

Food that benefits us

I'm gonna take a break from architecture and write something that is easy to implement everyday. So we eat a lot of food right? Then we have to really know what is best for us by now. Hmm, not really apparently. Humans are at the top of the food chain and we just eat everything, just as the Chinese proverb "We eat everything that has legs, except tables..."
So for this post, I have a piece of advice I'd like to share with you, compiled from 3 websites I stumbled upon.

MY TOP PICKS


1. Flaxseed - apparently has one of the highest Omega-3 source other than fish. Recommended as alternative to fishes. The oil that comes from flaxseed will also help to mosturise our skin from the inside. How to eat it? Daily take 2.0-2.5grams (1/2 - 1 teaspoon) and feel the difference in approximately 6 weeks.

2. Green tea - one keyword you need to know: ECCG (epigallocatechin-3-gallate) or catechin. Almost all tea has this ingredient, green tea has the most. Catechin degrades with when the temperature is cooling so its good to have your tea while its hot! Green tea has lower caffeine level too. Other properties that makes this tea a must in our pantry are: anti-aging, prevents skin cancer, lion-tamer effect on tumor cells and stress relieve. Dosage per day? 2-6 cups a day will get the catechin moving.

3. Almond - a traditional favourite this one, it is not a nut, it is seed! Its loaded up with Vitamin E, a sunblocker property that will make give your skin a good shield against the sun. How much to eat it? It was proven that 20 almonds a day (about 14 miligrams) make you get less sunburned than a person who doesn't take any almonds.

You've got my top 3 picks, now you go and do more research. The links are below and happy surfing!

Links:

1. The perfect skin diet: 10 foods for your face.
2. Feed your face: 10 foods for better skin.
3. 18 foods that make your skin glow. <-----My favourite!!!

Intellectual Property

Architecture is probably the only field that doesn't required design patent to be enforced into the making of building's aesthetics. If aesthetics purely come from intuition, we dont have to dispute about design copyright right? WRONG!

I might be wrong but more architects need to be in touch with their business nature and be resilient about design matters. Maybe Intellectual Property can be the answer to making every city distinct in their own unique way.

What is Intellectual Property?

Intellectual property refers to creations of the mind: inventions, literary and artistic works, and symbols, names, images, and designs used in commerce.
Intellectual property is divided into two categories: Industrial property, which includes inventions (patents), trademarks, industrial designs, and geographic indications of source; and Copyright, which includes literary and artistic works such as novels, poems and plays, films, musical works, artistic works such as drawings, paintings, photographs and sculptures, and architectural designs. Rights related to copyright include those of performing artists in their performances, producers of phonograms in their recordings, and those of broadcasters in their radio and television programs.

Why should we get an IP?

In these days of overnight celebrity, we might want to have a bit of our own to hold on to. Be it a work of art, a piece of poem, a brand name coined yesterday or even a colour. Of course this IP thing came to me when someone told me that apparently he/she should've been a millionaire because of this ideas or because of that design. Things like that happens, and to prevent that, IP is the answer.

Is Architecture included in Copyright?

YES! Architecture is included - "works of applied art; illustrations, maps, plans, sketches and three-dimensional works relative to geography, topography, architecture or science." So this means architects can claim their special details and beautiful drawings from being copied. I've known a few cases where an employer caught a 'design plagiarism' when a former employee designed a house using principles the previous employer used. The employee got promoted and the former employer just get upset by the copycatting.

So what is our take?

Architects has to work towards producing more of their own than 'copy and paste' method or reduce the usage of 'refer to manuf. details' in their drawings. I have worked with an architect who stressed that architects should establish their own details for a building project. Well, my rationale is that if the building project is small and managable, it will be crazy not to handcraft the project, but if the building project needs more man energy and help to finish it, might as well do the most practical we can think of.

So for more info, please read the links. Intellectual Property might be availabe in your country too. Cheers readers!

Links

1. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Intellectual_property - General Idea about IP
2. http://www.ipaustralia.gov.au/ - IP in Australia by the Government
3. http://www.wipo.int/about-ip/en/ - World IP Organization