Please Respond To Both Discussion Topics

Please Respond To Both Discussion Topic Themes Discussion Topic 1 An

Please respond to BOTH discussion topic themes (discussion topic #1 and discussion topic #2 below) by Thursday 11:59 PM US Eastern Standard Time (EST), and reply to at least two or more other classmates posts by Sunday 11:59 PM EST. Respond to more classmates for a higher score in the Frequency rubric criteria area. Make sure you support all of your posts and replies to classmate posts with in-text citations and corresponding references from the course materials and other research. Be sure to review the rubric scoring criteria in the "Discussions - Read Me! section under the Content tab of the course to understand the grading for these assignments. You should also read the "Learn How to Support What You Write - Must Read" section under the Content tab to learn more about acceptable methods of supporting your ideas, reasoning and thus the conclusions you have drawn in your posts and other assignments.

Discussion #1: Bill had been an agricultural products representative for just over 19 months. His farm background enabled him to establish great rapport with his farmer clients. The product line he supported included agricultural-related safety items primarily used for power equipment for the farming industry. During a recent visit with Dave, one of his best customer clients, Bill was told about a farming accident that had occurred over six years previously. A shutoff valve between a tractor and an anhydrous ammonia tank had broken.

One of Dave's workers (Jim) had been burned by the spraying ammonia as a result of the accident. Legal litigation had never been initiated even though Jim had incurred close to $20,000 in medical expenses. Upon his return to the office after visiting his customer Bill pulled the files on the aforementioned shutoff valve. Although the valve had been removed from the market several years earlier, there were five similar cases noted in the file. All of those other cases had been settled directly with the farmers, and no formal legal litigation had been filed on those related cases.

The defective valves had been advertised as “totally safe.” Anytime the connectors between the tractor and the ammonia tank were incorrectly disconnected, the shutoff valve was supposed to engage and prevent accidents. Because of the accidents the sale of the shutoff valve had ceased. Bill’s curiosity about the fact that nothing had really been done for his client Dave and worker (Jim) got the best of him ethically, so he went directly to Lee, the president of the agricultural company he worked for, about the matter. Upon hearing him out, Lee got up, closed his office door and proceeded to give him the following bit of advice: “Look, the statute of limitations on that product is seven years. If we can hold out just a few more months, we will be in the clear legally. What Dave (Bill's customer) and those other clodhoppers don’t know is their problem. The original product was defective and pulled.”

Questions: 1. What are the relevant facts on this situation? 2. Who are the primary stakeholders? 3. What are the ethical issues (for example, evaluation from a utilitarian ethical perspective)? 4. What actions should be taken? Be sure to use the course material and other research to support your points.

Discussion #2

Famous patent infringement cases are found throughout history, marking important moments in the defense of intellectual property (IP). An IP infringement is a violation of an intellectual property rights. Lawsuits related to patent infringement make up a huge portion of the lawsuits filed each year, and the number is growing.

Questions: 1. What are some of the actions a company, person, or even an entire country can take to protect ideas, intellectual property (IP), and other infringement violations? 2. Research and provide at least two or more examples of IP infringements that could have been avoided had patents been proactively filed? Be sure to use the course material and other research to support your points.

References

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