Ofcom: six-year-olds understand digital technology better than adults | Technology They may not know who Steve Jobs was or even how to tie their own shoelaces, but the average six-year-old child understands more about digital technology than a 45-year-old adult, according to an authoritative new report published on Thursday. The advent of broadband in the year 2000 has created a generation of digital natives, the communication watchdog Ofcom says in its annual study of British consumers. Born in the new millennium, these children have never known the dark ages of dial up internet, and the youngest are learning how to operate smartphones or tablets before they are able to talk. "These younger people are shaping communications," said Jane Rumble, Ofcom's media research head. "As a result of growing up in the digital age, they are developing fundamentally different communication habits from older generations, even compared to what we call the early adopters, the 16-to-24 age group." The most remarkable change is in time spent talking by phone.
New UK Image Copyright Law Legalises Nicking Photos Off the Internet The UK's Enterprise and Regulatory Reform Act has been passed, putting controversial new copyright laws regarding what's known as "orphan works" into place for photos put online. The changes mean that if there's no clear identifying meta data in images, anyone can use and sub-license them and the owners have little recourse to complain. Of course, the internet being what it is and working how it works, copyright watchers are claiming this new law is tantamount to legalising corporate image theft, as it's extremely easy to nick a photo off a social network or image search, then claim it had no identifying data and was therefore considered free to use. Given that meta data is routinely stripped when uploading shots to many social networks, the changes to the law seem designed to make nicking everyone's Instagram photos entirely legal. [The Register]
Other protection Intellectual Property (IP) covers a wide range of subjects and you may find that you can protect your idea by another right. Companies House Companies House deal with the registration and provision of company information. Company Names Tribunal The Tribunal adjudicates in disputes about opportunistic company name registrations. Conditional access technology For encrypted broadcasts and transmissions, you may need authority to produce decoding apparatus and equipment. Copy protection devices Copyright owners may choose to use technical measures to protect their material. Confidentiality agreements (CDAs) CDAs (also known as non-disclosure agreements) can be used to protect know-how or trade secrets Database right In addition to or instead of copyright protection, a database may be protected by the 'database right'. Design right United Kingdom (UK) Design Right and Community Design Right may give automatic protection for the look of your product. Plant breeders rights Publication right Protection abroad
How much does it cost to apply for a UK patent? The normal amount we charge to process a UK patent application is GBP £230 - £280. If you decide to seek professional IP advice (from a Patent Attorney or other representative) you will need to factor in the cost of this as well. If the patent is granted, you must pay a renewal fee to renew it every year after the 5th year for up to 20 years protection. Paper filing GBP £30 (application fee) for a preliminary examinationGBP £150 for a searchGBP £100 for a substantive examination Electronic filing/web-filing service GBP £20 (application fee) for a preliminary examinationGBP £130 for a searchGBP £80 for a substantive examination How to pay If you apply on-line, you can pay by credit or debit card, or by deduction from your deposit account with us. If you apply by post, you can also pay by cheque or bank transfer, but you must also fill in and send us a Form FS2 fee sheet with your application.
The 7 characteristics of a digitally competent teacher Being a proper digitally competent teacher is not as simple as picking up an iPhone and tweeting. You need to be a good digital citizen, understand privacy, and more. In an effort to clarify and explain some of the most important characteristics that a digitally competent teacher must have, we whipped up this fun visual. It’s designed to make it abundantly clear which skills you should have, who should consider themselves ‘digitally competent’ and more. We know the audience of Daily Genius is a lot more than just teachers – so we hope you find some value in this graphic even if you’re not a teacher. After all, being a good digital citizen and understanding privacy (just 2 of the characteristics) are some of the most important things anyone using the Internet should understand.
Copyright & Schools: photocopy, scan, screen or broadcast copyright resources in classrooms - simple advice for teachers Patents - How to apply Apply to us for a patent by post, or if you apply for patents frequently, you may find it useful to apply online. An application for a patent should include a full description of your invention (including any drawings), a set of claims defining your invention, a short abstract summarising the technical features of your invention and a filled in form 1. Fill in form 1 Fill in form 1 in capital letters using black ink, or type them. You must include a full description of your invention, including any drawings, and should include your claims and abstract. You can also send your request for search and fee sheet with your application. If you are not the inventor, there is more than 1 inventor or you are applying on behalf of a company, you must also send a statement of inventorship. Send us the form Please send your filled in application form, description, drawings, claims, abstract and statement of inventorship form, if necessary, to: What happens next?
Preschoolers Outsmart College Students In Figuring Out Gadgets hide captionIf you've noticed that kids seem to be better at figuring out these things, you're not alone. iStockphoto Ever wonder why children can so easily figure out how to work the TV remote? Or why they "totally get" apps on your smartphone faster than you? It turns out that young children may be more open-minded than adults when it comes to solving problems. UC Berkeley Campus Life/YouTube Researchers at the University of California, Berkeley have found that 4- and 5-year-olds are smarter than college students when it comes to figuring out how toys and gadgets work. Psychologist Alison Gopnik led the study along with her colleague Christopher Lucas from the University of Edinburgh. So they recruited over 100 preschoolers — 4- and 5-year-old boys and girls — and brought them into the lab. "We were trying to see if very young children could figure out cause and effect," says Gopnik. The scientists also tested 170 college students.
Trade marks are signs which distinguish your goods/ services from your competitors A trade mark is a sign which can distinguish your goods and services from those of your competitors (you may refer to your trade mark as your "brand"). It can be for example words, logos or a combination of both. The only way to register your trade mark is to apply to us - The Intellectual Property Office. You can use your trade mark as a marketing tool so that customers can recognise your products or services. Trade marks are acceptable if they are: distinctive for the goods and services you provide. You may be familiar with the trade marks below. The above logos have been reproduced with kind permission of WH Smith Retail Limited and PZ Cussons (International) Limited. If you are confident that your trade mark is acceptable, you can apply online now. Trade marks are not registrable if they: Check out our examples of acceptable and unacceptable trade marks. A registered trade mark must be renewed every 10 years to keep it in force. What is a brand?
The Never Ending Thesis About designs This site uses cookies to help make it more useful and reliable. Our cookies page explains what they are, which ones we use, and how you can manage or remove them. Hide this Design right Unregistered design right protection.How long does design right protection last?