The History of Foreign Investment in the United States to 1914 - Mira Wilkins 3.9.2 Patent wars: Stripping the iPhone bare So-called 'patent wars' are raging between large technology firms like Apple, Motorola Mobility and Samsung, as they vie for market share in the burgeoning smartphone and tablet market. These battles are being fought in courtrooms by intellectual property (IP) lawyers across the globe, as big firms seek to protect the elements of their product that make them stand out from the crowd. Geoff McCormick, director of UK design firm The Alloy, which devises technology products, took apart an iPhone to explain the thousands of pieces of intellectual property that are contained in a modern smartphone. Patent disputes are increasingly defining the way smartphones and tablets develop - both what they do, and how they look - and the issue will loom large at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona at the end of February, the industry's annual gathering. Video Journalist: Dougal Shaw
Financing railroads In November 1879, private banking firm Drexel, Morgan & Co. successfully sold a block of William Vanderbilt's New York Central Railroad stock when he decided to liquidate his inheritance from his father, Cornelius Vanderbilt. In November 1879, the merchant banking partnership of Drexel, Morgan & Co. gained prominence by selling stock in William Vanderbilt’s New York Central Railroad company without driving down the share price. The deal, which involved the largest block of stock ever publicly offered at that time, emphasized Morgan’s strength as a mobilizer of capital and wholesaler of securities. Just 12 months later, Drexel, Morgan & Co. led a syndicate that sold $40 million of Northern Pacific bonds. Back to This month in history 3.9.2 Apple sues Samsung for $2bn as tech rivals head back to court The smartphone world's fiercest rivalry is heading back to court again this week in the heart of the Silicon Valley, as Apple and Samsung begin a new trial - accusing each other, once again, of ripping off designs and features. The trial will mark the latest round in a long-running series of lawsuits between the two tech giants that underscore a much larger concern about what is allowed to be patented. Like the previous trial, held in summer 2012, the new one will be overseen by Judge Lucy Koh in the California district court in San Jose. In the new trial Apple is seeking damages of $2bn, claiming infringement of five patents by Samsung devices sold in the US between 2010 and 2012, including Galaxy smartphones and tablets. "There's a widespread suspicion that lots of the kinds of software patents at issue are written in ways that cover more ground than what Apple or any other tech firm actually invented," Notre Dame law professor Mark McKenna said.
Bond (finance) In contrast, government bonds are usually issued in an auction. In some cases both members of the public and banks may bid for bonds. In other cases only market makers may bid for bonds. The overall rate of return on the bond depends on both the terms of the bond and the price paid.[4] The terms of the bond, such as the coupon, are fixed in advance and the price is determined by the market. In the case of an underwritten bond, the underwriters will charge a fee for underwriting. An alternative process for bond issuance, which is commonly used for smaller issues and avoids this cost, is the private placement bond. Historically an alternative practice of issuance was for the borrowing government authority to issue bonds over a period of time, usually at a fixed price, with volumes sold on a particular day dependent on market conditions. The yield is the rate of return received from investing in the bond. The price can be quoted as clean or dirty. Railroad obligation Moscow-Kiev-Voronezh
Government bond The terms on which a government can sell bonds depend on how creditworthy the market considers it to be. International credit rating agencies will provide ratings for the bonds, but market participants will make up their own minds about this. History[edit] The first general government bonds were issued in the Netherlands in 1517. The first ever bond issued by a national government was issued by the Bank of England in 1693 to raise money to fund a war against France. Later, governments in Europe started issuing perpetual bonds (bonds with no maturity date) to fund wars and other government spending. Risks[edit] Credit risk[edit] Currency risk[edit] Currency risk is the risk that the value of the currency a bond pays out will decline compared to the holder's reference currency. Inflation risk[edit] Inflation risk is the risk that the value of the currency a bond pays out will decline over time. Money supply[edit] United Kingdom[edit] In the UK, government bonds are called gilts. See also[edit]
Early American currency - Wikipedia Early American currency went through several stages of development in colonial and post-Revolutionary history of the United States. Because few coins were minted in the thirteen colonies that became the United States in 1776, foreign coins like the Spanish dollar were widely circulated. Colonial governments sometimes issued paper money to facilitate economic activity. The British Parliament passed Currency Acts in 1751, 1764, and 1773 that regulated colonial paper money. Colonial currency[edit] There were three general types of money in the colonies of British America: specie (coins), paper money and commodity money.[1] Commodity money was used when cash (coins and paper money) was scarce. As in Great Britain, cash in the colonies was denominated in pounds, shillings, and pence.[2] The value varied from colony to colony; a Massachusetts pound, for example, was not equivalent to a Pennsylvania pound. The paper bills issued by the colonies were known as "bills of credit." See also[edit]
Sweepstakes - Wikipedia Sweepstakes are a type of contest where a prize or prizes may be awarded to a winner or winners.[1] Sweepstakes began as a form of lottery that were tied to products sold.[2] In response, the FCC and FTC refined U.S. broadcasting laws (creating the anti-lottery laws).[3] Under these laws sweepstakes became strictly "No Purchase Necessary to Enter or Win", especially since many sweepstakes companies skirted the law by stating only "No Purchase Necessary to Enter",[4] removing the consideration (one of the three legally required elements of gambling)[5] to stop abuse of sweepstakes.[5] Today, sweepstakes in the USA are used as marketing promotions to reward existing consumers, and to draw attention to a product.[2] By definition, the winner is determined by luck rather than skill.[6] Marketing[edit] Sweepstakes with large grand prizes tend to attract more entries regardless of the odds of winning. Therefore, the value of smaller prizes usually total much less than that of the top prize.
The Secret Story of WWII Japanese & Nazi Gold By David Guyatt The Secret Story of WWII Japanese & Nazi Gold By David Guyatt opyright 2002 for The use of suspect gold to launder drug profits is well established. One example of such laundering activities concerns a rogue airline that had the reputation of flying anything to anywhere. Over a two-year period between 1989-91, the airline made four flights carrying gold bullion weighing 160 tonnes with a market value of two billion dollars. The amount of gold shipped was more than the gold reserves of most central banks. The story about what really happened to the loot plundered by the Nazis and Japanese during WWII remains one of the best-kept secrets of the last fifty years. But it is not just public awareness of what exactly “happened” to this plunder in the post war years that is the cause of supreme unease amongst the powers that be. The heavy cloak of disinformation and double-talk had still another layer. That, however, was not to be. The quantity of gold and other treasures buried was phenomenal.
Funding NATO Direct financial contributions to NATO come principally in two different forms: common funding and joint funding. They can also come in the form of trust funds, contributions in kind, ad hoc sharing arrangements and donations. Several factors influence the choice of funding source to address a given priority. These include the required level of integration or interoperability, affordability at the national level, the complexity of the system involved, and the potential for economies of scale. Often, a combination of funding sources is used. The principle of common funding When a need for expenditure has been identified, countries in the RPPB discuss whether the principle of common funding should be applied – in other words whether the requirement serves the interests of all the contributing countries and should therefore be borne collectively. Common funding arrangements principally include the NATO civil and military budgets, as well as the NATO Security Investment Programme (NSIP).
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