Finland Will Give 2000 Unemployed People $590 Every Month, No Strings Attached, Even After They Get A Job
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Back in 2015, a Techdirt Podcast explored the fascinating idea of a universal basic income guarantee, something that the Swiss considered, but ultimately rejected in a referendum. The idea of giving money to everyone, regardless of what they do, or how much they earn, is intriguing and attractive for many. But what effect would it have on how people live and work? That's what Finland hopes to find out from an experiment it is conducting in this field, as a story in the Guardian reports:Finland has become the first country in Europe to pay its unemployed citizens an unconditional monthly sum, in a social experiment that will be watched around the world amid gathering interest in the idea of a universal basic income.
Under the two-year, nationwide pilot scheme, which began on 1 January, 2,000 unemployed Finns aged 25 to 58 will receive a guaranteed sum of €560 (475). As that indicates, this isn't a universal basic wage, since it's aimed at just a few of those receiving unemployment benefit, and the money will replace existing financial support. On the other hand, it isn't just some kind of creative accounting, because they will continue to receive the monthly sum even if they find work. There are already plans to roll it out more widely.As the Guardian notes, other parts of the world, including Canada, Italy, the Netherlands and Scotland, are also looking to try out the idea. At a time when there are fears that automation may well reduce the total number of workers needed in industry, it's great to see these experiments exploring an approach that could help to alleviate social problems arising from this shift.Follow me @glynmoody on Twitter or identi.ca, and +glynmoody on Google+
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posted at: 12:04am on 07-Jan-2017
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Bushy's Brewery, Isle Of Man Govt. Have Trademark Hissy Fit Over Two Letters: TT
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If there is one lesson you take away from writing about trademark law and disputes, it's how simple it would be to avoid a massive percentage of the conflicts by holding trademark applications to a far higher standard then they often are. If the world's many trademark offices kept in mind that the entire point of this form of intellectual property is supposed to be keeping the public confident in their ability to determine the source of a given product or service by its trademarked branding, then it would be obvious that approved trademarks should be unique and distinct.As a counterexample to that line of thinking, consider the current dispute going on between Bushy's Brewery, located on the Isle of Man, and the Manx government, all over the government's trademark for exactly two letters: TT.The company was hit with a legal warning by the Isle of Man government over the government’s ‘TT’ trademark, registered at the UK Intellectual Property Office (IPO). Since 1998, Bushy’s has operated a beer tent at the Isle of Man TT Race, a motorsport event held annually since 1907 in the crown dependency, which is located in the Irish Sea between England and Northern Ireland.According to broadcaster ITV, the government’s Department of Economic Development issued a warning in response to controversy over the brewery’s use of the “iconic initials” (TT) and said that it needs to protect the famous TT brand. Okay, some background for those of you non-racing enthusiasts. The Isle of Man is a small nation off the coast of England. It's main tourist attraction is a motor race called the Isle of Man Tourist Trophy, or "TT" for short. For the island's economy, it's a big deal. The brewery, also located on the island, has been a constant participant at the race, with a tent and sponsorship contribution. Bushy's Brewery registered a trademark for "TT" to cover beer, clothing, and catering services in March of 2015. The company was apparently taken aback when only recently the Manx government fired off its warning letter over the trademark it holds on the "TT" mark.“Bushy's has been told by the Isle of Man government that it can't use the letters ‘TT’ because it's trademarked. Bushy's is synonymous with the TT, its beer and the beer tent.“It also employs local people year-round, and contributes to the Manx economy. If the government believes in supporting the local economy, it should stop threatening legal action and let Bushy's ... use the letters ‘TT’.” Basically everyone involved in all of this is being a bit ridiculous. The Manx government, were it so concerned about the brewery's use of the letters "TT", ought to have objected to the trademark when it was first applied for. To allow the registration first and to only later fire off a warning letter smacks of dysfunction. It's also unlikely that anyone is going to go to Bushy's beer tent and somehow think it's an arm of the government-operated event. Bushy's, meanwhile, registered and somehow attained a trademark on two letters. Acronym for a race or not, that itself is absurd. Which brings us to the Intellectual Property Office, which somehow saw fit to approve a trademark registration for exactly two letters in the English alphabet. Had it not done so, none of the parties would be in this mess.But this is what you get when something like trademark law is allowed to stray so far from its original purpose.
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