Steven W. Kopp

Trademark Strategies Online: Implications for Intellectual Property Protection

The growth and increasingly mainstream appeal of various aspects of the Internet could have a lasting effect on a firms marketing mix. The authors address one of the external environmental factors that marketing and brand managers, as well as public policymakers, should continually monitor as the online community further develops: trademark law. As managers attempt to leverage the value of the trademarked brand, the authors examine the impact of the current state of technology and the law to understand the reach of current legal interpretations and the implications for present and future trademark strategy online.

The Influence of Online Gambling Environments on Self-Control

Online gambling has become a fast growing but controversial industry. This article summarizes two studies that investigate characteristics of Internet gambling environments that lead to problems with self-control. In-depth interviews with both online and casino gamblers reveal that their experiences are categorized differently in an online context, causing some informants to undertake less monitoring of spending. They also use their physical environment to impose boundaries. Next, an experiment investigates two characteristics of online gambling environments: the use of intangible currency and rapid sequential choice. Both traits negatively affect peoples ability to maintain an accurate, in-the-moment account balance across a sequence of gambles. These studies suggest several policy and consumer welfare implications.

The Digital Technology Revolution and Its Effect on the Market for Copyrighted Works: Is History Repeating Itself?

Recent changes in the technological environment have had a significant impact on the sale of copyrighted works. This article examines the effect of those changes in a historical context and compares the current issues facing copyright owners with previous challenges. The authors conclude that the present market environment bears a great deal of similarity to previous “crises,” although there are important differences that may dramatically alter the economic landscape for content owners. The ramifications of increased copyright control vis-à-vis the status quo are examined.

Six days on the road

Purpose – This research aims to examine the stressors that professional truck drivers experience and the impact these stressors may have on road safety.Design/methodology/approach – Both quantitative and qualitative data gathered from 435 professional drivers measured attitudes and behaviors related to safety and compliance. Interviews with professional truck drivers provided an assessment of the stressors that they experience. The insights offered from these individuals were then integrated into a conceptual model. The model was tested via data collected through surveys administered to drivers using structural equation modeling.Findings – Results from the interviews, as well as the results from the survey administered to professional drivers, suggest that truck drivers experience severe time pressures. Such time pressures create stress which can lead to physical fatigue and emotional exhaustion. Further, both of these debilitating conditions are related to negative attitudes about safety compliance and t...

The influence of death attitudes and knowledge of end of life options on attitudes toward physician-assisted suicide.

End of life decisions, such as physician-assisted suicide (PAS), have continued to be controversial as health care policy, moral, and individual health care issues. This study considers knowledge of end of life options and death attitudes as predictors of attitudes toward PAS. Data were gathered from approximately 300 adults through a mailing sent to a household research panel. Validated measures of attitudes toward PAS, knowledge about that states assisted suicide laws, demographics, and attitudes toward death as measured through the Death Attitude Profile-Revised (DAP-R) were collected and analyzed. The data indicate that attitudes toward PAS are a function of knowledge of end of life options as well as death attitudinal factors.

Using the Internet and World Wide Web in Marketing Education: An Examination of the Copyright Act of 1976

The rapidly expanding technologies of the Internet have created opportunities for marketing educators as well as potential pitfalls. While there are those who encourage and embrace the use of the Internet in the educational process (Moore and Milliman 1995; “Using electronic mail…” 1982), many of the limitations of the use of the Net in marketing education have not been addressed directly. In fact, potential hazards do exist along the information superhighway. It would be well to recognize some of these hazards before they are encountered.

Which Way to the Revolution? The Consequences of Database Protection As a New Form of Intellectual Property

In the age of information technology, the sale of information in the form of searchable databases has become a multibillion-dollar industry. In the United States, compilations of data have always presented a difficult problem: Although such works are often assembled at considerable cost and are extremely valuable to commerce and science, they do not exhibit the modicum of creativity usually required for copyrightability. In stark contrast, the European Union has set a global agenda by putting into effect a new form of intellectual property protection for databases, the terms of which could significantly affect the interests of database producers and consumers throughout the world. This article provides a summary of U.S. and international laws used to protect databases and describes the pressures that are affecting U.S. alternatives. Because both information and technology are now subject to porous international boundaries, the authors propose a change in U.S. law.

Teaching Ethical Copyright Behavior: Assessing the Effects of a University-Sponsored Computing Ethics Program.

Universities have become sensitized to the potential for students’ illegal downloading of copyrighted materials. Education has been advocated as one way to curb downloading of copyrighted digital content. This study investigates the effectiveness of a university-sponsored computing ethics education program. The program positively influenced students’ ethical beliefs about downloading and increased awareness, agreement, and compliance with university policies on copyright infringement. The study offers encouragement that education can be an effective preventative measure for discouraging digital copyright infringement on campus.

Resistance and Risk: Examining the Effects of Message Cues in Encouraging End-of-Life Planning

Several organizations have made efforts in their marketing communications to encourage consumers to make decisions about death care and other end-of-life alternatives before these services are needed. The purpose of this research is to compare persuasive communication strategies derived from the approach–avoidance conflict model to encourage end-of-life planning behavior. This research addresses the psychological resistance consumers may have toward planning, including factors that may impede message processing. Results provide evidence that planning may be influenced by the use of specific messages that reduce resistance and perceptions of invulnerability. The authors conclude with implications for social marketing programs that encourage end-of-life planning.

Protecting Appearance and Atmospherics: Trade Dress as a Component of Retail Strategy

Although many retailers recognize the value of managing store appearance and atmosphere to improve sales and consumer loyalty, few are aware that trade dress, a subset of trademark, may be used to protect retail environments from some forms of imitation. This article discusses the importance of trade dress protection for retailers and expands on the elements of trade dress, the parameters of trade dress protection, and the interaction of trade dress law with retail strategy. The authors also assess whether trade dress protection serves the policy goals of reducing deception and promoting fair competition for the benefit of the public as configured and interpreted under current U.S. law.