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Day: March 1, 2024

Kisah Sukses Para Pelaku Usaha yang Memanfaatkan Hak Kekayaan Intelektual

Hak Kekayaan Intelektual (HAKI) merupakan hal yang tidak bisa dipisahkan dari kegiatan usaha, terlebih lagi industri kreatif. Melalui perlindungan hak kekayaan intelektual, maka para pelaku usaha bisa memanfaatkan hasil inovasi yang mereka miliki untuk mengembangkan usahanya sebesar-besarnya.

Adanya hak kekayaan intelektual memastikan setiap pelaku usaha memiliki hak eksklusif untuk memanfaatkan produk-produk yang mereka buat, dan mendapatkan perlindungan hukum bila terjadi pembajakan oleh pihak-pihak lain terhadap produk tersebut. Dengan demikian, setiap pelaku usaha bisa bersaing satu sama lain untuk menghasilkan produk terbaik yang bisa dibeli dan dinikmati oleh para konsumen.

Tanpa adanya perlindungan hak kekayaan intelektual, tentu akan sangat sulit bagi para pelaku usaha untuk menjalankan usahanya. Produk-produk yang mereka buat dengan kerja keras akan dapat dengan mudah dibajak oleh pihak-pihal lain, dan dimanfaatkan oleh mereka yang tidak bertanggung jawab.

Di Indonesia sendiri, terdapat berbagai permasalahan terkait dengan perlindungan hak kekayaan intelektual. Sudah menjadi rahasia umum bahwa misalnya, pembajakan merupakan sesuatu yang terjadi dan dilakukan secara sangat masif di Indonesia. Bila kita datang mengunjungi berbagai pusat perbelanjaan misalnya, kita bisa dengan mudah menemukan berbagai produk bajakan yang dijual secara bebas dengan harga yang jauh lebih murah dibandingkan dengan barang yang asli.

Tidak hanya di toko fisik, di dunia maya pula kita bisa dengan sangat mudah menemukan berbagai produk bajakan yang dijual dengan sangat bebas. Bila kita berselancar ke berbagai toko daring misalnya, kita bisa dengan sangat cepat menemukan berbagai produk bajakan yang dijual bebas. Hal ini tentu akan merugikan para pelaku usaha yang telah mengeluarkan banyak waktu & modal untuk berkarya dan berinovasi.

Fenomena masih masifnya berbagai praktik pembajakan dan persoalan terkait dengan perlindungan hak kekayaan intelektual yang tidak sedikit tentunya bisa dilihat dari berbagai sisi. Di satu sisi misalnya, aspek penegakan hukum dari lembaga terkait merupakan hal yang sangat penting agar perlindungan hak kekayaan intelektual bisa dilakukan secara komprehensif. Mereka yang melakukan tindakan pembajakan tentunya harus diproses sesuai dengan ketentuan hukum yang berlaku.

Di sisi lain, adanya keaktifan dari para pelaku usaha untuk mendaftarkan kekayaan intelektualnya kepada pemerintah merupakan sesuatu yang sangat krusial agar kekayaan intelektual mereka dapat terlindungi. Bila kekayaan intelektual dari inovasi yang dilakukan oleh para pelaku usaha tersebut tidak didaftarkan, tentu akan mustahil kekayaan intelektual seperti hak cipta dan paten tersebut dapat dilindungi oleh pemerintah dari praktik pembajakan oleh pihak-pihak yang tidak bertanggung jawab.

Pada aspek keaktifan pendaftaran dari kekayaan intelektual, harus kita akui tidak sedikit yang masih bisa kita perbaiki. Saat ini misalnya, menurut Dirjen Kekayaan Intelektual Kemenkumham, saaat ini baru ada sekitar 11% dari usaha mikro, kecil, dan menengah (UMKM) di Indonesia yang mendapat perlindungan kekayaan intelektual (sonora.id, 24/1/2024).

Padahal, terdapat potensi yang sangat besar dari sektor UMKM yang sangat banyak yang ada di negara kita. Dengan para pemilik usaha yang mendaftarkan kekayaan intelektual mereka, maka mereka bisa mendapat perlindungan atas karya yang mereka buat, dan bisa memanfaatkan karya tersebut untuk memperluas usaha yang mereka miliki.

Tidak sedikit berbagai kisah sukses dari pemilik usaha di Indonesia yang berhasil mengembangkan usaha mereka dengan memanfaatkan kekayaan intelektual yang mereka miliki. Salah satunya misalnya, usaha kreatif tahilalats yang bergerak di bidang industry animasi, merupakan salah satu usaha yang bisa berkembang pesat karena memanfaatkan kekayaan intelektual yang dimilikinya.

Karena mampu memanfaatkan kekayaan intelektual yang dimilikinya, tahilalats, atau yang dikenal juga dengan nama Mind Blowon, juga berhasil berkolaborasi dengan berbagai seniman internasional kelas dunia. Selain itu, tahilalats juga berhasil melebarkan sayap usaha mereka ke usaha F&B ketika ada investor yang bersedia menanamkan modal untuk membuat caf yang bertemakan animasi yang dibuat oleh usaha kreatif tersebut (goodnewsfromindonesia.id, 3/2/2023).

Tidak hanya dengan seniman, tahilalats, yang bermula dari industri kreatif animasi, juga berhasil membuat konten yang berkolaborasi dengan berbagai musisi kelas dunia, diantaranya adalah band Coldplay dari Inggris, dan grup BTS dari Korea Selatan. Usaha animasi tersebut juga berhasil berkolaborasi dengan tokoh kartun terkenal asal Jepang yakni Crayon Sinchan (kemenparekraf.go.id, 14/3/2023).

Adanya kisah sukses pelaku industri kreatif yang bisa berkembang pesat karena memanfaatkan kekayaan intelektual yang mereka tentu merupakan hal yang sangat patut kita apresiasi dan disebarluaskan. Dengan adanya kampanye kisah-kisah sukses berbagai usaha kreatif yang berhasil memanfaatkan kekayaan intelektual mereka untuk mengembangkan usahanya, maka hal ini tentu berpotensi besar dapat menginspirasi berbagai pemilik usaha kreatif lain untuk mendaftarkan dan memanfaatkan kekayaan intelektual yang mereka miliki.

Sebagai penutup, Indonesia memiliki potensi kekayaan intelektual yang sangat besar, dan bisa memberi sumbangan yang tidak sedikit bagi perekonomian di negara kita. Akan tetapi, potensi besar tersebut akan sulit dimanfaatkan secara maksimal bila tidak ada pencatatan dan perlindungan yang memadai.

Untuk itu, kampanye dalam bentuk memperkenalkan dan menyebarkan kisah-kisah sukses pelaku industri kreatif yang berhasil mengembangkan usaha mereka melalui pemanfaataaan kekayaan intelektual adalah hal yang sangat penting. Dengan demikian, para pelaku usaha lain bisa mencontoh dan mendapatkan inspirasi, dan memiliki insentif yang besar untuk mencatatakan dan memanfaatkan kekayaan intelektual dari karya mereka secara maksimal.

Originally published here

Political Polarization Finds Its Way to the Agricultural Sector

“Don’t let us become more like the United States.” This was the message from German agriculture minister, Cem Özdemir, regarding the farmer protests that have shaken Germany for months. Farmers spoke out and organized against planned tax hikes on agricultural vehicles and diesel fuel amid a cost-of-living crisis already stressing German life.   

“This is a dangerous rift that can lead to conditions like those in the USA,” Özdemir told German news. “People no longer talk to each other, they no longer believe each other and they accuse each other of all the evil in the world.” The goal must be to “keep the country together in the center.” 

It is a convenient cop-out for a German cabinet member to distract from the problems with its own government’s policies by pointing the finger at American political polarization. In truth, the two issues have nothing in common, and German farmers are right to be upset. 

For many years now, German and EU policy has reduced the toolbox of crop protection chemicals that farmers can use on their fields to protect yields. The government has been adamant about getting herbicide glyphosate banned across Europe, despite ample evidence of its safety, a fact acknowledged by local and EU-wide regulators. Now that farmers are treading water and only live comfortably in above-average harvest seasons, Germany thought it opportune to fill the coffers of the treasury with higher taxes on diesel and tractors. 

When the farmers started protesting on the streets of Berlin, the government and its apologists initially shifted blame. The farmers were either “entitled”, since they’d had a good harvest in 2023, or they were not participating enough in the environmental transition in the country. Environmental lobby group, Greenpeace, argued that farmers should switch out their diesel tractors for electric ones instead, forgetting to mention that those often come at double the acquisition price. Germany also has amongst the highest electricity prices in Europe.

Under political pressure from the protests, Berlin eventually gave in, dropped the tax hikes on tractors, and promised to phase out tax breaks on diesel over a longer period of time. However, farmers have promised to keep protesting, as the phase-outs will eventually overlap with bad harvest years and bankruptcy will follow for many farmers living on the financial edge. This has put an already tedious government coalition under strain 

80 percent of Germans who have no connection to the agricultural sector express support for the farmer protests.

In a way, minister Özdemir is correct. The political environment in Germany is badly polarized. But unlike the American boogeyman he is alluding to, the polarization is between his government coalition and everyone else. The same is currently happening in France, Poland, and Romania, where farmers are protesting the effects of EU regulation and dwindling margins on their products.

For over ten years, consecutive German and EU governments have pursued a devastating green agenda that has led to high fuel prices, high electricity prices, and high gas prices. Germany had made itself dependent on Russian gas, then phased out perfectly operational nuclear power plants, and then decided that all the taxpayers needed to pay even more for the privilege of having amongst the highest energy costs on the continent. As a result, social democrats and environmentalists have become unpopular, and risk defeat at the ballot box.

European leaders can approach this problem in one of two ways: either they recognize that the farming sector is overregulated and give it a path towards ending reliance on subsidies, understand that energy security and reduced global warming emissions require the use of nuclear power, and provide the baseline for a successful industrial nation, or will they just write-off everyone who disagrees with them as far-right extremists?

Which way will they choose?

Originally published here

The best smartphones for teens to stay connected and protected

When Republicans and Democrats come together on something in Washington, D.C., rest assured that it’s an expansion of their power at the expense of yours. The Kids Online Safety Act, sponsored by Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) and Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.), now boasts 62 Senate cosponsors, making it very likely to pass in the coming weeks.

KOSA and similar age-verification laws sweeping the nation require platforms to collect personal information such as a driver’s license, Social Security number, or birth certificate to verify the user’s age. In the case of minors, parental consent involves sharing sensitive information for safekeeping by Big Tech companies.

Read the full text here

Because employment-based visas go unused, health care facilities continue to have worker shortages

Immigration is an issue that generates a variety of strong opinions. But what shouldn’t be controversial or subject to a lot of disagreement is an immigration-related issue involving a shortage of skilled health care workers in the U.S.

There’s no question that the U.S. could benefit from more health care workers. The next generation of students who will graduate with health care-related degrees and enter the workforce will help the situation, but that’s more of a long-term solution.

A more short-term possibility is to tap into the global pool of skilled workers from other countries.

The crux of the issue lies in the caps and quotas imposed on employment-based visas for international skilled workers. These visa quotas have seen minimal adjustments to accommodate the modern economy, which has more than tripled in size since the quotas were created in 1990.

But even if one believes the annual visa cap remains adequate at 140,000 per year, bureaucratic hurdles exacerbate the labor deficit.

Read the full text here

Cut plastic waste with tax incentives for private R&D, says NGO

A consumer group has suggested tax incentives for companies and consumers as part of efforts to reduce plastic waste, especially those targeted at research and development (R&D) in the private sector.

Tarmizi Anuwar, the Malaysian representative of the Washington-based Consumer Choice Centre, said that emphasis on private sector R&D could lead to the production of cheaper sustainable alternatives.

“Incentives do not necessarily mean grants. If a company or the private sector invests in R&D, the government should give tax exemptions or at least reduce taxes for them,” he told FMT.

Tarmizi said these measures should be complemented by reduced trade barriers for the import of alternatives as well as reduced bureaucracy, streamlining patent processes for sustainable products.

Read the full text here

Kids Online Safety Act May be a Threat to Privacy

The Kids Online Safety Act, recently reintroduced by a group of bipartisan US Senators, is being criticized as a potential gateway to digital censorship rather than genuine protection for minors online.

Yaël Ossowski, deputy director of the Consumer Choice Center, a Washington, D.C. based consumer advocacy group, argues that the bill poses constitutional concerns and could grant excessive powers to regulate digital platforms. Ossowski suggests that rather than enhancing online safety, such legislation might compromise user experiences and jeopardize personal data security.

The Consumer Choice Center contends that enacting this bill would signify a shift towards government control over children’s internet access, diminishing parental authority. Ossowski emphasizes that safeguarding children online should start at home, with parental guidance, rather than relying on government intervention to dictate their online activities.

Read the full text here

‘Green bubble’ texts are not the FCC’s problem to solve  

When iPhone users see a green bubble pop up in their text messages, it has a way of dulling the experience. Emoji reactions, Facetime video calls, or even high-quality images over WiFi are immediately broken once a green-bubbled Android user slides into a group thread. 

This is the reality of Apple’s iMessage protocol, the default messaging app for its users. These consumers enjoy end-to-end encryption, high-quality image sharing, and a full range of emoji and message reactions all in tidy blue chat bubbles. Android users texting iPhones, though, have their messages carried over the limited SMS protocol with none of those features, yielding the green bubbles you may see in your chats. 

Rather than use similarly encrypted messaging apps like WhatsApp, Signal or Telegram, which remain more popular overseas, over 125 million Americans are plugged into the iPhone ecosystem. It’s no wonder, then, that social pressure exists for non-Apple users, particularly teens, who prefer iMessage over its competitors. 

To solve this, innovative developers have created Android apps to route around Apple’s strict “walled garden.” Some apps offer third-party relay servers running on Mac computers, allowing Android users to communicate on iMessage while breaking Apple’s proprietary encryption. 

The company Beeper found a way to reverse-engineer iMessage’s protocol without relays, giving Android users a direct connection with Apple’s servers and all iPhones. The app quickly became popular on Android devices — but Apple soon took notice. 

In December, Beeper announced it would abandon its service after Apple made protocol changes that blocked the app’s workaround. It’s a typical cycle for an innovative startup looking to disrupt an industry. 

But then came the politicians.  

That same week, a bipartisan group of senators and congressmen, including Big Tech foes Sens. Mike Lee of Utah and Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota, sent a letter to the Department of Justice demanding an antitrust investigation against Apple. Their letter claimed Apple’s de facto block on Beeper’s workaround “harms competition” and “eliminates choices for consumers.”  

On Monday, FCC Chair Brendan Carr called on his agency to investigate Apple’s iMessage based on Part 14 of the commission’s rules regarding accessibility, usability and compatibility. Carr claims the iMessage experience harms consumers with disabilities who may not be able to read the “low contrast” green bubbles coming from Android users. 

Add that to the growing list of grievances being brought against American tech firms by Washington. 

Is this truly a situation that warrants intervention by the nation’s telecom regulator and antitrust hawks in Congress?  

There are meaningful market solutions available to consumers. While Apple defends its iMessage protocol, the company has also pledged to upgrade how its tech interacts with non-Apple devices. 

This month, Apple announced it will soon upgrade its SMS and MMS messaging to what’s known as the RCS protocol (Rich Communications Services), allowing more multimedia features and functionality with other devices that would closely match the iMessage experience. 

This is unlikely to silence Apple’s critics, however, because this is about far more than blue and green chat bubbles. 

growing number of public and law enforcement officials are advocating for outlawing messaging encryption altogether, which iMessage uses by default. The FBI has already battled Apple numerous times over its encryption protocol and routinely attempts to crack it. 

The same goes for rival companies that rely on Apple’s App Store to deliver their products to Apple users. 

In 2020, video game maker Epic Games sued Apple and won a partial victory, classifying Apple’s management of its App Store as “anti-competitive.” In 2023, Damus, an iPhone app for the decentralized messaging protocol known as Nostr, revealed Apple was threatening to delist their app if it allowed users to make Bitcoin payments for content instead of Apple Pay. 

At the same time, the Justice Department is likely to issue a sweeping antitrust lawsuit against the company, with the aim of breaking apart the hardware and software integrations that Apple has made so central to its product ecosystem. Apple is fighting a war on multiple fronts, and not every new conflict opened in good faith. 

Apple’s competitors and the federal government seem to be in lockstep on breaking the entire Apple user experience.  

Apple claims its “walled garden” approach exists to add simplicity and security for its users, and I gather most consumers with iPhones would agree. Apple created this garden, and consumers flock to it because they find value in it. It stands to reason that for outside developers and Apple’s competitors, the walled garden is a thorn in their side. 

These are real issues that impact consumers, and they deserve to be addressed. However, we must make distinctions between problems that are merely conflicts between rival companies competing for consumers, and those that require government intervention on consumers’ behalf.  

The switching costs and trade-offs for American iPhone users aren’t worth it to most. And that’s nothing will be or should be remedied by agency decree or legislation. The FCC would just be manifesting a solution in search of a problem when it comes to chat bubbles. 

If the U.S. wants to remain competitive on a global scale, we need our regulatory agencies to focus on calling balls and strikes to ensure fairness and competitiveness, not dictating the chat protocol between Android and Apple users. 

Opening up Pandora’s box of government meddling into a niche technology, whether that’s on your newsfeed or chat app, would be a step too far. It would be much more trouble than it’s worth. 

Originally published here

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