The Political and Legal Influences of Wireless Electricity - Coursework Example

The Political and Legal Influences on Wireless Electri Total Number of Words: 2,544 Table of Contents I. Introduction …………………………………………………………………………. 3 II. Political Causes and Effects on Wireless Electricity ……………………………….. 4 a. Government Intervention or Support Given to the Development of Wireless Electricity ……………………………………………………….. 4 b. Government and Non-Government Policies on Wireless Electricity ……... 5 III. Legal Factors or Issues that may Affect the Development of Wireless Electricity … 8 a. Basic Information on Intellectual Property Right (IPR) Laws and Wireless Electricity ……………………………………………………….. 8 b. Business Advantages and Disadvantages of Using IPR Laws ……………. 9 IV. Discussion …………………………………………………………………………… 10 V. Conclusion ……………………….…………………………………………………. 11 References ………………………………………………………………………………… 12 - 14 I. Introduction Aside from the rotating magnetic field and the wireless radio broadcasts, Nikola Tesla also invented the wireless electricity (Scrivener, 2013). In 1860s, one of Tesla’s greatest childhood dreams was to live in the U.S. so he could provide power to the Niagara Falls (Tesla Memorial Society of New York, 1998). Therefore, in 1884, Tesla came to live in New York as a Serbian immigrant (Scrivener, 2013; Tesla Memorial Society of New York, 1998). The US government did not support the initial stages of Tesla’s research and development on wireless electricity. Due to financial difficulty, Tesla decided to enter into a business partnership with George Westinghouse in 1886 (Scrivener, 2013). Eventually, Tesla accepted the US$1 million plus $1.00 worth of royalties for each horsepower of electricity generated deal with the Westinghouse Company. Through the help of the Westinghouse Company, Tesla managed to build the 1st hydroelectric alternating current (AC) system at the Niagara Falls in Ontario, Canada back in 1895 (Scrivener, 2013; Tufts & Fairbanks, 2011). It was in 1899 when Tesla focused on developing the wireless electricity in Colorado (Scrivener, 2013; Anderson, 2007: 29). Even though Tesla managed to prove the feasibility of his idea with regards to the construction of a wireless power system, Tesla faced a serious financial problem when his financier John Jacob Astor died when the Titanic sank in the middle of Atlantic Ocean (Weyn, 2011: 328). Tesla died on the 12th of January 1943 as a single person with no heirs. Therefore, the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) took hold of all of Tesla’s documents (Scrivener, 2013; Gayen, 2012). In general, wireless electricity is all about being able to transmit electrical current without the use of any forms of man-made conductors like wires. Among few good examples of wireless electricity include power transmission that are carried out through the use of “direct induction” and “resonant magnetic induction” or “electromagnetic radiation” which often comes in the form of “lasers” and/or “microwaves” (Landis, 1994). In 2007, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) made a confirmation that it is possible to transfer wireless electricity using a technology called the “resonant power transfer” (Wilson, 2014). In relation to the continuous developments on wireless electricity, this essay will purposely discuss the political and legal factors that may have contributed to its success and/or failure. II. Political Causes and Effects on Wireless Electricity Political factors can create either a positive or negative impact on the development of wireless electricity in the United States. To allow the readers gain better understanding of the extent in which political factors can affect the development of wireless electricity, it is necessary to subdivide the topic into three (3) sub-categories known as: (1) government intervention in the development of wireless electricity; (2) the past and current government policies on wireless electricity; and (3) government support on the development of wireless electricity. a. Government Intervention or Support Given to the Development of Wireless Electricity The use of magnetic resonance, when transmitting electricity via air through the magnetic field, can be 90% more efficient and effective in terms of reducing the adverse environmental impact caused by the use of traditional electrical devices (Guerilla Stock Trading, 2014; Judge, 2009). Therefore, few decades after the death of Tesla, the U.S. government decided to show strong support on the development of wireless electricity. First of all, the U.S. government supported the establishment of WiTricity Corporation back in 2007 as a private company (Frizell, 2014; Guerilla Stock Trading, 2014; WiTricity, 2014; Power Matters Alliance, 2013). Aside from the WiTricity Corporation, the U.S. government also supports the role of the MIT in terms of doing research works on wireless electricity (Gayen, 2012). Specifically the U.S. government has already invested trillions of US dollars in order to generate wireless electricity into the American homes (Wilson, 2014). Despite the fact that the WiTricity has been registered as a private company (Guerilla Stock Trading, 2014), Gayen (2012) revealed that the U.S. government actively funds the research and development projects of WiTricity. On the other hand, the research projects of MIT are being funded by three (3) different organizations which include: (1) the Army Research Office; (2) the Department of Energy; and (3) the National Science Foundation (Gayen, 2012). Today, the WiTricity Corporation is the only company that has an exclusive license to manufacture and sell the “wireless energy transfer” technology (Collins, 2014). Because of its exclusive license to manufacture and sell this type of technology, WiTricity will be able to easily dominate or monopolize the entire future market of wireless electricity technology within and outside the United States. b. Government and Non-Government Policies on Wireless Electricity During the time of Tesla, there were no existing government policies that aim to promote the development of wireless electricity. The lack of government support made Tesla unable to complete his desire of power up the entire nation using wireless electricity. Although a lot of news report has been talking about the technology used in wireless electricity, not much of these online news reports or articles bothered talking about direct U.S. government policies on selling wireless electricity devices. Most probably, this is due to the fact that this particular technology is new worldwide. A lot of future electronic devices including the plug-in hybrid electric vehicles are most likely to be dependent on the use of wireless electricity in the near future. With regards to the use of hybrid or plug-in hybrid electric vehicles in the United States, the Electric Drive Transportation Association (EDTA) is most likely to be made responsible for the design of public policies which will be imposed on the use of wireless electricity on private and public vehicles (EDTA, 2013). Even though there are no specific or clear government policies on wireless electricity, some non-government organizations like the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Southern California Edison mentioned some policies with regards to its safety issues. For example, WHO’s policies on electric and magnetic fields (EMF) include the need to educate or communicate with people about the different ways on how they can effectively minimize their exposure to EMF, the need to implement the use of “no-cost and low-cost measures” (Decision 93-11-013) as a way of reducing EMF exposure, the need to make use of international guidelines as a way of creating standards for short-term and long-term exposure to fields (i.e. 833 and 9000 milligauss), and the need for the government to encourage and promote further research studies which aims to minimize uncertainties concerning the possible health hazards of being exposed to EMF/ELF fields (Southern California Edison, 2010, 2004). Even though there is no available strong evidence that can prove that exposure to (EMF) can cause detrimental effects on the health of a person, the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) purposely updated the World Health Organization’s (WHO’s) EMF policy stating that it is not appropriate to make use of “numeric exposure limits” when designing a guideline on EMF and that it is important to continuously observe its “low-cost” precautionary EMF policy at all times (Southern California Edison, 2014). The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) also made a publication with regards to the safety issues of EMF exposure within the workplace. In relation to inexpensive measures used to reduce EMF exposure, NIOSH strongly suggest the following precautions: (1) the need to educate both employers and employees about the possible health risks of being exposed to magnetic fields; (2) the need to distance the workers from the main source of EMF up to a maximum of 3 feet; (3) the need to design low EMF exposure; and (4) the need to reduce the frequency of EMF exposure (CDC, 2014). The local governments of each state in the U.S. have different regulations with regards to the guidelines and allowable exposure to EMF. For instance, the local government in Florida managed EMF exposure by establishing a set of regulation whereas the local government in Minnesota managed to set an “informal guidelines” to inform the general public about the need to limit exposure to EMF (Kheifets, 2011). As mentioned by Kheifets (n.d.), the limits on EMF set for transmission lines are as follows: “…10 kV/m within rights-of-way and 2 kV/m at the edge of rights-of-way for electric fields and around 200 mG for magnetic fields.” “Prudent avoidance” aims to keep people away of the magnetic fields by redesigning the electrical systems of home appliances or by re-routing facilities (Kheifets, n.d.). In general, “prudent avoidance” can be considered as a policy option for EMF exposure. In the U.S., there are some states that has adopted the concept of “prudence avoidance” (i.e. California, Hawaii, NY, Ohio, etc.) except for Missouri, Connecticut, and the District of Columbia (Kheifets, n.d.). To ensure the safety of people who work close to electric and magnetic fields, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Service together with the Public Health Service, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health created a manual which can guide both employers and employees about the proper way of measuring EMF exposure within the working environment (Bowman, Kelsh, & Kaune, 1998). III. Legal Factors or Issues Affecting the Development of Wireless Electricity a. Basic Information on Intellectual Property Right (IPR) Laws and Wireless Electricity Under the IPR laws include the following: copyright, patent, and other registered trademarks (Davison, Monotti, & Wiseman, 2012: 1). In line with this, the intellectual property right laws are set of legal measures which aim to protect the rights and socio-economic welfare of people with creative ideas, design and images including new inventions (Landes & Posner, 2003: 1). For instance, the copyright laws can be used to protect a person’s ideas, thoughts, or any intangible property like songs or music from other people (Anderson, 1998: 15, 23). On the other hand, the patent rights In history, Tesla managed to apply for the patent rights on his 700 inventions including the AC system for motors, generators, and transformers and the wireless transmission of electricity (Scrivener, 2013; Tesla Memorial Society of New York, 1998). Since Tesla did not have any heirs to benefit from his patented technologies, a large part of his invention were carefully studied and re-studied by scientists who work for the WiTricity Corporation (Gayen, 2012). To prevent other engineering companies from copying the said technology, WiTricity was the only company that was given the exclusive license to manufacture the “wireless energy transfer” technology (Collins, 2014). With the purpose of dominating both domestic and international markets, the WiTricity Corporation had purposely invited some of the well-known electronic brands to sign-up a business dealing with this company (WiTricity, 2014). For example, Toyota has recently signed up a “wireless charging deal” with WiTricity for its future hybrid electric cars (Computer World, 2014). b. Business Advantages and Disadvantages of Using IPR Laws There is quite a lot of business advantages associated with having a patent on new inventions. First of all, the use of IPR laws like trademarks and patents could foster the development and innovation on technology (Landes & Posner, 2003). In the process of protecting the legal rights of the inventor(s) over their unique inventions, it is possible for them to have more power and encouragement to further develop new technology in the near future (IUS Mentis, 2014). In the US, a patent will provide the inventor(s) with a temporary protection which could last for certain number of years since the date wherein the patent rights had been filed. Within a certain period of time, the inventor will have the right to legally sue any person or a company for copying, imitating, or reproducing the patented technology (IUS Mentis, 2014). In the case of wireless electricity in the United States, the exclusive license to make use of the magnetic field resonance in the creation of wireless electricity has been awarded to the WiTricity Corporation (Collins, 2014). It simply means that all manufacturing companies who wish to make use of the wireless electricity will have to sign-up a business contract exclusively with the WiTricity Corporation. Having in mind that only WiTricity Corporation has the exclusive right to manufacture and design gadgets which can be used for wireless electricity means that this particular company together with other companies that has signed up a business contract with WiTricity would eventually monopolize the market of electronic gadgets worldwide. As soon as the global markets would come to accept and patronize the use of wireless electricity, all companies that had signed up with WiTricity can have more power in terms of manipulating and dictating the market prices of electronic gadgets. Now, this is a clear disadvantage of using the IPR laws. Instead of making wireless electricity affordable to all people, the fact that WiTricity together with other manufacturing companies that has signed up a contract with this particular company can easily dictate the market prices of electronic products perhaps 5 to 20 years from now. IV. Discussion In general, both political and legal factors can either directly or indirectly affect the development of wireless electricity. However, except for some of the existing policies that are directly related to the precautionary health measures when being exposed to magnetic fields (CDC, 2014; Southern California Edison, 2014; Kheifets, 2011; Bowman, Kelsh, & Kaune, 1998), there is no universal policy that can be used to regulate the use of wireless electricity. With regards to the legal issues that can directly affect the developments of wireless electricity, a lot of evidences shows that legal factors such as the IPR laws (i.e. trademark laws, patent rights, etc.) have more influence in the future development, sales and marketing of this particular technology. Within a normal business organization, the business owner(s) can have to option to raise fund or capital from their own pocket(s), apply for a bank loan, or make the company public so that the business organization can raise sufficient funds from stock holders/stock market. The case of WiTricity is totally different from the way a traditional company is being operated. First of all, WiTricity has been reported as a private company (Frizell, 2014; Guerilla Stock Trading, 2014; WiTricity, 2014; Power Matters Alliance, 2013). With this in mind, it seriously sounds too good to be true that the U.S. government has been injecting trillions of US dollars to fund its research and development program of WiTricity. Of course, not unless there is a lobbying going on with very few powerful individuals within and outside the United States who could directly benefit from marketing the technology used in the wireless electricity (i.e. Congress, Supreme Court, etc.). V. Conclusion The wireless electricity is indeed a very promising technology. However, there is a clear imbalance between the use of government regulations or policies and the use of IPR laws. To ensure the health and safety of the public consumers, the U.S. government should give more importance to the need to conduct more studies with regards to the safety of being exposed to magnetic fields. Through the existence of WiTricity Corporation, the U.S. government can directly manipulate the entire world market of electronic gadgets in the near future. In the absence of free market competition, the mere act of manipulating the entire global market can be very damaging on the part of the public consumers worldwide. References Anderson, J. (1998). Plagiarism, Copyright Violation and Other Thefts of Intellectual Property. North Carolina: McFarland & Company Inc. Anderson, N. (2007). Worse Than Global Warming: Wave Technology. Sheffield, MA: Safe Goods / ATN Publishing. 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