Open Write page 2

Intellectual Property Law

Open Write page 2

'So, how do you like DelRay?' asked Rebecca.

"It's nice,' responded Thomas, 'it's much more exciting than SeaView.'

Rebecca looked into his eyes. Thomas looked back into her eyes.

'So, how old are you?' she asked.

'I'll be eighteen in three months. How old are you?' came his reply.

Giggling, Rebecca responded, 'I'm twenty three.'

Then, an awkward silence lasting a few minutes passed. When they saw Carol approach, they both let out a 'Whew!' But then they saw Carol's face.

'What's wrong Mum?' Rebecca asked.

'It's your uncle Phil. He was driving to West Mountain and got stopped by the police for driving too fast. When the officer walked up to the car, Phil tried to throw the marijuana out the passenger's side window. He missed, and the marijuana spilled onto the seat. The officer noticed, and collected the marijuana as evidence. Now Phil's in the county jail.'

Rebecca and Thomas looked at each other and giggled.

'It's not funny, protested Carol, 'Now Phil wants me to bail him out. Tomorrow, I have to go to the courthouse and plead before the judge. Rebecca, you and your father are to stay home and wait for me to call from the courthouse.

Rebecca then told Thomas about Uncle Phil:

'After following Artificial Intelligence (A.I.) developments and trends for a couple years, Uncle Phil become a consultant and helped companies incorporate A.I. into their products and services. Occasionally, he would think of ideas for A.I. products or services and patented his creations. He then licensed the patents to major corporations and governments, and used those funds to invest in research institutes. When not incorporating patents into products or services, he developed myRobot Friend. It was a fun project that helped him generate ideas for new patents or new uses for old patents.

"What does he do now? asked Thomas.

With Rebecca finished talking about Uncle Phil, Carol then opened the car doors and asked Thomas to take the back seat, and asked Rebecca if she wanted to drive. Rebecca took the keys and put her luggage in the trunk and asked if Thomas wanted his backpack in the trunk too. Thomas declined, so Rebecca shut the trunk and got in the car.

'So, Thomas, would you like to see the city before heading back to our house?' Rebecca asked with a smile.

'If it is all right with your mom,' Thomas nervously answered.

'That is fine. We can show you where I work and where Rebecca went to school,' announced Carol.

'Off we go!' sang Rebecca as she started the car.

As the car left the parking lot and entered into traffic, Thomas searched his backpack for his camera. Upon finding it, he began taking pictures of the area. Hearing the camera, Carol suggested he wait until they got to the scenic area down by the harbor. Thomas politely declined, insisting he's seen enough water and boats in SeaView.

As they entered the poorer area of DelRay, Thomas asked if he could get out to take pictures. 'No!' Rebecca and Carol replied in unison. They explained to Thomas the high crime rates in the area and the many murders that have occured recently. As the car approached the intersection, Thomas saw what they were talking about. On the sidewalk lay an old man who looked filthy and unshaven. By his side sat a broken wine bottle.

'Where are we headed?' asked Thomas.

'We're going to County Hospital, where my mom works. It's unfortunately not too far from here,' replied Rebecca.

Looking out the window, Thomas grimaced as he saw the filthy sidewalks and depressed people wandering about.

'The irony of the area is that these used to be very wealthy homes. During the Great Depression, the wealthy families abandoned their overpriced homes. As the local economy improved, these costly homes remained abandoned while families moved to the Harbor district. The County Hospital was built before this area became wealthy,' explained Carol.

As the car turned the corner, Thomas got a glimpse of the hospital. It wasn't pretty, with peeling brown paint and lots of graffitti. The windows were either bordered up or covered by steel fencing. There wasn't grass, trees, or flowers, only concrete and steel.

'Oh My!' gasped Thomas, 'how long have you worked here, and why do you stay?' he asked Carol.

'Been here twenty five years, and if I leave, I'll lose my seniority and my pension,' explained Carol, almost trying to justify herself. 'Would you care to see the insides, I caan show you my patients and my coworkers?'

'I don't think it's a good idea, mom. Dad's waiting for us, and Thomas needs to call his uncle,' protested Rebecca.