Intellectual War

The heat wave continues to strike the summer college students here at Cornell University. I got out of my bed, all sweaty, took a quick shower, and then went to eat breakfast before another day of lectures at Mallot Hall by Professor Kramnick. As strenuous it may be to move around the campus, I am content to say that it is worth the time. The experience of getting to wake up and manage your time has definitely been an important part of my stay in Cornell. It is important to not only put time studying but also getting out and doing other activities such as throwing Frisbee. The sun has been a deterrent for many to go outside, but it has not stopped me and a few others from occasionally throwing a Frisbee on the front lawn of Appel Commons, which is the facility where we eat our food. My schedule leaves me rarely anytime to really stay in my own room, in which all of us are on the constant move from one building to other, either to read our books for the next day’s lecture or relax.

The highlight of today was our guest speaker, Allen Mitman, a lawyer who has experience in handling cases of copyright issues and intellectual property. I had done a debate tournament last year on intellectual property so it was interesting to hear Mr.Mitman talk about a case based on intellectual property concerning ice cream chains. He had done a case in which the founder of the famous ice cream brand “Haagen Das” sued a competitor who had similar advertising and product features. The outcome of the case was somewhat unfair in my opinion, given the competitor who had admitted to copying certain features of Haagen Das escaped punishment by suddenly changing their appearance and allowed there to be distinction for customers. But overall, the entire story was interesting and I was glad to meet Mitman.

Well, tonight I plan to read up on our next philosopher who is John Stuart Mill, and possibly go to Collegetown for Korean food. Till then, I hope to have something new to tell you tomorrow.