What is intellectual property?

Intellectual property (to be) the area of law that (to deal) with (to protect) the rights of those who (to create) original works. It (to cover) everything from original plays and novels to inventions and company identification marks. The purpose of intellectual property laws is to encourage new technologies, artistic expressions and inventions while (to promote) economic growth. When individuals know that their creative work (to protect) and that they can (to benefit) from their labor, they are more likely to continue (to produce) things that create jobs, develop new technology, make processes more efficient, and create beauty in the world around us.

There (to be) three main mechanisms for protecting intellectual property in the United States: copyrights, patents and trademarks.

Task 11. Rewrite the sentences in passive voice.

1. Copyrights protect the expressive arts. It is important to realize that copyrights do not protect ideas, only how they're expressed.

2. Patents protect an invention from being made, sold or used by others for a certain period of time. Utility Patents protect inventions that have a specific function, including things like chemicals, machines, and technology. Design Patents protect the unique way a manufactured object appears. Plant Patents protect plant varieties that are asexually reproduced, including hybrids.

3. Trademarks protect the names and identifying marks of products and companies.

Task 12. Discuss if you are ready to buy a home and how much you can afford.

Home buying

The first thing you need to do is decide how much you can afford. You will need to look at how much money you have available yourself and how much you can borrow. There are a number of different financial institutions which offer loans to people buying a property, for example, building societies and banks. You should find out if you are able to borrow money and if so, how much.

Some building societies now provide buyers with a certificate that states that a loan will be available provided the property is satisfactory. You may be able to get this certificate before you start looking for a property. Building societies state that this certificate may help you to have your offer accepted by the seller.

Before finally deciding how much to spend on a property, you need to be sure you will have enough money to pay for all the additional costs. These include:

- survey fees – платня за огляд

- valuation fees – платня за визначення вартості

- land registry fee – платня за перереєстрацію права власності на землю

- fees, if any, charged by the mortgage lender or someone who arranges the mortgage, for example, a mortgage broker – платня у разі потреби тому, хто надає іпотеку, або тому, хто організує іпотеку, наприклад, іпотечному брокеру

- the buyer’s solicitor’s costs – wqвитрати на послуги юриста, найнятого покупцем

- VAT (value-added tax) – податок на додану вартість

- any final bills, for example, gas and electricity, from your present home – будь-які останні рахунки, наприклад, газ та електрика, з вашого нинішнього житла.

Task 13. Look through the home for sale ads. Describe the house of your dream.