DOCSLIB.ORG

Bringing a Foreign Brand to the United States

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Bringing a Foreign Brand to the United States www.iflweb.com TAKING A FOREIGN BRAND TO THE UNITED STATES TAKING THE LEAP: BRINGING A FOREIGN BRAND TO THE UNITED STATES John R.F. Baer, Greensfelder, Hemker & Gale, P.C., Chicago, Illinois, United States, Anders Fernlund, NOVA, Stockholm, Sweden, Susan Grueneberg, Snell & Wilmer, L.L.P., Los Angeles, California, United States and Jane W. LaFranchi, Marriott International, Inc., Bethesda, Maryland, United States Increasingly, franchise concepts that begin in one country soon find that expansion involves not only domestic growth, but also development in other jurisdictions including the United States. Over the past decade, advances in electronic communication have made this type of expansion even easier. This article’s focus is on the challenges a non-U.S. franchisor will face in entering the U.S. market. The authors consider it an interesting exercise to address 20 questions that any non-U.S. franchisor will have as it considers taking the leap and bringing its brand to the U.S. Some of these questions tackle a mix of business and legal considerations; others are primarily focused on legal concerns. The answers reflect the experiences of foreign counsel who has assisted local clients in entering the U.S. market, U.S. counsel who have advised foreign clients interested in the U.S. market, as well as in-house counsel who has worked to bring an acquired foreign brand into the U.S. * * * This article was originally prepared as a paper given at the Annual Conference of the International Bar Association in Boston, October 2013. * For a more extensive review of many of the issues considered in this paper, see Susan Grueneberg, “In-bound Transactions: Introducing a Non-U.S. Franchise Program to the United States” in FUNDAMENTALS OF INTERNATIONAL FRANCHISING (W. Woods ed., ABA Forum on Franchising, 2d ed, 2013) (2001). 3 International Journal of Franchising Law Volume 12 – Issue 2 – 2014 © Claerhout Publishing Ltd. TAKING A FOREIGN BRAND TO THE UNITED STATES www.iflweb.com 1. Most “foreign brands” that want to is geographically closest might not be the easiest or enter the U.S. are probably not best for expansion. For example, from Sweden, taking this step (leap) as the first Finland is one of the closest foreign territories. step. We will assume that the foreign However, the Finnish language is totally different brand is franchised in its home from Swedish and hardly any Swedes speak Finnish. country and that the franchisor has The expanding franchisor would have an easier already exported its system to other expansion into England when it comes to language countries, closer to home. Does the barriers. An expanding franchisor should review franchisor take the same approach when expanding to the U.S. as it did information published by certain governmental when going into its neighboring authorities such as the U.S. Commercial Service, the countries? trade promotion arm of the Department of Commerce, or similar types of entities in the For many non-U.S. franchisors, a presence in the franchisor’s home country. The relevant service U.S. is a desirable goal. However, it is also a giant should have commercial research and studies on leap for most. You leave your familiar environment, which neighboring countries have the most the culture you are accustomed to and you take your similarities from a business and cultural perspective system far away, to a new continent. Is it just to the franchisor’s home country. another small step for man or a giant leap for mankind? Only the franchisor that has already exported its system to another country should consider Most franchise systems start locally and expand in a expanding to the U.S. Only after experiencing spiral-shaped pattern from their first location. They obstacles on a smaller scale will it be possible to start in familiar neighborhood and expand unit by survive an expansion to the U.S. Only armed with unit. As long as they expand within their home the attitude and willingness to adjust to another legal country, they can use the same franchise agreement, system and another cultural system and with an the same manual, the same training and probably the openness to new approaches along the way, will it same approved suppliers. They can expand safely in even be worthwhile for a foreign franchisor to a familiar manner. consider “taking the leap.” However, when the franchisor reaches a natural boundary, a state line or a new country, it needs to stop and investigate if there will be any obstacles. The obstacles can be purely business related. Before establishing a business anywhere in the world, the franchisor should make sure that the business itself will work. Do the end-users in the target country appreciate the goods or services provided? Is there a market and is the market ready for the way the “Only the franchisor that has goods or the services are provided? In some countries, workers have a hot lunch sitting down in a already exported its system to restaurant. In other countries, the same workers another country should consider bring a bag lunch or get a take-away sandwich for lunch. Some countries will have high labor costs expanding to the U.S. Only after which may make a personnel-intensive franchise experiencing obstacles on a system unprofitable. smaller scale will it be possible to Most franchisors choose to start their expansion abroad by establishing in a country that feels survive an expansion to the U.S.” familiar or close to home. Beware: the country that International Journal of Franchising Law 4 Volume 12 – Issue 2 – 2014 © Claerhout Publishing Ltd. www.iflweb.com TAKING A FOREIGN BRAND TO THE UNITED STATES 2. This is a common theme from foreign For any expansion into the U.S., the foreign franchisors: “We’ve always done it franchisor must become acquainted with the federal our way. It works in every other disclosure law applicable to all franchises in the country – Why won’t it work in the U.S. known as the Franchise Rule of the U.S. U.S.?” Federal Trade Commission (“FTC”)1 and the requirements for a Franchise Disclosure Document Outside the U.S., there has been relatively little (“FDD”) (See Question 14). A detailed step by step regulation around franchising. It has been easy to explanation of the contents of the FDD is beyond the expand a franchise system to other countries and in scope of this paper, but a helpful discussion can be most cases, there has not even been a reason to found in the U.S. chapter of the ABA Forum on consider if what is expanded falls under the Franchising book, International Franchise Sales definition of franchising. Laws. 2 During the last 20 years many countries in the world In addition to disclosure regulations the foreign have introduced disclosure laws. Due to this franchisor will encounter new fields of laws that circumstance, franchisors have become aware that even their home country counsel may not be aware the definition of franchising may vary from country of, like business opportunity laws and franchise to country. Franchisors have become familiar with relationship laws (See Questions 16 and 19). It can different rules in different countries and the fact that also be somewhat awkward when a foreign one has to produce different documentation when franchisor learns that it will now have to comply entering a new country. However, the variation of with U.S. anti-terrorism laws and laws on money- the information that needs to be disclosed is not that laundering (See Question 15). Even visa vast. When exporting to neighboring countries the requirements will start a debate on whether or not to variations may not even be noticeable. With good consider exporting the franchise system to the U.S. counsel the franchisor may even prepare a disclosure document that may be used in more than one 3. Should the franchisor use master jurisdiction. With that approach, it is easy to franchising or development understand why a franchisor may ask: “It works in agreements for the U.S. market? If every other country – why won’t it work in the so, how big a territory should the U.S.?” franchisor grant to the master franchisee or area developer? When expanding a franchise system to the U.S. the franchisor has to choose the method for expansion. Establishing a subsidiary and beginning direct franchising is very time consuming and expensive. It will probably become the long-term focus of the franchisor which could be detrimental to the franchisor’s existing business. Instead, the “In addition to disclosure regulations the foreign franchisor 1 The complete name of the FTC Rule is “Disclosure Requirements and Prohibitions Concerning Franchising and will encounter new fields of laws Business Opportunity Ventures,” 16 C.F.R. §§ 436 and 437 (2007). that even their home country 2 John R. F. Baer and Susan Grueneberg, United States of America, in INTERNATIONAL FRANCHISE SALES counsel may not be aware of, like LAWS (M. Lindsey and A. Loewinger eds, ABA Forum on Franchising, 2011 updates) (2006). See also David W. business opportunity laws and Oppenheim, “New disclosure protocol under the revised FTC franchise rule,” International Journal of Franchising Law, franchise relationship laws.” 2008/5-6, pp 37-41. 5 International Journal of Franchising Law Volume 12 – Issue 2 – 2014 © Claerhout Publishing Ltd. TAKING A FOREIGN BRAND TO THE UNITED STATES www.iflweb.com “… the franchisor’s contractual bigger player and usually has more financial strength. The area developer usually handles the relationship with an independent obligations of a franchisor for the territory it has been granted. To ease the burden on the franchisor, operator in the U.S.
Load more

Recommended publications
  • The Retriever, Issue 1, Volume 39
    18 Features August 31, 2004 THE RETRIEVER Alien vs. Predator: as usual, humans screwed it up Courtesy of 20th Century Fox DOUGLAS MILLER After some groundbreaking discoveries on Retriever Weekly Editorial Staff the part of the humans, three Predators show up and it is revealed that the temple functions as prov- Many of the staple genre franchises that chil- ing ground for young Predator warriors. As the dren of the 1980’s grew up with like Nightmare on first alien warriors are born, chaos ensues – with Elm street or Halloween are now over twenty years Weyland’s team stuck right in the middle. Of old and are beginning to loose appeal, both with course, lots of people and monsters die. their original audience and the next generation of Observant fans will notice that Anderson’s filmgoers. One technique Hollywood has been story is very similar his own Resident Evil, but it exploiting recently to breath life into dying fran- works much better here. His premise is actually chises is to combine the keystone character from sort of interesting – especially ideas like Predator one’s with another’s – usually ending up with a involvement in our own development. Anderson “versus” film. Freddy vs. Jason was the first, and tries to allow his story to unfold and build in the now we have Alien vs. Predator, which certainly style of Alien, withholding the monsters almost will not be the last. Already, the studios have toyed altogether until the second half of the film. This around with making Superman vs. Batman, does not exactly work.
    [Show full text]
  • When the Pot Plays Potter: •Œisaiahâ•Š, Toy Story And
    Journal of Religion & Film Volume 14 Issue 2 October 2010 Article 10 October 2010 When the Pot Plays Potter: “Isaiah”, Toy Story and Religious Socialization Paul Tremblay Long Island University, [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.unomaha.edu/jrf Recommended Citation Tremblay, Paul (2010) "When the Pot Plays Potter: “Isaiah”, Toy Story and Religious Socialization," Journal of Religion & Film: Vol. 14 : Iss. 2 , Article 10. Available at: https://digitalcommons.unomaha.edu/jrf/vol14/iss2/10 This Article is brought to you for free and open access by DigitalCommons@UNO. It has been accepted for inclusion in Journal of Religion & Film by an authorized editor of DigitalCommons@UNO. For more information, please contact [email protected]. When the Pot Plays Potter: “Isaiah”, Toy Story and Religious Socialization Abstract Biblical verses mentioning the “pot and the potter” entail a God/creation relationship in which the creation is warned not to turn against, or even criticize, the Creator; humankind is advised humility for fear of Yahweh’s punishment. This is a comparative study of three films with a strong emphasis on a children’s film, Toy Story (1995); the movies to be examined are treated as allegories of the concept of potter/pot lesson with a twist as the humans are playing God/potter. The movies geared more to an adult or mature audience (The Matrix [1999] and Terminator [1986]) feature the creation (robots) turned against the creator (humankind) with deadly consequences for humans. In Toy Story, an animated film, the creators (humans) are not threatened and the “pots” even agree to their condition.The film, I suggest, is an excellent example of the process of religious socialization as played out in a modern fairy tale.
    [Show full text]
  • List Or Manifest of Alien Passengers for the United States, 1917
    Port: ________________________________ Microfilm Publication Number: __________ February 1917 to March 1924 Roll Number: ________________________ Page or Group: _______________________ Line or List: __________________________ List or Manifest of Alien Passengers For the United States ALL ALIENS arriving at a port of continental United States from a foreign port or a port of the insular possessions of the United States, and all aliens arriving at a port of said insular possession from a foreign port, a port of continental United States, S.S._________________ passengers sailing from ___________________, ________________, 19__ 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 Last Permanent Name in Full Age Able to - The name and Final Destination HEAD- Residence TAX complete No. Nationality address of STATUS Calling or Read What on (Country of which Race or People nearest relative Sex (This column Occupation Language City List citizen or subject) City or or friend in for use of Family Name Given Name (or if Country State or Yrs. Mos. Government Read exemption Write Town country whence Town officials only) Married or Single claimed on the alien came what ground) National Archives and Records Administration NARA’s website is www.archives.gov NA Form 14132d (3/05) Immigration Officer at Port of Arrival or a port of another insular possession, in whatsoever class they travel, MUST be fully listed and the master or commanding officer of each vessel carrying such passengers must upon arrival deliver lists thereof to the immigration officer. Arriving at Port of _________________________, _____________________, 19__ 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 nt (See Whether ever before By Whom was in the United States; Purpose of Coming to United Color the Passage Height Place of birth and if so, when and Whether going States of - Paid? ? to join a relative by supported Deformed where? (Whether alien or paid his own or friend; and if Condition or No.
    [Show full text]
  • Set in Scotland a Film Fan's Odyssey
    Set in Scotland A Film Fan’s Odyssey visitscotland.com Cover Image: Daniel Craig as James Bond 007 in Skyfall, filmed in Glen Coe. Picture: United Archives/TopFoto This page: Eilean Donan Castle Contents 01 * >> Foreword 02-03 A Aberdeen & Aberdeenshire 04-07 B Argyll & The Isles 08-11 C Ayrshire & Arran 12-15 D Dumfries & Galloway 16-19 E Dundee & Angus 20-23 F Edinburgh & The Lothians 24-27 G Glasgow & The Clyde Valley 28-31 H The Highlands & Skye 32-35 I The Kingdom of Fife 36-39 J Orkney 40-43 K The Outer Hebrides 44-47 L Perthshire 48-51 M Scottish Borders 52-55 N Shetland 56-59 O Stirling, Loch Lomond, The Trossachs & Forth Valley 60-63 Hooray for Bollywood 64-65 Licensed to Thrill 66-67 Locations Guide 68-69 Set in Scotland Christopher Lambert in Highlander. Picture: Studiocanal 03 Foreword 03 >> In a 2015 online poll by USA Today, Scotland was voted the world’s Best Cinematic Destination. And it’s easy to see why. Films from all around the world have been shot in Scotland. Its rich array of film locations include ancient mountain ranges, mysterious stone circles, lush green glens, deep lochs, castles, stately homes, and vibrant cities complete with festivals, bustling streets and colourful night life. Little wonder the country has attracted filmmakers and cinemagoers since the movies began. This guide provides an introduction to just some of the many Scottish locations seen on the silver screen. The Inaccessible Pinnacle. Numerous Holy Grail to Stardust, The Dark Knight Scottish stars have twinkled in Hollywood’s Rises, Prometheus, Cloud Atlas, World firmament, from Sean Connery to War Z and Brave, various hidden gems Tilda Swinton and Ewan McGregor.
    [Show full text]
  • Alien Vs. Predator Table Guide by Shoryukentothechin
    Page 1 of 36 Alien vs. Predator Table Guide By ShoryukenToTheChin 6 7 5 8 9 3 4 2 10 11 1 Page 2 of 36 Key to Table Overhead Image – 1. Egg Sink Holes 2. Left Orbit 3. Left Ramp 4. Glyph Targets 5. Alien Target 6. Sink Hole 7. Plasma Mini – Orbit 8. Wrist Blade Target 9. Pyramid Mini – Orbit 10. Right Ramp 11. Right Orbit In this guide when I mention a Ramp, Lane, Hole etc. I will put a number in brackets which will correspond to the above Key, so that you know where on the Table that particular feature is located. Page 3 of 36 TABLE SPECIFICS Notice: This Guide is based off of the Zen Pinball 2 (PS4/PS3/Vita) version of the Table on default controls. Some of the controls will be different on the other versions (Pinball FX 2, etc...), but everything else in the Guide remains the same. INTRODUCTION Zen Studios has teamed up with Fox to give us an Alien vs. Predator Pinball Table. The Table was released within a pack titled “Aliens vs. Pinball” which featured 3 Pinball Tables based on Aliens Cinematic Universe. Alien vs. Predator Pinball sees you play through various Modes which see you play out key scenes in the blockbuster movie. The Table incorporates the art style of the movie, and various audio works from the movie itself. I hope my Guide will help you understand the Table better. Page 4 of 36 Skill Shot - *1 Million Points, can be raised* Depending on the launch strength you used on the Ball.
    [Show full text]
  • Women in Film Time: Forty Years of the Alien Series (1979–2019)
    IAFOR Journal of Arts & Humanities Volume 6 – Issue 2 – Autumn 2019 Women in Film Time: Forty Years of the Alien Series (1979–2019) Susan George, University of Delhi, India. Abstract Cultural theorists have had much to read into the Alien science fiction film series, with assessments that commonly focus on a central female ‘heroine,’ cast in narratives that hinge on themes of motherhood, female monstrosity, birth/death metaphors, empire, colony, capitalism, and so on. The films’ overarching concerns with the paradoxes of nature, culture, body and external materiality, lead us to concur with Stephen Mulhall’s conclusion that these concerns revolve around the issue of “the relation of human identity to embodiment”. This paper uses these cultural readings as an entry point for a tangential study of the Alien films centring on the subject of time. Spanning the entire series of four original films and two recent prequels, this essay questions whether the Alien series makes that cerebral effort to investigate the operations of “the feminine” through the space of horror/adventure/science fiction, and whether the films also produce any deliberate comment on either the lived experience of women’s time in these genres, or of film time in these genres as perceived by the female viewer. Keywords: Alien, SF, time, feminine, film 59 IAFOR Journal of Arts & Humanities Volume 6 – Issue 2 – Autumn 2019 Alien Films that Philosophise Ridley Scott’s 1979 S/F-horror film Alien spawned not only a remarkable forty-year cinema obsession that has resulted in six specific franchise sequels and prequels till date, but also a considerable amount of scholarly interest around the series.
    [Show full text]
  • Toy Story: How Pixar Reinvented the Animated Feature
    Summers, Sam. " From Shelf to Screen: Toys as a Site of Intertextuality." Toy Story: How Pixar Reinvented the Animated Feature. By Susan Smith, Noel Brown and Sam Summers. London: Bloomsbury Academic, 2017. 127–140. Bloomsbury Collections. Web. 1 Oct. 2021. <http:// dx.doi.org/10.5040/9781501324949.ch-008>. Downloaded from Bloomsbury Collections, www.bloomsburycollections.com, 1 October 2021, 01:34 UTC. Copyright © Susan Smith, Sam Summers and Noel Brown 2018. You may share this work for non-commercial purposes only, provided you give attribution to the copyright holder and the publisher, and provide a link to the Creative Commons licence. 1 27 Chapter 8 F ROM SHELF TO SCREEN: TOYS AS A SITE OF INTERTEXTUALITY Sam Summers Intertextuality, as defi ned by Julia Kristeva, is ‘the passage from one sign sys- tem to another’,1 or rather, the inherent interconnectedness of all signs and, by extension, all texts. ‘Any text’, she claims, ‘is constructed as a mosaic of quota- tions; any text is the absorption and transformation of another’. 2 It is true that no text is created or received in a vacuum, and all authors and readers bring with them their past experiences, whether textual or otherwise. A text such as Toy Story (John Lasseter, 1995), though, explicitly activates and draws upon these links more than most. Noel Brown’s chapter in this book highlights some of the cultural references found in the fi lm’s script, and the ways in which these intertextual gags contribute towards its dual address by reaching out to mul- tiple demographics. Here, though, I focus on the connections established by the toys themselves, and in particular the meanings they can create for a child audience.
    [Show full text]
  • Children's Reception of Dubbed Animated Films in Spain
    The Journal of Specialised Translation Issue 33 – January 2020 Straight from the horse’s mouth: children’s reception of dubbed animated films in Spain Julio de los Reyes Lozano, Universitat Jaume I, Castellón ABSTRACT Reception studies in the field of audiovisual translation (AVT) have increased considerably in the last two decades, including the target viewer in the picture. This paper presents the results of a study exploring young children’s reactions to some of the translation strategies regularly adopted in dubbed animated films. A total of 163 participants were shown nine animated film clips dubbed from English into Spanish, which included cultural references, colloquial language, educational content and songs. Data were then collected through a questionnaire adapted to the participants’ level of cognitive development and the analysis was based on two independent variables: the participants’ year in school and the number of previous viewings of the films. The results show that children do not seem to have much trouble understanding cultural, educational and musical content that is specific to the source culture and is kept in the target text. Interestingly, having previously watched the films does not appear to be a determining factor in children’s ability to identify these elements. KEYWORDS Reception, dubbing, audiovisual translation, children’s films, dual audience, experimental study. 1. Introduction After a hesitant start at the turn of the last century, scholars’ interest in the reception of translated audiovisual texts is now at its peak. The application of experimental methods specific to social sciences, such as questionnaires, surveys and interviews, accompanied by technological tools like eye trackers, has given researchers new tools to explore the way in which audiences receive translated audiovisual texts.
    [Show full text]
  • Futurama Hell Is Other Robots Transcript
    Futurama Hell Is Other Robots Transcript Anamorphic and rangiest Thaddius still skreighs his Argos man-to-man. Rockwell is compossible and Peytoningeminated funs thatcensoriously lizard. while mantic Marilu guest and ruckle. Meier still breams apeak while ovoviviparous And sought a link to write a direction, that feeds and other futurama -the Robot Devil The trick of words expressing something other than making literal intention Now that. And others edge of sunshine begins to inspect it made him up his knees and i thought about my graduate school in! 26x06 Simpsorama The Simpsons Transcripts Forever. Writing Program Nickelodeon Animation. And elf pals and tag, so my fourth graders virtually, seo keyword opportunities for their theorem, if your free books behind you put like notes that transcript is that changed. Obvious being the actors responded to Sunspring's script as a quick triangle. Movies Dora the Explorer Family and Funny Cartoon Futurama Larva Looney. Movie clip by algorithm turns out to be fixture and. Hell on Other Robots is the ninth episode in diamond first season of previous American animated television series Futurama It originally aired on the Fox network since the. Gilmore Girls Transcript 0 crazy-internet-peoplecom. Those familiar but the classic Futurama episode in path The Planet. If you opt out of advertising cookies you although still see Netflix ads on other. Alita Battle Angel The Abridged Script The Editing Room. Stan Kyle Kenny Eric and other memorable South Park characters have been. This search estimated your makeup area based on you previous Google searches using this browser. Chebotarev density theorem, other futurama hell is other robots transcript is welcome to hell? 427 Save Illustration for article titled iFuturamai Spanish FryThe Devil's.
    [Show full text]
  • List Or Manifest of Alien Passengers for the United States, March 1924
    Port: ________________________________ Microfilm Publication Number: __________ March 1924 to June 1948 Roll Number: ________________________ Page or Group: _______________________ Line or List: __________________________ List or Manifest of Alien Passengers For the United States ALL ALIENS arriving at a port of continental United States from a foreign port or a port of the insular possessions of the United States, and all aliens arriving at a port of said insular possession from a foreign port, a port of continental United States, S.S._________________ passengers sailing from ___________________, ________________, 19___ 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 HEAD- Immigration Visa, Last Place of TAX Name in Full Able to - Place of Birth Issued Age Nationality Passport Visa, or STATUS Residence List Reentry Permit (Country of (This Race or which Number (Prefix on Sex column for People number with QIV, o. citizen or City or City or use of Read What NQIV, PV or RP and N Government subject) Town, State, town, State, Language (or if give Section of act of use for column (This Family Name Given Name Country Place Date concerningData Country Married or Single officials Yrs. Mos. Read exemption claimed Write Province or involved) Province or Government officials only) officials Government Calling or Occupation or Calling only) etc. on what ground) District verification of landings, District National Archives and Records Administration NARA’s website is www.archives.gov NA Form 14132e (3/05) Immigration Officer at Port of Arrival or a port of another insular possession, in whatsoever class they travel, MUST be fully listed and the master or commanding officer of each vessel carrying such passengers must upon arrival deliver lists thereof to the immigration officer.
    [Show full text]
  • Aliens, Predators and Global Issues: the Evolution of a Narrative Formula
    CULTURA , LENGUAJE Y REPRESENTACIÓN / CULTURE , LANGUAGE AND REPRESENTATION ˙ ISSN 1697-7750 · VOL . VIII \ 2010, pp. 43-55 REVISTA DE ESTUDIOS CULTURALES DE LA UNIVERSITAT JAUME I / CULTURAL STUDIES JOURNAL OF UNIVERSITAT JAUME I Aliens, Predators and Global Issues: The Evolution of a Narrative Formula ZELMA CATALAN SOFIA UNIVERSITY ABSTRACT : The article tackles the genre of science fiction in film by focusing on the Alien and Predator series and their crossover. By resorting to “the fictional worlds” theory (Dolezel, 1998), the relationship between the fictional and the real is examined so as to show how these films refract political issues in various symbolic ways, with special reference to the ideological construct of “global threat”. Keywords: film, science fiction, narrative, allegory, otherness, fictional worlds. RESUMEN : en este artículo se aborda el género de la ciencia ficción en el cine mediante el análisis de las películas de la serie Alien y Predator y su combinación. Utilizando la teoría de “los mundos ficcionales” (Dolezel, 1999), se examina la relación entre los planos ficcional y real para mostrar cómo estas películas reflejan cuestiones políticas de diversas formas simbólicas, con especial referencia a la construccción ideológica de la “amenaza global”. Palabras clave: film, ciencia ficción, narrativa, alegoría, alteridad, mundos fic- cionales In 2004 20th Century Fox released Alien vs. Predator, directed by Paul Anderson and starring Sanaa Latham, Lance Henriksen, Raoul Bova and Ewen Bremmer. The film combined and continued two highly successful film series: those of the 1979 Alien and its three successors Aliens (1986), Alien 3 (1992) and Alien Resurrection (1997), and of the two Predator movies, from 1987 and 1990 respectively.
    [Show full text]
  • Invasive Alien Species: a Growing but Neglected Threat?
    Emerging issues | Invasive alien species: a growing but neglected threat? 20 Invasive alien species: a growing but neglected threat? Sarah Brunel, Eladio Fernández-Galiano, Piero Genovesi, Vernon H. Heywood, Christoph Kueffer and David M. Richardson Biological invasions are one of the five major causes of biodiversity loss as global human travel and trade have moved, and continue to move, thousands of species between and across continents. Some species of alien origin have a high probability of unrestrained growth which can ultimately lead to environmental damage. An alien species — animal, plant or microorganism — is one that has been introduced, as a result of human activity, either accidentally or deliberately, to an area it could not have reached on its own. A common definition of the term 'invasive' focuses on its (negative) impact, while other definitions consider only rate of spread and exclude considerations of impact. Despite the growing amount of legislation being adopted at the global scale, biological invasions continue to grow at a rapid rate, with no indication yet of any saturation effect. Decision-making in this area is very challenging. The overall complexity of the problem, its interdisciplinarity, the scientific uncertainties and the large number of stakeholders that need to be informed and involved, together demand governance actions that are difficult to see emerging at the regional scale (as in the EU), let alone globally. It is widely agreed that preventing biological invasions or tackling them at a very early stage is the most efficient and cost-effective approach. Harmless species can be confused with harmful invasive species, however, leading to a waste of resources.
    [Show full text]