Barnes & Noble didn’t immediately comment on a Nook-related patent infringement lawsuit that was filed in U.S. District Court in New York by ADREA, which says on its website it was “created to advocate for electronic reading and the evolution of electronic books, and to promote literacy.” The retailer listed the suit in a 10-K filing at the SEC Monday, but didn’t comment on the claims by ADREA, which filed the complaint June 14. B&N and its barnesandnoble.com and Nook Media divisions were named as defendants. B&N has until Aug. 9 to respond to the complaint, it said.
Barnes & Noble didn’t immediately comment on a Nook-related patent infringement lawsuit that was filed in U.S. District Court in New York by ADREA, which says on its website it was “created to advocate for electronic reading and the evolution of electronic books, and to promote literacy.” The retailer listed the suit in a 10-K filing at the SEC Monday, but didn’t comment on the claims by ADREA, which filed the complaint June 14. B&N and its barnesandnoble.com and Nook Media divisions were named as defendants. B&N has until Aug. 9 to respond to the complaint, it said.
Public interest groups clashed with trade associations and media owners over cross-ownership rules in comments filed in docket 09-182 on the Minority Media & Telecommunications Council’s cross-ownership impact study. Monday was the filing deadline for comments on Impact of Cross Media Ownership on Minority/Women Owned Broadcast Stations, which was released in May (CD May 31 p1). “The MMTC Study is not adequate to support the conclusion that any cross-ownership rules should be changed in this proceeding,” said the National Association of Black Owned Broadcasters in its comments. Groups such as NABOB and Free Press attacked the study for not being sufficiently quantitative and having a small sample size, while trade associations and others pointed to what they said is a lack of evidence supporting cross-ownership rules and urged the FCC to change them. “The record in fact supports broader reform of the broadcast ownership rules, including the local television and local radio rules, to allow broadcasters to achieve economies of scale and scope and enhance their service to the public,” said NAB.
The 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals affirmed a lower court decision awarding the Amera-Seiki Corporation insurance money for a piece of industrial equipment it imported that was damaged at the Port of Los Angeles. The Northern Iowa District Court had ruled that The Cincinnati Insurance Company had to pay out $337,025.50 plus prejudgment interest to cover the loss.
A former U.S. Marine and Staff Sergeant in a U.S. Special Forces National Guard Unit was sentenced to 24 months in prison and three years of supervised release for smuggling weapons for export to China, according to a press release from the U.S. Attorney’s office for the Eastern District of New York. In violation of the Arms Export Control Act, Joseph Debose of North Carolina shipped semi-automatic handguns, rifles and shotguns to co-conspirators, who in turn transported them to be shipped to Chinese customers. The U.S. Attorney’s office said Debose is one of four individuals convicted of weapons trafficking and export offenses in connection with this case.
Electric utility companies are supporting a petition for the Supreme Court to find unlawful provisions of the FCC’s 2011 pole attachment order bringing ILECs within the protections of the Pole Attachment Act. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit in February upheld the rules (CD Feb 27 p9), which give advantages to some companies that seek to attach cables and network equipment to utility poles. In amicus briefs, the Edison Electric Institute and several electric companies argued that the FCC overstepped its jurisdiction when it waded into a long and successful history of private contractual relationships between ILECs and electric utilities.
A group of U.S. companies filed petitions July 2 requesting antidumping duties on oil country tubular goods (OCTG) from India, Philippines, Saudi Arabia, South Korea, Taiwan, Thailand, Turkey, Ukraine and Vietnam and countervailing duties on oil country tubular goods from India and Turkey, alleging unfairly traded imports are injuring domestic industry. U.S. Steel, Vallourec Star, TMK IPSCO, Energex, Northwest Pipe Company, Tejas Tubular Products, Welded Tube Company, Boomerang Tube, and Maverick Tube Corporation alleged that undersold and illegally subsidized imports from those countries are causing injury to U.S. industry.
Trade groups and companies that favor spectrum aggregation limits in the incentive auction of broadcast TV spectrum met with Louis Peraertz, aide to acting FCC Chairwoman Mignon Clyburn and Jessica Almond, chief of staff at the Wireless Bureau, to press their case. “This group of public interest organizations, trade associations, and competitive carriers discussed the attached slides [http://bit.ly/1aUXQXU], which explain the importance of promoting competition and preventing excessive spectrum aggregation in the upcoming 600 MHz incentive auction,” said a Friday ex parte filing (http://bit.ly/17Iax9F). “Adopting a spectrum aggregation limit for this auction will promote investment and innovation, encourage auction participation, enhance consumer choice, and create the potential for higher auction revenue.” Among the groups represented were the Competitive Carriers Association, Rural Telecommunications Group, NTCA, New America Foundation and the Computer & Communications Industry Association. Carriers represented included Sprint, T-Mobile, U.S. Cellular and C Spire Wireless. Dish Network also had a representative at the meeting.
CBP said it's working on revising its regulations to centralize and automate its single transaction bond process, said Paula Connelly, a trade lawyer based in Burlington, Mass. Connelly attended a June 27 meeting on the single transaction bond process at the Port of Boston, which officials said is one of a series of CBP port visits to gather feedback from the trade on its plan to centralize the STB process. Bruce Ingalls, director of CBP’s Revenue Division, hopes to see implementation of the centralized system by the summer of 2014, Connelly said.
Beta carotene tablets imported by Roche Vitamins are correctly classified in the Harmonized Tariff Schedule as provitamins, said the Court of International Trade, ruling against CBP’s proposed classification as food preparations. The case had been subject to an earlier ruling in 2010, where the court found factual disputes still existed as to the use of the tablets, and ordered a trial. After trial, CIT found the tablets are predominantly used as a source of provitamin A.