The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) has issued a notice stating that the U.S. has requested the establishment of a World Trade Organization (WTO) dispute settlement panel (DSP) regarding Mexico's tax measures on soft drinks and other beverages as well as on syrups, concentrates, powders, essences or extracts that can be diluted to produce such products (beverages and syrups) that use any sweetener other than cane sugar.
A federal court dismissed an appeal by the U. of Ill. that sought a shield of sovereign immunity from counterclaims filed by Fujitsu in an on-going legal battle over patents for plasma displays. The D.C. Appeals Court ruled that the university’s “entitlement” to the 11th Amendment guarantee of sovereign immunity can’t be “conclusively determined” and dismissed the appeal due to a “lack of jurisdiction.”
U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has posted a list of frequently asked questions (FAQ) and responses to its Web page regarding the January 1, 2005 full integration (elimination of quotas) for textiles and textile apparel (textiles) manufactured in countries that are members of the World Trade Organization (WTO).
The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) has issued a fact sheet stating, among other things, that the U.S.-Morocco Free Trade Agreement (FTA) has helped lead to a comprehensive new Moroccan labor law, effective June 8, 2004, which raises the minimum employment age from 12 to 15, reduces the work week from 48 to 44 hours, calls for periodic review of the Moroccan minimum wage, etc. (USTR fact sheet, dated 06/23/04, available at http://www.ustr.gov/new/fta/Morocco/2004-06-23-morocco-factsheet-labor.pdf)
The Senate Fri. passed 2 copyright enforcement bills designed to respond to copyright infringement on P2P networks, including one that would give the Justice Dept. the authority to pursue civil cases against alleged infringing file-sharers.
CTIA and other wireless carriers launched a massive, last minute offensive Thurs. aimed at turning around the FCC’s expected decision to give Nextel 10 MHz of spectrum at 1.9 GHz. CTIA said in a filing that NextWave auction reserve prices confirm that giving Nextel 1.9 GHz as part of a rebanding scheme would constitute a “massive giveaway.” Meanwhile, an alternate public safety group held a press conference to denounce the plan.
The one thing everyone involved in the copyright debate agrees on is that it’s difficult to define fair use. That was evident on Capitol Hill late Tues., when several senators introduced a bill they claimed protects fair use within hours of a House committee chairman promoting a fair use bill that takes a dramatically different approach.
The one thing everyone involved in the copyright debate agrees on is that it’s difficult to define fair use. That was evident on Capitol Hill late Tues., when several senators introduced a bill they claimed protects fair use, within hours of a House committee chmn. promoting a fair use bill that takes a dramatically different approach. Senate Judiciary Committee Chmn. Hatch (R-Utah)’s new bill, S-2560, has the backing of Senate leadership, and would hold P2P providers accountable for copyright infringements by software users. That approach is strongly opposed by backers of a House bill that would facilitate copying of digital files in ways that are currently prohibited. The debate occurred as a Senate subcommittee held a hearing on P2P.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has issued a memorandum describing procedures for the implementation of enforced compliance and penalties for the prior notice of imported food (PN) requirements contained in the Public Health Security and Bioterrorism Preparedness and Response Act of 2002 (Bioterrorism Act). In addition, an attachment to the memorandum provides guidelines for the assessment of penalties for Bioterrorism Act violations involving PN, and the mitigation of such penalties.
Copyright holders are using secondary responsibility theories -- contributory and vicarious liability for infringements -- to try to create world where entrepreneurs, financiers and vendors won’t touch peer-to-peer services, and self-sufficiency of premises technologies is crippled by mandatory rights-management tools, defense lawyers said. Lop- sided debate in San Jose last week at technology program from U. of Tex. law school and U. of Cal.’s Berkeley Center for Law & Technology saw attorneys for embattled file-sharing companies complaining that media companies had persuaded courts and congressional supporters to run roughshod over fair-use protections in Supreme Court’s Sony Betamax decision.