The International Trade Commission has instituted a section 337 patent-based investigation of certain wireless communication devices and components thereof pursuant to a complaint.
The State Department's Directorate of Defense Trade Controls has issued a notice to industry on its new DTrade2 application and database, launched on April 16, 2009, stating that it has identified its previous issues and asks that all submissions be made to the DTrade2 product utilizing the appropriate DTrade2 forms.
The International Trade Administration and the International Trade Commission have each issued notices initiating automatic five-year Sunset Reviews on the above-listed antidumping duty orders.
Overseas gambling operators who advertise in the U.K. may face new rules, the Department for Culture, Media and Sport said Thursday. Rapid technological developments in Internet gambling, and a changing regulatory landscape, mean U.K. operators may not be getting a fair deal, it said. The Remote Gambling Association agreed, but said the exercise won’t be successful unless the government addresses its uncompetitive tax regime. Meanwhile, EU and U.S. lawmakers are pressing for an end to the long-running trade dispute over U.S. anti-gambling laws.
A federal judge is handling very deliberately a request by movie studios to extend her ban on RealNetworks’ RealDVD technology for copying DVDs (CED April 27 p7). With no end to testimony by evening Wednesday -- the last day of three scheduled for a preliminary-injunction hearing in U.S. District Court in San Francisco -- Judge Marilyn Patel set aside May 7 and 8 to resume. There’s no guarantee that the closing arguments can get done by then, both sides said. In testimony this week, RealNetworks CEO Rob Glaser showed a prototype livingroom player, code-named “Facet,” to use the RealDVD technology. When Patel issued a temporary restraining order against RealDVD in October, Real had announced plans only to start selling imminently $30 downloads for copying discs to PCs. A Facet owner could copy hundreds of DVDs to the device’s hard drive and easily choose and switch among the movies and TV shows, Glaser testified. He said Real foresaw the Facet, at about $300 retail, as a mass-market alternative to the high-end Kaleidescape media jukebox and a possible source of licensing revenue from original equipment manufacturers of similar boxes. Glaser said Real had held discussions with companies including TiVo, LG and Sharp. He said Real would do what it could to discourage RealDVD users from copying discs they don’t own. He conceded that it couldn’t prevent that without technical cooperation from the studios. Patel has twice closed the hearing, over protests by CNet, for testimony about CSS encryption from the DVD Copy Control Association. It’s vigorously contended that the information qualifies as trade secrets though the protection was broken years ago. The public version of papers filed in the case are replete with blackouts to protect technical information that the association, the studios or Real considers confidential.
A federal judge is handling very deliberately a request by movie studios to extend her ban on RealNetworks’ RealDVD technology for copying DVDs (WID April 27 p7). With no end to testimony by evening Wednesday -- the last day of three scheduled for a preliminary-injunction hearing in U.S. District Court in San Francisco -- Judge Marilyn Patel set aside May 7 and 8 to resume. There’s no guarantee that the closing arguments can get done by then, both sides said. In testimony this week, RealNetworks CEO Rob Glaser showed a prototype livingroom player, code-named “Facet,” to use the RealDVD technology. When Patel issued a temporary restraining order against RealDVD in October, Real had announced plans only to start selling imminently $30 downloads for copying discs to PCs. A Facet owner could copy hundreds of DVDs to the device’s hard drive and easily choose and switch among the movies and TV shows, Glaser testified. He said Real foresaw the Facet, at about $300 retail, as a mass-market alternative to the high-end Kaleidescape media jukebox and a possible source of licensing revenue from original equipment manufacturers of similar boxes. Glaser said Real had held discussions with companies including TiVo, LG and Sharp. He said Real would do what it could to discourage RealDVD users from copying discs they don’t own. He conceded that it couldn’t prevent that without technical cooperation from the studios. Patel has twice closed the hearing, over protests by CNet, for testimony about CSS encryption from the DVD Copy Control Association. It’s vigorously contended that the information qualifies as trade secrets though the protection was broken years ago. The public version of papers filed in the case are replete with blackouts to protect technical information that the association, the studios or Real considers confidential.
CBP has posted a notice on the Broker Self-Assessment Outreach Pilot (BSA pilot program) that it recently announced it would be launching. (See ITT's Online Archives or 04/27/09 news, 09042710, for BP summary announcing that CBP is seeking applicants for the BSA pilot.) (Notice, dated 04/27/09, available at http://www.cbp.gov/xp/cgov/trade/trade_programs/bsa/bsa_pilot.xml)
Department of Homeland Security Secretary Napolitano recently addressed the Border Trade Alliance's International Conference. Highlights of her written remarks and responses to questions include:
The International Trade Administration is requesting comments on whether it should apply countervailing duty law to imports from Vietnam.
The International Trade Administration has initiated a countervailing duty investigation to determine whether manufacturers, producers, or exporters of polyethylene retail carrier bags in Vietnam receive countervailable subsidies.