Intermediaries such as hosting providers, ad networks and social networking sites are the key to better intellectual property enforcement, several copyright industries told U.S. Intellectual Property Enforcement Coordinator Victoria Espinel. But the government must be careful to balance protection with fair-use and “gray area” considerations, and not endorse technologies that can be used by repressive regimes, CEA and public interest groups said. Espinel’s White House office was created by the PRO-IP Act, which mandates that the government devise a strategy to protect IP. Public comments to shape that strategy were due Wednesday night.
Intermediaries such as hosting providers, ad networks and social networking sites are the key to better intellectual property enforcement, several copyright industries told U.S. Intellectual Property Enforcement Coordinator Victoria Espinel.
The U.S. would punish countries with a pattern of cybercrime activity directed toward the U.S., under a bill sponsored by Sens. Kirsten Gillibrand, D-N.Y., and Orrin Hatch, R-Utah. The International Cybercrime Reporting and Cooperation Act, which doesn’t yet have a bill number, would set up a review process similar to that of the U.S. Trade Representative’s Special 301 review for intellectual property protection abroad. The president would report each year to Congress on countries’ use of information and communications technology (ICT) in critical infrastructure, their level of cybercrime, the legal system’s effectiveness on that crime and protection of consumers and commerce online, according to a Hatch summary. The bill would direct money to fight cybercrime to countries with low ICT penetration so they don’t become “havens,” and encourage other assistance programs geared toward critical sectors such as telecom to include cybercrime prevention in the program. The president would identify “countries of cyber concern” -- those where “credible evidence” shows a pattern of crime against the U.S. government and companies, and in which governments don’t sufficiently address the crime through investigations, prosecutions and other means. Countries that don’t meet benchmarks set by the president to address cybercrime could have suspended or restricted U.S. benefits, such as new Overseas Private Investment Corp. or Export-Import Bank financing or preferential trade programs. The State Department would designate a senior official to handle cybercrime prevention programs abroad and appoint employees at “key embassies” to focus on cybercrime policy. The bill already has the support of Cisco, HP, Microsoft, Symantec, PayPal, eBay, McAfee, Facebook, American Express, Mastercard and Visa.
The Consumer Product Safety Commission has announced that it will hold an open meeting on March 17, 2010 in Bethesda, MD to discuss two durable infant and toddler product proposed rules, one on toddler beds and the other on bassinets.
The Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service has issued a final rule, which adopts, with changes, its August 2006 interim final rule that removed the exemptions from agricultural quarantine and inspection (AQI) user fees for commercial vessels, commercial trucks, commercial railroad cars, commercial aircraft, and international air passengers, which enter the U.S. from Canada.
A new Sony program with warehouse clubs packaging a three-year warranty with EX501 and EX701 series TVs has opened a rift with some regional retailers, according to several merchants we polled. The contention coincides with the arrival of a new minimum advertised price (MAP) policy from Sony. Sony executives weren’t available for comment by our Friday deadline.
The Transportation Security Administration has sent a request for renewal of an information collection on air cargo security requirements to the Office of Management and Budget. The information collection is made up of five categories: security programs, security threat assessments (STA), known shipper data via the Known Shipper Management System (KSMS), cargo screening reporting, and evidence of compliance recordkeeping. TSA requests comments on the renewal request by April 5, 2010. (D/N TSA-2004-19515, FR Pub 03/04/10, available at http://edocket.access.gpo.gov/2010/pdf/2010-4443.pdf)
Arguments about methodology aside, the copyright industries are confident in their global statistics on piracy because they come from local staff in problematic countries, their umbrella group told federal officials Wednesday. The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative’s (USTR) alleged reliance on piracy figures from music, movie, software, game and publishing industries in its annual review of intellectual property protection has drawn knives from activists (WID Feb 23 p2).
Supporters of fair use and the digital remix culture may well be winning in the courts, but they can’t get the copyright changes they need out of a Congress whose captivity to corporate money can only get worse with the Supreme Court’s recent ruling on campaign finance, Harvard law professor Lawrence Lessig said on a webcast organized by the Open Video Alliance. Apple would do well financially to take a lead from Google and open its technology platforms -- but a push from “free culture” supporters could help it along, he said.
Supporters of fair use and the digital remix culture are winning in the courts, but they can’t get the copyright changes they need out of a Congress whose captivity to corporate money can only get worse with the Supreme Court’s recent ruling on campaign finance, Harvard law professor Lawrence Lessig said on a webcast organized by the Open Video Alliance. Apple would do well financially to take a lead from Google and open its technology platforms -- but a push from “free culture” supporters could help it along, he said.