In making final BPL rules, the FCC tossed aside, “without even acknowledging the change, let alone justifying it,” 70 years of precedent that Sec. 301 of the Communications Act allows operation of unlicensed devices only when they can’t interfere harmfully with licensed operations, the American Radio Relay League (ARRL) said in a brief to the U.S. Appeals Court, D.C. The ARRL wants the court to set aside the 2004 FCC BPL report and order and an Aug. 2005 reconsideration order. NAB and MSTV support ARRL. The United Telecom Council and BPL providers like Current Communications back the FCC.
Alongside familiar pirate haunts Russia and China, Canada sticks out as a Western nation lacking basic copyright protections for the Internet economy, said Congress members and copyright industry chiefs. Besides those countries, the International Anti-Piracy Caucus’s 2007 watch list, released Thurs., includes Mexico and Malaysia. Russia is getting steadily worse on intellectual property rights (IPR), but in some ways China is cutting piracy, the Caucus said. It chided Canada as a country that hasn’t gotten the brink of effective IPR protection. The watch list closely tracks the U.S. Trade Representative’s larger Special 301 list (WID May 1 p3), echoing its focus on Russia and China.
The Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service has issued a notice extending the effective date of a portion of its final rule which established specific requirements for the importation of cut flowers that are hosts of chrysanthemum white rust (CWR)1 from countries where the disease is known to occur.
On April 30, 2007, the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative released its 2007 "Special 301" annual report on the adequacy and effectiveness of intellectual property rights (IPR) protection by U.S. trading partners.
China and Russia again led the USTR Priority Watch List of weak intellectual property (IP) rights regimes in a Special 301 report released Mon. Argentina, Chile, Egypt, India, Israel, Lebanon, Thailand, Turkey, Ukraine and Venezuela also made the list. The report identified Russia’s AllofMP3.com and China’s Baidu as “notorious virtual markets” for illicit trade in copyrighted works. Efforts to shut down AllofMP3.com -- “the world’s largest server-based pirate music website” -- have failed, but Russian authorities are investigating the operation, the report said. And Baidu is the “largest of an estimated 7 or more China-based ‘MP3 search engines’ offering deep links to song files for downloads or streaming,” the report said.
The Food and Drug Administration has issued a proposed rule that would revise its labeling regulations at 21 CFR 179.26 applicable to foods (including dietary supplements) for which irradiation has been approved by FDA.
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has issued a notice announcing the availability of a draft guidance for industry entitled, "Complementary and Alternative Medicine Products and Their Regulation by the Food and Drug Administration." Comments on the draft guidance are due by April 30, 2007.
The Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) has issued a final rule, effective May 3, 2007, which amends 7 CFR Part 319 in order to establish specific requirements for the importation of cut flowers that are hosts of chrysanthemum white rust (CWR)1 from countries where the disease is known to occur, and to amend the nursery stock regulations to update lists of countries where CWR is known to occur.
The FCC fielded 150-plus applications from radio stations for minor license-related changes since filing procedures were streamlined Jan. 19, said a Media Bureau public notice. Some broadcasters filing the proposals must use Form 301, it said. Commissioners voted in Nov. to let AM stations request changes of the town where they're licensed at any time and to streamline FM license modification filing rules (CD Nov 6 p6).
The Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) has issued a notice which describes its policy for responding to low-levels of regulated genetically engineered (GE) plant materials which may occur in commercial seeds or grain.