The Entertainment Software Assn. (ESA) said Thurs. it was calling on the U.S. govt. to encourage foreign govts. to create and enforce anti-organized crime laws against pirating organizations. Citing the continuing influence of organized crime in entertainment software counterfeiting and piracy, ESA said it was joining with other groups that were part of the International Intellectual Property Alliance (IIPA) to file a “Special 301” report today (Fri.) on the state of piracy in more than 50 countries and would ask the U.S. govt. “to help ensure that these countries improve protections for intellectual property rights in accord with international obligations.” ESA Pres. Douglas Lowenstein said the report and Special 301 process were “critical tools in the U.S. government’s efforts to make other governments aware of the value of putting a halt to the stealing of intellectual property and fostering legitimate economies.” The report identified China, Malaysia and Russia as the main large-scale producers of infringing entertainment software product. ESA said investigations into manufacturing and assembly facilities “also revealed connections between factories on mainland China and Taiwanese nationals who provide either the funding for these operations” or the component parts needed for assembly into finished pirated and counterfeited products. The report said other emerging piracy trends included Internet caf? piracy. The Special 301 report was to be filed with the U.S. Trade Representative, who, under the Special 301 trade law, can impose trade sanctions following an investigation and consultation period, ESA said.

On May 20, 2003, the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) issued a proposed rule to require imported solid wood packing material (SWPM) to be either heat treated or fumigated with methyl bromide, as well as marked, prior to importation, in accordance with an international standard entitled "Guidelines for Regulating Wood Packaging Material in International Trade" that was approved by the Interim Commission on Phytosanitary Measures of the International Plant Protection Convention (IPPC) on March 15, 2002.

Comcast is predicting its proposed merger with Disney will face few regulatory obstacles, assuming Disney agrees to it, and -- at least in the traditional sense -- industry officials seem to agree. However, some believe the sheer size of the deal and the visibility of the Disney name could place some nontraditional obstacles in the way of such a merger, possibly even legislative road blocks. Disney’s only comment was that it had received the offer and would “carefully evaluate” it.

On January 23, 2004, President Bush signed into law (Public Law (P.L.) 108-199) the conference version of the fiscal year (FY) 2004 omnibus appropriations bill (H.R. 2673), entitled the "Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2004." P.L. 108-199 includes eight separate appropriations measures that provide FY 2004 appropriations for the Departments of Agriculture, Commerce, Education, Health and Human Services, Housing and Urban Development, Justice, Labor, State, Transportation, Treasury, Veterans Affairs, etc.

The Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) has issued a notice announcing that it is undertaking a pilot program to systematically review four of its current substantive regulations to ensure, to the maximum practical extent, consistency among them and with respect to accomplishing program goals.

According to Journal of Commerce Online, as part of the Democratic response to President Bush's State of the Union address, House Minority Leader Pelosi called for the physical inspection of all ocean containers entering the U.S., charging that the Bush administration's inspection standard is too low to protect the U.S. from terrorism. (JoC Online, 01/21/04, www.joc.com )

U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has posted a list of the most common errors that cause the rejection of continuous transaction bond (continuous bond) applications and CBP's desired solutions for these errors.

The Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) has issued a proposed rule to amend its regulations at 7 CFR 319.56 on the importation of fruits and vegetables.

The USDA's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) has issued a final rule, effective January 15, 2004, which amends its regulations at 7 CFR 319 on the importation of logs, lumber, and other unmanufactured wood articles into the U.S. to allow wood chips derived from temperate species of Eucalyptus (Eucalyptus) from South America to be treated with a surface pesticide prior to importation as an alternative to the existing treatments.

The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) has issued a notice requesting comments by noon on February 13, 2004 regarding whether any foreign countries should be identified under Section 182 of the Trade Act of 1974 (Trade Act) (19 USC 2242), which is commonly referred to as the "Special 301" provisions of the Trade Act.