The U.S. Trade Representative office received more than four dozen comments on its investigation into the Chinese government's tech transfer, IP and innovation policies and practices, which many filers said put U.S. companies and others at a disadvantage (see 1708150039). Comments were filed last week. The interagency Section 301 committee plans a 9:30 a.m. hearing Oct. 10 at 400 E St. SW, with post-hearing rebuttal comments due Oct. 20. BSA|The Software Alliance said the Chinese government's IP-related and market access policies and practices prevent foreign businesses from operating there "efficiently, or at all" and fail to protect IP and trade secrets. It said barriers are "particularly acute" in telecom and IT industries such as cloud computing, cross-border data flows, requirements for disclosing a company source code, and enterprise standards. The Telecommunications Industry Association said China's drive to boost its domestic industry is "accompanied by a more concerning attempt to undermine and shrink the role of U.S. and other foreign technology firms." TIA worries more security rules to vet foreign tech may disadvantage U.S. exporters selling to China's markets and could set a precedent for other countries. The Information Technology and Innovation Foundation said Chinese policies: "induce forced" tech and IP transfer across many advanced-technology industries; engage in state-directed foreign direct investment and mergers and acquisition that targets foreign enterprises as part of an effort to move China 'up the value chain' in those sectors; and coordinate cyber-based IP and technology theft. CompTIA said China's aggressive implementation and use of technical standards to support industries like the ICT sector creates major interoperability issues, lack adequate safeguards to protect IP, and are developed without sufficient transparency and participation rights for foreign companies. It wants the USTR to encourage the Chinese government to adapt tech-neutral policies and allow the market to choose technology and standards. China has taken positive steps to amend civil law to make clear trade secrets are subject to civil IP protection, but the American Bar Association Section of IP Law said it's "a significant problem." The ABA said "enforcement measures are inadequate, penalties are weak, bad faith registrations are a problem, and systemic counterfeiting and widespread piracy still needs to be addressed," including stronger copyright protections and damage awards for patent infringement.
A Department of Homeland Security rule that would collect "social media handles, aliases, associated identifiable information, and search results" on immigrants, including permanent residents and naturalized U.S. citizens, would chill free speech, said Center for Democracy & Technology CEO Nuala O'Connor Wednesday. DHS last week published a proposed rule, which takes effect Oct. 18, to expand collection of information on immigrants including social media data. O'Connor, a former DHS chief privacy officer, called the practice an "affront to basic human dignity" of individuals and families who would be subject to "overbroad and overly invasive rules." She said it would have a "chilling effect on online speech" and make it "impossible for immigrants to have pseudonymous internet identities, or to speak online without fear of government retribution." American Civil Liberties Union National Political Director Faiz Shakir said Tuesday DHS' "collect-it-all approach is ineffective to protect national security." A department spokeswoman said Wednesday the rule modifying the current records collection isn't new policy. "DHS, in its law-enforcement and immigration-process capacity, has and continues to monitor publicly available social media to protect the homeland," she said. "In an effort to be transparent, to comply with existing regulations, and due to updates in the electronic immigration system, DHS decided to update its corresponding Privacy Act system of records." The department is complying with administrative requirements of the act, she said.
More than 500 websites that illegally marketed and sold counterfeit versions of prescription antibiotics, epinephrine, opioids and other medicines to consumers were targeted as part of an international effort led by Interpol, said the Food and Drug Administration, one of the participants, in a Monday news release. Through Operation Pangea X, the FDA said it issued 13 warning letters to operators of 401 websites and seized nearly 100 domain names by working with internet registrars. "Some of the websites sold unapproved versions of multiple prescription opioids directly to U.S. consumers. This easy and illegal availability of these controlled substances fuels the misuse and abuse of opioids," said FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb. FDA inspectors and other federal agents also screened and confiscated packages at mail facilities as part of the operation. It was part of the recent 10th annual International Internet Week of Action aimed at fighting the online sale and distribution of illegal, potentially counterfeit and substandard medical products with the help of 115 participating countries.
Shooting virtual-reality content that won’t make viewers sick requires camera operators limiting “vertical bobbing,” Richard Mills, Sky VR Studios technical director, told SMPTE webinar participants. “Those of you who get seasick or travel-sick know that if you are in a car and not looking out the window, then the up-and-down, rolling motion of the car can very quickly lead to sickness,” Mills said Thursday. “There’s disparity between what our eyes are seeing and what our bodies are doing. The type of motion which affects us most of all is the vertical movement of the head.” Videogame chase scenes, "to give the impression of motion, do sometimes have a virtual camera that bobs,” Mills said. “That’s fine, because we’re viewing it in a screen, and outside the screen, we see the real world.” When donning a VR headset, “we are totally enclosed within that world, with no exterior reference,” he said. Sky uses PlayStation VR consoles and head-mounted displays to quality-control 360-degree content, Mills said.
Nuance and Universal Electronics Inc. announced they're powering a conversational interface for Israel’s yes pay-TV service, working in Hebrew and English. “The challenge is to get the system to flawlessly work with over 95 percent accuracy, or else consumers will try and stop,” said Menno Koopmans, UEI managing director-Europe Middle East Asia/International.
The wireless industry continues worldwide progress connecting the unconnected, GSMA reported in its second annual report. “As of the end of 2016, more than half the world’s population was within reach of a 4G network, while nearly 85 percent had access to 3G networks.” Mobile subscribers number 4.8 billion, and 3.5 billion people used mobile to access the internet, GSMA said Monday.
Tech groups are watching the first review of the Privacy Shield U.S.-EU trans-Atlantic data sharing pact, hoping for the agreement to continue, as others expect will occur (see 1708210043). A positive joint review would "strengthen trust among all industry sectors and citizens on both sides of the Atlantic," BSA|The Software Alliance said Thursday. "It will provide businesses with the legal certainty they need ... and will help further increase the number of Privacy Shield-certified companies." Software & Information Industry Association Vice President-Public Policy Mark MacCarthy said SIIA will "continue to help the U.S. and EU delegations in any way possible to make the review a success.” The review is Monday and Tuesday.
Commercial passenger air travel is booming in Asia, and air carriers -- trying to entice customers to pay for in-flight connectivity -- could see some success by first providing such service for free, Northern Sky Research analyst Claude Rousseau blogged Tuesday. NSR said Asia will dominate in-flight connectivity demand growth over the next decade, with 20-plus airlines having installed the satellite-based systems. NSR said more than 1,000 in-service passenger jets likely will be offering such connectivity by year-end, reaching 5,400 over the next 10 years.
Personal safety and emergency notifications are the most desired smart home features among European broadband households with at least one smartphone, said a Tuesday Strategy Analytics report. Alerts to fire and other emergencies were five times more desired than the ability to schedule or adjust window coverings remotely, said the survey of 6,000 broadband households. The least desired functions were ability to program lights, cover windows and control a gate.
Hispasat's Amazonas 5 satellite was launched into orbit Tuesday on an ILS Proton rocket, ILS said. The SSL-built satellite has a high-throughput Ka-band payload and will be used for broadband delivery in Central and South America and Mexico, and a Ku-band payload to be used for TV and other telco applications in Central and South America, it said.