The International Trade Administration (ITA) has issued a notice announcing the establishment of a monitoring program covering imports of textile and apparel products from Vietnam. According to the ITA, the monitoring program will begin upon Vietnam's accession to the World Trade Organization (WTO) and will expire at the end of the Bush Administration (January 19, 2009).

EA’s PS2 version of Need for Speed Carbon was again the #1-rented videogame in the U.S., in its 4th week available, according to Rentrak preliminary Home Video Essentials data for the week ended Nov. 26. The Xbox version climbed 2 to #4. EA had 2 other titles in the top 10: Madden NFL 07 for PS2 at #2 (up 2 in its 14th week) and NCAA Football 07 for PS2 at #5 (up 7, 19th week). There was no new game in the top 10… EA’s The Sims 2 Pets Expansion Pack was again the top-selling PC game in the U.S., according to NPD Group data for the week ended Nov. 18.

The International Trade Administration (ITA) has issued its preliminary results of the following antidumping (AD) countervailing (CV) duty administrative reviews:

The videogame industry scored its 2nd legal victory this week Wed. as U.S. Dist. Court Judge James Brady, Baton Rouge, ordered a permanent injunction against enforcement of a La. law that would ban the sale of violent videogames to minors, said the Entertainment Software Assn. (ESA).

Shareholders sued several Cablevision executives and board members, including former FCC Chmn. Charles Ferris, over stock option backdating that the company has admitted (CD Aug 9 p12). During expedited discovery plaintiffs’ lawyers will review e-mails, board meeting minutes and all records relating to meetings at which options were granted. A preliminary scheduling order calls for a trial to begin by March 2, 2007, plaintiffs’ attorney Stuart Grant told us. Cablevision cost shareholders $50-$100 million by backdating options grants 1997-2002, Grant said: “What I'd really like is that the options that were improperly issued to be cancelled. That can and should be done for all the officers and directors” who received them. “To the extent you gave rank and file a freebie, so be it,” he said: “But you've got to pay back the difference.” A successful legal challenge would put pressure on the SEC and U.S. Attorney’s office, also investigating Cablevision options, Grant said. Plaintiffs include the La. Teachers’ Retirement System and Teamsters Local 456. Cablevision Tues. declined to comment.

The International Trade Administration (ITA) has issued the final results of its countervailing (CV) duty administrative review of corrosion-resistant carbon steel flat products from France for the period of January 1, 2004 through December 31, 2004.

The International Trade Administration (ITA) has initiated antidumping (AD) duty investigations and countervailing (CV) duty investigations of coated free sheet paper from Indonesia, China and Korea.

GENEVA -- An ITU focus group wants to gauge network operator preparedness for security threats and assess interest in a specification for it. The project, proposed by Russia, would generate recommendations indicating network operators’ readiness and ability for “collaborative and coordinated counteraction to information security threats arising from interconnected networks,” an official working with the Security Baseline for Network Operators focus group said: “Now virtually anybody can set up as a network operator. You really don’t know who you're dealing with a lot of the time.”

GENEVA -- An ITU focus group wants to gauge network operator preparedness for security threats and assess interest in a specification for it. The project, proposed by Russia, would generate recommendations indicating network operators’ readiness and ability for “collaborative and coordinated counteraction to information security threats arising from interconnected networks,” an official working with the Security Baseline for Network Operators focus group said: “Now virtually anybody can set up as a network operator. You really don’t know who you're dealing with a lot of the time.”

The International Trade Administration (ITA) has issued its final results of the antidumping (AD) duty administrative review of certain stainless steel butt-weld pipe fittings from Taiwan for the period of June 1, 2004 through May 31, 2005.