At an April 2, 2008 hearing of a House Subcommittee on Homeland Security1, Deputy Commissioner Jayson Ahern testified on cargo and border security issues, including the Secure Freight Initiative pilot scanning project (i.e., 100% scanning).
The federal government must turn over by April 21 documents related to telecom industry lobbying on the electronic surveillance program, according to a preliminary injunction issued Friday in the 9th U.S. District Circuit Court. The injunction ordered the Justice Department and the Office of the Director of National Intelligence to turn over documents to the Electronic Frontier Foundation, which sued to obtain them. “We went to court over the release of these documents because they could play a critical role in the national debate over telecom immunity,” said EFF Staff Attorney Marcia Hofmann. “We're pleased the judge recognized that time is of the essence here and ordered these agencies to follow the law.” EFF filed a Freedom of Information Act request seeking release of the documents, but the agencies declined to comply. Legislation to grant immunity to the phone companies for their alleged participation in a warrantless surveillance program begun after Sept. 11, 2001, is stalled. A Senate bill provides immunity, but the House has balked and for the moment does not seem inclined to adopt the Senate bill.
Antigua isn’t satisfied with a preliminary U.S. proposal on resolving a dispute over Internet gambling, we're told. The U.S. Friday presented an outline of a U.S. Trade Representative offer to settle the World Trade Organization dispute and related withdrawal of the General Agreement on Trade in Services concession. The “financial-type” offer is much below the $21 million in annual trade sanctions authorized by the WTO in the original case, the source said. The dispute may not be over even if a settlement is reached, said Michael Waxman of the Safe and Secure Internet Gambling Initiative. The European Trade Barrier Regulation filing is unresolved, he said. European operators say they face bias under international law, he said. Many members of Congress are asking “why we've gone down this path, and whether the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act is worth the headache,” he said.
New Games and Accessories: In its second week, the Xbox 360 version of Ubisoft’s Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Vegas 2 was again the top-rented videogame in the U.S., according to Rentrak’s preliminary Home Video Essentials data for the week ended Monday. The PS3 version moved up two to No. 5. Electronic Arts and Sega also each had two SKUs in the top 10. EA’s were the 360 and PS3 versions of Army of Two, at Nos. 2 and 9 again. Sega’s were the 360 and PS3 versions of Condemned 2: Bloodshot. The 360 version fell two to No. 6, but the PS3 SKU jumped 17 to No. 10. The only game for a Nintendo system in the top 10 was its Super Smash Bros. Brawl for Wii at No. 3… Sony Computer Entertainment America starts shipping the Dualshock 3 wireless controller for PS3 in the U.S. this week at $54.99. The controller, which has shipped in Japan, has the rumble feature lacking in the first version of the PS3 controller, as well as the initial controller’s motion sensing Sixaxis technologies. SCEA didn’t respond to a request for comment about published reports that the company will now drop the Sixaxis controller. SCEA recently said it will ship a limited edition bundle including the Konami game Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots, an 80-GB PS3 and a Dualshock 3 controller for $499.99 in June. That’s just ahead of the annual E3 Media & Business Summit from July 15 to 17 at the Los Angeles Convention Center, where SCEA could report any increase in PS3 sales from offering the bundle… After receiving “hundreds of entries” in a game-naming contest, D3Publisher of America said the winning game title for the new expansion pack to Puzzle Quest: Challenge of the Warlords for Xbox Live Arcade is Puzzle Quest: Challenge of the Warlords -- Revenge of the Plague Lord. The expansion will be made available this spring on Microsoft’s online game service, it said… Zen Studios released a Rocky and Bullwinkle-themed expansion table for the Pinball FX game on Xbox Live Arcade. The game was released on the service in 2007. The Rocky and Bullwinkle table will cost 200 Microsoft Points. The full version of Pinball FX is required and is available for 800 Microsoft Points. A hundred Microsoft Points cost $1.25 in the U.S. A full Rocky and Bullwinkle game for the service will soon be released by Zen Studios, in partnership with Bullwinkle Studios, Zen said… Hudson Entertainment’s game Deca Sports for Wii went “gold” for North America and is ready to be mass produced, it said Thursday. The game will be distributed by Konami Digital Entertainment starting May 13 at $29.99 in the U.S… THQ will ship the Relic Entertainment-developer real-time strategy game Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War II for Windows PC in spring 2009. The game will be “powered by an enhanced version” of Relic’s proprietary Essence Engine 2.0, THQ said. Gamers who buy the recently-released Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War -- Soulstorm will be able to participate in an invitation-only multiplayer beta program for the new game, THQ disclosed. The publisher also spotlighted coming games Thursday in San Francisco, including Saints Row 2, Red Faction: Guerrilla, WWE SmackDown vs. Raw 2009, de Blob, Deadly Creatures, Darksiders: Wrath of War, and the Wii titles Battle of the Bands and Big Beach Sports. THQ also said Construction Combat: Lock’s Quest is being developed exclusively for DS and will ship this fall. The game is being developed by 5th Cell, the creators of Drawn to Life, one of the top-selling original properties developed for DS in 2007, THQ said.
The International Trade Administration has issued the final results of its antidumping duty changed circumstances review of polyethylene terephthalate film, sheet, and strip from Korea for the period July 1, 2005 through June 30, 2006.
LAS VEGAS -- FCC Chairman Kevin Martin told CTIA attendees he expects to move quickly to adopt a cap on payments to competitive eligible telecom carriers (CETCs), now that Commissioner Robert McDowell is a likely third vote in favor (CD April 1 p1). Martin said he still plans an en banc hearing of the commission to look more closely at early termination fees (ETFs) often imposed by wireless carriers and other regulated companies. Martin also said he was starting to circulate an order dismissing a Skype petition seeking Carterfone rules for wireless.
LAS VEGAS -- Portability among devices is driving mobile music’s market penetration, speakers told the CTIA convention. Napster President Brad Duea said his company began sideloading with AT&T, with customers able to buy a song on a handset for download to a PC. Duea said wireless transfers began in November, but only on one handset. “Now it’s on 12,000 handsets,” he said. “Soon, you'll be seeing figures with AT&T that are 12 million handsets.”
The International Trade Administration has initiated an antidumping duty investigation to determine whether imports of steel threaded rod from China are being, or are likely to be, sold in the U.S. at less than fair value.
Take-Two Interactive remained mum Monday on a Friday request by Electronic Arts to drop a poison pill provision adopted by Take-Two early last week (CED March 27 p6). Take- Two hasn’t commented publicly. EA’s request came in a two- prong amendment to its tender offer to buy all Take-Two shares, each change responding to Take-Two decisions last week to adopt the poison pill and postpone its annual shareholder meeting to April 17 from April 10.
The International Trade Administration has issued its preliminary results of the antidumping duty administrative review of certain frozen warmwater shrimp from Vietnam for the period of February 1, 2006 through January 31, 2007.