The International Trade Administration has issued its final results of the antidumping duty new shipper review of stainless steel bar from India for the period of February 1, 2006 through July 31, 2006.
Activision won an early first round victory in its court battle against The Romantics as Michigan U.S. District Court Judge Nancy Edmunds denied the rock group’s request for a preliminary injunction to stop use of the song “What I Like About You” in the publisher’s game Guitar Hero Encore Rocks the 80s. No reason was stated in the judge’s initial ruling. An explanation will appear in “an opinion to follow” at an unspecified time, she said. But Activision said “in making the ruling, Judge Edmunds indicated that to the extent there were any copyright issues, Activision did exactly what the company was supposed to do in developing the product.” The ruling ensures that “sales of the game will continue,” said Activision. The company is “pleased with the ruling and thinks that the case is without merit,” it said. “Respect for all artists is an important value of the company and Activision has a long history of supporting artists from a range of entertainment fields.” Videogames like those in the Guitar Hero series “represent a growing opportunity for the music industry to reach new audiences and a strong source of potential license revenue for both bands and music publishers,” it said. Nov. 20 The Romantics sued Activision and subsidiary RedOctane for using a “sound-alike imitation” of their hit “What I Like About You” in the game without the group’s permission (CED Dec 14 p6). Also named in the suit was game developer Harmonix Music Systems, later to develop Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock rival Rock Band by Electronic Arts and MTV Games after MTV Games parent Viacom bought Harmonix. The developer had no role in creating Guitar Hero III. The Romantics also complained that some fans think the version of the song in the game is a “master” recording by the group, saying the defendants traded on the band’s identity and “distinctive sound” for “commercial purpose” without its permission. The Romantics wanted a permanent injunction on the defendants to stop them from selling and distributing the game as long as their song appeared in it, plus unspecified damages and legal expenses. Activision was sued recently by a disgruntled San Diego buyer of the Nintendo Wii version of Guitar Hero III. The consumer sought class action status in U.S. District Court, Los Angeles, claiming the publisher falsely advertised the game included Dolby Pro Logic II surround when all it offered was mono.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection has posted to its Web site a list of end-of-year quota/tariff rate quota reminders, highlights of which are provided below:
New Games: The Xbox 360 version of Activision’s Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare, in its sixth week available, was again the top-rented videogame in the U.S., according to Rentrak’s preliminary Home Video Essentials data for the week ended Dec. 16. There were no new releases in the top 10. Electronic Arts had the most games in the top 10, with three: The 360 version of Need For Speed: ProStreet at No. 5 again in its fifth week, the PS2 version at No. 7 (down one) and the PS2 version of Madden NFL 08 at No. 10, down one in its 18th week. Microsoft had two of its own 360 games in the top 10: Mass Effect at No. 3 (down one in its fourth week) and Halo 3 at No. 6 (up two in its 12th week)… Verizon Wireless teamed with mobile game company Hands-On Mobile and Activision to exclusively offer a mobile version of Activision’s hit console game Guitar Hero III for mobile users. Guitar Hero III Mobile offers 15 tracks from the console series, including “Suck My Kiss” by Red Hot Chili Peppers and “Rock You Like A Hurricane” which the companies said was “made famous by” The Scorpions -- but it’s performed by a knock-off band. Like the PS3 and Xbox 360 version of the game, song packs will become available on a regular basis -- in the case of Verizon Wireless, “each month,” the companies said. The game will cost $4.49 for monthly access or $11.99 for unlimited use purchase. It is available on a variety of Get It Now-capable phones, including Motorola’s RIZR Z6tv, LG’s Chocolate and Samsung’s Gleam, the companies said.
The International Trade Administration has issued its final results of the antidumping duty administrative review of certain hot-rolled carbon steel flat products from Romania for the period of November 1, 2005 through October 31, 2006.
The International Trade Administration has issued its preliminary results of the following antidumping and countervailing duty administrative reviews:
The International Trade Administration frequently issues notices on antidumping and countervailing duty orders which Broker Power considers to be "minor" in importance as they concern actions that occur after an order is issued and neither announce nor cause any changes to an order's duty rates, scope, affected firms, or effective period.
The International Trade Administration has issued its final results of the antidumping duty administrative review of purified carboxymethylcellulose from the Netherlands for the period of December 27, 2004 through June 30, 2006.
The International Trade Administration has issued its final results of the antidumping duty administrative review of individually quick frozen (IQF) red raspberries from Chile for the period of July 1, 2005 through June 30, 2006.
The International Trade Administration has issued its final results of the antidumping duty administrative review of purified carboxymethylcellulose from Finland for the period of December 27, 2004 through June 30, 2006.