SAN FRANCISCO -- The Sony Betamax case is out and copyright-infringement filtering requirements are in for image-search engines and other Web sites that host third- party content. The leading attorney for Hollywood rights holders said that’s the message of rulings since spring by the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco. A defense lawyer who is one of his most prominent adversaries conceded that the cases make the outlook bleak for his side.
The International Trade Administration has issued a notice stating that it is postponing the preliminary countervailing duty determination on laminated woven sacks from China by 65 days to no later than November 26, 2007.
SAN FRANCISCO -- The Sony Betamax case is out and copyright-infringement filtering requirements are in for image-search engines and other Web sites that host third- party content, a leading attorney for Hollywood rights holders said Monday said Monday at a Practising Law Institute seminar on technology and entertainment convergence. That’s the message of rulings since spring by the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco, said the attorney, Russell Frackman. A defense lawyer who is one of his most prominent adversaries conceded that the cases make the outlook bleak for his side.
FaceTime Communications got $15.6 million in a funding round that exceeded its $10 million goal. The round was led by Credit Suisse and also made up of Sutter Hill Ventures, JK&B Capital and Scale Venture Partners, which had invested in the Internet security company previously. FaceTime said it had raised enough money to last until the company becomes profitable. Recently, for the fourth year running, IDC named FaceTime the market leader among instant-messaging management vendors. FaceTime also released its new flagship product, the Unified Security Gateway, to monitor and regulate Web use, “greynet” applications like Skype and P2P clients, and enterprise messaging software such as IBM Lotus Sametime. FaceTime said preliminary data from a survey it did of greynets, to be released this fall, show that most workers in organizations with enterprise messaging platforms continue to use more vulnerable public systems such as AOL Instant Messenger and Google Talk.
The International Trade Administration has issued its final results of the antidumping duty administrative review of stainless steel bar from India for the period of February 1, 2005 through January 31, 2006.
The Coast Guard has issued a notice announcing that the National Maritime Security Advisory Committee (NMSAC) will be holding an open meeting by teleconference from 1-4:00 p.m. EST on September 20, 2007 to discuss NMSAC's comments, recommendations, and responses to a questionnaire designed to inform the development of a preliminary draft of the Transportation Worker Identification Credential (TWIC) Biometric Reader Requirements proposed rule.
New Games: In its third week available, the PS2 version of Madden NFL 08 from Electronic Arts (EA) moved up to once again become the top-rented videogame in the U.S., according to Rentrak’s preliminary Home Video Essentials data for the week ended Sept. 2. Take-Two Interactive’s BioShock for Xbox 360 - the previous week’s top game - slipped to No. 2. The 360 version of Madden was again No. 3. New to the top 10 were Nintendo’s Metroid Prime 3: Corruption for Wii at No. 8 and EA’s Tiger Woods PGA Tour 08 for 360 at No. 9… Grateful Dead music will be included in the upcoming EA game Rock Band as part of a deal signed with developer Harmonix, MTV Games and Warner Music Group’s Rhino Entertainment. Terms weren’t disclosed. The game will ship for 360 and PS3 this holiday season.
Arianespace will launch Globalstar’s 24-unit second- generation constellation beginning summer 2009, the companies said. Arianespace is providing Globalstar “the flexibility to accommodate both our launch budget and the accelerated delivery and deployment of the new satellites,” Globalstar CEO Jay Monroe said. Four launches are planned. Each time, the Soyuz will launch six Globalstar satellites into circular orbit, said Arianespace. Work at the Guiana Space Center Soyuz launch complex are expected to be done before the 2009 scheduled launch, but if not Globalstar has arranged to launch the constellation from Baikonur, Kazakhstan, it said. Thales Alenia Space has completed the preliminary design of the new constellation, Globalstar said.
An order letting the FCC void exclusive video contracts between apartment building owners and pay-TV providers (CD July 6 p2) began circulating late Thursday on the eighth floor, according to FCC and industry officials. The draft from Chairman Kevin Martin’s office seems to stick closely to preliminary FCC findings that the agency can intervene in some such cases, said several industry officials. In seeking public comment March 27, the commission said it “tentatively” found that it can regulate exclusives when it finds they “impede competition and impair deployment of services.”
The Commerce Department's Office of Textiles and Apparel (OTEXA) has posted to its Web site the monthly reports containing official June 2007 trade data from the Department of Census for imports and exports of textiles and apparel: