U.S. Customs and Border Protection has issued a final rule, effective July 9, 2007, that amends 19 CFR Parts 24, 113, and 128 regarding fees for customs processing at express consignment carrier facilities and/or centralized hub facilities.
A top MPAA priority is more U.S. cooperation with foreign govts. on Internet piracy -- “the real dagger at the heart” of the movie industry, Chmn. Dan Glickman told the Senate Finance Committee in a Tues. trade hearing. But after his declaration Glickman barely touched the topic in prepared testimony or the rest of the hearing. Glickman gave voice to MPAA’s wish as he answered Chmn. Baucus’s (D-Mont.) request that witnesses give 3 recommendations for govt. trade action. The U.S. free trade agreement with S. Korea is a model for working with other nations, Glickman’s prepared remarks said. It raises the bar over previous FTAs for IPR protection, with one of 2 “side letters” on online enforcement, requiring S. Korea to pass an anti-camcording law, Glickman said. Camcorded films often are uploaded or burned for street distribution before their debut as legitimate DVDs. Glickman is “disappointed” Russia hasn’t done its duty under a side letter accompanying its bilateral trade agreement with the U.S., Glickman said, echoing recent International Intellectual Property Alliance complaints that Russia missed deadlines in the pact and failed to act against infringing websites. Protecting IPR is “foundational” for Russian accession to the WTO, Glickman said, crediting that country for allowing market access to MPAA members’ films, unlike China. He found sympathy from Sen. Bunning (R-Ky.), who said the U.S. will have more power over Russia if it fights WTO accession: “We still have the bag that they want.”
U.S. Customs and Border Protection has issued a final rule, effective July 9, 2007, that amends 19 CFR Parts 24, 113, and 128 regarding fees for customs processing at express consignment carrier facilities and/or centralized hub facilities.
On May 25, 2007, President Bush signed into law H.R. 2206, the "U.S. Troop Readiness, Veterans' Care, Katrina Recovery, and Iraq Accountability Appropriations Act, 2007." H.R. 2206 makes emergency supplemental appropriations and additional supplemental appropriations for fiscal year (FY) 2007 (Public Law 110-28).
The Bureau of Industry and Security has issued a proposed rule to add license requirements for exports or reexports to entities acting contrary to national security or foreign policy interests in the U.S., among other things.
BRUSSELS -- Better coordination among national spectrum regulators is preferable to more-sweeping EC harmonization plans, the incoming Portuguese Presidency said here Tues. at the European Spectrum Management conference. Spectrum usage is an “important political subject that goes beyond the technical issues and for that reason difference points of view have to be considered,” Public Works & Communications Secy. of State Paulo Campos said via a representative. Pan- EU licensing is appropriate only to create a framework for licensing conditions and for pan-European services, he said.
An appeals court said the FCC can’t find broadcasts indecent if they include a single curse because in 2004 the agency changed enforcement policy without giving sufficient reason for doing so or analyzing the change. U.S. Appeals Court, N.Y., remanded the whole “fleeting expletive” policy to the FCC, vacating 2 orders finding Fox’s Billboard 2002 and 2003 shows indecent. In a ruling written by Judge Rosemary Pooler, she and Peter Hall said the FCC violated the Administrative Procedure Act (APA) in finding U-2 singer Bono’s utterance of “fucking” in 2003 on NBC’s Golden Globe Awards show indecent. Judge Pierre Leval dissented, saying the Commission gave the industry plenty of notice it was changing enforcement and didn’t violate administrative procedure.
International trade in counterfeit and pirated products was worth as much as $200 billion in 2005 - not including potentially hundreds of billions of dollars more in digital products distributed online, said a report by the Organization for Economic Cooperation & Development (OECD). There isn’t a way to accurately measure the flow of illegal goods online and elsewhere, it said: The scope and effects of piracy are “of such significance that they compel strong and sustained action” from govts., business and consumers. It recommended increased enforcement and better cooperation between govts. and companies to craft effective policies.
The FCC said in a rulemaking on E-911 location requirements all carriers -- GSM and CDMA -- likely will be required to meet the same accuracy standards. The text of the rulemaking also says the Commission believes it has the authority to order carriers to meet tougher testing requirements proposed by the Assn. of Public Safety Communications Officials, but is seeking comment anyway “out of an abundance of caution.” The FCC approved the item (CD June 1 p2) last Thurs., but released the text late Fri.
A federal court Fri. vacated part of an FCC order under which VoIP providers must contribute to the Universal Service Fund (USF). A 3-judge panel of the U.S. Appeals Court, D.C., said it found “the Commission’s explanation wanting as to the pre-approval of traffic studies and the suspension of the carrier’s carrier rule.” Judges Harry Edwards, David Tatel and Merrick Garland heard the case brought by Vonage and CCIA, with Tatel writing the opinion.