| Trade Promotion Authority
Moves Closer to Passage in Senate |
5/10. Sen. Max Baucus
(D-MT) stated in a release
[PDF] that "we have reached a compromise on fast track,
Trade Adjustment Assistance, Andean trade, and the Generalized
System of Preferences, or GSP." He added that
"Senator Grassley and I -- along with the Administration
-- were able to reach and agreement that I believe will gain
very broad bipartisan support."
The House passed its version of the bill, HR 3005,
on December 6, 2001. Trade Promotion Authority (TPA), which is
also know as fast track, would give the President authority to
negotiate trade agreements which the Congress can then approve
or reject, but not amend. Sen. Baucus is the Chairman of the Senate Finance
Committee, which has jurisdiction over TPA legislation.
This Committee passed its version of the TPA bill in December
by a vote of 18 to 3.
Sen. Baucus and Sen.
Charles Grassley (R-IA), the ranking Republican on the
Committee, also released a joint statement
[PDF] summarizing the content of the agreement.
The agreement on Trade Adjustment Assistance (TAA) provides
assistance on health care insurance. It extends the time
period for which TAA pays out income support from 52 to 74
weeks. It expands eligibility to secondary workers. It extends
TAA benefits when a U.S. manufacturing plant moves offshore.
And, it expands benefits.
Sen. Judd Gregg (R-NH)
commented on the compromise in a speech in the Senate on May
10. He addressed the health insurance provisions. "This
is a huge, brand new entitlement being put together in the
middle of the night -- this one especially in the middle of
the night -- which has not been properly vetted and which has
significant issues surrounding it."
He concluded: "The trade adjustment language in this bill
raises very significant problems, and to hook it to the trade
promotion authority raises the question: Is it worth the price
of getting trade promotion authority to put in place these
types of expansive public policy initiatives which involve
huge implications on the expenditure side of our
Government?"
President Bush gave a speech
in Columbus, Ohio on May 10 at a Taft for Governor luncheon.
He spoke about the Senate trade compromise. He stated that
"I'm pleased that the Senate looks like they've got an
agreement on a trade bill. This nation ought to be confident.
We ought to be opening up markets all around the world to
trade. It'll be good for our Ohio farmers to trade, it's good
for Ohio small business people to trade. I hope Congress
finally gets a trade promotion authority bill to my desk.
Confident nations open up markets, they don't build walls
around themselves. I'm confident that we're the best producers
and innovators in many products, and therefore we ought to be
selling our products around the world."
The U.S. High Tech Coalition on Trade Promotion Authority, a
coalition of technology industry groups, stated in a release
that it "is very pleased with this news and supports this
compromise package." Cynthia Johnson, Chair of the
Coalition, stated in the release that "This is a huge
step toward reaching the goal of passing of TPA and, thus,
enabling U.S. negotiators to pursue new agreements to open
foreign markets critical to the U.S. high tech industry ... We
still have a long way to go and will face some tough battles
on amendments."
The Coalition added that it has several trade objectives,
including "Tariff elimination on high tech products;
Strong intellectual property protections; Reform in the
regulatory practices of our trade partners; Improved market
access and non-discriminatory treatment for services; and
Promotion of e-commerce."
Tom Donohue, P/CEO of the U.S.
Chamber of Commerce, stated in a release
that "The compromise made by the Senate and the White
House shows that both sides know how important TPA is to our
fragile economy. Although, we would prefer this
legislation to be a clean trade bill, we are pleased that
we're one step closer to giving the U.S. the tools it needs to
compete in the global marketplace. We will continue to work
with the Senate to defeat any and all killer amendments to
this compromise." |
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| NTIA Director Discusses
Spectrum Management |
5/10. National
Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA)
Director Nancy
Victory gave a speech
titled "Telecommunications Challenges: The Telecom
Tsunami". She spoke about "spectrum
management".
She stated that "One pressing challenge for NTIA is
ensuring that spectrum is available to fuel future wireless
growth and to provide the increasingly indispensable
infrastructure for our military, law enforcement and public
safety needs."
She added that "we need to make a concerted effort to
eliminate unnecessary government micromanaging of spectrum
uses. This means taking a fresh look at legacy rules and
restrictions to assess their ability to accommodate emerging
technologies or spectrum needs."
She also identified the major spectrum issues. "First,
there is the so called allocation for Third Generation
wireless services -- the Internet on and off ramps for mobile
communications -- better know as 3G. Second, there is the huge
cloud of uncertainty hanging over the spectrum that television
broadcasters will be surrendering as they migrate to the
digital world of High Definition Television -- better known as
HDTV or more recently ATV. Third, there is the spectrum
currently shared between commercial SMR operators like Nextel,
private radio users such as utilities, airlines and other
companies, and public safety organizations."
She also told jokes, outlined the responsibilities of the NTIA,
and advised her audience that "If Wall Street wants to
have an impact on Pennsylvania Avenue, you better speak out
and speak out loudly. Otherwise, you will have no one else to
blame for being ignored as key policy decisions are being
made." She spoke in New York City to the before the 16th
Annual Global Communications Conference sponsored by Goldman
Sachs. |
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| DC Circuit Grants Rehearing
En Banc in Ruggiero Case |
5/10. The U.S.
Court of Appeals (DCCir) issued an order
in Ruggiero
v. FCC granting an en banc rehearing. On
February 8, a three judge panel of the Court of Appeals issued
its split opinion
holding unconstitutional the ban on issuance of low power FM
radio broadcast licenses to anyone who has previously engaged
in an unlicensed operation.
The set of people who have engaged in unlicensed broadcasting
who may seek low power FM (LPFM) licenses is a very small and
insignificant group. However, this case could have a broader
impact. The en banc panel may provide an analysis of the
application of the First Amendment to broadcast speech that
affects a wider range of speakers.
The three judge panel previously held that the ban was
unconstitutional under the First Amendment, but did articulate
its rationale with clarity. Notably, it did not even identify
the standard of review to apply.
The Federal Communications
Commission (FCC) filed a petition for rehearing en banc.
The Court granted the petition, without explanation. The Court
issued an order that states that "Upon consideration of
the respondents' petition for rehearing en banc, the response
thereto, and the vote by a majority of the judges of the court
in regular, active service in favor of the petition, it is
ORDERED that the petition be granted. This case will be
reheard by the court sitting en banc."
Background. The Radio
Broadcasting Preservation Act of 2000 (RBPA)
permanently prohibits anyone who ever "engaged in any
manner in the unlicensed operation of any station in violation
of ... the Communications Act of 1934" from obtaining a
LPFM radio license from the FCC. Greg Ruggiero is a former
pirate broadcaster who sought a low power FM license from the
FCC. He argues that the statute and the FCC's implementing
rules violate his First and Fifth Amendment rights.
Holding. The three judge panel held that the ban was
constitutionally impermissible because of the relationship of
the ban to the underlying purpose of the statute and
implementing regulations. It found that the class of
applicants banned from receiving low power FM licenses is
under inclusive. It wrote, citing News America, that
"we find the character qualification provision so poorly
aimed at maximizing future compliance with broadcast laws and
regulations as to ``raise[ ] a suspicion´´ that perhaps
Congress's ``true´´ objective was not to increase regulatory
compliance, but to penalize micro broadcasters' ``message.´´
"
The Court concluded that "we cannot sanction an automatic
and permanent restriction on unlicensed broadcasters' future
lawful speech without understanding why their misdeeds warrant
a penalty so much more severe than that applied to any other
misconduct. Yet neither the RBPA itself, nor the legislative
history, nor the record in this case provides a satisfactory
explanation. We thus have no choice but to declare the statute
and the Commission's implementing regulation
unconstitutional."
Split. Judge Tatel wrote the opinion. Judge Rogers
joined. Judge
Karen Henderson wrote a dissent. She wrote: "What
could be more reasonable or logical than to suspect that those
who ignored the Commission's LPFM broadcast regulations in the
past are likely to do so in the future and therefore to head
them off. ... I see no reason the legislature cannot
permissibly tackle a single part of a perceived problem
(including one touching on the First Amendment) through a
statute, such as the one here, which is neither overinclusive
nor underinclusive." |
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| House Subcommittee Holds
Hearing on IPR and Government R&D |
5/10. The House
Government Reform Committee's Subcommittee on Technology
and Procurement Policy held a hearing titled
"Intellectual Property and Government R&D for
Homeland Security".
Rep. Tom Davis
(R-VA), who presided at the hearing, stated that most leading
information technology companies refuse to do research for the
government because of intellectual property and red tape
concerns.
He stated in his prepared testimony that "In an
environment where private sector R&D spending accounts for
almost three fourths of the total spent in the United States,
the Government's role has changed to become a partner in
innovation, rather than the sole driving force. Because IP
right are the most valued assets of companies, the Government
must ensure that its policies and procedures reflect this
partnership for innovation."
Richard Carroll, of the Small Business Technology Coalition,
testified that the prevailing attitude of the government is
"We paid for it. We own it." Carroll said that
"for small high tech companies in particular, the
government culture of ``we pay for it, we own it´´ has a
chilling effect on their interest in innovating for the
government. Understand, that these companies are the most
likely to bring forth the innovations needed to transform our
defense systems, and to meet the needs of homeland defense
with rapid, innovative, and affordable solutions. These new
ideas represent the heart of their company's assets, and their
ability to offer strong competitive alternatives to the status
quo is clearly predicated on some level of intellectual
property protection. If they lose that intellectual property
because the government provides it to their competitors, the
very survival of the company is threatened."
See also, prepared
testimony [PDF] of Jack Brock of the General Accounting Office
titled "Intellectual Property: Industry and Agency
Concerns over Intellectual Property Rights". |
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| House Crime Subcommittee
Reschedules Hearing & Markup of Domain Names Bills |
5/10. The House
Judiciary Committee's Subcommittee on Crime has
rescheduled for Friday, May 17, its meeting to hear testimony,
and then mark up, HR 4640 and HR 4658.
HR 4640
is an untitled bill to provide criminal penalties for
providing false information in registering a domain name on
the Internet. HR 4658
is titled the Truth in Domain Names Act. The Crime
Subcommittee had scheduled these bills for its hearing and
mark up meetings on Thursday, May 9. However, they were
removed from the agenda of both meetings, pursuant to the 24
hour notice rule. |
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| House Judiciary Committee
Schedules Mark Up of Tech Bills |
5/10. The House
Judiciary Committee has scheduled a meeting on Wednesday,
May 15, to mark up several bills, including HR 4623,
the Child Obscenity and Pormography Prevention Act of 2002,
and HR 3215,
the Combatting Illegal Gambling Reform and Modernization Act.
HR 4623 pertains to computer generated images. It was
amended and approved by the Crime Subcommittee on May 9.
It is on the fast track for approval by the full House before
the Memorial Day recess.
HR 3215, which is Rep. Bob Goodlatte's
(R-VA) latest attempt to restrict Internet gambling, has been
scheduled for mark up, but held over, on several previous
occasions. |
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| House Judiciary Committee
Approves Cyber Security Enhancement Act |
5/8. The House
Judiciary Committee amended and approved the Cyber
Security Enhancement Act of 2001. See, HR
3482, as approved by the Committee.
The bill contains provisions relating to sentencing guidelines
for computer hacking crimes, authority of Internet service
providers (ISPs) and others to voluntarily disclosure the
content of communications to law enforcement and other
government entities, appropriations for the National Infrastructure Protection
Center (NIPC), the creation of an Office of Science and
Technology at the Department
of Justice (DOJ), and other topics. The bill further
amends several sections of the criminal code that were just
recently amended by the USA PATRIOT Act, which is also known
as the anti terrorism bill.
The Committee approved an amendment in the nature of a
substitute offered by Rep. Lamar Smith
(R-TX), the sponsor of the bill. The amendment changed the
language of Section 102, regarding voluntary disclosures to
law enforcement entities, which has been the most
controversial section of the bill.
This section would amend 18
U.S.C. § 2702(b), regarding voluntary disclosure of the
contents of communications. Currently, the statute provides
that "A person or entity may divulge the contents of a
communication ... (6) to a law enforcement agency ... (C) if
the provider reasonably believes that an emergency involving
immediate danger of death or serious physical injury to any
person requires disclosure of the information without
delay."
The previous version of the bill, which was approved by the
Crime Subcommittee on February 26, would have allowed
disclosure "to a governmental entity, if the provider, in
good faith, believes that an emergency involving danger of
death or serious physical injury to any person requires
disclosure of the information without delay."
The version just approved by the Judiciary Committee would
allow disclosure "to a Federal, State, or local
governmental entity, if the provider, in good faith, believes
that an emergency involving danger of death or serious
physical injury to any person requires disclosure without
delay of communications relating to the emergency."
Hence, the bill would lower the standard that ISPs and others
must meet before they voluntarily release information -- from
"reasonably believes" to "good faith". It
also removes the immediacy requirement. It also expands the
set of entities to which information can be released -- from
"law enforcement agency" to "governmental
entity". The change from the subcommittee version, to
that just approved by the full committee, is that the full
committee version restricts the information disclosed to
"communications relating to the emergency".
The Committee also approved two amendments to the amendment in
the nature of a substitute. First, the Committee approved an
amendment offered by Rep.
Bobby Scott (D-VA) that adds to Section 102 a requirement
that "a government entity that receives a disclosure
under this section shall file, no later than 90 days after
such disclosure, a report to the Attorney General ..." It
further provides that the Attorney General shall publish all
such reports once per year in a report to the Congress.
The Committee also approved an amendment offered by Rep. Melissa Hart (R-PA)
that would amend 18
U.S.C. § 3105 to provide that "The presence of an
officer is not required for service or execution of a warrant
under section 2703 when the provider of electronic
communications service or remote computing service produces
the information required in the warrant." That is, a law
enforcement officer need not personally serve a search warrant
on an ISP when the ISP provides the information that is sought
in the warrant.
See also, "House Crime Subcommittee Approves Cyber
Security Bill," in TLJ
Daily E-Mail Alert No. 377, Feb. 27, 2002, and "House
Committee Holds Hearing on Cyber Security Enhancement
Act", in TLJ
Daily E-Mail Alert No. 367, Feb. 13, 2002. |
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| People and Appointments |
5/9. The Senate confirmed four U.S. District Court Judges: Leonard
Davis (Eastern District of Texas), Andrew Hanen
(Southern District of Texas), Samuel Mays (Western
District of Tennessee), Thomas Rose (Southern District
of Ohio).
5/8. Marc Signorino was named Counsel for Technology
Policy at the American
Electronics Association. See, release. |
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| More News |
5/10. The U.S.
Court of Appeals (9thCir) issued its opinion
[PDF] in Berkla
v. Corel, an appeal involving punitive damages,
attorneys fees and costs. The underlying case arises out of a
dispute over electronic databases of digital images, and
involves claims of copyright infringement, breach of contract,
unfair business practices, and breach of confidence. Dennis
Berkla designs electronic databases. Corel is a Canadian
software company that makes CorelDraw and other applications.
The jury awarded Berkla compensatory and punitive damages. The
Court then disallowed the jury's award of punitives, and
denied both parties' requests for attorneys fees and costs.
The Court of Appeals affirmed in part and reversed in part.
5/7. Alltel announced
that its audit committee appointed Price Waterhouse Coopers
as the company's independent auditors to replace Arthur
Andersen. See,
release.
5/9. The Software &
Information Industry Association (SIIA) announced that it
acquired the New York New
Media Association (NYNMA). See, SIIA
release. |
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| About Tech Law Journal |
Tech Law Journal publishes a free access web site and
subscription e-mail alert. The basic rate for a subscription
to the TLJ Daily E-Mail Alert is $250 per year. However, there
are discounts for entities with multiple subscribers. Free one
month trial subscriptions are available. Also, free
subscriptions are available for law students, journalists,
elected officials, and employees of the Congress, courts, and
executive branch, and state officials. The TLJ web site is
free access. However, copies of the TLJ Daily E-Mail Alert and
news items are not published in the web site until one month
after writing. See, subscription
information page.
Contact: 202-364-8882; E-mail.
P.O. Box 4851, Washington DC, 20008.
Privacy
Policy
Notices
& Disclaimers
Copyright 1998 - 2002 David Carney, dba Tech Law Journal. All
rights reserved. |
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| Monday, May 13 |
The House will not be in session.
The Senate will meet at 3:00 PM for morning business, and at
4:00 PM to consider the nomination of Paul Cassell to be a
U.S. District Judge. The Senate will then resume consideration
of trade legislation.
The Supreme Court returns from recess. |
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| Tuesday, May 14 |
The House will meet at 12:30 PM for morning hour, and 2:00
PM for legislative business. No votes are expected before 6:30
PM. The House will consider a number of measures under
suspension of the rules.
8:45 AM - 3:45 PM. The National
Institute of Standards and Technology's (NIST) Advanced Technology Program
(ATP) Advisory Committee will hold a meeting that will be open
in part, and closed in part. The agenda includes a discussion
on universities and R&D technology issues, a presentation
on In-Q-Tel (the CIA's
Silicon Valley venture capital group), an update on the ATP
competition, and a presentation on a study on the ATP Computer
Based Software Focus Program. Pre-registration by May 9 is
required for attendance; submit your name, time of arrival,
e-mail address and phone number to Carolyn Stull at carolyn.stull @nist.gov
or 301 975-5607. See, notice
in Federal Register. Location: NIST, Administration Building,
Lecture Room A, Gaithersburg, MD.
9:00 - 11:00 AM. The U.S.
Chamber of Commerce (USCC), Ernst
& Young, and the Internet Education Foundation (IEF)
will co-host a forum on online privacy and the Platform for Privacy Preferences
(P3P) created by the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C). Rep. Adam Smith
(D-WA) will make opening remarks. There will be two panels.
The first panel will address online privacy issues; the
speakers will be Joe Rubin (USCC), Shane Ham (Progressive Policy Institute),
and Ari Schwartz (Center for
Democracy and Technology). The second panel will address
P3P; the speakers will be Martin Marshall (IBM), Marc Berejka (Microsoft), Brian Tretick
(Ernst & Young), and
Brian Zwit (AOL). See, notice.
RSVP by e-mail to rsvp
@p3ptoolbox.org, or call Joshua Freed (IEF) at 202
638-4370. Coffee and snacks will be provided. Location: Herman
Lay Room, USCC, 1615 H Street, NW.
TIME CHANGE. 9:00 AM. The IRS
will hold a hearing on proposed regulations relating to tax
treatment of incentive stock options and options granted
under employee stock purchase plan. See, original
notice in the Federal Register. See also, supplemental notice
rescheduling hearing time, Federal Register. Location:
Auditorium, Internal Revenue Building, 1111 Constitution
Avenue, NW.
9:30 AM - 1:30 PM. George Washington University (Ashburn
Campus) and the Computer and
Communications Industry Association will co-host a pair of
panels discussions. The first panel will address last mile
broadband deployment. The second panel will address how to
protect audio and video property rights. See, notice. For more
information, contact Sandy Rose at 703 726-8310 or sandyr @gwu.edu. Location:
20101 Academic Way, Ashburn, VA. (This is east of Leesburg on
the north side of Route 7, west of Route 28.)
9:30 AM - 4:00 PM. The Antitrust
Division of the Department of Justice and the FTC
will hold another in their series of hearings on antitrust and
intellectual property. This event is titled "Antitrust
Analysis of Licensing Practices". At 9:00 AM there will
be a panel titled "Antitrust Analysis of Specific
Intellectual Property Licensing Practices". At 1:30 PM
there will be a panel titled "Practical Issues
Encountered in Antitrust Analysis of Licensing
Practices". The DOJ requires that attendees provide their
name and date of birth 24 hours in advance to Kathleen Leicht
at kathleen.leicht
@usdoj.gov or 202 514-7018. For more information, contact
Gina Talamona in the Office of Public Affairs at 202 514-2007,
or Frances Marshall in the Antitrust Division at 202 305-2520.
Location: Great Hall, Department of Justice, Main Building,
950 Pennsylvania Ave., NW.
10:00 AM. The Senate
Indian Affairs Committee and the Senate Commerce
Committee will hold a joint hearings on communications
issues in Indian country.
10:00 AM. The Senate
Banking Committee will hold a hearing on the Annual
National Export Strategy Report of the Trade Promotion
Coordinating Committee (TPCC). The scheduled witnesses
include: Donald Evans (Secretary of Commerce), Eduardo Aguirre
(Export Import Bank), Hector Barreto (SBA), Peter Watson
(Overseas Private Investment Corporation), and Thelma Askey
(U.S. Trade and Development Agency). Location: Room 538,
Dirksen Building.
Deadline to submit oppositions and responses to the FCC in its
AT&T Comcast merger review proceeding. This proceeding is
titled "In the Matter of Applications for Consent to the
Transfer of Control of Licenses, Comcast Corporation and
AT&T Corp., Transferors, To AT&T Comcast Corporation,
Transferee". See, FCC
notice. |
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| Wednesday, May 15 |
The House will meet at 10:00 AM for legislative business.
8:45 - 9:30 AM. FTC Commissioner Orson
Swindle will give the opening keynote address titled
"The Urgency of Security In A Networked World" at
the Information Integrity World Summit. See, notice.
Location: Wyndham Washington, 1400 M Street NW.
9:30 AM. The Senate
Judiciary Committee will hold a hearing to examine copyright
royalties and webcasting. Press contact: Mimi Devlin 202
224-9437. Location: Room 226, Dirksen Building.
9:30 AM - 12:00 NOON. The U.S. International
Telecommunication Advisory Committee, which advises the Department of State on policy
and technical issues with respect to the International Telecommunication
Union, will meet to prepare for the June 2002 meeting of
the Telecommunication Sector Advisory Group. Location: TIA, 1300 Pennsylvania
Ave., NW., Suite 350.
POSTPONED. 11:00
AM. The Cato Institute will
host a panel discussion titled "Digital Copy Protection:
Mandate It? Ban It? Or Let the Market Decide?" The
speakers will be Rick Lane (News Corporation), Jonathan Potter
(Digital Media Association), Sarah Deutsch (Verizon), and
Steve DelBianco (Association for Competitive Technology).
10:00 AM. The House
Judiciary Committee has scheduled a meeting to mark up
several bills, including HR 4623,
the Child Obscenity and Pormography Prevention Act of 2002
(which pertains to computer generated images), and HR 3215,
the Combatting Illegal Gambling Reform and Modernization Act
(Goodlatte Internet gambling bill). Audio webcast. Press
contact: Jeff Lungren or Terry Shawn at 202 225-2492.
Location: Room 2141, Rayburn Building.
11:00 AM. The Digital
Empowerment Campaign (DEC) will hold a press conference to
advocate more federal spending for technology related grant
programs, including the NTIA's Technology
Opportunities Program and the Education Department's
Community Technology Centers program. The DEC is a coalition
that includes the Leadership
Conference on Civil Rights (LCCR), the National Urban League, and
other groups. For more information, contact Cory Smith (LCCR)
at 202 466-4281 or csmith
@civilrights.org, or Rosia Lawrence (PolicyLink) at 212
629-9570 ext. 204 or rosia
@policylink.org. See, DEC
notice. Location: Senate Swamp (across the parking lot
from the main Senate entrance).
12:30 PM? The Association of
Federal Communications Consulting Engineers will hold a
luncheon meeting. For more information, contact Noel Luddy at luddyen @aol.com or 301
299-2270.
7:30 PM. There will be a panel discussion titled "Tech
Talk: Information Security and Information Warfare". The
panelists will be Robert Norris (National Defense Univ.),
Daniel Kuehl (National Defense Univ.), and Lance Hoffman
(George Washington Univ.). The event is free, but reservations
are required. Call 202 662-7501 or email pnelson @press.org for
reservations. For more information, contact Laura Falacienski
at 202 662-7564 or lauraf
@press.org. Location: National
Press Club, Murrow Room, 529 14th St. NW, 13th Floor.
Deadline to submit comments to the USTR
regarding the requests of 23 nations to join the WTO.
See, notice
in Federal Register.
Deadline to submit comments to the USPTO regarding
its plan to disseminate all future editions of the Trademark
Manual of Examining Procedure solely in electronic format.
See, notice
in Federal Register. |
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| Thursday, May 16 |
The House will meet at 10:00 AM for legislative business.
9:30 AM. The Senate
Commerce Committee will hold a meeting to mark up bills.
The agenda may include S 2037,
a bill providing for the establishment of a national emergency
technology guard, and S 2182,
the Cyber Security Research and Development Act, a bill to
authorize funding for computer and network security research
and development and research fellowship programs. The agenda
may also include S 630,
the Can Spam Act. See, Sen. Burns release.
Press contact: Andy Davis at 202 224-6654. Location: Room 253,
Russell Building.
9:30 AM. The FCC will hold a
meeting. See, FCC
notice [PDF]. Audio webcast. Press contact: Maureen
Peratino or David Fiske at 202 418-0500. Location: FCC, 445
12th Street, SW, Commission Meeting Room.
9:30 AM. The House
Judiciary Committee's Subcommittee on Courts, Intellectual
Property and the Internet will hold an oversight hearing
titled The Accuracy and Integrity of the WHOIS database.
Audio webcast. Press contact: Jeff Lungren or Terry Shawn at
202 225-2492. Location: Room 2141, Rayburn Building.
9:30 AM. The USPTO will hold
a public hearing on its proposed plan to eliminate the paper
patent and trademark registration collections from its public
search facilities, and to transition to electronic patent and
trademark information collections. The USPTO is seeking public
comment on issues related to this proposed plan. The USPTO is
also seeking input on whether any governmental entity or
non-profit organization is interested in acquiring the paper
patent and trademark registration collections to be removed
from the USPTO's public search facilities. See, notice
in Federal Register. Location: Patent Theater, second floor,
Crystal Park 2, Room 200, 2121 Crystal Drive, Arlington, VA. |
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| Friday, May 17 |
10:00 AM. The House
Judiciary Committee's Subcommittee on Crime will meet to
conduct a hearing on, and mark up of, several bills, including
HR 4640,
a bill to provide criminal penalties for providing false
information in registering a domain name on the Internet, and HR 4658,
the Truth in Domain Names Act. Audio webcast. Press contact:
Jeff Lungren or Terry Shawn at 202 225-2492. Location: Room
2141, Rayburn Building.
10:00 AM. Stuart Eisenstadt and John Weekes will speak on US
EU Trade Relations. Eisenstadt is a Co-Chairman of the
U.S. European Business Council. Weekes is a former Canadian
Ambassador to the World Trade Organization. Location: Murrow
Room, National Press Club,
529 14th St. NW, 13th Floor.
10:00 AM. The FCC's Media
Security and Reliability Council will hold a meeting. See, FCC
notice [PDF]. Location: FCC, 445 12th Street, SW,
Commission Meeting Room.
12:00 NOON - 2:00 PM. The Progress
& Freedom Foundation (PFF) will host a panel
discussion titled The Telecom Meltdown: Causes and Cures.
The speakers will be Thomas Lenard (PFF), Terry Barnich (New Paradigm Resources Group),
Larry Darby (Darby Associates), Blair Levin (Legg
Mason Equity Research), and Randolph May (PFF). RSVP to
Brooke Emmerick at 202 289-8928 or bemmerick @pff.org. See, notice.
Location: Room B369, Rayburn Building. |
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