Tech Law Journal Daily E-Mail Alert
June 20, 2002, 9:00 AM ET, Alert No. 455.
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FTC Files Administrative Complaint Against Rambus
6/19. The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) filed an administrative complaint against Rambus alleging anti competitive behavior in violation of Section 5 of the Federal Trade Commission Act (FTCA) in connection with its participation in a standard setting body for dynamic random access memory products. See also, FTC release.
Rambus is a Delaware corporation based in Los Altos, California, that develops and licenses designs for computer memory products. Its ticker symbol is RMBS.
The complaint pertains to Rambus's participation in he JEDEC Solid State Technology Association, which was formerly known as the Joint Electron Device Engineering Council. JEDEC develops and issues technical standards for a form of computer memory known as synchronous dynamic random access memory (SDRAM).
The complaint alleges that Rambus "has illegally monopolized, attempted to monopolize, or otherwise engaged in unfair methods of competition in certain markets relating to technological features necessary for the design and manufacture of a common form of digital computer memory, known as dynamic random access memory, or ``DRAM.´´"
The FTC alleges that Rambus engaged in anticompetitive behavior in violation of Section 5 of the FTCA by "participating in the work of an industry standard setting organization, known as JEDEC, without making it known to JEDEC or to its members that Rambus was actively working to develop, and did in fact possess, a patent and several pending patent applications that involved specific technologies proposed for and ultimately adopted in the relevant standards. By concealing this information -- in violation of JEDEC's own operating rules and procedures -- and through other bad faith, deceptive conduct, Rambus purposefully sought to and did convey to JEDEC the materially false and misleading impression that it possessed no relevant intellectual property rights."
Section 5 of the FTCA, codified at 15 U.S.C. § 45, provides, in part, that "Unfair methods of competition in or affecting commerce, and unfair or deceptive acts or practices in or affecting commerce, are hereby declared unlawful."
The complaint alleges three violations. First, it alleges that "Rambus has willfully engaged in a pattern of anticompetitive and exclusionary acts and practices, undertaken over the course of the past decade, and continuing even today, whereby it has obtained monopoly power in the synchronous DRAM technology market and narrower markets encompassed therein -- namely, the latency, burst length, clock synchronization, and data acceleration markets discussed above -- which acts and practices constitute unfair methods of competition in violation of Section 5 of the FTC Act."
Second, the complaint alleges that "Rambus has willfully engaged in a pattern of anticompetitive and exclusionary acts and practices, undertaken over the course of the past decade, and continuing even today, with a specific intent to monopolize the synchronous DRAM technology market and narrower markets encompassed therein, resulting, at a minimum, in a dangerous probability of monopolization in each of the aforementioned markets, which acts and practices constitute unfair methods of competition in violation of Section 5 of the FTC Act."
Third, the complaint alleges that "Rambus has willfully engaged in a pattern of anticompetitive and exclusionary acts and practices, undertaken over the course of the past decade, and continuing even today, whereby it has unreasonably restrained trade in the synchronous DRAM technology market and narrower markets encompassed therein, which acts and practices constitute unfair methods of competition in violation of Section 5 of the FTC Act."
The FTC also set a hearing date of September 18, 2002.
Rambus SVP and General Counsel John Danforth stated in a release that "We believe we have established that Rambus fully complied with JEDEC's disclosure policy and that Rambus had no undisclosed patents, or even applications, during the relevant time period that read on any proposed JEDEC standard ... At the end of the day, we believe that the FTC process, either at the administrative level or on appeal, will conclude that our actions were entirely appropriate and lawful."
The Rambus release also states that "The FTC's complaint stems from the same facts and the same core allegations as are currently being litigated in multiple private lawsuits, including the Infineon case, tried last year in Virginia, for which an appeal was heard before the United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit on June 3, 2002. Two United States District Courts -- those hearing the Micron and Hynix cases -- have delayed their cases pending resolution of the Infineon appeals."
700 MHz Auctions Delayed
6/19. On June 18, the Senate passed HR 4560, the Auction Reform Act of 2002, which delays most of the 700 MHz auctions. The House passed the bill on May 7. On June 19, President Bush signed the bill. See, White House release.
The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) had scheduled Auction 44 for June 19. Earlier this week, it postponed it for one day. On May 24, 2002, the FCC announced that Auction 31 was postponed until January 14, 2003, but that Auction 44 would proceed on June 19, 2002. See, FCC's May 24 notice of postponement.
The FCC issued a release on June 19 stating that "Bidders are advised that Auction No. 44 has been postponed and will not begin on June 20, 2002. Legislation has been passed by Congress and signed by the President directing the Commission to postpone the auction of certain spectrum licenses previously included in the Auction No. 44 inventory, and to commence the auction of the licenses in the C and D blocks of the Lower 700 MHZ band beginning no earlier than August 19, 2002, and no later than September 19, 2002."
The bill just enacted provides that "Except as provided in subparagraph (C), the Commission shall not commence or conduct auctions 31 and 44 on June 19, 2002, as specified in the public notices of March 19, 2002, and March 20, 2002 (DA 02-659 and DA 02-563)." Subparagraph (C) then provides that "Subparagraph (B) shall not apply to the auction of -- (I) the C-block of licenses on the bands of frequencies located at 710-716 megahertz, and 740-746 megahertz; or (II) the D-block of licenses on the bands of frequencies located at 716-722 megahertz." Subparagraph (C) further provides that auctions for these exempted bands "shall be commenced no earlier than August 19, 2002, and no later than September 19, 2002".
National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) Director Nancy Victory stated in a release that "I welcome Congress's action last night to delay the pending auctions of spectrum in the 700 MHz bands. It showed that sound spectrum policy triumphed over counterproductive deadlines. With the additional time, the FCC, the broadcasters and the potential bidders for the spectrum should work diligently to remove the uncertainties regarding when the spectrum can best be put to use for American consumers. The Administration stands ready to assist in that effort."
The Congressional findings recited in the bill state that "Circumstances in the telecommunications market have changed dramatically since the auctioning of spectrum in the 700 megahertz band was originally mandated by Congress in 1997, raising serious questions as to whether the original deadlines, or the subsequent revision of the deadlines, are consistent with sound telecommunications policy and spectrum management principles." The Congressional findings also recite that "No comprehensive plan yet exists for allocating additional spectrum for third generation wireless and other advanced communications services. The Federal Communications Commission should have the flexibility to auction frequencies in the 700 megahertz band for such purposes."
The Cellular Telecommunications and Internet Association (CTIA) praised passage of the bill. See, release.
Broadband Coalition Supports FCC Conclusion on Cable Modem Service
6/19. The High Tech Broadband Coalition (HTBC) submitted a comment [PDF] to the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) in its proceeding regarding the appropriate regulatory classification of cable modem service.
The HTBC wrote that it "supports the Commission's conclusion that cable modem service is an interstate information service that does not involve a separate offering of telecommunications. To the extent that any cable operator is offering unaffiliated Internet service providers (``ISPs´´) stand alone transmission service, that offering is private, not common, carriage. Thus, cable modem service is outside the bounds of Title II regulation, and the Commission cannot, and should not, require multiple ISP access. Maintaining the current deregulatory environment for cable modem service will spur continued investment and innovation in broadband technologies."
The HTBC is a recently formed group composed of the Business Software Alliance (BSA), Consumer Electronics Association (CEA), Information Technology Industry Council (ITIC), National Association of Manufacturers (NAM), Semiconductor Industry Association (SIA), and Telecommunications Industry Association (TIA). The FCC's proceeding is CS Docket No. 02-52.
Sen. Grassley Writes Ridge Re Cyber Security Provisions of DHS Bill
6/19. Sen. Charles Grassley (R-IA) wrote a letter to Tom Ridge, Director of the Office of Homeland Security, regarding the President Bush's proposed legislation to create a new Department of Homeland Security. He asked several questions pertaining to cyber security, information sharing, and intelligence gathering.
Sen. Grassley wrote that "The Information Analysis and Infrastructure Protection Division within the new Department will combine such entities as part of the National Infrastructure Protection Center (NIPC) from the FBI, the Critical Infrastructure Assurance Office (CIAO) from Commerce, and the Federal Computer Incident Response Center from the General Services Administration (GSA), among others. How does the Administration perceive this division working with the other federal infrastructure protection concerns not brought under the jurisdiction of the new department?"
He also asked "Will the current full time employees dedicated to these organizations be moved to the new department, i.e, the 795 FBI employees, the 27 Commerce employees, and the 23 GSA employees, in addition to the numerous detailees?"
Sen. Grassley is a senior member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, which has oversight jurisdiction regarding the Department of Justice (DOJ) and Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). Under the President's proposed legislation, this Committee's jurisdiction would be reduced, for example, by the removal of the NIPC from the FBI, and by removal of the Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS) from the DOJ.
Sen. Grassley also asked "What role will the President's Critical Infrastructure Protection Board (CIPB), the office headed by Richard Clarke, play in this new division?"
He also asked "What provisions have been made to guarantee the critical transfer of institutional knowledge, in addition to employees, hardware, and open cases?
Sen. Grassley also posed numerous questions regarding intelligence gathering, sharing and analysis. He asked about "turf issues" involving the new department and the FBI and Central Intelligence Agency (CIA). He also asked "Have we gone far enough in this reorganization plan? Should these organizations also be integrated into the Department of Homeland Security?"
Finally, he inquired about several technology issues. He wrote: "Sharing this information is important, but what exactly happens to it once it is received is critical. I'm referring to technology: data mining and link analysis, in addition to human intelligence. The application of commercially available software, let alone some proprietary confidential technology, will surely improve our ability to identify trends, patterns of behavior, and the precursors of an imminent attack. The proper handling and appropriate accountability thereof will prevent the mistakes previously made by our intelligence community. What new techniques does the department propose to employ that will ensure that intelligence information is handled and analyzed correctly?"
Sen. Grassley's letter also addresses whistle blowers, agency oversight, fiscal responsibility and other matters.
House Establishes Select Committee on Homeland Security
6/19. The House passed HRes 449, which establishes a Select Committee on Homeland Security. The initial members are Rep. Dick Armey (R-TX), Rep. Tom DeLay (R-TX), Rep. J.C. Watts (R-OK), Rep. Deborah Pryce (R-OH), Rep. Robert Portman (R-OH), Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-CA), Rep. Martin Frost (D-TX), Rep. Robert Menendez (D-NJ), and Rep. Rosa DeLauro (D-CT).
Bush Speaks on Department of Homeland Security
6/19. President Bush gave a speech in Washington DC to the United Brotherhood of Carpenters and Joiners. He spoke about terrorism and his proposal to create a new Department of Homeland Security.
He stated that "I proposed a new Cabinet department. I want to explain quickly why I did so. There are over 100 agencies involved with homeland defense, and they're scattered all throughout Washington. It makes it difficult to do a job if you're trying to chase down 100 different agencies, because they're in different departments."
"What we need to do is to bring these agencies under one Cabinet Secretary, organize it so that information flows freely, organize it so there's responsibility and authority so we can have accountability, and help change cultures in agencies to the primary responsibility of the day, which is to protect the American homeland," said Bush.
"It's going to be a little difficult, because there is a tendency on Capitol Hill for people to what they call protect their turf. In other words, if you've got responsibility over funding one agency and that agency is going to be moved away from you, you might be somewhat resistant. And what I'd like to do is to call upon Congress -- and I hope you do, as well -- to think first and foremost about how best to protect the homeland, not how best to protect their political turf."
The President concluded that "we've got to match those threats with a new way of thinking, which means we've got to do a better job of collecting and sharing intelligence."
President Bush also gave a dinner speech in Washington DC in which he addressed the new department. He stated that "There are over 100 different agencies that have something to do with the homeland. And they're scattered everywhere, which makes it awfully hard to align authority and responsibility." He urged "the members of Congress to think what's best for the country, not what's best for their particular committee, and allow us to reorganize a singular function, all aimed at protecting the American people from attack."
DC Circuit Rules in Verizon v. FCC
6/18. The U.S. Court of Appeals (DCCir) issued its opinion in Verizon v. FCC, consolidated petitions for review of a Federal Communications Commission (FCC) order implementing the Section 251 requirement that incumbent local exchange carriers (ILECs) make available to competitive local exchange carriers (CLECs) on their premises "physical collocation of equipment necessary for interconnection or access to unbundled network elements". The Appeals Court denied the petitions for review.
More News
6/19. The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) approved Verizon's Section 271 application to provide in region interLATA service in the state of Maine. See, FCC release [MS Word].
6/19. The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) submitted its annual report [PDF] to the Congress on progress made in achieving the objectives of the Open-market Reorganization for the Betterment of International Telecommunications Act (ORBIT) Act.
6/19. The Senate Commerce Committee's Subcommittee on Science, and Transportation Communications held a hearing to examine future sufficiency and stability of the Universal Service Fund. See, prepared testimony [PDF] of witnesses: Dorothy Attwood (Chief of the FCC's Wireline Competition Bureau), Nan Thompson (Chair of the Alaska Public Utilities Commission), William Gregg (Director of the West Virginia Consumer Advocate Division), Lila Jaber (Florida Public Service Commission), Don Bond (Public Service Telephone Company), Margaret Greene (BellSouth), Victoria Harker (CFO of MCI Group), and Michael Altschul (Cellular Telecommunications & Internet Association).
 
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Thursday, June 20
The House will meet at 10:00 AM for legislative business.
The Supreme Court will return from recess.
8:00 AM - 4:00 PM. The NIST will host an event titled NIST Nanotechnology Open House. Location: NIST, Gaithersburg, MD.
9:30 AM. The Senate Governmental Affairs Committee will hold a hearing to examine the President's proposal to create a Department of Homeland Security.
10:00 AM. The Senate Judiciary Committee will hold an executive business meeting. The agenda includes mark up of S 1754, a bill to authorize appropriations for the USPTO for FY 2002 through FY 2007, HR 1866, a bill to clarify the basis for granting requests for reexamination of patents, and HR 1886, a bill to provide for appeals by third parties in certain patent reexamination proceedings. The agenda also includes consideration of several judicial nominees, including Lavenski Smith, U.S. Court of Appeals (8thCir), and John Rogers, U.S. Court of Appeals (6thCir). See, agenda. Press contact: Mimi Devlin at 202 224-9437. Location: Room 226, Dirksen Building.
1:00 PM. The FTC and others will hold a press conference to announce more than 50 law enforcement actions targeting business opportunity and work at home scams. The scheduled participants include Howard Beales (Director of the FTC's Bureau of Consumer Protection), Dale Cantone (Deputy Securities Commissioner of the State of Maryland), and Laura Flippin (Department of Justice). See, FTC release. Location: FTC, Room 432, 600 Pennsylvania Ave., NW.
2:00 PM. The House Judiciary Committee's Subcommittee on Courts, the Internet and Intellectual Property will hold an oversight hearing titled Patent Reexamination and Small Business Innovation. Webcast. Press contact: Jeff Lungren or Terry Shawn at 202 225-2492. Location: Room 2141, Rayburn Building.
CANCELLED. The FCC will conduct Auction 44, pertaining to spectrum in the 700 megahertz band. On May 24, 2002, the FCC announced that Auction 31 is postponed until January 14, 2003, but that Auction 44 will proceed on June 19, 2002. See, FCC notice of postponement. On June 18, the FCC postponed the auction until June 20. The bidding periods are 9:00 - 11:00 AM and 2:00 - 4:00 PM.
Day three of a four day conference titled "INET 2002: Internet Crossroads: Where Technology and Policy Intersect". See, conference information page. Location: Crystal Gateway Marriott, Arlington, VA.
The FCC's Technological Advisory Council will hold a meeting. Location: FCC, 445 12th St., SW., Room TW-C305.
 
Friday, June 21
The House will meet at 9:00 AM for legislative business.
8:30 - 9:30 AM. The U.S. Chamber of Commerce will host a breakfast. The speaker will be Nick Calio, Assistant to the President for Legislative Affairs. Webcast. Location: 1615 H Street, NW.
9:00 AM. FTC Commissioner Mozelle Thompson will be the keynote speaker at the National Energy Marketers Association's Annual Membership Meeting. Location: Marriott Metro Center, 775 12th Street, NW.
1:00 PM. The FCC will hold a meeting to receive input from industry and other affected parties on proposals to reform the FCC's universal service contribution methodology. See, notice [PDF]. Location: FCC, Room TW-C305, 445 12th Street, SW.
1:30 - 3:30 PM. The U.S. International Telecommunication Advisory Committee Telecommunication Advisory Committee Radiocommunication Sector (ITAC-R) will hold a meeting. The purpose of the Committee is to advise the Department of State on policy and technical issues with respect to the International Telecommunication Union (ITU). This meeting will address activities of the Study Groups of the ITAC-R, preparations for the upcoming WRC-03 and guidelines for ITAC-R participation. See, notice in Federal Register. Location: Department of State, Room 1408.
Day four of a four day conference titled "INET 2002: Internet Crossroads: Where Technology and Policy Intersect". See, conference information page. Location: Crystal Gateway Marriott, Arlington, VA.
 
Saturday, June 22
10:00 AM - 5:00 PM. The Electronic Privacy Information Center (EPIC) and others will host an event titled "The Public Voice in Internet Policy Making". At 10:10, Paul Margie, Legal Advisor to FCC Commissioner Michael Copps will speak on "Privacy Challenges for Internet Users in Europe". Following Margie, Erika Mann, a Member of the European Parliament, will speak. See, agenda. RSVP to publicvoice02 @epic.org. For more information contact Sarah Andrews at andrews @epic.org. Location: Crystal Gateway Marriott, 1700 Jefferson Davis Highway, Arlington, VA.
 
Monday, June 24
10:00 AM - 1:00 PM. The FCC will hold an en banc hearing on broadcast and cable equal employment opportunity rules. Location: Room TW-C305, FCC, 445 12th Street, SW.
Day one of a two day conference hosted by the Computer & Communications Industry Association (CCIA)
titled "2002 Washington Caucus". The scheduled speakers include Glenn Hubbard (Council of Economic Advisors), Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-CA), Sen. Chuck Hagel (R-NE), Mozelle Thompson (FTC), Bruce Mehlman (Technology Administration), Rep. Howard Berman (D-CA), and Rep. Zoe Lofgren (D-CA). See, CCIA notice. Location: Willard Hotel.
 
Tuesday, June 25
9:30 - 11:30 AM. The FCC's WRC-03 Advisory Committee, Informal Working Group 7: Regulatory Issues and Future Agendas will meet. Location: Boeing Company, 1200 Wilson Blvd. Arlington, VA.
10:00 AM. The Senate Judiciary Committee's Subcommittee on Technology, Terrorism, and Government Information will hold a hearings on the President's proposal for reorganizing homeland defense infrastructure. Location: Room 226, Dirksen Building.
1:00 PM. The Senate Commerce Committee's Subcommittee on Science, Technology, and Space, and the House Science Committee will hold a joint hearing to examine science and technology to combat terrorism. Location: Room 2318, Rayburn Building.
Day two of a two day conference hosted by the Computer & Communications Industry Association (CCIA)
titled "2002 Washington Caucus". The scheduled speakers include Glenn Hubbard (Council of Economic Advisors), Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-CA), Sen. Chuck Hagel (R-NE), Mozelle Thompson (FTC), Bruce Mehlman (Technology Administration), Rep. Howard Berman (D-CA), and Rep. Zoe Lofgren (D-CA). See, CCIA notice. Location: Willard Hotel.
 
Wednesday, June 26
8:30 AM - 2:00 PM. The Progressive Policy Institute (PPI) will host a conference on President Bush's proposal to establish a Department of Homeland Security, including how technology and private sector entrepreneurial talents can be tapped to help break down the bureaucratic barriers to sharing information and assessing threats. The scheduled speakers include Sen. Joe Lieberman (D-CT), Rep. Ellen Tauscher (D-CA), Rep. James Moran (D-VA), Rob Atkinson (PPI's Technology & New Economy Project), John Cohen (PPI), and Thomas Siebel (Ch/CEO of Siebel Systems). See, PPI notice. Location: The Hotel Washington, 515 15th Street, NW.
9:30 AM. The Senate Governmental Affairs Committee will hold a hearing to examine the relationship between a Department of Homeland Security and the intelligence community. Location: Room 342, Dirksen Building.
10:00 AM. The Senate Judiciary Committee will hold a hearing to examine the President's proposal for reorganizing our homeland defense infrastructure. Location: Room 226, Dirksen Senate Office Building.
10:00 AM. The House Commerce Committee's Subcommittee on Telecommunications and the Internet will hold a hearing titled Area Code Exhaustion: What are the Solutions? Webcast. Location: Room 2322, Rayburn Building.
6:30 - 8:30 PM. The FCBA's Young Lawyers Committee and Georgetown University Law Center (GULC) will hold a CLE seminar titled Accounting Issues for Telecommunications Lawyers. For more information, contact the GULC at 202 662-9890 or cle@law. georgetown.edu. Location: Piper Marbury Rudnick & Wolfe, 1200 19th Street, NW.