11/10. The Office of the US Trade Representative (OUSTR) announced in a release that the US and Russia "expect to conclude shortly bilateral negotiations on market access issues related to Russia’s accession to the World Trade Organization (WTO). The two sides hope to sign a bilateral agreement next week at the APEC meetings in Hanoi."

The OUSTR did not release the text of any agreement or draft agreement.

One of the main barriers to US support for Russia's joining the World Trade Organization (WTO) has been Russia's failure to protect intellectual property rights (IPR), and particularly its failure to address internet and digital media piracy of copyrighted works.

USTR Susan Schwab (at right) stated that "We have an agreement in principle and are finalizing the details. We are also holding consultations with the Congress and our cleared advisors. This agreement will mark an important step in Russia attaining membership in the WTO ... It is a clear indication of Russia’s efforts to participate fully in and benefit from the rules-based global trading system. We came close to completing our work in July, but needed more time to conclude a strong commercial agreement that will be of benefit to both our countries. Minister Gref and I hope to sign the agreement in Hanoi on the margins of the APEC meeting."

German Gref is Russia's Minister of Economic Development and Trade.

The OUSTR issued a second release that addresses IPR. It states that "Together we agreed to a binding blueprint for actions to address piracy and counterfeiting and improve protection and enforcement of intellectual property rights before Russia completes its accession to the WTO. This agreement sets the stage for further progress with Russia on IPR issues through the next phase of multilateral WTO negotiations so that Russia will fully implement TRIPS upon accession."

It adds that "Russia has agreed to take specific actions, and to enact laws by specific dates, to fight optical disk piracy and internet piracy, and work to enact laws by specific dates to protect pharmaceutical test data, establish tougher criminal penalties for IP crimes, strengthen border enforcement, and bring its IPR legislation into line with international norms. There are specific deadlines built into the agreement."

Finally, it states that "Russia has committed to fully implement the TRIPS Agreement and other IPR-related international agreements upon accession, and to ensure that any changes to its existing legislative regime for IPR, including those made in the context of Part IV of the Civil Code, do not reduce consistency with key international IPR standards."

This release also states that "Russia agreed to provide improved market access for ... financial, telecommunications, fixed satellite, and business services".

Sen. Max Baucus (D-MT), who will likely be the Chairman of the Senate Finance Committee (SFC) in the 110th Congress, stated in a release [PDF] that "Russia maintains unacceptable levels of piracy and counterfeiting, and these must be addressed before Congress can endorse Russia’s WTO membership and grant Permanent Normal Trade Relations status."

Sen. Baucus's release also states that "Before Russia joins the WTO, that nation must pledge to all WTO members to abide by WTO rules, including those regarding the protection and enforcement of intellectual property rights."

Sen. Baucus, like other Senators from beef exporting states, is also concerned about Russia's protectionist barriers to importation of US beef products.

Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-UT) (at left) is a senior member of both the SFC, which has jurisdiction over trade issues, and the Senate Judiciary Committee (SJC), which has jurisdiction over intellectual property issues. He stated at a May 25, 2005, hearing of the SJC that "before the Congress votes in favor of Russia joining the WTO, many of us will have to be convinced that the Russian government is serious about cracking down on theft of U.S. intellectual property". See, opening statement and story titled "Senate IP Subcommittee Holds Hearing on International IP Piracy" in TLJ Daily E-Mail Alert No. 1,143, May 26, 2005.

The International Intellectual Property Alliance (IIPA) stated in a release [PDF] "Russia is an important market for IIPA members and thus IIPA wants to see Russia join the world trading system and the WTO. We do, however, want to ensure that, before Russia accedes to the WTO as required by WTO rules, that Russia will completely fulfill its obligations to provide TRIPs compliant protection and enforcement of IPR."

The IIPA continued that "At present, Russia is not fully compliant either with the necessary legal reforms nor with its enforcement regime, in particular against optical disc and Internet piracy. As part of the accession process announced today, the U.S. Government received commitments from the Russian Government, and the Russian Government fully understands that there needs to be IPR legal reforms and enforcement improvements before final WTO accession."

The IIPA represents seven copyright related groups: Association of American Publishers (AAP), Business Software Alliance (BSA), Entertainment Software Association (ESA), Independent Film & Television Alliance (IFTA), Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA), National Music Publishers' Association (NMPA), and the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA).

The US Chamber of Commerce's Daniel Christman stated in a release that "While we are still studying the details, this agreement appears to open the door to Russia's entry into the global trading system on commercially strong terms ... We look forward to completion of the final multilateral agreement."

11/10. Rep. Denny Hastert (R-IL), the current Speaker of the House, announced on November 8 that he will not seek the position of minority leader in the 110th Congress, which meets in January of 2007. Democrats won a majority of seats in the House in the November 7, 2006, elections.

On November 10, Rep. Joe Barton (R-TX), the Chairman of the House Commerce Committee, announced in a release that "I have decided to seek the position of Republican leader".

Rep. Barton (at left) said that Americans "want to be protected from snooping". In addition to "privacy", he advocated lower taxes and less government.

Barton also released a statement on November 8 in which he stated that "It also seems clear that Americans are fed up with our tip-toe-through-the-corporate-tulips approach to personal privacy. It is time to put the privacy of the people ahead of the needs of business. On the wall of my office is a sign that every visitor notices. It says, 'Fear God, Tell the Truth, Make a Profit.' Protecting privacy is about truth, not profit. I believe strongly in both, but truth-telling comes ahead of profit-making for a reason."

He also said in his November 10 release that "We will achieve a net gain of seats in each upcoming election cycle and if we do not regain the majority within three election cycles, I will not seek the position of minority leader in the succeeding session."

Were Rep. Barton to be elected minority leader, this would leave vacant the position of ranking Republican on the HCC. The member with the most seniority is Rep. Ralph Hall (R-TX) (at right), who is currently Chairman of the Subcommittee on Energy and Air Quality. Other senior members include Rep. Fred Upton (R-MI), who is Chairman of the Subcommittee on Telecommunications and the Internet, Rep. Cliff Stearns (R-FL), who is Chairman of the Subcommittee on Commerce, Trade, and Consumer Protection, and Rep. Paul Gillmor (R-OH), who is Chairman of the Subcommittee on Environment and Hazardous Materials. Another senior member, Rep. Michael Bilirakis (R-FL), retired.

House Republicans are scheduled to meet to elect leaders for the 110th Congress on November 17. Other announced candidates for the position of minority leader include Rep. Mike Pence (R-IN) and Rep. John Boehner (R-OH). See, Rep. Pence's announcement and Rep. Boehner's announcement and letter to House Republicans.

Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) is set to become Speaker of the House, Rep. John Dingell (D-MI) will likely become Chairman of the HCC, and Rep. Ed Markey (D-MA) will likely be the new Chairman of the Subcommittee on Telecommunications and the Internet.

Rep. Barton will hold a news conference at 12:30 PM on Monday, November 13, 2006, in the Radio/TV Gallery, Room H-321, Capitol Building.

11/10. Chris Cox, Chairman of the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) gave a speech to the Securities Industry and Financial Markets Association in which he argued for folding "the member regulation functions of both the NASD and the NYSE into one regulatory body". One of the points that he made was that "our markets are facing increased competition -- not just from other exchanges, but also from electronic communications networks. And that, in turn, has prompted significant shifts in market share away from the primary markets. All of this competition has been a catalyst for innovation ..." He added that "as the two major securities exchanges in this country are reaching across the Atlantic to combine with European exchanges, it is finally time to conclude that SRO regulation must change to keep pace. Unless we act now to remove unnecessary duplication and conflicts of interests in our regulatory structure, we’ll actually impair the ability of America’s capital markets to remain the world's strongest."

11/10. Ben Bernanke, Chairman of the Federal Reserve Board, gave a speech in Frankfurt, Germany, titled "Monetary Aggregates and Monetary Policy at the Federal Reserve: A Historical Perspective". This was a long speech on the history of US monetary policy in the last 80 years. One topic that he addressed was the impact of new technologies on money and banking. He said that "the rapid pace of financial innovation in the United States has been an important reason for the instability of the relationships between monetary aggregates and other macroeconomic variables. In response to regulatory changes and technological progress, U.S. banks have created new kinds of accounts and added features to existing accounts.  More broadly, payments technologies and practices have changed substantially over the past few decades, and innovations (such as Internet banking) continue." (Parentheses in original.)

11/10. The Progress and Freedom Foundation (PFF) released a paper [14 pages in PDF] titled "Patent Reform & Industrial Structure". The author is the PFF's James DeLong. See also, PFF release.

11/9. Linda Stiff was named Deputy Commissioner of the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), for Operations Support, effective December 1, 2005. She will be responsible for, among other things, the IRS's troubled information technology offices. She will replace John Dalrymple, who retired. Kevin Brown was named Deputy Commissioner of the IRS, for Services and Enforcement, effective December 1, 2005. He will replace Mark Matthews, who will return to the law firm of Morgan Lewis & Bockius. In addition, Beverly Babers was named Chief of Staff to IRS Commissioner Mark Everson. See, IRS release.

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The House will return from its elections recess. See, HConRes 483. It will meet at 2:00 PM for legislative business. It will consider numerous non-technology related items under suspension of the rules. Votes will be postponed until 6:30 PM. See, Republican Whip Notice.

Senate will return from its elections recess at 2:00 PM. See, HConRes 483.

12:00 NOON - 1:15 PM. The DC Bar Association will host a panel discussion titled "The Future of Obviousness: Will Teaching/ Suggestion/ Motivation to Combine Remain the Test?". The speakers will include Delano Jordan (Kenyon & Kenyon). The price to attend ranges from $15 to $35. For more information, call 202-626-3463. See, notice. Location: D.C. Bar Conference Center, 1250 H Street NW, B-1 Level.

12:15 - 1:30 PM. The Federal Communications Bar Association's (FCBA) Legislative Committee will host a brown bag lunch. This is a planning meeting. RSVP to Amy Levine at amy dot levine at mail dot house dot gov or 202-225-3861. Location: Verizon, Suite 400 West 1300 I St., NW.

12:30 PM. Rep. Joe Barton (R-TX) will hold a news conference regarding the House Republican leadership race. Loction: Radio/TV Gallery, H-321, Capitol Building.

2:30 PM. The Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee will hold a hearing on the nomination of Susan Dudley to be Administrator of the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs, Office of Management and Budget. See, notice. Location: Room 342, Dirksen Building.

6:00 - 9:15 PM. The DC Bar Association will host a continuing legal education (CLE) seminar titled "Basics of Intellectual Property Taxation". The speakers will be Kenneth Appleby (Foley & Lardner). The price to attend ranges from $80 to $135. For more information, call 202-626-3488. See, notice. Location: D.C. Bar Conference Center, 1250 H Street NW, B-1 Level.

Day one of a five day meeting of the Department of Commerce's Judges Panel of the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award. See, notice in the Federal Register, October 20, 2006, Vol. 71, No. 203, Pages 61958-61959. Location: National Institute of Standards and Technology, Building 222, Room A230, Gaithersburg, MD.

6:00 PM. Deadline to submit to the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Short Form applications to participate in Auction No. 68, the FM broadcast auction. See, October 6, 2006, FCC Public Notice [60 pages in PDF] (DA 06-1949), and notice in the Federal Register, November 7, 2006, Vol. 71, No. 215, at Pages 65098-65113.

Deadline to submit comments to the Copyright Royalty Board regarding its amendments to the procedural regulations governing the practices and procedures of the Copyright Royalty Judges in royalty rate and distribution proceedings. See, notice in the Federal Register, September 11, 2006, Vol. 71, No. 175, at Pages 53325-53331.

Deadline to submit reply comments to the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) in response to it notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM) regarding compensation of providers of telecommunications relay services (TRS) from the Interstate TRS Fund. The FCC adopted this item on July 13, 2006, and released it on July 20, 2006. It is FCC 06-106. This proceeding is titled "Telecommunications Relay Services and Speech-to-Speech Services for Individuals With Hearing and Speech Disabilities" and numbered CG Docket No. 03-123. See, notice in the Federal Register, September 13, 2006, Vol. 71, No. 177, at Pages 54009-54017.

Deadline to submit initial comments to the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) in response to it further notice of proposed rulemaking (FNPRM) regarding maritime Automatic Identification Systems (AIS). The FCC adopted this item on July 20, 2006, and released it on July 24, 2006. It is FCC 06-108 in WT Docket No. 04-344. See, notice in the Federal Register, October 12, 2006, Vol. 71, No. 197, at Pages 60102-60106.

Extended deadline to submit reply comments to the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) in response to its Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) regarding possible changes to the Part 27 service rules applicable to existing and prospective Upper 700 MHz Guard Bands licensees as well as on proposals to modify the existing Upper 700 MHz band plan with respect to the Guard Bands. See, notice in the Federal Register, November 6, 2006, Vol. 71, No. 214, at Pages 64917-64919. This NPRM is FCC 06-133 in WT Docket Nos. 06-169 and 96-86.

The House will meet at 10:00 AM for morning hour, and at 11:00 AM for legislative business. It will consider several non-technology related items under suspension of the rules. See, Republican Whip Notice.

9:30 AM - 4:00 PM. The Antitrust Modernization Commission (AMC) will meet. The agenda of this meeting includes discussion of the role of state attorneys general in merger enforcement, the application of antitrust in regulated industries, and the Foreign Trade Antitrust Improvements Act (FTAIA). See, notice in the Federal Register, October 27, 2006, Vol. 71, No. 208, at Pages 62991-62992. Location: Mogan Lewis, 1111 Pennsylvania Ave., NW.

10:00 AM - 12:00 NOON. The Department of State's (DOS) International Telecommunication Advisory Committee (ITAC) will meet by teleconference to discuss proposed U.S. contributions to Study Group 17 (Security, languages and telecommunication software) of the International Telecommunication Union's Telecommunication Standardization Sector. See, notice in the Federal Register, October 31, 2006, Vol. 71, No. 210, at Page 63828.

11:00 AM. The Senate Finance Committee will hold a hearing on pending nominations. See, notice. Location: Room 215, Dirksen Building.

11:00 AM - 1:00 PM. The Progress and Freedom Foundation's (PFF) will host an event titled "Regulatory Reform Options for Today's Digital Age". The PFF's Digital Age Communications Act (DACA) project's Institutional Reform Working Group will present and discuss a paper that contains proposals for reforming the structure of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC). The speakers will include Sen. Jim DeMint (R-SC), Jonathan Nuechterlein (Wilmer Hale), Randy May (Free State Foundation), Roger Noll (Stanford University), and Bryan Tramont (Wilkinson Barker & Knauer). Lunch will be served. See, PFF notice and registration page. Location: Room 188, Russell Building, Capitol Hill.

12:00 NOON - 1:00 PM. The Federal Communications Bar Association's (FCBA) Annual Seminar Committee will host a brown bag lunch. RSVP to Yaron Dori at ydori at hhlaw dot com. Location: Harris Wiltshire & Grannis, 1200 18th Street, NW.

12:15 PM. The Federal Communications Bar Association's (FCBA) Cable Practice and Mass Media Practice Committees will host a brown bag lunch titled "Meet the Legal Advisors". The speakers will be Heather Dixon (advisor to FCC Chairman Kevin Martin), Rudy Brioché (Jonathan Adelstein), Cristina Pauzé (Robert McDowell), Chris Robbins (Deborah Tate), and Jessica Rosenworcel (Michael Copps). RSVP to Daphney Sheppard at dsheppard at sidley dot com or 202-736-8019. For more information, contact Erin Dozier at edozier at sheppardmullin dot com or Jennifer Tatel at jtatel at sidley dot com. Location: Sidley Austin, 6th floor, 1501 K St., NW.

2:00 PM. The House Judiciary Committeee (HJC) will hold a hearing on titled "The Administrative Law, Process and Procedure Project for the 21st Century". See, notice. Press contact: Jeff Lungren or Terry Shawn at 202-225-2492. Location: Room 2141, Rayburn Building.

2:00 - 4:00 PM. The Department of State's (DOS) International Telecommunication Advisory Committee (ITAC) will meet to discuss the upcoming meeting of the ITU Radiocommunication Sector's Conference Preparatory Meeting (CPM) for the 2007 World Radiocommunication Conference, to be held on February 19 through March 2, 2007 in Geneva, Switzerland. See, notice in the Federal Register, October 10, 2006, Vol. 71, No. 195, at Page 59580. Location: Boeing Company, 1200 Wilson Blvd., Arlington, VA.

2:30 PM. The Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee will hold a hearing on state incorporation practices. See, notice. Location: Room 342, Dirksen Building.

5:00 PM. Deadline to submit comments to the Department of Commerce's (DOC) Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA) regarding it notice in the Federal Register that announces, describes, and recites its notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM) regarding the mandatory reporting of transactions with foreign person involving services (including telecommunications, information services, and news gathering) and intangible assets (including intellectual property). See, Federal Register, September 15, 2006, Vol. 71, No. 179, at Pages 54448-5445. The current rule is codified at 15 C.F.R. § 801.10 [3 pages in PDF]. See also, story titled "Commerce Department Proposes to Mandate Reporting of International IP Transactions" in TLJ Daily E-Mail Alert No. 1,451, September 18, 2006.

5:00 - 7:00 PM. The AEI-Brookings Joint Center will host a lecture by Roger Noll (Stanford) titled "Still Reforming Regulation". See, notice. Location: American Enterprise Institute, 12th floor, 1150 17th St., NW.

Day two of a five day meeting of the Department of Commerce's Judges Panel of the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award. See, notice in the Federal Register, October 20, 2006, Vol. 71, No. 203, Pages 61958-61959. Location: National Institute of Standards and Technology, Building 222, Room A230, Gaithersburg, MD.

The House will meet at 10:00 AM for legislative business. It will consider several non-technology related items under suspension of the rules. See, Republican Whip Notice.

9:00 AM - 4:00 PM. Day one of a two day public meeting of the Federal Accounting Standards Advisory Board (FASAB). See, notice in the Federal Register, July 12, 2006, Vol. 71, No. 133, at Pages 39318. Location: Room 7C13, GAO Building, 441 G St., NW.

9:30 AM. The House Judiciary Committeee (HJC) will hold a hearing on HR 5304, the "Preventing Harassment through Outbound Number Enforcement (PHONE) Act". This bill would criminalize the modification of caller ID information with intent to mislead. See, notice. Press contact: Jeff Lungren or Terry Shawn at 202-225-2492. Location: Room 2141, Rayburn Building.

9:30 AM - 12:00 PM. The Department of Justice's (DOJ) Antitrust Division and the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) will hold another of their series of hearings on single-firm conduct. This hearing will address exclusive dealing. The speakers will be Jonathan Jacobson (Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati), Howard Marvel (Ohio State University), Richard Steuer (Mayer Brown Rowe & Maw), Mary Sullivan (George Washington University), and Joshua Wright (George Mason University School of Law). See, notice. Location: Conference Room A, FTC Conference Center, 601 Pennsylvania Ave., NW.

12:00 NOON. The Federal Communications Bar Association (FCBA) will host a lunch. The speaker will be FCC Commissioner Robert McDowell. See, registration form [PDF]. Prices vary. Registrations and cancellations are due by 5:00 PM on November 9. Location: Mayflower Hotel, 1127 Connecticut Ave., NW.

12:00 NOON - 2:00 PM. The DC Bar Association will host a panel discussion titled "Counterfeiting -- Defining the Problem and Providing Solutions". The speakers will include Brian Brokate (Gibney Anthony & Flaherty), Travis Johnson (International AntiCounterfeiting Coalition), and Leigh Ann Lindquist (Sughrue Mion). The price to attend ranges from $15 to $30. For more information, call 202-626-3463. See, notice. Location: Bell Labs, Suite 620W, 1100 New York Ave., NW.

1:30 AM - 4:00 PM. The Department of Justice's (DOJ) Antitrust Division and the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) will hold another of their series of hearings on single-firm conduct. This hearing will address exclusive dealing. The speakers will be Stephen Calkins (Wayne State University Law School), Benjamin Klein (UCLA), Abbott Lipsky (Latham & Watkins), and Joseph Farrell (University of California at Berkeley). Farrell was previously chief economist at the FCC and Antitrust Division. See, notice. Location: Conference Room A, FTC Conference Center, 601 Pennsylvania Ave., NW.

5:00 PM. Deadline to submit comments to the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) regarding its Draft Special Publication 800-103 [70 pages in PDF] titled "An Ontology of Identity Credentials, Part I: Background and Formulation".

Day three of a five day meeting of the Department of Commerce's Judges Panel of the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award. See, notice in the Federal Register, October 20, 2006, Vol. 71, No. 203, Pages 61958-61959. Location: National Institute of Standards and Technology, Building 222, Room A230, Gaithersburg, MD.

Deadline to submit comments to the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative (OUSTR) regarding the European Communities (EC) complaint to the World Trade Organization (WTO) regarding U.S. zeroing and anti-dumping duty orders on certain products from the EC. See, notice in the Federal Register, October 27, 2006, Vol. 71, No. 208, at Pages 63053-63055.

The Republican Whip Notice states that "there are no votes expected in the House".

8:00 AM - 5:00 PM. Day one of a two day meeting of the National Science Foundation's (NSF) Advisory Committee for Engineering. The agenda includes "Critical Infrastructure Systems", "New Frontiers in Nanotechnology", and "Update on Cyberinfrastructure and Simulation-Based Engineering Science". See, notice in the Federal Register, October 17, 2006, Vol. 71, No. 200, at Page 61073. Location: NSF, 4201 Wilson Blvd., Room 1235, Arlington, VA.

9:00 AM - 4:00 PM. Day two of a two day public meeting of the Federal Accounting Standards Advisory Board (FASAB). See, notice in the Federal Register, July 12, 2006, Vol. 71, No. 133, at Pages 39318. Location: Room 7C13, GAO Building, 441 G St., NW.

10:30 AM - 12:00 NOON. The Department of State's (DOS) International Telecommunication Advisory Committee (ITAC) will meet to discuss proposed U.S. contributions to the Committee on Information Services and Policy (CISP) and Working Party on the Information Economy (WPIE) meetings of the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). See, notice in the Federal Register, October 31, 2006, Vol. 71, No. 210, at Page 63828. Location: Room 2533A, Harry Truman Building.

12:15 - 1:30 PM. The Federal Communications Bar Association's (FCBA) Communications Law, Copyright, and Digital Rights Management Committee will host a brown bag lunch titled "Copyright and the Internet". The speakers will be Rick Lane (Newscorp) and Jonathan Potter (Digital Media Association). RSVP by November 13 to Ben Golant at bgol at loc dot gov or 202-707-9127. Location: National Association of Broadcasters (NAB), 1771 N Street, NW.

12:30 - 2:00 PM. The DC Bar Association will host a panel discussion titled "CALEA Implementation: A Practical Overview". The speakers will include Maura Quinn (Unit Chief, CALEA Implementation Unit, FBI), Paul Kouroupas (VP, Regulatory Affairs, Global Crossing), Tony Rutkowski (VP, Regulatory, Verisign), and Matthew Brill (Latham & Watkins). The price to attend ranges from $15 to $20. For more information, call 202-626-3463. See, notice. Location: D.C. Bar Conference Center, 1250 H Street NW, B-1 Level.

6:00 - 8:15 PM. The DC Bar Association will host a continuing legal education (CLE) seminar titled "Trade Secrets in the District of Columbia, Maryland and Virginia". The speakers will include Milton Babirak (Babirak Vangellow & Carr). The price to attend ranges from $90 to $135. For more information, call 202-626-3488. See, notice. Location: D.C. Bar Conference Center, 1250 H Street NW, B-1 Level.

7:00 - 9:30 PM. The Federal Communications Bar Association's (FCBA) Young Lawyers Committee and the FCBA Foundation will host an event titled "17th Annual Charity Auction". See, notice. Location: Marriott at Metro Center, 775 12th Street, NW.

Day one of a three day convention hosted by the Federal Society. At 12:00 NOON - 1:30 PM, there will be a panel discussion titled "Telecommunications: Net Neutrality: Battle of the Titans". The speakers will be William Barr (Verizon), Paul Misener (Amazon), Timothy Wu (Columbia University Law School), Christopher Yoo (Vanderbilt University Law School), and David McIntosh (Mayer Brown). This panel will be in the East Room. See, notice and schedule. Location: Mayflower Hotel, 1127 Connecticut Ave., NW.

Day four of a five day meeting of the Department of Commerce's Judges Panel of the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award. See, notice in the Federal Register, October 20, 2006, Vol. 71, No. 203, Pages 61958-61959. Location: National Institute of Standards and Technology, Building 222, Room A230, Gaithersburg, MD.

The Republican Whip Notice states that "there are no votes expected in the House".

8:00 AM - 12:00 NOON Day two of a two day meeting of the National Science Foundation's (NSF) Advisory Committee for Engineering. The agenda includes "Critical Infrastructure Systems", "New Frontiers in Nanotechnology", and "Update on Cyberinfrastructure and Simulation-Based Engineering Science". See, notice in the Federal Register, October 17, 2006, Vol. 71, No. 200, at Page 61073. Location: NSF, 4201 Wilson Blvd., Room 1235, Arlington, VA.

Day two of a three day convention hosted by the Federal Society. At 3:30 - 4:45 PM there will be a panel discussion titled "Intellectual Property: Does IP Harm or Help Developing Countries?" The speakers will be Alex Azar (Deputy Secretary, Department of Health and Human Services), Graeme Dinwoodie (Chicago-Kent College of Law), Jerome Reichman (Duke University School of Law), Robert Sherwood (Intellectual Property Practice Group), and Bruce Lehman (Akin Gump). This panel will be in the Colonial Room. See, notice and schedule. Location: Mayflower Hotel, 1127 Connecticut Ave., NW.

Day five of a five day meeting of the Department of Commerce's Judges Panel of the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award. See, notice in the Federal Register, October 20, 2006, Vol. 71, No. 203, Pages 61958-61959. Location: National Institute of Standards and Technology, Building 222, Room A230, Gaithersburg, MD.

Deadline to submit comments to the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) regarding its Draft Special Publication 800-53 [176 pages in PDF] titled "Recommended Security Controls for Federal Information Systems". This is Revision 1, Final Public Draft. See also, mark up copy [186 pages in PDF].