| Confirmation News |
1/30. The Senate
Judiciary Committee approved the nomination of John
Ashcroft to be Attorney General by a vote of 10 to 8. The
full Senate could vote as early as Thursday.
1/30. The Senate
Finance Committee held a hearing on the nomination of Robert
Zoellick to be U.S. Trade
Representative. Senators expressed their support for his
nomination. Zoellick advocated granting fast track trade
authority for the President. |
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| TLJ Story |
| USTR
Nominee Zoellick Headed for Quick Confirmation. The
Senate Finance Committee held a hearing on the nomination of
Robert Zoellick to be the next U.S. Trade Representative.
Senators praised Zoellick. He advocated granting fast track
trade negotiating authority to the President. High tech and
IPR issues were hardly touched. |
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| New Documents |
AEA: report
on high tech agenda, 1/30 (PDF, AEA).
USCA:
opinion
in California Pools case re trademark, 1/30 (HTML, USCA). |
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| Securities |
| 1/29. The SEC filed a
civil complaint in U.S. District Court (NDCal)
against Keith Kim, Douglas Park, and William Park for insider
trading. Kim and Douglas Park are both officers of
Brainrush, Inc., an Oakland-based venture capital firm.
William Park is Douglas Park's brother. They traded in shares
of Meridian Data, Inc., based upon insider information that
Meridian and Quantum Corp. were in merger negotiations. The
SEC seeks disgorgement of profits totaling at least
$1,453,301, penalties, and prejudgment interest. See, SEC
release. On Jan. 26 the U.S. Attorney's Office (NDCal) and
the FBI filed a criminal
complaint and supporting affidavit [PDF] in U.S. District
Court (NDCal) against Keith Joon Kim. |
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| Quote of the Day |
"To strengthen and speed America's trade and economic
policy, we will need to reestablish the bipartisan
Congressional Executive negotiating partnership that has
delivered so much. Therefore, if confirmed, I will promptly
follow up with this Committee and the House Ways & Means
Committee to consider how to reestablish trade promotion
authority for the President, based on the fast track precedent
and the broadest possible support."
Robert Zoellick, USTR nominee, at his confirmation
hearing on Jan. 30. |
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| Spyware Bill |
| 1/29. Sen. John Edwards
(D-SC) and Sen. Ernest
Hollings (D-SC) introduced S 197, the Spyware
Control and Privacy Protection Act. The bill has been
referred to the Senate
Commerce Committee, of which Sen. Hollings is the ranking
Democrat. Sen. Edwards stated, upon introducing the bill, that
"spyware is present in four hundred software programs,
including commonly used software such as RealNetworks
RealDownload, Netscape/AOL Smart Download, and NetZip Download
Demon. Spyware in these software programs can transmit
information about every file you download from the Internet.
... It incorporates all four fair information practices of
notice, choice, access and security practices that I believe
are essential to effective computer privacy legislation."
He added that "the Act requires that any software that
contains spyware must provide consumers with clear and
conspicuous notice--at the time the software is
installed--that the software contains spyware. The notice must
also describe the information that the spyware will collect
and indicate to whom it will be transmitted. Another critical
provision of my bill requires that software users must first
give their affirmative consent before the spyware is enabled
... In other words, software users must "opt-in"
..." See also, Sen.
Edwards' release. |
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| More News |
1/30. The American
Electronics Association released a report
outlining its proposals for government action affecting high
tech. The report advocates the following:
• upgrade science and math education at the K-12
level,
• continue with industry self-regulation of privacy
practices,
• pass an extension of the moratorium on new or
discriminatory taxes on the Internet, permanently ban access
taxes, and direct the states to simplify their sales tax
rules,
• enact a permanent R&D tax credit,
• simplify tax rules governing all stock option
programs, including ESPPs,
• bar the IRS from mandating withholding taxes on
qualified stock option plans,
• pass the Export Administration Act,
• pass fast track trade negotiating authority, and
• forbear from regulating those sectors of the
broadband market that are being served by multiple providers.
See also, AEA
release.
1/30. The FTC and Electronic Retailing
Association hosted a one day seminar for Internet
retailers, marketers and suppliers on applying offline rules
and regulations online.
1/30. The FCC's WRC-03
Advisory Committee held a meeting on beginning
preparations for the World Radiocommunication Conference 2003.
1/30. The Import Administration, of the International Trade
Administration, of the Department
of Commerce, extended the time limit for its completion of
the preliminary results of its review of its antidumping
dumping duty administrative review regarding DRAMs
from Korea until May 30, 2001. See, notice
in Federal Register, Jan. 30, 2001, Vol. 66, No. 20, at Page
8198.
1/30. The FTC made final its
consent order regarding Computer
Sciences Corp.'s (CSC) acquisition of Mynd Corporation. On
Dec. 20, 2000, the FTC approved CSC's acquisition of Mynd,
subject to the condition that CSC divest Mynd's claims
assessment system, known as Claims Outcome Advisor, to
Insurance Services Office, Inc. To put this into effect, the
FTC filed an administrative
complaint [PDF] against CSC and Mynd. The parties also
simultaneously filed an Agreement and Decision and
Order [PDF]. See also, FTC release
and FTC
Analysis [PDF] from Dec. 20, 2000. |
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| Today |
1:00 PM. The House
Commerce Committee will hold its organizational meeting
for the 107th Congress. The agenda includes adoption of the
committee rules, subcommittee jurisdictions, and subcommittee
ratios, and the appointment of committee and subcommittee
Chairmen, Vice Chairmen, and members. Location: Room 2123,
Rayburn House Office Building.
2:00 - 4:00 PM. The NTIA
will host a public meeting to discuss the results of tests
conducted by the agency to develop practical methods for
characterizing the very narrow pulses of ultrawideband (UWB)
systems and to assess the compatibility between UWB devices
and selected federal radio communications or sensing systems.
See, notice.
Location: U.S. Department of Commerce, Room 1605, 1401
Constitution Avenue, NW, Washington DC. |
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