Court Holds Texas's Blocking of Legal E-Mail
Is Neither Preempted by CAN-SPAM Act, Nor In Violation of 1st Amendment |
8/2. The U.S. Court of Appeals
(5thCir) issued its
opinion
[13 pages in PDF] in White Buffalo Ventures v. University of Texas at Austin,
a case regarding the blocking of e-mail by a state. The opinion addresses two separate issues
-- whether
the federal CAN-SPAM Act preempts a state policy to block e-mail sent to state
users where the e-mail being blocked does not violate the CAN-SPAM Act, and
whether such a policy violates the First Amendment rights of the e-mail sender.
The Court of Appeals answered both questions in the negative. It affirmed the
District Court's summary judgment for the state that blocked e-mail.
The University of Texas at Austin (UTAustin)
is a political subdivision of the state of Texas. It provides internet access and e-mail
service to its faculty, staff, and students. It has a policy pertaining to the blocking of
incoming e-mail. White Buffalo Ventures
(WBV) operates several online dating services, including one that targets UTAustin students.
WBV obtained from UTAustin a list of UTAustin e-mail addresses. It then began sending bulk
unsolicited e-mail messages to these addresses regarding its dating service. E-mail users
complained. UTAustin then blocked e-mail sent from WBV's domain.
UTAustin and WBV agree that the e-mail being
blocking does not violate the federal CAN-SPAM Act. The CAN-SPAM Act, the
full title of which is the "Controlling the Assault of Non-Solicited Pormography
and Marketings Act of 2003", was
S 877 in the
108th Congress. On December 16, 2003, President Bush signed it into law. It is
now Public Law No. 108-187. It is codified at 15 U.S.C. §§ 7701-7713.
WBV filed a complaint in state court in Texas. It obtained a temporary restraining
order. UTAustin removed the action to the U.S.
District Court (WDTex), based upon federal question jurisdiction. The District Court
lifted the injunction, and granted summary judgment to UTAustin.
WBV appealed. It argues on appeal that federal
law preempts the anti-spam component of UTAustin's e-mail policy, and
that the policy violates the First Amendment. The Court of appeals affirmed.
Preemption by the CAN-SPAM Act. The Court of Appeals first addressed
the preemption issue.
Section 8(b)(1) of S 877, which is codified at 15 U.S.C. S 7707(b)(1),
provides that "This chapter supersedes any statute,
regulation, or rule of a State or political subdivision of a State that
expressly regulates the use of electronic mail to send commercial messages,
except to the extent that any such statute, regulation, or rule prohibits
falsity or deception in any portion of a commercial electronic mail
message or information attached thereto."
Subsection (b)(2) then provides that "This Act shall not be construed to preempt
the applicability of -- (A) State laws that are not specific to electronic mail, including
State trespass, contract, or tort law; or (B) other State laws to the extent that those
laws relate to acts of fraud or computer crime."
Subsection (c) provides that "Nothing in this Act shall be construed
to have any effect on the lawfulness or unlawfulness, under any other provision of law,
of the adoption, implementation, or enforcement by a provider of Internet access
service of a policy of declining to transmit, route, relay, handle, or store
certain types of electronic mail messages."
The Court of Appeals concluded that the statutory preemption language is not
clear. And, since preemption is an "extraordinary power", there is a
"presumption against preemption of state law".
The Court reasoned that "There are two competing interpretations, both rooted
firmly in the text of the Act, of the degree of authority state actors may wield
in response to commercial spam. Under the first, state entities may not regulate
commercial speech except where that regulation relates to the authenticity of
the speech’s source and content. Under the second, state entities may implement
a variety of non-authenticity related commercial speech restrictions, provided
the state entity implementing them is an ``Internet access provider.´´"
It concluded that "As a result of Congress’s apparent failure to contemplate
this question, we must not infer preemption. The textual ambiguity triggers the
strong presumption against such a finding, and we cannot be sure whether UT’s
regulations fall within the ambit of the express preemption clause. UT may
therefore implement" its e-mail blocking policy.
UTAustin also argued that the CAN-SPAM Act only preempts certain state
regulation of the sending of e-mail, as opposed to the receipt of e-mail, and that
the UTAustin's policy regulates receipt. The words "send" and "sender"
appear throughout the Act. However, the Court of Appeals wrote that "We decline to
imbue the word ``send´´ with the particular significance UT urges."
First Amendment Rights. The Court of Appeals then addressed WBV's
claim that UTAustin's blocking of its dating service e-mail violates its right
to freedom of speech.
The Court first concluded that the speech at issue is commercial speech, and
therefore, it must apply the four part test in the Supreme Court's opinion in
Central Hudson Gas & Electric Corp. v. Public Service Commission, 447
U.S. 557 (1980).
The Court of Appeals wrote that the Supreme Court, in Central
Hudson, "announced a four-part test to evaluate the legality of commercial
speech regulation: (1) whether the speech is unlawful or misleading; (2) whether
the government’s expressed interest is substantial; (3) whether the state action
directly promotes that interest; and (4) whether the state action is more
extensive than necessary to promote that interest." The Court of Appeals applied
the four part test.
The Court of Appeals stated that the UTAustin satisfies the first part. The e-mail is
not unlawful or misleading.
The Court of Appeals next addressed the second part, whether the
state's interest is substantial. The Court reasoned that the state has two
interests, user efficiency and server efficiency. It concluded that the state's
interests are substantial. Although, it was more persuaded by the user
efficiency argument -- that users need to be insulated from the burden of
unwanted spam. The Court added that server efficiency "is among the most
chronically over-used and under-substantiated interests asserted by parties ...
involved in Internet litigation".
Perhaps it would not be too impertinent to note here that almost
all federal judges are e-mail users, but few, if any, have ever attempted to
manage e-mail systems, e-mail servers, or web servers.
The Court then addressed whether the state action directly
promotes these substantial interests. It concluded that the UTAustin's actions
do. It wrote that "One can hardly imagine a more direct means of preventing
commercial spam from appearing in account-holders' inboxes and occupying server
space than promulgating a policy that excludes such material from the email
network."
Finally, the Court addressed whether the UTAustin's
e-mail blocking is more extensive than necessary to promote its substantial
interests. It concluded that with respect to promoting the interest of user
efficiency, blocking is no more extensive than necessary. However, it concluded
that with respect to promoting server efficiency, blocking is not no more
extensive than necessary. The Court wrote that the UTAustin could have regulated the
time and volume of WBV e-mail. That is, is could have allowed WBV to send its
bulk e-mail at "off-peak times".
Since the Court found that the user efficiency interest meets the fourth part of the
test, and the UTAustin's blocking satisfied the other three parts of the Hudson test,
it held that UTAustin's e-mail blocking policy does not violate the First Amendment.
The Court's different conclusions regarding protecting the users, and protecting the
servers, does nothing to assist WBV or other spammers in the sending of spam. However,
the Court has established a precedent that may assist spammers in the practice of spidering
web pages to harvest e-mail addresses. There is no user efficiency issue in this situation.
Moreover, this precedent may be benefit those who engage in non-spam related spidering or
crawling of the contents of web sites. This could be significant in suits involving claims
such as computer trespass, unauthorized use of web sites, or and misappropriation of
collections of data.
The Court also added that "we need not address what
type of First Amendment forum a public university email network constitutes."
This case is White Buffalo Ventures, LLC v. University of Texas at
Austin, U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit, App. Ct. No. m 04-50362, an
appeal from the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Texas. Judge Jerry Smith
wrote the opinion of the Court of Appeals, in which Judges Davis and DeMoss joined.
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1st Circuit Rules on Application of Lanham
Act to Foreign Defendants |
8/2. The U.S. Court of Appeals
(1stCir) issued its
opinion in
McBee v. Delica, a case regarding extraterritorial use of the Lanham Act. The
Court of Appeals adopted a test that is different from that in the 2nd and 9th Circuits.
Cecil McBee is a U.S. citizen and resident, and a jazz musician who
has toured in Japan. See for example, his album titled "
Unspoken" [Amazon].
Delica Co. Ltd. is a Japanese corporation that adopted the name
Cecil McBee for its girls clothing line. It operates a web site that is
mostly in the Japanese language. Its URL is
www.cecilmcbee.net. After McBee asserted a claim, Delica adopted a policy of
not selling into the U.S.
A Google images search for "Cecil McBee" returns as top results both pictures
of the musician McBee and pictures of Delica clothing and stores. A Google web search for
"Cecil McBee" returns as the top result the above referenced Delica's web site.
McBee filed a complaint in U.S. District
Court (DMaine) against Delica alleging trademark
dilution and unfair competition claims under the Lanham Act, which is codified
at 15 U.S.C. § 1051 et seq., and various Maine state law claims. He requested
injunctive relief (including an injunction of the operation of the web site),
damages, and attorney's fees.
McBee argued false endorsement, that the unlicensed use of his name has
made a misleading and false inference that McBee endorses, approves, or sponsors
Delica's product, and that inference has caused McBee harm. However, the Anti-cybersquatting
Consumer Protection Act's (ACPA) is not at issue in this case.
The District Court dismissed for lack of subject matter jurisdiction. McBee
appealed.
The Court of Appeals affirmed, but with an analysis that differed from that
of the District Court, and other circuits.
The Court of Appeals concluded that "Our framework asks first whether
the defendant is an American citizen; that inquiry is different because a separate
constitutional basis for jurisdiction exists for control of activities, even foreign
activities, of an American citizen. Further, when the Lanham Act plaintiff seeks to enjoin
sales in the United States, there is no question of extraterritorial application; the
court has subject matter jurisdiction."
It continued that "In order for a
plaintiff to reach foreign activities of foreign defendants in American courts,
however, we adopt a separate test. We hold that subject matter jurisdiction
under the Lanham Act is proper only if the complained-of activities have a
substantial effect on United States commerce, viewed in light of the purposes of
the Lanham Act. If this ``substantial effects´´ question is answered in the
negative, then the court lacks jurisdiction over the defendant's
extraterritorial acts; if it is answered in the affirmative, then the court
possesses subject matter jurisdiction."
Finally, the Court of Appeals wrote that "We reject the
notion that a comity analysis is part of subject matter jurisdiction. Comity
considerations, including potential conflicts with foreign trademark law, are
properly treated as questions of whether a court should, in its discretion,
decline to exercise subject matter jurisdiction that it already possesses."
Notably, the Court of Appeals did not follow the test set by the 2nd Circuit
in Vanity Fair Mills v. T. Eaton Co., 234 F.2d 633 (1956). In that case
the 2nd Circuit applied a three prong test, which the 1st Circuit summarized as
follows: "(1) whether the defendant is an American citizen, (2) whether the
defendant's actions have a substantial effect on United States commerce, and (3)
whether relief would create a conflict with foreign law." See also, Reebok
Int'l, Ltd. v. Marnatech Enters., 970 F.2d 552 (9th Cir. 1992).
Applying this new analysis to the facts of the present case, the 1st Circuit
concluded that the District Court "lacked jurisdiction over McBee's claims
seeking (1) an injunction in the United States barring access to Delica's
Internet website, which is written in Japanese, and (2) damages for harm to
McBee due to Delica's sales in Japan."
It further concluded that "McBee has made no showing that Delica's activities
had a substantial effect on United States commerce. As to McBee's claim for (3)
an injunction barring Delica from selling its goods in the United States, we
hold that the district court had jurisdiction but conclude that this claim is
without merit because the only sales Delica has made into the United States were
induced by McBee for purposes of this litigation, and there is no showing that
Delica plans on selling into the United States again."
This case is Cecil McBee v. Delica Co. Ltd., U.S. Court of Appeals for the
First Circuit, App. Ct. No. 04-2733,
an appeal from the U.S. District Court for the District of Maine, D.C. No.
02-198-P-C, Judge Gene Carter presiding. Judge Lynch wrote the opinion of the Court of
Appeals, in which Judges Selya and Howard joined.
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Bush Signs Document Related to BIS/BXA
Regulation |
8/2. The White House press office released a
document, signed by President Bush, titled "Notice: Continuation of
Emergency Regarding Export Control Regulations". See also,
letter to the Speaker of the House and the President of the Senate.
The Export Administration Act expired in 2001. The Congress has worked on
enacting replacement legislation, but has not done so. Meanwhile, the Department of
Commerce's (DOC) Bureau of Industry and Security
(BIS), which was formerly named the Bureau of Export Administration (BXA), continues to
revise and enforce implementing regulations. These regulations pertain to, among other
things, exports and "deemed exports" of dual use items, such as computers,
software, and encryption products.
The President's document states that "On August 17, 2001, consistent
with the authority provided me under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (50
U.S.C. 170l et seq.), I issued Executive Order 13222. In that order, I declared a national
emergency with respect to the unusual and extraordinary threat to the national security,
foreign policy, and economy of the United States in light of the expiration of the Export
Administration Act of 1979, as amended (50 U.S.C. App. 2401 et seq.). Because the Export
Administration Act has not been renewed by the Congress, the national emergency declared on
August 17, 2001, must continue in effect beyond August 17, 2005. Therefore, in accordance
with section 202(d) of the National Emergencies Act (50 U.S.C. 1622(d)), I am continuing for
1 year the national emergency declared in Executive Order 13222."
Every year at about this time the President signs a similar document. This document
will have the effect of maintaining in effect the BIS regulations.
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More News |
8/2. President Bush signed into law HR 3045, the "Dominican Republic-Central
America-United States Free Trade Agreement Implementation Act". See,
transcript of signing ceremony, and White House
release.
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People and Appointments |
8/2. Jean Schmidt won a special election to the Second Congressional
District in Ohio. The vacancy was created by the appointment of former Rep.
Bob Portman (R-OH) to be the U.S. Trade
Representative. Schmidt, a Republican, defeated Paul Hackett 52-48%.
See, web site of the Hamilton
County, Ohio, Board of Elections.
8/2. President Bush gave a recess appointment to Peter Cyril Wyche Flory
to be an Assistant Secretary of Defense (International Security Policy). See, White House
release.
8/1. President Bush gave a recess appointment to John Bolton to be the
U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations. See,
transcript of event at which Bush made the announcement. Senate Democrats
had blocked a vote on his nomination by the full Senate. The appointment lasts
until the end of the 109th Congress -- January 2007.
7/29. The Senate confirmed former Rep. Christopher Cox
(R-CA), Roel Campos, and Annette Nazarath to be Commissioners of the
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). Cox
has been designated by President Bush to be Chairman. His term expires on June
5, 2009. Campos, who was reappointed, has a new term that expires on June 5,
2010. Nazareth has term that expires on June 5, 2007. See also,
story
titled "Rep. Cox to Replace Donaldson as SEC Chairman" in
TLJ Daily E-Mail
Alert No. 1,146, June 2, 2005.
7/29. The Senate confirmed Josette Shiner to be an Under Secretary of
State (Economic, Business, and Agricultural Affairs). She was Deputy U.S. Trade
Representative. Before that, she was Associate U.S. Trade Representative for
Policy and Communications. Before that, she was P/CEO of a group named Empower
America. She is also a former Managing Editor of the Washington Times.
7/29. The Senate confirmed Karen Hughes to be Under Secretary of State
for Public Diplomacy.
7/29. The Senate confirmed Kristen Silverberg to be an Assistant
Secretary of State (International Organization Affairs). She was Deputy
Assistant to the President and Advisor to the Chief of Staff in the White House.
Before that, she was Deputy Assistant to the President for Domestic Policy.
Before that, she was Senior Advisor to Ambassador Paul Bremer in Iraq. And
before that, she was Special Assistant to the President in the Office of the
Chief of Staff. Before her positions in the Bush administration, she worked for
the Bush Cheney 2000 campaign. She has also worked for the Washington DC office
of the law firm of Williams & Connolly, for Supreme
Court Justice Clarence Thomas, and for U.S. Court
of Appeals (DCCir) Judge David Sentelle.
7/29. The Senate confirmed Shara Aranoff to be Commissioner of the
U.S. International Trade Commission (USITC)
for the remainder of a nine year term expiring on December 16, 2012. Sen. Harry Reid (D-NV), the Senate Democratic
Leader, designated Aranoff for nomination to a Democratic position on the USITC.
She was Senior International Trade Counsel on the Democratic staff of the
Senate Finance Committee. She has also
worked in the USITC's Office of General Counsel, and for the law firm of
Steptoe & Johnson. She replaces Marcia
Miller, whose term has expired. Sen. Max Baucus
(D-MT), the ranking Democrat on the Senate Finance
Committee, praised Aranoff in a January
release
[PDF].
7/29. The Senate confirmed Sandra Pack to be an Assistant Secretary of
the Treasury, Timothy Adams to be an Under Secretary of the Treasury,
Randal Quarles to be an Under Secretary of the Treasury, Kevin Fromer
to be a Deputy Secretary of the Treasury, and Robert Kimmitt to be a
Deputy Secretary of the Treasury.
7/29. The Senate confirmed Michael J. Garcia to be the U.S. Attorney
for the Southern District of New York for a term of four years.
7/28. The Senate confirmed
Rachel Brand to be
Assistant Attorney General in charge of the
Office of Legal Policy at the Department of
Justice (DOJ). She was the Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General in
the OLP. She previously worked as Associate Counsel to the President, for the
law firm of Cooper Carville & Rosenthal, which is now
Cooper & Clark, and for Supreme Court
Justice Anthony Kennedy. The responsibilities of the OLP relate to, among other
things, the screening, selection and confirmation of judicial nominees.
7/28. The Senate confirmed Richard Skinner to be Inspector General of
the Department of Homeland Security (DHS).
7/28. The Senate confirmed Janice Gardner to be Assistant Secretary
for Intelligence and Analysis at the Department of the Treasury.
7/28. The Senate confirmed John Redd to be Director of the National
Counterterrorism Center in the Office of the Director of National Intelligence.
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Washington Tech Calendar
New items are highlighted in red. |
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Wednesday, August 3 |
The House will not meet on Monday, August 1 through Monday, September 5. See,
House calendar
and Republican Whip Notice.
The Senate will not meet on Monday, August 1 through Monday, September 5. See,
Senate calendar.
The Supreme Court is between terms. The opening conference of its October
2005 Term will be held on September 26, 2005.
10:00 AM. The U.S. Court
of Appeals (FedCir) will hear oral argument in Microstrategy v. Business
Objects, No. 04-1572. This is a patent infringement case involving relational
databases. Location: U.S. Court of Appeals, LaFayette Square, 717 Madison Place,
Courtroom 402.
The Federal Communications Commission (FCC)
will hold Auction 61, the auction of of ten Automated Maritime Telecommunications
System (AMTS) licenses. See,
notice
in the Federal Register, February 11, 2005, Vol. 70, No. 28, at Pages 7270 - 7274;
notice in the Federal Register, May 23, 2005, Vol. 70, No. 98, at Pages
29497 - 29510; and,
notice in the Federal Register, June 1, 2005, Vol. 70, No. 104, at Pages
31468 - 31469.
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Thursday, August 4 |
9:30 AM. The Federal Communications
Commission (FCC) will hold a meeting. See,
agenda [PDF]. The event will be webcast by the FCC.
Location: FCC, 445 12th Street, SW, Room TW-C05 (Commission Meeting Room).
9:30 AM - 12:00 NOON. The
Heritage Foundation will host an event titled
"Challenges Facing the 21st Century U.S. Workforce". The first panel is
titled "Technology and Evolving Labor Markets". The speakers will be
Diana
Furchtgott-Roth (Hudson Institute), Daniel Pink (Wired Magazine), and David Barnes
(IBM). The second panel (at 10:30 AM) is titled
"Labor Laws -- Ripe for Reform?". The speakers will be Janemarie Mulvey
(Employment Policy Foundation), Paula Collins (Texas
Instruments), William Conerly (American Institute of Full Employment). The keynote
address (at 11:30 AM) will be delivered by Secretary of Labor Elaine Chao. See,
notice.
Location: Heritage, 214 Massachusetts Ave., NE.
10:00 AM. The U.S. Court
of Appeals (FedCir) will hear oral argument in Ultratech, Inc. v. Tamarack
Scientific Co., No. 05-1107. The is an appeal from the
U.S. District Court (NDCal) in a patent
infringement case involving technology for making semiconductors. The District Court
case is No. C 03-3235 CRB (JL). Location: U.S. Court of Appeals, LaFayette Square, 717
Madison Place, Courtroom 402.
10:00 AM - 12:00 NOON. The Department of State's (DOS) International
Telecommunication Advisory Committee (ITAC) will meet to prepare for the Americas
Regional Preparatory Meeting for the World Telecommunication Development
Conference (WTDC-06) in Lima, Peru, from August 9-11, 2005. See,
notice in the Federal Register, June 22, 2005, Vol. 70, No. 119, Page
36224. Location: DOS, Room 2533A.
Deadline to submit reply comments to the
Federal Communications Commission (FCC) regarding a
petition for a declaratory ruling that certain provisions of the California Consumer Legal
Remedies Act (CLRA), as applied to interstate telephone calls, are not preempted by the
Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA). See,
notice in the Federal Register, June 15, 2005, Vol. 70, No. 114, at Pages
34725 - 34726. This proceeding is CG Docket No. 02-278.
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Friday, August 5 |
1:00 - 4:00 PM. The DC Bar Association
will host a continuing legal education (CLE) seminar titled "The USA Patriot
Act: A Primer". The speakers will be Sharie Brown (Foley & Lardner) and
others. The price to attend ranges from $80-$125. For more information, call 202-626-3488.
See,
notice. Location: D.C. Bar Conference Center, 1250 H Street NW, B-1 Level.
Deadline to submit comments to the U.S.
Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) regarding its document titled "Green
Paper", which describes and evaluates four options to reform restriction
practice. The USPTO plans to draft a "White Paper" that includes proposed
legislation reforming restriction practice. See,
notice in the Federal Register, June 6, 2005, Vol. 70, No. 107, at Pages
32761 - 32762.
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Monday, August 8 |
Extended deadline to submit initial comments to the
Federal Communications Commission (FCC) in response to
its notice of second further proposed rulemaking regarding horizontal and vertical cable
ownership limits. The FCC adopted this Second Further NPRM on May 13, 2005, and released
it on May 17, 2005. This item is FCC 05-96 in MM Docket No. 92-264. See, original
notice in the Federal Register, June 8, 2005, Vol. 70, No. 109, at Pages 33679 -
33687. See also,
notice of extension of deadlines, in the Federal Register, July 6, 2005,
Vol. 70, No. 128, at Pages 38848 - 38849.
Deadline to submit initial comments to the
Federal Communications Commission (FCC) in
response to it notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM) regarding low power FM
rules. The FCC adopted its order and NPRM on March 16, 2005, and released it
on March 17, 2005. It is FCC 05-75 in MM Docket No. 99-25. See,
notice in the Federal Register, July 7, 2005, Vol. 70, No. 129, at Pages
39217 - 39227.
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Tuesday, August 9 |
2:00 - 4:00 PM. The
Federal Communications Commission's (FCC) Informal Working Group 3:
IMT-2000 and 2.5 GHz Sharing Issues will meet. See, FCC
notice [PDF]. Location: FCC, 445 12th Street, SW, 6th Floor South
Conference Room (6-B516).
6:00 - 9:15 PM. The DC Bar
Association will host a the first part of a continuing legal education (CLE)
seminar titled "Software Patent Primer: Acquisition, Exploitation,
Enforcement and Defense". The speakers will be Stephen Parker (Novak Druce),
Brian Rosenbloom (Rothwell Figg Ernst & Manbeck), David Temeles (Temeles &
Temeles), and Martin Zoltick (Rothwell Figg). The price to attend ranges from
$95-$170. For more information, call 202-626-3488. See,
notice. Location: D.C. Bar Conference Center, 1250 H Street NW, B-1 Level.
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Wednesday, August 10 |
3:05 PM. The
Department of Homeland Security's (DHS) Homeland Security Advisory Council
(HSAC) will meet by teleconference. The agenda includes receiving final report
from the HSAC Private Sector Information Sharing Task Force. See,
notice in the Federal Register, July 25, 2005, Vol. 70, No. 141, at Page
42583.
6:00 - 9:15 PM. The DC Bar
Association will host a the second part of a continuing legal education (CLE)
seminar titled "Software Patent Primer: Acquisition, Exploitation,
Enforcement and Defense". The speakers will be Stephen Parker (Novak Druce),
Brian Rosenbloom (Rothwell Figg Ernst & Manbeck), David Temeles (Temeles &
Temeles), and Martin Zoltick (Rothwell Figg). The price to attend ranges from
$95-$170. For more information, call 202-626-3488. See,
notice. Location: D.C. Bar Conference Center, 1250 H Street NW, B-1 Level.
Deadline for every interconnected voice over internet
protocol (VOIP) service provider to submit a report to the
Federal Communications Commission (FCC) regarding the status of its obtaining from
every one of its subscribers an acknowledgment of receipt of the FCC mandated
statement regarding E911, and regarding the status of its distribution of the
FCC mandated VOIP warning stickers. See, the order contained in the FCC's document
titled "First
Report and Order and Notice of Proposed Rulemaking" [90 pages in PDF], numbered FCC
05-116, adopted on May 19, 2005, and released on June 3, 2005. See also, the order contained
in the FCC's document titled
"Public
Notice' [PDF], numbered DA 05-2085, and released on July 26, 2005. These orders were
issued in FCC proceedings regarding extending elements of the regulatory regime for
communications to internet protocol based services: "In the Matter of IP-Enabled
Services", numbered WC Docket No. 04-36, and "E911 Requirements for IP-Enabled
Service Providers", numbered WC Docket No. 05-196.
Deadline to submit reply comments to the
Federal Communications Commission (FCC) in response
to its Further Notice of Proposed Rule Making (FNPRM) regarding advancing the date on
which all new television receiving equipment must include the capability to receive over
the air DTV broadcast signals from July 1, 2007, to a date no later than December 31,
2006. The FCC adopted and released this item on June 9, 2005. This item is FCC 05-121
in ET Docket No. 05-24. See,
notice in the Federal Register, July 6, 2005, Vol. 70, No. 128, at Pages
38845 - 38848. See also, story titled "FCC Adopts Order and NPRM Regarding Its
Digital Tuner Rules" in TLJ Daily E-Mail Alert No. 1,153, June 14, 2005.
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About Tech Law Journal |
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