Copyright

Consumers Prefer Legal Content, New Study Suggests

WASHINGTON, February 9, 2011 – A recent report commissioned by NBC Universal shows that if given the opportunity, consumers prefer to obtain content online legally.

Julius Genachowski

FCC Paves Way For Comprehensive USF Reform At Open Meeting

WASHINGTON, February 9, 2011 – The FCC adopted a measure during Tuesday’s open meeting that lays the groundwork for revisions to the nation’s telephone subsidy systems in the near-term and an eventual overhaul to transition those systems into building and supporting broadband infrastructure. The No

Broadband's Impact

Harman Announces She Will Resign House Seat; Departure Has Implications on D-Block

WASHINGTON, February 9, 2011 – Rep. Jane Harman (D-CA), a nine-term House veteran and member of the subcommittee on Communications, Technology and the Internet, announced Tuesday she would resign her post later this month to head the Woodrow Wilson Center for Scholars, a think tank in Washington, D.

FTC

Markey Urges FTC to Investigate In-App Purchases

WASHINGTON, February 8, 2011 – Rep. Edward Markey (D-MA), a senior Democrat on the House subcommittee on Communications, Technology and the Internet, sent a letter to the Federal Trade Commission urging it to investigate suspect practices surrounding purchases made through mobile applications.

Copyright

U.S. Movie Studios Launch Lawsuit Against Online Media Locker Service

LOS ANGELES, February 8, 2011 — Five of the major motion picture studios in the United States on Tuesday launched the next phase of their industry’s ongoing campaign against online piracy by filing what will be a closely-watched copyright infringement lawsuit against Hotfile.com, a so-called cyberlo

Intellectual Property

Los Angeles Port Cops Seize Fake iPods and iPhones Worth More Than A Million

More than an estimated street value of $1.4 million worth of fake iPhones and iPods were seized by the Los Angeles Port Police during investigations in December and January as part of a larger bust of a criminal enterprise, authorities reported Monday.

Julius Genachowski

Genachowski Pushes USF Reform Ahead Of FCC Vote

WASHINGTON, February 8, 2011 – FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski pushed for Universal Service Fund reform at the offices of the Information Technology & Innovation Foundation (ITIF) on Monday, a day in front of the Commission’s vote to adopt a rulemaking on the issue. Genachowski began his remarks by

New America

Levin, Settles Square Off On Broadband Funding Debate

WASHINGTON, February 7, 2011 – Blair Levin, head of the team that authored the National Broadband Plan and Craig Settles, a leading industry analyst, debated at the New America Foundation on Monday the best way to deploy broadband to unserved and underserved areas.

Charter

Netflix and Akamai Reports Show Sustained Broadband Speeds Falter in U.S.

WASHINGTON, February 7, 2011 – Online content providers Netflix and Akamai released data recently indicating that U.S. internet service providers meet expectations for promised peak broadband speeds, but fall short when it comes to sustained speeds.

Copyright

Japanese Book Publishers Up Against Wall As IPad Spurs Cottage Industry of Book Scanning

The murky status of rights clearance is bamboozling the Japanese publishing industry’s efforts to move into the eBook market even as start-ups take matters into their own hands and start scanning books for people who want to make space in their apartments in Japan, according to a recent report in Bl

Intellectual Property

Patent Reform Bill Flies Through Senate Judiciary Despite Tech Community Split

WASHINGTON, February 4, 2011 — The Senate Judiciary Committee on Thursday unanimously approved a patent reform package despite a sharp division of opinion about it among the biggest names in the technology industry.

Congress

‘Kill Switch’ Legislation Faces Uphill Battle in Light of Egypt Crisis

WASHINGTON, February 4, 2011 – Senate lawmakers are considering a measure that would allow the President to declare a national cyber emergency and give him the power to use an internet “kill switch” which could shut down internet access nationally.

Intellectual Property

Bloomberg Bizweek: Huntsman Instrumental In Brokering Policy Issues in China

Jon Huntsman, a prominent Republican whom President Obama chose as the country’s ambassador to China, played an important role in brokering an agreement in which the Chinese government agreed to drop its indigenous innovation policies, according to a new profile in Bloomberg Businessweek.

Verizon

Verizon Tweaks Data Policies in Anticipation of iPhone Launch

WASHINGTON, February 3, 2011 – Verizon announced Thursday two major changes to its wireless internet policies that will allow the carrier to handle a higher volume of traffic only days before the launch of the Verizon-compatible iPhone. In order to “provide customers the best experience,” the carri

DHS

U.S. DHS Nabs 10 Domains of Web Sites That Linked to Live Sports Events Online

NEW YORK, February 2, 2011 — The Department of Homeland Security on Tuesday seized the domain names of 10 web sites that officials said were illegally rebroadcasting sporting events online.

DC Circuit

D.C. Circuit Denies Verizon Motion for Same Panel as Comcast Net Neutrality Case

The United States Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit denied Verizon’s request Wednesday to assign to its current net neutrality challenge the same panel of judges that decided Comcast’s challenge last year.