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Microsoft Continues Battle In Europe
by Danielle Belopotosky
Microsoft on Tuesday continued its appeal in the European Court of First Instance. It was the second day of hearings for the software company in a battle over Europe's 2004 antitrust ruling against Microsoft.
The ruling, which imposed record fines of $613 million, also forced the Redmond, Wash.-based company to sell a version of its Windows computer-operating system without its Media Player application. The European Commission also ordered the company to reveal computer code to competitors so they could develop compatible applications for Windows.
The court demonstrated "skepticism about the commission's theory that Microsoft unlawfully included Windows Media Player in its operating system," according to Lars Liebeler, antitrust counsel for the Computing Technology Industry Association. Liebeler, who testified as a third-party intervener on Monday on behalf of Microsoft, is present at the hearings.
On Monday, Microsoft testified that there is no demand by manufacturers or consumers to purchase computers without a media player in the operating system. Liebeler said the judges questioned the commission on its assertion that consumers were not able to effectively download and use other media players that are available for free on the Internet.
One judge, according to Liebeler, said he had downloaded media player software from the Internet without hassle, while others noted Microsoft's evidence that many consumers have as many as four media players on their computers. The hearings continue through Friday.
Deadline For Global Trade Pact Missed
The head of the World Trade Organization on Monday said the deadline for agreement over agriculture and non-agricultural market access will be missed. But WTO Director-General Pascal Lamy told reporters he still hopes the deal for a global trade pact still can be achieved.
"We may have missed the deadline, but we are not in deadlock," Lamy said, according to the WTO. The deadline to negotiate those issues was set for Friday to next Tuesday.
While important progress has been made, Lamy said at an informal meeting of delegation heads that it is "not fast enough to allow us to reach" the deadline. He urged negotiators to work continuously toward finishing the work "in a matter of weeks rather than months."
The negotiations, known as the Doha Development Round, began in 2001 in Doha, Qatar. Negotiators continued talks last year in Hong Kong, but skeptics fear the failure to negotiate an agriculture agreement will result in another impasse.
Lamy said now is not the "time for blame or recrimination." On Monday, Lamy will convene a committee meeting where he said it will be "imperative" for negotiators to "make up for lost time and fulfill our ultimate deadline" to conclude the round by year's end.
Revised .xxx Domain Agreement Proposed
The company that in 2004 won the right to manage a new .xxx domain-name suffix for adult content has submitted its revised proposal to the Internet's oversight body.
ICM Registry has drafted a new agreement to address concerns of the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers, including issues related to codes of conduct and potential changes in company ownership, according to an April 18 letter from ICM Registry to ICANN.
In response to those concerns, ICM has agreed to notify ICANN of any proposed changes to ownership or control. Furthermore, any change in control over the registry would not result in ICANN's ability to enforce the agreement.
The proposal also would require owners of .xxx Web sites to adhere to a code of conduct and prohibit illegal content or fraudulent marketing practices. ICM Registry would create tools to monitor registration compliance with its "policies related to labeling and the prohibition on child pornography," according to the letter. The registry also would create policies to terminate site registrations found to violate its policies.
The registry further would expand its startup plan to protect intellectual property rights and trademarks, as well as personal names and those of historical or cultural significance. ICM also would develop a policy to remove abusive registrants or sites that violate its policy.
Canada To Boost Anti-Terrorism Funding
The Canadian government last week announced plans to invest more than $1.7 million over the next five years to fight the financing of terrorists in Asian nations and the Caribbean.
The government will partner with the International Monetary Fund and World Bank to establish long-lasting programs focused on anti-money laundering activities in those regions. The programs seek to help nations identify the tools they need to combat terrorist financing.
"Canada plays a leadership role in the fight against terrorist financing," Finance Minister James Flaherty said in a statement, adding that the government is committed to remain at the "forefront of this effort." Funding for the program will be provided through a counter-terrorism program that was created in 2005 to help developing nations prevent and respond to terrorist activities.
The Canadian government also is working with U.S. officials to develop a cross-border travel card so Canadians can travel freely into the United States, according to Canadian news reports.
In order to comply with more stringent U.S. land-border crossing rules set to take effect in 2008, Canada will work with U.S. officials to ensure U.S. acceptance of new documentation.
Canadian travel to the United States has declined over the past year. In February, Canadians made less than 3.2 million trips across the U.S. border, down 7.1 percent from the previous month.
Elsewhere on the counter-terrorism front, the United States and India last week convened their seventh joint meeting on the topic. The delegations were led by the State Department Ambassador Henry Crumpton and Indian Ministry of External Affairs Additional Secretary K.C. Singh. The discussions included aviation security, bioterrorism, cyber security, money laundering and terrorist financing, according to the State Department.
Max-Peter Ratzel, the director of the European police office, also made his first official visit to the United States last week to discuss anti-terrorism cooperation.
Ratzel met with officials from the CIA, FBI, Justice Department, Postal Inspection Service and Secret Service, among others, according to a statement issued by the European Commission's Washington delegation. The officials also discussed ways to improve cooperation to combat organized crime, including illegal drug trafficking.
I Heart Intellectual Property
Intellectual property lovers unite on Wednesday for "World Intellectual Property Day," as deemed by the World Intellectual Property Organization. It marks the sixth year for celebrating the contribution of innovators and artists to the "development of societies across the globe."
WIPO also hopes people will think about the role intellectual property plays in everyday life and will encourage them to safeguard IP rights.
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