 | |
| |
TechnologyDaily Mobile
Dell Criticizes India's Computer Taxes
by Winter Casey
India's taxes on personal computers are so high they create a significant barrier to purchases, Dell Chairman and Chief Executive Michael Dell said Tuesday.
Governments play an important role in making technology accessible, said Dell, who is in India this week meeting with top officials. "Here in India, for example, tariffs on a PC make up anywhere from 20 to 25 percent of their cost. This presents a significant barrier to many people purchasing their own computer.
"By reducing such taxes, more people can benefit from the productivity and advancement that comes with technology," Dell added. "It's the right thing to do, and everyone wins when the citizens of a country can be more productive."
At the Confederation of Indian Industry CEOs Forum in New Delhi, Dell also spoke of India's role in the growing technology industry. "We are about to see an evolution in technology like the world has never seen, and India will play a key role as the total number of people online goes from 1 billion today -- or less than 16 percent of the world's population -- to 2 billion over the next few years," Dell said.
He added that his company plans to open a new manufacturing plant soon in Chennai, India.
Karen Hughes, the U.S. undersecretary of State for public diplomacy and public affairs, will be in India, along with senior U.S. government officials and leaders, March 24-30 to discuss higher education. The delegation plans to travel to Mumbai and New Delhi to spread the message that the United States welcomes and values international students. The group plans to highlight the importance of international education.
Initial Appeal By Egyptian Blogger Denied
The United States is disappointed that the initial appeal of Egyptian student Abdel Karim Soliman, who was jailed for writings on his Web lob, was not successful, according to a statement released last week by the State Department.
"He is the first Egyptian blogger to be prosecuted for the content of his remarks, and his conviction is a setback for human rights in Egypt," the department said. "The role of freedom of expression is critical in a democratic and prosperous society. The right to freedom of opinion and expression, through any media, applies to everyone and is enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights."
According to BBC, Soliman called al-Azhar University "the university of terrorism" on his blog and accused it of suppressing freedom of speech. The university expelled Soliman in 2006 and urged prosecutors to try him.
BBC also said that in the five-minute court session, the judge ruled that Soliman was guilty and would serve three years for insulting Islam and inciting sedition. He was given one year for insulting Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak, who also heads the university.
The State Department noted that Soliman can seek further appeal and said it will continue to follow the case.
Nokia Files Complaints Against Qualcomm
The Finnish telecommunications giant Nokia announced Monday that it has filed complaints against the U.S. chip-set manufacturer Qualcomm in Germany and the Netherlands.
Nokia has a cross-licensing arrangement for intellectual property with Qualcomm that will expire April 9. The companies have been in negotiations, according to a Nokia spokesman. Over the last 18 months, Qualcomm has sued Nokia on numerous occasions, he added.
Nokia's claim stems from concerns about when "Qualcomm extracts a royalty for a royalty that goes into" a chip set sold to Texas Instruments and then supplied to Nokia for products sold in Europe, according to the spokesman. For example, Qualcomm gets paid from Texas Instruments when it uses the technology and sells a chip set. "Qualcomm should not get paid again for the same technology by whoever uses the chip set," Nokia argued.
Qualcomm said Nokia's accusations are "entirely meritless."
In other news, U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice hosted a U.S.-European Union energy technology CEO forum Monday. The forum was aimed at bringing together senior U.S., German and EU officials and private-sector leaders for a discussion on how to accelerate energy technology innovation and adoption.
Also in Europe, a new report calls for cooperation and coordination among governments, academia and the private sector in nanotechnology, which deals with the manipulation of matter at the atomic and molecular levels.
The report said a "cradle-to-grave" examination of the health and environmental impact of nanomaterials, chemicals and products is important for safe, responsible and sustainable commercialization. The European Commission and the Project on Emerging Nanotechnologies, an initiative of the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars and The Pew Charitable Trusts, jointly released the research Tuesday.
WIPO Receives Record Trademark Applications
The World Intellectual Property Organization received a record number of international trademark applications in 2006, an 8.6 percent increase over 2005. The 36,471 applications were filed under the Madrid system, which lets owners have their trademarks protected in several countries by filing one application in their own national or regional systems.
Trademark applications originating from Germany topped the list. Other countries that accounted for a high number included: the United States, Austria, China, France Italy, Spain, Switzerland and the United Kingdom.
Meanwhile, WIPO Director-General Kamil Idris met Tuesday with the secretary-general of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, Ong Keng Yong, to discuss the best ways for ASEAN member-countries to benefit from the intellectual property system.
U.S., Vietnam Officials Eye Trade Framework
U.S. Trade Representative Susan Schwab and Vietnamese Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Pham Gia Khiem announced the launch of negotiations to conclude a trade and investment framework meant to strengthen the nation's ties in those areas.
The agreement would establish a formal dialogue under which the two countries plan to discuss new initiatives to enhance trade and investment. "We are pleased with Vietnam's progress so far in implementing its [World Trade Organization] and [U.S. trade] commitments," Schwab said in a statement released Monday.
Vietnam became the WTO's 150th member Jan. 11. Trade between the countries has grown 500 percent since 2001, when they signed the bilateral agreement, USTR said.
According to USTR, Vietnam is currently the United States' 43rd-largest goods trading partner at $9.7 billion during 2006. The United States exported $1.1 billion in goods to Vietnam in 2006.
The agreement would be negotiated under the Enterprise for ASEAN Initiative, which the Bush administration announced in 2002 to improve relations with Southeast Asian nations.
NEW FEATURE
-Advertisement-
-Advertisement-
-Advertisement-
