Newsbytes Law & Regulation Week In Review - Industry Trend or Event - News Briefs

Napster Judge Penned One Of RIAA's Favorite Decisions When Napster lawyers appear before the US Court of Appeals next week, they'll face the judge behind a decision the music industry likes to cite when claiming the company is partly responsible for the illegal copying of popular CDs. http://www.newsbytes.com/pubNews/00/155743.html

International Net Backbone Regulation Not Needed - FCC Competition is alive and well within the market for Internet backbone both here and abroad, and no federal regulations are needed to prevent a dominant provider from gaining control of the market - at least not yet, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) said Tuesday. http://www.newsbytes.com/pubNews/00/155739.html

House Judiciary Backs E-Mail Snooping Regulations The powerful House Judiciary Committee sent a pointed message to the nation's law enforcers Tuesday, voting 20-1 to approve legislation requiring investigators to show evidence before obtaining citizens' phone and e-mail records. http://www.newsbytes.com/pubNews/00/155737.html

House Passes E-Commerce Enhancement Bill The House of Representatives today passed in a voice vote a bill that creates a pilot program under the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) to help small- and medium-sized businesses engage in more electronic commerce. http://www.newsbytes.com/pubNews/00/155733.html

Senior House Member Pans Euro-Net Tax Plan The European Commission's (EC) proposal to subject goods sold via the Internet to the European Union VAT (value-added tax), regardless of whether the seller is European or American, should receive congressional scrutiny and disapproval, Rep. Phil Crane, R-Ill., said Tuesday. http://www.newsbytes.com/pubNews/00/155731.html

California Governor Vetoes Net Tax Bill California Gov. Gray Davis, D, has vetoed an Internet tax bill that would have required retailers with stores in the state to collect taxes for online sales. http://www.newsbytes.com/pubNews/00/155706.html

Hacker Cracks Disney World Computer The FBI is reportedly investigating a cracker attack on a computer system at Walt Disney World last week in which the intruder may have accessed hundreds of guests' names, addresses and mug shots. http://www.newsbytes.com/pubNews/00/155700.html

Verizon Backs Illinois Cell Driving Ban In a move that places the company at odds with the rest of the wireless communications industry, Verizon Wireless is now backing legislation that would ban using handheld cellular phones in vehicles without an earphone. http://www.newsbytes.com/pubNews/00/155699.html

Ex-FBI Computer Expert Pleads Guilty To Hacking A Berkeley, Calif., man identified as a one-time confidential FBI source on computer criminals has reportedly pleaded guilty to breaking into government computers. http://www.newsbytes.com/pubNews/00/155698.html

E-Mail Marketers Take A Stab At Self-Regulation In the Internet marketing industry's latest bid to forestall federal privacy legislation, a band of companies Monday proposed a sweeping self-regulatory scheme for online direct marketing activities. http://www.newsbytes.com/pubNews/00/155676.html

Verizon Exec Rejects Push To Restrict Foreign Telco Buyouts If Congress is serious about keeping foreign government-backed companies from buying up US telecommunications interests, it should forget about restrictive legislation and focus on fixing the regulatory environment that makes US companies so inexpensive and attractive, Verizon Communications President and Co-chairman Ivan Seidenberg said Monday. http://www.newsbytes.com/pubNews/00/155677.html

Y2K Law Barely Used - Govt. Report The legislation passed by Congress last year to limit corporate liability in the face of Y2K-related computer problems, and therefore save American businesses billions of dollars, was actually invoked in court just 18 times. http://www.newsbytes.com/pubNews/00/155633.html

UK Regulator Tells BT To Unbundle Local Loop With several telcos threatening legal action against British Telecom [NYSE:BTY] (BT) to force the former state monopolist to allow access to its local loop, Oftel, the UK's telecommunications regulator, has published details of its unbundling requirements on BT. http://www.newsbytes.com/pubNews/00/155629.html

Gore Gets Porn Industry Endorsement In what must be the most unwelcome of endorsements for any presidential candidate, Al Gore received a back-handed thumbs-up from the porn industry at a trade gathering for the Internet adult entertainment companies. http://www.newsbytes.com/pubNews/00/155627.html

Grateful Dead Joins Fight Against Digital Piracy The Grateful Dead, icons of the '60s spirit of free love - and free music - is reportedly drawing the line for digital download pirates. http://www.newsbytes.com/pubNews/00/155626.html

China To Open Telecom Sector To Private Firms The government of the People's Republic of China will soon enact new regulations that allow private firms to invest in the nation's telecommunications sector, according to local media reports. http://www.newsbytes.com/pubNews/00/155625.html

Thailand's Telecom Industry Regulation To Be Delayed Thailand will miss the deadlines to put in place the country's first telecoms industry regulatory body and telecoms legislative framework this year, delaying market deregulation for at least a year. http://www.newsbytes.com/news/00/155624.html

Reported by Newsbytes.com, http://www.newsbytes.com .

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