Sharing data to prevent the sale of counterfeit goods online should be a voluntary practice so companies can protect trade secrets, said Patent and Trademark Office Attorney-Adviser Jennifer Blank Thursday. Industry officials warned against stringent regulation that could give e-Commerce giants like Amazon an unfair advantage.
Karl Herchenroeder
Karl Herchenroeder, Associate Editor, is a technology policy journalist for publications including Communications Daily. Born in Rockville, Maryland, he joined the Warren Communications News staff in 2018. He began his journalism career in 2012 at the Aspen Times in Aspen, Colorado, where he covered city government. After that, he covered the nuclear industry for ExchangeMonitor in Washington. You can follow Herchenroeder on Twitter: @karlherk
California Attorney General Rob Bonta (D) took enforcement action Wednesday against cosmetics store Sephora under the California Consumer Protection Act (CCPA), as part of a sweep of online retailers. He made the announcement the same day the California Privacy Protection Agency (CPPA) held the first of two public hearings this week on draft regulations for updating the state’s privacy law.
Tennessee Senate Republicans defended the rights of songwriters and musicians last week as the Supreme Court considers a case with implications for derivative works in every medium from photography and film to music and art (docket 21-869).
Tech and antitrust staffers on the Senate Commerce and Senate Judiciary Committees top the list of potential successors to FTC Commissioner Noah Phillips, former officials and industry representatives told us.
The “overwhelming majority” of copyright holders have a positive outlook about the Copyright Office-designated entity paying out digital streaming royalties, Mechanical Licensing Collective (MLC) CEO Kris Ahrend said in an interview last week. Critics say the MLC relies on faulty data that’s contributing to the accumulation of nearly half a billion dollars in unclaimed and unmatched royalties for songwriters and publishers.
The FTC voted 3-2 Thursday to seek public comment on a potential privacy rulemaking to address “mass surveillance,” data breaches, deception and manipulation, as expected (see 2204180049).
The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency's former director highlighted the benefits of moving into the private sector and discussed what his former agency can do better to attract industry collaboration. Speaking Wednesday at the Black Hat cybersecurity conference in Las Vegas, Chris Krebs said moving into private practice has been “lucrative.” The last 18 months “for me have probably been the most fun in my career. Yes, I had fun at CISA. I’m having more fun now. ... We get paid pretty well in this industry.” Krebs said he ran compensation models at CISA trying to figure out why government isn’t attracting the necessary talent: “When you look at pay in this industry, it’s pretty illuminating.”
President Joe Biden signed the Chips and Science Act into law Tuesday, calling it a “once in a generation” investment that will help address the supply chain shortage, inflation, national security, jobs and climate change. He spoke for about 20 minutes before signing HR-4346 during a ceremony in the Rose Garden with dozens of congressional, administrative and industry attendees (see 2207280060 and 2208030052)
The U.S. would be in a “better place” if social media companies took “more responsibility” for misuse of their platforms, FBI Director Christopher Wray told the Senate Judiciary Committee during an oversight hearing Thursday. Wray told members the bureau is doing what it can to monitor social media to combat domestic terrorism and other criminal activity.
Bipartisan legislation that would ban Big Tech platforms from self-preferencing products won’t get to the Senate floor, Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, told us last week. Other Republicans voiced frustration in interviews over comments from Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., who reportedly told fundraiser attendees last week that the American Innovation and Choice Online Act (S-2992) doesn’t have the 10 Republican votes needed to clear the 60-vote threshold.