Source: http://www.techlawjournal.com/alert/2005/06/27.asp
Timestamp: 2019-04-18 10:56:35+00:00

Document:
TLJ Daily E-Mail Alert No. 1,162, June 27, 2005.
June 27, 2005, 9:00 AM ET, Alert No. 1,162.
6/24. The U.S. Court of Appeals (1stCir) issued its opinion in Laffey v. Begin, a case regarding the First Amendment, radio broadcasting, and government regulation of political speech. The Court of Appeals found a procedural pretext for punting the case back to the District Court.
WPRO-AM is radio station located in the state of Rhode Island. It broadcast a weekly talk radio program that featured the Mayor of Cranston, Rhode Island, Stephen Laffey.
The Chairman of the Cranston City Council, a political rival of Laffey, filed a complaint with the Rhode Island State Board of Elections alleging that WPRO-AM's radio program constitutes a political contribution in violation of state election election. Laffey is not now an candidate for any office, state or federal.
Roger Begin is the Chairman of the Board of Elections.
The Board of Elections ordered Laffey to cease and desist from speaking via this radio program.
Laffey then filed a complaint in U.S. District Court (DRI) against Begin and the other members of the Board of Elections alleging that their order violates his rights under the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution. The District Court denied Laffey's request for a preliminary injunction. Laffey then brought this interlocutory appeal.
After oral argument, the Board of Elections stayed the operation of the cease and desist order pending resolution of the state law questions by the Rhode Island Supreme Court. But, there is no pending action in state court. The Court of Appeals then determined that the issue on appeal, the denial of a preliminary injunction, is moot. It remanded the case to the District Court.
All of the underlying legal issues in the case pertaining to the First Amendment, broadcast speech, and government regulation of political speech, remain unresolved.
This case is Stephen Laffey v. Roger Begin, et al., App. Ct. Nos. 05-1750 and 05-1790, appeals from the U.S. District Court for the District of Rhode Island, Judge Mary Lisi presiding. Judge Selya wrote the opinion of the Court of Appeals, in which Judges Lynch and Howard joined.
6/24. The U.S. Court of Appeals (4thCir) issued its opinion [PDF] in Invention Submission Corporation v. Dudas, a case brought by an invention promoter against the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO). This is the second time that this case has been before the Court of Appeals.
See, story titled "4th Circuit Rules USPTO Ad Campaign Was Not A Reviewable Final Agency Action" in TLJ Daily E-Mail Alert No. 839, February 18, 2004.
Invention Submission Corporation (ISC) filed a complaint in U.S. District Court (EDVa) against James Rogan, the former Director of the USPTO, in his official capacity. The action now bears the name of Jonathan Dudas, the current head of the USPTO.
ISC alleged violation of the Administrative Procedure Act (APA). ISC alleged that the USPTO's advertising campaign in 2002 to alert the public about invention promotion scams was aimed at ISC and harmed ISC. ISC alleged that this ad campaign was an illegal final agency action that was arbitrary and capricious, and that exceeded the statutory authority of the USPTO. The ad campaign did not mention ISC. However, it quoted an inventor who had paid money to ISC.
The District Court dismissed the complaint, pursuant to Rule 12(b)(6), for failure to state a claim upon which relief can be granted. ISC appealed.
The Court of Appeals, in its previous opinion, vacated and remanded with instructions that the District Court dismiss pursuant to Rule 12(b)(1), for lack of subject matter jurisdiction, on the grounds that the ad campaign was not a final agency action.
On remand, ISC filed a motion for leave to file an amended complaint for the purpose of avoiding the jurisdictional issue. The District Court denied the motion, and dismissed for lack of subject matter jurisdiction.
ISC appealed again. The Court of Appeals, in the present opinion, affirmed. It held that when it issues a mandate to dismiss a case, it means it.
This case is Invention Submission Corporation v. Jonathan Dudas, App. Ct. No. 04-2295, an appeal from the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia, at Alexandria, Judge Leonie Brinkema presiding, D.C. No. CA-02-1038-1.
6/24. Charles Schneider was named Executive Director of the Federal Trade Commission (FTC). He was Deputy Administrator at the National Gallery of Art. Judith Bailey, who has been the acting Executive Director since January 2005, will return to the position of Deputy Executive Director. See, FTC release.
6/23. The Senate Commerce Committee approved by voice votes the nominations of Edmund Hawley (to be Assistant Secretary of Homeland Security for the Transportation Security Administration), Israel Hernandez (to be Assistant Secretary of Commerce and Director General of the United States and Foreign Commercial Service), William Jeffrey (to be Director of the National Institute of Standards and Technology), Ashok Kaveeshwar (to be Administrator of the Research and Innovative Technology Administration at the Department of Transportation), David Sampson (to be Deputy Secretary of Commerce), and John Sullivan (to be General Counsel of the Department of Commerce). Hawley's nomination now goes to the Senate Homeland Security and Government Affairs Committee. See, SCC release.
6/24. The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) announced, but did not release, a notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM) regarding International Fixed Public Radiocommunications Services (IFPRS). The FCC issued a short release [PDF] in which it states that this NPRM proposes to eliminate Part 23 of its rules, which govern IFPRS, and to apply part 101 of its rules, which governs domestic services, to the two remaining IFPRS licensees. This is Docket Nos. 00-248 & 05-216.
6/23. The Senate Judiciary Committee (SJC) held an executive business meeting. It held over consideration of S 751, the "Notification of Risk to Personal Data Act".
The House will meet at 12:30 PM for morning hour, and at 2:00 PM for legislative business. Votes will be postponed until 6:30 PM. The House will consider numerous non-technology related items under suspension of the rules. See, Republican Whip Notice.
The Senate will meet at 1:00 PM for morning business. At 3:00 PM the Senate will resume consideration of HR 2361, the Interior appropriations bill.
The Supreme Court will meet. It will probably issue opinions in MGM v. Grokster, regarding copyright and peer to peer systems, and NCTA v. Brand X, regarding regulation of broadband internet services.
8:00 AM - 5:00 PM. Day one of a two day workshop hosted by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) regarding the Federal Information Processing Standards (FIPS) 201 implementation. Registration is required. See, notice in the Federal Register, June 9, 2005, Vol. 70, No. 110, at Pages 33734. Location: undisclosed.
1:00 - 5:00 PM. The Antitrust Modernization Commission will hold a hearing on indirect purchaser litigation. See, notice in the Federal Register, June 27, 2005, Vol. 70, No. 109, at Pages 33447 - 33448. Location: Federal Trade Commission, 600 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW, Room 432.
Extended deadline to submit reply comments to the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) in response to its notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM) in its proceeding titled "In the matter of Amendment of the Commission’s Rules to Facilitate the Use of Cellular Telephones and other Wireless Devices Aboard Airborne Aircraft". The FCC adopted this NPRM on December 15, 2004. See, story titled "FCC Announces NPRM on Cellphones in Airplanes" in TLJ Daily E-Mail Alert No. 1,039, December 16, 2004. See also, story titled "FCC Adopts Order and NPRM Regarding Air Ground Service in the 800 MHz Band" in TLJ Daily E-Mail Alert No. 1,040, December 17, 2004. The FCC released the text [28 pages PDF scan] of this NPRM on February 15, 2005. This NPRM is FCC 04-187 in WT Docket No. 04-435. See, order [2 pages in PDF] (DA 05-1015) dated April 5, 2005 extending deadlines.
Extended deadline to submit comments to the Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) in response to its notice in the Federal Register pertaining to deemed exports. The BIS seeks comments regarding the report [64 pages in PDF] written by the Department of Commerce's (DOC) Office of Inspector General (OIG) titled "Deemed Export Controls May Not Stop the Transfer of Sensitive Technology to Foreign Nationals in the U.S.". See, Federal Register, March 28, 2005, Vol. 70, No. 58, at Pages 15607 - 15609. See also, notice in the Federal Register, May 27, 2005, Vol. 70, No. 102, at Pages 30655 - 30656.
Deadline to submit initial comments to the Federal Communications Commission's (FCC) Office of Engineering and Technology (OET) in response to its Public Notice [PDF] regarding the United Telecom Council (UTC) request to be the Access Broadband over Power Line (Access BPL) database manager. This is DA 05-1637, dated June 9, 2005, in ET Docket No. 04-37.
The 800 MHz band reconfiguration will begin, in the National Public Safety Planning Advisory Committee (NPSPAC) regions assigned to Wave 1. See, public notice [5 pages in PDF] of the Federal Communications Commission's (FCC) Wireless Telecommunications Bureau. The FCC adopted a report and order on July 8, 2004 that addressed the problem of interference to 800 MHz public safety communications systems from Commercial Mobile Radio Services (CMRS) providers operating systems on channels in close proximity. See, story titled "FCC Adopts Report and Order Regarding Interference in the 800 MHz Band" in TLJ Daily E-Mail Alert No. 936, July 13, 2004. This public notice is DA 05-1546 in WT Docket No. 02-55.
The House will meet at 9:00 AM for morning hour, and at 10:00 AM for legislative business. The House will take up HR 3057, the "Foreign Operations, Export Financing and Related Programs Appropriations Act for Fiscal Year 2006". See, Republican Whip Notice.
8:00 AM - 5:00 PM. Day two of a two day workshop hosted by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) regarding the Federal Information Processing Standards (FIPS) 201 implementation. Registration is required. See, notice in the Federal Register, June 9, 2005, Vol. 70, No. 110, at Pages 33734. Location: undisclosed.
9:00 AM. The Senate Finance Committee will meet to mark up S 1307, a bill to implement the Dominican Republic -- Central America -- United States Free Trade Agreement, and SJRes18, a resolution approving the renewal of import restrictions contained in the Burmese Freedom and Democracy Act of 2003. Location: Room 216, Hart Building.
9:30 AM. Day one of a two day hearing of the Federal Election Commission (FEC) regarding its proposed rules regarding regulation of speech on the internet. See, notice and notice in the Federal Register, Vol. 70, No. 63 April 4, 2005, at pages 16967 - 16979. See also, list of witnesses, with links to written comments. Location: FEC, 999 E Street, NW.
10:00 AM. The House Judiciary Committee's (HJC) Subcommittee on Courts, the Internet and Intellectual Property (CIIP) will meet to mark up HR 2791, the "Patent and Trademark Fee Modernization Act of 2005", and HR 2955, the "Intellectual Property Jurisdiction Clarification Act of 2005". Press contact: Jeff Lungren or Terry Shawn at 202 225-2492. This hearing will be webcast by the HJC. Location: Room 2141, Rayburn Building.
CANCELLED. 10:00 AM - 1:00 PM. The Federal Communications Commission's (FCC) Network Reliability and Interoperability Council (NRIC) will meet. See, notice in the Federal Register, June 1, 2005, Vol. 70, No. 104, at Page 31470. Location: FCC, 445 12th St., SW, Room TW-305. See, notice of cancellation in the Federal Register, June 22, 2005, Vol. 70, No. 119, at Page 36169.
10:30 AM. The Heritage Foundation will host a panel discussion titled "Restoring Fairness to the Judicial Confirmation Process in the United States Senate". The speakers will be Sen. Bill Frist (R-TN) and former Attorney General Ed Meese. See, notice. Location: Heritage, 214 Massachusetts Ave., NE.
2:00 - 3:00 PM. The Federal Communications Commission's (FCC) North American Numbering Council (NANC) will meet by teleconference. See, Public Notice numbered DA 05-1620, and dated June 9, 2005.
3:00 - 5:00 PM. The House Science Committee's Subcommittee on Environment, Technology, and Standards will hold a hearing titled "Small Business Innovation and Research: What is the Optimal role of Venture Capital?". The witnesses will be Ron Cohen (CEO of Acorda Technologies), Ann Eskesen (President of Innovation Development Institute, and Jonathan Cohen (CEO 20/20 Gene Systems). Press contact: Joe Pouliot at 225-0581 or joe dot pouliot at mail dot house dot gov. Location: Room 2318, Rayburn Building.
Day one of a four day conference of the Wireless Communications Association International (WCA) titled "WCA 2005". See, FCC notice and notice in the Federal Register, June 14, 2005, Vol. 70, No. 113, at Pages 34477 - 34478.
9:30 AM. The Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee will hold a hearing on vulnerabilities in the U.S. passport system. See, notice. Location: Room 562, Dirsksen Building.
9:30 AM. Day two of a two day hearing of the Federal Election Commission (FEC) regarding its proposed rules regarding regulation of speech on the internet. See, notice and notice in the Federal Register, Vol. 70, No. 63 April 4, 2005, at pages 16967 - 16979. See also, list of witnesses, with links to written comments. Location: FEC, 999 E Street, NW.
? 10:00 AM. The Senate Commerce Committee (SCC) may hold a hearing on "Spectrum/DTV". This event is not on the SCC's calendar. It is on a Senate calendar. Press contact: Melanie Alvord (Stevens) at 202 224-8456 or Melanie_Alvord at commerce dot senate dot gov, or Andy Davis (Inouye) at 202 224-4546 or Andy_Davis at commerce dot senate dot gov. Location: Room 253, Russell Building.
10:00 AM. The House Science Committee's Subcommittee on Research will hold a hearing titled "Nanotechnology: Where Does the U.S. Stand?". The witnesses will be Floyd Kvamme (Co-Chair of the President's Council of Advisors on Science and Technology), Padmasree Warrior (CTO of Motorola), Sean Murdock (NanoBusiness Alliance), and Matthew Nordan (Lux Research). Press contact: Joe Pouliot at 225-0581 or joe dot pouliot at mail dot house dot gov. Location: Room 2318, Rayburn Building.
10:00 AM. The House Homeland Security Committee's Subcommittee on Economic Security, Infrastructure Protection, and Cybersecurity will hold a hearing titled "Improving Pre-Screening of Aviation Passengers against Terrorist and Other Watch Lists". Location: undisclosed.
12:15 PM. The Federal Communications Bar Association's (FCBA) Young Lawyers Committee will host a brown bag lunch titled "Analyze This: Financial Analysts Explain the Impact of Telecom Regulation on Investors". The speakers will be Rudolfo Baca (Precursor Group), Paul Glenchur (Stanford Washington Research Group), and Susan Lynner (Prudential Financial). No RSVP necessary. For more information, contact Debrea Terwilliger at 202 383-3349 or debrea dot terwilliger at wbklaw dot com, or Jason Friedrich at 202 354-1340 or jason dot friedrich at dbr dot com. Location: Willkie Farr & Gallagher, 1875 K Street, NW, 2nd Floor.
2:00 PM. The House Armed Services Committee will hold a hearing titled "Small Business Technologies". Some of the witnesses will address electronics and information technologies. Location: Room 2118, Rayburn Building.
Day two of a four day conference of the Wireless Communications Association International (WCA) titled "WCA 2005". See, notice. Location: Marriott Wardman Park Hotel.
? The House Judiciary Committee's Subcommittee on Courts, the Internet and Intellectual Property (CIIP) may meet to mark up HR 2795, the "Patent Act of 2005". Rep. Lamar Smith (R-TX), the Chairman of the CIIP Subcommittee, announced this meeting at a hearing on June 9, 2005. See, story titled "House CIIP Subcommittee Holds Hearing on Patent Bill" in TLJ Daily E-Mail Alert No. 1,151, June 10, 2005. However, this meeting does not appear on the Committee's calendar. Location: Room 2141, Rayburn Building.
9:30 AM. The Senate Judiciary Committee (SJC) may hold an executive business meeting. The SJC frequently cancels meetings without notice. See, notice. Press contact: Blain Rethmeier (Specter) at 202 224-5225, David Carle (Leahy) at 202 224-4242 or Tracy Schmaler (Leahy) at 202 224-2154. Location: Room 226, Dirksen Building.
10:00 AM. The Senate Commerce Committee's Subcommittee on Technology, Innovation, and Competitiveness will hold a hearing on health information technology. The witnesses will be David Brailer (Department of Health and Human Services), Carolyn Clancy (DHHS), Hratch Semerjian (National Institute of Standards and Technology), Jonathan Perlin (Department of Veterans Affairs), Susan Bostrom (Cisco Systems), John Glaser (Partners HealthCare System), Peter Basch (MedStar Health), Pamela Pure (McKesson Corporation), and Karen Ignagni (America’s Health Insurance Plans). See, notice. The hearing will be webcast. Press contact: Melanie Alvord (Stevens) at 202 224-8456 or Melanie_Alvord at commerce dot senate dot gov, or Andy Davis (Inouye) at 202 224-4546 or Andy_Davis at commerce dot senate dot gov. Location: Room 253, Russell Building.

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