We recently prepared a summary of the top developments and trends in electronic discovery that came out of 2011. Given the evolving nature of this area of the law, understanding the key events from last year can help with this year’s e-discovery challenges. To see what made our list, click here. Among the highlights: "Computer-assisted … Continue Reading
As part of the Fiscal Year (FY) 2013 budget appropriations process, Dr. Subra Suresh, Director of the National Science Foundation (NSF), appeared before the House Committee on Appropriations Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies on Tuesday, 03/06/2012, to present and respond to the subcommittee members questions about the NSF’s proposed 2013 budget. According to Dr. … Continue Reading
Today’s issue of the Federal Register carries a "Notice of Public Meeting", announcing the 2012 Regional, State and Local (RSL) Initiatives in Nanotechnology workshop, to be held 1-2 May in Portland, Oregon. This workshop will bring together leaders of regional, state, and local organizations to engage in dialog with the Federal government; economic development groups; … Continue Reading
This note is a reminder of the expiration of the grandfather provision under the Massachusetts Data Security Regulations, summarized here, which expires on March 1, 2012. Any applicable third party service provider contract entered into prior to March 1, 2010 must incorporate the appropriate security measures for personal information as specified in the regulations. Companies … Continue Reading
In the first-known judicial opinion in which a court has recognized that the use of computer-assisted review is an acceptable way to search for relevant electronically stored information (ESI) in appropriate cases, Magistrate Judge Andrew J. Peck of the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York issued an opinion on Friday … Continue Reading
Earlier this month, the U.K.’s Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) and the Technology Strategy Board (TSB) announced that they would be providing grants totalling over £6.5 million ($10,285,345.31) to seven business-led projects that will focus on developing therapeutic agents and diagnostics where nanoscale technologies are at the heart of the innovation. The aim of the investment … Continue Reading
The US Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) has posted a warning on its website regarding solicitations that appear to be official notices (Click here for a sample). The notices come from private companies that are not associated with the USPTO. The notice is typically made to resemble an official notice from the USPTO by including … Continue Reading
Remember to register transliterations as well as English versions of your trademarks in China and elsewhere. NBA legend Michael Jordan initiated a suit in China alleging the unauthorized use of his name by a Chinese sportswear and footwear manufacturer. Michael Jordan became a worldwide basketball star in the 1980s and 1990s. Qiaodan Sports Company Ltd., … Continue Reading
The January 23, 2012 issue of Bloomberg BNA’s Daily Environment Report carried an article (Repoduced with permission from Daily Environment Report, 13 DEN A-11, 1/23/2012. Copyright -2012 by the Bureau of National Affairs, Inc (800-372-1033 http://www/bna.com) "Government, Industry, advocacy Groups Work on Carbon Nanotube Release Measures" that focused on the work of the NanoRelease Project. As … Continue Reading
The National Nanotechnology Coordination Office, in a "Notice of Public Meeting" published in the Federal Register of 02/02/2012, announced that on March 27-28 of this year, it would be holding an "International Symposium on Assessing the Economic Impact of Nanotechnology". The symposium, organized by the National Nanotechnology Initiative and theOrganization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD). The … Continue Reading
The Sedona Conference® recently published the International Principles on Discovery, Disclosure & Data Protection (“International Principles”) through its Working Group 6 on International Electronic Information Management, Discovery and Disclosure. The Sedona Conference® launched Working Group 6 in 2005 to bring the most experienced attorneys, judges, privacy and compliance officers, technology-thought leaders, and academics from around the … Continue Reading
Among the United Kingdom’s many traditions is the Queen’s New Year’ Honors List, a list of politicians, actors, writers and others awarded with knighthoods for distinguished services in fields ranging from charitable work to business to acting. Among this years honorees are Professors Andre Geim and Konstantin Novoselov, both of the University of Manchester. As noted here in October … Continue Reading
On December 21, 2011, the International Center for Technology Assessment (ICTA), along with fellow plaintiffs Friends of the Earth (FOE), the Center for Environmental Health, Food and Water Watch, the Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy, and the Action Group on Erosion, Technology and Concentration filed a complaint in the US District Court for the District of Norther California … Continue Reading
In a statement published on December 8, 2011, the Association of German Data Protection Agencies known as the “Duesseldorfer Kreis,” (“DK”) issued an opinion summarizing the minimum compliance criteria for operators of social networks in Germany: Transparent privacy policy and informed consent are essential for protecting the right to data privacy Opt-out solutions are insufficient, … Continue Reading
FTC Audit Agreement According to various news reports, Facebook and the FTC are about to enter into an agreement which will subject Facebook to privacy audits for the next 20 years. The agreement will apparently require Facebook to obtain prior express consent before making public any information to which the user had granted limited access … Continue Reading
The Article 29 Working Party outlined its agenda for 2012 at a recent plenary meeting in Brussels. Not surprisingly, the top priority is a new legal framework for data protection. But other topics, some of interest for US data protection developments, were discussed as well. Revision of the EU data protection framework: To ensure that … Continue Reading
In the midst of "The Great Recession" the last month’s announcement by Governor Andrew Cuomo of New York that a consortium composed of IBM, Intel, Samsung Electronics US, Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC), and Globalfoundries, will be investing $4.4 billion over five years to create R&D facilities in Albany, Utica, and other cities in upstate New York, for the … Continue Reading
A new top level domain will soon be available for use by adult entertainment providers. In order to address concerns from trademark owners not in the adult entertainment industry, a sunrise reservation period has been established to enable trademark owners to reserve or "block" the new adult entertainment industry domain names that correspond to their registered … Continue Reading
Congress returns to Washington from the August recess this week and among the bills that may come up for consideration between now and the end of the 1st session of the 112th Congress is H.R. 2359, the "Safe Cosmetics Act of 2011", introduced by Rep. Janice Schakowsky (D-IL-9th) on June 24, 2011 and subsequently referred … Continue Reading
Denmark’s Environmental Protection Agency (DEPA) recently released "Survey on basic knowledge about exposure and potential environmental and health risks for selected nanoparticles". The survey was written by Sonja Hagen Mikkelsen, Erik Hansen and Trine Boe Christensen of COWI A/S, Anders Baun and Steffen Foss Hansen of DTU Environment and Mona-Lise Binderup of DTU Food, all working under contract with … Continue Reading
In my last entry I stressed the importance of complying with the various consent requirements hidden in European data protection laws. To prove my point and to illustrate further the high standards imposed by the German Data Protection Law, a regional German DPA (das “Unabhängige Landeszentrum für Datenschutz” in Schleswig Holstein or “ULD”) has taken … Continue Reading
"Rep. Michael H. 'Mike' Honda", "Steve Westly" "H.R. 2745" "The NANO Act" "The Nanotechnology Advancement and New Opportunities Act", "Blue Ribbon Task Force on Nanotechnology" "Thinking Big about Thinking Small: An Action Plan for California" "National Science Foundation" "Incubator" "Tax Credit" "Secretary of Commerce" "Secretary of Energy" "Secretary of Homeland Security" "Secretary of Health and Human Services" "Environmental Protection Agency" "House Committee on Ways and Means" "House Committee on Homeland Security" "House Committee on Science, Space and Technology" "House Committee on Energy and Commerce" "Nanomanufacturing" "Congress" "August Recess"… Continue Reading
Any US company that receives data about individuals living in the European Union must be familiar with the basic principles of consent and data protection within the EU to avoid costly mistakes that are easily made in obtaining consent, should the validity of such consent be challenged by the EU data protection agencies. While certain … Continue Reading
Wednesday’s Federal Register carried a notice from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) extending the comment period for proposed methods of collecting information regarding the use of nanoscale materials in pesticides published in the Federal Register of June 17, 2011. The original deadline for submitting comments was July 18, 2011. The deadline for submission has been extended … Continue Reading
