Roy Mark

An expired R&D tax credit bill that a tech industry group was trying to revive got new life Thursday when Congress approved a one-year, $7.56 billion extension for the program. “Research and development is the lifeblood of the technology industry so we are pleased that a seamless R&D extension has been added to this bill,” […]

An expired R&D tax credit bill got a fresh breath of life today and may get full congressional approval as early as Friday. A joint House-Senate conference committee revived the new $7.56 billion R&D extension, which is limited to work performed in the United States with approximately 75 percent of the credits devoted to employee […]

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Senate Commerce Committee narrowly approved legislation Wednesday intended to protect wireless customers from having their cellular numbers listed without their consent in a proposed national E411 directory. Led by the Cellular Telecommunications and Internet Association (CTIA), five of the country’s six largest cellular carriers are planning a wireless directory to be […]

WASHINGTON — Anti-spyware legislation took a major step forward Wednesday when the U.S. Senate Commerce Committee approved a bill to outlaw spyware that is loaded on a computer without the user’s consent. The SPYBLOCK (Software Principles Yielding Better Levels of Consumer Knowledge) Act sponsored by Sen. Conrad Burns (R-Mont.) requires that consumers be given clear […]

WASHINGTON — Verizon Wireless, the nation’s largest wireless carrier, clashed with other cellular carriers on Tuesday, telling a U.S. Senate committee that a proposed national wireless telephone directory is a “terrible idea” and should be scrapped. A working group of national wireless carriers organized by the Cellular Telecommunications and Internet Association (CTIA) began planning the […]

The U.S. House of Representatives joined the Senate Tuesday in passing privacy protections against video voyeurism. The House bill makes it a crime to engage in illicit photography or “cyber peeking” on federal property. The legislation calls for maximum fines of $100,000 with possible jail time of up to one year. Bill author Mike Oxley […]

Only a day after Democratic presidential nominee John Kerry criticized President Bush’s China trade policy enforcement, the United States Trade Representative (USTR) office said Thursday it would seek additional industry input on Beijing’s enforcement of intellectual property laws. Earlier this week, Kerry wrote an editorial in The Wall Street Journal saying the Bush administration “refuses […]

French telecom equipment maker Alcatel increased its North American footprint with the acquisitions of Spatial Wireless and eDial. The deals, announced Friday morning, will cost Alcatel about $277 million in cash and stock. Richardson, Texas-based Spatial Wireless develops software-based and multi-standard distributed mobile switching solutions. Its flagship product, Spatial Atrium, is a multi-standard mobile softswitch […]

WASHINGTON — Most Internet sports gambling proponents are perfectly happy with Congress’ apparent lack of interest in creating any new laws against cyber wagering. Two years ago, when the 108th Congress convened, the gambling lobby said maintaining the status quo would be a victory. David Carruthers, on the other hand, is not happy at all. […]

As the 108th Congress scrambles in its final days to address homeland security issues, U.S. Reps. Mac Thornberry (R-Texas) and Zoe Lofgren (D-Calif.) are focusing on the state of U.S. cybersecurity. Thornberry, chairman of the Homeland Security Subcommittee on Cybersecurity, Science, and Research and Development, and Lofgren, the panel’s ranking member, have introduced The Department […]

WASHINGTON — German chipmaker Infineon has agreed to plead guilty and pay a $160 million fine for participating in what the Department of Justice (DOJ) calls an international price-fixing conspiracy in the memory chip market. The fine is the third largest in U.S. antitrust history. According to the felony charge filed in the U.S. District […]

A federal court today struck down a Pennsylvania state law requiring Internet service providers (ISPs) to block access to Web sites that contain child pornography. The ruling states the controversial measure was a violation of constitutionally protected free speech. ISPs had been forced to block Web sites that shared domain names or IP addresses with […]