While the dangers of talking on cell phones while driving have been well documented in everything from government-funded studies to the TV show Mythbusters, a similar threat may be overlooked by the existing bans in many states. According to a new poll from Harris Interactive, 91 percent of American drivers believe that text messaging while driving is as dangerous as drinking and driving.
Tag Archive: legislation
France’s Toned-Down iTunes Law Draws Ire
French lawmakers have given final approval to a proposed copyright law which could force Apple Computer and other digital media distributors to make their services interoperable with devices and technology from other developers and manufacturers. The vote was the last legislative procedure before the bill would become law, although a constitutional challenge against it was filed last week by France’s opposition Socialist party.
Although the current version of the legislation is significantly toned down from earlier versions put before the French Parliament months ago, the move is still drawing strong fire from technology groups, claiming the law will stifle innovation and possibly lead to major media distributors withdrawing from the French market altogether. Apple Computer famously described the original version of the legislation as “state-sponsored piracy.”
CEA Concerned With Copyright Enforcement
The following statement was issued today by Consumer Electronics Association (CEA) President and CEO Gary Shapiro regarding the The Intellectual Property Protection Act (H.R. 2391):
“On behalf of the Consumer Electronics Association (CEA), I express grave concern over several titles included in H.R. 2391. This legislation combines several intellectual property-related bills into one piece of omnibus legislation. In total it is a lot like a Clint Eastwood movie. Some of it is good. Some of it is bad. And some of it is downright ugly.
“We support the Artists’ Rights and Theft Protection (ART) segment of this legislation, and we appreciate the willingness of Congress to make accommodations that recognize our concerns.
EU Spam Legislation Won’t Stop Spam From US
The legislation, introduced into the UK in December 2003, seeks to ban emails sent from a business to an individual without their permission. However this rule does not apply to any unsolicited emails sent from outside the EU.
MessageLabs’ research shows that, in January 2004, 76.4% of spam emails to UK addresses originated from computers in the USA. This figure is likely to rise to 79.3% by March this year. This means the vast majority of spam found in UK inboxes is not covered by the EU Directive legislation. Indeed all anti-spam legislation enacted worldwide only covers email originating from within its regulated area, which greatly weakens its potential effectiveness.
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