Emission regulations, a proposed carbon tax in Australia, patent and trademark suits, and more.
- The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) issued a final Cross-State Air Pollution Rule requiring states to drastically reduce levels of sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxide smokestack emissions, which often blow long distances and contribute to health problems from soot and smog. The rule replaced the 2005 Clean Air Interstate Rule (CAIR) that the D.C. Circuit in 2008 ordered the EPA to revise.
- Australia’s Prime Minister Julia Gillard proposed a carbon tax that would apply to the continent’s largest carbon dioxide producers.
- Apple filed a second complaint with the U.S. International Trade Commission (USITC) alleging patent infringement by Taiwanese smart phone manufacturer HTC. Apple requested that the Commission conduct an investigation in accordance with its authority to administer fair trade laws.
- A ruling by the European Court of Justice (ECJ) found that eBay may be liable for trademark infringement caused by goods sold through its online auction site if eBay actively assisted in the sale.
- The House Subcommittee on Cybersecurity, Infrastructure Protection, and Security Technologies investigated ways for the Federal Protective Service (FPS) to strengthen its protection of federal facilities. The FPS is under scrutiny after incidents such as when a bomb sat unchecked for weeks at the McNamara Federal Building in Detroit last March.
- Outgoing Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) chair Sheila Bair shared her thoughts in the New York Times Magazine on the aftermath of the 2008 financial crisis. Bair strongly criticized the handling of government bailouts.
- In response to the Dodd-Frank Act, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) issued an order revising the client asset and net worth thresholds for exempting investment advisers from the normal prohibition on charging performance-based fees.
- The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) solicited comments on draft guidance for the Egg Safety Rule, which was promulgated in July 2009 to prevent salmonella from contaminating eggs on the farm and during storage and transportation.
