A commercial printer that made banners and other advertising material including Ford trademarks for car dealers did not use those marks in commerce as required for a finding of trademark infringement under federal law, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit ruled Feb. 16 (National Business Forms and Printing Inc. v. Ford Motor Co., 5th Cir., No. 100023, 2/16/12).

The Patent and Trademark Office held Feb. 17 the first of seven “roadshows” on implementation of the America Invents Act at its headquarters in Alexandria, Va.

The Department of Justice filed a 90-page superseding indictment Feb. 16 against the operators of the cyber locker website Megaupload.com, adding additional criminal copyright infringement charges, and five counts of wire fraud (U.S. v. Megaupload Ltd., E.D. Va., No. 1:12CR3, superseding indictment filed 2/16/12).

Federal Communications Commission Chairman Julius Genachowski told lawmakers he will consider closing a rulemaking docket that was opened in 2010 to reclassify broadband as a basic utility subject to strict, telephone service-like regulation.

With the passage of a 10-month payroll tax cut extension, the broadcasting industry emerged relatively unscathed from one of its biggest political and policy battles in years.

Vice President Joe Biden Feb. 21 announced the release of a report from the Council of Economic Advisers highlighting the importance of “incentive” spectrum auctions, as a vital offset for the just-passed payroll tax cut extension.

North Carolina was granted a one-year adjustment to a health reform regulation on insurer spending on medical claims and quality improvements, while Wisconsin's request was denied, the Department of Health and Human Services announced Feb. 16.

Consumer advocates told a House panel Feb. 15 that stronger medical device safety oversight is needed, especially now that the Food and Drug Administration has a potential new user fee agreement with industry.

LAS VEGAS—Health information technology industry stakeholders should comment extensively both on what they like and do not like about soon-to-be-released proposed regulations for Stage 2 of the Medicare and Medicaid electronic health record incentive programs from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services and the Office of the National Coordinator for Health IT, an ONC official said Feb. 22.

President Obama's $3.803 trillion fiscal year 2013 budget plan retains previous administration proposals to nearly double the wireless spectrum available for mobile broadband and to create a nationwide, interoperable, public safety broadband network that would link fire, police, and emergency first-responders in the event of a national emergency, such as the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001.