In December 2012, the European Network and Information Security Agency (ENISA) published a set of (non-binding) Guidelines titled, “Appropriate security measures for smart grids; Guidelines to assess the sophistication of security measures implementation”. The Guidelines are intended to help EU Member States and smart grid stakeholders improve the resilience of smart grid cyber security systems
2012
Investment Funds Not Liable for Pension Plans of Portfolio Companies, Court Rules
Private equity and other investment fund managers can exhale (at least a little bit) following a recent court ruling that investment funds are not liable for the ERISA obligations of their portfolio companies. The ruling expressly rejects a 2007 Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation (“PBGC”) letter ruling and contradicts an earlier court decision that supported the…
CJEU Clarifies Medical Device Borderline
By Brian Kelly
This post originally appeared on our sister blog, InsideMedicalDevices.
The Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) has recently ruled that products which fall within the definition of a medical device, but are not intended by their manufacturer to be used for a “medical purpose,” do not fall within the scope of the…
New Report Shows Surge in Outside Group Spending Relative to Candidates and Parties
Outside groups spent more than $1 billion during the 2012 election, according to a report released last week by Public Citizen. Public Citizen asserts that this record-setting figure exceeds the total spent by outside groups in the four previous election cycles combined. Other key findings of the report include:
- In four of the top 10
…
FCC Begins Implementing mHealth Task Force Recommendations
In response to recommendations by the mHealth Task Force, the Federal Communications Commission has launched a new website to serve as a central repository for the FCC’s health care-related work and is searching for a new position to coordinate the agency’s health care technology-related initiatives. Chairman Genachowski convened the FCC’s first mHealth Summit earlier this…
Google Executives Acquitted in Italian Privacy Case
On Friday, an Italian appeals court in Milan overturned the 2010 criminal conviction of three Google Inc. executives for violating the privacy of a disabled boy by allowing a video of students bullying him to appear on Google Video. In February 2010, a court handed down six-month prison sentences to three senior Google executives—Senior Vice…
Senate Passes VPPA Amendment; Bill Heads to President Obama
Last night, the Senate passed an amendment to the Video Privacy Protection Act, 18 U.S.C. § 2710, designed to make it easier for users to share their online video viewing activities. (We’ve discussed the amendment’s content here and here.) President Obama is expected to sign the bill into law. Netflix, the most prominent backer…
Proposed EU Rules Impact Commercial Testing Laboratories
By Robin Blaney
This post originally appeared on our sister blog, InsideMedicalDevices.
The European Commission has proposed a revision to the regulatory framework for in vitro diagnostic medical devices (IVDs) that could have a significant impact on the operations of commercial laboratories in the EU or those offering testing services to customers in the EU.
Laboratory-Developed Tests
Under current…
Another New Jersey Pay-to-Play Law
As part of a continuing trend of New Jersey municipalities adopting local pay-to-play laws, Jersey City, NJ, has enacted an ordinance that “restricts city vendors that win no-bid contracts from donating more than $200 to the campaigns of school-board candidates and to some state Senate and Assembly candidates.” According to NJ.com, the ordinance also…
The New COPPA Rule: What Exactly Did the FTC Change?
Check out the FTC’s additions, subtractions, and relocations in this comparison of the old and new COPPA rules.