Issue 14 - August 2006

• COPYRIGHT LAW, SECOND EDITION
  Robert A. Gorman, Federal Judicial Center. May 2006. Web-posted June 16, 2006.
  
  This text provides an overview of U.S. copyright law from its origins in English common law through recent Supreme Court cases. It provides judges and other officials with an excellent grounding in the essential concepts and statutory and case law in U.S. copyright matters. The monograph covers the duration and renewal of copyright, ownership of copyright, and copyright procedures, as well as jurisdictional and procedural issues and the preemption of state law by federal copyright statutes. The author covers developments in case law through May 1, 2006.
  
  http://www.fjc.gov/public/pdf.nsf/lookup/copyright.pdf/$file/copyright.pdf [pdf format]

• ECOSYSTEMS AND BIODIVERSITY IN DEEP WATERS AND HIGH SEAS
  Kristina M. Gjerde. United Nations Environment Program (UNEP), Regional Seas Program; World Conservation Union (IUCN). June 16, 2006.
  
  The author of this report argues that lessons learned on conserving coastal waters should be adapted and applied across the entire marine realm, including deep waters and high seas regions, areas beyond national jurisdiction. More than 90 per cent of the planet's living biomass is found in the oceans. The report underlines the value of the deep seas and open oceans and highlights how science is only now just getting to grips with the wealth of life, natural resources and ecosystems existing in the marine world.
  
  [Note: Contains copyrighted material.]
  http://www.unep.org/pdf/IUCN_Report_16June06.pdf [pdf format, 60 pages] ]

• GLOBAL LEGAL MONITOR
  Law Library of Congress. May 2006.
  
  Drawing from official national legal reports and reliable press sources, this electronic publication provides capsules of updated laws from countries around the world. According to the Law Librarian of Congress, the Global Legal Monitor "will be updated frequently," although no specific schedule is provided. Topics covered in this issue are: Attorneys and Judges; Communications and Electronic Information; Election/Campaign Law; Employment Law; Environmental Law; Family Law; Foreign Trade and Trade Regulation; Health Law and Regulation; Human Rights; Immigration and Nationality Law; International Relations; Terrorism.
  
  http://www.loc.gov/law/public/reports/GLM1.pdf [pdf format, 50 pages]

• INTERNATIONAL ENERGY OUTLOOK 2006
  U.S. Department of Energy, Energy Information Administration. June 2006.
  
  The International Energy Outlook 2006 (IEO2006) presents an assessment by the Energy Information Administration (EIA) of the outlook for international energy markets through 2030. Worldwide marketed energy consumption is projected to grow by 71 percent between 2003 and 2030, according to the reference case projection. The IEO2006 shows the strongest energy consumption growth in developing countries outside the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), especially non-OECD Asia (including China and India), where robust economic growth drives the increase in energy use. Energy use in non-OECD Asia nearly triples over the projection period.
  
  Full Report: http://www.eia.doe.gov/oiaf/ieo/pdf/0484(2006).pdf [pdf format, 202 pages]
  Table of Contents: http://www.eia.doe.gov/oiaf/ieo/index.html [sections in both html and pdf, various pagings]

• REAPPRAISING NUCLEAR SECURITY STRATEGY
  Rensselaer Lee, Cato Institute. June 14, 2006.
  
  There are various combinations of methods to narrow the proliferation window in Russia and the other states that were once part of the Soviet Union. This paper recommends a strengthened proactive and intelligence-based nuclear security policy -- one that complements existing programs but enables authorities to better target potential adversaries seeking to obtain nuclear materials.
  
  [Note: Contains copyrighted material.]
  http://www.cato.org/pubs/pas/pa571.pdf [pdf format, 16 pages]

• THE ROAD TO 2050: SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT IN THE 21ST CENTURY
  World Bank. June 2006.
  
  If GDP growth in developing countries can return to the rates of the 1960s and 1970s, according to this publication, there could be a significantly changed world by 2050 -- wealthier, more equitable, and more sustainable, provided choices made today are the right ones. The report asserts that progress towards this larger economy involves both creating opportunities and overcoming constraints: -For the environment and natural resources there are clear risks tied to growth, but there are also unexploited opportunities to transform natural wealth into human and social capital, as well as man-made products
  
  [Note: Contains copyrighted material.]
  Part one: http://siteresources.worldbank.org/ESSDNETWORK/Resources/Roadto2050Part1.pdf [pdf format, 35 pages]
  Part two: http://siteresources.worldbank.org/ESSDNETWORK/Resources/Roadto2050Part2.pdf [pdf format, 25 pages]

• EUROPEAN APPROACHES TO HOMELAND SECURITY AND COUNTERTERRORISM
  Kristin Archick, Carl Ek, Paul Gallis, Francis T. Miko, and Steven Woehrel, Library of Congress, Congressional Research Service. July 24, 2006.
  
  Some U.S. policymakers and Members of Congress are taking an increasing interest in how European countries are organizing and managing homeland security issues and emergency preparedness and response, in light of both recent terrorist activity and last year's devastating Hurricane Katrina. In seeking to protect U.S. interests at home and abroad, many U.S. officials recognize that the actions or inaction of European allies can affect U.S. domestic security, especially given the U.S. Visa Waiver Program, which allows nationals of many European states to travel to the United States without a visa. Some experts suggest that greater U.S.-European cooperation in the field of homeland security is necessary in order to better guarantee security on both sides of the Atlantic. This report examines homeland security and counterterrorist measures in six European countries: Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, and the United Kingdom.
  
  http://www.fas.org/sgp/crs/homesec/RL33573.pdf [pdf format, 51 pages]]

• CENTRAL ASIA AND ITS ASIAN NEIGHBORS: SECURITY AND COMMERCE AT THE CROSSROADS
  Rollie Lal, RAND. June 28, 2006.
  
  China, Iran, Afghanistan, India, and Pakistan, with historic links and strong interests in the region, are critical players in the security and economic issues that will determine the future of Central Asia and affect U.S. interests in the region. Although these Asian states do not agree on how to secure Afghanistan against threats, there is unanimous agreement that a stable Afghanistan is critical to their own security interests. By assessing the developing relations between Central Asia and its Asian neighbors, it is evident that each country stands to benefit from stability and economic growth in Central Asia, but opinion toward U.S. presence and policy in the region could be a point of conflict.
  
  [Note: Contains copyrighted material.]
  http://www.rand.org/pubs/monographs/2006/RAND_MG440.pdf [pdf format, 64 pages]

• PROGRESS REPORT OF THE DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE'S TASK FORCE ON INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY 2006
  United States Department of Justice, Task Force on Intellectual Property.June 20, 2006.
  
  The first task force report, issued in October 2004, made extensive recommendations for the Department of Justice's intellectual property enforcement, protection, and education programs. The Task Force analyzed existing resources and proposed significant improvements in the following areas: Criminal Enforcement; International Cooperation; Civil Enforcement; Antitrust Enforcement; Legislation; and Prevention. The 2004 Report contained numerous short- and long-term recommendations in these areas, designed to provide a sustained commitment to protecting intellectual property rights.
  
  http://www.usdoj.gov/opa/documents/ipreport61906.pdf [pdf format, 115 pages]

• TRADE DEFICIT AND THE IMPACT OF RISING OIL PRICES
  James K. Jackson. Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service. Updated June 9, 2006.
  
  Petroleum prices have risen sharply since early 2004. At the same time the average amount of imports of energy-related petroleum products has fallen slightly. The combination of sharply rising prices and a slightly lower level of imports of energy-related petroleum products translates into an escalating cost for those imports. This rising cost added an estimated $70 billion to the nation's trade deficit in 2005 and could add $80-$100 billion in 2006, depending on how sustainable is the rate of recent price increases. This report provides an estimate of the initial impact of the rising oil prices on the nation's merchandise trade deficit, and will be updated as warranted by events.
  
  http://www.ncseonline.org/NLE/CRSreports/06may/RS22204.pdf [pdf format, 6 pages]

• THE HEALTH CONSEQUENCES OF INVOLUNTARY EXPOSURE TO TOBACCO SMOKE: A REPORT OF THE SURGEON GENERAL
  U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of the Surgeon General, June 27, 2006.
  
  This comprehensive scientific report concludes that there is no risk-free level of exposure to secondhand smoke. Nonsmokers exposed to secondhand smoke at home or work increase their risk of developing heart disease by 25 to 30 percent, and lung cancer by 20 to 30 percent. The finding is of major public health concern due to the fact that nearly half of all nonsmoking Americans are still regularly exposed to secondhand smoke. The report finds that even the most sophisticated ventilation systems cannot completely eliminate secondhand smoke exposure and that only smoke-free environments afford full protection. The only way to protect nonsmokers from the dangerous chemicals in secondhand smoke is to eliminate smoking indoors.
  
  [Note: The full report is very technical and very long; readers are advised to first go to the table of contents.]
  Full Report : http://www.surgeongeneral.gov/library/secondhandsmoke/report/fullreport.pdf [pdf format, 727 pages]
  Table of Contents: http://www.surgeongeneral.gov/library/secondhandsmoke/report/ [sections in pdf format ]
  Executive Summary: http://www.surgeongeneral.gov/library/secondhandsmoke/report/executivesummarry [pdf format, 35 pages]
  Layperson's Guide: http://www.surgeongeneral.gov/library/secondhandsmoke/secondhandsmoke.pdf [pdf format, 11 pages]

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