Weekly IP Buzz for the Week Ending January 24, 2020

January 27, 2020 Darin M. Klemchuk

In this week's post, we see the federal government has bolstered privacy protection for the general public by passing TRACED, a new federal law aimed at curtailing robocalls and texts. TRACED provides a model for future privacy legislation that may change depending on the technology involved.

Also, an overview of joint ventures.

TRACED – The Newest Law Aimed at Curtailing Robocall Abuse

Congress recently passed the Telephone Robocall Abuse Criminal Enforcement and Deterrence Act (“TRACED”) with overwhelming support. The TRACED privacy act is new federal legislation that is directed at decreasing unwanted robocalls.

The new federal law extends the Federal Communications Commissions’ (“FCC”) statute of limitations on robocall offenses and similarly increases the potential fine amount. It also calls for the FCC to make more rules that help protect consumers from robocalls and texts. The TRACED privacy act also calls for an FCC report on enforcement and requires adoption of a timeline for preventing call spoofing.

Privacy experts hope that TRACED, coupled with the overwhelming support for the California Consumer Privacy Act, will encourage Congress to pass more legislation focused on privacy. As American companies have already acclimated to the stricter standards of the European Union’s General Data Protection Regulation, many privacy experts note that the success of TRACED, which is yet to be seen, may convince Congress that stricter privacy laws are achievable if TRACED is successful.

Read the full article here.

Joint Ventures: An Overview

We have all heard of joint ventures, but what exactly are they? Is it another name for a partnership, or a just temporary collaboration on a project? Joint ventures, as with partnerships, are the simplest form of collaboration between individuals or businesses.