23rd December 2024
Nokia sues Amazon from US to India over streaming-tech patents infringement

Nokia sues Amazon from US to India over streaming-tech patents infringement

Reading Time: < 1 minute

Nokia Oyj sued Amazon.com Inc. in courts across three continents, alleging the e-commerce giant uses its technologies in streaming services and devices without authorization.

The suits were filed in the US, Germany, India, the UK, and the European Unified Patent Court, Arvin Patel, Nokia’s Chief Licensing Officer said in a statement on the company’s website. Separately, a suit was also filed against HP Inc. in the US over video-related technologies, he said.

“We’ve been in discussions with each of Amazon and HP for a number of years, but sometimes litigation is the only way to respond to companies who choose not to play by the rules followed and respected by others,” said Patel.

Companies providing video streaming services or streaming devices enjoy “huge benefits” from Nokia’s research which in turn needs to be compensated accordingly, Patel said.

Amazon and HP didn’t immediately reply to emails seeking comment.

Nokia said litigation is never its first choice and that the vast majority of its patent licensing agreements are agreed amicably. But regulators such as the European Commission have made efforts in recent years to cut down on the number of disputes over technology such as mobile telephony that end up in court — arguing that protracted disputes can stymie innovation.
In June, Nokia announced a license agreement with Apple Inc., without disclosing the terms.

Founder & chairperson of the Reliance Foundation Nita Ambani speaks on Olympic movement in India at US India Strategic Partnership Forum

Founder & chairperson of the Reliance Foundation Nita Ambani speaks on Olympic movement in India at US India Strategic Partnership Forum

Reading Time: 2 minutes

The founder and chairperson of the Reliance Foundation Nita Ambani opened up on the exchange of sports while attending the Global Leadership Award by the US India Strategic Partnership Forum, in Delhi on Sunday, October 29.

Nita spoke on the historic inclusion of cricket in the Olympics after a long gap of 128 years and mentioned that as India takes cricket to the United States, it might adopt baseball which is arguably the most followed sport in the USA.

“We brought the Olympic movement back to our country after a gap of 40 years…The IOC made cricket an Olympic sport. After 128 years Cricket will make an entry at the Olympics in the US at the LA Games 2028. As we take cricket to the US we might bring baseball to India…The exchange of sports is an exchange of dreams and friendships. It is a story of fortitude and resilience…” said Nita while attending the event in Delhi.

India recently hosted the 141st International Olympics Committee (IOC) session in Mumbai which witnessed the inclusion of cricket in Olympics. Opening up on the same after the official announcement, the founder of the Reliance Foundation said, “As an IOC member, a proud Indian, and an ardent cricket fan, I am delighted that IOC members have voted to include Cricket as an Olympic Sport in the LA Summer Olympics 2028!”.

“I’m delighted that this historic resolution was passed at the one hundred and forty-first IOC Session taking place right here in our country in Mumbai,” she added.

Squash, Lacrosse, Baseball-softball and Flag football alongside cricket have been added to the Olympics. In addition to cricket, India also has some exceptionally talented players who play squash. From veteran stars like Saurav Ghoshal, and Deepika Pallikal among others to young and emerging Turks like Anahat and Abhay Singh, India has a rich pool of players who can claim glory for the nation moving forward in global events.

US executive order on AI to pressure India to create safety framework and regulation

US executive order on AI to pressure India to create safety framework and regulation

Reading Time: 2 minutes

In the early hours of Tuesday, US President Joe Biden signed an Executive Order to manage the risks of artificial intelligence (AI), advance equity and civil rights, stand up for consumers and workers, and promote innovation and competition. While the Indian government hasn’t signed any such order, the US government’s move is likely to pressure India to come up with AI safety frameworks and regulations.

Jaspreet Bindra, AI thought leader and Founder of Tech Whisperer, told Business Today, “This order will put pressure on all nations, including India, to come up with their own AI safety framework and regulations. India does prefer to participate in a global framework for such technologies. India has the opportunity to take a leading position in AI safety and privacy, especially from a Global South and eastern viewpoint, and should grasp this. One option will be to expand the data protection Bill and legislation to include AI and generative AI safety principles and laws.”

Bindra also told Business Today that before issuing this executive order, the Biden administration had consulted widely on AI governance frameworks over the past several months. This included India as well, since the country was the chair of the Global Partnership on AI.

“The Indian government has been proactive in fostering AI adoption. Thanks to a robust home-grown ecosystem, India has the intent and insights to frame its own AI policies, tailoring them to address the nation’s unique challenges and opportunities,” says Prabhu Ram, Head of Industry Intelligence Group (IIG) at CyberMedia Research (CMR). Earlier this month, Minister Rajeev Chandrasekhar also stated that India has created the Digital India Act, a framework for all emerging technologies, including AI, and established the principle that technology can be used for any purpose but must not cause harm.

As AI is not just any other technology but will be the overarching interface between humans and everything else, including infrastructure, it is crucial to proactively ensure it is safe, secure, and trustworthy. Faisal Kawoosa, founder and Chief Analyst at Techarc, suggests, “I think for us in India, we should also look at proactive regulatory mechanisms for AI that are not only governed by policies and guidelines. But after rigorous, preferably third-party and neutral testing of any such implementation before that can be put to use for people.” He adds that the government of India could consider setting up an autonomous body that could be entrusted with this task. This could bring in experts from defence, cyber security, and other relevant stakeholders to ensure we have safe, secure, and trustworthy AI implementations in the country, leading to responsible AI.

In India, the American Executive Order on AI is being looked upon as a key step forward, as it addresses key priorities for an AI-led future, including new standards for responsible and trustworthy AI, safety and security, privacy, and fostering AI talent across sectors. However, currently, it is a wait-and-watch situation for the implementation of the order in the coming days to see how the intent is translated into tangible action.

Met Museum to return antiquities to India as part of 1,414 objects to be sent by US

Met Museum to return antiquities to India as part of 1,414 objects to be sent by US

Reading Time: 2 minutes

Three months after 105 antiquities, which were earlier smuggled, came back to India, the United States is sending another batch of 1,414 objects back to the country, which will include antiquities from New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art (Met).

As per the official sources, these objects have already been given to the Consulate General of India in New York. According to the procedure, a team from the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI), which has been the custodian of all Indian antiquities, will be sent to the United States to carry out the verification of the objects after which the officials will initiate the repatriation, as reported by The Indian Express.

The objects will also be authenticated by the ASI as “antiquities” or “non-antiquities”. Although the ASI has not revealed any specific details regarding their age or region, the US authorities stated that 1,414 objects from various sources appeared to be of “Indian provenance”.

A senior official stated that the batch includes a few antiquities which will be from Met. In an earlier report, it was revealed that a treasure trove which belonged to the Met could be traced back to antique dealer Subhash Kapoor, who was imprisoned on charges of smuggling antiquities.

Met announces return of 15 sculptures in India
After the revelation, a search warrant was issued by the Supreme Court of the State of New York against the Met on March 22, which gave 10 days to the authorities to seize the antiquities.

On March 30, a statement was issued by the Met in which it claimed that it would “transfer 15 sculptures for return to the Government of India, after having learned that the works were illegally removed from India”.

The government of India in July said that the Met’s objects were likely to reach the country in the next three to six months. On July 17, the Indian Consulate in New York was given 105 antiquities by the US authorities, which will be repatriated to India in August this year. However, the objects of Met were not among them.

ASI officials stated that the new batch of 1,414 objects will most probably have non-antiquities, and they will be accordingly ranked while following the definition of “antiquity”.

In the Antiquities and Art Treasures Act, 1972, an antiquity has been defined as “any coin, sculpture, painting, epigraph or other work of art or craftsmanship; any article, object or thing detached from a building or cave; any article, object or thing illustrative of science, art, crafts, literature, religion, customs, morals or politics in bygone ages; any article, object or thing of historical interest” that “has been in existence for not less than 100 years”.

US visa wait time still over 500 days! Delhi to Mumbai, list of cities with longest, shortest wait period

US visa wait time still over 500 days! Delhi to Mumbai, list of cities with longest, shortest wait period

Reading Time: 2 minutes

Despite the U.S. government’s efforts to expedite visa processing in India, wait times can still exceed 500 days.As per the Department of State- Bureau of Consular Affairs website, currently the wait time for B1/B2 non-immigrant visitor visa appointments in different cities varies between 506 days and 596 days. However, this is a significant drop from the 1,000-day waiting period earlier this year.
The B1 visa covers business-related travel to the US, meanwhile, the B2 visa is for tourism, medical treatment, and social events. Both can be issued together so that the applicants can travel for both business and pleasure.

Here is the estimated wait time from your city:
New Delhi: 542 days
Mumbai: 596 days
Kolkata: 539 days
Chennai: 531 days
Hyderabad: 511 days
However, for H-1B visa or an F1 visa, the wait times are much shorter. Typically, the wait time can range between 2 days to 90 days.

Over the past year, efforts were made to address the extended wait times, which had reached almost three years last winter. To address the visa application backlog and meet rising demand, Indians were given the opportunity to apply for U.S. visas at U.S. consulates located outside India, like the one in Bangkok, where the visa wait time is significantly lower.

Last month an embassy official said, as reported by TOI, “In India, all non-immigrant visa categories, except first-time visitor visa applicants, have interview wait times close to pre-pandemic levels or lower. We have significantly increased the number of visas issued across the board…. Wait times for travelers who do not require an interview are very low.”

US govt planning to overhaul H1B visa programme
Last week, the Joe Biden administration proposed changes in the H-1B foreign workers programme to improve efficiency by streamlining eligibility, providing more flexibility to F-1 students, entrepreneurs and those working for non-profit bodies and ensuring better conditions for other non-immigrant workers. The rules have been proposed without changing the Congress-mandated 60,000 limit on the number of such visas the US issues every year.