In The News

China's Businesses Boom, But Its Brands Don't

Rob Gifford July 25, 2011
China is the world’s factory, yet other countries supply most of the designs. Chinese brands aren’t flowing along with the “Made in China” labels on products. “A key problem for Chinese businesses is a comparative lack of legal protection,” explains Rob Gifford for NPR. For China to move toward innovation, with corporate research and development, it must develop intellectual property rights to...

Resist the Temptations of the Cloud!

Richard Stallman July 21, 2011
Because of ready internet access, personal computing increasingly depends on outside sources for software tools and data storage and analysis. However, companies that provide remote-computing or so-called “cloud” services can ultimately limit or track individual users’ access, allowing law-enforcement agencies or more nefarious parties to snoop around. “The abusiveness of proprietary software has...

Europe Seeks to Free Itself From Rating Agencies' Grip

David Böcking July 8, 2011
Risk and creditworthiness of state debt are largely assessed by three major agencies based in the US. Nations rated low – due to low revenues, excessive borrowing or threat of default – pay high interest rates to borrow. As Greece and Portugal struggle to repay massive debt, facing steep downgrade by the agencies, European politicians renew calls for an independent credit-rating agency based in...

States Cannot Put Globalization Genie Back in Bottle

Jack Radisch July 8, 2011
Nations cannot escape globalized risks, explains Jack Radisch, OECD policy analyst, for Public Service Europe. “For many risks, the frontline of protection is a well-functioning regulatory environment,” he writes. Governments must set priorities before investing in prevention strategies. Risk analysis is required, and he notes that costs of the 2008 credit crisis triggered by subprime mortgages...

South China Sea: A Commons for China Only?

Carlyle A. Thayer July 7, 2011
The 1982 UN Convention on Law of the Sea recognizes the common heritage of the world’s oceans with a set of laws organizing exclusive zones for nations 200 nautical miles from their respective coasts. Waters beyond are open for use by all in ways that contribute to peace and friendly relations. By declaring sovereignty over the South China Sea, China rejects the convention, argues Carlyle A....

Obama Tries to Stop Execution in Texas of Mexican Killer

Chris McGreal July 6, 2011
Article VI, Paragraph II, of the US Constitution designates international treaties signed by the federal government as “the supreme Law of the Land,” which individual US states cannot override. The 1963 Vienna Convention on Consular Relations provides that foreign nationals charged with crimes are entitled to meet with their consular officers and arrange for legal representation. That detail was...

Microsoft Strikes Deal With China's Biggest Search Engine Baidu

Censorship is part of the deal July 5, 2011
Microsoft has entered a deal to provide English-language results for China’s biggest search engine, Baidu, and also comply with the Chinese government’s demands for censorship. The deal opens the huge, growing Chinese market to floundering Bing – but could also alienate users in China and elsewhere who support absolute internet freedoms. Google remains the globe’s dominant search engine, reports...