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Day: July 5, 2022

Proposta da Anatel de padronizar entrada de carregadores é inimiga da inovação

A Agência Nacional de Telecomunicações (Anatel) divulgou nesta terça-feira (28) uma proposta para padronizar a entrada de carregadores nos celulares. Com base em projeto da União Europeia, a agência brasileira pretende exigir a porta USB tipo C como padrão para todos os conectores de celular e carregador no país.

Em resposta, Fabio Fernandes, diretor de comunicação do Consumer Choice Center, disse que um carregador comum imposto pela Anatel, seguindo o modelo da UE, prejudica a inovação, restringe a concorrência e acaba prejudicando os consumidores.

“A concorrência é o maior impulsionador da inovação e do progresso. Todos nós temos preferências diferentes e, na maioria das vezes, cada um de nós tem uma empresa de eletrônicos de consumo favorita, seja Apple, Samsung, ou Google. Compelidas a competir, as empresas têm incentivos para continuar melhorando seus produtos e oferecendo mais opções. Os carregadores padronizados sugeridos pela Anatel infringiriam nesse espírito empreendedor”, disse Fernandes.

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ANATEL QUER PADRONIZAR CARREGADORES DE CELULAR, MAS ESPECIALISTA QUESTIONA INICIATIVA

A Agência Nacional de Telecomunicações (Anatel) iniciou nesta terça-feira, dia 28, uma consulta pública para a proposta de tornar carregadores USB-C obrigatórios para todos os celulares vendidos no Brasil. A consulta vem na esteira da decisão da União Europeia de adotar o USB-C como padrão universal para smartphones e outros eletrônicos até 2024.

“Atenta aos referidos movimentos do mercado internacional, a área técnica da Anatel avaliou o tema e apresentou uma proposta com abordagem similar para aplicação no mercado brasileiro”, diz o texto no blog da agência.

A adoção de um padrão de carregamento tipo USB-C tem o maior impacto sobre a Apple, já que iPhones ainda usam o carregador Lightning da própria companhia. A Apple criticou a proposta de lei quando ela ainda estava sendo debatida na UE, dizendo que legislações do tipo “engessam a inovação em vez de encorajá-la”. No entanto, há rumores de que a gigante de tecnologia já está trabalhando para passar seus produtos para carregamento USB-C, talvez já no iPhone 15.

As vantagens do USB-C obrigatório citadas na consulta incluem reduzir o lixo eletrônico e oferecer mais conveniência aos consumidores brasileiros. A Anatel diz ainda que vem trabalhando na padronização de carregadores para celular há anos. Em 2019, por exemplo, a agência conseguiu a aprovação da Recomendação L.1000, que define o USB-C como protocolo para terminais móveis de carregamento.

A medida que a Anatel pretende adotar é questionada por Fabio Fernandes, diretor de comunicação do Consumer Choice Center, um movimento global que luta pelos direitos do consumidor. Para ele, um carregador comum imposto pela Anatel, seguindo o modelo da UE, prejudica a inovação, restringe a concorrência e acaba prejudicando os consumidores.

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BENDSTA calls for scrapping vape ban from draft tobacco control law

In a press conference the association leaders said that the ban on vaping products will work against the Prime Minister’s vision of creating a tobacco-free Bangladesh by 2040. 

The organization put three-point demands to the health ministry, including recognizing vaping as a “quitting tool” and separating it from tobacco products like cigarettes.

BENDSTA organized the press conference on Monday in Dhaka to provide its opinion on the proposed vaping-related clauses in the Smoking and Usage of Tobacco Products (Control) Act. 

The draft amendments include a new ban on e-cigarettes or vapes, under which production, import, export, storage, sale and transportation of e-cigarettes or their parts will be prohibited. 

BENDSTA president Masud UZZaman said, “Banning vaping products will harm Bangladesh’s goal of becoming a tobacco-free country by 2040. He said the proposal to ban vaping is a move that will take Bangladesh backwards and shows that the policymakers are not considering multiple credible evidence for vaping’s effectiveness in reducing cigarette smoking.” 

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Why nicotine is part of the solution to end smoking, according to experts

In 1976, Professor Michael Russell, a pioneer in the study of tobacco dependence, famously said, “People smoke for nicotine but die from the tar.”

It’s the thousands of chemicals contained in tobacco smoke that make tobacco use deadly.

“This toxic mix of chemicals—not nicotine—causes the serious health effects among those who use tobacco products, including fatal lung diseases, like chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and cancer,” according to the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA), echoing Russell’s iconic words from almost half a century ago.

Collectively known as tar, these toxic substances (carbon monoxide, formaldehyde, ammonia, hydrogen cyanide, arsenic, DDT, etc.) are produced by the burning of dried tobacco leaf and are subsequently inhaled by the smoker.

Nicotine, while highly addictive, does not cause diseases associated with smoking. Similar to caffeine, it is a food-grade substance producing stimulant and sedative effects. It is also a main component prescribed by doctors to help patients quit smoking.

“It is the toxins in cigarette smoke…that cause smoking-related disease and death, not the nicotine,” according to a leaflet of nicotine replacement therapy (NRT) inhalator.

Unfortunately, there are a lot of misinformation and misconceptions about nicotine. More than 57% of respondents in the Health Information National Trends Survey (HINTS) of the US National Cancer Institute falsely agreed with the statement that “nicotine in cigarettes is the substance that causes most of the cancer caused by smoking” and even 80% of physicians falsely believe that nicotine causes cancer.

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Pentingnya Perlindungan Hak Kekayaan Intelektual untuk Membangun National Branding Indonesia

Perlindungan hak kekayaan intelektual merupakan salah satu aspek yang sangat penting dalam pembangunan ekonomi suatu negara. Terlebih lagi, saat ini kita memasuki era ekonomi digital, di mana inovasi dan kreativitas merupakan faktor yang sangat penting untuk memajukan perekonomian.

Adanya perlindungan hak kekayaan intelektual yang kuat tentu merupakan sesuatu yang sangat penting untuk mendorong inovasi dan kreativitas. Melalui perlindungan kekayaan intelektual yang kuat, maka hak para inovator dan produsen untuk bisa menikmati manfaat ekonomi dari karya yang dibuatnya bisa terlindungi.

Bila sebuah negara tidak memiliki kekayaan intelektual yang kuat, maka karya-karya yang dibuat oleh para inovator dan produsen bisa dengan mudah dicuri dan dibajak oleh pihak-pihak yang tidak bertanggung jawab. Dengan demikian, para inovator dan produsen tersebut tidak akan bisa mendapatkan manfaat ekonomi secara penuh dari karya yang dibuatnya.

Dengan demikian, maka insentif seseorang untuk berkarya dan berinovasi juga dapat semakin menurun. Hal ini dikarenakan, manfaat ekonomi hasil kerja keras mereka bisa dengan mudah dicuri dan dimanfaatkan oleh orang lain.

Bila insentif para inovator dan pemilik usaha untuk berkarya dan berinovasi semakin rendah, tentunya hal tersebut akan membawa dampak yang sangat negatif terhadap perekonomian. Dengan demikian, maka akan semakin seidkit pula lapangan kerja yang akan terbuka bagi masyarakat.

Dengan semakin berkurangnya lapangan kerja, tentu juga akan sangat sulit meningkatkan pendapatan masyarakat. Dengan demikian, daya beli masyarakat juga menjadi tidak meningkat, dan hal ini tentunya akan membawa dampak buruh bagi pertumbuhan ekonomi.

Selain itu, semakin terbatasnya ketersediaan lapangan kerja bukan merupakan satu-satunya dampak negatif yang akan ditimbulkan bila para inovator dan pemilik usaha memiliki insentif yang lebih sedikit untuk berinovasi. 

Kesempatan kita untuk memperkenalkan berbagai produk hasil karya anak bangsa kepada negara lain juga akan semakin berkurang. Bila kita memiliki kesempatan yang besar untuk memperkenalkan produk-produk karya anak bangsa, tentu hal tersebut juga akan membawa dampak yang sangat positif bagi nation branding Indonesia di mata dunia internasional.

Nation branding sendiri didefinisikan sebagai bagaimana sebuah negara atau tempat mempromosikan dirinya kepada orang lain, khususnya dari luar negeri, untuk berkunjung, berinvestasi, atau membangun reputasi yang baik tentang negara tersebut. 

Nation branding membuat sebuah negara mampu untuk menonjolkan dirinya dibandingkan dengan negara-negara tetangganya, sehingga mampu lebih banyak menarik pengunjung untuk datang atau pun investor untuk membawa modal mereka ke negaar tersebut, yang pastinya akan sangat berpotensi meningkatkan perekonomian di negara tersebut (brandfinance.com, 21/10/2019).

Ada banyak contoh yang sangat umum kita kenal terkait dengan nation branding sebuah negara. Misalnya, kita mengenal Jerman merupakan negara dengan teknik industri yang sangat persisi, Jepang sebagai negara yang sangat efisien, dan Italia yang terkenal dengan industri fashion kelas atas (brandfinance.com, 21/10/2019). 

Branding yang sangat unik dan positif ini tentu akan sangat berpengaruh pada insentif seseorang untuk mengunjungi atau berinvestasi di negara tersebut.

Nation branding negara-negara tersebut tentu tidak bisa terjadi dalam sekejap, dan salah satu faktor yang memainkan peran yang sangat dominan adalah adanya berbagai industri yang melahirkan berbagai persepsi tersebut, yang akhirnya diterima oleh kalangan internasional. 

Jerman sebagai negara dengan teknik industri yang persisi dan luar biasa misalnya, salah satunya bisa dilihat dari berbagai produk otomotif yang dikeluarkan oleh negara tersebut, seperti BMW dan Mercedes Benz.

Sementara itu, Jepang sebagai negara yang sangat efisien bisa dilihat melalui berbagai produk-produk teknologi dan juga otomotif yang berasal dari negara tersebut, seperti mobil-mobil yang simple namun bertahan lama, dan juga teknologi kreatif seperti toilet pintar dengan berbagai macam fitur. 

Selain itu, Italia memiliki reputasi sebagai negara dengan cita rasa fashion yang tinggi juga dimunculkan dari berbagai produk fashion dari negara tersebut, seperti Versace, Armani, Prada, dan lain sebagainya (bandungklik.com, 29/6/2021).

Pentingnya adanya perlindungan hak kekayaan intelektual yang kuat untuk membangun nation branding juga merupakan hal yang diakui oleh Kementerian Hukum dan Hak Asasi Manusia (Kemenkumham) Republik Indonesia. 

Wamenkumham Eddy Hiariej mengatakan bahwa, salah satu potensi besar dari kekayaan intelektual adalah dapat membentuk identitas atau branding dari bangsa Indonesia. Nation Branding ini memilki potensi untuk meningkatkan daya saing negara kita, untuk mempromosikan kepentingan ekonomi, politik, dan sosial (kemenkumham.go.id, 12/5/2022),

Melalui perlindungan hak kekayaan intelektual yang kuat, kita berpotensi besar bisa meningkatkan berbagai sektor dan industri yang dapat menunjukkan ciri khas dan juga keunggulan kompaatif Indonesia bila dibandingkan dengan negara lain. 

Misalnya, berbagai makanan tradisional Indonesia yang sangat beragam, atau berbagai karya seni tradisional seperti batik, yang tentunya memiliki potensi besar sebagai sarana untuk meningkatkan persepsi positif Indonesia di mata orang-orang dari negara lain.

Sebagai penutup, bila kita memiliki perlindungan hak kekayaan intelektual yang kuat, hal ini bisa memberikan insentif lebih besar bagi para pekerja kreatif dan pelaku usaha untuk berkarya dan berinovasi, termasuk diantaranya yang bergerak di bidang kerajinan dan produk-produk tradisional. 

Dengan demikian, posisi Indonesia di mata internasional bisa semakin meningkat, yang tentunya akan berpotensi besar membawa dampak yang sangat positif terhadap perekonomian mellaui investasi, turisme, dan lain sebagainya.

Originally published here

Celulares poderão ter carregador único

A Agência Nacional de Telecomunicações (Anatel) divulgou na terça-feira uma proposta para padronizar a entrada de carregadores dos celulares no Brasil. Com base em um projeto da União Europeia, a agência brasileira pretende exigir a porta USB tipo C como padrão para todos os conectores de celular e carregador no país.

A proposta de ato normativo da Anatel está em consulta pública, o que significa que ainda não está valendo. No site da agência, a minuta de ato normativo receberá contribuições da sociedade.

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John Oliver delivers Democratic Party talking points on antitrust

What does it say about us when we turn to comedians to inform our thinking on politics?

We’ve witnessed the rise of Ukrainian comedian-turned-wartime-President Volodymyr Zelensky. Former Guatemalan President Jimmy Morales was a comedian, too, but was dogged by very unfunny allegations of corruption. Comedian Dave Smith will likely seek the 2024 Libertarian Party presidential nomination, having led the “Mises Caucus” takeover of party leadership last month.

Enter soothsaying comedians of the anti-MAGA resistance. Since the election of former President Donald Trump, late-night comedians Stephen Colbert, Jimmy Kimmel, and Trevor Noah’s monologues have sounded more like Democratic Party spin than headlining acts for comedy TV.

The slyest of the bunch is John Oliver. The British-born comedian and former Daily Showcorrespondent makes a career of political hamming.

While most comedians joke about celebrity scandals or reality TV, Oliver tackles serious issues and demands political action. In 2014, he pushed viewers to petition for net neutrality, demanding the Federal Communications Commission reclassify internet service providers as public utilities to keep the net “free.”

In the last year, his segments on critical race theoryrent control, and misinformation have gone viral among politicos, with Oliver dropping screwball jokes between policy analyses that could have been written by any left-wing think tank.

Recently, Oliver has used his satire program to demand antitrust reform to “punish” Big Tech.

He delivers punchlines and commentary sweetened with a call to action on two bills, the Open Markets Act and American Innovation and Choice Online Act. These aim to crack open the Apple and Google app stores, ban “self-preferencing” on online shops such as Amazon, and chill tech mergers and acquisitions by Meta.

Oliver champions antitrust warrior and bill author Sen. Amy Klobuchar while chastising Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer for dawdling on the Senate floor because of his family’s connections to tech firms. He even praises Republicans who’ve joined the cause for their own crusade of content moderation.

To be clear, there are valid concerns about several troubling actions by tech firms. When they break the law, they should be penalized.

But Oliver’s reductionist arguments, delivered in comedic pentameter, manifest a world of rampant consumer harm because Amazon sells its own batteries or because Google heavily features its image algorithm.

What Oliver deplores is vertical integration in tech. But this is precisely why we celebratecompanies such as Tesla and IKEA, which rank highly in consumer satisfaction and make a name for themselves by controlling their supply chains. Somehow, this is deplorable when it’s an online business with millions of users and customers.

That is the message Oliver fans — and serious advocacy organizations and politicians — take from his show.

Digital rights group Fight for the Future, leading a coalition of tech competitors and left-wing pressure groups, is hosting an initiative they call “Antitrust Summer,” demanding Congress take immediate action. No surprise, Oliver’s segment prominently features on the homepage. Democratic heavyweights such as Hillary Clinton share his YouTube video with glee.

When comedic figures become political flag bearers, we should remain skeptical. There is every reason to hold Big Tech accountable without weaponizing the government. And even more reason to avoid complaints from comedians with little skin in the game.

Oliver, and the political factions who celebrate him, should know that complaints about a company’s product cannot be the basis for a sweeping redefinition of federal antitrust policies that would affect hundreds of millions of consumers. Government power is no laughing matter.

Originally published here

NOVO PACOTE DE BONDADES VAI AUMENTAR A INFLAÇÃO E AFETAR OS MAIS POBRES

 Fábio Fernandes – O mercado está atento à repercussão dos dados da inflação e ao risco fiscal. O IBGE divulgou na semana passada a prévia da inflação de junho, o IPCA15, e o resultado ficou  dentro  do esperado. Os números oficiais vieram com alta de 0,69% em junho e acumulado de 12,04%. Na parte fiscal, a preocupação se volta para as discussões em torno do aumento do Auxílio Brasil, entre eles o vale-gás e vale caminhoneiro. 

O presidente Jair Bolsonaro (PL) defendeu publicamente, na última sexta-feira (24/6), o acréscimo de R$ 200 no Auxílio Brasil, programa social criado em substituição ao Bolsa Família. Se o aumento for definido pelo Congresso, chegará aos R$ 600. O governo quer que o novo valor vigore a partir de julho e siga até dezembro deste ano. A ideia do governo é turbinar o benefício em ano eleitoral e tornar o pagamento do auxílio mensal.

Na visão de Fábio Fernandes, Diretor de Comunicação da associação de consumidores Consumer Choice Center (Centro de Escolha do Consumidor) e Mestre em Relações Internacionais pela Universidade de Milão, uma das grandes causas da inflação alta no Brasil é o crescimento acelerado da base monetária para financiar gastos públicos excessivos.

“Desde o início do governo Bolsonaro, o Brasil ampliou seu agregado monetário em cerca de 70%. O Brasil cresceu sua base monetária de pouco mais de 350 mil milhões em 2019 para mais de 600 mil milhões em 2021, enquanto o PIB cresceu na média 0,6% durante o mesmo período”, explicou Fernandes

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La gare centrale de Zurich est la plus agréable d’Europe

Une association de consommateurs a analysé les grandes gares européennes en fonction de leur convivialité pour les passagers. La gare centrale de Zurich arrive en tête de liste.

L’association américaine de consommateurs Consumer Choice Center a passé au crible les 50 plus grandes gares d’Europe pour son European Railway Station Index annuel. Dans le rapport final, qui vient d’être publié, la gare centrale de Zurich s’est emparée de la première place avec 93 points sur 108 possibles, juste devant les gares centrales de Francfort, Munich ou Berlin.

L’évaluation portait notamment sur l’accessibilité de la gare pour les voyageurs en fauteuil roulant, les personnes à mobilité réduite ou les malvoyants, sur la gratuité du wifi et sur l’étendue de l’offre de restauration et de shopping sur place. La gare de Berne, qui est la seule autre gare suisse à avoir été évaluée pour cette liste, se classe 27e, avec 67,2 points.

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Zürich HB ist bester Bahnhof Europas

Der Zürcher HB wurde von einer internationalen Verbraucherschutzorganisation zum besten Bahnhof Europas gewählt. Zürich konnte sich gegen 50 andere Bahnhöfe durchsetzen – auch gegen Bern, der in der Rangliste erst weiter hinten auftaucht.

Mit jährlich fast 155 Millionen Passagieren ist der Zürcher HB nicht nur der mit Abstand grösste Bahnhof der Schweiz. Auch international zählt der HB damit zu den Knotenpunkten mit dem höchsten Passagieraufkommen – nur der Gare du Nord in Paris (292 Mio. Passagiere) und Frankfurt am Main (180 Mio.) wurden letztes Jahr von Reisenden noch stärker frequentiert. 

Und die Passagiere dürften sich in Zürich wohlfühlen: Zumindest legt das jetzt ein Ranking der internationalen Verbraucherschutzorganisation Consumer Choice Center nahe: Der HB landet dabei unter 50 Konkurrenten auf dem ersten Platz der passagierfreundlichsten Bahnhöfe Europas. «Auch wenn Zürich nicht die höchste Anzahl internationaler und nationaler Destinationen aufweist, bietet der Bahnhof den Reisenden eine grosse Auswahl an Shops, Restaurants und Take-aways an», so das Urteil der Verfasserinnen des European Railway Station Indizes.

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