Latest news with #SEP
Euronews
23-05-2025
- Business
- Euronews
Séjourné canvasses governments on patents after dropped proposal
EU Industry Commissioner Stéphane Séjourné has asked member states to agree among themselves on whether to support the Commission's intention to ditch a proposal on standard essential patents (SEP). The French commissioner for the internal market has said he wants to hear back from governments in the next three weeks. Member states are divided about the way forward after the Commission said in February it intended to withdraw a plan on SEPs which it presented in 2023, arguing that it couldn't see an agreement being reached. SEPs are patents that protect the technology deemed essential in a technical standard or specification and are used in the automotive, smart energy, and payment industry. Which means that if a company wants to make a product that complies with technical standards (such as 5G or wifi), it needs to use the technology covered by SEPs. Disputes over the value of SEPs licenses are proliferating as their use increases. The Commission proposal intended to make the process of licensing SEPs more transparent, which was welcomed by patent lobby organisations who called for modernisation of the rules to make the bloc more competitive. A group of eight countries – Czechia, France, Germany, Italy, Hungary, Latvia, Portugal, Slovakia and Spain – called for other EU member states to support continued work on the file during a meeting of industry ministers in Brussels on Thursday, arguing that the rules are crucial for industry. The Spanish representative said that SEPs will be beneficial for Europe's automotive industry. Italy added that: 'We need to ensure the value chains are resilient in the current geopolitical situation.' Ireland, Finland and Sweden, by contrast, backed the Commission's assessment that since no deal is within reach it should be dropped. The Swedish representative said that the proposal had created 'major divisions in the business community', adding that 'any initiative in this field needs to encourage innovation and not create undue regulatory burden.' Finland added that the decision to withdraw is in line with the Commission's simplification plan. 'We think there are fundamental problems in the proposal, they cannot be amended with this draft.' Séjourné told lawmakers of the European Parliament's Legal Affairs (JURI) in April that the Commission scrapped the SEP proposal in a bid to reach a broader agreement on the topic. Some argue however, that the incoming US administration and the EU Commission's current strategy for deregulation killed the proposal. While the majority of the member states do not see the need to continue with the topic, lawmakers want it kept on the table. The proposed rules on SEPs were agreed by the Parliament in February 2024 - with 454 votes for, 83 against and 78 abstentions - before the Commission announced its intention to withdraw the file. German MEP Bernd Lange (EPP), who chairs the heads of the Parliamentary committees, is expected to discuss the issue with Parliament President Roberta Metsola in June. A letter signed by Lange and seen by Euronews, said that the Committee on Legal Affairs (JURI) – which is leading on the file – 'objects, by a large majority, to the proposed withdrawal.' 'The proposal remains highly relevant due to its impact on competitiveness, transparency, and innovation, particularly for SMEs,' the letter said. The Commission has until August to decide whether to go ahead with its intention to withdraw the plan. A US federal judge decided to let a wrongful death lawsuit continue against artificial intelligence (AI) company after the suicide of a teenage boy. The suit was filed by a mother from Florida who alleges that her 14-year-old son Sewell Setzer III fell victim to one of the company's chatbots that pulled him into what she described as an emotionally and sexually abusive relationship that led to his suicide. The lawsuit alleges that in the final months of his life, Setzer became increasingly isolated from reality as he engaged in sexualised conversations with the bot, which was patterned after a fictional character from the television show 'Game of Thrones'. In his final moments, the bot told Setzer it loved him and urged the teen to "come home to me as soon as possible," according to screenshots of the exchanges. Moments after receiving the message, Setzer shot himself, according to legal filings. Meetali Jain of the Tech Justice Law Project, one of the attorneys for Garcia, said the judge's order sends a message that Silicon Valley "needs to stop and think and impose guardrails before it launches products to market". The company tried to argue that it was protected under the First Amendment of the US Constitution, which protects fundamental freedoms for Americans, like freedom of speech. Attorneys for the developers want the case dismissed because they say chatbots deserve these First Amendment protections, and ruling otherwise could have a "chilling effect" on the AI industry. In her order Wednesday, US Senior District Judge Anne Conway rejected some of the defendants' free speech claims, saying she's "not prepared" to hold that the chatbots' output constitutes speech "at this stage". In a statement, a spokesperson for pointed to a number of safety features the company has implemented, including guardrails for children and suicide prevention resources that were announced the day the lawsuit was filed. "We care deeply about the safety of our users and our goal is to provide a space that is engaging and safe," the statement said. The suit against Character Technologies, the company behind also names individual developers and Google as defendants. Google spokesperson José Castañeda told the Associated Press that the company "strongly disagree[s]" with Judge Conway's decision. "Google and Character AI are entirely separate, and Google did not create, design, or manage Character AI's app or any component part of it," the statement read. The case has drawn the attention of legal experts and AI watchers in the U.S. and beyond, as the technology rapidly reshapes workplaces, marketplaces and relationships despite what experts warn are potentially existential risks. "The order certainly sets it up as a potential test case for some broader issues involving AI," said "It's a warning to parents that social media and generative AI devices are not always harmless," Lyrissa Barnett Lidsky, a law professor at the University of Florida with a focus on the First Amendment and AI. No matter how the lawsuit plays out, Lidsky says the case is a warning of "the dangers of entrusting our emotional and mental health to AI companies". "It's a warning to parents that social media and generative AI devices are not always harmless," she said.
Belfast Telegraph
22-05-2025
- Business
- Belfast Telegraph
Works begins on almost £45m worth of new school buildings in NI
The principal of a Co Down post primary school has said the beginning of work on a new £38m building is 'a significant milestone for the school community'. Clare Foster was speaking as Education Minister Paul Givan helped to cut the first sod on the project at Strangford Integrated College. It was one of two new school building projects to break ground on Thursday, with the minister also visiting Kilronan Special School in Magherafelt, where work began on a £4.9m extension to accommodation. 'Staff and students are excited to see the new building progress,' Ms Foster added as work officially commenced in Carrowdore. 'Since we opened our doors in 1997, Strangford Integrated College has continued to grow in numbers and reputation. This new building on our existing site will enable us to provide students with access to high quality integrated education in a modern, state-of-the-art, energy-efficient building in which our young people will continue to thrive and flourish. 'Our students deserve the best start in life, and we are looking forward to the opportunities that the enhanced school facilities and top-class sporting facilities will offer to both students and staff. 'A great deal of work has gone into getting to the new build project to this stage I would like to thank the Department of Education, project consultants AECOM and the Board of Governors for their support in making this happen.' News Catch Up - Thursday 22 May The Strangford Integrated College scheme is being funded under the Fresh Start capital programme and Mr Givan said he was delighted to see the progress being made. 'The significance of this £38m investment will be reflected in the many benefits it will deliver for pupils, families and staff and the wider community,' he said. 'This major project will provide modern new facilities that will support the teaching and learning needs of the pupils for many years to come and create an environment that helps them to thrive.' The minister also paid a visit to Magherafelt where work was getting underway on Kilronan School's new £4.9m single storey extension with new specialist classrooms, social areas and support accommodation as part of the School Enhancement Programme (SEP). It's the first of 10 special school projects to proceed, having been announced in the second tranche of 16 schools to receive a funding commitment in 2019. 'This is an exciting day for everyone at Kilronan, marking the start of a very important programme of construction,' the minister said. 'The investment of nearly £5m will deliver many benefits for pupils, school staff and local families. This project will provide modern facilities which will help children and young people to grow, thrive, learn and achieve their full potential.' Construction is due to be completed in late summer 2026 and Principal Sharlene Deehan said she was delighted to see work finally underway. 'Governors, staff, parents and pupils are delighted to be at this stage of our SEP Journey, and we are thankful to the previous principal, governors and staff who initiated the project many years ago. 'On completion the SEP should provide equality for our learners with their mainstream peers in terms of resourcing and experiences, providing a modern, bright building which will vastly enhance the day to day running for the ever changing profile of pupils, our dedicated and caring staff and indeed the whole school community.'
Time of India
20-05-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
All set for State Education Policy from 2025-26
SEP Drafting Committee State Education Policy Commission The Karnataka government is preparing to roll out the State Education Policy (SEP), designed as an alternative to the Centre's National Education Policy (NEP), starting from the 2025-26 academic year. A final decision on the implementation is expected by the end of this the submission of an interim report by the, the state has already taken steps to roll back some of the NEP's key components. From the 2024-25 academic year, the undergraduate course duration—extended to four years under NEP—has been reverted to three multiple-entry, multiple-exit model introduced under NEP has also been shelved. The final SEP report, currently being translated from English to Kannada, is nearing expected to submit the final draft to the government by the last week of May.
Mint
19-05-2025
- Business
- Mint
The US Fed's policy framework must aim to minimize its scope for error
In a speech last week, US Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell hinted that the American central bank's five-year framework review will focus on the particulars of its maximum employment and stable price goals, as well as efforts to communicate clearly with the public. In both cases, the Fed should be guided by humility in the face of uncertainty. The potential fracturing of the global trading system and a return to 1930s-style tariffs are developments that are expected to boost consumer prices and hurt economic growth in the US, but these propositions haven't been tested in nearly a century. It's impossible to know for sure whether price or growth effects will dominate—or whether some unforeseen third outcome will materialize. Also Read: The US-China trade truce doesn't solve the Fed's headache After the last framework review in 2020, the Fed's rate-setting committee famously implemented a policy based on the bold assumption that the future would look a lot like the past. Influenced by the so-so labour market and low inflation of the post-financial crisis period, the rate-setting committee agreed to target inflation that averaged 2% over time and permit inflation moderately above that level following periods of persistently low price increases, based on the concept of 'flexible average inflation targeting.' In addition, it committed itself to responding to perceived shortfalls in its maximum employment goal, but not necessarily to overshoots, despite its risks to inflation. When inflation took off in 2021 and 2022, critics said these principles had slowed the Fed down, and there appears to be a measure of truth to that criticism, despite Powell's denials. That wasn't the only error and maybe not even the primary one. Powell argued last week—as he has in the past—that the mistakes of 2021 were largely the result of widespread forecast errors, both inside the Fed and beyond, rather than a conscious decision to allow consumer prices and the labour market to run hot. Also Read: The US Fed should inject itself with a good dose of humility By and large, US policymakers and forecasters initially viewed the 2021 inflation as an idiosyncratic supply shock—impacting just used cars and a few other items—and decided to look through the data that was staring them in the face. It was overconfidence in this narrow interpretation and the audacity to ignore the evolving data that ultimately led the Fed astray. With that sorry episode behind us, the Fed's goals should return to a simple 2% inflation target and maximum employment, but policymakers shouldn't pretend that will solve all their problems. There's also more to be done involving forecasts and how they're communicated. The Fed's Summary of Economic Projections (SEP), first published in 2007, is one of the great innovations of US central bank communication. It provides markets and the public with transparency on how the rate-setting committee sees the economy developing. But the now-quarterly reports allow policymakers to hide behind anonymous projections and tacitly encourage market participants to focus on the median outlook for where rates are heading—a summary statistic that conveys a false sense of certainty about the destination. Also Read: Powell versus Trump: Why Fed independence matters in times of turmoil A more candid and helpful SEP might reveal the Federal Reserve Board members and Federal Reserve Bank presidents behind the anonymous projections, and, equally as important, demand that they submit scenario analyses to show how their outlook would change under different assumptions. The latter would be similar to a suggestion that former Fed Chair Ben Bernanke made in an independent review of practices for the Bank of England. Beyond improving communications, a heightened focus on scenarios—rather than a 'base case'—will also help prevent policymakers from falling into the overconfidence trap, as they did in 2020. Alternatively, as my Bloomberg Opinion colleague Bill Dudley, a former president of the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, has suggested that the Fed should publish staff forecasts after each monetary policy-making meeting. All in all, the Fed's framework review isn't a moment to throw the baby out with the bathwater. In his latest remarks, Powell said 'we remain fully committed to the 2% target today." There is no reason to revisit that target, despite some claims that it's become too dated for a world of more frequent supply shocks. Some people believe that we've moved permanently to a higher inflation regime, but it would be an error to assume that with any high degree of confidence—just as it was an error to think that the low-inflation world of 2008-2020 would last forever. The best framework for the world's most powerful central bank, therefore, is one which assumes maximum uncertainty and consistently conveys its anchors to the market and the public. ©Bloomberg The author is a columnist focused on US markets and economics.
India.com
19-05-2025
- Automotive
- India.com
New OBD-2B Compliant Suzuki Avenis Standard Variant Launched
Suzuki Motorcycle India Pvt. Ltd. has launched the new OBD-2B compliant Standard variant of the Suzuki Avenis. This new version meets the latest emission norms and offers a more efficient and cleaner riding experience. The launch aligns with the company's focus on environmental standards while maintaining the scooter's performance, style, and convenience. The Suzuki Avenis Standard variant is equipped with a 124.3cc, all-aluminum 4-stroke, single-cylinder engine. This engine produces 8.7 PS of power at 6,750 rpm and 10 Nm of torque at 5,500 rpm, and is built using Suzuki's SEP (Suzuki Eco Performance) technology to balance power and fuel efficiency. In terms of design, the scooter offers a sporty and modern look with motorcycle-inspired styling and graphics. The digital meter displays essential information such as battery voltage, oil change indicator, digital clock, dual trip meter, engine temperature indicator, fuel gauge, eco-mode indicator, and an instantaneous fuel consumption meter. The scooter also comes with practical features like a bright LED headlamp, LED tail lamp, integrated engine start and stop switch with the Suzuki Easy Start System, side stand interlock, and a sporty muffler cover. For comfort and convenience, it features a comfortable step seat, sporty split grab rails, a spacious floorboard, a USB-equipped front box, a front rack for storage, and 21.8L under-seat storage space. The Suzuki Avenis Standard variant is available in four colors: Glossy Sparkle Black/Pearl Glacier White, Glossy Sparkle Black/Pearl Mira Red, Champion Yellow No. 2/Glossy Sparkle Black, and Glossy Sparkle Black. The scooter is priced at INR 91,400/- (ex-showroom, Delhi) and is available at all Suzuki dealerships across India.
