SAMSUNG REMAINS IN GLOBAL HEADLINES
>Samsung unloads Tech shares as it braces for Galaxy Note7 recall costs
September 18, 2016, The Wall Street Journal
Cash from the sale of stakes in other technology companies is being raised to help Samsung pay for the massive 2.5 million unit global smartphone recall estimated to cost more than $1 billion. The Korean phone maker sold shares in computer-drive Seagate Technology PLC, chip maker Rambus Inc., Dutch semiconductor-equipment maker ASML Holding NV, and Japanese electronics maker Sharp Corp.
> Sprint CEO says Samsung Galaxy Note7 recall will be forgotten in 6 months
September 19, 2016, Fortune.com
Sprint CEO Marcelo Claure knows the smartphone field, and realizes the embarrassment of having to recall one of the hottest selling devices due to dozens of reported cases of exploding batteries. But in his estimation the controversy should blow over and not taint the company’s brand long term. “We start shipping the new Notes this week already. Six months from now nobody will remember that there was a Note7 recall,” the Sprint executive said.
>Can you trust the lithium-ion battery in your device?
September 16, 2016, Washington Post
Reports of the Galaxy Note7 phones catching fire began just days after the first sales of a product adored by many critics for its performance. Even before the nation-wide recall announced in the U.S. by the CPSC, airline authorities in the U.S. and Europe worried about fire risk urged passengers not to use or charge the Galaxy Note7 on flights. Samsung blamed the overheating problem on a small flaw in the phone’s pouch style batteries. Lithium-ion batteries are known to be prone to thermal runaway, when heat from one failing battery cell spreads to other cells, causing even more overheating.
Phone makers could cut off drivers. Why don’t they?
September 25, 2016, The New York Times
Technology to block texting while driving could save lives, and even though it exists, it’s not being deployed. In 2013, a driver speeding down a Texas highway got distract by checking her iPhone for messages. She crashed into a sport utility vehicle, killing its driver and a passenger and leaving a child paralyzed. A product liability lawsuit, filed against Apple by families of the victims, is raising the question of whether cell-phone makers have a responsibility to prevent devices from being used by drivers in illegal and dangerous ways. The suit contends that Apple knew its phones would be used for texting and did not prevent the driver from texting dangerously, although legal experts says it’s unlikely that lawyers could prove that the use of the iPhone caused the fatal accident. There are reasons why phone makers are not deploying technology addressing this risk.
Consumer Product Safety Commission issues notice of proposed rule making for baby changing products
September 20, 2016, 4-Traders.com
On August 17 the Consumer Product Safety Commission issued a draft notice of proposed rule making (NPR) for a safety standard for baby changing products. The proposed rule is for baby changing products, including changing tables and other changing products, such as contoured changing pods and add-on changing units sold separately for use on furniture products other than changing tables. The proposed rule is based on the voluntary standard developed by ASTM, ASTM F2388-16 Safety Specifications for Baby Changing Products, but with several modifications.
Prop 65: OEHHA Issues Notice of Intent to list PFOA and PFOS
September 21, 2016, JDSupra (Bergeson & Campbell P.C.)
On September 16, 2016, the California Environmental Protection Agency’s Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment (OEHHA) issued a notice of intent to list perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) andperfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS) as known to the state to cause reproductive toxicity under the Safe Drinking Water and Toxic Enforcement Act of 1986 (Prop 65). OEHHA is proposing the action under the authoritative bodies’ listing mechanism. EPA documents and advisories justify the OEHHA action according to the agency.
Every day’s a safety drill as Chipotle woos customers back
September 21, 2016, The New York Times
There isn’t much sexy about food safety, and that goes for regular reminders to scrub hands. After a string of illnesses at Chipotle last year, the Mexican restaurant chain has been focused on little else. At the center of the action is a long time academic whom Chipotle hired last year to lead their charge down the product safety path.
What is the difference between a ‘hard Brexit’ and a ‘soft Brexit’?
September 20, 2016, Express.com
The battle to leave the EU has now turned into a battle between hardline Brexiteers and those who support a ‘soft Brexit.’ Prime Minister Theresa May’s cabinet remains split over whether the UK should favor a clean break with the EU or keep economic ties with the bloc. One free market think tank analyst argues that most voters would prefer a soft exit that does not ‘wreck the economy.’
Button battery code for the safety of children
September 20, 2016, powerpulse.net
The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) is urging retailers, importers and manufacturers to adopt a new code designated to reduce the number of deaths and injuries from children swallowing button batteries in Australia. The “Industry Code for Consumer Goods that Contain Button Batteries” has been developed by a range of businesses with support from the ACCC and state regulators.
Get ready for a new approach to product safety
September 19, 2016, ednEurope.com
Summer 2019 is set to see a change in safety regulations for consumer electronics and IT equipment as a revised international standard takes effect in Europe, the U.S., and possibly elsewhere. The changes follow publication of IEC 62368 in 2014, legislation that, in the power supply world, refers to safety regulations for both industrial and instrumentation and audio and video equipment. The change brings a new way in which safety engineering is performed.
Getting your China products through U.S. customs: The 101
September 19, 2016, China Law Blog
If you are importing products from China you need to do your homework to make sure your incoming shipments into the U.S. comply with U.S. Customs and regulations, and avoid being detained or seized, and/or penalties assessed. Issues importers face include failure to meet U.S. government agency requirements, determining proper classification and duty rate for products, failure to mark the product with country of origin or manufacture, and failure to provide complete commercial invoices.
