World leaders should commit to pursuing a multilateral approach on tax policy for digital services and avoid unilateral measures (see 1908190043), a tech industry coalition told member countries attending the G7 Leaders’ Summit, which begins Saturday. The Internet Association, Information Technology Industry Council, ACT|The App Association, BSA|The Software Alliance, Computer & Communications Industry Association and various Japanese trade groups signed. They recommended leaders oppose forced disclosure of source code, algorithms, encryption keys or other sensitive data as a “condition of doing business.” They recommend leaders quickly agree on the World Trade Organization joint statement initiative on e-commerce and permanently implement a WTO moratorium on customs duties on electronic transmissions. The group seeks “open format and machine-readable data sets to foster innovation and competitiveness” in artificial intelligence technologies and to “enhance and generate business opportunities for small and medium-sized enterprises.” France's new digital sales tax, retroactive to Jan. 1, has attracted much skepticism from U.S. tech; the country's embassy hasn't commented.

Amazon’s Ring home security company joined the Z-Wave Alliance as a principal member and will take a board seat, said the association Tuesday. Ring President Mike Harris cited the alliance’s work toward interoperability, security and simplicity in the smart home and said the company will work with active alliance members and the board on new ways to make smart home security more accessible to a broader consumer base. Ring’s Alarm Security Kit -- with a base station, contact sensor, motion detector, keypad and range extender -- comprise the first product set to support SmartStart (see 1709270006), a feature designed to simplify setup that’s required for devices built on the new Z-Wave 700 platform. The alliance also announced a change to certification for the next generation of Z-Wave IoT devices, saying Z-Wave Plus v2 certification includes new features designed to improve the smart home setup experience. Other alliance board members include ADT, Alarm.com, Silicon Labs and SmartThings.

CTA let lapse its six-year-old registered trademark to the name "International Consumer Electronics Show," Patent and Trademark Office records show. PTO canceled the registration Aug. 2 after CTA didn't meet the July 1 deadline for filing the required "declaration of use" or "excusable nonuse" forms for the registration to continue, said the agency. CTA still owns five active registered CES trademarks, including two that contain the word "International," PTO records show. CTA didn't comment.

Charter Communications and Disney signed a distribution agreement that opens the door to Charter distributing Disney streaming services and them partnering on piracy mitigation to tackle such issues as password sharing, they said Wednesday. They said Charter's Spectrum TV platform also will offer ESPN's ACC Network when it launches Aug. 22. The agreement covers Disney's newly acquired FX and Nat Geo networks.

CEDIA released the 2019 best new product award finalists Monday, with winners to be announced Sept. 12 at CEDIA Expo in Denver. Hardware finalists are the Bang & Olufsen Beovision Harmony, Nortek’s Elan intelligent touch panels with face recognition, the Barco Bragi Cinemascope projector, Samsung’s 82-inch Q900 8K QLED TV and The Wall Luxury MicroLED TV, Bowers & Wilkins Formation Duo loudspeaker, Draper’s Silent Partner projector box, Savant Breaker-Companion energy management and lighting control modules, Epic Sky Technology Epix Fusion Wellness Sensory Generator, Seura Shade Series outdoor TV, Lutron Maestro LED Plus dimmer, Seymour-Screen Excellence’s Adjustable Ratio Theater (Art) motorized masking film, LG’s 75-inch LCD 75SM99 8K TV, SnapAV WattBox 250-Series Wi-Fi two-outlet surge protector, Meridian Audio DSP640.2 in-wall loudspeaker, Somfy Systems Sonesse 30 WireFree Zigbee lithium-ion battery, NAD Masters M10 BluOS integrated amplifier, Sony Master series Z9G 8K TV, Nexus 21 Apex motorized TV wall mount and Wilson Electronics WilsonPro 1100 cell signal booster. Five finalists are competing for best new software product: Control4 Smart Home OS 3, Josh.ai natural language voice control for multisource and multizone AV, Crestron Home OS 3, Savant Advanced IP-based Apple TV Integration and D-Tools Cloud.

The Entertainment Software Association rejected President Donald Trump’s comments on video games as a contributor to violence in the U.S. in a Monday speech addressing the weekend's mass shootings in El Paso and Dayton: “We must stop the glorification of violence in our society," Trump said, including “the gruesome and grisly video games that are now commonplace." Video games “positively contribute to society, from new medical therapies and advancements, educational tools, business innovation, and more,” ESA emailed. “Video games help players connect with family and friends, relieve stress, and have fun. We encourage parents who have concerns about age-appropriate video game content to visit ParentalTools.org to learn more how to control what games are played in their homes.” The trade group referenced its comments following a video game meeting at the White House in March 2018 citing scientific studies establishing “no causal connection between video games and violence.” More than 165 million Americans play video games, “and billions of people play video games worldwide,” said ESA. “Yet other societies, where video games are played as avidly, do not contend with the tragic levels of violence that occur in the U.S.”

Comments are due Aug. 29, replies Sept. 30 for an FCC NPRM on a USF pilot program to support connected care for low-income Americans and veterans, says a notice for Tuesday's Federal Register and on docket 18-213. The three-year, $100 million program received broad support (see 1907100073).

The project to upgrade a stretch of Interstate 94 in southeastern Wisconsin for Foxconn’s new Gen 6 LCD fab in Mount Pleasant (see 1904190038) “came together very fast” and will be completed by June, State Transportation Secretary Craig Thompson (D) told the WisconsinEye public-affairs network Friday. “By late fall, we should be open, four lanes each way,” he said. “It should feel pretty close to being done.” The work site was the scene of a major crash in mid-June in which two semi-truck drivers were killed. “People need to slow down” when traveling through that construction zone, said Thompson. Asked if he sees driverless vehicles one day ferrying Foxconn workers to and from their jobs at the plant, Thompson said: “I don’t know that we’re going to be there in the next couple of years, but it’s something we want to keep open to.”

The CTA Foundation awarded $700,000 in grants to 16 nonprofits for “enhancing the lives of seniors and people with disabilities through technology,” said the association Monday. Recipients include the AARP Foundation, which is developing an Alexa-based voice-control program “to connect seniors to one another,” said CTA. This year’s grantees include seven first-time recipients, it said.

CEDIA announced 2019 Home Technology Professional Awards winners for the Americas at its leadership conference in Chicago Thursday. Winners for best home cinema were Acoustic Interiors, Toronto, level one; Audio Images, Tustin, California, won levels two and three, it said. The most innovative system went to Pacific Audio & Communications, Kihei, Hawaii. Best integrated home went to La Scala, Vancouver, British Columbia, for levels one and three, to Cantara, Costa Mesa, California, for level two, and The Premier Group, Carmel, Indiana, level four. Audio Images won both levels in the best media room category; SmartTouchUSA, Columbia, Maryland, won for best multiple dwelling unit design; Atlanta Audio & Automation, Atlanta, won best showroom; La Scala had best documentation; and Service Tech, Cedar Park, Texas, best lighting system. The Life Lived Best at Home award went to Cantara, and La Scala won for Technology Meets Design, it said.