Over the last two weeks, Harold McCombs, leader of Garvey Schubert Barer’s Washington D.C.-based Telecommunications Practice Group, provided the first and second installments of his 3-part series on digital signage, its use in the hospitality and travel industries and the legal issues most often associated with it. This week, Harold offers his third and final installment… Continue Reading
Category Archives: Technology
Subscribe to Technology RSS FeedDigital Signage Part 2: What You Need to Know
Posted in TechnologyLast week, Harold McCombs, leader of Garvey Schubert Barer’s Washington D.C.-based Telecommunications Practice Group, provided the first installment of his 3-part series on digital signage, its use in the hospitality and travel industries and the legal issues most often associated with it. This week, Harold offers his second installment . . . Digital Signage Part… Continue Reading
Digital Signage: What You Need to Know
Posted in TechnologyHarold McCombs, leader of Garvey Schubert Barer’s Washington D.C.-based Telecommunications Practice Group, has been talking about digital signs and their growing use in the hospitality and travel industries (particularly, hotels and meeting facilities) for some time. Much has been written about digital signs over the past several months and now there is even a conference… Continue Reading
FCC Proposes New Wi-Fi Technology Rules
Posted in TechnologyHarold McCombs, Leader of Garvey Schubert Barer’s Washington D.C.-based Telecommunications Practice Group, brings us the FCC’s latest announcement regarding Wi-Fi technology. Thank you Harold. The Federal Communications Commission announced on February 20, 2013, that it intends to propose new rules to govern the next generation of Wi-Fi technology. This is an important development for convention centers,… Continue Reading
TNT Travel & Technology Conference Explodes Onto the Northwest Scene
Posted in Conference Notes, TechnologyTravel industry and technology experts gathered at the Four Seasons Seattle this past Wednesday to participate in the region’s first conference devoted exclusively to the intersection of hospitality, travel and tourism with technology. The TNT Travel & Technology Conference was hosted by the Hospitality, Travel & Tourism Practice Group at Garvey Schubert Barer and local angel investment/opportunity… Continue Reading
Get Noticed: Ensure Your ATMs Are Up to Par or Lawsuit Trolls May Laugh All the Way to the Bank
Posted in TechnologyDo you feature ATMs in your hotel, restaurant or conference center? If yes, you may be an unwitting target for ATM fee notice lawsuits. Here’s why: The Electronic Funds Transfer Act (EFTA) contains a provision requiring owners of ATMs to provide adequate notice to consumers about fees charged for using ATMs not owned by the… Continue Reading
Hoteliers Beware – The Federal Communications Commission is Watching
Posted in TechnologyOur newest post comes from Harold McCombs, a member of our firm’s Telecommunications Practice Group based in Washington, D.C. Thank you Harold for this great post. While the majority of hotel owners and operators rely on well-established cable companies and suppliers of in-room entertainment systems, this post serves as an important reminder of the need… Continue Reading
Rate Parity as Price Fixing: UK’s Office of Fair Trading Statement Suggests Trouble Ahead for Industry Standard Online Travel Agent Contract Provisions
Posted in Technology, Travel, UpdateThe United Kingdom’s Office of Fair Trading (OFT) issued a Statement of Objections this Tuesday alleging that industry giants Booking.com B.V., Expedia, Inc. and InterContinental Hotels Group violated the UK’s Competition Act of 1998. The Statement of Objections will not be made public, but from OFT’s comments, it’s rate parity and best rate guarantees that… Continue Reading
Buzz, Skepticism about Room Key Hotel Search Site
Posted in Hotels, TechnologyRoom Key, a brand new player in the on-line hospitality market, launched in beta on January 11, 2012 to some excitement and some hard questions. Room Key is a joint venture among six U.S.-based hotel chains—Choice Hotels International, Hilton Worldwide, Hyatt Hotels*, InterContinental Hotels, Marriott International* and Wyndham Hotel Group—that allows users to search for… Continue Reading
Protect Your Brand! Sunrise Period for Preemptive Registration of .XXX Domain Names
Posted in Brands and Trademarks, TechnologyIf you have a trademark that is registered with the United States Patent & Trademark Office before September 1, 2011, and you are not in the adult entertainment business, you should consider making a pre-emptive registration of the URL [your trademark].xxx now, to prevent someone who is in the adult entertainment industry from registering it… Continue Reading
Fall Events: Oregon Restaurant & Lodging Association Annual Convention, Washington Lodging Association Annual Convention, ZZIF, Travel Distribution Summit and Others
Posted in Conference Notes, Music Licensing/Copyright, TechnologyFall is upon us and like every fall, there is no shortage of upcoming travel and tourism industry events to attend. Over the next few months, our team will be busy attending and speaking at a number of industry-related events. Upcoming events include:
Patent Trolls – Not Just for Technology Companies Any More
Posted in Hotels, Music Licensing/Copyright, TechnologyLately, we’ve been hearing from a number of our clients and friends in the industry of a startling increase in the number of letters and emails alleging patent infringement. As hospitality- and restaurant-industry businesses become bigger and bigger users of patentable technology, we expect we may see many more of these claims. In an effort… Continue Reading
Recent Developments in Data Privacy and Security Laws
Posted in Data Privacy, Hotels, TechnologyA pair of recently effected state laws makes clear that information security remains a significant issue that receives and will continue to receive considerable legislative and commercial attention. Hoteliers, restaurateurs and others in the hospitality industry use personally identifiable information (PII) of their guests and customers to improve services and create a personalized experience. Greg and… Continue Reading