It's about time someone stood up to the NABP/VIPPS and their attempts to gain regulatory authority of all pharmacy businesses. This is a trade group representing the big brick and mortar pharmacies, not a government body. Their disdain for competition is not limited to Canadian or other international sources, they also target US based legal, licensed pharmacies that don't conform to their sponsors business models.
I'm not sure which of the governments actions against Bell / AT&T beginning in 1913(!) resulted in the rule; but it prohibited that monopoly from restricting what phones could connect to the network. The current lunacy in mobile phones would see to be a close analog and I am at a complete loss as to why the FCC and/or DOJ allows these mobile companies to roll back 100 or so years of policy that had given consumers choice in hardware if not service provider.
Besides it being ridiculous to punish the service provider instead of the law breaker there has been commercial collateral damage to other US businesses from the fine. As stated, Google uses of the non-governmental lobby group (NABA) to 'certify' pharmacies. The NABA does not believe there is any such thing as a legal online pharmacy, which is no surprise because they are funded and staffed by the 'old guard' brick and mortar pharmacies. The result is that the few legitimate players in the space are unable to advertise despite operating legal domestic businesses.
The state of Utah has actually created an online pharmacy board within their Department of Professional Licensing to regulate the practice of medicine online, though the NABA does not acknowledge this licensure or certify those licensed by the state of Utah. The result is a new, efficient and innovative industry is being trampled by a group of competitors that are masquerading as a regulatory agency to protect their vested interests.
Have you considered the possibility that amazon's decision to drop wikileaks has more to do with protecting its 'cloud' network offering and its performance as it relates to other clients from the various attacks being directed at wikileaks?
I had a similar experience after posting a negative review for a tree removal/trimming service that showed up wanting $300 over the quote. The owner saw the review and called to yell at me about it. I yelled back, the review stayed up and I'm happy to say the trees are all still intact. Suck it Roland (the oversensitive, underquoting owner).
"All residents living within 10 miles of the coast will be sent pre-settlement offers from BP. The offers will implore they pay BP $5,000.95 or be taken to court for oil royalties."
"Those rotten scoundrel thieving pirate Gulf Coast residents are stealing BP's oil! It's BP's oil and they are storing it in the World Wide Ocean but just because its in the World Wide Ocean doesn't mean anyone with access to the World Wide Ocean can just have it.
BP created that content and they have every right to be paid by everyone who's gone to the World Wide Ocean and taken some of that oil content."
So I'll related this both to plug Sigg for being pretty cool and note how better an enormous company like Citi could be.
A little while back I bought a fancy new cap for a Sigg water bottle (http://mysigg.com/) through their website. Months pass, I'm happy with my cap and have completely forgotten I even had gone to the site to get it. Out of the blue I get a completely new water bottle (with cap) in the mail along with a letter explaining their e-commerce provider (Network Solutions) had been breached.
They say in the letter transunion should have contacted me (I'm not sure they have). Regardless though, kudo's for 1) notifying me and telling me who done wrong and 2) throwing in a free water bottle to keep my hydrated while my credit is abused by those trickster russian hackers and 3) not trying to sell me anything in the process.
Perhaps the wedding party / videographer should issue a dmca take down now that sony's tagging all over their work just to illustrate the high drama that is our IP idiocracy.
Was netflix built by a single ah-ha person? And can you really justify the the apparently arbitrary distinction between a 'small' group and the rather unknown team sizes?
Can't we finally disband the FCC? They've strayed soooo far off the reservation of their actual mandate its become like a shadow government hell bent on censoring speach not approved by the various moral 'authorities' lurking around the country.
Given Google's recent affinity for payoffs instead of principled fights we should be asking; If sued would google fight the good fight or bribe the RIAA with a settlement like they did with book publishers?
Techdirt has not posted any stories submitted by Javier Brybert Acklius III.
about time
It's about time someone stood up to the NABP/VIPPS and their attempts to gain regulatory authority of all pharmacy businesses. This is a trade group representing the big brick and mortar pharmacies, not a government body. Their disdain for competition is not limited to Canadian or other international sources, they also target US based legal, licensed pharmacies that don't conform to their sponsors business models.
Those who forget their history are doomed. Period.
I'm not sure which of the governments actions against Bell / AT&T beginning in 1913(!) resulted in the rule; but it prohibited that monopoly from restricting what phones could connect to the network. The current lunacy in mobile phones would see to be a close analog and I am at a complete loss as to why the FCC and/or DOJ allows these mobile companies to roll back 100 or so years of policy that had given consumers choice in hardware if not service provider.
I WIN!
I broke their system already, just angle the face counter such that only 1 face is counted. The rest of the room enjoys the show for free! Suck it M$
Collateral Damage
Besides it being ridiculous to punish the service provider instead of the law breaker there has been commercial collateral damage to other US businesses from the fine. As stated, Google uses of the non-governmental lobby group (NABA) to 'certify' pharmacies. The NABA does not believe there is any such thing as a legal online pharmacy, which is no surprise because they are funded and staffed by the 'old guard' brick and mortar pharmacies. The result is that the few legitimate players in the space are unable to advertise despite operating legal domestic businesses.
The state of Utah has actually created an online pharmacy board within their Department of Professional Licensing to regulate the practice of medicine online, though the NABA does not acknowledge this licensure or certify those licensed by the state of Utah. The result is a new, efficient and innovative industry is being trampled by a group of competitors that are masquerading as a regulatory agency to protect their vested interests.
Bias much?
And exactly how much effort is going toward apprehending those who 'attacked' the wikileaks site? Hmmmm? Not much I suspect.
But...
Have you considered the possibility that amazon's decision to drop wikileaks has more to do with protecting its 'cloud' network offering and its performance as it relates to other clients from the various attacks being directed at wikileaks?
Not unique
I had a similar experience after posting a negative review for a tree removal/trimming service that showed up wanting $300 over the quote. The owner saw the review and called to yell at me about it. I yelled back, the review stayed up and I'm happy to say the trees are all still intact. Suck it Roland (the oversensitive, underquoting owner).
Noooooooooooooo
They left out:
No prepubescent longing for nonexistent anti-humans.
No getting tingly for eternity.
No quasi-biting semi-people.
Re: Thieves
"All residents living within 10 miles of the coast will be sent pre-settlement offers from BP. The offers will implore they pay BP $5,000.95 or be taken to court for oil royalties."
Thieves
She just released her first statement:
"Those rotten scoundrel thieving pirate Gulf Coast residents are stealing BP's oil! It's BP's oil and they are storing it in the World Wide Ocean but just because its in the World Wide Ocean doesn't mean anyone with access to the World Wide Ocean can just have it.
BP created that content and they have every right to be paid by everyone who's gone to the World Wide Ocean and taken some of that oil content."
Sigg Cares
So I'll related this both to plug Sigg for being pretty cool and note how better an enormous company like Citi could be.
A little while back I bought a fancy new cap for a Sigg water bottle (http://mysigg.com/) through their website. Months pass, I'm happy with my cap and have completely forgotten I even had gone to the site to get it. Out of the blue I get a completely new water bottle (with cap) in the mail along with a letter explaining their e-commerce provider (Network Solutions) had been breached.
They say in the letter transunion should have contacted me (I'm not sure they have). Regardless though, kudo's for 1) notifying me and telling me who done wrong and 2) throwing in a free water bottle to keep my hydrated while my credit is abused by those trickster russian hackers and 3) not trying to sell me anything in the process.
Hear Hear!
Quite Right! I second that commotion.
Perhaps...
Perhaps the wedding party / videographer should issue a dmca take down now that sony's tagging all over their work just to illustrate the high drama that is our IP idiocracy.
Re:
Was netflix built by a single ah-ha person? And can you really justify the the apparently arbitrary distinction between a 'small' group and the rather unknown team sizes?
Ahaaa!
Duh
If you read either of those books before having bought a kindle or any 'content' for it this would have come as no surprise.
Jeepers...
Can't we finally disband the FCC? They've strayed soooo far off the reservation of their actual mandate its become like a shadow government hell bent on censoring speach not approved by the various moral 'authorities' lurking around the country.
Follow-up Question
Given Google's recent affinity for payoffs instead of principled fights we should be asking; If sued would google fight the good fight or bribe the RIAA with a settlement like they did with book publishers?