However, Mr Walsh said that "the new transport secretary has made it clear that she wants this issue addressed and has set up a smaller working group with immediate effect to see how quickly this restriction can be revised".

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It's not clear at this point why a year-old system is being stifled by this seemingly arbitrary restriction, but with the PlayStation 3 offering developers Bluetooth out of the box, it seems that Microsoft either needs to change its tune or risk losing the small-but-vocal "rocker wannabe" demographic to the enemy.

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The defense is hoping that "the Second Circuit or the Supreme Court will see that this restriction on fair use of media doesn't fit with the copyright clause in the Constitution, " she said.

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All this resonates with the evolution of the Internet as a platform that to date has attracted less restriction than other media platforms.

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The company, however, has now neatly defused this restriction by setting up its own distribution company, Walls Direct which deals directly with retailers.

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This restriction defeats the entire purpose of global fund management, which is to provide investors in each country with an international selection of investment options, preferably drawing on managers in a number of different locations.

ECONOMIST: Local restrictions permitting