The International Trade Commission seeks comments by April 8 on a Section 337 complaint filed by US Conec that seeks a general exclusion order banning all imports of fiber-optic connectors, adapters, jump cables, patch cords, and related products that infringe on US Conec’s patents, the ITC said in a notice released March 28. The company’s March 22 complaint said Senko and a lengthy list of distributors are importing fiber-optic connectors, fiber-optic adapters, fiber-optic interconnects, fiber-optic cables, fiber-optic patch cables, fiber-optic cords and fiber-optic patch cords that incorporate US Conec’s patented technologies. US Conec also seeks cease and desist orders against the infringing companies.

Eastman Chemical seeks the imposition of new antidumping duties on dioctyl terephthalate from Taiwan, Turkey, Malaysia and Poland, it said in petitions filed with the Commerce Department and the International Trade Commission March 26. Commerce will now decide whether to begin AD investigations, which could result in the imposition of permanent AD orders and the assessment of AD on importers.

The International Trade Commission published notices in the March 27 Federal Register on the following AD/CVD injury, Section 337 patent or other trade proceedings (any notices that warrant a more detailed summary will be in another ITT article):

The International Trade Commission is proposing to permanently adopt its COVID-19 era regulation that waived the need for paper filings of confidential and public documents in safeguard, antidumping and countervailing duty, and Section 337 proceedings. In a proposed rule released March 28, the ITC, at the request of the ITC Trial Lawyers Association and the Customs and International Trade Bar Association, proposed eliminating the requirement for paper copy submissions, except for complaints and complaint supplements and amendments in Section 337 cases. The regulation also removes "gender-specific language" found in the ITC's rules.

The Commerce Department published notices in the Federal Register March 27 on the following AD/CV duty proceedings (any notices that announce changes to AD/CV duty rates, scope, affected firms or effective dates will be detailed in another ITT article):

The Commerce Department has released amended final results of the antidumping duty administrative review on cold-rolled steel flat products from South Korea (A-580-881) that were used to set final assessments of AD on importers for subject merchandise entered Sept. 1, 2021, through Aug. 31, 2022 (see 2402220060). The amendment came as the result of a ministerial error allegation from Steel Dynamics, Inc. Commerce said it agreed with the allegation, which pointed out that in calculating a countervailing duty export subsidy offset for Hyundai Steel Company, Commerce adjusted Hyundai's U.S. price by 4% instead of by the intended 0.04%. The correction results in a change to two AD rates published Feb. 23 in the original final results. The new rates are effective March 28.

The Commerce Department will soon suspend liquidation and impose countervailing duty cash deposit requirements on imports of frozen warmwater shrimp from Ecuador, India and Vietnam, but will not at this time suspend liquidation or set duties on frozen warmwater shrimp from Indonesia after finding no countervailable subsidization for that country, it said in a fact sheet March 26. The agency's preliminary determinations set CVD rates at 1.69% to 13.41% for Ecuadorian companies, 3.89% to 4.72% for Indian companies, and 2.84% to 196.41% for Vietnamese companies. If Commerce continues to find no countervailable subsidization for Indonesia in its final determination, the agency will not issue a CVD order on Indonesia. CVD suspension of liquidation and cash deposit requirements for Ecuador, India and Vietnam will take effect for entries on or after the date of publication of the preliminary determinations in the Federal Register, which should occur in the coming days.

The International Trade Commission published notices in the March 21 Federal Register on the following AD/CVD injury, Section 337 patent or other trade proceedings (any notices that warrant a more detailed summary will be in another ITT article):

The International Trade Commission issued a limited exclusion order banning imports of raised garden beds from Huizhou Green Giant Technology and Utopban Limited after finding the two companies misappropriated Vego Garden’s trade secrets and engaged in false advertising, the ITC said in a notice released March 26. The import ban concludes a Section 337 investigation the ITC began in 2022 (see 2210180055). The ITC also issued a cease and desist order against Utopban. It set bond at 100% of entered value for imports during the 60-day period that the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative has to review the exclusion order.

The Commerce Department published notices in the Federal Register March 26 on the following AD/CV duty proceedings (any notices that announce changes to AD/CV duty rates, scope, affected firms or effective dates will be detailed in another ITT article):