The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative is requesting written submissions from the public by Feb. 5 concerning foreign countries that “deny adequate and effective protection of intellectual property rights” or deny fair market access to U.S. citizens who rely on intellectual property protection, a notice published Jan. 11 in the Federal Register states (here). In advance of a March 1 public hearing to be hosted by USTR’s Special 301 Subcommittee, USTR is asking that the public identify whether a particular trading partner should be named as a priority foreign country under Section 182 of the Trade Act or placed on the Priority Watch List or Watch List. Foreign governments will have until Feb. 19 to submit written comments, notices of intent to testify at the hearing, and any prepared hearing statements. USTR plans to publish the 2016 Special 301 Report on or close to April 30.
The Generalized System of Preferences Subcommittee of the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative’s Trade Policy Staff Committee (TPSC) has accepted for review 23 petitions to add a product to the list of goods eligible for GSP duty-free treatment, three petitions to remove an item from GSP eligibility, and eight petitions to waive competitive needs limitations (CNLs), as part of its annual GSP product review, according to a notice published in the Federal Register Jan. 11 (here). Acceptance of the petitions indicates only that TPSC found that they warrant a review.
The U.S. is set to suspend African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) benefits for South African agricultural goods effective Jan. 4 (see 1512220022 and 1511050051), said the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative. The U.S. pressured South Africa to remove trade remedies and sanitary and phytosanitary barriers for several months (see 1509140023). Though negotiators from both sides worked vigorously to end an ongoing quarrel about requirements stipulated for quantities and locations of origin of U.S. poultry exports to South Africa, the USTR is holding onto previously announced plans to suspend AGOA benefits to South Africa, an agency spokesman said in a Jan. 4 email. Industry groups like the U.S.A. Poultry and Egg Export Council had expressed support for suspending AGOA benefits for South Africa to counteract antidumping duties and expand trade flows.
The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative is accepting public comments on its plan to initiate—with the Labor Department and through the Trade Policy Staff Committee—an employment impact review of the Trans-Pacific Partnership on U.S. employment and labor markets (here). Written comments are due Jan. 13. Specifically, USTR is asking for comments on potentially significant sectoral or regional employment impacts in the U.S. and other likely labor market impacts of the TPP.
The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative on Dec. 23 released its 2015 Report to Congress on China’s WTO Compliance (here).
The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative’s mention of Chinese e-commerce company Alibaba in its 2015 Notorious Markets Report sent a strong warning to the company to stop and prevent the peddling of counterfeit goods on its websites (see 1512170016), the American Apparel & Footwear Association said on Dec. 17 (here). “The U.S. government sent a strong warning to Alibaba today ─ what it said was, clean up your sites, show us the results, and do it soon,” AAFA CEO Juanita Duggan said in a statement. “USTR told Alibaba to make serious reforms and get rid of the rampant counterfeit problem on its sites ─ AAFA agrees.” AAFA said USTR shares its concerns about Alibaba’s enforcement system, highlighting that the agency said in its report that the mechanism is “too slow, difficult to use, and lacks transparency.”
The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative on Dec. 17 released the results of its 2015 Special 301 out-of-cycle review on intellectual property infringement (here). This year’s out of cycle review focused on the sale of counterfeit goods online, listing 14 online markets alongside physical markets in China, Nigeria, Paraguay, Brazil, Indonesia, Argentina, India, Mexico and Thailand. USTR cited the difficulties customs authorities face attempting to stop shipments of counterfeit goods sold online, as well as the growing problem of free trade zones enabling counterfeit activities.
The U.S. and more than 50 of its WTO partners announced on Dec. 16 a completed agreement to expand information technology that officials said they hope will generate economic growth by canceling hundreds of tariffs on IT exports around the world, the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative said (here). The first major tariff elimination deal at the WTO in 18 years will slash tariffs on hundreds of U.S.-origin technology products, and WTO estimates that expansion of the information technology agreement (ITA) will strike tariffs on approximately $1.3 trillion worth of yearly global exports of information and communications technology products, USTR said. Under the agreement, more than $180 billion in yearly U.S. tech exports will no longer face burdensome tariffs in “key markets around the globe,” USTR said. The original ITA was reached in 1996.
The U.S. Trade Representative set calendar year 2016 and 2017 procurement thresholds (here) under the World Trade Organization Government Procurement Agreement (GPA), and U.S. free trade agreements with Australia, Bahrain, Chile, Colombia, DR-CAFTA, Morocco, NAFTA, Oman, Panama, Peru, and Singapore. U.S. obligations under these agreements apply to covered procurements valued at or above the specified U.S. dollar thresholds.
The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative and European Commissioner for Trade Cecilia Malmstrom pledged to “rapidly” move forward in finishing negotiations on the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP), including through “enhanced” intercessional work, frequent formal negotiations and more minister-level consultations, USTR Michael Froman said in a statement Dec. 11, after his TTIP meeting with Malmstrom in Brussels this week. There's been major progress on TTIP "in the past year, notably since the G7 Elmau summit in June, when we agreed to accelerate work on all elements of the agreement,” Froman said. “We are fully committed to expeditiously reaching an ambitious, comprehensive agreement that promotes economic growth and jobs, strengthens our strategic partnership, and reflects our shared values.”