A rogue Internet trader who sold fake versions of branded CE products faces up to 10 years in prison when he’s sentenced Thursday in Portsmouth Crown Court in the U.K. Michael Reeder, 35, was convicted in March of 13 counterfeit-related charges under the U.K.’s Trade Marks Act, capping an 18-month probe by Monster and the Trading Standards Service (TSS) into the sale of thousands of counterfeit goods, including those sold under the Monster, Sennheiser, Speck and Sony brands. In the case of Monster, Reeder was charged with two counts of possession of unauthorized goods bearing a registered trademark. The charges were filed against Reeder in September. Reeder, who operated the Odds and Pods website, denied allegations, but was convicted. The investigation began after customers complained to Monster and Sennheiser about headphones bought from Odds and Pods, some of which had minor packaging discrepancies as well as buzzing and poor sound quality, the TSS said. Monster began an initial probe along with the investigation firm 3Ci Europe after receiving complaints in 2010. The initial findings led to a February 2011 raid that netted more than 2,000 items. Reeder, who was the subject of a previous court order in 2009, told TSS in August 2011 that he stopped trading. But a seizure of goods at East Midlands Airport in the U.K. provided evidence that Reeder was still operating a site, but under the Nice Cans banner, Monster said. A separate raid in September 2011 produced another 1,500 items that Reeder had imported through a contact in China, Monster said.

A rogue Internet trader who sold fake versions of branded consumer electronics products faces up to 10 years in jail when he’s sentenced Thursday in Portsmouth Crown Court in the U.K. Michael Reeder, 35, was convicted in March of 13 counterfeit-related charges under the U.K.’s Trade Marks Act, capping an 18-month probe by Monster and the Trading Standards Service (TSS) into the sale of thousands of counterfeit goods, including those sold under the Monster, Sennheiser, Speck and Sony brands. In the case of Monster, Reeder was charged with two counts of possession of unauthorized goods bearing a registered trademark. The charges were filed against Reeder in September. Reeder, who operated the Odds and Pods website, denied allegations, but was convicted. The investigation began after customers complained to Monster and Sennheiser about headphones bought from Odds and Pods, some of which had minor packaging discrepancies as well as buzzing and poor sound quality, the TSS said. Monster began an initial probe along with the investigation firm 3Ci Europe after receiving complaints in 2010. The initial findings led to a February 2011 raid that netted more than 2,000 items. Reeder, who was the subject of a previous court order in 2009, told TSS in August 2011 that he stopped trading. But a seizure of goods at East Midlands Airport in the U.K. provided evidence that Reeder was still operating a site, but under the Nice Cans banner, Monster said. A separate raid in September 2011 produced another 1,500 items that Reeder had imported through a contact in China, Monster said.

CBP's intent to establish a new system of records (SORS) for data filed as part of the Customs—Trade Partnership Against Terrorism (C-TPAT) program is causing alarm among some trade groups due to the potential release of proprietary information. Several recent filings with the agency responding to the notice establishing the SORS and a related proposed rulemaking (see 13031225) indicate concern with the idea and the speed at which the regulatory process is moving forward.

The Court of International Trade dismissed an action challenging the U.S. Customs Service’s HTS classification of certain models of Teva sports sandals as footwear with open toes or open heels, rather than as sports footwear. CIT found the 2008 decision of the Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit in a test case involving similar footwear to be controlling (see 08070735). The case had been filed by Deckers Corporation over a decade ago.

RANCHO MIRAGE, Calif. -- The CBP Centers for Excellence and Expertise will eventually open up participation to entire industries, regardless of trusted trader status, said Anne Maricich, director of the Electronics CEE in Long Beach, Calif. "All of the Centers will be expanding and we have a five year charge to take the entire industry," she said. As a result, the agency is working at how to continue to differentiate the trusted trader member benefits from the rest of the industry that will be covered by the CEEs, she said. Maricich also outlined a number of operational details on the CEEs, including how broker penalties and fines will be administered going forward. Maricich discussed the issue while on a panel at the National Customs Brokers and Forwarders Association of America conference April 10.

The American Association of Exporters and Importers (AAEI) joined the chorus of customs groups asking for removal of AD/CVD section from the still-under-discussion House customs reauthorization bill, saying the section should be removed “so it does not slow down passage of this important legislation.”

The FTC and Department of Justice should encourage courts to “deter some of the [patent assertion entities'] worst practices,” Verizon Communications and USTelecom said in joint comments posted online Monday. The FTC and Justice had collected public comments through Friday in connection with a workshop they held in December to get industry input on the effects of PAEs and how the agencies could minimize the harms PAEs could cause.

Other telecom, software and Internet companies also urged the FTC and Justice to do an in-depth investigation of PAEs and take further action to mitigate harmful effects of litigation abuse. The companies also urged the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (PTO) to institute proposed reforms to real-party-in-interest (RPI) information collection and disclosure and improve patent examination standards, with several also urging Congress to pass the Saving High-Tech Innovators from Egregious Legal Disputes (SHIELD) Act or similar legislation that institutes a “loser pays” rule, which would require a PAE to pay the legal costs of a company it sues if the PAE loses.

FTC and Justice should urge the courts “to prevent subsequent acquirers of RAND-encumbered patents from extracting the hold-up value of those patents,” Verizon and USTelecom said, referring to reasonable and nondiscriminatory license obligations. The agencies should also urge the courts to take actions that would “reduce the costs of patent litigation in order to foster the public good of private challenges to questionable patents,” Verizon and USTelecom said (http://1.usa.gov/YdWXpk).

The International Trade Administration issued a final rule establishing time limits for specific types of submissions of factual information in antidumping and countervailing duty proceedings. The rule amends definitions in the ITA’s regulations to define the specific types of factual information the agency accepts in AD/CVD proceedings, and establishes time limits for each specific type of actual information. The final rule also changes current time limits for some kinds of factual information.

The Court of International Trade is increasing its fees for filing cases. Effective May 1, the fee for filing challenges to protest denials under 28 USC 1581(a) will increase from $150 to $175, while the fee for filing Trade Adjustment Assistance challenges for workers under 28 USC 1581(d)(1) will rise from $25 to $35. Fees for all other actions, including challenges to International Trade Administration determinations in antidumping and countervailing duty cases, will increase from $350 to $400.