Implementation of the Trans-Pacific Partnership would require amending U.S. customs laws on duty preference claims, penalties, recordkeeping and government procurement, said the U.S. Trade Representative in a formal notice to Congress of legislative changes required by the agreement (here). That would come on top of TPP-required changes to the Merchandise Processing Fee currently under discussion within government and industry (see 1603090030), said the USTR in the document dated April 1.
Canada on March 30 filed a request for World Trade Organization consultations to challenge U.S. countervailing duties on supercalendered paper from the country, Canadian Minister of International Trade Chrystia Freeland announced (here). “Our government is committed to defending the interests of Canadian companies,” she said in a statement. “We are pursuing this matter in both binational and multilateral bodies to ensure trade practices are fair, allowing businesses to operate on a level playing field.” Freeland also mentioned that Canada in November requested a panel under NAFTA Chapter 19 to review the U.S. Commerce Department’s decision to impose CV rates ranging from 17.87 to 20.18 percent in October (see 1512090012).
Several lawmakers called for stronger U.S. government enforcement efforts to protect the domestic steel industry in comments to the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative (here) filed ahead of a public hearing on the matter. The International Trade Commission is scheduled to hold the hearing on global and U.S. steel industries on April 12 (see 1603030003). More than 100 U.S. lawmakers, industry executives and employees, association representatives, and other stakeholders submitted comments in response the request for comments from the USTR, Commerce Department, and other U.S. government agencies.
After months of hand-wringing and multiple delays, the first ACE mandatory use date on March 31 looks set to go smoothly, said software developers and customs brokers the day before the transition. CBP’s phased implementation approach appears to have paid dividends, with March 31 marking no change at all for many filers who already file the required types of entries and entry summaries in ACE, they said.
The following lawsuits were filed at the Court of International Trade during the week of March 21-27:
Krill oil imported by Jedwards International is classifiable in the HTS as an animal extract, not as an animal oil, said the Court of International Trade in a decision issued March 28 (here). Ruling against proposed classifications set forth by both Jedwards and CBP, the court held that the krill oil does not have a high enough triglyceride content to be considered an animal oil for tariff classification purposes.
The final six Centers of Excellence and Expertise began handling the post-release operations for the respective industries on March 23, said a CBP guidance to the trade community (here). The CBP guidance outlines the agency's delegation order that gives CEE directors authority over some processing. As a result, all 10 CEEs are now authorized to oversee post-release processing for those industries. CBP said last month that it would move forward with those CEEs at a slightly accelerated pace (see 1602080029).
Backpage.com scored a victory last week when a federal court dismissed the case brought by three women in Massachusetts, saying that the online classified advertiser wasn't responsible for their appearance in prostitution advertisements posted by third parties. It faces a similar challenge in Washington state, and the company's troubles with Congress grew when the Senate unanimously held the company and its CEO in contempt for ignoring subpoenas to appear before an investigations subcommittee (see 1603170042). Some experts said Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act is doing what CDA was designed to do: protect website operators from lawsuits arising out of third-party content.
The Supreme Court partially granted Samsung’s petition for a writ of certiorari seeking a review of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit’s May ruling that whittled down the amount of damages the company is required to pay Apple in a patent infringement lawsuit Samsung lost in 2012.
The following lawsuits were filed at the Court of International Trade during the week of March 14-20: