Europe's GDP will be 250 billion euros ($305 billion) better off if the EU signs trade pacts with its key trading partners, the European Commission said July 20. By 2015, 90 percent of economic growth will be generated outside Europe, one third in China alone, it said. Tapping into the markets of important trade partners will be increasingly significant for European growth, it said. More than two-thirds of those gains would come from agreements with the U.S. and Japan, it said. The EC has requested authority to negotiate a trade agreement with Japan, and in June, an interim report of the EU-U.S. High Level Working group on growth and jobs stressed the benefits of a comprehensive trade agreement with the U.S., it said. A recommendation should follow later this year on prospects for such talks, it said.
The U.S. Court of International Trade granted a Justice Department motion to dismiss for lack of jurisdiction in the case of Chrysal USA vs. the U.S. Chrysal had sought to challenge the tariff classification of "flower food" which was among the various products included in 17 entries of merchandise that Chrysal imported into the U.S. in 2008.
Members of the House IP Subcommittee offered suggestions Wednesday during a hearing to curb the rising number of patent disputes at the U.S. International Trade Commission. The ITC is an independent, quasi-judicial government agency tasked with assessing the impact of imports on U.S. industries and overseeing actions against unfair trade practices. Subcommittee Chairman Bob Goodlatte, R-Va., said the average number of ITC complaints filed annually during the past decade is nearly triple the average for the previous decade, and “bogus lawsuits” continue to proliferate despite the passage of patent reform via the America Invents Act. Rep. Zoe Lofgren, D-Calif., described the increasing number of patent disputes at the ITC as a “shakedown situation."
Members of the House IP Subcommittee offered suggestions Wednesday during a hearing to curb the rising number of patent disputes at the U.S. International Trade Commission. Subcommittee Chairman Bob Goodlatte, R-Va., said the average number of ITC complaints filed annually during the past decade is nearly triple the average for the previous decade, and “bogus lawsuits” continue to proliferate despite the passage of patent reform via the America Invents Act. Rep. Zoe Lofgren, D-Calif., described the increasing number of patent disputes at the ITC as a “shakedown situation."
Members of the House IP Subcommittee offered suggestions Wednesday during a hearing to curb the rising number of patent disputes at the U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC). The independent, quasi-judicial government agency is tasked with assessing the impact of imports on U.S. industries and oversee actions against unfair trade practices.
ObjectVideo said it would file an unopposed motion to remove Samsung from an ongoing U.S. International Trade Commission investigation pertaining to video analytic technology products from Robert Bosch GmbH and Bosch Security Systems. "Both parties agreed this was the appropriate next step as part of our continued efforts to resolve the dispute between the companies," said Raul Fernandez, CEO of ObjectVideo. The trial involving other parties in the case was to begin on schedule July 18 at the USITC. The patents in the suit include U.S. patent numbers 6,696,945; 6,970,083; 7,613,324; 7,868,912; and 7,932,923.
CBP's ACE team is continuing to work with the International Trade Data System (ITDS) and Office of Field Operations (OFO) to determine which forms will be added for use within the Document Image System (DIS), which is now in the first phase of a pilot. CBP released a series of questions and answers on the program. Phase 1 of DIS include documents for Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) and National Marine Fisheries Service/ National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NMFS/NOAA). CBP hasn't said when the next phase will start.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection posted an updated version of its spreadsheet of ACE ESAR A2.2 (Initial Entry Types) programming issues.
Some of LG’s imports are in violation of Osram’s U.S. Patent 7,151,283, Administrative Law Judge David Shaw said Monday in his initial decision in a U.S. International Trade Commission investigation. The investigation of LG’s light-emitting diodes was started by the ITC in July 2011, after Siemens subsidiary Osram filed a complaint accusing LG of violating the 283 patent and U.S. Patent 7,271,425. Shaw’s initial determination was that LG’s accused products infringed on several claims regarding the 283 patent, but that the products “do not infringe” on several asserted claims regarding the 425 patent. He said “it has not been shown by clear and convincing evidence that any asserted claim” of either patent was “invalid.” LG Electronics USA Vice President John Taylor said Tuesday his company was “pleased” that the ALJ ruled in favor of it, finding no infringement of Osram’s 425 patent. But he said LG “disagrees with” Shaw’s initial determination concerning the 283 patent, and “plans to seek review before the ITC in the final determination phase of the case.”
The International Trade Commission issued a proposed rule that would change its Rules of Practice and Procedure concerning general application, adjudication, and enforcement in Section 337 patent investigations. The proposed rule would amend the ITC’s regulations at 19 CFR 201 and 210 in order to change filing deadlines and requirements, remove outdated references, “address concerns that have arisen in Commission practice,” etc. Comments on the ITC’s proposed rule are due by Sept. 10.