U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has issued an ABI administrative message advising the trade on the ABI system requirements for the Certificate of Eligibility for the CAFTA-DR1 Tariff Preference Level (TPL)2 for Nicaragua apparel entered under HTS 9915.61.01.
According to the Journal of Commerce, Ford Motor Co., has filed a complaint in the U.S. District Court for Eastern Michigan to force U.S. Customs and Border and Protection (CBP) to turn over documents that demonstrate Ford's record of compliance with import laws and regulations in recent years. According to the article, Ford wants to demonstrate its compliance record to show that it's eligible for CBP's Importer Self Assessment program. Furthermore, the article notes that in recent years, Ford was assessed a fine of $20 million for valuation errors by the U.S. Court of International Trade and is also being sought in a separate case by CBP for $42 million in penalties for alleged violations of NAFTA foreign producer country of origin records. (JoC, dated 08/07/06, www.joc.com)
U.S. Customs and Border Protection has issued two quota bulletins on recent or upcoming increases to (i) the refined sugar tariff rate quota (TRQ) and (ii) the specialty sugar TRQ, for fiscal year 2006 (October 1, 2005 - September 30, 2006), as follows:
According to the Journal of Commerce, terminal operations on the East and Gulf coasts are starting to experiment with different ways of handling import containers after the International Longshoremen's Association (ILA) issued a July 25, 2006 directive that its members should no longer drive through the Vehicle and Cargo Inspection System (VACIS) radiation scanners because of safety issues regarding exposure to the scanners. According to the article, the directive has had little impact on container throughput at ILA-staffed terminals so far, but the operators are concerned that the cumulative impact could mount as the volumes grow during peak season and during periods of bad weather. (JoC, dated 07/31/06, www.joc.com)
Eric Doctorow has withdrawn from the slate of nominees backed by Lions Gate for control of the Image Entertainment board, Image said in an SEC filing. No reason was given for his withdrawal. Image has urged shareholders to vote down the “dissident” slate on grounds Lions Gate’s nominees lack the industry experience needed for the board or have conflicts of interest (CED Aug 3 p5). Image’s main beef against Doctorow -- the former Paramount Home Entertainment chief -- is that he manages MGM’s DVD catalog for Fox Home Entertainment, a competitor. Lions Gate has tapped cable and movie industries veteran Jack Crosby to replace Doctorow, the filing said. Lions Gate -- Image’s 2nd largest shareholder with about 19% of total shares outstanding -- has said it believes the Image board isn’t acting in the company’s best interests by refusing to explore “strategic alternatives,” including selling the company to Lions Gate. Image twice rebuffed fall 2005 studio offers to buy the company for $4 a share. Because Image shares are trading “significantly below” the offer price -- they closed 0.6% lower Fri. at $3.65 -- and for “other operational reasons,” Lions Gate said it “has lost confidence” in the board. It plans soon to make its case in a preliminary proxy statement to be filed at the SEC, Image said.
A flurry of filings in the Electronic Frontier Foundation’s electronic surveillance case against AT&T this week hit the 9th U.S. Appeals Court, San Francisco, as AT&T and the U.S. appealed U.S. Dist. Court Judge Vaughn Walker’s refusal to void the suit and EFF filed to dismiss the appeal. Calling Walker’s reasoning “speculation and unsupported inference,” AT&T said the case should be dismissed because pretrial discovery of evidence would compromise its trade secrets and state security, an argument the govt. echoed. EFF said AT&T and the govt. must show a “significant threat of irreparable injury” to get the case thrown out. The next district court hearing is set for Aug. 8.
A flurry of filings in Electronic Frontier Foundation’s electronic surveillance case against AT&T this week hit the 9th U.S. Appeals Court, San Francisco, as AT&T and the U.S. appealed U.S. Dist. Court Judge Vaughn Walker’s refusal to void the suit and EFF filed to dismiss the appeal. Calling Walker’s reasoning “speculation and unsupported inference,” AT&T said the case should be dismissed because pretrial discovery of evidence would compromise its trade secrets and state security, an argument the govt. echoed EFF said AT&T and the govt. must show a “significant threat of irreparable injury” to get the case thrown out. The next district court hearing is set for Aug. 8.
The WTO established a panel to explore whether U.S. Internet gambling restrictions comply with international trade doctrine. A complaint filed with the Dispute Settlement Body (DSB) by Antigua & Barbuda argues that the U.S. hasn’t lived up to its General Agreement on Trade in Services (GATS) promises with respect to the provision of cross border gambling and betting services. The former British colony first filed a WTO case against the U.S. in 2003, but officials argued that pending legislation would make matters worse. The House passed a measure this month intended to cut the flow of cash from bettors to gambling sites. Lawmakers voted 317-93 for the Internet Gambling Prohibition & Enforcement Act (HR-4411), which combined legislation by Reps. Goodlatte (R-Va.) and Leach (R-Iowa). The Senate doesn’t have a bill yet but Sen. Kyl (R-Ariz.) wants his colleagues to fast-track the issue once a measure is introduced (WID July 14 p1). Congress’s actions are “expressly contrary to the recommendations and rulings of the DSB,” Antigua said. The country wants the WTO panel to find that the U.S. hasn’t acted to comply with DSB rulings and decide that the Wire Act, the Travel Act and the Illegal Gaming Business Act remain in violation by the U.S.
If Congress rejects net neutrality legislation, leaving it to FCC, FTC and DoJ Antitrust Div. regulators to rule case by case, that campaign’s success will depend on shining the beam of Federal Register publicity on rulings, plus other factors, Google Chief Internet Evangelist Vint Cerf said Mon. The Internet pioneer faced off against fellow Web wizard David Farber at a Center for American Progress-sponsored debate on the hot-button topic that has pitted online service providers and consumer groups against telecom and cable giants.
If Congress rejects net neutrality legislation, leaving it to FCC, FTC and DoJ Antitrust Div. regulators to rule case by case, that campaign’s success will depend on shining the beam of Federal Register publicity on rulings, plus other factors, Google Chief Internet Evangelist Vint Cerf said Mon. The Internet pioneer faced off against fellow Web wizard David Farber at a Center for American Progress-sponsored debate on the hot-button topic that has pitted online service providers and consumer groups against telecom and cable giants.