Trade ministers from the U.S., the EU, France, Italy, the U.K., Canada, Germany and Japan reiterated that they are committed to revising the World Trade Organization's dispute settlement, monitoring and negotiating functions, and to restoring a fully functioning dispute settlement system by year-end.
The International Trade Commission published notices in the July 18 Federal Register on the following AD/CVD injury, Section 337 patent or other trade proceedings (any notices that warrant a more detailed summary will be in another ITT article):
The International Trade Commission is beginning a Section 337 investigation on allegations that imports of storage containers and toolboxes, organizers, component boxes, coolers, and accessories from Klein Tools are infringing on patents held by Milwaukee Electric Tool and Keter Home and Garden Products, the ITC said in a notice released June 18. In a complaint filed in June (see 2406180039), Milwaukee Tool and Keter said Klein Tools’ Modbox line of modular containers rely on the patented technology used in Milwaukee Tools’ Packout modular storage products. The ITC will consider a limited exclusion order and cease and desist orders against Klein Tools.
The Commerce Department published notices in the Federal Register July 18 on the following AD/CV duty proceedings (any notices that announce changes to AD/CV duty rates, scope, affected firms or effective dates will be detailed in another ITT article):
The Commerce Department issued antidumping duty orders on paper shopping bags from Cambodia (A-555-002), China (A-570-152), Colombia (A-301-805), India (A-533-917), Malaysia (A-557-825), Portugal (A-471-808), Taiwan (A-583-872) and Vietnam (A-552-836), and countervailing duty orders on paper shopping bags from China (C-570-153) and India (C-533-918).
On July 17, the FDA posted new and revised versions of the following Import Alerts on the detention without physical examination of:
USDA's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service is revising requirements on the importation of fresh table grapes from Chile, it said in a notice. The table grapes are grown in the regions of Chile where the European grapevine moth (Lobesia botrana, EGVM) is either absent or at a very low prevalence. "We have determined that, in addition to the existing option of methyl bromide fumigation for EGVM and Chilean false red mite (Brevipalpus chilensis), grapes from Chile may be safely imported under a systems approach or irradiation for EGVM and B. chilensis," APHIS said. "Current mitigation measures for Ceratitis capitata, or Medfly, will remain unchanged." The regulation revisions are effective July 19.
Former U.S. senator from Pennsylvania Pat Toomey, who was one of the strongest advocates of free trade when he served in the Senate, told a moderator from the American Enterprise Institute that he doesn't believe Congress will pass more detailed legislation to curtail agencies' leeway to write regulations. A Supreme Court decision said judges will have more authority to overrule regulations, as the deference they had given to reasonable regulation is no longer the judicial branch's baseline.
The Court of International Trade on July 18 sent back the Commerce Department's decision to include importer Elysium Tile's composite tile within the scope of the antidumping and countervailing duty orders on ceramic tile from China. Judge Jane Restani said the "complexity of Elysium's processes" shows that the company's tile underwent more than "minor processing," which would have kept the goods in the orders' scope.
CBP issued the following releases on commercial trade and related matters: