Peter Navarro, a trade adviser to President Donald Trump who was known as a China hawk when he served in the president's first administration, said the Commerce Department will be conducting Section 232 investigations on how the steel and aluminum actions should be adjusted, and how imports of critical minerals and essential medicines "are harming [our] ability to produce" those goods.
International trade and customs attorney Jon Cowley has rejoined Baker McKenzie as a partner after working as principal counsel for trade and export at Apple, the firm announced. Cowley worked at Baker McKenzie during 2017-21 as a partner in the Hong Kong and Chicago offices. Before that, he was assistant general counsel for customs and international trade at Nike.
Two former senior advisers from the Commerce Department, Sahar Hafeez and Julian Beach, have joined Pillsbury Winthrop in the regulatory business unit and international trade practice, the firm announced. Hafeez rejoins the firm as senior counsel after serving in various roles at Commerce and the White House, most recently as senior adviser to the assistant secretary for industry and analysis at Commerce. Beach joins the firm as special counsel, most recently working as senior adviser and chief-of-staff for enforcement and compliance at Commerce.
The International Trade Commission published notices in the Feb. 3 Federal Register on the following antidumping and countervailing duty (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 issuing a limited exclusion order banning imports of vaporizer devices and their cartridges (ITC Inv. No. 337-TA-1368) from the U.S. company NJOY and its affiliates, it said in a notice to be published Feb. 4. Additionally, the ITC issued cease and desist orders against the respondents but imposed no bond for covered articles imported or sold during the period of presidential review. The order concludes a Section 337 investigation the ITC launched in August 2023, based on allegations by Juul that NJOY and its affiliates are importing vaping devices and components that infringe four patents owned by Juul.
The International Trade Commission is beginning a Section 337 investigation on shapewear garments (ITC Inv. No. 337-TA-1436) after receiving allegations filed by Spanx that U.S. companies Honeylove Sculptwear, Daerwene and Dolce Vita Intimates and three Chinese companies are importing products that infringe its patents, the agency said in a Jan. 31 news release.
The Commerce Department published notices in the Federal Register Feb. 3 on the following antidumping and countervailing duty (AD/CVD) proceedings (any notices that announce changes to AD/CVD rates, scope, affected firms or effective dates will be detailed in another ITT article):
The Commerce Department announced the opportunity to request administrative reviews by Feb. 28 for producers and exporters subject to 45 antidumping duty orders and 17 countervailing duty orders with anniversary dates in February.
The Commerce Department is giving advance notice that in automatic five-year sunset reviews scheduled to begin in March it will consider revoking the antidumping and countervailing duty orders on sugar from Mexico (A-201-845/C-201-846) and wooden cabinets and vanities from China (A-570-106/C-570-107), as well as the AD order on small diameter graphite electrodes from China (A-570-929). These orders will be revoked, or investigation terminated, unless Commerce finds that revocation would lead to dumping and the International Trade Commission finds that revocation would result in injury to U.S. industry, Commerce said.
The Commerce Department and the International Trade Commission began five-year sunset reviews of the antidumping duty orders on refined brown aluminum oxide from China (A-570-882) and steel threaded rod from China (A-570-932), Commerce said in a notice Feb. 3.