OTEXA: Limitations on Duty and Quota-Free Imports of Apparel Articles
ITA - Office of Textiles and Apparel / http://otexa.ita.doc.gov/
[10/01/2014] – Limitations on Duty and Quota-Free Imports of Apparel Articles Assembled in Beneficiary Sub-Saharan African Countries From Regional and Third- Country Fabric, 2014-2015
Department of Homeland Security Kicks Off National Cyber Security Awareness Month 2014
U.S. Department of Homeland Security / http://www.dhs.gov/news/2014/10/02/department-homeland-security-kicks-national-cyber-security-awareness-month-2014
WASHINGTON - The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced yesterday the beginning of National Cyber Security Awareness Month 2014, an effort to increase the American public’s understanding of basic cybersecurity practices and the role each of us plays in keeping cyberspace safe and secure. Cybersecurity is a critical component of the nation’s economic wellbeing and has become an integral part of our collective national security. Both essential services and critical infrastructure increasingly rely on cyber networks and systems. Improving the security and resilience of these networks is one of DHS’s core missions.
“Today our nation’s cyber networks are as much a part of the American homeland as they are indispensable to modern life in America – the very backbone of our 21st century economy and a major nerve center of our national security,” said Secretary of Homeland Security Jeh Johnson. “Cybersecurity is a shared responsibility. Every one of us must practice basic cyber security because an intrusion into one computer can affect an entire network.”
Yesterday, DHS also joined the National Association of State Chief Information Officers (NASCIO) for a formal kick-off of National Cyber Security and Awareness Month in Nashville, Tenn. The Department and its partners will host additional events throughout the month around the country to promote cybersecurity awareness.
National Cyber Security Awareness Month reflects our shared responsibility to secure cyberspace, and looks ahead by engaging all members of the community in an ongoing dialogue about emerging cybersecurity issues. DHS works year-round to increase cybersecurity awareness through its Stop.Think.Connect.™ campaign, which encourages Americans to practice safe online behavior. The campaign offers the following tips to stay safe online:
- Set strong passwords and don’t share them with anyone.
- Keep your operating system, browser, and other critical software optimized by installing updates.
- Maintain an open dialogue with your family, friends, and community about Internet safety.
- Limit the amount of personal information you post online and use privacy settings to avoid sharing information widely.
- Be cautious about what you receive or read online—if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.
For more information about National Cyber Security Awareness Month 2014, visit here.
CBP and GSA Launch Donation Acceptance Program to Support Port of Entry Infrastructure Needs
U.S. Customs & Border Protection / http://www.cbp.gov/newsroom/national-media-release/2014-10-01-000000/cbp-and-gsa-launch-donation-acceptance-program
WASHINGTON— U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has teamed up with the U.S. General Services Administration (GSA) to develop the Donation Acceptance Program (DAP), a framework supporting the new pilot program authorized by Congress in January 2014 that permits CBP to enter into partnerships for certain services and to accept certain donations. Pursuant to Section 559 of the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2014 CBP and GSA are authorized to accept donations of real property, personal property (including monetary donations) and non-personal services from private sector and government entities. Accepted donations may be used for activities related to the construction, alteration, operations, and maintenance of CBP or GSA-owned ports of entry.
“Through these donations CBP will ultimately be able to provide new and additional services at our ports of entry across the country,” said Commissioner R. Gil Kerlikowske. “These donations allow us to better support the growing volumes of trade and travel that are vital to our economy.”
“GSA will continue to use innovative approaches to meet the needs of our agency partners. Public-private partnerships allow us to better serve the American people despite budget constraints,” said GSA Administrator Dan Tangherlini.
Infrastructure enhancements play a critical role in the improvement of trade and travel facilitation. CBP faces a growing demand for facilities and renovations at aging ports of entry. This authority provides an alternate method of financing port of entry modernization and construction projects.
CBP will evaluate proposals from private corporations, public entities, municipalities, port authorities, consortiums, and any other private sector or Government entity. Donation proposals will be evaluated based on their individual merit and ability to satisfy the evaluation criteria posted on CBP.gov. Please also note that CBP and GSA will only consider submissions that envision Federal ownership of the proposed donation.
CBP and GSA will be providing multiple opportunities to learn more about the DAP and proposal submission process, including addressing program-related inquiries received, and hosting a live Q&A teleconference in the early November timeframe. Also, on October 20, 2014, CBP will be announcing the open period for submitting donation proposals for CBP and GSA consideration. Details regarding the abovementioned information-sharing opportunities and forthcoming proposal submission period may be found on CBP.gov, which we’ll continue to update as more information becomes available.
Public-private partnerships are a key component of CBP’s Resource Optimization Strategy, and allow CBP to provide new or expanded services at domestic ports of entry. Last year, CBP entered into Section 560 Reimbursable Services Agreements with the City of El Paso, Texas, The City of Houston Airport System, Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport, Miami-Dade County, and South Texas Assets Consortium. These locations have already benefitted from significant wait time reductions despite rising traffic volumes.
USITC Introduces 337Info - A New Way to Research and Track Section 337 Investigations
U.S. International Trade Commssion / http://www.usitc.gov/press_room/news_release/2014/er0930mm1.htm
The U.S. International Trade Commission (USITC) today launched a new web-based tool that will help users find information about and track unfair import investigations brought under section 337 of the Tariff Act of 1930, as amended (section 337 investigations).
337Info is an information retrieval system that contains data about USITC section 337 investigations, including:
- the unfair act(s) alleged (patent, trademark, or copyright infringement; misappropriation of trade secrets; etc.)
- the parties involved (current and historical)
- the Administrative Law Judge(s) (ALJ(s)) and USITC staff assigned (current and historical)
- the product(s) involved
- current investigation status and key dates (hearing dates, target dates, etc.)
- key dates in the procedural history (e.g., date of institution)
- disposition of the investigation as a whole and by respondent
- remedial order(s) issued
- any appeals and/or ancillary proceedings
337Info brings together information that was previously spread across the USITC website and presents it in a single, user-friendly, easy-to-navigate interface. It features a robust search capability that enables users to identify investigations of interest; track ongoing investigations, appeals, and ancillary proceedings from filing to disposition; and conduct research with ease.
337Info currently includes information about investigations instituted or otherwise initiated on or after October 1, 2008. These investigations include violation-phase, enforcement, bond forfeiture, and modification proceedings, as well as investigations following a remand from the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit. The data will generally be updated within three business days of a Commission or ALJ action.
337Info is not a document repository. To view official documents filed in USITC investigations, users may use the USITC Electronic Document Information System (EDIS).
337Info will not replace current procedures related to the release of information on target dates. ALJ initial determinations will continue to be posted in the Press Room section of the USITC website on the date of release. Commission decisions on whether to review ALJ initialdeterminations and Commission final determinations will continue to be posted in the Federal Register section of the USITC website at 5 p.m. on the date of release.
Users are encouraged to visit the 337Info site and explore its features. An online tutorial and Frequently Asked Questions document will help users become familiar with the system and how to use it. The USITC also anticipates offering limited training sessions in the near future. Information will be announced when such sessions are scheduled.
The USITC, an independent, quasi-judicial federal agency, adjudicates complaints brought under section 337 of the Tariff Act of 1930, as amended. Section 337 declares the infringement of certain statutory intellectual property rights and other forms of unfair competition in import trade to be unlawful practices. Most section 337 investigations involve allegations of patent or registered trademark infringement. Other forms of unfair competition, such as misappropriation of trade secrets, trade dress infringement, passing off, false advertising, and false designation of origin, may also be asserted.
ITA: Press Releases
International Trade Administration / http://www.trade.gov/press/press-releases/
09/25/2014 Commerce Finds Dumping of Imports of Grain-Oriented Electrical Steel from the People’s Republic of China, the Republic of Korea, and the Russian Federation and Countervailable Subsidization of Imports of Grain-Oriented Electrical Steel from the People’s Republic of China
09/23/2014 Commerce Finds Dumping of Imports of Monosodium Glutamate from the Peoples Republic of China and Indonesia
09/23/2014 Commerce Preliminarily Finds Countervailable Subsidization of Imports of 53-Foot Domestic Dry Containers from the Peoples Republic of China
ATPA'S Impact on U.S. Economy, Drug Crop Eradication Still Negligible, says USITC
U.S. International Trade Commission / http://www.usitc.gov/press_room/news_release/2014/er0930mm2.htm?source=govdelivery&utm_medium=email&utm_source=govdelivery
Ecuador Was Sole Remaining Beneficiary Country When ATPA Preferences Expired in 2013
Andean Trade Preference Act (ATPA) imports during 2013 continued to have a negligible overall effect on the U.S. economy and consumers, reports the U.S. International Trade Commission (USITC) in its publication Andean Trade Preference Act: Impact on U.S. Industries and Consumers and on Drug Crop Eradication and Crop Substitution, 2013, Sixteenth Report.
ATPA requires the USITC, an independent, nonpartisan, factfinding federal agency, to submit biennial reports to the President and the Congress on the economic impact of the ATPA program on U.S. industries and consumers, and on the effectiveness of the program in promoting drug-related crop eradication and crop substitution efforts of the beneficiary countries.
ATPA preferential treatment expired on July 31, 2013. Ecuador is the sole remaining beneficiary country under the ATPA program. Peru and Colombia ceased to be beneficiary countries in 2010 and 2012, respectively, after entering into free trade agreements with the United States.
Since its enactment in 1991, ATPA has had a minimal economic impact on the U.S. economy as a whole and on the great majority of U.S. industries and consumers. This continued to be the case during 2013. If Congress extends the President's authority to provide preferential treatment under ATPA, and if the President continues to designate Ecuador as a beneficiary country, the probable future effect of ATPA on the overall U.S. economy and on U.S. industries is likely to be minimal, given the small share of imports from Ecuador in total U.S. imports.
The USITC estimates that the effect during 2012-13 of ATPA in reducing illicit coca cultivation and promoting crop substitution efforts in Ecuador continued to be small and mostly indirect, given that no significant coca cultivation exists in Ecuador.
Highlights of the report, which focuses on calendar year 2013, follow:
- U.S. imports of $2.6 billion from Ecuador under ATPA preferences during 2013 represented a minor share (0.11 percent) of the total value of U.S. merchandise imports from the world.
- Petroleum and petroleum products dominated the list of leading ATPA imports from Ecuador that benefited exclusively from ATPA, accounting for 92.8 percent of the value of the 20 leading items in 2013. The five leading items benefiting exclusively from ATPA in 2013 were heavy crude oil, fresh cut roses, tuna in airtight containers, light crude oil, and light oil mixtures.
- Duty-free entry of tuna in airtight containers and fresh cut roses from Ecuador provided the largest gains in U.S. consumer welfare. However, these two products also accountedfor the largest losses of U.S. tariff revenues from ATPA preferences.
- The potential relative displacement effect on U.S. producers was small for all 20 leading items analyzed. The analysis indicates that ATPA preferences did not result in a displacement of more than 5 percent of domestic production for any of the 20 ATPA-exclusive products imported from Ecuador.
Andean Trade Preference Act: Impact on U.S. Industries and Consumers and on Drug Crop Eradication and Crop Substitution, 2013, Sixteenth Report (Inv. No. 332-352, USITC Publication No. 4486, September 2014) will be available on the USITC's Internet site at http://www.usitc.gov/publications/332/pub4486.pdf. The publication will also be available at federal depository libraries in the United States.
USITC general factfinding investigations, such as this one, cover matters related to tariffs or trade and are generally conducted at the request of the U.S. Trade Representative, the House Committee on Ways and Means, or the Senate Committee on Finance. The resulting reports convey the Commission's objective findings and independent analyses on the subjects investigated. The Commission makes no recommendations on policy or other matters in its general factfinding reports. Upon completion of each investigation, the USITC submits its findings and analyses to the requester. General factfinding investigation reports are subsequently released to the public unless they are classified by the requester for national security reasons.
CPSC Approves Strong Federal Safety Standard for High-Powered Magnet Sets to Protect Children and Teenagers
WASHINGTON, D.C. – To protect the safety of consumers, especially young children, tweens, and teenagers, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission voted to approve a new national safety standard for high-powered magnet sets.
High-powered magnet sets are hazardous to young children, who have mouthed and ingested these magnets. The magnets also pose a serious risk to teens and tweens, who have used them to create mock lip, tongue, and nose piercings.
Hazardous magnet sets include, on average, approximately 200 magnets, although some sets have up to 1,700 magnets. If multiple magnets are ingested, the magnets attract each other, pinching or trapping intestines or other digestive tissue between them. The result can be a serious injury that requires surgery and can lead to lifelong health consequences or death. High-powered magnet sets were found to be responsible for the death of a 19-month-old girl and, according to CPSC analysis, an estimated 2,900 emergency room-treated injuries between 2009 and 2013. The Commission concluded that the safety standard is necessary to address the unreasonable risk of injury or death associated with these magnet sets.
Under the new CPSC performance standard, an individual magnet from a magnet set either must be large enough that the magnet does not fit into a CPSC small parts cylinder or the power of the magnetic force must be lower than a specified measure. Certain hazardous magnet sets that were previously in the marketplace had a magnetic force that was 37 times greater than what the new performance standard permits.
The rule applies to high-powered magnet sets and to individual magnets that are marketed or intended for use as part of a magnet set. Magnets manufactured or imported on or after the effective date of the new standard, which is 180 days after the rule is published in the Federal Register, must meet the new performance standard. Once the safety standard becomes effective, the manufacture, importation, distribution or sale of high-powered magnet sets that are subject to the federal standard and do not comply will be illegal.
CPSC urges consumers to stop using those high-powered magnets that will not comply with the new federal standard.
Canadian Sentenced for Trafficking in Counterfeit Airbags
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) / http://www.ice.gov/news/releases/1410/141001seattle.htm
Video available on www.dvidshub.net.
SEATTLE — A British Columbia man who sold counterfeit airbags sourced from China on eBay was sentenced Tuesday to six months in federal prison, three years' supervised release and was ordered to pay $33,000 in restitution, following an investigation by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI).
Abdul Masood Qayumi, 25, of Surrey, B.C., and his brother Abdul Masih Qayumi, 26, marketed and sold more than $33,000 worth of counterfeit Honda, BMW and Toyota airbags on eBay for about one year, according to court records. HSI special agents began their investigation after American Honda Motor Corporation alerted investigators of the brothers' online sales scheme.
In August 2013, HSI special agents purchased two Honda airbags from the brothers, which Honda confirmed were fakes. One of the airbags was tested by a lab in Eaton, Ohio, and court records state it failed to deploy as designed and shot flames from the top and bottom of the airbag. A portion of the airbag cover also separated and was propelled forward towards the driver position. Then in November 2013, HSI special agents made a second undercover purchase, this time they observed the brothers cross into the U.S. to mail the package from a mailbox store in Blaine, which prosecutors say was an effort to legitimize the package with a U.S. return address.
Though the brothers first denied knowing the products they were selling were fakes, evidence obtained through the investigation proved otherwise, including eBay freezing multiple accounts for copyright infringement and emails exchanged with their Chinese supplier. In one email, Masood complained to his supplier that half of the airbags were being returned because customers were concerned they were being shipped from China and they did not trust the quality. In their sentencing memorandum to the court, prosecutors noted the brothers' deceptive shipping practices, use of multiple eBay accounts to evade the site's efforts to shut down their counterfeit sales and the brothers' lack of regard for their customers' safety, despite repeated warnings that the airbags they were selling were counterfeits.
Masood was arrested in May at the Peace Arch port of entry in Blaine. He pleaded guilty in July to conspiracy to traffic in counterfeit goods, two counts of smuggling goods into the United States and two counts of trafficking in counterfeit goods. The $33,000 in restitution will be paid to the companies whose trademarks were infringed.
Masood's brother, Masih, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to traffic in counterfeit goods in July and is scheduled to be sentenced Oct. 7.
According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), it is critical that vehicle owners work with their automotive dealers and repair professionals to ensure they use the appropriate, original equipment parts in the event they need to replace their airbag. Vehicle owners concerned they may have had a counterfeit airbag installed in their car can visit NHTSA's website at http://www.safercar.gov.
The case was prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Western District of Washington.