USITC Institutes Section 337 Investigation of Certain Shielded Electrical Ribbon Cables and Products Containing the Same - U.S. International Trade Commission
The U.S. International Trade Commission (USITC) has voted to institute an investigation of certain shielded electrical ribbon cables and products containing the same. The products at issue in the investigation are shielded electrical ribbon cables that can effectively transmit electromagnetic signals at high speeds and products containing those cables, such as data servers.
The investigation is based on a complaint filed by 3M Company and 3M Innovative Properties Company, both of St. Paul, MN, on June 30, 2017. The complaint alleges violations of section 337 of the Tariff Act of 1930 in the importation into the United States and sale of certain shielded electrical ribbon cables and products containing the same that infringe patents asserted by the complainants. The complainants request that the USITC issue a general exclusion order, or in the alternative a limited exclusion order, and a cease and desist order.
The USITC has identified the following as respondents in this investigation:
Amphenol Corporation of Wallingford, CT;Amphenol Interconnect Products Corporation of Endicott, NY;
Amphenol Cables on Demand Corporation of Endicott, NY;
Amphenol Assemble Technology (Xiamen) Co., Ltd., of Xiamen, Fujian, China;
Amphenol (Xiamen) High Speed Cable Co., Ltd., of Xiamen, Fujian, China; and
Amphenol East Asia Limited (Taiwan) of Taoyuan County, Taiwan.
By instituting this investigation (337-TA-1064), the USITC has not yet made any decision on the merits of the case. The USITC’s Chief Administrative Law Judge will assign the case to one of the USITC’s administrative law judges (ALJ), who will schedule and hold an evidentiary hearing. The ALJ will make an initial determination as to whether there is a violation of section 337; that initial determination is subject to review by the Commission.
The USITC will make a final determination in the investigation at the earliest practicable time. Within 45 days after institution of the investigation, the USITC will set a target date for completing the investigation. USITC remedial orders in section 337 cases are effective when issued and become final 60 days after issuance unless disapproved for policy reasons by the U.S. Trade Representative within that 60-day period.
USTR Announces New Trade Allocations for Sugar - U.S. Trade Representative
Washington, D.C. – The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative today announced the country-specific and first-come, first-served import allocations for raw cane sugar, refined and specialty sugar, and sugar-containing products under the tariff-rate quotas (TRQs) for Fiscal Year 2018.
TRQs allow countries to export specified quantities of a product to the United States at a relatively low tariff, but subject all imports of the product above a pre-determined threshold to a higher tariff.
Following the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announcement of June 30, 2017 establishing the quantities for imported sugars in FY 2018, USTR is establishing the following allocations of those quantities:
•Raw sugar allocations specific to 43 countries, totaling 1,117,195 metric tons raw value (MTRV), which is the minimum amount to which the United States is committed under the World Trade Organization (WTO) Agreement. Click here for a list of countries, allocations, and conditions.
•Refined sugar allocations of 10,300 MTRV to Canada, 2,954 MTRV to Mexico and the remaining 7,090 MTRV of refined sugar to be administered on a first-come, first-served basis.
•Imports of all specialty sugar will be administered on a first-come, first-served basis in five tranches, as announced by USDA.
•Sugar-containing product allocations of 59,250 metric tons (MT) to Canada. The remaining 5,459 MT of the in-quota quantity is available for other countries on a first-come, first-served basis.
For full information on USTR’s FY 2018 sugar allocations, click here.
For information on USDA’s FY 2018 sugar tariff rate quotas, click here.
Emulsion Styrene-Butadiene Rubber from Brazil, Korea, Mexico, and Poland Injures U.S. Industry, Says USITC - U.S. International Trade Administration
The United States International Trade Commission (USITC) today determined that a U.S. industry is materially injured by reason of imports of emulsion styrene-butadiene rubber from Brazil, Korea, Mexico, and Poland that the U.S. Department of Commerce (Commerce) has determined are sold in the United States at less than fair value.
Chairman Rhonda K. Schmidtlein and Commissioner Irving A. Williamson voted in the affirmative. Vice Chairman David S. Johanson and Commissioner Meredith M. Broadbent voted in the negative.
As a result of the USITC’s affirmative determinations, Commerce will issue antidumping duty orders on imports of this product from Brazil, Korea, Mexico, and Poland.
The Commission also made a negative finding concerning critical circumstances with regard to imports of this product from Korea. As a result, goods sold at less than fair value that entered the United States from Korea prior to February 24, 2017 (date of Commerce’s affirmative preliminary determination), will not be subject to retroactive antidumping duties.
The Commission’s public report Emulsion Styrene-Butadiene Rubber from Brazil, Korea, Mexico, and Poland (Investigation Nos. 731-TA-1334-1337 (Final), USITC Publication 4717, August 2017) will contain the views of the Commission and information developed during the investigations.
The report will be available by September 13, 2017; when available, it may be accessed on the USITC website at: http://pubapps.usitc.gov/applications/publogs/qry_publication_loglist.asp.
ITA: Announcements - International Trade Administration
08/03/2017 – The Office of the United States Trade Representative annually publishes the National Trade Estimate Report on Foreign Trade Barriers (NTE). The Trade Policy Staff Committee requests interested persons to submit written comments by October 25, 2017 to assist in identifying significant barriers to U.S. exports of goods, services, and U.S. foreign direct investment for inclusion in the 2018 NTE report.
08/03/2017 – USTR Report to Congress on Trade Enforcement Priorities. Published July 2017.
FTC Escalates the Fight against Illegal Robocalls Using Consumer Complaints to Aid Industry Call-Blocking Solutions - Federal Trade Commission
Every day American consumers report tens of thousands of illegal robocalls to the Federal Trade Commission, and now the FTC is helping put that information to work boosting industry efforts to stop unwanted calls before they reach consumers.
Under a new initiative announced by the FTC, when consumers report Do Not Call or robocall violations to the agency, the robocaller phone numbers consumers provide will be released each day to telecommunications carriers and other industry partners that are implementing call-blocking solutions.
“Sharing the critical information from consumers’ unwanted call complaints to enable industry innovators to stop illegal robocalls is exactly the type of public-private partnership the FTC champions,” said Acting Chairman Maureen K. Ohlhausen.
Unwanted and illegal robocalls are the FTC’s number-one complaint category, with more than 1.9 million complaints filed in the first five months of 2017 alone. By reporting illegal robocalls, consumers help law enforcement efforts to stop the violators behind these calls. In addition, under the initiative announced today, the FTC is now taking steps to provide more data, more often to help power the industry solutions that block illegal calls.
The consumer complaint data is crucial because many of today’s call-blocking solutions rely on “blacklists” -- databases of telephone numbers that have received significant consumer complaints -- as one way to determine which calls should be blocked or flagged before they reach consumers’ phones.
The new data that FTC is making available also will include the date and time the unwanted call was received, the general subject matter of the call (such as debt reduction, energy, warranties, home security, etc.), and whether the call was a robocall.
When filing a complaint, the FTC makes it easy for consumers to identify the subject of the unwanted call with a drop-down menu on its website. This information is particularly helpful to law enforcement and industry. The data is posted to the FTC website every weekday, with Monday postings including weekend data, and is available on the Do Not Call (DNC) Reported Calls Data webpage.
Total Solar Eclipse and Wildlife: More than a Dozen Wildlife Refuges in the Path - U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service
What does wildlife do in near total darkness when it comes during daytime hours? You can find out.
More than a dozen national wildlife refuges are in the “path of totality” during the August 21 total solar eclipse, the first in the United States since 1979. The blackout will last less than three minutes ? and you can be part of the excitement… and the science.
The projected path of the August 21 event reaches from the Oregon Coast across the nation to the coast of South Carolina. A string of national wildlife refuges is in the prime viewing area.
The National Wildlife Refuge System, part of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, protects natural habitat for America’s treasured wildlife species, helps clean our air and water and offers access to world-class recreation, such as fishing, hunting and nature watching.
The U.S. Department of the Interior offers good tips on how to catch the eclipse safely. Most importantly, avoid looking directly at the sun. The only time you can do that without risking permanent eye damage is when the face of the sun is totally obscured by the moon. Sunglasses or even eclipse-viewing glasses may not provide adequate protection. One of the safest, easiest ways to view an eclipse is by projecting its image onto a piece of white paper.
On the ground, thousands of photographers will have their tripods and long lenses ready, in hopes of capturing images of the rare event. The University of California at Berkeley and Google hope to stitch some of these citizen science photos through the Eclipse Megamovie Project that can inform scientists with a continuous dataset from coast-to-coast.
The Fish and Wildlife Service’s Pacific Northwest, with six publicly accessible refuges in the total eclipse path and some of the best inland weather prospects, is bracing for crowds. The region has a web page and blog about the event.
- The Pacific Northwest refuges are working to welcome eclipse viewers ? and share their excitement ? while maintaining public safety.•Each refuge will have designated public parking and viewing areas. The number of parking spots will vary by site or refuge complex. Please check with your local refuge for details.
- Parts of refuges may be closed to protect threatened or endangered plants or animals or because these areas may pose safety or fire hazards. Please respect these limits.
- Refuges are open from dawn to dusk. Overnight camping or parking is not permitted.
- Because the eclipse is occurring during the height of wildfire season, plans may need to change at short notice to protect public safety.
Oregon Coast refuges (Siletz Bay and Nestucca Bay) will cap eclipse visitor numbers at 200 to protect habitat for the fragile Oregon silverspot butterfly. Refuge staff, volunteers and partners have been restoring that habitat for years to prepare for the reintroduction of the federally threatened butterfly at Nestucca Bay Refuge.
Thinking of heading to National Elk Refuge or nearby Jackson, WY? So are lots of others. Be sure to have your accommodations arranged prior to arrival. Camping and overnight parking are not allowed on National Elk Refuge. Bring ample food and water in case local supplies run short or traffic congestion makes supply runs difficult. The primary planning site for visitors to the Jackson Hole area that week is http://tetoneclipse.com/.
In southern Illinois, Crab Orchard Refuge is anticipating spillover from Moonstock, a solar eclipse-themed, four-day music festival set to take place nearby. The refuge will waive entrance fees that day. Look for more information on the refuge website as the date approaches.
Loess Bluffs National Wildlife Refuge, 30 miles northwest of St. Joseph, MO, will host a solar eclipse watch party. The event will feature information on nighttime wildlife as well as the eclipse. A limited number of viewing glasses will be available.
Some national wildlife refuges along the solar eclipse path offer camping. For public events and an eclipse 101, check out NASA online.
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Grapefruit Juice and Some Drugs Don't Mix - USFDA
Grapefruit juice and the actual grapefruit can be part of a healthy diet. Grapefruit has vitamin C and potassium—nutrients your body needs to work properly.
But it isn’t good for you when it affects the way your medicines work, especially if you have high blood pressure or arrhythmia (irregular or abnormal heart beat).
This food and drug interaction can be a concern, says Shiew Mei Huang, PhD, of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. The FDA has required that some prescription and over-the-counter (OTC) drugs taken by mouth include warnings against drinking grapefruit juice or eating grapefruit while taking the drug, Huang says.
Here are examples of some types of drugs that grapefruit juice can cause problems with (interact):
- Some statin drugs to lower cholesterol, such as Zocor (simvastatin) and Lipitor (atorvastatin).
- Some drugs that treat high blood pressure, such as Procardia and Adalat CC (both nifedipine).
- Some organ-transplant rejection drugs, such as Sandimmune and Neoral (both cyclosporine).
- Some anti-anxiety drugs, such as buspirone.
- Some corticosteroids that treat Crohn’s disease or ulcerative colitis, such as Entocort EC and Uceris (both budesonide).
- Some drugs that treat abnormal heart rhythms, such as Pacerone and Nexterone (both amiodarone).
- Some antihistamines, such as Allegra (fexofenadine).
Grapefruit juice does not affect all the drugs in the categories above. The severity of the interaction can be different depending on the person, the drug, and the amount of grapefruit juice you drink. Talk to your doctor, pharmacist or other health care provider and read any information provided with your prescription or OTC drug to find out:
- If your specific drug may be affected.
- How much, if any, grapefruit juice you can have.
- What other fruits or juices may also affect your drug in a similar way to grapefruit juice.
How Grapefruit Juice Can Interfere With Medications
With most drugs that interact with grapefruit juice, “the juice lets more of the drug enter the blood,” Huang says. “When there is too much drug in the blood, you may have more side effects.”
For example, if you drink a lot of grapefruit juice while taking certain statin drugs to lower cholesterol, too much of the drug may stay in your body, increasing your risk for liver and muscle damage that can lead to kidney failure.
Many drugs are broken down (metabolized) with the help of a vital enzyme called CYP3A4 in the small intestine. Grapefruit juice can block the action of CYP3A4, so instead of being metabolized, more of the drug enters the blood and stays in the body longer. The result: too much drug in your body.
The amount of the CYP3A4 enzyme in the intestine varies from person to person, says Huang. Some people have a lot of enzymes and others just a little. So grapefruit juice may affect people differently even when they take the same drug.
Although scientists have known for several decades that grapefruit juice can cause too much of certain drugs in the body, Huang says more recent studies have found that the juice has the opposite effect on a few other drugs.
“Grapefruit juice can cause less fexofenadine to enter the blood,” decreasing how well the drug works, Huang says. Fexofenadine (brand name Allegra) is available as both prescription and OTC to relieve symptoms of seasonal allergies. Fexofenadine may also not work as well if taken with orange or apple juice, so the drug label states “do not take with fruit juices.”
Why this opposite effect? Instead of changing metabolism, grapefruit juice can affect proteins in the body known as drug transporters, which help move a drug into our cells for absorption. As a result, less of the drug enters the blood and the drug may not work as well, Huang says.
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