U.S. International Trade Commission
This is the second of a three-part series about the USMCA joint review process, focusing on China, Mexico, and competing visions of a “worker-centered” trade policy. Part one introduces the USMCA joint review process and...more
Although no one can predict what U.S. trade policy will be under the next administration, one thing we know for sure is that the Trump Administration’s policies were very muscular with the goal of forcing U.S. companies to...more
There is an increasing demand to do something about the de minimis shipments under §321 of the Tariff Act (19 USC 1321). What is §321? Let’s take a look at some of the text from Title 19: “The Secretary of the Treasury,...more
In February 2024, Customs and Border Protection (CBP) began taking a new approach to Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act (UFLPA) enforcement—questionnaires. Once again, the solar industry is among the first targets, vanguards...more
On July 2, 2024, the Federal Trade Commission announced a “refreshed version” of the agency’s Complying with the Made in USA Standard guidance document. The refreshed guidance document includes, without limitation, updated...more
“Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.” - George Santayana. As an example of this I present to you the Smoot-Hawley Tariff Act of 1930. If you are not familiar with this, it is worth taking a moment...more
Zircon Corp. v. International Trade Commission, No. 2022-1649 (Fed. Cir. (ITC) May 8, 2024). Opinion by Bryson, joined by Lourie and Stark....more
On March 22, 2024, the Department of Commerce (“Commerce”) released its anticipated new final countervailing duty regulations authorizing the agency to investigate subsidies provided by third country governments to...more
From Wikipedia: De minimis is a Latin expression meaning “pertaining to minimal things”, normally in the terms de minimis non curat praetor. (“The praetor does not concern himself with trifles”) or de minimis non curat lex...more
Telemedicine Owner Pleads Guilty to $136 Million Medicare Fraud - A licensed nurse practitioner in New Jersey, Jean Wilson, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit health care fraud and wire fraud. According to court...more
Investigations pursuant to section 337 of the Tariff Act of 1930 at the United States International Trade Commission (“ITC”) determine “whether there is unfair competition in the importation of products into, or their...more
Regular consumers now enjoy a front-row seat to the long-running intellectual property dispute between Apple, the tech giant based in Cupertino, California, and Masimo, a medical device company based in Irvine, California....more
A regulatory fence surrounds the United States, blocking the importation of any product that uses or was made using a misappropriated trade secret, among other unfair acts. That fence, called the Tariff Act of 1930, or...more
On December 8, 2023, Senators Bill Cassidy and Sheldon Whitehouse introduced a new version of the Customs Modernization bill to amend the Tariff Act of 1930. The new proposal comes over two years after Senator Cassidy...more
In 2022, Customs and Border Protection (“CBP” or “Customs”) processed $3.35 trillion in imports, issued 2,121 penalties, and collected $19.3 million from penalties and liquidated damages. Section 1592 of the Tariff Act of...more
This month’s ITC Wrap-Up discusses the Commission’s recent decision in Certain LIDAR (Light Detection and Ranging) Systems and Components Thereof, Inv. No. 337-TA-1363, to affirm the administrative law judge’s decision to...more
It came as something of a shock in May, 2021 when the Biden administration voiced support for waiver of intellectual property protection mandated under the TRIPS agreement for COVID-19 vaccines (see "Biden Administration...more
Recently, NJOY LLC filed a complaint in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California against more than 30 foreign and domestic defendants that manufacture, market, distribute, and sell tobacco products in an...more
The fight against forced labor in trade is not a new concept. For decades, the United States has banned the importation of goods produced with forced labor through the U.S. Tariff Act of 1930 (“Tariff Act”). Section 307 of...more
The United States International Trade Commission (ITC) is a fast-paced, high-stakes forum for companies with significant U.S. operations and/or U.S. intellectual property rights. Broad in scope, Section 337 empowers the ITC...more
Companies invest in securing supply chains from disruption by economic and political factors, financial difficulties of suppliers, and, as we’ve recently seen, global pandemics. For those either importing goods or relying on...more
While it might seem counterintuitive, as business and human rights continues a sprint toward a mandatory paradigm, voluntary multi-stakeholder initiatives (“MSIs”) are perhaps more important than ever before. MSIs provide...more
Automakers and their suppliers have long been participants in unfair trade investigations before the International Trade Commission (“ITC”), but the scope and subject matter of automotive-related investigations is evolving....more
The International Trade Commission’s (“Commission”) majority and dissenting opinions in Certain In Vitro Fertilization Products, Components Thereof, and Products Containing the Same (“In Vitro Fertilization”) illustrate two...more