The International Trade Commission is asking for comments by May 27 on public interest factors raised by a Section 337 patent complaint filed by Freescale Semiconductor on May 12. Freescale says MediaTek is making integrated circuits that infringe its patents, which are then included in televisions, Blu-ray players, smartphones, tablets and other electronics imported and sold by Acer, amTRAN, ASUS, BLU Products, Sharp, Toshiba, TPV Display Technology, Trend Smart, Vizio, Walmart, Amazon, Lenovo, Yamaha, Newegg, B&H Foto & Electronics, Costco, and Buy.com. It is asking for a general exclusion order against all integrated circuits that infringe its patents, or alternatively limited exclusion orders against each respondent to the violation. It is also asking for cease and desist orders banning import and sale of infringing chips.
The Commerce Department published notices in the May 16 Federal Register 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 Federal Register notices on its recently initiated antidumping and countervailing duty investigations on 53-foot domestic dry containers from China (A-570-014/C-570-015). The agency will determine whether imports of the intermodal shipping containers are being sold in the U.S. at less than fair value or illegally subsidized.
Consumer Product Safety Commission announced on May 15 the following voluntary recalls of imported products:
The Consumer Product Safety Commission is extending until July 16 the period for submitting comments on ways CPSC can reduce the burden third-party testing of children’s products. The commission was directed by law in 2011 to get input on “opportunities to reduce the cost of third party testing requirements consistent with assuring compliance with any applicable consumer product safety rule, ban, standard, or regulation.” It asked for comments and held a public workshop on the topic on April 3. Industry groups have asked for more time to collect data related to the issue, said CPSC.
The Environmental Protection Agency is issuing an advance notice of proposed rulemaking asking for input on potential reporting requirements for chemicals used for hydraulic fracking, a method of extracting oil and gas from rock. EPA says it is thinking about setting rules under Toxic Substances Control Act Section 8(a) and 8(d) that would require manufacturers and importers of these chemicals to maintain records and submit information to EPA, including health and safety studies. Before it proposes any regulations, EPA is asking for comments on issues including what information should be reported; how much reporting should be voluntary; and who should have to report. Comments are due Aug. 18.
On May 15 the Food and Drug Administration posted new and revised versions of the following Import Alerts on the detention without physical examination of:
Two fish importers in New York have been put on notice by the Food and Drug Administration that their products may be refused admission at the border. Galil Importing Corp. of Syosset (here) and Eddie's Place (dba Esther Kwakyewa) of the Bronx (here) were each recently sent warning letters detailing alleged violations of seafood hazard analysis and critical control point (HACCP) regulations.
The Food and Drug Administration posted to its website information requesting exceptions from provisions of its new rules on unique device identifiers (UDIs) for medical devices (see 13092020). The webpage includes information on requests for exceptions or alternatives to UDI requirements; time extensions for applicability of UDI rules to Class III devices; and continued use of National Health Related Items Code (NHRIC) and National Drug Code (NDC) codes. FDA is phasing in UDI requirements over a six-year period, with the first requirements for Class III devices taking effect in September 2014.
The Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service announced changes May 15 to Plant Protection and Quarantine (PPQ) electronic manuals. While some changes are minor, other changes may affect the admissibility of the plant products, including fruits, vegetables, and flowers.