The Foreign Trade Zones Board issued the following notices for June 27:
Richard Phillips, 54, of the Bronx, NY, was sentenced to 92 months in prison for attempting to export high-technology commodities to Iran in violation of the International Emergency Economic Powers Act, Immigrations and Customs Enforcement reported. According to court documents, in October 2011, Phillips offered his services and expertise in exporting a spool of carbon fiber to Tehran, Iran, via the Philippines, in violation of the U.S. trade embargo against Iran. The two main applications of carbon fiber are in specialized technology, including aerospace and nuclear engineering, and in general engineering and transportation. In a recorded telephone conversation with an undercover special agent, Phillips was warned that the export of the carbon fiber to Iran was illegal under the trade embargo, ICE said.
In a challenge of CBP’s customs classification of “gold leaf vials” with a gold plated cap imported from China, the Court of International Trade ruled in favor of plaintiff Salem Minerals Inc. CBP had originally classified plaintiff’s “small glass vial filled with clear liquid and a small quantity of gold leaf fragments, topped with a ‘theme’ cap featuring a small figurine, and affixed with a label” under Harmonized Tariff Schedule 2005 subheading 7114.90.00 (“Articles of goldsmiths’…wares...': Of other precious metal whether or not plated or clad with precious metal”), dutiable at 7.9%. CIT ruled that the product was instead properly classified under 7115.90.30 (“Other articles of precious metal…: Other…Other: Of gold, including metal clad with gold”), dutiable at 3.9%.
A listing of recent antidumping and countervailing duty messages from the International Trade Administration posted to CBP's web site as of June 26, along with the case number(s) and CBP message number, is provided below. The messages are available by searching on the listed CBP message number at http://addcvd.cbp.gov. (CBP occasionally adds backdated messages without otherwise indicating which message was added. ITT will include a message date in parentheses in such cases.)
The International Trade Administration issued a proposed rule that would allow it greater use of prices from “surrogate countries” in valuing inputs for its calculations of normal value for non-market economy country (i.e., China and Vietnam) producers and exporters in antidumping proceedings. Currently, the ITA uses the actual purchase price of an input paid by the producer to value all of that input if 33% or more of the total volume of the input was purchased by that producer from a market economy. However, the ITA’s proposed rule would establish requirements that to use actual purchase price to value all of the input, (1) the input at issue must be produced in one or more market economy countries, and (2) “substantially all,” or 85% of the total purchased volume of an input be purchased from one or more market economy suppliers.
Mexico's Diario Oficial of June 26, lists notices from the Secretary of the Economy as follows:
The European Union signed a free trade agreement with Colombia and Peru, it said. In separate statements, the EU also said that it launched FTA negotiations with Vietnam, and continuing FTA negotiations with India are making progress and could be concluded by the end of 2012.
Federal Maritime Commission said the following have filed applications for a license as a Non-Vessel-Operating Common Carrier (NVO) and/or Ocean Freight Forwarder (OFF)-Ocean Transportation Intermediary (OTI) pursuant to section 19 of the Shipping Act of 1984. Interested persons may contact the Office of Transportation Intermediaries, Federal Maritime Commission, Washington, D.C. 20573, at 202-523-5843 or at OTI@fmc.gov.
The International Trade Commission is publishing notices in the June 26 Federal Register on the following AD/CV injury, Section 337 patent, and other trade proceedings (any notices that warrant a more detailed summary will appear in another ITT article):
The International Trade Commission voted to institute an investigation of certain electronic imaging devices (337-TA-850). The products at issue in this investigation are mobile phones, tablet computers, and other devices having imaging capabilities.