The Court of International Trade is requesting comments by May 14, 2012, on a Notice of Proposed Amendments to the Rules for Review and Comment. The proposals pertain to CIT Rule 54.1, and include, among other things, a requirement that applications for attorney’s fees and expenses under the Equal Access to Justice Act be filed within 30 days after the date of final judgment (the Rule previously stated that applications must be filed within 30 days after the court enters final judgment). A new sentence also says the 30-day statutory period for filing an application under the Equal Access to Justice Act begins to run after the expiration of the time period for filing an appeal. Proposed amendments to Rule 54.1 are available here.
A Pennsylvania man was charged with smuggling counterfeit Viagra and Cialis pills into the U.S. The case is being investigated by Immigration and Customs Enforcement's (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) with assistance from U.S. Customs and Border Protection, the Food and Drug Administration and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service. An HSI investigation revealed that Randy Hucks rented several mail boxes at a U.S. Postal Facility in Philadelphia on behalf of businesses that he allegedly owned under such names as Bargain Basket Inc., Fashionista Inc. and Fashionista Emporium Inc. As part of the alleged scheme, Hucks illegally imported 10,188 counterfeit Viagra pills and 3,040 counterfeit Cialis pills from factories in China. If convicted, Hucks faces up to 100 years in federal prison and a fine of $5 million.
A listing of recent antidumping and countervailing duty messages from the International Trade Administration posted to U.S. Customs and Border Protection's Web site as of April 13, 2012, 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.
A listing of recent antidumping and countervailing duty messages from the International Trade Administration posted to U.S. Customs and Border Protection's Web site as of April 12, 2012, 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.
On April 12, 2012, the Food and Drug Administration posted new and revised versions of the following Import Alerts on the detention without physical examination of:
The Food and Drug Administration released three documents to phase out the use of medically important drugs for feed efficiency or growth promotion in food-producing animals and provide that they be used only for animal health purposes under the supervision of a veterinarian. The three documents include: (1) a final guidance for industry on The Judicious Use of Medically Important Antimicrobial Drugs in Food-Producing Animals, which establishes a framework for phasing out the use of these drugs for feed efficiency or growth promotion and phasing in veterinary consultation or oversight of their medical uses in food-producing animals; (2) a draft guidance, for public comment, to drug companies on how to revise product labels for important antimicrobial drugs to no longer include use for feed efficiency or growth promotion, and include veterinary oversight or consultation; and (3) a draft proposed regulation, also for public comment, amending the regulation that governs veterinary authorization for the use of certain drugs in animal feed.
The Food and Drug Administration said Seng Ong Wholesale, Inc. and Import Foods Wholesale Inc., both of St. Paul, MN, are recalling certain dried and smoked fish products after Minnesota Dept. of Agriculture Laboratory personnel discovered that the products were not properly eviscerated prior to processing. The sale of improperly eviscerated fish, 5 inches in length or greater, is prohibited because Clostridium botulinum spores are more likely to be concentrated in the viscera than any other portion of the fish. Uneviscerated fish has been linked to outbreaks of botulism poisoning which may pose a potentially life-threatening health hazard.
Mexico's Diario Oficial of April 13, 2012, lists notices from the Secretary of the Economy as follows:
The International Trade Administration is seeking comments by approximately May 2, 2012 on an application for an Export Trade Certificate of Review from Panama Poultry Export Quota, Inc. PAN--PEQ plans to export chicken leg quarters (or parts of chicken leg quarters) to Panama. An Export Trade Certificate of Review protects the holder and the members identified in the Certificate from state and federal government antitrust actions and from private, treble damage antitrust actions for the export conduct specified in the Certificate and carried out in compliance with its terms and conditions.
Deputy Under Secretary for International Trade Michelle O’Neill said she will lead an automotive parts and components trade mission to Russia, April 23-27, 2012. Representatives from 13 U.S. automotive manufacturing and service companies that supply parts and environmental solutions ranging from fenders, gaskets, and induction heating system, to emission reduction, leak testing, and engineering design will visit Moscow, Samara, and St. Petersburg, in order to meet with potential buyers to increase exports. In 2010, vehicles sales in Russia grew 30 percent, and are expected to continue at about 15 percent per year through 2015, according to the International Trade Administration.