CBP posted an updated version of its notice announcing that the next customs broker license exam will be on Monday, Oct. 7.
The Advisory Committee on Commercial Operations (COAC) advised CBP to allow for some non-accredited materials to count toward a planned 40-hour requirement for customs broker continuing education, it said during the Aug. 7 COAC meeting. That would be part of a "measured, commercially reasonable approach" to the expected changes, said Vincent Iacopella, chief operating office of Janel World Trade and a co-chair of the COAC "Role of the Broker" working group.
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CBP should revoke its 2003 ruling on molded plastic toolboxes as part of a recently proposed ruling revocation regarding the classification of plastic watch boxes, said Newell Rubbermaid in comments submitted in response to the proposed revocation. The agency has proposed revoking its ruling on the watch boxes, changing the classification from heading 4202 to 3923 because they are made of molded plastic and not plastic sheeting (see 13071109). Newell Rubbermaid's lawyer, Daniel Cannistra of Crowell and Moring, asked that CBP take a similar stance on the molded plastic toolboxes.
Capitol Hill appropriators and the House Ways and Means and Senate Finance Committees are "pleased there's an end in sight" and are supportive of CBP's effort to deploy the long-discussed Automated Commercial Environment (ACE), said Brenda Smith, executive director of the ACE Business Office. Smith met with reporters Aug. 8 to discuss movement on ACE. Still, some lawmakers are "a little skeptical," she said. Continued cuts under sequestration or otherwise would "be a risk for the program," she said. The ACE program lost about $10 million as a result of the sequestration order and related furlough mitigation in FY 2013, she said.
CBP will only accept the revised CBP Form 5106 (here) beginning Sept. 10, the agency said in a CSMS message. The agency is allowing a grace period up to Sept. 9, during which it will accept the older version of the form, it said. As of Sept. 10, CBP will reject outdated forms back to the filer, it said.
CBP Assistant Commissioner in the Office of International Trade Al Gina will retire in September, said Acting Commissioner Tom Winkowski at the Advisory Committee on Commercial Operations (COAC) meeting Aug. 7 at the International Trade Commission. Rich DiNucci, now deputy assistant commissioner, will assume Gina's role in an acting capacity. A number of other personnel changes were announced at the COAC meeting.
The Department of Homeland Security gave CBP its approval for a three-year plan to implement the Automated Commercial Environment, said CBP Acting Commissioner Tom Winkowski Aug. 7 during the CBP Advisory Committee on Commercial Operations (COAC) meeting. The plan makes use of "agile development," allowing for the addition of incremental capabilities within ACE (see 12082729). Under the three-year plan, all electronic import and export manifest data will have to be transmitted in ACE by May 1, 2015. All data associated with the release of cargo will have to be transmitted in ACE by Nov. 1, 2015, and ACE will be required for all filing by Oct. 1, 2016, CBP said.
The U.S. Trade Representative's (USTR) decision to overturn an International Trade Commission ruling surprised the patent litigation community, members of which said the decision could have substantial implications for cases on standard essential patents (SEPs) at the ITC. But lawyers said the case was unlikely to have a major impact on the bulk of the ITC's caseload, or on its larger role in patent litigation. They said the ban would likewise not impact two connected patent disputes between Apple and Samsung that are set to advance Aug. 9. Industry analysts told us the USTR decision would create more uncertainty in the industry, but wouldn't overwhelmingly affect any one company's business model.
CBP issued the following releases on commercial trade and related issues: