Customs Rulings Online Search System (CROSS) was updated Aug. 19 with 124 rulings, bringing the total number of searchable rulings to 178,606. The most recent ruling is dated 08/16/2013.
CBP released its Aug. 21 Customs Bulletin (Vol. 47, No. 35). While the Bulletin does not contain any ruling articles, it does include recent general notices.
International Trade Today is providing readers with some of the top stories for Aug. 12 - Aug. 16 in case they were missed.
CBP has issued a number of liquidated damages as part of an increased importer security filing (ISF) enforcement effort, an agency spokesman said. "Field locations are currently operationalizing the ISF enforcement guidance provided by headquarters," he said. "Since July 9, 2013, CBP has seen an increase in both the overall ISF compliance rate and ISF related holds. To date, CBP has initiated numerous liquidated damage claims for ISF violations." A customs law firm recently said the agency's headquarters, which will review all ISF-related liquidated damages issued by the ports for the first year, was in the process of reviewing about 100 liquidated damages claims (see 13081616).
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A.N. Deringer will be one of the nine customs brokerages to test CBP's broker importer security assessment (ISA) pre-certification program, the company said in a press release. UPS also recently said it would be a participant in the program (see 13081415). CBP declined to provide the names of the other seven participants, but said it would release them soon.
Sens. Max Baucus, D-Mont., and Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, are "copyright cowards" for calling for strong intellectual property protections in trade agreements and being proponents of trade promotion authority, which "empowers the White House to unilaterally negotiate and sign trade agreements," the Electronic Frontier Foundation said in a blog post. The senators' offices did not respond to requests for comment. Trade promotion authority "places a time-limit on Congressional debates on trade treaties, prevents Congress from proposing amendments, and reduces Congress to an up-or-down, yes or no vote on the entire treaty," leading to a situation where "radical changes to digital policies are controlled almost entirely by the executive," the group said. The post applauded Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., for taking "a stand" against Michael Froman’s confirmation as the U.S. Trade Representative "due to lack of assurances from him during his nomination hearings" that he would "improve transparency in the negotiating process."
CBP issued the following releases on commercial trade and related issues:
CBP headquarters is in the process of reviewing about 100 liquidated damages claims so far issued by the ports as part of an increase to Importer Security Filing (ISF) enforcement, according to a newsletter from Tuttle Law Offices. The agency has already approved some of the liquidated damages, the law firm said. Following several years of delayed enforcement of ISF provisions, CBP said as of July 9 it would begin issuing liquidated damages for ISF non-compliance (see 13062613). CBP didn't return a request for comment.
The Harmonized Tariff Schedule subheading 9013.80.70 is correctly used to classify several types of liquid crystal display (LCD) monitors, despite a push otherwise from the importer of the LCDs, CBP said in an Aug. 2 ruling. A company previously known as Optrex, which is now part of Kyocera Industrial Ceramics, asked CBP to reconsider a 2009 ruling in which the agency found some LCDs that would be installed following import to be classified under 9013.80.70. CBP said it was correctly using a "principal use" provision in the original ruling. As a result of the request, CBP also decided to revoke two rulings that Optrex's lawyer, Larry Friedman of Barnes Richardson, pointed to due to differing consideration of similar merchandise.