The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative corrected its Dec. 17 Federal Register notice on the trade surplus in sugar and syrup goods and sugar containing products for Latin American companies (see ITT's Online Archives 12121412), it said in a Federal Register notice scheduled for Jan. 2.

The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative is seeking comments on countries that parties believe deny adequate and effective protection of intellectual property rights (IPR) or deny fair and equitable market access to U.S. persons who rely on intellectual property protection under the so-called "Special 301" provisions of the Trade Act, it said in a Federal Register notice scheduled for Dec. 31. The information will be used, among other things, for creation of the 2013 "Priority Watch List" and "Watch List."

The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative announced the disposition of a petition on pinch-seal plastic bags that were accepted in the 2011 GSP Annual Product Review. It also said those petitions submitted in connection with the 2012 Generalized System of Preferences Annual Product Review which have been accepted for further review and set the schedule for submitting comments and for public hearings associated with the 2012 review of petitions and products.

The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative is seeking comment on the U.S. request for the establishment of a dispute settlement panel, on Argentine limits on the import of goods into Argentina, at the World Trade Organization (www.wto.org, document WT/DS444/10). (For details see ITT's Online Archives 12120619.)

New foreign markets have been deemed detrimental to U.S. intellectual property, the U.S.Trade Representative said in its annual Notorious Markets List . The list "identifies selected markets, including ones on the Internet, that are reportedly engaged in substantial piracy and counterfeiting" and "have been the subject of enforcement actions or that may merit further investigation for possible [intellectual property rights] infringements," the USTR said in the report. The report outlined the "most prominent examples ... of notorious markets," including China-based Xunlei, which offers pirated content through deep-linking, cyberlocker services and peer-to-peer networking.

The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative said it determined the amount of the trade surplus in certain sugar and syrup goods and sugar-containing products from Chile, Morocco, Costa Rica, the Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, Peru, Colombia, and Panama, in accordance with the Harmonized Tariff Schedule. The determination is effective Jan. 1. The determination relates to the quantity of sugar and syrup goods and sugar-containing products for which the U.S. grants preferential tariff treatment under the U.S.-Chile Free Trade Agreement, the U.S.-Morocco Free Trade Agreement, the Dominican Republic-Central America-U.S. Free Trade Agreement, the U.S.-Peru Trade Promotion Agreement, the U.S.-Colombia Trade Promotion Agreement, and the U.S.-Panama Trade Promotion Agreement. Further information: Ann Heilman-Dahl, 202-395-6127. Its decisions include:

There were "solid steps" toward resolving outstanding Trans-Pacific Partnership issues in the 15th round of negotiations, which closed Dec. 11 in Auckland, New Zealand, the Office of U.S. Trade Representative said. The next round will be in Singapore March 4-13. Canada and Mexico participated in the TPP negotiations for the first time this round. USTR said delegates concentrated on closing the outstanding legal texts of the 29 chapters of the agreement covering all trade and investment-related issues between them, making progress across the agreement. It said progress was made on goods, services and investment, and government procurement. They also worked to develop the tariff packages on industrial goods, agriculture, and textiles, as well as on rules of origin promoting the development of supply chains that include companies based in the U.S. and the other TPP countries.

New U.S.-Morocco agreements signed last week will stimulate significant additional commercial activity between the two countries and within the broader Middle East/North Africa region, the Office of U.S. Trade Representative said. They include a trade facilitation agreement to set a new standard for transparency and predictability in customs matters that USTR said will make it easier for companies to bring products into both markets. It includes new commitments reflecting innovations and practices developed since the free trade agreement was signed in 2004, such as allowing the submission of information before goods arrive, and the electronic payment of duties, taxes, and fees to facilitate the prompt release of goods. The U.S. and Morocco also agreed on Joint Principles for International Investment, including strong protection for foreign investment, and the right to compensation in the event of a direct or indirect expropriation. They also endorsed Joint Principles for Information and Communication Technology Services. USTR said the agreement will support the global development of ICT services, including Internet and other network-based applications that are critical to innovative e-commerce.

The U.S. Trade Representative is accepting comments until Dec. 30 on China's Nov. 19 request for a World Trade Organization dispute settlement panel with the U.S. on countervailing and antidumping duty decisions by the U.S. related to the application of countervailing duties on non-market economy (NME) countries, and concurrent application of AD and CV duties using NME methodology.

The U.S. and Morocco are concluding "three new initiatives to help further boost our trade and investment relationship," said Deputy U.S. Trade Representative Miriam Sapiro in a Dec. 4 speech at the U.S. Morocco Business Development Conference. The initiatives were to be finalized this week. Sapiro said the initiatives are part of the U.S.'s Middle East/North Africa Trade and Investment Partnership.