A Feb. 24 Court of International Trade decision could result in "inching toward a saner and more legally sound approach to origin determinations" involving the substantial transformation test, customs lawyer Larry Friedman of Barnes Richardson said in a blog post Feb. 24. The language in the decision is "generally favorable for a simplified and more reasonable approach to origin," after years of focus on pre-determined end use of assembled components following the trade court's unappealed 2016 decision in Energizer.

The following lawsuits were filed at the Court of International Trade during the week of Feb. 7-13:

The following lawsuits were filed at the Court of International Trade during the week of Jan. 31-Feb. 6:

Emiliano Rodriguez, a Dominican Republic citizen living in Philadephia, was arrested and charged with trafficking counterfeit goods and delivering hazardous materials by air carrier in a scheme to place counterfeit goods in used vehicles, the U.S. Attorneys' Office for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania said. In this scheme, the used vehicles were then resold to "unsuspecting customers." From January 2017 through October 2019, Rodriguez, an auto mechanic, imported counterfeit airbags from China, placing the parts in used vehicles and then flipping them to customers. In all, federal agents seized over 450 counterfeit airbags from Rodriguez's home and business, the U.S. Attorney's Office said. Rodriguez faces a maximum sentence of 20 years and fines of over $2 million if convicted. “The hazards posed to unsuspecting motorists and the general public by the alleged actions of the defendant in this case are enormous, and could have ramifications for years to come,” U.S. Attorney Jennifer Williams said. “Safety equipment as important as vehicle airbags are subject to strict quality control standards to keep everyone safe, therefore when corners are cut by utilizing counterfeit goods, the consequences can be disastrous."

The following lawsuits were filed at the Court of International Trade during the week of Jan. 24-30:

The following lawsuits were filed at the Court of International Trade during the week of Jan. 17-23:

The following lawsuits were filed at the Court of International Trade during the week of Jan. 10-16:

Charles Edwards, former acting inspector general for the Department of Homeland Security, Office of Inspector General, pleaded guilty Jan. 14 to his role in a scheme to steal "proprietary software and sensitive databases" from the federal government, the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Columbia said. Edwards worked for DHS-OIG from 2008 to 2013, where he had access to software systems for case management and for storing sensitive personal identification information of employees. Edwards left DHS and founded Delta Business Solutions. The government said that from at least 2015 to 2017, he stole software from DHS-OIG to use in developing commercial case management software that his company could then sell to government agencies, it said.

The Federal Maritime Commission is adjusting its civil monetary penalties for inflation, the agency said in a notice released Jan. 13. The new amounts include higher maximum penalties for various violations of the Shipping Act and other shipping rules, including “adverse impact on U.S. carriers by foreign shipping practices.” The changes take effect Jan. 15.

The following lawsuits were filed at the Court of International Trade during the week of Dec. 27 - Jan. 2: