CBP said in a Federal Register notice scheduled for Sept. 29 publication that the quarterly Internal Revenue Service interest rates used to calculate interest on overdue accounts (underpayments) and refunds (overpayments) of customs duties will remain the same in the calendar quarter that begins Oct. 1 as in the current quarter, which ends Sept. 30. The interest rates for underpayments will be 7% for both corporations and non-corporations, according to CBP. The interest rate for overpayments will be 7% for non-corporations and 6% for corporations.
Taiwanese bicycle manufacturer Giant Manufacturing is "firmly committed" to human rights and labor protection, the company said Sept. 25 after being targeted by a withhold release order from CBP (see 2509240006).
As seen in recent rulings and CBP audits on first sale, CBP is asking for more information supporting importers' claims of bona fide sales and arms' length sales, Kelly Nelson, managing director of tax, trade and customs at KPMG, said during a Sept. 25 webinar.
The U.S. government will try to make it very difficult for tariffs enacted through the International Emergency Economic Powers Act to be refunded should the Supreme Court vacate them, according to trade lawyer Michael Roll.
The scope of the products covered by 100% U.S. tariffs on "patented and branded medicines" is unclear, though both the EU and Japan will only be hit with 15% tariffs, a White House official told several news outlets.
A Federal Maritime Commission small-claims officer on Sept. 22 dismissed a complaint against ocean freight forwarder Sefco Export Management Co. and non-vessel-operating common carrier Schumacher Cargo Logistics, saying Dina Piteira of Portugal failed to show that the firms deliberately mishandled her shipment of two electric vehicles.
After China fought the U.S. to a draw, by throttling exports of rare earth magnets so that the U.S. dropped tariff levels and some export controls, former government officials, researchers and a businessman talked about what might come next.
The International Trade Commission published notices in the Sept. 25 Federal Register on the following antidumping and countervailing duty injury, Section 337 patent or other trade proceedings (any notices that warrant a more detailed summary will be in another ITT article):
The International Trade Commission seeks comments by Oct. 4 on a Section 337 complaint alleging that imports of open-ear earpiece devices infringe patents held by Bose, it said in a notice to be published Sept. 26 in the Federal Register. According to the complaint, the respondents are seeking a general exclusion order and cease and desist orders against 22 Chinese companies to bar from entry "certain open-ear earpiece devices (also known as open-ear headphones or open earbuds)" that violate their patents. Bose described its products as "open-ear earbuds which, unlike traditional in-ear or over-ear headphones, do not block the ear canal, allowing users to hear both their audio and ambient sounds simultaneously."
The Commerce Department published notices in the Federal Register Sept. 25 on the following antidumping and countervailing duty (AD/CVD) proceedings (any notices that announce changes to AD/CVD rates, scope, affected firms or effective dates will be detailed in another ITT article):