The National Institute of Standards and Technology posts drafts and changes to foreign technical regulations for manufactured products which may be considered technical barriers to trade and are therefore required to be reported to the World Trade Organization, which distributes the information to WTO Member countries.
According to a Special Quest Edition by Avalon Risk Management, Inc., the primary writers of U.S. Customs bonds met February 21, 2008 to discuss the issue that the surety industry was not consulted prior to the publication of U.S. Customs and Border Protection's January 2nd Federal Register notice on 102, and confirmed that more information must be obtained to understand the true nature of the risk that 102 will create for the surety industry. (Special Quest Edition, dated 02/22/08, available by emailing BP at documents@brokerpower.com)
The National Institute of Standards and Technology posts drafts and changes to foreign technical regulations for manufactured products which may be considered technical barriers to trade and are therefore required to be reported to the World Trade Organization, which distributes the information to WTO Member countries.
1. CBP's 102 Rule Lacks Accurate Cost Calculation
On February 22, 2008, the U.S. and the European Union announced the results of "Operation Infrastructure," the first joint intellectual property rights enforcement operation undertaken by U.S. Customs and Border Protection and the European Commission Taxation and Customs Union Directorate General (TAXUD).
According to the House Majority Leader's office, the House is scheduled to vote on H.R. 5264, the Andean Trade Preference Extension Act of 2008, during the week of February 25, 2008. H.R. 5264 would extend the Andean Trade Preference Act (ATPA), as amended by the Andean Trade Promotion and Drug Eradication Act (ATPDEA), for eight months, through December 31, 2008. (The ATPA/ATPDEA is currently scheduled to expire on February 29, 2008.) (Weekly Leader, dated 02/22/08, available at http://www.majorityleader.gov/links_and_resources/whip_resources/weeklyleader.cfm?pressreleaseID=2226.)
The National Institute of Standards and Technology posts drafts and changes to foreign technical regulations for manufactured products which may be considered technical barriers to trade and are therefore required to be reported to the World Trade Organization, which distributes the information to WTO Member countries.
The Office of Textiles and Apparel has issued a notice stating that the European Union and Japan have indicated that they will continue to apply retaliatory duties on certain U.S. exports until all U.S. disbursements of antidumping duties collected under the Continued Dumping and Subsidy Offset Act (CDSOA, also known as the Byrd Amendment) cease.
The National Intellectual Property Law Enforcement Coordination Council (NIPLECC) has issued a report to the President and Congress which, among other things, lays out a comprehensive strategy for NIPLECC agencies in fiscal year 2008, with a specific focus on the priorities of the Strategy Targeting Organized Piracy (STOP!) Initiative.
The National Institute of Standards and Technology posts drafts and changes to foreign technical regulations for manufactured products which may be considered technical barriers to trade and are therefore required to be reported to the World Trade Organization, which distributes the information to WTO Member countries.