Tim Warren

CBP issued its weekly tariff rate quota and tariff preference level commodity report as of Oct. 6. This report (here) includes TRQs on various products such as beef, sugar, dairy products, peanuts, cotton, cocoa products, and tobacco; and certain BFTA, DR-CAFTA, Israel FTA, JFTA, MFTA, OFTA, SFTA, UAFTA (AFTA) and UCFTA (Chile FTA) non-textile TRQs, etc. Each report also includes the AGOA, ATPDEA, BFTA, DR-CAFTA, CBTPA, Haitian HOPE, MFTA, NAFTA, OFTA, SFTA, and UCFTA TPLs and TRQs for qualifying textile articles and/or other articles; the TRQs on worsted wool fabrics, etc.

CBP seized more than 200 counterfeit purses and about 50 packages of plastic building blocks at the Port of Houston, said CBP in a press release. The goods, originating from China, were manifested as bags, plastic toys and jewelry, but further inspection revealed counterfeit Prada, Christian Dior, Michael Kors handbags and cartons of plastic building blocks branded as Lego, it said. The goods, if real, would have an estimated manufacturer suggested retail price of over $500,000.

The CBP User Fee Advisory Committee is scheduled to meet on Oct. 22 from 1-3 p.m., the agency said in a notice. The meeting will include discussion of work by two subcommittees that were established last month (see 14090217), it said. The Financial Assessment and Options Subcommittee will be responsible for providing CBP an "overview of current worldwide user fees being paid by industry, mapping how industry collects and transmits user fees," it said. It will also discuss initiating a third party study that would improve the committee and CBP's understanding of budget, costs, and funding sources, said CBP. "The Processes Subcommittee will be responsible for developing advice that would enhance CBP operational efficiencies," the notice said.

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CBP posted a set of frequently asked questions for the planned Customs-Trade Partnership Against Terrorism (C-TPAT) program for exporters, called C-TPAT Exporter Entity. The agency is in the process of updating the automated system to allow applications for the program, it said. While C-TPAT importers that can now receive export benefits with Japan and European Union due to mutual recognition arrangements, this program "is being launched to enable 'export only' businesses to enjoy C-TPAT benefits as well," it said. CBP recently posted a list of exporter eligibility requirements for participation in C-TPAT (see 14070921).

CBP issued the following releases on commercial trade and related issues:

CBP will take up an Advisory Committee on Commercial Operations of Customs and Border Protection (COAC) recommendation hoped to simplify and improve intellectual property rights (IPR) enforcement for the express consignment industry, the agency said in a document posted for the Oct. 7 meeting (here). CBP will provide a "proof of concept" to the UPS Louisville Port on Oct. 6, it said. "Through this process, CBP will offer the importer and U.S. ultimate consignee an abandonment option on detention notices for shipments detained by CBP on suspicion of trademark or copyright violations," said CBP's report on the IPR working group. "This change is expected to have a significant, yet positive impact on resources, as the express environment now accounts for more than half of all intellectual property rights seizures."

CBP enforcement procedure for Importer Security Filing continues to solidify as a number of major ports have outlined their positions for dealing with ISF violators, said Craig Clark, who manages the ISF program at CBP, during an Oct. 1 webinar. CBP headquarters revised its take on ISF enforcement in May, advising the ports to focus on the more egregious ISF violators (see 14052106) and "significantly late" filing. While CBP left the definition of what is significantly late "intentionally fuzzy" to allow the ports to develop their own definition to reflect differences at the port level, it's safe to consider significantly late as "having provided that ISF at such a time that you negatively impacted CBP's ability to target that cargo," he said.

CBP released its Oct. 1 Customs Bulletin (Vol. 48, No. 39). While the Bulletin does not contain any ruling articles, it does include recent Court of International Trade decisions.

CBP scheduled a webinar to provide information on updates to the focused assessment program, the agency said in a CSMS message. The webinar, planned for Oct. 9 from 2-3:30 p.m., will detail the updates to the FA audit program that will effect such audits "started on or after" Oct. 1, the agency said. "The current update involves aligning risk assessment procedures with the audit risk model in accordance with current Government Auditing Standards, emphasizing the consideration of materiality and significance throughout the audit, and replacing the Worksheets for Evaluating Internal Control -- including the sample size matrices -- with more flexible guidelines," it said. The agency has been increasing it's outreach efforts on the subject in recent months (see 14071112). Registration for the webinar is (here).