CBP officers at the Port of New York/New Jersey recently inspected a shipment of imported merchandise declared on entry documents as “plastics,” finding instead a huge score of counterfeit handbags, belts and wallets, the agency said in a press release. The 537 cartons carried goods with Louis Vuitton, Gucci and Michael Kors trademarks in violation of federal trademark law. The manufacturer’s suggested retail price of the bags, belts, and wallets, if genuine, was estimated to be more than $20 million.
Tim Warren
Timothy Warren is Executive Managing Editor of Communications Daily. He previously led the International Trade Today editorial team from the time it was purchased by Warren Communications News in 2012 through the launch of Export Compliance Daily and Trade Law Daily. Tim is a 2005 graduate of the College of the Holy Cross in Worcester, Massachusetts and lives in Maryland with his wife and three kids.
CBP updated its Trade Transformation document for November, providing some brief information on the customs broker working group that is developing guidance on the role of the brokers in dealing with the Centers for Excellence and Expertise (CEEs). The CEEs are industry-dedicated, virtual locations for entry summary review and are currently in a pilot phase. The virtual locations are hoped to offer a more consistent treatment of goods for each industry, though some concerns remain among brokers and importers.
The National Customs Brokers and Forwarders Association of America will hold its annual conference at the Westin Mission Hills Resort in Rancho Mirage, Calif. April 7-10.
New lobbyist registrations on trade issues include:
CBP announced the location and agenda for next meeting of the Advisory Committee on Commercial Operations (COAC), Dec. 4 at 1 p.m. (ET) in Washington, D.C. Online registration for webcast and in-person participation is available through Nov. 30, said a notice in the Federal Register Nov. 16.
CBP released its Nov. 14 Customs Bulletin (Vol. 46, No. 47). The bulletin doesn't include any ruling notices or Court of International Trade decisions.
CBP issued the following releases on commercial trade and related issues:
Customs Rulings Online Search System (CROSS) was updated Nov. 13 with 208 rulings, bringing the total number of searchable rulings to 174,879. The most recent ruling is dated 11/09/2012.
CBP issued a notice that it is has created a new web page for information on the U.S.-Panama Trade Promotion Agreement (PATPA), that is effective for goods entered or withdrawn from warehouse for consumption beginning Oct. 31, 2012. The web page currently has links to (i) CBP's implementation instructions and data elements, (ii) the text of the agreement on USTR's website, (iii) the 2012 HTS (Rev 1), with General Note 35, (iv) the ITC report containing the detailed Annexes, (v) the Presidential Proclamation (vi) the PATPA Implementation Act passed by Congress and signed into law by the President and (vii) sugar quota. CBP notes interim regulations will be posted when they become available.
CBP issued its weekly tariff rate quota and tariff preference level commodity report as of Nov. 13. This report 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.