Small businesses that sell goods in online marketplaces stand to make big gains through an ambitious U.S. trade agenda because they already ship far more goods abroad than “traditional” businesses, said more than 100 “eBay-enabled” companies in a letter (here) to President Barack Obama that praised his push for trade in his State of the Union speech (see 1501210016). The pending Trans-Pacific Partnership and Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership trade pacts have the potential to slash remaining barriers to digital trade and boost U.S. gross domestic product, said the companies, which sell everything from jerseys to RV appliances. “Trade rules developed in a ‘pre-Internet’ era unnecessarily complicate international opportunities for our businesses,” said the letter. “Domestic and international customs rules create real obstacles for us to increase exports, while open markets that allow for resale of goods and cross border data flows are critical to our participation in global commerce.”
Notable CROSS rulings
The Customs Rulings Online Search System (CROSS) was updated Jan. 20 (here) with 262 rulings, bringing the total number of searchable rulings to 185,081. The most recent ruling is dated 1/12/15.
The Patent and Trademark Office is revising its trademark rules of practice and filing procedures related to the Madrid Agreement Concerning the International Registration of Marks, in a final rule that takes effect Feb. 17 (here). According to PTO, the changes provide more clarity on requirements for representation at the agency, applications for registration, examination procedures, amendment of applications, publication and post publication procedures, appeals, petitions, post registration practice, correspondence in trademark cases, classification of goods and services, and procedures under the Madrid Protocol. The amendments mostly codify current practice, it said.
The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration will allow Mexican carriers to conduct long-haul, cross-border trucking services in the U.S., ending the threat of retaliatory tariffs authorized by NAFTA arbitrators. The agency’s decision follows a three-year pilot program that allowed Mexican trucking companies to operate north of the border, it said in a Jan. 9 press release (here). Following the end of the pilot in October, FMCSA determined that trucking companies from Mexico had the same levels of compliance with safety standards as their U.S. and Canadian counterparts, it said.
The Customs Rulings Online Search System (CROSS) was updated Dec. 23 (here) with 27 rulings, bringing the total number of searchable rulings to 184,832. The most recent ruling is dated 12/10/14.
The Food and Drug Administration’s revised Foreign Supplier Verification Program proposal is a step in the right direction, but there are still ambiguous and burdensome requirements that need to be ironed out, according to several trade associations in comments on FDA’s September supplemental proposed rule. Several sets of comments, including from the Association of American Exporters and Importers, the National Customs Brokers & Forwarders Association of America, and the Cheese Importers Association of America, continued to highlight identification of the “FSVP Importer” tasked with complying with FSVP as a main concern.
The Customs Rulings Online Search System (CROSS) was updated Dec. 17 (here) with 76 rulings, bringing the total number of searchable rulings to 184,831. The most recent ruling is dated 12/10/14.
The Commerce Department issued its quarterly list of (i) completed antidumping and countervailing duty scope rulings and (ii) anticircumvention determinations (here). The following list covers completed scope and anticircumvention rulings for the period July 1, 2014, through Sept. 30, 2014:
The Customs Rulings Online Search System (CROSS) was updated Nov. 24 (here) with 136 rulings, bringing the total number of searchable rulings to 184,665. The most recent ruling is dated 11/21/14.
The Customs Rulings Online Search System (CROSS) was updated Nov. 17 (here) with 65 rulings, bringing the total number of searchable rulings to 184,529. The most recent ruling is dated 11/12/14.