The Consumer Product Safety Commission is seeking comments on a provisionally-accepted Settlement Agreement with E&B Giftware LLC which includes a civil penalty of $550,000, with an agreement to suspend a portion of that penalty if certain conditions are met. The agreement would settle staff allegations that E&B Giftware failed to immediately notify CPSC of a defect in certain exercise balls that it imported and distributed for several years, as required by federal law.
This is a reminder that for continuous and single transaction bonds presented to U.S. Customs and Border Protection on or after January 1, 2012, only the new CBP Form 301 (with additional activity codes) and the new CBP Form 301A (addendum) with an expiration date of 03/31/2014 will be accepted. CBP will no longer accept the old 301 forms with an expiration date of 12/31/2010.
The Consumer Product Safety Commission is seeking comments on a provisionally-accepted Settlement Agreement with Build-A-Bear Workshop, Inc., that includes a civil penalty of $600,000. The agreement would settle staff allegations that Build-A-Bear failed to immediately notify CPSC of a defect in certain of its wooden frame toy beach chairs, as required by federal law.
The Consumer Product Safety Commission has issued a final rule, effective February 8, 2013, that establishes testing requirements for the initial certification of children’s products, periodic testing thereafter, testing after a material change (including a sourcing change), and safeguarding against undue influence on a third-party lab. There is a partial exemption for small batch manufacturers from certain of the third-party testing requirements. In addition, the rule establishes a voluntary labeling program for children’s and non-children’s consumer products to show compliance with CPSC certification requirements.
The Consumer Product Safety Commission has issued a final rule, effective December 8, 2011, that provides a voluntary certification option for domestic manufacturers and importers who must certify finished consumer products as complying with CPSC requirements to base their certificates on one or more of the following: component part testing or certification or another party’s finished product testing or certification - as long as certain conditions are met.
On October 6, 2011, Congressman Mike Turner (R-OH) introduced the Trade Law Enforcement Act (H.R. 3112), which he states would utilize a Commerce Department complaint process to provide U.S. companies with a lower cost, less complex path to the USTR's initiation of a Section 301 investigation on market access barriers.
U.S. Trade Representative Kirk states the U.S. has submitted information to the World Trade Organization identifying nearly 200 subsidy programs that it says China has failed to notify as required under WTO rules. Information was also submitted on 50 subsidy programs in India not previously notified.
The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative has issued a notice requesting written comments from the public concerning Paraguay’s implementation of the U.S.-Paraguay MOU on Intellectual Property Rights, and additional actions that Paraguay should take, if any, to improve the protection and enforcement of intellectual property rights.
The Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service has issued a proposed rule to restrict the importation of dogs from any part of the world into the continental U.S. or Hawaii for purposes of resale, research, or veterinary treatment, unless the dogs are in good health, have received all necessary vaccinations, and are at least 6 months of age.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection has made available for immediate use new CBP Forms 301 (Customs Bond) and 301A (Addendum for additional co-principals) for continuous and single transaction bonds. The CBP Form 301 has been revised to list additional activity codes, including one for the Importer Security Filing, and to better harmonize the form with current and future automation requirements.