CBP and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement issued statistics on their fiscal year 2012 intellectual property rights seizures. The statistics show that while the number of seized counterfeit goods has decreased since FY 2011, the total manufacturer's suggested retail price (MSRP) of the seized goods increased , said CBP. Handbags/wallets remained at as the top category of commodities seized by value, making up 40 percent of the MSRP seized, said CBP
Jan. 15 CBP Advisory Committee on Commercial Operations teleconference, 2 p.m. -- https://apps.cbp.gov/te_registration/?w=112 (See 12122720)
The customs broker’s license examination scheduled for April 2013 will be on Monday, April 1, said CBP in a notice. The exam typically consists of 80 multiple-choice questions, with a score of 75 percent required to pass. Exam topics usually include: Entry, Classification, Country of Origin, Trade Agreements, Antidumping/Countervailing Duty, Value, Broker Responsibilities, FP&F, Protests, Marking, Prohibited and Restricted Merchandise, Drawback, Intellectual Property Rights, and other subjects pertinent to a broker's duties.
There must be "adequate funding to ensure appropriate [CBP] staffing at U.S. ports of entry," a large group of transport and trade officials said in a Jan. 10 letter to Jeffrey Zients, acting director, Office of Management and Budget. It said CBP's role of protecting the country and facilitating legitimate trade and travel "is critical to the physical and economic security of the U.S.," but "staffing at U.S. ports of entry has failed to keep up with the increased demand of trade and travel."
Jan. 8 USA-ITA Seminar on Retailing in China, noon, PwC, 300 Madison Avenue, New York -- http://www.usaita.com/index.php?option=com_civicrm&task=civicrm/event/info&Itemid=141&reset=1&id=34
Jan. 8 USA-ITA Seminar on Retailing in China, noon, PwC, 300 Madison Avenue, New York -- http://www.usaita.com/index.php?option=com_civicrm&task=civicrm/event/info&Itemid=141&reset=1&id=34
The National Institute of Standards and Technology posts drafts and changes to foreign technical regulations for manufactured products that may be considered technical barriers to trade. Broker Power delays its publication of these postings for 2 - 3 weeks because there is often a delay until NIST makes the text of the regulations available.
A waste-recycling company based in Englewood, Colo., and two of its executives, were convicted Dec. 21 of multiple counts of mail and wire fraud, obstruction and environmental crimes related to illegally disposing electronic waste and smuggling, said Immigrations and Customs Enforcement. Executive Recycling Inc. and its officers allegedly defrauded government and businesses by saying that it was disposing of cathode ray tubes (CRT) using Environmental Protection Agency-approved methods in the U.S., while it was actually exporting the waste abroad.
The sharing of client contact information, including names and address, for security verification purposes would be permissible in certain situations, said CBP in a Nov. 21 ruling. The ruling, HQ H221355, is in response to a ruling request from Alan Klestadt, a lawyer at Grunfeld, Desiderio. Klestadt, asked the agency to say whether the release of contact information to third parties for security verifications is allowed under current regulations.
The Court of International Trade ordered a customs broker to pay a $19,000 penalty for violations of several provisions of the Customs regulations, including failing to notify the importer of record when doing business with an unlicensed person; conducting business without a valid power of attorney; misclassification of entries; and failure to exercise due diligence and responsible supervision and control. The customs broker failed to respond to any of CBP’s pre-penalty notices, penalty notices, and final demands for payments, and did not respond to any notices or motions in this case, so was declared to be in default. As the defendant was in default, CIT took all of CBP’s factual allegations as true, and granted CBP’s motion to collect the penalties.