The Commerce Department issued Federal Register notices on its recently initiated antidumping and countervailing duty investigations on 1,1,1,2-Tetrafluoroethane from China (A-570-998/C-570-999). The agency will determine whether imports of the air conditioner refrigerant from China are being sold in the U.S. at less than fair value or illegally subsidized.

The International Trade Commission published notices in the Dec. 5 Federal Register on the following AD/CV injury, Section 337 patent, and other trade proceedings (any notices that warrant a more detailed summary will be in another ITT article):

The International Trade Commission will ban imports of patent-infringing electronic placeshifting devices from Monsoon Multimedia and C2 Microsystems, after a finding that each company was in default because it didn’t respond to the ITC’s investigation notices. Sling Media requested the Section 337 investigation in March, alleging Monsoon manufactures devices that infringe Sling Media’s patents, imports them, and sells them in the U.S. as the “Vulkano” line of products, and that C2 Microsystems manufactures an infringing microchip used in Monsoon’s products (see 13031418). Belkin was also a respondent, but settled the allegations.

The International Trade Commission issued cease and desist orders against three companies in Chinese and the U.S. for importing ground circuit fault interrupters in violation of a general exclusion order. The ITC had in April 2012 issued the Section 337 general exclusion order against ground fault interrupters that infringed a patent held by Leviton (see 12050332). But Leviton alleged that Shanghai ELE “Manufacturing, Shanghai Jia AO Electrical, and American Electric Depot (AED) continued to import infringing product despite the import ban (see 12103119). The ITC agreed because all three companies failed to respond to the charges, and is issuing cease and desist orders prohibiting AED, Shanghai ELE, and Shanghai Jia AO from importing or selling the patent infringing ground fault interrupters. It is setting a bond of $0.25 per unit for merchandise subject to the cease and desist orders during the 60-day period during which the Obama administration may veto the import ban.

The International Trade Commission began an investigation Nov. 29 into whether imports of snake antivenom are infringing patents held by BTG International, in violation of Section 337. BTG filed its complaint in late October, alleging U.S. and Mexican companies are importing and selling an antivenom used to treat snake bites from pit viper snakes such as rattlesnakes (see 13110402). The antivenom imports infringe a patent held by BTG on a method to prevent serum sickness, a potentially life-threatening immune reaction. BTG said the antivenom imports are marketed as “Antivipmyn,” “Anavip,” and generic names like “Antivenin-Bothrops asper” and “Crotalus durissus.” The ITC named the following respondents to the investigation:

The Commerce Department published notices in the Dec. 4 Federal Register on the following AD/CV duty proceedings (any notices that announce changes to AD/CV duty rates, scope, affected firms, or effective dates will be detailed in another ITT article):

Antidumping and countervailing duty investigations on non-oriented electrical steel (NOES) from China, Germany, Japan, South Korea, Sweden and Taiwan will continue, after the International Trade Commission found on Dec. 2 a reasonable indication of injury to domestic industry from dumped and illegally subsidized imports. A non-injury finding would have ended the investigations. But the ITC voted 4-0 that injury may be occurring.

The Commerce Department is beginning antidumping and countervailing duty investigations on 1,1,1,2-Tetrafluoroethane from China, according to a Dec. 3 fact sheet released by the agency. Mexichem requested the investigations Oct. 22, alleging domestic market share fell “significantly,” and imports of R-134a from China accounted for all of this decline (see 13102331). The chemical, also known as R-134a, is used as a refrigerant gas in air conditioning systems.

The International Trade Commission published notices in the Dec. 3 Federal Register on the following AD/CV injury, Section 337 patent, and other trade proceedings (any notices that warrant a more detailed summary will be in another ITT article):

The Commerce Department published notices in the Dec. 3 Federal Register on the following AD/CV duty proceedings (any notices that announce changes to AD/CV duty rates, scope, affected firms, or effective dates will be detailed in another ITT article):