A New Jersey freight forwarder has agreed to shipper and importer verification requirements, as well as conditions on acting as a go-between for customs brokers and importers, as part of a settlement of a trademark suit filed by Nike in the Southern New York U.S. District Court.

FDA is issuing new regulations that allow importation of prescription drugs from Canada. Under the final rule, FDA may approve “Section 804 Importation Programs” (SIPs) sponsored by a state, tribal or territorial governmental entity. The registered wholesaler or pharmacy identified by the SIP as the importer could then import the specified drug from an FDA-registered, Health Canada-licensed wholesaler that buys the drug directly from its manufacturer. The final rule is set for publication in the Oct. 1 Federal Register, and takes effect Nov. 30.

The Commercial Customs Operations Advisory Committee (COAC) for CBP will next meet Oct. 7, remotely, beginning at 1 p.m. EDT, CBP said in a notice. Comments are due in writing by Oct. 6. The COAC will hear from the following subcommittees on the topics listed below and then will review, deliberate and formulate recommendations on how to proceed on those topics:

The Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service “is making great progress in implementing electronic country to country transfer of plant phytosanitary certificates” through what is known as the ePhyto hub, Nicole Russo, APHIS director-Quarantine Policy, Analysis, and Support, said Sept. 17 during the online conference of the National Customs Brokers & Forwarders Association of America. Currently, 42 countries, including Mexico and all of Europe, exchange “ePhytos,” and that number is expected to “increase significantly,” she said.

The Commercial Customs Operations Advisory Committee (COAC) for CBP will next meet Oct. 7, remotely, beginning at 1 p.m. EDT, CBP said in a notice. Comments are due in writing by Oct. 6. The COAC will hear from the following subcommittees on the topics listed below and then will review, deliberate and formulate recommendations on how to proceed on those topics:

Industry should expect the Bureau of Industry and Security's increased activity around export controls to continue, including more additions to the Entity List and the “refinement” of export controls for Hong Kong, said Tim Mooney, a BIS senior export policy analyst.

Customs brokers and a trade attorney urged trade professionals to work with their importers now to prepare for enforcement of USMCA next year. Monica DeMars, manager of corporate customs for C.H. Robinson, told attendees at a National Customs Brokers & Forwarders Association of America conference session on Sept. 18 that when CBP begins enforcing USMCA, it will look at July-December entries from this year, not just start enforcing prospectively.

Five cargo handling organizations published guidance and a checklist on international packing standards to improve safety practices for freight containers. The groups said they are concerned by a rise in container fires aboard ships. The guidance covers the United Nations’ Code of Practice for Packing of Cargo Transport Units (CTU). The checklist details “actions and responsibilities” for those in charge of packing cargo in freight containers to help reduce “serious injuries” among shipping crews and port staff.

CBP offered some clarification to the National Customs Brokers & Forwarders Association of America after the trade group said it is concerned about a recent ruling involving bonded carriers. CBP recently ruled that bonded merchandise can only be carried by non-bonded parties if the bonded carrier first takes physical delivery of the merchandise and obligates its bond to a non-bonded carrier (see 2005290018). “CBP clarified that in the ruling scenario, the goods were not under bond when they were picked up,” the NCBFAA said in a Sept. 16 email. “When a bonded carrier initiates a bonded move, the bonded carrier must start with the goods in its possession. It could have then authorized a third party to act under their bond on any subsequent moves.”

Importers that want to benefit from a lawsuit challenging list 3 and list 4A Section 301 tariffs on goods from China may face a tight deadline for filing their own cases at the Court of International Trade, law firms said in recent days. “This lawsuit, if successful, could result in the refund of all Section 301 tariffs levied on List 3 and List 4A goods from China,” the National Customs Brokers & Forwarders Association of America said in an emailed alert. “However, importers must file their own independent claims to preserve their potential refunds by Friday, Sept. 18.”