The International Trade Administration issued the final results of its antidumping administrative review of certain kitchen appliance shelving and racks from China (A-570-941), finding a zero AD rate for sole respondent New King Shan (Zhu Hai) Co. The ITA made no changes to the preliminary results. The ITA will instruct CBP to liquidate all entries of subject merchandise from New King Shan during the period of review without regard to AD duties, and will not require an AD cash deposit on such merchandise until further notice. The new rate is effective Jan. 25, and will be implemented by CBP soon.
The International Trade Administration is set to issue antidumping and countervailing duty orders on large residential washers from Korea, and an AD duty order on large residential washers from Mexico, after the International Trade Commission voted unanimously Jan. 23 that U.S. industry is being injured by imports of the merchandise. In its final determinations, the ITA found AD and CV rates for Korean washers of 9.29 to 82.41 percent, and de minimis to 72.3 percent, respectively. The ITA found AD rates of 36.52 to 72.41 percent for Mexican companies. Korea and Mexico were the two largest exporters of large residential washers to the U.S. in 2011, sending $1 billion of the merchandise into the U.S. Other countries only exported $155 million worth in 2011.
The International Trade Administration issued a Federal Register notice on its recently initiated countervailing duty investigation of certain frozen warmwater shrimp from China (C-570-988), Ecuador (C-331-803), India (C-533-854), Indonesia (C-560-825), Malaysia (C-557-814), Thailand (C-549-828), and Vietnam (C-552-815). The ITA will determine whether exporters of frozen warmwater shrimp from these countries to the U.S. receive countervailable subsidies.
The International Trade Commission voted to begin a Section 337 patent investigation of paper shredders Jan. 22. The investigation, titled “certain paper shredders, certain processes for manufacturing or relating to same, and certain products containing same and certain parts thereof,” was requested by Fellowes, Inc. and its Chinese affiliate on Dec. 20. According to the complaint, paper shredders are being imported from China that infringe Fellowes’ patents and trade secrets. The ITC identified the following as respondents in the investigation:
The International Trade Commission issued a general exclusion order prohibiting entry of patent-infringing LED lighting devices and components, and set bond at 43 percent of entered value during the 60-day period of Presidential review, after finding violations of Section 337 by imports that violate Litepanels’ patents. The infringing products are used in television, broadcast news, and motion picture productions. The ITC also accepted a consent order for respondents Fotodiox and Ikan Corporation.
The International Trade Commission is publishing notices in the Jan. 22 Federal Register on the following AD/CV injury, Section 337 patent, and other trade proceedings (any notices that warrant a more detailed summary will appear in another ITT article):
E.J Brooks Company is requesting the International Trade Commission bar imports of sealing rings for utility meters that it says infringe its patents. The Jan. 18 petition accused Mao Dah Enterprise of Taiwan of importing the infringing products, which are used to secure electric, gas and water utility meters and show evidence of tampering. According to Brooks, Mao Dah was originally contracted to manufacture utility meter parts, but was not authorized to make sealing rings. Mao Dah later obtained the design for the sealing rings, and began manufacturing the product and exporting it to the U.S. Brooks is requesting the ITC issue a general exclusion order on imported sealing rings, or a limited exclusion order and cease and desist order against Mao Dah if the ITC finds a general order to be too broad.
The International Trade Administration published notices in the Jan. 22 Federal Register on the following AD/CV proceedings (any notices that announce changes to AD/CV duty rates, scope, affected firms, or effective dates will be detailed in another ITT article):
The International Trade Administration initiated countervailing duty investigations of certain frozen warmwater shrimp from China, Ecuador, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, and Vietnam, it said in a Jan. 18 fact sheet. Imports of the merchandise totaled $4,149,341,000 in value in 2012, with Thai imports accounting for nearly 40 percent of the total value. The seven countries covered by these investigations collectively account for 85 percent of U.S. shrimp imports and more than three-quarters of the U.S. market, the Coalition of Frozen Shrimp Industries said in its request for the investigations.
The International Trade Administration is set to issue antidumping duty orders on utility scale wind towers from China and Vietnam, and a countervailing duty order on utility scale wind towers from China, following a Jan. 18 vote by the International Trade Commission that imports of the merchandise are injuring U.S. industry. Chairman Irving Williamson was joined by two commissioners in finding injury or threat of injury. Three commissioners opposed the final affirmative injury determination.