Frances P. Hadfield

Blogs: International Trade Law, Retail & Consumer Products Law Observer, Trade Secrets Trends

Latest Articles

Threatened Tariffs Against Mexico Indefinitely Suspended

By Frances P. Hadfield & Rebecca Toro Condori on June 12, 2019

On June 7, 2019, the U.S. Department of State published a statement explaining that the U.S. and Mexican governments had come to an agreement on what measures would be taken to address the issue of the increasing number of migrants coming into the U.S. from its southern border. In a string of tweets, President Trump wrote “The Tariffs scheduled to be implemented by the U.S. on Monday, against Mexico, are hereby indefinitely suspended.” Mexico…

International Trade Law

Customs Ruling of the Week – Classification of Sport Helmets with Integrated Headphones

By Frances P. Hadfield & Rebecca Toro Condori on June 7, 2019

In NY N303834, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) determined the classification of sport helmets with integrated wireless headphones. The hard-shell of the helmet is composed of acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS) which is not reinforced and is constructed with an inner lining of expanded polystyrene (EPS). It features a removable goggle clip and is manufactured in three sizes (small, medium, and large). The helmet is said to meet or exceed ASTM standard 2040 (standard specification for…

International Trade Law

Mexico in Discussions With US Over Proposed Tariffs

By Frances P. Hadfield & Rebecca Toro Condori on June 7, 2019

On May 30, 2019, President Trump threatened to implement a 5% tariff, starting on June 1, on all Mexican imports if the country did not stop the increasing number of migrant persons crossing the U.S. and Mexican border. The White House also posted a statement that laid out the increase of tariffs if no solution arose between the two countries. The tariffs proposed could rise to 10% on July 1st, 15% on August 1st, 20%…

International Trade Law

USTR Extends “On Water” Exception for Section 301 List 3 Goods until June 15

By Edward Goetz & Frances P. Hadfield on June 6, 2019

The Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR) announced it would be publishing a notice in the Federal Register extending the amount of time certain goods exported from China have to enter the United States before they will be subject to an additional tariff increase from 10 percent to 25 percent. Per USTR, “Covered products that were exported from China to the United States prior to May 10, 2019 will remain subject to an additional…

International Trade Law

Steel and Aluminum 232 Tariffs from CA and MX No Longer in Effect

By Edward Goetz & Frances P. Hadfield on May 20, 2019

Per CBP, “Effective for goods entered for consumption, or withdrawn from warehouse for consumption, on or after 12:01 a.m. eastern daylight time on May 20, 2019, the Section 232 duty on imports of steel and aluminum articles with a country of origin of Canada or Mexico will no longer be in effect.” The Cargo Systems Messaging Service message also provides the following filing information for imports of “steel mill and aluminum articles with a country of…

International Trade Law

Webinar/CLE – Understanding the False Claims Act (FCA) Risks Facing U.S. Importers

By Frances P. Hadfield, Jason M. Crawford & Allegra Flamm on May 17, 2019

Webinar – Tuesday, June 11, 2019 12:00 – 1:00 pm EDT In recent years, there has been a steady rise in the number of lawsuits brought under the False Claims Act (FCA) alleging that importers have concealed obligations to pay duties to U.S. Customs and Border Protection. The increase in the number of qui tam suits filed by whistleblowers, combined with the current administration’s protectionist policies, suggests that U.S. importers could face increased FCA risks…

International Trade Law

Customs Ruling of the Week – Classification of a “smart” coffee table

By Frances P. Hadfield & Rebecca Toro Condori on May 17, 2019

In HQ H301075, Customs and Border Protection (CBP) reviewed the classification of a “smart” coffee table called “Sobro.” The product comes in the form of a coffee table with the following dimensions: 43.1 x 22.8 x 17.5 inches. Its construction material (i.e., wood, metal, plastics, or other) was not specified in the request, although the importer stated it is equipped with a tempered glass tabletop with an integrated touch-panel control. The Sobro comes equipped with:…

International Trade Law

USTR Announces China Section 301 List 4 with Public Hearing and Comment Dates

By Frances P. Hadfield, Spencer Toubia & Edward Goetz on May 14, 2019

In a soon to be published Federal Register Notice, the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) announced a proposed additional ad valorem duty of up to 25 percent on products from China with an annual trade value of an estimated $300 billion. The proposed product list (“List 4”) is located in the Annex to the notice and covers 3,805 full and partial tariff subheadings. The USTR indicated in a press release that these proposed tariffs cover…

International Trade Law

Section 301 List 3 Goods Must Enter U.S. by June 1 to Avoid 25 percent Tariffs

By John Brew, Clif Burns, Frances P. Hadfield & Edward Goetz on May 10, 2019

In a soon to be published Federal Register Notice, the United States Trade Representative (USTR) is modifying its May 9, 2019 notice increasing tariffs on Section 301 List 3 goods from 10 percent to 25 percent on May 10. The May 9 notice included an “on water” exception for items exported to the United States that were in transit before May 10 (i.e., they are not subject to 25 percent tariffs). The modification from USTR states all Section…

International Trade Law

Customs Ruling of the Week – Classification of the Temi S1 Personal Computer Robot

By Frances P. Hadfield & Rebecca Toro Condori on May 10, 2019

In NY N303699, Customs and Border Protection reviews the classification of the Temi S1 Personal Computer Robot (Temi PC). It is described as a mobile and fully functional automatic data processing (ADP) machine. The Temi PC is comprised of a tablet PC permanently mounted onto a motorized pedestal-type chassis. The tablet is a 10.1 inch LCD display with a touchscreen, an RK3288 processor, 2 GB system memory, 16 GB storage, Bluetooth and Wi-Fi…

Frances P. Hadfield

Threatened Tariffs Against Mexico Indefinitely Suspended

Customs Ruling of the Week – Classification of Sport Helmets with Integrated Headphones

Mexico in Discussions With US Over Proposed Tariffs

USTR Extends “On Water” Exception for Section 301 List 3 Goods until June 15

Steel and Aluminum 232 Tariffs from CA and MX No Longer in Effect

Webinar/CLE – Understanding the False Claims Act (FCA) Risks Facing U.S. Importers

Customs Ruling of the Week – Classification of a “smart” coffee table

USTR Announces China Section 301 List 4 with Public Hearing and Comment Dates

Section 301 List 3 Goods Must Enter U.S. by June 1 to Avoid 25 percent Tariffs

Customs Ruling of the Week – Classification of the Temi S1 Personal Computer Robot

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