Trade Outreach Webinars Updated

CBP has been hosting live webinars on a variety of trade topics.  Each webinar is recorded and available on the CBP website for on-demand viewing on the Internet.  PowerPoint presentation slides are also available for downloading.

CBP recently added two webinars, CBP ACE Courtesy Notice of Liquidation and Practical Suggestions to Mitigate Cargo Security Risks.   Click HERE to access the new webinars, as well as the older postings.  

ICE Shops at Flea Markets

Flea market vendors, beware! Agents from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement may be doing some of their holiday shopping at your flea market.

On October 14, ICE agents paid a visit to the D.C. Farmers Market where they served search

warrants and conducted plain view searches. Agents seized over 18,000 pieces of counterfeit merchandise with a retail value of almost $3 million. Prior to the seizures, agents made purchases from some of the vendors, which were determined to be counterfeit.

Without enforcement, manufacturers will continue produce lower cost inferior goods that violate the trademark, copyright and patent laws. Some of these inferior goods such as pharmaceuticals could be hazardous to consumer’s health because they are not manufactured under the same regulations and processes as the patented or trademarked goods. Trade in counterfeit goods also costs the true owners around the world billions of dollars annually.

If you shop at a flea market and find name brands such as New Balance, Fendi, Versace, Calvin Klein, NFL and other recognized brands at a price that sounds too good to be true, consider that the goods may be counterfeit. Do your part to protect intellectual property rights. If you discover name brand goods that are being sold in unusual locations and at a price that is artificially low for the brand, report the information to the IPR Center by contacting the toll-free hotlin3e at 866-IPR-2060 or completing the online tip form at http://www.ice.gov/exec/forms/hsi-tips/tips.asp

If you are a vendor selling counterfeit goods, you should beware. The sweet little old lady or the teenager buying your goods could be an undercover ICE agent!

Source:

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. (2011, October 17). ICE HSI seizes $3 million worth of counterfeit items at D.C.-area flea market. Retrieved from http://www.ice.gov/news/releases/1110/111017washingtondc.htm

GSP Back From the Dead – Again!

There is a creature that has more lives than a cat, the Generalized System of Preferences “GSP.”  Along with approving the free trade agreements, our government representatives were busy reviving GSP last week.   The most recent renewal is retroactive for GSP-eligible entries imported after December 31, 2010 and extends the preferential treatment until July 13, 2013. GSP was included in H.R. 2832, which also renewed the Trade Adjustment Assistance and provided an increase in the Merchandise Processing Fee from 0.21 percent to 0.3464 percent.  All programs are awaiting the signature of the President.

FINALLY – New FTAs Moving Forward

Last week the U.S. Congress approved the implementing legislation for the free trade agreements with South Korea, Colombia and Panama. There are still actions that need to take place before the agreements become effective. The agreements will not become effective before January 1, 2012. The United States Trade Representative posted a fact sheet that explains the steps that need to be taken before the agreements take effect. Click HERE to read about these steps.


After being delayed for several years, I think I’m hearing sighs of relief and a few “it’s about time” comments instead of the big cheers and hoopla one might normally expect.

BOLO: New Format for CBP Bills

CBP unveiled the new format for bills (CBP Form 6084) used to collect monies owed to the government.  While most of you may never see a bill from CBP, it's important for your employees to know what the new form looks like so they can identify it and make sure it is routed to the appropriate location. Remember, 19 CFR 24.3 states most bills are due and payable within 30 days of the date of issuance, with the exception of dishonored checks or dishonored ACH transactions that are due within 15 days.  


Click HERE to view a copy of the new format for the CBP Form 6084.

October 2011 Customs Broker Exam Answers

Congratulations to everyone who took the Customs Broker Exam today!

Thank you to Pam Berry and the employees at Marisol International for providing a copy of the test.   I hope to post some of proposed answers later this evening and the remaining answers sometime on Tuesday.

Click HERE for preliminary answers.

Additional answers will be posted as they are completed.   Due to the volume of questions, I will not be able to answer emails.   If you want to post an appropriate comment, they will be posted so that the readers can discuss the answers with each other.  Detailed comments may be available for some questions, so post the question number if you want to see detailed comments on a specific question that has been answered.

Busy Season Approaching for ICE Agents

Sing to the tune of “Santa Claus Is Coming to Town”

Coots, J.F. & Gillespie, H. (1934) Santa Claus is Coming to Town [Recorded by B. Springstein ]. On My Hometown [CD, MP3] 1981   MP3  Purchased 9/27/2011 from ITunes.

You better watch out

You better not buy

Better not sell

I’m telling you why

ICE Agents are coming to town.

ICE Agents are coming to town

ICE Agents are coming to town

They’re making their list

And checking it twice

Gonna find out who’s counterfeiting or not

ICE Agents are coming to town.

They know what you’ve been selling

They know when it’s a fake

They know when you’ve been violating laws

So don’t lie for goodness sakes

Oh!  You better watch out

You better not buy

Better not sell

I’m telling you why

ICE Agents are coming to town

ICE Agents are coming to town.

ICE Agents are coming to town

Tis the season for retailers to stock up on inventory; however, the counterfeiters have also been gathering up goodies to sell for the holiday season.   Don’t be fooled, the agents from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement have been watching to see who’s been naughty and nice this year.  

Last week, ICE agents visited the sunny city of Tampa, where they seized over $5 million in counterfeit goods, primarily purses, from a flea market and storage units.  Although no one was charged during the raid, the investigation is ongoing and the goods will eventually be destroyed.  While Santa might like to escape the North Pole for sunny Florida, it’s unlikely he’s using warehouses in Tampa to store legitimate gifts.

In Washington D.C., ICE agents in plain clothes gathered to identify and seize counterfeit goods at a recent Washington Nationals baseball game.     Baseball caps and shirts were confiscated by the ICE agents.  While Santa has been known to carry a large sack  of goodies, these counterfeiters sold their goods out of black plastic trash bags.

A word to the wise -if someone tries to sell you a genuine item on the street and the price sounds too good to be true – don’t buy it.  ICE is making their list and checking it twice. ICE Is Coming to Town!  Don’t be the person they are coming for!