The Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau (TTB) has issued a proposed rule that would amend 27 CFR Parts 4, 5, and 7 in order to adopt mandatory labeling standards for major food allergens used in the production of alcohol beverages subject to the labeling requirements of the Federal Alcohol Administration Act. Comments on this proposed rule are due by September 25, 2006.

A Russian site offering dirt-cheap music downloads in all imaginable formats tops a U.S. Trade Representative Special 301 list of “notorious markets,” Deputy USTR Karan Bhatia told the National Academy of Recording Arts & Sciences at a Hill event this week. Allofmp3.com, which claims to pay royalties to Russian collection societies but offers music not licensed for online sale, is a big stumbling block to Russia’s joining the WTO, Bhatia said. The British Phonographic Industry recently got court permission to sue the website in the U.K. (WID July 5 p7). Setting “secure e- commerce” rules is a new, “critically important endeavor” for the USTR, Bhatia said. Each negotiated free trade pact contains a “state of the art chapter on e-commerce,” he said. The USTR has increased staff and financing for IP efforts, including a new IP Office and chief IP enforcement negotiator, Bhatia said. For the first time, the 2006 USTR report will analyze China’s IP enforcement system down to the province level, he added.

The Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) has issued an interim rule which will amend 7 CFR Parts 319 and 354, effective November 24, 2006, by removing the exemptions from agricultural quarantine and inspection (AQI) user fees for commercial vessels, commercial trucks, commercial railroad cars, commercial aircraft, and international air passengers, which enter the U.S. from Canada.

The Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau (TTB) has issued an interim rule, effective July 26, 2006, which amends 27 CFR Parts 4, 5, and 7 in order to set forth standards that producers, bottlers, and importers of wines, distilled spirits, and malt beverages must follow should they wish to voluntarily declare the presence of certain major food allergens in their products.

The Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) has issued a proposed rule that would require manufacturers to label portable generators with carbon monoxide (CO) poisoning warning labels which contain performance and technical data related to performance and safety. Written comments should be submitted by November 7, 2006.

The Animal and Plant Inspection Service (APHIS) has issued a final rule, effective August 28, 2006, amending 7 CFR Part 319 to allow pink and red tomatoes grown in approved registered production sites in Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, and Panama to be imported into the U.S. under certain conditions.

The Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) has issued a proposed rule that would remove several restrictions regarding the identification of animals and the processing of ruminant materials from bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) minimal-risk regions, as well as BSE-based restrictions on gelatin derived from bovine hides. APHIS does not believe these restrictions are necessary to prevent the introduction of BSE into the U.S. Written comments are due by October 10, 2006.

The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) has issued a notice requesting written comments on its Special 301 out-of-cycle reviews (OCRs) of Canada, Chile, Indonesia, Latvia, and Saudi Arabia regarding intellectual property rights (IPR).

The Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) has issued a notice providing information on the services and procedures of APHIS's Plant Protection and Quarantine (PPQ) program concerning, among other things, PPQ's role in facilitating the export of plants and plant products from the U.S.

The Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) has issued a proposed rule to amend 16 CFR by adding new Parts 1307 (Ban of Three-Wheeled All Terrain Vehicles (ATVs)), 1410 (Requirements for Adult ATVs), and 1515 (Requirements for Youth ATVs) in order to address the risks of injury and death associated with ATVs. The proposed rule would also amend certain administration and enforcement regulations in existing Part 1500 of 16 CFR.