The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) has issued a press release announcing a new government-wide initiative, known as the Strategy Targeting Organized Piracy (STOP!), to fight global trade in pirated and counterfeit goods.

The Journal of Commerce Online reports that the container congestion that has affected the Los Angeles - Long Beach harbor for the past three months will continue for at least four to eight weeks, or even longer, due to higher than projected cargo volumes, compounded by lack of capacity on railroads serving the docks and a severe shortage of longshore labor. (JoC Online, dated 09/29/04, www.joc.com)

Federal agency efforts to enforce intellectual property trade agreements other than through a longstanding review process have been largely unsuccessful, a Hill panel was told Thurs. The Govt. Accountability Office (GAO), asked by the House Govt. Reform Committee to examine the issue, told the committee in a report and testimony that inter-agency govt. efforts such as the National Intellectual Property law Enforcement Coordination Council (NIPLECC) has failed to make a dent in the billions of dollars the content industry loses every year to piracy abroad, which the Internet is enabling. Rep. Simmons (R-Conn.), testifying at the hearing as a witness, put it in stronger terms: “You can pass all the laws you want but if there’s no enforcement… if there’s no punishment for doing that, it’s a worthless piece of paper.”

The Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) has issued a final rule, effective September 16, 2005, that APHIS states will affect all persons using regulated wood packaging material (regulated WPM) in connection with importing goods into the U.S.

The Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) has issued a final rule, effective September 16, 2005, that APHIS states will affect all persons using regulated wood packaging material (regulated WPM) in connection with importing goods into the U.S.

The Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) has issued a final rule, effective September 16, 2005, that APHIS states will affect all persons using regulated wood packaging material (regulated WPM) in connection with importing goods into the U.S.

The Journal of Commerce reports that the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) has asked for permission to keep the hours-of-service (HOS) final rule for truck drivers in effect for at least six more months while it tries to revise it after it was vacated by a court decision in July. (See ITT's Online Archives or 09/08/04 news, 04090810, for the FMCSA's filing to stay the court decision.) (JoC, dated 09/06/04, www.joc.com)

According to The Washington Post and a National Council of Textile Organizations (NCTO) press release, on September 9, 2004 a group of industry, farm, and labor groups, seeking to put pressure on the Bush Administration before the Presidential election, petitioned the government to accept a Section 301 petition against China's currency policies. The Washington Post reports that the groups are accusing China of manipulating its currency to gain trade advantages against U.S. firms. (WP dated 09/09/04, http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A8529-2004Sep9.html; NCTO press release, www.ncto.org/newsroom/pr200407.asp.)

The Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) has issued a final rule which, effective September 27, 2004, amends the regulations at 7 CFR Part 319 in order to modify its restrictions on the importation of certain unmanufactured wood articles¹ from the Mexican States adjacent to the U.S./Mexico border (Mexican Border States).

The International Trade Commission (ITC) has issued The Year in Trade 2003, an annual review of U.S. trade-related activities during 2003. According to the ITC, this report covers major multilateral, regional, and bilateral developments that occurred during 2003, as follows: