There's already heavy industry interest in taking part in the next blockchain proof of concept involving intellectual property rights, said Vincent Annunziato, director of CBP’s Business Transformation and Innovation Division, at the Commercial Customs Operations Advisory Committee's Feb. 27 meeting. "We are almost 100 percent definite with moving forward" soon with the intellectual property rights piece, he said. "We're hearing now that we're having about 70 people that want to come and participate. We're a little worried about handling all of you coming in, so that's great news." CBP is also working with the Department of Homeland Security on a test of "verifiable credentials" that uses "third-party verification through consensus to prove somebody is who they say they are."

CBP issued the following releases on commercial trade and related matters:​

A listing of recent antidumping and countervailing duty messages from the Commerce Department posted to CBP's website Feb. 26, along with the case number(s) and CBP message number, is provided below. The messages are available by searching for the listed CBP message number at CBP's ADD CVD Search page.

CBP released its Feb. 27 Customs Bulletin (Vol. 53, No. 4). While it does not contain any customs rulings, it contains CBP general notices and Court of International Trade opinions.

CBP Commissioner Kevin McAleenan on Feb. 27 directed the Commercial Customs Operations Advisory Committee to form its first “rapid response team” to help address customs and trade facilitation issues in the Northern Triangle of Central America. The “humanitarian crisis” at the U.S.-Mexico border, driven by the migration of children mainly from Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador, is caused by food insecurity and a lack of economic opportunity in those countries, and customs and border inefficiencies are one of the key drivers of the region’s malaise, McAleenan said in opening remarks at the COAC meeting held that day in Washington. The time and cost of moving goods between Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador, as well as between these three countries and in the rest of the world, ranks among the highest in the world, with delays at border checkpoints reaching 72 hours for imported goods. McAleenan asked the COAC to form a working group of its members to gather private sector input and expertise on the region’s supply chain issues. Rapid response teams are a new feature of the reorganized COAC, beginning with the current committee term (see 1810040017).

CBP created Harmonized System Update (HSU) 1902 on Feb. 26, containing 40 Automated Broker Interface records and 11 harmonized tariff records, it said in a CSMS message. The update includes changes related to the delayed increase to Section 301 tariffs on goods from China. "Changes were made to extend the 10 percent duty rate" on Harmonized Tariff Schedule subheading 9903.88.03, the agency said. "This will allow for pre filing of entries at the 10 percent duty rate. Further updates are possible after the forthcoming Federal Register notice is published."

A listing of recent antidumping and countervailing duty messages from the Commerce Department posted to CBP's website Feb. 25, along with the case number(s) and CBP message number, is provided below. The messages are available by searching for the listed CBP message number at CBP's ADD CVD Search page.

CBP issued the following release on commercial trade and related matters:​

CBP is seeking comments by April 29 on an existing information collection for merchandise subject to actual use provisions, it said in a notice. CBP proposes to extend the expiration date of this information collection with no change to the information collected or to the estimated burden hours associated with the collection.

CBP is seeking comments by April 29 on an existing information collection for holders or containers that enter the U.S. duty free, it said in a notice. CBP proposes to extend the expiration date of this information collection with no change to the information collected or to the estimated burden hours associated with the collection.