American Shipper has reported that the European Union was poised to implement the International Plant Protection Convention (IPPC) solid wood packing material (SWPM) standard in the spring of 2004. However, it has now dropped this initiative due to the admittance of 10 new member countries from Eastern Europe. American Shipper states that a new implementation date has yet to be set. The Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) has also posted an update to its Web site stating that Australia has proposed draft requirements for imported SWPM that are to become effective July 1, 2004. See APHIS' SWPM Web page for more information http://www.aphis.usda.gov/ppq/swp/industry/index.html. (American Shipper Pub May 2004 www.americanshipper.com)
The International Trade Administration (ITA) has issued its final results of the changed circumstances antidumping (AD) duty review of carbon and certain alloy steel wire rod from Canada, concluding that only subject merchandise both produced and exported by Stelco, Inc. and Stelwire Ltd. (Stelco Group) is excluded from the AD duty order.
Fox’s Master & Commander: Far Side of the World was again the #1-rented DVD in the U.S., Rentrak said preliminary Home Video Essentials data for the week ended May 2 showed. Rentrak said the title earned an additional $5.76 million in the week, for a total of $13.02 million. Four new DVDs made the top 10 in their first week available: Columbia TriStar’s Big Fish at #2 ($5.62 million in the week, $5.72 million to date), Fox’s Stuck On You at #3 ($4.65 million, $4.73 million), Universal’s Love Actually at #7 ($3.25 million, $3.31 million) and Warner’s Love Don’t Cost a Thing at #9 ($2.49 million, $2.52 million).
The 9th U.S. Appeals Court, San Francisco, questioned whether the court has jurisdiction over Televisa’s appeal and withdrew its opinion filed April 1. The court had affirmed a decision forcing Televisa into arbitration with DirecTV Latin America (DTVLA) (CD April 2 p13). At issue is a set of 3 contracts between DTVLA and Televisa that allowed Televisa to telecast some 2002 World Cup soccer matches. The agreement directed Televisa to black out games DTVLA was broadcasting. DTVLA accused Televisa of failing to comply with the provision and asked the U.S. Dist. Court, L.A., to compel arbitration. Televisa protested, but was denied a preliminary injunction staying arbitration. Televisa then appealed, but the 9th circuit denied its request. Now the court questioned, among other things, whether it has jurisdiction to review the district court’s order granting DTVLA’s motion. The court directed the parties to submit briefs within 30 days addressing the court’s questions.
According to two U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Electronic Bulletin Board (CEBB) notices, on April 19, 2004, the International Trade Commission (ITC) notified the International Trade Administration (ITA) of its final negative injury determination in the antidumping (AD) duty investigations of wax and wax/resin thermal transfer ribbon (TTR) from France and Japan.
The ITA states that China-wide rate applies to all China exporters which do not have a separate rate, including Kunshan, Henan, and High Hope.
Canadian regulators are closely following the FCC’s actions relating to the nascent broadband over power line (BPL) industry, although “we can’t [regulate] in the same fashion as the FCC,” Jean-Claude Brien of Industry Canada told us. “We are kind of now monitoring closely, cooperating with Canadian proponents and obviously looking at what’s being done in the U.S. to assess the impact of the regulation or the approach the U.S. will take.” In contrast to the more than a dozen public BPL trials underway in the U.S., Canada has reported only one ongoing pilot -- by PUC Telecom, an affiliate of the power utility owned by the city of Sault Ste. Marie, Ont. Some industry officials blame lack of interest in a 3rd high-speed platform on high broadband penetration in Canada compared with the U.S., but Brien, who’s dir.-spectrum engineering, said interest in BPL had begun to pick up “since last year.”
In its 2nd week, Eidos’s Hitman: Contracts moved up one notch to become the top-rented videogame in the U.S., Rentrak said its preliminary Home Video Essentials data for the week ended May 2 showed. Rentrak said the game earned an additional $373,558 in the week, for $603,970 to date. The Xbox version of the game was #3 ($215,395 in the week, $334,081 to date). Midway Games and Ubisoft also had 2 SKUs in the top 10 for the week. Midway’s were NBA Ballers for PS2 at #2 (down one, 4th week, $304,580 in the week, $1.08 million to date) and the Xbox version of it at #6 (down one, 4th week, $169,375 in the week, $609,683 to date). Ubisoft’s were Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell: Pandora Tomorrow for Xbox at #5 (down 2, 6th week, $181,974 and $1.38 million) and Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six 3: Raven Shield for PS2 at #7 (down one, 6th week, $159,200 and $1.11 million). But Electronic Arts (EA) again had the most titles in the top 10, with 3, all for PS2: Need for Speed Underground at #4 again in its 24th week ($194,527 and $7.51 million), James Bond 007: Everything or Nothing at #8 (down one, 11th week, $148,641 and $2.7 million) and Fight Night 2004 at #10 in its 4th week ($133,662 and $475,553). Rounding out the top 10 was Take-Two Interactive’s Mafia for PS2 at #9 (down one, 14th week, $139,231 and $3.57 million). Hitman: Contracts was also the #1-selling software title in the U.K. in its first week, the Entertainment & Leisure Software Publishers Assn. (ELSPA) said ChartTrack data for the week ended May 1 showed. Codemasters had 2 games in the top 10: ToCA Race Driver 2 at #3 (down 2 from a week ago) and England International Football 2004 at #8 in its first week. But EA again had the most titles in the top 10, with 3: Fight Night 2004 at #2 in its first week, the Bond game at #7 (down 2 in its 10th week) and FIFA 2004 at #10 (down 3 in its 28th week). Other games in the top 10 were Sega’s Sonic Heroes at #5 (down 2 in its 13th week), Ubisoft’s Pandora Tomorrow at #6 (down 2 in its 6th week) and Acclaim Entertainment’s World Championship Rugby at #9 (down 3 in its 4th week).
(a) preliminary AD margin of zero
The Departmental Advisory Committee on Commercial Operations of the Bureau of Customs and Border Protection (COAC) held a quarterly meeting on April 2, 2004 in Washington, DC to discuss and receive updates from U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officials on various trade and customs issues.