Importers Archives | Customs & International Trade Law Blog

Food Importers: How to Import Food Compliantly & Survive a FSVP Audit

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is now auditing Foreign Supplier Verification Program (FSVP) Importers to ensure they comply with the FSVP program. To date, over 92 warning letters have been issued against companies for FSVP violations. If your business is importing food into the U.S., or wants to start, our one-hour, NEI accredited, webinar on “Importing Food in Compliance with U.S. FDA & Surviving A FSVP Audit” will provide best practices and TOP tips to comply with FDA regulations and avoid, navigate, and mitigate any potential FDA compliance action.

Register today to to hear directly from Senior Trade Advisor, Domenic Veneziano, DTL’s president, Jennifer Diaz, and Associate Attorney, Denise Calle, on the pathway to legally import food and best practices for surviving a FSVP audit.

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By Jennifer Diaz|2021-09-07T15:53:46-04:00September 6, 2021|Best Practices, Food, Import, International Trade, Labeling, Pre-compliance, U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA)|Comments Off

Jen Diaz to Moderate FCBF Webinar on IPR featuring CBP Branch Chief and UL

Diaz Trade Law is excited to announce that President Jennifer Diaz will be moderating the upcoming FCBF webinar titled “IPR with CBP and UL” with the Chief of the Intellectual Property Rights Branch of U.S. Customs and Border Protection, Alaina van Horn, and UL Brand Protection Manager, Lisa Deere.

The Florida Customs Brokers & Forwarders Association (FCBF) encourages all custom brokers, patent, trademark and all international trade professional to join its Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) with U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and UL. This one-hour webinar will give custom brokers, importers, and all other international trade professionals the ability to learn and understand CBP’s IPR customs and enforcement.

This webinar will be Friday, September 3, 2021 at 11:30 AM EST.

Register Now!

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By Jennifer Diaz|2021-09-02T16:43:47-04:00September 2, 2021|Best Practices, Counterfeits, Customs Broker, Import, International Trade, IPR, Trademarks and Logos, Seizures, Speaking, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP)|Comments Off

Don’t Let FDA Target Your Medical Device Company

Did you know FDA has issued 1,569 enforcement actions against medical device companies? Now is the time to ensure your medical devices are in compliance with FDA laws and regulations prior to importation. If your business is manufacturing, repackaging, relabeling, and/or importing medical devices into the U.S., or wants to start, our one-hour webinar on “Importing Medical Devices in Compliance with U.S. FDA” is for you. We will provide TOP tips to avoid U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) enforcement action, and best practices to navigate and mitigate FDA enforcement.

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By Jennifer Diaz|2021-10-07T14:48:15-04:00August 10, 2021|COVID-19, Import, Import Alert, International Business, International Law, International Trade, Labeling, Medical Devices, PPE, Pre-compliance, Speaking, U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA)|Comments Off

An Introduction to Safeguard Investigations

What is Section 201 ?

Section 201 of the Trade Act of 1974 provides import relief measures (also known as Safeguards) for domestic industries. The measures provide temporary relief for U.S. industries when competitor imports increase so significantly that they cause serious injury or threat to the domestic industry. The Safeguard measures are temporary – they allow the U.S. President to raise import duties or impose nontariff barriers on goods entering the United States for a limited period so that domestic industry is given sufficient time to adjust to the competition.

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By Jennifer Diaz|2021-10-07T14:57:11-04:00May 6, 2021|Best Practices, China Trade War, Customs Expert, Enforcement, Export, Import, International Business, International Law, International Trade, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), U.S. Trade Representative (USTR)|1 Comment

Hong Kong’s Initiates Dispute Regarding U.S.-Origin Marking Requirement

What Happened

On October 30, 2021, Hong Kong, China requested consultations with the United States regarding U.S. measures affecting origin markings on goods imported from Hong Kong to the United States. On November 24, 2020, the United States and Hong Kong held consultations on the matter. On January 14, 2021, Hong Kong requested the World Trade Organization (“WTO”) to establish a dispute settlement panel. In response, the WTO established a dispute settlement panel on February 22, 2021.

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By Jennifer Diaz|2021-10-12T14:47:08-04:00March 12, 2021|China, China Trade War, Customs Expert, Enforcement, Export, International Business, International Law, International Trade|Comments Off

FDA Import Alert on Mexican Hand Sanitizer

For the first time in history, the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has issued a countrywide import alert for any category of drug product. Specifically, on January 26, 2021, the FDA announced that it will Take Action to Place All Alcohol-Based Hand Sanitizers from Mexico on Import Alert to Help Prevent Entry of Violative and Potentially Dangerous Products into U.S., Protect U.S. Consumers. FDA singled out importations of hand sanitizers from Mexico due to the frequent use of methanol.

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By Jennifer Diaz|2021-10-12T14:59:21-04:00February 4, 2021|Best Practices, COVID-19, Customs Expert, Enforcement, Export, Import, Import Alert, International Business, International Law, International Trade, Mexico, Seizures, Supply Chain, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA)|Comments Off

HOUSEHOLD GOODS AND SERVICES PROVIDERS – WHAT YOU MUST KNOW.

In the household goods and services industry? Did you know you have to import your goods and services in compliance with the Bureau of Household Goods and Services (BHGS) regulations? Manufacturers or wholesalers of any article of upholstered furniture bedding, or filling material manufactured outside of the United States for the purpose of sale or resale in California, whether it be through employees or agents, fall within this category.

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By Jennifer Diaz|2021-10-20T15:13:32-04:00November 10, 2020|Best Practices, Bureau of Household Goods and Services, Customs Expert, Enforcement, Import, International Business, International Trade, Reasonable Care, Seizures, Supply Chain, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP)|1 Comment

An Introduction to U.S. Trade Databases

Introduction

There are many factors that U.S. exporters and importers should be conscious of in their operations – including trade and customs laws, foreign market opportunities, changes in commodity prices, and currency fluctuations – just to name a few. However, one vital consideration that exporters and importers alike often overlook is trade flows. A firm’s ability to analyze and keep a pulse on trade data pertaining to that company’s product category can provide that exporter or importer with a clear vision of what’s actually happening. This perspective can empower a firm to optimize its operations and gain an edge against competitors. For example, U.S. importers who regularly track and analyze trade data can gain an understanding of how tariff and non-tariff barriers affect imports. Similarly, U.S. exporters can track and analyze trade data to glean vital intelligence about opportunities in foreign markets. In doing so, U.S. exporters can gain an understanding of which markets their U.S. competitors are selling to and which countries demand is quickly increasing. Analyzing trade data is the first step to developing a sound import or export market strategy. However, doing so once is not enough. Importers and exporters should have a regular practice of tracking trade flow developments and restructuring operations based on what the data reveals. Such a nimble posture can truly empower businesses trading internationally.

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By Jennifer Diaz|2022-07-07T12:17:27-04:00September 25, 2020|Best Practices, Customs Expert, Enforcement, Export, HTS, Import, International Business, International Law, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP)|1 Comment

33,810 IPR Seizures in 2018!

U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) is tasked with the monitoring of and enforcement of intellectual property rights (IPR). In CBP’s FY 2018 Seizure Statistics, CBP advised that it enforced trademarks and copyrights pertaining to over 17,641 active recordations, including 2,289 new recordations and 812 renewals of expiring recordations.

In fiscal year 2018, 381 individuals were arrested by CBP or ICE for violations related to IPR violations and 260 convictions related to intellectual property crimes proceeded. The total number of IPR seizures decreased by 333 seizures from the previous year. Surprisingly, while the number of seizures decreased from 34,143 in 2017 to 33,810 in 2018, the total estimated manufacturer’s suggested retail price (MSRP) of seized goods, had they been genuine, increased $1.4 billion.

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By Jennifer Diaz|2021-10-22T10:42:21-04:00November 5, 2019|China Trade War, Enforcement, ICE, Import, Import Alert, International Business, International Law, International Trade, IPR, Trademarks and Logos, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), U.S. Department of State (DOS)|2 Comments

China Trade War Intensifies

Today, the Trump administration’s China trade war intensified as it announced plans to increase tariffs on Lists 1, 2, 3, and 4!

The president connected the additional tariff hikes to China’s new retaliatory tariffs (as a result of US’s imposition of List 4 tariffs) on $75 billion-dollar in US products, mainly impacted the agricultural and auto industries, or President Trump’s base (as previously reported here).

So what are the changes?

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By Jennifer Diaz|2021-10-28T15:40:59-04:00August 23, 2019|China, China Trade War, Customs Expert, Enforcement, Export, Import, International Business, International Law, International Trade, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS), U.S. Department of State (DOS)|4 Comments