Here is a recap of the latest customs and international trade law news:

Customs and Border Protection (CBP)

  • Customs Trade Partnership Against Terrorism (CTPAT) announced a newly designed logo for the exclusive use of their validated partners. A partner must abide by the CTPAT licensing agreement, which must be signed by the primary company officer/main point of contact. Upon returning the signed license to the aforementioned e-mail, the graphics file will be sent to the licensee.
  • CBP Modifies Withhold Release Order in Response to Smart Glove’s Successful Actions to Address Forced Labor Supply Chain Issues
  • S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) signed a Mutual Recognition Arrangement (MRA) with the Customs Administrations of Guatemala and Colombia at the Trade Facilitation and Cargo Security Summit.
  • Since June, CBP has seized nearly $1 billion in goods tied to forced labor

Department of Justice

 Federal Trade Commission (FTC)

  • FTC Warns Almost 700 Health Product Companies That They Could Face Civil Penalties if They Can’t Back Up Their Product Claims
  • FTC Chair Khan and Officials from DOJ, CFPB and EEOC Release Joint Statement on AI pledging to uphold America’s commitment to the core principles of fairness, equity, and justice as emerging AI systems become more common.

Congressional-Executive Commission on China

  • Held a hearing on the implementation of the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act and the impact on global supply chains.

Bureau of Industry & Security (BIS)

United States Trade Representative (USTR)

  • USTR Announces Sushan Demirjian as Assistant U.S. Trade Representative for Small Business, Market Access, and Industrial Competitiveness
  • USTR Releases 2023 Special 301 Report on Intellectual Property Protection and Enforcement
    • The report notes that while China continued to implement agreed upon reforms to its intellectual property protection and enforcement programs last year, the pace slowed.

Commerce Department

  • S. Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo announced the seven individuals who will serve on the U.S. Section of the U.S.-EU Trade and Technology Council (TTC) Talent for Growth Task Force.
  • S. Department of Commerce Invites Industry Groups to Apply for Export Promotion Funding through the 2023 Market Development Cooperator Program (MDCP).