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United States Continues To Make Progress At The U.S. - China Strategic And Economic Dialogue
Paige Rivas
At the fourth annual U.S.-China Strategic and Economic Dialogue (“S&ED”), the United States made some headway on several Chinese commitments that would give U.S. companies increased market access to the Chinese market. The S&ED, which took place in early May in Beijing, was established in 2009 by President Obama and Chinese President Hu to provide an ongoing forum for high-level U.S. and Chinese officials to discuss issues of mutual economic and strategic interest. More »
New U.S. Model Treaty Text To Promote Bilateral Investments With Emerging Economies
T. Augustine Lo
On April 20, the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative and the U.S. Department of State jointly announced the completion of a new Model BIT that will form the basis for negotiations with foreign trade partners like China, India, and Vietnam. This “high-standard” text promotes a broad range of objectives. According to the joint press release, the model BIT will “ensur[e] that U.S. companies benefit from a level playing field in foreign markets, provid[e] effective mechanisms for enforcing the international obligations of our economic partners, and creat[e] stronger labor and environmental protections.” More »
California Congressman Floats Draft Legislation That Would Make Fundamental Changes To Intellectual Property Litigation At The U.S. International Trade Commission
Patrick Togni
Congressman Devin Nunes (R-CA) has prepared draft legislation that would make significant changes to intellectual property litigation at the U.S. International Trade Commission. Such proceedings are conducted pursuant to Section 337 of the Tariff Act of 1930, 19 U.S.C. § 1337, as amended. Litigation in this forum is commonly referred to as “Section 337” litigation.
The draft legislation is designed to address what Congressman Nunes characterizes as increased use of Section 337 by “patent assertion entities” (“PAEs”)” that are a “burgeoning industry, increasingly comprised of attorneys who acquire patents for the sole purpose of asserting them against companies to financially profit from their products.”
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White House Issues Executive Order On International Regulatory Cooperation
Josh Snead
President Obama signed an Executive Order on May 1 that requires an existing White House policy group, the Regulatory Working Group (“Working Group”), to focus on increasing regulatory cooperation between the U.S. government and the governments of other countries. The objective of Executive Order 13609, titled “Promoting International Regulatory Cooperation,” is to eliminate regulatory differences with other countries in order to spur global trade and job creation. More »
- U.S. Manufacturing Growth in April – T. Augustine Lo – A report by the Institute of Supply Management (“ISM”) signaled continuing expansion of A report by the Institute of Supply Management (“ISM”) signaled continuing expansion of activity in the manufacturing sector since the beginning of this year. More »
- Appointments and Nominations – Lee Smith & T. Augustine Lo – U.S. Commerce Secretary John Bryson appointed seven new members to the Manufacturing Council on April 21, 2012. The Manufacturing Council is the principal private sector committee advising the Commerce Secretary on the U.S. manufacturing sector. The Council consists of 25 private-sector members appointed for two-year terms. Each new appointment fills an existing vacancy. The seven new appointees are Gregory Booth, Zippo Manufacturing Company; Mark Chandler, Cisco Systems, Inc.; Peter Dorsman, NCR; Dr. Albert Green, Kent Displays / Improv Electronics; Mary Ann Hynes, Corn Products International, Inc.; Joel Lorentzen, Genesis Systems Group LLC; and Roy Sweatman, Southern Manufacturing Technologies.
On May 14, 2012, President Obama named Bradford Ward as the new director of the Interagency Trade Enforcement Center. Ward has three decades of experience as a trade practitioner at the Commerce Department, and he recently worked for the U.S. Trade Representative. Constance Handley, who has 15 years of experience in trade enforcement at the Commerce Department, was named deputy director.
- Client Alert – Congressional Letter To The White House Voices “Strong Support Of Buy American Procurement Policies” In Context Of Ongoing Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement Negotiations. More »
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