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The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has filed a Federal District Court complaint alleging that Chemence, Inc. committed unfair trade practices by claiming its merchandise, glue, is “Made in the U.S.A.” The FTC is charged with enforcement of statutes prohibiting the use of “unfair or deceptive acts or practices” in commerce.  Its lawsuit seeks an injunction against [...]

We Revisit Practical Advice for NAFTA and how it applies to USMCA It’s been a few months since USMCA officially became the new free trade agreement between the U.S., Canada, and Mexico.  While we have seen a good number of companies jumping right in and adopting the new agreement, there may still be some out there [...]

Parenting can be such a chore.  Minding wayward little ones, cleaning up after them, and getting hit with six-figure Treasury Department penalties for their misbehavior can offset the joy of beholding the smiles on their cherubic faces. Did I say Treasury Department penalties? Yes, they can arise when the parent is a U.S.-based company and [...]

The Federal Trade Commission’s rules governing assertions that a product is “Made in the U.S.” can be confusing. As we’ve discussed on various occasions, that agency has strict standards on when claims of United States origin are permissible. I won’t repeat the Made In/Assembled In and qualified and unqualified claim distinctions here, except to note that they [...]

Why Exporting your product is a good idea Expanding your bottom line and selling to customers abroad is likely part of your business strategy or on your roadmap.  It is no wonder why, according to a study by the Institute for International Economics, U.S. companies that export not only grow faster, but are nearly 8.5 [...]

You may already know that NAFTA is on it’s way out and will be replaced by USMCA. We have had some sessions and conversations over the past few weeks and would like to share a few Fun (or not so Fun) Facts that we have complied based on questions from our clients or those looking [...]

Amendments to the Export Administration Regulations may seem so dry and pedantic to non-specialists. The bureaucratic jargon, references to dry-as-dust sub-subsections, and wooden prose can mask legal changes with important consequences. I’ll leave it to you, Gentle Readers, to consider whether the Bureau of Industry and Security’s three new and proposed rules restricting trade with [...]

Around the same time the Food and Drug Administration was loosening import requirements for such Personal Protection Equipment as masks and respirators, the Federal Emergency Management Agency imposed export controls on many of the same items. FEMA’s Temporary Final Rule limits exports of N95 filtering facepiece respirators, other filtering facepiece respirators, elastomeric, air-purifying respirators and appropriate particulate [...]

Maybe you already have one. Or ten. Perhaps you command them with a steady voice – “Alexa?” “Hey, Google!” – or you could be old school and just reach out and actually turn something on or off by hand. Whichever is your style, smart plugs and bulbs have invaded our homes, and they won’t be going away.   iHome SmartPlugs plug into an [...]

Is Trade Compliance the Lone Ranger?  There are companies, surely not yours, where various departments are viewed as spokes around the hub of the trade compliance department. Each department operates as if trade compliance is accomplished “out there somewhere” rather than taking an active part in making sure the company meets its import and/or export [...]