Special 301 Out-of-Cycle Review of Brazil, the Czech Republic, and Pakistan: Request for Public Comment, 51266-51267 [07-4335]
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51266
Federal Register / Vol. 72, No. 172 / Thursday, September 6, 2007 / Notices
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reading room, 1724 F Street NW.,
Washington, DC. Appointments may be
made from 9:30 a.m. to noon and 1 p.m.
to 4 p.m., Monday through Friday, by
calling (202) 395–6186.
Notice of Public Hearing
A hearing will be held by the GSP
Subcommittee of the TPSC on October
3, 2007, for product petitions accepted
for the 2007 GSP Annual Review (i.e.,
for product petitions other than those
requesting CNL waivers) beginning at
9:30 a.m. at the Office of the U.S. Trade
Representative, Rooms 1 and 2, 1724 F
St., NW., Washington, DC 20508. A
second hearing will be held by the GSP
Subcommittee of the TPSC on October
5, 2007 for country practice petitions in
the 2007 GSP Annual Review. The
hearings will be open to the public and
a transcript of the hearings will be made
available for public inspection or can be
purchased from the reporting company.
No electronic media coverage will be
allowed.
All interested parties wishing to make
an oral presentation at the hearing must
submit, following the above
‘‘Requirements for Submissions’’, the
name, address, telephone number, and
facsimile number and email address, if
available, of the witness(es) representing
their organization to Marideth Sandler,
Executive Director of the GSP Program
by 5 p.m., September 21, 2007. Requests
to present oral testimony in connection
with the public hearing must be
accompanied by a written brief or
statement, in English, and also must be
received by 5 p.m., September 21, 2007.
Oral testimony before the GSP
Subcommittee will be limited to fiveminute presentations that summarize or
supplement information contained in
briefs or statements submitted for the
record. Post-hearing briefs or statements
will be accepted if they conform with
the regulations cited above and are
submitted, in English, by 5 p.m.,
October 19, 2007. Parties not wishing to
appear at the public hearing may submit
pre-hearing briefs or statements, in
English, by 5 p.m., September 21, 2007,
and post-hearing written briefs or
statements, in English, by 5 p.m.,
October 19, 2007.
In accordance with sections
503(d)(1)(A) of the 1974 Act and the
authority delegated by the President,
pursuant to section 332(g) of the Tariff
Act of 1930, the U.S. Trade
Representative has requested that the
USITC provide its advice on the
probable economic effect on U.S.
industries producing like or directly
competitive articles and on consumers
of the elimination of U.S. import duties
for all GSP beneficiary countries or,
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18:25 Sep 05, 2007
Jkt 211001
where applicable, the probable
economic effect on U.S. industries
producing like or directly competitive
articles and on consumers of the
removal from eligibility for duty-free
status under GSP for such article from
the specified countries, with respect to
the articles that are specified in the
‘‘List of Petitions Accepted in the 2007
GSP Annual Review.’’ Comments by
interested persons on the USITC Report
prepared as part of the product review
other than those requesting CNL waivers
should be submitted by 5 p.m., 10 days
after the date of USITC publication of its
report.
Marideth Sandler,
Executive Director, Generalized System of
Preferences (GSP) Program, Office of the U.S.
Trade Representative.
[FR Doc. E7–17614 Filed 9–5–07; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3190–W7–P
OFFICE OF THE UNITED STATES
TRADE REPRESENTATIVE
Special 301 Out-of-Cycle Review of
Brazil, the Czech Republic, and
Pakistan: Request for Public Comment
Office of the United States
Trade Representative.
ACTION: Request for written submissions
from the public.
AGENCY:
SUMMARY: Section 182 of the Trade Act
of 1974 (Trade Act) (19 U.S.C. 2242),
requires the United States Trade
Representative (USTR) to identify
countries that deny adequate and
effective protection of intellectual
property rights or deny fair and
equitable market access to U.S. persons
who rely on intellectual property
protection. (Section 182 is commonly
referred to as the ‘‘Special 301’’
provisions of the Trade Act.) In
addition, the USTR is required to
determine which of these countries
should be identified as Priority Foreign
Countries. Acts, policies or practices
that are the basis of a country’s
identification as a Priority Foreign
Country are normally the subject of an
investigation under the section 301
provisions of the Trade Act.
On April 27, 2007, USTR announced
the results of the 2007 Special 301
Review and stated that Out-of-Cycle
Reviews of Brazil, the Czech Republic,
and Pakistan would be conducted this
year. Pursuant to these Out-of-Cycle
Reviews, USTR requests written
submissions from the public concerning
acts, policies, and practices regarding
the adequacy and effectiveness of
intellectual property protection and
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Fmt 4703
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enforcement in Brazil, the Czech
Republic, and Pakistan.
DATES: Submissions must be received on
or before 10 a.m. on Monday, October
15, 2007.
ADDRESSES: All comments should be
addressed to Jennifer Choe Groves,
Director for Intellectual Property and
Innovation and Chair of the Special 301
Committee, Office of the United States
Trade Representative, and sent (i)
Electronically, to FR0606@ustr.eop.gov
(please note, ‘‘FR0606’’ consists of the
numbers ‘‘zero-six-zero-six,’’) with
‘‘Brazil, Czech Republic, Pakistan Outof-Cycle Review’’ in the subject line, or
(ii) by fax, to (202) 395–9458, with a
confirmation copy sent electronically to
the E-mail address above.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Jennifer Choe Groves, Director for
Intellectual Property and Innovation
and Chair of the Special 301 Committee,
Office of the United States Trade
Representative at (202) 395–4510.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Pursuant
to section 182 of the Trade Act, USTR
must identify those countries that deny
adequate and effective protection for
intellectual property rights or deny fair
and equitable market access to U.S.
persons who rely on intellectual
property protection. Those countries
that have the most onerous or egregious
acts, policies, or practices and whose
acts, policies or practices have the
greatest adverse impact (actual or
potential) on relevant U.S. products are
to be identified as Priority Foreign
Countries. Acts, policies or practices
that are the basis of a country’s
designation as a Priority Foreign
Country are normally the subject of an
investigation under the section 301
provisions of the Trade Act.
USTR may not identify a country as
a Priority Foreign Country if it is
entering into good faith negotiations, or
making significant progress in bilateral
or multilateral negotiations, to provide
adequate and effective protection of
intellectual property rights.
On April 27, 2007, USTR announced
the results of the 2007 Special 301
Review and stated that Out-of-Cycle
Review of Brazil, the Czech Republic,
and Pakistan would be conducted this
year. Pursuant to these Out-of-Cycle
Reviews, USTR requests written
submissions from the public concerning
acts, policies, and practices regarding
the adequacy and effectiveness of
intellectual property protection and
enforcement in Brazil, the Czech
Republic, and Pakistan.
Requirements for comments:
Comments should include a description
of experiences with respect to Brazil,
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mstockstill on PROD1PC66 with NOTICES
Federal Register / Vol. 72, No. 172 / Thursday, September 6, 2007 / Notices
the Czech Republic, or Pakistan in the
field of intellectual property rights and
the effect of the acts, policies, and
practices of Brazil, the Czech Republic,
or Pakistan on U.S. industry. Comments
should be as detailed as possible and
should provide all necessary
information for assessing the effect of
any acts, policies, and practices of
Brazil, the Czech Republic, or Pakistan.
Any comments that include quantitative
loss claims should be accompanied by
the methodology used in calculating
such estimated losses.
Comments must be in English. No
submissions will be accepted via postal
service mail. Documents should be
submitted as either WordPerfect, MS
Word, .pdf, or text (.TXT) files.
Supporting documentation submitted as
spreadsheets are acceptable as Quattro
Pro or Excel files. All comments and
supporting documentation by USTR
will be made available to the public
through electronic or other means. A
submitter requesting that information
contained in a comment be treated as
confidential business information must
certify that such information is business
confidential and would not customarily
be released to the public by the
submitter. A non-confidential version of
the comment must also be provided. For
any document containing business
confidential information, the file name
of the business confidential version
should begin with the characters ‘‘BC-’’,
and the file name of the public version
should begin with the character ‘‘P-’’.
The ‘‘P-’’ or ‘‘BC-’’ should be followed
by the name of the submitter.
Submissions should not include
separate cover letters; information that
might appear in a cover letter should be
included in the submission itself. To the
extent possible, any attachments to the
submission should be included in the
same file as the submission itself, and
not as separate files.
DATES:
Submissions must be received on or
before 10 a.m. on Monday, October 15,
2007.
All comments should be addressed to
Jennifer Choe Groves, Director for
Intellectual Property and Innovation
and Chair of the Special 301 Committee,
Office of the United States Trade
Representative, and sent (i)
Electronically, to FR0606@ustr.eop.gov
(please note, ‘‘FR0606’’ consists of the
numbers ‘‘zero-six-zero-six,’’ with
‘‘Brazil, Czech Republic, Pakistan Outof-Cycle Review’’ in the subject line, or
(ii) by fax, to (202) 395–9458, with a
confirmation copy sent electronically to
the e-mail address above.
Public inspection of submissions: (1)
Within one business day of receipt, non-
VerDate Aug<31>2005
18:25 Sep 05, 2007
Jkt 211001
confidential submissions will be placed
in a public file open for inspection at
the USTR reading room, Office of the
United States Trade Representative,
Annex Building, 1724 F Street, NW.,
Room 1, Washington, DC. An
appointment to review the file must be
scheduled at least 48 hours in advance
and may be made by calling Jacqueline
Caldwell at (202) 395–6186. The USTR
reading room is open to the public from
10 a.m. to noon and from 1 p.m. to 4
p.m., Monday through Friday.
Christopher S. Wilson,
Acting Assistant USTR for Intellectual
Property and Innovation.
[FR Doc. 07–4335 Filed 9–5–07; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3190–W7–M
OFFICE OF THE UNITED STATES
TRADE REPRESENTATIVE
[Docket No. WTO/DS–27]
WTO Dispute Settlement Proceeding
Regarding European Communities—
Regime for the Importation, Sale and
Distribution of Bananas: Recourse by
the United States to Article 21.5 of the
DSU
Office of the United States
Trade Representative.
ACTION: Notice; request for comments.
AGENCY:
SUMMARY: The Office of the United
States Trade Representative (‘‘USTR’’) is
providing notice that at the request of
the United States, the Dispute
Settlement Body (‘‘DSB’’) of the World
Trade Organization (‘‘WTO’’), has
established a dispute settlement panel
under the Marrakesh Agreement
establishing the WTO to examine
whether the European Communities
(‘‘EC’’) has implemented the
recommendations and rulings of the
DSB in a dispute regarding the EC’s
import regime for bananas. The request
may be found at https://www.wto.org
contained in a document designated at
WT/DS27/83 (see also the similar
request by Ecuador in the document
WT/DS27/80). The DSB adopted the
findings of the panel and Appellate
Body in this proceeding on September
25, 1997. The DSB ruled that the EC’s
import regime for bananas was
inconsistent with the EC’s obligations
under the General Agreement on Tariffs
and Trade 1994 (GATT 1994) and the
General Agreement on Trade in Services
(‘‘GATS’’). An arbitrator appointed
under Article 21.3 of the WTO
Understanding on Rules and Procedures
Governing the Settlement of Disputes
(‘‘DSU’’) awarded the EC a ‘‘reasonable
period of time’’ in which to come into
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51267
compliance until January 1, 1999.
Nearly a decade after the DSB made its
original recommendations and rulings,
the United States considers that the EC
has failed to bring its import regime for
bananas into compliance with its WTO
obligation. USTR invites written
comments from the public concerning
the issues raised in this dispute.
DATES: Although USTR will accept any
comments received during the course of
the dispute, comments should be
submitted on or before September 21,
2007 to be assured of timely
consideration by USTR.
ADDRESSES: Comments should be
submitted (i) electronically, to
FR0718@ustr.eop.gov, with ‘‘EC
Bananas (DS27)’’ in the subject line, or
(ii) by fax, to Sandy McKinzy at (202)
395–3640, with a confirmation copy
sent electronically to the electronic mail
address above, in accordance with the
requirements for submissions set out
below.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
´
´
Marıa L. Pagan, Associate General
Counsel, Office of the United States
Trade Representative, 600 17th Street,
NW., Washington, DC 20508, (202) 395–
7305.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: USTR is
providing notice that the United States
has requested the establishment of a
WTO dispute settlement compliance
panel pursuant to the DSU. The Article
21.5 panel, which will hold its meetings
in Geneva, Switzerland, is expected to
issue a report on its findings and
recommendations by February 29, 2008.
Prior WTO Proceedings
On September 25, 1997, the DSB
adopted its recommendations and
rulings in a dispute brought by the
United States, Ecuador, Guatemala,
Honduras, and Mexico challenging the
EC’s then existing import regime for
bananas. The DSB ruled that the EC’s
import regime for bananas was
inconsistent with the EC’s obligations
under the General Agreement on Tariffs
and Trade 1994 (GATT 1994) and the
General Agreement on Trade in Services
(GATS). An arbitrator appointed under
Article 21.3 of the WTO Understanding
on Rules and Procedures Governing the
Settlement of Disputes (DSU) awarded
the EC a ‘‘reasonable period of time’’ in
which to come into compliance until
January 1, 1999. At the end of the
reasonable period of time, the EC
implemented a first set of changes to the
import regime for bananas that were
found to perpetuate a discriminatory
tariff-rate quota (‘‘TRQ’’) system and
license-based system in breach of the
GATT 1994 and the GATS. In November
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]]>Agencies
[Federal Register Volume 72, Number 172 (Thursday, September 6, 2007)]
[Notices]
[Pages 51266-51267]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 07-4335]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
OFFICE OF THE UNITED STATES TRADE REPRESENTATIVE
Special 301 Out-of-Cycle Review of Brazil, the Czech Republic,
and Pakistan: Request for Public Comment
AGENCY: Office of the United States Trade Representative.
ACTION: Request for written submissions from the public.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: Section 182 of the Trade Act of 1974 (Trade Act) (19 U.S.C.
2242), requires the United States Trade Representative (USTR) to
identify countries that deny adequate and effective protection of
intellectual property rights or deny fair and equitable market access
to U.S. persons who rely on intellectual property protection. (Section
182 is commonly referred to as the ``Special 301'' provisions of the
Trade Act.) In addition, the USTR is required to determine which of
these countries should be identified as Priority Foreign Countries.
Acts, policies or practices that are the basis of a country's
identification as a Priority Foreign Country are normally the subject
of an investigation under the section 301 provisions of the Trade Act.
On April 27, 2007, USTR announced the results of the 2007 Special
301 Review and stated that Out-of-Cycle Reviews of Brazil, the Czech
Republic, and Pakistan would be conducted this year. Pursuant to these
Out-of-Cycle Reviews, USTR requests written submissions from the public
concerning acts, policies, and practices regarding the adequacy and
effectiveness of intellectual property protection and enforcement in
Brazil, the Czech Republic, and Pakistan.
DATES: Submissions must be received on or before 10 a.m. on Monday,
October 15, 2007.
ADDRESSES: All comments should be addressed to Jennifer Choe Groves,
Director for Intellectual Property and Innovation and Chair of the
Special 301 Committee, Office of the United States Trade
Representative, and sent (i) Electronically, to FR0606@ustr.eop.gov
(please note, ``FR0606'' consists of the numbers ``zero-six-zero-
six,'') with ``Brazil, Czech Republic, Pakistan Out-of-Cycle Review''
in the subject line, or (ii) by fax, to (202) 395-9458, with a
confirmation copy sent electronically to the E-mail address above.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Jennifer Choe Groves, Director for
Intellectual Property and Innovation and Chair of the Special 301
Committee, Office of the United States Trade Representative at (202)
395-4510.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Pursuant to section 182 of the Trade Act,
USTR must identify those countries that deny adequate and effective
protection for intellectual property rights or deny fair and equitable
market access to U.S. persons who rely on intellectual property
protection. Those countries that have the most onerous or egregious
acts, policies, or practices and whose acts, policies or practices have
the greatest adverse impact (actual or potential) on relevant U.S.
products are to be identified as Priority Foreign Countries. Acts,
policies or practices that are the basis of a country's designation as
a Priority Foreign Country are normally the subject of an investigation
under the section 301 provisions of the Trade Act.
USTR may not identify a country as a Priority Foreign Country if it
is entering into good faith negotiations, or making significant
progress in bilateral or multilateral negotiations, to provide adequate
and effective protection of intellectual property rights.
On April 27, 2007, USTR announced the results of the 2007 Special
301 Review and stated that Out-of-Cycle Review of Brazil, the Czech
Republic, and Pakistan would be conducted this year. Pursuant to these
Out-of-Cycle Reviews, USTR requests written submissions from the public
concerning acts, policies, and practices regarding the adequacy and
effectiveness of intellectual property protection and enforcement in
Brazil, the Czech Republic, and Pakistan.
Requirements for comments: Comments should include a description of
experiences with respect to Brazil,
[[Page 51267]]
the Czech Republic, or Pakistan in the field of intellectual property
rights and the effect of the acts, policies, and practices of Brazil,
the Czech Republic, or Pakistan on U.S. industry. Comments should be as
detailed as possible and should provide all necessary information for
assessing the effect of any acts, policies, and practices of Brazil,
the Czech Republic, or Pakistan. Any comments that include quantitative
loss claims should be accompanied by the methodology used in
calculating such estimated losses.
Comments must be in English. No submissions will be accepted via
postal service mail. Documents should be submitted as either
WordPerfect, MS Word, .pdf, or text (.TXT) files. Supporting
documentation submitted as spreadsheets are acceptable as Quattro Pro
or Excel files. All comments and supporting documentation by USTR will
be made available to the public through electronic or other means. A
submitter requesting that information contained in a comment be treated
as confidential business information must certify that such information
is business confidential and would not customarily be released to the
public by the submitter. A non-confidential version of the comment must
also be provided. For any document containing business confidential
information, the file name of the business confidential version should
begin with the characters ``BC-'', and the file name of the public
version should begin with the character ``P-''. The ``P-'' or ``BC-''
should be followed by the name of the submitter. Submissions should not
include separate cover letters; information that might appear in a
cover letter should be included in the submission itself. To the extent
possible, any attachments to the submission should be included in the
same file as the submission itself, and not as separate files.
DATES:
Submissions must be received on or before 10 a.m. on Monday,
October 15, 2007.
All comments should be addressed to Jennifer Choe Groves, Director
for Intellectual Property and Innovation and Chair of the Special 301
Committee, Office of the United States Trade Representative, and sent
(i) Electronically, to FR0606@ustr.eop.gov (please note, ``FR0606''
consists of the numbers ``zero-six-zero-six,'' with ``Brazil, Czech
Republic, Pakistan Out-of-Cycle Review'' in the subject line, or (ii)
by fax, to (202) 395-9458, with a confirmation copy sent electronically
to the e-mail address above.
Public inspection of submissions: (1) Within one business day of
receipt, non-confidential submissions will be placed in a public file
open for inspection at the USTR reading room, Office of the United
States Trade Representative, Annex Building, 1724 F Street, NW., Room
1, Washington, DC. An appointment to review the file must be scheduled
at least 48 hours in advance and may be made by calling Jacqueline
Caldwell at (202) 395-6186. The USTR reading room is open to the public
from 10 a.m. to noon and from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m., Monday through Friday.
Christopher S. Wilson,
Acting Assistant USTR for Intellectual Property and Innovation.
[FR Doc. 07-4335 Filed 9-5-07; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3190-W7-M
