Request for Comments and Notice of a Public Hearing Regarding the 2021 Special 301 Review, 81263-81264 [2020-27515]
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Federal Register / Vol. 85, No. 241 / Tuesday, December 15, 2020 / Notices
jurisdiction of the United States and in
which the entities have any interest;
• Prohibit any transfers of credit or
payments between financial institutions
or by, through, or to any financial
institution, to the extent that such
transfers or payments are subject to the
jurisdiction of the United States and
involve any interest of the entities;
• Block all property and interests in
property that are in the United States,
that hereafter come within the United
States, or that are or hereafter come
within the possession or control of any
United States person of the entities, and
provide that such property and interests
in property may not be transferred, paid,
exported, withdrawn, or otherwise dealt
in;
• Prohibit any United States person
from investing in or purchasing
significant amounts of equity or debt
instruments of the entities;
• Restrict or prohibit imports of
goods, technology, or services, directly
or indirectly, into the United States
from the entities; and
• Impose on the principal executive
officer or officers, or persons performing
similar functions and with similar
authorities, of the entities the sanctions
described in sections 5(a)(i)–5(a)(iv) and
5(a)(vi) of E.O. 13846, as selected by the
Secretary of State.
Pursuant to Sections 5(a) of E.O.
13846, the Secretary of State has
selected the following sanctions to be
imposed upon Min Shi, director of New
Far International Logistics LLC, Zouyou
Lin, director of Sino Energy Shipping
(Hong Kong) Ltd, and Alireza Amin,
managing director of Abadan Refining
Company, who have been determined to
be (i) a corporate officer or principal of
the aforementioned entities and (ii) a
principal executive officer of the
aforementioned entities, or perform
similar functions with similar
authorities as a principal executive
officer:
• Prohibit any transactions in foreign
exchange that are subject to the
jurisdiction of the United States and in
which Min Shi, Zouyou Lin, and
Alireza Amin have any interest;
• Prohibit any transfers of credit or
payments between financial institutions
or by, through, or to any financial
institution, to the extent that such
transfers or payments are subject to the
jurisdiction of the United States and
involve any interest of Min Shi, Zouyou
Lin, and Alireza Amin;
• Block all property and interests in
property that are in the United States,
that hereafter come within the United
States, or that are or hereafter come
within the possession or control of any
United States person of Min Shi,
VerDate Sep<11>2014
17:35 Dec 14, 2020
Jkt 253001
Zouyou Lin, and Alireza Amin; and
provide that such property and interests
in property may not be transferred, paid,
exported, withdrawn, or otherwise dealt
in; and
• Restrict or prohibit imports of
goods, technology, or services, directly
or indirectly, into the United States
from Min Shi, Zouyou Lin, and Alireza
Amin.
Additionally, pursuant to Section 4(e)
of E.O. 13846, the Secretary of State
shall deny a visa to, and the Secretary
of Homeland Security shall exclude
from the United States, any alien that
the Secretary of State determines is a
corporate officer or principal of, or a
shareholder with a controlling interest
in, a sanctioned person subject to this
action.
Peter D. Haas,
Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary, Bureau
of Economic and Business Affairs,
Department of State.
[FR Doc. 2020–27518 Filed 12–14–20; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4710–07–P
OFFICE OF THE UNITED STATES
TRADE REPRESENTATIVE
[Docket Number USTR–2020–0041]
Request for Comments and Notice of
a Public Hearing Regarding the 2021
Special 301 Review
Office of the United States
Trade Representative.
ACTION: Request for comments and
notice of public hearing.
AGENCY:
Each year, the Office of the
United States Trade Representative
(USTR) conducts a review to identify
countries that deny adequate and
effective protection of intellectual
property (IP) rights or deny fair and
equitable market access to U.S. persons
who rely on IP protection. Based on this
review, the U.S. Trade Representative
determines which, if any, of these
countries to identify as Priority Foreign
Countries. USTR requests written
comments that identify acts, policies, or
practices that may form the basis of a
country’s identification as a Priority
Foreign Country or placement on the
Priority Watch List or Watch List.
DATES:
January 28, 2021 at 11:59 p.m. EST:
Deadline for submission of written
comments from the public.
February 11, 2021 at 11:59 p.m. EST:
Deadline for submission of written
comments from foreign governments.
February 22, 2021: Deadline for the
Special 301 Subcommittee of the Trade
SUMMARY:
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Frm 00088
Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
81263
Policy Staff Committee (Subcommittee)
to pose questions on written comments.
March 5, 2021 at 11:59 p.m. EST:
Deadline for submission of commenters’
responses to questions from the
Subcommittee.
On or about April 30, 2021: USTR
will publish the 2021 Special 301
Report within 30 days of the publication
of the National Trade Estimate Report.
ADDRESSES: USTR strongly encourages
electronic submissions made through
the Federal eRulemaking Portal: https://
www.regulations.gov (Regulations.gov).
Follow the submission instructions in
section IV below. The docket number is
USTR–2020–0041. For alternatives to
on-line submissions, please contact
USTR at Special301@ustr.eop.gov before
transmitting a comment and in advance
of the relevant deadline.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Jacob Ewerdt, Director for Innovation
and Intellectual Property, at
Special301@ustr.eop.gov, or (202) 395–
4510. You can find information about
the Special 301 Review at https://
www.ustr.gov.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
I. Background
Section 182 of the Trade Act of 1974
(Trade Act) (19 U.S.C. 2242), commonly
known as the Special 301 provisions,
requires the U.S. Trade Representative
to identify countries that deny adequate
and effective IP protections or fair and
equitable market access to U.S. persons
who rely on IP protection. The Trade
Act requires the U.S. Trade
Representative to determine which, if
any, of these countries to identify as
Priority Foreign Countries. Acts,
policies or practices that are the basis of
a country’s identification as a Priority
Foreign Country can be subject to the
procedures set out in sections 301–305
of the Trade Act (19 U.S.C. 2411–2415).
In addition, USTR has created a
Priority Watch List and Watch List to
assist in pursuing the goals of the
Special 301 provisions. Placement of a
trading partner on the Priority Watch
List or Watch List indicates that
particular problems exist in that country
with respect to IP protection,
enforcement or market access for
persons that rely on intellectual
property protection. Trading partners
placed on the Priority Watch List are the
focus of increased bilateral attention
concerning the problem areas.
USTR chairs the Subcommittee,
which reviews information from many
sources, and consults with and makes
recommendations to the U.S. Trade
Representative on issues arising under
Special 301. Written submissions from
E:\FR\FM\15DEN1.SGM
15DEN1
81264
Federal Register / Vol. 85, No. 241 / Tuesday, December 15, 2020 / Notices
the public are a key source of
information for the Special 301 review
process. As discussed below, in 2021, in
lieu of an in-person hearing, the
Subcommittee will submit written
questions to commenters as part of the
review process and will allow
commenters to provide written
responses. At the conclusion of the
process, USTR will publish the results
of the review in a Special 301 Report.
USTR requests that interested persons
identify through the process outlined in
this notice those countries whose acts,
policies or practices deny adequate and
effective protection for IP rights or deny
fair and equitable market access to U.S.
persons who rely on IP protection. The
Special 301 provisions also require the
U.S. Trade Representative to identify
any act, policy or practice of Canada
that affects cultural industries, was
adopted or expanded after December 17,
1992, and is actionable under Article
32.6 of the USMCA (as defined in
section 3 of the United States-MexicoCanada Agreement Implementation
Act). USTR invites the public to submit
views relevant to this aspect of the
review.
The Special 301 provisions require
the U.S. Trade Representative to
identify all such acts, policies or
practices within 30 days of the
publication of the National Trade
Estimate Report. In accordance with this
statutory requirement, USTR will
publish the annual Special 301 Report
about April 30, 2021.
II. Public Comments
To facilitate this year’s review,
written comments should be as detailed
as possible and provide all necessary
information to identify and assess the
effect of the acts, policies and practices.
USTR invites written comments that
provide specific references to laws,
regulations, policy statements,
including innovation policies,
executive, presidential or other orders,
and administrative, court or other
determinations that should factor in the
review. USTR also requests that, where
relevant, submissions mention
particular regions, provinces, states, or
other subdivisions of a country in which
an act, policy or practice is believed to
warrant special attention. Finally,
submissions proposing countries for
review should include data, loss
estimates, and other information
regarding the economic impact on the
United States, U.S. industry, and the
U.S. workforce caused by the denial of
adequate and effective intellectual
property protection. Comments that
include quantitative loss claims should
VerDate Sep<11>2014
17:35 Dec 14, 2020
Jkt 253001
include the methodology used to
calculate the estimated losses.
III. Public Participation
In 2021, due to COVID–19, USTR will
foster public participation via written
submissions rather than an in-person
hearing. The Subcommittee will review
written comments and may ask
clarifying questions to commenters. The
Subcommittee will post the questions
on the public docket, other than
questions that include properly
designated business confidential
information (BCI). The Subcommittee
will send questions that include
properly designated BCI to the relevant
commenters by email, and will not post
these questions on the public docket.
Replies to questions that contain BCI
must follow the procedures in section
IV below.
In order to be eligible to receive
written questions, the written
submissions must be in English and
must include the name, address,
telephone number, email address, and
firm or affiliation of the submitter.
IV. Submission Instructions
All submissions must be in English
and sent electronically via
Regulations.gov using docket number
USTR–2020–0041 To submit comments,
locate the docket (folder) by entering the
number USTR–2020–0041 in the ‘enter
keyword or ID’ window at the
Regulations.gov home page and click
‘search.’ The site will provide a searchresults page listing all documents
associated with this docket. Locate the
reference to this notice by selecting
‘notice’ under ‘document type’ on the
left side of the search-results page, and
click on the link entitled ‘comment
now!’.
USTR requests that you provide
comments in an attached document, and
that you name the file according to the
following protocol: Commenter Name,
or Organization_2021 Special 301_
Review_Comment. Please include the
following information in the ‘type
comment’ field: ‘‘2021 Special 301
Review.’’ Please submit documents
prepared in (or compatible with)
Microsoft Word (.doc) or Adobe Acrobat
(.pdf) formats. If you prepare the
submission in a compatible format,
please indicate the name of the relevant
software application in the ‘type
comment’ field. For further information
on using Regulations.gov e, please select
‘how to use Regulations.gov’ on the
bottom of any page.
Please do not attach separate cover
letters to electronic submissions; rather,
include any information that might
appear in a cover letter in the comments
PO 00000
Frm 00089
Fmt 4703
Sfmt 9990
themselves. Similarly, to the extent
possible, please include any exhibits,
annexes, or other attachments in the
same file as the comment itself, rather
than submitting them as separate files.
For any comments that contains BCI,
the file name of the business
confidential version should begin with
the characters ‘BCI’. Any page
containing BCI must be clearly marked
‘‘BUSINESS CONFIDENTIAL’’ on the
top of that page and the submission
should clearly indicate, via brackets,
highlighting, or other means, the
specific information that is business
confidential. A filer requesting business
confidential treatment must certify that
the information is business confidential
and that they would not customarily
release it to the public. Additionally, the
filer should type ‘business confidential’
in the ‘type comment’ field. Filers of
comments containing BCI also must
submit a public version of their
comments. The file name of the public
version should begin with the character
‘P’. The ‘BCI’ and ‘P’ should be followed
by the name of the person or entity
submitting the comments. Filers
submitting comments containing no BCI
should name their file using the name
of the person or entity submitting the
comments.
As noted, USTR strongly urges
commenters to submit comments
through Regulations.gov. You must
make any alternative arrangements
before transmitting a document and in
advance of the relevant deadline by
contacting USTR at Special301@
ustr.eop.gov.
USTR will place comments in the
docket and they will be open to public
inspection, except properly designated
BCI. You can view comments on
Regulations.gov by entering Docket
Number USTR–2020–0041 in the
‘search’ field on the home page.
Daniel Lee,
Assistant U.S. Trade Representative for
Innovation and Intellectual Property (Acting),
Office of the United States Trade
Representative.
[FR Doc. 2020–27515 Filed 12–14–20; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3290–F0–P
E:\FR\FM\15DEN1.SGM
15DEN1
Agencies
[Federal Register Volume 85, Number 241 (Tuesday, December 15, 2020)]
[Notices]
[Pages 81263-81264]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2020-27515]
=======================================================================
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
OFFICE OF THE UNITED STATES TRADE REPRESENTATIVE
[Docket Number USTR-2020-0041]
Request for Comments and Notice of a Public Hearing Regarding the
2021 Special 301 Review
AGENCY: Office of the United States Trade Representative.
ACTION: Request for comments and notice of public hearing.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: Each year, the Office of the United States Trade
Representative (USTR) conducts a review to identify countries that deny
adequate and effective protection of intellectual property (IP) rights
or deny fair and equitable market access to U.S. persons who rely on IP
protection. Based on this review, the U.S. Trade Representative
determines which, if any, of these countries to identify as Priority
Foreign Countries. USTR requests written comments that identify acts,
policies, or practices that may form the basis of a country's
identification as a Priority Foreign Country or placement on the
Priority Watch List or Watch List.
DATES:
January 28, 2021 at 11:59 p.m. EST: Deadline for submission of
written comments from the public.
February 11, 2021 at 11:59 p.m. EST: Deadline for submission of
written comments from foreign governments.
February 22, 2021: Deadline for the Special 301 Subcommittee of the
Trade Policy Staff Committee (Subcommittee) to pose questions on
written comments.
March 5, 2021 at 11:59 p.m. EST: Deadline for submission of
commenters' responses to questions from the Subcommittee.
On or about April 30, 2021: USTR will publish the 2021 Special 301
Report within 30 days of the publication of the National Trade Estimate
Report.
ADDRESSES: USTR strongly encourages electronic submissions made through
the Federal eRulemaking Portal: https://www.regulations.gov
(Regulations.gov). Follow the submission instructions in section IV
below. The docket number is USTR-2020-0041. For alternatives to on-line
submissions, please contact USTR at [email protected] before
transmitting a comment and in advance of the relevant deadline.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Jacob Ewerdt, Director for Innovation
and Intellectual Property, at [email protected], or (202) 395-
4510. You can find information about the Special 301 Review at https://www.ustr.gov.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
I. Background
Section 182 of the Trade Act of 1974 (Trade Act) (19 U.S.C. 2242),
commonly known as the Special 301 provisions, requires the U.S. Trade
Representative to identify countries that deny adequate and effective
IP protections or fair and equitable market access to U.S. persons who
rely on IP protection. The Trade Act requires the U.S. Trade
Representative to determine which, if any, of these countries to
identify as Priority Foreign Countries. Acts, policies or practices
that are the basis of a country's identification as a Priority Foreign
Country can be subject to the procedures set out in sections 301-305 of
the Trade Act (19 U.S.C. 2411-2415).
In addition, USTR has created a Priority Watch List and Watch List
to assist in pursuing the goals of the Special 301 provisions.
Placement of a trading partner on the Priority Watch List or Watch List
indicates that particular problems exist in that country with respect
to IP protection, enforcement or market access for persons that rely on
intellectual property protection. Trading partners placed on the
Priority Watch List are the focus of increased bilateral attention
concerning the problem areas.
USTR chairs the Subcommittee, which reviews information from many
sources, and consults with and makes recommendations to the U.S. Trade
Representative on issues arising under Special 301. Written submissions
from
[[Page 81264]]
the public are a key source of information for the Special 301 review
process. As discussed below, in 2021, in lieu of an in-person hearing,
the Subcommittee will submit written questions to commenters as part of
the review process and will allow commenters to provide written
responses. At the conclusion of the process, USTR will publish the
results of the review in a Special 301 Report.
USTR requests that interested persons identify through the process
outlined in this notice those countries whose acts, policies or
practices deny adequate and effective protection for IP rights or deny
fair and equitable market access to U.S. persons who rely on IP
protection. The Special 301 provisions also require the U.S. Trade
Representative to identify any act, policy or practice of Canada that
affects cultural industries, was adopted or expanded after December 17,
1992, and is actionable under Article 32.6 of the USMCA (as defined in
section 3 of the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement Implementation
Act). USTR invites the public to submit views relevant to this aspect
of the review.
The Special 301 provisions require the U.S. Trade Representative to
identify all such acts, policies or practices within 30 days of the
publication of the National Trade Estimate Report. In accordance with
this statutory requirement, USTR will publish the annual Special 301
Report about April 30, 2021.
II. Public Comments
To facilitate this year's review, written comments should be as
detailed as possible and provide all necessary information to identify
and assess the effect of the acts, policies and practices. USTR invites
written comments that provide specific references to laws, regulations,
policy statements, including innovation policies, executive,
presidential or other orders, and administrative, court or other
determinations that should factor in the review. USTR also requests
that, where relevant, submissions mention particular regions,
provinces, states, or other subdivisions of a country in which an act,
policy or practice is believed to warrant special attention. Finally,
submissions proposing countries for review should include data, loss
estimates, and other information regarding the economic impact on the
United States, U.S. industry, and the U.S. workforce caused by the
denial of adequate and effective intellectual property protection.
Comments that include quantitative loss claims should include the
methodology used to calculate the estimated losses.
III. Public Participation
In 2021, due to COVID-19, USTR will foster public participation via
written submissions rather than an in-person hearing. The Subcommittee
will review written comments and may ask clarifying questions to
commenters. The Subcommittee will post the questions on the public
docket, other than questions that include properly designated business
confidential information (BCI). The Subcommittee will send questions
that include properly designated BCI to the relevant commenters by
email, and will not post these questions on the public docket. Replies
to questions that contain BCI must follow the procedures in section IV
below.
In order to be eligible to receive written questions, the written
submissions must be in English and must include the name, address,
telephone number, email address, and firm or affiliation of the
submitter.
IV. Submission Instructions
All submissions must be in English and sent electronically via
Regulations.gov using docket number USTR-2020-0041 To submit comments,
locate the docket (folder) by entering the number USTR-2020-0041 in the
`enter keyword or ID' window at the Regulations.gov home page and click
`search.' The site will provide a search-results page listing all
documents associated with this docket. Locate the reference to this
notice by selecting `notice' under `document type' on the left side of
the search-results page, and click on the link entitled `comment now!'.
USTR requests that you provide comments in an attached document,
and that you name the file according to the following protocol:
Commenter Name, or Organization_2021 Special 301_Review_Comment. Please
include the following information in the `type comment' field: ``2021
Special 301 Review.'' Please submit documents prepared in (or
compatible with) Microsoft Word (.doc) or Adobe Acrobat (.pdf) formats.
If you prepare the submission in a compatible format, please indicate
the name of the relevant software application in the `type comment'
field. For further information on using Regulations.gov e, please
select `how to use Regulations.gov' on the bottom of any page.
Please do not attach separate cover letters to electronic
submissions; rather, include any information that might appear in a
cover letter in the comments themselves. Similarly, to the extent
possible, please include any exhibits, annexes, or other attachments in
the same file as the comment itself, rather than submitting them as
separate files.
For any comments that contains BCI, the file name of the business
confidential version should begin with the characters `BCI'. Any page
containing BCI must be clearly marked ``BUSINESS CONFIDENTIAL'' on the
top of that page and the submission should clearly indicate, via
brackets, highlighting, or other means, the specific information that
is business confidential. A filer requesting business confidential
treatment must certify that the information is business confidential
and that they would not customarily release it to the public.
Additionally, the filer should type `business confidential' in the
`type comment' field. Filers of comments containing BCI also must
submit a public version of their comments. The file name of the public
version should begin with the character `P'. The `BCI' and `P' should
be followed by the name of the person or entity submitting the
comments. Filers submitting comments containing no BCI should name
their file using the name of the person or entity submitting the
comments.
As noted, USTR strongly urges commenters to submit comments through
Regulations.gov. You must make any alternative arrangements before
transmitting a document and in advance of the relevant deadline by
contacting USTR at [email protected].
USTR will place comments in the docket and they will be open to
public inspection, except properly designated BCI. You can view
comments on Regulations.gov by entering Docket Number USTR-2020-0041 in
the `search' field on the home page.
Daniel Lee,
Assistant U.S. Trade Representative for Innovation and Intellectual
Property (Acting), Office of the United States Trade Representative.
[FR Doc. 2020-27515 Filed 12-14-20; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3290-F0-P