Executive Office of the President November 8, 2007 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

The Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR) is providing notice that the United States has requested, in accordance with the Marrakesh Agreement Establishing the World Trade Organization (WTO Agreement), that the WTO Dispute Settlement Body establish a dispute settlement panel to review the U.S. claims concerning: (1) Certain measures that restrict trading rights with respect to imported films for theatrical release, audiovisual home entertainment products (e.g., video cassettes and DVDs), sound recordings, and publications (e.g., books, magazines, newspapers, and electronic publications); (2) certain measures that restrict market access for, or discriminate against, foreign suppliers of distribution services for publications, foreign suppliers of audiovisual services (including distribution services) for audiovisual home entertainment products, and foreign suppliers of sound recording distribution services; (3) certain measures that provide less favorable distribution opportunities for imported films for theatrical release than for like domestic films; and (4) certain measures that provide less favorable opportunities for foreign suppliers of sound recording distribution services and for the distribution of imported sound recordings than are provided to like service suppliers and like products. The panel request may be found at https://www.wto.org contained in a document designated as WT/DS363/5. USTR invites written comments from the public concerning the issues raised in this dispute.