USC Subchapter III

19 U.S.C. § 3581 Objectives in intellectual property

It is the objective of the United States— (1) to accelerate the implementation of the Agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights referred to in section 3511(d)(15) of this title, (2) to seek enactment and effective implementation by foreign countries of laws to protect and enforce intellectual property rights that supplement and strengthen the standards of the Agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights referred to in section 3511(d)(15) of this title and the North American Free Trade Agreement and, in particular—(A) to conclude bilateral and multilateral agreements that create obligations to protect and enforce intellectual property rights that cover new and emerging technologies and new methods of transmission and distribution, and (B) to prevent or eliminate discrimination with respect to matters affecting the availability, acquisition, scope, maintenance, use, and enforcement of intellectual property rights, (3) to secure fair, equitable, and nondiscriminatory market access opportunities for United States persons that rely upon intellectual property protection, (4) to take an active role in the development of the intellectual property regime under the World Trade Organization to ensure that it is consistent with other United States objectives, and (5) to take an active role in the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) to develop a cooperative and mutually supportive relationship between the World Trade Organization and WIPO.

19 U.S.C. § 3591 Textile product integration

Not later than 120 days after the date that the WTO Agreement enters into force with respect to the United States, the Secretary of Commerce shall publish in the Federal Register a notice containing the list of products to be integrated in each stage set out in Article 2(8) of the Agreement on Textiles and Clothing referred to in section 3511(d)(4) of this title. After publication of such list, the list may not be changed unless otherwise required by statute or the international obligations of the United States, to correct technical errors, or to reflect reclassifications. Within 30 days after the publication of such list, the Trade Representative shall notify the list to the Textiles Monitoring Body established under Article 8 of the Agreement on Textiles and Clothing.

19 U.S.C. § 3592 Rules of origin for textile and apparel products

(a) Regulatory authorityThe Secretary of the Treasury shall prescribe rules implementing the principles contained in subsection (b) for determining the origin of textiles and apparel products. Such rules shall be promulgated in final form not later than July 1, 1995. (b) Principles(1) In generalExcept as otherwise provided for by statute, a textile or apparel product, for purposes of the customs laws and the administration of quantitative restrictions, originates in a country, territory, or insular possession, and is the growth, product, or manufacture of that country, territory, or insular possession, if—(A) the product is wholly obtained or produced in that country, territory, or possession; (B) the product is a yarn, thread, twine, cordage, rope, cable, or braiding and—(i) the constituent staple fibers are spun in that country, territory, or possession, or (ii) the continuous filament is extruded in that country, territory, or possession; (C) the product is a fabric, including a fabric classified under chapter 59 of the HTS, and the constituent fibers, filaments, or yarns are woven, knitted, needled, tufted, felted, entangled, or transformed by any other fabric-making process in that country, territory, or possession; or (D) the product is any other textile or apparel product that is wholly assembled in that country, territory, or possession from its component pieces. (2) Special rules(A) Notwithstanding paragraph (1)(D) and except as provided in subparagraphs (B) and (C)—(i) the origin of a good that is classified under one of the following HTS headings or subheadings shall be determined under subparagraph (A), (B), or (C) of paragraph (1), as appropriate: 5609, 5807, 5811, 6209.20.50.40, 6213, 6214, 6301, 6302, 6303, 6304, 6305, 6306, 6307.10, 6307.90, 6308, or 9404.90; and (ii) a textile or apparel product which is knit to shape shall be considered to originate in, and be the growth, product, or manufacture of, the country, territory, or possession in which it is knit. (B) Notwithstanding paragraph (1)(C), fabric classified under the HTS as of silk, cotton, man-made fiber, or vegetable fiber shall be considered to originate in, and be the growth, product, or manufacture of, the country, territory, or possession in which the fabric is both dyed and printed when accompanied by two or more of the following finishing operations: bleaching, shrinking, fulling, napping, decating, permanent stiffening, weighting, permanent embossing, or moireing. (C) Notwithstanding paragraph (1)(D), goods classified under HTS heading 6117.10, 6213.00, 6214.00, 6302.22, 6302.29, 6302.52, 6302.53, 6302.59, 6302.92, 6302.93, 6302.99, 6303.92, 6303.99, 6304.19, 6304.93, 6304.99, 9404.90.85, or 9404.90.95, except for goods classified under such headings as of cotton or of wool or consisting of fiber blends containing 16 percent or more by weight of cotton, shall be considered to originate in, and be the growth, product, or manufacture of, the country, territory, or possession in which the fabric is both dyed and printed when accompanied by two or more of the following finishing operations: bleaching, shrinking, fulling, napping, decating, permanent stiffening, weighting, permanent embossing, or moireing. (3) Multicountry ruleIf the origin of a good cannot be determined under paragraph (1) or (2), then that good shall be considered to originate in, and be the growth, product, or manufacture of—(A) the country, territory, or possession in which the most important assembly or manufacturing process occurs, or (B) if the origin of the good cannot be determined under subparagraph (A), the last country, territory, or possession in which important assembly or manufacturing occurs. (4) Components cut in the United States(A) The value of a component that is cut to shape (but not to length, width, or both) in the United States from foreign fabric and exported to another country, territory, or insular possession for assembly into an article that is then returned to the United States—(i) shall not be included in the dutiable value of such article, and (ii) may be applied toward determining the percentage referred to in General Note 7(b)(i)(B) of the HTS, subject to the limitation provided in that note. (B) No article (except a textile or apparel product) assembled in whole of components described in subparagraph (A), or of such components and components that are products of the United States, in a beneficiary country as defined in General Note 7(a) of the HTS shall be treated as a foreign article, or as subject to duty if—(i) the components after exportation from the United States, and (ii) the article itself before importation into the United States do not enter into the commerce of any foreign country other than such a beneficiary country. (5) Exception for United States-Israel Free Trade AgreementThis section shall not affect, for purposes of the customs laws and administration of quantitative restrictions, the status of goods that, under rulings and administrative practices in effect immediately before December 8, 1994, would have originated in, or been the growth, product, or manufacture of, a country that is a party to an agreement with the United States establishing a free trade area, which entered into force before January 1, 1987. For such purposes, such rulings and administrative practices that were applied, immediately before December 8, 1994, to determine the origin of textile and apparel products covered by such agreement shall continue to apply after December 8, 1994, and on and after the effective date described in subsection (c), unless such rulings and practices are modified by the mutual consent of the parties to the agreement. (c) Effective dateThis section shall apply to goods entered, or withdrawn from warehouse, for consumption on or after July 1, 1996, except that this section shall not apply to goods if—(1) the contract for the sale of such goods to the United States is entered into before July 20, 1994; (2) all of the material terms of sale in such contract, including the price and quantity of the goods, are fixed and determinable before July 20, 1994; (3) a copy of the contract is filed with the Commissioner of Customs within 60 days after December 8, 1994, together with a certification that the contract meets the requirements of paragraphs (1) and (2); and (4) the goods are entered, or withdrawn from warehouse, for consumption on or before January 1, 1998. The origin of goods to which this section does not apply shall be determined in accordance with the applicable rules in effect on July 20, 1994.