Buy American Rules Update There have been fairly significant changes to the Buy American rules under both the Federal Acquisition Regulation, or FAR, and the Defense Federal Acquisition Regulation Supplement, or DFARS. They relate to when a product qualifies as a domestic end product, and thereby is eligible for the Buy American bidding preference. In…
The Federal Trade Commission’s Made in the USA Rules A notice appeared in the May 19th Federal Register detailing a consent agreement reached with a company called Lions Not Sheep over what the Federal Trade Commission alleged were false and misleading statements regarding the origin of their products. In the following transcript, George Thompson discusses the…
You can tell them and tell them, but do they listen? Noooooo. Well, in fact, I never told “them” anything, but there’s enough information out there warning against falsely claiming imported articles are “Made in America” to let everyone know that it’s a really bad idea. The Federal Trade Commission considers false claims of United States origin to be…
You can tell them and tell them, but do they listen? Noooooo. Well, in fact, I never told “them” anything, but there’s enough information out there warning against falsely claiming imported articles are “Made in America” to let everyone know that it’s a really bad idea. The Federal Trade Commission considers false claims of United States origin to be…
Just when I thought I was running out of blog topics, along comes the Federal Circuit to stir the pot for country of origin determinations under the Federal Acquisition Regulation. In Acetris Health, LLC v. United States, the appellate court clarified the circumstances under which an article qualifies as a “U.S.-made end product” qualified for purchase…
The primary purpose of free trade agreements (FTAs) is to lower or remove tariff barriers that hamper the active trade of goods and services between countries and to protect intellectual property rights. The U.S. alone has more than 12 FTAs, and there are more than 400 regional trade agreements worldwide; even so, it appears that many companies fail to leverage this opportunity to open up foreign markets to their products. Based on…
Early morning wake up call, Brooks running shoes laced up, and hundreds, if not thousands (depending on your location) of running fanatics, donning colorful tutus and silly turkey outfits, all lined up for yet another 5K Turkey Trot. Meanwhile the kitchen is humming with activity as the non-running crowd begins preparations for the day’s feast….
Why does the ‘Product of the USA’ label mean so much to cattle ranchers? A group of American small-business cattle ranchers called the Ranchers-Cattlemen Action Legal Fund (R-CALF) is lobbying its tail off to change America’s beef-labeling laws. Labeling laws have caused small ranchers to lock horns with major meatpackers for years, and now R-CALF hopes to…
