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Trade

WT/DS186 - United States - Section 337 of the Tariff Act of 1930 and amendments thereto

WTO dispute settlement case - Launched by the EU

Country or region
United States
Trade topics
Dispute settlement
Dispute settlement
WTO - Case launched by the EU

Summary of the case

  • Complaint by: EU
  • Complaint against: United States
  • Third parties: Canada, Japan

Under Section 337, the US can investigate whether imported goods infringe US intellectual property rights and can exclude them from entry into the US. In 1989, a GATT panel found that important aspects of Section 337 violated national treatment obligations. Section 337 was partially amended in 1994. EC considers that the procedures and remedies under Section 337 are still substantially different from internal procedures concerning domestic goods and discriminate against European industries and goods.

Relevant WTO provision: GATT (III); TRIPS (2, 3, 9, 27, 41, 42, 49, 50, 51)

Status

WTO consultations held on 21 Feb. 2000. Pending.

  • Consultations requested: 12 January 2000

Documents

Full case details and WTO documents on the WTO website

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