The government of Canada issued the following trade-related notices as of Jan. 25 (some may also be given separate headlines):
The Consumer Product Safety Commission warned consumers Friday not to buy or use loose 18650 lithium-ion battery cells, saying they can short-circuit, resulting in explosion or fire. The specified cells are manufactured as industrial component parts of battery packs, don't have protection circuits and aren't intended for individual sale to consumers, but they're being separated, rewrapped and sold as new consumer batteries, typically on the internet, said CPSC. Rechargeable lithium cells without proper protection that aren't installed in a device or as part of an integral battery may have exposed metal positive and negative terminals that can short-circuit when they come into contact with metal objects, such as keys or loose change in a pocket, it said. Once shorted, loose cells can overheat and experience "thermal runaway, igniting the cell’s internal materials and forcibly expelling burning contents, resulting in fires, explosions, serious injuries and even death," it said. Thermal runaway can also occur in loose cells if consumers use them in inappropriate chargers that allow charging beyond the cell’s specifications, CPSC warned. A growing number of small consumer products, such as vaping devices, personal fans, headlamps and some toys, use loose 18650s as a power source, it said. CPSC is working with e-commerce sites, including eBay, to remove listings for loose cells.
The Consumer Product Safety Commission warned consumers Friday not to buy or use loose 18650 lithium-ion battery cells, saying they can short-circuit, resulting in explosion or fire. The specified cells are manufactured as industrial component parts of battery packs, don't have protection circuits and aren't intended for individual sale to consumers, but they're being separated, rewrapped and sold as new consumer batteries, typically on the internet, said CPSC. Rechargeable lithium cells without proper protection that aren't installed in a device or as part of an integral battery may have exposed metal positive and negative terminals that can short-circuit when they come into contact with metal objects, such as keys or loose change in a pocket, it said. Once shorted, loose cells can overheat and experience "thermal runaway, igniting the cell’s internal materials and forcibly expelling burning contents, resulting in fires, explosions, serious injuries and even death," it said. Thermal runaway can also occur in loose cells if consumers use them in inappropriate chargers that allow charging beyond the cell’s specifications, CPSC warned. A growing number of small consumer products, such as vaping devices, personal fans, headlamps and some toys, use loose 18650s as a power source, it said. CPSC is working with e-commerce sites, including eBay, to remove listings for loose cells.
The International Trade Commission is issuing a limited exclusion order banning imports of e-cigarette cartridges from four companies that it has determined infringe patents held by Juul, it said in a notice. The order, which applies to DripTip Vapes, Shenzhen OVNS, Shenzhen Haka and Shenzhen OCIGA, concludes a Section 337 investigation that began in December 2018 (see 1812270023), based on allegations that companies mainly in the U.S. and China are manufacturing, importing and selling products that copy Juul's patented technologies, including for nicotine “pods,” mouthpieces, storage compartments and heaters. The ITC also issued cease and desist orders against DripTip, OVNS, Haka and OCIGA, and set bond at 281% for entries of covered products imported during the 60-day period the administration has to review the exclusion order.
The United Arab Emirates introduced an excise duty on “sweetened beverages” and vaping products beginning Dec. 1, according to a Dec. 12 report from the Hong Kong Trade Council. The country will levy a 50 percent tax on sweetened drinks and a 100 percent tax on “electronic smoking devices and tools, as well as the liquids used” with the devices, the report said. The duty on sweetened drinks applies to any beverage that has added sugar or other sweeteners, and applies to “liquid, concentrate, powder, extract, or any product that may be converted into a drink.” Exclusions include drinks that contain a minimum of 75 percent milk, milk products or baby formula.
T-Mobile/Sprint deal sweeteners including free 5G for first responders and a homework-gap program aren’t enough for New York Attorney General Letitia James (D), she said Tuesday during a webcast news conference on vaping. “Providing public benefits are good, but it does not address the antitrust violations,” said James. Trial starts Dec. 9 in the New York and other state AGs' lawsuit against the deal at the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York. A status conference scheduled for Thursday is expected to be a mostly routine pretrial preparation, though the court might also address DOJ's Nov. 8 objection (in Pacer) to Munger Tolles attorney Glenn Pomerantz representing New York and California. DOJ objected because Pomerantz was lead trial counsel for the U.S. in its lawsuit to block AT&T's buy of T-Mobile and "had access to confidential government information that creates a conflict." Pomerantz's legal representative replied (in Pacer) Thursday that DOJ's letter is "untimely, misapplies the relevant ethical rules, ignores the governing 'trial taint' standard for disqualification in this Circuit, and disregards that the Defendants have acknowledged that they have no issue with Mr. Pomerantz and the Firm’s representation of Plaintiff States."
The biggest industry question mark going into the Tuesday to Thursday 2019 Radio Show in Dallas is the future of the AM/FM subcaps, said broadcasters, media brokers and broadcast attorneys in interviews. An NAB spokesperson said the trade group doesn’t announce show attendance, but it’s generally 1,500-2000.
The Government Accountability Office found that e-cigarette devices brought in $71.5 million in tariff revenues from 2016 to 2018, while parts for the vaping industry were responsible for $41.6 million in tariffs. The liquid for e-cigarettes is imported at lower volumes, and accounted for $7.4 million in tariffs during the two-year period.
The National Association of Attorneys General urged streaming services to protect young viewers from tobacco imagery in video content. In a letter released Wednesday, 43 state and territory AGs said the companies should eliminate or exclude tobacco imagery in future original streamed content for young viewers; designate as such tobacco-free content for all ages; allow controls to restrict access to content with tobacco imagery, regardless of rating; and stream “strong anti-smoking and/or anti-vaping Public Service Announcements, as appropriate, before all content with tobacco imagery.” The letters were sent to 13 companies, including Amazon.com, Comcast, Discovery, Google and Viacom, NAAG said. The companies didn't comment.
The National Association of Attorneys General urged streaming services to protect young viewers from tobacco imagery in video content. In a letter released Wednesday, 43 state and territory AGs said the companies should eliminate or exclude tobacco imagery in future original streamed content for young viewers; designate as such tobacco-free content for all ages; allow controls to restrict access to content with tobacco imagery, regardless of rating; and stream “strong anti-smoking and/or anti-vaping Public Service Announcements, as appropriate, before all content with tobacco imagery.” The letters were sent to 13 companies, including Amazon.com, Comcast, Discovery, Google and Viacom, NAAG said. The companies didn't comment.