On Tuesday, May 29, 2018, the U.S. Court of International Trade (CIT) ruled that the anti-dumping and countervailing duties for steel nails from Vietnam do not apply to zinc wall anchors.

In August 2016, OMG Inc. asked the Department of Commerce to determine whether wall anchors were within the scope of the anti-dumping and countervailing duties imposed on steel nails imported from Vietnam. The Department of Commerce determined that zinc wall anchors from Vietnam that were imported by OMG Inc. fit unambiguously within the scope of the anti-dumping and countervailing duty orders.

The CIT considered the common meaning of the term “nail” by consulting dictionary meanings and trade usage, and it reversed the previous scope ruling from the Department of Commerce. The CIT determined that because OMG’s zinc anchor is a unitary article of commerce, the entire product must be considered as a whole, and the entire item did not fit within the definition of a nail. Based on trade usage, the pin (a component) is considered a nail, but the unitary article of commerce is considered an anchor, not a nail.

The CIT remanded the case to the Department of Commerce for further consideration consistent with the CIT’s opinion.

The case is OMG Inc. v. United States, case number 1:17-cv-00036-GSK, in the U.S. Court of International Trade. You can read the full opinion here.

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