On September 28, 2023, Eastman Kodak Company initiated the filing of duty petitions focusing on aluminum lithographic printing plates imported from China and Japan. These Antidumping Duty (AD) petitions specifically target aluminum lithographic printing plates from both countries, while a Countervailing Duty (CVD) petition was also set on aluminum lithographic printing plates from China. Read more on Faegre Drinker Biddle & Reath LLP’s report on JD Supra.
The filings by the Eastman Kodak Company come in the form of trade remedies to defend local industries from damage caused by unfairly traded imports, and these petitions fall under these measures. Antidumping duties aim to counteract products sold in the United States at begrudgingly low prices, which often leads to disastrous consequences on American businesses. On the other hand, countervailing duties are specifically designed to offset unfair subsidies that foreign governments provide to products exported to the U.S.
With the filing of these petitions, all parties involved, the Eastman Kodak Company, exporters, and manufacturers, are expected to be vigilant and respond appropriate to subsequent investigations. The Department of Commerce and the International Trade Commission (ITC) are tasked with evaluating these petitions. If credible evidence that imports of the aluminum lithographic printing plates are being dumped or subsidized, leading to material harm or threat to the domestic industry, AD/CVD orders may be put into place.
Notably, these new filings and subsequent actions will contribute to ongoing discussions and negotiations on international trade and tariff regulation. Particularly in the legal, corporate, and economic communities, anticipations rise towards the outcomes and ramifications these antidumping and countervailing duties may have on both America’s printing and metal industries as well as their international trade relations.