Company Letter to President Trump on Duty Deferment
475 companies, including leading U.S. footwear brands, sent a letter to President Trump this week urging him to extend duty deferment for an additional two months and apply the deferment to all imports. On April 19th, the Administration announced an opportunity to temporarily delay duty payments for 90 days on certain goods. On March 10th , FDRA President & CEO Matt Priest highlighted the need to implement this duty collection freeze, and FDRA continues to urge expanding and extending the policy.


To discuss the latest developments on the coronavirus and the economic response, FDRA will hold our next coronavirus call on Tuesday, May 5th at 2:00 p.m. EDT. This call is for FDRA Members only.
Trump Administration Releases 2020 Global IP Report
This week, the Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR) released its annual global intellectual property report, known as the Special 301 Review. FDRA President & CEO Matt Priest testified on behalf of the industry to provide input to USTR on global footwear IP challenges. This key report breaks down the state of IP protection by country and serves as an important tool for U.S. engagement with our trading partners on specific IP issues.

During this year's Special 301 hearing, FDRA testified on shortfalls in foreign markets, the surge of counterfeit footwear sold on e-commerce platforms, and the need to grant CBP authority to seize goods based on design patent infringement. FDRA also discussed the IP provisions of the recent U.S-China trade agreement.


New FDRA Digital Professional Development Center
Th is week, FDRA launched a new digital site designed to help those in the footwear industry continue to learn and maintain their knowledge and skills during the coronavirus crisis. This site features insights and training via videos, podcasts, articles, documents, memos, and more. View the site:
Past FDRA Coronavirus Call Recordings
FDRA Members that missed this week's coronavirus call and last week's coronavirus call with U.S. Customs & Border Protection (CBP) officials, where we discussed the Administration's new duty deferment policy, can visit the FDRA Intel Center for the recording (You need to register and create a password to access ).