Structural Industries, Inc. v. U.S., 03-1237.
| Decision Date | 02 February 2004 |
| Docket Number | No. 03-1237.,03-1237. |
| Parties | STRUCTURAL INDUSTRIES, INC., Plaintiff-Appellant, v. UNITED STATES, Defendant-Appellee. |
| Court | U.S. Court of Appeals — Federal Circuit |
James Caffentzis, Fitch, King and Caffentzis, of New York, NY, argued for plaintiff-appellant.
Jack S. Rockafellow, Attorney, Civil Division, Commercial Litigation Branch, International Trade Field Office, United States Department of Justice, of New York, NY, argued for defendant-appellee. With him on the brief were David M. Cohen, Director, United States Department of Justice, of Washington, DC; and John J. Mahon, Acting Attorney in Charge, International Trade Field Office. Of counsel on the brief was Beth C. Brothman, Attorney, Office of Assistant Chief Counsel, International Trade Litigation, Bureau of Customs and Border Protection, United States Customs Service, of New York, NY.
Before GAJARSA, LINN, and DYK, Circuit Judges.
This is an appeal by Structural Industries, Inc., challenging the Court of International Trade's grant of summary judgment in favor of the Bureau of Customs and Border Protection ("Customs") (formerly known as the United States Customs Service) in Structural Industries, Inc. v. United States, 240 F.Supp.2d 1327 (Ct. Int'l Trade 2002). We affirm the Court of International Trade insofar as it held that the goods at issue could not be classified under heading 7006 or heading 7020 of the Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the United States ("HTSUS"). However, finding that genuine issues of material fact remain as to the "essential character" of the goods at issue, and thus whether they should be classified under heading 7013 or heading 4421, we vacate the Court of International Trade's grant of summary judgment and remand for further proceedings consistent with this opinion.
In 1999, Structural Industries imported clip frames of various sizes to the United States. Each frame consisted of three components: a flat glass cover, a masonite wood board, and a set of four metal clips. A picture or document is placed between the masonite board and glass, and the four removable metal clips insert into slits in the masonite board to secure it to the glass cover. Customs classified and liquidated these clip frames under heading 7013 of the HTSUS, which covers "[g]lassware of a kind used for table, kitchen, toilet, office, indoor decoration or similar purposes (other than that of heading 7010 or 7018)." HTSUS 70131 (emphasis added). Structural Industries protested this classification, arguing that the clip frames were improperly classified as glass for indoor decoration and should have been classified either as "[o]ther articles of wood" under HTSUS heading 4421 or as another form of glass under heading 7006 or heading 7020. Heading 7006 includes "[g]lass of heading 7003 [cast glass and rolled glass], 7004 [drawn glass and blown glass] or 7005 [float glass and surface ground or polished glass], bent, edge-worked, engraved, drilled, enameled or otherwise worked, but not framed or fitted with other materials," HTSUS 7006, and heading 7020 is a residual basket category encompassing all "[o]ther articles of glass," HTSUS 7020. Customs rejected Structural Industries' contentions, and in May of 2000 Structural Industries protested the classification in the Court of International Trade.
On December 4, 2002, the Court of International Trade granted summary judgment in favor of Customs, upholding its classification of the clip frames under HTSUS heading 7013. The court noted that Rule 3(b) of the General Rules of Interpretation ("GRI"), which accompany the HTSUS and guide Customs in classifying imports, states that when the imported merchandise is "composite goods consisting of different materials or made up of different components ... [they] shall be classified as if they consisted of the material or component which gives them their essential character, insofar as this criterion is applicable," GRI 3(b) (emphasis added). The court also considered the Explanatory Note for GRI 3(b), which expounds on the concept of "essential character," stating that "[t]he factor which determines essential character will vary as between different kinds of goods" and may "be determined by the nature of the material or component, its bulk, quantity weight or value, or by the role of a constituent material in relation to the use of the goods." Structural Indus., 240 F.Supp.2d at 1332 ().
The Court of International Trade found that the clip frames at issue were "composite goods" governed by GRI 3(b), classifiable as either "other articles of wood" under subheading 4421 or as "glassware of a kind used for ... indoor decoration" under subheading 7013. Finding that "the glass component provide[d] the subject merchandise with its essential character," the court held that Customs had properly classified the clip frames under subheading 7013. Id. at 1333. The court rejected Structural Industries' contention that the clip frames should have been classified under a glass heading other than 7013, explaining that neither of the alternative headings urged by Structural Industries was appropriate. The merchandise could not be categorized under heading 7006 because that category "specifically excludes glass that is `framed or fitted with other materials,'" and the glass at issue was "fitted" with masonite and metal clips. Id. at 1334 (quoting HTSUS 7006.00.04). The court deemed heading 7020 "a `basket provision' which is used only when the item is not properly classifiable under some other heading of the HTSUS" and explained that 7020 was inappropriate in this context because the clip frames were properly classifiable under heading 7013. Id.
Structural Industries appeals the Court of International Trade's decision, and we have jurisdiction pursuant to 28 U.S.C. § 1295(a)(5). See Pomeroy Collection Ltd. v. United States, 336 F.3d 1370, 1371 (Fed. Cir.2003).
We review the Court of International Trade's grant of summary judgment without deference. Mead Corp. v. United States, 283 F.3d 1342, 1345 (Fed.Cir.2002).
Assuming arguendo that the clip frames derive their essential character from glass and should be classified as such, Structural Industries argues that the Court of International Trade erroneously upheld Customs' classification of the clip frames under 7013 as "[g]lassware of a kind used for table, kitchen, toilet, office, indoor decoration or similar purposes."2 Instead, Structural Industries argues, the clip frames should have been classified as glass products under either heading 70063 or heading 7020.4
Following the briefing in this current case we announced our decision in Pomeroy, 336 F.3d 1370. Although neither party saw fit to call our attention to this decision as supplemental authority, it requires rejection of all of the appellant's contentions in favor of classification under heading 7006 or 7020. In Pomeroy, an importer contested the classification of certain goods under 7013 as "[g]lassware used for... indoor decoration," arguing that the goods should have been classified as "[o]ther articles of glass" under heading 7006. Id. at 1371. The goods at issue in Pomeroy "consisted of glass vessels supported by wrought iron pedestals [that] could be used to hold candles, wine bottles, flowers, etc." Id. The parties in Pomeroy agreed that glass provided the goods their essential character, and the issue in Pomeroy centered on the appropriate classification of composite goods according to GRI 3(b).
Like the appellant in Pomeroy, Structural Industries contends that even if the essential character of the clip frames is glass, GRI 3(b) requires that it "be classified as [the] ... component which gives [it its] essential character." GRI 3(b) (emphasis added). Therefore, Structural Industries argues that the clip frames should be classified under heading 7006 because the glass component of the frames would be classified under heading 7006 if imported alone. We reject this reasoning here just as we rejected it in Pomeroy, where we held that "goods must be classified in the form in which they are imported." Pomeroy, 336 F.3d at 1372. Although the "essential character" inquiry focuses on an individual component of the goods, the goods are not classified as though they were composed exclusively of that component.
Structural Industries further argues that even if heading 7006 does not cover the clip frames, they should not be classified under heading 7013 because the Explanatory Note to that section states that "[a]rticles of glass combined with other materials (base metal, wood, etc.) are classified in this heading only if the glass gives the whole the character of glass articles." Explanatory Note 70.13 (second emphasis added). Structural Industries contends that this "whole character" requirement provides an extra prerequisite for classification of composite goods under heading 7013, beyond the GRI 3(b) "essential character" requirement. As such, Structural Industries urges that because the glass component of the clip frames does not meet heading 7013's "whole character" requirement, the goods should be classified under the 7020 residual basket heading for glass,5 which does not require that glass provide the "whole character" of the product. Our decision in Pomeroy rejected this argument as well. We held in Pomeroy that "[t]he `essential character' inquiry and the phrase `gives the whole the character of [the] articles' do not set out different standards," Pomeroy, 336 F.3d at 1373 (quoting Explanatory Note 70.13) (alteration in the original), and that the "whole character" phraseology in 7013 does not "create[] a more restrictive standard than the `essential character' requirement in GRI 3(b)," id. at 1372. Likewise, we must reject Structural Industries'...
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