Dolliff & Co. v. United States

599 F.2d 1015, 66 C.C.P.A. 77, 1979 CCPA LEXIS 245
CourtCourt of Customs and Patent Appeals
DecidedMay 31, 1979
DocketNo. 78-15
StatusPublished
Cited by7 cases

This text of 599 F.2d 1015 (Dolliff & Co. v. United States) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Customs and Patent Appeals primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Dolliff & Co. v. United States, 599 F.2d 1015, 66 C.C.P.A. 77, 1979 CCPA LEXIS 245 (ccpa 1979).

Opinion

Baldwin, Judge.

This is an appeal from the judgment of the United States Customs Court, 81 Cust. Ct. 1, C.D. 4755, 455 F. Supp. 618 (1978), holding certain dacron polyester fabrics to be properly classified under item 338.30 1 of the Tariff Schedules of the United States (TSUS) and not under item 806.20 TSUS.2 We affirm.

Background,

This appeal involves certain dacron polyester fabrics which were manufactured in the United States, exported to Canada as greige goods for further processing, and then imported back into the United [79]*79States. Upon the U.S. importation, a duty on the fabric was assessed under TSUS item 338.30 as “Woven fabrics, of manmade fibers * * * Other.” Appellant, in an appeal of this classification to the Customs Court, contended that the processing in Canada constituted an alteration within the scope of TSUS item 806.20. Under this proposed classification, a duty is imposed only on the value of the alterations performed in Canada.

Customs Court

In its opinion, the Customs Court summarized the Canadian processing steps as follows:3

The essential facts concerning the processing operation in Canada are not in dispute. The domestic loom product is exported as greige goods in rolls of approximately 800 to 1,000 yards in length and approximately 118 to 119% inches in width. It is returned as finished jabric suitable for manufacture into curtains, folded over double, widthwise, and cut in lengths of approximately 60 to 80 yards. In Canada the greige goods are subjected to a number of operations, consisting of heat-setting, chemical-scouring, dyeing and heat-setting a second time during which finishing chemicals consisting of melamine- resin for anticreasing characteristics, an antistatic chemical, and a softener chemical are applied to the fabric in this final stage. The initial heat-setting treatment serves to stabilize the fabric through the elimination of shrinkage. Scouring removes sizing and impurities from the fabric. And the second heat-setting treatment induces a permanent adherence of the finishing chemicals to the fabric during the drying stage of the processing. The finished fabric is then inspected, folded and shipped back to the United States. [Footnotes omitted. 81 Oust. Ct. at 2, 455 F. Supp. at 619.]

Upon considering the testimony and exhibits proffered during the trial, the court concluded that the greige goods and finished fabrics differed in name; that the finished fabrics were softer and more full than the greige goods; that the finished fabrics were sold for $1.50 to $1.60 per yard more than the greige goods; that the griege goods and finished fabrics differed in size; and that the greige goods and finished fabrics were sold to different classes of buyers and in different commercial markets. Citing A. F. Burstrom v. United States, 44 CCPA 27, C.A.D. 631 (1957), the court held the processing in Canada did not merely amount to alterations under 806.20 because the imported finished fabrics were not the same articles as the exported griege goods since they differed in name, value, appearance, size, shape, and use.

The court also relied on Burstrom, swpra, to dispose of appellant’s argument that the Canadian processing merely resulted in an altera[80]*80tion of the goods because both the exported greige goods and imported finished fabrics were woven fabrics of manmade fibers and were classifiable under the same tariff item, i.e., item 338.30. The court distinguished its holding in Amity Fabrics, Inc. v. United States, 43 Cust. Ct. 64, C.D. 2104 (1959), that dyeing of fabric is an alteration, by noting that, in the instant case, the Canadian processing resulted in other significant changes. The court further stated:

The court is of the opinion that where, as here, foreign processing of an exported article, to whatever degree, produces such changes in the performance characteristics of the exported article as to alter its subsequent handling and uses over that which earlier prevailed, the resultant product is of necessity a new and different article. [81 Cust. Ct. at 5, 455 F. Supp. at 622.]

Appellant’s Arguments

In support of his alternative classification, appellant cites the following definition of the phrase “repairs or alterations” from the Treasury regulations in effect at the time the entries in issue were filed:4

The term “repairs or alterations” shall be held to mean restoration, change, addition, renovation, cleaning, or other treatment which does not destroy the identity of the article exported or create a new or different article.

According to appellant, this definition means that processing which effects some change or addition to an article can be considered an “alteration” as long as the article remains basically the same. Appellant argues that the articles in question remained basically the same because both the greige goods and finished fabrics were manmade fabrics of polyester fiber and, thus, the Canadian processing steps did not change the essential characteristics of the fabrics.5

Appellant further contends a reasonable interpretation of 806.20 contemplates changes in articles which result in advancements in value or improvements in condition and, therefore, the mere fact that the Canadian processing resulted in changes in name, appearance, value, size, shape, and use does not require a determination that such processing did not comprise alterations within the meaning of 806.20.

[81]*81 Appellee’s Arguments

In its brief, appellee cites testimony in tbe record supporting tbe Customs Court’s determination that tbe greige goods differed from tbe finished fabrics in name, value, appearance, size, shape, and use. Appellee also alleges that the Canadian processing limited tbe number of potential uses of tbe greige goods to tbe single use for tbe finished fabric, i.e., as curtain material. Further, appellee agrees with tbe Customs Court’s conclusion that where, as here, tbe foreign processing has created a new article, tbe fact that tbe article as exported and tbe article as imported are classifiable under tbe same TSUS item is immaterial. Finally, appellee notes that to extend this argument of appellant to its logical conclusion would necessarily mean that bad tbe Canadian processing transformed tbe fabrics into curtains, wearing apparel or tbe hke, such processing would also be mere alterations because these articles would also be comprised of manmade fabrics of polyester fabric.

Opinion

Appellant correctly contends that simply because intermediate foreign processing of articles of U.S. origin that are subsequently reimported into tbe U.S. results in differences in name, value, appearance, size, shape, and use for the articles does not require a conclusion that tbe foreign processing does not comprise “alterations” under TSUS item 806.20. This is self-evident from this tariff provision which levies a duty only on tbe increase in value due to tbe alterations. Similarly, to bold that alterations cannot change tbe name, appearance, size, shape, and use of an article unreasonably restricts tbe scope of item 806.20.

Being correct on this one point, however, does not save appellant’s case because, as noted in

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Bluebook (online)
599 F.2d 1015, 66 C.C.P.A. 77, 1979 CCPA LEXIS 245, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/dolliff-co-v-united-states-ccpa-1979.