Rotaprint Machines, Inc. v. United States

10 Cust. Ct. 586, 1943 Cust. Ct. LEXIS 1359
CourtUnited States Customs Court
DecidedApril 5, 1943
DocketNo. 5848; Entry No. 37418, etc.
StatusPublished

This text of 10 Cust. Ct. 586 (Rotaprint Machines, Inc. v. United States) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering United States Customs Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Rotaprint Machines, Inc. v. United States, 10 Cust. Ct. 586, 1943 Cust. Ct. LEXIS 1359 (cusc 1943).

Opinion

Cline, Judge:

This is an application for review of the decision of the trial court in Rotaprint Machines, Inc. v. United States, 9 [587]*587Cust. Ct. 500, Reap. Dec. 5669. The merchandise under consideration consists of duplicating machines exported by Rotaprint Akt.-Ges., of Berlin, Germany, the dates of certification of the invoices being March 30, 1939, April 4, 1939, and July 8, 1939. Reappraisement No. 139612-A covers two model Rkl machines which were entered at 1,021.25 reichsmark each, plus packing, and were appraised on the basis of foreign value at 2,040 reichsmark each, plus packing. The other two appeals cover model R-30 machines. In Reappraisement No. 139611-A, the machines were entered at 3,900 reichsmark each, plus packing, and less 247.50 reichsmark for composition on two machines, and were appraised on the basis of foreign value at 6,978.50 reichsmark each, plus packing. The machines covered by Reap-praisement No. 139613-A were entered at 3,900 reichsmark each, plus packing, and were appraised on the basis of foreign value at 7,226 reichsmark each, plus packing.

The trial court held that there was no export value, as sales to the United States were restricted to two agents, and that, inasmuch as sales of the machines in the home market to dealers in Germany were restricted by the manufacturer with respect to the resale price, the market in Germany was controlled, and, therefore, the goods had no foreign value, although the sales to consumers were not restricted, except as to exportation outside of Germany.

After finding that there was neither a foreign value nor an export value for the merchandise, the trial court considered the evidence on United States value and found that it was insufficient to establish such value. There was no evidence introduced with respect to cost of production of the machines. Since the importers failed to make out a prima jade case, the trial court dismissed the appeals.

The Government failed to file an appeal from the action of the trial court in finding that there was no foreign value for the merchandise and the only point argued before us was with respect to the existence of an export value. The appellant contends that the evidence introduced proves that there is an export value with respect to two of the shipments and that the entered value is such value.

The importer called Mr. Edgar Floer as a witness, who testified that he is president and general manager of the importing company; that he had a contract with the manufacturer, dated May 12, 1939, wherein he was allotted the sole right of sales of the imported products in the states of New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Maine, Vermont, and New Hampshire for a term of 1 year. A copy of this contract was introduced in evidence and marked exhibit 1. He testified further that he had no agreement whereby the manufacturer was forbidden to sell this merchandise freely to persons in other states than those listed in his contract; that the manufacturer was free to do business outside of [588]*588those states; that he received shipments covered by Reappraisements 139612-A and -139613-A before the agreement of May 12, 1939, became effective; that American Rotaprint Corp. of Cleveland, Ohio, formerly had a contract with the manufacturer whereby the sales to all of the United States were restricted to that company but it expired on March 20, 1939, and the factory would not make a new contract until the American Rotaprint Corp. contract had expired and it took 6 or 8 weeks to put in writing his contract after it had been verbally agreed upon; that prior to June 1, 1939, he had no agreement in writing with the manufacturer with regard to the exclusive agency. When asked to state how he knew the manufacturer was doing business with some other firm in the United States during the period between March 20, 1939, and the effective date of his contract, June 1, 1939, the witness said:

A. Prior to our own importations, we were purchasing these same equipments and supplies from another organization in another state not mentioned in this contract, and at the termination of. their contract with the manufacturer we obtained our contract, and, simultaneously, he signed a contract of the same wording but applying to other states; and he continued doing business at the same time we did, and we used the same forwarding agent and customhouse broker, and I do know entries were made, to the best of my knowledge, during those few months.

The witness testified further that the machines he purchased were not complete when they were imported, since they contained no electric motors and in some cases no inking rollers and inking attachments, which were purchased from a domestic concern; that in making sales in the United States he agreed with the purchasers to train operators for the machines and to service them for a period of 1 year.

On cross-examination the witness testified that, at .or prior to March 20, 1939, he had a verbal acceptance of his contract. He testified as follows:

X Q. When did you first commence discussing the terms of the contract with the manufacturer? — A. I would say in the Fall of 1938.
X Q. Your wishes, as early as the Fall of 1938, were to obtain a territorial distributing agency in this country for the foreign manufacturer? — A. Yes.
X Q. And you made that known to Mr. Wedeman before he went to Germany in 1938? — A. Yes.
X Q. And when were you first informed that you could obtain such an agency?— A. I believe verbally prior to March 20, 1939.
X Q. Well, verbally prior to March 20, 1939; verbally from whom? — A. Through Mr. Wedeman upon his return from Europe.
X Q. When did he return from Europe? — A. The latter part of 1938. I am not sure of my dates.
X Q. Now, what was this verbal arrangement? — A. I would say essentially the same as incorporated in the contract which we received, and which I showed before, dated May 12, 1939.
[589]*589X Q. Exhibit No. 1 that I show you (handing to witness) ? — A. Yes; that is the one.
The importer introduced also exhibit 4, which is an affidavit of Theo. Harbeck, director of the foreign sales department and coman-ager of the manufacturing company. It contains the following statements :
(17).

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Related

Rotaprint Machines, Inc. v. United States
9 Cust. Ct. 500 (U.S. Customs Court, 1942)
United States v. Heemsoth-Kerner Corp.
9 Cust. Ct. 580 (U.S. Customs Court, 1942)

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10 Cust. Ct. 586, 1943 Cust. Ct. LEXIS 1359, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/rotaprint-machines-inc-v-united-states-cusc-1943.