January 3: Shoe makers are racing to the Boston area as they compete for millennial talent. ... The moves also affirm New England — historically the nation's footwear-making region — remains a viable center of the industry, said Nate Herman, a senior vice president at the American Apparel & Footwear Association trade group. Most shoe companies have long since moved manufacturing overseas or other parts of the country where labor is cheaper, but New England and the Boston area in particular still have the largest concentration of workers versed in design, sourcing, marketing and other aspects of the industry, he said. (Source: Associated Press)

January 3: President-elect Donald Trump nominated Robert E. Lighthizer as the U.S. trade representative on Tuesday, recruiting to his Cabinet a veteran of the Reagan administration who has decades of experience in trade policy and litigation. (Source: Washington Post)

January 3: Among the first steps being floated by the incoming Trump administration is a 5 to 10 percent tariff on imports, implemented through an executive order. It’s the sort of shoot-first, ask-questions-later action that President-elect Donald J. Trump promised during the campaign. It’s also unconstitutional. That’s because the path to imposing tariffs — along with taxes and other revenue-generating measures — clearly begins with Congress, and in particular the House, through the Origination Clause. (Source: New York Times)

December 28: President-elect Donald Trump may have ridden to the White House on a wave of working-class hatred for NAFTA, but he’s going to find it tough to deliver on his promise to scrap the trade agreement that he blames for sending U.S. jobs abroad. Dramatically changing the pact could instead threaten 14 million American jobs that rely on trade with Canada and Mexico and send tremors throughout the North American business community, which has invested billions of dollars in developing ways to manufacture everything from cars and airplanes to pharmaceutical products using labor from multiple countries. (Source: Politico)

December 30:The National Hockey League, Major League Baseball and the National Basketball Association have convinced a U.S. federal court judge to close down 1,057 websites that are selling counterfeit sports jerseys and memorabilia. As part of a Dec. 21 court ruling in U.S. federal court in Chicago, companies including MasterCard, Visa, and GoDaddy have been ordered to turn over any documents and records relating to the identities and locations of 727 named defendants. (Source: TSN)

December 23: It's easier than ever to distribute creative works and ensure art is seen — but it's also easier than ever for those works to be shared illegally — and the Copyright Act that protects authorship was written in a time when the technology that people now use to access content didn't exist. ... "Copyright has never been a partisan issue, and there is no reason to believe that the results of the recent election will signal a change of course in copyright policy," [said Michelle Lee, the Under Secretary of Commerce for Intellectual Property and Director of the United States Patent and Trademark Office]. (Source: The Hollywood Reporter)

December 22:  Alibaba has a fakes problem. On [December 21], American trade officials said they had added Taobao, the Alibaba Group’s sprawling online shopping bazaar in China, to their list of the world’s most notorious markets for counterfeit goods. The addition — an embarrassing setback four years after Alibaba successfully lobbied American officials to drop the platform from the list — comes as the owners of brands increasingly complain about the proliferation of fakes on the company’s sales platforms. ... In October an industry group, the American Apparel and Footwear Association, and others openly called for Alibaba to be added to the government’s notorious markets list, saying its members saw little change despite the company’s efforts to fight fakes. (Source: New York Times)

In Brief
Alibaba's Taobao platform named notorious markets: AAFA commended the Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR) for its decision to re-list Alibaba's Taobao platform as a notorious market on December 21 and pledged to work with AAFA members, USTR and other government agencies, outside stakeholders, and Alibaba itself to seek sustained improvements that lead to the permanent removal of counterfeits from these online platforms. Additional information is available here.

Know a great intern candidate? AAFA is accepting applications for interns in both our Government Relations and Communications & Marketing departments for summer 2017. More information is available here.

Labeling Q&A: In case you missed it, AAFA has developed The International Apparel & Footwear Labeling Matrix (login required) to provide AAFA members with an overview of the mandatory labeling requirements for adult apparel and footwear in 37 countries. This resource is a direct response to input from AAFA members who have and are seeking to expand their business internationally and may need additional help navigating international labeling requirements. For further questions about labeling, contact Danielle Iverson.

Member Welcome: Applied DNA Sciences

Applied DNA Sciences (NASDAQ: APDN) keeps
life real and safe. SigNature T DNA is a unique, botanical-based tagging and authentication system specifically designed for textiles and apparel. This innovative technology allows for better quality control and assurance at any point in the supply chain. View this solution brief for more information.

January & February Jan. 12 A Conversation with AAFA Board Leadership Jan. 24 What’s on Your Customers’ Shelf? The Latest on Compliance and Restricted Chemicals Feb. 8 Environmental Committee Meeting Feb. 9 Social Responsibility Meeting Feb. 28 Executive Committee & Board of Directors Meeting Be sure to register today for AAFA's Executive Summit: March 1-3, 2017 in Washington, D.C. Rooms at The Watergate Hotel are filling up! Visit our events calendar for all AAFA webinars and industry events.

Don't miss Supply Chain Week June 6-8, combining the best of AAFA's sourcing and product safety events!