§ 351.306 - Use of business proprietary information.

§ 351.306 Use of business proprietary information.

Cross Reference

Link to an amendment published at 89 FR 20836, Mar. 25, 2024.

(a) By the Secretary. The Secretary may disclose business proprietary information submitted to the Secretary only to:

(1) An authorized applicant;

(2) An employee of the Department of Commerce or the International Trade Commission directly involved in the proceeding in which the information is submitted;

(3) An employee of the Customs Service directly involved in conducting a fraud investigation relating to an antidumping or countervailing duty proceeding;

(4) The U.S. Trade Representative as provided by 19 U.S.C. 3571(i);

(5) Any person to whom the submitting person specifically authorizes disclosure in writing; and

(6) A charged party or counsel for the charged party under 19 CFR part 354.

(b) By an authorized applicant. An authorized applicant may retain business proprietary information for the time authorized by the terms of the administrative protective order. An authorized applicant may use business proprietary information for purposes of the segment of a proceeding in which the information was submitted. If business proprietary information that was submitted in a segment of the proceeding is relevant to an issue in a different segment of the proceeding, an authorized applicant may place such information on the record of the subsequent segment as authorized by the APO.

(c) Identifying parties submitting business proprietary information.

(1) If a party submits a document containing business proprietary information of another person, the submitting party must identify, contiguously with each item of business proprietary information, the person that originally submitted the item (e.g., Petitioner, Respondent A, Respondent B). Business proprietary information not identified will be treated as information of the person making the submission. If the submission contains business proprietary information of only one person, it shall so state on the first page and identify the person that originally submitted the business proprietary information on the first page.

(2) If a party to a proceeding is not represented, or its representative is not an authorized applicant, the submitter of a document containing that party's business proprietary information must serve that party or its representative, if applicable, with a version of the document that contains only that party's business proprietary information consistent with § 351.303(f)(1)(iii). The document must not contain the business proprietary information of other parties.

(d) Disclosure to parties not authorized to receive business proprietary information. No person, including an authorized applicant, may disclose the business proprietary information of another person to any other person except another authorized applicant or a Department official described in paragraph (a)(2) of this section. Any person that is not an authorized applicant and that is served with business proprietary information must return it to the sender immediately, to the extent possible without reading it, and must notify the Department. An allegation of an unauthorized disclosure will subject the person that made the alleged unauthorized disclosure to an investigation and possible sanctions under 19 CFR part 354.

[63 FR 24403, May 4, 1998, as amended at 88 FR 67080, Sept. 29, 2023]