Apple, Intel join lawsuit against Trump-era tariffs on Chinese goods

Apple, Intel, and Pfizer have joined 3,700 other US firms in a lawsuit against tariffs imposed on $300 billion worth of Chinese goods during the Trump administration.

Tariffs on products imported from China — including Mac mini and HomePods — were imposed during the previous administration, despite Apple's lobbying. While certain proposed further tariffs that would affect the iPhone were delayed, a lawsuit was launched against them all in 2020.

According to Jurist, the suit was begun by HMTX Industries and was specifically concerned with what were termed List 3 tariffs, including selected electronic devices. Subsequently, it was joined by Ford, Tesla, and Walgreens, plus it expanded to further cover the List 4 tariffs.

In February 2021, the Court of International Trade, consolidated this and similar cases into one suit, which in total represents over 3,700 US businesses. Now Apple, Intel, and Pfizer have reportedly joined the suit.

Products on the tariff lists were, or were due to be, subject to an increased import feel, meaning that it became more expensive for US firms to source items from China.

The case argues that the Trade Act Section 301 legal grounds for tariffs based on IP theft and technology transfer, only enabled Lists 1 and 2. The suit maintains that the subsequent lists do not have any justification under the Trade Act.

The case, "In re Section 301 Cases v. United States," is before the three-judge panel of Judges Mark Barnett, Claire Kelly, and Jennifer Choe-Groves.

Apple was due to be most affected by List 4, which would have covered iPhones, MacBook Air, and MacBook Pro. However, currently, neither List 3 nor 4 are in place. The Court of International Trade blocked the Biden administration from finalizing the lists in July 2021.

21 Comments

anantksundaram 20390 comments · 18 Years

About 3 years ago

Frankly, if it was up to me, I’d double down on the opposite: say, quadruple the tariffs, leave it there for the next 25 years, and use the proceeds to help pay for all the COVID damage caused. It might, collaterally, help move some production here as well (and to China’s competitor countries).

That should be the price society imposes on each of us for our hankering after our cheap electronics and t-shirts.

the1maximus 90 comments · 7 Years

These tariffs were put into place to bring production and jobs back into the US. These companies get greedy for pennies, but yet will spends millions on lawyers.

anantksundaram said:

Frankly, if it was up to me, I’d double down on the opposite: say, quadruple the tariffs, leave it there for the next 25 years, and use the proceeds to help pay for all the COVID damage caused. It might, collaterally, help move some production here as well (and to China’s competitor countries).
That should be the price society imposes on each of us for our hankering after our cheap electronics and t-shirts.

I totally agree with this. Make it so that importing foreign goods would be so absurd that building production plants here would be the best course of action. Personally, I’d rather pay a few bucks more for an American made product.

dominikhoffmann 78 comments · 13 Years

Interesting, how the political makeup of the AppleInsider readership varies so greatly from that at MacRumors or definitely Ars Technica, the latter of which has become a shill for the Progressive/Democrat/Totalitarian propaganda apparatus.

I do agree with the previous commenters that the strategic goals behind encouraging the on-shoring of high tech production outweigh the consumer’s interest in currently less expensive products. Will we regret the cheap t-shirts and $25 Bluetooth headsets, when China imposes a stranglehold on us, because we don’t do their bidding and they can withhold more important more necessary products, because we can’t make them ourselves?

Kuyangkoh 838 comments · 7 Years

the1maximus said:

These tariffs were put into place to bring production and jobs back into the US. These companies get greedy for pennies, but yet will spends millions on lawyers.

anantksundaram said:

Frankly, if it was up to me, I’d double down on the opposite: say, quadruple the tariffs, leave it there for the next 25 years, and use the proceeds to help pay for all the COVID damage caused. It might, collaterally, help move some production here as well (and to China’s competitor countries).
That should be the price society imposes on each of us for our hankering after our cheap electronics and t-shirts.

I totally agree with this. Make it so that importing foreign goods would be so absurd that building production plants here would be the best course of action. Personally, I’d rather pay a few bucks more for an American made product.

Same here…..these profitable US companies are greedy pretending to be sustainable but look at where their products are made and who made them?
bring back manufacturing here and i will be willing to pay more

GeorgeBMac 11421 comments · 8 Years

anantksundaram said:

Frankly, if it was up to me, I’d double down on the opposite: say, quadruple the tariffs, leave it there for the next 25 years, and use the proceeds to help pay for all the COVID damage caused. It might, collaterally, help move some production here as well (and to China’s competitor countries).
That should be the price society imposes on each of us for our hankering after our cheap electronics and t-shirts.

The "COVID damage" was caused by our inept response. We focused on the wrong things, crashed the economy and killed 600,000+ people while China suffered none of that. None. Because they did the right things. But go ahead, Blame China if it supports your ideology.

As for tariffs... No thanks! As an American I don't want to pay more for my goods in order to enrich a few rich guys.