Section 301 Investigation: China's Acts, Policies, and Practices Related to Technology 

Transfer, Intellectual Property, and Innovation - Form to Request Exclusion of Product 

When submitting a product exclusion request using this form, enter the specified 

information in the following fields and explain the basis and rationale for your statements. 

By completing this form, you certify that the information provided is complete and 

correct to the best of your knowledge. 

1. Indicate whether the comment contains business confidential information (BCI), is a public 

document, or is a public version of a BCI document. 

Public Document 

2. Please provide a complete and detailed description of the product of concern: 

The ProSelect PSTSL21NP is a 5-2 day weekday/weekend programmable wall mounted thermostat to control heat 

and air conditioning in the home It can be either hard wired or battery operated. This model is compatible with 2 

heat/ 1 cool conventional and heat pumps. The thermostat has a large bright blue backlit display and retains memory 

settings. The products dimensions are 3.62" x 4.72" x 1.38. 

3. 10-digit HTSUS item number* for product you wish to address in this product exclusion request: 

*Use nurnerical characters only with no special characters (example: 1023456789). For help in finding 

the HTSUS item nuniber associated with your product, see https://hts.usitc.gov/ 

9032100030 

4. Requestor Information 

Requestor Name (Last, First): 

Organization Name: 

Glenn Moore 

Braeburn Systems LLC 

Note: Representatives subrnitting on behalf of an organization must enter inforrnation below. 

Requestor Representative: Adrienne Braumiller, Esq., Braumiller Law Group, PLLC 

5. Requestor's relationship to the product: Importer 

6. Does this submission in regulations.govinclude additional attachments? 

YES 

7. Please indicate whether any additional attachment contains business confidential 

information (BCI), is a public document, or is a public version of a BCI document. 

Public Document 

VERSION 1 CONTINUED BELOW 1 
8. Is this product, or a comparable product, available from sources in the United States?: 

NO 

9. Is this product, or a comparable product, available from sources in third countries?: 

YES 

10. Please provide the value and quantity (with units) of the Chinese-origin product of concern 

that you purchased for each calendar year specified. Limit this figure to the products 

purchased by your firm (or by members of your trade association) alone. Please provide 

estimates if precise figures are unavailable. 

2017 Value: $15,805.44 2017 Quantity: 1,536 

2016 Value: $31,268.16 2016 Quantity: 3,024 

2015 Value: $56,580.48 2015 Quantity: 5,472 

11. Please provide information in support your request, taking account of the instructions 

provided in Section B of the Federal Register notice (note: text entered below can extend 

beyond the apparent size of this box). 

The submitter certifies that information provided is complete and correct to the best of his or 

her knowledge. Please see attached letter. 

VERSION 1 END 2 
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BRAUMILLER 

LAW GROUP, PLLC 

INTUNATIONAL TRAD[ LAW 

Submitted Via WWWRegulations. Gov 

September 24, 2018 

Ambassador Robert Lighthizer, U.S. Trade Representative 

Office of the United States Trade Representative 

600 17th Street NW, Room F516 

Washington, DC 20508-0001 

RE: USTR 2018-00025; Request for Exclusion from the Determination of Action Pursuant 

to Section 301: China's Acts, Policies, and Practices Related to Technology Transfer, 

Intellectual Property, and Innovation Tariff Under Harmonized Tariff Code 

(HTS) 9032.10.0030 

Dear Ambassador Lighthizer, 

This request for exclusion is submitted pursuant to Federal Register notice published on July 11, 

20181, establishing the process to submit exclusion requests from tariffs applied to U.S. imports 

pursuant to the Determination of Action Pursuant to Section 301 of the Trade Act of 1974: China's 

Acts, Policies and Practices Related to Technology Transfer, Intellectual Property and Innovation. 

We hereby respectfully request that the wall mounted thermostats imported by Braeburn Systems 

LLC (Braeburn or the Company), under HTS code 9032.10.0030 be excluded from the additional 

25% tariff imposed on this HTS code pursuant to Section 301. 

Explained below are the reasons why the thermostats meet the elements in the Federal Register 

notice to be excluded from the additional tariff under Section 301. 

1. Distinguished from other products in the 8-digit HTS code 

The subject thermostats are classified under HTS 9032.10.0030, "Thermostats; for air 

conditioning, refrigeration or heating systems; wall-mounted". The 8-digit code is only for 

"Thermostats; for air conditioning, refrigeration or heating systems". Accordingly, the subject 

thermostats, ProSelect (privately-owned brand of Braeburn) PSTSL21NP Model, differ from other 

thermostats in this general 8-digit classification as these thermostats may only be mounted on 

walls. The product is distinguished from the 8-digit tariff description, as it is a 5-2 day 

weekday/weekend programmable wall mounted thermostat to control heat and air conditioning in 

the home. It can be either hard wired or battery operated. This model is compatible with 2 heat/ 1 

cool conventional and heat pumps. The thermostat has a large bright blue backlit display and 

retains memory settings. The products dimensions are 3.62" x 4.72" x 1.38. See Attachment A 

for a description of the thermostat. 

2 The thermostats are currently only available from China 

Braeburn Systems LLC has established a strong relationship with its manufacturer in China. The 

manufacturer produces the thermostats according to Braebum's strict specifications and quality 

control measures. Braeburn has now created a long standing, dependable relationship with this 

supplier as it has been working with this Chinese manufacturer for 17 years. In fact, the Chinese 

supplier, Computime Group Limited, is a 27% member of Braeburn Systems LLC. However, all 

1 83 Fed. Reg. 32181 — 32184 (July 11, 2018). 

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WWW.BRAUMILLERLAW.COM 
products manufactured are under Braeburn's protected intellectual property. Generally, only 10% 

of the north American thermostat market is produced in the U.S., Canada, and countries other 

than China and Mexico. Accordingly, there are very few U.S. producers available that could 

produce Braeburn's thermostats and the cost would be much higher, in addition to the cost of 

changing sourcing. Although the thermostats could be made by entities in Mexico, to suddenly 

change Braeburn's sourcing to another country would take at least 9-12 months to establish the 

process and educate the new manufacturer on Braeburn's strict standards. Braeburn has over 40 

different room thermostat variations. The Company can only move 5 to 8 models at a time due to 

constraints on engineering and manufacturing resources. This would require the entire effort of 

the Company to initiate and bring to a successful conclusion. Costs associated with moving 

production could be as high as $500,000 depending on need for new tooling, test fixtures or other 

related equipment to facilitating production at the new facility. 

In the meantime, Braeburn would be paying an additional 25% to import the thermostats thereby 

adding immensely to the company's cost. In total, Braeburn only imports from $3,000,000 to 

$4,000,000 per year of the subject thermostats from China. This imported value represents an 

insignificant amount of the $50 billion in imported goods from China that the Section 301 tariffs 

are intended to address. Further, Braeburn is a small sized business, employing directly about 23 

people. The additional burden of paying these tariffs for its imports is disproportionate to the size 

of the Company. The additional duties represent a heavy burden on Braeburn's ability to absorb 

the additional financial impact and still retain its level of economic viability. 

3. Severe economic burden to Braeburn and U.S. interests 

These thermostats represent one of the Company's most imported and highest-selling lines. To 

levy this large of an additional cost to the product translates to an additional cost of $2.5 million 

for every $10 million in material purchases on Chinese manufactured room thermostats. This 

would basically eliminate Braeburn's net income on the entire product offering for the entire period 

the tariffs are in effect. Further, the additional tariffs would severely curtail the Company's ability 

to develop new products, generate new proprietary intellectual property, source new customers, 

and maintain existing large volume customers. Eventually this would lead to reduction of the 

Company's SG&A budgets, elimination of numerous jobs, and reduction in its overall company 

footprint to offset the tariff impact. A truly "American made" comony would suffer due to 

imposition of the additional tariffs. 

4. Relevance to "Made in China 2025" program 

The thermostats manufactured by the Chinese factory are made according to Braeburn's own 

proprietary specifications and patented technology. Braeburn has experienced no breach of its 

intellectual property rights from this factory in its history of operation, and the Company would 

instantly lodge a complaint if such violation were identified. As the intellectual property is owned 

exclusively by Braeburn, it is not transferring any IP to the Chinese factory. There is no forced 

transfer of technology, which transfer is the focus of the Section 301 tariffs as discussed in the 

Section 301 report from the USTR.2. Further, the thermostats are not one of the ten industries 

which are the focus of the "2025" program. Rather, these industries include: 

2United States Officer of the Trade Representative "Findings of the Investigation into China's Acts, Policies, 

and Practices Related to Technology Transfer, Intellectual Property, and Innovation Under Section 301 of 

the Trade Act of 1974, (Mar. 22, 2018); also found at: 

Page 2 

WWW.BRAUMILLERLAW.COM 
(1) advanced information technology; (2) robotics and automated machine tools; 

(3) aircraft and aircraft components; (4) maritime vessels and marine engineering equipment; (5) 

advanced rail equipment; (6) new energy vehicles; (7) electrical generation and transmission 

equipment; (8) agricultural machinery and equipment; (9) new materials; and (10) 

pharmaceuticals and advanced medical devices. 

There is accordingly no direct link between these relatively low volume imports of the thermostats, 

and the goals of the Section 301 tariffs to address the targeted industries in the "China 2025" 

program. 

Additionally, there is no joint venture between the two companies, and all intellectual rights are 

owned by Braeburn Systems LLC, a U.S. company. Braeburn's business relationship is not 

subject to any Chinese administrative policies which require the transfer of its intellectual property 

in any manner. Thus, penalizing a U.S. company whose intellectual rights are already protected 

by forcing it to pay additional duties does not further the U.S. government's policy regarding the 

"Made in China" initiative. In fact, the relationship between the Section 301 tariff goals and the 

actual impact in this instance is nonexistent. Applying the Section 301 tariff to the imports of the 

thermostats by Braeburn does not serve the purpose of the Section 301 goals but in fact 

contravenes the goals. 

In light of the above, Braeburn sincerely requests that its thermostat ProSelect PSTSL21NP be 

granted an exclusion of the 25% Section 301 tariff. Importation of this product does not undermine 

the U.S. govemment policy toward the "Made in China 2025" program and would only be 

detrimental to the economic viability of this small sized U.S. company. Braebum certifies that 

information provided is complete and correct to the best of his or her knowledge. 

Best regards, 

Adrienne 

Braumiller 

Digitally signed by Adrienne 

Braurniller 

DN: cn=Adrienne Braumiller, 

o=Braumiller Law Group, PLLC, ou, 

email=adrienne@braumillerlaw.co 

m, 0=05 

Date 20113.0924 12:50:59 .05'00' 

Adrienne Braumiller, Partner. 

Trade Counsel for Braeburn Systems LLC 

https://ustr.gov/siteskiefaultifiles/Section%20301%20FlNAL.PDF. 

Page 3 

01; 1' if '1 

',254 Of-C: (214) 348-9306 FAX (214) /13-9304 101i 1.1*-1- !(13,711 P7-5481 

WWW.BRAUMILLERLAW.COM 
ATTACHMENT A 
PROSELECT 

SYSTEM 4E5 

COOL OFF 5E4kr MEP AUTO 014 

PSTSL21NP 

PROSELECT M Product Specifications 

NON-PROGRAMMABLE LARGE DISPLAY THERMOSTATS 

PROSELECT 

SYSTEM FAN 

COOL OFF MEAT AUTO ON 

PSTSL11NP 

Model Numbers 

PSTSL11NP — 1 Heat/ 1 Cool Conventional or 

1 Heat/ 1 Cool Heat Pump 

PSTSL21NP — Up to 2 Heat/ 1 Cool Conventional 

and Heat Pump 

Product Features 

Dual Powered — Hardwired or Battery 

• Large Display with Bright Blue Backlight 

• Adjustable Temperature Set Point Limits 

• Non-Volatile Memory Retains User Settings 

• Separate 0 & B Terminals 

• Compressor Short Cycle Protection 

• Low Battery Indication 

o Separate Heating and Cooling 

Set Point Temperatures 

• ESD GuarcPm Electronic Circuitry 

- Front Access Reset Button 

• F° / C° Switch 

Gas / Electric Fan Switch 

• Mount to Horizontal Box 

- Adjustable Temperature Differential(s) 

Quick Reference Instruction Card 

_.......---- 

1

( 5 YR LIMITEO 

WARRANTY 

©2016 Ferguson Enterprises, hic. All Rights Reserved. PSTSLNP-300-01 
PROSELECT M Product Specifications 

PSTSL11NP Terminal Designations PSTSL21NP Terminal Designations 

Rh Rc W1 Rh Re 0 13 Y E/W1 W2 

to AO 410 ,t) 

1 

to to 40 _V io 4is 

Cool 24 Volt AC 

Transformer 

Reversing Valve 

Heat Active 

Heat 

Control 

Transformer 

Common 

NON-PROGRAMMABLE LARGE DISPLAY THERMOSTATS 

Architectural Specifications 

The digital non-programmable thermostats shall be PROSELECTIM model numbers PSTSL11NP and PSTSL21NP, 3.62" high x 4.72" wide x 

1.38" deep, powered independently with either 24 Volt AC or with two "AA" Alkaline batteries (3.0 Volt DC). The thermostat shall be compatible with single stage gas, oil or electric heating or cooling systems including single stage heat pumps and 250mv- 750mv millivolt heating 

systems. The thermostat shall have a bright blue backlight display, adjustable temperature limits and separate sub-base for trouble free 

installation. Temperature control range shall be between 45° and 90° F(7° and 32°C), accuracy of +/- 1° F (+/- .5° C), humidity range between 

5% and 95% relative humidity. The thermostat shall include non-volatile memory to retain user settings. Thermostat shall have low battery 

indication and a front reset button will return user settings to default values when pressed. The thermostat can be mounted to a horizontal 

junction box. 

Heat 24 Volt AC 

Transformer 

Reversing Valve 

Cool Active 

Cool Fan 

Control Control 

Conventional / 

Emergency 

Heat Control 

2nd Stage Heat / 

Auxi iary Heat 

Transformer 

Common 

Fan 

Control 

Heat 24 Volt AC Compressor 

Transformer 

Reversing Valve 

Cool Active 

Cool 24 Volt AC 

Transformer 

Reversing Valve 

Heat Active 

Product Specifications 

Dimensions: 3.62" x 4.72" x 1.38" 

Electric Rating: 24 Volt AC (18-30 Volt AC) 

1 amp maximum load per terminal 

3 amp total maximum load (all terminals) 

AC Power: 18 - 30 Volt AC 

DC Power: 3.0 Volts DC 

(2 "AA Alkaline batteries included) 

Shipping Information 

INDIVIDUAL CARTON MASTER CARTON 

Dimensions: 3.8" x 5.8" x 1.6" Quantity: 12 

Weight: .70 lbs. Dimensions: 11"x 11.7x 4.3" 

Cubic Feet: .32 

Weight: 9.2 lbs. 

PROSELECT' PSTSL11NP Replaces* 

Compatibility: Gas, oil or electric systems Honeywell° T87F, T834, TH1110, TH3110, T8400C, T8401C, T8034C 

Heat pump systems White-Rodgers' 1D56, 1E56, 1E78-145, 1F56, 1F78-144 

250mv - 750mv millivolt heating systems Braeburn* 1000NC, 1020NC 

Control Range: 45° to 90° F (7° to 32° C) Robertshaw° 

ICM* 

RS2110, 8400, 8401, 9200HN, 9400, 9401, 9500 

SC2000, SC2000L, SC2000N, SC2001, SC2001L, 

Display Range: 40° to 99° F (4° to 37° C) SC2001N, SC2010 

Accuracy: +/- 1° F (+/- .5° C) LuxPro" PSD011W, PSD011B, PSD111, PSM400SA 

Temperature 

Differential: 1st Stage: .5°, 1°, or 2° F (.25°, .5°, or 1° C) PROSELECT" PSTSL21NP Replaces* 

2nd Stage: (PSTSL21NP Only) 2°, 3°, 4°, 5° or 6°F Honeywell* TH1210, TH3210, T8411, T8424C 

(1°, 1.5°, 2°, 2.5 or 3°C) White-Rodgers* 1F73-174, 1F79-111 

Storage Temperature: 14° to 140° F (-10° to 60° C) Braebure 1200NC, 1220NC 

Robertshaw° RS2210, 8425-1, 9415, 9420, 9515, 9520 

Operating Humidity: 

Terminations: 

5% to 95% Relative Humidity 

Rc, Rh, B, 0, Y1, W1, G, C (PSTSL11NP) 

ICM SC2200, SC2201, SC2201L, SC2201N, SC2210, 

SC2300, SC2301 

Rh, Rc, 0,13, Y, E/W1, G, C, W2 (PSTSL21NP) LuxPro* PSDH121, PSD152 

'Verify specific application requirements All trademarks are the property of their respective owners.