By SEMA Washington, D.C., Staff

The National Park Service (NPS) has proposed a new plan for regulating off-highway vehicle (OHV) access to the Cape Lookout National Seashore—a 56-mile long section of the Southern Outer Banks in North Carolina. The NPS is responding to requirements to manage motorized recreation while protecting wildlife and endangered species. The NPS proposal relies on designated routes and establishes a permit system capped at 5,500 annual permits. After a one-year grace period, only non-sport ATVs and UTVs would be permitted access, with a 25 mph speed limit. 

For more information, contact Stuart Gosswein at stuartg@sema.org.

By SEMA Washington, D.C., Staff

As a result of its 2015 Out-of-Cycle Review of Notorious Markets, the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) issued a warning to Alibaba requiring the global e-commerce company take steps to address counterfeiting or face relisting on the Notorious Markets List. The agency indicated that complaints from industry stakeholders prompted a detailed discussion on how Alibaba has fallen short in its measures to address the issues plaguing its online shopping platform, Taobao. Specifically, the USTR recommended Taobao’s takedown processes and procedures be simplified, quicker and made generally available. 

Elsewhere in the report, the USTR highlights the dangers associated with the sale of counterfeit consumer products, including car parts, which could “endanger consumer health and safety as many counterfeits are made inexpensively with substandard or hazardous materials.” 

The full report on the 2015 Out-of-Cycle Review of Notorious Markets is available on the USTR website. 

For more information, please contact Ashley Ailsworth at ashleya@sema.org. 

By SEMA Washington, D.C., Staff

As a result of its 2015 Out-of-Cycle Review of Notorious Markets, the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) issued a warning to Alibaba requiring the global e-commerce company take steps to address counterfeiting or face relisting on the Notorious Markets List. The agency indicated that complaints from industry stakeholders prompted a detailed discussion on how Alibaba has fallen short in its measures to address the issues plaguing its online shopping platform, Taobao. Specifically, the USTR recommended Taobao’s takedown processes and procedures be simplified, quicker and made generally available. 

Elsewhere in the report, the USTR highlights the dangers associated with the sale of counterfeit consumer products, including car parts, which could “endanger consumer health and safety as many counterfeits are made inexpensively with substandard or hazardous materials.” 

The full report on the 2015 Out-of-Cycle Review of Notorious Markets is available on the USTR website. 

For more information, please contact Ashley Ailsworth at ashleya@sema.org. 

By SEMA Washington, D.C., Staff

As a result of its 2015 Out-of-Cycle Review of Notorious Markets, the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) issued a warning to Alibaba requiring the global e-commerce company take steps to address counterfeiting or face relisting on the Notorious Markets List. The agency indicated that complaints from industry stakeholders prompted a detailed discussion on how Alibaba has fallen short in its measures to address the issues plaguing its online shopping platform, Taobao. Specifically, the USTR recommended Taobao’s takedown processes and procedures be simplified, quicker and made generally available. 

Elsewhere in the report, the USTR highlights the dangers associated with the sale of counterfeit consumer products, including car parts, which could “endanger consumer health and safety as many counterfeits are made inexpensively with substandard or hazardous materials.” 

The full report on the 2015 Out-of-Cycle Review of Notorious Markets is available on the USTR website. 

For more information, please contact Ashley Ailsworth at ashleya@sema.org. 

Marketers looking to manage all of their social-media campaigns from a single dashboard have some good news from Forrester (www.forrester.com): The market-research firm did all the legwork for you. Essentially, Forrester kicked the tires on all of the major social-media dashboards currently on the market and came up with a short list of those worth looking at.

Marketers looking to manage all of their social-media campaigns from a single dashboard have some good news from Forrester (www.forrester.com): The market-research firm did all the legwork for you. Essentially, Forrester kicked the tires on all of the major social-media dashboards currently on the market and came up with a short list of those worth looking at.

Marketers looking for a reliable, state-of-the-art e-mail marketing solution have a ready resource: Capterra’s (www.capterra.com) 2015 list of the top five solutions on the market. Capterra specializes in advising businesses on the best software to buy. Heading the pack for e-mail marketing solutions is MailChimp, one of the pioneers in the industry, followed by Constant Contact, Vertical Response, Campaign Monitor and Get Response.

Marketers looking for a reliable, state-of-the-art e-mail marketing solution have a ready resource: Capterra’s (www.capterra.com) 2015 list of the top five solutions on the market. Capterra specializes in advising businesses on the best software to buy. Heading the pack for e-mail marketing solutions is MailChimp, one of the pioneers in the industry, followed by Constant Contact, Vertical Response, Campaign Monitor and Get Response.

This year the SEMA Board of Directors election has two seats open in the manufacturer category and one seat open in the manufacturer's representative category.

The following is a message from SEMA President and CEO Chris Kersting:

As a member of the association, we need your recommendation of industry leaders to serve on the SEMA Board of Directors. Our industry has many individuals who would be an asset to the SEMA Board, but oftentimes those individuals aren’t immediately apparent to the Nominating Committee when selecting the final candidates.

Please take a moment to tell us whom you would recommend as a potential nominee for a board position. We also ask that you include information to help the Nominating Committee know more about the nominee’s qualifications, such as background, experience and achievements from a leadership standpoint.

For this year’s election, the following seats are open:

• Two seats in the Manufacturer category
• One seat in the Manufacturer's Representative category

Nominations for the 2016 SEMA Board of Directors are due Tuesday, January 5, 2016. Please complete and submit the nomination form, and be sure to include the qualification information noted above.

A strong board means wise leadership and an association that serves its members well. We urge you to take part in the nominations process.

Thank you for your attention to this important request.

Chris Kersting, CAE
SEMA President and CEO

This year the SEMA Board of Directors election has two seats open in the manufacturer category and one seat open in the manufacturer's representative category.

The following is a message from SEMA President and CEO Chris Kersting:

As a member of the association, we need your recommendation of industry leaders to serve on the SEMA Board of Directors. Our industry has many individuals who would be an asset to the SEMA Board, but oftentimes those individuals aren’t immediately apparent to the Nominating Committee when selecting the final candidates.

Please take a moment to tell us whom you would recommend as a potential nominee for a board position. We also ask that you include information to help the Nominating Committee know more about the nominee’s qualifications, such as background, experience and achievements from a leadership standpoint.

For this year’s election, the following seats are open:

• Two seats in the Manufacturer category
• One seat in the Manufacturer's Representative category

Nominations for the 2016 SEMA Board of Directors are due Tuesday, January 5, 2016. Please complete and submit the nomination form, and be sure to include the qualification information noted above.

A strong board means wise leadership and an association that serves its members well. We urge you to take part in the nominations process.

Thank you for your attention to this important request.

Chris Kersting, CAE
SEMA President and CEO