WTO Judges Rule Against U.S. on Lumber

World Trade Organization appeals judges ruled against the U.S. in the latest round of a long-running spat between the nation and Canada over softwood lumber.

The three judges rejected a U.S. appeal of an earlier panel ruling that the U.S. had failed to comply with WTO findings in 2003 and 2004 that duties it had imposed on Canadian lumber imports violated the body’s rules and should be changed.

The decision by the judges, from the WTO’s Appellate Body, is final. The U.S. trade representative’s office in Washington said it was reviewing its options in response to the WTO ruling.