SAN JOSÉ, Costa Rica - The CELERA GROUP, main paint provider of American Paint, must pay import duties amounting to 516% on all water-based latex paint imported to the Costa Rican market, as resolved by the Ministry of Economy, Industry and Trade of this country, after verifying that the CELERA GROUP was involved in dumping practices.

In August 2005, the Kativo Group (an H.B. Fuller Company) – in charge of producing and marketing the Protecto and Glidden brands – with the support of the Costa Rican national paint industry, filed a request for investigation before the Ministry of Economy of that country, aimed at verifying whether the CELERA GROUP was importing paint from the United States by means of unfair business practices – specifically, dumping.