His case is counted among the estimated 10 percent of auction fraud cases that originate overseas and are hard for local officials to investigate.

As a result, manufacturers may disagree with the Customs Service about how much of a product originates overseas and how much should be counted as American.

More recently, other styles originating overseas, including jazz, swing and rock have been incorporated.

This month the Customs Service began enforcing a new federal rule that requires advance notice of cargoes originating overseas.

Many of Hindustan Lever's best-selling brands, like Surf detergent and Lifebuoy soap, originate overseas.

Emerging and reemerging infectious diseases, many of which are likely to continue to originate overseas, will continue to kill at least 170,000 Americans annually.

But the distinction matters in this case, because all of the hardware in the machines sold overseas originated overseas.

According to Mr. Wyatt at the F.C.C., complaints from angry hotel guests about unexpected excessive charges started "in the fall of 1987, originating at military bases overseas.

Its International Pack aims to accommodate Hong Kong residents originating overseas.

The company has even tested products in the United States that originated overseas, like an "Oriental" chicken salad developed in Germany.