WCO Explanatory Notes reproduced for reference. © World Customs Organization. Verify against official WCO publication.
85.23 - Discs, tapes, solid-state non-volatile storage devices, "smart cardsyyand other media for the recording of sound or of other henomena, whether or not recorded, including matrices and masters for the pro uction of discs, but excluding products of chapter 37. .- Magnetic media : 8523.21 - - Cards incorporating a magnetic stripe 8523.29 - - Other - Optical media : 8523.41 - - Unrecorded 8523.49 - - Other - Semiconductor media : - - Solid-state non-volatile storage devices - - "Smart cards" - - Other - Other 8523.51 8523.52 8523.59 8523.80 This heading covers different types of media, whether or not recorded, for the recordin of sound or of other phenomena (e.g., numerical data; text; images, video or other graphical ata; software). Such media are generally inserted into or removed from recording or reading apparatus and may be transferred from one recording or reading apparatus to another. 'f The media of this heading may be presented recorded, unrecorded, or with some pre-recorded information, but capable of having more information recorded on them. This heading includes media in intermediate forms (e. ., matrices, master discs, mother discs, stamper discs) for use in the mass-production of finishe recorded media. % However, this heading does not include the device which records the data on the media or retrieves the data from the media. In particular, this heading covers : (A) MAGNETIC MEDIA Products of this grou are commonly in the form of discs, cards or tapes. The are made using different materials &enerally plastics, paper or paperboard, or metal), eit ier magnetic in themselves or coated with a ma etic material. This group includes, for example, cassette tapes and other ta es for tape recor ers, tapes for camcorders and other video recording apparatus (e.g., VHS, Ai-bM,mmi-DV), diskettes and cards with a magnetic stripe. 'P This group does not include magneto-optical media. 03)OPTICAL MEDIA form of discs made of glass, metal or plastics with data (sound or other phenomena) stored on such discs p u p includes recorded discs and unrecorded discs r This oup includes, for example, compact discs (e.g., CDs, V-CDs, CD-ROMs, CD-RAMS), digita versatile discs (DVDs). This group also includes magneto-optical media. (C) SEMICONDUCTOR MEDIA Products of this group contain one or more electronic integrated circuits. Thus, this group includes : (1) Solid-state, non-volatile data storage devices for recording data from an external source (See Note 4 (a) to this chapter . These devices (also known as "flash memory cards" or "flash electronic storage car s") are used for recordin data from an external source, or providing data to, devices such as navigation and glo a1 positioning systems, data collection terminals, portable scanners, medical monitoriy appliances, audio recording apparatus, personal communicators, mobile phones, igita cameras and automatic data processing machines. Generally, the data are stored onto, and read from, the device once it has been connected to that particular appliance, but can also be uploaded onto or downloaded from an automatic data processing machine. d % The media use only power supplied from the appliances to which they are connected, and require no battery. These non-volatile data stortge devices are com rised of, in the same housing, one or more flash memories ("FLASH E P R O M / E E P R O W the ~ ~ form ~ of integrated circuits mounted on a printed circuit board, and inco orate a connecting socket to a host appliance. They may include capacitors, resistors an a microcontroller in the form of an integrated circuit. Example of solid state non-volatile storage devices are USB flash drives. 2' (2) "Smart cards" (see Note 4 (b) to this chapter), which have embedded in them one or more electronic inte ated circuits (a micro rocessor, random access memory (RAM) or readonly memory &ow) in the form of c{ 'ps. "Smart cards" ma contain contacts, a magnetic stripe or an embedded antenna but do not contain any o,Xer active or passive circuit elements. These "smart cards" also include certain articles known as "proximit cards or tags" if they meet the conditions of Note 4 b) to this Chapter. Proximity cards tags usually consist of an integrated circuit with a rea only memory, which is attached to a rinted antenna. The cardhag operates by creatin a field interference (the nature of whic is determined by a code contained in the r e d only memory) at the antenna in order to affect a signal transmitted fiom, and reflected back to, the reader. This type of cardhag does not transmit data. d Y f~ @) OTHER This group includes gramophone records. This heading excludes : (a) Photographic or cinematographic films with one or several sound tracks (Chapter 37). (b) Sensitised film for photoelectric recording (heading 37.02). (c) Articles intended for use as media for recording sound or other phenomena but not yet repared as such; these are classified in their respective headings (for example, in Chapter 3 or 48, or Section XV). B (d) Data-bearin aper ta es or p c h cards, the recording of which has been made usually by perforation Aiapter 49). (e) Certain electronic memory modules (e.g., S N M s (Sin le In-Line Memory Modules) and DIMMs h a 1 =-Line Memory Modules)) wh~chare to be classified by application of Note 2 to Section XVI [see the General Explanatory Note to this Chapter). (f) Cartridges for game machines (heading 95.04).
1.- This Chapter does not cover : (a) Electrically warmed blankets, bed pads, foot-muffs or the like; electrically warmed clothing, footwear or ear pads or other electrically warmed articles worn on or about the person; (b) Articles of glass of heading 70.11; (c) Machines and apparatus of heading 84.86; (d) Vacuum apparatus of a kind used in medical, surgical, dental or veterinary sciences (heading 90.18); or (e) Electrically heated furniture of Chapter 94. 2.- Headings 85.01 to 85.04 do not apply to goods described in heading 85.11, 85.12, 85.40, 85.41 or