On February 21, 2025, President Trump published a National Security Presidential Memorandum outlining his administration’s views on foreign investment and substantial changes to current regulatory regimes. The...more
2/26/2025
/ America First Trade Policy ,
Artificial Intelligence ,
CFIUS ,
China ,
Compliance ,
Economic Sanctions ,
Export Controls ,
Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA) ,
Foreign Investment ,
Foreign Policy ,
National Security ,
Regulatory Requirements ,
Russia ,
Trump Administration
On January 13, 2025, the Department of Commerce’s Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) published an Interim Final Rule (IFR) that expands controls on advanced computing integrated circuits (ICs or chips) and model weights...more
2/5/2025
/ Artificial Intelligence ,
Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) ,
CFIUS ,
China ,
Data Centers ,
Data Security ,
ECCNs ,
Export Administration Regulations (EAR) ,
Export Controls ,
Interim Final Rules (IFR) ,
National Security ,
Popular ,
Regulatory Requirements ,
Semiconductors ,
Supply Chain ,
Technology Sector ,
Trump Administration
The Department of Commerce (Commerce) Office of Information and Communications Technology and Services (OICTS) has broad authority—born out of executive action during the first Trump administration—to identify and mitigate...more
1/8/2025
/ China ,
Cybersecurity ,
Department of Defense (DOD) ,
Department of Justice (DOJ) ,
Drones ,
Final Rules ,
Foreign Adversaries ,
Information Technology ,
National Security ,
Proposed Rules ,
Regulatory Agenda ,
Risk Management ,
Supply Chain ,
Technology Sector ,
U.S. Commerce Department ,
Unmanned Aircraft Systems
Although the Trump transition is well underway, the Biden administration made news in the national security space by announcing significant new export restrictions on semiconductor equipment and technology destined for the...more
12/18/2024
/ Biden Administration ,
Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) ,
China ,
ECCNs ,
Entity List ,
Export Administration Regulations (EAR) ,
Export Controls ,
Foreign Direct Product Rule ,
Interim Final Rules (IFR) ,
NPRM ,
PRC ,
Secretary of State ,
Semiconductors ,
U.S. Commerce Department
Following years of development, on October 28, 2024, the U.S. Department of the Treasury published a final rule establishing its outbound investment security program (Final Rule). The new regime prohibits certain outbound...more
10/31/2024
/ Artificial Intelligence ,
China ,
Executive Authority ,
Final Rules ,
Foreign Investment ,
Foreign Persons ,
Information Technology ,
Lawful Permanent Residents ,
National Security ,
Semiconductors ,
U.S. Treasury
Continuing the Biden administration’s focus on securing the nation’s critical technologies, on September 23, 2024, the U.S. Department of Commerce’s Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) announced a Notice of Proposed...more
9/30/2024
/ Advanced Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (ANPRM) ,
Automated Systems ,
Automated Transportation ,
Autonomy ,
Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) ,
China ,
Connected Cars ,
Motor Vehicles ,
PRC ,
Russia ,
Software ,
Supply Chain ,
U.S. Commerce Department
The Department of Commerce, Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) just announced two developments impacting the Artificial Intelligence (AI) and advanced technologies sectors. Specifically, BIS imposed the first export...more
On July 23, 2024, the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS or the “Committee”) released its Annual Report to Congress covering calendar year 2023. In a year that featured lower deal volume, CFIUS...more
On June 24, 2024, the Commerce Department published a Final Determination under its Information and Communications Technology and Services (ICTS) authorities. The determination prohibits the Russian-controlled cybersecurity...more
7/16/2024
/ CFIUS ,
Corporate Counsel ,
Covered Transactions ,
Department of Homeland Security (DHS) ,
Department of Justice (DOJ) ,
Executive Orders ,
FCC ,
Foreign Adversaries ,
Information and Communication Technology (ICT) ,
Information Systems Security Program (ISSP) ,
National Security ,
Risk Assessment ,
Russia ,
Software ,
U.S. Commerce Department
On June 21, 2024, the Biden administration rolled out its outbound investment screening regulations. Last year, the Biden administration published an advanced notice of proposed rulemaking (ANPRM) that outlined the broad...more
7/11/2024
/ Advanced Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (ANPRM) ,
Artificial Intelligence ,
CFIUS ,
China ,
Covered Transactions ,
Due Diligence ,
Equity Investors ,
Foreign Nationals ,
Information Technology ,
International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) ,
Investment ,
Popular ,
Screening Procedures ,
U.S. Treasury
On June 12, 2024, the United States took several hard-hitting sanctions- and export control-related actions intended to intensify pressure on the Russian government and hamper Russia’s ability to continue to support its war...more
6/19/2024
/ Economic Sanctions ,
EU ,
Export Administration Regulations (EAR) ,
Export Controls ,
Foreign Financial Institutions (FFI) ,
General Licenses ,
Information Technology ,
Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) ,
Russia ,
Secondary Sanctions ,
Software ,
Supply Chain ,
U.S. Commerce Department
On May 22, 2024, the Department of Justice’s (DOJ) National Security Division (NSD) announced its first-ever prosecution declination under its corporate voluntary self-disclosure (VSD) policy for sanctions and export controls...more
On May 13, 2024, President Biden issued an Executive Order requiring MineOne Partners Limited and its affiliates (together, “MineOne”) to divest their interest in real property located less than one mile from Francis E....more
On April 11, 2024, the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS) unveiled updates to its regulations that sharpen CFIUS’s processes and enforcement authorities. Together with remarks by U.S. government...more
The UK government has issued an updated Open General Export Licence for the Export of Dual-Use items to EU Member States (which also previously covered exports to Iceland and the Channel Islands) (the “OGEL”) to allow export...more
The UK has expanded its export controls regime to include a number of key emerging technologies, including in relation to semiconductors and quantum technology. These changes take effect on 1 April 2024, following which an...more
On March 6, 2024, the U.S. Departments of Commerce, Justice, and the Treasury issued a Tri-Seal Compliance Note (Compliance Note) stressing the need for non-U.S. persons to comply with U.S. sanctions and export controls. The...more
On January 29, 2024, the Department of Commerce’s Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) issued a proposed rule to prevent foreign actors from using U.S. cloud computing services for malicious cyber activities. The proposal...more
2/14/2024
/ Artificial Intelligence ,
Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) ,
Cyber Crimes ,
Cybersecurity ,
Foreign Jurisdictions ,
Foreign Subsidiaries ,
IaaS ,
Know Your Customers ,
National Security ,
Popular ,
Proposed Rules ,
U.S. Commerce Department
M&A activity in 2023 was subdued, as dealmakers grappled with geopolitical tensions, inflation, rising interest rates, and increasing regulatory scrutiny, against a backdrop of general economic uncertainty. Challenges in the...more
1/4/2024
/ Antitrust Division ,
Artificial Intelligence ,
Big Tech ,
California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) ,
CFIUS ,
Data Security ,
Economic Sanctions ,
EU ,
Export Controls ,
Foreign Investment ,
Foreign Subsidies ,
Hart-Scott-Rodino Act ,
Horizontal Mergers ,
National Security ,
Popular ,
Shareholder Activism ,
State Administration for Market Regulation (SAMR) ,
UK ,
Vertical Mergers
As discussed in our September 2023 Lawfare article, the Biden administration’s first-of-its-kind outbound investment review program seeks to limit outbound investments by U.S. investors in Chinese developers of certain...more
12/15/2023
/ Advanced Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (ANPRM) ,
Artificial Intelligence ,
China ,
Due Diligence ,
Export Administration Regulations (EAR) ,
Foreign Investment ,
Foreign Nationals ,
Investment ,
Semiconductors ,
Technology ,
U.S. Treasury
Singapore has joined the trend of countries exercising greater oversight over investments in domestic entities in strategically important sectors. The Significant Investments Review Act (the “Bill”), introduced on November 3,...more
The Biden administration issued a widely anticipated executive order on artificial intelligence (“AI”) earlier this week. The Executive Order on the Safe, Secure, and Trustworthy Development and Use of Artificial Intelligence...more
11/6/2023
/ Artificial Intelligence ,
Biden Administration ,
Cybersecurity ,
Department of Homeland Security (DHS) ,
Executive Orders ,
Federal Acquisition Regulations (FAR) ,
Federal Contractors ,
IaaS ,
National Security ,
NIST ,
Office of Science ,
OMB ,
Risk Management ,
Secretary of Commerce ,
Semiconductors ,
Technology ,
Technology Sector ,
Transparency
The Small Business Administration (SBA) and the Information Security Oversight Office (ISSO) have issued a Joint Notice to clarify how Facility Security Clearances (FCLs) (also called Entity Eligibility Determinations, or...more
On August 9, 2023, President Biden issued a long-anticipated executive order (EO) to address investments by U.S. persons in companies that engage with certain categories of technology and products located in the People’s...more
8/11/2023
/ Advanced Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (ANPRM) ,
Artificial Intelligence ,
China ,
Executive Orders ,
Foreign Investment ,
Intelligence Services ,
Joe Biden ,
Microchip Technology ,
National Security ,
PRC ,
Screening Procedures ,
Semiconductors ,
Technology Sector
In July 2023, the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS or the “Committee”) released its Annual Report to Congress covering calendar year 2022. Although the Report’s data lags a bit, given we are eight...more