Our newsletter reflects the focus of Akin Gump’s cross-practice autonomous systems and advanced mobility team on developments in the regulatory, policy, trade, intellectual property, and cybersecurity and privacy spaces....more
Key Points -
On February 10, 2023, CFIUS formally determined that the United Kingdom and New Zealand have established and are effectively utilizing robust processes to screen foreign investments for national security...more
Key Points -
Reviewing inbound foreign investment for national security risk continues to be a high priority for governments worldwide. Key developments and trends include the following...more
Key Points -
On January 13, 2023, the OECD launched a public consultation process to gather comments from stakeholders regarding potential changes to its Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises. Stakeholders wishing to...more
Autonomous Akin brings you the latest news and developments regarding autonomous systems and advanced mobility so that you can keep a pulse on what is happening in government and industry that is impactful for your business....more
Key Points -
EO 14083 provides updated guidance to CFIUS regarding its consideration of U.S. national security risk factors and is aimed at confronting evolving and emerging threats to U.S. technological leadership, U.S....more
On September 6, 2022, the U.S. Department of Commerce (“Department”) released a 20-page document providing key details on the administration and application process for the award of $50 Billion through the Creating Helpful...more
Key Points -
According to CFIUS’s recently-released Annual Report for 2021, the total number of CFIUS filings increased significantly year-on-year, with transactions involving Chinese investors more than doubling compared...more
Key Points -
As part of highly coordinated U.S. government and allied and partner country responses to Russia’s further invasion of Ukraine, and Belarus’ enabling of it, BIS imposed on February 24, 2022, and March 2,...more
Key Points -
CFIUS added New Zealand to its white list of “excepted foreign states,” joining Australia, Canada and the United Kingdom in the group of countries whose investors may qualify for jurisdictional carve-outs and...more
Key Points -
On November 26, 2021, the U.S. Department of Commerce issued a notice of proposed rulemaking related to “connected software applications” (“apps”) that aims to expressly incorporate transactions involving...more
Key Points -
On June 9, President Biden signed an executive order (“EO”) revoking a series of Trump-era EOs targeting specific Chinese “connected software applications” (“apps”), including TikTok and WeChat.
The EO calls...more
6/23/2021
/ Biden Administration ,
Critical Infrastructure Sectors ,
Cybersecurity ,
Department of Justice (DOJ) ,
Executive Orders ,
Foreign Adversaries ,
Mobile Apps ,
National Security ,
Personal Data ,
Popular ,
Supply Chain
On June 3, 2021, President Biden issued Executive Order 14032 (Addressing the Threat from Securities Investments that Finance Certain Companies of the People’s Republic of China) (“CMIC EO”) that modifies the Trump-era...more
Key Points
- On January 19, 2021, the U.S. Commerce Department published an interim final rule (IFR) to implement Executive Order 13873 of May 15, 2019, on “Securing the Information and Communications Technology and...more
2/11/2021
/ Biden Administration ,
CFIUS ,
Critical Infrastructure Sectors ,
Foreign Adversaries ,
Interim Final Rules (IFR) ,
International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) ,
National Security ,
Personal Data ,
Prohibited Transactions ,
Public Comment ,
Sensitive Personal Information ,
Technology Sector ,
U.S. Commerce Department
The U.S. government has recently imposed controls pertaining to “Communist Chinese Military Companies” (CCMCs or “1237 entities”); Chinese “Military End Users” (MEUs); and Chinese “Military-Intelligence End Users” (MIEUs)....more
Key Points
- On November 12, 2020, President Trump issued a new EO prohibiting U.S. persons from engaging in transactions in publicly traded securities of certain CCMCs, or any securities that are derivative of, or are...more
1/4/2021
/ China ,
Department of Defense (DOD) ,
Derivatives ,
Executive Orders ,
Financial Instruments ,
NDAA ,
Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) ,
Private Equity ,
Publicly-Traded Companies ,
SDN List ,
Trade Relations ,
Trump Administration ,
US Trade Policies
- On September 15, Treasury published a Final Rule adopting changes to the CFIUS mandatory filing framework for covered transactions involving critical technologies.
- Rather than being pegged to targeted industries...more
9/22/2020
/ CFIUS ,
Covered Transactions ,
Critical Infrastructure Sectors ,
Exceptions ,
Export Controls ,
Exports ,
Filing Requirements ,
Final Rules ,
Foreign Investment ,
General Licenses ,
National Security ,
Technology Transfer Agreements
- On July 8, 2020, the Department of Energy (DOE) published a Request for Information (RFI) concerning Executive Order 13920, “Securing the United States Bulk-Power System” (the “E.O.”). The E.O. authorizes the DOE to block...more
7/13/2020
/ Comment Period ,
Cybersecurity ,
Department of Energy (DOE) ,
Electricity ,
Energy Projects ,
Energy Sector ,
Executive Orders ,
Foreign Adversaries ,
Request For Information ,
Rulemaking Process ,
Supply Chain
- On July 1, the Departments of Commerce, Homeland Security, State, and the Treasury issued a joint advisory on the “Risks and Considerations for Businesses with Supply Chain Exposure to Entities Engaged in Forced Labor and...more
7/10/2020
/ China ,
Economic Sanctions ,
Enforcement Actions ,
Exports ,
Federal Contractors ,
Financial Institutions ,
Forced Labor ,
Human Rights ,
Imports ,
Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) ,
Risk Mitigation ,
Supply Chain
- On May 21, 2020, Treasury published a Proposed Rule to align the CFIUS mandatory filing framework for transactions involving critical technologies with existing export-licensing requirements.
- Under the Proposed Rule,...more
5/26/2020
/ CFIUS ,
Comment Period ,
Critical Infrastructure Sectors ,
Cross-Border Transactions ,
Export Controls ,
Exports ,
Filing Requirements ,
FIRRMA ,
Foreign Investment ,
General Licenses ,
National Security ,
Proposed Rules ,
Public Comment ,
Technology Sector ,
U.S. Treasury
- The U.S. Department of Commerce has published a highly complex and novel interim final rule extending the controls of the Export Administration Regulations (EAR) over foreign-made items in Huawei’s contract manufacturing...more
5/21/2020
/ Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) ,
Comment Period ,
Entity List ,
Export Administration Regulations (EAR) ,
Export Controls ,
Exports ,
Foreign Direct Product Rule ,
Foreign Policy ,
General Licenses ,
Huawei ,
Interim Final Rules (IFR) ,
Manufacturers ,
National Security ,
Prohibited Transactions ,
Public Comment ,
Supply Chain ,
Technology Sector ,
Telecommunications ,
U.S. Commerce Department
ANTICORRUPTION DEVELOPMENTS -
New Guilty Plea in College Admissions Scandal -
On April 21, 2020, Jorge Salcedo, a former tennis coach at a prominent California university, entered into a plea agreement related to his...more
5/14/2020
/ Anti-Corruption ,
Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) ,
Civil Monetary Penalty ,
College Admissions ,
Corruption ,
Criminal Convictions ,
Customs and Border Protection ,
Economic Sanctions ,
Enforcement Actions ,
Export Controls ,
Exports ,
Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) ,
General Licenses ,
Guilty Pleas ,
Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) ,
Proposed Rules ,
Red Notices ,
Sanction Violations ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Whistleblowers
Investment facilitation is among the new generation issues being discussed at the World Trade Organization (WTO), alongside issues such as electronic commerce and digital trade. The concept of “investment facilitation” refers...more
- On May 1, 2020, President Trump issued an Executive Order (E.O.) aimed at curtailing the use of foreign-sourced electric equipment installed on the U.S. “bulk-power system,” which is commonly understood to mean the U.S....more
- On April 28, 2020, the Bureau of Industry and Security of the U.S. Department of Commerce announced changes to the Export Administration Regulations (EAR) through three notices published on the Federal Register. The changes...more
4/30/2020
/ Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) ,
Exceptions ,
Export Administration Regulations (EAR) ,
Export Controls ,
Exports ,
Final Rules ,
General Licenses ,
Licensing Rules ,
Military End Use ,
National Security ,
Proposed Rules ,
U.S. Commerce Department