Key Points - On May 21, 2024, the DOJ announced its first ever declination under the NSD’s updated Enforcement Policy, declining to prosecute Sigma-Aldrich Inc., d/b/a MilliporeSigma (a subsidiary of Merck KGaA, Darmstadt,...more
6/7/2024
/ Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) ,
Corporate Counsel ,
Department of Justice (DOJ) ,
Directorate of Defense Trade Controls (DDTC) ,
Enforcement ,
Export Controls ,
Incentives ,
National Security ,
Non-Prosecution Agreements ,
Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) ,
Sanction Violations ,
Self-Disclosure Requirements ,
Voluntary Disclosure ,
White Collar Crimes
Within the trade bar there is cautiousness, curiosity and skepticism at the numerous pronouncements signaling greater enforcement of export controls and sanctions by the Bureau of Industry and Security, the Office of Foreign...more
12/14/2023
/ Anti-Money Laundering ,
Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) ,
China ,
Civil Monetary Penalty ,
Criminal Investigations ,
Department of Justice (DOJ) ,
Economic Sanctions ,
Enforcement ,
Export Administration Regulations (EAR) ,
Export Controls ,
FinCEN ,
Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) ,
Investigations ,
Iran ,
Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) ,
Russia ,
Sanction Violations ,
U.S. Commerce Department ,
Whistleblowers
On October 17, 2023, the Commerce Department’s Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) released three rules amending the Export Administration Regulations (EAR) that significantly build on the October 7, 2022 semiconductor...more
10/27/2023
/ Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) ,
China ,
Deadlines ,
Entity List ,
Export Administration Regulations (EAR) ,
Export Controls ,
Exports ,
Final Rules ,
Inspections ,
Manufacturers ,
Semiconductors ,
Technology Sector ,
U.S. Commerce Department
On July 26, 2023, the departments of Commerce, Justice and the Treasury issued their second ever to date “Tri-Seal Compliance Note” (the “Note”). It describes expectations for the voluntary disclosure of sanctions, export,...more
8/7/2023
/ Anti-Corruption ,
Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) ,
Corporate Misconduct ,
Department of Justice (DOJ) ,
Export Controls ,
National Security ,
Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) ,
Popular ,
Sanction Violations ,
U.S. Commerce Department ,
U.S. Treasury ,
Voluntary Disclosure
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
- On February 11, 2021, in the first deployment of sanctions since assuming office, President Biden issued EO 14014, authorizing sanctions against members of the Burmese military and related parties responsible...more
- 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
- 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
• The Commerce Department’s Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) has added 46 additional Huawei affiliates to the Entity List. The export, reexport, and transfer to these entities of commodities, software, and technology...more
8/21/2019
/ Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) ,
Entity List ,
Export Administration Regulations (EAR) ,
Export Controls ,
Exports ,
Foreign Policy ,
General Licenses ,
Huawei ,
Prohibited Transactions ,
Software ,
Technology Sector ,
Telecommunications ,
U.S. Commerce Department
• On May 20, 2019, the U.S. Department of Commerce published a 90-day Temporary General License (TGL) authorizing limited categories of exports, reexports, or transfers that are otherwise prohibited pursuant to the addition...more
5/22/2019
/ Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) ,
Entity List ,
Export Administration Regulations (EAR) ,
Export Controls ,
Exports ,
Foreign Policy ,
General Licenses ,
Huawei ,
Manufacturers ,
National Security ,
Prohibited Transactions ,
Supply Chain ,
Technology Sector ,
Telecommunications ,
U.S. Commerce Department
• On May 16, 2019, the U.S. Department of Commerce published a final rule adding Huawei and 68 other companies, mostly its non-U.S. affiliates worldwide, to the Entity List... The rule will be officially published in the...more
5/20/2019
/ Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) ,
Entity List ,
Export Administration Regulations (EAR) ,
Export Controls ,
Exports ,
Final Rules ,
Foreign Policy ,
General Licenses ,
Huawei ,
National Security ,
Technology Sector ,
U.S. Commerce Department
• On June 11th, BIS published a superseding settlement agreement with ZTE, levying the largest-ever monetary penalty by BIS against a non-U.S. company and imposing significant additional compliance measures in exchange for...more
6/13/2018
/ Administrative Authority ,
Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) ,
Civil Monetary Penalty ,
Corporate Counsel ,
Economic Sanctions ,
Export Administration Regulations (EAR) ,
Export Controls ,
Exports ,
False Statements ,
Regulatory Agencies ,
Sanction Violations ,
Settlement Agreements ,
Telecommunications ,
U.S. Commerce Department ,
ZTE
• The United States Department of Commerce announced the denial of export privileges against Zhongxing Telecommunications Equipment Corporation and ZTE Kangxun Telecommunications Ltd. (collectively, ZTE) on April 16, 2018....more
4/20/2018
/ Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) ,
China ,
Economic Sanctions ,
Entity List ,
Export Administration Regulations (EAR) ,
Export Controls ,
Exports ,
False Statements ,
Settlement Negotiations ,
Telecommunications ,
U.S. Commerce Department ,
ZTE
Based on certain State Department findings, effective October 12, 2017, long-standing U.S. sanctions on the Republic of Sudan administered by OFAC under the Sudan Sanctions Regulations will be terminated, and U.S. persons...more
10/13/2017
/ Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) ,
Commerce Control List ,
Commodities ,
Department of Defense (DOD) ,
Economic Sanctions ,
Executive Orders ,
Export Administration Regulations (EAR) ,
Exports ,
General Licenses ,
Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) ,
SDN List ,
Secretary of State ,
Sudan ,
Trade Restrictions ,
Trump Administration ,
TSRA
On June 16, 2017, the Trump administration issued a national security presidential memorandum entitled “Strengthening the Policy of the United States Towards Cuba” (the “Presidential Memorandum”). Related to this...more
6/21/2017
/ Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) ,
Business Licenses ,
Cuba ,
Department of Transportation (DOT) ,
Economic Sanctions ,
Financial Transactions ,
Internet ,
Obama Administration ,
Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) ,
Presidential Memorandum ,
Tourism ,
Travel Restrictions ,
Trump Administration
On February 2, 2017, the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) issued Cyber-related General License (GL) 1, a general license that authorizes certain transactions with Russia’s Federal...more
Key Points -
- This action marks the first time sanctions have been imposed under the Cybersecurity Sanctions Program established on April 1, 2015, with the designation of nine entities and individuals.
-...more
1/5/2017
/ Barack Obama ,
Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) ,
Cybersecurity ,
Department of Homeland Security (DHS) ,
Executive Orders ,
Export Administration Regulations (EAR) ,
Export Controls ,
FBI ,
Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) ,
Russia ,
Sanctions ,
SDN List ,
U.S. Commerce Department
On October 2, 2016, the National Security Division (NSD) of the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) established a formal, voluntary self-disclosure program for criminal violations of U.S. economic sanctions and export controls...more
The U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) issued new Russia/Ukraine-related sanctions on Thursday, September 1, 2016. This action marks OFAC’s first major expansion of the Specially...more
On June 3, 2016, the U.S. Department of State, Directorate of Defense Trade Controls (DDTC) and the Department of Commerce, Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) issued changes to the International Traffic in Arms Regulations...more
In an extraordinary development, the U.S. Department of Commerce’s Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) issued a new rule, effective March 24, 2016, creating a temporary general license for two entities—Zhongxing...more
Effective March 8, 2016, the U.S. Department of Commerce’s Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) issued a final rule adding Zhongxing Telecommunications Equipment Corporation (ZTE) of Shenzhen, China, and the following...more
If you read one thing…
- Further relaxation of sanctions on Cuba, effective on January 27, 2016, allows U.S. financial institutions to finance authorized exports and reexports to Cuba of items other than...more
On May 5, the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) issued guidance regarding travel between the United States and Cuba. In particular, the guidance clarifies that companies authorized to...more
On January 15, 2015, the U.S. Department of the Treasury, Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) and the U.S. Department of Commerce, Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) released regulatory amendments implementing the Cuba...more