On October 12, 2023, the Department of the Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control (“OFAC”) published a Maritime Oil Industry Advisory (“Advisory”)—together with the so-called Price Cap Coalition (“Coalition”), consisting...more
On September 27, 2023, the U.S. Treasury Department’s Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (“FinCEN”) issued a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (“NPRM”) to extend the deadline — from 30 days to 90 days — for domestic and foreign...more
As the standoff in Congress on the budget threatens to shut down vast swaths of the federal government, we write to remind clients about how a federal government shutdown would affect international trade and investment. The...more
10/2/2023
/ Appropriations Bill ,
Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) ,
Census Bureau ,
CFIUS ,
Customs and Border Protection ,
Enforcement Actions ,
Federal Budget ,
Federal Funding ,
Government Shutdown ,
Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) ,
SDN List ,
U.S. Commerce Department
On August 9, 2023, President Biden issued an Executive Order (E.O.) addressing certain outbound investments by U.S. persons in certain sensitive or advanced technologies or products involving certain “countries of concern.”...more
8/11/2023
/ Advanced Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (ANPRM) ,
Artificial Intelligence ,
Biden Administration ,
CFIUS ,
China ,
Cybersecurity ,
Executive Orders ,
Foreign Direct Investment ,
Foreign Investment ,
National Security ,
NDAA ,
Popular ,
Semiconductors ,
Supply Chain ,
Technology Sector ,
U.S. Commerce Department ,
U.S. Treasury
On July 26, 2023, the U.S. Department of Justice’s (“DOJ”) National Security Division (“NSD”), the U.S. Department of Commerce’s Bureau of Industry and Security (“BIS”), and the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of...more
8/3/2023
/ Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) ,
Department of Justice (DOJ) ,
Enforcement Actions ,
Export Administration Regulations (EAR) ,
Export Controls ,
Financial Crimes ,
FinCEN ,
Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) ,
Popular ,
Self-Disclosure Requirements ,
U.S. Commerce Department ,
U.S. Treasury ,
Voluntary Disclosure
On July 20, 2023, the Department of Treasury’s Office of Foreign Asset Control (“OFAC”) designated additional entities in order to further disrupt Russian access to military supplies and deprive the Russian government of...more
On July 16, 2023, Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a decree seizing control of the Russian subsidiaries of the French food-products company, Danone S.A., and Danish brewer, Carlsberg A/S, claiming the assets were being...more
On May 19, 2023, the United States along with other members of the G7 and other allied countries imposed additional sanctions and export controls meant to further restrict Russian economic activity and degrade Russia’s...more
6/5/2023
/ Aircraft ,
Belarus ,
Economic Sanctions ,
Entity List ,
Export Controls ,
Exports ,
Financial Services Industry ,
Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) ,
Research and Development ,
Russia ,
Technology Sector ,
Transportation Industry ,
U.S. Commerce Department ,
Ukraine ,
US Department of State ,
Vessels
On April 28, 2023, U.S. Attorney for the District of Massachusetts Rachel Rollins, joined by national and local federal enforcement officials from the Disruptive Technology Strike Force (DTSF), described the DTSF mission and...more
On April 6, 2023, Microsoft Corporation (“Microsoft”) agreed to pay $3.3 million to the Department of Commerce’s Bureau of Industry and Security (“BIS”) and the Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control...more
The centrality of international trade laws in the development and execution of U.S. foreign policy has never been more evident than in 2022. Companies that have not invested in international trade compliance programs are...more
4/21/2023
/ Belarus ,
Biden Administration ,
Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) ,
CFIUS ,
China ,
Economic Sanctions ,
Enforcement Actions ,
EU ,
Export Controls ,
Financial Services Industry ,
Foreign Direct Investment ,
Human Rights ,
International Trade ,
Iran ,
National Security ,
Nicaragua ,
Russia ,
Trade Restrictions ,
U.S. Commerce Department ,
UK ,
US Department of State ,
Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act (UFLPA) ,
Venezuela ,
Virtual Currency ,
Withhold Release Orders (WROs)
In order to continue restricting Russia’s ability to finance war efforts against Ukraine, on February 3, 2023, the G7 nations implemented two new price caps on seaborne petroleum products that originate in Russia (“Russian...more
CFIUS reviewed a record number of transactions in 2021 according to its most recent annual report – and shows no signs of slowing down.
High technology (including quantum computing), life sciences, and green energy...more
2/9/2023
/ Aerospace ,
Artificial Intelligence ,
Biden Administration ,
Biotechnology ,
CFIUS ,
China ,
Clean Energy ,
Cybersecurity ,
Data Processors ,
Defense Production Act ,
Enforcement Actions ,
Executive Orders ,
FIRRMA ,
Foreign Investment ,
Infrastructure ,
Insurance Industry ,
International Trade ,
Life Sciences ,
National Security ,
OSTP ,
Penalties ,
Popular ,
Semiconductors ,
Supply Chain ,
Technology Sector ,
Telecommunications
On December 8, 2022, the Department of Commerce published a preliminary determination that finds that imports into the U.S. of Chinese crystalline silicon photovoltaic (CSPV) solar cells and modules exported from Vietnam,...more
12/13/2022
/ Anti-Dumping Duty ,
Biden Administration ,
Cambodia ,
China ,
Countervailing Duties ,
Imports ,
Malaysia ,
National Security ,
Plastic Solar Cells ,
Popular ,
Solar Panels ,
Tariffs ,
Thailand ,
U.S. Commerce Department ,
Vietnam
Following the initial announcement in September 2022 by the Group of Seven Nations (“G7”) that they would set a price cap on Russian-origin oil and petroleum products, the U.S., the EU, and the UK have moved to implement the...more
U.S. augments current sanctions on Nicaragua by imposing additional sanctions on the Nicaraguan mining authority and the former Nicaraguan head of state security, and expanding sanctions authorities allowing the U.S. to...more
I. Additional Export Controls on Russia and Belarus -
(a) Export restrictions on a wide range of EAR99 items -
Effective September 15, 2022, the U.S. Department of Commerce’s Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS)...more
9/27/2022
/ Belarus ,
Expiration Date ,
Export Controls ,
Extensions ,
General Licenses ,
Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) ,
Oil Prices ,
Popular ,
Russia ,
SDN List ,
U.S. Commerce Department
I. OFAC Prohibits Gold Importation from the Russian Federation -
Implementing the declaration of G-7 leaders on June 26, 2022, the United States has joined the UK, Canada and Japan in prohibiting the importation of newly...more
I. OFAC Publishes FAQs Addressing Ban on New Investment in Russia On April 6, 2022, President Biden signed Executive Order (“EO”) 14071, which prohibits all “new investment in the Russian Federation by a United States...more
June 23, 2022 Key Takeaways: In two recent speeches, Matthew Axelrod, Assistant Secretary for Export Enforcement at the Department of Commerce’s Bureau of Industry and Security (“BIS”), has signaled policy changes related to...more
6/23/2022
/ Antitrust Violations ,
Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) ,
Department of Justice (DOJ) ,
Disclosure Requirements ,
Enforcement ,
Export Administration Regulations (EAR) ,
Export Controls ,
Exports ,
Sanctions ,
Self-Disclosure Requirements ,
U.S. Commerce Department
On June 13, 2022, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Customs and Border Protection (“CBP”) published guidance for importers regarding compliance requirements under the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act (“UFLPA”),...more
6/20/2022
/ Biden Administration ,
Corporate Counsel ,
Cross Border Privacy Rules (CBPR) ,
Due Diligence ,
Entity List ,
Forced Labor ,
Importers ,
New Guidance ,
Required Documentation ,
Supply Chain ,
Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act (UFLPA)
BIS Imposes New Export Controls on Certain Industrial EAR99 Items -
Currently, all items on the Export Administration Regulations’ (“EAR“) Commerce Control List (“CCL”) require a license for export, re-export or transfer...more
6/14/2022
/ Belarus ,
Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) ,
Economic Sanctions ,
Entity List ,
EU ,
Export Controls ,
General Licenses ,
Imports ,
Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) ,
Russia ,
SDN List ,
UK ,
Ukraine
I. U.S. Persons Prohibited from Providing Accounting, Trust and Corporate Formation, and Management Consulting Services to Russia -
On May 8, 2022, the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control...more
U.S. Actions Following increased sanctions on Russian banks and a new Executive Order banning investment in the Russian Federation (reported by Foley Hoag here), on April 7, 2022, the U.S. sanctioned two major Russian...more
I. New Executive Order Bans U.S. Investment in Russia -
On April 6, 2022, President Biden issued a new Executive Order, “Prohibiting New Investment in and Certain Services to the Russian Federation in Response to...more
4/8/2022
/ Asset Freeze ,
Banking Sector ,
Biden Administration ,
Cyber Crimes ,
Economic Sanctions ,
Executive Orders ,
Financial Institutions ,
Investment ,
Investors ,
Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) ,
Ransomware ,
Russia