The United States will reimpose sanctions against Iran to implement President Donald Trump’s decision to withdraw from the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), a multilateral agreement under which Iran agreed to curb...more
An importer of natural gas from Canada filed suit on February 23, 2018, alleging that U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) unlawfully denied preferential treatment for its imports under the North American Free Trade...more
3/8/2018
/ Acquisitions ,
Canada ,
Cross-Border ,
De Minimis Claims ,
Importers ,
Liquid Natural Gas ,
NAFTA ,
Natural Gas ,
Oil & Gas ,
Pipelines ,
Terms and Conditions
A recent federal appeals court decision addresses a familiar issue for many companies: When can a U.S. exporter be liable for a product that is re-exported to a sanctioned country, such as Iran? This update summarizes the...more
6/9/2017
/ Appeals ,
Corporate Liability ,
Distributors ,
Due Diligence ,
Electronics ,
Enforcement Actions ,
Export Controls ,
Exports ,
Iran ,
Iran Sanctions ,
ITSR ,
Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) ,
Sanction Violations ,
United Arab Emirates (UAE)
On the campaign trail, President-elect Trump adopted a contentious approach towards foreign trade, focusing on Chinese “theft of American trade secrets” and suggesting, at times, potential isolationism for U.S. businesses....more
1/20/2017
/ CFIUS ,
China ,
Cross-Border Transactions ,
Foreign Acquisitions ,
Foreign Investment ,
GAO ,
National Security ,
Trade Policy ,
Trade Relations ,
Trans-Pacific Partnership ,
Trump Administration ,
U.S. Treasury ,
Voluntary Disclosure
President-elect Donald Trump has promised action that could drastically change the rules for U.S. importers and exporters, foreign shippers to the United States and service providers. Whether and how these promises translate...more
11/23/2016
/ China ,
Cross-Border Transactions ,
Export Controls ,
Free Trade Agreements ,
Imports ,
Mexico ,
NAFTA ,
Supply Chain ,
Trade Agreements ,
Trade Policy ,
Trade Relations ,
Trump Administration ,
WTO
The federal government took another step in the fight against human trafficking and forced labor. President Obama signed into law on February 24, 2016, the Trade Facilitation and Trade Enforcement Act of 2015 (TFTEA), which...more
3/4/2016
/ Child Labor ,
Corporate Counsel ,
Forced Labor ,
Human Rights ,
Human Trafficking ,
Imports ,
Manufacturers ,
New Legislation ,
Reporting Requirements ,
Slavery ,
Supply Chain ,
Tariff Act of 1930 ,
Trade Facilitation Agreement ,
Young Lawyers
This week Congress amended U.S. customs law to create new risks and opportunities for companies importing goods into the United States. Most significantly, the Trade Facilitation and Trade Enforcement Act (TFTEA) will...more
The United States suspended certain “secondary sanctions” against Iran that apply to non-U.S. companies for transactions that take place outside of the United States and do not involve U.S. persons on “Implementation Day,”...more
One month after announcing the conclusion of negotiations, the Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR) today released the full text of the Trans-Pacific Partnership agreement (TPP). The TPP’s 12 partner...more
This week, the 12 Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) member countries decided the final terms of what they report is a far-reaching agreement (Agreement or TPP Agreement). The 12 TPP countries are Australia, Brunei Darussalam,...more
10/8/2015
/ Anti-Corruption ,
Biotechnology ,
Copyright ,
Country of Origin ,
Cross-Border Transactions ,
Customs ,
Dispute Resolution ,
E-Commerce ,
Environmental Policies ,
Federal Procurement Systems ,
Financial Institutions ,
Healthcare ,
Intellectual Property Protection ,
Investment ,
Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises (SMEs) ,
State-Owned Enterprises ,
Telecommunications ,
Textiles ,
Trade Agreements ,
Trade Policy ,
Trade Promotion Authority ,
Trade Restrictions ,
Trans-Pacific Partnership ,
Transparency ,
USTR ,
WTO
President Obama recently issued Executive Order 13694 (EO 13694 or EO), “Blocking the Property of Certain Persons Engaging in Significant Malicious Cyber-Enabled Activities.” EO 13694 is aimed at deterring cyber attacks,...more
When the White House recently announced that it was extending sanctions against Russia for another year, it cited a continued “unusual and extraordinary threat” from Russia’s activities in Ukraine. President Obama also...more
During the same week that President Barack Obama announced sweeping changes in the diplomatic and trade relationships between the United States and Cuba, the president signed congressional legislation authorizing additional...more
1/7/2015
/ Banking Sector ,
Barack Obama ,
Corporate Counsel ,
Crimea ,
Cuba ,
Defense Sector ,
Drug Trafficking ,
Energy Sector ,
EU ,
European Commission ,
Executive Orders ,
Export Controls ,
Illegal Arms Dealers ,
North Korea ,
Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) ,
Popular ,
Russia ,
Sanctions ,
SDN List ,
Ukraine ,
US Trade Policies ,
Venezuela
On December 17, 2014, President Barack Obama announced sweeping changes in the diplomatic and trade relationships between the United States and Cuba. These changes, outlined below, will require time to implement; certain...more
On November 10, United States Trade Representative Michael Froman announced a major breakthrough in negotiations with China to eliminate tariffs on information technology products by expanding the scope of the International...more
U.S. government agencies announced this week that they have suspended issuing export licenses to companies sending or releasing sensitive goods, services and technology to Russia. This development will prevent companies from...more
Events are rapidly evolving with respect to Russia’s recent military incursion into, and subsequent annexation of, Ukraine’s Crimean Peninsula. The Obama Administration considers Russia’s acts to be clear violations of...more
The United States agreed to suspend certain sanctions against Iran over the weekend as part of an agreement to curb the Iranian nuclear program. The agreement, which provides for a six-month first step towards a...more