The United States and its allies continue to ramp up pressure on Russia and Belarus in response to Russia’s continued hostilities in Ukraine. In this alert, we describe the latest export, import, and investment bans and...more
The U.S. Commerce Department’s Bureau of Industry and Security (“BIS”) has adjusted U.S. export controls in ways that dramatically limit unlicensed supply to Russia or Belarus of many types of software with encryption...more
Building on the “first tranche” of sanctions announced on February 22, 2022 described in our prior alert, the United States, the EU, the UK, and their allies have imposed (or announced the imposition of) additional...more
3/1/2022
/ Blocking Sanctions ,
Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) ,
Economic Sanctions ,
Export Administration Regulations (EAR) ,
Export Controls ,
Financial Institutions ,
Financial Transactions ,
Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) ,
Russia ,
SWIFT ,
Ukraine ,
Virtual Currency
Every week, scores of U.S. companies are sold to foreign investors or execute equity financing transactions involving foreign investors. Parties to these transactions must assess whether they are legally required to file...more
On October 21, 2021, the Commerce Department’s Bureau of Industry and Security (“BIS”) published a rule that will restrict some exports, reexports, and other overseas transfers of equipment, software, and technology...more
In March 2021, three federal agencies promulgated international trade restraints as part of the Biden Administration’s response to alleged mistreatment of Russian opposition leader Alexey Navalny in 2020. Specifically, the...more
3/31/2021
/ Arms Embargo ,
Biden Administration ,
Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) ,
CAATSA ,
Economic Sanctions ,
Energy Projects ,
Enforcement Actions ,
Entity List ,
Export Administration Regulations (EAR) ,
Export Controls ,
Foreign Policy ,
Foreign Relations ,
Infrastructure ,
ITAR ,
Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) ,
Oil & Gas ,
Russia ,
SDN List ,
Trade Restrictions ,
US Trade Policies ,
Vessels
In response to a U.S. government consensus that trade with China involves grave national security risks, the Trump Administration promulgated a broad series of China-directed export controls, economic sanctions and import...more
1/28/2021
/ Biden Administration ,
Blocking Statutes ,
China ,
Economic Sanctions ,
Entity List ,
Export Administration Regulations (EAR) ,
Export Controls ,
Exports ,
Human Rights ,
Infrastructure ,
Military End Use ,
Regulatory Reform ,
US Trade Policies
Last week, the Department of Commerce took steps to implement sanctions targeting China’s mobile applications WeChat, owned by Tencent Holdings Ltd. (“WeChat Sanctions”), and TikTok, owned by ByteDance Ltd. (“ByteDance”)...more
As anticipated in our prior alert, yesterday the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (“CFIUS”) published a final rule that ties CFIUS’s mandatory filing requirement for certain “critical technology”...more
9/16/2020
/ CFIUS ,
Covered Transactions ,
Critical Infrastructure Sectors ,
Cross-Border Transactions ,
Export Administration Regulations (EAR) ,
Export Controls ,
Filing Requirements ,
FIRRMA ,
Foreign Investment ,
ITAR ,
National Security ,
Regulatory Requirements
The U.S. government is expanding international trade restraints against Huawei Technologies Co. Ltd. (“Huawei”) and its affiliates in an effort to further restrict Huawei’s access to U.S. technologies.....more
8/20/2020
/ Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) ,
China ,
Cybersecurity ,
Entity List ,
Export Administration Regulations (EAR) ,
Export Controls ,
Foreign Adversaries ,
Foreign Policy ,
General Licenses ,
Huawei ,
National Security ,
Prohibited Transactions ,
Supply Chain ,
Telecommunications ,
Trump Administration
As noted in our recent alert, President Trump signed into law the Hong Kong Autonomy Act (“HKAA”) on July 14, 2020. On the same day, the President also issued an Executive Order on Hong Kong Normalization (the “Executive...more
Yesterday, after unanimous passage by the U.S. Congress, President Trump signed into law the Hong Kong Autonomy Act (“HKAA”) in retaliation against China for it's “Law on Safeguarding National Security in the Hong Kong...more
On May 1, 2020, the President issued Executive Order 13920, “Securing the United States Bulk-Power System” (“E.O. 13920”) to address what the Trump Administration considers to be national security threats to the U.S....more
6/17/2020
/ Bulk Electric System ,
CFIUS ,
Department of Energy (DOE) ,
Energy Policy ,
Energy Projects ,
Executive Orders ,
Foreign Suppliers ,
National Security ,
Power Purchase Agreements ,
Supply Chain ,
Trump Administration
Today the U.S. Commerce Department published an interim final rule to amend the so-called direct product rule of the Export Administration Regulations to target certain transfers of items tied to Huawei and Huawei entities...more
It has been an active last week in the world of the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (“CFIUS”). In addition to CFIUS’s publication of proposed regulations that would impose filing fees for parties’...more
To further implement the Foreign Investment Risk Review Modernization Act of 2018 (“FIRRMA”), the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (“CFIUS”) has issued proposed regulations that would require parties to...more
3/12/2020
/ CFIUS ,
Comment Period ,
Covered Transactions ,
Critical Infrastructure Sectors ,
Cross-Border Transactions ,
Filing Fees ,
Filing Requirements ,
FIRRMA ,
Foreign Acquisitions ,
Foreign Direct Investment ,
Foreign Investment ,
Proposed Regulation ,
Public Comment ,
Real Estate Investments ,
Real Estate Transactions ,
Regulatory Requirements ,
Reporting Requirements
The Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States ("CFIUS") issued final regulations on January 13, 2020 to comprehensively implement the Foreign Investment Risk Review Modernization Act of 2018 ("FIRRMA") (the...more
1/21/2020
/ CFIUS ,
Change of Control ,
Corporate Counsel ,
Covered Transactions ,
Critical Infrastructure Sectors ,
Cross-Border Transactions ,
Filing Requirements ,
Final Rules ,
FIRRMA ,
Foreign Investment ,
Investment ,
Investment Funds ,
Jurisdiction ,
National Security ,
New Regulations ,
Personal Data ,
Popular ,
Principal Place of Business ,
Real Estate Investments ,
Real Estate Transactions ,
Regulatory Requirements ,
Sensitive Personal Information
On November 27, 2019, the U.S. Department of Commerce (“Commerce”) published a proposed rule, “Securing the Information and Communication Technology and Services Supply Chain,” that would implement Executive Order 13873 of...more
12/23/2019
/ Comment Period ,
Critical Infrastructure Sectors ,
Cybersecurity ,
Digital Marketplace ,
Factoring Transactions ,
Foreign Adversaries ,
International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) ,
National Security ,
Supply Chain ,
Telecommunications ,
U.S. Commerce Department
The Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS) has published proposed regulations that, when finalized, will...more
9/30/2019
/ Acquisitions ,
CFIUS ,
Comment Period ,
Critical Infrastructure Sectors ,
Cross-Border Transactions ,
Filing Requirements ,
FIRRMA ,
Foreign Investment ,
Jurisdiction ,
Personal Data ,
Proposed Regulation ,
Real Estate Market ,
Real Estate Transactions ,
Regulatory Agenda ,
Rulemaking Process ,
Technology Sector
On November 19, 2018, the U.S. Commerce Department's Bureau of Industry and Security ("BIS") published a notice of proposed rulemaking requesting public comment on the U.S. government's process for identifying "emerging...more
As described in our prior alert, November 5, 2018 marked the full return ("snapback") of U.S. Iran-related sanctions measures lifted or waived pursuant to the Iran nuclear deal (the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action or...more
11/13/2018
/ Economic Sanctions ,
Foreign Policy ,
Foreign Relations ,
General Licenses ,
Goods or Services ,
Iran ,
Iran Sanctions ,
Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) ,
Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) ,
SDN List ,
Trump Administration
Building on prior extensive Russia-related sanctions, the U.S. government has further sanctioned Russia by intensifying controls on exports and reexports to the country. Alone, this step is unlikely to affect major volumes of...more
Congress has agreed upon two pieces of legislation soon to be signed by the President that will provide for a major expansion in the (i) screening by the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States ("CFIUS") of...more
8/6/2018
/ CFIUS ,
China ,
Corporate Counsel ,
Covered Transactions ,
Critical Infrastructure Sectors ,
Cybersecurity ,
Export Control Reform (ECR) ,
Exports ,
Filing Requirements ,
FIRRMA ,
Foreign Investment ,
Foreign Policy ,
Investment Funds ,
Jurisdiction ,
Licenses ,
National Security ,
Pending Legislation ,
Popular ,
Screening Procedures ,
Technology Sector ,
Technology Transfer Agreements ,
Trump Administration
Crucial Points -
Previously Lifted or Waived Sanctions Measures Coming Back Into Effect: On May 8, 2018, the U.S. President terminated U.S. participation in the Iran nuclear agreement. As a result, U.S. Iran-related...more
On April 15, 2018, the U.S. Commerce Department's Bureau of Industry and Security ("BIS") imposed a "denial order" against Zhongxing Telecommunications Equipment Corporation ("ZTE Corporation") and ZTE Kangxun...more