On May 8, 2024, BIS published a correction to the interim final rule, further removing license requirements for certain items under ECCN 0x5zz. Previously, the interim final rule stated that all 0x5zz ECCNs referenced in footnote 9 to the Commerce Country Chart in supplement no. 1 to part 738 that were previously controlled for NS1 or RS1 reasons for control would continue to require a license for export to Australia and the UK based on the license requirements specified in that footnote.  However, the correction clarifies that only portions of the referenced 0x5zz ECCNs will continue to ..read more

May 1, 2024, saw two major developments under the Australia, United Kingdom, and United States (“AUKUS”) Trilateral Security Partnership. First, the U.S. Department of State (the “Department”) issued a notice of proposed rulemaking (“NPRM”) that would amend the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (“ITAR”) to create an exemption for certain exports, reexports, retransfers, or temporary imports of defense articles or defense services, or certain brokering activities between or among authorized users within Australia, the United Kingdom, and the United States. Second, the UK Department for ..read more

On April 24, 2024, President Biden signed HR 815, “Making emergency supplemental appropriations for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2024, and for other purposes,” into law (the “National Security Supplemental” or the “NSS”). The National Security Supplemental appropriates funds to provide security assistance to Ukraine, Israel, and US partners in the Indo-Pacific and humanitarian aid for Gaza. Alongside the appropriations measures, the National Security Supplemental includes the “21st Century Peace through Strength Act”, a collection of fourteen sanctions, export controls, and related reg ..read more

On April 19, 2024, the U.S. Department of Commerce’s Bureau of Industry and Security (“BIS”) issued an interim final rule under the U.S. Export Administration Regulations (“EAR”) that significantly streamlines export controls on certain defense-related technology products to Australia and the United Kingdom (“UK”). Aimed at enhancing technological innovation among the three countries in furtherance of the Australia, United Kingdom, United States (“AUKUS”) Trilateral Security Partnership, the interim final rule removes license requirements, expands the availability of license exceptions, and re ..read more

On April 15, 2024, the U.S. Treasury Department (Treasury), as the Chair of the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS or the Committee), published a notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM) “to enhance certain CFIUS procedures and sharpen its penalty and enforcement authorities.”  In particular, the proposed new measures would expand the authority of CFIUS to gather information related to both notified and non-notified transactions, impose more significant civil penalties on transaction parties, and alter procedures related to the negotiation of mitigation agreements.&nb ..read more

On March 1, 2024, the federal district court in the Northern District of Alabama declared in the case of National Small Business United v. Yellen that the Corporate Transparency Act (“CTA”) exceeds the Constitution’s limits on Congress’s power. The court enjoined the Department of the Treasury and Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (“FinCEN”) – the agency responsible for implementing the CTA – from enforcing the CTA against the plaintiffs in this case. While the ruling enjoins enforcement only against the plaintiffs in the specific case, the rationale used by the court is a broad rejection o ..read more

On February 28, 2024, the Biden administration announced the creation of a new national security regulatory regime that will prohibit or restrict certain transactions involving bulk sensitive US personal data or government-related data and specified “countries of concern.” The Biden administration announced the regime in a new executive order, Preventing Access to Americans’ Bulk Sensitive Personal Data and United States Government-Related Data by Countries of Concern (EO 14117), which was accompanied by an advance notice of proposed rulemaking (ANPRM) issued by the National Security Division ..read more

In a first of its kind action, the US Department of Commerce has begun a rulemaking process to prohibit or impose conditions on certain transactions involving foreign technology used in so-called “connected vehicles” or “CVs,” as defined below for automotive applications. The measure, announced by Commerce on February 29, 2024 in a press release and an advanced notice of proposed rulemaking (ANPRM), is Commerce’s first attempt to cover a class of transactions under the Department’s Information and Communications Technology and Services (ICTS) rules. The ICTS rules, contained at 15 CFR Part 7 ..read more

On February 27, 2024, HM Treasury’s Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation (“OFSI”) published a number of guidance documents on financial sanctions licensing addressing the process of applying for a licence, as well as the principles applied when making licensing decisions relating to designated individuals.  Publication of the guidance follows a recent court case in which OFSI’s decision to refuse certain licence applications in relation to a designated individual sanctioned under the UK’s Russia sanctions regime was unsuccessfully challenged.  The newly published guidance pro ..read more

On February 23, 2024, the United States issued a broad set of new Russia-related sanctions and export controls in response to the second anniversary of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and the February 16, 2024, death of opposition leader, Aleksey Navalny, in Russian custody. The Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC), the Commerce Department’s Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS), and the State Department all issued new designations.  The agencies also issued an inter-agency advisory warning non-Russian companies from doing business in or with Russia. Treasury Departm ..read more