On December 2, 2019, the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) announced that in response to a digital services tax law passed in France, it would be retaliating with stringent tariffs on luxury products coming from France. The...more
2/7/2020
/ Digital Services Tax ,
EU ,
Federal Register ,
Foreign Relations ,
France ,
Imports ,
Luxury Goods ,
OECD ,
Retail Market ,
Stream of Commerce ,
Supply Chain ,
Tariffs ,
Trade Relations ,
Trade Wars ,
Trump Administration ,
TTIP ,
Unduly Burdensome ,
US Trade Policies ,
USTR ,
Wine & Alcohol
The most pressing question around the new FIRRMA regulations is “Will my transaction be covered?” To provide a bit of guidance on that point, we present an illustration from our upcoming Second Edition of The CFIUS Book due...more
1/29/2020
/ Australia ,
Canada ,
CFIUS ,
Covered Transactions ,
Cross-Border Transactions ,
Encryption ,
Exceptions ,
Exports ,
Federal Pilot Programs ,
Filing Requirements ,
Final Rules ,
FIRRMA ,
Foreign Investment ,
Investment Funds ,
National Security ,
Private Equity ,
Proposed Regulation ,
Real Estate Transactions ,
Software ,
Technology ,
Technology Sector ,
UK
With round after round of tariffs on Chinese goods, announcements, removals, exclusions, delays, increases and, of course, tweets regarding all of the above, it can be easy to get lost on where, exactly, things stand with...more
The U.S. Department of Commerce is considering tightening export controls in two major ways. The changes are aimed at choking off supplies to Huawei, but the move could impact a wide range of commercial transactions for all...more
12/19/2019
/ Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) ,
China ,
Entity List ,
Export Administration Regulations (EAR) ,
Export Controls ,
Exports ,
Foreign Policy ,
Huawei ,
Manufacturers ,
National Security ,
Supply Chain ,
Technology Sector ,
U.S. Commerce Department
On November 26, 2019, the U.S. Department of Commerce issued a proposed rule that could change how you procure IT goods and services.
The rule would allow the Commerce Department to review your company’s purchase of...more
12/19/2019
/ Comment Period ,
Critical Infrastructure Sectors ,
Foreign Adversaries ,
Goods or Services ,
Information and Communication Technology (ICT) ,
Information Technology ,
National Security ,
New Rules ,
Penalties ,
Public Comment ,
Secretary of Commerce ,
Technology Sector ,
U.S. Commerce Department
My VC Fund has U.S. and non-U.S. General Partners, will I need to file CFIUS declarations for every investment I want to make in tech, in infrastructure, or in a company with customers’ personal data?
This is a critical...more
11/13/2019
/ Board of Directors ,
CFIUS ,
Controlled Foreign Corporations ,
Critical Infrastructure Sectors ,
Cross-Border Transactions ,
Declaration ,
FIRRMA ,
Foreign Investment ,
Foreign Nationals ,
General Partner ,
Investment Funds ,
Investment Management ,
Investors ,
National Security ,
Personal Data ,
Proposed Rules ,
Technology Sector ,
Venture Capital
By now, you have skimmed through the proposed FIRRMA regulations issued on September 17 2019, and you have very likely read a dozen summaries of those regulations (with titles like “New Proposed CFIUS Regulations Published”...more
10/18/2019
/ CFIUS ,
Covered Transactions ,
Critical Infrastructure Sectors ,
Cross-Border Transactions ,
FIRRMA ,
Foreign Governments ,
Foreign Investment ,
Foreign Nationals ,
Investors ,
NATO ,
Non-Controlling Interests ,
Proposed Regulation ,
Proposed Rules
What is CFIUS? The Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States, or CFIUS, is an interagency committee chaired by the Secretary of the Treasury which is authorized to review and approve transactions involving foreign...more
9/26/2019
/ CFIUS ,
Covered Transactions ,
Critical Infrastructure Sectors ,
Cross-Border Transactions ,
FIRRMA ,
Foreign Investment ,
Global Dealmaking ,
National Security ,
Proposed Regulation ,
Proposed Rules ,
Public Comment ,
Real Estate Transactions ,
U.S. Treasury
Key Takeaways:
• Technology Infrastructure and Data. CFIUS will focus its review on investments in critical Technology, critical Infrastructure, and sensitive personal Data (“TID Businesses”).
• Critical technologies is...more
9/23/2019
/ CFIUS ,
Covered Transactions ,
Critical Infrastructure Sectors ,
Cross-Border Transactions ,
Defense Production Act ,
Exon-Florio ,
Export Control Reform Act (ECRA) ,
FIRRMA ,
Foreign Investment ,
Interstate Commerce ,
National Security ,
Proposed Regulation ,
Proposed Rules ,
Real Estate Transactions
With round after round of tariffs on Chinese goods, announcements, removals, exclusions, delays, increases and, of course, tweets regarding all of the above, it can be easy to get lost on where, exactly, things stand with...more
9/4/2019
/ China ,
Comment Period ,
Exclusions ,
Imports ,
Public Comment ,
Section 301 ,
Tariffs ,
Trade Act of 1974 ,
Trade Relations ,
Trade Wars ,
US Trade Policies ,
USTR
On July 1, 2019, only few days after Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe opened the G20 summit with a speech endorsing an open global economy, the Japanese government announced that it will impose tighter controls on...more
On May 16, 2019, a sweeping U.S. export control rule went into effect that will impact the U.S. tech industry, but may also create an outsized risk for non-U.S. manufacturers. The rule, issued by the U.S. Department of...more
5/22/2019
/ Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) ,
China ,
Entity List ,
Export Administration Regulations (EAR) ,
Export Controls ,
Exports ,
Foreign Policy ,
Huawei ,
Manufacturers ,
National Security ,
Prohibited Transactions ,
Supply Chain ,
Technology Sector ,
Telecommunications ,
U.S. Commerce Department
The Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States, CFIUS, is the U.S. government agency that conducts national security reviews of foreign direct investment in the United States. The CFIUS rules have been significantly...more
4/10/2019
/ CFIUS ,
Critical Infrastructure Sectors ,
Cross-Border Transactions ,
EU ,
European Commission ,
Foreign Acquisitions ,
Foreign Direct Investment ,
Foreign Investment ,
Member State ,
National Security ,
Norway ,
UK
Picture your company being hauled into U.S. court to defend litigation for your Cuba business that is lawful in your home country. That is the scenario that the Trump administration and Cuba hawks in Congress are aiming to...more
On March 8, the U.S. government signaled regulatory changes that may create new opportunities for international collaboration on satellite development, global sales of satellite and launch equipment, and even sharing launch...more
3/20/2019
/ Advanced Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (ANPRM) ,
Departments of Commerce ,
Export Controls ,
Foreign Policy ,
ITAR ,
National Security ,
Proposed Rules ,
Public Comment ,
Regulatory Agenda ,
Satellites ,
Technology Sector ,
US Department of State ,
US Munitions List
• Emerging technology sectors are being reviewed now for new export controls that could take effect in 2019 (list below).
• You may submit comments on the criteria the U.S. government will use to determine what technologies...more
12/11/2018
/ Comment Period ,
Critical Infrastructure Sectors ,
Cross-Border Transactions ,
Emerging Technology Companies ,
Export Controls ,
Exports ,
Foreign Nationals ,
National Security ,
Proposed Rules ,
Public Comment ,
Technology Sector
Key Takeaways:
• Emerging technology sectors will soon be subject to new export controls.
• Affected sectors include biotech, computing, artificial intelligence, positioning and navigation, data analytics, additive...more
11/19/2018
/ Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) ,
CFIUS ,
Comment Period ,
Critical Infrastructure Sectors ,
Cross-Border Transactions ,
Emerging Technology Companies ,
Export Administration Regulations (EAR) ,
Export Controls ,
Exports ,
FIRRMA ,
Foreign Acquisitions ,
Foreign Investment ,
Foreign Nationals ,
Mergers ,
National Security ,
Public Comment ,
Technology Sector ,
U.S. Commerce Department
On May 8, 2018, the United States withdrew from the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action and reimposed all pre-JCPOA sanctions against Iran... After a prescribed wind-down period, all U.S. sanctions on Iran are now in force....more
11/6/2018
/ Economic Sanctions ,
Foreign Financial Institutions (FFI) ,
Foreign Policy ,
Foreign Relations ,
Iran ,
Iran Sanctions ,
Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) ,
Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) ,
SDN List ,
Trump Administration ,
Waivers
• On October 10, 2018, the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States put into effect the first mandatory filing requirement ever imposed by CFIUS. The Department of Treasury’s summary of the Pilot Program is...more
This week, you have likely heard about FIRRMA, the Foreign Investment Risk Review Modernization Act, the law that will expand CFIUS. We have written about a number of aspects of the new law as it was being made, including the...more
8/20/2018
/ CFIUS ,
Covered Transactions ,
Critical Infrastructure Sectors ,
Cross-Border Transactions ,
Filing Fees ,
Filing Requirements ,
FIRRMA ,
Foreign Acquisitions ,
Foreign Direct Investment ,
Foreign Investment ,
Information Sharing ,
National Security ,
New Legislation ,
Personal Data ,
Reporting Requirements ,
Trump Administration
All this past week, you have been hearing about FIRRMA, the new legislation that will increase the powers of the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States that is expected to be signed into law in the coming weeks....more
Imagine telling your company’s Board of Directors that the company will have to knowingly violate the law. Further, you might note, the American Law Institute’s Principles of Corporate Governance state that, with very limited...more
The U.S. House of Representatives passed a bill on Tuesday, July 10, expanding and increasing the powers of the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS). The bill is called the Foreign Investment Risk...more
7/16/2018
/ CFIUS ,
Covered Transactions ,
Critical Infrastructure Sectors ,
Cross-Border Transactions ,
Exemptions ,
Export Controls ,
Exports ,
FIRRMA ,
Foreign Investment ,
National Security ,
NATO ,
Pending Legislation ,
Technology Sector ,
Trump Administration
This week, there were reports that the Trump Administration would use emergency powers to restrict Chinese investment in the United States. On Wednesday, the White House backed away from that position after the House of...more
I spent last week in Seoul talking to clients about the latest changes to U.S. trade and sanctions policy (as South Korea is one of Iran’s largest trading partners, it is understandable that some concerns have arisen there in...more
6/8/2018
/ Business Opportunities ,
China ,
Cross-Border Transactions ,
Economic Sanctions ,
Foreign Investment ,
Foreign Relations ,
Infrastructure ,
North Korea ,
SDN List ,
South Korea ,
Trade Policy ,
Trump Administration