Insights on Export Controls & Economic Sanctions

The US Customs Agency, established in 1789 under the US Department of the Treasury, has undergone significant transformations throughout its history. Initially focused on revenue collection and trade regulation, the agency’s role expanded to include national security functions following its integration into the US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) in 2003 pursuant to the Homeland Security Act of 2022 (HSA).

The United States has prevailed in a dispute against Mexico under the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) concerning genetically modified (GM) corn.

The US Department of Commerce’s Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) introduced its long-anticipated (some would say dreaded) Framework for Artificial Intelligence Diffusion (the AI Diffusion Rule) on January 15. Highlights include the first-ever export controls on artificial intelligence (AI) models and worldwide license requirements for advanced chips.

Welcome to the January 2025 issue of “As the (Customs and Trade) World Turns,” our monthly newsletter where we compile essential updates from the customs and trade world over the past month. We bring you the most recent and significant insights in an accessible format, concluding with our main takeaways — aka “And the Fox Says…” — on what you need to know.

Kay Georgi speaks on a panel at the Practising Law Institute’s 2024 conference, Coping with US Export Controls and Sanctions.

Join Sylvia Costelloe as she speaks on antiboycott compliance at a Massachusetts Export Center webinar.

Kay Georgi speaks on the Society for International Affairs’ 2024 Fall Advanced Conference panel.

Welcome to the October 2024 issue of “As the (Customs and Trade) World Turns,” our monthly newsletter where we compile essential updates from the customs and trade world over the past month.

Welcome to the September 2024 issue of “As the (Customs and Trade) World Turns,” our monthly newsletter where we compile essential updates from the customs and trade world over the past month.

Welcome to the August 2024 issue of “As the (Customs and Trade) World Turns,” our monthly newsletter where we compile essential updates from the customs and trade world over the past month.

On July 29, the Directorate of Defense Trade Controls (DDTC) of the US Department of State proposed a new definition of the term “defense service.”

On July 29, the US government proposed big changes to rules about supporting or exporting to foreign military, intelligence, and security entities.

Since the inception of the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act (UFLPA), importers globally have started to become acutely aware of potential forced labor risks hidden beneath intricate supply chains.

Welcome to the July 2024 issue of “As the (Customs and Trade) World Turns,” our monthly newsletter where we compile essential updates from the customs and trade world over the past month.

Welcome to the June 2024 issue of “As the (Customs and Trade) World Turns,” our monthly newsletter where we compile essential updates from the customs and trade world over the past month.

Three US agencies – the US Department of Commerce, Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS), the US Department of the Treasury, Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC), and the US Department of State – took new actions on June 11.

ArentFox Schiff is pleased to announce that 70 attorneys were recognized as leaders in their field and 23 practices spanning the firm’s litigation, regulatory, and transactional capabilities were ranked among the best in the country in the 2024 edition of Chambers USA: America’s Leading Lawyers for Business.

Welcome to the May 2024 issue of “As the (Customs and Trade) World Turns,” our monthly newsletter where we compile essential updates from the customs and trade world over the past month.

We love it when the US Government actually makes life easier for US exporters. What happened?

License Exception MED, published by the US Department of Commerce’s Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) on April 25, authorizes the export, reexport, or in-country transfer of EAR99 “medical devices” to non-military hospitals but comes with new restrictions and due diligence requirements.

Hidden in the supplemental emergency appropriation bill (containing support for Israel and Ukraine) that President Biden signed on April 24 is a provision extending the current five-year SoL under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) and the Trading with the Enemy Act to 10 years.

Join Sylvia Costelloe as she speaks on a panel co-hosted by Women in International Trade Orange County (WITOC) and the US Commercial Service, Irvine Office.

Two years after the start of Russia’s war in Ukraine and one week after the death of opposition politician and anticorruption activist Aleksey Navalny, the US government announced a new raft of sanctions and export controls targeting nearly 600 individuals and entities.

International Trade Counsel Sylvia Costelloe is a panelist at the American Bar Association’s International Law Section’s upcoming webinar on the major updates in economic sanctions in 2023.

ArentFox Schiff is pleased to announce that five practice areas and 11 attorneys were recognized by Chambers Global 2024.