Arbitrators issued an award in the EU's dispute on China's enforcement of intellectual property rights under the World Trade Organization's Multi-Party Interim Appeal Arbitration Arrangement (MPIA). The arbitrators said that the EU showed that China has an anti-suit injunction policy for its courts and that parts of the Agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS) aren't confined to ensuring a patent owner's exclusive rights in each member's domestic legal system.
China has made several arrests and begun multiple investigations involving exports of critical minerals since launching a special operation earlier this year to crack down on the smuggling of those minerals (see 2505090018), its Ministry of Commerce said July 19.
A Lebanese national was sentenced on July 21 to 44 months in prison for attempting to unlawfully export goods from the U.S. to Iran without a license, attempting to smuggle goods from the U.S., submitting false export information and conspiring to commit money laundering, DOJ announced. Brian Assi was convicted in October 2024 of trying to export "U.S.-made heavy machinery" to Iran (see 2410250042).
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., criticized the Trump administration July 21 for removing restrictions on the sale of Nvidia’s advanced H20 computing chips to China, saying the move will help Beijing catch up to and even surpass the U.S. on AI.
Rep. Darrell Issa, R-Calif., reintroduced a bill July 16 that would bar China, Russia, Iran and North Korea from buying land within 10 miles of sensitive U.S. sites, including military bases and federally funded research labs. The Safeguarding Invaluable Land Act, or SOIL Act, has five co-sponsors and was referred to the House Financial Services, Foreign Affairs, and Energy and Commerce committees. When he introduced it in 2023, it was called the Saving Our Invaluable Land (SOIL) Act.
The House Appropriations Committee unveiled an FY 2026 financial services and general government appropriations bill July 20 that would provide $21 million for the Committee on Foreign Investment in the U.S., the same amount as both the Trump administration’s request and the FY 2025 enacted level.
The U.K. on July 21 sanctioned United Arab Emirates-based companies Intershipping Services and Litasco Middle East DMCC for doing business involving the Russian energy sector. The Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation also issued a new general license that authorizes certain transactions with Intershipping Services involving ships owned by the government of Gabon.
Canada issued a special bulletin this month about the risks posed to companies and financial institutions by sanctions evaders, especially those looking to buy dual-use items or send money to fund terrorism. The 10-page bulletin outlines the Canadian laws that prohibit sanctions evasion, a set of evasion “indicators,” how companies should be complying with sanctions laws, and more.
The U.K. saw an uptick in voluntary disclosures and penalties for export violations last year along with a rise in the percentage of first-time exporters that weren’t fully compliant with export control regulations, it said in its strategic export controls annual report released this month. The country also said it’s hoping to improve its export licensing process to reduce wait times.
The Senate Appropriations Committee’s newly released report on the FY 2026 Commerce-Justice-Science appropriations bill (see 2507170053 and 2507100053) calls for the Bureau of Industry and Security to take several actions to inform lawmakers, including writing a report on international efforts to harmonize export controls on items that could aid Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.