The Commerce Department should make clear who involved in the import process might be subject to the proposed procedures for how to review transactions that involve information and communications technology and services (ICTS) and are seen as a potential threat, the Express Association of America said in comments. The Commerce proposal is meant as a way for the government to oversee transactions, including importations, seen as risky (see 1911260032). Comments on the proposal were due Jan. 10 and were posted in Commerce docket 2019-0005.
The Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control sanctioned seven Venezuelan government officials who attempted to seize control of the country’s National Assembly and block an election, Treasury said in a Jan. 13 press release. The officials include Luis Eduardo Parra Rivero, Jose Gregorio Noriega Figueroa, Franklyn Leonardo Duarte, Jose Dionisio Brito Rodriguez, Conrado Antonio Perez Linares, Adolfo Ramon Superlano and Negal Manuel Morales Llovera. The sanctions came less than a week after the European Union announced intentions to soon impose sanctions on Venezuelan officials who tried to block the election process (see 2001100014).
The U.S., the European Union and Japan should do more to align their export control regimes and cooperate on new export control measures to defend against Chinese mercantilist trade practices, the Information Technology & Innovation Foundation said in a Jan. 13 report. The three parties should schedule “formal meetings” to discuss export controls, saying previous discussions have been too “limited in scope. They should be broader given the changing nature of China’s pursuit of advanced technology.”
Hogan Lovells named Jared Wessel, who worked in the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative General Counsel's office during the Obama administration, a partner, the law firm said in a news release. Anne Fisher, who works on export control issues, was named counsel, Hogan Lovells said.
China’s latest draft of its export control law (see 1912260029) represents the country’s first “comprehensive and consolidated” export control legislation and includes regulations for end-user statements, increased penalties and more, according to a Jan. 9 post from Baker McKenzie.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture is issuing a final rule amending its regulations on its Market Access Program to eliminate the five-year limit on participation by branded products. Other updates in the final rule will bring the operation of the export promotion program “into conformance with the requirements in the Uniform Guidance,” USDA said. “Additional changes, such as the flexibility to announce program funding opportunities on the Grants.gov portal and edits to bring more consistency between the Market Access Program (MAP) and the Foreign Market Development (FMD) program, are desirable to bring the administration of the program into line with current best practices in Federal grant-making.” The final rule takes effect Jan. 13.
The United Kingdom plans to establish a human rights sanctions regime after it leaves the European Union, Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab said Jan. 9. The regime will be “inspired” by Canada’s human rights program and Britain will “look forward to collaborating” with Canada on human rights sanctions, Raab said.
The European Union is planning to impose sanctions on Venezuelan officials and people who attempted to block the country’s election process, Josep Borrell, the EU’s high representative, said Jan. 9. Borrell called the attempts to control the election “utterly unacceptable” and said “the EU is ready to start work towards applying targeted measures against individuals involved in the violation of these principles and rights.” U.S. officials have urged the EU to increase sanctions pressure on Venezuela (see 1912200049 and 1909240039).
Recently Released Export Control Signals BIS Intent to Narrowly Control Emerging Tech, Law Firms Say
The Commerce Department’s narrow set of controls on exports of geospatial imagery software issued earlier this month (see 2001030024) could foreshadow a more “targeted and restrained approach” in the agency’s emerging technology effort, according to a Jan. 8 post from Paul Hastings. By limiting the controls to software that is only “specially designed” for specific purposes, such as “training a neural network to analyze geospatial imagery,” Commerce is signaling its intention to impose controls that only capture small slivers of technology, the post said. “The move might signal an inclination by [the Bureau of Industry and Security] to take a careful approach to regulating [artificial intelligence] and other emerging technologies.”
The White House proposed a series of regulatory principles on governing artificial intelligence development and removing “barriers” to U.S. AI innovation, in a Jan. 7 memorandum. The memo -- which comes as the Commerce Department considers export controls on emerging technologies that include AI (see 1912160032) -- said federal agencies should deploy a “regulatory approach that fosters innovation, growth, and engenders trust” while also “protecting core American values, through both regulatory and non-regulatory actions.” The memo urges agencies to avoid regulations that “needlessly hamper AI innovation and growth” and encourages them to “provide ample opportunities” for the public to comment on regulatory efforts.