It’s one thing to have your name in the news as part of a settlement agreement for export control violations. It’s quite another to be publicly called out by the government for apparently ignoring the new Russia sanctions. That’s exactly what happened earlier this month, when the Commerce Department issued a press release identifying dozens…
Over the past month, we’ve been inundated with calls and emails from people trying to export defense items to Ukraine. Mostly firearms, ammunition and body armor. The majority of these questions seem to come from former U.S. military personnel who are travelling to that area of the world to lend their expertise and help. It…
Tell me if this scenario raises any red flags. Your U.S. company produces complicated Industrial Microwave Systems (IMS). These systems can be used for things like food and beverage processing. With some modifications, they can also be used to create high-power directed-energy weapons systems. One day, you’re contacted by a representative from a company you’ve…
If you made a list of corporations that you’d never want to battle in court, which one would be at the top of that list? Perhaps one with $200 billion in cash? Maybe one with a market cap of $2.8 trillion and the second-most valuable brand in the world? Last month, a small Israeli company…
Eighteen years before he wrote Jurassic Park, the novelist Michael Crichton penned a different story titled The Terminal Man. It’s about a computer scientist who undergoes surgery to cure his seizures – having 40 different electrodes embedded in the amygdala part of his brain and connected to a small computer in his shoulder. Spoiler alert! …
A few weeks ago, the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) issued a stark warning to companies and individuals worldwide. Export and sanctions enforcement efforts are on the rise. Especially for anyone who engages with China, Russia, North Korea or Iran. During a keynote address on October 5 in New York, associate deputy attorney general John…
James Bond makes it look so easy. Zooming around in sports cars with an array of techno-gadgets at his fingertips, he outwits his adversaries and saves the world. He does all of this while wearing tailor-made suits and sipping martinis. After defeating every foe, he jets off to a villa in the French Riviera, where…
We all remember the cute nursery rhyme “Peter Piper.” (Try reciting it five times fast!) But in today’s world of ransomware attacks, many U.S. companies are caught in a troublesome “pickle” trying to figure out what to do. Here’s the scenario. Over a weekend (particularly holiday weekends), your company may find itself hit by a…
Fans of the movie “Office Space” are familiar with the dreaded TPS Report. Recently, the U.S. Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) finalized its plans to reduce reporting requirements for certain encryption items. This change was made “in order to reduce exporters’ regulatory burdens.” By way of background, BIS is responsible for oversight and enforcement…
Unlicensed Exports Apply To All Foreign National Students It’s been several years since the imprisonment of John Reece Roth, a former University of Tennessee electrical engineering professor who was convicted of conspiracy, wire fraud and fifteen (15) violations of exporting ITAR controlled defense articles. Professor Roth was involved in a U.S. Air Force contract for…