Matt Rosenbaum, former senior counsel with the Bureau of Industry and Security, has joined Holland & Knight's international trade group, the firm said this week. Rosenbaum left BIS in October after joining the agency in January 2024.
A federal jury this week convicted New York resident Ji Wang on charges of economic espionage and theft of trade secrets after the U.S. said he stole information about optical fibers for high-powered lasers and planned to use that information to start a business in China.
Although China agreed to temporarily suspend its sweeping rare earth export restrictions, the threat of those controls returning appears likely, said Jude Blanchette, director of the Rand China Research Center.
The U.S. this week charged a Belorussian citizen with illegally exporting U.S. avionics and aircraft equipment to Russia, including for use by a company on the Entity List.
The Office of Foreign Assets Control issued a new general license this week that authorizes certain transactions with three aircraft that had been blocked under the Belarus Sanctions Regulations. The license, which has no expiration date, authorizes transactions with:
Texas resident Mohammed Aldalki is suing the Bureau of Industry and Security and CBP, alleging that they illegally detained his 2021 Mercedes before it could be exported to Jordan.
Rep. Ben Cline, R-Va., on Oct. 31 introduced a companion to a Senate bill aimed at ensuring that the Bureau of Industry and Security and the State Department’s Directorate of Defense Trade Controls can continue processing license applications for firearms exports during a lapse in government appropriations (see 2510310048). Cline’s measure was referred to the House Judiciary and Foreign Affairs committees.
Sen. Jim Risch, R-Idaho, introduced a bill Oct. 30 that seeks to ensure that the Bureau of Industry and Security and the State Department’s Directorate of Defense Trade Controls can continue processing license applications for firearms exports during a lapse in government appropriations. The Firearm Access During Shutdowns Act, which also would apply to federal agencies that handle domestic sales, was referred to the Senate Judiciary Committee.
Sen. Tom Cotton, R-Ark., urged the Commerce Department on Oct. 30 to support Malaysia’s new efforts to prevent the country from being used to smuggle export-controlled U.S. chips to China.
The U.S. decision to suspend the Bureau of Industry and Security's 50% rule was met with both relief and exasperation by U.S. exporters, some of whom welcomed more time to prepare while also expressing frustration with the time and resources they already spent trying to comply, including buying expensive screening software.