An upcoming Bureau of Industry and Security rule that’s expected to place new export controls on advanced AI-related chips will “go down as one of the most destructive to ever hit the U.S. technology industry,” major cloud services provider Oracle said this week.
Almost 10 months after announcing he would oppose the proposed acquisition of U.S. Steel Corp. by Japan-based Nippon Steel Corp. (see 2403140049), President Joe Biden issued a formal order Jan. 3 blocking the deal, saying he continues to believe the 124-year-old American steelmaker should remain in domestic hands. Nippon Steel criticized the decision and hinted it will challenge it in court.
Incoming House Financial Services Committee Chairman French Hill, R-Ark., said Jan. 3 that he plans to consult with the incoming Trump administration before possibly taking action on legislation to restrict U.S. outbound investment in China.
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The Bureau of Industry and Security’s record-setting enforcement pace over the last several years has raised the agency’s profile and convinced more businesses to invest in compliance, said Matthew Axelrod, the top BIS export enforcement official. But Axelrod said he thinks companies can do more.
The incoming Trump administration should launch a “comprehensive review of supply chain and technology control policies,” including export controls and outbound investment restrictions, to determine whether they’re being used effectively, the Information Technology Industry Council said in a December report. It specifically called on the new administration to examine existing export controls on advanced semiconductors and equipment along with “technology transaction reviews on AI and quantum” to make sure they’re “bolstering national security.”
Companies subject to the Treasury Department’s paused beneficial ownership information (BOI) reporting requirements are in a “state of bewilderment” after the Corporate Transparency Act rules were temporarily reinstated earlier this month only for them to be quickly placed back under a nationwide injunction last week (see 2412270046), Holland & Knight said in a Dec. 27 client alert. For now, the law firm said there “appears to be a set path forward and a reprieve from imminent compliance obligations” under the rules, which would have required most companies to submit BOI reports to the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network in January as part of a government initiative to prevent sanctioned parties and others from hiding assets in the U.S.
Covington lawyers expect the upcoming Polish presidency of the Council of the EU, running from January to June, to make “significant strides” around technology and trade issues, the firm said in a December client alert.
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the 5th Circuit stayed a nationwide injunction of the Corporate Transparency Act’s beneficial ownership information (BOI) reporting requirements on Dec. 23, temporarily lifting a recent federal court order that was set to block the rules from taking effect for most companies Jan. 1 (see 2412090065).
A bipartisan, bicameral bill would create a Maritime Security Trust Fund, into which revenues would come from tonnage fees on Chinese-owned and Chinese-flagged ships visiting U.S. ports, special tonnage taxes, light money, and tariffs and duties, including Section 301 tariffs.