November 2020

Due to Pandemic, BIS Providing Six-Month Export License Extensions

BIS’ Announcement

Last month, the U.S. Commerce Department’s Bureau of Industry & Security (“BIS”) announced that it is providing six-month extensions for export license applications due to economic difficulties associated with the COVID-19 pandemic. As a result of this announcement, BIS is permitting exporters to request six-month validity period extensions for licenses due to expire on or before December 31, 2020. BIS accepts all submission requests in one central electronic mailbox: LicenseExtensionRequest@bis.doc.gov. When a party submits a license extension request, BIS will review the original license and (in most cases), extend the validity of the license by six months. BIS estimates that the majority of extension validity requests will be processed and approved within two to three business days. Acting Under Secretary for Industry and Security Corden Hull said, “The streamlined process will help ensure that exporters with licenses due to expire on or before the end of 2020, who may not have been able to ship orders due to resource constraints during the pandemic, have the opportunity to benefit fully from the authorizations granted on their licenses.”

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By Jennifer Diaz|2020-11-25T15:32:54-05:00November 24, 2020|Best Practices, Customs Expert, Enforcement, Export, Import, International Law, International Trade, Pre-compliance|8 Comments

The Importance of Regular Export Compliance Training for your Business

What’s Export Compliance?

Boundless opportunities exist for U.S. businesses when they export their products and services to foreign markets. In fact, over 95% of the world’s consumers are located outside of the United States. However, the vast export opportunities must be tempered by your duty to diligently and effectively comply with U.S. export control laws under the U.S. Department of Commerce’s Export Administration Regulations (“EAR”) and the U.S. State Department’s International Traffic in Arms Regulations (“ITAR”).

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By Jennifer Diaz|2021-11-04T15:29:30-04:00November 20, 2020|Export, FCPA, U.S. Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS), U.S. Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC)|17 Comments

HOUSEHOLD GOODS AND SERVICES PROVIDERS – WHAT YOU MUST KNOW.

In the household goods and services industry? Did you know you have to import your goods and services in compliance with the Bureau of Household Goods and Services (BHGS) regulations? Manufacturers or wholesalers of any article of upholstered furniture bedding, or filling material manufactured outside of the United States for the purpose of sale or resale in California, whether it be through employees or agents, fall within this category.

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By Jennifer Diaz|2022-07-07T14:42:58-04:00November 10, 2020|Best Practices, Customs Expert, Expert, HTSUS, Import, International Business, International Trade, penalty, Pre-compliance, Seizure, Supply Chain|1 Comment

President Calls for Greater Enforcement Against Counterfeit Imports

What Happened

On October 13, 2020, President Trump issued a Presidential Memorandum on stopping counterfeit trafficking on e-commerce platforms. The memorandum called for U.S. Customs and Border Protection (“CBP”) to “impose the maximum fines and civil penalties permitted by law on any e-commerce platform that directs, assists with, or is in any way concerned in the importation into the United States of counterfeit goods.” Furthermore, the memorandum also called for:

CBP to continue seizing counterfeit goods imported into the United States in connection with e-commerce transactions
Congress to pass laws that clarify and strengthen the president’s authority and increase its resources to address e-commerce-linked counterfeit trafficking
The U.S. Attorney General to develop a legislative proposal to promote the policy objectives of the memorandum within 120 of its publication

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By Jennifer Diaz|2021-12-14T12:05:30-05:00November 5, 2020|Best Practices, Customs Expert, Enforcement, Expert, Export, Import, Import Alert, International Business, International Law, International Trade, Pre-compliance|0 Comments

Election 2020: Trump v. Biden on Trade

Co-Authored by Sharath Patil

Introduction
The 2020 election is one for the record books. At the time of this writing, states have adapted at least in part to mail-in voting systems and voter turnout is booming despite the ongoing public health emergency. There’s another less obvious reason why the 2020 election is unique: it may be the first election in which U.S. trade policy has been a key issue on the debate stage. What does Trump’s record on trade look like? How do Trump and Biden’s trade platforms compare? We will discuss each of these issues, in turn.

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By Jennifer Diaz|2022-07-07T14:42:02-04:00November 3, 2020|Best Practices, Customs Expert, Election 2020, International Business, International Law, International Trade|0 Comments

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