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For U.S. trade interests struggling for years with an antiquated Cold War-era export control system, your wait for reform is almost over. In a move that could ignite already surging [...]

A retired professor at the University of Tennessee was arrested this spring for violating U.S. export control laws, along with an executive at the U.S. company that contracted him to [...]

The Internet has affected every aspect of commercial life. One of the most important, though often overlooked, is its impact on applicable U.S. export control laws. Companies today are struggling [...]

Mexico has published a list of products available for export benefits because they are made in Maquiladora plants.

Look out for rate hike for Asian-bound exports. Shipping lines that carry U.S. goods to Asia are attempting to raise rates as Asia recovers from its economic problems of recent [...]

Expect export restrictions on thousands of U.S.-made products to be eased. Affected products will include portable generators, many metal alloys, PCs for consumers, ceramics, and centrifugal [...]

The government of Hong Kong is seeking to destroy paper trade documentation. It is also calling for the standardization of electronic filing. The alternative of submitting import and export declarations by mail in 1999 was eliminated by a new regulation. The only remaining options are a personal call from the office or electronic filing. A spokesman said that by April 2000, the government is planning to use electronic filing as the sole means of submitting export and import declarations.

Good news for exporters: The Commerce Department's Bureau of Industry and Security has proposed new rules to make it easier to determine if your shipments are violating complex export-control regulations [...]

Everyone knows you can't have green without yellow. And everyone in the pigment business knows you can't have pigment yellow 12 without 3,3-dichlorobenzidine, or DCB. For dye-maker Apollo Color Inc., [...]

The New Bureau of Export Administration The new 'Bureau of Export Administration' (BXA) establishes a central agency for high-level direction of national export control policy. With the Bureau's establishment, an [...]

Export Enforcement Secures America's Technology On Oct. 1, 1987, the Commerce Department established the Bureau of Export Administration, elevating export enforcement functions to the Under Secretariat level. Through the Assistant [...]

Export Licensing From 'A' to 'Z' On Oct. 1, 1987, the Commerce Department established the Bureau of Export Administration, elevating export licensing and policy analysis functions to the Under Secretariat [...]

COMMERCE SIMPLIFIES EXPORT LICENSING Advancing America's national security interests and U.S. industry's ability to compete internationally are two vital national objectives. The Commerce Department is responsible for administering and enforcing [...]

KACHAJIAN'S REBELLION WELCOME TO GEORGE KACHAJIAN'S Theater of the Absurd. You will know you have arrived when you see the marquee, there above the front door of his corporate headquarters [...]

Legislation concerning export controls must balance two concerns--promoting commercial prospects and safeguarding national security. The Export Administration Amendments Act that was passed and signed into law by President Reagan on [...]

The US Customs Service reports that the timely filing of shippers export declarations and bills of ladings improved by 14% and 26% respectively. Filing of shippers export declarations reached an efficiency of 85% while bill of ladings filing efficiency reached 89.5%. The increased filing efficiency is the shipping community's response to Customs' Automated Export System, which allows shippers to submit their filings via electronic means. Customs pressured shippers into compliance with the new filing system by imposing fines on carriers that can range froam $50 to $1000 per day of late filing. Carrier Sea-Land Service Inc. estimates that it can pay as much as $40,000 a week for late filings.

The Defense Technology Security Administration of the Department of Defense is again at odds with the US Commerce Department over the violation of licensing exports. The Pentagon is heading a congressional investigation to determine if local aerospace firms can be held liable for allowing China to gain missile guidance system technology after a satellite launch failure of Hughes Electronics and Loral Space and Communications Ltd occurred in 1996.

The US Customs Service is delaying exports of dual-use goods to India and Pakistan following confusion over US Department of Commerce rules. Customs agents are getting more prudent with shipments to the two countries despite the interim guidelines on export licensing released by the Commerce Department, causing delays at the airports. The regulations were in line with the nuclear tests in India and Pakistan in June 1998.

The Office of Defense Trade Controls (DTC) continues to fight President Bill Clinton's decision to relieve the agency of its export licensing role. Industry analysts believe that the move of DTC officials to block Pres Clinton's March 1996 directive, which calls for the turn over of satellite licensing to the Department of Commerce, is due mainly to a concern that the decison will lead to relaxation of controls. Some analysts also suspect that the DTC, together with the Technology Security Administration, is also behind the released of stories involving satellite exports.

The Commerce Department has elected to provide exemptions to credit card and securities companies that will enable them to export encrypted software sans any controls. The exemptions would not cover insurance companies, which have demanded a similar reprieve. The action has been viewed as an attempt to undermine the drive in Congress to abolish all export curbs on encoded programs that are sold sans controls domestically.

Export control regulations can apply to any number of dual-use items, and ought to be of concern to any manufacturer doing business internationally. Is your business at risk of violation? [...]

The US computer industry and Congress are bound to renew their antagonistic relations as Congress urges the Clinton Administration to reimpose export controls on supercomputers. The suggestion is in response to Silicon Graphics Inc.'s case where it capitalized on a lull in supercomputer export controls to ship two supercomputers to the Russian Ministry of Atomic Energy. Silicon Graphics stated that it did not have any knowledge that the ministry was also engaged in weapons research. A reimposition of export controls would be detrimental to the computer industry, since many of supercomputer orders are from foreign sources.

The Clinton administration plans to liberalize export regulations on encrypted software that have 'key recovery' systems which will be made available to the FBI. The proposal has sparked intense debate since the White House intends to work closely with only a select group of software manufacturers. Some critics have argued that the policy may discriminate against many small software manufacturers.

The signing of an agreement to control exports of high-technology products and conventional weapons in 33 nations is being held back by a number of still unresolved issues. Although accords have been reached, reliable security for preventing the sale of sensitive technology to dangerous governments has not yet been achieved. In addition, there is still uncertainty as to what goods will be included in the lists of products that have to be controlled.

Computer industry members are concerned over signs that an export speedup policy backed by Pres. Bill Clinton is extending licensing times for several sales and providing added power to the Arms Control and Disarmament Agency. The policy signed by Clinton on Dec. 5, 1995 would reduce maximum licensing times for high-technology exports by 25%. Unfortunately, the new mandatory referrals to security agencies have slowed down routine exports.

The Clinton administration is evaluating a scheme to shift export licensing of encrypted software from the State Department to the Dept. of Commerce. Although the National Security Agency (NSA) is reportedly supporting the plan, it would pit the NSA against Congress and software developers that wish to meet foreign market demand for encrypted software. At present, three proposals to liberalize the export of such software are currently pending in Congress.

Commercial satellite and jet engine manufacturers view with caution the shift of licensing authority over exports of their products, from the State Dept. to Commerce. The move by the Clinton administration, which was orchestrated by the late Commerce Secretary Ron Brown, is a timely truce in what has become an interagency turf war. However, the industry and trade experts are concerned that the State Dept., which retains a major role in licensing, will still be able to hinder the process. These exports of communications satellites and jet engine technologies used to be considered as munitions by the State Dept. With the reclassification, they have been categorized as dual-use items.

Pres. Clinton ordered faster administration of export licensing on Dec. 5, 1995. The order was also intended to give in to the Defense Department's demands for oversight of certain exports while alleviating the industry's concerns about delays. Three months later, high technology industry officials are complaining that the export licensing rule has actually slowed down sales. Government officials, however, are claiming that the delays on export licensing will be minimal in the long-term.

An executive order aimed at speeding export licensing for many high-tech goods is also expected to give the Dept. of Defense authority over the issuance of export clearances by the Dept. of Commerce. Officials believe that the new order will promote exports of high-tech products by reducing the scrutiny on high-tech licenses.

Legislators who are pushing for the passing of the bill lifting the 23-year-old ban on Alaskan oil exports have turned to the budget reconciliation process to speed up the enactment of the bill. Under the process, the House and Senate committees will be prevented from exceeding their budget. It will also dictate to the committees how much they should raise in taxes, thereby forcing them to end the ban on the budget bill.

Sen. Robert Smith and Sen. Spencer Abraham have filed a bill seeking the transfer of the Dept. of Commerce's export licensing authority to the Dept. of Defense. Government sources claim that the measure was spurred by a long-running feud between both agencies, in which Defense officials accused the Commerce Dept. of not consulting them on license applications which may affect national security. Exporters generally oppose the legislation, saying that Defense officials would be more strict in handing out licenses.

Another dispute over export controls for high technology looms in Congress as hearings on the Export Administration Act began in the last week of Jan. 1995. Congress failed to settle the matter in 1994, except to approve its extension for one year until Sep. 1995. Reforms and amendments to the act were last implemented in 1979 and 1988, respectively. The act imposes restrictions on the licensing of exports and the transfer of militarily sensitive technology.