On October 20, the House of Representatives passed five bills with overwhelming bipartisan support that aim to promote supply chain and network security. This post will focus on two bills directed towards the Federal Communications Commission (“FCC”). While these legislative measures are directed towards a U.S. government entity, and thus may not (on their face) appear applicable to corporate supply chains, if enacted, these bills could result in changes to laws, regulations, and policies down…
On October 20, the House of Representatives passed five bills with overwhelming bipartisan support that aim to promote supply chain and network security. This post will focus on one bill directed to the Department of Homeland Security (“DHS”), and two bills directed to the Department of Commerce (“DOC”). While these legislative measures are directed towards U.S. government entities, and thus may not (on their face) appear applicable to corporate supply chains, if enacted, these bills…
On 19 October 2021, the EU Commission published its 2022 Work Programme (the “Programme“), which sets out the key goals that the EU Commission hopes to achieve in 2022. Chief amongst these is a desire to make “A Europe Fit for the Digital Age”, with a key proposal to achieve this being a possible “European Chips Act”. In the Programme, the EU Commission has stated that it will publish a proposal for a European Chips Act (the…
Wednesday, November 3, 202110:00 am – 11:00 am ET The future of the healthcare and life sciences supply chain is digital. New technologies are redefining the delivery of healthcare, improving clinical data flows, tracking medical supply inventory and enhancing overall patient care. In this one-hour webinar, our panel of experts will look at the business issues, practical applications and legal considerations when digitizing the supply chain, covering topics such as: The blockchain potentialArtificial intelligence and…
On September 24, 2021, the Commerce Department’s Bureau of Industry (“BIS”) published a “Notice of Request for Public Comments on Risks in the Semiconductor Supply Chain” (“Notice”). The Notice seeks responses from various parties in the semiconductor supply chain about current shortages and related issues. Comments in response to the Notice are due by November 8, 2021. The Notice was issued in response to a 100-Day Supply Chain Review (“Review”) of semiconductors and advanced packaging…
On August 19, 2021, the Federal Communications Commission (“FCC”) published a notice of proposed rulemaking (the “NPRM”) discussing potential changes it is considering making to its equipment authorization and competitive bidding programs to restrict the use of telecommunications and video surveillance equipment and services produced or provided by five Chinese companies. Those changes could further narrow the availability and use of such equipment in the United States, and restrict companies that accept financing from two…
Exploring Canada’s Unique Response to Business and Human Rights Thursday, October 28, 202112:00 pm – 1:00 pm ET Join Baker McKenzie Partner, Kevin Coon for a conversation with Canada’s first Ombudsperson for Responsible Enterprise, Sheri Meyerhoffer.June 2021 marked the 10th anniversary of the United Nations Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights (UNGPs), the leading global framework for the respective duties and responsibilities of governments and businesses to safeguard human rights in economic activities.To address international…
On October 8, the US Department of Labor (“DOL”) published a notice requesting information and comments on the following three reports on child labor and forced labor practices in foreign countries that are published by the US Bureau of International Labor Affairs (“ILAB”). The comments will be used in preparing the 2022 edition of the TDA Report and TVPRA List, as well as any updates to the E.O. List. The three reports are the US…
On 15 September, during the 2021 State of the Union Address, EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen announced the European Commission’s intention to introduce a ban on the import of products made with forced labour into the EU market. In her Address, the Commission President noted that there are “25 million people…who are threatened or coerced into forced labour” and that “doing business around the world…can never be done at the expense of people’s…
On September 28, 2021, the US Department of Defense (“DoD”) published a notice of request for public comments. DOD’s request relates to Executive Order 14017, (“America’s Supply Chains” or “Supply Chain EO”). See some of our key blog posts on the Supply Chain EO for more background. As part of requiring agency reviews of key industrial bases’ supply chains, the Supply Chain EO mandated that DoD conduct a one-year review of supply chains within the defense industrial base…