Background on Lawsuit On November 2, the United States District Court for the District of Columbia dismissed the suit brought by a class of child laborers who mine cobalt in the Democratic Republic of Congo (“DRC”) against several US tech companies under the Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act (“TVPRA”) and several common law based causes of action. TVPRA allows victims of human trafficking and certain other crimes such as forced labor to bring civil claims…
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 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…
A key challenge of supply chain compliance management is access to reliable real-time information. Apps and technology tools can offer a possible solution, though they also come with some risks. There is an increasing array of data analytics products utilizing data on the market that seek to support supply chain compliance by providing up-to-date data and other analytics to help businesses navigate increasingly complex supply chain compliance issues. The COVID-19 pandemic has seen even more…
When multiple industry groups join efforts to push back on regulations proposed by the US Department of Commerce (“Commerce”), it likely means two things: first, the topic is highly relevant to many US businesses, and second, the proposed regulations need further refining. Many trade associations and businesses expressed concerns with the highly anticipated proposed regulations issued by Commerce on November 26, 2019 (“Proposed Regulations”) to implement Executive Order 13873, “Securing the Information and Communications Technology…