Treasury Secretary: Bureau of Industry and Security’s 50% Rule Suspended for One Year By John H. Kester and Oliver M. Krischik Effective November 10, the U.S. will be suspending for one year the so-called “50% Rule” or “Affiliates Rule” that had extended applicability of Entity and Military End-User List restrictions, according to the White House. […]
Drug Enforcement Agency Focused on Fentanyl Precursor Imports By John H. Kester Importers working to ensure compliance with swiftly changing tariffs enforced by Customs and Border Protection would be prudent also to keep another arm of government in mind: the Drug Enforcement Agency (“DEA”). Just as the Trump Administration has pointed to fentanyl as justification […]
U.S. Sanctions President of Colombia and Other Individuals On October 24, 2025 the U.S. Department of Treasury announced that, through its Office of Foreign Assets Control (“OFAC”), it is imposing individual sanctions against the President of Colombia, Gustavo Petro, as well as his wife, son, and “a close associate.” As a result of the sanctions, […]
Exciting Announcement from GKG Law We’re proud to share that Keith G. Swirsky, Principal at GKG Law and a leading authority in business aviation law, will serve as Moderator at Corporate Jet Investor Miami 2025, taking place November 4–6, 2025, at the Fontainebleau Miami Beach. Keith will lead a high-level panel discussion titled:“Navigating Off-Market and […]
By John H. Kester The U.S. Department of Commerce’s Bureau of Industry and Security (“BIS”) on Monday announced an interim final rule (“IFR”) stating that any entity that is at least 50 percent owned by one or more entities on the Entity List or the Military End-User List (“MEU List”), directly or indirectly, individually or […]
By GKG Law GKG Law last month was the only law firm member of the Department of Commerce sponsored U.S. Business Delegation to the Middle Corridor, a week-long trade mission to Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan, and Georgia that brought together U.S. trade and logistics companies with their regional counterparts and high-ranking government officials. The mission was organized […]
This week, the D.C. Circuit struck down the section of the Federal Maritime Commission (“FMC”) Final Rule on Detention and Demurrage Billing Practices (the “Final Rule”) that limited the parties to whom detention and demurrage invoices could be issued. On September 23, 2025, the D.C. Circuit issued its opinion in World Shipping Council v. FMC, which […]
Recent Amendments to Beneficial Ownership Information Reporting (BOIR) Regulations (as of March 21, 2025) Late Friday evening, March 21, 2025, FinCEN implemented significant amendments to the Beneficial Ownership Information Reporting (BOIR) regulations under the Corporate Transparency Act (CTA), limiting the scope of the beneficial ownership information (BOI) filing requirements to foreign entities only and […]
U.S. Trade Representative Proposes Up to $1.5 Million Dollar Vessel Entrance Fee on Chinese Built Vessels Entering U.S. Ports and Phased Requirement to Export Increasing Percentage of U.S. Goods on U.S.-flagged, U.S.-operated and U.S.-built Vessels. Author: Rachel Amster Summary. On Friday, February 21, 2025, the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative (“USTR”) issued a notice […]
Late Sunday evening, March 2, 2025, the Treasury Department announced that it is suspending the enforcement of the imposition of fines and penalties under the Corporate Transparency Act (the “CTA”) against U.S. Citizens and Domestic Reporting Companies. While the enforcement of the CTA will not be pursued against those reporting companies who do not file, compliance […]