Resources

Client Alerts, News Articles, Blog Posts, & Multimedia

Everything you need to know about BMD and the industry.

Mandatory Filings Under CFIUS New Rules

Client Alert
December 11, 2020

On September 15, 2020, the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (“CFIUS”) promulgated a final rule modifying its mandatory declaration requirements for certain foreign investment transactions involving “TID US businesses” (sensitive U.S. businesses dealing in critical technologies, critical infrastructure and sensitive personal data) dealing in “critical technologies” – i.e., U.S. businesses that produce, design, test, manufacture, fabricate, or develop one or more critical technologies. The new rule also makes amendments to the definition of the term “substantial interest” (used to determine whether a foreign government has a substantial interest in an entity). The final rule became effective on October 15, 2020.

For background purposes, CFIUS is an interagency committee authorized to review certain transactions involving foreign investment in the United States and certain real estate transactions by foreign persons, in order to determine the effect of such transactions on the national security of the United States. 

The new rule renders it critical for parties to a potentially covered transaction to conduct due diligence with legal counsel regarding the classification of the technology of a U.S. company under export control laws.

Prior to the new rule, filings were mandatory for covered transactions involving 27 sensitive industries (31 C.F.R. Part 801 – Annex A). [i] By eliminating the requirement that the critical technology falls within one of 27 industries identified by CFIUS, a filing will now be required for a covered transaction involving a TID US business that deals in critical technologies for which a “U.S. regulatory authorization” would be required to export, re-export, transfer (in-country) or retransfer the technologies to a certain foreign person.

Under the former rule, a foreign government would have a substantial interest in an entity with a general partner (or managing member or equivalent) if the foreign government held a 49% or greater interest (either voting or economic) in the general partner. Under the new rule, this requirement pertains to instances where the activities of the entity are primarily directed, controlled, or coordinated by or on behalf of the general partner. Note that a general partner is deemed to direct, control, or coordinate such activities by contracting a third party to perform such services.

The new rule clarifies how indirect interests in a general partner (or managing member or equivalent) will be calculated. Under the current rule, for purposes of calculating substantial interest, a parent is deemed to hold 100% of only the voting interest of its subsidiary. Under the new rule, a parent will be deemed to hold 100% of the voting and economic interest of its subsidiary.

CFIUS filing is mandatory when a foreign person (a) makes a direct investment, or acquires a direct interest, in a U.S. business that is a covered transaction in a U.S. critical technology business or (b) individually holds, or is part of a group of foreign persons that in the aggregate holds, a direct or indirect 25% or more voting interest in the foreign investor identified in clause (a). If the foreign investor is a partnership that is controlled by a general partner, then the 25% share referenced in clause (b) is based on the foreign person’s share in the general partner. A parent is deemed to own 100% of the interest held by its subsidiary. 

Based on the foregoing, it will be important for a U.S. company contemplating a potentially covered transaction to review with legal counsel the effects of the new CFIUS rule.

If you have questions regarding CFIUS filing, please contact Robert Q. Lee at rqlee@bmdpl.com.

[i] (31 C.F.R. Part 801 – Annex A) 

List of Pilot Program Industries 1. Aircraft Manufacturing (NAICS Code: 336411) 2. Aircraft Engine and Engine Parts Manufacturing (NAICS Code: 336412) 3. Alumina Refining and Primary Aluminum Production (NAICS Code: 331313) 4. Ball and Roller Bearing Manufacturing (NAICS Code: 332991) 5. Computer Storage Device Manufacturing (NAICS Code: 334112) 6. Electronic Computer Manufacturing (NAICS Code: 334111) 7. Guided Missile and Space Vehicle Manufacturing (NAICS Code: 336414) 8. Guided Missile and Space Vehicle Propulsion Unit and Propulsion Unit Parts Manufacturing (NAICS Code: 336415) 9. Military Armored Vehicle, Tank, and Tank Component Manufacturing (NAICS Code: 336992) 10. Nuclear Electric Power Generation (NAICS Code: 221113) 11. Optical Instrument and Lens Manufacturing (NAICS Code: 333314) 12. Other Basic Inorganic Chemical Manufacturing (NAICS Code: 325180) 13. Other Guided Missile and Space Vehicle Parts and Auxiliary Equipment Manufacturing (NAICS Code: 336419) 14. Petrochemical Manufacturing (NAICS Code: 325110) 15. Powder Metallurgy Part Manufacturing (NAICS Code: 332117) 16. Power, Distribution, and Specialty Transformer Manufacturing (NAICS Code: 335311) 17. Primary Battery Manufacturing (NAICS Code: 335912) 18. Radio and Television Broadcasting and Wireless Communications Equipment Manufacturing (NAICS Code: 334220) 19. Research and Development in Nanotechnology (NAICS Code: 541713) 20. Research and Development in Biotechnology (except Nanobiotechnology) (NAICS Code: 541714) 21. Secondary Smelting and Alloying of Aluminum (NAICS Code: 331314) 22. Search, Detection, Navigation, Guidance, Aeronautical, and Nautical System and Instrument Manufacturing (NAICS Code: 334511) 23. Semiconductor and Related Device Manufacturing (NAICS Code: 334413) 24. Semiconductor Machinery Manufacturing (NAICS Code: 333242) 25. Storage Battery Manufacturing (NAICS Code: 335911) 26. Telephone Apparatus Manufacturing (NAICS Code: 334210) 27. Turbine and Turbine Generator Set Units Manufacturing (NAICS Code: 333611)

Robert Q. LeeCFIUScritical technologiesforeign investment transactionsInternational Law
Client Alert

New OSHA Guidance for Workplaces Not Covered by the Healthcare Emergency Temporary Standard

June 11, 2021On June 10, 2021, OSHA issued an Emergency Temporary Standard (ETS) for occupational exposure to COVID-19, but it applies only to healthcare and healthcare support service workers. For a detailed summary of the ETS applicable to the healthcare industry, please visit https://youtu.be/vPyXmKwOzsk. All employers not subject to the ETS should review OSHA’s contemporaneously released, updated Guidance on Mitigating and Preventing the Spread of COVID-19 in the Workplace. The new Guidance essentially leaves intact OSHA’s earlier guidance, but only for unvaccinated and otherwise at-risk workers (“at-risk” meaning vaccinated or unvaccinated workers with immunocompromising conditions). For fully vaccinated workers, OSHA defers to CDC Guidance for Fully Vaccinated People, which advises that most fully vaccinated people can resume activities without wearing masks or physically distancing, except where required by federal, state, or local laws or individual business policies.Client Alert

Employer Liability for COVID-19 Vaccine Side Effects

June 9, 2021As employers encourage or require employees to obtain a COVID-19 vaccine, they should be aware of OSHA recording obligations and potential workers’ compensation liability. Though OSHA has yet to revise its COVID-19 guidance in response to the latest CDC recommendations, OSHA has revised its position regarding the recording of injury or illness resulting from the vaccine. Until now, OSHA required an employer to record an adverse reaction when the vaccine was required for employees and the injury or illness otherwise met the recording criteria (work-related, a new case, and meets one or more of the general recording criteria). OSHA has reversed course and announced that it will not require recording adverse reactions until at least May 2022, irrespective of whether the employer requires the vaccine as a condition of employment. In its revised COVID-19 FAQs, OSHA states:Client Alert

The New Rule 1.510 - Radical Change for Summary Judgement Procedure in Florida

June 8, 2021In civil litigation, where both sides participate actively, trial is usually required at the end of a long, expensive case to determine a winner and a loser. In federal and most state courts, however, there are a few procedural shortcuts by which parties can seek to prevail in advance of trial, saving time, money and annoyance. The most common of these is the “motion for summary judgment”: a request to the court by one side for judgment before trial, generally on the basis that the evidence available reflects that a win for that party is legally inevitable and thus required. Effective May 1, 2021, summary judgment procedure in Florida has radically changed.Client Alert

Vacating, Modifying or Correcting an Arbitration Award Under R.C. 2711.13: Three-Month Limitation Maximum; Not Guaranteed Amount of Time

June 8, 2021In a recent decision, the Supreme Court of Ohio held that neither R.C. 2711.09 nor R.C. 2711.13 requires a court to wait three months after an arbitration award is issued before confirming the award. R.C. 2711.13 provides that “after an award in an arbitration proceeding is made, any party to the arbitration may file a motion in the court of common pleas for an order vacating, modifying, or correcting the award.” Any such motion to vacate, modify, or correct an award “must be served upon the adverse party or his attorney within three months after the award is delivered to the parties in interest.” In BST Ohio Corporation et al. v. Wolgang, the Court held the three-month period set forth in R.C. 2711.13 is not a guaranteed time period in which to file a motion to vacate, modify, or correct an arbitration award. 2021-Ohio-1785.Client Alert

EEOC Provides Updated Guidance Regarding Employer COVID-19 Vaccine Policies

June 3, 2021On May 28, 2021, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission updated its guidance regarding employer COVID-19 vaccination policies. The new guidance provides much-needed clarification of expectations for employers seeking to promote workplace safety and prevent the spread of COVID-19, including discussion of mandatory vaccination policies, voluntary vaccination incentives, and accommodation of employees based on disability or sincerely held religious beliefs. The full text of the update is found in Section K of the EEOC’s COVID Q&A document. You can also learn more about these and other developments from BMD's Bryan Meek and Monica Andress through the Employment Law After Hours YouTube channel, available here.
Older posts
Newer posts