Do As I Say Not As I . . . etc. etc.

Clif Burns highlights the challenges of managing export compliance in an increasingly virtual world...

Do As I Say Not As I . . . etc. etc.

Back from the Abyss

The Bureau of Industry and Security's annual UPDATE export controls conference has commenced in Washington, DC and for the first time in years I am not in attendance.  Timing was bad this year as I have to be in DC next week where I am speaking at the American Conference Institute's ITAR Compliance Forum being held at the Fairmont downtown, July 24 & 25.  For more information go to http://www.americanconference.com/ITAR.


I am once again testing the waters with this blog.  Time just seems to slip away from me.  I have been working on the lyrics for a new ditty (working title:  Export Control Reform Blues).  Stay tuned!    

Compliance Blues, Pt. III - The Video

Greetings from the Compliance Abyss!



If you like the MP3 version of Compliance Blues, there is now a video slide show to go with the lyrics, and its available on YouTube. To view, just click on the link embedded in the title of this post.

A Thank You!

Although 'Compliance Blues' was written in 2002 it seems fitting that it is resonating with the trade community in 2009 given these unsettling times. We are all under a lot of stress and I am glad to have provided a little levity to my fellow trade compliance professionals.

In that regard, I wish to offer my sincere thanks to both Doug Jacobson at Sandler & Travis and Jim Bartlett of Northrop Grumman for helping spread the word regarding the tune.

Trade Compliance Road Warrior

2009 started out a bit modestly for me travel wise. Most certainly due to the global economy. However, as March approaches I have a number of travels coming that will take me a number of important trade compliance events, including:

Export Regulatory "Coffee" (for Clients), Houston, TX - February 24

SIA Back to Basics ITAR Conference, San Diego, CA - March 2 - 4

ICPA (International Compliance Professionals Association) Annual Conference, Anaheim, CA - March 8 - 12

BIS Export Control Forum, Newport Beach, CA - March 16 - 17

ACI National Forum on Export Controls, Washington, DC - May 19 - 20

I am also working on a number of other events and will post more here later...

Compliance Blues...the lyrics now have MUSIC!

If you have visited my blog before you may have stumbled upon the lyrics to "Compliance Blues", a song a which I wrote in 2002. Well, thanks to my good friend Tim Birchard, there is now some music to go with those lyrics. You can access the song

by clicking on the title of this post above.

Tim is like a brother to me as well as being a fine muscian and singer. If you like this tune, you can check out Tim's other work, including his new CD at his website. Tim is not a "starving artist" but if it'll help him turn more people on to his music, I will gladly say that he could put on a few pounds...

Taking another stab at it...

I started this blog with grand intentions but was subsequently consumed with the reality of the daily grind. As the title above reflects, I am going to try to be a bit more communicative and use this blog to post some ideas, news, musings, etc. However, I doubt it will be frequent activity. In the current economic climate one has to keep one's focus on what really matters.

Since my last post, I joined Facebook and created a group there for the Export Compliance Professional. It is technically a "closed" group whereby you have to apply to me to join, but as I have been trying to get the membership up to a decent level, I've simply been approving anyone who wants to join....but I am going to want to see some trade compliance credentials before long here, especially from those I don't know.

Export Control Groupies

Yes...they DO exist! I have just returned from the Lollapalooza of export control road trips. I attended the three biggies...BIS Update in Washington, IBC Global Trade Controls in London and the SIA Defense Trade Conference in Washington. It has been a whirlwind couple of weeks. The amazing thing is that I was NOT alone! There were a couple other export control die hards that joined me for the "trade geek troika". I think at this point that I have just about had it with conferences. Time to get back to work. What was most impressive to me was the high level of attendance and attention at each event...

• BIS Update was packed to the very end (may have had something to do with the giveaways at the end...next year I think OEE should give away a 100% penalty rebate on the VD of your choice...national security controlled items excluded of course).
• IBC's Global Trade Controls Conference was staid by comparison. This excellent 3-day event is attended by anywhere from 50 to 100 mostly senior-level trade compliance executives and government officials from around the world. While this annual event is privately sponsored, it gets high level attention from the governments. Assistant Secretary of State Hillen and Assistant Secretary of Commerce Lichtenbaum were in attendance as well as other officials. The exclusiveness of this event (helped by the rather high admission price!) fostered a vibrant discourse among the attendees. (My schedule permitting I will post a summary of the key messages from this event in a future entry on this blog.) Even the London weather cooperated!
• SIA's annual defense trade conference in Washington was the biggest one EVER. There were well over 600 attendees at this year's event with one company accounting for over 50 of the attendees. With the focus on compliance and enforcement issues it felt a bit like the presenters were preaching to the choir, but there was a tremendous amount of valuable information on how exporters can manage their compliance issues. It is also clear that there are a lot of export compliance jobs out there as quite a number of companies posted openings on the bulletin board at the conference.

It was an exhausting couple of weeks, but well worth it. More later....

Since when are export compliance conferences as popular as U2?

This is getting ridiculous. Space at export control seminars selling out in MINUTES. That's what happened last week on Friday in relation to the Society for International Affairs (SIA) Defense Trade Controls Conference to be held inWashington, D.C. Nov 7-8. I managed to get in, but I know a lot of professionals out there who didn't. This annual event is clearly recognized as an important one by the trade community. It's just unfortunate that such events are not held more frequently, or at larger venues so that more exporters can attend.

Almost the same thing happened last month when the Bureau of Industry and Security opened registration for its annual Update conference to be held Oct. 24-25. I hear it sold out in less than 48 hours. Wow! I can see a cottage industry developing around the scalping of trade compliance conference registrations! I'm not kidding...check the October 10th entry on this blog http://www.exportcontrolblog.com/.

Useful links Part I

Here are a few URLs which you trade compliance professionals may find useful. I've been meaning to build a comprehensive list and post it on this blog, but alas I have not had much time to focus on it of late. Instead of starting with some of the obvious ones such as the standard links to the Commerce and State Departments, I thought I'd delve deeper and provide some links that can be more difficult to find. Here are a few: More will follow

List of BIS Enforcement Case Summaries
http://efoia.bis.doc.gov/ExportControlViolations/TOCExportViolations.htm

Crypto law Survey - great site for info on encryption laws in different countries
http://rechten.uvt.nl/koops/cryptolaw/index.htm

USA*Engage - information on state and local trade sanctions
http://www.usaengage.org/