Trade Compliance Guy

Compliance Blues, Pt. III - The Video

2010-11-01T14:21:00.000-07:00

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!

2009-03-11T11:12:00.000-07:00

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

2009-02-22T15:06:00.000-08:00

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!

2009-02-22T14:46:00.000-08:00

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...

2009-02-22T12:59:00.000-08:00

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

2005-11-08T22:12:00.000-08:00

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?

2005-10-13T10:53:00.000-07:00

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

2005-09-21T00:38:00.000-07:00

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/

Compliance Blues

2005-02-01T09:49:00.000-08:00

A number of my professional colleagues encouraged me to post this little ditty that came to me on a long airplane flight a few years ago. Enjoy....

Compliance Blues

Got a letter the other day
Came from a man at BXA
Said he’d like to come for a visit
Oh…man….this is it..

I’got those deep down compliance blues
I’got those deep down compliance blues
When you’d trade anything to be in someone else’s shoes

When I messed up that SED
They put out an A.P.B.
Yeah, the CI and AWB were out of line
But that shady forwarder said I’d be just fine

I’got those deep down compliance blues
I’got those deep down compliance blues
When you’d trade anything to be in someone else’s shoes

Senior Management was havin’ a fit
If only they could see it from where I sit
That enforcement agent with his slick RayBans
Was ready to toss me in the can

I’got those deep down compliance blues
I’got those deep down compliance blues
When you’d trade anything to be in someone else’s shoes

I can quote the regs til I turn blue
Sales and shipping just do what they wanna do
Maybe one day justice will prevail
And BXA will send our CEO to jail

I’got those deep down compliance blues
I’got those deep down compliance blues
When you’d trade anything to be in someone else’s shoes

As I soldier on through the compliance quagmire
I’ll trudge along till the last license expires
Cuz no matter what they may say
I ain’t got them blues as bad as ol’ Ken Lay

I’got those deep down compliance blues
I’got those deep down compliance blues
When you’d trade anything to be in someone else’s shoes
Yeah, I’got those deep down compliance blues

©By Bruce “BRJblues” Jackson 2/14/2002

What is this BLOG about?

2005-01-22T08:24:00.000-08:00

I wanted to create a blog that would provide information on international trade compliance issues and links to useful websites for all the other trade compliance "geeks" out there. This is a work in progress and I am completely new to blogging so please bear with me as I figure this out.

If you have stumbled upon this page by accident, you might be asking yourself "what is trade compliance"? Let me try to explain in as few words as possible. International trade between countries is governed by a myriad of laws and government regulations, and exporters and importers of goods, services and even sharers of information are subject to these rules. Some of these international trade rules exist for national security (think "high tech") or foreign policy (think "embargoes") reasons, while others exist for economic (think "protection of threatened domestic industries") and balance of trade reasons.

Not following the rules can lead to stiff penalties and sanctions, especially in our post 9/11 world. So companies and organizations invest significant resources to make sure they are in "compliance" with the laws and regulations. Thus arose the "trade compliance professional" and his/her need for the information and resources to perform the tasks required to ensure compliance.

My own background is heavily on the "export" side of the international trade field, so please forgive me if this blog tends to focus on export compliance issues more heavily than import compliance issues. I will rely on my import geek colleagues to help me keep a relatively even keel.

With that, I will endeavor to post information and links on this blog that are useful to the trade compliance professional. I live and breathe this stuff (much to the dismay of my family!) so having something to say about trade compliance issues should not be an obstacle.

The Trade Compliance Guy