Crowell & Moring LLP (LexBlog United Kingdom)

Europe’s biggest online fashion retailer, Zalando, recently agreed to dramatically and rapidly overhaul its sustainability marketing in the face of pressure by the European Commission. This is yet another example of why companies need to be extremely careful when making environmental claims in their advertising. Such claims are facing increasing regulatory scrutiny and activist litigation in the..

Jan. 25, 2024—The United Kingdom (“UK”)-based Anti-Slavery International, in combination with the Investor Alliance for Human Rights and the Helena Kennedy Centre for International Justice at Sheffield Hallam University, has published a series of reports addressing the issue of forced labor in solar and electric vehicle supply chains relating to Uyghur and other Turkic ethnic...

From September 30, 2023, new EU and UK sanctions will come into effect targeting the imports of specified iron and steel products which are processed in third countries and incorporate Russian-origin iron and steel inputs. Importers will need to declare upon import whether the imported goods are compliant (and be prepared to provide evidence demonstrating...

From September 30, 2023, new EU and UK sanctions will come into effect targeting the imports of specified iron and steel products which are processed in third countries and incorporate Russian-origin iron and steel inputs. Importers will need to declare upon import whether the imported goods are compliant (and be prepared to provide evidence demonstrating...

From September 30, 2023, new EU and UK sanctions will come into effect targeting the imports of specified iron and steel products which are processed in third countries and incorporate Russian-origin iron and steel inputs. Importers will need to declare upon import whether the imported goods are compliant (and be prepared to provide evidence demonstrating...

On July 10, 2023, the State Department released a Fact Sheet with additional details on the AUKUS Trade Authorization Mechanism (ATAM). ATAM appears likely to operate as a license exemption under the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR), leveraging the existing ITAR §126.4, to authorize transfers of certain approved categories of defense articles and services...

UK Releases General License Permitting Agricultural Commodities Exports: On November 4, 2022, the UK’s Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation (“OFSI”) issued a new general license under its Russia sanctions regime. This license permits exporters of agricultural commodities and UK Department of International Trade License holders: (1) to receive funds and economic resources from any person,..

New U.S. and UK Sanctions Partnership: On October 13, 2022, the Office of Foreign Assets Control (“OFAC”) and the UK’s Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation (“OFSI”) announced that they had concluded multi-day meetings in London involving technical exchange of information between the two sanctions authorities.  The agencies have decided to enhance OFAC-OFSI cooperation further, including...

New U.S., UK, and EU Designations: On September 30, 2022, the U.S. designated 295 individuals and entities.  The new designations included 14 persons in Russia’s military industrial complex, including Sinno Electronics Co. and Taco LLC, Chinese and Armenian suppliers, for their support of a Russian defense procurement firm.  The U.S. also targeted two Russian financial...

UK Designates 89 Individuals and Three Entities: On September 26, 2022, in response to Russia’s “sham” referendums to annex four Russian-occupied regions in Ukraine, the UK designated an additional 92 individuals and entities.  “Today’s sanctions will target those behind these sham votes, as well as the individuals that continue to prop up the Russian regime’s...

The UK has seen the launch of a competition-law based collective action – the equivalent of a class action in other countries – on behalf of an estimated 240,000 investors in the digital assets space.  The claim is brought against four cryptocurrency exchanges: Binance, Bittylicious, Kraken and ShapeShift.  It alleges that those exchanges colluded in...

UK Sanctions Removal and Other Amendments: On August 23, 2022, the UK delisted Mikhail Vladimirovich Razvozhayev, the Governor of Sevastopol, who had been subject to a UK asset freeze since late July 2022.  The UK published amendments for 42 other individuals and entities, primarily revising descriptions of the parties. U.S. and UK Issue General Licenses:...

UK Publishes General License for Energy for Mongolia: On August 16, 2022, the UK published General License INT/2022/2085212 for Mongolia energy payments.  The license permits payments to the Credit Bank of Moscow, Gazprombank, Sberbank, Rosbank PJSC, or any entity owned or controlled by these banks, for the purpose of making energy available for use in...

New UK Sanctions:On July 21, 2022, the UK introduced a new tranche of restrictions in the 14th amendment to its Russian Sanctions Regulations.  Several of the new restrictions are detailed below. The UK prohibited UK persons from directly or indirectly providing accounting services, business and management consulting services, and public relations services to “persons connected...

New UK Sanctions: On July 21, 2022, the UK introduced a new tranche of restrictions in the 14th amendment to its Russian Sanctions Regulations.  Several of the new restrictions are detailed below. The UK prohibited UK persons from directly or indirectly providing accounting services, business and management consulting services, and public relations services to “persons...

New UK Sanctions: On July 21, 2022, the UK introduced a new tranche of restrictions in the 14th amendment to its Russian Sanctions Regulations.  Several of the new restrictions are detailed below. The UK prohibited UK persons from directly or indirectly providing accounting services, business and management consulting services, and public relations services to “persons...

New UK Sanctions: The UK announced a new tranche of restrictions on June 22, 2022, which became effective on Thursday, June 23, 2022.  As summarized on the UK government’s website, the latest prohibitions include the following: Export Restrictions Prohibitions on the export, supply and delivery, making available and transfer (as well as related technical assistance,...

New UK Sanctions: The UK announced a new tranche of restrictions on June 22, 2022, which became effective on Thursday, June 23, 2022.  As summarized on the UK government’s website, the latest prohibitions include the following: Export Restrictions Prohibitions on the export, supply and delivery, making available and transfer (as well as related technical assistance,...

New UK Sanctions: The UK announced a new tranche of restrictions on June 22, 2022, which became effective on Thursday, June 23, 2022.  As summarized on the UK government’s website, the latest prohibitions include the following: Export Restrictions Prohibitions on the export, supply and delivery, making available and transfer (as well as related technical assistance,...

Please join us for an update from our Supply Chain and Forced Labor team on the current state of the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act (UFLPA), U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) withhold release orders (WRO), findings, and how to successfully modify a WRO, submit WRO detention responses that work, and the timeline to have...

On December 2, 2021, the United States, the European Union (“EU”), the United Kingdom (“UK”) and other allies took coordinated action to designate various individuals, entities, and aircraft connected to human rights abuses by Belarussian President Alexander Lukashenko and his regime. This builds on asset freezing actions by the U.S., UK, EU, and Canada earlier...

Hot on the heels of crises driven by shortages of carbon dioxide and HGV drivers, it is perhaps the ultimate irony that – in the month before COP 26 in Glasgow – the UK and to a lesser extent much of the rest of the world has been rocked by a series of crises in...

What does it take to sufficiently plead trade secret claims under the New Jersey Trade Secrets Act? In Lard-Vid, LLC and Visual Image Display UK, Ltd. v. Ground Support Labs LLC et al., 2021 N.J. Super. Unpub. LEXIS 323, at *15 (N.J. Sup. Ct. Feb. 26, 2021), the Court addressed exactly this issue and dismissed plaintiffs’...

On March 9, 2021, the European Union released the Implementing Regulation suspending retaliatory tariffs resulting from the large civilian aircraft dispute. This Regulation implements the EU-US agreement to suspend retaliatory tariffs imposed by Regulation 2020/1646. The announcement comes after the U.S. and UK released a joint statement last week outlining a four-month suspension of tariffs. See

On March 4, 2021, the United States and the United Kingdom released a joint statement announcing a four-month suspension of tariffs related to the ongoing large civilian aircraft dispute. The dispute, which has spanned 16 years, and resulted in billion of dollars in tariff actions from both sides of the Atlantic is entering a period...

On January 12, 2021, the United Kingdom’s Foreign Secretary, as well as Canada’s Minister of Foreign Affairs and Minister of Small Business, Export Promotion, and International Trade, made parallel announcements outlining new measures to combat forced labor and human rights violations. The announcements come in the context of rising global concerns over reports of forced...

On January 12, 2021, the United Kingdom’s Foreign Secretary, as well as Canada’s Minister of Foreign Affairs and Minister of Small Business, Export Promotion, and International Trade, made parallel announcements outlining new measures to combat forced labor and human rights violations. The announcements come in the context of rising global concerns over reports of forced...

In ruling NY N315191 (Nov. 3, 2020), Customs and Border Protection (CBP) discussed the classification of prepared pork and beef meals from the United Kingdom. One of the products discussed in the ruling is the Spicy Pork Noodles, composed of minced pork (24.87%), broccoli, rice noodles, onions, cabbage, garlic, fresh chilies, fresh ginger, dried coriander, soy...

Brexit was once the topic of every conversation in the United Kingdom (U.K.), but, overshadowed by the COVID-19 pandemic, it’s not something we hear as much about these days. The U.K. left the European Union (EU) on January 31, 2020 (bringing to an end 47 years of British membership of the EU and the institutions...

By Cathryn Williams, Paul Muscutt and Beth Bradley The full implications of COVID-19 may not be known for some time, but it has had an immediate impact upon UK insolvency law. The government has expedited the Corporate Insolvency and Governance Act 2020 (“the Act”) through Parliament in order to support distressed businesses and assist with...