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Red Flags Rising

Red Flags Rising: S01 E46: “Knowledge” Masterclass

Mike Huneke and Brent Carlson revisit and synthesize in one episode everything trade compliance teams need to know about the “knowledge” standard under the US Export Administration Regulations (EAR).

After starting the episode with Brent’s own journey in website design and announcing free resource materials (now) available at www.redflagsrising.com (01:05), Mike and Brent specifically discuss the full definition of “knowledge” under the EAR, including its three-tiered definition of actual knowledge, reason to know, and an awareness of a high probability (08:36); the “collective knowledge doctrine” under US law (14:14); parallels to US Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) enforcement (15:06); misperceptions regarding the Bureau of Industry & Security’s KYC Guidance (16:25); other common misunderstandings (18:11); where KYC screening programs go wrong (24:23); the limited application of the “legally distinct” rule under the Entity List catch-all (25:33); why we accepted self-certifications when national security was served by global integration (26:36); the suspended BIS Affiliates Rule and its core problems (30:43); entity-shifting (34:10); risks associated with distributors and resellers (35:10); and the potential restrictions on remote access (40:49). They then conclude with this episode’s installment of Brent Carlson’s “Managing Up” segment (46:22).

Brent’s improved website and free resources

“Knowledge”

General Prohibition 10 

Brent Carlson, When Loopholes Create Liability Pitfalls (Aug. 25, 2023)

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Red Flags Rising

Red Flags Rising: S01 E42: The De Minimis Rule and the Challenge of “Weathervane” Regulatory Language

Mike and Brent tackle the “de minimis” rule under the U.S. Export Administration Regulations (EAR), which would exempt certain below-threshold-value U.S. items from EAR requirements. Three recent enforcement actions, all in 2026 and collectively imposing just under $300 million in penalties, underscore the perils of potentially misapplying the rule. Mike and Brent introduce the concept of “weathervane” regulatory language that can sway with the geopolitical and enforcement winds (2:59); the potential relevance of companies’ approaches to transfer pricing and country-of-origin (4:40); the relevance of old-fashioned arithmetic to identifying common numerator and denominator pitfalls (9:10); the recent enforcement action that included an unusually lengthy exposition by the U.S. Bureau of Industry & Security (BIS) of its interpretation of the de minimis rule (15:38); and the parallels to BIS’s rediscovery of the “high probability” standard (18:56). Mike and Brent conclude with the latest installment of Brent Carlson’s “Managing Up” segment (24:41).

BIS “Guidelines for De Minimis Rules”

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Contact Mike: michael.huneke@morganlewis.com

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The enforcement actions can all be found at www.bis.gov