Trump's policy, tech's innovation and an island of opportunity make for interesting times in Cuba.

 

For US Lawyers, It's the Cuban Business Revolution That Wasn't
U.S. lawyers whose Cuba practices picked up after the Obama administration loosened trade restrictions now see a drop in business with changes in attitudes by the Trump administration.

Doing Little, Trump Does Much Harm to Cuban-American Relationship
Cuban-American policy is shaped almost exclusively here in South Florida. Cuban-Americans vote in large numbers and contribute considerable sums of money to political candidates. Many Cuban-Americans also still harbor strong disdain toward that brutal communist dictator and his violent regime. The combination of generational hatred toward the Castro regime, a strong voting bloc and significant wealth all help maintain the United States' trade embargo against Cuba, writes Hugo V. Alvarez.

FCPA Compliance in Cuba—Regulatory Hurdles Remain
In June, the Trump administration announced its new Cuba policy, which was presented as a cancellation of the Obama administration's agreement to normalize U.S. relations with “the island.” This new policy tightens restrictions on U.S. persons who wish to travel to Cuba and limits the ability of U.S. businesses to engage in commerce with GAESA (Grupo de Administración Empresarial S.A.), the Cuban military's business and commerce division, write Richard Montes de Oca and Steven Neuman.

Trademark Options for US Brand Owners Following Rollback in Cuban Policies
In June, President Donald Trump unveiled his plans to scale back the U.S. policy toward Cuba, announcing that he was “cancelling the last administration's completely one-sided deal” with the country. The move has implications for trademark owners, although in many respects overall strategies shouldn't change—particularly in those situations where brand-owning companies are faced with third parties trying to hijack their valuable trademarks and other intellectual property in Cuba, writes David Friedland.

Changes to US-Cuba Policy Signal Increased Cost of Due Diligence, Compliance
The Trump administration's prohibition of most transactions with a subset of Cuban persons or entities is not a novel idea with respect to the Cuban Assets Control Regulations (CACR), but it is one that adds additional complexity and transaction costs to an already Byzantine regulatory regime, as U.S. persons now need to undertake additional diligence before being able to undertake a transaction in Cuba, writes Rail Seonane.

Business Opportunities: The Impact of President Trump's Cuba Policy
Most of the policy openings introduced by President Barack Obama remain in place. We still have an embassy in Havana, commercial flights and cruises to the island continue and certain American industries continue shipping products to the island country. So what changed? Basically, there were two major changes to the existing policy, writes Jorge Espinosa.

iCuba: Tech and a Way Forward for US Investment in the Trump Era
Since 1962 when President John F. Kennedy proclaimed an embargo on trade between the United States and Cuba, restrictions against U.S. persons, as defined by 31 C.F.R. Section 515.329, have been in effect, with the U.S. Department of the Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control, through the Cuban Assets Control Regulations 31 C.F.R. Section 515.101 et seq., and the Bureau of Industry and Security, through the Export Administration Regulations 15 C.F.R. Section 730.1 et seq., primarily implementing such prohibitions, write Maria Acevedo-Belt and Anaili M. Cure.

Cuba Is Still Open for Business, Including American Business
Under the new Trump administration regulations announced June 16, the types of U.S. businesses that will be able to operate in and with Cuba will likely be more limited than they are now thanks to the announced U.S. prohibition on doing business with the Cuban military, the purported overseer of much of Cuba's civilian businesses, writes Elizabeth Sandza.

How to Navigate the Uncertainty of Doing Business in Cuba
Nothing impedes business like uncertainty; therefore it's not surprising that many U.S. business owners still have more questions than answers about how they can do business in Cuba. The questions first arose in a substantive way on Dec. 17, 2014, when the Obama administration and the Cuban government announced they were taking steps to reestablish diplomatic and greater commercial relations between the two countries, write Yosbel A. Ibarra and Osvaldo Miranda.

 

Trump's policy, tech's innovation and an island of opportunity make for interesting times in Cuba.

 

For US Lawyers, It's the Cuban Business Revolution That Wasn't
U.S. lawyers whose Cuba practices picked up after the Obama administration loosened trade restrictions now see a drop in business with changes in attitudes by the Trump administration.

Doing Little, Trump Does Much Harm to Cuban-American Relationship
Cuban-American policy is shaped almost exclusively here in South Florida. Cuban-Americans vote in large numbers and contribute considerable sums of money to political candidates. Many Cuban-Americans also still harbor strong disdain toward that brutal communist dictator and his violent regime. The combination of generational hatred toward the Castro regime, a strong voting bloc and significant wealth all help maintain the United States' trade embargo against Cuba, writes Hugo V. Alvarez.

FCPA Compliance in Cuba—Regulatory Hurdles Remain
In June, the Trump administration announced its new Cuba policy, which was presented as a cancellation of the Obama administration's agreement to normalize U.S. relations with “the island.” This new policy tightens restrictions on U.S. persons who wish to travel to Cuba and limits the ability of U.S. businesses to engage in commerce with GAESA (Grupo de Administración Empresarial S.A.), the Cuban military's business and commerce division, write Richard Montes de Oca and Steven Neuman.

Trademark Options for US Brand Owners Following Rollback in Cuban Policies
In June, President Donald Trump unveiled his plans to scale back the U.S. policy toward Cuba, announcing that he was “cancelling the last administration's completely one-sided deal” with the country. The move has implications for trademark owners, although in many respects overall strategies shouldn't change—particularly in those situations where brand-owning companies are faced with third parties trying to hijack their valuable trademarks and other intellectual property in Cuba, writes David Friedland.

Changes to US-Cuba Policy Signal Increased Cost of Due Diligence, Compliance
The Trump administration's prohibition of most transactions with a subset of Cuban persons or entities is not a novel idea with respect to the Cuban Assets Control Regulations (CACR), but it is one that adds additional complexity and transaction costs to an already Byzantine regulatory regime, as U.S. persons now need to undertake additional diligence before being able to undertake a transaction in Cuba, writes Rail Seonane.

Business Opportunities: The Impact of President Trump's Cuba Policy
Most of the policy openings introduced by President Barack Obama remain in place. We still have an embassy in Havana, commercial flights and cruises to the island continue and certain American industries continue shipping products to the island country. So what changed? Basically, there were two major changes to the existing policy, writes Jorge Espinosa.

iCuba: Tech and a Way Forward for US Investment in the Trump Era
Since 1962 when President John F. Kennedy proclaimed an embargo on trade between the United States and Cuba, restrictions against U.S. persons, as defined by 31 C.F.R. Section 515.329, have been in effect, with the U.S. Department of the Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control, through the Cuban Assets Control Regulations 31 C.F.R. Section 515.101 et seq., and the Bureau of Industry and Security, through the Export Administration Regulations 15 C.F.R. Section 730.1 et seq., primarily implementing such prohibitions, write Maria Acevedo-Belt and Anaili M. Cure.

Cuba Is Still Open for Business, Including American Business
Under the new Trump administration regulations announced June 16, the types of U.S. businesses that will be able to operate in and with Cuba will likely be more limited than they are now thanks to the announced U.S. prohibition on doing business with the Cuban military, the purported overseer of much of Cuba's civilian businesses, writes Elizabeth Sandza.

How to Navigate the Uncertainty of Doing Business in Cuba
Nothing impedes business like uncertainty; therefore it's not surprising that many U.S. business owners still have more questions than answers about how they can do business in Cuba. The questions first arose in a substantive way on Dec. 17, 2014, when the Obama administration and the Cuban government announced they were taking steps to reestablish diplomatic and greater commercial relations between the two countries, write Yosbel A. Ibarra and Osvaldo Miranda.