COMMERCE REVISES EXPORT RULES FOR GENERAL PURPOSE MICROPROCESSORS

COMMERCE REVISES EXPORT RULES FOR GENERAL PURPOSE MICROPROCESSORS    The U.S. Commerce Department’s Bureau of Industry and Security has amended its export control regulations for general purpose microprocessors, effective Jan. 14.
   The agency, formerly the Bureau of Export Administration, said the rules were agreed upon by the United States at the February 2002 meeting of the Wassenaar Arrangement on Export Controls for Conventional Arms and Dual-use Goods and Technologies.
   “This final rule removes license requirements for exports and reexports of general purpose microprocessors to most destinations,” the agency said.
   The amended rule applies to most microprocessors in the range of 6,500 MTOPS (million theoretical operations per second). Some microprocessor components in this range, however, will remain under the classification of Export Control Classification Number (ECCN) 3A001, BIS said.
   The amended rule also retains license requirements for exports and reexports of microprocessors to terrorist-supporting countries, such as North Korea, Syria and Sudan.
   In addition, the rule creates a new license requirement for the export and re-export of general purpose microprocessors when the shipper or agency has reason to believe that they will be for “military end-use” in a country that poses national security concerns. This license requirement does not apply to items for official use by U.S. personnel and agencies in a cooperating country with national security risks, BIS said.