Oregon electronics shipper pays $560,000 penalty for export violations
A Hillsboro, Ore.-based electronics shipper has agreed to pay a $560,000 civil penalty to the U.S. Commerce Department to settle charges it exported semiconductor microchips and related technical information to China in violation of the Export Administration Regulations.
Commerce’s Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) charged that on six occasions between April 2000 and July 2001 Lattice Semiconductor Corp. exported its products to China without the required export licenses. Lattice also allegedly shipped related technical data to China on five occasions between July 2000 and January 2002 without the required export licenses.
In addition, the agency charged that Lattice failed to obtain export licenses for five Chinese nationals who, during their employment with the company, were brought to the United States for training. The “deemed export” provision of the Export Administration Regulations requires an export license for the release of technology to a foreign national in the United States, if that technology requires a license to be shipped to the national’s resident country.
BIS said Lattice voluntarily self-disclosed the violations and fully cooperated with the investigation. “Lattice has since taken steps to institute controls to help prevent the recurrence of any similar export compliance problems,” the agency said.
