Introduction

On August 5, 2026, NHV Group announced that its proposed acquisition by GD Helicopter Finance (“GDHF”), ultimately controlled by China-based GDAT Group, would not proceed after Belgian authorities blocked the transaction under Belgium’s foreign direct investment screening regime, following a review coordinated by the Interfederal Screening Committee (“ISC”). This marks the first public prohibition under Belgium’s foreign direct investment screening mechanism, which has been operational since July 1, 2023. The Committee did not publish detailed reasons for the decision.

While noteworthy, this should not be misread as a shift toward protectionism. Belgium’s FDI statistics show the regime has been overwhelmingly supportive of transactions. The NHV/GDHF case illustrates the regime’s core security function: transactions where critical infrastructure intersects with a geopolitically sensitive investor profile are at the heart of the ISC’s mandate. At the same time, the case sharpens existing criticisms of the regime’s opacity and complexity—criticisms that Belgian authorities are now actively addressing through a public consultation and upcoming EU-level harmonization.

Continue Reading First Prohibition Under Belgium’s FDI Regime: A Milestone, Not a Revolution

On 29 July 2026, the UK’s Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (“MHRA”) (the regulatory authority with responsibility for enforcing UK medical device rules) published new guidance on ambient voice technology-enabled products (“AVTs,” also known as ambient scribing tools) (“AVT Guidance”).  The AVT Guidance is intended to clarify (and essentially overrule) a decision by NHS England that AVTs that summarize interactions between patients and healthcare professionals (“HCPs”) are medical devices. 

AVTs are “AI-powered tools that automatically capture and convert spoken words into text and/or other outputs.”  In a healthcare setting, such products can be used to transcribe consultations between patients and HCPs, and produce outputs including summaries of such interactions or other clinical correspondence arising from the consultation (e.g., referral letters). 

In April 2025, NHS England issued guidance suggesting that ambient scribing products in healthcare settings that use generative AI for further processing, such as summarizing the transcribed content, would be treated as high functionality and would therefore likely qualify as a medical device.  This was followed by a “priority notification” from NHS England’s Chief Clinical Information Officer that stated that any ambient scribing software that performs summarization in the healthcare setting must be regulated as at least a Class I medical device. 

In the AVT Guidance (which applies to AVTs placed on the market/put into service in Great Britain), the MHRA clarifies that summarization alone is not sufficient to trigger medical device requirements, and confirms that AVTs must have a “medical purpose” to fall within the definition of a medical device.

Continue Reading New UK Guidance Clarifies Medical Device Status of AI Scribes

Executive Summary

Last week, the Forced Labor Enforcement Task Force (“FLETF”) added 43 entities to the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act (“UFLPA”) Entity List and made technical name updates to two existing entities.[1] This is the first update to the Entity List since President Trump took office and is the…

Continue Reading DHS Expands UFLPA Entity List Amid Intensifying Enforcement Landscape

On July 28, 2026, the New York Office of the Attorney General released final rules (the “Rules”) implementing the Stop Addictive Feeds Exploitation (SAFE) for Kids Act, which goes into effect on January 25, 2027.

The SAFE for Kids Act requires online “addictive social media platforms,” which are defined as websites, online services, and applications that offer an “addictive feed” as a significant portion of their services, to restrict providing an “addictive feed” and nighttime notifications for minor users unless they obtain verifiable parental consent.

Continue Reading New York Publishes Final SAFE For Kids Act Rules

On August 6, 2026, the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee voted along party lines to hold Dr. Anthony Fauci in contempt of Congress.  The vote followed Dr. Fauci’s refusal to answer questions during a July 29, 2026, hearing regarding the federal government’s COVID-19 response.  The Committee referred the matter to the Department of Justice, which will decide whether to pursue prosecution.  The vote highlights an increasingly aggressive posture toward congressional subpoena enforcement and raises immediate, practical questions for witnesses who may face similar demands.

Continue Reading Fauci Contempt Vote Underscores Renewed Stakes of Congressional Testimony

On July 7, 2026, the European Data Protection Board (“EDPB”) adopted draft Guidelines 02/2026 on Anonymisation (“Guidelines”), updating a 2014 Opinion on Anonymization Techniques. While the EDPB maintains a cautious approach to anonymization, the new Guidelines appear to offer a more structured and practical framework for assessing whether information can be considered anonymous. The Guidelines are open for public consultation until October 30, 2026.

Continue Reading EDPB Publishes Draft Guidelines on Anonymisation

A number of states have recently acted to introduce new limitations on employers’ use of restrictive covenants, continuing a trend of tightening up on employers’ options for protecting their confidential information, especially in the use of non-competition agreements.  On July 1, 2026, Tennessee and Virginia implemented expansive restrictions on non-competes for employees earning less than certain wage thresholds.  And, earlier this year, Washington passed a near total ban on non-competes, which is set to take effect June 30, 2027.  In addition, Maine, New Hampshire, and Utah recently enacted non-compete restrictions applicable to the healthcare and veterinarian medicine industries.  Below is a roundup on these restrictive covenant updates. 

Continue Reading Non-Compete Roundup Summer 2026 – New Limitations on Restrictive Covenants

On July 28, 2026, the FCC added foreign-produced power inverters and advanced robotic devices to its Covered List, following determinations by an executive branch interagency body that they pose “unacceptable risks” to the national security of the United States. The new additions continue a string of decisions placing entire categories of foreign-produced devices on the Covered List of restricted equipment—beginning with the FCC’s December 2025 addition of all foreign-produced unmanned aircraft systems (a/k/a drones) and continuing with the March 2026 addition of all foreign-produced routers. The definitions of power inverters and advanced robotic devices are broad, seeming to reach inverters used in electrical systems such as commercial solar, battery, and wind-power projects, home solar and battery systems, and electric-vehicle chargers, and advanced robotic devices such as humanoid and quadruped robots, and robotic vacuums, pool cleaners, and lawn mowers.

Continue Reading FCC Restricts Imports of New Foreign-Produced Power Inverters and Advanced Robotic Devices with Additions to its Covered List

Over the last month, we have issued multiple client alerts outlining developments related to the Chinese military company covered lobbyist prohibition enacted by Section 851 of the National Defense Authorization Act (“NDAA”) for Fiscal Year (“FY”) 2025, codified at 10 U.S.C. § 4663. This is a follow-up to…

Continue Reading Defense Department Publishes Guidance Page Concerning Restrictions on Defense Contractors Retaining Outside Consultants

On July 14, 2026, the Trump Administration announced the launch of a federal clearinghouse, “Gold Eagle,” that is designed to facilitate the sharing of AI-derived cybersecurity vulnerability information between government agencies, “American critical infrastructure companies,” and “open-source software partners.”  

Continue Reading White House Launches “Gold Eagle” AI Cybersecurity Clearinghouse