What Happened at US Digital

I wonder if this is the same letter they sent out to some customers 5 years ago. It was about not selling to embargoed countries. Is that what yours is about?

Yep.

Likely are getting pressure from the government. ITAR is a snake in the grass waiting to ruin your day.

Export buyers of similar stuff get notices like this:

"We further certify that the goods will not be used for any purpose connected with chemical, biological or nuclear weapons, or missiles capable of delivering such weapons; that they will not be re-exported or otherwise re-sold or transferred if it is known or suspected that they are intended or likely to be used for such purposes; and that the goods, or any replica of them, will not be used in any nuclear explosive activity or unsafeguarded nuclear fuel cycle activity."

I'm sure they caught lots of bad guys with this kind of thing-- they would **never** fill out a form inaccurately.

I always sign that shit

And the people in the State Department who administer it are definitely not paid to think.

At one point, back when I had a Real Job, I was helping our export control officer get an engineering tool sent off to a vendor in South Africa for testing. What we wanted to send was basically a hunk of aluminum with some mounting flanges and a mirror.

Our export control officer told them this, sent pictures, etc., etc. Finally she flew to DC with the thing, put it up on someone's desk, and said "can I send this to South Africa?"

The federal employee in charge responded "but that's just a hunk of aluminum with a mirror..."

(It's important, when dealing with bureaucrats, to remember that they never, ever, get fired or thrown in the pokey, for saying "no" -- only for saying "yes".)

You don't mention the ways.

The digital encoders might be of a grade that exports to certain countries is by permission of state department only. Many items and machines are on the lists. The company I worked for in the 80's did a sting job and aided the G-Men in tracing the machines. They were shipped to two states and then to a friendly country and was about to go behind the Iron curtain when the law caught all sides.

Mart> I wonder what kind of trouble US Digital got themselves into. Today I

So, what. I do not have to sign some insulting and degrading letter to stay within the law. I really could care less about US Digitals problems. Its akin to forcing me to work for them and law enforcement without paying me. I already have to work for the IRS, DES, and AZDOR unpaid.

If you really want to mess with US Digital. Send an email saying ops I MIGHT have sent one of your product to North Korea.

If you have their products and they are on the list at Dept of State then you must comply or the FBI will visit.

The company I worked for had a full time import/export person that was a legal council to the company and we took delivery of boxes of documents a year of laws and listings.

There was a case that a guy - think eBay but wasn't - sold a copy machine exposure bulb to the pinko's as we called them and he went to jail because it was listed as an atomic material product.

So I would find out what is what before two gold badges show up and take your shop and documents to another building.

Mart>> You don't mention the ways.

You just gotta love scare tactic arguments. LOL. I've been in business all my life, and in the normal course of business I have had reason to talk with authorities at most levels of government including a few alphabet agencies. Some as customers others in their official capacity. I am still here. While it does happen that occasionally somebody gets screwed over by "the system" for the most part if you aren't breaking the law there is no reason to let somebody intimidate you or make demands of you.

By the way, I do export some parts, and I've done my homework there too. I sure don't need USD trying to nanny me.

Yea, I got that letter too, it's sitting in my ignore and eventually shred pile. I bought *GASP!* one f'in cable and connector assembly for an encoder on my lathe.