Computing Research Policy Blog

IEEE Gets Favorable OFAC Ruling, Publications Activities No Longer Restricted

Ed Felten's Freedom to Tinker has a bit on the recent Treasury Department ruling in favor of IEEE regarding U.S. restrictions in place against copy-editing and publishing scientific papers whose authors come from countries under US trade embargoes. IEEE had been working the issue with the Treasury Department's Office of Foreign Assets Control for about a year before receiving the favorable ruling. IEEE had stopped providing some services to its members in embargoed countries while it sought exemption from the trade rules. The Treasury Department's decision means IEEE can resume peer-reviewing, editing, and publishing scholarly works from its members in embargoed countries such as Iran and Cuba.

Here's the press release (pdf, 56kb) from IEEE.