Long-arm Jurisdiction

CORE DEFINITION

Long-arm jurisdiction originally refers to a US court's power to reach defendants outside its own state, permitted under the due process requirement of minimum contacts. Internationally, the term now covers a state applying domestic law, such as anti-corruption statutes, sanctions rules, or export controls, to foreign entities whose conduct touches its territory or interests. The effect doctrine justifies this by pointing to consequences felt inside the regulating state. In practice, jurisdiction follows the currency, the component, or the platform involved. The key limit is that enforcement still requires leverage over the target.