An update:
If your company is on the U.S. OFAC SDN lists, subject to an OFAC sanctions program, or owned/controlled by a company on the list, our ability to collaborate with you will be subject to restrictions, and you cannot be in the MAINTAINERS file.
That sounds like an advice, not something official? Also why is an open source project affected by US sanctions? It’s not an US open source project, or is it?
Linux Foundation (of which Linus is an employee) is an US entity. RISC-V International foresaw this and chose to incorporate in Switzerland.
But does it mean they own Linux? They list (support I guess) a lot of projects, including RISC-V. BTW smart move from RISC-V
The Linux kernel (the code) is open-source. Linux Foundation (the people who write said code) is headquartered in the US. The US can decide what Linux Foundation can and cannot do, who works there, etc. They can’t control who uses the code.