The Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) of the U.S. Department of Commerce is responsible for implementing and enforcing the Export Administration Regulations (EAR), which regulate the export and re-export of most commercial items. It often refers to the items that BIS regulates as “dual-use” – items that have both commercial and military or proliferation applications – but purely commercial items without an obvious military use are also subject to the EAR. For information on Commerce Department export controls click here: http://www.bis.doc.gov/licensing/exportingbasics.htm