International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR)

The Department or State’s International Traffic in Arms Regulations regulates items usually military in use and includes a munitions list, which contains items and technologies that may impact national security. 

The United States Munitions List (USML) can be found online at http://www.fas.org/spp/starwars/offdocs/itar/p121.htm. 

If an item that you want to export is on the munitions list, please contact the Office of Graduate Education and Research.

Important ITAR Definitions

Public Domain - information which is published and which is generally accessible or available to the public:

• through sales at news stands and bookstores;
• through subscriptions which are available without restriction to any individual who desires to obtain or purchase the published information;
• through second class mailing privileges granted by the U.S. governmentat libraries open to the public or from which the public can obtain documents;
• through patents available at any patent office
• through unlimited distribution at a conference, meeting, seminar, trade show or exhibition,, generally accessible to the public, in the United States;
• through public release (i.e.., unlimited distribution) in any form (e.g., not necessarily in published form) after approval by the cognizant U.S. government department or agency.
• through fundamental research in science and engineering at accredited institutions of higher learning in the U.S. where the resulting information is ordinarily published and shared broadly in the scientific community.

 Fundamental Research is defined to mean basic and applied research in science and engineering where the resulting information is ordinarily published and shared broadly within the scientific community, as distinguished from research the results of which are restricted for proprietary reasons or specific U.S. government access and dissemination controls.

NOTE: University research will not be considered “fundamental research” if:

1. the University or its researchers accept other restrictions on publication of scientific and technical information resulting from the project or activity, or
2. the research is funded by the U.S. government and specific access and dissemination controls protecting information resulting from the research are applicable.

Technical Data - information which is required for the design, development, production, manufacture, assembly, operation, repair, testing, maintenance, or modification of “defense articles”; classified information related to “defense articles”; information covered by an invention secrecy order; software directly related to “defense articles”. This does not include information concerning general scientific, mathematical or engineering principles commonly taught in schools, colleges and universities or information in the “public domain”. It also does not include basic marketing information on function or purpose or general system descriptions of “defense articles”.

ITAR References

Association of American Universities - "ITAR AND UNIVERSITIES: Universities are Educational Institutions, Not Munitions Manufacturers"

International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR) - http://www.pmdtc.org/reference.htm