[Code of Federal Regulations]
[Title 15, Volume 2]
[Revised as of January 1, 2004]
From the U.S. Government Printing Office via GPO Access
[CITE: 15CFR742.15]

[Page 305-308]
 
                  TITLE 15--COMMERCE AND FOREIGN TRADE
 
  CHAPTER VII--BUREAU OF INDUSTRY AND SECURITY, DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
 
PART 742_CONTROL POLICY_CCL BASED CONTROLS--Table of Contents
 
Sec.  742.15  Encryption items.

    Encryption items can be used to maintain the secrecy of information, 
and thereby may be used by persons abroad to harm U.S. national 
security, foreign policy and law enforcement interests. The United 
States has a critical interest in ensuring that important and sensitive 
information of the public and private sector is protected. Consistent 
with our international obligations as a member of the Wassenaar 
Arrangement, the United States has a responsibility to maintain control 
over the export and reexport of encryption items. As the President 
indicated in Executive Order 13026 and in his Memorandum of November 15, 
1996, exports and reexports of encryption software, like exports and 
reexports of encryption hardware, are controlled because of this 
functional capacity to encrypt information on a computer system, and not 
because of any informational or theoretical value that such software may 
reflect, contain, or represent, or that its export or reexport may 
convey to others abroad. For this reason, export controls on encryption 
software are distinguished from controls on other software regulated 
under the EAR.
    (a) Licensing requirements and policy--(1) Encryption items 
controlled under ECCN 5A002, 5D002, or 5E002. (i) Licensing 
requirements. A license is required to export or reexport encryption 
items (``EI'') controlled under ECCN 5A002, 5D002 or 5E002 to all 
destinations, except Canada. Refer to part 740 of the EAR, for license 
exceptions that apply to certain encryption items, and to Sec.  772.1 of 
the EAR for definitions of encryption items and terms. Exporters must 
submit applications to obtain authorization under a license or an 
Encryption Licensing Arrangement for exports and reexports of encryption 
items that are not eligible for a license exception.
    (ii) Licensing policy. Applications will be reviewed on a case-by-
case basis by BIS, in conjunction with other agencies, to determine 
whether the export or reexport is consistent with U.S. national security 
and foreign policy interests. Exports of encryption items to 
governments, or Internet and telecommunications service providers for 
the provision of services specific to governments, may be favorably 
considered for civil uses, e.g., social or financial services to the 
public; civil justice; social insurance, pensions and retirement; taxes 
and communications between governments and their citizens. Encryption 
Licensing Arrangements may be authorized for exports and reexports of 
unlimited quantities of encryption items to all destinations, except 
countries listed in Country Group E:1 of Supplement No. 1 to part 740. 
Encryption Licensing Arrangements, including those which authorize 
exports and reexports of encryption technology to strategic partners (as 
defined in Sec.  772.1 of the EAR) of U.S. companies, are valid for four 
years and may require reporting. Applicants seeking authorization for 
Encryption Licensing Arrangements must specify the sales territory and 
class of end-user on their license applications.
    (2) Encryption items controlled under ECCN 5A992, 5D992, or 5E992. 
(i) Licensing requirements. Items controlled under

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ECCN 5A992, 5D992 or 5E992 are controlled for anti-terrorism (AT) 
reasons to countries listed in AT column 1 or AT column 2, as 
applicable, of the Commerce Country Chart (Supplement No. 1 to Part 738 
of the EAR). A license also may be required to certain destinations or 
persons for other reasons specified elsewhere in the EAR (e.g., 
embargoes). In addition, these encryption items are subject to the 
notification or review requirements described in paragraph (b)(1) and 
(b)(2) of this section, unless specifically excluded by paragraph (b)(3) 
of this section.
    (ii) Licensing policy. Applications will be reviewed on a case-by-
case basis by BIS, in conjunction with other agencies, to determine 
whether the export or reexport is consistent with U.S. national security 
and foreign policy interests. BIS does not authorize Encryption 
Licensing Arrangements for exports and reexports of encryption items to 
any of the countries listed in Country Group E:1 of Supplement No. 1 to 
Part 740 of the EAR.
    (b) Notification and review requirements for encryption items 
controlled under ECCN 5A992, 5D992 or 5E992. You may export and reexport 
encryption commodities, software and technology controlled under ECCN 
5A992, 5D992 or 5E992 without a license (NLR: No License Required) to 
most destinations, in accordance with paragraph (a)(2) of this section, 
provided that you have met the notification and review requirements 
described in paragraphs (b)(1) and (b)(2) of this section. Certain 
encryption items controlled under ECCN 5A992, 5D992 or 5E992 may be 
exported or reexported without notification or review--these items are 
identified in paragraph (b)(3) of this section. In addition, no post-
shipment reporting is required for encryption items controlled under 
ECCN 5A992, 5D992, or 5E992. See Sec.  732.5 of the EAR for Shipper's 
Export Declaration (SED), Destination Control Statements (DCS), and 
recordkeeping requirements for items exported and reexported without a 
license (NLR).
    (1) Notification requirement for specified encryption items. You may 
export or reexport encryption items controlled under ECCN 5A992, 5D992 
or 5E992 and identified in paragraphs (b)(1)(i) and (b)(1)(ii) of this 
section to most destinations without a license (NLR: No License 
Required), provided that you have submitted to BIS, by the time of 
export, the information described in paragraphs (a) through (e) of 
Supplement No. 6 of this part. For notifications submitted under 
paragraph (b)(1)(i) of this section, you must also provide specific 
information describing how your products qualify for mass market 
treatment under the criteria in the Cryptography Note (Note 3) of 
Category 5, Part 2, of the Commerce Control List (Supplement No. 1 to 
part 774 of the EAR). If you are unsure as to whether your encryption 
items are eligible for export or reexport under this paragraph (b)(1), 
you should submit a request, to BIS and to the ENC Encryption Request 
Coordinator, for a review of your encryption items pursuant to the 
requirements of paragraph (b)(2) of this section (for mass market 
encryption commodities and software), or under the provisions of License 
Exception ENC (see Sec.  740.17 of the EAR). The following encryption 
items controlled by ECCN 5A992, 5D992, or 5E992 are eligible for export 
or reexport without a license, to most destinations, with notification 
only:
    (i) Up to (and including) 64-bit mass market encryption commodities 
and software;
    (ii) Encryption items (including key management products and company 
proprietary implementations) with key lengths not exceeding 56 bits for 
symmetric algorithms, 512 bits for asymmetric key exchange algorithms, 
and 112 bits for elliptic curve algorithms;
    (2) Review requirement for mass market encryption commodities and 
software exceeding 64 bits: Mass market encryption commodities and 
software employing a key length greater than 64 bits for the symmetric 
algorithm (including such products previously reviewed by BIS and 
exported under ECCN 5A002 or 5D002) remain subject to the EAR and 
require review by BIS, prior to export or reexport under this paragraph 
(b)(2). Encryption commodities and software that are not eligible as 
retail items under License Exception ENC do not qualify for mass market 
treatment (see

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Sec.  740.17(b)(3) of the EAR for retail product eligibility under 
License Exception ENC.)
    (i) Procedures for requesting review. To request review of your mass 
market encryption products, you must submit to BIS and the ENC 
Encryption Request Coordinator the information described in paragraphs 
(a) through (e) of Supplement 6 to this part 742, and you must include 
specific information describing how your products qualify for mass 
market treatment under the criteria in the Cryptography Note (Note 3) of 
Category 5, Part 2 (``Information Security''), of the Commerce Control 
List (Supplement No. 1 to Part 774 of the EAR). Review requests must be 
submitted on Form BIS-748P (Multipurpose Application), or its electronic 
equivalent, as described in Sec.  748.3 of the EAR. To ensure that your 
review request is properly routed, insert the phrase ``Mass market 
encryption'' in Block 9 (Special Purpose) of the application form and 
place an ``X'' in the box marked ``Classification Request'' in Block 5 
(Type of Application)--Block 5 does not provide a separate item to check 
for the submission of encryption review requests. Failure to properly 
complete these items may delay consideration of your review request. 
Review requests that are not submitted electronically to BIS should be 
mailed to the address indicated in Sec.  748.2(c) of the EAR. 
Submissions to the ENC Encryption Request Coordinator should be directed 
to the mailing address indicated in Sec.  740.17(e)(5)(ii) of the EAR. 
BIS will notify you if there are any questions concerning your request 
for review (e.g., because of missing or incomplete support 
documentation).
    (ii) Action by BIS. Once BIS has completed its review, you will 
receive written confirmation concerning the eligibility of your items 
for export or reexport as mass market encryption commodities or software 
controlled under ECCN 5A992 or 5D992. If, during the course of its 
review, BIS determines that your encryption items do not qualify for 
mass market treatment under the EAR, or are otherwise controlled under 
ECCN 5A002, 5B002, 5D002 or 5E002, BIS will notify you and will review 
your commodities or software for eligibility under License Exception ENC 
(see Sec.  740.17 of the EAR for review and reporting requirements for 
encryption items under License Exception ENC). BIS reserves the right to 
suspend your eligibility to export and reexport under the provisions of 
this paragraph (b)(2) and to return review requests, without action, if 
the requirements for review have not been met.
    (iii) Exports and reexports to government and non-government end-
users. Immediately upon registration by BIS of your completed review 
request (``registration'' is defined in Sec.  750.4(a)(2) of the EAR), 
you may export or reexport mass market encryption commodities and 
software exceeding 64 bits, under ECCNs 5A992 and 5D992, without a 
license (NLR: No License Required) to government and non-government end-
users located in the countries listed in Supplement 3 to part 740 of the 
EAR. These mass market encryption products also may be exported or 
reexported, without a license (NLR), to most destinations (except those 
that require a license for AT reasons or for reasons described elsewhere 
in the EAR) for the internal use of foreign subsidiaries or offices of 
firms, organizations and governments headquartered in Canada or in 
countries listed in Supplement 3 to part 740 of the EAR. Thirty days 
after BIS registers your review request, you may export or reexport 
these mass market encryption products, without a license, to government 
and non-government end-users located in most destinations outside the 
countries listed in Supplement 3 to part 740 of the EAR (certain 
destinations and persons may require a license for AT reasons or for 
reasons specified elsewhere in the EAR), unless otherwise notified by 
BIS (e.g., because of missing or incomplete support documentation, or 
conversion to License Exception ENC review). The thirty days may not 
include any time that your review request was on hold without action. 
See Sec.  772.1 of the EAR for the definition of ``government end-user'' 
as it applies to encryption items.
    (3) Exclusions from notification and review requirements. The 
following items

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and transactions do not require notification or review prior to export 
or reexport. However, a license may be required to export or reexport 
these items to certain destinations for AT reasons or for reasons set 
forth elsewhere in the EAR (e.g., embargoes).
    (i) Encryption items for U.S. subsidiaries. Encryption items 
controlled under ECCN 5A992, 5D992, or 5E992 that are exported to 
foreign subsidiaries of U.S. companies (as defined in Sec.  772.1 of the 
EAR) for any end-use, including the development of new products, that is 
not prohibited elsewhere in the EAR. All items produced or developed by 
U.S. subsidiaries with encryption commodities, software and technology 
exported under this paragraph are subject to the EAR and require review 
and authorization before any sale or retransfer outside of the U.S. 
company.
    (ii) Mass market short-range wireless commodities or software. Mass 
market commodities or software that would not otherwise be controlled 
under Category 5 (telecommunications and ``information security'') of 
the Commerce Control List, but which are controlled under ECCN 5A992 or 
5D992 only because they incorporate components or software that provide 
short-range wireless encryption functions (e.g., wireless products with 
an operating range typically not exceeding 100 meters).
    (iii) Items with limited cryptographic functionality. Encryption 
items controlled under ECCN 5A992, 5D992, or 5E992 for which the use of 
cryptography is limited to cryptographic functions that are not 
controlled for ``EI'' reasons under the EAR (e.g. items with 
cryptographic functions limited to authentication or digital signature, 
execution of copy protected software, and ``finance specific'' items 
specially designed and limited for banking use or money transactions). 
These items are described in the Related Controls paragraph and the 
Technical Notes under ECCN 5A002 on the Commerce Control List 
(Supplement No. 1 to part 774 of the EAR), which are cross-referenced 
under ECCNs 5D002 and 5E002.
    (4) Commodities and software that activate or enable cryptographic 
functionality. Commodities, software, and components that allow the end-
user to activate or enable cryptographic functionality in encryption 
products which would otherwise remain disabled, are controlled according 
to the functionality of the activated encryption product. The 
notification and review requirements enumerated in this paragraph (b) of 
this section apply to commodities, software and components which 
activate cryptographic functionality in encryption products controlled 
under ECCNs 5A992 and 5D992. (See Sec.  740.17 of the EAR for review and 
reporting requirements for commodities, software and components that 
enable cryptographic functionality in encryption products controlled 
under ECCNs 5A002 and 5D002.) This paragraph (b)(4) does not authorize 
the export or reexport of any activated encryption product. Separate 
review or authorization of the enabled encryption product is required.
    (5) Examples of mass market encryption products. Subject to the 
requirements of the Cryptography Note (Note 3) in Category 5, Part 2, of 
the Commerce Control List, mass market encryption products include, but 
are not limited to, general purpose operating systems and desktop 
applications (e.g. e-mail, browsers, games, word processing, database, 
financial applications or utilities) designed for, bundled with, or pre-
loaded on single CPU computers, laptops, or hand-held devices; 
commodities and software for client Internet appliances and client 
wireless LAN devices; home use networking commodities and software (e.g. 
personal firewalls, cable modems for personal computers, and consumer 
set top boxes); portable or mobile civil telecommunications commodities 
and software (e.g. personal data assistants (PDAs), radios, or cellular 
products); and commodities and software exported via free or anonymous 
downloads.

[67 FR 38865, June 6, 2002, as amended at 68 FR 35785, June 17, 2003]