The export of goods from one country to another is subject to laws (read: regulations) just like anything else these days, and with the emphasis on legitimacy and profit, goods are watched ever so closely by governments as they are transported between borders either by mail, boat, air and with the growing importance of the internet, delivered as uploads and downloads.
These regulations differ from country to country, and in the U.S, these guidelines have been set up by the Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS), which is an agency of the United States Department of Commerce, and is also known as the Export Administration Regulations (EAR). Among other objectives of the BIS, its main aim is to further the interests of the national security, foreign policy and especially its economic initiatives.
Interestingly, their mission is to monitor and control ‘dual use’ items that are used commercially or in some cases could have military/ proliferation and commercial use as well. However, this does not mean that they have control over the export of all goods and services, as some specialized exports are handled by other U.S departments.
Most of your questions about export and the re-export of commercial items is found in the Federal Register under the section Code of Federal Regulations Title 15 chapter VII, subchapter C. Depending on which category the export/ re-export item is in, companies will need licenses to export their goods/ services and the restrictions may vary from country to country that they are exporting their goods/ services to based on the political status and agenda of the nation itself.
