Date Filed: December 18, 2015
Case Status: Pending
CAF filed a comment in with the U.S. State Department in opposition to proposed revisions to the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR) that would criminalize otherwise legal commercial speech if published online related to technical data involving the manufacture, operation or development of a weapon. The broad scope of ITAR’s definition of “technical data” encompasses many non-military industries, e.g. steel manufacturing, propeller technology, computer chips, etc. ITAR carries criminal penalties of up to 20 years incarceration and a $1 million fine.
CAF then filed with the United States Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals on behalf of the Foundation an amicus curiae brief in the pending lawsuit over the ITAR regulation. The Foundation supports Defense Distributed’s position that the regulation is overboard and therefore an unconstitutional freeze on free speech.
Commentary: