Exporting - that is, the shipment or transmission of items or material outside of the U.S. - is heavily regulated by federal laws and regulations referred to collectively as "export controls." These controls affect the export of commodities (goods and materials), technology (technical data and know-how) and software from the U.S. to a foreign country. They also affect the re-export of any such U.S. items from one foreign country to another, as well as products made outside the U.S. by or for a U.S. company.