(a) Definition. The term information or informational materials is limited to expressive material and includes publications, films, posters, phonograph records, photographs, microfilms, microfiche, tapes, compact disks, CD ROMs, artworks, and news wire feeds. It does not include data that is technical, functional, or otherwise non-expressive.

(b) Exclusions. The term information or informational materials does not include:

(1) Information or informational materials not fully created and in existence at the date of the data transaction, or the substantive or artistic alteration or enhancement of information or informational materials, or the provision of marketing and business consulting services, including to market, produce or co-produce, or assist in the creation of information or informational materials;

(2) Items that were, as of April 30, 1994, or that thereafter become, controlled for export to the extent that such controls promote the nonproliferation or antiterrorism policies of the United States, or with respect to which acts are prohibited by 18 U.S.C. chapter 37.

(c) Examples—(1) Example 1. A U.S. person enters into an agreement to create a customized dataset of bulk U.S. sensitive personal data that meets a covered person's specifications (such as the specific types and fields of data, date ranges, and other criteria) and to sell that dataset to the covered person. This customized dataset is not fully created and in existence at the date of the agreement, and therefore is not information or informational materials.

(2) Example 2. A U.S. company has access to several pre-existing databases of different bulk U.S. sensitive personal data. The U.S. company offers, for a fee, to use data analytics to link the data across these databases to the same individuals and to sell that combined dataset to a covered person. This service constitutes a substantive alteration or enhancement of the data in the pre-existing databases and therefore is not information or informational materials.