[Note: this post was initially published in early 2017.]
“Quotation marks” are often misused. We have all read passages or seen “signs” where someone “clearly” didn’t realize what they were conveying with the “quotation marks.”
This may cross your mind when reading the Export Administration Regulations (EAR) since there are many “words” in quotation marks which seemingly have no business being quoted. But you would be wrong. The use of quotations is deliberate and important, indicating that the quoted word or phrase should be reviewed under Section 772.1 – Definitions of terms as used in the EAR. Some are close to the definitions we typically associate with these words while others aren’t nearly as clear.