[Code of Federal Regulations]
[Title 28, Volume 1]
[Revised as of July 1, 2008]
From the U.S. Government Printing Office via GPO Access
[CITE: 28CFR16.8]

[Page 272-273]
 
                    TITLE 28--JUDICIAL ADMINISTRATION
 
                    CHAPTER I--DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE
 
PART 16_PRODUCTION OR DISCLOSURE OF MATERIAL OR INFORMATION--Table of Contents
 
  Subpart A_Procedures for Disclosure of Records Under the Freedom of 
                             Information Act
 
Sec. 16.8  Business information.

    (a) In general. Business information obtained by the Department from 
a submitter will be disclosed under the FOIA only under this section.
    (b) Definitions. For purposes of this section:
    (1) Business information means commercial or financial information 
obtained by the Department from a submitter that may be protected from 
disclosure under Exemption 4 of the FOIA.
    (2) Submitter means any person or entity from whom the Department 
obtains business information, directly or indirectly. The term includes 
corporations; state, local, and tribal governments; and foreign 
governments.
    (c) Designation of business information. A submitter of business 
information will use good-faith efforts to designate, by appropriate 
markings, either at the time of submission or at a reasonable time 
thereafter, any portions of its submission that it considers to be 
protected from disclosure under Exemption 4. These designations will 
expire ten years after the date of the submission unless the submitter 
requests, and provides justification for, a longer designation period.
    (d) Notice to submitters. A component shall provide a submitter with 
prompt written notice of a FOIA request or administrative appeal that 
seeks its business information wherever required under paragraph (e) of 
this section, except as provided in paragraph (h) of this section, in 
order to give the submitter an opportunity to object to disclosure of 
any specified portion of that information under paragraph (f) of this 
section. The notice shall either describe the business information 
requested or include copies of the requested records or record portions 
containing the information. When notification of a voluminous number of 
submitters is required, notification may be made by posting or 
publishing the notice in a place reasonably likely to accomplish it.
    (e) Where notice is required. Notice shall be given to a submitter 
wherever:
    (1) The information has been designated in good faith by the 
submitter as information considered protected from disclosure under 
Exemption 4; or
    (2) The component has reason to believe that the information may be 
protected from disclosure under Exemption 4.
    (f) Opportunity to object to disclosure. A component will allow a 
submitter a reasonable time to respond to the notice described in 
paragraph (d) of this section and will specify that time period within 
the notice. If a submitter has any objection to disclosure, it is 
required to submit a detailed written statement. The statement must 
specify all grounds for withholding any portion of the information under 
any exemption of the FOIA and, in the case of Exemption 4, it must show 
why the information is a trade secret or commercial or financial 
information that is privileged or confidential. In the event that a 
submitter fails to respond to the notice within the time specified in 
it, the submitter will be considered to have no objection to disclosure 
of the information. Information provided by the submitter that is not 
received by the component until after its disclosure decision has been 
made shall not be considered by the component. Information provided by a 
submitter under this paragraph may itself be subject to disclosure under 
the FOIA.
    (g) Notice of intent to disclose. A component shall consider a 
submitter's objections and specific grounds for nondisclosure in 
deciding whether to disclose business information. Whenever a component 
decides to disclose business information over the objection of a 
submitter, the component shall give the submitter written notice, which 
shall include:
    (1) A statement of the reason(s) why each of the submitter's 
disclosure objections was not sustained;
    (2) A description of the business information to be disclosed; and
    (3) A specified disclosure date, which shall be a reasonable time 
subsequent to the notice.
    (h) Exceptions to notice requirements. The notice requirements of 
paragraphs (d) and (g) of this section shall not apply if:
    (1) The component determines that the information should not be 
disclosed;

[[Page 273]]

    (2) The information lawfully has been published or has been 
officially made available to the public;
    (3) Disclosure of the information is required by statute (other than 
the FOIA) or by a regulation issued in accordance with the requirements 
of Executive Order 12600 (3 CFR, 1988 Comp., p. 235); or
    (4) The designation made by the submitter under paragraph (c) of 
this section appears obviously frivolous--except that, in such a case, 
the component shall, within a reasonable time prior to a specified 
disclosure date, give the submitter written notice of any final decision 
to disclose the information.
    (i) Notice of FOIA lawsuit. Whenever a requester files a lawsuit 
seeking to compel the disclosure of business information, the component 
shall promptly notify the submitter.
    (j) Corresponding notice to requesters. Whenever a component 
provides a submitter with notice and an opportunity to object to 
disclosure under paragraph (d) of this section, the component shall also 
notify the requester(s). Whenever a component notifies a submitter of 
its intent to disclose requested information under paragraph (g) of this 
section, the component shall also notify the requester(s). Whenever a 
submitter files a lawsuit seeking to prevent the disclosure of business 
information, the component shall notify the requester(s).

[Order No. 2156-98, 63 FR 29593, June 1, 1998; 63 FR 51401, Sept. 25, 
1998]