The U.S. Department of the Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) has lifted some limitations it imposed on US-based software makers and web service providers regarding three countries: Cuba, Iran and Sudan. The bans applied to North Korea and Syria still remain in place, and apply to any software transaction or electronic Internet-based communication service.

The initial limitations imposed at the end of 2009 on those five countries by the United States Government prevented the transfer and exportation of certain technology to foreign persons and governments on the sanctions list. The technology in question is comprised of “software related to the exchange of personal communications over the Internet, including web browsing, blogging, email, instant messaging, and chat; social networking; and photo and movie sharing.”

The first ruling of OFAC limited access to Internet-based communications services hosted in the US, while also inhibiting software license and software product exports to people or companies from the aforementioned countries.

The recent amendments now permit US citizens and companies to offer access to Internet-based communication services for users located in Cuba, Iran and Sudan, while software licensing and software product exports are permitted only “on a case-by-case basis” to users in Iran and Sudan. Cuba is still subject to special amendments regarding software licensing and software product exports.

The decision was greeted with praises from SourceForge, which, at the end of January 2010, proudly announced the launch of new features in its platform to allow users from those countries to still be able to access and use it. To keep in line with US laws but still allow software freedom and free speech, SourceForge admins permits users from the restricted countries to export control of their hosted project to other users not affected by the ban. This made the project still visible on SoureForge's page for regular users.

A summary of OFAC's press release can be read here, while the full amendment can be found at this link.