Information of a confidential nature, such as proprietary or classified information, provided to a United States firm pursuant to this section shall be protected. Such information may be released by a United States firm only after written approval by the Secretary.
The term “United States firm” means a corporation, partnership, limited partnership, or sole proprietorship that is incorporated or established under the laws of any of the United States with its principal place of business in the United States.
The term “United States”, when used in a geographical sense, means the several States of the United States and the District of Columbia.