Securities and Exchange Commission 2008 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

We are adopting amendments to the rule that exempts a foreign private issuer from having to register a class of equity securities under Section 12(g) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (``Exchange Act'') based on the submission to the Commission of certain information published by the issuer outside the United States. The exemption allows a foreign private issuer to have its equity securities traded in the U.S. over-the-counter market without registration under Section 12(g). The adopted rule amendments will eliminate the current written application and paper submission requirements under Rule 12g3-2(b) by automatically exempting from Exchange Act Section 12(g) a foreign private issuer that meets specified conditions. Those conditions will require an issuer to maintain a listing of its equity securities in its primary trading market located outside the United States, and require it to publish electronically in English specified non-United States disclosure documents. As a result, the adopted amendments should make it easier for U.S. investors to gain access to a foreign private issuer's material non-United States disclosure documents and thereby to make better informed decisions regarding whether to invest in that issuer's equity securities through the over-the-counter market in the United States or otherwise. As is currently the case, issuers must continue to register their securities under the Exchange Act to have them listed on a national securities exchange or traded on the OTC Bulletin Board.