230 — Regulation A-R — Special Exemptions

(a) The issuer of such shares is required to file and has filed reports with the Commission pursuant to section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934.

(b) The aggregate gross proceeds from the sale of all shares offered in connection with the transaction for the purpose of providing such funds does not exceed $300,000.

(c) At least ten days prior to the offering of the shares, the issuer shall furnish to the Commission in writing the following information: (1) That it proposes to offer shares in reliance upon the exemption provided by this rule; (2) the estimated number of shares to be so offered; (3) the aggregate market value of such shares as of the latest practicable date; and (4) a brief description of the transaction in connection with which the shares are to be offered.

(Secs. 3, 4, and 19, 48 Stat. 75, 77, 85, as amended; 15 U.S.C. 77c, 77d, 77s; secs. 3(b), 4(l), 19(a), 48 Stat. 75, 77, 85; secs. 209, 48 Stat. 908; 59 Stat. 167; sec. 12, 78 Stat. 580; 84 Stat. 1480; sec. 308(a)(2), 90 Stat. 57; sec. 18, 92 Stat. 275; sec. 2, 92 Stat. 962; sec. 301, 94 Stat. 2291, 2294; secs. 12(a), 12(h), 12(i), 16(a), 23(a), 48 Stat. 892, 896, 901; sec. 203a, 49 Stat. 704; sec. 8, 49 Stat. 1379, secs. 3, 8, 78 Stat. 565-568, 579; sec. 1, 82 Stat. 454; sec. 105(b), 88 Stat. 1503; sec. 18, 89 Stat. 155; 15 U.S.C. 77c(b), 77d(l), 77s(a), 78l(a), 78l(h), 78l(i), 78p(a), 78w(a))

(1) Canadian law means the federal laws of Canada, the laws of any province or territory of Canada, and the rules or regulations of any federal, provincial, or territorial regulatory authority, or any self-regulatory authority, of Canada.

(2) Canadian Retirement Account means a trust or other arrangement, including, but not limited to, a “Registered Retirement Savings Plan” or “Registered Retirement Income Fund” administered under Canadian law, that is managed by the Participant and:

(i) Operated to provide retirement benefits to a Participant; and

(ii) Established in Canada, administered under Canadian law, and qualified for tax-deferred treatment under Canadian law.

(3) Eligible Security means a security issued by a Qualified Company that:

(i) Is offered to a Participant, or sold to his or her Canadian Retirement Account, in reliance on this section; and

(ii) May also be purchased by Canadians other than Participants.

(4) Foreign Government means the government of any foreign country or of any political subdivision of a foreign country.

(5) Foreign Issuer means any issuer that is a Foreign Government, a national of any foreign country or a corporation or other organization incorporated or organized under the laws of any foreign country, except an issuer meeting the following conditions:

(i) More than 50 percent of the outstanding voting securities of the issuer are held of record either directly or through voting trust certificates or depositary receipts by residents of the United States; and

(ii) Any of the following:

(A) The majority of the executive officers or directors are United States citizens or residents;

(B) More than 50 percent of the assets of the issuer are located in the United States; or

(C) The business of the issuer is administered principally in the United States.

(iii) For purposes of this definition, the term resident, as applied to security holders, means any person whose address appears on the records of the issuer, the voting trustee, or the depositary as being located in the United States.

(6) Participant means a natural person who is a resident of the United States, or is temporarily present in the United States, and who contributes to, or is or will be entitled to receive the income and assets from, a Canadian Retirement Account.

(7) Qualified Company means a Foreign Issuer whose securities are qualified for investment on a tax-deferred basis by a Canadian Retirement Account under Canadian law.

(8) United States means the United States of America, its territories and possessions, any State of the United States, and the District of Columbia.

(b) Exemption. The offer to a Participant, or the sale to his or her Canadian Retirement Account, of Eligible Securities by any person is exempt from Section 5 of the Act (15 U.S.C. 77e) if the person:

(1) Includes in any written offering materials delivered to a Participant, or to his or her Canadian Retirement Account, a prominent statement that the Eligible Security is not registered with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission and the Eligible Security is being offered or sold in the United States under an exemption from registration.

(2) Has not asserted that Canadian law, or the jurisdiction of the courts of Canada, does not apply in a proceeding involving an Eligible Security.

(1) Issued by a clearing agency registered under section 17A of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (15 U.S.C. 78q-1); and

(2) Traded on a national securities exchange registered pursuant to section 6(a) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (15 U.S.C. 78f(a)) or on a national securities association registered pursuant to section 15A(a) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (15 U.S.C. 780-3(a)).

(b) Limitation. The exemption provided in paragraph (a) of this section does not apply to the provisions of section 17 of the Act (15 U.S.C. 77q).

(c) Offers and sales. Any offer or sale of a standardized option by or on behalf of the issuer of the securities underlying the standardized option, an affiliate of the issuer, or an underwriter, will constitute a contract for sale of, sale of, offer for sale, or offer to sell the underlying securities as defined in section 2(a)(3) of the Act (15 U.S.C. 77b(a)(3)).

(1) Is issued or will be issued by a clearing agency that is either registered as a clearing agency under Section 17A of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (15 U.S.C. 78q-1) or exempt from registration under Section 17A of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 pursuant to a rule, regulation, or order of the Commission (“eligible clearing agency”), and

(2) The Commission has determined is required to be cleared or that is permitted to be cleared pursuant to the eligible clearing agency's rules.

(b) The exemption provided in paragraph (a) of this section applies only to an offer or sale of a security-based swap described in paragraph (a) of this section if the following conditions are satisfied:

(1) The security-based swap is offered or sold in a transaction involving the eligible clearing agency in its function as a central counterparty with respect to such security-based swap;

(2) The security-based swap is sold only to an eligible contract participant (as defined in Section 1a(18) of the Commodity Exchange Act (7 U.S.C. 1a(18))); and

(3) The eligible clearing agency posts on its publicly available Web site at a specified Internet address or includes in its agreement covering the security-based swap that the eligible clearing agency provides or makes available to its counterparty the following:

(i) A statement identifying any security, issuer, loan, or narrow-based security index underlying the security-based swap;

(ii) A statement indicating the security or loan to be delivered (or class of securities or loans), or if cash settled, the security, loan, or narrow-based security index (or class of securities or loans) whose value is to be used to determine the amount of the settlement obligation under the security-based swap; and

(iii) A statement of whether the issuer of any security or loan, each issuer of a security in a narrow-based security index, or each referenced issuer underlying the security-based swap is subject to the reporting requirements of Sections 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (15 U.S.C. 78m and 78o) and, if not subject to such reporting requirements, whether public information, including financial information, about any such issuer is available and where the information is available.

(c) The exemption provided in paragraph (a) of this section does not apply to the provisions of Section 17(a) of the Act (15 U.S.C. 77q(a)).

(1) A security-based swap agreement, as defined in Section 2A of the Act (15 U.S.C. 77b(b)-1) as in effect prior to July 16, 2011; and

(2) Entered into between eligible contract participants (as defined in Section 1a(12) of the Commodity Exchange Act (7 U.S.C. 1a(12)) as in effect prior to July 16, 2011, other than a person who is an eligible contract participant under Section 1a(12)(C) of the Commodity Exchange Act as in effect prior to July 16, 2011).

(b) The exemption provided in paragraph (a) of this section does not apply to the provisions of Section 17(a) of the Act (15 U.S.C. 77q(a)).

(c) This rule will expire on February 11, 2014. In such event, the Commission will publish a rule removing this section from 17 CFR part 230 or modifying it as appropriate.