R164-14-21v – Solicitation of Interest Rule Exemption
Exemption
- An offer, but not a sale, of a security made by or on behalf of an issuer for the sole purpose of soliciting an indication of interest in receiving a prospectus, or its equivalent, for such security is exempt from Section 61-1-7, if all of the following conditions are satisfied:
- The issuer is or will be a business entity organized under the laws of one of the states or possessions of the United States or one of the provinces or territories of Canada;
- The issuer is engaged in or proposes to engage in a business other than petroleum exploration or production or mining or other extractive industries and is not a "blind pool" offering or other offering for which the specific business or properties cannot now be described;
- The offerer intends to register the security in this state and conduct its offering pursuant to either SEC Regulation A, Conditional Small Issues Exemption, 17 CFR 230.251 through 17 CFR 230.263 (1995), SEC Rule 504, Exemption for Limited Offerings and Sales of Securities Not Exceeding $1,000,000, 17 CFR 230.504 (1995), or SEC Rule 147, "Part of an Issue," "Person Resident," and "Doing Business Within" for Purposes of Section 3(a)(11), 17 CFR 230.147 (1995), which are incorporated by reference;
- Ten (10) business days prior to the initial solicitation of interest under this rule, the offerer files with the Division, Form 14-21s, Solicitation of Interest Form, any other materials to be used to conduct solicitations of interest, including, but not limited to, the script of any broadcast to be made and a copy of any notice to be published, and a fee as specified in the Division's fee schedule;
- Five (5) business days prior to usage, the offerer files with the Division any amendments to the foregoing materials or additional materials to be used to conduct solicitations of interest, except for materials provided to a particular offeree pursuant to a request by that offeree;
- No Solicitation of Interest Form, script, advertisement or other material can be used to solicit indications of interest unless approved by the Division;
- Except for scripted broadcasts and published notices, the offerer does not communicate with any offeree about the contemplated offering unless the offeree is provided with the most current Solicitation of Interest Form at or before the time of the communication or within five (5) calendar days from the communication;
- During the solicitation of interest period, the offerer does not solicit or accept money or a commitment to purchase securities;
- No sale is made until seven (7) calendar days after delivery to the purchaser of a final prospectus or in those instances in which delivery of a preliminary prospectus is allowed, a preliminary prospectus; and
- The offerer does not know, and in the exercise of reasonable care, could not know that the issuer or any of the issuer's officers, directors, ten percent shareholders or promoters:
- Has filed a registration statement which is the subject of a currently effective registration stop order entered pursuant to any federal or state securities law within five years prior to the filing of the Solicitation of Interest Form;
- Has been convicted within five years prior to the filing of the Solicitation of Interest Form of any felony or misdemeanor in connection with the offer, purchase or sale of any security or any felony involving fraud or deceit, including, but not limited to, forgery, embezzlement, obtaining money under false pretenses, larceny, or conspiracy to defraud;
- Is currently subject to any federal or state administrative enforcement order or judgment entered by any state securities administrator or the SEC within five years prior to the filing of the Solicitation of Interest Form or is subject to any federal or state administrative enforcement order or judgment entered within five years prior to the filing of the Solicitation of Interest Form in which fraud or deceit, including, but not limited to, making untrue statements of material facts and omitting to state material facts, was found;
- Is subject to any federal or state administrative enforcement order or judgment which prohibits, denies, or revokes the use of any exemption from registration in connection with the offer, purchase or sale of securities; or
- Is currently subject to any order, judgment, or decree of any court of competent jurisdiction temporarily or preliminarily restraining or enjoining, or is subject to any order, judgment or decree of any court of competent jurisdiction, permanently restraining or enjoining, such party from engaging in or continuing any conduct or practice in connection with the purchase or sale of any security or involving the making of any false filing with the state entered within five years prior to the filing of the Solicitation of Interest Form.
See additional conditions in the text of the rule.
Division Interpretive Commentary
This exemption was created by rule under the discretionary authority of section 61-1-14(2)(v). The text of the rule may be found at R164-14-21v.
The rule enables an issuer to solicit indications of interest in a future offering of securities by the issuer to determine the likelihood of success of the offering before incurring costs associated with registering the offering.
This exemption requires a filing with the Division prior to relying on the exemption. To claim this exemption, file the following at least 10 business days prior to the initial solicitation of interest under this rule:
- Form 14-21v, Solicitation of Interest Form;
- Any other materials to be used to conduct solicitations of interest, including, but not limited to, the script of any broadcast to be made and a copy of any notice to be published; and
- $60 filing fee.
Five business days prior to usage, the offerer must file with the Division any amendments to the original materials filed or additional materials to be used to conduct solicitations of interest, except for materials provided to a particular offeree pursuant to a request by that offeree.