Category: Securities

The SEC Adopts New Rules Regarding Mining Disclosure

On October 31, 2018, the United States Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) announced that it adopted rules to modernize mining property disclosure in order to harmonize SEC disclosure requirements with international standards. The SEC had proposed rules in June 2016 which received numerous comments and as a result a number of changes were made...

The SEC’s Recent Settlement with Tesla and Elon Musk Teaches Us a Valuable Corporate Governance Lesson

The SEC’s settlement with Tesla and Elon Musk teaches us some important corporate governance lessons on monitoring and vetting executive use of social media. As background, on August 7, 2018, the markets were surprised by a series of tweets initiated by Elon Musk, the CEO of Tesla, Inc., in which Musk mused about taking Tesla...

What if You Miss the Deadline to File a Form D?

As a continuation of our August 9 post regarding the deadline for Canadian companies to file a Form D for a private placement in the United States, we now address the questions, “What if our company missed the deadline to file a Form D with the SEC?” And, more importantly, “Have we lost our ability to...

Analysis of the 60 Most Recent SEC Comment Letters Issued to Canadian Form 40-F Filers

Since January 1, 2016, the SEC has publicly released its correspondence relating to 60 comment letters sent to Canadian issuers with respect to annual reports filed on Form 40-F pursuant to the Canada-U.S. Multi-Jurisdictional Disclosure System (MJDS). We have analyzed the content and key takeaways from these letters, including: The SEC’s most common areas of...

SEC Guidance on Cybersecurity Disclosure and Policies – Recap of Dorsey Webinar Presentation

Earlier this week, a panel of Dorsey attorneys presented a webinar on the SEC’s recent guidance on cybersecurity disclosures and policies, which included a detailed walk-through of the SEC’s 2018 guidance, including issues related to enhanced disclosure, insider trading, and Reg FD policies. The panel also discussed the impact of the SEC’s guidance within the...

Recent NYSE and NYSE American Announcements

The NYSE has made a few recent announcements affecting the obligations of NYSE and NYSE American listed Canadian companies with respect to providing information to the exchange. An NYSE listed company that files its shareholder meeting materials (e.g., proxy, management information circular, proxy card, etc.) on EDGAR is no longer required to provide physical copies...

Foreign Corrupt Practices Act Requires More Than a Policy

The recent settlement agreement between Kinross Gold Company and the Securities and Exchange Commission is a reminder to Canadian cross-listed companies that it is not enough to adopt a parent-company level anti-corruption policy designed to promote compliance with the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA). Effective implementation and monitoring at the operating level is also needed....