CFR > Title 16 - Commercial Practices > CHAPTER I—FEDERAL TRADE COMMISSION > SUBCHAPTER H—RULES, REGULATIONS, STATEMENTS AND INTERPRETATIONS UNDER THE HART-SCOTT-RODINO ANTITRUST IMPROVEMENTS ACT OF 1976 (parts 801 to 803) > PART 802—EXEMPTION RULES > 802.51—Acquisitions of voting securities of a foreign issuer.

802.51—Acquisitions of voting securities of a foreign issuer.

(a) By U.S. persons. (1) The acquisition of voting securities of a foreign issuer by a U.S. person shall be exempt from the requirements of the act unless the issuer (including all entities controlled by the issuer) either: holds assets located in the United States (other than investment assets, voting or nonvoting securities of another person, and assets included pursuant to § 801.40(d)(2) of this chapter) having an aggregate total value of over $50 million (as adjusted); or made aggregate sales in or into the United States of over $50 million (as adjusted) in its most recent fiscal year.
(2) If interests in multiple foreign issuers are being acquired from the same acquired person, the assets located in the United States and sales in or into the United States of all the issuers must be aggregated to determine whether either $50 million (as adjusted) limitation is exceeded.
(b) By foreign persons. (1) The acquisition of voting securities of a foreign issuer by a foreign person shall be exempt from the requirements of the act unless the acquisition will confer control of the issuer and the issuer (including all entities controlled by the issuer) either: holds assets located in the United States (other than investment assets, voting or nonvoting securities of another person, and assets included pursuant to § 801.40(d)(2) of this chapter) having an aggregate total value of over $50 million (as adjusted); or made aggregate sales in or into the United States of over $50 million (as adjusted) in its most recent fiscal year.
(2) If controlling interests in multiple foreign issuers are being acquired from the same acquired person, the assets located in the United States and sales in or into the United States of all the issuers must be aggregated to determine whether either $50 million (as adjusted) limitation is exceeded.
(c) Where a foreign issuer whose securities are being acquired exceeds the threshold in paragraph (b)(1) of this section, the acquisition nevertheless shall be exempt where:
(1) Both acquiring and acquired persons are foreign;
(2) The aggregate sales of the acquiring and acquired persons in or into the United States are less than $110 million (as adjusted) in their respective most recent fiscal years;
(3) The aggregate total assets of the acquiring and acquired persons located in the United States (other than investment assets, voting or nonvoting securities of another person, and assets included pursuant to § 801.40(d)(2) of this chapter) are less than $110 million (as adjusted); and
(4) The transaction does not meet the criteria of Section 7A(a)(2)(A).

Code of Federal Regulations

Example to § 802.51 1. “A,” a U.S. person, is to acquire the voting securities of C, a foreign issuer. C has no assets in the United States, but made aggregate sales into the United States of in excess of 50 million (as adjusted) in the most recent fiscal year. The transaction is not exempt under this section. 2. Assume that “A” and “B” are foreign persons with aggregate sales in or into the United States in excess of $110 million (as adjusted), and that “A” is acquiring 100% of the voting securities of “B.” Included within “B” is U.S. issuer C, whose total U.S. assets are valued in excess of $50 million (as adjusted). Since “A” will be acquiring control of an issuer, C, with total U.S. assets of more than $50 million (as adjusted), and the parties' aggregate sales in or into the U.S. in the relevant time period exceed $110 million (as adjusted), the acquisition is not exempt under this section. 3. “A,” a foreign person, intends to acquire 100 percent of the voting securities of two wholly owned subsidiaries of “B” for a total of in excess of $50 million (as adjusted). BSUB1 is a foreign issuer with less than $50 million (as adjusted) in sales into the U.S. in its most recent fiscal year and with assets of less than $50 million (as adjusted) located in the U.S. Less than $50 million (as adjusted) of the acquisition price has been allocated to BSUB1. BSUB2 is a U.S. issuer with more than $50 million (as adjusted) in U.S. sales and more than $50 million (as adjusted) in assets located in the U.S. Less than $50 million (as adjusted) of the acquisition price is allocated to BSUB2. Since BSUB1 does not exceed the $50 million (as adjusted) limitation for U.S. sales or assets in § 802.51(b) , its voting securities are not held as a result of the acquisition (see § 801.15(b) of this chapter). Since the acquisition price for BSUB2 alone would not result in “A” holding in excess of $50 million (as adjusted) of voting securities of the acquired person, the transaction is non-reportable in its entirety. Note that the U.S. sales and assets of BSUB1 are not aggregated with those of BSUB2 for purposes of determining whether the limitations in paragraph (b) of this section are exceeded. If BSUB2 were also a foreign issuer, such aggregation would be required under paragraph (b)(2) of this section, and the transaction in its entirety would be reportable.

Code of Federal Regulations

[67 FR 11904, Mar. 18, 2002; 67 FR 13716, Mar. 26, 2002, as amended at 70 FR 4996, Jan. 31, 2005]