A rights offering is exempt from the provisions of Section 5 of the Act (15 U.S.C. 77e), so long as the following conditions are satisfied:
(a) Conditions -
(1) Eligibility of issuer. The issuer is a foreign private issuer on the date the securities are first offered to U.S. holders.
(2) Limitation on U.S. ownership. U.S. holders hold no more than 10 percent of the outstanding class of securities that is the subject of the rights offering (as determined under the definition of “U.S. holder” in § 230.800(h)).
(3) Equal treatment. The issuer permits U.S. holders to participate in the rights offering on terms at least as favorable as those offered the other holders of the securities that are the subject of the offer. The issuer need not, however, extend the rights offering to security holders in those states or jurisdictions that require registration or qualification.
(4) Informational documents.
(i) If the issuer publishes or otherwise disseminates an informational document to the holders of the securities in connection with the rights offering, the issuer must furnish that informational document, including any amendments thereto, in English, to the Commission on Form CB (§ 239.800 of this chapter) by the first business day after publication or dissemination. If the issuer is a foreign company, it must also file a Form F-X (§ 239.42 of this chapter) with the Commission at the same time as the submission of Form CB to appoint an agent for service in the United States.
(ii) The issuer must disseminate any informational document to U.S. holders, including any amendments thereto, in English, on a comparable basis to that provided to security holders in the home jurisdiction.
(iii) If the issuer disseminates by publication in its home jurisdiction, the issuer must publish the information in the United States in a manner reasonably calculated to inform U.S. holders of the offer.
(5) Eligibility of securities. The securities offered in the rights offering are equity securities of the same class as the securities held by the offerees in the United States directly or through American Depositary Receipts.
(b) Legends. The following legend or an equivalent statement in clear, plain language, to the extent applicable, appears on the cover page or other prominent portion of any informational document the issuer disseminates to U.S. holders:
This rights offering is made for the securities of a foreign company. The offer is subject to the disclosure requirements of a foreign country that are different from those of the United States. Financial statements included in the document, if any, have been prepared in accordance with foreign accounting standards that may not be comparable to the financial statements of United States companies.
It may be difficult for you to enforce your rights and any claim you may have arising under the federal securities laws, since the issuer is located in a foreign country, and some or all of its officers and directors may be residents of a foreign country. You may not be able to sue the foreign company or its officers or directors in a foreign court for violations of the U.S. securities laws. It may be difficult to compel a foreign company and its affiliates to subject themselves to a U.S. court's judgment.