Rule 13a-19
Reports by Shell
Companies on Form 20-F
(a) Any information included or incorporated by
reference in a report filed under section 13(a) of the Act (15 U.S.C.
78m(a)) that is required to be disclosed pursuant to Item 402, 403, 404
or 407 of Regulation SB (228.402, 228.403, 228.404 or 228.407 of this
chapter) or Item 402, 403, 404 or 407 of Regulation SK (229.402,
229.403, 229.404 or 229.407 of this chapter) must be presented in a
clear, concise and understandable manner. You must prepare the
disclosure using the following standards:
(1) Present information in clear, concise sections,
paragraphs and sentences;
(2) Use short sentences;
(3) Use definite, concrete, everyday words;
(4) Use the active voice;
(5) Avoid multiple negatives;
(6) Use descriptive headings and subheadings;
(7) Use a tabular presentation or bullet lists for
complex material, wherever possible;
(8) Avoid legal jargon and highly technical business
and other terminology;
(9) Avoid frequent reliance on glossaries or defined
terms as the primary means of explaining information. Define terms in a
glossary or other section of the document only if the meaning is unclear
from the context. Use a glossary only if it facilitates understanding of
the disclosure; and
(10) In designing the presentation of the information
you may include pictures, logos, charts, graphs and other design
elements so long as the design is not misleading and the required
information is clear. You are encouraged to use tables, schedules,
charts and graphic illustrations that present relevant data in an
understandable manner, so long as such presentations are consistent with
applicable disclosure requirements and consistent with other information
in the document. You must draw graphs and charts to scale. Any
information you provide must not be misleading.
(b) [Reserved]
Note to 240.13a20: In
drafting the disclosure to comply with this section, you should avoid
the following:
1. Legalistic or overly complex
presentations that make the substance of the disclosure difficult to
understand;
2. Vague boilerplate explanations
that are imprecise and readily subject to different interpretations;
3. Complex information copied directly
from legal documents without any clear and concise explanation of the
provision(s); and
4. Disclosure repeated in different
sections of the document that increases the size of the document but
does not enhance the quality of the information.
Regulatory History |
SEC Release 33-8587: 70 FR 42234,
42247, July 21, 2005
71 FR 53261, Sept. 8, 2006 |
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