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Howey Test Archives

When does a deal involve securities regulation? Part 3: Partnerships and Limited Liability Companies

April 13, 2012 by Alexander J. Davie

This post is the third in a series exploring when securities laws impact business transactions.

In my previous posts, I provided a general overview of the definition of a “security” under federal securities laws.  One of the categories of investments that constitutes a “security” under federal law is an “investment contract.”  The term is a rather open-ended one, but under the so-called Howey Test, the term includes any arrangement or transaction that is “an investment in a common venture premised on a reasonable expectation of profits to be derived from the entrepreneurial or managerial efforts of others.”  As a result, any transaction which constitutes an investment contract is a security under federal securities law.  In this post, we’ll explore when an interest in a limited liability company (“LLC”) or a partnership constitutes an investment contract, and consequently, a security. [Read more…]

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Filed Under: General Business Law Tagged With: Howey Test, Investment Contract, Limited Liability Company, Limited Liability Partnership, Limited Partnership, SEC, Securities, Securities Act

When does a deal involve securities regulation? Part 2: The “Howey” Test

April 5, 2012 by Alexander J. Davie

This post is the second in a series exploring when securities laws impact business transactions.

In my previous post, I provided a general overview of the definition of a “security” under federal securities laws.  The Securities Act of 1933 provides for a very far reaching definition of a security, including “any note, stock… investment contract…, or, in general, any interest or instrument commonly known as a ‘security’…”  As explained in my prior post, this definition, taken literally, can result in both overinclusiveness and underinclusiveness.  I’ll discuss the issue of overinclusiveness and how it is addressed in future posts; this post will discuss how the inclusion of an “investment contract” within the definition of a security allows the definition to include classes of investments that are not specifically listed, like limited liability company interests and limited partnership interests, which are both concepts that had not even been invented when the Securities Act was passed. [Read more…]

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Filed Under: General Business Law Tagged With: Howey Test, Investment Contract, Limited Liability Company, Limited Partnership, SEC, Securities, Securities Act

About the editor

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Strictly Business is a business law blog for entrepreneurs, startups, venture capital, and the private fund industry. Its editor is Alexander J. Davie, an attorney at Riggs Davie PLC based in Nashville, Tennessee. His practice focuses on corporate, securities, and business law. He works mainly with technology companies, including startups and emerging companies, and private equity, venture capital, and hedge funds.
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