Corporate law is mostly state law, and businesses are free to incorporate in whichever state they choose. So when researching corporate law within the realm of a particular state, it is very important to look at that state's corporate code. However, federal law does provide for some minimum standards and guidelines, especially in the area of share trading and governance rights. These are mostly overseen by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The U.S. Department of State also has a Business Resources page, where American businesses can report intellectual property theft and find federal government contracting opportunities, among other resources.
The Securities Exchange Act of 1933 provides guidance for newly issued securities. It requires that investors receive material information about available securities, as well as prohibiting fraud and deceit in the sale of securities. Public access to the Act is linked above, and it can also be found on Lexis and Westlaw.
The Securities Exchange Act of 1934 created the Securities Exchange Commission (SEC) and gave that commission authority to oversee and regulate firms and agents that trade securities, as well as prohibiting certain conduct and giving disciplinary power to the SEC. Public access to the Act is linked above, and it can also be found on Lexis and Westlaw.
The Commodity Exchange Act requires all commodity options to be traded on organized exchanges. The Act also created the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC), with the power to establish federal regulations. Public access to the Act is linked above, and it can also be found on Lexis and Westlaw.
Other laws pertinent to corporate law may be found in Title 11 (Bankruptcy), Title 12 (Banks and Banking), Title 15 (Commerce and Trade), Title 17 (Copyrights), and Title 35 (Patents) of the U.S. Code. Public access to each Title is linked above, and the U.S. Code can also be found on Lexis and Westlaw.
Federal regulations pertinent to corporate law may be found in Title 12 (Banks and Banking), Title 13 (Business Credit and Assistance), Title 15 (Commerce and Foreign Trade), Title 16 (Commercial Practices), Title 17 (Commodity and Securities Exchange), and Title 37 (Patents, Trademarks, & Copyrights) of the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR). Public access to each Title is linked above, and the CFR can also be found on Lexis and Westlaw.
