- public company
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Under the Companies Act 1985, companies are incorporated as either private ("limited") or public ("Plc"). They are distinguished by different standards of regulation in the Companies Act 1985 and other legislation. Public companies require a minimum capital investment of ₤50,000 and are designed for use as more substantial companies with wide share ownership. They may be listed. Private companies are the category which represents the remainder of companies.
Easyform Glossary of Law Terms. — UK law terms.
- public company
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a registered company that can offer its shares to the public. Its memorandum of association must state that it is a public company, that its authorised capital is at least the authorised minimum (£50,000) and that its name ends with plc (or public limited company).
Collins dictionary of law. W. J. Stewart. 2001.
- public company
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UK A company which has shares that can be purchased by the public. Examples: the German AG, French SA or SCA and UK plc. Note, not all public companies are listed.USA See reporting company/reporting issuer.+public companyUSAreporting company, Also known as reporting issuer and public company.See also US reporting issuer (UK).A company subject to Section 13 or 15(d) of the Exchange Act is an SEC reporting company. A company becomes subject to the Exchange Act under the following circumstances:• Securities exchange listing. Before a company's securities can begin to trade on the exchange, the company must register that class of securities (debt or equity) with the SEC under Section 12(b) of the Exchange Act. Typically, when a company goes public, it also lists its securities for trading on a "national securities exchange" (as defined by the SEC) such as the NYSE or NASDAQ. In order to gain a secondary listing on a US securities exchange, non-US issuers who are already public can also list their outstanding or any issuance of new securities on a US securities exchange and register those securities under the Exchange Act.• Size thresholds. Companies with total assets greater than $10 million and more than 500 holders of their equity securities must register those securities with the SEC under Section 12(g) of the Exchange Act.• Public offering/no securities exchange listing. Companies that have issued to the public equity or debt securities not listed on any exchange become subject to Section 15(d) of the Exchange Act.By registering securities under Section 12(b) or Section 12(g) of the Exchange Act, a company becomes subject to the periodic and current reporting requirements of Section 13(a) of the Exchange Act.In addition, Section 15(d) companies must file certain periodic reports and information required by Section 13 of the Exchange Act as if they had registered securities under Section 12. The SEC has divided all issuers into four categories for purposes of public securities offerings. The four categories of issuers are:• non-reporting issuers.• unseasoned issuers.• seasoned issuers.• WKSIs.Unseasoned issuers, seasoned issuers and WKSIs are all collectively known as reporting issuers.
Practical Law Dictionary. Glossary of UK, US and international legal terms. www.practicallaw.com. 2010.