Taiwan Stock Exchange - Rules & Regulations Directory

Chapter Content

Title:

Securities and Exchange Act 

Amended Date: 2023.06.28 
   Chapter II The Offering, Issuing, Private Placement, and Trading of Securities

      Section II Purchase of Securities

Article 43-1
(Regulation of Public Tender Offers for Securities)
    Any person who acquires, either individually or jointly with other persons, more than 5 percent of the total issued shares of a public company shall report such acquisition to the Competent Authority and make a public announcement; the same applies when there is any change in the specifics reported. Regulations governing the reporting of the number of shares acquired, the purpose and the sources of funds for the acquisition of the shares, changes to the specifics reported, public announcement, terms, and any other matters requiring compliance, shall be prescribed by the Competent Authority.
    Any public tender offer to purchase the securities of a public company bypassing the centralized securities exchange market or the over-the-counter market may be conducted only after the offeror has reported to the Competent Authority, providing proof that it has the ability to perform payment of the tender offer consideration, and publicly announced the specific matters, except under the following circumstances:
  1. The number of securities proposed for public tender offer by the offeror plus the total number of securities of the public company already obtained by the offeror and its related parties do not exceed 5 percent of the total number of voting shares issued by the public company.
  2. The securities purchased by the offeror through the public tender offer are securities of a company of which the offeror holds more than 50 percent of the issued voting shares.
  3. Other circumstances in conformity with the regulations prescribed by the Competent Authority.
    Any person who independently or jointly with another person(s) proposes to acquire a certain percentage of the total issued shares of a public company or of the beneficial securities of a real estate investment trust under the Real Estate Securitization Act shall make the acquisition by means of a public tender offer, unless certain conditions are satisfied.
    Regulations governing the scope, conditions, period, related parties, and particulars for filing and public announcement in connection with purchases of securities pursuant to paragraph 2, and the "certain percentage" and "conditions" in connection with the acquisition of a certain percentage of the total issued shares of a public company under the preceding paragraph shall be prescribed by the Competent Authority.
    Any person who will make a public tender offer to purchase the beneficial securities of a real estate investment trust under the Real Estate Securitization Act may conduct the public tender offer only after filing with the Competent Authority and making a public announcement. Regulations governing the scope, conditions, period, related parties, and particulars for filing and public announcement in connection with purchases of real estate securitization beneficial securities, and the "certain percentage" and "conditions" in connection with the acquisition of beneficial securities of a real estate investment trust under paragraph 3 shall be prescribed by the Competent Authority.
Article 43-2
(Prohibition of Adverse Changes to Public Tender Offer Conditions)
    A public tender offeror shall adopt uniform purchase conditions in the public tender offer, and may not make any of the following modifications to the purchase conditions:
  1. Lower the public tender offer price.
  2. Lower the proposed number of securities to be purchased through the public tender offer.
  3. Shorten the public tender offer period.
  4. Other particulars as prescribed by the Competent Authority.
    A public tender offeror that violates the requirement of uniform purchase conditions set forth in the preceding paragraph shall be liable for damages to the tenderer up to the amount of the difference between the highest price paid under the public tender offer and the price paid to the tenderer, multiplied by the number of shares subscribed.
Article 43-3
(Prohibition During the Public Tender Offer Period of Purchase By Any Other Means of the Same Type of Securities of the Public Company or Beneficial Securities of the Real Estate Investment Trust Under the Real Estate Securitization Act)
    From the date of filing and public announcement until the date of lapse of the public tender offer period, the public tender offeror and its related parties shall not, through a centralized securities exchange, over-the-counter market, any other market, or by any other means, purchase the same type of securities of the public company or beneficial securities of the real estate investment trust under the Real Estate Securitization Act.
    A public tender offeror that violates the preceding paragraph shall be liable to the tenderer for damages up to the amount of the difference between the price paid for the securities purchased through other means and the price under the public tender offer, multiplied by the number of shares subscribed.
Article 43-4
(Public Tender Offer Prospectus)
    The public tender offeror, unless buying back shares pursuant to Article 28-2, shall deliver the public tender offer prospectus to the tenderer upon the tenderer's request or upon the tenderer's deposit of the securities with the appointed institution.
    The particulars to be published in the public tender offer prospectus referred to in the preceding paragraph shall be prescribed by the Competent Authority.
    The provisions of Article 31, paragraph 2 and of Article 32 shall apply mutatis mutandis to paragraph 1 hereinabove.
Article 43-5
(Public Tender Offer Suspension Conditions and Amendments to the Public Tender Offer Report)
    After a public tender offeror has initiated a public tender offer, it may not suspend the public tender offer except in any of the following circumstances, where the Competent Authority has granted approval:
  1. The public company whose securities are being purchased encounters any material change in its financial or business condition and the offeror has presented evidence of the change.
  2. The offeror becomes bankrupt, dies, is declared by a court to be under guardianship or assistance, or is required by a court ruling to undergo reorganization.
  3. Other circumstances specified by the Competent Authority.
    Where content reported or publicly announced by an offeror violates an act or regulation, the Competent Authority may, as necessary to protect the public interest, order the offeror to amend the particulars of the public tender offer report and carry out reporting and public announcement procedures anew.
    If the offeror fails to acquire the proposed number of shares within the tender offer period or suspension of the public tender offer is approved by the Competent Authority, the offeror may not, within one year therefrom, carry out a public tender offer on the same company, unless it has legitimate reasons and has obtained approval from the Competent Authority.
    If, after the public tender offer, the total number of issued shares of the acquired company held by the offeror and its related parties exceeds 50 percent of the total number of shares issued by the company, the offeror may, by a proposal in writing, with reasons stated therein, request the board of directors to convene a special meeting of shareholders; the restrictions set forth in Article 173, paragraph 1 of the Company Act shall not apply.
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