The Role of the IP Lawyer in Compliance with the Sarbanes-Oxley Act

摘要

The disclosure obligations of public companies have increased with the passage of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002. Among the various new laws and regulations arising from the Sarbanes-Oxley Act are new requirements for the chief executive officer (CEO) and the chief financial officer (CFO) of a public company to make certain certifications with respect to the accuracy of Annual and Quarterly Reports filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). In particular, these officers must make specific certifications concerning the maintenance of the company's disclosure controls and procedures and must represent that they have evaluated the effectiveness of such disclosure controls and procedures. Disclosure controls and procedures ensure that information disclosed in periodic reports is recorded, processed, summarized, and reported within the time periods that the SEC's rules and forms specify.