[Code of Federal Regulations]
[Title 17, Volume 2]
[Revised as of April 1, 2002]
From the U.S. Government Printing Office via GPO Access
[CITE: 17CFR232.304]

[Page 643-644]
 
              TITLE 17--COMMODITY AND SECURITIES EXCHANGES
 
             CHAPTER II--SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
 
PART 232--REGULATION S-T--GENERAL RULES AND REGULATIONS FOR ELECTRONIC FILINGS--Table of Contents
 
Sec. 232.304  Graphic, image, audio and video material.

    (a) If a filer includes graphic, image, audio or video material in a 
document delivered to investors and others that is not reproduced in an 
electronic filing, the electronically filed version of that document 
must include a fair and accurate narrative description, tabular 
representation or transcript of the omitted material. Such descriptions, 
representations or transcripts may be included in the text of the 
electronic filing at the point where the graphic, image, audio or video 
material is presented in the delivered version, or they may be listed in 
an appendix to the electronic filing. Immaterial differences between the 
delivered and electronically filed versions, such as pagination, color, 
type size or style, or corporate logo need not be described.

    Note to paragraph (a): If the omitted graphic, image, audio or video 
material includes data, filers must include a tabular representation or 
other appropriate representation of that data in the electronically 
filed version of the document.

    (b)(1) The graphic, image, audio and video material in the version 
of a document delivered to investors and others is deemed part of the 
electronic filing and subject to the civil liability and anti-fraud 
provisions of the federal securities laws.
    (2) Narrative descriptions, tabular representations or transcripts 
of graphic, image, audio and video material included in an electronic 
filing or appendix thereto also are deemed part of the filing. However, 
to the extent such descriptions, representations or transcripts 
represent a good faith effort to fairly and accurately describe omitted 
graphic, image, audio or video material, they are not subject to the 
civil liability and anti-fraud provisions of the federal securities 
laws.
    (c) An electronic filer must retain for a period of five years a 
copy of each publicly distributed document, in the format used, that 
contains graphic, image, audio or video material where such material is 
not included in the version filed with the Commission. The five-year 
period shall commence as of the filing date, or the date that appears on 
the document, whichever is later. Upon request, an electronic filer 
shall furnish to the Commission or its staff a copy of any or all of the 
documents contained in the file.
    (d) For electronically filed ASCII documents, the performance graph 
that is to appear in registrant proxy and information statements 
relating to annual meetings of security holders (or special meetings or 
written consents in lieu of such meetings) at which directors will be 
elected, as required by Item 402(l) of Regulation S-K (Sec. 229.402(l) 
of this chapter), and the line graph that is to appear in registrant 
annual reports to security holders or

[[Page 644]]

prospectuses, as required by paragraph (b) of Item 5 of Form N-1A 
(Sec. 274.11A of this chapter), must be furnished to the Commission by 
presenting the data in tabular or chart form within the electronic ASCII 
document, in compliance with paragraph (a) of this section and the 
formatting requirements of the EDGAR Filer Manual.
    (e) Notwithstanding the provisions of paragraphs (a) through (d) of 
this section, electronically filed HTML documents must present the 
following information in an HTML graphic or image file within the 
electronic submission in compliance with the formatting requirements of 
the EDGAR Filer Manual: the performance graph that is to appear in 
registrant proxy and information statements relating to annual meetings 
of security holders (or special meetings or written consents in lieu of 
such meetings) at which directors will be elected, as required by Item 
402(l) of Regulation S-K (Sec. 229.402(l) of this chapter); the line 
graph that is to appear in registrant annual reports to security holders 
or prospectuses, as required by paragraph (b) of Item 5 of Form N-1A 
(Sec. 274.11A of this chapter); and any other graphic material required 
by rule or form to be filed with the Commission. Filers may, but are not 
required to, submit any other graphic material in an HTML document by 
presenting the data in an HTML graphic or image file within the 
electronic filing, in compliance with the formatting requirements of the 
EDGAR Filer Manual. However, filers may not present in a graphic or 
image file information such as text or tables that users must be able to 
search and/or download into spreadsheet form (e.g., financial 
statements); filers must present such material as text in an ASCII 
document or as text or an HTML table in an HTML document.
    (f) Electronic filers may not include animated graphics in any EDGAR 
document.

[58 FR 14670, Mar. 18, 1993, as amended at 59 FR 67762, Dec. 30, 1994; 
61 FR 24655, May 15, 1996; 62 FR 36458, July 8, 1997; 63 FR 13944, Mar. 
23, 1998; 64 FR 27895, May 21, 1999; 65 FR 24800, Apr. 27, 2000]