Article
The Impact of Securities Laws on Developing Companies: Would the Wright Brothers Have Gotten Off the Ground?
UF Law Faculty Publications
Document Type
Article
Publication Date
1-1-1999
Disciplines
Abstract
Suppose the Wright brothers, to pursue their dreams of manned flight, needed outside financing. Confronted with the intimidating regulatory requirements of today 's state and federal securities laws, would they ever have gotten off the ground? With historical illustrations, this Essay presents an entertaining look at the serious problems that would be encountered today by entrepreneurs who have ideas but need capital to develop them. It analyzes the regulatory maze and prohibitions of state and federal securities laws and concludes that, in today's marketplace, the Wright brothers probably would have violated several laws to obtain essential financing for their venture.
Citation Information
Stuart R. Cohn, The Impact of Securities Laws on Developing Companies: Would the Wright Brothers Have Gotten Off the Ground?, 3 J. Small & Emerging Bus. L. 315 (1999), available at http://scholarship.law.ufl.edu/facultypub/428