[Federal Register Volume 75, Number 37 (Thursday, February 25, 2010)]
[Notices]
[Page 8762]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2010-3823]



[[Page 8762]]

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SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

[Release No. 34-61546; File No. 4-546]


Joint Industry Plan; Notice of Filing and Immediate Effectiveness 
of Amendment to the Options Order Protection and Locked/Crossed Market 
Plan To Add the BATS Exchange, Inc. as a Participant

February 19, 2010.
    Pursuant to Section 11A(a)(3) of the Securities Exchange Act of 
1934 (``Act'') \1\ and Rule 608 thereunder,\2\ notice is hereby given 
that on February 4, 2010, BATS Exchange, Inc. (``BATS'' or 
``Exchange'') filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission 
(``Commission'') an amendment to the Options Order Protection and 
Locked/Crossed Market Plan (``Plan'').\3\ The amendment proposes to add 
BATS as a Participant \4\ to the Plan. The Commission is publishing 
this notice to solicit comments on the proposed rule change from 
interested persons.
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    \1\ 15 U.S.C. 78k-1(a)(3).
    \2\ 17 CFR 242.608.
    \3\ On July 30, 2009, the Commission approved a national market 
system plan relating to Options Order Protection and Locked/Crossed 
Markets proposed by Chicago Board Options Exchange, Incorporated 
(``CBOE''), International Securities Exchange, LLC (``ISE''), The 
NASDAQ Stock Market LLC (``Nasdaq''), NASDAQ OMX BX, Inc. (``BOX''), 
NASDAQ OMX PHLX, Inc. (``Phlx''), NYSE Amex, LLC (``NYSE Amex''), 
and NYSE Arca, Inc. (``NYSE Arca''). See Securities Exchange Act 
Release No. 60405 (July 30, 2009), 74 FR 39362 (August 6, 2009).
    \4\ The term ``Participant'' is defined as an Eligible Exchange 
whose participation in the Plan has become effective pursuant to 
Section 3(c) of the Plan.
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I. Description and Purpose of the Amendment

    The current Participants in the Linkage Plan are CBOE, ISE, Nasdaq, 
BOX, Phlx, NYSE Amex, and NYSE Arca. The proposed amendment to the Plan 
would add BATS as a Participant in the Plan. BATS has submitted a 
signed copy of the Plan to the Commission in accordance with the 
procedures set forth in the Plan regarding new Participants. Section 
3(c) of the Plan provides for the entry of new Participants to the 
Plan. Specifically an Eligible Exchange \5\ may become a Participant in 
the Plan by: (i) Executing a copy of the Plan, as then in effect; (ii) 
providing each current Participant with a copy of such executed Plan; 
(iii) effecting an amendment to the Plan, as specified in Section 4(b) 
of the Plan.
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    \5\ Section 2(6) of the Plan defines an ``Eligible Exchange'' as 
a national securities exchange registered with the Commission 
pursuant to Section 6(a) of the Act, 15 U.S.C. 78f(a), that: (a) is 
a ``Participant Exchange'' in the Options Clearing Corporation 
(``OCC'') (as defined in OCC By-laws, Section VII); (b) is a party 
to the Options Price Reporting Authority (``OPRA'') Plan (as defined 
in the OPRA Plan, Section 1); and (c) if the national securities 
exchange chooses not to become party to this Plan, is a participant 
in another plan approved by the Commission providing for comparable 
Trade-Through and Locked and Crossed Market protection. BATS has 
represented that it has met the requirements for being considered an 
Eligible Exchange. See letter from Eric Swanson, SVP and General 
Counsel, BATS, to David Liu, Assistant Director, Division of Trading 
and Markets, Commission, dated February 12, 2010.
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    Section 4(b) of the Plan puts forth the process by which an 
Eligible Exchange may effect an amendment to the Plan. Specifically, an 
Eligible Exchange must: (a) execute a copy of the Plan with the only 
change being the addition of the new participant's name in Section 3(a) 
of the Plan; and (b) submit the executed Plan to the Commission. The 
Plan then provides that such an amendment will be effective when the 
amendment is approved by the Commission or otherwise becomes effective 
pursuant to Section 11A of the Act and Rule 608 thereunder.

II. Effectiveness of the Proposed Linkage Plan Amendment

    The foregoing proposed Plan amendment has become effective pursuant 
to Rule 608(b)(3)(iii) of the Act \6\ because it involves solely 
technical or ministerial matters. At any time within sixty days of the 
filing of this amendment, the Commission may summarily abrogate the 
amendment and require that it be refiled pursuant to paragraph (b)(1) 
of Rule 608,\7\ if it appears to the Commission that such action is 
necessary or appropriate in the public interest, for the protection of 
investors or the maintenance of fair and orderly markets, to remove 
impediments to, and perfect the mechanisms of, a national market system 
or otherwise in furtherance of the purposes of the Act.
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    \6\ 17 CFR 242.608(b)(3)(iii).
    \7\ 17 CFR 242.608(b)(1).
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III. Solicitation of Comments

    Interested persons are invited to submit written data, views and 
arguments concerning the foregoing, including whether the amendment is 
consistent with the Act. Comments may be submitted by any of the 
following methods:

Electronic Comments

     Use the Commission's Internet comment form (http://www.sec.gov/rules/sro.shtml); or
     Send an e-mail to [email protected]. Please include 
File Number 4-546 on the subject line.

Paper Comments

     Send paper comments in triplicate to Elizabeth M. Murphy, 
Secretary, Securities and Exchange Commission, 100 F Street, NE., 
Washington, DC 20549-1090.

All submissions should refer to File Number 4-546. This file number 
should be included on the subject line if e-mail is used. To help the 
Commission process and review your comments more efficiently, please 
use only one method. The Commission will post all comments on the 
Commission's Internet Web site (http://www.sec.gov/rules/sro.shtml). 
Copies of the submission, all subsequent amendments, all written 
statements with respect to the proposed rule change that are filed with 
the Commission, and all written communications relating to the proposed 
rule change between the Commission and any person, other than those 
that may be withheld from the public in accordance with the provisions 
of 5 U.S.C. 552, will be available for Web site viewing and printing in 
the Commission's Public Reference Room, 100 F Street, NE., Washington, 
DC 20549, on official business days between the hours of 10 a.m. and 3 
p.m. Copies of such filing also will be available for inspection and 
copying at the principal office of BATS. All comments received will be 
posted without change; the Commission does not edit personal 
identifying information from submissions. You should submit only 
information that you wish to make available publicly. All submissions 
should refer to File Number 4-546 and should be submitted on or before 
March 18, 2010.

    For the Commission, by the Division of Trading and Markets, 
pursuant to delegated authority.\8\
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    \8\ 17 CFR 200.30-3(a)(29).
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Florence E. Harmon,
Deputy Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2010-3823 Filed 2-24-10; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 8011-01-P