Apple could remain quiet on Beats deal thanks to SEC rules

Apple has rarely issued press releases trumpeting new acquisitions since the landmark 1997 deal for NeXT that brought Steve Jobs back into the fold, and the company’s now-massive size could help it continue its silence even with a rumored $3.2 billion deal for Beats Electronics. The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, the regulatory body that makes the rules for publicly-traded companies, requires the public disclosure of any “significant” acquisition activity by a regulated company. For most companies contemplating a $3.2 billion acquisition, that disclosure would take the guise of a press release and the filing of form 8-K with the SEC. Apple, however, is not most companies.