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Title 7 — AgricultureRelease 119-73

§6m Use of mails or other means or instrumentalities of interstate commerce by commodity trading advisors and commodity pool operators; relation to other law

Title 7 › Chapter CHAPTER 1— - COMMODITY EXCHANGES › § 6m

Last updated Apr 6, 2026|Official source

Summary

People who give commodity trading advice or run commodity pools must be registered under this law to use the mail or any means of interstate commerce for that business. It is illegal to use those channels for that work unless you are registered. One exception is a trading advisor who, in the past 12 months, has given advice to no more than 15 people and who does not hold themself out to the public as a trading advisor. Another exception covers certain dealers, processors, brokers, sellers in cash markets for commodities listed before October 23, 1974, and some nonprofit farm groups — but only if the advice is only incidental to their main business; those people can still face proceedings under section 18. This law does not remove duties, rights, or remedies under the Securities Act of 1933 or the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 for securities of a commodity pool or for people who deal with or report on those securities. Also, a trading advisor who is registered with the SEC as an investment adviser does not have to follow the registration rule here if advising on commodities is not their main business and they do not advise a commodity pool that mainly trades “commodity interests.” “Engaged primarily” means mainly doing or saying you will do advice or trading in commodity interests. Commodity interests include things like futures contracts, options on futures, security futures, swaps, leveraged contracts, foreign exchange, spot and forward deals in physical commodities, and money held in accounts used for trading these.

Full Legal Text

Title 7, §6m

Agriculture — Source: USLM XML via OLRC

(1)It shall be unlawful for any commodity trading advisor or commodity pool operator, unless registered under this chapter, to make use of the mails or any means or instrumentality of interstate commerce in connection with his business as such commodity trading advisor or commodity pool operator: Provided, That the provisions of this section shall not apply to any commodity trading advisor who, during the course of the preceding twelve months, has not furnished commodity trading advice to more than fifteen persons and who does not hold himself out generally to the public as a commodity trading advisor. The provisions of this section shall not apply to any commodity trading advisor who is a (1) dealer, processor, broker, or seller in cash market transactions of any commodity specifically set forth in section 2(a) of this title prior to October 23, 1974, (or products thereof) or (2) nonprofit, voluntary membership, general farm organization, who provides advice on the sale or purchase of any commodity specifically set forth in section 2(a) of this title prior to October 23, 1974; if the advice by the person described in clause (1) or (2) of this sentence as a commodity trading advisor is solely incidental to the conduct of that person’s business: Provided, That such person shall be subject to proceedings under section 18 of this title.
(2)Nothing in this chapter shall relieve any person of any obligation or duty, or affect the availability of any right or remedy available to the Securities and Exchange Commission or any private party arising under the Securities Act of 1933 [15 U.S.C. 77a et seq.] or the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 [15 U.S.C. 78a et seq.] governing the issuance, offer, purchase, or sale of securities of a commodity pool, or of persons engaged in transactions with respect to such securities, or reporting by a commodity pool.
(3)(A)Paragraph (1) shall not apply to any commodity trading advisor that is registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission as an investment adviser whose business does not consist primarily of acting as a commodity trading advisor, as defined in section 1a of this title, and that does not act as a commodity trading advisor to any commodity pool that is engaged primarily in trading commodity interests.
(B)For purposes of subparagraph (A), a commodity trading advisor or a commodity pool shall be considered to be “engaged primarily” in the business of being a commodity trading advisor or commodity pool if it is or holds itself out to the public as being engaged primarily, or proposes to engage primarily, in the business of advising on commodity interests or investing, reinvesting, owning, holding, or trading in commodity interests, respectively.
(C)For purposes of this paragraph, commodity interests shall include contracts of sale of a commodity for future delivery, options on such contracts, security futures, swaps, leverage contracts, foreign exchange, spot and forward contracts on physical commodities, and any monies held in an account used for trading commodity interests.

Legislative History

Notes & Related Subsidiaries

Editorial Notes

References in Text

The Securities Act of 1933, referred to in par. (2), is title I of act
May 27, 1933, ch. 38, 48 Stat. 74, which is classified generally to subchapter I (§ 77a et seq.) of chapter 2A of Title 15, Commerce and Trade. For complete classification of this Act to the Code, see section 77a of Title 15 and Tables. The Securities Exchange Act of 1934, referred to in par. (2), is act
June 6, 1934, ch. 404, 48 Stat. 881, which is classified principally to chapter 2B (§ 78a et seq.) of Title 15. For complete classification of this Act to the Code, see section 78a of Title 15 and Tables.

Amendments

2010—Par. (3). Pub. L. 111–203, § 749(b), inserted heading, designated existing provisions as subpar. (A) and inserted heading, substituted “Paragraph (1)” for “Subsection (1) of this section” and “to any commodity pool that is engaged primarily in trading commodity interests.” for “to any investment trust, syndicate, or similar form of enterprise that is engaged primarily in trading in any commodity for future delivery on or subject to the rules of any contract market or registered derivatives transaction execution facility.”, and added subpars. (B) and (C). Pub. L. 111–203, § 721(e)(2), substituted “section 1a” for “section 1a(6)”. 2000—Par. (3). Pub. L. 106–554 added par. (3). 1983—Pub. L. 97–444 designated existing provisions as par. (1) and added par. (2). 1978—Pub. L. 95–405 inserted provisions relating to applicability of this section to commodity trading advisors who are dealers, processors, brokers, or sellers in cash market transactions of specifically listed commodities or nonprofit, voluntary membership, general farm organizations who provide advice on sale or purchase of specifically listed commodities if the advice by the person described in cl. (1) or (2) of this sentence is incidental solely to the conduct to the person’s business and that such person be subject to proceedings under section 18 of this title.

Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries

Effective Date

of 2010 AmendmentAmendment by Pub. L. 111–203 effective on the later of 360 days after July 21, 2010, or, to the extent a provision of subtitle A (§§ 711–754) of title VII of Pub. L. 111–203 requires a rulemaking, not less than 60 days after publication of the final rule or regulation implementing such provision of subtitle A, see section 754 of Pub. L. 111–203, set out as a note under section 1a of this title.

Effective Date

of 1983 AmendmentAmendment by Pub. L. 97–444 effective Jan. 11, 1983, see section 239 of Pub. L. 97–444, set out as a note under section 2 of this title.

Effective Date

of 1978 AmendmentAmendment by Pub. L. 95–405 effective Oct. 1, 1978, see section 28 of Pub. L. 95–405, set out as a note under section 2 of this title.

Effective Date

For

Effective Date

of section, see section 418 of Pub. L. 93–463, set out as an

Effective Date

of 1974 Amendment note under section 2 of this title.

Reference

Citations & Metadata

Citation

7 U.S.C. § 6m

Title 7 — Agriculture

Last Updated

Apr 6, 2026

Release point: 119-73