SOX is an American law and to this end, only companies that are being publicly traded on American stock exchanges such as the New York Stock Exchange or Nasdaq are required to comply with SOX legislation. Foreign companies that want to be traded on our exchanges have to comply with SOX. However, if a foreign company does not care to be traded on our exchanges, there is no requirement to comply with SOX. SOX implementation and maintenance has cost, and continues to cost a significant amount of money. With this in mind, does the benefit of SOX outweigh its costs? What America's standing in a competitive global marketplace and how does SOX impact this standing?