The North Carolina Department of Secretary of State under the direction of the Honorable Elaine F. Marshall regulates the following areas: Authentications, Certification and Filing, Corporations, Information Technology, Lobbying Compliance, Publications, Securities, Solicitations Licensing and Trademarks. MISSION STATEMENT: To serve and protect citizens, the business community and governmental agencies by facilitating business activities, by providing accurate and timely information and by preserving documents and records. To view our comment policy refer to: https://www.sosnc.gov/pdf/CommentPolicy.pdf. For specific questions please contact the Department at (919) 814-5400.