Name and Purpose

Certification of Incorporation of General Electric Company*

Section 1. Name

The name of the corporation is General Electric Company.

Section 2. Purposes

The purposes of the corporation are as follows:

  1. To manufacture, process, construct, develop, assemble, and produce in any way, to sell, lease, supply, and distribute in any way, to purchase, lease, mine, extract, and acquire in any way, to own, operate, experiment with, deal in, service, finance, and use in any way, equipment, apparatus, appliances, devices, structures, materials, processes, information, tangible and intangible property, services and systems of every kind, nature and description:

    1. for any electrical, or energy-conversion, application or purpose, including but not limited to the production, transmission, distribution, storage, regulation, control and use in any manner of electricity, or in any way connected with or deriving from any electrical, or energy-conversion, application or purpose, and,
    2. for any other application or purpose, whatsoever, including but not limited to industrial, utility, consumer, defense, governmental, scientific, educational, cultural, financial, recreational, agricultural, transportation, construction, mining, and communication applications or purposes.
  2. To conduct studies and research and development, and to engage in any other activity relating to the development, application, and dissemination of information concerning science, technology, and other fields of endeavor.
  3. To acquire by purchase, subscription or otherwise all or part of any interest in the property, assets, business, or good will of any corporation, association, firm, or individual, and to dispose of, or otherwise deal with, such property, assets, business or good will.
  4. To engage in any activity which may promote the interests of the corporation, or enhance the value of its property, to the fullest extent permitted by law, and in furtherance of the foregoing purposes to exercise all powers now or hereafter granted or permitted by law, including the powers specified in the New York Business Corporation Law.

*Text of Certificate of Incorporation as set forth in Restated Certificate of Incorporation filed by the Department of State of New York on April 30, 1965. Section 3.A was subsequently amended on April 29, 1971, to change the authorized number of common shares from 105,000,000 shares with a par value of $5 to 210,000,000 shares with a par value of $2.50; on December 20, 1976, to change the authorized number of common shares, par value $2.50, from 210,000,000 shares to 251,500,000 shares; on April 28, 1983, to change the authorized number of common shares, par value $2.50, from 251,500,000 shares to 550,000,000 shares, par value $1.25; on April 23, 1987, to change the authorized number of common shares, par value $1.25, from 550,000,000 shares to 1,100,000,000 shares, par value $0.63, and to change the authorized number of preferred shares, par value $1, from 2,000,000 to 50,000,000 shares; on April 28, 1994, to change the authorized number of common shares, par value $0.63, from 1,100,000,000 shares to 2,200,000,000 shares, par value $0.32; on April 28, 1997, to change the authorized number of common shares, par value $0.32, from 2,200,000,000 shares to 4,400,000,000 shares, par value $0.16; and on April 27, 2000, to change the authorized number of common shares, par value $0.16, from 4,400,000,000 shares to 13,200,000,000 shares with a par value of $0.06. Section 3.B.(3) relating to designation, relative rights, preferences, and limitations of the shares of Series A preferred stock was added by amendment effective October 15, 2008. Section 3.C. relating to preemptive rights was added by amendment effective May 2, 1975. Section 6 relating to Directors was amended effective April 28, 1988, to limit their personal liability to the corporation and its shareholders; effective June 15, 1993, to set the minimum number of directors at ten and remove the upper limit; and effective April 25, 2007, to implement the election of director nominees by an affirmative vote of the majority of votes cast in non-contested director elections. General Electric Company was created by a Special Act of the New York Legislature, Chapter 323, Laws of 1892, effective April 15, 1892.