A common mistaken belief among many is that hedge funds are unregistered and unregulated investment vehicles.  While certain exemptions exist under the Investment Company Act of 1940 for registration, a hedge fund that trades in commodity options and futures contracts may be required to register as a commodity pool operator (CPO).  In a guest article, Ernest Edward Badway and Amit Shah, Partner and Associate, respectively, at Fox Rothschild LLP, discuss the questions that a hedge fund should consider in evaluating whether to register as a CPO, including what a commodity pool is, who must register as a CPO, registration exemptions, registration requirements, compliance requirements and more.