2.Option Period. The Option shall be valid for a term commencing on the Grant Date and will expire the earliest of: (i) ten (10) years from the Grant Date; (ii) the date three (3) months after the Optionee’s Termination of Service for any reason other than due to death, Disability, or Qualified Retirement or by the Company for Cause; (iii) the date twelve (12) months after the Optionee’s Termination of Service by reason of death or Disability; or (iv) the date of Optionee’s Termination of Service for reasons of Cause. For purposes of this Agreement “Disability” means that the Optionee qualifies to receive long-term disability payments under the Company’s long-term disability insurance program, as it may be amended from time to time.
3.Exercise. The Option may be exercised at any time during its term to the extent vested. If Optionee has a Termination of Service any unvested portion of the Option will terminate and will no longer be exercisable, except as otherwise provided in Section 1(C). The Option may not be exercised for fractional shares. In order to exercise the Option, Optionee shall be required to execute such forms and provide such notice as the Company may require from time to time. The Option will not be deemed exercised until the Exercise Price for each share, plus any required tax withholding is delivered to the Company. The Exercise Price may be paid pursuant to any method allowable under the Plan.
4.Non-Compete, Non-Solicitation and Confidential Information. The grant of this Option is subject to either the Optionee’s consenting to or having already consented to and abiding by the terms of the attached Confidential Information & Protective Covenants Agreement (“CIPCA”).
5.Withholding. The Company has the authority to deduct or withhold, or require Optionee to remit to the Company, an amount sufficient to satisfy applicable federal, state, local and foreign taxes arising from this Option. Optionee may satisfy his or her tax obligation, in whole or in part : (i) with the consent of the Company, by having the Company withhold shares otherwise to be delivered with a fair market value equal to the minimum amount of the tax withholding obligation; (ii) with the consent of the Company, by having the Optionee surrender to the Company previously owned Common Stock with a fair market value equal to the minimum amount of the tax withholding obligation; (iii) by payment in cash or check; or (iv) with the consent of the Company, by delivery of a notice that the Optionee has placed a market sell order with a broker with respect to shares then issuable upon exercise of the Option, and that the broker has been directed to pay a sufficient portion of the net proceeds of the sale to the Company in satisfaction of the withholding amount; provided that payment of such proceeds is then made to the Company upon settlement of such sale.
6.No Additional Rights. Participation in the Plan is voluntary. The value of the option is an extraordinary item of compensation outside the scope of Optionee’s employment contract, if any. As such, the option is not part of normal or expected compensation for purposes of calculating any severance, resignation, redundancy, end of service payments, bonuses, long-service awards, pensions or retirement benefits or similar payments unless specifically and otherwise provided in such plans. Rather, the awarding of an option under the Plan represents a mere investment opportunity.
7.Not Transferable. This Option is not transferable except by will or the laws of descent and distribution.
8.Limitations on Plan Rights. This Option is granted under and governed by the terms and conditions of the Plan. By acceptance of this Option Optionee acknowledges and agrees that the Plan is discretionary in nature and may be amended, cancelled, or terminated by the Company, in its sole discretion, at any time. The grant of an option under the Plan is a one-time benefit and does not create any contractual or other right to receive a grant of options or benefits in lieu of options in the future. Future grants of options, if any, will be at the sole discretion of the Company, including, but not limited to, the timing of the grant, the number of stock options, vesting provisions, and the exercise price. The Plan has been introduced voluntarily by the Company and in accordance with the provisions of the Plan may be terminated by the Company at any time. By acceptance of this Option, Optionee consents to the provisions of the Plan and this Agreement. Defined terms used herein shall have the meaning set forth in the Plan, unless otherwise defined herein.
9.Severability, Waiver, Modification, Assignment, and Governing Law.
(a)This Agreement may not be waived or modified except by written agreement of the Company and the Holder, or by court order.
(b)If either party waives the right to pursue a claim for the other’s breach of any provision of the Agreement, the waiver will not extinguish that party’s right to pursue a claim for a subsequent breach.
(c)If the forfeiture provisions of Section 1(C) of this Agreement are determined by a court of competent jurisdiction to be unenforceable because the definition of Competitive Business or Restricted Area are too broad, or the duration for forfeiture of the Option is too long, then the court shall modify such definitions and the duration to the extent necessary in order to make Section 1(C) enforceable. If any court determines that the forfeiture provisions in Section 1(C) of this Agreement are unenforceable despite the power to reform them, then Section 1(C) shall be removed from this Agreement in its entirety, and the Option will be
