retires after attaining both 59 1/2 years of age and five years of continuous service with the Company and/or a division or subsidiary, or (iv) if provided in the agreement, there is a “change in control” of the Company (as defined in such agreement).
The Committee may require medical evidence of permanent disability, including medical examinations by physicians selected by it. Unless and to the extent otherwise provided in the agreement, shares of restricted preferred stock shall be forfeited and revert to the Company upon the recipient’s termination of directorship, employment or consultancy during the Restriction Period for any reason other than death, permanent disability, as determined by the Committee, retirement after attaining both 59 1/2 years of age and five years of continuous service with the Company and/or a subsidiary or division, or, to the extent provided in the agreement, a “change in control” of the Company (as defined in such agreement), except to the extent the Committee, in its sole discretion, finds that such forfeiture might not be in the best interests of the Company and, therefore, waives all or part of the application of this provision to the restricted preferred stock held by such recipient. Certificates for restricted preferred stock shall be registered in the name of the recipient but shall be imprinted with the appropriate legend and returned to the Company by the recipient, together with a preferred stock power endorsed in blank by the recipient. The recipient shall be entitled to vote shares of restricted preferred stock and shall be entitled to all dividends paid thereon, except that dividends paid in common stock or other property shall also be subject to the same restrictions.
(B) Restricted preferred stock shall become free of the foregoing restrictions upon expiration of the applicable Restriction Period and the Company shall then deliver to the recipient common stock certificates evidencing such stock. Restricted preferred stock and any common stock received upon the expiration of the restriction period shall be subject to such other transfer restrictions and/or legend requirements as are specified in the applicable agreement.
(x) Bonuses and Past Salaries and Fees Payable in Unrestricted Preferred stock.
(A) In lieu of cash bonuses otherwise payable under the Company’s or applicable division’s or subsidiary’s compensation practices to employees and consultants eligible to participate in this Plan, the Committee, in its sole discretion, may determine that such bonuses shall be payable in unrestricted common stock or partly in unrestricted common stock and partly in cash. Such bonuses shall be in consideration of services previously performed and as an incentive toward future services and shall consist of shares of unrestricted common stock subject to such terms as the Committee may determine in its sole discretion. The number of shares of unrestricted common stock payable in lieu of a bonus otherwise payable shall be determined by dividing such bonus amount by the fair market value of one share of common stock on the date the bonus is payable, with fair market value determined as of such date in accordance with Section 5(d)(ii).
(B) In lieu of salaries and fees otherwise payable by the Company to employees, attorneys and consultants eligible to participate in this Plan that were incurred for services rendered, the Committee, in its sole discretion, may determine that such unpaid salaries and fees shall be payable in unrestricted common stock or partly in unrestricted common stock and partly in cash. Such awards shall be in consideration of services previously performed and as an incentive toward future services and shall consist of shares of unrestricted common stock subject to such terms as the Committee may determine in its sole discretion. The number of shares of unrestricted common stock payable in lieu of a salaries and fees otherwise payable shall be
determined by dividing each calendar month’s of unpaid salary or fee amount by a conversion price to be determined by the Committee in its sole discretion.
(xi) No Rights as Stockholder. No Participant shall have any rights as a stockholder with respect to shares covered by an preferred stock until the preferred stock is converted as provided in clause (b)(iii) above.
(xii) Extraordinary Corporate Transactions. The existence of outstanding preferred stock shall not affect in any way the right or power of the Company or its stockholders to make or authorize any or all adjustments, recapitalizations, reorganizations, exchanges, or other changes in the Company’s capital structure or its business, or any merger or consolidation of the Company, or any issuance of common stock or other securities or subscription rights thereto, or any issuance of bonds, debentures, preferred or prior preference stock ahead of or affecting the common stock or the rights thereof, or the dissolution or liquidation of the Company, or any sale or transfer of all or any part of its assets or business, or any other corporate act or proceeding, whether of a similar character or otherwise. If the Company recapitalizes or otherwise changes its capital structure, or merges, consolidates, sells all of its assets or dissolves (each of the foregoing a “Fundamental Change”), then thereafter, upon any conversion of preferred stock theretofore granted, the Participant shall be entitled to the number of shares of common stock upon conversion of such preferred stock, in lieu of the number of shares of common stock as to which preferred stock shall then be convertible, the number and class of shares of stock and securities to which the Participant would have been entitled pursuant to the terms of the Fundamental Change if, immediately prior to such Fundamental Change, the Participant had been the holder of record of the number of shares of common stock as to which such preferred stock is then convertible. If (i) the Company shall not be the surviving entity in any merger or consolidation (or survives only as a subsidiary of another entity), (ii) the Company sells all or substantially all of its assets to any other person or entity (other than a wholly-owned subsidiary), (iii) any person or entity (including a “group” as contemplated by Section 13(d)(3) of the Exchange Act) acquires or gains ownership or control of (including, without limitation, power to vote) more than 50% of the outstanding shares of common stock, (iv) the Company is to be dissolved and liquidated, or (v) as a result of or in connection with a contested election of directors, the persons who were directors of the Company before such election shall cease to constitute a majority of the Board (each such event in clauses (i) through (v) above is referred to herein as a “Corporate Change”), the Committee, in its sole discretion, may accelerate the time at which all or a portion of a Participant’s shares of preferred stock may be converted for a limited period of time before or after a specified date.
(xiii) Changes in Company’s Capital Structure. If the outstanding shares of common stock or other securities of the Company, or both, for which the preferred stock is then convertible at any time be changed or exchanged by declaration of a stock dividend, stock split, combination of shares,
recapitalization, or reorganization, the number and kind of shares of common stock or other securities which are subject to the Plan or subject to any preferred stock theretofore granted, and the conversion ratio, shall be adjusted only as provided in the designation of the preferred stock.
(xiv) Acceleration of Conversion of Preferred Stock. Except as hereinbefore expressly provided, (i) the issuance by the Company of shares of stock or any class of securities convertible into shares of stock of any class, for cash, property, labor or services, upon direct sale, upon the conversion of rights or warrants to subscribe therefor, or upon conversion of
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shares or obligations of the Company convertible into such shares or other securities, (ii) the payment of a dividend in property other than common stock or (iii) the occurrence of any similar transaction, and in any case whether or not for fair value, shall not affect, and no adjustment by reason thereof shall be made with respect to, the number of shares of common stock subject to preferred stock theretofore granted, unless the Committee shall determine, in its sole discretion, that an adjustment is necessary to provide equitable treatment to Participant. Notwithstanding anything to the contrary contained in this Plan, the Committee may, in its sole discretion, accelerate the time at which any preferred stock may be converted, including, but not limited to, upon the occurrence of the events specified in this Section 7(xiv).
SECTION 8. AMENDMENTS OR TERMINATION.
The Board may amend, increase, alter or discontinue the Plan, but no amendment or alteration shall be made which would impair the rights of any Participant, without his consent, under any option, warrant or preferred stock theretofore granted.
SECTION 9. COMPLIANCE WITH OTHER LAWS AND REGULATIONS.
The Plan, the grant and exercise of options or warrants and grant and conversion of preferred stock thereunder, and the obligation of the Company to sell and deliver shares under such options, warrants or preferred stock, shall be subject to all applicable federal and state laws, rules and regulations and to such approvals by any governmental or regulatory agency as may be required. The Company shall not be required to issue or deliver any certificates for shares of common stock prior to the completion of any registration or qualification of such shares under any federal or state law or issuance of any ruling or regulation of any government body which the Company shall, in its sole discretion, determine to be necessary or advisable. Any adjustments provided for in subparagraphs 5(d)(xii), (xiii) and (xiv) shall be subject to any shareholder action required by the corporate law of the state of incorporation of the Company.
SECTION 10. PURCHASE FOR INVESTMENT.
Unless the options, warrants, shares of convertible preferred stock and shares of common stock covered by this Plan have been registered under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, or the Company has determined that such registration is unnecessary, each person acquiring or exercising an option or warrant under this Plan or converting shares of preferred stock may be required by the Company to give a representation in writing that he or she is acquiring such option or warrant or such shares for his own account for investment and not with a view to, or for sale in connection with, the distribution of any part thereof.
SECTION 11. TAXES.
(a) The Company may make such provisions as it may deem appropriate for the withholding of any taxes which it determines is required in connection with any options, warrants or preferred stock granted under this Plan.
(b) Notwithstanding the terms of Paragraph 11 (a), any Participant may pay all or any portion of the taxes required to be withheld by the Company or paid by him or her in connection with the exercise of a nonqualified option or warrant or conversion of preferred stock by electing to have the Company withhold shares of common stock, or by delivering previously owned shares of
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common stock, having a fair market value, determined in accordance with paragraph 5(d)(ii), equal to the amount required to be withheld or paid. A Participant must make the foregoing election on or before the date that the amount of tax to be withheld is determined (“Tax Date”). All such elections are irrevocable and subject to disapproval by the Committee. Elections by Covered Participants are subject to the following additional restrictions: (i) such election may not be made within six months of the grant of an option or warrant, provided that this limitation shall not apply in the event of death or disability, and (ii) such election must be made either six months or more prior to the Tax Date or in a Window Period. Where the Tax Date in respect of an option or warrant is deferred until six months after exercise and the Covered Participant elects share withholding, the full amount of shares of common stock will be issued or transferred to him upon exercise of the option or warrant, but he or she shall be unconditionally obligated to tender back to the Company the number of shares necessary to discharge the Company’s withholding obligation or his estimated tax obligation on the Tax Date.
SECTION 12. REPLACEMENT OF OPTIONS, WARRANTS AND PREFERRED STOCK.
The Committee from time to time may permit a Participant under the Plan to surrender for cancellation any unexercised outstanding option or warrant or unconverted Preferred stock and receive from the Company in exchange an option, warrant or preferred stock for such number of shares of common stock as may be designated by the Committee. The Committee may, with the consent of the holder of any outstanding option, warrant or preferred stock, amend such option, warrant or preferred stock, including reducing the exercise price of any option or warrant to not less than the fair market value of the common stock at the time of the amendment, increasing the conversion ratio of any preferred stock and extending the exercise or conversion term of and warrant, option or preferred stock.
SECTION 13. NO RIGHT TO COMPANY EMPLOYMENT.
Nothing in this Plan or as a result of any option or warrant granted pursuant to this Plan shall confer on any individual any right to continue in the employ of the Company or interfere in any way with the right of the Company to terminate an individual’s employment at any time. The option, warrant or preferred stock agreements may contain such provisions as the Committee may approve with reference to the effect of approved leaves of absence.
SECTION 14. LIABILITY OF COMPANY.
The Company and any Affiliate which is in existence or hereafter comes into existence shall not be liable to a Participant or other persons as to:
(a) The Non-Issuance of Shares. The non-issuance or sale of shares as to which the Company has been unable to obtain from any regulatory body having jurisdiction the authority deemed by the Company’s counsel to be necessary to the lawful issuance and sale of any shares hereunder; and
(b) Tax Consequences. Any tax consequence expected, but not realized, by any Participant or other person due to the exercise of any option or warrant or the conversion of any preferred stock granted hereunder.
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SECTION 15. EFFECTIVENESS AND EXPIRATION OF PLAN.
The Plan shall be effective on the date the Board adopts the Plan. The Plan shall expire ten years after the date the Board approves the Plan and thereafter no option, warrant or preferred stock shall be granted pursuant to the Plan.
SECTION 16. NON-EXCLUSIVITY OF THE PLAN.
Neither the adoption by the Board nor the submission of the Plan to the stockholders of the Company for approval shall be construed as creating any limitations on the power of the Board to adopt such other incentive arrangements as it may deem desirable, including without limitation, the granting of restricted stock or stock options, warrants or preferred stock otherwise than under the Plan, and such arrangements may be either generally applicable or applicable only in specific cases.
SECTION 17. GOVERNING LAW.
This Plan and any agreements hereunder shall be interpreted and construed in accordance with the laws of the state of incorporation of the Company and applicable federal law.
SECTION 18. CASHLESS EXERCISE.
The Committee also may allow cashless exercises subject to applicable securities law restrictions or by any other means which the Committee determines to be consistent with the Plan’s purpose and applicable law.
Approved by the Board of Directors on March 1, 2012.
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