(d) Successors. All obligations of the Company under the Plan, with respect to awards granted hereunder, will be binding on any successor to the Company, whether the existence of such successor is the result of a direct or indirect purchase, merger, consolidation, or otherwise, of all or substantially all of the business or assets of the Company.
(e) Nontransferability of Awards. No award granted under the Plan may be sold, transferred, pledged, assigned, or otherwise alienated or hypothecated, other than by will, by the laws of descent and distribution, or to the limited extent provided in Section 6(d). All rights with respect to an award granted to a Participant will be available during his or her lifetime only to the Participant.
(f) Incentive Compensation Recoupment. Notwithstanding anything herein to the contrary, all Actual Awards paid under this Plan shall be subject to any compensation recovery and/or recoupment policy that may be adopted and amended from time to time by the Company to comply with applicable law, including, without limitation, the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act, or to comport with good corporate governance practices.
7. Amendment, Termination, and Duration.
(a) Amendment, Suspension, or Termination. The Committee, in its sole discretion, may amend or terminate the Plan, or any part thereof, at any time and for any reason. The amendment, suspension or termination of the Plan will not, without the consent of the Participant, alter or impair any rights or obligations under any Actual Award theretofore earned by such Participant. No award may be granted during any period of suspension or after termination of the Plan.
(b) Duration of Plan. The Plan will commence on the date specified herein, and subject to Section 7(a) (regarding the Committee’s right to amend or terminate the Plan), will remain in effect until terminated.
8. Legal Construction.
(a) Gender and Number. Except where otherwise indicated by the context, any masculine term used herein also will include the feminine; the plural will include the singular and the singular will include the plural.
(b) Severability. In the event any provision of the Plan will be held illegal or invalid for any reason, the illegality or invalidity will not affect the remaining parts of the Plan, and the Plan will be construed and enforced as if the illegal or invalid provision had not been included.
(c) Requirements of Law. The granting of awards under the Plan will be subject to all applicable laws, rules and regulations, and to such approvals by any governmental agencies or national securities exchanges as may be required.
(d) Governing Law. The Plan will be construed in accordance with and governed by the laws of the State of Delaware, but without regard to its conflict of law provisions.
(e) Bonus Plan. The Plan is intended to be a “bonus program” as defined under U.S. Department of Labor regulation 2510.3-2(c) and will be construed and administered in accordance with such intention.
(f) Captions. Captions are provided herein for convenience only and will not serve as a basis for interpretation or construction of the Plan.