(b) Subject to Article III, Section 6 hereof, the Board of Trustees may, subject to the 1940 Act, prescribe and shall set forth in the By-Laws, this Declaration of Trust or in a resolution of the Board of Trustees such bases and time for determining the net asset value per Share of the Trust or any Series or Class thereof, or net income attributable to the Shares of the Trust or any Series or Class thereof or the declaration and payment of dividends and distributions on the Shares of the Trust or any Series or Class thereof, as it may deem necessary or desirable, and such dividends and distributions may vary between the Classes to reflect differing allocations of the expenses of the Trust between such Classes to such extent and for such purposes as the Trustees may deem appropriate.
(c) The Shareholders of the Trust or any Series or Class, if any, shall be entitled to receive dividends and distributions, when, if and as declared by the Board of Trustees with respect thereto, provided that with respect to Classes, such dividends and distributions shall comply with the 1940 Act. The right of Shareholders to receive dividends or other distributions on Shares of any Class may be set forth in a plan adopted by the Board of Trustees and amended from time to time pursuant to the 1940 Act. No Share shall have any priority or preference over any other Share of the Trust with respect to dividends or distributions paid in the ordinary course of business or distributions upon dissolution of the Trust made pursuant to Article VIII, Section 1 hereof; provided however, that
All dividends and distributions shall be made ratably among all Shareholders of the Trust, a particular Class of the Trust, a particular Series, or a particular Class of a Series from the Trust Property held with respect to the Trust, such Series or such Class, respectively, according to the number of Shares of the Trust, such Series or such Class held of record by such Shareholders on the record date for any dividend or distribution; provided however, that
| ratably to the Shareholders of such Class according to the number of Shares of such Class held of record by such Shareholders on the record date for any dividend or distribution. |
Dividends and distributions may be paid in cash, in kind or in Shares.
(d) Before payment of any dividend there may be set aside out of any funds of the Trust, or the applicable Series thereof, available for dividends such sum or sums as the Board of Trustees may from time to time, in its absolute discretion, think proper as a reserve fund to meet contingencies, or for equalizing dividends, or for repairing or maintaining any property of the Trust, or any Series thereof, or for such other lawful purpose as the Board of Trustees shall deem to be in the best interests of the Trust, or the applicable Series, as the case may be, and the Board of Trustees may abolish any such reserve in the manner in which the reserve was created.
2.Repurchase of Shares With Shareholder Consent.
(a) The Trust may repurchase Shares on the open market or such Shares as are tendered by any Shareholder for repurchase pursuant to a repurchase offer or tender offer, if any, made by the Trust periodically or from time to time, upon the presentation by the Shareholder of a proper instrument of transfer together with a request directed to the Trust, its transfer agent or other duly authorized agent, that the Trust repurchase such Shares, or in accordance with such other procedures for repurchase as the Board of Trustees may from time to time authorize; and the Trust will pay therefore a price that meets the requirements of Section 23 of the 1940 Act, and the rules and regulations adopted thereunder, and that is in accordance with the terms of such repurchase offer, tender offer, this Declaration of Trust, the By-Laws and other applicable law. The obligations of the Trust set forth in this Section 2 are subject to the provision that such obligations may be suspended or postponed under the circumstances provided in the 1940 Act or other applicable law, and such suspension or postponement may thereafter be terminated, by the Board of Trustees, by the vote required under the 1940 Act or other applicable law.
(b) The repurchase price may in any case or cases be paid wholly or partly in kind if the Board of Trustees determines that such payment is advisable in the interest of the Trust or the applicable Series. Subject to the foregoing, the fair value, selection and quantity of securities or other property of the Trust or the applicable Series so paid or delivered as all or part of the repurchase price shall be determined by or under authority of the Board of Trustees. Subject to applicable law, the Trust or the applicable Series shall not be liable for any delay of any corporation or other Person in transferring securities or other property selected for delivery as all or part of any payment in kind.
3.Repurchase of Shares Without Shareholder Consent. The Trust shall have the right at its option and at any time, subject to the 1940 Act and other applicable law, to repurchase Shares of any Shareholder at a price that meets the requirements of Section 23 of the 1940 Act, and the rules and regulations adopted thereunder, and that is in accordance with the terms of this Declaration of Trust, the By-Laws and other applicable law: (a) if at such time, such Shareholder owns Shares having an aggregate net asset value of less than an amount determined from time to time by the Trustees; or (b) to the extent that such Shareholder owns Shares equal to or in excess of a percentage of the Shares determined from time to time by the Trustees.
4.Transfer of Shares. Shares shall be transferable in accordance with the provisions of the By-Laws.
VII.
LIMITATION OF LIABILITY
AND INDEMNIFICATION OF AGENT
1.Limitation of Liability.
(a) For the purpose of this Article, “Agent” means any Person who is or was a Trustee, officer, employee or other agent of the Trust or is or was serving at the request of the Trust as a trustee, director, officer, employee or other agent of another foreign or domestic corporation, partnership, joint venture, trust
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or other enterprise; “Proceeding” means any threatened, pending or completed action or proceeding, whether civil, criminal, administrative or investigative; and “Expenses” include without limitation attorneys’ fees and any expenses of establishing a right to indemnification under this Article.
(b) An Agent shall be liable to the Trust and to any Shareholder for any act or omission that constitutes a bad faith violation of the implied contractual covenant of good faith and fair dealing, for such Agent’s own willful misfeasance, bad faith, gross negligence or reckless disregard of the duties involved in the conduct of such Agent (such conduct referred to herein as “Disqualifying Conduct”), and for nothing else.
(c) Subject to subsection (b) of this Section 1 and to the fullest extent that limitations on the liability of Agents are permitted by the DSTA, the Agents shall not be responsible or liable in any event for any act or omission of any other Agent of the Trust or any Investment Adviser or Principal Underwriter of the Trust.
(d) No Agent, when acting in its respective capacity as such, shall be personally liable to any Person, other than the Trust or a Shareholder to the extent provided in subsections (b) and (c) of this Section 1, for any act, omission or obligation of the Trust or any Trustee thereof.
(e) Each Trustee, officer and employee of the Trust shall, in the performance of his or her duties, be fully and completely justified and protected with regard to any act or any failure to act resulting from reliance in good faith upon the books of account or other records of the Trust, upon an opinion of counsel, or upon reports made to the Trust by any of its officers or employees or by the Investment Adviser, the Principal Underwriter, any other Agent, selected dealers, accountants, appraisers or other experts or consultants selected with reasonable care by the Trustees, officers or employees of the Trust, regardless of whether such counsel or expert may also be a Trustee. The officers and Trustees may obtain the advice of counsel or other experts with respect to the meaning and operation of this Declaration of Trust, the By-Laws, applicable law and their respective duties as officers or Trustees. No such officer or Trustee shall be liable for any act or omission in accordance with such advice, records and/or reports and no inference concerning liability shall arise from a failure to follow such advice, records and/or reports. The officers and Trustees shall not be required to give any bond hereunder, nor any surety if a bond is required by applicable law.
(f) The failure to make timely collection of dividends or interest, or to take timely action with respect to entitlements, on the Trust’s securities issued in emerging countries, shall not be deemed to be negligence or other fault on the part of any Agent, and no Agent shall have any liability for such failure or for any loss or damage resulting from the imposition by any government of exchange control restrictions which might affect the liquidity of the Trust’s assets or from any war or political act of any foreign government to which such assets might be exposed, except, in the case of a Trustee or officer, for liability resulting from such Trustee’s or officer’s Disqualifying Conduct.
(g) The limitation on liability contained in this Article applies to events occurring at the time a Person serves as an Agent whether or not such Person is an Agent at the time of any Proceeding in which liability is asserted.
(h) No amendment or repeal of this Article shall adversely affect any right or protection of an Agent that exists at the time of such amendment or repeal.
2.Indemnification.
(a)Indemnification by Trust. The Trust shall indemnify, out of Trust Property, to the fullest extent permitted under applicable law, any Person who was or is a party or is threatened to be made a party to any Proceeding by reason of the fact that such Person is or was an Agent of the Trust, against Expenses, judgments, fines, settlements and other amounts actually and reasonably incurred in connection with such Proceeding if such Person acted in good faith or in the case of a criminal proceeding, had no reasonable cause to believe the conduct of such Person was unlawful. The termination of any Proceeding by judgment, order, settlement, conviction or plea of nolo contendere or its equivalent shall not of itself create a presumption that the Person did not act in good faith or that the Person had reasonable cause to believe that the Person’s conduct was unlawful.
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(b)Exclusion of Indemnification. Notwithstanding any provision to the contrary contained herein, there shall be no right to indemnification for any liability arising by reason of the Agent’s Disqualifying Conduct. In respect of any claim, issue or matter as to which that Person shall have been adjudged to be liable in the performance of that Person’s duty to the Trust or the Shareholders, indemnification shall be made only to the extent that the court in which that action was brought shall determine, upon application or otherwise, that in view of all the circumstances of the case, that Person was not liable by reason of that Person’s Disqualifying Conduct.
(c) Required Approval. Any indemnification under this Article shall be made by the Trust if authorized in the specific case on a determination that indemnification of the Agent is proper in the circumstances by (i) a final decision on the merits by a court or other body before whom the proceeding was brought that the Agent was not liable by reason of Disqualifying Conduct (including, but not limited to, dismissal of either a court action or an administrative proceeding against the Agent for insufficiency of evidence of any Disqualifying Conduct) or, (ii) in the absence of such a decision, a reasonable determination, based upon a review of the facts, that the Agent was not liable by reason of Disqualifying Conduct, by (1) the vote of a majority of a quorum of the Trustees who are not (x) “interested persons” of the Trust as defined in Section 2(a)(19) of the 1940 Act, (y) parties to the proceeding, or (z) parties who have any economic or other interest in connection with such specific case (the “disinterested, non-party Trustees”); or (2) by independent legal counsel in a written opinion.
(d) Advancement of Expenses. Expenses incurred by an Agent in defending any Proceeding may be advanced by the Trust before the final disposition of the Proceeding on receipt of an undertaking by or on behalf of the Agent to repay the amount of the advance if it shall be determined ultimately that the Agent is not entitled to be indemnified as authorized in this Article; provided, that at least one of the following conditions for the advancement of expenses is met: (i) the Agent shall provide a security for his undertaking, (ii) the Trust shall be insured against losses arising by reason of any lawful advances, or (iii) a majority of a quorum of the disinterested, non-party Trustees of the Trust, or an independent legal counsel in a written opinion, shall determine, based on a review of readily available facts (as opposed to a full trial-type inquiry), that there is reason to believe that the Agent ultimately will be found entitled to indemnification.
(e) Other Contractual Rights. Nothing contained in this Article shall affect any right to indemnification to which Persons other than Trustees and officers of the Trust or any subsidiary thereof may be entitled by contract or otherwise.
(f) Fiduciaries of Employee Benefit Plan. This Article does not apply to any Proceeding against any trustee, investment manager or other fiduciary of an employee benefit plan in that Person’s capacity as such, even though that Person may also be an Agent of the Trust as defined in Section 1 of this Article. Nothing contained in this Article shall limit any right to indemnification to which such a trustee, investment manager, or other fiduciary may be entitled by contract or otherwise which shall be enforceable to the extent permitted by applicable law other than this Article.
3.Insurance. To the fullest extent permitted by applicable law, the Board of Trustees shall have the authority to purchase with Trust Property, insurance for liability and for all Expenses reasonably incurred or paid or expected to be paid by an Agent in connection with any Proceeding in which such Agent becomes involved by virtue of such Agent’s actions, or omissions to act, in its capacity or former capacity with the Trust, whether or not the Trust would have the power to indemnify such Agent against such liability.
4.Derivative Actions. Subject to the requirements set forth in Section 3816 of the DSTA, a Shareholder or Shareholders may bring a derivative action on behalf of the Trust only if the Shareholder or Shareholders first make a pre-suit demand upon the Board of Trustees to bring the subject action unless an effort to cause the Board of Trustees to bring such action is excused. A demand on the Board of Trustees shall only be excused if a majority of the Board of Trustees, or a majority of any committee established to consider the merits of such action, has a material personal financial interest in the action at issue. A Trustee shall not be deemed to have a material personal financial interest in an action or otherwise be disqualified from ruling on a Shareholder demand by virtue of the fact that such Trustee receives remuneration from his or her service on the Board of Trustees of the Trust or on the boards of one or more investment companies with the same or an affiliated investment adviser or underwriter.
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VIII.
CERTAIN TRANSACTIONS
1.Vote Required.
(a) Notwithstanding any other provision of this Declaration of Trust to the contrary and subject to the exceptions provided in this Article VIII, each of the transactions described in this Article VIII (other than transactions with respect to a particular Series) shall require the approval of the Board of Trustees and the affirmative vote of the holders of not less than 75% of the Shares entitled to vote to approve, adopt or authorize such transaction unless such action has been previously approved, adopted or authorized by the affirmative vote of two-thirds (66 2/3%) of the Board of Trustees, in which case the Shareholder vote set forth in Article V, Section 2(b)(1) shall be required.
(b) Notwithstanding any other provision of this Declaration of Trust to the contrary, each of the transactions described in this Article VIII with respect to a particular Series shall require the approval of the Board of Trustees and the affirmative vote of the holders of not less than 75% of the Shares of that Series entitled to vote to approve, adopt or authorize such transaction unless such transaction has been previously approved, adopted or authorized by the affirmative vote of two-thirds (66 2/3%) of the Board of Trustees, in which case the “affirmative vote of a majority of the outstanding voting securities” (as defined herein) of the particular Series entitled to vote at a Shareholders’ meeting of such Series at which a quorum is present, shall be required.
2.Dissolution of Trust or Series. The Trust and each Series shall have perpetual existence, except that theTrust (or a particular Series) shall be dissolved:
(a) With respect to the Trust or a particular Series, upon the vote of the Board of Trustees and the Shareholders of the Trust or the particular Series, as applicable, as set forth in Section 1 of this Article VIII; or
(b) With respect to the Trust or a particular Series, upon the occurrence of a dissolution or termination event pursuant to any other provision of this Declaration of Trust or the DSTA; or
(c) With respect to any Series, upon any event that causes the dissolution of the Trust.
Upon dissolution of the Trust (or a particular Series, as the case may be), the Trustees shall (in accordance with Section 3808 of the DSTA) pay or make reasonable provision to pay all claims and obligations of the Trust and/or each Series (or the particular Series, as the case may be), including all contingent, conditional or unmatured claims and obligations known to the Trust, and all claims and obligations which are known to the Trust, but for which the identity of the claimant is unknown. If there are sufficient assets held with respect to the Trust and/or each Series of the Trust (or the particular Series, as the case may be), such claims and obligations shall be paid in full and any such provisions for payment shall be made in full. If there are insufficient assets held with respect to the Trust and/or each Series of the Trust (or the particular Series, as the case may be), such claims and obligations shall be paid or provided for according to their priority and, among claims and obligations of equal priority, ratably to the extent of assets available therefor. Any remaining assets (including, without limitation, cash, securities or any combination thereof) held with respect to the Trust and/or each Series of the Trust (or the particular Series, as the case may be) shall be distributed to the Shareholders of the Trust and/or each Series of the Trust (or the particular Series, as the case may be) ratably according to the number of Shares of the Trust and/or such Series thereof (or the particular Series, as the case may be) held of record by the several Shareholders on the date for such dissolution distribution; provided, however, that if the Shares of a Series are divided into Classes thereof, any remaining assets (including, without limitation, cash, securities or any combination thereof) held with respect to such Series shall be distributed to each Class of such Series according to the net asset value computed for such Class and within such particular Class, shall be distributed ratably to the Shareholders of such Class according to the number of Shares of such Class held of record by the several Shareholders on the date for such dissolution distribution. Upon the winding up of the Trust in accordance with Section 3808 of the DSTA and its termination, any one (1) Trustee shall execute, and cause to be filed, a certificate of cancellation, with the office of the Secretary of State of the State of Delaware in accordance with the provisions of Section 3810 of the DSTA.
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3.Merger or Consolidation; Conversion; Reorganization.
(a)Merger or Consolidation. Pursuant to an agreement of merger or consolidation, the Board of Trustees may cause the Trust to merge or consolidate with or into one or more statutory trusts or “other business entities” (as defined in Section 3801 of the DSTA) formed or organized or existing under the laws of the State of Delaware or any other state or the United States or any foreign country or other foreign jurisdiction. Any such merger or consolidation shall require approval by vote of the Board of Trustees and Shareholders as set forth in Section 1 of this Article VIII. By reference to Section 3815(f) of the DSTA, any agreement of merger or consolidation approved in accordance with this Section 3(a) may, without a Shareholder vote, unless required by the 1940 Act or the requirements of any securities exchange on which Shares are listed for trading, effect any amendment to this Declaration of Trust or the By-Laws or effect the adoption of a new governing instrument if the Trust is the surviving or resulting statutory trust in the merger or consolidation, which amendment or new governing instrument shall be effective at the effective time or date of the merger or consolidation. In all respects not governed by the DSTA, the 1940 Act, other applicable law or the requirements of any securities exchange on which Shares are listed for trading, the Board of Trustees shall have the power to prescribe additional procedures necessary or appropriate to accomplish a merger or consolidation, including the power to create one or more separate statutory trusts to which all or any part of the assets, liabilities, profits or losses of the Trust may be transferred and to provide for the conversion of Shares into beneficial interests in such separate statutory trust or trusts. Upon completion of the merger or consolidation, if the Trust is the surviving or resulting statutory trust, any one (1) Trustee shall execute, and cause to be filed, a certificate of merger or consolidation in accordance with Section 3815 of the DSTA.
(b)Conversion. The Board of Trustees may cause (i) the Trust to convert to an “other business entity” (as defined in Section 3801 of the DSTA) formed or organized under the laws of the State of Delaware as permitted pursuant to Section 3821 of the DSTA; (ii) the Shares of the Trust or any Series to be converted into beneficial interests in another statutory trust (or series thereof) created pursuant to this Section 3 of this Article VIII, or (iii) the Shares to be exchanged under or pursuant to any state or federal statute to the extent permitted by law. Any such statutory conversion, Share conversion or Share exchange shall require approval by vote of the Board of Trustees and the Shareholders of the Trust or the particular Series, as applicable, as set forth in Section 1 of this Article VIII;provided,however, that in all respects not governed by the DSTA, the 1940 Act, other applicable law or the requirements of any securities exchange on which Shares are listed for trading, the Board of Trustees shall have the power to prescribe additional procedures necessary or appropriate to accomplish a statutory conversion, Share conversion or Share exchange, including the power to create one or more separate statutory trusts to which all or any part of the assets, liabilities, profits or losses of the Trust may be transferred and to provide for the conversion of Shares of the Trust or any Series thereof into beneficial interests in such separate statutory trust or trusts (or series thereof).
(c)Reorganization. The Board of Trustees may cause the Trust to sell, convey and transfer all or substantially all of the assets of the Trust (“sale of Trust assets”) or all or substantially all of the assets associated with any one or more Series (“sale of such Series’ assets”), to another trust, statutory trust, partnership, limited partnership, limited liability company, corporation or other association organized under the laws of any state, or to one or more separate series thereof, or to the Trust to be held as assets associated with one or more other Series of the Trust, in exchange for cash, shares or other securities (including, without limitation, in the case of a transfer to another Series of the Trust, Shares of such other Series) with such sale, conveyance and transfer either (a) being made subject to, or with the assumption by the transferee of, the liabilities associated with the Trust or the liabilities associated with the Series the assets of which are so transferred, as applicable, or (b) not being made subject to, or not with the assumption of, such liabilities. Any such sale, conveyance and transfer shall require approval by vote of the Board of Trustees and the Shareholders of the Trust or the particular Series, as applicable, as set forth in Section 1 of this Article VIII. Following such sale of Trust assets, the Board of Trustees shall distribute such cash, shares or other securities ratably among the Shareholders of the Trust (giving due effect to the assets and liabilities associated with and any other differences among the various Series the assets associated with which have been so sold, conveyed and transferred, and due effect to the differences among the various Classes within each such Series). Following a sale of such Series’ assets, the Board of Trustees shall distribute such cash, shares or other securities ratably among the Shareholders of such Series (giving due effect to the differences among
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the various Classes within each such Series). If all of the assets of the Trust have been so sold, conveyed and transferred, the Trust shall be dissolved. In all respects not governed by the DSTA, the 1940 Act, other applicable law or the requirements of any securities exchange on which Shares are listed for trading, the Board of Trustees shall have the power to prescribe additional procedures necessary or appropriate to accomplish such sale, conveyance and transfer, including the power to create one or more separate statutory trusts to which all or any part of the assets, liabilities, profits or losses of the Trust may be transferred and to provide for the conversion of Shares into beneficial interests in such separate statutory trust or trusts.
4.Reclassification of the Trust. The Board of Trustees may cause the Trust to be converted from a “closed-end company” to an “open-end company” (as those terms are defined, respectively, in Sections 5(a)(2) and 5(a)(1) of the 1940 Act). Such reclassification of the Trust shall require approval by vote of the Board of Trustees and Shareholders as set forth in Section 1 of this Article VIII.
5.Principal Holder Transactions.
(a) The following transactions shall require approval by vote of the Board of Trustees and Shareholders as set forth in Section 1 of this Article VIII:
| (i) | | Issuance of any securities of the Trust to any Principal Holder (as defined below) for cash; or |
| |
| (ii) | | Sale, lease, or exchange to the Trust, in exchange for securities of the Trust, of any assets of any Principal Holder (except assets having an aggregate fair market value of less than $1,000,000, aggregating for the purpose of such aggregate amount, all assets sold, leased or exchanged in any series of similar transactions within a twelve-month period). |
(b) For purposes of this Section 5, the term “Principal Holder” shall mean any Person or group (within the meaning of Rule 13d-5 under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “1934 Act”)), that is the beneficial owner, directly or indirectly, of more than ten percent (10%) of the Shares of the Trust and shall include any affiliate or associate, as such terms are defined in clause (2) below, of a Principal Holder, but shall not include FRI or any affiliated person of FRI. For the purposes of this Section 5, in addition to the Shares which a Principal Holder beneficially owns directly, a Principal Holder shall be deemed to be the beneficial owner of any Shares (1) which the Principal Holder has the right to acquire pursuant to any agreement or upon exercise of conversion rights or warrants, or otherwise or (2) which are beneficially owned, directly or indirectly (including Shares deemed owned through application of clause (1) above), by any other Person or group with which the Principal Holder or its “affiliate” or “associate,” as those terms are defined in Rule 12b-2, or any successor rule, under the 1934 Act, has any agreement, arrangement, or understanding for the purpose of acquiring, holding, voting, or disposing of Shares, or which is its “affiliate” or “associate” as so defined. For purposes of this Section 5, calculation of the total Shares of the Trust shall not include Shares deemed owned through application of clause (1) above.
(c) The Board of Trustees shall have the power and duty to determine for the purposes of this Section 5, on the basis of information known to the Trust whether (i) a Person or group beneficially owns more than ten percent (10%) of the Shares, (ii) a corporation, person or entity is an “affiliate” or “associate” (as defined above) of another, and (iii) the assets being acquired or leased by or to the Trust have an aggregate fair market value of less than $1,000,000 (as defined above). Any such determination shall be conclusive and binding for all purposes of this Section 5 in the absence of manifest error.
6.Master Feeder Structure. If permitted by the 1940 Act, the Board of Trustees, by vote of a majority of the Trustees, and without a Shareholder vote, may cause the Trust or any one or more Series to convert to a master feeder structure (a structure in which a feeder fund invests all of its assets in a master fund, rather than making investments in securities directly) and thereby cause existing Series of the Trust to either become feeders in a master fund, or to become master funds in which other funds are feeders. Any such conversion shall require approval by vote of the Board of Trustees and/or the Shareholders of the Trust or the particular Series, as applicable, as set forth in Section 1 of this Article VIII.
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7.Absence of Appraisal or Dissenters’ Rights. No Shareholder shall be entitled, as a matter of right, to relief as a dissenting Shareholder in respect of any proposal or action involving the Trust or any Series or any Class thereof.
IX.
AMENDMENTS
1.Amendments Generally. Subject to the provisions of Section 3(a) of Article VIII and Section 2 of thisArticle IX, this Declaration of Trust may be restated and/or amended at any time, by an instrument in writing, by action of the Board of Trustees, without approval of the Shareholders. The Certificate of Trust shall be restated and/ or amended at any time by the Board of Trustees, without Shareholder approval, to correct any inaccuracy contained therein. Any such restatement and/or amendment of the Certificate of Trust shall be executed by at least one (1) Trustee and shall be effective immediately upon its filing with the office of the Secretary of State of the State of Delaware or upon such future date as may be stated therein.
2.Special Amendments. Notwithstanding any other provision of this Declaration of Trust or the By-Laws, the amendment or repeal of Article IV, Sections 1, 2 and 3, Article V, Article VII, Article VIII and this Article IX of this Declaration of Trust shall require the approval of the Board of Trustees and the affirmative vote of holders of at least two-thirds (66 2/3%) of the Shares entitled to vote, unless such action has previously been approved, adopted or authorized by the affirmative vote of two-thirds (66 2/3%) of the Board of Trustees, in which case the Shareholder vote set forth in Article V, Section 2(b)(1) shall be required.
X.
MISCELLANEOUS
1.References; Headings; Counterparts. In this Declaration of Trust and in any restatement hereof and/or amendment hereto, references to this instrument, and all expressions of similar effect to “herein,” “hereof” and “hereunder,” shall be deemed to refer to this instrument as so restated and/or amended. Headings are placed herein for convenience of reference only and shall not be taken as a part hereof or control or affect the meaning, construction or effect of this instrument. Whenever the singular number is used herein, the same shall include the plural; and the neuter, masculine and feminine genders shall include each other, as applicable. Any references herein to specific sections of the DSTA, the Code or the 1940 Act shall refer to such sections as amended from time to time or any successor sections thereof. This instrument may be executed in any number of counterparts, each of which shall be deemed an original.
2.Applicable Law. This Declaration of Trust is created under and is to be governed by and construed and administered according to the laws of the State of Delaware and the applicable provisions of the 1940 Act and the Code. The Trust shall be a Delaware statutory trust pursuant to the DSTA, and without limiting the provisions hereof, the Trust may exercise all powers which are ordinarily exercised by such a statutory trust.
3.Provisions in Conflict with Law or Regulations.
(a) The provisions of this Declaration of Trust are severable, and if the Board of Trustees shall determine, with the advice of counsel, that any of such provisions is in conflict with the 1940 Act, the Code, the DSTA, or with other applicable laws and regulations, the conflicting provision shall be deemed not to have constituted a part of this Declaration of Trust from the time when such provisions became inconsistent with such laws or regulations; provided, however, that such determination shall not affect any of the remaining provisions of this Declaration of Trust or render invalid or improper any action taken or omitted prior to such determination.
(b) If any provision of this Declaration of Trust shall be held invalid or unenforceable in any jurisdiction, such invalidity or unenforceability shall attach only to such provision in such jurisdiction and shall not in any manner affect such provision in any other jurisdiction or any other provision of this Declaration of Trust in any jurisdiction.
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4.Statutory Trust Only. It is the intention of the Trustees to create hereby a statutory trust pursuant to the DSTA, and thereby to create the relationship of trustee and beneficial owners within the meaning of the DSTA between, respectively, the Trustees and each Shareholder. It is not the intention of the Trustees to create a general or limited partnership, limited liability company, joint stock association, corporation, bailment, or any form of legal relationship other than a statutory trust pursuant to the DSTA. Nothing in this Declaration of Trust shall be construed to make the Shareholders, either by themselves or with the Trustees, partners or members of a joint stock association.
5.Use of the Names “Franklin,” “Templeton,” “Fiduciary Trust,” and/or “Institutional Fiduciary Trust”.The Board of Trustees expressly agrees and acknowledges that the names “Franklin,” “Templeton,” “Fiduciary Trust,” and “Institutional Fiduciary Trust” are the sole property of Franklin Resources, Inc. (“FRI”). FRI has granted to the Trust a non-exclusive license to use such names as part of the name of the Trust now and in the future. The Board of Trustees further expressly agrees and acknowledges that the non-exclusive license granted herein may be terminated by FRI if the Trust ceases to use FRI or one of its Affiliates as Investment Adviser or to use other Affiliates or successors of FRI for such purposes. In such event, the nonexclusive license may be revoked by FRI and the Trust shall cease using the names “Franklin,” “Templeton,” “Fiduciary Trust,” “Institutional Fiduciary Trust” or any name misleadingly implying a continuing relationship between the Trust and FRI or any of its Affiliates, as part of its name unless otherwise consented to by FRI or any successor to its interests in such names.
The Board of Trustees further understands and agrees that so long as FRI and/or any future advisory Affiliate of FRI shall continue to serve as the Trust’s Investment Adviser, other registered open- or closed-end investment companies (“funds”) as may be sponsored or advised by FRI or its Affiliates shall have the right permanently to adopt and to use the names “Franklin,” “Templeton,” “Fiduciary Trust” and/or “Institutional Fiduciary Trust” in their names and in the names of any series or Class of shares of such funds.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the Trustees named below do hereby make and enter into this Agreement and Declaration of Trust as of the date first written above.
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