In addition, if at any time the Committee shall determine, in its sole discretion, that the listing or qualification of the shares of Common Stock subject to any Award or option on any securities exchange, Nasdaq or under any applicable law, or the consent or approval of any governmental agency or regulatory body, is necessary or desirable as a condition to, or in connection with, the granting of an Award or the issuing of shares of Common Stock thereunder, such Award may not be granted and such option may not be exercised in whole or in part unless such listing, qualification, consent or approval shall have been effected or obtained free of any conditions not acceptable to the Committee.
9. AWARD CONTRACTS. Each Award shall be evidenced by an appropriate Contract which shall be duly executed by the Company and the Award holder, and shall contain such terms, provisions and conditions not inconsistent herewith as may be determined by the Committee. The terms of each Award and Contract need not be identical.
10. ADJUSTMENTS UPON CHANGES IN COMMON STOCK. Notwithstanding any other provision of the Plan, in the event of a stock dividend, recapitalization, merger in which the Company is the surviving corporation, spin-off, split-up, combination or exchange of shares or the like which results in a change in the number or kind of shares of Common Stock which is outstanding immediately prior to such event, the aggregate number and kind of shares subject to the Plan, the aggregate number and kind of shares subject to each outstanding Award, the exercise price of each option, any contingencies and restrictions based on the number or kind of shares, and the 162(m) Maximum shall be appropriately adjusted by the Board of Directors, whose determination shall be conclusive and binding on all parties. Such adjustment may provide for the elimination of fractional shares which might otherwise be subject to Awards without payment therefor.
In the event of (a) the liquidation or dissolution of the Company, (b) a merger in which the Company is not the surviving corporation or a consolidation, or (c) any transaction (or series of related transactions) in which (i) more than 50% of the outstanding Common Stock is transferred or exchanged for other consideration, or (ii) shares of Common Stock in excess of the number of shares of Common Stock outstanding immediately preceding the transaction are issued (other than to stockholders of the Company with respect to their shares of stock in the Company), any outstanding options and unvested stock shall terminate upon the earliest of any such event, unless other provision is made therefor in the transaction.
11. AMENDMENTS AND TERMINATION OF THE PLAN. The Plan was adopted by the Board of Directors on May 1, 2001. The Board of Directors may at any time suspend or terminate the Plan, in whole or in part, or amend it from time to time in such respects as it may deem advisable, including, without limitation, in order to comply with the provisions of Rule 16b-3, Section 162(m) of the Code, or any change in applicable law, regulations, rulings or interpretations of any governmental agency or regulatory body. No termination, suspension or amendment of the Plan shall adversely affect the rights of any Award holder under an Award without his prior consent. The power of the Committee to construe and administer any Awards granted under the Plan prior to the termination or suspension of the Plan nevertheless shall continue after such termination or during such suspension.
12. NON-TRANSFERABILITY. No option granted under the Plan shall be transferable otherwise than by will or the laws of descent and distribution, and options may be exercised, during the lifetime of the Award holder, only by him or his Legal Representatives. Except as may otherwise be expressly provided in the Contract, a stock Award, to the extent not vested, shall not be transferable otherwise than by will or the laws of descent and distribution. Except to the extent provided above, Awards may not be assigned, transferred, pledged, hypothecated or disposed of in any way (whether by operation of law or otherwise) and shall not be subject to execution, attachment or similar process, and any such attempted assignment, transfer, pledge, hypothecation or disposition shall be null and void AB INITIO and of no force or effect; PROVIDED, HOWEVER, that a contract may provide that non-qualified Awards may be donated to charity or assigned to a family trust or similar estate planning vehicle.
13. WITHHOLDING TAXES. The Company, a Subsidiary or Parent may withhold (a) cash, or (b) with the consent of the Committee, shares of Common Stock to be issued under a stock Award or upon exercise of an option having an aggregate Fair Market Value on the relevant date, or a combination of cash and shares having such value, in an amount equal to the amount which the Committee determines is necessary to satisfy the obligation of the Company, any of its Subsidiaries or a Parent to withhold federal, state and local taxes or other amounts incurred by reason of the grant, vesting, exercise or disposition of an Award, or the disposition of the underlying shares of Common Stock. Alternatively, the Company may require the holder to pay to the Company such amount, in cash, promptly upon demand.
14. LEGENDS; PAYMENT OF EXPENSES. The Company may endorse such legend or legends upon the certificates for shares of Common Stock issued under a stock Award or upon exercise of an option under the Plan and may issue such "stop transfer" instructions to its transfer agent in respect of such shares as it determines, in its discretion, to be necessary or appropriate to (a) prevent a violation of, or to perfect an exemption from, the registration requirements of the Securities Act and any applicable state securities laws, or (b) implement the provisions of the Plan or any agreement between the Company and the Award holder with respect to such shares of Common Stock.
The Company shall pay all issuance taxes with respect to the issuance of shares of Common Stock under a stock Award or upon the exercise of an option granted under the Plan, as well as all fees and expenses incurred by the Company in connection with such issuance.
15. USE OF PROCEEDS. The cash proceeds received upon the exercise of an option, or grant of a stock Award under the Plan shall be added to the general funds of the Company and used for such corporate purposes as the Board of Directors may determine.
16. SUBSTITUTIONS AND ASSUMPTIONS OF AWARDS OF CERTAIN CONSTITUENT CORPORATIONS. Anything in this Plan to the contrary notwithstanding, the Board of Directors may, without further approval by the stockholders, substitute new Awards for prior options, or restricted stock of a Constituent Corporation (as defined in Paragraph 17) or assume the prior options or restricted stock of such Constituent Corporation.
17. DEFINITIONS. For purposes of the Plan, the following terms shall be defined as set forth below:
(a) "Cause" shall mean: (i) in the case of an employee or consultant, if there is a written employment or consulting agreement between the Award holder and the Company, any of its Subsidiaries or a Parent which defines termination of such relationship for cause, cause as defined in such agreement, and (ii) in all other cases, cause as defined by applicable state law.
(b) "Constituent Corporation" shall mean any corporation which engages with the Company, any of its Subsidiaries or a Parent in a transaction to which Section 424(a) of the Code applies, or any Subsidiary or Parent of such corporation.
(c) "Disability" shall mean a permanent and total disability within the meaning of Section 22(e)(3) of the Code.
(d) "Exchange Act" means the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended.
(e) "Fair Market Value" of a share of Common Stock on any day shall mean: (i) if the principal market for the Common Stock is a national securities exchange, the average of the highest and lowest sales prices per share of Common Stock on such day as reported by such exchange or on a composite tape reflecting transactions on such exchange, (ii) if the principal market for the Common Stock is not a national securities exchange and the Common Stock is quoted on Nasdaq, and (A) if actual sales price information is available with respect to the Common Stock, the average of the highest and lowest sales prices per share of Common Stock on such day on Nasdaq, or (B) if such information is not available, the average of the highest bid and lowest asked prices per share of Common Stock on such day on Nasdaq, or (iii) if the principal market for the Common Stock is not a national securities exchange and the Common Stock is not quoted on Nasdaq, the average of the highest bid and lowest asked prices per share of Common Stock on such day as reported on the OTC Bulletin Board Service or by National Quotation Bureau, Incorporated or a comparable service; PROVIDED, HOWEVER, that if clauses (i), (ii) and (iii) of this subparagraph are all inapplicable, or if no trades have been made or no quotes are available for such day, the Fair Market Value of a share of Common Stock shall be determined by the Board of Directors by any method consistent with applicable regulations adopted by the Treasury Department relating to stock options.
(f) "Legal Representative" shall mean the executor, administrator or other person who at the time is entitled by law to exercise the rights of a deceased or incapacitated optionee with respect to an option granted under the Plan.
(g) "Nasdaq" shall mean the Nasdaq Stock Market.
(h) "Outside Director" shall mean a person who is a director of the Company, but on the date of grant is not an employee of, or consultant to, the Company, any of its Subsidiaries or a Parent.
(i) "Parent" shall have the same definition as "parent corporation" in Section 424(e) of the Code.
(j) "Rule 16b-3" shall mean Rule 16b-3 promulgated under the Exchange Act, as the same may be in effect and interpreted from time to time.
(k) "Subsidiary" shall have the same definition as "subsidiary corporation" in Section 424(f) of the Code.
18. GOVERNING LAW; CONSTRUCTION. The Plan, the Awards and Contracts hereunder and all related matters shall be governed by, and construed in accordance with, the laws of the State of Delaware, without regard to conflict of law provisions that would defer to the substantive laws of another jurisdiction.
Neither the Plan nor any Contract shall be construed or interpreted with any presumption against the Company by reason of the Company causing the Plan or Contract to be drafted. Whenever from the context it appears appropriate, any term stated in either the singular or plural shall include the singular and plural, and any term stated in the masculine, feminine or neuter gender shall include the masculine, feminine and neuter.
19. PARTIAL INVALIDITY. The invalidity, illegality or unenforceability of any provision in the Plan, any Award or Contract shall not affect the validity, legality or enforceability of any other provision, all of which shall be valid, legal and enforceable to the fullest extent permitted by applicable law.