EXHIBIT 4.1
TURBODYNE TECHNOLOGIES INC.
1998 STOCK INCENTIVE PLAN
1. PURPOSE OF THE PLAN.
The purpose of this 1998 Stock Incentive Plan (the "Plan") is to provide
incentives and rewards to selected eligible directors, officers, employees and
consultants of Turbodyne Technologies Inc. (the "Company") or its subsidiaries
in order to assist the Company and its subsidiaries in attracting, retaining and
motivating those persons by providing for or increasing the proprietary
interests of those persons in the Company, and by associating their interests in
the Company with those of the Company's stockholders.
2. ADMINISTRATION OF THE PLAN.
The Plan shall be administered by the Board of Directors of the Company (the
"Board"), or a committee of the Board (the "Committee") whose members shall
serve at the pleasure of the Board. If administration is delegated to the
Committee, the Committee shall have, in connection with the administration of
the Plan, the powers theretofore possessed by the Board (and references in this
Plan to the Board shall thereafter be to the Committee), subject, however, to
such resolutions, not inconsistent with the provisions of the Plan as may be
adopted from time to time by the Board.
The Board shall have all the powers vested in it by the terms of the Plan,
including exclusive authority (i) to select from among eligible directors,
officers, employees and consultants, those persons to be granted "Awards" (as
defined below) under the Plan; (ii) to determine the type, size and terms of
individual Awards (which need not be identical) to be made to each person
selected; (iii) to determine the time when Awards will be granted and to
establish objectives and conditions (including, without limitation, vesting and
performance conditions), if any, for earning Awards; (iv) to amend the terms or
conditions of any outstanding Award, subject to applicable legal restrictions
and to the consent of the other party to such Award; (v) to determine the
duration and purpose of leaves of absences which may be granted to holders of
Awards without constituting termination of their employment for purposes of
their Awards; (vi) to authorize any person to execute, on behalf of the Company,
any instrument required to carry out the purposes of the Plan; and (vii) to make
any and all other determinations which it determines to be necessary or
advisable in the administration of the Plan. The Board shall have full power and
authority to administer and interpret the Plan and to adopt, amend and revoke
such rules, regulations, agreements, guidelines and instruments for the
administration of the Plan and for the conduct of its business as the Board
deems necessary or advisable. The Board's interpretation of the Plan, and all
actions taken and determinations made by the Board pursuant to the powers vested
in it hereunder, shall be conclusive and binding on all parties concerned,
including the Company, its stockholders, any participants in the Plan and any
other employee of the Company or any of its subsidiaries.
3. PERSONS ELIGIBLE UNDER THE PLAN.
Any person who is a director, officer, employee or consultant of the Company,
or any of its subsidiaries (a "Participant"), shall be eligible to be considered
for the grant of Awards under the Plan.
4. AWARDS.
(a) COMMON STOCK AND DERIVATIVE SECURITY AWARDS. Awards authorized under the
Plan shall consist of any type of arrangement with a Participant that is not
inconsistent with the provisions of the Plan and that, by its terms, involves or
might involve or be made with reference to the issuance of (i) shares of the
Common Stock, $.001 par value per share, of the Company (the "Common Stock") or
(ii) a "derivative security" (as that term is defined in Rule 16a-1(c) of the
Rules and Regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission under the
Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, as the same may be amended from
time to time) with an exercise or conversion price related to the Common Stock
or with a value derived from the value of the Common Stock.
(b) TYPES OF AWARDS. Awards are not restricted to any specified form or
structure and may include, but need not be limited to, sales, bonuses and other
transfers of stock, restricted stock, stock options, reload stock options, stock
purchase warrants, other rights to acquire stock or securities convertible into
or redeemable for stock, stock appreciation rights, phantom stock, dividend
equivalents, performance units or performance shares, or any other type of Award
which the Board shall determine is consistent with the objectives and
limitations of the Plan. An Award may consist of one such security or benefit,
or two or more of them in tandem or in the alternative.
(c) CONSIDERATION. Common Stock may be issued pursuant to an Award for any
lawful consideration as determined by the Board, including, without limitation,
a cash payment, services rendered, or the cancellation of indebtedness.
(d) GUIDELINES. The Board may adopt, amend or revoke from time to time
written policies implementing the Plan. Such policies may include, but need not
be limited to, the type, size and term of Awards to be made to participants and
the conditions for payment of such Awards.
(e) TERMS AND CONDITIONS. Subject to the provisions of the Plan, the Board,
in its sole and absolute discretion, shall determine all of the terms and
conditions of each Award granted pursuant to the Plan, which terms and
conditions may include, among other things:
(i) any provision necessary for such Award to qualify as an incentive
stock option under Section 422 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as
amended (the "Code") (an "Incentive Stock Option");
(ii) a provision permitting the recipient of such Award to pay the
purchase price of the Common Stock or other property issuable pursuant to
such Award, or to pay such recipient's tax withholding obligation with
respect to such issuance, in whole or in part, by delivering previously owned
shares of capital stock of the Company (including "pyramiding") or other
property, or by reducing the number of shares of Common Stock or the amount
of other property otherwise issuable pursuant to such Award; or
(iii) a provision conditioning or accelerating the receipt of benefits
pursuant to the Award, or terminating the Award, either automatically or in
the discretion of the Board, upon the occurrence of specified events,
including, without limitation, a change of control of the Company, an
acquisition of a specified percentage of the voting power of the Company, the
dissolution or liquidation of the Company, a sale of substantially all of the
property and assets of the Company or an event of the type described in
Section 7 of the Plan.
(f) SUSPENSION OR TERMINATION OF AWARDS. If the Company believes that a
Participant has committed an act of misconduct as described below, the Company
may suspend the Participant's rights under any then outstanding Award pending a
determination by the Board. If the Board determines that a Participant has
committed an act of embezzlement, fraud, nonpayment of any obligation owed to
the Company or any subsidiary, breach of fiduciary duty or deliberate disregard
of the Company's rules resulting in loss, damage or injury to the Company, or if
a Participant makes an unauthorized disclosure of trade secret or confidential
information of the Company, engages in any conduct constituting unfair
competition, or induces any customer of the Company to breach a contract with
the Company, neither the Participant nor his or her estate shall be entitled to
exercise any rights whatsoever with respect to such Award. In making such
determination, the Board shall act fairly and shall give the Participant a
reasonable opportunity to appear and present evidence on his or her behalf to
the Board.
(g) MAXIMUM GRANT OF AWARDS TO ANY PARTICIPANT. No Participant shall
receive Awards representing more than 200,000 shares of Common Stock per annum,
subject to adjustment as provided in Section 7 hereof.
5. SHARES OF COMMON STOCK SUBJECT TO THE PLAN.
The aggregate number of shares of Common Stock that may be issued or issuable
pursuant to all Awards under the Plan (including Awards in the form of Incentive
Stock Options and Non-Statutory Stock Options) shall not exceed an aggregate of
4,000,000 shares of Common Stock, subject to adjustment as provided in Section 7
of the Plan.
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Shares of Common Stock subject to the Plan may consist, in whole or
in part, of authorized and unissued shares or treasury shares. Any shares of
Common Stock subject to an Award which for any reason expires or is terminated
unexercised as to such shares shall again be available for issuance under the
Plan. For purposes of this Section 5, the aggregate number of shares of Common
Stock that may be issued at any time pursuant to Awards granted under the Plan
shall be reduced by: (i) the number of shares of Common Stock previously issued
pursuant to Awards granted under the Plan, other than shares of Common Stock
subsequently reacquired by the Company pursuant to the terms and conditions of
such Awards and with respect to which the holder thereof received no benefits of
ownership, such as dividends; and (ii) the number of shares of Common Stock
which were otherwise issuable pursuant to Awards granted under this Plan but
which were withheld by the Company as payment of the purchase price of the
Common Stock issued pursuant to such Awards or as payment of the recipient's
tax withholding obligation with respect to such issuance.
6. PAYMENT OF AWARDS.
The Board shall determine the extent to which Awards shall be payable in
cash, shares of Common Stock or any combination thereof. The Board may, upon
request of a Participant, determine that all or a portion of a payment to that
Participant under the Plan, whether it is to be made in cash, shares of Common
Stock or a combination thereof, shall be deferred. Deferrals shall be for such
periods and upon such terms as the Board may determine in its sole discretion.
7. DILUTION AND OTHER ADJUSTMENT.
In the event of any change in the outstanding shares of the Common Stock or
other securities then subject to the Plan by reason of any stock split, reverse
stock split, stock dividend, recapitalization, merger, consolidation,
combination or exchange of shares or other similar corporate change, or if the
outstanding securities of the class then subject to the Plan are exchanged for
or converted into cash, property or a different kind of securities, or if cash,
property or securities are distributed in respect of such outstanding securities
as a class (other than cash dividends), then the Board may, but it shall not be
required to, make such equitable adjustments to the Plan and the Awards
thereunder (including, without limitation, appropriate and proportionate
adjustments in (i) the number and type of shares or other securities or cash or
other property that may be acquired pursuant to Incentive Stock Options and
other Awards theretofore granted under the Plan, (ii) the maximum number and
type of shares or other securities that may be issued pursuant to Incentive
Stock Options and other Awards thereafter granted under the Plan; and (iii) the
maximum number of securities with respect to which Awards may thereafter be
granted to any Participant in any fiscal year) as the Board in its sole
discretion determines appropriate, including any adjustments in the maximum
number of shares referred to in Section 5 of the Plan. Such adjustments shall be
conclusive and binding for all purposes of the Plan.
8. MISCELLANEOUS PROVISIONS.
(a) DEFINITIONS. As used herein, "subsidiary" means any current or future
corporation which would be a "subsidiary corporation," as that term is defined
in Section 424(f) of the Code, of the Company; and the term "or" means "and/or."
(b) CONDITIONS ON ISSUANCE. Securities shall not be issued pursuant to Awards
unless the grant and issuance thereof shall comply with all relevant provisions
of law and the requirements of any securities exchange or quotation system upon
which any securities of the Company are listed, and shall be further subject to
approval of counsel for the Company with respect to such compliance. Inability
of the Company to obtain authority from any regulatory body having jurisdiction,
which authority is determined by Company counsel to be necessary to the lawful
issuance and sale of any security or Award, shall relieve the Company of any
liability in respect of the nonissuance or sale of such securities as to which
requisite authority shall not have been obtained.
(c) RIGHTS AS STOCKHOLDER. A participant under the Plan shall have no rights
as a holder of Common Stock with respect to Awards hereunder, unless and until
certificates for shares of such stock are issued to the participant.
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(d) ASSIGNMENT OR TRANSFER. Subject to the discretion of the Board, and
except with respect to Incentive Stock Options which are not transferable except
by will or the laws of descent and distribution, Awards under the Plan or any
rights or interests therein shall be assignable or transferable.
(e) AGREEMENTS. All Awards granted under the Plan shall be evidenced by
written agreements in such form and containing such terms and conditions (not
inconsistent with the Plan) as the Board shall from time to time adopt.
(f) WITHHOLDING TAXES. The Company shall have the right to deduct from all
Awards hereunder paid in cash any federal, state, local or foreign taxes
required by law to be withheld with respect to such awards and, with respect to
awards paid in stock, to require the payment (through withholding from the
participant's salary or otherwise) of any such taxes. The obligation of the
Company to make delivery of Awards in cash or Common Stock shall be subject to
the restrictions imposed by any and all governmental authorities.
(g) NO RIGHTS TO AWARD. No Participant or other person shall have any right
to be granted an Award under the Plan. Neither the Plan nor any action taken
hereunder shall be construed as giving any Participant any right to be retained
in the employ of the Company or any of its subsidiaries or shall interfere with
or restrict in any way the rights of the Company or any of its subsidiaries,
which are hereby reserved, to discharge a Participant at any time for any reason
whatsoever, with or without good cause.
(h) COSTS AND EXPENSES. The costs and expenses of administering the Plan
shall be borne by the Company and not charged to any Award nor to any
Participant receiving an Award.
(i) FUNDING OF PLAN. The Plan shall be unfunded. The Company shall not be
required to establish any special or separate fund or to make any other
segregation of assets to assure the payment of any Award under the Plan.
9. AMENDMENTS AND TERMINATION.
(a) AMENDMENTS. The Board may at any time terminate or from time to time
amend the Plan in whole or in part, but no such action shall adversely affect
any rights or obligations with respect to any Awards theretofore made under the
Plan. However, with the consent of the Participant affected, the Board may amend
outstanding agreements evidencing Awards under the Plan in a manner not
inconsistent with the terms of the Plan.
(b) STOCKHOLDER APPROVAL. To the extent that Section 422 of the Code, other
applicable law, or the rules, regulations, procedures or listing agreement of
any national securities exchange or quotation system, requires that any
amendment of the Plan be approved by the stockholders of the Company, no such
amendment shall be effective unless and until it is approved by the stockholders
in such a manner and to such a degree as is required.
(c) TERMINATION. Unless the Plan shall theretofore have been terminated as
above provided, the Plan (but not the awards theretofore granted under the Plan)
shall terminate on and no awards shall be granted after September 11, 2008.
10. EFFECTIVE DATE.
The Plan is effective on September 4, 1998, the date on which it was
adopted by the Board of Directors of the Company, subject to the approval of the
Plan by the holders of at least a majority of the outstanding shares of the
Common Stock present, or represented, and entitled to vote at the 1998 Annual
Meeting of Stockholders. Awards may be made under the Plan on and after its
effective date, subject to stockholder approval of the Plan as provided above.
If approval of the stockholders is not obtained, all Awards granted under the
Plan shall be null and void.
11. GOVERNING LAW
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The Plan and any agreements entered into thereunder shall be construed and
governed by the laws of the State of Delaware applicable to contracts made
within, and to be performed wholly within, such state, without regard to the
application of conflict of laws rules thereof.
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