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BIOSTAR, INC.
1995 EQUITY INCENTIVE PLAN
ADOPTED APRIL 20, 1995
AMENDED DECEMBER 6, 1996
1. PURPOSES.
(a) The purpose of the Plan is to provide a means by which
selected Employees and Directors of and Consultants to the Company, and its
Affiliates, may be given an opportunity to benefit from increases in value of
the stock of the Company through the granting of (i) Incentive Stock Options,
(ii) Nonstatutory Stock Options, and (iii) stock bonuses, all as defined below.
(b) The Company, by means of the Plan, seeks to retain the
services of persons who are now Employees or Directors of or Consultants to the
Company or its Affiliates, to secure and retain the services of new Employees,
Directors and Consultants, and to provide incentives for such persons to exert
maximum efforts for the success of the Company and its Affiliates.
(c) The Company intends that the Stock Awards issued under the
Plan shall, in the discretion of the Board or any Committee to which
responsibility for administration of the Plan has been delegated pursuant to
subsection 3(c), be either (i) options granted pursuant to Section 6 hereof,
including Incentive Stock Options and Nonstatutory Stock Options, or (ii) stock
bonuses granted pursuant to Section 7 hereof. All Options shall be separately
designated Incentive Stock Options or Nonstatutory Stock Options at the time of
grant, and in such form as issued pursuant to Section 6, and a separate
certificate or certificates will be issued for shares purchased on exercise of
each type of Option.
2. DEFINITIONS.
(a) "AFFILIATE" means any parent corporation or subsidiary
corporation, whether now or hereafter existing, as those terms are defined in
Sections 424(e) and (f) respectively, of the Code.
(b) "BOARD" means the Board of Directors of the Company.
(c) "CODE" means the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended.
(d) "COMMITTEE" means a Committee appointed by the Board in
accordance with subsection 3(c) of the Plan.
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(e) "COMPANY" means BioStar, Inc., a Delaware corporation.
(f) "CONSULTANT" means any person, including an advisor, engaged
by the Company or an Affiliate to render consulting services and who is
compensated for such services, provided that the term "Consultant" shall not
include Directors who are paid only a director's fee by the Company or who are
not compensated by the Company for their services as Directors.
(g) "CONTINUOUS STATUS AS AN EMPLOYEE, DIRECTOR OR CONSULTANT"
means the employment or relationship as a Director or Consultant is not
interrupted or terminated. The Board, in its sole discretion, may determine
whether Continuous Status as an Employee, Director or Consultant shall be
considered interrupted in the case of: (i) any leave of absence approved by
the Board, including sick leave, military leave, or any other personal leave;
or (ii) transfers between locations of the Company or between the Company,
Affiliates or their successors.
(h) "COVERED EMPLOYEE" means the Chief Executive Officer and the
four (4) other highest compensated officers of the Company.
(i) "DIRECTOR" means a member of the Board.
(j) "DISINTERESTED PERSON" means a Director who either (i) was not
during the one year prior to service as an administrator of the Plan granted or
awarded equity securities pursuant to the Plan or any other plan of the Company
or any of its Affiliates entitling the participants therein to acquire equity
securities of the Company or any of its Affiliates except as permitted by Rule
16b-3(c)(2)(i); or (ii) is otherwise considered to be a "disinterested person"
in accordance with Rule 16b-3(c)(2)(i), or any other applicable rules,
regulations or interpretations of the Securities and Exchange Commission.
(k) "EMPLOYEE" means any person, including Officers and Directors,
employed by the Company or any Affiliate. Neither service as a Director nor
payment of a director's fee by the Company shall be sufficient to constitute
"employment" by the Company.
(l) "EXCHANGE ACT" means the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as
amended.
(m) "FAIR MARKET VALUE" means, as of any date, the value of the
common stock of the Company determined as follows and in each case in a manner
consistent with Section 260.140.50 of Title 10 of the California Code of
Regulations:
(1) If the common stock is listed on any established
stock exchange or a national market system, including without limitation the
National Market System of the National Association of Securities Dealers, Inc.
Automated Quotation ("NASDAQ")
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System, the Fair Market Value of a share of common stock shall be the closing
sales price for such stock (or the closing bid, if no sales were reported) as
quoted on such system or exchange (or the exchange with the greatest volume of
trading in common stock) on the last market trading day prior to the day of
determination, as reported in the Wall Street Journal or such other source as
the Board deems reliable;
(2) If the common stock is quoted on the NASDAQ System
(but not on the National Market System thereof) or is regularly quoted by a
recognized securities dealer but selling prices are not reported, the Fair
Market Value of a share of common stock shall be the mean between the bid and
asked prices for the common stock on the last market trading day prior to the
day of determination, as reported in the Wall Street Journal or such other
source as the Board deems reliable;
(3) In the absence of an established market for the
common stock, the Fair Market Value shall be determined in good faith by the
Board.
(n) "INCENTIVE STOCK OPTION" means an Option intended to qualify
as an incentive stock option within the meaning of Section 422 of the Code and
the regulations promulgated thereunder.
(o) "NONSTATUTORY STOCK OPTION" means an Option not intended to
qualify as an Incentive Stock Option.
(p) "OFFICER" means a person who is an officer of the Company
within the meaning of Section 16 of the Exchange Act and the rules and
regulations promulgated thereunder.
(q) "OPTION" means a stock option granted pursuant to the Plan.
(r) "OPTION AGREEMENT" means a written agreement between the
Company and an Optionee evidencing the terms and conditions of an individual
Option grant. Each Option Agreement shall be subject to the terms and
conditions of the Plan.
(s) "OPTIONEE" means an Employee, Director or Consultant who holds
an outstanding Option.
(t) "OUTSIDE DIRECTOR" means a Director who either (i) is not a
current employee of the Company or an "affiliated corporation" (as defined in
the Treasury regulations promulgated under Section 162(m) of the Code), is not
a former employee of the Company or an affiliated corporation receiving
compensation for prior services (other than benefits under a tax qualified
pension plan), was not an officer of the Company or an affiliated corporation
at any time, and is not currently receiving compensation for
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personal services in any capacity other than as a Director, or (ii) is
otherwise considered an "outside director" for purposes of Section 162(m) of
the Code.
(u) "PLAN" means this BioStar, Inc. 1995 Equity Incentive Plan.
(v) "RULE 16B-3" MEANS Rule 16b-3 of the Exchange Act or any
successor to Rule 16b-3, as in effect when discretion is being exercised with
respect to the Plan.
(w) "STOCK AWARD" means any right granted under the Plan,
including any Option and any stock bonus.
(x) "STOCK AWARD AGREEMENT" means a written agreement between the
Company and a holder of a Stock Award evidencing the terms and conditions of an
individual Stock Award grant. Each Stock Award Agreement shall be subject to
the terms and conditions of the Plan.
3. ADMINISTRATION.
(a) The Plan shall be administered by the Board unless and until
the Board delegates administration to a Committee, as provided in subsection
3(c).
(b) The Board shall have the power, subject to, and within the
limitations of, the express provisions of the Plan:
(1) To determine from time to time which of the persons
eligible under the Plan shall be granted Stock Awards; when and how each Stock
Award shall be granted; whether a Stock Award will be an Incentive Stock
Option, a Nonstatutory Stock Option, a stock bonus, or a combination of the
foregoing; the provisions of each Stock Award granted (which need not be
identical), including the time or times when a person shall be permitted to
receive stock pursuant to a Stock Award; and the number of shares with respect
to which a Stock Award shall be granted to each such person.
(2) To construe and interpret the Plan and Stock Awards
granted under it, and to establish, amend and revoke rules and regulations for
its administration. The Board, in the exercise of this power, may correct any
defect, omission or inconsistency in the Plan or in any Stock Award Agreement,
in a manner and to the extent it shall deem necessary or expedient to make the
Plan fully effective.
(3) To amend the Plan or a Stock Award as provided in
Section 13.
(c) The Board may delegate administration of the Plan to a
committee composed of not fewer than two (2) members (the "Committee"), all of
the members of which Committee shall be Disinterested Persons and may also be,
in the discretion of the Board, Outside Directors. If administration is
delegated to a Committee, the Committee
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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 may abolish the Committee at any time and
revest in the Board the administration of the Plan. Additionally, prior to the
date of the first registration of an equity security of the Company under
Section 12 of the Exchange Act, and notwithstanding anything to the contrary
contained herein, the Board may delegate administration of the Plan to any
person or persons and the term "Committee" shall apply to any person or persons
to whom such authority has been delegated. Notwithstanding anything in this
Section 3 to the contrary, the Board or the Committee may delegate to a
committee of one or more members of the Board the authority to grant Options to
eligible persons who (1) are not then subject to Section 16 of the Exchange Act
and/or (2) are either (i) not then Covered Employees and are not expected to be
Covered Employees at the time of recognition of income resulting from such
Option, or (ii) not persons with respect to whom the Company wishes to comply
with Section 162(m) of the Code.
(d) Any requirement that an administrator of the Plan be a
Disinterested Person shall not apply (i) prior to the date of the first
registration of an equity security of the Company under Section 12 of the
Exchange Act, or (ii) if the Board or the Committee expressly declares that
such requirement shall not apply. Any Disinterested Person shall otherwise
comply with the requirements of Rule 16b-3.
4. SHARES SUBJECT TO THE PLAN.
(a) Subject to the provisions of Section 12 relating to
adjustments upon changes in stock, the stock that may be sold or awarded
pursuant to Stock Awards shall not exceed in the aggregate six million two
hundred fifty thousand (6,250,000) shares of the Company's common stock. If
any Stock Award shall for any reason expire or otherwise terminate, in whole or
in part, without having been exercised in full, the stock not purchased under
such Stock Award shall revert to and again become available for issuance under
the Plan.
(b) The stock subject to the Plan may be unissued shares or
reacquired shares, bought on the market or otherwise.
5. ELIGIBILITY.
(a) Incentive Stock Options may be granted only to Employees.
Nonstatutory Stock Options may be granted only to Employees, Directors or
Consultants. Stock bonuses may be granted only to Employees or Consultants.
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(b) A Director shall in no event be eligible for the benefits of
the Plan unless at the time discretion is exercised in the selection of the
Director as a person to whom Options may be granted, or in the determination of
the number of shares which may be covered by Options granted to the Director:
(i) the Board has delegated its discretionary authority over the Plan to a
Committee which consists solely of Disinterested Persons; or (ii) the Plan
otherwise complies with the requirements of Rule 16b-3. The Board shall
otherwise comply with the requirements of Rule 16b-3. This subsection 5(b)
shall not apply (i) prior to the date of the first registration of an equity
security of the Company under Section 12 of the Exchange Act, or (ii) if the
Board or Committee expressly declares that it shall not apply.
(c) No person shall be eligible for the grant of an Option if, at
the time of grant, such person owns (or is deemed to own pursuant to Section
424(d) of the Code) stock possessing more than ten percent (10%) of the total
combined voting power of all classes of stock of the Company or of any of its
Affiliates unless the exercise price of such Option is at least one hundred ten
percent (110%) of the Fair Market Value of such stock at the date of grant and
the Option is not exercisable after the expiration of five (5) years from the
date of grant.
6. OPTION PROVISIONS.
Each Option shall be in such form and shall contain such terms and
conditions as the Board shall deem appropriate. The provisions of separate
Options need not be identical, but each Option shall include (through
incorporation of provisions hereof by reference in the Option or otherwise) the
substance of each of the following provisions:
(a) TERM. No Option shall be exercisable after the expiration of
ten (10) years from the date it was granted.
(b) PRICE. The exercise price of each Incentive Stock Option
shall be not less than one hundred percent (100%) of the Fair Market Value of
the stock subject to the Option on the date the Option is granted. The
exercise price of each Nonstatutory Stock Option shall be not less than
eighty-five percent (85%) of the Fair Market Value of the stock subject to the
Option on the date the Option is granted.
(c) CONSIDERATION. The purchase price of stock acquired pursuant
to an Option shall be paid, to the extent permitted by applicable statutes and
regulations, either (i) in cash at the time the Option is exercised, or (ii) at
the discretion of the Board or the Committee, either at the time of the grant
or exercise of the Option, (a) by delivery to the Company of other common stock
of the Company, (b) according to a deferred payment or other arrangement (which
may include, without limiting the generality of the foregoing, the use of other
common stock of the Company) with the person to whom the Option is
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granted or to whom the Option is transferred pursuant to subsection 6(d), or
(c) in any other form of legal consideration that may be acceptable to the
Board.
In the case of any deferred payment arrangement, interest shall be
payable at least annually and shall be charged at the minimum rate of interest
necessary to avoid the treatment as interest, under any applicable provisions
of the Code, of any amounts other than amounts stated to be interest under the
deferred payment arrangement.
(d) TRANSFERABILITY. An Incentive Stock Option shall not be
transferable except by will or by the laws of descent and distribution, and
shall be exercisable during the lifetime of the person to whom the Incentive
Stock Option is granted only by such person. A Nonstatutory Stock Option shall
not be transferable except by will or by the laws of descent and distribution
or pursuant to a qualified domestic relations order satisfying the requirements
of Rule 16b-3 and the rules thereunder (a "QDRO"), and shall be exercisable
during the lifetime of the person to whom the Option is granted only by such
person or any transferee pursuant to a QDRO. The person to whom the Option is
granted may, by delivering written notice to the Company, in a form
satisfactory to the Company, designate a third party who, in the event of the
death of the Optionee, shall thereafter be entitled to exercise the Option.
(e) VESTING. The total number of shares of stock subject to an
Option may, but need not, be allotted in periodic installments (which may, but
need not, be equal). The Option Agreement may provide that from time to time
during each of such installment periods, the Option may become exercisable
("vest") with respect to some or all of the shares allotted to that period, and
may be exercised with respect to some or all of the shares allotted to such
period and/or any prior period as to which the Option became vested but was not
fully exercised. The Option may be subject to such other terms and conditions
on the time or times when it may be exercised (which may be based on
performance or other criteria) as the Board may deem appropriate. The vesting
provisions of individual Options may vary but in each case will provide for
vesting of at least twenty percent (20%) per year of the total number of shares
subject to the Option. The provisions of this subsection 6(e) are subject to
any Option provisions governing the minimum number of shares as to which an
Option may be exercised.
(f) TERMINATION OF EMPLOYMENT OR RELATIONSHIP AS A DIRECTOR OR
CONSULTANT. In the event an Optionee's Continuous Status as an Employee,
Director or Consultant terminates (other than upon the Optionee's death or
disability), the Optionee may exercise his or her Option (to the extent that
the Optionee was entitled to exercise it at the date of termination) but only
within such period of time ending on the earlier of (i) the date three (3)
months after the termination of the Optionee's Continuous Status as an
Employee, Director or Consultant (or such longer or shorter period, which in no
event shall be less than thirty (30) days, specified in the Option Agreement),
or (ii) the
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expiration of the term of the Option as set forth in the Option Agreement. If,
after termination, the Optionee does not exercise his or her Option within the
time specified in the Option Agreement, the Option shall terminate, and the
shares covered by such Option shall revert to and again become available for
issuance under the Plan.
(g) DISABILITY OF OPTIONEE. In the event an Optionee's Continuous
Status as an Employee, Director or Consultant terminates as a result of the
Optionee's disability, the Optionee may exercise his or her Option (to the
extent that the Optionee was entitled to exercise it at the date of
termination), but only within such period of time ending on the earlier of (i)
the date twelve (12) months following such termination (or such longer or
shorter period, which in no event shall be less than six (6) months, specified
in the Option Agreement), or (ii) the expiration of the term of the Option as
set forth in the Option Agreement. If, at the date of termination, the
Optionee is not entitled to exercise his or her entire Option, the shares
covered by the unexercisable portion of the Option shall revert to and again
become available for issuance under the Plan. If, after termination, the
Optionee does not exercise his or her Option within the time specified herein,
the Option shall terminate, and the shares covered by such Option shall revert
to and again become available for issuance under the Plan.
(h) DEATH OF OPTIONEE. In the event of the death of an Optionee
during, or within a period specified in the Option after the termination of,
the Optionee's Continuous Status as an Employee, Director or Consultant, the
Option may be exercised (to the extent the Optionee was entitled to exercise
the Option at the date of death) by the Optionee's estate, by a person who
acquired the right to exercise the Option by bequest or inheritance or by a
person designated to exercise the option upon the Optionee's death pursuant to
subsection 6(d), but only within the period ending on the earlier of (i) the
date eighteen (18) months following the date of death (or such longer or
shorter period, which in no event shall be less than six (6) months, specified
in the Option Agreement), or (ii) the expiration of the term of such Option as
set forth in the Option Agreement. If, at the time of death, the Optionee was
not entitled to exercise his or her entire Option, the shares covered by the
unexercisable portion of the Option shall revert to and again become available
for issuance under the Plan. If, after death, the Option is not exercised
within the time specified herein, the Option shall terminate, and the shares
covered by such Option shall revert to and again become available for issuance
under the Plan.
(i) EARLY EXERCISE. The Option may, but need not, include a
provision whereby the Optionee may elect at any time while an Employee,
Director or Consultant to exercise the Option as to any part or all of the
shares subject to the Option prior to the full vesting of the Option. Any
unvested shares so purchased shall be subject to a repurchase right in favor of
the Company, with the repurchase price to be equal to the original purchase
price of the stock, or to any other restriction the Board determines to be
appropriate; provided, however, that (i) the right to repurchase at the
original purchase
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price shall lapse at a minimum rate of twenty percent (20%) per year over five
(5) years from the date the Option was granted, and (ii) such right shall be
exercisable only within (a) the ninety (90) day period following the
termination of employment or the relationship as a Director or Consultant, or
(b) such longer period as may be agreed to by the Company and the Optionee (for
example, for purposes of satisfying the requirements of Section 1202(c)(3) of
the Code (regarding "qualified small business stock")), and (iii) such right
shall be exercisable only for cash or cancellation of purchase money
indebtedness for the shares. Should the right of repurchase be assigned by the
Company, the assignee shall pay the Company cash equal to the difference
between the original purchase price and the stock's Fair Market Value if the
original purchase price is less than the stock's Fair Market Value.
7. TERMS OF STOCK BONUSES.
Each stock bonus agreement shall be in such form and shall contain
such terms and conditions as the Board or the Committee shall deem appropriate.
The terms and conditions of stock bonus agreements may change from time to
time, and the terms and conditions of separate agreements need not be
identical, but each stock bonus agreement shall include (through incorporation
of provisions hereof by reference in the agreement or otherwise) the substance
of each of the following provisions as appropriate:
(a) CONSIDERATION. Eligible participants in the Plan shall be
awarded stock pursuant to a stock bonus agreement in consideration for past
services actually rendered to the Company or for its benefit. No payment,
whether in cash, by check, or otherwise, shall be required as consideration for
a stock bonus.
(b) TRANSFERABILITY. No rights to acquire a stock bonus shall be
transferable except by will or the laws of descent and distribution.
8. CANCELLATION AND RE-GRANT OF OPTIONS.
The Board or the Committee shall have the authority to effect, at any
time and from time to time (i) the repricing of any outstanding Options under
the Plan and/or (ii) with the consent of the affected holders of Options, the
cancellation of any outstanding Options and the grant in substitution therefor
of new Options under the Plan covering the same or different numbers of shares
of stock, but having an exercise price per share not less than eighty-five
percent (85%) of the Fair Market Value (one hundred percent (100%) of the Fair
Market Value in the case of an Incentive Stock Option or, in the case of a ten
percent (10%) stockholder (as defined in subsection 5(c)), not less than one
hundred and ten percent (110%) of the Fair Market Value) per share of stock on
the new grant date.
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9. COVENANTS OF THE COMPANY.
(a) During the terms of the Stock Awards, the Company shall keep
available at all times the number of shares of stock required to satisfy such
Stock Awards.
(b) The Company shall seek to obtain from each regulatory
commission or agency having jurisdiction over the Plan such authority as may be
required to issue and sell shares of stock upon exercise of the Stock Awards;
provided, however, that this undertaking shall not require the Company to
register under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the "Securities Act")
either the Plan, any Stock Award or any stock issued or issuable pursuant to
any such Stock Award. If, after reasonable efforts, the Company is unable to
obtain from any such regulatory commission or agency the authority which
counsel for the Company deems necessary for the lawful issuance and sale of
stock under the Plan, the Company shall be relieved from any liability for
failure to issue and sell stock upon exercise of such Stock Awards unless and
until such authority is obtained.
10. USE OF PROCEEDS FROM STOCK.
Proceeds from the sale of stock pursuant to Options shall constitute
general funds of the Company.
11. MISCELLANEOUS.
(a) Neither an Employee, Director, Consultant nor any person to
whom a Stock Award is transferred under subsection 6(d) or 7(b) shall be deemed
to be the holder of, or to have any of the rights of a holder with respect to,
any shares subject to such Stock Award unless and until such person has
satisfied all requirements for exercise of the Stock Award pursuant to its
terms.
(b) Throughout the term of any Stock Award, the Company shall
deliver to the holder of such Stock Award, not later than one hundred twenty
(120) days after the close of each of the Company's fiscal years during the
term of such Stock Award, a balance sheet and an income statement. This
section shall not apply when issuance is limited to key employees whose duties
in connection with the Company assure them access to equivalent information.
(c) Nothing in the Plan or any instrument executed or Stock Award
granted pursuant thereto shall confer upon any Employee, Director, Consultant
or other holder of Stock Awards any right to continue in the employ of the
Company or any Affiliate (or to continue acting as a Director or Consultant) or
shall affect the right of the Company or any Affiliate to terminate the
employment or relationship as a Director or Consultant of any Employee,
Director, Consultant or other holder of Stock Awards with or without cause.
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(d) To the extent that the aggregate Fair Market Value (determined
at the time of grant) of stock with respect to which Incentive Stock Options
granted after 1986 are exercisable for the first time by any Optionee during
any calendar year under all plans of the Company and its Affiliates exceeds one
hundred thousand dollars ($100,000), the Options or portions thereof which
exceed such limit (according to the order in which they were granted) shall be
treated as Nonstatutory Stock Options.
(e) The Company may require any person to whom a Stock Award is
granted, or any person to whom a Stock Award is transferred under subsection
6(d) or 7(b), as a condition of exercising or acquiring stock under any Stock
Award, (1) to give written assurances satisfactory to the Company as to such
person's preexisting personal or business relationship with the Company or the
Company's officers, directors, or controlling persons, and/or such person's
knowledge and experience in financial and business matters and/or to employ a
purchaser representative reasonably satisfactory to the Company who is
knowledgeable and experienced in financial and business matters, and that he or
she is capable of evaluating, alone or together with the purchaser
representative, the merits and risks of acquiring stock under the Stock Award;
(2) to give written assurances satisfactory to the Company stating that such
person is acquiring the stock subject to the Stock Award for such person's own
account and not with any present intention of selling or otherwise distributing
the stock; and (3) to give written assurances as to any additional matters that
counsel for the Company determines to be appropriate in order to establish
compliance with applicable securities laws. The foregoing requirements, and
any assurances given pursuant to such requirements, shall be inoperative if (i)
the issuance of the shares upon the acquisition of stock under the Stock Award
has been registered under a then currently effective registration statement
under the Securities Act, or (ii) as to any particular requirement, a
determination is made by counsel for the Company that such requirement need not
be met in the circumstances under the then applicable securities laws. The
Company may, upon advice of counsel to the Company, place legends on stock
certificates issued under the Plan as such counsel deems necessary or
appropriate in order to comply with applicable securities laws, including, but
not limited to, legends restricting the transfer of the stock.
(f) To the extent provided by the terms of a Stock Award
Agreement, the person to whom a Stock Award is granted may satisfy any federal,
state or local tax withholding obligation relating to the exercise or
acquisition of stock under such Stock Award by any of the following means or by
a combination of such means: (1) tendering a cash payment; (2) authorizing the
Company to withhold shares from the shares of the common stock otherwise
issuable to the participant as a result of the acquisition of stock under the
Stock Award; or (3) delivering to the Company owned and unencumbered shares of
the common stock of the Company.
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12. ADJUSTMENTS UPON CHANGES IN STOCK.
(a) If any change is made in the stock subject to the Plan, or
subject to any Stock Award (through merger, consolidation, reorganization,
recapitalization, stock dividend, dividend in property other than cash, stock
split, liquidating dividend, combination of shares, exchange of shares, change
in corporate structure or otherwise), the Plan will be appropriately adjusted
in the class(es) and maximum number of shares subject to the Plan pursuant to
subsection 4(a), and the outstanding Stock Awards will be appropriately
adjusted in the class(es) and number of shares and price per share of stock
subject to such outstanding Stock Awards.
(b) In the event of: (1) a merger or consolidation in which the
Company is not the surviving corporation or (2) a reverse merger in which the
Company is the surviving corporation but the shares of the Company's common
stock outstanding immediately preceding the merger are converted by virtue of
the merger into other property, whether in the form of securities, cash or
otherwise then to the extent permitted by applicable law: (i) any surviving
corporation shall assume any Stock Awards outstanding under the Plan or shall
substitute similar Stock Awards for those outstanding under the Plan, or (ii)
such Stock Awards shall continue in full force and effect. In the event any
surviving corporation refuses to assume or continue such Stock Awards, or to
substitute similar options for those outstanding under the Plan, then such
Stock Awards shall be terminated if not exercised prior to such event. In the
event of a dissolution or liquidation of the Company, any Stock Awards
outstanding under the Plan shall terminate if not exercised prior to such
event.
13. AMENDMENT OF THE PLAN AND STOCK AWARDS.
(a) The Board at any time, and from time to time, may amend the
Plan. However, except as provided in Section 12 relating to adjustments upon
changes in stock, no amendment shall be effective unless approved by the
stockholders of the Company within twelve (12) months before or after the
adoption of the amendment, where the amendment will:
(1) Increase the number of shares reserved for Stock
Awards under the Plan;
(2) Modify the requirements as to eligibility for
participation in the Plan (to the extent such modification requires stockholder
approval in order for the Plan to satisfy the requirements of Section 422 of
the Code); or
(3) Modify the Plan in any other way if such modification
requires stockholder approval in order for the Plan to satisfy the requirements
of Section 422 of the Code or to comply with the requirements of Rule 16b-3.
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(b) The Board may in its sole discretion submit any other
amendment to the Plan for stockholder approval, including, but not limited to,
amendments to the Plan intended to satisfy the requirements of Section 162(m)
of the Code and the regulations promulgated thereunder regarding the exclusion
of performance-based compensation from the limit on corporate deductibility of
compensation paid to certain executive officers.
(c) It is expressly contemplated that the Board may amend the Plan
in any respect the Board deems necessary or advisable to provide eligible
Employees, Directors or Consultants with the maximum benefits provided or to be
provided under the provisions of the Code and the regulations promulgated
thereunder relating to Incentive Stock Options and/or to bring the Plan and/or
Incentive Stock Options granted under it into compliance therewith.
(d) Rights and obligations under any Stock Award granted before
amendment of the Plan shall not be impaired by any amendment of the Plan unless
(i) the Company requests the consent of the person to whom the Stock Award was
granted and (ii) such person consents in writing.
(e) The Board may amend the terms and conditions of any Stock
Award; provided, however, that such amendments shall not be inconsistent with
the terms of the Plan, and provided further, the rights and obligations under a
Stock Award shall not be impaired by any such amendment unless (i) the Company
requests the consent of the person to whom the Stock Award was granted, and
(ii) such person consents in writing.
14. TERMINATION OR SUSPENSION OF THE PLAN.
(a) The Board may suspend or terminate the Plan at any time.
Unless sooner terminated, the Plan shall terminate on April 19, 2005, which
shall be within ten (10) years from the date the Plan is adopted by the Board
or approved by the stockholders of the Company, whichever is earlier. No Stock
Awards may be granted under the Plan while the Plan is suspended or after it is
terminated.
(b) Rights and obligations under any Stock Award granted while the
Plan is in effect shall not be altered or impaired by suspension or termination
of the Plan, except with the consent of the person to whom the Stock Award was
granted.
15. EFFECTIVE DATE OF PLAN.
The Plan shall become effective as determined by the Board, but no
Stock Awards granted under the Plan shall be exercised unless and until the
Plan has been approved by the stockholders of the Company, which approval shall
be within twelve (12) months
13.
14
before or after the date the Plan is adopted by the Board, and, if required, an
appropriate permit has been issued by the Commissioner of Corporations of the
State of California.
14.