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SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
WASHINGTON, DC 20549
FORM 8-A/A
FOR REGISTRATION OF CERTAIN CLASSES OF SECURITIES
PURSUANT TO SECTION 12(b) OR 12(g) OF THE
SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934
VLSI Technology, Inc.
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(Exact Name of Registrant as Specified in Its Charter)
Delaware 942597282
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(State of Incorporation or Organization) (I.R.S. Employer
Identification no.)
1109 McKay Drive, San Jose California 95131
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(Address of Principal Executive Offices) (Zip Code)
If this form relates to the registration of a class of securities pursuant to
Section 12(b) of the Exchange Act and is effective pursuant to General
Instruction A.(c), please check the following box. / /
If this form relates to the registration of a class of securities pursuant to
Section 12(g) of the Exchange Act and is effective pursuant to General
Instruction A.(d), please check the following box. /X/
Securities Act registration statement file number to which this form
relates:________
(If applicable)
Securities to be registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act:
Title of Each Class Name of Each Exchange on Which
to be so Registered Each Class is to be Registered
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Securities to be registered pursuant to Section 12(g) of the Act:
Preferred Stock Purchase Rights
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(Title of Class)
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(Title of Class)
Item 1. DESCRIPTION OF REGISTRANT'S SECURITIES TO BE REGISTERED.
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On November 7, 1989, the Board of Directors of the Company authorized
and declared a dividend of one right (a "Right") for each share of Common
Stock (as hereinafter defined) of the Company outstanding on the Close of
Business (as defined below) on December 8, 1989 (the "Record Date"), each
right representing the right to purchase one share of Common Stock (as
hereinafter defined), for $45.00 (the "Purchase Price") upon the terms and
subject to the conditions set forth in the original Rights Agreement among
the parties thereto, dated as of November 7, 1989 (the "Original Agreement").
On August 12, 1992, the Board of Directors of the Company authorized the
amendment and restatement of the Original Agreement in its entirety (the
"First Amended and Restated Rights Agreement"). On August 24, 1992, the
Board of Directors of the Company authorized the amendment of the First
Amended and Restated Rights Agreement. Under the First Amended and Restated
Rights Agreement, each right represented the right to purchase one
one-thousandth of a share of Series A Participating Preferred Stock for the
Purchase Price.
On March 7, 1999, the Board of Directors of the Company authorized the
further amendment and restatement of the First Amended and Restated Rights
Agreement, as theretofore amended, as set forth in a Second Amended and
Restated Rights Agreement dated as of March 7, 1999 (the "Second Amended and
Restated Rights Agreement"), between the Company and BankBoston, N.A.
(formerly The First National Bank of Boston), as Rights Agent (the "Rights
Agent"). The following is a general description of the Second Amended and
Restated Rights Agreement, and is subject to the detailed terms and
conditions of the Second Amended and Restated Rights Agreement. A copy of
the Second Amended and Restated Rights Agreement is attached as Exhibit 1 to
this Registration Statement and is incorporated herein by reference.
Until the earlier to occur of (i) 10 days following a public
announcement that a person or group of affiliated or associated persons (with
certain exceptions, an "Acquiring Person") has acquired beneficial ownership
of 10% or more of the outstanding shares of Common Stock or (ii) such date as
may be determined by action of the Board of Directors, prior to such time as
any person or group of affiliated persons becomes an Acquiring Person,
following the commencement of, or announcement of an intention to make, a
tender offer or exchange offer the consummation of which would result in the
beneficial ownership by a person or group of 10% or more of the outstanding
shares of Common Stock (the earlier of such dates being called the
"Distribution Date"), the Rights will be evidenced by the Common Stock
certificates and will be transferred with and only with the Common Stock.
Until the Distribution Date (or earlier expiration of the Rights), the
surrender for transfer of any certificates for shares of Common Stock
outstanding as of the Record Date will also constitute the transfer of the
Rights associated with the shares of Common Stock represented by such
certificate. As soon as practicable following the Distribution Date,
separate certificates evidencing the Rights ("Right Certificates") will be
mailed to holders of record of the Common Stock as of the
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close of business on the Distribution Date and such separate Right
Certificates alone will evidence the Rights.
The Rights are not exercisable until the Distribution Date. The Rights
will expire on November 7, 1999 (the "Final Expiration Date"), unless the
Final Expiration Date is advanced or extended or unless the Rights are
earlier redeemed or exchanged by the Company, in each case as described below.
The Purchase Price payable, and the number of shares of Preferred Stock
or other securities or property issuable, upon exercise of the Rights is
subject to adjustment from time to time to prevent dilution (i) in the event
of a stock dividend on, or a subdivision, combination or reclassification of,
the Preferred Stock, (ii) upon the grant to holders of the Preferred Stock of
certain rights or warrants to subscribe for or purchase Preferred Stock at a
price, or securities convertible into Preferred Stock with a conversion
price, less than the then-current market price of the Preferred Stock or
(iii) upon the distribution to holders of the Preferred Stock of evidences of
indebtedness or assets (excluding regular periodic cash dividends or
dividends payable in Preferred Stock) or of subscription rights or warrants
(other than those referred to above).
The number of outstanding Rights is subject to adjustment in the event
of a stock dividend on the Common Stock payable in shares of Common Stock or
subdivisions, consolidations or combinations of the Common Stock occurring,
in any such case, prior to the Distribution Date.
Shares of Preferred Stock purchasable upon exercise of the Rights will
not be redeemable. Each share of Preferred Stock will be entitled, when, as
and if declared, to a minimum preferential quarterly dividend payment of the
greater of (a) $1.00 per share, and (b) an amount equal to 1000 times the
dividend declared per share of Common Stock. In the event of liquidation,
dissolution or winding up of the Company, the holders of the Preferred Stock
will be entitled to a minimum preferential payment of the greater of (a)
$1,000 per share (plus any accrued but unpaid dividends), (b) an amount equal
to 1000 times the payment made per share of Common Stock. Each share of
Preferred Stock will have 1000 votes, voting together with the Common Stock.
Finally, in the event of any merger, consolidation or other transaction in
which outstanding shares of Common Stock are converted or exchanged, each
share of Preferred Stock will be entitled to receive 1000 times the amount
received per share of Common Stock. These rights are protected by customary
antidilution provisions.
Because of the nature of the Preferred Stock's dividend, liquidation and
voting rights, the value of the one one-thousandth interest in a share of
Preferred Stock purchasable upon exercise of each Right should approximate
the value of one share of Common Stock.
In the event that any person or group of affiliated or associated
persons becomes an Acquiring Person, each holder of a Right, other than
Rights beneficially owned by the Acquiring Person (which will thereupon
become void), will thereafter have the right to receive upon exercise of a
Right that number of shares of Common Stock having a market value of two
times the exercise price of the Right.
In the event that, after a person or group has become an Acquiring
Person, the Company is acquired in a merger or other business combination
transaction or 50% or more of its consolidated
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assets or earning power are sold, proper provisions will be made so that each
holder of a Right (other than Rights beneficially owned by an Acquiring
Person which will have become void) will thereafter have the right to receive
upon the exercise of a Right that number of shares of common stock of the
person with whom the Company has engaged in the foregoing transaction (or its
parent) that at the time of such transaction have a market value of two times
the exercise price of the Right.
At any time after any person or group becomes an Acquiring Person and
prior to the earlier of one of the events described in the previous paragraph
or the acquisition by such Acquiring Person of 50% or more of the outstanding
shares of Common Stock, the Board of Directors of the Company may exchange
the Rights (other than Rights owned by such Acquiring Person which will have
become void), in whole or in part, for shares of Common Stock or Preferred
Stock (or a series of the Company's preferred stock having equivalent rights,
preferences and privileges), at an exchange ratio of one share of Common
Stock, or a fractional share of Preferred Stock (or other preferred stock)
equivalent in value thereto, per Right.
With certain exceptions, no adjustment in the Purchase Price will be
required until cumulative adjustments require an adjustment of at least 1% in
such Purchase Price. No fractional shares of Preferred Stock or Common Stock
will be issued (other than fractions of Preferred Stock which are integral
multiples of one one-thousandth of a share of Preferred Stock, which may, at
the election of the Company, be evidenced by depositary receipts), and in
lieu thereof an adjustment in cash will be made based on the current market
price of the Preferred Stock or the Common Stock.
At any time prior to the time an Acquiring Person becomes such, the
Board of Directors of the Company may redeem the Rights in whole, but not in
part, at a price of $.01 per Right (the "Redemption Price") payable, at the
option of the Company, in cash, shares of Common Stock or such other form of
consideration as the Board of Directors of the Company shall determine. The
redemption of the Rights may be made effective at such time, on such basis
and with such conditions as the Board of Directors in its sole discretion may
establish. Immediately upon any redemption of the Rights, the right to
exercise the Rights will terminate and the only right of the holders of
Rights will be to receive the Redemption Price. All references to "Continuing
Directors" in the First Amended and Restated Rights Agreement have been
removed in the Second Amended and Restated Rights Agreement.
For so long as the Rights are then redeemable, the Company may, except
with respect to the Redemption Price, amend the Second Amended and Restated
Rights Agreement in any manner. After the Rights are no longer redeemable,
the Company may, except with respect to the Redemption Price, amend the
Second Amended and Restated Rights Agreement in any manner that does not
adversely affect the interests of holders of the Rights.
Until a Right is exercised or exchanged, the holder thereof, as such,
will have no rights as a stockholder of the Company, including, without
limitation, the right to vote or to receive dividends.
The form of Second Amended and Restated Rights Agreement between the
Company and the Rights Agent specifying the terms of the Rights, which
includes as Exhibit A the form of Right Certificate
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and a press release issued by the Company on March 8, 1999 with respect to
the Rights, are attached hereto as exhibits and are incorporated herein by
reference. The foregoing description of the Rights is qualified by
reference to such Exhibits.
Item 2. EXHIBITS.
1. Second Amended and Restated Rights Agreement, dated as of March 7,
1999, between VSLI Technology, Inc. and BankBoston N.A., as Rights
Agent, together with the following exhibit thereto: Exhibit A-Form of Right
Certificate.
2. Press Release, dated March 8, 1999.
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Signature
Pursuant to the requirements of Section 12 of the Securities Exchange
Act of 1934, the Registrant has duly caused this Amendment to the
Registration Statement to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned,
thereunto duly authorized.
Date: March 8, 1999 VLSI TECHNOLOGY, INC.
By: /s/ Thomas C. Tokos
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Name: Thomas C. Tokos
Title: Vice President, General Counsel
and Secretary
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EXHIBIT INDEX
EXHIBITS
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1. Second Amended and Restated Rights Agreement, dated as of March 7,
1999, between VSLI Technology, Inc. and BankBoston, N.A., as Rights
Agent, together with the following exhibit thereto: Exhibit A-Form of Right
Certificate.
2. Press Release, dated March 8, 1999.
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VLSI TECHNOLOGY, INC.
and
BANKBOSTON, N.A.; as Rights Agent
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SECOND
AMENDED AND RESTATED
RIGHTS AGREEMENT
Dated as of March 7, 1999
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
<TABLE>
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Page
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Section 1. Certain Definitions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
Section 2. Appointment of Rights Agent . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
Section 3. Issue of Right Certificates . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
Section 4. Form of Right Certificates. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
Section 5. Countersignature and Registration . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
Section 6. Transfer, Split Up, Combination and Exchange of Right
Certificates; Mutilated, Destroyed, Lost or Stolen Right
Certificates. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
Section 7. Exercise of Rights, Purchase Price; Expiration Date
of Rights . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
Section 8. Cancellation and Destruction of Right Certificates. . . . 11
Section 9. Availability of Shares of Preferred Stock . . . . . . . . 12
Section 10. Preferred Stock Record Date . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
Section 11. Adjustment of Purchase Price, Number of Shares and Number
of Rights . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
Section 12. Certificate of Adjusted Purchase Price or Number of
Shares. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
Section 13. Consolidation, Merger or Sale or Transfer of Assets or
Earning Power . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
Section 14. Fractional Rights and Fractional Shares . . . . . . . . . 25
Section 15. Rights of Action. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
Section 16. Agreement of Right Holders. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
Section 17. Right Certificate Holder Not Deemed a Stockholder . . . . 28
Section 18. Concerning the Rights Agent . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28
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Section 19. Merger or Consolidation or Change of Name of Rights
Agent . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
Section 20. Duties of Rights Agent. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
Section 21. Change of Rights Agent. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32
Section 22. Issuance of New Right Certificates. . . . . . . . . . . . 32
Section 23. Redemption. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33
Section 24. Exchange. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33
Section 25. Notice of Certain Events. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35
Section 26. Notices . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35
Section 27. Supplements and Amendments. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36
Section 28. Successors. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36
Section 29. Benefits of this Agreement. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37
Section 30. Determinations and Actions by the Board of Directors. . . 37
Section 31. Severability. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37
Section 32. Governing Law . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37
Section 33. Counterparts. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37
Section 34. Descriptive Headings. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37
</TABLE>
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SECOND
AMENDED AND RESTATED
RIGHTS AGREEMENT
This Second Amended and Restated Rights Agreement, dated as of March 7,
1999 (this "Agreement"), between VLSI Technology, Inc., a Delaware
corporation (the "Company"), and BankBoston, N.A. (formerly The First
National Bank of Boston), as rights agent (the "Rights Agent").
W I T N E S S E T H:
WHEREAS, on November 7, 1989, the Board of Directors of the Company
authorized and declared a dividend of one right (a "Right") for each share of
Common Stock (as hereinafter defined) of the Company outstanding on the Close
of Business (as defined below) on December 8, 1989 (the "Record Date"), each
right representing the right to purchase one share of Common Stock (as
hereinafter defined), upon the terms and subject to the conditions set forth
in the original Rights Agreement among the parties hereto, dated as of
November 7, 1989 (the "Original Agreement"); and
WHEREAS, on August 12, 1992, the Board of Directors of the Company
authorized the amendment and restatement of the Original Agreement in its
entirety (the "First Amended and Restated Rights Agreement"), and on August
24, 1992 the Board of Directors of the Company authorized the further
amendment of the First Amended and Restated Rights Agreement; and
WHEREAS, pursuant to Section 27 of the First Amended and Restated
Rights Agreement, the parties hereto and thereto wish to amend and restate
the First Amended and Restated Rights Agreement, as heretofore amended, to
read in its entirety as set forth herein, such that this Agreement shall
supersede the First Amended and Restated Rights Agreement;
NOW THEREFORE, in consideration of the premises and the mutual
agreements herein set forth, the parties hereby agree that the First Amended
and Restated Rights Agreement shall be amended and restated to read in its
entirety as follows:
Section 1. CERTAIN DEFINITIONS. For purposes of this Agreement, the
following terms have the meaning indicated:
(a) "Acquiring Person" shall mean any Person (as such term is hereinafter
defined) who or which shall be the Beneficial Owner (as such term is hereinafter
defined) of 10% or more of the shares of Common Stock then outstanding, but
shall not include an Exempt Person (as such term is hereinafter defined);
PROVIDED, HOWEVER, that (i) if the
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Board of Directors of the Company determines in good faith that a Person who
would otherwise be an "Acquiring Person" became the Beneficial Owner of a
number of shares of Common Stock such that the Person would otherwise qualify
as an "Acquiring Person" inadvertently (including, without limitation,
because (A) such Person was unaware that it beneficially owned a percentage
of Common Stock that would otherwise cause such Person to be an "Acquiring
Person" or (B) such Person was aware of the extent of its Beneficial
Ownership of Common Stock but had no actual knowledge of the consequences of
such Beneficial Ownership under this Agreement) and without any intention of
changing or influencing control of the Company, then such Person shall not be
deemed to be or to have become an "Acquiring Person" for any purposes of this
Agreement unless and until such Person shall have failed to divest itself, as
soon as practicable (as determined, in good faith, by the Board of Directors
of the Company), of Beneficial Ownership of a sufficient number of shares of
Common Stock so that such Person would no longer otherwise qualify as an
"Acquiring Person"; (ii) if, as of the date hereof or prior to the first
public announcement of the adoption of this Agreement, any Person is or
becomes the Beneficial Owner of 10% or more of the shares of Common Stock
outstanding, such Person shall not be deemed to be or to become an "Acquiring
Person" unless and until such time as such Person shall, after the first
public announcement of the adoption of this Agreement, become the Beneficial
Owner of additional shares of Common Stock (other than pursuant to a dividend
or distribution paid or made by the Company on the outstanding Common Stock
or pursuant to a split or subdivision of the outstanding Common Stock),
unless, upon becoming the Beneficial Owner of such additional shares of
Common Stock, such Person is not then the Beneficial Owner of 10% or more of
the shares of Common Stock then outstanding; and (iii) no Person shall become
an "Acquiring Person" as the result of an acquisition of shares of Common
Stock by the Company which, by reducing the number of shares outstanding,
increases the proportionate number of shares of Common Stock beneficially
owned by such Person to 10% or more of the shares of Common Stock then
outstanding, PROVIDED, HOWEVER, that if a Person shall become the Beneficial
Owner of 10% or more of the shares of Common Stock then outstanding by reason
of such share acquisitions by the Company and shall thereafter become the
Beneficial Owner of any additional shares of Common Stock (other than
pursuant to a dividend or distribution paid or made by the Company on the
outstanding Common Stock or pursuant to a split or subdivision of the
outstanding Common Stock), then such Person shall be deemed to be an
"Acquiring Person" unless upon becoming the Beneficial Owner of such
additional shares of Common Stock such Person does not beneficially own 10%
or more of the shares of Common Stock then outstanding. For all purposes of
this Agreement, any calculation of the number of shares of Common Stock
outstanding at any particular time, including for purposes of determining the
particular percentage of such outstanding shares of Common Stock of which any
Person is the Beneficial Owner, shall be made in accordance with the last
sentence of Rule 13d-3(d)(1)(i) of the General Rules and Regulations under
the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the "Exchange Act"), as in
effect on the date hereof.
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(b) "Affiliate" and "Associate" shall have the respective meanings
ascribed to such terms in Rule 12b-2 of the General Rules and Regulations
under the Exchange Act, as in effect on the date hereof.
(c) A Person shall be deemed the "Beneficial Owner" of, shall be deemed
to have "Beneficial Ownership" of and shall be deemed to "beneficially own"
any securities:
(i) which such Person or any of such Person's Affiliates or
Associates is deemed to beneficially own, directly or indirectly, within the
meaning of Rule l3d-3 of the General Rules and Regulations under the Exchange
Act as in effect on the date hereof;
(ii) which such Person or any of such Person's Affiliates or
Associates has (A) the right to acquire (whether such right is exercisable
immediately or only after the passage of time) pursuant to any agreement,
arrangement or understanding (other than customary agreements with and
between underwriters and selling group members with respect to a bona fide
public offering of securities), or upon the exercise of conversion rights,
exchange rights, rights, warrants or options, or otherwise; PROVIDED,
HOWEVER, that a Person shall not be deemed the Beneficial Owner of, or to
beneficially own, (x) securities tendered pursuant to a tender or exchange
offer made by or on behalf of such Person or any of such Person's Affiliates
or Associates until such tendered securities are accepted for purchase, (y)
securities which such Person has a right to acquire upon the exercise of
Rights at any time prior to the time that any Person becomes an Acquiring
Person or (z) securities issuable upon the exercise of Rights from and after
the time that any Person becomes an Acquiring Person if such Rights were
acquired by such Person or any of such Person's Affiliates or Associates
prior to the Distribution Date or pursuant to Section 3(a) or Section 22
hereof ("Original Rights") or pursuant to Section 11(i) or Section 11(n) with
respect to an adjustment to Original Rights; or (B) the right to vote
pursuant to any agreement, arrangement or understanding; PROVIDED, HOWEVER,
that a Person shall not be deemed the Beneficial Owner of, or to beneficially
own, any security by reason of such agreement, arrangement or understanding
if the agreement, arrangement or understanding to vote such security (1)
arises solely from a revocable proxy or consent given to such Person in
response to a public proxy or consent solicitation made pursuant to, and in
accordance with, the applicable rules and regulations promulgated under the
Exchange Act and (2) is not also then reportable on Schedule 13D under the
Exchange Act (or any comparable or successor report); or
(iii) which are beneficially owned, directly or indirectly, by any
other Person and with respect to which such Person or any of such Person's
Affiliates or Associates has any agreement, arrangement or understanding
(other than customary agreements with and between underwriters and selling
group members with respect to a bona fide public offering of securities) for
the purpose of acquiring, holding, voting (except
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to the extent contemplated by the proviso to Section 1(c)(ii)(B)) or
disposing of such securities of the Company;
PROVIDED, HOWEVER, that no Person who is an officer, director or employee of
an Exempt Person shall be deemed, solely by reason of such Person's status or
authority as such, to be the "Beneficial Owner" of, to have "Beneficial
Ownership" of or to "beneficially own" any securities that are "beneficially
owned" (as defined in this Section 1(c)), including, without limitation, in a
fiduciary capacity, by an Exempt Person or by any other such officer,
director or employee of an Exempt Person.
(d) "Business Day" shall mean any day other than a Saturday, a Sunday
or a day on which banking institutions in the State of New York or the city
in which the principal office of the Rights Agent is located are authorized
or obligated by law or executive order to close.
(e) "Close of Business" on any given date shall mean 5:00 P.M., New
York City time, on such date; PROVIDED, HOWEVER, that if such date is not a
Business Day it shall mean 5:00 P.M., New York City time, on the next
succeeding Business Day.
(f) "Common Stock" when used with reference to the Company shall mean
the Common Stock, presently without par value, of the Company. "Common
Stock" when used with reference to any Person other than the Company shall
mean the common stock (or, in the case of an unincorporated entity, the
equivalent equity interest) with the greatest voting power of such other
Person or, if such other Person is a subsidiary of another Person, the Person
or Persons which ultimately control such first-mentioned Person.
(g) "Common Stock Equivalents" shall have the meaning set forth in
Section 11(a)(iii) hereof.
(h) "Current Value" shall have the meaning set forth in Section
11(a)(iii) hereof.
(i) "Distribution Date" shall have the meaning set forth in Section 3
hereof.
(j) "Equivalent Preferred Shares" shall have the meaning set forth in
Section 11(b) hereof.
(k) "Exempt Person" shall mean the Company or any Subsidiary (as such
term is hereinafter defined) of the Company, in each case including, without
limitation, in its fiduciary capacity, or any employee benefit plan of the
Company or of any Subsidiary of the Company, or any entity or trustee holding
Common Stock for or pursuant to the
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terms of any such plan or for the purpose of funding any such plan or funding
other employee benefits for employees of the Company or of any Subsidiary of
the Company.
(l) "Exchange Ratio" shall have the meaning set forth in Section 24
hereof.
(m) "Expiration Date" shall have the meaning set forth in Section 7
hereof.
(n) "Flip-In Event" shall have the meaning set forth in Section
11(a)(ii) hereof.
(o) "Final Expiration Date" shall have the meaning set forth in Section
7 hereof.
(p) "NASDAQ" shall mean The Nasdaq Stock Market.
(q) "New York Stock Exchange" shall mean the New York Stock Exchange,
Inc.
(r) "Person" shall mean any individual, firm, corporation, partnership,
limited liability company, trust or other entity, and shall include any
successor (by merger or otherwise) to such entity.
(s) "Preferred Stock" shall mean the Series A Participating Preferred
Stock, $.01 par value, of the Company having the rights and preferences set
forth in the excerpt of the Certificate of Designation of Rights, Preferences
and Privileges of Series A Preferred Stock of Company as on file with the
Secretary of State of the State of Delaware.
(t) "Principal Party" shall have the meaning set forth in Section 13(b)
hereof.
(u) "Redemption Date" shall have the meaning set forth in Section 7
hereof.
(v) "Redemption Price" shall have the meaning set forth in Section 23
hereof.
(w) "Right Certificate" shall have the meaning set forth in Section 3
hereof.
(x) "Securities Act" shall mean the Securities Act of 1933, as amended.
(y) "Section 11(a)(ii) Trigger Date" shall have the meaning set forth
in Section 11(a)(iii) hereof.
(z) "Spread" shall have the meaning set forth in Section 11(a)(iii)
hereof.
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(aa) "Stock Acquisition Date" shall mean the first date of public
announcement (which, for purposes of this definition, shall include, without
limitation, a report filed pursuant to Section 13(d) of the Exchange Act) by
the Company or an Acquiring Person that an Acquiring Person has become such,
or such earlier date as a majority of the Board of Directors shall become
aware of the existence of an Acquiring Person.
(bb) "Subsidiary" of any Person shall mean any corporation or other
entity of which securities or other ownership interests having ordinary
voting power sufficient to elect a majority of the board of directors or
other persons performing similar functions are beneficially owned, directly
or indirectly, by such Person, and any corporation or other entity that is
otherwise controlled by such Person.
(cc) "Substitution Period" shall have the meaning set forth in Section
11(a)(iii) hereof.
(dd) "Summary of Rights" shall have the meaning set forth in Section 3
hereof.
(ee) "Trading Day" shall have the meaning set forth in Section 11(d)(i)
hereof.
Section 2. APPOINTMENT OF RIGHTS AGENT. The Company hereby appoints
the Rights Agent to act as agent for the Company in accordance with the terms
and conditions hereof, and the Rights Agent hereby accepts such appointment.
The Company may from time to time appoint such co-Rights Agents as it may
deem necessary or desirable.
Section 3. ISSUE OF RIGHT CERTIFICATES.
(a) Until the Close of Business on the earlier of (i) the tenth day
after the Stock Acquisition Date or (ii) such date as may be determined by
action of the Board of Directors, prior to such time as any Person becomes an
Acquiring Person, after the date of the commencement by any Person (other
than an Exempt Person) of, or of the first public announcement of the
intention of such Person (other than an Exempt Person) to commence, a tender
or exchange offer the consummation of which would result in any Person (other
than an Exempt Person) becoming the Beneficial Owner of shares of Common
Stock aggregating 10% or more of the Common Stock then outstanding (the
earlier of such dates being herein referred to as the "Distribution Date"),
(x) the Rights will be evidenced (subject to the provisions of Section 3(b)
hereof) by the certificates for Common Stock registered in the names of the
holders thereof and not by separate Right Certificates, and (y) the Rights
will be transferable only in connection with the transfer of Common Stock.
As soon as practicable after the Distribution Date, the Company will
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prepare and execute, the Rights Agent will countersign and the Company will
send or cause to be sent (and the Rights Agent will, if requested, send) by
first-class, insured, postage-prepaid mail, to each record holder of Common
Stock as of the close of business on the Distribution Date (other than any
Acquiring Person or any Associate or Affiliate of an Acquiring Person), at
the address of such holder shown on the records of the Company, a Right
Certificate, in substantially the form of Exhibit A hereto (a "Right
Certificate"), evidencing one Right (subject to adjustment as provided
herein) for each share of Common Stock so held. As of the Distribution Date,
the Rights will be evidenced solely by such Right Certificates.
(b) With respect to certificates for Common Stock outstanding as of the
Record Date, until the Distribution Date, the Rights will be evidenced by
such certificates registered in the names of the holders thereof together
with the summary of rights (the "Summary of Rights") heretofore distributed
to each record holder of Common Stock as of the Close of Business on the
Record Date (other than any Acquiring Person or any Associate or Affiliate of
any Acquiring Person), at the address of such holder shown on the records of
the Company. Until the Distribution Date (or, if earlier, the Expiration
Date), the surrender for transfer of any certificate for Common Stock
outstanding on the Record Date, with or without a copy of such Summary of
Rights, shall also constitute the transfer of the Rights associated with the
Common Stock represented thereby.
(c) Rights shall be issued in respect of all shares of Common Stock
issued or disposed of (including, without limitation, upon disposition of
Common Stock out of treasury stock or issuance or reissuance of Common Stock
out of authorized but unissued shares) after the Record Date but prior to the
earlier of the Distribution Date and the Expiration Date, or in certain
circumstances provided in Section 22 hereof, after the Distribution Date.
Certificates issued for Common Stock (including, without limitation, upon
transfer of outstanding Common Stock, disposition of Common Stock out of
treasury stock or issuance or reissuance of Common Stock out of authorized
but unissued shares) after the Record Date but prior to the earlier of the
Distribution Date and the Expiration Date, or in certain circumstances
provided in Section 22 hereof, after the Distribution Date shall have
impressed on, printed on, written on or otherwise affixed to them the
following legend:
This certificate also evidences and entitles the holder hereof to
certain Rights as set forth in the Rights Agreement between VLSI
Technology, Inc. and BankBoston, N.A., as the Rights Agent (as
amended from time to time, the "Rights Agreement"), the terms of which
are hereby incorporated herein by reference and a copy of which is on
file at the principal offices of VLSI Technology, Inc. Under certain
circumstances, as set forth in the Rights Agreement, such Rights will
be evidenced by separate certificates and will no
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longer be evidenced by this certificate. VLSI Technology, Inc. will
mail to the holder of this certificate a copy of the Rights Agreement,
as in effect on the date of mailing, without charge promptly after
receipt of a written request therefor. Under certain circumstances set
forth in the Rights Agreement, Rights issued to, or held by, any Person
who is, was or becomes an Acquiring Person or any Affiliate or Associate
thereof (as such terms are defined in the Rights Agreement), whether
currently held by or on behalf of such Person or by any subsequent
holder, may become null and void.
With respect to such certificates containing the foregoing legend, until the
Distribution Date the Rights associated with the Common Stock represented by
such certificates shall be evidenced by such certificates alone, and the
surrender for transfer of any such certificate, except as otherwise provided
herein, shall also constitute the transfer of the Rights associated with the
Common Stock represented thereby. In the event that the Company purchases or
otherwise acquires any Common Stock after the Record Date but prior to the
Distribution Date, any Rights associated with such Common Stock shall be
deemed canceled and retired so that the Company shall not be entitled to
exercise any Rights associated with the Common Stock which are no longer
outstanding.
Notwithstanding this paragraph (c), the omission of a legend shall not
affect the enforceability of any part of this Agreement or the rights of any
holder of the Rights.
Section 4. FORM OF RIGHT CERTIFICATES. The Right Certificates (and the
forms of election to purchase shares and of assignment to be printed on the
reverse thereof) shall be substantially in the form set forth in Exhibit A
hereto and may have such marks of identification or designation and such
legends, summaries or endorsements printed thereon as the Company may deem
appropriate and as are not inconsistent with the provisions of this
Agreement, or as may be required to comply with any applicable law or with
any rule or regulation made pursuant thereto or with any rule or regulation
of any stock exchange or interdealer quotation system on which the Rights may
from time to time be listed or quoted, or to conform to usage. Subject to
the provisions of this Agreement, the Right Certificates shall entitle the
holders thereof to purchase such number of one one-thousandths of a share of
Preferred Stock as shall be set forth therein at the price per one
one-thousandth of a share of Preferred Stock set forth therein (the "Purchase
Price"), but the number of such one one-thousandths of a share of Preferred
Stock and the Purchase Price shall be subject to adjustment as provided
herein.
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Section 5. COUNTERSIGNATURE AND REGISTRATION.
(a) The Right Certificates shall be executed on behalf of the Company
by its Chairman of the Board, its Chief Executive Officer, its President or
any Vice President who is elected by the Board of Directors, either manually
or by facsimile signature, shall have affixed thereto the Company's seal or a
facsimile thereof and shall be attested by the Secretary of the Company,
either manually or by facsimile signature. The Right Certificates shall be
manually countersigned by the Rights Agent and shall not be valid for any
purpose unless countersigned. In case any officer of the Company who shall
have signed any of the Right Certificates shall cease to be such officer of
the Company before countersignature by the Rights Agent and issuance and
delivery by the Company, such Right Certificates, nevertheless, may be
countersigned by the Rights Agent and issued and delivered by the Company
with the same force and effect as though the Person who signed such Right
Certificates had not ceased to be such officer of the Company; and any Right
Certificate may be signed on behalf of the Company by any Person who, at the
actual date of the execution of such Right Certificate, shall be a proper
officer of the Company to sign such Right Certificate, although at the date
of the execution of this Agreement any such Person was not such an officer.
(b) Following the Distribution Date, the Rights Agent will keep or
cause to be kept, at an office or agency designated for such purpose, books
for registration and transfer of the Right Certificates issued hereunder.
Such books shall show the names and addresses of the respective holders of
the Right Certificates, the number of Rights evidenced on its face by each of
the Right Certificates and the date of each of the Right Certificates.
Section 6. TRANSFER, SPLIT UP, COMBINATION AND EXCHANGE OF RIGHT
CERTIFICATES; MUTILATED, DESTROYED, LOST OR STOLEN RIGHT CERTIFICATES.
(a) Subject to the provisions of this Agreement, at any time after the
Distribution Date and prior to the Expiration Date, any Right Certificate or
Right Certificates may be transferred, split up, combined or exchanged for
another Right Certificate or Right Certificates, entitling the registered
holder to purchase a like number of one one-thousandths of a share of
Preferred Stock as the Right Certificate or Right Certificates surrendered
then entitled such holder to purchase. Any registered holder desiring to
transfer, split up, combine or exchange any Right Certificate or Right
Certificates shall make such request in writing delivered to the Rights
Agent, and shall surrender the Right Certificate or Right Certificates to be
transferred, split up, combined or exchanged at the office or agency of the
Rights Agent designated for such purpose. Thereupon the Rights Agent shall
countersign and deliver to the Person entitled thereto a Right Certificate or
Right Certificates, as the case may be, as so requested. The Company may
require payment of a sum sufficient to cover any tax or governmental charge
that may
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<PAGE>
be imposed in connection with any transfer, split up, combination or
exchange of Right Certificates.
(b) Subject to the provisions of this Agreement, at any time after the
Distribution Date and prior to the Expiration Date, upon receipt by the
Company and the Rights Agent of evidence reasonably satisfactory to them of
the loss, theft, destruction or mutilation of a Right Certificate, and, in
case of loss, theft or destruction, of indemnity or security reasonably
satisfactory to them, and, at the Company's request, reimbursement to the
Company and the Rights Agent of all reasonable expenses incidental thereto,
and upon surrender to the Rights Agent and cancellation of the Right
Certificate if mutilated, the Company will make and deliver a new Right
Certificate of like tenor to the Rights Agent for delivery to the registered
holder in lieu of the Right Certificate so lost, stolen, destroyed or
mutilated.
Section 7. EXERCISE OF RIGHTS, PURCHASE PRICE; EXPIRATION DATE OF
RIGHTS.
(a) Except as otherwise provided herein, the Rights shall become
exercisable on the Distribution Date, and thereafter the registered holder of
any Right Certificate may, subject to Section 11(a)(ii) hereof and except as
otherwise provided herein, exercise the Rights evidenced thereby in whole or
in part upon surrender of the Right Certificate, with the form of election to
purchase on the reverse side thereof duly executed, to the Rights Agent at
the office or agency of the Rights Agent designated for such purpose,
together with payment of the aggregate Purchase Price with respect to the
total number of one one-thousandths of a share of Preferred Stock (or other
securities, cash or other assets, as the case may be) as to which the Rights
are exercised, at any time which is both after the Distribution Date and
prior to the time (the "Expiration Date") that is the earliest of (i) the
Close of Business on December 1, 2007 (the "Final Expiration Date"), (ii) the
time at which the Rights are redeemed as provided in Section 23 hereof (the
"Redemption Date") or (iii) the time at which such Rights are exchanged as
provided in Section 24 hereof.
(b) The Purchase Price shall be initially $45 for each one
one-thousandth of a share of Preferred Stock purchasable upon the exercise of
a Right. The Purchase Price and the number of one one-thousandths of a share
of Preferred Stock or other securities or property to be acquired upon
exercise of a Right shall be subject to adjustment from time to time as
provided in Sections 11 and 13 hereof and shall be payable in lawful money of
the United States of America in accordance with paragraph (c) of this Section
7.
(c) Except as otherwise provided herein, upon receipt of a Right
Certificate representing exercisable Rights, with the form of election to
purchase duly executed, accompanied by payment of the aggregate Purchase
Price for the shares of Preferred Stock to be purchased and an amount equal
to any applicable transfer tax required to be paid by the holder of such
Right Certificate in accordance with Section 9 hereof, in cash or by
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<PAGE>
certified check, cashier's check or money order payable to the order of the
Company, the Rights Agent shall thereupon promptly (i) (A) requisition from
any transfer agent of the Preferred Stock, or make available if the Rights
Agent is the transfer agent for the Preferred Stock, certificates for the
number of shares of Preferred Stock to be purchased, and the Company hereby
irrevocably authorizes its transfer agent to comply with all such requests,
or (B) requisition from a depositary agent appointed by the Company
depositary receipts representing interests in such number of one
one-thousandths of a share of Preferred Stock as are to be purchased (in
which case certificates for the Preferred Stock represented by such receipts
shall be deposited by the transfer agent with the depositary agent), and the
Company hereby directs any such depositary agent to comply with such request,
(ii) when appropriate, requisition from the Company the amount of cash to be
paid in lieu of issuance of fractional shares in accordance with Section 14
hereof, (iii) promptly after receipt of such certificates or depositary
receipts, cause the same to be delivered to or upon the order of the
registered holder of such Right Certificate, registered in such name or names
as may be designated by such holder and (iv) when appropriate, after receipt,
promptly deliver such cash to or upon the order of the registered holder of
such Right Certificate.
(d) Except as otherwise provided herein, in case the registered holder
of any Right Certificate shall exercise less than all of the Rights evidenced
thereby, a new Right Certificate evidencing Rights equivalent to the
exercisable Rights remaining unexercised shall be issued by the Rights Agent
to the registered holder of such Right Certificate or to his duly authorized
assigns, subject to the provisions of Section 14 hereof.
(e) Notwithstanding anything in this Agreement to the contrary, neither
the Rights Agent nor the Company shall be obligated to undertake any action
with respect to a registered holder of Rights upon the occurrence of any
purported transfer or exercise of Rights pursuant to Section 6 hereof or this
Section 7 unless such registered holder shall have (i) completed and signed
the certificate contained in the form of assignment or form of election to
purchase set forth on the reverse side of the Rights Certificate surrendered
for such transfer or exercise and (ii) provided such additional evidence of
the identity of the Beneficial Owner (or former Beneficial Owner) thereof as
the Company shall reasonably request.
Section 8. CANCELLATION AND DESTRUCTION OF RIGHT CERTIFICATES. All
Right Certificates surrendered for the purpose of exercise, transfer, split
up, combination or exchange shall, if surrendered to the Company or to any of
its agents, be delivered to the Rights Agent for cancellation or in canceled
form, or, if surrendered to the Rights Agent, shall be canceled by it, and no
Right Certificates shall be issued in lieu thereof except as expressly
permitted by any of the provisions of this Agreement. The Company shall
deliver to the Rights Agent for cancellation and retirement, and the Rights
Agent shall so cancel and retire, any other Right Certificate purchased or
acquired by the Company otherwise than upon the exercise thereof. The Rights
Agent shall deliver all canceled
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<PAGE>
Right Certificates to the Company, or shall, at the written request of the
Company, destroy such canceled Right Certificates, and in such case shall
deliver a certificate of destruction thereof to the Company.
Section 9. AVAILABILITY OF SHARES OF PREFERRED STOCK.
(a) The Company covenants and agrees that it will cause to be reserved
and kept available out of its authorized and unissued shares of Preferred
Stock or any shares of Preferred Stock held in its treasury, the number of
shares of Preferred Stock that will be sufficient to permit the exercise in
full of all outstanding Rights.
(b) So long as the shares of Preferred Stock issuable upon the exercise
of Rights may be listed or admitted to trading on any national securities
exchange, or quoted on NASDAQ, the Company shall use its best efforts to
cause, from and after such time as the Rights become exercisable, all shares
reserved for such issuance to be listed or admitted to trading on such
exchange, or quoted on NASDAQ, upon official notice of issuance upon such
exercise.
(c) From and after such time as the Rights become exercisable, the
Company shall use its best efforts, if then necessary to permit the issuance
of shares of Preferred Stock upon the exercise of Rights, to register and
qualify such shares of Preferred Stock under the Securities Act and any
applicable state securities or "Blue Sky" laws (to the extent exemptions
therefrom are not available), cause such registration statement and
qualifications to become effective as soon as possible after such filing and
keep such registration and qualifications effective until the earlier of the
date as of which the Rights are no longer exercisable for such securities and
the Expiration Date. The Company may temporarily suspend, for a period of
time not to exceed 90 days, the exercisability of the Rights in order to
prepare and file a registration statement under the Securities Act and permit
it to become effective. Upon any such suspension, the Company shall issue a
public announcement stating that the exercisability of the Rights has been
temporarily suspended, as well as a public announcement at such time as the
suspension is no longer in effect. Notwithstanding any provision of this
Agreement to the contrary, the Rights shall not be exercisable in any
jurisdiction unless the requisite qualification in such jurisdiction shall
have been obtained and until a registration statement under the Securities
Act shall have been declared effective, unless an exemption therefrom is
available.
(d) The Company covenants and agrees that it will take all such action
as may be necessary to ensure that all shares of Preferred Stock delivered
upon exercise of Rights shall, at the time of delivery of the certificates
therefor (subject to payment of the Purchase Price), be duly and validly
authorized and issued and fully paid and nonassessable shares.
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<PAGE>
(e) The Company further covenants and agrees that it will pay when due
and payable any and all federal and state transfer taxes and charges which
may be payable in respect of the issuance or delivery of the Right
Certificates or of any shares of Preferred Stock upon the exercise of Rights.
The Company shall not, however, be required to pay any transfer tax which may
be payable in respect of any transfer or delivery of Right Certificates to a
Person other than, or the issuance or delivery of certificates or depositary
receipts for the Preferred Stock in a name other than that of, the registered
holder of the Right Certificate evidencing Rights surrendered for exercise or
to issue or deliver any certificates or depositary receipts for Preferred
Stock upon the exercise of any Rights until any such tax shall have been paid
(any such tax being payable by that holder of such Right Certificate at the
time of surrender) or until it has been established to the Company's
reasonable satisfaction that no such tax is due.
Section 10. PREFERRED STOCK RECORD DATE. Each Person in whose name any
certificate for Preferred Stock is issued upon the exercise of Rights shall
for all purposes be deemed to have become the holder of record of the shares
of Preferred Stock represented thereby on, and such certificate shall be
dated, the date upon which the Right Certificate evidencing such Rights was
duly surrendered and payment of the Purchase Price (and any applicable
transfer taxes) was made; PROVIDED, HOWEVER, that if the date of such
surrender and payment is a date upon which the Preferred Stock transfer books
of the Company are closed, such Person shall be deemed to have become the
record holder of such shares on, and such certificate shall be dated, the
next succeeding Business Day on which the Preferred Stock transfer books of
the Company are open. Prior to the exercise of the Rights evidenced thereby,
the holder of a Right Certificate shall not be entitled to any rights of a
holder of Preferred Stock for which the Rights shall be exercisable,
including, without limitation, the right to vote or to receive dividends or
other distributions, and shall not be entitled to receive any notice of any
proceedings of the Company, except as provided herein.
Section 11. ADJUSTMENT OF PURCHASE PRICE, NUMBER AND KIND OF SHARES AND
NUMBER OF RIGHTS. The Purchase Price, the number of shares of Preferred
Stock or other securities or property purchasable upon exercise of each Right
and the number of Rights outstanding are subject to adjustment from time to
time as provided in this Section 11.
(a)(i) In the event the Company shall at any time after the date of
this Agreement (A) declare and pay a dividend on the Preferred Stock payable
in shares of Preferred Stock, (B) subdivide the outstanding Preferred Stock,
(C) combine the outstanding Preferred Stock into a smaller number of shares
of Preferred Stock or (D) issue any shares of its capital stock in a
reclassification of the Preferred Stock (including any such reclassification
in connection with a consolidation or merger in which the Company is the
continuing or surviving corporation), except as otherwise provided in this
Section 11(a), the number and kind of shares of capital stock issuable upon
exercise of a Right as of the record date for such dividend or the effective
date of such subdivision, combination
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<PAGE>
or reclassification shall be proportionately adjusted so that the holder of
any Right exercised after such time shall be entitled to receive the
aggregate number and kind of shares of capital stock which, if such Right had
been exercised immediately prior to such date and at a time when the
Preferred Stock transfer books of the Company were open, the holder would
have owned upon such exercise and been entitled to receive by virtue of such
dividend, subdivision, combination or reclassification.
(ii) Subject to Section 24 of this Agreement, in the event any Person
becomes an Acquiring Person (the first occurrence of such event being
referred to hereinafter as the "Flip-In Event"), then (A) the Purchase Price
shall be adjusted to be the Purchase Price in effect immediately prior to the
Flip-In Event multiplied by the number of one one-thousandths of a share of
Preferred Stock for which a Right was exercisable immediately prior to such
Flip-In Event, whether or not such Right was then exercisable, and (B) each
holder of a Right, except as otherwise provided in this Section 11(a)(ii) and
Section 11(a)(iii) hereof, shall thereafter have the right to receive, upon
exercise thereof at a price equal to the Purchase Price (as so adjusted), in
accordance with the terms of this Agreement and in lieu of shares of
Preferred Stock, such number of shares of Common Stock as shall equal the
result obtained by dividing the Purchase Price (as so adjusted) by 50% of the
current per share market price of the Common Stock (determined pursuant to
Section 11(d) hereof) on the date of such Flip-In Event; PROVIDED, HOWEVER,
that the Purchase Price (as so adjusted) and the number of shares of Common
Stock so receivable upon exercise of a Right shall, following the Flip-In
Event, be subject to further adjustment as appropriate in accordance with
Section 11(f) hereof. Notwithstanding anything in this Agreement to the
contrary, however, from and after the Flip-In Event, any Rights that are
beneficially owned by (x) any Acquiring Person (or any Affiliate or Associate
of any Acquiring Person), (y) a transferee of any Acquiring Person (or any
such Affiliate or Associate) who becomes a transferee after the Flip-In Event
or (z) a transferee of any Acquiring Person (or any such Affiliate or
Associate) who became a transferee prior to or concurrently with the Flip-In
Event pursuant to either (I) a transfer from the Acquiring Person to holders
of its equity securities or to any Person with whom it has any continuing
agreement, arrangement or understanding regarding the transferred Rights or
(II) a transfer which the Board of Directors has determined is part of a
plan, arrangement or understanding which has the purpose or effect of
avoiding the provisions of this paragraph, and subsequent transferees of such
Persons, shall be void without any further action and any holder of such
Rights shall thereafter have no rights whatsoever with respect to such Rights
under any provision of this Agreement. The Company shall use all reasonable
efforts to ensure that the provisions of this Section 11(a)(ii) are complied
with, but shall have no liability to any holder of Right Certificates or
other Person as a result of its failure to make any determinations with
respect to an Acquiring Person or its Affiliates, Associates or transferees
hereunder. From and after the Flip-In Event, no Right Certificate shall be
issued pursuant to Section 3 or Section 6 hereof that represents Rights that
are or have become void pursuant to the provisions of this paragraph, and any
Right Certificate delivered to the Rights Agent that represents Rights that
are or have become void pursuant
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<PAGE>
to the provisions of this paragraph shall be canceled. From and after the
occurrence of an event specified in Section 13(a) hereof, any Rights that
theretofore have not been exercised pursuant to this Section 11(a)(ii) shall
thereafter be exercisable only in accordance with Section 13 and not pursuant
to this Section 11(a)(ii).
(iii) The Company may at its option substitute for a share of Common
Stock issuable upon the exercise of Rights in accordance with the foregoing
subparagraph (ii) a number of shares of Preferred Stock or fraction thereof
such that the current per share market price of one share of Preferred Stock
multiplied by such number or fraction is equal to the current per share
market price of one share of Common Stock. In the event that there shall not
be sufficient shares of Common Stock issued but not outstanding or authorized
but unissued to permit the exercise in full of the Rights in accordance with
the foregoing subparagraph (ii), the Board of Directors shall, to the extent
permitted by applicable law and any material agreements then in effect to
which the Company is a party (A) determine the excess (such excess, the
"Spread") of (1) the value of the shares of Common Stock issuable upon the
exercise of a Right in accordance with the foregoing subparagraph (ii) (the
"Current Value") over (2) the Purchase Price (as adjusted in accordance with
the foregoing subparagraph (ii)), and (B) with respect to each Right (other
than Rights which have become void pursuant to the foregoing subparagraph
(ii)), make adequate provision to substitute for the shares of Common Stock
issuable in accordance with the foregoing subparagraph (ii) upon exercise of
the Right and payment of the Purchase Price (as adjusted in accordance
therewith), (1) cash, (2) a reduction in such Purchase Price, (3) shares of
Preferred Stock or other equity securities of the Company (including, without
limitation, shares or fractions of shares of preferred stock which, by virtue
of having dividend, voting and liquidation rights substantially comparable to
those of the shares of Common Stock, are deemed in good faith by the Board of
Directors to have substantially the same value as the shares of Common Stock
(such shares of Preferred Stock and shares or fractions of shares of
preferred stock are hereinafter referred to as "Common Stock Equivalents")),
(4) debt securities of the Company, (5) other assets, or (6) any combination
of the foregoing, having a value which, when added to the value of the shares
of Common Stock issued upon exercise of such Right, shall have an aggregate
value equal to the Current Value (less the amount of any reduction in such
Purchase Price), where such aggregate value has been determined by the Board
of Directors upon the advice of a nationally recognized investment banking
firm selected in good faith by the Board of Directors; PROVIDED, HOWEVER,
that if the Company shall not make adequate provision to deliver value
pursuant to clause (B) above within thirty (30) days following the Flip-In
Event (the "Section 11(a) (ii) Trigger Date"), then the Company shall be
obligated to deliver, to the extent permitted by applicable law and any
material agreements then in effect to which the Company is a party, upon the
surrender for exercise of a Right and without requiring payment of such
Purchase Price, shares of Common Stock (to the extent available), and then,
if necessary, such number or fractions of shares of Preferred Stock (to the
extent available) and then, if necessary, cash, which shares and/or cash have
an aggregate value equal to the Spread. If, upon the occurrence of the
Flip-In Event, the
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<PAGE>
Board of Directors shall determine in good faith that it is likely that
sufficient additional shares of Common Stock could be authorized for issuance
upon exercise in full of the Rights, then, if the Board of Directors so
elects, the thirty (30) day period set forth above may be extended to the
extent necessary, but not more than ninety (90) days after the Section 11(a)
(ii) Trigger Date, in order that the Company may seek stockholder approval
for the authorization of such additional shares (such thirty (30) day period,
as it may be extended, is herein called the "Substitution Period"). To the
extent that the Company determines that some action need be taken pursuant to
the second and/or third sentence of this Section 11(a)(iii), the Company (x)
shall provide, subject to Section 11(a)(ii) hereof and the last sentence of
this Section 11(a)(iii) hereof, that such action shall apply uniformly to all
outstanding Rights and (y) may suspend the exercisability of the Rights until
the expiration of the Substitution Period in order to seek any authorization
of additional shares and/or to decide the appropriate form of distribution to
be made pursuant to such second sentence and to determine the value thereof.
In the event of any such suspension, the Company shall issue a public
announcement stating that the exercisability of the Rights has been
temporarily suspended, as well as a public announcement at such time as the
suspension is no longer in effect. For purposes of this Section 11(a)(iii),
the value of the shares of Common Stock shall be the current per share market
price (as determined pursuant to Section 11(d)(i)) on the Section 11(a)(ii)
Trigger Date and the per share or fractional value of any "Common Stock
Equivalent" shall be deemed to equal the current per share market price of
the Common Stock. The Board of Directors of the Company may, but shall not
be required to, establish procedures to allocate the right to receive shares
of Common Stock upon the exercise of the Rights among holders of Rights
pursuant to this Section 11(a)(iii).
(b) In case the Company shall fix a record date for the issuance of
rights, options or warrants to all holders of Preferred Stock entitling them
(for a period expiring within 45 calendar days after such record date) to
subscribe for or purchase Preferred Stock (or shares having the same rights,
privileges and preferences as the Preferred Stock ("Equivalent Preferred
Shares")) or securities convertible into Preferred Stock or Equivalent
Preferred Shares at a price per share of Preferred Stock or Equivalent
Preferred Shares (or having a conversion price per share, if a security
convertible into shares of Preferred Stock or Equivalent Preferred Shares)
less than the then current per share market price of the Preferred Stock
(determined pursuant to Section 11(d) hereof) on such record date, the
Purchase Price to be in effect after such record date shall be determined by
multiplying the Purchase Price in effect immediately prior to such record
date by a fraction, the numerator of which shall be the number of shares of
Preferred Stock and Equivalent Preferred Shares outstanding on such record
date plus the number of shares of Preferred Stock and Equivalent Preferred
Shares which the aggregate offering price of the total number of shares of
Preferred Stock and/or Equivalent Preferred Shares so to be offered (and/or
the aggregate initial conversion price of the convertible securities so to be
offered) would purchase at such current market price, and the denominator of
which shall be the number of shares of Preferred Stock and Equivalent
Preferred Shares outstanding on
16
<PAGE>
such record date plus the number of additional shares of Preferred Stock
and/or Equivalent Preferred Shares to be offered for subscription or purchase
(or into which the convertible securities so to be offered are initially
convertible); PROVIDED, HOWEVER, that in no event shall the consideration to
be paid upon the exercise of one Right be less than the aggregate par value
of the shares of capital stock of the Company issuable upon exercise of one
Right. In case such subscription price may be paid in a consideration part
or all of which shall be in a form other than cash, the value of such
consideration shall be as determined in good faith by the Board of Directors
of the Company, whose determination shall be described in a statement filed
with the Rights Agent. Shares of Preferred Stock and Equivalent Preferred
Shares owned by or held for the account of the Company shall not be deemed
outstanding for the purpose of any such computation. Such adjustment shall
be made successively whenever such a record date is fixed; and in the event
that such rights, options or warrants are not so issued, the Purchase Price
shall be adjusted to be the Purchase Price which would then be in effect if
such record date had not been fixed.
(c) In case the Company shall fix a record date for the making of a
distribution to all holders of the Preferred Stock (including any such
distribution made in connection with a consolidation or merger in which the
Company is the continuing or surviving corporation) of evidences of
indebtedness or assets (other than a regular quarterly cash dividend or a
dividend payable in Preferred Stock) or subscription rights or warrants
(excluding those referred to in Section 11(b) hereof), the Purchase Price to
be in effect after such record date shall be determined by multiplying the
Purchase Price in effect immediately prior to such record date by a fraction,
the numerator of which shall be the then current per share market price of
the Preferred Stock (determined pursuant to Section 11(d) hereof) on such
record date, less the fair market value (as determined in good faith by the
Board of Directors of the Company whose determination shall be described in a
statement filed with the Rights Agent) of the portion of the assets or
evidences of indebtedness so to be distributed or of such subscription rights
or warrants applicable to one share of Preferred Stock, and the denominator
of which shall be such current per share market price (determined pursuant to
Section 11(d) hereof) of the Preferred Stock; PROVIDED, HOWEVER, that in no
event shall the consideration to be paid upon the exercise of one Right be
less than the aggregate par value of the shares of capital stock of the
Company to be issued upon exercise of one Right. Such adjustments shall be
made successively whenever such a record date is fixed; and in the event that
such distribution is not so made, the Purchase Price shall again be adjusted
to be the Purchase Price which would then be in effect if such record date
had not been fixed.
(d)(i) Except as otherwise provided herein, for the purpose of any
computation hereunder, the "current per share market price " of any security
(a "Security" for the purpose of this Section 11(d)(i)) on any date shall be
deemed to be the average of the daily closing prices per share of such
Security for the 30 consecutive Trading Days (as such term is hereinafter
defined) immediately prior to such date; PROVIDED, HOWEVER, that in the event
that the current per share market price of the Security is determined during a
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period following the announcement by the issuer of such Security of (A) a
dividend or distribution on such Security payable in shares of such Security
or securities convertible into such shares, or (B) any subdivision,
combination or reclassification of such Security, and prior to the expiration
of 30 Trading Days after the ex-dividend date for such dividend or
distribution, or the record date for such subdivision, combination or
reclassification, then, and in each such case, the current per share market
price shall be appropriately adjusted to reflect the current market price per
share equivalent of such Security. The closing price for each day shall be
the last sale price, regular way, or, in case no such sale takes place on
such day, the average of the closing bid and asked prices, regular way, in
either case as reported by the principal consolidated transaction reporting
system with respect to securities listed or admitted to trading on the New
York Stock Exchange or, if the Security is not listed or admitted to trading
on the New York Stock Exchange, as reported in the principal consolidated
transaction reporting system with respect to securities listed on the
principal national securities exchange on which the Security is listed or
admitted to trading or, if the Security is not listed or admitted to trading
on any national securities exchange, the last quoted price or, if not so
quoted, the average of the high bid and low asked prices in the
over-the-counter market, as reported by NASDAQ or such other system then in
use, or, if on any such date the Security is not quoted by any such
organization, the average of the closing bid and asked prices as furnished by
a professional market maker making a market in the Security selected by the
Board of Directors of the Company. The term "Trading Day" shall mean a day
on which the principal national securities exchange on which the Security is
listed or admitted to trading is open for the transaction of business or, if
the Security is not listed or admitted to trading on any national securities
exchange, a Business Day.
(ii) For the purpose of any computation hereunder, if the Preferred
Stock is publicly traded, the "current per share market price" of the
Preferred Stock shall be determined in accordance with the method set forth
in Section 11(d)(i). If the Preferred Stock is not publicly traded but the
Common Stock is publicly traded, the "current per share market price" of the
Preferred Stock shall be conclusively deemed to be the current per share
market price of the Common Stock as determined pursuant to Section 11(d)(i)
multiplied by the then applicable Adjustment Number (as defined in and
determined in accordance with the Certificate of Designation for the
Preferred Stock). If neither the Common Stock nor the Preferred Stock is
publicly traded, "current per share market price" shall mean the fair value
per share as determined in good faith by the Board of Directors of the
Company, whose determination shall be described in a statement filed with the
Rights Agent.
(e) No adjustment in the Purchase Price shall be required unless such
adjustment would require an increase or decrease of at least 1% in the
Purchase Price; PROVIDED, HOWEVER, that any adjustments which by reason of
this Section 11(e) are not required to be made shall be carried forward and
taken into account in any subsequent adjustment. All calculations under this
Section 11 shall be made to the nearest cent or to
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the nearest one hundred-thousandth of a share of Preferred Stock or
one-thousandth of a share of Common Stock or other share or security as the
case may be. Notwithstanding the first sentence of this Section 11(e), any
adjustment required by this Section 11 shall be made no later than the
earlier of (i) three years from the date of the transaction which requires
such adjustment or (ii) the Expiration Date.
(f) If as a result of an adjustment made pursuant to Section 11(a)
hereof, the holder of any Right thereafter exercised shall become entitled to
receive any shares of capital stock of the Company other than the Preferred
Stock, thereafter the Purchase Price and the number of such other shares so
receivable upon exercise of a Right shall be subject to adjustment from time
to time in a manner and on terms as nearly equivalent as practicable to the
provisions with respect to the Preferred Stock contained in Sections 11(a),
11(b), 11(c), 11(e), 11(h), 11(i) and 11(m) hereof, as applicable, and the
provisions of Sections 7, 9, 10, 13 and 14 hereof with respect to the
Preferred Stock shall apply on like terms to any such other shares.
(g) All Rights originally issued by the Company subsequent to any
adjustment made to the Purchase Price hereunder shall evidence the right to
purchase, at the adjusted Purchase Price, the number of one one-thousandths
of a share of Preferred Stock purchasable from time to time hereunder upon
exercise of the Rights, all subject to further adjustment as provided herein.
(h) Unless the Company shall have exercised its election as provided in
Section 11(i), upon each adjustment of the Purchase Price as a result of the
calculations made in Sections 11(b) and 11(c), each Right outstanding
immediately prior to the making of such adjustment shall thereafter evidence
the right to purchase, at the adjusted Purchase Price, that number of one
one-thousandths of a share of Preferred Stock (calculated to the nearest one
hundred-thousandth of a share of Preferred Stock) obtained by (i) multiplying
(x) the number of one one-thousandths of a share purchasable upon the
exercise of a Right immediately prior to such adjustment by (y) the Purchase
Price in effect immediately prior to such adjustment and (ii) dividing the
product so obtained by the Purchase Price in effect immediately after such
adjustment.
(i) The Company may elect on or after the date of any adjustment of the
Purchase Price pursuant to Sections 11(b) or 11(c) hereof to adjust the
number of Rights, in substitution for any adjustment in the number of one
one-thousandths of a share of Preferred Stock purchasable upon the exercise
of a Right. Each of the Rights outstanding after such adjustment of the
number of Rights shall be exercisable for the number of one one-thousandths
of a share of Preferred Stock for which a Right was exercisable immediately
prior to such adjustment. Each Right held of record prior to such adjustment
of the number of Rights shall become that number of Rights (calculated to the
nearest one-thousandth) obtained by dividing the Purchase Price in effect
immediately prior to adjustment of the Purchase Price by the Purchase Price
in effect immediately after adjustment of the Purchase Price. The Company
shall make a public announcement of its
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election to adjust the number of Rights, indicating the record date for the
adjustment, and, if known at the time, the amount of the adjustment to be
made. Such record date may be the date on which the Purchase Price is
adjusted or any day thereafter, but, if the Right Certificates have been
issued, shall be at least 10 days later than the date of the public
announcement. If Right Certificates have been issued, upon each adjustment
of the number of Rights pursuant to this Section 11(i), the Company may, as
promptly as practicable, cause to be distributed to holders of record of
Right Certificates on such record date Right Certificates evidencing, subject
to Section 14 hereof, the additional Rights to which such holders shall be
entitled as a result of such adjustment, or, at the option of the Company,
shall cause to be distributed to such holders of record in substitution and
replacement for the Right Certificates held by such holders prior to the date
of adjustment, and upon surrender thereof, if required by the Company, new
Right Certificates evidencing all the Rights to which such holders shall be
entitled after such adjustment. Right Certificates so to be distributed
shall be issued, executed and countersigned in the manner provided for herein
and shall be registered in the names of the holders of record of Right
Certificates on the record date specified in the public announcement.
(j) Irrespective of any adjustment or change in the Purchase Price or
the number of one one-thousandths of a share of Preferred Stock issuable upon
the exercise of a Right, the Right Certificates theretofore and thereafter
issued may continue to express the Purchase Price and the number of one
one-thousandths of a share of Preferred Stock which were expressed in the
initial Right Certificates issued hereunder.
(k) Before taking any action that would cause an adjustment reducing
the Purchase Price below the then par value, if any, of the fraction of
Preferred Stock or other shares of capital stock issuable upon exercise of a
Right, the Company shall take any corporate action which may, in the opinion
of its counsel, be necessary in order that the Company may validly and
legally issue fully paid and nonassessable shares of Preferred Stock or other
such shares at such adjusted Purchase Price.
(l) In any case in which this Section 11 shall require that an
adjustment in the Purchase Price be made effective as of a record date for a
specified event, the Company may elect to defer until the occurrence of such
event issuing to the holder of any Right exercised after such record date the
Preferred Stock and other capital stock or securities of the Company, if any,
issuable upon such exercise over and above the Preferred Stock and other
capital stock or securities of the Company, if any, issuable upon such
exercise on the basis of the Purchase Price in effect prior to such
adjustment; PROVIDED, HOWEVER, that the Company shall deliver to such holder
a due bill or other appropriate instrument evidencing such holder's right to
receive such additional shares upon the occurrence of the event requiring
such adjustment.
(m) Anything in this Section 11 to the contrary notwithstanding, the
Company shall be entitled to make such adjustments in the Purchase Price, in
addition to
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those adjustments expressly required by this Section 11, as and to the extent
that it in its sole discretion shall determine to be advisable in order that
any consolidation or subdivision of the Preferred Stock, issuance wholly for
cash of any shares of Preferred Stock at less than the current market price,
issuance wholly for cash of Preferred Stock or securities which by their
terms are convertible into or exchangeable for Preferred Stock, dividends on
Preferred Stock payable in shares of Preferred Stock or issuance of rights,
options or warrants referred to hereinabove in Section 11(b), hereafter made
by the Company to holders of its Preferred Stock shall not be taxable to such
stockholders.
(n) Anything in this Agreement to the contrary notwithstanding, in the
event that at any time after the date of this Agreement and prior to the
Distribution Date, the Company shall (i) declare and pay any dividend on the
Common Stock payable in Common Stock or (ii) effect a subdivision,
combination or consolidation of the Common Stock (by reclassification or
otherwise than by payment of a dividend payable in Common Stock) into a
greater or lesser number of shares of Common Stock, then, in each such case,
the number of Rights associated with each share of Common Stock then
outstanding, or issued or delivered thereafter, shall be proportionately
adjusted so that the number of Rights thereafter associated with each share
of Common Stock following any such event shall equal the result obtained by
multiplying the number of Rights associated with each share of Common Stock
immediately prior to such event by a fraction the numerator of which shall be
the total number of shares of Common Stock outstanding immediately prior to
the occurrence of the event and the denominator of which shall be the total
number of shares of Common Stock outstanding immediately following the
occurrence of such event.
(o) The Company agrees that, after the earlier of the Distribution Date
or the Stock Acquisition Date, it will not, except as permitted by Sections
23, 24 or 27 hereof, take (or permit any Subsidiary to take) any action if at
the time such action is taken it is reasonably foreseeable that such action
will diminish substantially or eliminate the benefits intended to be afforded
by the Rights.
Section 12. CERTIFICATE OF ADJUSTED PURCHASE PRICE OR NUMBER OF SHARES.
Whenever an adjustment is made as provided in Section 11 or 13 hereof, the
Company shall promptly (a) prepare a certificate setting forth such
adjustment, and a brief statement of the facts accounting for such
adjustment, (b) file with the Rights Agent and with each transfer agent for
the Common Stock and the Preferred Stock a copy of such certificate and (c)
mail a brief summary thereof to each holder of a Right Certificate in
accordance with Section 25 hereof (if so required under Section 25 hereof).
The Rights Agent shall be fully protected in relying on any such certificate
and on any adjustment therein contained and shall not be deemed to have
knowledge of any such adjustment unless and until it shall have received such
certificate.
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Section 13. CONSOLIDATION, MERGER OR SALE OR TRANSFER OF ASSETS OR
EARNING POWER.
(a) In the event, directly or indirectly, at any time after the Flip-In
Event (i) the Company shall consolidate with or shall merge into any other
Person, (ii) any Person shall merge with and into the Company and the Company
shall be the continuing or surviving corporation of such merger and, in
connection with such merger, all or part of the Common Stock shall be changed
into or exchanged for stock or other securities of any other Person (or of
the Company) or cash or any other property, or (iii) the Company shall sell
or otherwise transfer (or one or more of its Subsidiaries shall sell or
otherwise transfer), in one or more transactions, assets or earning power
aggregating 50% or more of the assets or earning power of the Company and its
Subsidiaries (taken as a whole) to any other Person (other than the Company
or one or more wholly-owned Subsidiaries of the Company), then upon the first
occurrence of such event, proper provision shall be made so that: (A) each
holder of a Right (other than Rights which have become void pursuant to
Section 11(a)(ii) hereof) shall thereafter have the right to receive, upon
the exercise thereof at the Purchase Price (as theretofore adjusted in
accordance with Section 11(a)(ii) hereof), in accordance with the terms of
this Agreement and in lieu of shares of Preferred Stock or Common Stock of
the Company, such number of validly authorized and issued, fully paid,
non-assessable and freely tradeable shares of Common Stock of the Principal
Party (as such term is hereinafter defined), not subject to any liens,
encumbrances, rights of first refusal or other adverse claims, as shall equal
the result obtained by dividing the Purchase Price (as theretofore adjusted
in accordance with Section 11(a)(ii) hereof) by 50% of the current per share
market price of the Common Stock of such Principal Party (determined pursuant
to Section 11(d) hereof) on the date of consummation of such consolidation,
merger, sale or transfer; PROVIDED, HOWEVER, that the Purchase Price (as
theretofore adjusted in accordance with Section 11(a)(ii) hereof) and the
number of shares of Common Stock of such Principal Party so receivable upon
exercise of a Right shall be subject to further adjustment as appropriate in
accordance with Section 11(f) hereof to reflect any events occurring in
respect of the Common Stock of such Principal Party after the occurrence of
such consolidation, merger, sale or transfer; (B) such Principal Party shall
thereafter be liable for, and shall assume, by virtue of such consolidation,
merger, sale or transfer, all the obligations and duties of the Company
pursuant to this Agreement; (C) the term "Company" shall thereafter be deemed
to refer to such Principal Party; and (D) such Principal Party shall take
such steps (including, but not limited to, the reservation of a sufficient
number of its shares of Common Stock in accordance with Section 9 hereof) in
connection with such consummation of any such transaction as may be necessary
to assure that the provisions hereof shall thereafter be applicable, as
nearly as reasonably may be, in relation to the shares of its Common Stock
thereafter deliverable upon the exercise of the Rights; provided that, upon
the subsequent occurrence of any consolidation, merger, sale or transfer of
assets or other extraordinary transaction in respect of such Principal Party,
each holder of a Right shall thereupon be entitled to receive, upon exercise
of a Right and
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<PAGE>
payment of the Purchase Price as provided in this Section 13(a), such cash,
shares, rights, warrants and other property which such holder would have been
entitled to receive had such holder, at the time of such transaction, owned
the Common Stock of the Principal Party receivable upon the exercise of a
Right pursuant to this Section 13(a), and such Principal Party shall take
such steps (including, but not limited to, reservation of shares of stock) as
may be necessary to permit the subsequent exercise of the Rights in
accordance with the terms hereof for such cash, shares, rights, warrants and
other property.
(b) "Principal Party" shall mean:
(i) in the case of any transaction described in (i) or (ii) of
the first sentence of Section 13(a) hereof: (A) the Person that is the issuer
of the securities into which the shares of Common Stock are converted in such
merger or consolidation, or, if there is more than one such issuer, the
issuer the shares of Common Stock of which have the greatest aggregate market
value of shares outstanding, or (B) if no securities are so issued, (x) the
Person that is the other party to the merger, if such Person survives said
merger, or, if there is more than one such Person, the Person the shares of
Common Stock of which have the greatest aggregate market value of shares
outstanding or (y) if the Person that is the other party to the merger does
not survive the merger, the Person that does survive the merger (including
the Company if it survives) or (z) the Person resulting from the
consolidation; and
(ii) in the case of any transaction described in (iii) of the
first sentence of Section 13(a) hereof, the Person that is the party
receiving the greatest portion of the assets or earning power transferred
pursuant to such transaction or transactions, or, if each Person that is a
party to such transaction or transactions receives the same portion of the
assets or earning power so transferred or if the Person receiving the
greatest portion of the assets or earning power cannot be determined,
whichever of such Persons is the issuer of Common Stock having the greatest
aggregate market value of shares outstanding;
provided, however, that in any such case described in the foregoing clause
(b)(i) or (b)(ii), if the Common Stock of such Person is not at such time or
has not been continuously over the preceding 12-month period registered under
Section 12 of the Exchange Act, then (1) if such Person is a direct or
indirect Subsidiary of another Person the Common Stock of which is and has
been so registered, the term "Principal Party" shall refer to such other
Person, or (2) if such Person is a Subsidiary, directly or indirectly, of
more than one Person, the Common Stock of all of which is and has been so
registered, the term "Principal Party" shall refer to whichever of such
Persons is the issuer of Common Stock having the greatest aggregate market
value of shares outstanding, or (3) if such Person is owned, directly or
indirectly, by a joint venture formed by two or more Persons that are not
owned, directly or indirectly, by the same Person, the rules set forth in
clauses (1) and (2) above shall apply to each of the owners having an
interest in the venture as if the Person owned by the joint venture was a
Subsidiary of both or all of such joint venturers, and the
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<PAGE>
Principal Party in each such case shall bear the obligations set forth in
this Section 13 in the same ratio as its interest in such Person bears to the
total of such interests.
(c) The Company shall not consummate any consolidation, merger, sale or
transfer referred to in Section 13(a) hereof unless prior thereto the Company
and the Principal Party involved therein shall have executed and delivered to
the Rights Agent an agreement confirming that the requirements of Sections
13(a) and (b) hereof shall promptly be performed in accordance with their
terms and that such consolidation, merger, sale or transfer of assets shall
not result in a default by the Principal Party under this Agreement as the
same shall have been assumed by the Principal Party pursuant to Sections
13(a) and (b) hereof and providing that, as soon as practicable after
executing such agreement pursuant to this Section 13, the Principal Party
will:
(i) prepare and file a registration statement under the
Securities Act, if necessary, with respect to the Rights and the securities
purchasable upon exercise of the Rights on an appropriate form, use its best
efforts to cause such registration statement to become effective as soon as
practicable after such filing and use its best efforts to cause such
registration statement to remain effective (with a prospectus at all times
meeting the requirements of the Securities Act) until the Expiration Date and
similarly comply with applicable state securities laws;
(ii) use its best efforts, if the Common Stock of the Principal
Party shall be listed or admitted to trading on the New York Stock Exchange
or on another national securities exchange, to list or admit to trading (or
continue the listing of) the Rights and the securities purchasable upon
exercise of the Rights on the New York Stock Exchange or such securities
exchange, or, if the Common Stock of the Principal Party shall not be listed
or admitted to trading on the New York Stock Exchange or a national
securities exchange, to cause the Rights and the securities receivable upon
exercise of the Rights to be authorized for quotation on NASDAQ or on such
other system then in use;
(iii) deliver to holders of the Rights historical financial
statements for the Principal Party which comply in all respects with the
requirements for registration on Form 10 (or any successor form) under the
Exchange Act; and
(iv) obtain waivers of any rights of first refusal or preemptive
rights in respect of the Common Stock of the Principal Party subject to
purchase upon exercise of outstanding Rights.
(d) In case the Principal Party has provision in any of its authorized
securities or in its certificate of incorporation or by-laws or other
instrument governing its affairs, which provision would have the effect of
(i) causing such Principal Party to issue (other than to holders of Rights
pursuant to this Section 13), in connection with, or as a consequence of, the
consummation of a transaction referred to in this Section 13, shares of
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Common Stock or Common Stock Equivalents of such Principal Party at less than
the then current market price per share thereof (determined pursuant to
Section 11(d) hereof) or securities exercisable for, or convertible into,
Common Stock or Common Stock Equivalents of such Principal Party at less than
such then current market price, or (ii) providing for any special payment,
tax or similar provision in connection with the issuance of the Common Stock
of such Principal Party pursuant to the provisions of Section 13, then, in
such event, the Company hereby agrees with each holder of Rights that it
shall not consummate any such transaction unless prior thereto the Company
and such Principal Party shall have executed and delivered to the Rights
Agent a supplemental agreement providing that the provision in question of
such Principal Party shall have been canceled, waived or amended, or that the
authorized securities shall be redeemed, so that the applicable provision
will have no effect in connection with, or as a consequence of, the
consummation of the proposed transaction.
(e) The Company covenants and agrees that it shall not, at any time
after the Flip-In Event, enter into any transaction of the type described in
clauses (i) through (iii) of Section 13(a) hereof if (i) at the time of or
immediately after such consolidation, merger, sale, transfer or other
transaction there are any rights, warrants or other instruments or securities
outstanding or agreements in effect which would substantially diminish or
otherwise eliminate the benefits intended to be afforded by the Rights, (ii)
prior to, simultaneously with or immediately after such consolidation,
merger, sale, transfer or other transaction, the stockholders of the Person
who constitutes, or would constitute, the Principal Party for purposes of
Section 13(b) hereof shall have received a distribution of Rights previously
owned by such Person or any of its Affiliates or Associates or (iii) the form
or nature of organization of the Principal Party would preclude or limit the
exercisability of the Rights.
Section 14. FRACTIONAL RIGHTS AND FRACTIONAL SHARES.
(a) The Company shall not be required to issue fractions of Rights or
to distribute Right Certificates which evidence fractional Rights (except
prior to the Distribution Date in accordance with Section 11(n) hereof). In
lieu of such fractional Rights, there shall be paid to the registered holders
of the Right Certificates with regard to which such fractional Rights would
otherwise be issuable, an amount in cash equal to the same fraction of the
current market value of a whole Right. For the purposes of this Section
14(a), the current market value of a whole Right shall be the closing price
of the Rights for the Trading Day immediately prior to the date on which such
fractional Rights would have been otherwise issuable. The closing price for
any day shall be the last sale price, regular way, or, in case no such sale
takes place on such day, the average of the closing bid and asked prices,
regular way, in either case as reported in the principal consolidated
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transaction reporting system with respect to securities listed or admitted to
trading on the New York Stock Exchange or, if the Rights are not listed or
admitted to trading on the New York Stock Exchange, as reported in the
principal consolidated transaction reporting system with respect to
securities listed on the principal national securities exchange on which the
Rights are listed or admitted to trading or, if the Rights are not listed or
admitted to trading on any national securities exchange, the last quoted
price or, if not so quoted, the average of the high bid and low asked prices
in the over-the-counter market, as reported by NASDAQ or such other system
then in use or, if on any such date the Rights are not quoted by any such
organization, the average of the closing bid and asked prices as furnished by
a professional market maker making a market in the Rights selected by the
Board of Directors of the Company. If on any such date no such market maker
is making a market in the Rights, the fair value of the Rights on such date
as determined in good faith by the Board of Directors of the Company shall be
used.
(b) The Company shall not be required to issue fractions of Preferred
Stock (other than fractions which are integral multiples of one
one-thousandth of a share of Preferred Stock) or to distribute certificates
which evidence fractional shares of Preferred Stock (other than fractions
which are integral multiples of one one-thousandth of a share of Preferred
Stock) upon the exercise or exchange of Rights. Interests in fractions of
Preferred Stock in integral multiples of one one-thousandth of a share of
Preferred Stock may, at the election of the Company, be evidenced by
depositary receipts, pursuant to an appropriate agreement between the Company
and a depositary selected by it; PROVIDED, that such agreement shall provide
that the holders of such depositary receipts shall have all the rights,
privileges and preferences to which they are entitled as beneficial owners of
the Preferred Stock represented by such depositary receipts. In lieu of
fractional shares of Preferred Stock that are not integral multiples of one
one-thousandth of a share of Preferred Stock, the Company shall pay to the
registered holders of Right Certificates at the time such Rights are
exercised or exchanged as herein provided an amount in cash equal to the same
fraction of the current market value of a whole share of Preferred Stock (as
determined in accordance with Section 14(a) hereof) for the Trading Day
immediately prior to the date of such exercise or exchange.
(c) The Company shall not be required to issue fractions of shares of
Common Stock or to distribute certificates which evidence fractional shares
of Common Stock upon the exercise or exchange of Rights. In lieu of such
fractional shares of Common Stock, the Company shall pay to the registered
holders of the Right Certificates with regard to which such fractional shares
of Common Stock would otherwise be issuable an amount in cash equal to the
same fraction of the current market value of a whole share of Common Stock
(as determined in accordance with Section 14(a) hereof) for the Trading Day
immediately prior to the date of such exercise or exchange.
(d) The holder of a Right by the acceptance of the Right expressly
waives his right to receive any fractional Rights or any fractional shares
upon exercise or exchange of a Right (except as provided above).
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Section 15. RIGHTS OF ACTION. All rights of action in respect of this
Agreement, excepting the rights of action given to the Rights Agent under
Section 18 hereof, are vested in the respective registered holders of the
Right Certificates (and, prior to the Distribution Date, the registered
holders of the Common Stock); and any registered holder of any Right
Certificate (or, prior to the Distribution Date, of the Common Stock),
without the consent of the Rights Agent or of the holder of any other Right
Certificate (or, prior to the Distribution Date, of the Common Stock), on his
own behalf and for his own benefit, may enforce, and may institute and
maintain any suit, action or proceeding against the Company to enforce, or
otherwise act in respect of, his right to exercise the Rights evidenced by
such Right Certificate (or, prior to the Distribution Date, such Common
Stock) in the manner provided therein and in this Agreement. Without
limiting the foregoing or any remedies available to the holders of Rights, it
is specifically acknowledged that the holders of Rights would not have an
adequate remedy at law for any breach of this Agreement and will be entitled
to specific performance of the obligations under, and injunctive relief
against actual or threatened violations of, the obligations of any Person
subject to this Agreement.
Section 16. AGREEMENT OF RIGHT HOLDERS. Every holder of a Right, by
accepting the same, consents and agrees with the Company and the Rights Agent
and with every other holder of a Right that:
(a) prior to the Distribution Date, the Rights will be transferable
only in connection with the transfer of the Common Stock;
(b) after the Distribution Date, the Right Certificates are
transferable only on the registry books of the Rights Agent if surrendered at
the office or agency of the Rights Agent designated for such purpose, duly
endorsed or accompanied by a proper instrument of transfer;
(c) the Company and the Rights Agent may deem and treat the Person in
whose name the Right Certificate (or, prior to the Distribution Date, the
Common Stock certificate) is registered as the absolute owner thereof and of
the Rights evidenced thereby (notwithstanding any notations of ownership or
writing on the Right Certificates or the Common Stock certificate made by
anyone other than the Company or the Rights Agent) for all purposes
whatsoever, and neither the Company nor the Rights Agent shall be affected by
any notice to the contrary; and
(d) notwithstanding anything in this Agreement to the contrary, neither
the Company nor the Rights Agent shall have any liability to any holder of a
Right or other Person as a result of its inability to perform any of its
obligations under this Agreement by reason of any preliminary or permanent
injunction or other order, decree or ruling issued by a court of competent
jurisdiction or by a governmental, regulatory or administrative agency or
commission, or any statute, rule, regulation or executive order promulgated
or
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enacted by any governmental authority, prohibiting or otherwise restraining
performance of such obligation; PROVIDED, however, the Company must use its
best efforts to have any such order, decree or ruling lifted or otherwise
overturned as soon as possible.
Section 17. RIGHT CERTIFICATE HOLDER NOT DEEMED A STOCKHOLDER. No
holder, as such, of any Right Certificate shall be entitled to vote, receive
dividends or be deemed for any purpose the holder of the Preferred Stock or
any other securities of the Company which may at any time be issuable on the
exercise or exchange of the Rights represented thereby, nor shall anything
contained herein or in any Right Certificate be construed to confer upon the
holder of any Right Certificate, as such, any of the rights of a stockholder
of the Company or any right to vote for the election of directors or upon any
matter submitted to stockholders at any meeting thereof, or to give or
withhold consent to any corporate action, or to receive notice of meetings or
other actions affecting stockholders (except as provided in this Agreement),
or to receive dividends or subscription rights, or otherwise, until the
Rights evidenced by such Right Certificate shall have been exercised or
exchanged in accordance with the provisions hereof.
Section 18. CONCERNING THE RIGHTS AGENT.
(a) The Company agrees to pay to the Rights Agent reasonable
compensation for all services rendered by it hereunder and, from time to
time, on demand of the Rights Agent, its reasonable expenses and counsel fees
and other disbursements incurred in the administration and execution of this
Agreement and the exercise and performance of its duties hereunder. The
Company also agrees to indemnify the Rights Agent for, and to hold it
harmless against, any loss, liability or expense, incurred without
negligence, bad faith or willful misconduct on the part of the Rights Agent,
for anything done or omitted by the Rights Agent in connection with the
acceptance and administration of this Agreement, including the costs and
expenses of defending against any claim of liability arising therefrom,
directly or indirectly. Anything to the contrary notwithstanding, in no
event shall the Rights Agent be liable for special, indirect, consequential
loss or damage of any kind whatsoever (including but not limited to lost
profits), even if the Rights Agent has been advised of the likelihood of such
loss or damage.
(b) The Rights Agent shall be protected and shall incur no liability
for, or in respect of any action taken, suffered or omitted by it in
connection with, its administration of this Agreement in reliance upon any
Right Certificate or certificate for the Preferred Stock or Common Stock or
for other securities of the Company, instrument of assignment or transfer,
power of attorney, endorsement, affidavit, letter, notice, direction,
consent, certificate, statement or other paper or document believed by it to
be genuine and to be signed, executed and, where necessary, verified or
acknowledged, by the proper Person or Persons, or otherwise upon the advice
of counsel as set forth in Section 20 hereof.
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Section 19. MERGER OR CONSOLIDATION OR CHANGE OF NAME OF RIGHTS AGENT.
(a) Any corporation into which the Rights Agent or any successor Rights
Agent may be merged or with which it may be consolidated, or any corporation
resulting from any merger or consolidation to which the Rights Agent or any
successor Rights Agent shall be a party, or any corporation succeeding to the
stock transfer or corporate trust powers of the Rights Agent or any successor
Rights Agent, shall be the successor to the Rights Agent under this Agreement
without the execution or filing of any paper or any further act on the part
of any of the parties hereto; PROVIDED, that such corporation would be
eligible for appointment as a successor Rights Agent under the provisions of
Section 21 hereof. In case at the time such successor Rights Agent shall
succeed to the agency created by this Agreement, any of the Right
Certificates shall have been countersigned but not delivered, any such
successor Rights Agent may adopt the countersignature of the predecessor
Rights Agent and deliver such Right Certificates so countersigned; and in
case at that time any of the Right Certificates shall not have been
countersigned, any successor Rights Agent may countersign such Right
Certificates either in the name of the predecessor Rights Agent or in the
name of the successor Rights Agent; and in all such cases such Right
Certificates shall have the full force provided in the Right Certificates and
in this Agreement.
(b) In case at any time the name of the Rights Agent shall be changed
and at such time any of the Right Certificates shall have been countersigned
but not delivered, the Rights Agent may adopt the countersignature under its
prior name and deliver Right Certificates so countersigned; and in case at
that time any of the Right Certificates shall not have been countersigned,
the Rights Agent may countersign such Right Certificates either in its prior
name or in its changed name and in all such cases such Right Certificates
shall have the full force provided in the Right Certificates and in this
Agreement.
Section 20. DUTIES OF RIGHTS AGENT. The Rights Agent undertakes the
duties and obligations imposed by this Agreement upon the following terms and
conditions, by all of which the Company and the holders of Right
Certificates, by their acceptance thereof, shall be bound:
(a) The Rights Agent may consult with legal counsel (who may be legal
counsel for the Company), and the opinion of such counsel shall be full and
complete authorization and protection to the Rights Agent as to any action
taken or omitted by it in good faith and in accordance with such opinion.
(b) Whenever in the performance of its duties under this Agreement the
Rights Agent shall deem it necessary or desirable that any fact or matter be
proved or established by the Company prior to taking or suffering any action
hereunder, such fact or matter (unless other evidence in respect thereof be
herein specifically prescribed) may be deemed to be conclusively proved and
established by a certificate signed by the Chairman
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<PAGE>
of the Board, the Chief Executive Officer, the President, any Vice President,
the Chief Financial Officer, the Secretary or any Assistant Secretary of the
Company and delivered to the Rights Agent; and such certificate shall be full
authorization to the Rights Agent for any action taken or suffered in good
faith by it under the provisions of this Agreement in reliance upon such
certificate.
(c) The Rights Agent shall be liable hereunder to the Company and any
other Person only for its own negligence, bad faith or willful misconduct.
(d) The Rights Agent shall not be liable for or by reason of any of the
statements of fact or recitals contained in this Agreement or in the Right
Certificates (except its countersignature thereof) or be required to verify
the same, but all such statements and recitals are and shall be deemed to
have been made by the Company only.
(e) The Rights Agent shall not be under any responsibility in respect
of the validity of this Agreement or the execution and delivery hereof
(except the due execution hereof by the Rights Agent) or in respect of the
validity or execution of any Right Certificate (except its countersignature
thereof); nor shall it be responsible for any breach by the Company of any
covenant or condition contained in this Agreement or in any Right
Certificate; nor shall it be responsible for any change in the exercisability
of the Rights (including the Rights becoming void pursuant to Section
11(a)(ii) hereof) or any adjustment in the terms of the Rights provided for
in Sections 3, 11, 13, 23 and 24, or the ascertaining of the existence of
facts that would require any such change or adjustment (except with respect
to the exercise of Rights evidenced by Right Certificates after receipt of a
certificate furnished pursuant to Section 12, describing such change or
adjustment); nor shall it by any act hereunder be deemed to make any
representation or warranty as to the authorization or reservation of any
shares of Preferred Stock or other securities to be issued pursuant to this
Agreement or any Right Certificate or as to whether any shares of Preferred
Stock or other securities will, when issued, be validly authorized and
issued, fully paid and nonassessable.
(f) The Company agrees that it will perform, execute, acknowledge and
deliver or cause to be performed, executed, acknowledged and delivered all
such further and other acts, instruments and assurances as may reasonably be
required by the Rights Agent for the carrying out or performing by the Rights
Agent of the provisions of this Agreement.
(g) The Rights Agent is hereby authorized and directed to accept
instructions with respect to the performance of its duties hereunder from any
person reasonably believed by the Rights Agent to be one of the Chairman of
the Board, any Vice Chairman of the Board, the President, any Executive Vice
President, any Senior Vice President, the Treasurer or the Secretary of the
Company, and to apply to such officers for advice or instructions in
connection with its duties, and it shall not be liable for any action
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<PAGE>
taken or suffered by it in good faith in accordance with instructions of any
such officer or for any delay in acting while waiting for those instructions.
Any application by the Rights Agent for written instructions from the
Company may, at the option of the Rights Agent, set forth in writing any
action proposed to be taken or omitted by the Rights Agent under this
Agreement and the date on and/or after which such action shall be taken or
such omission shall be effective. The Rights Agent shall not be liable for
any action taken by, or omission of, the Rights Agent in accordance with a
proposal included in any such application on or after the date specified in
such application (which date shall not be less than five Business Days after
the date any officer of the Company actually receives such application unless
any such officer shall have consented in writing to an earlier date) unless,
prior to taking any such action (or the effective date in the case of an
omission), the Rights Agent shall have received written instructions in
response to such application specifying the action to be taken or omitted.
(h) The Rights Agent and any stockholder, director, officer or employee
of the Rights Agent may buy, sell or deal in any of the Rights or other
securities of the Company or become pecuniarily interested in any transaction
in which the Company may be interested, or contract with or lend money to the
Company or otherwise act as fully and freely as though it were not Rights
Agent under this Agreement. Nothing herein shall preclude the Rights Agent
from acting in any other capacity for the Company or for any other legal
entity.
(i) The Rights Agent may execute and exercise any of the rights or
powers hereby vested in it or perform any duty hereunder either itself or by
or through its attorneys or agents, and the Rights Agent shall not be
answerable or accountable for any act, default, neglect or misconduct of any
such attorneys or agents or for any loss to the Company resulting from any
such act, default, neglect or misconduct, provided reasonable care was
exercised in the selection and continued employment thereof.
(j) If, with respect to any Rights Certificate surrendered to the
Rights Agent for exercise or transfer, the certificate contained in the form
of assignment or the form of election to purchase set forth on the reverse
thereof, as the case may be, has not been completed to certify the holder is
not an Acquiring Person (or an Affiliate or Associate thereof), the Rights
Agent shall not take any further action with respect to such requested
exercise or transfer without first consulting with the Company.
(k) No provision of this Agreement shall require the Rights Agent to
expend or risk its own funds or otherwise incur any financial liability in
the performance of any of its duties hereunder or in the exercise of its
rights if there shall be reasonable grounds for believing that repayment of
such funds or adequate indemnification against such risk or liability is not
reasonably assured to it.
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Section 21. CHANGE OF RIGHTS AGENT. The Rights Agent or any successor
Rights Agent may resign and be discharged from its duties under this
Agreement upon 30 days' notice in writing mailed to the Company and to each
transfer agent of the Common Stock or Preferred Stock by registered or
certified mail, and, following the Distribution Date, to the holders of the
Right Certificates by first-class mail. The Company may remove the Rights
Agent or any successor Rights Agent upon 30 days' notice in writing, mailed
to the Rights Agent or successor Rights Agent, as the case may be, and to
each transfer agent of the Common Stock or Preferred Stock by registered or
certified mail, and, following the Distribution Date, to the holders of the
Right Certificates by first-class mail. If the Rights Agent shall resign or
be removed or shall otherwise become incapable of acting, the Company shall
appoint a successor to the Rights Agent. If the Company shall fail to make
such appointment within a period of 30 days after giving notice of such
removal or after it has been notified in writing of such resignation or
incapacity by the resigning or incapacitated Rights Agent or by the holder of
a Right Certificate (who shall, with such notice, submit his Right
Certificate for inspection by the Company), then the registered holder of any
Right Certificate may apply to any court of competent jurisdiction for the
appointment of a new Rights Agent. Any successor Rights Agent, whether
appointed by the Company or by such a court, shall be a corporation organized
and doing business under the laws of the United States or the laws of any
state of the United States or the District of Columbia, in good standing,
having an office in the State of Virginia or the State of New York, which is
authorized under such laws to exercise corporate trust or stock transfer
powers and is subject to supervision or examination by federal or state
authority and which has at the time of its appointment as Rights Agent a
combined capital and surplus of at least $50 million. After appointment, the
successor Rights Agent shall be vested with the same powers, rights, duties
and responsibilities as if it had been originally named as Rights Agent
without further act or deed; but the predecessor Rights Agent shall deliver
and transfer to the successor Rights Agent any property at the time held by
it hereunder, and execute and deliver any further assurance, conveyance, act
or deed necessary for the purpose. Not later than the effective date of any
such appointment the Company shall file notice thereof in writing with the
predecessor Rights Agent and each transfer agent of the Common Stock or
Preferred Stock, and, following the Distribution Date, mail a notice thereof
in writing to the registered holders of the Right Certificates. Failure to
give any notice provided for in this Section 21, however, or any defect
therein, shall not affect the legality or validity of the resignation or
removal of the Rights Agent or the appointment of the successor Rights Agent,
as the case may be.
Section 22. ISSUANCE OF NEW RIGHT CERTIFICATES. Notwithstanding any of
the provisions of this Agreement or of the Rights to the contrary, the
Company may, at its option, issue new Right Certificates evidencing Rights in
such forms as may be approved by its Board of Directors to reflect any
adjustment or change in the Purchase Price and the number or kind or class of
shares or other securities or property purchasable under the Right
Certificates made in accordance with the provisions of this Agreement. In
addition, in connection with the issuance or sale of Common Stock following
the Distribution Date
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and prior to the Expiration Date, the Company may with respect to shares of
Common Stock so issued or sold pursuant to (i) the exercise of stock options,
(ii) under any employee plan or arrangement, (iii) upon the exercise,
conversion or exchange of securities, notes or debentures issued by the
Company or (iv) a contractual obligation of the Company, in each case
existing prior to the Distribution Date, issue Rights Certificates
representing the appropriate number of Rights in connection with such
issuance or sale.
Section 23. REDEMPTION.
(a) The Board of Directors of the Company may, at any time prior to the
Flip-In Event, redeem all but not less than all the then outstanding Rights
at a redemption price of $.01 per Right, appropriately adjusted to reflect
any stock split, stock dividend or similar transaction occurring in respect
of the Common Stock after the date hereof (the redemption price being
hereinafter referred to as the "Redemption Price"). The redemption of the
Rights may be made effective at such time, on such basis and with such
conditions as the Board of Directors in its sole discretion may establish.
The Redemption Price shall be payable, at the option of the Company, in cash,
shares of Common Stock, or such other form of consideration as the Board of
Directors shall determine.
(b) Immediately upon the action of the Board of Directors ordering the
redemption of the Rights pursuant to paragraph (a) of this Section 23 (or at
such later time as the Board of Directors may establish for the effectiveness
of such redemption), and without any further action and without any notice,
the right to exercise the Rights will terminate and the only right thereafter
of the holders of Rights shall be to receive the Redemption Price. The
Company shall promptly give public notice of any such redemption; PROVIDED,
HOWEVER, that the failure to give, or any defect in, any such notice shall
not affect the validity of such redemption. Within 10 days after such action
of the Board of Directors ordering the redemption of the Rights (or such
later time as the Board of Directors may establish for the effectiveness of
such redemption), the Company shall mail a notice of redemption to all the
holders of the then outstanding Rights at their last addresses as they appear
upon the registry books of the Rights Agent or, prior to the Distribution
Date, on the registry books of the transfer agent for the Common Stock. Any
notice which is mailed in the manner herein provided shall be deemed given,
whether or not the holder receives the notice. Each such notice of
redemption shall state the method by which the payment of the Redemption
Price will be made.
Section 24. EXCHANGE.
(a) The Board of Directors of the Company may, at its option, at any
time after the Flip-In Event, exchange all or part of the then outstanding
and exercisable Rights (which shall not include Rights that have become void
pursuant to the provisions of Section 11(a)(ii) hereof) for Common Stock at
an exchange ratio of one share of Common Stock per Right, appropriately
adjusted to reflect any stock split, stock dividend or similar
33
<PAGE>
transaction occurring in respect of the Common Stock after the date hereof
(such amount per Right being hereinafter referred to as the "Exchange
Ratio"). Notwithstanding the foregoing, the Board of Directors shall not be
empowered to effect such exchange at any time after an Acquiring Person shall
have become the Beneficial Owner of shares of Common Stock aggregating 50% or
more of the shares of Common Stock then outstanding. From and after the
occurrence of an event specified in Section 13(a) hereof, any Rights that
theretofore have not been exchanged pursuant to this Section 24(a) shall
thereafter be exercisable only in accordance with Section 13 and may not be
exchanged pursuant to this Section 24(a). The exchange of the Rights by the
Board of Directors may be made effective at such time, on such basis and with
such conditions as the Board of Directors in its sole discretion may
establish.
(b) Immediately upon the effectiveness of the action of the Board of
Directors of the Company ordering the exchange of any Rights pursuant to
paragraph (a) of this Section 24 and without any further action and without
any notice, the right to exercise such Rights shall terminate and the only
right thereafter of a holder of such Rights shall be to receive that number
of shares of Common Stock equal to the number of such Rights held by such
holder multiplied by the Exchange Ratio. The Company shall promptly give
public notice of any such exchange; PROVIDED, HOWEVER, that the failure to
give, or any defect in, such notice shall not affect the validity of such
exchange. The Company shall promptly mail a notice of any such exchange to
all of the holders of the Rights so exchanged at their last addresses as they
appear upon the registry books of the Rights Agent. Any notice which is
mailed in the manner herein provided shall be deemed given, whether or not
the holder receives the notice. Each such notice of exchange will state the
method by which the exchange of the shares of Common Stock for Rights will be
effected and, in the event of any partial exchange, the number of Rights
which will be exchanged. Any partial exchange shall be effected pro rata
based on the number of Rights (other than Rights which have become void
pursuant to the provisions of Section 11(a)(ii) hereof) held by each holder
of Rights.
(c) The Company may at its option substitute, and, in the event that
there shall not be sufficient shares of Common Stock issued but not
outstanding or authorized but unissued to permit an exchange of Rights for
Common Stock as contemplated in accordance with this Section 24, the Company
shall substitute to the extent of such insufficiency, for each share of
Common Stock that would otherwise be issuable upon exchange of a Right, a
number of shares of Preferred Stock or fraction thereof (or Equivalent
Preferred Shares, as such term is defined in Section 11(b)) such that the
current per share market price (determined pursuant to Section 11(d) hereof)
of one share of Preferred Stock (or Equivalent Preferred Share) multiplied by
such number or fraction is equal to the current per share market price of one
share of Common Stock (determined pursuant to Section 11(d) hereof) as of the
date of such exchange.
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Section 25. NOTICE OF CERTAIN EVENTS.
(a) In case the Company shall at any time after the earlier of the
Distribution Date or the Stock Acquisition Date propose (i) to pay any
dividend payable in stock of any class to the holders of its Preferred Stock
or to make any other distribution to the holders of its Preferred Stock
(other than a regular quarterly cash dividend), (ii) to offer to the holders
of its Preferred Stock rights or warrants to subscribe for or to purchase any
additional shares of Preferred Stock or shares of stock of any class or any
other securities, rights or options, (iii) to effect any reclassification of
its Preferred Stock (other than a reclassification involving only the
subdivision or combination of outstanding Preferred Stock), (iv) to effect
the liquidation, dissolution or winding up of the Company, or (v) to pay any
dividend on the Common Stock payable in Common Stock or to effect a
subdivision, combination or consolidation of the Common Stock (by
reclassification or otherwise than by payment of dividends in Common Stock),
then, in each such case, the Company shall give to each holder of a Right
Certificate, in accordance with Section 26 hereof, a notice of such proposed
action, which shall specify the record date for the purposes of such stock
dividend, or distribution of rights or warrants, or the date on which such
liquidation, dissolution or winding up is to take place and the date of
participation therein by the holders of the Common Stock and/or Preferred
Stock, if any such date is to be fixed, and such notice shall be so given in
the case of any action covered by clause (i) or (ii) above at least 10 days
prior to the record date for determining holders of the Preferred Stock for
purposes of such action, and in the case of any such other action, at least
10 days prior to the date of the taking of such proposed action or the date
of participation therein by the holders of the Common Stock and/or Preferred
Stock, whichever shall be the earlier.
(b) In case any event described in Section 11(a)(ii) or Section 13
shall occur then the Company shall as soon as practicable thereafter give to
each holder of a Right Certificate (or if occurring prior to the Distribution
Date, the holders of the Common Stock) in accordance with Section 26 hereof,
a notice of the occurrence of such event, which notice shall describe such
event and the consequences of such event to holders of Rights under Section
11(a)(ii) and Section 13 hereof.
Section 26. NOTICES. Notices or demands authorized by this Agreement
to be given or made by the Rights Agent or by the holder of any Right
Certificate to or on the Company shall be sufficiently given or made if sent
by first-class mail, postage prepaid, addressed (until another address is
filed in writing with the Rights Agent) as follows:
VLSI Technology, Inc.
1109 McKay Drive
San Jose, California 95131
Attention: Chief Financial Officer
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Subject to the provisions of Section 21 hereof, any notice or demand
authorized by this Agreement to be given or made by the Company or by the
holder of any Right Certificate to or on the Rights Agent shall be
sufficiently given or made if sent by first-class mail, postage prepaid,
addressed (until another address is filed in writing with the Company) as
follows:
BankBoston, N.A.
c/o Equiserve Limited Partnership
150 Royal Street
Canton, Massachusetts 02021
Attention: Client Administration
Notices or demands authorized by this Agreement to be given or made by the
Company or the Rights Agent to the holder of any Right Certificate shall be
sufficiently given or made if sent by first-class mail, postage prepaid,
addressed to such holder at the address of such holder as shown on the
registry books of the Company.
Section 27. SUPPLEMENTS AND AMENDMENTS. Except as provided in the
penultimate sentence of this Section 27, for so long as the Rights are then
redeemable, the Company may in its sole and absolute discretion, and the
Rights Agent shall if the Company so directs, supplement or amend any
provision of this Agreement in any respect without the approval of any
holders of the Rights. At any time when the Rights are no longer redeemable,
except as provided in the penultimate sentence of this Section 27, the
Company may, and the Rights Agent shall, if the Company so directs,
supplement or amend this Agreement without the approval of any holders of
Rights, PROVIDED that no such supplement or amendment may (a) adversely
affect the interests of the holders of Rights as such (other than an
Acquiring Person or an Affiliate or Associate of an Acquiring Person), (b)
cause this Agreement again to become amendable other than in accordance with
this sentence or (c) cause the Rights again to become redeemable.
Notwithstanding anything contained in this Agreement to the contrary, no
supplement or amendment shall be made which changes the Redemption Price.
Upon the delivery of a certificate from an appropriate officer of the Company
which states that the supplement or amendment is in compliance with the terms
of this Section 27, the Rights Agent shall execute such supplement or
amendment, PROVIDED that any supplement or amendment that does not amend
Sections 18, 19, 20 or 21 hereof in a manner adverse to the Rights Agent
shall become effective immediately upon execution by the Company, whether or
not also executed by the Rights Agent.
Section 28. SUCCESSORS. All the covenants and provisions of this
Agreement by or for the benefit of the Company or the Rights Agent shall bind
and inure to the benefit of their respective successors and assigns hereunder.
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Section 29. BENEFITS OF THIS AGREEMENT. Nothing in this Agreement
shall be construed to give to any Person other than the Company, the Rights
Agent and the registered holders of the Right Certificates (and, prior to the
Distribution Date, the Common Stock) any legal or equitable right, remedy or
claim under this Agreement; but this Agreement shall be for the sole and
exclusive benefit of the Company, the Rights Agent and the registered holders
of the Right Certificates (and, prior to the Distribution Date, the Common
Stock).
Section 30. DETERMINATIONS AND ACTIONS BY THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS. The
Board of Directors of the Company shall have the exclusive power and
authority to administer this Agreement and to exercise the rights and powers
specifically granted to the Board of Directors of the Company or to the
Company, or as may be necessary or advisable in the administration of this
Agreement, including, without limitation, the right and power to (i)
interpret the provisions of this Agreement and (ii) make all determinations
deemed necessary or advisable for the administration of this Agreement
(including, without limitation, a determination to redeem or not redeem the
Rights or to amend or not amend this Agreement). All such actions,
calculations, interpretations and determinations (including, for purposes of
clause (y) below, all omissions with respect to the foregoing) that are done
or made by the Board of Directors of the Company in good faith, shall (x) be
final, conclusive and binding on the Company, the Rights Agent, the holders
of the Rights, as such, and all other parties, and (y) not subject the Board
of Directors to any liability to the holders of the Rights.
Section 31. SEVERABILITY. If any term, provision, covenant or
restriction of this Agreement is held by a court of competent jurisdiction or
other authority to be invalid, void or unenforceable, the remainder of the
terms, provisions, covenants and restrictions of this Agreement shall remain
in full force and effect and shall in no way be affected, impaired or
invalidated.
Section 32. GOVERNING LAW. This Agreement and each Right Certificate
issued hereunder shall be deemed to be a contract made under the laws of the
State of Delaware and for all purposes shall be governed by and construed in
accordance with the laws of such State applicable to contracts to be made and
performed entirely within such State.
Section 33. COUNTERPARTS. This Agreement may be executed in any number
of counterparts and each of such counterparts shall for all purposes be
deemed to be an original, and all such counterparts shall together constitute
but one and the same instrument.
Section 34. DESCRIPTIVE HEADINGS. Descriptive headings of the several
Sections of this Agreement are inserted for convenience only and shall not
control or affect the meaning or construction of any of the provisions hereof.
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IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties hereto have caused this Agreement to be
duly executed, all as of the day and year first above written.
VLSI TECHNOLOGY, INC.
By: /s/ VLSI Technology, Inc.
-----------------------------------
Name:
---------------------------------
Title:
--------------------------------
BANKBOSTON, N.A.
as Rights Agent
By: /s/ BankBoston, N.A.
-----------------------------------
Name:
---------------------------------
Title:
--------------------------------
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EXHIBIT A
Form of Right Certificate
Certificate No. R-______
NOT EXERCISABLE AFTER NOVEMBER 7, 1999 OR EARLIER IF
REDEMPTION OR EXCHANGE OCCURS. THE RIGHTS ARE SUBJECT TO
REDEMPTION AT $.01 PER RIGHT AND TO EXCHANGE ON THE TERMS
SET FORTH IN THE SECOND AMENDED AND RESTATED RIGHTS
AGREEMENT. UNDER CERTAIN CIRCUMSTANCES, AS SET FORTH IN THE
SECOND AMENDED AND RESTATED RIGHTS AGREEMENT, RIGHTS OWNED
BY OR TRANSFERRED TO ANY PERSON WHO IS OR BECOMES AN
ACQUIRING PERSON (AS DEFINED IN THE AMENDED AND RESTATED
RIGHTS AGREEMENT) AND CERTAIN TRANSFEREES THEREOF WILL
BECOME NULL AND VOID AND WILL NO LONGER BE TRANSFERABLE.
RIGHT CERTIFICATE
VLSI TECHNOLOGY, INC.
This certifies that ____________________________ or registered
assigns, is the registered owner of the number of Rights set forth above,
each of which entitles the owner thereof, subject to the terms, provisions
and conditions of the Second Amended and Restated Rights Agreement, dated as
of March 7, 1999, as the same may be amended from time to time (the "Rights
Agreement"), between VLSI Technology, Inc., a Delaware corporation (the
"Company"), and BankBoston, N.A., as Rights Agent (the "Rights Agent"),
to purchase from the Company at any time after the Distribution Date (as such
term is defined in the Rights Agreement) and prior to 5:00 P.M., New York
City time, on November 7, 1999 at the office or agency of the Rights Agent
designated for such purpose, or of its successor as Rights Agent, one
one-thousandth of a fully paid non-assessable share of Series A Junior
Participating Preferred Stock, without par value (the "Preferred Stock"), of
the Company at a purchase price of $45 per one one-thousandth of a share of
Preferred Stock (the "Purchase Price"), upon presentation and surrender of
this Right Certificate with the Form of Election to Purchase duly executed.
The number of Rights evidenced by this Rights
<PAGE>
Certificate (and the number of one one-thousandths of a share of Preferred
Stock which may be purchased upon exercise hereof) set forth above, and the
Purchase Price set forth above, are the number and Purchase Price as of March
7, 1999, based on the Preferred Stock as constituted at such date. As
provided in the Rights Agreement, the Purchase Price, the number of one
one-thousandths of a share of Preferred Stock (or other securities or
property) which may be purchased upon the exercise of the Rights and the
number of Rights evidenced by this Right Certificate are subject to
modification and adjustment upon the happening of certain events.
This Right Certificate is subject to all of the terms, provisions
and conditions of the Rights Agreement, which terms, provisions and
conditions are hereby incorporated herein by reference and made a part hereof
and to which Rights Agreement reference is hereby made for a full description
of the rights, limitations of rights, obligations, duties and immunities
hereunder of the Rights Agent, the Company and the holders of the Right
Certificates. Copies of the Rights Agreement are on file at the principal
executive offices of the Company and the above-mentioned office or agency of
the Rights Agent. The Company will mail to the holder of this Right
Certificate a copy of the Rights Agreement without charge after receipt of a
written request therefor.
This Right Certificate, with or without other Right Certificates,
upon surrender at the office or agency of the Rights Agent designated for
such purpose, may be exchanged for another Right Certificate or Right
Certificates of like tenor and date evidencing Rights entitling the holder to
purchase a like aggregate number of shares of Preferred Stock as the Rights
evidenced by the Right Certificate or Right Certificates surrendered shall
have entitled such holder to purchase. If this Right Certificate shall be
exercised in part, the holder shall be entitled to receive upon surrender
hereof another Right Certificate or Right Certificates for the number of
whole Rights not exercised.
Subject to the provisions of the Rights Agreement, the Rights
evidenced by this Certificate (i) may be redeemed by the Company at a
redemption price of $.01 per Right or (ii) may be exchanged in whole or in
part for shares of the Company's Common Stock, without par value, or shares
of Preferred Stock.
No fractional shares of Preferred Stock or Common Stock will be
issued upon the exercise or exchange of any Right or Rights evidenced hereby
(other than fractions of Preferred Stock which are integral multiples of one
one-thousandth of a share of Preferred Stock, which may, at the election of
the Company, be evidenced by depository receipts), but in lieu thereof a cash
payment will be made, as provided in the Rights Agreement.
No holder of this Right Certificate, as such, shall be entitled to
vote or receive dividends or be deemed for any purpose the holder of the
Preferred Stock or of any other securities of the Company which may at any
time be issuable on the exercise or exchange hereof, nor shall anything
contained in the Rights Agreement or herein be construed
<PAGE>
to confer upon the holder hereof, as such, any of the rights of a stockholder
of the Company or any right to vote for the election of directors or upon any
matter submitted to stockholders at any meeting thereof, or to give or
withhold consent to any corporate action, or to receive notice of meetings or
other actions affecting stockholders (except as provided in the Rights
Agreement) or to receive dividends or subscription rights, or otherwise,
until the Right or Rights evidenced by this Right Certificate shall have been
exercised or exchanged as provided in the Rights Agreement.
This Right Certificate shall not be valid or obligatory for any
purpose until it shall have been countersigned by the Rights Agent.
WITNESS the facsimile signature of the proper officers of the
Company and its corporate seal. Dated as of _________ __, 199_.
VLSI TECHNOLOGY, INC.
By:
---------------------------------
[Title]
ATTEST:
- --------------------------------
[Title]
Countersigned:
BANKBOSTON, N.A., as Rights Agent
By
------------------------------
[Title]
<PAGE>
Form of Reverse Side of Right Certificate
FORM OF ASSIGNMENT
(To be executed by the registered holder if such
holder desires to transfer the Right Certificate)
FOR VALUE RECEIVED __________________________ hereby sells, assigns
and transfers unto ______________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
(Please print name and address of transferee)
_______ Rights represented by this Right Certificate, together with all right,
title and interest therein, and does hereby irrevocably constitute and appoint
___________________________ Attorney, to transfer said Rights on the books of
the within-named Company, with full power of substitution.
Dated:
---------------------------
----------------------------------
Signature
Signature Guaranteed:
Signatures must be guaranteed by a bank, trust company, broker,
dealer or other eligible institution participating in a recognized signature
guarantee medallion program.
..........................................................
(To be completed)
The undersigned hereby certifies that the Rights evidenced by this
Right Certificate are not beneficially owned by, were not acquired by the
undersigned from, and are not being assigned to an Acquiring Person or an
Affiliate or Associate thereof (as defined in the Rights Agreement).
----------------------------------
Signature
<PAGE>
Form of Reverse Side of Right Certificate - continued
FORM OF ELECTION TO PURCHASE
(To be executed if holder desires to exercise
Rights represented by the Rights Certificate)
To VLSI TECHNOLOGY, INC.:
The undersigned hereby irrevocably elects to exercise ________ Rights
represented by this Right Certificate to purchase the shares of Preferred Stock
(or other securities or property) issuable upon the exercise of such Rights and
requests that certificates for such shares of Preferred Stock (or such other
securities) be issued in the name of:
________________________________________________________________________________
(Please print name and address)
________________________________________________________________________________
If such number of Rights shall not be all the Rights evidenced by this Right
Certificate, a new Right Certificate for the balance remaining of such Rights
shall be registered in the name of and delivered to:
Please insert social security
or other identifying number
________________________________________________________________________________
(Please print name and address)
________________________________________________________________________________
Dated:
--------------------------
---------------------------------------
Signature
(Signature must conform to holder specified on Right Certificate)
Signature Guaranteed:
Signature must be guaranteed by a bank, trust company, broker, dealer
or other eligible institution participating in a recognized signature guarantee
medallion program.
<PAGE>
Form of Reverse Side of Right Certificate - continued
________________________________________________________________________________
(To be completed)
The undersigned certifies that the Rights evidenced by this Right
Certificate are not beneficially owned by, and were not acquired by the
undersigned from, an Acquiring Person or an Affiliate or Associate thereof (as
defined in the Rights Agreement).
---------------------------------------
Signature
________________________________________________________________________________
NOTICE
The signature in the Form of Assignment or Form of Election to
Purchase, as the case may be, must conform to the name as written upon the
face of this Right Certificate in every particular, without alteration or
enlargement or any change whatsoever.
In the event the certification set forth above in the Form of
Assignment or the Form of Election to Purchase, as the case may be, is not
completed, such Assignment or Election to Purchase will not be honored.
<PAGE>
VLSI AMENDS SHAREHOLDER RIGHTS PLAN AND BYLAWS
SAN JOSE, CA, MARCH 8, 1999 -- VLSI Technology, Inc. (Nasdaq:VLSI) announced
today that its Board of Directors has adopted an amended and restated
shareholder rights agreement and by-law amendments. The amendments are
intended to protect the Board of Directors' process of evaluating the
unsolicited tender offer of Royal Philips Electronics.
"The Board of Directors continues to have an open mind concerning the Royal
Philips proposal, despite the fact that Royal Philips commenced an
unsolicited tender offer only four business days after it first made its
proposal," said Alfred J. Stein, chief executive officer of VLSI. "Unlike
many other companies, we have also never sought to build defensive barriers
to proposals by establishing a staggered board of directors or abolishing
action by written consent of the stockholders. The amendments adopted today
merely seek to protect the process that enables the Board to evaluate Royal
Philips' offer."
Under the amended and restated plan adopted on March 7, the rights are
triggered upon the acquisition of 10% of VLSI's common stock (persons
currently holding 10% or more of the stock do not trigger the rights). Prior
to amendment, the rights plan was triggered by any person or group acquiring
20% or more of VLSI's common stock. The rights plan as amended also removes a
10-day window that potentially allowed an acquirer to redeem the rights after
replacing the Board of Directors. In addition, the Board also removed a
"continuing director" provision of the pre-amendment plan to bring the plan
into compliance with a recent Delaware Supreme Court decision. Mr. Stein
stated that "the changes will modernize the rights plan, which was last
amended in 1992. The rights plan and by-law amendments are not intended to
interfere with a transaction that is in the best interests of VLSI and its
stockholders." Mr. Stein confirmed that the Board will continue to have the
ability to redeem the rights prior to any triggering event.
The amendments to the by-laws principally relate to the procedures for
meetings of the Company's stockholders and stockholder action by written
consent. No change in the ability of the stockholders to take action was made.
VLSI Technology, Inc. designs and manufactures custom and semi-custom
integrated circuits for leading firms in the wireless communications,
networking, consumer digital entertainment and advanced computing markets.
The company is based in San Jose, Calif. with 1998 revenues from continuing
operations of $547.8 million, and approximately 2,200 employees worldwide.
For more information, visit the VLSI homepage, www.vlsi.com.
Contacts: ANALYSTS/INVESTORS MEDIA
------------------ -----
Lisa Ewbank Todd Fogarty/Victoria Weld
Director, Investor Relations Kekst And Company
VLSI Technology, Inc. 212-521-4800
408-474-5519
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