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SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
WASHINGTON, D. C. 20549
FORM 8-K
RELATING TO ADOPTION OF A RIGHTS PLAN
PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE
SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934
Date of Report (Date of earliest event reported): October 21, 1999
GILEAD SCIENCES, INC.
(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)
DELAWARE
(State or other jurisdiction of incorporation)
000-19731 94-3047598
(Commission File No.) (IRS Employer Identification No.)
333 LAKESIDE DRIVE
FOSTER CITY, CA 94404
(Address of principal executive offices and zip code)
Registrant's telephone number, including area code: (650) 574-3000
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<PAGE>
ITEM 5. OTHER EVENTS.
On October 21, 1999 the Board of Directors of GILEAD SCIENCES , INC.
(the "Company") approved the amendment of its Share Purchase Rights Plan (the
"Plan") originally adopted November 21, 1994. The amendment to the Plan
provides, among other things, for an increase in the exercise price of the
rights under the Plan to $400 from $60 and extension of the term of the Plan to
October 20, 2009. The rights will continue to trade with Gilead's Common Stock,
unless and until they are separated upon the occurrence of certain future
events.
The rights have certain anti-takeover effects. The rights will cause
substantial dilution to a person or group that attempts to acquire the Company
on terms not approved by the Company's Board of Directors. The rights should not
interfere with any merger or other business combination approved by the Board of
Directors since the rights may be amended to permit such acquisition or redeemed
by the Company at $.01 per right prior to the earliest of (i) the time that a
person or group has acquired beneficial ownership of 15% or more of the Common
Shares or (ii) the final expiration date of the rights. The rights may also be
redeemed following a triggering event associated with an acquisition of 15% or
more of the Common Shares under certain limited circumstances.
ITEM 7. EXHIBITS.
99.1 Press Release, dated as of October 22, 1999 entitled "Gilead
Sciences Amends Stockholder Rights Plan."
99.2 Amended and Restated Rights Agreement dated as of October
21, 1999 between Gilead Sciences, Inc. and ChaseMellon
Shareholder Services, LLC.
1.
<PAGE>
SIGNATURE
Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934,
the registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the
undersigned, thereunto duly authorized.
GILEAD SCIENCES, INC.
Dated: October 21, 1999 By: /s/ MARK L. PERRY
----------------------------------
Mark L. Perry
Senior Vice President,
Chief Financial Officer and
General Counsel
2.
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INDEX TO EXHIBITS
<TABLE>
<S> <C>
99.1 Press Release, dated as of October 22, 1999 entitled "Gilead
Sciences Amends Stockholder Rights Plan."
99.2 Amended and Restated Rights Agreement dated as of October 21,
1999 between Gilead Sciences, Inc. and ChaseMellon
Shareholder Services, L.L.C.
</TABLE>
3.
<PAGE>
EXHIBIT 99.1
CONTACTS: Mark Perry
Senior Vice President,
Chief Financial Officer
and General Counsel
650-522-5772
Susan Hubbard
Investor Relations
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 650-522-5715
GILEAD SCIENCES AMENDS STOCKHOLDER RIGHTS PLAN
FOSTER CITY, CA, OCTOBER 22, 1999 - Gilead Sciences, Inc. (Nasdaq: GILD) today
announced that its Board of Directors has approved an amendment to its
Stockholder Rights Plan, which was originally adopted in November 1994. The
amendment to the Rights Plan provides, among other things, for an increase in
the exercise price of the rights under the Rights Plan from $60 to $400 and an
extension of the term of the Rights Plan to October 20, 2009.
The Rights Plan is designed to enable all Gilead stockholders to realize the
full value of their investment and to provide for fair and equal treatment for
all stockholders in the event that an unsolicited attempt is made to acquire
Gilead. The amendment of the Rights Plan is not in response to any particular
proposal.
The rights will continue to trade with Gilead's Common Stock, unless and until
they are separated upon the occurrence of certain future events. Gilead's Board
of Directors may terminate the Rights Plan at any time or redeem the rights
prior to the time a person acquires more than 15% of Gilead's Common Stock. The
Gilead Board of Directors will also have the ability to redeem the rights under
limited circumstances following an acquisition of more than 15% of Gilead's
Common Stock. The amended Rights Plan will be filed with the Securities and
Exchange Commission in a Form 8-K
Gilead Sciences, headquartered in Foster City, CA, is an independent
biopharmaceutical company that seeks to provide accelerated solutions for
patients and the people who care for them. The Company discovers, develops,
manufactures and commercializes proprietary therapeutics for challenging
infectious diseases (viral, fungal and bacterial infections) and cancer. Gilead
maintains research, development or manufacturing facilities in Foster City, CA,
Boulder, CO, San Dimas, CA, and Cambridge, UK, and sales and marketing
organizations in the United States, Europe and Australia. For more information
about Gilead, visit the company's Web site at www.gilead.com.
# # #
<PAGE>
EXHIBIT 99.2
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GILEAD SCIENCES, INC.
AND
CHASEMELLON SHAREHOLDER SERVICES, L.L.C.
AS RIGHTS AGENT
AMENDED AND RESTATED
RIGHTS AGREEMENT
DATED AS OF OCTOBER 21, 1999
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<PAGE>
TABLE OF CONTENTS
<TABLE>
PAGE
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<S> <C> <C>
SECTION 1. CERTAIN DEFINITIONS...................................................................................1
SECTION 2. APPOINTMENT OF RIGHTS AGENT...........................................................................4
SECTION 3. ISSUE OF RIGHTS CERTIFICATES..........................................................................4
SECTION 4. FORM OF RIGHTS CERTIFICATES...........................................................................6
SECTION 5. COUNTERSIGNATURE AND REGISTRATION.....................................................................6
SECTION 6. TRANSFER, SPLIT UP, COMBINATION AND EXCHANGE OF RIGHTS
CERTIFICATES; MUTILATED, DESTROYED, LOST OR STOLEN
RIGHTS CERTIFICATES...................................................................................7
SECTION 7. EXERCISE OF RIGHTS; PURCHASE PRICE; EXPIRATION DATE OF RIGHTS.........................................8
SECTION 8. CANCELLATION AND DESTRUCTION OF RIGHTS CERTIFICATES...................................................9
SECTION 9. AVAILABILITY OF PREFERRED SHARES......................................................................9
SECTION 10. PREFERRED SHARES RECORD DATE........................................................................10
SECTION 11. ADJUSTMENT OF PURCHASE PRICE, NUMBER OF SHARES OR NUMBER OF RIGHTS..................................11
SECTION 12. CERTIFICATE OF ADJUSTED PURCHASE PRICE OR NUMBER OF SHARES..........................................17
SECTION 13. CONSOLIDATION, MERGER OR SALE OR TRANSFER OF ASSETS OR EARNING POWER................................18
SECTION 14. FRACTIONAL RIGHTS AND FRACTIONAL SHARES.............................................................20
SECTION 15. RIGHTS OF ACTION....................................................................................22
SECTION 16. AGREEMENT OF RIGHT HOLDERS..........................................................................22
SECTION 17. RIGHTS CERTIFICATE HOLDER NOT DEEMED A STOCKHOLDER..................................................22
SECTION 18. CONCERNING THE RIGHTS AGENT.........................................................................23
SECTION 19. MERGER OR CONSOLIDATION OR CHANGE OF NAME OF RIGHTS AGENT...........................................23
SECTION 20. DUTIES OF RIGHTS AGENT..............................................................................24
SECTION 21. CHANGE OF RIGHTS AGENT..............................................................................26
SECTION 22. ISSUANCE OF NEW RIGHTS CERTIFICATES.................................................................27
SECTION 23. REDEMPTION..........................................................................................27
SECTION 24. EXCHANGE............................................................................................28
SECTION 25. NOTICE OF CERTAIN EVENTS............................................................................30
SECTION 26. NOTICES.............................................................................................31
SECTION 27. SUPPLEMENTS AND AMENDMENTS..........................................................................31
SECTION 28. DETERMINATION AND ACTIONS BY THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS, ETC............................................32
SECTION 29. SUCCESSORS..........................................................................................32
i.
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
(CONTINUED)
PAGE
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<S> <C> <C>
SECTION 30. BENEFITS OF THIS AGREEMENT..........................................................................32
SECTION 31. SEVERABILITY........................................................................................32
SECTION 32. GOVERNING LAW.......................................................................................33
SECTION 33. COUNTERPARTS........................................................................................33
SECTION 34. DESCRIPTIVE HEADINGS................................................................................33
</TABLE>
ii.
<PAGE>
AMENDED AND RESTATED RIGHTS AGREEMENT
THIS AMENDED AND RESTATED RIGHTS AGREEMENT ("Agreement"), dated as of
October 21, 1999, between Gilead Sciences, Inc., a Delaware corporation (the
"Company"), and ChaseMellon Shareholder Services, L.L.C. ("Rights Agent").
A. The Company previously entered into a Rights Agreement, dated as
of November 21, 1994, with First Interstate Bank, the predecessor entity to
ChaseMellon Shareholder Services, L.L.C., as Rights Agent (the "Original
Rights Agreement), pursuant to which the Company authorized and declared a
dividend of one preferred share purchase right (a "Right") for each Common
Share (as such term is hereinafter defined) outstanding at the close of
business on December 14, 1994 (the "Record Date"), each Right representing
the right to purchase one one-hundredth of a Preferred Share (as such term is
hereinafter defined), upon the terms and subject to the conditions therein
set forth, and further authorized and directed the issuance of one Right with
respect to each Common Share that shall become outstanding between the Record
Date and the earliest to occur of the Distribution Date, the Redemption Date
and the Final Expiration Date (as such terms are defined in the Original
Rights Agreement); PROVIDED, HOWEVER, that Rights may be issued with respect
to Common Shares that shall become outstanding after the Distribution Date
and prior to the earlier of the Redemption Date and the Final Expiration Date
in accordance with the provisions of Section 22 hereof.
B. The Company now wishes to amend and restate the Original Rights
Agreement as further set forth herein.
Accordingly, in consideration of the premises and the mutual agreements
herein set forth, the Original Rights Agreement is hereby amended and restated
as follows:
SECTION 1. CERTAIN DEFINITIONS. For purposes of this Agreement, the following
terms have the meanings indicated:
(a) "ACQUIRING PERSON" shall mean any Person (as such term is
hereinafter defined) who or which, together with all Affiliates and
Associates (as such terms are hereinafter defined) of such Person, shall be
the Beneficial Owner (as such term is hereinafter defined) of 15% or more of
the Common Shares then outstanding. Notwithstanding the foregoing, (A) the
term Acquiring Person shall not include (i) the Company, (ii) any Subsidiary
(as such term is hereinafter defined) of the Company, (iii) any employee
benefit or compensation plan of the Company or any Subsidiary of the Company,
(iv) any entity holding Common Shares for or pursuant to the terms of any
such employee benefit or compensation plan, and (B) no Person shall become an
"Acquiring Person" either (x) as the result of an acquisition of Common
Shares by the Company which, by reducing the number of shares outstanding,
increases the proportionate number of shares beneficially owned by such
Person to 15% or more of the Common Shares then outstanding; PROVIDED,
HOWEVER, that if a Person shall become the Beneficial Owner of 15% or more of
the Common Shares then outstanding by reason of share purchases by the
Company and shall, following written notice from, or public disclosure by the
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Company of such share purchases by the Company, become the Beneficial Owner
of any additional Common Shares without the prior consent of the Company and
shall then Beneficially Own more than 15% of the Common Shares then
outstanding, then such Person shall be deemed to be an "Acquiring Person," or
(y) if the Board of Directors determines in good faith that a Person who
would otherwise be an "Acquiring Person," as defined pursuant to the
foregoing provisions of this paragraph (a), has become such inadvertently,
and such Person divests, as promptly as practicable (as determined in good
faith by the Board of Directors), but in any event within five (5) Business
Days, following receipt of written notice from the Company of such event, of
Beneficial Ownership of a sufficient number of Common Shares so that such
Person would no longer be an Acquiring Person, as defined pursuant to the
foregoing provisions of this paragraph (a), then such Person shall not be
deemed to be an "Acquiring Person" for any purposes of this Agreement;
PROVIDED, HOWEVER, that if such Person shall again become the Beneficial
Owner of 15% or more of the Common Shares then outstanding, such Person shall
be deemed an "Acquiring Person," subject to the exceptions set forth in this
Section 1(a).
(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 Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the "Exchange Act"), as in
effect on the date of this Agreement; PROVIDED, HOWEVER, that the limited
partners of a limited partnership shall not be deemed to be Associates of such
limited partnership solely by virtue of their limited partnership interests.
(c) A Person shall be deemed the "BENEFICIAL OWNER" 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, within the meaning of Rule 13d-3 of
the General Rules and Regulations under Section 13(d) of the Exchange Act as in
effect on the date of this Agreement;
(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 (other than these Rights), warrants or options, or otherwise;
PROVIDED, HOWEVER, that a Person shall not be deemed the Beneficial Owner of, or
to beneficially own, 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 or exchange;
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 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 with which such Person or any of such Person's Affiliates or
Associates has any agreement,
2
<PAGE>
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 to
the extent contemplated by the proviso to Section 1(c)(ii)(B) hereof) or
disposing of any securities of the Company.
Notwithstanding anything in this definition of Beneficial Ownership to
the contrary, the phrase, "then outstanding," when used with reference to a
Person's Beneficial Ownership of securities of the Company, shall mean the
number of such securities then issued and outstanding together with the number
of such securities not then actually issued and outstanding which such Person
would be deemed to own beneficially hereunder.
(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 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., Pacific
Time, on such date; PROVIDED, HOWEVER, that if such date is not a Business Day
it shall mean 5:00 p.m., Pacific Time, on the next succeeding Business Day.
(f) "COMMON SHARES" shall mean the shares of common stock, par value
$.001 per share, of the Company; PROVIDED, HOWEVER, that, "Common Shares," when
used in this Agreement in connection with a specific reference to any Person
other than the Company, shall mean the capital stock (or 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) "DISTRIBUTION DATE" shall have the meaning set forth in Section
3(a) hereof.
(h) "FINAL EXPIRATION DATE" shall have the meaning set forth in Section
7(a) hereof.
(i) "INTERESTED STOCKHOLDER" shall mean any Acquiring Person or any
Affiliate or Associate of an Acquiring Person or any other Person in which any
such Acquiring Person, Affiliate or Associate has an interest, or any other
Person acting directly or indirectly on behalf of or in concert with any such
Acquiring Person, Affiliate or Associate.
(j) "PERSON" shall mean any individual, firm, partnership, limited
liability company, corporation or other entity, and shall include any successor
(by merger or otherwise) of such entity.
(k) "PREFERRED SHARES" shall mean shares of Series A Junior
Participating Preferred Stock, par value $.001 per share, of the Company having
the designations and the powers, preferences and rights, and the qualifications,
limitations and restrictions set forth in the Certificate of Designation filed
with the Delaware Secretary of State on November 30, 1994.
(l) "PRINCIPAL PARTY" shall have the meaning set forth in Section 13(b)
hereof.
(m) "PURCHASE PRICE" shall have the meaning set forth in Section 7(b)
hereof.
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(n) "REDEMPTION DATE" shall have the meaning set forth in Section 7(a)
hereof.
(o) "SHARES ACQUISITION DATE" shall mean the first date of public
announcement by the Company or an Acquiring Person that an Acquiring Person has
become such; PROVIDED, HOWEVER that, if such Person is determined not to have
become an Acquiring Person pursuant to clause (y) of Subsection 1(a)(B) hereof,
then no Shares Acquisition Date shall be deemed to have occurred.
(p) "SUBSIDIARY" of any Person shall mean any corporation or other
entity of which a majority of the voting power of the voting equity securities
or equity interest is owned, directly or indirectly, by such Person.
(q) "TRANSACTION" shall mean any merger, consolidation or sale of
assets described in Section 13(a) hereof or any acquisition of Common Shares
which would result in a Person becoming an Acquiring Person or a Principal Party
(as such term is hereinafter defined).
(r) "TRANSACTION PERSON" with respect to a Transaction shall mean (i)
any Person who (x) is or will become an Acquiring Person or a Principal Party
(as such term is hereinafter defined) if the Transaction were to be consummated
and (y) directly or indirectly proposed or nominated a director of the Company
which director is in office at the time of consideration of the Transaction, or
(ii) an Affiliate or Associate of such a Person.
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 RIGHTS CERTIFICATES.
(a) Until the earlier of (i) the Close of Business on the Shares
Acquisition Date or (ii) the Close of Business on the tenth Business Day (or
such later 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 (determined in accordance with Rule 14d-2 under the Exchange Act)
by any Person (other than the Company, any Subsidiary of the Company, any
employee benefit plan of the Company or of any Subsidiary of the Company or any
entity holding Common Shares for or pursuant to the terms of any such plan) of,
or of the first public announcement of the intention of any Person (other than
the Company, any Subsidiary of the Company, any employee benefit plan of the
Company or of any Subsidiary of the Company or any entity holding Common Shares
for or pursuant to the terms of any such plan) to commence, a tender or exchange
offer (which intention to commence remains in effect for five (5) Business Days
after such announcement), the consummation of which would result in any Person
becoming an Acquiring Person (including any such date which is after the date of
this Agreement and prior to the issuance of the Rights, the earlier of such
dates being herein referred to as the "Distribution Date"), (x) the Rights will
be evidenced by the certificates for Common Shares registered in the names of
the holders thereof (which certificates shall also be deemed to be Rights
Certificates) and not by separate Rights Certificates, and (y) the Rights (and
the right to receive Rights Certificates therefor) will be transferable only in
connection with the transfer of
4
<PAGE>
Common Shares. As soon as practicable after the Distribution Date, the Company
will 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
Shares as of the Close of Business on the Distribution Date, at the address of
such holder shown on the records of the Company, a Rights Certificate, in
substantially the form of Exhibit A hereto (a "Rights Certificate"), evidencing
one Right for each Common Share so held, subject to the adjustment provisions of
Section 11 of this Agreement. As of the Distribution Date, the Rights will be
evidenced solely by such Rights Certificates.
(b) With respect to certificates for Common Shares that were
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. Until the Distribution Date (or the earlier of the Redemption Date and
the Final Expiration Date), the surrender for transfer of any certificate for
Common Shares that were outstanding on the Record Date shall also constitute the
transfer of the Rights associated with the Common Shares represented thereby.
(c) Certificates for Common Shares which become outstanding (including,
without limitation, reacquired Common Shares referred to in the last sentence of
this paragraph (c)) after the effective date of this Agreement but prior to the
earliest of the Distribution Date, the Redemption Date or the Final Expiration
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 an Amended
and Restated Rights Agreement between Gilead Sciences, Inc.
and ChaseMellon Shareholder Services, L.L.C., dated as of
October 21, 1999, 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 executive offices of Gilead Sciences, Inc. Under
certain circumstances, as set forth in the Rights Agreement,
such Rights will be evidenced by separate certificates and
will no longer be evidenced by this certificate. Gilead
Sciences, Inc. will mail to the holder of this certificate a
copy of the Rights Agreement without charge after receipt of
a written request therefor. As described in the Rights
Agreement, Rights issued to any Person who becomes an
Acquiring Person (as defined in the Agreement) shall become
null and void.
With respect to such certificates containing the foregoing legend,
until the Distribution Date, the Rights associated with the Common Shares
represented by such certificates shall be evidenced by such certificates alone,
and the surrender for transfer of any such certificate shall also constitute the
transfer of the Rights associated with the Common Shares represented thereby. In
the event that the Company purchases or acquires any Common Shares after the
Record Date but prior to the Distribution Date, any Rights associated with such
Common Shares shall be deemed canceled and retired so that the Company shall not
be entitled to exercise any Rights associated with the Common Shares which are
no longer outstanding. Notwithstanding this Section 3(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.
5
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SECTION 4. FORM OF RIGHTS CERTIFICATES.
(a) The Rights Certificates (and the form of election to purchase
Preferred Shares, the form of assignment and the form of certification to be
printed on the reverse thereof) shall be substantially the same as 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 which do not affect the duties or responsibilities of the Rights
Agent 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
quotation system on which the Rights may from time to time be listed, or to
conform to usage. Subject to the provisions of Sections 7, 11 and 22 hereof, the
Rights Certificates shall entitle the holders thereof to purchase such number of
one one-hundredths of a Preferred Share as shall be set forth therein at the
price per one one-hundredth of a Preferred Share set forth therein (the
"Purchase Price"), but the number of such one one-hundredths of a Preferred
Share and the Purchase Price shall be subject to adjustment as provided herein.
(b) Any Rights Certificate issued pursuant to Section 3(a) or Section
22 hereof that represents Rights which are null and void pursuant to Section
11(a)(ii) hereof and any Rights Certificate issued pursuant to Section 6 or
Section 11 hereof upon transfer, exchange, replacement or adjustment of any
other Rights Certificate referred to in this sentence, shall contain (to the
extent feasible) the following legend:
The Rights represented by this Rights Certificate are
or were beneficially owned by a Person who was or became an
Acquiring Person or an Affiliate or Associate of an Acquiring
Person (as such terms are defined in the Amended and Restated
Rights Agreement between Gilead Sciences, Inc. and ChaseMellon
Shareholder Services, L.L.C.). Accordingly, this Rights
Certificate and the Rights represented hereby are null and void.
The provisions of Section 11(a)(ii) hereof shall be operative
whether or not the foregoing legend is contained on any such Rights
Certificate.
SECTION 5. COUNTERSIGNATURE AND REGISTRATION. The Rights Certificates shall
be executed on behalf of the Company by its Chairman of the Board, its Chief
Executive Officer, its President, its Vice Chairman of the Board, its Chief
Financial Officer, or any of its Vice Presidents, 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 or an Assistant
Secretary of the Company, either manually or by facsimile signature. The
Rights 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 Rights Certificates shall
cease to be such officer of the Company before countersignature by the Rights
Agent and issuance and delivery by the Company, such Rights 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 Rights Certificates had not ceased to be such officer of the
Company; and any Rights Certificate may be signed on behalf of the Company by
any person who, at the actual date of the execution of such Rights
Certificate, shall be a proper
6
<PAGE>
officer of the Company to sign such Rights Certificate, although at the date of
the execution of this Agreement any such person was not such an officer.
Following the Distribution Date and receipt by the Rights Agent of the
notice and list of record holders of Rights referred to in Section 3(a), the
Rights Agent will keep or cause to be kept, at its office designated pursuant to
Section 26 hereof for such purpose, books for registration and transfer of the
Rights Certificates issued hereunder. Such books shall show the names and
addresses of the respective holders of the Rights Certificates, the number of
Rights evidenced on its face by each of the Rights Certificates and the date of
each of the Rights Certificates.
SECTION 6. TRANSFER, SPLIT UP, COMBINATION AND EXCHANGE OF RIGHTS
CERTIFICATES; MUTILATED, DESTROYED, LOST OR STOLEN RIGHTS CERTIFICATES.
Subject to the provisions of Section 11(a)(ii), Section 14 and Section 24
hereof, at any time after the Close of Business on the Distribution Date, and
at or prior to the Close of Business on the earlier of the Redemption Date or
the Final Expiration Date, any Rights Certificate or Rights Certificates may
be transferred, split up, combined or exchanged for another Rights
Certificate or Rights Certificates, entitling the registered holder to
purchase a like number of one one-hundredths of a Preferred Share as the
Rights Certificate or Rights Certificates surrendered then entitled such
holder to purchase. Any registered holder desiring to transfer, split up,
combine or exchange any Rights Certificate or Rights Certificates shall make
such request in writing delivered to the Rights Agent, and shall surrender
the Rights Certificate or Rights Certificates to be transferred, split up,
combined or exchanged at the office of the Rights Agent designated for such
purpose. Neither the Rights Agent nor the Company shall be obligated to take
any action whatsoever with respect to the transfer of any such surrendered
Rights Certificate until the registered holder shall have completed and
signed the certificate contained in the form of assignment on the reverse
side of such Rights Certificate and shall have provided such additional
evidence of the identity of the Beneficial Owner (or former Beneficial Owner)
or Affiliates or Associates thereof as the Company or the Rights Agent shall
reasonably request. Thereupon the Rights Agent shall, subject to Section
11(a)(ii), Section 14 and Section 24 hereof, countersign and deliver to the
person entitled thereto a Rights Certificate or Rights 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 be imposed in
connection with any transfer, split up, combination or exchange of Rights
Certificates. The Rights Agent shall not be required to process the
transaction unless and until it receives evidence that all taxes and charges
have been paid.
Upon receipt by the Company and the Rights Agent of evidence
reasonably satisfactory to them of the loss, theft, destruction or mutilation
of a Rights Certificate, and, in case of loss, theft or destruction, of
indemnity or security 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 Rights Certificate if mutilated, the Company will issue, execute and
deliver a new Rights Certificate of like tenor to the Rights Agent for
countersignature and delivery to the registered holder in lieu of the Rights
Certificate so lost, stolen, destroyed or mutilated.
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Notwithstanding any other provisions hereof, the Company and the Rights
Agent may amend this Agreement to provide for uncertificated Rights in addition
to or in place of Rights evidenced by Rights Certificates.
SECTION 7. EXERCISE OF RIGHTS; PURCHASE PRICE; EXPIRATION DATE OF RIGHTS.
(a) The registered holder of any Rights Certificate may exercise the
Rights evidenced thereby (except as otherwise provided herein) in whole or in
part at any time after the Distribution Date upon surrender of the Rights
Certificate, with the form of election to purchase on the reverse side thereof
duly executed, to the Rights Agent at the office or offices of the Rights Agent
designated for such purpose, together with payment of the Purchase Price for
each one one-hundredth of a Preferred Share (or such other number of shares or
other securities) as to which the Rights are exercised, at or prior to the
earliest of (i) the Close of Business on October 20, 2009 (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 (the "Purchase Price") for each one
one-hundredth of a Preferred Share pursuant to the exercise of a Right shall
initially be $400 and 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) below.
(c) Upon receipt of a Rights Certificate representing exercisable
Rights, with the form of election to purchase duly executed, accompanied by
payment of the Purchase Price for the shares to be purchased and an amount
equal to any applicable tax or governmental charge required to be paid by the
holder of such Rights Certificate in accordance with Section 9 hereof by
certified check, cashier's check, bank draft or money order payable to the
order of the Company, the Rights Agent shall thereupon promptly (i) (A)
requisition from any transfer agent for the Preferred Shares certificates for
the number of Preferred Shares to be purchased and the Company hereby
irrevocably authorizes its transfer agent to comply with all such requests,
or (B) if the Company, in its sole discretion, shall have elected to deposit
the Preferred Shares issuable upon exercise of the Rights hereunder into a
depository, requisition from the depositary agent depositary receipts
representing such number of one one-hundredths of a Preferred Share as are to
be purchased (in which case certificates for the Preferred Shares represented
by such receipts shall be deposited by the transfer agent with the depositary
agent) and the Company hereby directs the 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) 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 Rights Certificate, registered in such name or
names as may be designated by such holder and (iv) when appropriate, after
receipt, deliver such cash to or upon the order of the registered holder of
such Rights Certificate. In the event that the Company is obligated to issue
securities of the Company other than Preferred Shares (including Common
Shares) of the Company pursuant to Section 11(a) hereof, the Company will
make all arrangements necessary so that such other securities are available
for distribution by the Rights Agent, if and when necessary to comply with
this Agreement.
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In addition, in the case of an exercise of the Rights by a holder
pursuant to Section 11(a)(ii) hereof, the Rights Agent shall return such Rights
Certificate to the registered holder thereof after imprinting, stamping or
otherwise indicating thereon that the rights represented by such Rights
Certificate no longer include the rights provided by Section 11(a)(ii) hereof,
and, if fewer than all the Rights represented by such Rights Certificate were so
exercised, the Rights Agent shall indicate on the Rights Certificate the number
of Rights represented thereby which continue to include the rights provided by
Section 11(a)(ii) hereof.
(d) In case the registered holder of any Rights Certificate shall
exercise fewer than all the Rights evidenced thereby, a new Rights Certificate
evidencing Rights equivalent to the Rights remaining unexercised shall be issued
by the Rights Agent to the registered holder of such Rights Certificate or to
his duly authorized assigns, subject to the provisions of Section 6 and Section
14 hereof.
(e) The Company covenants and agrees that it will cause to be reserved
and kept available out of its authorized and unissued Preferred Shares or any
Preferred Shares held in its treasury, the number of Preferred Shares that will
be sufficient to permit the exercise in full of all outstanding Rights in
accordance with this Section 7.
(f) 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 upon the occurrence of any purported exercise as
set forth in this Section 7 unless such registered holder shall have (i)
properly completed and signed the certification following the form of election
to purchase set forth on the reverse side of the Rights Certificate surrendered
for such exercise and (ii) provided such additional evidence of the identity of
the Beneficial Owner (or former Beneficial Owner) or Affiliates or Associates
thereof as the Company or the Rights Agent shall reasonably request.
SECTION 8. CANCELLATION AND DESTRUCTION OF RIGHTS CERTIFICATES. All Rights
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 delivered or surrendered to the Rights Agent, shall be canceled by it,
and no Rights 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 Rights Certificate purchased or acquired by the
Company otherwise than upon the exercise thereof. The Rights Agent shall deliver
all canceled Rights Certificates to the Company approximately one and one-half
years after the cancellation date, or shall, at the written request of the
Company, destroy such canceled Rights Certificates, and in such case shall
deliver a certificate of destruction thereof to the Company.
SECTION 9. AVAILABILITY OF PREFERRED SHARES. The Company covenants and agrees
that so long as the Preferred Shares (and, after the time a person becomes an
Acquiring Person, Common Shares or any other securities) issuable upon the
exercise of the Rights may be listed on any stock exchange or quotation system,
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 on
such exchange or quotation system upon official notice of issuance upon such
exercise.
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The Company covenants and agrees that it will take all such action as
may be necessary to ensure that all Preferred Shares (or Common Shares and other
securities, as the case may be) delivered upon exercise of Rights shall, at the
time of delivery of the certificates for such Preferred Shares (subject to
payment of the Purchase Price), be duly and validly authorized and issued and
fully paid and nonassessable shares or other securities.
The Company further covenants and agrees that it will pay when due and
payable any and all taxes and governmental charges which may be payable in
respect of the issuance or delivery of the Rights Certificates or of any
Preferred Shares upon the exercise of Rights. The Company shall not, HOWEVER, be
required to pay any tax or governmental charges which may be payable in respect
of any transfer or delivery of Rights Certificates to a person other than, or
the issuance or delivery of certificates or depositary receipts for the
Preferred Shares in a name other than that of, the registered holder of the
Rights Certificate evidencing Rights surrendered for exercise or to issue or to
deliver any certificates or depositary receipts for Preferred Shares upon the
exercise of any Rights until any such tax shall have been paid (any such tax
being payable by the holder of such Rights Certificate at the time of surrender)
or until it has been established to the Company's reasonable satisfaction that
no such tax is due.
As soon as practicable after the Distribution Date, the Company shall
use its best efforts to:
(i) prepare and file a registration statement under the Securities
Act of 1933, as amended (the "Act"), with respect to the Rights and the
securities purchasable upon exercise of the Rights on an appropriate form, will
use its best efforts to cause such registration statement to become effective as
soon as practicable after such filing and will use its best efforts to cause
such registration statement to remain effective (with a prospectus at all times
meeting the requirements of the Act) until the Final Expiration Date; and
(ii) use its best efforts to qualify or register the Rights and
the securities purchasable upon exercise of the Rights under the blue sky laws
of such jurisdictions as may be necessary or appropriate.
The Company shall notify the Rights Agent whenever it makes a public
announcement pursuant to this Section 9 and shall provide the Rights Agent with
a copy of any such announcement.
SECTION 10. PREFERRED SHARES RECORD DATE. Each Person in whose name any
certificate for Preferred Shares or other securities is issued upon the exercise
of Rights shall for all purposes be deemed to have become the holder of record
of the Preferred Shares or other securities represented thereby on, and such
certificate shall be dated, the date upon which the Rights Certificate
evidencing such Rights was duly surrendered with the forms of election and
certification duly executed and payment of the Purchase Price (and any
applicable taxes and governmental charges) was made; PROVIDED, HOWEVER, that if
the date of such surrender and payment is a date upon which the Preferred Shares
or other securities 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 Shares or other securities transfer books of the Company are open.
Prior to the
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exercise of the Rights evidenced thereby, the holder of a Rights Certificate, as
such, shall not be entitled to any rights of a holder of Preferred Shares for
which the Rights shall be exercisable, including, without limitation, the right
to vote, to receive dividends or other distributions or to exercise any
preemptive rights, 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 OF SHARES OR NUMBER OF RIGHTS.
The Purchase Price, the number of Preferred Shares covered by 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 a dividend on the Preferred Shares payable in
Preferred Shares, (B) subdivide the outstanding Preferred Shares, (C) combine
the outstanding Preferred Shares into a smaller number of Preferred Shares or
(D) issue any shares of its capital stock in a reclassification of the Preferred
Shares (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 Purchase Price in effect
at the time of the record date for such dividend or of the effective date of
such subdivision, combination or reclassification, and the number and kind of
shares of capital stock issuable on such date, 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 Shares transfer books of the Company were open, such holder would have
owned upon such exercise and been entitled to receive by virtue of such
dividend, subdivision, combination or reclassification; 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. If an event occurs which would require an
adjustment under both Section 11(a)(i) and Section 11(a)(ii) hereof, the
adjustment provided for in this Section 11(a)(i) shall be in addition to, and
shall be made prior to any adjustment required pursuant to Section 11(a)(ii)
hereof.
(ii) Subject to Section 24 hereof and the provisions of the
next paragraph of this Section 11(a)(ii), in the event any Person shall
become an Acquiring Person, each holder of a Right shall, for a period of 60
days after the later of such time any Person becomes an Acquiring Person or
the effective date of an appropriate registration statement under the Act
pursuant to Section 9 hereof (provided, however that, if at any time prior to
the expiration or termination of the Rights there shall be a temporary
restraining order, a preliminary injunction, an injunction, or temporary
suspension by the Board of Directors, or similar obstacle to exercise of the
Rights (the "Injunction") which prevents exercise of the Rights, a new 60-day
period shall commence on the date the Injunction is removed), have a right to
receive, upon exercise thereof at a price equal to the then current Purchase
Price multiplied by the number of one one-hundredths of a Preferred Share for
which a Right is then exercisable, in accordance with the terms of this
Agreement and in lieu of Preferred Shares, such number of Common Shares as
shall equal the result obtained by (A) multiplying the then current Purchase
Price by the number of one one-hundredths of a
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Preferred Share for which a Right is then exercisable and dividing that
product by (B) 50% of the then current per share market price of the Common
Shares (determined pursuant to Section 11(d) hereof) on the date such Person
became an Acquiring Person; PROVIDED, HOWEVER, that if the transaction that
would otherwise give rise to the foregoing adjustment is also subject to the
provisions of Section 13 hereof, then only the provisions of Section 13
hereof shall apply and no adjustment shall be made pursuant to this Section
11(a)(ii). In the event that any Person shall become an Acquiring Person and
the Rights shall then be outstanding, the Company shall not take any action
which would eliminate or diminish the benefits intended to be afforded by the
Rights.
Notwithstanding anything in this Agreement to the contrary, from and
after the time any Person becomes an Acquiring Person, any Rights beneficially
owned by (i) such Acquiring Person or an Associate or Affiliate of such
Acquiring Person, (ii) a transferee of such Acquiring Person (or of any such
Associate or Affiliate) who becomes a transferee after the Acquiring Person
became such, or (iii) a transferee of such Acquiring Person (or of any such
Associate or Affiliate) who becomes a transferee prior to or concurrently with
the Acquiring Person's becoming such and receives such Rights pursuant to either
(A) a transfer (whether or not for consideration) from the Acquiring Person to
holders of equity interests in such Acquiring Person or to any Person with whom
the Acquiring Person has any continuing agreement, arrangement or understanding
regarding the transferred Rights or (B) a transfer which the Board of Directors
of the Company has determined is part of a plan, arrangement or understanding
which has as a primary purpose or effect the avoidance of this Section
11(a)(ii), shall become null and void without any further action and no holder
of such Rights shall have any rights whatsoever with respect to such Rights,
whether under any provision of this Agreement or otherwise. The Company shall
use all reasonable efforts to insure that the provisions of this Section
11(a)(ii) and Section 4(b) hereof are complied with, but shall have no liability
to any holder of Rights 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. No Rights Certificate shall be
issued at any time upon the transfer of any Rights to an Acquiring Person whose
Rights would be void pursuant to the preceding sentence or any Associate or
Affiliate thereof or to any nominee of such Acquiring Person, Associate or
Affiliate; and any Rights Certificate delivered to the Rights Agent for transfer
to an Acquiring Person whose Rights would be void pursuant to the preceding
sentence shall be canceled.
(iii) In lieu of issuing Common Shares in accordance with Section
11(a)(ii) hereof, the Company may, if a majority of the Board of Directors then
in office determines that such action is necessary or appropriate and not
contrary to the interests of holders of Rights, elect to (and, in the event that
the Board of Directors has not exercised the exchange right contained in Section
24(c) hereof and there are not sufficient treasury shares and authorized but
unissued Common Shares to permit the exercise in full of the Rights in
accordance with the foregoing subparagraph (ii), the Company shall) take all
such action as may be necessary to authorize, issue or pay, upon the exercise of
the Rights, cash (including by way of a reduction of the Purchase Price),
property, Common Shares, other securities or any combination thereof having an
aggregate value equal to the value of the Common Shares which otherwise would
have been issuable pursuant to Section 11(a)(ii) hereof, which aggregate value
shall be determined by a nationally recognized investment banking firm selected
by a majority of the Board of Directors then in office. For purposes of the
preceding sentence, the value of the Common Shares shall be
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determined pursuant to Section 11(d) hereof. Any such election by the Board of
Directors must be made within 60 days following the date on which the event
described in Section 11(a)(ii) hereof shall have occurred. Following the
occurrence of the event described in Section 11(a)(ii) hereof, a majority of the
Board of Directors then in office may suspend the exercisability of the Rights
for a period of up to 60 days following the date on which the event described in
Section 11(a)(ii) hereof shall have occurred to the extent that such directors
have not determined whether to exercise their rights of election under this
Section 11(a)(iii). 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.
(b) In case the Company shall fix a record date for the issuance of
rights, options or warrants to all holders of Preferred Shares entitling them
(for a period expiring within 45 calendar days after such record date) to
subscribe for or purchase Preferred Shares (or shares having the same
designations and the powers, preferences and rights, and the qualifications,
limitations and restrictions as the Preferred Shares ("equivalent preferred
shares")) or securities convertible into Preferred Shares or equivalent
preferred shares at a price per Preferred Share or equivalent preferred share
(or having a conversion price per share, if a security convertible into
Preferred Shares or equivalent preferred shares) less than the then current per
share market price of the Preferred Shares (as such term is hereinafter defined)
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 Preferred Shares outstanding on such record date plus the number of
Preferred Shares which the aggregate offering price of the total number of
Preferred Shares 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 Preferred Shares outstanding on such record date
plus the number of additional Preferred Shares 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. 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 Shares (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 Shares) 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
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a fraction, the numerator of which shall be the then current per share market
price of the Preferred Shares (as such term is hereinafter defined) 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 Preferred Share and the denominator of which shall be such
current per share market price of the Preferred Shares; 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) 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 and not including
such date; PROVIDED, HOWEVER, that in the event that the current per share
market price of the Security is determined during a 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 or securities convertible into such shares, or (C) 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 in 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 as reported on the Nasdaq National
Market or, if the Security is not listed or admitted to trading on any national
securities exchange or reported on the Nasdaq National Market, 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 the National Association of
Securities Dealers, Inc. Automated Quotations System ("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 or, if on any such date no professional market
maker is making a market in the Security, the price as determined in good faith
by the Board of Directors. 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.
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(ii) For the purpose of any computation hereunder, the "current
per share market price" of the Preferred Shares shall be determined in
accordance with the method set forth in Section 11(d)(i) hereof. If the
Preferred Shares are not publicly traded, the "current per share market price"
of the Preferred Shares shall be conclusively deemed to be the current per share
market price of the Common Shares as determined pursuant to Section 11(d)(i)
hereof (appropriately adjusted to reflect any stock split, stock dividend or
similar transaction occurring after the date hereof) multiplied by one hundred.
If neither the Common Shares nor the Preferred Shares are publicly held or so
listed or 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 the nearest one one-hundredth of a
Preferred Share or one ten-thousandth of any 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 date of the expiration of the right to exercise any Rights.
(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 Preferred Shares,
thereafter the number of such other shares so receivable upon exercise of any
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 Shares contained in Sections 11(a) through 11(c) hereof, inclusive,
and the provisions of Sections 7, 9, 10, 13 and 14 hereof with respect to the
Preferred Shares 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-hundredths of a
Preferred Share 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) hereof, upon each adjustment of the Purchase Price as a result of
the calculations made in Section 11(b) and Section 11(c) hereof, 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-hundredths of a Preferred Share (calculated to the nearest one
one-millionth of a Preferred Share) obtained by (i) multiplying (x) the number
of one one-hundredths of a Preferred Share covered by a Right immediately prior
to this adjustment by (y) the Purchase Price in effect immediately prior to such
adjustment of the Purchase Price and (ii) dividing the product so obtained by
the Purchase Price in effect immediately after such adjustment of the Purchase
Price.
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(i) The Company may elect on or after the date of any adjustment of the
Purchase Price to adjust the number of Rights, in substitution for any
adjustment in the number of one one-hundredths of a Preferred Share 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-hundredths of a Preferred Share 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 ten-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 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 and shall concurrently send
written notice of such election to the Rights Agent. This record date may be the
date on which the Purchase Price is adjusted or any day thereafter, but, if the
Rights Certificates have been issued, shall be at least 10 days later than the
date of the public announcement. If Rights Certificates have been issued, upon
each adjustment of the number of Rights pursuant to this Section 11(i), the
Company shall, as promptly as practicable, cause to be distributed to holders of
record of Rights Certificates on such record date Rights 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 Rights Certificates held by such holders
prior to the date of adjustment, and upon surrender thereof, if required by the
Company, new Rights Certificates evidencing all the Rights to which such holders
shall be entitled after such adjustment. Rights 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
Rights 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-hundredths of a Preferred Share issuable upon the exercise
of the Rights, the Rights Certificates theretofore and thereafter issued may
continue to express the Purchase Price and the number of one one-hundredths of a
Preferred Share which were expressed in the initial Rights Certificates issued
hereunder.
(k) Before taking any action that would cause an adjustment reducing
the Purchase Price below one one-hundredth of the then par value, if any, of the
Preferred Shares issuable upon exercise of the Rights, 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 Preferred 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 the issuing to the holder of any Right exercised after such record date of
the Preferred Shares 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. The Company shall send written notice to the Rights
Agent concerning any adjustment and election.
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(m) The Company covenants and agrees that, after the Distribution Date,
it will not, except as permitted by Section 23 or Section 27 hereof, take (or
permit any Subsidiary to take) any action the purpose of which is to, or if at
the time such action is taken it is reasonably foreseeable that the effect of
such action is to, materially diminish or eliminate the benefits intended to be
afforded by the Rights. Any such action taken by the Company during any period
after any Person becomes an Acquiring Person but prior to the Distribution Date
shall be null and void unless such action could be taken under this Section
11(m) from and after the Distribution Date.
(n) Anything in this Section 11 to the contrary notwithstanding, the
Company shall be entitled to make such reductions in the Purchase Price, in
addition to 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 Shares, issuance
wholly for cash of any Preferred Shares at less than the current market price,
issuance wholly for cash of Preferred Shares or securities which by their terms
are convertible into or exchangeable for Preferred Shares, dividends on
Preferred Shares payable in Preferred Shares or issuance of rights, options or
warrants referred to hereinabove in Section 11(b), hereafter made by the Company
to holders of its Preferred Shares shall not be taxable to such stockholders.
(o) In the event that at any time after the date of this Agreement and
prior to the Distribution Date, the Company shall (i) declare or pay any
dividend on the Common Shares payable in Common Shares or (ii) effect a
subdivision, combination or consolidation of the Common Shares (by
reclassification or otherwise than by payment of dividends in Common Shares)
into a greater or lesser number of Common Shares, then in any such case (A) the
number of one one-hundredths of a Preferred Share purchasable after such event
upon proper exercise of each Right shall be determined by multiplying the number
of one one-hundredths of a Preferred Share so purchasable immediately prior to
such event by a fraction, the numerator of which is the number of Common Shares
outstanding immediately before such event and the denominator of which is the
number of Common Shares outstanding immediately after such event, and (B) each
Common Share outstanding immediately after such event shall have issued with
respect to it that number of Rights which each Common Share outstanding
immediately prior to such event had issued with respect to it. The adjustments
provided for in this Section 11(o) shall be made successively whenever such a
dividend is declared or paid or such a subdivision, combination or consolidation
is effected.
(p) The exercise of Rights under Section 11(a)(ii) hereof shall only
result in the loss of rights under Section 11(a)(ii) hereof to the extent so
exercised and shall not otherwise affect the rights represented by the Rights
under this Agreement, including the rights represented by Section 13 hereof.
SECTION 12. CERTIFICATE OF ADJUSTED PURCHASE PRICE OR NUMBER OF SHARES. Whenever
an adjustment is made as provided in Sections 11 and 13 hereof, the Company
shall promptly (a) prepare a certificate setting forth such adjustment, and a
brief statement of the facts, computations and methodology accounting for such
adjustment, (b) file with the Rights Agent and with each transfer agent for the
Common Shares or the Preferred Shares a copy of such certificate and (c) mail a
brief and reasonably detailed summary thereof to each holder of a Rights
Certificate in accordance with Section 25 hereof. The Rights Agent shall be
fully
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protected in relying on any such certificate and on any adjustment therein
contained and shall not be deemed to have knowledge of any adjustment unless and
until it shall have received such certificate.
SECTION 13. CONSOLIDATION, MERGER OR SALE OR TRANSFER OF ASSETS OR EARNING
POWER.
(a) In the event that, following the Shares Acquisition Date or, if a
Transaction is proposed, the Distribution Date, directly or indirectly (x) the
Company shall consolidate with, or merge with and into, any Interested
Stockholder, or if in such merger or consolidation all holders of Common Stock
are not treated alike, any other Person, (y) any Interested Person, or if in
such merger or consolidation all holders of Common Stock are not treated alike,
any other Person shall consolidate with the Company, or merge with and into the
Company, and the Company shall be the continuing or surviving corporation of
such merger (other than, in the case of either transaction described in (x) or
(y), a merger or consolidation which would result in all of the voting power
represented by the securities of the Company outstanding immediately prior
thereto continuing to represent (either by remaining outstanding or by being
converted into securities of the surviving entity) all of the voting power
represented by the securities of the Company or such surviving entity
outstanding immediately after such merger or consolidation and the holders of
such securities not having changed as a result of such merger or consolidation),
or (z) the Company shall sell, mortgage or otherwise transfer (or one or more of
its subsidiaries shall sell, mortgage or otherwise transfer), in one or more
transactions, assets or earning power aggregating more than 50% of the assets or
earning power of the Company and its subsidiaries (taken as a whole) to any
Interested Stockholder or Stockholders, or if in such transaction all holders of
Common Stock are not treated alike, any other Person, (other than the Company or
any Subsidiary of the Company in one or more transactions each of which
individually and the aggregate does not violate Section 13(d) hereof) then, and
in each such case, proper provision shall be made so that (i) each holder of a
Right, subject to Section 11(a)(ii) hereof, shall have the right to receive,
upon the exercise thereof at a price equal to the then current Purchase Price
multiplied by the number of one one-hundredths of a Preferred Share for which a
Right is then exercisable in accordance with the terms of this Agreement and in
lieu of Preferred Shares, such number of freely tradeable Common Shares of the
Principal Party (as such term is hereinafter defined), free and clear of liens,
rights of call or first refusal, encumbrances or other adverse claims, as shall
be equal to the result obtained by (A) multiplying the then current Purchase
Price by the number of one one-hundredths of a Preferred Share for which a Right
is then exercisable (without taking into account any adjustment previously made
pursuant to Section 11(a)(ii) hereof) and dividing that product by (B) 50% of
the then current per share market price of the Common Shares of such Principal
Party (determined pursuant to Section 11(d) hereof) on the date of consummation
of such consolidation, merger, sale or transfer; (ii) 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; (iii) the term "Company" shall thereafter be deemed to refer
to such Principal Party, it being specifically intended that the provisions of
Section 11 hereof shall apply to such Principal Party; and (iv) such Principal
Party shall take such steps (including, but not limited to, the reservation of a
sufficient number of shares of its Common Shares in accordance with Section 9
hereof) in connection with such consummation as may be necessary to assure that
the provisions hereof
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shall thereafter be applicable, as nearly as reasonably may be, in relation to
its Common Shares thereafter deliverable upon the exercise of the Rights.
(b) "Principal Party" shall mean:
(i) in the case of any transaction described in clause (x) or (y)
of the first sentence of Section 13(a) hereof, the Person that is the issuer of
any securities into which Common Shares are converted in such merger or
consolidation, and if no securities are so issued, the Person that is the other
party to the merger or consolidation (or, if applicable, the Company, if it is
the surviving corporation); and
(ii) in the case of any transaction described in (z) 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; PROVIDED, HOWEVER, that in any case, (1) if the
Common Shares of such Person are not at such time and have not been continuously
over the preceding 12-month period registered under Section 12 of the Exchange
Act, and such Person is a direct or indirect subsidiary or Affiliate of another
Person the Common Shares of which are and have been so registered, "Principal
Party" shall refer to such other Person; (2) if such Person is a subsidiary,
directly or indirectly, or Affiliate of more than one Person, the Common Shares
of two or more of which are and have been so registered, "Principal Party" shall
refer to whichever of such Persons is the issuer of the Common Shares having the
greatest aggregate market value; and (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 (1) and (2)
above shall apply to each of the chains of ownership having an interest in such
joint venture as if such party were a "subsidiary" of both or all of such joint
venturers and the Principal Parties in each such chain shall bear the
obligations set forth in this Section 13 in the same ratio as their direct or
indirect interests in such Person bear to the total of such interests.
(c) The Company shall not consummate any such consolidation, merger,
sale or transfer unless the Principal Party shall have a sufficient number of
authorized Common Shares that have not been issued or reserved for issuance to
permit the exercise in full of the Rights in accordance with this Section 13 and
unless prior thereto the Company and each Principal Party and each other Person
who may become a Principal Party as a result of such consolidation, merger, sale
or transfer shall have (i) executed and delivered to the Rights Agent a
supplemental agreement providing for the terms set forth in paragraphs (a) and
(b) of this Section 13 and (ii) prepared, filed and had declared and remain
effective a registration statement under the Act on the appropriate form with
respect to the Rights and the securities exercisable upon exercise of the Rights
and further providing that, as soon as practicable after the date of any
consolidation, merger, sale or transfer of assets mentioned in paragraph (a) of
this Section 13, the Principal Party at its own expense will:
(i) cause the registration statement under the Act with respect to
the Rights and the securities purchasable upon exercise of the Rights on an
appropriate form to remain effective (with a prospectus at all times meeting the
requirements of the Act) until the Final Expiration Date;
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(ii) use its best efforts to qualify or register the Rights and
the securities purchasable upon exercise of the Rights under the blue sky laws
of such jurisdictions as may be necessary or appropriate;
(iii) list the Rights and the securities purchasable upon exercise
of the Rights on each national securities exchange on which the Common Shares
were listed prior to the consummation of such consolidation, merger, sale or
transfer of assets or on the Nasdaq National Market if the Common Shares were
listed on the Nasdaq National Market or, if the Common Shares were not listed on
a national securities exchange or the Nasdaq National Market prior to the
consummation of such consolidation, merger, sale or transfer of assets, on a
national securities exchange or the Nasdaq National Market; and
(iv) deliver to holders of the Rights historical financial
statements for the Principal Party and each of its Affiliates which comply in
all material respects with the requirements for registration on Form 10 under
the Exchange Act.
The provisions of this Section 13 shall similarly apply to successive
mergers or consolidations or sales or other transfers.
(d) After the Distribution Date, the Company covenants and agrees that
it shall not (i) consolidate with, (ii) merge with or into, or (iii) sell or
transfer to, in one or more transactions, assets or earning power aggregating
more than 50% of the assets or earning power of the Company and its subsidiaries
taken as a whole, any other Person (other than a Subsidiary of the Company in a
transaction which does not violate Section 11(m) hereof), if (x) at the time of
or after such consolidation, merger or sale there are any charter or bylaw
provisions or any rights, warrants or other instruments or securities
outstanding, agreements in effect or any other action taken which would diminish
or otherwise eliminate the benefits intended to be afforded by the Rights or (y)
prior to, simultaneously with or immediately after such consolidation, merger or
sale, the stockholders of the Person who constitutes, or would constitute, the
"Principal Party" for purposes of Section 13(a) hereof shall have received a
distribution of Rights previously owned by such Person or any of its Affiliates
and Associates. The Company shall not consummate any such consolidation, merger,
sale or transfer unless prior thereto the Company and such other Person shall
have executed and delivered to the Rights Agent a supplemental agreement
evidencing compliance with this Section 13(d).
SECTION 14. FRACTIONAL RIGHTS AND FRACTIONAL SHARES.
(a) The Company shall not be required to issue fractions of Rights or
to distribute Rights Certificates which evidence fractional Rights. In lieu of
such fractional Rights, there shall be paid to the registered holders of the
Rights 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 transaction reporting system with respect
to securities listed or admitted to
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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 as reported on the Nasdaq National Market or, if the
Rights are not listed or admitted to trading on any national securities exchange
or reported on the Nasdaq National Market, 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
Shares (other than fractions which are integral multiples of one one-hundredth
of a Preferred Share) upon exercise of the Rights or to distribute certificates
which evidence fractional Preferred Shares (other than fractions which are
integral multiples of one one-hundredth of a Preferred Share). Fractions of
Preferred Shares in integral multiples of one one-hundredth of a Preferred Share
may, at the election of the Company, be evidenced by depositary receipts;
PROVIDED, HOWEVER, that holders of such depositary receipts shall have all of
the designations and the powers, preferences and rights, and the qualifications,
limitations and restrictions to which they are entitled as beneficial owners of
the Preferred Shares represented by such depositary receipts. In lieu of
fractional Preferred Shares that are not integral multiples of one one-hundredth
of a Preferred Share, the Company shall pay to the registered holders of Rights
Certificates at the time such Rights are exercised as herein provided an amount
in cash equal to the same fraction of the current market value of one Preferred
Share. For the purposes of this Section 14(b), the current market value of a
Preferred Share shall be the current per share market price of the Preferred
Shares (as determined pursuant to the second sentence of Section 11(d)(i)
hereof) for the Trading Day immediately prior to the date of such exercise (or,
if not publicly traded, in accordance with Section 11(d)(ii) hereof).
(c) Following the occurrence of one of the transactions or events
specified in Section 11 hereof giving rise to the right to receive Common
Shares, capital stock equivalents (other than Preferred Shares) or other
securities upon the exercise of a Right, the Company shall not be required to
issue fractions of Common Shares or units of such Common Shares, capital stock
equivalents or other securities upon exercise of the Rights or to distribute
certificates which evidence fractional Common Shares, capital stock equivalents
or other securities. In lieu of fractional Common Shares, capital stock
equivalents or other securities, the Company shall pay to the registered holders
of Rights Certificates at the time such Rights are exercised as herein provided
an amount in cash equal to the same fraction of the current market value of one
Common Share or unit of such Common Shares, capital stock equivalents or other
securities. For purposes of this Section 14(c), the current market value shall
be the current per share market price (as determined pursuant to Section
11(d)(i) hereof) for the Trading Day immediately prior to the date of such
exercise and, if such capital stock equivalent is not traded, each such capital
stock equivalent shall have the value of one one-hundredth of a Preferred Share.
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(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 of a Right (except as provided above).
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 Sections 18 and
20 hereof, are vested in the respective registered holders of the Rights
Certificates (and, prior to the Distribution Date, the registered holders of the
Common Shares) and any registered holder of any Rights Certificate (or, prior to
the Distribution Date, of the Common Shares), without the consent of the Rights
Agent or of the holder of any other Rights Certificate (or, prior to the
Distribution Date, of the Common Shares), may, in his own behalf and for his own
benefit, 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 Rights Certificate in the manner provided
in such Rights Certificate 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. Holders
of Rights shall be entitled to recover the reasonable costs and expenses,
including attorneys fees, incurred by them in any action to enforce the
provisions of 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 Shares;
(b) after the Distribution Date, the Rights Certificates are
transferable (subject to the provisions of this Agreement) only on the registry
books of the Rights Agent if surrendered at the principal office of the Rights
Agent, duly endorsed or accompanied by a proper instrument of transfer; and
(c) the Company and the Rights Agent may deem and treat the Person in
whose name the Rights Certificate (or, prior to the Distribution Date, the
associated Common Shares certificate) is registered as the absolute owner
thereof and of the Rights evidenced thereby (notwithstanding any notations of
ownership or writing on the Rights Certificates or the associated Common Shares
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.
SECTION 17. RIGHTS CERTIFICATE HOLDER NOT DEEMED A STOCKHOLDER. No holder, as
such, of any Rights Certificate shall be entitled to vote, receive dividends or
be deemed for any purpose the holder of the Preferred Shares or any other
securities of the Company which may at any time be issuable on the exercise of
the Rights represented thereby, nor shall anything contained herein or in any
Rights Certificate be construed to confer upon the
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holder of any Rights 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 Section 25 hereof), or to
receive dividends or subscription rights, or otherwise, until the Right or
Rights evidenced by such Rights Certificate shall have been exercised in
accordance with the provisions hereof.
SECTION 18. CONCERNING THE RIGHTS AGENT. 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 preparation, delivery,
amendment, 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, damage,
judgment, fine, penalty, claim, demand, settlement, cost 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, without limitation,
the costs and expenses of defending against any claim of liability in the
premises. The indemnity provided herein shall survive termination and the
expiration of the Rights and the termination of this Agreement. Anything to the
contrary notwithstanding, in no event shall the Rights Agent be liable for
special, punitive, indirect, consequential or incidental 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. Any liability
of the Rights Agent under this Agreement will be limited to the amount of fees
paid by the Company to the Rights Agent.
The Rights Agent may conclusively rely upon and shall be authorized and
protected and shall incur no liability for, or in respect of any action taken,
suffered or omitted by it in connection with, the acceptance and its
administration of this Agreement in reliance upon any Rights Certificate or
certificate for the Preferred Shares or Common Shares 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. In no case will the Rights Agent be liable for special,
indirect, incidental or consequential or consequential loss or damage at any
kind whatsoever (including but not limited to lost profits), even if the Rights
Agent has been advised of such loss or damage.
SECTION 19. MERGER OR CONSOLIDATION OR CHANGE OF NAME OF RIGHTS AGENT. Any
Person into which the Rights Agent or any successor Rights Agent may be merged
or with which it may be consolidated, or any Person resulting from any merger or
consolidation to which the Rights Agent or any successor Rights Agent shall be a
party, or any Person succeeding to the shareholder services or corporate trust
business 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.
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In case at any time the name of the Rights Agent shall be changed and
at such time any of the Rights Certificates shall have been countersigned but
not delivered, the Rights Agent may adopt the countersignature under its prior
name and deliver Rights Certificates so countersigned; and in case at that time
any of the Rights Certificates shall not have been countersigned, the Rights
Agent may countersign such Rights Certificates either in its prior name or in
its changed name; and in all such cases such Rights Certificates shall have the
full force provided in the Rights Certificates and in this Agreement.
SECTION 20. DUTIES OF RIGHTS AGENT. The Rights Agent undertakes the duties and
obligations expressly imposed by this Agreement upon the following terms and
conditions, by all of which the Company and the holders of Rights Certificates,
by their acceptance thereof, shall be bound:
(a) The Rights Agent may consult with legal counsel of its choice (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 and the
Rights Agent shall incur no liability for or in respect of 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 any one of the Chairman of the Board, the
Chief Executive Officer, the President, the Chief Financial Officer, any Vice
President, the Treasurer or the Secretary of the Company and delivered to the
Rights Agent; and such certificate shall be full authorization and protection to
the Rights Agent and the Rights Agent shall incur no liability for or in respect
of 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 Rights
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 Rights 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 Rights 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 (including the manner, method or amount thereof)
provided for in Sections 3, 11, 13, 23 or 24 hereof, or the ascertaining of the
existence of facts that would require any such change or adjustment (except
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with respect to the exercise of Rights evidenced by Rights Certificates after
receipt of a certificate pursuant to Section 12 hereof 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
Preferred Shares to be issued pursuant to this Agreement or any Rights
Certificate or as to whether any Preferred Shares 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 may conclusively rely upon and is hereby
authorized and directed to accept instructions with respect to the performance
of its duties hereunder from any one of the Chairman of the Board, the Chief
Executive Officer, the President, the Chief Financial Officer, any Vice
President, the Secretary or the Treasurer of the Company, and to apply to such
officers for advice or instructions in connection with its duties, and such
instructions shall be full authorization and protection to the Rights Agent and
the Rights Agent shall incur no liability for or in respect of any action 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 with respect to its duties or
obligations under this Agreement and the date on and/or after which such action
shall be taken or omitted and the Rights Agent shall not be liable for any
action taken or omitted in accordance with a proposal included in any such
application on or after the date specified therein (which date shall not be less
than three Business Days after the date indicated in such application unless any
such officer shall have consented in writing to an earlier date) unless, prior
to taking or omitting any such action, the Rights Agent has received written
instructions in response to such application specifying the action to be taken
or omitted.
(h) The Rights Agent and any stockholder, affiliate, 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 Person
or 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, absent gross negligence, bad faith or willful misconduct
in the selection and continued employment thereof.
(j) 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
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repayment of such funds or adequate indemnification against such risk or
liability is not reasonably assured to it.
(k) If, with respect to any Rights Certificate surrendered to the
Rights Agent for exercise or transfer, the certificate attached to the form of
assignment or form of election to purchase, as the case may be, has not been
executed, the Rights Agent shall not take any further action with respect to
such requested exercise of transfer without first consulting with the Company.
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 for the
Common Shares or Preferred Shares by registered or certified mail, and to the
holders of the Rights 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 for the Common Shares or Preferred Shares by registered or
certified mail, and to the holders of the Rights 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 Rights Certificate (who shall, with such notice, submit his
Rights Certificate for inspection by the Company), then the registered holder of
any Rights 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 either (a) a Person organized and
doing business under the laws of the United States or of any other state of the
United States which 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 or (b) a direct or indirect
wholly owned subsidiary of such an entity or its wholly-owning parent. 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 for the Common Shares or
Preferred Shares, and mail a notice thereof in writing to the registered holders
of the Rights 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.
In case at the time such successor Rights Agent shall succeed to the
agency created by this Agreement any of the Rights 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 Rights
Certificates so countersigned; and in case at that time any of the Rights
Certificates shall not have been countersigned, any successor Rights Agent may
countersign such Rights Certificates either in the name of the predecessor
Rights Agent or in the
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<PAGE>
name of the successor Rights Agent; and in all such cases such Rights
Certificates shall have the full force provided in the Rights Certificates and
in this Agreement.
SECTION 22. ISSUANCE OF NEW RIGHTS CERTIFICATES. Notwithstanding any of the
provisions of this Agreement or of the Rights to the contrary, the Company may,
at its option, issue new Rights Certificates evidencing Rights in such form 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 Rights Certificates made in accordance with
the provisions of this Agreement. In addition, in connection with the issuance
or sale of Common Shares following the Distribution Date and prior to the
earlier of the Redemption Date and the Final Expiration Date, the Company (a)
shall with respect to Common Shares so issued or sold pursuant to the exercise
of stock options or under any employee plan or arrangement in existence prior to
the Distribution Date, or upon the exercise, conversion or exchange of
securities, notes or debentures issued by the Company and in existence prior to
the Distribution Date, and (b) may, in any other case, if deemed necessary or
appropriate by the Board of Directors of the Company, issue Rights Certificates
representing the appropriate number of Rights in connection with such issuance
or sale; PROVIDED, HOWEVER, that (i) the Company shall not be obligated to issue
any such Rights Certificates if, and to the extent that, the Company shall be
advised by counsel that such issuance would create a significant risk of
material adverse tax consequences to the Company or the Person to whom such
Rights Certificate would be issued, and (ii) no Rights Certificate shall be
issued if, and to the extent that, appropriate adjustment shall otherwise have
been made in lieu of the issuance thereof.
SECTION 23. REDEMPTION.
(a) The Rights may be redeemed by action of the Board of Directors
pursuant to Section 23(b) hereof and shall not be redeemed in any other manner.
(b)
(i) The Board of Directors of the Company may, at its option, at
any time prior to the earlier of such time as any Person becoming an Acquiring
Person or the Close of Business on the Final Expiration Date, redeem all but not
less than all of the then outstanding Rights at a redemption price of $0.01 per
Right, appropriately adjusted to reflect any stock split, stock dividend or
similar transaction occurring after the date hereof (such redemption price being
hereinafter referred to as the "Redemption Price"), and the Company may, at its
option, pay the Redemption Price in Common Shares (based on the "current
per-share market price," as such term is defined in Section 11(d) hereof, of the
Common Shares at the time of redemption), cash or any other form of
consideration deemed appropriate by the Board of Directors. The redemption of
the Rights by the Board of Directors may be made effective at such time, on such
basis and subject to such conditions as the Board of Directors in its sole
discretion may establish. Notwithstanding anything contained in this Agreement
to the contrary, the Rights shall not be exercisable pursuant to Section
11(a)(ii) hereof prior to the expiration or termination of the Company's right
of redemption under this Section 23(b)(i).
(ii) In addition, the Board of Directors of the Company may, at
its option, at any time after the time a Person becomes an Acquiring Person and
the expiration of any period
27
<PAGE>
during which the holder of Rights may exercise the rights under Section
11(a)(ii) hereof but prior to any event described in clause (x), (y) or (z) of
the first sentence of Section 13 hereof, redeem all but not less than all of the
then outstanding Rights at the Redemption Price (x) in connection with any
merger, consolidation or sale or other transfer (in one transaction or in a
series of related transactions) of assets or earning power aggregating 50% or
more of the assets or earning power of the Company and its subsidiaries (taken
as a whole) in which all holders of Common Shares are treated alike and not
involving (other than as a holder of Common Shares being treated like all other
such holders) an Interested Stockholder or a Transaction Person or (y)(A) if and
for so long as the Acquiring Person is not thereafter the Beneficial Owner of
15% or more of the then outstanding Common Shares, and (B) at the time of
redemption no other Persons are Acquiring Persons.
(c) Immediately upon the action of the Board of Directors of the
Company ordering the redemption of the Rights pursuant to Section 23(b) hereof,
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 pursuant to Section 23(b) hereof, 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 Shares, PROVIDED, HOWEVER, that failure to give, or any defect
in, any such notice shall not affect the validity of such redemption. 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 will state
the method by which the payment of the Redemption Price will be made. Neither
the Company nor any of its Affiliates or Associates may redeem, acquire or
purchase for value any Rights at any time in any manner other than that
specifically set forth in this Section 23 or in Section 24 hereof, and other
than in connection with the purchase of Common Shares prior to the Distribution
Date.
(d) The Company may, at its option, discharge all of its obligations
with respect to any redemption of the Rights by (i) issuing a press release
announcing the manner of redemption of the Rights and (ii) mailing payment of
the Redemption Price to the registered holders of the Rights at their last
addresses as they appear on the registry books of the Rights Agent or, prior to
the Distribution Date, on the registry books of the transfer agent for the
Common Shares, and upon such action, all outstanding Rights Certificates shall
be null and void without any further action by the Company.
SECTION 24. EXCHANGE.
(a) The Board of Directors of the Company may, at its option, at any
time after any Person becomes an Acquiring Person, exchange all or part of the
then outstanding and exercisable Rights (which shall not include Rights that
have become null and void pursuant to the provisions of Section 11(a)(ii)
hereof) for Common Shares at an exchange ratio of one Common Share per Right,
appropriately adjusted to reflect any stock split, stock dividend or similar
transaction occurring after the date hereof (such exchange ratio being
hereinafter referred
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<PAGE>
to as the "Exchange Ratio"). Notwithstanding the foregoing, the Board of
Directors shall not be empowered to effect such exchange at any time after any
Person (other than the Company, any Subsidiary of the Company, any employee
benefit plan of the Company or any such Subsidiary, or any entity holding Common
Shares for or pursuant to the terms of any such plan), together with all
Affiliates and Associates of such Person, becomes the Beneficial Owner of 50% or
more of the Common Shares then outstanding.
(b) Immediately upon the action of the Board of Directors of the
Company ordering the exchange of any Rights pursuant to Section 24(a) hereof and
without any further action and without any notice, the right to exercise such
Rights shall terminate and the only right thereafter of the holders of such
Rights shall be to receive that number of Common Shares 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 and written notice to the
Rights Agent; PROVIDED, HOWEVER, that the failure to give, or any defect in,
such notice shall not affect the validity of such exchange and written notice to
the Rights Agent. The Company promptly shall mail a notice of any such exchange
to all of the holders of such Rights at their last addresses as they appear upon
the registry books of the Rights Agent; PROVIDED, HOWEVER, that the failure to
give, or any defect in, such notice shall not affect the validity of such
exchange. 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 Common Shares 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) In lieu of issuing Common Shares in accordance with Section 24(a)
hereof, the Company may, if a majority of the Board of Directors then in office
determines that such action is necessary or appropriate and not contrary to the
interests of the holders of Rights, elect to (and, in the event that there are
not sufficient treasury shares and authorized but unissued Common Shares to
permit any exchange of the Rights in accordance with Section 24(a) hereof, the
Company shall) take all such action as may be necessary to authorize, issue or
pay, upon the exchange of the Rights, cash (including by way of a reduction of
the Purchase Price), property, Common Shares, other securities or any
combination thereof having an aggregate value equal to the value of the Common
Shares which otherwise would have been issuable pursuant to Section 24(a)
hereof, which aggregate value shall be determined by a nationally recognized
investment banking firm selected by a majority of the Board of Directors then in
office. For purposes of the preceding sentence, the value of the Common Shares
shall be determined pursuant to Section 11(d) hereof. Any election pursuant to
this Section 24(c) by the Board of Directors must be made within 60 days
following the date on which the event described in Section 11(a)(ii) hereof
shall have occurred. Following the occurrence on the event described in Section
11(a)(ii) hereof, a majority of the Board of Directors then in office may
suspend the exercisability of the Rights for a period of up to 60 days following
the date on which the event described in Section 11(a)(ii) hereof shall have
occurred to the extent that such directors have not determined whether to
exercise their rights of election under this Section 24(c). 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.
29
<PAGE>
(d) The Company shall not be required to issue fractions of Common
Shares or to distribute certificates which evidence fractional Common Shares. In
lieu of such fractional Common Shares, the Company shall pay to the registered
holders of the Rights Certificates with regard to which such fractional Common
Shares would otherwise be issuable an amount in cash equal to the same fraction
of the current market value of a whole Common Share. For the purposes of this
Section 24(d), the current market value of a whole Common Share shall be the
closing price of a Common Share (as determined pursuant to the second sentence
of Section 11(d)(i) hereof) for the Trading Day immediately after the date of
the first public announcement by the Company that an exchange is to be effected
pursuant to this Section 24.
(e) The Company shall not be required to issue fractions of
Preferred Shares (other than fractions which are integral multiples of one
one-hundredth of a Preferred Share) upon exchange of the Rights or to
distribute certificates which evidence fractional Preferred Shares (other
than fractions which are integral multiples of one one-hundredth of a
Preferred Share). Fractions of Preferred Shares in integral multiples of one
one-hundredth of a Preferred Share may, at the election of the Company, be
evidenced by depositary receipts; PROVIDED, HOWEVER, that holders of such
depositary receipts shall have all of the designations and the powers,
preferences and rights, and the qualifications, limitations and restrictions
to which they are entitled as beneficial owners of the Preferred Shares
represented by such depositary receipts. In lieu of fractional Preferred
Shares that are not integral multiples of one one-hundredth of a Preferred
Share, the Company shall pay to the registered holders of Rights Certificates
at the time such Rights are exercised as herein provided an amount in cash
equal to the same fraction of the current market value of one Preferred
Share. For the purposes of this Section 24(e), the current market value of a
Preferred Share shall be one hundred (100) times the closing price of a
Common Share (as determined pursuant to the second sentence of Section
11(d)(i) hereof) for the Trading Day immediately after the date of the first
public announcement by the Company that an exchange is to be effected
pursuant to this Section 24.
SECTION 25. NOTICE OF CERTAIN EVENTS.
(a) In case the Company shall propose (i) to pay any dividend payable
in stock of any class to the holders of its Preferred Shares or to make any
other distribution to the holders of its Preferred Shares (other than a regular
quarterly cash dividend), (ii) to offer to the holders of its Preferred Shares
rights or warrants to subscribe for or to purchase any additional Preferred
Shares or shares of stock of any class or any other securities, rights or
options, (iii) to effect any reclassification of its Preferred Shares (other
than a reclassification involving only the subdivision of outstanding Preferred
Shares), (iv) to effect any consolidation or merger into or with, or to effect
any sale or other transfer (or to permit one or more of its Subsidiaries to
effect any sale or other transfer), in one or more transactions, of 50% or more
of the assets or earning power of the Company and its Subsidiaries (taken as a
whole), to any other Person, (v) to effect the liquidation, dissolution or
winding up of the Company, or (vi) to declare or pay any dividend on the Common
Shares payable in Common Shares or to effect a subdivision, combination or
consolidation of the Common Shares (by reclassification or otherwise than by
payment of dividends in Common Shares), then, in each such case, the Company
shall give to each holder of a Rights Certificate, in accordance with Section 26
hereof, a notice of such proposed action, which shall specify the record date
for the purpose of such stock dividend, or distribution of rights or warrants,
or the date on which such reclassification, consolidation, merger, sale,
30
<PAGE>
transfer, liquidation, dissolution, or winding up is to take place and the date
of participation therein by the holders of the Common Shares and/or the
Preferred Shares, 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 Shares
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 Shares and/or the Preferred
Shares, whichever shall be the earlier.
(b) In case the event set forth in Section 11(a)(ii) hereof shall
occur, then the Company shall as soon as practicable thereafter give to each
holder of a Rights Certificate, in accordance with Section 26 hereof, a notice
of the occurrence of such event, which notice shall describe the event and the
consequences of the event to holders of Rights under Section 11(a)(ii) 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 Rights 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:
Gilead Sciences, Inc.
333 Lakeside Drive
Foster City, CA 94404
Attn: General Counsel
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 Rights 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:
ChaseMellon Shareholder Services, L.L.C.
85 Challenger Road
Ridgefield Park, N.J. 07660-2108
Attention: General Counsel
Notices or demands authorized by this Agreement to be given or made by
the Company or the Rights Agent to the holder of any Rights 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. The Company may from time to time
supplement or amend this Agreement without the approval of any holders of Rights
Certificates in order to cure any ambiguity, to correct or supplement any
provision contained herein which may be defective or inconsistent with any other
provisions herein, or to make any other provisions with respect to the Rights
which the Company may deem necessary or desirable, any such supplement or
amendment to be evidenced by a writing signed by the Company and the Rights
Agent; PROVIDED, HOWEVER, that from and after such time as any Person becomes an
Acquiring Person, this Agreement shall not be amended in any manner which would
adversely
31
<PAGE>
affect the interests of the holders of Rights. Without limiting the foregoing,
the Company may at any time prior to such time as any Person becomes an
Acquiring Person amend this Agreement to lower the threshold set forth in
Sections 1(a) and 3(a) hereof from 15% to any percentage which is (i) greater
than the largest percentage of the outstanding Common Shares then known by the
Company to be beneficially owned by any Person (other than the Company, any
Subsidiary of the Company, any employee benefit plan of the Company or any
Subsidiary, or any entity holding Common Shares for or pursuant to the terms of
any such plan) and (ii) not less than 10%. Upon delivery of a certificate from
an appropriate officer of the Company which states that the proposed supplement
or amendment is in compliance with the terms of this Section 27, the Rights
Agent shall execute such supplement or amendment unless the Rights Agent shall
have determined in good faith that such supplement or amendment would adversely
affect its interest under this Agreement. Prior to the Distribution Date, the
interests of the holders of Rights shall be deemed coincident with the interests
of the holders of Common Shares. The Rights Agent cannot be required to change
or increase its duties and obligations under this Agreement.
SECTION 28. DETERMINATION AND ACTIONS BY THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS, ETC. For all
purposes of this Agreement, any calculation of the number of Common Shares
outstanding at any particular time, including for purposes of determining the
particular percentage of such outstanding Common Shares or any other securities
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 Exchange Act as in effect on the date of this Agreement. The Board of
Directors of the Company shall have the exclusive power and authority to
administer this Agreement and to exercise all rights and powers specifically
granted to the Board, or 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 a determination to redeem or not redeem the Rights or to
amend the Agreement). All such actions, calculations, interpretations and
determinations (including, for purposes of clause (y) below, all omissions with
respect to the foregoing) which are done or made by the Board in good faith,
shall (x) be final, conclusive and binding on the Rights Agent and the holders
of the Rights, and (y) not subject the Board to any liability to the holders of
the Rights.
SECTION 29. 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.
SECTION 30. BENEFITS OF THIS AGREEMENT. Nothing in this Agreement shall be
construed to give to any person or corporation other than the Company, the
Rights Agent and the registered holders of the Rights Certificates (and, prior
to the Distribution Date, the Common Shares) 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 Rights Certificates (and, prior to the Distribution Date, the
Common Shares).
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
32
<PAGE>
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 Rights 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.
33
<PAGE>
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, parties whereto have caused this Agreement to be
duly executed, all as of the day and year first above written.
ATTEST: GILEAD SCIENCES, INC.
/s/ MARK L. PERRY /s/ JOHN C. MARTIN
- ---------------------------------- -------------------------------------
Mark L. Perry John C. Martin
Senior Vice President, Chief President and Chief Executive Officer
Financial Officer, General Counsel
and Secretary
ATTEST: CHASEMELLON SHAREHOLDER
SERVICES, L.L.C.
By: /s/ GLORIA POUNCIL By: /s/ PAUL COLLINS
-------------------------------- ---------------------------------
Title: Relationship Manager Title: Assistant Vice President
----------------------------- ------------------------------
34
<PAGE>
FORM OF RIGHTS CERTIFICATE
(EXHIBIT A TO RIGHTS AGREEMENT)
CERTIFICATE NO. R- _____ RIGHTS
NOT EXERCISABLE AFTER OCTOBER 20, 2009 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 RIGHTS AGREEMENT.
RIGHTS CERTIFICATE
GILEAD SCIENCES, 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 Rights
Agreement, dated as of October 21, 1999 (the "Agreement"), between Gilead
Sciences, Inc., a Delaware corporation (the "Company"), and ChaseMellon
Shareholder Services, L.L.C. (the "Rights Agent"), to purchase from the Company
at any time after the Distribution Date (as such term is defined in the
Agreement) and prior to 5 p.m., San Francisco on October 20, 2009 at the office
of the Rights Agent designated for such purpose, or at the office of its
successor as Rights Agent, one one-hundredth of a fully paid non-assessable
share of Series A Junior Participating Preferred Stock, par value $.001 per
share (the "Preferred Shares"), of the Company, at a purchase price of $400 per
one one-hundredth of a Preferred Share (the "Purchase Price"), upon presentation
and surrender of this Rights Certificate with the Form of Election to Purchase
duly executed. The number of Rights evidenced by this Rights Certificate (and
the number of one one-hundredths of a Preferred Share 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 October 21, 1999, based on the Preferred
Shares as constituted at such date.
From and after the time any Person becomes an Acquiring Person, (as such terms
are defined in the Agreement), if the Rights evidenced by this Rights
Certificate are beneficially owned by (i) an Acquiring Person or an Affiliate or
Associate of any such Acquiring Person (as such terms are defined in the
Agreement), (ii) a transferee of any such Acquiring Person, Associate or
Affiliate who becomes a transferee after the Acquiring Person becomes such, or
(iii) under certain circumstances specified in the Agreement, a transferee of
any such Acquiring Person, Associate or Affiliate who becomes a transferee prior
to or concurrently with the Acquiring Person becoming such, such Rights shall
become null and void without any further action and no holder hereof shall have
any right with respect to such Rights from and after the time any Person becomes
an Acquiring Person.
A-1
<PAGE>
As provided in the Agreement, the Purchase Price and the number of one
one-hundredths of a Preferred Share which may be purchased upon the exercise of
the Rights evidenced by this Rights Certificate are subject to modification and
adjustment upon the happening of certain events.
This Rights Certificate is subject to all of the terms, covenants and
restrictions of the Agreement, as amended from time to time, which terms,
covenants and restrictions are hereby incorporated herein by reference and made
a part hereof and to which 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
Rights Certificates, which limitations of rights include the temporary
suspension of exercisability of such Rights under the specified circumstances
set forth in the Agreement. Copies of the Agreement are on file at the principal
executive offices of the Company and the above-mentioned offices of the Rights
Agent.
This Rights Certificate, with or without other Rights Certificates, upon
surrender at the office of the Rights Agent designated for such purpose, may be
exchanged for another Rights Certificate or Rights Certificates of like tenor
and date evidencing Rights entitling the holder to purchase a like aggregate
number of Preferred Shares as the Rights evidenced by the Rights Certificate or
Rights Certificates surrendered shall have entitled such holder to purchase. If
this Rights Certificate shall be exercised in part, the holder shall be entitled
to receive upon surrender hereof another Rights Certificate or Rights
Certificates for the number of whole Rights not exercised.
Subject to the provisions of the 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, par value $.001 per share, or, upon circumstances set forth in the
Agreement, cash, property or other securities of the Company, including
fractions of a share of Preferred Stock.
No fractional Preferred Shares will be issued upon the exercise of any Right or
Rights evidenced hereby (other than fractions which are integral multiples of
one one-hundredth of a Preferred Share, which may, at the election of the
Company, be evidenced by depositary receipts) but in lieu thereof a cash payment
will be made, as provided in the Agreement.
No holder of this Rights Certificate shall be entitled to vote or receive
dividends or be deemed for any purpose the holder of Common Stock or of the
Preferred Shares or of any other securities of the Company which may at any time
be issuable on the exercise hereof, nor shall anything contained in the
Agreement or herein be construed 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 Agreement), or to receive dividends or subscription rights, or
otherwise, until the Right or Rights evidenced by this Rights Certificate shall
have been exercised as provided in the Agreement.
This Rights Certificate shall not be valid or obligatory for any purpose until
it shall have been countersigned by the Rights Agent.
A-2
<PAGE>
IN WITNESS the facsimile signature of the proper officers of the
Company and its corporate seal. Dated as of __________.
ATTEST: GILEAD SCIENCES, INC.
By:
- ---------------------------------- ----------------------------------
COUNTERSIGNED:
ChaseMellon Shareholder Services, L.L.C.
as Rights Agent
By:
-----------------------------------
AUTHORIZED SIGNATURE
A-3
<PAGE>
FORM OF REVERSE SIDE OF RIGHTS CERTIFICATE
FORM OF ASSIGNMENT
(TO BE EXECUTED BY THE REGISTERED HOLDER IF SUCH HOLDER DESIRES
TO TRANSFER THE RIGHTS CERTIFICATE.)
FOR VALUE RECEIVED ______________________________________ hereby sells, assigns
and transfers unto
_______________________________________________________________________________
(Please print name and address of transferee)
______________________________________________________________ this Right
Certificate, together with all right, title and interest therein, and does
hereby irrevocably constitute and appoint ________________________ Attorney, to
transfer the within Rights Certificate on the books of the within-named Company,
with full power of substitution.
Dated: ____________________
_________________________
Signature
A-4
<PAGE>
SIGNATURE GUARANTEED:
Signatures must be guaranteed by an "eligible guarantor institution" as defined
in Rule 17Ad-15 promulgated under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as
amended.
---------------------------------------------------------------
The undersigned hereby certifies that (1) the Rights evidenced by this Rights
Certificate are not being sold, assigned or transferred by or on behalf of a
Person who is or was an Acquiring Person, an Interested Stockholder or an
Affiliate or Associate thereof (as such terms are defined in the Agreement); and
(2) after due inquiry and to the best of the knowledge of the undersigned, the
undersigned did not acquire the Rights evidenced by this Rights Certificate from
any Person who is or was an Acquiring Person, an Interested Stockholder, or an
Affiliate or Associate thereof.
------------------------
Signature
A-5
<PAGE>
FORM OF ELECTION TO PURCHASE
(TO BE EXECUTED IF HOLDER DESIRES TO EXERCISE RIGHTS
REPRESENTED BY THE RIGHTS CERTIFICATE.)
To ChaseMellon Shareholder Services, L.L.C.
The undersigned hereby irrevocably elects to exercise ________________________
Rights represented by this Rights Certificate to purchase the Preferred
Shares issuable upon the exercise of such Rights and requests that
certificates for such Preferred Shares be issued in the name of:
Please insert social security
or other taxpayer identifying number: ______________
_______________________________________________________________________________
(Please print name and address)
_______________________________________________________________________________
If such number of Rights shall not be all the Rights evidenced by this Rights
Certificate, a new Rights 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
FORM OF REVERSE SIDE OF RIGHTS CERTIFICATE -- CONTINUED
A-6
<PAGE>
SIGNATURE GUARANTEED:
Signatures must be guaranteed by an "eligible guarantor institution" as defined
in Rule 17Ad-15 promulgated under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as
amended.
_______________________________________________________________
The undersigned hereby certifies that (1) the Rights evidenced by this Rights
Certificate are not beneficially owned by nor are they being exercised on behalf
of an Acquiring Person, an Interested Stockholder or an Affiliate or Associate
thereof (as such terms are defined in the Agreement); and (2) after due inquiry
and to the best of the knowledge of the undersigned, the undersigned did not
acquire the Rights evidenced by this Rights Certificate from any Person who is
or was an Acquiring Person, an Interested Stockholder, or an Affiliate or
Associate thereof.
__________________________
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 Rights
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, the Company
and the Rights Agent will deem the beneficial owner of the Rights evidenced by
this Rights Certificate to be an Acquiring Person or an Affiliate or Associate
thereof (as defined in the Agreement) and such Assignment or Election to
Purchase will not be honored.
