AS FILED WITH THE SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION ON JANUARY 18, 2008.

REGISTRATION NO. 333-

UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

WASHINGTON, D.C. 20549

FORM S-8

REGISTRATION STATEMENT

UNDER

THE SECURITIES ACT OF 1933

PIPEX PHARMACEUTICALS, INC.

(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

 

DELAWARE

13-3808303

(State or other jurisdiction

of incorporation or organization)

(I.R.S. Employer No.)

Identification Number)

3930 Varsity Drive

Ann Arbor, MI 48108

(734) 332-7800

(Address, including ZIP code, and telephone number, including

area code, of registrant's principal executive office)

2001 STOCK INCENTIVE PLAN

2007 STOCK INCENTIVE PLAN

(Full title of the Plan)

PIPEX PHARMACEUTICALS, INC.

3930 Varsity Drive

Ann Arbor, MI 48108

(Name, address and telephone number of agent of services)

WITH COPIES TO:

HANK GRACIN, ESQ.

LEHMAN & EILEN LLP

20283 State Road 7, Suite 300

Boca Raton, FL 33498

(561) 237-0804

(Name, address and telephone number)

If any of the securities being registered on this form are to be offered on a delayed or continuous basis pursuant to Rule 415 of the Securities Act of 1933, check the following box |X|

 

 

 



 

 

 

CALCULATION OF REGISTRATION FEE

 

 

 

 

 

TITLE OF SECURITIES BEING REGISTERED

 

 

AMOUNT TO BE REGISTERED(1)

PROPOSED MAXIMUM OFFERING PRICE PER SHARE(2)

 

PROPOSED

AGGREGATE

OFFERING PRICE

 

AMOUNT OF

REGISTRATION FEE (3)

 

 

 

 

 

Common Stock, par value $0.001 per share, under the 2001 Stock Incentive Plan

1,500,000

$5.15

$7,725,000

$303.59

 

 

 

 

 

Common Stock, par value $0.001 per share, under the 2007 Stock Incentive Plan

2,500,000

$5.15

$12,875,000

$505.99

 

 

 

 

 

Total

4,000,000

$5.15

$20,600,000

$809.58

                

(1)

Pursuant to Rule 416, this Registration Statement also covers any additional shares of the Registrant’s common stock that may become issuable under the 2001 Stock Incentive Plan or the 2007 Stock Incentive Plan by reason of any stock dividend, stock split, recapitalization or any other similar transaction effected without the receipt of consideration which results in an increase in the number of Registrant’s outstanding shares of common stock.

(2)

Estimated solely for the purpose of computing the registration fee pursuant to Rule 457 (c) and (h) under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, on the basis of the average of the high and low prices of the securities being registered hereby on the American Stock Exchange (the "AMEX") on January 14, 2008.

 

(3)

Calculated under Section 6(b) of the Securities Act of 1933 as .0000393 of the aggregate offering price.

 

 

 



 

 

EXPLANATORY NOTE

Pipex Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (the “Registrant” or the “Company”) hereby files this Registration Statement on Form S-8 relating to its common stock, par value $0.001 per share (the “Common Stock”), which have been reserved for issuance and are issuable pursuant to (i) the Company’s 2001 Stock Incentive Plan and (ii) the Company’s 2007 Stock Incentive Plan (hereinafter referred to as the “Plans”).

PART I

INFORMATION REQUIRED IN THE SECTION 10(a) PROSPECTUS

The information specified in Item 1 and Item 2 of Part I of this Registration Statement on Form S-8 (the “Registration Statement”) is omitted from this filing in accordance with the provisions of Rule 428 under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”), and the introductory note to Part I of Form S-8. The documents containing the information specified in Part I will be delivered to the participants in the Plans as required by Rule 428(b)(1). Such documents and the documents incorporated by reference in this Registration Statement pursuant to Item 3 of Part II of this Registration Statement, taken together, constitute a prospectus that meets the requirements of Section 10(a) of the Securities Act.

PART II

INFORMATION REQUIRED IN THE REGISTRATION STATEMENT

ITEM 3. INCORPORATION OF DOCUMENTS BY REFERENCE

The following documents are incorporated by reference in this Registration Statement:

(a) Registrant's Annual Report on Form 10-KSB for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2006, filed with the SEC on April 2, 2007;

(b) Registrant’s Quarterly Reports on Form 10-QSB for the quarters ended September 30, 2007, June 30, 2007 and March 31, 2007 filed with the SEC on November 14, 2007, August 14, 2007 and May 14, 2007, respectively.

(c) The Company’s Current Reports on Form 8-K filed on February 22, 2007, April 2, 2007, April 5, 2007, June 26, 2007, July 10, 2007, July 26, 2007, September 21, 2007, October 3, 2007, October 16, 2007, October 18, 2007, November 5, 2007, and November 8, 2007;

(d) All other reports filed pursuant to Section 13(a) or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”) since December 31, 2006;

(e) The description of Registrant's Common Stock contained in the Registrant's Registration Statement on Form SB-2, as amended, filed with the Commission on December 14, 2006.

All reports and other documents subsequently filed by the Company pursuant to Sections 13(a), 13(c), 14 or 15(d) of the Exchange Act shall be deemed to be incorporated by reference in this Registration Statement and to be a part of this Registration Statement from the respective date of filing of each of those reports or documents until the filing of a post-effective amendment to this Registration Statement which indicates either that all securities offered by this Registration Statement have been sold or which deregisters all of the securities under this Registration Statement then remaining unsold.

Any statement contained in this Registration Statement or in a document incorporated or deemed to be incorporated by reference in this Registration Statement shall be deemed to be modified or superseded for purposes of this Registration Statement to the extent that a statement contained in this Registration Statement or in any other subsequently filed document which also is or is deemed to be incorporated by reference in this Registration Statement modifies or supersedes that statement. Any statement so modified or superseded shall not be deemed, except as so modified or superseded, to constitute a part of this Registration Statement.

 

 



 

 

ITEM 4. DESCRIPTION OF SECURITIES

Not applicable.

ITEM 5. INTERESTS OF NAMED EXPERTS AND COUNSEL

Not applicable.

ITEM 6. INDEMNIFICATION OF DIRECTORS AND OFFICERS

Section 145 of the General Corporation Law of the State of Delaware (the "DGCL") gives the Registrant power to indemnify each of its directors and officers against expenses and liabilities in connection with any proceedings involving him by reason of his being or having been a director or officer if (a) he acted in good faith and in a manner he reasonably believed to be in, or not opposed to, the best interests of the Registrant and (b) with respect to any criminal proceeding, he had no reasonable cause to believe his conduct was unlawful. However, in a proceeding by or in the right of the Registrant, there shall be no indemnification in respect of any liabilities or expenses if the officer or director shall have been adjudged liable to the Registrant unless the court in such proceeding determines he is entitled to indemnification for such liabilities and/or expenses. Furthermore, no indemnification shall be made to or on behalf of a director or officer if a judgment or other final adjudication adverse to such director or officer establishes that his acts or omissions (a) were in breach of his duty of loyalty to the Registrant and its stockholders, (b) were not in good faith or involved a knowing violation of law or (c) resulted in receipt by the director or officer of an improper personal benefit. The DGCL defines an act or omission in breach of a person's duty of loyalty as an act or omission which that person knows or believes to be contrary to the best interests of the Registrant or its stockholders in connection with a matter in which he has a material conflict of interest. If a director or officer is successful in a proceeding, the statute mandates that the Registrant indemnify him against expenses.

The Registrant's Certificate of Incorporation, as permitted by Delaware law, eliminates the personal liability of the directors and officers to the Registrant or its shareholders for monetary damages for breaches of such director's or officer's duty of care or other duties as a director or officer; except liabilities for any breach of duty based upon an act or omission (a) in breach of such person's duty of loyalty to the corporation or its shareholders, (b) not in good faith or involving a knowing violation of law, or (c) resulting in receipt by such person of an improper personal benefit. This limitation on liability could have the effect of limiting directors' and officers' liability for violations of the federal securities laws. In addition, the Registrant's Certificate of Incorporation and By-Laws provide broad indemnification rights to directors and officers so long as the director or officer acted in a manner believed in good faith to be in or not opposed to the best interest of the Registrant and with respect to criminal proceedings if the director had no reasonable cause to believe his or her conduct was unlawful. The Registrant believes that the protection provided by these provisions will help the Registrant attract and retain qualified individuals to service as officers and directors. These provisions would provide indemnification for liabilities arising under the federal securities laws to the extent that such indemnification is found to be enforceable under, and to be in accordance with, applicable law and generally will limit the remedies available to a shareholder who is dissatisfied with a Board decision protected by these provisions, and such shareholder's only remedy may be to bring a suit to prevent the Board's action.

ITEM 7. EXEMPTION FROM REGISTRATION CLAIMED

Not applicable.

 

 

 

 



 

 

ITEM 8. EXHIBITS

 

Exhibit No.

Description of Document

 

 

3.1

Certificate of Incorporation of the Registrant (incorporated herein by reference to Registrant’s Form 10-KSB for the fiscal year ended December 31, 1996 (“Form 10-KSB”)

3.2

By-laws of the Registrant (incorporated herein by reference to the Registrant’s Form 10-KSB)

4.1

Registrant’s 2001 Incentive Stock Plan

4.2

Registrant’s 2007 Incentive Stock Plan

5.1

Opinion of counsel re: legality of securities being registered

23.1

Consent of Berman & Company, PA

23.2

Consent of Counsel (included in Exhibit 5.1)

ITEM 9. UNDERTAKINGS

The undersigned Registrant hereby undertakes:

1. To file, during any period in which offers or sales are being made, a post-effective amendment to this registration statement:

i. To include any prospectus required by Section 10(a)(3) of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended;

ii. To reflect in the prospectus any facts or events arising after the effective date of this registration statement (or the most recent post-effective amendment thereof) which, individually or in the aggregate, represent a fundamental change in the information set forth in this Registration Statement;

iii. To include any material information with respect to the plan of distribution not previously disclosed in this registration statement or any material change to such information in the registration statement; provided, however, that paragraphs (a)(1)(i) and (a)(1)(ii) do not apply if the information required to be included in a post-effective amendment by those paragraphs is contained in periodic reports filed by the Registrant pursuant to Section 13 or Section 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 that are incorporated by reference in this Registration Statement.

2. That, for the purpose of determining any liability under the Securities Act of 1933, each such post-effective amendment shall be deemed to be a new registration statement relating to the securities offered therein, and the offering of such securities at that time shall be deemed to be the initial bona fide offering thereof.

3. To remove from registration by means of a post-effective amendment any of the securities being registered that remain unsold at the termination of the offering.

The undersigned Registrant hereby undertakes that, for purposes of determining any liability under the Securities Act of 1933, each filing of the Registrant's annual report pursuant to section 13(a) or section 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (and, where applicable, each filing of an employee benefit plan's annual report pursuant to section 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934) that is incorporated by reference in the registration statement shall be deemed to be a new registration statement relating to the securities offered therein, and the offering of such securities at that time shall be deemed to be the initial bona fide offering thereof.

Insofar as indemnification for liabilities arising under the Securities Act may be permitted to directors, officers and controlling persons of the Registrant, the Registrant has been advised that in the opinion of the SEC such indemnification is against public policy as expressed in the Securities Act and is, therefore, unenforceable. In the event that a claim for indemnification against such liabilities (other than the payment by the Registrant of expenses incurred or paid by a director, officer or controlling person of the Registrant in the successful defense of any action, suit or proceeding) is asserted by such director, officer or controlling person in connection with the securities being registered, the Registrant will, unless in the opinion of its counsel the matter has been settled by controlling

 



 

precedent, submit to a court of appropriate jurisdiction the question whether such indemnification by it is against public policy as expressed in the Securities Act and will be governed by the final adjudication of such issue.

SIGNATURES

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, the Registrant certifies that it has reasonable grounds to believe that it meets all of the requirements for filing on Form S-8 and has duly caused this registration statement to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized, in Ann Arbor, Michigan, on the 15th day of January, 2008.

 

 

PIPEX PHARMACEUTICALS, INC.

 

By:         /s/ Steve H. Kanzer                     

 

Name: Steve H. Kanzer

 

Title: Chairman and Chief Executive Officer

 

(Principal executive officer and

 

principal financial officer)

 

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, this Registration Statement has been signed by the following persons in the capacities and on the date indicated.

 

 



 

 

 

Date:

January 15, 2008

By:

/s/ Steve H. Kanzer

Steve H. Kanzer

Chairman and Chief Executive Office

(Principal executive officer and principal financial Officer)

 

Date:

January 15, 2008

By:

/s/ Jeffrey J. Kraws

Jeffrey J. Kraws

Director

Date:

January 15, 2008

By:

/s/ Nicholas Stergis

Nicholas Stergis

Director

Date:

January 15, 2008

By:

/s/ Charles Bisgaier

Charles Bisgaier

Director

Date:

January 15, 2008

By:

/s/ Jeff Wolf

Jeff Wolf

Director

Date:

January 15, 2008

By:

/s/ Daniel J. Dorman

Daniel J. Dorman

Director

Date:

January 15, 2008

By:

/s/ James S Kuo

James S. Kuo

Director

 



 

 

 

Exhibit

Description

 

3.1

Certificate of Incorporation (1)

 

3.2

By-Laws (1)

 

4.1

2001 Incentive Stock Plan (2)

 

4.2

2007 Incentive Stock Plan (2)

 

5.1

Opinion of Lehman & Eilen LLP Re: Legality of Shares (2)

 

23.1

Consent of Berman & Company, P.A., Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm (2)

23.2

Consent of Lehman & Eilen LLP (contained in Exhibit 5.1)

 

 

_____________________________________

(1) Incorporated by reference to the Registrant’s Form 10-KSB for the fiscal year ended December 31, 1996.

(2) Filed herewith.

 



EXHIBIT 4.1

 

PIPEX, INC.

2001 STOCK INCENTIVE PLAN

 

ARTICLE I

1.1            Purpose . The purpose of the Pipex, Inc. 2001 Stock Incentive Plan (the "Plan") is to provide for officers, other employees and directors of, and consultants to, Pipex, Inc. (the "Company" or "Pipex") and its subsidiaries an incentive (a) to enter into and remain in the service of the Company, (b) to enhance the long-term performance of the Company and (c) to acquire a proprietary interest in the success of the Company.

1.2

Administration  

1.2.1 Subject to Section 1.2.6, the Plan shall be administered by the Compensation Committee (the "Committee") of the board of directors of the Company (the "Board"), which shall consist of not less than three directors. The members of the Committee shall be appointed by, and serve at the pleasure of, the Board. To the extent required for transactions under the Plan to qualify for the exemptions available under Rule 16b-3 ("Rule 16b-3") promulgated under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (the "1934 Act"), all actions relating to awards to persons subject to Section 16 of the 1934 Act shall be taken by the Board unless each person who serves on the Committee is a "non-employee director" within the meaning of Rule 16b-3 or such actions are taken by a subcommittee of the Committee (or the Board) comprised solely of "non-employee directors". To the extent required for compensation realized from awards under the Plan to be deductible by the Company pursuant to section 162(m) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 (the "Code"), the members of the Committee shall be "outside directors" within the meaning of section 162(m).

 

1.2.2 The Committee shall have the authority (a) to exercise all of the powers granted to it under the Plan, (b) to construe, interpret and implement the Plan and any Plan Agreements executed pursuant to Section 2.1, (c) to prescribe, amend and rescind rules and regulations relating to the Plan, including rules governing its own operations, (d) to make all determinations necessary or advisable in administering the Plan, (e) to correct any defect, supply any omission and reconcile any inconsistency in the Plan, (1) to amend the Plan to reflect changes in applicable law, (g) to determine whether, to what extent and under what circumstances awards may be settled or exercised in cash, shares of Stock, other securities, other awards or other property, or canceled, forfeited or suspended and the method or methods by which awards may be settled, canceled, forfeited or suspended, and (h) to determine whether, to what extent and under what circumstances cash, shares of Stock, other securities, other awards or other property and other amounts payable with respect to an award shall be deferred either automatically or at the election of the holder thereof or of the Committee.

 

1.2.3 Actions of the Committee shall be taken by the vote of a majority of its members. Any action may be taken by a written instrument signed by a majority of the Committee members, and action so taken shall be fully as effective as if it had been taken by a vote at a meeting.

 

1.2.4 The determination of the Committee on all matters relating to the Plan or any Plan Agreement shall be final, binding and conclusive.

 

 



 

 

1.2.5 No member of the Committee shall be liable for any action or determination made in good faith with respect to the Plan or any award thereunder.

 

1.2.6 Notwithstanding anything to the contrary contained herein: (a) until the Board shall appoint the members of the Committee, the Plan shall be administered by the Board; and (b) the Board may, in its sole discretion, at any time and from time to time, grant awards or resolve to administer the Plan. In either of the foregoing events, the Board shall have all of the authority and responsibility granted to the Committee herein.

1.3

Persons Eligible for Awards  

Awards under the Plan may be made to such directors, officers and other employees of the Company and its subsidiaries (including prospective employees conditioned on their becoming employees), and to such consultants to the Company and its subsidiaries (collectively, "key persons") as the Committee shall in its discretion select.

 

1.4

Types of Awards Under Plan

Awards may be made under the Plan in the form of (a) incentive stock options (within the meaning of section 422 of the Code), (b) nonqualified stock options, (c) stock appreciation rights, (d) dividend equivalent rights, (e) restricted stock, (0 restricted stock units and (g) other stock-based awards, all as more fully set forth in Article II. The term "award" means any of the foregoing. No incentive stock option (other than an incentive stock option that may be assumed or issued by the Company in connection with a transaction to which section 424(a) of the Code applies) may be granted to a person who is not an employee of the Company on the date of grant.

 

1.5

Shares Available for Awards  

1.5.1 The total number of shares of Common Stock of the Company ("Stock"), which may be transferred pursuant to awards granted under the Plan shall not exceed 15% of the total of the issued and outstanding Stock, including Common and Preferred Stock as of the effective date of the Plan. Such shares may be authorized but unissued Stock or authorized and issued Stock held in the Company's treasury or acquired by the Company for the purposes of the Plan. The Committee may direct that any stock certificate evidencing shares issued pursuant to the Plan shall bear a legend setting forth such restrictions on transferability as may apply to such shares pursuant to the Plan. If, after the effective date of the Plan, any award is forfeited or any award otherwise terminates or is cancelled without the delivery of shares of Stock, then the shares covered by such award or to which such award relates shall again become available for transfer pursuant to awards granted or to be granted under this Plan. Any shares of Stock delivered by the Company, any shares of Stock with respect to which awards are made by the Company and any shares of Stock with respect to which the Company becomes obligated to make awards, through the assumption of, or in substitution for, outstanding awards previously granted by an acquired entity, shall not be counted against the shares available for awards under this Plan.

1.5.2 The total number of shares of Stock with respect to which stock options and stock appreciation rights may be granted to any one employee of the Company or a subsidiary during any one -year period shall not exceed 250,000.

 

1.5.3 Upon certain changes in Stock, the number of shares of Stock available for issuance with respect to awards under the Plan, as set forth in Sections 1.5.1 and 1.5.2, shall be adjusted pursuant to Section 3.7.1.

 

1.5.4 Except as provided in this Section 1.5 and in Section 2.3.7, there shall be no limit on the number or the value of the shares of Stock that may be subject to awards to any individual under the Plan.

 

 

 



 

 

1.6

Definitions of Certain Terms  

1.6.1 The "Fair Market Value" of a share of Stock on any day shall be determined as follows:

 

(a)         If the principal market for the Stock (the "Market") is a national securities exchange or the National Association of Securities Dealers Automated Quotation System ("NASDAQ") National Market, the last sale price or, if no reported sales take place on the applicable date, the average of the high bid and low asked price of Stock as reported for such Market on such date or, if no such quotation is made on such date, on the next preceding day on which there were quotations, provided that such quotations shall have been made within the ten (10) business days preceding the applicable date;

 

(b)         If the Market is the NASDAQ National List, the NASDAQ Supplemental List or another market, the average of the high bid and low asked price for Stock on the applicable date, or, if no such quotations shall have been made on such date, on the next preceding day on which there were quotations, provided that such quotations shall have been made within the ten (10) business days preceding the applicable date; or

 

(c) In the event that neither paragraph (a) nor (b) shall apply, the Fair Market Value of a share of Stock on any day shall be determined in good faith by the Committee.

 

1.6.2          The term "incentive stock option" means an option that is intended to qualify for special federal income tax treatment pursuant to sections 421 and 422 of the Code, as now constituted or subsequently amended, or pursuant to a successor provision of the Code, and which is so designated in the applicable Plan Agreement. Any option that is not specifically designated as an incentive stock option shall under no circumstances be considered an incentive stock option. Any option that is not an incentive stock option is referred to herein as a "nonqualified stock option."

 

1.6.3          The term "employment" means, in the case of a grantee of an award under the Plan who is not an employee of the Company, the grantee's association with the Company or a subsidiary as a director, consultant or otherwise.

 

1.6.4          A grantee shall be deemed to have a "termination of employment" upon ceasing to be employed by the Company and all of its subsidiaries or by a corporation assuming awards in a transaction to which section 424(a) of the Code applies. The Committee may in its discretion determine (a) whether any leave of absence constitutes a termination of employment for purposes of the Plan, (b) the impact, if any, of any such leave of absence on awards theretofore made under the Plan, and (c) when a change in a non-employee's association with the Company constitutes a termination of employment for purposes of the Plan. The Committee shall have the right to determine whether the termination of a grantee's employment is a dismissal for cause and the date of termination in such case, which date the Committee may retroactively deem to be the date of the action that is cause for dismissal. Such determinations of the Committee shall be final, binding and conclusive.

 

1.6.5 The term "cause," when used in connection with termination of a grantee's employment, shall have the meaning set forth in any then-effective employment agreement between the grantee and the Company or a subsidiary thereof. In the absence of or in addition to, as the case may be, such an employment agreement provision, "cause" means: (a) conviction of any crime (whether or not involving the Company) constituting a felony in the jurisdiction involved; (b) engaging in any substantiated act involving moral turpitude; (c) engaging in any act which, in each case, subjects, or if generally known would subject, the Company to public ridicule or embarrassment; (d) material violation of the Company's policies, including, without limitation, those relating to sexual harassment or the disclosure or misuse of confidential information; (e) serious neglect or misconduct in the performance of the grantee's duties for the Company or a subsidiary or willful or repeated failure or refusal to perform such duties; in each case as determined by the Committee, which determination shall be final, binding and conclusive.

 

 



 

 

 

ARTICLE II

AWARDS UNDER THE PLAN

2.1

Agreements Evidencing Awards  

Each award granted under the Plan (except an award of unrestricted stock) shall be evidenced by a written agreement ("Plan Agreement") which shall contain such provisions as the Committee in its discretion deems necessary or desirable. Such provisions may include, without limitation, a requirement that the grantee become a party to a shareholders' agreement with respect to any shares of Stock acquired pursuant to the award, a requirement that the grantee acknowledge that such shares are acquired for investment purposes only, and a right of first refusal exercisable by the Company in the event that the grantee wishes to transfer any such shares. The Committee may grant awards in tandem with or in substitution for any other award or awards granted under this Plan or any award granted under any other plan of the Company or any subsidiary. Payments or transfers to be made by the Company or any subsidiary upon the grant, exercise or payment of an award may be made in such form as the Committee shall determine, including cash, shares of Stock, other securities, other awards or other property and may be made in a single payment or transfer, in installments or on a deferred basis, in each case in accordance with rules established by the Committee. By accepting an award pursuant to the Plan, a grantee thereby agrees that the award shall be subject to all of the terms and provisions of the Plan and the applicable Plan Agreement.

2.2

No Rights as a Shareholder  

No grantee of an option or stock appreciation right (or other person having the right to exercise such award) shall have any of the rights of a shareholder of the Company with respect to shares subject to such award until the issuance of a stock certificate to such person for such shares.

 

2.3

Grant of Stock Options, Stock Appreciation Rights and Reload Options  

2.3.1 The Committee may grant incentive stock options and nonqualified stock options (collectively, "options") to purchase shares of Stock from the Company, to such key persons, in such amounts and subject to such terms and conditions, as the Committee shall determine in its discretion, subject to the provisions of the Plan.

2.3.2 The Committee may grant stock appreciation rights to such key persons, in such amounts and subject to such terms and conditions, as the Committee shall determine in its discretion, subject to the provisions of the Plan. Stock appreciation rights may be granted in connection with all or any part of, or independently of, any option granted under the Plan. A stock appreciation right granted in connection with a nonqualified stock option may be granted at or after the time of grant of such option. A stock appreciation right granted in connection with an incentive stock option may be granted only at the time of grant of such option.

2.3.3 The grantee of a stock appreciation right shall have the right, subject to the terms of the Plan and the applicable Plan Agreement, to receive from the Company an amount equal to (a) the excess of the Fair Market Value of a share of Stock on the date of exercise of the stock appreciation right over (b) the exercise price of such right as set forth in the Plan Agreement (or over the option exercise price if the stock appreciation right is granted in connection with an option), multiplied by (c) the number of shares with respect to which the stock appreciation right is exercised. Payment upon exercise of a stock appreciation right shall be in cash or in shares of Stock (valued at their Fair Market Value on the date of exercise of the stock appreciation right) or both, all as the Committee shall determine in its discretion. Upon the exercise of a stock appreciation right granted in connection with an option, the number of shares subject to the option shall be correspondingly reduced by the number of shares with respect to which the stock appreciation right is exercised. Upon the exercise of an option in connection with which a stock appreciation right has been granted, the number of shares subject to the stock

 



 

appreciation right shall be correspondingly reduced by the number of shares with respect to which the option is exercised.

2.3.4 Each Plan Agreement with respect to an option shall set forth the amount (the "option exercise price") payable by the grantee to the Company upon exercise of the option evidenced thereby. The option exercise price per share shall be determined by the Committee in its discretion; provided, however, that the option exercise price of an incentive stock option shall be at least 100% of the Fair Market Value of a share of Stock on the date the option is granted (except as permitted in connection with the assumption or issuance of options in a transaction to which section 424(a) of the Code applies), and provided further that in no event shall the option exercise price be less than the par value of a share of Stock.

 

2.3.5 Each Plan Agreement with respect to an option or stock appreciation right shall set forth the periods during which the award evidenced thereby shall be exercisable, whether in whole or in part. Such periods shall be determined by the Committee in its discretion; provided, however, that no incentive stock option (or a stock appreciation right granted in connection with an incentive stock option) shall be exercisable more than 10 years after the date of grant.

 

2.3.6 The Committee may in its discretion include in any Plan Agreement with respect to an option (the "original option") a provision that an additional option (the "additional option") shall be granted to any grantee who, pursuant to Section 2.4.3(b), delivers shares of Stock in partial or full payment of the exercise price of the original option. The additional option shall be for a number of shares of Stock equal to the number thus delivered, shall have an exercise price equal to the Fair Market Value of a share of Stock on the date of exercise of the original option, and shall have an expiration date no later than the expiration date of the original option. In the event that a Plan Agreement provides for the grant of an additional option, such Agreement shall also provide that the exercise price of the original option be no less than the Fair Market Value of a share of Stock on its date of grant, and that any shares that are delivered pursuant to Section 2.4.3(b) in payment of such exercise price shall have been held for at least six months.

 

2.3.7 To the extent that the aggregate Fair Market Value (determined as of the time the option is granted) of the stock with respect to which incentive stock options granted under this Plan and all other plans of the Company and any subsidiary are first exercisable by any employee during any calendar year shall exceed the maximum limit (currently, $100,000), if any, imposed from time to time under section 422 of the Code, such options shall be treated as nonqualified stock options.

 

2.3.8 Notwithstanding the provisions of Sections 2.3.4 and 2.3.5, to the extent required under section 422 of the Code, an incentive stock option may not be granted under the Plan to an individual who, at the time the option is granted, owns stock possessing more than 10% of the total combined voting power of all classes of stock of his employer corporation or of its parent or subsidiary corporations (as such ownership may be determined for purposes of section 422(b)(6) of the Code) unless (a) at the time such incentive stock option is granted the option exercise price is at least 110% of the Fair Market Value of the shares subject thereto and (b) the incentive stock option by its terms is not exercisable after the expiration of 5 years from the date it is granted.

 

2.4

Exercise of Options and Stock Appreciation Rights  

Subject to the provisions of this Article II, each option or stock appreciation right granted under the Plan shall be exercisable as follows:

 

2.4.1 Unless the applicable Plan Agreement otherwise provides, an option or stock appreciation right shall become exercisable in three substantially equal installments, on each of the first, second and third anniversaries of the date of grant, and each installment, once it becomes exercisable, shall remain

 



 

exercisable until expiration, cancellation or termination of the award.

 

2.4.2 Unless the applicable Plan Agreement otherwise provides, an option or stock appreciation right may be exercised from time to time as to all or part of the shares as to which such award is then exercisable (but, in any event, only for whole shares). A stock appreciation right granted in connection with an option may be exercised at any time when, and to the same extent that, the related option may be exercised. An option or stock appreciation right shall be exercised by the filing of a written notice with the Company, on such form and in such manner as the Committee shall prescribe.

 

2.4.3 Any written notice of exercise of an option shall be accompanied by payment for the shares being purchased. Such payment shall be made: (a) by certified or official bank check (or the equivalent thereof acceptable to the Company) for the full option exercise price; or (b) unless the applicable Plan Agreement provides otherwise, by delivery of shares of Stock (which, if acquired pursuant to exercise of a stock option, were acquired at least six months prior to the option exercise date) and having a Fair Market Value (determined as of the exercise date) equal to all or part of the option exercise price and a certified or official bank check (or the equivalent thereof acceptable to the Company) for any remaining portion of the full option exercise price; or (c) at the discretion of the Committee and to the extent permitted by law, by such other provision as the Committee may from time to time prescribe.

 

2.4.4 Promptly after receiving payment of the full option exercise price, or after receiving notice of the exercise of a stock appreciation right for which payment will be made partly or entirely in shares, the Company shall, subject to the provisions of Section 3.3 (relating to certain restrictions), deliver to the grantee or to such other person as may then have the right to exercise the award, a certificate or certificates for the shares of Stock for which the award has been exercised. If the method of payment employed upon option exercise so requires, and if applicable law permits, an optionee may direct the Company to deliver the certificate(s) to the optionee's stockbroker.

 

2.5

Termination of Employment; Death

2.5.1 Except to the extent otherwise provided in Section 2.5.2 or 2.5.3 or in the applicable Plan Agreement, all options and stock appreciation rights not theretofore exercised shall terminate upon termination of the grantee's employment for any reason (including death).

 

2.5.2 If a grantee's employment terminates for any reason other than death or dismissal for cause, the grantee may exercise any outstanding option or stock appreciation right on the following terms and conditions: (a) exercise may be made only to the extent that the grantee was entitled to exercise the award on the date of employment termination; and (b) exercise must occur within 90 days after employment terminates, except that this 90 day period shall be increased to one year if the termination is by reason of disability, but in no event after the expiration date of the award as set forth in the Plan Agreement. In the case of an incentive stock option, the term "disability" for purposes of the preceding sentence shall have the meaning given to it by section 422(c)(6) of the Code.

 

2.5.3 If a grantee dies while employed by the Company or any subsidiary, or after employment termination but during the period in which the grantee's awards are exercisable pursuant to Section 2.5.2, any outstanding option or stock appreciation right shall be exercisable on the following terms and conditions: (a) exercise may be made only to the extent that the grantee was entitled to exercise the award on the date of death; and (b) exercise must occur by the earlier of the first anniversary of the grantee's death or the expiration date of the award. Any such exercise of an award following a grantee's death shall be made only by the grantee's executor or administrator, unless the grantee's will specifically disposes of such award, in which case such exercise shall be made only by the recipient of such specific disposition. If a grantee's personal representative or the recipient of a specific disposition under the grantee's will shall be entitled to exercise any award pursuant to the

 



 

preceding sentence, such representative or recipient shall be bound by all the terms and conditions of the Plan and the applicable Plan Agreement which would have applied to the grantee including, without limitation, the provisions of Sections 3.3 and 3.7 hereof.

 

2.6

Grant of Restricted Stock

2.6.1 The Committee may grant restricted shares of Stock to such key persons, in such amounts, and subject to such terms and conditions as the Committee shall determine in its discretion, subject to the provisions of the Plan. Restricted stock awards may be made independently of or in connection with any other award under the Plan. A grantee of a restricted stock award shall have no rights with respect to such award unless such grantee accepts the award within such period as the Committee shall specify by executing a Plan Agreement in such form as the Committee shall determine and, if the Committee shall so require, makes payment to the Company by certified or official bank check (or the equivalent thereof acceptable to the Company) in such amount as the Committee may determine.

2.6.2 Promptly after a grantee accepts a restricted stock award, the Company shall issue in the grantee's name a certificate or certificates for the shares of Stock covered by the award. Upon the issuance of such certificate(s), the grantee shall have the rights of a shareholder with respect to the restricted stock, subject to the nontransferability restrictions and Company repurchase rights described in Sections 2.6.4 and 2.6.5 and to such other restrictions and conditions as the Committee in its discretion may include in the applicable Plan Agreement.

 

2.6.3 Unless the Committee shall otherwise determine, any certificate issued evidencing shares of restricted stock shall remain in the possession of the Company until such shares are free of any restrictions specified in the applicable Plan Agreement.

 

2.6.4 Shares of restricted stock may not be sold, assigned, transferred, pledged or otherwise encumbered or disposed of except as specifically provided in this Plan or the applicable Plan Agreement. The Committee at the time of grant shall specify the date or dates (which may depend upon or be related to the attainment of performance goals and other conditions) on which the nontransferability of the restricted stock shall lapse. Unless the applicable Plan Agreement provides otherwise, additional shares of Stock or other property distributed to the grantee in respect of shares of restricted stock, as dividends or otherwise, shall be subject to the same restrictions applicable to such restricted stock.

 

2.6.5 During the 120 days following termination of the grantee's employment for any reason, the Company shall have the right to require the return of any shares to which restrictions on transferability apply, in exchange for which the Company shall repay to the grantee (or the grantee's estate) any amount paid by the grantee for such shares.

 

2.7

Grant of Restricted Stock Units

2.7.1 The Committee may grant awards of restricted stock units to such key persons, in such amounts, and subject to such terms and conditions as the Committee shall determine in its discretion, subject to the provisions of the Plan. Restricted stock units may be awarded independently of or in connection with any other award under the Plan.

 

2.7.2 At the time of grant, the Committee shall specify the date or dates on which the restricted stock units shall become fully vested and nonforfeitable, and may specify such conditions to vesting as it deems appropriate. In the event of the termination of the grantee's employment by the Company and its subsidiaries for any reason, restricted stock units that have not become nonforfeitable shall be forfeited and cancelled. The Committee at any time may accelerate vesting dates and otherwise waive or amend any conditions of an award of restricted stock units.

 

 



 

 

2.7.3 At the time of grant, the Committee shall specify the maturity date applicable to each grant of restricted stock units, which may be determined at the election of the grantee. Such date may be later than the vesting date or dates of the award. On the maturity date, the Company shall transfer to the grantee one unrestricted, fully transferable share of Stock for each restricted stock unit scheduled to be paid out on such date and not previously forfeited. The Committee shall specify the purchase price, if any, to be paid by the grantee to the Company for such shares of Stock.

 

2.8

Other Stock-Based Awards  

The Committee may grant other types of stock-based awards (including the grant of unrestricted shares) to such key persons, in such amounts and subject to such terms and conditions, as the Committee shall in its discretion determine, subject to the provisions of the Plan. Such awards may entail the transfer of actual shares of Stock to Plan participants, or payment in cash or otherwise of amounts based on the value of shares of Stock.

 

2.9

Grant of Dividend Equivalent Rights

 

The Committee may in its discretion include in the Plan Agreement with respect to any award a dividend equivalent right entitling the grantee to receive amounts equal to the ordinary dividends that would be paid, during the time such award is outstanding and unexercised, on the shares of Stock covered by such award if such shares were then outstanding. In the event such a provision is included in a Plan Agreement, the Committee shall determine whether such payments shall be made in cash, in shares of Stock or in another form, whether they shall be conditioned upon the exercise of the award to which they relate, the time or times at which they shall be made, and such other terms and conditions as the Committee shall deem appropriate.

 

ARTICLE III

MISCELLANEOUS

3.1

Amendment of the Plan; Modification of Awards  

3.1.1 The Board may from time to time suspend, discontinue, revise or amend the Plan in any respect whatsoever, except that no such amendment shall materially impair any rights or materially increase any obligations under any award theretofore made under the Plan without the consent of the grantee (or, after the grantee's death, the person having the right to exercise the award). For purposes of this Section 3.1, any action of the Board or the Committee that alters or affects the tax treatment of any award shall not be considered to materially impair any rights of any grantee.

 

3.1.2 Shareholder approval of any amendment shall be obtained to the extent necessary to comply with section 422 of the Code (relating to incentive stock options) or other applicable law or regulation.

 

3.1.3 The Committee may amend any outstanding Plan Agreement, including, without limitation, by amendment which would accelerate the time or times at which the award becomes unrestricted or may be exercised, or waive or amend any goals, restrictions or conditions set forth in the Agreement. However, any such amendment (other than an amendment pursuant to Section 3.7.2, relating to change in control) that materially impairs the rights or materially increases the obligations of a grantee under an outstanding award shall be made only with the consent of the grantee (or, upon the grantee's death, the person having the right to exercise the award).

 

3.2

Tax Withholding

3.2.1 As a condition to the receipt of any shares of Stock pursuant to any award or the lifting of restrictions on any award, or in connection with any other event that gives rise to a federal or other

 



 

governmental tax withholding obligation on the part of the Company relating to an award (including, without limitation, FICA tax), the Company shall be entitled to require that the grantee remit to the Company an amount sufficient in the opinion of the Company to satisfy such withholding obligation.

 

3.2.2 If the event giving rise to the withholding obligation is a transfer of shares of Stock, then, unless otherwise specified in the applicable Plan Agreement, the grantee may satisfy the withholding obligation imposed under Section 3.2.1 by electing to have the Company withhold shares of Stock having a Fair Market Value equal to the amount of tax to be withheld. For this purpose, Fair Market Value shall be determined as of the date on which the amount of tax to be withheld is determined (and any fractional share amount shall be settled in cash).

 

3.3

Restrictions

 

3.3.1 If the Committee shall at any time determine that any consent (as hereinafter defined) is necessary or desirable as a condition of, or in connection with, the granting of any award under the Plan, the issuance or purchase of shares or other rights thereunder, or the taking of any other action thereunder (each such action being hereinafter referred to as a "plan action"), then such plan action shall not be taken, in whole or in part, unless and until such consent shall have been effected or obtained to the full satisfaction of the Committee.

 

3.3.2 The term "consent" as used herein with respect to any plan action means (a) any and all listings, registrations or qualifications in respect thereof upon any securities exchange or under any federal, state or local law, rule or regulation, (b) any and all written agreements and representations by the grantee with respect to the disposition of shares, or with respect to any other matter, which the Committee shall deem necessary or desirable to comply with the terms of any such listing, registration or qualification or to obtain an exemption from the requirement that any such listing, qualification or registration be made and (c) any and all consents, clearances and approvals in respect of a plan action by any governmental or other regulatory bodies.

 

3.4

Nonassignability  

Except to the extent otherwise provided in the applicable Plan Agreement, no award or right granted to any person under the Plan shall be assignable or transferable other than by will or by the laws of descent and distribution, and all such awards and rights shall be exercisable during the life of the grantee only by the grantee or the grantee's legal representative.

 

3.5

Notification of Election Under Code Section 83(11)

If any grantee shall, in connection with the acquisition of shares of Stock under the Plan, make the election permitted under section 83(b) of the Code (that is, an election to include in gross income in the year of transfer the amounts specified in section 83(b)), such grantee shall notify the Company of such election within 10 days of filing notice of the election with the Internal Revenue Service, in addition to any filing and notification required pursuant to regulations issued under the authority of Code section 83(b).

 

3.6

Notification Upon Disqualifying Disposition  

If any grantee shall make any disposition of shares of Stock issued pursuant to the exercise of an incentive stock option under the circumstances described in section 421(b) of the Code (relating to certain disqualifying dispositions), such grantee shall notify the Company of such disposition within 10 days thereof.

 

 

 



 

 

 

3.7

Adjustment Upon Changes in Stock

 

3.7.1 Shares Available for Grants. In the event of any change in the number of shares of Stock outstanding by reason of any stock dividend or split, reverse stock split, recapitalization, merger, consolidation, combination or exchange of shares or similar corporate change, the maximum number of shares of Stock with respect to which the Committee may grant awards under Article II hereof, as described in Section 1.5.1, and the individual annual limit described in Section 1.5.2, shall be appropriately adjusted by the Committee. In the event of any change in the number of shares of Stock outstanding by reason of any other event or transaction, the Committee may, but need not, make such adjustments in the number and class of shares of Stock with respect to which awards: (i) may be granted under Article II hereof and (ii) granted to any one employee of the Company or a subsidiary during any one calendar year, in each case as the Committee may deem appropriate, unless such adjustment would cause any award that would otherwise qualify as performance based compensation with respect to a "162(m) covered employee" (as defined in Section 162 of the Code), to cease to so qualify.

 

3.7.2 Outstanding Restricted Stock and Restricted Stock Units. Unless the Committee in its absolute discretion otherwise determines, any securities or other property (including dividends paid in cash) received by a grantee with respect to a share of restricted stock, the issue date with respect to which occurs prior to such event, but which has not vested as of the date of such event, as a result of any dividend, stock split, reverse stock split, recapitalization, merger, consolidation, combination, exchange of shares or otherwise will not vest until such share of restricted stock vests, and shall be promptly deposited with the Company or otherwise treated as was the certificate for the underlying share of restricted stock, pursuant to Section 2.6.3 hereof.

 

The Committee may, in its absolute discretion, adjust any grant of shares of restricted stock, the issue date with respect to which has not occurred as of the date of the occurrence of any of the following events, or any grant of restricted stock units, to reflect any dividend, stock split, reverse stock split, recapitalization, merger, consolidation, combination, exchange of shares or similar corporate change as the Committee may deem appropriate to prevent the enlargement or dilution of rights of grantees.

 

3.7.3          Outstanding Options, Stock Appreciation Rights and Dividend Equivalent Rights —Increase or Decrease in Issued Shares Without Consideration. Subject to any required action by the stockholders of the Company, in the event of any increase or decrease in the number of issued shares of Stock resulting from a subdivision or consolidation of shares of Stock or the payment of a stock dividend (but only on the shares of Stock), or any other increase or decrease in the number of such shares effected without receipt of consideration by the Company, the Committee shall proportionally adjust the number of shares of Stock subject to each outstanding option and stock appreciation right, and the exercise price-per-share of Stock of each such option and stock appreciation right and the number of any related dividend equivalent rights.

 

3.7.4          Outstanding Options, Stock Appreciation Rights and Dividend Equivalent Rights —Certain Mergers. Subject to any required action by the stockholders of the Company, in the event that the Company shall be the surviving corporation in any merger or consolidation (except a merger or consolidation as a result of which the holders of shares of Stock receive securities of another corporation), each option, stock appreciation right and dividend equivalent right outstanding on the date of such merger or consolidation shall pertain to and apply to the securities which a holder of the number of shares of Stock subject to such option, stock appreciation right or dividend equivalent right would have received in such merger or consolidation.

 

3.7.5          Outstanding Options, Stock Appreciation Rights and Dividend Equivalent Rights —Certain Other Transactions. In the event of (i) a dissolution or liquidation of the Company, (ii) a sale of all or substantially all of the Company's assets, (iii) a merger or consolidation involving the Company in which the Company is not the surviving corporation or (iv) a merger or consolidation involving the

 



 

Company in which the Company is the surviving corporation but the holders of shares of Stock receive securities of another corporation and/or other property, including cash, the Committee shall, in its absolute discretion, have the power to:

(i)

cancel, effective immediately prior to the occurrence of such event, each option and stock appreciation right (including each dividend equivalent right related thereto) outstanding immediately prior to such event (whether or not then exercisable), and, in full consideration of such cancellation, pay to the grantee to whom such option or stock appreciation right was granted an amount in cash, for each share of Stock subject to such option or stock appreciation right, respectively, equal to the excess of (x) the value, as determined by the Committee in its absolute discretion, of the property (including cash) received by the holder of a share of Stock as a result of such event over (y) the exercise price of such option or stock appreciation right;

(ii)

cancel, effective immediately prior to the occurrence of such event, each option and stock appreciation right (including each dividend equivalent right related thereto) outstanding immediately prior to such event (whether or not then exercisable), and, in full consideration of such cancellation, pay to the grantee to whom such option or stock appreciation right was granted, for each share of Stock subject to such option or stock appreciation right, respectively, the property (including cash) received by the holder of a share of Stock as a result of such event; or

(iii)

provide for the exchange of each option and stock appreciation right (including any related dividend equivalent right) outstanding immediately prior to such event (whether or not then exercisable) for an option on or stock appreciation right and dividend equivalent right with respect to, as appropriate, some or all of the property which a holder of the number of shares of Stock subject to such option or stock appreciation right would have received and, incident thereto, make an equitable adjustment as determined by the Committee in its absolute discretion in the exercise price of the option or stock appreciation right, or the number of shares or amount of property subject to the option, stock appreciation right or dividend equivalent right or, if appropriate, provide for a cash payment to the grantee to whom such option or stock appreciation right was granted in partial consideration for the exchange of the option or stock appreciation right.

 

3.7.6 Outstanding Options, Stock Appreciation Rights and Dividend Equivalent Rights — Other Changes. In the event of any change in the capitalization of the Company or a corporate change other than those specifically referred to in Sections 3.7.3, 3.7.4 or 3.7.5 hereof, the Committee may, in its absolute discretion, make such adjustments in the number and class of shares subject to options, stock appreciation rights and dividend equivalent rights outstanding on the date on which such change occurs and in the per-share exercise price of each such option and stock appreciation right as the Committee may consider appropriate to prevent dilution or enlargement of rights. In addition, if and to the extent the Committee determines it is appropriate, the Committee may elect to cancel each option and stock appreciation right (including each dividend equivalent right related thereto) outstanding immediately prior to such event (whether or not then exercisable), and, in full consideration of such cancellation, pay to the grantee to whom such option or stock appreciation right was granted an amount in cash, for each share of Stock subject to such option or stock appreciation right, respectively, equal to the excess of (i) the Fair Market Value of Stock on the date of such cancellation over (ii) the exercise price of such option or stock appreciation right.

 

 

 



 

 

3.7.7 No Other Rights. Except as expressly provided in the Plan, no grantee shall have any rights by reason of any subdivision or consolidation of shares of stock of any class, the payment of any dividend, any increase or decrease in the number of shares of stock of any class or any dissolution, liquidation, merger or consolidation of the Company or any other corporation. Except as expressly provided in the Plan, no issuance by the Company of shares of stock of any class, or securities convertible into shares of stock of any class, shall affect, and no adjustment by reason thereof shall be made with respect to, the number of shares of Stock subject to an award or the exercise price of any option or stock appreciation right. Except as otherwise provided in Section 3.7, no adjustment shall be made for dividends, distributions or other rights (whether ordinary or extraordinary, and whether in cash, securities or other property) for which the record date is prior to the date such stock certificate is issued.

 

3.8

Right of Discharge Reserved  

 

Nothing in the Plan or in any Plan Agreement shall confer upon any grantee the right to continue in the employ of the Company or affect any right which the Company may have to terminate such employment.

 

3.9

Nature of Payments  

3.9.1 Any and all grants of awards and issuances of shares of Stock under the Plan shall be in consideration of services performed for the Company by the grantee.

 

3.9.2 All such grants and issuances shall constitute a special incentive payment to the grantee and shall not be taken into account in computing the amount of salary or compensation of the grantee for the purpose of determining any benefits under any pension, retirement, profit-sharing, bonus, life insurance or other benefit plan of the Company or under any agreement between the Company and the grantee, unless such plan or agreement specifically provides otherwise.

 

3.10

Non-Uniform Determinations  

The Committee's determinations under the Plan need not be uniform and may be made by it selectively among persons who receive, or are eligible to receive, awards under the Plan (whether or not such persons are similarly situated). Without limiting the generality of the foregoing, the Committee shall be entitled, among other things, to make non-uniform and selective determinations, and to enter into non-uniform and selective Plan agreements, as to (a) the persons to receive awards under the Plan, (b) the terms and provisions of awards under the Plan, and (c) the treatment of leaves of absence pursuant to Section 1.6.4.

 

3.11

Other Payments or Awards  

Nothing contained in the Plan shall be deemed in any way to limit or restrict the Company from making any award or payment to any person under any other plan, arrangement or understanding, whether now existing or hereafter in effect.

 

3.12

Section Headings  

The section headings contained herein are for the purpose of convenience only and are not intended to define or limit the contents of the sections.

 

 

 



 

 

 

3.13

Effective Date and Term of Plan  

3.13.1 The Plan was adopted by the Board on March 4, 2002, subject to approval by the Company's shareholders. All awards under the Plan prior to such shareholder approval are subject in their entirety to such approval. If such approval is not obtained prior to the first anniversary of the date of adoption of the Plan, the Plan and all awards thereunder shall terminate on that date.

 

3.13.2 Unless sooner terminated by the Board, the provisions of the Plan respecting the grant of incentive stock options shall terminate on the day before the tenth anniversary of the adoption of the Plan by the Board, and no incentive stock option awards shall thereafter be made under the Plan. All awards made under the Plan prior to its termination shall remain in effect until such awards have been satisfied or terminated in accordance with the terms and provisions of the Plan and the applicable Plan Agreements.

 

3.14 Governing Law

 

All rights and obligations under the Plan shall be construed and interpreted in accordance with the laws of the State of Delaware, without giving effect to principles of conflict of laws.

 



 

 

EXHIBIT 4.2

PIPEX PHARMACEUTICALS, INC.

2007 STOCK INCENTIVE PLAN

ARTICLE I

GENERAL

1.1 Purpose

The purpose of the Pipex Pharmaceuticals, Inc. 2007 Stock Incentive Plan (the “Plan”) is to provide an incentive for he employees, directors, and consultants to Pipex, Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (the “Company” or “Pipex”) and its subsidiaries an incentive (a) to enter into and remain in the service of the Company, (b) to enhance the long-term performance of the Company and (c) to acquire a proprietary interest in the success of the Company.

1.2 Administration

1.2.1 The Plan shall be administered by the Compensation Committee (the “Committee”) of the board of directors of the Company (the “Board”), which shall consist of not less than two directors. The members of the Committee shall be appointed by, and serve at the pleasure of, the Board. To the extent required for transactions under the Plan to qualify for the exemptions available under Rule 16b-3 (“Rule 16b-3”) promulgated under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (the “1934 Act”), all actions relating to awards to persons subject to Section 16 of the 1934 Act shall be taken by the Board unless each person who serves on the Committee is a “non-employee director” within the meaning of Rule 16b-3 or such actions are taken by a sub-committee of the Committee (or the Board) comprised solely of “non-employee directors”. To the extent required for compensation realized from awards under the Plan to be deductible by the Company pursuant to section 162(m) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 (the “Code”), the members of the Committee shall be “outside directors” within the meaning of section 162(m).

1.2.2 The Committee shall have the authority (a) to exercise all of the powers granted to it under the Plan, (b) to construe, interpret and implement the Plan and any Plan Agreements executed pursuant to Section 2.1, (c) to prescribe, amend and rescind rules and regulations relating to the Plan, including rules governing its own operations, (d) to make all determinations necessary or advisable in administering the Plan, (e) to correct any defect, supply any omission and reconcile any inconsistency in the Plan, (f) to amend the Plan to reflect changes in applicable law, (g) to determine whether, to what extent and under what circumstances awards may be settled or exercised in cash, shares of the Company’s common stock, par value $.001 (the “Common Stock”), other securities, other awards or other property, or canceled, forfeited or suspended and the method or methods by which awards may be settled, canceled, forfeited or suspended, and (h) to determine whether, to what extent and under what circumstances cash, shares of the Common Stock, other securities, other awards or other property and other amounts payable with respect to an award shall be deferred either automatically or at the election of the holder thereof or of the Committee.

1.2.3 Actions of the Committee shall be taken by the vote of a majority of its members. Any action may be taken by a written instrument signed by a majority of the Committee members, and action so taken shall be fully as effective as if it had been taken by a vote at a meeting.

1.2.4 The determination of the Committee on all matters relating to the Plan or any Plan Agreement shall be final, binding and conclusive.

1.2.5 No member of the Committee shall be liable for any action or determination made in good faith with respect to the Plan or any award thereunder.

1.2.6 Notwithstanding anything to the contrary contained herein: (a) until the Board shall appoint the members of the Committee, the Plan shall be administered by the Board; and (b) the Board may, in its sole discretion, at any

 



 

time and from time to time, grant awards or resolve to administer the Plan. In either of the foregoing events, the Board shall have all of the authority and responsibility granted to the Committee herein.

1.3 Persons Eligible for Awards

Awards under the Plan may be made to such directors, officers and other employees of the Company and its subsidiaries (including prospective employees conditioned on their becoming employees), and to such consultants to the Company and its subsidiaries (collectively, “key persons”) as the Committee shall in its discretion select.

1.4 Types of Awards Under the Plan

Awards may be made under the Plan in the form of (a) incentive stock options (within the meaning of section 422 of the Code), (b) nonqualified stock options, (c) stock appreciation rights, (d) restricted stock, (e) restricted stock units and (f) other stock-based awards, all as more fully set forth in Article II. The term “award” means any of the foregoing. No incentive stock option may be granted to a person who is not an employee of the Company on the date of grant.

1.5 Shares Available for Awards

1.5.1 The total number of shares of the Common Stock which may be transferred pursuant to awards granted under the Plan shall not exceed 2,500,000. Such shares may be authorized but unissued shares of the Common Stock or authorized and issued shares of the Common Stock held in the Company’s treasury or acquired by the Company for the purposes of the Plan. The Committee may direct that any stock certificate evidencing shares issued pursuant to the Plan shall bear a legend setting forth such restrictions on transferability as may apply to such shares pursuant to the Plan. If, after the effective date of the Plan, any award is forfeited or any award otherwise terminates or is cancelled without the delivery of shares of Stock, then the shares covered by such award or to which such award relates shall again become available for transfer pursuant to awards granted or to be granted under this Plan. Any shares of Stock delivered by the Company, any shares of Stock with respect to which awards are made by the Company and any shares of Stock with respect to which the Company becomes obligated to make awards, through the assumption of, or in substitution for, outstanding awards previously granted by an acquired entity, shall not be counted against the shares available for awards under this Plan.

1.5.2 Upon certain changes in Stock, the number of shares of Stock available for issuance with respect to awards under the Plan, as set forth in Sections 1.5.1 and 1.5.2, shall be adjusted pursuant to Section 3.7.1.

1.5.3 Except as provided in this Section 1.5 and in Section 2.3.7, there shall be no limit on the number or the value of the shares of Stock that may be subject to awards to any individual under the Plan.

1.6 Definitions of Certain Terms

1.6.1 The “Fair Market Value” of a share of Stock on any day shall be determined as follows.

(a) If the principal market for the Stock (the “Market”) is a national securities exchange or the National Association of Securities Dealers Automated Quotation System (“NASDAQ”) Market, the last sale price or, if no reported sales take place on the applicable date, the average of the high bid and low asked price of Stock as reported for such Market on such date or, if no such quotation is made on such date, on the next preceding day on which there were quotations, provided that such quotations shall have been made within the ten (10) business days preceding the applicable date;

(b) If the Market is the Over the Counter Bulletin Board or another market, the average of the high bid and low asked price for Stock on the applicable date, or, if no such quotations shall have been made on such date, on the next preceding day on which there were quotations, provided that such quotations shall have been made within the ten (10) business days preceding the applicable date; or,

 

 



 

 

(c) In the event that neither paragraph (a) nor (b) shall apply, the Fair Market Value of a share of Stock on any day shall be determined in good faith by the Committee.

1.6.2 The term “incentive stock option” means an option that is intended to qualify for special federal income tax treatment pursuant to sections 421 and 422 of the Code, as now constituted or subsequently amended, or pursuant to a successor provision of the Code, and which is so designated in the applicable Plan Agreement. Any option that is not specifically designated as an incentive stock option shall under no circumstances be considered an incentive stock option. Any option that is not an incentive stock option is referred to herein as a “nonqualified stock option.”

1.6.3 The term “employment” means, in the case of a grantee of an award under the Plan who is not an employee of the Company, the grantee’s association with the Company or a subsidiary as a director, consultant or otherwise.

1.6.4 A grantee shall be deemed to have a “termination of employment” upon ceasing to be employed by the Company and all of its subsidiaries or by a corporation assuming awards in a transaction to which section 424(a) of the Code applies. The Committee may in its discretion determine (a) whether any leave of absence constitutes a termination of employment for purposes of the Plan, (b) the impact, if any, of any such leave of absence on awards theretofore made under the Plan, and (c) when a change in a non-employee’s association with the Company constitutes a termination of employment for purposes of the Plan. The Committee shall have the right to determine whether the termination of a grantee’s employment is a dismissal for cause and the date of termination in such case, which date the Committee may retroactively deem to be the date of the action that is cause for dismissal. Such determinations of the Committee shall be final, binding and conclusive.

1.6.5 The term “cause,” when used in connection with termination of a grantee’s employment, shall have the meaning set forth in any then-effective employment agreement between the grantee and the Company or a subsidiary thereof. In the absence, of or in addition to, as the case may be, such an employment agreement provision, “cause” means: (a) conviction of any crime (whether or not involving the Company) constituting a felony in the jurisdiction involved; (b) engaging in any substantiated act involving moral turpitude; (c) engaging in any act which, in each case, subjects, or if generally known would subject, the Company to public ridicule or embarrassment; (d) material violation of the Company’s policies, including, without limitation, those relating to sexual harassment or the disclosure or misuse of confidential information; (e) serious neglect or misconduct in the performance of the grantee’s duties for the Company or a subsidiary or willful or repeated failure or refusal to perform such duties; in each case as determined by the Committee, which determination shall be final, binding and conclusive.

ARTICLE II

AWARDS UNDER THE PLAN

2.1 Agreements Evidencing Awards

Each award granted under the Plan shall be evidenced by a written agreement (“Plan Agreement”) which shall contain such provisions as the Committee in its discretion deems necessary or desirable. Such provisions may include, without limitation, a requirement that the grantee become a party to a shareholders’ agreement with respect to any shares of Stock acquired pursuant to the award, a requirement that the grantee acknowledge that such shares are acquired for investment purposes only, and a right of first refusal exercisable by the Company in the event that the grantee wishes to transfer any such shares. The Committee may grant awards in tandem with or in substitution for any other award or awards granted under this Plan or any award granted under any other plan of the Company or any subsidiary. Payments or transfers to be made by the Company or any subsidiary upon the grant, exercise or payment of an award may be made in such form as the Committee shall determine, including cash, shares of Stock, other securities, other awards or other property and may be made in a single payment or transfer, in installments or on a deferred basis, in each case in accordance with rules established by the Committee. By accepting an award pursuant to the Plan, a grantee thereby agrees that the award shall be subject to all of the terms and provisions of the Plan and the applicable Plan Agreement.

 

 



 

 

2.2 No Rights as a Shareholder

No grantee of an option or stock appreciation right (or other person having the right to exercise such award) shall have any of the rights of a shareholder of the Company with respect to shares subject to such award until the issuance of a stock certificate to such person for such shares.

2.3 Grant of Stock Options and Stock Appreciation Rights

2.3.1 The Committee may grant incentive stock options and nonqualified stock options (collectively, “options”) to purchase shares of the Common Stock from the Company, to such key persons, in such amounts and subject to such terms and conditions, as the Committee shall determine in its discretion, subject to the provisions of the Plan.

2.3.2 The Committee may grant stock appreciation rights to such key persons, in such amounts and subject to such terms and conditions, as the Committee shall determine in its discretion, subject to the provisions of the Plan. Stock appreciation rights may be granted in connection with all or any part of, or independently of, any option granted under the Plan. A stock appreciation right granted in connection with a nonqualified stock option may be granted at or after the time of grant of such option. A stock appreciation right granted in connection with an incentive stock option may be granted only at the time of grant of such option.

2.3.3 The grantee of a stock appreciation right shall have the right, subject to the terms of the Plan and the applicable Plan Agreement, to receive from the Company an amount equal to (a) the excess of the Fair Market Value of a share of the Common Stock on the date of exercise of the stock appreciation right over (b) the exercise price of such right as set forth in the Plan Agreement (or over the option exercise price if the stock appreciation right is granted in connection with an option), multiplied by (c) the number of shares with respect to which the stock appreciation right is exercised. Payment upon exercise of a stock appreciation right shall be in cash or in shares of the Common Stock (valued at their Fair Market Value on the date of exercise of the stock appreciation right) or both, all as the Committee shall determine in its discretion. Upon the exercise of a stock appreciation right granted in connection with an option, the number of shares subject to the option shall be correspondingly reduced by the number of shares with respect to which the stock appreciation right is exercised. Upon the exercise of an option in connection with which a stock appreciation right has been granted, the number of shares subject to the stock appreciation right shall be correspondingly reduced by the number of shares with respect to which the option is exercised.

2.3.4 Each Plan Agreement with respect to an option shall set forth the amount (the “option exercise price”) payable by the grantee to the Company upon exercise of the option evidenced thereby. The option exercise price per share shall be determined by the Committee in its discretion; provided, however, that the option exercise price of an incentive stock option shall be at least 100% of the Fair Market Value of a share of the Common Stock on the date the option is granted, and provided further that in no event shall the option exercise price be less than the par value of a share of the Common Stock.

2.3.5 Each Plan Agreement with respect to an option or stock appreciation right shall set forth the periods during which the award evidenced thereby shall be exercisable, whether in whole or in part. Such periods shall be determined by the Committee in its discretion; provided, however, that no incentive stock option (or a stock appreciation right granted in connection with an incentive stock option) shall be exercisable more than 10 years after the date of grant.

2.3.6 The Committee may in its discretion include in any Plan Agreement with respect to an option (the “original option”) a provision that an additional option (the “additional option”) shall be granted to any grantee who, pursuant to Section 2.4.3(b), delivers shares of the Common Stock in partial or full payment of the exercise price of the original option. The additional option shall be for a number of shares of the Common Stock equal to the number thus delivered, shall have an exercise price equal to the Fair Market Value of a share of the Common Stock on the date of exercise of the original option, and shall have an expiration date no later than the expiration date of the original option. In the event that a Plan Agreement provides for the grant of an additional option, such Agreement shall also provide that the exercise price of the original option be no less than the Fair Market Value of a share of

 



 

Stock on its date of grant, and that any shares that are delivered pursuant to Section 2.4.3(b) in payment of such exercise price shall have been held for at least six months.

2.3.7 To the extent that the aggregate Fair Market Value (determined as of the time the option is granted) of the stock with respect to which incentive stock options granted under this Plan and all other plans of the Company and any subsidiary are first exercisable by any employee during any calendar year shall exceed the maximum limit (currently, $100,000), if any, imposed from time to time under section 422 of the Code, such options shall be treated as nonqualified stock options.

2.3.8 Notwithstanding the provisions of Sections 2.3.4 and 2.3.5, to the extent required under section 422 of the Code, an incentive stock option may not be granted under the Plan to an individual who, at the time the option is granted, owns stock possessing more than 10% of the total combined voting power of all classes of stock of his employer corporation or of its parent or subsidiary corporations (as such ownership may be determined for purposes of section 422(b)(6) of the Code) unless (a) at the time such incentive stock option is granted the option exercise price is at least 110% of the Fair Market Value of the shares subject thereto and (b) the incentive stock option by its terms is not exercisable after the expiration of 5 years from the date it is granted.

2.4 Exercise of Options and Stock Appreciation Rights

Subject to the provisions of this Article II, each option or stock appreciation right granted under the Plan shall be exercisable as follows:

2.4.1 Unless the applicable Plan Agreement otherwise provides, an option or stock appreciation right may be exercised from time to time as to all or part of the shares as to which such award is then exercisable (but, in any event, only for whole shares). A stock appreciation right granted in connection with an option may be exercised at any time when, and to the same extent that, the related option may be exercised. An option or stock appreciation right shall be exercised by the filing of a written notice with the Company, on such form and in such manner as the Committee shall prescribe.

2.4.2 Any written notice of exercise of an option shall be accompanied by payment for the shares being purchased. Such payment shall be made: (a) by certified or official bank check (or the equivalent thereof acceptable to the Company) for the full option exercise price; or (b) unless the applicable Plan Agreement provides otherwise, by delivery of shares of the Common Stock (which, if acquired pursuant to exercise of a stock option, were acquired at least six months prior to the option exercise date) and having a Fair Market Value (determined as of the exercise date) equal to all or part of the option exercise price and a certified or official bank check (or the equivalent thereof acceptable to the Company) for any remaining portion of the full option exercise price; or (c) at the discretion of the Committee and to the extent permitted by law, by such other provision as the Committee may from time to time prescribe.

2.4.3 Promptly after receiving payment of the full option exercise price, or after receiving notice of the exercise of a stock appreciation right for which payment will be made partly or entirely in shares, the Company shall, subject to the provisions of Section 3.3 (relating to certain restrictions), deliver to the grantee or to such other person as may then have the right to exercise the award, a certificate or certificates for the shares of the Common Stock for which the award has been exercised. If the method of payment employed upon option exercise so requires, and if applicable law permits, an optionee may direct the Company to deliver the certificate(s) to the optionee’s stockbroker.

2.5 Termination of Employment; Death

2.5.1 Except to the extent otherwise provided in Section 2.5.2 or 2.5.3 or in the applicable Plan Agreement, all options and stock appreciation rights not theretofore exercised shall terminate upon termination of the grantee’s employment for any reason (including death).

 

 



 

 

2.5.2 If a grantee’s employment terminates for any reason other than death or dismissal for cause, the grantee may exercise any outstanding option or stock appreciation right on the following terms and conditions: (a) exercise may be made only to the extent that the grantee was entitled to exercise the award on the date of employment termination; and (b) exercise must occur within 90 days after employment terminates, except that this 90 day period shall be increased to one year if the termination is by reason of disability, but in no event after the expiration date of the award as set forth in the Plan Agreement. In the case of an incentive stock option, the term “disability” for purposes of the preceding sentence shall have the meaning given to it by section 422(c)(6) of the Code.

2.5.3 If a grantee dies while employed by the Company or any subsidiary, or after employment termination but during the period in which the grantee’s awards are exercisable pursuant to Section 2.5.2, any outstanding option or stock appreciation right shall be exercisable on the following terms and conditions: (a) exercise may be made only to the extent that the grantee was entitled to exercise the award on the date of death; and (b) exercise must occur by the earlier of the first anniversary of the grantee’s death or the expiration date of the award. Any such exercise of an award following a grantee’s death shall be made only by the grantee’s executor or administrator, unless the grantee’s will specifically disposes of such award, in which case such exercise shall be made only by the recipient of such specific disposition. If a grantee’s personal representative or the recipient of a specific disposition under the grantee’s will shall be entitled to exercise any award pursuant to the preceding sentence, such representative or recipient shall be bound by all the terms and conditions of the Plan and the applicable Plan Agreement which would have applied to the grantee including, without limitation, the provisions of Sections 3.3 and 3.7 hereof.

2.6 Grant of Restricted Stock

2.6.1 The Committee may grant restricted shares of Stock to such key persons, in such amounts, and subject to such terms and conditions as the Committee shall determine in its discretion, subject to the provisions of the Plan. Restricted stock awards may be made independently of or in connection with any other award under the Plan. A grantee of a restricted stock award shall have no rights with respect to such award unless such grantee accepts the award within such period as the Committee shall specify by executing a Plan Agreement in such form as the Committee shall determine and, if the Committee shall so require, makes payment to the Company by certified or official bank check (or the equivalent thereof acceptable to the Company) in such amount as the Committee may determine.

2.6.2 Promptly after a grantee accepts a restricted stock award, the Company shall issue in the grantee’s name a certificate or certificates for the shares of the Common Stock covered by the award. Upon the issuance of such certificate(s), the grantee shall have the rights of a shareholder with respect to the restricted stock, subject to the nontransferability restrictions and Company repurchase rights described in Sections 2.6.4 and 2.6.5 and to such other restrictions and conditions as the Committee in its discretion may include in the applicable Plan Agreement.

2.6.3 Unless the Committee shall otherwise determine, any certificate issued evidencing shares of restricted stock shall remain in the possession of the Company until such shares are free of any restrictions specified in the applicable Plan Agreement.

2.6.4 Shares of restricted stock may not be sold, assigned, transferred, pledged or otherwise encumbered or disposed of except as specifically provided in this Plan or the applicable Plan Agreement. The Committee at the time of grant shall specify the date or dates (which may depend upon or be related to the attainment of performance goals and other conditions) on which the nontransferability of the restricted stock shall lapse. Unless the applicable Plan Agreement provides otherwise, additional shares of Stock or other property distributed to the grantee in respect of shares of restricted stock, as dividends or otherwise, shall be subject to the same restrictions applicable to such restricted stock.

2.6.5 During the 120 days following termination of the grantee’s employment for any reason, the Company shall have the right to require the return of any shares to which restrictions on transferability apply, in exchange for which the Company shall repay to the grantee (or the grantee’s estate) any amount paid by the grantee for such shares.

 

 



 

 

2.7 Grant of Restricted Stock Units

2.7.1 The Committee may grant awards of restricted stock units to such key persons, in such amounts, and subject to such terms and conditions as the Committee shall determine in its discretion, subject to the provisions of the Plan. Restricted stock units may be awarded independently of or in connection with any other award under the Plan.

2.7.2 At the time of grant, the Committee shall specify the date or dates on which the restricted stock units shall become fully vested and nonforfeitable, and may specify such conditions to vesting as it deems appropriate. In the event of the termination of the grantee’s employment by the Company and its subsidiaries for any reason, restricted stock units that have not become nonforfeitable shall be forfeited and cancelled. The Committee at any time may accelerate vesting dates and otherwise waive or amend any conditions of an award of restricted stock units.

2.7.3 At the time of grant, the Committee shall specify the maturity date applicable to each grant of restricted stock units, which may be determined at the election of the grantee. Such date may be later than the vesting date or dates of the award. On the maturity date, the Company shall transfer to the grantee one unrestricted, fully transferable share of the Common Stock for each restricted stock unit scheduled to be paid out on such date and not previously forfeited. The Committee shall specify the purchase price, if any, to be paid by the grantee to the Company for such shares of the Common Stock.

2.8 Other Stock-Based Awards

The Committee may grant other types of stock-based awards (including the grant of unrestricted shares) to such key persons, in such amounts and subject to such terms and conditions, as the Committee shall in its discretion determine, subject to the provisions of the Plan. Such awards may entail the transfer of actual shares of the Common Stock to Plan participants, or payment in cash or otherwise of amounts based on the value of shares of the Common Stock.

ARTICLE III

MISCELLANEOUS

3.1 Amendment of the Plan; Modification of Awards

3.1.1 The Board may from time to time suspend, discontinue, revise or amend the Plan in any respect whatsoever, except that no such amendment shall materially impair any rights or materially increase any obligations under any award theretofore made under the Plan without the consent of the grantee (or, after the grantee’s death, the person having the right to exercise the award). For purposes of this Section 3.1, any action of the Board or the Committee that alters or affects the tax treatment of any award shall not be considered to materially impair any rights of any grantee.

3.1.2 Stockholder approval of any amendment shall be obtained to the extent necessary to comply with section 422 of the Code (relating to incentive stock options) or other applicable law or regulation.

3.1.3 The Committee may amend any outstanding Plan Agreement, including, without limitation, by amendment which would accelerate the time or times at which the award becomes unrestricted or may be exercised, or waive or amend any goals, restrictions or conditions set forth in the Agreement. However, any such amendment (other than an amendment pursuant to Section 3.7.2, relating to change in control) that materially impairs the rights or materially increases the obligations of a grantee under an outstanding award shall be made only with the consent of the grantee (or, upon the grantee’s death, the person having the right to exercise the award).

3.2 Tax Withholding

3.2.1 As a condition to the receipt of any shares of the Common Stock pursuant to any award or the lifting of restrictions on any award, or in connection with any other event that gives rise to a federal or other governmental tax

 



 

withholding obligation on the part of the Company relating to an award (including, without limitation, FICA tax), the Company shall be entitled to require that the grantee remit to the Company an amount sufficient in the opinion of the Company to satisfy such withholding obligation.

3.2.2 If the event giving rise to the withholding obligation is a transfer of shares of the Common Stock, then, unless otherwise specified in the applicable Plan Agreement, the grantee may satisfy the withholding obligation imposed under Section 3.2.1 by electing to have the Company withhold shares of the Common Stock having a Fair Market Value equal to the amount of tax to be withheld. For this purpose, Fair Market Value shall be determined as of the date on which the amount of tax to be withheld is determined (and any fractional share amount shall be settled in cash).

3.3 Restrictions

3.3.1 If the Committee shall at any time determine that any consent (as hereinafter defined) is necessary or desirable as a condition of, or in connection with, the granting of any award under the Plan, the issuance or purchase of shares or other rights thereunder, or the taking of any other action thereunder (each such action being hereinafter referred to as a “plan action”), then such plan action shall not be taken, in whole or in part, unless and until such consent shall have been effected or obtained to the full satisfaction of the Committee.

3.3.2 The term “consent” as used herein with respect to any plan action means (a) any and all listings, registrations or qualifications in respect thereof upon any securities exchange or under any federal, state or local law, rule or regulation, (b) any and all written agreements and representations by the grantee with respect to the disposition of shares, or with respect to any other matter, which the Committee shall deem necessary or desirable to comply with the terms of any such listing, registration or qualification or to obtain an exemption from the requirement that any such listing, qualification or registration be made and (c) any and all consents, clearances and approvals in respect of a plan action by any governmental or other regulatory bodies.

3.4 Nonassignability

Except to the extent otherwise provided in the applicable Plan Agreement, no award or right granted to any person under the Plan shall be assignable or transferable other than by will or by the laws of descent and distribution, and all such awards and rights shall be exercisable during the life of the grantee only by the grantee or the grantee’s legal representative.

3.5 Notification of Election Under Code Section 83(b)

If any grantee shall, in connection with the acquisition of shares of the Common Stock under the Plan, make the election permitted under section 83(b) of the Code (that is, an election to include in gross income in the year of transfer the amounts specified in section 83(b)), such grantee shall notify the Company of such election within 10 days of filing notice of the election with the Internal Revenue Service, in addition to any filing and notification required pursuant to regulations issued under the authority of Code section 83(b).

3.6 Notification Upon Disqualifying Disposition

If any grantee shall make any disposition of shares of the Common Stock issued pursuant to the exercise of an incentive stock option under the circumstances described in section 421(b) of the Code (relating to certain disqualifying dispositions), such grantee shall notify the Company of such disposition within 10 days thereof.

3.7 Adjustment Upon Changes in Stock

3.7.1 Shares Available for Grants . In the event of any change in the number of shares of Stock outstanding by reason of any stock dividend or split, reverse stock split, recapitalization, merger, consolidation, combination or exchange of shares or similar corporate change, the maximum number of shares of the Common Stock with respect to which the Committee may grant awards under Article II hereof, as described in Section 1.5.1, and the individual

 



 

annual limit described in Section 1.5.2, shall be appropriately adjusted by the Committee. In the event of any change in the number of shares of the Common Stock outstanding by reason of any other event or transaction, the Committee may, but need not, make such adjustments in the number and class of shares of the Common Stock with respect to which awards: (i) may be granted under Article II hereof and (ii) granted to any one employee of the Company or a subsidiary during any one calendar year, in each case as the Committee may deem appropriate, unless such adjustment would cause any award that would otherwise qualify as performance based compensation with respect to a “162(m) covered employee” (as defined in Section 162 of the Code), to cease to so qualify.

3.7.2 Outstanding Restricted Stock and Restricted Stock Units . Unless the Committee in its absolute discretion otherwise determines, any securities or other property (including dividends paid in cash) received by a grantee with respect to a share of restricted stock, the issue date with respect to which occurs prior to such event, but which has not vested as of the date of such event, as a result of any dividend, stock split, reverse stock split, recapitalization, merger, consolidation, combination, exchange of shares or otherwise will not vest until such share of restricted stock vests, and shall be promptly deposited with the Company or otherwise treated as was the certificate for the underlying share of restricted stock, pursuant to Section 2.6.3 hereof.

The Committee may, in its absolute discretion, adjust any grant of shares of restricted stock, the issue date with respect to which has not occurred as of the date of the occurrence of any of the following events, or any grant of restricted stock units, to reflect any dividend, stock split, reverse stock split, recapitalization, merger, consolidation, combination, exchange of shares or similar corporate change as the Committee may deem appropriate to prevent the enlargement or dilution of rights of grantees.

3.7.3 Outstanding Options and Stock Appreciation Rights — Increase or Decrease in Issued Shares Without Consideration . Subject to any required action by the stockholders of the Company, in the event of any increase or decrease in the number of issued shares of Stock resulting from a subdivision or consolidation of shares of Stock or the payment of a stock dividend (but only on the shares of Stock), or any other increase or decrease in the number of such shares effected without receipt of consideration by the Company, the Committee shall proportionally adjust the number of shares of the Common Stock subject to each outstanding option and stock appreciation right, and the exercise price-per-share of the Common Stock of each such option and stock appreciation right.

3.7.4 Outstanding Options and Stock Appreciation Rights — Certain Mergers . Subject to any required action by the stockholders of the Company, in the event that the Company shall be the surviving corporation in any merger or consolidation (except a merger or consolidation as a result of which the holders of shares of Stock receive securities of another corporation), each option and stock appreciation right outstanding on the date of such merger or consolidation shall pertain to and apply to the securities which a holder of the number of shares of the Common Stock subject to such option or stock appreciation right would have received in such merger or consolidation.

3.7.5 Outstanding Options and Stock Appreciation Rights — Certain Other Transactions . In the event of (i) a dissolution or liquidation of the Company, (ii) a sale of all or substantially all of the Company’s assets, (iii) a merger or consolidation involving the Company in which the Company is not the surviving corporation or (iv) a merger or consolidation involving the Company in which the Company is the surviving corporation but the holders of shares of the Common Stock receive securities of another corporation and/or other property, including cash, the Committee shall, in its absolute discretion, have the power to:

 

             

(i)

  

cancel, effective immediately prior to the occurrence of such event, each option and stock appreciation right outstanding immediately prior to such event (whether or not then exercisable), and, in full consideration of such cancellation, pay to the grantee to whom such option or stock appreciation right was granted an amount in cash, for each share of the Common Stock subject to such option or stock appreciation right, respectively, equal to the excess of (x) the value, as determined by the Committee in its absolute discretion, of the property (including cash) received by the holder of a share of the Common Stock as a result of such event over (y) the exercise price of such option or stock appreciation right;

 

 

 

 



 

 

 

             

(ii)

  

cancel, effective immediately prior to the occurrence of such event, each option and stock appreciation right outstanding immediately prior to such event (whether or not then exercisable), and, in full consideration of such cancellation, pay to the grantee to whom such option or stock appreciation right was granted, for each share of the Common Stock subject to such option or stock appreciation right, respectively, the property (including cash) received by the holder of a share of the Common Stock as a result of such event; or

 

             

(iii)

  

provide for the exchange of each option and stock appreciation right outstanding immediately prior to such event (whether or not then exercisable) for an option on or stock appreciation right with respect to, as appropriate, some or all of the property which a holder of the number of shares of the Common Stock subject to such option or stock appreciation right would have received and, incident thereto, make an equitable adjustment as determined by the Committee in its absolute discretion in the exercise price of the option or stock appreciation right, or the number of shares or amount of property subject to the option or stock appreciation right or, if appropriate, provide for a cash payment to the grantee to whom such option or stock appreciation right was granted in partial consideration for the exchange of the option or stock appreciation right.

       3.7.6 Outstanding Options and Stock Appreciation Rights — Other Changes . In the event of any change in the capitalization of the Company or a corporate change other than those specifically referred to in Sections 3.7.3, 3.7.4 or 3.7.5 hereof, the Committee may, in its absolute discretion, make such adjustments in the number and class of shares subject to options and stock appreciation rights outstanding on the date on which such change occurs and in the per-share exercise price of each such option and stock appreciation right as the Committee may consider appropriate to prevent dilution or enlargement of rights. In addition, if and to the extent the Committee determines it is appropriate, the Committee may elect to cancel each option and stock appreciation right outstanding immediately prior to such event (whether or not then exercisable), and, in full consideration of such cancellation, pay to the grantee to whom such option or stock appreciation right was granted an amount in cash, for each share of the Common Stock subject to such option or stock appreciation right, respectively, equal to the excess of (i) the Fair Market Value of the Common Stock on the date of such cancellation over (ii) the exercise price of such option or stock appreciation right.

3.7.7 No Other Rights . Except as expressly provided in the Plan, no grantee shall have any rights by reason of any subdivision or consolidation of shares of stock of any class, the payment of any dividend, any increase or decrease in the number of shares of stock of any class or any dissolution, liquidation, merger or consolidation of the Company or any other corporation. Except as expressly provided in the Plan, no issuance by the Company of shares of stock of any class, or securities convertible into shares of stock of any class, shall affect, and no adjustment by reason thereof shall be made with respect to, the number of shares of the Common Stock subject to an award or the exercise price of any option or stock appreciation right. Except as otherwise provided in Section 3.7, no adjustment shall be made for dividends, distributions or other rights (whether ordinary or extraordinary, and whether in cash, securities or other property) for which the record date is prior to the date such stock certificate is issued.

3.8 Right of Discharge Reserved

Nothing in the Plan or in any Plan Agreement shall confer upon any grantee the right to continue in the employ of the Company or affect any right which the Company may have to terminate such employment.

3.9 Nature of Payments

3.9.1 Any and all grants of awards and issuances of shares of the Common Stock under the Plan shall be in consideration of services performed for the Company by the grantee.

 

 



 

 

3.9.2 All such grants and issuances shall constitute a special incentive payment to the grantee and shall not be taken into account in computing the amount of salary or compensation of the grantee for the purpose of determining any benefits under any pension, retirement, profit-sharing, bonus, life insurance or other benefit plan of the Company or under any agreement between the Company and the grantee, unless such plan or agreement specifically provides otherwise.

3.10 Non-Uniform Determinations

The Committee’s determinations under the Plan need not be uniform and may be made by it selectively among persons who receive, or are eligible to receive, awards under the Plan (whether or not such persons are similarly situated). Without limiting the generality of the foregoing, the Committee shall be entitled, among other things, to make non-uniform and selective determinations, and to enter into non-uniform and selective Plan agreements, as to (a) the persons to receive awards under the Plan, (b) the terms and provisions of awards under the Plan, and (c) the treatment of leaves of absence pursuant to Section 1.6.4.

3.11 Other Payments or Awards

Nothing contained in the Plan shall be deemed in any way to limit or restrict the Company from making any award or payment to any person under any other plan, arrangement or understanding, whether now existing or hereafter in effect.

3.12 Section Headings

The section headings contained herein are for the purpose of convenience only and are not intended to define or limit the contents of the sections.

3.13 Effective Date and Term of Plan

3.13.1 The Plan was adopted by the Board on March 20, 2007, subject to approval by the Company’s stockholders. All awards under the Plan prior to such stockholder approval are subject in their entirety to such approval. If such approval is not obtained prior to the first anniversary of the date of adoption of the Plan, the Plan and all awards thereunder shall terminate on that date.

3.13.2 Unless sooner terminated by the Board, the Plan will terminate on the close of business on March 19, 2017, ten years from the original effective date. All awards made under the Plan prior to its termination shall remain in effect until such awards have been satisfied or terminated in accordance with the terms and provisions of the Plan and the applicable Plan Agreements.

3.14 Governing Law

All rights and obligations under the Plan shall be construed and interpreted in accordance with the laws of the State of Delaware, without giving effect to principles of conflict of laws.

 



 

 

EXHIBIT 5.1

Lehman & Eilen LLP

20283 State Road 7, Suite 300

Boca Raton, FL 33498

Telephone (561) 237-0804

Facsimile (561) 237-0803

January 18, 2008

The Board of Directors

Pipex Pharmaceuticals, Inc.

3985 Research Park Drive

Ann Arbor, MI 48108

Re:

Registration Statement on Form S-8

Gentlemen:

At your request, we have examined the Registration Statement on Form S-8 (the “Registration Statement”) to which this letter is attached as Exhibit 5.1 filed by Pipex Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a Delaware corporation (the “Company”), that is intended to register under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”), 4,000,000 shares which are issuable pursuant to (i) the Company’s 2001 Stock Incentive Plan and (ii) the Company’s 2007 Stock Incentive Plan (hereinafter referred to as the “Plans”).

We have examined originals or certified copies of such corporate records of the Company and other certificates and documents of officials of the Company, public officials and others as we have deemed appropriate for purposes of this letter. We have assumed the genuineness of all signatures, the authenticity of all documents submitted to us as originals, the conformity to authentic original documents of all copies submitted to us as conformed and certified or reproduced copies.

Based on the foregoing, we are of the opinion that 4,000,000 shares of the Company’s common stock which may be issued under the Plans are duly authorized shares of the Company’s common stock, and when issued against receipt of the consideration therefore in accordance with the provisions of the Plans, will be validly issued, fully paid and non-assessable.

We consent to the use of this opinion as an Exhibit to the Registration Statement.

 

Very truly yours,

 

/s/ Lehman & Eilen LLP

 

Lehman & Eilen LLP

 

 

 



 

 

EXHIBIT 23.1

 

CONSENT OF INDEPENDENT REGISTERED PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRM

 

We hereby consent to the incorporation by reference in the Registration Statement on Form S-8 of Pipex Pharmaceuticals, Inc. and Subsidiaries of our report dated February 23, 2007 on the consolidated financial statements of Pipex Pharmaceuticals, Inc. and Subsidiaries for the years ended December 31, 2006 and 2005 and for the period from January 8, 2001 (inception) to December 31, 2006, included in Form 10-KSB filed on April 2 , 2007.                                                   

 

 

/s/ Berman & Company, P.A.
BERMAN & COMPANY, P.A.
Certified Public Accountants
Boca Raton, Florida




January 16, 2008