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SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
WASHINGTON, D.C. 20549



SCHEDULE TO
(Rule 14d-100)
TENDER OFFER STATEMENT UNDER SECTION 14(D)(1) OR 13(E)(1)
OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934



Tucows Inc.
(Name of Subject Company (Issuer))



Tucows Inc. (Offeror)
(Names of Filing Persons (Identifying Status as Offeror, Issuer or Other Person))



Common Stock, no par value per share
(Title of Class of Securities)



898697107
(CUSIP Number of Class of Securities)



Elliot Noss
Tucows Inc.
96 Mowat Avenue
Toronto, Ontario M6K 3M1
(416) 535-0123

(Name, Address, and Telephone Numbers of Person Authorized
to Receive Notices and Communications on Behalf of Filing Persons)



With a copy to:

Joanne Soslow, Esquire
Morgan, Lewis & Bockius LLP
1701 Market Street
Philadelphia, PA 19103-2921
(215) 963-5000

CALCULATION OF FILING FEE



 
Transaction Valuation*
  Amount of Filing Fee

 
$2,030,000   $144.74


*
Estimated for purposes of calculating the amount of the filing fee only. This amount assumes the purchase of 2,900,000 shares of common stock, no par value per share, at the maximum tender offer price of $0.70 per share in cash.
o
Check the box if any part of the fee is offset as provided by Rule 0-11(a)(2) and identify the filing with which the offsetting fee was previously paid. Identify the previous filing by registration statement number, or the Form or Schedule and the date of its filing.

Amount Previously Paid: N/A   Filing Party: N/A
Form of Registration No.: N/A   Date Filed: N/A
o
Check the box if the filing relates solely to preliminary communications made before the commencement of a tender offer.

Check the appropriate boxes below to designate any transactions to which the statement relates:

o
third-party tender offer subject to Rule 14d-1.

ý
issuer tender offer subject to Rule 13e-4.

o
going-private transaction subject to Rule 13e-3.

o
amendment to Schedule 13D under Rule 13d-2.

Check the following box if the filing is a final amendment reporting the results of the tender offer:  o

If applicable, check the appropriate box(es) below to designate the appropriate rule provision relied upon:

o
Rule 13e-4(i) (Cross-Border Issuer Tender Offer)

o
Rule 14d-1(d) (Cross-Border Third-Party Tender Offer)


        This Tender Offer Statement on Schedule TO relates to the tender offer by Tucows Inc., a Pennsylvania corporation, to purchase 2,900,000 shares of its common stock, no par value per share, or such fewer number of shares as are properly tendered and not properly withdrawn. Tucows is offering to purchase these shares at a price not greater than $0.70 per share nor less than $0.61 per share, net to the seller in cash, without interest, as specified by stockholders tendering their shares. Tucows' offer is made on the terms and subject to the conditions set forth in the Offer to Purchase, dated September 17, 2010, and in the related Letter of Transmittal, which, as amended or supplemented from time to time, together constitute the offer.

        This Tender Offer Statement on Schedule TO is filed in satisfaction of the reporting requirements of Rule 13e-4(c)(2) promulgated under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended.

        The information in the Offer to Purchase and the related Letter of Transmittal, copies of which are filed with this Schedule TO as Exhibits (a)(1)(A) and (a)(1)(B), respectively, is incorporated in this Schedule TO by reference, in answer to items 1 through 11 of this Tender Offer Statement on Schedule TO as more particularly described below.

Item 1.    Summary Term Sheet.

        The information set forth under "Summary" in the Offer to Purchase is incorporated herein by reference.

Item 2.    Subject Company Information.

        (a)    Name and Address.   The name of the issuer is Tucows Inc. The address of the principal executive offices of Tucows Inc. is 96 Mowat Avenue, Toronto, Ontario M6K 3M1. The telephone number of the principal executive offices of Tucows Inc. is (416) 535-0123.

        (b)    Securities.   The information set forth in the paragraph following the beneficial ownership table in Section 9 of the Offer to Purchase ("Interests of Directors and Executive Officers; Transactions and Arrangements Concerning the Shares") is incorporated herein by reference.

        (c)    Trading Market and Price.   The information set forth in Section 8 of the Offer to Purchase ("Price Range of Shares; Dividends") is incorporated herein by reference.

Item 3.    Identity and Background of Filing Person.

        (a)   Tucows Inc. is the filing person. The company's address and telephone number are set forth in Item 2 above. The information set forth in the beneficial ownership table in Section 9 of the Offer to Purchase ("Interests of Directors and Executive Officers; Transactions and Arrangements Concerning the Shares") is incorporated herein by reference.

Item 4.    Terms of the Transaction.

        (a)    Material Terms.   The following sections of the Offer to Purchase contain information regarding the material terms of the transaction and are incorporated herein by reference.

2


        (b)    Purchases.   The information set forth in the second and third paragraphs following the beneficial ownership table in Section 9 of the Offer to Purchase ("Interests of Directors and Executive Officers; Transactions and Arrangements Concerning the Shares") is incorporated herein by reference.

Item 5.    Past Contacts, Transactions, Negotiations and Agreements.

        (e)   The information set forth in Section 9 of the Offer to Purchase ("Interests of Directors and Executive Officers; Transactions and Arrangements Concerning the Shares") under the heading "Arrangements With Others Concerning Our Securities" is incorporated herein by reference.

Item 6.    Purposes of the Transaction and Plans or Proposals.

        (a); (b); (c)  Purposes; Use of Securities Acquired; Plans. The information set forth in the first and last paragraphs of Section 2 of the Offer to Purchase ("Background and Purpose of Our Offer; Certain Effects of Our Offer") and in Section 9 of the Offer to Purchase ("Interests of Directors and Executive Officers; Transactions and Arrangements Concerning the Shares") under the heading "Other Plans and Proposals" is incorporated herein by reference.

Item 7.    Source and Amount of Funds and Other Consideration.

        (a); (b); (d)  Source of Funds; Conditions; Borrowed Funds.   The information set forth in Section 10 of the Offer to Purchase ("Source and Amount of Funds") is incorporated herein by reference.

Item 8.    Interest in Securities of the Subject Company.

        (a); (b)  Securities Ownership; Securities Transactions. The information set forth in Section 9 of the Offer to Purchase ("Interests of Directors and Executive Officers; Transactions and Arrangements Concerning the Shares") in the table immediately preceding the subsection entitled "Arrangements With Others Concerning Our Securities" is incorporated herein by reference.

Item 9.    Persons/Assets Retained, Employed, Compensated or Used.

        (a)   The information set forth in Section 16 of the Offer to Purchase ("Fees and Expenses") is incorporated herein by reference.

Item 10.    Financial Statements.

        Not applicable.

Item 11.    Additional Information.

        (a)    Agreements, Regulatory Requirements and Legal Proceedings.   The information set forth in Section 9 ("Interests of Directors and Executive Officers; Transactions and Arrangements Concerning the Shares") under the heading "Arrangements With Others Concerning Our Securities" and Section 13 ("Certain Legal Matters; Regulatory Approvals") of the Offer to Purchase is incorporated herein by reference.

        (b)    Other Material Information.   The information set forth in the Offer to Purchase and the accompanying Letter of Transmittal, copies of which are filed with this Schedule TO as

3



Exhibits (a)(1)(A) and (a)(1)(B), respectively, as each may be amended or supplemented from time to time, is incorporated herein by reference.

Item 12.    Exhibits.

(a)(1)(A)   Offer to Purchase, dated September 17, 2010

(a)(1)(B)

 

Letter of Transmittal

(a)(1)(C)

 

Notice of Guaranteed Delivery

(a)(1)(D)

 

Letter to Brokers, Dealers, Commercial Banks, Trust Companies and Other Nominees, dated September 17, 2010

(a)(1)(E)

 

Letter to Clients for use by Brokers, Dealers, Commercial Banks, Trust Companies and Other Nominees, dated September 17, 2010

(a)(1)(F)

 

Guidelines for Certification of Taxpayer Identification Number on Substitute Form W-9

(a)(2)-(a)(4)

 

Not applicable

(a)(5)(A)

 

Letter to Shareholders from the President and Chief Executive Officer, dated September 17, 2010

(a)(5)(B)

 

Press Release, dated September 17, 2010

(d)(1)

 

Tucows Inc. Amended and Restated 2006 Omnibus Equity Compensation Plan

Item 13.    Information Required by Schedule 13E-3.

        Not applicable.

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SIGNATURE

        After due inquiry and to the best of my knowledge and belief, I certify that the information set forth in this statement is true, complete and correct.

    /s/ MICHAEL COOPERMAN

Michael Cooperman
Chief Financial Officer

 

 

September 17, 2010

5



EXHIBIT INDEX

(a)(1)(A)   Offer to Purchase, dated September 17, 2010

(a)(1)(B)

 

Letter of Transmittal

(a)(1)(C)

 

Notice of Guaranteed Delivery

(a)(1)(D)

 

Letter to Brokers, Dealers, Commercial Banks, Trust Companies and Other Nominees, dated September 17, 2010

(a)(1)(E)

 

Letter to Clients for use by Brokers, Dealers, Commercial Banks, Trust Companies and Other Nominees, dated September 17, 2010

(a)(1)(F)

 

Guidelines for Certification of Taxpayer Identification Number on Substitute Form W-9

(a)(2)-(a)(4)

 

Not applicable

(a)(5)(A)

 

Letter to Shareholders from the President and Chief Executive Officer, dated September 17, 2010

(a)(5)(B)

 

Press Release, dated September 17, 2010

(d)(1)

 

Tucows Inc. Amended and Restated 2006 Omnibus Equity Compensation Plan

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Exhibit (a)(1)(A)

GRAPHIC


Offer to Purchase for Cash up to 2,900,000 Shares of its Common Stock
at a Purchase Price Not in Excess of $0.70 Per Share
Nor Less than $0.61 Per Share

 
THE OFFER, WITHDRAWAL RIGHTS AND PRORATION PERIOD WILL EXPIRE AT 5:00 P.M., NEW YORK CITY TIME, ON TUESDAY, OCTOBER 19, 2010, UNLESS THE OFFER IS EXTENDED.
 

        Tucows Inc., a Pennsylvania corporation, is offering to purchase up to 2,900,000 shares of its common stock at a price not in excess of $0.70 nor less than $0.61 per share net to the seller in cash, without interest. Tucows will determine a single price per share that it will pay for shares validly tendered, based upon the number of shares tendered and the prices specified by tendering shareholders. All shares acquired in the offer will be acquired at the same price. Tucows will select the lowest purchase price that will enable it to purchase 2,900,000 shares or, if a lesser number of shares are properly tendered, all shares properly tendered. Tucows reserves the right, in its sole discretion, to purchase more than 2,900,000 shares pursuant to the offer. Depending on the ongoing market conditions, Tucows may make additional offers to purchase shares of its common stock on similar terms in the future. See Section 1. Unless otherwise noted herein, all dollar amounts in this offer are expressed in U.S. dollars.

         The offer is not conditioned on any minimum number of shares being tendered. The offer is, however, subject to certain other conditions. See Section 7.

        Our common stock is listed for trading on the NYSE Amex under the symbol "TCX" and on the Toronto Stock Exchange under the symbol "TC." On September 8, 2010, the last trading day on the NYSE Amex prior to the amendment of our offer, the closing price per share, as reported on the NYSE Amex, was $0.62. Shareholders are urged to obtain current market quotations for the shares. See Section 8.

         Our board of directors has approved this offer. However, none of Tucows, our board of directors or StockTrans, Inc., the information agent for our offer, is making any recommendation to you as to whether you should tender your shares or as to what price or prices you should choose to tender your shares. You must decide whether to tender your shares and, if so, how many shares to tender and the price or prices at which you will tender them. You should discuss whether to tender your shares with your broker or other financial or tax advisor. See Sections 2 and 12.

         To properly tender shares, you must validly complete the letter of transmittal, including the section relating to the price at which you are tendering shares.

        Questions and requests for assistance, and requests for additional copies of this offer to purchase, the letter of transmittal or the notice of guaranteed delivery may be directed to StockTrans, Inc., the information agent for our offer, at the telephone numbers and address set forth on the back cover of this offer to purchase.

September 17, 2010


        If you wish to tender all or any part of the shares registered in your name, you should follow the instructions described in Section 3 carefully, including completing a letter of transmittal in accordance with the instructions and delivering it, along with your share certificates and any other required items, to StockTrans, Inc., the depositary for our offer. If your shares are registered in the name of a broker, dealer, commercial bank, trust company or other nominee, you should contact the nominee if you desire to tender your shares and request that the nominee tender them for you. Any shareholder who desires to tender shares and whose certificates for the shares are not immediately available or cannot be delivered to the depositary or who cannot comply with the procedure for book-entry transfer or whose other required documents cannot be delivered to the depositary by the expiration of the offer must tender the shares pursuant to the guaranteed delivery procedure set forth in Section 3. Only shares properly tendered at prices at or below the purchase price selected by Tucows and not properly withdrawn will be purchased. However, all of the shares tendered at or below the purchase price will not be purchased if the offer is oversubscribed. Shares not purchased in the offer will be returned as promptly as practicable following the expiration of the offer. See Section 3.

         We have not authorized any person to make any recommendation on our behalf as to whether you should tender or refrain from tendering your shares in this offer. You should rely only on the information contained in this document or to which we have referred you. We have not authorized anyone to provide you with information or to make any representation in connection with this offer other than those contained in this offer to purchase or in the related letter of transmittal. If anyone makes any recommendation or gives any information or representation, you must not rely upon that recommendation, information or authorization as having been authorized by Tucows.



SUMMARY

         We are providing this summary for your convenience. It highlights material information in this offer to purchase, but you should realize that it does not describe all of the details of our offer to the same extent that they are described in the body of this offer to purchase. We urge you to read the entire document and the related letter of transmittal because they contain the full details of our offer. Where helpful, we have included references to the sections of this offer to purchase where you will find a more complete discussion.

Who is offering to purchase my shares?

What is the purchase price?

How many shares will Tucows purchase in all?

If I tender my shares, how many of my shares will Tucows purchase?

i


What is the purpose of the offer?

What are the potential risks and disadvantages of our offer?

What are the significant conditions to the offer?

ii


How long do I have to decide whether to tender my shares in the offer? Can Tucows extend the offer past the initial expiration date?

Can Tucows amend the terms of the offer?

How do I find out if Tucows amends the terms of the offer or extends the expiration date?

How do I tender my shares?

Can I tender shares in the offer subject to the condition that a specified minimum number of my shares must be purchased in the offer?

How and when will I be paid?

Until when can I withdraw my previously tendered shares?

iii


How do I withdraw my previously tendered shares?

What are the United States federal income tax consequences if I tender my shares to Tucows?

What is the market value of my shares as of a recent date?

Will I have to pay brokerage commissions or stock transfer taxes if I tender my shares to Tucows?

How do holders of vested stock options for shares participate in the tender offer?

What does the board of directors of Tucows think of the offer?

iv


How will Tucows obtain the funds to pay for properly tendered shares?

What is the accounting treatment for the purchase of shares in the tender offer?

Whom can I talk to if I have questions about the offer?

v



Table of Contents

 
   
  Page
Important Procedures   1

Introduction

 

2

The Offer

 

3
     
1.

 

Number of Shares; Proration

 

3
     
2.

 

Purpose of Our Offer; Certain Effects of Our Offer

 

5
     
3.

 

Procedure for Tendering Shares

 

6
     
4.

 

Withdrawal Rights

 

11
     
5.

 

Purchase of Shares and Payment of Purchase Price

 

11
     
6.

 

Conditional Tender of Shares

 

12
     
7.

 

Conditions of Our Offer

 

13
     
8.

 

Price Range of Shares; Dividends

 

15
     
9.

 

Interests of Directors and Executive Officers; Transactions and Arrangements Concerning the Shares

 

16
     
10.

 

Source and Amount of Funds

 

19
     
11.

 

Information About Us

 

20
     
12.

 

Effects of Our Offer on the Market for Shares; Registration Under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934

 

21
     
13.

 

Certain Legal Matters; Regulatory Approvals

 

22
     
14.

 

Material United States Federal Income Tax Consequences

 

22
     
15.

 

Extension of Our Offer; Termination; Amendment

 

26
     
16.

 

Fees and Expenses

 

27
     
17.

 

Miscellaneous

 

27

vi



IMPORTANT PROCEDURES

        If you want to tender all or part of your shares, you must do one of the following before our offer expires:

If you want to tender your shares but:

you can still tender your shares if you comply with the guaranteed delivery procedure described in Section 3.

         To tender your shares you must follow the procedures described in this offer to purchase, the letter of transmittal and the other documents related to our offer, including choosing a price at which you wish to tender your shares.

        If you wish to maximize the chance that your shares will be purchased by us, you should check the box next to "Shares Tendered at a Price Determined Pursuant to Our Offer" in the section of the letter of transmittal called "Price At Which You Are Tendering." You should understand that this election could result in your shares being purchased at the minimum price of $0.61 per share.

        If you have questions or need assistance, you should contact StockTrans, Inc., which is the information agent for our offer at its address or telephone numbers on the back cover of this offer to purchase. You may request additional copies of this offer to purchase, the letter of transmittal or the notice of guaranteed delivery from the information agent.

         We have not authorized any person to make any recommendation on our behalf as to whether you should tender or not tender shares into our offer or as to the purchase price of any tender. We have not authorized any person to give any information or to make any representation on behalf of us in connection with our offer other than those contained in this offer to purchase or in the related letter of transmittal. If given or made, any recommendation, information or representation must not be relied upon as having been authorized by us or the information agent.

1



Introduction

To the holders of our common stock:

        Tucows Inc., a Pennsylvania corporation, is offering to purchase up to 2,900,000 shares of our common stock, no par value per share, at a price not in excess of $0.70 nor less than $0.61 per share net to the seller in cash, without interest, upon the terms and subject to the conditions set forth in this document and the related letter of transmittal, which together constitute our "offer." The address and phone number of our principal offices are 96 Mowat Avenue, Toronto, Ontario M6K 3M1.

        Our board of directors has approved this offer. However, none of Tucows, our board of directors or the information agent is making any recommendation to you as to whether you should tender your shares or as to what price or prices you should choose to tender your shares. You must decide whether to tender your shares and, if so, how many shares to tender and the price or prices at which you will tender them. You should discuss whether to tender your shares with your broker or other financial or tax advisor.

         This offer to purchase and the related letter of transmittal contain important information that should be read carefully before any decision is made with respect to our offer.

2



The Offer

1.     Number of Shares; Proration.

        On the terms and subject to the conditions of our offer, we will accept for payment and thereby purchase 2,900,000 shares of our common stock or such lesser number of shares as are properly tendered before the expiration date and not properly withdrawn in accordance with Section 4, at a price not in excess of $0.70 nor less than $0.61 per share, net to the seller in cash, without interest.

        For purposes of our offer, the term "expiration date" means 5:00 p.m., New York City time, on Tuesday, October 19, 2010, unless and until we in our sole discretion extend the period of time during which our offer will remain open. If extended by us, the term "expiration date" will refer to the latest time and date at which our offer, as extended, will expire. See Section 15 for a description of our right to extend, delay, terminate or amend our offer.

        We will select the lowest purchase price that will enable us to purchase 2,900,000 shares, or if a lesser number of shares are properly tendered and not properly withdrawn, all shares properly tendered.

        We reserve the right, in our sole discretion, to purchase more than 2,900,000 shares in our offer by amending the terms of our offer to reflect this change in the manner set forth in Section 15. In accordance with applicable regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission, we may, and we reserve the right to, purchase pursuant to our offer an additional amount of shares not to exceed 2% of our outstanding shares without amending or extending our offer.

        In accordance with Instruction 5 of the letter of transmittal, shareholders desiring to tender shares must specify the price or prices, not greater than $0.70 per share nor less than $0.61 per share, at which they are willing to sell their shares. Prices may be specified in increments of $0.01. Alternatively, shareholders desiring to tender shares can choose not to specify a price and, instead, specify that they will sell their shares at the purchase price selected by us for shares properly tendered into our offer. This election could result in the tendering shareholder receiving a price per share as low as $0.61.

        As soon as practicable following the expiration date, we will select the purchase price for shares properly tendered and not properly withdrawn, taking into account the number of shares tendered and the prices specified by tendering shareholders. We will select the lowest purchase price between $0.61 and $0.70 per share net to the seller in cash, without interest, that will enable us to purchase 2,900,000 shares, or such lesser number of shares as are properly tendered and not properly withdrawn.

        Shares properly tendered at or below that purchase price and not properly withdrawn will be purchased at the selected purchase price upon the terms and subject to the conditions of our offer, including the proration and conditional tender provisions described below. If more than 2,900,000 shares are tendered at or below the purchase price we select, then shares tendered at or below the purchase price, other than shares to purchase from holders of "odd lots," will be subject to proration as set forth in "Proration" below. See Section 5 for a more detailed description of our purchase of and payment for tendered shares.

        All shares we purchase will be purchased at the same price, even if you have specified a lower price. However, we will not purchase any shares tendered at a price above the purchase price we select using the procedures described above.

        All shares tendered and not purchased, including shares tendered at prices above the purchase price we select and shares not purchased because of proration or the conditional tender procedures, will be returned to you at our expense promptly following the expiration date.

        On the letter of transmittal you can designate (by certificate) in which order you wish your shares to be purchased if, as a result of the proration provisions or otherwise, some but not all of your tendered shares are purchased in our offer. In the event you do not designate the order and less than all shares are purchased due to proration, the order of shares purchased will be determined by the

3



depositary. In addition, you can tender different portions of your shares at different prices by completing separate letters of transmittal for each price at which you tender shares.

        If at any time during the ten business days prior to the expiration date, we:

then our offer must remain open, or will be extended until, at least ten business days from, and including, the date that notice of such change is first published, sent or given in the manner specified in Section 15. For purposes of our offer, a "business day" means any day other than a Saturday, Sunday or United States federal holiday and consists of the time period from 12:01 a.m. through 12:00 midnight, New York City time.

        In calculating the number of shares to be accepted for payment pursuant to the procedures described in this offer to purchase, we will add to the total number of shares tendered at the minimum price of $0.61 the shares tendered by shareholders who have indicated, in the appropriate box in the letter of transmittal, that they are willing to accept the price determined in our offer. Accordingly, shareholders who check the box next to "Shares Tendered at a Price Determined Pursuant to Our Offer" in the section of the letter of transmittal called "Price at Which You are Tendering" will be treated the same (i.e., included in the number of shares to be purchased) as shares tendered at $0.61. However, as discussed above, shares properly tendered and accepted for purchase will all be purchased at the same price, even if the purchase price we select is higher than the price at which the shares were tendered.

         Our offer is not conditioned on any minimum number of shares being tendered. Our offer, however, is subject to other conditions. See Section 7.

        Priority of Purchase.     Upon the terms and subject to the conditions of our offer, if 2,900,000 or fewer shares are properly tendered at or below the purchase price and not properly withdrawn, we will purchase all shares properly tendered and not properly withdrawn.

        Upon the terms and subject to the conditions of our offer, if more than 2,900,000 shares are properly tendered at or below the purchase price and not properly withdrawn, subject to the conditional tender procedures described in Section 6, we will purchase shares properly tendered and not properly withdrawn at prices equal to or below the purchase price, on a pro rata basis with appropriate adjustments to avoid purchases of fractional shares or to purchase all shares tendered by holders of "odd lots," both as described below.

        As a result, all the shares that you tender in our offer may not be purchased, even if they are tendered at prices equal to or below the purchase price. This will occur if we receive more than 2,900,000 properly tendered shares at prices equal to or below the purchase price.

        As we noted above, we may elect to purchase more than 2,900,000 shares in our offer, subject to applicable law. If we do so, the preceding provisions will apply to the greater number of shares.

        Proration.     If proration of tendered shares is required, we will determine the final proration factor as promptly as practicable after the expiration date. Subject to the conditional tender procedures described in Section 6, the final proration factor will be equal to the ratio of the total number of shares to be purchased by us in our offer (excluding shares purchased from odd lot holders, as described in the following paragraph) to the number of shares properly tendered and not properly withdrawn by all shareholders (other than odd lot holders from whom we purchase shares, as described in the following paragraph) at or below the purchase price selected by us. This ratio will be applied to shareholders (other than odd lot holders from whom we purchase shares, as described in the following paragraph)

4



tendering shares to determine the number of shares that will be purchased from each tendering shareholder in our offer.

        Notwithstanding the above, pursuant to Rule 13e-4 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 we will, prior to prorating shares of common stock held by others, accept all shares of common stock tendered by all shareholders who own, beneficially or of record, a number of shares that is less than or equal to 100 (provided that such "odd-lot" shareholders have tendered all of their shares of common stock). We have selected 100 as the number of shares that constitutes an odd-lot so that the purchase of all shares properly tendered by holders of up to such number of shares will not reduce the number of shareholders to the point that our common stock would be delisted from the NYSE Amex or subject to deregistration under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934.

        Because of the potential difficulty in determining the number of shares properly tendered and not properly withdrawn, including shares tendered by guaranteed delivery procedures as described in Section 3, and because of the conditional tender procedures described in Section 6, we do not expect that we will be able to announce the final proration percentage or commence payment for any shares purchased under our offer until seven to ten business days after the expiration date. The preliminary results of any proration will be announced by press release as soon as practicable after the expiration date. Shareholders may obtain preliminary proration information from the information agent and may be able to obtain this information from their brokers.

        As described in Section 14, the number of shares that we will purchase from a shareholder may affect the United States federal income tax consequences to the shareholder and therefore may be relevant to a shareholder's decision whether to tender shares. The letter of transmittal affords each tendering shareholder the opportunity to designate (by certificate) the order of priority in which such shareholder wishes the shares it tenders to be purchased in the event of proration. In addition, shareholders may choose to submit a "conditional tender" under the procedures discussed in Section 6 in order to structure their tender for United States federal income tax reasons.

        We will mail this offer to purchase and the related letter of transmittal to record holders of shares as of September 8, 2010 and will furnish them to brokers, banks and similar persons whose names, or the names of whose nominees, appear on our shareholder list or, if applicable, who are listed as participants in a clearing agency's security position listing for subsequent transmittal to beneficial owners of shares.

2.     Purpose of Our Offer; Certain Effects of Our Offer.

        Our Board of Directors believes that the tender offer is a prudent use of our financial resources given our business and assets and the current market price of our shares of common stock, and that investing in our own shares is both an effective use of capital and an efficient means to provide value to our shareholders. The tender offer represents an opportunity for us to provide liquidity to shareholders who elect to tender their shares. Where shares are tendered by the registered owner of those shares directly to the depositary, the sale of those shares in the tender offer will permit the seller to avoid the usual transaction costs associated with open market sales. Furthermore, any odd lot holders who hold shares registered in their names and tender their shares directly to the depositary and whose shares are purchased under the tender offer will avoid not only the payment of brokerage commissions but also any applicable odd lot discounts that might be payable on sales of their shares in market transactions.

        Shareholders who do not tender their shares pursuant to the tender offer and shareholders who otherwise retain an equity interest in us as a result of a partial tender of shares, proration or a conditional tender for which the condition is not satisfied will continue to be our owners and will realize a proportionate increase in their relative equity interest in us and thus in our future earnings and assets, and will bear the attendant risks and rewards associated with owning our equity securities,

5



including risks resulting from our purchase of shares. We believe the tender offer, if completed, will be accretive to earnings per share.

        Our offer also presents some potential risks and disadvantages to us and our continuing shareholders. Our offer will reduce our "public float," which is the number of shares owned by outside shareholders and available for trading in the securities markets. This may result in lower stock prices or reduced liquidity in the trading market for our shares in the future. See Section 12.

        After the offer, we expect to have sufficient cash flow and access to other sources of capital to meet our cash needs for normal operations, anticipated capital expenditures and acquisition opportunities that may arise.

        Our board of directors has approved our offer. However, none of Tucows, our board of directors or the information agent is making any recommendation to you as to whether you should tender or refrain from tendering your shares or as to what price or prices you should choose to tender your shares. You must decide whether to tender your shares and, if so, how many shares to tender and the price or prices at which you will tender them. You should discuss whether to tender your shares with your broker or other financial or tax advisor.

        To our knowledge, none of our directors, executive officers or any beneficial owner of greater than 10% of our common stock intend to tender any shares that they are deemed to beneficially own under Securities and Exchange Commission regulations.

        We may in the future purchase additional shares in the open market, private transactions, tender offers or otherwise. Any of these purchases may be on the same terms as, or on terms more or less favorable to shareholders than, the terms of our offer. However, Rule 13e-4 under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 generally prohibits us and our affiliates from purchasing any shares, other than through our offer, until at least ten business days after the expiration or termination of our offer. Any possible future purchases by us will depend on many factors, including the market price of the shares, the results of our offer, our business and financial position and general economic and market conditions. Additionally, depending on the ongoing market conditions, Tucows may make additional tender offers to purchase shares of its common stock in the future.

        Shares acquired pursuant to our offer will be held in treasury, and will be available for us to issue or sell without further shareholder action except as required by applicable law or the rules of the NYSE Amex or any securities exchange on which the shares are then listed, for purposes including, without limitation, the acquisition of other businesses, the raising of additional capital for use in our business and the satisfaction of obligations under existing or future employee benefit or compensation programs or stock plans or compensation programs for directors. We have no current plans for the issuance or sale of the shares purchased in our offer.

3.     Procedure for Tendering Shares.

        Proper Tender of Shares.     For shares to be properly tendered, either (1)  or (2) below must happen:

        (1)   The depositary must receive all of the following before or on the expiration date at the depositary's address on the back cover of this offer to purchase:

        (2)   You must comply with the guaranteed delivery procedure set forth below.

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        In accordance with Instruction 5 of the letter of transmittal, if you want to tender your shares you must properly complete the pricing section of the letter of transmittal, which is called "Price at Which You Are Tendering":

        If you want to tender portions of your shares at different prices you must complete a separate letter of transmittal for each portion of your shares that you want to tender at a different price. However, the same shares cannot be tendered (unless properly withdrawn previously in accordance with Section 4) at more than one price. To tender shares properly, one and only one price box must be checked in the "Price at Which You Are Tendering" section on each letter of transmittal.

        If you tender your shares directly to the depositary, you will not have to pay any brokerage commissions, solicitation fees, or upon the terms and subject to the conditions of our offer, stock transfer taxes on the purchase of shares. If you hold shares through a broker or bank, however, you should ask your broker or bank if you will be charged a fee to tender your shares through the broker or bank.

        Endorsements and Signature Guarantees.     Depending on how your shares are registered and to whom you want payments or deliveries made, you may need to have your certificates endorsed and the signatures on the letter of transmittal and endorsement guaranteed by an "eligible guarantor institution," as such term is defined in Rule 17Ad-15 under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. No endorsement or signature guarantee is required if:

        See Instruction 1 of the letter of transmittal.

        On the other hand, if a certificate for shares is registered in the name of a person other than the person executing a letter of transmittal or you are completing either the box captioned "Special Delivery Instructions" or the box captioned "Special Payment Instructions" on the letter of transmittal, then

7


        Method of Delivery.     Payment for shares tendered and accepted for payment under our offer will be made only after timely receipt by the depositary of all of the following:

         The method of delivery of all documents, including share certificates, the letter of transmittal and any other required documents, is at your election and risk. If you decide to make delivery by mail, we recommend you use registered mail with return receipt requested, properly insured. In all cases, sufficient time should be allowed to insure timely delivery.

         All deliveries in connection with our offer, including a letter of transmittal and certificates for shares, must be made to the depositary and not to us, the information agent or the book-entry transfer facility. Any documents delivered to us, the information agent or the book entry transfer facility will not be forwarded to the depositary and therefore will not be deemed to be properly tendered.

        Book-Entry Delivery.     The depositary will establish an account with respect to the shares at the book-entry transfer facility for purposes of our offer within two business days after the date of this offer to purchase. Any institution that is a participant in the book-entry transfer facility's system may make book-entry delivery of the shares by causing that facility to transfer those shares into the depositary's account in accordance with that facility's procedure for the transfer. Even if delivery of shares is made through book-entry transfer into the depositary's account at the book-entry transfer facility, either (1)  or (2) below must occur:

        (1)   The depositary must receive all of the following before or on the expiration date at one of the depositary's addresses on the back cover of this offer to purchase:

        (2)   The guaranteed delivery procedure described below must be followed.

Delivery of the letter of transmittal or any other required documents to the book-entry transfer facility does not constitute delivery to the depositary.

        The term "agent's message" means a message transmitted by the book-entry transfer facility to, and received by, the depositary, which states that the book-entry transfer facility has received an express acknowledgement from the participant in the book-entry transfer facility tendering the shares that the participant in the book-entry transfer facility tendering the shares has received and agrees to be bound by the terms of the letter of transmittal and that we may enforce that agreement against them.

        Guaranteed Delivery.     If you want to tender your shares but your share certificates are not immediately available or cannot be delivered to the depositary before the expiration date, the procedure for book-entry transfer cannot be completed on a timely basis, or if time will not permit all required documents to reach the depositary before the expiration date, you can still tender your shares, if all of the following conditions are satisfied:

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        Determination of Validity; Rejection of Shares; Waiver of Defects; No Obligation to Give Notice of Defects.     We will determine, in our sole discretion, all questions as to the number of shares to be accepted, the price to be paid and the validity, form, eligibility, including time of receipt, and acceptance for payment of any tender of shares. Our determination will be final and binding on all parties. We reserve the absolute right to reject any or all tenders we determine not to be in proper form or the acceptance of or payment for which we determine may be unlawful. We also reserve the absolute right to waive any of the conditions of our offer and any defect or irregularity in the tender of any particular shares or any particular shareholder. No tender of shares will be deemed to be properly made until all defects or irregularities have been cured by the tendering shareholder or waived by us. None of Tucows, the depositary, the information agent or any other person will be under any duty to give notice of any defects or irregularities in any tender, or incur any liability for failure to give any such notice.

        Your Representation and Warranty; Our Acceptance Constitutes an Agreement.     A tender of shares under any of the procedures described above will constitute your acceptance of the terms and conditions of our offer, as well as your representation and warranty to us that:

It is a violation of Rule 14e-4 for a person, acting alone or in concert with others, directly or indirectly, to tender shares for that person's own account unless, at the expiration date, the person so tendering:

        Rule 14e-4 provides a similar restriction applicable to the tender or guarantee of a tender on behalf of another person.

9


        Our acceptance for payment of shares tendered under our offer will constitute a binding agreement between you and us upon the terms and conditions of our offer described in this and related documents.

        Return of Unpurchased Shares.     If any tendered shares are not purchased or are properly withdrawn, or if less than all shares evidenced by a shareholder's certificates are tendered, certificates for unpurchased shares will be returned promptly after the expiration or termination of our offer or the proper withdrawal of the shares, as applicable. In the case of shares tendered by book-entry transfer at the book-entry transfer facility, the shares will be credited to the appropriate account maintained by the tendering shareholder at the book-entry transfer facility. In each case, shares will be returned or credited without expense to the shareholder.

        Lost or Destroyed Certificates.     If your certificate for part or all of your shares has been lost, stolen, misplaced or destroyed, you should contact StockTrans, Inc., the transfer agent for our shares, at (800) 733-1121, for instructions as to obtaining an affidavit of loss. The affidavit of loss will then be required to be submitted together with the letter of transmittal in order to receive payment for shares that are tendered and accepted for payment. A bond may be required to be posted by you to secure against the risk that the certificates may be subsequently recirculated. You are urged to contact StockTrans, Inc. immediately in order to receive further instructions, to permit timely processing of this documentation and for a determination as to whether you will need to post a bond.

        Federal Income Tax Withholding.     To prevent backup federal income tax withholding equal to 28% of the gross payments payable pursuant to our offer, each shareholder who is a U.S. shareholder (as defined in Section 14) and who does not otherwise establish an exemption from backup withholding must notify the depositary of the shareholder's correct taxpayer identification number (employer identification number or social security number), or certify that the taxpayer is awaiting a taxpayer identification number, and provide certain other information by completing, under penalties of perjury, the Substitute Form W-9 included in the letter of transmittal.

        Backup withholding is not an additional tax. Rather, the federal income tax liability of a person subject to backup withholding will be reduced by the amount withheld. If withholding results in an overpayment of taxes, the taxpayer may obtain a refund, provided that the required information is furnished to the Internal Revenue Service.

        Proceeds payable pursuant to our offer to a non-U.S. shareholder or his agent will be subject to U.S. withholding tax at a rate of 30% unless the depositary determines that a reduced or zero rate of withholding is applicable pursuant to an applicable income tax treaty or that an exemption from withholding is applicable because such gross proceeds are effectively connected with the conduct of a trade or business within the United States. In order to obtain a reduced rate of withholding pursuant to a tax treaty, a non-U.S. shareholder must deliver to the depositary before any payment a properly completed and executed IRS Form W-8BEN or other applicable form. In order to obtain an exemption from withholding on the grounds that the gross proceeds paid pursuant to the offer are effectively connected with the conduct of a trade or business within the United States, a non-U.S. shareholder must deliver to the depositary before any payment a properly completed and executed IRS Form W-8ECI. A non-U.S. shareholder may be eligible to obtain a refund of all or a portion of any tax withheld if such shareholder meets the "complete redemption," "substantially disproportionate" or "not essentially equivalent to a dividend" tests described in Section 14 or is otherwise able to establish that no tax or a reduced amount of tax is due. Backup withholding generally will not apply to amounts subject to the 30% or a treaty-reduced rate of federal income tax withholding.

        Shareholders are urged to consult their tax advisors regarding the applicability of federal income tax withholding to them and the availability of exemptions to such withholding.

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        For a discussion of material United States federal income tax consequences generally applicable to tendering shareholders, see Section 14.

4.     Withdrawal Rights.

        Shares tendered in our offer may be withdrawn at any time before the expiration date and, unless accepted for payment by us after the expiration date, may also be withdrawn any time after 12:00 midnight, New York City time, on Tuesday, November 16, 2010. Except as otherwise provided in this Section 4, tenders of shares pursuant to our offer are irrevocable.

        For a withdrawal to be effective, the depositary must receive (at its address set forth on the back cover of this offer to purchase) a notice of withdrawal in written or facsimile transmission form on a timely basis. The notice of withdrawal must specify the name of the person who tendered the shares to be withdrawn, the number of shares tendered, the number of shares to be withdrawn and the name of the registered holder. If the certificates have been delivered or otherwise identified to the depositary, then, prior to the release of those certificates, the tendering shareholder must also submit the serial numbers shown on the particular certificates evidencing the shares and the signature on the notice of withdrawal must be guaranteed by an eligible guarantor institution (except in the case of shares tendered by an eligible guarantor institution).

        If shares have been tendered pursuant to the procedure for book-entry transfer set forth in Section 3, the notice of withdrawal must specify the name and the number of the account at the book-entry transfer facility to be credited with the withdrawn shares and otherwise comply with the procedures of the facility.

        We will determine, in our sole discretion, all questions as to the form and validity, including time of receipt, of notices of withdrawal. Our determination shall be final and binding on all parties. None of Tucows, the depositary, the information agent or any other person will be under any duty to give any notice of any defects or irregularities in any notice of withdrawal, or incur any liability for failure to give any such notice. Withdrawals may not be rescinded, and any shares properly withdrawn will thereafter be deemed not tendered for purposes of our offer unless the withdrawn shares are properly retendered before the expiration date by following any of the procedures described in Section 3.

        If we extend our offer, or if we are delayed in our purchase of shares or are unable to purchase shares under our offer for any reason, then, without prejudice to our rights under our offer, the depositary may, subject to applicable law, retain on our behalf all tendered shares, and those shares may not be withdrawn except to the extent tendering shareholders are entitled to withdrawal rights as described in this Section 4.

5.     Purchase of Shares and Payment of Purchase Price.

        Upon the terms and subject to the conditions of our offer, we will:

        For purposes of our offer, we will be deemed to have accepted for payment, and therefore purchased, shares that are properly tendered at or below the purchase price and not properly withdrawn, subject to our right to reduce the total number of shares we purchase and the conditional tender and proration provisions of our offer, only when, as and if we give oral or written notice to the depositary of our acceptance of shares for payment under our offer.

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        Upon the terms and subject to the conditions of our offer, promptly after the expiration date, we will purchase and pay a single per share purchase price for shares accepted for payment under our offer. In all cases, payment for shares tendered and accepted for payment pursuant to our offer will be made only after timely receipt by the depositary of:

        We will pay for the shares purchased under our offer by depositing the aggregate purchase price for the shares with the depositary, which will act as agent for tendering shareholders for the purpose of receiving payment from us and transmitting payment to the tendering shareholders.

        In the event of proration, we will determine the proration factor and pay for those tendered shares accepted for payment promptly after the expiration date. However, we do not expect to be able to announce the final results of any such proration until approximately seven to ten business days after the expiration date.

         Under no circumstances will we pay interest on the purchase price, regardless of any delay in making payment. In addition, if specified events occur, we may not be obligated to purchase shares in our offer. See Section 7.

        We will pay all stock transfer taxes, if any, payable on the transfer to us of shares purchased in our offer. If, however

then the amount of all stock transfer taxes, if any (whether imposed on the registered holder or such other person), payable on account of the transfer to that person will be deducted from the purchase price unless evidence satisfactory to us of the payment of taxes or exemption from payment of taxes is submitted. See Instruction 7 of the letter of transmittal.

         Any tendering shareholder or other payee who is required to and who fails to complete fully, sign and return to the depositary the Substitute Form W-9 included with the letter of transmittal may be subject to required backup federal income tax withholding of 28% of the gross proceeds paid to that shareholder or other payee pursuant to our offer. See Section 3. Also see Section 3 regarding certain federal income tax consequences for non-U.S. shareholders.

6.     Conditional Tender of Shares.

        Under certain circumstances, we may prorate the number of shares purchased in our offer. As discussed in Section 14, the number of shares to be purchased from a particular shareholder may affect the federal income tax treatment of the purchase to the shareholder and the shareholder's decision whether to tender. The conditional tender alternative is made available so that a shareholder may seek to structure our purchase of shares in our offer from the shareholder in a manner such that the transaction would be treated as a sale of the shares by the shareholder, rather than the payment of a dividend to the shareholder, for federal income tax purposes. Accordingly, a shareholder may tender shares subject to the condition that a specified minimum number of the shareholder's shares tendered

12



pursuant to a letter of transmittal or notice of guaranteed delivery must be purchased if any shares tendered are purchased. We urge each shareholder to consult with his or her own tax advisor concerning this matter.

        If you wish to make a conditional tender, you must indicate this in the box captioned "Conditional Tender" in the letter of transmittal or, if applicable, the notice of guaranteed delivery. In this box in the letter of transmittal or the notice of guaranteed delivery, you must determine and appropriately indicate the minimum number of shares that must be purchased if any are to be purchased. After our offer expires, if more than 2,900,000 shares are properly tendered and not properly withdrawn and we must prorate our acceptance of and payment for tendered shares, we will calculate a preliminary proration percentage based upon all shares properly tendered, conditionally or unconditionally. If the effect of this preliminary proration would be to reduce the number of shares to be purchased from any shareholder below the minimum number specified by that shareholder, the conditional tender will automatically be regarded as withdrawn, unless chosen by lot for reinstatement as discussed in the next paragraph.

        After giving effect to these withdrawals, we will accept the remaining shares properly tendered, conditionally or unconditionally, on a pro rata basis, if necessary. If we are able to purchase all of the remaining tendered shares and the number that we would purchase would be below 2,900,000, then, to the extent feasible, we will select enough of the conditional tenders that would otherwise have been deemed withdrawn to permit us to purchase 2,900,000 shares. In selecting these conditional tenders, we will select by random lot and will select only from shareholders who tendered all of their shares. Upon selection by lot, if any, we will limit our purchase in each case to the designated minimum number of shares to be purchased.

        All shares tendered by a shareholder subject to a conditional tender pursuant to the letter of transmittal or notice of guaranteed delivery regarded as withdrawn as a result of proration and not eventually purchased will be returned promptly after the expiration date without any expense to the shareholder.

7.     Conditions of Our Offer.

        Notwithstanding any other provision of our offer, we will not be required to accept for payment, purchase or pay for any shares tendered, and may terminate or amend our offer or may postpone the acceptance for payment of, or the purchase of and the payment for shares tendered, subject to Rule 13e-4(f) promulgated under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, if at any time on or after September 17, 2010 and prior to the expiration of our offer any of the following events occur or are determined by us to have occurred, that, in our judgment, makes it inadvisable to proceed with our offer or with acceptance for payment or payment for the shares in our offer:

        (1)   there shall have been instituted or pending any action or proceeding by any government or governmental, regulatory or administrative agency, authority or tribunal or by any other person, domestic or foreign, before any court, authority, agency or tribunal that directly or indirectly:

        (2)   there shall have been any action pending or taken, or approval withheld, or any statute, rule, regulation, judgment, order or injunction proposed, sought, promulgated, enacted, entered, amended, enforced or deemed to be applicable to the tender offer or us or any of our subsidiaries, by any court

13


or any authority, agency or tribunal that, in our reasonable judgment, would or might, directly or indirectly,

        (3)   the declaration of any banking moratorium or any suspension of payments in respect of banks in the United States (whether or not mandatory);

        (4)   any general suspension of trading in, or limitation on prices for, securities on any United States national securities exchange or in the over-the-counter market;

        (5)   the commencement or escalation of a war, armed hostilities or any other national or international crisis directly or indirectly involving the United States, including but not limited to an act of terrorism;

        (6)   any limitation (whether or not mandatory) by any governmental, regulatory or administrative agency or authority on, or any event that, in our reasonable judgment, might materially affect, the extension of credit by banks or other lending institutions in the United States;

        (7)   any change in the general political, market, economic or financial conditions or in the commercial paper markets in the United States or abroad that could have, in our reasonable judgment, a material adverse effect on the business, condition, income, operations or prospects of us and our subsidiaries, taken as a whole, or on the trading of shares of our common stock or otherwise materially impair in any way the contemplated future conduct of the business of us or any of our subsidiaries;

        (8)   in the case of any of the foregoing existing at the time of the announcement of our offer, a material acceleration or worsening thereof;

        (9)   any decline in the market price of our shares of common stock or the Dow Jones Industrial Average or the Standard and Poor's Index of 500 Industrial Companies or the NYSE Amex or the Nasdaq Composite Index by greater than 10% from the close of business on September 8, 2010;

        (10) changes or events occur that affect us or ownership of our shares and in our reasonable judgement may reasonably be likely to be material and adverse to us or any of our subsidiaries or otherwise materially affect in any way the contemplated future conduct of the business of us or any of our subsidiaries;

        (11) a tender or exchange offer with respect to some or all of our outstanding shares, other than our offer, or a merger or acquisition proposal for us, is proposed, announced or made by another person or is publicly disclosed, or we learn that any person or "group," within the meaning of Section 13(d)(3) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, has acquired or proposes to acquire beneficial ownership of more than 5% of the outstanding shares, or any new group is formed that beneficially owns more than 5% of our outstanding shares;

        (12) any person or group files a Notification and Report Form under the Hart-Scott-Rodino Antitrust Improvements Act of 1976 reflecting an intent to acquire us or any of our shares; or

14


        (13) any entity, group or person who has filed a Schedule 13D or Schedule 13G with the Securities and Exchange Commission before September 17, 2010 shall have acquired or proposed to acquire beneficial ownership of an additional 2% or more of Tucows' outstanding shares, or

        (14) any approval, permit, authorization, favorable review or consent of any governmental entity required to be obtained in connection with the tender offer shall not have been obtained on terms satisfactory to us in our reasonable judgment (although we are not currently aware of any such requirement); or

        (15) we determine that the completion of our offer and the purchase of the shares may cause our common stock to be delisted from the NYSE Amex or to be subject to deregistration under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934.

        See the first paragraph of Section 2 for a discussion of the contemplated benefits of the tender offer to us. The conditions listed above are for our sole benefit and we may, in our sole discretion, assert these conditions and waive any of the conditions listed above, in whole or in part, before the expiration date. Our failure at any time to exercise any of the foregoing rights shall not be deemed a waiver of any of these rights, and each of these rights shall be deemed an ongoing right that may be asserted by us at any time prior to the expiration of our offer. Any determination or judgment by Tucows concerning the events described above will be final and binding on all parties.

8.     Price Range of Shares; Dividends.

        Our shares are listed and principally traded on the NYSE Amex (formerly the American Stock Exchange) under the symbol "TCX" and on the Toronto Stock Exchange under the symbol "TC." The high and low prices per share on the NYSE Amex for, and the cash dividends declared on our common stock during, the periods indicated are listed below:

Year
  Fiscal Quarter Ended   High   Low   Declared
Dividend

2010

 

March 31, 2010

    0.96     0.65   n/a

 

June 30, 2010

    0.80     0.60   n/a

 

July 1, 2010 to September 8, 2010

    0.70     0.56   n/a

2009

 

March 31, 2009

    0.39     0.26   n/a

 

June 30, 2009

    0.50     0.31   n/a

 

September 30, 2009

    0.61     0.36   n/a

 

December 31, 2009

    0.71     0.10   n/a

2008

 

March 31, 2008

    0.75     0.53   n/a

 

June 30, 2008

    0.69     0.55   n/a

 

September 30, 2008

    0.60     0.32   n/a

 

December 31, 2008

    0.44     0.25   n/a

2007

 

March 31, 2007

    0.89     0.81   n/a

 

June 30, 2007

    1.29     0.84   n/a

 

September 30, 2007

    1.35     0.93   n/a

 

December 31, 2007

    0.99     0.58   n/a

        On September 8, 2010, the most recent practicable trading day prior to the amendment of our offer, the closing price per share of our common stock on the NYSE Amex was $0.62. We urge shareholders to obtain current quotations of the market price of the shares.

        We have not declared or paid any cash dividends or our common stock during the fiscal years ended December 31, 2007, December 31, 2008 and December 31, 2009, and we do not intend to do so in the immediate future, but we may decide to do so in the future depending on ongoing market

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conditions. Our ability to pay any cash dividends on our common stock, should our Board of Directors decide to do so, is also dependent on our earnings and cash requirements.

9.     Interests of Directors and Executive Officers; Transactions and Arrangements Concerning the Shares.

        The following table sets forth the beneficial ownership of our common stock, as of September 8, 2010 by each of our chief executive officer and our two other most highly compensated executive officers, our directors, as well as by all of our directors and executive officers as a group. The information on beneficial ownership in the table and related footnotes is based upon data furnished to us by, or on behalf of, the persons referred to in the table. Unless otherwise indicated in the footnotes to the table, each person named has sole voting power and sole investment power with respect to the shares included in the table.

 
  Beneficial Ownership of Common Stock
Name
  Common Stock
Beneficially
Owned
Excluding
Options
  Stock Options
Exercisable
within
60 Days of
September 8, 2010
  Total
Common
Stock
Beneficially
Owned
  Percent of
Class(1)

Executive officers and directors

                     

Elliot Noss, President and Chief

                     
 

Executive Officer

    656,254 (2)   2,312,304     2,968,558   5.0%

Michael Cooperman, Chief Financial Officer

    13,850     1,033,975     1,047,825   1.8%

David Woroch, Executive VP, Sales

    163,602     245,415     409,017   *

Kenneth Schafer, VP, Marketing and

                     
 

Product Management

        92,500     92,500   *

Carla Goertz, VP, Human Resources

        132,500     132,500   *

Eugene Fiume, Director

        80,000     80,000   *

Erez Gissin, Director

    10,000     110,000     120,000   *

Joichi Ito, Director

        65,000     65,000   *

Allen Karp, Director

    20,000 (3)   177,500     197,500   *

Lloyd Morrisett, Director

    105,000 (4)   182,500     287,500   *

Rawleigh Ralls, Director

    8,040,720 (5)   65,000     8,105,720   14.1%

Jeffrey Schwartz, Director

        152,500     152,500   *

Stanley Stern, Director

    203,850     147,500     351,350   *

All directors and executive officers as a group (13 persons)

    9,213,276     4,796,694     14,009,970   22.5%

*
Less than 1%

(1)
Based on 57,362,236 shares outstanding as of September 8, 2010, adjusted for shares of stock exercisable by each shareholder, or the shareholders as a group, within 60 days of the record date of the annual meeting.

(2)
Includes an aggregate of 86,869 shares of common stock owned by two separate family trusts of which Mr. Noss is the trustee.

(3)
These shares of common stock are owned by Karp Corp., Inc., as nominee for Mr. Karp's wife.

(4)
These shares of common stock are owned jointly by Dr. Morrisett and his wife.

(5)
7,572,109 of these shares are held by Lacuna Hedge Fund LLLP ("Lacuna Hedge"), and are indirectly owned Lacuna, LLC ("Lacuna LLC"), and Lacuna Hedge GP LLLP ("Lacuna Hedge GP"). Mr. Ralls is a member of Lacuna LLC, the entity which serves as the sole general

16


        The following table sets forth information with respect to each shareholder known to us to be the beneficial owner of more than 5% of our outstanding common stock as of September 8, 2010:

 
  Beneficial Ownership of Common Stock  
Name and Address of Beneficial Owner
  Number of
Shares
Beneficially
Owned
  Percent of
Class(1)
 

Lacuna, LLC

    8,040,720 (2)   14.0%  
 

1100 Spruce Street, Suite 202

             
 

Boulder, CO 80302

             

Diker GP, LLC

   
9,224,135

(3)
 
16.1%
 
 

745 Fifth Avenue, Suite 1409

             
 

New York, NY 10151

             

(1)
Based on 57,362,236 shares outstanding as of September 8, 2010.

(2)
As disclosed on Amendment No. 2 to Schedule 13D, filed with the SEC on June 25, 2010. Of these shares, 468,611 are held directly by Lacuna Venture Fund LLLP ("Lacuna Venture") and 7,572,109 are held directly by Lacuna Hedge Fund LLLP ("Lacuna Hedge"). Lacuna, LLC serves as the sole general partner of each of Lacuna Ventures GP and Lacuna Hedge GP. Lacuna Ventures GP serves as the sole general partner of Lacuna Venture and Lacuna Hedge GP serves as the sole general partner of Lacuna Hedge. Neither Lacuna Ventures GP, Lacuna Hedge GP, nor Lacuna, LLC directly owns any securities of the Company. Lacuna Ventures GP, Lacuna Hedge GP and Lacuna, LLC may be deemed to have shared power to vote or direct the vote of, and to dispose or direct the disposition of, the securities of the Company held by Lacuna Venture and Lacuna Hedge but disclaim beneficial ownership except to their pecuniary interest therein.

(3)
As disclosed on a Form 4, filed with the SEC on March 24, 2010. The shares are held indirectly by Diker Management, LLC, in its capacity as the Registered Investment Adviser of certain managed accounts and funds. Diker Management, LLC is a Registered Investment Adviser and as such disclaims all beneficial ownership of the shares and in any case disclaims beneficial ownership of the shares except to the extent of the reporting person's pecuniary interest therein.

        As of September 8, 2010, there were 57,362,236 shares of our common stock, no par value per share, outstanding and 8,404,583 shares issuable upon exercise of all outstanding options. As of September 8, 2010, our directors and executive officers as a group (13 persons) beneficially owned 14,009,970 shares, including 4,796,694 shares issuable to those persons upon exercise of options exercisable within 60 days of that date.

        None of our directors, our executive officers who are not directors and, to our knowledge, any beneficial owner of greater than 10% of our common stock intend to tender shares that they are deemed to beneficially own under Securities and Exchange Commission regulations on this offer.

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        Based upon our records and upon information provided to us by our directors, executive officers, associates and subsidiaries, none of any of our associates or subsidiaries or persons controlling us or, to the best of our knowledge, any of our directors or executive officers or any of our subsidiaries, or any associates or subsidiaries of any of the foregoing, has effected any transactions in our shares on the date of this offer to purchase or during the 60 days prior to the date of this offer to purchase, except for the automatic option grants to certain directors under our Amended and Restated 2006 Omnibus Equity Compensation Plan (the "2006 Plan") described below:

Name
  Date of
Transaction
  Nature of
Transaction
  No. of
Shares
  Price per Share
(Exercise Price)
 

Eugene Fiume

    September 7, 2010     Option Grant     20,000   $ 0.62  

Erez Gissin

    September 7, 2010     Option Grant     20,000   $ 0.62  

Joichi Ito

    September 7, 2010     Option Grant     20,000   $ 0.62  

Allen Karp

    September 7, 2010     Option Grant     37,500   $ 0.62  

Lloyd Morrisett

    September 7, 2010     Option Grant     37,500   $ 0.62  

Rawleigh Ralls

    September 7, 2010     Option Grant     20,000   $ 0.62  

Jeffrey Schwartz

    September 7, 2010     Option Grant     37,500   $ 0.62  

Stanley Stern

    September 7, 2010     Option Grant     27,500   $ 0.62  

        Equity Compensation Plans.     The 2006 Plan is currently our only plan pursuant to which equity awards are granted and issued.

        The 2006 Plan serves as a successor to Tucows' 1996 Equity Compensation Plan, or the 1996 Plan, previously approved by the shareholders, pursuant to which 11,150,000 shares of our common stock were reserved for issuance thereunder. The 1996 Plan terminated on February 25, 2006; 10,492,700 shares of our common stock were issued under the 1996 Plan prior to its termination, and, as of September 8, 2010, 4,206,333 shares were subject to outstanding awards which will continue to be governed by the terms of the 1996 Plan. No additional awards will be made under the 1996 Plan.

        The 2006 Plan was approved at our Annual Meeting of Shareholders on September 7, 2010. The 2006 Plan provides for the grant of incentive stock options, nonqualified stock options, stock appreciation rights, restricted stock grants, performance units, dividend equivalent rights and other stock-based awards to officers and other employees of Tucows and our subsidiaries at the discretion of the compensation committee of our board of directors. As of September 8, 2010, 4,198,250 shares were subject to outstanding awards under the 2006 Plan.

        Except as otherwise described in this offer to purchase, none of Tucows or any person controlling us or, to our knowledge, any of our directors or executive officers, is a party to any contract, arrangement, understanding or relationship with any other person relating, directly or indirectly, to our offer or with respect to any of our securities, including, but not limited to, any contract, arrangement, understanding or relationship concerning the transfer or the voting of any such securities, joint ventures, loan or option arrangements, puts or calls, guarantees of loans, guarantees against loss or the giving or withholding of proxies, consents or authorizations.

        Other Plans or Proposals.     Except as described in this offer to purchase, we currently have no plans or proposals that relate to or would result in:

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        Due to the low trading volume of our common stock on the Toronto Stock Exchange, we are considering a possible delisting of our securities from the Toronto Stock Exchange so that our shares of common stock will trade exclusively on the NYSE Amex. Again, to date, no action has been taken on this matter.

        Although we do not currently have any plans, other than as described above and elsewhere in this offer to purchase, that relate to or would result in any of the events discussed above, we continue to evaluate opportunities for increasing shareholder value and we may undertake or plan actions that relate to or could result in one or more of these events.

10.   Source and Amount of Funds.

        Assuming that 2,900,000 shares are purchased in the tender offer, the aggregate purchase price would be in the range of $1.77 million to $2.03 million. We expect that our related fees and expenses for the tender offer will be approximately $50,000. We anticipate that we will fund the purchase of shares tendered in the tender offer and pay all related fees and expenses either with available cash or with a combination of available cash and borrowings under a $2,000,000 non-revolving, reducing demand loan with the Bank of Montreal (the "Bank").

        Our credit facility with the Bank (the "Credit Facility") provides for (i) a $2,000,000 non-revolving, reducing demand loan (the "Share Repurchase Loan") to finance the repurchase of shares of the Company's common stock; (ii) repayment of the $2,103,483.60 outstanding balance under our existing non-revolving, reducing demand loan with the Bank (the "Demand Loan"); (iii) a $3,500,000 Treasury Risk Management Facility (the "TR Loan") and (iv) a $1,000,000 operating demand loan (the "Operating Demand Loan") to fund operational requirements. The Share Repurchase Loan, Demand Loan and TR Loan are governed by the terms of (i) the Loan Agreement, dated as of July 25, 2007 (the "2007 Loan Agreement") by and among the Company, Tucows.com Co., a wholly owned subsidiary of Tucows Inc. ("Borrower"), and certain subsidiaries of the Company named therein (the "Guarantors"), as amended by the Offer Letter, dated as of August 30, 2010 (the "Offer Letter"), by and between the Company and the Bank, and (ii) the Financing Commitment, dated as of July 19, 2007, by and between Borrower and Bank (the "Term Sheet" and together with the 2007 Loan Agreement and the Offer Letter, the "2007 Loan Documents"). The Operating Demand Loan is governed by the terms of the Operating Loan Agreement with the Bank, which such terms are described in the Offer Letter (the Offer Letter and the Operating Loan Agreement are collectively referred to herein as the "2010 Loan Documents").

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        Under the Credit Facility, any advances under the Share Repurchase Loan are to be paid in equal monthly installment over 60 months. We can elect to pay interest on the Share Repurchase Loan at either the Bank of Montreal ("BMO") U.S. Base Rate plus 1.30% (amended from plus 1.50%) or at LIBOR plus 3.25%. All interest is payable monthly in arrears as incurred. The Share Repurchase Loan is subject to an undrawn aggregate standby fee of 0.20% following the first draw which is payable quarterly in arrears. In addition, annual cash sweep payments are to be paid to the Bank based on our audited financial statements. The cash sweep payments will be applied to outstanding amounts under the Demand Loan and Share Repurchase Loan. In the event that we draw down on the Share Repurchase Loan to fund the purchase of shares tendered in the tender offer, we anticipate repaying the Share Repurchase Loan in accordance with the terms of the 2007 Loan Documents.

        All obligations under the Credit Facility are guaranteed by the Company pursuant to a Guaranty, dated July 25, 2007 (the "Guaranty"), executed by the Company in favor of the Bank, and are secured by a security interest in substantially all of the Company's assets granted under the Security Agreement (the "Security Agreement"), dated July 25, 2007, executed by the Company in favor of the Bank. Each other Guarantor has similarly guaranteed and secured the Borrowers' obligations and have entered into similar Guaranty and Security Agreements in favor of the Bank.

        The terms of the 2007 Loan Documents have been described more fully in the Company's Current Report on Form 8-K, filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on July 31, 2007, and such description is incorporated herein by reference. The terms of the 2010 Loan Documents have been described more fully in the Company's Current Report on Form 8-K, filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on September 13, 2010, and such description is incorporated herein by reference.

11.   Certain Information About Us.

        General.     Tucows, together with our consolidated subsidiaries, provide domain names, email and other services through our extensive reseller network and directly to consumers and small businesses through our retail and content groups. We have a worldwide reseller network of more than 9,000 web-hosting companies, Internet Service Providers, and other resellers in more than 100 countries. Our primary focus is serving the needs of this network of resellers by providing superior services, easy-to-use interfaces, proactive and attentive customer service, reseller-oriented technology and agile design and development processes.

        Our executive offices are located at 96 Mowat Avenue, Toronto, Ontario, M6K 3M1, telephone (416) 535-0123. Out internet address is http://tucowsinc.com . The information contained on our website or connected to our website is not incorporated by reference into this offer to purchase and should not be considered part of this offer to purchase. The reference to our website is intended to be an inactive textual reference only.

        Information About Forward-Looking Statements.     This offer to purchase contains a number of forward-looking statements, including, among others, statements dealing with the benefits that the offer may provide to our shareholders, the date on which we will announce the final proration factor or pay for tendered shares, our possession of sufficient capital to fund our operations, the payment of cash dividends on our common stock in the future, the fees and expenses we will incur in connection with the offer, the listing and tradability of our stock after the offer is completed and the continued treatment of our shares as margin securities. We caution readers that the important factors, including without limitation the price at which we ultimately determine to purchase shares in the offer, the number of shares tendered in the offer, the number of shareholders who tender all of their shares of our common stock in the offer, general market conditions and other factors discussed in other documents filed by us with the Securities and Exchange Commission, among others, could cause our actual results to differ materially from statements contained in this offer to purchase.

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        Forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance and are subject to risks, uncertainties and other factors (many of which are beyond our control) that could cause actual results to differ materially from future results expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. The words "anticipate," "believe," "could," "estimate," "expect," "intend," "may," "plan," "predict," "project," "will," "potential," "outlook" and similar terms and phrases, including references to assumptions, are intended to identify forward-looking statements.

        The forward-looking statements regarding these matters are based on various assumptions and analyses made by us in light of our management's experience and its perception of historical trends, current conditions, and expected future developments, as well as other factors it believes are appropriate under the circumstances.

        All forward-looking statements should be evaluated with the understanding of their inherent uncertainty. All subsequent written and oral forward-looking statements concerning our offer or other matters addressed in this offer to purchase and attributable to us or any person acting on our behalf are qualified by these cautionary statements. Except for our obligations under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 to disclose a material change in the information in this offer to purchase, we do not undertake any obligation to release publicly any revisions to such forward-looking statements to reflect events or circumstances after the date of this offer to purchase or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events. We advise you to consult any further disclosures we make on related subjects in the reports and other information that we file or furnish with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

        Where You Can Find More Information.     We are subject to the informational filing requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 and, in accordance with these requirements, are obligated to file reports and other information with the Securities and Exchange Commission relating to our business, financial condition and other matters. Information, as of particular dates, concerning our directors and officers, their compensation, options granted to them, the principal holders of our securities and any material interest of these persons in transactions with us is required to be disclosed in proxy statements distributed to our shareholders and filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission. We have also filed an Issuer Tender Offer Statement on Schedule TO, which includes additional information with respect to our offer.

        The reports, proxy statements and other information we file can be inspected and copied at the public reference facilities maintained by the Securities and Exchange Commission at 100 F Street, N.E., Washington D.C. 20549. Copies of this material may also be obtained by mail, upon payment of the Securities and Exchange Commission's customary charges, from the Public Reference Section at 100 F Street, N.E., Washington D.C. 20549. The Securities and Exchange Commission also maintains a web site at http://www.sec.gov that contains reports, proxy and information statements and other information regarding registrants that file electronically with the Securities and Exchange Commission. These reports, proxy statements and other information concerning us also can be inspected at the offices of the NYSE Amex. The reference to the URL of the Securities and Exchange Commission's web site is intended to be an inactive textual reference only.

12.   Effects of Our Offer on the Market for Shares; Registration Under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934.

        Our purchase of shares in our offer will reduce the number of our shares that might otherwise trade publicly and may reduce the number of our shareholders. This may reduce the volume of trading in the shares and make it more difficult to buy or sell significant amounts of shares without affecting the market price, which could adversely affect continuing shareholders. Nonetheless, we anticipate that there will still be a sufficient number of shares outstanding and publicly traded following our offer to ensure a continued trading market in the shares. One of the conditions to our offer is that the purchase of shares will not result in our remaining shares being delisted from the NYSE Amex. Based

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on the published guidelines of the NYSE Amex, we do not believe that our purchase of shares pursuant to our offer will cause, and we will not purchase shares pursuant to our offer if we believe such purchase will cause, our remaining shares to be delisted.

        The shares are currently "margin securities" under the rules of the Federal Reserve Board. This has the effect, among other things, of allowing brokers to extend credit on the collateral of the shares. We believe that, following the purchase of shares pursuant to our offer, the shares will continue to be "margin securities" for purposes of the Federal Reserve Board's margin regulations.

        Our shares are registered under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, which requires, among other things, that we furnish specific information to our shareholders and to the Securities and Exchange Commission and comply with the Securities and Exchange Commission's proxy rules in connection with meetings of our shareholders. One of the conditions to our offer is that our purchase of shares does not result in the shares becoming eligible for deregistration under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. It is our intention and it is a condition to our offer that our purchase of shares in our offer not result in the shares becoming eligible for deregistration under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, and we will not purchase shares pursuant to our offer if we believe such purchase will result in the shares becoming eligible for deregistration.

13.   Certain Legal Matters; Regulatory Approvals.

        Except as described in this offer to purchase, we are not aware of any license or regulatory permit that appears to be material to our business that might be adversely affected by our acquisition of shares as contemplated by our offer or of any approval or other action by any government or governmental, administrative or regulatory authority or agency, domestic or foreign, that would be required for our acquisition or ownership of shares as contemplated by our offer.

        Our obligation to accept for payment and pay for shares under our offer is subject to various conditions. See Section 7.

14.   Material United States Federal Income Tax Consequences.

        While the following is a general discussion of the material United States federal income tax consequences of participating in our offer, it does not purport to address all aspects of federal income taxation that may be relevant to shareholders. The consequences to any particular shareholder may differ depending upon that shareholder's own circumstances and tax position. The discussion deals only with shares held as capital assets within the meaning of Section 1221 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended, which we refer to as the "Code," and does not address matters that may be relevant to shareholders in light of their particular circumstances or to certain shareholders subject to special treatment under the Code, such as financial institutions or broker-dealers, insurance companies, regulated investment companies, shareholders liable for the alternative minimum tax, dealers in securities or currencies, traders who elect to apply a mark-to-market method of accounting, U.S. shareholders (as defined below) whose functional currency is other than the U.S. dollar, tax-exempt organizations, persons who acquired their shares as compensation, including upon the exercise of employee stock options, persons who are holding shares as part of a straddle, conversion, constructive sale, hedging or other integrated transaction, and other persons who may be subject to special rules. The discussion does not consider the effect of any applicable state, local or foreign tax laws. The discussion is based upon the Code, the treasury regulations promulgated under the Code, Internal Revenue Service rulings, and judicial and administrative rulings in effect on the date of this document, which may be subject to change (possibly with retroactive effect) and to differing interpretations. We will not seek an opinion of counsel or a ruling from the Internal Revenue Service with respect to the federal income tax consequences discussed herein and accordingly there can be no assurance that the Internal Revenue Service will agree with the positions described in this Offer to Purchase.

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        If a partnership (including any entity treated as a partnership for United States federal income tax purposes) is a shareholder, the tax treatment of a partner in the partnership will generally depend on the status of the partner and the activities of the partnership. A shareholder that is a partnership, and partners in such partnership, are urged to consult a tax advisor regarding the tax consequences of participating in the offer.

         U.S. Shareholders .     The following discussion does not address the tax consequences of the offer to non-U.S. shareholders. A U.S. shareholder is any beneficial owner of shares that is:

         Each shareholder is urged to consult his or her tax advisor as to the particular tax consequences to such shareholder of participating or not participating in our offer, including the applications of United States federal, state, local and foreign tax laws and possible tax law changes.

        Characterization of the Sale.     Your tender of shares pursuant to our offer will be a taxable transaction for United States federal income tax purposes. In general, for federal income tax purposes, a U.S. shareholder will treat such cash received pursuant to the repurchase offer as either a "sale or exchange" or a distribution with respect to his shares, depending upon whether and to what extent the sale of shares reduces the U.S. shareholder's deemed percentage stock ownership in us. Under the stock redemption rules of Section 302 of the Code, a sale of shares will be treated as a sale or exchange of the shares if the tender: (a) results in a "complete redemption" of the U.S. shareholder's shares in us, (b) is "substantially disproportionate" with respect to the U.S. shareholder or (c) is "not essentially equivalent to a dividend" with respect to the U.S. shareholder (each as described in "Application of Section 302 Tests," below). If the sale does not qualify under any of these tests, the sale will be treated as a distribution by us with respect to the shares held by the tendering U.S. shareholder, possibly taxable as a dividend.

        Treatment as a Sale or Exchange.     If any of the three tests under the stock redemption rules of Section 302 of the Code referenced above is satisfied with respect to a U.S. shareholder and the sale is therefore treated as a sale or exchange of the shares for United States federal income tax purposes, the U.S. shareholder will recognize gain or loss equal to the difference, if any, between the amount of cash received with respect to the shares and the U.S. shareholder's adjusted tax basis in the shares surrendered. Such gain or loss will be capital gain or loss and will be long-term capital gain or loss if the shares have been held for more than one year. Individuals generally are subject to taxation at a reduced rate on their net capital gains. Capital gains recognized by non-corporate taxpayers from the sale of common stock held for one year or less, or a short-term holding period, will be subject to tax at ordinary income tax rates. If such a U.S. shareholder has both a long-term and short-term holding period with respect to his stock and desires to only exchange a portion of his shares pursuant to the offer, the U.S. shareholder should consider exchanging the long term common stock to maximize the portion of any resulting gain treated as long-term.

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        Certain limitations may apply to the deductibility of capital losses. A U.S. shareholder must calculate gain or loss separately for each block of shares (generally, shares acquired at the same time in a single transaction) that we purchase pursuant to the offer.

        Application of Section 302 Tests.     In determining whether any of the tests under Section 302 of the Code is satisfied, a U.S. shareholder must take into account (i) actual ownership of stock; (ii) stock that such U.S. shareholder constructively owns under the attribution rules of Section 318 of the Code, pursuant to which the U.S. shareholder will be treated as owning shares owned by certain family members (except in the case of a "complete termination" a U.S. shareholder may waive, under certain circumstances attribution from family members) and related entities and our stock that the U.S. shareholder has the right to acquire by exercise of an option; and (iii) the possibility that contemporaneous dispositions or acquisitions of shares by a U.S. shareholder or related individuals or entities may be deemed to be part of a single integrated transaction. Under these rules, a U.S. shareholder generally will be considered to own shares which the U.S. shareholder has the right to acquire through exercise of an option or warrant, as well as shares owned (and, in some cases, constructively owned) by certain members of the U.S. shareholder's family and by certain entities (such as corporations, partnerships, trusts and estates) in which the U.S. shareholder, certain members of the U.S. shareholder's family or a related entity has an interest. Each U.S. shareholder should also be aware that, in the event our offer is over-subscribed (resulting in a proration), not all the shares tendered by a U.S. shareholder will be purchased by us in our offer. Therefore, proration may affect whether a sale by a U.S. shareholder pursuant to our offer will satisfy any of the Section 302 tests.

        Complete Redemption.     A sale of shares pursuant to our offer will result in a "complete redemption" of a U.S. shareholder's interest in us if, pursuant to our offer, either (a) we purchase all of the shares actually and constructively owned by the U.S. shareholder pursuant to our offer or (b) all shares actually owned by the U.S. shareholder are sold pursuant to our offer and, with respect to constructively owned shares, the U.S. shareholder is eligible to waive (and effectively waives) constructive ownership of all such shares under procedures described in Section 302(c) of the Code. U.S. shareholders in this position should consult their tax advisors as to the availability of this waiver procedure.

        Substantially Disproportionate.     The sale of shares pursuant to our offer will be "substantially disproportionate" with respect to a U.S. shareholder if, immediately after the sale pursuant to our offer (treating as not outstanding all shares purchased pursuant to our offer), (a) the U.S. shareholder's actual and constructive percentage ownership of voting shares is less than 80% of the U.S. shareholder's actual and constructive percentage ownership of voting shares immediately before the purchase of shares pursuant to our offer (treating as outstanding all shares purchased pursuant to our offer) and (b) the U.S. shareholder owns, actually and constructively, less than 50% of the total combined voting power of all classes of stock immediately after the sale.

        Not Essentially Equivalent to a Dividend.     In order for the sale of shares by a U.S. shareholder pursuant to our offer to qualify as "not essentially equivalent to a dividend," the U.S. shareholder must experience a "meaningful reduction" in his percentage stock ownership interest in us as a result of the sale, taking into account the constructive ownership rules. Whether the sale by a U.S. shareholder pursuant to our offer will result in a meaningful reduction of the U.S. shareholder's proportionate interest will depend on the U.S. shareholder's particular facts and circumstances. An exchange of shares for cash that results in a reduction of the proportionate equity interest in us of a U.S. shareholder whose relative equity interest in us is minimal (an interest of less than one percent should satisfy this requirement) and that does not exercise any control over or participate in the management of our corporate affairs should be treated as "not essentially equivalent to a dividend." U.S. shareholders who intend to qualify for sale treatment by demonstrating that the proceeds received in the offer are "not essentially equivalent to a dividend" are strongly encouraged to consult their tax advisor because this

24



test will be met only if the reduction in such U.S. shareholder's proportionate interest in us is "meaningful" given the particular facts and circumstances in the context of the offer. In addition, a U.S. shareholder owning at least 5% of our oustanding shares must comply with the reporting requirements of Treasury Regulation Section 1.302-2(b)(2).

        We cannot predict whether or to what extent our offer will be oversubscribed. As discussed above, if our offer is oversubscribed, then proration of the tenders pursuant to our offer will cause us to purchase fewer shares than are tendered. Accordingly, there can be no assurance that a sufficient number of any particular U.S. shareholder's shares will be exchanged pursuant to our offer such that the U.S. shareholder will meet the "substantially disproportionate" test or the "not essentially equivalent to a dividend" test, nor can there be any assurance that a particular U.S. shareholder's shares will be exchanged pursuant to our offer such that the U.S. shareholder may meet the "complete redemption" test. Additionally, U.S. shareholders who tender all of the shares actually owned by them in our offer, but who are subject to the constructive ownership rules, or who acquire additional shares contemporaneously with our offer, should consider the effect of these rules or these acquisitions in determining whether they will meet the Section 302 tests. Each U.S. shareholder is urged to consult his tax advisor as to the application of the Section 302 tests to his particular circumstances.

        Treatment as a Dividend.     If none of the three tests under the stock redemption rules of Section 302 of the Code is satisfied with respect to a U.S. shareholder, the U.S. shareholder will be treated as having received a distribution with respect to his shares in an amount equal to the cash received by the U.S. shareholder with respect to the tendered shares. The distribution will be taxable as a dividend to the extent of the U.S. shareholder's proportionate share of our current and accumulated "earnings and profits." The amount, if any, of the cash received which exceeds such earnings and profits will be treated, first, as a non-taxable return of capital to the extent of the U.S. shareholder's basis in all of his shares (but not below zero) and, thereafter, as capital gain to the extent it exceeds the U.S. shareholder's basis. Any remaining adjusted basis in the tendered shares will be transferred to any remaining shares held by the shareholder. Individual U.S. shareholders may be eligible to pay tax on certain qualified dividend income at reduced rates applicable to capital gains. Corporate shareholders receiving a distribution taxable as a dividend may be eligible for a dividends received deduction (subject to applicable limitations) and subject to the "extraordinary dividend" rules of the Code.

         Non-U.S. Shareholders .     The following general discussion applies to shareholders that are "non-U.S. stcokholders." A "non-U.S. shareholder" is a person or entity that, for U.S. federal income tax purposes, is a:

        The U.S. federal income tax treatment of our purchase of shares from a non-U.S. shareholder pursuant to the offer will depend on whether such holder is treated, based on the non-U.S. shareholder's particular circumstances, as having sold the tendered shares or as having received a distribution in respect of such non-U.S. shareholder's shares. The appropriate treatment of our purchase of shares from a non-U.S. shareholder will be determined in the manner described above. See "Application of Section 302 Tests."

        If the purchase of shares by us in the offer is characterized by a sale or exchange (as opposed to a dividend) with respect to a non-U.S. shareholder, the shareholder generally will not be subject to U.S.

25



federal income tax, including by way of withholding, on gain realized on the disposition of shares in the offer unless:

        An individual who is present in the United States for 183 days or more in the taxable year of disposition, and is not otherwise a resident of the United States for U.S. federal income tax purposes, should consult his or her own tax advisor regarding the U.S. federal income tax consequences of participating in the offer.

        If a non-U.S. shareholder does not satisfy any of the Section 302 tests explained above, the full amount received by the non-U.S. shareholder with respect to our purchase of shares in the offer will be treated as a distribution to the non-U.S. shareholder with respect to the non-U.S. shareholder's shares. The treatment, for U.S. federal income tax purposes, of such distribution as a dividend, a tax-free return of capital, or as capital gain from the sale of shares will be determined in the manner described above. See "Treatment as a Dividend." To the extent that amounts received by a non-U.S. shareholder with respect to our purchase of shares in the offer are treated as a dividend, we will be required to withhold U.S. federal income tax at the rate of 30% or such lower rate as may be specified by an applicable income tax treaty, provided we have received proper certification of the application of such income tax treaty.

        For a discussion of certain United States federal withholding tax consequences to tendering shareholders, please see Section 3.

         Each shareholder is urged to consult his own tax advisor to determine the particular tax consequences to him of the tender of shares pursuant to our offer.

15.   Extension of Our Offer; Termination; Amendment.

        We reserve the right, in our sole discretion, at any time and from time to time, and regardless of whether or not any of the events set forth in Section 7 occur or are deemed by us to have occurred, to extend the period of time during which our offer is open and thereby delay acceptance for payment of, and payment for, any shares by giving oral or written notice of such extension to the depositary and making a public announcement of the extension. We also reserve the right, in our sole discretion, to terminate our offer and not accept for payment or pay for any shares not already accepted for payment or paid for or, subject to applicable law, to postpone payment for shares upon the occurrence of any of the conditions specified in Section 7 by giving oral or written notice of such termination or postponement to the depositary and making a public announcement of the termination or postponement. Our reservation of the right to delay acceptance for payment and to delay payment for shares which we have accepted for payment is limited by Rule 13e-4(f)(5) under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, which requires that we must pay the consideration offered or return the shares tendered promptly after termination or withdrawal of our offer.

        Subject to compliance with applicable law, we also reserve the right, in our sole discretion, and regardless of whether any of the events set forth in Section 7 occur or are deemed by us to have occurred, to amend our offer in any respect, including, without limitation, by decreasing or increasing the consideration offered in our offer to holders of shares or by decreasing or increasing the number of shares being sought in our offer. Amendments to our offer may be made at any time and from time to time by public announcement. The announcement, in the case of an extension, shall be issued no later than 9:00 a.m., New York City time, on the next business day after the last previously scheduled or announced expiration date.

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        Any public announcement made under our offer will be disseminated promptly to shareholders in a manner reasonably designed to inform shareholders of that change. Without limiting the manner in which we may choose to make any public announcement, except as provided by applicable law, we have no obligation to publish, advertise or otherwise communicate any such public announcement other than by making a release to Businesswire or another comparable news service.

        If we materially change the terms of our offer or the information concerning our offer, we will extend our offer to the extent required by Rule 13e-4 promulgated under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. This rule and certain related releases and interpretations of the Securities and Exchange Commission provide that the minimum period during which a tender offer must remain open following material changes in the terms of the tender offer or information concerning the tender offer (other than a change in price or a change in percentage of securities sought) will depend on the facts and circumstances, including the relative materiality of such terms or information. If we undertake any of the following actions:

and our offer is scheduled to expire at any time earlier than the expiration of a period ending on the tenth business day from, and including, the date that such notice of an increase or decrease is first published, sent or given to security holders in the manner specified in this Section 15, then our offer will be extended until the expiration of a period of ten business days.

16.   Fees and Expenses.

        We have retained StockTrans, Inc. to act as information agent and depositary in connection with our offer. The information agent may contact holders of shares by mail, telephone, telegraph and in person and may request brokers, dealers, commercial banks, trust companies and other nominee shareholders to forward materials relating to our offer to beneficial owners. StockTrans, Inc. will receive reasonable and customary compensation for its services as information agent and depositary, will be reimbursed by us for specified reasonable out-of-pocket expenses and will be indemnified against certain liabilities in connection with our offer, including liabilities under the Federal securities laws.

        We will not pay fees or commissions to any broker, dealer, commercial bank, trust company or other person for soliciting any shares under our offer, other than as described above. We will, however, on request, reimburse brokers, dealers, commercial banks, trust companies and other persons for customary handling and mailing expenses incurred in forwarding our offer and related materials to the beneficial owners for which they act as nominees. No broker, dealer, commercial bank or trust company has been authorized to act as our agent or as an agent of our information agent or depositary for purposes of our offer. We will pay, or cause to be paid, any stock transfer taxes on our purchase of shares, except as otherwise provided in Section 5 hereof and in Instruction 7 of the letter of transmittal.

17.   Miscellaneous.

        We are not aware of any jurisdiction where the making of our offer is not in compliance with applicable law. If we become aware of any jurisdiction where the making of our offer is not in compliance with any applicable law, we will make a good faith effort to comply with the applicable law. If, after good faith effort, we cannot comply with the applicable law, we will not make our offer to, nor will we accept tenders from or on behalf of, the holders of shares residing in that jurisdiction.

27


        In accordance with Rule 13e-4 under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, we have filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission an Issuer Tender Offer Statement on Schedule TO that contains additional information with respect to our offer. The Schedule TO, including the exhibits and any amendments thereto, may be examined, and copies may be obtained, at the same places and in the same manner as is set forth in Section 11 with respect to information concerning us.

         We have not authorized any person to make any recommendation on our behalf regarding whether you should tender or refrain from tendering your shares in our offer or as to the purchase price of any tender. We have not authorized any person to provide any information or make any representation in connection with our offer, other than those contained in this offer to purchase or in the letter of transmittal. You must not rely upon any recommendation, information or representation that is given or made to you as having been authorized by us.

 
   

                                                                                                                                                   

  Tucows Inc.
September 17, 2010

28



The Depositary For Our Offer Is:
StockTrans, Inc.

By Hand Delivery:
  By Overnight Delivery or
Express Mail:

  By First Class Mail:
StockTrans, Inc.
44 West Lancaster Avenue
Ardmore, Pennsylvania 19003
  StockTrans, Inc.
44 West Lancaster Avenue
Ardmore, Pennsylvania 19003
  StockTrans, Inc.
44 West Lancaster Avenue
Ardmore, Pennsylvania 19003

        Manually signed facsimile copies of the letter of transmittal will be accepted. The letter of transmittal and certificates for shares and any other required documents should be sent or delivered by each shareholder or the shareholder's broker, dealer, commercial bank, trust company or nominee to the depositary at one of its addresses set forth above.

        Any questions or requests for assistance may be directed to the information agent at its telephone numbers or address set forth below. Requests for additional copies of this document, the letter of transmittal or the notice of guaranteed delivery may be directed to the information agent at the telephone number or address set forth below. You may also contact your broker, dealer, commercial bank, trust company or nominee for assistance concerning our offer. To confirm delivery of shares, shareholders are directed to contact the depositary.

The Information Agent for Our Offer is:

StockTrans, Inc.
44 West Lancaster Avenue
Ardmore, Pennsylvania 19003

Banks and Brokerage Firms Call Collect:
(610) 649-7300

All Others Call Toll Free:
(800) 733-1121




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Offer to Purchase for Cash up to 2,900,000 Shares of its Common Stock at a Purchase Price Not in Excess of $0.70 Per Share Nor Less than $0.61 Per Share
SUMMARY
Table of Contents
IMPORTANT PROCEDURES
Introduction
The Offer
The Depositary For Our Offer Is: StockTrans, Inc.

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Exhibit (a)(1)(B)

         LETTER OF TRANSMITTAL

TO ACCOMPANY SHARES OF COMMON STOCK

OF

Tucows Inc.

TENDERED PURSUANT TO

THE OFFER TO PURCHASE DATED SEPTEMBER 17, 2010


 
THE OFFER AND WITHDRAWAL RIGHTS WILL EXPIRE AT 5:00 PM,
NEW YORK CITY TIME, ON TUESDAY, OCTOBER 19, 2010,
UNLESS THE OFFER IS EXTENDED.

 

The depositary for the offer is:

STOCKTRANS LOGO

By Mail:   By Overnight Courier:

StockTrans, Inc.

 

StockTrans, Inc.
Attn: Re-Organization Dept.   Attn: Re-Organization Dept.
44 West Lancaster Avenue   44 West Lancaster Avenue
Ardmore, PA 19003   Ardmore, PA 19003

         DELIVERY OF THIS LETTER OF TRANSMITTAL TO AN ADDRESS OTHER THAN AS SET FORTH ABOVE DOES NOT CONSTITUTE A VALID DELIVERY. YOU MUST SIGN THIS LETTER OF TRANSMITTAL WHERE INDICATED BELOW AND COMPLETE THE SUBSTITUTE FORM W-9 PROVIDED BELOW.

         THE INSTRUCTIONS ACCOMPANYING THIS LETTER OF TRANSMITTAL SHOULD BE READ CAREFULLY BEFORE THIS LETTER OF TRANSMITTAL IS COMPLETED.


 
 

SHARES BEING TENDERED UNDER THIS FORM

 

PRICE PER SHARE AT WHICH SHARES ARE BEING TENDERED

 
$

                  
 
       

TOTAL NUMBER OF SHARES YOU ARE TENDERING AT THE INDICATED PRICE

   
                
 
       

 
 

DESCRIPTION OF SHARES TENDERED
(See Instructions 3 and 4)

 
Name(s) and Address(es) of
Registered Holder(s)
(Please Fill in, if Blank, Exactly as
Name(s) Appear(s) on Certificate(s))

  Common Share certificate(s) and Common Share(s) Tendered
(Attach Additional Signed List, if Necessary)

 
 
  Certificate
Number(s)(1)

  Total Number of
Shares Evidenced
by Certificate(s)(1)

  Number of
Shares
Tendered(2)

 

    

           
 

    

 

    

 

    

 

    

 

  Total Certificated Shares Tendered:
 

  Total Shares Tendered by Book-Entry:
 

  Total Shares Tendered:
 

Please complete the section "Designation" if you wish to designate the order (by certificate number) in which you wish to tender your shares in the event of proration. In the event you do not designate the order and less than all shares are purchased due to proration, the order of shares purchased will be selected by the depositary.(1)(3)

(1)
Need not be completed if tender is made by book-entry transfer.

(2)
If you desire to tender fewer than all shares represented by any certificate listed above, please indicate in this column the number of shares you wish to tender. Otherwise, all shares represented by such certificate will be deemed to have been tendered. See Instruction 4.

(3)
Completion of the "Designation" section is optional. See Instruction 8.

Designation

        If you wish to designate the order (by certificate number) in which you wish to tender your shares in the event of proration, fill out the following box and keep a copy for your records (attach an additional signed list if necessary). You are not required to complete this box .

 
Order
  certificate Number
 
1st    
 
2nd    
 
3rd    
 
4th    
 

When this letter of transmittal should be used:

        You should complete this letter of transmittal only if:

        If you want to tender your shares into our offer but (1) your certificates are not immediately available, (2) you cannot deliver all documents required by this letter of transmittal to the depositary before our offer expires, or (3) you cannot comply with the procedure for book-entry transfer on a timely basis, you can still tender your shares if you comply with the guaranteed delivery procedure set forth in Section 3 of the offer to purchase. See Instruction 2.

Additional Information Regarding Tendered Shares

o   Check here if any certificate evidencing the shares you are tendering with this letter of transmittal has been lost, stolen, destroyed or mutilated. If so, you must complete an affidavit of loss and return it with your letter of transmittal. A bond may be required to be posted by you to secure against the risk that the certificates may be recirculated. Please call StockTrans, Inc., as the transfer agent for the shares, at (800) 733-1121 to obtain an affidavit of loss, for further instructions and for a determination as to whether you will need to post a bond. See Instruction 13.

o

 

Check here if shares are being delivered pursuant to a notice of guaranteed delivery previously sent to the depositary and complete the following. Please enclose a photocopy of such notice of guaranteed delivery.

 

 

Name(s) of Registered Holder(s):

 

  


 

 

Window Ticket Number (if any):

 

  


 

 

Date of Execution of Notice of Guaranteed Delivery:

 

  


 

 

Name of Institution which Guaranteed Delivery:

 

  


o

 

Check here if tendered shares are being delivered by book-entry transfer made to an account maintained by the depositary with the book-entry transfer facility and complete the following (only financial institutions that are participants in the system of the book-entry transfer facility may deliver shares by book-entry transfer):

 

 

Name of Tendering Institution:

 

 

Account Number:

 

 

Transaction Code Number:

         Delivery of documents to the book-entry transfer facility in accordance with the book-entry transfer facility's procedures does not constitute delivery to the Depositary.

        Shareholders whose share certificates are not immediately available or who cannot deliver their share certificates and all other required documents to the depositary on or prior to the expiration date of the offer or who are unable to complete the procedure for book-entry transfer prior to the expiration date of the offer may nevertheless tender their shares pursuant to the guaranteed delivery procedures set forth under Section 3—"Procedure for Tendering Shares" of the offer to purchase. See Instruction 2 below.

NOTE: SIGNATURE(S) MUST BE PROVIDED BELOW. PLEASE READ THE INSTRUCTIONS SET FORTH IN THIS LETTER OF TRANSMITTAL CAREFULLY.


PRICE AT WHICH YOU ARE TENDERING
(See Instruction 5)

You must check one box and only one box if you want to tender your shares. If more than one box is checked or if no box is checked, your shares will not be properly tendered.

Shares Tendered at a Price Determined By You :

o
By checking this box and specifying a price per share below instead of the box under "Shares Tendered at a Price Determined Pursuant to Our Offer, " you are tendering shares at the price you specify. This action would result in none of your shares being purchased if the purchase price selected by Tucows for the shares is less than the price you specify below. If you want to tender portions of your shares at more than one price, you must complete a separate letter of transmittal for each price at which you tender shares. The same shares cannot be tendered at more than one price.


Price at which you are tendering your shares: $                     

OR

Shares Tendered at a Price Determined Pursuant to Our offer :

o
By checking this one box instead of checking the box and specifying a price per share above , you are tendering shares and are willing to accept the purchase price selected by Tucows in accordance with the terms of its offer. This action will maximize the chance of having Tucows purchase your shares (subject to the possibility of proration). Note that this could result in your receiving a price per share as low as $0.61.

CONDITIONAL TENDER
(See Instruction 14)

You may condition your tender of shares on our purchasing a specified minimum number of your tendered shares, all as described in Section 6 of the offer to purchase. Unless the minimum number of shares you indicate below is purchased by Tucows in the offer, none of the shares you tender will be purchased. It is your responsibility to calculate that minimum number of shares that must be purchased if any are purchased, and you are urged to consult your own tax advisor before completing this section. Unless this box has been checked and a minimum number of shares specified, your tender will be deemed unconditional.

o
The minimum number of shares that must be purchased, if any are purchased, is:                  shares.

        If, because of proration, the minimum number of shares that you designated above will not be purchased, we may accept conditional tenders by random lot, if necessary. However, to be eligible for purchase by random lot, you must have tendered all your shares and checked this box:

o
The tendered shares represent all shares held by me.


  

Name(s) (Please Print)
  

(Address)
  

(City, State and Zip Code)

  

(Taxpayer Identification or Social Security No.)
(also complete Substitute Form W-9 below)

o Credit shares delivered by book entry transfer and not purchased to the account set forth below:

  

(Account Number)


  

Name(s) (Please Print)
  

(Address)
  

(City, State and Zip Code)

We have no obligation, pursuant to the 'Special Payment Instructions,' to transfer any certificates for shares from the name of its registered holder(s), or to order the registration or transfer of any shares tendered by book-entry transfer, if we do not purchase any of the shares represented by such certificate or tendered by such book-entry transfer.




Note: Signatures Must be Provided in the Box Below Labeled
"Important—Shareholders Sign Here"

If You Want to Tender Your Shares,
Please Read the Accompanying Instructions Carefully.

Ladies and Gentlemen:

        The undersigned hereby tenders to Tucows Inc. a Pennsylvania corporation, the above-described shares of Tucows common stock, no par value per share, at a price per share indicated in this letter of transmittal, net to the seller in cash, without interest, and less any required withholding taxes, upon the terms and subject to the conditions set forth in the offer to purchase, dated September 17, 2010, receipt of which is hereby acknowledged, and in this letter of transmittal (which, together with the offer to purchase and any amendments or supplements to the offer to purchase or to this letter of transmittal, collectively constitute the offer).

        Subject to, and effective upon, acceptance for payment of the shares tendered with this letter of transmittal, in accordance with the terms of the offer, including, if the offer is extended or amended, the terms and conditions of the extension or amendment, the undersigned hereby sells, assigns and transfers to, or upon the order of, Tucows, all right, title and interest in and to all the shares that are being tendered by this letter of transmittal and orders the registration of all shares if tendered by book-entry transfer that are purchased under the offer to or upon the order of Tucows and irrevocably appoints StockTrans, Inc., as depositary, the true and lawful agent, attorney-in-fact and proxy of the undersigned with respect to such shares and all distributions, with full power of substitution (such power of attorney being deemed to be an irrevocable power coupled with an interest), to:

        The undersigned hereby irrevocably appoints the designees of Tucows, and each of them, as agents, attorneys-in-fact and proxies of the undersigned, each with full power of substitution, to vote in such manner as such attorney and proxy or his substitute shall, in his sole discretion, deem proper and otherwise act (by written consent or otherwise) with respect to all the shares tendered by this letter of transmittal which have been accepted for payment by Tucows prior to the time of such vote or other action and all shares and other securities issued in distributions in respect of such shares, which the undersigned is entitled to vote at any meeting of shareholders of Tucows (whether annual or special and whether or not an adjourned or postponed meeting) or consent in lieu of any such meeting or otherwise. This proxy and power of attorney are coupled with an interest in the shares tendered by this letter of transmittal, are irrevocable and are granted in consideration of, and are effective upon, the acceptance for payment of such shares by Tucows in accordance with the terms of the offer. Such acceptance for payment shall revoke all other proxies and powers of attorney granted by the undersigned at any time with respect to such shares (and all shares and other securities issued in distributions in respect of such shares), and no subsequent proxy or power of attorney shall be given or written consent executed (and if given or executed, shall not be effective) by the undersigned with respect to such shares (and all shares and other securities issued in distributions in respect of such shares). The undersigned understands that, in order for shares to be deemed validly tendered, immediately upon Tucows's acceptance of such shares for payment, Tucows must be able to exercise full voting and other rights with respect to such shares, including, without limitation, voting at any meeting of Tucows's shareholders then scheduled.


        The undersigned hereby represents and warrants that the undersigned has full power and authority to tender, sell, assign and transfer the shares tendered by this letter of transmittal and all distributions, and that when such shares are accepted for payment by Tucows, Tucows will acquire good, marketable and unencumbered title to such shares and to all distributions, free and clear of all liens, restrictions, charges and encumbrances, and that none of such shares and distributions will be subject to any adverse claim. The undersigned, upon request, shall execute and deliver all additional documents deemed by the depositary or Tucows to be necessary or desirable to complete the sale, assignment and transfer of the shares tendered by this letter of transmittal and all distributions. In addition, the undersigned shall remit and transfer promptly to the depositary for the account of Tucows all distributions in respect of the shares tendered by this letter of transmittal, accompanied by appropriate documentation of transfer, and pending such remittance and transfer or appropriate assurance thereof, Tucows shall be entitled to all rights and privileges as owner of each such distribution and Tucows may withhold the entire purchase price of the shares tendered by this letter of transmittal, or deduct from such purchase price, the amount or value of such distribution as determined by Tucows in its sole discretion.

        The undersigned understands that tenders of shares pursuant to any one of the procedures described in the offer to purchase under Section 3—"Procedures for Tendering Shares" and in the instructions to this letter of transmittal will constitute the undersigned's acceptance of the terms and conditions of the offer. Tucows' acceptance of such shares for payment will constitute a binding agreement between the undersigned and Tucows upon the terms and subject to the conditions of the offer. Without limiting the foregoing, if the price to be paid in the offer is amended in accordance with the offer, the price to be paid to the undersigned will be the amended price notwithstanding the fact that a different price is stated in this letter of transmittal. The undersigned acknowledges that under no circumstances will Tucows pay interest on the purchase price, including, without limitation, by reason of any delay in making payment. The undersigned recognizes that under certain circumstances set forth in the offer to purchase, Tucows may not be required to accept for payment any of the shares tendered by this letter of transmittal.

        The undersigned will, upon request, execute and deliver any additional documents deemed by the depositary or Tucows to be necessary or desirable to complete the sale, assignment and transfer of the shares tendered and the undersigned has read, understands and agrees to all of the terms of the offer.

        Unless otherwise indicated in this letter of transmittal in the box entitled "Special Payment Instructions," please issue the check for the purchase price of all shares purchased, and return all share certificates not purchased or not tendered in the name(s) of the registered holder(s) appearing above under "Description of Shares Tendered." Similarly, unless otherwise indicated in the box entitled "Special Delivery Instructions," please mail the check for the purchase price of all shares purchased and all share certificates not tendered or not purchased (and accompanying documents, as appropriate) to the address(es) of the registered holder(s) appearing under "Description of Shares Tendered." In the event that the boxes entitled "Special Payment Instructions" and "Special Delivery Instructions" are both completed, please issue the check for the purchase price of all shares purchased and return all share certificates not purchased or not tendered in the name(s) of, and mail such check and share certificates to, the person(s) so indicated at the address(es) so indicated. Unless otherwise noted above, please credit any shares tendered by this letter of transmittal and delivered by book-entry transfer, but which are not purchased, by crediting the account at the book-entry transfer facility. The undersigned recognizes that Tucows has no obligation, pursuant to the Special Payment Instructions, to transfer any shares from the name of the registered holder(s) of such shares if Tucows does not purchase any of the shares tendered by this letter of transmittal, or to order the registration or transfer of any shares tendered by book-entry transfer, if Tucows does not purchase any of the shares tendered by such book-entry transfer.

        The undersigned understands that Tucows will determine a single per share price, not in excess of $0.70 nor less than $0.61, that it will pay for shares properly tendered, taking into account the number of shares tendered and the prices specified by tendering shareholders. Tucows will select the lowest purchase price that will enable it to buy 2,900,000 shares or, if a lesser number of shares are properly



tendered and not properly withdrawn, all shares that are properly tendered. All shares acquired in the offer will be acquired at the same purchase price. All shares properly tendered at prices equal to or below the purchase price and not properly withdrawn will be purchased, subject to the conditions of the offer, proration and conditional tender provisions described in the offer to purchase. shares tendered at prices in excess of the purchase price that is selected by Tucows and shares not purchased because of proration or conditional tenders will be returned without expense to the shareholder.

        No authority conferred or agreed to be conferred in this letter of transmittal shall be affected by, and all such authority shall survive, the death or incapacity of the undersigned. All obligations of the undersigned under this letter of transmittal shall be binding upon the heirs, personal representatives, successors and assigns of the undersigned. Except as stated in the offer to purchase, this tender is irrevocable. See Section 4—"Withdrawal Rights" of the offer to purchase.


IMPORTANT
SHAREHOLDERS SIGN HERE
(And Please Complete Substitute Form W-9 Included Herein)

  

Signature(s) of Holder(s)

Dated:                                    , 20     

Must be signed by registered holder(s) exactly as name(s) appear(s) on share certificate(s) or on a security position listing or by person(s) authorized to become registered holder(s) by share certificates and documents transmitted with this letter of transmittal. If a signature is by an officer on behalf of a corporation or by an executor, administrator, trustee, guardian, attorney-in-fact, agent or other person acting in a fiduciary or representative capacity, please set forth full title. See Instructions 1 and 6.

Name(s):     

(Please Print)

Capacity (full title):

 

 

  


Address:

 

 

(Include Zip Code)

Daytime Area Code and Telephone Number:

  


 

 

Taxpayer Identification or Social Security No.:                                    

  


 

 

(See Substitute Form W-9)
GUARANTEE OF SIGNATURE(S)

  

Authorized Signature

  

Name (Please Print)

  

Name of Firm

  

Address

 

Zip Code

  

(Area Code) Telephone No.

Dated:                                    , 20     



INSTRUCTIONS
Forming Part of the Terms and Conditions of the offer

        To complete the letter of transmittal, you must do the following:

In completing the letter of transmittal, you may (but are not required to) also do the following:

        If you complete the box entitled "Special Payment Instructions" or "Special Delivery Instructions," you must have your signature guaranteed by an eligible guarantor institution (as defined in Instruction 1 below) unless the letter of transmittal is signed by an eligible guarantor institution.

        1.    Guarantee of Signatures.     Depending on how the certificates for your shares are registered and to whom you want payments or deliveries made, you may need to have the signatures on this letter of transmittal guaranteed by an eligible guarantor institution. No signature guarantee is required if:

        (1)   this letter of transmittal is signed by the registered holder(s) (which term, for purposes of this document, shall include any participant in a book-entry transfer facility whose name appears on a security position listing as the owner of shares) of the shares tendered by this letter of transmittal and such holder(s) has not completed either the box entitled "Special Payment Instructions" or the box entitled "Special Delivery Instructions" in this letter of transmittal; or

        (2)   such shares are tendered for the account of a bank, broker, dealer, credit union, savings association or other entity that is a member in good standing of the Securities Transfer Agents Medallion Program or any other "eligible guarantor institution," as defined in Rule 17Ad-15 of the U.S. Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended.

        If a share certificate is registered in the name of a person other than the person signing this letter of transmittal, or if payment is to be made, or a share certificate not accepted for payment and not tendered is to be returned to a person other than the registered holder(s), then such share certificate must be endorsed or accompanied by appropriate stock powers, in either case signed exactly as the name(s) of the registered holder(s) appear on such share certificate, with the signatures on such share certificate or stock powers guaranteed as described above. See Instruction 6.

        2.    Delivery of Letter of Transmittal and Share Certificates.     For your shares to be properly tendered, either (1)  or (2) below must happen:

        (1)   The depositary must receive all of the following at its address above in this letter of transmittal before or on the date our offer expires:


        (2)   You must comply with the guaranteed delivery procedure set forth below.

        Book-Entry Delivery.     Any institution that is a participant in the book-entry transfer facility's system may make book-entry delivery of the shares by causing the book-entry transfer facility to transfer shares into the depositary's account in accordance with the book-entry transfer facility's procedures for transfer. Delivery of this letter of transmittal or any other required documents to the book-entry transfer facility does not constitute delivery to the depositary.

        Agent's Message.     The term "agent's message" means a message transmitted by the book-entry transfer facility to, and received by, the depositary, which states that the book-entry transfer facility has received an express acknowledgment from the participant in the book-entry transfer facility tendering the shares that the participant has received and agrees to be bound by the terms of this letter of transmittal and that we may enforce the agreement against them.

        Guaranteed Delivery.     If you wish to tender your shares but your share certificate(s) are not immediately available or cannot be delivered to the depositary before the offer expires, the procedure for book-entry transfer cannot be completed on a timely basis, or if time will not permit all required documents to reach the depositary before the offer expires, your shares may still be tendered, if all of the following conditions are satisfied:

        The method of delivering all documents, including share certificates, this letter of transmittal and any other required documents, is at your election and risk. If delivery is by mail, we recommend you use registered mail with return receipt requested, properly insured. In all cases, sufficient time should be allowed to ensure timely delivery.

        Except as expressly provided in the offer to purchase, we will not accept any alternative, conditional or contingent tenders, nor will we purchase any fractional shares. All tendering shareholders, by execution of this letter of transmittal or a manually signed facsimile of this letter of transmittal, waive any right to receive any notice of the acceptance of their tender.

        3.    Inadequate Space.     If the space provided in this letter of transmittal under "Description of Shares Tendered" is inadequate, the certificate numbers, the number of shares represented by such share certificates and the number of shares tendered should be listed on a separate schedule and attached to this letter of transmittal.

        4.    Partial Tenders (Not Applicable to Shareholders who Tender by Book-Entry Transfer).     If fewer than all of the shares evidenced by any certificate are to be tendered, fill in the number of shares that are to be tendered in the column entitled "Number of Shares Tendered" in the box entitled "Description of Shares Tendered" above. In that case, if any tendered shares are purchased, a new certificate for the remainder of the shares (including any shares not purchased) evidenced by the old



certificate(s) will be issued and sent to the registered holder(s), unless otherwise specified in either the box entitled "Special Payment Instructions" or "Special Delivery Instructions" in this letter of transmittal, promptly after the expiration date. Unless otherwise indicated, all shares represented by the certificate(s) set forth above and delivered to the depositary will be deemed to have been tendered.

        If any tendered shares are not purchased or are properly withdrawn, or if less than all shares evidenced by a shareholder's certificates are tendered, certificates for unpurchased shares will be returned promptly after the expiration or termination of the offer or the proper withdrawal of the shares, as applicable. In the case of shares tendered by book-entry transfer at the book-entry transfer facility, the shares will be credited to the appropriate account maintained by the tendering shareholder at the book-entry transfer facility. In each case, shares will be returned or credited without expense to the shareholder.

        5.    Indication of Price at Which Shares are Being Tendered.     If you want to tender your shares, you must properly complete the pricing section of this letter of transmittal, which is called "Price at Which You Are Tendering." You must check one box in the pricing section. If more than one box is checked or no box is checked, your shares will not be properly tendered. If you want to tender portions of your shares at more than one price, you must complete a separate letter of transmittal for each price at which you tender shares. However, the same shares cannot be tendered at more than one price, unless previously and properly withdrawn as provided in Section 4 of the offer to purchase.

        6.    Signatures on Letter of Transmittal, Stock Powers and Endorsements; Exact Signature.     If this letter of transmittal is signed by the registered holder(s) of the shares tendered, the signature(s) must correspond exactly with the name(s) as written on the face of the certificate(s) without any change whatsoever.

        Joint Holders.     If the shares tendered are registered in the names of two or more joint holders, each holder must sign this letter of transmittal.

        Different Names on Certificates.     If any tendered shares are registered in different names on several certificates, it will be necessary to complete, sign and submit as many separate letters of transmittal (or manually signed facsimiles) as there are different registrations of certificates.

        Endorsements.     When this letter of transmittal is signed by the registered holder(s) of the shares tendered, no endorsements of certificates representing the shares or separate stock powers are required unless payment is to be made or the certificates for shares not tendered or not purchased are to be issued to a person other than the registered holder(s). Signature(s) on the certificate(s) must be guaranteed by an eligible guarantor institution.

        If this letter of transmittal is signed by a person other than the registered holder(s) of the certificates listed, or if payment is to be made or certificates for shares not tendered or not purchased are to be issued to a person other than the registered holder(s), the certificates must be endorsed or accompanied by appropriate stock powers, in either case signed exactly as the name(s) of the registered holder(s) appears on the certificates, and the signatures on the certificates or stock powers must be guaranteed by an eligible guarantor institution. See Instruction 1.

        Signatures of Fiduciaries.     If this letter of transmittal or any certificate or stock power is signed by a trustee, executor, administrator, guardian, attorney-in-fact, officer of a corporation or any other person acting in a fiduciary or representative capacity, that person should so indicate when signing and must submit proper evidence satisfactory to us of his or her authority to so act.

        7.    Stock Transfer Taxes.     Except as otherwise provided in this Instruction 7, Tucows will pay all stock transfer taxes with respect to the sale and transfer of any shares to it or its order pursuant to the offer (for the avoidance of doubt, transfer taxes do not include United States federal income or backup withholding taxes). If, however, payment of the purchase price of any shares purchased is to be made to, or share certificate(s) representing shares not tendered or not purchased are to be issued in the name of, a person other than the registered holder(s), the amount of any stock transfer taxes (whether



imposed on the registered holder(s), such other person or otherwise) payable on account of the transfer to such other person will be deducted from the purchase price of such shares purchased, unless evidence satisfactory to Tucows of the payment of such taxes, or exemption therefrom, is submitted.

         Except as provided in this Instruction 7, it will not be necessary for transfer tax stamps to be affixed to the share certificates representing the shares tendered by this letter of transmittal.

        8.    Order of Purchase in Event of Proration.     As described in Section 1 of the offer to purchase, shareholders can designate in the "Designation" box of this letter of transmittal the order in which they wish to have their shares purchased if, as a result of the proration provisions or otherwise, some but not all of the tendered shares are purchased in the offer. The order of purchase may have an effect on the Federal income tax treatment of the purchase price for the shares purchased. See Sections 1 and 14 of the offer to purchase. In the event you do not designate the order and less than all shares are purchased due to proration, the order of shares purchased will be selected by the depositary.

        9.    Special Payment and Delivery Instructions.     If a check for the purchase price of any shares tendered by this letter of transmittal is to be issued, or share certificate(s) representing shares not tendered or not purchased are to be issued, in the name of a person other than the person(s) signing this letter of transmittal or if such check or any such share certificate is to be sent to someone other than the person(s) signing this letter of transmittal or to the person(s) signing this letter of transmittal but at an address other than that shown in the box entitled "Description of Shares Tendered" in this letter of transmittal, the appropriate boxes in this letter of transmittal must be completed.

        10.    Irregularities.     All questions as to the number of shares to be accepted, the price to be paid for shares to be accepted and the validity, form, eligibility, including time of receipt, and acceptance for payment of any tender of shares will be determined by us in our sole discretion. Our determination will be final and binding on all parties. We reserve the absolute right to reject any or all tenders of any shares that we determine are not in proper form or the acceptance of or payment for which we determine may be unlawful. We also reserve the absolute right to waive any of the conditions of the offer or any defect or irregularity in any tender with respect to any particular shares or any particular shareholder. Our interpretation of the terms of the offer (including these instructions) will be final and binding on all parties. No tender of shares will be deemed to have been properly made until all defects or irregularities have been cured by the tendering shareholder or waived by us. Unless waived, any defects and irregularities in connection with tenders must be cured within the time period, if any, we determine. None of we, the depositary, the information agent or any other person will be under any duty to give notice of any defects or irregularities in any tender, or incur any liability for failure to give any notice.

        11.    Waiver of Conditions.     The conditions of the offer (except for the Minimum Condition as defined in Section 7—"Conditions of Our Offer" of the offer to purchase) may be waived, in whole or in part, by Tucows, in its sole discretion, at any time and from time to time, in the case of any shares tendered. See Section 7—"Conditions of Our Offer" of the offer to purchase.

        12.    Substitute Form W-9.     Each tendering shareholder that is a U.S. person is required to provide the depositary with the shareholder's correct taxpayer identification number, generally the shareholder's social security or federal employer identification number, on the Substitute Form W-9, which is provided under "Important Tax Information" below, or, alternatively, to establish another basis for exemption from backup withholding. A tendering shareholder that is a U.S. person must cross out item (2) in the Certification box of the Substitute Form W-9 if such shareholder is subject to backup withholding. In addition to potential penalties, failure to provide the correct information on the Substitute Form W-9 may subject the tendering shareholder to 28% federal income tax backup withholding on any reportable payments made to such shareholder. If the tendering shareholder has not been issued a taxpayer identification number and has applied for one or intends to apply for one in the near future, such shareholder should write "Applied For" in the space provided for the taxpayer identification number in Part I of the Substitute Form W-9, and sign and date the Substitute Form W-9 and the certificate of Awaiting taxpayer identification number. If "Applied For" is written in Part I and



the depositary is not provided with a taxpayer identification number by the time of payment, the depositary will withhold 28% from any payments of the purchase price to such shareholder. A tendering shareholder that is not a U.S. person may qualify as an exempt recipient by submitting to the depositary a properly completed Form W-8BEN, Form W-8ECI or Form W-8IMY, as applicable (which the depositary will provide upon request), signed under penalty of perjury, attesting to that shareholder's exempt status.

        13.    Lost, Destroyed or Stolen Certificates.     If any share certificate(s) have been lost, destroyed or stolen, the shareholder should promptly notify StockTrans, Inc. at (800) 733-1121 or (610) 649-7300. The shareholder will then be provided with instructions as to the procedures for replacing the share certificate(s). This letter of transmittal and related documents cannot be processed until the procedures for replacing lost, destroyed or stolen certificates have been followed and completed.

        14.    Conditional Tenders.     As described in Section 6 of the offer to purchase, you may tender shares subject to the condition that all or a specified minimum number of your shares tendered pursuant to this letter of transmittal or a notice of guaranteed delivery must be purchased if any shares tendered are purchased.

        If you wish to make a conditional tender, you must indicate this in the box captioned "Conditional Tender" in this letter of transmittal or, if applicable, the notice of guaranteed delivery. In the box captioned "Conditional Tender" in this letter of transmittal or the notice of guaranteed delivery, you must calculate and appropriately indicate the minimum number of shares that must be purchased if any are to be purchased.

        As discussed in Section 6 of the offer to purchase, proration may affect whether we accept conditional tenders and may result in shares tendered pursuant to a conditional tender being deemed withdrawn if the minimum number of shares would not be purchased. If, because of proration, the minimum number of shares that you designate will not be purchased, we may accept conditional tenders by random lot, if necessary. However, to be eligible for purchase by random lot, you must have tendered all your shares and check the box so indicating. Upon selection by lot, if any, we will limit our purchase in each case to the designated minimum number of shares.

        All tendered shares will be deemed unconditionally tendered unless the "Conditional Tender" box is completed.

        15.    Questions and Requests for Assistance or Additional Copies.     Questions and requests for assistance may be directed to StockTrans, Inc. at its address or telephone numbers set forth on the front page of this Letter of Transmittal. Additional copies of the offer to purchase, this letter of transmittal, the Notice of Guaranteed Delivery and the Guidelines for Certification of Taxpayer Identification Number on Substitute Form W-9 may be obtained from StockTrans, Inc. or from brokers, dealers, commercial banks or trust companies.

         IMPORTANT: THIS LETTER OF TRANSMITTAL (OR FACSIMILE THEREOF), TOGETHER WITH ANY REQUIRED SIGNATURE GUARANTEES, OR, IN THE CASE OF A BOOK-ENTRY TRANSFER, AN AGENT'S MESSAGE, AND ANY OTHER REQUIRED DOCUMENTS, MUST BE RECEIVED BY THE DEPOSITARY PRIOR TO THE EXPIRATION OF THE OFFER, AND EITHER SHARE CERTIFICATES FOR TENDERED SHARES MUST BE RECEIVED BY THE DEPOSITARY OR SHARES MUST BE DELIVERED PURSUANT TO THE PROCEDURES FOR BOOK-ENTRY TRANSFER, IN EACH CASE PRIOR TO THE EXPIRATION OF THE OFFER, OR THE TENDERING SHAREHOLDER MUST COMPLY WITH THE PROCEDURES FOR GUARANTEED DELIVERY.



IMPORTANT TAX INFORMATION

        A shareholder that is a U.S. person whose tendered shares are accepted for payment is required to provide the depositary with such shareholder's correct taxpayer identification number on the Substitute Form W-9 below or otherwise establish a basis for exemption from backup withholding. If such shareholder is an individual, the taxpayer identification number is such shareholder's social security number. If the depositary is not provided with the correct taxpayer identification number or an adequate basis for exemption, payments made to such shareholder with respect to shares purchased pursuant to the offer may be subject to backup withholding and the shareholder may be subject to a penalty imposed by the Internal Revenue Service.

        A non-U.S. person may qualify as an exempt recipient by submitting to the depositary a properly completed Internal Revenue Service Form W-8BEN, Form W-8ECI or Form W-8IMY, as applicable (instead of a Substitute Form W-9), signed under penalties of perjury, attesting to such shareholder's exempt status. shareholders are urged to consult their own tax advisors to determine whether they are exempt from these backup withholding and reporting requirements.

        If backup withholding applies, the depositary is required to withhold 28% of any payments made to the shareholder or other payee. Backup withholding is not an additional federal income tax. If the required information is furnished to the Internal Revenue Service in a timely manner, the federal income tax liability of persons subject to backup withholding may be reduced by the amount of tax withheld. If withholding results in an overpayment of taxes, a refund may be obtained from the Internal Revenue Service.

Purpose of Substitute Form W-9

        To prevent backup withholding on any payments that are made to a shareholder that is a U.S. person with respect to shares purchased pursuant to the offer, the shareholder is required to provide the depositary with (i) the shareholder's correct taxpayer identification number by completing the form below, certifying (x) that the taxpayer identification number provided on the Substitute Form W-9 is correct, (y) that (A) the shareholder is exempt from backup withholding, (B) the shareholder has not been notified by the Internal Revenue Service that the shareholder is subject to backup withholding as a result of a failure to report all interest or dividends, or (C) the Internal Revenue Service has notified the shareholder that the shareholder is no longer subject to backup withholding, and (z) that such shareholder is a U.S. person (including a U.S. resident alien), or (ii) if applicable, an adequate basis for exemption.

What Number to Give the Depositary

        The shareholder is required to give the depositary the taxpayer identification number ( e.g. , social security number or employer identification number) of the record holder of the shares tendered by this letter of transmittal. If the shares are in more than one name or are not in the name of the actual owner, consult the enclosed Guidelines for Certification of Taxpayer Identification Number on Substitute Form W-9 for additional guidance on which number to report.


The Substitute Form W-9 BELOW must be completed and signed. PLEASE PROVIDE YOUR SOCIAL SECURITY NUMBER OR OTHER TAXPAYER IDENTIFICATION NUMBER AND CERTIFY THAT YOU ARE NOT SUBJECT TO BACKUP WITHHOLDING.

Substitute Form W-9
Department of the Treasury Internal Revenue Service
Payer's Request for Taxpayer Identification Number and Certification

 

 

 

 

 
Name:    

 

 

 

 

 
Please check the appropriate box indicating your status:

o Individual/Sole Proprietor o Corporation o Partnership o Other o  Exempt from backup withholding

 

 

 

 

 
Address (number, street, and apt. or suite no.)    

 

 

 

 

 
City, state, and ZIP code    

 

 

 

 

 
Part I   TIN    

 

 

 

 

 

PLEASE PROVIDE YOUR TIN ON THE APPROPRIATE LINE AT THE RIGHT. For most individuals, this is your social security number. If you do not have a number, see the enclosed Guidelines for Certification of Taxpayer Identification Number on Substitute Form W-9 . If you are awaiting a taxpayer identification number, write "Applied For" in this Part I, complete the "Certificate Of Awaiting taxpayer identification number" below and see "IMPORTANT TAX INFORMATION."

 




Social Security Number

OR




Employer Identification Number

 

 

 

 

 
Part II   Certification    

 

 

 

 

 
Under penalties of perjury, I certify that:

(1) The number shown on this form is my correct taxpayer identification number (or I am waiting for a number to be issued to me), and

(2) I am not subject to backup withholding because (a) I am exempt from backup withholding, or (b) I have not been notified by the IRS that I am subject to backup withholding as a result of a failure to report all interest or dividends, or (c) the IRS has notified me that I am no longer subject to backup withholding, and

(3) I am a U.S. person (including a U.S. resident alien).

Certification Instructions —You must cross out item (2) above if you have been notified by the IRS that you are currently subject to backup withholding because you have failed to report all interest and dividends on your tax return.

The IRS does not require your consent to any provision of this document other than the certifications required to avoid backup withholding.


 


 


 


 


 

Sign Here

 

Signature of
U.S. person

 

Date

 

 

 

 

 

NOTE: FAILURE TO COMPLETE AND RETURN THE SUBSTITUTE FORM W-9 MAY RESULT IN BACKUP WITHHOLDING OF 28% OF ANY PAYMENTS MADE TO YOU ON ACCOUNT OF THE OFFER. PLEASE REVIEW THE ENCLOSED GUIDELINES FOR CERTIFICATION OF TAXPAYER IDENTIFICATION NUMBER ON SUBSTITUTE FORM W-9 FOR ADDITIONAL DETAILS, AND PLEASE SEE "IMPORTANT TAX INFORMATION" IN THIS LETTER OF TRANSMITTAL.


COMPLETE THE FOLLOWING CERTIFICATION IF YOU WROTE
"APPLIED FOR"
INSTEAD OF A TAXPAYER IDENTIFICATION NUMBER ON THE SUBSTITUTE FORM W-9.

 
   
   

 

 

 

 

 
CERTIFICATE OF AWAITING TAXPAYER IDENTIFICATION NUMBER

 

 

 

 

 
I certify under penalties of perjury that a taxpayer identification number has not been issued to me, and either (a) I have mailed or delivered an application to receive a taxpayer identification number to the appropriate Internal Revenue Service Center or Social Security Administration Office or (b) I intend to mail or deliver an application in the near future. I understand that if I do not provide a taxpayer identification number by the time of payment, 28% of all reportable payments made to me will be withheld.

 

 

 

 

 
Sign Here   Signature of
U.S. person
  Date



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INSTRUCTIONS Forming Part of the Terms and Conditions of the offer
IMPORTANT TAX INFORMATION

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Exhibit (a)(1)(C)


NOTICE OF GUARANTEED DELIVERY

FOR TENDER OF SHARES OF

COMMON STOCK


Tucows Inc.


PURSUANT TO THE OFFER TO PURCHASE DATED SEPTEMBER 17, 2010


(NOT TO BE USED FOR SIGNATURE GUARANTEES)

 
THE OFFER AND WITHDRAWAL RIGHTS WILL EXPIRE AT
5:00 PM, NEW YORK CITY TIME,
ON TUESDAY, OCTOBER 19, 2010, UNLESS THE OFFER IS EXTENDED.
 

        This Notice of Guaranteed Delivery, or one substantially in the form of this Notice of Guaranteed Delivery, must be used to accept the Offer (as defined below) if certificates for Shares (as defined below) are not immediately available or the certificates for Shares and all other required documents cannot be delivered to StockTrans, Inc. (the " Depositary ") on or prior to the expiration date of the Offer (as described in the Offer to Purchase) or if the procedure for delivery by book-entry transfer cannot be completed on a timely basis. This instrument may be delivered to the Depositary by hand, mail, overnight courier or transmitted by facsimile transmission. See Section 3—"Procedure for Tendering Shares" of the Offer to Purchase.


The Depositary for the Offer is:

LOGO


By Mail:

StockTrans, Inc.
Attn: Re-Organization Dept.
44 West Lancaster Avenue
Ardmore, PA 19003

 

By Facsimile Transmission:
(610) 649-7302
Confirm Facsimile Receipt by Telephone:

(800) 733-1121
or
(610) 649-7300

 

By Overnight Courier:

StockTrans, Inc.
Attn: Re-Organization Dept.
44 West Lancaster Avenue
Ardmore, PA 19003

         DELIVERY OF THIS NOTICE OF GUARANTEED DELIVERY TO AN ADDRESS OTHER THAN AS SET FORTH ABOVE OR TRANSMISSION OF INSTRUCTIONS VIA FACSIMILE TRANSMISSION OTHER THAN AS SET FORTH ABOVE WILL NOT CONSTITUTE A VALID DELIVERY TO THE DEPOSITARY. DELIVERIES TO TUCOWS INC. WILL NOT BE FORWARDED TO THE DEPOSITARY AND WILL NOT CONSTITUTE A VALID DELIVERY.


         THIS FORM IS NOT TO BE USED TO GUARANTEE SIGNATURES. IF A SIGNATURE ON A LETTER OF TRANSMITTAL IS REQUIRED TO BE GUARANTEED BY AN "ELIGIBLE INSTITUTION" UNDER THE INSTRUCTIONS TO THE LETTER OF TRANSMITTAL, SUCH SIGNATURE GUARANTEE MUST APPEAR IN THE APPLICABLE SPACE PROVIDED IN THE SIGNATURE BOX IN THE LETTER OF TRANSMITTAL.

         THE GUARANTEE ON THE LAST PAGE MUST BE COMPLETED.

Ladies and Gentlemen:

        The undersigned hereby tender(s) to Tucows Inc., a Pennsylvania corporation (" Tucows "), the number of shares of common stock, no par value per share (the " Shares "), of the Company, for the price per Share set forth below and upon the terms and subject to the conditions set forth in the Offer to Purchase, dated September 17, 2010 (the " Offer to Purchase "), and in the related Letter of Transmittal (which, together with the Offer to Purchase and any amendments or supplements to the Offer to Purchase or to the Letter of Transmittal, collectively constitute the " Offer "), receipt of which is hereby acknowledged, indicated below pursuant to the guaranteed delivery procedure set forth in Section 3—"Procedure for Tendering Shares" of the Offer to Purchase.

PRICE AT WHICH YOU ARE TENDERING
(SEE INSTRUCTION 5 TO THE LETTER OF TRANSMITTAL)

Shares Tendered at a Price Determined by You:

 

 
 

      
Name(s) of Record Holder(s)   Number of Shares
  

      
Address(es)   Price Per Share
  

      
Address(es)
 

City, State and Zip Code
  

(Area Code) Telephone No.
  Certificate Nos. (if available):
Indicate account number at Book-Entry Transfer Facility if Shares will be tendered by book-entry transfer:
     

    Account Number

Shares Tendered at a Price Determined Pursuant to Our Offer:

o

 

By checking this one box instead of specifying a price per Share above, you are tendering Shares and are willing to accept the purchase price selected by Tucows in accordance with the terms of our Offer. This action will maximize the chance of having Tucows purchase your Shares (subject to the possibility of proration). Note that this could result in your receiving a price per Share as low as $0.61.
 
   
   
   
   
   
X     

      Dated:       
  , 20    

X

 

 


 

 

 

Dated:

 

    

 

, 20    

Signature(s) of Record Holder(s)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

   
   
   
   
      CONDITIONAL TENDER
(SEE INSTRUCTION 15 TO THE LETTER OF TRANSMITTAL)
   

 

 

 

You may condition your tender of Shares on our purchasing a specified minimum number of your tendered Shares, all as described in Section 6 of the Offer to Purchase. Unless the minimum number of Shares you indicate below is purchased by us in our offer, none of the Shares you tender will be purchased. It is your responsibility to calculate that minimum number of Shares that must be purchased if any are purchased, and you are urged to consult your own tax advisor before completing this section. Unless this box has been checked and a minimum number of Shares specified, your tender will be deemed unconditional.

 

 

 

 

 

o

 

The minimum number of Shares that must be purchased, if any are purchased, is:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

                               Shares.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

If because of proration, the minimum number of Shares that you designated above will not be purchased, we may accept conditional tenders by random lot, if necessary. However, to be eligible for purchase by random lot, you must have tendered all your Shares and checked this box:

 

 

 

 

 

o

 

The tendered Shares represent all shares held by me.

 

 
   
   
   
   

 

 

 


 

 

 

 

 
      Name(s) of Record Holder(s)        

 

 

 


 

 

 

 

 
      Address(es)        

 

 

 


 

 

 

 

 
      Address(es)        

 

 

 


 

 

 

 

 
      City, State and Zip Code        

 

 

 


 

 

 

 

 
      (Area Code) Telephone No.   Indicate account number at Book-Entry Transfer Facility if Shares will be tendered by book-entry transfer:    

 

 

 

 

 


 

 

 
          Account Number    

 

 

 

X                                                                                    

 

Dated:                                                                  , 20    

 

 

 

 

 

X                                                                                    

 

Dated:                                                                  , 20    

 

 

 

 

 

Signature(s) of Record Holder(s)

 

 

 

 

   
   
   
   
      GUARANTEE
(NOT TO BE USED FOR SIGNATURE GUARANTEE)
   

 

 

 

The undersigned, a bank, broker, dealer, credit union, savings association or other entity that is a member in good standing of the Securities Transfer Agents Medallion Program or any other "eligible guarantor institution," as defined in Rule 17Ad-15 of the U.S. Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (each, an " Eligible Institution " and collectively " Eligible Institutions "), hereby guarantees the delivery to the Depositary, at one of its addresses set forth above, of the certificates evidencing all Shares tendered by this Notice of Guaranteed Delivery in proper form for transfer, or confirmation of the book-entry transfer of Shares into the Depositary's account at The Depository Trust Company, in either case together with delivery of a properly completed and duly executed Letter of Transmittal (or a facsimile thereof) with any required signature guarantee, or an "agent's message" (as described in Section 3—"Procedure for Tendering Shares" of the Offer to Purchase), and any other documents required by the Letter of Transmittal, within three trading days after the date of execution of this Notice of Guaranteed Delivery.

 

 

 

 

 

The Eligible Institution that completes this form must communicate the guarantee to the Depositary and must deliver the Letter of Transmittal and Share certificates to the Depositary within the time period indicated herein. Failure to do so may result in financial loss to such Eligible Institution.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

X

 

 
     
 
 
 
   
      Name(s) of Firm   Authorized Signature    

 

 

 


 

 


 

 

 
      Street Address(es)   Name (Please Print)    

 

 

 


 

 


 

 

 
      City, State and Zip Code   Title    

 

 

 


 

 


 

 

 
      (Area Code) Telephone No.   Dated:                          , 20        

 

 

 

NOTE : DO NOT SEND SHARE CERTIFICATES WITH THIS NOTICE.
SHARE CERTIFICATES SHOULD BE SENT WITH YOUR LETTER OF TRANSMITTAL.

 

 



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NOTICE OF GUARANTEED DELIVERY FOR TENDER OF SHARES OF COMMON STOCK
Tucows Inc.
PURSUANT TO THE OFFER TO PURCHASE DATED SEPTEMBER 17, 2010
(NOT TO BE USED FOR SIGNATURE GUARANTEES)
The Depositary for the Offer is

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Exhibit (a)(1)(D)


TUCOWS INC.

Offer to Purchase for Cash

up to 2,900,000 Shares of its Common Stock
at a Purchase Price Not In Excess of $0.70 Nor Less than $0.61 Per Share

 
THE OFFER, WITHDRAWAL RIGHTS AND PRORATION PERIOD WILL EXPIRE AT
5:00 P.M., NEW YORK CITY TIME
ON TUESDAY, OCTOBER 19, 2010, UNLESS THE OFFER IS EXTENDED.
 

        September 17, 2010

To Brokers, Dealers, Commercial Banks,
Trust Companies and Other Nominees:

        Tucows Inc., a Pennsylvania corporation, is offering to purchase up to 2,900,000 shares of its common stock, no par value per share, at a price not greater than $0.70 nor less than $0.61 per share, net to the seller in cash, without interest.

        Given the prices specified by tendering stockholders and the number of shares properly tendered and not properly withdrawn, Tucows will select the lowest purchase price between $0.61 and $0.70 net per share in cash, without interest, that will enable it to purchase 2,900,000 shares, or, if a lesser number of shares are properly tendered, all shares that are properly tendered. All shares acquired in the offer will be purchased at the same price.

        Tucows' offer is being made upon the terms and subject to the conditions set forth in its offer to purchase, dated September 17, 2010, and in the related letter of transmittal which, together with the offer to purchase, as they may be amended and supplemented from time to time, constitute the offer.

        Only shares properly tendered at prices equal to or below the purchase price and not properly withdrawn will be purchased. However, because of the proration provisions described in the offer to purchase, all of the shares tendered at or below the purchase price may not be purchased if more than 2,900,000 shares are properly tendered. All shares tendered and not purchased, including shares tendered at prices above the purchase price and shares not purchased because of proration or the conditional tender procedures, will be returned at Tucows' expense promptly following the expiration date.

        Tucows reserves the right, in its sole discretion, to purchase more than 2,900,000 shares pursuant to the offer, or to reduce the total number of shares it purchases, subject to applicable law.

        The offer is not conditioned on any minimum number of shares being tendered. The tender offer is, however, subject to other conditions described in the offer to purchase.

        Upon the terms and subject to the conditions of the offer, if more than 2,900,000 shares are properly tendered at prices equal to or below the purchase price and not properly withdrawn, Tucows will purchase all shares properly tendered at prices equal to or below the purchase price, on a pro rata basis with appropriate adjustments to avoid purchases of fractional shares, subject to our right to first purchase shares from "odd lot" holders.

        For your information and for forwarding to your clients for whom you hold shares registered in your name or in the name of your nominee, we are enclosing the following documents:


        Your prompt action is requested. We urge you to contact your clients as promptly as possible. The tender offer and withdrawal rights will expire at 5:00 P.M., New York City time, on Tuesday, October 19, 2010, unless the offer is extended.

        No fees or commissions will be payable to brokers, dealers, commercial banks, trust companies or any person for soliciting tenders of shares under the tender offer (other than fees paid to the information agent as described in the offer to purchase). Tucows will, however, upon request, reimburse you for customary mailing and handling expenses incurred by you in forwarding any of the enclosed materials to the beneficial owners of shares held by you as a nominee or in a fiduciary capacity. Tucows will pay or cause to be paid any stock transfer taxes applicable to its purchase of shares, except as otherwise provided in the offer to purchase and letter of transmittal.

        In order to properly tender shares under the tender offer, a stockholder must do either (1) or (2) below before the offer expires:

        Any questions or requests for assistance you may have with respect to the tender offer should be addressed to StockTrans, Inc., the information agent for our offer, at the address and telephone numbers set forth on the back cover of the offer to purchase. Requests for additional copies of the offer to purchase, the letter of transmittal or the notice of guaranteed delivery may also be directed to the information agent.

    Very Truly Yours,

 

 

Tucows Inc.

Enclosures

NOTHING CONTAINED HEREIN OR IN THE ENCLOSED DOCUMENTS SHALL CONSTITUTE YOU OR ANY OTHER PERSON THE AGENT OF TUCOWS, THE INFORMATION AGENT OR THE DEPOSITARY OR ANY AFFILIATE OF THE FOREGOING, OR AUTHORIZE YOU OR ANY OTHER PERSON TO USE ANY DOCUMENT OR MAKE ANY STATEMENT ON BEHALF OF ANY OF THEM IN CONNECTION WITH THE TENDER OFFER OTHER THAN THE DOCUMENTS ENCLOSED HEREWITH AND THE STATEMENTS CONTAINED THEREIN.




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TUCOWS INC. Offer to Purchase for Cash up to 2,900,000 Shares of its Common Stock at a Purchase Price Not In Excess of $0.70 Nor Less than $0.61 Per Share

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Exhibit (a)(1)(E)

TUCOWS INC.

Offer to Purchase for Cash

up to 2,900,000 Shares of its Common Stock
at a Purchase Price Not In Excess of $0.70 Nor Less than $0.61 Per Share

 
THE OFFER, WITHDRAWAL RIGHTS AND PRORATION PERIOD WILL EXPIRE AT
5:00 P.M., NEW YORK CITY TIME
ON TUESDAY, OCTOBER 19, 2010, UNLESS THE OFFER IS EXTENDED.
 

September 17, 2010

To Our Clients:

        Enclosed for your consideration are the offer to purchase, dated September 17, 2010, and the related letter of transmittal in connection with the offer by Tucows Inc., a Pennsylvania corporation, to purchase for cash up to 2,900,000 shares of its common stock, no par value per share, at a price not in excess of $0.70 nor less than $0.61 per share, net to the seller in cash, without interest.

        Based on the prices specified by tendering stockholders and the number of shares properly tendered and not properly withdrawn, Tucows will select the lowest purchase price between $0.61 and $0.70 net per share in cash, without interest, that will allow it to purchase 2,900,000 shares, or, if a lesser number of shares are properly tendered, all shares that are properly tendered. All shares acquired in the tender offer will be purchased at the same price.

        Tucows' offer is being made upon the terms and subject to the conditions set forth in its offer to purchase, dated September 17, 2010, and in the related letter of transmittal which, together with the offer to purchase, as they may be amended and supplemented from time to time, constitute the offer.

        Only shares properly tendered at prices equal to or below the purchase price and not properly withdrawn will be purchased. However, because of the proration provisions described in the offer to purchase, all of the shares tendered at or below the purchase price may not be purchased if more than 2,900,000 shares are properly tendered. All shares tendered and not purchased, including shares tendered at prices above the purchase price and shares not purchased because of proration or the conditional tender procedures, will be returned at Tucows' expense promptly following the expiration date.

        Tucows reserves the right, in its sole discretion, to purchase more than 2,900,000 shares pursuant to the offer, or to reduce the total number of shares it purchases, subject to applicable law.

        Upon the terms and subject to the conditions of Tucows' offer, if more than 2,900,000 shares are properly tendered at prices equal to or below the purchase price and not properly withdrawn, Tucows will purchase, subject to the conditional tender procedures described in Section 6 of the offer to purchase, all other shares properly tendered at prices equal to or below the purchase price, on a pro rata basis with appropriate adjustments to avoid purchases of fractional shares, subject to our right to first purchase shares from "odd lot" holders.

         A tender of your shares can be made only by us as the holder of record and pursuant to your instructions. The letter of transmittal is furnished to you for your information only and cannot be used by you to tender your shares held by us for your account.

        Accordingly, please use the attached "Instruction Form" to instruct us as to whether you wish us to tender any or all of the shares we hold for your account on the terms and subject to the conditions of the tender offer.


We call your attention to the following:

        Please forward your Instruction Form to us as soon as possible to allow us ample time to tender your shares on your behalf prior to the expiration of the offer.

        The offer is being made solely under the offer to purchase and the related letter of transmittal and is being made to all record holders of shares. The offer is not being made to, nor will tenders be accepted from or on behalf of, holders of shares residing in any jurisdiction in which the making of the tender offer or acceptance thereof would not be in compliance with the securities, blue sky or other laws of that jurisdiction.



Instruction Form

Instructions for Tender of Shares of Tucows Inc.

        By signing this instruction form you acknowledge receipt of our letter and the enclosed offer to purchase, dated September 17, 2010, and the related letter of transmittal in connection with the offer by Tucows Inc., a Pennsylvania corporation, to purchase shares of its common stock, no par value per share. Tucows is offering to purchase up to 2,900,000 shares at a price not in excess of $0.70 nor less than $0.61 per share, net to the seller in cash, without interest. Tucows' offer is being made upon the terms and subject to the conditions set forth in the offer to purchase and in the related letter of transmittal, which, as they may be amended or supplemented from time to time, together constitute the offer.

        This will instruct us to tender to Tucows, on your behalf, the number of shares indicated below (or if no number is indicated below, all shares) which are beneficially owned by you but registered in our name, upon the terms and subject to the conditions of the offer.

        Number of shares to be tendered:                          shares. (Unless otherwise indicated, it will be assumed that all shares held by us for your account are to be tendered.)


 
   
   
Price at Which You Are Tendering
(See Instruction 5 to the Letter of Transmittal)

You must check one box and only one box if you want to tender your shares. If more than one box is checked or if no box is checked, your shares will not be properly tendered.

Shares Tendered at a Price Determined by You:

By checking the box below and filling in the price per share below
instead of checking the box under "Shares Tendered at a Price Determined Pursuant to Tucows' Offer ," you are tendering shares at the price you list. This action would result in none of your shares being purchased if the purchase price selected by Tucows for the shares is less than the price checked below. If you want to tender portions of your shares at more than one price, you must complete a separate Instruction Form for each price at which you tender shares. The same shares cannot be tendered at more than one price.

Price Per Share at Which Shares Are Being Tendered

 

 

o

 

I am tendering my Shares at the following price per share: $                    .

or

Shares Tendered at a Price Determined Pursuant to Tucows' Offer:

 

 

o

 

By checking this one box instead of the box above , you are tendering shares and are willing to accept the purchase price selected by Tucows in accordance with the terms of its offer. This action will maximize the chance of having Tucows purchase your shares (subject to the possibility of proration). Note that this could result in your receiving a price per share as low as $0.61.

 
   
   
Conditional Tender
(See Instruction 15 to the Letter of Transmittal)

You may condition your tender of shares on Tucows purchasing a specified minimum number of your tendered shares, all as described in Section 6 of the offer to purchase. Unless the minimum number of shares you indicate below is purchased by Tucows in its offer, none of the shares you tender will be purchased. It is your responsibility to calculate that minimum number of shares that must be purchased if any are purchased, and you are urged to consult your own tax advisor before completing this section. Unless this box has been checked and a minimum number of shares specified, your tender will be deemed unconditional.

 

 

o

 

The minimum number of shares that must be purchased, if any are purchased, is:                          shares.

If, because of proration, the minimum number of shares that you designated above will not be purchased, Tucows may accept conditional tenders by random lot, if necessary. However, to be eligible for purchase by random lot, you must have tendered all your shares and checked this box:

 

 

o

 

The tendered shares represent all shares held by me.

 
The method of delivery of this document is at the option and risk of the tendering stockholder. If you decide to make delivery by mail, we recommend you use registered mail with return receipt requested, properly insured. In all cases, sufficient time should be allowed to assure delivery.
 

Sign Here:
 
   
Signature(s):  
 
 
   
Print Name(s):  
 
 
   
Address(es):  
 
 
   
Area Code and Telephone Number:  
 
 
   
Taxpayer Identification or Social Security Number:  
 
 
   
   
Date:     

  , 20



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TUCOWS INC. Offer to Purchase for Cash up to 2,900,000 Shares of its Common Stock at a Purchase Price Not In Excess of $0.70 Nor Less than $0.61 Per Share
Instruction Form Instructions for Tender of Shares of Tucows Inc.

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Exhibit (a)(1)(F)


GUIDELINES FOR CERTIFICATION OF
TAXPAYER IDENTIFICATION NUMBER ON SUBSTITUTE FORM W-9

         Guidelines for Determining the Proper Identification Number for the Payee (You) to Give the Payer —Social Security numbers have nine digits separated by two hyphens: i.e., 000-00-0000. Employer identification numbers have nine digits separated by only one hyphen: i.e., 00-0000000. The table below will help determine the number to give the payer. All "Section" references are to the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended. "IRS" is the Internal Revenue Service.

 
For this type of shareholder:
 
Give the NAME and
SOCIAL SECURITY
number of—

 
1.   Individual   The individual

2.

 

Two or more individuals (joint account)

 

The actual owner of the account or, if combined funds, the first individual on the account(1)

3.

 

Custodian account of a minor (Uniform Gift to Minors Act)

 

The minor(2)

4.

 

a.  The usual revocable savings trust (grantor is also trustee)

 

The grantor-trustee(1)

 

b.  So-called trust account that is not a legal or valid trust under state law

 

The actual owner(1)


5.

 

Sole proprietorship or single-owner LLC

 

The owner(3)

6.

 

Sole proprietorship or single-member LLC

 

The owner(3)
 
For this type of shareholder:
  Give the NAME and
EMPLOYER IDENTIFICATION
number of—

 

7.

 

A valid trust, estate, or pension trust

 

The legal entity(4)

8.

 

Corporate or LLC electing corporate status on Form 8832

 

The corporation

9.

 

Association, club, religious, charitable, educational, or other tax-exempt organization

 

The organization

10.

 

Partnership or multi-member LLC

 

The partnership

11.

 

A broker or registered nominee

 

The broker or nominee

12.

 

Account with the Department of Agriculture in the name of a public entity (such as a state or local government, school district, or prison) that receives agricultural program payments

 

The public entity


          

(1)
List first and circle the name of the person whose number you furnish. If only one person on a joint account has a social security number, that person's number must be furnished.

(2)
Circle the minor's name and furnish the minor's social security number.

(3)
You must show your individual name, but you may also enter your business or "doing business as" name. You may use either your social security number or your employer identification number (if you have one).

(4)
List first and circle the name of the legal trust, estate, or pension trust. (Do not furnish the taxpayer identification number of the personal representative or trustee unless the legal entity itself is not designated in the account title.)

NOTE: If no name is circled when there is more than one name listed, the number will be considered to be that of the first name listed.



GUIDELINES FOR CERTIFICATION OF TAXPAYER IDENTIFICATION
NUMBER ON SUBSTITUTE FORM W-9

Page 2

Obtaining a Number

If you do not have a taxpayer identification number, apply for one immediately. To apply for a SSN, get Form SS-5, Application for a Social Security Card, from your local Social Security Administration office. Get Form W-7, Application for IRS Individual Taxpayer Identification Number, to apply for a taxpayer identification number, or Form SS-4, Application for Employer Identification Number, to apply for an employer identification number. You can get Forms W-7 and SS-4 from the IRS by calling (800) TAX-FORM, or from the IRS Web Site at www.irs.gov .

Payees Exempt From Backup Withholding

Payees specifically exempted from backup withholding include:

1.  An organization exempt from tax under Section 501(a), an individual retirement account (IRA), or a custodial account under Section 403(b)(7) if the account satisfies the requirements of Section 401(f)(2).

2.  The United States or any of its agencies or instrumentalities.

3.  A state, the District of Columbia, a possession of the United States, or any of their political subdivisions or instrumentalities.

4.  A foreign government or any of its political subdivisions, agencies or instrumentalities.

5.  An international organization or any of its agencies or instrumentalities.

Payees that may be exempt from backup withholding include:

6.  A corporation.

7.  A foreign central bank of issue.

8.  A dealer in securities or commodities required to register in the United States, the District of Columbia, or a possession of the United States.

9.  A futures commission merchant registered with the Commodity Futures Trading Commission.

10.  A real estate investment trust.

11.  An entity registered at all times during the tax year under the Investment Company Act of 1940.

12.  A common trust fund operated by a bank under Section 584(a).

13.  A financial institution.

14.  A middleman known in the investment community as a nominee or custodian.

15.  A trust exempt from tax under Section 664 or described in Section 4947.

The chart below shows types of payments that may be exempt from backup withholding. The chart applies to the exempt recipients listed above, 1 through 15.

If the payment is for...
  THEN the payment is exempt for
Interest and dividend payments   All exempt recipients except for  9 .

Broker transactions

 

Exempt recipients 1 through 13 . Also, a person registered under the Investment Advisers Act of 1940 who regularly acts as a broker.

Exempt payees should complete a substitute Form W-9 to avoid possible erroneous backup withholding. Furnish your taxpayer identification number, check the "Exempt from Backup Withholding" box, sign and date the form and return it to the payer. Foreign payees who are not subject to backup withholding should complete an appropriate Form W-8 and return it to the payer.

Privacy Act Notice. Section 6109 requires you to provide your correct taxpayer identification number to payers who must file information returns with the IRS to report interest, dividends, and certain other income paid to you to the IRS. The IRS uses the numbers for identification purposes and to help verify the accuracy of your return and may also provide this information to various government agencies for tax enforcement or litigation purposes and to cities, states, and the District of Columbia to carry out their tax laws, and may also disclose this information to other countries under a tax treaty, or to Federal and state agencies to enforce Federal nontax criminal laws and to combat terrorism. Payers must be given the numbers whether or not recipients are required to file tax returns. Payers must generally withhold 28% of taxable interest, dividend, and certain other payments to a payee who does not furnish a taxpayer identification number to a payer. Certain penalties may also apply.

Penalties

(1) Failure to Furnish Taxpayer Identification Number.     If you fail to furnish your correct taxpayer identification number to a payer, you are subject to a penalty of $50 for each such failure unless your failure is due to reasonable cause and not to willful neglect.

(2) Civil Penalty for False Information with Respect to Withholding.     If you make a false statement with no reasonable basis that results in no backup withholding, you are subject to a $500 penalty.

(3) Criminal Penalty for Falsifying Information.     Willfully falsifying certifications or affirmations may subject you to criminal penalties including fines and/or imprisonment.

FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION CONTACT YOUR TAX CONSULTANT OR THE INTERNAL REVENUE SERVICE.




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GUIDELINES FOR CERTIFICATION OF TAXPAYER IDENTIFICATION NUMBER ON SUBSTITUTE FORM W-9
GUIDELINES FOR CERTIFICATION OF TAXPAYER IDENTIFICATION NUMBER ON SUBSTITUTE FORM W-9 Page 2

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Exhibit (a)(5)(A)

GRAPHIC

September 17, 2010

Dear Shareholder:

        Tucows Inc. is offering to purchase up to 2,900,000 shares of its common stock from its existing shareholders, subject to the terms set forth in the enclosed offer to purchase and the related letter of transmittal. The price paid by Tucows will not be greater that $0.70 or less than $0.61 per share. Tucows is conducting the tender offer through a procedure commonly referred to as a modified "Dutch auction." This procedure allows you to select the price within the $0.61 to $0.70 price range at which you are willing to sell your shares to Tucows. The actual purchase price will be determined by Tucows in accordance with the terms of the tender offer. As an alternative to selecting a specific price, you may indicate that you are willing to sell your shares at whatever price is determined by Tucows, which could result in your receipt of a price per share as low as $0.61. All shares purchased under the tender offer will receive the same price. You may tender all or only a portion of your shares, subject to proration if more than 2,900,000 shares are tendered at or below the price determined by Tucows.

        The terms and conditions of the tender offer are explained in detail in the enclosed offer to purchase and the related letter of transmittal. We encourage you to read these materials carefully before making any decision with respect to the tender offer. The instructions on how to tender shares are also explained in detail in the accompanying materials.

        Our Board of Directors has approved the tender offer. However, none of Tucows, our board of directors, or the information agent is making any recommendation to you as to whether you should tender or refrain from tendering your shares or as to the price or prices at which you should choose to tender your shares. You should make your own decision based on your views as to the value of Tucows' shares and Tucows' prospects, as well as your liquidity needs, investment objectives and other individual considerations. You should discuss whether to tender your shares with your broker or other financial or tax advisor.

        THE TENDER OFFER WILL EXPIRE AT 5:00 P.M., NEW YORK CITY TIME, ON TUESDAY OCTOBER 19, 2010, UNLESS EXTENDED BY US.

        If you have any questions regarding the tender offer or need assistance in tendering your shares, you may contact StockTrans, Inc., the information agent for the tender offer, at (800) 733-1121. Requests for additional copies of the offer to purchase, the letter of transmittal or the notice of guaranteed delivery may also be directed to the information agent.

Sincerely,

GRAPHIC

Elliot Noss
President and Chief Executive Officer




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Exhibit (a)(5)(B)

 

Tucows Announces Commencement of Dutch Auction Tender Offer to

Repurchase up to 2.9 Million Common Shares

 

TORONTO— September 17, 2010 —Tucows Inc. (NYSE AMEX:TCX, TSX:TC) a global provider of domain names, email and other Internet services, announced today that it is commencing a modified “Dutch auction” tender offer to repurchase up to 2,900,000 shares of its common stock, representing approximately 5.1% of Tucows’ outstanding shares. The closing price of Tucows common stock on the NYSE Amex on September 16, 2010 was $0.67.

 

Under the tender offer, shareholders will have the opportunity to tender some or all of their shares at a price within the range of $0.61 to $0.70 per share. Based on the number of shares tendered and the prices specified by the tendering shareholders, Tucows will determine the lowest per share price within the range that will enable it to buy 2,900,000 shares, or such lesser number of shares that are properly tendered. If shareholders of more than 2,900,000 shares properly tender their shares at or below the determined price per share, Tucows will purchase shares tendered by such shareholders, at the determined price per share, on a pro rata basis. Additionally, if more than 2,900,000 shares are properly tendered, the number of shares to be repurchased by Tucows pursuant to the tender offer may, at the discretion of Tucows, be increased by up to 2% of Tucows’ outstanding shares, or approximately 1,147,000 shares, without amending or extending the tender offer.

 

Shareholders whose shares are purchased in the offer will be paid the determined purchase price per share net in cash, without interest, after the expiration of the offer period. The offer is not contingent upon any minimum number of shares being tendered. The offer is subject to a number of other terms and conditions specified in the offer to purchase that is being distributed to shareholders. The offer will expire at 5:00 P.M., New York City Time, on Tuesday, October 19, 2010.

 

The information agent for the offer is StockTrans, Inc. None of Tucows, its board of directors or the information agent is making any recommendation to stockholders as to whether to tender or refrain from tendering their shares into the tender offer. Shareholders must decide how many shares they will tender, if any, and the price within the stated range at which they will offer their shares for purchase by Tucows. Tucows’ board of directors and its executive officers do not intend to participate in this tender offer.

 

This press release is for informational purposes only and is not an offer to buy or the solicitation of an offer to sell any shares of Tucows’ common stock. The offer is being made solely by the offer to purchase and the related letter of transmittal. Stockholders and investors are urged to read Tucows’ tender offer statement on Schedule TO filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission in connection with the tender offer, which includes exhibits, the offer to purchase and the related letter of transmittal, as well as any amendments or supplements to the statement when they become available, because they contain important information. Each of these documents has been or will be filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission, and investors may obtain them for free from the Securities and Exchange Commission at its website ( www.sec.gov ) or from StockTrans, Inc., the information agent for the tender offer, by directing such request to: StockTrans, Inc., Attn: Re-Organization Dept., 44 West Lancaster Avenue, Ardmore, PA 19003, telephone (800) 733-1121.

 

About Tucows

 

Tucows is a global Internet services company. OpenSRS manages over ten million domain names and millions of email boxes through a reseller network of over 10,000 web hosts and ISPs. Hover is the easiest way for individuals and small businesses to manage their domain names and email addresses. YummyNames owns premium domain names that generate revenue through advertising or resale. Butterscotch.com is an online video network building on the foundation of Tucows.com. More information can be found at http://tucowsinc.com

 

This news release contains, in addition to historical information, forward-looking statements related to the proposed tender offer, including the timing, purchase price per share in the tender offer, total number of shares to be purchased under the proposed tender offer and the process for the proposed tender offer. Such statements are

 



 

based on management’s current expectations and are subject to a number of uncertainties and risks, which could cause actual results to differ materially from those described in the forward-looking statements. Information about potential factors that could affect Tucows’ business, results of operations and financial condition is included in the Risk Factors sections of Tucows’ filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. All forward-looking statements included in this document are based on information available to Tucows as of the date of this document, and except to the extent Tucows may be required to update such information under any applicable securities laws, Tucows assumes no obligation to update such forward-looking statements.

 

TUCOWS is a registered trademark of Tucows Inc. or its subsidiaries. All other trademarks and service marks are the properties of their respective owners.

 

For further information: Lawrence Chamberlain, The Equicom Group for Tucows Inc., (416) 815-0700 ext. 257, lchamberlain@equicomgroup.com

 




Exhibit 99(d)(1)

 

TUCOWS INC.

 

2006 EQUITY COMPENSATION PLAN

 

(As Amended and Restated July 29, 2010)

 

1.              Purpose .

 

The purpose of the 2006 Equity Compensation Plan (the “ Plan ”) is to provide eligible persons with the opportunity to acquire a proprietary interest, or otherwise increase their proprietary interest, in Tucows Inc. (the “ Company ”).  The Company believes that the Plan will encourage the participants to contribute materially to the growth of the Company, thereby benefitting the Company’s shareholders, and will align the economic interests of the participants with those of the shareholders.

 

2.              Definitions .

 

Whenever used in this Plan, the following terms will have the respective meanings set forth below:

 

(a)            “Board” means the Company’s Board of Directors.

 

(b)            “Change of Control” shall be deemed to have occurred:

 

(i)             If any “person” (as such term is used in sections 13(d) and 14(d) of the Exchange Act) becomes a “beneficial owner” (as defined in Rule 13d-3 under the Exchange Act), directly or indirectly, of securities of the Company representing more than 40% of the voting power of the then outstanding securities of the Company; provided that a Change of Control shall not be deemed to occur as a result of a transaction in which the Company becomes a subsidiary of another corporation and in which the shareholders of the Company, immediately prior to the transaction, will beneficially own, immediately after the transaction, shares entitling such shareholders to more than 40% of all votes to which all shareholders of the parent corporation would be entitled in the election of directors;

 

(ii)            Upon the consummation of (i) a merger or consolidation of the Company with another corporation where the shareholders of the Company, immediately prior to the merger or consolidation, will not beneficially own, immediately after the merger or consolidation, shares entitling such shareholders to more than 40% of all votes to which all shareholders of the surviving corporation would be entitled in the election of directors, (ii) a sale or other disposition of all or substantially all of the assets of the Company, or (iii) a liquidation or dissolution of the Company; or

 

(iii)           If after the date on which this Plan is approved by the shareholders of the Company, directors are elected such that a majority of the members of the Board shall have been members of the Board for less than two years, unless the election or nomination for election of each new director who was not a director at the beginning of such two-year period was approved

 



 

by a vote of at least two-thirds of the directors then still in office who were directors at the beginning of such period.

 

(c)            “Code” means the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended.

 

(d)            “Company” means Tucows Inc. and any successor corporation.

 

(e)            “Company Stock” means the common stock of the Company.

 

(f)             “Compensation Committee” means the corporate governance, nominating and compensation committee of the Company.

 

(g)            “Consultant” means a consultant or advisor of the Company or a subsidiary of the Company, provided that the Company can issue securities to such consultant or advisor under the Plan pursuant to exemptions from prospectus and registration requirements of applicable securities laws.

 

(h)            Disability ” means the inability of the Participant to engage in any substantial gainful activity by reason of any medically determinable physical or mental impairment expected to result in death or to be of continuous duration of twelve (12) months or more.

 

(i)             “Dividend Equivalent” means an amount determined by multiplying the number of shares of Company Stock subject to a Grant by the per-share cash dividend, or the per-share fair market value (as determined by the Plan Administrator) of any dividend in consideration other than cash, paid by the Company on its Company Stock.

 

(j)             “Employee” means an employee of the Employer (including an officer or director who is also an employee).

 

(k)            “Employer” means the Company and its subsidiaries.

 

(l)             “Exchange Act” means the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended.

 

(m)           “Exercise Price” means the per share price at which shares of Company Stock may be purchased under an Option, as designated by the Plan Administrator.

 

(n)            “Fair Market Value” of Company Stock means (i) if the Company Stock is traded on a securities exchange or AIM, the last reported sale price of Company Stock at the close of regular hours trading on the relevant date on the exchange or market determined by the Plan Administrator to be the primary market for the Company Stock, or (if there were no trades on that date) the latest preceding date upon which a sale was reported, (ii) if the Company Stock is not traded on such exchange or market, the mean between the last reported “bid” and “asked” prices of Company Stock at the close of regular hours trading on the relevant date, as reported on Nasdaq or, if not so reported, as reported by the National Daily Quotation Bureau, Inc. or as reported in a customary financial reporting service, as applicable and as the Plan Administrator determines, or (iii) if the Company Stock is not publicly traded or, if publicly traded, is not subject to reported transactions or “bid” or “asked” quotations as set forth above, the Fair Market Value per share shall be as determined by the Plan Administrator.

 

2



 

(o)            “Grant” means an Option, Restricted Stock Unit, Stock Award, Performance Unit, SAR, Dividend Equivalent or Other Stock-Based Award granted under the Plan.

 

(p)            “Grant Agreement” means the written instrument that sets forth the terms and conditions of a Grant, including all amendments thereto.

 

(q)            “Incentive Stock Option” means an Option that is intended to meet the requirements of an incentive stock option under section 422 of the Code.

 

(r)             “Insider” means:

 

(i)             every director or officer of the Company;

 

(ii)            every director or officer of a person or company that is itself an insider or subsidiary of the Company;

 

(iii)           every person or company that has beneficial ownership of, or control or direction over, or a combination of beneficial ownership of and control or direction over, directly or indirectly, securities of the Company carrying more than 10% of the voting rights attached to all the Company’s outstanding voting securities, excluding for this purpose any securities held by the person or company as underwriter in the course of a distribution;

 

(iv)           every “associate” (as such term is defined in the Securities Act (Ontario)) of a person or company that is itself an insider; and

 

(v)            every “affiliated company” (as such term is defined in the Securities Act (Ontario)) of a person or company that is itself an insider and every other issuer that is similarly related to such person or company, whether a partnership, limited partnership, trust, income trust, investment trust or any other organized entity issuing securities.

 

(s)             “Non-Employee Director” means a member of the Board who is not an Employee.

 

(t)             “Nonqualified Stock Option” means an Option that is not intended to meet the requirements of an incentive stock option under section 422 of the Code.

 

(u)            “Option” means an option to purchase shares of Company Stock, as described in Section 7.

 

(v)            “Other Stock-Based Award” means any Grant based on, measured by or payable in Company Stock (other than a Grant described in Sections 7, 9, 10, 11 or 12(a) of the Plan), as described in Section 12(b).

 

(w)           “Participant” means an Employee, Non-Employee Director or Consultant designated by the Plan Administrator to participate in the Plan.

 

(x)            “Performance Unit” means an award of a performance unit as described in Section 11.

 

3



 

(y)            “Plan” means this Tucows Inc. 2006 Equity Compensation Plan, as in effect from time to time.

 

(z)            “Plan Administrator” means the particular entity, whether the Compensation Committee, the Board or other committees or delegate thereof (in the event the Board or Compensation Committee has delegated its authority pursuant to Section 3), which is authorized to administer the Plan with respect to one or more classes of eligible persons, to the extent such entity is carrying out its administrative functions under the Plan with respect to the persons then subject to its jurisdiction.

 

(aa)          “Restricted Stock Unit” means an award of a phantom unit representing a share of Company Stock as described in Section 9.

 

(bb)          “SAR” means a stock appreciation right as described in Section 12.

 

(cc)          “Section 16 Insider” means an officer or director of the Company subject to the short-swing profit liability provisions of Section 16 of the Exchange Act.

 

(dd)          “Stock Award” means an award of Company Stock as described in Section 10.

 

(ee)          “10% Shareholder” shall mean the owner of stock (as determined under Code Section 424(d)) possessing more than ten percent (10%) of the total combined voting power of all classes of stock of the Company (or any parent or subsidiary).

 

(ff)           Withholding Taxes ” shall mean all applicable income and employment taxes, social insurance, payroll taxes, contributions, payment on account obligations or other payments required to be withheld by the Employer in connection with a Grant.

 

3.              Administration .

 

(a)            The Plan shall be administered by the Compensation Committee of the Board with respect to grants to Section 16 Insiders.  Administration of the Plan with respect to all other eligible persons may, at the Board’s discretion, be vested in the Compensation Committee or another committee appointed by the Board, or the Board may retain the power to administer the Plan with respect to such persons.  However, any discretionary awards to members of the Compensation Committee must be authorized and approved by a disinterested majority of the Board.  Administration of the formula option grants to Non-Employee Directors under Section 8 shall be self-executing in accordance with the terms of that program, and no Plan Administrator shall exercise any discretionary functions with respect to any award under that program.

 

(b)            The Board or Compensation Committee may delegate to one or more officers of the Company designated by the Board or the Compensation Committee, the authority to administer Grants to eligible persons other than directors or officers of the Company within specified guidelines established by the Board or the Compensation Committee and subject to applicable law.

 

(c)            Subject to the provisions of the Plan, the Plan Administrator shall have the sole authority to (i) determine the Participants to whom Grants shall be made under the Plan, (ii) 

 

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determine the type, size and terms and conditions of the Grants to be made to each such Participant, (iii) determine the time when the Grants will be made and the duration of any applicable exercise or vesting period, including the criteria for exercisability or vesting and the acceleration of exercisability or vesting, (iv) amend the terms and conditions of any previously issued Grant, subject to the provisions of Section 19 below, and (v) deal with any other matters arising under the Plan.

 

(d)            The Plan Administrator shall have full power and express discretionary authority to administer and interpret the Plan, to make factual determinations and to adopt or amend such rules, regulations, agreements and instruments for implementing the Plan and for the conduct of its business as it deems necessary or advisable, in its sole discretion.  The Plan Administrator’s interpretations of the Plan and all determinations made by the Plan Administrator pursuant to the powers vested in it hereunder shall be conclusive and binding on all persons having any interest in the Plan or in any awards granted hereunder.  All powers of the Plan Administrator shall be executed in its sole discretion, in the best interest of the Company, not as a fiduciary, and in keeping with the objectives of the Plan and need not be uniform as to similarly situated Participants.

 

4.              Grants Grants under the Plan may consist of Options as described in Section 7, Restricted Stock Units as described in Section 9, Stock Awards as described in Section 10, Performance Units as described in Section 11 and SARs or Other Stock-Based Awards as described in Section 12.  All Grants shall be subject to such terms and conditions as the Plan Administrator deems appropriate (but subject to the terms hereof) and as are specified in writing by the Plan Administrator to the Participant in the Grant Agreement.

 

5.              Shares Subject to the Plan .

 

(a)            Shares Authorized .  The total aggregate number of shares of Company Stock that may be issued under the Plan is 6,900,000 shares, subject to adjustment as described in subsection (f) below.  Such share reserve includes an increase of 1,900,000 shares of Common Stock authorized by the Board on July 29, 2010, subject to shareholder approval at the 2010 Shareholders Annual Meeting.

 

(b)            Source of Shares; Share Counting .  Shares issued under the Plan may be authorized but unissued shares of Company Stock or reacquired shares of Company Stock, including shares purchased by the Company on the open market for purposes of the Plan, subject to compliance with applicable law.  If and to the extent outstanding Grants under the Plan terminate, expire, or are canceled, forfeited, exchanged or surrendered prior to the issuance of shares of Company Stock, the shares reserved for such Grants shall again be available for issuance under the Plan.  Unvested shares issued under the Plan and subsequently cancelled or repurchased by the Company pursuant to the Company’s repurchase rights under the Plan at a price per share not greater than the original issue price paid per share (subject to compliance with applicable securities legislation) shall again be available for issuance under the Plan.  In addition, should the Exercise Price of an Option under the Plan be paid with shares of Company Stock, the authorized reserve of Company Stock under the Plan shall be reduced only by the net number of shares issued under the exercised Option.  Should shares of Company Stock otherwise issuable under the Plan be withheld by the Company in satisfaction of the Withholding Taxes incurred in

 

5



 

connection with the issuance, exercise or vesting of a Grant under the Plan, the number of shares of Company Stock available for issuance under the Plan shall be reduced only by the net number of shares issued with respect to that Grant.  If SARs are exercised, only the net number of shares actually issued upon exercise of the SARs shall be considered issued under the Plan for purposes of this subsection (b).  To the extent that Grants are paid in cash, and not in shares of Company Stock, any shares previously reserved for issuance pursuant to such Grants shall again be available for purposes of the Plan.

 

(c)            Individual Limits .  The maximum aggregate number of shares of Company Stock with respect to which all Grants may be made under the Plan to any individual during any calendar year shall be 500,000 shares, subject to adjustment as described in subsection (f) below.

 

(d)            ISO Limits .  The maximum number of shares of Common Stock that may be issued pursuant to Incentive Stock Options granted under the Plan shall not exceed 6,900,000 shares, subject to shareholder approval at the 2010 Annual Shareholders Meeting of the 1,900,000-share increase authorized by the Board on July 29, 2010.  In the absence of such shareholder approval, the maximum number of shares of Common Stock that may be issued pursuant to Incentive Stock Options shall be limited to 5,000,000 shares of Common Stock.

 

(e)            Insider Limits .  The number of shares of Company Stock issuable, directly or indirectly, to all Participants who are Insiders in the aggregate, under this Plan and all other “security based compensation arrangements” (within the meaning of the rules of the Toronto Stock Exchange) of the Company, may not exceed ten percent (10%) of the outstanding shares of Company Stock and the number of shares of Company Stock issued, directly or indirectly, to all Participants who are Insiders in the aggregate within any one (1) year period, under the Plan and all other security based compensation arrangements of the Company, may not exceed ten percent (10%) of the issued and outstanding shares of Company Stock.

 

(f)             Adjustments .  In the event of a stock dividend, spinoff, extraordinary distribution (whether in cash, securities or other property), recapitalization, reclassification, stock split, or combination or exchange of shares, or any other event affecting the outstanding Company Stock as a class without the Company’s receipt of consideration, equitable adjustments shall be made to the maximum number and/or class of securities issuable under the Plan, the maximum number and/or class of securities that may be issued pursuant to Incentive Stock Options, the maximum number and/or class of securities for which any individual may receive Grants in any year, the number and/or class of securities for which option grants are subsequently to be made to Non-Employee Directors under Section 8, the number and/or class of securities covered by outstanding Grants, and the price per share or the applicable market value of such Grants.  The adjustments shall be made by the Plan Administrator in such manner as the Plan Administrator deems appropriate in order to prevent the dilution or enlargement of benefits hereunder and such adjustments shall be final, binding and conclusive.

 

6.              Eligibility for Participation .

 

All Employees, including Employees who are officers or members of the Board, all Non-Employee Directors and all Consultants shall be eligible to participate in the Plan.

 

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7.              Options .

 

(a)            General Requirements .  The Plan Administrator may grant Options to an eligible person upon such terms and conditions as the Plan Administrator deems appropriate under this Section 7.  The Plan Administrator shall determine the number of shares of Company Stock that will be subject to each Grant of Options under the Plan.

 

(b)            Type of Option, Price and Term .

 

(i)             The Plan Administrator may grant Incentive Stock Options or Nonqualified Stock Options or any combination of the two, all in accordance with the terms and conditions set forth herein.  Incentive Stock Options shall be subject to the provisions of subsection (f) below.

 

(ii)            Subject to Sections 7(f) and 8, the Exercise Price of Company Stock subject to an Option shall be determined by the Plan Administrator and shall be equal to or greater than the Fair Market Value of a share of Company Stock on the date the Option is granted.

 

(iii)           The Plan Administrator shall determine the term of each Option, which shall not exceed seven years from the date of grant.

 

(c)            Exercisability of Options.

 

(i)             Subject to Section 8, Options shall become exercisable in accordance with such terms and conditions as may be determined by the Plan Administrator and specified in the Grant Agreement.  The Plan Administrator may accelerate the exercisability of any or all outstanding Options at any time for any reason.

 

(ii)            Subject to compliance with applicable law, the Plan Administrator may provide in a Grant Agreement that the Participant may elect to exercise part or all of an Option before it otherwise has become exercisable.  Any shares so purchased shall be restricted shares and shall be subject to a repurchase right in favor of the Company during a specified restriction period (subject to compliance with applicable law) and such other restrictions as the Plan Administrator deems appropriate.

 

(iii)           Options granted to U.S. persons who are non-exempt employees under the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938, as amended, may not be exercisable for at least six months after the date of grant (except that such Options may become exercisable, as determined by the Plan Administrator, upon the Participant’s death, Disability or retirement, or upon a Change of Control or other circumstances permitted by applicable regulations).

 

(d)            Termination of Employment or Service .  Except as otherwise provided in the Grant Agreement, in the event of the termination of a Participant’s employment or service, for any reason (whether or not for cause) other than as a result of death or Disability of the Participant, the Participant may exercise all of the Participant’s options which have vested and are exercisable on the date of resignation or, in the case of involuntary termination, on the Participant’s last day of active employment or service (the “ Termination Date ”), as the case

 

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may be, until the earlier of the expiry date(s) of the Options and the date that is three (3) months from the Termination Date, or such other date as may be determined by the Plan Administrator, and approved by the stock exchange on which the shares of the Company trade.  In the event of the termination of a Participant’s employment or service as a result of the death or Disability of the Participant, all of the Participant’s Options which have vested and are exercisable as at the date of death or Disability (such date, also the “ Termination Date ”) shall be exercisable until the earlier of the expiry date(s) of the Options and the date that is one (1) year from the Termination Date, or such other date as may be determined by the Plan Administrator, and approved by the stock exchange on which the shares of the Company trade to the extent required by the rules of such stock exchange.  Except as otherwise determined by the Plan Administrator and except as otherwise provided in the Grant Agreement, in the event of the termination of the Participant’s employment or service for any reason as contemplated in this Section 7(d), all of the Participant’s Options which have not vested on the Termination Date shall expire and terminate and be of no further force and effect, as of that date.

 

(e)            Payment of Exercise Price .  The Participant shall pay the Exercise Price for the Option (i) in cash, (ii) if permitted by the Plan Administrator and subject to compliance with applicable law, by delivering shares of Company Stock owned by the Participant and having a Fair Market Value on the date of exercise equal to the Exercise Price or by attestation to ownership of shares of Company Stock having an aggregate Fair Market Value on the date of exercise equal to the Exercise Price, or (iii) by such other method as the Plan Administrator may approve.  Shares of Company Stock used to exercise an Option shall have been held by the Participant for the requisite period of time to avoid adverse accounting consequences to the Company with respect to the Option.  Payment for the shares pursuant to the Option, and any required Withholding Taxes, must be received by the time specified by the Plan Administrator depending on the type of payment being made.

 

(f)             Limits on Incentive Stock Options .

 

(i)             Incentive Stock Options may only be granted to Employees.

 

(ii)            Each Incentive Stock Option shall provide that, if the aggregate Fair Market Value of the stock on the date of the grant with respect to which Incentive Stock Options are exercisable for the first time by a Participant during any calendar year, under the Plan or any other stock option plan of the Company or a parent or subsidiary, as defined in section 424 of the Code, exceeds $100,000, then the Option, as to the excess, shall be treated as a Nonqualified Stock Option.

 

(iii)           If any Employee to whom an Incentive Stock Option is granted is a 10% Shareholder, then the exercise price per share shall not be less than one hundred ten percent (110%) of the Fair Market Value per share of Common Stock on the option grant date, and the option term shall not exceed five (5) years measured from the option grant date.

 

(g)            Shareholder Rights .  The holder of an Option shall have no shareholder rights with respect to the shares subject to the Option until such person shall have exercised the Option, paid the Exercise Price and become a holder of record of the purchased shares.

 

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8.                                       Formula Option Grants to Non-Employee Directors; Grants to Committee Members .

 

A Non-Employee Director or a Non-Employee Director who is a member of a committee of the Board (a “ Committee Member ”) shall be entitled to receive Nonqualified Stock Options in accordance with this Section 8.

 

(a)            Initial Grant .  Each Non-Employee Director who first becomes a member of the Board will receive a grant of a Nonqualified Stock Option to purchase 25,000 shares of Company Stock immediately upon the date he or she becomes a member of the Board.

 

Each Committee Member who first becomes a member of the audit committee will receive a grant of a Nonqualified Stock Option to purchase 20,000 shares of Company Stock immediately upon the date he or she becomes a member of the audit committee.

 

Each Committee Member who first becomes a member of the Compensation Committee (or any other separate committee of the Board (other than the audit committee or an ad hoc committee of the Board), including the governance committee and the nominating committee if either of these committees is established as a separate committee) will receive a grant of a Nonqualified Stock Option to purchase 15,000 shares of Company Stock immediately upon the date he or she becomes a member of such committee.

 

(b)            Annual Grants .  On each date that the Company holds its annual meeting of shareholders, (i) each Non-Employee Director in office both immediately before and after the annual election of directors will receive a grant of a Nonqualified Stock Option to purchase 20,000 shares of Company Stock, (ii) each Committee Member serving on the audit committee both immediately before and after the annual election of directors will receive a grant of a Nonqualified Stock Option to purchase 10,000 shares of Company Stock, and (iii) each Committee Member serving on the Compensation Committee (or any other separate committee of the Board (other than the audit committee or an ad hoc committee of the Board), including the governance committee and the nominating committee if either of these committees is established as a separate committee) both immediately before and after the annual election of directors will receive a grant of a Nonqualified Stock Option to purchase 7,500 shares of Company Stock.  The date of grant of each such annual Grant shall be the date of such annual meeting of shareholders.

 

(c)            Option Price .  The exercise price per share of Company Stock subject to an Option granted under this Section 8 shall be equal to the Fair Market Value of a share of Company Stock on the date of grant.

 

(d)            Option Term .  The term of each Option granted pursuant to this Section 8 shall be five (5) years.

 

(e)            Exercisability .  Options granted under this Section 8 shall be fully and immediately exercisable upon the date of grant.

 

(f)             Applicability of Plan Provisions .  Except as otherwise provided in, and not inconsistent with, this Section 8, the Nonqualified Stock Options granted to Non-Employee

 

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Directors and Committee Members shall be subject to the provisions of this Plan applicable to Nonqualified Stock Options granted to other Participants.

 

9.                                       Restricted Stock Units .

 

(a)            General Requirements .  The Plan Administrator may grant Restricted Stock Units to an eligible person upon such terms and conditions as the Plan Administrator deems appropriate under this Section 9.  Each Restricted Stock Unit shall represent the right of the Participant to receive a share of Company Stock or an amount based on the value of a share of Company Stock.  The Plan Administrator shall determine the number of Restricted Stock Units to be granted and the requirements applicable to such Restricted Stock Units.  All Restricted Stock Units shall be credited to bookkeeping accounts on the Company’s records for purposes of the Plan.

 

(b)            Terms of Restricted Stock Units .  The Plan Administrator may grant Restricted Stock Units that are payable on terms and conditions determined by the Plan Administrator, which may include payment based on achievement of performance goals or satisfaction of specified service requirements.  Restricted Stock Units may be paid at the end of a specified vesting or performance period, or payment may be deferred to a date authorized by the Plan Administrator.

 

(c)            Payment With Respect to Restricted Stock Units .  Payment with respect to Restricted Stock Units shall be made in cash, in Company Stock, or in a combination of the two, as determined by the Plan Administrator.

 

(d)            Requirement of Employment or Service .  The Plan Administrator shall determine in the Grant Agreement under what circumstances a Participant may retain Restricted Stock Units after termination of the Participant’s employment or service, and the circumstances under which Restricted Stock Units may be forfeited.

 

(e)            Shareholder Rights .  The Participant shall not have any shareholder rights with respect to the shares of Company Stock subject to a Restricted Stock Unit until that award vests and the shares of Company Stock are actually issued thereunder.

 

10.                                Stock Awards .

 

(a)            General Requirements .  The Plan Administrator may issue shares of Company Stock to an eligible person under a Stock Award upon such terms and conditions as the Plan Administrator deems appropriate under this Section 10 subject to the requirements of applicable law.  Shares of Company Stock issued pursuant to Stock Awards may be issued for cash consideration or for no cash consideration, and subject to such vesting restrictions, as determined by the Plan Administrator.  The Plan Administrator may establish vesting conditions on Stock Awards which shall lapse over a period of time or according to such other criteria as the Plan Administrator deems appropriate, including the achievement of specific performance goals.  The Plan Administrator shall determine the number of shares of Company Stock to be issued pursuant to a Stock Award.

 

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(b)            Requirement of Employment or Service .  The Plan Administrator shall determine in the Grant Agreement under what circumstances a Participant may retain Stock Awards after termination of the Participant’s employment or service, and the circumstances under which Stock Awards may be forfeited.

 

(c)            Restrictions on Transfer .  A Participant may not sell, assign, transfer, pledge or otherwise dispose of an unvested Stock Award except upon death as described in Section 16(a).  Unvested shares issued pursuant to Stock Awards may, in the Plan Administrator’s discretion, be held in escrow by the Company until the Participant’s interest in such shares vests or may be issued directly to the Participant with restrictive legends on the certificates evidencing those unvested shares.

 

(d)            Shareholder Rights .  Subject to the restrictions on transfer under Section 10(c) above, the Participant shall have full shareholder rights with respect to any shares of Company Stock issued to the Participant under a Stock Award, whether or not the Participant’s interest in those shares is vested.  Accordingly, the Participant shall have the right to vote such shares and to receive any regular cash dividends paid on such shares.

 

11.                                Performance Units .

 

(a)            General Requirements .  The Plan Administrator may grant Performance Units to an eligible person upon such terms and conditions as the Plan Administrator deems appropriate under this Section 11.  Each Performance Unit shall represent the right of a Participant to receive an amount equal to the value of the Performance Unit, determined in the manner established by the Plan Administrator at the time of grant.

 

(b)            Performance Period .  At the time of grant of each Performance Unit, the Plan Administrator shall establish a performance period during which performance shall be measured (“ Performance Period ”).  There may be more than one Grant in existence at any one time, and Performance Periods may differ.

 

(c)            Performance Goals .  Prior to the beginning of a Performance Period, the Plan Administrator shall establish in writing performance goals for the Company and its various operating units (“ Performance Goals ”).  The Performance Goals will be comprised of specified levels of one or more performance criteria as the Plan Administrator may deem appropriate such as: earnings per share, net earnings, operating earnings, unit volume, net sales, market share, balance sheet measurements, cash return on assets, shareholder return, or return on capital.  The Plan Administrator may disregard or offset the effect of any special charges or gains or cumulative effect of a change in accounting in determining the attainment of Performance Goals.  Awards of Performance Units may also be payable when Company performance, as measured by one or more of the above criteria, as compared to peer companies, meets or exceeds an objective target established by the Plan Administrator.

 

(d)            Performance Measures .  Performance Units shall be granted to a Participant contingent upon the attainment of Performance Goals in accordance with Section 11(c).

 

(e)            Performance Unit Value .  Each Performance Unit shall have a maximum dollar value established by the Compensation Committee at the time of the grant.  Performance Units

 

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earned will be determined by the Plan Administrator in respect of a Performance Period in relation to the degree of attainment of Performance Goals.  The measure of a Performance Unit may, in the Plan Administrator’s discretion, be equal to the Fair Market Value of a share of Company Stock.

 

(f)             Grant Criteria .  In determining the number of Performance Units to be granted to any Participant, the Plan Administrator shall take into account the Participant’s responsibility level, performance, potential, cash compensation level, other incentive awards, and such other considerations as it deems appropriate.

 

(g)            Payment .  Following the end of a Performance Period, a Participant holding Performance Units will be entitled to receive payment of an amount, not exceeding the maximum value of the Performance Units, based on the achievement of the Performance Goals for such Performance Period, as determined by the Plan Administrator.  Payment of Performance Units shall be made in cash, except that, in the discretion of the Plan Administrator, Performance Units which are measured using Company Stock may be paid in shares of Company Stock.  Payment shall be made in a lump sum or in installments and shall be subject to such other terms and conditions as shall be determined by the Plan Administrator.

 

12.                                Stock Appreciation Rights and Other Stock-Based Awards .

 

(a)            SARs .  The Plan Administrator may grant SARs to an eligible person separately or in tandem with an Option.  The following provisions shall be applicable to SARs:

 

(i)             Base Price .  The Plan Administrator shall establish the base price of the SAR at the time the SAR is granted.  The base price of each SAR shall be equal to the per share Exercise Price of the related Option or, if there is no related Option, an amount that is at least equal to the Fair Market Value of a share of Company Stock as of the date of grant of the SAR.

 

(ii)            Tandem SARs .  The Plan Administrator may grant tandem SARs either at the time the Option is granted or at any time thereafter while the Option remains outstanding; provided, however, that, in the case of an Incentive Stock Option, SARs may be granted only at the date of the grant of the Incentive Stock Option.  In the case of tandem SARs, the number of SARs granted to a Participant that shall be exercisable during a specified period shall not exceed the number of shares of Company Stock that the Participant may purchase upon the exercise of the related Option during such period.  Upon the exercise of an Option, the SARs relating to the Company Stock covered by such Option shall terminate.  Upon the exercise of SARs, the related Option shall terminate to the extent of an equal number of shares of Company Stock.

 

(iii)           Exercisability .  An SAR shall be exercisable during the period specified by the Plan Administrator in the Grant Agreement and shall be subject to such vesting and other restrictions as may be specified in the Grant Agreement.  The Plan Administrator may grant SARs that are subject to achievement of performance goals or other conditions.  The Plan Administrator may accelerate the exercisability of any or all outstanding SARs at any time for any reason.  The Plan Administrator shall determine in the Grant Agreement under what circumstances and during what periods a Participant may exercise an SAR after termination of

 

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employment or service.  A tandem SAR shall be exercisable only while the Option to which it is related is exercisable.  In no event may an SAR have a term in excess of seven (7) years.

 

(iv)           Grants to Non-Exempt Employees .  SARs granted to U.S. persons who are non-exempt employees under the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938, as amended, may not be exercisable for at least six months after the date of grant (except that such SARs may become exercisable, as determined by the Plan Administrator, upon the Participant’s death, Disability or retirement, or upon a Change of Control or other circumstances permitted by applicable regulations).

 

(v)            Settlement of SARs .  When a Participant exercises SARs, the Participant shall receive in settlement of such SARs an amount equal to the value of the stock appreciation for the number of SARs exercised.  The stock appreciation for an SAR is the amount by which the Fair Market Value of the underlying Company Stock on the date of exercise of the SAR exceeds the base price of the SAR as described in subsection (i).

 

(vi)           Form of Payment .  The Plan Administrator shall determine whether the stock appreciation for an SAR shall be paid in the form of shares of Company Stock, cash or a combination of the two.  For purposes of calculating the number of shares of Company Stock to be received, shares of Company Stock shall be valued at their Fair Market Value on the date of exercise of the SAR.  If shares of Company Stock are to be received upon exercise of an SAR, cash shall be delivered in lieu of any fractional share.

 

(b)            Other Stock-Based Awards .  The Plan Administrator may grant other awards not specified in Sections 7, 9, 10, 11 or 12(a) above that are based on or measured by Company Stock to eligible persons, on such terms and conditions as the Plan Administrator deems appropriate.  Other Stock-Based Awards may be granted subject to achievement of performance goals or other conditions and may be payable in Company Stock or cash, or in a combination of the two, as determined by the Plan Administrator in the Grant Agreement.

 

13.           Dividend Equivalents .

 

(a)            General Requirements .  When the Plan Administrator makes a Grant under the Plan, the Plan Administrator may grant Dividend Equivalents in connection with the Grant, under such terms and conditions as the Plan Administrator deems appropriate under this Section 13.  Dividend Equivalents may be paid to Participants currently or may be deferred, as determined by the Plan Administrator.  All Dividend Equivalents that are not paid currently shall be credited to bookkeeping accounts on the Company’s records for purposes of the Plan.  Dividend Equivalents may be accrued as a cash obligation, or may be converted to Restricted Stock Units for the Participant, and deferred Dividend Equivalents may accrue interest, all as determined by the Plan Administrator.  The Plan Administrator may provide that Dividend Equivalents shall be payable based on the achievement of specific performance goals.

 

(b)            Payment with Respect to Dividend Equivalents .  Dividend Equivalents may be payable in cash or shares of Company Stock or in a combination of the two, as determined by the Plan Administrator.

 

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14.                                Deferrals.

 

The Plan Administrator may permit or require a Participant to defer receipt of the payment of cash or the delivery of shares that would otherwise be due to the Participant in connection with any Grant.  The Plan Administrator shall establish rules and procedures for any such deferrals, consistent with applicable requirements of section 409A of the Code and applicable provisions of the Income Tax Act (Canada).

 

15.                                Withholding of Taxes .

 

(a)            Required Withholding .  All Grants under the Plan shall be subject to satisfaction of all applicable Withholding Taxes.  The Company may require that the Participant or other person receiving or exercising Grants pay to the Company the amount of any Withholding Taxes that the Company is required to withhold with respect to such Grants, or the Company may at its sole discretion and to the extent permitted by law, deduct from other wages paid by the Company the amount of any Withholding Taxes due with respect to such Grants.

 

(b)            Election to Withhold Shares .  If the Plan Administrator so permits, a Participant may elect to satisfy the Withholding Taxes with respect to Grants paid in Company Stock by having shares withheld, at the time such Grants become taxable, up to an amount that does not exceed the minimum applicable Withholding Tax rate.  The election must be in a form and manner prescribed by the Plan Administrator.

 

16.                                Transferability of Grants .

 

(a)            Restrictions on Transfer .  Except as described below, only the Participant may exercise rights under a Grant during the Participant’s lifetime, and a Participant may not transfer those rights except by will or by the laws of descent and distribution.  When a Participant dies, the personal representative or other person entitled to succeed to the rights of the Participant may exercise such rights.  Any such successor must furnish proof satisfactory to the Company of his or her right to receive the Grant under the Participant’s will or under the applicable laws of descent and distribution.

 

(b)            Transfer of Nonqualified Stock Options to or for Family Members .  Notwithstanding the foregoing but subject to applicable securities legislation, the Plan Administrator may provide, in a Grant Agreement, that a Participant may transfer Nonqualified Stock Options to family members, or one or more trusts or other entities for the benefit of or owned by family members, consistent with the applicable securities laws, according to such terms as the Plan Administrator may determine; provided that the Participant receives no consideration for the transfer of an Option and the transferred Option shall continue to be subject to the same terms and conditions as were applicable to the Option immediately before the transfer.

 

17.                                Consequences of a Change of Control .

 

In the event of a Change of Control, the Plan Administrator may take any one or more of the following actions with respect to all outstanding Grants, without the consent of any Participant: (i) the Plan Administrator may determine that outstanding Options and SARs shall become fully

 

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exercisable, and restrictions on outstanding Stock Awards, Restricted Stock Units, Performance Units and Stock-Based Awards shall lapse so that such Grants shall become fully vested, as of the date of the Change of Control or at such other time as the Plan Administrator determines, (ii) the Plan Administrator may require that Participants surrender their outstanding Options and SARs in exchange for one or more payments by the Company, in cash or Company Stock as determined by the Plan Administrator, in an amount equal to the amount by which the then Fair Market Value of the shares of Company Stock subject to the Participant’s unexercised Options and SARs exceeds the Exercise Price (or the Base Price), if any, payable in accordance with the same exercise or vesting schedule applicable to those Grants and on such other terms as the Plan Administrator determines, (iii) after giving Participants an opportunity to exercise their outstanding Options and SARs, the Plan Administrator may terminate any or all unexercised Options and SARs at such time as the Plan Administrator deems appropriate, (iv) with respect to Participants holding Restricted Stock Units, Performance Units, Other Stock-Based Awards or Dividend Equivalents, the Plan Administrator may determine that such Participants shall receive one or more payments in settlement of such Restricted Stock Units, Performance Units, Other Stock-Based Awards or Dividend Equivalents, in such amount and form and on such terms as may be determined by the Plan Administrator (including payment in accordance with the same vesting schedule applicable to those Grants), (v) the Plan Administrator may terminate all unvested Restricted Stock Units, Performance Units, Other Stock-Based Awards or Dividend Equivalents and require the surrender of any unvested shares subject to Stock Awards or (vi) the Plan Administrator may determine that Grants that remain outstanding after the Change of Control shall be assumed by the successor corporation or otherwise continued in effect.  Such acceleration, surrender, termination, settlement or assumption shall take place as of the date of the Change of Control or such other date as the Plan Administrator may specify.

 

(a)            Other Transactions .  The Plan Administrator may provide in a Grant Agreement that a sale or other transaction involving a subsidiary or other business unit of the Company shall be considered a Change of Control for purposes of a Grant, or the Plan Administrator may establish other provisions that shall be applicable in the event of a specified transaction.

 

18.                                Requirements for Issuance of Shares .

 

No Company Stock shall be issued in connection with any Grant hereunder unless and until all legal requirements applicable to the issuance of such Company Stock have been complied with to the satisfaction of the Plan Administrator.  The Plan Administrator shall have the right to condition any Grant made to any Participant hereunder on such Participant’s undertaking in writing to comply with such restrictions on his or her subsequent disposition of such shares of Company Stock as the Plan Administrator shall deem necessary or advisable, and certificates representing such shares may be legended to reflect any such restrictions.  Certificates representing shares of Company Stock issued under the Plan will be subject to such stop-transfer orders and other restrictions as may be required by applicable laws, regulations and interpretations, including any requirement that a legend be placed thereon.  No Participant shall have any right as a shareholder with respect to Company Stock covered by a Grant until shares have been issued to the Participant.

 

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19.                                Effective Date, Amendment and Termination of the Plan .

 

(a)            Effective Date .  The Plan became effective upon its adoption by the shareholders at the 2006 Annual Shareholders Meeting.  The Plan was amended on July 29, 2010 to increase the number of shares of Common Stock authorized for issuance under the Plan by an additional 1,900,000 shares, extend the term of the Plan to September 6, 2020 and make certain other technical amendments, subject to shareholder approval at the 2010 Annual Shareholders Meeting.

 

(b)            Amendment .  The Board may amend or terminate the Plan at any time; provided, however, no amendment or termination of this Plan shall, without the consent of the Participant, materially impair any rights or obligations under any Grant previously made to the Participant under the Plan, unless such right has been reserved in the Plan or the Grant Agreement.  In addition, amendments to the Plan shall be subject to approval of the shareholders and regulatory authorities to the extent required by applicable law or regulation or pursuant to the rules or listing standards of any securities exchange (or the Nasdaq National Market or AIM) on which the Company Stock is traded.  For greater specificity, the Board may make such amendments to the Plan as it deems desirable or necessary, without the approval of the Company’s shareholders, except any such amendment to:  (i) change the maximum number of shares of Company Stock that may be issued under the Plan, whether as a fixed number of shares or as a fixed percentage of the number of shares outstanding from time to time (other than to reflect an adjustment pursuant to Section 5(f), unless otherwise required by any securities exchange or market on which the shares of the Company are listed); (ii) materially increase benefits to Participants, including any change to permit a repricing or decrease the Exercise Price of an Option; (iii) reduce the exercise price or purchase price or extend the term of any Grant under the Plan which would benefit an Insider; (iv) materially expand the class of participants eligible to participate in the Plan; (v) expand the types of awards provided under the Plan; or (vi) any amendment to Section 5(e) (the insider participation limit) or this Section 19(b).  Notwithstanding anything in the Plan to the contrary but subject to this Section 19(b), the Board may amend the Plan in such manner as it deems appropriate in the event of a change in applicable law or regulations.

 

(c)            Termination of Plan .  Subject to shareholder approval, the Plan shall terminate on September 6, 2020, unless the Plan is terminated earlier by the Board or is extended by the Board with the approval of the shareholders.  The termination of the Plan shall not impair the power and authority of the Plan Administrator with respect to an outstanding Grant.

 

20.                                Miscellaneous .

 

(a)            Compliance with Law .  The Plan, the exercise of Options and SARs and the obligations of the Company to issue or transfer shares of Company Stock under Grants shall be subject to all applicable laws and to approvals by any governmental or regulatory agency as may be required.  With respect to Section 16 Insiders, it is the intent of the Company that the Plan and all transactions under the Plan comply with all applicable provisions of Rule 16b-3 or its successors under the Exchange Act.  In addition, it is the intent of the Company that Incentive Stock Options comply with the applicable provisions of section 422 of the Code, that Grants of “qualified performance-based compensation” comply with the applicable provisions of section 162(m) of the Code and that, to the extent applicable, Grants comply with the requirements of

 

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section 409A of the Code.  To the extent that any legal requirement of section 16 of the Exchange Act or section 422, 162(m) or 409A of the Code as set forth in the Plan ceases to be required under section 16 of the Exchange Act or section 422, 162(m) or 409A of the Code, that Plan provision shall cease to apply.  The Plan Administrator may revoke any Grant if it is contrary to law or modify a Grant to bring it into compliance with any valid and mandatory government regulation.  The Plan Administrator may also adopt rules regarding the withholding of taxes on payments to Participants.  The Plan Administrator may, in its sole discretion, agree to limit its authority under this Section.

 

(b)            Enforceability .  The Plan shall be binding upon and enforceable against the Company and its successors and assigns.

 

(c)            Funding of the Plan; Limitation on Rights .  This Plan shall be unfunded.  The Company shall not be required to establish any special or separate fund or to make any other segregation of assets to assure the payment of any Grants under this Plan.  Nothing contained in the Plan and no action taken pursuant hereto shall create or be construed to create a fiduciary relationship between the Company and any Participant or any other person.  No Participant or any other person shall under any circumstances acquire any property interest in any specific assets of the Company.  To the extent that any person acquires a right to receive payment from the Company hereunder, such right shall be no greater than the right of any unsecured general creditor of the Company.

 

(d)            Participation Voluntary .  The participation of any Participant of the Plan is entirely voluntary and not obligatory and shall not be interpreted as conferring any rights or privileges, other than those rights and privileges expressly provided in the Plan.  In particular, participation in the Plan does not constitute a condition of employment, appointment or engagement to provide services, or constitute a commitment on the part of the Employer to continued employment, appointment or engagement to provide services, and neither the Plan nor any Grant under the Plan shall be construed as granting a Participant a right to be retained as an Employee, Non-Employee Director or Consultant or a claim or right to any future Grants under the Plan.  Neither the Plan nor any action taken hereunder shall interfere with the right of the Employer to terminate the employment, appointment or provision of services of such Participant at any time.  The payment of any sum of money in cash in lieu of notice of termination of employment, appointment or provision of services shall not be considered as extending the period of employment, appointment or the provision of services for the purposes of the Plan.

 

(e)            No Fractional Shares .  No fractional shares of Company Stock shall be issued or delivered pursuant to the Plan or any Grant.  The Plan Administrator shall determine whether cash, other awards or other property shall be issued or paid in lieu of such fractional shares or whether such fractional shares or any rights thereto shall be forfeited or otherwise eliminated.

 

(f)             Employees Resident Outside the United States .  With respect to Participants who are resident in countries other than the United States, the Plan Administrator may make Grants on such terms and conditions as the Plan Administrator deems appropriate to comply with the laws of the applicable countries, and the Plan Administrator may create such procedures, addenda and subplans and make such modifications as may be necessary or advisable to comply with such laws.

 

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(g)            Governing Law .  The validity, construction, interpretation and effect of the Plan and Grant Agreements issued under the Plan shall be governed and construed by and determined in accordance with the laws of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania without giving effect to the conflict of laws provisions thereof.

 

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