UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

 

FORM 8-K

 

CURRENT REPORT

Pursuant to Section 13 OR 15(d) of The Securities Exchange Act of 1934

 

June 16, 2015

Date of Report (Date of earliest event reported)

 

INVIVO THERAPEUTICS HOLDINGS CORP.

(Exact Name of Registrant as Specified in Charter)

 

Nevada

 

001-37350

 

36-4528166

(State or Other

 

(Commission File Number)

 

(IRS Employer

Jurisdiction of Incorporation)

 

 

 

Identification No.)

 

One Kendall Square, Suite B14402

Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139

(Address of Principal Executive Offices)  (Zip Code)

 

(617) 863-5500

(Registrant’s telephone number, including area code)

 

Check the appropriate box below if the Form 8-K filing is intended to simultaneously satisfy the filing obligation of the registrant under any of the following provisions ( see General Instruction A.2. below):

 

o Written communications pursuant to Rule 425 under the Securities Act (17 CFR 230.425)

 

o Soliciting material pursuant to Rule 14a-12 under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.14a-12)

 

o Pre-commencement communications pursuant to Rule 14d-2(b) under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.14d-2(b))

 

o Pre-commencement communications pursuant to Rule 13e-4(c) under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.13e-4(c))

 

 

 



 

Item 5.02.                                         Departure of Directors or Certain Officers; Election of Directors; Appointment of Certain Officers; Compensatory Arrangements of Certain Officers.

 

(e)

 

On June 16, 2015, InVivo Therapeutics Holdings Corp. (the “Company”) held its 2015 Annual Meeting of Stockholders (the “Annual Meeting”). At the Annual Meeting, the Company’s stockholders approved the Company’s Employee Stock Purchase Plan. A description of the material terms and conditions of the Employee Stock Purchase Plan appears on pages 33-35 of the Company’s definitive proxy statement for the Annual Meeting filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on April 29, 2015 (the “Proxy Statement”), and such description is incorporated herein by reference. This summary is qualified in its entirety by the full text of the Employee Stock Purchase Plan, which is filed herewith as Exhibit 10.1 to this Current Report on Form 8-K and is incorporated herein by reference.

 

At the Annual Meeting, the Company’s stockholders also approved the Company’s 2015 Equity Incentive Plan. A description of the material terms and conditions of the 2015 Equity Incentive Plan appears on pages 36-44 of the Proxy Statement and such description is incorporated herein by reference. This summary is qualified in its entirety by the full text of the 2015 Equity Incentive Plan, which is filed herewith as Exhibit 10.2 to this Current Report on Form 8-K and is incorporated herein by reference.

 

On June 16, 2015, the Compensation Committee of the Company’s Board of Directors (the “Compensation Committee”) approved a change in the bonus target for its senior executives (other than the Company’s Chief Executive Officer) from 25% to 35% of the senior executive’s base salary, effective with the 2015 annual incentive bonus plan.

 

Item 5.07.                                         Submission of Matters to a Vote of Security Holders.

 

Set forth below are the matters submitted to the stockholders at the Annual Meeting, all of which were approved:

 

·                   the election of two (2) Class I directors to serve on the Company’s Board of Directors for a three-year term ending at the Company’s annual meeting of stockholders in 2018 and one (1) new Class III director to serve on the Company’s Board of Directors for a term ending at the Company’s annual meeting of stockholders in 2017, or until their successors are duly elected and qualified;

 

·                   the approval of the Company’s Employee Stock Purchase Plan;

 

·                   the approval of the Company’s 2015 Equity Incentive Plan; and

 

·                   the ratification of the appointment of Wolf & Company, P.C. as the Company’s independent registered public accounting firm for the fiscal year ending December 31, 2015.

 

The number of votes for, withheld or against and the number of abstentions and non-votes with respect to each matter are set forth below.

 

Election of Directors

 

Class I Nominees

 

Nominee

 

For Votes

 

Withheld Votes

 

Broker Non-Votes

Kenneth DiPietro

 

5,960,450

 

117,121

 

12,310,770

Richard J. Roberts

 

5,958,215

 

119,356

 

12,310,770

 

Class III Nominee

 

Nominee

 

For Votes

 

Withheld Votes

 

Broker Non-Votes

C. Ann Merrifield

 

5,965,855

 

111,716

 

12,310,770

 

2



 

Approval of Employee Stock Purchase Plan

 

For

 

Against

 

Abstain

 

Broker Non-Votes

5,683,751

 

312,299

 

81,521

 

12,310,770

 

Approval of 2015 Equity Incentive Plan

 

For

 

Against

 

Abstain

 

Broker Non-Votes

4,663,919

 

1,299,410

 

114,242

 

12,310,770

 

Ratification of the Appointment of Wolf & Company, P.C. as the Company’s Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm for the Fiscal Year Ending December 31, 2015

 

For

 

Against

 

Abstain

 

Broker Non-Votes

17,826,115

 

270,633

 

291,593

 

0

 

Item 7.01.                                         Regulation FD Disclosure.

 

On June 16, 2015, the Company posted an updated investor presentation in the “Investor Relations” section of its website at www.invivotherapeutics.com.

 

Item 8.01.                                         Other Events.

 

The Company’s Board of Directors (the “Board”) has approved certain changes in its committees and has appointed Ann Merrifield as Lead Director.  The Board approved a split of its Governance, Nominating and Compensation Committee into two standing committees, the Compensation Committee and the Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee, and approved the following Chairpersons and members of each of its standing committees:

 

 

 

 

 

Nominating and Corporate

Audit Committee

 

Compensation Committee

 

Governance Committee

 

 

 

 

 

John A. McCarthy, Jr., Chair

 

Kenneth DiPietro, Chair

 

Ann Merrifield, Chair

Dan Marshak

 

Dan Marshak

 

John A. McCarthy, Jr.

Ann Merrifield

 

Dr. Richard Roberts

 

Kenneth DiPietro

 

 

 

 

Dr. Richard Roberts

 

Item 9.01.                                         Financial Statements and Exhibits.

 

(d)                                  Exhibits .

 

Exhibit

 

 

Number

 

Description

 

 

 

10.1

 

Employee Stock Purchase Plan.

 

 

 

10.2

 

2015 Equity Incentive Plan.

 

3



 

SIGNATURES

 

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned hereunto duly authorized.

 

 

INVIVO THERAPEUTICS HOLDINGS CORP.

 

 

Date: June 16, 2015

By:

/s/ Tamara Joseph

 

Name:

Tamara Joseph

 

Title:

SVP, General Counsel & Chief Compliance Officer

 

 

 

 

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EXHIBIT INDEX

 

Exhibit

 

 

Number

 

Description

 

 

 

10.1

 

Employee Stock Purchase Plan.

 

 

 

10.2

 

2015 Equity Incentive Plan.

 

5


Exhibit 10.1

 

INVIVO THERAPEUTICS HOLDINGS CORP.

EMPLOYEE STOCK PURCHASE PLAN

 

InVivo Therapeutics Holdings Corp., a Nevada corporation (the “ Company ”), hereby adopts the InVivo Therapeutics Holdings Corp. Employee Stock Purchase Plan, as amended from time to time (the “ Plan ”), effective as of July 1, 2015 (the “ Effective Date ”).

 

1.   Purpose.   The purposes of the Plan are as follows:

 

(a)           To encourage and assist employees of the Company and its Designated Subsidiaries (as defined below) in acquiring a stock ownership interest in the Company pursuant to a plan which is intended to qualify as an “employee stock purchase plan” within the meaning of Section 423(b) of the Code (as defined in Section 2 below).

 

(b)           To help employees provide for their future security and to encourage them to remain in the employment of the Company and its Designated Subsidiaries.

 

2.   Definitions.

 

(a)           “ Administrator ” shall mean the administrator of the Plan, as determined pursuant to Section 14 hereof.

 

(b)           “ Board ” shall mean the Board of Directors of the Company.

 

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

 

(d)           “ Committee ” shall mean the committee appointed to administer the Plan pursuant to Section 14 hereof.

 

(e)           “ Common Stock ” shall mean the common stock of the Company.

 

(f)            “ Company ” shall mean InVivo Therapeutics Holdings Corp., a Nevada corporation, and any successor by merger, consolidation or otherwise.

 

(g)           “ Compensation ” shall mean all base straight time salary or wages and commissions paid to an Eligible Employee from the Company or a Designated Subsidiary. For purposes of this Plan, “Compensation” does not include the following: (i) overtime pay; (ii) shift premium pay, (iii) incentive compensation and/or payments; (iv) bonuses; (v) expense reimbursements; (vi) fringe benefits and (vii) any other forms of extraordinary compensation.

 

(h)           “ Designated Subsidiary ” shall mean any Subsidiary which has been designated by the Administrator from time to time in its sole discretion as eligible to participate in the Plan. The Administrator may designate, or terminate the designation of, a subsidiary as a Designated Subsidiary without the approval of the stockholders of the Company.

 

(i)            “ Eligible Employee ” shall mean an Employee of the Company or a Designated Subsidiary: (i) who does not, immediately after the option is granted, own stock possessing five percent (5%) or more of the total combined voting power or value of all classes of stock of the Company, a Parent or a Subsidiary (as determined under Section 423(b)(3) of the Code); (ii) whose customary employment is for more than twenty (20) hours per week; and (iii) whose customary employment is for more than five (5) months in any calendar year. For purposes of clause (i) in the preceding sentence, the rules of Section 424(d) of the Code with regard to the attribution of stock ownership shall apply in determining the stock ownership of an individual, and stock which an Employee may purchase under outstanding options shall be treated as stock owned by the Employee. For purposes of the Plan, the employment relationship shall be treated as continuing intact while the individual is on sick leave or other leave of absence approved by the

 



 

Company or Designated Subsidiary and meeting the requirements of Treasury Regulation Section 1.421-l(h)(2). Where the period of leave exceeds ninety (90) days and the individual’s right to reemployment is not guaranteed either by statute or by contract, the employment relationship shall be deemed to have terminated on the ninety-first (91st) day of such leave.

 

(j)            “ Employee ” shall mean any person who renders services to the Company or a Subsidiary in the status of a common law employee within the meaning of Code Section 340l(c). “Employee” shall not include any director of the Company or a Subsidiary who does not render services to the Company or a Subsidiary in the status of an employee within the meaning of Code Section 340l(c).

 

(k)           “ Enrollment Date ” shall mean the first Trading Day of each Offering Period.

 

(l)            “ Exercise Date ” shall mean each June 30 and December 31 of each calendar year or the last preceding Trading Date within the Offering Period.

 

(m)          “ Fair Market Value ” shall mean, as of any date, the value of Common Stock determined as follows:

 

(i)            If the Common Stock is listed on any established stock exchange or a national market system, its Fair Market Value shall be the closing price for such stock (or the closing bid, if no sales were reported) as quoted on such exchange or system for such date, or if no bids or sales were reported for such date, then the closing price (or the closing bid, if no sales were reported) on the trading date immediately prior to such date during which a bid or sale occurred, in each case, as reported in The Wall Street Journal or such other source as the Administrator deems reliable;

 

(ii)           If the Common Stock is regularly quoted by a recognized securities dealer but selling prices are not reported, its Fair Market Value shall be the mean of the closing bid and asked prices for the Common Stock on such date, or if no closing bid and asked prices were reported for such date, the date immediately prior to such date during which closing bid and asked prices were quoted for the Common Stock, in each case, as reported in The Wall Street Journal or such other source as the Administrator deems reliable; or

 

(iii)          In the absence of an established market for the Common Stock, the Fair Market Value thereof shall be determined in good faith by the Administrator.

 

(n)           “ Offering Date ” shall mean each January 1 and July 1 in a calendar year, or the first Trading Day after such date.

 

(o)           “ Offering Period ” shall mean subject to Section 24, each six (6) month period beginning on an Offering Date and ending on the next succeeding Exercise Date. The duration and timing of Offering Periods may be changed pursuant to Section 4 of this Plan.

 

(p)           “ Parent ” means any corporation, other than the Company, in an unbroken chain of corporations ending with the Company if, at the time of the determination, each of the corporations other than the Company owns stock possessing 50% or more of the total combined voting power of all classes of stock in one of the other corporations in such chain.

 

(q)           “ Plan ” shall mean the InVivo Therapeutics Holdings Corp. Employee Stock Purchase Plan, as may be amended from time to time.

 

(r)            “ Purchase Price ” shall mean the lower of (i) 85% of the Fair Market Value of a share of Common Stock on the Offering Date or (ii) 85% of the Fair Market Value of a share of Common Stock on the Exercise Date; provided, however, that the Purchase Price may be adjusted by the Administrator pursuant to Section 20; provided, further, that the Purchase Price shall not be less than the par value of a share of Common Stock.

 

2



 

(s)            “ Subsidiary ” shall mean any corporation, other than the Company, in an unbroken chain of corporations beginning with the Company if, at the time of the determination, each of the corporations other than the last corporation in an unbroken chain owns stock possessing 50% or more of the total combined voting power of all classes of stock in one of the other corporations in such chain.

 

(t)            “ Trading Day ” shall mean a day on which national stock exchanges are open for trading.

 

3.   Eligibility.

 

(a)           Any Eligible Employee who shall be employed by the Company or a Designated Subsidiary on a given Enrollment Date for an Offering Period shall be eligible to participate in the Plan during such Offering Period, subject to the requirements of Section 5 and the limitations imposed by Section 423(b) of the Code.

 

(b)           Each individual who, during the course of an Offering Period, first becomes an Eligible Employee subsequent to the Enrollment Date will be eligible to become a participant in the Plan on the first Enrollment Date following the day on which such individual becomes an Eligible Employee, subject to the requirements of Section 5 and the limitations imposed by Section 423(b) of the Code.

 

(c)           No Eligible Employee shall be granted an option under the Plan which permits his or her rights to purchase stock under the Plan, and to purchase stock under all other employee stock purchase plans of the Company, any Parent or any Subsidiary subject to the Section 423, to accrue at a rate which exceeds $25,000 of Fair Market Value of such stock (determined at the time the option is granted) for each calendar year in which the option is outstanding at any time. For purposes of the limitation imposed by this Section 3(c), the right to purchase stock under an option accrues when the option (or any portion thereof) first becomes exercisable during the calendar year, the right to purchase stock under an option accrues at the rate provided in the option, but in no case may such rate exceed $25,000 of fair market value of such stock (determined at the time such option is granted) for any one calendar year, and a right to purchase stock which has accrued under an option may not be carried over to any option. This limitation shall be applied in accordance with Section 423(b)(8) of the Code and the Treasury Regulations thereunder.

 

4.   Offering Periods.   Subject to Section 24 hereof, the Plan shall be implemented by successive Offering Periods which shall continue until the Plan expires or is terminated in accordance with Section 20 hereof. The Administrator shall have the power to change the duration of Offering Periods (including the commencement dates thereof) with respect to future offerings without stockholder approval if such change is announced at least five (5) days prior to the scheduled beginning of the first Offering Period to be affected thereafter. In no event may an Offering Period exceed twenty-seven (27) months in duration.

 

5.   Participation.

 

(a)           For each Offering Period, an Eligible Employee may become a participant in the Plan by completing a subscription agreement authorizing payroll deductions, in the form attached hereto as Exhibit A , and filing it with the Company’s payroll office fifteen (15) days (or such shorter or longer period as may be determined by the Administrator, in its sole discretion) prior to the applicable Enrollment Date.

 

(b)           Each person who, during the course of an Offering Period, first becomes an Eligible Employee subsequent to the Enrollment Date will be eligible to become a participant in the Plan on the first Enrollment Date following the day on which such person becomes an Eligible Employee. Such person may become a participant in the Plan by completing a subscription

 

3



 

agreement authorizing payroll deductions, in the form attached hereto as Exhibit A , and filing it with the Company’s payroll office fifteen (15) days (or such shorter or longer period as may be determined by the Administrator, in its sole discretion) prior to the first day of any Offering Period following the date such person becomes an Eligible Employee.

 

(c)           Except as provided in Section 5(a) hereof, payroll deductions for a participant shall commence on the first payroll following the Enrollment Date and shall end on the last payroll in the Offering Period to which such authorization is applicable, unless sooner terminated by the participant as provided in Section 10 hereof.

 

(d)           During a leave of absence approved by the Company or a Designated Subsidiary and meeting the requirements of Treasury Regulation Section 1.421-1(h)(2), a participant may continue to participate in the Plan by making cash payments to the Company on each pay day equal to the amount of the participant’s payroll deductions under the Plan for the pay day immediately preceding the first day of such participant’s leave of absence. If a leave of absence is unapproved or fails to meet the requirements of Treasury Regulation Section 1.421-1(h)(2), the participant will cease automatically to participate in the Plan. In such event, the Company will automatically cease to deduct the participant’s payroll under the Plan. The Company will pay to the participant his or her total payroll deductions for the Offering Period, in cash in one lump sum (without interest), as soon as practicable after the participant ceases to participate in the Plan.

 

(e)           A participant’s completion of a subscription agreement will enroll such participant in the Plan for each successive Offering Period on the terms contained therein until the participant either submits a new subscription agreement, withdraws from participation under the Plan as provided in Section 10 hereof or otherwise becomes ineligible to participate in the Plan.

 

6.   Payroll Deductions.

 

(a)           At the time a participant files his or her subscription agreement, he or she shall elect to have payroll deductions made on each pay day during the Offering Period in an amount from one percent (1%) to fifteen percent (15%) of the Compensation which he or she receives on each pay day during the Offering Period.

 

(b)           All payroll deductions made for a participant shall be credited to his or her account under the Plan and shall be withheld in whole percentages only. Except as described in Section 5(a) hereof, a participant may not make any additional payments into such account.

 

(c)           A participant may discontinue his or her participation in the Plan as provided in Section 10.

 

(d)           Notwithstanding the foregoing, to the extent necessary to comply with Section 423(b)(8) of the Code and Section 3(c) hereof, a participant’s payroll deductions may be decreased to zero percent (0%) at any time during an Offering Period.

 

(e)           At the time the option is exercised, in whole or in part, or at the time some or all of the Company’s Common Stock issued under the Plan is disposed of, the participant must make adequate provision for the Company’s federal, state, or other tax withholding obligations, if any, which arise upon the exercise of the option or the disposition of the Common Stock. At any time, the Company may, but shall not be obligated to, withhold from the participant’s compensation the amount necessary for the Company to meet applicable withholding obligations, including any withholding required to make available to the Company any tax deductions or benefits attributable to sale or early disposition of Common Stock by the Employee.

 

7.   Grant of Option.   On the Enrollment Date of each Offering Period, each Eligible Employee participating in such Offering Period shall be granted an option to purchase on the Exercise Date for such Offering Period (at the applicable Purchase Price) up to a number of shares of the Company’s

 

4



 

Common Stock determined by dividing such participant’s payroll deductions accumulated prior to such Exercise Date and retained in the participant’s account as of the Exercise Date by the applicable Purchase Price; provided, however, that in no event shall a participant be permitted to purchase during each Offering Period more than twelve thousand five hundred (12,500) shares of the Company’s Common Stock (subject to any adjustment pursuant to Section 19); and provided, further, that such purchase shall be subject to the limitations set forth in Sections 3(c) and 13 hereof. The Administrator may, for future Offering Periods, increase or decrease, in its absolute discretion, the maximum number of shares of the Company’s Common Stock a participant may purchase during each Offering Period. Exercise of the option shall occur as provided in Section 8 hereof, unless the participant has withdrawn pursuant to Section 10 hereof or otherwise becomes ineligible to participate in the Plan. The option shall expire on the last day of the Offering Period.

 

8.   Exercise of Option.

 

(a)           Unless a participant withdraws from the Plan as provided in Section 10 hereof or otherwise becomes ineligible to participate in the Plan, his or her option for the purchase of shares shall be exercised automatically on the Exercise Date, and the maximum number of full shares subject to the option shall be purchased for such participant at the applicable Purchase Price with the accumulated payroll deductions in his or her account. No fractional shares shall be purchased; any payroll deductions accumulated in a participant’s account which are not sufficient to purchase a full share shall be retained in the participant’s account for the subsequent Offering Period. During a participant’s lifetime, a participant’s option to purchase shares hereunder is exercisable only by him or her.

 

(b)           If the Administrator determines that, on a given Exercise Date, the number of shares with respect to which options are to be exercised may exceed (i) the number of shares of Common Stock that were available for sale under the Plan on the Enrollment Date of the applicable Offering Period, or (ii) the number of shares available for sale under the Plan on such Exercise Date, the Administrator may in its sole discretion (x) provide that the Company shall make a pro rata allocation of the shares of Common Stock available for purchase on such Enrollment Date or Exercise Date, as applicable, in as uniform a manner as shall be practicable and as it shall determine in its sole discretion to be equitable among all participants exercising options to purchase Common Stock on such Exercise Date, and continue all Offering Periods then in effect, or (y) provide that the Company shall make a pro rata allocation of the shares available for purchase on such Enrollment Date or Exercise Date, as applicable, in as uniform a manner as shall be practicable and as it shall determine in its sole discretion to be equitable among all participants exercising options to purchase Common Stock on such Exercise Date, and terminate any or all Offering Periods then in effect pursuant to Section 20 hereof. The Company may make pro rata allocation of the shares available on the Enrollment Date of any applicable Offering Period pursuant to the preceding sentence, notwithstanding full authorization of additional shares for issuance under the Plan by the Company’s stockholders subsequent to such Enrollment Date. The balance of the amount credited to the account of each participant which has not been applied to the purchase of shares of stock shall be paid to such participant in one lump sum in cash as soon as reasonably practicable after the Exercise Date, without any interest thereon.

 

9.   Deposit of Shares.   As promptly as practicable after each Exercise Date on which a purchase of shares occurs, the Company may arrange for the deposit, into each participant’s account with any broker designated by the Company to administer this Plan, of the number of shares purchased upon exercise of his or her option.

 

5



 

10.   Withdrawal.

 

(a)           A participant may withdraw all but not less than all of the payroll deductions credited to his or her account and not yet used to exercise his or her option under the Plan at any time by giving written notice to the Company, in the form attached hereto as Exhibit B . All of the participant’s payroll deductions credited to his or her account during the Offering Period shall be paid to such participant as soon as reasonably practicable after receipt of notice of withdrawal and such participant’s option for the Offering Period shall be automatically terminated, and no further payroll deductions for the purchase of shares shall be made for such Offering Period. If a participant withdraws from an Offering Period, payroll deductions shall not resume at the beginning of the succeeding Offering Period unless the participant delivers to the Company a new subscription agreement.

 

(b)           A participant’s withdrawal from an Offering Period shall not have any effect upon his or her eligibility to participate in any similar plan which may hereafter be adopted by the Company or in succeeding Offering Periods which commence after the termination of the Offering Period from which the participant withdraws.

 

11.   Termination of Employment.   Upon a participant’s ceasing to be an Eligible Employee for any reason, he or she shall be deemed to have elected to withdraw from the Plan and the payroll deductions credited to such participant’s account during the Offering Period shall be paid to such participant or, in the case of his or her death, to the person or persons entitled thereto under Section 15 hereof, as soon as reasonably practicable and such participant’s option for the Offering Period shall be automatically terminated.

 

12.   Interest.   No interest shall accrue on the payroll deductions or lump sum contributions of a participant in the Plan.

 

13.   Shares Subject to Plan.

 

(a)           Subject to adjustment upon changes in capitalization of the Company as provided in Section 19 hereof, the maximum initial number of shares of the Company’s Common Stock which shall be made available for sale under the Plan shall be one hundred eighty seven thousand five hundred (187,500) shares . In addition to the foregoing, subject to Section 19 hereof, commencing on the first day of the Company’s 2016 fiscal year and on the first day of each fiscal year thereafter during the term of the Plan, the number of shares of the Company’s Common Stock which shall be made available for sale under the Plan shall be increased by that number of shares of the Company’s Common Stock equal to the least of (i) one percent (1%) of the Company’s outstanding shares of Common Stock on such date, (ii) fifty thousand (50,000) shares or (iii) a lesser amount determined by the Board. Notwithstanding the foregoing, in no event shall the aggregate number of shares reserved for issuance under the Plan, during the term of the Plan, exceed one million two hundred fifty thousand (1,250,000) shares of the Company’s Common Stock during the term of the Plan, subject to adjustment as provided in Section 19 \hereof. If any right granted under the Plan shall for any reason terminate without having been exercised, the Common Stock not purchased under such right shall again become available for issuance under the Plan. The stock subject to the Plan may be unissued shares or reacquired shares, bought on the market or otherwise.

 

(b)           If any right granted under the Plan shall for any reason terminate without having been exercised, the Common Stock not purchased under such right shall again become available for issuance under the Plan. The stock subject to the Plan may be unissued shares or reacquired shares, bought on the market or otherwise.

 

(c)           With respect to shares of stock subject to an option granted under the Plan, a participant shall not be deemed to be a stockholder of the Company, and the participant shall not have any of

 

6



 

the rights or privileges of a stockholder, until such shares have been issued to the participant or his or her nominee following exercise of the participant’s option. No adjustments shall be made for dividends (ordinary or extraordinary, whether in cash securities, or other property) or distribution or other rights for which the record date occurs prior to the date of such issuance, except as otherwise expressly provided herein.

 

14.  Administration.

 

(a)           The Plan shall be administered by the Board unless and until the Board delegates administration to a Committee as set forth below. The Board may delegate administration of the Plan to a Committee comprised of two or more members of the Board, each of whom is a “non-employee director” within the meaning of Rule 16b-3 which has been adopted by the Securities and Exchange Commission under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, and which is otherwise constituted to comply with applicable law, and the term “Committee” shall apply to any persons to whom such authority has been delegated. If administration is delegated to a Committee, the Committee shall have, in connection with the administration of the Plan, the powers theretofore possessed by the Board, including the power to delegate to a subcommittee any of the administrative powers the Committee is authorized to exercise, subject, however, to such resolutions, not inconsistent with the provisions of the Plan, as may be adopted from time to time by the Board. Each member of the Committee shall serve for a term commencing on a date specified by the Board and continuing until the member dies or resigns or is removed from office by the Board. References in this Plan to the “Administrator” shall mean the Board unless administration is delegated to a Committee or subcommittee, in which case references in this Plan to the Administrator shall thereafter be to the Committee or subcommittee.

 

(b)           It shall be the duty of the Administrator to conduct the general administration of the Plan in accordance with the provisions of the Plan. The Administrator shall have the power to interpret the Plan and the terms of the options and to adopt such rules for the administration, interpretation, and application of the Plan as are consistent therewith and to interpret, amend or revoke any such rules. The Administrator at its option may utilize the services of an agent to assist in the administration of the Plan including establishing and maintaining an individual securities account under the Plan for each participant. In its absolute discretion, the Board may at any time and from time to time exercise any and all rights and duties of the Administrator under the Plan.

 

(c)           All expenses and liabilities incurred by the Administrator in connection with the administration of the Plan shall be borne by the Company. The Administrator may, with the approval of the Board, employ attorneys, consultants, accountants, appraisers, brokers or other persons. The Administrator, the Company and its officers and directors shall be entitled to rely upon the advice, opinions or valuations of any such persons. All actions taken and all interpretations and determinations made by the Administrator in good faith shall be final and binding upon all participants, the Company and all other interested persons. No member of the Board shall be personally liable for any action, determination or interpretation made in good faith with respect to the Plan or the options, and all members of the Board shall be fully protected by the Company in respect to any such action, determination, or interpretation.

 

15.   Designation of Beneficiary.

 

(a)           A participant may file a written designation of a beneficiary who is to receive any shares and cash, if any, from the participant’s account under the Plan in the event of such participant’s death subsequent to an Exercise Date on which the option is exercised but prior to delivery to such participant of such shares and cash. In addition, a participant may file a written designation of a beneficiary who is to receive any cash from the participant’s account under the Plan in the event of such participant’s death prior to exercise of the option. If a participant is married and the

 

7



 

designated beneficiary is not the spouse, spousal consent shall be required for such designation to be effective.

 

(b)           Such designation of beneficiary may be changed by the participant at any time by written notice to the Company. In the event of the death of a participant and in the absence of a beneficiary validly designated under the Plan who is living at the time of such participant’ s death, the Company shall deliver such shares and/or cash to the executor or administrator of the estate of the participant, or if no such executor or administrator has been appointed (to the knowledge of the Company), the Company, in its discretion, may deliver such shares and/or cash to the spouse or to any one or more dependents or relatives of the participant, \ or if no spouse, dependent or relative is known to the Company, then to such other person as the Company may designate.

 

16.   Transferability.   Neither payroll deductions credited to a participant’s account nor any rights with regard to the exercise of an option or to receive shares under the Plan may be assigned, transferred, pledged or otherwise disposed of in any way (other than by will, the laws of descent and distribution or as provided in Section 15 hereof) by the participant. Any such attempt at assignment, transfer, pledge or other disposition shall be without effect, except that the Company may treat such act as an election to withdraw funds from an Offering Period in accordance with Section 10 hereof.

 

17.   Use of Funds.   All payroll deductions received or held by the Company under the Plan may be used by the Company for any corporate purpose, and the Company shall not be obligated to segregate such payroll deductions.

 

18.   Reports.   Individual accounts shall be maintained for each participant in the Plan. Statements of account shall be given to participating Employees at least annually, which statements shall set forth the amounts of payroll deductions, the Purchase Price, the number of shares purchased and the remaining cash balance, if any.

 

19.   Adjustments Upon Changes in Capitalization, Dissolution, Liquidation, Merger or Asset Sale.

 

(a)   Changes in Capitalization.   In the event that any dividend or other distribution, reorganization, merger, consolidation, combination, repurchase, or exchange of Common Stock or other securities of the Company, or other change in the corporate structure of the Company affecting the Common Stock occurs such that an adjustment is determined by the Administrator (in its sole discretion) to be appropriate in order to prevent dilution or enlargement of the benefits or potential benefits intended to be made available under the Plan, then the Administrator shall, in such manner as it may deem equitable, adjust the number and class of Common Stock which have been authorized for issuance under this Plan but have not yet been placed under option, the number of shares subject to the Plan and limitations provided in Section 13 hereof, the maximum number of shares each participant may purchase each Offering Period (pursuant to Section 7 hereof), the number and class of Common Stock covered by each outstanding option, the purchase price per share of Common Stock covered by each option which has not yet been exercised.

 

(b)   Equity Restructuring.   In connection with the occurrence of any Equity Restructuring, and notwithstanding anything to the contrary in Section 19(a) hereof, the number and type of securities subject to each outstanding option and the price per share thereof, if applicable, will be equitably adjusted by the Administrator. The adjustments provided under this Section 19(b) hereof shall be nondiscretionary and shall be final and binding on the affected participants and the Company. “ Equity Restructuring ” means a non-reciprocal transaction (i.e. a transaction in which the Company does not receive consideration or other resources in respect of the transaction approximately equal to and in exchange for the consideration or resources the Company is relinquishing in such transaction) between the Company and its stockholders, such as a stock split, spin-off, rights offering, nonrecurring stock dividend or recapitalization through a large, nonrecurring cash dividend, that affects the shares of Common Stock (or other securities of the

 

8



 

Company) or the share price of Common Stock (or other securities) and causes a change in the per share value of the Common Stock underlying outstanding options.

 

(c)   Dissolution or Liquidation.   In the event of the proposed dissolution or liquidation of the Company, the Offering Period then in progress shall be shortened by setting a new Exercise Date (the “ New Exercise Date ”), and shall terminate immediately prior to the consummation of such proposed dissolution or liquidation, unless provided otherwise by the Administrator. The New Exercise Date shall be before the date of the Company’s proposed dissolution or liquidation. The Administrator shall notify each participant in writing, at least ten (10) business days prior to the New Exercise Date, that the Exercise Date for the participant’s option has been changed to the New Exercise Date and that the participant’s option shall be exercised automatically on the New Exercise Date, unless prior to such date the participant has withdrawn from the Offering Period as provided in Section 10 hereof.

 

(d)   Merger or Asset Sale.   In the event of a proposed sale of all or substantially all of the assets of the Company, or the merger of the Company with or into another corporation, each outstanding option shall be assumed or an equivalent option substituted by the successor corporation or a Parent or Subsidiary of the successor corporation. In the event that the successor corporation refuses to assume or substitute for the option, any Offering Period then in progress shall be shortened by setting a New Exercise Date and any Offering Periods then in progress shall end on the New Exercise Date. The New Exercise Date shall be before the date of the Company’s proposed sale or merger. The Administrator shall notify each participant in writing, at least ten (10) business days prior to the New Exercise Date, that the Exercise Date for the participant’s option has been changed to the New Exercise Date and that the participant’s option shall be exercised automatically on the New Exercise Date, unless prior to such date the participant has withdrawn from the Offering Period as provided in Section 10 hereof.

 

20.   Amendment or Termination.

 

(a)           The Board may, at any time and for any reason, terminate or amend the Plan. Except as provided in Section 19 hereof, no such termination can affect options previously granted, provided that an Offering Period may be terminated by the Board if the Board determines that the termination of the Offering Period or the Plan is in the best interests of the Company and its stockholders. Except as provided in Section 19 and this Section 20, no amendment may make any change in any option theretofore granted which adversely affects the rights of any participant without the consent of such participant. To the extent necessary to comply with Section 423 of the Code (or any successor rule or provision or any other applicable law, regulation or stock exchange rule), the Company shall obtain stockholder approval in such a manner and to such a degree as required.

 

(b)           Without stockholder consent and without regard to whether any participant rights may be considered to have been “adversely affected,” the Administrator shall be entitled to change the Offering Periods, limit the frequency and/or number of changes in the amount withheld during an Offering Period, establish the exchange ratio applicable to amounts withheld in a currency other than U.S. dollars, permit payroll withholding in excess of the amount designated by a participant in order to adjust for delays or mistakes in the Company’s processing of properly completed withholding elections, establish reasonable waiting and adjustment periods and/or accounting and crediting procedures to ensure that amounts applied toward the purchase of Common Stock for each participant properly correspond with amounts withheld from the participant’s Compensation, and establish such other limitations or procedures as the Administrator determines in its sole discretion advisable which are consistent with the Plan.

 

(c)           In the event the Board determines that the ongoing operation of the Plan may result in unfavorable financial accounting consequences, the Board may, in its discretion and, to the extent

 

9



 

necessary or desirable, modify or amend the Plan to reduce or eliminate such accounting consequence including, but not limited to:

 

(i)            altering the Purchase Price for any Offering Period including an Offering Period underway at the time of the change in Purchase Price;

 

(ii)           shortening any Offering Period so that the Offering Period ends on a new Exercise Date, including an Offering Period underway at the time of the Administrator action; and

 

(iii)          allocating shares.

 

Such modifications or amendments shall not require stockholder approval or the consent of any Plan participants.

 

21.   Notices.   All notices or other communications by a participant to the Company under or in connection with the Plan shall be deemed to have been duly given when received in the form specified by the Company at the location, or by the person, designated by the Company for the receipt thereof.

 

22.   Conditions To Issuance of Shares.   The Company shall not be required to issue or deliver any certificate or certificates for shares of Common Stock purchased upon the exercise of options prior to fulfillment of all the following conditions:

 

(a)           The admission of such shares to listing on all stock exchanges, if any, on which is then listed;

 

(b)           The completion of any registration or other qualification of such shares under any state or federal law or under the rulings or regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission or any other governmental regulatory body, which the Administrator shall, in its absolute discretion, deem necessary or advisable;

 

(c)           The obtaining of any approval or other clearance from any state or federal governmental agency which the Administrator shall, in its absolute discretion, determine to be necessary or advisable;

 

(d)           The payment to the Company of all amounts which it is required to withhold under federal, state or local law upon exercise of the option; and

 

(e)           The lapse of such reasonable period of time following the exercise of the Option as the Administrator may from time to time establish for reasons of administrative convenience.

 

23.   Term of Plan.   The Plan shall become effective on the Effective Date. Subject to approval by the stockholders of the Company in accordance with this Section, the Plan shall be in effect until the tenth (10th) anniversary of the Effective Date, unless sooner terminated under Section 20 hereof. The Plan shall be submitted for the approval of the Company’s stockholders within twelve (12) months after the date of the initial adoption of the Plan by the Board.

 

24.   Equal Rights and Privileges.   All Eligible Employees of the Company (or of any Designated Subsidiary) will have equal rights and privileges under this Plan so that this Plan qualifies as an “employee stock purchase plan” within the meaning of Section 423 of the Code or applicable Treasury regulations thereunder. Any provision of this Plan that is inconsistent with Section 423 or applicable Treasury regulations will, without further act or amendment by the Company, the Board or the Administrator, be reformed to comply with the equal rights and privileges requirement of Section 423 or applicable Treasury regulations.

 

25.   No Employment Rights.   Nothing in the Plan shall be construed to give any person (including any Eligible Employee or participant) the right to remain in the employ of the Company, a Parent or a Subsidiary or to affect the right of the Company, any Parent or any Subsidiary to terminate the

 

10



 

employment of any person (including any Eligible Employee or participant) at any time, with or without cause.

 

26.   Notice of Disposition of Shares.   Each participant shall give prompt notice to the Company of any disposition or other transfer of any shares of Common Stock purchased upon exercise of an option if such disposition or transfer is made: (a) within two (2) years from the Enrollment Date of the Offering Period in which the shares were purchased or (b) within one (1) year after the Exercise Date on which such shares were purchased. Such notice shall specify the date of such disposition or other transfer and the amount realized, in cash, other property, assumption of indebtedness or other consideration, by the participant in such disposition or other transfer.

 

27.   Governing Law.   The validity and enforceability of this Plan shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the State of Nevada without regard to otherwise governing principles of conflicts of law.

 

11


Exhibit 10.2

 

INVIVO THERAPEUTICS HOLDINGS CORP.

 

2015 EQUITY INCENTIVE PLAN

 



 

INVIVO THERAPEUTICS HOLDINGS CORP.

2015 EQUITY INCENTIVE PLAN

 

1.

Purpose

3

 

 

 

2.

Definitions

3

 

 

 

3.

Administration.

7

 

 

 

4.

Shares Subject to Plan.

8

 

 

 

5.

Eligibility; Per-Participant Limitations

9

 

 

 

6.

Specific Terms of Awards.

9

 

 

 

7.

Certain Provisions Applicable to Awards.

15

 

 

 

8.

Code Section 162(m) Provisions.

17

 

 

 

9.

Change in Control.

19

 

 

 

10.

General Provisions.

21

 

2



 

INVIVO THERAPEUTICS HOLDINGS CORP.

2015 EQUITY INCENTIVE PLAN

 

1.   Purpose .  The purpose of this INVIVO THERAPEUTICS HOLDINGS CORP. 2015 EQUITY INCENTIVE PLAN (the “ Plan ”) is to assist INVIVO THERAPEUTICS HOLDINGS CORP., a Nevada corporation (the “ Company ”), and its Related Entities (as defined below) in attracting, motivating, retaining and rewarding high-quality executives and other employees, officers, directors and consultants to the Company or its Related Entities by enabling such persons to acquire or increase a proprietary interest in the Company in order to strengthen the mutuality of interests between such persons and the Company’s shareholders, and providing such persons with performance incentives to expend their maximum efforts in the creation of shareholder value.

 

2.   Definitions .  For purposes of the Plan, the following terms shall be defined as set forth below, in addition to such terms defined in Section 1 and elsewhere herein.

 

(a)           “ Award ” means any Option, Stock Appreciation Right, Restricted Stock Award, Restricted Stock Unit Award, Share granted as a bonus or in lieu of another Award, Dividend Equivalent, Other Stock-Based Award or Performance Award, together with any other right or interest relating to Shares or other property (including cash), granted to a Participant under the Plan.

 

(b)           “ Award Agreement ” means any written agreement, contract or other instrument or document evidencing any Award granted by the Committee hereunder.

 

(c)           “ Beneficial Owner and “Beneficial Ownership” shall have the meaning ascribed to such term in Rule 13d-3 under the Exchange Act and any successor to such Rule.

 

(d)           “ Beneficiary ” means the person, persons, trust or trusts that have been designated by a Participant in his or her most recent written beneficiary designation filed with the Committee to receive the benefits specified under the Plan upon such Participant’s death or to which Awards or other rights are transferred if and to the extent permitted under Section 10(b) hereof. If, upon a Participant’s death, there is no designated Beneficiary or surviving designated Beneficiary, then the term Beneficiary means the person, persons, trust or trusts entitled by will or the laws of descent and distribution to receive such benefits.

 

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

 

(f)            “ Cause ” shall, with respect to any Participant, have the meaning specified in the Award Agreement. In the absence of any definition in the Award Agreement, “Cause” shall have the equivalent meaning or the same meaning as “cause” or “for cause” set forth in any employment, consulting, or other agreement for the performance of services between the Participant and the Company or a Related Entity or, in the absence of any such agreement or any such definition in such agreement, such term shall mean (i) the failure by the Participant to perform, in a reasonable manner, his or her duties as assigned by the Company or a Related Entity; (ii) any violation or breach by the Participant of his or her employment, consulting or other similar agreement with the Company or a Related Entity, if any; (iii) any violation or breach by the Participant of any non-competition, non-solicitation, non- disclosure and/or other similar agreement with the Company or a Related Entity; (iv) any act by the Participant of dishonesty or bad faith with respect to the Company or a Related Entity; (v) any material violation or breach by the Participant of the Company’s or Related Entity’s policy for employee conduct, if any; (vi) use of alcohol, drugs or other similar substances in a manner that adversely affects the Participant’s work performance, or (vii) the commission by the Participant of any act, misdemeanor, or crime reflecting unfavorably upon the Participant or the Company or any Related Entity. The good faith determination by the Committee of whether the Participant’s Continuous Service was terminated by the Company for “Cause” shall be final and binding for all purposes hereunder.

 

3



 

(g)           “ Change in Control ” means a Change in Control as defined in Section 9(b) hereof.

 

(h)           “ Code ” means the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended from time to time, including regulations thereunder and successor provisions and regulations thereto.

 

(i)            “ Committee ” means the Governance, Nominating and Compensation Committee of the Board, a subcommittee thereof formed by the such committee to act as the Committee under this Plan, or such other committee as the Board of Directors shall appoint from time to time; provided, however, that if the Board fails to designate a committee or if there are no longer any members on the committee so designated by the Board, or for any other reason determined by the Board, then the Board shall serve as the Committee. While it is intended that the Committee shall consist of at least two directors, each of whom shall be (i) a “non-employee director” within the meaning of Rule 16b-3 (or any successor rule) under the Exchange Act, unless administration of the Plan by “non-employee directors” is not then required in order for exemptions under Rule 16b-3 to apply to transactions under the Plan, (ii) an “outside director” within the meaning of Section 162(m) of the Code, and (iii) “Independent,” the failure of the Committee to be so comprised shall not invalidate any Award that otherwise satisfies the terms of the Plan.

 

(j)            “ Consultant ” means any consultant or advisor who is a natural person and who provides services to the Company or any Related Entity, so long as such person (i) renders bona fide services that are not in connection with the offer and sale of the Company’s securities in a capital- raising transaction, (ii) does not directly or indirectly promote or maintain a market for the Company’s securities and (iii) otherwise qualifies as a de facto employee or consultant under the applicable rules of the SEC for registration of shares of stock on a Form S-8 registration statement.

 

(k)           “ Continuous Service ” means the uninterrupted provision of services to the Company or any Related Entity in any capacity of Employee, Director or Consultant. Continuous Service shall not be considered to be interrupted in the case of (i) any approved leave of absence, (ii) transfers among the Company, any Related Entities, or any successor entities, in any capacity of Employee, Director or Consultant, or (iii) any change in status as long as the individual remains in the service of the Company or a Related Entity in any capacity of Employee, Director or Consultant (except as otherwise provided in the Award Agreement). An approved leave of absence shall include sick leave, military leave, or any other authorized personal leave.

 

(l)            “ Covered Employee” means the Person who, as of the end of the taxable year, either is the principal executive officer of the Company or is serving as the acting principal executive officer of the Company, and each other Person whose compensation is required to be disclosed in the Company’s filings with the SEC by reason of that person being among the three highest compensated officers of the Company (other than the chief financial officer) as of the end of a taxable year, or such other person as shall be considered a “covered employee” for purposes of Section 162(m) of the Code.

 

(m)          “ Director ” means a member of the Board or the board of directors of any Related Entity.

 

(n)           “ Disability ” means a Participant’s eligibility to receive long-term disability benefits under a plan sponsored by the Company or a Related Entity, or if no such plan is applicable, a Participant’s inability to perform the essential functions of his or her duties due to a medically- determinable physical or mental impairment, illness or injury, which can be expected to result in death or to be of long-continued and indefinite duration as determined in the sole discretion of the Committee. Notwithstanding the foregoing, in the case of any Option that is an Incentive Stock Option, if and to the extent required in order for the Option to satisfy the requirements of Section 422 of the Code, the term “Disability” means disabled within the meaning of Section 22(e)(3) of the Code.

 

4



 

(o)           “ Dividend Equivalent ” means a right, granted to a Participant under Section 6(g) hereof, to receive cash, Shares, other Awards or other property equal in value to dividends paid with respect to a specified number of Shares, or other periodic payments.

 

(p)           “ Effective Date ” means the effective date of the Plan, which shall be April 16, 2015.

 

(q)           “ Eligible Person ” means each officer, Director, Employee or Consultant to the Company or any Related Entity. The foregoing notwithstanding, only Employees of the Company, or any parent corporation or subsidiary corporation of the Company (as those terms are defined in Sections 424(e) and (f) of the Code, respectively), shall be Eligible Persons for purposes of receiving any Incentive Stock Options. An Employee on leave of absence may, in the discretion of the Committee, be considered as still in the employ of the Company or a Related Entity for purposes of eligibility for participation in the Plan.

 

(r)            “ Employee ” means any person, including an officer or Director, who is an employee of the Company or any Related Entity, or is a prospective employee of the Company or any Related Entity (conditioned upon and effective not earlier than such person becoming an employee of the Company or any Related Entity). The payment of a director’s fee by the Company or a Related Entity shall not be sufficient to constitute “employment” by the Company.

 

(s)            “ Exchange Act ” means the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended from time to time, including rules thereunder and successor provisions and rules thereto.

 

(t)            “ Fair Market Value ” means the fair market value of Shares, Awards or other property as determined by the Committee, or under procedures established by the Committee. Unless otherwise determined by the Committee, the Fair Market Value of a Share as of any given date shall be the closing sale price per Share reported on a consolidated basis for stock listed on the principal stock exchange or market on which Shares are traded on the date as of which such value is being determined (or as of such later measurement date as determined by the Committee on the date the Award is authorized by the Committee), or, if there is no sale on that date, then on the last previous day on which a sale was reported.

 

(u)           “ Good Reason ” shall, with respect to any Participant, have the meaning specified in the Award Agreement. In the absence of any definition in the Award Agreement, “Good Reason” shall have the equivalent meaning or the same meaning as “good reason” or “for good reason” set forth in any employment, consulting or other agreement for the performance of services between the Participant and the Company or a Related Entity or, in the absence of any such agreement or any such definition in such agreement, such term shall mean (i) the assignment to the Participant of any duties inconsistent in any material respect with the Participant’s position (including status, offices, titles and reporting requirements), authority, duties or responsibilities as assigned by the Company or Related Entity, or any other action by the Company or a Related Entity which results in a material diminution in such position, authority, duties or responsibilities, excluding for this purpose an isolated, insubstantial and inadvertent action not taken in bad faith and which is remedied by the Company or a Related Entity promptly after receipt of notice thereof given by the Participant; (ii) any material failure by the Company or a Related Entity to comply with its obligations to the Participant as agreed upon, other than an isolated, insubstantial and inadvertent failure not occurring in bad faith and which is remedied by the Company or a Related Entity promptly after receipt of notice thereof given by the Participant; (iii) the Company’s or Related Entity’s requiring the Participant to be based at any office or location outside of 50 miles from the location of employment or service as of the date of Award, except for travel reasonably required in the performance of the Participant’s responsibilities; (iv) any purported termination by the Company or Related Entity of the Participant’s Continuous Service other than for Cause, death or by reason of the Participant’s Disability, or (v) any material reduction in the Participant’s base

 

5



 

salary (unless such reduction is part of a Company-wide reduction that affects a majority of the persons of comparable level to the Participant).

 

(v)           “ Incentive Stock Option ” means any Option intended to be designated as an incentive stock option within the meaning of Section 422 of the Code or any successor provision thereto.

 

(w)          “ Incumbent Board ” means the Incumbent Board as defined in Section 9(b)(ii) hereof.

 

(x)           “ Independent ”, when referring to either the Board or members of the Committee, shall have the same meaning as used in the rules of the Listing Market or, if the Listing Market does not have such rules, the rules of The NASDAQ Stock Market, LLC.

 

(y)           “Listing Market” means the principal stock exchange or market on which Shares are then traded.

 

(z)           “ Option ” means a right granted to a Participant under Section 6(b) hereof, to purchase Shares or other Awards at a specified price during specified time periods.

 

(aa)         “ Optionee ” means a person to whom an Option is granted under this Plan or any person who succeeds to the rights of such person under this Plan.

 

(bb)         “ Other Stock-Based Awards ” means Awards granted to a Participant under Section 6(i) hereof.

 

(cc)         “ Participant ” means a person who has been granted an Award under the Plan which remains outstanding, including a person who is no longer an Eligible Person.

 

(dd)         “ Performance Award ” means any Award of Performance Shares or Performance Units granted pursuant to Section 6(h) hereof.

 

(ee)         “ Performance Period ” means the period established by the Committee at the time any Performance Award is granted or at any time thereafter during which any performance goals specified by the Committee with respect to such Award are to be measured.

 

(ff)          “ Performance Share ” means any grant pursuant to Section 6(h) hereof of a unit valued by reference to a designated number of Shares, which value may be paid to the Participant by delivery of such property as the Committee shall determine, including cash, Shares, other property, or any combination thereof, upon achievement of such performance goals during the Performance Period as the Committee shall establish at the time of such grant or thereafter.

 

(gg)         “ Performance Unit ” means any grant pursuant to Section 6(h) hereof of a unit valued by reference to a designated amount of property (including cash) other than Shares, which value may be paid to the Participant by delivery of such property as the Committee shall determine, including cash, Shares, other property, or any combination thereof, upon achievement of such performance goals during the Performance Period as the Committee shall establish at the time of such grant or thereafter.

 

(hh)         “ Person ” shall have the meaning ascribed to such term in Section 3(a)(9) of the Exchange Act and used in Sections 13(d) and 14(d) thereof, and shall include a “group” as defined in Section 13(d) thereof.

 

(ii)           “ Prior Plan ” means the InVivo Therapeutics Holdings Corp. 2010 Equity Incentive Plan, as amended from time to time.

 

(jj)           “ Related Entity ” means any Subsidiary, and any business, corporation, partnership, limited liability company or other entity designated by the Board, in which the Company or a Subsidiary holds a substantial ownership interest, directly or indirectly.

 

6



 

(kk)         “ Restricted Stock ” means any Share issued with such risks of forfeiture and other restrictions as the Committee, in its sole discretion, may impose (including any restriction on the right to vote such Share and the right to receive any dividends), which restrictions may lapse separately or in combination at such time or times, in installments or otherwise, as the Committee may deem appropriate.

 

(ll)           “ Restricted Stock Award ” means an Award granted to a Participant under Section 6(d) hereof.

 

(mm)      “ Restricted Stock Unit ” means a right to receive Shares, including Restricted Stock, cash measured based upon the value of Shares or a combination thereof, at the end of a specified deferral period.

 

(nn)         “ Restricted Stock Unit Award ” means an Award of Restricted Stock Unit granted to a Participant under Section 6(e) hereof.

 

(oo)         “Restriction Period” means the period of time specified by the Committee that Restricted Stock Awards shall be subject to such restrictions on transferability, risk of forfeiture and other restrictions, if any, as the Committee may impose.

 

(pp)         “ Rule 16b-3 ” means Rule 16b-3, as from time to time in effect and applicable to the Plan and Participants, promulgated by the SEC under Section 16 of the Exchange Act.

 

(qq)         “ SEC ” means the United States Securities and Exchange Commission.

 

(rr)           “ Shares ” means the shares of common stock of the Company, and such other securities as may be substituted (or resubstituted) for Shares pursuant to Section 10(c) hereof.

 

(ss)          “ Stock Appreciation Right ” means a right granted to a Participant under Section 6(c) hereof.

 

(tt)           “ Subsidiary ” means any corporation or other entity in which the Company has a direct or indirect ownership interest of 50% or more of the total combined voting power of the then outstanding securities or interests of such corporation or other entity entitled to vote generally in the election of directors or in which the Company has the right to receive 50% or more of the distribution of profits or 50% or more of the assets on liquidation or dissolution.

 

(uu)         “ Substitute Awards ” means Awards granted or Shares issued by the Company in assumption of, or in substitution or exchange for, Awards previously granted, or the right or obligation to make future Awards, by an entity, (i) acquired by the Company or any Related Entity, (ii) which becomes a Related Entity after the date hereof, or (iii) with which the Company or any Related Entity combines.

 

3.   Administration.

 

(a)   Authority of the Committee .  The Plan shall be administered by the Committee, except to the extent (and subject to the limitations imposed by Section 3(b) hereof) the Board elects to administer the Plan, in which case the Plan shall be administered by only those members of the Board who are Independent members of the Board, in which case references herein to the “Committee” shall be deemed to include references to the Independent members of the Board. The Committee shall have full and final authority, subject to and consistent with the provisions of the Plan, to select Eligible Persons to become Participants, grant Awards, determine the type, number and other terms and conditions of, and all other matters relating to, Awards, prescribe Award Agreements (which need not be identical for each Participant) and rules and regulations for the administration of the Plan, construe and interpret the Plan and Award Agreements and correct defects, supply omissions or reconcile inconsistencies therein, and to make all other decisions and determinations as the Committee may deem necessary or advisable for the administration of the

 

7



 

Plan. In exercising any discretion granted to the Committee under the Plan or pursuant to any Award, the Committee shall not be required to follow past practices, act in a manner consistent with past practices, or treat any Eligible Person or Participant in a manner consistent with the treatment of any other Eligible Persons or Participants. Decisions of the Committee shall be final, conclusive and binding on all persons or entities, including the Company, any Subsidiary or any Participant or Beneficiary, or any transferee under Section 10(b) hereof or any other person claiming rights from or through any of the foregoing persons or entities.

 

(b)   Manner of Exercise of Committee Authority.   The Committee, and not the Board, shall exercise sole and exclusive discretion (i) on any matter relating to a Participant then subject to Section 16 of the Exchange Act with respect to the Company to the extent necessary in order that transactions by such Participant shall be exempt under Rule 16b-3 under the Exchange Act or (ii) with respect to any Award that is intended to qualify as “performance-based compensation” under Section 162(m), to the extent necessary in order for such Award to so qualify. The express grant of any specific power to the Committee, and the taking of any action by the Committee, shall not be construed as limiting any power or authority of the Committee. The Committee may delegate to members of the Board, or officers or managers of the Company or any Related Entity, or committees thereof, the authority, subject to such terms and limitations as the Committee shall determine, to perform such functions, including administrative functions as the Committee may determine to the extent that such delegation will not result in the loss of an exemption under Rule 16b-3(d)(1) for Awards granted to Participants subject to Section 16 of the Exchange Act in respect of the Company and will not cause Awards intended to qualify as “performance-based compensation” under Code Section 162(m) to fail to so qualify. The Committee may appoint agents to assist it in administering the Plan.

 

(c)   Limitation of Liability .  The Committee and the Board, and each member thereof, shall be entitled to, in good faith, rely or act upon any report or other information furnished to him or her by any officer or Employee, the Company’s independent auditors, Consultants or any other agents assisting in the administration of the Plan. Members of the Committee and the Board, and any officer or Employee acting at the direction or on behalf of the Committee or the Board, shall not be personally liable for any action or determination taken or made in good faith with respect to the Plan, and shall, to the extent permitted by law, be fully indemnified and protected by the Company with respect to any such action or determination

 

4.   Shares Subject to Plan .

 

(a)   Limitation on Overall Number of Shares Available for Delivery Under Plan .  Subject to adjustment as provided in Section 10(c) hereof, the total number of Shares reserved and available for delivery under the Plan shall be equal to (i) 4,000,000, plus (ii) any Shares that become available in connection with the cancellation, forfeiture, or expiration of awards issued and outstanding as of the Effective Date under the Prior Plan, plus (iii) any Shares remaining available for delivery under the Prior Plan on the Effective Date of the Plan. Any Shares delivered under the Plan may consist, in whole or in part, of authorized and unissued shares or treasury shares.

 

(b)   Application of Limitation to Grants of Awards.   No Award may be granted if the number of Shares to be delivered in connection with such an Award exceeds the number of Shares remaining available for delivery under the Plan, minus the number of Shares deliverable in settlement of or relating to then outstanding Awards. The Committee may adopt reasonable counting procedures to ensure appropriate counting, avoid double counting (as, for example, in the case of tandem or substitute awards) and make adjustments if the number of Shares actually delivered differs from the number of Shares previously counted in connection with an Award.

 

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(c)   Availability of Shares Not Delivered under Awards and Adjustments to Limits.

 

(i)            If any Shares subject to an Award are forfeited, expire or otherwise terminate without issuance of such Shares, or an Award is settled for cash or otherwise does not result in the issuance of all or a portion of the Shares subject to such Award, then such Shares shall, to the extent of such forfeiture, expiration, termination, non-issuance or cash settlement, again be available for delivery with respect to Awards under the Plan.

 

(ii)           Substitute Awards shall not reduce the Shares authorized for delivery under the Plan or authorized for delivery to a Participant in any period. Additionally, in the event that an entity acquired by the Company or any Related Entity or with which the Company or any Related Entity combined has shares available under a pre-existing plan approved by its shareholders and not adopted in contemplation of such acquisition or combination, the shares available for delivery pursuant to the terms of such pre-existing plan (as adjusted, to the extent appropriate, using the exchange ratio or other adjustment or valuation ratio or formula used in such acquisition or combination to determine the consideration payable to the holders of common stock of the entities party to such acquisition or combination) may be used for Awards under the Plan and shall not reduce the Shares authorized for delivery under the Plan if and to the extent that the use of such Shares would not require approval of the Company’s shareholders under the rules of the Listing Market.

 

(iii)          Any Share that again becomes available for delivery pursuant to this Section 4(c) shall be added back as one Share.

 

(iv)          Notwithstanding anything in this Section 4(c) to the contrary but subject to adjustment as provided in Section 10(c) hereof, the maximum aggregate number of Shares that may be delivered under the Plan as a result of the exercise of the Incentive Stock Options shall be 4,000,000 Shares.

 

(v)           Notwithstanding anything in this Section 4 to the contrary, but subject to adjustment as provided in Section 10(c) hereof, in any fiscal year of the Company during any part of which the Plan is in effect, no Participant who is a Director but is not also an Employee or Consultant may be granted any Awards that have a “fair value” as of the date of grant, as determined in accordance with FASB ASC Topic 718 (or any other applicable accounting guidance), that exceed $1,000,000 in the aggregate.

 

(d)   No Further Awards Under Prior Plan .  In light of the adoption of this Plan, no further awards shall be made under the Prior Plan on and after the Effective Date.

 

5.   Eligibility; Per-Participant Limitations .  Awards may be granted under the Plan only to Eligible Persons. Subject to adjustment as provided in Section 10(c) of this Plan, in any fiscal year of the Company during any part of which the Plan is in effect, no Participant may be granted (i) Options and/or Stock Appreciation Rights with respect to more than 4,000,000 Shares or (ii) Restricted Stock, Restricted Stock Units, Performance Shares and/or Other Stock-Based Awards denominated in or valued by reference to a designated number of Shares and that are subject to Section 8 hereof, with respect to more than 4,000,000 Shares. In addition, the maximum dollar value payable to any one Participant with respect to Performance Units that are subject to Section 8 hereof is (x) $2,000,000 with respect to any 12 month Performance Period (pro-rated for any Performance Period that is less than 12 months based upon the ratio of the number of days in the Performance Period as compared to 365), and (y) with respect to any Performance Period that is more than 12 months, $2,000,000.

 

6.   Specific Terms of Awards .

 

(a)   General .  Awards may be granted on the terms and conditions set forth in this Section 6. In addition, the Committee may impose on any Award or the exercise thereof, at the date of grant

 

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or thereafter (subject to Section 10(e) hereof), such additional terms and conditions, not inconsistent with the provisions of the Plan, as the Committee shall determine, including terms requiring forfeiture of Awards in the event of termination of the Participant’s Continuous Service and terms permitting a Participant to make elections relating to his or her Award. Except as otherwise expressly provided herein, the Committee shall retain full power and discretion to accelerate, waive or modify, at any time, any term or condition of an Award that is not mandatory under the Plan. Except in cases in which the Committee is authorized to require other forms of consideration under the Plan, or to the extent other forms of consideration must be paid to satisfy the requirements of Nevada law, no consideration other than services may be required for the grant (as opposed to the exercise) of any Award.

 

(b)   Options .  The Committee is authorized to grant Options to any Eligible Person on the following terms and conditions:

 

(i)    Exercise Price .  Other than in connection with Substitute Awards, the exercise price per Share purchasable under an Option shall be determined by the Committee, provided that such exercise price shall not be less than 100% of the Fair Market Value of a Share on the date of grant of the Option and shall not, in any event, be less than the par value of a Share on the date of grant of the Option. If an Employee owns or is deemed to own (by reason of the attribution rules applicable under Section 424(d) of the Code) more than 10% of the combined voting power of all classes of stock of the Company (or any parent corporation or subsidiary corporation of the Company, as those terms are defined in Sections 424(e) and (f) of the Code, respectively) and an Incentive Stock Option is granted to such Employee, the exercise price of such Incentive Stock Option (to the extent required by the Code at the time of grant) shall be no less than 110% of the Fair Market Value of a Share on the date such Incentive Stock Option is granted. Other than pursuant to Section 10(c)(i) and (ii) hereof, the Committee shall not be permitted to (A) lower the exercise price per Share of an Option after it is granted, (B) cancel an Option when the exercise price per Share exceeds the Fair Market Value of the underlying Shares in exchange for cash or another Award, (C) cancel an outstanding Option in exchange for an Option with an exercise price that is less than the exercise price of the original Options or (D) take any other action with respect to an Option that may be treated as a repricing pursuant to the applicable rules of the Listing Market, without approval of the Company’s shareholders.

 

(ii)   Time and Method of Exercise .  The Committee shall determine the time or times at which or the circumstances under which an Option may be exercised in whole or in part (including based on achievement of performance goals or future service requirements), the time or times at which Options shall cease to be or become exercisable following termination of Continuous Service or upon other conditions, the methods by which the exercise price may be paid or deemed to be paid (including in the discretion of the Committee a cashless exercise procedure), the form of such payment, including, without limitation, cash, Shares (including without limitation the withholding of Shares otherwise deliverable pursuant to the Award), other Awards or awards granted under other plans of the Company or a Related Entity, or other property (including notes or other contractual obligations of Participants to make payment on a deferred basis provided that such deferred payments are not in violation of Section 13(k) of the Exchange Act, or any rule or regulation adopted thereunder or any other applicable law), and the methods by or forms in which Shares will be delivered or deemed to be delivered to Participants.

 

(iii)  Incentive Stock Options .  The terms of any Incentive Stock Option granted under the Plan shall comply in all respects with the provisions of Section 422 of the Code. Anything in the Plan to the contrary notwithstanding, no term of the Plan relating to Incentive Stock Options (including any Stock Appreciation Right issued in tandem therewith) shall be

 

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interpreted, amended or altered, nor shall any discretion or authority granted under the Plan be exercised, so as to disqualify either the Plan or any Incentive Stock Option under Section 422 of the Code, unless the Participant has first requested, or consents to, the change that will result in such disqualification. Thus, if and to the extent required to comply with Section 422 of the Code, Options granted as Incentive Stock Options shall be subject to the following special terms and conditions:

 

(A)  the Option shall not be exercisable for more than ten years after the date such Incentive Stock Option is granted; provided, however, that if a Participant owns or is deemed to own (by reason of the attribution rules of Section 424(d) of the Code) more than 10% of the combined voting power of all classes of stock of the Company (or any parent corporation or subsidiary corporation of the Company, as those terms are defined in Sections 424(e) and (f) of the Code, respectively) and the Incentive Stock Option is granted to such Participant, the term of the Incentive Stock Option shall be (to the extent required by the Code at the time of the grant) for no more than five years from the date of grant;

 

(B)  The aggregate Fair Market Value (determined as of the date the Incentive Stock Option is granted) of the Shares with respect to which Incentive Stock Options granted under the Plan and all other option plans of the Company (and any parent corporation or subsidiary corporation of the Company, as those terms are defined in Sections 424(e) and (f) of the Code, respectively) that become exercisable for the first time by the Participant during any calendar year shall not (to the extent required by the Code at the time of the grant) exceed $100,000; and

 

(C)  if shares acquired by exercise of an Incentive Stock Option are disposed of within two years following the date the Incentive Stock Option is granted or one year following the transfer of such Shares to the Participant upon exercise, the Participant shall, promptly following such disposition, notify the Company in writing of the date and terms of such disposition and provide such other information regarding the disposition as the Committee may reasonably require.

 

(c)   Stock Appreciation Rights .  The Committee may grant Stock Appreciation Rights to any Eligible Person in conjunction with all or part of any Option granted under the Plan or at any subsequent time during the term of such Option (a “ Tandem Stock Appreciation Right ”), or without regard to any Option (a “ Freestanding Stock Appreciation Right ”), in each case upon such terms and conditions as the Committee may establish in its sole discretion, not inconsistent with the provisions of the Plan, including the following:

 

(i)    Right to Payment .  A Stock Appreciation Right shall confer on the Participant to whom it is granted a right to receive, upon exercise thereof, the excess of (A) the Fair Market Value of one Share on the date of exercise over (B) the grant price of the Stock Appreciation Right as determined by the Committee. The grant price of a Stock Appreciation Right shall not be less than 100% of the Fair Market Value of a Share on the date of grant; provided, however, that if and to the extent that it would not violate Section 409A of the Code, the grant price for a Stock Appreciation Right that is granted as a Substitute Award for an outstanding Option may be lower than 100% of the Fair Market Value of a Share on the date of grant of the Stock Appreciation Right if it is not less than the exercise price of the Option for which it is substituted. Other than pursuant to Section 10(c)(i) and (ii) of this Plan, the Committee shall not be permitted to (A) lower the grant price per Share of a Stock Appreciation Right after it is granted, (B) cancel a Stock Appreciation Right when the grant price per Share exceeds the Fair Market Value of the underlying Shares in exchange for cash or another Award, (C) cancel an outstanding Stock Appreciation Right in exchange for a

 

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Stock Appreciation Right with a grant price that is less than the grant price of the original Stock Appreciation Right, or (D) take any other action with respect to a Stock Appreciation Right that may be treated as a repricing pursuant to the applicable rules of the Listing Market, without shareholder approval.

 

(ii)   Other Terms .  The Committee shall determine at the date of grant or thereafter, the time or times at which and the circumstances under which a Stock Appreciation Right may be exercised in whole or in part (including based on achievement of performance goals or future service requirements), the time or times at which Stock Appreciation Rights shall cease to be or become exercisable following termination of Continuous Service or upon other conditions, the method of exercise, method of settlement, form of consideration payable in settlement, method by or forms in which Shares will be delivered or deemed to be delivered to Participants, whether or not a Stock Appreciation Right shall be in tandem or in combination with any other Award, and any other terms and conditions of any Stock Appreciation Right.

 

(iii)  Tandem Stock Appreciation Rights .  Any Tandem Stock Appreciation Right may be granted at the same time as or subsequently to the related Option is granted. Any Tandem Stock Appreciation Right related to an Option may be exercised only when the related Option would be exercisable and the Fair Market Value of the Shares subject to the related Option exceeds the exercise price at which Shares can be acquired pursuant to the Option. In addition, if a Tandem Stock Appreciation Right exists with respect to less than the full number of Shares covered by a related Option, then an exercise or termination of such Option shall not reduce the number of Shares to which the Tandem Stock Appreciation Right applies until the number of Shares then exercisable under such Option equals the number of Shares to which the Tandem Stock Appreciation Right applies. Any Option related to a Tandem Stock Appreciation Right shall no longer be exercisable to the extent the Tandem Stock Appreciation Right has been exercised, and any Tandem Stock Appreciation Right shall no longer be exercisable to the extent the related Option has been exercised.

 

(d)   Restricted Stock Awards .  The Committee is authorized to grant Restricted Stock Awards to any Eligible Person on the following terms and conditions:

 

(i)    Grant and Restrictions .  Restricted Stock Awards shall be subject to such restrictions on transferability, risk of forfeiture and other restrictions, if any, as the Committee may impose, or as otherwise provided in this Plan during the Restriction Period. The terms of any Restricted Stock Award granted under the Plan shall be set forth in a written Award Agreement which shall contain provisions determined by the Committee and not inconsistent with the Plan. The restrictions may lapse separately or in combination at such times, under such circumstances (including based on achievement of performance goals and/or future service requirements), in such installments or otherwise, as the Committee may determine at the date of grant or thereafter. Except to the extent restricted under the terms of the Plan and any Award Agreement relating to a Restricted Stock Award, a Participant granted Restricted Stock shall have all of the rights of a shareholder, including the right to vote the Restricted Stock and the right to receive dividends thereon (subject to any mandatory reinvestment or other requirement imposed by the Committee). During the period that the Restricted Stock Award is subject to a risk of forfeiture, subject to Section 10(b) hereof and except as otherwise provided in the Award Agreement, the Restricted Stock may not be sold, transferred, pledged, hypothecated, margined or otherwise encumbered by the Participant or Beneficiary.

 

(ii)   Forfeiture .  Except as otherwise determined by the Committee, upon termination of a Participant’s Continuous Service during the applicable Restriction Period, the Participant’s Restricted Stock that is at that time subject to a risk of forfeiture that has not lapsed or

 

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otherwise been satisfied shall be forfeited and reacquired by the Company; provided that the Committee may provide, by rule or regulation or in any Award Agreement, or may determine in any individual case, that forfeiture conditions relating to Restricted Stock Awards shall be waived in whole or in part in the event of terminations resulting from specified causes, and the Committee may in other cases waive in whole or in part the forfeiture of Restricted Stock.

 

(iii)  Certificates for Stock .  Restricted Stock granted under the Plan may be evidenced in such manner as the Committee shall determine. If certificates representing Restricted Stock are registered in the name of the Participant, the Committee may require that such certificates bear an appropriate legend referring to the terms, conditions and restrictions applicable to such Restricted Stock, that the Company retain physical possession of the certificates, and that the Participant deliver a stock power to the Company, endorsed in blank, relating to the Restricted Stock.

 

(iv)  Dividends and Splits .  As a condition to the grant of a Restricted Stock Award, the Committee may require or permit a Participant to elect that any cash dividends paid on a Share of Restricted Stock be automatically reinvested in additional Shares of Restricted Stock or applied to the purchase of additional Awards under the Plan, or except as otherwise provided in the last sentence of Section 6(h) hereof, may require that payment be delayed (with or without interest at such rate, if any, as the Committee shall determine) and remain subject to restrictions and a risk of forfeiture to the same extent as the Restricted Stock with respect to which such cash dividend is payable, in each case in a manner that does not violate the requirements of Section 409A of the Code. Unless otherwise determined by the Committee, Shares distributed in connection with a stock split or stock dividend, and other property distributed as a dividend, shall be subject to restrictions and a risk of forfeiture to the same extent as the Restricted Stock with respect to which such Shares or other property have been distributed.

 

(e)   Restricted Stock Unit Award .  The Committee is authorized to grant Restricted Stock Unit Awards to any Eligible Person on the following terms and conditions:

 

(i)    Award and Restrictions .  Satisfaction of a Restricted Stock Unit Award shall occur upon expiration of the deferral period specified for such Restricted Stock Unit Award by the Committee (or, if permitted by the Committee, as elected by the Participant in a manner that does not violate the requirements of Section 409A of the Code). In addition, a Restricted Stock Unit Award shall be subject to such restrictions (which may include a risk of forfeiture) as the Committee may impose, if any, which restrictions may lapse at the expiration of the deferral period or at other specified times (including based on achievement of performance goals and/or future service requirements), separately or in combination, in installments or otherwise, as the Committee may determine. A Restricted Stock Unit Award may be satisfied by delivery of Shares, cash equal to the Fair Market Value of the specified number of Shares covered by the Restricted Stock Units, or a combination thereof, as determined by the Committee at the date of grant or thereafter. Prior to satisfaction of a Restricted Stock Unit Award, a Restricted Stock Unit Award carries no voting or dividend or other rights associated with Share ownership. Prior to satisfaction of a Restricted Stock Unit Award, except as otherwise provided in an Award Agreement and as permitted under Section 409A of the Code, a Restricted Stock Unit Award may not be sold, transferred, pledged, hypothecated, margined or otherwise encumbered by the Participant or any Beneficiary.

 

(ii)   Forfeiture .  Except as otherwise determined by the Committee, upon termination of a Participant’s Continuous Service during the applicable deferral period or portion thereof to which forfeiture conditions apply (as provided in the Award Agreement evidencing the Restricted Stock Unit Award), the Participant’s Restricted Stock Unit Award that is at that

 

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time subject to a risk of forfeiture that has not lapsed or otherwise been satisfied shall be forfeited; provided that the Committee may provide, by resolution or action or in any Award Agreement, or may determine in any individual case, that forfeiture conditions relating to a Restricted Stock Unit Award shall be waived in whole or in part in the event of terminations resulting from specified causes, and the Committee may in other cases waive in whole or in part the forfeiture of any Restricted Stock Unit Award.

 

(iii)  Dividend Equivalents .  Unless otherwise determined by the Committee at the date of grant, and except as otherwise provided in the last sentence of Section 6(h) hereof, any Dividend Equivalents that are granted with respect to any Restricted Stock Unit Award shall be either (A) paid with respect to such Restricted Stock Unit Award at the dividend payment date in cash or in Shares of unrestricted stock having a Fair Market Value equal to the amount of such dividends, or (B) deferred with respect to such Restricted Stock Unit Award and whether the amount or value thereof shall be automatically deemed reinvested in additional Restricted Stock Units or other Awards, or if not so reinvested shall earn interest and at what rate for the period deferred, as the Committee shall determine or permit the Participant to elect. The applicable Award Agreement shall specify whether any Dividend Equivalents shall be paid at the dividend payment date, deferred or deferred at the election of the Participant. If the Participant may elect to defer the Dividend Equivalents, such election shall be made at such other times prescribed by the Committee as shall not result in a violation of Section 409A of the Code.

 

(f)   Bonus Stock and Awards in Lieu of Obligations .  The Committee is authorized to grant Shares to any Eligible Persons as a bonus, or to grant Shares or other Awards in lieu of obligations to pay cash or deliver other property under the Plan or under other plans or compensatory arrangements, provided that, in the case of Eligible Persons subject to Section 16 of the Exchange Act, the amount of such grants remains within the discretion of the Committee to the extent necessary to ensure that acquisitions of Shares or other Awards are exempt from liability under Section 16(b) of the Exchange Act. Shares or Awards granted hereunder shall be subject to such other terms as shall be determined by the Committee.

 

(g)   Dividend Equivalents .  The Committee is authorized to grant Dividend Equivalents to any Eligible Person entitling the Eligible Person to receive cash, Shares, other Awards, or other property equal in value to the dividends paid with respect to a specified number of Shares, or other periodic payments. Dividend Equivalents may be awarded on a free-standing basis or in connection with another Award. Except as otherwise provided in the last sentence of Section 6(h) hereof, the Committee may provide that Dividend Equivalents shall be paid or distributed when accrued or at some later date, or whether such Dividend Equivalents shall be deemed to have been reinvested in additional Shares, Awards, or other investment vehicles, and subject to such restrictions on transferability and risks of forfeiture, as the Committee may specify. Notwithstanding the foregoing, Dividend Equivalents credited in connection with an Award that vests based on the achievement of performance goals shall be subject to restrictions and risk of forfeiture to the same extent as the Award with respect to which such Dividend Equivalents have been credited.

 

(h)   Performance Awards .  The Committee is authorized to grant Performance Awards to any Eligible Person payable in cash, Shares, or other Awards, on terms and conditions established by the Committee, subject to the provisions of Section 8 hereof if and to the extent that the Committee shall, in its sole discretion, determine that an Award shall be subject to those provisions. The performance criteria to be achieved during any Performance Period and the length of the Performance Period shall be determined by the Committee upon the grant of each Performance Award; provided, however, that a Performance Period shall not be shorter than 12 months nor longer than 5 years. Except as provided in Section 9 or as may be provided in an

 

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Award Agreement, Performance Awards will be distributed only after the end of the relevant Performance Period. The performance goals to be achieved for each Performance Period shall be conclusively determined by the Committee and may be based upon the criteria set forth in Section 8(b) hereof, or in the case of an Award that the Committee determines shall not be subject to Section 8 hereof, any other criteria that the Committee, in its sole discretion, shall determine should be used for that purpose. The amount of the Award to be distributed shall be conclusively determined by the Committee. Performance Awards may be paid in a lump sum or in installments following the close of the Performance Period or, in accordance with procedures established by the Committee, on a deferred basis in a manner that does not violate the requirements of Section 409A of the Code. Notwithstanding any other provision of this Plan to the contrary, cash dividends, Shares, and any other property (other than cash) distributed as a dividend or otherwise with respect to any Performance Awards or any other Awards that are subject to satisfaction of performance goals, shall either (i) not be paid or credited, or (ii) be accumulated, shall be subject to satisfaction of the same performance goals to which the vesting of the underlying Award is subject, and shall be paid at the time such restrictions and risk of forfeiture lapses.

 

(i)   Other Stock-Based Awards .  The Committee is authorized, subject to limitations under applicable law, to grant to any Eligible Person such other Awards that may be denominated or payable in, valued in whole or in part by reference to, or otherwise based on, or related to, Shares, as deemed by the Committee to be consistent with the purposes of the Plan. Other Stock-Based Awards may be granted to Participants either alone or in addition to other Awards granted under the Plan, and such Other Stock-Based Awards shall also be available as a form of payment in the settlement of other Awards granted under the Plan. The Committee shall determine the terms and conditions of such Awards. Shares delivered pursuant to an Award in the nature of a purchase right granted under this Section 6(i) shall be purchased for such consideration, (including without limitation loans from the Company or a Related Entity provided that such loans are not in violation of Section 13(k) of the Exchange Act, or any rule or regulation adopted thereunder or any other applicable law) paid for at such times, by such methods, and in such forms, including, without limitation, cash, Shares, other Awards or other property, as the Committee shall determine.

 

7.   Certain Provisions Applicable to Awards .

 

(a)   Stand-Alone, Additional, Tandem, and Substitute Awards .  Awards granted under the Plan may, in the discretion of the Committee, be granted either alone or in addition to, in tandem with, or in substitution or exchange for, any other Award or any award granted under another plan of the Company, any Related Entity, or any business entity to be acquired by the Company or a Related Entity, or any other right of a Participant to receive payment from the Company or any Related Entity. Such additional, tandem, and substitute or exchange Awards may be granted at any time. If an Award is granted in substitution or exchange for another Award or award, the Committee shall require the surrender of such other Award or award in consideration for the grant of the new Award. In addition, Awards may be granted in lieu of cash compensation, including in lieu of cash amounts payable under other plans of the Company or any Related Entity, in which the value of Shares subject to the Award is equivalent in value to the cash compensation (for example, Restricted Stock or Restricted Stock Units), or in which the exercise price, grant price or purchase price of the Award in the nature of a right that may be exercised is equal to the Fair Market Value of the underlying Shares minus the value of the cash compensation surrendered (for example, Options or Stock Appreciation Right granted with an exercise price or grant price “discounted” by the amount of the cash compensation surrendered), provided that any such determination to grant an Award in lieu of cash compensation must be made in a manner intended to comply with Section 409A of the Code.

 

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(b)   Term of Awards .  The term of each Award shall be for such period as may be determined by the Committee. The term of any Option or Stock Appreciation Right shall not exceed a period of ten years (or in the case of an Incentive Stock Option such shorter term as may be required under Section 422 of the Code); provided, however, that in the event that on the last day of the term of an Option or a Stock Appreciation Right, other than an Incentive Stock Option, (i) the exercise of the Option or Stock Appreciation Right is prohibited by applicable law, or (ii) Shares may not be purchased, or sold by certain employees or directors of the Company due to the “black-out period” of a Company policy or a “lock-up” agreement undertaken in connection with an issuance of securities by the Company, the term of the Option or Stock Appreciation Right shall be extended for a period of 30 days following the end of the legal prohibition, black-out period or lock-up agreement, provided that such extension of the term of the Option or Stock Appreciation Right would not cause the Option or Stock Appreciation Right to violate the requirements of Section 409A of the Code.

 

(c)   Form and Timing of Payment Under Awards; Deferrals .  Subject to the terms of the Plan and any applicable Award Agreement, payments to be made by the Company or a Related Entity upon the exercise of an Option or other Award or settlement of an Award may be made in such forms as the Committee shall determine, including, without limitation, cash, Shares, other Awards or other property, and may be made in a single payment or transfer, in installments, or on a deferred basis, provided that any determination to pay in installments or on a deferred basis shall be made by the Committee at the date of grant. Any installment or deferral provided for in the preceding sentence shall, however, be subject to the Company’s compliance with applicable law and all applicable rules of the Listing Market, and in a manner intended to be exempt from or otherwise satisfy the requirements of Section 409A of the Code. Subject to Section 7(e) hereof, the settlement of any Award may be accelerated, and cash paid in lieu of Shares in connection with such settlement, in the sole discretion of the Committee or upon occurrence of one or more specified events (in addition to a Change in Control). Any such settlement shall be at a value determined by the Committee in its sole discretion, which, without limitation, may in the case of an Option or Stock Appreciation Right be limited to the amount if any by which the Fair Market Value of a Share on the settlement date exceeds the exercise or grant price. Installment or deferred payments may be required by the Committee (subject to Section 7(e) of the Plan, including the consent provisions thereof in the case of any deferral of an outstanding Award not provided for in the original Award Agreement) or permitted at the election of the Participant on terms and conditions established by the Committee. The acceleration of the settlement of any Award, and the payment of any Award in installments or on a deferred basis, all shall be done in a manner that is intended to be exempt from or otherwise satisfy the requirements of Section 409A of the Code. The Committee may, without limitation, make provision for the payment or crediting of a reasonable interest rate on installment or deferred payments or the grant or crediting of Dividend Equivalents or other amounts in respect of installment or deferred payments denominated in Shares.

 

(d)   Exemptions from Section 16(b) Liability .  It is the intent of the Company that the grant of any Awards to or other transaction by a Participant who is subject to Section 16 of the Exchange Act shall be exempt from Section 16 pursuant to an applicable exemption (except for transactions acknowledged in writing to be non-exempt by such Participant). Accordingly, if any provision of this Plan or any Award Agreement does not comply with the requirements of Rule 16b-3 then applicable to any such transaction, such provision shall be construed or deemed amended to the extent necessary to conform to the applicable requirements of Rule 16b-3 so that such Participant shall avoid liability under Section 16(b).

 

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(e)   Code Section 409A .

 

(i) The Award Agreement for any Award that the Committee reasonably determines to constitute a “nonqualified deferred compensation plan” under Section 409A of the Code (a “ Section 409A Plan ”), and the provisions of the Section 409A Plan applicable to that Award, shall be construed in a manner consistent with the applicable requirements of Section 409A of the Code, and the Committee, in its sole discretion and without the consent of any Participant, may amend any Award Agreement (and the provisions of the Plan applicable thereto) if and to the extent that the Committee determines that such amendment is necessary or appropriate to comply with the requirements of Section 409A of the Code.

 

(ii)  If any Award constitutes a Section 409A Plan, then the Award shall be subject to the following additional requirements, if and to the extent required to comply with Section 409A of the Code:

 

(A) Payments under the Section 409A Plan may be made only upon (1) the Participant’s “separation from service,” (2) the date the Participant becomes “disabled,” (3) the Participant’s death, (4) a “specified time (or pursuant to a fixed schedule)” specified in the Award Agreement at the date of the deferral of such compensation, (5) a “change in the ownership or effective control of the corporation, or in the ownership of a substantial portion of the assets” of the Company, or (6) the occurrence of an “unforeseeable emergency”;

 

(B)  The time or schedule for any payment of the deferred compensation may not be accelerated, except to the extent provided in applicable Treasury Regulations or other applicable guidance issued by the Internal Revenue Service;

 

(C)  Any elections with respect to the deferral of such compensation or the time and form of distribution of such deferred compensation shall comply with the requirements of Section 409A(a)(4) of the Code; and

 

(D)  In the case of any Participant who is “specified employee,” a distribution on account of a “separation from service” may not be made before the date which is six months after the date of the Participant’s “separation from service” (or, if earlier, the date of the Participant’s death).

 

For purposes of the foregoing, the terms in quotations shall have the same meanings as those terms have for purposes of Section 409A of the Code, and the limitations set forth herein shall be applied in such manner (and only to the extent) as shall be necessary to comply with any requirements of Section 409A of the Code that are applicable to the Award.

 

(iii)  Notwithstanding the foregoing, or any provision of this Plan or any Award Agreement, the Company does not make any representation to any Participant or Beneficiary that any Awards made pursuant to this Plan are exempt from, or satisfy, the requirements of, Section 409A of the Code, and the Company shall have no liability or other obligation to indemnify or hold harmless the Participant or any Beneficiary for any tax, additional tax, interest or penalties that the Participant or any Beneficiary may incur in the event that any provision of this Plan, or any Award Agreement, or any amendment or modification thereof, or any other action taken with respect thereto, is deemed to violate any of the requirements of Section 409A of the Code.

 

8.   Code Section 162(m) Provisions .

 

(a)   Covered Employees.   The provisions of this Section 8 shall be applicable to any Restricted Stock Award, Restricted Stock Unit Award, Performance Award, or Other Stock-Based Award if it is granted to an Eligible Person who is, or is likely to be, as of the end of the tax year in which the

 

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Company would claim a tax deduction in connection with such Award, a Covered Employee, and is intended to qualify as “performance-based compensation” that is exempt from the deduction limitations imposed under Section 162(m) of the Code.

 

(b)   Performance Criteria .  If an Award is subject to this Section 8, then the payment or distribution thereof or the lapsing of restrictions thereon and the distribution of cash, Shares or other property pursuant thereto, as applicable, shall be contingent upon achievement of one or more objective performance goals. Performance goals shall be objective and shall otherwise meet the requirements of Section 162(m) of the Code and regulations thereunder including the requirement that the level or levels of performance targeted by the Committee result in the achievement of performance goals being “substantially uncertain.” One or more of the following business criteria for the Company, on a consolidated basis, and/or for Related Entities, or for business or geographical units of the Company and/or a Related Entity (except with respect to the total shareholder return and earnings per share criteria), shall be used by the Committee in establishing performance goals for such Awards: (1) earnings per share; (2) achievement of domestic and international regulatory milestones, including the submission of filings required to advance products, services and technologies in clinical development and the achievement of approvals by regulatory authorities relating to the commercialization of products, services and technologies; (3) the achievement of discovery, preclinical and clinical stage scientific objectives, discoveries or inventions for products, services and technologies under research and development; (4) the entry into or completion of a phase of clinical development for any product, service or technology; (5) specified levels of product sales; (6) earnings before or after discontinued operations, interest, taxes, depreciation and/or amortization, operating profit before or after discontinued operations and/or taxes, sales, sales growth, earnings growth, cash flow or cash position, gross margins or working capital; (7) stock price, (8) return on sales, assets, equity or investment; (9) operating income or income from operations after excluding extraordinary or special items (including, without limitation, stock-based compensation, goodwill impairments, building and other significant asset sales, asset write-downs, plant closures and related layoffs, and/or amortization of intangibles); (10) net income; (11) management of fixed costs or variable costs; (12) identification or consummation of investment opportunities or completion of specified projects in accordance with corporate business plans, including financings, strategic mergers, acquisitions or divestitures; (13) total shareholder return; (14) debt reduction; (15) market share; (16) entry into new markets, either geographically or by business unit; and/or (17) the Fair Market Value of a Share. Any of the above goals may be determined on an absolute or relative basis or as compared to the performance of a published or special index deemed applicable by the Committee including, but not limited to, the NASDAQ Composite Index, the NASDAQ Biotechnology Index or a group of companies that are comparable to the Company. In determining the achievement of the performance goals, the Committee may, at the time the performance goals are set, require that those goals be determined by excluding the impact of (i) restructurings, discontinued operations, and extraordinary items (as defined pursuant to generally accepted accounting principles), and other unusual or non-recurring charges, (ii) change in accounting standards required by generally accepted accounting principles; or (iii) such other exclusions or adjustments as the Committee specifies at the time the Award is granted.

 

(c)   Performance Period; Timing For Establishing Performance Goals .  Achievement of performance goals in respect of Performance Awards shall be measured over a Performance Period no shorter than 12 months and no longer than 5 years, as specified by the Committee. Performance goals shall be established not later than 90 days after the beginning of any Performance Period applicable to such Performance Awards, or at such other date as may be required or permitted for “performance-based compensation” under Section 162(m) of the Code.

 

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(d)   Adjustments .  The Committee may, in its discretion, reduce the amount of a settlement otherwise to be made in connection with Awards subject to this Section 8, but may not exercise discretion to increase any such amount payable to a Covered Employee in respect of an Award subject to this Section 8. The Committee shall specify the circumstances in which such Awards shall be paid or forfeited in the event of termination of Continuous Service by the Participant prior to the end of a Performance Period or settlement of Awards.

 

(e)   Committee Certification .  No Participant shall receive any payment under the Plan that is subject to this Section 8 unless the Committee has certified, by resolution or other appropriate action in writing, that the performance criteria and any other material terms previously established by the Committee or set forth in the Plan, have been satisfied to the extent necessary to qualify as “performance based compensation” under Section 162(m) of the Code.

 

9.   Change in Control .

 

(a)   Effect of “Change in Control.”   If and only to the extent provided in any employment or other agreement between the Participant and the Company or any Related Entity, or in any Award Agreement, or to the extent otherwise determined by the Committee in its sole discretion and without any requirement that each Participant be treated consistently, upon the occurrence of a “Change in Control,” as defined in Section 9(b):

 

(i)  Any Option or Stock Appreciation Right that was not previously vested and exercisable as of the time of the Change in Control, shall become immediately vested and exercisable, subject to applicable restrictions set forth in Section 10(a) hereof.

 

(ii)  Any restrictions, deferral of settlement, and forfeiture conditions applicable to a Restricted Stock Award, Restricted Stock Unit Award or an Other Stock-Based Award subject only to future service requirements granted under the Plan shall lapse and such Awards shall be deemed fully vested as of the time of the Change in Control, except to the extent of any waiver by the Participant and subject to applicable restrictions set forth in Section 10(a) hereof.

 

(iii)  With respect to any outstanding Award subject to achievement of performance goals and conditions under the Plan, the Committee may, in its discretion, consider such Awards to have been earned and payable based on achievement of performance goals or based upon target performance (either in full or pro-rata based on the portion of the Performance Period completed as of the Change in Control).

 

(iv)  Notwithstanding the foregoing or any provision in any Award Agreement to the contrary, and unless the Committee otherwise determines in a specific instance, or as is provided in any employment or other agreement between the Participant and the Company any Subsidiary, and unless the Committee otherwise determines in a specific instance, each outstanding Option, Stock Appreciation Right, Restricted Stock Award, Restricted Stock Unit Award, Performance Award or Other Stock-Based Award shall not be accelerated as described in Sections 9(a)(i), (ii) and (iii), if either (A) the Company is the surviving entity in the Change in Control and the Option, Stock Appreciation Right, Restricted Stock Award, Restricted Stock Unit Award, Performance Award or Other Stock-Based Award continues to be outstanding after the Change in Control on substantially the same terms and conditions as were applicable immediately prior to the Change in Control or (B) the successor company or its parent company assumes or substitutes for the applicable Award, as determined in accordance with Section 10(c)(ii) hereof. For the purposes of this Agreement, an Option, Stock Appreciation Right, Restricted Stock Award, Restricted Stock Unit Award or Other Stock-Based Award shall be considered assumed or substituted for if following the Change in Control the Award confers the right to purchase or receive, for each Share subject to the

 

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Option, Stock Appreciation Right, Restricted Stock Award, Restricted Stock Unit Award or Other Stock-Based Award immediately prior to the Change in Control, on substantially the same vesting and other terms and conditions as were applicable to the Award immediately prior to the Change in Control, the consideration (whether stock, cash or other securities or property) received in the transaction constituting a Change in Control by holders of Shares for each Share held on the effective date of such transaction (and if holders were offered a choice of consideration, the type of consideration chosen by the holders of a majority of the outstanding shares); provided, however, that if such consideration received in the transaction constituting a Change in Control is not solely common stock of the successor company or its parent or subsidiary, the Committee may, with the consent of the successor company or its parent or subsidiary, provide that the consideration to be received upon the exercise or vesting of an Option, Stock Appreciation Right, Restricted Stock Award, Restricted Stock Unit Award or Other Stock-Based Award, for each Share subject thereto, will be solely common stock of the successor company or its parent or subsidiary substantially equal in fair market value to the per share consideration received by holders of Shares in the transaction constituting a Change in Control. The determination of such substantial equality of value of consideration shall be made by the Committee in its sole discretion and its determination shall be conclusive and binding.

 

(b)   Definition of “Change in Control” .  Unless otherwise specified in any employment or other agreement for services between the Participant and the Company or any Related Entity, or in an Award Agreement, a “ Change in Control ” shall mean the occurrence of any of the following:

 

(i) The acquisition by any Person of Beneficial Ownership (within the meaning of Rule 13d-3 promulgated under the Exchange Act) of more than 50% of either (A) the value of then outstanding equity securities of the Company (the “ Outstanding Company Stock ”) or (B) the combined voting power of the then outstanding voting securities of the Company entitled to vote generally in the election of directors (the “ Outstanding Company Voting Securities ”) (the foregoing Beneficial Ownership hereinafter being referred to as a “ Controlling Interest ”); provided, however, that for purposes of this Section 9(b), the following acquisitions shall not constitute or result in a Change in Control: (1) any acquisition by the Company; (2) any acquisition by any Person that as of the Effective Date owns Beneficial Ownership of a Controlling Interest; (3) any acquisition by any employee benefit plan (or related trust) sponsored or maintained by the Company or any Related Entity; or (4) any acquisition by any entity pursuant to a transaction which complies with clauses (A), (B) and (C) of subsection (iii) below; or

 

(ii) During any period of two consecutive years (not including any period prior to the Effective Date) individuals who constitute the Board on the Effective Date (the “ Incumbent Board ”) cease for any reason to constitute at least a majority of the Board; provided, however, that any individual becoming a director subsequent to the Effective Date whose election, or nomination for election by the Company’s shareholders, was approved by a vote of at least a majority of the directors then comprising the Incumbent Board shall be considered as though such individual were a member of the Incumbent Board, but excluding, for this purpose, any such individual whose initial assumption of office occurs as a result of an actual or threatened election contest with respect to the election or removal of directors or other actual or threatened solicitation of proxies or consents by or on behalf of a Person other than the Board; or

 

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(iii)  Consummation of (A) a reorganization, merger, statutory share exchange or consolidation or similar transaction involving (1) the Company or (2) any of its Subsidiaries, but in the case of this clause (2) only if equity securities of the Company are issued or issuable in connection with the transaction (each of the events referred to in this clause (A) being hereinafter referred to as a “ Business Reorganization ”), or (B) a sale or other disposition of all or substantially all of the assets of the Company, or the acquisition of assets or equity of another entity by the Company or any of its Subsidiaries (each an “ Asset Sale ”), in each case, unless, following such Business Reorganization or Asset Sale, (1) all or substantially all of the individuals and entities who were the Beneficial Owners, respectively, of the Outstanding Company Stock and Outstanding Company Voting Securities immediately prior to such Business Reorganization or Asset Sale beneficially own, directly or indirectly, more than 50% of the value of the then outstanding equity securities and the combined voting power of the then outstanding voting securities entitled to vote generally in the election of members of the board of directors (or comparable governing body of an entity that does not have such a board), as the case may be, of the entity resulting from such Business Reorganization or Asset Sale (including, without limitation, an entity which as a result of such transaction owns the Company or all or substantially all of the Company’s assets either directly or through one or more subsidiaries) (the “ Continuing Entity ”) in substantially the same proportions as their ownership, immediately prior to such Business Reorganization or Asset Sale, of the Outstanding Company Stock and Outstanding Company Voting Securities, as the case may be (excluding any outstanding equity or voting securities of the Continuing Entity that such Beneficial Owners hold immediately following the consummation of the Business Reorganization or Asset Sale as a result of their ownership, prior to such consummation, of equity or voting securities of any company or other entity involved in or forming part of such Business Reorganization or Asset Sale other than the Company), (2) no Person (excluding any employee benefit plan (or related trust) of the Company or any Continuing Entity or any entity controlled by the Continuing Corporation or any Person that as of the Effective Date owns Beneficial Ownership of a Controlling Interest) beneficially owns, directly or indirectly, 50% or more of the value of the then outstanding equity securities of the Continuing Entity or the combined voting power of the then outstanding voting securities of the Continuing Entity except to the extent that such ownership existed prior to the Business Reorganization or Asset Sale and (3) at least a majority of the members of the Board of Directors or other governing body of the Continuing Entity were members of the Incumbent Board at the time of the execution of the initial agreement, or of the action of the Board, providing for such Business Reorganization or Asset Sale.

 

10.  General Provisions.

 

(a)   Compliance With Legal and Other Requirements .  The Company may, to the extent deemed necessary or advisable by the Committee, postpone the issuance or delivery of Shares or payment of other benefits under any Award until completion of such registration or qualification of such Shares or other required action under any federal or state law, rule or regulation, listing or other required action with respect to the Listing Market, or compliance with any other obligation of the Company, as the Committee, may consider appropriate, and may require any Participant to make such representations, furnish such information and comply with or be subject to such other conditions as it may consider appropriate in connection with the issuance or delivery of Shares or payment of other benefits in compliance with applicable laws, rules, and regulations, listing requirements, or other obligations.

 

(b)   Limits on Transferability; Beneficiaries .  No Award or other right or interest granted under the Plan shall be pledged, hypothecated or otherwise encumbered or subject to any lien, obligation or liability of such Participant to any party, or assigned or transferred by such

 

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Participant otherwise than by will or the laws of descent and distribution or to a Beneficiary upon the death of a Participant, and such Awards or rights that may be exercisable shall be exercised during the lifetime of the Participant only by the Participant or his or her guardian or legal representative, except that Awards and other rights (other than Incentive Stock Options and Stock Appreciation Rights in tandem therewith) may be transferred to one or more Beneficiaries or other transferees during the lifetime of the Participant, and may be exercised by such transferees in accordance with the terms of such Award, but only if and to the extent such transfers are permitted by the Committee pursuant to the express terms of an Award Agreement (subject to any terms and conditions which the Committee may impose thereon), are by gift or pursuant to a domestic relations order, and are to a “Permitted Assignee” that is a permissible transferee under the applicable rules of the SEC for registration of shares of stock on a Form S-8 registration statement. For this purpose, a Permitted Assignee shall mean (i) the Participant’s spouse, children or grandchildren (including any adopted and step children or grandchildren), parents, grandparents or siblings, (ii) a trust for the benefit of one or more of the Participant or the persons referred to in clause (i), (iii) a partnership, limited liability company or corporation in which the Participant or the persons referred to in clause (i) are the only partners, members or shareholders, or (iv) a foundation in which any person or entity designated in clauses (i), (ii) or (iii) above control the management of assets. A Beneficiary, transferee, or other person claiming any rights under the Plan from or through any Participant shall be subject to all terms and conditions of the Plan and any Award Agreement applicable to such Participant, except as otherwise determined by the Committee, and to any additional terms and conditions deemed necessary or appropriate by the Committee.

 

(c)   Adjustments.

 

(i)   Adjustments to Awards .  In the event that any extraordinary dividend or other distribution (whether in the form of cash, Shares, or other property), recapitalization, forward or reverse split, reorganization, merger, consolidation, spin-off, combination, repurchase, share exchange, liquidation, dissolution or other similar corporate transaction or event affects the Shares and/or such other securities of the Company or any other issuer, then the Committee shall, in such manner as it may deem equitable, substitute, exchange or adjust any or all of (A) the number and kind of Shares which may be delivered in connection with Awards granted thereafter, (B) the number and kind of Shares by which annual per-person Award limitations are measured under Section 4 hereof, (C) the number and kind of Shares subject to or deliverable in respect of outstanding Awards, (D) the exercise price, grant price or purchase price relating to any Award and/or make provision for payment of cash or other property in respect of any outstanding Award, and (E) any other aspect of any Award that the Committee determines to be appropriate.

 

(ii)   Adjustments in Case of Certain Transactions .  In the event of any merger, consolidation or other reorganization in which the Company does not survive, or in the event of any Change in Control (and subject to the provisions of Section 9 of this Plan relating to vesting of Awards in the event of any Change in Control), any outstanding Awards may be dealt with in accordance with any of the following approaches, without the requirement of obtaining any consent or agreement of a Participant as such, as determined by the agreement effectuating the transaction or, if and to the extent not so determined, as determined by the Committee: (A) the continuation of the outstanding Awards by the Company, if the Company is a surviving entity, (B) the assumption or substitution for, as those terms are defined below, the outstanding Awards by the surviving entity or its parent or subsidiary, (C) full exercisability or vesting and accelerated expiration of the outstanding Awards, or (D) settlement of the value of the outstanding Awards in cash or cash equivalents or other property followed by cancellation of such Awards (which value, in the case of Options or

 

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Stock Appreciation Rights, shall be measured by the amount, if any, by which the Fair Market Value of a Share exceeds the exercise or grant price of the Option or Stock Appreciation Right as of the effective date of the transaction). For the purposes of this Agreement, an Option, Stock Appreciation Right, Restricted Stock Award, Restricted Stock Unit Award or Other Stock-Based Award shall be considered assumed or substituted for if following the Change in Control the Award confers the right to purchase or receive, for each Share subject to the Option, Stock Appreciation Right, Restricted Stock Award, Restricted Stock Unit Award or Other Stock-Based Award immediately prior to the Change in Control, on substantially the same vesting and other terms and conditions as were applicable to the Award immediately prior to the Change in Control, the consideration (whether stock, cash or other securities or property) received in the transaction constituting a Change in Control by holders of Shares for each Share held on the effective date of such transaction (and if holders were offered a choice of consideration, the type of consideration chosen by the holders of a majority of the outstanding shares); provided, however, that if such consideration received in the transaction constituting a Change in Control is not solely common stock of the successor company or its parent or subsidiary, the Committee may, with the consent of the successor company or its parent or subsidiary, provide that the consideration to be received upon the exercise or vesting of an Option, Stock Appreciation Right, Restricted Stock Award, Restricted Stock Unit Award or Other Stock-Based Award, for each Share subject thereto, will be solely common stock of the successor company or its parent or subsidiary substantially equal in fair market value to the per share consideration received by holders of Shares in the transaction constituting a Change in Control. The determination of such substantial equality of value of consideration shall be made by the Committee in its sole discretion and its determination shall be conclusive and binding. The Committee shall give written notice of any proposed transaction referred to in this Section 10(c)(ii) at a reasonable period of time prior to the closing date for such transaction (which notice may be given either before or after the approval of such transaction), in order that Participants may have a reasonable period of time prior to the closing date of such transaction within which to exercise any Awards that are then exercisable (including any Awards that may become exercisable upon the closing date of such transaction). A Participant may condition his exercise of any Awards upon the consummation of the transaction.

 

(iii)   Other Adjustments .  The Committee (and the Board if and only to the extent such authority is not required to be exercised by the Committee to comply with Section 162(m) of the Code) is authorized to make adjustments in the terms and conditions of, and the criteria included in, Awards (including Awards subject to satisfaction of performance goals, or performance goals and conditions relating thereto) in recognition of unusual or nonrecurring events (including, without limitation, acquisitions and dispositions of businesses and assets) affecting the Company, any Subsidiary or any business unit, or the financial statements of the Company or any Subsidiary, or in response to changes in applicable laws, regulations, accounting principles, tax rates and regulations or business conditions or in view of the Committee’s assessment of the business strategy of the Company, any Subsidiary or business unit thereof, performance of comparable organizations, economic and business conditions, personal performance of a Participant, and any other circumstances deemed relevant; provided that no such adjustment shall be authorized or made if and to the extent that such authority or the making of such adjustment would cause Awards granted pursuant to Section 8(b) hereof to Participants designated by the Committee as Covered Employees and intended to qualify as “performance-based compensation” under Code Section 162(m) and the regulations thereunder to otherwise fail to qualify as “performance-based compensation” under Code Section 162(m) and regulations thereunder. Adjustments permitted hereby may include, without limitation, increasing the exercise price of Options and Stock Appreciation Rights,

 

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increasing performance goals, or other adjustments that may be adverse to the Participant. Notwithstanding the foregoing, no adjustments may be made with respect to any Awards subject to Section 8 hereof if and to the extent that such adjustment would cause the Award to fail to qualify as “performance-based compensation” under Section 162(m) of the Code.

 

(d)   Award Agreements.   Each Award Agreement shall either be (i) in writing in a form approved by the Committee and executed by the Company by an officer duly authorized to act on its behalf, or (ii) an electronic notice in a form approved by the Committee and recorded by the Company (or its designee) in an electronic recordkeeping system used for the purpose of tracking one or more types of Awards as the Committee may provide; in each case and if required by the Committee, the Award Agreement shall be executed or otherwise electronically accepted by the recipient of the Award in such form and manner as the Committee may require. The Committee may authorize any officer of the Company to execute any or all Award Agreements on behalf of the Company. The Award Agreement shall set forth the material terms and conditions of the Award as established by the Committee consistent with the provisions of the Plan.

 

(e)   Taxes .  The Company and any Related Entity are authorized to withhold from any Award granted, any payment relating to an Award under the Plan, including from a distribution of Shares, or any payroll or other payment to a Participant, amounts of withholding and other taxes due or potentially payable in connection with any transaction involving an Award, and to take such other action as the Committee may deem advisable to enable the Company or any Related Entity and Participants to satisfy obligations for the payment of withholding taxes and other tax obligations relating to any Award. This authority shall include authority to withhold or receive Shares or other property and to make cash payments in respect thereof in satisfaction of a Participant’s tax obligations, either on a mandatory or elective basis in the discretion of the Committee.

 

(f)   Changes to the Plan and Awards .  The Board may amend, alter, suspend, discontinue or terminate the Plan, or the Committee’s authority to grant Awards under the Plan, without the consent of shareholders or Participants, except that any amendment or alteration to the Plan shall be subject to the approval of the Company’s shareholders not later than the annual meeting next following such Board action if such shareholder approval is required by any federal or state law or regulation (including, without limitation, Rule 16b-3 or Code Section 162(m)) or the rules of the Listing Market, and the Board may otherwise, in its discretion, determine to submit other such changes to the Plan to shareholders for approval; provided that, except as otherwise permitted by the Plan or Award Agreement, without the consent of an affected Participant, no such Board action may materially and adversely affect the rights of such Participant under the terms of any previously granted and outstanding Award. The Committee may waive any conditions or rights under, or amend, alter, suspend, discontinue or terminate any Award theretofore granted and any Award Agreement relating thereto, except as otherwise provided in the Plan; provided that, except as otherwise permitted by the Plan or Award Agreement, without the consent of an affected Participant, no such Committee or the Board action may materially and adversely affect the rights of such Participant under terms of such Award.

 

(g)   Limitation on Rights Conferred Under Plan .  Neither the Plan nor any action taken hereunder or under any Award shall be construed as (i) giving any Eligible Person or Participant the right to continue as an Eligible Person or Participant or in the employ or service of the Company or a Related Entity; (ii) interfering in any way with the right of the Company or a Related Entity to terminate any Eligible Person’s or Participant’s Continuous Service at any time, (iii) giving an Eligible Person or Participant any claim to be granted any Award under the Plan or to be treated uniformly with other Participants and Employees, or (iv) conferring on a Participant any of the rights of a shareholder of the Company or any Related Entity including, without limitation, any right to receive dividends or distributions, any right to vote or act by written

 

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consent, any right to attend meetings of shareholders or any right to receive any information concerning the Company’s or any Related Entity’s business, financial condition, results of operation or prospects, unless and until such time as the Participant is duly issued Shares on the stock books of the Company or any Related Entity in accordance with the terms of an Award. None of the Company, its officers or its directors shall have any fiduciary obligation to the Participant with respect to any Awards unless and until the Participant is duly issued Shares pursuant to the Award on the stock books of the Company in accordance with the terms of an Award. Neither the Company, nor any Related Entity, nor any of the their respective officers, directors, representatives or agents is granting any rights under the Plan to the Participant whatsoever, oral or written, express or implied, other than those rights expressly set forth in this Plan or the Award Agreement.

 

(h)   Clawback of Benefits.

 

(i)    The Company may (A) cause the cancellation of any Award, (B) require reimbursement of any Award by a Participant or Beneficiary, and (C) effect any other right of recoupment of equity or other compensation provided under this Plan or otherwise in accordance with any Company policies that currently exist or that may from time to time be adopted or modified in the future by the Company or applicable law (each, a “ Clawback Policy ”), provided that the following conditions are satisfied: (1) there is an accounting restatement of the Company’s financial statements or results and (2) the restatement results from a noncompliance by the Company with any requirements under or related to the federal securities laws. In such an event, the claw back will be in an amount of up to the total economic gain from any stock-based grants within the five-year period preceding the restatement. By accepting an Award, a Participant is also agreeing to be bound by any existing or future Clawback Policy adopted by the Company, or any amendments that may from time to time be made to the Clawback Policy in the future by the Company in its discretion (including without limitation any Clawback Policy adopted or amended to comply with applicable laws or stock exchange requirements) and is further agreeing that all of the Participant’s Award Agreements may be unilaterally amended by the Company, without the Participant’s consent, to the extent that the Company in its discretion determines to be necessary or appropriate to comply with any Clawback Policy.

 

(ii)   If the Participant, without the consent of the Company, while employed by or providing services to the Company or any Subsidiary or after termination of such employment or service, violates a non-competition, non-solicitation or non-disclosure covenant or agreement or otherwise engages in activity that is in conflict with Company’s Corporate Governance Guidelines, Code of Business Conduct and Ethics or any other corporate governance materials specified by the SEC or exchange on which common stock of the Company is listed, then (A) any outstanding, vested or unvested, earned or unearned portion of the Award may, at the Committee’s discretion, be canceled and (B) the Committee, in its discretion, may require the Participant or other person to whom any payment has been made or Shares or other property have been transferred in connection with the Award to forfeit and pay over to the Company, on demand, all or any portion of the gain (whether or not taxable) realized upon the exercise of any Option or Stock Appreciation Right and the value realized (whether or not taxable) on the vesting or payment of any other Award during the time period specified in the Award Agreement or otherwise specified by the Committee.

 

(i)   Unfunded Status of Awards; Creation of Trusts .  The Plan is intended to constitute an “unfunded” plan for incentive and deferred compensation. With respect to any payments not yet made to a Participant or obligation to deliver Shares pursuant to an Award, nothing contained in the Plan or any Award Agreement shall give any such Participant any rights that are greater than those of a general creditor of the Company or Related Entity that issues the Award; provided that

 

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the Committee may authorize the creation of trusts and deposit therein cash, Shares, other Awards or other property, or make other arrangements to meet the obligations of the Company or Related Entity under the Plan. Such trusts or other arrangements shall be consistent with the “unfunded” status of the Plan unless the Committee otherwise determines with the consent of each affected Participant. The trustee of such trusts may be authorized to dispose of trust assets and reinvest the proceeds in alternative investments, subject to such terms and conditions as the Committee may specify and in accordance with applicable law.

 

(j)   Nonexclusivity of the Plan .  Neither the adoption of the Plan by the Board nor its submission to the shareholders of the Company for approval shall be construed as creating any limitations on the power of the Board or a committee thereof to adopt such other incentive arrangements as it may deem desirable including incentive arrangements and awards which do not qualify under Section 162(m) of the Code.

 

(k)   Payments in the Event of Forfeitures; Fractional Shares .  Unless otherwise determined by the Committee, in the event of a forfeiture of an Award with respect to which a Participant paid cash or other consideration, the Participant shall be repaid the amount of such cash or other consideration. No fractional Shares shall be issued or delivered pursuant to the Plan or any Award. The Committee 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.

 

(l)   Governing Law .  Except as otherwise provided in any Award Agreement, the validity, construction and effect of the Plan, any rules and regulations under the Plan, and any Award Agreement shall be determined in accordance with the laws of the State of Nevada without giving effect to principles of conflict of laws, and applicable federal law.

 

(m)   Non-U.S. Laws .  The Committee shall have the authority to adopt such modifications, procedures, and subplans as may be necessary or desirable to comply with provisions of the laws of foreign countries in which the Company or its Related Entities may operate to assure the viability of the benefits from Awards granted to Participants performing services in such countries and to meet the objectives of the Plan.

 

(n)   Construction and Interpretation .  Whenever used herein, nouns in the singular shall include the plural, and the masculine pronoun shall include the feminine gender. Headings of Articles and Sections hereof are inserted for convenience and reference and constitute no part of the Plan.

 

(o)   Severability .  If any provision of the Plan or any Award Agreement shall be determined to be illegal or unenforceable by any court of law in any jurisdiction, the remaining provisions hereof and thereof shall be severable and enforceable in accordance with their terms, and all provisions shall remain enforceable in any other jurisdiction.

 

(p)   Plan Effective Date and Shareholder Approval; Termination of Plan .  The Plan shall become effective on the Effective Date, subject to subsequent approval, within 12 months of its adoption by the Board, by shareholders of the Company eligible to vote in the election of directors, by a vote sufficient to meet the requirements of Code Sections 162(m) (if applicable) and 422, Rule 16b-3 under the Exchange Act (if applicable), applicable requirements under the rules of any stock exchange or automated quotation system on which the Shares may be listed or quoted, and other laws, regulations, and obligations of the Company applicable to the Plan. Awards may be granted subject to shareholder approval, but may not be exercised or otherwise settled in the event the shareholder approval is not obtained. The Plan shall terminate at the earliest of (a) such time as no Shares remain available for issuance under the Plan, (b) termination of this Plan by the Board, or (c) the tenth anniversary of the Effective Date. Awards outstanding upon expiration of the Plan shall remain in effect until they have been exercised or terminated, or have expired.

 

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