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The Annual Meeting of Stockholders of JAKKS Pacific, Inc. (the Company) will be held at the Sherwood Country Club, 320 West Stafford Road, Thousand Oaks, California 91361, on September 19, 2008 at 9:00 a.m. local time, to consider and act upon the following matters:
(1) | To elect 7 directors to serve for the ensuing year. |
(2) | To ratify the selection by the Board of Directors of the firm of BDO Seidman, LLP, as the Companys independent auditors for the current fiscal year. |
(3) | To ratify and approve the amendment to the Companys 2002 Stock Award and Incentive Plan. |
(4) | To transact such other business as may properly come before the meeting or any adjournment thereof. |
Stockholders of record as of the close of business on August 11, 2008 will be entitled to notice of and to vote at the meeting or any adjournment thereof. The stock transfer books of the Company will remain open.
By Order of the Board of Directors,
Stephen G. Berman, Secretary
Malibu, California
August 20, 2008
WHETHER OR NOT YOU EXPECT TO ATTEND THE MEETING, PLEASE COMPLETE, DATE AND SIGN THE ENCLOSED PROXY AND MAIL IT PROMPTLY IN THE ENCLOSED ENVELOPE IN ORDER
TO ENSURE REPRESENTATION OF YOUR SHARES. YOU MAY REVOKE THE PROXY
AT ANY TIME BEFORE THE AUTHORITY GRANTED THEREIN IS EXERCISED.
This Proxy Statement is furnished in connection with the solicitation of proxies by the Board of Directors of JAKKS Pacific, Inc. (the Company) for use at the 2008 Annual Meeting of Stockholders to be held on September 19, 2008, and at any adjournment of that meeting (the Annual Meeting). Throughout this Proxy Statement, we, us and our are used to refer to the Company.
The shares of our common stock represented by each proxy will be voted in accordance with the stockholders instructions as to each matter specified thereon, unless no instruction is given, in which case, the proxy will be voted in favor of such matter. Any proxy may be revoked by a stockholder at any time before it is exercised by delivery of written revocation or a subsequently dated proxy to our corporate Secretary or by voting in person at the Annual Meeting.
We are mailing this Proxy Statement to our stockholders on or about August 20, 2008, accompanied by our Annual Report to Stockholders for our fiscal year ended December 31, 2007.
At the close of business on August 11, 2008, the record date for the determination of stockholders entitled to vote at the Annual Meeting, there were outstanding and entitled to vote an aggregate of 27,430,287 shares of our common stock, par value $.001 per share. All holders of our common stock are entitled to one vote per share.
The affirmative vote of the holders of a plurality of the shares of our common stock present or represented by proxy at the Annual Meeting is required for election of directors. The affirmative vote of the holders of a majority of the shares of our common stock present or represented by proxy at the Annual Meeting is required for the ratification and approval of the amendment to our 2002 Stock Award and Incentive Plan and for the ratification of the appointment by the Board of Directors of BDO Seidman, LLP as our independent auditors for the current fiscal year, all as hereinafter described. A majority of the outstanding shares of our common stock represented in person or by proxy at the Annual Meeting will constitute a quorum at the meeting. All shares of our common stock represented in person or by proxy (including shares which abstain or do not vote for any reason with respect to one or more of the matters presented for stockholder approval) will be counted for purposes of determining whether a quorum is present at the Annual Meeting. Abstentions will be treated as shares that are present and entitled to vote for purposes of determining the number of shares present and entitled to vote with respect to any particular matter, but will not be counted as a vote in favor of such matter. Accordingly, an abstention from voting on a matter has the same legal effect as a vote against the matter. If a broker or nominee holding stock in street name indicates on the proxy that it does not have discretionary authority to vote as to a particular matter (broker non-votes), those shares will not be considered as present and entitled to vote with respect to such matter. Accordingly, a broker non-vote on a matter has no effect on the voting on such matter.
The following table sets forth certain information as of August 11, 2008 with respect to the beneficial ownership of our common stock by (1) each person known by us to own beneficially more than 5% of the outstanding shares of our common stock, (2) each of our directors and nominees for director, (3) each of our executive officers named in the Summary Compensation Table set forth under the caption Executive Compensation, below, and (4) all our directors and executive officers as a group.
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Name and Address of Beneficial Owner (1) (2) | Amount and Nature of Beneficial Ownership(s) (3) | Percent of Outstanding Shares (4) | ||||||
Dimensional Fund Advisors LP | 2,410,736 | (5) | 8.8 | % | ||||
Barclays Global Investors, N.A. | 1,937,147 | (6) | 7.1 | |||||
AXA Financial, Inc. | 1,540,435 | (7) | 5.6 | |||||
Vanguard Group, Inc. | 1,471,733 | (8) | 5.4 | |||||
Defiance Asset Management LLC | 1,387,048 | (9) | 5.1 | |||||
Jack Friedman | 427,163 | (10) | 1.6 | |||||
Stephen G. Berman | 155,567 | (11) | * | |||||
Joel M. Bennett | 47,773 | (12) | * | |||||
Dan Almagor | 47,222 | (13) | * | |||||
David C. Blatte | 95,768 | (14) | * | |||||
Robert E. Glick | 73,289 | (15) | * | |||||
Michael G. Miller | 94,306 | (16) | * | |||||
Murray L. Skala | 78,268 | (17) | * | |||||
All directors and executive officers as a group
(8 persons) |
1,022,949 | (18) | 3.7 | % |
* | Less than 1% of our outstanding shares. |
(1) | Unless otherwise indicated, such persons address is c/o JAKKS Pacific, Inc., 22619 Pacific Coast Highway, Malibu, California 90265. |
(2) | The number of shares of common stock beneficially owned by each person or entity is determined under the rules promulgated by the Securities and Exchange Commission. Under such rules, beneficial ownership includes any shares as to which the person or entity has sole or shared voting power or investment power. The percentage of our outstanding shares is calculated by including among the shares owned by such person any shares which such person or entity has the right to acquire within 60 days after August 11, 2008. The inclusion herein of any shares deemed beneficially owned does not constitute an admission of beneficial ownership of such shares. |
(3) | Except as otherwise indicated, exercises sole voting power and sole investment power with respect to such shares. |
(4) | Does not include any shares of common stock issuable upon the conversion of $98 million of our 4.625% convertible senior notes due 2023, initially convertible at the rate of 50 shares of common stock per $1,000 principal amount at issuance of the notes (but subject to adjustment under certain circumstances as described in the notes). |
(5) | The address of Dimensional Fund Advisors LP (formerly known as Dimensional Fund Advisors, Inc.) is 1299 Ocean Avenue, 11th Floor, Santa Monica, CA 90401. All the information presented in this Item with respect to this beneficial owner was extracted solely from the Schedule 13G/A filed on February 6, 2008. |
(6) | The address of Barclays Global Investors, N.A. is 45 Fremont Street, San Francisco, CA 94105. Possesses sole voting power with respect to 1,612,442 of such shares and sole dispositive power with respect to all of such 2,000,117 shares. All the information presented in this Item with respect to this beneficial owner was extracted solely from the Schedule 13G/A filed on February 5, 2008. |
(7) | The address of AXA Financial, Inc. is 1290 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY 10104. Possesses sole voting power with respect to 737,414 of such shares and sole dispositive power with respect to all of such 1,590,238 shares. All the information presented in this Item with respect to this beneficial owner was extracted solely from the Schedule 13G filed on February 14, 2008. |
(8) | The address of Vanguard Group, Inc. is PO Box 2600, Valley Forge, PA 19482. All the information presented in this Item with respect to this beneficial owner was extracted solely from the Form 13F filed on August 6, 2008. |
(9) | The address of Defiance Asset Management LLC is 100 Front Street, Suite 920, West Conshohocken, PA 19428. All the information presented in this Item with respect to this beneficial owner was extracted solely from the Schedule 13F filed on January 16, 2008. |
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(10) | Includes 3,186 shares held in trusts for the benefit of children of Mr. Friedman. Also includes 120,000 shares of common stock issued on January 1, 2008 pursuant to the terms of Mr. Friedmans January 1, 2003 Employment Agreement, which shares are further subject to the terms of our January 1, 2008 Restricted Stock Award Agreement with Mr. Friedman (the Friedman Agreement). The Friedman Agreement provides that Mr. Friedman will forfeit his rights to all 120,000 shares unless certain conditions precedent are met prior to January 1, 2009, including the condition that our Pre-Tax Income (as defined in the Friedman Agreement) for 2008 exceeds $2,000,000, whereupon the forfeited shares will become authorized but unissued shares of our common stock. The Friedman Agreement, as modified by a subsequent agreement with our Board of Directors as a condition to receiving the 20,567 restricted share grant described below, further prohibits Mr. Friedman from selling, assigning, transferring, pledging or otherwise encumbering (a) 50,000 of the 120,000 shares prior to January 1, 2009 and 10,000 until January 1, 2011, (b) of the remaining 60,000 shares, 50,000 shares prior to January 1, 2010; provided, however, that if our Pre-Tax Income for 2008 exceeds $2,000,000 and our Adjusted EPS Growth (as defined in the Friedman Agreement) for 2008 increases by certain percentages as set forth in the Friedman Agreement, the vesting of some or all of the 50,000 shares that would otherwise vest on January 1, 2010 will be accelerated to the date the Adjusted EPS Growth is determined and (c) the remaining 10,000 shares until two years after the vesting date of all of the 50,000 shares described in (b). Mr. Friedman is prohibited from selling, assigning, transferring, pledging or otherwise encumbering 15,000 shares issued him on January 1, 2007 until January 1, 2009. Also includes 20,567 shares granted on February 14, 2008 which are subject to a three-year restriction on sale and 175,000 shares subject to restriction on sale until June 11, 2009 of which shares not more than 87,500 shares may be sold prior to June 11, 2010. |
(11) | Includes 120,000 shares of common stock issued on January 1, 2008 pursuant to the terms of Mr. Bermans January 1, 2003 Employment Agreement, which shares are further subject to the terms of our January 1, 2008 Restricted Stock Award Agreement with Mr. Berman (the Berman Agreement). The Berman Agreement provides that Mr. Berman will forfeit his rights to all 120,000 shares unless certain conditions precedent are met prior to January 1, 2009, including the condition that our Pre-Tax Income (as defined in the Berman Agreement) for 2008 exceeds $2,000,000, whereupon the forfeited shares will become authorized but unissued shares of our common stock. The Berman Agreement, as modified by a subsequent agreement with our Board of Directors as a condition to receiving the 20,567 restricted share grant described below, further prohibits Mr. Berman from selling, assigning, transferring, pledging or otherwise encumbering (a) 50,000 of the 120,000 shares prior to January 1, 2009 and 10,000 until January 1, 2011, (b) of the remaining 60,000 shares, 50,000 shares prior to January 1, 2010; provided, however, that if our Pre-Tax Income for 2008 exceeds $2,000,000 and our Adjusted EPS Growth (as defined in the Berman Agreement) for 2008 increases by certain percentages as set forth in the Berman Agreement, the vesting of some or all of the 50,000 shares that would otherwise vest on January 1, 2010 will be accelerated to the date the Adjusted EPS Growth is determined and (c) the remaining 10,000 shares until two years after the vesting date of all of the 50,000 shares described in (b). Mr. Berman is prohibited from selling, assigning, transferring, pledging or otherwise encumbering 15,000 shares issued him on January 1, 2007 until January 1, 2009. Also includes 20,567 shares granted on February 14, 2008 which are subject to a three-year restriction on sale. |
(12) | Includes 10,000 shares of restricted common stock granted by our Board of Directors to Mr. Bennett upon the execution of his new employment agreement (see Employment Agreements and Termination of Employment Arrangements), which restricted shares vest in equal annual installments of 5,000 shares each on December 31, 2008 and 2009. Does not include 3,593 restricted shares granted on February 29, 2008 and which vest 50% on March 1, 2009 and the balance on March 1, 2010. |
(13) | Includes 29,644 shares which Mr. Almagor may purchase upon the exercise of certain stock options and 17,578 shares of common stock issued pursuant to our 2002 Stock Award and Incentive Plan, pursuant to which 5,068 shares may not be sold, mortgaged, transferred or otherwise encumbered prior to January 1, 2009. |
(14) | Includes 82,500 shares which Mr. Blatte may purchase upon the exercise of certain stock options and 13,268 shares of common stock issued pursuant to our 2002 Stock Award and Incentive Plan, pursuant to which 5,068 of such shares may not be sold, mortgaged, transferred or otherwise encumbered prior to January 1, 2009. |
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(15) | Includes 55,021 shares which Mr. Glick may purchase upon the exercise of certain stock options and 18,268 shares of Common Stock issued pursuant to our 2002 Stock Award and Incentive Plan, pursuant to which 5,068 of such shares may not be sold, mortgaged, transferred or otherwise encumbered prior to January 1, 2009. |
(16) | Includes 76,038 shares which Mr. Miller may purchase upon the exercise of certain stock options and 18,268 shares of Common Stock issued pursuant to our 2002 Stock Award and Incentive Plan, pursuant to which 5,068 of such shares may not be sold, mortgaged, transferred or otherwise encumbered prior to January 1, 2009. |
(17) | Includes 60,000 shares which Mr. Skala may purchase upon the exercise of certain stock options and 18,268 shares of common stock issued pursuant to our 2002 Stock Award and Incentive Plan, pursuant to which 5,068 of such shares may not be sold, mortgaged, transferred or otherwise encumbered prior to January 1, 2009. |
(18) | Includes 3,186 shares held in a trust for the benefit of Mr. Friedmans minor child and an aggregate of 303,203 shares which the directors and executive officers may purchase upon the exercise of certain stock options. |
The persons named in the enclosed proxy will vote to elect as directors the seven nominees named below, unless authority to vote for the election of any or all of the nominees is withheld by marking the proxy to that effect. All of the nominees have indicated their willingness to serve, if elected, but if any nominee should be unable to serve or for good cause will not serve, the proxies may be voted for a substitute nominee designated by management. Each director will be elected to hold office until the next annual meeting of stockholders or until his successor is elected and qualified. There are no family relationships between or among any of our executive officers or directors.
Set forth below for each nominee as a director is his name, age, and position with us, the Committee of the Board upon which he currently sits, his principal occupation and business experience during at least the past five years and the date of the commencement of his term as a director.
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Name | Age | Position with the Company | Board Committee Membership | |||
Jack Friedman | 69 |
Chairman and Chief
Executive Officer |
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Stephen G. Berman | 43 |
Chief Operating Officer,
President, Secretary and Director |
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Dan Almagor | 54 | Director | Nominating and Corporate Governance (Chairman) and Compensation | |||
David C. Blatte | 43 | Director | Audit (Chairman) | |||
Robert E. Glick | 63 | Director | Audit, Compensation (Chairman) and Nominating and Corporate Governance | |||
Michael G. Miller | 61 | Director |
Audit, Compensation and
Nominating and Corporate Governance |
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Murray L. Skala | 61 | Director | |
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Jack Friedman has been our Chairman and Chief Executive Officer since co-founding JAKKS with Mr. Berman in January 1995. Until December 31, 1998, he was also our President. From January 1989 until January 1995, Mr. Friedman was Chief Executive Officer, President and a director of THQ. From 1970 to 1989, Mr. Friedman was President and Chief Operating Officer of LJN Toys, Ltd., a toy and software company. After LJN was acquired by MCA/Universal, Inc. in 1986, Mr. Friedman continued as President until his departure in late 1988.
Stephen G. Berman has been our Chief Operating Officer and Secretary and one of our directors since co-founding JAKKS with Mr. Friedman in January 1995. Since January 1, 1999, he has also served as our President. From our inception until December 31, 1998, Mr. Berman was also our Executive Vice President. From October 1991 to August 1995, Mr. Berman was a Vice President and Managing Director of THQ International, Inc., a subsidiary of THQ. From 1988 to 1991, he was President and an owner of Balanced Approach, Inc., a distributor of personal fitness products and services.
Dan Almagor has been one of our directors since September 2004. Since March 1992, Mr. Almagor has served as the Chairman of ACG Inc., an advisory firm affiliated with First Chicago Bank One Equity Capital, a global private equity organization which provides equity capital financing primarily to private companies.
David C. Blatte has been one of our directors since January 2001. From January 1993 to May 2000, Mr. Blatte was a Senior Vice President in the specialty retail group of the investment banking division of Donaldson, Lufkin and Jenrette Securities Corporation. From May 2000 to January 2004, Mr. Blatte was a partner in Catterton Partners, a private equity fund. Since February 2004, Mr. Blatte has been a partner in Centre Partners, a private equity fund.
Robert E. Glick has been one of our directors since October 1996. For more than 20 years and until May 2007, Mr. Glick was an officer, director and principal stockholder in a number of privately held companies which manufacture and market womens apparel. Since May 2007, Mr. Glick has been an executive of G-III Apparel Group, Ltd., a publicly held company which manufactures and markets womens apparel.
Michael G. Miller has been one of our directors since February 1996. From 1979 until May 1998, Mr. Miller was President and a director of a group of privately held companies, including a list brokerage and list management consulting firm, a database management consulting firm, and a direct mail graphic and creative design firm. Mr. Millers interests in such companies were sold in May 1998. Since 1991, he has been President of an advertising company.
Murray L. Skala has been one of our directors since October 1995. Since 1976, Mr. Skala has been a partner of the law firm Feder, Kaszovitz, Isaacson, Weber, Skala, Bass & Rhine LLP, our general counsel.
A majority of our directors are independent, as defined under the rules of the Nasdaq Stock Market. Such independent directors are Messrs. Blatte, Glick, Miller and Almagor. Our directors hold office until the next annual meeting of stockholders and until their successors are elected and qualified.
We have an Audit Committee, Compensation Committee and Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee.
The primary functions of the Audit Committee are to select or to recommend to our Board the selection of outside auditors; to monitor our relationships with our outside auditors and their interaction with our management in order to ensure their independence and objectivity; to review, and to assess the scope and quality of, our outside auditors services, including the audit of our annual financial statements; to review our financial management and accounting procedures; to review our financial statements with our management and outside auditors; and to review the adequacy of our system of internal accounting controls. Messrs. Blatte, Glick and Miller are the current members of the Audit Committee, are each independent (as that term is defined in NASD Rule 4200(a)(14)), and are each able to read and understand fundamental financial statements. Mr. Blatte is the Chairman of the Audit Committee and possesses the financial expertise required under Rule 401(h) of Regulation SK of the Act and NASD Rule 4350(d)(2). He is further independent, as that
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term is defined under Item 7(d)(3)(iv) of Schedule 14A under the Exchange Act. We will, in the future, continue to have (i) an Audit Committee of at least three members comprised solely of independent directors, each of whom will be able to read and understand fundamental financial statements (or will become able to do so within a reasonable period of time after his or her appointment); and (ii) at least one member of the Audit Committee that will possess the financial expertise required under NASD Rule 4350(d)(2). Our Board has adopted a written charter for the Audit Committee and the Audit Committee reviews and reassesses the adequacy of that charter on an annual basis. The full text of the charter is available on our website at www.jakks.com .
The functions of the Compensation Committee are to make recommendations to the Board regarding compensation of management employees and to administer plans and programs relating to employee benefits, incentives, compensation and awards under our 2002 Stock Award and Incentive Plan (the 2002 Plan). Messrs. Glick (Chairman), Almagor and Miller are the current members of the Compensation Committee. The Board has determined that each of them are independent, as defined under the applicable rules of the Nasdaq Stock Market. A copy of the Compensation Committees Charter is appended hereto. Executive officers that are members of our Board make recommendations to the Compensation Committee with respect to the compensation of other executive officers that are not on the Board. Except as otherwise prohibited, the Committee may delegate its responsibilities to subcommittees or individuals.
Our executive compensation program is administered by the Compensation Committee. The base salary and the long-term compensation of our executive officers are governed by the terms of their individual employment agreements. The Compensation Committee has, with input from the Companys compensation consultant, Frederick W. Cook & Co., Inc. (FWC), established target performance levels for incentive bonuses based on a number of factors designed to further our executive compensation objectives, including our performance, the compensation received by similarly situated executive officers at peer group companies, the conditions of the markets in which we operate and the relative earnings performance of peer group companies.
Pursuant to the terms of the employment agreements of Messrs. Friedman and Berman, during the first quarter of each year, the Compensation Committee establishes the targeted level of our Adjusted EPS (as defined in the employment agreements) growth targets and corresponding bonuses, as a percentage of base salary, Messrs. Friedman and Berman will earn if the targets are met. The Compensation Committee has wide discretion to set the target levels of Adjusted EPS and has worked together with FWC to establish target levels that are thought to be fair to the executives and that will accomplish the general objectives of also promoting growth and alignment with our shareholders interests.
The Compensation Committee also annually reviews the overall compensation of our executive officers for the purpose of determining whether discretionary bonuses should be granted. In 2007, FWC presented a report to the Compensation Committee comparing our performance, size and executive compensation levels to those of peer group companies. FWC also reviewed with the Compensation Committee the base salaries, annual bonuses, total cash compensation, long-term compensation and total compensation of our senior executive officers relative to those companies. The performance comparison presented to the Compensation Committee each year includes a comparison of our total shareholder return, earnings per share growth, sales, net income (and one-year growth of both measures) to the peer group companies. The Compensation Committee reviews this information along with details about the components of each executive officers compensation.
The functions of the Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee are to develop our corporate governance system and to review proposed new members of our Board of Directors, including those recommended by our stockholders. Messrs. Almagor (Chairman), Glick and Miller are the current members of our Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee. The Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee operates pursuant to a written charter adopted by the Board. The full text of the charter is available on our website at www.jakks.com . The Board has determined that each member of this Committee is independent, as defined under the applicable rules of the Nasdaq Stock Market. For instructions on how stockholders may
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submit recommendations for director nominees to our Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee, see Stockholder Communications, below.
The Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee will review, on an annual basis, the composition of our Board of Directors and the ability of its current members to continue effectively as directors for the upcoming fiscal year. In the ordinary course, absent special circumstances or a change in the criteria for Board membership, the Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee will renominate incumbent directors who continue to be qualified for Board service and are willing to continue as directors. If that Committee thinks it in our best interests to nominate a new individual for director in connection with an annual meeting of stockholders, or if a vacancy on the Board occurs between annual stockholder meetings, the nominating committee will seek out potential candidates for Board appointment who meet the criteria for selection as a nominee and have the specific qualities or skills being sought. Director candidates will be selected based on input from members of the Board, our senior management and, if the Committee deems appropriate, a third-party search firm. The Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee will evaluate each candidates qualifications and check relevant references and each candidate will be interviewed by at least one member of that Committee. Candidates meriting serious consideration will meet with all members of the Board. Based on this input, the Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee will evaluate whether a prospective candidate is qualified to serve as a director and whether the Committee should recommend to the Board that this candidate be appointed to fill a current vacancy on the Board, or presented for the approval of the stockholders, as appropriate.
From January 1, 2007 through December 31, 2007, the Board of Directors, Audit Committee, Compensation Committee and Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee each met or acted without a meeting pursuant to unanimous written consent nine times, twelve times, fourteen times and ten times, respectively.
We do not have a formal written policy with respect to board members attendance at annual stockholder meetings, although we do encourage each of them to attend. All of the directors then serving attended our 2007 Annual Stockholder Meeting.
Stockholders interested in communicating with our Board may do so by writing to any or all directors, care of our Chief Financial Officer, at our principal executive offices. Our Chief Financial Officer will log in all stockholder correspondence and forward to the director addressee(s) all communications that, in his judgment, are appropriate for consideration by the directors. Any director may review the correspondence log and request copies of any correspondence. Examples of communications that would be considered inappropriate for consideration by the directors include, but are not limited to, commercial solicitations, trivial, obscene, or profane items, administrative matters, ordinary business matters, or personal grievances. Correspondence that is not appropriate for Board review will be handled by our Chief Financial Officer. All appropriate matters pertaining to accounting or internal controls will be brought promptly to the attention of our Audit Committee Chair.
Stockholder recommendations for director nominees are welcome and should be sent to our Chief Financial Officer, who will forward such recommendations to our Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee, and should include the following information: (a) all information relating to each nominee that is required to be disclosed pursuant to Regulation 14A under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (including such persons written consent to being named in the proxy statement as a nominee and to serving as a director if elected); (b) the names and addresses of the stockholders making the nomination and the number of shares of our common stock which are owned beneficially and of record by such stockholders; and (c) appropriate biographical information and a statement as to the qualification of each nominee, and must be submitted in the time frame described under the caption, Stockholder Proposals for 2009 Annual Meeting, below. The Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee will evaluate candidates recommended by stockholders in the same manner as candidates recommended by other sources, using criteria, if any, approved by the Board from time to time. Our stockholder communication policy may be amended at any time with the consent of our Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee.
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We have a Code of Ethics that applies to all our employees, officers and directors. This code is posted on our website, www.jakks.com . We will disclose when there have been waivers of, or amendments to, such Code, as required by the rules and regulations promulgated by the Securities and Exchange Commission and/or Nasdaq.
Our officers are elected annually by our Board of Directors and serve at the discretion of the Board of Directors. Two of our executive officers, Jack Friedman and Stephen G. Berman, are also directors of the Company. See the section above entitled Nominees for biographical information about these officers. The remaining executive officer is Joel M. Bennett, our Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer.
Joel M. Bennett , 46, joined us in September 1995 as Chief Financial Officer and was given the additional title of Executive Vice President in May 2000. From August 1993 to September 1995, he served in several financial management capacities at Time Warner Entertainment Company, L.P., including as Controller of Warner Brothers Consumer Products Worldwide Merchandising and Interactive Entertainment. From June 1991 to August 1993, Mr. Bennett was Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of TTI Technologies, Inc., a direct-mail computer hardware and software distribution company. From 1986 to June 1991, Mr. Bennett held various financial management positions at The Walt Disney Company, including Senior Manager of Finance for its international television syndication and production division. Mr. Bennett holds a Master of Business Administration degree and is a Certified Public Accountant.
One of our directors, Murray L. Skala, is a partner in the law firm of Feder, Kaszovitz, Isaacson, Weber, Skala, Bass & Rhine LLP, which has performed, and is expected to continue to perform, legal services for us. In 2007, we incurred approximately $1,572,007 for legal fees and $362,949 for reimbursable expenses payable to that firm. As of December 31, 2006 and 2007, legal fees and reimbursable expenses of $825,749 and $916,048, respectively, were payable to this law firm.
Pursuant to our Code of Ethics (a copy of which may be found on our website, www.jakks.com ), all of our employees are required to disclose to our General Counsel, the Board of Directors or any committee established by the Board of Directors to receive such information, any material transaction or relationship that reasonably could be expected to give rise to actual or apparent conflicts of interest between any of them, personally, and us. In addition, our Code of Ethics also directs all employees to avoid any self-interested transactions without full disclosure. This policy, which applies to all of our employees, is reiterated in our Employee Handbook which states that a violation of this policy could be grounds for termination. In approving or rejecting a proposed transaction, our General Counsel, Board of Directors or designated committee will consider the facts and circumstances available and deemed relevant, including but not limited to, the risks, costs, and benefits to us, the terms of the transactions, the availability of other sources for comparable services or products, and, if applicable, the impact on director independence. Upon concluding their review, they will only approve those agreements that, in light of known circumstances, are in or are not inconsistent with, our best interests, as they determine in good faith.
On October 19, 2004, we were named as defendants in a lawsuit commenced by WWE in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York concerning our toy licenses with WWE and the video game license between WWE and the joint venture company operated by THQ and us, encaptioned World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc. v. JAKKS Pacific, Inc., et al., 1:04-CV-08223-KMK (the WWE Action). The complaint also named as defendants THQ, the joint venture, certain of our foreign subsidiaries, Jack Friedman (our Chairman and Chief Executive Officer), Stephen Berman (our Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer, President and Secretary and a member of our Board of Directors), Joel Bennett (our Chief Financial Officer), Stanley Shenker and Associates, Inc., Bell Licensing, LLC, Stanley Shenker and James Bell.
WWE sought treble, punitive and other damages (including disgorgement of profits) in an undisclosed amount and a declaration that the video game license with the joint venture, which is scheduled to expire in
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2009 (subject to the joint ventures right to extend that license for an additional five years), and an amendment to our toy licenses with WWE, which are scheduled to expire in 2009, are void and unenforceable. This action alleged violations by the defendants of the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organization Act (RICO) and the anti-bribery provisions of the Robinson-Patman Act, and various claims under state law.
On February 16, 2005, we filed a motion to dismiss the WWE Action. On March 30, 2005, the day before WWEs opposition to our motion was due, WWE filed an Amended Complaint seeking, among other things, to add the Chief Executive Officer of THQ as a defendant and to add a claim under the Sherman Act. The Court allowed the filing of the Amended Complaint and ordered a two-stage resolution of the viability of the Complaint, with motions to dismiss the federal jurisdiction claims based on certain threshold issues to proceed and all other matters to be deferred for consideration if the Complaint survived scrutiny with respect to the threshold issues. The Court also stayed discovery pending the determination of the motions to dismiss.
The motions to dismiss the Amended Complaint based on these threshold issues were fully briefed and argued and, on March 31, 2006, the Court granted the part of our motion seeking dismissal of the Robinson-Patman Act and Sherman Act claims and denied the part of our motion seeking to dismiss the RICO claims on the basis of the threshold issue that was briefed (the March 31 Order).
On April 7, 2006, we sought certification to appeal from the portion of the March 31 Order denying our motion to dismiss the RICO claim on the one ground that was briefed. Shortly thereafter, WWE filed a motion for reargument with respect to the portion of the March 31 Order that dismissed the Sherman Act claim and, alternatively, sought judgment with respect to the Sherman Act claim so that it could pursue an immediate appeal. At a court conference on April 26, 2006 the Court deferred the requests for judgment and for certification and set up briefing schedules with respect to our motion to dismiss the RICO claim on grounds that were not the subject of the first round of briefing, and our motion to dismiss the action based on the release contained in a January 15, 2004 Settlement Agreement and General Release between WWE and the Company (the Release). The Court also established a briefing schedule for WWEs motion for reargument of the dismissal of the Sherman Act claim. These motions were argued and submitted in September 2006. Discovery remained stayed.
On November 30, 2007, the Court indicated that the WWE Action would be dismissed. On December 21, 2007 the Court dismissed the WWE Action with prejudice (the December 2007 Order) based on (1) the failure to plead RICO injury; (2) the bar of the RICO statute of limitations; (3) the denial of WWEs motion for reconsideration of the Sherman Act claim; and (4) the lack of subject matter jurisdiction with respect to the pendent state law claims. Thereafter, WWE filed an appeal to the Second Circuit Court of Appeals. We filed a motion for reconsideration of the part of the December 2007 Order that stated that the Release did not bar the WWE Action. That motion was fully briefed and submitted to the Court. We also filed a cross-appeal based on the Court's earlier order denying our request to dismiss based on the lack of a cognizable enterprise and based on the December 2007 Order's statement with respect to the Release. WWE moved to dismiss our cross-appeal. The appeal and cross-appeal and WWEs related motion to dismiss the cross-appeal are in abeyance pending the determination of our motion for reconsideration. Recently, WWE filed a motion in the Second Circuit seeking an order allowing it to proceed with its appeal or, in the alternative, an order requiring the District Court to determine the reconsideration motion.
In November 2004, several purported class action lawsuits were filed in the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York: (1) Garcia v. JAKKS Pacific, Inc. et al., Civil Action No. 04-8807 (filed on November 5, 2004), (2) Jonco Investors, LLC v. JAKKS Pacific, Inc. et al., Civil Action No. 04-9021 (filed on November 16, 2004), (3) Kahn v. JAKKS Pacific, Inc. et al., Civil Action No. 04-8910 (filed on November 10, 2004), (4) Quantum Equities L.L.C. v. JAKKS Pacific, Inc. et al., Civil Action No. 04-8877 (filed on November 9, 2004), and (5) Irvine v. JAKKS Pacific, Inc. et al., Civil Action No. 04-9078 (filed on November 16, 2004) (the Class Actions). The complaints in the Class Actions alleged that defendants issued positive statements concerning increasing sales of our WWE licensed products which were false and misleading because the WWE licenses had allegedly been obtained through a pattern of commercial bribery, our relationship with the WWE was being negatively impacted by the WWEs contentions and there was an increased risk that the WWE would either seek modification or nullification of the licensing agreements with us. Plaintiffs also alleged that we misleadingly failed to disclose the alleged fact that the
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WWE licenses were obtained through an unlawful bribery scheme. The plaintiffs in the Class Actions were described as purchasers of our common stock, who purchased from as early as October 26, 1999 to as late as October 19, 2004. The Class Actions sought compensatory and other damages in an undisclosed amount, alleging violations of Section 10(b) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (the Exchange Act) and Rule 10b-5 promulgated thereunder by each of the defendants (namely the Company and Messrs. Friedman, Berman and Bennett), and violations of Section 20(a) of the Exchange Act by Messrs. Friedman, Berman and Bennett. On January 25, 2005, the Court consolidated the Class Actions under the caption In re JAKKS Pacific, Inc. Shareholders Class Action Litigation, Civil Action No. 04-8807. On May 11, 2005, the Court appointed co-lead counsels and provided until July 11, 2005 for an amended complaint to be filed; and a briefing schedule thereafter with respect to a motion to dismiss. The motion to dismiss was fully briefed and argument occurred on November 30, 2006. The motion was granted in January 2008 to the extent that the Class Actions were dismissed without prejudice to plaintiffs right to seek leave to file an amended complaint based on statements that the WWE licenses were obtained from the WWE as a result of the long-term relationship with WWE. A motion seeking leave to file an amended complaint was granted and an amended complaint filed. A briefing schedule has been established with respect to a motion to dismiss that is scheduled for argument in October 2008.
We believe that the claims in the WWE Action and the Class Actions are without merit and we intend to defend vigorously against them. However, because these Actions are in their preliminary stages or are on appeal, we cannot assure you as to the outcome of the Actions, nor can we estimate the range of our potential losses.
On December 2, 2004, a shareholder derivative action was filed in the Southern District of New York by Freeport Partner, LLC against us, nominally, and against Messrs. Friedman, Berman and Bennett, Freeport Partners v. Friedman, et al., Civil Action No. 04-9441 (the Derivative Action). The Derivative Action seeks to hold the individual defendants liable for damages allegedly caused to us by their actions and in particular to hold them liable on a contribution theory with respect to any liability we incur in connection with the Class Actions. On or about February 10, 2005, a second shareholder derivative action was filed in the Southern District of New York by David Oppenheim against us, nominally, and against Messrs. Friedman, Berman, Bennett, Blatte, Glick, Miller and Skala, Civil Action 05-2046 (the Second Derivative Action). The Second Derivative Action seeks to hold the individual defendants liable for damages allegedly caused to us by their actions as a result of alleged breaches of their fiduciary duties. On or about March 16, 2005, a third shareholder derivative action was filed. It is captioned Warr v. Friedman, Berman, Bennett, Blatte, Glick, Miller, Skala, and JAKKS (as a nominal defendant), and it was filed in the Superior Court of California, Los Angeles County (the Third Derivative Action). The Third Derivative Action seeks to hold the individual defendants liable for (1) damages allegedly caused to us by their alleged breaches of fiduciary duty, abuse of control, gross mismanagement, waste of corporate assets and unjust enrichment; and (2) restitution to us of profits, benefits and other compensation obtained by them. Stays and/or extensions of time to answer are in place with respect to the derivative actions.
On March 1, 2005, we delivered a Notice of Breach of Settlement Agreement and Demand for Indemnification to WWE (the Notification). The Notification asserted that WWEs filing of the WWE Action violated a Covenant Not to Sue contained in a January 15, 2004 Settlement Agreement and General Release (General Release) entered into between WWE and us and, therefore, that we were demanding indemnification, pursuant to the Indemnification provision contained in the General Release, for all losses that the WWEs actions have caused or will cause to us and our officers, including but not limited to any losses sustained by us in connection with the Class Actions. On March 4, 2005, in a letter from its outside counsel, WWE asserted that the General Release does not cover the claims in the WWE Action.
On March 30, 2006, WWEs counsel wrote a letter alleging breaches by the joint venture of the video game agreement relating to the manner of distribution and the payment of royalties to WWE with respect to sales of the WWE video games in Japan. WWE has demanded that the alleged breaches be cured within the time periods provided in the video game license, while reserving all of its rights, including its alleged right of termination of the video game license.
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On April 28, 2006 the joint venture responded, asserting, among other things, that WWE had acquiesced in the manner of distribution in Japan and the payment of royalties with respect to such sales and, in addition, had separately released the joint venture from any claims with respect to such matter, including the payment of royalties with respect to such sales, and that there is therefore no basis for an allegation of a breach of the license agreement. While the joint venture does not believe that WWE has a valid claim, it tendered a protective cure of the alleged breaches with a full reservation of rights. WWE rejected that cure and reserved its rights.
On October 12, 2006, WWE commenced a lawsuit in Connecticut state court against THQ and THQ/JAKKS Pacific LLC (the LLC), involving a claim set forth above concerning allegedly improper sales of WWE video games in Japan and other countries in Asia (the Connecticut Action). The lawsuit seeks, among other things, a declaration that WWE is entitled to terminate the video game license and monetary damages and raised Connecticut Unfair Trade Practices Act (CUTPA) and contract claims against THQ and the LLC. A motion to strike the CUTPA claim was denied in May 2007.
In March 2007, WWE filed a motion seeking leave to amend its complaint in the Connecticut Action to add the principal part of the state law claims present in the WWE Action to the Connecticut Action. That motion further sought, inter alia, to add our Company and Messrs. Friedman, Berman and Bennett (the Individual Defendants) as defendants in the Connecticut Action. The motion was argued on May 8, 2007 and was granted from the bench, subject to a decision that the schedule was suspended and no discovery matters would be addressed until pleading motions were resolved. In June 2007, our Company and the Individual Defendants moved for a stay of the Connecticut Action, inter alia , based on the pendency of the WWE Action. On July 30, 2007, in light of the pending motion to dismiss in the WWE Action, the Court ordered a 120-day stay of the Connecticut Action (the Stay). In November 2007 we moved for a continuation of the Stay. WWE served discovery and sought leave to file an amended complaint alleging the state law claims from the WWE Action. Thereafter we moved for a conference and a stay of discovery. A conference was held on January 14, 2008 at which WWE was allowed to amend its complaint to assert the state law claims set forth in the WWE Action and a briefing schedule was established with respect to a combined motion to strike and a motion for summary judgment (the Dispositive Motion). This motion was briefed and argument was held on May 19, 2008. WWE cross-moved for partial summary judgment striking our Release defense. Discovery is proceeding in this matter but we have filed a motion to stay discovery pending adjudication of the Dispositive Motion or for entry of a discovery management order deferring deposition discovery and any additional discovery until WWE complies with its outstanding discovery obligations and establishing a schedule for expedited resolution of discovery disputes. The Court also established a case management order, which provides for trial in or after May 2010. Recently, THQ filed a cross-complaint which asserts claims by THQ and Mr. Farrell for indemnification from JAKKS in the event that WWE prevails on any of its claims against THQ and Farrell and also asserts claims by THQ that JAKKS breached its fiduciary duties to THQ in connection with the videogame license between WWE and THQ/JAKKS Pacific LLC and seeks equitable and legal relief, including substantial monetary and exemplary damages against JAKKS in connection with this claim. JAKKS intends to contest all of these claims vigorously.
We believe that the claims in the Connecticut Action are without merit and we intend to defend vigorously against them. However, because this action is in its preliminary stage, we cannot assure you as to the outcome of the action, nor can we estimate the range of our potential losses. THQ and the LLC have stated that they believe the claims in the Connecticut Action prior to the additional claims in the amended complaint are without merit and intend to defend themselves vigorously. However, because this action is in its preliminary stage, we cannot assure you as to the outcome, nor can we estimate the range of our potential losses, if any.
Our agreement with THQ provides for payment of a preferred return to us in connection with our joint venture. The preferred return is subject to change after June 30, 2006 and is to be set for the distribution period beginning July 1, 2006 and ending December 31, 2009 (the Next Distribution Period). The agreement provides that the parties will negotiate in good faith and agree to the preferred return not less than 180 days prior to the start of the Next Distribution Period. It further provides that if the parties are unable to agree on a preferred return, the preferred return will be determined by arbitration. The parties have not reached an agreement with respect to the preferred return for the Next Distribution Period and the preferred return is to
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be determined through arbitration. On April 30, 2007, THQ filed an action in the Superior Court, Los Angeles County, to compel arbitration and to appoint an arbitrator pursuant to the relevant provisions of the agreement. An order was issued that identified five potential arbitrators. The parties did not agree on an arbitrator. JAKKS served notices of disqualification on four of the potential arbitrators; THQ objected; the Court struck the disqualification notices and appointed an arbitrator, who was then stricken by JAKKS. JAKKS appealed the Courts order with respect to the disclosure and disqualification process and the appellate court took the appeal and stayed the proceedings. The Court rendered a decision on the matter on February 28, 2008 which affirmed the lower court's decision ruling that disclosure was not required until after the arbitrator was nominated to serve by the Court. The matter was remanded for further proceedings and the parties have agreed on an arbitrator subject to disclosure issues.
We are a party to, and certain of our property is the subject of, various other pending claims and legal proceedings that routinely arise in the ordinary course of our business, but we do not believe that any of these claims or proceedings will have a material effect on our business, financial condition or results of operations.
Based solely upon a review of Forms 3 and 4 and amendments thereto furnished to us during 2007 and Forms 5 and amendments thereto furnished to us with respect to 2007, during 2007, Jack Friedman and Stephen Berman, executive officers of our Company and members of our Board of Directors, each untimely filed two reports on Form 4 reporting two late transactions and each of our directors also untimely filed one report on Form 4 reporting one late transaction. Based solely upon a review of Forms 3 and 4 and amendments thereto furnished to us during 2007 and Forms 5 and amendments thereto furnished to us with respect to 2007, all other Forms 3, 4 and 5 required to be filed during 2007 were done so on a timely basis.
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We believe that a strong management team comprised of highly talented individuals in key positions is critical to our ability to deliver sustained growth and profitability, and our executive compensation program is an important tool for attracting and retaining such individuals. We also believe that our most important resource is our people. While some companies may enjoy an exclusive or limited franchise or are able to exploit unique assets or proprietary technology, we depend fundamentally on the skills, energy and dedication of our employees to drive our business. It is only through their constant efforts that we are able to innovate through the creation of new products and the continual rejuvenation of our product lines, to maintain superior operating efficiencies, and to develop and exploit marketing channels. With this in mind, we have consistently sought to employ the most talented, accomplished and energetic people available in the industry. Therefore, we believe it is vital that our named executive officers receive an aggregate compensation package that is both highly competitive with the compensation received by similarly situated executive officers at peer group companies, and also reflective of each individual named executive officers contributions to our success on both a long-term and short-term basis. As discussed in greater depth below, the objectives of our compensation program are designed to execute this philosophy by compensating our executives at the top quartile of their peers.
Our executive compensation program is designed with three main objectives:
| To offer a competitive total compensation opportunity that will allow us to continue to retain and motivate highly talented individuals to fill key positions; |
| To align a significant portion of each executives total compensation with our annual performance and the interests of our stockholders; and |
| Reflect the qualifications, skills, experience and responsibilities of our executives. |
Our executive compensation program is administered by the Compensation Committee. The Compensation Committee receives legal advice from our outside general counsel and has retained Frederick W. Cook & Co., Inc. (FWC), a compensation consulting firm, that provided advice directly to the Compensation Committee. The base salary, bonus structure and the long-term equity compensation of our executive officers are governed by the terms of their individual employment agreements (see Employment Agreements and Termination of Employment Arrangements). With respect to our chief executive officer and president, the Compensation Committee, with input from FWC, establishes target performance levels for incentive bonuses based on a number of factors that are designed to further our executive compensation objectives, including our performance, the compensation received by similarly situated executive officers at peer group companies, the conditions of the markets in which we operate and the relative earnings performance of peer group companies.
Pursuant to the terms of their employment agreements, during the first quarter of each year, the Compensation Committee establishes the targeted level of our Adjusted EPS (as defined below) growth and corresponding bonus levels, as a percentage of base salary, Messrs. Friedman and Berman will earn if the target is met. Pursuant to the terms of their employment agreements, this bonus is capped at a maximum of 200% of base salary, although the Compensation Committee has the authority, in its discretion, to increase the maximum. The Compensation Committee also has wide discretion to set the target levels of Adjusted EPS and they work together with FWC to establish target levels that will accomplish the general objectives outlined above of also promoting growth and alignment with our shareholders interests. The employment agreements also give the Compensation Committee the authority to award additional compensation to Messrs. Friedman, Berman and Bennett as it determines in its sole discretion based upon criteria it establishes.
Adjusted EPS is the net income per share of our common stock calculated on a fully diluted basis in accordance with GAAP, applied on a basis consistent with past periods, as adjusted in the sole discretion of the Compensation Committee to take account of extraordinary or special items.
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While the Compensation Committee does not establish target performance levels for our chief financial officer, it does consider similar factors when determining such officers bonus. The employment agreement for Mr. Bennett authorizes our Compensation Committee and Board of Directors to award an annual bonus to Mr. Bennett in an amount up to 50% of his salary as the Committee or Board determines in its discretion and also gives the Compensation Committee and the Board the discretionary authority to pay Mr. Bennett additional incentive compensation as it determines.
The Compensation Committee also annually reviews the overall compensation of our named executive officers for the purpose of determining whether discretionary bonuses should be granted. In 2007, FWC presented a report to the Compensation Committee comparing our performance, size and executive compensation levels to those of peer group companies. FWC also reviewed with the Compensation Committee the base salaries, annual bonuses, total cash compensation, long-term compensation and total compensation of our senior executive officers relative to those companies. The performance comparison presented to the Compensation Committee each year includes a comparison of our total shareholder return, earnings per share growth, sales, net income (and one-year growth of both measures) to the peer group companies. The Compensation Committee reviews this information along with details about the components of each named executive officers compensation.
One of the factors considered by the Compensation Committee is the relative performance and the compensation of executives of peer group companies. The peer group is comprised of a group of the companies selected in conjunction with FWC that we believe provides relevant comparative information, as these companies represent a cross-section of publicly traded companies with product lines and businesses similar to our own throughout the comparison period. The composition of the peer group is reviewed annually and companies are added or removed from the group as circumstances warrant. For the last fiscal year, the peer group companies utilized for executive compensation analysis were:
| Activision, Inc. |
| Electronic Arts, Inc. |
| EMak Worldwide, Inc. |
| Hasbro, Inc. |
| Leapfrog Enterprises, Inc. |
| Marvel Enterprises, Inc. |
| Mattel, Inc. |
| RC2 Corp. |
| Russ Berrie and Company, Inc. |
| Take-Two Interactive, Inc. |
| THQ Inc. |
The compensation package for the Companys senior executives has both performance-based and non-performance-based elements. Based on its review of each named executive officers total compensation opportunities and performance, and our performance, the Compensation Committee determines each years compensation in the manner that it considers to be most likely to achieve the objectives of our executive compensation program. The specific elements, which include base salary, annual cash incentive compensation and long-term equity compensation, are described below.
The Compensation Committee has negative discretion to adjust performance results used to determine annual incentive and the vesting schedule of long-term incentive payouts to the named executive officers. The Compensation Committee also has discretion to grant bonuses even if the performance targets were not met.
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Each of our named executive officers received compensation in 2007 pursuant to the terms of his respective employment agreement. As discussed in greater detail below, the employment agreements for Messrs. Friedman and Berman expire on December 31, 2010 and Mr. Bennetts employment agreement expires on December 31, 2009. Pursuant to the terms of their employment agreements, Messrs. Friedman and Berman each receive a base salary which, pursuant to his employment agreement, is increased automatically each year by $25,000. Mr. Bennetts employment agreement does not provide for automatic annual increases in base salary. Any increase or additional increase in base salary, as the case may be, is determined by the Compensation Committee based on a combination of two factors. The first factor is the Compensation Committees evaluation of the salaries paid in peer group companies to executives with similar responsibilities. The second factor is the Compensation Committees evaluation of the executives unique role, job performance and other circumstances. Evaluating both of these factors allows us to offer a competitive total compensation value to each individual named executive officer taking into account the unique attributes of, and circumstances relating to, each individual, as well as marketplace factors. This approach has allowed us to continue to meet our objective of offering a competitive total compensation value and attracting and retaining key personnel. Based on its review of these factors, the Compensation Committee determined not to increase any of the base salaries of Messrs. Friedman and Berman above the contractually required minimum increase in 2007 as unnecessary to maintain our competitive total compensation position in the marketplace, but did determine to raise Mr. Bennetts base salary for 2008 by $20,000.
The function of the annual cash bonus is to establish a direct correlation between the annual incentives awarded to the participants and our financial performance. This purpose is in keeping with our compensation programs objective of aligning a significant portion of each executives total compensation with our annual performance and the interests of our shareholders.
The employment agreements for Messrs. Friedman and Berman provide for an incentive cash bonus award based on a percentage of each participants base salary if the performance goals set by the Compensation Committee are met for that year. The employment agreements mandate that the specific criteria to be used is earnings per share and the Compensation Committee sets the various target thresholds to be met to earn increasing amounts of the bonus up to a maximum of 200% of base salary, although the Compensation Committee has the ability to increase the maximum in its discretion. During the first quarter of each year, the Compensation Committee meets to establish the target thresholds for that year. During 2007, growth in the Companys EPS was almost 22%, which exceeded the target levels established by the Compensation Committee entitling each of Messrs. Friedman and Berman to a cash bonus equal to 250% of base salary, or $2,662,500. Mr. Bennetts employment agreement provides for an annual bonus of up to 50% of his base salary to be awarded in the discretion of the Compensation Committee or the Board of Directors, upon consideration of such factors as economic and business conditions affecting us and his personal performance. Following such consideration, the Board of Directors determined to award Mr. Bennett a bonus of $300,000.
The employment agreement for each of our named executive officers contemplates that the Compensation Committee may grant discretionary bonuses in situations where, in its sole judgment, it believes they are warranted. The Compensation Committee approaches this aspect of the particular executives compensation package by looking at the other components of each executives aggregate compensation and then evaluating if any additional compensation is appropriate to meet our compensation goals. As part of this review, the Compensation Committee, with significant input from FWC, collects information about the total compensation packages in our peer group and various indicia of performance by the peer group such as sales, one-year sales growth, net income, one-year net income growth, market capitalization, size of companies, one- and three-year stockholder returns, etc. and then compares such data to our corresponding performance data. The Compensation Committee also gave particular consideration to the fact that we ended the year with over $240 million in cash, no long term debt other than the debentures and a strong balance sheet, all of which poised us for continued growth, that our earnings per share grew by 20.5% over 2006, that our strong performance occurred in the face of negative economic trends in the economy in general and the toy industry in particular, with little growth in Christmas sales reported by most retailers and specific weakness in toy company sales, and that we have not experienced to date any recall issues such as those plaguing other toy companies. In addition, in the
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case of Mr. Bennett, the Compensation Committee and the Board of Directors considered the continued expansion of Mr. Bennetts responsibilities as a result of our growth and Mr. Bennetts management of the integration of the operations we acquired into our overall financial controls. Following consideration of all of the above as well as input from FWC, the Compensation Committee recommended and the Board of Directors approved discretionary bonuses in the amount of $500,000 of restricted shares of our common stock to each of Messrs. Friedman and Berman (representing approximately 47% of their respective 2007 base salary) and a discretionary bonus in the amount of $200,000 to Mr. Bennett and $100,000 restricted shares of our common stock (representing in the aggregate 75% of his 2007 base salary). The restricted shares so awarded to Messrs. Friedman and Berman are fully vested, but are subject to a three-year restriction on sale and may not be sold until February 14, 2011. In addition, as a condition to this award, the Board required that Messrs. Friedman and Berman agree that, with respect to the 120,000 shares of our restricted stock each received on January 1, 2008 pursuant to the terms of their employment agreements, sale of 10,000 of the first 60,000 shares scheduled to vest on January 1, 2009 be restricted for two years from the date of vesting and sale of 10,000 of the balance of such 120,000 shares initially scheduled to vest on January 1, 2010 be restricted for two years from the vesting date of the balance of such 120,000 shares. The restricted shares so awarded to Mr. Bennett vest as to 50% on March 1, 2009 and the balance on March 1, 2010.
Long-term compensation is an area of particular emphasis in our executive compensation program, because we believe that these incentives foster the long-term perspective necessary for our continued success. Again, this emphasis is in keeping with our compensation program objective of aligning a significant portion of each executives total compensation with our long-term performance and the interests of our shareholders.
Historically, our long-term compensation program has focused on the granting of stock options that vested over time. However, commencing in 2006 we began shifting the emphasis of this element of compensation and we currently favor the issuance of restricted stock awards. The Compensation Committee believes that the award of full-value shares that vest over time is consistent with our overall compensation philosophy and objectives as the value of the restricted stock varies based upon the performance of our common stock, thereby aligning the interests of our executives with our shareholders. The Compensation Committee has also determined that awards of restricted stock are anti-dilutive as compared to stock options inasmuch as it feels that less restricted shares have to be granted to match the compensation value of stock options.
The employment agreements for Messrs. Friedman and Berman provide for annual grants of 120,000 shares of restricted stock subject to a two-year vesting period, all or part of which may be accelerated to one year if we achieve earnings per share growth targets. The initial vesting of the restricted stock is subject to our achieving pre-tax income in excess of $2 million in the fiscal year that the grant is made. Since we had in excess of $2 million of pre-tax income for 2007, 50% of the 2007 restricted stock awards to Messrs. Friedman and Berman vested on January 1, 2008. Moreover, since the 2007 earnings per share growth exceeded certain of the targets for 2007, the vesting schedule for 75% of the 2007 award was accelerated and vested completely on January 1, 2008. The remaining 25% of the 2007 award will vest on January 1, 2009. Mr. Bennetts employment agreement does not provide for any specified award of restricted shares, rather the Compensation Committee has discretion to determine if an award of restricted shares (or stock options) should be granted and if granted, the specific terms of the grant.
After a review of all of the factors discussed above, the Compensation Committee determined that, in keeping with our compensation objectives, other than the contractual amounts and the $500,000 special stock award noted above for Messrs. Friedman and Berman and $100,000 special stock award noted above for Mr. Bennett, no additional restricted stock (or stock option) awards should be granted to our named executives for fiscal 2007.
Our executive officers participate in the health and dental coverage, life insurance, paid vacation and holidays, 401(k) retirement savings plans and other programs that are generally available to all of the Companys employees.
The provision of any additional perquisites to each of the named executive officers is subject to review by the Compensation Committee. Historically, these perquisites include payment of an automobile allowance
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and matching contributions to a 401(k) defined contribution plan. In 2007, the named executive officers were granted the following perquisites: automobile allowance and matching contributions to a 401(k) defined contribution plan. We value perquisites at their incremental cost to us in accordance with SEC regulations.
We believe that the benefits and perquisites we provide to our named executive officers are within competitive practice and customary for executives in key positions at comparable companies. Such benefits and perquisites serve our objective of offering competitive compensation that allows us to continue to attract, retain and motivate highly talented people to these critical positions, ultimately providing a substantial benefit to our shareholders.
We recognize that, as with any public company, it is possible that a change of control may take place in the future. We also recognize that the threat or occurrence of a change of control can result in significant distractions of key management personnel because of the uncertainties inherent in such a situation. We further believe that it is essential and in our best interest and the interests of our shareholders to retain the services of our key management personnel in the event of the threat or occurrence of a change of control and to ensure their continued dedication and efforts in such event without undue concern for their personal financial and employment security. In keeping with this belief and its objective of retaining and motivating highly talented individuals to fill key positions, which is consistent with our general compensation philosophy, the employment agreements for our executive officers contain provisions which guarantee the named executive officers specific payments and benefits upon a termination of employment as a result of a change of control of the Company. In addition, the employment agreements also contain provisions providing for certain lump-sum payments in the event the executive is terminated without cause or if we materially breach the agreement leading the affected executive to terminate the agreement for good reason.
Additional details of the terms of the change of control agreements and termination provisions outlined above are provided below.
Mr. Friedmans employment agreement provides that, commencing at age 67, he may retire and receive a single-life annuity retirement payment of $975,000 per year for a period of ten (10) years following his retirement. Mr. Friedman is currently 68 years old. In the event of his death during such period, his estate will receive a death benefit equal to the difference between $2,925,000 and retirement benefits previously paid to him. This retirement benefit is conditioned upon Mr. Friedman agreeing to accept the position of Chairman Emeritus of our Board of Directors, if so requested by the Board.
We believe that by limiting our retirement benefits to only our senior-most executive we are striking a fair and reasonable balance between achieving our compensation objective of retaining a highly talented individual to fill our most key position and the best interests of our stockholders.
Section 162(m) of the Internal Revenue Code (the Code) prohibits publicly held companies like us from deducting certain compensation to any one named executive officer in excess of $1,000,000 during the tax year. However, Section 162(m) provides that, to the extent that compensation is based on the attainment of performance goals set by the Compensation Committee pursuant to plans approved by the Companys shareholders, the compensation is not included for purposes of arriving at the $1,000,000.
The Company, through the Compensation Committee, intends to attempt to qualify executive compensation as tax deductible to the extent feasible and where it believes it is in our best interests and in the best interests of our shareholders. However, the Compensation Committee does not intend to permit this arbitrary tax provision to distort the effective development and execution of our compensation program. Thus, the Compensation Committee is permitted to and will continue to exercise discretion in those instances in which mechanistic approaches necessary to satisfy tax law considerations could compromise the interests of our shareholders. In addition, because of the uncertainties associated with the application and interpretation of Section 162(m) and the regulations issued thereunder, there can be no assurance that compensation intended to satisfy the requirements for deductibility under Section 162(m) will in fact be deductible.
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The compensation committee has reviewed and discussed the Compensation Discussion and Analysis (the CD&A) for the year ended December 31, 2007 with management. In reliance on the reviews and discussions referred to above, the compensation committee recommended to the board, and the board has approved, that the CD&A be furnished in the annual report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2007.
By the Compensation Committee of the Board of Directors:
Robert E. Glick, Chairman
Dan Almagor, Member
Michael G. Miller, Member
The following table sets forth the compensation we paid for our fiscal years ended December 31, 2006 and 2007 to (i) our Chief Executive Officer; (ii) each of our other executive officers whose compensation exceeded $100,000 on an annual basis; and (iii) up to two additional individuals for whom disclosure would have been provided under the foregoing clause (ii) but for the fact that the individual was not serving as an executive officer of our Company at the end of the last completed fiscal year (collectively, the Named Officers).
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Name and Principal Position | Year |
Salary
($) |
Bonus
($) |
Stock Awards
($) |
Option Awards
($) |
Non-Equity Incentive Plan
Compensation ($) |
Change in Pension Value and
Nonqualified Deferred Compensation Earnings ($) |
All Other Compensation
($) (3) |
Total
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Jack Friedman
Chairman and Chief Executive Officer |
2007 | 1,065,000 | 2,662,500 | 3,421,400 | (1) | | | | 28,000 | 7,176,900 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
2006 | 1,040,000 | 250,000 | 1,884,600 | (2) | | | | 28,000 | 3,202,000 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Stephen G. Berman
Chief Operating Officer, President and Secretary |
2007 | 1,065,000 | 2,662,500 | 3,421,400 | (1) | | | | 25,500 | 7,176,900 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
2006 | 1,040,000 | 250,000 | 1,884,600 | (2) | | | | 25,500 | 3,199,500 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Joel M. Bennett
Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer |
2007 | 400,000 | 300,000 | 155,200 | | | | 19,500 | 874,700 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
2006 | 360,000 | 300,000 | | | | | 14,700 | 674,700 |
(1) | Pursuant to the 2002 Plan, on January 1, 2007, 120,000 shares of restricted stock were granted to the Named Officer, of which 50% vest on January 1, 2008 and 50% vest on January 1, 2009, subject to acceleration. Based on the Companys 2007 financial performance, the vesting of 45,000 of the January 1, 2009 vesting shares were accelerated. The amount in this column reflects the expense recorded in the Companys 2007 financial statements and was calculated as the product of (a) 105,000 shares of restricted stock multiplied by (b) $21.84, the last sales price of our common stock, as reported by Nasdaq on January 1, 2007, the date the shares were granted, reflecting the 60,000 shares vested on January 1, 2008 and 45,000 of the remaining 60,000 shares whose vesting accelerated based on the Companys 2007 financial performance. See Critical Accounting Policies. Also reflects the expense recorded in the Companys 2007 financial statements and was calculated as the product of (a) 30,000 shares of restricted stock multiplied by (b) $20.94, the last sales price of our common stock, as reported by Nasdaq on January 1, 2006, the date the shares were granted, reflecting the 30,000 shares vested on January 1, 2007. Also includes stock award of $500,000 of restricted stock as additional bonus compensation granted on February 14, 2008. |
(2) | Pursuant to the 2002 Plan, on January 1, 2006, 120,000 shares of restricted stock were granted to the Named Officer, of which 50% vest on January 1, 2007 and 50% vest on January 1, 2008, subject to acceleration. Based on the Companys 2006 financial performance, the vesting of 30,000 of the January 1, 2008 vesting shares were accelerated. The amount in this column reflects the expense recorded in the Companys 2006 financial statements and was calculated as the product of (a) 90,000 shares of |
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restricted stock multiplied by (b) $20.94, the last sales price of our common stock, as reported by Nasdaq on January 1, 2006, the date the shares were granted, reflecting the 60,000 shares vested on January 1, 2007 and 30,000 of the remaining 60,000 shares whose vesting accelerated based on the Companys 2006 financial performance. See Critical Accounting Policies.
(3) | Represents automobile allowances paid in the amount of $18,000 to each of Messrs. Friedman and Berman and $7,200 and $12,000 for 2006 and 2007, respectively, to Mr. Bennett and matching contributions made by us to the Named Officers 401(k) defined contribution plan in the amount of $10,000, $7,500 and $7,500, respectively, for Messrs. Friedman, Berman and Bennett. See Employee Pension Plan. |
The following table sets forth certain information regarding the annual bonus performance structure for our fiscal year ended December 31, 2007 for the Named Officers:
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Estimated Possible Payouts Under Non-Equity Incentive Plan Awards | Estimated Future Payouts Under Equity Incentive Plan Awards | All Other Stock Awards: Number of Shares of Stock or Units (#) |
All Other Options Awards: Number of
Securities Underlying Options (#) |
Exercise or Base Price of Option Awards
($/Sh) |
Closing Price of Stock on Grant Date
($) |
Grant Date Fair Value of Stock and Option Awards ($) (1) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Name | Grant Date |
Threshold
($) |
Target
($) |
Maximum
($) |
Threshold
($) |
Target
($) |
Maximum
($) |
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Jack Friedman | 1/1/07 | | | | | | | 120,000 | | | 21.84 | 2,620,800 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Stephen G. Berman | 1/1/07 | | | | | | | 120,000 | | | 21.84 | 2,620,800 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Joel M. Bennett | 7/17/07 | | | | | | | 15,000 | | | 31.04 | 465,600 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Jack Friedman | | 426,000 | 1,065,000 | 2,662,500 | | | | | | | | | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Stephen G. Berman | | 426,000 | 1,065,000 | 2,662,500 | | | | | | | | |
(1) | The product of (x) $21.84 for Messrs. Friedman and Berman (the closing sale price of the common stock on December 29, 2006) and $31.04 for Mr. Bennett (the closing sale price of the common stock on July 17, 2007) multiplied by (y) the number of restricted shares granted on January 1, 2007 for Messrs. Friedman and Berman and on July 17, 2007, for Mr. Bennett. |
The following table sets forth certain information regarding all equity-based compensation awards outstanding as of December 31, 2007 by the Named Officers:
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Option Awards | Stock Awards | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Name |
Number of Securities Underlying Unexercised Options Exercisable
(#) |
Number of Securities Underlying Unexercised Options Unexercisable
(#) |
Equity Incentive Plan Awards: Number of Securities Underlying Unexercised Unearned Options
(#) |
Option Exercise Price
($) |
Option Expiration Date |
Number of Shares or Units of Stock That Have Not Vested
(#) |
Market Value of Shares or Units of Stock That Have Not Vested
($) (1) |
Equity Incentive Plan Awards: Number of Unearned Shares, Units or Other Rights That Have Not Vested
(#) |
Equity
Incentive Plan Awards: Market or Payout Value of Unearned Shares, Units or Other Rights That Have Not Vested ($) |
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Jack Friedman | | | | | | 150,000 | 3,541,500 | | | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Stephen G. Berman | | | | | | 150,000 | 3,541,500 | | | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Joel M. Bennett | | | | | | 10,000 | 236,100 | | |
(1) | The product of (x) $23.61 (the closing sale price of the common stock on December 31, 2007) multiplied by (y) the number of unvested restricted shares outstanding. |
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The following table sets forth certain information regarding amount realized upon the vesting and exercise of any equity-based compensation awards during 2007 by the Named Officers:
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Option Awards | Stock Awards | |||||||||||||||
Name |
Number of Shares Acquired on Exercise
(#) |
Value Realized on Exercise
($) (1) |
Number of Shares Acquired on Vesting
(#) |
Value
Realized on Vesting ($) |
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Jack Friedman | 175,000 | 1,779,750 | 90,000 | 2,005,500 | ||||||||||||
Stephen G. Berman | | | 90,000 | 2,005,500 | ||||||||||||
Joel M. Bennett | 20,000 | 135,800 | 5,000 | 118,050 |
(1) | Represents the product of (x) the difference between the closing sale price of the common stock on the date of exercise less the exercise price, multiplied by (y) the number of shares acquired on exercise. |
(2) | Represents the product of (x) the closing sale price of the common stock on the date of vesting multiplied by (y) the number of restricted shares vested. |
The following tables describe potential payments and other benefits that would have been received by each Named Officer at, following or in connection with any termination, including, without limitation, resignation, severance, retirement or a constructive termination of such Named Officer, or a change in control of our Company or a change in such Named Officers responsibilities. The potential payments listed below assume that there is no earned but unpaid base salary at December 31, 2007. Under our vacation policy, the Named Officers would not receive payment for 2008 vacation unless they were employed at January 1, 2008.
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Upon
Retirement |
Quits For Good
Reason (3) |
Upon Death |
Upon
Disability (4) |
Termination Without Cause | Termination for Cause (6) |
Involuntary Termination in
Connection with Change of Control (7) |
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Base Salary | $ | | $ | 1,397,813 | $ | | $ | (5) | $ | 1,397,813 | $ | | $ | 3,184,350 | (8) | |||||||||||||
Retirement Benefit (1) | | | | | | | | |||||||||||||||||||||
Restricted Stock Performance-Based | | | | | | | 2,833,200 | (9) | ||||||||||||||||||||
Annual Cash Incentive Award (2) | | | | | | | |
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Upon
Retirement |
Quits For Good Reason (3) | Upon Death |
Upon
Disability (4) |
Termination Without Cause | Termination for Cause (6) |
Involuntary Termination in
Connection with Change of Control (7) |
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Base Salary | $ | | $ | 1,397,813 | $ | | $ | | $ | 1,397,813 | $ | | $ | 3,184,350 | (8) | |||||||||||||
Restricted Stock
Performance-Based |
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Annual Cash Incentive Award (2) | | | | | | | |
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Upon
Retirement |
Quits For Good Reason (3) | Upon Death |
Upon
Disability (4) |
Termination Without Cause | Termination for Cause (6) |
Involuntary Termination in
Connection with Change of Control (7) |
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Base Salary | $ | | $ | 400,000 | $ | 200,000 | $ | 200,000 | $ | 400,000 | $ | | $ | 200,000 | ||||||||||||||
Restricted Stock Performance-Based | | | | | | | | |||||||||||||||||||||
Annual Cash
Incentive Award (2) |
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(1) | Mr. Friedmans employment agreement with us (see Employment Agreements) provides that if he retires and is at least 67 years old, then he is entitled to be paid an annual retirement benefit of $975,000 (the Retirement Benefit) during the 10-year period following his retirement; provided, however, that Mr. Friedman must agree to serve as our non-executive Chairman Emeritus for so long as may be requested by the Board of Directors; and provided further, however, that if Mr. Friedman dies before the payment of his entire Retirement Benefit, the remaining Retirement Benefit will be reduced such that his designated beneficiary or estate, as the case may be, will receive in a lump sum the positive difference, if any, between $2,925,000 and any Retirement Benefit already paid to him. Mr. Friedman was 67 years of age as at December 31, 2007. |
(2) | Assumes that if the Named Officer is terminated on December 31, 2007, they were employed through the end of the incentive period. |
(3) | Defined as (i) our violation or failure to perform or satisfy any material covenant, condition or obligation required to be performed or satisfied by us, or (ii) the material change in the nature or scope of the duties, obligations, rights or powers of the Named Officers employment resulting from any action or failure to act by us. |
(4) | Defined as a Named Officers inability to perform his duties by reason of any disability or incapacity (due to any physical or mental injury, illness or defect) for an aggregate of 180 days in any consecutive 12-month period. |
(5) | An amount equal to 90% of the Retirement Benefit described in footnote (1) above. |
(6) | Defined as (i) the Named Officers conviction of, or entering a plea of guilty or nolo contendere (which plea is not withdrawn prior to its approval by the court) to, a felony offense and either the Named Officers failure to perfect an appeal of such conviction prior to the expiration of the maximum period of time within which, under applicable law or rules of court, such appeal may be perfected or, if he does perfect such an appeal, the sustaining of his conviction of a felony offense on appeal; or (ii) the determination by our Board of Directors, after due inquiry, based on convincing evidence, that the Named Officer has: |
(A) Committed fraud against, or embezzled or misappropriated funds or other assets of, our Company;
(B) Violated, or caused us or any of our officers, employees or other agents, or any other individual or entity to violate, any material law, rule, regulation or ordinance, or any material written policy, rule or directive of our Company or our Board of Directors;
(C) Willfully, or because of gross or persistent inaction, failed properly to perform his duties or acted in a manner detrimental to, or adverse to our interests; or
(D) Violated, or failed to perform or satisfy any material covenant, condition or obligation required to be performed or satisfied by him under his employment agreement with us;
And that, in the case of any violation or failure referred to in clause (B), (C) or (D), above, such violation or failure has caused, or is reasonably likely to cause, us to suffer or incur a substantial casualty, loss, penalty, expense or other liability or cost.
(7) | Section 280G of the Code disallows a companys tax deduction for what are defined as excess parachute payments and Section 4999 of the Code imposes a 20% excise tax on any person who receives excess parachute payments. As discussed above, Messrs. Friedman and Berman are entitled to certain |
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payments upon termination of their employment, including termination following a change in control of our Company. Under the terms of their respective employment agreements (see Employment Agreements), neither Mr. Friedman nor Mr. Berman are entitled to any payments that would be an excess parachute payment, and such payments are to be reduced by the least amount necessary to avoid the excise tax. Accordingly, our tax deduction would not be disallowed under Section 280G of the Code, and no excise tax would be imposed under Section 4999 of the Code.
(8) | Under the terms of Messrs. Friedmans and Bermans respective employment agreements (see Employment Agreements), if a change of control occurs, then they each have the right to terminate their employment and receive a payment equal to 2.99 times their then current annual salary (which was $1,065,000 in 2007). |
(9) | Each of Messrs. Friedman and Berman were granted and are scheduled to be granted restricted stock of our Company in accordance with the terms of their respective employment agreements (see Employment Agreements). Pursuant to the terms of those employment agreements, vesting accelerates for performance-based restricted stock upon a change in control, whether or not the relevant performance targets are met. Furthermore, under our Third Amended and Restated 1995 Stock Option Plan and 2002 Stock Award and Incentive Plan, in the event of a change in control, stock options granted under those plans become immediately exercisable in full and under our 2002 Stock Award and Incentive Plan, shares of restricted stock granted under that plan are immediately vested. The stock price used to calculate values in the above tables is $23.61 per share, the closing price on the last trading day of 2007. |
Analogous to our executive compensation philosophy, it is our desire to similarly compensate our non-employee directors for their services in a way that will serve to attract and retain highly qualified members. As changes in the securities laws require greater involvement by, and places additional burdens on, a companys directors it becomes even more necessary to locate and retain highly qualified directors. As such, in close cooperation with FWC, the Compensation Committee has reconfigured the structure of the compensation package of our directors so that it places our directors at approximately the median total compensation package for directors in our peer group.
For 2007, each of our non-employee directors received (i) a cash stipend of $30,000 for serving on the Board, (ii) $1,000 for each board or committee meeting attended (whether in person or by telephone), and (iii) a grant of restricted shares of our common stock valued at $121,000 (using a per share value equal to the average closing price of our common stock for the last ten trading days of December in the year preceding the grant date). Directors are also reimbursed for reasonable expenses incurred in attending meetings. The Chairman of the Audit Committee receives a cash stipend of $25,000 for serving in such capacity and the Chairmen of the Compensation Committee and the Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee each receive cash stipends of $10,000 for serving in such capacities.
Newly elected non-employee directors will receive a portion of the foregoing annual consideration, prorated according to the portion of the year in which they serve in such capacity.
The following table sets forth the compensation we paid to our non-employee directors for our fiscal year ended December 31, 2007:
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Name | Year |
Fees Earned or Paid in Cash
($) |
Stock Awards
($) (1) |
Option Awards
($) |
Non-Equity Incentive Plan
Compensation ($) |
Change in Pension Value and
Nonqualified Deferred Compensation Earnings ($) |
All Other Compensation
($) |
Total
($) |
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Dan Almagor | 2007 | 67,000 | 120,996 | | | | | 187,996 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
David Blatte | 2007 | 55,000 | 120,996 | | | | | 175,996 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
Robert Glick | 2007 | 67,000 | 120,996 | | | | | 187,996 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
Michael Miller | 2007 | 50,000 | 120,996 | | | | | 170,996 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
Murray Skala | 2007 | 30,000 | 120,996 | | | | | 150,996 |
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(1) | Represents the product of (a) 5,468 shares of restricted stock multiplied by (b) $22.128, the average last sales price of our common stock over the last ten trading days in December 2006, as reported by Nasdaq, which represents the last tradings preceding January 1, 2007, the date the shares were granted, all of which shares vested on January 1, 2008. |
In March 2003 we amended and restated our employment agreements with each of Messrs. Friedman and Berman and on July 17, 2007 entered into a new employment agreement with Joel Bennett.
Mr. Friedmans amended and restated employment agreement, pursuant to which he serves as our Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, provides for an annual base salary in 2007 of $1,065,000. Mr. Friedmans agreement expires December 31, 2010. His base salary is subject to annual increases determined by our Board of Directors, but in an amount not less than $25,000 per annum. For each fiscal year between 2007 through 2010, Mr. Friedmans bonus will depend on our achieving certain earnings per share growth targets, with such earnings per share growth targets to be determined annually by the Compensation Committee of our Board of Directors. Depending on the levels of earnings per share growth that we achieve in each fiscal year, Mr. Friedman will receive an annual bonus from 0% to up to 200% of his base salary. This bonus will be paid in accordance with the terms and conditions of our 2002 Stock Award and Incentive Plan. In addition, in consideration for modifying and replacing the pre-tax income formula provided in his prior employment agreement for determining his annual bonus, and for entering into the amended employment agreement, Mr. Friedman was granted the right to be issued an aggregate of 1,080,000 shares of restricted stock. The first tranche of restricted stock, totaling 240,000 shares, was granted at the time the agreement became effective, and 120,000 shares were granted on each of January 1, 2004, 2005, 2006 and 2007 (or 480,000 shares in the aggregate). In each subsequent year of the employment agreement term, Mr. Friedman will receive 120,000 shares of restricted stock. The grant of these shares is in accordance with our 2002 Stock Award and Incentive Plan, and the vesting of each tranche of restricted stock is subject to our achieving pre-tax income in excess of $2,000,000 in the fiscal year that the grant is made. Each tranche of restricted stock granted or to be granted from January 1, 2004 through January 1, 2008 is subject to a two-year vesting period, which may be accelerated to one year if we achieve certain earnings per share growth targets. Each tranche of restricted stock to be granted thereafter through January 1, 2010, is subject to a one-year vesting period. Finally, the agreement provides that Mr. Friedman upon his retirement at or after age 67 will receive a single-life annuity retirement payment equal to $975,000 a year for a period of 10 years, or in the event of his death during such retirement period, his estate will receive a death benefit equal to the difference between $2,925,000 and any prior retirement benefits previously paid to him; provided, however, that Mr. Friedman must agree to serve as Chairman Emeritus of our Board of Directors, if requested to do so by such Board.
Mr. Bermans amended and restated employment agreement, pursuant to which he serves as our President and Chief Operating Officer, provides for an annual base salary in 2007 of $1,065,000. Mr. Bermans agreement expires December 31, 2010. His base salary is subject to annual increases determined by our Board of Directors, but in an amount not less than $25,000 per annum. For our fiscal year ended December 31, 2006, Mr. Berman received a bonus of $250,000. For each fiscal year between 2007 through 2010, Mr. Bermans bonus will depend on our achieving certain earnings per share growth targets, with such earnings per share growth targets to be determined annually by the Compensation Committee of our Board of Directors. Depending on the levels of earnings per share growth that we achieve in each fiscal year, Mr. Berman will receive an annual bonus of from 0% to up to 200% of his base salary. This bonus will be paid in accordance with the terms and conditions of our 2002 Stock Award and Incentive Plan. In addition, in consideration for modifying and replacing the pre-tax income formula provided in his prior employment agreement for determining his annual bonus, and for entering into the amended employment agreement, Mr. Berman was granted the right to be issued an aggregate of 1,080,000 shares of restricted stock. The first tranche of restricted stock, totaling 240,000 shares, was granted at the time the agreement became effective, and 120,000 shares were granted on each of January 1, 2004, 2005, 2006 and 2007 (or 480,000 shares in the aggregate). In each subsequent year of the employment agreement term, Mr. Berman will receive 120,000 shares of restricted stock. The grant of these shares is in accordance with our 2002 Stock Award and Incentive Plan, and the vesting of each tranche of restricted stock is subject to our achieving pre-tax income in excess of $2,000,000 in the fiscal year that the
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grant is made. Each tranche of restricted stock granted or to be granted from January 1, 2004 through January 1, 2008 is subject to a two-year vesting period, which may be accelerated to one year if we achieve certain earnings per share growth targets. Each tranche of restricted stock to be granted thereafter through January 1, 2010, is subject to a one-year vesting period.
On July 17, 2007, we entered into a new employment agreement with Mr. Bennett that expires on December 31, 2009, pursuant to which he will receive (i) a base salary of $400,000 per year; (ii) an annual discretionary bonus of up to 50% of his annual base salary, determined by the Compensation Committee or the Board of Directors; (iii) a $1,000 per month car allowance; and (iv) a one-time grant of 15,000 shares of restricted stock, vesting over three years in equal annual installments of 5,000 shares on December 31, 2007, 2008 and 2009, provided he remains employed by us on each vesting date.
If we terminate Mr. Friedmans or Mr. Bermans employment other than for cause or if such Named Officer resigns because of our material breach of the employment agreement or because we cause a material change in his employment, we are required to make a lump-sum severance payment in an amount equal to the sum of his base salary on the termination date and the performance bonus paid for the last completed year prior to the termination date multiplied by a fraction the numerator of which is the number of full months remaining in the balance of the term of the employment agreement after the termination date and the denominator of which is 96. In the event of the termination of his employment under certain circumstances after a Change of Control (as defined in each employment agreement), we are required to make a one-time payment of an amount equal to 2.99 times of the base amount of such Named Officer determined in accordance with the applicable provisions of the Internal Revenue Code.
If Mr. Bennetts employment is terminated by (a) him for good reason (as described in his employment agreement) or due to a Change of Control (as defined in his employment agreement), or (b) by us other than as a result of the occurrence of a For Cause Event (as defined in his employment agreement), Mr. Bennett will be entitled to receive an amount equal to the total amount of his base annual salary in effect as of the date of termination; and if Mr. Bennetts employment terminates as a result of his death or disability, he or his guardian, custodian or other legal representative or successor will be entitled to continue to receive his base salary for a period of six months following the date of termination.
The foregoing is only a summary of the material terms of our employment agreements with the Named Officers. For a complete description, copies of such agreements are annexed herein in their entirety as exhibits or are otherwise incorporated herein by reference.
We sponsor for our U.S. employees (including the Named Officers), a defined contribution plan under Section 401(k) of the Internal Revenue Code. The plan provides that employees may defer up to 50% of their annual compensation subject to annual dollar limitations, and that we will make a matching contribution equal to 100% of each employees deferral, up to 5% of the employees annual compensation. Our matching contributions, which vest immediately, totaled $0.5 million, $0.7 million and $0.9 million for 2005, 2006 and 2007, respectively.
None of our executive officers has served as a director or member of a compensation committee (or other board committee performing equivalent functions) of any other entity, one of whose executive officers served as a director or a member of our Compensation Committee.
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The Audit Committee has (i) reviewed and discussed with management our Companys audited financial statements for 2007; (ii) discussed with BDO Seidman, LLP, our Companys independent auditors for 2007, the matters required to be discussed by Statement on Auditing Standards No. 61, Communications with Audit Committees ; (iii) received the written disclosures and the letter from the independent auditors as required by Independent Standards Board Standard No. 1, Independence Discussions with Audit Committees ; (iv) considered whether the non-audit services provided by the independent auditors, if any, are compatible with maintaining the auditors independence; and (v) discussed with the auditors the auditors independence. The Audit Committee further approves our Companys engagement of independent auditors prior to the rendering by such auditors of any audit or non-audit services.
Based on the review and discussions outlined above, the Audit Committee recommended to the Board of Directors that the audited financial statements for 2007 be included in our Companys Annual Report on Form 10-K for such fiscal year.
Audit Committee
David C. Blatte,
Chairman
Robert E. Glick
Michael G. Miller
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Upon the recommendation of our Audit Committee, our Board of Directors has appointed the firm of BDO Seidman, LLP as our principal independent auditors for the fiscal year ending December 31, 2008, subject to ratification by the stockholders. BDO Seidman, LLP replaced PKF, Certified Public Accountants, A Professional Corporation (PKF), as our independent auditors in June 2006. PKF had served as our independent auditors since our inception in 1995.
If the appointment of BDO Seidman, LLP is not ratified or if it declines to act or their engagement is otherwise discontinued, the Board of Directors will appoint other independent auditors. Representatives of BDO Seidman, LLP are expected to be present at the Annual Meeting, will have the opportunity to make a statement at the Annual Meeting, if they so desire, and will be available to respond to appropriate questions from stockholders.
Before our principal accountant is engaged by us to render audit or non-audit services, where required by the rules and regulations promulgated by the Securities and Exchange Commission and/or Nasdaq, such engagement is approved by the Audit Committee.
The following are the fees of BDO Seidman, LLP, our principal auditor since June 28, 2006, for services rendered in connection with the 2007 audit (all of which have been pre-approved by the Audit Committee):
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2006 | 2007 | |||||||
Audit Fees | $ | 1,015,700 | $ | 1,026,500 | ||||
Audit Related Fees | $ | | $ | | ||||
Tax Fees | $ | | $ | | ||||
All Other Fees | $ | | $ | |
Audit Fees consist of the aggregate fees for professional services rendered for the audit of our annual financial statements and the reviews of the financial statements included in our Forms 10-Q and for any other services that were normally provided by our auditors in connection with our statutory and regulatory filings or engagements.
Audit Related Fees consist of the aggregate fees billed for professional services rendered for assurance and related services that were reasonably related to the performance of the audit or review of our financial statements and were not otherwise included in Audit Fees.
Tax Fees consist of the aggregate fees billed for professional services rendered for tax consulting. Included in such Tax Fees were fees for consultancy, review, and advice related to our income tax provision and the appropriate presentation on our financial statements of the income tax related accounts.
All Other Fees consist of the aggregate fees billed for products and services provided by our auditors and not otherwise included in Audit Fees, Audit Related Fees or Tax Fees. Included in such
Our Audit Committee has considered whether the provision of the non-audit services described above is compatible with maintaining our auditors independence and determined that such services are appropriate.
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On July 8, 2008, our Board of Directors unanimously adopted an amendment (the 2008 Amendment) to our 2002 Stock Award and Incentive Plan (the 2002 Plan) which, if approved by our stockholders, would (i) increase the number of shares of our common stock available under the 2002 Plan to 6,525,000 shares from the 6,025,000 shares currently provided for under the 2002 Plan, an increase of 500,000 shares, and (ii) remove the current restriction preventing the granting of more than 2,000,000 shares as part of awards that are not options or SARs (stock appreciation rights). The full text of the 2008 Amendment is presented in Appendix A to this proxy statement. Our Board of Directors believes that the 2002 Plan continues to provide an important mechanism enabling the Company to attract, retain and motivate employees. Our Board of Directors has determined that it would be appropriate to increase the number of shares available for issuance upon the grant of awards under the 2002 Plan to 6,525,000 shares in order to allow for additional grants of incentive awards. Also, inasmuch as our incentive compensation philosophy has evolved over the last six years to where we now make grants, almost exclusively, in the form of restricted stock awards as opposed to options or SARs, removing the cap will allow us to continue pursuing this objective. We believe that restricted stock awards are a preferable method of compensation as it results in less dilution of our common stock which is a benefit to all of our stockholders.
All of our employees and directors are eligible to receive awards under the 2002 Plan and our Board of Directors grants awards under the 2002 Plan to our employees from time to time. Pursuant to the terms of their employment agreements, in each of 2009 and 2010, we are obligated to issue 120,000 shares to each of Messrs. Friedman and Berman, our CEO and President, respectively. We currently also issue stock on an annual basis worth $120,000 to each of our five (5) non-employee directors as compensation. At a price of $23.00 per share this would result in the issuance of an aggregate of 26,085 shares to our directors annually. Other than the awards to Messrs. Friedman and Berman mandated by their employment agreements, our Board of Directors has complete discretion on the issuance of any awards under the 2002 Plan. While we currently compensate our non-employee directors as described above, this policy is subject to change from time-to-time at the Boards discretion. Even if the current Board compensation policy remains unchanged, since the compensation is tied to the market price of our stock, we cannot predict how many shares we will issue to each director in any given year.
The 2008 Amendment will not become effective unless it is ratified and approved by the holders of a majority of the shares of our common stock present in person or represented by proxy at the Annual Meeting.
The following table shows the number of shares of our common stock that we expect to grant under the 2002 Plan during 2009 and 2010.
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Name and Current Position | Number of Shares | Dollar Value | ||||||
Jack Friedman, Chairman and CEO | 240,000 | (1) | $ | 5,659,200 | (1) | |||
Stephen G. Berman, COO, President, Secretary | 240,000 | (1) | $ | 5,659,200 | (1) | |||
Executive Group | 480,000 | (1) | $ | 11,318,400 | (1) | |||
Non-Executive Director Group | 50,890 | (2) | 1,199,986 | (2) | ||||
Non-Executive Officer Employee Group | (3) | $ | (3) |
(1) | The shares issued to the Executive Group (i.e., Messrs. Friedman and Berman) will be issued pursuant to the terms of their respective employment agreements which mandate the issuance of 120,000 shares per person for each of 2009 and 2010. The dollar value of the shares will fluctuate based on the market price of our common stock. For purposes of this disclosure, we have calculated the dollar value by multiplying the closing price of our common stock on August 11, 2008 ($23.58) by the number of shares to be granted. |
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(2) | The shares issued to the Non-Executive Director Group (comprised of our five non-employee directors) assumes that we will maintain, during 2009 and 2010, our current policy of compensating each of our non-employee directors annually with $120,000 worth of our common stock. Based on that assumption the number of shares that may be awarded to our non-employee directors will fluctuate based on the market price of our common stock. For purposes of this disclosure also, we have calculated the number of shares that may be awarded based on the closing price of our common stock on August 11, 2008 ($23.58). |
(3) | Awards under the 2002 Plan to all other employees is solely within the discretion of our Board of Directors and cannot be determined at this time. |
The table below sets forth the following information as of the year ended December 31, 2007 for (i) all compensation plans previously approved by our stockholders and (ii) all compensation plans not previously approved by our stockholders, if any:
(a) | the number of securities to be issued upon the exercise of outstanding options, warrants and rights; |
(b) | the weighted-average exercise price of such outstanding options, warrants and rights; and |
(c) | other than securities to be issued upon the exercise of such outstanding options, warrants and rights, the number of securities remaining available for future issuance under the plans. |
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Plan Category |
Number of Securities to Be Issued upon Exercise of Outstanding Options,
Warrants and Rights (a) |
Weighted-Average Exercise Price of Outstanding Options,
Warrants and Rights (b) |
Number of Securities Remaining Available for Future Issuance Under Equity Compensation Plans
(Excluding Securities Reflected in Column (a)) (c) |
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Equity compensation plans approved by security holders | 836,178 | $ | 17.27 | 807,876 | ||||||||
Equity compensation plans not approved by security holders | 100,000 | 11.35 | | |||||||||
Total | 936,178 | $ | 16.63 | 807,876 |
Equity compensation plans approved by our stockholders consists of the 2002 Stock Award and Incentive Plan. Equity compensation plans not approved by our security holders consist of a fully vested warrant issued by us in 2003 (and expiring in 2013) in connection with license costs relating to our video game joint venture.
The Board of Directors believes that the approval of the foregoing three proposals is in the best interests of our Company and its stockholders and, therefore, recommends that the stockholders vote FOR such proposals.
We must receive a stockholder proposal (and any supporting statement) to be considered for inclusion in our proxy statement and proxy for our annual meeting in 2009 at our principal executive offices on or before April 20, 2009. Any other proposal that a stockholder intends to present at that meeting may be deemed untimely unless we have received written notice of such proposal on or before July 3, 2009. Stockholders should send proposals and notices addressed to JAKKS Pacific, Inc., 22619 Pacific Coast Highway, Malibu, California 90265, Attention: Stephen G. Berman, Secretary.
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We have not received any other proposal or notice of any stockholders intention to present any proposal at our annual meeting, and we are not aware of any matter, other than those discussed above in this Proxy Statement, to be presented at the meeting. If any other matter is properly brought before the annual meeting, the persons named in the attached proxy intend to vote on such matter as directed by our Board of Directors.
We will bear all costs of solicitation of proxies. In addition to solicitations by mail, our directors, officers and regular employees, without additional remuneration, may solicit proxies by telephone, telegraph, facsimile, mail and personal interviews, and we reserve the right to compensate outside agencies for the purpose of soliciting proxies. We will request brokers, custodians and fiduciaries to forward proxy soliciting material to the owners of shares held in their names and we will reimburse them for out-of-pocket expenses incurred on our behalf.
We will provide, without charge, upon the written request of any person from whom proxies for this meeting were solicited, a copy of our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2007, including the financial statements and financial statement schedules. Anyone requesting such document shall submit the request in writing to: JAKKS Pacific, Inc., 22619 Pacific Coast Highway, Malibu, CA 90265, Attn.: Joel Bennett, Chief Financial Officer.
By Order of the Board of Directors,
Stephen G. Berman, Secretary
August 20, 2008
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The Board of Directors of JAKKS Pacific, Inc. (the Corporation; Company refers to the Corporation and its consolidated subsidiaries) has adopted this charter for its Compensation Committee (the Committee). This charter is intended to supplement the provisions in the Corporations By-laws pertaining to the Committee.
Number and Qualifications . The Committee shall have at least two members. Each Director who serves on the Committee must be affirmatively determined by the Corporations Board of Directors to meet the requirements established by the Corporations By-laws, as well as Nasdaq (or the market upon which the Corporations securities are then traded), to be considered an independent member of the Board. In addition, the Committee members shall also satisfy the relevant requirements established pursuant to regulations under Section 16(b) of the Securities and Exchange Act of 1934 and Section 162(m) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986.
Appointment . The Board of Directors shall elect the chairman and other members of the Committee on an annual basis, generally at the first meeting of the Board of Directors following the Corporations annual stockholders meeting.
Removal . The Board of Directors may, pursuant to the By-laws, remove a member of the Committee, or replace the chairman, provided that the Board must, at all times, assure that the Committee will have a chairman and sufficient members to satisfy the requirements set forth above relating to the number and qualifications of Committee members.
Consistent with the Corporations By-laws, the Committee shall have the following purpose and responsibilities:
| General Policy & Annual Review . The Committee shall be responsible for setting the Corporations general policy, in consultation with management, regarding compensation and for reviewing, no less than annually, the compensation provided to the Corporations Chief Executive Officer and such other senior executives and other employees of the Company as the Committee or the Board of Directors may, from time to time, determine should be subject to the Committees direct purview. The Committee shall also be responsible for establishing and reviewing the compensation and benefits given to the Corporations non-employee directors. |
| Responsibility for Determining Compensation . The Committee shall be responsible for determining the compensation (including salary, bonus, equity-based grants, and any other long-term cash or equity-based compensation) for the Corporations Chief Executive Officer and for other senior executives or employees as are subject to the Committees direct purview (subject to the terms of any existing employment or other existing compensation agreements between the Corporation and any such executive) and the Corporations non-employee directors. |
| Process for Determining Compensation . In determining compensation for the CEO and such other senior executives and employees, the Committee shall consider, among other factors: the Companys overall performance, shareholder return, the achievement of specific performance objectives that the Committee shall establish on an annual basis, compensation previously provided to such executives and other employees, and the value of compensation provided to individuals in similar positions at comparable companies. The Committee may also consult with other Directors and management as it sees fit. |
| Compensation Disclosure . The Committee may exercise oversight of the Corporations disclosures regarding executive and employee and non-employee director compensation, including approving a report on executive compensation to be included in the Corporations annual proxy statement. |
| Benefits . The Committee shall review at least annually the benefits provided to the CEO and such other senior executives and employees (other than salary, bonus, equity-based grants, and any other long-term cash or equity-based compensation considered by the Committee in determining compensation to such officers, as provided above). |
| General Oversight . The Committee shall generally oversee the Companys overall compensation structure and benefit plans. The Committee shall also, as it deems appropriate, review and recommend compensation and benefit plans for Board approval. |
| Incentive Compensation . The Committee shall administer the Corporations executive bonus and equity-based incentive plans to the extent delegated by the Board or as provided in such plans. |
| Regulatory Oversight . The Committee shall have the authority to oversee the Companys response to the enactment of any Federal or state statutes, laws, rules, regulations or other governmental or administrative acts affecting compensation. |
Meeting Schedule . The Committee shall approve its schedule of meetings and shall meet at least one time per fiscal year. The Committee may also hold additional meetings at the direction of the Committee Chairman or at the request of any other Committee member. The Committee may meet in person or by telephone conference call, and may act by unanimous written consent.
Attendance at Meetings . Members of management shall be invited to attend the meeting at the discretion of the Committee Chairman. All outside Directors who are not Committee members may, at their discretion, attend Committee meetings, provided that: (i) the Committee shall meet without such other Directors during executive session, (ii) the Committee Chairman may ask non-Committee members to leave the meeting at any time, and (iii) such non-Committee members may not vote on any actions considered by the Committee.
Executive Sessions . The Committee shall hold an executive session at each regularly scheduled meeting. During at least some portion of each executive session, no non-Committee member or member of management shall be present.
Voting . A majority of the Committee members shall constitute a quorum. Each Committee member shall have one vote and actions at meetings may be approved by a majority of the members present.
Delegation . Except as otherwise prohibited, the Committee may delegate its responsibilities to subcommittees or individuals.
To assist the Committee in fulfilling its responsibilities, (i) each Committee member shall have full access to any member of management and (ii) the Committee may retain independent consultants, counsel, and other advisors. The Committee will have sole authority and responsibility for hiring, approving the fees and retention terms for, and terminating the services of, such advisors. The Corporation will bear the expense of such advisors.
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The 2002 Stock Award and Incentive Plan is hereby amended as follows:
1. | Capitalized terms are used herein as defined in the 2002 Stock Award and Incentive Plan of JAKKS Pacific, Inc. |
2. | Section 4(a) of the 2002 Stock Award and Incentive Plan is amended and restated in its entirety as follows: |
4(a) Overall Number of Shares Available for Delivery. Subject to adjustment as provided in Section 11(c), the total number of shares of Stock reserved and available for delivery in connection with Awards under the Plan shall be 6,525,000, of which not more than 6,025,000 shares may be granted with respect to ISOs.
3. | This 2008 Amendment to the 2002 Stock Award and Incentive Plan was adopted by the Board on July 8, 2008, but shall become effective only if and as of the date on which it is ratified and approved by the Company's stockholders in accordance with Section 11(e) thereof. |
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1. Purpose . The purpose of this 2002 Stock Award and Incentive Plan (the Plan) is to aid JAKKS Pacific, Inc. a Delaware corporation (the Company), in attracting, retaining, motivating and rewarding employees (including executive officers and employee directors), non-employee directors, and other persons (including consultants and advisors) who provide substantial services to the Company or its subsidiaries or affiliates, to provide for equitable and competitive compensation opportunities, to recognize individual contributions and reward achievement of Company goals, and promote the creation of long-term value for stockholders by closely aligning the interests of Participants with those of stockholders. The Plan authorizes stock-based and cash-based incentives for Participants.
2. Definitions . In addition to the terms defined in Section 1 above and elsewhere in the Plan, the following capitalized terms used in the Plan have the respective meanings set forth in this Section:
(a) Annual Incentive Award means a type of Performance Award granted to a Participant under Section 7(c) representing a conditional right to receive cash, Stock or other Awards or payments, as determined by the Committee, based on performance in a performance period of one fiscal year or a portion thereof.
(b) Award means any Option, SAR, Restricted Stock, Deferred Stock, Stock granted as a bonus or in lieu of another award, Dividend Equivalent, Other Stock-Based Award, Performance Award or Annual Incentive Award, together with any related right or interest, granted to a Participant under the Plan.
(c) Beneficiary means the legal representatives of the Participant's estate entitled by will or the laws of descent and distribution to receive the benefits under a Participant's Award upon a Participant's death, provided that, if and to the extent authorized by the Committee, a Participant may be permitted to designate a Beneficiary, in which case the Beneficiary instead will be the person, persons, trust or trusts (if any are then surviving) which have been designated by the Participant in his or her most recent written beneficiary designation filed with the Committee to receive the benefits specified under the Participant's Award upon such Participant's death. Unless otherwise determined by the Committee, any designation of a Beneficiary other than a Participant's spouse shall be subject to the written consent of such spouse.
(d) Board means the Company's Board of Directors.
(e) Change in Control and related terms have the meanings specified in Section 9.
(f) Code means the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended. References to any provision of the Code or regulation (including a proposed regulation) thereunder shall include any successor provisions and regulations.
(g) Committee means a committee of two or more directors designated by the Board to administer the Plan; provided, however, that, directors appointed or serving as members of a Board committee designated as the Committee shall not be employees of the Company or any subsidiary or affiliate. In appointing members of the Committee, the Board will consider whether a member is or will be a Qualified Member, but such members are not required to be Qualified Members at the time of appointment or during their term of service on the Committee. The full Board may perform any function of the Committee hereunder, in which case the term Committee shall refer to the Board.
(h) Covered Employee means an Eligible Person who is a Covered Employee as specified in Section 11(j).
(i) Deferred Stock means a right, granted to a Participant under Section 6(e), to receive Stock or other Awards or a combination thereof at the end of a specified deferral period.
(j) Dividend Equivalent means a right, granted to a Participant under Section 6(g), to receive cash, Stock, other Awards or other property equal in value to all or a specified portion of the dividends paid with respect to a specified number of shares of Stock.
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(k) Effective Date means the effective date specified in Section 11(q).
(l) Eligible Person has the meaning specified in Section 5.
(m) Exchange Act means the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. References to any provision of the Exchange Act or rule (including a proposed rule) thereunder shall include any successor provisions and rules.
(n) Fair Market Value shall mean the amount determined by the Board or the Committee, except that if the Stock is listed on a national securities exchange (or traded on the over-the-counter market), the fair market value shall be the closing price of the Stock on such exchange (or market as reported by the National Quotation Bureau) on the day on which an Award is granted hereby (or with respect to a Change in Control or other event requiring the valuation of the Stock, the closing price on the appropriate date as determined by the Board or Committee), or, if there is no trading or closing price on that day, the closing price on the most recent day preceding the day for which such prices are available.
(o) Incentive Stock Option or ISO means any Option designated as an incentive stock option within the meaning of Code Section 422 or any successor provision thereto and qualifying thereunder.
(p) Option means a right, granted to a Participant under Section 6(b), to purchase Stock or other Awards at a specified price during specified time periods.
(q) Other Stock-Based Awards means Awards granted to a Participant under Section 6(h).
(r) 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.
(s) Performance Award means a right, granted to a Participant under Sections 6(i) and 7, to receive Awards or payments based upon performance criteria specified by the Committee.
(t) Preexisting Plan means the Company's Third Amended and Restated 1995 Stock Option Plan.
(u) Qualified Member means a member of the Committee who is a Non-Employee Director within the meaning of Rule 16b-3(b)(3) and an outside director within the meaning of Regulation 1.162-27 under Code Section 162(m).
(v) Restricted Stock means Stock granted to a Participant under Section 6(d) that is subject to certain restrictions and to a risk of forfeiture.
(w) Rule 16b-3 means Rule 16b-3, as from time to time in effect and applicable to Participants, promulgated by the Securities and Exchange Commission under Section 16 of the Exchange Act.
(x) Stock means the Company's Common Stock, par value $.001 per share, and any other equity securities of the Company that may be substituted or resubstituted for Stock pursuant to Section 11(c).
(y) Stock Appreciation Rights or SAR means a right granted to a Participant under Section 6(c).
(a) Authority of the Committee. The Plan shall be administered by the Committee (subject to the Boards authority to restrict the Committee), which shall have full and final authority, in each case subject to and consistent with the provisions of the Plan, to select Eligible Persons to become Participants; to grant Awards; to determine the type and number of Awards, the dates on which Awards may be exercised and on which the risk of forfeiture or deferral period relating to Awards shall lapse or terminate, the acceleration of any such dates, the expiration date of any Award, whether, to what extent, and under what circumstances an Award may be settled, or the exercise price of an Award may be paid, in cash, Stock, other Awards, or other property, and other terms and conditions of, and all other matters relating to, Awards; to prescribe documents evidencing or setting terms of Awards (such Award documents need not be identical for each Participant), amendments thereto, and rules and regulations for the administration of the Plan and amendments thereto; to construe and interpret the Plan and Award documents 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 Plan.
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Decisions of the Committee with respect to the administration and interpretation of the Plan shall be final, conclusive, and binding upon all persons interested in the Plan, including Participants, Beneficiaries, transferees under Section 11(b) and other persons claiming rights from or through a Participant, and stockholders. The foregoing notwithstanding, the Board shall perform the functions of the Committee for purposes of granting Awards under the Plan to non-employee directors (authority with respect to other aspects of non-employee director awards is not exclusive to the Board, however).
(b) Manner of Exercise of Committee Authority. At any time that a member of the Committee is not a Qualified Member, (i) any action of the Committee relating to an Award intended by the Committee to qualify as performance-based compensation within the meaning of Code Section 162(m) and regulations thereunder may be taken by a subcommittee, designated by the Committee or the Board, composed solely of two or more Qualified Members, and (ii) any action relating to an Award granted or to be granted to a Participant who is then subject to Section 16 of the Exchange Act in respect of the Company may be taken either by such a subcommittee or by the Committee but with each such member who is not a Qualified Member abstaining or recusing himself or herself from such action, provided that, upon such abstention or recusal, the Committee remains composed solely of two or more Qualified Members. Such action, authorized by such a subcommittee or by the Committee upon the abstention or recusal of such non-Qualified Member(s), shall be the action of the Committee for purposes of the Plan. 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 officers or managers of the Company or any subsidiary or affiliate, or committees thereof, the authority, subject to such terms as the Committee shall determine, to perform such functions, including administrative functions, as the Committee may determine. Notwithstanding the foregoing, no action may be taken pursuant to this Section 3(b) if such action would result in the loss of an exemption under Rule 16b-3(d) for Awards granted to Participants subject to Section 16 of the Exchange Act in respect of the Company and would cause Awards intended to qualify as performance-based compensation under Code Section 162(m) to fail to so qualify.
(c) Limitation of Liability . The Committee and each member thereof, and any person acting pursuant to authority delegated by the Committee, shall be entitled, in good faith, to rely or act upon any report or other information furnished by any executive officer, other officer or employee of the Company or a subsidiary or affiliate, the Company's independent auditors, consultants or any other agents assisting in the administration of the Plan. Members of the Committee, any person acting pursuant to authority delegated by the Committee, and any officer or employee of the Company or a subsidiary or affiliate acting at the direction or on behalf of the Committee or a delegee 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.
(a) Overall Number of Shares Available for Delivery. Subject to adjustment as provided in Section 11(c), the total number of shares of Stock reserved and available for delivery in connection with Awards under the Plan shall be 6,525,000; provided, however, that (A) the total number of shares with respect to which ISOs may be granted shall not exceed 2,300,000 and (B) no more than 2,000,000 shares shall be used for Awards other than options or SARs. Any shares of Stock delivered under the Plan shall consist of authorized and unissued shares or treasury shares.
(b) Share Counting Rules. 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 of Stock actually delivered differs from the number of shares previously counted in connection with an Award. Shares subject to an Award or an award under the Preexisting Plan that is canceled, expired, forfeited, settled in cash or otherwise terminated without a delivery of shares to the Participant will again be available for Awards, and shares withheld in payment of the exercise price or taxes relating to an Award or Preexisting Plan award and shares equal to the number surrendered in payment of any exercise price or taxes relating to an Award or Preexisting Plan
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award shall be deemed to constitute shares not delivered to the Participant and shall be deemed to again be available for Awards under the Plan. In addition, in the case of any Award granted in substitution for an award of a company or business acquired by the Company or a subsidiary or affiliate, shares issued or issuable in connection with such substitute Award shall not be counted against the number of shares reserved under the Plan, but shall be available under the Plan by virtue of the Company's assumption of the plan or arrangement of the acquired company or business. This Section 4(b) shall apply to the number of shares reserved and available for ISOs only to the extent consistent with applicable regulations relating to ISOs under the Code.
5. Eligibility; Per-Person Award Limitations . Awards may be granted under the Plan only to Eligible Persons. For purposes of the Plan, an Eligible Person means an employee of the Company or any subsidiary or affiliate, including any executive officer, a non-employee director of the Company, a consultant, advisor or other person who provides substantial services to the Company or a subsidiary or affiliate, and any person who has been offered employment by the Company or a subsidiary or affiliate, provided that such prospective employee may not receive any payment or exercise any right relating to an Award until such person has commenced employment with the Company or a subsidiary or affiliate. An employee on leave of absence may be considered as still in the employ of the Company or a subsidiary or affiliate for purposes of eligibility for participation in the Plan. For purposes of the Plan, a joint venture in which the Company or a subsidiary has a substantial direct or indirect equity investment shall be deemed an affiliate, if so determined by the Committee. In each calendar year during any part of which the Plan is in effect, an Eligible Person may be granted Awards intended to qualify as performance-based compensation under Code Section 162(m) under each of Section 6(b), 6(c), 6(d), 6(e), 6(f), 6(g) or 6(h) relating to up to his or her Annual Limit (such Annual Limit to apply separately to the type of Award authorized under each specified subsection, except that the limitation applies to Dividend Equivalents under Section 6(g) only if such Dividend Equivalents are granted separately from and not as a feature of another Award). A Participant's Annual Limit, in any calendar year during any part of which the Participant is then eligible under the Plan, shall equal 1,000,000 shares plus the amount of the Participant's unused Annual Limit relating to the same type of Award as of the close of the previous year, subject to adjustment as provided in Section 11(c). In the case of an Award which is not valued in a way in which the limitation set forth in the preceding sentence would operate as an effective limitation satisfying Treasury Regulation 1.162-27(e)(4) (including a Performance Award under Section 7 not related to an Award specified in Section 6), an Eligible Person may not be granted Awards authorizing the earning during any calendar year of an amount that exceeds the Participant's Annual Limit, which for this purpose shall equal $5,000,000 plus the amount of the Participant's unused cash Annual Limit as of the close of the previous year (this limitation is separate and not affected by the number of Awards granted during such calendar year subject to the limitation in the preceding sentence). For this purpose, (i) earning means satisfying performance conditions so that an amount becomes payable, without regard to whether it is to be paid currently or on a deferred basis or continues to be subject to any service requirement or other non-performance condition, and (ii) a Participant's Annual Limit is used to the extent an amount or number of shares may be potentially earned or paid under an Award, regardless of whether such amount or shares are in fact earned or paid.
(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 or thereafter (subject to Section 11(e)), 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 employment or service by the Participant and terms permitting a Participant to make elections relating to his or her Award. The Committee shall retain full power and discretion with respect to any term or condition of an Award that is not mandatory under the Plan. The Committee shall require the payment of lawful consideration for an Award to the extent necessary to satisfy the requirements of the Delaware General Corporation Law, and may otherwise require payment of consideration for an Award except as limited by the Plan.
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(b) Options. The Committee is authorized to grant Options to Eligible Persons on the following terms and conditions:
(i) Exercise Price. The exercise price per share of Stock purchasable under an Option (including both ISOs and non-qualified Options) shall be determined by the Committee, provided that such exercise price shall be not less than the Fair Market Value of a share of Stock on the date of grant of such Option, subject to Sections 6(f) and 9(a).
(ii) Option Term; Time and Method of Exercise. The Committee shall determine the term of each Option, provided that in no event shall the term of any ISO or SAR in tandem therewith exceed a period of ten years from the date of grant. 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 and/or future service requirements), the methods by which such exercise price may be paid or deemed to be paid and the form of such payment (subject to Section 11(k)), including, without limitation, cash, Stock, other Awards or awards granted under other plans of the Company or any subsidiary or affiliate, or other property (including notes and other contractual obligations of Participants to make payment on a deferred basis, such as through cashless exercise arrangements, to the extent permitted by applicable law), and the methods by or forms in which Stock will be delivered or deemed to be delivered in satisfaction of Options to Participants (including deferred delivery of shares representing the Option profit, at the election of the Participant or as mandated by the Committee, with such deferred shares subject to any vesting, forfeiture or other terms as the Committee may specify).
(iii) ISOs. The terms of any ISO granted under the Plan shall comply in all respects with the provisions of Code Section 422, including but not limited to the requirement that no ISO shall be granted more than ten years after the Effective Date.
(c) Stock Appreciation Rights. The Committee is authorized to grant SARs to Eligible Persons on the following terms and conditions:
(i) Right to Payment. An SAR 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 of Stock on the date of exercise (or, in the case of a Limited SAR, the Fair Market Value determined by reference to the Change in Control Price, as defined under Section 9(d) hereof) over (B) the grant price of the SAR as determined by the Committee.
(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 an SAR may be exercised in whole or in part (including based on achievement of performance goals and/or future service requirements), the method of exercise, method of settlement, form of consideration payable in settlement, method by or forms in which Stock will be delivered or deemed to be delivered to Participants, and whether or not an SAR shall be free-standing or in tandem or combination with any other Award. Limited SARs that may only be exercised in connection with a Change in Control or other event as specified by the Committee may be granted on such terms, not inconsistent with this Section 6(c), as the Committee may determine.
(d) Restricted Stock. The Committee is authorized to grant Restricted Stock to Eligible Persons on the following terms and conditions:
(i) Grant and Restrictions. Restricted Stock shall be subject to such restrictions on transferability, risk of forfeiture and other restrictions, if any, as the Committee may impose, which 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 and under such other circumstances 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 document relating to the Restricted Stock, a Participant granted Restricted Stock shall have
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all of the rights of a stockholder, 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).
(ii) Forfeiture. Except as otherwise determined by the Committee, upon termination of employment or service during the applicable restriction period, Restricted Stock that is at that time subject to restrictions shall be forfeited and reacquired by the Company; provided that the Committee may provide, by rule or regulation or in any Award document, or may determine in any individual case, that restrictions or forfeiture conditions relating to Restricted Stock will lapse in whole or in part, including in the event of terminations resulting from specified causes.
(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 an Award of Restricted Stock, the Committee may require that any dividends paid on a share of Restricted Stock shall be either (A) paid with respect to such Restricted Stock at the dividend payment date in cash, in kind, or in a number of shares of unrestricted Stock having a Fair Market Value equal to the amount of such dividends, or (B) automatically reinvested in additional Restricted Stock or held in kind, which shall be subject to the same terms as applied to the original Restricted Stock to which it relates, or (C) deferred as to payment, either as a cash deferral or with the amount or value thereof automatically deemed reinvested in shares of Deferred Stock, other Awards or other investment vehicles, subject to such terms as the Committee shall determine or permit a Participant to elect. Unless otherwise determined by the Committee, Stock 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 Stock or other property has been distributed.
(e) Deferred Stock. The Committee is authorized to grant Deferred Stock to Eligible Persons, which are rights to receive Stock, other Awards, or a combination thereof at the end of a specified deferral period, subject to the following terms and conditions:
(i) Award and Restrictions. Issuance of Stock will occur upon expiration of the deferral period specified for an Award of Deferred Stock by the Committee (or, if permitted by the Committee, as elected by the Participant). In addition, Deferred Stock shall be subject to such restrictions on transferability, risk of forfeiture and other restrictions, if any, as the Committee may impose, which restrictions may lapse at the expiration of the deferral period or at earlier specified times (including based on achievement of performance goals and/or future service requirements), separately or in combination, in installments or otherwise, and under such other circumstances as the Committee may determine at the date of grant or thereafter. Deferred Stock may be satisfied by delivery of Stock, other Awards, or a combination thereof (subject to Section 11(k)), as determined by the Committee at the date of grant or thereafter.
(ii) Forfeiture. Except as otherwise determined by the Committee, upon termination of employment or service during the applicable deferral period or portion thereof to which forfeiture conditions apply (as provided in the Award document evidencing the Deferred Stock), all Deferred Stock that is at that time subject to such forfeiture conditions shall be forfeited; provided that the Committee may provide, by rule or regulation or in any Award document, or may determine in any individual case, that restrictions or forfeiture conditions relating to Deferred Stock will lapse in whole or in part, including in the event of terminations resulting from specified causes.
(iii) Dividend Equivalents. Unless otherwise determined by the Committee, Dividend Equivalents on the specified number of shares of Stock covered by an Award of Deferred Stock shall be
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either (A) paid with respect to such Deferred Stock 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 Deferred Stock, either as a cash deferral or with the amount or value thereof automatically deemed reinvested in additional Deferred Stock, other Awards or other investment vehicles having a Fair Market Value equal to the amount of such dividends, as the Committee shall determine or permit a Participant to elect.
(f) Bonus Stock and Awards in Lieu of Obligations. The Committee is authorized to grant Stock as a bonus, or to grant Stock or other Awards in lieu of obligations of the Company or a subsidiary or affiliate to pay cash or deliver other property under the Plan or under other plans or compensatory arrangements, subject to such terms as shall be determined by the Committee.
(g) Dividend Equivalents. The Committee is authorized to grant Dividend Equivalents to Eligible Persons, which are rights to receive cash, Stock, other Awards, or other property equivalent to all or a portion of the dividends paid with respect to a specified number of shares of Stock. Dividend Equivalents may be awarded on a free-standing basis or in connection with another Award. The Committee may provide that Dividend Equivalents shall be paid or distributed when accrued or shall be deemed to have been reinvested in additional Stock, Awards, or other investment vehicles, and subject to restrictions on transferability, risks of forfeiture and such other terms as the Committee may specify.
(h) Other Stock-Based Awards. The Committee is authorized, subject to limitations under applicable law, to grant to Eligible Persons 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, Stock or factors that may influence the value of Stock, including, without limitation, convertible or exchangeable debt securities, other rights convertible or exchangeable into Stock, purchase rights for Stock, Awards with value and payment contingent upon performance of the Company or business units thereof or any other factors designated by the Committee, and Awards valued by reference to the book value of Stock or the value of securities of or the performance of specified subsidiaries or affiliates or other business units. The Committee shall determine the terms and conditions of such Awards. Stock delivered pursuant to an Award in the nature of a purchase right granted under this Section 6(h) shall be purchased for such consideration, paid for at such times, by such methods, and in such forms, including, without limitation, cash, Stock, other Awards, notes, or other property, as the Committee shall determine. Cash awards, as an element of or supplement to any other Award under the Plan, may also be granted pursuant to this Section 6(h).
(i) Performance Awards. Performance Awards, denominated in cash or in Stock or other Awards, may be granted by the Committee in accordance with Section 7.
7. Performance Awards, Including Annual Incentive Awards.
(a) Performance Awards Generally. The Committee is authorized to grant Performance Awards on the terms and conditions specified in this Section 7. Performance Awards may be denominated as a cash amount, number of shares of Stock, or specified number of other Awards (or a combination) which may be earned upon achievement or satisfaction of performance conditions specified by the Committee. In addition, the Committee may specify that any other Award shall constitute a Performance Award by conditioning the right of a Participant to exercise the Award or have it settled, and the timing thereof, upon achievement or satisfaction of such performance conditions as may be specified by the Committee. The Committee may use such business criteria and other measures of performance as it may deem appropriate in establishing any performance conditions, and may exercise its discretion to reduce or increase the amounts payable under any Award subject to performance conditions, except as limited under Sections 7(b) and 7(c) in the case of a Performance Award intended to qualify as performance-based compensation under Code Section 162(m).
(b) Performance Awards Granted to Covered Employees. If the Committee determines that a Performance Award to be granted to an Eligible Person who is designated by the Committee as likely to be a Covered Employee should qualify as performance-based compensation for purposes of Code Section 162(m), the grant, exercise and/or settlement of such Performance Award shall be contingent upon achievement of a preestablished performance goal and other terms set forth in this Section 7(b).
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(i) Performance Goal Generally. The performance goal for such Performance Awards shall consist of one or more business criteria and a targeted level or levels of performance with respect to each of such criteria, as specified by the Committee consistent with this Section 7(b). The performance goal shall be objective and shall otherwise meet the requirements of Code Section 162(m) and regulations thereunder (including Regulation 1.162-27 and successor regulations thereto), including the requirement that the level or levels of performance targeted by the Committee result in the achievement of performance goals being substantially uncertain. The Committee may determine that such Performance Awards shall be granted, exercised and/or settled upon achievement of any one performance goal or that two or more of the performance goals must be achieved as a condition to grant, exercise and/or settlement of such Performance Awards. Performance goals may differ for Performance Awards granted to any one Participant or to different Participants.
(ii) Business Criteria. One or more of the following business criteria for the Company, on a consolidated basis, and/or for specified subsidiaries or affiliates or other business units of the Company shall be used by the Committee in establishing performance goals for such Performance Awards: (1) growth in revenues or assets; (2) earnings from operations, earnings before or after taxes, earnings before or after interest, depreciation, amortization, or extraordinary or special items; (3) net income or net income per common share (basic or diluted); (4) return on assets, return on investment, return on capital, or return on equity; (5) cash flow, free cash flow, cash flow return on investment, or net cash provided by operations; (6) interest expense after taxes; (7) economic profit; (8) operating margin or gross margin; (9) stock price or total stockholder return; and (10) strategic business criteria, consisting of one or more objectives based on environmental or safety standards, market penetration, geographic business expansion goals, cost targets, customer satisfaction, employee satisfaction, management of employment practices and employee benefits, supervision of litigation and information technology, and goals relating to acquisitions or divestitures of subsidiaries, affiliates or joint ventures. The targeted level or levels of performance with respect to such business criteria may be established at such levels and in such terms as the Committee may determine, in its discretion, including in absolute terms, as a goal relative to performance in prior periods, or as a goal compared to the performance of one or more comparable companies or an index covering multiple companies.
(iii) Performance Period; Timing for Establishing Performance Goals. Achievement of performance goals in respect of such Performance Awards shall be measured over a performance period of up to one year or more than one year, as specified by the Committee. A performance goal shall be established not later than the earlier of (A) 90 days after the beginning of any performance period applicable to such Performance Award or (B) the time 25% of such performance period has elapsed.
(iv) Performance Award Pool. The Committee may establish a Performance Award pool, which shall be an unfunded pool, for purposes of measuring performance of the Company in connection with Performance Awards. The amount of such Performance Award pool shall be based upon the achievement of a performance goal or goals based on one or more of the business criteria set forth in Section 7(b)(ii) during the given performance period. The Committee may specify the amount of the Performance Award pool as a percentage of any of such business criteria, a percentage thereof in excess of a threshold amount, or as another amount which need not bear a strictly mathematical relationship to such business criteria.
(v) Settlement of Performance Awards; Other Terms. Settlement of such Performance Awards shall be in cash, Stock, other Awards or other property, in the Committees discretion. The Committee may increase or reduce the amount of a settlement otherwise to be made in connection with such Performance Awards, but may not exercise discretion to increase any such amount payable to a Covered Employee in respect of a Performance Award subject to Section 7(b). Any settlement which changes the form of payment from that originally specified shall be implemented in a manner such that the Performance Award and other related Awards do not, solely for that reason, fail to qualify as performance-based compensation for purposes of Code Section 162(m). The Committee shall specify the circumstances in which such Performance Awards shall be paid or forfeited in the event
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of termination of employment by the Participant or other event (including a Change in Control) prior to the end of a performance period or settlement of such Performance Awards.
(c) Annual Incentive Awards Granted to Designated Covered Employees. The Committee may grant an Annual Incentive Award to an Eligible Person who is designated by the Committee as likely to be a Covered Employee. Such Annual Incentive Award will be intended to qualify as performance-based compensation for purposes of Code Section 162(m), and therefore its grant, exercise and/or settlement shall be contingent upon achievement of preestablished performance goals and other terms set forth in this Section 7(c).
(i) Grant of Annual Incentive Awards . Not later than the earlier of 90 days after the beginning of any performance period applicable to such Annual Incentive Award or the time 25% of such performance period has elapsed, the Committee shall determine the Covered Employees who will potentially receive Annual Incentive Awards, and the amount(s) potentially payable thereunder, for that performance period. The amount(s) potentially payable shall be based upon the achievement of a performance goal or goals based on one or more of the business criteria set forth in Section 7(b)(ii) in the given performance period, as specified by the Committee. The Committee may designate an annual incentive award pool as the means by which Annual Incentive Awards will be measured, provided that the portion of such pool potentially payable to the Covered Employee shall be preestablished. In all cases, the maximum Annual Incentive Award of any Participant shall be subject to the limitation set forth in Section 5.
(ii) Payout of Annual Incentive Awards . After the end of each performance period, the Committee shall determine the amount, if any, of the Annual Incentive Award for that performance period payable to each Participant. The Committee may determine that the amount payable to any Participant as a final Annual Incentive Award shall be reduced from the amount of his or her potential Annual Incentive Award, including a determination to make no final Award whatsoever, but may not exercise discretion to increase any such amount. The Committee shall specify the circumstances in which an Annual Incentive Award shall be paid or forfeited in the event of termination of employment by the Participant or other event (including a Change in Control) prior to the end of a performance period or settlement of such Annual Incentive Award.
(d) Written Determinations. Determinations by the Committee as to the establishment of performance goals, the amount potentially payable in respect of Performance Awards and Annual Incentive Awards, the level of actual achievement of the specified performance goals relating to Performance Awards and Annual Incentive Awards, and the amount of any final Performance Award and Annual Incentive Award shall be recorded in writing in the case of Performance Awards intended to qualify under Code Section 162(m). Specifically, the Committee shall certify in writing, in a manner conforming to applicable regulations under Code Section 162(m), prior to settlement of each such Award granted to a Covered Employee, that the performance objective relating to the Performance Award and other material terms of the Award upon which settlement of the Award was conditioned have been satisfied.
8. 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 subsidiary or affiliate, or any business entity to be acquired by the Company or a subsidiary or affiliate, or any other right of a Participant to receive payment from the Company or any subsidiary or affiliate. Awards granted in addition to or in tandem with other Awards or awards may be granted either as of the same time as or a different time from the grant of such other Awards or awards. Subject to Section 11(k), the Committee may determine that, in granting a new Award, the in-the-money value of any surrendered Award or award may be applied to reduce the exercise price of any Option, grant price of any SAR, or purchase price of any other Award.
(b) Term of Awards. The term of each Award shall be for such period as may be determined by the Committee, subject to the express limitations set forth in Section 6(b)(ii).
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(c) Form and Timing of Payment Under Awards; Deferrals. Subject to the terms of the Plan (including Section 11(k)) and any applicable Award document, payments to be made by the Company or a subsidiary or affiliate 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, Stock, other Awards or other property, and may be made in a single payment or transfer, in installments, or on a deferred basis. The settlement of any Award may be accelerated, and cash paid in lieu of Stock in connection with such settlement, in the Committees discretion or upon occurrence of one or more specified events (subject to Section 11(k)). Installment or deferred payments may be required by the Committee (subject to Section 11(e)) or permitted at Participants election on terms and conditions established by the Committee. Payments may include, without limitation, provisions for the payment or crediting of reasonable interest 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 Stock.
(d) Exemptions from Section 16(b) Liability. With respect to a Participant who is then subject to the reporting requirements of Section 16(a) of the Exchange Act in respect of the Company, the Committee shall implement transactions under the Plan and administer the Plan in a manner that will ensure that each transaction with respect to such a Participant is exempt from liability under Rule 16b-3 (or otherwise not subject to liability under Section 16(b)), except that this provision shall not limit sales by such a Participant, and such a Participant may engage in other non-exempt transactions under the Plan. The Committee may authorize the Company to repurchase any Award or shares of Stock deliverable or delivered in connection with any Award (subject to Section 11(k)) to avoid a Participant who is subject to Section 16 of the Exchange Act incurring liability under Section 16(b). Unless otherwise specified by the Participant, equity securities or derivative securities acquired under the Plan which are disposed of by a Participant shall be deemed to be disposed of in the order acquired by the Participant.
(e) Loan Provisions . With the Committees consent, and subject at all times to, and only to the extent, if any, permitted under and in accordance with, laws and regulations and other binding obligations or provisions applicable to the Company, the Company may make, guarantee, or arrange for a loan or loans to a Participant with respect to the exercise of any Option or other payment in connection with any Award, including the payment by a Participant of any or all federal, state, or local income or other taxes due in connection with any Award. Subject to such limitations, the Committee shall have full authority to decide whether to make a loan or loans hereunder and to determine the amount, terms, and provisions of any such loan or loans, including the interest rate, if any, to be charged in respect of any such loan or loans, whether the loan or loans are to be with or without recourse against the borrower, the terms on which the loan is to be repaid and conditions, if any, under which the loan or loans may be forgiven.
(a) Effect of Change in Control on Non-Performance Based Awards . Unless otherwise provided by the Committee in the Award document, in the event of a Change in Control, the following provisions shall apply to non-performance based Awards, including Awards as to which performance conditions previously have been satisfied or are deemed satisfied under Section 9(b):
(i) All deferral of settlement, forfeiture conditions and other restrictions applicable to Awards granted under the Plan shall lapse and such Awards shall be fully payable as of the time of the Change in Control without regard to deferral and vesting conditions, except to the extent of any waiver by the Participant or other express election to defer beyond a Change in Control and subject to applicable restrictions set forth in Section 11(a);
(ii) Any Award carrying a right to exercise that was not previously exercisable and vested shall become fully exercisable and vested as of the time of the Change in Control and shall remain exercisable and vested for the balance of the stated term of such Award without regard to any termination of employment or service by the Participant other than a termination for cause (as defined in any employment or severance agreement between the Company or a subsidiary or affiliate and the Participant then in effect or, if none, as defined by the Committee and in effect at the time of the Change in Control), subject only to applicable restrictions set forth in Section 11(a); and
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(iii) The Committee may, in its discretion, determine to extend to any Participant who holds an Option the right to elect, during the 60-day period immediately following the Change in Control, in lieu of acquiring the shares of Stock covered by such Option, to receive in cash the excess of the Change in Control Price over the exercise price of such Option, multiplied by the number of shares of Stock covered by such Option, and to extend to any Participant who holds other types of Awards denominated in shares the right to elect, during the 60-day period immediately following the Change in Control, in lieu of receiving the shares of Stock covered by such Award, to receive in cash the Change in Control Price multiplied by the number of shares of Stock covered by such Award.
(b) Effect of Change in Control on Performance-Based Awards . In the event of a Change in Control, with respect to an outstanding Award subject to achievement of performance goals and conditions, such performance goals and conditions will be deemed to be met if and to the extent so provided by the Committee in the Award document governing such Award or other agreement with the Participant.
(c) Definition of Change in Control. A Change in Control shall be deemed to have occurred if, after the Effective Date, there shall have occurred any of the following:
(i) any Person (other than the Company), any trustee or other fiduciary holding securities under any employee benefit plan of the Company, or any company owned, directly or indirectly, by the stockholders of the Company immediately prior to the occurrence with respect to which the evaluation is being made in substantially the same proportions as their ownership of the common stock of the Company) becomes the Beneficial Owner (except that a Person shall be deemed to be the Beneficial Owner of all shares that any such Person has the right to acquire pursuant to any agreement or arrangement or upon exercise of conversion rights, warrants or options or otherwise, without regard to the sixty day period referred to in Rule 13d-3 under the Exchange Act), directly or indirectly, of securities of the Company or any Significant Subsidiary (as defined below), representing 30% of the combined voting power of the Company's or such subsidiary's then outstanding securities;
(ii) during any period of two consecutive years, individuals who at the beginning of such period constitute the Board, and any new director (other than a director designated by a person who has entered into an agreement with the Company to effect a transaction described in clause (i), (iii), or (iv) of this paragraph) whose election by the Board or nomination for election by the Company's stockholders was approved by a vote of at least two-thirds of the directors then still in office who either were directors at the beginning of the two-year period or whose election or nomination for election was previously so approved but excluding for this purpose any such new director whose initial assumption of office occurs as a result of either an actual or threatened election contest (as such terms are used in Rule 14a-11 of Regulation 14A promulgated under the Exchange Act) or other actual or threatened solicitation of proxies or consents by or on behalf of an individual, corporation, partnership, group, associate or other entity or Person other than the Board, cease for any reason to constitute at least a majority of the Board;
(iii) the consummation of a merger or consolidation of the Company or any subsidiary owning directly or indirectly all or substantially all of the consolidated assets of the Company (a Significant Subsidiary) with any other entity, other than a merger or consolidation which would result in the voting securities of the Company or a Significant Subsidiary outstanding immediately prior thereto continuing to represent (either by remaining outstanding or by being converted into voting securities of the surviving or resulting entity) more than 50% of the combined voting power of the surviving or resulting entity outstanding immediately after such merger or consolidation; or
(iv) the stockholders of the Company approve a plan or agreement for the sale or disposition of all or substantially all of the consolidated assets of the Company (other than such a sale or disposition immediately after which such assets will be owned directly or indirectly by the Company's stockholders in substantially the same proportions as their ownership of the Company's common stock immediately prior to such sale or disposition) in which case the Board shall determine the effective date of the Change in Control resulting therefrom.
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For purposes of this definition:
(A) The term Beneficial Owner shall have the meaning ascribed to such term in Rule 13d-3 under the Exchange Act (including any successor to such Rule).
(B) The term 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, including group as defined in Section 13(d) thereof.
(d) Definition of Change in Control Price. The Change in Control Price means an amount in cash equal to the higher of (i) the amount of cash and fair market value of property that is the highest price per share paid (including extraordinary dividends) in any transaction triggering the Change in Control or any liquidation of shares following a sale of substantially all assets of the Company, or (ii) the highest Fair Market Value per share at any time during the 60-day period preceding and 60-day period following the Change in Control.
10. Awards to Non-Employee Directors .
Unless otherwise determined by the Board in writing, non-employee directors of the Company shall be entitled to receive Options in accordance with the following:
(a) On the date any non-employee director of the Company first becomes a director, such person shall automatically be granted, without further action by the Board or the Committee, an Option to purchase 37,500 shares of the Companys Stock.
(b) On January 1 and July 1 of each calendar year during the term of this Plan, non-employee directors of the Company then serving in such capacity, shall each be granted an Option to purchase 7,500 shares of the Companys Stock.
(c) The exercise price of the shares subject to the Options set forth in Sections 10(a) and 10(b) hereof shall be the Fair Market Value of the Companys Stock on the date such Options are granted. All of such Options shall be non-qualified Options. Unless otherwise determined by the Board in an award agreement at the time of the Award, the Options granted pursuant to this Section 10 shall vest entirely on the date they are granted and shall be exercisable for a period of ten (10) years.
(d) Non-employee directors of the Company include attorneys, accountants, consultants and advisors of the Company who, in addition to providing services in such capacity, serve as directors of the Company.
(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 Stock or payment of other benefits under any Award until completion of such registration or qualification of such Stock or other required action under any federal or state law, rule or regulation, listing or other required action with respect to any stock exchange or automated quotation system upon which the Stock or other securities of the Company are listed or quoted, 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 Stock 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 of a Participant under the Plan shall be pledged, hypothecated or otherwise encumbered or subject to any lien, obligation or liability of such Participant to any party (other than the Company or a subsidiary or affiliate thereof), or assigned or transferred by such 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 ISOs and SARs in tandem therewith) may be transferred to one or more transferees during the lifetime of the Participant,
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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, subject to any terms and conditions which the Committee may impose thereon (including limitations the Committee may deem appropriate in order that offers and sales under the Plan will meet applicable requirements of registration forms under the Securities Act of 1933 specified by the Securities and Exchange Commission). 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 document 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. In the event that any large, special and non-recurring dividend or other distribution (whether in the form of cash or property other than Stock), recapitalization, forward or reverse split, Stock dividend, reorganization, merger, consolidation, spin-off, combination, repurchase, share exchange, liquidation, dissolution or other similar corporate transaction or event affects the Stock such that an adjustment is determined by the Committee to be appropriate under the Plan, then the Committee shall, in such manner as it may deem equitable, adjust any or all of (i) the number and kind of shares of Stock which may be delivered in connection with Awards granted thereafter, (ii) the number and kind of shares of Stock by which annual per-person Award limitations are measured under Section 5, (iii) the number and kind of shares of Stock subject to or deliverable in respect of outstanding Awards and (iv) the exercise price, grant price or purchase price relating to any Award or, if deemed appropriate, the Committee may make provision for a payment of cash or property to the holder of an outstanding Option (subject to Section 11(k)). In addition, the Committee is authorized to make adjustments in the terms and conditions of, and the criteria included in, Awards (including Performance Awards and performance goals and any hypothetical funding pool relating thereto) in recognition of unusual or nonrecurring events (including, without limitation, events described in the preceding sentence, as well as acquisitions and dispositions of businesses and assets) affecting the Company, any subsidiary or affiliate or other business unit, or the financial statements of the Company or any subsidiary or affiliate, 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 affiliate 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 the existence of such authority (i) would cause Options, SARs, or Performance Awards granted under Section 7 to Participants designated by the Committee as Covered Employees and intended to qualify as performance-based compensation under Code Section 162(m) and regulations thereunder to otherwise fail to qualify as performance-based compensation under Code Section 162(m) and regulations thereunder, or (ii) would cause the Committee to be deemed to have authority to change the targets, within the meaning of Treasury Regulation 1.162-27(e)(4)(vi), under the performance goals relating to Options or SARs granted to Covered Employees and intended to qualify as performance-based compensation under Code Section 162(m) and regulations thereunder.
(d) Tax Provisions.
(i) Withholding . The Company and any subsidiary or affiliate is authorized to withhold from any Award granted, any payment relating to an Award under the Plan, including from a distribution of Stock, 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 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 Stock or other property and to make cash payments in respect thereof in satisfaction of a Participant's withholding obligations, either on a mandatory or elective basis in the discretion of the Committee. Other provisions of the Plan notwithstanding, only the minimum amount of Stock deliverable in connection with an Award necessary to satisfy statutory withholding requirements will be withheld.
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(ii) Requirement of Notification of Code Section 83(b) Election . If any Participant shall make an election under Section 83(b) of the Code (to include in gross income in the year of transfer the amounts specified in Code Section 83(b)) or under a similar provision of the laws of a jurisdiction outside the United States, such Participant shall notify the Company of such election within ten days of filing notice of the election with the Internal Revenue Service or other governmental authority, in addition to any filing and notification required pursuant to regulations issued under Code Section 83(b) or other applicable provision.
(iii) Requirement of Notification upon Disqualifying Disposition Under Code Section 421(b) . If any Participant shall make any disposition of shares of Stock delivered pursuant to the exercise of an Incentive Stock Option under the circumstances described in Code Section 421(b) (relating to certain disqualifying dispositions), such Participant shall notify the Company of such disposition within ten days thereof.
(e) Changes to the Plan. The Board may amend, suspend or terminate the Plan or the Committee's authority to grant Awards under the Plan without the consent of stockholders or Participants; provided, however, that any amendment to the Plan shall be submitted to the Company's stockholders for approval not later than the earliest annual meeting for which the record date is after the date of such Board action if such stockholder approval is required by any federal or state law or regulation or the rules of any stock exchange or automated quotation system on which the Stock may then be listed or quoted, and the Board may otherwise, in its discretion, determine to submit other amendments to the Plan to stockholders for approval; and provided further, that, without the consent of an affected Participant, no such Board action may have a material adverse affect on the rights of such Participant under any outstanding Award.
(f) Right of Setoff . The Company or any subsidiary or affiliate may, to the extent permitted by applicable law, deduct from and set off against any amounts the Company or a subsidiary or affiliate may owe to the Participant from time to time, including amounts payable in connection with any Award, owed as wages, fringe benefits, or other compensation owed to the Participant, such amounts as may be owed by the Participant to the Company, although the Participant shall remain liable for any part of the Participant's payment obligation not satisfied through such deduction and setoff. By accepting any Award granted hereunder, the Participant agrees to any deduction or setoff under this Section 11(f).
(g) 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 Stock pursuant to an Award, nothing contained in the Plan or any Award shall give any such Participant any rights that are greater than those of a general creditor of the Company; provided that the Committee may authorize the creation of trusts and deposit therein cash, Stock, other Awards or other property, or make other arrangements to meet the Company's obligations 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.
(h) Nonexclusivity of the Plan. Neither the adoption of the Plan by the Board nor its submission to the stockholders 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, apart from the Plan, as it may deem desirable, including incentive arrangements and awards which do not qualify under Code Section 162(m), and such other arrangements may be either applicable generally or only in specific cases.
(i) Payments in the Event of Forfeitures; Fractional Shares. No fractional shares of Stock 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.
(j) Compliance with Code Section 162(m) . It is the intent of the Company that Options and SARs granted to Covered Employees and other Awards designated as Awards to Covered Employees subject to Section 7 shall constitute qualified performance-based compensation within the meaning of Code Section 162(m) and regulations thereunder, unless otherwise determined by the Committee at the time of allocation of an Award. Accordingly, the terms of Sections 7(b), (c), and (d), including the definitions of
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Covered Employee and other terms used therein, shall be interpreted in a manner consistent with Code Section 162(m) and regulations thereunder. The foregoing notwithstanding, because the Committee cannot determine with certainty whether a given Participant will be a Covered Employee with respect to a fiscal year that has not yet been completed, the term Covered Employee as used herein shall mean only a person designated by the Committee as likely to be a Covered Employee with respect to a specified fiscal year. If any provision of the Plan or any Award document relating to a Performance Award that is designated as intended to comply with Code Section 162(m) does not comply or is inconsistent with the requirements of Code Section 162(m) or regulations thereunder, such provision shall be construed or deemed amended to the extent necessary to conform to such requirements, and no provision shall be deemed to confer upon the Committee or any other person discretion to increase the amount of compensation otherwise payable in connection with any such Award upon attainment of the applicable performance objectives.
(k) Certain Limitations Relating to Accounting Treatment of Awards . Other provisions of the Plan notwithstanding, the Committee's authority under the Plan is limited to the extent necessary to ensure that any Option or other Award of a type that the Committee has intended to be subject to fixed accounting with a measurement date at the date of grant or the date performance conditions are satisfied under APB 25 shall not become subject to variable accounting solely due to the existence of such authority, unless the Committee specifically determines that the Award shall remain outstanding despite such variable accounting.
(l) Governing Law. The validity, construction, and effect of the Plan, any rules and regulations relating to the Plan and any Award document shall be determined in accordance with the laws of the State of Delaware, without giving effect to principles of conflicts of laws, and applicable provisions of federal law.
(m) Awards to Participants Outside the United States . The Committee may modify the terms of any Award under the Plan made to or held by a Participant who is then resident or primarily employed outside of the United States in any manner deemed by the Committee to be necessary or appropriate in order that such Award shall conform to laws, regulations, and customs of the country in which the Participant is then resident or primarily employed, or so that the value and other benefits of the Award to the Participant, as affected by foreign tax laws and other restrictions applicable as a result of the Participant's residence or employment abroad, shall be comparable to the value of such an Award to a Participant who is resident or primarily employed in the United States. An Award may be modified under this Section 11(m) in a manner that is inconsistent with the express terms of the Plan, so long as such modifications will not contravene any applicable law or regulation or result in actual liability under Section 16(b) of the Exchange Act for the Participant whose Award is modified.
(n) Limitation on Rights Conferred Under Plan. Neither the Plan nor any action taken hereunder 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 subsidiary or affiliate, (ii) interfering in any way with the right of the Company or a subsidiary or affiliate to terminate any Eligible Person's or Participant's employment or 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 stockholder of the Company unless and until the Participant is duly issued or transferred shares of Stock in accordance with the terms of an Award or an Option is duly exercised. Except as expressly provided in the Plan and an Award document, neither the Plan nor any Award document shall confer on any person other than the Company and the Participant any rights or remedies thereunder.
(o) Severability; Entire Agreement . If any of the provisions of this Plan or any Award document is finally held to be invalid, illegal or unenforceable (whether in whole or in part), such provision shall be deemed modified to the extent, but only to the extent, of such invalidity, illegality or unenforceability, and the remaining provisions shall not be affected thereby; provided, that, if any of such provisions is finally held to be invalid, illegal, or unenforceable because it exceeds the maximum scope determined to be acceptable to permit such provision to be enforceable, such provision shall be deemed to be modified
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to the minimum extent necessary to modify such scope in order to make such provision enforceable hereunder. The Plan and any Award documents contain the entire agreement of the parties with respect to the subject matter thereof and supersede all prior agreements, promises, covenants, arrangements, communications, representations and warranties between them, whether written or oral with respect to the subject matter thereof.
(p) Awards Under Preexisting Plans . Upon approval of the Plan by stockholders of the Company as required under Section 11(q) hereof, no further awards shall be granted under the Preexisting Plan; however, existing awards under the Preexisting Plan shall continue to be governed by the terms and conditions of such plan.
(q) Plan Effective Date and Termination. The Plan shall become effective if, and at such time as, the stockholders of the Company have approved it by the affirmative votes of the holders of a majority of the voting securities of the Company present, or represented, and entitled to vote on the subject matter at a duly held meeting of stockholders. Unless earlier terminated by action of the Board, the Plan will remain in effect until such time as no Stock remains available for delivery under the Plan and the Company has no further rights or obligations under the Plan with respect to outstanding Awards under the Plan.
(r) Repricing. No award that could be characterized as a repricing shall be made pursuant to this Plan without shareholder approval.
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Know all men by these presents, that the undersigned hereby constitutes and appoints Jack Friedman and Stephen Berman and each of them, the true and lawful attorneys, agents and proxies of the undersigned, with full power of substitution, to represent and vote with respect to all of the shares of the common stock of JAKKS Pacific, Inc., standing in the name of the undersigned at the close of business on August 11, 2008, at the Annual Meeting of Stockholders of the Company to be held on September 19, 2008 at the Sherwood Country Club, 320 West Stafford Road, Thousand Oaks, California 91361, at 9:00 a.m. local time, and at any and all adjournments thereof, with all the powers that the undersigned would possess if personally present, and especially (but without limiting the general authorization and power hereby given) to vote as follows.
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1. ELECTION OF DIRECTORS |
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Nominees are: Jack Friedman, Stephen G. Berman,
Dan Almagor, David C. Blatte, Robert E. Glick, Michael G. Miller and Murray L. Skala (Instruction: to withhold authority to vote for any individual nominee, write that nominees name in the space provided below.) |
For
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Against
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2. Approval of appointment of the firm of BDO Seidman, LLP as the Companys auditors. |
For
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Against
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Abstain
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3. Ratification and approval of the 2008 Amendment to the Companys 2002 Stock Award and Incentive Plan. |
For
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Against
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Abstain
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4. In their discretion upon such other measures as may properly come before the meeting, hereby ratifying and confirming all that said proxy may lawfully do or cause to be done by virtue hereof and hereby revoking all proxies heretofore given by the undersigned to vote at said meeting or any adjournment thereof. |
For
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Against
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Abstain
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The shares represented by this proxy will be voted in the manner indicated, and if no instructions to the contrary are indicated, will be voted FOR all proposals listed above. Number of shares owned by undersigned
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Signature(s):
Date:
Signature(s):
Date:
IMPORTANT: Please sign exactly as your names are printed here. Executors, administrators, trustees and other persons signing in a representative capacity should give full title.