UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

 

 

FORM 8-K

 

 

CURRENT REPORT

Pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d)

of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934

Date of Report (Date of earliest event reported):

August 14, 2014

 

 

NUANCE COMMUNICATIONS, INC.

(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

 

 

 

Delaware   001-36056   94-3156479

(State or other jurisdiction

of incorporation)

 

(Commission

File Number)

 

(I.R.S. Employer

Identification No.)

1 Wayside Road

Burlington, Massachusetts 01803

(Address of principal executive offices)

(781) 565-5000

(Registrant’s telephone number, including area code)

 

 

Check the appropriate box below if the Form 8-K filing is intended to simultaneously satisfy the filing obligation of the registrant under any of the following provisions:

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

 

 


Item 1.01. Entry into a Material Definitive Agreement.

The information contained in Item 3.03 below regarding the Amendment to the Rights Agreement (as defined below) is incorporated by reference into this Item 1.01.

Item 3.03. Material Modifications to Rights of Security Holders.

On August 14, 2014, the Board of Directors of Nuance Communications, Inc. (the “ Company ”) approved an amendment (the “ Amendment ”) to the Company’s existing Preferred Shares Rights Agreement, dated as of August 19, 2013, by and between the Company and American Stock Transfer & Trust Company, LLC, as the Rights Agent (the “ Rights Agreement ”), to extend the Final Expiration Date (as used therein) to August 19, 2015. On August 18, 2014, the Company and the Rights Agent executed the Amendment.

The foregoing description of the Amendment is only a summary, does not purport to be complete and is qualified in its entirety by reference to the Amendment, a copy of which is attached as Exhibit 4.2 and is incorporated herein by reference. The Rights Agreement, a copy of which was previously filed as Exhibit 4.1 to the Company’s Form 8-K filed on August 20, 2013, is also incorporated herein by reference.

Item 8.01. Other Events.

On August 18, 2014, the Company issued a press release announcing the entry into the Amendment, a copy of which is attached as Exhibit 99.1 hereto and incorporated by reference herein.

Item 9.01. Financial Statements and Exhibits.

(d) Exhibits.

 

  4.1    Preferred Shares Rights Agreement, dated as of August 19, 2013, by and between Nuance Communications, Inc. and American Stock Transfer & Trust Company, LLC, as Rights Agent (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 4.1 to the Current Report on Form 8-K filed by the Company with the Securities and Exchange Commission on August 20, 2013).
  4.2    First Amendment to Preferred Shares Rights Agreement, dated as of August 18, 2014, by and between Nuance Communications, Inc. and American Stock Transfer & Trust Company, LLC, as Rights Agent.
99.1    Press Release of Nuance Communications, Inc., dated August 18, 2014.


SIGNATURE

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

 

    August 18, 2014     NUANCE COMMUNICATIONS, INC.
    By:  

/s/ Thomas L. Beaudoin

    Thomas L. Beaudoin,
    Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer


EXHIBIT INDEX

 

Exhibit

Number

  

Description

  4.1    Preferred Shares Rights Agreement, dated as of August 19, 2013, by and between Nuance Communications, Inc. and American Stock Transfer & Trust Company, LLC, as Rights Agent (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 4.1 to the Current Report on Form 8-K filed by the Company with the Securities and Exchange Commission on August 20, 2013).
  4.2    First Amendment to Preferred Shares Rights Agreement, dated as of August 18, 2014, by and between Nuance Communications, Inc. and American Stock Transfer & Trust Company, LLC, as Rights Agent.
99.1    Press Release of Nuance Communications, Inc., dated August 18, 2014.

Exhibit 4.2

FIRST AMENDMENT TO PREFERRED SHARES RIGHTS AGREEMENT

This FIRST AMENDMENT TO PREFERRED SHARES RIGHTS AGREEMENT, dated as of August 18, 2014 (this “ Amendment ”), is by and between Nuance Communications, Inc., a Delaware corporation (the “ Company ”), and American Stock Transfer & Trust Company, LLC as Rights Agent (the “ Rights Agent ”).

Recitals

WHEREAS, the Company and the Rights Agent are parties to a Preferred Shares Rights Agreement, dated as of August 19, 2013 (the “ Rights Agreement ”);

WHEREAS, the Rights Agreement is due to expire on August 19, 2014;

WHEREAS, the Board of Directors of the Company has decided that it is in the best interest of the stockholders of the Company to extend the term of the Rights Agreement;

WHEREAS, pursuant to Section 27 of the Rights Agreement, prior to the occurrence of a Distribution Date (as defined in the Rights Agreement), the Company may in its sole and absolute discretion, and the Rights Agent shall, if the Company so directs, supplement or amend any provision of the Rights Agreement in accordance with the provisions of such section; and

WHEREAS, all acts and things necessary to make this Amendment a valid agreement, enforceable in accordance with its terms, have been done and performed, and the execution and delivery of this Amendment by the Company has been in all respects duly authorized by the Company;

NOW, THEREFORE, in consideration of the foregoing and the mutual agreements set forth in the Rights Agreement and herein, the parties hereto agree as follows:

1.  Amendment to Section 1 . Section 1 of the Rights Agreement is hereby amended by deleting the current subsection 1(x) in its entirety and inserting the following subsection:

“Final Expiration Date” means August 19, 2015.

2.  Effectiveness . This Amendment shall be deemed effective as of the date first written above, as if executed on such date. Except as expressly provided herein, the Rights Agreement is not being amended, modified or supplemented in any respect, and it remains in full force and effect.

3.  Miscellaneous .

(a) Except as otherwise expressly provided, or unless the context otherwise requires, capitalized terms used herein shall have the respective meanings assigned to them in the Rights Agreement.

(b) This Amendment shall be deemed to be a contract made under the internal and substantive laws of the State of Delaware and for all purposes shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the internal and substantive laws of such State applicable to contracts made and performed entirely within such State.

(c) If any term, provision, covenant or restriction of this Amendment is held by a court of competent jurisdiction or other authority to be invalid, void or unenforceable, the remainder of the terms, provisions, covenants and restrictions of this Amendment shall remain in full force and effect and shall in no way be affected, impaired or invalidated; provided, however, that nothing in this Section 3(c) will affect the ability of the Company under the provisions of Section 27 of the Rights Agreement to supplement or amend this Amendment to replace such invalid, void or unenforceable term, provision, covenant or restriction with a legal, valid and enforceable term, provision, covenant or restriction.


(d) Descriptive headings of the several Sections of this Amendment are inserted for convenience only and will not control of affect the meaning or construction of any of the provisions hereof.

(e) This Amendment may be executed in any number of counterparts and each of such counterparts shall for all purposes be deemed to be an original, and all such counterparts shall together constitute but one and the same instrument. A signature to this Amendment transmitted electronically shall have the same authority, effect, and enforceability as an original signature.

[SIGNATURE PAGES FOLLOW]


IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties hereto have caused this Amendment to be duly executed as of the date and year first above written.

 

NUANCE COMMUNICATIONS, INC.
By:  

/s/ Todd Duchene

Name:   Todd DuChene
Title:   Executive Vice President and General Counsel

 

AMERICAN STOCK TRANSFER & TRUST COMPANY, LLC,

AS RIGHTS AGENT

By:  

/s/ Paula Caroppoli

Name:   Paula Caroppoli
Title:   Senior Vice President

[SIGNATURE PAGE]

Exhibit 99.1

 

LOGO   

News Release

From Nuance Communications

   F OR I MMEDIATE R ELEASE
Contacts:   

For Investors

Kevin Faulkner

Nuance Communications, Inc.

Tel: 408-992-6100

Email: kevin.faulkner@nuance.com

  

For Media

Richard Mack

Nuance Communications, Inc.

Tel: 781-565-5000

Email: richard.mack@nuance.com

Nuance Amends Stockholder Rights Plan

BURLINGTON, MA – August 18, 2014 – Nuance Communications, Inc. (NASDAQ: NUAN) today announced that its Board of Directors has approved an amendment to the Company’s stockholder rights plan (the “Rights Plan”), which was scheduled to expire on August 19, 2014. The amendment extends the expiration date of the Rights Plan until August 19, 2015, unless redeemed earlier by the Company as provided for in the Rights Plan.

The Rights Plan allows the Board of Directors additional time to evaluate all available alternatives and preserves the Company’s ability to implement management’s strategic plan in order to maximize the long-term value of the Company for all stockholders.

About Nuance Communications, Inc.

Nuance is a leading provider of voice and language solutions for businesses and consumers around the world. Its technologies, applications and services make the user experience more compelling by transforming the way people interact with information and how they create, share and use documents. Every day, millions of users and thousands of businesses experience Nuance’s proven applications and professional services. For more information, please visit: nuance.com .

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Nuance and the Nuance logo are trademarks or registered trademarks of Nuance Communications, Inc. or its subsidiaries in the United States of America and/or other countries. All other company names or product names may be the trademarks of their respective owners.

Safe Harbor and Forward-Looking Statements

Statements in this document regarding Nuance management’s future expectations, beliefs, goals, plans or prospects constitute forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Any statements that are not statements of historical fact (including statements containing the words “believes,” “plans,” “anticipates,” “expects,” or “estimates” or similar expressions) should also be considered to be forward-looking statements. There are a number of important factors that could cause actual results or events to differ materially from those indicated by such forward-looking statements, including: fluctuations in demand for Nuance’s existing and future products; economic conditions in the United States and abroad; Nuance’s ability to control and successfully manage its expenses and cash position; the effects of competition, including pricing pressure; possible defects in Nuance’s products and technologies; and the other factors described in Nuance’s annual report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended September 30, 2013 and quarterly report on Form 10-Q for the fiscal quarter ended June 30, 2014 filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Nuance disclaims any obligation to update any forward-looking statements as a result of developments occurring after the date of this document.