As filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on September 25, 2018
Registration No. 333-_________
UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington, D.C. 20549
FORM S-8
REGISTRATION STATEMENT UNDER THE SECURITIES ACT OF 1933
C-BOND SYSTEMS, INC.
(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)
Colorado | 26-1315585 | |
(State or other jurisdiction of incorporation or organization) |
(I.R.S Employer Identification No.) |
6035 South Loop East, Houston, TX 77033 | 77033 | |
(Address of Principal Executive Offices) | (Zip Code) |
C-Bond Systems, Inc. 2018 Long-Term Incentive Plan
(Full title of the plan)
Scott R. Silverman
Chairman and Chief Executive Officer
6035 South Loop East
Houston, Texas 77033
Telephone: 832-649-5658
Copies to:
Brian P. Fenske
Norton Rose Fulbright US LLP
Fulbright Tower
1301 McKinney, Suite 5100
Houston, Texas 77010
Telephone: (713) 651-5557
Facsimile: (713) 651-5246
(Name, address, and telephone number, including area code, of agent for service)
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer, a smaller reporting company, or an emerging growth company. See the definitions of “large accelerated filer,” “accelerated filer,” “smaller reporting company,” and “emerging growth company” in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act.
Large accelerated filer | ☐ | Accelerated filer | ☐ |
Non-accelerated filer | ☐ | Smaller reporting company | ☒ |
Emerging growth company | ☐ |
If an emerging growth company, indicate by check mark if the registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for complying with any new or revised financial accounting standards provided pursuant to Section 7(a0((2)(B) of the Securities Act. ☐
CALCULATION OF REGISTRATION FEE
Title of securities to be registered |
Amount to be
registered (1) |
Proposed
maximum offering price per share (2) |
Proposed maximum aggregate
offering price (2) |
Amount of
registration fee |
||||||||||
Common Stock, $0.001 par value per share | 25,000,000 shares | $ | 1.55 | $ | 38,750,000 | $ | 4,824.38 |
(1) Pursuant to Rule 416 under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”), this registration statement on Form S-8 (the “Registration Statement”) also covers an additional indeterminable number of shares as may be necessary to adjust the number of shares being offered or issued pursuant to the plan as a result of stock splits, stock dividends or similar transactions.
(2) Represents 25,000,000 shares of C-Bond Systems, Inc.’s common stock, $0.001 par value per share (the “Common Stock”), available for grants under the C-Bond Systems, Inc. 2018 Long Term Incentive Plan (the “2018 Plan”). The aggregate number of shares of Common Stock that may be issued under the 2018 Plan is 50,000,000 shares. C-Bond Systems, Inc. will file an additional Registration Statement on Form S-8 to register the remaining 25,000,000 shares under the 2018 Plan and any additional number of shares that may again become available for delivery with respect to awards under the 2018 Plan pursuant to the share counting, share recycling and other terms and conditions of the 2018 Plan. Estimated solely for purposes of calculating the registration fee in accordance with Rules 457(c) and 457(h) of the Securities Act, based upon the average of the bid and asked price of Common Stock on September 24, 2018, as reported on the OTC Pink marketplace, of $1.55.
part i
information required in the section 10(A) prospectus
The documents containing the information specified by Part I, Items 1 and 2, of Form S-8 have been or will be delivered to participants in the C-Bond Systems, Inc. 2018 Long-Term Incentive Plan, as specified in Rule 428(b)(1) promulgated by the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “Commission”) under the Securities Act and the instructions to Form S-8. In accordance with the rules and regulations of the Commission and the instructions to Form S-8, such documents are not being filed with the Commission either as part of the Registration Statement or as prospectuses or prospectus supplements pursuant to Rule 424(b) under the Securities Act.
ITEM 1. | Plan Information. |
Not required to be filed with this Registration Statement.
ITEM 2. | Registrant Information and Employee Plan Annual Information. |
Not required to be filed with this Registration Statement.
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PART II
INFORMATION REQUIRED IN THE REGISTRATION STATEMENT
ITEM 3. | Incorporation of Documents by Reference. |
C-Bond Systems, Inc., (“C-Bond,” the “Company,” or the “Registrant”) hereby incorporates by reference into this Registration Statement the following documents and information previously filed with the Commission:
(i) | Annual Report on Form 10-K for our fiscal year ended December 31, 2017, filed with the Commission on February 21, 2018. |
(iii) | Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q filed on April 24, 2018 and August 14, 2018. |
(ii) | The Company’s Current Reports on Form 8-K filed on May 1, 2018, June 7, 2018, June 8, 2018, June 29, 2018, and July 20, 2018. |
(iv) | The description of the Company’s Common Stock contained in the Company’s Registration Statement on Form 8-A, filed with the Commission on January 18, 2008, as supplemented by the Company’s Form 10 information in its Current Report on Form 8-K, filed with the Commission on May 1, 2018. |
All documents filed by the Registrant pursuant to Sections 13(a), 13(c), 14 and 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”) (other than Current Reports on Form 8-K furnished pursuant to Item 2.02 or Item 7.01 of Form 8-K, including any exhibits included with such information, unless otherwise indicated therein), subsequent to the date of this Registration Statement and prior to the filing of a post-effective amendment which indicates that all securities offered have been sold or that deregisters all securities then remaining unsold, shall be deemed to be incorporated by reference herein and to be a part hereof from the date of filing of such documents.
Any statement contained in this Registration Statement or in a document incorporated or deemed to be incorporated herein by reference shall be deemed to be modified or superseded for purposes of this Registration Statement to the extent that a statement contained herein or in any subsequently filed document which also is, or is deemed to be, incorporated by reference herein modifies or supersedes such statement. Any such statement so modified or superseded shall not be deemed, except as so modified or superseded, to constitute a part of this Registration Statement.
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ITEM 4. | Description of Securities. |
Not applicable.
ITEM 5. | Interest of Named Experts and Counsel. |
Not applicable.
ITEM 6. | Indemnification of Directors and Officers. |
Section 7-108-402 of the Colorado Business Corporation Act provides that the articles of incorporation of a Colorado corporation may contain a provision eliminating or limiting the personal liability of a director to the corporation or to its shareholders for monetary damages for breach of fiduciary duty as a director, except for liability (i) for any breach of the director's duty of loyalty to the corporation or its shareholders, (ii) for acts or omissions not in good faith or which involve intentional misconduct or a knowing violation of law, (iii) under Section 7-108-403 of the Colorado Business Corporation Act (regarding liability of directors for unlawful distributions), or (iv) for any transaction from which the director directly or indirectly derived an improper personal benefit. Such a provision in the articles of incorporation shall not eliminate or limit the liability of a director to the corporation or to its shareholders for monetary damages for any act or omission occurring before the date on which the provision becomes effective. Section 7-108-402 further provides that no director or officer shall be personally liable for any injury to persons or property arising out of a tort committed by any employee unless such director or officer (i) was personally involved in the situation giving rise to the litigation or (ii) committed a criminal offense in connection with such situation. The Company’s amended and restated articles of incorporation and amended and restated bylaws provide for indemnification by of its directors, officers, employees, and agents to the fullest extent permitted by law.
Section 7-109-103 of the Colorado Business Corporation Act provides that, unless limited by its articles of incorporation, a Colorado corporation must indemnify a person who was wholly successful, on the merits or otherwise, in the defense of any threatened, pending, or completed action, suit, or proceeding, whether civil, criminal, administrative, or investigative and whether formal or informal (a “Proceeding”), to which that person was a party because the person is or was a director of the corporation or an individual who, while a director of the corporation, is or was serving at the corporation's request as a director, officer, agent, business associate, employee, fiduciary, manager, member, partner, promoter, trustee of, or any similar position with, another domestic or foreign entity or of an employee benefit plan (a “Director”), against reasonable expenses incurred by the Director in connection with the Proceeding. The Company’s amended and restated articles of incorporation do not contain any such limitation.
Section 7-109-102 of the Colorado Business Corporation Act provides, generally, that a Colorado corporation may indemnify a person made a party to a Proceeding because the person is or was a Director against any obligation incurred with respect to a Proceeding to pay a judgment, settlement, penalty, fine (including an excise tax assessed with respect to an employee benefit plan), or reasonable expenses incurred in the Proceeding if (i) the Director's conduct was in good faith and (ii) the Director reasonably believed, (a) in the case of conduct in an official capacity with the corporation, that the Director's conduct was in the corporation's best interests and, (b) in all other cases, that the Director's conduct was at least not opposed to the corporation's best interests and, (iii) with respect to any criminal proceeding, the Director had no reasonable cause to believe that his or her conduct was unlawful. Section 7-109-102 further provides that a corporation may not indemnify a Director in connection with any Proceeding charging that the Director derived an improper personal benefit, whether or not involving actions in an official capacity, in which Proceeding the Director was adjudged liable on the basis that the Director derived an improper personal benefit.
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Section 7-109-106 provides that the determination that indemnification of a Director is permissible shall be made (i) by the board of directors by a majority vote of those present at a meeting at which a quorum is present, and only those directors not parties to the Proceeding shall be counted in satisfying the quorum; (ii) if a quorum cannot be obtained, by a majority vote of a committee of the board of directors designated by the board of directors, which committee shall consist of two or more directors not parties to the Proceeding (except that Directors who are parties to the Proceeding may participate in the designation of directors for the committee); or (iii) if a quorum cannot be obtained and a committee cannot be established, or if a majority of the directors constituting such quorum or such committee so directs, by independent legal counsel (pursuant to the voting requirements under Section 7-109-106) or by the shareholders.
Under Section 7-109-105 of the Colorado Business Corporation Act, unless otherwise provided in the articles of incorporation, a Director may apply for indemnification to a court of competent jurisdiction. After giving any notice the court considers necessary, the court may order indemnification in the following manner: (i) if the court determines that the Director is entitled to mandatory indemnification under Section 7-109-103, the court shall order (a) indemnification and (b) payment by the corporation of the Director's reasonable expenses incurred to obtain court-ordered indemnification; and (ii) if the court determines that the Director is fairly and reasonably entitled to indemnification in view of all of the relevant circumstances, whether or not the Director met the standard of conduct under Section 7-109-102 or was adjudged liable (a) in an action by or in the right of the corporation or (b) on the basis that he or she derived an improper personal benefit, the court may order indemnification as it deems proper (except that the indemnification in these circumstances is limited to the reasonable expenses incurred in connection with the Proceeding and reasonable expenses incurred to obtain court-ordered indemnification).
Under Section 7-109-107 of the Colorado Business Corporation Act, unless otherwise provided in the articles of incorporation, an officer is entitled to mandatory indemnification under Section 7-109-103, and to apply for court-ordered indemnification under Section 7-109-105, in each case to the same extent as a Director. A Colorado corporation may indemnify and advance expenses to (i) an officer, employee, fiduciary, or agent of the corporation to the same extent as to a Director and (ii) an officer, employee, fiduciary, or agent who is not a Director to a greater extent, if not inconsistent with public policy and if provided for by its bylaws, general or specific action of its board of directors or shareholders, or contract. Section 7-109-104 of the Colorado Business Corporation Act authorizes a Colorado corporation to pay for or reimburse the reasonable expenses incurred by a Director in defending a Proceeding in advance of final disposition of the Proceeding if (i) the Director furnishes a written affirmation of the Director's good-faith belief that the Director has met the standard of conduct under Section 7-109-102, (ii) the Director furnishes a written undertaking to repay the advance if it is ultimately determined that the Director did not meet the standard of conduct, and (iii) a determination is made that the facts then known to those making the determination would not preclude indemnification under the Colorado Business Corporation Act.
Further, the Company’s amended articles of incorporation and bylaws provide that the Company must indemnify its directors and officers to the fullest extent authorized by law. The Company’s may also purchase insurance on behalf of an existing or former officer, employee, director or agent against any liability asserted against and incurred by that person in such capacity, or arising out of that person's status in such capacity. The Company believes that these indemnification provisions and the directors' and officers' insurance are useful to attract and retain qualified directors and executive officers.
ITEM 7. | Exemption from Registration Claimed. |
Not Applicable.
ITEM 8. | Exhibits. |
The “Exhibit Index” section of this Registration Statement is incorporated herein by reference.
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ITEM 9. | Undertakings. |
(a) The undersigned registrant hereby undertakes:
(1) To file, during any period in which offers or sales are being made, a post-effective amendment to this Registration Statement:
(i) To include any prospectus required by Section 10(a)(3) of the Securities Act;
(ii) To reflect in the prospectus any facts or events arising after the effective date of this Registration Statement (or the most recent post-effective amendment thereof) which, individually or in the aggregate, represent a fundamental change in the information set forth in this Registration Statement. Notwithstanding the foregoing, any increase or decrease in volume of securities offered (if the total dollar value of securities offered would not exceed that which was registered) and any deviation from the low or high end of the estimated maximum offering range may be reflected in the form of prospectus filed with the Commission pursuant to Rule 424(b) if, in the aggregate, the changes in volume and price represent no more than a 20% change in the maximum aggregate offering price set forth in the “Calculation of Registration Fee” table in the effective Registration Statement;
(iii) To include any material information with respect to the plan of distribution not previously disclosed in this Registration Statement or any material change to such information in this Registration Statement;
Provided, however , that paragraphs (a)(1)(i) and (a)(1)(ii) do not apply if the information required to be included in a post-effective amendment by those paragraphs is contained in reports filed with or furnished to the Commission by the registrant pursuant to section 13 or section 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 that are incorporated by reference in this Registration Statement.
(2) That, for the purpose of determining any liability under the Securities Act, each such post-effective amendment shall be deemed to be a new registration statement relating to the securities offered therein, and the offering of such securities at that time shall be deemed to be the initial bona fide offering thereof.
(3) To remove from registration by means of a post-effective amendment any of the securities being registered which remain unsold at the termination of the offering.
(b) The undersigned registrant hereby undertakes that, for purposes of determining any liability under the Securities Act, each filing of the registrant’s annual report pursuant to Section 13(a) or Section 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (and, where applicable, each filing of an employee benefit plan’s annual report pursuant to Section 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934) that is incorporated by reference in this Registration Statement shall be deemed to be a new registration statement relating to the securities offered therein, and the offering of such securities at that time shall be deemed to be the initial bona fide offering thereof.
(c) Insofar as indemnification for liabilities arising under the Securities Act may be permitted to directors, officers and controlling persons of the registrant pursuant to the provisions described under Item 6 above, or otherwise, the registrant has been advised that in the opinion of the Commission such indemnification is against public policy as expressed in the Act and is, therefore, unenforceable. In the event that a claim for indemnification against such liabilities (other than the payment of the registrant of expenses incurred or paid by a director, officer or controlling person of the registrant in the successful defense of any action, suit or proceeding) is asserted by such director, officer or controlling person in connection with the securities being registered, the registrant will, unless in the opinion of its counsel the matter has been settled by controlling precedent, submit to a court of appropriate jurisdiction the question whether such indemnification by it is against public policy as expressed in the Act and will be governed by the final adjudication of such issue.
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SIGNATURES
Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act, the registrant certifies that it has reasonable grounds to believe that it meets all of the requirements for filing on Form S-8 and has duly caused this Registration Statement to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized, in the City of Houston, State of Texas, on September 25, 2018.
C-BOND SYSTEMS, INC. | ||
By: | /s/ Scott R. Silverman | |
Scott R. Silverman | ||
Chairman of the Board, President and | ||
Chief Executive Officer |
We, the undersigned officers and directors of C-Bond Systems, Inc., hereby severally constitute and appoint Scott R. Silverman and Vince Pugliese, and each of them singly (with full power to each of them to act alone), his true and lawful attorneys-in-fact and agents, with full power of substitution and resubstitution in each of them for him and in his name, place and stead, and in any and all capacities, to sign any and all amendments (including post-effective amendments) to this Registration Statement, and to file the same, with all exhibits thereto and other documents in connection therewith, with the Commission, granting unto said attorneys-in-fact and agents, and each of them, full power and authority to do and perform each and every act and thing requisite or necessary to be done in and about the premises, as full to all intents and purposes as he might or could do in person, hereby ratifying and confirming all that said attorneys-in-fact and agents or any of them, or their or his substitute or substitutes, may lawfully do or cause to be done by virtue hereof.
Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act, this Registration Statement has been signed by the following persons in the capacities and on the dates indicated.
Name | Title | Date | ||
/s/ Scott R. Silverman |
Chief Executive Officer,
Chairman of the Board and Director (Principal Executive Officer) |
September 25, 2018 | ||
Scott R. Silverman | ||||
/s/ Vince Pugliese |
Chief Operating Officer, President,
Interim Chief Financial Officer, and Treasurer (Principal Financial and Accounting Officer) |
September 25, 2018 | ||
Vince Pugliese | ||||
/s/ Barry M. Edelstein | Director | September 25, 2018 | ||
Barry M. Edelstein | ||||
/s/ Scott V. Thomsen | Director | September 25, 2018 | ||
Scott V. Thomsen |
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EXHIBIT INDEX
* Filed herewith.
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Exhibit 5.1
Norton Rose Fulbright US LLP | |
1301 McKinney, Suite 5100 | |
Houston, Texas 77010-3095 | |
United States | |
Tel +1 713 651 5151 | |
Fax +1 713 651 5246 | |
nortonrosefulbright.com |
September 25, 2018
C-Bond Systems, Inc.
6035 South Loop East,
Houston, TX 77033
Ladies and Gentlemen:
We have acted as counsel to C-Bond Systems, Inc., a Colorado corporation (the “Company”), in connection with the registration under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”), of an aggregate of 25,000,000 shares (the “Shares”) of the Company’s common stock, par value $0.001 per share, that are reserved for issuance under the C-Bond Systems, Inc. 2018 Long-Term Incentive Plan (the “Plan”), as described in the Company’s Registration Statement on Form S-8 (as may subsequently be amended, the “Registration Statement”).
In connection with the foregoing, we have examined the Plan and originals or copies of the corporate records of the Company, certificates and other communications of public officials, certificates of officers of the Company and such other documents as we have deemed relevant or necessary for the purpose of rendering the opinions expressed herein. As to questions of fact material to those opinions, we have, to the extent we deemed appropriate, relied on certificates of officers of the Company and on certificates and other communications of public officials. We have assumed that the persons identified to us as officers of the Company are actually serving as such and that any certificates representing the Shares will be properly executed by one or more such persons. We have assumed the effectiveness of the Registration Statement pursuant to the Securities Act. We have assumed the genuineness of all signatures on, and the authenticity of, all documents submitted to us as originals, the conformity to authentic original documents of all documents submitted to us as copies thereof, the due authorization, execution and delivery by the parties thereto other than the Company of all documents examined by us, that the Company will receive any required consideration for such Shares and the legal capacity of each individual who signed any of those documents.
Based upon the foregoing, and having due regard for such legal considerations as we deem relevant, we are of the opinion that the Shares, when issued and sold in the manner referred to in the Plan and pursuant to the agreements that accompany the Plan will be validly issued, fully paid and nonassessable.
The opinions expressed herein are limited exclusively to applicable federal laws of the United States of America, and applicable provisions of, respectively, the Colorado Constitution, the Colorado Revised Statutes and reported judicial interpretations of such law, in each case as currently in effect, and we are expressing no opinion as to the effect of the laws of any other jurisdiction.
We hereby consent to the filing of this opinion as an exhibit to the Registration Statement and the reference to this firm wherever it appears in the Registration Statement. This consent is not to be construed as an admission that we are a party whose consent is required to be filed with the Registration Statement under the provisions of the Securities Act or the rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission promulgated thereunder.
Very truly yours, | |
/s/ Norton Rose Fulbright US LLP | |
Norton Rose Fulbright US LLP |
Norton Rose Fulbright US LLP is a limited liability partnership registered under the laws of Texas.
Norton Rose Fulbright US LLP, Norton Rose Fulbright LLP, Norton Rose Fulbright Australia, Norton Rose Fulbright Canada LLP, Norton Rose Fulbright South Africa (incorporated as Deneys Reitz, Inc.), each of which is a separate legal entity, are members of Norton Rose Fulbright Verein, a Swiss Verein. Details of each entity, with certain regulatory information, are at nortonrosefulbright.com. Norton Rose Fulbright Verein helps coordinate the activities of the members but does not itself provide legal services to clients.
Exhibit 23.1
Consent of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm
The Board of Directors
WestMountain Alternative Energy, Inc.
We consent to the incorporation by reference of the Annual Report on Form 10-K, which includes our report dated February 20, 2018, with respect to the balance sheets of WestMountain Alternative Energy, Inc. (renamed C-Bond Systems, Inc.) as of December 31, 2017 and 2016, and the related statements of operations, stockholders’ equity, and cash flows for each year in the two-year period ended December 31, 2017, in the Registration Statement on Form S-8 of C-Bond Systems, Inc.
/s/EKS&H LLLP
EKS&H LLLP
Denver, Colorado
September 25, 2018
Exhibit 23.2
Consent of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm
We hereby consent to the incorporation by reference in the Registration Statement on Form S-8 of C-Bond Systems, Inc. of our report dated April 27, 2018 on the consolidated financial statements of C-Bond Systems, LLC as of December 31, 2017 and 2016 and for each of the two years in the period ended December 31, 2017.
/s/ Salberg & Company, P.A.
SALBERG & COMPANY, P.A.
Boca Raton, Florida
September 25, 2018
Exhibit 99.1
C-BOND
SYSTEMS, INC.
2018 LONG-TERM INCENTIVE PLAN
(As Adopted June 7, 2018)
C-BOND
SYSTEMS, INC.
2018 LONG-TERM INCENTIVE PLAN
(As Adopted June 7, 2018)
Article I ESTABLISHMENT, PURPOSE AND DURATION | 1 |
1.1 Establishment | 1 |
1.2 Purpose of the Plan | 1 |
1.3 Duration of the Plan | 1 |
Article II DEFINITIONS | 1 |
2.1 “Adoption Date” | 1 |
2.2 “Affiliate” | 1 |
2.3 “Authorized Shares” | 2 |
2.4 “Award” | 2 |
2.5 “Award Agreement” | 2 |
2.6 “Beneficial Owner” | 2 |
2.7 “Board” | 2 |
2.8 “Change of Control” | 2 |
2.10 “Code” | 3 |
2.11 “Committee” | 3 |
2.12 “Company” | 3 |
2.13 “Corporate Change” | 3 |
2.14 “Disability” | 3 |
2.15 “Dividend Equivalent” | 3 |
2.16 “Employee” | 3 |
2.17 “Exchange Act” | 3 |
2.18 “Fair Market Value” | 4 |
2.19 “Fiscal Year” | 4 |
2.20 “Holder” | 4 |
2.21 “Incentive Stock Option” or “ISO” | 4 |
2.22 “Mature Shares” | 4 |
2.23 “Minimum Statutory Tax Withholding Obligation” | 4 |
2.24 “Non-Employee Director” | 4 |
2.25 “Nonqualified Stock Option” or “NQSO” | 4 |
2.26 “Option” | 5 |
2.27 “Optionee” | 5 |
2.28 “Option Price” | 5 |
2.29 “Other Cash-Based Award” | 5 |
2.30 “Other Stock-Based Award” | 5 |
2.31 “Parent Corporation” | 5 |
2.32 “Period of Restriction” | 5 |
2.33 “Plan” | 5 |
2.34 “Restricted Stock” | 5 |
2.35 “Restricted Stock Award” | 5 |
2.36 “Restricted Stock Unit” or “RSU” | 5 |
2.37 “RSU Award” | 5 |
2.38 “Separation from Service” | 5 |
2.39 “Stock Appreciation Right” or “SAR” | 5 |
2.40 “Section 409A” | 5 |
2.41 “Stock” | 5 |
2.42 “Subsidiary Corporation” | 6 |
2.43 “Substantial Risk of Forfeiture” | 6 |
2.44 “Ten Percent Stockholder” | 6 |
2.45 “Termination of Employment” | 6 |
2.46 “Termination of Service” | 6 |
2.47 “Third Party Service Provider” | 6 |
2.48 “Voting Stock” | 6 |
Article III ELIGIBILITY and participation | 7 |
3.1 Eligibility | 7 |
3.2 Participation | 7 |
Article IV GENERAL PROVISIONS RELATING TO AWARDS | 7 |
4.1 Authority to Grant Awards | 7 |
4.2 Shares That Count Against Limit. | 8 |
4.3 Non-Transferability | 8 |
4.4 Requirements of Law | 8 |
4.5 Changes in the Company’s Capital Structure | 9 |
4.6 Election Under Section 83(b) of the Code | 11 |
4.7 Forfeiture for Cause | 12 |
4.8 Forfeiture Events | 12 |
4.9 Recoupment in Restatement and Other Situations | 12 |
4.10 Award Agreements | 13 |
4.11 Rights as Stockholder | 13 |
4.12 Issuance of Shares of Stock | 13 |
4.13 Restrictions on Stock Received | 13 |
4.14 Compliance With Section 409A | 13 |
4.15 Date of Grant | 14 |
4.16 Source of Shares Deliverable Under Awards | 14 |
4.17 Limitations on Vesting of Awards. | 14 |
4.18 Administrative Stand Still. | 14 |
Article V OPTIONS | 14 |
5.1 Authority to Grant Options | 14 |
5.2 Type of Options Available | 15 |
5.3 Option Agreement | 15 |
5.4 Option Price | 15 |
5.5 Duration of Option | 15 |
5.6 Amount Exercisable | 15 |
5.7 Exercise of Option. | 15 |
5.8 Notification of Disqualifying Disposition | 16 |
5.9 No Rights as Stockholder | 16 |
5.10 $100,000 Limitation on ISOs | 16 |
5.11 Separation from Service | 17 |
Article VI STOCK APPRECIATION RIGHTS | 17 |
6.1 Authority to Grant SAR Awards | 17 |
6.2 General Terms | 17 |
6.3 SAR Agreement | 17 |
6.4 Term of SAR | 17 |
6.5 Exercise of SARs | 17 |
- ii -
- iii -
Article XIV MISCELLANEOUS | 23 |
14.1 Unfunded Plan/No Establishment of a Trust Fund | 23 |
14.2 No Employment Obligation | 23 |
14.3 Tax Withholding. | 23 |
14.4 Gender and Number | 24 |
14.5 Severability | 24 |
14.6 Headings | 24 |
14.7 Other Compensation Plans | 24 |
14.8 Retirement and Welfare Plans | 24 |
14.9 Other Awards | 24 |
14.10 Law Limitations/Governmental Approvals | 24 |
14.11 Delivery of Title | 25 |
14.12 Inability to Obtain Authority | 25 |
14.13 Investment Representations | 25 |
14.14 Persons Residing Outside of the United States | 25 |
14.15 Data Privacy | 25 |
14.16 Arbitration of Disputes | 26 |
14.17 No Fractional Shares | 26 |
14.18 Interpretation | 26 |
14.19 Governing Law; Venue | 26 |
- iv -
C-BOND
SYSTEMS, INC.
2018 LONG-TERM INCENTIVE PLAN
(As Adopted June 7, 2018)
Article I
ESTABLISHMENT, PURPOSE AND DURATION
1.1 Establishment. The Company hereby establishes an incentive compensation plan, to be known as the “ C-Bond Systems, Inc. 2018 Long-Term Incentive Plan ”, as set forth in this document. The Plan permits the grant of Options (both Incentive Stock Options and Nonqualified Stock Options), SARs, Restricted Stock, RSUs, Other Stock-Based Awards and Other Cash-Based Awards. The Plan was adopted by the Board and the Company’s stockholders on June 7, 2018 (the “ Adoption Date ”), and shall become effective on a future date soon thereafter to be determined by a resolution of the Board.
1.2 Purpose of the Plan. The Plan is intended to advance the interests of the Company, its Affiliates and its stockholders and promote the long-term growth of the Company by providing Employees, Non-Employee Directors and Third-Party Service Providers with incentives to maximize stockholder value and to otherwise contribute to the success of the Company and its Affiliates, thereby aligning the interests of such individuals with the interests of the Company’s stockholders and providing them additional incentives to continue in their employment or affiliation with the Company or its Affiliates.
1.3 Duration of the Plan. The Plan shall continue indefinitely until it is terminated pursuant to Section 13.1 . The applicable provisions of the Plan will continue in effect with respect to an Award granted under the Plan for as long as such Award remains outstanding. Notwithstanding the foregoing, no Incentive Stock Option may be granted under the Plan on or after the tenth anniversary of the Adoption Date.
Article II
DEFINITIONS
Each word and phrase defined in this Article shall have the meaning set out below throughout the Plan, unless the context in which any such word or phrase appears reasonably requires a broader, narrower or different meaning.
2.1 “ Adoption Date “ shall have the meaning ascribed to that term in Section 1.1.
2.2 “ Affiliate ” means any corporation, partnership, limited liability company or association, trust or other entity or organization which, directly or indirectly, controls, is controlled by, or is under common control with, the Company. For purposes of the preceding sentence, “control” (including, with correlative meanings, the terms “controlled by” and “under common control with”), as used with respect to any entity or organization, shall mean the possession, directly or indirectly, of the power (a) to vote more than fifty percent (50%) of the securities having ordinary voting power for the election of directors or comparable individuals of the controlled entity or organization, or (b) to direct or cause the direction of the management and policies of the controlled entity or organization, whether through the ownership of voting securities or by contract or otherwise.
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2.3 “ Authorized Shares ” shall have the meaning ascribed to that term in Section 4.1(a).
2.4 “ Award ” means, individually or collectively, a grant under the Plan of an Incentive Stock Option, a Nonqualified Stock Option, a SAR, Restricted Stock, a RSU, an Other Stock-Based Award or an Other Cash-Based Award, in each case subject to the terms and provisions of the Plan.
2.5 “ Award Agreement ” means either (a) a written or electronic agreement entered into by the Company and an Award recipient that sets forth the terms and conditions applicable to an Award granted under the Plan, or (b) a written or electronic statement issued by the Company to a Participant that sets forth the terms and conditions applicable to an Award granted under the Plan.
2.6 “ Beneficial Owner ” shall have the meaning ascribed to such term in Rule 13d-3 of the General Rules and Regulations under the Exchange Act.
2.7 “ Board ” means the Board of Directors of the Company.
2.8 “ Change of Control ” means the occurrence of any one or more of the following events following the date on which the applicable Award is granted:
(a) a report on Schedule 13D or Schedule 14D-1 (or any successor schedule, form or report) shall be filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission pursuant to the Exchange Act and that report discloses that any person (within the meaning of Section 13(d) or Section 14(d)(2) of the Exchange Act), other than the Company (or one of its subsidiaries) or any employee benefit plan sponsored by the Company (or one of its subsidiaries), is the Beneficial Owner, directly or indirectly, of more than 50 percent of the outstanding Voting Stock;
(b) any person (within the meaning of Section 13(d) or Section 14(d)(2) of the Exchange Act), other than the Company (or one of its subsidiaries) or any employee benefit plan sponsored by the Company (or one of its subsidiaries), shall purchase securities pursuant to a tender offer or exchange offer to acquire any Voting Stock (or any securities convertible into Voting Stock) and, immediately after consummation of that purchase, that person is the Beneficial Owner, directly or indirectly, of more than 50 percent of the outstanding Voting Stock (such person’s beneficial ownership to be determined, in the case of rights to acquire Voting Stock, pursuant to paragraph (d) of Rule 13d-3 or any successor rule or regulation promulgated under the Exchange Act);
(c) the consummation of:
(i) a merger, consolidation or reorganization of the Company with or into any other person if as a result of such merger, consolidation or reorganization, fifty percent (50%) or less of the combined voting power of the then-outstanding securities of such other person immediately after such merger, consolidation or reorganization are held in the aggregate by the holders of outstanding Voting Stock immediately prior to such merger, consolidation or reorganization;
(ii) any sale, lease, exchange or other transfer of all or substantially all the assets of the Company and its consolidated subsidiaries to any other person if as a result of such sale, lease, exchange or other transfer, fifty percent (50%) or less of the combined voting power of the then-outstanding securities of such other person immediately after such sale, lease, exchange or other transfer are held in the aggregate by the holders of outstanding Voting Stock immediately prior to such sale, lease, exchange or other transfer; or
(iii) a transaction immediately after the consummation of which any person (within the meaning of Section 13(d) or Section 14(d)(2) of the Exchange Act) would be the Beneficial Owner, directly or indirectly, of more than fifty percent (50%) of the outstanding Voting Stock;
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(iv) the stockholders of the Company approve the dissolution of the Company; or
(v) during any period of 12 consecutive months, the individuals who at the beginning of that period constituted the members of the Board shall cease to constitute a majority of the Board, unless the election, or the nomination for election by the Company’s stockholders, of each member of the Board first elected during such period was approved by a vote of at least a two-thirds majority of the Board then still in office who were members of the Board at the beginning of any such period.
2.10 “ Code ” means the United States Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended from time to time.
2.11 “ Committee ” means (a) in the case of an Award granted to a Non-Employee Director, the Board, and (b) in the case of any other Award granted under the Plan, the Board or, if the Board chooses to delegate it duties, a committee of at least two persons who are members of the Board and are appointed by the Board to administer the Plan. As to Awards that are authorized by the Committee and that are intended to be exempt under Rule 16b-3 of the General Rules and Regulations under the Exchange Act, the requirements of Rule 16b-3(d)(1) of the General Rules and Regulations under the Exchange Act with respect to committee action must also be satisfied.
2.12 “ Company ” means C-Bond Systems, Inc., a Colorado corporation, or any successor (by reincorporation, merger or otherwise).
2.13 “ Corporate Change ” shall have the meaning ascribed to that term in Section 4.5(c).
2.14 “ Disability ” means, as determined by the Committee in its discretion exercised in good faith, (a) in the case of an Award that is exempt from the application of the requirements of Section 409A and is granted to a Holder who is covered by the Company’s long-term disability insurance policy or plan, a physical or mental condition of the Holder that would entitle him or her to payment of disability income payments under such long-term disability insurance policy or plan as then in effect, (b) in the case of an Award that is exempt from the application of the requirements of Section 409A and is granted to a Holder who is not covered by the Company’s long-term disability insurance policy or plan for whatever reason, or in the event the Company does not maintain such a long-term disability insurance policy or plan, and for purposes of an ISO granted under the Plan, a permanent and total disability as defined in section 22(e)(3) of the Code and (c) in the case of an Award that is not exempt from the application of the requirements of Section 409A, a physical or mental condition of the Holder where (i) the Holder is unable to engage in any substantial gainful activity by reason of any medically determinable physical or mental impairment that can be expected to result in death or can be expected to last for a continuous period of not less than 12 months, or (ii) the Holder is, by reason of any medically determinable physical or mental impairment that can be expected to result in death or can be expected to last for a continuous period of not less than 12 months, receiving income replacement benefits for a period of not less than three months under an accident and health plan covering employees of the Company. A determination of Disability may be made by a physician selected or approved by the Committee and, in this respect, the Holder shall submit to an examination by such physician upon request by the Committee.
2.15 “ Dividend Equivalent ” means a payment equivalent in amount to a dividend paid with respect to a share of the Stock to the Company’s stockholders.
2.16 “ Employee ” means (a) a person employed by the Company or any Affiliate as a common law employee and (b) a person who has agreed to become a common law employee of the Company or any Affiliate and is expected to become such within three (3) months after the date of grant of the Award.
2.17 “ Exchange Act ” means the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, or any successor act.
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2.18 “ Fair Market Value ” of the Stock as of any particular date means,
(a) if the Stock is traded on a stock exchange,
(i) and if the Stock is traded on that date, the closing sale price of the Stock on that date; or
(ii) and if the Stock is not traded on that date, the closing sale price of the Stock on the last trading date immediately preceding that date;
as reported on the principal securities exchange on which the Stock is traded; or
(b) if the Stock is traded in the over-the-counter market,
(i) and if the Stock is traded on that date, the average between the high bid and low asked price on that date; or
(ii) and if the Stock is not traded on that date, the average between the high bid and low asked price on the last trading date immediately preceding that date;
as reported in such over-the-counter market; provided , however, that (x) if the Stock is not so traded, or (y) if, in the discretion of the Committee, another means of determining the fair market value of a share of Stock at such date shall be necessary or advisable, the Committee may provide for another method or means for determining such fair market value, which method or means shall comply with the requirements of a reasonable valuation method as described under Section 409A. Notwithstanding the foregoing, for income tax reporting purposes under U.S. federal, state, local or non-U.S. law and for such other purposes as the Committee deems appropriate, including, without limitation, where Fair Market Value is used in reference to exercise, vesting, settlement or payout of an Award, the Fair Market Value shall be determined by the Committee in accordance with uniform and nondiscriminatory standards adopted by it from time to time.
2.19 “ Fiscal Year ” means the calendar year.
2.20 “ Holder ” means a person who has been granted an Award or any person who is entitled to receive shares of Stock or cash under an Award.
2.21 “ Incentive Stock Option ” or “ ISO ” means an option to purchase Stock granted pursuant to Article V that is designated as an incentive stock option and that is intended to satisfy the requirements of section 422 of the Code.
2.22 “ Mature Shares “means shares of Stock that the Holder has held for at least six months, but not including any shares of Restricted Stock.
2.23 “ Minimum Statutory Tax Withholding Obligation” means, with respect to an Award, the amount the Company, an Affiliate or other subsidiary is required to withhold for federal, state, local and foreign taxes based upon the applicable minimum statutory withholding rates required by the relevant tax authorities.
2.24 “ Non-Employee Director ” means a member of the Board who is not an Employee.
2.25 “ Nonqualified Stock Option ” or “ NQSO ” means a “nonqualified stock option” to purchase Stock granted pursuant to Article V that does not satisfy the requirements of section 422 of the Code (any Option granted under the Plan that is not expressly designated as an ISO shall be deemed to be designated a nonqualified stock option under the Plan).
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2.26 “ Option ” means an Incentive Stock Option or a Nonqualified Stock Option.
2.27 “ Optionee ” means a person who is granted an Option under the Plan.
2.28 “ Option Price ” shall have the meaning ascribed to that term in Section 5.4.
2.29 “ Other Cash-Based Award ” means an Award granted pursuant to Article X.
2.30 “ Other Stock-Based Award ” means an equity-based or equity-related Award not otherwise described by the terms and provisions of the Plan that is granted pursuant to Article IX.
2.31 “ Parent Corporation ” means any corporation (other than the Company) in an unbroken chain of corporations ending with the Company if, at the time of the action or transaction, each of the corporations other than the Company owns stock possessing fifty percent (50%) or more of the total combined voting power of all classes of stock in one of the other corporations in the chain.
2.32 “ Period of Restriction ” means the period during which Restricted Stock is subject to a substantial risk of forfeiture (based on the passage of time, the achievement of performance goals, or upon the occurrence of other events as determined by the Committee, in its discretion), as provided in Article VII.
2.33 “ Plan ” means the C-Bond Systems, Inc. 2018 Long-Term Incentive Plan, as set forth in this document as it may be amended from time to time.
2.34 “ Restricted Stock ” means shares of restricted Stock issued or granted under the Plan pursuant to Article VII.
2.35 “ Restricted Stock Award ” means an authorization by the Committee to issue or transfer Restricted Stock to a Holder.
2.36 “ Restricted Stock Unit ” or “ RSU ” means the unfunded and unsecured right, granted pursuant to Article VIII, to receive a share of Stock or to receive an amount of cash equal to the Fair Market Value of a share of Stock or such other amount determined by the Committee in connection with the Award and credited to a Holder’s ledger account maintained by the Company pursuant to Article VIII.
2.37 “ RSU Award ” means an Award granted pursuant to Article VIII.
2.38 “ Separation from Service ” means a Termination of Employment in the case of an Award granted to an Employee or a Termination of Service in the case of an Award granted to a Non-Employee Director or a Third Party Service Provider.
2.39 “ Stock Appreciation Right ” or “ SAR ” means a stock appreciation right granted under the Plan pursuant to Article VI.
2.40 “ Section 409A ” means section 409A of the Code and the regulations and other guidance promulgated by the United States Department of Treasury or the United States Internal Revenue Service under section 409A of the Code, or any successor statute.
2.41 “ Stock ” means the common stock of the Company, $0.001 par value per share (or such other par value as may be designated by act of the Company’s stockholders).
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2.42 “ Subsidiary Corporation ” means any corporation (other than the Company) in an unbroken chain of corporations beginning with the Company if, at the time of the action or transaction, each of the corporations other than the last corporation in an unbroken chain owns stock possessing fifty percent (50%) or more of the total combined voting power of all classes of stock in one of the other corporations in the chain.
2.43 “ Substantial Risk of Forfeiture ” shall have the meaning ascribed to that term in Section 409A.
2.44 “ Ten Percent Stockholder ” means an individual, who, at the time the applicable Option is granted, owns stock possessing more than ten percent (10%) of the total combined voting power of all classes of stock of the Company or any Parent Corporation or Subsidiary Corporation. An individual shall be considered as owning the stock owned, directly or indirectly, by or for his or her brothers and sisters (whether by the whole or half blood), spouse, ancestors, and lineal descendants; and stock owned, directly or indirectly, by or for a corporation, partnership, estate, or trust, shall be considered as being owned proportionately by or for its stockholders, partners, or beneficiaries.
2.45 “ Termination of Employment ” means, except as otherwise provided in the case of an ISO in the following sentence of this Section 2.45 , (a) if the Award Agreement is not exempt from and is subject to Section 409A the termination of the Award recipient’s employment with the Company and all Affiliates in a manner that constitutes a “separation from service” (as that term is defined for purposes of Section 409A using the default rules) as determined by the Committee and (b) if the Award Agreement is exempt from and not subject to Section 409A the termination of the Award recipient’s employment relationship with the Company and all Affiliates as determined by the Committee. “Termination of Employment” means, in the case of an ISO, the termination of the Employee’s employment relationship with all of the Company, any Parent Corporation, any Subsidiary Corporation and any parent or subsidiary corporation (within the meaning of section 422(a)(2) of the Code) of any such corporation that issues or assumes an ISO in a transaction to which section 424(a) of the Code applies.
2.46 “ Termination of Service ” means, in the case of an Award issued to a Non-Employee Director or a Third Party Service Provider, (a) if the Award Agreement is not exempt from and is subject to Section 409A the termination of the Award recipient’s service relationship with the Company and all Affiliates in a manner that constitutes a “separation from service” (as that term is defined for purposes of Section 409A using the default rules) as determined by the Committee and (b) if the Award Agreement is exempt from and not subject to Section 409A, in the case of an Award to a Non-Employee Director, the termination of a Non-Employee Director’s service on the Board, and, in the case of a Third Party Service Provider, the termination of the Third Party Service Provider’s service relationship with the Company and all Affiliates as determined by the Committee.
2.47 “ Third Party Service Provider ” means any consultant, agent, representative, advisor, or independent contractor who renders services to the Company or an Affiliate that (a) are not in connection with the offer and sale of the Company’s securities in a capital raising transaction, and (b) do not directly or indirectly promote or maintain a market for the Company’s securities, or any other person as determined by the Committee.
2.48 “ Voting Stock ” means shares of Stock the holders of which are entitled to vote for the election of directors, but excluding shares of Stock entitled to so vote only upon the occurrence of a contingency unless that contingency shall have occurred.
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Article III
ELIGIBILITY and participation
3.1 Eligibility . Except as otherwise specified in this Article III, the persons who are eligible to receive Awards under the Plan are Employees, Non-Employee Directors and Third Party Service Providers, provided , however, that (a) only those persons who are, on the dates of grant, key employees of the Company or any Parent Corporation or Subsidiary Corporation are eligible for grants of Incentive Stock Options under the Plan, and (b) Non-Employee Directors and Third Party Service Providers are only eligible to receive NQSOs, SARs, Restricted Stock, and RSUs. Awards other than ISOs may also be granted to a person who is expected to become a key Employee within three (3) months of the date of grant.
3.2 Participation. Subject to the terms and provisions of the Plan, the Committee may, from time to time, select the eligible persons to whom Awards shall be granted and shall determine the nature and amount of each Award.
Article IV
GENERAL PROVISIONS RELATING TO AWARDS
4.1 Authority to Grant Awards . The Committee may grant Awards to those Employees, Non-Employee Directors and Third Party Service Providers as the Committee shall from time to time determine, under the terms and conditions of the Plan. Subject only to any applicable limitations set out in the Plan, the number of shares of Stock or other value to be covered by any Award to be granted under the Plan shall be as determined by the Committee in its sole discretion. On an annual basis, as provided in Section 12.2(d) the Board also may delegate to the Chief Executive Officer of the Company the authority to grant Awards to eligible persons who are neither (a) Non-Employee Directors nor (b) officers of the Company or any Affiliate subject to the provisions of Section 16 of the Exchange Act. The following rules shall apply to grants of Awards under the Plan.
(a) The aggregate number of shares of Stock with respect to which Awards may be granted under the Plan is 50,000,000 (the “ Authorized Shares ”).
(b) The aggregate number of shares of Stock with respect to which ISOs may be granted under the Plan is equal to the Authorized Shares.
(c) The maximum aggregate grant date fair value of awards (computed in accordance with FASB Accounting Standards Codification Topic 718, or a successor thereto) that are granted under this Plan during any one calendar year to any one person who, on the grant date of the Award, is a Non-Employee Director is $500,000. The limits of this paragraph (c) do not apply to, and shall be determined without taking into account, any Award granted to an individual who, on the grant date of the award, is an officer or employee of the Company or one of its Affiliates. The limits of this paragraph (c) apply on an individual basis and not on an aggregate basis to all Non-Employee Directors as a group. The Board may make exceptions to this limit for individual Non-Employee Directors in extraordinary circumstances, as the Board may determine in its discretion, provided that the Non-Employee Director receiving such additional compensation may not participate in the decision to award such compensation or in other contemporaneous compensation decisions involving Non-Employee Directors.
(d) Each of the foregoing numerical limits stated in this Section 4.1 shall be subject to adjustment in accordance with the provisions of Section 4.5 .
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4.2 Shares That Count Against Limit.
(a) If shares of Stock are withheld from payment of an Award to satisfy tax obligations with respect to the Award, such shares of Stock will count against the aggregate number of shares of Stock with respect to which Awards may be granted under the Plan.
(b) If shares of Stock are tendered in payment of an Option Price of an Option, such shares of Stock will not count against the aggregate number of shares of Stock with respect to which Awards may be granted under the Plan.
(c) To the extent that any outstanding Award terminates or expires, is forfeited or cancelled, for any reason or is settled in cash in lieu of shares of Stock or in a manner such that all or some of the shares of Stock covered by the Award are not issued or are exchanged for Awards that do not involve shares of Stock, the shares of Stock allocable to such portion of the Award will immediately become available to be issues pursuant to an Award granted under the Plan.
(d) When a SAR is settled in shares of Stock, the number of shares of Stock subject to the SAR under the SAR Award Agreement will be counted against the aggregate number of shares of Stock with respect to which Awards may be granted under the Plan as one share for every share subject to the SAR, regardless of the number of shares used to settle the SAR upon exercise.
(e) The maximum number of shares of Stock available for issuance under the Plan shall not be reduced to reflect any dividends or Dividend Equivalents that are reinvested into additional shares of Stock or credited as additional Restricted Stock, Restricted Stock Units or other Stock-Based Awards.
4.3 Non-Transferability . Except as specified in the applicable Award Agreement or in a domestic relations court order or as otherwise allowed by the Committee in its discretion, no Award may be transferred, sold, assigned, pledged, hypothecated, encumbered or otherwise disposed of (whether by operation of law, for consideration or otherwise) or be subject to execution, attachment or similar process, other than by will or under the laws of descent and distribution, and shall be exercisable, during the Holder’s lifetime, only by him or her. Any attempted transfer, sale, assignment, pledge, hypothecation, encumbrance or other disposition an Award in violation of this Section 4.3 shall be null and void. In the discretion of the Committee, any attempt to transfer, sell, assign, pledge, hypothecate, encumber or otherwise dispose of an Award other than under the terms of the Plan and the applicable Award Agreement may terminate the Award. Notwithstanding anything in the Plan or an Award Agreement to the contrary, no ISO granted under the Plan may be sold, transferred, pledged, assigned, or otherwise alienated or hypothecated, other than by will or by the laws of descent and distribution.
4.4 Requirements of Law. The Company shall not be required to sell or issue any shares of Stock under any Award if issuing those shares of Stock would constitute or result in a violation by the Holder or the Company of any provision of any law, statute or regulation of any governmental authority. Specifically, in connection with any applicable statute or regulation relating to the registration of securities, upon exercise of any Option or pursuant to any other Award, the Company shall not be required to issue any shares of Stock unless the Committee has received evidence satisfactory to it to the effect that the Holder will not transfer the shares of Stock except in accordance with applicable law, including receipt of an opinion of counsel satisfactory to the Company to the effect that any proposed transfer complies with applicable law. The determination by the Committee on this matter shall be final, binding and conclusive. The Company may, but shall in no event be obligated to, register any shares of Stock covered by the Plan pursuant to applicable securities laws of any country or any political subdivision. In the event the shares of Stock issuable on exercise of an Option or pursuant to any other Award are not registered, the Company may imprint on the certificate evidencing the shares of Stock any legend that counsel for the Company considers necessary or advisable to comply with applicable law, or, should the shares of Stock be represented by book or electronic entry rather than a certificate, the Company may take such steps to restrict transfer of the shares of Stock as counsel for the Company considers necessary or advisable to comply with applicable law. The Company shall not be obligated to take any other affirmative action in order to cause or enable the exercise of an Option or any other Award, or the issuance of shares of Stock pursuant thereto, to comply with any law or regulation of any governmental authority.
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4.5 Changes in the Company’s Capital Structure .
(a) The existence of outstanding Awards shall not affect in any way the right or power of the Company or its stockholders to make or authorize any or all adjustments, recapitalizations, reorganizations or other changes in the Company’s capital structure or its business, any merger or consolidation of the Company, any issue of bonds, debentures, preferred or prior preference shares ahead of or affecting the Stock or Stock rights, the dissolution or liquidation of the Company, any sale or transfer of all or any part of its assets or business or any other corporate act or proceeding, whether of a similar character or otherwise.
(b) If the Company shall effect a subdivision or consolidation of Stock or other capital readjustment, the payment of a Stock dividend, or other increase or reduction of the number of shares of Stock outstanding, without receiving compensation therefor in money, services or property, then (i) the number, class or series and per share price of Stock subject to outstanding Awards under the Plan shall be appropriately adjusted in such a manner as to entitle a Holder to receive upon exercise of an Award, for the same aggregate cash consideration, the equivalent total number and class or series of Stock the Holder would have received had the Holder exercised his or her Award in full immediately prior to the event requiring the adjustment, and (ii) the number and class or series of Stock then reserved to be issued under the Plan shall be adjusted by substituting for the total number and class or series of Stock then reserved, that number and class or series of Stock that would have been received by the owner of an equal number of outstanding shares of Stock of each class or series of Stock as the result of the event requiring the adjustment.
(c) If while unexercised Awards remain outstanding under the Plan (i) the Company shall not be the surviving entity in any merger, consolidation or other reorganization (or survives only as a subsidiary of an entity other than an entity that was wholly-owned by the Company immediately prior to such merger, consolidation or other reorganization), (ii) the Company sells, leases or exchanges or agrees to sell, lease or exchange all or substantially all of its assets to any other person or entity (other than an entity wholly-owned by the Company), (iii) the Company is to be dissolved or (iv) the Company is a party to any other corporate transaction (as defined under section 424(a) of the Code and applicable Department of Treasury regulations) that is not described in clauses (i), (ii) or (iii) of this sentence (each such event is referred to herein as a “ Corporate Change ”), then, except as otherwise provided in an Award Agreement or another agreement between the Holder and the Company ( provided that such exceptions shall not apply in the case of a reincorporation merger), or as a result of the Committee’s effectuation of one or more of the alternatives described below, there shall be no acceleration of the time at which any Award then outstanding may be exercised, and no later than ten days after the approval by the stockholders of the Company of such Corporate Change (or approval by the Board if approval by the stockholders of the Company of such Corporate Change is not required), the Committee, acting in its sole and absolute discretion without the consent or approval of any Holder, shall act to effect one or more of the following alternatives, which may vary among individual Holders and which may vary among Awards held by any individual Holder ( provided that, with respect to a reincorporation merger in which Holders of the Company’s ordinary shares will receive one ordinary share of the successor corporation for each ordinary share of the Company, none of such alternatives shall apply and, without Committee action, each Award shall automatically convert into a similar award of the successor corporation exercisable for the same number of ordinary shares of the successor as the Award was exercisable for ordinary shares of Stock of the Company):
(1) accelerate the time at which some or all of the Awards then outstanding may be exercised so that such Awards may be exercised in full for a limited period of time on or before a specified date (before or after such Corporate Change) fixed by the Committee, after which specified date all such Awards that remain unexercised and all rights of Holders thereunder shall terminate;
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(2) require the mandatory surrender to the Company by all or selected Holders of some or all of the then outstanding Options and SARs held by such Holders (irrespective of whether such Options and SARs are then exercisable under the provisions of the Plan or the applicable Award Agreement evidencing such Options or SARs) as of a date, before or after such Corporate Change, specified by the Committee, in which event the Committee shall thereupon cancel such Options and SARs and the Company shall pay to each such Holder an amount of cash per share equal to the excess, if any, of the per share price offered to stockholders of the Company in connection with such Corporate Change over the exercise prices or grant prices under such Options and SARs for such shares;
(3) with respect to all or selected Holders, have some or all of their then outstanding Awards (whether vested or unvested) assumed or have a new award of a similar nature substituted for some or all of their then outstanding Awards under the Plan (whether vested or unvested) by an entity which is a party to the transaction resulting in such Corporate Change and which is then employing such Holder or which is affiliated or associated with such Holder in the same or a substantially similar manner as the Company prior to the Corporate Change, or a parent or subsidiary of such entity, provided that (A) such assumption or substitution is on a basis where the excess of the aggregate fair market value of the stock subject to the Award immediately after the assumption or substitution over the aggregate exercise price of such Award is equal to the excess of the aggregate fair market value of all Stock subject to the Award immediately before such assumption or substitution over the aggregate exercise price of such Award, and (B) the assumed rights under such existing Award or the substituted rights under such new Award, as the case may be, will have the same terms and conditions as the rights under the existing Award assumed or substituted for, as the case may be;
(4) provide that the number and class or series of Stock covered by an Award (whether vested or unvested) theretofore granted shall be adjusted so that such Award when exercised shall thereafter cover the number and class or series of Stock or other securities or property (including cash) to which the Holder would have been entitled pursuant to the terms of the agreement or plan relating to such Corporate Change if, immediately prior to such Corporate Change, the Holder had been the holder of record of the number of shares of Stock then covered by such Award; or
(5) make such adjustments to Awards then outstanding as the Committee deems appropriate to reflect such Corporate Change ( provided , however, that the Committee may determine in its sole and absolute discretion that no such adjustment is necessary to reflect such Corporate Change).
Any adjustment effected by the Committee under Section 4.5 shall be designed to provide the Holder with the intrinsic value of his or her Award, as determined prior to the Corporate Change, or, if applicable, equalize the Fair Market Value of the shares of stock covered by the Award before and after the Corporate Change; provided that , with respect to Incentive Stock Options, such adjustment shall be made in accordance with Section 424 of the Code; and provided further that no such adjustment shall cause any Award hereunder which is or becomes subject to Section 409A to fail to comply with the requirements of such section.
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In effecting one or more of the alternatives set out in paragraphs (3), (4) or (5) immediately above, and except as otherwise may be provided in an Award Agreement, the Committee, in its sole and absolute discretion and without the consent or approval of any Holder, may accelerate the time at which some or all Awards then outstanding may be exercised.
(d) In the event of changes in the outstanding Stock by reason of recapitalizations, reorganizations, mergers, consolidations, combinations, exchanges or other relevant changes in capitalization occurring after the date of the grant of any Award and not otherwise provided for by this Section 4.5 , any outstanding Award and any Award Agreement evidencing such Award shall be subject to adjustment by the Committee in its sole and absolute discretion as to the number and price of Stock or other consideration subject to such Award. In the event of any such change in the outstanding Stock, the aggregate number of shares of Stock available under the Plan may be appropriately adjusted by the Committee, whose determination shall be conclusive.
(e) After a merger of one or more corporations into the Company in which the Company shall be the surviving corporation, each Holder shall be entitled to have his or her Restricted Stock appropriately adjusted based on the manner in which the shares of Stock were adjusted under the terms of the agreement of merger or consolidation.
(f) The issuance by the Company of stock of any class or series, or securities convertible into, or exchangeable for, stock of any class or series, for cash or property, or for labor or services either upon direct sale or upon the exercise of rights or warrants to subscribe for them, or upon conversion or exchange of stock or obligations of the Company convertible into, or exchangeable for, stock or other securities, shall not affect, and no adjustment by reason of such issuance shall be made with respect to, the number, class or series, or price of shares of Stock then subject to outstanding Awards.
4.6 Election Under Section 83(b) of the Code. No Holder shall exercise the election permitted under section 83(b) of the Code with respect to any Award without the prior written approval of the General Counsel or the Chief Financial Officer of the Company. Any Holder who makes an election under section 83(b) of the Code with respect to any Award without the prior written approval of the General Counsel or the Chief Financial Officer of the Company may, in the discretion of the Committee, forfeit any or all Awards granted to him or her under the Plan.
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4.7 Forfeiture for Cause.
(a) Notwithstanding any other provision of the Plan or an Award Agreement to the contrary, if a determination is made as provided in Section 4.7(b) (a “ Forfeiture Determination ”) that (i) the Holder (or, if the Holder is not the original grantee of the applicable Award, the original grantee of the applicable Award), before or after the termination of such individuals employment or service with the Company and all Affiliates, (A) committed fraud, embezzlement, theft, felony or an act of dishonesty (as defined below) in the course of his employment by or service to the Company or an Affiliate, (B) knowingly caused or assisted in causing the publicly released financial statements of the Company to be misstated or the Company or a subsidiary of the Company to engage in criminal misconduct, (C) disclosed trade secrets of the Company or an Affiliate or (D) violated the terms of any non-competition, non-disclosure or similar agreement with respect to the Company or any Affiliate to which the Holder (or, if the Holder is not the original grantee of the applicable Award, the original grantee of the applicable Award) is a party, and (ii) in the case of the actions described in clause (A), (C) and (D), such action materially and adversely affected the Company, then at or after the time such Forfeiture Determination is made the Board, in good faith, if such Forfeiture Determination is made prior to a Change of Control, or, as determined by a final, non-appealable order of a court of competent jurisdiction, if such Forfeiture Determination is made after a Change of Control, as a fair and equitable forfeiture to reflect the harm done to the Company and a reduction of the benefit bestowed on the Holder (or, if the Holder is not the original grantee of the applicable Award, the original grantee of the applicable Award) had the facts existing at the time the benefit was bestowed that led to the Forfeiture Determination been known to the Company at the time the benefit was bestowed, may determine that some or all (x) of the Holder’s rights to shares of the Stock covered by an Award (including vested rights that have been exercised or paid, vested rights that have not been exercised or paid and rights that have not yet vested or been paid) or cash payments paid or payable under an Award (including payments for vested rights, amounts payable for vested rights that have not been paid and rights that have not yet vested), (y) some or all of the dividends that have been paid with respect to shares of the Stock covered by the Award, and (z) some or all shares of the Stock received as a result of the Holder’s grant, receipt, exercise or holding of the Award and some or all net proceeds realized with respect to any shares of the Stock received as a result of the Holder’s exercise or holding of the Award in excess of the price paid for such shares, will be forfeited to the Company on such terms as determined by the Board or the final, non-appealable order of a court of competent jurisdiction. For purposes of this Section 4.7 , an “ act of dishonesty ” shall require a material breach by the Holder (or, if the Holder is not the original grantee of the applicable Award, the original grantee of the applicable Award) of his or her duties, obligations or undertakings owed to or on behalf of the Company and its Affiliates, as determined by the Board if such determination is made prior to a Change of Control, or, as determined by a final, non-appealable order of a court of competent jurisdiction, if such determination is made after a Change of Control. In determining whether a matter materially and adversely affects the Company, the Board shall be entitled to consider all relevant factors and exercise business judgment in making such determination, including but not limited to the financial consequences, adverse reputational consequences or legal consequences to the Company and/or its subsidiaries, individually or taken as a whole, as a result of such action.
(b) A Forfeiture Determination for purposes of Section 4.7(a) shall be made (i) before the occurrence of a Change of Control, by a majority vote of the Board and (ii) on or after the occurrence of a Change of Control, by the final, non-appealable order of a court of competent jurisdiction. The findings and decision of the Board with respect to a Forfeiture Determination made before the occurrence of a Change of Control, including those regarding the acts of the original grantee of the Award and the damage done to the Company, will be final for all purposes absent a showing by clear and convincing evidence of manifest error by, or a lack of good faith on the part of, the Board. No decision of the Board, however, will affect the finality of the discharge of the original grantee of the Award by the Company or an Affiliate.
4.8 Forfeiture Events. Without limiting the applicability of Section 4.7 or Section 4.9 , the Committee may specify in an Award Agreement that the Holder’s rights, payments, and benefits with respect to an Award shall be subject to reduction, cancellation, forfeiture, or recoupment upon the occurrence of certain specified events, in addition to any otherwise applicable vesting or performance conditions of an Award. Such events may include, but shall not be limited to, Separation from Service for cause, Separation from Service for any other reason, violation of material policies of the Company and its Affiliates, breach of noncompetition, confidentiality, or other restrictive covenants that may apply to the Holder, or other conduct by the Holder that is detrimental to the business or reputation of the Company and its Affiliates.
4.9 Recoupment in Restatement and Other Situations. Without limiting the applicability of Section 4.7 or Section 4.8 if the Company is required to prepare an accounting restatement due to the material noncompliance of the Company with any financial reporting requirement under applicable securities laws, the current or former Holder who was a current or former executive officer of the Company or an Affiliate shall forfeit and must repay to the Company any compensation awarded under the Plan to the extent specified in any of the Company’s recoupment policies established or amended (now or in the future) in compliance with the rules and standards of the Securities and Exchange Commission under or in connection with Section 10D of the Exchange Act. In addition, any Award which is subject to recovery under any law, government regulation or stock exchange listing requirement, will be subject to such deductions and clawback as may be required to be made pursuant to such law, government regulation or stock exchange listing requirement (or any policy adopted by the Company pursuant to any such law, government regulation or stock exchange listing requirement).
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4.10 Award Agreements . Each Award shall be embodied in a written or electronic Award Agreement that shall be subject to the terms and conditions of the Plan. The Award Agreement shall be signed by or delivered on behalf of an authorized executive officer of the Company, other than the Holder, on behalf of the Company, and may be signed or acknowledged by the Holder to the extent required by the Committee. The Award Agreement may specify the effect of a Change of Control of the Company on the Award. The Award Agreement may contain any other provisions that the Committee in its discretion shall deem advisable which are not inconsistent with the terms and provisions of the Plan. An Award Agreement may be altered, amended, modified, or suspended as provided in Section 13.2 . An Award Agreement may be terminated as provided in Section 13.2 and elsewhere in the Plan including Sections 4.7, 4.8 and 4.9 . In the event that the Company establishes, for itself or using the services of a third party, an automated system for the documentation, granting or exercise of Awards, such as a system using an internet website or interactive voice response, then the paperless documentation, granting or exercise of Awards by a Participant may be permitted through the use of such an automated system.
4.11 Rights as Stockholder. A Holder shall not have any rights as a stockholder with respect to Stock covered by an Option, a SAR, an RSU, or an Other Stock-Based Award payable in Stock until the date, if any, such Stock is issued by the Company; and, except as otherwise provided in Section 4.5 , no adjustment for dividends, or otherwise, shall be made if the record date therefor is prior to the date of issuance of such Stock.
4.12 Issuance of Shares of Stock. Shares of Stock, when issued, may be represented by a certificate or by book or electronic entry.
4.13 Restrictions on Stock Received. The Committee may impose such conditions and restrictions on any shares of Stock issued pursuant to an Award as it may deem advisable or desirable. These restrictions may include, but shall not be limited to, a requirement that the Holder hold the shares of Stock for a specified period of time.
4.14 Compliance With Section 409A. Awards shall be designed, granted and administered in such a manner that they are either exempt from the application of, or comply with, the requirements of Section 409A and the applicable provisions of the Plan and the applicable Award Agreement shall be construed and interpreted in accordance with such intent. If the Committee determines that an Award, Award Agreement, payment, distribution, deferral election, transaction, or any other action or arrangement contemplated by the provisions of the Plan would, if undertaken, cause a Holder to become subject to additional taxes under Section 409A, then unless the Committee specifically provides otherwise, such Award, Award Agreement, payment, distribution, deferral election, transaction or other action or arrangement shall not be given effect to the extent it causes such result and the related provisions of the Plan and Award Agreement will be deemed modified, or, if necessary, suspended in order to comply with the requirements of Section 409A to the extent determined appropriate by the Committee, in each case without the consent of or notice to the Holder. The exercisability of an Option or a SAR shall not be extended to the extent that such extension would subject the Holder to additional taxes under Section 409A. Notwithstanding any other provision of the Plan or an Award Agreement, if an Award is not exempt from the requirements of Section 409A and the Holder (or, if the Holder is not the original grantee of the applicable Award, the original grantee of the applicable Award) is a “specified employee” (as such term is defined for purposes of Section 409A) and a payment under the Award is due as a result of such individual’s “termination of employment”, “separation from service” (as that term is defined for purposes of Section 409A using the default rules) or comparable event then no payment shall be made under the Award due to such termination of employment, separation from service or comparable event before the date that is six (6) months after the date on which the Holder incurs a separation from service, except as otherwise allowed by Section 409A. Unless otherwise determined by the Committee, each amount to be paid or benefit to be provided under this Plan shall be construed as a separate identified payment for purposes of Section 409A. Notwithstanding the above, each Participant shall be solely responsible for the payment of any taxes and penalties incurred under Section 409A with respect to Awards granted under the Plan.
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4.15 Date of Grant . The date on which an Option or SAR is granted shall be the date the Company completes the corporate action constituting an offer of stock for sale to a Holder under the terms and conditions of the Option or SAR; provided that such corporate action shall not be considered complete until the date on which the maximum number of shares that can be purchased under the Option and the minimum Option price are fixed or determinable. If the corporate action contemplates an immediate offer of stock for sale to a class of individuals, then the date of the granting of an Option is the time or date of that corporate action, if the offer is to be made immediately. If the corporate action contemplates a particular date on which the offer is to be made, then the date of grant is the contemplated date of the offer.
4.16 Source of Shares Deliverable Under Awards. Any shares of Stock delivered pursuant to an Award may consist, in whole or in part, of authorized and unissued shares of Stock or of treasury shares of Stock.
4.17 Limitations on Vesting of Awards .
(a) Unless the applicable Award Agreement specifies otherwise, an Award shall not continue to vest after the Separation from Service of the Holder of the Award (or, if the Holder is not the original grantee of the applicable Award, the Separation from Service of the original grantee of the applicable Award) for any reason.
(b) An Award granted under the Plan must include a minimum vesting period of at least one (1) year, provided, however, that (i) an Award may provide that the Award will vest before the completion of such one (1) year period upon the death or Disability of the original grantee of the Award or a Change of Control of the Company and (ii) Awards covering, in the aggregate, 25,000,000 (not exceeding fifty percent (50%) of the Authorized Shares) shares of Stock may be issued without any minimum vesting period.
4.18 Administrative Stand Still .. In the event of any pending stock dividend, stock split, combination or exchange of shares, merger, consolidation or other distribution (other than normal cash dividends) of the Company assets to stockholders, or any other extraordinary transaction or change affecting the Stock or the share price of the Stock, including any change in the Company’s capitalization or any securities offering or other similar transaction, for administrative convenience, the Committee may refuse to permit the exercise of any Award for up to sixty days before or after such transaction.
Article V
OPTIONS
5.1 Authority to Grant Options. Subject to the terms and provisions of the Plan, the Committee, at any time, and from time to time, may grant Options under the Plan to eligible persons in such number and upon such terms as the Committee shall determine; provided that ISOs may be granted only to eligible Employees of the Company or of any Parent Corporation or Subsidiary Corporation (as permitted by section 422 of the Code and the regulations thereunder).
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5.2 Type of Options Available. Options granted under the Plan may be NQSOs or ISOs.
5.3 Option Agreement. Each Option grant under the Plan shall be evidenced by an Award Agreement that shall specify (a) whether the Option is intended to be an ISO or an NQSO, (b) the Option Price, (c) the duration of the Option, (d) the number of shares of Stock to which the Option pertains, (e) the exercise restrictions, if any, applicable to the Option and (f) such other provisions as the Committee shall determine that are not inconsistent with the terms and provisions of the Plan. Notwithstanding the designation of an Option as an ISO in the applicable Award Agreement for such Option, to the extent the limitations of Section 5.10 of the Plan are exceeded with respect to the Option, the portion of the Option in excess of the limitation shall be treated as a NQSO. An Option granted under the Plan may not be granted with any Dividend Equivalents rights.
5.4 Option Price. The price at which shares of Stock may be purchased under an Option (the “ Option Price ”) shall not be less than one hundred percent (100%) of the Fair Market Value of the shares of Stock on the date the Option is granted; provided, however , if the Option is an ISO granted to a Ten Percent Stockholder, the Option Price must not be less than one hundred ten percent (110%) of the Fair Market Value of the shares of Stock on the date the ISO is granted. Subject to the limitations set forth in the preceding sentences of this Section 5.4 , the Committee shall determine the Option Price for each grant of an Option under the Plan.
5.5 Duration of Option. An Option shall not be exercisable after the earlier of (a) the general term of the Option specified in the applicable Award Agreement (which shall not exceed ten years, and, in the case of a Ten Percent Stockholder, no ISO shall be exercisable on or after the fifth (5 th ) anniversary of the date of its grant) or (b) the period of time specified in the applicable Award Agreement that follows the Holder’s Separation from Service (or, if the Holder is not the original grantee of the applicable Award, the original grantee of the applicable Award).
5.6 Amount Exercisable. Each Option may be exercised at the time, in the manner and subject to the conditions the Committee specifies in the Award Agreement in its sole discretion.
5.7 Exercise of Option.
(a) General Method of Exercise . Subject to the terms and provisions of the Plan and the applicable Award Agreement, Options may be exercised in whole or in part from time to time by the delivery of written notice in the manner designated by the Committee stating (i) that the Holder wishes to exercise such Option on the date such notice is so delivered, (ii) the number of shares of Stock with respect to which the Option is to be exercised and (iii) the address to which a stock certificate, if any, representing such shares of Stock should be mailed or delivered, or the account to which the shares of Stock represented by book or electronic entry should be delivered. Except in the case of exercise by a third party broker as provided below, in order for the notice to be effective the notice must be accompanied by payment of the Option Price (and all applicable federal, state, local and foreign withholding taxes described in Section 14.3 ) by any combination of the following: (w) cash, certified check, or bank draft for an amount equal to the Option Price under the Option, (x) Mature Shares with a Fair Market Value on the date of exercise equal to the Option Price under the Option (if approved in advance by the Committee or an executive officer of the Company), (y) as described further in (c) below, an election to make a cashless exercise through a registered broker-dealer (if approved in advance by the Committee or an executive officer of the Company) or (z) except as specified below, any other form of payment which is acceptable to the Committee. If Mature Shares are used for payment by the Holder, the aggregate Fair Market Value of the shares of Stock tendered must be equal to or less than the aggregate Option Price of the shares of Stock being purchased upon exercise of the Option, and any difference must be paid by cash, certified check, or bank draft payable to the order of the Company. Whenever an Option is exercised by exchanging shares of Stock owned by the Holder, the Holder shall deliver to the Company or its delegate certificates registered in the name of the Holder representing a number of shares of Stock legally and beneficially owned by the Holder, free of all liens, claims, and encumbrances of every kind, accompanied by stock powers duly endorsed in blank by the record holder of the shares represented by the certificates, (with signature guaranteed by a commercial bank or trust company or by a brokerage firm having a membership on a registered national stock exchange). The delivery of certificates upon the exercise of Option is subject to the condition that the person exercising the Option provide the Company with the information the Company might reasonably request pertaining to exercise, sale or other disposition of an Option.
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(b) Issuance of Shares . Subject to Section 4.3 and Section 5.7(c) , as promptly as practicable after receipt of written notification and payment, in the form required by Section 5.7(a) , of an amount of money necessary to satisfy the aggregate option price and any withholding tax liability that may result from the exercise of such Option, the Company shall deliver to the Holder certificates for the number of shares with respect to which the Option has been exercised, issued in the Holder’s name. Delivery of the shares shall be deemed effected for all purposes when a stock transfer agent of the Company shall have deposited the certificates in the United States mail, addressed to the Holder, at the address specified by the Holder or shall have transferred to the account designated by the Holder to which the shares of Stock represented by book or electronic entry are to be delivered.
(c) Exercise Through Third-Party Broker . The Committee may permit a Holder to elect to pay the Option Price and any applicable tax withholding resulting from such exercise by authorizing a third-party broker to sell all or a portion of the shares of Stock acquired upon exercise of the Option and remit to the Company a sufficient portion of the sale proceeds to pay the Option Price and any applicable federal, state, local and foreign tax withholding resulting from such exercise.
(d) Exercise of ISOs . All ISOs granted to an Employee under this Article V shall be exercisable during his or her lifetime only by such Employee
(e) Limitations on Exercise Alternatives . The Committee shall not permit a Holder to pay such Holder’s Option Price upon the exercise of an Option by having the Company reduce the number of shares of Stock that will be delivered pursuant to the exercise of the Option. In addition, the Committee shall not permit a Holder to pay such Holder’s Option Price upon the exercise of an Option by using shares of Stock other than Mature Shares. An Option may not be exercised for a fraction of a share of Stock.
5.8 Notification of Disqualifying Disposition . If any Employee shall make any disposition of shares of Stock issued pursuant to the exercise of an ISO under the circumstances described in section 421(b) of the Code (relating to certain disqualifying dispositions), such Employee shall notify the Company of such disposition within ten (10) days thereof.
5.9 No Rights as Stockholder . A Holder of an Option shall not have any rights as a stockholder with respect to Stock covered by an Option until the date a stock certificate for such Stock is issued by the Company. Except as otherwise provided in Section 4.5 , no adjustment for dividends, or otherwise, shall be made if the record date therefor is prior to the date of issuance of such certificate.
5.10 $100,000 Limitation on ISOs . To the extent that the aggregate Fair Market Value of shares of Stock with respect to which ISOs first become exercisable by a Holder in any calendar year exceeds $100,000, taking into account both shares of Stock subject to ISOs under the Plan and Stock subject to ISOs under all other plans of the Company, such Options shall be treated as NQSOs. For this purpose, the “Fair Market Value” of the shares of Stock subject to Options shall be determined as of the date the Options were awarded. In reducing the number of Options treated as ISOs to meet the $100,000 limit, the most recently granted Options shall be reduced first. To the extent a reduction of simultaneously granted Options is necessary to meet the $100,000 limit, the Committee may, in the manner and to the extent permitted by law, designate which shares of Stock are to be treated as shares acquired pursuant to the exercise of an ISO.
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5.11 Separation from Service. Each Award Agreement shall set forth the extent to which the Holder of an Option shall have the right to exercise the Option following the Holder’s Separation from Service. Such provisions shall be determined in the sole discretion of the Committee, need not be uniform among all Options issued pursuant to the Award Agreement or the Plan, and may reflect distinctions based on the reasons for termination or severance.
Article VI
STOCK APPRECIATION RIGHTS
6.1 Authority to Grant SAR Awards. Subject to the terms and provisions of the Plan, the Committee, at any time, and from time to time, may grant SARs under the Plan to eligible persons in such number and upon such terms as the Committee shall determine. Subject to the terms and conditions of the Plan, the Committee shall have complete discretion in determining the number of SARs granted to each Holder and, consistent with the provisions of the Plan, in determining the terms and conditions pertaining to such SARs.
6.2 General Terms. Subject to the terms and conditions of the Plan, a SAR granted under the Plan shall confer on the recipient a right to receive, upon exercise thereof, an amount equal to the excess of (a) the Fair Market Value of one share of the Stock on the date of exercise over (b) the grant price of the SAR, which shall not be less than one hundred percent (100%) of the Fair Market Value of one share of the Stock on the date of grant of the SAR. A SAR granted under the Plan may not be granted with any Dividend Equivalents rights.
6.3 SAR Agreement. Each Award of SARs granted under the Plan shall be evidenced by an Award Agreement that shall specify (a) the grant price of the SAR, (b) the term of the SAR, (c) the vesting and termination provisions of the SAR and (d) such other provisions as the Committee shall determine that are not inconsistent with the terms and provisions of the Plan. The Committee may impose such additional conditions or restrictions on the exercise of any SAR as it may deem appropriate.
6.4 Term of SAR. The term of a SAR granted under the Plan shall be determined by the Committee, in its sole discretion; provided that no SAR shall be exercisable on or after the tenth anniversary date of its grant.
6.5 Exercise of SARs . Subject to the terms and provisions of the Plan and the applicable Award Agreement, a SAR may be exercised in whole or in part from time to time by the delivery of written notice in the manner designated by the Committee stating (a) that the Holder wishes to exercise such SAR on the date such notice is so delivered, (b) the number of shares of Stock with respect to which the SAR is to be exercised and (c) the address to which the payment due under such SAR should be delivered or the account to which any shares of Stock payable as a result of the exercise of the SAR represented by book or electronic entry should be delivered. In accordance with applicable law, a SAR may be exercised subject to whatever additional terms and conditions the Committee, in its sole discretion, imposes.
6.6 Payment of SAR Amount. Upon the exercise of a SAR, a Holder shall be entitled to receive payment from the Company in an amount determined by multiplying the excess of the Fair Market Value of a share of Stock on the date of exercise over the grant price of the SAR by the number of shares of Stock with respect to which the SAR is exercised. At the discretion of the Committee, the payment upon SAR exercise may be in cash, in shares of Stock of equivalent value, in some combination thereof or in any other manner approved by the Committee in its sole discretion. The Committee’s determination regarding the form of SAR payout shall be set forth in the Award Agreement pertaining to the grant of the SAR.
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6.7 Separation from Service . Each Award Agreement shall set forth the extent to which the Holder of a SAR shall have the right to exercise the SAR following the Holder’s Separation from Service. Such provisions shall be determined in the sole discretion of the Committee, may be included in the Award Agreement entered into with the Holder, need not be uniform among all SARs issued pursuant to the Plan, and may reflect distinctions based on the reasons for termination or severance.
6.8 No Rights as Stockholder. A grantee of a SAR award, as such, shall have no rights as a stockholder.
6.9 Restrictions on Stock Received. The Committee may impose such conditions and restrictions on any shares of Stock received upon exercise of a SAR granted pursuant to the Plan as it may deem advisable or desirable. These restrictions may include, but shall not be limited to, a requirement that the Holder hold the shares of Stock received upon exercise of a SAR for a specified period of time.
Article VII
RESTRICTED Stock AWARDS
7.1 Restricted Stock Awards . Subject to the terms and provisions of the Plan, the Committee, at any time, and from time to time, may make Awards of Restricted Stock under the Plan to eligible persons in such number and upon such terms as the Committee shall determine. The amount of and the vesting, transferability and forfeiture restrictions applicable to any Restricted Stock Award shall be determined by the Committee in its sole discretion. If the Committee imposes vesting, transferability and forfeiture restrictions on a Holder’s rights with respect to Restricted Stock, the Committee may issue such instructions to the Company’s share transfer agent in connection therewith as it deems appropriate. The Committee may also cause the certificate for shares of Stock issued pursuant to a Restricted Stock Award to be imprinted with any legend which counsel for the Company considers advisable with respect to the restrictions or, should the shares of Stock be represented by book or electronic entry rather than a certificate, the Company may take such steps to restrict transfer of the shares of Stock as counsel for the Company considers necessary or advisable to comply with applicable law.
7.2 Restricted Stock Award Agreement. Each Restricted Stock Award shall be evidenced by an Award Agreement that contains any vesting, transferability and forfeiture restrictions and other provisions not inconsistent with the Plan as the Committee may specify.
7.3 Holder’s Rights as Stockholder. Subject to the terms and conditions of the Plan, each recipient of a Restricted Stock Award shall have all the rights of a stockholder with respect to the shares of Restricted Stock included in the Restricted Stock Award during the Period of Restriction established for the Restricted Stock Award. Dividends paid with respect to Restricted Stock in cash or property other than shares of Stock or rights to acquire shares of Stock shall be paid to the recipient of the Restricted Stock Award currently. Dividends paid in shares of Stock or rights to acquire shares of Stock shall be added to and become a part of the Restricted Stock. During the Period of Restriction, certificates representing the Restricted Stock shall be registered in the Holder’s name and bear a restrictive legend to the effect that ownership of such Restricted Stock, and the enjoyment of all rights appurtenant thereto, are subject to the restrictions, terms, and conditions provided in the Plan and the applicable Award Agreement. Such certificates shall be deposited by the recipient with the Secretary of the Company or such other officer or agent of the Company as may be designated by the Committee, together with all stock powers or other instruments of assignment, each endorsed in blank, which will permit transfer to the Company of all or any portion of the Restricted Stock which shall be forfeited in accordance with the Plan and the applicable Award Agreement.
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Article VIII
RESTRICTED STOCK UNIT AWARDS
8.1 Authority to Grant RSU Awards. Subject to the terms and provisions of the Plan, the Committee, at any time, and from time to time, may grant RSU Awards under the Plan to eligible persons in such amounts and upon such terms as the Committee shall determine. The amount of and the vesting, transferability and forfeiture restrictions applicable to any RSU Award shall be determined by the Committee in its sole discretion. The Committee shall maintain a bookkeeping ledger account which reflects the number of RSUs credited under the Plan for the benefit of a Holder.
8.2 RSU Award. An RSU Award shall be similar in nature to a Restricted Stock Award except that no shares of Stock (or equivalent value in cash) are actually transferred to the Holder until a later date specified in the applicable Award Agreement. Each RSU shall have a value equal to the Fair Market Value of a share of Stock.
8.3 RSU Award Agreement. Each RSU Award shall be evidenced by an Award Agreement that contains any Substantial Risk of Forfeiture, vesting, transferability and forfeiture restrictions, form and time of payment provisions and other provisions not inconsistent with the Plan as the Committee may specify.
8.4 Dividend Equivalents. An Award Agreement for an RSU Award may specify that the Holder shall be entitled to the payment of Dividend Equivalents under the Award.
8.5 Form of Payment Under RSU Award. Payment under an RSU Award shall be made in cash, shares of Stock or any combination thereof, as specified in the applicable Award Agreement.
8.6 Time of Payment Under RSU Award. A Holder’s payment under an RSU Award shall be made at such time as is specified in the applicable Award Agreement. The Award Agreement shall specify that the payment will be made (a) by a date that is no later than the date that is two and one-half (2 1/2) months after the end of the Fiscal Year in which the RSU Award payment is no longer subject to a Substantial Risk of Forfeiture or (b) at a time that is permissible under Section 409A.
8.7 Holder’s Rights as Stockholder. Each recipient of an RSU Award shall have no rights of a stockholder with respect to the Holder’s RSUs. A Holder shall have no voting rights with respect to any RSU Awards.
Article IX
Other Stock-Based Awards
9.1 Authority to Grant Other Stock-Based Awards . Subject to the terms and provisions of the Plan, the Committee, at any time, and from time to time, may grant other types of equity-based or equity-related Awards not otherwise described by the terms and provisions of the Plan (including the grant or offer for sale of unrestricted and fully vested shares of Stock) under the Plan to eligible persons in such number and upon such terms as the Committee shall determine. Such Awards may involve the transfer of actual shares of Stock to Holders, or payment in cash or otherwise of amounts based on the value of shares of Stock and may include, without limitation, Awards designed to comply with or take advantage of the applicable local laws of jurisdictions other than the United States.
9.2 Value of Other Stock-Based Award . Each Other Stock-Based Award shall be expressed in terms of shares of Stock or units based on shares of Stock, as determined by the Committee.
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9.3 Written Agreement. Each Other Stock-Based Award shall be evidenced by an Award Agreement that contains any vesting, transferability and forfeiture restrictions and other provisions not inconsistent with the Plan as the Committee may specify.
9.4 Payment of Other Stock-Based Award . Payment, if any, with respect to an Other Stock-Based Award shall be made in accordance with the terms of the Award, in cash, shares of Stock or any combination thereof, as the Committee determines.
9.5 Separation from Service . The Committee shall determine the extent to which a Holder’s rights with respect to Other Stock-Based Awards shall be affected by the Holder’s Separation from Service. Such provisions shall be determined in the sole discretion of the Committee and need not be uniform among all Other Stock-Based Awards issued pursuant to the Plan.
9.6 Time of Payment of Other Stock-Based Award. A Holder’s payment under an Other Stock-Based Award shall be made at such time as is specified in the applicable Award Agreement. If a payment under the Award Agreement is subject to Section 409A, the Award Agreement shall specify that the payment will be made (a) by a date that is no later than the date that is two and one-half (2 1/2) months after the end of the calendar year in which the Other Stock-Based Award payment is no longer subject to a Substantial Risk of Forfeiture or (b) at a time that is permissible under Section 409A.
Article X
Other Cash-Based Awards
10.1 Authority to Grant Other Cash-Based Awards . Subject to the terms and provisions of the Plan, the Committee, at any time, and from time to time, may grant Other Cash-Based Awards under the Plan to eligible persons in such amounts and upon such terms as the Committee shall determine.
10.2 Value of Other Cash-Based Award . Each Other Cash-Based Award shall specify a payment amount or payment range as determined by the Committee.
10.3 Written Agreement. Each Other Cash-Based Award shall be evidenced by an Award Agreement that contains any vesting, transferability and forfeiture restrictions and other provisions not inconsistent with the Plan as the Committee may specify.
10.4 Payment of Other Cash-Based Award . Payment, if any, with respect to an Other Cash-Based Award shall be made in accordance with the terms of the Award, in cash.
10.5 Time of Payment of Other Cash-Based Award. Payment under an Other Cash-Based Award shall be made at such time as is specified in the applicable Award Agreement. If a payment under the Award Agreement is subject to Section 409A, the Award Agreement shall specify that the payment will be made (a) by a date that is no later than the date that is two and one-half (2 1/2) months after the end of the calendar year in which the Other Cash-Based Award payment is no longer subject to a Substantial Risk of Forfeiture or (b) at a time that is permissible under Section 409A.
10.6 Separation from Service . The Committee shall determine the extent to which a Holder’s rights with respect to an Other Cash-Based Award shall be affected by the Holder’s Separation from Service. Such provisions shall be determined in the sole discretion of the Committee and need not be uniform among all Other Cash-Based Awards issued pursuant to the Plan.
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Article XI
SUBSTITUTION AWARDS
Awards may be granted under the Plan from time to time in substitution for stock options and other awards held by employees of other entities who are about to become Employees, or whose employer is about to become an Affiliate as the result of a merger or consolidation of the Company with another corporation, or the acquisition by the Company of substantially all the assets of another corporation, or the acquisition by the Company of at least fifty percent (50%) of the issued and outstanding stock of another corporation as the result of which such other corporation will become a subsidiary of the Company. The terms and conditions of the substitute Awards so granted may vary from the terms and conditions set forth in the Plan to such extent as the Board at the time of grant may deem appropriate to conform, in whole or in part, to the provisions of the awards in substitution for which they are granted. If shares of Stock are issued under the Plan with respect to an Award granted under this Article such shares of Stock will not count against the aggregate number of shares of Stock with respect to which Awards may be granted under the Plan.
Article XII
ADMINISTRATION
12.1 Awards. The Plan shall be administered by the Committee or, in the absence of the Committee or in the case of awards issued to Non-Employee Directors, the Plan shall be administered by the Board. The members of the Committee (that is not itself the Board) shall serve at the discretion of the Board. The Committee shall have full and exclusive power and authority to administer the Plan and to take all actions that the Plan expressly contemplates or are necessary or appropriate in connection with the administration of the Plan with respect to Awards granted under the Plan.
12.2 Authority of the Committee.
(a) The Committee shall have full and exclusive power to interpret and apply the terms and provisions of the Plan and Awards made under the Plan, and to adopt such rules, regulations and guidelines for implementing the Plan as the Committee may deem necessary or proper, all of which powers shall be exercised in the best interests of the Company and in keeping with the objectives of the Plan. A majority of the members of the Committee shall constitute a quorum for the transaction of business relating to the Plan or Awards made under the Plan, and the vote of a majority of those members present at any meeting shall decide any question brought before that meeting. Any decision or determination reduced to writing and signed by a majority of the members shall be as effective as if it had been made by a majority vote at a meeting properly called and held. All questions of interpretation and application of the Plan, or as to Awards granted under the Plan, shall be subject to the determination, which shall be final and binding, of a majority of the whole Committee. No member of the Committee shall be liable for any act or omission of any other member of the Committee or for any act or omission on his or her own part, including the exercise of any power or discretion given to him or her under the Plan, except those resulting from his or her own willful misconduct. In carrying out its authority under the Plan, the Committee shall have full and final authority and discretion, including the following rights, powers and authorities to (i) determine the persons to whom and the time or times at which Awards will be made; (ii) determine the number and exercise price of shares of Stock covered in each Award subject to the terms and provisions of the Plan; (iii) determine the terms, provisions and conditions of each Award, which need not be identical; (iv) accelerate the time at which any outstanding Award will vest; (v) prescribe, amend and rescind rules and regulations relating to administration of the Plan; and (vi) make all other determinations and take all other actions deemed necessary, appropriate or advisable for the proper administration of the Plan.
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(b) The Committee may make an Award to an individual who the Company expects to become an Employee of the Company or any of its Affiliates within three (3) months after the date of grant of the Award, with the Award being subject to and conditioned on the individual actually becoming an Employee within that time period and subject to other terms and conditions as the Committee may establish.
(c) The Committee may correct any defect or supply any omission or reconcile any inconsistency in the Plan or in any Award to a Holder in the manner and to the extent the Committee deems necessary or desirable to further the Plan’s objectives. Further, the Committee shall make all other determinations that may be necessary or advisable for the administration of the Plan.
(d) On a Fiscal Year basis, the Committee may, by resolution, delegate to the Chief Executive Officer of the Company the limited authority to grant Awards under the Plan during such Fiscal Year to (i) designated classes of Employees who are not officers of the Company or any Affiliate and subject to the provisions of Section 16 of the Exchange Act and (ii) Third Party Service Providers. The resolution providing such authorization must set forth the total number of shares of Stock that may be granted under Awards by the Chief Executive Officer during the Fiscal Year. The Chief Executive Officer of the Company shall report periodically to the Committee regarding the nature and scope of the Awards granted pursuant to the authority delegated.
(e) The Committee may employ attorneys, consultants, accountants, agents, and other persons, any of whom may be an Employee, and the Committee, the Company, and its officers shall be entitled to rely upon the advice, opinions, or valuations of any such person. As permitted by law and the terms and provisions of the Plan, the Committee may delegate to one or more of its members or to one or more officers of the Company or its Affiliates or other Employees or to one or more agents or advisors such administrative duties as it may deem advisable, and the Committee or any person to whom it has delegated duties as aforesaid may employ one or more persons to render advice with respect to any responsibility the Committee or such person may have under the Plan.
12.3 Decisions Binding. All determinations and decisions made by the Committee or the Board, as the case may be, pursuant to the provisions of the Plan and all related orders and resolutions of the Committee or the Board, as the case may be, shall be final, conclusive and binding on all persons, including the Company, its Affiliates, its stockholders, Holders and the estates and beneficiaries of Holders.
12.4 No Liability. Under no circumstances shall the Company, its Affiliates, the Board or the Committee incur liability for any indirect, incidental, consequential or special damages (including lost profits) of any form incurred by any person, whether or not foreseeable and regardless of the form of the act in which such a claim may be brought, with respect to the Plan or the Company’s, its Affiliates’, the Committee’s or the Board’s roles in connection with the Plan.
Article XIII
AMENDMENT OR TERMINATION OF PLAN OR AWARD AGREEMENT
13.1 Amendment, Modification, Suspension, and Termination of the Plan . Subject to Section 13.3 , the Board may, at any time and from time to time, alter, amend, modify, suspend, or terminate the Plan, provided, however, no amendment of the Plan shall be made without stockholder approval if stockholder approval is required by applicable law or stock exchange rules.
13.2 Amendment, Modification, Suspension, and Termination of Award Agreement . Subject to Section 13.3 , the Committee may, in its discretion and at any time and from time to time, alter, amend, modify, suspend, or terminate any Award Agreement in whole or in part in any manner that it deems appropriate and that is consistent with the terms of the Plan or necessary to implement the requirements of the Plan. Notwithstanding the preceding sentence, without the prior approval of the Company’s stockholders or except as provided in Section 4.5 , the Committee shall not directly or indirectly lower the Option Price of a previously granted Option or the grant price of a previously granted SAR, or cancel a previously granted Option or previously granted SAR for a payment of cash or other property, in each case if the aggregate fair market value of such Option or SAR is less than the gross Option Price of such Option or the gross grant price of such SAR.
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13.3 Awards Previously Granted . Except as expressly provided otherwise under the Plan (including Sections 4.7, 4.8 and 4.9), no alteration, amendment, modification, suspension or termination of the Plan or an Award Agreement shall adversely affect in any material manner any Award previously granted under the Plan, without the written consent of the Holder holding such Award.
Article XIV
MISCELLANEOUS
14.1 Unfunded Plan/No Establishment of a Trust Fund. Holders shall have no right, title, or interest whatsoever in or to any investments that the Company or any of its Affiliates may make to aid in meeting obligations under the Plan. Nothing contained in the Plan, and no action taken pursuant to its provisions, shall create or be construed to create a trust of any kind, or a fiduciary relationship between the Company and any Holder, beneficiary, legal representative, or any other person. To the extent that any person acquires a right to receive payments from the Company under the Plan, such right shall be no greater than the right of an unsecured general creditor of the Company. All payments to be made hereunder shall be paid from the general funds of the Company and no special or separate fund shall be established and no segregation of assets shall be made to assure payment of such amounts, except as expressly set forth in the Plan. No property shall be set aside nor shall a trust fund of any kind be established to secure the rights of any Holder under the Plan. The Plan is not intended to be subject to the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974, as amended.
14.2 No Employment Obligation. The granting of any Award shall not constitute an employment or service contract, express or implied, and shall not impose upon the Company or any Affiliate any obligation to employ or continue to employ, or to utilize or continue to utilize the services of, any Holder. The right of the Company or any Affiliate to terminate the employment of, or the provision of services by, any person shall not be diminished or affected by reason of the fact that an Award has been granted to him, and nothing in the Plan or an Award Agreement shall interfere with or limit in any way the right of the Company or its Affiliates to terminate any Holder’s employment or service relationship at any time or for any reason not prohibited by law.
14.3 Tax Withholding.
(a) The Company or any Affiliate shall be entitled to deduct from other compensation payable to each Holder any sums required by federal, state, local or foreign tax law to be withheld with respect to the vesting or exercise of an Award or lapse of restrictions on an Award. In the alternative, the Company may require the Holder (or other person validly exercising the Award) to pay such sums for taxes directly to the Company or any Affiliate in cash or by check within one day after the date of vesting, exercise or lapse of restrictions.
(b) The Committee may, in its discretion, permit a Holder to satisfy any Minimum Statutory Tax Withholding Obligation arising upon the vesting or exercise of, or payment under, an Award by delivering to the Holder a reduced number of shares of Stock in the manner specified herein. If permitted by the Committee and acceptable to the Holder, at the time of the vesting or exercise of, or payment under, an Award with respect to which the Company or an Affiliate has a tax withholding obligation the Company or the Affiliate may (a) calculate the amount of the Company’s or an Affiliate’s Minimum Statutory Tax Withholding Obligation on the assumption that all such shares of Stock vested under the Award are made available for delivery, (b) reduce the number of such shares of Stock made available for delivery so that the Fair Market Value of the shares of Stock withheld on the date of the event giving rise to the withholding obligation approximates the Company’s or an Affiliate’s Minimum Statutory Tax Withholding Obligation and (c) in lieu of the withheld shares of Stock, remit cash to the United States Treasury or other applicable governmental authorities, on behalf of the Holder, in the amount of the Minimum Statutory Tax Withholding Obligation. The Company shall withhold only whole shares of Stock to satisfy its Minimum Statutory Tax Withholding Obligation. Where the Fair Market Value of the withheld shares of Stock does not equal the amount of the Minimum Statutory Tax Withholding Obligation, the Company shall withhold shares of Stock with a Fair Market Value less than the amount of the Minimum Statutory Tax Withholding Obligation and the Holder must satisfy the remaining minimum withholding obligation in some other manner permitted under this Section 14.3 . The withheld shares of Stock not made available for delivery by the Company shall be retained as treasury shares or will be cancelled and the Holder’s right, title and interest in such shares of Stock shall terminate.
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(c) The Company shall have no obligation upon vesting or exercise of any Award or lapse of restrictions on an Award or other event requiring payment until the Company or an Affiliate has received payment from the Holder sufficient to cover the Minimum Statutory Tax Withholding Obligation of the Holder with respect to that vesting, exercise, lapse of restrictions or other event. Neither the Company nor any Affiliate shall be obligated to advise a Holder of the existence of the tax or the amount which it will be required to withhold.
14.4 Gender and Number. If the context requires, words of one gender when used in the Plan shall include the other and words used in the singular or plural shall include the other.
14.5 Severability . In the event any provision of the Plan shall be held illegal or invalid for any reason, the illegality or invalidity shall not affect the remaining parts of the Plan, and the Plan shall be construed and enforced as if the illegal or invalid provision had not been included.
14.6 Headings. Headings of Articles and Sections are included for convenience of reference only and do not constitute part of the Plan and shall not be used in construing the terms and provisions of the Plan.
14.7 Other Compensation Plans. The adoption of the Plan shall not affect any other option, incentive or other compensation or benefit plans in effect for the Company or any Affiliate, nor shall the Plan preclude the Company from establishing any other forms of incentive compensation arrangements for Employees, Non-Employee Directors or Third Party Service Providers.
14.8 Retirement and Welfare Plans . Neither Awards made under the Plan nor shares of Stock or cash paid pursuant to such Awards, may be included as “compensation” for purposes of computing the benefits payable to any person under the Company’s or any Affiliate’s retirement plans (both qualified and non-qualified) or welfare benefit plans unless such other plan expressly provides that such compensation shall be taken into account in computing a participant’s benefit.
14.9 Other Awards. The grant of an Award shall not confer upon the Holder the right to receive any future or other Awards under the Plan, whether or not Awards may be granted to similarly situated Holders, or the right to receive future Awards upon the same terms or conditions as previously granted.
14.10 Law Limitations/Governmental Approvals . The granting of Awards and the issuance of shares of Stock under the Plan shall be subject to all applicable laws, rules, and regulations, and to such approvals by any governmental agencies or national securities exchanges as may be required.
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14.11 Delivery of Title . The Company shall have no obligation to issue or deliver evidence of title for shares of Stock issued under the Plan prior to (a) obtaining any approvals from governmental agencies that the Company determines are necessary or advisable; and (b) completion of any registration or other qualification of the Stock under any applicable national or foreign law or ruling of any governmental body that the Company determines to be necessary or advisable.
14.12 Inability to Obtain Authority . The inability of the Company to obtain authority from any regulatory body having jurisdiction, which authority is deemed by the Company’s counsel to be necessary to the lawful issuance and sale of any shares of Stock hereunder, shall relieve the Company of any liability in respect of the failure to issue or sell such shares of Stock as to which such requisite authority shall not have been obtained.
14.13 Investment Representations . The Committee may require any person receiving Stock pursuant to an Award under the Plan to represent and warrant in writing that the person is acquiring the shares of Stock for investment and without any present intention to sell or distribute such Stock.
14.14 Persons Residing Outside of the United States . Notwithstanding any provision of the Plan to the contrary, in order to comply with the laws in other countries in which the Company or any of its Affiliates operates or has employees, the Committee, in its sole discretion, shall have the power and authority to (a) determine which Affiliates shall be covered by the Plan; (b) determine which persons employed Outside the United States are eligible to participate in the Plan; (c) amend or vary the terms and provisions of the Plan and the terms and conditions of any Award granted to persons who reside Outside the United States; (d) establish subplans and modify exercise procedures and other terms and procedures to the extent such actions may be necessary or advisable (and any subplans and modifications to Plan terms and procedures established under this Section 14.14 by the Committee shall be attached to the Plan document as Appendices); an (e) take any action, before or after an Award is made, that it deems advisable to obtain or comply with any necessary local government regulatory exemptions or approvals. Notwithstanding the above, the Committee may not take any actions hereunder, and no Awards shall be granted, that would violate the Code, the Exchange Act or any securities law or governing statute or any other applicable law.
14.15 Data Privacy. As a condition for receiving any Award, each Participant explicitly and unambiguously consents to the collection, use and transfer, in electronic or other form, of personal data as described in this section by and among the Company and its subsidiaries and other Affiliates exclusively for implementing, administering and managing the Participant’s participation in the Plan. The Company and its subsidiaries and other Affiliates may hold certain personal information about a Participant, including the Participant’s name, address and telephone number; birthdate; social security, insurance number or other identification number; salary; nationality; job title(s); any shares of Stock held in the Company or its subsidiaries and other Affiliates; and Award details, to implement, manage and administer the Plan and Awards (the “ Data ”). The Company and its subsidiaries and other Affiliates may transfer the Data amongst themselves as necessary to implement, administer and manage a Participant’s participation in the Plan, and the Company and its subsidiaries and other Affiliates may transfer the Data to third parties assisting the Company with Plan implementation, administration and management. These recipients may be located in the Participant’s country, or elsewhere, and the Participant’s country may have different data privacy laws and protections than the recipients’ country. By accepting an Award, each Participant authorizes such recipients to receive, possess, use, retain and transfer the Data, in electronic or other form, to implement, administer and manage the Participant’s participation in the Plan, including any required Data transfer to a broker or other third party with whom the Company or the Participant may elect to deposit any shares of the Stock. The Data related to a Participant will be held only as long as necessary to implement, administer, and manage the Participant’s participation in the Plan. A Participant may, at any time, view the Data that the Company holds regarding such Participant, request additional information about the storage and processing of the Data regarding such Participant, recommend any necessary corrections to the Data regarding the Participant or refuse or withdraw the consents in this Section 14.15 in writing, without cost, by contacting the local human resources representative. The Company may cancel Participant’s ability to participate in the Plan and, in the Committee’s discretion, the Participant may forfeit any outstanding Awards if the Participant refuses or withdraws the consents in this Section 14.15 . For more information on the consequences of refusing or withdrawing consent, Participants may contact their local human resources representative.
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14.16 Arbitration of Disputes. Any controversy arising out of or relating to the Plan or an Award Agreement shall be resolved by arbitration conducted in Houston, Texas pursuant to the arbitration rules of the American Arbitration Association. The arbitration shall be final and binding on the parties.
14.17 No 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, additional Awards, or other property shall be issued or paid in lieu of fractional shares of Stock or whether such fractional shares or any rights thereto shall be forfeited or otherwise eliminated.
14.18 Interpretation. The term “including” means “including without limitation”. The term “or” means “and/or” unless clearly indicated otherwise. The term “vest” includes the lapse of restrictions on Awards, including Forfeiture Restrictions. Reference herein to a “Section” shall be to a section of the Plan unless indicated otherwise.
14.19 Governing Law; Venue. The provisions of the Plan and the rights of all persons claiming thereunder shall be construed, administered and governed under the laws of the State of Texas, excluding any conflicts or choice of law rule or principle that might otherwise refer construction or interpretation of the Plan to the substantive law of another jurisdiction. Unless otherwise provided in the Award Agreement, recipients of an Award under the Plan are deemed to submit to the sole and exclusive jurisdiction and venue of the federal or state courts of the State of Texas to resolve any and all issues that may arise out of or relate to the Plan or any related Award Agreement.
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Exhibit 99.2
C-BOND
SYSTEMS, INC.
2018 LONG-TERM INCENTIVE PLAN
RESTRICTED STOCK AWARD AGREEMENT
This Restricted Stock Award Agreement (this “ Agreement ”) is made by and between C-Bond Systems, Inc., a [__________] corporation (the “ Company ”), and [_______________________] (the “ Participant ”) effective as of [_______________________, 201___] (the “ Grant Date ” ), pursuant to the terms and conditions of the C-Bond Systems, Inc. 2018 Long-Term Incentive Plan (the “ Plan ”), a copy of which previously has been made available to the Participant and the terms and provisions of which are incorporated by reference herein.
Whereas , the Company desires to grant to the Participant the shares of the Company’s common stock, $_____ par value per share, specified herein (the “ Shares ”), subject to the terms and conditions of this Agreement; and
Whereas , the Participant desires to have the opportunity to hold the Shares subject to the terms and conditions of this Agreement.
Now, Therefore , in consideration of the premises, mutual covenants and agreements contained herein, and other good and valuable consideration, the receipt and sufficiency of which are hereby acknowledged, the parties hereto, intending to be legally bound hereby, agree as follows:
1. Definitions . For purposes of this Agreement, the following terms shall have the meanings indicated below:
(a) “ Forfeiture Restrictions ” means the prohibitions and restrictions set forth herein with respect to the sale or other disposition of the Shares issued to the Participant hereunder and the obligation to forfeit and surrender such Shares to the Company in accordance with the terms and conditions of the Plan and this Agreement.
(b) “ Period of Restriction ” means the period during which Restricted Shares are subject to Forfeiture Restrictions and during which Restricted Shares may not be sold, assigned, transferred, pledged or otherwise encumbered.
(c) “ Restricted Shares ” means the Shares that are subject to the Forfeiture Restrictions under this Agreement.
Capitalized terms not otherwise defined in this Agreement shall have the meanings given to such terms in the Plan.
2. Grant of Restricted Shares . Effective as of the Grant Date, the Company shall cause to be issued in the Participant’s name [_________] shares of the Company’s common stock, $____ par value, as Restricted Shares. The Company shall cause certificates or electronic book entries evidencing the Restricted Shares, and any shares of Stock or rights to acquire shares of Stock distributed by the Company in respect of Restricted Shares during any Period of Restriction (the “ Retained Distributions ”), to be issued in the Participant’s name. During the Period of Restriction such electronic book entries and certificates shall bear a restrictive legend to the effect that ownership of such Restricted Shares (and any Retained Distributions), and the enjoyment of all rights appurtenant thereto, are subject to the restrictions, terms, and conditions provided in the Plan and this Agreement. The Participant shall have the right to vote the Restricted Shares awarded to the Participant and to receive and retain all regular dividends paid in cash or property (other than Retained Distributions), and to exercise all other rights, powers and privileges of a holder of shares of the Stock, with respect to such Restricted Shares, with the exception that (a) the Participant shall not be entitled to delivery of the stock certificate or certificates or electronic book entries representing such Restricted Shares until the Forfeiture Restrictions applicable thereto shall have expired, (b) the Company shall retain custody of all Retained Distributions made or declared with respect to the Restricted Shares (and such Retained Distributions shall be subject to the same restrictions, terms and conditions as are applicable to the Restricted Shares) until such time, if ever, as the Restricted Shares with respect to which such Retained Distributions shall have been made, paid, or declared shall have become vested, and such Retained Distributions shall not bear interest or be segregated in separate accounts and (c) the Participant may not sell, assign, transfer, pledge, exchange, encumber, or dispose of the Restricted Shares or any Retained Distributions during the Period of Restriction. Upon issuance any certificates shall be delivered to such depository as may be designated by the Committee as a depository for safekeeping until the forfeiture of such Restricted Shares occurs or the Forfeiture Restrictions lapse, together with stock powers or other instruments of assignment, each endorsed in blank, which will permit transfer to the Company of all or any portion of the Restricted Shares and any securities constituting Retained Distributions which shall be forfeited in accordance with the Plan and this Agreement. In accepting the award set forth in this Agreement the Participant accepts and agrees to be bound by all the terms and conditions of the Plan and this Agreement.
3. Transfer Restrictions . The Shares awarded hereby may not be sold, assigned, pledged, exchanged, hypothecated or otherwise transferred, encumbered or disposed of, to the extent then subject to the Forfeiture Restrictions. Any such attempted sale, assignment, pledge, exchange, hypothecation, transfer, encumbrance or disposition in violation of this Agreement shall be void and the Company shall not be bound thereby. Further, the Shares awarded hereby that are no longer subject to Forfeiture Restrictions may not be sold or otherwise disposed of in any manner that would constitute a violation of any applicable securities laws. The Participant also agrees that the Company may (a) refuse to cause the transfer of the Shares to be registered on the applicable stock transfer records of the Company if such proposed transfer would, in the opinion of counsel satisfactory to the Company, constitute a violation of any applicable securities law and (b) give related instructions to the transfer agent, if any, to stop registration of the transfer of the Shares. The Shares granted hereby are registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission under a Registration Statement on Form S-8. A Prospectus describing the Plan and the Shares is available from the Company.
4. Vesting/Lapse of Period of Restriction . The Restricted Shares awarded hereby are subject to the Forfeiture Restrictions. The Forfeiture Restrictions will lapse as to the Restricted Shares as provided below.
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(a) Vesting in General . The Forfeiture Restrictions will lapse as to the Restricted Shares that are awarded hereby, and the Participant’s right to sell or other dispose of the Restricted Shares shall vest in accordance with the following schedule, provided that the Participant's employment or other service relationship with the Company and its Affiliates has not terminated prior to the applicable lapse date set forth below:
Lapse Date | Cumulative Vested Percentage of Restricted Stock Award | |
First Anniversary of Grant Date | ||
Second Anniversary of Grant Date | ||
Third Anniversary of Grant Date | ||
Fourth Anniversary of Grant Date | ||
Fifth Anniversary of Grant Date |
(b) Termination of Employment or Service for Any Reason. Notwithstanding the vesting schedule set forth in Section 4(a) , upon the Participant’s termination of employment or other service relationship with the Company and its Affiliates for any reason during the applicable Period of Restriction, all non-vested shares of Restricted Shares then subject to Forfeiture Restrictions under this Agreement shall be immediately forfeited to the Company by the Participant and the Participant shall cease to have any rights of a stockholder with respect to such forfeited shares. Upon any such forfeiture, all rights of the Participant to such forfeited shares of Restricted Shares shall cease and terminate, without any further obligation on the part of the Company.
(c) [Change of Control. Notwithstanding the vesting schedule set forth in Section 4(a) , in the event of a Change of Control, the Forfeiture Restrictions shall lapse and the Participant shall be 100% vested in all shares of Restricted Shares subject to this Agreement.]
(d) Issuance of Shares Upon Vesting. Upon the lapse of the Forfeiture Restrictions with respect to Shares awarded hereby the Company shall cause to be delivered to the Participant a stock certificate or electronic book entry representing such Shares, and such Shares shall be transferable by the Participant (except to the extent that any proposed transfer would, in the opinion of counsel satisfactory to the Company, constitute a violation of applicable securities law).
5. Capital Adjustments and Reorganizations . The existence of the Restricted Shares shall not affect in any way the right or power of the Company or any company the stock of which is awarded pursuant to this Agreement to make or authorize any adjustment, recapitalization, reorganization or other change in its capital structure or its business, engage in any merger or consolidation, issue any debt or equity securities, dissolve or liquidate, or sell, lease, exchange or otherwise dispose of all or any part of its assets or business, or engage in any other corporate act or proceeding.
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6. Tax Withholding . To the extent that the receipt of the Restricted Shares or the lapse of any Forfeiture Restrictions results in income to the Participant for federal, state, local or foreign income, employment or other tax purposes with respect to which the Company or its subsidiaries or any other Affiliate has a withholding obligation, the Participant shall deliver to the Company at the time of such receipt or lapse, as the case may be, such amount of money as the Company or its subsidiaries or any other Affiliate may require to meet its obligation under applicable tax laws or regulations, and, if the Participant fails to do so, the Company or its subsidiaries or any other Affiliate is authorized to withhold from the Shares granted hereby or from any cash or stock remuneration then or thereafter payable to the Participant in any capacity any tax required to be withheld by reason of such resulting income, sufficient to satisfy the withholding obligation. The Company shall have no obligation to deliver a stock certificate or electronic book entry for the Shares granted hereby on lapse of the Forfeiture Restrictions until the Company, a proper subsidiary or other Affiliate has received payment sufficient to cover the withholding tax obligations described in this section.
7. Section 83(b) Election . The Participant shall not exercise the election permitted under section 83(b) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended, with respect to the Restricted Shares without the prior written approval of the Chief Financial Officer of the Company. If the Chief Financial Officer of the Company permits the election, the Participant shall timely pay the Company the amount necessary to satisfy the Company’s attendant tax withholding obligations, if any.
8. No Fractional Shares . All provisions of this Agreement concern whole shares. If the application of any provision hereunder would yield a fractional share, such fractional share shall be rounded down to the next whole share if it is less than 0.5 and rounded up to the next whole share if it is 0.5 or more.
9. Employment or Service Relationship . For purposes of this Agreement, the Participant shall be considered to be in the employment of, or service to, the Company and its Affiliates as long as the Participant has an employment or service relationship with the Company and its Affiliates. The Committee shall determine any questions as to whether and when there has been a termination of such employment or service relationship, and the cause of such termination, for purposes of the Plan and the Committee's determination shall be final and binding on all persons.
10. Not an Employment or Service Agreement . This Agreement is not an employment or service agreement, and no provision of this Agreement shall be construed or interpreted to create an employment or other service relationship between the Participant and the Company or any Affiliate, to guarantee the right to remain employed by or in the service of the Company or any Affiliate for any specified term or require the Company or any Affiliate to employ or utilize the services of the Participant for any period of time.
11. Legend . The Participant consents to the placing on the certificate or electronic book entry for the Shares an appropriate legend restricting resale or other transfer of the Shares except in accordance with all applicable securities laws and rules thereunder.
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12. Notices . Any notice, instruction, authorization, request, demand or other communications required hereunder shall be in writing, and shall be delivered either by personal delivery, by telecopy or similar facsimile means, by certified or registered mail, return receipt requested, or by courier or delivery service, addressed to the Company at the Company’s principal business office and addressed to the attention of the Committee and to the Participant at the Participant’s residential address indicated in the records of the Company, or at such other address and number as a party shall have previously designated by written notice given to the other party in the manner hereinabove set forth. Notices shall be deemed given when received, if sent by facsimile means (confirmation of such receipt by confirmed facsimile transmission being deemed receipt of communications sent by facsimile means); and when delivered (or upon the date of attempted delivery where delivery is refused), if hand-delivered, sent by express courier or delivery service, or sent by certified or registered mail, return receipt requested.
13. Amendment and Waiver . Except as otherwise provided herein or in the Plan or as necessary to implement the provisions of the Plan, this Agreement may be amended, modified or superseded only by written instrument executed by the Company and the Participant. Only a written instrument executed and delivered by the party waiving compliance hereof shall waive any of the terms or conditions of this Agreement. Any waiver granted by the Company shall be effective only if executed and delivered by a duly authorized executive officer of the Company other than the Participant. The failure of any party at any time or times to require performance of any provisions hereof shall in no manner affect the right to enforce the same. No waiver by any party of any term or condition, or the breach of any term or condition contained in this Agreement, in one or more instances, shall be construed as a continuing waiver of any such condition or breach, a waiver of any other condition, or the breach of any other term or condition.
14. Dispute Resolution . In the event of any difference of opinion concerning the meaning or effect of the Plan or this Agreement, such difference shall be resolved by the Committee.
15. Governing Law and Severability . The validity, construction and performance of this Agreement shall be governed by the laws of the State of [_______________], excluding any conflicts or choice of law rule or principle that might otherwise refer construction or interpretation of this Agreement to the substantive law of another jurisdiction. The invalidity of any provision of this Agreement shall not affect any other provision of this Agreement, which shall remain in full force and effect.
16. Headings. Headings of Sections are included for convenience of reference only and do not constitute part of this Agreement and shall not be used in construing the terms and provisions of this Agreement.
17. Gender and Number. If the context requires, words of one gender when used in this Agreement will include the other genders, and words used in the singular or plural will include the other.
18. Successors and Assigns . Subject to the limitations which this Agreement imposes upon the transferability of the Shares awarded hereby, this Agreement shall bind, be enforceable by and inure to the benefit of the Company and its successors and assigns, and the Participant, the Participant’s permitted assigns, executors, administrators, agents, legal and personal representatives.
19. Counterparts . This Agreement may be executed in two or more counterparts, each of which shall be an original for all purposes but all of which taken together shall constitute but one and the same instrument.
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In Witness Whereof , the Company has caused this Agreement to be duly executed by an officer thereunto duly authorized, and the Participant has executed this Agreement, all effective as of the date first above written.
C-BOND SYSTEMS, INC. | ||
By: | ||
Name: | ||
Title: | ||
PARTICIPANT: | ||
Name: |
Irrevocable Stock Power
Know all men by these presents, that the undersigned, For Value Received , has bargained, sold, assigned and transferred and by these presents does bargain, sell, assign and transfer unto the Secretary of C-Bond Systems, Inc., a [__________] corporation (the “ Company ”), the Shares transferred pursuant to the Restricted Stock Award Agreement dated effective [______________________, 201___], between the Company and the undersigned; and subject to and in accordance with such Restricted Stock Award Agreement the undersigned does hereby constitute and appoint the Secretary of the Company the undersigned’s true and lawful attorney, IRREVOCABLY, to sell, assign, transfer, hypothecate, pledge and make over all or any part of such Shares and for that purpose to make and execute all necessary acts of assignment and transfer thereof, and to substitute one or more persons with like full power, hereby ratifying and confirming all that said attorney or his substitutes shall lawfully do by virtue hereof.
In Witness Whereof , the undersigned has executed this Irrevocable Stock Power effective the ______ day of __________________, 201____.
Name: |
Exhibit 99.3
C-BOND SYSTEMS,
INC.
2018 LONG-TERM INCENTIVE PLAN
NONQUALIFIED STOCK OPTION AWARD AGREEMENT
C-Bond Systems, Inc., a [____________] corporation (the “ Company ”), has granted an option (the “ Option ”) to purchase shares of the Company’s common stock, [$._____] par value (the “ Stock ”), to the individual whose name is set forth below on the “Name of Optionee” line (“ Optionee ”). The terms and conditions of the Option are set forth in this Nonqualified Stock Option Award Agreement, including the additional terms and conditions attached hereto (this “ Agreement ”), and in the C-Bond Systems, Inc. 2018 Long-Term Incentive Plan (the “ Plan ”), the terms of which are incorporated by reference herein in their entirety. Any term used in this Agreement that is not specifically defined herein shall have the meaning specified in the Plan.
Grant Date: ___________________________, 20____
Name of Optionee: _________________________________________________
Number of Shares of the Stock Covered by the Option: ______________
Option Price per Share of the Stock: $_____.___
By signing this Agreement, you agree to, and agree to be bound by, all of the terms and conditions described in this Agreement, including the additional terms and conditions attached hereto, and in the Plan, a copy of which has been previously made available to you. You acknowledge that you have had an opportunity to carefully reviewed the Plan, and agree that the terms of the Plan will control in the event any provision of this Agreement is inconsistent with the terms of the Plan.
Optionee: | |
(Optionee’s Signature) |
Optionee’s Address: | ||
C-BOND SYSTEMS, INC. | ||
By: | ||
Name: | ||
Title: |
Attachment
this agreement is not a stock certificate or a negotiable instrument
C-BOND
SYSTEMS, INC.
2018 LONG-TERM INCENTIVE PLAN
ADDITIONAL TERMS AND CONDITIONS FOR
NONQUALIFIED STOCK OPTION AWARD AGREEMENT
1. Grant of Option . Subject to the terms of the Plan and this Agreement, on the Grant Date set forth on the first page of this Agreement (the “ Grant Date ”), the Company granted to Optionee the Option to purchase that number of shares of the Stock set forth on the first page of this Agreement, at the Option Price per Share of the Stock set forth on the first page of this Agreement (the “ Option Price ”), subject to adjustment as provided in the Plan.
2. Type of Option . The Option is a nonqualified stock option which is not intended to be governed by section 422 of the Code and will be interpreted accordingly.
3. Optionee’s Agreement . In accepting the Option, Optionee accepts and agrees to be bound by all the terms and conditions of the Plan which pertain to Nonqualified Stock Options (also referred to as “NQSOs”) granted under the Plan.
4. Vesting of Option . Subject to the provisions of the Plan and the provision of this Agreement (including the requirement in Section 6 that Optionee continue to be employed by or in an applicable service relationship with the Company on the dates set forth below), the Option will be exercisable in accordance with the following schedule:
(a) on the first anniversary of the Grant Date, the Option will vest with respect to, and may be exercised for up to, ___________ percent (____%) of the total number of shares of the Stock covered by the Option as set forth on the first page of this Agreement (the “ Option Shares ”);
(b) on each succeeding anniversary of the Grant Date, the Option will vest with respect to, and may be exercised for up to, an additional ___________ percent (____%) of the Option Shares, so that on the ____ anniversary of the Grant Date the Option shall be fully vested and exercisable in full; and
(c) to the extent not exercised, installments shall be cumulative and may be exercised in whole or in part.
Notwithstanding any other provision of this Agreement to the contrary, upon the occurrence of a Change of Control, the Option shall become fully vested and exercisable immediately prior to the occurrence of the Change of Control provided that the Optionee has not incurred a Termination of Employment or Termination of Service and continues to be employed by, a Non-Employee Director or affiliated as a service provider to, the Company or an Affiliate immediately prior to the occurrence of such Change of Control.
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5. Manner of Exercise .
(a) To the extent that the Option is vested and exercisable in accordance with Section 4 of this Agreement and the Plan, the Option may be exercised by Optionee at any time, or from time to time, in whole or in part, on or prior to the termination of the Option (as set forth in Section 6 of this Agreement) upon payment of the Option Price for the Option Shares to be acquired in accordance with the terms and conditions of this Agreement and the Plan and, if applicable, satisfaction of the Company’s tax withholding obligations associated with Optionee’s exercise of the Option.
(b) If Optionee is entitled to exercise the vested and exercisable portion of the Option, and wishes to do so, in whole or part, Optionee shall (i) deliver to the Company, as directed by the Company, a fully completed and executed notice of exercise, in the form set forth on Exhibit A to this Agreement or on such other form as may be designated by the Company in its sole discretion from time to time, specifying the exercise date and the number of Option Shares to be purchased pursuant to such exercise and (ii) remit to the Company, in a form satisfactory to the Company, in its sole discretion, the Option Price for the Option Shares to be acquired on exercise of the Option, plus an amount sufficient to satisfy any withholding tax obligations of the Company that arise in connection with such exercise (as determined by the Company) in accordance with the provisions of the Plan.
(c) The Company’s obligation to deliver shares of the Stock to Optionee under this Agreement is subject to and conditioned upon Optionee satisfying all tax obligations associated with Optionee’s receipt, holding and exercise of the Option. Unless otherwise approved by the Committee, all such tax obligations shall be payable in accordance with the provisions of the Plan. The Company and any Affiliates, as applicable, shall be entitled to deduct from any compensation otherwise due to Optionee the amount necessary to satisfy all such taxes.
(d) Upon full payment of the Option Price and satisfaction of all applicable tax withholding obligations of the Company and its Affiliates that arise in connection with the exercise of the Option, and subject to the applicable terms and conditions of the Plan and the terms and conditions of this Agreement, the Company shall cause certificates for the shares purchased hereunder to be delivered to Optionee or cause an uncertificated book-entry representing such shares to be made.
6. Termination of Option . Unless the Option terminates earlier as provided in this Section 6 the Option shall terminate and become null and void at the close of business at the Company’s Principal Corporate Office on the day before the date of the tenth anniversary of the Grant Date (the “ Option General Expiration Date ”). If Optionee ceases to be an Employee, Non-Employee Director or Third Party Service Provider for any reason the Option shall not continue to vest after such cessation of service as an Employee, Non-Employee Director or Third Party Service Provider. If Optionee is an Employee and incurs a Termination of Employment or is a Non-Employee Director or Third Party Service Provider and incurs a Termination of Service, in either case prior to the Option General Expiration Date, the Option shall terminate and become null and void on the date that is ______________ days following the date of such Termination of Employment or Termination of Service, but in no case later than the Option General Expiration Date; provided, however, that if Termination of Employment or Termination of Service is with cause the Option shall terminate and become null and void on the date of such Termination of Employment or Termination of Service.
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7. Tax Withholding . To the extent that the receipt of the Option or this Agreement, the vesting of the Option or the exercise of the Option results in income to the Optionee for federal, state or local income, employment or other tax purposes with respect to which the Company or its Affiliates have a withholding obligation, the Optionee shall deliver to the Company at the time of such receipt, vesting or exercise, as the case may be, such amount of money as the Company or its Affiliates may require to meet such obligation under applicable tax laws or regulations, and, if the Optionee fails to do so, the Company and any Affiliate is authorized to withhold from the shares of the Stock acquired upon exercise of the Option (based on the Fair Market Value of such shares of the Stock as of the date the amount of tax to be withheld is determined) or from any cash or other remuneration then or thereafter payable to the Optionee any tax required to be withheld by reason of such taxable income, sufficient to satisfy the withholding obligation. As of the Grant Date, the Company has no obligation under any federal, state or local income, employment or other tax law to withhold any taxes with respect to a person who is an independent contractor and, if the Optionee is characterized by the Company as an independent contractor, the Optionee acknowledges and agrees that, until any applicable tax laws are otherwise revised to expressly otherwise provide, he or she, and not the Company, is responsible for all tax reporting and payments with respect to the receipt of the Option or this Agreement, the vesting of the Option or the exercise of the Option and the Optionee agrees to indemnify and hold the Company harmless from all costs and expenses incurred by the Company from the Optionee’s failure to properly report and pay all taxes imposed on an independent contractor granted an option under the Plan.
8. Employment or Service Relationship . For purposes of this Agreement, Optionee shall be considered to be an Employee as long as Optionee has an employment relationship with the Company and its Affiliates and subsidiaries and shall be considered to be a Third Party Service Provider as long as Optionee provides services contemplated by the definition of “Third Party Service Provider” set forth in the Plan. The Committee shall determine any questions as to whether and when there has been a cessation of such employment or service relationship, and the cause of such cessation, for purposes of the Plan and the Committee’s determination shall be final and binding on all persons.
9. Not an Employment or Service Agreement . This Agreement is not an employment or service agreement, and no provision of this Agreement shall be construed or interpreted to create an employment or other service relationship between Optionee and the Company, the Affiliates and subsidiaries or guarantee the right to remain employed by or to continue to provide services to the Company, the Affiliates and subsidiaries, for any specified term or require the Company or any Affiliate or subsidiary to employ or utilize the services of Optionee for any period of time.
10. No Rights As Stockholder . Optionee shall not have any rights as a stockholder with respect to any Option Shares until the date of the issuance of such shares following Optionee’s exercise of the Option pursuant to its terms and conditions and payment of all amounts for and with respect to the shares and all tax obligations. No adjustment shall be made for dividends or other rights for which the record date is prior to the date a certificate or certificates are issued for such shares or an uncertificated book-entry representing such shares is made.
11. Investment Intent. Optionee hereby represents that as of the dates any of the shares of the Stock are acquired by Optionee, such shares shall be acquired for Optionee’s own account, for investment and not with a view to the distribution thereof.
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12. Notices . Any notice, instruction, authorization, request, demand or other communications required hereunder, other than a notice required under Section 5(b) which shall be provided as provided in Section 5(b) , shall be in writing, and shall be delivered either by personal delivery, by telecopy or similar facsimile means, by certified or registered mail, return receipt requested, or by courier or delivery service, addressed to the Company at the then current address of the Company’s Principal Corporate Office, and to the Optionee at the Optionee’s residential address indicated as it appears on the first page of this Agreement, or at such other address and number as a party shall have previously designated by written notice given to the other party in the manner hereinabove set forth. Notices shall be deemed given when received, if sent by facsimile means (confirmation of such receipt by confirmed facsimile transmission being deemed receipt of communications sent by facsimile means); and when delivered (or upon the date of attempted delivery where delivery is refused), if hand-delivered, sent by express courier or delivery service, or sent by certified or registered mail, return receipt requested.
13. Amendment and Waiver . Except as otherwise provided herein or in the Plan or as necessary to implement the provisions of the Plan, this Agreement may be amended, modified or superseded only by written instrument executed by the Company and Optionee. Only a written instrument executed and delivered by the party waiving compliance hereof shall waive any of the terms or conditions of this Agreement. Any waiver granted by the Company shall be effective only if executed and delivered by a duly authorized officer of the Company other than Optionee. The failure of any party at any time or times to require performance of any provisions hereof shall in no manner affect the right to enforce the same. No waiver by any party of any term or condition, or the breach of any term or condition contained in this Agreement, in one or more instances, shall be construed as a continuing waiver of any such condition or breach, a waiver of any other condition, or the breach of any other term or condition.
14. Dispute Resolution . In the event of any difference of opinion concerning the meaning or effect of the Plan or this Agreement, such difference shall be resolved by the Committee.
15. Governing Law and Severability . The validity, construction and performance of this Agreement shall be governed by the laws of the State of [_____________], excluding any conflicts or choice of law rule or principle that might otherwise refer construction or interpretation of this Agreement to the substantive law of another jurisdiction. The invalidity of any provision of this Agreement shall not affect any other provision of this Agreement, which shall remain in full force and effect.
16. Transfer Restrictions . The Option Shares may not be sold or otherwise disposed of in any manner that would constitute a violation of any applicable federal or state securities laws. Optionee also agrees (a) that the Company may refuse to cause the transfer of Option Shares to be registered on the applicable stock transfer records if such proposed transfer would in the opinion of counsel satisfactory to the Company constitute a violation of any applicable securities law and (b) that the Company may give related instructions to the transfer agent, if any, to stop registration of the transfer of the Option Shares.
17. Successors and Assigns . This Agreement shall, except as herein stated to the contrary, bind, be enforceable by and inure to the benefit of the Company and its successors and assigns, and Optionee, Optionees’s permitted assigns, executors, administrators, agents, legal and personal representatives.
18. Counterparts . This Agreement may be executed in one or more counterparts, each of which shall be an original for all purposes but all of which taken together shall constitute but one and the same instrument.
19. Option Transfer Prohibitions . The Option granted to Optionee under this Agreement shall not be transferable or assignable by Optionee other than by will or the laws of descent and distribution, and shall be exercisable during Optionee’s lifetime only by Optionee.
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EXHIBIT A
C-BOND
SYSTEMS, INC.
2018 LONG-TERM INCENTIVE PLAN
NOTICE OF EXERCISE OF OPTION
I was granted by C-Bond Systems, Inc., a [_______________] corporation (the “ Company ”), or I am otherwise validly holding, under the C-Bond Systems, Inc. 2018 Long-Term Incentive Plan (the “ Plan ”), the option described below (the “ Option ”) to purchase shares of the Company’s common stock, $._____ par value (the “ Stock ”):
Date of Grant of the Option: | _________________, 20____ |
Total Number of Shares of the Stock
Subject to the Option: |
_______________________________ |
Option Price per Share of the Stock: | $_________ |
Total Number of Shares of the Stock with respect to which the Option is being exercised: |
_______________ |
Aggregate Option Price Payable: | $____________________ |
Aggregate Withholding Taxes Payable: | $____________________ |
Effective as of the date of the Company’s receipt of this notice, I hereby exercise the Option and purchase that number of shares of the Stock of the Company indicated above that are offered under the Option, at the exercise price per share set forth in the Option, under and pursuant to the terms of the Plan and the award agreement evidencing the Option (the “ Option Agreement ”).
I hereby elect to pay to the Company (a) the aggregate exercise price that is payable by me to the Company as a result of my exercise of the Option (the “ Aggregate Option Price Payable ”) and (b) the taxes and any other amounts that the Company is required by law or otherwise directed by me to withhold with respect to my exercise of the Option (the “ Aggregate Withholding Taxes Payable ”) by (please indicate your election below by placing an “X” on the line for the alternative elected):
____ | enclosing a certified check in the amount of $_____________ in payment of the Aggregate Option Price Payable and the Aggregate Withholding Taxes Payable; or |
____ | authorize and direct the Company to (a) reduce the number of shares of the Stock to be issued as a result of my exercise of the Option by that number of whole shares of the Stock with a value equal to (or as close as reasonably possible to such amount, with any balance to be paid by my attached check) the Aggregate Option Price Payable and the Aggregate Withholding Taxes Payable, and (b) retain, as payment or satisfaction of the Aggregate Option Price Payable and the Aggregate Withholding Taxes Payable, and cancel all rights to such shares of the Stock that are so retained by the Company. |
I hereby direct the Company to issue the shares of the Stock that will be issued as a result of my exercise of the Option to:
Name: | ||||
Address: | ||||
Social Security Number: |
I have attached hereto the original or a copy of the Option Agreement.
I hereby agree to provide such additional documents and information as you may require pursuant to the terms of the Plan and the Option Agreement or as otherwise necessary to be issued the net shares of the Stock to be issued as a result of my exercise of the Option.
Very truly yours, | |||
Name | |||
Date: | , 20___ |
Copy of the
Option Agreement
[To Be Attached]