Tax Benefits Preservation Plan, dated as of March 16, 2019, by and between Acacia Research Corporation and Computershare Inc., as Rights Agent, which includes the form of Certificate of Designation of Series A Cumulative Participating Preferred Stock as Exhibit A, the Form of Right Certificate as Exhibit B and the Summary of Terms as Exhibit C

TAX BENEFITS PRESERVATION PLAN, dated as of March 16, 2019 (the “Agreement”), between Acacia Research Corporation., a Delaware corporation (the “Company”), and Computershare Trust Company, N.A., a federally chartered trust company (the “Rights Agent”).

 

WHEREAS, the Company and certain of its Subsidiaries have generated certain Tax Benefits (as hereinafter defined) for United States federal income tax purposes, such Tax Benefits may potentially provide valuable benefits to the Company, the Company desires to avoid an “ownership change” within the meaning of Section 382 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the “Code”), and the Treasury Regulations (as hereinafter defined) promulgated thereunder, and thereby preserve its ability to utilize such Tax Benefits, and, in furtherance of such objective, the Company desires to enter into this Agreement.

 

WHEREAS, on March 12, 2019, the Board of Directors of the Company (the “Board”) authorized and declared a dividend of one preferred stock purchase right (a “Right”) for each share of Common Stock (as defined below) outstanding at the close of business (as defined below) on March 16, 2019 (the “Record Date”) and authorized the issuance, upon the terms and subject to the conditions herein, of one Right (subject to adjustment) in respect of each share of Common Stock issued after the Record Date, each Right representing the right to purchase, upon the terms and subject to the conditions herein, one one-thousandth (subject to adjustment) of a share of Preferred Stock (as defined below);

 

NOW, THEREFORE, in consideration of the premises and the mutual agreements herein set forth, the parties hereby agree as follows:

 

(a) “Acquiring Person” shall mean any Person who or which, together with all Affiliates and Associates of such Person, shall be the Beneficial Owner of 4.9% or more of the shares of Common Stock then outstanding, but shall not include:

 

(iii)           any employee benefit plan of the Company, or of any Subsidiary of the Company, or any Person organized, appointed or established by the Company for or pursuant to the terms of any such plan;

 

(iv)           any Person who or which becomes the Beneficial Owner of 4.9% or more of the shares of Common Stock then outstanding solely as a result of (A) a reduction in the number of shares of Common Stock outstanding due to the repurchase of shares of Common Stock by the Company (or any Subsidiary of the Company, any employee benefit plan of the Company or of any Subsidiary of the Company, or any Person organized, appointed or established by the Company for or pursuant to the terms of any such plan) or (B) a stock dividend, stock split, reverse stock split or similar transaction effected by the Company, in each case unless and until such Person acquires Beneficial Ownership of additional shares of Common Stock, except solely as the result of any subsequent transaction described in clause (A) or (B) of this Section 1(a)(iv);

 

(v)                  any Person who or which, within ten (10) Business Days of being requested by the Company to advise it regarding the same, certifies to the Company that such Person acquired shares of Common Stock in excess of 4.899% inadvertently or without knowledge of the terms of the Rights and who or which, together with all Affiliates and Associates, thereafter within ten (10) Business Days following such certification reduces such Person’s, together with its Affiliates’ and Associates’, Beneficial Ownership to less than 4.9% of the shares of Common Stock then outstanding; provided, however, that (x) if the Person requested to so certify fails to do so within ten (10) Business Days or breaches or violates such certification, then such Person shall become an Acquiring Person immediately after such ten (10) Business Day period or such breach or violation or (y) if the Person together with its Affiliates and Associates fails to reduce Beneficial Ownership to less than 4.9% within ten (10) Business Days following such certification, then such Person shall become an Acquiring Person immediately after such ten (10) Business Day period;

 

(vi)                any Exempt Person, but only for so long as such Exempt Person, together with such Person’s Affiliates and Associates, does not become the Beneficial Owner of any additional shares of Common Stock while such Person is an Exempt Person, except solely as the result of any transaction described in clause (A) or (B) of Section 1(a)(iv);

 

(vii)              any Person that the Board determines, in its sole discretion, in light of the intent and purposes of this Agreement or other circumstances facing the Company, shall not be deemed an Acquiring Person, for so long as such Person complies with any limitations or conditions required by the Board in making such determination; provided, further that such Person shall be an “Acquiring Person” if the Board makes a contrary determination in good faith; and

 

(viii)            any Person if, on the date that would have been (absent this clause viii) a Stock Acquisition Date with respect to such Person, such Person does not Beneficially Own any Common Stock.

 

(b)                  “Act” shall mean the Securities Act of 1933, as amended.

 

(c)                  “Adjustment Shares” shall have the meaning set forth in Section 11(a)(ii) hereof.

 

(d)                  “Affiliate” and “Associate” shall have the respective meanings ascribed to such terms in Rule 12b-2 of the General Rules and Regulations under the Exchange Act and, to the extent not included within the foregoing, shall also include with respect to any Person, any other Person whose shares of Common Stock would be deemed to be constructively owned by such first Person, owned by a single “entity” with respect to such first Person as defined in Section 1.382-3(a)(1) of the Treasury Regulations, or otherwise aggregated with shares owned by such first Person, pursuant to the provisions of Section 382 of the Code and the Treasury Regulations promulgated thereunder.

 

(e)                  “Agreement” shall have the meaning set forth in the preamble to this Agreement.

 

(f)                   A Person shall be deemed the “Beneficial Owner” of, and shall be deemed to “beneficially own”:

 

(i) any securities that such Person or any of such Person’s Affiliates or Associates owns directly or has the right to acquire (whether such right is exercisable immediately, or only after the passage of time, compliance with regulatory requirements, the fulfillment of a condition, or otherwise) pursuant to any agreement, arrangement or understanding, or upon the exercise of conversion rights, exchange rights, other rights, warrants or options, or otherwise; provided, however, that a Person shall not be deemed the Beneficial Owner of, or to beneficially own, (A) any shares of Common Stock by virtue of owning securities or other interests (including rights, options or warrants) that are convertible or exchangeable into, or exercisable for, such shares of Common Stock, except to the extent that upon the issuance, acquisition or transfer of such securities or other interests, such securities or other interests would be treated as exercised under Section 1.382-4(d) or other applicable sections of the Treasury Regulations, (B) securities tendered pursuant to a tender offer or exchange offer made by or on behalf of such Person or any of such Person’s Affiliates or Associates until such tendered securities are accepted for purchase or exchange or (C) securities issuable upon exercise of Rights; 

 

(ii)               any securities that such Person or any of such Person’s Affiliates or Associates (A) directly or indirectly has the right to vote or dispose of, alone or in concert with others, or (B) beneficially owns, directly or indirectly, for purposes of Section 13(d) of the Exchange Act and Rule 13d-3 of the General Rules and Regulations under the Exchange Act, including, with respect to both clause (A) and clause (B), pursuant to any agreement, arrangement or understanding (whether or not in writing), but only if the effect of such agreement, arrangement or understanding is to treat such Persons as an “entity” under Section 1.382-3(a)(1) of the Treasury Regulations; provided that a Person shall not be deemed the Beneficial Owner of, or to beneficially own, any security under this subparagraph (ii) on account of an agreement, arrangement or understanding to vote such security that (X) arises solely from a revocable proxy given to such Person or any of such Person’s Affiliates or Associates in response to a public proxy solicitation made pursuant to and in accordance with the applicable provisions of the General Rules and Regulations under the Exchange Act, and (Y) is not also then reportable on Schedule 13D under the Exchange Act (or any comparable or successor report); and

 

(iii)             any securities that are beneficially owned, directly or indirectly, by any other Person, if such Person or any of such Person’s Affiliates or Associates has any agreement, arrangement or understanding (whether or not in writing) with such other Person or any of such other Person’s Affiliates or Associates for the purpose of acquiring, holding, voting (other than voting pursuant to a revocable proxy as described in the proviso to Section 1(f)(ii) hereof) or disposing of any securities of the Company, but only if the effect of such agreement, arrangement or understanding is to treat such Persons as an “entity” under Section 1.382-3(a)(1) of the Treasury Regulations.

 

Notwithstanding the foregoing, a Person shall be deemed the “Beneficial Owner” of, and shall be deemed to “beneficially own,” securities if such Person would be deemed constructively to own such securities pursuant to Sections 1.382-2T(h) and 1.382-4(d) of the Treasury Regulations, such Person owns such securities pursuant to a “coordinated acquisition” treated as a single “entity” as defined in Section 1.382-3(a)(1) of the Treasury Regulations, or such securities are otherwise aggregated with securities owned by such Person, pursuant to the provisions of Section 382 of the Code and the Treasury Regulations promulgated thereunder.

 

(h)               “Business Day” shall mean any day other than a Saturday, Sunday or a day on which banking institutions in the State of New York or New Jersey are authorized or obligated by law or executive order to close. 

(i)                 “close of business” on any given date shall mean 5:00 P.M., New York, New York time, on such date; provided, however, that if such date is not a Business Day, it shall mean 5:00 P.M., New York, New York time, on the next succeeding Business Day.

 

(j)                 “Code” shall have the meaning set forth in the recitals to this Agreement.

 

(k)               “Common Stock” shall mean the common stock of the Company of $0.001 par value, except that “Common Stock” when used with reference to any other Person other than the Company shall mean the capital stock of such Person with the greatest voting power, or the equity securities or other equity interest having power to control or direct the management, of such Person (or, if such Person is a Subsidiary of another Person, the Person or Persons that ultimately control such first mentioned Person).

 

(l)                “Common Stock Equivalents” shall have the meaning set forth in Section 11(a)(iii) hereof.

 

(m)             “Company” shall have the meaning set forth in the preamble to this Agreement.

 

(n)               “Current Market Price” shall have the meaning set forth in Section 11(d) hereof.

 

(o)               “Current Value” shall have the meaning set forth in Section 11(a)(iii) hereof.

 

(p)               “Distribution Date” shall have the meaning set forth in Section 3(a) hereof.

 

(q)               “Equivalent Preferred Stock” shall have the meaning set forth in Section 11(b) hereof.

 

(r)                “Exempt Person” shall mean any Person who or which, together with all Affiliates and Associates of such Person, is, as of the Exempt Time, the Beneficial Owner of 4.9% or more of the shares of Common Stock then outstanding. Any Exempt Person who, together with such Person’s Affiliates and Associates, after the Exempt Time becomes the Beneficial Owner of less than 4.9% of the shares of Common Stock then outstanding shall cease to be an Exempt Person and shall be subject to all the provisions of this Agreement in the same manner as any Person who is not and was not an Exempt Person.

 

(s)                “Exempt Time” shall mean the time of the first public announcement of adoption of this Agreement.

 

(t)                “Exchange Act” shall mean the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended.

 

(u)               “Exchange Ratio” shall have the meaning set forth in Section 24(a) hereof.

 

(v)               “Expiration Date” shall have the meaning set forth in Section 7(a) hereof.

 

(w)              “Final Expiration Date” shall have the meaning set forth in Section 7(a) hereof.

 

(x)               “NASDAQ” shall have the meaning set forth in Section 11(d)(i) hereof.

 

(y)               “NOLs” shall mean the Company’s net operating loss carryforwards.

 

(z)               “NYSE” shall have the meaning set forth in Section 11(d)(i) hereof.  

(aa) “Person” shall mean any individual, firm, corporation, partnership, limited liability company, limited liability partnership, trust, syndicate or other entity, or group of persons making a “coordinated acquisition” of Common Stock or otherwise treated as an “entity” within the meaning of Section 1.382-3(a)(1) of the Treasury Regulations or otherwise, and also includes any successor (by merger or otherwise) of any such individual or entity.

 

(bb) “Preferred Stock” shall mean shares of Series B Junior Participating Preferred Stock, par value $0.001, of the Company having the terms set forth in Exhibit A hereto, and, to the extent that there are not a sufficient number of shares of Series B Junior Participating Preferred Stock authorized to permit the full exercise of the Rights, any other series of preferred stock of the Company designated for such purpose containing terms substantially similar to the terms of the Series B Junior Participating Preferred Stock.

 

(cc) “Principal Party” shall have the meaning set forth in Section 13(b) hereof.

(dd) “Purchase Price” shall have the meaning set forth in Section 4(a) hereof.

(ee) “Record Date” shall have the meaning set forth in the recitals of this Agreement.

(ff) “Redemption Price” shall have the meaning set forth in Section 23(a) hereof.

(gg) “Rights” shall have the meaning set forth in the recitals of this Agreement.

(hh) “Rights Agent” shall have the meaning set forth in the preamble of this Agreement.

 

(ii) “Rights Certificates” shall have the meaning set forth in Section 3(a) hereof.

(jj) “Rights Dividend Declaration Date” shall have the meaning set forth in the recitals of this Agreement.

 

(kk) “Section 11(a)(ii) Event” shall mean any event described in Section 11(a)(ii) hereof.

 

(ll) “Section 11(a)(ii) Trigger Date” shall have the meaning set forth in Section 11(a)(iii) hereof.

 

(mm) “Section 13 Event” shall mean any event described in clauses (x), (y) or (z) of Section 13(a) hereof.

 

(nn) “Spread” shall have the meaning set forth in Section 11(a)(iii) hereof.

(oo) “Stock Acquisition Date” shall mean the first date of public announcement (which, for purposes of this definition, shall include a report filed or amended pursuant to Section 13(d) under the Exchange Act) by the Company or an Acquiring Person that an Acquiring Person has become such.

 

(pp) “Subsidiary” shall mean, with reference to any Person, any corporation or other entity of which an amount of securities or other ownership interests having ordinary voting power sufficient to elect at least a majority of the directors or other Persons having similar functions of such corporation or other entity are at the time, directly or indirectly, beneficially owned, or otherwise controlled by such Person.

 

(qq) “Substitution Period” shall have the meaning set forth in Section 11(a)(iii) hereof.

 

(rr) “Tax Benefits” shall mean the net operating loss carryovers, capital loss carryovers, general business credit carryovers, alternative minimum tax credit carryovers and foreign tax credit carryovers, as well as any loss or deduction attributable to a “net unrealized built-in loss” within the meaning of Section 382 of the Code and the Treasury Regulations promulgated thereunder, of the Company or any of its Subsidiaries.

 

(ss) “Trading Day” shall have the meaning set forth in Section 11(d)(i) hereof.

(tt) “Treasury Regulations” shall mean the final and temporary (but not proposed) tax regulations promulgated under the Code, as such regulations may be amended from time to time.

 

(uu) “Triggering Event” shall mean any Section 11(a)(ii) Event or any Section 13 Event.

Section 2 Appointment of Rights Agent. The Company hereby appoints the Rights Agent to act as agent for the Company in accordance with the express terms and conditions hereof (and no implied terms or conditions), and the Rights Agent hereby accepts such appointment. The Company may from time to time appoint such co-rights agents as it may deem necessary or desirable upon ten (10) days’ prior written notice to the Rights Agent setting forth the respective rights and duties of the Rights Agent and any co-rights agent. The Rights Agent shall have no duty to supervise, and in no event shall be liable for, the acts or omissions of any such co-rights agent.

 

Section 3 Issuance of Rights Certificates.

(a) Until the earlier of (i) the close of business on the tenth (10th) Business Day after the Stock Acquisition Date (or, if the tenth (10th) Business Day after the Stock Acquisition Date occurs before the Record Date, the close of business on the Record Date), or (ii) the close of business on the tenth (10th) Business Day (or such later date as the Board shall determine) after the date that a tender or exchange offer by any Person (other than the Company, any Subsidiary of the Company, any employee benefit plan of the Company or of any Subsidiary of the Company, or any Person organized, appointed or established by the Company for or pursuant to the terms of any such plan) is first published or sent or given within the meaning of Rule 14d-2(a) of the General Rules and Regulations under the Exchange Act, if upon consummation thereof, such Person would become an Acquiring Person (the earlier of (i) and (ii) being herein referred to as the “Distribution Date”), (x) the Rights will be evidenced (subject to the provisions of paragraphs (b) and (c) of this Section 3) by the certificates evidencing the Common Stock registered in the names of the holders of the Common Stock (which certificates evidencing the Common Stock shall be deemed also to be certificates evidencing the Rights) and not by separate certificates (or, for uncertificated shares registered in book entry form, by notations in the respective book entry accounts for the Common Stock), and (y) the Rights will be transferable only in connection with the transfer of the underlying shares of Common Stock (including a transfer to the Company). The Company promptly shall notify the Rights Agent in writing upon the occurrence of the Distribution Date and, if such notification is given orally, the Company shall confirm the same in writing on or prior to the next following Business Day. Until such notice is received by the Rights Agent, the Rights Agent may presume conclusively for all purposes that the Distribution Date has not occurred. As soon as practicable after the Distribution Date and receipt by the Rights Agent of notice of such occurrence, the Rights Agent, if requested by the Company in writing and provided with all necessary information and documentation, will, subject to the following sentence, send by first-class, insured, postage prepaid mail (or such other means as may be selected by the Company and not reasonably objected to by the Rights Agent), to each record holder of the Common Stock as of the close of business on the Distribution Date, at the address of such holder then shown on the records of the Company or the transfer agent or the registrar for the Common Stock, one or more rights certificates, in substantially the form of Exhibit B hereto (the “Rights Certificates”), duly executed and countersigned in the manner provided for in Section 5(a) hereof, evidencing one Right for each share of Common Stock so held, subject to adjustment as provided herein. To the extent that a Section 11(a)(ii) Event has also occurred, the Company may implement such procedures, as it deems appropriate in its sole discretion, (with prompt written notice of the same to the Rights Agent), to minimize the possibility that Rights are received by Persons whose Rights would be null and void under Section 7(e) hereof. In the event that an adjustment in the number of Rights per share of Common Stock has been made pursuant to Section 11(p) hereof, at the time of distribution of the Rights Certificates, the Company shall make the necessary and appropriate rounding adjustments (in accordance with Section 4(a) hereof) so that Rights Certificates representing only whole numbers of Rights are distributed and cash is paid in lieu of any fractional Rights. As of and after the Distribution Date, the Rights will be evidenced solely by such Rights Certificates and may be transferred by the transfer of the Rights Certificates as permitted hereby, separately and apart from any transfer of one or more shares of Common Stock, and the holders of such Rights Certificates as listed in the records of the Company or any transfer agent or registrar for the Rights shall be the record holders thereof. 

 

(b)             The Company will make available, as promptly as practicable following the date hereof, a copy of the Summary of Rights to any holder of Rights who may so request from time to time prior to the Expiration Date. With respect to certificates evidencing the Common Stock outstanding as of the Record Date, or issued subsequent to the Record Date, unless and until the Distribution Date shall occur, the Rights will be evidenced by the certificates for the Common Stock (or, in the case of shares reflected on the direct registration system, the notations in the book-entry account system of the transfer agent for the Common Stock) and the registered holders of the Common Stock shall also be the registered holders of the associated Rights. Until the earlier of the Distribution Date or the Expiration Date, the transfer of any shares of Common Stock in respect of which Rights have been issued shall also constitute the transfer of the Rights associated with such shares of Common Stock. Notwithstanding anything to the contrary set forth in this Agreement, upon the effectiveness of a redemption pursuant to Section 23 hereof or an exchange pursuant to Section 24 hereof, the Company shall not thereafter issue any additional Rights and, for the avoidance of doubt, no Rights shall be attached to or shall be issued with any shares of Common Stock (including any shares of Common Stock issued pursuant to an exchange) at any time thereafter.

 

(c)             Rights shall be issued in respect of all shares of Common Stock that are issued (whether originally issued or delivered from the Company’s treasury) after the Record Date but prior to the earlier of the Distribution Date or the Expiration Date or, in certain circumstances provided in Section 22 hereof, after the Distribution Date. Certificates representing

such shares of Common Stock shall also be deemed to be certificates for Rights, and shall bear a legend in substantially the following form if such certificates are issued after the Exempt Time but prior to the earlier of the Distribution Date or the Expiration Date:

 

This certificate also evidences and entitles the holder hereof to certain Rights as set forth in the Tax Benefits Preservation Plan between Acacia Research Corporation (the “Company”) and Computershare Trust Company, N.A. (or any successor Rights Agent) (the “Rights Agent”) dated as of March 16, 2019 as it may be supplemented, amended or restated from time to time (the “Tax Benefits Preservation Plan”), the terms of which are hereby incorporated herein by reference and a copy of which is on file at the principal offices of the Company. Under certain circumstances, as set forth in the Tax Benefits Preservation Plan, such Rights will be evidenced by separate certificates and will no longer be evidenced by this certificate. The Company will mail to the holder of this certificate a copy of the Tax Benefits Preservation Plan, as in effect on the date of mailing, without charge, promptly after receipt of a written request therefor. Under certain circumstances set forth in the Tax Benefits Preservation Plan, Rights issued to, or held by, any Person who is, was or becomes an Acquiring Person or any Affiliate or Associate thereof (as such terms are defined in the Tax Benefits Preservation Plan), whether currently held by or on behalf of such Person or by any subsequent holder, may become null and void. 

 

With respect to such certificates containing the foregoing legend, until the earlier of (i) the Distribution Date or (ii) the Expiration Date, the Rights associated with the Common Stock represented by such certificates shall be evidenced by such certificates alone and registered holders of Common Stock shall also be the registered holders of the associated Rights, and the transfer of any of such certificates shall also constitute the transfer of the Rights associated with the Common Stock represented by such certificates. Similarly, during such time periods, transfers of shares participating in the direct registration system shall also be deemed to be transfers of the associated Rights. In the case of any shares participating in the direct registration system, the Company shall cause the transfer agent for the Common Stock to include on each direct registration account statement with respect thereto issued prior to the Distribution Date a notation to the effect that the Company will mail to the stockholder a copy of this Agreement, as in effect on the date of mailing, without charge, promptly after receipt of a written request therefor and that the recipient of the statement, as a holder of shares of Common Stock, may have certain rights thereunder. In the event that shares of the Common Stock are not represented by certificates, references in this Agreement to certificates shall be deemed to refer to the notations in the book-entry accounts reflecting ownership of such shares.

 

Section 4 Form of Rights Certificates.

(a)                The Rights Certificates (and the forms of election to purchase and of assignment to be printed on the reverse thereof) shall each be substantially in the form set forth in Exhibit B hereto and may have such changes or marks of identification or designation and such legends, summaries or endorsements printed thereon as the Company may deem appropriate and as are not inconsistent with the provisions of this Agreement and which do not affect the rights, duties, liabilities or responsibilities of the Rights Agent, or as may be required to comply with any applicable law or with any rule or regulation made pursuant thereto or with any applicable rule or regulation of any stock exchange on which the Rights may from time to time be listed, or to conform to usage. Subject to the provisions of Section 11 and Section 22 hereof, the Rights Certificates, whenever distributed, shall be dated as of the Record Date and on their face shall entitle the holders thereof to purchase such number of one one-thousandths of a share of Preferred Stock as shall be set forth therein at the price set forth therein (such exercise price per one one-thousandths of a share, the “Purchase Price”), but the amount and type of securities purchasable upon the exercise of each Right and the Purchase Price thereof shall be subject to adjustment as provided herein.

 

(b)               Any Rights Certificate issued pursuant to Section 3(a), Section 11(i) or Section 22 hereof that represents Rights beneficially owned by: (i) an Acquiring Person or any Associate or Affiliate of an Acquiring Person, (ii) a transferee of an Acquiring Person (or of any Associate or Affiliate of an Acquiring Person) who becomes a transferee after the Acquiring Person becomes such, or (iii) a transferee of an Acquiring Person (or of any Associate or Affiliate of an Acquiring Person) who becomes a transferee prior to or concurrently with the Acquiring Person becoming such and receives such Rights pursuant to either (A) a transfer (whether or not for consideration) from the Acquiring Person (or an Associate or Affiliate of the Acquiring Person) to holders of equity interests in such Acquiring Person or to any Person with whom the Acquiring Person (or an Associate or Affiliate of the Acquiring Person) has any continuing agreement, arrangement or understanding (whether or not in writing) regarding the transferred Rights or (B) a transfer that the Board has determined is part of a plan, arrangement or understanding (whether or not in writing) that has as a primary purpose or effect the avoidance of Section 7(e) hereof, and any Rights Certificate issued pursuant to Section 6 or Section 11 hereof upon transfer, exchange, replacement or adjustment of any other Rights Certificate referred to in this sentence, shall contain (if the Company and the Rights Agent have knowledge that such Person is an Acquiring Person or an Associate or Affiliate thereof or transferee of such Persons or a nominee of any of the foregoing and to the extent feasible and only if the Company has provided specific written instructions to the Rights Agent) a legend in substantially the following form:

 

 

The Rights represented by this Rights Certificate are or were beneficially owned by a Person who was or became an Acquiring Person or an Affiliate or Associate of an Acquiring Person (as such terms are defined in the Tax Benefits Preservation Plan between Acacia Research Corporation and Computershare Trust Company, N.A. (or any successor Rights Agent) dated as of March 16, 2019, as it may be supplemented, amended or restated from time to time (the “Tax Benefits Preservation Plan”)). Accordingly, this Rights Certificate and the Rights represented hereby may become null and void in the circumstances specified in Section 7(e) of the Tax Benefits Preservation Plan.

 

Section 5 Countersignature and Registration.

(a)             The Rights Certificates shall be executed on behalf of the Company by its Chairman of the Board, its Chief Executive Officer, its President or any Vice President, either manually or by facsimile signature, and shall have affixed thereto the Company’s seal or a facsimile thereof which shall be attested by the General Counsel of the Company, either manually or by facsimile signature. The Rights Certificates shall be countersigned by an authorized signatory of the Rights Agent, either manually or by facsimile signature and shall not be valid for any purpose unless so countersigned. In case any officer of the Company who shall have signed any of the Rights Certificates shall cease to be such officer of the Company before countersignature by an authorized signatory of the Rights Agent and issuance and delivery by the Company, such Rights Certificates, nevertheless, may be countersigned by an authorized signatory of the Rights Agent and issued and delivered by the Company with the same force and effect as though the person who signed such Rights Certificates had not ceased to be such officer of the Company; and any Rights Certificates may be signed on behalf of the Company by any person who, at the actual date of the execution of such Rights Certificate, shall be a proper officer of the Company to sign such Rights Certificate, although at the date of the execution of this Agreement any such person was not such an officer. In case any authorized signatory of the Rights Agent who has countersigned any of the Rights Certificates ceases to be an authorized signatory of the Rights Agent before issuance and delivery by the Company, such Rights Certificates, nevertheless, may be issued and delivered by the Company with the same force and effect as though the person who countersigned such Rights Certificates had not ceased to be an authorized signatory of the Rights Agent; and any Rights Certificates may be countersigned on behalf of the Rights Agent by any person who, at the actual date of the countersignature of such Rights Certificate, is properly authorized to countersign such Rights Certificate, although at the date of the execution of this Agreement any such person was not so authorized.

 

(b)             Following the Distribution Date and receipt by the Rights Agent of notice of such occurrence and of all other necessary or relevant information and documentation, as provided in Section 3(a) hereof, the Rights Agent will keep, or cause to be kept, at its office or offices designated as the appropriate place for surrender of Rights Certificates upon exercise or transfer, books for registration and transfer of the Rights Certificates issued hereunder. Such books shall show the names and addresses of the respective holders of the Rights Certificates, the number of Rights evidenced on its face by each of the Rights Certificates and the date of each of the Rights Certificates.

 

Section 6 Transfer, Split Up, Combination and Exchange of Rights Certificates; Mutilated, Destroyed, Lost or Stolen Rights Certificates. 

(a)                Subject to the provisions of Section 4(b), Section 7(e) and Section 14 hereof, at any time after the close of business on the Distribution Date, and at or prior to the close of business on the Expiration Date, any Rights Certificate or Certificates (other than Rights Certificates representing Rights that have become null and void pursuant to Section 7(e) hereof or that may have been redeemed or exchanged pursuant to Section 24 hereof) may be transferred, split up, combined or exchanged for another Rights Certificate or Certificates, entitling the registered holder to purchase a like number of one one-thousandths of a share of Preferred Stock (or, following a Triggering Event, Common Stock, other securities, cash or other assets, as the case may be) as the Rights Certificate or Certificates surrendered then entitles such holder (or former holder in the case of a transfer) to purchase. Any registered holder desiring to transfer, split up, combine or exchange any Rights Certificate or Certificates shall make such request in writing delivered to the Rights Agent, and shall surrender the Rights Certificate or Certificates to be transferred, split up, combined or exchanged, with the form of assignment and certificate contained therein properly completed and duly executed and with all signatures guaranteed, at the office or offices of the Rights Agent designated for such purpose. Notwithstanding anything in this Agreement to the contrary, neither the Rights Agent nor the Company shall be obligated to take any action whatsoever with respect to the transfer of any such surrendered Rights Certificate until the registered holder thereof shall have (i) properly completed and duly executed the certificate contained in the form of assignment on the reverse side of such Rights Certificate, (ii) provided such additional evidence of the identity of the Beneficial Owner (or former Beneficial Owner) or Affiliates or Associates thereof as the Company or the Rights Agent shall reasonably request, and (iii) paid a sum sufficient to cover any tax or charge that may be imposed in connection with any transfer, split up, combination or exchange of Rights Certificates as required by Section 9(e) hereof. Thereupon the Rights Agent shall, subject to Section 4(b), Section 7(e), Section 14 and Section 24 hereof, countersign and deliver to the Person entitled thereto a Rights Certificate or Certificates, as the case may be, as so requested, registered in such name or names as may be designated by the surrendering registered holder. The Rights Agent shall promptly

forward any such sum collected by it to the Company or to such Persons as the Company may specify by written notice. The Rights Agent shall have no duty or obligation to take any action under any section of this Agreement related to the exchange, issuance or delivery of Rights Certificates or which requires payment by a Rights holder of applicable taxes or charges unless and until it is satisfied that all such taxes and/or charges have been paid.

 

(b)               Upon receipt by the Company and the Rights Agent of evidence reasonably satisfactory to them of the loss, theft, destruction or mutilation of a Rights Certificate, and, in case of loss, theft or destruction, of indemnity or security satisfactory to them, along with a signature guarantee and such other and further documentation as the Company or the Rights Agent may reasonably request, and reimbursement to the Company and the Rights Agent of all reasonable expenses incidental thereto, and upon surrender to the Rights Agent and cancellation of the Rights Certificate, if mutilated, the Company will execute and deliver a new Rights Certificate of like tenor to the Rights Agent for countersignature and delivery to the registered holder thereof in lieu of the Rights Certificate so lost, stolen, destroyed or mutilated.

 

Section 7 Exercise of Rights; Purchase Price; Expiration Date of Rights.

(a) Subject to (e) hereof, at any time after the Distribution Date the registered holder of any Rights Certificate may exercise the Rights evidenced thereby (except as otherwise provided herein including the restrictions on exercisability set forth in Section 9(c) and Section 11(a)(iii)) in whole or in part upon surrender of the Rights Certificate, with the form of election to purchase and the certificate on the reverse side thereof properly completed and duly executed, to the Rights Agent at the office or offices of the Rights Agent designated for such purpose, together with payment of the aggregate Purchase Price with respect to the total number of one one-thousandths of a share of Preferred Stock (or other securities, cash or other assets, as the case may be) as to which such surrendered Rights are then exercisable, and an amount equal to any tax or charge required to be paid under Section 9(e) hereof, at or prior to the earliest of (i) 5:00 P.M., New York, New York time, on March 15, 2021 (such date, the “Final Expiration Date”), (ii) the time at which the Rights are redeemed as provided in Section 23 hereof, (iii) the time at which the Rights are exchanged as provided in Section 24 hereof, (iv) the close of business on the effective date of the repeal of Section 382 of the Code if the Board determines that this Agreement is no longer necessary or desirable for the preservation of Tax Benefits or (v) the close of business on the first day of a taxable year of the Company to which the Board of Directors of the Company determines that no Tax Benefits may be carried forward (the earliest of (i) - (v) being herein referred to as the “Expiration Date”). The obligations of the Rights Agent under this Agreement shall terminate upon the earlier of the Expiration Date and such time as all outstanding Rights have been exercised, redeemed or exchanged hereunder (other than Rights which have become null and void pursuant to the provisions of Section 7(e) hereof); provided, that following such termination the Rights Agent shall be required to complete all of its outstanding work and all work, if any, required to be performed by it under this Agreement in connection with such expiration, exercise, redemption or exchange. 

 

(b)             The Purchase Price for each one one-thousandth of a share of Preferred Stock pursuant to the exercise of a Right initially shall be $12.00, shall be subject to adjustment from time to time as provided in Section 11 and Section 13(a) hereof and shall be payable in accordance with paragraph (c) below.

 

(c)             Subject to (e) hereof, upon receipt of a Rights Certificate representing exercisable Rights, with the form of election to purchase and the certificate properly completed and duly executed, accompanied by payment, with respect to each Right so exercised, of the Purchase Price per one one-thousandth of a share of Preferred Stock (or other shares, securities, cash or other assets, as the case may be) to be purchased as set forth below and an amount equal to any tax or charge required to be paid under Section 9(e) hereof, the Rights Agent shall, subject to Section 7(f) and Section 20(k) hereof, thereupon promptly (i) (A) requisition from any transfer agent of the shares of Preferred Stock (or make available, if the Rights Agent is the transfer agent for such shares) certificates for the total number of one one-thousandths of a share of Preferred Stock to be purchased and the Company hereby irrevocably authorizes and directs each such transfer agent to comply with all such requests, or (B) if the Company shall have elected to deposit the total number of shares of Preferred Stock issuable upon exercise of the Rights hereunder with a depositary agent, requisition from the depositary agent depositary receipts representing such number of one one-thousandths of a share of Preferred Stock as are to be purchased (in which case certificates for the shares of Preferred Stock represented by such receipts shall be deposited by the transfer agent with the depositary agent) and the Company hereby irrevocably authorizes and directs each such depositary agent to comply with such request, (ii) when necessary to comply with this Agreement, requisition from the Company the amount of cash, if any, to be paid in lieu of the issuance of fractional shares in accordance with Section 14 hereof, (iii) after receipt of such certificates or depositary receipts, cause the same to be delivered to or, upon the order of the registered holder of such Rights Certificate, registered in such name or names as may be designated by such holder, and (iv) when necessary to comply with this Agreement, after receipt thereof, deliver such cash, if any, to or upon the order of the registered holder of such Rights Certificate. The payment of the Purchase Price (as such amount may be reduced pursuant to Section 11(a)(iii) hereof) and an amount equal to any tax or charge required to be paid under Section 9(e) hereof, shall be made in cash or by certified bank check or bank draft payable to the order of the Company. In the event that the Company is obligated to issue other securities (including Common Stock) of the Company, pay cash and/or distribute other property pursuant to Section 11(a) hereof,

the Company will make all arrangements necessary so that such other securities, cash and/or other property are available for distribution by the Rights Agent, if and when necessary to comply with this Agreement. The Company reserves the right to require prior to the occurrence of a Triggering Event that, upon any exercise of Rights, a number of Rights be exercised so that only whole shares of Preferred Stock would be issued. 

 

(d)             In case the registered holder of any Rights Certificate shall properly exercise less than all the Rights evidenced thereby, a new Rights Certificate evidencing the Rights remaining unexercised shall be issued by the Rights Agent and, if requested and provided with all necessary information and documents by the registered holder of Rights Certificates, delivered to, or upon the order of, the registered holder of such Rights Certificate or to its duly authorized assigns, registered in such name or names as may be designated by such holder, subject to the provisions of Section 14 hereof.

 

(e)             Notwithstanding anything in this Agreement to the contrary, from and after the first occurrence of a Section 11(a)(ii) Event, any Rights beneficially owned by (i) an Acquiring Person or an Associate or Affiliate of an Acquiring Person, (ii) a transferee of an Acquiring Person (or of any Associate or Affiliate of an Acquiring Person) who becomes a transferee after the Acquiring Person becomes such, or (iii) a transferee of an Acquiring Person (or of any Associate or Affiliate of an Acquiring Person) who becomes a transferee prior to or concurrently with the Acquiring Person becoming such and receives such Rights pursuant to either (A) a transfer (whether or not for consideration) from the Acquiring Person (or an Associate or Affiliate of the Acquiring Person) to holders of equity interests in such Acquiring Person (or such Associate or Affiliate of an Acquiring Person) or to any Person with whom the Acquiring Person (or an Associate or Affiliate of the Acquiring Person) has any continuing agreement, arrangement or understanding (whether or not in writing) regarding the transferred Rights or (B) a transfer that the Board has determined is part of a plan, arrangement or understanding that has as a primary purpose or effect the avoidance of this (e), shall become null and void without any further action and no holder of such Rights shall have any rights whatsoever with respect to such Rights, or any Rights Certificate which formerly evidenced such Rights, whether under any provision of this Agreement or otherwise. The Company shall notify the Rights Agent when this (e) and/or Section 4(b) hereof applies and shall use all reasonable efforts to ensure that the provisions of this (e) and Section 4(b) hereof are complied with, but neither the Company nor the Rights Agent shall have any liability or obligation to any holder of Rights Certificates or any other Person as a result of the Company’s failure to make any determinations with respect to an Acquiring Person or any of such Acquiring Person’s Affiliates, Associates or their respective transferees hereunder. Until such notice is received by the Rights Agent, the Rights Agent shall have no duties, responsibilities or obligations with respect to this (e) and Section 4(b) hereof and shall be deemed not to have any knowledge of the identity of any such Acquiring Person, Associate or Affiliate, or the nominee of any of the foregoing.

 

(f)              Notwithstanding anything in this Agreement to the contrary, neither the Rights Agent nor the Company shall be obligated to undertake any action with respect to a registered holder of Rights or other securities upon the occurrence of any purported exercise as set forth in this Section 7 unless such registered holder shall have (i) properly completed and duly executed the certificate contained in the form of election to purchase set forth on the reverse side of the Rights Certificate surrendered for such exercise, and (ii) provided such additional evidence of the identity of the Beneficial Owner (or former Beneficial Owner) or Affiliates or Associates thereof as the Company or the Rights Agent shall reasonably request.

 

Section 8 Cancellation and Destruction of Rights Certificates. All Rights Certificates surrendered for the purpose of exercise, transfer, split up, combination, redemption or exchange shall, if surrendered to the Company or any of its agents, be delivered to the Rights Agent for cancellation or in cancelled form, or, if surrendered to the Rights Agent, shall be cancelled by it, and no Rights Certificates shall be issued in lieu thereof except as expressly permitted by any of the provisions of this Agreement. The Company shall deliver to the Rights Agent for cancellation and retirement, and the Rights Agent shall so cancel and retire, any other Rights Certificate purchased or acquired by the Company otherwise than upon the exercise thereof. The Rights Agent shall deliver all cancelled Rights Certificates to the Company, or shall, at the written request of the Company, destroy such cancelled Rights Certificates, and in such case shall deliver a certificate of destruction thereof to the Company. 

 

(a)                The Company covenants and agrees that it will cause to be reserved and kept available out of its authorized and unissued shares of Preferred Stock (and, following the occurrence of a Triggering Event, out of its authorized and unissued shares of Common Stock and/or other securities or out of its authorized and issued shares held in its treasury), the number of shares of Preferred Stock (and, following the occurrence of a Triggering Event, Common Stock and/or other securities) that, as provided in this Agreement including Section 11(a)(iii) hereof, will be sufficient to permit the exercise in full of all outstanding Rights.

 

(b)               So long as the shares of Preferred Stock (and, following the occurrence of a Triggering Event, Common Stock and/or other securities) issuable and deliverable upon the exercise of the Rights may be listed on any national securities exchange, the Company shall use its best efforts to cause, from and after such time as the Rights become exercisable

(but only to the extent that it is reasonably likely that the Rights will be exercised), all shares reserved for such issuance to be listed on such exchange upon official notice of issuance upon such exercise.

 

(c)                The Company shall use its best efforts to (i) file, as soon as practicable following the earliest date after the first occurrence of a Section 11(a)(ii) Event on which the consideration to be delivered by the Company upon exercise of the Rights has been determined in accordance with Section 11(a)(iii) hereof, a registration statement under the Act, with respect to the securities purchasable upon exercise of the Rights on an appropriate form, (ii) cause such registration statement to become effective as soon as practicable after such filing, and (iii) cause such registration statement to remain effective (with a prospectus at all times meeting the requirements of the Act) until the earlier of (A) the date as of which the Rights are no longer exercisable for such securities, and (B) the Expiration Date. The Company will also take such action as may be appropriate under, or to ensure compliance with, the securities or “blue sky” laws of the various states in connection with the exercisability of the Rights. The Company may temporarily suspend, for a period of time not to exceed ninety (90) days after the date set forth in clause (i) of the first sentence of this Section 9(c), the exercisability of the Rights in order to prepare and file such registration statement and permit it to become effective. Upon any such suspension, the Company shall issue a public announcement stating that the exercisability of the Rights has been temporarily suspended, as well as a public announcement at such time as the suspension has been rescinded. In addition, if the Company shall determine that a registration statement is required following the Distribution Date, the Company may temporarily suspend the exercisability of the Rights until such time as a registration statement has been declared effective and give prompt written notice of the same to the Rights Agent. Notwithstanding any provision of this Agreement to the contrary, the Rights shall not be exercisable in any jurisdiction if the requisite qualification in such jurisdiction shall not have been obtained, the exercise thereof shall not be permitted under applicable law, or a registration statement in respect thereof shall not have been declared effective. The Company shall promptly notify the Rights Agent in writing after it makes a public announcement pursuant to this Section 9(c) and furnish the Rights Agent with a copy of such announcement(s).

 

(d)               The Company covenants and agrees that it will take all such action as may be necessary to ensure that all one one-thousandths of a share of Preferred Stock (and, following the occurrence of a Triggering Event, Common Stock and/or other securities) delivered upon exercise of Rights shall, at the time of delivery of the certificates for such shares (subject to payment of the Purchase Price), be duly and validly authorized and issued and fully paid and nonassessable. 

(e) The Company further covenants and agrees that it will pay when due and payable any and all taxes and charges that may be payable in respect of the issuance or delivery of the Rights Certificates and of any certificates for a number of one one-thousandths of a share of Preferred Stock (or Common Stock and/or other securities, as the case may be) upon the exercise of Rights. Neither the Rights Agent nor the Company shall, however, be required to pay any tax or charge that may be payable in respect of any transfer or delivery of Rights Certificates to a Person other than, or the issuance or delivery of a number of one one-thousandths of a share of Preferred Stock (or Common Stock and/or other securities, as the case may be) in respect of a name other than that of the registered holder of the Rights Certificates evidencing Rights surrendered for exercise, nor shall the Rights Agent or the Company be required to register for transfer, issue or deliver any certificates for a number of one one-thousandths of a share of Preferred Stock (or Common Stock and/or other securities, as the case may be) in a name other than that of the registered holder upon the exercise of any Rights until such tax or charge shall have been paid (any such tax or charge being payable by the holder of such Rights Certificates at the time of surrender) or until it has been established to the Company’s and the Rights Agent’s satisfaction that no such tax or charge is due.

 

Section 10 Preferred Stock Record Date. Each Person in whose name any certificate evidencing a number of one one-thousandths of a share of Preferred Stock (or Common Stock and/or other securities, as the case may be) is issued upon the exercise of Rights shall for all purposes be deemed to have become the holder of record of such fractional shares of Preferred Stock (or Common Stock and/or other securities, as the case may be) represented thereby on, and such certificate shall be dated, the date upon which the Rights Certificate evidencing such Rights was duly surrendered and payment of the Purchase Price (and all applicable taxes and charges) was duly made; provided, however, that if the date of such surrender and payment is a date upon which the Preferred Stock (or Common Stock and/or other securities, as the case may be) transfer books of the Company are closed, such Person shall be deemed to have become the record holder of such shares (fractional or otherwise) on, and such certificate shall be dated, the next succeeding Business Day on which the Preferred Stock (or Common Stock and/or other securities, as the case may be) transfer books of the Company are open. Prior to the exercise of the Rights evidenced thereby, the holder of a Rights Certificate shall not be entitled to any rights of a stockholder of the Company with respect to shares for which the Rights shall be exercisable, including the right to vote, to receive dividends or other distributions or to exercise any preemptive rights, and shall not be entitled to receive any notice of any proceedings of the Company, except as expressly provided herein.

 

Section 11 Adjustment of Purchase Price, Number and Kind of Shares or Number of Rights. The Purchase Price, the number and kind of shares covered by each Right and the number of Rights outstanding are subject to adjustment from time to time as provided in this Section 11.

 

(a)       (i) In the event the Company shall at any time after the date of this Agreement (A) declare a dividend on the Preferred Stock payable in shares of Preferred Stock, (B) subdivide or split the outstanding shares of Preferred Stock, (C) combine or consolidate the outstanding shares of Preferred Stock into a smaller number of shares, through a reverse stock split or otherwise, or (D) issue any shares of its capital stock in a reclassification of the Preferred Stock (including any such reclassification in connection with a consolidation or merger in which the Company is the continuing or surviving corporation), except as otherwise provided in this Section 11(a) and Section 7(e) hereof, the Purchase Price in effect at the time of the record date for such dividend or of the effective date of such subdivision, split, combination, consolidation or reclassification, and the number and kind of shares of Preferred Stock or capital stock, as the case may be, issuable on such date, shall be proportionately adjusted so that the holder of any Right exercised after such time shall be entitled to receive, upon payment of the Purchase Price then in effect, the aggregate number and kind of shares of Preferred Stock or capital stock, as the case may be, that, if such Right had been exercised immediately prior to such date and at a time when the Preferred Stock transfer books of the Company were open, such holder would have owned upon such exercise and been entitled to receive by virtue of such dividend, subdivision, split, combination, consolidation or reclassification. If an event occurs that would require an adjustment under both this Section 11(a)(i) and Section 11(a)(ii) hereof, the adjustment provided for in this Section 11(a)(i) shall be in addition to, and shall be made prior to, any adjustment required pursuant to Section 11(a)(ii) hereof. 

 

(ii)             Subject to Section 24 hereof, in the event that any Person shall, at any time after the Rights Dividend Declaration Date, become an Acquiring Person, unless the event causing such Person to become an Acquiring Person is a transaction set forth in Section 13(a) hereof, then, promptly following the occurrence of such event, proper provision shall be made so that each holder of a Right (except as provided below and in Section 7(e) hereof) shall thereafter have the right to receive, upon exercise thereof at the then current Purchase Price in accordance with the terms of this Agreement, in lieu of a number of one one-thousandths of a share of Preferred Stock, such number of shares of Common Stock as shall equal the result obtained by (x) multiplying the then-current Purchase Price by the then number of one one-thousandths of a share of Preferred Stock for which a Right was exercisable immediately prior to the first occurrence of a Section 11(a)(ii) Event, and (y) dividing that product (which, following such first occurrence, shall thereafter be referred to as the “Purchase Price” for each Right and for all purposes of this Agreement) by fifty percent (50%) of the Current Market Price (determined pursuant to Section 11(d) hereof) per share of Common Stock on the date of such first occurrence (such number of shares, the “Adjustment Shares”). The Company shall provide the Rights Agent with written notice of the identity of any Acquiring Person, Associate or Affiliate, or the nominee of any of the foregoing, and the Rights Agent may rely on such notice in carrying out its duties under this Agreement, and shall be deemed not to have any knowledge of the identity of any such Acquiring Person, Associate or Affiliate, or the nominee of any of the foregoing unless and until it shall have received such notice.

 

(iii)           In the event that the number of shares of Common Stock authorized by the Company’s Restated Certificate of Incorporation, as may be amended from time to time, but not outstanding or reserved for issuance for purposes other than upon exercise of the Rights, is not sufficient to permit the exercise in full of the Rights in accordance with the foregoing subparagraph (ii) of this Section 11(a), the Company shall (A) determine the value of the Adjustment Shares issuable upon the exercise of a Right (the “Current Value”), and (B) with respect to each Right (subject to Section 7(e) hereof), make adequate provision to substitute for the Adjustment Shares, upon the exercise of a Right and payment of the applicable Purchase Price, (1) cash, (2) a reduction in the Purchase Price, (3) Common Stock or other equity securities of the Company (including shares, or units of shares, of preferred stock, such as the Preferred Stock, that the Board has deemed to have essentially the same value or economic rights as shares of Common Stock (such equity securities being referred to herein as “Common Stock Equivalents”)), (4) debt securities of the Company, (5) other assets, or (6) any combination of the foregoing, having an aggregate value equal to the Current Value (less the amount of any reduction in the Purchase Price), where such aggregate value has been determined by the Board based upon the advice of a nationally recognized investment banking firm selected by the Board; provided, however, that if the Company shall not have made adequate provision to deliver value pursuant to clause (B) above within thirty (30) days following the later of (x) the first occurrence of a Section 11(a)(ii) Event and (y) the date on which the Company’s right of redemption pursuant to expires (the later of (x) and (y) being referred to herein as the “Section 11(a)(ii) Trigger Date”), then the Company shall be obligated to deliver, upon the surrender for exercise of a Right and without requiring payment of the Purchase Price, shares of Common Stock (to the extent available) and then, if necessary, cash, which shares and/or cash have an aggregate value equal to the Spread. For purposes of the preceding sentence, the term “Spread” shall mean the excess of (i) the Current Value over (ii) the Purchase Price. If the Board determines in good faith that it is likely that sufficient additional shares of Common Stock could be authorized for issuance upon exercise in full of the Rights, the thirty (30) day period set forth above may be extended to the extent necessary, but not more than ninety (90) days after the Section 11(a)(ii) Trigger Date, in order that the Company may seek stockholder approval for the authorization of such additional shares (such thirty (30) day period, as it may be extended, is herein called the “Substitution Period”). To the extent that the Company determines that action should be taken pursuant to the first and/or third sentences of this Section 11(a)(iii), the Company (1) shall provide, subject to Section 7(e) hereof, that such action shall apply uniformly to all outstanding Rights, and (2) may suspend the exercisability of the Rights until the expiration of the Substitution Period in order to seek such stockholder approval for such authorization of additional shares and/or to decide the appropriate form of distribution to be made pursuant to such first sentence and to determine the value thereof. In the event of any

such suspension, the Company shall issue a public announcement (with prompt written notice thereof to the Rights Agent) stating that the exercisability of the Rights has been temporarily suspended, as well as a public announcement (with prompt written notice thereof to the Rights Agent) at such time as the suspension is no longer in effect. For purposes of this Section 11(a)(iii), the value of each Adjustment Share shall be the Current Market Price per share of Common Stock on the Section 11(a)(ii) Trigger Date and the per share or per unit value of any Common Stock Equivalent shall be deemed to equal the Current Market Price per share of Common Stock on such date. 

 

(b)             In case the Company shall fix a record date for the issuance of rights, options or warrants to all holders of shares of Preferred Stock entitling them to subscribe for or purchase (for a period expiring within forty-five (45) calendar days after, but not including such record date) shares of Preferred Stock (or shares having the same rights, privileges and preferences as the shares of Preferred Stock (“Equivalent Preferred Stock”)) or securities convertible into Preferred Stock or Equivalent Preferred Stock at a price per share of Preferred Stock or per share of Equivalent Preferred Stock (or having a conversion price per share, if a security convertible into Preferred Stock or Equivalent Preferred Stock) less than the Current Market Price (as determined pursuant to Section 11(d) hereof) per share of Preferred Stock on such record date, the Purchase Price to be in effect after such record date shall be determined by multiplying the Purchase Price in effect immediately prior to such record date by a fraction, the numerator of which shall be the number of shares of Preferred Stock outstanding on such record date, plus the number of shares of Preferred Stock that the aggregate offering price of the total number of shares of Preferred Stock and/or Equivalent Preferred Stock to be so offered (and/or the aggregate initial conversion price of the convertible securities to be so offered) would purchase at such Current Market Price, and the denominator of which shall be the number of shares of Preferred Stock outstanding on such record date, plus the number of additional shares of Preferred Stock and/or Equivalent Preferred Stock to be offered for subscription or purchase (or into which the convertible securities to be so offered are initially convertible). In case such subscription price may be paid by delivery of consideration, part or all of which may be in a form other than cash, the value of such consideration shall be as determined in good faith by the Board, whose determination shall be described in a statement filed with the Rights Agent that shall be binding and conclusive for all purposes on the Rights Agent and the holders of the Rights. Shares of Preferred Stock owned by or held for the account of the Company shall not be deemed outstanding for the purpose of any such computation. Such adjustment shall be made successively whenever such a record date is fixed, and in the event that such rights or warrants are not so issued, the Purchase Price shall be adjusted to be the Purchase Price that would then be in effect if such record date had not been fixed.

 

(c)             In case the Company shall fix a record date for a distribution to all holders of shares of Preferred Stock (including any such distribution made in connection with a consolidation or merger in which the Company is the continuing or surviving corporation) of cash (other than a regular quarterly cash dividend out of the earnings or retained earnings of the Company), assets (other than a dividend payable in Preferred Stock, but including any dividend payable in stock other than Preferred Stock) or evidences of indebtedness, or of subscription rights or warrants (excluding those referred to in Section 11(b) hereof), the Purchase Price to be in effect after such record date shall be determined by multiplying the Purchase Price in effect immediately prior to such record date by a fraction, the numerator of which shall be the Current Market Price (as determined pursuant to Section 11(d) hereof) per share of Preferred Stock on such record date, less the fair market value (as determined in good faith by the Board, whose determination shall be described in a written statement filed with the Rights Agent that shall be binding on the Rights Agent and the holders of the Rights) of the portion of the cash, assets or evidences of indebtedness so to be distributed or of such subscription rights or warrants applicable to a share of Preferred Stock, and the denominator of which shall be such Current Market Price (as determined pursuant to Section 11(d) hereof) per share of Preferred Stock. Such adjustments shall be made successively whenever such a record date is fixed, and in the event that such distribution is not so made, the Purchase Price shall be adjusted to be the Purchase Price that would have been in effect if such record date had not been fixed. 

 

(d)       (i) For the purpose of any computation hereunder, other than computations made pursuant to Section 11(a)(iii) hereof, the “Current Market Price” per share of Common Stock on any date shall be deemed to be the average of the daily closing prices per share of such Common Stock for the thirty (30) consecutive Trading Days immediately prior to but not including such date, and for purposes of computations made pursuant to Section 11(a)(iii) hereof, the Current Market Price per share of Common Stock on any date shall be deemed to be the average of the daily closing prices per share of such Common Stock for the ten (10) consecutive Trading Days immediately following but not including such date; provided, however, that in the event that the Current Market Price per share of Common Stock is determined during a period following the announcement by the issuer of such Common Stock of (A) a dividend or distribution on such Common Stock payable in shares of such Common Stock or securities convertible into shares of such Common Stock (other than the Rights), or (B) any subdivision, combination, consolidation, reverse stock split or reclassification of such Common Stock, and the ex-dividend date for such dividend or distribution, or the record date for such subdivision, combination, consolidation, reverse stock split or reclassification shall not have occurred prior to the commencement of the requisite thirty (30) Trading Day or ten (10) Trading Day period, as set forth above, then, and in each such case, the Current Market Price shall be properly adjusted to take into account ex-dividend trading. The closing price for each day shall be the last sale price, regular way, or, in case no such sale takes place on such day, the average of the closing bid and asked prices, regular way, in either case as reported in the principal consolidated transaction reporting system with respect to

securities listed or admitted to trading on the New York Stock Exchange (the “NYSE”) or, if the shares of Common Stock are not listed or admitted to trading on the NYSE, as reported in the principal consolidated transaction reporting system with respect to securities listed on the principal national securities exchange on which the shares of Common Stock are listed or admitted to trading or, if on any such date the shares of Common Stock are not listed or admitted to trading on any national securities exchange, the last quoted price or, if not so quoted, the average of the high bid and low asked prices in the over-the-counter market, as reported by the National Association of Securities Dealers Automated Quotations System (“NASDAQ”) or such other system then in use, or, if on any such date the shares of Common Stock are not quoted by any such organization, the average of the closing bid and asked prices as furnished by a professional market maker making a market in the Common Stock selected by the Board. If on any such date no market maker is making a market in the Common Stock, the fair value of such shares on such date as determined in good faith by the Board shall be used. The term “Trading Day” shall mean a day on which the principal national securities exchange on which the shares of Common Stock are listed or admitted to trading is open for the transaction of business or, if the shares of Common Stock are not listed or admitted to trading on any national securities exchange, a Business Day. If the Common Stock is not publicly held or not so listed or traded, the Current Market Price per share shall mean the fair value per share as determined in good faith by the Board, whose determination shall be described in a written statement filed with the Rights Agent and shall be binding on the Rights Agent and the holders of the Rights. 

(ii) For the purpose of any computation hereunder, the “Current Market Price” per share of Preferred Stock shall be determined in the same manner as set forth above for the Common Stock in clause (i) of this Section 11(d) (other than the last sentence thereof). If the Current Market Price per share of Preferred Stock cannot be determined in the manner provided above or if the Preferred Stock is not publicly held or listed or traded in a manner described in clause (i) of this Section 11(d), the Current Market Price per share of Preferred Stock shall be conclusively deemed to be an amount equal to 1,000 (as such number may be appropriately adjusted for such events as stock splits, stock dividends and recapitalizations with respect to the Common Stock occurring after the date of this Agreement) multiplied by the Current Market Price per share of Common Stock. If neither the Common Stock nor the Preferred Stock is publicly held or so listed or traded, Current Market Price per share of the Preferred Stock shall mean the fair value per share as determined in good faith by the Board, whose determination shall be described in a statement filed with the Rights Agent and shall be binding on the Rights Agent and the holders of the Rights.

 

(e)                  Anything herein to the contrary notwithstanding, no adjustment in the Purchase Price shall be required unless such adjustment would require an increase or decrease of at least one percent (1%) in the Purchase Price; provided, however, that any adjustments that by reason of this Section 11(e) are not required to be made shall be carried forward and taken into account in any subsequent adjustment. All calculations under this Section 11 shall be made to the nearest cent or to the nearest ten-thousandth of a share of Common Stock or other share or one-millionth of a share of Preferred Stock, as the case may be. Notwithstanding the first sentence of this Section 11(e), any adjustment required by this Section 11 shall be made no later than the earlier of (i) three (3) years from the date of the transaction that mandates such adjustment, or (ii) the Expiration Date.

 

(f)                   If as a result of an adjustment made pursuant to Section 11(a)(ii) or Section 13(a) hereof, the holder of any Right thereafter exercised shall become entitled to receive any shares of capital stock other than Preferred Stock, thereafter the number of such other shares so receivable upon exercise of any Right and the Purchase Price thereof shall be subject to adjustment from time to time in a manner and on terms as nearly equivalent as practicable to the provisions with respect to the Preferred Stock contained in Sections 11(a), (b), (c), (e), (g), (h), (i), (j), (k) and (m), and the provisions of Sections 7, 9, 10, 13 and 14 hereof with respect to the Preferred Stock shall apply on like terms to any such other shares.

 

(g)                  All Rights originally issued by the Company subsequent to any adjustment made to the Purchase Price hereunder shall evidence the right to purchase, at the adjusted Purchase Price, the number of one one-thousandths of a share of Preferred Stock purchasable from time to time hereunder upon exercise of the Rights, all subject to further adjustment as provided herein.

 

(h)                  Unless the Company shall have exercised its election as provided in (i) hereof, upon each adjustment of the Purchase Price as a result of the calculations made in Sections 11(b) and (c) hereof, each Right outstanding immediately prior to the making of such adjustment shall thereafter evidence the right to purchase, at the adjusted Purchase Price, that number of one one-thousandths of a share of Preferred Stock (calculated to the nearest one-millionth) obtained by (i) multiplying (x) the number of one one-thousandths of a share covered by a Right immediately prior to this adjustment, by (y) the Purchase Price in effect immediately prior to such adjustment of the Purchase Price, and (ii) dividing the product so obtained by the Purchase Price in effect immediately after such adjustment of the Purchase Price. 

 

(i)                    The Company may elect on or after the date of any adjustment of the Purchase Price to adjust the number of Rights, in lieu of any adjustment in the number of one one-thousandths of a share of Preferred Stock purchasable upon the exercise of a Right. Each of the Rights outstanding after the adjustment in the number of Rights shall be exercisable for the number of one one-thousandths of a share of Preferred Stock for which a Right was exercisable immediately prior to such

adjustment. Each Right held of record prior to such adjustment of the number of Rights shall become that number of Rights (calculated to the nearest one ten-thousandth) obtained by dividing the Purchase Price in effect immediately prior to adjustment of the Purchase Price by the Purchase Price in effect immediately after adjustment of the Purchase Price. The Company shall make a public announcement (with prompt written notice thereof to the Rights Agent) of its election to adjust the number of Rights, indicating the record date for the adjustment, and, if known at the time, the amount of the adjustment to be made. This record date may be the date on which the Purchase Price is adjusted or any day thereafter, but, if the Rights Certificates have been issued, shall be at least ten (10) days later than the date of the public announcement. If Rights Certificates have been issued, upon each adjustment of the number of Rights pursuant to this (i), the Company shall, as promptly as practicable, cause to be distributed to holders of record of Rights Certificates on such record date Rights Certificates evidencing, subject to Section 14 hereof, the additional Rights to which such holders shall be entitled as a result of such adjustment, or, at the option of the Company, shall cause to be distributed to such holders of record in substitution and replacement for the Rights Certificates held by such holders prior to the date of adjustment, and upon surrender thereof, if required by the Company, new Rights Certificates evidencing all the Rights to which such holders shall be entitled after such adjustment. Rights Certificates so to be distributed shall be issued, executed and countersigned in the manner provided for herein (and may bear, at the option of the Company, the adjusted Purchase Price) and shall be registered in the names of the holders of record of Rights Certificates on the record date specified in the public announcement.

 

(j)                 Irrespective of any adjustment or change in the Purchase Price or the number of one one-thousandths of a share of Preferred Stock issuable upon the exercise of the Rights, the Rights Certificates theretofore and thereafter issued may continue to express the Purchase Price per one one-thousandth of a share and the number of one one-thousandth of a share that were expressed in the initial Rights Certificates issued hereunder.

 

(k)               Before taking any action that would cause an adjustment reducing the Purchase Price below the then stated value, if any, of the number of one one-thousandths of a share of Preferred Stock issuable upon exercise of the Rights, the Company shall take any corporate action that may, in the opinion of its counsel, be necessary in order that the Company may validly and legally issue fully paid and nonassessable such number of one one-thousandths of a share of Preferred Stock at such adjusted Purchase Price.

 

(l)                 In any case in which this Section 11 shall require that an adjustment in the Purchase Price be made effective as of a record date for a specified event, the Company may elect to defer (with prompt written notice thereof to the Rights Agent) until the occurrence of such event the issuance to the holder of any Right exercised after such record date the number of one one-thousandths of a share of Preferred Stock and other capital stock or securities of the Company, if any, issuable upon such exercise over and above the number of one one-thousandths of a share of Preferred Stock and other capital stock or securities of the Company, if any, issuable upon such exercise on the basis of the Purchase Price in effect prior to such adjustment; provided, however, that the Company shall deliver to such holder a due bill or other appropriate instrument evidencing such holder’s right to receive such additional shares (fractional or otherwise) or securities upon the occurrence of the event requiring such adjustment.

 

(m)             Anything in this Section 11 to the contrary notwithstanding, the Company shall be entitled to make such reductions in the Purchase Price, in addition to those adjustments expressly required by this Section 11, as and to the extent that in its good faith judgment the Board shall determine to be advisable in order that any (i) consolidation or subdivision of the Preferred Stock, (ii) issuance wholly for cash of any shares of Preferred Stock at less than the Current Market Price, (iii) issuance wholly for cash of shares of Preferred Stock or securities that by their terms are convertible into or exchangeable for shares of Preferred Stock, (iv) stock dividends or (v) issuance of rights, options or warrants referred to in this Section 11, hereafter made by the Company to holders of its Preferred Stock shall not be taxable to such stockholders. 

 

(n)               The Company covenants and agrees that it shall not, at any time after the Distribution Date, (i) consolidate with any other Person (other than a Subsidiary of the Company in a transaction that complies with Section 11(o) hereof), (ii) merge with or into any other Person (other than a Subsidiary of the Company in a transaction which complies with Section 11(o) hereof), or (iii) sell or transfer (or permit any Subsidiary to sell or transfer), in one transaction, or a series of related transactions, assets, cash flow or earning power aggregating more than fifty percent (50%) of the assets, cash flow or earning power of the Company and its Subsidiaries (taken as a whole) to any other Person or Persons (other than the Company and/or any of its Subsidiaries in one or more transactions each of which complies with Section 11(o) hereof), if (x) at the time of or immediately after such consolidation, merger or sale there are any rights, warrants or other instruments or securities outstanding or agreements in effect which would substantially diminish or otherwise eliminate the benefits intended to be afforded by the Rights or (y) prior to, simultaneously with or immediately after such consolidation, merger or sale, the stockholders of the Person who constitutes, or would constitute, the “Principal Party” for purposes of Section 13(a) hereof shall have received a distribution of Rights previously owned by such Person or any of its Affiliates or Associates.

 

(o)               The Company covenants and agrees that, after the Distribution Date, it will not, except as permitted by Section 23, Section 24 or Section 27 hereof, take (or permit any Subsidiary to take) any action if at the time such action is taken it is reasonably foreseeable that such action will diminish substantially or otherwise eliminate the benefits intended to be afforded by the Rights.

 

(p)               Anything in this Agreement to the contrary notwithstanding, in the event that the Company shall at any time after the Rights Dividend Declaration Date and prior to the Distribution Date (i) declare a dividend on the outstanding shares of Common Stock payable in shares of Common Stock, (ii) subdivide the outstanding shares of Common Stock, or (iii) combine the outstanding shares of Common Stock into a smaller number of shares, the number of Rights associated with each share of Common Stock then outstanding, or issued or delivered thereafter but prior to the Distribution Date, shall be proportionately adjusted so that the number of Rights thereafter associated with each share of Common Stock following any such event shall equal the result obtained by multiplying the number of Rights associated with each share of Common Stock immediately prior to such event by a fraction the numerator of which shall be the total number of shares of Common Stock outstanding immediately prior to the occurrence of the event and the denominator of which shall be the total number of shares of Common Stock outstanding immediately following the occurrence of such event.

 

Section 12 Certificate of Adjusted Purchase Price or Number of Shares. Whenever an adjustment is made or any event affecting the Rights or their exercisability (including without limitation an event which causes Rights to become null and void) occurs as provided in Section 11 and hereof, the Company shall (a) promptly prepare a certificate setting forth such adjustment or describing such event, and a brief, reasonably detailed statement of the facts, computations and methodology accounting for such adjustment, (b) promptly file with the Rights Agent, and with each transfer agent for the Preferred Stock and the Common Stock, a copy of such certificate, and (c) if a Distribution Date has occurred, mail a brief summary thereof to each holder of a Rights Certificate in accordance with Section 25 hereof. Notwithstanding the foregoing sentence, the failure of the Company to make such certification or give such notice shall not affect the validity of such adjustment or the force or effect of the requirement for such adjustment. The Rights Agent shall be fully protected in relying on any such certificate and on any adjustment or statement therein contained and shall have no duty or liability with respect to, and shall not be deemed to have knowledge of, any adjustment or any such event unless and until it shall have received such a certificate. 

 

Section 13 Consolidation, Merger or Sale or Transfer of Assets, Cash Flow or Earning Power.

(a)             In the event that, following the Stock Acquisition Date, directly or indirectly, (x) the Company shall consolidate with, or merge with and into, any other Person (other than a Subsidiary of the Company in a transaction that complies with Section 11(o) hereof), and the Company shall not be the continuing or surviving corporation of such consolidation or merger, (y) any Person (other than a Subsidiary of the Company in a transaction that complies with Section 11(o) hereof) shall consolidate with, or merge with or into, the Company, and the Company shall be the continuing or surviving corporation of such consolidation or merger and, in connection with such consolidation or merger, all or part of the outstanding shares of Common Stock shall be changed into or exchanged for stock or other securities of any other Person or cash or any other property, or (z) the Company shall sell or otherwise transfer (or one or more of its Subsidiaries shall sell or otherwise transfer), in one transaction or a series of related transactions, assets, cash flow or earning power aggregating more than fifty percent (50%) of the assets, cash flow or earning power of the Company and its Subsidiaries (taken as a whole) to any Person or Persons (other than the Company or any Subsidiary of the Company in one or more transactions each of which complies with Section 11(o) hereof), then, and in each such case, proper provision shall be made so that: (i) each holder of a Right, except as provided in Section 7(e) hereof, shall thereafter have the right to receive, upon the exercise thereof at the then current Purchase Price in accordance with the terms of this Agreement, such number of validly authorized and issued, fully paid, nonassessable and freely tradeable shares of Common Stock of the Principal Party, not subject to any liens, encumbrances, rights of first refusal or other adverse claims, as shall be equal to the result obtained by (1) multiplying the then current Purchase Price by the number of one one-thousandths of a share of Preferred Stock for which a Right is exercisable immediately prior to the first occurrence of a Section 13 Event (or, if a Section 11(a)(ii) Event has occurred prior to the first occurrence of a Section 13 Event, multiplying the number of such one one-thousandths of a share for which a Right was exercisable immediately prior to the first occurrence of a Section 11(a)(ii) Event by the Purchase Price in effect immediately prior to such first occurrence of a Section 11(a)(ii) Event), and (2) dividing that product (which, following the first occurrence of a Section 13 Event, shall be referred to as the “Purchase Price” for each Right and for all purposes of this Agreement) by 50% of the Current Market Price (determined pursuant to Section 11(d)(i) hereof) per share of the Common Stock of such Principal Party on the date of consummation of such Section 13 Event; (ii) such Principal Party shall thereafter be liable for, and shall assume, by virtue of such, all the obligations and duties of the Company pursuant to this Agreement; (iii) the term “Company” shall thereafter be deemed to refer to such Principal Party, it being specifically intended that the provisions of Section 11 hereof shall apply only to such Principal Party following the first occurrence of a Section 11(a)(ii) Event; (iv) such Principal Party shall take such steps (including the reservation of a sufficient number of shares of its Common Stock) in connection with the consummation of any such transaction as may be necessary to assure that the provisions hereof shall thereafter be applicable, as

nearly as reasonably may be, in relation to its shares of Common Stock thereafter deliverable upon the exercise of the Rights; and (v) the provisions of Section 11(a)(ii) hereof shall be of no effect following the first occurrence of any Section 13 Event.

 

(b)             “Principal Party” shall mean:

 

(i) in the case of any transaction described in clause (x) or (y) of the first sentence of (a) hereof, the Person that is the issuer of any securities into which shares of Common Stock of the Company are converted in such merger or consolidation, and if no securities are so issued, the Person that is the other party to such merger or consolidation; and 

(ii) in the case of any transaction described in clause (z) of the first sentence of (a) hereof, the Person that is the party receiving the greatest portion of the assets, cash flow or earning power transferred pursuant to such transaction or transactions;

 

provided, however, that in any such case, (1) if the Common Stock of such Person is not at such time and has not been continuously over the preceding twelve (12) month period registered under Section 12 of the Exchange Act, and such Person is a direct or indirect Subsidiary of another Person the Common Stock of which is and has been so registered, “Principal Party” shall refer to such other Person; and (2) in case such Person is a Subsidiary, directly or indirectly, of more than one Person, the Common Stock of two or more of which are and have been so registered, “Principal Party” shall refer to whichever of such Persons is the issuer of the Common Stock having the greatest aggregate market value.

 

(c) The Company shall not consummate any such consolidation, merger, sale or transfer unless the Principal Party shall have a sufficient number of authorized shares of its Common Stock that have not been issued or reserved for issuance to permit the exercise in full of the Rights in accordance with this Section 13 and unless prior thereto the Company and such Principal Party shall have executed and delivered to the Rights Agent a supplemental agreement providing for the terms set forth in paragraphs (a) and (b) of this Section 13 and further providing that, as soon as practicable after the date of any consolidation, merger or sale of assets mentioned in paragraph (a) of this, the Principal Party will:

 

(i)                 prepare and file a registration statement under the Act, with respect to the Rights and the securities purchasable upon exercise of the Rights on an appropriate form, and will use its best efforts to cause such registration statement to (A) become effective as soon as practicable after such filing and (B) remain effective (with a prospectus at all times meeting the requirements of the Act) until the Expiration Date; (ii) take all such other action as may be necessary to enable the Principal Party to issue the securities purchasable upon exercise of the Rights, including the registration or qualification of such securities under all requisite securities laws of jurisdictions of the various states and the listing of such securities on such exchanges and trading markets as may be necessary or appropriate; and

 

(ii)               deliver to holders of the Rights historical financial statements for the Principal Party and each of its Affiliates that comply in all respects with the requirements for registration on Form 10 (or any successor form) under the Exchange Act.

 

The provisions of this Section 13 shall similarly apply to successive mergers or consolidations or sales or other transfers. In the event that a Section 13 Event shall occur at any time after the occurrence of a Section 11(a)(ii) Event, the Rights which have not theretofore been exercised shall thereafter become exercisable in the manner described in (a).

 

Section 14 Fractional Rights and Fractional Shares.

(a) The Company shall not be required to issue fractions of Rights, except prior to the Distribution Date as provided in Section 11(p) hereof, or to distribute Rights Certificates that evidence fractional Rights. In lieu of such fractional Rights, the Company shall pay to the registered holders of the Rights Certificates with regard to which such fractional Rights would otherwise be issuable, an amount in cash equal to the same fraction of the current market value of a whole Right. For purposes of this Section 14(a), the current market value of a whole Right shall be the closing price of the Rights for the Trading Day immediately prior to the date on which such fractional Rights would have been otherwise issuable. The closing price of the Rights for any Trading Day shall be the last sale price, regular way, or, in case no such sale takes place on such day, the average of the closing bid and asked prices, regular way, in either case as reported in the principal consolidated transaction reporting system with respect to securities listed or admitted to trading on the NYSE or, if the Rights are not listed or admitted to trading on the NYSE, as reported in the principal consolidated transaction reporting system with respect to securities listed on the principal national securities exchange on which the Rights are listed or admitted to trading, or if the Rights are not listed or admitted to trading on any national securities exchange, the last quoted price or, if not so quoted, the average of the high bid and low asked prices in the over-the-counter market, as reported by NASDAQ or such other system then in use or, if on any such date the Rights are not quoted by any such organization, the average of the closing bid and asked prices as furnished by a professional market

maker making a market in the Rights, selected by the Board. If on any such date no such market maker is making a market in the Rights, the fair value of the Rights on such date as determined in good faith by the Board shall be used, which determination shall be described in a statement filed with the Rights Agent and, in relation to the Rights Agent shall be conclusive for all purposes. 

 

(b)               The Company shall not be required to issue fractions of shares of Preferred Stock (other than fractions which are integral multiples of one one-thousandth of a share of Preferred Stock) upon exercise of the Rights or to distribute certificates that evidence fractional shares of Preferred Stock (other than fractions that are integral multiples of one one-thousandth of a share of Preferred Stock). In lieu of the issuance of fractional shares of Preferred Stock that are not integral multiples of one one-thousandth of a share of Preferred Stock, the Company may pay to the registered holders of Rights Certificates at the time such Rights are exercised as herein provided an amount in cash equal to the same fraction of the current market value of one one-thousandth of a share of Preferred Stock. For purposes of this Section 14(b), the current market value of one one-thousandth of a share of Preferred Stock shall be one one-thousandth of the closing price of a share of Preferred Stock (as determined pursuant to Section 11(d)(ii) hereof) on the Trading Day immediately prior to the date of such exercise.

 

(c)                Following the occurrence of a Triggering Event, the Company shall not be required to issue fractions of shares of Common Stock upon exercise of the Rights or to distribute certificates that evidence fractional shares of Common Stock. In lieu of fractional shares of Common Stock, the Company may pay to the registered holders of Rights Certificates at the time such Rights are exercised as herein provided an amount in cash equal to the same fraction of the current market value of one (1) share of Common Stock. For purposes of this Section 14(c), the current market value of one share of Common Stock shall be the closing price per share of Common Stock (as determined pursuant to Section 11(d)(i) hereof) on the Trading Day immediately prior to the date of such exercise.

 

(d)               Whenever a payment for fractional Rights or any fractional shares is to be made by the Rights Agent, the Company shall (i) promptly prepare and deliver to the Rights Agent a certificate setting forth in reasonable detail the facts related to such payments and the prices and/or formulas utilized in calculating such payments, and (ii) provide sufficient monies to the Rights Agent in the form of fully collected funds to make such payments. The Rights Agent shall be fully protected in relying upon such a certificate and shall have no duty with respect to, and shall not be deemed to have knowledge of any payment for fractional Rights or fractional shares under any Section of this Agreement relating to the payment of fractional Rights or fractional shares unless and until the Rights Agent shall have received such a certificate and sufficient monies.

 

(e)                The holder of a Right by the acceptance of the Rights expressly waives such holder’s right to receive any fractional Rights or any fractional shares upon exercise of a Right, except as permitted by this Section 14.

 

Section 15 Rights of Action. All rights of action in respect of this Agreement, other than the rights of action given to the Rights Agent under Section 18 and Section 20 hereof, are vested in the respective registered holders of the Rights Certificates (and, prior to the Distribution Date, the registered holders of the Common Stock); and any registered holder of any Rights Certificate (or, prior to the Distribution Date, of the Common Stock), without the consent of the Rights Agent or of the holder of any other Rights Certificate (or, prior to the Distribution Date, of the Common Stock), may, in such holder’s own behalf and for such holder’s own benefit, enforce, and may institute and maintain any suit, action or proceeding against the Company to enforce, or otherwise act in respect of, such holder’s right to exercise the Rights evidenced by such Rights Certificate in the manner provided in such Rights Certificate and in this Agreement. Without limiting the foregoing or any remedies available to the holders of Rights, it is specifically acknowledged that the holders of Rights would not have an adequate remedy at law for any breach of this Agreement and shall be entitled to specific performance of the obligations hereunder and injunctive relief against actual or threatened violations of the obligations hereunder of any Person subject to this Agreement. 

 

Section 16 Agreement of Rights Holders. Every holder of a Right by accepting the same consents and agrees with the Company and the Rights Agent and with every other holder of a Right that:

 

(a)             prior to the Distribution Date, the Rights will be transferable only in connection with the transfer of shares of Common Stock;

 

(b)             after the Distribution Date, the Rights Certificates are transferable only on the registry books of the Rights Agent if surrendered at the office or offices of the Rights Agent designated for such purposes, properly executed and duly endorsed or accompanied by a proper instrument of transfer and with the appropriate forms and certificates duly executed;

 

(c)             subject to Section 6(a) and Section 7(f) hereof, the Company and the Rights Agent may deem and treat the Person in whose name a Rights Certificate (or, prior to the Distribution Date, the associated Common Stock certificate (or book entry shares in respect of Common Stock)) is registered as the absolute owner thereof and of the Rights evidenced thereby (notwithstanding any notations of ownership or writing on the Rights Certificates or the associated Common Stock certificate (or

notices provided to holders of book entry shares of Common Stock) made by anyone other than the Company or the Rights Agent) for all purposes whatsoever, and neither the Company nor the Rights Agent, subject to the last sentence of Section 7(e) hereof, shall be required to be affected by any notice to the contrary; and

 

(d)             notwithstanding anything in this Agreement to the contrary, neither the Company nor the Rights Agent nor any of their directors, officers, employees, or agents shall have any liability to any holder of a Right or other Person as a result of its inability to perform any of its obligations under this Agreement by reason of any preliminary or permanent injunction or other order, judgment, decree or ruling (whether interlocutory or final) issued by a court of competent jurisdiction or by a governmental, regulatory, self-regulatory or administrative agency or commission, or any statute, rule, regulation or executive order promulgated or enacted by any governmental authority, prohibiting or otherwise restraining performance of such obligation; provided, however, the Company shall use its best efforts to have any such injunction, order, judgment, decree or ruling lifted or otherwise overturned as soon as possible.

 

Section 17 Rights Certificate Holder Not Deemed a Stockholder. No holder, as such, of any Rights Certificate shall be entitled to vote, receive dividends or be deemed for any purpose the holder of the number of one one-thousandths of a share of Preferred Stock or any other securities of the Company that may at any time be issuable on the exercise or exchange of the Rights represented thereby, nor shall anything contained herein or in any Rights Certificate be construed to confer upon the holder of any Rights Certificate, as such, any of the rights of a stockholder of the Company or any right to vote for the election of directors or upon any matter submitted to stockholders at any meeting thereof, or to give or withhold consent to any corporate action, or to receive notice of meetings or other actions affecting stockholders (except as provided in Section 25 hereof), or to receive dividends or subscription rights, or otherwise, until the Right or Rights evidenced by such Rights Certificate shall have been exercised or exchanged in accordance with the provisions hereof. 

 

Section 18 Concerning the Rights Agent.

(a)             The Company agrees to pay to the Rights Agent reasonable compensation for all services rendered by it hereunder and, from time to time, on demand of the Rights Agent, its reasonable expenses and counsel fees and disbursements and other disbursements incurred in the preparation, negotiation, delivery, amendment, administration and execution of this Agreement and the exercise and performance of its duties hereunder. The Company also agrees to indemnify the Rights Agent and its Affiliates, directors, officers, employees, or agents for, and to hold it harmless against, any loss, liability, damage, judgment, fine, penalty, claim, demand, settlement, cost or expense (including, without limitation, the reasonable fees and expenses of legal counsel), incurred without gross negligence, bad faith or willful misconduct on the part of the Rights Agent (each as determined by a final judgment of a court of competent jurisdiction), for any action taken, suffered or omitted to be taken by the Rights Agent in connection with the acceptance, administration, exercise and performance of its duties under this Agreement, including the costs and expenses of defending against any claim of liability and the costs and expenses of enforcing this right of indemnification. The provisions of this Section 18 and Section 20 hereof shall survive (a) the termination or expiration of this Agreement, (b) the termination of the obligations of the Rights Agent hereunder in accordance with Section 7(a) hereof, (c) the exercise or expiration of the Rights and (d) the resignation, replacement or removal of the Rights Agent.

 

(b)             The Rights Agent shall be authorized and protected and shall incur no liability for or in respect of any action taken, suffered or omitted to be taken by it in connection with its acceptance and administration of this Agreement and the exercise and performance of its duties hereunder in reliance upon any Rights Certificate or certificate for Common Stock or for other securities of the Company, instrument of assignment or transfer, power of attorney, endorsement, affidavit, letter, notice, direction, consent, certificate, statement, or other paper or document believed by it to be genuine and to be signed, executed and, where necessary, verified, guaranteed or acknowledged, by the proper Person or Persons, or otherwise upon the advice of counsel as set forth in Section 20 hereof. The Rights Agent shall not be deemed to have knowledge of any event of which it was supposed to receive notice thereof hereunder, but for which it has not received such notice in writing and the Rights Agent shall be fully protected and shall incur no liability for failing to take any action in connection therewith, unless and until it has received such notice in writing.

 

Section 19 Merger or Consolidation or Change of Name of Rights Agent.

(a) Any Person into which the Rights Agent or any successor Rights Agent may be merged or with which it may be consolidated, or any Person resulting from any merger or consolidation to which the Rights Agent or any successor Rights Agent shall be a party, or any Person succeeding to the stockholder services or stock transfer business of the Rights Agent or any successor Rights Agent, shall be the successor to the Rights Agent under this Agreement without the execution or filing of any paper or any further act on the part of any of the parties hereto; but only if such Person would be eligible for appointment as a successor Rights Agent under the provisions of Section 21 hereof. In case at the time such successor Rights Agent shall succeed to the agency created by this Agreement, any of the Rights Certificates shall have been countersigned but not delivered, any such

successor Rights Agent may adopt the countersignature of an authorized signatory of a predecessor Rights Agent and deliver such Rights Certificates so countersigned, and if at that time any of the Rights Certificates shall not have been countersigned, an authorized signatory of any successor Rights Agent may countersign such Rights Certificates either in the name of the predecessor or in the name of the successor Rights Agent. In all such cases such Rights Certificates shall have the full force provided in the Rights Certificates and in this Agreement. 

 

(b) If at any time the name of the Rights Agent shall be changed and at such time any of the Rights Certificates shall have been countersigned but not delivered, the Rights Agent may adopt the countersignature of an authorized signatory under its prior name and deliver Rights Certificates so countersigned; and if at that time any of the Rights Certificates shall not have been countersigned, an authorized signatory of the Rights Agent may countersign such Rights Certificates either in its prior name or in its changed name. In all such cases such Rights Certificates shall have the full force provided in the Rights Certificates and in this Agreement.

 

Section 20 Rights and Duties of Rights Agent. The Rights Agent undertakes to perform only the duties and obligations expressly imposed by this Agreement (and no implied duties or obligations) upon the following terms and conditions, by all of which the Company and the holders of Rights Certificates, by their acceptance thereof, shall be bound:

 

(a)             The Rights Agent may consult with legal counsel (who may be legal counsel for the Company or an employee of the Rights Agent), and the advice or opinion of such counsel shall be full and complete authorization and protection to the Rights Agent as to, and the Rights Agent shall incur no liability for or in respect of, any action taken, suffered or omitted to be taken by it in the absence of gross negligence, bad faith and willful misconduct (which gross negligence, bad faith or willful misconduct must be determined by a final, non-appealable judgment of a court of competent jurisdiction) and in accordance with such advice or opinion.

 

(b)             Whenever in the performance of its duties under this Agreement the Rights Agent shall deem it necessary or desirable that any fact or matter (including, without limitation, the identity of any Acquiring Person and the determination of Current Market Price) be proved or established by the Company prior to taking, suffering or omitting to take any action hereunder, such fact or matter (unless other evidence in respect thereof be herein specifically prescribed) may be deemed to be conclusively proved and established by a certificate signed by the Chairman of the Board, the Chief Executive Officer, the Chief Financial Officer, the President, any Vice President, the Treasurer, any Assistant Treasurer, the Secretary or any Assistant Secretary of the Company and delivered to the Rights Agent, and such certificate shall be full and complete authorization and protection to the Rights Agent for, and the Rights Agent shall incur no liability for or in respect of, any action taken, suffered or omitted to be taken by it in the absence of gross negligence, bad faith or willful misconduct (which gross negligence, bad faith or willful misconduct must be determined by a final, non-appealable judgment of a court of competent jurisdiction) under the provisions of this Agreement in reliance upon such certificate.

 

(c)             The Rights Agent shall be liable hereunder only for its own gross negligence, bad faith or willful misconduct (which gross negligence, bad faith or willful misconduct must be determined by a final, non-appealable judgment of a court of competent jurisdiction). Anything to the contrary in this Agreement notwithstanding, in no event shall the Rights Agent be liable for special, punitive, indirect, consequential or incidental loss or damage of any kind whatsoever (including but not limited to lost profits), even if the Rights Agent has been advised of the likelihood of such loss or damage. Any liability of the Rights Agent under this Agreement will be limited to the amount of annual fees paid by the Company to the Rights Agent during the twelve (12) months immediately preceding the event for which recovery from the Rights Agent is being sought.

 

(d)             The Rights Agent shall not be liable for or by reason of any of the statements of fact or recitals contained in this Agreement or in the Rights Certificates or be required to verify the same (except as to its countersignature on such Rights Certificates), but all such statements and recitals are and shall be deemed to have been made by the Company only.

 

(e)                The Rights Agent shall not have any liability for or be under any responsibility in respect of the validity of this Agreement or the execution and delivery hereof (except the due execution hereof by the Rights Agent) or in respect of the validity or execution of any Rights Certificate (except its countersignature thereof) or any modification or order of any court, tribunal, or governmental authority in connection with the foregoing; nor shall it be liable or responsible for any breach by the Company of any covenant or condition contained in this Agreement or in any Rights Certificate; nor shall it be responsible for any change in the exercisability of the Rights (including the Rights becoming null and void pursuant to Section 11 hereof) or any change or adjustment in the terms of the Rights required under the provisions of Sections 3, 11, 23 or 24 hereof (provided, that the foregoing does not nullify any express duties the Rights Agent may have in such Sections herein) or responsible for the manner, method or amount thereof or the ascertaining of the existence of facts that would require any such change or adjustment (except with respect to the exercise of Rights evidenced by Rights Certificates after receipt of the certificate described in Section 12 hereof, upon which the Rights Agent may rely); nor shall it by any act hereunder be deemed to make any representation or

warranty as to the authorization or reservation of any shares of Common Stock or Preferred Stock to be issued pursuant to this Agreement or any Rights Certificate or as to whether any shares of Common Stock or Preferred Stock will, when so issued, be validly authorized and issued, fully paid and nonassessable.

 

(f)                The Company agrees that it will perform, execute, acknowledge and deliver or cause to be performed, executed, acknowledged and delivered all such further and other acts, instruments and assurances as may reasonably be required by the Rights Agent for the carrying out or performing by the Rights Agent of the provisions of this Agreement.

 

(g)                The Rights Agent is hereby authorized and directed to accept instructions with respect to the performance of its duties hereunder from the Chairman of the Board, the Chief Executive Officer, the Chief Financial Officer, the President, any Vice President, the Secretary, any Assistant Secretary, the Treasurer or any Assistant Treasurer of the Company, and is authorized to apply to such officers for advice or instructions in connection with its duties, and such instructions shall be full authorization and protection to the Rights Agent and the Rights Agent shall not be liable for or in respect of any action taken, suffered or omitted to be taken by it in accordance with instructions of any such officer or for any delay in acting while waiting for those instructions. The Rights Agent shall be fully authorized and protected in relying upon the most recent instructions received by any such officer. Any application by the Rights Agent for written instructions from the Company may, at the option of the Rights Agent, set forth in writing any action proposed to be taken, suffered or omitted by the Rights Agent under this Agreement and the date on and/or after which such action shall be taken or suffered or such omission shall be effective. The Rights Agent shall not be liable for any action taken, suffered or omitted to be taken by it in accordance with a proposal included in any such application on or after the date specified in such application (which date shall not be less than five (5) Business Days after the date any officer of the Company actually receives such application, unless any such officer shall have consented in writing to an earlier date) unless, prior to taking any such action (or the effective date in the case of an omission), the Rights Agent shall have received written instructions in response to such application specifying the action to be taken, suffered or omitted.

 

(h)               The Rights Agent and any stockholder, member, Affiliate, director, officer or employee of the Rights Agent may buy, sell or deal in any of the Rights or other securities of the Company or become pecuniarily interested in any transaction in which the Company may be interested, or contract with or lend money to the Company or otherwise act as fully and freely as though the Rights Agent were not Rights Agent under this Agreement. Nothing herein shall preclude the Rights Agent or any such stockholder, member, Affiliate, director, officer or employee from acting in any other capacity for the Company or for any other Person. 

 

(i)                 The Rights Agent may execute and exercise any of the rights or powers hereby vested in it or perform any duty hereunder either itself (through its directors, officers and employees) or by or through its attorneys or agents, and the Rights Agent shall not be answerable or accountable for any act, omission, default, neglect or misconduct of any such attorneys or agents or for any loss to the Company or any other Person resulting from any such act, omission, default, neglect or misconduct, absent gross negligence, bad faith or willful misconduct in the selection and continued employment thereof (which gross negligence, bad faith or willful misconduct must be determined by a final, non-appealable judgment of a court of competent jurisdiction).

 

(j)                 No provision of this Agreement shall require the Rights Agent to expend or risk its own funds or otherwise incur any financial liability in the performance of any of its duties hereunder (other than internal costs incurred by the Rights Agent in providing services to the Company in the ordinary course of its business as Rights Agent) or in the exercise of its rights if it reasonably believes that repayment of such funds or adequate indemnification against such risk or liability is not reasonably assured to it.

 

(k)               If, with respect to any Rights Certificate surrendered to the Rights Agent for exercise or transfer, the certificate attached to the form of assignment or form of election to purchase, as the case may be, has either not been properly completed and duly executed or indicates an affirmative response to clause 1 and/or 2 thereof, the Rights Agent shall not take any further action with respect to such requested exercise or transfer without first consulting with the Company.

 

Section 21 Change of Rights Agent. The Rights Agent or any successor Rights Agent may resign and be discharged from its duties under this Agreement upon thirty (30) days’ notice in writing mailed to the Company in the manner set forth in Section 26 herein, and in the event that the Rights Agent or one or more of its Affiliates is not also the transfer agent for the Company, to each transfer agent of the Common Stock and Preferred Stock by first-class mail, postage prepaid, or nationally recognized overnight delivery. If at any time the Rights Agent or one of its Affiliates is also the transfer agent for the Company, in the event such transfer agency relationship terminates, the Rights Agent will be deemed to have resigned automatically and be discharged from its duties under this Agreement as of the effective date of such termination, and the Company shall be responsible for sending any required notice. The Company may remove the Rights Agent or any successor Rights Agent upon thirty (30) days’ notice in writing, mailed to the Rights Agent or successor Rights Agent, as the case may be, and to each transfer agent of the Common

Stock and Preferred Stock, by registered or certified mail, and, if such removal occurs after the Distribution Date, to the holders of the Rights Certificates by first-class mail. If the Rights Agent shall resign or be removed or shall otherwise become incapable of acting, the Company shall appoint a successor to the Rights Agent. If the Company shall fail to make such appointment within a period of thirty (30) days after giving notice of such removal or after it has been notified in writing of such resignation or incapacity by the resigning or incapacitated Rights Agent or by the holder of a Rights Certificate (which holder shall, with such notice, submit such holder’s Rights Certificate for inspection by the Company), then any registered holder of any Rights Certificate may apply to any court of competent jurisdiction for the appointment of a new Rights Agent. Any successor Rights Agent, whether appointed by the Company or by such a court, shall be (a) a Person organized and doing business in good standing under the laws of the United States or of the State of New York or of any other state of the United States, authorized under such laws to exercise stockholder services powers and which has, along with its Affiliates, at the time of its appointment as Rights Agent a combined capital and surplus of at least $50,000,000 or (b) an Affiliate of a Person described in clause (a) of this sentence. After appointment, the successor Rights Agent shall be vested with the same powers, rights, duties and responsibilities as if it had been originally named as Rights Agent without further act or deed, and the predecessor Rights Agent shall deliver and transfer to the successor Rights Agent any property at the time held by it hereunder, and execute and deliver any further assurance, conveyance, act or deed necessary for the foregoing purpose, but the Rights Agent shall not be required to make any additional expenditure or assume any additional liability in connection with the foregoing. Not later than the effective date of any such appointment, the Company shall file notice thereof in writing with the predecessor Rights Agent and each transfer agent of the Common Stock and the Preferred Stock, and, if such appointment occurs after the Distribution Date, mail a notice thereof in writing to the registered holders of the Rights Certificates. Failure to give any notice provided for in this Section 21, however, or any defect therein, shall not affect the legality or validity of the resignation or removal of the Rights Agent or the appointment of the successor Rights Agent, as the case may be. 

 

Section 22 Issuance of New Rights Certificates. Notwithstanding any of the provisions of this Agreement or of the Rights to the contrary, the Company may, at its option, issue new Rights Certificates evidencing Rights in such form as may be approved by the Board to reflect any adjustment or change in the Purchase Price and the number or kind or class of shares or other securities or property purchasable under the Rights Certificates made in accordance with the provisions of this Agreement. In addition, in connection with the issuance or sale of shares of Common Stock following the Distribution Date and prior to the redemption, exchange or expiration of the Rights, the Company (a) shall, with respect to shares of Common Stock so issued or sold pursuant to the exercise of stock options or under any employee benefit plan or arrangement, granted or awarded as of the Distribution Date, or upon the exercise, conversion or exchange of securities hereinafter issued by the Company (except as may otherwise be provided in the instrument(s) governing such securities), and (b) may, in any other case, if deemed necessary or appropriate by the Board, issue Rights Certificates representing the appropriate number of Rights in connection with such issuance or sale; provided, however, that (i) no such Rights Certificate shall be issued if, and to the extent that, the Company shall be advised by counsel that such issuance would create a significant risk of material adverse tax consequences to the Company or the Person to whom such Rights Certificate would be issued, and (ii) no such Rights Certificate shall be issued if, and to the extent that, appropriate adjustment shall otherwise have been made in lieu of the issuance thereof.

 

Section 23 Redemption and Termination.

(a)             The Board may, at its option, at any time prior to the earlier of (i) the close of business on the tenth (10th) Business Day following the Stock Acquisition Date (or, if the Stock Acquisition Date shall have occurred prior to the Record Date, the close of business on the tenth (10th) Business Day following the Record Date), or (ii) the Final Expiration Date, redeem all but not less than all of the then outstanding Rights at a redemption price of $0.001 per Right, as such amount may be appropriately adjusted to reflect any stock split, stock dividend or similar transaction occurring after the date hereof (such redemption price being hereinafter referred to as the “Redemption Price”). Notwithstanding anything contained in this Agreement to the contrary, the Rights shall not be exercisable after the first occurrence of a Section 11(a)(ii) Event until such time as the Company’s right of redemption hereunder has expired. The Company may, at its option, pay the Redemption Price in cash, shares of Common Stock (based on the Current Market Price of the Common Stock at the time of redemption) or any other form of consideration deemed appropriate by the Board.

 

(b)             Immediately upon the action of the Board ordering the redemption of the Rights, evidence of which shall have been filed with the Rights Agent and without any further action and without any notice, the right to exercise the Rights will terminate and the only right thereafter of the holders of Rights shall be to receive the Redemption Price for each Right so held. Promptly after the action of the Board ordering the redemption of the Rights, the Company shall give notice of such redemption to the Rights Agent and the holders of the then outstanding Rights by mailing such notice to all such holders at each holder’s last address as it appears upon the registry books of the Rights Agent or, prior to the Distribution Date, on the registry books of the transfer agent for the Common Stock. Any notice that is mailed in the manner herein provided shall be deemed given, whether or not the holder receives the notice. Each such notice of redemption will state the method by which the payment of the Redemption Price will be made. 

 

(c)             Neither the Company nor any of its Affiliates or Associates may redeem, acquire or purchase for value any Rights at any time in any manner other than that specifically set forth in this Section 23 and other than in connection with the purchase or repurchase by any of them of Common Stock prior to the Distribution Date.

 

Section 24 Exchange.

(a)                The Board may, at its option, at any time after any Person becomes an Acquiring Person, exchange all or part of the then outstanding and exercisable Rights (which shall not include Rights that have become null and void pursuant to the provisions of Section 7(e) hereof) for Common Stock at an exchange ratio of one share of Common Stock per Right, appropriately adjusted to reflect any stock split, stock dividend or similar transaction occurring after the date hereof (such exchange ratio being hereinafter referred to as the “Exchange Ratio”). Notwithstanding the foregoing, the Board shall not be empowered to effect such exchange at any time after (i) any Person (other than the Company, any Subsidiary of the Company, any employee benefit plan of the Company or any such Subsidiary, or any entity holding Common Stock for or pursuant to the terms of any such plan), together with all Affiliates and Associates of such Person, becomes the Beneficial Owner of fifty percent (50%) or more of the Common Stock then outstanding or (ii) the occurrence of an event specified in Section 13(a) hereof.

 

(b)               Immediately upon the action of the Board ordering the exchange of any Rights pursuant to subsection (a) of this Section 24 and without any further action and without any notice, the right to exercise such Rights shall terminate and the only right thereafter of a holder of such Rights shall be to receive that number of shares of Common Stock equal to the number of Rights held by such holder multiplied by the Exchange Ratio. The Company shall promptly give public notice of any such exchange (with prompt written notice thereof to the Rights Agent); provided, however, that the failure to give, or any defect in, such notice shall not affect the legality or validity of such exchange. The Company promptly shall mail a notice of any such exchange to all of the holders of such Rights at their last addresses as they appear upon the registry books of the Rights Agent. Any notice that is mailed in the manner herein provided shall be deemed given, whether or not the holder receives the notice. Each such notice of exchange will state the method by which the exchange of the Common Stock for Rights will be effected and, in the event of any partial exchange, the number of Rights that will be exchanged. Any partial exchange shall be effected pro rata based on the number of Rights (other than Rights that have become null and void pursuant to the provisions of Section 7(e) hereof) held by each holder of Rights.

 

(c)                Following the action of the Board ordering the exchange of any Rights pursuant to subsection (a) of this Section 24, the Company may implement such procedures in its sole discretion as it deems appropriate for the purpose of ensuring that the Common Stock (or such other consideration) issuable upon an exchange pursuant to this Section 24 not be received by holders of Rights that have become null and void pursuant to Section 7(e) hereof. In furtherance thereof, if so directed by the Company, all or a portion of the shares of Common Stock (or other consideration) potentially issuable to holders of Rights upon an exchange pursuant to this Section 24, who have not verified to the satisfaction of the Company, in its sole discretion, that they are not Acquiring Persons, may be deposited in a trust established by the Company pending receipt of appropriate verification. 

(d)               In any exchange pursuant to this Section 24, the Company, at its option, may substitute Preferred Stock (or Equivalent Preferred Stock) for Common Stock exchangeable for Rights, at the initial rate of one one-thousandth of a share of Preferred Stock (or Equivalent Preferred Stock) for each share of Common Stock, as appropriately adjusted to reflect stock splits, stock dividends and other similar transactions after the date hereof.

 

(e)                In the event that there shall not be sufficient shares of Common Stock issued but not outstanding or authorized but unissued to permit any exchange of Rights as contemplated in accordance with this Section 24, the Company shall take all such action as may be necessary to authorize additional shares of Common Stock for issuance upon exchange of the Rights.

 

(f)                The Company shall not be required to issue fractions of shares of Common Stock or to distribute certificates that evidence fractional shares of Common Stock. In lieu of such fractional shares of Common Stock, there shall be paid to the registered holders of the Rights Certificates with regard to which such fractional shares of Common Stock would otherwise be issuable, an amount in cash equal to the same fraction of the current market value of a whole share of Common Stock. For the purposes of this subsection (f), the current market value of a whole share of Common Stock shall be the closing price of a share of Common Stock (as determined pursuant to the second sentence of Section 11(d)(i) hereof) for the Trading Day immediately prior to the date of exchange pursuant to this Section 24.

 

Section 25 Notice of Certain Events.

(a)                In case the Company shall propose, at any time after the Distribution Date, (i) to pay any dividend payable in stock of any class to the holders of Preferred Stock or to make any other distribution to the holders of Preferred Stock (other than a regular quarterly cash dividend out of earnings or retained earnings of the Company), (ii) to offer to the holders of Preferred Stock rights or warrants to subscribe for or to purchase any additional shares of Preferred Stock or shares of stock of any class or any other securities, rights or options, (iii) to effect any reclassification of its Preferred Stock (other than a reclassification involving only the subdivision of outstanding shares of Preferred Stock), (iv) to effect any consolidation or merger into or with any other Person (other than a Subsidiary of the Company in a transaction that complies with Section 11(o) hereof), or to effect any sale or other transfer (or to permit one or more of its Subsidiaries to effect any sale or other transfer), in one transaction or a series of related transactions, of more than fifty percent (50%) of the assets, cash flow or earning power of the Company and its Subsidiaries (taken as a whole) to any other Person or Persons (other than the Company and/or any of its Subsidiaries in one or more transactions each of which complies with Section 11(o) hereof), or (v) to effect the liquidation, dissolution or winding up of the Company, then, in each such case, the Company shall give to the Rights Agent and to the extent feasible to each holder of a Rights Certificate, in accordance with Section 26 hereof, a notice of such proposed action, which notice shall specify the record date for the purposes of such stock dividend, distribution of rights or warrants, or the date on which such reclassification, consolidation, merger, sale, transfer, liquidation, dissolution, or winding up is to take place and the date of participation therein by the holders of the shares of Preferred Stock, if any such date is to be fixed, and such notice shall be so given in the case of any action covered by clause (i) or (ii) above at least twenty (20) days prior to but not including the record date for determining holders of the shares of Preferred Stock for purposes of such action, and in the case of any such other action, at least twenty (20) days prior to but not including the date of the taking of such proposed action or the date of participation therein by the holders of the shares of Preferred Stock, whichever shall be the earlier.

 

(b)               In the event that any Section 11(a)(ii) Event shall occur, (i) the Company shall as soon as practicable thereafter give to the Rights Agent and to each holder of a Rights Certificate, to the extent feasible and in accordance with Section 26 hereof, a notice of the occurrence of such event, which notice shall specify the event and the consequences of the event to holders of Rights under Section 11(a)(ii) hereof, and (ii) all references in the preceding paragraph to Preferred Stock shall be deemed thereafter to refer to Common Stock and/or, if appropriate, other securities. Until such notice is received by the Rights Agent, the Rights Agent may presume conclusively for all purposes that no such Section 11(a)(ii) Event has occurred. 

 

Section 26 Notices. Notices or demands authorized by this Agreement to be given or made by the Rights Agent or by the holder of any Rights Certificate to or on the Company shall be sufficiently given or made if in writing and sent or delivered by recognized national overnight delivery service or first-class mail, postage prepaid, addressed (until another address is filed in writing with the Rights Agent by the Company) as follows:

 

Subject to the provisions of Section 21 hereof, any notice or demand authorized by this Agreement to be given or made by the Company or by the holder of any Rights Certificate to or on the Rights Agent shall be sufficiently given or made if in writing and sent or delivered by recognized national overnight delivery service or first-class mail, postage prepaid, addressed (until another address is filed in writing by the Rights Agent with the Company) as follows:

 

Notices or demands authorized by this Agreement to be given or made by the Company or the Rights Agent to the holder of any Rights Certificate (or, if prior to the Distribution Date, to the holder of certificates representing shares of Common Stock) shall be sufficiently given or made if in writing and sent or delivered by recognized national overnight delivery service or first-class mail, postage prepaid, addressed to such holder at the address of such holder as shown on the registry books of the Company.

 

Section 27 Supplements and Amendments. Subject to this Section 27, this Agreement may be supplemented or amended at the times and for the purposes set forth below. Prior to the Distribution Date, the Company and the Rights Agent shall, if the Company so directs, supplement or amend any provision of this Agreement, other than to extend the Final Expiration Date, without the approval of any holders of shares of Common Stock. From and after the Distribution Date, the Company and the Rights Agent shall, if the Company so directs, supplement or amend this Agreement without the approval of any holders of Rights Certificates in order (i) to cure any ambiguity, (ii) to correct or supplement any provision contained herein that may be defective or inconsistent with any other provisions herein, (iii) to shorten or lengthen any time period hereunder (other than to lengthen the Final Expiration Date) or (iv) to change or supplement the provisions hereunder in any manner that the Company may deem necessary or desirable and that shall not adversely affect the interests of the holders of Rights Certificates (other than an Acquiring Person or an Affiliate or Associate of an Acquiring Person). Upon the delivery of a certificate from an appropriate officer of the Company that states that the proposed supplement or amendment is in compliance with the terms of this Section 27, the Rights Agent shall execute such supplement or amendment; provided, that, the Rights Agent may, but shall not be obligated to, enter into any supplement or amendment that affects the Rights Agent’s own rights, duties, obligations or immunities under this Agreement. Notwithstanding anything herein to the contrary, this Agreement may not be amended (other than pursuant to clauses (i) or (ii) of the third sentence of this Section 27) at a time when the Rights are not redeemable. 

 

Section 28 Successors. All the covenants and provisions of this Agreement by or for the benefit of the Company or the Rights Agent shall bind and inure to the benefit of their respective successors and assigns hereunder.

 

Section 29 Determinations and Actions by the Board, etc.. For all purposes of this Agreement, any calculation of the number of shares of Common Stock or any other class of capital stock outstanding at any particular time, including for purposes of determining the particular percentage of such outstanding shares of Common Stock of which any Person is the Beneficial Owner, shall be made in accordance with the last sentence of Rule 13d-3(d)(1)(i) of the General Rules and Regulations under the Exchange Act or Section 382 of the Code and the Treasury Regulations promulgated thereunder, as appropriate. The Board shall have the exclusive power and authority to administer this Agreement and to exercise all rights and powers specifically granted to the Board or to the Company, or as may be necessary or advisable in the administration of this Agreement, including, the right and power to (i) interpret the provisions of this Agreement, and (ii) make all determinations deemed necessary or advisable for the administration of this Agreement (including a determination to redeem or not redeem the Rights or to amend this Agreement). All such actions, calculations, interpretations and determinations (including for purposes of clause (y) below, all omissions with respect to the foregoing) which are done or made by the Board in good faith, shall (x) be final, conclusive and binding on the Company, the Rights Agent, the holders of the Rights and all other Persons, and (y) not subject the Board, or any of the directors on the Board to any liability to the holders of the Rights. The Rights Agent shall be entitled to assume the Board acted in good faith and shall be fully protected and incur no liability in the Rights Agent’s reliance thereon.

 

Section 30 Benefits of this Agreement. Nothing in this Agreement shall be construed to give to any Person other than the Company, the Rights Agent and the registered holders of the Rights Certificates (and, prior to the Distribution Date, registered holders of the Common Stock) any legal or equitable right, remedy or claim under this Agreement. This Agreement shall be for the sole and exclusive benefit of the Company, the Rights Agent and the registered holders of the Rights Certificates (and, prior to the Distribution Date, registered holders of the Common Stock).

 

Section 31 Severability. If any term, provision, covenant or restriction of this Agreement is held by a court of competent jurisdiction or other authority to be invalid, void or unenforceable, the remainder of the terms, provisions, covenants and restrictions of this Agreement shall remain in full force and effect and shall in no way be affected, impaired or invalidated; provided, that notwithstanding anything in this Agreement to the contrary, if any such term, provision, covenant or restriction is held by such court or authority to be invalid, void or unenforceable and the Board determines in its good faith judgment that severing the invalid language from this Agreement would adversely affect the purpose or effect of this Agreement, the right of redemption set forth in Section 23 hereof shall be reinstated and shall not expire until the close of business on the tenth (10th) Business Day following the date of such determination by the Board and provided further that if any such excluded term, provision, covenant or restriction shall adversely affect the rights, immunities, duties or obligations of the Rights Agent, the Rights Agent shall be entitled to resign immediately upon written notice to the Company. Without limiting the foregoing, if any provision requiring a specific group of directors of the Company to act is held by any court of competent jurisdiction or other authority to be invalid, void or unenforceable, such determination shall then be made by the Board in accordance with applicable law and the Company’s Restated Certificate of Incorporation and Bylaws, each as may be amended from time to time. 

 

Section 32 Governing Law. This Agreement, each Right and each Rights Certificate issued hereunder shall be deemed to be a contract made under the laws of the State of Delaware and for all purposes shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of such State applicable to contracts made and to be performed entirely within such State.

 

Section 33 Counterparts. This Agreement may be executed in any number of counterparts and each of such counterparts shall for all purposes be deemed to be an original, and all such counterparts shall together constitute but one and the same instrument. A signature to this Agreement transmitted electronically shall have the same authority, effect and enforceability as an original signature.

 

Section 34 Descriptive Headings; Interpretation.

(a)             Descriptive headings of the several sections of this Agreement are inserted for convenience only and shall not control or affect the meaning or construction of any of the provisions hereof.

 

(b)             Whenever the words “include,” “includes” or “including” are used in this Agreement, they shall be deemed to be followed by the words “without limitation.”

 

(c)             For purposes of this Agreement, whenever a specific provision of the Code or a specific Treasury Regulation is referenced, such reference shall also apply to any successor or replacement provision or Treasury Regulation, as applicable.

 

Section 35 Force Majeure. Notwithstanding anything to the contrary contained herein, the Rights Agent shall not be liable for any delays or failures in performance resulting from acts beyond its reasonable control including, without limitation, acts of God, terrorist acts, shortage of supply, breakdowns or malfunctions, interruptions or malfunction of computer facilities, or loss of data due to power failures or mechanical difficulties with information storage or retrieval systems, labor difficulties, war or civil unrest.

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

 

 

 

Pursuant to Section 151 of the General Corporation Law of the State of Delaware

 

I, Jennifer Graff, Secretary of Acacia Research Corporation, a corporation organized and existing under the General Corporation Law of the State of Delaware (herein referred to as the “Company”), in accordance with the provisions of Section 103 thereof, DO HEREBY CERTIFY:

 

That pursuant to the authority conferred upon the Board of Directors by the Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation of the Company (as may be amended from time to time, the “Certificate of Incorporation”), the said Board of Directors on March 12, 2019, adopted the following resolution creating a series of 300,000 shares of Preferred Stock designated as Series B Junior Participating Preferred Stock:

 

RESOLVED, that pursuant to the authority vested in the Board of Directors of the Company in accordance with the provisions of the Certificate of Incorporation, a series of Preferred Stock of the Company be and it hereby is created, and that the designation and amount thereof and the voting powers, preferences and relative, participating, optional and other special rights of the shares of such series, and the qualifications, limitations or restrictions thereof are as follows:

 

Section 1. Designation and Amount. The shares of such series shall be designated as “Series B Junior Participating Preferred Stock” and the number of shares constituting such series shall be 300,000. Such number of shares may be increased or decreased by resolution of the Board of Directors; provided, however, that no decrease shall reduce the number of shares of Series B Junior Participating Preferred Stock to a number less than the number of shares then outstanding plus the number of shares reserved for issuance upon the exercise of outstanding options, rights or warrants or upon the exercise of any options, rights or warrants issuable upon conversion of any outstanding securities issued by the Company convertible into Series B Junior Participating Preferred Stock.

 

Section 2. Dividends and Distributions.

 

(A)              Subject to the prior and superior rights of the holders of any shares of any series of Preferred Stock ranking prior and superior to the shares of Series B Junior Participating Preferred Stock with respect to dividends, the holders of shares of Series B Junior Participating Preferred Stock, in preference to the holders of common stock of the Company with $0.001 par value (the “Common Stock”), and of any other junior stock, shall be entitled to receive, when, as and if declared by the Board of Directors out of funds legally available for the purpose, quarterly dividends payable in cash on the last day of March, June, September and December in each year (each such date being referred to herein as a “Quarterly Dividend Payment Date”), commencing on the first Quarterly Dividend Payment Date after the first issuance of a share or fraction of a share of Series B Junior Participating Preferred Stock, in an amount per share (rounded to the nearest cent) equal to the greater of (a) $1.00 or (b) subject to the provision for adjustment hereinafter set forth, one thousand (1,000) times the aggregate per share amount of all cash dividends, and one thousand (1,000) times the aggregate per share amount (payable in kind) of all non-cash dividends or other distributions other than a dividend payable in shares of Common Stock or a subdivision of the outstanding shares of Common Stock (by reclassification or otherwise), declared on the Common Stock since the immediately preceding Quarterly Dividend Payment Date, or, with respect to the first Quarterly Dividend Payment Date, since the first issuance of any share or fraction of a share of Series B Junior Participating Preferred Stock. In the event the Company shall at any time after March 16, 2019 (the “Rights Dividend Declaration Date”), (i) declare any dividend on Common Stock payable in shares of Common Stock, (ii) subdivide the outstanding Common Stock, or (iii) combine the outstanding Common Stock into a smaller number of shares, then in each such case the amount to which holders of shares of Series B Junior Participating Preferred Stock were entitled immediately prior to such event under clause (b) of the preceding sentence shall be adjusted by multiplying such amount by a fraction the numerator of which is the number of shares of Common Stock outstanding immediately after such event and the denominator of which is the number of shares of Common Stock that were outstanding immediately prior to such event.

 

 

(B)              The Company shall declare a dividend or distribution on the Series B Junior Participating Preferred Stock as provided in Paragraph (A) above immediately after it declares a dividend or distribution on the Common Stock (other than a dividend payable in shares of Common Stock); provided that, in the event no dividend or distribution shall have been declared on the Common Stock during the period between any Quarterly Dividend Payment Date and the next subsequent Quarterly Dividend Payment Date, a dividend of $1.00 per share on the Series B Junior Participating Preferred Stock shall nevertheless be payable on such subsequent Quarterly Dividend Payment Date.

 

(C)              Dividends shall begin to accrue and be cumulative on outstanding shares of Series B Junior Participating Preferred Stock from the Quarterly Dividend Payment Date next preceding the date of issue of such shares of Series B Junior Participating Preferred Stock, unless the date of issue of such shares is prior to the record date for the first Quarterly Dividend Payment Date, in which case dividends on such shares shall begin to accrue from the date of issue of such shares, or unless the date of issue is a Quarterly Dividend Payment Date or is a date after the record date for the determination of holders of shares of Series B Junior Participating Preferred Stock entitled to receive a quarterly dividend and before such Quarterly Dividend Payment Date, in either of which events such dividends shall begin to accrue and be cumulative from such Quarterly Dividend Payment Date. Accrued but unpaid dividends shall not bear interest. Dividends paid on the shares of Series B Junior Participating Preferred Stock in an amount less than the total amount of such dividends at the time accrued and payable on such shares shall be allocated pro rata on a share-by-share basis among all such shares at the time outstanding. The Board of Directors may fix a record date for the determination of holders of shares of Series B Junior Participating Preferred Stock entitled to receive payment of a dividend or distribution declared thereon, which record date shall be no more than thirty (30) days prior to the date fixed for the payment thereof.

 

Section 3. Voting Rights. The holders of shares of Series B Junior Participating Preferred Stock shall have the following voting rights:

 

(A)              Subject to the provision for adjustment hereinafter set forth, each share of Series B Junior Participating Preferred Stock shall entitle the holder thereof to one thousand (1,000) votes on all matters submitted to a vote of the stockholders of the Company. In the event the Company shall at any time after the Rights Dividend Declaration Date (i) declare any dividend on Common Stock payable in shares of Common Stock, (ii) subdivide the outstanding Common Stock, or (iii) combine the outstanding Common Stock into a smaller number of shares, then in each such case the number of votes per share to which holders of shares of Series B Junior Participating Preferred Stock were entitled immediately prior to such event shall be adjusted by multiplying such number by a fraction the numerator of which is the number of shares of Common Stock outstanding immediately after such event and the denominator of which is the number of shares of Common Stock that were outstanding immediately prior to such event.

 

(B)              Except as otherwise provided by applicable law, the holders of shares of Series B Junior Participating Preferred Stock and the holders of shares of Common Stock shall vote together as one class on all matters submitted to a vote of stockholders of the Company.

 

(C)              Holders of Series B Junior Participating Preferred Stock shall have no special voting rights and their consent shall not be required (except to the extent they are entitled to vote with holders of Common Stock as set forth herein) for taking any corporate action.

 

Section 4. Certain Restrictions.

 

(A)              Whenever quarterly dividends or other dividends or distributions payable on the Series B Junior Participating Preferred Stock as provided in Section 2 are in arrears, thereafter and until all accrued and unpaid dividends and distributions, whether or not declared, on shares of Series B Junior Participating Preferred Stock outstanding shall have been paid in full, the Company shall not:

 

 

(i)                 declare or pay dividends on, make any other distributions on, or redeem or purchase or otherwise acquire for consideration any shares of stock ranking junior (either as to dividends or upon liquidation, dissolution or winding up) to the Series B Junior Participating Preferred Stock;

 

(ii)               declare or pay dividends on or make any other distributions on any shares of stock ranking on a parity (either as to dividends or upon liquidation, dissolution or winding up) with the Series B Junior Participating Preferred Stock, except dividends paid ratably on the Series B Junior Participating Preferred Stock and all such parity stock on which dividends are payable or in arrears in proportion to the total amounts to which the holders of all such shares are then entitled;

 

(iii)             redeem or purchase or otherwise acquire for consideration shares of any stock ranking on a parity (either as to dividends or upon liquidation, dissolution or winding up) with the Series B Junior Participating Preferred Stock, provided that the Company may at any time redeem, purchase or otherwise acquire shares of any such parity stock in exchange for shares of any stock of the Company ranking junior (either as to dividends or upon dissolution, liquidation or winding up) to the Series B Junior Participating Preferred Stock; or

 

(iv)             purchase or otherwise acquire for consideration any shares of Series B Junior Participating Preferred Stock, or any shares of stock ranking on a parity with the Series B Junior Participating Preferred Stock, except in accordance with a purchase offer made in writing or by publication (as determined by the Board of Directors) to all holders of such shares upon such terms as the Board of Directors, after consideration of the respective annual dividend rates and other relative rights and preferences of the respective series and classes, shall determine in good faith will result in fair and equitable treatment among the respective series or classes.

 

(B)              The Company shall not permit any subsidiary of the Company to purchase or otherwise acquire for consideration any shares of stock of the Company unless the Company could, under Paragraph (A) of this Section 4, purchase or otherwise acquire such shares at such time and in such manner.

 

Section 5. Reacquired Shares. Any shares of Series B Junior Participating Preferred Stock purchased or otherwise acquired by the Company in any manner whatsoever shall be retired and cancelled promptly after the acquisition thereof. All such shares shall upon their cancellation become authorized but unissued shares of Preferred Stock and may be reissued as part of a new series of Preferred Stock to be created by resolution or resolutions of the Board of Directors, subject to the conditions and restrictions on issuance set forth herein.

 

Section 6. Liquidation, Dissolution or Winding Up. (i) Upon any liquidation (voluntary or otherwise), dissolution or winding up of the Company, no distribution shall be made to the holders of shares of stock ranking junior (either as to dividends or upon liquidation, dissolution or winding up) to the Series B Junior Participating Preferred Stock unless, prior thereto, the holders of shares of Series B Junior Participating Preferred Stock shall have received an amount equal to $1,000 per share of Series B Junior Participating Preferred Stock, plus an amount equal to accrued and unpaid dividends and distributions thereon, whether or not declared, to the date of such payment (the “Series B Liquidation Preference”). Following the payment of the full amount of the Series B Liquidation Preference, no additional distributions shall be made to the holders of shares of Series B Junior Participating Preferred Stock unless, prior thereto, the holders of shares of Common Stock shall have received an amount per share (the “Common Adjustment”) equal to the quotient obtained by dividing (i) the Series B Liquidation Preference by (ii) one thousand (1,000) (as appropriately adjusted as set forth in subparagraph (C) below to reflect such events as stock splits, stock dividends and recapitalizations with respect to the Common Stock) (such number in clause (ii), the “Adjustment Number”). Following the payment of the full amount of the Series B Liquidation Preference and the Common Adjustment in respect of all outstanding shares of Series B Junior Participating Preferred Stock and Common Stock, respectively, holders of Series B Junior Participating Preferred Stock and holders of shares of Common Stock shall receive their ratable and proportionate share of the remaining assets to be distributed in the ratio of the Adjustment Number to 1 with respect to such Preferred Stock and Common Stock, on a per share basis, respectively.

 

(A)              In the event, however, that there are not sufficient assets available to permit payment in full of the Series B Liquidation Preference and the liquidation preferences of all other series of preferred stock, if any, which rank on a parity with the Series B Junior Participating Preferred Stock, then such remaining assets shall be distributed ratably to the holders of such parity shares in proportion to their respective liquidation preferences. In the event, however, that there are not sufficient assets available to permit payment in full of the Common Adjustment, then such remaining assets shall be distributed ratably to the holders of Common Stock.

 

 

(B)              In the event the Company shall at any time after the Rights Dividend Declaration Date (i) declare any dividend on Common Stock payable in shares of Common Stock, (ii) subdivide the outstanding Common Stock, or (iii) combine the outstanding Common Stock into a smaller number of shares, then in each such case the Adjustment Number in effect immediately prior to such event shall be adjusted by multiplying such Adjustment Number by a fraction the numerator of which is the number of shares of Common Stock outstanding immediately after such event and the denominator of which is the number of shares of Common Stock that were outstanding immediately prior to such event.

 

Section 7. Consolidation, Merger, etc. In case the Company shall enter into any consolidation, merger, combination or other transaction in which the shares of Common Stock are exchanged for or changed into other stock or securities, cash and/or any other property, then in any such case the shares of Series B Junior Participating Preferred Stock shall at the same time be similarly exchanged or changed in an amount per share (subject to the provision for adjustment hereinafter set forth) equal to one thousand (1,000) times the aggregate amount of stock, securities, cash and/or any other property (payable in kind), as the case may be, into which or for which each share of Common Stock is changed or exchanged. In the event the Company shall at any time after the Rights Dividend Declaration Date (i) declare any dividend on Common Stock payable in shares of Common Stock, (ii) subdivide the outstanding Common Stock, or (iii) combine the outstanding Common Stock into a smaller number of shares, then in each such case the amount set forth in the preceding sentence with respect to the exchange or change of shares of Series B Junior Participating Preferred Stock shall be adjusted by multiplying such amount by a fraction the numerator of which is the number of shares of Common Stock outstanding immediately after such event and the denominator of which is the number of shares of Common Stock that were outstanding immediately prior to such event.

 

Section 8. No Redemption. The shares of Series B Junior Participating Preferred Stock shall not be redeemable.

 

Section 9. Ranking. The Series B Junior Participating Preferred Stock shall rank junior to all other series of the Company’s Preferred Stock as to the payment of dividends and the distribution of assets, unless the terms of any such series shall provide otherwise.

Section 10. Amendment. At any time when any shares of Series B Junior Participating Preferred Stock are outstanding, neither the Certificate of Incorporation nor this Certificate of Designation shall be amended in any manner that would materially alter or change the powers, preferences or special rights of the Series B Junior Participating Preferred Stock so as to affect them adversely without the affirmative vote of the holders of a majority of the outstanding shares of Series B Junior Participating Preferred Stock, voting separately as a class.

 

Section 11. Fractional Shares. Series B Junior Participating Preferred Stock may be issued in fractions of a share which shall entitle the holder, in proportion to such holder’s fractional shares, to exercise voting rights, receive dividends, participate in distributions and to have the benefit of all other rights of holders of Series B Junior Participating Preferred Stock.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, Acacia Research Corporation has caused this Certificate of Designation to be executed in its corporate name this 15^th day of March, 2019.

 

NOT EXERCISABLE AFTER MARCH 15, 2021 OR SUCH EARLIER DATE AS THE RIGHTS ARE REDEEMED, EXCHANGED OR TERMINATED. THE RIGHTS ARE SUBJECT TO REDEMPTION AT THE OPTION OF THE COMPANY, AT $0.001 PER RIGHT, AND TO EXCHANGE ON THE TERMS SET FORTH IN THE PLAN. UNDER CERTAIN CIRCUMSTANCES, RIGHTS BENEFICIALLY OWNED BY AN ACQUIRING PERSON (AS SUCH TERM IS DEFINED IN THE PLAN) AND ANY SUBSEQUENT HOLDER OF SUCH RIGHTS MAY BECOME NULL AND VOID. [THE RIGHTS REPRESENTED BY THIS RIGHTS CERTIFICATE ARE OR WERE BENEFICIALLY OWNED BY A PERSON WHO WAS OR BECAME AN ACQUIRING PERSON OR AN AFFILIATE OR ASSOCIATE OF AN ACQUIRING PERSON (AS SUCH TERMS ARE DEFINED IN THE PLAN). ACCORDINGLY, THIS RIGHTS CERTIFICATE AND THE RIGHTS REPRESENTED HEREBY MAY BECOME NULL AND VOID IN THE CIRCUMSTANCES SPECIFIED IN SECTION 7(e) OF THE PLAN.]

 

ACACIA RESEARCH CORPORATION This certifies that ______________________, or registered assigns, is the registered owner of the number of Rights set forth above, each of which entitles the owner thereof, subject to the terms, provisions and conditions of the Tax Benefits Preservation Plan, dated as of March 16, 2019 (the “Plan”), between Acacia Research Corporation, a Delaware corporation (the “Company”), and Computershare Trust Company, N.A., a federally chartered trust company, as rights agent (the “Rights Agent”), to purchase from the Company at any time prior to 5:00 P.M. (New York, New York time) on March 15, 2021, unless the Rights are earlier redeemed or exchanged, at the office or offices of the Rights Agent designated for such purpose, or its successors as Rights Agent, one one-thousandth of a fully paid, nonassessable share of Series B Junior Participating Preferred Stock (the “Preferred Stock”) of the Company, at a purchase price of $12.00 per one one-thousandth of a share (the “Purchase Price”), upon presentation and surrender of this Rights Certificate with the Form of Election to Purchase and related certificate duly executed. The number of Rights evidenced by this Rights Certificate (and the number of shares which may be purchased upon exercise thereof) set forth above, and the Purchase Price per share set forth above, are the number and Purchase Price as of March 16, 2019, based on the Preferred Stock as constituted at such date. The Company reserves the right to require prior to the occurrence of a Triggering Event (as such term is defined in the Plan) that a number of Rights be exercised so that only whole shares of Preferred Stock will be issued. Capitalized terms used in this Rights Certificate without definition shall have the meanings ascribed to them in the Plan.

 

Upon the occurrence of a Section 11(a)(ii) Event, if the Rights evidenced by this Rights Certificate are beneficially owned by (i) an Acquiring Person or an Affiliate or Associate of any such Acquiring Person, (ii) a transferee of any such Acquiring Person, Associate or Affiliate, or (iii) under certain circumstances specified in the Plan, a transferee of a person who, after such transfer, became an Acquiring Person, or an Affiliate or Associate of an Acquiring Person, such Rights shall become null and void and no holder hereof shall have any right with respect to such Rights from and after the occurrence of such Section 11(a)(ii) Event.

 

As provided in the Plan, the Purchase Price and the number and kind of shares of Preferred Stock or other securities that may be purchased upon the exercise of the Rights evidenced by this Rights Certificate are subject to modification and adjustment upon the occurrence of certain events, including Triggering Events.

 

This Rights Certificate is subject to all of the terms, provisions and conditions of the Plan, which terms, provisions and conditions are hereby incorporated herein by reference and made a part hereof and to which the Plan reference is hereby made for a full description of the rights, limitations of rights, obligations, duties and immunities hereunder of the Rights Agent, the Company and the holders of the Rights Certificates, which limitations of rights include the temporary suspension of the exercisability of such Rights under the specific circumstances set forth in the Plan. Copies of the Plan are on file at the above-mentioned office of the Company and are also available upon written request to the Company.

 

 

This Rights Certificate, with or without other Rights Certificates, upon surrender at the office or offices of the Rights Agent designated for such purpose, may be exchanged for another Rights Certificate or Rights Certificates of like tenor and date evidencing Rights entitling the holder to purchase a like aggregate number of one one-thousandths of a share of Preferred Stock as the Rights evidenced by the Rights Certificate or Rights Certificates surrendered shall have entitled such holder to purchase. If this Rights Certificate shall be exercised in part, the holder shall be entitled to receive upon surrender hereof another Rights Certificate or Rights Certificates for the number of whole Rights not exercised.

 

Subject to the provisions of the Plan, the Rights evidenced by this Rights Certificate may be redeemed by the Company at its option at a redemption price of $0.001 per Right at any time prior to the earlier of the close of business on (i) the tenth (10th) Business Day following the Stock Acquisition Date (as such time period may be extended pursuant to the Plan), and (ii) the Final Expiration Date. In addition, under certain circumstances following the Stock Acquisition Date, the Rights may be exchanged, in whole or in part, for shares of the Common Stock, or shares of preferred stock of the Company having essentially the same value or economic rights as such shares. Immediately upon the action of the Board of Directors of the Company authorizing any such exchange, and without any further action or any notice, the Rights (other than Rights which are not subject to such exchange) will terminate and the Rights will only enable holders to receive the shares issuable upon such exchange.

 

No fractional shares of Preferred Stock will be issued upon the exercise of any Right or Rights evidenced hereby (other than fractions which are integral multiples of one one-thousandth of a share of Preferred Stock, which may, at the election of the Company, be evidenced by depositary receipts), but in lieu thereof a cash payment will be made, as provided in the Plan. The Company, at its election, may require that a number of Rights be exercised so that only whole shares of Preferred Stock would be issued.

 

No holder of this Rights Certificate shall be entitled to vote or receive dividends or be deemed for any purpose the holder of shares of Preferred Stock or of any other securities of the Company that may at any time be issuable on the exercise hereof, nor shall anything contained in the Plan or herein be construed to confer upon the holder hereof, as such, any of the rights of a stockholder of the Company or any right to vote for the election of directors or upon any matter submitted to stockholders at any meeting thereof, or to give consent to or withhold consent from any corporate action, or, to receive notice of meetings or other actions affecting stockholders (except as provided in the Plan), or to receive dividends or subscription rights, or otherwise, until the Right or Rights evidenced by this Rights Certificate shall have been exercised as provided in the Plan.

 

This Rights Certificate shall not be valid or obligatory for any purpose until it shall have been countersigned by the Rights Agent.

 

WITNESS the signature of a proper officer of the Company.

 

Dated as of _______________ ____, 20___

 

 

FOR VALUE RECEIVED ____________________________________ hereby sells, assigns and transfers unto

 

_____________________________________________________________________________ this Rights Certificate, together with all right, title and interest therein, and does hereby irrevocably constitute and appoint __________________ as attorney-in-fact, to transfer the within Rights Certificate on the books of the within named Company, with full power of substitution.

 

Dated _______________ ____, 20___

 

Signature Guaranteed:

 

NOTICE: The signature(s) must be guaranteed by a participant in a Medallion Signature Guarantee Program at a guarantee level acceptable to the Company’s transfer agent.

 

The undersigned hereby certifies by checking the appropriate boxes that:

 

(1) this Rights Certificate ☐ is ☐ is not being sold, assigned and transferred by or on behalf of a Person who is or was an Acquiring Person or an Affiliate or Associate of any such Acquiring Person (as such terms are defined pursuant to the Plan);

 

(2) after due inquiry and to the best knowledge of the undersigned, it ☐ did ☐ did not acquire the Rights evidenced by this Rights Certificate from any Person who is, was or subsequently became an Acquiring Person or an Affiliate or Associate of an Acquiring Person.

 

 

 

NOTICE: The signature(s) must be guaranteed by an eligible guarantor institution (a bank, stockbroker, savings and loan association or credit union with membership in an approved signature guarantee medallion program) at a guarantee level satisfactory to the Rights Agent. A notary public is not sufficient.

 

 

 

The signature to the foregoing Assignment and Certificate must correspond to the name as written upon the face of this Rights Certificate in every particular, without alteration or enlargement or any change whatsoever.

 

In the event the certification set forth above is not completed in connection with a purported assignment, the Company may deem the Beneficial Owner of the Rights evidenced by the attached Rights Certificate to be an Acquiring Person or an Affiliate or Associate thereof or a transferee of any of the foregoing and accordingly may deem the Rights evidenced by such Rights Certificate to be null and void and not transferable or exercisable.

 

The signature(s) must be guaranteed by a participant in a Medallion Signature Guarantee Program at a guarantee level acceptable to the Company’s transfer agent.

 

To: ACACIA RESEARCH CORPORATION:

 

The undersigned hereby irrevocably elects to exercise __________ Rights represented by this Rights Certificate to purchase the shares of Preferred Stock issuable upon the exercise of the Rights (or such other securities of the Company or of any other person which may be issuable upon the exercise of the Rights) and requests that certificates for such shares be issued in the name of and delivered to:

 

or other identifying number

 

 

 

 

If such number of Rights shall not be all the Rights evidenced by this Rights Certificate, a new Rights Certificate for the balance of such Rights shall be registered in the name of and delivered to:

 

Please insert social security

or other identifying number

 

 

 

 

 

Dated _______________ ____, 20___

 

Signature Guaranteed:

 

 

NOTICE: The signature(s) must be guaranteed by an eligible guarantor institution (a bank, stockbroker, savings and loan association or credit union with membership in an approved signature guarantee medallion program) at a guarantee level satisfactory to the Rights Agent. A notary public is not sufficient.

 

 

The undersigned hereby certifies by checking the appropriate boxes that:

 

(1) the Rights evidenced by this Rights Certificate ☐ are ☐ are not being exercised by or on behalf of a Person who is or was an Acquiring Person or an Affiliate or Associate of any such Acquiring Person (as such terms are defined pursuant to the Plan);

 

(2) after due inquiry and to the best knowledge of the undersigned, it ☐ did ☐ did not acquire the Rights evidenced by this Rights Certificate from any Person who is, was or became an Acquiring Person or an Affiliate or Associate of an Acquiring Person.

 

 

 

NOTICE: The signature(s) must be guaranteed by a participant in a Medallion Signature Guarantee Program at a guarantee level acceptable to the Company’s transfer agent.

 

The signature to the foregoing Election to Purchase and Certificate must correspond to the name as written upon the face of this Rights Certificate in every particular, without alteration or enlargement or any change whatsoever.

 

In the event the certification set forth above is not completed in connection with a purported exercise, the Company may deem the Beneficial Owner of the Rights evidenced by the attached Rights Certificate to be an Acquiring Person or an Affiliate or Associate thereof or a transferee of any of the foregoing and accordingly may deem the Rights evidenced by such Rights Certificate to be null and void and not transferable or exercisable.

 

The signature(s) must be guaranteed by a participant in a Medallion Signature Guarantee Program at a guarantee level acceptable to the Company’s transfer agent.