APPLIED IMAGING CORP. 2006 EMPLOYEE STOCK PURCHASE PLAN
Exhibit 10.1
APPLIED IMAGING CORP.
2006 EMPLOYEE STOCK PURCHASE PLAN
as amended and restated August 31, 2006
1. Purpose. The purpose of the Plan is to provide employees of the Company and its Designated Subsidiaries with an opportunity to purchase Common Stock of the Company through accumulated payroll deductions. It is the intention of the Company to have the Plan qualify as an Employee Stock Purchase Plan under Section 423 of the Code. The provisions of the Plan, accordingly, shall be construed so as to extend and limit participation in a uniform and nondiscriminatory basis consistent with the requirements of Section 423 of the Code.
2. Definitions.
(a) Administrator shall mean the Board or any Committee designated by the Board to administer the Plan pursuant to Section 14.
(b) Board shall mean the Board of Directors of the Company.
(c) Change in Control shall mean the occurrence of any of the following events:
(i) Any person (as such term is used in Sections 13(d) and 14(d) of the Exchange Act) becomes the beneficial owner (as defined in Rule 13d-3 of the Exchange Act), directly or indirectly, of securities of the Company representing fifty percent (50%) or more of the total voting power represented by the Companys then outstanding voting securities; or
(ii) The consummation of the sale or disposition by the Company of all or substantially all of the Companys assets; or
(iii) The consummation of a merger or consolidation of the Company, with any other corporation, other than a merger or consolidation which would result in the voting securities of the Company outstanding immediately prior thereto continuing to represent (either by remaining outstanding or by being converted into voting securities of the surviving entity or its parent) at least fifty percent (50%) of the total voting power represented by the voting securities of the Company, or such surviving entity or its parent outstanding immediately after such merger or consolidation; or
(iv) A change in the composition of the Board occurring within a two-year period, as a result of which fewer than a majority of the Directors are Incumbent Directors. Incumbent Directors means Directors who either (A) are Directors as of the effective date of the Plan, or (B) are elected, or nominated for election, to the Board with the affirmative votes of at least a majority of the Incumbent Directors at the time of such election or nomination (but will not include an individual whose election or nomination is in connection with an actual or threatened proxy contest relating to the election of Directors of the Company).
(d) Code shall mean the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended. Any reference to a section of the Coe herein shall be a reference to any successor or amended section of the Code.
(e) Committee shall mean a committee of the Board appointed by the Board in accordance with Section 14 hereof.
(f) Common Stock shall mean the Common Stock of the Company.
(g) Company shall mean Applied Imaging Corp., a Delaware corporation.
(h) Compensation shall mean all compensation reportable on Form W-2, including without limitation base straight time gross earnings, sales commissions, payments for overtime, shift premiums, incentive compensation, incentive payments, bonuses and other compensation.
(i) Designated Subsidiary shall mean any Subsidiary selected by the Administrator as eligible to participate in the Plan.
(j) Director shall mean a member of the Board.
(k) Eligible Employee shall mean any individual who is a common law employee of the Company or any Designated Subsidiary and whose customary employment with the Company or any Designated Subsidiary is at least twenty (20) hours per week and more than five (5) months in any calendar year. For purposes of the Plan, the employment relationship shall be treated as continuing intact while the individual is on sick leave or other leave of absence approved by the Company. Where the period of leave exceeds ninety (90) days and the individuals right to reemployment is not guaranteed either by statute or by contract, the employment relationship shall be deemed to have terminated on the 91st day of such leave. The Administrator, in its discretion, from time to time may, prior to an Offering Date for all options to be granted on such Offering Date, determine (on a uniform and nondiscriminatory basis) that the definition of Eligible Employee will or will not include an individual if he or she: (1) has not completed at least two years of service since his or her last hire date (or such lesser period of time as may be determined by the Administrator in its discretion), (2) customarily works not more than 20 hours per week (or such lesser period of time as may be determined by the Administrator in its discretion), (3) customarily works not more than five (5) months per calendar year (or such lesser period of time as may be determined by the Administrator in its discretion), (4) is an officer or other manager, or (5) is a highly compensated employee under Section 414(q) of the Code.
(l) Exchange Act will mean the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended.
(m) Exercise Date shall mean the last day of each Offering Period.
(n) Fair Market Value shall mean, as of any date and unless the Administrator determines otherwise, the value of Common Stock determined as follows:
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(i) If the Common Stock is listed on any established stock exchange or a national market system, including without limitation the Nasdaq National Market, The Nasdaq SmallCap Market of The Nasdaq Stock Market, or the OTC Bulletin Board, its Fair Market Value shall be the closing sales price for such stock (or the closing bid, if no sales were reported) as quoted on such exchange or system on the date of such determination, as reported in The Wall Street Journal or such other source as the Board deems reliable, or;
(ii) If the Common Stock is regularly quoted by a recognized securities dealer but selling prices are not reported, its Fair Market Value shall be the mean of the closing bid and asked prices for the Common Stock on the date of determination, as reported in The Wall Street Journal or such other source as the Board deems reliable, or;
(iii) In the absence of an established market for the Common Stock, the Fair Market Value thereof shall be determined in good faith by the Board.
(o) Offering Date will mean the first Trading Day of each Offering Period.
(p) Offering Periods shall mean the periods of approximately six (6) months during which an option granted pursuant to the Plan may be exercised, commencing (i) on the first Trading Day on or after May 1 of each year and terminating on the last Trading Day in the period ending the following October 31, approximately six months later, and (ii) on the first Trading Date on or after November 1 of each year and terminating on the last Trading Day in the period ending the following April 30, approximately six months later; provided, however, that the first Offering Period under the Plan shall commence with the first Trading Day on or after June 1, 2006, and terminate on the last Trading Day in the period ending the following October 31, approximately five (5) months later. The duration and timing of Offering Periods may be changed pursuant to Section 4 of this Plan.
(q) Plan shall mean this Employee Stock Purchase Plan.
(r) Purchase Price shall mean the price per share of Common Stock of the shares purchased under any option granted under the Plan as the Administrator may determine from time to time, in its discretion and on a uniform and nondiscriminatory basis. However, in no event will the price be less than eighty-five percent (85%) of the lower of:
(i) the Fair Market Value per share of Common Stock on the Offering Date; or
(ii) the Fair Market Value per share of Common Stock on the Exercise Date.
(s) Subsidiary shall mean a subsidiary corporation, whether now or hereafter existing, as defined in Section 424(f) of the Code.
(t) Trading Day shall mean a day on which national stock exchanges and the Nasdaq System are open for trading.
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3. Eligibility.
(a) Offering Periods. Any individual who is an Eligible Employee as of the Offering Date of any Offering Period shall be eligible to participate in such Offering Period, subject to the requirements of Section 5.
(b) Limitations. Any provisions of the Plan to the contrary notwithstanding, no Eligible Employee shall be granted an option under the Plan (i) to the extent that, immediately after the grant, such Eligible Employee (or any other person whose stock would be attributed to such Eligible Employee pursuant to Section 424(d) of the Code) would own capital stock of the Company and/or hold outstanding options to purchase such stock possessing five percent (5%) or more of the total combined voting power or value of all classes of the capital stock of the Company or of any Subsidiary, or (ii) to the extent that his or her rights to purchase stock under all employee stock purchase plans of the Company and its Subsidiaries accrues at a rate which exceeds Twenty-Five Thousand Dollars ($25,000) worth of stock (determined at the Fair Market Value of the shares of Common Stock at the time such option is granted) for each calendar year in which such option is outstanding at any time.
4. Offering Periods. The Plan shall be implemented by consecutive Offering Periods with a new Offering Period commencing on the first Trading Day on or after May 1 and November 1 of each year, or on such other date as the Board shall determine, and continuing thereafter until terminated in accordance with Section 20 hereof; provided, however, that the first Offering Period under the Plan shall commence with the first Trading Day on or after June 1, 2006, and terminate on the last Trading Day in the period ending the following October 31, approximately five (5) months later. The Board shall have the power to change the duration of Offering Periods (including the commencement dates thereof) with respect to future offerings without stockholder approval if such change is announced prior to the scheduled beginning of the first Offering Period to be affected thereafter.
5. Participation. An Eligible Employee may become a participant in the Plan by completing a subscription agreement authorizing payroll deductions in a form determined by the Administrator (or through such other electronic or other enrollment procedure prescribed by the Administrator) and filing it with the Companys payroll office (or its designee) on or before a date prescribed by the Administrator prior to the applicable Offering Date.
6. Payroll Deductions.
(a) At the time a participant files his or her subscription agreement, he or she shall elect to have payroll deductions made on each pay day during the Offering Period in an amount not less than one percent (1.0%) and not exceeding ten percent (10.0%) of the Compensation which he or she receives on each pay day during the Offering Period or in such other amount as the Administrator may determine (on a uniform and nondiscriminatory basis); provided, however, that should a pay day occur on an Exercise Date, a participant shall have the payroll deductions made on such day applied to his or her account under the new Offering Period. A participants subscription agreement shall remain in effect for successive Offering Periods unless terminated as provided in Section 10 hereof.
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(b) Payroll deductions for a participant shall commence on the first payday following the Offering Date and shall end on the last payday in the Offering Period to which such authorization is applicable, unless sooner terminated by the participant as provided in Section 10 hereof.
(c) All payroll deductions made for a participant shall be credited to his or her account under the Plan and shall be withheld in whole percentages only. A participant may not make any additional payments into such account.
(d) A participant may discontinue his or her participation in the Plan as provided in Section 10, or may decrease the rate of his or her payroll deductions during the Offering Period by (i) properly completing and submitting to the Company s payroll office (or its designee), on or before a date prescribed by the Administrator prior to an applicable Exercise Date, a new subscription agreement authorizing the change in payroll deduction rate in the form provided by the Administrator for such purpose, or (ii) following an electronic or other procedure prescribed by the Administrator. If a participant has not followed such procedures to change the rate of payroll deductions, the rate of his or her payroll deductions will continue at the originally elected rate throughout the Offering Period and future Offering Periods (unless terminated as provided in Section 10). The Administrator may, in its sole discretion, change the nature and/or number of payroll deduction rate changes that may be made by participants during any Offering Period. Any change in payroll deduction rate made pursuant to this Section 6(d) will be effective as soon as practicable after the Administrator processes a given change in payroll deduction rate.
(e) Notwithstanding the foregoing, to the extent necessary to comply with Section 423(b)(8) of the Code and Section 3(b) hereof, a participants payroll deductions may be decreased to zero percent (0%) at any time during an Offering Period. Payroll deductions shall recommence at the rate provided in such participants subscription agreement at the beginning of the first Offering Period which is scheduled to end in the following calendar year, unless terminated by the participant as provided in Section 10 hereof.
(f) At the time the option is exercised, in whole or in part, or at the time some or all of the Companys Common Stock issued under the Plan is disposed of, the participant must make adequate provision for the Companys or its Subsidiarys federal, state, or any other tax liability payable to any authority, national insurance, social security or other tax withholding obligations, if any, which arise upon the exercise of the option or the disposition of the Common Stock. At any time, the Company or its Subsidiary may, but shall not be obligated to, withhold from the participants compensation the amount necessary for the Company or its Subsidiary to meet applicable withholding obligations, including any withholding required to make available to the Company or its Subsidiary any tax deductions or benefits attributable to sale or early disposition of Common Stock by the Eligible Employee.
7. Grant of Option. On the Offering Date of each Offering Period, each Eligible Employee participating in such Offering Period shall be granted an option to purchase on each Exercise Date during such Offering Period (at the applicable Purchase Price) up to a number of shares of the Companys Common Stock determined by dividing such Eligible Employees payroll deductions accumulated prior to such Exercise Date and retained in the Participants account as of
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the Exercise Date by the applicable Purchase Price; provided that in no event shall an Eligible Employee be permitted to purchase during each Offering Period more than the number of shares determined by dividing $12,500 by the Fair Market Value of a Share of the Companys Common Stock on the Offering Date, (subject to any adjustment pursuant to Section 19), and provided further that such purchase shall be subject to the limitations set forth in Sections 3(b) and 13 hereof. The Eligible Employee may accept the grant of such option with respect to any Offering Period under the Plan, by electing to participate in the Plan in accordance with the requirements of Section 5. The Administrator may, for future Offering Periods, increase or decrease, in its absolute discretion, the maximum number of shares of the Companys Common Stock an Eligible Employee may purchase during each Offering Period. Exercise of the option shall occur as provided in Section 8 hereof, unless the participant has withdrawn pursuant to Section 10 hereof. The option shall expire on the last day of the Offering Period or such earlier time as the Administrator may determine pursuant to Section 20.
8. Exercise of Option.
(a) Unless a participant withdraws from the Plan as provided in Section 10 hereof, his or her option for the purchase of shares shall be exercised automatically on the Exercise Date, and the maximum number of full shares subject to option shall be purchased for such participant at the applicable Purchase Price with the accumulated payroll deductions in his or her account. No fractional shares shall be purchased; any payroll deductions accumulated in a participants account which are not sufficient to purchase a full share shall be retained in the participants account for the subsequent Offering Period, subject to earlier withdrawal by the participant as provided in Section 10 hereof. Any other funds left over in a participants account after the Exercise Date shall be returned to the participant. During a participants lifetime, a participants option to purchase shares hereunder is exercisable only by him or her.
(b) If the Administrator determines that, on a given Exercise Date, the number of shares with respect to which options are to be exercised may exceed (i) the number of shares of Common Stock that were available for sale under the Plan on the Offering Date of the applicable Offering Period, or (ii) the number of shares available for sale under the Plan on such Exercise Date, the Administrator may in its sole discretion (x) provide that the Company shall make a pro rata allocation of the shares of Common Stock available for purchase on such Exercise Date in as uniform a manner as shall be practicable and as it shall determine in its sole discretion to be equitable among all participants exercising options to purchase Common Stock on such Exercise Date. The Company may a make pro rata allocation of the shares available on the Offering Date of any applicable Offering Period pursuant to the preceding sentence, notwithstanding any authorization of additional shares for issuance under the Plan by the Companys stockholders subsequent to such Offering Date.
9. Delivery. As soon as reasonably practicable after each Exercise Date on which a purchase of shares occurs, the Company shall arrange the delivery to each participant of the shares purchased upon exercise of his or her option in a form determined by the Administrator. No participant will have any voting, dividend, or other stockholder rights with respect to shares of Common Stock subject to any option granted under the Plan until such shares have been purchased and delivered to the participant as provided in this Section 9.
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10. Withdrawal.
(a) Under procedures established by the Administrator, a participant may withdraw all but not less than all the payroll deductions credited to his or her account and not yet used to exercise his or her option under the Plan at any time by (i) submitting to the Companys payroll office (or its designee) a written notice of withdrawal in the form prescribed by the Administrator for such purpose, or (ii) following an electronic or other withdrawal procedure prescribed by the Administrator. All of the participants payroll deductions credited to his or her account shall be paid to such participant as promptly as practicable after the effective date of his or her withdrawal and such participants option for the Offering Period shall be automatically terminated, and no further payroll deductions for the purchase of shares shall be made for such Offering Period. If a participant withdraws from an Offering Period, payroll deductions shall not resume at the beginning of the succeeding Offering Period unless the participant re-enrolls in the Plan in accordance with the provisions of Section 5.
(b) A participants withdrawal from an Offering Period shall not have any effect upon his or her eligibility to participate in any similar plan which may hereafter be adopted by the Company or in succeeding Offering Periods which commence after the termination of the Offering Period from which the participant withdraws.
11. Termination of Employment. Upon a participants ceasing to be an Eligible Employee for any reason, he or she shall be deemed to have elected to withdraw from the Plan and the payroll deductions credited to such participants account during the Offering Period but not yet used to purchase shares of Common Stock under the Plan will be returned to such participant or, in the case of his or her death, to the person or persons entitled thereto under Section 15, and such participants option shall be automatically terminated. The preceding sentence notwithstanding, a participant who receives payment in lieu of notice of termination of employment shall be treated as continuing to be an Eligible Employee for the participants customary number of hours per week of employment during the period in which the participant is subject to such payment in lieu of notice.
12. Interest. No interest shall accrue on the payroll deductions of a participant in the Plan.
13. Stock.
(a) Subject to adjustment upon changes in capitalization of the Company as provided in Section 19 hereof, the maximum number of shares of the Companys Common Stock which shall be made available for sale under the Plan shall be 175,000 shares of Common Stock.
(b) Until the shares are issued (as evidenced by the appropriate entry on the books of the Company or of a duly authorized transfer agent of the Company), a participant shall only have the rights of an unsecured creditor with respect to such shares, and no right to vote or receive dividends or any other rights as a stockholder shall exist with respect to such shares.
(c) Shares to be delivered to a participant under the Plan shall be registered in the name of the participant or in the name of the participant and his or her spouse.
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14. Administration. The Board or a committee of members of the Board who shall be appointed from time to time by, and shall serve at the pleasure of, the Board, shall administer the Plan. The Administrator shall have full and exclusive discretionary authority to construe, interpret and apply the terms of the Plan, to determine eligibility, to adjudicate all disputed claims filed under the Plan and to establish such procedures that it deems necessary for administration of the Plan (including, without limitation, to adopt such procedures and sub-plans as are necessary or appropriate to permit the participation in the Plan by employees who are foreign nationals or employed outside the United States). The Administrator, in its sole discretion and on such terms and conditions as it may provide, may delegate to one or more individuals all or any part of its authority and powers under the Plan. Every finding, decision and determination made by the Administrator (or its designee) shall, to the full extent permitted by law, be final and binding upon all parties.
15. Designation of Beneficiary.
(a) A participant may file a written designation of a beneficiary who is to receive any shares and cash, if any, from the participants account under the Plan in the event of such participants death subsequent to an Exercise Date on which the option is exercised but prior to delivery to such participant of such shares and cash. In addition, a participant may file a written designation of a beneficiary who is to receive any cash from the participants account under the Plan in the event of such participants death prior to exercise of the option. If a participant is married and the designated beneficiary is not the spouse, spousal consent shall be required for such designation to be effective.
(b) Such designation of beneficiary may be changed by the participant at any time by notice in a form determined by the Administrator. In the event of the death of a participant and in the absence of a beneficiary validly designated under the Plan who is living at the time of such participants death, the Company shall deliver such shares and/or cash to the executor or administrator of the estate of the participant, or if no such executor or administrator has been appointed (to the knowledge of the Company), the Company, in its discretion, may deliver such shares and/or cash to the spouse or to any one or more dependents or relatives of the participant, or if no spouse, dependent or relative is known to the Company, then to such other person as the Company may designate.
(c) All beneficiary designations shall be in such form and manner as the Administrator may designate from time to time.
16. Transferability. Neither payroll deductions credited to a participants account nor any rights with regard to the exercise of an option or to receive shares under the Plan may be assigned, transferred, pledged or otherwise disposed of in any way (other than by will, the laws of descent and distribution or as provided in Section 15 hereof) by the participant. Any such attempt at assignment, transfer, pledge or other disposition shall be without effect, except that the Company may treat such act as an election to withdraw funds from an Offering Period in accordance with Section 10 hereof.
17. Use of Funds. All payroll deductions received or held by the Company under the Plan may be used by the Company for any corporate purpose, and the Company shall not be obligated to segregate such payroll deductions. Until shares are issued, participants shall only have the rights of an unsecured creditor.
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18. Reports. Individual accounts shall be maintained for each participant in the Plan. Statements of account shall be given to participating Eligible Employees at least annually, which statements shall set forth the amounts of payroll deductions, the Purchase Price, the number of shares purchased and the remaining cash balance, if any.
19. Adjustments, Dissolution, Liquidation, Merger or Change in Control.
(a) Adjustments. In the event that any dividend or other distribution (whether in the form of cash, Common Stock, other securities, or other property), recapitalization, stock split, reverse stock split, reorganization, merger, consolidation, split-up, spin-off, combination, repurchase, or exchange of Common Stock or other securities of the Company, or other change in the corporate structure of the Company affecting the Common Stock such that an adjustment is determined by the Administrator (in its sole discretion) to be appropriate in order to prevent dilution or enlargement of the benefits or potential benefits intended to be made available under the Plan, then the Administrator will, in such manner as it may deem equitable, adjust the number and class of Common Stock which may be delivered under the Plan, the maximum number of shares each participant may purchase per Offering Period (pursuant to Section 7), and the Purchase Price per share and the number of shares of Common Stock covered by each option under the Plan which has not yet been exercised. Any such adjustment shall be made by the Administrator, whose determination in that respect shall be final, binding and conclusive. Except as expressly provided herein, no issuance by the Company of shares of stock of any class, or securities convertible into shares of stock of any class, shall affect, and no adjustment by reason thereof shall be made with respect to, the number or price of shares of Common Stock subject to an option.
(b) Dissolution or Liquidation. In the event of the proposed dissolution or liquidation of the Company, the Offering Period then in progress shall be shortened by setting a new Exercise Date (the New Exercise Date), and shall terminate immediately prior to the consummation of such proposed dissolution or liquidation, unless provided otherwise by the Administrator. The New Exercise Date shall be before the date of the Companys proposed dissolution or liquidation. The Administrator shall notify each participant in writing prior to the New Exercise Date, that the Exercise Date for the participants option has been changed to the New Exercise Date and that the participants option shall be exercised automatically on the New Exercise Date, unless prior to such date the participant has withdrawn from the Offering Period as provided in Section 10 hereof.
(c) Merger or Change in Control. In the event of a merger or Change in Control, each outstanding option shall be assumed or an equivalent option substituted by the successor corporation or a Parent or Subsidiary of the successor corporation. In the event that the successor corporation refuses to assume or substitute for the option, any Offering Periods then in progress shall be shortened by setting a New Exercise Date and any Offering Periods then in progress shall end on the New Exercise Date. The New Exercise Date shall be before the date of the Companys proposed merger or Change in Control. The Administrator shall notify each participant in writing prior to the New Exercise Date, that the Exercise Date for the participants option has been changed to the New
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Exercise Date and that the participants option shall be exercised automatically on the New Exercise Date, unless prior to such date the participant has withdrawn from the Offering Period as provided in Section 10.
20. Amendment or Termination.
(a) The Administrator may at any time and for any reason terminate or amend the Plan, including the termination of any Offering Period then outstanding. Except as provided in Section 19, no such termination can affect options previously granted under the Plan, provided that an Offering Period may be terminated by the Administrator on or prior to any Exercise Date if the Administrator determines that the termination, suspension or amendment of the Plan is in the best interests of the Company and its stockholders. Except as provided in Section 19 and this Section 20, no amendment may make any change in any option theretofore granted which adversely affects the rights of any participant. To the extent necessary to comply with Section 423 of the Code (or any successor rule or provision or any other applicable law, regulation or stock exchange rule), the Company will obtain stockholder approval in such a manner and to such a degree as required.
(b) Without stockholder consent and without regard to whether any participant rights may be considered to have been adversely affected, the Administrator will be entitled to change or terminate outstanding or prospective Offering Periods, limit the frequency and/or number of changes in the amount withheld during an Offering Period, establish the exchange ratio applicable to amounts withheld in a currency other than U.S. dollars, permit payroll withholding in excess of the amount designated by a participant in order to adjust for delays or mistakes in the Company s processing of properly completed withholding elections, establish reasonable waiting and adjustment periods and/or accounting and crediting procedures to ensure that amounts applied toward the purchase of Common Stock for each participant properly correspond with amounts withheld from the participants Compensation, and establish such other limitations or procedures as the Administrator determines in its sole discretion advisable which are consistent with the Plan.
(c) In the event the Administrator determines that the ongoing operation of the Plan may result in unfavorable financial accounting consequences, the Board may, in its discretion and, to the extent necessary or desirable, modify, amend or terminate the Plan to reduce or eliminate such accounting consequence including, but not limited to:
(i) altering the Purchase Price for any Offering Period including an Offering Period underway at the time of the change in Purchase Price;
(ii) shortening any outstanding or prospective Offering Period so that Offering Period ends on a new Exercise Date or terminating any outstanding Offering Period and returning contributions made through such date to participants; and
(iii) allocating shares.
Such modifications or amendments will not require stockholder approval or the consent of any Plan participants.
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21. Notices. All notices or other communications by a participant to the Company under or in connection with the Plan shall be deemed to have been duly given when received in the form and manner specified by the Company at the location, or by the person, designated by the Company for the receipt thereof.
22. Conditions Upon Issuance of Shares. Shares shall not be issued with respect to an option unless the exercise of such option and the issuance and delivery of such shares pursuant thereto shall comply with all applicable provisions of law, domestic or foreign, including, without limitation, the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, the Exchange Act, the rules and regulations promulgated thereunder, and the requirements of any stock exchange upon which the shares may then be listed, and shall be further subject to the approval of counsel for the Company with respect to such compliance.
As a condition to the exercise of an option, the Company may require the person exercising such option to represent and warrant at the time of any such exercise that the shares are being purchased only for investment and without any present intention to sell or distribute such shares if, in the opinion of counsel for the Company, such a representation is required by any of the aforementioned applicable provisions of law.
23. Term of Plan. The Plan shall become effective upon the earlier to occur of its adoption by the Board of Directors or its approval by the stockholders of the Company. It shall continue in effect until terminated under Section 20 hereof.
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