2016 Stock Option Plan, as amended

Contract Categories: Business Finance - Stock Agreements
EX-4.34 2 g083758_ex4-34.htm EXHIBIT 4.34

Exhibit 4.34

2016 STOCK OPTION PLAN (AS AMENDED)[1]

OF

INTER PARFUMS, INC.

 

1. Purposes of The Plan. This stock option plan (the “Plan”) is designed to provide an incentive to key employees, officers, directors and consultants of Inter Parfums, Inc., a Delaware corporation (the “Company”), and its present and future subsidiary corporations, as defined in Paragraph 17 (“Subsidiaries”), and to offer an additional inducement in obtaining the services of such individuals. The Plan provides for the grant of “incentive stock options,” within the meaning of Section 422 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the “Code”), nonqualified stock options and stock appreciation rights (“SARs”).

 

2. Shares Subject To The Plan. The aggregate number of shares of Common Stock, $.001 par value per share, of the Company (“Common Stock”) for which options or SARs may be granted under the Plan shall not exceed 1,000,000, and the Company hereby reserves 50,000 shares of Common Stock to be available solely for issuance to Nonemployee Directors, as hereinafter defined, upon options to be granted under 2016 Option Plan. Such shares may, at the discretion of the Board of Directors, consist either in whole or in part of authorized but unissued shares of Common Stock or shares of Common Stock held in the treasury of the Company. The Company shall at all times during the term of the Plan reserve and keep available such number of shares of Common Stock as will be sufficient to satisfy the requirements of the Plan. Subject to the provisions of Paragraph 14, any shares subject to an option or SAR which for any reason expire, are canceled or are terminated unexercised (other than those which expire, are canceled or terminated pursuant to the exercise of a tandem SAR or option) shall again become available for the granting of options or SARs under the Plan. The number of shares of Common Stock underlying that portion of an option or SAR which is exercised (regardless of the number of shares actually issued) shall not again become available for grant under the Plan.

 

3. Administration Of The Plan.

 

(a) The Plan shall be administered by the Board of Directors, or if appointed, by a committee consisting of not less than two (2) members of the Board of Directors, each of whom shall be a “Nonemployee Director” within the meaning of Rule 16b-3 promulgated by the Securities and Exchange Commission. (The group administering the plan is referred to as the “Committee”). The failure of any of the Committee members to qualify as a Nonemployee Director shall not otherwise affect the validity of the grant of any option or SAR, or the issuance of shares of Common Stock otherwise validly issued upon exercise of any such option. A majority of the members of the Committee shall constitute a quorum, and the acts of a majority of the members present at any meeting at which a quorum is present, and any acts approved in writing by all members without a meeting, shall be the acts of the Committee.

 

(b) Subject to the express provisions of the Plan, the Committee shall have the authority, in its sole discretion, to determine the individuals who shall receive options and SARS; the times when they shall receive them; whether an option shall be an incentive or a nonqualified stock option; whether an SAR shall be granted separately, in tandem with or in addition to an option; the number of shares to be subject to each option and SAR; the term of each option and SAR; the date each option and SAR shall become exercisable; whether an option or SAR shall be exercisable in whole, in part or in installments, and if in installments, the number of shares to be subject to each installment; whether the installments shall be cumulative, the date each installment shall become exercisable and the term of each installment; whether to accelerate the date of exercise of any installment; whether shares may be issued on exercise of an option as partly paid, and, if so, the dates when future installments of the exercise price shall become due and the amounts of such installments; the exercise price of each option and the base price of each SAR; the form of payment of the exercise price; the form of payment by the Company upon the optionee’s exercise of an SAR; whether to require that the optionee remain in the employ of, or in association with, the Company or its Subsidiaries for a period of time from and after the date the option or SAR is granted to him; the amount necessary to satisfy the Company’s obligation to withhold taxes; whether to restrict the sale or other disposition of the shares of Common Stock acquired upon the exercise of an option or SAR and to waive any such restriction; to subject the exercise of all or any portion of an option or SAR to the fulfillment of contingencies as specified in the Contract (as described in Paragraph 12), including without limitations, contingencies relating to financial objectives (such as, but not limited to, earnings per share, cash flow return, return on investment or growth in sales) for a specified period for the Company, a division, a product line or other category, and/or the period of continued employment of the optionee with the Company or its Subsidiaries, and to determine whether such contingencies have been met; to construe the respective Contracts and the Plan; with the consent of the optionee, to cancel or modify an option or SAR, provided such option or SAR as modified would be permitted to be granted on such date under the terms of the Plan; and to make all other determinations necessary or advisable for administering the Plan. The determinations of the Committee on the matters referred to in this Paragraph 3 shall be conclusive.

[1] As amended September 14, 2023, with deleted text in strikethrough font and new text underlined.

 

  

 

  

(c) Subject to the express provisions of the Plan and solely with respect to employees or consultants of the Company who are not executive officers or directors of the Company, the Committee hereby delegates to the Chief Executive Officer, and to act in place and on behalf of the Committee, the authority to grant nonqualified options and SARs to such employees or consultants; to determine the term of such nonqualified options and SARs; to determine whether an option or SAR shall be exercisable in whole, in part or in installments; to determine whether to require that the optionee remain in the employ of, or association with, the Company or its Subsidiaries for a period of time from and after the date the option or SAR is granted to such person; and to subject the exercise of all or any portion of an option or SAR to the fulfillment of contingencies as specified in the Contract. Any such action by the Chief Executive Officer shall be promptly reduced to writing and provided to the Committee.

 

(d) With regard to option grants to Nonemployee Directors, the Plan shall be self-executing. However, subject to the express provisions of the Plan, with regard to Nonemployee Directors, the Committee shall have the power to interpret the Plan; correct any defect, supply any omission or reconcile any inconsistency in the Plan; prescribe, amend and rescind rules and regulations relating to the Plan; and make all other determinations necessary or advisable for the administration of the Plan.

   

4. Eligibility.

 

(a) The Committee may, consistent with the purposes of the Plan, grant incentive stock options to key employees (including officers and directors who are employees) and nonqualified stock options and SARs to key employees, officers, directors and consultants of the Company or any of its Subsidiaries from time to time, but not to Nonemployee Directors, who are to receive automatic grants of nonqualified stock options without discretion of the Committee, as hereinafter set forth, within eleven (11) years from the date of adoption of the Plan by the Board of Directors, covering such number of shares of Common Stock as the Committee may determine; provided that, the aggregate market value (determined at the time the stock option is granted) of the shares for which any eligible person may be granted incentive stock options under the Plan or any plan of the Company, or of a Parent or a Subsidiary of the Company which are exercisable for the first time by such optionee during any calendar year shall not exceed $100,000. Any option (or portion thereof) granted in excess of such amount shall be treated as a nonqualified stock option.

 

(b) Notwithstanding any other provision of the Plan, if the Committee determines that at the time a person is granted an option or SAR, such person is then, or is likely to become, a Covered Person (as hereinafter defined), then the Committee may provide that this Section 4(b) is applicable to such grant.

 

(i) Notwithstanding any provision of this Plan, no person eligible to receive a grant of an option or SAR under this Plan shall be granted options to purchase or an SAR in excess of 150,000 shares of common stock in any one fiscal year. Such 150,000 maximum number shall be appropriately adjusted for stock splits, stock dividends and the like.

 

(ii) Notwithstanding any provision of this Plan, the exercise price for all options and the base price for all SARs to be granted under the Plan, shall not be less than the Fair Market Value (as hereinafter defined) at the time of grant.

 

(iii) The term “Covered Person” shall mean a “covered employee” within the meaning of Code Section 162(m)(3) or any successor provision thereto.

 

  

 

 

        (c) Nonemployee Directors shall not be eligible to receive a stock option or SAR grant in the discretion of the Committee. In lieu of such discretionary grants, each Nonemployee Director shall receive the following option grants:

  

(i) Each Nonemployee Director was granted an option to purchase 1,500 shares of Common Stock effective as of the last business day of 2022, and each Nonemployee Director shall be granted an option to purchase 1,500 shares of Common Stock commencing on the last business day of each succeeding December throughout the term of this Plan for so long as such person is a Nonemployee Director.

 

(ii) Notwithstanding the foregoing, if a Nonemployee Director did not attend one of the two in-person board meetings that are usually held during January-February and June-July of such calendar year, then the option to be granted on the last business day of the same calendar year under this Plan would be reduced by 50%; and if such Nonemployee Director did not attend both of such meetings, then such Nonemployee Director would not receive any option grant on the last business day of the same calendar year.

 

(iii) If a sufficient number of shares of Common Stock reserved for issuance upon proper exercise of options to be granted to Nonemployee Directors on the last business day of December grant date does not exist, then the aggregate remaining number of shares shall be prorated equally among options to be granted to all Nonemployee Directors at such grant date, and options shall be granted to purchase such reduced number of shares.

 

(iv) All options that may be granted from time to time under the Plan to Nonemployee Directors shall vest and become exercisable to purchase shares of Common Stock as follows: 20% one year after the date of grant, and then 20% on each of the second, third, fourth, and fifth consecutive years from the date of grant on a cumulative basis, so that each option shall become fully vested and exercisable on the first day of the sixth year from the date of grant.

 

 5. Exercise Price And Base Price.

 

(a) The exercise price of the shares of Common Stock under each option and the base price for each SAR shall be determined by the Committee; provided that, in the case of

 

(i) Nonemployee Directors, all options granted under this Plan shall have an exercise price equal to one hundred percent (100%) of the fair market value of the Common Stock as hereinafter determined (“Fair Market Value”) on the date of grant, and

   

(ii) an incentive stock option, the exercise price shall not be less than 100% of the Fair Market Value on the date of grant, and further provided, that if, at the time an incentive stock option is granted, the optionee owns (or is deemed to own) stock possessing more than ten percent (10%) of the total combined voting power of all classes of stock of the Company, of any of its Subsidiaries or of a Parent, then the exercise price shall not be less than 110% of the Fair Market Value subject to the option at the time of the granting of such option.

 

(b) The Fair Market Value on the date of grant shall be: (i) If the principal market for the Common stock is a national securities exchange, then the closing price of the Common Stock on the last trading day immediately preceding the date of grant as reported by such exchange; or (ii) if the principal market for the Common Stock is not a national securities exchange, then the Fair Market Value shall be determined by the Committee by any method consistent with United States generally accepted accounting principles. The determination of the Committee shall be conclusive in determining Fair Market Value.

  

6. Term.

 

(a) Except as otherwise provided in this Plan, the term of each option and SAR granted pursuant to the Plan shall be as established by the Committee, in its sole discretion. The term of each incentive stock option granted pursuant to the Plan shall be for a period not exceeding eleven (11) years from the date of grant thereof; provided that, if, at the time an incentive stock option is granted, the optionee owns (or is deemed to own) stock possessing more than ten percent (10%) of the total combined voting power of all classes of stock of the Company, of any of its Subsidiaries or of a Parent, then the term of the incentive stock option shall be for a period not exceeding five (5) years.

 

  

 

 

(b) For options granted to Nonemployee Directors, the term of each option shall be six (6) years.

 

(c) Options shall be subject to earlier termination as hereinafter provided.

 

7. Exercise.

 

(a) An option or SAR (or any part or installment thereof) shall be exercised by giving written notice to the Company at its principal office (at present 551 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10176) stating whether an incentive or nonqualified stock option or SAR is being exercised, specifying the number of shares as to which such option or SAR is being exercised, and in the case of an option, accompanied by payment in full of the aggregate exercise price therefor (or the amount due on exercise if the Contract permits installment payments) in the discretion of the Committee (i) in cash, by certified check or by wire transfer of funds through the Federal Reserve System, (ii) with previously acquired shares of Common Stock having an aggregate fair market value, on the date of exercise, equal to the aggregate exercise price of all options being exercised, or (iii) any combination thereof. In addition, upon the exercise of a nonqualified stock option or SAR, the Company may withhold cash and/or shares of Common Stock to be issued with respect thereto having an aggregate fair market value equal to the amount which it determined is necessary to satisfy its obligation to withhold Federal, state and local income taxes or other taxes incurred by reason of such exercise. Alternatively, the Company may require the holder to pay to the Company such amount, in cash, promptly upon demand. The Company shall not be required to issue any shares pursuant to any such option or SAR until all required payments have been made. Fair market value of the shares shall be determined in accordance with Paragraph 5(b). 

 

(b) A person entitled to receive Common Stock upon the exercise of an option or SAR shall not have the rights of a shareholder with respect to such shares until the date of issuance of such shares; provided that, until such shares are issued, any option holder using previously acquired shares in payment of an option exercise price shall have the rights of a shareholder with respect to such previously acquired shares.

 

(c) In no case may a fraction of a share be purchased or issued under the Plan. Any option granted in tandem with an SAR shall no longer be exercisable to the extent the SAR is exercised, and the exercise of the related option shall cancel the SAR to the extent of such exercise.

 

8. Stock Appreciation Rights.

 

(a) An SAR may be granted separately, in tandem with or in addition to any option, and may be granted before, simultaneously with or after the grant of an option hereunder. In addition, the holder of an option may, in lieu of making the payment required at the time of exercise under Paragraph 7, include in the written notice referred to therein an “election” to exercise the option as an SAR. In such case, the Committee shall have fifteen (15) days from the receipt of notice of the election to decide, in its sole discretion, whether or not to accept the election and notify the option holder of its decision. If the Committee consents, then such exercise shall be treated as the exercise of an SAR with a base price equal to the exercise price.

 

(b) Upon the exercise of an SAR, the holder shall be entitled to receive an amount equal to the excess of the Fair Market Value on the date of exercise over the base price of the SAR. Such amount shall be paid, in the discretion of the Committee, in cash, Common Stock having a Fair Market Value on the date of payment equal to such amount, or a combination thereof. For purposes of this Paragraph 8, Fair Market Value shall be determined in accordance with Paragraph 5(b).

 

9. Termination of Association with the Company (Other Than Death or Permanent Disability).

 

(a) Any holder of an incentive option whose association with the Company (and its Subsidiaries) has terminated for any reason other than his death or permanent and total disability as defined in Section 22(e)(3) of the Code (“Permanent Disability”) may exercise such option, to the extent exercisable on the date of such termination, at any time within three (3) months after the date of termination, but in no event after the expiration of the term of the option; provided that, if such association shall be terminated either (i) for cause, or (ii) without the consent of the Company, then said option shall terminate immediately. 

 

  

 

 

(b) Except with regard to stock options granted to Nonemployee Directors, any and all nonqualified stock options or SARs granted under the Plan shall terminate simultaneously with the termination of association of the holder of such nonqualified option or SAR with the Company (and its Subsidiaries) for any reason other than the death or Permanent Disability of such holder.

 

(c) Options and SARs granted under the Plan shall not be affected by any change in the status of an optionee so long as he continues to be associated with the Company or any of the Subsidiaries.

 

(d) Nothing in the Plan or in any option or SAR granted under the Plan shall confer on any individual any right to continue to be associated with the Company or any of its Subsidiaries, or interfere in any way with the right of the Company or any of its Subsidiaries to terminate the holder’s association at any time for any reason whatsoever without liability to the Company or any of its Subsidiaries.

 

(e) If a Nonemployee Director to whom an option has been granted under the Plan shall cease to serve on the Board, otherwise than by reason of death or Permanent Disability, then such option may be exercised (to the extent that the Nonemployee Director was entitled to do so at the time of cessation of service) at any time within three (3) months after such cessation of service but not thereafter, and in no event after the date on which, except for such cessation of service, the option would otherwise expire.

 

10. Death or Permanent Disability of An Optionee.

 

(a) Except with regard to options held by Nonemployee Directors, if an optionee dies while he or she is associated with the Company or any of its Subsidiaries, or within three (3) months after such termination for the holder of an incentive option (unless such termination was for cause or without the consent of the Company), then the remaining unexercised portion of the option or SAR may be exercised in whole or in part (notwithstanding that the option or SAR had not yet become exercisable with respect to all or part of such shares at the date of death, i.e., all vesting requirements shall lapse) by such person’s executor, administrator or other person at the time entitled by law to the decedent’s rights under the option or SAR, at any time within one (1) year after death, but in no event after the expiration of the term of the option or SAR.

 

(b) If a Nonemployee Director to whom an option has been granted under the Plan shall die while he or she is serving on the Board, or within three (3) months after cessation of service on the Board, then the remaining unexercised portion of the option may be exercised in whole or in part (notwithstanding that the option had not yet become exercisable with respect to all or part of such shares at the date of such death, i.e., all vesting requirements shall lapse) by such person’s executor, administrator or other person at the time entitled by law to the decedent’s rights, at any time within one (1) year after his death, but in no event after the date on which, except for such death, the option would otherwise expire.

 

(c) Except with regard to options held by Nonemployee Directors, any holder whose association with the Company or its Subsidiaries has terminated by reason of a Permanent Disability may exercise his option or SAR, to the extent exercisable upon the effective date of such termination, at any time within one (1) year after such date, but in no event after the expiration of the term of the option or SAR.

   

(d) If a Nonemployee Director to whom an option has been granted under the Plan shall cease to serve on the Board by reason of a Permanent Disability, then the remaining unexercised portion of the option may be exercised in whole or in part by the Nonemployee Director (notwithstanding that the option had not yet become exercisable with respect to all or part of such shares at the date of such Permanent Disability i.e., all vesting requirements shall lapse) at any time within one (1) year after such Permanent Disability, but not thereafter, and in no event after the date on which, except for such Permanent Disability, the option would otherwise expire.

 

  

 

 

11. Compliance With Securities Laws. The Committee may require, in its discretion, as a condition to the exercise of an option or SAR that either (a) a registration statement under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”), with respect to such shares shall be effective at the time of exercise or (b) there is an exemption from registration under the Securities Act for the issuance of shares of Common Stock upon such exercise. Nothing herein shall be construed as requiring the Company to register shares subject to any option or SAR under the Securities Act. In addition, if at any time the Committee shall determine in its discretion that the listing or qualification of the shares subject to such option or SAR on any securities exchange or under any applicable law, or the consent or approval of any governmental regulatory body, is necessary or desirable as a condition of, or in connection with, the granting of an option or SAR, or the issue of shares thereunder, then such option or SAR may not be exercised in whole or in part unless such listing, qualification, consent or approval shall have been effected or obtained free of any conditions not acceptable to the Committee.

 

12. Stock Option and SAR Contracts. Each option and SAR shall be evidenced by an appropriate Contract which shall be duly executed by the Company and the optionee, and shall contain such terms and conditions not inconsistent herewith as may be determined by the Committee, and which shall provide, among other things, (i) that the optionee agrees that he or she will remain in the employ of or association with the Company or its Subsidiaries, at the election of the Company, for the later of (A) the period of time determined by the Committee at or before the time of grant or (B) the date to which such optionee is then contractually obligated to remain associated with the Company or its Subsidiaries, (ii) that in the event of the exercise of an option or an SAR which is paid with Common stock, unless the shares of Common Stock received upon such exercise shall have been registered under an effective registration statement under the Securities Act, such shares will be acquired for investment and not with a view to distribution thereof, and that such shares may not be sold except in compliance with the applicable provisions of the Securities Act, and (iii) that in the event of any disposition of the shares of Common Stock acquired upon the exercise of an incentive stock option within two (2) years from the date of grant of the option or one (1) year from the date of transfer of such shares to him or her, the optionee will notify the Company thereof in writing within 30 days after such disposition, pay the Company, on demand, in cash an amount necessary to satisfy its obligation, if any, to withhold any Federal, state and local income taxes or other taxes by reason of such disqualifying disposition and provide the Company, on demand, with such information as the Company shall reasonably request to determine such obligation.

   

13. Adjustment of and Changes in Common Stock.

 

(a) If the outstanding shares of the Common Stock are increased, decreased, changed into, or exchanged for a different number or kind of shares or securities of the Corporation through reorganization, recapitalization, reclassification, stock dividend, stock split, reverse stock split or the like, then an appropriate and proportionate adjustment shall be made in the (i) aggregate number and kind of securities available under the Plan, and (ii) number and kind of securities issuable upon the exercise of all outstanding options and SARs granted under the Plan, without change in the total price applicable to the unexercised portion of such options or SARs, but with a corresponding adjustment in the exercise price or base price for each unit of any security covered by such options or SARs.

 

(b) Upon the dissolution or liquidation of the Corporation, or upon a reorganization, merger or consolidation of the Corporation with one or more corporations as a result of which the Corporation is not the surviving corporation, or upon the sale of substantially all of the assets of the Corporation, the Committee shall provide in writing in connection with such transaction for one or more of the following alternatives, separately or in combination: (i) the assumption by the successor entity of the options theretofore granted or the substitution by such entity for such options of new options or SARs covering the stock of the successor entity, or a parent or subsidiary thereof, with appropriate adjustments as to the number and kind of shares and prices; or (ii) the continuance of such option agreements by such successor entity in which such options shall remain in full force and effect under the terms so provided.

 

(c) Any adjustments under this Section 13 shall be made by the Committee, whose good faith determination as to what adjustments shall be made, and the extent thereof, shall be final, binding and conclusive.

  

14. Amendments and Termination of The Plan. The Plan was adopted by the Board of Directors on June 28, 2016, amended at the 2019 annual meeting of shareholders, and further amended at the 2022 annual meeting of shareholders. In December 2022, the Board of Directors further amended the Plan, which was approved at the 2023 annual meeting of shareholders. No options may be granted under the Plan after June 27, 2026. The Board of Directors, without further approval of the Company’s stockholders, may at any time suspend or terminate the Plan, in whole or in part, or amend it from time to time in such respects as it may deem advisable, including, without limitation, in order that incentive stock options granted hereunder meet the requirements for “incentive stock options” under the Code, or any comparable provisions thereafter enacted and conform to any change in applicable law or to regulations or rulings of administrative agencies; provided that, no amendment shall be effective without the prior or subsequent approval of a majority of the Company’s outstanding stock entitled to vote thereon which would (a) except as contemplated in Paragraph 13, increase the maximum number of shares for which options may be granted under the Plan, (b) materially increase the benefits to participants under the Plan or (c) change the eligibility requirements for individuals entitled to receive options hereunder. No termination, suspension or amendment of the Plan shall, without the consent of the holder of an existing option affected thereby, adversely affect his rights under such option.

 

  

 

   

15. Nontransferability Of Options. No option or SAR granted under the Plan shall be transferable otherwise than by will or the laws of descent and distribution, or qualified domestic relations order as defined in the Code or Title I of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act, and options and SARs may be exercised, during the lifetime of the holder thereof, only by him/her or his/her legal representatives. Except to the extent provided above, options and SARs may not be assigned, transferred, pledged, hypothecated or disposed of in any way (whether by operation of law or otherwise) and shall not subject to execution, attachment or similar process.

 

16. Substitutions and Assumptions of Options of Certain Constituent Corporations. Anything in this Plan to the contrary notwithstanding, the Board of Directors may, without further approval by the stockholders, substitute new options for prior options and new SARs for prior SARs of a Constituent Corporation (as defined in Paragraph 17) or assume the prior options or SARs of such Constituent Corporation.

 

17. Certain Definitions.

 

(a) The term “Subsidiary” shall have the same definition as “subsidiary corporation” in Section 424(f) of the Code.

 

(b) The term “Parent” shall have the same definition as “parent corporation” in Section 424(e) of the Code.

 

(c) The term “Constituent Corporation” shall mean any corporation which engages with the Company, its Parent or Subsidiary, in a transaction to which section 424(a) of the Code applies (or would apply if the option or SAR assumed or substituted were an incentive stock option), or any Parent or any Subsidiary of such corporation.

 

18. Conditions Precedent. The Plan shall be subject to approval by the holders of a majority of shares of the Company’s capital stock outstanding and entitled to vote thereon at the next meeting of its stockholders, or the written consent of the holders of a majority of shares that would have been entitled to vote thereon, and no options or SARs granted hereunder may be exercised prior to such approval, provided that the date of grant of any options granted hereunder shall be determined as if the Plan had not been subject to such approval.