Description of Securities

EX-4.1 2 rrd-ex41_1185.htm EX-4.1 rrd-ex41_1185.htm

 

EXHIBIT 4.1

 

DESCRIPTION OF THE REGISTRANT’S COMMON SHARES

REGISTERED UNDER SECTION 12 OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

 

 

COMMON STOCK AND PREFERRED STOCK

 

The authorized capital stock of the Company consists of: (i) 165,000,000 shares of common stock, par value $0.01per share, and 2,000,000 shares of preferred stock, par value $1.00 per share. The following summary description of the capital stock of the Company does not purport to be complete and is qualified in its entirety by reference to the restated certificate of incorporation and by-laws of the Company, each of which is incorporated by reference into this document.

Common Stock

Subject to the prior dividend rights as may be fixed by the board of directors of the Company in creating a new series of preferred stock, holders of the Company common stock are entitled to receive, from funds legally available therefor, dividends when and as declared by the board of directors.

The holders of the Company common stock are entitled to one vote for each share held, without the right to cumulate votes for the election of directors. Under the restated certificate of incorporation, directors are elected annually and the number of directors which constitutes the full board of directors shall be not less than nine nor more than 15. The by-laws of the Company provide that except as otherwise provided pursuant to the certificate of incorporation relating to the rights of the holders of any one or more classes or series of preferred stock, acting separately by class or series, each director shall be elected by the vote of the majority of the votes cast (meaning the number of shares voted “for” a nominee must exceed the number of shares voted “against” such nominee) at any meeting for the election of directors at which a quorum is present, provided that the directors shall be elected by a plurality of the votes cast (instead of by votes cast for or against a nominee) at any meeting at which a quorum is present for which (i) the secretary of the Company receives a notice in compliance with the applicable requirements for shareholder nominations for director set forth in the by-laws that a shareholder proposes to nominate a person for election to the board of directors and (ii) such proposed nomination has not been withdrawn by such shareholder on or prior to the tenth day preceding the date the Company first mails its notice of meeting for such meeting to the shareholders.

If the Company liquidates, dissolves or winds up its affairs, the holders of the Company common stock will be entitled to receive, after its creditors have been paid and the holders of any then outstanding series of preferred stock have received their liquidation preferences, all of the remaining assets of the Company in proportion to their share holdings. Holders of the Company common stock do not have pre-emptive rights to acquire any securities of the Company. The outstanding shares of the Company common stock are fully paid and are nonassessable.

Preferred Stock

The Company’s board of directors is authorized to provide for the issuance from time to time of shares of preferred stock in one or more series and to fix the designation, dividend rate, voting powers, redemption price or prices, voluntary and involuntary liquidation prices, sinking fund provisions, if any, conversion provisions, if any, and any other rights and preferences applicable to the shares of such series. If shares of preferred stock are issued that have been designated to receive cumulative dividends or that include sinking fund requirements, conversion or redemption provisions, such issuance could have an adverse effect on the availability of earnings for distribution to the holders of common stock.

Provisions of the Restated Certificate of Incorporation and By-Laws

Certain provisions of the Company’s restated certificate of incorporation and by-laws, summarized below, may be considered to have an anti-takeover effect and may delay, deter or prevent a tender offer, proxy contest or other takeover attempt that a shareholder might consider to be in such shareholder’s best interest, including an

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attempt that might result in payment of a premium over the market price for shares held by the Company’s shareholders.

The Company’s by-laws provide that shareholders seeking to bring business before an annual meeting of shareholders, or to nominate candidates for election as directors at an annual meeting of shareholders, must provide timely notice of the business or any director nomination in writing. To be timely, a shareholder’s notice must be delivered to, or mailed to and received by, the Company’s corporate secretary at the principal executive office of the Company not less than 60 days nor more than 90 days prior to the annual meeting, or, if less than 75 days’ notice or prior public disclosure of the date of the meeting is given, not later than the close of business on the tenth day following the earlier of the day on which the notice of the date of the annual meeting was mailed, or the day on which public disclosure of the date of the annual meeting was made. The by-laws also specify requirements pertaining to the form and substance of a shareholder’s notice. These provisions may preclude some shareholders from making nominations for directors at an annual meeting or from bringing other matters before the Company’s shareholders at an annual meeting.

The Company’s by-laws provide that special meetings of the Company shareholders may only be called by the Company’s chief executive officer, president, chairman of the board or secretary upon a resolution adopted by the affirmative vote of a majority of the Company’s board of directors. Business transacted at any special meeting is limited to the general objective stated in the call. Accordingly, the Company’s shareholders are precluded from bringing matters before the shareholders at a special meeting.

The restated certificate of incorporation does not allow shareholders to take action by written consent.

Statutory Provisions

Section 203 of the Delaware General Corporation Law prohibits a public Delaware corporation from engaging in a “business combination” with an “interested stockholder” for a period of three years after the date of the transaction in which the person became an interested stockholder unless:

 

 

 

prior to that date, the board of directors approved either the business combination or the transaction that resulted in the stockholder becoming an interested stockholder;

 

 

 

upon becoming an interested stockholder, the stockholder then owned at least 85% of the voting stock of the corporation, as defined in Section 203; or

 

 

 

subject to that date, the business combination is approved by both the corporation’s board of directors and by holders of at least 66 2/3% of the corporation’s outstanding voting stock, excluding shares owned by the interested stockholder.

For these purposes, the term “business combination” includes mergers, asset sales and other similar transactions with an “interested stockholder.” An “interested stockholder” is a person who, together with affiliates and associates, owns, or, within the prior three years, did own, 15% or more of the corporation’s voting stock.

 

 

PREFERRED STOCK PURCHASE RIGHTS

 

On May 17, 2018, the board of directors of the Company authorized and declared a dividend distribution of one right (a “Right”) for each outstanding share of Common Stock of the Company to stockholders of record at the close of business on September 9, 2019 (the “Record Date”). Each Right entitles the registered holder to purchase from the Company a unit consisting of one one-thousandth of a share (a “Unit”) of a newly authorized series of Series A Junior Participating Preferred Stock, par value $1.00 per share (the “Preferred Stock”), at a purchase price of $12 per Unit, subject to adjustment (the “Purchase Price”). On August 17, 2020, the board of directors of the Company approved, and the Company and Computershare Trust Company, N.A., the Rights Agent under the Rights Agreement, dated as of August 28, 2019, between the Company and Computershare Trust Company, N.A. (the “Rights Agreement”), entered into, an amendment (the “Amendment”) to the Rights Agreement. The Amendment changes the final expiration date under the Rights Agreement, to 5:00 P.M., New York City time, on August 28,

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2021. As a result of the Amendment, the Rights will expire at 5:00 P.M., New York City time, on August 28, 2021, unless the Rights are earlier redeemed, exchanged or terminated.

 

Rights Certificates; Exercise Period

Initially, the Rights will be attached to all shares of Common Stock then outstanding, and no separate rights certificates (“Rights Certificates”) will be distributed. Subject to certain exceptions specified in the Rights Agreement, the Rights will separate from the Common Stock and the distribution date (the “Distribution Date”) will occur upon the earlier of (i) 10 business days following a public announcement that a person or group of affiliated or associated persons (an “Acquiring Person”) has acquired beneficial ownership of 10% (or 20% in the case of an “Ordinary Course Institutional Investor,” as defined in the Rights Agreement) or more of the outstanding shares of Common Stock (the “Stock Acquisition Date”), other than as a result of repurchases of stock by the Company or certain inadvertent actions by certain stockholders and (ii) 10 business days (or such later date as the Board shall determine) following the commencement of a tender offer or exchange offer that, if consummated, would result in a person or group becoming an Acquiring Person. For purposes of the Rights Agreement, beneficial ownership is defined to include ownership of derivative securities.

The Rights Agreement provides that any person or group of affiliated or associated persons who, as of the time of the first public announcement of the Rights Agreement, beneficially owns 10% (or 20% in the case of an Ordinary Course Institutional Investor) or more of the outstanding shares of Common Stock (an “Exempt Person”) shall not be deemed an Acquiring Person, but only for so long as such person, together with all affiliates and associates of such person, does not become the beneficial owner of any additional shares of Common Stock while such person is an Exempt Person.

Until a Distribution Date, (i) the Rights will be evidenced by the certificates for the Common Stock (or, in the case of shares reflected on the direct registration system, by the notations in the book-entry accounts) and will only be transferable with such Common Stock, (ii) new Common Stock certificates issued after the Record Date will contain a legend incorporating the Rights Agreement by reference, and (iii) the surrender for transfer of any certificates for Common Stock outstanding will also constitute the transfer of the Rights associated with the Common Stock represented by such certificates. Pursuant to the Rights 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 will be issued.

The Rights are not exercisable until a Distribution Date and will expire at 5:00 P.M., New York City time, on August 28, 2021, unless the Rights are earlier redeemed, exchanged or terminated.

As soon as practicable after a Distribution Date, Rights Certificates will be mailed to holders of record of the Common Stock as of the close of business on a Distribution Date and, thereafter, the separate Rights Certificates alone will represent the Rights. Except as otherwise determined by the Board, only shares of Common Stock issued prior to a Distribution Date will be issued with the Rights.

Flip-in Trigger

In the event that a person or group of affiliated or associated persons becomes an Acquiring Person (unless the event causing such person or group to become an Acquiring Person is a transaction described under Flip-over Trigger, below), each holder of a Right will thereafter have the right to receive, upon exercise of the Right, Common Stock (or, in certain circumstances, cash, property or other securities of the Company) having a value equal to two times the exercise price of the Right. Notwithstanding the foregoing, following the occurrence of the event described in this paragraph, all Rights that are, or (under certain circumstances specified in the Rights Agreement) were, beneficially owned by any Acquiring Person will be null and void. However, Rights are not exercisable following the occurrence of the event described above until such time as the Rights are no longer redeemable by the Company as described below.

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Flip-over Trigger

In the event that, at any time following the Stock Acquisition Date, (i) the Company engages in a merger or other business combination transaction in which the Company is not the surviving corporation, (ii) the Company engages in a merger or other business combination transaction in which the Company is the surviving corporation and the Common Stock of the Company is changed or exchanged, or (iii) more than 50% of the Company’s assets, cash flow or earning power is sold or transferred, each holder of a Right (except Rights which have previously been voided as described above) shall thereafter have the right to receive, upon exercise of the Right, common stock of the acquiring company having a value equal to two times the exercise price of the Right. The events described in this paragraph and in the preceding paragraph are referred to as the “Triggering Events.”

Exchange Feature

At any time after a person becomes an Acquiring Person and prior to the acquisition by any person or group of 50% or more of the outstanding Common Stock, the Board may exchange the Rights (other than Rights owned by such person or group which have become void), in whole or in part, at an exchange ratio of one share of Common Stock, or one one-thousandth of a share of Preferred Stock (or of a share of a class or series of the Company’s preferred stock having equivalent rights, preferences and privileges), per Right (subject to adjustment).

Equitable Adjustments

The Purchase Price payable, and the number of Units of Preferred Stock or other securities or property issuable, upon exercise of the Rights are subject to adjustment from time to time to prevent dilution (i) in the event of a dividend on the Preferred Stock payable in shares of Preferred Stock, a subdivision or split of outstanding shares of Preferred Stock, a combination or consolidation of Preferred Stock into a smaller number of shares through a reverse stock split or otherwise, or reclassification of the Preferred Stock, (ii) if holders of the Preferred Stock are granted certain rights, options or warrants to subscribe for Preferred Stock or convertible securities at less than the current market price of the Preferred Stock, or (iii) upon the distribution to holders of the Preferred Stock of cash (excluding regular quarterly cash dividends), assets, evidences of indebtedness or of subscription rights or warrants (other than those referred to above).

With certain exceptions, no adjustment in the Purchase Price will be required until cumulative adjustments amount to at least 1% of the Purchase Price. No fractional Units will be issued and, in lieu thereof, an adjustment in cash will be made based on the market price of the Preferred Stock on the last trading date prior to the date of exercise.

Redemption

At any time until ten business days following the Stock Acquisition Date, the Company may redeem the Rights in whole, but not in part, at a price of $0.001 per Right (payable in cash, Common Stock or other consideration deemed appropriate by the Board). Immediately upon the action of the Board ordering redemption of the Rights, the Rights will terminate and the only right of the holders of Rights will be to receive the $0.001 redemption price.

Amendment

Any of the provisions of the Rights Agreement may be amended by the Board prior to a Distribution Date. After a Distribution Date, the provisions of the Rights Agreement may be amended by the Board in order to cure any ambiguity, to correct or supplement any provision contained in the Rights Agreement that may be defective or inconsistent with any other provision therein, to make changes that do not adversely affect the interests of holders of Rights, or to shorten or lengthen any time period under the Rights Agreement. Notwithstanding the foregoing, no amendment may be made at such time as the Rights are not redeemable, except to cure any ambiguity or correct or supplement any provision contained in the Rights Agreement that may be defective or inconsistent with any other provision therein.

 

Miscellaneous

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Until a Right is exercised, the holder thereof, as such, will have no separate rights as a stockholder of the Company, including, without limitation, the right to vote or to receive dividends in respect of the Rights. While the distribution of the Rights will not be taxable to stockholders or to the Company, stockholders may, depending upon the circumstances, recognize taxable income in the event that the Rights become exercisable for common stock (or other consideration) of the Company or for common stock of the acquiring company or in the event of the redemption of the Rights as described above.

The Rights Agreement specifying the terms of the Rights is included as Exhibit 4 to this registration statement and is incorporated herein by reference. The summary description of the Rights and Rights Agreement in this registration statement does not purport to be complete and is qualified in its entirety by reference to such exhibit. Unless the context otherwise requires, the capitalized terms used herein have the meanings ascribed to them in the Rights Agreement.

Anti-Takeover Effects

The Rights may have certain anti-takeover effects. The Rights may cause substantial dilution to any person or group that attempts to acquire the Company without the approval of the Board. As a result, the overall effect of the Rights may be to render more difficult or discourage a merger, tender offer or other business combination involving the Company that is not supported by the Board.


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7.000% NOTES DUE 2022

Principal, Maturity and Interest

The notes will mature on February 15, 2022. Interest on the notes will accrue at a rate of 7.000% per year and will be payable semiannually in arrears on February 15 and August 15, commencing February 15, 2014. We will pay interest to those persons who were holders of record on the February 1 and August 1, as the case may be, immediately preceding each interest payment date.

Interest on the notes will accrue from the date of original issuance or, if interest has already been paid, from the date it was most recently paid. Interest will be computed on the basis of a 360-day year comprised of twelve 30-day months.

 

When we use the term “business day,” we mean any day other than a Saturday, Sunday or other day on which commercial banking institutions in New York City or Chicago, Illinois are authorized or required by law to close.

If an interest payment date, redemption date or maturity date for the notes falls on a date that is not a business day (as defined above), then interest will be paid on the next day that is a business day, and no interest on such payment will accrue for the period from and after such interest payment date, redemption date or maturity date. If a redemption date or the maturity date for any note falls on a date that is not a business day, the related payments of principal, premium, if any, and interest may be made on the next succeeding business day, and no additional interest will accumulate on the amount payable for the period from and after the redemption date or maturity date.

Methods of Receiving Payments on the Notes

If a holder has given us wire transfer instructions, we will pay, or cause to be paid by the paying agent, all principal, premium, if any, and interest on that holder’s notes in accordance with those instructions. All other payments on the notes will be made at the office or agency of the paying agent and registrar unless we elect to make interest payments by check mailed to the holders at their address set forth in the register of holders.

We will pay all principal, interest and premium, if any, on the notes in global form registered in the name of DTC or its nominee in immediately available funds to DTC or its nominee, as the case may be, as the registered holder of such global notes.

Ranking

The notes will be senior unsecured obligations of the Company. The payment of the principal of, premium, if any, and interest on the notes will:

 

 

 

rank equally in right of payment with all other indebtedness of the Company that is not, by its terms, expressly subordinated to other indebtedness of the Company;

 

 

 

rank senior in right of payment to all indebtedness of the Company that is, by its terms, expressly subordinated to the senior indebtedness of the Company; and

 

 

 

be effectively subordinated to the secured indebtedness of the Company to the extent of the value of the collateral securing such indebtedness and to the indebtedness and other obligations of the Company’s subsidiaries.

Optional Redemption

We may, at our option, redeem the notes in whole at any time or in part from time to time at a redemption price equal to the greater of (1) 100% of the principal amount of the notes to be redeemed and (2) as determined by the Quotation Agent (as defined below), the sum of the present values of the remaining scheduled payments of principal and interest in respect of the notes to be redeemed (not including any portion of those payments of interest accrued as of the date of redemption) discounted to the date of redemption (the “Redemption Date”) on a semi-annual basis (assuming a 360-day year consisting of twelve 30-day months) at the Adjusted Treasury Rate (as defined below) plus 50 basis points, plus accrued interest to the Redemption Date.

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Adjusted Treasury Rate” means, with respect to any Redemption Date, the rate per year equal to the semi-annual equivalent yield to maturity of the Comparable Treasury Issue, assuming a price for the Comparable Treasury Issue (expressed as a percentage of its principal amount) equal to the Comparable Treasury Price for that Redemption Date.

 

Comparable Treasury Issue” means the United States Treasury security selected by the Quotation Agent as having a maturity comparable to the remaining term of the notes to be redeemed that would be utilized, at the time of selection and in accordance with customary financial practice, in pricing new issues of corporate debt securities of comparable maturity to the remaining term of those notes.

Comparable Treasury Price” means, with respect to any Redemption Date, (1) the average of the Reference Treasury Dealer Quotations for that Redemption Date, after excluding the highest and lowest Reference Treasury Dealer Quotations, or (2) if the Quotation Agent obtains fewer than four Reference Treasury Dealer Quotations, the average of all Reference Treasury Dealer Quotations so received.

Quotation Agent” means the Reference Treasury Dealer appointed by us.

Reference Treasury Dealer” means (1) each of Merrill Lynch, Pierce, Fenner & Smith Incorporated, Citigroup Global Markets Inc., J.P. Morgan Securities LLC and a Primary Treasury Dealer selected by U.S. Bancorp Investments, Inc. and their respective successors; providedhowever, that if any of the foregoing shall cease to be a primary U.S. Government securities dealer in New York City (a “Primary Treasury Dealer”), we will substitute another Primary Treasury Dealer, and (2) any one other Primary Treasury Dealer selected by us.

Reference Treasury Dealer Quotations” means, with respect to each Reference Treasury Dealer and any Redemption Date, the average, as determined by the Quotation Agent, of the bid and asked prices for the Comparable Treasury Issue (expressed in each case as a percentage of its principal amount) quoted in writing to the Quotation Agent by that Reference Treasury Dealer at 5:00 p.m., New York City time, on the third business day preceding that Redemption Date.

We will mail notice of any redemption at least 30 days, but not more than 60 days, before the Redemption Date to each holder of the notes to be redeemed. Unless we default in payment of the redemption price on the Redemption Date, on and after the Redemption Date, interest will cease to accrue on the notes or portions thereof called for redemption.

Any notice to holders of notes of a redemption hereunder needs to include the appropriate calculation of the redemption price, but does not need to include the redemption price itself. The actual redemption price, calculated as described above, must be set forth in an Officers’ Certificate of ours delivered to the Trustee no later than two business days prior to the Redemption Date.

Mandatory Redemption

We are not required to make mandatory redemption or sinking fund payments with respect to the notes.

Selection and Notice of Redemption

If we redeem less than all the notes at any time and the notes are Global Notes held by DTC, DTC will select the notes to be redeemed in accordance with its Operational Arrangements. If the notes are not Global Notes held by DTC, the Trustee will select notes on a pro rata basis, or on as nearly a pro rata basis as is practicable.

We will redeem notes of $2,000 or less in whole and not in part. We will cause notices of redemption to be mailed by first-class mail at least 30 but not more than 60 days before the Redemption Date to each holder of notes to be redeemed at its registered address. We may provide in the notice that payment of the redemption price and performance of our obligations with respect to the redemption or purchase may be performed by another person. Any notice may, at our discretion, be subject to the satisfaction of one or more conditions precedent.

 

If any note is to be redeemed in part only, the notice of redemption that relates to that note will state the portion of the principal amount thereof to be redeemed. We will issue a new note in a principal amount equal to the unredeemed portion of the original note in the name of the holder upon cancellation of the original note.

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Notes called for redemption become due on the date fixed for redemption. On and after such date, unless we default in payment of the redemption price on such date, interest ceases to accrue on the notes or portions thereof called for such redemption.

Change of Control

If a Change of Control Triggering Event occurs, unless we have exercised our right to redeem the notes as described above, holders of notes will have the right to require us to repurchase all or any part (equal to $2,000 or an integral multiple of $1,000 in excess thereof) of their notes pursuant to the offer described below (the “Change of Control Offer”) on the terms set forth in the notes. In the Change of Control Offer, we will be required to offer payment in cash equal to 101% of the aggregate principal amount of notes repurchased plus accrued and unpaid interest, if any, on the notes repurchased, to the date of purchase (the “Change of Control Payment”). Within 30 days following any Change of Control Triggering Event, we will be required to mail a notice to holders of notes with a copy to the Trustee describing the transaction or transactions that constitute the Change of Control Triggering Event and offering to repurchase the notes on the date specified in the notice, which date will be no earlier than 30 days and no later than 60 days from the date such notice is mailed (the “Change of Control Payment Date”), pursuant to the procedures required by the notes and described in such notice. We must comply with the requirements of Rule 14e-1 under the Exchange Act and any other securities laws and regulations thereunder to the extent those laws and regulations are applicable in connection with the repurchase of the notes as a result of a Change of Control Triggering Event. To the extent that the provisions of any securities laws or regulations conflict with the Change of Control provisions of the notes, we will be required to comply with the applicable securities laws and regulations and will not be deemed to have breached our obligations under the Change of Control provisions of the notes by virtue of such conflicts.

On the Change of Control Payment Date, we will be required, to the extent lawful, to:

 

 

 

accept for payment all notes or portions of notes properly tendered pursuant to the Change of Control Offer;

 

 

 

deposit with the paying agent an amount equal to the Change of Control Payment in respect of all notes or portions of notes properly tendered; and

 

 

 

deliver or cause to be delivered to the Trustee the notes properly accepted together with an Officers’ Certificate stating the aggregate principal amount of notes or portions of notes being purchased.

The definition of Change of Control includes a phrase relating to the direct or indirect sale, lease, transfer, conveyance or other disposition of “all or substantially all” of the properties or assets of RR Donnelley and its subsidiaries taken as a whole. Although there is a limited body of case law interpreting the phrase “substantially all,” there is no precise established definition of the phrase under applicable law. Accordingly, the ability of a holder of notes to require RR Donnelley to repurchase its notes as a result of a sale, lease, transfer, conveyance or other disposition of less than all of the assets of RR Donnelley and its subsidiaries taken as a whole to another Person or group may be uncertain.

For purposes of the foregoing discussion of a repurchase at the option of holders, the following definitions are applicable:

Below Investment Grade Rating Event” means the notes are rated below an Investment Grade Rating by each of the Rating Agencies (as defined below) on the 60th day following the occurrence of a Change of Control (which date shall be extended if the rating of the notes is under publicly announced consideration for possible downgrade by any of the Rating Agencies on such 60th day, such extension to last until the date on which the Rating Agency considering such possible downgrade either (x) rates the notes below an Investment Grade Rating or (y) publicly announces that it is no longer considering the notes for possible downgrade; provided, that no such extension shall occur if any of the Rating Agencies rates the notes with an Investment Grade Rating that is not subject to review for possible downgrade on such 60th day).

Change of Control” means the occurrence of any of the following: (1) the direct or indirect sale, transfer, conveyance or other disposition (other than by way of merger or consolidation), in one or a series of related transactions, of all or substantially all of the properties or assets of RR Donnelley and its subsidiaries taken as a whole to any “person” (as that term is used in Section 13(d)(3) of the Exchange Act) other than RR Donnelley or

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one of its subsidiaries; (2) the consummation of any transaction (including, without limitation, any merger or consolidation) the result of which is that any “person” (as that term is used in Section 13(d)(3) of the Exchange Act) becomes the beneficial owner, directly or indirectly, of more than 50% of the then outstanding number of shares of RR Donnelley’s voting stock; or (3) the first day on which a majority of the members of RR Donnelley’s Board of Directors are not Continuing Directors.

Change of Control Triggering Event” means the occurrence of both a Change of Control and a Below Investment Grade Rating Event.

Continuing Directors” means, as of any date of determination, any member of the Board of Directors of RR Donnelley who (1) was a member of such Board of Directors on the date of the issuance of the notes; or (2) was nominated for election or elected to such Board of Directors with the approval of a majority of the Continuing Directors who were members of such Board of Directors at the time of such nomination or election (either by a specific vote or by approval of RR Donnelley’s proxy statement in which such member was named as a nominee for election as a director, without objection to such nomination).

Investment Grade Rating” means a rating equal to or higher than Baa3 (or the equivalent) by Moody’s and BBB- (or the equivalent) by S&P.

Moody’s” means Moody’s Investors Service, Inc., a subsidiary of Moody’s Corporation, and its successors.

Rating Agencies” means (1) each of Moody’s and S&P; and (2) if any of Moody’s or S&P ceases to rate the notes or fails to make a rating of the notes publicly available for reasons outside of our control, a “nationally recognized statistical rating organization” within the meaning of Section 3(a)(62) under the Exchange Act, selected by us (as certified by a resolution of our Board of Directors) as a replacement agency for Moody’s or S&P, or both of them, as the case may be.

S&P” means Standard & Poor’s Ratings Services, a division of The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc., and its successors.

Certain Covenants

Restrictions on Secured Debt

The indenture provides that neither R.R. Donnelley & Sons Company nor any Restricted Subsidiary will create, incur, issue, assume or guarantee any indebtedness for borrowed money secured by a mortgage, security interest, pledge or lien (which we refer to herein, collectively, as a “mortgage”) on or upon any Principal Property or any shares of capital stock or indebtedness of any Restricted Subsidiary, whether owned at the date of the indenture or acquired after the date of the indenture, without ensuring that the notes (together with, if we decide, any other indebtedness created, issued, assumed or guaranteed by R.R. Donnelley & Sons Company or any Restricted Subsidiary then existing or thereafter created) will be secured by such mortgage equally and proportionately with (or, at our option, prior to) such indebtedness. This restriction will not apply to indebtedness secured by any of the following:

 

 

 

mortgages on any property acquired, constructed or improved by, or on any shares of capital stock or indebtedness acquired by, us or any Restricted Subsidiary after the date of the indenture to secure indebtedness incurred for the purpose of financing or refinancing all or any part of the purchase price of such property, shares of capital stock or indebtedness or of the cost of any construction or improvements on such properties, in each case, to the extent that the indebtedness is incurred prior to or within 180 days after the applicable acquisition, completion of construction or beginning of commercial operation of such property, as the case may be;

 

 

 

mortgages on any property, shares of capital stock or indebtedness existing at the time we or any Restricted Subsidiary acquire any of the same;

 

 

 

mortgages on property of a corporation existing at the time we or any Restricted Subsidiary merge or consolidate with such corporation or at the time we or any Restricted Subsidiary acquire all or substantially all of the properties of such corporation;

 

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mortgages on any property of, or shares of capital stock or indebtedness of, a corporation existing at the time such corporation becomes a Restricted Subsidiary;

 

 

 

mortgages to secure indebtedness of any Restricted Subsidiary to us or another Restricted Subsidiary;

 

 

 

mortgages in favor of certain governmental bodies to secure partial, progress, advance or other payments pursuant to any contract or statute or to secure indebtedness incurred or guaranteed to finance or refinance all or any part of the purchase price of the property, shares of capital stock or indebtedness subject to such mortgages, or the cost of constructing or improving the property subject to such mortgage; and

 

 

 

extensions, renewals or replacements of any mortgage existing on the date of the indenture or any mortgage referred to above; however, the principal amount of indebtedness secured thereby may not exceed the principal amount of indebtedness so secured at the time of such extension, renewal or replacement, and such extension, renewal or replacement will be limited to all or a part of the property (plus improvements and construction on such property), shares of capital stock or indebtedness which was subject to the mortgage so extended, renewed or replaced.

Notwithstanding the restriction outlined above, we or any Restricted Subsidiary may, without having to equally and proportionately secure the notes, issue, assume or guarantee indebtedness secured by a mortgage not excepted from the restriction if the total amount of the following does not at the time exceed 15% of Consolidated Net Tangible Assets:

 

 

 

such indebtedness; plus

 

 

 

all other indebtedness that we and our Restricted Subsidiaries have incurred or have guaranteed existing at such time and secured by mortgages not so excepted; plus

 

 

 

the Attributable Debt existing in respect of Sale and Lease-Back Transactions existing at such time.

Attributable Debt with respect to the following types of Sale and Lease-Back Transactions will not be included for the purposes of calculating Attributable Debt in the preceding sentence:

 

 

 

Sale and Lease-Back Transactions in respect of which an amount (equaling at least the greater of the net proceeds of the sale of property or the fair market value of the property) is used within 180 days after the effective date of the arrangement to make non-mandatory prepayments on long-term indebtedness, retire long-term indebtedness or acquire, construct or improve a manufacturing plant or facility which is, or upon completion will be, a Principal Property; and

 

 

 

Sale and Lease-Back Transactions in which the property involved would have been permitted to be mortgaged under the first bullet point of the preceding paragraph.

 

Restrictions on Sale and Lease-Back Transactions

The indenture provides that neither we nor any Restricted Subsidiary will enter into any Sale and Lease-Back Transaction with respect to any Principal Property unless:

 

 

 

we or such Restricted Subsidiary are entitled under the provisions described in the first or sixth bullet point in the first paragraph under “—Restrictions on Secured Debt” to create, issue, assume or guarantee indebtedness secured by a mortgage on the property to be leased without having to equally and proportionately secure the notes;

 

 

 

we or such Restricted Subsidiary are entitled under the provisions described in the last paragraph under “—Restrictions on Secured Debt” to create, issue, assume or guarantee indebtedness secured by a mortgage on such property in an amount at least equal to the Attributable Debt in respect of the Sale and Lease-Back Transaction without having to equally and proportionately secure the notes; or

 

 

 

we apply an amount (equaling at least the greater of the net proceeds of the sale of property or the fair market value of the property) within 180 days after the effective date of the arrangement to make non-mandatory prepayments on long-term indebtedness, retire long-term indebtedness or acquire, construct or improve a manufacturing plant or facility which is, or upon completion will be, a Principal Property.

Consolidation, Merger and Sale of Assets

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The indenture provides that we may consolidate or merge with or into any other corporation, or lease, sell or transfer all or substantially all of our property and assets if:

 

 

 

the corporation formed by such consolidation or into which we are merged, or the party which acquires by lease, sale or transfer all or substantially all of our property and assets is a corporation organized and existing under the laws of the United States, any state in the United States or the District of Columbia;

 

 

 

the corporation formed by such consolidation or into which we are merged, or the party which acquires by lease, sale or transfer all or substantially all of our property and assets, agrees to pay the principal of, and any premium and interest on, the notes and performs and observes all covenants and conditions of the indenture by executing and delivering to the Trustee a supplemental indenture; and

 

 

 

immediately after giving effect to such transaction and treating indebtedness for borrowed money which becomes our obligation or an obligation of a Restricted Subsidiary as a result of such transaction as having been incurred by us or such Restricted Subsidiary at the time of such transaction, no Event of Default, and no event which, after notice or lapse of time or both, would become an Event of Default, has happened and is continuing.

If, upon any such consolidation or merger, or upon any such lease, sale or transfer of any of our Principal Property or any shares of capital stock or indebtedness of any Restricted Subsidiary, owned immediately prior to the transaction, we would thereupon become subject to any mortgage, security interest, pledge or lien securing any indebtedness for borrowed money of, or guaranteed by, such other corporation or party (other than any mortgage, security interest, pledge or lien permitted as described under “—Certain Covenants—Restrictions on Secured Debt” above), we, prior to such consolidation, merger, lease, sale or transfer, will, by executing and delivering to the Trustee a supplemental indenture, secure the due and punctual payment of the principal of, and any premium and interest on, the notes (together with, if we decide, any other indebtedness of, or guaranteed by, us or any Restricted Subsidiary then existing or thereafter created) equally and proportionately with (or, at our option, prior to) the indebtedness secured by such mortgage, security interest, pledge or lien.

 

Reports

We will file with the Trustee, within 15 days after we have filed the same with the Commission, copies of the annual reports and of the information, documents and other reports (or copies thereof as the Commission may from time to time by rules and regulations prescribe) which we may be required to file with the Commission pursuant to Section 13 or Section 15(d) of the Exchange Act; or, if we are not required to file information, documents or reports under those Sections, then we will file with the Trustee and the Commission, in accordance with rules and regulations prescribed from time to time by the Commission, such of the supplementary and periodic information, documents and reports which may be required pursuant to Section 13 of the Exchange Act in respect of a security listed and registered on a national securities exchange as may be prescribed from time to time in those rules and regulations.

Events of Default

With respect to the notes, an “Event of Default” is defined in the indenture as being:

 

 

 

a failure to pay interest upon the notes that continues for a period of 30 days after payment is due;

 

 

 

a failure to pay the principal or premium, if any, on the notes when due upon maturity, redemption, acceleration or otherwise;

 

 

 

a failure to comply with any of our other agreements contained in the indenture applicable to the notes for a period of 90 days after written notice to us of such failure from the Trustee (or to us and the Trustee from the holders of at least 25% of the principal amount of the notes); and

 

 

 

certain events of bankruptcy, insolvency or reorganization relating to us.

The indenture provides that if there is a continuing Event of Default with respect to the notes, either the Trustee or the holders of at least 25% of the outstanding principal amount of the notes may declare the principal amount of all of the notes to be due and payable immediately. However, at any time after the Trustee or the holders, as the case may be, declare an acceleration with respect to notes, but before the applicable person has obtained a judgment or decree based on such acceleration, the holders of a majority in principal amount of the outstanding

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notes may, under certain conditions, cancel such acceleration if we have cured all Events of Default (other than the nonpayment of accelerated principal) with respect to such notes or all such Events of Default have been waived as provided in the indenture. For information as to waiver of defaults, see “—Modification and Waiver.”

The indenture provides that, subject to the duties of the Trustee to act with the required standard of care, if there is a continuing Event of Default, the Trustee need not exercise any of its rights or powers under the indenture at the request or direction of any of the holders of notes, unless such holders have offered to the Trustee reasonable security or indemnity. Subject to such provisions for security or indemnification of the Trustee and certain other conditions, the holders of a majority in principal amount of the outstanding notes of a series will have the right to direct the time, method and place of conducting any proceeding for any remedy available to the Trustee or exercising any trust or power the Trustee holds with respect to the notes of that series.

No holder of any note will have any right to institute any proceeding with respect to the indenture or for any remedy under the indenture unless:

 

 

 

the Trustee has failed to institute such proceeding for 60 days after the holder has previously given to the Trustee written notice of a continuing Event of Default with respect to notes;

 

 

 

the holders of at least 25% in principal amount of the outstanding notes have made a written request, and offered satisfactory security or indemnity, to the Trustee to institute such proceeding as Trustee; and

 

 

 

the Trustee has not received from the holders of a majority in principal amount of the outstanding notes a direction inconsistent with such request.

However, the holder of any note will have an absolute and unconditional right to receive payment of the principal of, and any premium or interest on, such note on or after the date or dates they are to be paid as expressed in such note and to institute suit for the enforcement of any such payment.

We are required to furnish to the Trustee annually a statement as to the absence of certain defaults under the indenture. The indenture provides that the Trustee need not provide holders of notes notice of any default (other than the nonpayment of principal or any premium or interest) if it considers it in the interest of the holders of notes not to provide such notice.

Modification and Waiver

We and the Trustee may modify or amend the indenture with the consent of the holders of a majority of the principal amount of the outstanding notes of each series affected by the modification or amendment. However, no such modification or amendment may, without the consent of the holders of all then outstanding notes of the affected series:

 

 

 

change the due date of the principal of, or any installment of principal of or interest on, the notes of that series;

 

 

 

reduce the principal amount of, or any premium or interest rate on, the notes of that series;

 

 

 

change the place or currency of payment of principal of, or any premium or interest on, the notes of that series;

 

 

 

impair the right to institute suit for the enforcement of any payment on or with respect to the notes of that series after the due date thereof; or

 

 

 

reduce the percentage in principal amount of the notes of that series then outstanding, the consent of whose holders is required for modification or amendment of the indenture, for waiver of compliance with certain provisions of the indenture or for waiver of certain defaults.

The holders of a majority of the principal amount of the outstanding notes of any series may waive, insofar as that series is concerned, future compliance by us with certain restrictive covenants of the indenture. The holders of at least a majority in principal amount of the outstanding notes of any series may waive any past default under the indenture with respect to that series, except a failure by us to pay the principal of, or any premium or interest on, any notes of that series or a provision that cannot be modified or amended without the consent of the holders of all outstanding notes of the affected series.

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No Personal Liability of Directors, Officers, Employees and Stockholders

No director, officer, employee or stockholder of ours will have any liability for any of our obligations under the notes or the indenture or for any claim based on, in respect of, or by reason of, such obligations or their creation. Each holder of notes by accepting a note waives and releases all such liability. The waiver and release are part of the consideration for issuance of the notes.

Defeasance

Defeasance and Discharge

The indenture provides that we may be discharged from any and all obligations in respect of the notes (except for certain obligations to register the transfer or exchange of notes, to replace stolen, destroyed, lost or mutilated notes, to maintain paying agencies, to compensate and indemnify the Trustee or to furnish the Trustee (if the Trustee is not the registrar) with the names and addresses of holders of notes). We will be so discharged if we irrevocably deposit with the Trustee, in trust, money and/or securities of the United States government in an amount sufficient, in the opinion of a nationally recognized firm of independent public accountants, to pay each installment of principal of, and any premium and interest on, the notes on the applicable due dates for those payments in accordance with the terms of the notes.

This discharge may occur only if, among other things, we have delivered to the Trustee an opinion of counsel confirming that the holders of the notes will not recognize income, gain or loss for United States federal income tax purposes as a result of such defeasance and will be subject to United States federal income tax on the same amounts and in the same manner and at the same times as would have been the case if the discharge had not occurred. That opinion must state that we have received from, or there has been published by, the United States Internal Revenue Service a ruling or, since the date of execution of the indenture, there has been a change in the applicable United States federal income tax law, in any case, in support of that opinion.

Defeasance of Certain Covenants and Certain Events of Default

The indenture provides that, upon compliance with certain conditions:

 

 

 

we may omit to comply with the covenants described under “—Certain Covenants—Restrictions on Secured Debt” and “—Certain Covenants—Restrictions on Sale and Lease-Back Transactions” (all other obligations under the notes will remain in full force and effect); and

 

 

 

any omission to comply with those covenants will not constitute an Event of Default with respect to the notes (“covenant defeasance”).

The conditions include:

 

 

 

depositing with the Trustee money and/or securities of the United States government in an amount sufficient, in the opinion of a nationally recognized firm of independent public accountants, to pay each installment of principal of, any premium and interest on the notes on the due dates for those payments in accordance with the terms of the notes; and

 

 

 

delivering to the Trustee an opinion of counsel to the effect that the holders of the notes will not recognize income, gain or loss for United States federal income tax purposes as a result of the deposit and related covenant defeasance and will be subject to United States federal income tax on the same amounts and in the same manner and at the same times as would have been the case if the deposit and related covenant defeasance had not occurred.

Covenant Defeasance and Certain Other Events of Default

If we exercise our option to effect a covenant defeasance with respect to the notes as described above and the notes are thereafter declared due and payable because of an Event of Default (other than an Event of Default caused by failing to comply with the covenants that are defeased), the amount of money and securities we have deposited with the Trustee would be sufficient to pay amounts due on the notes on their respective due dates but may not be sufficient to pay amounts due on the notes at the time of acceleration resulting from such Event of Default. However, we would remain liable for such payments.

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Governing Law

The indenture and the notes are governed by the laws of the State of New York.

The Trustee

Wells Fargo Bank, National Association is the Trustee under the indenture. Wells Fargo Bank, National Association is also the trustee for our 4.950% Notes due 2014, our 5.500% Notes due 2015, our 8.600% Notes due 2016, our 6.125% Notes due 2017, our 7.250% Notes due 2018, our 8.250% Notes due 2019, our 11.250%

 

Notes due 2019, our 7.625% Notes due 2020 and our 7.875% Notes due 2021. The Trustee and its affiliates have engaged, currently are engaged, and may in the future engage in financial or other transactions with R.R. Donnelley & Sons Company and its affiliates in the ordinary course of their respective businesses, subject to the Trust Indenture Act of 1939, as amended.

Except during the continuance of an Event of Default, the Trustee will perform only such duties as are specifically set forth in the indenture. If an Event of Default shall have occurred and continues that is known to the Trustee, the Trustee will exercise such of the rights and powers vested in it under the indenture and use the same degree of care and skill in its exercise as a prudent person would exercise under the circumstances in the conduct of such person’s own affairs.

Certain Definitions

Set forth below is a summary of certain of the defined terms used in the indenture. Reference is made to the indenture for the full definition of all such terms as well as any other capitalized terms used herein for which no definition is provided. Unless the context otherwise requires, an accounting term not otherwise defined has the meaning assigned to it in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles.

Attributable Debt” is defined in the indenture to mean, in the context of a Sale and Lease-Back Transaction, what we believe in good faith to be the present value, discounted at the interest rate implicit in the lease involved in such Sale and Lease-Back Transaction, of the lessee’s obligation under the lease for rental payments during the remaining term of such lease, as it may be extended. For purposes of this definition, any amounts lessee must pay, whether or not designated as rent or additional rent, on account of maintenance and repairs, insurance, taxes, assessments, water rates or similar charges or any amounts lessee must pay under the lease contingent upon the amount of sales, maintenance and repairs, insurance, taxes, assessments, water rates or similar charges are not included in the determination of lessee’s obligations under the lease.

Commission” means the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.

Consolidated Net Tangible Assets” is defined in the indenture to mean the total amount of assets minus:

 

 

 

all applicable reserves;

 

 

 

all current liabilities (excluding any liabilities which are by their terms extendible or renewable at the option of the obligor to a time more than 12 months after the time as of which the amount thereof is being computed and excluding current maturities of long-term indebtedness); and

 

 

 

all goodwill, trade names, trademarks, patents, unamortized debt discount and expense and other like intangible assets,

all as shown in our audited consolidated balance sheet contained in our then most recent annual report to stockholders, except that assets will include an amount equal to the Attributable Debt in respect of any Sale and Lease-Back Transaction not capitalized on such balance sheet.

Default” means any event which is, or after notice or passage of time or both would be, an Event of Default.

Event of Default” has the meaning set forth under “—Events of Default.”

Issue Date” means the date on which the notes are initially issued.

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Officer” means the Chief Executive Officer, the President, the Chief Financial Officer or any Vice President, the Treasurer or the Secretary of the specified Person.

 

Officers’ Certificate” means a certificate signed by the Chairman of the Board, the Chief Executive Officer, the President or a Vice President, and by the Treasurer, an Assistant Treasurer, the Controller, an Assistant Controller, the Secretary or an Assistant Secretary, and delivered to the Trustee.

Person” means any individual, corporation, company (including any limited liability company), association, partnership, joint venture, trust, unincorporated organization, government or any agency or political subdivision thereof or any other entity.

Principal Property” is defined in the indenture to mean any manufacturing plant or manufacturing facility owned by us or any Restricted Subsidiary which is located within the United States and has a gross book value in excess of 1% of Consolidated Net Tangible Assets at the time of determination, except for any such plant or facility or any portion of such plant or facility which our board of directors does not deem material to the total business conducted by us and our Restricted Subsidiaries considered as one enterprise.

Restricted Subsidiary” is defined in the indenture to mean any Subsidiary that has substantially all of its property located in or that conducts substantially all of its business within the United States (other than its territories or possessions and other than Puerto Rico) and that owns a Principal Property; however, any Subsidiary which is principally engaged in financing operations outside the United States or which is principally engaged in leasing or in financing installment receivables will not be considered a Restricted Subsidiary.

Sale and Lease-Back Transaction” is defined in the indenture to mean the leasing by us or any Restricted Subsidiary of any Principal Property, whether owned at the date of the indenture or acquired after the date of the indenture (except for temporary leases for a term, including any renewal term, of up to three years and except for leases between us and any Restricted Subsidiary or between Restricted Subsidiaries), which property has been or is to be sold or transferred by us or such Restricted Subsidiary to any party with the intention of taking back a lease of such property.

Subsidiary” is defined in the indenture to mean any corporation in which we and/or one or more other Subsidiaries, directly or indirectly, own more than 50% of the outstanding voting stock.


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6.00% NOTES DUE 2024

 

Principal, Maturity and Interest

The notes will mature on April 1, 2024. Interest on the notes will accrue at a rate of 6.00% per year and will be payable semiannually in arrears on April 1 and October 1, commencing October 1, 2014. We will pay interest to those persons who were holders of record on the March 15 and September 15, as the case may be, immediately preceding each interest payment date.

Interest on the notes will accrue from the date of original issuance or, if interest has already been paid, from the date it was most recently paid. Interest will be computed on the basis of a 360-day year comprised of twelve 30-day months.

When we use the term “business day,” we mean any day other than a Saturday, Sunday or other day on which commercial banking institutions in New York City or Chicago, Illinois are authorized or required by law to close.

If an interest payment date, redemption date or maturity date for the notes falls on a date that is not a business day (as defined above), then interest will be paid on the next day that is a business day, and no interest on such payment will accrue for the period from and after such interest payment date, redemption date or maturity date. If a redemption date or the maturity date for any note falls on a date that is not a business day, the related payments of principal, premium, if any, and interest may be made on the next succeeding business day, and no additional interest will accumulate on the amount payable for the period from and after the redemption date or maturity date.

Methods of Receiving Payments on the Notes

If a holder has given us wire transfer instructions, we will pay, or cause to be paid by the paying agent, all principal, premium, if any, and interest on that holder’s notes in accordance with those instructions. All other payments on the notes will be made at the office or agency of the paying agent and registrar unless we elect to make interest payments by check mailed to the holders at their address set forth in the register of holders.

We will pay all principal, interest and premium, if any, on the notes in global form registered in the name of DTC or its nominee in immediately available funds to DTC or its nominee, as the case may be, as the registered holder of such global notes.

Ranking

The notes will be senior unsecured obligations of the Company. The payment of the principal of, premium, if any, and interest on the notes will:

 

 

 

rank equally in right of payment with all other indebtedness of the Company that is not, by its terms, expressly subordinated to other indebtedness of the Company;

 

 

 

rank senior in right of payment to all indebtedness of the Company that is, by its terms, expressly subordinated to the senior indebtedness of the Company; and

 

 

 

be effectively subordinated to the secured indebtedness of the Company to the extent of the value of the collateral securing such indebtedness and to the indebtedness and other obligations of the Company’s subsidiaries.

Optional Redemption

We may, at our option, redeem the notes in whole at any time or in part from time to time at a redemption price equal to the greater of (1) 100% of the principal amount of the notes to be redeemed and (2) as determined by the Quotation Agent (as defined below), the sum of the present values of the remaining scheduled payments of principal and interest in respect of the notes to be redeemed (not including any portion of those payments of interest accrued as of the date of redemption) discounted to the date of redemption (the “Redemption Date”) on a semi-annual basis (assuming a 360-day year consisting of twelve 30-day months) at the Adjusted Treasury Rate (as defined below) plus 50 basis points, plus accrued interest to the Redemption Date.

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Adjusted Treasury Rate” means, with respect to any Redemption Date, the rate per year equal to the semi-annual equivalent yield to maturity of the Comparable Treasury Issue, assuming a price for the Comparable Treasury Issue (expressed as a percentage of its principal amount) equal to the Comparable Treasury Price for that Redemption Date.

 

Comparable Treasury Issue” means the United States Treasury security selected by the Quotation Agent as having a maturity comparable to the remaining term of the notes to be redeemed that would be utilized, at the time of selection and in accordance with customary financial practice, in pricing new issues of corporate debt securities of comparable maturity to the remaining term of those notes.

Comparable Treasury Price” means, with respect to any Redemption Date, (1) the average of the Reference Treasury Dealer Quotations for that Redemption Date, after excluding the highest and lowest Reference Treasury Dealer Quotations, or (2) if the Quotation Agent obtains fewer than four Reference Treasury Dealer Quotations, the average of all Reference Treasury Dealer Quotations so received.

Quotation Agent” means the Reference Treasury Dealer appointed by us.

Reference Treasury Dealer” means (1) each of Merrill Lynch, Pierce, Fenner & Smith Incorporated, Citigroup Global Markets Inc., J.P. Morgan Securities LLC, a Primary Treasury Dealer selected by Mitsubishi UFJ Securities (USA), Inc., a Primary Treasury Dealer selected by U.S. Bancorp Investments, Inc. and a Primary Treasury Dealer selected Wells Fargo Securities, LLC and their respective successors; providedhowever, that if any of the foregoing shall cease to be a primary U.S. Government securities dealer in New York City (a “Primary Treasury Dealer”), we will substitute another Primary Treasury Dealer, and (2) any one other Primary Treasury Dealer selected by us.

Reference Treasury Dealer Quotations” means, with respect to each Reference Treasury Dealer and any Redemption Date, the average, as determined by the Quotation Agent, of the bid and asked prices for the Comparable Treasury Issue (expressed in each case as a percentage of its principal amount) quoted in writing to the Quotation Agent by that Reference Treasury Dealer at 5:00 p.m., New York City time, on the third business day preceding that Redemption Date.

We will mail notice of any redemption at least 30 days, but not more than 60 days, before the Redemption Date to each holder of the notes to be redeemed. Unless we default in payment of the redemption price on the Redemption Date, on and after the Redemption Date, interest will cease to accrue on the notes or portions thereof called for redemption.

Any notice to holders of notes of a redemption hereunder needs to include the appropriate calculation of the redemption price, but does not need to include the redemption price itself. The actual redemption price, calculated as described above, must be set forth in an Officers’ Certificate of ours delivered to the Trustee no later than two business days prior to the Redemption Date.

Mandatory Redemption

We are not required to make mandatory redemption or sinking fund payments with respect to the notes.

Selection and Notice of Redemption

If we redeem less than all the notes at any time and the notes are Global Notes held by DTC, DTC will select the notes to be redeemed in accordance with its Operational Arrangements. If the notes are not Global Notes held by DTC, the Trustee will select notes on a pro rata basis, or on as nearly a pro rata basis as is practicable.

We will redeem notes of $2,000 or less in whole and not in part. We will cause notices of redemption to be mailed by first-class mail at least 30 but not more than 60 days before the Redemption Date to each holder of notes to be redeemed at its registered address. We may provide in the notice that payment of the redemption price and performance of our obligations with respect to the redemption or purchase may be performed by another person. Any notice may, at our discretion, be subject to the satisfaction of one or more conditions precedent.

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If any note is to be redeemed in part only, the notice of redemption that relates to that note will state the portion of the principal amount thereof to be redeemed. We will issue a new note in a principal amount equal to the unredeemed portion of the original note in the name of the holder upon cancellation of the original note.

 

Notes called for redemption become due on the date fixed for redemption. On and after such date, unless we default in payment of the redemption price on such date, interest ceases to accrue on the notes or portions thereof called for such redemption.

Change of Control

If a Change of Control Triggering Event occurs, unless we have exercised our right to redeem the notes as described above, holders of notes will have the right to require us to repurchase all or any part (equal to $2,000 or an integral multiple of $1,000 in excess thereof) of their notes pursuant to the offer described below (the “Change of Control Offer”) on the terms set forth in the notes. In the Change of Control Offer, we will be required to offer payment in cash equal to 101% of the aggregate principal amount of notes repurchased plus accrued and unpaid interest, if any, on the notes repurchased, to the date of purchase (the “Change of Control Payment”). Within 30 days following any Change of Control Triggering Event, we will be required to mail a notice to holders of notes with a copy to the Trustee describing the transaction or transactions that constitute the Change of Control Triggering Event and offering to repurchase the notes on the date specified in the notice, which date will be no earlier than 30 days and no later than 60 days from the date such notice is mailed (the “Change of Control Payment Date”), pursuant to the procedures required by the notes and described in such notice. We must comply with the requirements of Rule 14e-1 under the Exchange Act and any other securities laws and regulations thereunder to the extent those laws and regulations are applicable in connection with the repurchase of the notes as a result of a Change of Control Triggering Event. To the extent that the provisions of any securities laws or regulations conflict with the Change of Control provisions of the notes, we will be required to comply with the applicable securities laws and regulations and will not be deemed to have breached our obligations under the Change of Control provisions of the notes by virtue of such conflicts.

On the Change of Control Payment Date, we will be required, to the extent lawful, to:

 

 

 

accept for payment all notes or portions of notes properly tendered pursuant to the Change of Control Offer;

 

 

 

deposit with the paying agent an amount equal to the Change of Control Payment in respect of all notes or portions of notes properly tendered; and

 

 

 

deliver or cause to be delivered to the Trustee the notes properly accepted together with an Officers’ Certificate stating the aggregate principal amount of notes or portions of notes being purchased.

The definition of Change of Control includes a phrase relating to the direct or indirect sale, lease, transfer, conveyance or other disposition of “all or substantially all” of the properties or assets of RR Donnelley and its subsidiaries taken as a whole. Although there is a limited body of case law interpreting the phrase “substantially all,” there is no precise established definition of the phrase under applicable law. Accordingly, the ability of a holder of notes to require RR Donnelley to repurchase its notes as a result of a sale, lease, transfer, conveyance or other disposition of less than all of the assets of RR Donnelley and its subsidiaries taken as a whole to another Person or group may be uncertain.

For purposes of the foregoing discussion of a repurchase at the option of holders, the following definitions are applicable:

Below Investment Grade Rating Event” means the notes are rated below an Investment Grade Rating by each of the Rating Agencies (as defined below) on the 60th day following the occurrence of a Change of Control (which date shall be extended if the rating of the notes is under publicly announced consideration for possible downgrade by any of the Rating Agencies on such 60th day, such extension to last until the date on which the Rating Agency considering such possible downgrade either (x) rates the notes below an Investment Grade Rating or (y) publicly announces that it is no longer considering the notes for possible downgrade; provided, that no such extension shall occur if any of the Rating Agencies rates the notes with an Investment Grade Rating that is not subject to review for possible downgrade on such 60th day).

 

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Change of Control” means the occurrence of any of the following: (1) the direct or indirect sale, transfer, conveyance or other disposition (other than by way of merger or consolidation), in one or a series of related transactions, of all or substantially all of the properties or assets of RR Donnelley and its subsidiaries taken as a whole to any “person” (as that term is used in Section 13(d)(3) of the Exchange Act) other than RR Donnelley or one of its subsidiaries; (2) the consummation of any transaction (including, without limitation, any merger or consolidation) the result of which is that any “person” (as that term is used in Section 13(d)(3) of the Exchange Act) becomes the beneficial owner, directly or indirectly, of more than 50% of the then outstanding number of shares of RR Donnelley’s voting stock; or (3) the first day on which a majority of the members of RR Donnelley’s Board of Directors are not Continuing Directors.

Change of Control Triggering Event” means the occurrence of both a Change of Control and a Below Investment Grade Rating Event.

Continuing Directors” means, as of any date of determination, any member of the Board of Directors of RR Donnelley who (1) was a member of such Board of Directors on the date of the issuance of the notes; or (2) was nominated for election or elected to such Board of Directors with the approval of a majority of the Continuing Directors who were members of such Board of Directors at the time of such nomination or election (either by a specific vote or by approval of RR Donnelley’s proxy statement in which such member was named as a nominee for election as a director, without objection to such nomination).

Investment Grade Rating” means a rating equal to or higher than Baa3 (or the equivalent) by Moody’s and BBB- (or the equivalent) by S&P.

Moody’s” means Moody’s Investors Service, Inc., a subsidiary of Moody’s Corporation, and its successors.

Rating Agencies” means (1) each of Moody’s and S&P; and (2) if any of Moody’s or S&P ceases to rate the notes or fails to make a rating of the notes publicly available for reasons outside of our control, a “nationally recognized statistical rating organization” within the meaning of Section 3(a)(62) under the Exchange Act, selected by us (as certified by a resolution of our Board of Directors) as a replacement agency for Moody’s or S&P, or both of them, as the case may be.

S&P” means Standard & Poor’s Ratings Services, a division of The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc., and its successors.

Certain Covenants

Restrictions on Secured Debt

The indenture provides that neither R.R. Donnelley & Sons Company nor any Restricted Subsidiary will create, incur, issue, assume or guarantee any indebtedness for borrowed money secured by a mortgage, security interest, pledge or lien (which we refer to herein, collectively, as a “mortgage”) on or upon any Principal Property or any shares of capital stock or indebtedness of any Restricted Subsidiary, whether owned at the date of the indenture or acquired after the date of the indenture, without ensuring that the notes (together with, if we decide, any other indebtedness created, issued, assumed or guaranteed by R.R. Donnelley & Sons Company or any Restricted Subsidiary then existing or thereafter created) will be secured by such mortgage equally and proportionately with (or, at our option, prior to) such indebtedness. This restriction will not apply to indebtedness secured by any of the following:

 

 

 

mortgages on any property acquired, constructed or improved by, or on any shares of capital stock or indebtedness acquired by, us or any Restricted Subsidiary after the date of the indenture to secure indebtedness incurred for the purpose of financing or refinancing all or any part of the purchase price of such property, shares of capital stock or indebtedness or of the cost of any construction or improvements on such properties, in each case, to the extent that the indebtedness is incurred prior to or within 180 days after the applicable acquisition, completion of construction or beginning of commercial operation of such property, as the case may be;

 

 

 

mortgages on any property, shares of capital stock or indebtedness existing at the time we or any Restricted Subsidiary acquire any of the same;

 

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mortgages on property of a corporation existing at the time we or any Restricted Subsidiary merge or consolidate with such corporation or at the time we or any Restricted Subsidiary acquire all or substantially all of the properties of such corporation;

 

 

 

mortgages on any property of, or shares of capital stock or indebtedness of, a corporation existing at the time such corporation becomes a Restricted Subsidiary;

 

 

 

mortgages to secure indebtedness of any Restricted Subsidiary to us or another Restricted Subsidiary;

 

 

 

mortgages in favor of certain governmental bodies to secure partial, progress, advance or other payments pursuant to any contract or statute or to secure indebtedness incurred or guaranteed to finance or refinance all or any part of the purchase price of the property, shares of capital stock or indebtedness subject to such mortgages, or the cost of constructing or improving the property subject to such mortgage; and

 

 

 

extensions, renewals or replacements of any mortgage existing on the date of the indenture or any mortgage referred to above; however, the principal amount of indebtedness secured thereby may not exceed the principal amount of indebtedness so secured at the time of such extension, renewal or replacement, and such extension, renewal or replacement will be limited to all or a part of the property (plus improvements and construction on such property), shares of capital stock or indebtedness which was subject to the mortgage so extended, renewed or replaced.

Notwithstanding the restriction outlined above, we or any Restricted Subsidiary may, without having to equally and proportionately secure the notes, issue, assume or guarantee indebtedness secured by a mortgage not excepted from the restriction if the total amount of the following does not at the time exceed 15% of Consolidated Net Tangible Assets:

 

 

 

such indebtedness; plus

 

 

 

all other indebtedness that we and our Restricted Subsidiaries have incurred or have guaranteed existing at such time and secured by mortgages not so excepted; plus

 

 

 

the Attributable Debt existing in respect of Sale and Lease-Back Transactions existing at such time.

Attributable Debt with respect to the following types of Sale and Lease-Back Transactions will not be included for the purposes of calculating Attributable Debt in the preceding sentence:

 

 

 

Sale and Lease-Back Transactions in respect of which an amount (equaling at least the greater of the net proceeds of the sale of property or the fair market value of the property) is used within 180 days after the effective date of the arrangement to make non-mandatory prepayments on long-term indebtedness, retire long-term indebtedness or acquire, construct or improve a manufacturing plant or facility which is, or upon completion will be, a Principal Property; and

 

 

 

Sale and Lease-Back Transactions in which the property involved would have been permitted to be mortgaged under the first bullet point of the preceding paragraph.

Restrictions on Sale and Lease-Back Transactions

The indenture provides that neither we nor any Restricted Subsidiary will enter into any Sale and Lease-Back Transaction with respect to any Principal Property unless:

 

 

 

we or such Restricted Subsidiary are entitled under the provisions described in the first or sixth bullet point in the first paragraph under “—Restrictions on Secured Debt” to create, issue, assume or guarantee indebtedness secured by a mortgage on the property to be leased without having to equally and proportionately secure the notes;

  

 

we or such Restricted Subsidiary are entitled under the provisions described in the last paragraph under “—Restrictions on Secured Debt” to create, issue, assume or guarantee indebtedness secured by a mortgage on such property in an amount at least equal to the Attributable Debt in respect of the Sale and Lease-Back Transaction without having to equally and proportionately secure the notes; or

 

 

 

we apply an amount (equaling at least the greater of the net proceeds of the sale of property or the fair market value of the property) within 180 days after the effective date of the arrangement to make non-mandatory prepayments on long-term indebtedness, retire long-term indebtedness or acquire, construct or improve a manufacturing plant or facility which is, or upon completion will be, a Principal Property.

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Consolidation, Merger and Sale of Assets

The indenture provides that we may consolidate or merge with or into any other corporation, or lease, sell or transfer all or substantially all of our property and assets if:

 

 

 

the corporation formed by such consolidation or into which we are merged, or the party which acquires by lease, sale or transfer all or substantially all of our property and assets is a corporation organized and existing under the laws of the United States, any state in the United States or the District of Columbia;

 

 

 

the corporation formed by such consolidation or into which we are merged, or the party which acquires by lease, sale or transfer all or substantially all of our property and assets, agrees to pay the principal of, and any premium and interest on, the notes and performs and observes all covenants and conditions of the indenture by executing and delivering to the Trustee a supplemental indenture; and

 

 

 

immediately after giving effect to such transaction and treating indebtedness for borrowed money which becomes our obligation or an obligation of a Restricted Subsidiary as a result of such transaction as having been incurred by us or such Restricted Subsidiary at the time of such transaction, no Event of Default, and no event which, after notice or lapse of time or both, would become an Event of Default, has happened and is continuing.

If, upon any such consolidation or merger, or upon any such lease, sale or transfer of any of our Principal Property or any shares of capital stock or indebtedness of any Restricted Subsidiary, owned immediately prior to the transaction, we would thereupon become subject to any mortgage, security interest, pledge or lien securing any indebtedness for borrowed money of, or guaranteed by, such other corporation or party (other than any mortgage, security interest, pledge or lien permitted as described under “—Certain Covenants—Restrictions on Secured Debt” above), we, prior to such consolidation, merger, lease, sale or transfer, will, by executing and delivering to the Trustee a supplemental indenture, secure the due and punctual payment of the principal of, and any premium and interest on, the notes (together with, if we decide, any other indebtedness of, or guaranteed by, us or any Restricted Subsidiary then existing or thereafter created) equally and proportionately with (or, at our option, prior to) the indebtedness secured by such mortgage, security interest, pledge or lien.

Reports

We will file with the Trustee, within 15 days after we have filed the same with the Commission, copies of the annual reports and of the information, documents and other reports (or copies thereof as the Commission may from time to time by rules and regulations prescribe) which we may be required to file with the Commission pursuant to Section 13 or Section 15(d) of the Exchange Act; or, if we are not required to file information, documents or reports under those Sections, then we will file with the Trustee and the Commission, in accordance with rules and regulations prescribed from time to time by the Commission, such of the supplementary and periodic information, documents and reports which may be required pursuant to Section 13 of the Exchange Act in respect of a security listed and registered on a national securities exchange as may be prescribed from time to time in those rules and regulations.

Events of Default

With respect to the notes, an “Event of Default” is defined in the indenture as being:

 

 

 

a failure to pay interest upon the notes that continues for a period of 30 days after payment is due;

 

 

 

a failure to pay the principal or premium, if any, on the notes when due upon maturity, redemption, acceleration or otherwise;

 

 

 

a failure to comply with any of our other agreements contained in the indenture applicable to the notes for a period of 90 days after written notice to us of such failure from the Trustee (or to us and the Trustee from the holders of at least 25% of the principal amount of the notes); and

 

 

 

certain events of bankruptcy, insolvency or reorganization relating to us.

The indenture provides that if there is a continuing Event of Default with respect to the notes, either the Trustee or the holders of at least 25% of the outstanding principal amount of the notes may declare the principal amount of all of the notes to be due and payable immediately. However, at any time after the Trustee or the holders, as the case may be, declare an acceleration with respect to notes, but before the applicable person has obtained a judgment or decree based on such acceleration, the holders of a majority in principal amount of the outstanding

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notes may, under certain conditions, cancel such acceleration if we have cured all Events of Default (other than the nonpayment of accelerated principal) with respect to such notes or all such Events of Default have been waived as provided in the indenture. For information as to waiver of defaults, see “—Modification and Waiver.”

The indenture provides that, subject to the duties of the Trustee to act with the required standard of care, if there is a continuing Event of Default, the Trustee need not exercise any of its rights or powers under the indenture at the request or direction of any of the holders of notes, unless such holders have offered to the Trustee reasonable security or indemnity. Subject to such provisions for security or indemnification of the Trustee and certain other conditions, the holders of a majority in principal amount of the outstanding notes of a series will have the right to direct the time, method and place of conducting any proceeding for any remedy available to the Trustee or exercising any trust or power the Trustee holds with respect to the notes of that series.

No holder of any note will have any right to institute any proceeding with respect to the indenture or for any remedy under the indenture unless:

 

 

 

the Trustee has failed to institute such proceeding for 60 days after the holder has previously given to the Trustee written notice of a continuing Event of Default with respect to notes;

 

 

 

the holders of at least 25% in principal amount of the outstanding notes have made a written request, and offered satisfactory security or indemnity, to the Trustee to institute such proceeding as Trustee; and

 

 

 

the Trustee has not received from the holders of a majority in principal amount of the outstanding notes a direction inconsistent with such request.

However, the holder of any note will have an absolute and unconditional right to receive payment of the principal of, and any premium or interest on, such note on or after the date or dates they are to be paid as expressed in such note and to institute suit for the enforcement of any such payment.

We are required to furnish to the Trustee annually a statement as to the absence of certain defaults under the indenture. The indenture provides that the Trustee need not provide holders of notes notice of any default (other than the nonpayment of principal or any premium or interest) if it considers it in the interest of the holders of notes not to provide such notice.

 

Modification and Waiver

We and the Trustee may modify or amend the indenture with the consent of the holders of a majority of the principal amount of the outstanding notes of each series affected by the modification or amendment. However, no such modification or amendment may, without the consent of the holders of all then outstanding notes of the affected series:

 

 

 

change the due date of the principal of, or any installment of principal of or interest on, the notes of that series;

 

 

 

reduce the principal amount of, or any premium or interest rate on, the notes of that series;

 

 

 

change the place or currency of payment of principal of, or any premium or interest on, the notes of that series;

 

 

 

impair the right to institute suit for the enforcement of any payment on or with respect to the notes of that series after the due date thereof; or

 

 

 

reduce the percentage in principal amount of the notes of that series then outstanding, the consent of whose holders is required for modification or amendment of the indenture, for waiver of compliance with certain provisions of the indenture or for waiver of certain defaults.

The holders of a majority of the principal amount of the outstanding notes of any series may waive, insofar as that series is concerned, future compliance by us with certain restrictive covenants of the indenture. The holders of at least a majority in principal amount of the outstanding notes of any series may waive any past default under the indenture with respect to that series, except a failure by us to pay the principal of, or any premium or interest on, any notes of that series or a provision that cannot be modified or amended without the consent of the holders of all outstanding notes of the affected series.

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No Personal Liability of Directors, Officers, Employees and Stockholders

No director, officer, employee or stockholder of ours will have any liability for any of our obligations under the notes or the indenture or for any claim based on, in respect of, or by reason of, such obligations or their creation. Each holder of notes by accepting a note waives and releases all such liability. The waiver and release are part of the consideration for issuance of the notes.

Defeasance

Defeasance and Discharge

The indenture provides that we may be discharged from any and all obligations in respect of the notes (except for certain obligations to register the transfer or exchange of notes, to replace stolen, destroyed, lost or mutilated notes, to maintain paying agencies, to compensate and indemnify the Trustee or to furnish the Trustee (if the Trustee is not the registrar) with the names and addresses of holders of notes). We will be so discharged if we irrevocably deposit with the Trustee, in trust, money and/or securities of the United States government in an amount sufficient, in the opinion of a nationally recognized firm of independent public accountants, to pay each installment of principal of, and any premium and interest on, the notes on the applicable due dates for those payments in accordance with the terms of the notes.

This discharge may occur only if, among other things, we have delivered to the Trustee an opinion of counsel confirming that the holders of the notes will not recognize income, gain or loss for United States federal income tax purposes as a result of such defeasance and will be subject to United States federal income tax on the same amounts and in the same manner and at the same times as would have been the case if the discharge had not occurred. That opinion must state that we have received from, or there has been published by, the United States Internal Revenue Service a ruling or, since the date of execution of the indenture, there has been a change in the applicable United States federal income tax law, in any case, in support of that opinion.

 

Defeasance of Certain Covenants and Certain Events of Default

The indenture provides that, upon compliance with certain conditions:

 

 

 

we may omit to comply with the covenants described under “—Certain Covenants—Restrictions on Secured Debt” and “—Certain Covenants—Restrictions on Sale and Lease-Back Transactions” (all other obligations under the notes will remain in full force and effect); and

 

 

 

any omission to comply with those covenants will not constitute an Event of Default with respect to the notes (“covenant defeasance”).

The conditions include:

 

 

 

depositing with the Trustee money and/or securities of the United States government in an amount sufficient, in the opinion of a nationally recognized firm of independent public accountants, to pay each installment of principal of, any premium and interest on the notes on the due dates for those payments in accordance with the terms of the notes; and

 

 

 

delivering to the Trustee an opinion of counsel to the effect that the holders of the notes will not recognize income, gain or loss for United States federal income tax purposes as a result of the deposit and related covenant defeasance and will be subject to United States federal income tax on the same amounts and in the same manner and at the same times as would have been the case if the deposit and related covenant defeasance had not occurred.

Covenant Defeasance and Certain Other Events of Default

If we exercise our option to effect a covenant defeasance with respect to the notes as described above and the notes are thereafter declared due and payable because of an Event of Default (other than an Event of Default caused by failing to comply with the covenants that are defeased), the amount of money and securities we have deposited with the Trustee would be sufficient to pay amounts due on the notes on their respective due dates but may not be sufficient to pay amounts due on the notes at the time of acceleration resulting from such Event of Default. However, we would remain liable for such payments.

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Governing Law

The indenture and the notes are governed by the laws of the State of New York.

The Trustee

Wells Fargo Bank, National Association is the Trustee under the indenture. Wells Fargo Bank, National Association is also the trustee for our 4.950% Notes due 2014, our 5.500% Notes due 2015, our 8.600% Notes due 2016, our 6.125% Notes due 2017, our 7.250% Notes due 2018, our 8.250% Notes due 2019, our 11.250% Notes due 2019, our 7.625% Notes due 2020, our 7.875% Notes due 2021, our 7.000% Notes due 2022 and our 6.500% Notes due 2023. The Trustee and its affiliates have engaged, currently are engaged, and may in the future engage in financial or other transactions with R.R. Donnelley & Sons Company and its affiliates in the ordinary course of their respective businesses, subject to the Trust Indenture Act of 1939, as amended.

Except during the continuance of an Event of Default, the Trustee will perform only such duties as are specifically set forth in the indenture. If an Event of Default shall have occurred and continues that is known to the Trustee, the Trustee will exercise such of the rights and powers vested in it under the indenture and use the same degree of care and skill in its exercise as a prudent person would exercise under the circumstances in the conduct of such person’s own affairs.

 

Certain Definitions

Set forth below is a summary of certain of the defined terms used in the indenture. Reference is made to the indenture for the full definition of all such terms as well as any other capitalized terms used herein for which no definition is provided. Unless the context otherwise requires, an accounting term not otherwise defined has the meaning assigned to it in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles.

Attributable Debt” is defined in the indenture to mean, in the context of a Sale and Lease-Back Transaction, what we believe in good faith to be the present value, discounted at the interest rate implicit in the lease involved in such Sale and Lease-Back Transaction, of the lessee’s obligation under the lease for rental payments during the remaining term of such lease, as it may be extended. For purposes of this definition, any amounts lessee must pay, whether or not designated as rent or additional rent, on account of maintenance and repairs, insurance, taxes, assessments, water rates or similar charges or any amounts lessee must pay under the lease contingent upon the amount of sales, maintenance and repairs, insurance, taxes, assessments, water rates or similar charges are not included in the determination of lessee’s obligations under the lease.

Commission” means the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.

Consolidated Net Tangible Assets” is defined in the indenture to mean the total amount of assets minus:

 

 

 

all applicable reserves;

 

 

 

all current liabilities (excluding any liabilities which are by their terms extendible or renewable at the option of the obligor to a time more than 12 months after the time as of which the amount thereof is being computed and excluding current maturities of long-term indebtedness); and

 

 

 

all goodwill, trade names, trademarks, patents, unamortized debt discount and expense and other like intangible assets,

all as shown in our audited consolidated balance sheet contained in our then most recent annual report to stockholders, except that assets will include an amount equal to the Attributable Debt in respect of any Sale and Lease-Back Transaction not capitalized on such balance sheet.

Default” means any event which is, or after notice or passage of time or both would be, an Event of Default.

Event of Default” has the meaning set forth under “—Events of Default.”

Issue Date” means the date on which the notes are initially issued.

Officer” means the Chief Executive Officer, the President, the Chief Financial Officer or any Vice President, the Treasurer or the Secretary of the specified Person.

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Officers’ Certificate” means a certificate signed by the Chairman of the Board, the Chief Executive Officer, the President or a Vice President, and by the Treasurer, an Assistant Treasurer, the Controller, an Assistant Controller, the Secretary or an Assistant Secretary, and delivered to the Trustee.

Person” means any individual, corporation, company (including any limited liability company), association, partnership, joint venture, trust, unincorporated organization, government or any agency or political subdivision thereof or any other entity.

Principal Property” is defined in the indenture to mean any manufacturing plant or manufacturing facility owned by us or any Restricted Subsidiary which is located within the United States and has a gross book value in excess of 1% of Consolidated Net Tangible Assets at the time of determination, except for any such plant or facility or any portion of such plant or facility which our board of directors does not deem material to the total business conducted by us and our Restricted Subsidiaries considered as one enterprise.

 

Restricted Subsidiary” is defined in the indenture to mean any Subsidiary that has substantially all of its property located in or that conducts substantially all of its business within the United States (other than its territories or possessions and other than Puerto Rico) and that owns a Principal Property; however, any Subsidiary which is principally engaged in financing operations outside the United States or which is principally engaged in leasing or in financing installment receivables will not be considered a Restricted Subsidiary.

Sale and Lease-Back Transaction” is defined in the indenture to mean the leasing by us or any Restricted Subsidiary of any Principal Property, whether owned at the date of the indenture or acquired after the date of the indenture (except for temporary leases for a term, including any renewal term, of up to three years and except for leases between us and any Restricted Subsidiary or between Restricted Subsidiaries), which property has been or is to be sold or transferred by us or such Restricted Subsidiary to any party with the intention of taking back a lease of such property.

Subsidiary” is defined in the indenture to mean any corporation in which we and/or one or more other Subsidiaries, directly or indirectly, own more than 50% of the outstanding voting stock.

 

 


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8.250% SENIOR NOTES DUE 2027

 

Principal, Maturity and Interest

The Notes will mature on July 1, 2027. Interest on the Notes will accrue at a rate of 8.250% per year and will be payable semiannually in arrears on January 1 and July 1, commencing January 1, 2021. We will pay interest to those persons who were holders of record on the December 15 and June 15, as the case may be, immediately preceding each interest payment date.

Interest on the Notes will accrue from the date of original issuance or, if interest has already been paid, from the date it was most recently paid. Interest will be computed on the basis of a 360-day year comprised of twelve 30-day months.

When we use the term “business day,” we mean any day other than a Saturday, Sunday or other day on which commercial banking institutions in New York City or Chicago, Illinois are authorized or required by law to close.

If an interest payment date, Redemption Date or maturity date for the Notes falls on a date that is not a business day (as defined above), then interest will be paid on the next day that is a business day, and no interest on such payment will accrue for the period from and after such interest payment date, Redemption Date or maturity date. If a Redemption Date or the maturity date for any Note falls on a date that is not a business day, the related payments of principal, premium, if any, and interest may be made on the next succeeding business day, and no additional interest will accumulate on the amount payable for the period from and after the Redemption Date or maturity date.

Methods of Receiving Payments on the Notes

If a holder has given us wire transfer instructions, we will pay, or cause to be paid by the paying agent, all principal, premium, if any, and interest on that holder’s Notes in accordance with those instructions. All other payments on the Notes will be made at the office or agency of the paying agent and registrar unless we elect to make interest payments by check mailed to the holders at their address set forth in the register of holders.

We will pay all principal, interest and premium, if any, on the Notes in global form registered in the name of DTC or its nominee in immediately available funds to DTC or its nominee, as the case may be, as the registered holder of such global Notes.

Ranking

The Notes will be senior unsecured obligations of the Company. The payment of the principal of, premium, if any, and interest on the Notes will:

 

 

 

rank equally in right of payment with all other indebtedness of the Company that is not, by its terms, expressly subordinated to other indebtedness of the Company;

 

 

 

rank senior in right of payment to all indebtedness of the Company that is, by its terms, expressly subordinated to the senior indebtedness of the Company; and

 

 

 

be effectively subordinated to the secured indebtedness of the Company (including our Term Loan Facility and our ABL Credit Facility) to the extent of the value of the collateral securing such indebtedness and structurally subordinated to the indebtedness and other obligations of the Company’s subsidiaries.

As of March 31, 2020, on an as adjusted basis giving effect to the April 2020 Refinancing Transactions and certain open market debt repurchases subsequent to March 31, 2020, we had approximately $2,177 million of indebtedness outstanding, of which approximately $993 million was secured and $193 million was available for borrowing under the ABL Credit Facility (after giving effect to outstanding letters of credit).

 

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Optional Redemption

Except as set forth below, we will not be entitled to redeem the Notes at our option prior to July 1, 2023.

On and after July 1, 2023, we will be entitled at our option on one or more occasions to redeem all or a portion of the Notes upon not less than 10 nor more than 60 days’ notice, at the redemption prices (expressed in percentages of principal amount on the date of redemption date, the “Redemption Date”), plus accrued and unpaid interest to, but not including, the Redemption Date, if redeemed during the 12-month period commencing on July 1 of the years set forth below:

 

 

 

 

 

 

Period

  

Redemption Price

 

2023

  

 

106.188

2024

  

 

104.125

2025

  

 

102.063

2026 and thereafter

  

 

100.000

Prior to July 1, 2023, we will be entitled at our option to redeem all or a portion of the Notes upon not less than 10 nor more than 60 days’ notice, at a redemption price equal to 100% of the principal amount of the Notes to be redeemed plus the Applicable Premium as of, and accrued and unpaid interest to, but not including, the Redemption Date.

Adjusted Treasury Rate” means, with respect to any Redemption Date, (x)(i) the weekly average for each business day during the most recent week that has ended at least three business days prior to the applicable Redemption Date of the yield to maturity appearing in the most recently published statistical release designated “H.15” or any successor publication which is published weekly by the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System and which establishes yields on actively traded United States Treasury securities adjusted to constant maturity under the caption “Treasury Constant Maturities,” with a yield to maturity most nearly equal to the period from such Redemption Date to July 1, 2023; providedhowever that if the period from such Redemption Date to July 1, 2023 is less than one year, the weekly average yield on actively traded United States Treasury securities adjusted to a constant maturity of one year will be used or (ii) if such release (or any successor release) is not published during the week preceding the calculation date or does not contain such yields, the rate per year equal to the semi annual equivalent yield to maturity of the applicable Comparable Treasury Issue (expressed as a percentage of its principal amount) equal to the applicable Comparable Treasury Price for such Redemption Date, in each case calculated on the third business day immediately preceding the Redemption Date, plus (y) 0.50%.

Applicable Premium” means with respect to any Note at any applicable Redemption Date the excess of (if any) (A) the present value at such Redemption Date of (1) the redemption price of such Note on July 1, 2023 (such redemption prices being described above exclusive of any accrued interest) plus (2) all required remaining scheduled interest payments due on such Note through July 1, 2023 (but excluding accrued and unpaid interest to the applicable Redemption Date), computed using a discount rate equal to the applicable Adjusted Treasury Rate, over (B) the principal amount of such Note on such Redemption Date.

Comparable Treasury Issue” means the United States Treasury security selected by the Quotation Agent as having a maturity comparable to the remaining term of the Notes to be redeemed that would be utilized, at the time of selection and in accordance with customary financial practice, in pricing new issues of corporate debt securities of comparable maturity to the remaining term of those Notes.

Comparable Treasury Price” means, with respect to any Redemption Date, (1) the average of the Reference Treasury Dealer Quotations for that Redemption Date, after excluding the highest and lowest Reference Treasury Dealer Quotations, or (2) if the Quotation Agent obtains fewer than four Reference Treasury Dealer Quotations, the average of all Reference Treasury Dealer Quotations so received.

 

Quotation Agent” means the Reference Treasury Dealer appointed by us.

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Reference Treasury Dealer” means (1) each of BofA Securities, Inc., Citigroup Global Markets Inc., J.P. Morgan Securities LLC, Goldman, Sachs & Co. LLC and Morgan Stanley & Co. LLC and their respective successors; providedhowever, that if any of the foregoing shall cease to be a primary U.S. Government securities dealer in New York City (a “Primary Treasury Dealer”), we will substitute another Primary Treasury Dealer, and (2) any one other Primary Treasury Dealer selected by us.

Reference Treasury Dealer Quotations” means, with respect to each Reference Treasury Dealer and any Redemption Date, the average, as determined by the Quotation Agent, of the bid and asked prices for the Comparable Treasury Issue (expressed in each case as a percentage of its principal amount) quoted in writing to the Quotation Agent by that Reference Treasury Dealer at 5:00 p.m., New York City time, on the third business day preceding that Redemption Date.

We will mail notice of any redemption at least 10 days, but not more than 60 days, before the Redemption Date to each holder of the Notes to be redeemed. Unless we default in payment of the redemption price on the Redemption Date, on and after the Redemption Date, interest will cease to accrue on the Notes or portions thereof called for redemption.

Any notice to holders of Notes of a redemption hereunder needs to include the appropriate calculation of the redemption price, but does not need to include the redemption price itself. The actual redemption price, calculated as described above, must be set forth in an Officers’ Certificate of ours delivered to the Trustee no later than two business days prior to the Redemption Date.

Mandatory Redemption

We are not required to make mandatory redemption or sinking fund payments with respect to the Notes.

Selection and Notice of Redemption

If we redeem less than all the Notes at any time and the Notes are Global Notes held by DTC, DTC will select the Notes to be redeemed in accordance with its Operational Arrangements. If the Notes are not Global Notes held by DTC, the Trustee will select Notes on a pro rata basis (or on as nearly a pro rata basis as is practicable), by lot or any other method that the Trustee deems to be fair and appropriate.

We will redeem Notes of $2,000 or less in whole and not in part. We will cause notices of redemption to be mailed by first-class mail at least 10 but not more than 60 days before the Redemption Date to each holder of Notes to be redeemed at its registered address.

Any redemption or notice of redemption may, at our option and discretion, be subject to one or more conditions precedent, including the consummation of an incurrence or issuance of debt or equity or a change of control or other corporate transaction. In addition, if such redemption is subject to satisfaction of one or more conditions precedent, such notice of redemption shall describe each such condition and, if applicable, shall state that, in our discretion, the Redemption Date may be delayed until such time as any or all such conditions shall be satisfied (or waived by us in our sole discretion) or that such redemption may not occur and such notice may be rescinded in the event that any or all such conditions shall not have been satisfied (or waived by us in our sole discretion) by the redemption date as stated in such notice, or by the Redemption Date as so delayed. We may provide in such notice that payment of the redemption price and performance of our obligations with respect to such redemption may be performed by another person. We will provide at least three business days’ prior written notice to the Trustee prior to the date on which notice is to be given (or such shorter period as may be agreed to by the Trustee) if any such redemption is being rescinded or delayed, and upon receipt, the Trustee shall promptly provide such notice to each holder of the Notes.

 

If any Note is to be redeemed in part only, the notice of redemption that relates to that Note will state the portion of the principal amount thereof to be redeemed. We will issue a new Note in a principal amount equal to the unredeemed portion of the original Note in the name of the holder upon cancellation of the original Note.

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Notes called for redemption become due on the date fixed for redemption. On and after such date, unless we default in payment of the redemption price on such date, interest ceases to accrue on the Notes or portions thereof called for such redemption.

Change of Control

If a Change of Control Triggering Event occurs, unless we have exercised our right to redeem the Notes as described above, holders of Notes will have the right to require us to repurchase all or any part (equal to $2,000 or an integral multiple of $1,000 in excess thereof) of their Notes pursuant to the offer described below (the “Change of Control Offer”) on the terms set forth in the Notes. In the Change of Control Offer, we will be required to offer payment in cash equal to 101% of the aggregate principal amount of Notes repurchased plus accrued and unpaid interest, if any, on the Notes repurchased, to the date of purchase (the “Change of Control Payment”). Within 30 days following any Change of Control Triggering Event, we will be required to mail a notice to holders of Notes with a copy to the Trustee describing the transaction or transactions that constitute the Change of Control Triggering Event and offering to repurchase the Notes on the date specified in the notice, which date will be no earlier than 10 days and no later than 60 days from the date such notice is mailed (the “Change of Control Payment Date”), pursuant to the procedures required by the Notes and described in such notice. We must comply with the requirements of Rule 14e-1 under the Exchange Act and any other securities laws and regulations thereunder to the extent those laws and regulations are applicable in connection with the repurchase of the Notes as a result of a Change of Control Triggering Event. To the extent that the provisions of any securities laws or regulations conflict with the Change of Control provisions of the Notes, we will be required to comply with the applicable securities laws and regulations and will not be deemed to have breached our obligations under the Change of Control provisions of the Notes by virtue of such conflicts.

On the Change of Control Payment Date, we will be required, to the extent lawful, to:

 

 

 

accept for payment all Notes or portions of Notes properly tendered pursuant to the Change of Control Offer;

 

 

 

deposit with the paying agent an amount equal to the Change of Control Payment in respect of all Notes or portions of Notes properly tendered; and

 

 

 

deliver or cause to be delivered to the Trustee the Notes properly accepted together with an Officers’ Certificate stating the aggregate principal amount of Notes or portions of Notes being purchased.

The definition of Change of Control includes a phrase relating to the direct or indirect sale, lease, transfer, conveyance or other disposition of “all or substantially all” of the properties or assets of the Company and its subsidiaries taken as a whole. Although there is a limited body of case law interpreting the phrase “substantially all,” there is no precise established definition of the phrase under applicable law. Accordingly, the ability of a holder of Notes to require the Company to repurchase its Notes as a result of a sale, lease, transfer, conveyance or other disposition of less than all of the assets of the Company and its subsidiaries taken as a whole to another Person or group may be uncertain.

Each of our Term Loan Facility and our ABL Credit Facility provides that the occurrence of certain change of control events with respect to us would constitute an event of default thereunder. If any such change of control events occur, we may seek the consent of our lenders or may attempt to refinance or repay the borrowings under such facilities. If we do not obtain such consent or refinance or repay such borrowings, we may be in default under such facilities, which may, in turn, constitute a default under the indenture. In addition, our other outstanding senior notes contain, and future indebtedness that we may incur may contain, prohibitions on the occurrence of certain events that would constitute a Change of Control Triggering Event or require the repurchase of such indebtedness upon a Change of Control Triggering Event. The exercise by the holders of their right to require us to repurchase their Notes could cause a default under such indebtedness, even if a Change of Control Triggering Event itself does not, due to the financial effect of such repurchase on us. We cannot assure you that sufficient funds will be available when necessary to make any required repurchases.

For purposes of the foregoing discussion of a repurchase at the option of holders, the following definitions are applicable:

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ABL Credit Facility” means the Company’s senior secured asset-based revolving credit facility entered into on September 29, 2017, as amended, supplemented or otherwise modified from time to time, and any refinancing thereof.

“Below Investment Grade Rating Event” means the Notes are rated below an Investment Grade Rating by each of the Rating Agencies (as defined below) on the 60th day following the occurrence of a Change of Control (which date shall be extended if the rating of the Notes is under publicly announced consideration for possible downgrade by any of the Rating Agencies on such 60th day, such extension to last until the date on which the Rating Agency considering such possible downgrade either (x) rates the Notes below an Investment Grade Rating or (y) publicly announces that it is no longer considering the Notes for possible downgrade; provided, that no such extension shall occur if any of the Rating Agencies rates the Notes with an Investment Grade Rating that is not subject to review for possible downgrade on such 60th day).

Change of Control” means the occurrence of any of the following: (1) the direct or indirect sale, transfer, conveyance or other disposition (other than by way of merger or consolidation), in one or a series of related transactions, of all or substantially all of the properties or assets of the Company and its subsidiaries taken as a whole to any “person” (as that term is used in Section 13(d)(3) of the Exchange Act) other than the Company or one of its subsidiaries; (2) the consummation of any transaction (including, without limitation, any merger or consolidation) the result of which is that any “person” (as that term is used in Section 13(d)(3) of the Exchange Act) becomes the beneficial owner, directly or indirectly, of more than 50% of the then outstanding number of shares of the Company’s voting stock; or (3) the first day on which a majority of the members of the Company’s Board of Directors are not Continuing Directors.

Change of Control Triggering Event” means the occurrence of both a Change of Control and a Below Investment Grade Rating Event.

Continuing Directors” means, as of any date of determination, any member of the Board of Directors of the Company who (1) was a member of such Board of Directors on the Issue Date; or (2) was nominated for election or elected to such Board of Directors with the approval of a majority of the Continuing Directors who were members of such Board of Directors at the time of such nomination or election (either by a specific vote or by approval of the Company’s proxy statement in which such member was named as a nominee for election as a director, without objection to such nomination).

Investment Grade Rating” means a rating equal to or higher than Baa3 (or the equivalent) by Moody’s and BBB- (or the equivalent) by S&P.

Moody’s” means Moody’s Investors Service, Inc., a subsidiary of Moody’s Corporation, and its successors.

Rating Agencies” means (1) each of Moody’s and S&P; and (2) if any of Moody’s or S&P ceases to rate the Notes or fails to make a rating of the Notes publicly available for reasons outside of our control, a “nationally recognized statistical rating organization” within the meaning of Section 3(a)(62) under the Exchange Act, selected by us (as certified by a resolution of our Board of Directors) as a replacement agency for Moody’s or S&P, or both of them, as the case may be.

S&P” means Standard & Poor’s Ratings Services, a division of The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc., and its successors.

Term Loan Facility” means the Company’s senior secured term loan B facility entered into on October 15, 2018, as amended, supplemented or otherwise modified from time to time, and any refinancing thereof.

Certain Covenants

Restrictions on Secured Debt

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The indenture provides that neither the Company nor any Restricted Subsidiary will create, incur, issue, assume or guarantee any indebtedness for borrowed money secured by a mortgage, security interest, pledge or lien (which we refer to herein, collectively, as a “mortgage”) on or upon any Principal Property or any shares of capital stock or indebtedness of any Restricted Subsidiary, whether owned at the Issue Date or acquired after the Issue Date, without ensuring that the Notes (together with, if we decide, any other indebtedness created, issued, incurred, assumed or guaranteed by the Company or any Restricted Subsidiary then existing or thereafter created) will be secured by such mortgage equally and proportionately with (or, at our option, prior to) such indebtedness. This restriction will not apply to indebtedness secured by any of the following:

 

 

 

mortgages on any property acquired, constructed or improved by, or on any shares of capital stock or indebtedness acquired by, us or any Restricted Subsidiary after the Issue Date to secure indebtedness incurred for the purpose of financing or refinancing all or any part of the purchase price of such property, shares of capital stock or indebtedness or of the cost of any construction or improvements on such properties, in each case, to the extent that the indebtedness is incurred prior to or within 180 days after the later of the acquisition, completion of construction or beginning of commercial operation of such property, as the case may be;

 

 

 

mortgages on any property, shares of capital stock or indebtedness existing at the time we or any Restricted Subsidiary acquire any of the same;

 

 

 

mortgages on property of a corporation existing at the time we or any Restricted Subsidiary merge or consolidate with such corporation or at the time we or any Restricted Subsidiary acquire all or substantially all of the properties of such corporation;

 

 

 

mortgages on any property of, or shares of capital stock or indebtedness of, a corporation existing at the time such corporation becomes a Restricted Subsidiary;

 

 

 

mortgages to secure indebtedness of any Restricted Subsidiary to us or another Restricted Subsidiary;

 

 

 

mortgages in favor of certain governmental bodies to secure partial, progress, advance or other payments pursuant to any contract or statute or to secure indebtedness incurred or guaranteed to finance or refinance all or any part of the purchase price of the property, shares of capital stock or indebtedness subject to such mortgages, or the cost of constructing or improving the property subject to such mortgage; and

 

 

 

extensions, renewals or replacements of any mortgage existing on the Issue Date or any mortgage referred to above; however, the principal amount of indebtedness secured thereby may not exceed the principal amount of indebtedness so secured at the time of such extension, renewal or replacement, and such extension, renewal or replacement will be limited to all or a part of the property (plus improvements and construction on such property), shares of capital stock or indebtedness which was subject to the mortgage so extended, renewed or replaced.

Notwithstanding the restriction outlined above, we or any Restricted Subsidiary may, without having to equally and proportionately secure the Notes, issue, incur, assume or guarantee indebtedness secured by a

 

mortgage not excepted from the restriction if the total amount of the following does not at the time exceed 15% of Consolidated Net Tangible Assets:

 

 

 

such indebtedness; plus

 

 

 

all other indebtedness that we and our Restricted Subsidiaries have incurred or have guaranteed existing at such time and secured by mortgages not so excepted; plus

 

 

 

the Attributable Debt existing in respect of Sale and Lease-Back Transactions existing at such time.

Attributable Debt with respect to the following types of Sale and Lease-Back Transactions will not be included for the purposes of calculating Attributable Debt in the preceding sentence:

 

 

 

Sale and Lease-Back Transactions in respect of which an amount (equaling at least the greater of the net proceeds of the sale of property or the fair market value of the property) is used within 180 days after the effective date of the arrangement to make non-mandatory prepayments on long-term indebtedness, retire long-term indebtedness or acquire, construct or improve a manufacturing plant or facility which is, or upon completion will be, a Principal Property; and

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Sale and Lease-Back Transactions in which the property involved would have been permitted to be mortgaged under the first bullet point of the preceding paragraph.

Restrictions on Future Liens

The indenture provides that if, on or following the Issue Date, any of our indebtedness for borrowed money with an outstanding aggregate principal amount in excess of $10.0 million is secured on a junior lien basis to the Term Loan Facility or ABL Credit Facility, then within 15 business days of the provision of such security, we will cause the Notes to be secured on an equal and ratable basis with such indebtedness for so long as such indebtedness is so secured. For the avoidance of doubt, to the extent that the Company issues any indebtedness that is secured (or any indebtedness becomes secured) on an equal or senior lien basis to the Term Loan Facility or ABL Credit Facility, the foregoing covenant shall not apply with respect to such collateral (it being understood that the ability to control remedies or take actions pursuant to any intercreditor agreement relating to the Term Loan Facility or ABL Credit Facility shall not impact lien priority).

Restrictions on Sale and Lease-Back Transactions

The indenture provides that neither we nor any Restricted Subsidiary will enter into any Sale and Lease-Back Transaction with respect to any Principal Property unless:

 

 

 

we or such Restricted Subsidiary are entitled under the provisions described in the first or sixth bullet point in the first paragraph under “—Restrictions on Secured Debt” to create, issue, assume or guarantee indebtedness secured by a mortgage on the property to be leased without having to equally and proportionately secure the Notes;

 

 

 

we or such Restricted Subsidiary are entitled under the provisions described in the last paragraph under “—Restrictions on Secured Debt” to create, issue, assume or guarantee indebtedness secured by a mortgage on such property in an amount at least equal to the Attributable Debt in respect of the Sale and Lease-Back Transaction without having to equally and proportionately secure the Notes; or

 

 

 

we apply an amount (equaling at least the greater of the net proceeds of the sale of property or the fair market value of the property) within 180 days after the effective date of the arrangement to make non-mandatory prepayments on long-term indebtedness, retire long-term indebtedness or acquire, construct or improve a manufacturing plant or facility which is, or upon completion will be, a Principal Property.

 

Consolidation, Merger and Sale of Assets

The indenture provides that we may consolidate or merge with or into any other corporation, or lease, sell or transfer all or substantially all of our property and assets if:

 

 

 

the corporation formed by such consolidation or into which we are merged, or the party which acquires by lease, sale or transfer all or substantially all of our property and assets is a corporation organized and existing under the laws of the United States, any state in the United States or the District of Columbia;

 

 

 

the corporation formed by such consolidation or into which we are merged, or the party which acquires by lease, sale or transfer all or substantially all of our property and assets, agrees to pay the principal of, and any premium and interest on, the Notes and performs and observes all covenants and conditions of the indenture by executing and delivering to the Trustee a supplemental indenture; and

 

 

 

immediately after giving effect to such transaction and treating indebtedness for borrowed money which becomes our obligation or an obligation of a Restricted Subsidiary as a result of such transaction as having been incurred by us or such Restricted Subsidiary at the time of such transaction, no Event of Default, and no event which, after notice or lapse of time or both, would become an Event of Default, has happened and is continuing.

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If, upon any such consolidation or merger, or upon any such lease, sale or transfer of any of our Principal Property or any shares of capital stock or indebtedness of any Restricted Subsidiary, owned immediately prior to the transaction, we would thereupon become subject to any mortgage, security interest, pledge or lien securing any indebtedness for borrowed money of, or guaranteed by, such other corporation or party (other than any mortgage, security interest, pledge or lien permitted as described under “—Certain Covenants—Restrictions on Secured Debt” above), we, prior to such consolidation, merger, lease, sale or transfer, will, by executing and delivering to the Trustee a supplemental indenture, secure the due and punctual payment of the principal of, and any premium and interest on, the Notes (together with, if we decide, any other indebtedness of, or guaranteed by, us or any Restricted Subsidiary then existing or thereafter created) equally and proportionately with (or, at our option, prior to) the indebtedness secured by such mortgage, security interest, pledge or lien.

Upon any consolidation by us with or merger by us into any other corporation or any lease, sale or transfer of all or substantially all of our property and assets, the successor corporation formed by such consolidation or into which we are merged or to which such lease, sale or transfer is made shall succeed to, and be substituted for, and may exercise every right and power of, us under this indenture with the same effect as if such successor corporation had been named as us herein, and thereafter, except in the case of a lease, the predecessor corporation shall be relieved of all obligations and covenants under this indenture and the Notes.

Reports

We will file with the Trustee, within 15 days after we have filed the same with the Commission, copies of the annual reports and of the information, documents and other reports (or copies thereof as the Commission may from time to time by rules and regulations prescribe) which we may be required to file with the Commission pursuant to Section 13 or Section 15(d) of the Exchange Act; provided that at any time that we are not subject to the reporting requirements of Section 13 or 15(d) of the Exchange Act, (A) none of such reports will be required to (i) comply with Section 302, 404 and 906 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, or related Items 307 and 308 of Regulation S-K promulgated by the Commission , (ii) contain the information required by Items 201, 403, 405, 406, 407, 701 or 703 of Regulation S-K, (iii) contain the separate financial information contemplated by Rules 3- 10 or 3-16 of Regulation S-X (or any successor thereto) promulgated by the Commission and (iv) provide financial statements in interactive data format using the eXtensible Business Reporting Language and (B) we shall not be so obligated to file such reports with the Commission, in which event we will make available such information to securities analysts and to prospective purchasers of Notes, in addition to providing such information to the Trustee and the holders, in each case within the time periods for non-accelerated filers that would apply if we were required to file such information with the Commission. In addition, at any time we are not subject to the reporting requirements of Section 13 or 15(d) of the Exchange Act, we will furnish to the holders and to securities analysts and prospective purchasers of Notes, upon their request, any information required to be delivered pursuant to Rule 144A(d)(4) under the Securities Act.

We will be deemed to have furnished such information referred to in this covenant to the Trustee and the holders if we have filed or furnished such information in reports filed with the Commission and such reports are publicly available on the Commission’s website. At any time we are not subject to the reporting requirements of Section 13 or 15(d) of the Exchange Act, we may satisfy such obligations by posting such information on our website or on a site maintained by us or a third party (which may be password protected). The Trustee shall have no obligation to determine whether or not such information, documents or reports have been so filed, furnished or posted, as applicable.

Events of Default

With respect to the Notes, an “Event of Default” is defined in the indenture as being:

 

 

 

a failure to pay interest upon the Notes that continues for a period of 30 days after payment is due;

 

 

 

a failure to pay the principal or premium, if any, on the Notes when due upon maturity, redemption, acceleration or otherwise;

 

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a failure to comply with any of our other agreements contained in the indenture applicable to the Notes for a period of 90 days after written notice to us of such failure from the Trustee (or to us and the Trustee from the holders of at least 25% of the principal amount of the Notes); and

 

 

 

certain events of bankruptcy, insolvency or reorganization relating to us.

The indenture provides that if there is a continuing Event of Default with respect to the Notes, either the Trustee or the holders of at least 25% of the outstanding principal amount of the Notes may declare the principal amount of all of the Notes to be due and payable immediately. However, at any time after the Trustee or the holders, as the case may be, declare an acceleration with respect to Notes, but before the applicable person has obtained a judgment or decree based on such acceleration, the holders of a majority in principal amount of the outstanding Notes may, under certain conditions, cancel such acceleration if we have cured all Events of Default (other than the nonpayment of accelerated principal) with respect to such Notes or all such Events of Default have been waived as provided in the indenture. For information as to waiver of defaults, see “—Modification and Waiver.”

The indenture provides that, subject to the duties of the Trustee to act with the required standard of care, if there is a continuing Event of Default, the Trustee need not exercise any of its rights or powers under the indenture at the request or direction of any of the holders of Notes, unless such holders have offered to the Trustee reasonable security or indemnity. Subject to such provisions for security or indemnification of the Trustee and certain other conditions, the holders of a majority in principal amount of the outstanding Notes of a series will have the right to direct the time, method and place of conducting any proceeding for any remedy available to the Trustee or exercising any trust or power the Trustee holds with respect to the Notes of that series.

No holder of any Note will have any right to institute any proceeding with respect to the indenture or for any remedy under the indenture unless:

 

 

 

the Trustee has failed to institute such proceeding for 60 days after the holder has previously given to the Trustee written notice of a continuing Event of Default with respect to Notes;

 

 

 

the holders of at least 25% in principal amount of the outstanding Notes have made a written request, and offered satisfactory security or indemnity, to the Trustee to institute such proceeding as Trustee; and

 

 

 

the Trustee has not received from the holders of a majority in principal amount of the outstanding Notes a direction inconsistent with such request.

However, the holder of any Note will have an absolute and unconditional right to receive payment of the principal of, and any premium or interest on, such Note on or after the date or dates they are to be paid as expressed in such Note and to institute suit for the enforcement of any such payment.

We are required to furnish to the Trustee annually a statement as to the absence of certain defaults under the indenture. The indenture provides that the Trustee need not provide holders of Notes notice of any default (other than the nonpayment of principal or any premium or interest) if it considers it in the interest of the holders of Notes not to provide such notice.

Modification and Waiver

We and the Trustee may modify or amend the indenture with the consent of the holders of a majority of the principal amount of the outstanding Notes of each series affected by the modification or amendment. However, no such modification or amendment may, without the consent of the holders of all then outstanding Notes of the affected series:

 

 

 

change the due date of the principal of, or any installment of principal of or interest on, the Notes of that series;

 

 

 

reduce the principal amount of, or interest rate on, the Notes of that series;

 

 

 

change the place or currency of payment of principal of, or any premium or interest on, the Notes of that series;

 

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impair the right to institute suit for the enforcement of any payment on or with respect to the Notes of that series after the due date thereof; or

 

 

 

reduce the percentage in principal amount of the Notes of that series then outstanding, the consent of whose holders is required for modification or amendment of the indenture, for waiver of compliance with certain provisions of the indenture or for waiver of certain defaults.

The holders of a majority of the principal amount of the outstanding Notes of any series may waive, insofar as that series is concerned, future compliance by us with certain restrictive covenants of the indenture. The holders of at least a majority in principal amount of the outstanding Notes of any series may waive any past default under the indenture with respect to that series, except a failure by us to pay the principal of, or any premium or interest on, any Notes of that series or a provision that cannot be modified or amended without the consent of the holders of all outstanding Notes of the affected series.

No Personal Liability of Directors, Officers, Employees and Stockholders

No director, officer, employee or stockholder of ours will have any liability for any of our obligations under the Notes or the indenture or for any claim based on, in respect of, or by reason of, such obligations or their creation. Each holder of Notes by accepting a Note waives and releases all such liability. The waiver and release are part of the consideration for issuance of the Notes.

Defeasance

Defeasance and Discharge

The indenture provides that we may be discharged from any and all obligations in respect of the Notes (except for certain obligations to register the transfer or exchange of Notes, to replace stolen, destroyed, lost or mutilated Notes, to maintain paying agencies, to compensate and indemnify the Trustee or to furnish the Trustee

 

(if the Trustee is not the registrar) with the names and addresses of holders of Notes). We will be so discharged if we irrevocably deposit with the Trustee, in trust, money and/or securities of the United States government in an amount sufficient, in the opinion of a nationally recognized firm of independent public accountants, to pay each installment of principal of, and any premium and interest on, the Notes on the applicable due dates for those payments in accordance with the terms of the Notes; provided that upon any redemption that requires the payment of any Applicable Premium, the amount deposited shall be sufficient to the extent that an amount is deposited with the Trustee equal to the premium calculated as of the date of the notice of redemption, with any Applicable Premium Deficit only required to be deposited with the Trustee on or prior to the Redemption Date (it being understood that any discharge shall be subject to the condition subsequent that such deficit is in fact paid). Any Applicable Premium Deficit shall be set forth in an Officers’ Certificate delivered to the Trustee simultaneously with the deposit of such Applicable Premium Deficit that confirms that such Applicable Premium Deficit shall be applied toward such redemption.

This discharge may occur only if, among other things, we have delivered to the Trustee an opinion of counsel confirming that the beneficial owners of the Notes will not recognize income, gain or loss for United States federal income tax purposes as a result of such defeasance and will be subject to United States federal income tax on the same amounts and in the same manner and at the same times as would have been the case if the discharge had not occurred. That opinion must state that we have received from, or there has been published by, the United States Internal Revenue Service a ruling or, since the date of execution of the indenture, there has been a change in the applicable United States federal income tax law, in any case, in support of that opinion. The Trustee shall, upon receipt of indemnification satisfactory to it, acknowledge satisfaction and discharge of the indenture on demand by us accompanied by an Officers’ Certificate and at the cost and expense of us.

Defeasance of Certain Covenants and Certain Events of Default

The indenture provides that, upon compliance with certain conditions:

 

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we may omit to comply with the covenants described under “—Certain Covenants—Restrictions on Secured Debt” and “—Certain Covenants—Restrictions on Sale and Lease-Back Transactions” (all other obligations under the Notes will remain in full force and effect); and

 

 

 

any omission to comply with those covenants will not constitute an Event of Default with respect to the Notes (“covenant defeasance”).

The conditions include:

 

 

 

depositing with the Trustee money and/or securities of the United States government in an amount sufficient, in the opinion of a nationally recognized firm of independent public accountants, to pay each installment of principal of, any premium and interest on the Notes on the due dates for those payments in accordance with the terms of the Notes; and

 

 

 

delivering to the Trustee an opinion of counsel to the effect that the beneficial owners of the Notes will not recognize income, gain or loss for United States federal income tax purposes as a result of the deposit and related covenant defeasance and will be subject to United States federal income tax on the same amounts and in the same manner and at the same times as would have been the case if the deposit and related covenant defeasance had not occurred.

Covenant Defeasance and Certain Other Events of Default

If we exercise our option to effect a covenant defeasance with respect to the Notes as described above and the Notes are thereafter declared due and payable because of an Event of Default (other than an Event of Default caused by failing to comply with the covenants that are defeased), the amount of money and securities we have deposited with the Trustee would be sufficient to pay amounts due on the Notes on their respective due dates but may not be sufficient to pay amounts due on the Notes at the time of acceleration resulting from such Event of Default. However, we would remain liable for such payments.

 

Governing Law

The indenture and the Notes are governed by the laws of the State of New York.

The Trustee

U.S. Bank National Association is the Trustee under the indenture. U.S. Bank National Association is also the trustee for our 8.50% Notes due 2029. The Trustee and its affiliates have engaged, currently are engaged, and may in the future engage in financial or other transactions with the Company and its affiliates in the ordinary course of their respective businesses, subject to the Trust Indenture Act of 1939, as amended.

Except during the continuance of an Event of Default, the Trustee will perform only such duties as are specifically set forth in the indenture. If an Event of Default shall have occurred and continues that is known to the Trustee, the Trustee will exercise such of the rights and powers vested in it under the indenture and use the same degree of care and skill in its exercise as a prudent person would exercise under the circumstances in the conduct of such person’s own affairs.

Certain Definitions

Set forth below is a summary of certain of the defined terms used in the indenture. Reference is made to the indenture for the full definition of all such terms as well as any other capitalized terms used herein for which no definition is provided. Unless the context otherwise requires, an accounting term not otherwise defined has the meaning assigned to it in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles.

Applicable Premium Deficit” means the difference (if positive) between the calculation of the Applicable Premium on any date prior to the applicable Redemption Date and the calculation of the Applicable Premium on the applicable Redemption Date.

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Attributable Debt” is defined in the indenture to mean, in the context of a Sale and Lease-Back Transaction, what we believe in good faith to be the present value, discounted at the interest rate implicit in the lease involved in such Sale and Lease-Back Transaction, of the lessee’s obligation under the lease for rental payments during the remaining term of such lease, as it may be extended. For purposes of this definition, any amounts lessee must pay, whether or not designated as rent or additional rent, on account of maintenance and repairs, insurance, taxes, assessments, water rates or similar charges or any amounts lessee must pay under the lease contingent upon the amount of sales, maintenance and repairs, insurance, taxes, assessments, water rates or similar charges are not included in the determination of lessee’s obligations under the lease.

Commission” means the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.

Consolidated Net Tangible Assets” is defined in the indenture to mean the total amount of assets minus:

 

 

 

all applicable reserves;

 

 

 

all current liabilities (excluding any liabilities which are by their terms extendible or renewable at the option of the obligor to a time more than 12 months after the time as of which the amount thereof is being computed and excluding current maturities of long-term indebtedness); and

 

 

 

all goodwill, trade names, trademarks, patents, unamortized debt discount and expense and other like intangible assets,

all as shown in our audited consolidated balance sheet contained in our then most recent annual report to stockholders, except that assets will include an amount equal to the Attributable Debt in respect of any Sale and Lease-Back Transaction not capitalized on such balance sheet.

 

Default” means any event which is, or after notice or passage of time or both would be, an Event of Default.

Event of Default” has the meaning set forth under “—Events of Default.”

Issue Date” means the date on which the Notes are initially issued.

Officer” means the Chief Executive Officer, the President, the Chief Financial Officer or any Vice President, the Treasurer or the Secretary of the specified Person.

Officers’ Certificate” means a certificate signed by the Chairman of the Board, the Chief Executive Officer, the President or a Vice President, and by the Treasurer, an Assistant Treasurer, the Controller, an Assistant Controller, the Secretary or an Assistant Secretary, and delivered to the Trustee.

Person” means any individual, corporation, company (including any limited liability company), association, partnership, joint venture, trust, unincorporated organization, government or any agency or political subdivision thereof or any other entity.

Principal Property” is defined in the indenture to mean any manufacturing plant or manufacturing facility owned by us or any Restricted Subsidiary which is located within the United States and has a gross book value in excess of 1% of Consolidated Net Tangible Assets at the time of determination, except for any such plant or facility or any portion of such plant or facility which our board of directors does not deem material to the total business conducted by us and our Restricted Subsidiaries considered as one enterprise.

Restricted Subsidiary” is defined in the indenture to mean any Subsidiary that has substantially all of its property located in or that conducts substantially all of its business within the United States (other than its territories or possessions and other than Puerto Rico) and that owns a Principal Property; however, any Subsidiary which is principally engaged in financing operations outside the United States or which is principally engaged in leasing or in financing installment receivables will not be considered a Restricted Subsidiary.

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Sale and Lease-Back Transaction” is defined in the indenture to mean the leasing by us or any Restricted Subsidiary of any Principal Property, whether owned at the Issue Date or acquired after the Issue Date (except for temporary leases for a term, including any renewal term, of up to three years and except for leases between us and any Restricted Subsidiary or between Restricted Subsidiaries), which property has been or is to be sold or transferred by us or such Restricted Subsidiary to any party with the intention of taking back a lease of such property.

Subsidiary” is defined in the indenture to mean any corporation in which we and/or one or more other Subsidiaries, directly or indirectly, own more than 50% of the outstanding voting stock.


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6.625% DEBENTURES DUE 2029

 

The following description of the terms of the Debentures supplements the description of the general terms and provisions of the Debt Securities set forth below.

 

General

 

We will issue the Debentures under an indenture, dated as of November 1, 1990, between us and Citibank, N.A., as trustee.

 

The Debentures will be unsecured obligations, ranking equally with each other and with all of our other unsecured and unsubordinated indebtedness, and will mature on April 15, 2029. The Debentures will bear interest at the rate of 6 5/8 % per year. Interest on the Debentures will accrue from April 16, 1999 or from the most recent date to which interest has been paid or provided for. We will pay interest on the Debentures semi­ annually on April 15 and October 15 of each year, commencing on October 15, 1999 to the persons in whose names the Debentures are registered at the close of business on April 1 or October 1, as the case may be, immediately preceding an interest payment date. We will compute interest on the Debentures on the basis of a 360-day year of twelve 30-day months. The Debentures are not entitled to the benefit of any sinking fund.

 

If an interest payment date or redemption date or the maturity date falls on a day which is not a business day, the related payment of interest and principal and premium, if any, will be made on the next business day without further accrual of interest

 

We will issue $200,000,000 principal amount of Debentures in denominations of $1,000 and multiples of

$1,000.

 

Redemption at Our Option

 

We may. at our option, redeem the Debentures in whole or in part at any time at a redemption price equal to the greater of (i) 100% of the principal amount of the Debentures to be redeemed and (ii) as determined by the Quotation Agent, the sum  of  the  present  values of  the remaining  scheduled  payments of  principal  and  interest in respect of the Debentures  to be redeemed (not including  any  portion  of such  payments of  interest accrued  as  of the date of redemption) discounted to the date of redemption on a semi-annual basis (assuming a 360-day year consisting of twelve 30-day months) at the Adjusted Treasury Rate plus 25 basis points, plus, in each case. accrued interest to the date of redemption.

 

“Adjusted Treasury Rate'' means, with respect to any redemption date, the rate per year equal to the semi­ annual equivalent yield to maturity of the Comparable Treasury Issue, assuming a price for the Comparable Treasury Issue (expressed as a percentage of its principal amount) equal to the Comparable Treasury Price for that redemption date.

 

“Comparable Treasury Issue” means the United States Treasury security selected by the Quotation Agent as having a maturity comparable to the remaining term of the Debentures that would be utilized, at the time of selection and in accordance with customary financial practice, in pricing new issues of corporate debt securities of comparable maturity to the remaining term of the Debentures.

 

“Comparable Treasury Price'' means, with respect to any redemption date (i) the average of the Reference Treasury Dealer Quotations for that redemption date. after excluding the highest and lowest of the Reference Treasury Dealer Quotations, or (ii) if the Trustee obtains fewer than three Reference Treasury Dealer Quotations, the average of all Reference Treasury Dealer Quotations so received.

 

“Quotation Agent” means the Reference Treasury Dealer appointed by us.

 

“Reference Treasury Dealer” means (i) each of J.P. Morgan Securities Inc., Goldman, Sachs & Co. and Morgan Stanley & Co. Incorporated and their respective successors, unless any of them ceases to be a

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primary U.S. Government securities dealer in New York City (a “Primary Treasury Dealer”), in which case we shall substitute another Primary Treasury Dealer; and (ii) any other Primary Treasury Dealer selected by us.

 

''Reference Treasury Dealer Quotations'' means, with respect to each Reference Treasury Dealer and any redemption date, the average, as determined by us, of the bid and asked prices for the Comparable Treasury Issue (expressed in each case as a percentage of its principal amount) quoted in writing to the Trustee by that Reference Treasury Dealer at 5:00 p.m., New York City time, on the third business day preceding that redemption date.

 

Notice of any redemption will be mailed at least 30 days but not more than 60 days before the redemption date to each holder of the Debentures to be redeemed. Unless we default in payment of the redemption price, on and after the redemption date, interest will cease to accrue on the Debentures or portions of the Debentures called for redemption.

 

Book-Entry System

 

The Debentures will be issued in book-entry form. This means that they will be issued in the form of one or more fully registered Global Securities that will be deposited with The Depository Trust Company, New York, New York (“DTC”) or its nominee and that we will not issue certificates to a beneficial owner of Debentures. Each Global Security will be issued to DTC who will keep a computerized record of its participants (for example, your broker) whose clients have purchased Debentures. The participant will then keep a record of its clients who purchased the Debentures. A more complete description of the handling of book-entry securities is contained under the caption “Book-Entry Debt Securities.”

 

Neither we, the Trustee, any paying agent nor the registrar for the Debentures will have any responsibility or liability for any aspect of the records relating to or payments made on account of beneficial ownership interests in the Debentures represented by the Global Securities or for maintaining, supervising or reviewing any records relating to those beneficial interests.

 

 

Certain Covenants

 

Restrictions On Secured Debt.  The Indenture provides that neither we nor any Restricted Subsidiary will create, incur, issue, assume or guarantee any indebtedness for borrowed money secured by a mortgage, security interest, pledge or lien (“mortgage”) of or upon any Principal Property or any shares of capital stock or indebtedness of any Restricted Subsidiary, whether owned at the date of the Indenture or acquired after the date of the Indenture, without ensuring that the Debt Securities (together with, if we decide, any other indebtedness created, issued, assumed or guaranteed by us or any Restricted Subsidiary and then existing or thereafter  created) will be secured by such mortgage equally and proportionately with (or, at our option, prior to) such indebtedness. This restriction will not apply to indebtedness secured by any of the following:

 

 

mortgages on any property acquired, constructed or improved by, or on any shares of capital stock or indebtedness acquired by, us or any Restricted Subsidiary after the date of the Indenture to secure indebtedness incurred for the purpose of financing or refinancing all or any part of the purchase price of such property, shares of capital stock or indebtedness or of the cost of any construction or improvements on such properties, in each case, to the extent that the indebtedness is incurred prior to or within 180 days after the applicable acquisition, completion of construction or beginning of commercial operation of such property, as the case may be;

 

 

mortgages on any property, shares of capital stock or indebtedness existing at the time we or any Restricted Subsidiary acquire any of the same;

 

 

mortgages on property of a corporation existing at the time we or any Restricted Subsidiary merge or consolidate with such corporation or at the time we or any Restricted Subsidiary acquire all or substantially all of the properties of such corporation;

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mortgages on any property of, or shares of capital stock or indebtedness of, a corporation existing at the time such corporation becomes a Restricted Subsidiary;

 

 

mortgages to secure indebtedness of any Restricted Subsidiary to us or another Restricted Subsidiary;

 

 

mortgages in favor of certain governmental bodies to secure partial, progress, advance or other payments pursuant to any contract or statute or to secure indebtedness incurred or guaranteed to finance or refinance all or any part of the purchase price of the property. shares of capital stock or indebtedness subject to such mortgages, or the cost of constructing or improving the property subject to such mortgage; and

 

 

extensions, renewals or replacements of any mortgage existing on the date of the Indenture or any mortgage referred to above; however, the principal amount of indebtedness secured thereby may not exceed the principal amount of indebtedness so secured at the time of such extension, renewal or replacement, and such extension, renewal or replacement shall be limited to all or a part of the property (plus improvements and construction on such property), shares of capital stock or indebtedness which was subject to the mortgage so extended, renewed or replaced, (Section 1006)

Notwithstanding the restriction outlined above, we or any Restricted Subsidiary may, without having to equally and proportionately secure the Debt Securities, issue, assume or guarantee indebtedness secured by a mortgage not excepted from the restriction if the total amount of (a) such indebtedness plus (b) all other indebtedness that  we and our Restricted Subsidiaries  have incurred or have guaranteed existing at such time and secured by mortgages not so excepted plus (c) the Attributable Debt existing in respect of Sale and Lease­ Back Transactions existing at such time, does not at the time exceed 10% of Consolidated Net Tangible Assets. Attributable Debt with respect to the following types of Sale and Lease-Back Transactions will not be included for the purposes of calculating Attributable Debt in the preceding sentence:

 

Sale and Lease-Back Transactions in respect of which an amount (equaling at least the greater of the net proceeds of the sale of property or the fair market value of the property) is used within 180 days after the effective date of the arrangement to make non-mandatory prepayments on long­ term indebtedness, retire long-term indebtedness or acquire, construct or improve a manufacturing plant or facility which is, or upon completion will be, a Principal Property; and

 

Sale and Lease-Back Transactions in which the property involved would have been permitted to be mortgaged under the first bullet point of the preceding paragraph, (Sections 1006 and 1007)

Restrictions on Sale and Lease-Back Transactions.  The Indenture provides that neither we nor any Restricted Subsidiary will enter into any Sale and Lease-Back Transaction with respect to any Principal Property unless:

 

we or such Restricted Subsidiary are entitled under the provisions described in bullet point l or 6 in the first paragraph under “-Restrictions On Secured Debt” to create, issue, assume or guarantee indebtedness secured by a mortgage on the property to be leased without having to equally and proportionately secure the Debt Securities;

 

 

we or such Restricted Subsidiary are entitled under the provisions described in the last paragraph under “-Restrictions on Secured Debt” to create, issue, assume or guarantee indebtedness secured by a mortgage on such property in an amount at least equal to the Attributable Debt in respect of the Sale and Lease-Back Transaction without having to equally and proportionately secure the Debt Securities; or

 

 

we apply an amount (equaling at least the greater of the net proceeds of the sale of property or the fair market value of the property) within 180 days after the effective date of the arrangement to make non-mandatory prepayments on long-term indebtedness, retire long-term indebtedness or acquire, construct or

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improve a manufacturing plant or facility which is, or upon completion will be, a Principal Property.

 

Certain Definitions

“Attributable Debt” is defined in the Indenture to mean, in the context of a Sale and Lease-Back Transaction, what we believe in good faith to be the present value, discounted at the interest rate implicit in the lease involved in such Sale and Lease-Back Transaction, of the lessee's obligation under the lease for rental payments during the remaining term of such lease, as it may be extended. For purposes of this definition, any amounts lessee must pay, whether or not designated as rent or additional rent, on account of maintenance and repairs, insurance, taxes, assessments, water rates or similar charges or any amounts lessee must pay under the lease contingent upon the amount of sales, maintenance and repairs, insurance, taxes, assessments, water rates or similar charges are not included in the determination of lessee's obligations under the lease. (Section 101)

“Consolidated Net Tangible Assets” is defined in the Indenture to mean the total amount of assets minus:

 

all applicable reserves;

 

all current liabilities (excluding any liabilities which are by their terms extendible or renewable at the option of the obligor to a time more than 12 months after the time as of which the amount thereof is being computed and excluding current maturities of long-term indebtedness): and

 

 

all goodwill, trade names, trademarks, patents, unamortized debt discount and expense and other like intangible assets,

 

all as shown in our audited consolidated balance sheet contained in our then most recent annual report to stockholders, except that assets shall include an amount equal to the Attributable Debt in respect of any Sale and Lease-Back Transaction not capitalized on such balance sheet (Section 101)

 

“Principal Property” is defined in the Indenture to mean any manufacturing plant or manufacturing facility owned by us or any Restricted Subsidiary which is located within the United States and has a gross book value in excess of 1% of Consolidated Net Tangible Assets at the time of determination, except for any such plant or facility or any portion of such plant or facility which our board of directors does not deem material to the total business conducted by us and our Restricted Subsidiaries considered as one enterprise. (Section 101)

 

“Restricted Subsidiary” is defined in the Indenture to mean any Subsidiary that has substantially all of its property located in or that conducts substantially all of its business within the United States (other than its territories or possessions and other than Puerto Rico) and that owns a Principal Property; however, any Subsidiary  which is principally engaged in financing operations outside the United States or which is principally engaged in leasing or in financing installment receivables will not be considered a Restricted Subsidiary. (Section 101)

 

“Sale and Lease-Back Transaction” is defined in the Indenture to mean  the leasing  by  us or  any Restricted Subsidiary  of any Principal Property, whether owned at the date of the Indenture or  acquired after the date of the Indenture (except for temporary  leases for a term, including any renewal term, of up to three years and except for leases between us and any Restricted Subsidiary  or between Restricted Subsidiaries), which property has been or is to be sold or transferred by us or such Restricted Subsidiary to any party with the intention of taking back a lease of such property. (Sections 101 and 1007)

 

“Subsidiary” is defined in the Indenture to mean any corporation in which we and/or one or more other Subsidiaries own more than 50% of the outstanding voting stock. (Section 101)

 

Events of Default

With respect to the Debt Securities of any series, an “Event of Default” is defined in the Indenture as being:

 

 

a failure to pay interest upon the Debt Securities of that series that continues for a period of 30 days after payment is due:

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a failure to pay the principal or premium, if any, on the Debt Securities of that series when due:

 

 

a failure to deposit any sinking fund payment in respect of the Debt Securities of that series when

due;

 

 

a failure to comply with any of our other agreements contained in the Indenture applicable to the Debt Securities of that series for a period of 90 days after written notice to us of such failure from the Trustee (or to us and the Trustee from the holders of at least 25% of the principal amount of the Debt Securities of that series):

 

 

certain events of bankruptcy, insolvency or reorganization relating to us; and

 

 

any other event of default provided with respect to the Debt Securities of that series. (Section 501)

 

The Indenture provides that if there is a continuing Event of Default with respect to any outstanding series of Debt Securities, either the Trustee or the holders of at least 25% of the outstanding principal amount of the Debt Securities of that series may declare the principal amount (or, if the Debt Securities of that series provide for an amount  less than the principal amount of such Debt Securities to be due and payable upon a declaration of maturity thereof upon an Event of Default, such portion of the principal amount as may be specified in the terms of that series) of all of the Debt Securities of that series to be due and payable immediately, However, at any time after the Trustee or the holders, as the case may be, declare an acceleration with respect to Debt Securities of any series, but before the applicable person has obtained a judgment or decree based on such acceleration, the holders of a majority in principal amount of the outstanding Debt Securities of that series may, under certain conditions, cancel such acceleration if we have cured all Events of Default (other than the nonpayment of accelerated principal) with respect to Debt Securities of that series or all such Events of Default have been waived as provided in the Indenture, (Section 502) For information as to waiver of defaults, see “Modification and Waiver” The applicable prospectus supplement relating to any series of Debt Securities which provides for an amount less than  the principal amount of  such Debt Securities to be due and payable upon a declaration of maturity thereof upon an Event of Default will contain provisions relating to the terms regarding such declaration of maturity upon an Event of Default and the continuation thereof.

 

The Indenture provides that, subject to the duties of the Trustee to act with the required standard of care, if there is a continuing Event of Default, the Trustee need not exercise any of its rights or powers under the Indenture  at the request or direction of any of the holders of  Debt Securities, unless such holders have offered to the Trustee reasonable security or indemnity, (Sections 601 and 603) Subject to such provisions for security or indemnification of the Trustee and certain other conditions, the holders of a majority in principal amount of the outstanding Debt Securities of any series will have the right to direct the time, method and place of conducting any proceeding for any remedy available to the Trustee or exercising any trust or power the Trustee holds with respect to the Debt Securities of that series, (Section 512)

 

No holder of any Debt Security of any series will have any right to institute any proceeding with respect to the Indenture or for any remedy under the Indenture unless:

 

 

the Trustee has failed to institute such proceeding for 60 days after the holder has previously given to the Trustee written notice of a continuing Event of Default with respect to Debt Securities of that series;

 

 

the holders of at least 25% in principal amount of the outstanding Debt Securities of that series have made written request, and offered reasonable security or indemnity, to the Trustee to institute such proceeding as Trustee; and

 

 

the Trustee has not received from the holders of a majority in principal amount of the outstanding Debt Securities of that series a direction inconsistent with such request, (Section 507)

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However, the holder of any Debt Security will have an absolute and unconditional right to receive payment of the principal of, and any premium or interest on, such Debt Security on or after the date or dates they are to be paid as expressed in such Debt Security and to institute suit for the enforcement of any such payment, (Section 508)

 

We are required to furnish to the Trustee annually a statement as to the absence of certain defaults under the Indenture, (Section 1008) The Indenture provides that the Trustee need not provide holders of Debt Securities of any series notice of any default (other than the nonpayment of principal, any premium or interest or sinking fund payments) if it considers it in the interest of the holders of Debt Securities of that series not to provide such notice, (Section 602)

 

Modification and Waiver

With respect to the Debt Securities, we and the Trustee may modify or amend the Indenture with the consent of the holders of a majority of the principal amount of the outstanding Debt Securities of each series affected by the modification or amendment. However, no such modification or amendment may, without the consent of the holders of all then outstanding Debt Securities of the affected series:

 

 

change the due date of the principal of, or any installment of principal of or interest on, the Debt

Securities of that series;

 

 

reduce the principal amount of. or any premium or interest rate on, the Debt Securities of that series;

 

 

reduce the principal amount payable upon a declaration of maturity upon an Event of Default if the Debt Securities of that series provide for an amount less than the principal amount of such Debt Securities to be due and payable upon such declaration;

 

 

change the place or currency of payment of principal of. or any premium or interest on, the Debt Securities of that series;

 

 

impair the right to institute suit for the enforcement of any payment on or with respect to the Debt Securities of that series after the due date thereof; or

 

 

reduce the percentage in principal amount of the Debt Securities of that series then outstanding, the consent of whose holders is required for modification or amendment of the Indenture. for waiver of compliance with certain provisions of the Indenture or for waiver of certain defaults. (Section 902)

 

The holders of a majority of the principal amount of the outstanding Debt Securities of any series may waive, insofar as that series is concerned, future compliance by us with certain restrictive covenants of the Indenture. (Section 1009) The holders of at least a majority in principal amount of the outstanding Debt Securities of any series may waive any past default under the Indenture with respect to that series, except a failure by us to pay the principal of, or any premium or interest on, any Debt Securities of that series or a provision that cannot be modified or amended without the consent of the holders of all outstanding Debt Securities of the affected series. (Section 513)

 

Defeasance

 

Defeasance and Discharge.The Indenture provides that if the Debt Securities of any series so provide. we may be discharged from any and all obligations in respect of the Debt Securities of that series (except for certain obligations to register the transfer or exchange of Debt Securities of that series, to replace stolen, destroyed, lost or mutilated Debt Securities of that series, to maintain paying agencies, to compensate and indemnify the Trustee or to furnish the Trustee (if the Trustee is not the registrar) with the names and addresses of holders of Debt Securities of that series). We will be so discharged if we irrevocably deposit with the Trustee, in trust, money and/or securities of

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the government which issues the currency in which the Debt Securities of that series are payable or securities of agencies backed by the full faith and credit of such government, which, through the payment of interest and principal in accordance with their terms, will provide money in an amount sufficient in the opinion of a nationally recognized firm of independent  public accountants to pay each installment of principal of, and any premium and interest on, and any mandatory sinking fund payments in respect of, the Debt Securities of that series on the applicable due dates for those payments in accordance with the terms of those Debt Securities, (Sections 1302 and 1304)

 

This discharge may occur only if, among other things, we have delivered to the Trustee an opinion of counsel confirming that the holders of the Debt Securities of that series will not recognize income, gain or loss for United States federal income tax purposes as a result of such defeasance and will be subject to United States federal income tax on the same amounts and in the same manner and at the same times as would have been the case if the discharge had not occurred. That opinion must state that we have received from, or there has been published by, the United States Internal Revenue Service a ruling or, since the date of execution of the Indenture, there has been a change in the applicable United States federal income tax law, in any case, in support of that opinion. (Section 1304)

 

In addition, we may also obtain a discharge of the Indenture with respect to all Debt Securities issued under the Indenture by depositing with the Trustee, in trust, money sufficient to pay all amounts due on the Debt Securities on the date such payments are due or upon redemption of all of such Debt Securities, so long as such Debt Securities are by their terms to become due and payable within one year or are to be called for redemption within one year. (Section 401)

 

Defeasance of Certain Covenants and Certain Events of Default. The Indenture provides that, if provided by the terms of the applicable series of Debt Securities, upon compliance with certain conditions:

 

 

we may omit to comply with the covenants described under ''Certain Covenants-Restrictions on Secured Debt,” “-Restrictions on Sale and Lease-Back Transactions” and “Consolidation, Merger and Sale of Assets'' (all other obligations under the Debt Securities of that series shall remain in full force and effect); and

 

 

any omission to comply with those covenants will not constitute an Event of Default with respect to the Debt Securities of that series (“covenant defeasance”), (Sections 1303 and 1304)

 

The conditions include:

 

depositing with the Trustee money and/or securities of the government  which issues the currency in which the Debt Securities of that series are payable or securities of agencies backed by the full faith and credit of such government, which, through the payment of interest and principal in accordance with their terms, will provide money in an amount sufficient in the opinion of a nationally recognized firm of independent public accountants to pay each installment of principal of, any premium and interest on, and any mandatory  sinking fund payments in respect of, the  Debt Securities of that series on the due dates for those payments in accordance with the terms of those Debt Securities; and

 

delivering to the Trustee an opinion of counsel to the effect that the holders of the Debt Securities of that series will not recognize income, gain or loss for United States federal income tax purposes as a result of the deposit and related covenant defeasance and will be subject to United States federal income tax on the same amounts and in the same manner and at the same times as would have been the case if the deposit and related covenant defeasance had not occurred. (Section 1304)

Covenant Defeasance and Certain Other Events of Default.  If we exercise our option to effect a covenant defeasance with respect to the Debt Securities of any series as described  above and  the Debt Securities of that series are thereafter declared due and payable because of an Event of Default (other than an Event of Default caused

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by failing to comply with the covenants that are defeased), the amount of money and securities we have deposited with the Trustee would be sufficient to pay amounts due on the Debt Securities of that series on their respective due dates but may not be sufficient to pay amounts due on the Debt Securities of that series at the time of acceleration resulting from such Event of Default, However, we would remain liable for such payments,

 

Consolidation, Merger and Sale of Assets

The Indenture provides that we may consolidate with or merge into any other corporation, or lease, sell or transfer all or substantially all of our property and assets if:

 

the corporation formed by such consolidation or into which we are merged, or the party which acquires by lease, sale or transfer all or substantially all of our property and assets is a corporation organized and existing under the laws of the United States, any state in the United States or the District of Columbia;

 

 

 

the corporation formed by such consolidation or into which we are merged, or the party which acquires by lease, sale or transfer all or substantially all of our property and assets, agrees to pay the principal of, and any premium and interest on, all Debt Securities and perform and observe all covenants and conditions of the Indenture by executing and delivering to the Trustee a supplemental indenture; and

 

 

 

immediately after giving effect to such transaction and treating indebtedness for borrowed money which becomes our obligation or an obligation of a Restricted Subsidiary as a result of such transaction as having been incurred by us or such Restricted Subsidiary at the time of such transaction, no Event of Default, and no event which, after notice or lapse of time or both, would become an Event of Default, has happened and is continuing, (Section 801)

 

If, upon any such consolidation or merger, or upon any such lease, sale or transfer any of our Principal Property or any shares of capital stock or indebtedness of any Restricted Subsidiary, owned immediately prior to the transaction, would thereupon become subject to any mortgage, security interest, pledge or lien securing any indebtedness for borrowed money of. or guaranteed by, such other corporation or party (other than any mortgage. security interest, pledge or lien permitted as described under “Certain Covenants-Restrictions on Secured Debt” above), we, prior to such consolidation, merger, lease. sale or transfer, will, by executing and delivering to the Trustee a supplemental indenture. secure the due and punctual payment of the principal of, and any premium and interest on, the Debt Securities (together with, if we decide. any other indebtedness of, or guaranteed by, us or any Restricted Subsidiary and then existing or thereafter created) equally and proportionately with (or, at our option, prior to) the indebtedness secured by such mortgage, security interest, pledge or lien. (Section 802)

 

Book-Entry Debt Securities

All Debt Securities will be fully registered and will be in either book-entry form or in definitive form.

 

Debt Securities issued in book-entry form will be issued in the form of one or more fully registered global securities (each, a “Global Security”) that will be deposited with The Depository Trust Company, New York, New York (“DTC”) or its nominee. This means that we will not issue certificates to each holder. Each Global Security will be issued to DTC, who will keep a computerized record of its participants (for example, your broker) whose clients have purchased Debt Securities. The participant will then keep a record of its clients who purchased the Debt Securities.  Unless it is exchanged in whole or in part for a certificate, a Global Security may not be transferred, except that DTC. its nominees, and their successors may transfer a Global Security as a whole to one another,

 

Beneficial interests in Global Securities will be shown on, and transfers of Global Securities will be made only through, records maintained by DTC and its participants. If you are not a participant in DTC you may beneficially own Debt Securities held by DTC only through a participant.

 

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The laws of some states require that certain purchasers of securities take physical delivery of such securities in definitive form. Such limits and laws may impair the ability to transfer beneficial interests in a Global Security.

DTC has provided us the following information: DTC is a limited-purpose trust company organized under the New York Banking Law, a “banking organization” within the meaning of the New York Banking Law, a member of the United States Federal Reserve System, a “clearing corporation” within the meaning of the New York Uniform Commercial Code and a “clearing agency” registered under the provisions of Section 17A of the Securities Exchange Act of I934. DTC holds securities that its participants deposit with DTC. DTC also records the settlement among participants of securities transactions, such as transfers and pledges, in deposited securities through computerized records for participants' accounts. This eliminates the need to exchange certificates. Participants include securities brokers and dealers, banks, trust companies, clearing corporations and certain other organizations.

DTC's book-entry system is also used by other organizations such as securities brokers and dealers, banks and trust companies that work through a participant. The rules that apply to DTC and its participants are on file with the SEC.

 

DTC is owned by a number of its participants and by the New York Stock Exchange, Inc., The American Stock Exchange, Inc. and the National Association of Securities Dealers, Inc.

We will wire principal and interest payments to DTC's nominee. We and the Trustee will treat DTC's nominee as the owner of the Global Securities for all purposes, Accordingly, we, the Trustee and any paying agent will have no direct responsibility or liability to pay amounts due on the Global Securities to owners of beneficial interests in the Global Securities.

It is DTC's current practice, upon receipt of any payment of principal or interest, to credit participants' accounts on the payment date according to their respective holdings of beneficial interests in the Global Securities as shown on OTC's records. In addition, it is OTC's current practice to assign any consenting or voting rights to participants whose accounts are credited with Debt Securities on a record date, by using an omnibus proxy. Payments by participants to owners of beneficial interests in the Global Securities, and voting by participants, will be governed by the customary practices between the participants and owners of beneficial interests, as is the case with Debt Securities held for the account of customers registered in “Street Name.'' However, payments will be the responsibility of the participants and not of DTC, the Trustee or us.

 

So long as DTC or its nominee is the registered owner of a Global Security, DTC or that nominee, as the case may be, will be considered the sole owner or holder of the Debt Securities represented by that Global Security for all purposes under the Indenture, Except as set forth in the next paragraph, owners of beneficial interests in a Global Security will not be entitled to have the Debt Securities represented by that Global Security registered in their names, will not receive or be entitled to receive physical delivery of the Debt Securities in definitive form and will not be considered the owners or holders of the Debt Securities under the Indenture.

 

We will issue Debt Securities of any series then represented by Global Securities in definitive form in exchange for those Global Securities if:

 

 

DTC notifies us that it is unwilling or unable to continue a.-; depositary or if DTC ceases to be a clearing agency registered under applicable law and a successor depositary is not appointed by us within 90 days; or

 

 

we determine not to require all of the Debt Securities of a series to be represented by a Global Security.

If we issue Debt Securities in definitive form in exchange for a Global Security, an owner of a beneficial interest in the Global Security will be entitled to have Debt Securities equal in principal amount to the beneficial

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interest registered in its name and will be entitled to physical delivery of those Debt Securities in definitive form. Debt Securities issued in definitive form will, except as set forth in the applicable prospectus supplement, be issued in denominations of $1,000 and any multiple of $1,000 in excess thereof and will be issued in registered form only. without coupons.

 

 

 

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