SkillSoft Corporation 1998 Stock Incentive Plan

Summary

SkillSoft Corporation established this 1998 Stock Incentive Plan to attract and retain employees, directors, and consultants by offering stock-based awards. The plan allows the company to grant options, restricted stock, and other equity incentives, with a maximum of 4,690,000 shares available. The plan outlines eligibility, administration, and the terms for granting and exercising awards. It is designed to motivate personnel and align their interests with the company's success.

EX-10.2 6 b45159ssexv10w2.txt SKILLSOFT CORPORATION 1998 STOCK INCENTIVE PLAN Exhibit 10.2 SKILLSOFT CORPORATION 1998 STOCK INCENTIVE PLAN 1. Purposes of the Plan. The purposes of this Stock Incentive Plan are to attract and retain the best available personnel for positions of substantial responsibility, to provide additional incentive to Employees, Directors and Consultants and to promote the success of the Company's business. 2. Definitions. As used herein, the following definitions shall apply: (a) "Administrator" means the Board or any of the Committees appointed to administer the Plan. (b) "Applicable Laws" means the legal requirements relating to the administration of stock incentive plans, if any, under applicable provisions of federal securities laws, applicable state corporate and securities laws, the Code, the rules of any applicable stock exchange or national market system, and the rules of any foreign jurisdiction applicable to Awards granted to residents therein. (c) "Award" means the grant of an Option, Restricted Stock, or other right or benefit under the Plan. (d) "Award Agreement" means the written agreement evidencing the grant of an Award executed by the Company and the Grantee, including any amendments thereto. (e) "Board" means the Board of Directors of the Company. (f) "Code" means the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended. (g) "Committee" means any committee appointed by the Board to administer the Plan. (h) "Common Stock" means the common stock of the Company. (i) "Company" means SkillSoft Corporation. (j) "Consultant" means any person who is engaged by the Company or Related Entity to render consulting or advisory services as an independent contractor and is compensated for such services. (k) "Continuous Status as an Employee, Director or Consultant" means that the provision of services to the Company or a Related Entity in any capacity of Employee, Director or Consultant, is not interrupted or terminated. Continuous Status as an Employee, Director or Consultant shall not be considered interrupted in the case of (i) any approved leave of absence, (ii) transfers between locations of the Company or among the Company, any Related Entity, or any successor, in any capacity of Employee, Director or Consultant, or (iii) any change 1 in status as long as the individual remains in the service of the Company or a Related Entity in any capacity of Employee, Director or Consultant (except as otherwise provided in the Award Agreement). For purposes of Incentive Stock Options, no such leave may exceed ninety (90) days, unless reemployment upon expiration of such leave is guaranteed by statute or contract. (l) "Corporate Transaction" means any of the following stockholder-approved transactions to which the Company is a party: (i) a merger or consolidation in which the Company is not the surviving entity, except for a transaction the principal purpose of which is to change the state in which the Company is incorporated; (ii) the sale, transfer or other disposition of all or substantially all of the assets of the Company (including the capital stock of the Company's subsidiary corporations) in connection with the complete liquidation or dissolution of the Company; or (iii) any reverse merger in which the Company is the surviving entity but in which securities possessing more than fifty percent (50%) of the total combined voting power of the Company's outstanding securities are transferred to a person or persons different from those who held such securities immediately prior to such merger. (m) "Director" means a member of the Board. (n) "Employee" means any person, including an Officer or Director, who is an employee of the Company or any Related Entity. The payment of a director's fee by the Company shall not be sufficient to constitute "employment" by the Company. (o) "Exchange Act" means the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. (p) "Fair Market Value" means, as of any date, the value of Common Stock determined as follows: (i) Where there exists a public market for Common Stock, the Fair Market Value shall be (A) the closing price for a Share for the last market trading day prior to the time of the determination (or, if no closing price was reported on that date, on the last trading date on which a closing price was reported) on the stock exchange determined by the Administrator to be the primary market for the Common Stock or the Nasdaq National Market, whichever is applicable or (B) if the Common Stock is not traded on any such exchange or national market system, the average of the closing bid and asked prices of a Share on the Nasdaq Small Cap Market for the day prior to the time of the determination (or, if no such prices were reported on that date, on the last date on which such prices were reported), in each case, as reported in The Wall Street Journal or such other source as the Administrator deems reliable; or (ii) In the absence of an established market of the type described in (i), above, for the Common Stock, the Fair Market Value thereof shall be determined by the Administrator in good faith. 2 (q) "Grantee" means an Employee, Director or Consultant who receives an Award under the Plan. (r) "Incentive Stock Option" means an Option intended to qualify as an incentive stock option within the meaning of Section 422 of the Code. (s) "Non-Qualified Stock Option" means an Option not intended to qualify as an Incentive Stock Option. (t) "Officer" means a person who is an officer of the Company within the meaning of Section 16 of the Exchange Act and the rules and regulations promulgated thereunder. (u) "Option" means a stock option granted pursuant to the Plan. (v) "Parent" means a "parent corporation," whether now or hereafter existing, as defined in Section 424(e) of the Code. (w) "Plan" means this 1998 Stock Incentive Plan. (x) "Registration Date" means the closing of the first sale of Common Stock to the general public pursuant to a registration statement filed with and declared effective by the Securities and Exchange Commission under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended. (y) "Related Entity" means any Parent, Subsidiary and any business, corporation, partnership, limited liability company or other entity in which the Company, a Parent or a Subsidiary holds an ownership interest, directly or indirectly. (z) "Restricted Stock" means Shares issued under the Plan to the Grantee for such consideration, if any, and subject to such restrictions on transfer, rights of first refusal, repurchase provisions, forfeiture provisions, and other terms and conditions as established by the Administrator. (aa) "Share" means a share of the Common Stock. (bb) "Subsidiary" means a "subsidiary corporation," whether now or hereafter existing, as defined in Section 424(f) of the Code. 3. Stock Subject to the Plan. (a) Subject to the provisions of Section 11(a) below, the maximum aggregate number of Shares which may be issued pursuant to all Awards (including Incentive Stock Options) is 4,690,000 Shares. The Shares may be authorized, but unissued, or reacquired Common Stock. (b) If an Award expires or becomes unexercisable without having been exercised in full, or if any unissued Shares are retained by the Company upon exercise of an Award in order to satisfy the exercise price for such Award or any withholding taxes due with 3 respect to such Award, such unissued or retained Shares shall become available for future grant or sale under the Plan (unless the Plan has terminated). Shares that actually have been issued under the Plan pursuant to an Award shall not be returned to the Plan and shall not become available for future distribution under the Plan, except that if unvested Shares are forfeited, or repurchased by the Company at their original purchase price, such Shares shall become available for future grant under the Plan. 4. Administration of the Plan. (a) Plan Administrator. With respect to grants of Awards to Employees, Directors, Officers or Consultants, the Plan shall be administered by (A) the Board or (B) a Committee (or a subcommittee of the Committee) designated by the Board, which Committee shall be constituted in such a manner as to satisfy Applicable Laws. Once appointed, such Committee shall continue to serve in its designated capacity until otherwise directed by the Board. The Board may authorize one or more Officers to grant Awards and may limit such authority as the Board determines from time to time. (b) Powers of the Administrator. Subject to Applicable Laws and the provisions of the Plan (including any other powers given to the Administrator hereunder), and except as otherwise provided by the Board, the Administrator shall have the authority, in its discretion: (i) to select the Employees, Directors and Consultants to whom Awards may be granted from time to time hereunder; (ii) to determine whether and to what extent Awards are granted hereunder; (iii) to determine the number of Shares or the amount of other consideration to be covered by each Award granted hereunder; (iv) to approve forms of Award Agreement for use under the Plan; (v) to determine the terms and conditions of any Award granted hereunder; (vi) to establish additional terms, conditions, rules or procedures to accommodate the rules or laws of applicable foreign jurisdictions and to afford Grantees favorable treatment under such laws; provided, however, that no Award shall be granted under any such additional terms, conditions, rules or procedures with terms or conditions which are inconsistent with the provisions of the Plan; (vii) to amend the terms of any outstanding Award granted under the Plan, including a reduction in the exercise price of any Award to reflect a reduction in the Fair Market Value of the Common Stock since the grant date of the Award, provided that any amendment that would adversely affect the Grantee's rights under an outstanding Award shall not be made without the Grantee's written consent; 4 (viii) to construe and interpret the terms of the Plan and Awards granted pursuant to the Plan; and (ix) to take such other action, not inconsistent with the terms of the Plan, as the Administrator deems appropriate. (c) Effect of Administrator's Decision. All decisions, determinations and interpretations of the Administrator shall be conclusive and binding on all persons. 5. Eligibility. Awards other than Incentive Stock Options may be granted to Employees, Directors and Consultants. Incentive Stock Options may be granted only to Employees of the Company, a Parent or a Subsidiary. An Employee, Director or Consultant who has been granted an Award may, if otherwise eligible, be granted additional Awards. Awards may be granted to such Employees, Directors or Consultants who are residing in foreign jurisdictions as the Administrator may determine from time to time. 6. Terms and Conditions of Awards. (a) Type of Awards. The Administrator is authorized under the Plan to award any type of arrangement to an Employee, Director or Consultant that is not inconsistent with the provisions of the Plan and that by its terms involves or might involve the issuance of (i) Shares, (ii) an Option, or similar right with an exercise or conversion privilege at a fixed or variable price related to the Common Stock and/or the passage of time, the occurrence of one or more events, or the satisfaction of performance criteria or other conditions, or (iii) any other security with the value derived from the value of the Common Stock or securities issued by a Related Entity. Such awards include, without limitation, Options, and sales or bonuses of Restricted Stock. An Award may consist of one such security or benefit, or two or more of them in any combination or alternative. (b) Designation of Award. Each Award shall be designated in the Award Agreement. In the case of an Option, the Option shall be designated as either an Incentive Stock Option or a Non-Qualified Stock Option. However, notwithstanding such designation, to the extent that the aggregate Fair Market Value of Shares subject to Options designated as Incentive Stock Options which become exercisable for the first time by a Grantee during any calendar year (under all plans of the Company or any Parent or Subsidiary) exceeds $100,000, such excess Options, to the extent of the Shares covered thereby in excess of the foregoing limitation, shall be treated as Non-Qualified Stock Options. For this purpose, Incentive Stock Options shall be taken into account in the order in which they were granted, and the Fair Market Value of the Shares shall be determined as of the grant date of the relevant Option. (c) Conditions of Award. Subject to the terms of the Plan, the Administrator shall determine the provisions, terms, and conditions of each Award including, but not limited to, the Award vesting schedule, repurchase provisions, rights of first refusal, forfeiture provisions, form of payment (cash, Shares, or other consideration) upon settlement of the Award, payment contingencies, and satisfaction of any performance criteria. The performance criteria established by the Administrator may be based on any one of, or combination of, increase in share price, 5 earnings per share, total stockholder return, return on equity, return on assets, return on investment, net operating income, cash flow, revenue, economic value added, personal management objectives, or other measure of performance selected by the Administrator. Partial achievement of the specified criteria may result in a payment or vesting corresponding to the degree of achievement as specified in the Award Agreement. (d) Early Exercise. The Award may, but need not, include a provision whereby the Grantee may elect at any time while an Employee, Director or Consultant to exercise any part or all of the Award prior to full vesting of the Award. Any unvested Shares received pursuant to such exercise may be subject to a repurchase right in favor of the Company or to any other restriction the Administrator determines to be appropriate. (e) Term of Award. The term of each Award shall be the term stated in the Award Agreement, provided, however, that the term shall be no more than ten (10) years from the date of grant thereof. However, in the case of an Incentive Stock Option granted to a Grantee who, at the time the Option is granted, owns stock representing more than ten percent (10%) of the voting power of all classes of stock of the Company or any Parent or Subsidiary, the term of the Incentive Stock Option shall be five (5) years from the date of grant thereof or such shorter term as may be provided in the Award Agreement. (f) Transferability of Awards. Incentive Stock Options may not be sold, pledged, assigned, hypothecated, transferred, or disposed of in any manner other than by will or by the laws of descent or distribution and may be exercised, during the lifetime of the Grantee, only by the Grantee; provided, however, that the Grantee may designate a beneficiary of the Grantee's Incentive Stock Option in the event of the Grantee's death on a beneficiary designation form provided by the Administrator. Other Awards shall be transferable to the extent provided in the Award Agreement. (g) Time of Granting Awards. The date of grant of an Award shall for all purposes be the date on which the Administrator makes the determination to grant such Award, or such other date as is determined by the Administrator. Notice of the grant determination shall be given to each Employee, Director or Consultant to whom an Award is so granted within a reasonable time after the date of such grant. 7. Award Exercise or Purchase Price, Consideration, Taxes and Reload Options. (a) Exercise or Purchase Price. The exercise or purchase price, if any, for an Award shall be as follows: (i) In the case of an Incentive Stock Option: (A) granted to an Employee who, at the time of the grant of such Incentive Stock Option owns stock representing more than ten percent (10%) of the voting power of all classes of stock of the Company or any Parent or Subsidiary, the per Share exercise price shall be not less than one hundred ten percent (110%) of the Fair Market Value per Share on the date of grant. 6 (B) granted to any Employee other than an Employee described in the preceding paragraph, the per Share exercise price shall be not less than one hundred percent (100%) of the Fair Market Value per Share on the date of grant. (ii) In the case of a Non-Qualified Stock Option, the per Share exercise price shall be not less than eighty-five percent (85%) of the Fair Market Value per Share on the date of grant unless otherwise determined by the Administrator. (iii) In the case of other Awards, such price as is determined by the Administrator. (b) Consideration. Subject to Applicable Laws, the consideration to be paid for the Shares to be issued upon exercise or purchase of an Award including the method of payment, shall be determined by the Administrator (and, in the case of an Incentive Stock Option, shall be determined at the time of grant). In addition to any other types of consideration the Administrator may determine, the Administrator is authorized to accept as consideration for Shares issued under the Plan the following: (i) cash; (ii) check; (iii) delivery of Grantee's promissory note with such recourse, interest, security, and redemption provisions as the Administrator determines as appropriate; (iv) if the exercise occurs on or after the Registration Date, surrender of Shares or delivery of a properly executed form of attestation of ownership of Shares as the Administrator may require (including withholding of Shares otherwise deliverable upon exercise of the Award) which have a Fair Market Value on the date of surrender or attestation equal to the aggregate exercise price of the Shares as to which said Award shall be exercised (but only to the extent that such exercise of the Award would not result in an accounting compensation charge with respect to the Shares used to pay the exercise price unless otherwise determined by the Administrator); (v) if the exercise occurs on or after the Registration Date, delivery of a properly executed exercise notice together with such other documentation as the Administrator and the broker, if applicable, shall require to effect an exercise of the Award and delivery to the Company of the sale or loan proceeds required to pay the exercise price; or (vi) any combination of the foregoing methods of payment. (c) Taxes. No Shares shall be delivered under the Plan to any Grantee or other person until such Grantee or other person has made arrangements acceptable to the Administrator for the satisfaction of any foreign, federal, state, or local income and employment tax withholding obligations, including, without limitation, obligations incident to the receipt of Shares or the 7 disqualifying disposition of Shares received on exercise of an Incentive Stock Option. Upon exercise of an Award the Company shall withhold or collect from Grantee an amount sufficient to satisfy such tax obligations. (d) Reload Options. In the event the exercise price or tax withholding of an Option is satisfied by the Company or the Grantee's employer withholding Shares otherwise deliverable to the Grantee, the Administrator may issue the Grantee an additional Option, with terms identical to the Award Agreement under which the Option was exercised, but at an exercise price as determined by the Administrator in accordance with the Plan. 8. Exercise of Award. (a) Procedure for Exercise; Rights as a Stockholder. (i) Any Award granted hereunder shall be exercisable at such times and under such conditions as determined by the Administrator under the terms of the Plan and specified in the Award Agreement. (ii) An Award shall be deemed to be exercised when written notice of such exercise has been given to the Company in accordance with the terms of the Award by the person entitled to exercise the Award and full payment for the Shares with respect to which the Award is exercised has been received by the Company. Until the issuance (as evidenced by the appropriate entry on the books of the Company or of a duly authorized transfer agent of the Company) of the stock certificate evidencing such Shares, no right to vote or receive dividends or any other rights as a stockholder shall exist with respect to Shares subject to an Award, notwithstanding the exercise of an Option or other Award. No adjustment will be made for a dividend or other right for which the record date is prior to the date the stock certificate is issued, except as provided in the Award Agreement or Section 11(a), below. (b) Exercise of Award Following Termination of Employment, Director or Consulting Relationship. (i) An Award may not be exercised after the termination date of such Award set forth in the Award Agreement and may be exercised following the termination of a Grantee's Continuous Status as an Employee, Director or Consultant only to the extent provided in the Award Agreement. (ii) Where the Award Agreement permits a Grantee to exercise an Award following the termination of the Grantee's Continuous Status as an Employee, Director or Consultant for a specified period, the Award shall terminate to the extent not exercised on the last day of the specified period or the last day of the original term of the Award, whichever occurs first. (iii) Any Award designated as an Incentive Stock Option to the extent not exercised within the time permitted by law for the exercise of Incentive Stock Options following the termination of a Grantee's Continuous Status as an Employee, Director or 8 Consultant shall convert automatically to a Non-Qualified Stock Option and thereafter shall be exercisable as such to the extent exercisable by its terms for the period specified in the Award Agreement. (c) Buyout Provisions. The Administrator may at any time offer to buy out for a payment in cash or Shares, an Award previously granted, based on such terms and conditions as the Administrator shall establish and communicate to the Grantee at the time that such offer is made. 9. Conditions Upon Issuance of Shares. (a) Shares shall not be issued pursuant to the exercise of an Award unless the exercise of such Award and the issuance and delivery of such Shares pursuant thereto shall comply with all Applicable Laws, and shall be further subject to the approval of counsel for the Company with respect to such compliance. (b) As a condition to the exercise of an Award, the Company may require the person exercising such Award to represent and warrant at the time of any such exercise that the Shares are being purchased only for investment and without any present intention to sell or distribute such Shares if, in the opinion of counsel for the Company, such a representation is required by any Applicable Laws. 10. Repurchase Rights. If the provisions of an Award Agreement grant to the Company the right to repurchase Shares upon termination of the Grantee's Continuous Status as an Employee, Director or Consultant, the Award Agreement shall provide that the repurchase price will be either: (a) Not less than the Fair Market Value of the Shares to be repurchased on the date of termination of the Grantee's Continuous Status as an Employee, Director or Consultant, and the right to repurchase must be exercised for cash or cancellation of purchase money indebtedness for the Shares within ninety (90) days of the termination of the Grantee's Continuous Status as an Employee, Director or Consultant (or in the case of Shares issued upon exercise of Awards after the date of termination of the Grantee's Continuous Status as an Employee, Director or Consultant, within ninety (90) days after the date of the Award exercise), and the right terminates when the Company's securities become publicly traded; or (b) The original purchase price, provided that the right to repurchase at the original purchase price lapses at the rate of at least twenty percent (20%) of the Shares subject to the Award per year over five (5) years from the date the Award is granted (without respect to the date the Award was exercised or became exercisable), and the right to repurchase must be exercised for cash or cancellation of purchase money indebtedness for the Shares within ninety (90) days of termination of the Grantee's Continuous Status as an Employee, Director or Consultant (or in the case of Shares issued upon exercise of Awards after the date of termination of the Grantee's Continuous Status as an Employee, Director or Consultant, within ninety (90) days after the date of the Award exercise). 9 (c) In addition to the restrictions set forth in (a) and (b) above, the Shares held by an Officer, Director or Consultant may be subject to additional or greater restrictions. 11. Adjustments Upon Changes in Capitalization or Corporate Transaction. (a) Adjustments upon Changes in Capitalization. Subject to any required action by the stockholders of the Company, the number of Shares covered by each outstanding Award, and the number of Shares which have been authorized for issuance under the Plan but as to which no Awards have yet been granted or which have been returned to the Plan, as well as the price per share of Common Stock covered by each such outstanding Award, shall be proportionately adjusted for any increase or decrease in the number of issued shares of Common Stock resulting from a stock split, reverse stock split, stock dividend, combination or reclassification of the Common Stock, or any other similar event resulting in an increase or decrease in the number of issued shares of Common Stock. Except as expressly provided herein, no issuance by the Company of shares of stock of any class, or securities convertible into shares of stock of any class, shall affect, and no adjustment by reason hereof shall be made with respect to, the number or price of Shares subject to an Award. (b) Corporate Transaction. Except as provided otherwise in an individual Award Agreement, in the event of any Corporate Transaction, the Award will terminate immediately prior to the specified effective date of the Corporate Transaction, unless the Award is (i) accelerated pursuant to paragraphs (c) or (d) below or (ii) assumed or an equivalent Award is substituted by the successor corporation or a Parent or Subsidiary of such successor corporation. For the purposes of this subsection, the Award shall be considered assumed or substituted for an equivalent Award if, following the Corporate Transaction, the Award confers, for each Share subject to the Award immediately prior to the Corporate Transaction, (i) the consideration (whether stock, cash, or other securities or property) received in the Corporate Transaction by holders of Common Stock for each Share subject to the Award held on the effective date of the Corporate Transaction (and if holders were offered a choice of consideration, the type of consideration chosen by the holders of a majority of the outstanding Shares), or (ii) the right to purchase such consideration in the case of an Option or similar Award; provided, however, that if such consideration received in the Corporate Transaction was not solely common stock of the successor corporation or its Parent, the Administrator may, with the consent of the successor corporation, provide for the consideration to be received upon the exercise or exchange of the Award for each Share subject to the Award to be solely common stock of the successor corporation or its Parent equal in fair market value to the per share consideration received by holders of Common Stock in the Corporate Transaction. (c) The Administrator shall have the authority, exercisable either in advance of any actual or anticipated Corporate Transaction or at the time of an actual Corporate Transaction and exercisable at the time of the grant of an Award under the Plan or any time while an Award remains outstanding, to provide for the full automatic vesting and exercisability of one or more outstanding unvested Awards under the Plan and the release from restrictions on transfer and repurchase or forfeiture rights of such Awards in connection with a Corporate Transaction on such terms and conditions as the Administrator may specify. The Administrator also shall have the authority to condition any such Award vesting and exercisability or release from such 10 limitations upon the subsequent termination of the Continuous Status as an Employee or Consultant of the Grantee within a specified period following the effective date of the Change in Control or Subsidiary Disposition. The Administrator may provide that any Awards so vested or released from such limitations in connection with a Change in Control or Subsidiary Disposition, shall remain fully exercisable until the expiration or sooner termination of the Award. Effective upon the consummation of a Corporate Transaction, all outstanding Awards under the Plan shall terminate unless assumed by the successor company or its Parent. (d) The portion of any Incentive Stock Option accelerated under paragraph (b) of this Section 11 in connection with a Corporate Transaction shall remain exercisable as an Incentive Stock Option under the Code only to the extent the $100,000 dollar limitation of Section 422(d) of the Code is not exceeded. To the extent such dollar limitation is exceeded, the accelerated excess portion of such Option shall be exercisable as a Non-Qualified Stock Option. 12. Term of Plan. The Plan shall become effective upon the earlier to occur of its adoption by the Board or its approval by the stockholders of the Company. It shall continue in effect for a term of ten (10) years unless sooner terminated. 13. Amendment, Suspension or Termination of the Plan. (a) The Board may at any time amend, suspend or terminate the Plan. To the extent necessary to comply with Applicable Laws, the Company shall obtain stockholder approval of any Plan amendment in such a manner and to such a degree as required. (b) No Award may be granted during any suspension of the Plan or after termination of the Plan. (c) Any amendment, suspension or termination of the Plan (including termination of the Plan under Section 12, above) shall not affect Awards already granted, and such Awards shall remain in full force and effect as if the Plan had not been amended, suspended or terminated, unless mutually agreed otherwise between the Grantee and the Administrator, which agreement must be in writing and signed by the Grantee and the Company. 14. Reservation of Shares. (a) The Company, during the term of the Plan, will at all times reserve and keep available such number of Shares as shall be sufficient to satisfy the requirements of the Plan. (b) The inability of the Company to obtain authority from any regulatory body having jurisdiction, which authority is deemed by the Company's counsel to be necessary to the lawful issuance and sale of any Shares hereunder, shall relieve the Company of any liability in respect of the failure to issue or sell such Shares as to which such requisite authority shall not have been obtained. 15. No Effect on Terms of Employment/Consulting Relationship. The Plan shall not confer upon any Grantee any right with respect to continuation of employment or consulting relationship with the Company, nor shall it interfere in any way with his or her right or the 11 Company's right to terminate his or her employment or consulting relationship at any time, with or without cause. 16. Stockholder Approval. The grant of Incentive Stock Options under the Plan shall be subject to approval by the stockholders of the Company within twelve (12) months before or after the date the Plan is adopted. Such stockholder approval shall be obtained in the degree and manner required under Applicable Laws. The Administrator may grant Incentive Stock Options under the Plan prior to approval by the stockholders, but until such approval is obtained, no such Incentive Stock Option shall be exercisable. In the event that stockholder approval is not obtained within the twelve (12) month period provided above, all Incentive Stock Options previously granted under the Plan shall terminate. 17. Information to Grantees. The Company shall provide to each Grantee, during the period for which such Grantee has one or more Awards outstanding, copies of financial statements at least annually. 12