NONSTATUTORY STOCK OPTION AGREEMENT
Exhibit 10.1
NONSTATUTORY STOCK OPTION AGREEMENT
SUN MICROSYSTEMS, INC. (the Company), a Delaware corporation, hereby grants to (the Optionee) an option to purchase a total of shares of Common Stock (the Shares) at the Option Price as specified on this agreement, and in all respects subject to the terms, definitions and provisions of the 1990 Long-Term Equity Incentive Plan (the Plan) adopted by the Company, which is incorporated herein by reference. The terms defined in the Plan shall have the same defined meanings herein.
1) | NATURE OF THE OPTION |
This option is intended by the Company and the Optionee to be a nonstatutory stock option, and does not qualify for any special tax benefits to the Optionee. This option is not an Incentive Stock Option and is not subject to Section 7(g) of the Plan.
2) | OPTION PRICE |
The Option Price is for each share of Common Stock.
3) | EXERCISE OF OPTION |
This option shall be exercisable during its term in accordance with the provisions of Section 7 of the Plan as follows:
(i) RIGHT TO EXERCISE
(a) Subject to subsections 3(i)(b), (c) and (d), below, this option shall be exercisable cumulatively, to the extent of 20% of the Shares subject to the option on or after (one year after date of grant or if this option was granted in connection with Optionee becoming an employee of the Company, then one year after the date of hire or rehire, as the case may be) and to the extent of an additional 20% of the Shares on each yearly anniversary of such date thereafter.
(b) Notwithstanding subsection 3(i)(a), above, and subject to subsections 3(i)(c), 7 and 8, below, in the event of Optionees death or disability, this option shall be exercisable cumulatively, to the extent of 1.6667% of the Shares subject to the option on or after one month following the date of grant or date of hire or rehire, as the case may be and to the extent of an additional 1.6667% of the Shares on each monthly anniversary of such date thereafter.
(c) This option may not be exercised for a fraction of a share.
(d) In the event of Optionees termination of employment, the exercisability of the option is governed by Section 6, below.
(ii) METHOD OF EXERCISE
This option shall be exercisable by written notice which shall state the election to exercise the option, the number of Shares in respect of which the option is being exercised, and such other representations and agreements as to the holders investment intent with respect to such shares of Common Stock as may be required by the Company pursuant to the provisions of the Plan. Such written notice shall be signed by the Optionee, shall be delivered in person or by certified mail to the Treasury Department of the Company, and shall be accompanied by payment of the purchase price.
4) | METHOD OF PAYMENT |
Payment of the purchase price shall be by any of the following, or a combination thereof, at the election of the Optionee: cash, check, or surrender of other shares of Common Stock of the Company of a value equal to the purchase price of the shares as to which the option is exercised; or the Optionee may elect to transact a same-day sale - thereby executing a cashless option exercise, provided such a sale does not violate any applicable federal or state laws or regulations.
5) | RESTRICTIONS ON EXERCISE |
This option may not be exercised if the issuance of such shares upon such exercise would constitute a violation of any applicable federal or state securities or other law or regulation, including any rule under Regulation G as promulgated by the Federal Reserve Board. As a condition to the exercise of this option, the Company may require the Optionee to make any representation and warranty to the Company as may be required by any applicable law or regulation.
6) | TERMINATION OF STATUS AS AN EMPLOYEE |
(i) GENERAL RULE
Subject to Sections 6(ii) and 10 below, if Optionee ceases to serve as an Employee, Optionee may, but only within 90 days after the date Optionee ceases to be an Employee of the Company, exercise his/her option to the extent that Optionee was entitled to exercise it at the date of such termination. To the extent that Optionee was not entitled to exercise the option at the date of such termination and to the extent Optionee does not exercise the exerciseable portion of option within the time specified herein, the option shall terminate.
(ii) RETIREMENT
(a) For purposes of this Agreement the term retirement shall mean the Optionees voluntary resignation from the Company: (1) at or after attaining age 55 and
(2) with a number of full years of service with the Company that when added to Optionees age (in full years), the sum equals or exceeds 65.
(b) Notwithstanding subsection 6(i) above, in the case of an Optionee who is not in a job classification of director-level or above and who ceases to serve as an Employee by reason of retirement (as defined above), then for purposes of this Agreement, the option shall remain outstanding and shall be exercisable as though the Optionee had remained in Continuous Status as an Employee for twelve (12) months after the date of retirement. Subject to earlier termination under Section 10 below, such Optionee may, but only within ninety (90) days after the end of such twelve (12)-month period, exercise his/her option to the extent that Optionee was entitled to exercise it at the end of such twelve (12)-month period. To the extent that Optionee was not entitled to exercise the option at the end of such twelve (12)-month period and to the extent Optionee does not exercise the exercisable portion of the option within the time specified herein, the option shall terminate.
(c) Notwithstanding Section 6(i) above, in the case of an Optionee (1) who is in a job classification of director-level or above, (2) who ceases to serve as an Employee by reason of retirement (as defined above) and (3) who during the period beginning on the date of retirement and ending fifteen (15) months thereafter, does not directly or indirectly solicit, encourage or take any other action which is intended to induce or encourage, or has the effect of inducing or encouraging any employee of the Company to terminate his or her employment with the Company, then, subject to earlier termination under Section 10 below, for purposes of this Agreement, the option shall remain outstanding and exerciseable for fifteen (15) months after the date of retirement, to the extent that Optionee was entitled to exercise it at the date of retirement. To the extent the Optionee was not entitled to exercise the option on the date of retirement and to the extent the Optionee does not exercise the exerciseable portion of the option within the time specified herein, the option shall terminate. Notwithstanding the foregoing, in the event Optionee breaches the terms set forth in Section 6(ii)(c)(3), the option shall immediately terminate and no longer be exerciseable.
7) | DISABILITY OF OPTIONEE |
Notwithstanding the provisions of Section 6 above and subject to earlier termination under Section 10 below, if Optionee is unable to continue his/her employment relationship with the Company as a result of his/her total and permanent disability (as defined in Section 22(e)(3) of the Code), Optionee may exercise his/her option, but only within six (6) months after the date Optionee ceases to be an Employee of the Company and only to the extent of the right to exercise that would have accrued in accordance with Section 3(i)(b) hereof had Optionee remained in Continuous Status as an employee for 12 months after the date of such termination. To the extent that Optionee was not entitled to exercise the option at the date of such termination and to the extent that Optionee does not exercise the exerciseable portion of the option within the time specified herein, the option shall terminate.
8) | DEATH OF OPTIONEE |
Notwithstanding the provisions of Section 6 above and subject to earlier termination under Section 10 below, in the event of the death of Optionee:
(i) during the option period while an Employee of the Company and having been in Continuous Status as an Employee since the date of grant of the option, the option may be exercised, at any time within six (6) months following the date of death, by the Optionees estate or by a person who acquired the right to exercise the option by bequest or inheritance, but only to the extent of the right to exercise that would have accrued in accordance with Section 3(i)(b) hereof had the Optionee continued living and remained in Continuous Status as an Employee for twelve (12) months after the date of death; or (ii) within one (1) month after the termination of the Optionees Continuous Status as an Employee, the option may be exercised, at any time within six (6) months following the date of death, by the Optionees estate or by a person who acquired the right to exercise the option by bequest or inheritance, but only to the extent of the right to exercise that had accrued in accordance with Section 3(i)(b) hereof at the date of termination. To the extent that Optionee was not entitled to exercise the option at the date of death (in accordance with the above) and to the extent that Optionee does not exercise the exerciseable portion of the option within the time specified herein, the option will terminate.
9) | NON-TRANSFERABILITY OF OPTION |
Revised June 2004 Michael Dillon
Revised April 28, 2005 Solicitation Language Paul Briones
This option may not be transferred in any manner otherwise than by will or by the laws of descent or distribution and may be exercised during the lifetime of the Optionee only by him. The terms of this option shall be binding upon the executors, administrators, heirs, successors and assignees of the Optionee.
10) | TERM OF OPTION |
This option may not be exercised more than eight (8) years from from the date of grant of this option, and may be exercised during such term only in accordance with the Plan and the terms of this option.
11) | SOLICITATION OF EMPLOYEES |
Optionee agrees that both while employed by Company and for a period of twelve (12) months immediately following the termination of his/her employment with Company, Optionee shall not either directly or indirectly solicit, induce, recruit or encourage any of the Companys employees to leave their employment, either for him/herself or for any other person or entity.
12) | ADDITIONAL TERMS FOR OPTIONS GRANTED TO EMPLOYEES OUTSIDE THE UNITED STATES |
If this option is granted to an Employee outside of the United States, then the option is subject to the following terms in addition to those set forth above:
(i) DATA PRIVACY
Optionee hereby explicitly and unambiguously consents to the collection, use and transfer, in electronic or other form, of personal data as described in this document by and among, as applicable, employer (Employer), and Company, including its subsidiaries and affiliates, for the exclusive purpose of implementing, administering and managing Optionees participation in the Plan. Optionee understands that the Company and Optionees Employer hold certain personal information, including, but not limited to, Optionees name, home address and telephone number, date of birth, social insurance number or other identification number, salary, nationality, job title, any shares of stock or directorships held in the Company, details of all options or any other entitlement to shares of stock awarded, canceled, exercised, vested, unvested or outstanding in Optionees favor, for the purpose of implementing, administering and managing the Plan (Data). Optionee understands that Data may be transferred to any third parties assisting in the implementation, administration and management of the Plan, that these recipients may be located in Optionees country, or elsewhere, and that the recipients country may have different data privacy laws and protections than Optionees country. Optionee authorizes the recipients to receive, possess, use, retain and transfer the Data, in electronic or other form, for the purposes of implementing, administering and managing Optionees participation in the Plan, including any requisite transfer of such Data as may be required to a broker or other third party with whom Optionee may elect to deposit any shares of stock acquired upon exercise of the option. Optionee understands that Data will be held only as long as is necessary to implement, administer and manage Optionees participation in the Plan. Optionee understands that he or she may, at any time, view Data, request additional information about the storage and processing of Data, require any necessary amendments to Data or withdraw the consents herein by contacting in writing Optionees local human resources representative. Optionee understands that withdrawal of consent may affect his or her ability to exercise or realize benefits from the option.
(ii) NATURE OF GRANT
In accepting the grant, Optionee acknowledges that: (i) the Plan is discretionary in nature and may be suspended or terminated by the Company at any time; (ii) the grant of the options is voluntary and occasional and does not create any contractual or other right to receive future grants of options, or benefits in lieu of options even if options have been granted repeatedly in the past; (iii) all decisions with respect to any such future grants will be at the sole discretion of the Company; (iv) Optionees participation in the Plan shall not create a right to further employment with Optionees Employer and shall not interfere with the ability of Optionees Employer to terminate Optionees employment relationship at any time with or without cause; (v) Optionees participation in the Plan is voluntary; (vi) the value of the option is an extraordinary item of compensation which is outside the scope of Optionees employment contract, if any; (vii) the options are not part of normal or expected compensation or salary for any purposes, including, but not limited to, calculating any severance, resignation, redundancy, end of service payments, bonuses, long-service awards, pension or retirement benefits or similar payments; (viii) in the event of involuntary termination of Optionees employment, Optionees right to receive the options and vest in the options under the Plan, if any, will terminate effective as of the date that Optionee is no longer actively employed regardless of any reasonable notice period mandated under local law; furthermore, in the event of involuntary termination of employment, Optionees right to exercise the options after termination of employment, if any, will be measured by the date of termination of Optionees active employment and will not be extended by any reasonable notice period mandated under local law; (ix) the options have been granted to Optionee in his or her status as an employee of Optionees Employer, and, in the event that Optionees Employer is not the Company the option grant can in no event be understood or interpreted to mean that the Company is the Optionees employer or that Optionee has an employment relationship with the Company; (x) the future value of the underlying shares is unknown and cannot be predicted with certainty; (xi) if the underlying shares do not increase in value, the options will have no value; and (xii) no claim or entitlement to compensation or damages arises from termination of the options or diminution in value of the options or Shares purchased through exercise of the options and Optionee irrevocably releases the Company and Employer from any such claim that may arise.
(iii) RESPONSIBILITY FOR TAXES
Optionee hereby acknowledges and agrees that the ultimate liability for any and all tax, social insurance and payroll tax withholding (Tax-Related Items) is and remains Optionees responsibility and liability and that the Company and/or Optionees Employer (a) make no representations or undertakings regarding the treatment of any Tax-Related Items in connection with any aspect of the option grant, including the grant, vesting or exercise of the option and the subsequent sale of Shares acquired pursuant to such exercise; and (b) do not commit to structure the terms of the grant or any aspect of the option to reduce or eliminate Optionees liability for Tax-Related Items. Prior to exercise of the option, Optionee shall pay or make adequate arrangements satisfactory to the Company and/or Optionees Employer to satisfy all withholding obligations of the Company and/or Optionees Employer. In this regard, Optionee authorizes the Company and/or the Optionees Employer to withhold all applicable Tax-Related Items legally payable by Optionee from Optionees wages or other cash compensation paid to Optionee by the Company and/or Optionees Employer or from proceeds of sale. Alternatively, or in addition, if permissible under local law, the Company may sell or arrange for the sale of Shares that Optionee is due to acquire to meet the minimum withholding obligation for Tax Related Items. Any estimated withholding which is not required in satisfaction of any Tax Related Items will be repaid to Optionee by the Company or Optionees Employer. Finally, Optionee shall pay to the Company or Optionees Employer any amount of any Tax Related Items that the Company or Optionees Employer may be required to withhold as a result of Optionees participation in the Plan or Optionees purchase of Shares that cannot be satisfied by the means previously described.
DATE OF GRANT: <GRANT_DATE> | APPROVED BY: SUN MICROSYSTEMS, INC., |
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Michael Dillon | ||||
Sr. Vice President, General Counsel & Secretary |
The Optionee acknowledges receipt of a copy of the Plan Summary, a copy of which is annexed hereto, and represents that Optionee is familiar with the terms and provisions thereof, and hereby accepts this option subject to all of the terms and provisions thereof. The Optionee hereby agrees to accept as binding, conclusive and final all decisions or interpretations of the Board or of the Committee upon any questions arising under the Plan. The Optionee further acknowledges that nothing in this agreement constitutes a contract of employment and that the Optionee and the Company, including its subsidiaries and affiliates, each reserves the right to terminate the employment relationship at any time and for any reason where allowed by local laws.
OPTIONEE SIGNATURE |
| DATE SIGNED (DD/MM/YY) |
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Revised June 2004 Michael Dillon
Revised April 28, 2005 Solicitation Language Paul Briones