EXHIBIT 1
RIGHTS AGREEMENT DATED AS OF
OCTOBER 29, 1999, BETWEEN PACKAGED ICE, INC.,
A TEXAS CORPORATION (THE "COMPANY"),
AND AMERICAN STOCK TRANSFER & TRUST COMPANY
AS RIGHTS AGENT (THE "RIGHTS AGENT")
The Board of Directors of the Company has authorized and declared a
dividend of one Right (as hereinafter defined) for each share of Common Stock,
$.01 par value, of the Company (the "Common Stock") outstanding at the Close of
Business (as hereinafter defined) on November 9, 1999 (the "Record Date"), and
has authorized the issuance of one Right (as such number may hereinafter be
adjusted pursuant to the provisions of this Rights Agreement) with respect to
each share of Common Stock that shall become outstanding between the Record Date
and the earliest of the Distribution Date, the Redemption Date or the Expiration
Date (as such terms are hereinafter defined); provided, however, that Rights may
also be issued with respect to shares of Common Stock that shall become
outstanding after the Distribution Date and prior to the earlier of the
Redemption Date or the Expiration Date in accordance with the provisions of
SECTION 23. Each Right shall initially represent the right to purchase one
one-thousandth (1/1,000th) of a share of Series D Participating Cumulative
Preferred Stock, $.01 par value, of the Company (the "Preferred Shares"), having
the powers, rights and preferences set forth in the Certificate of Designation
attached as EXHIBIT A.
Accordingly, in consideration of the premises and the mutual agreements
herein set forth, the parties hereby agree as follows:
SECTION 1. CERTAIN DEFINITIONS.
For purposes of this Rights Agreement, the following terms have the
meanings indicated:
"ACQUIRING PERSON" shall mean any Person which, alone or together with all
Affiliates and Associates of such Person, shall be the Beneficial Owner of more
than 20% of the Common Shares then outstanding, but shall not include any Exempt
Person; provided, however, that a Person shall not become an Acquiring Person if
such Person, together with its Affiliates and Associates, has become and is such
a Beneficial Owner solely because (i) of a reduction in the aggregate number of
Common Shares outstanding since the last date on which such Person acquired
Beneficial Ownership of any Common Shares, unless and until such time as such
Person or any Affiliate or Associate of such Person shall purchase or otherwise
become the Beneficial Owner of any additional shares of Common Stock or any
other Person (or Persons) who is (or collectively are) the Beneficial Owner of
any shares of Common Stock shall become an Affiliate or Associate of such
Person, (ii) it acquired such Beneficial Ownership in the good faith belief that
such acquisition would not cause such Beneficial Ownership to exceed 20% of the
Common Shares then outstanding and such Person relied in good faith in computing
the percentage of its Beneficial Ownership on publicly filed reports or
documents of the Company which are inaccurate, or (iii) of shares acquired
directly from the Company in connection with the Company's acquisition of a
business or pursuant to an
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agreement with the Company stating such Person is not intended to become an
Acquiring Person as a result of such acquisition. Notwithstanding clause (ii) of
the prior sentence, if any Person that is not deemed an Acquiring Person due to
such clause (ii) does not reduce its percentage of Beneficial Ownership of
Common Shares to 20% or less by the Close of Business on the fifth Business Day
after notice from the Company (the date of notice being the first day) that such
Person's Beneficial Ownership of Common Shares so exceeds 20%, such Person
shall, at the end of such five Business Day period, become an Acquiring Person
(and such clause (ii) shall no longer apply to such Person). For purposes of
this definition, the determination whether any Person acted in "good faith"
shall be conclusively determined by the Board of Directors of the Company,
acting by a vote of those directors of the Company whose approval would be
required to redeem the Rights under Section 24. At any time prior to the
Distribution Date, the Board of Directors may, with respect to any specified
Person or Persons, determine to increase to a specified percentage greater than
that set forth herein the level of Beneficial Ownership of Common Stock at which
such Person or Persons becomes an Acquiring Person.
"AFFILIATE" and "ASSOCIATE," when used with reference to any Person, shall
have the respective meanings ascribed to such terms in Rule 12b-2 of the General
Rules and Regulations under the Exchange Act, as in effect on the date of this
Rights Agreement.
A Person shall be deemed the "BENEFICIAL OWNER" of, and shall be deemed to
"BENEFICIALLY OWN", and shall be deemed to have "BENEFICIAL OWNERSHIP" of, any
securities:
(i) which such Person or any of such Person's Affiliates or
Associates is deemed to "beneficially own" within the meaning of Rule 13d-3 of
the General Rules and Regulations under the Exchange Act, as in effect on the
date of this Rights Agreement;
(ii) which such Person or any of such Person's Affiliates or
Associates, directly or indirectly, has (A) the right to acquire (whether such
right is exercisable immediately or only after the passage of time or the
occurrence of an event) pursuant to any agreement, arrangement or understanding
(written or oral), or upon the exercise of conversion rights, exchange rights,
rights (other than the Rights), warrants or options, or otherwise; PROVIDED,
HOWEVER, that a Person shall not be deemed the Beneficial Owner of, or to
beneficially own, or to have Beneficial Ownership of, securities tendered
pursuant to a tender or exchange offer made by or on behalf of such Person or
any of such Person's Affiliates or Associates until such tendered securities are
accepted for purchase or exchange thereunder, or (B) the right to vote pursuant
to any agreement, arrangement or understanding (written or oral); PROVIDED,
HOWEVER, that a Person shall not be deemed the Beneficial Owner of, or to
beneficially own, any security if (1) the agreement, arrangement or
understanding (written or oral) to vote such security arises solely from a
revocable proxy or consent given to such Person in response to a public proxy or
consent solicitation (I.E., not including a solicitation exempted by Rule
14a-2(b)(2) of the General Rules and Regulations under the Exchange Act) made
pursuant to, and in accordance with, the applicable rules and regulations under
the Exchange Act and (2) the beneficial ownership of such security is not also
then reportable on Schedule 13D under the Exchange Act (or any comparable or
successor report); or
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(iii) which are beneficially owned, directly or indirectly, by any
other Person (or any Affiliate or Associate thereof) with which such Person or
any of such Person's Affiliates or Associates has any agreement, arrangement or
understanding (written or oral) for the purpose of acquiring, holding, voting
(except pursuant to a revocable proxy as described in clause (ii)(B) of this
definition) or disposing of any securities of the Company.
Notwithstanding the foregoing, nothing contained in this definition shall
cause a Person ordinarily engaged in business as an underwriter of securities to
be the "Beneficial Owner" of, or to "beneficially own," any securities acquired
in a bona fide firm commitment underwriting pursuant to an underwriting
agreement with the Company until the expiration of forty days after the date of
such acquisition.
"BOOK VALUE," when used with reference to Common Shares issued by any
Person, shall mean the amount of equity of such Person applicable to each Common
Share, determined (i) in accordance with generally accepted accounting
principles in effect on the date as of which such Book Value is to be
determined, (ii) using all the consolidated assets and all the consolidated
liabilities of such Person on the date as of which such Book Value is to be
determined, except that no value shall be included in such assets for goodwill
arising from consummation of a business combination, and (iii) after giving
effect to (A) the exercise of all rights, options and warrants to purchase such
Common Shares (other than the Rights), and the conversion of all securities
convertible into such Common Shares, at an exercise or conversion price, per
Common Share, which is less than such Book Value before giving effect to such
exercise or conversion (whether or not exercisability or convertibility is
conditioned upon occurrence of a future event), (B) all dividends and other
distributions on the capital stock of such Person declared prior to the date as
of which such Book Value is to be determined and to be paid or made after such
date, and (C) any other agreement, arrangement or understanding (written or
oral), or transaction or other action prior to the date as of which such Book
Value is to be determined which would have the effect of thereafter reducing
such Book Value.
"BUSINESS COMBINATION" shall have the meaning set forth in SECTION
11(C)(I).
"BUSINESS DAY" shall mean any day other than a Saturday, Sunday or a day
on which banking institutions in the State of New York or the state in which the
principal office of the Rights Agent is located, are authorized or obligated by
law or executive order to close.
"CERTIFICATE OF DESIGNATION" shall mean the Statement of Resolution
Establishing Series D Participating Cumulative Preferred Stock, setting forth
the powers, preferences, rights, qualifications, limitations and restrictions of
such series of Preferred Stock of the Company, a copy of which is attached as
EXHIBIT A.
"CLOSE OF BUSINESS" on any given date shall mean 5:00 p.m., New York, New
York time, on such date; PROVIDED, HOWEVER, that, if such date is not a Business
Day, "Close of Business" shall mean 5:00 p.m., New York, New York time, on the
next succeeding Business Day.
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"COMMON SHARES," when used with reference to the Company prior to a
Business Combination, shall mean the shares of Common Stock of the Company or
any other shares of capital stock of the Company into which the Common Stock
shall be reclassified or changed. "Common Shares," when used with reference to
any Person (other than the Company prior to a Business Combination), shall mean
shares of capital stock of such Person (if such Person is a corporation) of any
class or series, or units of equity interests in such Person (if such Person is
not a corporation) of any class or series, the terms of which do not limit (as a
maximum amount and not merely in proportional terms) the amount of dividends or
income payable or distributable on such class or series or the amount of assets
distributable on such class or series upon any voluntary or involuntary
liquidation, dissolution or winding up of such Person and do not provide that
such class or series is subject to redemption at the option of such Person, or
any shares of capital stock or units of equity interests into which the
foregoing shall be reclassified or changed; PROVIDED, HOWEVER, that if at any
time there shall be more than one such class or series of capital stock or
equity interests of such Person, "Common Shares" of such Person shall include
all such classes and series substantially in the proportion of the total number
of shares or other units of each such class or series outstanding at such time.
"COMMON STOCK" shall have the meaning set forth in the introductory
paragraph of this Rights Agreement.
"COMPANY" shall have the meaning set forth in the heading of this Rights
Agreement; PROVIDED, HOWEVER, that if there is a Business Combination, "Company"
shall have the meaning set forth in SECTION 11(C)(III).
The term "CONTROL" with respect to any Person shall mean the power to
direct the management and policies of such Person, directly or indirectly, by or
through stock ownership, agency or otherwise, or pursuant to or in connection
with an agreement, arrangement or understanding (written or oral) with one or
more other Persons by or through stock ownership, agency or otherwise; and the
terms "controlling" and "controlled" shall have meanings correlative to the
foregoing.
"DISTRIBUTION DATE" shall have the meaning set forth in SECTION 3(B).
"EXCHANGE ACT" shall mean the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as in
effect on the date in question, unless otherwise specifically provided.
"EXCHANGE CONSIDERATION" shall have the meaning set forth in SECTION
11(B)(I).
"EXPIRATION DATE" shall have the meaning set forth in SECTION 7(A).
"EXEMPT PERSON" shall mean the Company, any Subsidiary of the Company, any
employee benefit plan or employee stock plan of the Company or any Subsidiary of
the Company or any Person holding Common Shares for or pursuant to the terms of
any such plan or organized, appointed, or established by the Company for or
pursuant to the terms of any such plan.
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"MAJOR PART," when used with reference to the assets of the Company and
its Subsidiaries as of any date, shall mean assets (i) having a fair market
value aggregating 50% or more of the total fair market value of all the assets
of the Company and its Subsidiaries (taken as a whole) as of the date in
question, (ii) accounting for 50% or more of the total value (net of
depreciation and amortization) of all the assets of the Company and its
Subsidiaries (taken as a whole) as would be shown on a consolidated or combined
balance sheet of the Company and its Subsidiaries as of the date in question,
prepared in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles then in
effect, or (iii) accounting for 50% or more of the total amount of earnings
before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization or for 50% or more of the
revenues of the Company and its Subsidiaries (taken as a whole) in either case
as would be shown on, or derived from, a consolidated or combined statement of
income or operations of the Company and its Subsidiaries for the period of 12
months ending on the last day of the Company's monthly accounting period next
preceding the date in question, prepared in accordance with generally accepted
accounting principles then in effect.
"MARKET VALUE," when used with reference to Common Shares on any date,
shall be deemed to be the average of the daily closing prices, per share, of
such Common Shares for the period which is the shorter of (1) 10 consecutive
Trading Days immediately prior to the date in question or (2) the number of
consecutive Trading Days beginning on the Trading Day immediately after the date
of the first public announcement of the event requiring a determination of the
Market Value and ending on the Trading Day immediately prior to the record date
of such event; PROVIDED, HOWEVER, that, in the event that the Market Value of
such Common Shares is to be determined in whole or in part during a period
following the announcement by the issuer of such Common Shares of any action of
the type described in Section 12(A) that would require an adjustment thereunder,
then, and in each such case, the Market Value of such Common Shares shall be
appropriately adjusted to reflect the effect of such action on the market price
of such Common Shares. The closing price for each Trading Day shall be the
closing price quoted on the principal United States securities exchange
registered under the Exchange Act (or any recognized foreign stock exchange) on
which such securities are listed, or, if such securities are not listed on any
such exchange, the closing price quoted on the Nasdaq National Market or, if
such securities are not so quoted, the average of the closing bid and asked
quotations with respect to a share of such securities on any National
Association of Securities Dealers, Inc. quotations system, or if no such
quotations are available, the average of the closing bid and asked prices as
furnished by a professional market maker making a market in such securities
selected by the Board of Directors of the Company. If on any such Trading Day no
market maker is making a market in such securities, the closing price of such
securities on such Trading Day shall be deemed to be the fair value of such
securities as determined in good faith by the Board of Directors of the Company
(whose determination shall be described in a statement filed with the Rights
Agent and shall be binding on the Rights Agent, the holders of Rights and all
other Persons); provided, however, that for the purpose of determining the
closing price of the Preferred Shares for any Trading Day on which there is no
such market maker for the Preferred Shares the closing price on such Trading Day
shall be deemed to be the Formula Number (as defined in the Certificate of
Designation) times the closing price of the Common Shares of the Company on such
Trading Day.
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"PERSON" shall mean an individual, corporation, partnership, firm, joint
venture, association, trust, unincorporated organization or other entity.
"PREFERRED SHARES" shall have the meaning set forth in the introductory
paragraph of this Rights Agreement. Any reference in this Rights Agreement to
PREFERRED SHARES shall be deemed to include any authorized fraction of a
Preferred Share, unless the context otherwise requires.
"PRINCIPAL PARTY" shall mean the Surviving Person in a Business
Combination; PROVIDED, HOWEVER, that, if such Surviving Person is a direct or
indirect Subsidiary of any other Person, "Principal Party" shall mean the Person
which is the ultimate parent of such Surviving Person and which is not itself a
Subsidiary of another Person. In the event that ultimate control of such
Surviving Person is shared by two or more Persons, "Principal Party" shall mean
that Person that is immediately controlled by such two or more Persons.
"PURCHASE PRICE" with respect to each Right shall mean $12.00, as such
amount may from time to time be adjusted as provided herein, and shall be
payable in lawful money of the United States of America. All references herein
to the Purchase Price shall mean the Purchase Price as in effect at the time in
question.
"RECORD DATE" shall be November 9, 1999.
"REDEMPTION DATE" shall have the meaning set forth in SECTION 24(A).
"REDEMPTION PRICE" with respect to each Right shall mean $.01, as such
amount may from time to time be adjusted in accordance with SECTION 12. All
references herein to the Redemption Price shall mean the Redemption Price as in
effect at the time in question.
"REGISTERED COMMON SHARES" shall mean Common Shares which are, as of the
date of consummation of a Business Combination, and continuously have been for
the 12 months immediately preceding such date, registered under SECTION 12 of
the Exchange Act.
"RIGHTS AGENT" shall mean the Person named as the "Rights Agent" in the
preamble of this Agreement until a successor Rights Agent shall have become such
pursuant to the applicable provisions of SECTIONS 20 OR 22 of this Agreement,
and thereafter "Rights Agent" shall mean such successor Rights Agent. If at any
time there is more than one Person appointed by the Company as Rights Agent
pursuant to the applicable provisions of SECTION 2 of this Agreement, "Rights
Agent" shall mean and include each such Person.
"RIGHT CERTIFICATE" shall mean a certificate evidencing a Right
substantially in the form attached as EXHIBIT B.
"RIGHTS" shall mean the rights to purchase Preferred Shares (or other
securities) as provided in this Rights Agreement.
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"SECURITIES ACT" shall mean the Securities Act of 1933, as in effect on
the date in question, unless otherwise specifically provided.
"SUBSIDIARY" shall mean a Person, at least a majority of the total
outstanding voting power (being the power under ordinary circumstances (and not
merely upon the happening of a contingency) to vote in the election of directors
of such Person (if such Person is a corporation) or to participate in the
management and control of such Person (if such Person is not a corporation)) of
which is owned, directly or indirectly, by another Person or by one or more
other Subsidiaries of such other Person or by such other Person and one or more
other Subsidiaries of such other Person.
"SURVIVING PERSON" shall mean (1) the Person which is the continuing or
surviving Person in a consolidation or merger specified in SECTION 11(C)(I)(I)
or SECTION 11(C)(I)(II) or (2) the Person to which the Major Part of the assets
of the Company and its Subsidiaries is sold, leased, exchanged or otherwise
transferred or disposed of in a transaction specified in SECTION 11(C)(I)(III);
PROVIDED, HOWEVER, that, if the Major Part of the assets of the Company and its
Subsidiaries is sold, leased, exchanged or otherwise transferred or disposed of
in one or more related transactions specified in SECTION 11(C)(I)(III) to more
than one Person, the "Surviving Person" in such case shall mean the Person that
acquired assets of the Company or its Subsidiaries with the greatest fair market
value in such transaction or transactions.
"TRADING DAY" shall mean a day on which the principal national securities
exchange (or principal recognized foreign stock exchange, as the case may be) on
which any Common Shares, other securities or Rights, as the case may be, are
listed or admitted to trading is open for the transaction of business, or if the
securities or Rights in question are not listed or admitted to trading on any
national securities exchange (or recognized foreign stock exchange, as the case
may be), a Business Day.
SECTION 2. APPOINTMENT OF RIGHTS AGENT.
The Company hereby appoints the Rights Agent to act as agent for the
Company in accordance with the terms and conditions hereof, and the Rights Agent
hereby accepts such appointment. The Company may from time to time appoint one
or more co-Rights Agents as it may deem necessary or desirable (the term "Rights
Agent" being used herein to refer, collectively, to the Rights Agent together
with any such co-Rights Agents). In the event the Company appoints one or more
co-Rights Agents, the respective duties of the Rights Agent and any co-Rights
Agents shall be as the Company shall determine.
SECTION 3. ISSUE OF RIGHTS AND RIGHT CERTIFICATES.
(a) One Right shall be associated with (i) each Common Share outstanding
on the Record Date, (ii) each additional Common Share that shall become
outstanding between the Record Date and the earliest of the Distribution Date,
the Redemption Date or the Expiration Date and (iii) each additional Common
Share with which Rights are issued after the Distribution Date but prior to the
earlier of the Redemption Date or the Expiration Date as provided in SECTION 23;
PROVIDED, HOWEVER, that if the number of outstanding Rights are
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combined into a smaller number of outstanding Rights pursuant to SECTION 12(a),
the appropriate fractional Right determined pursuant to such Section shall
thereafter be associated with each such Common Share.
(b) The Rights will separate from the Common Stock (and a "Distribution
Date" will occur) upon the earlier of (i) ten days following a public
announcement that a Person has become an Acquiring Person, (ii) ten Business
Days following the commencement of, or first public disclosure of an intent to
commence, a tender or exchange offer by any Person (other than by an Exempt
Person) for outstanding Common Shares, if upon consummation of such tender or
exchange offer such Person could be the Beneficial Owner of more than 20% of the
outstanding Common Shares, or (iii) such later date, not later than the 30th day
after an event described in clause (i) or (ii), as the Board of Directors may
determine. Until the occurrence of such a Distribution Date, (x) the Rights will
be evidenced by the certificates for Common Shares registered in the names of
the holders thereof and not by separate Right Certificates and (y) the Rights,
including the right to receive Right Certificates, will be transferable only in
connection with the transfer of Common Shares. As soon as practicable after the
Distribution Date, the Rights Agent will send, by first-class, postage-prepaid
mail, to each record holder of Common Shares as of the Distribution Date, at the
address of such holder shown on the records of the Company, a Right Certificate
evidencing one whole Right for each Common Share (or for the number of Common
Shares with which one whole Right is then associated if the number of Rights per
Common Share has been adjusted in accordance with the provisions of SECTION
12(A)). If the number of Rights associated with each Common Share has been
adjusted in accordance with the provisions of SECTION 12(A), at the time of
distribution of the Right Certificates the Company may make any necessary and
appropriate rounding adjustments so that Right Certificates representing only
whole numbers of Rights are distributed and cash is paid in lieu of any
fractional Right in accordance with SECTION 15(A). As of and after the
Distribution Date, the Rights will be evidenced solely by such Right
Certificates.
(c) As promptly as practicable following the Record Date, the Company will
send a copy of a Summary of the Rights to Purchase Preferred Stock, in
substantially the form attached hereto as EXHIBIT C, to each record holder of
the Common Stock as of the Close of Business on the Record Date, at the address
of such holder shown on the records of the Company. With respect to any
certificate for Common Shares, until the earliest of the Distribution Date, the
Redemption Date or the Expiration Date, the Rights associated with the Common
Shares represented by any such certificate shall be evidenced by such
certificate alone, the registered holders of the Common Shares shall also be the
registered holders of the associated Rights and the surrender for transfer of
any such certificate shall also constitute the transfer of the Rights associated
with the Common Shares represented thereby.
(d) Certificates issued for Common Shares after the Record Date
(including, without limitation, upon transfer or exchange of outstanding Common
Shares), but prior to the earliest of the Distribution Date, the Redemption Date
or the Expiration Date, shall have printed on, written on or otherwise affixed
to them the following legend:
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This certificate also evidences and entitles the holder hereof to
certain Rights as set forth in a Rights Agreement dated as of October 29,
1999, as it may be amended from time to time (the "Rights Agreement"),
between Packaged Ice, Inc. (the "Company") and American Stock Transfer &
Trust Company, as Rights Agent (the "Rights Agent"), the terms of which
are hereby incorporated herein by reference and a copy of which is on file
at the principal executive offices of the Company. Under certain
circumstances, as set forth in the Rights Agreement, such Rights will be
evidenced by separate certificates and will no longer be evidenced by this
certificate. The Rights Agent will mail to the holder of this certificate
a copy of the Rights Agreement without charge after receipt of a written
request therefor. Under certain circumstances set forth in the Rights
Agreement, Rights issued to, or beneficially owned by any Person who is,
was or becomes an Acquiring Persons or any Affiliate or Associate thereof
(as such terms are defined in the Rights Agreement) and by any subsequent
holder may become null and void and nontransferable.
Notwithstanding this paragraph (d), the omission of a legend shall not
affect the enforceability of any part of this Rights Agreement or the rights of
any holder of Rights.
SECTION 4. FORM OF RIGHT CERTIFICATES.
The Right Certificates (and the form of election to purchase and form of
assignment to be printed on the reverse side thereof) shall be in substantially
the form set forth as EXHIBIT B and may have such marks of identification or
designation and such legends, summaries or endorsements printed thereon as the
Company may deem appropriate and as are not inconsistent with the provisions of
this Rights Agreement, or as may be required to comply with any applicable law
or with any rule or regulation made pursuant thereto or with any rule or
regulation of any stock exchange on which the Rights may from time to time be
listed, or to conform to usage. Subject to the provisions of SECTIONS 7, 11 AND
23, the Right Certificates, whenever issued, shall be dated as of the
Distribution Date, and on their face shall entitle the holders thereof to
purchase such number of one one-thousandth (1/1,000th)of Preferred Shares as
shall be set forth therein for the Purchase Price set forth therein, but the
amount and type of securities purchasable upon the exercise of each Right and
the Purchase Price thereof shall be subject to adjustment from time to time as
herein provided.
SECTION 5. EXECUTION, COUNTERSIGNATURE AND REGISTRATION.
(a) The Right Certificates shall be executed on behalf of the Company by
its Chief Executive Officer, President, the Chief Financial Officer, or a Vice
President (whether preceded by any additional title) of the Company, either
manually or by facsimile signature, and shall have affixed thereto the Company's
seal or a facsimile thereof which shall be attested to by the Secretary or an
Assistant Secretary of the Company, either manually or by facsimile signature
(the omissions of the corporate seal, however, shall not affect the validity of
the Right Certificates). The Right Certificates shall be countersigned by the
Rights Agent and shall not be valid or obligatory for any purpose unless so
countersigned. In case any officer of the Company who shall have signed any of
the Right Certificates shall cease to be such an
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officer of the Company before countersignature by the Rights Agent and issuance
and delivery by the Company, such Right Certificates may nevertheless be
countersigned by the Rights Agent and issued and delivered by the Company with
the same force and effect as though the person who signed such Right
Certificates had not ceased to be such an officer of the Company; and any Right
Certificate may be signed on behalf of the Company by any person who, at the
actual date of execution of such Right Certificate, shall be a proper officer of
the Company to sign such Right Certificate, although at the date of execution of
this Rights Agreement any such person was not such an officer of the Company.
(b) Following the Distribution Date, the Rights Agent will keep or cause
to be kept, at its principal office or offices designated as the appropriate
place for surrender of Right Certificates upon exercise or transfer, books for
registration and transfer of the Right Certificates issued hereunder. Such books
shall show the names and addresses of the respective holders of the Right
Certificates, the number of Rights evidenced by each of the Right Certificates,
the certificate number of each of the Right Certificates and the date of each of
the Right Certificates.
SECTION 6. TRANSFER, SPLIT-UP, COMBINATION AND EXCHANGE OF RIGHT
CERTIFICATES; MUTILATED, DESTROYED, LOST OR STOLEN RIGHT CERTIFICATES;
UNCERTIFICATED RIGHTS.
(a) Subject to the provisions of SECTIONS 7(E) AND 15, at any time after
the Distribution Date, and at or prior to the Close of Business on the earlier
of the Redemption Date or the Expiration Date, any Right Certificate or Right
Certificates may be transferred, split-up, combined or exchanged for another
Right Certificate or Right Certificates representing, in the aggregate, the same
number of Rights as the Right Certificate or Right Certificates surrendered then
represented. Any registered holder desiring to transfer, split-up, combine or
exchange any Right Certificate shall make such request in writing delivered to
the Rights Agent and shall surrender the Right Certificate or Right Certificates
to be transferred, split-up, combined or exchanged at the principal office of
the Rights Agent; PROVIDED, HOWEVER, that neither the Rights Agent nor the
Company shall be obligated to take any action whatsoever with respect to the
transfer of any Right Certificate surrendered for transfer until the registered
holder shall have completed and signed the certification contained in the form
of assignment on the reverse side of such Right Certificate and shall have
provided such additional evidence of the identity of the Beneficial Owner (or
former Beneficial Owner) or Affiliates or Associates thereof as the Company
shall reasonably request. Thereupon the Rights Agent shall, subject to SECTIONS
7(E) AND 15, countersign and deliver to the Person entitled thereto a Right
Certificate or Right Certificates, as the case may be, as so requested. The
Company may require payment of a sum sufficient to cover any tax or governmental
charge that may be imposed in connection with any transfer, split-up,
combination or exchange of Right Certificates.
(b) Upon receipt by the Company and the Rights Agent of evidence
reasonably satisfactory to them of the loss, theft, destruction or mutilation of
a valid Right Certificate, and, in case of loss, theft or destruction, of
indemnity or security reasonably satisfactory to
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them, and, at the Company's request, reimbursement to the Company and the Rights
Agent of all reasonable expenses incidental thereto, and upon surrender to the
Rights Agent and cancellation of the Right Certificate if mutilated, the Company
will make a new Right Certificate of like tenor and deliver such new Right
Certificate to the Rights Agent for delivery to the registered owner in lieu of
the Right Certificate so lost, stolen, destroyed or mutilated.
(c) Notwithstanding any other provision hereof, the Company and the Rights
Agent may amend this Rights Agreement to provide for uncertificated Rights in
addition to or in place of Rights evidenced by Right Certificates.
SECTION 7. EXERCISE OF RIGHTS; EXPIRATION DATE OF RIGHTS.
(a) Subject to SECTION 7(E) and except as otherwise provided herein
(including SECTION 11), each Right shall entitle the registered holder thereof,
upon exercise thereof as provided herein, to purchase for the Purchase Price, at
any time after the Distribution Date and at or prior to the earlier of (i) the
Close of Business on November 9, 2009 (the Close of Business on such date being
the "Expiration Date"), or (ii) the Redemption Date, one one-thousandth
(1/1,000th) of a Preferred Share, subject to adjustment from time to time as
provided in SECTIONS 11 AND 12.
(b) The registered holder of any Right Certificate may exercise the Rights
evidenced thereby (except as otherwise provided herein) in whole or in part at
any time after the Distribution Date, upon surrender of the Right Certificate,
with the form of election to purchase and the certificate on the reverse side
thereof duly executed, to the Rights Agent at the Rights Agent's office or
offices designated as the appropriate place for surrender of Right Certificates
upon exercise or transfer, together with payment of the aggregate Purchase Price
with respect to the total number of one one-thousandth (1/1,000th) of a
Preferred Share (or other securities, cash or other assets, as the case may be)
as to which the Rights are exercised, at or prior to the earlier of (i) the
Expiration Date or (ii) the Redemption Date.
(c) Upon receipt of a Right Certificate representing exercisable Rights,
with the form of election to purchase and the certificate on the reverse side
thereof duly executed, accompanied by payment of the Purchase Price for the
Preferred Shares to be purchased together with an amount equal to any applicable
transfer tax, in lawful money of the United States of America, in cash or by
certified check or money order payable to the order of the Company, the Rights
Agent shall thereupon (i) either (A) promptly requisition from any transfer
agent of the Preferred Shares (or make available, if the Rights Agent is the
transfer agent) certificates for the total number of one one-thousandth
(1/1,000th) of Preferred Shares to be purchased and the Company hereby
irrevocably authorizes its transfer agent to comply with all such requests or
(B) if the Company shall have elected to deposit the Preferred Shares with a
depositary agent under a depositary arrangement, promptly requisition from the
depositary agent depositary receipts representing the total number of one
one-thousandth (1/1,000th)of Preferred Shares to be purchased (in which case
certificates for the Preferred Shares to be represented by such receipts shall
be deposited by the transfer agent with the depositary agent) and the Company
will direct the depositary agent to comply with all such requests, (ii) when
11
appropriate, promptly requisition from the Company the amount of cash to be paid
in lieu of the issuance of fractional Rights or shares in accordance with
SECTION 15, (iii) promptly after receipt of such certificates or depositary
receipts, cause the same to be delivered to or upon the order of the registered
holder of such Right Certificate, registered in such name or names as may be
designated by such holder and (iv) when appropriate, after receipt promptly
deliver such cash to or upon the order of the registered holder of such Right
Certificate. In the event that the Company is obligated to issue other
securities (including Common Stock) of the Company, pay cash and/or distribute
other property pursuant to Section 11 hereof, the Company will make all
arrangements necessary so that such other securities, cash and/or other property
are available for distribution by the Rights Agent, if and when appropriate.
(d) In case the registered holder of any Right Certificate shall exercise
fewer than all the Rights evidenced thereby, a new Right Certificate evidencing
Rights equivalent to the Rights remaining unexercised shall be issued by the
Rights Agent and shall be delivered to the registered holder of such Right
Certificate or to his duly authorized assigns, subject to the provisions of
SECTION 15.
(e) Notwithstanding anything in this Rights Agreement to the contrary, any
Rights that are at any time beneficially owned by: (i) an Acquiring Person or
any Affiliate or Associate of an Acquiring Person, (ii) a transferee of an
Acquiring Person (or of any such Associate or Affiliate) who becomes a
transferee after the Acquiring Person becomes such, or (iii) a transferee of an
Acquiring Person (or of any such Associate or Affiliate) who becomes a
transferee prior to or concurrently with the Acquiring Person becoming such and
receives such Rights pursuant to either (A) a transfer (whether or not for
consideration) from the Acquiring Person (or its Associates or Affiliates) to
holders of equity interests in such Acquiring Person (or its Affiliates or
Associates) or to any Person with whom such Acquiring Person has any continuing
agreement, arrangement or understanding regarding the transferred Rights or (B)
a transfer which the Board of Directors of the Company has determined is part of
a plan, arrangement or understanding which has a primary purpose or effect of
avoidance of this SECTION 7(E), shall in each such case be null and void and
nontransferable, and any holder of any such Right (including any purported
transferee or subsequent holder) shall not have any right to exercise or
transfer any such Right. No Right Certificate shall be issued pursuant to
SECTION 3 that represents Rights beneficially owned by an Acquiring Person whose
Rights would be void pursuant to this paragraph or any Associate or Affiliate
thereof; no Right Certificate shall be issued at any time upon the transfer of
any Rights to an Acquiring Person whose Rights would be void pursuant to this
paragraph or any Associate or Affiliate thereof or to any nominee of such
Acquiring Person, Associate or Affiliate; and any Right certificate delivered to
the Rights Agent for transfer to an Acquiring Person whose Rights would be void
pursuant to this paragraph shall be canceled
(f) Notwithstanding anything in this Rights Agreement to the contrary,
neither the Rights Agent nor the Company shall be obligated to undertake any
action with respect to a registered holder of any Right Certificates upon the
occurrence of any purported exercise as set forth in this SECTION 7 unless such
registered holder shall have (i) completed and signed the certificate contained
in the form of election to purchase set forth on the reverse side of the
12
Right Certificate surrendered for such exercise and (ii) provided such
additional evidence of the identity of the Beneficial Owner (or former
Beneficial Owner) or Affiliates or Associates thereof as the Company shall
reasonably request.
(g) The Company may temporarily suspend, for a period of time not to
exceed 90 calendar days after the Distribution Date, the exercisability of the
Rights in order to prepare and file a registration statement under the
Securities Act, on an appropriate form, with respect to the Preferred Shares
purchasable upon exercise of the Rights and permit such registration statement
to become effective; PROVIDED, HOWEVER, that no such suspension shall remain
effective after, and the Rights shall without any further action by the Company
or any other Person become exercisable immediately upon, the effectiveness of
such registration statement. Upon any such suspension, the Company shall issue a
public announcement stating that the exercisability of the Rights has been
temporarily suspended and shall issue a further public announcement at such time
as the suspension is no longer in effect. Notwithstanding any provision herein
to the contrary, the Rights shall not be exercisable in any jurisdiction if the
requisite qualification under the blue sky or securities laws of such
jurisdiction shall not have been obtained or the exercise of the Rights shall
not be permitted under applicable law. No such temporary suspension nor any
failure by the Company to effectuate such a registration under the Securities
Act or blue sky or securities laws of any such jurisdiction shall impair or
otherwise adversely affect the contractual rights represented by such Rights.
SECTION 8. CANCELLATION AND DESTRUCTION OF RIGHT CERTIFICATES.
All Right Certificates surrendered or presented for the purpose of
exercise, transfer, split-up, combination or exchange shall, and any Right
Certificate representing Rights that have become null and void and
nontransferable pursuant to SECTION 7(E) surrendered or presented for any
purpose shall, if surrendered or presented to the Company or to any of its
agents, be delivered to the Rights Agent for cancellation or in canceled form,
or, if surrendered or presented to the Rights Agent, shall be canceled by it,
and no Right Certificates shall be issued in lieu thereof except as expressly
permitted by this Rights Agreement. The Company shall deliver to the Rights
Agent for cancellation and retirement, and the Rights Agent shall so cancel and
retire, any Right Certificate purchased or acquired by the Company. The Rights
Agent shall deliver all canceled Right Certificates to the Company, or shall, at
the written request of the Company, destroy such canceled Right Certificates,
and in such case shall deliver a certificate of destruction thereof to the
Company.
SECTION 9. RESERVATION AND AVAILABILITY OF PREFERRED SHARES.
(a) The Company covenants and agrees that it will cause to be reserved and
kept available out of its authorized and unissued Preferred Shares or any
authorized and issued Preferred Shares held in its treasury, free from
preemptive rights or any right of first refusal, a number of Preferred Shares
sufficient to permit the exercise in full of all outstanding Rights.
(b) In the event that there shall not be sufficient Preferred Shares
authorized but unissued, or issued but not outstanding, to permit the exercise
or exchange of Rights in accordance with SECTION 11, the Company covenants and
agrees that it will take all such action
13
as may be necessary to authorize additional Preferred Shares for issuance upon
the exercise or exchange of Rights pursuant to SECTION 11; PROVIDED, HOWEVER,
that if the Company is unable to cause the authorization of additional Preferred
Shares, then the Company shall, or in lieu of seeking any such authorization,
the Company may, to the extent necessary and permitted by applicable law and any
agreements or instruments in effect prior to the Distribution Date to which it
is a party: (A) upon surrender of a Right, pay cash equal to the Purchase Price
in lieu of issuing Preferred Shares and requiring payment therefor, (B) upon due
exercise of a Right and payment of the Purchase Price for each one
one-thousandth (1/1,000th) of a Preferred Share as to which such Right is
exercised, issue equity securities having a value equal to the value of the
Preferred Shares which otherwise would have been issuable pursuant to SECTION
11, which value shall be determined by a nationally recognized investment
banking firm selected by the Board of Directors of the Company or (C) upon due
exercise of a Right and payment of the Purchase Price for each one
one-thousandth (1/1,000th) of a Preferred Share as to which such Right is
exercised, distribute a combination of Preferred Shares, cash or other equity or
debt securities having an aggregate value equal to the value of the Preferred
Shares which otherwise would have been issuable pursuant to SECTION 11, which
value shall be determined by a nationally recognized investment banking firm
selected by the Board of Directors of the Company. To the extent that any legal
or contractual restrictions (pursuant to agreements or instruments in effect
prior to the Distribution Date to which the Company is party) prevent the
Company from paying the full amount payable in accordance with the foregoing
sentence, the Company shall pay to holders of the Rights as to which such
payments are being made all amounts which are not then restricted on a pro rata
basis as such payments become permissible under such legal or contractual
restrictions until such payments have been paid in full.
(c) The Company covenants and agrees that it will take all such action as
may be necessary to ensure that all Preferred Shares delivered upon exercise or
exchange of Rights shall, at the time of delivery of the certificates for such
Preferred Shares (subject to payment of the Purchase Price), be duly and validly
authorized and issued and fully paid and nonassessable shares.
(d) So long as the Preferred Shares issuable upon the exercise or exchange
of Rights are to be listed on any national securities exchange, the Company
covenants and agrees to use its best efforts to cause, from and after such time
as the Rights become exercisable or exchangeable, all Preferred Shares reserved
for such issuance to be listed on such securities exchange upon official notice
of issuance upon such exercise or exchange.
(e) The Company further covenants and agrees that it will pay when due and
payable any and all federal and state transfer taxes and charges which may be
payable in respect of the issuance or delivery of Right Certificates or of any
Preferred Shares or Common Shares or other securities upon the exercise or
exchange of the Rights. The Company shall not, however, be required to pay for
any transfer or delivery of Right Certificates to a Person other than, or in
respect of the issuance or delivery of certificates for the Preferred Shares or
Common Shares or other securities, as the case may be, in a name other than that
of, the registered holder of the Right Certificate evidencing Rights surrendered
for exercise or exchange or to issue or deliver any certificates for Preferred
Shares or Common Shares or
14
other securities, as the case may be, upon the exercise or exchange of any
Rights until any such tax shall have been paid (any such tax being payable by
the holder of such Right Certificate at the time of surrender) or until it has
been established to the Company's satisfaction that no such tax is due.
SECTION 10. PREFERRED SHARES RECORD DATE.
Each Person in whose name any certificate for Preferred Shares or Common
Shares or other securities is issued upon the exercise or exchange of Rights
shall for all purposes be deemed to have become the holder of record of the
Preferred Shares or Common Shares or other securities, as the case may be,
represented thereby on, and such certificate shall be dated, the date upon which
the Right Certificate evidencing such Rights was duly surrendered and payment of
any Purchase Price (and any applicable transfer taxes) was made; PROVIDED,
HOWEVER, that, if the date of such surrender and payment is a date upon which
the transfer books of the Company for the Preferred Shares or Common Shares or
other securities, as the case may be, are closed, such Person shall be deemed to
have become the record holder of such Preferred Shares or Common Shares or other
securities, as the case may be, on, and such certificate shall be dated, the
next succeeding Business Day on which the transfer books of the Company for the
Preferred Shares or Common Shares or other securities, as the case may be, are
open.
SECTION 11. ADJUSTMENTS IN RIGHTS AFTER THERE IS AN ACQUIRING PERSON;
EXCHANGE OF RIGHTS FOR SHARES; BUSINESS COMBINATIONS.
(a) Subject to SECTION 24 of this Rights Agreement, upon a Person becoming
an Acquiring Person, proper provision shall be made so that each holder of a
Right, except as provided in SECTION 7(E), shall thereafter have a right to
receive, upon exercise thereof for the Purchase Price in accordance with the
terms of SECTION 7 and other pertinent terms of this Rights Agreement, such
number of one one-thousandths (1/1,000ths) of a Preferred Share as shall equal
the result obtained by multiplying the Purchase Price by a fraction, the
numerator of which is the number of one one-thousandths (1/1,000ths) of a
Preferred Share for which a Right had then been exercisable (disregarding the
effect of this SECTION 11(A)) and the denominator of which is 50% of the Market
Value of the Common Shares of the Company on the date on which a Person becomes
an Acquiring Person. As soon as practicable after a Person becomes an Acquiring
Person (provided the Company shall not have elected to make the exchange
permitted by SECTION 11(B)(I) for all outstanding Rights) and the occurrence of
a Distribution Date in connection therewith, the Company covenants and agrees to
use its best efforts to:
(I) prepare and file a registration statement under the Securities
Act, on an appropriate form, with respect to the Preferred Shares purchasable
upon exercise of the Rights;
(II) cause such registration statement to become effective as soon
as practicable after such filing;
15
(III) cause such registration statement to remain effective (with a
prospectus at all times meeting the requirements of the Securities Act) until
the Expiration Date; and
(IV) qualify or register the Preferred Shares purchasable upon
exercise of the Rights under the blue sky or securities laws of such
jurisdictions as may be necessary or appropriate.
(b) (I) The Board of Directors of the Company may, at its option, at any
time after a Person becomes an Acquiring Person, mandatorily exchange all or
part of the then outstanding and exercisable Rights (which shall not include
Rights that shall have become null and void and nontransferable pursuant to the
provisions of SECTION 7(E)) for consideration per Right consisting of either
one-half of the securities that would be issuable at such time upon the exercise
of one Right in accordance with SECTION 11(A) or, if applicable, SECTION 9(B)(B)
OR (C) or, if applicable, the cash consideration specified in SECTION 9(B)(A)
(the consideration issuable per Right pursuant to this SECTION 11(b)(I) being
the "Exchange Consideration"). The Board of Directors of the Company may, at its
option, issue, in substitution for Preferred Shares, Common Shares in an amount
per Preferred Share equal to the Formula Number (as defined in the Certificate
of Designation) if there are sufficient Common Shares of the Company authorized
but unissued, or issued but not outstanding. If the Board of Directors of the
Company elects to exchange all the Rights for Exchange Consideration pursuant to
this SECTION 11(B)(I) prior to the physical distribution of the Right
Certificates (or, in the event that the Board of Directors of the Company shall
have elected to issue uncertificated Rights pursuant to SECTION 6(C) hereof),
the Company may distribute the Exchange Consideration in lieu of distributing
Right Certificates, in which case for purposes of this Rights Agreement holders
of Rights shall be deemed to have simultaneously surrendered for exchange Right
Certificates and the Rights represented thereby on the date of such
distribution.
(II) Any action of the Board of Directors of the Company ordering
the exchange of any Rights pursuant to SECTION 11(B)(I) shall be irrevocable
and, immediately upon the taking of such action and without any further action
and without any notice, the right to exercise any such Right pursuant to SECTION
11(A) shall terminate and the only right thereafter of a holder of such Right
shall be to receive the Exchange Consideration in exchange for each such Right
held by such holder or, if the Exchange Consideration shall not have been paid
or issued, to exercise any such Right pursuant to SECTION 11(C)(I). The Company
shall promptly give public notice of any such exchange; PROVIDED, HOWEVER, that
the failure to give, or any defect in, such notice shall not affect the validity
of such exchange. The Company promptly shall mail a notice of any such exchange
to all holders of such Rights at their last addresses as they appear upon the
registry books of the Rights Agent. Any notice which is mailed in the manner
herein provided shall be deemed given, whether or not the holder receives the
notice. Each such notice of exchange will state the method by which the exchange
of the Rights for the Exchange Consideration will be effected and, in the event
of any partial exchange, the number of Rights which will be exchanged. Any
partial exchange shall be effected pro rata based on the number of Rights (other
than Rights which shall have become null and void and nontransferable pursuant
to the provisions of SECTION 7(E)) held by each holder of Rights.
16
(c) (I) In the event that, following a Distribution Date, directly or
indirectly, any transactions specified in the following clause (i), (ii) or
(iii) of this SECTION 11(C) (each such transaction being a "Business
Combination") shall be consummated:
(i) the Company shall consolidate with, or merge with and
into, any Acquiring Person or any Affiliate or Associate of an Acquiring Person;
(ii) any Acquiring Person or any Affiliate or Associate of an
Acquiring Person shall merge with and into the Company and, in connection with
such merger, all or part of the Common Shares of the Company shall be changed
into or exchanged for capital stock or other securities of the Company or of any
Acquiring Person or Affiliate or Associate of an Acquiring Person or cash or any
other property; or
(iii) the Company shall sell, lease, exchange or otherwise
transfer or dispose of (or one or more of its Subsidiaries shall sell, lease,
exchange or otherwise transfer or dispose of), in one or more transactions, the
Major Part of the assets of the Company and its subsidiaries (taken as a whole)
to any Acquiring Person;
then, in each such case, proper provision shall be made so that each holder of a
Right (other than Rights which shall have become null and void and
nontransferable pursuant to the provisions of SECTION 7(E)), shall thereafter
have the right to receive, upon the exercise thereof for the Purchase Price in
accordance with the terms of this Rights Agreement, the securities specified
below (or, at such holder's option, the securities specified IN SECTION 11(A)):
(A) If the Principal Party in such Business Combination
has Registered Common Shares outstanding, each Right shall thereafter represent
the right to receive, upon the exercise thereof and payment of the Purchase
Price in accordance with the terms of this Rights Agreement, such number of
Registered Common Shares of such Principal Party, free and clear of all liens,
encumbrances or other adverse claims, as shall have an aggregate Market Value
equal to the result obtained by multiplying the Purchase Price by two;
(B) If the Principal Party involved in such Business
Combination does not have Registered Common Shares outstanding, each Right shall
thereafter represent the right to receive, upon the exercise thereof and payment
of the Purchase Price in accordance with the terms of this Rights Agreement, at
the election of the holder of such Right at the time of the exercise thereof,
any of:
(1) such number of Common Shares of the Surviving
Person in such Business Combination as shall have an aggregate Book Value
immediately after giving effect to such Business Combination equal to the result
obtained by multiplying the Purchase Price by two;
(2) such number of Common Shares of the Principal
Party in such Business Combination (if the Principal Party is not also the
Surviving Person in such Business Combination) as shall have an aggregate Book
Value immediately after giving
17
effect to such Business Combination equal to the result obtained by multiplying
the Purchase Price by two; or
(3) if the Principal Party in such Business
Combination is an Affiliate of one or more Persons which has Registered Common
Shares outstanding, such number of Registered Common Shares of whichever of such
Affiliates of the Principal Party has Registered Common Shares with the greatest
aggregate Market Value on the date of consummation of such Business Combination
as shall have an aggregate Market Value on the date of such Business Combination
equal to the result obtained by multiplying the Purchase Price by two.
(II) The Company shall not consummate any Business Combination
unless each issuer of Common Shares for which Rights may be exercised, as set
forth in this SECTION 11(C), shall have sufficient authorized Common Shares that
have not been issued or reserved for issuance (and which shall, when issued upon
exercise thereof in accordance with this Rights Agreement, be validly issued,
fully paid and nonassessable and free of preemptive rights, rights of first
refusal or any other restrictions or limitations on the transfer or ownership
thereof) to permit the exercise in full of the Rights in accordance with this
SECTION 11(C) and unless prior thereto:
(i) a registration statement under the Securities Act on an
appropriate form, with respect to the Rights and the Common Shares of such
issuer purchasable upon exercise of the Rights, shall be effective under the
Securities Act; and
(ii) the Company and each such issuer shall have:
(A) executed and delivered to the Rights Agent a
supplemental agreement providing for the assumption by such issuer of the
obligations set forth in this SECTION 11(C) (including the obligation of such
issuer to issue Common Shares upon the exercise of Rights in accordance with the
terms set forth in SECTIONS 11(C)(I) and 11(C)(III) and further providing that
such issuer, at its own expense, will use its best efforts to:
(1) cause a registration statement under the
Securities Act on an appropriate form, with respect to the Rights and the Common
Shares of such issuer purchasable upon exercise of the Rights, to remain
effective (with a prospectus at all times meeting the requirements of the
Securities Act) until the Expiration Date;
(2) qualify or register the Rights and the Common
Shares of such issuer purchasable upon exercise of the Rights under the blue sky
or securities laws of such jurisdictions as may be necessary or appropriate; and
(3) list the Rights and the Common Shares of such
issuer purchasable upon exercise of the Rights on each national securities
exchange on which the Common Shares of such issuer were listed prior to the
consummation of the Business Combination or, if the Common Shares of such issuer
were not listed on a national securities
18
exchange prior to the consummation of the Business Combination, on a national
securities exchange;
(B) furnished to the Rights Agent a written opinion of
independent counsel stating that such supplemental agreement is a valid, binding
and enforceable agreement of such issuer; and
(C) filed with the Rights Agent a certificate of a
nationally recognized firm of independent accountants setting forth the number
of Common Shares of such issuer which may be purchased upon the exercise of each
Right after the consummation of such Business Combination.
(III) After consummation of any Business Combination and subject to
the provisions of SECTION 11(C)(II), (i) each issuer of Common Shares for which
Rights may be exercised as set forth in this SECTION 11(C) shall be liable for,
and shall assume, by virtue of such Business Combination, all the obligations
and duties of the Company pursuant to this Rights Agreement, (ii) the term
"Company" shall thereafter be deemed to refer to such issuer, (iii) each such
issuer shall take such steps in connection with such consummation as may be
necessary to assure that the provisions hereof (including the provisions OF
SECTIONS 11(A) AND 11(C)) shall thereafter be applicable, as nearly as
reasonably may be, in relation to its Common Shares thereafter deliverable upon
the exercise of the Rights, and (iv) the number of Common Shares of each such
issuer thereafter receivable upon exercise of any Right shall be subject to
adjustment from time to time in a manner and on terms as nearly equivalent as
practicable to the provisions of SECTIONS 11 AND 12, and the provisions of
SECTIONS 7, 9 AND 10 with respect to the Preferred Shares shall apply, as nearly
as reasonably may be, on like terms to any such Common Shares.
SECTION 12. CERTAIN ADJUSTMENTS.
(a) To preserve the actual or potential economic value of the Rights, if
at any time after the date of this Rights Agreement there shall be any change in
the Common Shares of the Company (including any entity regarded as such pursuant
to SECTION 11(C)(III) hereof) or the Preferred Shares, whether by reason of
stock dividends, stock splits, recapitalization, mergers, consolidations,
combinations or exchanges of securities, split-ups, split-offs, spin-offs,
liquidations, other similar changes in capitalization, any distribution or
issuance of cash, assets, evidences of indebtedness or subscription rights,
options or warrants to holders of Common Shares of the Company (including any
entity regarded as such pursuant to SECTION 11(C)(III) hereof) or Preferred
Shares, as the case may be (other than distribution of the Rights or any regular
periodic cash dividends established from time to time by the Board of Directors
of the Company) or otherwise, then, in each such event the Board of Directors of
the Company shall make such appropriate adjustments in the number of Preferred
Shares (or the number and kind of other securities) issuable upon exercise of
each Right, the Purchase Price and Redemption Price in effect at such time and
the number of Rights outstanding at such time (including the number of Rights or
fractional Rights associated with each Common Share)
19
such that following such adjustment such event shall not have had the effect of
reducing or limiting the benefits the holders of the Rights would have had
absent such event.
(b) If, as a result of an adjustment made pursuant to SECTION 12(A), the
holder of any Right thereafter exercised shall become entitled to receive any
securities other than Preferred Shares, thereafter the number of such securities
so receivable upon exercise of any Right shall be subject to adjustment from
time to time in a manner and on terms as nearly equivalent as practicable to the
provisions of SECTIONS 11 AND 12 and the provisions of SECTIONS 7, 9 AND 10 with
respect to the Preferred Shares shall apply, as nearly as reasonably may be, on
like terms to any such other securities.
(c) All Rights originally issued by the Company subsequent to any
adjustment made to the amount of Preferred Shares or other securities relating
to a Right shall evidence the right to purchase, for the Purchase Price, the
adjusted number and kind of securities purchasable from time to time hereunder
upon exercise of the Rights, all subject to further adjustment as provided
herein.
(d) Irrespective of any adjustment or change in the Purchase Price or the
number of Preferred Shares or number or kind of other securities issuable upon
the exercise of the Rights, the Right Certificates theretofore and thereafter
issued may continue to express the terms which were expressed in the initial
Right Certificates issued hereunder.
(e) In any case in which action taken pursuant to SECTION 12(A) requires
that an adjustment be made effective as of a record date for a specified event,
the Company may elect to defer until the occurrence of such event the issuance
to the holder of any Right exercised after such record date of the Preferred
Shares or other securities, if any, issuable upon such exercise over and above
the Preferred Shares or other securities, if any, issuable before giving effect
to such adjustment; PROVIDED, HOWEVER, that the Company shall deliver to such
holder a due ββββ or other appropriate instrument evidencing such holder's right
to receive such additional securities upon the occurrence of the event requiring
such adjustment.
SECTION 13. CERTIFICATE OF ADJUSTMENT.
Whenever an adjustment is made as provided in SECTION 11 OR 12, the
Company shall (a) promptly prepare a certificate setting forth such adjustment
and a brief statement of the facts accounting for such adjustment, (b) promptly
file with the Rights Agent and with each transfer agent for the Preferred Shares
a copy of such certificate and (c) mail a brief summary thereof to each holder
of a Right Certificate (or, prior to the Distribution Date, to each holder of
the Common Shares of the Company) in accordance with SECTION 25. Notwithstanding
the foregoing sentence, the failure of the Company to give such notice shall not
affect the validity of or the force or effect of or the requirement for such
adjustment. The Rights Agent shall be fully protected in relying on any such
certificate and on any adjustment therein contained.
20
SECTION 14. ADDITIONAL COVENANTS.
(a) Notwithstanding any other provision of this Rights Agreement, no
adjustment to the number of Preferred Shares (or fractions of a share) or other
securities for which a Right is exercisable or to the number of Rights
outstanding or associated with each Common Share or any similar or other
adjustment shall be made or be effective if such adjustment would have the
effect of reducing or limiting the benefits the holders of the Rights would have
had absent such adjustment, including, without limitation, the benefits under
SECTIONS 11 AND 12, unless the terms of this Rights Agreement are amended so as
to preserve such benefits.
(b) The Company covenants and agrees that, after the Distribution Date,
except as permitted by SECTION 26, it will not take (or permit any Subsidiary of
the Company to take) any action if at the time such action is taken it is
intended or reasonably foreseeable that such action will reduce or otherwise
limit the benefits the holders of the Rights would have had absent such action,
including, without limitation, the benefits under SECTIONS 11 AND 12. Any action
taken by the Company during any period after any Person becomes an Acquiring
Person but prior to the Distribution Date shall be null and void unless such
action could be taken under this SECTION 14(B) from and after the Distribution
Date. The Company shall not consummate any Business Combination if any issuer of
Common Shares for which Rights may be exercised after such Business Combination
in accordance with SECTION 11(C) shall have taken any action that reduces or
otherwise limits the benefits the holders of the Rights would have had absent
such action, including, without limitation, the benefits under SECTIONS 11 AND
12.
SECTION 15. FRACTIONAL RIGHTS AND FRACTIONAL SHARES.
(a) The Company may, but shall not be required to, issue fractions of
Rights or distribute Right Certificates which evidence fractional Rights. In
lieu of such fractional Rights, the Company may pay to the registered holders of
the Right Certificates with regard to which such fractional Rights would
otherwise be issuable an amount in cash equal to the same fraction of the
current market value of a whole Right. For purposes of this SECTION 15(A), the
current market value of a whole Right shall be the closing price of the Rights
(as determined pursuant to the second and third sentences of the definition of
Market Value contained in SECTION 1) for the Trading Day immediately prior to
the date on which such fractional Rights would have been otherwise issuable.
(b) The Company may, but shall not be required to, issue fractions of
Preferred Shares upon exercise of the Rights or distribute certificates which
evidence fractional Preferred Shares. In lieu of fractional Preferred Shares,
the Company may elect to (i) utilize a depository arrangement as provided by the
terms of the Preferred Shares or (ii) in the case of a fraction of a Preferred
Share (other than one one-thousandth (1/1,000th) of a Preferred Share or any
integral multiple thereof), pay to the registered holders of Right Certificates
at the time such Rights are exercised as herein provided an amount in cash equal
to the same fraction of the current market value of one Preferred Share, if any
are outstanding and publicly traded (or the Formula Number (as defined in the
Certificate of Designation) times the current market
21
value of one Common Share if the Preferred Shares are not outstanding and
publicly traded). For purposes of this SECTION 15(B), the current market value
of a Preferred Share (or Common Share) shall be the closing price of a Preferred
Share (or Common Share) (as determined pursuant to the second and third sentence
of the definition of Market Value contained in SECTION 1) for the Trading Day
immediately prior to the date of such exercise. If, as a result of an adjustment
made pursuant to SECTION 12(A), the holder of any Right thereafter exercised
shall become entitled to receive any securities other than Preferred Shares, the
provisions of this SECTION 15(B) shall apply, as nearly as reasonably may be, on
like terms to such other securities.
(c) The Company may, but shall not be required to, issue fractions of
Common Shares upon exchange of Rights pursuant to SECTION 11(B), or to
distribute certificates which evidence fractional Common Shares. In lieu of such
fractional Common Shares, the Company may pay to the registered holders of the
Right Certificates with regard to which such fractional Common Shares would
otherwise be issuable an amount in cash equal to the same fraction of the
current Market Value of one Common Share as of the date on which a Person became
an Acquiring Person.
(d) The holder of a Right by the acceptance of the Rights expressly waives
his right to receive any fractional Rights or any fractional shares upon
exercise of a Right except as permitted by this Section 15.
SECTION 16. RIGHTS OF ACTION.
(a) All rights of action in respect of this Rights Agreement are vested
in the respective registered holders of the Right Certificates (and, prior to
the Distribution Date, the registered holders of the Common Shares of the
Company); and any registered holder of any Right Certificate (or, prior to the
Distribution Date, of the Common Shares), without the consent of the Rights
Agent or of the holder of any other Right Certificate (or, prior to the
Distribution Date, of the Common Shares of the Company) may, in his own behalf
and for his own benefit, enforce, and may institute and maintain any suit,
action or proceeding against the Company to enforce, or otherwise act in respect
of, his right to exercise the Rights evidenced by such Right Certificate in the
manner provided in such Right Certificate and in this Rights Agreement. Without
limiting the foregoing or any remedies available to the holders of Rights, it is
specifically acknowledged that the holders of Rights would not have an adequate
remedy at law for any breach of this Rights Agreement and shall be entitled to
specific performance of the obligations of any Person under, and injunctive
relief against, actual or threatened violations of the obligations of any Person
subject to, this Rights Agreement.
(b) Any holder of Rights who prevails in an action to enforce the
provisions of this Rights Agreement shall be entitled to recover the reasonable
costs and expenses, including attorneys' fees, incurred in such action.
22
SECTION 17. TRANSFER AND OWNERSHIP OF RIGHTS AND RIGHT CERTIFICATES.
Every holder of a Right by accepting the same consents and agrees with the
Company and the Rights Agent and with every other holder of a Right that:
(a) Prior to the Distribution Date, the Rights will be transferable only
in connection with the transfer of the Common Shares and the Rights associated
with the Common Shares shall be automatically transferred upon the transfer of
the Common Shares.
(b) After the Distribution Date, the Right Certificates will be
transferable, subject to SECTION 7(E), only on the registry books of the Rights
Agent if surrendered at the principal office of the Rights Agent, duly endorsed
or accompanied by a proper instrument of transfer.
(c) The Company and the Rights Agent may deem and treat the Person in
whose name a Right Certificate (or, prior to the Distribution Date, the
associated Common Shares certificate) is registered as the absolute owner
thereof and of the Rights evidenced thereby (notwithstanding any notations of
ownership or writing on the Right Certificates or the associated certificate for
Common Shares made by anyone other than the Company or the Rights Agent) for all
purposes whatsoever, and neither the Company nor the Rights Agent shall be
affected by any notice to the contrary.
(d) Notwithstanding anything in this Agreement to the contrary, neither
the Company nor the Rights Agent shall have any liability to any holder of a
Right or other Person as a result of its inability to perform any of its
obligations under this Agreement by reason of any preliminary or permanent
injunction or other order, decree or ruling issued by a court of competent
jurisdiction or by a governmental, regulatory or administrative agency or
commission, or any statute, rule, regulation or executive order promulgated or
enacted by any governmental authority, prohibiting or otherwise restraining
performance of such obligation; PROVIDED, HOWEVER, the Company must use its best
efforts to have any such order, decree or ruling lifted or otherwise overturned
as soon as possible.
SECTION 18. RIGHT CERTIFICATE HOLDER NOT DEEMED A STOCKHOLDER. No holder,
as such, of any Right Certificate shall be entitled to vote or receive dividends
or be deemed, for any purpose, the holder of the Preferred Shares or of any
other securities of the Company which may at any time be issuable on the
exercise of the Rights represented thereby, nor shall anything contained herein
or in any Right Certificate be construed to confer upon the holder of any Right
Certificate, as such, any of the rights of a stockholder of the Company,
including, without limitation, any right to vote for the election of directors
or upon any matter submitted to stockholders at any meeting thereof, or to give
or withhold consent to any corporate action, or to receive notice of meetings or
other actions affecting stockholders, or to receive dividends or other
distributions or subscription rights, or otherwise, until the Right or Rights
evidenced by such Right Certificate shall have been exercised in accordance with
the provisions hereof.
23
SECTION 19. CONCERNING THE RIGHTS AGENT.
(a) The Company agrees to pay to the Rights Agent reasonable compensation
for all services rendered by it hereunder and from time to time, on demand of
the Rights Agent, its reasonable expenses and counsel fees and other
disbursements incurred in the administration and execution of this Rights
Agreement and the exercise and performance of its duties hereunder.
(b) The Rights Agent shall be protected and shall incur no liability for
or in respect of any action taken, suffered or omitted by it in connection with
its administration of this Rights Agreement in reliance upon any Right
Certificate or certificate for the Common Shares or for other securities of the
Company, instrument of assignment or transfer, power of attorney, endorsement,
affidavit, letter, notice, direction, consent, certificate, statement, or other
paper or document believed by it to be genuine and to be signed, executed and,
where necessary, certified, verified or acknowledged, by the proper Person or
Persons.
SECTION 20. MERGER OR CONSOLIDATION OR CHANGE OF RIGHTS AGENT.
(a) Any corporation into which the Rights Agent or any successor Rights
Agent may be merged or with which it may be consolidated, or any corporation
resulting from any merger or consolidation to which the Rights Agent or any
successor Rights Agent shall be a party, or any corporation succeeding to the
stock transfer or corporation trust business of the Rights Agent or any
successor Rights Agent, shall be the successor to the Rights Agent under this
Rights Agreement without the execution or filing of any paper or any further act
on the part of any of the parties hereto; PROVIDED that such corporation would
be eligible for appointment as a successor Rights Agent under the provisions of
SECTION 22. In case at the time such successor Rights Agent shall succeed to the
agency created by this Rights Agreement, any of the Right Certificates shall
have been countersigned but not delivered, any such successor Rights Agent may
adopt the countersignature of the predecessor Rights Agent and deliver such
Right Certificates so countersigned; and, in case at that time any of the Right
Certificates shall not have been countersigned, any successive Rights Agent may
countersign such Right Certificates either in the name of the predecessor Rights
Agent or in the name of the successor Rights Agent; and in all such cases such
Right Certificates shall have the full force provided in the Right Certificates
and in this Rights Agreement.
(b) In case at any time the name of the Rights Agent shall be changed and
at such time any of the Right Certificates shall have been countersigned but not
delivered, the Rights Agent may adopt the countersignature under its prior name
and deliver Right Certificates so countersigned; and, in case at that time any
of the Right Certificates shall not have been countersigned, the Rights Agent
may countersign such Right Certificates either in its prior name or in its
changed name; and in all such cases such Right Certificates shall have the full
force provided in the Right Certificates and in this Rights Agreement.
SECTION 21. DUTIES OF RIGHTS AGENT. The Rights Agent undertakes the duties
and obligations imposed by this Rights Agreement upon the following terms and
conditions, by all
24
of which the Company and the holders of Right Certificates (or, prior to the
Distribution Date, of the Common Shares of the Company), by their acceptance
thereof, shall be bound:
(a) The Rights Agent may consult with legal counsel (who may be legal
counsel for the Company), and the opinion of such counsel shall be full and
complete authorization and protection of the Rights Agent as to any action
taken, suffered or omitted by it in good faith and in accordance with such
opinion.
(b) Whenever in the performance of its duties under this Rights Agreement
the Rights Agent shall deem it necessary or desirable that any fact or matter
(including, without limitation, the identity of any Acquiring Person) be proved
or established by the Company prior to taking, refraining from taking or
suffering any action hereunder, such fact or matter (unless other evidence in
respect thereof be herein specifically prescribed) may be deemed to be
conclusively proved and established by a certificate signed by the Chief
Executive Officer, the President, the Chief Financial Officer, a Vice President
(whether preceded by any additional title), the Treasurer or the Secretary of
the Company and delivered to the Rights Agent; and such certificate shall be
full authorization to the Rights Agent for any action taken or suffered in good
faith by it under the provisions of this Rights Agreement in reliance upon such
certificate.
(c) The Rights Agent shall be liable hereunder only for its own
negligence, bad faith or willful misconduct.
(d) The Rights Agent shall not be liable for or by reason of any of the
statements of fact or recitals contained in this Rights Agreement or in the
Right Certificates (except as to its countersignature thereof) or be required to
verify the same, but all such statements and recitals are and shall be deemed to
have been made by the Company only.
(e) The Rights Agent shall not be under any responsibility in respect of
the validity of this Rights Agreement or the execution and delivery hereof
(except the due execution hereof by the Rights Agent) or in respect of the
validity or execution of any Right Certificate (except its countersignature
thereof); nor shall it be responsible for any breach by the Company of any
covenant or condition contained in this Rights Agreement or in any Right
Certificate; nor shall it be responsible for any adjustment required under the
provisions of SECTION 11 OR 12 or responsible for the manner, method or amount
of any such adjustment or the ascertaining of the existence of facts that would
require any such adjustment (except with respect to the exercise of Rights
evidenced by Right Certificates after actual notice of any such adjustment); nor
shall the Rights Agent by any act hereunder be deemed to make any representation
or warranty as to the authorization or reservation of any Preferred Shares or
Common Shares to be issued pursuant to this Rights Agreement or any Right
Certificate or as to whether any Preferred Shares or Common Shares will, when so
issued, be validly authorized and issued, fully paid and nonassessable.
(f) The Company agrees that it will perform, execute, acknowledge and
deliver or cause to be performed, executed, acknowledged and delivered all such
further and other acts,
25
instruments and assurances as may reasonably be required by the Rights Agent for
the carrying out or performing by the Rights Agent of the provisions of this
Rights Agreement.
(g) The Rights Agent is hereby authorized and directed to accept
instructions with respect to the performance of its duties hereunder from the
Chief Executive Officer, the President, the Chief Financial Officer, a Vice
President (whether preceded by any additional title), the Secretary or the
Treasurer of the Company, in connection with its duties and it shall not be
liable for any action taken or suffered to be taken by it in good faith in
accordance with instructions of any such officer.
(h) The Rights Agent and any stockholder, director, officer or employee of
the Rights Agent may buy, sell or deal in any of the Rights or other securities
of the Company, become pecuniarily interested in any transaction in which the
Company may be interested, contract with or lend money to the Company or
otherwise act as fully and freely as though it were not the Rights Agent under
this Rights Agreement. Nothing herein shall preclude the Rights Agent from
acting in any other capacity for the Company or for any other legal entity.
(i) The Rights Agent may execute and exercise any of the rights or powers
hereby vested in it or perform any duty hereunder either itself or by or through
its attorneys or agents, and the Rights Agent shall not be answerable or
accountable for any act, default, neglect or misconduct of any such attorneys or
agents or for any loss to the Company resulting from any such act, default,
neglect or misconduct provided reasonable care was exercised in the selection
and continued employment thereof.
(j) The Company agrees to indemnify and to hold the Rights Agent harmless
against any loss, liability, damage or expense (including reasonable fees and
expenses of legal counsel) which the Rights Agent may incur resulting from its
actions as Rights Agent pursuant to this Rights Agreement; PROVIDED, HOWEVER,
that the Rights Agent shall not be indemnified or held harmless with respect to
any such loss, liability, damage or expense incurred by the Rights Agent as a
result of, or arising out of, its own negligence, bad faith or willful
misconduct. The Rights Agent shall notify the Company, by letter or by facsimile
confirmed by letter, of the assertion of any action, proceeding, suit or claim
against the Rights Agent, promptly after the Rights Agent shall have notice of
any such assertion of an action, proceeding, suit or claim or have been served
with the summons or other first legal process giving information as to the
nature and basis of the action, proceeding, suit or claim. The Company shall be
entitled to participate at its own expense in the defense of any such action,
proceeding, suit or claim, and, if the Company so elects, the Company shall
assume the defense of any such action, proceeding, suit or claim. In the event
that the Company assumes such defense, the Company shall not thereafter be
liable for the fees and expenses of any additional counsel retained by the
Rights Agent, so long as the Company shall retain counsel satisfactory to the
Rights Agent, in the exercise of its reasonable judgment, to defend such action,
proceeding, suit or claim. The Rights Agent agrees not to settle any litigation
in connection with any action, proceeding, suit or claim with respect to which
it may seek indemnification from the Company without the prior written consent
of the Company.
26
(k) No provision of this Agreement shall require the Rights Agent to
expend or risk its own funds or otherwise incur any financial liability in the
performance of any of its duties hereunder or in the exercise of its rights if
there shall be reasonable grounds for believing that repayment of such funds or
adequate indemnification against such risk or liability is not reasonably
assured to it.
(l) If, with respect to any Right Certificate surrendered to the Rights
Agent for exercise or transfer, the certificate attached to the form of
assignment or form of election to purchase, as the case may be, has not been
completed, the Rights Agent shall not take any further action with respect to
such requested exercise or transfer without first consulting with the Company.
SECTION 22. CHANGE OF RIGHTS AGENT. The Rights Agent or any successor
Rights Agent may resign and be discharged from its duties under this Rights
Agreement upon 30 days' notice in writing mailed to the Company and to each
transfer agent of the Common Shares and the Preferred Shares by registered or
certified mail, and to the holders of the Right Certificates (or, prior to the
Distribution Date, of the Common Shares) by first class mail. The Company may
remove the Rights Agent or any successor Rights Agent upon 30 days' notice in
writing, mailed to the Rights Agent or successor Rights Agent, as the case may
be, and to each transfer agent of the Common Shares and the Preferred Shares by
registered or certified mail, and to the holders of the Right Certificates (or,
prior to the Distribution Date, of the Common Shares) by first class mail. If
the Rights Agent shall resign or be removed or shall otherwise become incapable
of acting, the Company shall appoint a successor to the Rights Agent. If the
Company shall fail to make such appointment within a period of 30 days after
giving notice of such removal or after it has been notified in writing of such
resignation or incapacity by the resigning or incapacitated Rights Agent or by a
holder of a Right Certificate (or, prior to the Distribution Date, by a holder
of the Common Shares) (who shall, with such notice, submit his Right Certificate
or, prior to the Distribution Date, the certificate representing his Common
Shares, for inspection by the Company), then the registered holder of any Right
Certificate (or, prior to the Distribution Date, of the Common Shares) may apply
to any court of competent jurisdiction for the appointment of a new Rights
Agent. Any successor Rights Agent, whether appointed by the Company or by such a
court, shall be a corporation organized and doing business under the laws of the
United States or of any state of the United States so long as such corporation
is authorized to conduct a stock transfer or corporate trust business in the
State of New York), having an office in the State of New York, and which is
authorized under such laws to exercise stock transfer or corporate trust powers
and is subject to supervision or examination by federal or state authority and
which has at the time of its appointment as Rights Agent a combined capital and
surplus of at least $100,000,000; PROVIDED that the principal transfer agent for
the Common Shares shall in any event be qualified to be the Rights Agent. After
appointment, the successor Rights Agent shall be vested with the same powers,
rights, duties and responsibilities as if it had been originally named as Rights
Agent without further act or deed; but the predecessor Rights Agent shall
deliver and transfer to the successor Rights Agent any property at the time held
by it hereunder, and execute and deliver any further assurance, conveyance, act
or deed necessary for the purpose. Not later than the effective date of any such
appointment, the Company shall file notice thereof in writing with the
predecessor
27
Rights Agent and each transfer agent of the Common Shares and the
Preferred Shares, and mail a notice thereof in writing to the registered holders
or the Right Certificates (or, prior to the Distribution Date, of the Common
Shares). Failure to give any notice provided for in this SECTION 22, however, or
any defect therein shall not affect the legality or validity of the resignation
or removal of the Rights Agent or the appointment of the successor Rights Agent,
as the case may be.
SECTION 23. ISSUANCE OF ADDITIONAL RIGHTS AND RIGHT CERTIFICATES.
Notwithstanding any of the provisions of this Rights Agreement or of the Rights
to the contrary, the Company may, at its option, issue new Right Certificates
evidencing Rights in such form as may be approved by its Board of Directors to
reflect any adjustment or change made in accordance with the provisions of this
Rights Agreement. In addition, in connection with the issuance or sale of Common
Shares following the Distribution Date and prior to the earlier of the
Redemption Date and the Expiration Date, the Company (a) shall, with respect to
Common Shares so issued or sold pursuant to the exercise of stock options or
under any employee plan or arrangement, or upon the exercise, conversion or
exchange of securities, notes or debentures issued by the Company, and (b) may,
in any other case, if deemed necessary or appropriate by the Board of Directors
of the Company, issue Right Certificates representing the appropriate number of
Rights in connection with such issuance or sale; PROVIDED, HOWEVER, that (i) no
such Right Certificate shall be issued if, and to the extent that, the Company
shall be advised by counsel that such issuance would create a significant risk
of material adverse tax consequences to the Company or the Person to whom such
Right Certificate would be issued, and (ii) no such Right Certificate shall be
issued if, and to the extent that, appropriate adjustment shall otherwise have
been made in lieu of the issuance thereof.
SECTION 24. REDEMPTION AND TERMINATION.
(a) The Board of Directors of the Company may, at its option, at any time
prior to the earlier of (i) the close of business on the tenth day (or as late
as the 30th day, if the Board so desires) after such time as a Person becomes an
Acquiring Person and (ii) the Expiration Date order the redemption of all, but
not fewer than all, of the then outstanding Rights at the Redemption Price (the
date of such redemption being the "Redemption Date"), and the Company, at its
option, may pay the Redemption Price either in cash or Common Shares or other
securities of the Company deemed by the Board of Directors of the Company, in
the exercise of its sole discretion, to be at least equivalent in value to the
Redemption Price.
(b) Immediately upon the action of the Board of Directors of the Company
ordering the redemption of the Rights, and without any further action and
without any notice, the right to exercise the Rights shall terminate and the
only right thereafter of the holders of Rights shall be to receive the
Redemption Price. Within ten Business Days after the action of the Board of
Directors of the Company ordering the redemption of the Rights, the Company
shall give notice of such redemption to the holders of the then outstanding
Rights by mailing such notice to all such holders at their last addresses as
they appear upon the registry books of the Rights Agent or, prior to the
Distribution Date, on the registry books of the transfer agent for the
28
Common Shares. Each such notice of the Redemption Price shall state the method
by which payment of the Redemption Price will be made. The notice, if mailed in
the manner herein provided, shall be conclusively presumed to have been duly
given, whether or not the holder of Rights receives such notice. In any case,
failure to give such notice by mail, or any defect in the notice, to any
particular holder of Rights shall not affect the sufficiency of the notice to
other holders of Rights.
SECTION 25. NOTICES. Notices or demands authorized by this Agreement to be
given or made by the Rights Agent or by the holder of a Right Certificate (or,
prior to the Distribution Date, of the Common Shares) to or on the Company shall
be sufficiently given or made if sent by registered or certified first class
mail (return receipt requested), postage prepaid, addressed (until another
address is filed in writing with the Rights Agent) as follows:
Packaged Ice, Inc.
ββββ ββββ βββββββ, βββββ βββ
βββββββ, βββββ βββββ
ATTENTION: Chief Executive Officer
Subject to the provisos of SECTION 22, any notice or demand authorized by
this Rights Agreement to be given or made by the Company or by a holder of a
Right Certificate (or, prior to the Distribution Date, by a holder of the Common
Shares) to or on the Rights Agent shall be sufficiently given or made if sent by
registered or certified first class mail (return receipt requested), postage
prepaid, addressed (until another address is filed in writing with the Company)
as follows:
American Stock Transfer & Trust Company
ββ ββββ ββ.
βββ ββββ, ββ βββββ
Notices or demands authorized by this Rights Agreement to be given or made
by the Company or the Rights Agent to any holder of a Right Certificate (or,
prior to the Distribution Date, of the Common Shares) shall be sufficiently
given or made if sent by first class mail, postage prepaid, addressed to such
holder at the address of such holder as shown on the registry books of the
Rights Agent or, prior to the Distribution Date, on the registry books of the
transfer agent for the Common Shares.
SECTION 26. SUPPLEMENTS AND AMENDMENTS. At any time prior to the
Distribution Date and subject to the last sentence of this SECTION 26, the
Company may, and the Rights Agent shall if the Company so directs, supplement or
amend any provision of this Rights Agreement (including, without limitation, the
date on which the Distribution Date shall occur, the time during which the
Rights may be redeemed pursuant to SECTION 24 or any provision of the
Certificate of Designation) without the approval of any holder of the Rights.
From and after the Distribution Date and subject to applicable law, the Company
may, and the Rights Agent shall if the Company so directs, amend this Rights
Agreement without the approval of any holders of Right Certificates (i) to cure
any ambiguity or to correct or supplement any provision contained herein which
may be defective or inconsistent with any other provision of this Rights
Agreement or (ii) to make any other provisions in regard to matters or questions
29
arising hereunder which the Company may deem necessary or desirable and which
shall not adversely affect the interests of the holders of Right Certificates
(other than an Acquiring Person or an Affiliate or Associate of an Acquiring
Person). Any supplement or amendment adopted during any period after any Person
has become an Acquiring Person but prior to the Distribution Date shall be null
and void unless such supplement or amendment could have been adopted under the
prior sentence from and after the Distribution Date. Any supplement or amendment
to this Rights Agreement duly approved by the Company that does not amend
SECTIONS 19, 20, 21 OR 22 in a manner adverse to the Rights Agent shall become
effective immediately upon execution by the Company, whether or not also
executed by the Rights Agent. Notwithstanding anything to the contrary contained
in this Rights Agreement, no supplement or amendment to this Rights Agreement
shall be made which (a) reduces the Redemption Price (except as required by
SECTION 12(A)) or (b) provides for an earlier Expiration Date.
SECTION 27. SUCCESSORS. All the covenants and provisions of this Rights
Agreement by or for the benefit of the Company or the Rights Agent shall bind
and inure to the benefit of their respective successors and assigns hereunder.
SECTION 28. BENEFITS OF RIGHTS AGREEMENT; DETERMINATIONS AND ACTIONS BY
THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS, ETC.
(a) Nothing in this Rights Agreement shall be construed to give to any
Person other than the Company, the Rights Agent and the registered holders of
the Right Certificates (and, prior to the Distribution Date, of the Common
Shares) any legal or equitable right, remedy or claim under this Rights
Agreement; but this Rights Agreement shall be for the sole and exclusive benefit
of the Company, the Rights Agent and the registered holders of the Right
Certificates (and, prior to the Distribution Date, of the Common Shares of the
Company).
(b) Except as explicitly otherwise provided in this Rights Agreement, the
Board of Directors of the Company shall have the exclusive power and authority
to administer this Rights Agreement and to exercise all rights and powers
specifically granted to the Board of Directors of the Company or the Company, or
as may be necessary or advisable in the administration of this Rights Agreement,
including, without limitation, the right and power to (i) interpret the
provisions of this Rights Agreement and (ii) make all determinations deemed
necessary or advisable for the administration of this Rights Agreement
(including, without limitation, a determination to redeem or not redeem the
Rights or to amend this Rights Agreement and a determination of whether there is
an Acquiring Person). All such actions, calculations, interpretations and
determinations (including, for purposes of clause (y) below, all omissions with
respect to the foregoing) which are done or made by the Board of Directors of
the Company in good faith, shall (x) be final, conclusive and binding on the
Company, the Rights Agent, the holders of the Rights and all other parties, and
(y) not subject any member of the Board of Directors to any liability to the
holders of the Rights or to any other Person.
(c) Nothing contained in this Rights Agreement shall be deemed to be in
derogation of the obligation of the Board of Directors of the Company to
exercise its fiduciary duty.
30
Without limiting the foregoing, nothing contained herein shall be construed to
suggest or imply that the Board of Directors shall not be entitled to reject any
tender offer, or to recommend that holders of Common Shares reject any tender
offer, or to take any other action (including, without limitation, the
commencement, prosecution, defense or settlement of any litigation and the
submission of additional or alternative offers or other proposals) with respect
to any tender offer that the Board of Directors believes is necessary or
appropriate in the exercise of such fiduciary duty.
SECTION 29. SEVERABILITY. If any term, provision, covenant or restriction
of this Rights Agreement is held by a court of competent jurisdiction or other
authority to be invalid, void or unenforceable, the remainder of the terms,
provisions, covenants and restrictions of this Rights Agreement shall remain in
full force and effect and shall in no way be affected, impaired or invalidated.
SECTION 30. GOVERNING LAW. This Rights Agreement and each Right
Certificate issued hereunder shall be deemed to be a contract made under the law
of the State of Texas and for all purposes shall be governed by and construed in
accordance with the law of such State applicable to contracts to be made and
performed entirely within such State.
SECTION 31. COUNTERPARTS; EFFECTIVENESS. This Rights Agreement may be
executed in any number of counterparts and each of such counterparts shall for
all purposes be deemed to be an original, and all such counterparts shall
together constitute but one and the same instrument. This Rights Agreement shall
be effective as of the Close of Business on the date hereof.
SECTION 32. DESCRIPTIVE HEADINGS. Descriptive headings of the several
Sections of this Rights Agreement are inserted for convenience only and shall
not control or affect the meaning or construction of any of the provisions of
this Rights Agreement.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties hereto have caused this Rights Agreement
to be duly executed as of the date and year first above written.
PACKAGED ICE, INC.
By:______________________________________
β.β. βββββ III, President
AMERICAN STOCK TRANSFER & TRUST
COMPANY, as Rights Agent
By:______________________________________
Name:
31
Title:
32
EXHIBIT A
CERTIFICATE OF DESIGNATION OF RESOLUTIONS
ESTABLISHING
SERIES D PARTICIPATING CUMULATIVE PREFERRED STOCK
of
PACKAGED ICE, INC.
To: The Secretary of State
of the State of Texas:
Pursuant to the provisions of Article 2.13 of the Texas Business
Corporation Act (the "TBCA"), the undersigned corporation submits the following
statement for the purpose of establishing and designating a series of shares and
fixing and determining the preferences, limitations and relative rights of the
series:
1. The name of the corporation is PACKAGED ICE, INC.
2. The following resolution, establishing and designating a series of
shares and fixing and determining the relative rights and preferences of the
series, was duly adopted by all necessary action of the corporation on October
29, 1999:
RESOLVED, that the Board of Directors of PACKAGED ICE, INC. (the
"Company") hereby designates 50,000 shares of the Company's Preferred Stock,
$.01 par value, as Series D Participating Cumulative Preferred Stock with the
designation, preferences, limitations, and relative rights as follows:
Section 1. DESIGNATION AND AMOUNT. The shares of such series shall be
designated as "Series D Participating Cumulative Preferred Stock," (the "Series
D Preferred Stock") and the number of shares constituting the Series D Preferred
Stock shall be 50,000. Such number of shares may be increased or decreased by
resolution of the Board of Directors; provided, that no decrease shall reduce
the number of shares of Series D Preferred Stock to a number less than the
number of shares then outstanding plus the number of shares reserved for
issuance upon the exercise of outstanding options, rights or warrants or upon
the conversion of any outstanding securities issued by the Company convertible
into Series D Preferred Stock.
Section 2. DIVIDENDS AND DISTRIBUTIONS.
(A) Subject to the rights of the holders of any shares of any series of
Preferred Stock (or any similar stock) ranking prior and superior to the Series
D Preferred Stock with respect to dividends, the holders of shares of Series D
Preferred Stock, in preference to the holders of Common Stock, par value $0.01
per share (the "Common Stock"), of the Company, and of any other junior stock,
shall be entitled to receive, when, as and if declared by the Board of Directors
out of funds legally available for the purpose, quarterly dividends payable in
cash on the first day of January, April, July and October in each year (each
such date being referred to herein as a
1
"Quarterly Dividend Payment Date"), commencing on the first Quarterly Dividend
Payment Date after the first issuance of a share or fraction of a share of
Series D Preferred Stock, in an amount per share (rounded to the nearest cent)
equal to the greater of (a) $1.00 or (b) subject to the provision for adjustment
hereinafter set forth, 1000 times the aggregate per share amount of all cash
dividends, and 1000 times the aggregate per share amount (payable in kind) of
all non-cash dividends or other distributions, other than a dividend payable in
shares of Common Stock or a subdivision of the outstanding shares of Common
Stock (by reclassification or otherwise), declared on the Common Stock since the
immediately preceding Quarterly Dividend Payment Date or, with respect to the
first Quarterly Dividend Payment Date, since the first issuance of any share or
fraction of a share of Series D Preferred Stock. In the event the Company shall
at any time declare or pay any dividend on the Common Stock payable in shares of
Common Stock, or effect a subdivision or combination or consolidation of the
outstanding shares of Common Stock (by reclassification or otherwise than by
payment of a dividend in shares of Common Stock) into a greater or lesser number
of shares of Common Stock, then in each such case the amount to which holders of
shares of Series D Preferred Stock were entitled immediately prior to such event
under clause (b) of the preceding sentence shall be adjusted by multiplying such
amount by a fraction, the numerator of which is the number of shares of Common
Stock outstanding immediately after such event and the denominator of which is
the number of shares of Common Stock that were outstanding immediately prior to
such event.
(B) The Company shall declare a dividend or distribution on the Series D
Preferred Stock as provided in paragraph (A) of this Section immediately after
it declares a dividend or distribution on the Common Stock (other than a
dividend payable in shares of Common Stock); provided that, in the event no
dividend or distribution shall have been declared on the Common Stock during the
period between any Quarterly Dividend Payment Date and the next subsequent
Quarterly Dividend Payment Date, a dividend of $1.00 per share on the Series D
Preferred Stock shall nevertheless be payable on such subsequent Quarterly
Dividend Payment Date.
(C) Dividends shall begin to accrue and be cumulative on outstanding
shares of Series D Preferred Stock from the Quarterly Dividend Payment Date next
preceding the date of issue of such shares, unless the date of issue of such
shares is prior to the record date for the first Quarterly Dividend Payment
Date, in which case dividends on such shares shall begin to accrue from the date
of issue of such shares, or unless the date of issue is a Quarterly Dividend
Payment Date or is a date after the record date for the determination of holders
of shares of Series D Preferred Stock entitled to receive a quarterly dividend
and before such Quarterly Dividend Payment Date, in either of which events such
dividends shall begin to accrue and be cumulative from such Quarterly Dividend
Payment Date. Accrued but unpaid dividends shall not bear interest. Dividends
paid on the shares of Series D Preferred Stock in an amount less than the total
amount of such dividends at the time accrued and payable on such shares shall be
allocated pro rata on a share-by-share basis among all such shares at the time
outstanding. The Board of Directors may fix a record date for the determination
of holders of shares of Series D Preferred Stock entitled to receive payment of
a dividend or distribution declared thereon, which record date shall be not more
than 50 days prior to the date fixed for the payment thereof.
2
Section 3. VOTING RIGHTS. The holders of shares of Series D Preferred
Stock shall have the following voting rights:
(A) Subject to the provision for adjustment hereinafter set forth, each
share of Series D Preferred Stock shall entitle the holder thereof to 1000 votes
on all matters submitted to a vote of the shareholders of the Company. In the
event the Company shall at any time declare or pay any dividend on the Common
Stock payable in shares of Common Stock, or effect a subdivision or combination
or consolidation of the outstanding shares of Common Stock (by reclassification
or otherwise than by payment of a dividend in shares of Common Stock) into a
greater or lesser number of shares of Common Stock, then in each such case the
number of votes per share to which holders of shares of Series D Preferred Stock
were entitled immediately prior to such event shall be adjusted by multiplying
such number by a fraction, the numerator of which is the number of shares of
Common Stock outstanding immediately after such event and the denominator of
which is the number of shares of Common Stock that were outstanding immediately
prior to such event.
(B) Except as otherwise provided herein, in any other Statement of
Resolutions establishing a series of Preferred Stock or any similar stock, or by
law, the holders of shares of Series D Preferred Stock and the holders of shares
of Common Stock and any other capital stock of the Company having general voting
rights shall vote together as one class on all matters submitted to a vote of
shareholders of the Company.
(C) Except as set forth herein, or as otherwise provided by law, holders
of Series D Preferred Stock shall have no special voting rights and their
consent shall not be required (except to the extent they are entitled to vote
with holders of Common Stock as set forth herein) for taking any corporate
action.
Section 4. CERTAIN RESTRICTIONS.
(A) Whenever quarterly dividends or other dividends or distributions
payable on the Series D Preferred Stock as provided in Section 2 are in arrears,
thereafter and until all accrued and unpaid dividends and distributions, whether
or not declared, on shares of Series D Preferred Stock outstanding shall have
been paid in full, the Company shall not:
declare or pay dividends, or make any other distributions, on any
shares of stock ranking junior (either as to dividends or upon
liquidation, dissolution or winding up) to the Series D Preferred Stock;
declare or pay dividends, or make any other distributions, on any
shares of stock ranking on a parity (either as to dividends or upon
liquidation, dissolution or winding up) with the Series D Preferred Stock,
except dividends paid ratably on the Series D Preferred Stock and all such
parity stock on which dividends are payable or in arrears in proportion to
the total amounts to which the holders of all such shares are then
entitled;
3
redeem or purchase or otherwise acquire for consideration shares
of any stock ranking junior (either as to dividends or upon liquidation,
dissolution or winding up) to the Series D Preferred Stock, provided that
the Company may at any time redeem, purchase or otherwise acquire shares
of any such junior stock in exchange for shares of any stock of the
Company ranking junior (either as to dividends or upon dissolution,
liquidation or winding up) to the Series D Preferred Stock; or
redeem or purchase or otherwise acquire for consideration any
shares of Series D Preferred Stock, or any shares of stock ranking on a
parity with the Series D Preferred Stock, except in accordance with a
purchase offer made in writing or by publication (as determined by the
Board of Directors) to all holders of such shares upon such terms as the
Board of Directors, after consideration of the respective annual dividend
rates and other relative rights and preferences of the respective Series
Dnd classes, shall determine in good faith will result in fair and
equitable treatment among the respective series or classes.
(B) The Company shall not permit any subsidiary of the Company to purchase
or otherwise acquire for consideration any shares of stock of the Company unless
the Company could, under paragraph (A) of this Section 4, purchase or otherwise
acquire such shares at such time and in such manner.
Section 5. REACQUIRED SHARES. Any shares of Series D Preferred Stock
purchased or otherwise acquired by the Company in any manner whatsoever shall be
retired and cancelled promptly after the acquisition thereof. All such shares
shall upon their cancellation become authorized but unissued shares of Preferred
Stock and may be reissued as part of a new series of Preferred Stock subject to
the conditions and restrictions on issuance set forth herein, in the Articles of
Incorporation, or in any other Statement of Resolutions establishing a series of
Preferred Stock or any similar stock or as otherwise required by law.
Section 6. LIQUIDATION, DISSOLUTION OR WINDING UP. Upon any liquidation,
dissolution or winding up of the Company, no distribution shall be made (1) to
the holders of shares of stock ranking junior (either as to dividends or upon
liquidation, dissolution or winding up) to the Series D Preferred Stock unless,
prior thereto, the holders of shares of Series D Preferred Stock shall have
received $1000 per share, plus an amount equal to accrued and unpaid dividends
and distributions thereon, whether or not declared, to the date of such payment,
provided that the holders of shares of Series D Preferred Stock shall be
entitled to receive an aggregate amount per share, subject to the provision for
adjustment hereinafter set forth, equal to 1000 times the aggregate amount to be
distributed per share to holders of shares of Common Stock, or (2) to the
holders of shares of stock ranking on a parity (either as to dividends or upon
liquidation, dissolution or winding up) with the Series D Preferred Stock,
except distributions made ratably on the Series D Preferred Stock and all such
parity stock in proportion to the total amounts to which the holders of all such
shares are entitled upon such liquidation, dissolution or winding up. In the
event the Company shall at any time declare or pay any dividend on the Common
Stock payable in shares of Common Stock, or effect a subdivision or combination
or consolidation of the outstanding shares of Common Stock (by reclassification
or otherwise than
4
by payment of a dividend in shares of Common Stock) into a greater or lesser
number of shares of Common Stock, then in each such case the aggregate amount to
which holders of shares of Series D Preferred Stock were entitled immediately
prior to such event under the proviso in clause (1) of the preceding sentence
shall be adjusted by multiplying such amount by a fraction the numerator of
which is the number of shares of Common Stock outstanding immediately after such
event and the denominator of which is the number of shares of Common Stock that
were outstanding immediately prior to such event.
Section 7. CONSOLIDATION, MERGER, ETC. In case the Company shall enter
into any consolidation, merger, combination or other transaction in which the
shares of Common Stock are exchanged for or changed into other stock or
securities, cash and/or any other property, then in any such case each share of
Series D Preferred Stock shall at the same time be similarly exchanged or
changed into an amount per share, subject to the provision for adjustment
hereinafter set forth, equal to 1000 times the aggregate amount of stock,
securities, cash and/or any other property (payable in kind), as the case may
be, into which or for which each share of Common Stock is changed or exchanged.
In the event the Company shall at any time declare or pay any dividend on the
Common Stock payable in shares of Common Stock, or effect a subdivision or
combination or consolidation of the outstanding shares of Common Stock (by
reclassification or otherwise than by payment of a dividend in shares of Common
Stock) into a greater or lesser number of shares of Common Stock, then in each
such case the amount set forth in the preceding sentence with respect to the
exchange or change of shares of Series D Preferred Stock shall be adjusted by
multiplying such amount by a fraction, the numerator of which is the number of
shares of Common Stock outstanding immediately after such event and the
denominator of which is the number of shares of Common Stock that were
outstanding immediately prior to such event.
Section 8. NO REDEMPTION. The shares of Series D Preferred Stock shall not
be redeemable.
Section 9. RANK. The Series D Preferred Stock shall rank, with respect to
the payment of dividends and the distribution of assets, junior to all series of
any other class of the Company's Preferred Stock.
Section 10. AMENDMENT. The Articles of Incorporation of the Company shall
not be amended in any manner which would materially alter or change the powers,
preferences or special rights of the Series D Preferred Stock so as to affect
them adversely without the affirmative vote of the holders of at least
two-thirds of the outstanding shares of Series D Preferred Stock, voting
together as a single class.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the undersigned has executed and subscribed this
Statement of Resolutions this 29th day of October, 1999.
PACKAGED ICE, INC.
5
By: /s/ β.β. βββββ
β.β. βββββ
President
6
EXHIBIT B
Form of Rights Certificate
Certificate No. R- Rights
NOT EXERCISABLE AFTER OCTOBER 29, 2009 OR EARLIER IF REDEMPTION OR
EXCHANGE OCCURS. THE RIGHTS ARE SUBJECT TO REDEMPTION AT $0.01 PER RIGHT
AND TO EXCHANGE ON THE TERMS SET FORTH IN THE RIGHTS AGREEMENT. UNDER
CERTAIN CIRCUMSTANCES, RIGHTS BENEFICIALLY OWNED BY AN ACQUIRED PERSON (AS
SUCH TERM IS DEFINED IN THE RIGHTS AGREEMENT) AND ANY SUBSEQUENT HOLDER OF
SUCH RIGHTS MAY BECOME NULL AND VOID.
Rights Certificate
PACKAGED ICE, INC.
This certifies that _____________________, or registered assigns, is the
registered owner of the number of Rights set forth above, each of which entitles
the owner thereof, subject to the terms, provisions and conditions of the Rights
Agreement, dated as of October 29, 1999 (the "Rights Agreement"), between
PACKAGED ICE, INC., a Texas corporation (the "Company"), and American Stock
Transfer & Trust Company (the "Rights Agent"), to purchase from the Company at
any time after the Distribution Date (as such term is defined in the Rights
Agreement) and prior to 5:00 P.M., New York, New York time, on November 9, 2009
at the principal office of the Rights Agent, or at the office of its successor
as Rights Agent, one one-thousandth of a fully paid non-assessable share of
Series D Participating Cumulative Preferred Stock, par value $.01 per share (the
"Preferred Shares"), of the Company, at a purchase price of $12 per one
one-thousandth of a Preferred Share (the "Purchase Price"), upon presentation
and surrender of this Rights Certificate with the Form of Election to Purchase
duly executed. The number of Rights evidenced by this Rights Certificate (and
the number of one one-thousandths of a Preferred Share which may be purchased
upon exercise hereof) set forth above, and the Purchase Price set forth above,
are the number and Purchase Price as of October 29, 1999, based on the Preferred
Shares as constituted at such date. As provided in the Rights Agreement, the
Purchase Price and the number of one one-thousandths of a Preferred Share which
may be purchased upon the exercise of the Rights evidenced by this Rights
Certificate are subject to modification and adjustment upon the happening of
certain events.
This Rights Certificate is subject to all of the terms, provisions and
conditions of the Rights Agreement, which terms, provisions and conditions are
hereby incorporated herein by reference and made a part hereof and to which
Rights Agreement reference is hereby made for a full description of the rights,
limitations of rights, obligations, duties and immunities hereunder of the
Rights Agent, the Company and the holders of the Rights Certificates. Copies of
the Rights Agreement are on file at the principal executive offices of the
Company and the above-mentioned offices of the Rights Agent.
This Rights Certificate, with or without other Rights Certificates, upon
surrender at the office of the Rights Agent designated for such purpose, may be
exchanged for another Rights Certificate or Rights Certificates of like tenor
and date evidencing Rights entitling the holder to purchase a like
1
aggregate number of Preferred Shares as the Rights evidenced by the Rights
Certificate or Rights Certificates surrendered shall have entitled such holder
to purchase. If this Rights Certificate shall be exercised in part, the holder
shall be entitled to receive upon surrender hereof another Rights Certificate or
Rights Certificates for the number of whole Rights not exercised.
Subject to the provisions of the Rights Agreement, the Rights evidenced by
this Certificate (i) may be redeemed by the Company at a redemption price of
$0.01 per Right or (ii) may be exchanged in whole or in part for Preferred
Shares or shares of the Company's Common Stock, par value $0.01 per share.
No fractional Preferred Shares will be issued upon the exercise of any
Right or Rights evidenced hereby (other than fractions which are integral
multiples of one one-thousandth of a Preferred Share, which may, at the election
of the Company, be evidenced by depositary receipts), but in lieu thereof a cash
payment will be made, as provided in the Rights Agreement.
No holder of this Rights Certificate shall be entitled to vote or receive
dividends or be deemed for any purpose the holder of the Preferred Shares or of
any other securities of the Company which may at any time be issuable on the
exercise hereof, nor shall anything contained in the Rights Agreement or herein
be construed to confer upon the holder hereof, as such, any of the rights of a
shareholder of the Company or any right to vote for the election of directors or
upon any matter submitted to shareholders at any meeting thereof, or to give or
withhold consent to any corporate action, or to receive notice of meetings or
other actions affecting shareholders (except as provided in the Rights
Agreement), or to receive dividends or subscription rights, or otherwise, until
the Right or Rights evidenced by this Rights Certificate shall have been
exercised as provided in the Rights Agreement.
This Rights Certificate shall not be valid or obligatory for any purpose
until it shall have been countersigned by the Rights Agent.
WITNESS the facsimile signature of the proper officers of the Company and
its corporate seal.
Dated as of ______________.
PACKAGED ICE, INC.
By:____________________
Name:__________________
Title: ________________
ATTEST:__________________
2
Countersigned:
American Stock Transfer & Trust Company
By:_____________________________________
Name:___________________________________
Title: _________________________________
3
Form of Reverse Side of Rights Certificate
FORM OF ASSIGNMENT
(To be executed by the registered holder if such
holder desires to transfer the Rights Certificate)
FOR VALUE RECEIVED ________________ hereby sells, assigns and transfers
unto ____________________________________ (Please print name and address of
transferee) this Rights Certificate, together with all right, title and interest
therein, and does hereby irrevocably constitute and appoint
______________________ as Attorney, to transfer the within Rights Certificate on
the books of the within-named Company, with full power of substitution.
Dated:_______________
Signature:___________________
Name:________________________
Signature Guaranteed:___________________________
________________________________________________________________________________
CERTIFICATE
The undersigned hereby certifies by checking the appropriate boxes that:
(1) this Rights Certificate [ ] is [ ] is not being sold, assigned and
transferred by or on behalf of a Person who is or was an Acquiring Person or an
Affiliate or Associate of any such Acquiring Person (as such terms are defined
pursuant to the Rights Agreement)
(2) after due inquiry and to the best knowledge of the undersigned, it [ ]
did [ ] did not acquire the Rights evidenced by this Rights Certificate from
any Person who is, was or subsequently became an Acquiring Person or an
Affiliate or Associate of an Acquiring Person.
Dated: _________________, ______
Signature:________________________________
Signature Guaranteed:_____________________
4
NOTICE
The signature to the foregoing Assignment and Certificate must correspond
to the name as written upon the face of this Rights Certificate in every
particular, without alteration or enlargement or any change whatsoever.
Signatures must be guaranteed by a member firm of a registered national
securities exchange, a member of the National Association of Securities Dealers,
Inc., or a commercial bank or trust company having an office or correspondent in
the United States.
5
Form of Reverse Side of Rights Certificate -continued
FORM OF ELECTION TO PURCHASE
(To be executed if holder desires to exercise Rights
represented by the Rights Certificate.)
To PACKAGED ICE, INC.:
The undersigned hereby irrevocably elects to exercise ___________________
Rights represented by this Rights Certificate to purchase the Preferred Shares
issuable upon the exercise of such Rights and requests that certificates for
such Preferred Shares be issued in the name of :
Please insert social security or other identifying number:
________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________
(Please print name and address)
If such number of Rights shall not be all the Rights evidenced by this Rights
Certificate, a new Rights Certificate for the balance remaining of such Rights
shall be registered in the name of and delivered to:
Please insert social security or other identifying number:
________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________
(Please print name and address)
Dated:__________________
Signature:________________________________
Name:_____________________________________
Signature Guaranteed:_____________________
Signatures must be guaranteed by a member firm of a registered national
securities exchange, a member of the National Association of Securities Dealers,
Inc., or a commercial bank or trust company having an office or correspondent in
the United States.
________________________________________________________________________________
6
CERTIFICATE
The undersigned hereby certifies by checking the appropriate boxes
that:
(1) the Rights evidenced by this Rights Certificate [ ] are [ ] are not
being exercised by or on behalf of a Person who is or was an Acquiring Person or
an Affiliate or Associate of any such Acquiring Person (as such terms are
defined pursuant to the Rights Agreement);
(2) after due inquiry and to the best knowledge of the undersigned, it [
] did [ ] did not acquire the Rights evidenced by this Rights Certificate from
any Person who is, was or became an Acquiring Person or an Affiliate or
Associate of an Acquiring Person.
Dated: ________________, ______
Signature:___________________________
Signature Guaranteed:_________________________
7
EXHIBIT C
SUMMARY OF RIGHTS TO PURCHASE
PREFERRED SHARES
On October 29, 1999, the Board of Directors of Packaged Ice, Inc. (the
"Company") declared a dividend of one preferred share purchase right (a "Right")
for each outstanding share of common stock, par value $0.01 per share (the
"Common Shares"), of the Company. The dividend is payable on November 9, 1999
(the "Record Date") to the shareholders of record on that date. Each Right
entitles the registered holder to purchase from the Company one one-thousandth
of a share of Series D Participating Cumulative Preferred Stock, par value $.01
per share (the "Preferred Shares"), of the Company at a price of $12 per one
one-thousandth of a Preferred Share (the "Purchase Price"), subject to
adjustment. The description and terms of the Rights are set forth in a Rights
Agreement (the "Rights Agreement") between the Company and American Stock
Transfer & Trust Company as Rights Agent (the "Rights Agent").
Until the earlier to occur of (i) 10 days following a public announcement
that a person or group of affiliated or associated persons (an "Acquiring
Person") have acquired beneficial ownership of 20% or more of the outstanding
Common Shares or (ii) 10 business days (or such later date as may be determined
by action of the Board of Directors prior to such time as any person or group of
affiliated persons becomes an Acquiring Person) following the commencement of,
or announcement of an intention to make, a tender offer or exchange offer the
consummation of which would result in the beneficial ownership by a person or
group of 20% or more of the outstanding Common Shares (the earlier of such dates
being called the "Distribution Date"), the Rights will be evidenced, with
respect to any of the Common Share certificates outstanding as of the Record
Date, by such Common Share certificate with a copy of this Summary of Rights
attached thereto.
The Rights Agreement provides that, until the Distribution Date (or
earlier redemption or expiration of the Rights), the Rights will be transferred
with and only with the Common Shares. Until the Distribution Date (or earlier
redemption or expiration of the Rights), new Common Share certificates issued
after the Record Date upon transfer or new issuance of Common Shares will
contain a notation incorporating the Rights Agreement by reference. Until the
Distribution Date (or earlier redemption or expiration of the Rights), the
surrender for transfer of any certificates for Common Shares outstanding as of
the Record Date, even without such notation or a copy of this Summary of Rights
being attached thereto, will also constitute the transfer of the Rights
associated with the Common Shares represented by such certificate. As soon as
practicable following the Distribution Date, separate certificates evidencing
the Rights ("Rights Certificates") will be mailed to holders of record of the
Common Shares as of the close of business on the Distribution Date and such
separate Rights Certificates alone will evidence the Rights.
1
The Rights are not exercisable until the Distribution Date. The Rights
will expire on November 9, 2009 (the "Final Expiration Date"), unless the Rights
are earlier redeemed or exchanged by the Company, in each case, as described
below.
The Purchase Price payable, and the number of Preferred Shares 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 stock
dividend on, or a subdivision, combination or reclassification of, the Preferred
Shares, (ii) upon the grant to holders of the Preferred Shares of certain rights
or warrants to subscribe for or purchase Preferred Shares at a price, or
securities convertible into Preferred Shares with a conversion price, less than
the then current market price of the Preferred Shares, or (iii) upon the
distribution to holders of the Preferred Shares of evidences of indebtedness or
assets (excluding regular periodic cash dividends paid out of earnings or
retained earnings or dividends payable in Preferred Shares) or of subscription
rights or warrants (other than those referred to above).
The number of outstanding Rights and the number of one one-thousandths of
a Preferred Share issuable upon exercise of each Right are also subject to
adjustment in the event of a stock split of the Common Shares or a stock
dividend on the Common Shares payable in Common Shares or subdivisions,
consolidations or combinations of the Common Shares occurring, in any such case,
prior to the Distribution Date.
Preferred Shares purchasable upon exercise of the Rights will not be
redeemable. Each Preferred Share will be entitled to a minimum preferential
quarterly dividend payment of $1.00 per share but will be entitled to an
aggregate dividend of 1000 times the dividend declared per Common Share. In the
event of liquidation, the holders of the Preferred Shares will be entitled to a
minimum preferential liquidation payment of $1000 per share but will be entitled
to an aggregate payment of 1000 times the payment made per Common Share. Each
Preferred Share will have 1000 votes, voting together with the Common Shares.
Finally, in the event of any merger, consolidation or other transaction in which
Common Shares are exchanged, each Preferred Share will be entitled to receive
1000 times the amount received per Common Share. These rights are protected by
customary antidilution provisions.
Because of the nature of the Preferred Shares' dividend, liquidation and
voting rights, the value of the one one-thousandth interest in a Preferred Share
purchasable upon exercise of each Right should approximate the value of one
Common Share.
In the event that the Company is acquired in a merger or other business
combination transaction or 50% or more of its consolidated assets or earning
power are sold after a person or group has become an Acquiring Person, proper
provision will be made so that each holder of a Right will thereafter have the
right to receive, upon the exercise thereof at the then current exercise price
of the Right, that number of shares of common stock of the acquiring company
which at the time of such transaction will have a market value of two times the
exercise price of the Right. In the event that any person or group of affiliated
or associated persons becomes an Acquiring Person, proper provision shall be
made so that each holder of a Right, other than Rights beneficially owned by the
Acquiring Person (which will thereafter be void), will thereafter have the right
to receive upon exercise that number of Common Shares having a market value of
two times the exercise price of the Right.
2
At any time after any person or group becomes an Acquiring Person and
prior to the acquisition by such person or group of 50% or more of the
outstanding Common Shares, the Board of Directors of the Company may exchange
the Rights (other than Rights owned by such person or group which will have
become void), in whole or in part, at an exchange ratio of one Common Share, or
one one-thousandth of a Preferred Share, per Right (subject to adjustment).
With certain exceptions, no adjustment in the Purchase Price will be
required until cumulative adjustments require an adjustment of at least 1% in
such Purchase Price. No fractional Preferred Shares will be issued (other than
fractions which are integral multiples of one one-thousandth of a Preferred
Share, which may, at the election of the Company, be evidenced by depositary
receipts) and in lieu thereof, an adjustment in cash will be made based on the
market price of the Preferred Shares on the last trading day prior to the date
of exercise.
At any time prior to the acquisition by a person or group of affiliated or
associated persons of beneficial ownership of 20% or more of the outstanding
Common Shares, the Board of Directors of the Company may redeem the Rights in
whole, but not in part, at a price of $0.01 per Right (the "Redemption Price").
The redemption of the Rights may be made effective at such time on such basis
with such conditions as the Board of Directors in its sole discretion may
establish. Immediately upon any redemption of the Rights, the right to exercise
the Rights will terminate and the only right of the holders of Rights will be to
receive the Redemption Price.
The terms of the Rights may be amended by the Board of Directors of the
Company without the consent of the holders of the Rights, except that from and
after such time as any person or group of affiliated or associated persons
becomes an Acquiring Person no such amendment may adversely affect the interests
of the holders of the Rights.
Until a Right is exercised, the holder thereof, as such, will have no
rights as a shareholder of the Company, including, without limitation, the right
to vote or to receive dividends.
A copy of the Rights Agreement has been filed with the Securities and
Exchange Commission as an Exhibit to a Form 8-A dated November 1, 1999. A copy
of the Rights Agreement is available free of charge from the Company. This
summary description of the Rights does not purport to be complete and is
qualified in its entirety by reference to the Rights Agreement, which is hereby
incorporated herein by reference.
3