1995 Stock Option Plan - Verity Inc.
VERITY, INC.
1995 STOCK OPTION PLAN
(AS AMENDED THROUGH NOVEMBER 15, 2002)
1. ESTABLISHMENT, PURPOSE AND TERM OF PLAN.
1.1 ESTABLISHMENT. The Verity, Inc. 1988 Stock Option
Plan was initially established effective as of August 31, 1988 (the "INITIAL
PLAN"). The Initial Plan is hereby amended and restated in its entirety as the
Verity, Inc. 1995 Stock Option Plan (the "PLAN") effective immediately prior to
the effective date of the initial registration by the Company of its Stock under
Section 12 of the Exchange Act (the "EFFECTIVE DATE").
1.2 PURPOSE. The purpose of the Plan is to advance the
interests of the Participating Company Group and its stockholders by providing
an incentive to attract, retain and reward persons performing services for the
Participating Company Group and by motivating such persons to contribute to the
growth and profitability of the Participating Company Group.
1.3 TERM OF PLAN. The Plan shall continue in effect until
the earlier of its termination by the Board or the date on which all of the
shares of Stock available for issuance under the Plan have been issued and all
restrictions on such shares under the terms of the Plan and the agreements
evidencing Options granted under the Plan have lapsed. However, all Incentive
Stock Options shall be granted, if at all, within ten (10) years from July 19,
1996. Notwithstanding the foregoing, if the maximum number of shares of Stock
issuable pursuant to the Plan as provided in Section 4.1 has been increased at
any time, all Incentive Stock Options shall be granted, if at all, no later than
the last day preceding the tenth (10th) anniversary of the earlier of (a) the
date on which the latest such increase in the maximum number of shares of Stock
issuable under the Plan was approved by the stockholders of the Company or (b)
the date such amendment was adopted by the Board.
2. DEFINITIONS AND CONSTRUCTION.
2.1 DEFINITIONS. Whenever used herein, the following
terms shall have their respective meanings set forth below:
(a) "BOARD" means the Board of Directors of the
Company. If one or more Committees have been appointed by the Board to
administer the Plan, "Board" also means such Committee(s).
(b) "CODE" means the Internal Revenue Code of
1986, as amended, and any applicable regulations promulgated thereunder.
(c) "COMMITTEE" means the Compensation Committee
or other committee of the Board duly appointed to administer the Plan and having
such powers as shall be specified by the Board. Unless the powers of the
Committee have been specifically limited, the Committee shall have all of the
powers of the Board granted herein, including, without limitation, the power to
amend or terminate the Plan at any time, subject to the terms of the Plan and
any applicable limitations imposed by law.
(d) "COMPANY" means Verity, Inc., a Delaware
corporation, or any successor corporation thereto.
(e) "CONSULTANT" means any person, including an
advisor, engaged by a Participating Company to render services other than as an
Employee or a Director.
(f) "DIRECTOR" means a member of the Board or of
the board of directors of any other Participating Company.
(g) "EMPLOYEE" means any person treated as an
employee (including an officer or a Director who is also treated as an employee)
in the records of a Participating Company; provided, however, that neither
service as a Director nor payment of a director's fee shall be sufficient to
constitute employment for purposes of the Plan.
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(h) "EXCHANGE ACT" means the Securities Exchange
Act of 1934, as amended.
(i) "FAIR MARKET VALUE" means, as of any date,
the value of a share of stock or other property as determined by the Board, in
its sole discretion, or by the Company, in its sole discretion, if such
determination is expressly allocated to the Company herein.
(j) "INCENTIVE STOCK OPTION" means an Option
intended to be (as set forth in the Option Agreement) and which qualifies as an
incentive stock option within the meaning of Section 422(b) of the Code.
(k) "INSIDER" means an officer or a Director of
the Company or any other person whose transactions in Stock are subject to
Section 16 of the Exchange Act.
(l) "NONSTATUTORY STOCK OPTION" means an Option
not intended to be (as set forth in the Option Agreement) or which does not
qualify as an Incentive Stock Option.
(m) "OPTION" means a right to purchase Stock
(subject to adjustment as provided in Section 4.2) pursuant to the terms and
conditions of the Plan. An Option may be either an Incentive Stock Option or a
Nonstatutory Stock Option.
(n) "OPTION AGREEMENT" means a written agreement
between the Company and an Optionee setting forth the terms, conditions and
restrictions of the Option granted to the Optionee and any shares acquired upon
the exercise thereof.
(o) "OPTION RESERVE INCREASE" means the increase
of four hundred thousand (400,000) shares of Stock issuable under the Plan which
was approved by the Board on July 19, 1996.
(p) "OPTIONEE" means a person who has been
granted one or more Options.
(q) "PARENT CORPORATION" means any present or
future "parent corporation" of the Company, as defined in Section 424(e) of the
Code.
(r) "PARTICIPATING COMPANY" means the Company or
any Parent Corporation or Subsidiary Corporation.
(s) "PARTICIPATING COMPANY GROUP" means, at any
point in time, all corporations collectively which are then Participating
Companies.
(t) "RULE 16B-3" means Rule 16b-3 under the
Exchange Act, as amended from time to time, or any successor rule or regulation.
(u) "SECTION 162(M)" means Section 162(m) of the
Code, as amended by the Revenue Reconciliation Act of 1993 (P.L. 103-66).
(v) "STOCK" means the common stock, $0.001 par
value, of the Company, as adjusted from time to time in accordance with Section
4.2.
(w) "SUBSIDIARY CORPORATION" means any present
or future "subsidiary corporation" of the Company, as defined in Section 424(f)
of the Code.
(x) "TEN PERCENT OWNER OPTIONEE" means an
Optionee who, at the time an Option is granted to the Optionee, owns stock
possessing more than ten percent (10%) of the total combined voting power of all
classes of stock of a Participating Company within the meaning of Section
422(b)(6) of the Code.
2.2 CONSTRUCTION. Captions and titles contained herein
are for convenience only and shall not affect the meaning or interpretation of
any provision of the Plan. Except when otherwise indicated by the context, the
singular shall include the plural, the plural shall include the singular, and
the term "or" shall include the conjunctive as well as the disjunctive.
3. ADMINISTRATION.
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3.1 ADMINISTRATION BY THE BOARD. The Plan shall be
administered by the Board, including any duly appointed Committee of the Board.
All questions of interpretation of the Plan or of any Option shall be determined
by the Board, and such determinations shall be final and binding upon all
persons having an interest in the Plan or such Option. Any officer of a
Participating Company shall have the authority to act on behalf of the Company
with respect to any matter, right, obligation, determination or election which
is the responsibility of or which is allocated to the Company herein, provided
the officer has apparent authority with respect to such matter, right,
obligation, determination or election.
3.2 POWERS OF THE BOARD. In addition to any other powers
set forth in the Plan and subject to the provisions of the Plan, the Board shall
have the full and final power and authority, in its sole discretion:
(a) to determine the persons to whom, and the
time or times at which, Options shall be granted and the number of shares of
Stock to be subject to each Option;
(b) to designate Options as Incentive Stock
Options or Nonstatutory Stock Options;
(c) to determine the Fair Market Value of shares
of Stock or other property;
(d) to determine the terms, conditions and
restrictions applicable to each Option (which need not be identical) and any
shares acquired upon the exercise thereof, including, without limitation, (i)
the exercise price of the Option, (ii) the method of payment for shares
purchased upon the exercise of the Option, (iii) the method for satisfaction of
any tax withholding obligation arising in connection with the Option or such
shares, including by the withholding or delivery of shares of stock, (iv) the
timing, terms and conditions of the exercisability of the Option or the vesting
of any shares acquired upon the exercise thereof, (v) the time of the expiration
of the Option, (vi) the effect of the Optionee's termination of employment or
service with the Participating Company Group on any of the foregoing, and (vii)
all other terms, conditions and restrictions applicable to the Option or such
shares not inconsistent with the terms of the Plan;
(e) to approve one or more forms of Option
Agreement;
(f) to amend, modify, extend, or renew, or grant
a new Option in substitution for, any Option or to waive any restrictions or
conditions applicable to any Option or any shares acquired upon the exercise
thereof, including without limitation (1) the reduction of the exercise price of
any outstanding Option under the Plan to the then Fair Market Value and/or (2)
the cancellation of any outstanding Option under the Plan and the grant in
substitution therefor of (A) a new Option under the Plan covering the same or a
different number of shares of Common Stock, (B) a stock bonus, (C) the right to
acquire restricted stock, (D) cash and/or (E) other valuable consideration (as
determined by the Board, in its sole discretion); provided, however, that
without the approval of the Company's stockholders, the Board may not amend an
Option granted from the Option Reserve Increase to decrease the exercise price
thereof, or grant a new Option in substitution therefor;
(g) to accelerate, continue, extend or defer the
exercisability of any Option or the vesting of any shares acquired upon the
exercise thereof, including with respect to the period following an Optionee's
termination of employment or service with the Participating Company Group;
(h) to prescribe, amend or rescind rules,
guidelines and policies relating to the Plan, or to adopt supplements to, or
alternative versions of, the Plan, including, without limitation, as the Board
deems necessary or desirable to comply with the laws of, or to accommodate the
tax policy or custom of, foreign jurisdictions whose citizens may be granted
Options; and
(i) to correct any defect, supply any omission
or reconcile any inconsistency in the Plan or any Option Agreement and to make
all other determinations and take such other actions with respect to the Plan or
any Option as the Board may deem advisable to the extent consistent with the
Plan and applicable law.
3.3 COMMITTEE COMPLYING WITH SECTION 162(M). If a
Participating Company is a "publicly held corporation" within the meaning of
Section 162(m), the Board may establish a Committee of "outside directors"
within the meaning of Section 162(m) to approve the grant of any Option which
might reasonably be anticipated to result in the payment of employee
remuneration that would otherwise exceed the limit on employee remuneration
deductible for income tax purposes pursuant to Section 162(m).
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4. SHARES SUBJECT TO PLAN.
4.1 MAXIMUM NUMBER OF SHARES ISSUABLE. Subject to
adjustment as provided in Section 4.2, the maximum aggregate number of shares of
Stock that may be issued under the Plan shall be twelve million one hundred
twenty-one thousand six hundred seventy-two (12,121,672) and shall consist of
authorized but unissued or reacquired shares of Stock or any combination
thereof. If an outstanding Option for any reason expires or is terminated or
canceled or shares of Stock acquired, subject to repurchase, upon the exercise
of an Option are repurchased by the Company, the shares of Stock allocable to
the unexercised portion of such Option, or such repurchased shares of Stock,
shall again be available for issuance under the Plan.
4.2 ADJUSTMENTS FOR CHANGES IN CAPITAL STRUCTURE. In the
event of any stock dividend, stock split, reverse stock split, recapitalization,
combination, reclassification or similar change in the capital structure of the
Company, appropriate adjustments shall be made in the number and class of shares
subject to the Plan, the Option Reserve Increase and to any outstanding Options,
in the Section 162(m) Grant Limit set forth in Section 5.5, and in the exercise
price per share of any outstanding Options. If a majority of the shares which
are of the same class as the shares that are subject to outstanding Options are
exchanged for, converted into, or otherwise become (whether or not pursuant to
an Ownership Change Event, as defined in Section 8.1) shares of another
corporation (the "NEW SHARES"), the Board may unilaterally amend the outstanding
Options to provide that such Options are exercisable for New Shares. In the
event of any such amendment, the number of shares subject to, and the exercise
price per share of, the outstanding Options shall be adjusted in a fair and
equitable manner as determined by the Board, in its sole discretion.
Notwithstanding the foregoing, any fractional share resulting from an adjustment
pursuant to this Section 4.2 shall be rounded up or down to the nearest whole
number, as determined by the Board, and in no event may the exercise price of
any Option be decreased to an amount less than the par value, if any, of the
stock subject to the Option. The adjustments determined by the Board pursuant to
this Section 4.2 shall be final, binding and conclusive.
5. ELIGIBILITY AND OPTION LIMITATIONS.
5.1 PERSONS ELIGIBLE FOR OPTIONS. Options may be granted
only to Employees, Consultants, and Directors. For purposes of the foregoing
sentence, "Employees" shall include prospective Employees to whom Options are
granted in connection with written offers of employment with the Participating
Company Group, and "Consultants" shall include prospective Consultants to whom
Options are granted in connection with written offers of engagement with the
Participating Company Group. Eligible persons may be granted more than one (1)
Option.
5.2 DIRECTORS SERVING ON COMMITTEE. At any time that any
class of equity security of the Company is registered pursuant to Section 12 of
the Exchange Act, no member of a Committee established to administer the Plan in
compliance with the "disinterested administration" requirements of Rule 16b-3,
while a member, shall be eligible to be granted an Option.
5.3 OPTION GRANT RESTRICTIONS. Any person who is not an
Employee on the effective date of the grant of an Option to such person may be
granted only a Nonstatutory Stock Option. An Incentive Stock Option granted to a
prospective Employee upon the condition that such person become an Employee
shall be deemed granted effective on the date such person commences service with
a Participating Company, with an exercise price determined as of such date in
accordance with Section 6.1.
5.4 FAIR MARKET VALUE LIMITATION. To the extent that the
aggregate Fair Market Value of stock with respect to which options designated as
Incentive Stock Options are exercisable by an Optionee for the first time during
any calendar year (under all stock option plans of the Participating Company
Group, including the Plan) exceeds One Hundred Thousand Dollars ($100,000), the
portion of such options which exceeds such amount shall be treated as
Nonstatutory Stock Options. For purposes of this Section 5.4, options designated
as Incentive Stock Options shall be taken into account in the order in which
they were granted, and the Fair Market Value of stock shall be determined as of
the time the option with respect to such stock is granted. If the Code is
amended to provide for a different limitation from that set forth in this
Section 5.4, such different limitation shall be deemed incorporated herein
effective as of the date and with respect to such Options as required or
permitted by such amendment to the Code. If an Option is treated as an Incentive
Stock Option in part and as a Nonstatutory Stock Option in part by reason of the
limitation set forth in this Section 5.4, the Optionee may designate which
portion of such Option the Optionee is exercising and may request that separate
certificates representing each such portion be issued upon the exercise of the
Option. In the absence of such designation, the Optionee shall be deemed to have
exercised the Incentive Stock Option portion of the Option first.
5.5 SECTION 162(M) GRANT LIMIT. Subject to adjustment as
provided in Section 4.2, at any such time as a Participating Company is a
"publicly held corporation" within the meaning of Section 162(m), no Employee
shall be granted one or
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more Options within any fiscal year of the Company which in the aggregate are
for the purchase of more than five hundred thousand (500,000) shares (the
"SECTION 162(M) GRANT LIMIT").
6. TERMS AND CONDITIONS OF OPTIONS. Options shall be evidenced by
Option Agreements specifying the number of shares of Stock covered thereby, in
such form as the Board shall from time to time establish. Option Agreements may
incorporate all or any of the terms of the Plan by reference and shall comply
with and be subject to the following terms and conditions:
6.1 EXERCISE PRICE. The exercise price for each Option
shall be established in the sole discretion of the Board; provided, however,
that (a) the exercise price per share for an Option shall be not less than the
Fair Market Value of a share of Stock on the effective date of grant of the
Option, and (b) no Incentive Stock Option granted to a Ten Percent Owner
Optionee shall have an exercise price per share less than one hundred ten
percent (110%) of the Fair Market Value of a share of Stock on the effective
date of grant of the Option. Notwithstanding the foregoing, an Option (whether
an Incentive Stock Option or a Nonstatutory Stock Option) may be granted with an
exercise price lower than the minimum exercise price set forth above if such
Option is granted pursuant to an assumption or substitution for another option
in a manner qualifying under the provisions of Section 424(a) of the Code.
6.2 EXERCISE PERIOD. Options shall be exercisable at such
time or times, or upon such event or events, and subject to such terms,
conditions, performance criteria, and restrictions as shall be determined by the
Board and set forth in the Option Agreement evidencing such Option; provided,
however, that (a) no Incentive Stock Option shall be exercisable after the
expiration of ten (10) years after the effective date of grant of such Option,
(b) no Incentive Stock Option granted to a Ten Percent Owner Optionee shall be
exercisable after the expiration of five (5) years after the effective date of
grant of such Option, (c) no Option granted to a prospective Employee or
prospective Consultant may become exercisable prior to the date on which such
person commences service with a Participating Company, and (d) no Option granted
from the Option Reserve Increase shall be exercisable after the expiration of
eight (8) years after the effective date of grant of such Option.
6.3 PAYMENT OF EXERCISE PRICE.
(a) FORMS OF CONSIDERATION AUTHORIZED. Except as
otherwise provided below, payment of the exercise price for the number of shares
of Stock being purchased pursuant to any Option shall be made (i) in cash, by
check, or cash equivalent, (ii) by tender to the Company of shares of Stock
owned by the Optionee having a Fair Market Value (as determined by the Company
without regard to any restrictions on transferability applicable to such stock
by reason of federal or state securities laws or agreements with an underwriter
for the Company) not less than the exercise price, (iii) by the assignment of
the proceeds of a sale or loan with respect to some or all of the shares being
acquired upon the exercise of the Option (including, without limitation, through
an exercise complying with the provisions of Regulation T as promulgated from
time to time by the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System) (a
"CASHLESS EXERCISE"), (iv) by the Optionee's promissory note in a form approved
by the Company, (v) by such other consideration as may be approved by the Board
from time to time to the extent permitted by applicable law, or (vi) by any
combination thereof. The Board may at any time or from time to time, by adoption
of or by amendment to the standard forms of Option Agreement described in
Section 7, or by other means, grant Options which do not permit all of the
foregoing forms of consideration to be used in payment of the exercise price or
which otherwise restrict one or more forms of consideration.
(b) TENDER OF STOCK. Notwithstanding the
foregoing, an Option may not be exercised by tender to the Company of shares of
Stock to the extent such tender of Stock would constitute a violation of the
provisions of any law, regulation or agreement restricting the redemption of the
Company's stock. Unless otherwise provided by the Board, an Option may not be
exercised by tender to the Company of shares of Stock unless such shares either
have been owned by the Optionee for more than six (6) months or were not
acquired, directly or indirectly, from the Company.
(c) CASHLESS EXERCISE. The Company reserves, at
any and all times, the right, in the Company's sole and absolute discretion, to
establish, decline to approve or terminate any program or procedures for the
exercise of Options by means of a Cashless Exercise.
(d) PAYMENT BY PROMISSORY NOTE. No promissory
note shall be permitted if the exercise of an Option using a promissory note
would be a violation of any law. Any permitted promissory note shall be on such
terms as the Board shall determine at the time the Option is granted. The Board
shall have the authority to permit or require the Optionee to secure any
promissory note used to exercise an Option with the shares of Stock acquired
upon the exercise of the Option or with other collateral acceptable to the
Company. Unless otherwise provided by the Board, if the Company at any time is
subject to the regulations promulgated by the Board of Governors of the Federal
Reserve System or any other governmental entity affecting the extension of
credit in connection with the Company's securities, any promissory note shall
comply with such applicable regulations, and the
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Optionee shall pay the unpaid principal and accrued interest, if any, to the
extent necessary to comply with such applicable regulations.
6.4 TAX WITHHOLDING. The Company shall have the right,
but not the obligation, to deduct from the shares of Stock issuable upon the
exercise of an Option, or to accept from the Optionee the tender of, a number of
whole shares of Stock having a Fair Market Value, as determined by the Company,
equal to all or any part of the federal, state, local and foreign taxes, if any,
required by law to be withheld by the Participating Company Group with respect
to such Option or the shares acquired upon the exercise thereof. Alternatively
or in addition, in its sole discretion, the Company shall have the right to
require the Optionee, through payroll withholding, cash payment or otherwise,
including by means of a Cashless Exercise, to make adequate provision for any
such tax withholding obligations of the Participating Company Group arising in
connection with the Option or the shares acquired upon the exercise thereof. The
Company shall have no obligation to deliver shares of Stock or to release shares
of Stock from an escrow established pursuant to the Option Agreement until the
Participating Company Group's tax withholding obligations have been satisfied by
the Optionee.
6.5 REPURCHASE RIGHTS. Shares issued under the Plan may
be subject to a right of first refusal, one or more repurchase options, or other
conditions and restrictions as determined by the Board in its sole discretion at
the time the Option is granted. The Company shall have the right to assign at
any time any repurchase right it may have, whether or not such right is then
exercisable, to one or more persons as may be selected by the Company. Upon
request by the Company, each Optionee shall execute any agreement evidencing
such transfer restrictions prior to the receipt of shares of Stock hereunder and
shall promptly present to the Company any and all certificates representing
shares of Stock acquired hereunder for the placement on such certificates of
appropriate legends evidencing any such transfer restrictions.
7. STANDARD FORMS OF OPTION AGREEMENT.
7.1 INCENTIVE STOCK OPTIONS. Unless otherwise provided by
the Board at the time the Option is granted, an Option designated as an
"Incentive Stock Option" shall comply with and be subject to the terms and
conditions set forth in the form of Immediately Exercisable Incentive Stock
Option Agreement adopted by the Board concurrently with its adoption of the Plan
and as amended from time to time.
7.2 NONSTATUTORY STOCK OPTIONS. Unless otherwise provided
by the Board at the time the Option is granted, an Option designated as a
"Nonstatutory Stock Option" shall comply with and be subject to the terms and
conditions set forth in the form of Immediately Exercisable Nonstatutory Stock
Option Agreement adopted by the Board concurrently with its adoption of the Plan
and as amended from time to time.
7.3 STANDARD TERM OF OPTIONS. Except as otherwise
provided in Section 6.2 or by the Board in the grant of an Option, (a) any
Incentive Stock Option granted hereunder (except for Incentive Stock Options
granted from the Option Reserve Increase) shall have a term of ten (10) years
from the effective date of grant of the Option, and (b) any Incentive Stock
Option granted from the Option Reserve Increase shall have a term of eight (8)
years from the effective date of grant of the Option.
7.4 AUTHORITY TO VARY TERMS. The Board shall have the
authority from time to time to vary the terms of any of the standard forms of
Option Agreement described in this Section 7 either in connection with the grant
or amendment of an individual Option or in connection with the authorization of
a new standard form or forms; provided, however, that the terms and conditions
of any such new, revised or amended standard form or forms of Option Agreement
shall be in accordance with the terms of the Plan. Such authority shall include,
but not by way of limitation, the authority to grant Options which are not
immediately exercisable.
8. TRANSFER OF CONTROL.
8.1 DEFINITIONS.
(a) An "OWNERSHIP CHANGE EVENT" shall be deemed
to have occurred if any of the following occurs with respect to the Company:
(i) the direct or indirect sale or
exchange in a single or series of related transactions by the stockholders of
the Company of more than fifty percent (50%) of the voting stock of the Company;
(ii) a merger or consolidation in which
the Company is a party;
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(iii) the sale, exchange, or transfer of
all or substantially all of the assets of the Company; or
(iv) a liquidation or dissolution of the
Company.
(b) A "TRANSFER OF CONTROL" shall mean an
Ownership Change Event or a series of related Ownership Change Events
(collectively, the "TRANSACTION") wherein the stockholders of the Company
immediately before the Transaction do not retain immediately after the
Transaction, in substantially the same proportions as their ownership of shares
of the Company's voting stock immediately before the Transaction, direct or
indirect beneficial ownership of more than fifty percent (50%) of the total
combined voting power of the outstanding voting stock of the Company or the
corporation or corporations to which the assets of the Company were transferred
(the "TRANSFEREE CORPORATION(S)"), as the case may be. For purposes of the
preceding sentence, indirect beneficial ownership shall include, without
limitation, an interest resulting from ownership of the voting stock of one or
more corporations which, as a result of the Transaction, own the Company or the
Transferee Corporation(s), as the case may be, either directly or through one or
more subsidiary corporations. The Board shall have the right to determine
whether multiple sales or exchanges of the voting stock of the Company or
multiple Ownership Change Events are related, and its determination shall be
final, binding and conclusive.
8.2 EFFECT OF TRANSFER OF CONTROL ON OPTIONS. In the
event of a Transfer of Control, the surviving, continuing, successor, or
purchasing corporation or parent corporation thereof, as the case may be (the
"ACQUIRING CORPORATION"), may either assume the Company's rights and obligations
under outstanding Options or substitute for outstanding Options substantially
equivalent options for the Acquiring Corporation's stock. Any Options which are
neither assumed or substituted for by the Acquiring Corporation in connection
with the Transfer of Control nor exercised as of the date of the Transfer of
Control shall terminate and cease to be outstanding effective as of the date of
the Transfer of Control. Notwithstanding the foregoing, shares acquired upon
exercise of an Option prior to the Transfer of Control and any consideration
received pursuant to the Transfer of Control with respect to such shares shall
continue to be subject to all applicable provisions of the Option Agreement
evidencing such Option except as otherwise provided in such Option Agreement.
Furthermore, notwithstanding the foregoing, if the corporation the stock of
which is subject to the outstanding Options immediately prior to an Ownership
Change Event described in Section 8.1(a)(i) constituting a Transfer of Control
is the surviving or continuing corporation and immediately after such Ownership
Change Event less than fifty percent (50%) of the total combined voting power of
its voting stock is held by another corporation or by other corporations that
are members of an affiliated group within the meaning of Section 1504(a) of the
Code without regard to the provisions of Section 1504(b) of the Code, the
outstanding Options shall not terminate unless the Board otherwise provides in
its sole discretion.
9. PROVISION OF INFORMATION. Each Optionee shall be given access
to information concerning the Company equivalent to that information generally
made available to the Company's common stockholders.
10. NONTRANSFERABILITY OF OPTIONS. During the lifetime of the
Optionee, an Option shall be exercisable only by the Optionee or the Optionee's
guardian or legal representative. No Option shall be assignable or transferable
by the Optionee, except by will or by the laws of descent and distribution.
11. INDEMNIFICATION. In addition to such other rights of
indemnification as they may have as members of the Board or officers or
employees of the Participating Company Group, members of the Board and any
officers or employees of the Participating Company Group to whom authority to
act for the Board is delegated shall be indemnified by the Company against all
reasonable expenses, including attorneys' fees, actually and necessarily
incurred in connection with the defense of any action, suit or proceeding, or in
connection with any appeal therein, to which they or any of them may be a party
by reason of any action taken or failure to act under or in connection with the
Plan, or any right granted hereunder, and against all amounts paid by them in
settlement thereof (provided such settlement is approved by independent legal
counsel selected by the Company) or paid by them in satisfaction of a judgment
in any such action, suit or proceeding, except in relation to matters as to
which it shall be adjudged in such action, suit or proceeding that such person
is liable for gross negligence, bad faith or intentional misconduct in duties;
provided, however, that within sixty (60) days after the institution of such
action, suit or proceeding, such person shall offer to the Company, in writing,
the opportunity at its own expense to handle and defend the same.
12. TERMINATION OR AMENDMENT OF PLAN. The Board may terminate or
amend the Plan at any time. However, subject to changes in the law or other
legal requirements that would permit otherwise, without the approval of the
Company's stockholders, there shall be (a) no increase in the maximum aggregate
number of shares of Stock that may be issued under the Plan (except by operation
of the provisions of Section 4.2), (b) no change in the class of persons
eligible to receive Incentive Stock Options, and (c) no expansion in the class
of persons eligible to receive Nonstatutory Stock Options. In any event, no
termination or amendment of the
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Plan may adversely affect any then outstanding Option or any unexercised portion
thereof, without the consent of the Optionee, unless such termination or
amendment is required to enable an Option designated as an Incentive Stock
Option to qualify as an Incentive Stock Option or is necessary to comply with
any applicable law or government regulation.
13. CONTINUATION OF INITIAL PLAN AS TO OUTSTANDING OPTIONS. Any
other provision of the Plan to the contrary notwithstanding, the terms of the
Initial Plan shall remain in effect and apply to all Options granted pursuant to
the Initial Plan.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the undersigned Secretary of the Company certifies
that the foregoing is the Verity, Inc. 1995 Stock Option Plan, as amended
through November 15, 2002.
____________________________
Secretary
8