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PROXY STATEMENT
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FOR
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SPECIAL MEETING OF STOCKHOLDERS
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SPECIAL MEETING INFORMATION
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When
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January 19, 2018
1:00 p.m. PT
Doors open at 12:30 p.m. PT
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Where
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Remark Holdings Corporate Headquarters
3960 Howard Hughes Parkway, Suite 900
Las Vegas, NV 89169
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Who May Vote
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Persons or entities holding shares of our common stock, $0.001 par value per share (“Common Stock”), at the close of business on the record date (“Stockholders”)
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Record Date
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November 22, 2017
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General
Remark Holdings, Inc. (“Remark,” “we,” “us” or “our”), is making this proxy statement (the “Proxy Statement”) available to you on or about
December 8, 2017
in connection with the solicitation of proxies by our board of directors (the “Board” or “Board of Directors”) for the Remark Holdings, Inc. special meeting of stockholders (the “Special Meeting”) to be held on Friday,
January 19, 2018
at
1:00 p.m. PT
at our offices located at 3960 Howard Hughes Parkway, Suite 900, Las Vegas, Nevada 89169. The proxy materials, which you can find at www.envisionreports.com/MARK, include the Proxy Statement and the form of proxy. References in the Proxy Statement to the Special Meeting also refer to any adjournments, postponements or changes in location of the meeting, to the extent applicable.
Pursuant to the rules of the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”), we are providing access to our proxy materials over the Internet rather than printing and mailing them to all stockholders. We believe electronic delivery will expedite the receipt of these materials, reduce the environmental impact of our special meeting materials and will help lower our costs. Therefore, we are mailing a Notice of Internet Availability of Proxy Materials (“Notice of Internet Availability”) to stockholders (or e-mailing, in the case of stockholders that have previously requested to receive proxy materials electronically) starting on or about December 8, 2017. The Notice of Internet Availability will provide instructions as to how stockholders may access and review the proxy materials on the website referred to in the Notice of Internet Availability or, alternatively, how to request that a copy of the proxy materials, including a proxy card, be sent to them by mail. The Notice of Internet Availability will also provide voting instructions. In addition, stockholders may request to receive the proxy materials in printed form by mail or electronically by e-mail on an ongoing basis for future stockholder meetings. Please note that, although our proxy materials are available on our website, no other information contained on the website is incorporated by reference in or considered to be a part of this Proxy Statement.
Attending the Meeting in Person
All Stockholders may attend the Special Meeting in person. If you attend in person and you are a registered Stockholder, meaning that you own shares of our Common Stock that were issued in your name such that your name appears on the stock register provided by our transfer agent, Computershare LLC, then you only need to present a government-issued photo identification. If you own shares of our Common Stock held by a broker or nominee, then you are considered a “beneficial owner” of such Common Stock. In addition to government-issued photo identification, beneficial owners of our Common Stock must also present proof of their beneficial ownership on the record date, such as their most recent account statement dated prior to the record date, a copy of the voting instructions provided by their broker or nominee, or other similar evidence of ownership. If you do not comply with the procedures outlined above, we cannot admit you to the Special Meeting.
Even if you plan to attend the Special Meeting, we recommend that you also submit an executed proxy with voting instructions (or that you instruct your broker or nominee to submit an executed proxy with voting instructions) so your vote will be counted if you later decide not to attend the Special Meeting.
VOTING INFORMATION
Meeting Agenda and Voting Recommendations
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Proposal
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Voting Recommendation of our Board of Directors
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Page on Which You May Find More Information
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Adoption and approval of the 2017 Incentive Plan
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FOR
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Voting Your Shares
All Stockholders are entitled to cast one vote per share on all matters. Please follow the voting instructions provided on the Notice of Internet Availability. You do not need to attend the Special Meeting to vote your shares. If you choose to vote your shares at the Special Meeting by proxy and you indicate your voting choices, your shares will be voted as you instructed. If you execute a proxy without indicating your vote, your shares will be voted in accordance with the Board’s recommendations noted in the table above and in accordance with the best judgment of the named proxies on any other matters properly brought before the Special Meeting.
If you are a registered Stockholder, we must receive your vote by proxy before the polls close at the Special Meeting, except that votes submitted via the Internet or telephone must be received by 10:00 p.m. PT on
January 18, 2018
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If you are the beneficial owner of shares of our Common Stock, please follow the instructions provided by your broker or nominee regarding how to provide your voting instructions. If you do not provide voting instructions to your broker or nominee, they can still vote your shares with respect to certain “discretionary” items, but they cannot vote your shares with respect to certain “non-discretionary” items. The proposal being submitted for approval at the Special Meeting is a non-discretionary item. Any shares for which you do not provide instructions to your brokerage firm regarding how to vote will be counted as “broker non-votes.” Broker non-votes are shares which are held on behalf of a beneficial owner by a broker or nominee which indicates on its proxy that it did not have or did not exercise discretionary authority to vote on a particular matter. You may vote your beneficially-owned shares in person at the Special Meeting only if at the Special Meeting you present a legal proxy provided to you by your broker or nominee.
Proxy instructions, ballots and voting tabulations that identify individual Stockholders are handled in a manner that protects the voting privacy of such individual Stockholders. Stockholders’ votes will not be disclosed either within Remark or to third parties, except: (1) as necessary to meet applicable legal requirements; (2) to allow for the tabulation of votes and certification of the vote; and (3) to facilitate a successful proxy solicitation.
Revoking Your Proxy
If you are a registered Stockholder, you may revoke your proxy and your voting instructions at any time before it is voted at the Special Meeting by:
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sending written notice of revocation to our Corporate Secretary;
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submitting a new, properly-executed proxy dated later than the date of the revoked proxy; or
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attending the Special Meeting and voting in person.
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If you are the beneficial owner of shares of our Common Stock, you may submit new voting instructions by contacting your broker or nominee. You may also vote in person at the Special Meeting as described in the previous section. Attendance at the Special Meeting will not, by itself, revoke a proxy.
Vote Required
As of
November 22, 2017
, the record date, there were
27,323,267
shares of Common Stock outstanding and there were no outstanding shares of any other class of stock. Holders of at least a majority of the outstanding shares of our Common Stock, or
13,661,634
shares, must be present at the Special Meeting in person or must be represented at the Special Meeting by proxy to constitute a quorum allowing for the transaction of business. Broker non-votes and abstentions are counted for the purpose of determining the presence of a quorum, but they do not affect the outcome of voting on the proposal mentioned below.
The proposal to adopt and approve our 2017 Incentive Plan requires the affirmative (“FOR”) vote of a majority of the votes cast on the matter (meaning the number of shares voted “for” this proposal must exceed the number of shares voted “against” this proposal).
PROPOSAL TO BE SUBMITTED FOR VOTING
Proposal 1: Adoption and Approval of 2017 Incentive Plan
On November 9, 2017, the Board accepted the recommendation of the Compensation Committee and approved the 2017 Incentive Plan (the “Plan”), subject to adoption and approval by our stockholders, and authorized submission of the Plan to stockholders for consideration at the Special Meeting. Stockholders are being asked to adopt and approve the Plan in order to meet requirements of NASDAQ rules, satisfy requirements of tax law to help preserve our ability to claim tax deductions for compensation to executive officers, and provide for favorable tax treatment to certain optionholders.
Section 162(m) of the Internal Revenue Code (the “Code”) precludes a public corporation from taking a deduction for annual compensation in excess of $1.0 million paid to its principal executive officer or any of its three other highest-paid officers (other than the chief financial officer). However, compensation that qualifies under Section 162(m) of the Code as “performance-based” is specifically exempt from the deduction limit. Based on Section 162(m) of the Code and the regulations thereunder, our ability to deduct compensation income generated in connection with the exercise of stock options or stock appreciation rights granted under the Plan should not be limited by Section 162(m) of the Code. Further, the Plan has been designed to provide flexibility with respect to whether other awards will qualify as performance-based compensation under Section 162(m) of the Code and be exempt from the deduction limit. If the vesting restrictions relating to any such award are based solely upon the satisfaction of one of the performance goals set forth in the Plan, then we believe that the compensation expense relating to such an award will be deductible by us if the awards become vested. However, compensation expense deductions relating to such awards will be subject to the deduction limitation of Section 162(m) of the Code if such awards become vested based upon any other criteria set forth in such award.
For purposes of Section 162(m) of the Code, approval of the Plan will be deemed to include approval of the material terms of the performance goals, which are set forth in Article 11 of the Plan and may be based on factors such as share price, net earnings, net sales growth, and productivity ratios. Stockholder approval of the material
terms of the performance goals, without specific targeted levels of performance, will permit qualification of incentive awards for full tax deductibility for a period of five years under Section 162(m). Stockholder approval of the performance goal inherent in stock options and stock appreciation rights (increases in the market price of stock) is not subject to a time limit under Section 162(m).
In addition, stockholder approval will permit designated stock options to qualify as incentive stock options under the Code for a period of 10 years. Such qualification can give the holder of the options more favorable tax treatment, as explained below.
Summary of the Plan
The following is a summary of the material terms of the Plan. The summary is not complete and is qualified in its entirety by reference to the full text of the Plan attached to this Proxy Statement as Appendix A.
Purpose
The purpose of the Plan is to promote our long-term success by attracting, motivating and retaining employees and directors, as well as third-party advisors and consultants we use, through the use of competitive incentives that are tied to stockholder value. The Plan seeks to align the interests of participants in the Plan with those of our stockholders by providing shares of Common Stock and other incentives to those whose judgment, initiative, and efforts influence the financial success and growth of the business and on whom we largely depend.
Administration
The Plan is administered by our Compensation Committee, which consists of two or more directors, each of whom qualifies as (i) an independent director under criteria established by the applicable listing standards of Nasdaq and other applicable laws and regulations, (ii) a “non-employee director” within the meaning of Rule 16b-3 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended and (iii) an “outside director” as defined in Treasury Regulations Section 1.162-27(e)(3) under the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (referred to herein as the Code), or if the Compensation Committee does not exist or is unable to act for any reason, the Board. The Compensation Committee has complete authority to determine all provisions of all awards under the Plan, to interpret the Plan, and to make any other determination that it believes necessary and advisable for the proper administration of the Plan. The Compensation Committee’s decisions on matters relating to the Plan will be final and conclusive. The Compensation Committee also has the authority to terminate, amend, suspend or modify the terms of any outstanding awards under the Plan in any manner permitted by the Plan; provided, however, that any recipient of an award adversely affected in any material way by such amended or modified terms has consented to such amendment or modification.
Eligibility and Participation
Eligible participants in the Plan include employees and nonemployee directors, as well as third-party advisors and consultants we use. The Compensation Committee may select from all eligible individuals those to whom awards shall be granted and shall determine, in its sole discretion, the nature of, any and all terms permissible by law, and the amount of each award. In making this determination, the Compensation Committee may consider any factors it deems relevant, including without limitation, the office or position held by a participant or the participant’s relationship to Remark, the participant’s degree of responsibility for and contribution to our growth and success, and the participant’s length of service, promotions and potential. Approximately 230 employees, four nonemployee directors, and five third-party advisors or consultants currently are eligible to participate in the Plan.
Types of Awards
Types of awards that may be granted under the Plan include cash-based awards, incentive and non-qualified stock options, stock appreciation rights, restricted stock, restricted stock units, performance shares, performance units and other stock-based awards. The terms of any award will be evidenced by an agreement, certificate, resolution or other type or form of writing or other evidence approved by the Compensation Committee which sets forth the terms and conditions of an award at the time the award is granted (the “Evidence of Award”). In the event of any inconsistency between the terms of the Evidence of Award and the Plan, the terms of the Plan will govern.
Available Shares
Subject to adjustment upon certain corporate transactions or events, a maximum of 10,000,000 shares of our Common Stock may be issued under the Plan. In addition, subject to adjustment upon certain corporate transactions or events, a participant may not receive awards with respect to more than 2,000,000 shares of Common Stock in any year. If an option or other award granted under the Plan expires or terminates, the shares subject to any portion of the award that expires or terminates without having been exercised or paid, as the case may be, will again become available for the issuance of additional awards.
Awards Under the Plan
Options
. An option granted under the Plan is designated at the time of grant as either an incentive stock option or as a non-qualified stock option, provided that incentive stock options may be granted only to our eligible employees (as permitted under Sections 422 and 424 of the Code). Upon the grant of an option to purchase shares of Common Stock, the Compensation Committee will specify the option price, the maximum duration of the option, the number of shares of Common Stock to which the option pertains, the conditions upon which an option shall become vested and exercisable, and such other provisions as the Compensation Committee shall determine which are not inconsistent with the terms of the Plan. The purchase price of each share of Common Stock purchasable under an option will be determined by the Compensation Committee at the time of grant, but may not be less than 100% of the fair market value of such share of Common Stock on the date the option is granted. No option shall be exercisable later than the tenth anniversary date of its grant.
Stock Appreciation Rights (SARs)
. SARs will be exercisable at such time or times and subject to such terms and conditions as determined by the Compensation Committee. The term of SARs granted under the Plan shall be determined by the Compensation Committee, in its sole discretion, and except as determined otherwise by the Compensation Committee, no stock appreciation right shall be exercisable later than the tenth anniversary date of its grant.
Restricted Stock and Restricted Stock Units
. Shares of restricted stock and/or restricted stock units may be granted under the Plan aside from, or in association with, any other award and will be subject to certain conditions and contain such additional terms and conditions, not inconsistent with the terms of the Plan, as the Compensation Committee deems desirable. The Compensation Committee may provide in an Evidence of Award that the award of restricted stock is conditioned upon the participant making or refraining from making an election with respect to the award under Section 83(b) of the Code. If a participant makes an election pursuant to Section 83(b) of the Code concerning a restricted stock award, the participant shall be required to file promptly a copy of such election with Remark.
Performance Units/Performance Shares
. Subject to the terms and provisions of the Plan, the Compensation Committee, at any time and from time to time, may grant performance units and/or performance shares to participants in such amounts and upon such terms as the Compensation Committee shall determine. Each performance unit shall have an initial value that is established by the Compensation Committee at the time of grant. Each performance share shall have an initial value equal to the fair market value of a share of Common Stock on the date of grant. The Compensation Committee shall set performance goals in its discretion which, depending on the extent to which they are met, will determine the value and/or number of performance units/performance shares that will be paid out to the participant.
Cash-Based Awards and Other Stock-Based Awards
. Subject to the provisions of the Plan, the Compensation Committee may grant cash-based awards or other types of equity-based or equity-related awards not otherwise
described by the terms of the Plan (including the grant or offer for sale of unrestricted shares of Common Stock) in such amounts and subject to such terms and conditions, as the Compensation Committee shall determine. Such awards may involve the transfer of actual shares of Common Stock to participants, or payment in cash or otherwise of amounts based on the value of shares of Common Stock and may include, without limitation, awards designed to comply with or take advantage of the applicable local laws of jurisdictions other than the United States. Each cash-based award shall specify a payment amount or payment range as determined by the Compensation Committee; provided, however, that for purposes of Section 162(m) of the Code such cash-based award with respect to any fiscal year of Remark shall not exceed $300,000. Each other stock-based award shall be expressed in terms of shares of Common Stock or units based on shares of Common Stock, as determined by the Compensation Committee.
Restrictions on Transferability
Except as otherwise permitted by the Compensation Committee, the awards granted under the Plan are not transferable and may be exercised solely by a participant during his lifetime or after his death by the person or persons entitled thereto under his will or the laws of descent and distribution or as otherwise required by law. Any attempt to transfer, assign, pledge or otherwise dispose of, or to subject to execution, attachment or similar process, any award contrary to the provisions set forth in the Plan will be void and ineffective and will give no right to the purported transferee.
Amendment and Termination
Unless sooner terminated as provided therein, the Plan shall terminate on November 9, 2027. The Compensation Committee may, at any time and from time to time, alter, amend, modify, suspend, or terminate the Plan and any Evidence of Award in whole or in part; provided, however, that, without the prior approval of our stockholders and except as provided in instances of adjustments in authorized shares, options or SARs issued under the Plan will not be repriced, replaced, or re-granted through cancellation, or by lowering the option price of a previously granted option or the grant price of a previously granted SAR, and no amendment of the Plan shall be made without stockholder approval if stockholder approval is required by law, regulation, or stock exchange rule.
Change in Control
Upon the occurrence of a change in control (as defined under the Plan), the Compensation Committee may accelerate the vesting and exercisability (as applicable) of any outstanding awards, in whole or in part, as determined by the Compensation Committee in its sole discretion. In its sole discretion, the Compensation Committee may also determine that, upon the occurrence of a change in control, each outstanding option or SAR shall terminate within a specified number of days after notice to the participant, and each such participant shall receive, with respect to each share subject to such option or SAR, an amount equal to the excess of the fair market value of such share immediately prior to such change in control over the applicable option price or grant price, which amount shall be payable in cash, in one or more kinds of property (including the property, if any, payable in the transaction) or a combination thereof, as the Compensation Committee shall determine in its sole discretion.
U.S. Federal Income Tax Consequences
The following summary is intended only as a general guide to the U.S. federal income tax consequences under current law of equity-based awards that may be granted under the Plan; it does not attempt to describe all possible federal or other tax consequences of participation in the Plan or tax consequences based on particular circumstances.
Incentive Stock Options
An optionholder recognizes no taxable income for regular income tax purposes as a result of the grant or exercise of an incentive stock option qualifying under Code Section 422. However, an optionholder may be subject to the alternative minimum tax if the fair market value of our common stock on the date of exercise exceeds the optionholder’s purchase price for the shares. Optionholders who neither dispose of their shares within two years
following the date the option was granted nor within one year following the exercise of the option will normally recognize a capital gain or loss upon a sale of the shares equal to the difference, if any, between the sale price and the purchase price of the shares. If an optionholder satisfies such holding periods upon a sale of the shares, we will not be entitled to any deduction for federal income tax purposes. If an optionholder disposes of shares within two years after the date of grant or within one year after the date of exercise (referred to as a “disqualifying disposition”), the optionholder will normally recognize ordinary income in the tax year during which the disqualifying disposition occurs equal to the lesser of the difference between (i) the fair market value of the shares on the date of exercise and the purchase price of such shares, or (ii) the sales price and the purchase price of such shares. The optionholder will normally also recognize capital gain equal to the difference, if any, between the sales price and the fair market value of such shares on the exercise date. However, if a loss is recognized on the sale (i.e., the sales price is less than the purchase price of the disposed shares), the optionholder will not recognize any ordinary income and such loss will be a capital loss. We generally should be entitled to a deduction equal to the amount of ordinary income recognized by the optionholder upon the disqualifying disposition of the shares.
Nonqualified Stock Options
Options not designated or qualifying as incentive stock options will be nonqualified stock options having no special tax status. An optionholder generally recognizes no taxable income as the result of the grant of such an option. Upon exercise of a nonqualified stock option, the optionee normally recognizes ordinary income in the amount of the difference between the option exercise price and the fair market value of the shares on the exercise date. Upon the sale of stock acquired by the exercise of a nonqualified stock option, any gain or loss, based on the difference between the sale price and the fair market value on the exercise date, will be taxed as a capital gain or loss. No tax deduction is available to us with respect to the grant of a nonqualified stock option or the sale of the stock acquired pursuant to such grant. We generally should be entitled to a deduction equal to the amount of ordinary income recognized by the optionholder as a result of the exercise of a nonqualified stock option.
Restricted Stock; Stock Appreciation Rights
Generally speaking, the grant of restricted stock will not be taxable to the recipient until such time as the stock vests (i.e., the restrictions lapse or are satisfied), unless the recipient makes a special election to treat the stock as vested upon the date of grant. Upon vesting (or grant, if the special election is made), the recipient will recognize ordinary income in the amount of the difference between the fair market value of the shares and the price paid, if any, for the shares. We generally should be entitled to a deduction equal to the amount of ordinary income recognized by the recipient, unless the limitation imposed by Section 162(m) of the Code is applicable.
A holder of a stock appreciation right generally recognizes no taxable income as the result of the grant of such right. Upon exercise of a stock appreciation right, the holder normally recognizes ordinary income in the amount of the difference between the grant price and the fair market value of the shares on the exercise date. If the holder is an employee, such ordinary income generally is subject to withholding of income and employment taxes. No tax deduction is available to us with respect to the grant of a stock appreciation right. We generally should be entitled to a deduction equal to the amount of ordinary income recognized by the holder as a result of the exercise of a stock appreciation right.
Other Types of Awards
With respect to other awards under the Plan, generally when the participant receives payment with respect to an award, the amount of cash and fair market value of any other property received will be ordinary income to the participant, and we generally will be entitled to a tax deduction in the same amount.
Existing Awards under the Plan
As of November 22, 2017, no shares of our Common Stock, options to purchase shares of our Common Stock or other awards have been granted under the Plan.
New Plan Benefits
Awards under the Plan will be granted at the discretion of the Compensation Committee and, accordingly, are not yet determinable. In addition, benefits under the Plan will depend on a number of factors, including the fair market value of our Common Stock on future dates, and actual company performance against performance goals established with respect to performance awards, among other things. Consequently, it is not possible to determine the exact benefits or number of shares subject to awards that may be granted in the future to persons eligible for participation in the Plan.
As of November 22, 2017, the fair market value of a share of our Common Stock was $8.54.
Vote Required
The affirmative (“FOR”) vote of a majority of the votes cast on the matter is required to approve Proposal 1.
The Board unanimously recommends a vote “
FOR
” Proposal 1.
STOCKHOLDER PROPOSALS
We must receive proposals of stockholders intended to be presented at the
2018
Annual Meeting of Stockholders (the “
2018
Annual Meeting”) no later than December 19,
2017
, so we may include such proposals in our proxy statement and form of proxy relating to the
2018
Annual Meeting.
Under SEC rules, if we do not receive notice of a stockholder proposal at least 45 days prior to the first anniversary of the date of mailing of the prior year’s proxy statement, then we will be permitted to use our discretionary voting authority when the proposal is raised at the annual meeting, without any discussion of the matter in the proxy statement. In connection with the
2018
Annual Meeting, if we do not receive notice of a stockholder proposal on or before March 4,
2018
, we will be permitted to use our discretionary voting authority as outlined above.
Our Bylaws establish procedures for stockholder nominations related to director elections and bringing business before any annual meeting or special meeting of our stockholders. For nominations or other business to be properly brought before a stockholder meeting by a stockholder, the stockholder must have given timely notice thereof in writing to Remark’s Secretary, and such other business must otherwise be a proper matter for stockholder action. To be timely, a stockholder’s notice shall be delivered to the Secretary at our principal executive offices not less than 60 days nor more than 90 days prior to the first anniversary of the preceding year’s annual meeting; provided, however, that in the event that the date of the annual meeting is advanced by more than 30 days or delayed by more than 60 days from such anniversary date, notice by the stockholder to be timely must be delivered not earlier than the 90
th
day prior to such annual meeting and not later than the close of business on the later of the 60
th
day prior to such annual meeting or the 10th day following the day on which public announcement of the date of such meeting is first made.
With respect to nominations, to be in proper written form, a stockholder’s notice to our Secretary must set forth (a) as to each person whom the stockholder proposes to nominate for election as a director (i) the name, age, business address and residence address of the person, (ii) the principal occupation or employment of the person, (iii) the class or series and number of shares of our capital stock, if any, which the person owns beneficially or of record, and (iv) any other information relating to the person that would be required to be disclosed in a proxy statement or other filings required to be made in connection with solicitations of proxies for election of directors pursuant to Section 14 of the Exchange Act and the rules and regulations promulgated thereunder; and (b) as to the stockholder giving notice (i) the name and record address of such stockholder, (ii) the class or series and number of shares of our capital stock which such stockholder owns beneficially or of record, (iii) a description of all arrangements or understandings between such stockholder and each proposed nominee and any other person or persons (including their names) pursuant to which the nomination(s) are to be made by such stockholder, (iv) a representation that such stockholder intends to appear in person or by proxy at the annual meeting to nominate the person(s) named in its notice, and (v) any other information relating to such stockholder that would be required to be disclosed in a proxy statement or other filings required to be made in connection with solicitations of proxies for election of directors pursuant to Section 14 of the Exchange Act and the rules and regulations promulgated thereunder. Such notice must be accompanied by a written consent of each proposed nominee to being named as a nominee and to serve as a director if elected.
With respect to other business, to be in proper written form, a stockholder’s notice to our Secretary must set forth as to each matter such stockholder proposes to bring before the annual meeting (a) a brief description of the business desired to be brought before the annual meeting and the reasons for conducting such business at the annual meeting, (b) the name and record address of such stockholder, (c) the class or series and number of shares of our capital stock which such stockholder owns beneficially or of record, (d) a description of all arrangements or understandings between such stockholder and any other person or persons (including their names) in connection with the proposal of such business by such stockholder and any material interest of such stockholder in such business, and (e) a representation that such stockholder intends to appear in person or by proxy at the annual meeting to bring such business before the meeting.
PROXY SOLICITATION
We are making this solicitation of proxies on behalf of the Board and we will bear the cost of soliciting proxies. Proxies may be solicited through the mail and through telephonic or telegraphic communications to, or by meetings with, stockholders or their representatives by directors, officers and other of our employees who will receive no additional compensation therefor.
We request persons such as brokers, nominees and fiduciaries holding stock in their names for others, or holding stock for others who have the right to give voting instructions, to forward proxy material to their principals and to request authority for the execution of the proxy. We will reimburse such persons for their reasonable expenses.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
Directions to Meeting Location
Take Interstate 15 to the eastbound Spring Mountain Road exit (if coming from the north) or the eastbound Flamingo Road exit (if coming from the south). Travel eastbound for approximately one mile to Howard Hughes Parkway. If traveling on Spring Mountain Road, turn south (right) onto Howard Hughes Parkway or, if traveling on Flamingo Road, turn north (left) onto Howard Hughes Parkway. From Howard Hughes Parkway, turn onto Hughes Center Drive (a left turn approximately one quarter mile from Spring Mountain Road, or the first right turn after turning onto Howard Hughes Parkway from Flamingo Road) and then take the first left turn, which leads into the parking lot.
The meeting location is in the building on the north end of the parking lot across from the parking garage.
APPENDIX A
Remark Holdings, Inc.
2017 Incentive Plan
ARTICLE 1
Establishment, Purpose, and Duration
1.1
Establishment of the Plan
. Remark Holdings, Inc., a Delaware corporation (together with any successor thereto as provided in Article 18, hereinafter referred to as the “Company”), hereby establishes an incentive compensation plan to be known as the 2017 Incentive Plan (hereinafter referred to as the “Plan”), as set forth in this document. The Plan permits the grant of Cash-Based Awards, Nonqualified Stock Options, Incentive Stock Options, Stock Appreciation Rights, Restricted Stock, Restricted Stock Units, Performance Shares, Performance Units and Other Stock-Based Awards (each as defined below).
The Plan is adopted and is effective as of November 9, 2017 (the “Effective Date”) and shall remain in effect as provided in Section 1.3;
provided
,
however
, no Option (as defined below) may be exercised and no other Award (as defined below) may be exercised or otherwise paid until the Plan has been approved by the Company’s stockholders at a meeting at which approval of the Plan is considered.
1.2
Purpose of the Plan
. The purpose of the Plan is to promote the interests of the Company and its stockholders by aligning the interests of the Participants, through the ownership of Shares (as defined below) and through other incentives, with the interests of the Company’s stockholders, and by providing flexibility to the Company to attract, motivate, and retain Employees (as defined below), Directors (as defined below), consultants and advisors upon whose judgment, initiative, and efforts the financial success and growth of the business of the Company largely depend.
1.3
Duration of the Plan
. Unless sooner terminated as provided herein, the Plan shall terminate 10 years from the Effective Date. After the Plan is terminated, no Awards may be granted but Awards previously granted shall remain outstanding in accordance with their applicable terms and conditions and the Plan’s terms and conditions.
ARTICLE 2
Definitions
Whenever used in the Plan, the following terms shall have the meanings set forth below, and when the meaning is intended, the initial letter of the word shall be capitalized.
2.1
“Affiliate”
shall have the meaning ascribed to such term in Rule 12b-2 promulgated under the General Rules and Regulations of the Exchange Act.
2.2
“Annual Award Limit”
or
“Annual Award Limits”
have the meaning set forth in Section 4.3.
2.3
“Award”
means, individually or collectively, a grant under the Plan of Cash-Based Awards, Nonqualified Stock Options, Incentive Stock Options, Stock Appreciation Rights, Restricted Stock, Restricted Stock Units, Performance Shares, Performance Units or Other Stock-Based Awards, in each case subject to the terms of the Plan.
2.4
“Beneficial Owner”
or
“Beneficial Ownership”
shall have the meaning ascribed to such term in Rule 13d-3 promulgated under the General Rules and Regulations under the Exchange Act.
2.5
“Board”
or
“Board of Directors”
means the Board of Directors of the Company.
2.6
“Cash-Based Award”
means an Award granted to a Participant as described in Article 10.
2.7
“Change in Control”
means a Change in Control as defined in Article 15.
2.8
“Code”
means the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended from time to time.
2.9
“Committee”
means the Compensation Committee of the Board, or any other committee designated by the Board to administer the Plan. The members of the Committee shall be appointed from time to time by and shall serve at the discretion of the Board. The Committee shall consist solely of two or more directors who are “nonemployee directors” under Rule 16b-3 promulgated under the Exchange Act, “outside directors” as defined under Section 162(m) of the Code, and “independent directors” under the listing requirements of the Nasdaq Stock Market, or any similar rule or listing requirement that may be applicable to the Company from time to time.
2.10
“Company”
has the meaning set forth in Section 1.1.
2.11
“Covered Employee”
means a Participant who is a “covered employee,” as defined in Section 162(m) of the Code.
2.12
“Digipac”
means Digipac, LLC, a Delaware limited liability company, and its Affiliates.
2.13
“Director”
means a member of the Board of Directors of the Company, its Affiliates and/or Subsidiaries.
2.14
“Effective Date”
has the meaning set forth in Section 1.1.
2.15
“Employee”
means any employee of the Company, its Affiliates and/or Subsidiaries.
2.16
“ERISA”
means the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974, as amended.
2.17
“Exchange Act”
means the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended from time to time, or any successor act thereto.
2.18
“Evidence of Award”
means an agreement, certificate, resolution or other type or form of writing or other evidence approved by the Committee which sets forth the terms and conditions of an Award. An Evidence of Award may be in any electronic medium, may be limited to a notation on the books and records of the Company and, with the approval of the Committee, need not be signed by a representative of the Company or a Participant.
2.19
“Fair Market Value”
or
“FMV”
means the last sales price reported for the Shares on the applicable date as reported on the principal national securities exchange in the United States on which it is then traded, or, if such date is not a trading day, the last prior day on which the Shares were so traded; or if not so listed, the mean between the closing bid and asked prices of publicly traded Shares in the over-the-counter market, or, if such bid and asked prices shall not be available, as reported by any nationally recognized quotation service selected by the Company, or as determined by the Committee in a manner consistent with the provisions of the Code. If, however, the required accounting standards used to account for equity Awards granted to Participants are substantially modified subsequent to the Effective Date such that fair value accounting for such Awards becomes required, the Committee shall have the ability to determine an Award’s FMV based on the relevant facts and circumstances, but with respect to any Options or SARs in a manner that would not subject an otherwise exempt award to the Section 409A Rules.
2.20
“Full Value Award”
means an Award other than in the form of an Option or SAR, and which is settled by the issuance of Shares.
2.21
“Freestanding SAR”
means a SAR that is granted independently of any Options, as described in Article 7.
2.22
“Grant Price”
means the price established at the time of grant of a SAR pursuant to Article 7, used to determine whether there is any payment due upon exercise of the SAR.
2.23
“Incentive Stock Option”
means an Option that is intended to qualify as an “incentive stock option” under Section 422 of the Code.
2.24
“Nonqualified Stock Option”
means an Option that is not intended to meet the requirements of Section 422 of the Code, or that otherwise does not meet such requirements.
2.25
“Option”
means the right to purchase Shares granted to a Participant in accordance with Article 6. Options granted under the Plan may be Nonqualified Stock Options, Incentive Stock Options or a combination thereof.
2.26
“Option Price”
means the price at which a Share may be purchased by a Participant pursuant to an Option.
2.27
“Other Stock-Based Award”
means an equity-based or equity-related Award not otherwise described by the terms of the Plan, granted pursuant to Article 10.
2.28
“Participant”
means any eligible person as set forth in Section 5.1 to whom an Award is granted.
2.29
“Performance-Based Compensation”
means compensation under an Award that satisfies the requirements of Section 162(m) of the Code for deductibility of remuneration paid to Covered Employees.
2.30
“Performance Measures”
means measures as described in Article 11 on which the performance goals are based and which are approved by the Company’s stockholders pursuant to the Plan in order to qualify Awards as Performance-Based Compensation.
2.31
“Performance Period”
means the period of time during which the performance goals must be met in order to determine the degree of payout and/or vesting with respect to an Award.
2.32
“Performance Share”
means an Award granted to a Participant, as described in Article 9.
2.33
“Performance Unit”
means an Award granted to a Participant, as described in Article 9.
2.34
“Period of Restriction”
means the period when Restricted Stock or Restricted Stock Units are subject to a “substantial risk of forfeiture” within the meaning of Section 83 of the Code (based on the passage of time, the achievement of performance goals, or upon the occurrence of other events as determined by the Committee, in its discretion), as provided in Article 8.
2.35
“Person”
shall have the meaning ascribed to such term in Section 3(a)(9) of the Exchange Act and used in Sections 13(d) and 14(d) thereof, including a “group” as defined in Section 13(d) thereof.
2.36
“Plan”
has the meaning set forth in Section 1.1.
2.37
“Plan Year”
means the Company’s fiscal year that begins January 1 and ends December 31.
2.38
“Restricted Stock”
means Shares granted or sold to a Participant pursuant to Article 8 as to which the Period of Restriction has not lapsed.
2.39
“Restricted Stock Unit”
means a unit granted or sold to a Participant pursuant to Article 8 as to which the Period of Restriction has not lapsed.
2.40
“Section 409A Rules”
means the rules promulgated pursuant to Section 409A of the Code.
2.41
“Securities Act”
means the Securities Act of 1933, as amended from time to time, or any successor act thereto.
2.42
“Share”
means a share of common stock of the Company, $0.001 par value per share.
2.43
“Stock Appreciation Right”
or
“SAR”
means an Award, designated as a SAR and granted pursuant to the terms of Article 7 herein.
2.44
“Subsidiary”
means a corporation, company or other entity (i) more than 50% of whose outstanding shares or securities (representing the right to vote for the election of directors or other managing authority) are, or (ii) which does not have outstanding shares or securities (as may be the case in a partnership, joint venture or unincorporated association), but more than 50% of whose ownership interest representing the right generally to make decisions for such other entity is, now or hereafter, owned or controlled, directly or indirectly, by the Company, except that for purposes of determining whether any person may be a Participant for purposes of any grant of Incentive Stock Options, “Subsidiary” means any corporation in which at the time the Company owns or controls, directly or indirectly, more than 50% of the total combined voting power represented by all classes of stock issued by such corporation.
ARTICLE 3
Administration
3.1
General
. The Committee shall be responsible for administering the Plan, subject to this Article 3 and the other provisions of the Plan. The act or determination of a majority of the Committee shall be the act or determination of the Committee and any decision reduced to writing and signed by all of the members of the Committee shall be fully effective as if it had been made by a majority at a meeting duly held. The Committee may employ attorneys, consultants, accountants, agents, and other persons, any of whom may be an Employee, and the Committee, the Company, and its officers and Directors shall be entitled to rely upon the advice, opinions, or valuations of any such persons. All actions taken and all interpretations and determinations made by the Committee shall be final and binding upon the Participants, the Company, and all other interested persons.
3.2
Authority of the Committee
. The Committee shall have full and exclusive discretionary power to interpret the terms and the intent of the Plan and any Evidence of Award or other agreement or document ancillary to or in connection with the Plan, to determine eligibility for Awards and to adopt such rules, regulations, forms, instruments, and guidelines for administering the Plan as the Committee may deem necessary or proper. Such authority shall include, but not be limited to, selecting Award recipients, establishing all Award terms and conditions, including the terms and conditions set forth in an Evidence of Award, and, subject to Article 16, adopting modifications and amendments to the Plan or any Evidence of Award, including without limitation, any that are necessary to comply with the laws of the countries and other jurisdictions in which the Company, its Affiliates, and/or its Subsidiaries operate. If the Committee does not exist or is unable to act for any reason, then the Plan shall be administered by the Board, and
references herein to the Committee (except in the proviso to this sentence) shall be deemed to be references to the Board.
ARTICLE 4
Shares Subject to the Plan and Maximum Awards
4.1
Number of Shares Available for Awards.
(a) Subject to adjustment as provided in Section 4.4 herein, the maximum number of Shares available for issuance to Participants under the Plan shall be 10,000,000 Shares, all of which can be Incentive Stock Options.
(b) Of the Shares reserved for issuance under Section 4.1(a) of the Plan, all of the reserved Shares may be issued pursuant to Full Value Awards.
4.2
Share Usage
. Shares covered by an Award shall only be counted as used to the extent they are actually issued. Any Shares related to Awards which terminate by expiration, forfeiture, cancellation, or otherwise without the issuance of such Shares, are settled in cash in lieu of Shares (other than SARs settled in cash), or are exchanged with the Committee’s permission, prior to the issuance of Shares, for Awards not involving Shares, shall be available again for grant under the Plan. Moreover, if the Option Price of any Option granted under the Plan or the tax withholding requirements with respect to any Award granted under the Plan are satisfied by tendering Shares to the Company (by either actual delivery or by attestation), or if a SAR is exercised, only the number of Shares issued, net of the Shares tendered, if any, will be deemed delivered for purposes of determining the maximum number of Shares available for delivery under the Plan and any Shares so tendered shall again be available for issuance under the Plan. To the extent any SAR is settled, in whole or in part, in cash, the number of Shares available for issuance under this Section shall not be reduced. The maximum number of Shares available for issuance under the Plan shall not be reduced to reflect any dividends or dividend equivalents that are reinvested into additional Shares or credited as additional Restricted Stock, Restricted Stock Units, Performance Shares, or Other Stock-Based Awards. The Shares available for issuance under the Plan may be authorized and unissued Shares, treasury Shares or a combination thereof.
4.3
Annual Award Limits
. Subject to the terms of Section 4.1 hereof, the maximum number of Shares that may be subject to Awards granted in any Plan Year to any individual Participant shall be 2,000,000, all of which can be Options or SARs. The maximum amount of any Cash-Based Award payable to a Covered Employee with respect to any fiscal year of the Company shall not exceed $300,000.
4.4
Adjustments in Authorized Shares
. In the event of any corporate event or transaction (including, but not limited to, a change in the shares of the Company or the capitalization of the Company) such as a merger, consolidation, reorganization, recapitalization, separation, stock dividend, stock split, reverse stock split, split-up, spin-off, or other distribution of stock or property of the Company, combination of Shares, exchange of Shares, dividend in kind, or other like change in capital structure or distribution (other than normal cash dividends) to stockholders of the Company, or any similar corporate event or transaction, the Committee, in its sole discretion, in order to prevent dilution or enlargement of Participants’ rights under the Plan, may substitute or adjust, as applicable, the number and kind of Shares that may be issued under the Plan or under particular forms of Awards, the number and kind of Shares subject to outstanding Awards, the Option Price or Grant Price applicable to outstanding Awards, the Annual Award Limits, and/or other value determinations applicable to outstanding Awards.
Except as otherwise provided by Section 162(m) of the Code, the Committee, in its sole discretion, may also make appropriate adjustments in the terms of any Awards under the Plan to reflect
or related to such changes or distributions and to modify any other terms of outstanding Awards, including modifications of performance goals and changes in the length of Performance Periods. The determination of the Committee as to the foregoing adjustments, if any, shall be conclusive and binding on Participants under the Plan.
Subject to the provisions of Article 16, without affecting the number of Shares reserved or available hereunder, the Committee may authorize the issuance or assumption of benefits under the Plan in connection with any merger, consolidation, acquisition of property or stock, or reorganization upon such terms and conditions as it may deem appropriate, subject to compliance with the rules under Section 422 of the Code and the Section 409A Rules, where applicable.
ARTICLE 5
Eligibility and Participation
5.1
Eligibility
. Individuals eligible to participate in the Plan include all Employees and nonemployee Directors, and all consultants and advisors to the Company, its Affiliates and/or Subsidiaries.
5.2
Actual Participation
. Subject to the provisions of the Plan, the Committee may, from time to time, select from all eligible individuals, those to whom Awards shall be granted and shall determine, in its sole discretion, the nature of, any and all terms permissible by law, and the amount of each Award. In making this determination, the Committee may consider any factors it deems relevant, including without limitation, the office or position held by a Participant or the Participant’s relationship to the Company, the Participant’s degree of responsibility for and contribution to the growth and success of the Company or any Subsidiary or Affiliate, the Participant’s length of service, promotions and potential.
ARTICLE 6
Options
6.1
Grant of Options
. Subject to the terms and provisions of the Plan, Options may be granted to Participants in such number, and upon such terms, and at any time and from time to time as shall be determined by the Committee, in its sole discretion; provided that Incentive Stock Options may be granted only to eligible Employees of the Company or of any parent or subsidiary corporation (as permitted under Sections 422 and 424 of the Code).
6.2
Evidence of Award
. Each Option grant shall be evidenced by an Evidence of Award that shall specify the Option Price, the maximum duration of the Option, the number of Shares to which the Option pertains, the conditions upon which an Option shall become vested and exercisable, and such other provisions as the Committee shall determine which are not inconsistent with the terms of the Plan. The Evidence of Award also shall specify whether the Option is intended to be an Incentive Stock Option or a Nonqualified Stock Option.
6.3
Option Price
. The Option Price for each grant of an Option under the Plan shall be as determined by the Committee and shall be specified in the Evidence of Award. The Option Price may not be less than 100% of the Fair Market Value of the Shares on the date of grant. With respect to a Participant who owns, directly or indirectly, more than 10% of the total combined voting power of all classes of the capital stock of the Company, or any parent or subsidiary corporation of the Company, as defined in Section 424 of the Code, the Option Price of Shares subject to an Incentive Stock Option may not be less than 110% of the Fair Market Value of a Share on the date of grant.
6.4
Duration of Options
. Except as otherwise provided in Section 422 of the Code with respect to any Incentive Stock Option, each Option granted to a Participant shall expire at such time as the Committee shall determine at the time of grant and specify in the Evidence of Award;
provided
,
however
, that no Option shall be exercisable later than the 10
th
anniversary date of its grant. In the case of an Incentive Stock Option, with respect to a Participant who owns, directly or indirectly, more than 10% of the total combined voting power of all classes of the capital stock of the Company, or any parent or subsidiary corporation of the Company, as defined in Section 424 of the Code, no Option shall be exercisable later than the 5
th
anniversary of its date of grant.
6.5
Exercise of Options
. Options granted under this Article 6 shall be exercisable at such times and be subject to such restrictions and conditions as the Committee shall in each instance approve and specify in the Evidence of Award, which terms and restrictions need not be the same for each grant or for each Participant. After an Option is granted, the Committee, in its sole discretion, may accelerate the exercisability of the Option.
6.6
Payment
. Options granted under this Article 6 shall be exercised by the delivery of a notice of exercise to the Company or an agent designated by the Company in a form specified or accepted by the Committee, or by complying with any alternative procedures which may be authorized by the Committee, setting forth the number of Shares with respect to which the Option is to be exercised, accompanied by full payment for the Shares.
A condition of the issuance of the Shares as to which an Option shall be exercised shall be the payment of the Option Price. The Option Price of any Option shall be payable to the Company in full either: (a) in cash or its equivalent; (b) by tendering (either by actual delivery or attestation) previously acquired Shares having an aggregate Fair Market Value at the time of exercise equal to the Option Price; (c) by a combination of (a) and (b); or (d) any other method approved or accepted by the Committee in its sole discretion, including, without limitation, if the Committee so determines, (i) a cashless (broker-assisted) exercise, or (ii) a reduction in the number of Shares that would otherwise be issued by such number of Shares having in the aggregate a Fair Market Value at the time of exercise equal to the portion of the Option Price being so paid.
Subject to any governing rules or regulations, as soon as practicable after receipt of written notification of exercise and full payment (including satisfaction of any applicable tax withholding), the Company shall deliver to the Participant evidence of book entry Shares, or upon the Participant’s request, Share certificates in an appropriate amount based upon the number of Shares purchased under the Option(s).
Unless otherwise determined by the Committee, all payments under all of the methods indicated above shall be paid in United States dollars.
6.7
Restrictions on Share Transferability
. The Committee may impose such restrictions on any Shares acquired pursuant to the exercise of an Option granted under this Article 6 as it may deem advisable and specify in the Evidence of Award, including, without limitation, minimum holding period requirements, restrictions under applicable federal securities laws, under the requirements of any stock exchange or market upon which such Shares are then listed and/or traded, or under any blue sky or state securities laws applicable to such Shares.
6.8
Termination of Employment
. To the extent consistent with the Section 409A Rules and Section 162(m) of the Code, each Evidence of Award shall set forth the extent to which the Participant shall have the right to exercise the Option following termination of the Participant’s employment or provision of services to the Company, its Affiliates, and/or its Subsidiaries, as the case may be. Such provisions shall be determined in the sole discretion of the Committee, shall be included in the Evidence of Award entered into with each Participant, need not be uniform among all Options issued pursuant to this Article 6, and may reflect distinctions based on the reasons for termination.
6.9
Notification of Disqualifying Disposition
. If any Participant shall make any disposition of Shares issued pursuant to the exercise of an Incentive Stock Option under the circumstances described in Section 421(b) of the Code (relating to certain disqualifying dispositions), such Participant shall notify the Company of such disposition prior to the end of the calendar year in which such disposition occurred.
6.10
Transferability of Options
. Except as otherwise provided in a Participant’s Evidence of Award or otherwise at any time by the Committee, no Option granted under this Article 6 may be sold, transferred, pledged, assigned, or otherwise alienated or hypothecated, other than by will or by the laws of descent and distribution or as otherwise required by law;
provided
that the Board or Committee may permit further transferability, on a general or a specific basis, and may impose conditions and limitations on any permitted transferability. Further, except as otherwise provided in a Participant’s Evidence of Award or otherwise at any time by the Committee, or unless the Board or Committee decides to permit further transferability, all Options granted to a Participant under this Article 6 shall be exercisable during his or her lifetime only by such Participant. With respect to those Options, if any, that are permitted to be transferred to another person, references in the Plan to exercise or payment of the Option Price by the Participant shall be deemed to include, as determined by the Committee, the Participant’s permitted transferee.
ARTICLE 7
Stock Appreciation Rights
7.1
Grant of SARs
. Subject to the terms and conditions of the Plan, SARs, including Freestanding SARs, may be granted to Participants at any time and from time to time as shall be determined by the Committee. Subject to the terms and conditions of the Plan, the Committee shall have complete discretion in determining the number of SARs granted to each Participant and, consistent with the provisions of the Plan, in determining the terms and conditions pertaining to such SARs.
The Grant Price for each grant of a Freestanding SAR shall be determined by the Committee and shall be specified in the Evidence of Award. The Grant Price may include (but not be limited to) a Grant Price based on 100% of the FMV of the Shares on the date of grant, a Grant Price that is set at a premium to the FMV of the Shares on the date of grant, or is indexed to the FMV of the Shares on the date of grant, with the index determined by the Committee, in its discretion to the extent consistent with the Section 409A Rules.
7.2
SAR Agreement
. Each SAR Award shall be evidenced by an Evidence of Award that shall specify the Grant Price, the term of the SAR, and such other provisions as the Committee shall determine.
7.3
Term of SAR
. The term of a SAR granted under the Plan shall be determined by the Committee, in its sole discretion, and except as determined otherwise by the Committee and specified in the SAR Evidence of Award, no SAR shall be exercisable later than the 10
th
anniversary date of its grant.
7.4
Exercise of Freestanding SARs
. Freestanding SARs may be exercised upon whatever terms and conditions the Committee, in its sole discretion, imposes and specifies in the Evidence of Award.
7.5
Payment of SAR Amount
. Upon the exercise of a SAR, a Participant shall be entitled to receive payment from the Company in an amount determined by multiplying:
(a) the excess of the Fair Market Value of a Share on the date of exercise over the Grant Price; by
(b) the number of Shares with respect to which the SAR is exercised.
At the discretion of the Committee, the payment upon SAR exercise may be in cash, Shares, or any combination thereof, or in any other manner approved by the Committee in its sole discretion. The Committee’s determination regarding the form of SAR payout shall be set forth in the Evidence of Award pertaining to the grant of the SAR.
7.6
Termination of Employment
. To the extent consistent with the Section 409(A) Rules and Section 162(m) of the Code, each Evidence of Award shall set forth the extent to which the Participant shall have the right to exercise the SAR following termination of the Participant’s employment with or provision of services to the Company, its Affiliates, and/or its Subsidiaries, as the case may be. Such provisions shall be determined in the sole discretion of the Committee, shall be included in the Evidence of Award entered into with Participants, need not be uniform among all SARs issued pursuant to the Plan, and may reflect distinctions based on the reasons for termination.
7.7
Nontransferability of SARs
. Except as otherwise provided in a Participant’s Evidence of Award or otherwise at any time by the Committee, no SAR granted under the Plan may be sold, transferred, pledged, assigned, or otherwise alienated or hypothecated, other than by will or by the laws of descent and distribution or as otherwise required by law. Further, except as otherwise provided in a Participant’s Evidence of Award or otherwise at any time by the Committee, all SARs granted to a Participant under the Plan shall be exercisable during his or her lifetime only by such Participant. With respect to those SARs, if any, that are permitted to be transferred to another person, references in the Plan to exercise of the SAR by the Participant or payment of any amount to the Participant shall be deemed to include, as determined by the Committee, the Participant’s permitted transferee.
7.8
Other Restrictions
. The Committee shall impose such other conditions and/or restrictions on any Shares received upon exercise of a SAR granted pursuant to the Plan as it may deem advisable or desirable. These restrictions may include, but shall not be limited to, a requirement that the Participant hold the Shares received upon exercise of a SAR for a specified period of time.
ARTICLE 8
Restricted Stock and Restricted Stock Units
8.1
Grant of Restricted Stock or Restricted Stock Units
. Subject to the terms and provisions of the Plan, the Committee, at any time and from time to time, may grant Shares of Restricted Stock and/or Restricted Stock Units to Participants in such amounts as the Committee shall determine. Restricted Stock Units shall represent the right of a Participant to receive payment upon the lapse of the Period of Restriction.
8.2
Restricted Stock or Restricted Stock Unit Agreement
. Each Restricted Stock and/or Restricted Stock Unit grant shall be evidenced by an Evidence of Award that shall specify the Period(s) of Restriction, the number of Shares of Restricted Stock or the number of Restricted Stock Units granted, and such other provisions as the Committee shall determine.
8.3
Transferability
. Except as provided in the Plan or an Evidence of Award, the Shares of Restricted Stock and/or Restricted Stock Units granted herein may not be sold, transferred, pledged, assigned, or otherwise alienated or hypothecated until the end of the applicable Period of Restriction established by the Committee and specified in the Evidence of Award (and in the case of Restricted Stock Units until the date of delivery or other payment), or upon earlier satisfaction of any other conditions, as specified by the Committee, in its sole discretion, and set forth in the Evidence of Award or otherwise at any time by the Committee. All rights with respect to the Restricted Stock and/or Restricted Stock Units granted to a Participant under the Plan shall be available during his or her lifetime only to such Participant, except as otherwise provided in an Evidence of Award or at any time by the Committee.
8.4
Other Restrictions
. The Committee shall impose such other conditions and/or restrictions on any Shares of Restricted Stock or Restricted Stock Units granted pursuant to the Plan as it may deem advisable including, without limitation, a requirement that Participants pay a stipulated purchase price for each Share of Restricted Stock or each Restricted Stock Unit, restrictions based upon the achievement of specific performance goals, time-based restrictions on vesting following the attainment of the performance goals, time-based restrictions, and/or restrictions under applicable laws or under the requirements of any stock exchange or market upon which such Shares are listed or traded, or holding requirements or sale restrictions placed on the Shares by the Company upon vesting of such Restricted Stock or Restricted Stock Units.
In the event that the vesting date occurs on a date which is not a trading day on the principal securities exchange on which the Shares are then traded, the Fair Market Value on the last prior trading date will be utilized for cost basis.
To the extent deemed appropriate by the Committee, the Company may retain the certificates representing Shares of Restricted Stock in the Company’s possession until such time as all conditions and/or restrictions applicable to such Shares have been satisfied or lapse.
Except as otherwise provided in this Article 8, Shares of Restricted Stock covered by each Restricted Stock Award shall become freely transferable by the Participant after all conditions and restrictions applicable to such Shares have been satisfied or lapse (including satisfaction of any applicable tax withholding obligations), and Restricted Stock Units shall be paid in cash, Shares, or a combination of cash and Shares as the Committee, in its sole discretion shall determine.
8.5
Certificate Legend
. In addition to any legends placed on certificates pursuant to Section 8.4, each certificate representing Shares of Restricted Stock granted pursuant to the Plan may bear a legend as determined by the Committee in its sole discretion.
8.6
Voting Rights
. Unless otherwise determined by the Committee and set forth in a Participant’s Evidence of Award, to the extent permitted or required by law, as determined by the Committee, Participants holding Shares of Restricted Stock granted hereunder may be granted the right to exercise full voting rights with respect to those Shares during the Period of Restriction. A Participant shall have no voting rights with respect to any Restricted Stock Units granted hereunder.
8.7
Termination of Employment
. To the extent consistent with the Section 409A Rules and Section 162(m) of the Code, each Evidence of Award shall set forth the extent to which the Participant shall have the right to retain Restricted Stock and/or Restricted Stock Units following termination of the Participant’s employment with or provision of services to the Company, its Affiliates, and/or its Subsidiaries, as the case may be. Such provisions shall be determined in the sole discretion of the Committee, shall be included in the Evidence of Award entered into with each Participant, need not be uniform among all Shares of Restricted Stock or Restricted Stock Units issued pursuant to the Plan, and may reflect distinctions based on the reasons for termination.
8.8
Section 83(b) Election
. The Board may provide in an Evidence of Award that the Award of Restricted Stock is conditioned upon the Participant making or refraining from making an election with respect to the Award under Section 83(b) of the Code. If a Participant makes an election pursuant to Section 83(b) of the Code concerning a Restricted Stock Award, the Participant shall be required to file promptly a copy of such election with the Company.
ARTICLE 9
Performance Units/Performance Shares
9.1
Grant of Performance Units/Performance Shares
. Subject to the terms and provisions of the Plan, the Committee, at any time and from time to time, may grant Performance Units and/or Performance Shares to Participants in such amounts and upon such terms as the Committee shall determine.
9.2
Value of Performance Units/Performance Shares
. Each Performance Unit shall have an initial value that is established by the Committee at the time of grant. Each Performance Share shall have an initial value equal to the Fair Market Value of a Share on the date of grant. The Committee shall set performance goals in its discretion which, depending on the extent to which they are met, will determine the value and/or number of Performance Units/Performance Shares that will be paid out to the Participant.
9.3
Earning of Performance Units/Performance Shares
. Subject to the terms of the Plan, after the applicable Performance Period has ended, the holder of Performance Units/Performance Shares shall be entitled to receive payout on the value and number of Performance Units/Performance Shares earned by the Participant over the Performance Period, to be determined as a function of the extent to which the corresponding performance goals have been achieved.
9.4
Form and Timing of Payment of Performance Units/Performance Shares
. Payment of earned Performance Units/Performance Shares shall be as determined by the Committee and as evidenced in the Evidence of Award. Subject to the terms of the Plan, the Committee, in its sole discretion, may pay earned Performance Units/Performance Shares in the form of cash or in Shares (or in a combination thereof) equal to the value of the earned Performance Units/Performance Shares at the close of the applicable Performance Period, or as soon as practicable after the end of the Performance Period, but not later than the expiration of the deferral period for such Award under the Section 409A Rules. Any Shares may be granted subject to any restrictions deemed appropriate by the Committee. The determination of the Committee with respect to the form of payout of such Awards shall be set forth in the Evidence of Award pertaining to the grant of the Award.
9.5
Termination of Employment
. To the extent consistent with the Section 409A Rules and Section 162(m) of the Code, each Evidence of Award shall set forth the extent to which the Participant shall have the right to retain Performance Units and/or Performance Shares following termination of the Participant’s employment with or provision of services to the Company, its Affiliates, and/or its Subsidiaries, as the case may be. Such provisions shall be determined in the sole discretion of the Committee, shall be included in the Evidence of Award entered into with each Participant, need not be uniform among all Awards of Performance Units or Performance Shares issued pursuant to the Plan, and may reflect distinctions based on the reasons for termination.
9.6
Nontransferability
. Except as otherwise provided in a Participant’s Evidence of Award or otherwise at any time by the Committee, Performance Units/Performance Shares may not be sold, transferred, pledged, assigned, or otherwise alienated or hypothecated, other than by will or by the laws of descent and distribution or as otherwise required by law. Further, except as otherwise provided in a Participant’s Evidence of Award or otherwise at any time by the Committee, a Participant’s rights under the Plan shall be exercisable during his or her lifetime only by such Participant.
ARTICLE 10
Cash-Based Awards and Other Stock-Based Awards
10.1
Grant of Cash-Based Awards
. Subject to the terms and provisions of the Plan, the Committee, at any time and from time to time, may grant Cash-Based Awards to Participants in such amounts and upon such terms as the Committee may determine.
10.2
Other Stock-Based Awards
. The Committee may grant other types of equity-based or equity-related Awards not otherwise described by the terms of the Plan (including the grant or offer for sale of unrestricted Shares) in such amounts and subject to such terms and conditions, as the Committee shall determine. Such Awards may involve the transfer of actual Shares to Participants, or payment in cash or otherwise of amounts based on the value of Shares and may include, without limitation, Awards designed to comply with or take advantage of the applicable local laws of jurisdictions other than the United States.
10.3
Value of Cash-Based and Other Stock-Based Awards
. Each Cash-Based Award shall specify a payment amount or payment range as determined by the Committee. Each Other Stock-Based Award shall be expressed in terms of Shares or units based on Shares, as determined by the Committee. The Committee may design Cash-Based Awards and Other Stock-Based Awards to qualify as Performance-Based Compensation and may design Cash-Based Awards and Other Stock-Based Awards to not qualify as Performance-Based Compensation. If the Committee exercises its discretion to establish Cash-Based Awards and Other Stock-Based Awards as Performance-Based Compensation, the number and/or value of Cash-Based Awards or Other Stock-Based Awards that will be paid out to the Participant will depend on the extent to which the Performance Measures are met.
10.4
Payment of Cash-Based Awards and Other Stock-Based Awards
. Payment, if any, with respect to a Cash-Based Award or an Other Stock-Based Award shall be made in accordance with the terms of the Award, in cash, Shares or a combination thereof, as the Committee determines.
10.5
Termination of Employment
. To the extent consistent with the Section 409A Rules and Section 162(m) of the Code, the Committee shall determine the extent to which the Participant shall have the right to receive Cash-Based Awards following termination of the Participant’s employment with or provision of services to the Company, its Affiliates, and/or its Subsidiaries, as the case may be. Such provisions shall be determined in the sole discretion of the Committee, such provisions may be included in an agreement entered into with each Participant, but need not be uniform among all Awards of Cash-Based Awards issued pursuant to the Plan, and may reflect distinctions based on the reasons for termination.
10.6
Nontransferability
. Except as otherwise determined by the Committee, neither Cash-Based Awards nor Other Stock-Based Awards may be sold, transferred, pledged, assigned, or otherwise alienated or hypothecated, other than by will or by the laws of descent and distribution. Further, except as otherwise provided by the Committee, a Participant’s rights under the Plan, if exercisable, shall be exercisable during his or her lifetime only by such Participant. With respect to those Cash-Based Awards or Other Stock-Based Awards, if any, that are permitted to be transferred to another person, references in the Plan to exercise or payment of such Awards by or to the Participant shall be deemed to include, as determined by the Committee, the Participant’s permitted transferee.
ARTICLE 11
Performance Measures
11.1
Performance Measures
.
If and to the extent that the Committee determines that an Award to be granted to a Participant who is designated by the Committee as a Covered Employee should qualify as Performance-Based Compensation for purposes of Section 162(m) of the Code, the grant, exercise and/or settlement of such Award shall be contingent upon achievement of pre-established Performance Measures and other terms set forth in this Article 11.
Unless and until the Committee proposes for stockholder vote and the stockholders approve a change in the general Performance Measures set forth in this Article 11, the performance goals upon which the payment or vesting of an Award to a Covered Employee that is intended to qualify as Performance-Based Compensation shall be limited to one or more of the following Performance Measures: (a) net earnings or net income (before or after taxes and interest/investments); (b) earnings per share; (c) earnings per share growth; (d) net sales growth; (e) net earnings or net income growth (before or after taxes and interest/investment); (f) net operating profit; (g) return measures (including return on assets, capital, equity, or sales); (h) cash flow (including operating cash flow, free cash flow, and cash flow return on capital); (i) earnings before or after taxes, interest, depreciation, and/or amortization; (j) gross or operating margins or growth thereof; (k) productivity ratios; (l) share price (including growth measures and total stockholder return); (m) expense targets; (n) operating efficiency; (o) customer satisfaction; (p) revenue growth; (q) operating profit growth; (r) working capital targets; (s) economic value added; (t) real estate management objectives; (u) sale or disposition of assets; and (v) acquisition of key assets.
Any Performance Measure(s) may be used to measure the performance of the Company, its Subsidiary, and/or its Affiliate as a whole or any business unit of the Company, its Subsidiary, and/or its Affiliate or any combination thereof, as the Committee may deem appropriate, or any of the above Performance Measures as compared to the performance of a group of comparable companies, or published or special index that the Committee, in its sole discretion, deems appropriate, or the Company may select Performance Measure (l) above as compared to various stock market indices. The Committee also has the authority to provide for accelerated vesting of any Award based on the achievement of performance goals pursuant to the Performance Measures specified in this Article 11.
11.2
Evaluation of Performance
. The Committee may provide in any such Award that any evaluation of performance may include or exclude any of the following events that occurs during a Performance Period: (a) asset write-downs; (b) litigation or claim judgments or settlements; (c) the effect of changes in tax laws, accounting principles, or other laws or provisions affecting reported results; (d) any reorganization and restructuring programs; (e) extraordinary nonrecurring items as described in Accounting Standards Codification Topic 225-20 (formerly, Accounting Principles Board Opinion No. 30) and/or in management’s discussion and analysis of financial condition and results of operations appearing in the Company’s annual report to stockholders for the applicable year; (f) acquisitions or divestitures; and (g) foreign exchange gains and losses. To the extent such inclusions or exclusions affect Awards to Covered Employees, they shall be prescribed in a form that meets the requirements of Section 162(m) of the Code for deductibility.
11.3
Adjustment of Performance-Based Compensation
. The terms of Awards that are designed to qualify as Performance-Based Compensation, and that are held by Covered Employees, may not be modified, except to the extent that after such modification the Award would continue to constitute Performance-Based Compensation. The Committee shall retain the discretion to eliminate or reduce (but not increase) the amount of any payment under an Award that is designed to qualify as Performance-Based Compensation that would otherwise be payable to a Covered Employee, either on a formula or
discretionary basis after taking into account additional factors that the Committee may deem relevant to the assessment of individual or corporate performance for the Performance Period.
11.4
Committee Discretion
. In the event that applicable tax and/or securities laws change to permit Committee discretion to alter the governing Performance Measures without obtaining stockholder approval of such changes, the Committee shall have sole discretion to make such changes without obtaining stockholder approval. In addition, in the event that the Committee determines that it is advisable to grant Awards that shall not qualify as Performance-Based Compensation, the Committee may make such grants without satisfying the requirements of Section 162(m) of the Code and may base vesting on Performance Measures other than those set forth in Section 11.1. By accepting an Award under this Plan, a Participant agrees to any amendment made pursuant to this Section 11.4 to any Award granted under this Plan without further consideration or action.
11.5
Procedures with Respect to Performance-Based Awards
. To the extent necessary to comply with the requirements of Section 162(m) of the Code with respect to any Award granted hereunder to a Covered Employee that is intended to qualify as Performance-Based Compensation, which may be granted to one or more Covered Employees no later than ninety (90) days following the commencement of any performance period in question, and not later than after twenty-five percent (25%) of such period has elapsed (or such other time as may be required or permitted by Section 162(m) of the Code), the Committee shall, in writing, (a) designate one or more Covered Employees, (b) select the Performance Measures applicable to the Performance Period, (c) establish the performance goals, and amounts of such Awards, as applicable, which may be earned for such Performance Period, and (d) specify the relationship between Performance Measures and the performance goals and the amounts of such Awards, as applicable, to be earned by each Covered Employee for such Performance Period. Following the completion of each Performance Period, the Committee shall certify in writing whether the applicable performance goals have been achieved for such Performance Period.
ARTICLE 12
Beneficiary Designation
Each Participant under the Plan may, from time to time, name any beneficiary or beneficiaries (who may be named contingently or successively) to whom any benefit under the Plan is to be paid in case of his or her death before he or she receives any or all of such benefit. Each such designation shall revoke all prior designations by the same Participant, shall be in a form prescribed by the Committee, and will be effective only when filed by the Participant in writing with the Company during the Participant’s lifetime. In the absence of any such designation, benefits remaining unpaid at the Participant’s death shall be paid to the Participant’s estate.
ARTICLE 13
Deferrals
To the extent permitted by the Section 409A Rules and Section 162(m) of the Code, the Committee may permit or require a Participant to defer such Participant’s receipt of the payment of cash or the delivery of Shares that would otherwise be due to such Participant by virtue of the exercise of an Option or SAR, the lapse or waiver of restrictions with respect to Restricted Stock or Restricted Stock Units, or the satisfaction of any requirements or performance goals with respect to Performance Shares, Performance Units, Cash-Based Awards or Other Stock-Based Awards. If any such deferral election is required or permitted, the Committee shall, in its sole discretion, establish rules and procedures for such payment deferrals, consistent with the Section 409A Rules.
ARTICLE 14
Rights of Participants
14.1
Employment
. Nothing in the Plan or an Evidence of Award shall interfere with or limit in any way the right of the Company, its Affiliates, and/or its Subsidiaries, to terminate any Participant’s employment or service on the Board at any time or for any reason not prohibited by law, nor confer upon any Participant any right to continue his or her employment or service for any specified period of time.
Neither an Award nor any benefits arising under the Plan shall constitute an employment contract with the Company, its Affiliates, and/or its Subsidiaries and, accordingly, subject to Articles 3 and 16, the Plan and the benefits hereunder may be terminated at any time in the sole and exclusive discretion of the Committee without giving rise to any liability on the part of the Company, its Affiliates, and/or its Subsidiaries.
14.2
Participation
. No individual shall have the right to be selected to receive an Award under the Plan, or, having been so selected, to be selected to receive a future Award.
14.3
Rights as a Stockholder
. Except as otherwise provided herein, a Participant shall have none of the rights of a stockholder with respect to Shares covered by any Award until the Participant becomes the record holder of such Shares.
ARTICLE 15
Change in Control
15.1
Change in Control
. For purposes of the Plan, a “Change in Control” shall mean the occurrence during the term of any of the following events:
(a) In connection with a sale or series of sales of securities of the Company, one Person (including an entity) or more than one Person acting as a group acquires securities of the Company that results in Beneficial Ownership of more than 50% of the outstanding securities entitled to vote generally in the election of directors of the Company;
(b) All or substantially all (meaning having a total gross fair market value equal to more than 50% of the total gross fair market value of all of the Company’s assets immediately before such acquisition or acquisitions) of the assets of the Company are acquired by one Person (including an entity) or more than one Person acting as a group (during a 12-month period ending on the date of the most recent acquisition by such Person or Persons); or
(c) The Company is merged, consolidated, or reorganized into or with another corporation or entity during a 12-month period with the result that upon the conclusion of the transaction less than 50% of the outstanding securities entitled to vote generally in the election of directors or other capital interests of the surviving, resulting or acquiring corporation are Beneficially Owned by the stockholders of the Company immediately prior to the completion of the transaction.
Notwithstanding the foregoing, a Change in Control will not be deemed to have occurred (i) as a result of the issuance of stock by the Company in connection with any public offering of its stock or (ii) due to Beneficial Ownership of securities of the Company by Kai-Shing Tao or Digipac.
15.2
Acceleration of Vesting and Exercisability
. Upon the occurrence of a Change in Control, the Committee may accelerate the vesting and exercisability (as applicable) of any outstanding Awards, in whole or in part, as determined by the Committee in its sole discretion. For any Award that vests or becomes exercisable upon the achievement of Performance Measures, the Committee will determine, in its sole discretion, the extent to which such Performance Measures have been achieved. In its sole discretion, the Committee may also determine that, upon the occurrence of a Change in Control, each
outstanding Option or SAR shall terminate within a specified number of days after notice to the Participant, and each such Participant shall receive, with respect to each Share subject to such Option or SAR, an amount equal to the excess of the Fair Market Value of such Share immediately prior to such Change in Control over the applicable Option Price or Grant Price, which amount shall be payable in cash, in one or more kinds of property (including the property, if any, payable in the transaction) or a combination thereof, as the Committee shall determine in its sole discretion.
ARTICLE 16
Amendment, Modification, Suspension, and Termination
16.1
Amendment, Modification, Suspension, and Termination
. Subject to Sections 16.3 and 16.4, the Committee may, at any time and from time to time, alter, amend, modify, suspend, or terminate the Plan and any Evidence of Award in whole or in part;
provided
,
however
, that, without the prior approval of the Company’s stockholders and except as provided in Section 4.4, Options or SARs issued under the Plan will not be repriced, replaced, or regranted through cancellation, or by lowering the Option Price of a previously granted Option or the Grant Price of a previously granted SAR, and no amendment of the Plan shall be made without stockholder approval if stockholder approval is required by law, regulation, or stock exchange rule.
16.2
Adjustment of Awards Upon the Occurrence of Certain Unusual or Nonrecurring Events
. The Committee may make adjustments, consistent with Section 162(m) of the Code and the Section 409A Rules, in the terms and conditions of, and the criteria included in, Awards in recognition of unusual or nonrecurring events (including, without limitation, the events described in Section 4.4 hereof) affecting the Company or the financial statements of the Company or of changes in applicable laws, regulations, or accounting principles, whenever the Committee determines that such adjustments are appropriate in order to prevent unintended dilution or enlargement of the benefits or potential benefits intended to be made available under the Plan. The determination of the Committee as to the foregoing adjustments, if any, shall be conclusive and binding on Participants under the Plan.
16.3
Awards Previously Granted
. Notwithstanding any other provision of the Plan to the contrary (other than Section 16.4), no termination, amendment, suspension, or modification of the Plan or an Evidence of Award shall adversely affect in any material way any Award previously granted under the Plan, without the written consent of the Participant holding such Award.
16.4
Amendment to Conform to Law
. Notwithstanding any other provision of the Plan to the contrary, the Board may amend the Plan or an Evidence of Award, to take effect retroactively or otherwise, as deemed necessary or advisable for the purpose of conforming the Plan or an Evidence of Award to any present or future law relating to plans of this or similar nature (including, but not limited to, the Section 409A Rules and Section 162(m) of the Code), and to the administrative regulations and rulings promulgated thereunder.
ARTICLE 17
Withholding
17.1
Tax Withholding
. As determined by the Company in good faith, the Company shall have the power and the right to deduct or withhold, or require a Participant to remit to the Company, any foreign, federal, state, or local tax required by law to be withheld with respect to any taxable event arising as a result of the Plan.
17.2
Share Withholding
. With respect to withholding required upon the exercise of Options or SARs, upon the lapse of restrictions on Restricted Stock and Restricted Stock Units, or upon the achievement of performance goals related to Performance Shares, or any other taxable event arising as a result of an Award granted hereunder, Participants may elect, subject to the approval of the Committee,
to satisfy the withholding requirement, in whole or in part, by having the Company withhold Shares having a Fair Market Value on the date the tax is to be determined equal to the amount of any foreign, federal, state, or local tax required by law to be withheld on the transaction as determined by the Company in good faith. All such elections shall be irrevocable, made in writing, and signed by the Participant, and shall be subject to any restrictions or limitations that the Committee, in its sole discretion, deems appropriate.
ARTICLE 18
Successors
All obligations of the Company under the Plan with respect to Awards granted hereunder shall be binding on any successor to the Company, whether the existence of such successor is the result of a direct or indirect purchase, merger, consolidation, or otherwise, of all or substantially all of the business and/or assets of the Company.
ARTICLE 19
General Provisions
19.1
Forfeiture Events.
(a) The Committee may specify in an Evidence of Award that the Participant’s rights, payments, and benefits with respect to an Award shall be subject to reduction, cancellation, forfeiture, or recoupment upon the occurrence of certain specified events, in addition to any otherwise applicable vesting or performance conditions of an Award. Such events may include, but shall not be limited to, termination of employment for cause, termination of the Participant’s provision of services to the Company, its Affiliate, and/or its Subsidiary, violation of material Company, Affiliate, and/or Subsidiary policies, breach of noncompetition, confidentiality, or other restrictive covenants that may apply to the Participant, or other conduct by the Participant that is detrimental to the business or reputation of the Company, its Affiliates, and/or its Subsidiaries.
(b) If the Company is required to prepare an accounting restatement due to the material noncompliance of the Company, as a result of misconduct, with any financial reporting requirement under the securities laws, if the Participant knowingly or grossly negligently engaged in the misconduct, or knowingly or grossly negligently failed to prevent the misconduct, or if the Participant is one of the persons subject to automatic forfeiture under Section 304 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, the Participant shall reimburse the Company the amount of any payment in settlement of an Award earned or accrued during the 12-month period following the first public issuance or filing with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission (whichever just occurred) of the financial document embodying such financial reporting requirement.
19.2
Legend
. The certificates for Shares may include any legend, which the Committee deems appropriate in its sole discretion to reflect any restrictions on transfer of such Shares.
19.3
Gender and Number
. Except where otherwise indicated by the context, any masculine term used herein also shall include the feminine, the plural shall include the singular, and the singular shall include the plural.
19.4
Severability
. In the event any provision of the Plan shall be held illegal or invalid for any reason, the illegality or invalidity shall not affect the remaining parts of the Plan, and the Plan shall be construed and enforced as if the illegal or invalid provision had not been included. To the extent that any provision of the Plan would prevent any Option that was intended to qualify as an Incentive Stock Option from qualifying as such, that provision shall be null and void with respect to such Option. Such provision,
however, shall remain in effect for other Options and there shall be no further effect on any provision of the Plan.
19.5
Requirements of Law
. The granting of Awards and the issuance of Shares under the Plan shall be subject to all applicable laws, rules, and regulations, and to such approvals by any governmental agencies or national securities exchanges as may be required.
19.6
Delivery of Title
. The Company shall have no obligation to issue or deliver evidence of title for Shares issued under the Plan prior to:
(a) Obtaining any approvals from governmental agencies that the Company determines are necessary or advisable; and
(b) Completion of any registration or other qualification of the Shares under any applicable national or foreign law or ruling of any governmental body that the Company determines to be necessary or advisable.
19.7
Inability to Obtain Authority
. The inability of the Company to obtain authority from any regulatory body having jurisdiction, which authority is deemed by the Company’s counsel to be necessary to the lawful issuance and sale of any Shares hereunder, shall relieve the Company of any liability in respect of the failure to issue or sell such Shares as to which such requisite authority shall not have been obtained.
19.8
Investment Representations
. The Committee may require any person receiving Shares pursuant to an Award under the Plan to represent and warrant in writing that the person is acquiring the securities for his own account for investment and not with a view to, or for sale in connection with, the distribution of any part thereof.
19.9
Uncertificated Shares
. To the extent that the Plan provides for issuance of certificates to reflect the transfer of Shares, the transfer of such Shares may be effected on a noncertificated basis, to the extent not prohibited by applicable law or the rules of any stock exchange.
19.10
Unfunded Plan
. Participants shall have no right, title, or interest whatsoever in or to any investments that the Company, and/or its Subsidiaries, and/or Affiliates may make to aid it in meeting its obligations under the Plan. Nothing contained in the Plan, and no action taken pursuant to its provisions, shall create or be construed to create a trust of any kind, or a fiduciary relationship between the Company and any Participant, beneficiary, legal representative, or any other person. To the extent that any person acquires a right to receive payments from the Company, its Subsidiaries, and/or its Affiliates under the Plan, such right shall be no greater than the right of an unsecured general creditor of the Company, a Subsidiary, or an Affiliate, as the case may be. The Plan is not subject to ERISA.
19.11
No Fractional Shares
. No fractional Shares shall be issued or delivered pursuant to the Plan or any Award. The Committee shall determine whether cash, Awards, or other property shall be issued or paid in lieu of fractional Shares or whether such fractional Shares or any rights thereto shall be forfeited or otherwise eliminated.
19.12
Retirement and Welfare Plans
. Neither Awards made under the Plan nor Shares or cash paid pursuant to such Awards will be included as “compensation” for purposes of computing the benefits payable to any Participant under the Company’s or any of its Subsidiaries’ or Affiliates’ retirement plans (both qualified and non-qualified) or welfare benefit plans unless such other plan expressly provides that such compensation shall be taken into account in computing a Participant’s benefit.
19.13
Nonexclusivity of the Plan
. The adoption of the Plan shall not be construed as creating any limitations on the power of the Board or Committee to adopt such other compensation arrangements as it may deem desirable for any Participant.
19.14
No Constraint on Corporate Action
. Nothing in the Plan shall be construed to: (i) limit, impair, or otherwise affect the Company’s or any of its Subsidiaries’ or Affiliates’ right or power to make adjustments, reclassifications, reorganizations, or changes of its capital or business structure, or to merge or consolidate, or dissolve, liquidate, sell, or transfer all or any part of its business or assets; or, (ii) limit the right or power of the Company or any of its Subsidiaries or Affiliates to take any action which such entity deems to be necessary or appropriate.
19.15
Governing Law
. The Plan and each Evidence of Award shall be governed by the laws of the State of New York, excluding any conflicts or choice of law rule or principle that might otherwise refer construction or interpretation of the Plan to the substantive law of another jurisdiction. Unless otherwise provided in the Evidence of Award, recipients of an Award under the Plan are deemed to submit to the exclusive jurisdiction and venue of the federal or state courts of New York, to resolve any and all issues that may arise out of or relate to the Plan or any related Evidence of Award.
Remark Holdings I
MPORTANT SPECIAL MEETING INFORMATIONElectronic Voting Instructions
Available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week! Instead of mailing your proxy, you may choose one of the voting methods outlined below to vote your proxy. VALIDATION DETAILS ARE LOCATED BELOW IN THE TITLE BAR. Proxies submitted by the Internet or telephone must be received by 10:00 p.m., PT, on January 18, 2018.Vote by InternetGo to www.envisionreports.com/MARK Or scan the QR code with your smartphone Follow the steps outlined on the secure website Vote by telephone Call toll free 1-800-652-VOTE (8683) within the USA, US territories & Canada on a touch tone telephone Follow the instructions provided by the recorded message Using a black ink pen, mark your votes with an X as shown in this example. Please do not write outside the designated areas. Special Meeting Proxy Card IF YOU HAVE NOT VOTED VIA THE INTERNET OR TELEPHONE, FOLD ALONG THE PERFORATION, DETACH AND RETURN THE BOTTOM PORTION IN THE ENCLOSED ENVELOPE. Proposals — The Board recommends a vote FOR Proposal 1. 1. Adopt and approve the 2017 Incentive Plan For Against Abstain Non-Voting Items Change of Address — Please print your new address below. Comments — Please print your comments below. Meeting Attendance Mark the box to the right if you plan to attend the Special Meeting. Authorized Signatures This section must be completed for your vote to be counted. Date and Sign Below Please sign exactly as name(s) appears hereon. Joint owners should each sign. When signing as attorney, executor, administrator, corporate officer, trustee, guardian, or custodian, please give full title. Date (mm/dd/yyyy) — Please print date below. Signature 1 Please keep signature within the box. Signature 2 Please keep signature within the box. 1UPX
IF YOU HAVE NOT VOTED VIA THE INTERNET OR TELEPHONE, FOLD ALONG THE PERFORATION, DETACH AND RETURN THE BOTTOM PORTION IN THE ENCLOSED ENVELOPE. Proxy — Remark Holdings, Inc. Notice of 2018 Special Meeting of Stockholders 3960 Howard Hughes Parkway, Suite 900 Las Vegas, Nevada 89169 Proxy Solicited by Board of Directors for Special Meeting - January 19, 2018 The undersigned stockholder of Remark Holdings, Inc., a Delaware corporation, hereby acknowledges receipt of the Notice of Special Meeting of Stockholders and Proxy Statement, each dated December 8, 2017, and hereby appoints Kai-Shing Tao and Douglas Osrow each as proxy and attorney-in-fact, with full power of substitution, on behalf and in the name of the undersigned, to represent the undersigned at the 2018 Special Meeting of Stockholders of Remark Holdings, Inc., to be held on January 19, 2018 at 1:00 p.m., PT, at the offices of Remark Holdings, Inc. located at 3960 Howard Hughes Parkway, Suite 900, Las Vegas, Nevada 89169 and any adjournment(s) thereof, and to vote all common stock which the undersigned would be entitled to vote if then and there personally present, on the matters set forth on the reverse side. The undersigned stockholder hereby revokes any proxy or proxies heretofore given by the undersigned for the 2018 Special Meeting of Stockholders. Shares represented by this proxy will be voted by the stockholder. If no such directions are indicated, the Proxies will have authority to vote FOR Proposal 1. In their discretion, the Proxies are authorized to vote upon such other business as may properly come before the meeting. (Items to be voted appear on reverse side.)