Exhibit 2.1
AGREEMENT AND PLAN OF MERGER
by
and among
MICROSOFT CORPORATION,
ARROW ACQUISITION COMPANY,
and
AQUANTIVE, INC.
May 17, 2007
TABLE OF CONTENTS
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ARTICLE I
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DEFINITIONS AND TERMS |
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1 |
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Section 1.1
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Definitions |
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1 |
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Section 1.2
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Other Definitional Provisions;
Interpretation |
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7 |
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ARTICLE II
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THE MERGER |
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Section 2.1
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The Merger |
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Section 2.2
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Effective Time |
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Section 2.3
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Closing |
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8 |
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Section 2.4
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Articles of Incorporation and Bylaws
of the Surviving Corporation |
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8 |
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Section 2.5
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Directors and Officers of the
Surviving Corporation |
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ARTICLE III
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CONVERSION OF SHARES |
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Section 3.1
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Conversion of Shares |
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8 |
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Section 3.2
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Exchange of Certificates and
Book-Entry Shares |
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9 |
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Section 3.3
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Shares of Dissenting
Shareholders |
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11 |
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Section 3.4
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Treatment of Stock Options;
Restricted Shares |
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12 |
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ARTICLE IV
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REPRESENTATIONS AND WARRANTIES OF THE
COMPANY |
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13 |
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Section 4.1
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Organization |
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13 |
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Section 4.2
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Capitalization |
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14 |
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Section 4.3
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Authorization; Validity of Agreement;
Company Action |
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14 |
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Section 4.4
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Consents and Approvals; No
Violations |
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Section 4.5
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SEC Reports |
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15 |
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Section 4.6
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No Undisclosed Liabilities |
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16 |
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Section 4.7
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Absence of Certain Changes |
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16 |
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Section 4.8
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Material Contracts |
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16 |
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Section 4.9
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Employee Benefit Plans; ERISA |
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17 |
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Section 4.10
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Litigation |
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17 |
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Section 4.11
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Compliance with Law |
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18 |
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Section 4.12
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Intellectual Property |
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18 |
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Section 4.13
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Taxes |
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20 |
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Section 4.14
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Tangible Assets |
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21 |
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Section 4.15
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Environmental |
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21 |
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Section 4.16
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Labor Matters |
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21 |
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Section 4.17
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Proxy Statement |
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22 |
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Section 4.18
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Brokers or Finders |
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22 |
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Section 4.19
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Vote Required |
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Section 4.20
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Board Recommendation |
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Section 4.21
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Opinion of Financial Advisor |
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22 |
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ARTICLE V
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REPRESENTATIONS AND WARRANTIES OF
PARENT AND SUB |
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23 |
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Section 5.1
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Organization |
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23 |
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Section 5.2
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Authorization; Validity of Agreement;
Necessary Action |
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Section 5.3
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Consents and Approvals; No
Violations |
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Section 5.4
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SEC Reports |
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Section 5.5
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Compliance with Law |
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Section 5.6
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Sub’s Operations |
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Section 5.7
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Proxy Statement |
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Section 5.8
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Brokers or Finders |
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Section 5.9
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Sufficient Funds |
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Section 5.10
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Acquiring Person |
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25 |
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Section 5.11
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Investigation by Parent and Sub |
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25 |
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ARTICLE VI
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COVENANTS |
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26 |
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Section 6.1
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Interim Operations of the
Company |
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26 |
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Section 6.2
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Access to Information |
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27 |
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Section 6.3
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Acquisition Proposals |
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28 |
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Section 6.4
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Employee Benefits |
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31 |
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Section 6.5
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Publicity |
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32 |
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Section 6.6
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Directors’ and Officers’
Insurance and Indemnification |
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32 |
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Section 6.7
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Proxy Statement |
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33 |
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Section 6.8
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Commercially Reasonable Efforts; HSR
Act Filings |
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33 |
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Section 6.9
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Section 16 Matters |
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34 |
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Section 6.10
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Filing of Form S-8 |
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34 |
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Section 6.11
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ESPP |
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35 |
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ARTICLE VII
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CONDITIONS |
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35 |
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Section 7.1
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Conditions to Each Party’s
Obligation to Effect the Merger |
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Section 7.2
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Conditions to the Obligations of
Parent and Sub |
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Section 7.3
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Conditions to the Obligations of the
Company |
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36 |
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Section 7.4
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Frustration of Closing
Conditions |
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36 |
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ARTICLE VIII
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TERMINATION |
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Section 8.1
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Termination |
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37 |
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Section 8.2
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Effect of Termination |
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38 |
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ARTICLE IX
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MISCELLANEOUS |
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40 |
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Section 9.1
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Amendment and Modification |
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40 |
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Section 9.2
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Nonsurvival of Representations and
Warranties |
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Section 9.3
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Notices |
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Section 9.4
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Interpretation |
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42 |
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Section 9.5
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Counterparts |
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42 |
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Section 9.6
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Entire Agreement; Third-Party
Beneficiaries |
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42 |
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Section 9.7
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Severability |
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42 |
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Section 9.8
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Governing Law |
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42 |
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Section 9.9
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Jurisdiction |
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42 |
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Section 9.10
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Service of Process |
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Section 9.11
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Specific Performance |
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43 |
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Section 9.12
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Assignment |
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43 |
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Section 9.13
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Expenses |
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43 |
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Section 9.14
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Headings |
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43 |
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Section 9.15
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Waivers |
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43 |
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Section 9.16
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Waiver of Jury Trial |
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43 |
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iii
AGREEMENT AND PLAN OF MERGER
AGREEMENT AND PLAN OF MERGER, dated
as of May 17, 2007 (this “ Agreement ”), by
and among aQuantive, Inc., a Washington corporation (the “
Company ”), Microsoft Corporation, a Washington
corporation (“ Parent ”), and Arrow Acquisition
Company, a Washington corporation and wholly-owned subsidiary of
Parent (“ Sub ”).
WHEREAS, the respective boards of
directors of Parent, Sub and the Company have approved, and have
determined that it is in the best interests of their respective
shareholders to consummate, the acquisition of the Company by
Parent and Sub upon the terms and subject to the conditions set
forth herein.
NOW, THEREFORE, in consideration of
the foregoing and the representations, warranties, covenants and
agreements set forth herein, and other good and valuable
consideration, the receipt and sufficiency of which are hereby
acknowledged, the parties hereto, intending to be legally bound
hereby, agree as follows:
ARTICLE I
DEFINITIONS AND
TERMS
Section 1.1
Definitions . As used in this Agreement, the following terms
have the meanings set forth below:
“ Acquisition Proposal
” means any offer or proposal made by any Person or Persons
other than Parent, Sub or any Affiliate thereof to acquire, other
than in the transactions contemplated by this Agreement,
(i) beneficial ownership (as defined under Section 13(d) of
the Exchange Act) of ten percent (10%) or more of the Common Stock
pursuant to a merger, consolidation or other business combination,
sale of shares of capital stock, tender offer or exchange offer or
similar transaction involving the Company or (ii) ten percent
(10%) or more of the assets of the Company and its Subsidiaries,
taken as a whole.
“ Affiliate ” has
the meaning set forth in Rule l2b-2 of the Exchange Act.
“ Agreement ” has
the meaning set forth in the Preamble .
“ Articles of Merger
” has the meaning set forth in Section 2.2
.
“ Benefit Agreements
” has the meaning set forth in Section 4.9
.
“ Benefit Plans ”
has the meaning set forth in Section 4.9 .
“ Book-Entry Shares
” has the meaning set forth in Section 3.1(d)
.
“ Business Day ”
means a day other than a Saturday, a Sunday or another day on which
commercial banking institutions in New York, New York are
authorized or required by Law to be closed.
“
Cause ” means dishonesty, fraud, misconduct,
unauthorized use or disclosure of confidential information or trade
secrets, or conviction or confession of a crime punishable by law
(except minor violations).
“ Certificates ”
has the meaning set forth in Section 3.1(d) .
“ Change of
Recommendation ” has the meaning set forth in
Section 6.3(d) .
“ CIC Plans ” has
the meaning set forth in Section 6.4(b) .
“ Cleanup ” means
all actions required, under applicable Environmental Laws, to clean
up, remove, treat or remediate Hazardous Materials.
“ Closing ” has
the meaning set forth in Section 2.3 .
“ Closing Date ”
has the meaning set forth in Section 2.3 .
“ Code ” means the
Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended.
“ Collection and Use
” has the meaning set forth in Section 4.12(g)
.
“ Common Stock ”
has the meaning set forth in Section 3.1(a) .
“ Company ” has
the meaning set forth in the Preamble .
“ Company Disclosure
Schedule ” means the disclosure schedule delivered by the
Company to Parent immediately prior to the execution of this
Agreement.
“ Company Material Adverse
Effect ” means any material adverse change in, or
material adverse effect on, the business, financial condition or
continuing operations of the Company and its Subsidiaries, taken as
a whole; provided , however , that the effects of
changes that are generally applicable to (i) the industries
and markets in which the Company and its Subsidiaries operate,
(ii) the United States economy or (iii) the United States
securities markets shall be excluded from the determination of
Company Material Adverse Effect; and provided further that
any change or effect resulting from (A) the execution of this
Agreement, the announcement of this Agreement or the pendency or
consummation of the transactions contemplated hereby (including any
cancellation of or delays in customer orders or work for clients,
any reductions in sales, any disruption in licensor, vendor,
partner or similar relationships or any loss of employees), (B)
natural disasters, acts of war, terrorism or sabotage, military
actions or the escalation thereof or other force majeure events,
(C) changes in GAAP or changes in the interpretation of GAAP,
or changes in the accounting rules and regulations of the SEC,
(D) any other action required by Law, contemplated by this
Agreement or taken at the request of Parent or Sub, (E) any
litigation brought or threatened by shareholders of either the
Company or Parent (whether on behalf of Company, Parent or
otherwise) asserting allegations of breach of fiduciary duty
relating to this Agreement or violations of securities Laws in
connection with the Proxy Statement or otherwise in connection with
this Agreement, (F) any changes in Law, (G) any action
required to comply with the rules and regulations of the SEC or the
SEC comment process, in each case, in connection with the Proxy
Statement, (H) in and of itself, any decrease
2
in the
market price or trading volume of the Common Stock, (I) in and
of itself, any failure by the Company to meet any projections,
forecasts or revenue or earnings predictions, or any predictions or
expectations of any securities analysts or (J) the failure of
Parent to consent to any of the actions proscribed in
Section 6.1 where such failure to consent would be
unreasonable shall also be excluded from the determination of
Company Material Adverse Effect.
“ Company Option Plans
” means the Company’s Restated 1998 Stock Incentive
Compensation Plan, Restated 1999 Stock Incentive Compensation Plan,
and Restated 2000 Stock Incentive Compensation Plan.
“ Company Recommendation
” has the meaning set forth in Section 6.7
.
“ Company Restricted
Share ” means a restricted share of Company Common Stock
issued pursuant to any of the Company Option Plans that remains
unvested.
“ Company SEC Reports
” has the meaning set forth in Section 4.5
.
“ Company Shareholder
Approval ” has the meaning set forth in
Section 4.19 .
“ Company Special
Meeting ” has the meaning set forth in
Section 6.7 .
“ Confidentiality
Agreement ” has the meaning set forth in
Section 6.2 .
“ Consideration Fund
” has the meaning set forth in Section 3.2(a)
.
“ Contract ” means
any note, bond, mortgage, indenture, lease, license, contract,
agreement or other consensual obligation.
“ Customer Information
” has the meaning set forth in Section 4.12(g)
.
“ Dissenting Shares
” has the meaning set forth in Section 3.3(a)
.
“ Effective Time ”
has the meaning set forth in Section 2.2 .
“ Employees ” has
the meaning set forth in Section 6.1(h) .
“ Environmental Claim
” means any claim, notice, directive, action, cause of
action, investigation, suit, demand, abatement order or other order
by a Governmental Entity alleging liability arising out of, based
on, or resulting from (a) the release of any Hazardous
Materials at any location or (b) circumstances forming the
basis of any violation of any Environmental Law.
“ Environmental Laws
” means all applicable and legally enforceable Laws relating
to pollution or protection of the environment, including Laws
relating to releases of Hazardous Materials and the manufacture,
processing, distribution, use, treatment, storage, release,
transport or handling of Hazardous Materials.
“ ERISA ” has the
meaning set forth in Section 4.9 .
“ ESPP ” means the
Company’s 1999 Employee Stock Purchase Plan.
3
“ Exchange Act ”
means the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended.
“ Exchange Ratio ”
has the meaning set forth in Section 3.4(c) .
“ Excluded License
” is any license that requires, as a condition of
modification or distribution of software subject to the Excluded
License, that (a) such software or other software combined or
distributed with such software be disclosed or distributed in
source code form, or (b) such software or other software combined
or distributed with such software and any associated intellectual
property be licensed on a royalty-free basis (including for the
purpose of making additional copies or derivative works).
“ Executive Officer
” means “officer” of the Company as such term is
defined for purposes of Section 16 of the Securities Exchange
Act of 1934, as amended.
“ GAAP ” has the
meaning set forth in Section 4.5 .
“ Governmental Entity
” has the meaning set forth in Section 4.4
.
“ Hazardous Materials
” means all substances defined as Hazardous Substances, Oils,
Pollutants or Contaminants in the National Oil and Hazardous
Substances Pollution Contingency Plan, 40 C.F.R. § 300.5, or
defined as such by, or regulated as such under, any Environmental
Law.
“ HSR Act ” means
the Hart-Scott-Rodino Antitrust Improvements Act of 1976, as
amended.
“ Indemnified Parties
” has the meaning set forth in Section 6.6(a)
.
“ Intellectual
Property” means all rights in patents, patent
applications, inventions, trademarks (whether registered or not),
trademark applications, service mark registrations and service mark
applications, trade names, trade dress, logos, slogans, tag lines,
uniform resource locators, Internet domain names, Internet domain
name applications, corporate names, copyright applications,
registered copyrighted works and commercially significant
unregistered copyrightable works (including proprietary software,
books, written materials, prerecorded video or audio tapes, and
other copyrightable works), technology, software, trade secrets,
know-how, technical documentation, comments, specifications, data,
databases, data collections, customer and supplier lists, designs,
rights of publicity and moral rights, and other intellectual
property and proprietary rights, other than off-the-shelf computer
programs
“ Insured Parties
” has the meaning set forth in Section 6.6(b)
.
“ IRS ” means the
U.S. Internal Revenue Service.
“ knowledge ”
means such facts and other information that as of the date of
determination are actually known to the chief executive officer,
chief financial officer, general counsel or any division president
(or equivalent position) of the referenced party.
4
“ Law ” means any
federal, state, local or foreign law, statute, ordinance,
regulation, judgment, order, decree, injunction, arbitration award,
franchise, license, agency requirement or permit of any
Governmental Entity.
“ License-In Agreements
” has the meaning set forth in Section 4.12(b)
.
“ Material Contract
” has the meaning set forth in Section 4.8(a)
.
“ Merger ” has the
meaning set forth in Section 2.1 .
“ Merger Consideration
” has the meaning set forth in Section 3.1(a)
.
“ MS ” has the
meaning set forth in Section 4.18 .
“ Parent ” has the
meaning set forth in the Preamble .
“ Parent 2001 Stock Plan
” has the meaning set forth in Section 3.4(b)
.
“ Parent Common Shares
” has the meaning set forth in Section 3.4(b)
.
“ Parent Material Adverse
Effect ” means any material adverse change in, or
material adverse effect on, (i) the business, financial
condition or operations of Parent and its Subsidiaries, taken as a
whole or (ii) the ability of Parent or Sub to consummate the
transactions contemplated hereby; provided , however
, that the effects of changes that are generally applicable to
(x) the industries or markets in which Parent and its
Subsidiaries operate, (y) the United States economy or
(z) the United States securities markets shall be excluded
from the determination of Parent Material Adverse Effect;
provided further that any adverse effect on Parent and its
Subsidiaries resulting from the execution of this Agreement, the
announcement of this Agreement or the pendency of the transactions
contemplated hereby shall also be excluded from the determination
of Parent Material Adverse Effect.
“ Parent Plans ”
has the meaning set forth in Section 6.4(c) .
“ Parent SEC Reports
” has the meaning set forth in Section 5.4
.
“ Paying Agent ”
has the meaning set forth in Section 3.2(a) .
“ Person ” means
any natural person or any corporation, partnership, limited
liability company, association, trust or other entity or
organization, including any Governmental Entity.
“ Post-Signing Stabilization
Plans ” has the meaning set forth in Section
6.1(h) .
“ Proxy Statement
” has the meaning set forth in Section 6.7
.
“ Qualifying Transaction
” means any acquisition of (i) fifty percent (50%) or
more of the Common Stock pursuant to a merger, consolidation or
other business combination, sale of shares of capital stock, tender
offer or exchange offer or similar transaction involving the
Company or (ii) fifty percent (50%) or more of the assets of
the Company and its Subsidiaries, taken as a whole.
5
“ Representatives
” has the meaning set forth in Section 6.2
.
“ SEC ” means the
United States Securities and Exchange Commission.
“ Securities Act ”
means the Securities Act of 1933, as amended.
“ Senior Notes ”
means the Company’s convertible senior subordinated notes due
2024 described in the Company SEC Reports.
“ Stabilization Amount
” has the meaning set forth in Section 6.1(h)
.
“ Sub ” has the
meaning set forth in the Preamble .
“ Subsidiary ”
means, as to any Person, any corporation, partnership, limited
liability company, association or other business entity (i) of
which such Person directly or indirectly owns securities or other
equity interests representing more than fifty percent (50%) of the
aggregate voting power, (ii) of which such Person possesses
more than fifty percent (50%) of the right to elect directors or
Persons holding similar positions, or (iii) that such Person
controls directly or indirectly through one or more
intermediaries.
“ Substituted Option
” has the meaning set forth in Section 3.4(b)
.
“ Superior Proposal
” means any unsolicited written Acquisition Proposal to
acquire, directly or indirectly, for consideration consisting of
cash and/or securities, more than fifty percent (50%) of the equity
securities of the Company entitled to vote generally in the
election of directors or all or substantially all of the assets of
Company, on terms which the Company’s board of directors
determines, after consultation with its financial advisor, to be
more favorable to the Company and its shareholders than the
transactions contemplated hereby.
“ Surviving Corporation
” has the meaning set forth in Section 2.1
.
“ Tax Return ”
means any report, return, document, declaration or other
information or filing required to be supplied to any taxing
authority or jurisdiction (foreign or domestic) with respect to
Taxes.
“ Taxes ” means
any and all taxes, charges, fees, levies or other assessments,
including income, gross receipts, excise, real or personal
property, sales, withholding, social security, occupation, use,
service, service use, value added, license, net worth, payroll,
franchise, transfer and recording taxes, fees and charges, imposed
by the United States Internal Revenue Service or any taxing
authority (whether domestic or foreign including any state, local
or foreign government or any subdivision or taxing agency thereof
(including a United States possession)), whether computed on a
separate, consolidated, unitary, combined or any other basis; and
such term shall include any interest, penalties or additional
amounts attributable to, or imposed upon, or with respect to, any
such taxes, charges, fees, levies or other assessments.
“ Termination Date
” has the meaning set forth in Section 8.1(b)(i)
.
“ United States ”
means the United States of America.
6
“ Vested Options ”
has the meaning set forth in Section 3.4.
“ WBCA ” means the
Washington Business Corporation Act, as amended.
Section 1.2
Other Definitional Provisions; Interpretation .
(a) The
words “hereof,” “herein” and words of
similar import shall, unless otherwise stated, be construed to
refer to this Agreement as a whole and not to any particular
provision of this Agreement, and references to articles, sections,
paragraphs, exhibits and schedules are to the articles, sections
and paragraphs of, and exhibits and schedules to, this Agreement,
unless otherwise specified.
(b) Whenever
“include,” “includes” or
“including” is used in this Agreement, such word shall
be deemed to be followed by the phrase “without
limitation.”
(c) Words
describing the singular number shall be deemed to include the
plural and vice versa, words denoting any gender shall be deemed to
include all genders and words denoting natural persons shall be
deemed to include business entities and vice versa.
(d) When
used in reference to information or documents, the phrase
“made available” means that the information or
documents referred to have been made available if requested by the
party to which such information or documents are to be made
available.
(e) Terms
defined in the text of this Agreement as having a particular
meaning have such meaning throughout this Agreement, except as
otherwise indicated in this Agreement.
ARTICLE II
THE
MERGER
Section 2.1
The Merger . Subject to the terms and conditions of this
Agreement and in accordance with the WBCA, at the Effective Time,
the Company and Sub shall consummate a merger (the “
Merger ”) pursuant to which (i) Sub shall merge
with and into the Company and the separate corporate existence of
Sub shall thereupon cease, (ii) the Company shall be the
surviving corporation (the “ Surviving Corporation
”) in the Merger and (iii) the separate corporate
existence of the Company shall continue unaffected by the Merger.
The Merger shall, from and after the Effective Time, have the
effects set forth in Section 23B.11.060 of the WBCA and other
applicable law.
Section 2.2
Effective Time . Parent, Sub and the Company shall cause
articles of merger (the “ Articles of Merger ”)
to be delivered on the Closing Date (or on such other date as
Parent and the Company may agree in writing) to the Secretary of
State of the State of Washington for filing as provided in the
WBCA, and shall make all other deliveries, filings or recordings
required by the WBCA in connection with the Merger. The Merger
shall become effective on the date on which the Articles of Merger
are filed by the Secretary of State of the State of Washington, or
on such other later date as is agreed upon by the parties and
specified in the Articles of Merger, and at the time specified in
the Articles of Merger or, if not specified
7
therein,
by the WBCA, and such time on such date of effectiveness is
hereinafter referred to as the “ Effective Time
.”
Section 2.3
Closing . The closing of the Merger (the “
Closing ”) will take place at 10:00 A.M., Pacific
Time, on a date to be specified by the parties, which shall be no
later than two (2) Business Days after satisfaction or waiver
of all of the conditions set forth in Article VII
hereof (other than conditions that by their terms are to be
satisfied at the Closing, but subject to the satisfaction or waiver
of such conditions at the Closing), at the offices of Perkins Coie
LLP, 1201 Third Avenue, 48th Floor, Seattle, Washington, unless
another time, date or place is agreed to in writing by the parties
hereto (such date on which the Closing is to take place being the
“ Closing Date ”).
Section 2.4
Articles of Incorporation and Bylaws of the Surviving
Corporation . The articles of incorporation of the Company, as
in effect immediately prior to the Effective Time, shall at the
Effective Time be amended and restated in full to be the same as
the articles of incorporation of Sub, as in effect immediately
prior to the Effective Time, except that the name of the
corporation shall be “aQuantive, Inc.” and as so
amended and restated shall be the articles of incorporation of the
Surviving Corporation, until thereafter amended as provided by Law
and such articles of incorporation. The bylaws of Surviving
Corporation shall, as of the Effective Time, be amended and
restated in their entirety to be the same as the bylaws of the Sub,
as in effect immediately prior to the Effective Time, except as to
the name of the Surviving Corporation, which shall be aQuantive,
Inc., until thereafter amended as provided by Law, the articles of
incorporation of the Surviving Corporation and such bylaws.
Section 2.5
Directors and Officers of the Surviving Corporation . The
directors of Sub, as of immediately prior to the Effective Time
shall, from and after the Effective Time, be the directors of the
Surviving Corporation until their successors shall have been duly
elected or appointed or qualified or until their earlier death,
resignation or removal in accordance with the Surviving
Corporation’s articles of incorporation and bylaws. The
officers of the Company at the Effective Time shall, from and after
the Effective Time, be the initial officers of the Surviving
Corporation until their successors shall have been duly elected or
appointed or qualified or until their earlier death, resignation or
removal in accordance with the Surviving Corporation’s
articles of incorporation and bylaws.
ARTICLE III
CONVERSION OF
SHARES
Section 3.1
Conversion of Shares .
(a) At
the Effective Time except as otherwise provided in
Section 3.4(d), each share of the Company’s common
stock, $.01 par value (the “ Common Stock
”), issued and outstanding immediately prior to the Effective
Time (other than shares of Common Stock to be cancelled pursuant to
Section 3.1(c) and Dissenting Shares) shall, by virtue
of the Merger and without any action on the part of the holder
thereof, be converted into the right to receive $66.50 in cash (the
“ Merger Consideration ”) without any interest
thereon.
8
(b) Each
share of common stock, $.01 par value, of Sub issued and
outstanding immediately prior to the Effective Time shall, at the
Effective Time, by virtue of the Merger and without any action on
the part of Parent, be converted into one fully paid and
nonassessable share of the common stock, $.01 par value, of the
Surviving Corporation.
(c) All
shares of Common Stock that are owned by the Company as treasury
stock and any shares of Common Stock owned by Parent, Sub or any
other direct or indirect wholly-owned Subsidiary of Parent shall,
at the Effective Time, be cancelled and shall cease to exist, and
no consideration shall be delivered in exchange therefor.
(d) At
the Effective Time, each share of Common Stock converted into the
right to receive the Merger Consideration pursuant to
Section 3.1(a) shall be automatically cancelled and
shall cease to exist, and the holders immediately prior to the
Effective Time of shares of outstanding Common Stock not
represented by certificates (“ Book-Entry Shares
”) and the holders of certificates that, immediately prior to
the Effective Time, represented shares of outstanding Common Stock
(the “ Certificates ”) shall cease to have any
rights with respect to such shares of Common Stock other than the
right to receive, upon surrender of such Book-Entry Shares or
Certificates in accordance with Section 3.2 , the
Merger Consideration, without any interest thereon, for each such
share of Common Stock held by them.
(e) If
at any time between the date of this Agreement and the Effective
Time any change in the number of outstanding shares of Common Stock
shall occur as a result of a reclassification, recapitalization,
stock split (including a reverse stock split), or combination,
exchange or readjustment of shares, or any stock dividend or stock
distribution with a record date during such period, the amount of
the Merger Consideration as provided in Section 3.1(a)
shall be equitably adjusted to reflect such change.
Section 3.2
Exchange of Certificates and Book-Entry Shares .
(a) At
or prior to the Closing, Parent shall deliver, in trust, to Mellon
Investor Services L.L.C. (the “ Paying Agent ”),
for the benefit of the holders of shares of Common Stock at the
Effective Time, sufficient funds for timely payment of the
aggregate Merger Consideration (such cash being hereinafter
referred to as the “ Consideration Fund ”) to be
paid pursuant to this Section 3.2 in respect of
Certificates and Book-Entry Shares, assuming no Dissenting Shares.
In the event the Consideration Fund shall be insufficient to pay
the aggregate Merger Consideration contemplated by
Section 3.1 , Parent shall promptly deliver, or cause
to be delivered, additional funds to the Paying Agent in an amount
that is equal to the deficiency required to make such
payments.
(b) Promptly
after the Effective Time, Parent shall cause the Paying Agent to
mail to each holder of record of Certificates or Book-Entry Shares
whose shares were converted into the right to receive Merger
Consideration pursuant to Section 3.1 (i) a letter
of transmittal that shall specify that delivery of such
Certificates or Book-Entry Shares shall be deemed to have occurred,
and risk of loss and title to the Certificates or Book-Entry
Shares, as applicable, shall pass, only upon proper delivery of the
Certificates (or affidavits of loss in lieu thereof) or Book-Entry
Shares to the Paying Agent and (ii) instructions for use in
effecting the surrender of the Certificates or Book-Entry Shares in
exchange for payment of the Merger
9
Consideration, the form and substance of which letter of
transmittal and instructions shall be substantially as reasonably
agreed to by the Company and Parent and prepared prior to the
Closing. Upon surrender of a Book-Entry Share or a Certificate for
cancellation to the Paying Agent together with such letter of
transmittal, duly executed and completed in accordance with the
instructions thereto, and with such other documents as may be
required pursuant to such instructions, the holder of such
Book-Entry Share or Certificate shall be entitled to receive in
exchange therefor, subject to any required withholding of Taxes,
the Merger Consideration pursuant to the provisions of this
Article III , and the Book-Entry Share or Certificate
so surrendered shall forthwith be cancelled. No interest will be
paid or accrued on the Merger Consideration payable to holders of
Book-Entry Shares or Certificates. If any Merger Consideration is
to be paid to a Person other than a Person in whose name the
Book-Entry Share or Certificate surrendered in exchange therefor is
registered, it shall be a condition of such exchange that the
Person requesting such exchange shall pay to the Paying Agent any
transfer or other Taxes required by reason of payment of the Merger
Consideration to a Person other than the registered holder of the
Book-Entry Share or Certificate surrendered, or shall establish to
the reasonable satisfaction of the Paying Agent that such Tax has
been paid or is not applicable.
(c) The
Consideration Fund shall be invested by the Paying Agent as
directed by Parent or the Surviving Corporation; provided ,
however , that any such investments shall be in money market
mutual or similar funds having assets in excess of $10,000,000,000.
Earnings on the Consideration Fund shall be the sole and exclusive
property of Parent and the Surviving Corporation and shall be paid
to Parent or the Surviving Corporation, as Parent directs. No
investment of the Consideration Fund shall relieve Parent, the
Surviving Corporation or the Paying Agent from promptly making the
payments required by this Article III , and following
any losses from any such investment, Parent shall promptly provide
additional funds to the Paying Agent for the benefit of the holders
of shares of Common Stock at the Effective Time in the amount of
such losses, which additional funds will be deemed to be part of
the Consideration Fund.
(d) At
and after the Effective Time, there shall be no transfers on the
stock transfer books of the Company of the shares of Common Stock
that were outstanding immediately prior to the Effective Time. If,
after the Effective Time, Certificates or Book-Entry Shares are
presented to the Surviving Corporation or the Paying Agent for any
reason, they shall be cancelled and exchanged for the Merger
Consideration pursuant to this Article III , except as
otherwise provided by Law.
(e) Any
portion of the Consideration Fund (including the proceeds of any
investments thereof) that remains unclaimed by the former
shareholders of the Company one (1) year after the Effective
Time shall be delivered to the Surviving Corporation. Any holders
of Certificates or Book-Entry Shares who have not theretofore
complied with this Article III with respect to such
Certificates or Book-Entry Shares shall thereafter look only to the
Surviving Corporation for payment of their claim for Merger
Consideration in respect thereof.
(f)
Notwithstanding the foregoing, neither the Paying Agent nor any
party hereto shall be liable to any Person in respect of cash from
the Consideration Fund delivered to a public official pursuant to
any applicable abandoned property, escheat or similar Law. If any
Certificate or Book-Entry Share shall not have been surrendered
prior to the date on
10
which
any Merger Consideration in respect thereof would otherwise escheat
to or become the property of any Governmental Entity, any such
Merger Consideration in respect of such Certificate or Book-Entry
Share shall, to the extent permitted by applicable Law, become the
property of the Surviving Corporation, and any holder of such
Certificate or Book-Entry Share who has not theretofore complied
with this Article III with respect thereto shall
thereafter look only to the Surviving Corporation for payment of
their claim for Merger Consideration in respect thereof.
(g) If
any Certificate shall have been lost, stolen or destroyed, upon the
making of an affidavit of that fact (such affidavit shall be in a
form reasonably satisfactory to Parent and the Paying Agent) by the
Person claiming such certificate to be lost, stolen or destroyed,
the Paying Agent shall issue in exchange for such lost, stolen or
destroyed Certificate the Merger Consideration to which such Person
is entitled in respect of such Certificate pursuant to this
Article III .
Section 3.3
Shares of Dissenting Shareholders .
(a) Notwithstanding
anything in this Agreement other than Section 3.3(b) to the
contrary, any shares of Common Stock that are issued and
outstanding immediately prior to the Effective Time and held by a
shareholder who is entitled to dissent from the Merger under
Chapter 23B.13 of the WBCA and who has exercised, when and in
the manner required by Chapter 23B.13 of the WBCA to the
extent so required prior to the Effective Time, such right to
dissent and to obtain payment of the fair value of such shares
under Chapter 23B.13 of the WBCA in connection with the Merger
(“ Dissenting Shares ”) shall not be converted
into the right to receive the Merger Consideration unless and until
such shareholder shall have effectively withdrawn or lost (through
failure to perfect or otherwise) such shareholder’s right to
obtain payment of the fair value of such shareholder’s
Dissenting Shares under Chapter 23B.13 of the WBCA, but shall
instead be entitled only to such rights with respect to such
Dissenting Shares as may be granted to such shareholder under
Chapter 23B.13 of the WBCA. From and after the Effective Time,
Dissenting Shares shall not be entitled to vote for any purpose or
be entitled to the payment of dividends or other distributions
(except dividends or other distributions payable to shareholders of
record prior to the Effective Time). The Company shall promptly
provide any notices of dissent to Parent.
(b) If
any shareholder who holds Dissenting Shares effectively withdraws
or loses (through failure to perfect or otherwise) such
shareholder’s right to obtain payment of the fair value of
such shareholder’s Dissenting Shares under
Chapter 23B.13 of the WBCA, then, as of the later of the
Effective Time and the occurrence of such effective withdrawal or
loss, such shareholder’s shares of Common Stock shall no
longer be Dissenting Shares and, if the occurrence of such
effective withdrawal or loss is later than the Effective Time,
shall be treated as if they had as of the Effective Time been
converted into the right to receive Merger Consideration as set
forth in subsection (a) of Section 3.1 .
11
Section 3.4
Treatment of Stock Options; Restricted Shares .
(a) As
soon as practicable following the date of this Agreement and to the
extent necessary, the board of directors of the Company (or, if
appropriate, any committee administering the Company Option Plans)
shall adopt such resolutions and take such other actions as are
required with respect to outstanding options to purchase shares of
Common Stock issued pursuant to the Company Option Plans, to the
extent vested and exercisable immediately prior to the Effective
Time or as a result of the Merger (“ Vested Options
”), such that each Vested Option outstanding at the Effective
Time shall cease to represent a right to acquire shares of Common
Stock and shall instead represent only the right to receive the
Merger Consideration for each share of Common Stock that would have
been issuable upon exercise of the Vested Option prior to the
Effective Time less the applicable exercise price for such share of
Common Stock under such Vested Option (such net amount, the “
Option Per Share Amount” ). Parent shall promptly pay
or cause to be paid immediately after the Effective Time to the
holders of Vested Options as of immediately prior to the Effective
Time the Option Per Share Amount (less any applicable tax
withholding) for each share of Common Stock that would have been
issued upon exercise of the Vested Options.
(b) At
the Effective Time, each of the outstanding options to purchase
shares of Common Stock issued pursuant to the Company Option Plans
to the extent not vested or exercisable prior to or as a result of
the consummation of the Merger (the “ Unvested Options
”) shall, without any further action on the part of any
holder thereof, be converted into an option granted pursuant to the
Parent Corporation 2001 Stock Plan, as amended and restated (the
“ Parent 2001 Stock Plan ”), to purchase that
number of shares of common stock, par value $0.00000625 per share,
of Parent (the “ Parent Common Shares ”)
determined by multiplying the number of Company Common Shares
subject to such Unvested Option at the Effective Time by the
Exchange Ratio (as defined below), at an exercise price per Parent
Common Share equal to the exercise price per share of such Unvested
Option immediately prior to the Effective Time divided by the
Exchange Ratio (rounded up to the nearest whole cent) (a “
Substituted Parent Option ”). If the foregoing
calculation results in a Substituted Parent Option being
exercisable for a fraction of a Parent Common Share, then the
number of Parent Common Shares subject to such option shall be
rounded down to the nearest whole number of shares.
(c) The
Substituted Parent Options shall have the same vesting schedule
(including any acceleration of vesting as provided in the Company
Option Plans) as the Unvested Options and otherwise shall have the
terms and conditions as set forth in such Substituted Parent
Options; provided that Parent shall convert Unvested Options into
Substituted Parent Options in such a manner as to ensure that
(i) the Substituted Parent Options are not subject to
Section 409A of the Code as a result of the substitution and
(ii) Substituted Parent Options received with respect to
Unvested Options that were “incentive stock options”
within the meaning of section 422 of the Code will satisfy the
requirement of section 424(a) of the Code and continue to be
“incentive stock options” within the meaning of section
422 of the Code. As a result of such conversion, the Substituted
Parent Options shall be subject to all of the terms and conditions
of the Parent 2001 Stock Plan and grant agreements for the
Substituted Parent Options (rather than the terms and conditions of
the plan and grant agreements under which the Unvested Options were
originally issued). Prior to the Effective Time, Company shall take
all actions (including causing its board of directors, the
compensation committee of Company’s board of directors, or
a
12
committee overseeing the Company Option Plans to take all actions)
that are necessary to confirm that the Substituted Parent Options
are “equivalent” and “comparable” options,
as applicable, under the terms of the Company Option Plans or
otherwise such that vesting in Unvested Options will not be
accelerated as a result of the Merger, this Agreement, or the
transactions contemplated hereby (the “ Transactions
”) (including the exchange of the Substituted Parent Options
for the Unvested Options) and that are otherwise necessary to
ensure that the Unvested Options may be substituted as provided in
this Section 3.4(c). For purposes of this Agreement, “
Exchange Ratio ” shall mean the number determined by
dividing the Merger Consideration by the average of the closing
prices of a Parent Common Share as publicly reported for the Nasdaq
Global Market System as of 4:00 p.m. Eastern Time for each of the
10 consecutive trading days immediately preceding the Effective
Time.
(d) At
the Effective Time, by virtue of the Merger, Company Restricted
Shares outstanding immediately prior to the Effective Time shall be
converted into that number of restricted shares (“ Parent
Restricted Shares ”) or restricted stock units of Parent
Common Shares (such restricted stock units together with Parent
Restricted Shares, “Substitute Deferred Compensation”)
with an equivalent after tax economic effect (and with no
detrimental effect on the holder thereof) determined by multiplying
the number of Company Restricted Shares by the Exchange Ratio. Any
Substitute Deferred Compensation issued pursuant to this
Section 3.4(d) shall be subject to the same terms and
conditions as were applicable under such Company Restricted Shares
(including the vesting schedule and any acceleration of vesting
pursuant to any Company Option Plans) except to the extent changes
to the terms and conditions are otherwise agreed to between Parent
and the holder of the Parent Restricted Shares.
ARTICLE IV
REPRESENTATIONS
AND WARRANTIES OF THE COMPANY
Except as disclosed in the Company
SEC Reports filed by the Company prior to the date of this
Agreement or in the Company Disclosure Schedule, the Company
represents and warrants to Parent and Sub as follows:
Section 4.1
Organization . Each of the Company and its Subsidiaries is a
corporation or other entity duly organized and validly existing
under the laws of the jurisdiction of its incorporation or
organization and has the requisite entity power and authority to
own, lease and operate its properties and to carry on its business
as it is now being conducted. Each of the Company and its
Subsidiaries is duly qualified or licensed to do business and is in
good standing in each jurisdiction in which the nature of the
business conducted by it makes such qualification or licensing
necessary, except where the failure to be so duly qualified or
licensed and in good standing would not, individually or in the
aggregate, have a Company Material Adverse Effect. The Company has
made available to Parent a copy of its amended and restated
articles of incorporation and bylaws, as currently in effect, and
is not in violation of any provision of such articles of
incorporation or bylaws.
13
Section 4.2
Capitalization .
(a) The
authorized capital stock of the Company consists of
(i) 200,000,000 shares of Common Stock, 79,171,676 of which
are issued and outstanding as of May 16, 2007 and
(ii) 21,083,902 shares of preferred stock, $.01 par value per
share, none of which are issued or outstanding on the date of this
Agreement. All of the outstanding shares of the Company’s
capital stock are duly authorized, validly issued, fully paid,
nonassessable and free of preemptive rights. As of the date hereof,
other than pursuant to the Company Option Plans and the ESPP, and
the Senior Notes, there are no existing (i) options, warrants,
calls, subscriptions or other rights, convertible securities,
agreements or commitments of any character obligating the Company
or any of its Subsidiaries to issue, transfer or sell any shares of
capital stock or other equity interest in, the Company or any of
its Subsidiaries, (ii) contractual obligations of the Company
or any of its Subsidiaries to repurchase, redeem or otherwise
acquire any capital stock of the Company or any of its Subsidiaries
or (iii) voting trusts or similar agreements to which the
Company is a party with respect to the voting of the capital stock
of the Company.
(b) All
of the outstanding shares of capital stock or equivalent equity
interests of each of the Company’s Subsidiaries are owned of
record and beneficially, directly or indirectly, by the Company
free and clear of all liens, pledges, security interests or other
encumbrances.
(c) Neither
the Company nor any of its Subsidiaries own any interest or
investment (whether equity or debt) in any corporation,
partnership, joint venture, trust or other entity, other than a
Subsidiary of the Company, which interest or investment is material
to the Company and its Subsidiaries, taken as a whole.
Section 4.3
Authorization; Validity of Agreement; Company Action . The
Company has the requisite corporate power and authority to execute
and deliver this Agreement and, subject to obtaining the approval
of its shareholders, to consummate the transactions contemplated
hereby. The execution, delivery and performance by the Company of
this Agreement and the consummation by the Company of the
transactions contemplated hereby have been duly authorized by its
board of directors, and no other corporate action on the part of
the Company is necessary to authorize the execution and delivery by
the Company of this Agreement and, except for shareholder approval,
the consummation by it of the transactions contemplated hereby.
This Agreement has been duly executed and delivered by the Company
and is a valid and binding obligation of the Company enforceable
against the Company in accordance with its terms, except that
(i) such enforcement may be subject to applicable bankruptcy,
insolvency, reorganization, moratorium or other similar laws, now
or hereafter in effect, affecting creditors’ rights and
remedies generally and (ii) the remedy of specific performance
and injunctive and other forms of equitable relief may be subject
to equitable defenses and to the discretion of the court before
which any proceeding therefor may be brought.
Section 4.4
Consents and Approvals; No Violations (a). The execution and
delivery of this Agreement by the Company do not, and the
performance by the Company of this Agreement and the consummation
by the Company of the transactions contemplated hereby will not,
(i) violate any provision of the articles of incorporation or
bylaws of the Company, (ii) result
14
in a
violation or breach of, or constitute (with or without due notice
or lapse of time or both) a default (or give rise to any right of
termination, cancellation or acceleration) under, any of the terms,
conditions or provisions of any Contract to which the Company or
any of its Subsidiaries is a party or by which any of them or any
of their properties or assets is bound, (iii) violate any Law
applicable to the Company, any of its Subsidiaries or any of their
properties or assets or (iv) other than in connection with or
compliance with (A) the WBCA, (B) requirements under
other state corporation Laws, (C) the HSR Act, (D) Nasdaq
rules and listing standards and (E) the Exchange Act, require
the Company to make any filing or registration with or notification
to, or require the Company to obtain any authorization, consent or
approval of, any court, legislative, executive or regulatory
authority or agency (a “ Governmental Entity ”);
except, in the case of clauses (ii), (iii) and (iv), for such
violations, breaches or defaults that, or filings, registrations,
notifications, authorizations, consents or approvals the failure of
which to make or obtain, (1) would not, individually or in the
aggregate, have a Company Material Adverse Effect and would not
materially adversely affect the ability of the Company to
consummate the transactions contemplated hereby, or (2) would
occur or be required as a result of the business or activities in
which Parent or Sub is or proposes to be engaged or as a result of
any acts or omissions by, or the status of any facts pertaining to,
Parent or Sub.
Section 4.5
SEC Reports . The Company has filed all reports and other
documents with the SEC required to be filed or furnished by the
Company since December 31, 2004 (such documents, together with
any reports filed during such period by the Company with the SEC on
a voluntary basis on Form 8-K, the “ Company SEC
Reports ”). As of their respective filing dates, the
Company SEC Reports and any other materials filed by the Company
with the SEC (i) complied in all material respects with, to
the extent in effect at the time of filing, the applicable
requirements of the Securities Act and the Exchange Act and
(ii) did not contain any untrue statement of a material fact
or omit to state a material fact required to be stated therein or
necessary in order to make the statements therein, in light of the
circumstances under which they were made, not misleading. Each of
the financial statements (including the related notes) of the
Company included in the Company SEC Reports complied at the time it
was filed as to form in all material respects with the applicable
accounting requirements and the published rules and regulations of
the SEC with respect thereto in effect at the time of such filing,
was prepared in accordance with generally accepted accounting
principles in the United States (“ GAAP ”)
(except, in the case of unaudited statements, as permitted by the
rules and regulations of the SEC) applied on a consistent basis
during the periods involved (except as may be indicated in the
notes thereto) and fairly presented in all material respects the
consolidated financial position of the Company and its consolidated
Subsidiaries as of the respective dates thereof and the
consolidated results of their operations and cash flows for the
respective periods then ended (subject, in the case of unaudited
statements, to normal year-end adjustments). Since
December 31, 2006, there has been no change in the
Company’s accounting policies or the methods of making
accounting estimates or changes in estimates that are material to
the Company’s financial statements, except as described in
the Company SEC Reports or except as may be required by any
regulatory authority. The reserves reflected in the Company’s
financial statements are in accordance with GAAP and have been
calculated in a consistent manner.
15
Section 4.6
No Undisclosed Liabilities . Except for (a) liabilities
and obligations incurred in the ordinary course of business since
March 31, 2007, (b) liabilities and obligations disclosed
in the Company SEC Reports, (c) liabilities and obligations
incurred in connection with the Merger or otherwise as contemplated
by this Agreement, (d) liabilities and obligations that would
not, individually or in the aggregate, have a Company Material
Adverse Effect and (e) other liabilities and obligations that
are otherwise the subject of any other representation or warranty
contained in this Article IV , since March 31,
2007, neither the Company nor any of its Subsidiaries has incurred
any liabilities or obligations that would be required to be
reflected or reserved against in a consolidated balance sheet of
the Company and its consolidated Subsidiaries prepared in
accordance with GAAP as applied in preparing the consolidated
balance sheet of the Company and its consolidated Subsidiaries
included in the Company SEC Reports.
Section 4.7
Absence of Certain Changes . Except as contemplated by this
Agreement, since March 31, 2007 through the date hereof
(i) the Company has not suffered a Company Material Adverse
Effect and (ii) has not taken any action that would be
prohibited by Section 6.1(a) through
Section 6.1(k) if taken after the date hereof.
Section 4.8
Material Contracts .
(a) As
of the date hereof and other than as reflected in a Company SEC
Report, the Company is not a party to or bound by any Contract
(i) that would be required to be filed by the Company as a
material contract pursuant to Item 601(b)(10) of
Regulation S-K of the SEC; (ii) that would, after giving
effect to the Merger, limit or restrict the Surviving Corporation
or any successor thereto from engaging in any line of business or
in any geographic area; (iii) that creates a partnership or
joint venture or similar arrangement with respect to any material
business of the Company, (iv) would or would reasonably be expected
to, individually or in the aggregate, prevent, materially delay or
materially impede the Company’s ability to consummate the
transactions contemplated by this Agreement; (v) that is an
indenture, credit agreement, loan agreement, security agreement,
guarantee, note, mortgage or other agreement providing for
indebtedness in excess of $2,500,000; (vi) that is a written
contract (other than this Agreement) for the sale of any of its
assets after the date hereof in excess of $2,500,000 (other than in
the ordinary course of business); (vii) that is a collective
bargaining agreement; or (viii) under which the Company and
the Company Subsidiaries have made payments in excess of $2,500,000
in calendar 2006 (other than in the ordinary course of business).
Each such contract described in clauses (i)-(viii) is referred to
herein as a “ Material Contract .”
(b) Each
Material Contract is a valid and binding obligation of the Company
enforceable against the Company in accordance with its terms and,
to the Company’s knowledge, each other party thereto, and is
in full force and effect, and the Company has performed in all
material respects all obligations required to be performed by it to
the date hereof under each Material Contract and, to the
Company’s knowledge, each other party to each Material
Contract has performed in all material respects all obligations
required to be performed by it under such Material Contract. The
Company has not received notice, nor does it have knowledge, of any
material violation of or default of any material obligation under
(or any condition which with the passage of time or the giving of
notice would cause such a violation of
16
or
default under) any Material Contract to which it is a party or by
which it or any of its properties or assets is bound.
Section 4.9
Employee Benefit Plans; ERISA .
(a)
Section 4.9(a) of the Company Disclosure Schedule sets
forth a list of all material employee benefit plans, including
plans described in section 3(3) of the Employee Retirement Income
Security Act of 1974, as amended (“ ERISA ”),
maintained for the benefit of any current or former employee,
officer or director of the Company or any of its Subsidiaries by
the Company or by any trade or business, whether or not
incorporated, which together with the Company is treated as a
single employer under sections 414(b), (c) or (m) of the
Code (such plans, “ Benefit Plans ”) and all
material employment and severance agreements with employees of the
Company or any of its Subsidiaries (such agreements, “
Benefit Agreements ”).
(b) With
respect to each Benefit Plan and Benefit Agreement except as would
not, individually or in the aggregate, have a Company Material
Adverse Effect: (i) if intended to be qualified under section
401(a) of the Code, such Benefit Plan (A) is the subject of an
unrevoked favorable determination letter from the IRS ,
(B) has remaining a period of time under the Code or
applicable Treasury regulations or IRS pronouncements in which to
request, and make any amendments necessary to obtain, such a letter
from the IRS, or (C) is a prototype or volume submitter plan
entitled, under applicable IRS guidance, to rely on the favorable
opinion or advisory letter issued by the IRS to the sponsor of such
prototype or volume submitter plan, and, to the knowledge of the
Company, nothing has occurred since the date of the most recent
such determination, opinion or advisory letter that would adversely
affect such qualification, (ii) to the knowledge of the
Company, such Benefit Plan or Benefit Agreement has been
administered in accordance with its terms and applicable Law,
(iii) no disputes are pending, or, to the knowledge of the
Company, threatened that would give rise to material liability on
the part of the Company, and (iv) the consummation of the
transactions contemplated by this Agreement will not result in, or
accelerate the vesting in or time of payment of, compensation due
any current employee or officer of the Company.
(c) Neither
the Company nor any of its current or former Subsidiaries (or
trades or businesses which together with the Company are or were
treated as a single employer under sectio
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