Exhibit 10.3
ADOBE SYSTEMS
INCORPORATED
NONSTATUTORY STOCK OPTION
AGREEMENT
(STANDARD)
THIS NONSTATUTORY STOCK OPTION
AGREEMENT (the “ Option Agreement ” ) is
made and entered into as of the Date of Option Grant by and between
Adobe Systems Incorporated and
(the “ Participant
” ). The Company has granted to the Participant
pursuant to the Adobe Systems Incorporated 2005 Equity Incentive
Assumption Plan (the “ Plan ” ) an option
to purchase certain shares of Stock (the “
Option ”), upon the terms and conditions set
forth in this Option Agreement, but subject in any event to the
Superseding Agreement, if any, described below.
1.
DEFINITIONS AND
CONSTRUCTION .
1.1
Definitions .
Whenever
used herein, the following terms shall have their respective
meanings set forth below:
(a)
“
Date of Option Grant
”
means
(b)
“
Number of Option
Shares ”
means shares
of Stock, as adjusted from time to time pursuant to
Section 10.
(c)
“
Exercise Price
”
means
$ per
share of Stock, as adjusted from time to time pursuant to
Section 10.
(d)
“
Initial Vesting Date
”
means the date
occurring one (1) year after the Date of Option
Grant.
(e)
“
Vested Shares
”
means, on any
relevant date, that portion (disregarding any fractional share) of
the Number of Option Shares determined by multiplying the Number of
Option Shares by the “ Vested Percentage ”
determined as of
such date as follows:
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Vested Percentage
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Prior to Initial Vesting
Date
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0
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On Initial Vesting Date, provided
the Participant’s Service has not terminated prior to such
date
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25
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%
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Plus :
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For each of the next 12 full months
of the Participant’s continuous Service from the Initial
Vesting Date
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2.08
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%
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Plus :
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For each of the next 12 full months
of the Participant’s continuous Service from the Initial
Vesting Date until the Vested Percentage equals 100%
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4.17
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%
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(f)
“
Affiliate
”
means
(i) an entity, other than a Parent Corporation, that directly,
or indirectly through one or more intermediary entities, controls
the Company or (ii) an entity, other than a Subsidiary
Corporation, that is controlled by the Company directly, or
indirectly through one or more intermediary entities. For
this purpose, the term “control” (including the term
“controlled by”) means the possession, direct or
indirect, of the power to direct or cause the direction of the
management and policies of the relevant entity, whether through the
ownership of voting securities, by contract or otherwise; or shall
have such other meaning assigned such term for the purposes of
registration in the United States (“U.S.”) on
Form S-8 under the Securities Act.
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(g)
“
Board ”
means the Board
of Directors of the Company.
(h)
“
Code ”
means the U.S.
Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended, and any applicable
regulations promulgated thereunder.
(i)
“
Committee
”
means the
Executive Compensation Committee or other committee of the Board
duly appointed to administer the Plan and having such powers as
shall be specified by the Board. If no committee of the Board
has been appointed to administer the Plan, the Board shall exercise
all of the powers of the Committee granted herein, and, in any
event, the Board may in its discretion exercise any or all of such
powers.
(j)
“
Company
”
means Adobe
Systems Incorporated, a Delaware corporation, or any successor
corporation thereto.
(k)
“
Disability
”
means the
permanent and total disability of the Participant within the
meaning of Section 22(e)(3) of the Code.
(l)
“
Employee
”
means any person
treated as an employee (including an Officer or a member of the
Board who is also treated as an employee) in the records of a
Participating Company; provided, however, that neither service as a
member of the Board nor payment of a director’s fee shall be
sufficient to constitute employment.
(m)
“
Exchange Act
”
means the U.S.
Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended.
(n)
“
Fair Market Value
”
means, as of any
date, the value of a share of Stock or other property as determined
by the Committee, in its discretion, or by the Company, in its
discretion, if such determination is expressly allocated to the
Company herein, subject to the following:
(i)
If, on such date,
the Stock is listed on a national or regional securities exchange
or market system, the Fair Market Value of a share of Stock shall
be the closing price of a share of Stock (or the mean of the
closing bid and asked prices of a share of Stock if the Stock is so
quoted instead) as quoted on the Nasdaq National Market, the Nasdaq
SmallCap Market or such other national or regional securities
exchange or market system constituting the primary market for the
Stock, as reported on www.Nasdaq.com or such other source as
the Company deems reliable. If the relevant date does not
fall on a day on which the Stock has traded on such securities
exchange or market system, the date on which the Fair Market Value
shall be established shall be the last day on which the Stock was
so traded prior to the relevant date, or such other appropriate day
as shall be determined by the Committee, in its
discretion.
If, on such
date, the Stock is not listed on a national or regional securities
exchange or market system, the Fair Market Value of a share of
Stock shall be as determined by the Committee in good faith without
regard to any restriction other than a restriction which, by its
terms, will never lapse.
(o)
“Officer”
means any person
designated by the Board as an officer of the Company.
(p)
“
Option Expiration Date
”
means the date
seven (7) years after the Date of Option Grant.
(q)
“
Parent Corporation
”
means any present
or future “parent corporation” of the Company, as
defined in Section 424(e) of the Code.
(r)
“
Participating Company
”
means the Company
or any Parent Corporation, Subsidiary Corporation or
Affiliate.
(s)
“
Participating Company
Group ”
means, at any
point in time, all corporations collectively which are then
Participating Companies.
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(t)
“
Securities Act
”
means the U.S.
Securities Act of 1933, as amended.
(u)
“
Service
”
means the
Participant’s employment with the Participating Company
Group. The Participant’s Service shall be deemed to
have terminated if the Participant ceases to render Service to the
Participating Company Group as an Employee. However, the
Participant’s Service shall not be deemed to have terminated
merely because of a change in the Participating Company for which
the Participant renders Service, provided that there is no
interruption or termination of the Participant’s
Service. Furthermore, the Participant’s Service with
the Participating Company Group shall not be deemed to have
terminated if the Participant takes any bona fide leave of absence
approved by the Company of ninety (90) days or less. In the
event of a leave in excess of ninety (90) days, the
Participant’s Service shall be deemed to terminate on the
ninety-first (91st) day of the leave unless the Participant’s
right to return to Service with the Participating Company Group is
guaranteed by statute or contract. Notwithstanding the
foregoing, unless otherwise designated by the Company or required
by law, a leave of absence shall not be treated as Service for
purposes of determining vesting under the Participant’s
Option Agreement. The Participant’s Service shall be
deemed to have terminated either upon an actual termination of
Service or upon the corporation for which the Participant performs
Service ceasing to be a Participating Company. Subject to the
foregoing, the Company, in its discretion, shall determine whether
the Participant’s Service has terminated and the effective
date of such termination.
(v)
“
Stock ”
means the common
stock of the Company, as adjusted from time to time in accordance
with Section 10.
(w)
“
Subsidiary Corporation
”
means any present
or future “subsidiary corporation” of the Company, as
defined in Section 424(f) of the Code.
(x)
“
Superseding Agreement
” means the
Adobe Systems Incorporated Executive Severance Plan in the Event of
a Change in Control or any successor plan or agreement in which the
Participant is a participant or to which the Participant is a party
(in each such instance, the “Severance Plan”), or any
agreement to which the Participant is a party which, by its
existence alone, prevents the Participant from being eligible to
participate in the Severance Plan. The terms and conditions
of any such Superseding Agreement shall, notwithstanding any
provision of this Option Agreement to the contrary, supersede any
inconsistent term or condition set forth in this Option Agreement
to the extent intended by such Superseding Agreement.
1.2
Construction .
Captions
and titles contained herein are for convenience only and shall not
affect the meaning or interpretation of any provision of this
Option Agreement. Except when otherwise indicated by the
context, the singular shall include the plural and the plural shall
include the singular. Use of the term “or” is not
intended to be exclusive, unless the context clearly requires
otherwise.
2.
TAX STATUS OF OPTION
.
This Option is intended to be a
nonstatutory stock option and shall not be treated as an incentive
stock option within the meaning of Section 422(b) of the
Code.
3.
ADMINISTRATION
.
All questions of interpretation
concerning this Option Agreement shall be determined by the
Committee. All determinations by the Committee shall be final
and binding upon all persons having an interest in the
Option. Any Officer shall have the authority to act on behalf
of the Company with respect to any matter, right, obligation, or
election which is the responsibility of or which is allocated to
the Company herein, provided the Officer has apparent authority
with respect to such matter, right, obligation, or
election.
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4.
EXERCISE OF THE OPTION
.
4.1
Right to Exercise .
Except as
otherwise provided herein, the Option shall be exercisable on and
after the Initial Vesting Date and prior to the termination of the
Option (as provided in Section 7) in an amount not to exceed
the number of Vested Shares less the number of shares previously
acquired upon exercise of the Option. In no event shall the
Option be exercisable for more shares than the Number of Option
Shares.
4.2
Method of Exercise .
Exercise
of the Option shall be by means of electronic notice in a form
authorized by the Company, which shall be digitally signed or
authenticated by the Participant in such manner as required by the
notice and transmitted to the Equity Compensation Department of the
Company or other authorized representative of the Company
(including a third-party administrator designated by the
Company). In the event that the Participant is not authorized
or is unable to provide electronic notice of exercise, the Option
shall be exercised by written notice to the Company, which shall be
signed by the Participant and delivered in person, by certified or
registered mail, return receipt requested, by confirmed facsimile
transmission, or by such other means as the Company may permit, to
the Equity Compensation Department of the Company, or other
authorized representative of the Company (including a third-party
administrator designated by the Company). Each such notice,
whether electronic or written, must state the Participant’s
election to exercise the Option, the number of whole shares of
Stock for which the Option is being exercised and such other
representations and agreements as to the Participant’s
investment intent with respect to such shares as may be required
pursuant to the provisions of this Option Agreement. Further,
each such notice must be received by the Company prior to the
termination of the Option as set forth in Section 7 and must
be accompanied by full payment of the aggregate Exercise Price for
the number of shares of Stock being purchased. The Option
shall be deemed to be exercised upon receipt by the Company of such
electronic or written notice and the aggregate Exercise
Price.
4.3
Payment of Exercise
Price.
(a)
Forms of Consideration
Authorized. Except as otherwise
provided below, payment of the aggregate Exercise Price for the
number of shares of Stock for which the Option is being exercised
shall be made (i) in cash, by check or by cash equivalent or
(ii) by means of a Cashless Exercise, as defined in
Section 4.3(b).
(b)
Cashless Exercise.
A
“ Cashless
Exercise ”
means the
delivery of a properly executed notice of exercise together with
irrevocable instructions to a broker in a form acceptable to the
Company providing for the assignment to the Company of the proceeds
of a sale or loan with respect to some or all of the shares being
acquired upon the exercise of the Option pursuant to a program or
procedure approved by the Company (including, without limitation,
through an exercise complying with the provisions of
Regulation T as promulgated from time to time by the Board of
Governors of the Federal Reserve System). The Company
reserves, at any and all times, the right, in the Company’s
sole and absolute discretion, to establish, decline to approve or
terminate any such program or procedure, including with respect to
the Participant notwithstanding that such program or procedures may
be available to others.
4.4
Tax Withholding .
Regardless
of any action taken by the Participating Company Group with respect
to any or all income tax, social insurance, payroll tax, payment on
account or other tax-related withholding ( “
Tax-Related Items
”
), the
Participant acknowledges that the ultimate liability for all
Tax-Related Items legally due by the Participant is and remains the
Participant’s responsibility and that the Participating
Company Group (i) makes no representations or undertakings
regarding the treatment of any Tax-Related Items in connection with
any aspect of the Option, including the grant, vesting or exercise
of the Option, the subsequent sale of shares acquired pursuant to
such exercise, or the receipt of any dividends and (ii) does
not commit to structure the terms of the grant or any other aspect
of the Option to reduce or eliminate the Participant’s
liability for Tax-Related Items. At the time of exercise of
the Option, the Participant shall pay or make adequate arrangements
satisfactory to the Participating Company Group to satisfy all
withholding obligations of the Participating Company Group.
In this regard, at the time the Option is exercised, in whole or in
part, or at any time thereafter as requested by the Company, the
Participant hereby authorizes withholding of all applicable
Tax-Related Items from payroll and any other amounts payable to the
Participant, and otherwise agrees to make adequate provision for
withholding of all applicable Tax Related Items by the
Participating Company Group, if any, which arise in connection with
the Option. Alternatively, or in addition, if permissible
under applicable law, the Participating Company Group may
(i) sell or arrange for the sale of shares acquired by the
Participant to meet the withholding obligation of
Tax-Related
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Items and/or
(ii) withhold in shares, provided that only the amount of
shares necessary to satisfy the minimum withholding amount are
withheld. Finally, the Participant shall pay to the
Participating Company Group any amount of the Tax-Related Items
that the Participating Company Group may be required to withhold as
a result of the Participant’s participation in the Plan that
cannot be satisfied by the means previously described. The
Company shall have no obligation to process the exercise of the
Option or to deliver shares of Stock until the obligations in
connection with the Tax-Related Items as described in this
section have been satisfied by the Participant.
4.5
Beneficial Ownership of Shares;
Certificate Registration . The Participant
hereby authorizes the Company, in its sole discretion, to deposit
for the benefit of the Participant with any broker with which the
Participant has an account relationship of which the Company has
notice any or all shares acquired by the Participant pursuant to
the exercise of the Option. Except as provided by the
preceding sentence, a certificate for the shares as to which the
Option is exercised shall be registered in the name of the
Participant, or, if applicable, in the names of the heirs of the
Participant.
4.6
Restrictions on Grant of the Option
and Issuance of Shares . The grant of the
Option and the issuance of shares of Stock upon exercise of the
Option shall be subject to compliance with all applicable
requirements of federal, state or foreign law with respect to such
securities. The Option may not be exercised if the issuance
of shares of Stock upon exercise would constitute a violation of
any applicable federal, state or foreign securities laws or other
law or regulations or the requirements of any stock exchange or
market system upon which the Stock may then be listed. In
addition, the Option may not be exercised unless (i) a
registration statement under the Securities Act shall at the time
of exercise of the Option be in effect with respect to the shares
issuable upon exercise of the Option or (ii) in the opinion of
legal counsel to the Company, the shares issuable upon exercise of
the Option may be issued in accordance with the terms of an
applicable exemption from the registration requirements of the
Securities Act. THE PARTICIPANT IS CAUTIONED THAT THE OPTION
MAY NOT BE EXERCISED UNLESS THE FOREGOING CONDITIONS ARE
SATISFIED. ACCORDINGLY, THE PARTICIPANT MAY NOT BE ABLE
TO EXERCISE THE OPTION WHEN DESIRED EVEN THOUGH THE OPTION IS
VESTED. The inability of the Company to obtain from any
regulatory body having jurisdiction the authority, if any, deemed
by the Company’s legal counsel to be necessary to the lawful
issuance and sale of any shares subject to the Option 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. As a condition to the exercise of the
Option, the Company may require the Participant to satisfy any
qualifications that may be necessary or appropriate, to evidence
compliance with any applicable law or regulation and to make any
representation or warranty with respect thereto as may be requested
by the Company.
4.7
Fractional Shares .
The
Company shall not be required to issue fractional shares upon the
exercise of the Option.
5.
NONTRANSFERABILITY OF THE
OPTION .
The Option may be exercised during
the lifetime of the Participant only by the Participant or the
Participant’s guardian or legal representative and may not be
assigned or transferred in any manner except by will or by the laws
of descent and distribution. Following the death of the
Particip
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