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ADOBE SYSTEMS INCORPORATED NONSTATUTORY STOCK OPTION AGREEMENT

Stock Option Agreement

ADOBE SYSTEMS INCORPORATED

NONSTATUTORY STOCK OPTION AGREEMENT
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This Stock Option Agreement involves

ADOBE SYSTEMS INC

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Title: ADOBE SYSTEMS INCORPORATED NONSTATUTORY STOCK OPTION AGREEMENT
Governing Law: California     Date: 12/7/2005
Industry: Software and Programming     Sector: Technology

ADOBE SYSTEMS INCORPORATED

NONSTATUTORY STOCK OPTION AGREEMENT
, Parties: adobe systems inc
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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:

 

 

 

Vested Percentage

 

 

 

 

 

Prior to Initial Vesting Date

 

0

 

 

 

 

 

On Initial Vesting Date, provided the Participant’s Service has not terminated prior to such date

 

25

%

 

 

 

 

Plus :

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

For each of the next 12 full months of the Participant’s continuous Service from the Initial Vesting Date

 

2.08

%

 

 

 

 

Plus :

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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%

 

4.17

%

 

(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.

 

2



 

(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.

 

3



 

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

 

4



 

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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