Document:

Exhibit 10.1

 

MOLYCORP, INC.

 

2012 EMPLOYEE STOCK PURCHASE PLAN

 

 

Molycorp, Inc.

 

2012 Employee Stock Purchase Plan

 

1.                                      ESTABLISHMENT, PURPOSE AND TERM OF PLAN.

 

1.1                               Establishment.  The Board adopted the Molycorp, Inc. 2012 Employee Stock Purchase Plan (the “Plan”) on February 29, 2012, subject to shareholder approval on or before February 28, 2013. The Plan shall become effective on the date of such shareholder approval. If shareholder approval is not received by February 28, 2013, the Plan will have no effect.

 

1.2                               Purpose.  The purpose of the Plan is to advance the interests of the Company and its stockholders by providing an incentive to attract, retain and reward Eligible Employees of the Participating Company Group and by motivating such persons to contribute to the growth and profitability of the Participating Company Group. The Plan provides such Eligible Employees with an opportunity to acquire a proprietary interest in the Company through the purchase of Stock. The Company intends that the Plan qualify as an “employee stock purchase plan” under Section 423 of the Code (including any amendments of such section), and the Plan shall be so construed.

 

1.3                               Term of Plan.  The Plan shall continue in effect for ten (10) years from its effective date unless it is terminated earlier by the Committee.

 

2.                                      DEFINITIONS AND CONSTRUCTION.

 

2.1                               Definitions.  Any term not expressly defined in the Plan but defined for purposes of Section 423 of the Code shall have the same definition herein. Whenever used herein, the following terms shall have their respective meanings set forth below:

 

(a)                                 “Board” means the Board of Directors of the Company.

 

(b)                                 “Change in Control” means the occurrence of any one or a combination of the following:

 

(i)                                     the acquisition by any individual, entity or group (within the meaning of Section 13(d)(3) or 14(d)(2) of the Exchange Act) (a “Person”) of beneficial ownership (within the meaning of Rule 13d-3 promulgated under the Exchange Act) of voting securities of the Company where such acquisition causes such Person to own more than 50% of the combined voting power of the then outstanding voting securities of the Company entitled to vote generally in the election of directors (the “Outstanding Company Voting Securities”); provided, however, that for purposes of this subsection (i), the following acquisitions shall not be deemed to result in a Change in Control: (A) any acquisition directly from the Company that is approved by the Incumbent Board (as defined in subsection (ii) below), (B) any acquisition by the Company, (C) any acquisition by any employee benefit plan (or related trust) sponsored or maintained by the Company or any corporation controlled by the Company or (D) any acquisition by any corporation pursuant to a transaction that complies with clauses (A), (B) and (C) of subsection (iii) below; provided, further, that if any Person’s beneficial ownership of the Outstanding Company Voting Securities exceeds 50% as a result of a transaction described in clause (A) or (B) above, and such Person subsequently acquires beneficial ownership of additional voting securities of the Company, such subsequent acquisition shall be treated as an acquisition that causes such Person to own more than 50% of the Outstanding Company Voting Securities; and provided, further, that if at least a majority of the members of the Incumbent Board determines in good faith that a Person has acquired beneficial ownership (within the meaning of Rule 13d-3 promulgated under the Exchange Act) of more than 50% of the Outstanding Company Voting Securities inadvertently, and 

 

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such Person divests as promptly as practicable a sufficient number of shares so that such Person beneficially owns (within the meaning of Rule 13d-3 promulgated under the Exchange Act) less than or equal to 50% of the Outstanding Company Voting Securities, then no Change in Control shall have occurred as a result of such Person’s acquisition;

 

(ii)                                  individuals who, as of September 30, 2010, constituted the Board (the “Incumbent Board” as modified by this subsection (ii)) cease for any reason to constitute at least a majority of the Board; provided, however, that any individual becoming a director subsequent to September 30, 2010 whose election, or nomination for election by the Company’s stockholders, was approved by a vote of at least a majority of the directors then comprising the Incumbent Board (either by specific vote or by approval of the proxy statement of the Company in which such person is named as a nominee for director, without objection to such nomination) shall be considered as though such individual were a member of the Incumbent Board, but excluding, for this purpose, any such individual whose initial assumption of office occurs as a result of an actual or threatened election contest with respect to the election or removal of directors or other actual or threatened solicitation of proxies or consents by or on behalf of a Person other than the Board;

 

(iii)                               the consummation of a reorganization, merger or consolidation or sale or other disposition of all or substantially all of the assets of the Company or the acquisition of assets of another corporation or other transaction (“Business Combination”) excluding, however, such a Business Combination pursuant to which (A) the individuals and entities who were the beneficial owners of the Outstanding Company Voting Securities immediately prior to such Business Combination beneficially own, directly or indirectly, more than 50% of, respectively, the then outstanding shares of common stock and the combined voting power of the then outstanding voting securities entitled to vote generally in the election of directors, as the case may be, of the entity resulting from such Business Combination (including, without limitation, an entity that as a result of such transaction owns the Company or all or substantially all of the Company’s assets either directly or through one or more subsidiaries), (B) no Person (excluding any employee benefit plan (or related trust) of the Company, the Company or such entity resulting from such Business Combination) beneficially owns, directly or indirectly, more than 50% of the combined voting power of the then outstanding securities entitled to vote generally in the election of directors of the entity resulting from such Business Combination and (C) at least a majority of the members of the board of directors of the corporation resulting from such Business Combination were members of the Incumbent Board at the time of the execution of the initial agreement, or of the action of the Board, providing for such Business Combination; or

 

(iv)                              approval by the stockholders of the Company of a complete liquidation or dissolution of the Company except pursuant to a Business Combination that complies with clauses (A), (B) and (C) of subsection (iii) above.

 

(c)                                  “Code” means the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended, and any applicable regulations promulgated thereunder.

 

(d)                                 “Committee” means the Compensation Committee and such other committee or subcommittee of the Board, if any, duly appointed to administer the Plan and having such powers in each instance as shall be specified by the Board. If, at any time, there is no committee of the Board then authorized or properly constituted 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.

 

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(e)                                  “Company” means Molycorp, Inc., a Delaware corporation, or any successor corporation thereto.

 

(f)                                   “Compensation” means an Employee’s regular straight time salary or earnings.

 

(g)                                  “Eligible Employee” means an Employee who meets the requirements set forth in Section 5 for eligibility to participate in the Plan.

 

(h)                                 “Employee” means a person treated as an employee of a Participating Company for purposes of Section 423 of the Code. A Participant shall be deemed to have ceased to be an Employee either upon an actual termination of employment or upon the corporation employing the Participant ceasing to be a Participating Company. For purposes of the Plan, an individual shall not be deemed to have ceased to be an Employee while on any military leave, sick leave, or other bona fide leave of absence approved by the Company of ninety (90) days or less. If an individual’s leave of absence exceeds ninety (90) days, the individual shall be deemed to have ceased to be an Employee on the ninety-first (91st) day of such leave unless the individual’s right to reemployment with the Participating Company Group is guaranteed either by statute or by contract.

 

(i)                                     “Exchange Act” means the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, and the rules and regulations thereunder, as such law, rules and regulations may be amended from time to time.

 

(j)                                    “Fair Market Value” means, as of any date:

 

(i)                                     Except as otherwise determined by the Committee, if, on such date, the Stock is listed or quoted on a national or regional securities exchange or quotation system, the closing price of a share of Stock as quoted on the national or regional securities exchange or quotation system constituting the primary market for the Stock, as reported in The Wall Street Journal 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 quotation system, the date on which the Fair Market Value is established shall be the last day on which the Stock was so traded or quoted prior to the relevant date, or such other appropriate day as determined by the Committee, in its discretion.

 

(ii)                                  If, on the relevant date, the Stock is not then listed on a national or regional securities exchange or quotation system, the Fair Market Value of a share of Stock shall be as determined in good faith by the Committee.

 

(k)                                 “Non-United States Offering” means a separate Offering covering Eligible Employees of one or more Participating Companies whose Eligible Employees are subject to a prohibition under applicable law on payroll deductions or other local law requirement, as described in Section 11.1(b).

 

(l)                                     “Offering” means an offering of Stock pursuant to the Plan, as provided in Section 6.

 

(m)                             “Offering Date” means, for any Offering Period, the first day of such Offering Period.

 

(n)                                 “Offering Period” means a period, established by the Committee in accordance with Section 6, during which an Offering is outstanding.

 

(o)                                 “Officer” means any person designated by the Board as an officer of the Company.

 

(p)                                 “Parent Corporation” means any present or future “parent corporation” of the Company, as defined in Section 424(e) of the Code.

 

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(q)                                 “Participant” means an Eligible Employee who has become a participant in an Offering Period in accordance with Section 7 and remains a participant in accordance with the Plan.

 

(r)                                    “Participating Company” means the Company and any Parent Corporation or Subsidiary Corporation designated by the Committee as a corporation the Employees of which may, if Eligible Employees, participate in the Plan. The Committee shall have the discretion to determine from time to time which Parent Corporations or Subsidiary Corporations shall be Participating Companies.

 

(s)                                   “Participating Company Group” means, at any point in time, the Company and all other corporations collectively which are then Participating Companies.

 

(t)                                    “Purchase Date” means, for any Offering Period, the last day of such Offering Period, or, if so determined by the Committee, the last day of each Purchase Period occurring within such Offering Period.

 

(u)                                 “Purchase Period” means a period, established by the Committee in accordance with Section 6, included within an Offering Period and on the final date of which outstanding Purchase Rights are exercised.

 

(v)                                 “Purchase Price” means the price at which a share of Stock may be purchased under the Plan, as determined in accordance with Section 9.

 

(w)                               “Purchase Right” means an option granted to a Participant pursuant to the Plan to purchase such shares of Stock as provided in Section 8, which the Participant may or may not exercise during the Offering Period in which such option is outstanding. Such option arises from the right of a Participant to withdraw any payroll deductions or other funds accumulated on behalf of the Participant and not previously applied to the purchase of Stock under the Plan, and to terminate participation in the Plan at any time during an Offering Period.

 

(x)                                 “Securities Act” means the Securities Act of 1933, as amended.

 

(y)                                 “Stock” means the common stock of the Company, as adjusted from time to time in accordance with Section 4.2.

 

(z)                                  “Subscription Agreement” means a written or electronic agreement, in such form as is specified by the Company, stating an Employee’s election to participate in the Plan and authorizing payroll deductions under the Plan from the Employee’s Compensation or other method of payment authorized by the Committee pursuant to Section 11.1(b).

 

(aa)                          “Subscription Date” means the last business day prior to the Offering Date of an Offering Period or such earlier date as the Company shall establish.

 

(bb)                          “Subsidiary Corporation” means any present or future “subsidiary corporation” of the Company, as defined in Section 424(f) of the Code.

 

2.2                               Construction.  Captions and titles contained herein are for convenience only and shall not affect the meaning or interpretation of any provision of the Plan. Except when otherwise indicated by the context, the singular shall include the plural and the plural shall include the singular. Use of the term “or” is not intended to be exclusive, unless the context clearly requires otherwise.

 

3.                                      ADMINISTRATION.

 

3.1                               Administration by the Committee.  The Plan shall be administered by the Committee. All questions of interpretation of the Plan, of any form of agreement or other document employed by the Company in the administration of the Plan, or of any Purchase Right shall be determined by the 

 

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Committee, and such determinations shall be final, binding and conclusive upon all persons having an interest in the Plan or the Purchase Right, unless fraudulent or made in bad faith. Subject to the provisions of the Plan, the Committee shall determine all of the relevant terms and conditions of Purchase Rights; provided, however, that all Participants granted Purchase Rights pursuant to an Offering shall have the same rights and privileges within the meaning of Section 423(b)(5) of the Code. Any and all actions, decisions and determinations taken or made by the Committee in the exercise of its discretion pursuant to the Plan or any agreement thereunder (other than determining questions of interpretation pursuant to the second sentence of this Section 3.1) shall be final, binding and conclusive upon all persons having an interest therein. All expenses reasonably incurred by the Company in the administration of the Plan shall be paid by the Company.

 

3.2                               Authority of Officers.  Any Officer shall have the authority to act on behalf of the Company with respect to any matter, right, obligation, determination or election that is the responsibility of or that is allocated to the Company herein, provided that the Officer has actual authority with respect to such matter, right, obligation, determination or election.

 

3.3                               Power to Adopt Sub-Plans or Varying Terms with Respect to Non-U.S. Employees.  The Committee shall have the power, in its discretion, to adopt one or more sub-plans of the Plan as the Committee deems necessary or desirable to comply with the laws or regulations, tax policy, accounting principles or custom of foreign jurisdictions applicable to employees of a subsidiary business entity of the Company. Any of the provisions of any such sub-plan may supersede the provisions of this Plan, other than Section 4. Except as superseded by the provisions of a sub-plan, the provisions of this Plan shall govern such sub-plan. In order to comply with the laws of a foreign jurisdiction, the Committee shall have the power, in its discretion, to grant Purchase Rights in a separate Offering to citizens or residents of a non-U.S. jurisdiction (without regard to whether they are also citizens of the United States or resident aliens) that provide terms which are less favorable or differ than the terms of Purchase Rights granted to Employees resident in the United States.

 

3.4                               Power to Establish Separate Offerings with Varying Terms.  The Committee shall have the power, in its discretion, to establish separate, simultaneous or overlapping Offerings having different terms and conditions and to designate the Participating Company or Companies that may participate in a particular Offering, provided that each Offering shall individually comply with the terms of the Plan and the requirements of Section 423(b)(5) of the Code that all Participants granted Purchase Rights pursuant to such Offering shall have the same rights and privileges within the meaning of such section.

 

3.5                               Policies and Procedures Established by the Company.  Without regard to whether any Participant’s Purchase Right may be considered adversely affected, the Company may, from time to time, consistent with the Plan and the requirements of Section 423 of the Code, establish, change or terminate such rules, guidelines, policies, procedures, limitations, or adjustments as deemed advisable by the Company, in its discretion, for the proper administration of the Plan, including, without limitation, (a) a minimum payroll deduction amount required for participation in an Offering, (b) a limitation on the frequency or number of changes permitted in the rate of payroll deduction during an Offering, (c) an exchange ratio applicable to amounts withheld or paid in a currency other than United States dollars, (d) a payroll deduction greater than or less than the amount designated by a Participant in order to adjust for the Company’s delay or mistake in processing a Subscription Agreement or in otherwise effecting a Participant’s election under the Plan or as advisable to comply with the requirements of Section 423 of the Code, and (e) determination of the date and manner by which the Fair Market Value of a share of Stock is determined for purposes of administration of the Plan. All such actions by the Company shall be taken consistent with the requirements under Section 423(b)(5) of the Code that all Participants granted Purchase Rights pursuant to an Offering shall have the same rights and privileges within the meaning of such section, except as otherwise permitted by Section 3.3 and the regulations under Section 423 of the Code.

 

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3.6                               Indemnification.  In addition to such other rights of indemnification as they may have as members of the Board or the Committee or as officers or employees of the Participating Company Group, to the extent permitted by applicable law, members of the Board or the Committee and any officers or employees of the Participating Company Group to whom authority to act for the Board, the Committee or the Company is delegated shall be indemnified by the Company against all reasonable expenses, including attorneys’ fees, actually and necessarily incurred in connection with the defense of any action, suit or proceeding, or in connection with any appeal therein, to which they or any of them may be a party by reason of any action taken or failure to act under or in connection with the Plan, or any right granted hereunder, and against all amounts paid by them in settlement thereof (provided such settlement is approved by independent legal counsel selected by the Company) or paid by them in satisfaction of a judgment in any such action, suit or proceeding, except in relation to matters as to which it shall be adjudged in such action, suit or proceeding that such person is liable for gross negligence, bad faith or intentional misconduct in duties; provided, however, that within sixty (60) days after the institution of such action, suit or proceeding, such person shall offer to the Company, in writing, the opportunity at its own expense to handle and defend the same.

 

4.                                      SHARES SUBJECT TO PLAN.

 

4.1                               Maximum Number of Shares Issuable.  Subject to adjustment as provided in Section 4.2, the maximum aggregate number of shares of Stock that may be issued under the Plan shall be 300,000 shares and shall consist of authorized but unissued or reacquired shares of Stock, or any combination thereof. If an outstanding Purchase Right for any reason expires or is terminated or canceled, the shares of Stock allocable to the unexercised portion of that Purchase Right shall again be available for issuance under the Plan.

 

4.2                               Adjustments for Changes in Capital Structure.  Subject to any required action by the stockholders of the Company and the requirements of Section 424 of the Code to the extent applicable, in the event of any change in the Stock effected without receipt of consideration by the Company, whether through merger, consolidation, reorganization, reincorporation, recapitalization, reclassification, stock dividend, stock split, reverse stock split, split-up, split-off, spin-off, combination of shares, exchange of shares, or similar change in the capital structure of the Company, or in the event of payment of a dividend or distribution to the stockholders of the Company in a form other than Stock (excepting regular, periodic cash dividends) that has a material effect on the Fair Market Value of shares of Stock, appropriate and proportionate adjustments shall be made in the number and kind of shares subject to the Plan, the limit on the shares which may be purchased by any Participant during an Offering (as described in Section 8) and each Purchase Right, and in the Purchase Price in order to prevent dilution or enlargement of Participants’ rights under the Plan. For purposes of the foregoing, conversion of any convertible securities of the Company shall not be treated as “effected without receipt of consideration by the Company.” If a majority of the shares which are of the same class as the shares that are subject to outstanding Purchase Rights are exchanged for, converted into, or otherwise become (whether or not pursuant to an Change in Control) shares of another corporation (the “New Shares”), the Committee may unilaterally amend the outstanding Purchase Rights to provide that such Purchase Rights are for New Shares. In the event of any such amendment, the number of shares subject to, and the exercise price per share of, the outstanding Purchase Rights shall be adjusted in a fair and equitable manner as determined by the Committee, in its discretion. Any fractional share resulting from an adjustment pursuant to this Section shall be rounded down to the nearest whole number, and in no event may the Purchase Price be decreased to an amount less than the par value, if any, of the stock subject to the Purchase Right. The adjustments determined by the Committee pursuant to this Section 4.2 shall be final, binding and conclusive.

 

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5.                                      ELIGIBILITY.

 

5.1                               Employees Eligible to Participate.  Each Employee of a Participating Company is eligible to participate in the Plan and shall be deemed an Eligible Employee, except the following:

 

(a)                                 Any Employee who is customarily employed by the Participating Company Group for twenty (20) hours or less per week; or

 

(b)                                 Any Employee who has not worked as an Employee of a Participating Company for at least ninety (90) consecutive dates.

 

The Committee may include Employees described above in the category of Eligible Employees to the extent required under local law or as otherwise desired by the Committee.

 

5.2                               Exclusion of Certain Stockholders.  Notwithstanding any provision of the Plan to the contrary, no Employee shall be treated as an Eligible Employee and granted a Purchase Right under the Plan if, immediately after such grant, the Employee would own, or hold options to purchase, stock of the Company or of any Parent Corporation or Subsidiary Corporation possessing five percent (5%) or more of the total combined voting power or value of all classes of stock of such corporation, as determined in accordance with Section 423(b)(3) of the Code. For purposes of this Section 5.2, the attribution rules of Section 424(d) of the Code shall apply in determining the stock ownership of such Employee.

 

5.3                               Determination by Company.  The Company shall determine in good faith and in the exercise of its discretion whether an individual has become or has ceased to be an Employee or an Eligible Employee and the effective date of such individual’s attainment or termination of such status, as the case may be. For purposes of an individual’s participation in or other rights, if any, under the Plan as of the time of the Company’s determination of whether or not the individual is an Employee, all such determinations by the Company shall be final, binding and conclusive as to such rights, if any, notwithstanding that the Company or any court of law or governmental agency subsequently makes a contrary determination as to such individual’s status as an Employee.

 

6.                                      OFFERINGS.

 

The Plan shall be implemented by sequential Offerings, the commencement and duration of which the Committee shall determine. The Committee may revise the commencement dates or establish additional or alternative concurrent, sequential or overlapping Offering Periods, a different duration for one or more Offering Periods or different commencing or ending dates for such Offering Periods; provided, however, that no Offering Period may have a duration exceeding twenty- seven (27) months. If the Committee shall so determine in its discretion, each Offering Period may consist of two (2) or more consecutive Purchase Periods having such duration as the Committee shall specify, and the last day of each such Purchase Period shall be a Purchase Date. If the first or last day of an Offering Period or a Purchase Period is not a day on which the principal stock exchange or quotation system on which the Stock is then listed is open for trading, the Company shall specify the trading day that will be deemed the first or last day, as the case may be, of the Offering Period or Purchase Period.

 

7.                                      PARTICIPATION IN THE PLAN.

 

7.1                               Initial Participation.

 

(a)                                 Generally.  An Eligible Employee may become a Participant in an Offering Period by delivering a properly completed written or electronic Subscription Agreement to the Company office or representative designated by the Company (including a third-party administrator designated by the Company) not later than the close of business on the Subscription Date established by the Company for that Offering Period. An Eligible Employee who does not deliver a properly completed Subscription

 

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Agreement in the manner permitted or required on or before the Subscription Date for an Offering Period shall not participate in the Plan for that Offering Period or for any subsequent Offering Period unless the Eligible Employee subsequently delivers a properly completed Subscription Agreement to the appropriate Company office or representative on or before the Subscription Date for such subsequent Offering Period. An Employee who becomes an Eligible Employee after the Offering Date of an Offering Period shall not be eligible to participate in that Offering Period but may participate in any subsequent Offering Period provided the Employee is still an Eligible Employee as of the Offering Date of such subsequent Offering Period.

 

7.2                                 Continued Participation.

 

(a)           Generally.  A Participant shall automatically participate in the next Offering Period commencing immediately after the final Purchase Date of each Offering Period in which the Participant participates provided that the Participant remains an Eligible Employee on the Offering Date of the new Offering Period and has not either (a) withdrawn from the Plan pursuant to Section 12.1, or (b) terminated employment or otherwise ceased to be an Eligible Employee as provided in Section 13. A Participant who may automatically participate in a subsequent Offering Period, as provided in this Section, is not required to deliver any additional Subscription Agreement for the subsequent Offering Period in order to continue participation in the Plan. However, a Participant may deliver a new Subscription Agreement for a subsequent Offering Period in accordance with the procedures set forth in Section 7.1(a) if the Participant desires to change any of the elections contained in the Participant’s then effective Subscription Agreement.

 

8.                                       RIGHT TO PURCHASE SHARES.

 

8.1                                 Grant of Purchase Right.  On the Offering Date of each Offering Period, each Participant in such Offering Period shall automatically be granted a Purchase Right consisting of an option to purchase the lesser of (a) that number of whole shares of Stock determined by dividing the dollar limit in Section 8.2 (as provided below) by the Fair Market Value of a share of Stock on such Offering Date or (b) the share limit in Section 8.3 (as provided below). The Committee may, in its discretion and prior to the Offering Date of any Offering Period, (i) change the method of, or any of the foregoing factors in, determining the number of shares of Stock subject to Purchase Rights to be granted on such Offering Date, or (ii) specify a maximum aggregate number of shares that may be purchased by all Participants in an Offering or on any Purchase Date within an Offering Period. No Purchase Right shall be granted on an Offering Date to any person who is not, on such Offering Date, an Eligible Employee.

 

8.2                                 Calendar Year Purchase Limitation.  Notwithstanding any provision of the Plan to the contrary, no Participant shall be granted a Purchase Right which permits his or her right to purchase shares of Stock under the Plan to accrue at a rate which, when aggregated with such Participant’s rights to purchase shares under all other employee stock purchase plans of a Participating Company intended to meet the requirements of Section 423 of the Code, exceeds Twenty-Five Thousand Dollars ($25,000) in Fair Market Value (or such other limit, if any, as may be imposed by the Code) for each calendar year in which such Purchase Right is outstanding at any time. For purposes of the preceding sentence, the Fair Market Value of shares purchased during a given Offering Period shall be determined as of the Offering Date for such Offering Period. The limitation described in this Section shall be applied in conformance with Section 423(b)(8) of the Code and the regulations thereunder.

 

8.3                                 Share Limitation.  Notwithstanding any provision of the Plan to the contrary, no Participant shall purchase more than 1,000 shares of Stock during an Offering Period. This limitation may be adjusted by the Committee prior to the start of an Offering Period.

 

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9.                                       PURCHASE PRICE.

 

The Purchase Price at which each share of Stock may be acquired in an Offering Period upon the exercise of all or any portion of a Purchase Right shall be established by the Committee; provided, however, that the Purchase Price on each Purchase Date shall not be less than eighty-five percent (85%) of the lesser of (a) the Fair Market Value of a share of Stock on the Offering Date of the Offering Period or (b) the Fair Market Value of a share of Stock on the Purchase Date.

 

10.                                 ACCUMULATION OF PURCHASE PRICE THROUGH PAYROLL DEDUCTION.

 

Except as provided in Section 11.1(b) with respect to a Non-United States Offering, shares of Stock acquired pursuant to the exercise of all or any portion of a Purchase Right may be paid for only by means of payroll deductions from the Participant’s Compensation accumulated during the Offering Period for which such Purchase Right was granted, subject to the following:

 

10.1                           Amount of Payroll Deductions.  Except as otherwise provided herein, the amount to be deducted under the Plan from a Participant’s Compensation on each pay day during an Offering Period shall be determined by the Participant’s Subscription Agreement. The Subscription Agreement shall set forth the percentage of the Participant’s Compensation to be deducted on each pay day during an Offering Period in whole percentages of not less than one percent (1%) (except as a result of an election pursuant to Section 10.3 to stop payroll deductions effective following the first pay day during an Offering) or more than ten (10%) percent. The Committee may change the foregoing limits on payroll deductions (but shall not exceed ten (10%) percent) effective as of any Offering Date. Notwithstanding any provision of the Plan to the contrary, no Participant shall be entitled to have deducted under the Plan from the Participant’s Compensation an amount in excess of $250,000 during the term of the Plan.

 

10.2                           Commencement of Payroll Deductions.  Payroll deductions shall commence on the first pay day following the Offering Date and shall continue to the end of the Offering Period unless sooner altered or terminated as provided herein.

 

10.3                           Election to Decrease or Stop Payroll Deductions.  During an Offering Period, a Participant may elect to reduce or stop payroll deductions from his or her Compensation after the beginning of any Offering Period only as provided for in the Offering. A Participant who elects, effective following the first pay day of an Offering Period, to decrease the rate of his or her payroll deductions to zero percent (0%) shall nevertheless remain a Participant in such Offering Period unless the Participant withdraws from the Plan as provided in Section 12.1.

 

10.4                           Administrative Suspension of Payroll Deductions.  The Company may, in its discretion, suspend a Participant’s payroll deductions under the Plan as the Company deems advisable to avoid accumulating payroll deductions in excess of the amount that could reasonably be anticipated to purchase the maximum number of shares of Stock permitted (a) under the Participant’s Purchase Right, or (b) during a calendar year under the limit set forth in Section 8.1. Unless the Participant has either withdrawn from the Plan as provided in Section 12.1 or has ceased to be an Eligible Employee, suspended payroll deductions shall be resumed at the rate specified in the Participant’s then effective Subscription Agreement either (i) at the beginning of the next Offering Period if the reason for suspension was clause (a) in the preceding sentence, or (ii) at the beginning of the next Offering Period having a first Purchase Date that falls within the subsequent calendar year if the reason for suspension was clause (b) in the preceding sentence.

 

10.5                           Participant Accounts.  All payroll deductions from a Participant’s Compensation (and other amounts received from a non-United States Participant pursuant to Section 11.1(b)) shall be deposited with the general funds of the Company. All such amounts received or held by the Company may be used by the Company for any corporate purpose.

 

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10.6                           No Interest Paid.  Interest shall not be paid on sums deducted from a Participant’s Compensation pursuant to the Plan or otherwise credited to the Participant’s Plan account, unless required by applicable local law.

 

11.                                 PURCHASE OF SHARES.

 

11.1         Exercise of Purchase Right.

 

(a)           Generally.  Except as provided in Section 11.1(b), on each Purchase Date of an Offering Period, each Participant who has not withdrawn from the Plan and whose participation in the Offering has not otherwise terminated before such Purchase Date shall automatically acquire pursuant to the exercise of the Participant’s Purchase Right the number of whole shares of Stock determined by dividing (a) the total amount of the Participant’s payroll deductions accumulated in the Participant’s Plan account during the Offering Period and not previously applied toward the purchase of Stock by (b) the Purchase Price. However, in no event shall the number of shares purchased by the Participant during an Offering Period exceed the number of shares subject to the Participant’s Purchase Right. No shares of Stock shall be purchased on a Purchase Date on behalf of a Participant whose participation in the Offering or the Plan has terminated before such Purchase Date.

 

(b)           Purchase by Non-United States Participants for Whom Payroll Deductions Are Prohibited by Applicable Law.  Notwithstanding Section 11.1(a), where payroll deductions on behalf of Participants who are citizens or residents of countries other than the United States (without regard to whether they are also citizens of the United States or resident aliens) are prohibited by applicable law, the Committee may establish a separate Offering (a “Non-United States Offering”) covering all Eligible Employees of one or more Participating Companies subject to such prohibition on payroll deductions. The Non-United States Offering shall provide another method for payment of the Purchase Price with such terms and conditions as shall be administratively convenient and comply with applicable law. On each Purchase Date of the Offering Period applicable to a Non-United States Offering, each Participant who has not withdrawn from the Plan and whose participation in such Offering Period has not otherwise terminated before such Purchase Date shall automatically acquire pursuant to the exercise of the Participant’s Purchase Right a number of whole shares of Stock determined in accordance with Section 11.1(a) to the extent of the total amount of the Participant’s Plan account balance accumulated during the Offering Period in accordance with the method established by the Committee and not previously applied toward the purchase of Stock. However, in no event shall the number of shares purchased by a Participant during such Offering Period exceed the number of shares subject to the Participant’s Purchase Right. The Company shall refund to a Participant in a Non-United States Offering in accordance with Section 11.4 any excess Purchase Price payment received from such Participant.

 

11.2                           Pro Rata Allocation of Shares.  If the number of shares of Stock which might be purchased by all Participants on a Purchase Date exceeds the number of shares of Stock available in the Plan as provided in Section 4.1 or the maximum aggregate number of shares of Stock that may be purchased on such Purchase Date pursuant to a limit established by the Committee pursuant to Section 8.1, the Company shall make a pro rata allocation of the shares available in as uniform a manner as practicable and as the Company determines to be equitable. Any fractional share resulting from such pro rata allocation to any Participant shall be disregarded.

 

11.3                           Delivery of Title to Shares.  Subject to any governing rules or regulations, as soon as practicable after each Purchase Date, the Company shall issue or cause to be issued to or for the benefit of each Participant the shares of Stock acquired by the Participant on such Purchase Date by such means as shall be determined by the Company.

 

11.4                           Return of Plan Account Balance.  Any cash balance remaining in a Participant’s Plan account following any Purchase Date shall be refunded to the Participant as soon as practicable after 

 

10

 

such Purchase Date. However, if the cash balance to be returned to a Participant pursuant to the preceding sentence is less than the amount that would have been necessary to purchase an additional whole share of Stock on such Purchase Date, the Company may retain the cash balance in the Participant’s Plan account to be applied toward the purchase of shares of Stock in the subsequent Purchase Period or Offering Period.

 

11.5                           Tax Withholding.  At the time a Participant’s Purchase Right is exercised, in whole or in part, or at the time a Participant disposes of some or all of the shares of Stock he or she acquires under the Plan, the Participant shall make adequate provision for the federal, state, local and foreign taxes (including social insurance), if any, required to be withheld by any Participating Company upon exercise of the Purchase Right or upon such disposition of shares, respectively. A Participating Company may, but shall not be obligated to, except as required by state and/or local non-US law, withhold from the Participant’s compensation the amount necessary to meet such withholding obligations.

 

11.6                           Expiration of Purchase Right.  Any portion of a Participant’s Purchase Right remaining unexercised after the end of the Offering Period to which the Purchase Right relates shall expire immediately upon the end of the Offering Period.

 

12.                                 WITHDRAWAL FROM PLAN.

 

12.1                           Voluntary Withdrawal from the Plan.  A Participant may withdraw from the Plan by signing and delivering to the Company office or representative designated by the Company (including a third-party administrator designated by the Company) a written or electronic notice of withdrawal in such form and within such timeframes as specified by the Company for this purpose; provided, however, that if a Participant withdraws from the Plan after a Purchase Date, the withdrawal shall not affect shares of Stock acquired by the Participant on such Purchase Date. A Participant who voluntarily withdraws from the Plan is prohibited from resuming participation in the Plan in the same Offering from which he or she withdrew, but may participate in any subsequent Offering by again satisfying the requirements of Sections 5 and 7.1.

 

12.2                           Return of Plan Account Balance.  Upon a Participant’s voluntary withdrawal from the Plan pursuant to Section 12.1, the Participant’s accumulated Plan account balance which has not been applied toward the purchase of shares of Stock shall be refunded to the Participant as soon as practicable after the withdrawal, without the payment of any interest, and the Participant’s interest in the Plan and the Offering shall terminate. Such amounts to be refunded in accordance with this Section may not be applied to any other Offering under the Plan.

 

13.                                 TERMINATION OF EMPLOYMENT OR ELIGIBILITY.

 

Upon a Participant’s ceasing, prior to a Purchase Date, to be an Employee of the Participating Company Group for any reason, including retirement, disability or death, or upon the failure of a Participant to remain an Eligible Employee, the Participant’s participation in the Plan shall terminate immediately. In such event, the Participant’s Plan account balance which has not been applied toward the purchase of shares of Stock shall, as soon as practicable, be returned to the Participant or, in the case of the Participant’s death, to the Participant’s beneficiary designated in accordance with Section 20, if any, or legal representative, and all of the Participant’s rights under the Plan shall terminate. Interest shall not be paid on sums returned pursuant to this Section 13. A Participant whose participation has been so terminated may again become eligible to participate in the Plan by satisfying the requirements of Sections 5 and 7.1.

 

11

 

14.                                 EFFECT OF CHANGE IN CONTROL ON PURCHASE RIGHTS.

 

In the event of a Change in Control, the surviving, continuing, successor, or purchasing corporation or parent thereof, as the case may be (the “Acquiring Corporation”), may, without the consent of any Participant, assume or continue the Company’s rights and obligations under outstanding Purchase Rights or substitute substantially equivalent purchase rights for the Acquiring Corporation’s stock. If the Acquiring Corporation elects not to assume, continue or substitute for the outstanding Purchase Rights, the Purchase Date of the then current Offering Period shall be accelerated to a date before the date of the Change in Control specified by the Committee, but the number of shares of Stock subject to outstanding Purchase Rights shall not be adjusted. All Purchase Rights which are neither assumed nor continued by the Acquiring Corporation in connection with the Change in Control nor exercised as of the date of the Change in Control shall terminate and cease to be outstanding effective as of the date of the Change in Control.

 

15.                                 NONTRANSFERABILITY OF PURCHASE RIGHTS.

 

Neither payroll deductions or other amounts credited to a Participant’s Plan account nor a Participant’s Purchase Right may be assigned, transferred, pledged or otherwise disposed of in any manner other than as provided by the Plan or by will or the laws of descent and distribution. (A beneficiary designation pursuant to Section 20 shall not be treated as a disposition for this purpose.) Any such attempted assignment, transfer, pledge or other disposition shall be without effect, except that the Company may treat such act as an election to withdraw from the Plan as provided in Section 12.1. A Purchase Right shall be exercisable during the lifetime of the Participant only by the Participant.

 

16.                                 COMPLIANCE WITH SECURITIES LAW.

 

The issuance of shares under the Plan shall be subject to compliance with all applicable requirements of federal, state and foreign law with respect to such securities. A Purchase Right may not be exercised if the issuance of shares upon such exercise would constitute a violation of any applicable federal, state or foreign securities laws or other law or regulations or the requirements of any securities exchange or market system upon which the Stock may then be listed. In addition, no Purchase Right may be exercised unless (a) a registration statement under the Securities Act shall at the time of exercise of the Purchase Right be in effect with respect to the shares issuable upon exercise of the Purchase Right, or (b) in the opinion of legal counsel to the Company, the shares issuable upon exercise of the Purchase Right may be issued in accordance with the terms of an applicable exemption from the registration requirements of the Securities Act. 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 under the Plan 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 a Purchase Right, 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.

 

17.                                 RIGHTS AS A STOCKHOLDER AND EMPLOYEE.

 

A Participant shall have no rights as a stockholder by virtue of the Participant’s participation in the Plan until the date of the issuance of the shares of Stock purchased pursuant to the exercise of the Participant’s Purchase Right (as evidenced by the appropriate entry on the books of the Company or of a duly authorized transfer agent of the Company). No adjustment shall be made for dividends, distributions or other rights for which the record date is prior to the date such shares are issued, except as provided in Section 4.2. Nothing herein shall confer upon a Participant any right to continue in the 

 

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employ of the Participating Company Group or interfere in any way with any right of the Participating Company Group to terminate the Participant’s employment at any time.

 

18.                                 NOTIFICATION OF DISPOSITION OF SHARES.

 

The Company may require the Participant to give the Company prompt notice of any disposition of shares of Stock acquired by exercise of a Purchase Right. The Company may require that until such time as a Participant disposes of shares of Stock acquired upon exercise of a Purchase Right, the Participant shall hold all such shares in the Participant’s name until the later of two years after the date of grant of such Purchase Right or one year after the date of exercise of such Purchase Right. The Company may direct that the certificates evidencing shares of Stock acquired by exercise of a Purchase Right refer to such requirement to give prompt notice of disposition.

 

19.                                 LEGENDS.

 

The Company may at any time place legends or other identifying symbols referencing any applicable federal, state or foreign securities law restrictions or any provision convenient in the administration of the Plan on some or all of the certificates representing shares of Stock issued under the Plan. The Participant shall, at the request of the Company, promptly present to the Company any and all certificates representing shares acquired pursuant to a Purchase Right in the possession of the Participant in order to carry out the provisions of this Section. Unless otherwise specified by the Company, legends placed on such certificates may include but shall not be limited to the following:

 

“THE SHARES EVIDENCED BY THIS CERTIFICATE WERE ISSUED BY THE CORPORATION TO THE REGISTERED HOLDER UPON THE PURCHASE OF SHARES UNDER AN EMPLOYEE STOCK PURCHASE PLAN AS DEFINED IN SECTION 423 OF THE INTERNAL REVENUE CODE OF 1986, AS AMENDED. THE TRANSFER AGENT FOR THE SHARES EVIDENCED HEREBY SHALL NOTIFY THE CORPORATION IMMEDIATELY OF ANY TRANSFER OF THE SHARES BY THE REGISTERED HOLDER HEREOF. THE REGISTERED HOLDER SHALL HOLD ALL SHARES PURCHASED UNDER THE PLAN IN THE REGISTERED HOLDER’S NAME (AND NOT IN THE NAME OF ANY NOMINEE).”

 

20.                                 DESIGNATION OF BENEFICIARY.

 

20.1                           Designation Procedure.  Subject to local laws and procedures, a Participant may file a written designation of a beneficiary who is to receive (a) shares and cash, if any, from the Participant’s Plan account if the Participant dies subsequent to a Purchase Date but prior to delivery to the Participant of such shares and cash, or (b) cash, if any, from the Participant’s Plan account if the Participant dies prior to the exercise of the Participant’s Purchase Right. If a married Participant designates a beneficiary other than the Participant’s spouse, the effectiveness of such designation may be subject to the consent of the Participant’s spouse. A Participant may change his or her beneficiary designation at any time by written notice to the Company.

 

20.2                           Absence of Beneficiary Designation.  If a Participant dies without an effective designation pursuant to Section 20.1 of a beneficiary who is living at the time of the Participant’s death, the Company shall deliver any shares or cash credited to the Participant’s Plan account to the Participant’s legal representative or as otherwise required by applicable law.

 

21.                                 NOTICES.

 

All notices or other communications by a Participant to the Company under or in connection with the Plan shall be deemed to have been duly given when received in the form specified by the Company at the location, or by the person, designated by the Company for the receipt thereof.

 

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22.                                 GOVERNING LAW.

 

This Plan shall be administered, construed and enforced according to the laws of the State of Delaware to the extent they are not preempted by the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974, as amended from time to time.

 

23.                                 AMENDMENT OR TERMINATION OF THE PLAN.

 

The Committee may at any time amend, suspend or terminate the Plan, except that (a) no such amendment, suspension or termination shall affect Purchase Rights previously granted under the Plan unless expressly provided by the Committee, and (b) no such amendment, suspension or termination may adversely affect a Purchase Right previously granted under the Plan without the consent of the Participant, except to the extent permitted by the Plan or as may be necessary to qualify the Plan as an employee stock purchase plan pursuant to Section 423 of the Code or to comply with any applicable law, regulation or rule. In addition, an amendment to the Plan must be approved by the stockholders of the Company within twelve (12) months of the adoption of such amendment if such amendment would authorize the sale of more shares than are then authorized for issuance under the Plan or would change the definition of the corporations that may be designated by the Committee as Participating Companies. Notwithstanding the foregoing, in the event that the Committee determines that continuation of the Plan or an Offering would result in unfavorable financial accounting consequences to the Company, the Committee may, in its discretion and without the consent of any Participant, including with respect to an Offering Period then in progress: (i) terminate the Plan or any Offering Period, (ii) accelerate the Purchase Date of any Offering Period, (iii) reduce the discount or the method of determining the Purchase Price in any Offering Period (e.g., by determining the Purchase Price solely on the basis of the Fair Market Value on the Purchase Date), (iv) reduce the maximum number of shares of Stock that may be purchased in any Offering Period, or (v) take any combination of the foregoing actions.

 

14Exhibit 4.15

 

CONFIDENTIAL TREATMENT REQUESTED

 

╪ Indicates that certain information contained herein has been omitted and filed separately with the Securities and Exchange Commission.  Confidential Treatment has been requested with respect to the omitted portions.

 

Service Agreement for 2012 Securities Practitioner Qualification Exams

 

Party A:                 Securities Association of China 

Address:                2nd Floor, B Tower, Fukai Plaza, 19 Jinrong Street, Xicheng District, Beijing

 

Party B:                  ATA Testing Authority (Beijing) Limited (“ATA”)

Address:                16th Floor, E Tower, No. 6 Gongyuan West Street, Jianguomennei, Beijing

 

Securities Association of China is the holder of Securities Practitioner Qualification Exams. ATA is a specialty supplier of exam technology services and exam delivery services. Based on the principles of rigorousness, scientific methodology and efficiency, and through friendly negotiation, Party A and Party B hereby enter into this Agreement for mutual observance.

 

Article 1                 In accordance with relevant State laws and regulations and the overall arrangement on Securities Practitioner Qualification Exams (“Exam” or “Qualification Exam”), Party A hereby entrusts Party B to perform relevant services for the exams of 2012.  The exams will be performed on computers (“Computer-based Exam”).

 

Article 2                 Services entrusted by Party A to Party B in connection with the exams include: providing technical services for exams, handling exam takers’ registrations and payment, issuing and mailing receipts, arranging exam venues, arranging exam premises’ layout, producing admission cards, arranging exams, collecting and processing exam score, carrying out statistical and analysis work for the exams, evaluating exam papers, and other work deemed necessary by Party A.

 

Article 3                 Party A will formulate and inform Party B of the standards and regulations of the Qualification Exam and the Computer-based Exam.

 

Article 4                 Party B shall perform services for Party A on the basis of the above Article 2 and such services shall be consistent with the requirements in Party A’s announcement in respect  of each specific exam.

 

Article 5                 The services to be provided by Party B should be examined and supervised by Party A.  Party B should promptly notify Party A of relevant information regarding action against Exam Takers that violated rules.

 

 

Article 6                 Party B shall, according to the principle of ensuring smooth administration of exams, formulate Service Criteria for Securities Practitioner Qualification Exams and specific working plan for each exam and submit to Party A for its records.

 

Article 7                 Party B will accept registrations from exam takes (“Exam Takers”) by means of online registration and the payment relating thereto may be made via bank transfer or online payment.  Party B should take effective measures to ensure smooth registration.

 

Article 8                 Party A and Party B should enter into a joint fund management agreement with the party that collects the registration fee so that the three parties may jointly manage the funds.  The account for the registration fee collection should be named according to Party A’s exam and shall be used for fee collection and accounts transfers only. Party B shall not withdraw funds from the registration fee account by any means without Party A’s approval.

 

Article 9                 ╪

 

	
Bank account holder:
    	
╪
    
	
Bank name:
    	
╪
    
	
Account number:
    	
╪
    

 

Article 10               Party B shall arrange sufficient manpower to assist Party A in issuing and mailing receipts for registration fees to Exam Takers.

 

Article 11               Party B is required to create a specific window on the exam registration website so that Party A will be informed of the registration status from time to time.

 

Article 12               Party B is required to provide the information of the registered Exam Takers within one month of the completion of registration. The information security officer of Party A shall go to Party B’s site to examine, among others, the data storage and backup record, and supervise the destruction of exam data throughout the entire process and the completion of ATA’s List of Eliminated Exam Results by Party B’ data administrator.

 

Article 13               Party B shall, according to Party A’s express standards and requirements on exam venues and exam premises, arrange exam venues and exam premises based on the principles of facilitating Exam Takers.  The exam venues should be conveniently located, have a clean environment, and have sufficient hardware facilities to ensure smooth conduction of exams.

 

Article 14               The exam venues and exam premises should be inspected and accepted by Party A; those considered not meeting relevant standards and requirements should be corrected or replaced by ATA.

 

Article 15               Party B shall enter into contracts with the exam venues and exam premises it selected, and shall take proper measures to ensure the performance of the contracts.

 

Article 16               Party B shall arrange the Exam Takers to attend the exam, and shall take the effective measures listed below to ensure the success of the exam:

 

 

(1)           Exam premises shall be equipped with sufficient monitoring teachers who are required to fulfill the duty to keep the exam premises in order;

 

(2)           Exam premises shall be equipped with on-site video capture facilities and have integrated video capture standard;

 

(3)           Exam premises shall be equipped with remote surveillance equipment;

 

(4)           Each exam premises shall be equipped with sufficient technicians;

 

(5)           Each exam premises shall be equipped with sufficient computers and backups to meet the need of exams.  After an exam is started, computers in premises should be able to work properly, and the number of malfunctioning computers (such as computer breakdown) shall not exceed 0.1% of the total computers used in the exam.  Moreover, upon adoption of preventive and corrective measures, all the computers shall be in proper working conditions during the exam; and

 

(6)           Other preventive measures in other comparable exams.

 

Article 17               Party B shall, through the exam premises administrator, read out the exam rules formulated by Party A to exam takers.

 

Article 18               Party B shall, within 5 working days after the exam is over, finish the test paper review and submit to Party A the exam data, including exam result, analysis of exam data, disciplinary action against breach of exam discipline. The information security officer of Party A shall, within 15 working days after the exam is over, go to Party B’s site to examine, among others, the data storage and backup record, and supervise the destruction of exam data throughout the entire process and the completion of ATA’s List of Eliminated Exam Results by Party B’ data administrator.

 

Article 19               Party A may entrust Party B with accepting inquiries from exam takers about the exam matters; without permission of Party A, Party B may not engage in any publicity activity relating to the exam or accept any inquiries about exam results.

 

Article 20               ╪

 

Bank account name: ╪

Bank name: ╪

Account number:  ╪

 

Article 21               Each party shall respect and protect the other party’s intellectual property rights and shall only use the other party’s intellectual property rights to the extent expressly authorized or agreed and shall make best endeavors to protect the other party’s intellectual property rights.

 

 

Article 22               Both parties shall undertake that their respective own intellectual property rights will not infringe upon any interest of any third party; if any third party raises any objection, institutes any action or applies for arbitration, which causes any loss to a party hereto, the party at fault shall be solely liable for damages.

 

Article 23               Party A shall absolutely own the intellectual property rights to the exam question pool and the exams it provided, irrespective of whether this agreement is terminated or not, and Party B may not use or divulge in any way any information relating to the exam question pool and the exams that it learned during the performance of the terms of this agreement without the written consent of Party A.

 

Article 24               Irrespective of whether this agreement is terminated or not, each party shall treat as confidential any Confidential Information of the other party that it obtained during the performance of this agreement. The party aware of such Confidential Information may communicate such Confidential Information to its relevant employees or relevant professionals engaged by it, provided that it guarantee that such personnel shall agree to be bound by this agreement and not to divulge the Confidential Information in any manner.

 

Article 25               The “Confidential Information” hereunder means the exam question pool, test paper, financial information of the parties, exam takers’ information, exam data and result relating to the products and services provided by the parties in connection with the exam work, as well as proprietary technology, software programs and working.

 

Article 26               The test technology and software owned by Party B to provide test related services shall be kept under strict confidential arrangement and reliable technical support shall be provided to ensure the secrecy of intellectual property rights of Party A and other confidential matters under this agreement.

 

Article 27               If Party B breaches Articles 3 to 19 hereof and the circumstance of such breach is moderate, Party A shall give admonition and ask Party B to make a correction within a prescribed time limit; if the breach is serious or if Party B refuses to accept such admonition and fails to make a correction, Party A shall have the right to unilaterally rescind this agreement.

 

Article 28               If Party B violates Articles 21 to 25 hereof, and such action results in serious consequences and prevents the normal administration of the exam, Party A shall have the right to terminate this agreement and to demand that Party B indemnify Party A for the losses arising therefrom which shall be equal to the fees already paid by Party A to Party B.

 

Article 29               If Party B cooperates with any third party in connection with the exam matters delegated by Party A, and Party A’s interest is impaired by such third party, Party B shall be liable for damages.

 

Article 30               Neither party shall be liable for any delay in performing, or any failure to perform, any of its obligations under this agreement if such delay or failure arises from force majeure.

 

 

Article 31               Any dispute arising from the content or the performance of this agreement shall be settled through active consultations between the parties. If consultations come to no avail, either party may institute legal action with a court located near where Party A is situated.

 

Article 32               During the performance of this agreement, Party A, depending on its needs, has the right to delegate to any third party the exam work not expressly set forth in this agreement.

 

Article 33               If the terms of this agreement conflict with an announcement regarding exam content issued by Party A during the performance hereof, the announcement issued by Party A shall prevail.

 

Article 34               Either party has the right to terminate this agreement if the other party becomes bankrupt or stops doing business during the performance of this agreement; the party that becomes bankrupt or stops doing business shall indemnify the other party for its relevant loss.

 

Article 35               Any matters not covered herein shall be provided for in a supplementary agreement.

 

Article 36               This agreement will come into force upon signature and seal of both parties and will be valid for a period of 1 year.

 

Article 37               This agreement shall be executed in 4 counterparts, with each party holding 2 counterparts.

 

	
Party A: Securities Association of China
    	
 
    	
Party B: ATA Testing Authority (Beijing)   Limited
    
	
 
    	
 
    	
 
    
	
Authorized representative of Party A: 

(signature/official seal):
    	
 
    	
Authorized representative of Party B: 

(signature/official seal):
    
	
 
    	
 
    	
 
    
	
 
    	
 
    	
 
    
	
Signature (handwritten):
    	
 
    	
Signature (handwritten):
    
	
 
    	
 
    	
 
    
	
 
    	
 
    	
 
    
	
Date: May 28, 2012
    	
 
    	
Date: May 28, 2012

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