8-K
0000029002false00000290022026-08-122026-08-12

 

UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
WASHINGTON, D.C. 20549

 

FORM 8-K

 

CURRENT REPORT

Pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934

Date of Report (Date of earliest event reported): August 12, 2026

 

 

DIODES INCORPORATED

(Exact name of Registrant as Specified in Its Charter)

 

 

Delaware

002-25577

95-2039518

(State or Other Jurisdiction
of Incorporation)

(Commission File Number)

(IRS Employer
Identification No.)

 

 

 

 

 

4949 Hedgcoxe Road, Suite 200

 

Plano, Texas

 

75024

(Address of Principal Executive Offices)

 

(Zip Code)

 

Registrant’s Telephone Number, Including Area Code: 972 987-3900

 

 

(Former Name or Former Address, if Changed Since Last Report)

 

Check the appropriate box below if the Form 8-K filing is intended to simultaneously satisfy the filing obligation of the registrant under any of the following provisions:

Written communications pursuant to Rule 425 under the Securities Act (17 CFR 230.425)
Soliciting material pursuant to Rule 14a-12 under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.14a-12)
Pre-commencement communications pursuant to Rule 14d-2(b) under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.14d-2(b))
Pre-commencement communications pursuant to Rule 13e-4(c) under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.13e-4(c))

Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act:


Title of each class

 

Trading
Symbol(s)

 


Name of each exchange on which registered

Common Stock, Par Value $0.66 2/3

 

DIOD

 

The Nasdaq Stock Market LLC

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is an emerging growth company as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act of 1933 (§ 230.405 of this chapter) or Rule 12b-2 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (§ 240.12b-2 of this chapter).

Emerging growth company

If an emerging growth company, indicate by check mark if the registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for complying with any new or revised financial accounting standards provided pursuant to Section 13(a) of the Exchange Act.

 


Item 1.01. Entry into a Material Definitive Agreement.

Amendment No. 1 to Third Amended and Restated Credit Agreement

Effective August 12, 2026, Diodes Incorporated (the “Company”), Diodes Holdings UK Limited (the “Foreign Borrower” and, collectively with the Company, the “Borrowers”), and certain subsidiaries of the Company as guarantors, entered into the Amendment No. 1 to Third Amended and Restated Credit Agreement (the “Amendment”) that amends that certain Third Amended and Restated Credit Agreement dated as of May 26, 2023 (as amended, modified and/or supplemented from time to time prior to the date of the Amendment, the “Existing Credit Agreement”), among the Borrowers, the guarantors party thereto, the lenders party thereto, and Bank of America, N.A., as administrative agent (the “Administrative Agent”). Certain capitalized terms used in this description of the Amendment have the meanings given to them in the Amendment or the Existing Credit Agreement.

The Amendment amends and modifies the Company’s existing senior credit facilities under the Existing Credit Agreement to, among other things: (i) extend the maturity date of the revolving credit facility to August 12, 2031; (ii) modify the pricing grid applicable to drawn and undrawn amounts under the revolving credit facility; (iii) permit the additional indebtedness contemplated by the Company’s offering of convertible senior notes described below; (iv) amend certain financial covenants; and (v) amend certain negative covenants, in each case as more particularly described in the Amendment.

The foregoing summary does not purport to be a complete summary of the Amendment and is qualified in its entirety by reference to the Amendment, a copy of which is filed herewith as Exhibit 10.1 and is incorporated by reference herein.

Convertible Senior Notes, Capped Call Transactions and Share Repurchase

Indenture and Notes

On August 18, 2026, the Company completed its previously announced private offering (the “Offering”) of $375 million aggregate principal amount of 0.00% Convertible Senior Notes due 2031 (the “Notes”), which includes the exercise in full of the initial purchasers’ option to purchase up to an additional $50.0 million principal amount of Notes. The Notes were issued pursuant to an indenture, dated August 18, 2026 (the “Indenture”), between the Company and U.S. Bank Trust Company, National Association, as trustee (the “Trustee”).

The Notes are general senior unsecured obligations of the Company and will mature on August 15, 2031, unless earlier converted, redeemed or repurchased. The Notes will not bear regular interest, and the principal amount of the Notes will not accrete. Special interest will accrue on the Notes in the circumstances and at the rates provided in the Indenture. Holders may convert all or any portion of their Notes at their option at any time prior to the close of business on the business day immediately preceding May 15, 2031 only under the following circumstances: (1) at any time during the 30 consecutive trading day period beginning on, and including, the 21st trading day of any calendar quarter commencing after the calendar quarter ending on September 30, 2026, if the last reported sale price of the Company’s common stock, par value $0.66 2/3 per share (the “Common Stock”), exceeds 130% of the conversion price for each of at least five trading days (whether or not consecutive) during the first 20 consecutive trading days of such calendar quarter; (2) during the five business day period after any 10 consecutive trading day period (the “measurement period”) in which the “trading price” (as defined in the Indenture) per $1,000 principal amount of the Notes for each trading day of the measurement period was less than 98% of the product of the last reported sale price of the Common Stock and the conversion rate on each such trading day; (3) if the Company calls such Notes for redemption, at any time prior to the close of business on the second scheduled trading day immediately preceding the redemption date, but only with respect to the Notes called (or deemed called) for redemption; or (4) upon the occurrence of specified corporate events as set forth in the Indenture. On or after May 15, 2031 until the close of business on the second scheduled trading day immediately preceding the maturity date, holders of the Notes may convert all or any portion of their Notes at any time, regardless of the foregoing circumstances. Upon conversion, the Company will pay cash up to the aggregate principal amount of the Notes to be converted and pay or deliver, as the case may be, cash, shares of Common Stock or a combination of cash and shares of Common Stock, at the Company’s election, in respect of the remainder, if any, of the Company’s conversion obligation in excess of the aggregate principal amount of the Notes being converted, in the manner and subject to the terms and conditions provided in the Indenture.

The conversion rate for the Notes will initially be 6.8594 shares of Common Stock per $1,000 principal amount of Notes (equivalent to an initial conversion price of approximately $145.79 per share of Common Stock). The initial conversion price of the Notes represents a premium of approximately 50.0% over the last reported sale price of $97.19 per share of the Common Stock on the Nasdaq Global Select Market on August 13, 2026. The conversion rate for the Notes is subject to adjustment in some events in accordance with the terms of the Indenture but will not be adjusted for any accrued and unpaid special interest. In addition, following certain corporate events that occur prior to the maturity date of the Notes or if the Company delivers a notice of redemption, the Company will, in certain circumstances, increase the conversion rate of the Notes for a holder who elects to convert its Notes in connection with such a corporate event or convert its Notes called (or deemed called) for redemption in connection with such notice of redemption, as the case may be.

The Company may not redeem the Notes prior to August 20, 2029. The Company may redeem for cash all or any portion of the Notes (subject to certain limitations described in the Indenture), at its option, on a redemption date on or after August 20, 2029 and before


the 31st scheduled trading day immediately prior to the maturity date if the last reported sale price of the Common Stock has been at least 130% of the conversion price for the Notes then in effect for at least 20 trading days (whether or not consecutive) during any 30 consecutive trading day period (including the last trading day of such period) ending on, and including, the trading day immediately preceding the date on which the Company provides notice of redemption at a redemption price equal to 100% of the principal amount of the Notes to be redeemed, plus any accrued and unpaid special interest to, but excluding, the redemption date. No sinking fund is provided for the Notes.

If the Company undergoes a “fundamental change” (as defined in the Indenture), then, subject to certain conditions and except as described in the Indenture, holders may require the Company to repurchase for cash all or any portion of their Notes at a fundamental change repurchase price equal to 100% of the principal amount of the Notes to be repurchased, plus any accrued and unpaid special interest to, but excluding, the fundamental change repurchase date.

The Indenture includes customary covenants and sets forth certain events of default after which the Notes may be declared immediately due and payable, including:

default in any payment of special interest on any Note when due and payable and the default continues for a period of 30 days;
default in the payment of principal of any Note when due and payable at its stated maturity, upon optional redemption, upon any required repurchase, upon declaration of acceleration or otherwise;
failure by the Company to comply with its obligation to convert the Notes in accordance with the Indenture upon exercise of a holder’s conversion right, and such failure continues for three business days;
failure by the Company to give (i) a fundamental change notice or notice of a make-whole fundamental change, in either case when due and such failure continues for five business days, or (ii) notice of a specified corporate transaction when due and such failure continues for three business days;
failure by the Company to comply with its obligations in respect of any consolidation, merger or sale of assets;
failure by the Company to comply with any of the other agreements in the Notes or the Indenture for 60 days after receipt of written notice of such failure from the Trustee or the holders of at least 25% in principal amount of the Notes then outstanding;
default by the Company or any of its significant subsidiaries (as defined in the Indenture) with respect to any mortgage, agreement or other instrument under which there may be outstanding, or by which there may be secured or evidenced, any indebtedness for money borrowed with a principal amount in excess of $25,000,000 (or its foreign currency equivalent), in the aggregate of the Company and/or any of the Company’s significant subsidiaries, whether such indebtedness now exists or shall hereafter be created, (i) resulting in such indebtedness becoming or being declared due and payable prior to its stated maturity date or (ii) constituting a failure to pay the principal of any such debt when due and payable (after the expiration of all applicable grace periods) at its stated maturity, upon required repurchase, upon declaration of acceleration or otherwise, and in the cases of clauses (i) and (ii), such acceleration shall not have been rescinded or annulled or such failure to pay or default shall not have been cured or waived, or such indebtedness is not paid or discharged, as the case may be, within 45 days after written notice to the Company by the Trustee or to the Company and the Trustee by holders of at least 25% in aggregate principal amount of the Notes then outstanding in accordance with the Indenture; and
certain events of bankruptcy, insolvency or reorganization of the Company or any of the Company’s significant subsidiaries.

If certain bankruptcy and insolvency-related events of default occur with respect to the Company, the principal of, and accrued and unpaid special interest, if any, on all of the Notes then outstanding shall automatically become due and payable. If an event of default with respect to the Notes, other than certain bankruptcy and insolvency-related events of default with respect to the Company, occurs and is continuing, the Trustee, by notice to the Company, or the holders of at least 25% in principal amount of the outstanding Notes by notice to the Company and the Trustee, may, declare 100% of the principal of and accrued and unpaid special interest, if any, on, all the outstanding Notes to be due and payable. Notwithstanding the foregoing, the Indenture provides that, to the extent the Company so elects, the sole remedy for an event of default relating to the Company’s failure to comply with certain reporting covenants in the Indenture will, for the first 365 days after the occurrence of such an event of default, consist exclusively of the right to receive special interest on the Notes as set forth in the Indenture.

The Indenture provides that the Company shall not consolidate with or merge with or into, or sell, convey, transfer or lease all or substantially all of the consolidated properties and assets of the Company and its subsidiaries, taken as a whole, to, another person (other than any such sale, conveyance, transfer or lease to one or more of the Company’s direct or indirect wholly owned subsidiaries), unless: (i) the resulting, surviving or transferee person (if not the Company) is a “qualified successor entity” (as defined in the Indenture) (such qualified successor entity, the “successor entity”) organized and existing under the laws of the United States of America, any State thereof or the District of Columbia, and such successor entity (if not the Company) expressly assumes by


supplemental indenture all of the Company’s obligations under the Notes and the Indenture; and (ii) immediately after giving effect to such transaction, no default or event of default has occurred and is continuing under the Indenture.

A copy of the Indenture is attached hereto as Exhibit 4.1 (including the form of the Notes attached hereto as Exhibit 4.2) and is incorporated herein by reference. The foregoing description of the Indenture and the Notes is qualified in its entirety by reference to such exhibit.

Capped Call Transactions

On August 13, 2026, in connection with the pricing of the Notes, and on August 14, 2026, in connection with the exercise in full by the initial purchasers of their option to purchase additional Notes, the Company entered into privately negotiated capped call transactions (the “Capped Call Transactions”) with certain of the initial purchasers of the Notes or their respective affiliates and other financial institutions (the “Option Counterparties”), pursuant to capped call confirmations in substantially in the form filed as Exhibit 10.2 to this Current Report on Form 8-K, which is incorporated herein by reference. The Capped Call Transactions cover, subject to customary adjustments substantially similar to those applicable to the Notes, the number of shares of Common Stock initially underlying the Notes. The Capped Call Transactions are expected generally to reduce the potential dilution to the Common Stock upon any conversion of the Notes and/or offset any cash payments the Company is required to make in excess of the principal amount of converted Notes, as the case may be, with such reduction and/or offset subject to a cap based on a cap price initially equal to $194.38 per share (which represents a premium of 100.0% over the last reported sale price of the Common Stock of $97.19 per share on the Nasdaq Global Select Market on August 13, 2026), and is subject to certain adjustments under the terms of the Capped Call Transactions.

Share Repurchase

Concurrently with the pricing of the Notes, the Company entered into share repurchase transactions (the “Share Repurchases”) with one of the initial purchasers (or its affiliate) (the “Repurchase Counterparty”) pursuant to which the Company repurchased approximately 0.36 million shares of Common Stock from the Repurchase Counterparty at a purchase price of $97.19 per share (which equals the last reported sale price of the Common Stock on the Nasdaq Global Select Market on August 13, 2026) for an aggregate purchase price of approximately $35.0 million.

Proceeds

The Company’s net proceeds from the Offering were approximately $364.6 million, after deducting the initial purchasers’ discounts and commissions and estimated offering expenses payable by the Company. The Company used $21.9 million of the net proceeds to pay the cost of the Capped Call Transactions and approximately $35.0 million to fund the Share Repurchases. The Company expects to use the remaining net proceeds for general corporate purposes, including potential future acquisitions.

Item 2.03. Creation of a Direct Financial Obligation or an Obligation under an Off-Balance Sheet Arrangement of a Registrant.

The disclosure set forth above in Item 1.01 is incorporated by reference into this Item 2.03.

Item 3.02. Unregistered Sales of Equity Securities.

The disclosure set forth above in Item 1.01 is incorporated by reference into this Item 3.02.

The Company offered and sold the Notes to the initial purchasers in reliance on the exemption from registration provided by Section 4(a)(2) of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”), and for resale by the initial purchasers to persons reasonably believed to be qualified institutional buyers pursuant to the exemption from registration provided by Section 4(a)(2) and Rule 144A under the Securities Act. The Company relied on these exemptions from registration based in part on representations made by the initial purchasers in the purchase agreement.

The Notes and the shares of Common Stock issuable upon conversion of the Notes, if any, have not been registered under the Securities Act and may not be offered or sold in the United States absent registration or an applicable exemption from registration requirements. The Company does not intend to file a registration statement for the resale of the Notes or any shares of Common Stock issuable upon conversion of the Notes.

Based on the initial conversion rate, the Notes are initially convertible into 2,572,275 shares of Common Stock and, in limited circumstances, are convertible into a maximum of 3,858,413 shares of Common Stock. The Notes are subject to customary anti-dilution adjustment provisions. To the extent that any shares of Common Stock are issued upon conversion of the Notes, they will be issued in transactions anticipated to be exempt from registration under the Securities Act by virtue of Section 3(a)(9) thereof because no commission or other remuneration is expected to be paid in connection with conversion of the Notes and any resulting issuance of shares of Common Stock.


Item 8.01. Other Events.

Press Releases

On August 13, 2026, the Company issued a press release announcing the proposed Offering. A copy of the press release is attached hereto as Exhibit 99.1 and incorporated herein by reference.

On August 14, 2026, the Company issued a press release announcing the pricing of the Notes. A copy of the press release is attached hereto as Exhibit 99.2 and is incorporated herein by reference.

Forward-Looking Statements

Any statements made in this Current Report on Form 8-K that are not based on historical fact are forward-looking statements, including statements concerning Capped Call Transactions, including the potential dilution reduction, the conversion of the Notes, the anticipated use of proceeds from the Offering, the share repurchase, and the amendment to the Company’s credit agreement. The words “believe,” “may,” “will,” “estimate,” “continue,” “anticipate,” “intend,” “expect,” “plan,” “project,” and similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements. Any forward-looking statements made in this report represent management’s best judgment as to what may occur in the future. However, the Company’s actual outcome and results are not guaranteed and are subject to certain risks, uncertainties and assumptions, and may differ materially from what is expressed. For a description of factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from such forward-looking statements, see the discussion under the section “Risk Factors” included in the Company’s most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K and Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission. All forward-looking statements contained in this report speak only as of the date on which they were made. The Company undertakes no obligation to update such statements to reflect events that occur or circumstances that exist after the date on which they were made.

Item 9.01. Financial Statements and Exhibits.

(d) Exhibits

Exhibit Number

Description

4.1

Indenture, dated as of August 18, 2026, by and between Diodes Incorporated and U.S. Bank Trust Company, National Association, as Trustee (including the form of the Notes attached thereto as Exhibit A).

4.2

Form of Global Note representing Diodes Incorporated’s 0.00% Convertible Senior Notes due 2031 (included as Exhibit A to the Indenture filed as Exhibit 4.1).

10.1

Amendment No. 1 to Third Amended and Restated Credit Agreement, dated as of August 12, 2026, by and among Diodes Incorporated, Diodes Holding UK Limited, certain subsidiaries of Diodes Incorporated party thereto, Bank of America, N.A., as Administrative Agent, and the Lenders party thereto.*

10.2

Form of Confirmation for Capped Call Transactions.

99.1

Press release titled “Diodes Incorporated Announces Proposed Private Placement of $325 Million of Convertible Senior Notes” dated August 13, 2026.

99.2

Press release titled “Diodes Incorporated Announces Pricing of Private Placement of Convertible Senior Notes,” dated August 14, 2026

104

Cover Page Interactive Data File (embedded within the Inline XBRL document)

* Schedules and similar attachments have been omitted pursuant to Item 601(a)(5) of Regulation S-K. A copy of any omitted

schedule will be furnished supplementally to the SEC upon request.

 

 

 

 


SIGNATURES

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned thereunto duly authorized.

 

 

 

DIODES INCORPORATED

 

 

 

 

Date:

August 18, 2026

By:

/s/Brett R. Whitmire

 

 

 

Brett R. Whitmire
Chief Financial Officer

 


EX-4.1

Exhibit 4.1

Execution Version

 

 

 

DIODES INCORPORATED



AND



U.S. BANK TRUST COMPANY, NATIONAL ASSOCIATION,



as Trustee



INDENTURE



Dated as of August 18, 2026

0.00% Convertible Senior Notes due 2031

 

 

 

 


 

TABLE OF CONTENTS

 

Page

Article 1
Definitions

Section 1.01 . Definitions

1

Section 1.02 . References to Interest

15

Article 2
Issue, Description, Execution, Registration and Exchange of Notes

Section 2.01 . Designation and Amount

15

Section 2.02 . Form of Notes

15

Section 2.03 . Date and Denomination of Notes; No Regular Interest; Special Interest and Defaulted Amounts

16

Section 2.04 . Execution, Authentication and Delivery of Notes

18

Section 2.05 . Exchange and Registration of Transfer of Notes; Restrictions on Transfer; Depositary.

19

Section 2.06 . Mutilated, Destroyed, Lost or Stolen Notes

26

Section 2.07 . Temporary Notes

27

Section 2.08 . Cancellation of Notes Paid, Converted, Etc

27

Section 2.09 . CUSIP Numbers

28

Section 2.10 . Additional Notes; Repurchases

28

Article 3
Satisfaction and Discharge

Section 3.01 . Satisfaction and Discharge

29

Article 4
Particular Covenants of the Company

Section 4.01 . Payment of Principal and Special Interest

29

Section 4.02 . Maintenance of Office or Agency

29

Section 4.03 . Appointments to Fill Vacancies in Trustee’s Office

30

Section 4.04 . Provisions as to Paying Agent

30

Section 4.05 . Existence

32

Section 4.06 . Rule 144A Information Requirement and Annual Reports

32

Section 4.07 . Stay, Extension and Usury Laws

34

Section 4.08 . Compliance Certificate; Statements as to Defaults

34

Section 4.09 . Further Instruments and Acts

35

i


 

Article 5
Lists of Holders and Reports by the Company and the Trustee

Section 5.01 . Lists of Holders

35

Section 5.02 . Preservation and Disclosure of Lists

35

Article 6
Defaults and Remedies

Section 6.01 . Events of Default

35

Section 6.02 . Acceleration; Rescission and Annulment

37

Section 6.03 . Special Interest

38

Section 6.04 . Payments of Notes on Default; Suit Therefor

39

Section 6.05 . Application of Monies Collected by Trustee

40

Section 6.06 . Proceedings by Holders

41

Section 6.07 . Proceedings by Trustee

42

Section 6.08 . Remedies Cumulative and Continuing

43

Section 6.09 . Direction of Proceedings and Waiver of Defaults by Majority of Holders

43

Section 6.10 . Notice of Defaults

44

Section 6.11 . Undertaking to Pay Costs

44

Article 7
Concerning the Trustee

Section 7.01 . Duties and Responsibilities of Trustee

44

Section 7.02 . Reliance on Documents, Opinions, Etc

46

Section 7.03 . No Responsibility for Recitals, Etc

48

Section 7.04 . Trustee, Paying Agents, Conversion Agents, Bid Solicitation Agent or Note Registrar May Own Notes

48

Section 7.05 . Monies and Shares of Common Stock To Be Held in Trust

48

Section 7.06 . Compensation and Expenses of Trustee

48

Section 7.07 . Officer’s Certificate as Evidence

49

Section 7.08 . Eligibility of Trustee

50

Section 7.09 . Resignation or Removal of Trustee.

50

Section 7.10 . Acceptance by Successor Trustee

51

Section 7.11 . Succession by Merger, Etc

52

Section 7.12 . Trustee’s Application for Instructions from the Company

52

Article 8
Concerning the Holders

Section 8.01 . Action by Holders

53

Section 8.02 . Proof of Execution by Holders

53

Section 8.03 . Who Are Deemed Absolute Owners

53

Section 8.04 . Company-Owned Notes Disregarded

54

ii


 

Section 8.05 . Revocation of Consents; Future Holders Bound

54

Article 9
Holders’ Meetings

Section 9.01 . Purpose of Meetings

55

Section 9.02 . Call of Meetings by Trustee

55

Section 9.03 . Call of Meetings by Company or Holders

55

Section 9.04 . Qualifications for Voting

56

Section 9.05 . Regulations

56

Section 9.06 . Voting

56

Section 9.07 . No Delay of Rights by Meeting

57

Article 10
Supplemental Indentures

Section 10.01 . Supplemental Indentures Without Consent of Holders

57

Section 10.02 . Supplemental Indentures with Consent of Holders

58

Section 10.03 . Effect of Supplemental Indentures

59

Section 10.04 . Notation on Notes

59

Section 10.05 . Evidence of Compliance of Supplemental Indenture To Be Furnished to Trustee

59

Article 11
Consolidation, Merger, Sale, Conveyance and Lease

Section 11.01 . Company May Consolidate, Etc. on Certain Terms

60

Section 11.02 . Successor Entity To Be Substituted

60

Article 12
Immunity of Incorporators, Stockholders, Officers and Directors

Section 12.01 . Indenture and Notes Solely Corporate Obligations

61

Article 13
[Intentionally Omitted]

Article 14
Conversion of Notes

Section 14.01 . Conversion Privilege.

62

Section 14.02 . Conversion Procedure; Settlement Upon Conversion.

66

Section 14.03 . Increased Conversion Rate Applicable to Certain Notes Surrendered in Connection with Make-Whole Fundamental Changes or a Notice of Redemption.

69

iii


 

Section 14.04 . Adjustment of Conversion Rate

72

Section 14.05 . Adjustments of Prices

81

Section 14.06 . Shares To Be Fully Paid

81

Section 14.07 . Effect of Recapitalizations, Reclassifications and Changes of the Common Stock.

81

Section 14.08 . Certain Covenants

83

Section 14.09 . Responsibility of Trustee

84

Section 14.10 . [Reserved.]

84

Section 14.11 . Stockholder Rights Plans

84

Section 14.12 . Exchange in Lieu of Conversion.

85

Article 15
Repurchase of Notes at Option of Holders

Section 15.01 . [Intentionally Omitted].

86

Section 15.02 . Repurchase at Option of Holders Upon a Fundamental Change.

86

Section 15.03 . Withdrawal of Fundamental Change Repurchase Notice

89

Section 15.04 . Deposit of Fundamental Change Repurchase Price

89

Section 15.05 . Covenant to Comply with Applicable Laws Upon Repurchase of Notes

90

Article 16
Optional Redemption

Section 16.01 . Optional Redemption

91

Section 16.02 . Notice of Optional Redemption; Selection of Notes.

91

Section 16.03 . Payment of Notes Called for Redemption.

93

Section 16.04 . Restrictions on Redemption

93

Article 17
Miscellaneous Provisions

Section 17.01 . Provisions Binding on Company’s Successors

93

Section 17.02 . Official Acts by Successor Entity

93

Section 17.03 . Addresses for Notices, Etc

93

Section 17.04 . Governing Law; Jurisdiction

94

Section 17.05 . Evidence of Compliance with Conditions Precedent; Certificates and Opinions of Counsel to Trustee

95

Section 17.06 . Legal Holidays

96

Section 17.07 . No Security Interest Created

96

Section 17.08 . Benefits of Indenture

96

Section 17.09 . Table of Contents, Headings, Etc

96

Section 17.10 . Authenticating Agent

96

Section 17.11 . Execution in Counterparts

97

Section 17.12 . Severability

97

Section 17.13 . Waiver of Jury Trial

98

iv


 

Section 17.14 . Force Majeure

98

Section 17.15 . Calculations

98

Section 17.16 . USA PATRIOT Act

98

Section 17.17 . Electronic Signatures

99

 

EXHIBIT

Exhibit A Form of Note

A-1

 

v


 

INDENTURE dated as of August 18, 2026 between DIODES INCORPORATED, a Delaware corporation, as issuer (the “Company,” as more fully set forth in ‎Section 1.01) and U.S. BANK TRUST COMPANY, NATIONAL ASSOCIATION, a national banking association, as trustee (the “Trustee,” as more fully set forth in ‎Section 1.01).

W I T N E S S E T H:

WHEREAS, for its lawful corporate purposes, the Company has duly authorized the issuance of its 0.00% Convertible Senior Notes due 2031 (the “Notes”), initially in an aggregate principal amount not to exceed $375,000,000, and in order to provide the terms and conditions upon which the Notes are to be authenticated, issued and delivered, the Company has duly authorized the execution and delivery of this Indenture; and

WHEREAS, the Form of Note, the certificate of authentication to be borne by each Note, the Form of Notice of Conversion, the Form of Fundamental Change Repurchase Notice and the Form of Assignment and Transfer to be borne by the Notes are to be substantially in the forms hereinafter provided; and

WHEREAS, all acts and things necessary to make the Notes, when executed by the Company and authenticated and delivered by the Trustee or a duly authorized authenticating agent, as in this Indenture provided, the valid, binding and legal obligations of the Company, and this Indenture a valid agreement according to its terms, have been done and performed, and the execution of this Indenture and the issuance hereunder of the Notes have in all respects been duly authorized.

NOW, THEREFORE, THIS INDENTURE WITNESSETH:

That in order to declare the terms and conditions upon which the Notes are, and are to be, authenticated, issued and delivered, and in consideration of the premises and of the purchase and acceptance of the Notes by the Holders thereof, the Company covenants and agrees with the Trustee for the equal and proportionate benefit of the respective Holders from time to time of the Notes (except as otherwise provided below), as follows:

Article 1
Definitions

Section 1.01. Definitions. The terms defined in this ‎Section 1.01 (except as herein otherwise expressly provided or unless the context otherwise requires) for all purposes of this Indenture and of any indenture supplemental hereto shall have the respective meanings specified in this ‎Section 1.01. The words “herein,” “hereof,” “hereunder” and words of similar import refer to this Indenture as a whole and not to any particular Article, Section or other subdivision. The terms defined in this Article include the plural as well as the singular.

Additional Shares” shall have the meaning specified in ‎Section 14.03(a).

 


 

Affiliate” of any specified Person means any other Person directly or indirectly controlling or controlled by or under direct or indirect common control with such specified Person. For the purposes of this definition, “control,” when used with respect to any specified Person means the power to direct or cause the direction of the management and policies of such Person, directly or indirectly, whether through the ownership of voting securities, by contract or otherwise; and the terms “controlling” and “controlled” have meanings correlative to the foregoing. Notwithstanding anything to the contrary herein, the determination of whether one Person is an “Affiliate” of another Person for purposes of this Indenture shall be made based on the facts at the time such determination is made or required to be made, as the case may be, hereunder.

Bid Solicitation Agent” means the Company or the Person appointed by the Company to solicit bids for the Trading Price of the Notes in accordance with ‎Section 14.01(b)(i). The Company shall initially act as the Bid Solicitation Agent.

Board of Directors” means the board of directors of the Company or a committee of such board duly authorized to act for it hereunder.

Board Resolution” means a copy of a resolution certified by the Secretary or an Assistant Secretary of the Company to have been duly adopted by the Board of Directors, and to be in full force and effect on the date of such certification, and delivered to the Trustee.

Business Combination Event” shall have the meaning specified in ‎Section 11.01.

Business Day” means, with respect to any Note, any day other than a Saturday, a Sunday or a day on which the Federal Reserve Bank of New York is authorized or required by law or executive order to close or be closed.

Called Notes” means Notes called for Optional Redemption pursuant to ‎Article 16 or subject to a Deemed Redemption.

Capital Stock” means, for any entity, any and all shares, interests, rights to purchase, warrants, options, participations or other equivalents of or interests in (however designated) stock issued by that entity, but shall not include any debt securities convertible into or exchangeable for any securities otherwise constituting Capital Stock pursuant to this definition.

Cash Percentage” shall have the meaning specified in Section 14.02(a)(iii).

Clause A Distribution” shall have the meaning specified in ‎Section 14.04(c).

Clause B Distribution” shall have the meaning specified in ‎Section 14.04(c).

Clause C Distribution” shall have the meaning specified in ‎Section 14.04(c).

close of business” means 5:00 p.m. (New York City time).

2


 

Code” means the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended.

Commission” means the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.

Common Equity” of any Person means Capital Stock of such Person that is generally entitled (a) to vote in the election of directors of such Person or (b) if such Person is not a corporation, to vote or otherwise participate in the selection of the governing body, partners, managers or others that will control the management or policies of such Person.

Common Stock” means the common stock of the Company, par value $0.66 2/3 per share, at the date of this Indenture, subject to ‎Section 14.07.

Company” shall have the meaning specified in the first paragraph of this Indenture, and subject to the provisions of ‎Article 11, shall include its successors and assigns.

Company Order” means a written order of the Company signed by any of its Officers and delivered to the Trustee.

Conversion Agent” shall have the meaning specified in ‎Section 4.02.

Conversion Consideration” shall have the meaning specified in ‎Section 14.12(a).

Conversion Date” shall have the meaning specified in ‎Section 14.02(c).

Conversion Obligation” shall have the meaning specified in ‎Section 14.01(a).

Conversion Price” means as of any time, $1,000, divided by the Conversion Rate as of such time.

Conversion Rate” shall have the meaning specified in ‎Section 14.01(a).

Corporate Event” shall have the meaning specified in ‎Section 14.01(b)(iii).

Corporate Trust Office” means the designated office of the Trustee at which at any time this Indenture shall be administered, which office at the date hereof is located at 2 Concourse Parkway NE, Suite 800, Atlanta, GA 30328, Attention: Greg M. Jackson, or such other address as the Trustee may designate from time to time by notice to the Holders and the Company, or the designated corporate trust office of any successor trustee (or such other address as such successor trustee may designate from time to time by notice to the Holders and the Company).

Custodian” means the Trustee, as custodian for The Depository Trust Company, with respect to the Global Notes, or any successor entity thereto.

Daily Conversion Value” means, for each of the 30 consecutive Trading Days during the relevant Observation Period, one-thirtieth (1/30th) of the product of (a) the Conversion Rate on such Trading Day and (b) the Daily VWAP for such Trading Day.

3


 

Daily Measurement Value” means the quotient resulting from $1,000 divided by 30.

Daily Net Settlement Amount” means, for each of the 30 consecutive Trading Days during the relevant Observation Period:

(a) if the Company does not elect a Cash Percentage or the Company elects (or is deemed to have elected) a Cash Percentage of 0% as set forth herein, a number of shares of the Common Stock equal to (i) the difference between the Daily Conversion Value and the Daily Measurement Value, divided by (ii) the Daily VWAP for such Trading Day;

(b) if the Company elects a Cash Percentage of 100% as set forth herein, cash in an amount equal to the difference between the Daily Conversion Value and the Daily Measurement Value; or

(c) if the Company elects a Cash Percentage of less than 100% but greater than 0% as set forth herein, (i) cash equal to the product of (x) the difference between the Daily Conversion Value and the Daily Measurement Value and (y) the Cash Percentage, plus (ii) a number of shares of the Common Stock equal to the product of (x) (A) the difference between the Daily Conversion Value and the Daily Measurement Value, divided by (B) the Daily VWAP for such Trading Day and (y) 100% minus the Cash Percentage.

Daily Settlement Amount,” for each of the 30 consecutive Trading Days during the relevant Observation Period, shall consist of:

(a) cash in an amount equal to the lesser of (i) the Daily Measurement Value and (ii) the Daily Conversion Value on such Trading Day; and

(b) if the Daily Conversion Value on such Trading Day exceeds the Daily Measurement Value, the Daily Net Settlement Amount.

Daily VWAP” means, for each of the 30 consecutive Trading Days during the relevant Observation Period, the per share volume-weighted average price as displayed under the heading “Bloomberg VWAP” on Bloomberg page “DIOD <equity> AQR” (or its equivalent successor if such page is not available) in respect of the period from the scheduled open of trading until the scheduled close of trading of the primary trading session on such Trading Day (or if such volume-weighted average price is unavailable, the market value of one share of the Common Stock on such Trading Day determined, using a volume-weighted average method, by a nationally recognized independent investment banking firm retained for this purpose by the Company). The “Daily VWAP” shall be determined without regard to after-hours trading or any other trading outside of the regular trading session trading hours.

De-Legending Deadline Date” means, with respect to the Notes issued pursuant to the Purchase Agreement (or any Notes issued in exchange or substitution thereof) or any additional Notes issued pursuant to ‎Section 2.10 (or any Notes issued in exchange or substitution thereof),

4


 

the 380th day after the last date of original issuance of such Notes or additional Notes, as applicable; provided that if such 380th day is after a Special Interest Record Date and on or before the corresponding Special Interest Payment Date, then the “De-Legending Deadline Date” shall instead be the fifth Business Day immediately after such Special Interest Payment Date.

Deemed Redemption” shall have the meaning specified in ‎‎Section 14.01(b)(v).

Default” means any event that is, or after notice or passage of time, or both, would be, an Event of Default.

Defaulted Amounts” means any amounts on any Note (including, without limitation, the Redemption Price, the Fundamental Change Repurchase Price, principal and Special Interest, if any) that are payable but are not punctually paid or duly provided for.

Depositary” means, with respect to each Global Note, the Person specified in ‎Section 2.05(c) as the Depositary with respect to such Notes, until a successor shall have been appointed and become such pursuant to the applicable provisions of this Indenture, and thereafter, “Depositary” shall mean or include such successor.

Designated Financial Institution” shall have the meaning specified in ‎Section 14.12(a).

Distributed Property” shall have the meaning specified in ‎Section 14.04(c).

Effective Date” shall have the meaning specified in ‎Section 14.03(c), except that, as used in ‎Section 14.04 and ‎Section 14.05, “Effective Date” means the first date on which shares of the Common Stock trade on the applicable exchange or in the applicable market, regular way, reflecting the relevant share split or share combination, as applicable. For the avoidance of doubt, any alternative trading convention on the applicable exchange or market in respect of shares of the Common Stock under a separate ticker symbol or CUSIP number will not be considered “regular way” for this purpose.

Event of Default” shall have the meaning specified in ‎Section 6.01.

Ex-Dividend Date” means the first date on which shares of the Common Stock trade on the applicable exchange or in the applicable market, regular way, without the right to receive the issuance, dividend or distribution in question, from the Company or, if applicable, from the seller of Common Stock on such exchange or market (in the form of due bills or otherwise) as determined by such exchange or market. For the avoidance of doubt, any alternative trading convention on the applicable exchange or market in respect of shares of the Common Stock under a separate ticker symbol or CUSIP number will not be considered “regular way” for this purpose.

Exchange Act” means the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, and the rules and regulations promulgated thereunder.

5


 

Exchange Election” shall have the meaning specified in ‎Section 14.12(a).

Exempted Fundamental Change” shall have the meaning specified in ‎Section 15.02(f).

Form of Assignment and Transfer” means the “Form of Assignment and Transfer” attached as Attachment 3 to the Form of Note attached hereto as Exhibit A.

Form of Fundamental Change Repurchase Notice” means the “Form of Fundamental Change Repurchase Notice” attached as Attachment 2 to the Form of Note attached hereto as Exhibit A.

Form of Note” means the “Form of Note” attached hereto as Exhibit A.

Form of Notice of Conversion” means the “Form of Notice of Conversion” attached as Attachment 1 to the Form of Note attached hereto as Exhibit A.

Fundamental Change” shall be deemed to have occurred at the time after the Notes are originally issued if any of the following occurs:

(a) except in connection with transactions described in clause (b) below, a “person” or “group” within the meaning of Section 13(d) of the Exchange Act, other than the Company, its direct or indirect Wholly Owned Subsidiaries and the employee benefit plans of the Company and its direct or indirect Wholly Owned Subsidiaries, has become, and files a Schedule TO (or any successor schedule, form or report) or any schedule, form or report under the Exchange Act that discloses that such person or group has become, the direct or indirect “beneficial owner,” as defined in Rule 13d-3 under the Exchange Act, of shares of the Common Stock representing more than 50% of the voting power of the Common Stock, unless such beneficial ownership arises solely as a result of a revocable proxy delivered in response to a public proxy or consent solicitation made pursuant to the applicable rules and regulations under the Exchange Act and is not also then reportable on Schedule 13D or Schedule 13G (or any successor schedule) under the Exchange Act regardless of whether such a filing has actually been made; provided that no person or group shall be deemed to be the beneficial owner of any securities tendered pursuant to a tender or exchange offer made by or on behalf of such “person” or “group” until such tendered securities are accepted for purchase or exchange under such offer;

(b) the consummation of (A) any recapitalization, reclassification or change of the Common Stock (other than a change to par value, or from par value to no par value, or changes resulting from a subdivision or combination) as a result of which the Common Stock would be converted into, or exchanged for, stock, other securities, other property or assets; (B) any share exchange, consolidation or merger of the Company pursuant to which the Common Stock will be converted into cash, securities or other property or assets; or (C) any sale, lease or other transfer in one transaction or a series of transactions of all or substantially all of the consolidated assets of the Company and its Subsidiaries, taken as a whole, to any Person other than one or more of the Company’s direct or

6


 

indirect Wholly Owned Subsidiaries; provided, however, that a transaction described in clause (A) or clause (B) in which the holders of all classes of the Company’s Common Equity immediately prior to such transaction own, directly or indirectly, more than 50% of all classes of Common Equity of the continuing or surviving corporation or transferee or the parent thereof immediately after such transaction in substantially the same proportions (relative to each other) as such ownership immediately prior to such transaction shall not be a Fundamental Change pursuant to this clause (b);

(c) the stockholders of the Company approve any plan or proposal for the liquidation or dissolution of the Company; or

(d) the Common Stock (or other common stock underlying the Notes) ceases to be listed or quoted on any of the New York Stock Exchange, the Nasdaq Global Select Market or the Nasdaq Global Market (or any of their respective successors);

provided, however, that a transaction or transactions described in clause (b) above shall not constitute a Fundamental Change, if at least 90% of the consideration received or to be received by the common stockholders of the Company, excluding cash payments for fractional shares and cash payments made in respect of dissenters’ appraisal rights, in connection with such transaction or transactions consists of shares of common stock that are listed or quoted on any of the New York Stock Exchange, the Nasdaq Global Select Market or the Nasdaq Global Market (or any of their respective successors) or will be so listed or quoted when issued or exchanged in connection with such transaction or transactions and as a result of such transaction or transactions the Notes become convertible into such consideration, excluding cash payments for fractional shares and cash payments made in respect of dissenters’ appraisal rights (subject to the provisions of ‎Section 14.02(a)). If any transaction in which the Common Stock is replaced by the common stock or other Common Equity of another entity occurs, following completion of any related Make-Whole Fundamental Change Period (or, in the case of a transaction that would have been a Fundamental Change or a Make-Whole Fundamental Change but for the proviso immediately following clause (d) of this definition, following the effective date of such transaction), references to the Company in this definition shall instead be references to such other entity.

For the purposes of this definition, any transaction or event described in both clause (a) and in clause (b) above (without regard to the proviso in clause (b)) shall be deemed to occur solely pursuant to clause (b) above (subject to such proviso).

Fundamental Change Company Notice” shall have the meaning specified in ‎Section 15.02(c).

Fundamental Change Repurchase Date” shall have the meaning specified in ‎Section 15.02(a).

Fundamental Change Repurchase Notice” shall have the meaning specified in ‎Section 15.02(b)(i).

7


 

Fundamental Change Repurchase Price” shall have the meaning specified in ‎Section 15.02(a).

The terms “given,” “mailed,” “notify” or “sent” with respect to any notice to be given to a Holder pursuant to this Indenture, shall mean notice (x) given to the Depositary (or its designee) pursuant to the standing instructions from the Depositary or its designee, including by electronic mail in accordance with accepted practices or applicable procedures at the Depositary (in the case of a Global Note) or (y) mailed to such Holder by first class mail, postage prepaid, at its address as it appears on the Note Register (in the case of a Physical Note), in each case, in accordance with ‎Section 17.03. Notice so “given” shall be deemed to include any notice to be “mailed” or “delivered,” as applicable, under this Indenture.

Global Note” shall have the meaning specified in ‎Section 2.05(b).

Holder,” as applied to any Note, or other similar terms (but excluding the term “beneficial holder”), means any Person in whose name at the time a particular Note is registered on the Note Register.

Indenture” means this instrument as originally executed or, if amended or supplemented as herein provided, as so amended or supplemented.

last date of original issuance” means (a) with respect to any Notes issued pursuant to the Purchase Agreement, and any Notes issued in exchange therefor or in substitution thereof, the date the Company first issues such Notes; and (b) with respect to any additional Notes issued pursuant to ‎Section 2.10, and any Notes issued in exchange therefor or in substitution thereof, either (i) the later of (x) the date such Notes are originally issued and (y) the last date any Notes are originally issued as part of the same offering pursuant to the exercise of an option granted to the initial purchaser(s) of such Notes to purchase additional Notes; or (ii) such other date as is specified in an Officer’s Certificate delivered to the Trustee before the original issuance of such Notes.

Last Reported Sale Price” of the Common Stock (or any other security for which a closing sale price must be determined) on any date means the closing sale price per share (or if no closing sale price is reported, the average of the bid and ask prices or, if more than one in either case, the average of the average bid and the average ask prices) on that date as reported in composite transactions for the principal U.S. national or regional securities exchange on which the Common Stock (or such other security) is traded. If the Common Stock (or such other security) is not listed for trading on a U.S. national or regional securities exchange on the relevant date, the “Last Reported Sale Price” shall be the last quoted bid price for the Common Stock (or such other security) in the over-the-counter market on the relevant date as reported by OTC Markets Group Inc. or a similar organization. If the Common Stock (or such other security) is not so quoted, the “Last Reported Sale Price” shall be the average of the mid-point of the last bid and ask prices for the Common Stock (or such other security) on the relevant date from each of at least three nationally recognized independent investment banking firms selected

8


 

by the Company for this purpose. The “Last Reported Sale Price” shall be determined without regard to after-hours trading or any other trading outside of regular trading session hours.

Make-Whole Fundamental Change” means any transaction or event that constitutes a Fundamental Change (as defined above and determined after giving effect to any exceptions to or exclusions from such definition, but without regard to the proviso in clause (b) of the definition thereof).

Make-Whole Fundamental Change Period” shall have the meaning specified in ‎Section 14.03(a).

Market Disruption Event” means, for the purposes of determining amounts due upon conversion (a) a failure by the primary U.S. national or regional securities exchange or market on which the Common Stock is listed or admitted for trading to open for trading during its regular trading session or (b) the occurrence or existence prior to 1:00 p.m., New York City time, on any Scheduled Trading Day for the Common Stock for more than one half-hour period in the aggregate during regular trading hours of any suspension or limitation imposed on trading (by reason of movements in price exceeding limits permitted by the relevant stock exchange or otherwise) in the Common Stock or in any options contracts or futures contracts relating to the Common Stock.

Maturity Date” means August 15, 2031.

Measurement Period” shall have the meaning specified in ‎Section 14.01(b)(i).

Note” or “Notes” shall have the meaning specified in the first paragraph of the recitals of this Indenture.

Note Register” shall have the meaning specified in ‎Section 2.05(a).

Note Registrar” shall have the meaning specified in ‎Section 2.05(a).

Notice of Conversion” shall have the meaning specified in ‎Section 14.02(b).

Notice of Redemption” shall have the meaning specified in ‎Section 16.02(a).

Observation Period” with respect to any Note surrendered for conversion means: (i) subject to clause (ii), if the relevant Conversion Date occurs prior to May 15, 2031, the 30 consecutive Trading Day period beginning on, and including, the second Trading Day immediately succeeding such Conversion Date; (ii) with respect to any Called Notes, if the relevant Conversion Date occurs during the related Redemption Period, the 30 consecutive Trading Days beginning on, and including, the 31st Scheduled Trading Day immediately preceding the related Redemption Date; and (iii) subject to clause (ii), if the relevant Conversion Date occurs on or after May 15, 2031, the 30 consecutive Trading Days beginning on, and including, the 31st Scheduled Trading Day immediately preceding the Maturity Date.

9


 

Offering Memorandum” means the preliminary offering memorandum dated August 13, 2026, as supplemented by the related pricing term sheet dated August 13, 2026, relating to the offering and sale of the Notes.

Officer” means, with respect to the Company, the Chief Executive Officer, the Chief Financial Officer and the Senior Vice President, Worldwide Products Group.

Officer’s Certificate,” when used with respect to the Company, means a certificate that is delivered to the Trustee and that is signed by any Officer of the Company. Each such certificate shall include the statements provided for in ‎Section 17.05 if and to the extent required by the provisions of such Section. The Officer giving an Officer’s Certificate pursuant to Section 4.08 shall be the principal executive, financial or accounting officer of the Company.

open of business” means 9:00 a.m. (New York City time).

Opinion of Counsel” means an opinion in writing signed by legal counsel, who may be an employee of or counsel to the Company, or other counsel who is reasonably acceptable to the Trustee, which opinion may contain customary exceptions and qualifications as to the matters set forth therein, that is delivered to the Trustee. Each such opinion shall include the statements provided for in ‎Section 17.05 if and to the extent required by the provisions of such ‎Section 17.05.

Optional Redemption” shall have the meaning specified in ‎Section 16.01.

outstanding,” when used with reference to Notes, shall, subject to the provisions of ‎Section 8.04, mean, as of any particular time, all Notes authenticated and delivered by the Trustee under this Indenture, except:

(a) Notes theretofore cancelled by the Trustee or accepted by the Trustee for cancellation;

(b) Notes, or portions thereof, that have become due and payable and in respect of which monies in the necessary amount shall have been deposited in trust with the Trustee or with any Paying Agent (other than the Company) or shall have been set aside and segregated in trust by the Company (if the Company shall act as its own Paying Agent);

(c) Notes that have been paid pursuant to the second paragraph of Section 2.06 or Notes in lieu of which, or in substitution for which, other Notes shall have been authenticated and delivered pursuant to the terms of ‎Section 2.06 unless proof satisfactory to the Trustee is presented that any such Notes are held by protected purchasers in due course;

10


 

(d) Notes converted pursuant to ‎Article 14 and required to be cancelled pursuant to ‎Section 2.08; and

(e) Notes redeemed pursuant to ‎Article 16.

Partial Redemption Limitation” shall have the meaning specified in ‎Section 16.02(d).

Paying Agent” shall have the meaning specified in ‎Section 4.02.

Person” means an individual, a corporation, a limited liability company, an association, a partnership, a joint venture, a joint stock company, a trust, an unincorporated organization or a government or an agency or a political subdivision thereof.

Physical Notes” means permanent certificated Notes in registered form issued in minimum denominations of $1,000 principal amount and integral multiples thereof.

Predecessor Note” of any particular Note means every previous Note evidencing all or a portion of the same debt as that evidenced by such particular Note; and, for the purposes of this definition, any Note authenticated and delivered under ‎Section 2.06 in lieu of or in exchange for a mutilated, lost, destroyed or stolen Note shall be deemed to evidence the same debt as the mutilated, lost, destroyed or stolen Note that it replaces.

Purchase Agreement” means that certain Purchase Agreement, dated August 13, 2026, among the Company and BofA Securities, Inc., Citigroup Global Markets Inc. and HSBC Securities (USA) Inc., as representatives of the several initial purchasers named in Schedule A thereto.

Qualified Successor Entity” means, with respect to a Business Combination Event, a corporation; provided, however, that (i) if such Business Combination Event is an Exempted Fundamental Change, then a limited liability company, limited partnership or other similar entity shall also constitute a Qualified Successor Entity with respect to such Business Combination Event; and (ii) a limited liability company or limited partnership that is the resulting, surviving or transferee person of such Business Combination Event shall also constitute a Qualified Successor Entity with respect to such Business Combination Event, if each of the following clauses (1), (2), (3) and (4) is satisfied: (1) either (x) such limited liability company or limited partnership is treated as a corporation or an entity disregarded as separate from a corporation, in each case for U.S. federal income tax purposes or (y) the Company has received an opinion of a nationally recognized tax counsel to the effect that such Business Combination Event will not be treated as an exchange under Section 1001 of the Code for Holders or beneficial owners of the Notes; (2) such limited liability company or limited partnership is a direct or indirect, Wholly Owned Subsidiary of a corporation (or other entity treated as a corporation for U.S. federal income tax purposes) duly organized and existing under the laws of the United States of America, any State thereof or the District of Columbia (or such limited liability company or limited partnership is treated as a corporation for U.S. federal income tax purposes organized and existing under the laws of the United States of America, any State thereof or the District of Columbia); (3) such Business Combination Event constitutes a Share Exchange Event whose Reference Property

11


 

consists solely of any combination of cash in U.S. dollars and shares of common stock or other corporate Common Equity interests of a corporation (or other entity treated as a corporation for U.S. federal income tax purposes) described in clause (2); and (4) if such limited liability company or limited partnership is disregarded as separate from its owner for U.S. federal income tax purposes, its regarded owner for U.S. federal income tax purposes is a corporation (or other entity treated as a corporation for U.S. federal income tax purposes) described in clause (2).

Redemption Date” shall have the meaning specified in ‎Section 16.02(a).

Redemption Period” means, with respect to any Optional Redemption, the period from, and including, the date on which the Company delivers a Notice of Redemption for such Optional Redemption until the close of business on the second Scheduled Trading Day immediately preceding the related Redemption Date (or, if the Company defaults in the payment of the Redemption Price, until the close of business on the Scheduled Trading Day immediately preceding the date on which the Redemption Price has been paid or duly provided for).

Redemption Price” means, for any Notes to be redeemed pursuant to ‎Section 16.01, 100% of the principal amount of such Notes, plus accrued and unpaid interest, if any, to, but excluding, the Redemption Date (unless the Redemption Date falls after a Special Interest Record Date but on or prior to the immediately succeeding Special Interest Payment Date, in which case interest accrued to the Special Interest Payment Date will be paid by the Company to Holders of record of such Notes as of the close of business on such Special Interest Record Date on, or at the Company’s election, before, such Special Interest Payment Date, and the Redemption Price will be equal to 100% of the principal amount of such Notes).

Reference Property” shall have the meaning specified in ‎Section 14.07(a).

Reporting Event of Default” shall have the meaning specified in ‎Section 6.03.

Resale Restriction Termination Date” shall have the meaning specified in ‎Section 2.05(c).

Responsible Officer” means, when used with respect to the Trustee, any officer within the corporate trust department of the Trustee, including any vice president, assistant vice president, assistant secretary, assistant treasurer, trust officer or any other officer of the Trustee who customarily performs functions similar to those performed by the persons who at the time shall be such officers, respectively, or to whom any corporate trust matter relating to this Indenture is referred because of such person’s knowledge of and familiarity with the particular subject and who, in each case, shall have direct responsibility for the administration of this Indenture.

Restricted Securities” shall have the meaning specified in ‎Section 2.05(c).

Restrictive Notes Legend” shall have the meaning specified in Section 2.05(c).

Rule 12b-25” means Rule 12b-25 as promulgated under the Exchange Act.

12


 

Rule 144” means Rule 144 as promulgated under the Securities Act.

Rule 144A” means Rule 144A as promulgated under the Securities Act.

Scheduled Trading Day” means a day that is scheduled to be a Trading Day on the principal U.S. national or regional securities exchange or market on which the Common Stock is listed or admitted for trading. If the Common Stock is not so listed or admitted for trading, “Scheduled Trading Day” means a Business Day.

Securities Act” means the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and the rules and regulations promulgated thereunder.

Settlement Amount” has the meaning specified in Section 14.02(a).

Settlement Notice” has the meaning specified in ‎Section 14.02(a)(iii).

Share Exchange Event” shall have the meaning specified in ‎Section 14.07(a).

Significant Subsidiary” means a Subsidiary of the Company that is a “significant subsidiary” as defined in Article 1, Rule 1-02(w) of Regulation S-X promulgated by the Commission (or any successor rule); provided that, in the case of a Subsidiary that meets the criteria of clause (1)(iii) of the definition thereof but not clause (1)(i) or (1)(ii) thereof, in each case as such rule is in effect on the date of this Indenture, such Subsidiary shall not be deemed to be a Significant Subsidiary unless the Subsidiary’s income or loss from continuing operations before income taxes (after intercompany eliminations), exclusive of amounts attributable to any non-controlling interests, for the last completed fiscal year prior to the date of such determination exceeds $20,000,000. For the avoidance of doubt, for purposes of this definition, to the extent any such Subsidiary would not be deemed to be a “significant subsidiary” under the relevant definition set forth in Rule 1-02(w) of Regulation S-X (or any successor rule) as in effect on the relevant date of determination, such Subsidiary shall not be deemed to be a “Significant Subsidiary” under this Indenture irrespective of whether such Subsidiary would otherwise be deemed to be a “Significant Subsidiary” after giving effect to the proviso in the immediately preceding sentence.

Special Interest” means all amounts, if any, payable pursuant to Section 4.06(d), Section 4.06(e) and Section 6.03, as applicable.

 

Special Interest Payment Date” means, if and to the extent that Special Interest is payable on the Notes, each February 15 and August 15 of each year, beginning on February 15, 2027.

 

Special Interest Record Date” means, with respect to any Special Interest Payment Date, the February 1 or August 1 (whether or not such day is a Business Day) immediately preceding the applicable February 15 or August 15 Special Interest Payment Date, respectively.

 

Spin-Off” shall have the meaning specified in ‎Section 14.04(c).

13


 

Stock Price” shall have the meaning specified in ‎Section 14.03(c).

Subsidiary” means, with respect to any Person, any corporation, association, partnership or other business entity of which more than 50% of the total voting power of shares of Capital Stock or other interests (including partnership interests) entitled (without regard to the occurrence of any contingency) to vote in the election of directors, managers, general partners or trustees thereof is at the time owned or controlled, directly or indirectly, by (i) such Person; (ii) such Person and one or more Subsidiaries of such Person; or (iii) one or more Subsidiaries of such Person.

Successor Entity” shall have the meaning specified in ‎Section 11.01(a).

Trading Day” means, except for determining amounts due upon conversion, a day on which (i) trading in the Common Stock (or other security for which a closing sale price must be determined) generally occurs on the Nasdaq Global Select Market or, if the Common Stock (or such other security) is not then listed on the Nasdaq Global Select Market, on the principal other U.S. national or regional securities exchange on which the Common Stock (or such other security) is then listed or, if the Common Stock (or such other security) is not then listed on a U.S. national or regional securities exchange, on the principal other market on which the Common Stock (or such other security) is then traded and (ii) a Last Reported Sale Price for the Common Stock (or closing sale price for such other security) is available on such securities exchange or market; provided that if the Common Stock (or such other security) is not so listed or traded, “Trading Day” means a Business Day; and provided, further, that for purposes of determining amounts due upon conversion only, “Trading Day” means a day on which (x) there is no Market Disruption Event and (y) trading in the Common Stock generally occurs on the Nasdaq Global Select Market or, if the Common Stock is not then listed on the Nasdaq Global Select Market, on the principal other U.S. national or regional securities exchange on which the Common Stock is then listed or, if the Common Stock is not then listed on a U.S. national or regional securities exchange, on the principal other market on which the Common Stock is then listed or admitted for trading, except that if the Common Stock is not so listed or admitted for trading, “Trading Day” means a Business Day.

Trading Price” of the Notes on any date of determination means the average of the secondary market bid quotations obtained by the Bid Solicitation Agent for $5,000,000 (or such lesser amount as may then be outstanding) principal amount of Notes at approximately 3:30 p.m., New York City time, on such determination date from three independent nationally recognized securities dealers the Company selects for this purpose; provided that if three such bids cannot reasonably be obtained by the Bid Solicitation Agent but two such bids are obtained, then the average of the two bids shall be used, and if only one such bid can reasonably be obtained by the Bid Solicitation Agent, that one bid shall be used. If, on any determination date, the Bid Solicitation Agent cannot reasonably obtain at least one bid for $5,000,000 (or such lesser amount as may then be outstanding) principal amount of Notes from a nationally recognized securities dealer, then the Trading Price per $1,000 principal amount of Notes on such determination date shall be deemed to be less than 98% of the product of the Last Reported Sale Price of the Common Stock and the Conversion Rate.

14


 

transfer” shall have the meaning specified in ‎Section 2.05(c).

Trigger Event” shall have the meaning specified in ‎Section 14.04(c).

Trust Indenture Act” means the Trust Indenture Act of 1939, as amended, as it was in force at the date of execution of this Indenture; provided, however, that in the event the Trust Indenture Act of 1939 is amended after the date hereof, the term “Trust Indenture Act” shall mean, to the extent required by such amendment, the Trust Indenture Act of 1939, as so amended.

Trustee” means the Person named as the “Trustee” in the first paragraph of this Indenture until a successor trustee shall have become such pursuant to the applicable provisions of this Indenture, and thereafter “Trustee” shall mean or include each Person who is then a Trustee hereunder.

unit of Reference Property” shall have the meaning specified in ‎Section 14.07(a).

Valuation Period” shall have the meaning specified in ‎Section 14.04(c).

Wholly Owned Subsidiary” means, with respect to any Person, any Subsidiary of such Person, except that, solely for purposes of this definition, the reference to “more than 50%” in the definition of “Subsidiary” shall be deemed replaced by a reference to “100%,” the calculation of which shall exclude nominal amounts of the voting power of shares of Capital Stock or other interests in the relevant Subsidiary not held by such Person to the extent required to satisfy local minority interest requirements outside of the United States.

Section 1.02. References to Interest. Unless the context otherwise requires, any reference to interest on, or in respect of, any Note in this Indenture shall be deemed to refer solely to Special Interest (if, in such context, Special Interest is, was or would be payable pursuant to any of ‎Section 4.06(d), ‎Section 4.06(e) and ‎Section 6.03) and/or to any interest payable on any Defaulted Amounts as set forth in Section 2.03(c).

Article 2
Issue, Description, Execution, Registration and Exchange of Notes

Section 2.01. Designation and Amount. The Notes shall be designated as the “0.00% Convertible Senior Notes due 2031.” The aggregate principal amount of Notes that may be authenticated and delivered under this Indenture is initially limited to $375,000,000, subject to ‎Section 2.10 and except for Notes authenticated and delivered upon registration or transfer of, or in exchange for, or in lieu of other Notes to the extent expressly permitted hereunder.

Section 2.02. Form of Notes. The Notes and the Trustee’s certificate of authentication to be borne by such Notes shall be substantially in the respective forms set forth in Exhibit A, the terms and provisions of which shall constitute, and are hereby expressly incorporated in and made a part of this Indenture. To the extent applicable, the Company and the Trustee, by their

15


 

execution and delivery of this Indenture, expressly agree to such terms and provisions and to be bound thereby. In the case of any conflict between this Indenture and a Note, the provisions of this Indenture shall control and govern to the extent of such conflict.

Any Global Note may be endorsed with or have incorporated in the text thereof such legends or recitals or changes not inconsistent with the provisions of this Indenture as may be required by the Custodian or the Depositary, or as may be required to comply with any applicable law or any regulation thereunder or with the rules and regulations of any securities exchange or automated quotation system upon which the Notes may be listed or traded or designated for issuance or to conform with any usage with respect thereto, or to indicate any special limitations or restrictions to which any particular Notes are subject.

Any of the Notes may have such letters, numbers or other marks of identification and such notations, legends or endorsements as the Officer executing the same may approve (execution thereof to be conclusive evidence of such approval) and as are not inconsistent with the provisions of this Indenture, or as may be required to comply with any law or with any rule or regulation made pursuant thereto or with any rule or regulation of any securities exchange or automated quotation system on which the Notes may be listed or designated for issuance, or to conform to usage or to indicate any special limitations or restrictions to which any particular Notes are subject.

Each Global Note shall represent such principal amount of the outstanding Notes as shall be specified therein and shall provide that it shall represent the aggregate principal amount of outstanding Notes from time to time endorsed thereon and that the aggregate principal amount of outstanding Notes represented thereby may from time to time be increased or reduced to reflect redemptions, repurchases, cancellations, conversions, transfers or exchanges permitted hereby. Any endorsement of a Global Note to reflect the amount of any increase or decrease in the amount of outstanding Notes represented thereby shall be made by the Trustee or the Custodian, at the direction of the Trustee, in such manner and upon instructions given by the Holder of such Notes in accordance with this Indenture. Payment of principal (including the Redemption Price and the Fundamental Change Repurchase Price, if applicable) of, and any accrued and unpaid interest on, a Global Note shall be made to the Holder of such Note on the date of payment, unless a record date or other means of determining Holders eligible to receive payment is provided for herein.

Section 2.03. Date and Denomination of Notes; No Regular Interest; Special Interest and Defaulted Amounts. (a) The Notes shall be issuable in registered form without coupons in minimum denominations of $1,000 principal amount and integral multiples thereof. Each Note shall be dated the date of its authentication and shall not bear regular interest, and the principal amount of the Notes shall not accrete. Special Interest on the Notes, if any, shall be computed on the basis of a 360-day year composed of twelve 30-day months and, for partial months, on the basis of the number of days actually elapsed in a 30-day month.

16


 

(b) The Person in whose name any Note (or its Predecessor Note) is registered on the Note Register at the close of business on any Special Interest Record Date with respect to any Special Interest Payment Date shall be entitled to receive any Special Interest payable on such Special Interest Payment Date. The principal amount of any Note (x) in the case of any Physical Note, shall be payable at the office or agency of the Company maintained by the Company for such purposes within the contiguous United States of America, which shall initially be the Corporate Trust Office and (y) in the case of any Global Note, shall be payable by wire transfer of immediately available funds to the account of the Depositary or its nominee. The Company shall pay, or cause the Paying Agent to pay, any Special Interest (i) on any Physical Notes (A) to Holders holding Physical Notes having an aggregate principal amount of $5,000,000 or less, by check mailed to the Holders of these Notes at their address as it appears in the Note Register and (B) to Holders holding Physical Notes having an aggregate principal amount of more than $5,000,000, either by check mailed to each such Holder or, upon written application by such a Holder to the Note Registrar not later than the relevant Special Interest Record Date, by wire transfer in immediately available funds to that Holder’s account within the United States if such Holder has provided the Company, the Trustee or the Paying Agent (if other than the Trustee) with the requisite information necessary to make such wire transfer, which application shall remain in effect until the Holder notifies, in writing, the Note Registrar to the contrary or (ii) on any Global Note by wire transfer of immediately available funds to the account of the Depositary or its nominee.

(c) Any Defaulted Amounts shall forthwith cease to be payable to the Holder on the relevant payment date and shall not accrue interest unless Special Interest was payable pursuant to this Indenture on the relevant payment date, in which case such Defaulted Amounts shall accrue interest per annum at the then-applicable Special Interest rate borne by the Notes, subject to the enforceability thereof under applicable law, from, and including, such relevant payment date, and such Defaulted Amounts together with any such interest thereon shall be paid by the Company, at its election in each case, as provided in clause (i) or (ii) below:

(i) The Company may elect to make payment of any Defaulted Amounts to the Persons in whose names the Notes (or their respective Predecessor Notes) are registered at the close of business on a special record date for the payment of such Defaulted Amounts, which shall be fixed in the following manner. The Company shall notify the Trustee in writing of the amount of the Defaulted Amounts proposed to be paid on each Note and the date of the proposed payment (which shall be not less than 25 days after the receipt by the Trustee of such notice, unless the Trustee shall consent to an earlier date), and at the same time the Company shall deposit with the Trustee an amount of money equal to the aggregate amount to be paid in respect of such Defaulted Amounts or shall make arrangements satisfactory to the Trustee for such deposit on or prior to the date of the proposed payment, such money when deposited to be held in trust for the benefit of the Persons entitled to such Defaulted Amounts as in this clause provided. Thereupon the Company shall fix a special record date for the payment of such Defaulted Amounts which shall be not more than 15 days and not less than 10 days prior to the date of the proposed payment, and not less than 10 days after the receipt by the Trustee of the notice of the proposed payment (unless the Trustee shall consent to an earlier date). The

17


 

Company shall promptly notify the Trustee in writing of such special record date and the Trustee, in the name and at the expense of the Company, shall cause notice of the proposed payment of such Defaulted Amounts and the special record date therefor to be delivered to each Holder not less than 10 days prior to such special record date. Notice of the proposed payment of such Defaulted Amounts and the special record date therefor having been so delivered, such Defaulted Amounts shall be paid to the Persons in whose names the Notes (or their respective Predecessor Notes) are registered at the close of business on such special record date and shall no longer be payable pursuant to the following clause (ii) of this ‎Section 2.03‎(c). For the avoidance of doubt, the Company may make payment of any Defaulted Amounts and any interest thereon relating to any amounts due upon conversion of the Notes (other than Special Interest) in a manner other than as provided in ‎Section 2.03(c)(i) if such manner would be permitted under the terms of this Indenture if such amounts due upon conversion were not Defaulted Amounts.

(ii) The Company may make payment of any Defaulted Amounts in any other lawful manner not inconsistent with the requirements of any securities exchange or automated quotation system on which the Notes may be listed or designated for issuance, and upon such notice as may be required by such exchange or automated quotation system, if, after written notice given by the Company to the Trustee of the proposed payment pursuant to this clause, such manner of payment shall be deemed practicable by the Trustee.

(iii) The Trustee shall not at any time be under any duty or responsibility to any Holder of Notes to determine the Defaulted Amounts, or with respect to the nature, extent, or calculation of the amount of Defaulted Amounts owed, or with respect to the method employed in such calculation of the Defaulted Amounts.

Section 2.04. Execution, Authentication and Delivery of Notes. The Notes shall be signed in the name and on behalf of the Company by the manual, facsimile or other electronic signature of its Chief Executive Officer, Chief Financial Officer or Senior Vice President, Worldwide Products Group.

At any time and from time to time after the execution and delivery of this Indenture, the Company may deliver Notes executed by the Company to the Trustee for authentication, together with a Company Order (such Company Order to include the terms of the Notes) for the authentication and delivery of such Notes, and the Trustee in accordance with such Company Order shall authenticate and deliver such Notes, without any further action by the Company hereunder; provided that, subject to Section 17.05, the Trustee shall be entitled to receive an Officer’s Certificate and an Opinion of Counsel of the Company with respect to the issuance, authentication and delivery of such Notes.

Only such Notes as shall bear thereon a certificate of authentication substantially in the form set forth on the Form of Note attached as Exhibit A hereto, executed manually by an authorized signatory of the Trustee (or an authenticating agent appointed by the Trustee as provided by ‎Section 17.10), shall be entitled to the benefits of this Indenture or be valid or

18


 

obligatory for any purpose. Such certificate by the Trustee (or such an authenticating agent) upon any Note executed by the Company shall be conclusive evidence that the Note so authenticated has been duly authenticated and delivered hereunder and that the Holder is entitled to the benefits of this Indenture.

In case any Officer of the Company who shall have signed any of the Notes shall cease to be such Officer before the Notes so signed shall have been authenticated and delivered by the Trustee, or disposed of by the Company, such Notes nevertheless may be authenticated and delivered or disposed of as though the person who signed such Notes had not ceased to be such Officer of the Company; and any Note may be signed on behalf of the Company by such persons as, at the actual date of the execution of such Note, shall be the Officers of the Company, although at the date of the execution of this Indenture any such person was not such an Officer.

Section 2.05. Exchange and Registration of Transfer of Notes; Restrictions on Transfer; Depositary.

(a) The Company shall cause to be kept at the Corporate Trust Office a register (the register maintained in such office or in any other office or agency of the Company designated pursuant to ‎Section 4.02, the “Note Register”) in which, subject to such reasonable regulations as it may prescribe, the Company shall provide for the registration of Notes and of transfers of Notes. Such register shall be in written form or in any form capable of being converted into written form within a reasonable period of time. The Trustee is hereby initially appointed the “Note Registrar” for the purpose of registering Notes and transfers of Notes as herein provided. The Company may appoint one or more co-Note Registrars in accordance with ‎Section 4.02.

Upon surrender for registration of transfer of any Note to the Note Registrar or any co-Note Registrar, and satisfaction of the requirements for such transfer set forth in this ‎Section 2.05, the Company shall execute, and the Trustee, upon receipt of a Company Order, shall authenticate and deliver, in the name of the designated transferee or transferees, one or more new Notes of any authorized denominations and of a like aggregate principal amount and bearing such restrictive legends as may be required by this Indenture.

Notes may be exchanged for other Notes of any authorized denominations and of a like aggregate principal amount, upon surrender of the Notes to be exchanged at any such office or agency maintained by the Company pursuant to ‎Section 4.02. Whenever any Notes are so surrendered for exchange, the Company shall execute, and the Trustee, upon receipt of a Company Order, shall authenticate and deliver, the Notes that the Holder making the exchange is entitled to receive, bearing registration numbers not contemporaneously outstanding.

All Notes presented or surrendered for registration of transfer or for exchange, repurchase or conversion shall (if so required by the Company, the Trustee, the Note Registrar or any co-Note Registrar) be duly endorsed, or be accompanied by a written instrument or instruments of transfer in form satisfactory to the Note Registrar and the Company and duly executed, by the Holder thereof or its attorney-in-fact duly authorized in writing.

19


 

No service charge shall be imposed by the Company, the Trustee, the Note Registrar, any co-Note Registrar or the Paying Agent for any exchange or registration of transfer of Notes, but the Company or the Trustee may require a Holder to pay a sum sufficient to cover any documentary, stamp or similar issue or transfer tax required in connection therewith as a result of the name of the Holder of new Notes issued upon such exchange or registration of transfer being different from the name of the Holder of the old Notes surrendered for exchange or registration of transfer.

None of the Company, the Trustee, the Note Registrar or any co-Note Registrar shall be required to exchange for other Notes or register a transfer of (i) any Notes surrendered for conversion or, if a portion of any Note is surrendered for conversion, such portion thereof surrendered for conversion, (ii) any Notes, or a portion of any Note, surrendered for required repurchase upon a Fundamental Change (and not validly withdrawn) in accordance with ‎Article 15 or (iii) any Notes selected for Optional Redemption in accordance with ‎Article 16, except the unredeemed portion of any Note being redeemed in part.

All Notes issued upon any registration of transfer or exchange of Notes in accordance with this Indenture shall be the valid obligations of the Company, evidencing the same debt, and entitled to the same benefits under this Indenture as the Notes surrendered upon such registration of transfer or exchange.

(b) So long as the Notes are eligible for book-entry settlement with the Depositary, unless otherwise required by law, subject to the fourth paragraph from the end of ‎Section 2.05(c) all Notes shall be represented by one or more Notes in global form (each, a “Global Note”) registered in the name of the Depositary or the nominee of the Depositary. Each Global Note shall bear the legend required on a Global Note set forth in Exhibit A hereto. The transfer and exchange of beneficial interests in a Global Note that does not involve the issuance of a Physical Note shall be effected through the Depositary (but not the Trustee or the Custodian) in accordance with this Indenture (including the restrictions on transfer set forth herein) and the applicable procedures of the Depositary therefor.

(c) Every Note that bears or is required under this ‎Section 2.05(c) to bear the Restrictive Notes Legend (together with any Common Stock issued upon conversion of the Notes that is required to bear the legend set forth in ‎Section 2.05(d), collectively, the “Restricted Securities”) shall be subject to the restrictions on transfer set forth in this ‎Section 2.05(c) (including the Restrictive Notes Legend set forth below), unless such restrictions on transfer shall be eliminated or otherwise waived by written consent of the Company, and the Holder of each such Restricted Security, by such Holder’s acceptance thereof, agrees to be bound by all such restrictions on transfer. As used in this ‎Section 2.05(c) and ‎Section 2.05(d), the term “transfer” encompasses any sale, pledge, transfer or other disposition whatsoever of any Restricted Security.

Until the date (the “Resale Restriction Termination Date”) that is the later of (1) the date that is one year after the last date of original issuance of the Notes, or such shorter period of time as permitted by Rule 144 or any successor provision thereto, and (2) such later date, if any,

20


 

as may be required by applicable law, any certificate evidencing such Note (and all securities issued in exchange therefor or substitution thereof, other than Common Stock, if any, issued upon conversion thereof, which shall bear the legend set forth in ‎Section 2.05(d), if applicable) shall bear a legend in substantially the following form (the “Restrictive Notes Legend”) (unless such Notes have been transferred pursuant to a registration statement that has become or been declared effective under the Securities Act and that continues to be effective at the time of such transfer, or sold pursuant to the exemption from registration provided by Rule 144 or any similar provision then in force under the Securities Act, or unless otherwise agreed by the Company in writing, with notice thereof to the Trustee):

THE OFFER AND SALE OF THIS SECURITY AND THE COMMON STOCK, IF ANY, ISSUABLE UPON CONVERSION OF THIS SECURITY HAVE NOT BEEN REGISTERED UNDER THE SECURITIES ACT OF 1933, AS AMENDED (THE “SECURITIES ACT”) OR THE SECURITIES LAWS OF ANY OTHER JURISDICTION, AND MAY NOT BE OFFERED, SOLD, PLEDGED OR OTHERWISE TRANSFERRED EXCEPT IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE FOLLOWING SENTENCE. BY ITS ACQUISITION HEREOF OR OF A BENEFICIAL INTEREST HEREIN, THE ACQUIRER:

(1) REPRESENTS THAT IT AND ANY ACCOUNT FOR WHICH IT IS ACTING IS A “QUALIFIED INSTITUTIONAL BUYER” (WITHIN THE MEANING OF RULE 144A UNDER THE SECURITIES ACT) AND THAT IT EXERCISES SOLE INVESTMENT DISCRETION WITH RESPECT TO EACH SUCH ACCOUNT, AND

(2) AGREES FOR THE BENEFIT OF DIODES INCORPORATED (THE “COMPANY”) THAT IT WILL NOT OFFER, SELL, PLEDGE OR OTHERWISE TRANSFER THIS SECURITY OR ANY BENEFICIAL INTEREST HEREIN PRIOR TO THE DATE THAT IS THE LATER OF (X) ONE YEAR AFTER THE LAST ORIGINAL ISSUE DATE HEREOF OR SUCH SHORTER PERIOD OF TIME AS PERMITTED BY RULE 144 UNDER THE SECURITIES ACT OR ANY SUCCESSOR PROVISION THERETO AND (Y) SUCH LATER DATE, IF ANY, AS MAY BE REQUIRED BY APPLICABLE LAW, EXCEPT:

(A) TO THE COMPANY OR ANY SUBSIDIARY THEREOF, OR

(B) PURSUANT TO A REGISTRATION STATEMENT THAT HAS BECOME EFFECTIVE UNDER THE SECURITIES ACT, OR

(C) TO A PERSON REASONABLY BELIEVED TO BE A QUALIFIED INSTITUTIONAL BUYER IN COMPLIANCE WITH RULE 144A UNDER THE SECURITIES ACT, OR

(D) PURSUANT TO AN EXEMPTION FROM REGISTRATION PROVIDED BY RULE 144 UNDER THE SECURITIES ACT OR ANY OTHER AVAILABLE EXEMPTION FROM THE REGISTRATION REQUIREMENTS OF THE SECURITIES ACT.

21


 

PRIOR TO THE REGISTRATION OF ANY TRANSFER IN ACCORDANCE WITH CLAUSE (2)(D) ABOVE, THE COMPANY AND THE TRUSTEE RESERVE THE RIGHT TO REQUIRE THE DELIVERY OF SUCH LEGAL OPINIONS, CERTIFICATIONS OR OTHER EVIDENCE AS MAY REASONABLY BE REQUIRED IN ORDER TO DETERMINE THAT THE PROPOSED TRANSFER IS BEING MADE IN COMPLIANCE WITH THE SECURITIES ACT AND APPLICABLE STATE SECURITIES LAWS. NO REPRESENTATION IS MADE AS TO THE AVAILABILITY OF ANY EXEMPTION FROM THE REGISTRATION REQUIREMENTS OF THE SECURITIES ACT.

No transfer of any Note prior to the Resale Restriction Termination Date will be registered by the Note Registrar unless the applicable box on the Form of Assignment and Transfer has been checked.

Any Note (or security issued in exchange or substitution therefor) (i) as to which such restrictions on transfer shall have expired in accordance with their terms, (ii) that has been transferred pursuant to a registration statement that has become effective or been declared effective under the Securities Act and that continues to be effective at the time of such transfer or (iii) that has been sold pursuant to the exemption from registration provided by Rule 144 or any similar provision then in force under the Securities Act, may, upon surrender of such Note for exchange to the Note Registrar in accordance with the provisions of this ‎Section 2.05, be exchanged for a new Note or Notes, of like tenor and aggregate principal amount, which shall not bear the Restrictive Notes Legend required by this Section 2.05(c) and shall not be assigned a restricted CUSIP number. The Company shall be entitled to instruct the Custodian in writing to so surrender any Global Note as to which any of the conditions set forth in clause (i) through (iii) of the immediately preceding sentence have been satisfied, and, upon such instruction, the Custodian shall so surrender such Global Note for exchange; and any new Global Note so exchanged therefor shall not bear the Restrictive Notes Legend specified in this Section 2.05(c) and shall not be assigned a restricted CUSIP number. In addition, the Company may effect the removal of the Restrictive Notes Legend upon the Company’s delivery to the Trustee of written notice to such effect, whereupon the Restrictive Notes Legend set forth above and affixed on any Note shall be deemed, in accordance with the terms of the certificate representing such Note, to be removed therefrom without further action by the Company, the Trustee, the Holder(s) thereof or any other Person; at such time, such Note shall be deemed to be assigned an unrestricted CUSIP number as provided in the certificate representing such Note, it being understood, including for purposes of ‎Section 4.06(e), that the Depositary of any Global Note may require a mandatory exchange or other process to cause such Global Note to be identified by an unrestricted CUSIP number in the facilities of such Depositary. The Company shall promptly notify the Trustee in writing upon the occurrence of the Resale Restriction Termination Date and promptly after a registration statement, if any, with respect to the Notes or any Common Stock issued upon conversion of the Notes has been declared effective under the Securities Act.

Notwithstanding any other provisions of this Indenture (other than the provisions set forth in this ‎Section 2.05(c)), a Global Note may not be transferred as a whole or in part except (i) by the Depositary to a nominee of the Depositary or by a nominee of the Depositary to the Depositary or another nominee of the Depositary or by the Depositary or any such nominee to a

22


 

successor Depositary or a nominee of such successor Depositary and (ii) for exchange of a Global Note or a portion thereof for one or more Physical Notes in accordance with the second immediately succeeding paragraph.

The Depositary shall be a clearing agency registered under the Exchange Act. The Company initially appoints The Depository Trust Company to act as Depositary with respect to each Global Note. Initially, each Global Note shall be issued to the Depositary, registered in the name of Cede & Co., as the nominee of the Depositary, and deposited with the Trustee as custodian for Cede & Co.

If (i) the Depositary notifies the Company at any time that the Depositary is unwilling or unable to continue as depositary for the Global Notes and a successor depositary is not appointed within 90 days, (ii) the Depositary ceases to be registered as a clearing agency under the Exchange Act and a successor depositary is not appointed within 90 days or (iii) an Event of Default with respect to the Notes has occurred and is continuing and, subject to the Depositary’s applicable procedures, a beneficial owner of any Note requests that its beneficial interest therein be issued as a Physical Note, the Company shall execute, and the Trustee, upon receipt of an Officer’s Certificate and a Company Order for the authentication and delivery of Notes, shall authenticate and deliver (x) in the case of clause (iii), a Physical Note to such beneficial owner in a principal amount equal to the principal amount of such Note corresponding to such beneficial owner’s beneficial interest and (y) in the case of clause (i) or (ii), Physical Notes to each beneficial owner of the related Global Notes (or a portion thereof) in an aggregate principal amount equal to the aggregate principal amount of such Global Notes in exchange for such Global Notes, and upon delivery of the Global Notes to the Trustee such Global Notes shall be cancelled.

Physical Notes issued in exchange for all or a part of the Global Note pursuant to this ‎Section 2.05(c) shall be registered in such names and in such authorized denominations as the Depositary, pursuant to instructions from its direct or indirect participants or otherwise, or, in the case of clause (iii) of the immediately preceding paragraph, the relevant beneficial owner, shall instruct the Trustee in writing. Upon execution and authentication, the Trustee shall deliver such Physical Notes to the Persons in whose names such Physical Notes are so registered.

At such time as all interests in a Global Note have been converted, cancelled, repurchased upon a Fundamental Change, redeemed or transferred, such Global Note shall be, upon receipt thereof, cancelled by the Trustee in accordance with standing procedures and existing instructions between the Depositary and the Custodian. At any time prior to such cancellation, if any interest in a Global Note is exchanged for Physical Notes, converted, cancelled, repurchased upon a Fundamental Change, redeemed or transferred to a transferee who receives Physical Notes therefor or any Physical Note is exchanged or transferred for part of such Global Note, the principal amount of such Global Note shall, in accordance with the standing procedures and instructions existing between the Depositary and the Custodian, be appropriately reduced or increased, as the case may be, and an endorsement shall be made on such Global Note, by the Trustee or the Custodian, at the direction of the Trustee, to reflect such reduction or increase.

23


 

None of the Company, the Trustee or any agent of the Company or the Trustee (including in its capacity as Paying Agent and the Conversion Agent) shall have any responsibility or liability for any act or omission of the Depositary or for the payment of amounts to owners of beneficial interests in a Global Note, for any aspect of the records relating to or payments made on account of those interests by the Depositary, or for maintaining, supervising or reviewing any records of the Depositary relating to those interests.

Neither the Company nor the Trustee, Paying Agent, Note Registrar or Conversion Agent (nor the Company’s or their agents) shall have any responsibility or liability for any act or omission of the Depositary. All notices and communications to be given to the Holders and all payments to be made to Holders in respect of the Notes shall be given or made only to, or upon the order of, the registered Holder(s) (which shall be the Depositary or its nominee in the case of a Global Note).

The rights of beneficial owners in any Global Note shall be exercised only through the Depositary subject to the Applicable Procedures of the Depositary. The Trustee may rely and shall be fully protected in relying upon information furnished by the Depositary with respect to its members, participants and any beneficial owners.

(d) Until the Resale Restriction Termination Date, any stock certificate representing Common Stock issued upon conversion of a Note shall bear a legend in substantially the following form (unless such Common Stock has been transferred pursuant to a registration statement that has become or been declared effective under the Securities Act and that continues to be effective at the time of such transfer, or pursuant to the exemption from registration provided by Rule 144 or any similar provision then in force under the Securities Act, or such Common Stock has been issued upon conversion of a Note that has been transferred pursuant to a registration statement that has become or been declared effective under the Securities Act and that continues to be effective at the time of such transfer, or pursuant to the exemption from registration provided by Rule 144 or any similar provision then in force under the Securities Act, or unless otherwise agreed by the Company with written notice thereof to the Trustee and any transfer agent for the Common Stock):

THIS SECURITY HAS NOT BEEN REGISTERED UNDER THE SECURITIES ACT OF 1933, AS AMENDED (THE “SECURITIES ACT”) OR THE SECURITIES LAWS OF ANY OTHER JURISDICTION, AND MAY NOT BE OFFERED, SOLD, PLEDGED OR OTHERWISE TRANSFERRED EXCEPT IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE FOLLOWING SENTENCE. BY ITS ACQUISITION HEREOF OR OF A BENEFICIAL INTEREST HEREIN, THE ACQUIRER:

(1) REPRESENTS THAT IT AND ANY ACCOUNT FOR WHICH IT IS ACTING IS A “QUALIFIED INSTITUTIONAL BUYER” (WITHIN THE MEANING OF RULE 144A UNDER THE SECURITIES ACT) AND THAT IT EXERCISES SOLE INVESTMENT DISCRETION WITH RESPECT TO EACH SUCH ACCOUNT, AND

24


 

(2) AGREES FOR THE BENEFIT OF DIODES INCORPORATED (THE “COMPANY”) THAT IT WILL NOT OFFER, SELL, PLEDGE OR OTHERWISE TRANSFER THIS SECURITY OR ANY BENEFICIAL INTEREST HEREIN PRIOR TO THE DATE THAT IS THE LATER OF (X) ONE YEAR AFTER THE LAST ORIGINAL ISSUE DATE OF THE SERIES OF NOTES UPON THE CONVERSION OF WHICH THIS SECURITY WAS ISSUED OR SUCH SHORTER PERIOD OF TIME AS PERMITTED BY RULE 144 UNDER THE SECURITIES ACT OR ANY SUCCESSOR PROVISION THERETO AND (Y) SUCH LATER DATE, IF ANY, AS MAY BE REQUIRED BY APPLICABLE LAW, EXCEPT:

(A) TO THE COMPANY OR ANY SUBSIDIARY THEREOF, OR

(B) PURSUANT TO A REGISTRATION STATEMENT THAT HAS BECOME EFFECTIVE UNDER THE SECURITIES ACT, OR

(C) TO A PERSON REASONABLY BELIEVED TO BE A QUALIFIED INSTITUTIONAL BUYER IN COMPLIANCE WITH RULE 144A UNDER THE SECURITIES ACT, OR

(D) PURSUANT TO AN EXEMPTION FROM REGISTRATION PROVIDED BY RULE 144 UNDER THE SECURITIES ACT OR ANY OTHER AVAILABLE EXEMPTION FROM THE REGISTRATION REQUIREMENTS OF THE SECURITIES ACT.

PRIOR TO THE REGISTRATION OF ANY TRANSFER IN ACCORDANCE WITH CLAUSE (2)(D) ABOVE, THE COMPANY AND THE TRANSFER AGENT FOR THE COMPANY’S COMMON STOCK RESERVE THE RIGHT TO REQUIRE THE DELIVERY OF SUCH LEGAL OPINIONS, CERTIFICATIONS OR OTHER EVIDENCE AS MAY REASONABLY BE REQUIRED IN ORDER TO DETERMINE THAT THE PROPOSED TRANSFER IS BEING MADE IN COMPLIANCE WITH THE SECURITIES ACT AND APPLICABLE STATE SECURITIES LAWS. NO REPRESENTATION IS MADE AS TO THE AVAILABILITY OF ANY EXEMPTION FROM THE REGISTRATION REQUIREMENTS OF THE SECURITIES ACT.

Any such Common Stock (i) as to which such restrictions on transfer shall have expired in accordance with their terms, (ii) that has been transferred pursuant to a registration statement that has become or been declared effective under the Securities Act and that continues to be effective at the time of such transfer or (iii) that has been sold pursuant to the exemption from registration provided by Rule 144 or any similar provision then in force under the Securities Act, may, upon surrender of the certificates representing such shares of Common Stock for exchange in accordance with the procedures of the transfer agent for the Common Stock, be exchanged for a new certificate or certificates for a like aggregate number of shares of Common Stock, which shall not bear the restrictive legend required by this ‎Section 2.05(d).

25


 

The Trustee shall have no obligation or duty to monitor, determine or inquire as to compliance with any restrictions on transfer imposed under this Indenture or under applicable law with respect to any transfer of any interest in any Note (including any transfers between or among Depositary participants or beneficial owners of interests in any Global Note) other than to require delivery of such certificates and other documentation or evidence as are expressly required by, and to do so if and when expressly required by the terms of, this Indenture, and to examine the same to determine substantial compliance as to form with the express requirements hereof.

(e) Any Note or restricted Common Stock issued upon the conversion or exchange of a Note that is repurchased or owned by the Company or any Affiliate of the Company (or any Person who was an Affiliate of the Company at any time during the three months immediately preceding) may not be resold by the Company or such Affiliate (or such Person, as the case may be) unless registered under the Securities Act or resold pursuant to an exemption from the registration requirements of the Securities Act in a transaction that results in such Note or Common Stock, as the case may be, no longer being a “restricted security” (as defined under Rule 144).

Section 2.06. Mutilated, Destroyed, Lost or Stolen Notes. In case any Note shall become mutilated or be destroyed, lost or stolen, the Company in its discretion may execute, and upon its written request the Trustee or an authenticating agent appointed by the Trustee shall authenticate and deliver, a new Note, bearing a registration number not contemporaneously outstanding, in exchange and substitution for the mutilated Note, or in lieu of and in substitution for the Note so destroyed, lost or stolen. In every case the applicant for a substituted Note shall furnish to the Company, to the Trustee and, if applicable, to such authenticating agent such security or indemnity as may be required by them to save each of them harmless from any loss, claim, liability, cost or expense caused by or connected with such substitution, and, in every case of destruction, loss or theft, the applicant shall also furnish to the Company, to the Trustee and, if applicable, to such authenticating agent evidence to their satisfaction of the destruction, loss or theft of such Note and of the ownership thereof.

The Trustee or such authenticating agent may authenticate any such substituted Note and deliver the same upon the receipt of such security or indemnity as the Trustee, the Company and, if applicable, such authenticating agent may require. No service charge shall be imposed by the Company, the Trustee, the Note Registrar, any co-Note Registrar or the Paying Agent upon the issuance of any substitute Note, but the Company may require a Holder to pay a sum sufficient to cover any documentary, stamp or similar issue or transfer tax required in connection therewith as a result of the name of the Holder of the new substitute Note being different from the name of the Holder of the old Note that became mutilated or was destroyed, lost or stolen. In case any Note that has matured or is about to mature or has been surrendered for required repurchase upon a Fundamental Change or is about to be converted in accordance with ‎Article 14 shall become mutilated or be destroyed, lost or stolen, the Company may, in its sole discretion, instead of issuing a substitute Note, pay or authorize the payment of or convert or authorize the conversion of the same (without surrender thereof except in the case of a mutilated Note), as the case may be, if the applicant for such payment or conversion shall furnish to the Company, to the Trustee

26


 

and, if applicable, to such authenticating agent such security or indemnity as may be required by them to save each of them harmless for any loss, claim, liability, cost or expense caused by or connected with such substitution, and, in every case of destruction, loss or theft, evidence satisfactory to the Company, the Trustee and, if applicable, any Paying Agent or Conversion Agent evidence of their satisfaction of the destruction, loss or theft of such Note and of the ownership thereof.

Every substitute Note issued pursuant to the provisions of this ‎Section 2.06 by virtue of the fact that any Note is destroyed, lost or stolen shall constitute an additional contractual obligation of the Company, whether or not the destroyed, lost or stolen Note shall be found at any time, and shall be entitled to all the benefits of (but shall be subject to all the limitations set forth in) this Indenture equally and proportionately with any and all other Notes duly issued hereunder. To the extent permitted by law, all Notes shall be held and owned upon the express condition that the foregoing provisions are exclusive with respect to the replacement, payment, redemption, conversion or repurchase of mutilated, destroyed, lost or stolen Notes and shall preclude any and all other rights or remedies notwithstanding any law or statute existing or hereafter enacted to the contrary with respect to the replacement, payment, redemption, conversion or repurchase of negotiable instruments or other securities without their surrender.

Section 2.07. Temporary Notes. Pending the preparation of Physical Notes, the Company may execute and the Trustee or an authenticating agent appointed by the Trustee shall, upon written request of the Company, authenticate and deliver temporary Notes (printed or lithographed). Temporary Notes shall be issuable in any authorized denomination, and substantially in the form of the Physical Notes but with such omissions, insertions and variations as may be appropriate for temporary Notes, all as may be determined by the Company. Every such temporary Note shall be executed by the Company and authenticated by the Trustee or such authenticating agent upon the same conditions and in substantially the same manner, and with the same effect, as the Physical Notes. Without unreasonable delay, the Company shall execute and deliver to the Trustee or such authenticating agent Physical Notes (other than any Global Note) and thereupon any or all temporary Notes (other than any Global Note) may be surrendered in exchange therefor, at each office or agency maintained by the Company pursuant to ‎Section 4.02 and the Trustee or such authenticating agent shall authenticate and deliver in exchange for such temporary Notes an equal aggregate principal amount of Physical Notes. Such exchange shall be made by the Company at its own expense and without any charge therefor. Until so exchanged, the temporary Notes shall in all respects be entitled to the same benefits and subject to the same limitations under this Indenture as Physical Notes authenticated and delivered hereunder.

Section 2.08. Cancellation of Notes Paid, Converted, Etc. The Company shall cause all Notes surrendered for the purpose of payment at maturity, repurchase upon a Fundamental Change, redemption, registration of transfer or exchange or conversion (other than any Notes exchanged pursuant to Section 14.12), if surrendered to the Company or any of its agents or Subsidiaries, to be surrendered to the Trustee for cancellation. All Notes delivered to the Trustee shall be cancelled promptly by it in accordance with its customary procedures upon written request of the Company. Except for any Notes surrendered for registration of transfer or

27


 

exchange, or as otherwise expressly permitted by any of the provisions of this Indenture, no Notes shall be authenticated in exchange for any Notes surrendered to the Trustee for cancellation. The Trustee shall dispose of cancelled Notes in accordance with its customary procedures and, after such disposition, shall deliver evidence of such disposition to the Company, at the Company’s written request in a Company Order.

Section 2.09. CUSIP Numbers. The Company in issuing the Notes may use “CUSIP” numbers (if then generally in use), and, if so, the Trustee shall use “CUSIP” numbers in all notices issued to Holders as a convenience to such Holders; provided that the Trustee shall have no liability for any defect in the “CUSIP” numbers as they appear on any Note, notice or elsewhere, and, provided, further, that any such notice may state that no representation is made as to the correctness of such numbers either as printed on the Notes or on such notice and that reliance may be placed only on the other identification numbers printed on the Notes. The Company shall promptly notify the Trustee in writing of any change in the “CUSIP” numbers.

Section 2.10. Additional Notes; Repurchases. The Company may, without the consent of, or notice to, the Holders and notwithstanding ‎Section 2.01, reopen this Indenture and issue additional Notes hereunder with the same terms as the Notes initially issued hereunder (other than differences in the issue date, the issue price, interest, if any, accrued prior to the issue date of such additional Notes and, if applicable, restrictions on transfer in respect of such additional Notes) in an unlimited aggregate principal amount; provided that if any such additional Notes are not fungible with the Notes initially issued hereunder for U.S. federal income tax or securities law purposes, such additional Notes shall have one or more separate CUSIP numbers. Prior to the issuance of any such additional Notes, the Company shall deliver to the Trustee a Company Order, an Officer’s Certificate and an Opinion of Counsel, such Officer’s Certificate and Opinion of Counsel to cover such matters, in addition to those required by ‎Section 17.05, as the Trustee shall reasonably request. In addition, the Company may, to the extent permitted by law, and directly or indirectly (regardless of whether such Notes are surrendered to the Company), repurchase Notes in the open market or otherwise, whether by the Company or its Subsidiaries or through a privately negotiated transaction or public tender or exchange offer or through counterparties to private agreements, including by cash-settled swaps or other derivatives, in each case, without the consent of or notice to the Holders of the Notes. The Company may, at its option and to the extent permitted by applicable law, reissue, resell or surrender to the Trustee for cancellation any Notes that it may repurchase, in the case of a reissuance or resale, so long as such Notes do not constitute “restricted securities” (as defined under Rule 144) upon such reissuance or resale; provided that if any such reissued or resold Notes are not fungible with the Notes initially issued hereunder for U.S. federal income tax or securities law purposes, such reissued or resold Notes shall have one or more separate CUSIP numbers. Any Notes that the Company may repurchase shall be considered outstanding for all purposes under this Indenture (other than, at any time when such Notes are owned by the Company, by any Subsidiary thereof or by any Affiliate of the Company or any Subsidiary thereof, as set forth in Section 8.04) unless and until such time as the Company surrenders them to the Trustee for cancellation and, upon receipt of a Company Order, the Trustee shall cancel all Notes so surrendered.

28


 

Article 3
Satisfaction and Discharge

Section 3.01. Satisfaction and Discharge. (a) This Indenture and the Notes shall cease to be of further effect when (i) all Notes theretofore authenticated and delivered (other than (x) Notes which have been destroyed, lost or stolen and which have been replaced, paid or converted as provided in ‎Section 2.06 and (y) Notes for whose payment money has heretofore been deposited in trust or segregated and held in trust by the Company and thereafter repaid to the Company or discharged from such trust, as provided in ‎Section 4.04(d)) have been delivered to the Trustee for cancellation; or (ii) the Company has deposited with the Trustee or delivered to Holders, as applicable, after the Notes have become due and payable, whether on the Maturity Date, any Redemption Date, any Fundamental Change Repurchase Date, upon conversion or otherwise, cash or, solely in the case of conversion, cash and shares of Common Stock, if applicable, sufficient to pay all of the outstanding Notes and all other sums due and payable under this Indenture or the Notes by the Company; and (b) the Trustee upon request of the Company contained in an Officer’s Certificate and at the expense of the Company, shall execute such instruments reasonably requested by the Company acknowledging satisfaction and discharge of this Indenture, when the Company has delivered to the Trustee an Officer’s Certificate and an Opinion of Counsel, each stating that all conditions precedent herein provided for relating to the satisfaction and discharge of this Indenture have been complied with. Notwithstanding the satisfaction and discharge of this Indenture or the earlier resignation or removal of the Trustee, the obligations of the Company to the Trustee under ‎Section 7.06 shall survive.

Article 4
Particular Covenants of the Company

Section 4.01. Payment of Principal and Special Interest. The Company covenants and agrees that it will cause to be paid the principal (including the Redemption Price and the Fundamental Change Repurchase Price, if applicable) of, and accrued and unpaid interest, if any, on, each of the Notes at the places, at the respective times and in the manner provided herein and in the Notes.

Any applicable withholding taxes (including backup withholding) may be withheld from or set off against payments of Special Interest, if any, or payments upon conversion, redemption, repurchase or maturity of the Notes, or if any withholding taxes (including backup withholding) are paid on behalf of a Holder or beneficial owner of the Notes, those withholding taxes may be withheld from or set off against payments of cash or Common Stock, if any, payable on the Notes (or, in some circumstances, any payments on the Common Stock) or sales proceeds paid to, or other funds or assets of, the Holder or beneficial owner of the Notes.

Section 4.02. Maintenance of Office or Agency. The Company will maintain within the contiguous United States of America an office or agency where the Notes may be surrendered for registration of transfer or exchange or for presentation for payment or repurchase (“Paying Agent”) or for conversion (“Conversion Agent”) and where notices and demands to or upon the

29


 

Company in respect of the Notes and this Indenture may be served. The Company will give prompt written notice to the Trustee of the location, and any change in the location, of such office or agency. If at any time the Company shall fail to maintain any such required office or agency or shall fail to furnish the Trustee with the address thereof, such presentations, surrenders, notices and demands may be made or served at the Corporate Trust Office.

The Company may also from time to time designate as co-Note Registrars one or more other offices or agencies where the Notes may be presented or surrendered for any or all such purposes and may from time to time rescind such designations; provided that no such designation or rescission shall in any manner relieve the Company of its obligation to maintain an office or agency within the contiguous United States of America for such purposes. The Company will give prompt written notice to the Trustee of any such designation or rescission and of any change in the location of any such other office or agency. The terms “Paying Agent” and “Conversion Agent” include any such additional or other offices or agencies, as applicable.

The Company hereby initially designates the Trustee as the Paying Agent, Note Registrar, Custodian and Conversion Agent and the Corporate Trust Office as the office or agency within the contiguous United States of America where Notes may be surrendered for registration of transfer or exchange or for presentation for payment or repurchase or for conversion and where notices and demands to or upon the Company in respect of the Notes and this Indenture may be served; provided that the Corporate Trust Office shall not be a place for service of legal process for the Company.

Section 4.03. Appointments to Fill Vacancies in Trustee’s Office. The Company, whenever necessary to avoid or fill a vacancy in the office of Trustee, will appoint, in the manner provided in ‎Section 7.09, a Trustee, so that there shall at all times be a Trustee hereunder.

Section 4.04. Provisions as to Paying Agent. (a) If the Company shall appoint a Paying Agent other than the Trustee, the Company will cause such Paying Agent to execute and deliver to the Trustee an instrument in which such agent shall agree with the Trustee, subject to the provisions of this ‎Section 4.04:

(i) that it will hold all sums held by it as such agent for the payment of the principal (including the Redemption Price and the Fundamental Change Repurchase Price, if applicable) of, and accrued and unpaid interest, if any, on, the Notes in trust for the benefit of the Holders;

(ii) that it will give the Trustee prompt written notice of any failure by the Company to make any payment of the principal (including the Redemption Price and the Fundamental Change Repurchase Price, if applicable) of, and accrued and unpaid interest, if any, on, the Notes when the same shall be due and payable; and

(iii) that at any time during the continuance of an Event of Default, upon request of the Trustee, it will forthwith pay to the Trustee all sums so held in trust.

30


 

The Company shall, on or before each due date of the principal (including the Redemption Price and the Fundamental Change Repurchase Price, if applicable) of, or accrued and unpaid interest, if any, on, the Notes, deposit with the Paying Agent a sum sufficient to pay such principal (including the Redemption Price and the Fundamental Change Repurchase Price, if applicable) or such accrued and unpaid interest, if any, and (unless such Paying Agent is the Trustee) the Company will promptly notify the Trustee in writing of any failure to take such action; provided that if such deposit is made on the due date, such deposit must be received by the Paying Agent by 11:00 a.m., New York City time, on such date.

(b) If the Company shall act as its own Paying Agent, it will, on or before each due date of the principal (including the Redemption Price and the Fundamental Change Repurchase Price, if applicable) of, and accrued and unpaid interest, if any, on, the Notes, set aside, segregate and hold in trust for the benefit of the Holders of the Notes a sum sufficient to pay such principal (including the Redemption Price and the Fundamental Change Repurchase Price, if applicable) and any such accrued and unpaid interest so becoming due and will promptly notify the Trustee in writing of any failure to take such action and of any failure by the Company to make any payment of the principal (including the Redemption Price and the Fundamental Change Repurchase Price, if applicable) of, or accrued and unpaid interest, if any, on, the Notes when the same shall become due and payable.

(c) Anything in this ‎Section 4.04 to the contrary notwithstanding, the Company may, at any time, for the purpose of obtaining a satisfaction and discharge of this Indenture, or for any other reason, pay, cause to be paid or deliver to the Trustee all sums or amounts held in trust by the Company or any Paying Agent hereunder as required by this ‎Section 4.04, such sums or amounts to be held by the Trustee upon the trusts herein contained and upon such payment or delivery by the Company or any Paying Agent to the Trustee, the Company or such Paying Agent shall be released from all further liability but only with respect to such sums or amounts.

(d) Subject to applicable escheatment laws, any money and shares of Common Stock deposited with the Trustee or any Paying Agent, or then held by the Company, in trust for the payment of the principal (including the Redemption Price and the Fundamental Change Repurchase Price, if applicable) of, any accrued and unpaid interest on and the consideration due upon conversion of any Note and remaining unclaimed for two years after such principal (including the Redemption Price and the Fundamental Change Repurchase Price, if applicable), any interest or consideration due upon conversion has become due and payable shall be paid to the Company on request of the Company contained in an Officer’s Certificate, or (if then held by the Company) shall be discharged from such trust; and the Holder of such Note shall thereafter, as an unsecured general creditor, look only to the Company for payment thereof, and all liability of the Trustee or such Paying Agent with respect to such trust money and shares of Common Stock, and all liability of the Company as trustee thereof, shall thereupon cease.

(e) Upon any Event of Default pursuant to Section 6.01(h) or Section 6.01(i), the Trustee shall automatically become the Paying Agent.

31


 

Section 4.05. Existence. Subject to ‎Article 11, the Company shall do or cause to be done all things necessary to preserve and keep in full force and effect its corporate existence.

Section 4.06. Rule 144A Information Requirement and Annual Reports. (a) At any time the Company is not subject to Section 13 or 15(d) of the Exchange Act, the Company shall, so long as any of the Notes or any shares of Common Stock issuable upon conversion thereof shall, at such time, constitute “restricted securities” within the meaning of Rule 144(a)(3) under the Securities Act, promptly provide to the Trustee and, upon written request, any Holder, beneficial owner or prospective purchaser of such Notes or any shares of Common Stock issuable upon conversion of such Notes, the information required to be delivered pursuant to Rule 144A(d)(4) under the Securities Act to facilitate the resale of such Notes or shares of Common Stock pursuant to Rule 144A.

(b) The Company shall file with the Trustee, within 15 days after the same are required to be filed with the Commission, copies of any annual or quarterly reports (on Form 10-K or Form 10-Q or any respective successor form) that the Company is required to file with the Commission pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d) of the Exchange Act (excluding any such information, documents or reports, or portions thereof, subject to confidential treatment and any correspondence with the Commission, and after giving effect to any grace period provided by Rule 12b-25 (or any successor thereto), which grace period, for the avoidance of doubt, shall be deemed applicable whether or not the Company checks the box in the relevant Rule 12b-25 filing indicating that the Company expects to file such report within the applicable Rule 12b-25 grace period). Any such document or report that the Company files with the Commission via the Commission’s EDGAR system (or any successor system) shall be deemed to be filed with the Trustee for purposes of this ‎Section 4.06(b) at the time such documents are filed via the EDGAR system (or such successor), it being understood that the Trustee shall not be responsible for determining whether such filings have been made.

(c) Delivery of the reports, information and documents described in subsection ‎(b) above to the Trustee is for informational purposes only, and the information and the Trustee’s receipt of such shall not constitute actual or constructive notice of any information contained therein or determinable from information contained therein, including the Company’s compliance with any of its covenants hereunder (as to which the Trustee is entitled to conclusively rely on an Officer’s Certificate).

(d) If, at any time during the six-month period beginning on, and including, the date that is six months after the last date of original issuance of the Notes, the Company fails to timely file any document or report that it is required to file with the Commission pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d) of the Exchange Act, as applicable (other than current reports on Form 8-K and after giving effect to all applicable grace periods thereunder, including any grace period provided by Rule 12b-25 (or any successor rule), which grace period, for the avoidance of doubt, shall be deemed applicable whether or not the Company checks the box in the relevant Rule 12b-25 filing indicating that the Company expects to file such report within the applicable Rule 12b-25 grace period), or the Notes are not otherwise freely tradable pursuant to Rule 144 by Holders other than the Company’s Affiliates or Holders that were the Company’s Affiliates at any time

32


 

during the three months immediately preceding (as a result of restrictions pursuant to U.S. securities laws or the terms of this Indenture or the Notes), the Company shall pay Special Interest on the Notes. Such Special Interest shall accrue on the Notes at the rate of 0.50% per annum of the principal amount of the Notes outstanding for each day during such period for which the Company’s failure to file has occurred and is continuing or the Notes are not otherwise freely tradable pursuant to Rule 144 by Holders other than the Company’s Affiliates (or Holders that were the Company’s Affiliates at any time during the three months immediately preceding) without restrictions pursuant to U.S. securities laws or the terms of this Indenture or the Notes. As used in this Section 4.06(d), documents or reports that the Company is required to “file” with the Commission pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d) of the Exchange Act does not include documents or reports that the Company furnishes to the Commission pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d) of the Exchange Act. For purposes of this Section 4.06(d), the phrase “restrictions pursuant to U.S. securities laws or the terms of this Indenture or the Notes” shall not include, for the avoidance of doubt, the assignment of a restricted CUSIP number or the existence of the Restrictive Notes Legend on Notes in compliance with Section 2.05(c), in either case, during the six-month period described in this Section 4.06(d).

(e) If, and for so long as, the Restrictive Notes Legend on the Notes specified in Section 2.05(c) has not been removed, the Notes are assigned a restricted CUSIP number or the Notes are not otherwise freely tradable pursuant to Rule 144 by Holders other than the Company’s Affiliates or Holders that were the Company’s Affiliates at any time during the three months immediately preceding (without restrictions pursuant to U.S. securities laws or the terms of this Indenture or the Notes) as of the De-Legending Deadline Date, the Company shall pay Special Interest on the Notes at a rate equal to 0.50% per annum of the principal amount of Notes outstanding until the Restrictive Notes Legend on the Notes has been removed in accordance with ‎Section 2.05(c), the Notes are assigned an unrestricted CUSIP number and the Notes are freely tradable pursuant to Rule 144 by Holders other than the Company’s Affiliates (or Holders that were the Company’s Affiliates at any time during the three months immediately preceding) without restrictions pursuant to U.S. securities laws or the terms of this Indenture or the Notes; provided, however, that no Special Interest shall accrue or be owed pursuant to this ‎Section 4.06(e) until the 15th Business Day following written notification to the Company by the Trustee (at the direction of any Holder) or any Holder or beneficial owner of the Notes (with a copy to the Trustee) requesting that the Company comply with its obligations described in this Section 4.06(e) (which notice may be given at any time after the 330th day after the last date of original issuance of the Notes), it being understood and agreed that in no event shall Special Interest accrue or be owed pursuant to this ‎Section 4.06(e) for any period prior to the applicable De-Legending Deadline Date.

(f) Special Interest will be payable in arrears on each Special Interest Payment Date following accrual as set forth in Section 2.03(b); provided that if any Special Interest begins to accrue pursuant to ‎Section 4.06(d) or ‎Section 4.06(e) after the close of business on a Special Interest Record Date and prior to the open of business on the corresponding Special Interest Payment Date, such Special Interest that accrues during such period will be due on the Special Interest Payment Date next succeeding such corresponding Special Interest Payment Date, and no Special Interest shall accrue in respect of such delay.

33


 

(g) Subject to the immediately succeeding sentence, the Special Interest that is payable in accordance with Section 4.06‎(d) or Section 4.06‎(e) shall be in addition to, and not in lieu of, any Special Interest that may be payable as a result of the Company’s election pursuant to ‎Section 6.03. However, in no event shall the Special Interest payable for the Company’s failure to comply with its obligations to timely file any document or report that the Company is required to file with the Commission pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d) of the Exchange Act, as applicable (other than current reports on Form 8-K and after giving effect to all applicable grace periods thereunder, including any grace period provided by Rule 12b-25 (or any successor rule), which grace period, for the avoidance of doubt, shall be deemed applicable whether or not the Company checks the box in the relevant Rule 12b-25 filing indicating that the Company expects to file such report within the applicable Rule 12b-25 grace period), as set forth in Section 4.06(d), together with any Special Interest that may accrue at the Company’s election as a result of the Company’s failure to comply with its reporting obligations pursuant to Section 6.03, accrue at a rate in excess of 0.50% per annum pursuant to this Indenture, regardless of the number of events or circumstances giving rise to the requirement to pay such Special Interest.

(h) If Special Interest is payable by the Company pursuant to Section 4.06‎(d) or Section 4.06‎(e), the Company shall deliver to the Trustee an Officer’s Certificate to that effect stating (i) the amount of such Special Interest that is payable and (ii) the date on which such Special Interest is payable. Unless and until a Responsible Officer of the Trustee receives at the Corporate Trust Office such Officer’s Certificate, the Trustee may conclusively assume without inquiry that no such Special Interest is payable. If the Company has paid Special Interest directly to the Persons entitled to it, the Company shall deliver to the Trustee an Officer’s Certificate setting forth the particulars of such payment.

Section 4.07. Stay, Extension and Usury Laws. The Company covenants (to the extent that it may lawfully do so) that it shall not at any time insist upon, plead, or in any manner whatsoever claim or take the benefit or advantage of, any stay, extension or usury law or other law that would prohibit or forgive the Company from paying all or any portion of the principal of or any interest on the Notes as contemplated herein, wherever enacted, now or at any time hereafter in force, or that may affect the covenants or the performance of this Indenture; and the Company (to the extent it may lawfully do so) hereby expressly waives all benefit or advantage of any such law, and covenants that it will not, by resort to any such law, hinder, delay or impede the execution of any power herein granted to the Trustee, but will suffer and permit the execution of every such power as though no such law had been enacted.

Section 4.08. Compliance Certificate; Statements as to Defaults. The Company shall deliver to the Trustee within 120 days after the end of each calendar year of the Company (beginning with the calendar year ending on December 31, 2026) an Officer’s Certificate stating whether the signers thereof have knowledge of any Event of Default that occurred during the previous year and, if so, specifying each such Event of Default and the nature thereof.

In addition, the Company shall deliver to the Trustee, within 30 days after the Company obtains knowledge of the occurrence of any Event of Default or Default, an Officer’s Certificate setting forth the details of such Event of Default or Default, its status and the action that the

34


 

Company is taking or proposing to take in respect thereof; provided that the Company is not required to deliver such notice if such Event of Default or Default has been cured or is no longer continuing.

Section 4.09. Further Instruments and Acts. Upon request of the Trustee, the Company will execute and deliver such further instruments and do such further acts as may be reasonably necessary or proper to carry out more effectively the purposes of this Indenture.

Article 5
Lists of Holders and Reports by the Company and the Trustee

Section 5.01. Lists of Holders. The Company covenants and agrees that it will furnish or cause to be furnished to the Trustee, semi-annually, not more than 15 days after each February 1 and August 1 in each year beginning with February 1, 2027, and at such other times as the Trustee may request in writing, within 30 days after receipt by the Company of any such request (or such lesser time as the Trustee may reasonably request in order to enable it to timely provide any notice to be provided by it hereunder), a list in such form as the Trustee may reasonably require of the names and addresses of the Holders as of a date not more than 15 days (or such other date as the Trustee may reasonably request in order to so provide any such notices) prior to the time such information is furnished, except that no such list need be furnished so long as the Trustee is acting as Note Registrar.

Section 5.02. Preservation and Disclosure of Lists. The Trustee shall preserve, in as current a form as is reasonably practicable, all information as to the names and addresses of the Holders contained in the most recent list furnished to it as provided in ‎Section 5.01 or maintained by the Trustee in its capacity as Note Registrar, if so acting. The Trustee may dispose of any list furnished to it as provided in ‎Section 5.01 upon receipt of a new list so furnished.

Article 6
Defaults and Remedies

Section 6.01. Events of Default. Each of the following events shall be an “Event of Default” with respect to the Notes:

(a) default in any payment of Special Interest on any Note when due and payable, and the default continues for a period of 30 days;

(b) default in the payment of principal of any Note when due and payable on the Maturity Date, upon any Optional Redemption, upon any required repurchase, upon declaration of acceleration or otherwise;

(c) failure by the Company to comply with its obligation to convert the Notes in accordance with this Indenture upon exercise of a Holder’s conversion right and such failure continues for three Business Days;

35


 

(d) failure by the Company to issue (i) a Fundamental Change Company Notice in accordance with ‎Section 15.02(c) or notice of a Make-Whole Fundamental Change in accordance with ‎Section 14.03(b), in either case when due and such failure continues for five Business Days, or (ii) notice of a specified corporate transaction in accordance with ‎Section 14.01(b)(ii) or ‎Section 14.01(b)(iii) when due and such failure continues for three Business Days;

(e) failure by the Company to comply with its obligations under ‎Article 11;

(f) failure by the Company for 60 days after written notice from the Trustee or the Holders of at least 25% in principal amount of the Notes then outstanding has been received by the Company to comply with any of its other agreements contained in the Notes or this Indenture;

(g) default by the Company or any Significant Subsidiary of the Company with respect to any mortgage, agreement or other instrument under which there may be outstanding, or by which there may be secured or evidenced, any indebtedness for money borrowed with a principal amount in excess of $25,000,000 (or its foreign currency equivalent) in the aggregate of the Company and/or any such Significant Subsidiary, whether such indebtedness now exists or shall hereafter be created (i) resulting in such indebtedness becoming or being declared due and payable prior to its stated maturity date or (ii) constituting a failure to pay the principal of any such debt when due and payable (after the expiration of all applicable grace periods) at its stated maturity, upon required repurchase, upon declaration of acceleration or otherwise, and in the cases of clauses (i) and (ii), such acceleration shall not have been rescinded or annulled or such failure to pay or default shall not have been cured or waived, or such indebtedness is not paid or discharged, as the case may be, within 45 days after written notice to the Company by the Trustee or to the Company and the Trustee by Holders of at least 25% in aggregate principal amount of Notes then outstanding in accordance with this Indenture;

(h) the Company or any Significant Subsidiary shall commence a voluntary case or other proceeding seeking liquidation, reorganization or other relief with respect to the Company or any such Significant Subsidiary or its debts under any bankruptcy, insolvency or other similar law now or hereafter in effect or seeking the appointment of a trustee, receiver, liquidator, custodian or other similar official of the Company or any such Significant Subsidiary or any substantial part of its property, or shall consent to any such relief or to the appointment of or taking possession by any such official in an involuntary case or other proceeding commenced against it, or shall make a general assignment for the benefit of creditors, or shall fail generally to pay its debts as they become due; or

(i) an involuntary case or other proceeding shall be commenced against the Company or any Significant Subsidiary seeking liquidation, reorganization or other relief with respect to the Company or such Significant Subsidiary or its debts under any bankruptcy, insolvency or other similar law now or hereafter in effect or seeking the appointment of a trustee, receiver, liquidator, custodian or other similar official of the Company or such Significant Subsidiary or any substantial part of its property, and such involuntary case or other proceeding shall remain undismissed and unstayed for a period of 60 consecutive days.

36


 

Section 6.02. Acceleration; Rescission and Annulment. If one or more Events of Default shall have occurred and be continuing, then, and in each and every such case (other than an Event of Default specified in ‎Section 6.01(h) or ‎Section 6.01(i) with respect to the Company), unless the principal of, and accrued and unpaid Special Interest, if any, on, of all of the Notes shall have already become due and payable, either the Trustee or the Holders of at least 25% in aggregate principal amount of the Notes then outstanding determined in accordance with ‎Section 8.04, by notice in writing to the Company (and to the Trustee if given by Holders), may declare 100% of the principal of, and accrued and unpaid Special Interest, if any, on, all the outstanding Notes to be due and payable immediately, and upon any such declaration the same shall become and shall automatically be immediately due and payable, anything contained in this Indenture or in the Notes to the contrary notwithstanding. If an Event of Default specified in ‎Section 6.01(h) or ‎Section 6.01(i) with respect to the Company occurs and is continuing, 100% of the principal of, and accrued and unpaid Special Interest, if any, on, all Notes shall become and shall automatically be immediately due and payable.

The immediately preceding paragraph, however, is subject to the conditions that if, at any time after the principal of the Notes shall have been so declared due and payable, and before any judgment or decree for the payment of the monies due shall have been obtained or entered as hereinafter provided, and if (1) rescission would not conflict with any judgment or decree of a court of competent jurisdiction and (2) any and all existing Events of Default under this Indenture (including, for the avoidance of doubt, the failure to pay interest, if any, due and payable on any Defaulted Amounts), other than the nonpayment of the principal of and accrued and unpaid interest, if any, on Notes that shall have become due solely by such acceleration, shall have been cured or waived pursuant to ‎Section 6.09, then and in every such case the Holders of a majority in aggregate principal amount of the Notes then outstanding, by written notice to the Company and to the Trustee, may waive all Defaults or Events of Default with respect to the Notes and rescind and annul such declaration and its consequences and such Default shall cease to exist, and any Event of Default arising therefrom shall be deemed to have been cured for every purpose of this Indenture; but no such waiver or rescission and annulment shall extend to or shall affect any subsequent Default or Event of Default, or shall impair any right consequent thereon.

For the avoidance of doubt, and without limiting the manner in which any Default or Event of Default can be cured: (i) a failure by the Company to send a notice in accordance with this Indenture and any related Default (or Event of Default) shall be deemed cured and shall cease to continue upon delivery of such notice to the applicable recipient; (ii) if the Company fails to make any payment of principal of or interest on the Notes (or delivery of any other consideration in respect thereof) when due, such Default (or Event of Default) shall be deemed cured and shall cease to continue upon the making of such payment or delivery, as applicable, together with any accrued interest thereon, if applicable; and (iii) a Reporting Event of Default shall be deemed cured and shall cease to continue at such time as the Company files the applicable report or reports that gave rise to such Reporting Event of Default (it being understood that any report that the Company files with the Commission through the EDGAR system (or any successor thereto) will be deemed to be filed with the Trustee at the time such report is so filed via the EDGAR system (or such successor)); provided that, for the avoidance of

37


 

doubt, (x) the cure of any Event of Default shall not invalidate any acceleration of the Notes on account of such Event of Default that was properly effected prior to such time as such Event of Default was cured and (y) the cure of any Reporting Event of Default shall not affect the Company’s obligation to pay any Special Interest that accrues prior to the time of such cure. In addition, if an Event of Default is cured or waived before any related notice of acceleration is delivered, such Event of Default shall be deemed cured and the Notes shall not be subject to acceleration on account of such Event of Default.

Section 6.03. Special Interest. Notwithstanding anything in this Indenture or in the Notes to the contrary, to the extent the Company elects, the sole remedy for an Event of Default relating to the Company’s failure to comply with its obligations as set forth in ‎Section 4.06(b) (such default, a “Reporting Event of Default”) shall, for the first 365 days after the occurrence of such an Event of Default, consist exclusively of the right to receive Special Interest on the Notes at a rate equal to (x) 0.25% per annum of the principal amount of the Notes outstanding for each day that such Event of Default is continuing during the first 180 days after the occurrence of such Event of Default and (y) 0.50% per annum of the principal amount of the Notes outstanding from the 181st day to, and including, the 365th day following the occurrence of such Event of Default, as long as such Event of Default is continuing. Subject to the last paragraph of this Section 6.03, Special Interest payable pursuant to this ‎Section 6.03 shall be in addition to, not in lieu of, any Special Interest payable pursuant to ‎Section 4.06(d) or ‎Section 4.06(e). If the Company so elects, such Special Interest shall be payable in the same manner and on the same dates as the stated interest payable on the Notes. On the 366th day after such Event of Default (if the Event of Default relating to the Company’s failure to comply with its obligations as set forth in ‎‎Section 4.06(b) is not cured or waived prior to such 366th day), the Notes shall be immediately subject to acceleration as provided in ‎Section 6.02. The provisions of this paragraph will not affect the rights of Holders in the event of the occurrence of any Event of Default other than the Company’s failure to comply with its obligations as set forth in ‎‎Section 4.06(b). In the event the Company does not elect to pay Special Interest following an Event of Default in accordance with this ‎Section 6.03 or the Company elected to make such payment but does not pay the Special Interest when due, the Notes shall be immediately subject to acceleration as provided in ‎Section 6.02 as a result of the Event of Default pursuant to ‎Section 6.01(f) if such Event of Default is then continuing.

In order to elect to pay Special Interest as the sole remedy during the first 365 days after the occurrence of any Event of Default relating to the Company’s failure to comply with its obligations as set forth in ‎‎Section 4.06(b) in accordance with the immediately preceding paragraph, the Company must notify all Holders of the Notes, the Trustee and the Paying Agent (if other than the Trustee) in writing of such election prior to the beginning of such 365-day period. Upon the failure to timely give such notice, the Notes shall be immediately subject to acceleration as provided in ‎Section 6.02.

In no event shall Special Interest payable at the Company’s election for failure to comply with its obligations pursuant to Section 4.06(b) as set forth in this Section 6.03, together with any Special Interest that may accrue as a result of the Company’s failure to timely file any document or report that the Company is required to file with the Commission pursuant to Section 13 or

38


 

15(d) of the Exchange Act, as applicable (other than current reports on Form 8-K and after giving effect to all applicable grace periods thereunder, including any grace period provided by Rule 12b-25 (or any successor rule), which grace period, for the avoidance of doubt, shall be deemed applicable whether or not the Company checks the box in the relevant Rule 12b-25 filing indicating that the Company expects to file such report within the applicable Rule 12b-25 grace period), pursuant to Section 4.06(d), accrue at a rate in excess of 0.50% per annum pursuant to this Indenture, regardless of the number of events or circumstances giving rise to the requirement to pay such Special Interest.

Section 6.04 Payments of Notes on Default; Suit Therefor. If an Event of Default described in clause ‎(a) or ‎(b) of ‎Section 6.01 shall have occurred and be continuing, the Company shall, upon demand of the Trustee, pay to the Trustee, for the benefit of the Holders of the Notes, the whole amount then due and payable on the Notes for principal and interest, if any (with no interest accruing on any overdue principal or Special Interest unless Special Interest was payable pursuant to this Indenture on the required payment date, in which case such overdue amounts shall accrue interest per annum at the then-applicable Special Interest rate borne by the Notes, subject to the enforceability thereof under applicable law, from, and including, such required payment date), and, in addition thereto, such further amount as shall be sufficient to cover any amounts due to the Trustee under ‎Section 7.06. If the Company shall fail to pay such amounts forthwith upon such demand, the Trustee, in its own name and as trustee of an express trust, may institute a judicial proceeding for the collection of the sums so due and unpaid, may prosecute such proceeding to judgment or final decree and may enforce the same against the Company or any other obligor upon the Notes and collect the moneys adjudged or decreed to be payable in the manner provided by law out of the property of the Company or any other obligor upon the Notes, wherever situated.

In the event there shall be pending proceedings for the bankruptcy or for the reorganization of the Company or any other obligor on the Notes under Title 11 of the United States Code, or any other applicable law, or in case a receiver, assignee or trustee in bankruptcy or reorganization, liquidator, sequestrator or similar official shall have been appointed for or taken possession of the Company or such other obligor, the property of the Company or such other obligor, or in the event of any other judicial proceedings relative to the Company or such other obligor upon the Notes, or to the creditors or property of the Company or such other obligor, the Trustee, irrespective of whether the principal of the Notes shall then be due and payable as therein expressed or by declaration or otherwise and irrespective of whether the Trustee shall have made any demand pursuant to the provisions of this ‎Section 6.04, shall be entitled and empowered, by intervention in such proceedings or otherwise, to file and prove a claim or claims for the whole amount of principal and accrued and unpaid interest, if any, in respect of the Notes, and, in case of any judicial proceedings, to file such proofs of claim and other papers or documents and to take such other actions as it may deem necessary or advisable in order to have the claims of the Trustee (including any claim for the reasonable compensation, expenses, disbursements and advances of the Trustee, its agents and counsel) and of the Holders allowed in such judicial proceedings relative to the Company or any other obligor on the Notes, its or their creditors, or its or their property, and to collect and receive any monies or other property payable or deliverable on any such claims, and to distribute the same after the deduction

39


 

of any amounts due to the Trustee under ‎Section 7.06; and any receiver, assignee or trustee in bankruptcy or reorganization, liquidator, custodian or similar official is hereby authorized by each of the Holders to make such payments to the Trustee, as administrative expenses, and, in the event that the Trustee shall consent to the making of such payments directly to the Holders, to pay to the Trustee any amount due it for reasonable compensation, expenses, advances and disbursements, including agents and counsel fees and expenses, and including any other amounts due to the Trustee under ‎Section 7.06, incurred by it up to the date of such distribution. To the extent that such payment of reasonable compensation, expenses, advances and disbursements out of the estate in any such proceedings shall be denied for any reason, payment of the same shall be secured by a lien on, and shall be paid out of, any and all distributions, dividends, monies, securities and other property that the Holders of the Notes may be entitled to receive in such proceedings, whether in liquidation or under any plan of reorganization or arrangement or otherwise.

Nothing herein contained shall be deemed to authorize the Trustee to authorize or consent to or accept or adopt on behalf of any Holder any plan of reorganization, arrangement, adjustment or composition affecting such Holder or the rights of any Holder thereof, or to authorize the Trustee to vote in respect of the claim of any Holder in any such proceeding.

All rights of action and of asserting claims under this Indenture, or under any of the Notes, may be enforced by the Trustee without the possession of any of the Notes, or the production thereof at any trial or other proceeding relative thereto, and any such suit or proceeding instituted by the Trustee shall be brought in its own name as trustee of an express trust, and any recovery of judgment shall, after provision for the payment of the reasonable compensation, expenses, disbursements and advances of the Trustee, its agents and counsel, be for the ratable benefit of the Holders of the Notes.

In any proceedings brought by the Trustee (and in any proceedings involving the interpretation of any provision of this Indenture to which the Trustee shall be a party) the Trustee shall be held to represent all the Holders of the Notes, and it shall not be necessary to make any Holders of the Notes party to any such proceedings.

In case the Trustee shall have proceeded to enforce any right under this Indenture and such proceedings shall have been discontinued or abandoned because of any waiver pursuant to ‎Section 6.09 or any rescission and annulment pursuant to ‎Section 6.02 or for any other reason or shall have been determined adversely to the Trustee, then and in every such case the Company, the Holders and the Trustee shall, subject to any determination in such proceeding, be restored respectively to their several positions and rights hereunder, and all rights, remedies and powers of the Company, the Holders and the Trustee shall continue as though no such proceeding had been instituted.

Section 6.05. Application of Monies Collected by Trustee. Any monies or property collected by the Trustee pursuant to this ‎Article 6 with respect to the Notes shall be applied in the following order, at the date or dates fixed by the Trustee for the distribution of such monies or

40


 

property, upon presentation of the several Notes, and stamping thereon the payment, if only partially paid, and upon surrender thereof, if fully paid:

First, to the payment of all amounts due the Trustee in all of its capacities under this Indenture, including its agents and counsel;

Second, in case the principal of the outstanding Notes shall not have become due and be unpaid, to the payment of interest, if any, on, and any cash due upon conversion of, the Notes in default in the order of the date due of the payments of such interest and cash due upon conversion, as the case may be, with interest (to the extent that such interest is payable on such Notes and has been collected by the Trustee) upon such overdue payments at the rate of Special Interest then payable on such Notes, if any, such payments to be made ratably to the Persons entitled thereto;

Third, in case the principal of the outstanding Notes shall have become due, by declaration or otherwise, and be unpaid to the payment of the whole amount (including, if applicable, the payment of the Redemption Price and the Fundamental Change Repurchase Price and any cash due upon conversion) then owing and unpaid upon the Notes for principal and interest, if any, with interest (to the extent any Special Interest is then payable on the Notes) on the overdue principal and, to the extent that such interest has been collected by the Trustee, upon overdue installments of interest at the rate of Special Interest borne by the Notes at such time, and in case such monies shall be insufficient to pay in full the whole amounts so due and unpaid upon the Notes, then to the payment of such principal (including, if applicable, the Redemption Price and the Fundamental Change Repurchase Price and any cash due upon conversion) and interest without preference or priority of principal over interest, or of interest over principal or of any installment of interest over any other installment of interest, or of any Note over any other Note, ratably to the aggregate of such principal (including, if applicable, the Redemption Price and the Fundamental Change Repurchase Price and any cash due upon conversion) and any accrued and unpaid interest; and

Fourth, to the payment of the remainder, if any, to the Company.

Section 6.06. Proceedings by Holders. Except to enforce the right to receive payment of principal (including, if applicable, the Redemption Price and the Fundamental Change Repurchase Price) or interest, if any, when due, or the right to receive payment or delivery of the consideration due upon conversion, no Holder of any Note shall have any right by virtue of or by availing of any provision of this Indenture or the Notes to institute any suit, action or proceeding in equity or at law upon or under or with respect to this Indenture, or for the appointment of a receiver, trustee, liquidator, custodian or other similar official, or for any other remedy hereunder, unless:

(a) such Holder previously shall have given to the Trustee written notice of an Event of Default and of the continuance thereof, as herein provided;

41


 

(b) Holders of at least 25% in aggregate principal amount of the Notes then outstanding shall have made written request upon the Trustee to institute such action, suit or proceeding in its own name as Trustee hereunder;

(c) such Holders shall have offered and, if requested, provided to the Trustee such security or indemnity satisfactory to it against any loss, claim, liability or expense to be incurred therein or thereby;

(d) the Trustee for 60 days after its receipt of such notice, request and offer of such security or indemnity, shall have neglected or refused to institute any such action, suit or proceeding; and

(e) no direction that, in the opinion of the Trustee, is inconsistent with such written request shall have been given to the Trustee by the Holders of a majority of the aggregate principal amount of the Notes then outstanding within such 60-day period pursuant to ‎Section 6.09,

it being understood and intended, and being expressly covenanted by the taker and Holder of every Note with every other taker and Holder and the Trustee that no one or more Holders shall have any right in any manner whatever by virtue of or by availing of any provision of this Indenture to affect, disturb or prejudice the rights of any other Holder, or to obtain or seek to obtain priority over or preference to any other such Holder (it being understood that the Trustee does not have an affirmative duty to ascertain whether or not such actions or forbearances are unduly prejudicial to such Holder), or to enforce any right under this Indenture, except in the manner herein provided and for the equal, ratable and common benefit of all Holders (except as otherwise provided herein). For the protection and enforcement of this ‎Section 6.06, each and every Holder and the Trustee shall be entitled to such relief as can be given either at law or in equity.

Notwithstanding any other provision of this Indenture and any provision of any Note, each Holder shall have the right to receive payment or delivery, as the case may be, of (x) the principal (including the Redemption Price and the Fundamental Change Repurchase Price, if applicable) of, (y) accrued and unpaid interest, if any, on, and (z) the consideration due upon conversion of, such Note, on or after the respective due dates expressed or provided for in such Note or in this Indenture, or to institute suit for the enforcement of any such payment or delivery, as the case may be.

Section 6.07. Proceedings by Trustee. In case of an Event of Default, the Trustee may in its discretion proceed to protect and enforce the rights vested in it by this Indenture by such appropriate judicial proceedings as are necessary to protect and enforce any of such rights, either by suit in equity or by action at law or by proceeding in bankruptcy or otherwise, whether for the specific enforcement of any covenant or agreement contained in this Indenture or in aid of the exercise of any power granted in this Indenture, or to enforce any other legal or equitable right vested in the Trustee by this Indenture or by law.

42


 

Section 6.08. Remedies Cumulative and Continuing. Except as provided in the last paragraph of ‎Section 2.06, all powers and remedies given by this ‎Article 6 to the Trustee or to the Holders shall, to the extent permitted by law, be deemed cumulative and not exclusive of any thereof or of any other powers and remedies available to the Trustee or the Holders of the Notes, by judicial proceedings or otherwise, to enforce the performance or observance of the covenants and agreements contained in this Indenture, and no delay or omission of the Trustee or of any Holder of any of the Notes to exercise any right or power accruing upon any Default or Event of Default shall impair any such right or power, or shall be construed to be a waiver of any such Default or Event of Default or any acquiescence therein; and, subject to the provisions of ‎Section 6.06, every power and remedy given by this ‎Article 6 or by law to the Trustee or to the Holders may be exercised from time to time, and as often as shall be deemed expedient, by the Trustee or by the Holders.

Section 6.09. Direction of Proceedings and Waiver of Defaults by Majority of Holders. The Holders of a majority of the aggregate principal amount of the Notes at the time outstanding determined in accordance with ‎Section 8.04 shall have the right to direct the time, method and place of conducting any proceeding for any remedy available to the Trustee or exercising any trust or power conferred on the Trustee with respect to the Notes; provided, however, that (a) such direction shall not be in conflict with any rule of law or with this Indenture, and (b) the Trustee may take any other action deemed proper by the Trustee and that is not inconsistent with such direction. The Trustee may refuse to follow any direction that it determines is unduly prejudicial to the rights of any other Holder (it being understood that the Trustee shall not have an affirmative duty to ascertain whether or not any such direction is unduly prejudicial to the rights of any other Holder) or that would involve the Trustee in personal liability. The Holders of a majority in aggregate principal amount of the Notes at the time outstanding determined in accordance with ‎Section 8.04 may on behalf of the Holders of all of the Notes waive any past Default or Event of Default hereunder and its consequences (including, for the avoidance of doubt, any acceleration as a result of such Default or Event of Default) except any continuing defaults relating to (i) a default in the payment of accrued and unpaid interest, if any, on, or the principal (including any Redemption Price and any Fundamental Change Repurchase Price) of, the Notes when due that has not been cured pursuant to the provisions of ‎Section 6.01, (ii) a failure by the Company to pay or deliver, as the case may be, the consideration due upon conversion of the Notes or (iii) a default in respect of a covenant or provision hereof which under ‎Article 10 cannot be modified or amended without the consent of each Holder of an outstanding Note affected. Upon any such waiver the Company, the Trustee and the Holders of the Notes shall be restored to their former positions and rights hereunder; but no such waiver shall extend to any subsequent or other Default or Event of Default or impair any right consequent thereon. Whenever any Default or Event of Default hereunder shall have been waived as permitted by this ‎Section 6.09, said Default or Event of Default shall for all purposes of the Notes and this Indenture be deemed to have been cured and to be not continuing; but no such waiver shall extend to any subsequent or other Default or Event of Default or impair any right consequent thereon.

43


 

Section 6.10. Notice of Defaults. The Trustee shall, within 90 days after a Responsible Officer obtains knowledge of the occurrence of a Default that is then continuing, deliver to all Holders notice of all Defaults actually known to a Responsible Officer, unless such Defaults shall have been cured or waived before the giving of such notice; provided that, except in the case of a Default in the payment of the principal of (including the Redemption Price and the Fundamental Change Repurchase Price, if applicable), or accrued and unpaid Special Interest on, any of the Notes or a Default in the payment or delivery of the consideration due upon conversion, the Trustee shall be protected in withholding such notice if and so long as it determines that the withholding of such notice is in the interests of the Holders.

Section 6.11. Undertaking to Pay Costs. All parties to this Indenture agree, and each Holder of any Note by its acceptance thereof shall be deemed to have agreed, that any court may, in its discretion, require, in any suit for the enforcement of any right or remedy under this Indenture, or in any suit against the Trustee for any action taken or omitted by it as Trustee, the filing by any party litigant in such suit of an undertaking to pay the costs of such suit and that such court may in its discretion assess reasonable costs, including reasonable attorneys’ fees and expenses, against any party litigant in such suit, having due regard to the merits and good faith of the claims or defenses made by such party litigant; provided that the provisions of this ‎Section 6.11 (to the extent permitted by law) shall not apply to any suit instituted by the Trustee, to any suit instituted by any Holder, or group of Holders, holding in the aggregate more than 10% in principal amount of the Notes at the time outstanding determined in accordance with ‎Section 8.04, or to any suit instituted by any Holder for the enforcement of the payment of the principal of or accrued and unpaid interest, if any, on any Note (including, but not limited to, the Redemption Price and the Fundamental Change Repurchase Price, if applicable) on or after the due date expressed or provided for in such Note or to any suit for the enforcement of the right to convert any Note, or receive the consideration due upon conversion, in accordance with the provisions of ‎Article 14.

Article 7
Concerning the Trustee

Section 7.01. Duties and Responsibilities of Trustee. The Trustee, prior to the occurrence of an Event of Default of which a Responsible Officer of the Trustee has received written notice and after the curing or waiver of all Events of Default that may have occurred, undertakes to perform such duties and only such duties as are specifically set forth in this Indenture. In the event an Event of Default has occurred and is continuing, the Trustee shall exercise such of the rights and powers vested in it by this Indenture, and use the same degree of care and skill in its exercise, as a prudent person would exercise or use under the circumstances in the conduct of such person’s own affairs; provided that if an Event of Default occurs and is continuing, the Trustee will be under no obligation to exercise any of the rights or powers under this Indenture at the request or direction of any of the Holders unless such Holders have offered, and if requested, provided, to the Trustee indemnity or security satisfactory to it against any loss, claim, liability or expense that might be incurred by it in compliance with such request or direction.

44


 

No provision of this Indenture shall be construed to relieve the Trustee from liability for its own grossly negligent action, its own grossly negligent failure to act or its own willful misconduct, except that:

(a) prior to the occurrence of an Event of Default and after the curing or waiving of all Events of Default that may have occurred:

(i) the duties and obligations of the Trustee shall be determined solely by the express provisions of this Indenture, and the Trustee shall not be liable except for the performance of such duties and obligations as are specifically set forth in this Indenture and no implied covenants or obligations shall be read into this Indenture against the Trustee; and

(ii) in the absence of gross negligence or willful misconduct on the part of the Trustee, the Trustee may, as to the truth of the statements and the correctness of the opinions expressed therein, conclusively rely upon any certificates or opinions furnished to the Trustee and conforming to the requirements of this Indenture; but, in the case of any such certificates or opinions that by any provisions hereof are specifically required to be furnished to the Trustee, the Trustee shall be under a duty to examine the same to determine whether or not they conform to the requirements of this Indenture (but need not confirm or investigate the accuracy of any mathematical calculations or other facts stated therein);

(b) the Trustee shall not be liable for any error of judgment made in good faith by a Responsible Officer or Officers of the Trustee, unless it shall be proved that the Trustee was grossly negligent in ascertaining the pertinent facts;

(c) the Trustee shall not be liable with respect to any action taken or omitted to be taken by it in good faith in accordance with the direction of the Holders of not less than a majority of the aggregate principal amount of the Notes at the time outstanding determined as provided in ‎Section 8.04 relating to the time, method and place of conducting any proceeding for any remedy available to the Trustee, or exercising any trust or power conferred upon the Trustee, under this Indenture;

(d) whether or not therein provided, every provision of this Indenture relating to the conduct or affecting the liability of, or affording protection to, the Trustee shall be subject to the provisions of this Section;

(e) the Trustee shall not be liable in respect of any payment (as to the correctness of amount, entitlement to receive or any other matters relating to payment) or notice effected by the Company or any Paying Agent or any records maintained by any co-Note Registrar with respect to the Notes;

(f) if any party fails to deliver a notice relating to an event the fact of which, pursuant to this Indenture, requires notice to be sent to the Trustee, the Trustee may conclusively rely on

45


 

its failure to receive such notice as reason to act as if no such event occurred, unless a Responsible Officer of the Trustee had actual knowledge of such event;

(g) the Trustee shall not be required to give any bond or surety in respect of the execution of the trusts and powers under this Indenture;

(h) in the absence of written investment direction from the Company, all cash received by the Trustee shall be placed in a non-interest bearing trust account, and in no event shall the Trustee be liable for the selection of investments or for investment losses incurred thereon or for losses, fees, taxes or other charges incurred as a result of the liquidation of any such investment prior to its maturity date or the failure of the party directing such investments prior to its maturity date or the failure of the party directing such investment to provide timely written investment direction, and the Trustee shall have no obligation to invest or reinvest any amounts held hereunder in the absence of such written investment direction from the Company; and

(i) in the event that the Trustee is also acting as Custodian, Note Registrar, Paying Agent, Conversion Agent, Bid Solicitation Agent or transfer agent hereunder, the rights and protections afforded to the Trustee pursuant to this ‎Article 7 shall also be afforded to such Custodian, Note Registrar, Paying Agent, Conversion Agent, Bid Solicitation Agent or transfer agent.

None of the provisions contained in this Indenture shall require the Trustee to expend or risk its own funds or otherwise incur personal financial liability in the performance of any of its duties or in the exercise of any of its rights or powers. Prior to taking any action under this Indenture, the Trustee shall be entitled to indemnification or security satisfactory to it against any loss, liability or expense caused by taking or not taking such action.

Section 7.02. Reliance on Documents, Opinions, Etc. Except as otherwise provided in ‎Section 7.01:

(a) the Trustee may conclusively rely and shall be fully protected in acting or refraining from acting upon any resolution, certificate, statement, instrument, opinion, report, notice, request, consent, order, bond, note, coupon or other paper or document believed by it in good faith to be genuine and to have been signed or presented by the proper party or parties;

(b) any request, direction, order or demand of the Company mentioned herein shall be sufficiently evidenced by an Officer’s Certificate (unless other evidence in respect thereof be herein specifically prescribed); and any Board Resolution may be evidenced to the Trustee by a copy thereof certified by the Secretary or an Assistant Secretary of the Company;

(c) whenever in the administration of this Indenture, the Trustee shall deem it desirable that a matter be proved or established prior to taking, suffering or omitting any action hereunder, the Trustee (unless other evidence be herein specifically prescribed) may, in the absence of gross negligence or willful misconduct on its part, conclusively rely upon an Officer’s Certificate;

46


 

(d) the Trustee may consult with counsel of its selection, and require an Opinion of Counsel and any advice of such counsel or Opinion of Counsel shall be full and complete authorization and protection in respect of any action taken or omitted by it hereunder in good faith and in accordance with such advice or Opinion of Counsel;

(e) the Trustee shall not be bound to make any investigation into the facts or matters stated in any resolution, certificate, statement, instrument, opinion, report, notice, request, direction, consent, order, bond, debenture or other paper or document, but the Trustee, in its discretion, may make such further inquiry or investigation into such facts or matters as it may see fit, and, if the Trustee shall determine to make such further inquiry or investigation, it shall be entitled to examine the books, records and premises of the Company, personally or by agent or attorney at the expense of the Company and shall incur no liability of any kind by reason of such inquiry or investigation;

(f) the Trustee may execute any of the trusts or powers hereunder or perform any duties hereunder either directly or by or through agents, custodians, nominees or attorneys and the Trustee shall not be responsible for any misconduct or negligence on the part of any agent, custodian, nominee or attorney appointed by it with due care hereunder;

(g) the permissive rights of the Trustee enumerated herein shall not be construed as duties;

(h) the Trustee may request that the Company deliver an Officer’s Certificate setting forth the names of the individuals and/or titles of officers authorized at such times to take specified actions pursuant to this Indenture, which Officer’s Certificate may be signed by any Person authorized to sign an Officer’s Certificate, including any Person specified as so authorized in any such certificate previously delivered and not superseded;

(i) neither the Trustee nor any of its directors, officers, employees, agents, or affiliates shall be responsible for nor have any duty to monitor the performance or any action of the Company, or its directors, members, officers, agents, affiliates, or employees, nor shall they have any liability in connection with the malfeasance or nonfeasance by such parties. The Trustee shall not be responsible for any inaccuracy in the information obtained from the Company or for any inaccuracy or omission in the records which may result from such information or any failure by the Trustee to perform its duties as set forth herein as a result of any inaccuracy or incompleteness;

(j) the rights, privileges, protections, immunities and benefits given to the Trustee, including, without limitation, its right to be indemnified, are extended to, and shall be enforceable by, the Trustee in each of its capacities hereunder, and each agent, custodian and other Person employed to act hereunder;

(k) the Trustee shall not be obligated to take possession of any Common Stock, whether upon conversion or in connection with any discharge of this Indenture pursuant to Article 3 hereof, but shall satisfy its obligation as Conversion Agent by working through the stock transfer agent of the Company from time to time as directed by the Company;

47


 

(l) before the Trustee acts or refrains from acting, it may require an Officer’s Certificate or an Opinion of Counsel or both;

(m) the Trustee shall not be liable for any action it takes or omits to take in good faith in reliance on such Officer’s Certificate or Opinion of Counsel; and

(n) the Trustee shall not be required to give any bond or surety in respect of the execution of the trusts and powers under this Indenture.

In no event shall the Trustee be liable for any special, indirect, punitive, or consequential loss or damage of any kind whatsoever (including but not limited to lost profits), even if the Trustee has been advised of the likelihood of such loss or damage and regardless of the form of action. The Trustee shall not be charged with knowledge of any Default or Event of Default with respect to the Notes, unless either (1) a Responsible Officer shall have actual knowledge of such Default or Event of Default or (2) written notice of such Default or Event of Default shall have been received by a Responsible Officer of the Trustee from the Company or from any Holder.

Section 7.03. No Responsibility for Recitals, Etc. The recitals contained herein and in the Notes (except in the Trustee’s certificate of authentication) shall be taken as the statements of the Company, and the Trustee assumes no responsibility for the correctness of the same. The Trustee makes no representations as to the validity or sufficiency of this Indenture, the Offering Memorandum or of the Notes. The Trustee shall not be accountable for the use or application by the Company of any Notes or the proceeds of any Notes authenticated and delivered by the Trustee in conformity with the provisions of this Indenture.

Section 7.04. Trustee, Paying Agents, Conversion Agents, Bid Solicitation Agent or Note Registrar May Own Notes. The Trustee, any Paying Agent, any Conversion Agent, Bid Solicitation Agent (if other than the Company or any Affiliate thereof) or Note Registrar, in its individual or any other capacity, may become the owner or pledgee of Notes with the same rights it would have if it were not the Trustee, Paying Agent, Conversion Agent, Bid Solicitation Agent or Note Registrar.

Section 7.05. Monies and Shares of Common Stock To Be Held in Trust. All monies and shares of Common Stock received by the Trustee shall, until used or applied as herein provided, be held in trust for the purposes for which they were received. Money and shares of Common Stock held by the Trustee in trust hereunder need not be segregated from other funds except to the extent required by law. The Trustee shall be under no liability for interest on any money or shares of Common Stock received by it hereunder except as may be agreed from time to time by the Company and the Trustee.

Section 7.06. Compensation and Expenses of Trustee. The Company covenants and agrees to pay to the Trustee from time to time and the Trustee shall receive such compensation for all services rendered by it hereunder in any capacity (which shall not be limited by any provision of law in regard to the compensation of a trustee of an express trust) as previously and mutually agreed to in writing between the Trustee and the Company, and the Company will pay or reimburse the Trustee upon its request for all reasonable expenses, disbursements and

48


 

advances reasonably incurred or made by the Trustee in accordance with any of the provisions of this Indenture in any capacity thereunder (including the reasonable compensation and the expenses and disbursements of its agents and counsel and of all Persons not regularly in its employ) except any such expense, disbursement or advance as shall have been caused by its gross negligence or willful misconduct, as determined by a final order of a court of competent jurisdiction. The Company also covenants to indemnify the Trustee or any predecessor Trustee in any capacity under this Indenture and any other document or transaction entered into in connection herewith and its agents and any authenticating agent for, and to hold them harmless against, any loss, claim, damage, liability or expense incurred without gross negligence or willful misconduct on the part of the Trustee, its officers, directors, agents or employees, or such agent or authenticating agent, as the case may be, as determined by a final order of a court of competent jurisdiction, and arising out of or in connection with the acceptance or administration of this Indenture or in any other capacity hereunder and the enforcement of this Indenture (including this ‎Section 7.06), including the costs and expenses of defending themselves against any claim of liability in the premises. The obligations of the Company under this ‎Section 7.06 to compensate or indemnify the Trustee and to pay or reimburse the Trustee for expenses, disbursements and advances shall be secured by a senior lien to which the Notes are hereby made subordinate on all money or property held or collected by the Trustee, except, subject to the effect of ‎Section 6.05, funds held in trust herewith for the benefit of the Holders of particular Notes, and, for the avoidance of doubt, such lien shall not be extended in a manner that would conflict with the Company’s obligations to its other creditors. The Trustee’s right to receive payment of any amounts due under this ‎Section 7.06 shall not be subordinate to any other liability or indebtedness of the Company. The obligation of the Company under this ‎Section 7.06 shall survive the satisfaction and discharge of this Indenture and the earlier resignation or removal of the Trustee. The Company need not pay for any settlement made without its consent, which consent shall not be unreasonably withheld. The indemnification provided in this ‎Section 7.06 shall extend to the officers, directors, agents and employees of the Trustee.

Without prejudice to any other rights available to the Trustee under applicable law, when the Trustee and its agents and any authenticating agent incur expenses or render services after an Event of Default specified in ‎Section 6.01(h) or ‎Section 6.01(i) occurs, the expenses and the compensation for the services are intended to constitute expenses of administration under any bankruptcy, insolvency or similar laws.

Section 7.07. Officer’s Certificate as Evidence. Except as otherwise provided in ‎Section 7.01, whenever in the administration of the provisions of this Indenture the Trustee shall deem it necessary or desirable that a matter be proved or established prior to taking or omitting any action hereunder, such matter (unless other evidence in respect thereof be herein specifically prescribed) may, in the absence of gross negligence and willful misconduct on the part of the Trustee, be deemed to be conclusively proved and established by an Officer’s Certificate delivered to the Trustee, and such Officer’s Certificate, in the absence of gross negligence and willful misconduct on the part of the Trustee, shall be full warrant to the Trustee for any action taken or omitted by it under the provisions of this Indenture upon the faith thereof.

49


 

Section 7.08. Eligibility of Trustee. There shall at all times be a Trustee hereunder which shall be a Person that is eligible pursuant to the Trust Indenture Act (as if the Trust Indenture Act were applicable hereto) to act as such and has a combined capital and surplus of at least $50,000,000. If such Person publishes reports of condition at least annually, pursuant to law or to the requirements of any supervising or examining authority, then for the purposes of this ‎Section 7.08, the combined capital and surplus of such Person shall be deemed to be its combined capital and surplus as set forth in its most recent report of condition so published. If at any time the Trustee shall cease to be eligible in accordance with the provisions of this Section, it shall resign promptly in the manner and with the effect hereinafter specified in this Article.

Section 7.09. Resignation or Removal of Trustee.

(a) The Trustee may at any time resign by giving written notice of such resignation to the Company and by delivering notice thereof to the Holders. Upon receiving such notice of resignation, the Company shall promptly appoint a successor trustee by written instrument, in duplicate, executed by order of the Board of Directors, one copy of which instrument shall be delivered to the resigning Trustee and one copy to the successor trustee. If no successor trustee shall have been so appointed and have accepted appointment within 45 days after the giving of such notice of resignation to the Holders, the resigning Trustee may, upon ten Business Days’ notice to the Company and the Holders, petition any court of competent jurisdiction, at the expense of the Company, for the appointment of a successor trustee, or any Holder who has been a bona fide Holder of a Note or Notes for at least six months (or since the date of this Indenture) may, subject to the provisions of ‎Section 6.11, on behalf of himself or herself and all others similarly situated, petition any such court for the appointment of a successor trustee. Such court may thereupon, after such notice, if any, as it may deem proper and prescribe, appoint a successor trustee.

(b) In case at any time any of the following shall occur:

(i) the Trustee shall cease to be eligible in accordance with the provisions of ‎Section 7.08 and shall fail to resign after written request therefor by the Company or by any such Holder, or

(ii) the Trustee shall become incapable of acting, or shall be adjudged a bankrupt or insolvent, or a receiver of the Trustee or of its property shall be appointed, or any public officer shall take charge or control of the Trustee or of its property or affairs for the purpose of rehabilitation, conservation or liquidation,

then, in either case, the Company may by a Board Resolution remove the Trustee and appoint a successor trustee by written instrument, in duplicate, executed by order of the Board of Directors, one copy of which instrument shall be delivered to the Trustee so removed and one copy to the successor trustee, or, subject to the provisions of ‎Section 6.11, any Holder who has been a bona fide Holder of a Note or Notes for at least six months (or since the date of this Indenture) may, on behalf of himself or herself and all others similarly situated, petition any court of competent jurisdiction for the removal of the Trustee and the appointment of a successor

50


 

trustee. Such court may thereupon, after such notice, if any, as it may deem proper and prescribe, remove the Trustee and appoint a successor trustee.

(c) The Holders of a majority in aggregate principal amount of the Notes at the time outstanding, as determined in accordance with ‎Section 8.04, may at any time remove the Trustee and nominate a successor trustee that shall be deemed appointed as successor trustee unless within ten days after notice to the Company of such nomination the Company objects thereto, in which case the Trustee so removed or any Holder, upon the terms and conditions and otherwise as in ‎Section 7.09(a) provided, may petition any court of competent jurisdiction for an appointment of a successor trustee.

(d) Any resignation or removal of the Trustee and appointment of a successor trustee pursuant to any of the provisions of this ‎Section 7.09 shall become effective upon acceptance of appointment by the successor trustee as provided in ‎Section 7.10.

Section 7.10. Acceptance by Successor Trustee. Any successor trustee appointed as provided in ‎Section 7.09 shall execute, acknowledge and deliver to the Company and to its predecessor trustee an instrument accepting such appointment hereunder, and thereupon the resignation or removal of the predecessor trustee shall become effective and such successor trustee, without any further act, deed or conveyance, shall become vested with all the rights, powers, duties and obligations of its predecessor hereunder, with like effect as if originally named as Trustee herein; but, nevertheless, on the written request of the Company or of the successor trustee, the trustee ceasing to act shall, upon payment of any amounts then due it pursuant to the provisions of ‎Section 7.06, execute and deliver an instrument transferring to such successor trustee all the rights and powers of the trustee so ceasing to act. Upon request of any such successor trustee, the Company shall execute any and all instruments in writing for more fully and certainly vesting in and confirming to such successor trustee all such rights and powers. Any trustee ceasing to act shall, nevertheless, retain a senior lien to which the Notes are hereby made subordinate on all money or property held or collected by such trustee as such, except for funds held in trust for the benefit of Holders of particular Notes, to secure any amounts then due it pursuant to the provisions of ‎Section 7.06.

No successor trustee shall accept appointment as provided in this ‎Section 7.10 unless at the time of such acceptance such successor trustee shall be eligible under the provisions of ‎Section 7.08.

Upon acceptance of appointment by a successor trustee as provided in this ‎Section 7.10, each of the Company and the successor trustee, at the written direction and at the expense of the Company shall deliver or cause to be delivered notice of the succession of such trustee hereunder to the Holders. If the Company fails to deliver such notice within ten days after acceptance of appointment by the successor trustee, the successor trustee shall cause such notice to be delivered at the expense of the Company.

51


 

Section 7.11. Succession by Merger, Etc. Any organization or other entity into which the Trustee may be merged or converted or with which it may be consolidated, or any organization or other entity resulting from any merger, conversion or consolidation to which the Trustee shall be a party, or any organization or other entity succeeding to all or substantially all of the corporate trust business of the Trustee (including the administration of this Indenture), shall be the successor to the Trustee hereunder without the execution or filing of any paper or any further act on the part of any of the parties hereto; provided that in the case of any organization or other entity succeeding to all or substantially all of the corporate trust business of the Trustee such organization or other entity shall be eligible under the provisions of ‎Section 7.08.

In case at the time such successor to the Trustee shall succeed to the trusts created by this Indenture, any of the Notes shall have been authenticated but not delivered, any such successor to the Trustee may adopt the certificate of authentication of any predecessor trustee or authenticating agent appointed by such predecessor trustee, and deliver such Notes so authenticated; and in case at that time any of the Notes shall not have been authenticated, any successor to the Trustee or an authenticating agent appointed by such successor trustee may authenticate such Notes either in the name of any predecessor trustee hereunder or in the name of the successor trustee; and in all such cases such certificates shall have the full force which it is anywhere in the Notes or in this Indenture provided that the certificate of the Trustee shall have; provided, however, that the right to adopt the certificate of authentication of any predecessor trustee or to authenticate Notes in the name of any predecessor trustee shall apply only to its successor or successors by merger, conversion or consolidation.

Section 7.12. Trustee’s Application for Instructions from the Company. Any application by the Trustee for written instructions from the Company (other than with regard to any action proposed to be taken or omitted to be taken by the Trustee that affects the rights of the Holders of the Notes under this Indenture) may, at the option of the Trustee, set forth in writing any action proposed to be taken or omitted by the Trustee under this Indenture and the date on and/or after which such action shall be taken or such omission shall be effective. The Trustee shall not be liable to the Company for any action taken by, or omission of, the Trustee in accordance with a proposal included in such application on or after the date specified in such application (which date shall not be less than three Business Days after the date any Officer that the Company has indicated to the Trustee should receive such application actually receives such application, unless any such Officer shall have consented in writing to any earlier date), unless, prior to taking any such action (or the effective date in the case of any omission), the Trustee shall have received written instructions in accordance with this Indenture in response to such application specifying the action to be taken or omitted.

52


 

Article 8
Concerning the Holders

Section 8.01. Action by Holders. Whenever in this Indenture it is provided that the Holders of a specified percentage of the aggregate principal amount of the Notes may take any action (including the making of any demand or request, the giving of any notice, consent or waiver or the taking of any other action), the fact that at the time of taking any such action, the Holders of such specified percentage have joined therein may be evidenced (a) by any instrument or any number of instruments of similar tenor executed by Holders in person or by agent or proxy appointed in writing, or (b) by the record of the Holders voting in favor thereof at any meeting of Holders duly called and held in accordance with the provisions of ‎Article 9, or (c) by a combination of such instrument or instruments and any such record of such a meeting of Holders. Whenever the Company or the Trustee solicits the taking of any action by the Holders of the Notes, the Company or the Trustee may, but shall not be required to, fix in advance of such solicitation, a date as the record date for determining Holders entitled to take such action. The record date, if one is selected, shall be not more than fifteen days prior to the date of commencement of solicitation of such action.

Section 8.02. Proof of Execution by Holders. Subject to the provisions of ‎Section 7.01, ‎Section 7.02 and ‎Section 9.05, proof of the execution of any instrument or writing by a Holder or its agent or proxy shall be sufficient if made in accordance with such reasonable rules and regulations as may be prescribed by the Trustee or in such manner as shall be satisfactory to the Trustee. The holding of Notes shall be proved by the Note Register or by a certificate of the Note Registrar. The record of any Holders’ meeting shall be proved in the manner provided in ‎Section 9.06.

Section 8.03. Who Are Deemed Absolute Owners. The Company, the Trustee, any authenticating agent, any Paying Agent, any Conversion Agent and any Note Registrar may deem the Person in whose name a Note shall be registered upon the Note Register to be, and may treat it as, the absolute owner of such Note (whether or not such Note shall be overdue and notwithstanding any notation of ownership or other writing thereon made by any Person other than the Company or any Note Registrar) for the purpose of receiving payment of or on account of the principal (including any Redemption Price and any Fundamental Change Repurchase Price) of and (subject to ‎Section 2.03) accrued and unpaid interest, if any, on such Note, for conversion of such Note and for all other purposes under this Indenture; and neither the Company nor the Trustee nor any Paying Agent nor any Conversion Agent nor any Note Registrar shall be affected nor incur any liability by any notice to the contrary. The sole registered holder of a Global Note shall be the Depositary or its nominee. All such payments or deliveries so made to any Holder for the time being, or upon its order, shall be valid, and, to the extent of the sums or shares of Common Stock so paid or delivered, effectual to satisfy and discharge the liability for monies payable or shares deliverable upon any such Note. Notwithstanding anything to the contrary in this Indenture or the Notes, any holder of a beneficial interest in a Global Note may directly enforce against the Company, without the consent, solicitation, proxy, authorization or any other action of the Depositary or any other Person (x) such holder’s right to convert a Note in which it holds such beneficial interest on

53


 

account of a Deemed Redemption pursuant to ‎Section 14.01(b)(v), and (y) such holder’s right to exchange such beneficial interest for a Note in certificated form in accordance with the provisions of this Indenture following an Event of Default.

Section 8.04. Company-Owned Notes Disregarded. In determining whether the Holders of the requisite aggregate principal amount of Notes have concurred in any direction, consent, waiver or other action under this Indenture, Notes that are owned by the Company, by any Subsidiary thereof or by any Affiliate of the Company or any Subsidiary thereof shall be disregarded and deemed not to be outstanding for the purpose of any such determination; provided that for the purposes of determining whether the Trustee shall be protected in relying on any such direction, consent, waiver or other action only Notes that a Responsible Officer actually knows are so owned shall be so disregarded. Notes so owned that have been pledged in good faith may be regarded as outstanding for the purposes of this ‎Section 8.04 if the pledgee shall establish to the satisfaction of the Trustee the pledgee’s right to so act with respect to such Notes and that the pledgee is not the Company, a Subsidiary thereof or an Affiliate of the Company or a Subsidiary thereof. In the case of a dispute as to such right, any decision by the Trustee taken upon the advice of counsel shall be full protection to the Trustee. Upon request of the Trustee, the Company shall furnish to the Trustee promptly an Officer’s Certificate listing and identifying all Notes, if any, known by the Company to be owned or held by or for the account of any of the above described Persons; and, subject to ‎Section 7.01, the Trustee shall be entitled to accept such Officer’s Certificate as conclusive evidence of the facts therein set forth and of the fact that all Notes not listed therein are outstanding for the purpose of any such determination.

Section 8.05. Revocation of Consents; Future Holders Bound. At any time prior to (but not after) the evidencing to the Trustee, as provided in ‎Section 8.01, of the taking of any action by the Holders of the percentage of the aggregate principal amount of the Notes specified in this Indenture in connection with such action, any Holder of a Note that is shown by the evidence to be included in the Notes the Holders of which have consented to such action may, by filing written notice with the Trustee at its Corporate Trust Office and upon proof of holding as provided in ‎Section 8.02, revoke such action so far as concerns such Note. Except as aforesaid, any such action taken by the Holder of any Note shall be conclusive and binding upon such Holder and upon all future Holders and owners of such Note and of any Notes issued in exchange or substitution therefor or upon registration of transfer thereof, irrespective of whether any notation in regard thereto is made upon such Note or any Note issued in exchange or substitution therefor or upon registration of transfer thereof.

54


 

Article 9
Holders’ Meetings

Section 9.01. Purpose of Meetings. A meeting of Holders may be called at any time and from time to time pursuant to the provisions of this ‎Article 9 for any of the following purposes:

(a) to give any notice to the Company or to the Trustee or to give any directions to the Trustee permitted under this Indenture, or to consent to the waiving of any Default or Event of Default hereunder (in each case, as permitted under this Indenture) and its consequences, or to take any other action authorized to be taken by Holders pursuant to any of the provisions of ‎Article 6;

(b) to remove the Trustee and nominate a successor trustee pursuant to the provisions of ‎Article 7;

(c) to consent to the execution of an indenture or indentures supplemental hereto pursuant to the provisions of ‎Section 10.02; or

(d) to take any other action authorized to be taken by or on behalf of the Holders of any specified aggregate principal amount of the Notes under any other provision of this Indenture or under applicable law.

Section 9.02. Call of Meetings by Trustee. The Trustee may at any time call a meeting of Holders to take any action specified in ‎Section 9.01, to be held at such time and at such place as the Trustee shall determine. Notice of every meeting of the Holders, setting forth the time and the place of such meeting and in general terms the action proposed to be taken at such meeting and the establishment of any record date pursuant to ‎Section 8.01, shall be delivered to Holders of such Notes. Such notice shall also be delivered to the Company. Such notices shall be delivered not less than 20 nor more than 90 days prior to the date fixed for the meeting.

Any meeting of Holders shall be valid without notice if the Holders of all Notes then outstanding are present in person or by proxy or if notice is waived before or after the meeting by the Holders of all Notes then outstanding, and if the Company and the Trustee are either present by duly authorized representatives or have, before or after the meeting, waived notice.

Section 9.03. Call of Meetings by Company or Holders. In case at any time the Company, pursuant to a Board Resolution, or the Holders of at least 10% of the aggregate principal amount of the Notes then outstanding, shall have requested the Trustee to call a meeting of Holders, by written request setting forth in reasonable detail the action proposed to be taken at the meeting, and the Trustee shall not have delivered the notice of such meeting within 20 days after receipt of such request, then the Company or such Holders may determine the time and the place for such meeting and may call such meeting to take any action authorized in ‎Section 9.01, by delivering notice thereof as provided in ‎Section 9.02.

55


 

Section 9.04. Qualifications for Voting. To be entitled to vote at any meeting of Holders a Person shall (a) be a Holder of one or more Notes on the record date pertaining to such meeting or (b) be a Person appointed by an instrument in writing as proxy by a Holder of one or more Notes on the record date pertaining to such meeting. The only Persons who shall be entitled to be present or to speak at any meeting of Holders shall be the Persons entitled to vote at such meeting and their counsel and any representatives of the Trustee and its counsel and any representatives of the Company and its counsel.

Section 9.05. Regulations. Notwithstanding any other provisions of this Indenture, the Trustee may make such reasonable regulations as it may deem advisable for any meeting of Holders, in regard to proof of the holding of Notes and of the appointment of proxies, and in regard to the appointment and duties of inspectors of votes, the submission and examination of proxies, certificates and other evidence of the right to vote, and such other matters concerning the conduct of the meeting as it shall think fit.

The Trustee shall, by an instrument in writing, appoint a temporary chairman of the meeting, unless the meeting shall have been called by the Company or by Holders as provided in ‎Section 9.03, in which case the Company or the Holders calling the meeting, as the case may be, shall in like manner appoint a temporary chairman. A permanent chairman and a permanent secretary of the meeting shall be elected by vote of the Holders of a majority in aggregate principal amount of the outstanding Notes represented at the meeting and entitled to vote at the meeting.

Subject to the provisions of ‎Section 8.04, at any meeting of Holders each Holder or proxyholder shall be entitled to one vote for each $1,000 principal amount of Notes held or represented by him or her; provided, however, that no vote shall be cast or counted at any meeting in respect of any Note challenged as not outstanding and ruled by the chairman of the meeting to be not outstanding. The chairman of the meeting shall have no right to vote other than by virtue of Notes held by it or instruments in writing as aforesaid duly designating it as the proxy to vote on behalf of other Holders. Any meeting of Holders duly called pursuant to the provisions of ‎Section 9.02 or ‎Section 9.03 may be adjourned from time to time by the Holders of a majority of the aggregate principal amount of Notes represented at the meeting, whether or not constituting a quorum, and the meeting may be held as so adjourned without further notice.

Section 9.06. Voting. The vote upon any resolution submitted to any meeting of Holders shall be by written ballot on which shall be subscribed the signatures of the Holders or of their representatives by proxy and the outstanding aggregate principal amount of the Notes held or represented by them. The permanent chairman of the meeting shall appoint two inspectors of votes who shall count all votes cast at the meeting for or against any resolution and who shall make and file with the secretary of the meeting their verified written reports in duplicate of all votes cast at the meeting. A record in duplicate of the proceedings of each meeting of Holders shall be prepared by the secretary of the meeting and there shall be attached to said record the original reports of the inspectors of votes on any vote by ballot taken thereat and affidavits by one or more Persons having knowledge of the facts setting forth a copy of the notice of the meeting and showing that said notice was delivered as provided in ‎Section 9.02. The record

56


 

shall show the aggregate principal amount of the Notes voting in favor of or against any resolution. The record shall be signed and verified by the affidavits of the permanent chairman and secretary of the meeting and one of the duplicates shall be delivered to the Company and the other to the Trustee to be preserved by the Trustee, the latter to have attached thereto the ballots voted at the meeting.

Any record so signed and verified shall be conclusive evidence of the matters therein stated.

Section 9.07. No Delay of Rights by Meeting. Nothing contained in this ‎Article 9 shall be deemed or construed to authorize or permit, by reason of any call of a meeting of Holders or any rights expressly or impliedly conferred hereunder to make such call, any hindrance or delay in the exercise of any right or rights conferred upon or reserved to the Trustee or to the Holders under any of the provisions of this Indenture or of the Notes.

Article 10
Supplemental Indentures

Section 10.01. Supplemental Indentures Without Consent of Holders. The Company and the Trustee, at the Company’s expense, may from time to time and at any time enter into an indenture or indentures supplemental hereto for one or more of the following purposes:

(a) to cure any ambiguity, omission, defect or inconsistency;

(b) to provide for the assumption by a Successor Entity of the obligations of the Company under this Indenture pursuant to ‎Article 11;

(c) to add guarantees with respect to the Notes;

(d) to secure the Notes;

(e) to add to the covenants or Events of Default of the Company for the benefit of the Holders or surrender any right or power conferred upon the Company;

(f) to make any change that does not adversely affect the rights of any Holder as determined by the Company in good faith as certified by the Company in an Officer’s Certificate;

(g) in connection with any Share Exchange Event, to provide that the Notes are convertible into Reference Property, subject to the provisions of ‎Section 14.02, and make such related changes to the terms of the Notes to the extent expressly required by ‎Section 14.07;

(h) to conform the provisions of this Indenture or the Notes to the “Description of Notes” section of the Offering Memorandum as evidenced in an Officer’s Certificate;

57


 

(i) to comply with the rules of any applicable Depositary, including The Depository Trust Company, so long as such amendment does not adversely affect the rights of any Holder in any material respect;

(j) to appoint a successor trustee with respect to the Notes;

(k) to increase the Conversion Rate as provided in this Indenture; or

(l) to provide for the acceptance of appointment by a successor Trustee, Note Registrar, Paying Agent, Bid Solicitation Agent or Conversion Agent to facilitate the administration of the trusts under this Indenture by more than one trustee.

Upon the written request of the Company, the Trustee is hereby authorized to join with the Company in the execution of any such supplemental indenture and to make any further appropriate agreements and stipulations that may be therein contained, but the Trustee shall not be obligated to, but may in its discretion, enter into any supplemental indenture that affects the Trustee’s own rights, duties or immunities under this Indenture or otherwise.

Any supplemental indenture authorized by the provisions of this ‎Section 10.01 may be executed by the Company and the Trustee without the consent of the Holders of any of the Notes at the time outstanding, notwithstanding any of the provisions of ‎Section 10.02.

Section 10.02. Supplemental Indentures with Consent of Holders. With the consent (evidenced as provided in ‎Article 8) of the Holders of at least a majority of the aggregate principal amount of the Notes then outstanding (determined in accordance with ‎Article 8 and including, without limitation, consents obtained in connection with a repurchase of, or tender or exchange offer for, the Notes), the Company and the Trustee, at the Company’s expense, may from time to time and at any time enter into an indenture or indentures supplemental hereto for the purpose of adding any provisions to or changing in any manner or eliminating any of the provisions of this Indenture, the Notes or any supplemental indenture or of modifying in any manner the rights of the Holders; provided, however, that, without the consent of each Holder of an outstanding Note affected, no such supplemental indenture shall:

(a) reduce the principal amount of Notes whose Holders must consent to an amendment;

(b) reduce the rate of or extend the stated time for payment of any interest (including Special Interest and interest payable pursuant to Section 2.03(c)) on any Note;

(c) reduce the principal amount of or extend the Maturity Date of any Note;

(d) except as required by this Indenture, make any change that adversely affects the conversion rights of any Notes;

(e) reduce the Redemption Price or the Fundamental Change Repurchase Price of any Note or amend or modify in any manner adverse to the Holders the Company’s obligation to make such payments, whether through an amendment or waiver of provisions in the covenants, definitions or otherwise;

58


 

(f) make any Note payable in a currency, or at a place of payment, other than that stated in the Note;

(g) change the ranking of the Notes; or

(h) make any change in this ‎Article 10 that requires each Holder’s consent or in the waiver provisions in ‎Section 6.02 or ‎Section 6.09.

Upon the written request of the Company, and upon the filing with the Trustee of evidence of the consent of Holders as aforesaid and subject to ‎Section 10.05, the Trustee shall join with the Company in the execution of such supplemental indenture unless such supplemental indenture affects the Trustee’s own rights, duties or immunities under this Indenture or otherwise, in which case the Trustee may in its discretion, but shall not be obligated to, enter into such supplemental indenture.

Holders do not need under this ‎Section 10.02 to approve the particular form of any proposed supplemental indenture. It shall be sufficient if such Holders approve the substance thereof. After any such supplemental indenture becomes effective, the Company shall deliver to the Holders (with a copy to the Trustee) a notice briefly describing such supplemental indenture. However, the failure to give such notice to all the Holders, or any defect in the notice, will not impair or affect the validity of the supplemental indenture.

Section 10.03. Effect of Supplemental Indentures. Upon the execution of any supplemental indenture pursuant to the provisions of this ‎Article 10, this Indenture shall be and be deemed to be modified and amended in accordance therewith and the respective rights, limitation of rights, obligations, duties, indemnities, privileges and immunities under this Indenture of the Trustee, the Company and the Holders shall thereafter be determined, exercised and enforced hereunder subject in all respects to such modifications and amendments and all the terms and conditions of any such supplemental indenture shall be and be deemed to be part of the terms and conditions of this Indenture for any and all purposes.

Section 10.04. Notation on Notes. Notes authenticated and delivered after the execution of any supplemental indenture pursuant to the provisions of this ‎Article 10 may, at the Company’s expense, bear a notation in form approved by the Trustee as to any matter provided for in such supplemental indenture. If the Company or the Trustee shall so determine, new Notes so modified as to conform, in the opinion of the Trustee and the Company, to any modification of this Indenture contained in any such supplemental indenture may, at the Company’s expense, be prepared and executed by the Company, authenticated by the Trustee (or an authenticating agent duly appointed by the Trustee pursuant to ‎Section 17.10) and delivered in exchange for the Notes then outstanding, upon surrender of such Notes then outstanding.

Section 10.05. Evidence of Compliance of Supplemental Indenture To Be Furnished to Trustee. In addition to the documents required by ‎Section 17.05, the Trustee shall receive an Officer’s Certificate and an Opinion of Counsel as conclusive evidence that any supplemental indenture executed pursuant hereto complies with the requirements of this ‎Article 10 and is permitted or authorized by this Indenture (such Opinion of Counsel to include a customary legal

59


 

opinion stating that such supplemental indenture is the valid and binding obligation of the Company, subject to customary exceptions and qualifications). The Trustee shall have no responsibility for determining whether any amendment or supplemental indenture will or may have an adverse effect on any Holder.

Article 11
Consolidation, Merger, Sale, Conveyance and Lease

Section 11.01. Company May Consolidate, Etc. on Certain Terms. Subject to the provisions of ‎Section 11.02, the Company shall not consolidate with, merge with or into, or sell, convey, transfer or lease all or substantially all of the consolidated properties and assets of the Company and its Subsidiaries, taken as a whole, to another Person (other than any such sale, conveyance, transfer or lease to one or more of the Company’s direct or indirect Wholly Owned Subsidiaries) (each, a “Business Combination Event”), unless:

(a) the resulting, surviving or transferee Person (the “Successor Entity”), if not the Company, shall be a Qualified Successor Entity organized and existing under the laws of the United States of America, any State thereof or the District of Columbia, and the Successor Entity (if not the Company) shall expressly assume, by supplemental indenture all of the obligations of the Company under the Notes and this Indenture; and

(b) immediately after giving effect to such Business Combination Event, no Default or Event of Default shall have occurred and be continuing under this Indenture.

For purposes of this ‎Section 11.01, the sale, conveyance, transfer or lease of all or substantially all of the properties and assets of one or more Subsidiaries of the Company to another Person, which properties and assets, if held by the Company instead of such Subsidiaries, would constitute all or substantially all of the consolidated properties and assets of the Company and its Subsidiaries, taken as a whole, shall be deemed to be the sale, conveyance, transfer or lease of all or substantially all of the consolidated properties and assets of the Company and its Subsidiaries, taken as a whole, to another Person.

(c) If the Company is not the Successor Entity, the Successor Entity shall have delivered to the Trustee an Officer’s Certificate and Opinion of Counsel, each stating that Business Combination Event complies with this Indenture and that such supplemental indenture is authorized or permitted by this Indenture and an Opinion of Counsel stating that the supplemental indenture is the valid and binding obligation of the Successor Entity, subject to customary exceptions and qualifications.

Section 11.02. Successor Entity To Be Substituted. In case of any such Business Combination Event and upon the assumption by the Successor Entity (if not the Company), by supplemental indenture, executed and delivered to the Trustee and satisfactory in form to the Trustee, of the due and punctual payment of the principal of and accrued and unpaid interest on all of the Notes, the due and punctual delivery or payment, as the case may be, of any consideration due upon conversion of the Notes and the due and punctual performance of all of

60


 

the covenants and conditions of this Indenture to be performed by the Company, such Successor Entity (if not the Company) shall succeed to and, except in the case of a lease of all or substantially all of the Company’s properties and assets, shall be substituted for the Company, with the same effect as if it had been named herein as the party of the first part, and may thereafter exercise every right and power of the Company under this Indenture. Such Successor Entity thereupon may cause to be signed, and may issue either in its own name or in the name of the Company any or all of the Notes issuable hereunder which theretofore shall not have been signed by the Company and delivered to the Trustee; and, upon the order of such Successor Entity instead of the Company and subject to all the terms, conditions and limitations in this Indenture prescribed, the Trustee shall authenticate and shall deliver, or cause to be authenticated and delivered, any Notes that previously shall have been signed and delivered by the Officers of the Company to the Trustee for authentication, and any Notes that such Successor Entity thereafter shall cause to be signed and delivered to the Trustee for that purpose. All the Notes so issued shall in all respects have the same legal rank and benefit under this Indenture as the Notes theretofore or thereafter issued in accordance with the terms of this Indenture as though all of such Notes had been issued at the date of the execution hereof. In the event of any Business Combination Event (other than a lease of all or substantially all of the consolidated properties and assets of the Company and its Subsidiaries to another Person), upon compliance with this ‎Article 11 the Person named as the “Company” in the first paragraph of this Indenture (or any successor that shall thereafter have become such in the manner prescribed in this ‎Article 11) may be dissolved, wound up and liquidated at any time thereafter and, except in the case of a lease, such Person shall be released from its liabilities as obligor and maker of the Notes and from its obligations under this Indenture and the Notes. In case of any Business Combination Event, such changes in phraseology and form (but not in substance) may be made in the Notes thereafter to be issued as may be appropriate.

Article 12
Immunity of Incorporators, Stockholders, Officers and Directors

Section 12.01. Indenture and Notes Solely Corporate Obligations. No recourse for the payment of the principal of or accrued and unpaid interest, if any, on any Note, nor for any claim based thereon or otherwise in respect thereof, and no recourse under or upon any obligation, covenant or agreement of the Company in this Indenture or in any supplemental indenture or in any Note, nor because of the creation of any indebtedness represented thereby, shall be had against any incorporator, stockholder, employee, agent, Officer or director or Subsidiary, as such, past, present or future, of the Company or of any successor entity, either directly or through the Company or any successor entity, whether by virtue of any constitution, statute or rule of law, or by the enforcement of any assessment or penalty or otherwise; it being expressly understood that all such liability is hereby expressly waived and released as a condition of, and as a consideration for, the execution of this Indenture and the issue of the Notes.

Article 13
[Intentionally Omitted]

61


 

Article 14
Conversion of Notes

Section 14.01. Conversion Privilege.

(a) Subject to and upon compliance with the provisions of this ‎Article 14, each Holder of a Note shall have the right, at such Holder’s option, to convert all or any portion (if the portion to be converted is $1,000 principal amount or an integral multiple thereof) of such Note (i) subject to satisfaction of the conditions described in ‎Section 14.01(b), at any time prior to the close of business on the Business Day immediately preceding May 15, 2031 under the circumstances and during the periods set forth in Section 14.01(b), and (ii) regardless of the conditions described in ‎Section 14.01(b), on or after May 15, 2031 and prior to the close of business on the second Scheduled Trading Day immediately preceding the Maturity Date, in each case, at an initial conversion rate of 6.8594 shares of Common Stock (subject to adjustment as provided in this ‎Article 14, the “Conversion Rate”) per $1,000 principal amount of Notes (subject to, and in accordance with, the settlement provisions of ‎Section 14.02, the “Conversion Obligation”). The Trustee shall have no obligation to make any determination as to whether any of the conditions described in ‎Section 14.01(b) have been satisfied.

(b)

(i) Prior to the close of business on the Business Day immediately preceding May 15, 2031, a Holder may surrender all or any portion of its Notes for conversion at any time during the five Business Day period immediately after any 10 consecutive Trading Day period (the “Measurement Period”) in which the Trading Price per $1,000 principal amount of Notes, as determined following a request by a Holder of Notes in accordance with this subsection (b)(i), for each Trading Day of the Measurement Period was less than 98% of the product of the Last Reported Sale Price of the Common Stock on each such Trading Day and the Conversion Rate on each such Trading Day. The Trading Prices shall be determined by the Bid Solicitation Agent pursuant to this subsection (b)(i) and the definition of Trading Price set forth in this Indenture. The Bid Solicitation Agent (if other than the Company) shall have no obligation to determine the Trading Price per $1,000 principal amount of Notes unless the Company has requested such determination, and the Company shall have no obligation to make such request (or, if the Company is acting as Bid Solicitation Agent, the Company shall have no obligation to determine the Trading Price per $1,000 principal amount of Notes) unless a Holder or Holders of at least $5,000,000 (or such lesser amount as may be outstanding) aggregate principal amount of Notes provides the Company with reasonable evidence that the Trading Price per $1,000 principal amount of Notes on any Trading Day would be less than 98% of the product of the Last Reported Sale Price of the Common Stock on such Trading Day and the Conversion Rate on such Trading Day, at which time the Company shall instruct the Bid Solicitation Agent (if other than the Company) to determine, or if the Company is acting as Bid Solicitation Agent, the Company shall determine, the Trading Price per $1,000 principal amount of Notes beginning on the next Trading Day and on each successive Trading Day until the Trading Price per $1,000 principal amount

62


 

of Notes is greater than or equal to 98% of the product of the Last Reported Sale Price of the Common Stock and the Conversion Rate. If (x) the Company is not acting as Bid Solicitation Agent, and the Company does not, when the Company is required to, instruct the Bid Solicitation Agent to determine the Trading Price per $1,000 principal amount of Notes when obligated as provided in the preceding sentence, or if the Company gives such instruction to the Bid Solicitation Agent and the Bid Solicitation Agent fails to make such determination, or (y) the Company is acting as Bid Solicitation Agent and the Company fails to make such determination when obligated as provided in the preceding sentence, then, in either case, the Trading Price per $1,000 principal amount of Notes on any date shall be deemed to be less than 98% of the product of the Last Reported Sale Price of the Common Stock and the Conversion Rate on each Trading Day of such failure. If the Trading Price condition set forth above has been met, the Company shall so notify the Holders, the Trustee and the Conversion Agent (if other than the Trustee) in writing. Any such determination shall be conclusive absent manifest error. If, at any time after the Trading Price condition set forth above has been met, the Trading Price per $1,000 principal amount of Notes is greater than or equal to 98% of the product of the Last Reported Sale Price of the Common Stock and the Conversion Rate for such date, the Company shall so notify the Holders, the Trustee and the Conversion Agent (if other than the Trustee) in writing and thereafter neither the Company nor the Bid Solicitation Agent (if other than the Company) shall be required to solicit bids (or determine the Trading Price of the Notes as set forth in this Indenture) again unless a new Holder request is made as provided in this subsection (b)(i).

(ii) If, prior to the close of business on the Business Day immediately preceding May 15, 2031, the Company elects to:

(A) distribute to all or substantially all holders of the Common Stock any rights, options or warrants (other than in connection with a stockholder rights plan prior to the separation of such rights from the Common Stock) entitling them, for a period of not more than 60 calendar days after the announcement date of such distribution, to subscribe for or purchase shares of the Common Stock at a price per share that is less than the average of the Last Reported Sale Prices of the Common Stock for the 10 consecutive Trading Day period ending on, and including, the Trading Day immediately preceding the date of announcement of such distribution; or

(B) distribute to all or substantially all holders of the Common Stock the Company’s assets, securities or rights to purchase securities of the Company (other than in connection with a stockholder rights plan prior to separation of such rights from the Common Stock), which distribution has a per share value, as reasonably determined by the Company in good faith, exceeding 10% of the Last Reported Sale Price of the Common Stock on the Trading Day preceding the date of announcement for such distribution,

63


 

then, in either case, the Company shall notify all Holders of the Notes, the Trustee and the Conversion Agent (if other than the Trustee) in writing at least 38 Scheduled Trading Days prior to the Ex-Dividend Date for such distribution (or, if later in the case of any such separation of rights issued pursuant to a stockholder rights plan, as soon as reasonably practicable after the Company becomes aware that such separation or triggering event has occurred or will occur). Once the Company has given such notice, a Holder may surrender all or any portion of its Notes for conversion at any time until the earlier of (1) the close of business on the Business Day immediately preceding the Ex-Dividend Date for such distribution and (2) the Company’s announcement that such distribution will not take place, in each case, even if the Notes are not otherwise convertible at such time; provided that Holders may not convert their Notes pursuant to this subsection (b)(ii) if they participate, at the same time and upon the same terms as holders of the Common Stock and solely as a result of holding the Notes, in any of the transactions described in clause (A) or (B) of this subsection (b)(ii) without having to convert their Notes as if they held a number of shares of Common Stock equal to the Conversion Rate, multiplied by the principal amount (expressed in thousands) of Notes held by such Holder.

(iii) If (A) a transaction or event that constitutes a Fundamental Change or a Make-Whole Fundamental Change occurs prior to the close of business on the Business Day immediately preceding May 15, 2031, regardless of whether a Holder has the right to require the Company to repurchase the Notes pursuant to ‎Section 15.02, or (B) the Company is a party to a Share Exchange Event (other than a Share Exchange Event that is solely for the purpose of changing the Company’s jurisdiction of organization that (x) does not constitute a Fundamental Change or a Make-Whole Fundamental Change and (y) results in a reclassification, conversion or exchange of outstanding shares of Common Stock solely into shares of common stock of the surviving entity and such common stock becomes Reference Property for the Notes) that occurs prior to the close of business on the Business Day immediately preceding May 15, 2031, (each such Fundamental Change, Make-Whole Fundamental Change or Share Exchange Event, a “Corporate Event”), all or any portion of a Holder’s Notes may be surrendered for conversion at any time from and after the effective date of such Corporate Event to, and including, the earlier of (x) the close of business on the 35th Trading Day after the effective date of such Corporate Event (or, if the Company gives notice after the effective date of such Corporate Event, until the close of business on the 35th Trading Day after the date the Company gives notice of such Corporate Event) or, if such Corporate Event also constitutes a Fundamental Change (other than an Exempted Fundamental Change), until the close of business on the Business Day immediately preceding the related Fundamental Change Repurchase Date and (y) the close of business on the second Scheduled Trading Day immediately preceding the Maturity Date. The Company shall notify Holders, the Trustee and the Conversion Agent (if other than the Trustee) in writing as promptly as practicable following the effective date of such Corporate Event, but in no event later than two Business Days after the effective date of such Corporate Event.

64


 

(iv) Prior to the close of business on the Business Day immediately preceding May 15, 2031, a Holder may surrender all or any portion of its Notes for conversion at any time during the 30 consecutive Trading Day period beginning on, and including, the 21st Trading Day of any calendar quarter commencing after the calendar quarter ending on September 30, 2026, if the Last Reported Sale Price of the Common Stock exceeds 130% of the Conversion Price for each of at least five Trading Days (whether or not consecutive) during the first 20 consecutive Trading Days of such calendar quarter.

(v) If the Company calls any Notes for Optional Redemption pursuant to ‎Article 16, then a Holder may surrender all or any portion of its Called Notes for conversion at any time prior to the close of business on the second Scheduled Trading Day immediately preceding the Redemption Date, even if the Called Notes are not otherwise convertible at such time. After that time, the right to convert such Called Notes on account of the Company’s delivery of a Notice of Redemption shall expire, unless the Company defaults in the payment of the Redemption Price, in which case a Holder of Called Notes may convert all or a portion of its Called Notes until the close of business on the Scheduled Trading Day immediately preceding the date on which the Redemption Price has been paid or duly provided for. If the Company elects to redeem fewer than all of the outstanding Notes for redemption pursuant to ‎Article 16, and the Holder of any Note (or any owner of a beneficial interest in any Global Note) is reasonably not able to determine, prior to the close of business on the 34th Scheduled Trading Day immediately preceding the relevant Redemption Date, whether such Note or beneficial interest, as applicable, is to be redeemed pursuant to such Optional Redemption (and, as a result thereof, convertible on account of the related Notice of Redemption in accordance with the provisions of this Indenture), then such Holder or owner, as applicable, shall be entitled to convert such Note or beneficial interest, as applicable, at any time during the related Redemption Period, and each such conversion shall be deemed to be of a Note called for Optional Redemption, and such Note or beneficial interest shall be deemed called for Optional Redemption solely for the purposes of such conversion (“Deemed Redemption”). If a Holder elects to convert Called Notes during the related Redemption Period, such conversion will be deemed “in connection with” the relevant Notice of Redemption pursuant to ‎Section 14.03(a), and the Company shall, under certain circumstances, increase the Conversion Rate for such Called Notes pursuant to ‎‎Section 14.03. Accordingly, if the Company elects to redeem fewer than all of the outstanding Notes pursuant to ‎‎Article 16, Holders of the Notes that are not Called Notes will not be entitled to convert such Notes pursuant to this ‎‎Section 14.01(b)(v) and will not be entitled to an increase in the Conversion Rate on account of the Notice of Redemption for conversions of such Notes during the related Redemption Period, even if such Notes are otherwise convertible pursuant to any other provision of this ‎‎Section 14.01(b).

65


 

Section 14.02. Conversion Procedure; Settlement Upon Conversion.

(a) Except as provided in ‎Section 14.03(b) and ‎Section 14.07(a), upon conversion of any Note, on the second Business Day immediately following the last Trading Day of the relevant Observation Period, the Company shall satisfy its Conversion Obligation by paying or delivering, as the case may be, to the converting Holder, in respect of each $1,000 principal amount of Notes being converted, a “Settlement Amount” equal to the sum of the Daily Settlement Amounts for each of the 30 Trading Days during the relevant Observation Period for such Note, together with cash, if applicable, in lieu of delivering any fractional share of Common Stock in accordance with subsection ‎(j) of this ‎Section 14.02.

(i) All conversions of Called Notes for which the relevant Conversion Date occurs during the related Redemption Period, and all conversions for which the relevant Conversion Date occurs on or after May 15, 2031, shall be settled using the same forms and amounts of consideration.

(ii) Except for any conversions of Called Notes for which the relevant Conversion Date occurs during the related Redemption Period, and any conversions for which the relevant Conversion Date occurs on or after May 15, 2031, the Company shall use the same forms and amounts of consideration for all conversions with the same Conversion Date, but the Company shall not have any obligation to use the same forms and amounts of consideration with respect to conversions with different Conversion Dates.

(iii) If, in respect of any Conversion Date (or any conversions of Called Notes for which the relevant Conversion Date occurs during the related Redemption Period or any conversions for which the relevant Conversion Date occurs on or after May 15, 2031), the Company elects to settle all or a portion of its Conversion Obligation in excess of the principal portion of the Notes being converted in cash in respect of such Conversion Date (or such period, as the case may be), the Company shall inform converting Holders, the Trustee and the Conversion Agent (if other than the Trustee) of such election (the “Settlement Notice”) no later than the close of business on the Trading Day immediately following the relevant Conversion Date (or, in the case of (A) any conversions of Called Notes for which the relevant Conversion Date occurs during the related Redemption Period, in the related Notice of Redemption, or (B) any conversions of Notes for which the relevant Conversion Date occurs on or after May 15, 2031, no later than May 15, 2031) and the Company shall indicate in such Settlement Notice the percentage of the Conversion Obligation in excess of the principal portion of the Notes being converted that shall be paid in cash (the “Cash Percentage”). If the Company does not timely notify Holders of such an election of a Cash Percentage prior to the deadline set forth in the immediately preceding sentence, the Company shall no longer have the right to elect a Cash Percentage with respect to any conversion on such Conversion Date or during such period, and the Company shall be deemed to have elected a Cash Percentage of 0% with respect to such conversion.

66


 

(iv) The Daily Settlement Amounts, the Daily Net Settlement Amounts (if applicable) and the Daily Conversion Values shall be determined by the Company promptly following the last day of the Observation Period. Promptly after such determination of the Daily Settlement Amounts, the Daily Net Settlement Amounts (if applicable) and the Daily Conversion Values and the amount of cash payable in lieu of delivering any fractional share of Common Stock, the Company shall notify the Trustee and the Conversion Agent (if other than the Trustee) of the Daily Settlement Amounts, the Daily Net Settlement Amounts (if applicable) and the Daily Conversion Values and the amount of cash payable in lieu of delivering any fractional shares of Common Stock. The Trustee and the Conversion Agent (if other than the Trustee) shall have no responsibility for any such determination.

(b) Subject to ‎Section 14.02(e), before any Holder of a Note shall be entitled to convert a Note as set forth above, such Holder shall (i) in the case of a Global Note, comply with the applicable procedures of the Depositary in effect at that time and, if required, pay funds equal to any Special Interest payable on the next Special Interest Payment Date to which such Holder is not entitled as set forth in ‎Section 14.02(h) and (ii) in the case of a Physical Note (1) complete, manually sign and deliver an irrevocable notice to the Conversion Agent as set forth in the Form of Notice of Conversion (or a facsimile, PDF or other electronic transmission thereof) (a notice pursuant to the applicable procedures of the Depositary or a notice as set forth in the Form of Notice of Conversion, a “Notice of Conversion”) at the office of the Conversion Agent and state in writing therein the principal amount of Notes to be converted and the name or names (with addresses) in which such Holder wishes the certificate or certificates for any shares of Common Stock to be delivered upon settlement of the Conversion Obligation to be registered, (2) surrender such Notes, duly endorsed to the Company or in blank (and accompanied by appropriate endorsement and transfer documents), at the office of the Conversion Agent, (3) if required, furnish appropriate endorsements and transfer documents and (4) if required, pay funds equal to any Special Interest payable on the next Special Interest Payment Date to which such Holder is not entitled as set forth in ‎Section 14.02(h). The Trustee (and if different, the Conversion Agent) shall notify the Company of any conversion pursuant to this ‎Article 14 on the Conversion Date for such conversion. No Notes may be surrendered for conversion by a Holder thereof if such Holder has also delivered a Fundamental Change Repurchase Notice to the Company in respect of such Notes and has not validly withdrawn such Fundamental Change Repurchase Notice in accordance with ‎Section 15.03.

If more than one Note shall be surrendered for conversion at one time by the same Holder, the Conversion Obligation with respect to such Notes shall be computed on the basis of the aggregate principal amount of the Notes (or specified portions thereof to the extent permitted thereby) so surrendered.

(c) A Note shall be deemed to have been converted immediately prior to the close of business on the date (the “Conversion Date”) that the Holder has complied with the requirements set forth in subsection ‎(b) above. If any shares of Common Stock are due to a converting Holder, the Company shall issue or cause to be issued, and deliver (if applicable) to the Conversion Agent or to such Holder, or such Holder’s nominee or nominees, the full number

67


 

of shares of Common Stock to which such Holder shall be entitled, in book-entry format through the Depositary, in satisfaction of the Company’s Conversion Obligation.

(d) In case any Note shall be surrendered for partial conversion, the Company shall execute and the Trustee shall authenticate and deliver to or upon the written order of the Holder of the Note so surrendered a new Note or Notes in authorized denominations in an aggregate principal amount equal to the unconverted portion of the surrendered Note, without payment of any service charge by the converting Holder but, if required by the Company or Trustee, with payment of a sum sufficient to cover any documentary, stamp or similar issue or transfer tax or similar governmental charge required by law or that may be imposed in connection therewith as a result of the name of the Holder of the new Notes issued upon such conversion being different from the name of the Holder of the old Notes surrendered for such conversion.

(e) If a Holder submits a Note for conversion, the Company shall pay any documentary, stamp or similar issue or transfer tax due on the issue of any shares of Common Stock upon conversion, unless the tax is due because the Holder requests such shares to be issued in a name other than the Holder’s name, in which case the Holder shall pay that tax. The Conversion Agent may refuse to deliver the certificates representing the shares of Common Stock being issued in a name other than the Holder’s name until the Trustee receives a sum sufficient to pay any tax that is due by such Holder in accordance with the immediately preceding sentence.

(f) Except as provided in ‎Section 14.04, no adjustment shall be made for dividends on any shares of Common Stock issued upon the conversion of any Note as provided in this Article 14.

(g) Upon the conversion of an interest in a Global Note, the Trustee, or the Custodian at the direction of the Trustee, shall make a notation on such Global Note as to the reduction in the principal amount represented thereby. The Company shall notify the Trustee in writing of any conversion of Notes effected through any Conversion Agent other than the Trustee.

(h) Upon conversion, a Holder shall not receive any separate cash payment for accrued and unpaid interest, if any, except as set forth below. The Company’s settlement of the full Conversion Obligation shall be deemed to satisfy in full its obligation to pay the principal amount of the Note and accrued and unpaid interest, if any, to, but not including, the relevant Conversion Date. As a result, accrued and unpaid interest, if any, to, but not including, the relevant Conversion Date shall be deemed to be paid in full rather than cancelled, extinguished or forfeited. Upon a conversion of Notes, any accrued and unpaid interest shall be deemed to be paid first out of the cash paid upon such conversion. Notwithstanding the foregoing, if Notes are converted after the close of business on a Special Interest Record Date for the payment of Special Interest but prior to the open of business on the corresponding Special Interest Payment Date, Holders of such Notes as of the close of business on such Special Interest Record Date will receive the full amount of any Special Interest payable on such Notes on such Special Interest Payment Date notwithstanding the conversion. Notes surrendered for conversion during the period from the close of business on any Special Interest Record Date to the open of business on

68


 

the immediately following Special Interest Payment Date must be accompanied by funds equal to the amount of any Special Interest payable on the Notes so converted; provided that no such payment shall be required (1) for conversions following the close of business on August 1, 2031, (if and to the extent any Special Interest is payable on the Maturity Date); (2) for conversions of Called Notes if the Company has specified a Redemption Date that is after a Special Interest Record Date and on or prior to the second Business Day immediately following the corresponding Special Interest Payment Date; (3) if the Company has specified a Fundamental Change Repurchase Date that is after a Special Interest Record Date and on or prior to the Business Day immediately following the corresponding Special Interest Payment Date; or (4) to the extent of any overdue interest, if any overdue interest exists at the time of conversion with respect to such Note. Therefore, for the avoidance of doubt, all Holders of record on August 1, 2031 (if and to the extent Special Interest is payable on the Maturity Date) shall receive the full Special Interest payment due on the Maturity Date in cash regardless of whether their Notes have been converted following August 1, 2031.

(i) The Person in whose name any shares of Common Stock shall be issuable upon conversion shall be treated as a stockholder of record of such shares of Common Stock as of the close of business on the last Trading Day of the relevant Observation Period. Upon a conversion of Notes, such Person shall no longer be a Holder of such Notes surrendered for conversion.

(j) The Company shall not issue any fractional share of Common Stock upon conversion of the Notes and shall instead pay cash in lieu of delivering any fractional share of Common Stock issuable upon conversion based on the Daily VWAP for the last Trading Day of the relevant Observation Period. For each Note surrendered for conversion, the full number of shares, if any, that shall be issued upon conversion thereof shall be computed on the basis of the aggregate Daily Settlement Amounts for the relevant Observation Period and any fractional shares remaining after such computation shall be paid in cash.

Section 14.03. Increased Conversion Rate Applicable to Certain Notes Surrendered in Connection with Make-Whole Fundamental Changes or a Notice of Redemption.

(a) If (i) the Effective Date of a Make-Whole Fundamental Change occurs prior to the Maturity Date and a Holder elects to convert its Notes in connection with such Make-Whole Fundamental Change or (ii) the Company delivers a Notice of Redemption as provided under ‎Section 16.02 and a Holder elects to convert its Called Notes in connection with such Notice of Redemption, as the case may be, the Company shall, under the circumstances described below, increase the Conversion Rate for the Notes so surrendered for conversion by a number of additional shares of Common Stock (the “Additional Shares”), as described below. A conversion of Notes shall be deemed for these purposes to be “in connection with” a Make-Whole Fundamental Change if the relevant Conversion Date occurs during the period from, and including, the Effective Date of the Make-Whole Fundamental Change up to, and including, the Business Day immediately prior to the related Fundamental Change Repurchase Date (or, in the case of an Exempted Fundamental Change or a Make-Whole Fundamental Change that would have been a Fundamental Change but for the proviso in clause (b) of the definition thereof, the 35th Trading Day immediately following the Effective Date of such Make-Whole Fundamental

69


 

Change) (such period, the “Make-Whole Fundamental Change Period”). A conversion of Notes shall be deemed for these purposes to be “in connection with” a Notice of Redemption if such Notes are Called Notes with respect to such Notice of Redemption and the relevant Conversion Date occurs during the related Redemption Period. For the avoidance of doubt, if the Company elects to redeem fewer than all of the outstanding Notes pursuant to ‎‎Article 16, Holders of the Notes that are not Called Notes will not be entitled to convert such Notes pursuant to‎ ‎Section 14.01(b)(v) and will not be entitled to an increase in the Conversion Rate for conversions of such Notes (on account of the Notice of Redemption) during the applicable Redemption Period, even if such Notes are otherwise convertible pursuant to ‎Section 14.01(b)(i)-‎(iv).

(b) Upon surrender of Notes for conversion in connection with a Make-Whole Fundamental Change or a Notice of Redemption, the Company shall pay or deliver, as the case may be, the Settlement Amount due in respect of such Notes in accordance with ‎Section 14.02 based on the Conversion Rate as increased to reflect the Additional Shares in accordance with this ‎Section 14.03; provided, however, that if, at the effective time of a Make-Whole Fundamental Change described in clause (b) of the definition of Fundamental Change, the Reference Property following such Make-Whole Fundamental Change is composed entirely of cash, for any conversion of Notes following the Effective Date of such Make-Whole Fundamental Change, the Conversion Obligation shall be calculated based solely on the Stock Price for the transaction and shall be deemed to be an amount of cash per $1,000 principal amount of converted Notes equal to the Conversion Rate (including any increase to reflect the Additional Shares), multiplied by such Stock Price. In such event, the Conversion Obligation shall be determined and paid to Holders in cash on the fifth Business Day following the Conversion Date. The Company shall notify the Holders, the Trustee and the Conversion Agent (if other than the Trustee) in writing of the Effective Date of any Make-Whole Fundamental Change no later than five Business Days after such Effective Date.

(c) The number of Additional Shares, if any, by which the Conversion Rate shall be increased for conversions in connection with a Make-Whole Fundamental Change or a Notice of Redemption shall be determined by reference to the table below, based on the date on which the Make-Whole Fundamental Change occurs or becomes effective or the date the Company delivers the Notice of Redemption, as the case may be (in each case, the “Effective Date”), and the price (the “Stock Price”) paid (or deemed to be paid) per share of the Common Stock in the Make-Whole Fundamental Change or determined with respect to the Notice of Redemption, as the case may be. If the holders of the Common Stock receive in exchange for their Common Stock only cash in a Make-Whole Fundamental Change described in clause (b) of the definition of Fundamental Change, the Stock Price shall be the cash amount paid per share. Otherwise, the Stock Price shall be the average of the Last Reported Sale Prices of the Common Stock over the five consecutive Trading Day period ending on, and including, the Trading Day immediately preceding the applicable Effective Date. If a conversion of Called Notes during a Redemption Period would also be deemed to be in connection with a Make-Whole Fundamental Change, a Holder of any such Notes to be converted shall be entitled to a single increase to the Conversion Rate with respect to the first to occur of the Effective Date of the Notice of Redemption or the

70


 

Make-Whole Fundamental Change, as applicable, and the later event shall be deemed not to have occurred for purposes of such conversion for purposes of this ‎Section 14.03.

(d) The Stock Prices set forth in the column headings of the table below shall be adjusted as of any date on which the Conversion Rate of the Notes is otherwise adjusted. The adjusted Stock Prices shall equal the Stock Prices applicable immediately prior to such adjustment, multiplied by a fraction, the numerator of which is the Conversion Rate immediately prior to such adjustment giving rise to the Stock Price adjustment and the denominator of which is the Conversion Rate as so adjusted. The number of Additional Shares set forth in the table below shall be adjusted in the same manner and at the same time as the Conversion Rate as set forth in ‎Section 14.04.

(e) The following table sets forth the number of Additional Shares by which the Conversion Rate shall be increased per $1,000 principal amount of Notes pursuant to this ‎Section 14.03 for each Stock Price and Effective Date set forth below:

 

 

Stock Price

Effective Date

$97.19

$100.00

$110.00

$120.00

$130.00

$145.79

$150.00

$170.00

$189.52

$200.00

$250.00

$300.00

$400.00

$500.00

$700.00

$875.00

August 18, 2026

3.4297

3.2727

2.7905

2.4031

2.0870

1.6945

1.6071

1.2652

1.0187

0.9120

0.5604

0.3614

0.1620

0.0746

0.0119

0.0000

August 15, 2027

3.4297

3.2727

2.7905

2.4031

2.0812

1.6698

1.5787

1.2245

0.9719

0.8635

0.5119

0.3185

0.1323

0.0554

0.0056

0.0000

August 15, 2028

3.4297

3.2727

2.7905

2.3837

2.0310

1.6000

1.5053

1.1408

0.8853

0.7771

0.4350

0.2554

0.0934

0.0330

0.0001

0.0000

August 15, 2029

3.4297

3.2727

2.7444

2.2747

1.9001

1.4496

1.3520

0.9829

0.7321

0.6286

0.3164

0.1663

0.0469

0.0108

0.0000

0.0000

August 15, 2030

3.4297

3.2189

2.5458

2.0241

1.6170

1.1445

1.0456

0.6873

0.4630

0.3766

0.1457

0.0576

0.0068

0.0000

0.0000

0.0000

August 15, 2031

3.4297

3.1406

2.2315

1.4739

0.8329

0.0000

0.0000

0.0000

0.0000

0.0000

0.0000

0.0000

0.0000

0.0000

0.0000

0.0000

 

The exact Stock Price and Effective Date may not be set forth in the table above, in which case:

(i) if the Stock Price is between two Stock Prices in the table above or the Effective Date is between two Effective Dates in the table, the number of Additional Shares by which the Conversion Rate shall be increased shall be determined by a straight-line interpolation between the number of Additional Shares set forth for the higher and lower Stock Prices and the earlier and later Effective Dates, as applicable, based on a 365-day year;

(ii) if the Stock Price is greater than $875.00 per share (subject to adjustment in the same manner as the Stock Prices set forth in the column headings of the table above pursuant to subsection (d) of this Section 14.03), no Additional Shares shall be added to the Conversion Rate; and

(iii) if the Stock Price is less than $97.19 per share (subject to adjustment in the same manner as the Stock Prices set forth in the column headings of the table above pursuant to subsection (d) of this Section 14.03), no Additional Shares shall be added to the Conversion Rate.

71


 

Notwithstanding the foregoing, in no event shall the Conversion Rate per $1,000 principal amount of Notes exceed 10.2891 shares of Common Stock, subject to adjustment in the same manner as the Conversion Rate pursuant to ‎Section 14.04.

(f) Nothing in this ‎Section 14.03 shall prevent an adjustment to the Conversion Rate that would otherwise be required pursuant to ‎Section 14.04 in respect of a Make-Whole Fundamental Change.

Section 14.04. Adjustment of Conversion Rate. The Conversion Rate shall be adjusted from time to time by the Company if any of the following events occur, except that the Company shall not make any adjustments to the Conversion Rate if Holders of the Notes participate (other than in the case of (x) a share split or share combination or (y) a tender or exchange offer), at the same time and upon the same terms as holders of the Common Stock and solely as a result of holding the Notes, in any of the transactions described in this ‎Section 14.04, without having to convert their Notes, as if they held a number of shares of Common Stock equal to the Conversion Rate, multiplied by the principal amount (expressed in thousands) of Notes held by such Holder.

(a) If the Company exclusively issues shares of Common Stock as a dividend or distribution on shares of the Common Stock, or if the Company effects a share split or share combination, the Conversion Rate shall be adjusted based on the following formula:

https://cdn.kscope.io/08a2b33b4db3bc012ec960bc041c0ff6-img47977683_0.jpg

where,

 

CR0

=

the Conversion Rate in effect immediately prior to the open of business on the Ex-Dividend Date of such dividend or distribution, or immediately prior to the open of business on the Effective Date of such share split or share combination, as applicable;

CR'

=

the Conversion Rate in effect immediately after the open of business on such Ex-Dividend Date or Effective Date;

OS0

=

the number of shares of Common Stock outstanding immediately prior to the open of business on such Ex-Dividend Date or Effective Date (before giving effect to any such dividend, distribution, split or combination); and

OS'

=

the number of shares of Common Stock outstanding immediately after giving effect to such dividend, distribution, share split or share combination.

 

Any adjustment made under this ‎Section 14.04(a) shall become effective immediately after the open of business on the Ex-Dividend Date for such dividend or distribution, or immediately after the open of business on the Effective Date for such share split or share combination, as applicable. If any dividend or distribution of the type described in this ‎Section 14.04(a) is

72


 

declared but not so paid or made, the Conversion Rate shall be immediately readjusted, effective as of the date the Board of Directors determines not to pay such dividend or distribution, to the Conversion Rate that would then be in effect if such dividend or distribution had not been declared.

(b) If the Company distributes to all or substantially all holders of the Common Stock any rights, options or warrants (other than pursuant to a stockholder rights plan) entitling them, for a period of not more than 60 calendar days after the announcement date of such distribution, to subscribe for or purchase shares of the Common Stock at a price per share that is less than the average of the Last Reported Sale Prices of the Common Stock for the 10 consecutive Trading Day period ending on, and including, the Trading Day immediately preceding the date of announcement of such distribution, the Conversion Rate shall be increased based on the following formula:

https://cdn.kscope.io/08a2b33b4db3bc012ec960bc041c0ff6-img47977683_1.jpg

where,

 

CR0

=

the Conversion Rate in effect immediately prior to the open of business on the Ex-Dividend Date for such distribution;

CR'

=

the Conversion Rate in effect immediately after the open of business on such Ex-Dividend Date;

OS0

=

the number of shares of Common Stock outstanding immediately prior to the open of business on such Ex-Dividend Date;

X

=

the total number of shares of Common Stock issuable pursuant to such rights, options or warrants; and

Y

=

the number of shares of Common Stock equal to the aggregate price payable to exercise such rights, options or warrants, divided by the average of the Last Reported Sale Prices of the Common Stock over the 10 consecutive Trading Day period ending on, and including, the Trading Day immediately preceding the date of announcement of the distribution of such rights, options or warrants.

 

Any increase made under this ‎Section 14.04(b) shall be made successively whenever any such rights, options or warrants are distributed and shall become effective immediately after the open of business on the Ex-Dividend Date for such distribution. To the extent that shares of the Common Stock are not delivered after the expiration of such rights, options or warrants, the Conversion Rate shall be decreased to the Conversion Rate that would then be in effect had the increase with respect to the distribution of such rights, options or warrants been made on the basis of delivery of only the number of shares of Common Stock actually delivered. If such rights, options or warrants are not so distributed, the Conversion Rate shall be decreased to the Conversion Rate that would then be in effect if such Ex-Dividend Date for such distribution had not occurred.

73


 

For purposes of this ‎Section 14.04(b) and for the purpose of ‎Section 14.01(b)(ii)(A), in determining whether any rights, options or warrants entitle the holders of Common Stock to subscribe for or purchase shares of the Common Stock at a price per share that is less than such average of the Last Reported Sale Prices of the Common Stock for the 10 consecutive Trading Day period ending on, and including, the Trading Day immediately preceding the date of announcement of such distribution, and in determining the aggregate offering price of such shares of Common Stock, there shall be taken into account any consideration received by the Company for such rights, options or warrants and any amount payable on exercise or conversion thereof, the value of such consideration, if other than cash, to be determined by the Company in good faith.

(c) If the Company distributes shares of its Capital Stock, evidences of its indebtedness, other assets or property of the Company or rights, options or warrants to acquire its Capital Stock or other securities, to all or substantially all holders of the Common Stock, excluding (i) dividends, distributions or issuances (including share splits) as to which an adjustment was effected pursuant to ‎Section 14.04(a) or ‎Section 14.04(b), (ii) except as otherwise provided in Section 14.11, rights issued pursuant to any stockholder rights plan of the Company then in effect, (iii) distributions of Reference Property issued in exchange for, or upon conversion of, Common Stock in a Share Exchange Event, (iv) dividends or distributions paid exclusively in cash as to which the provisions set forth in ‎Section 14.04(d) shall apply, and (v) Spin-Offs as to which the provisions set forth below in this ‎Section 14.04(c) shall apply (any of such shares of Capital Stock, evidences of indebtedness, other assets or property or rights, options or warrants to acquire Capital Stock or other securities, the “Distributed Property”), then the Conversion Rate shall be increased based on the following formula:

https://cdn.kscope.io/08a2b33b4db3bc012ec960bc041c0ff6-img47977683_2.jpg

where,

 

CR0

=

the Conversion Rate in effect immediately prior to the open of business on the Ex-Dividend Date for such distribution;

CR'

=

the Conversion Rate in effect immediately after the open of business on such Ex-Dividend Date;

SP0

=

the average of the Last Reported Sale Prices of the Common Stock over the 10 consecutive Trading Day period ending on, and including, the Trading Day immediately preceding the Ex-Dividend Date for such distribution; and

FMV

=

the fair market value (as determined by the Company in good faith) of the Distributed Property with respect to each outstanding share of the Common Stock on the Ex-Dividend Date for such distribution.

 

74


 

Any increase made under the portion of this ‎Section 14.04(c) above shall become effective immediately after the open of business on the Ex-Dividend Date for such distribution. If such distribution is not so paid or made, the Conversion Rate shall be decreased to the Conversion Rate that would then be in effect if such distribution had not been declared. Notwithstanding the foregoing, if “FMV” (as defined above) is equal to or greater than “SP0” (as defined above), in lieu of the foregoing increase, each Holder of a Note shall receive, in respect of each $1,000 principal amount thereof, at the same time and upon the same terms as holders of the Common Stock receive the Distributed Property, without having to convert its Notes, the amount and kind of Distributed Property such Holder would have received if such Holder owned a number of shares of Common Stock equal to the Conversion Rate in effect on the Ex-Dividend Date for the distribution.

With respect to an adjustment pursuant to this ‎Section 14.04(c) where there has been a payment of a dividend or other distribution on the Common Stock of shares of Capital Stock of any class or series, or similar equity interest, of or relating to a Subsidiary or other business unit of the Company, that are, or, when issued, will be, listed or admitted for trading on a U.S. national securities exchange (a “Spin-Off”), the Conversion Rate shall be increased based on the following formula:

https://cdn.kscope.io/08a2b33b4db3bc012ec960bc041c0ff6-img47977683_3.jpg

where,

 

CR0

=

the Conversion Rate in effect immediately prior to the end of the Valuation Period;

CR'

=

the Conversion Rate in effect immediately after the end of the Valuation Period;

FMV0

=

the average of the Last Reported Sale Prices of the Capital Stock or similar equity interest distributed to holders of the Common Stock applicable to one share of the Common Stock (determined by reference to the definition of Last Reported Sale Price as set forth in ‎Section 1.01 as if references therein to Common Stock were to such Capital Stock or similar equity interest) over the first 10 consecutive Trading Day period after, and including, the Ex-Dividend Date of the Spin-Off (the “Valuation Period”); and

MP0

=

the average of the Last Reported Sale Prices of the Common Stock over the Valuation Period.

 

The increase to the Conversion Rate under the preceding paragraph shall occur at the close of business on the last Trading Day of the Valuation Period; provided that, in respect of any conversion of Notes, for any Trading Day that falls within the relevant Observation Period for the relevant conversion and within the Valuation Period, the reference to “10” in the preceding paragraph shall be deemed to be replaced with such lesser number of Trading Days as have elapsed from, and including, the Ex-Dividend Date of such Spin-Off to, and including, such

75


 

Trading Day in determining the Conversion Rate as of such Trading Day of such Observation Period. If any dividend or distribution that constitutes a Spin-Off is declared but not so paid or made, the Conversion Rate shall be immediately decreased, effective as of the date the Board of Directors determines not to pay or make such dividend or distribution, to the Conversion Rate that would then be in effect if such dividend or distribution had not been declared or announced.

For purposes of this ‎Section 14.04(c) (and subject in all respect to ‎Section 14.11), rights, options or warrants distributed by the Company to all holders of the Common Stock entitling them to subscribe for or purchase shares of the Company’s Capital Stock, including Common Stock (either initially or under certain circumstances), which rights, options or warrants, until the occurrence of a specified event or events (“Trigger Event”): (i) are deemed to be transferred with such shares of the Common Stock; (ii) are not exercisable; and (iii) are also issued in respect of future issuances of the Common Stock, shall be deemed not to have been distributed for purposes of this ‎Section 14.04(c) (and no adjustment to the Conversion Rate under this ‎Section 14.04(c) will be required) until the occurrence of the earliest Trigger Event, whereupon such rights, options or warrants shall be deemed to have been distributed and an appropriate adjustment (if any is required) to the Conversion Rate shall be made under this ‎Section 14.04(c). If any such right, option or warrant, including any such existing rights, options or warrants distributed prior to the date of this Indenture, are subject to events, upon the occurrence of which such rights, options or warrants become exercisable to purchase different securities, evidences of indebtedness or other assets, then the date of the occurrence of any and each such event shall be deemed to be the date of distribution and Ex-Dividend Date with respect to new rights, options or warrants with such rights (in which case the existing rights, options or warrants shall be deemed to terminate and expire on such date without exercise by any of the holders thereof). In addition, in the event of any distribution (or deemed distribution) of rights, options or warrants, or any Trigger Event or other event (of the type described in the immediately preceding sentence) with respect thereto that was counted for purposes of calculating a distribution amount for which an adjustment to the Conversion Rate under this ‎Section 14.04(c) was made, (1) in the case of any such rights, options or warrants that shall all have been redeemed or purchased without exercise by any holders thereof, upon such final redemption or purchase (x) the Conversion Rate shall be readjusted as if such rights, options or warrants had not been issued and (y) the Conversion Rate shall then again be readjusted to give effect to such distribution, deemed distribution or Trigger Event, as the case may be, as though it were a cash distribution, equal to the per share redemption or purchase price received by a holder or holders of Common Stock with respect to such rights, options or warrants (assuming such holder had retained such rights, options or warrants), made to all holders of Common Stock as of the date of such redemption or purchase, and (2) in the case of such rights, options or warrants that shall have expired or been terminated without exercise by any holders thereof, the Conversion Rate shall be readjusted as if such rights, options and warrants had not been issued.

For purposes of ‎Section 14.04(a), ‎Section 14.04(b) and this ‎Section 14.04(c), if any dividend or distribution to which this ‎Section 14.04(c) is applicable also includes one or both of:

(A) a dividend or distribution of shares of Common Stock to which ‎Section 14.04(a) is applicable (the “Clause A Distribution”); or

76


 

(B) a dividend or distribution of rights, options or warrants to which ‎Section 14.04(b) is applicable (the “Clause B Distribution”),

then, in either case, (1) such dividend or distribution, other than the Clause A Distribution and the Clause B Distribution, shall be deemed to be a dividend or distribution to which this ‎Section 14.04(c) is applicable (the “Clause C Distribution”) and any Conversion Rate adjustment required by this ‎Section 14.04(c) with respect to such Clause C Distribution shall then be made, and (2) the Clause A Distribution and Clause B Distribution shall be deemed to immediately follow the Clause C Distribution and any Conversion Rate adjustment required by ‎Section 14.04(a) and ‎Section 14.04(b) with respect thereto shall then be made, except that, if determined by the Company (I) the “Ex-Dividend Date” of the Clause A Distribution and the Clause B Distribution shall be deemed to be the Ex-Dividend Date of the Clause C Distribution and (II) any shares of Common Stock included in the Clause A Distribution or Clause B Distribution shall be deemed not to be “outstanding immediately prior to the open of business on such Ex-Dividend Date or Effective Date” within the meaning of ‎Section 14.04(a) or “outstanding immediately prior to the open of business on such Ex-Dividend Date” within the meaning of ‎Section 14.04(b).

(d) If the Company makes any cash dividend or distribution to all or substantially all holders of the Common Stock, the Conversion Rate shall be adjusted based on the following formula:

CR' = CR0 ×

SP0

SP0 − C

where,

 

CR0

=

the Conversion Rate in effect immediately prior to the open of business on the Ex-Dividend Date for such dividend or distribution;

CR'

=

the Conversion Rate in effect immediately after the open of business on the Ex-Dividend Date for such dividend or distribution;

SP0

=

the Last Reported Sale Price of the Common Stock on the Trading Day immediately preceding the Ex-Dividend Date for such dividend or distribution; and

C

=

the amount in cash per share the Company distributes to all or substantially all holders of the Common Stock.

 

Any increase pursuant to this ‎Section 14.04(d) shall become effective immediately after the open of business on the Ex-Dividend Date for such dividend or distribution. If such dividend or distribution is not so paid, the Conversion Rate shall be decreased, effective as of the date the Board of Directors determines not to make or pay such dividend or distribution, to be the Conversion Rate that would then be in effect if such dividend or distribution had not been declared. Notwithstanding the foregoing, if “C” (as defined above) is equal to or greater than “SP0” (as defined above), in lieu of the foregoing increase, each Holder of a Note shall receive,

77


 

for each $1,000 principal amount of Notes it holds, at the same time and upon the same terms as holders of shares of the Common Stock, without having to convert its Notes, the amount of cash that such Holder would have received if such Holder owned a number of shares of Common Stock equal to the Conversion Rate on the Ex-Dividend Date for such cash dividend or distribution.

(e) If the Company or any of its Subsidiaries make a payment in respect of a tender or exchange offer for the Common Stock that is subject to the then-applicable tender offer rules under the Exchange Act (other than any odd-lot tender offer), to the extent that the cash and value of any other consideration included in the payment per share of the Common Stock exceeds the average of the Last Reported Sale Prices of the Common Stock over the 10 consecutive Trading Day period commencing on, and including, the Trading Day next succeeding the last date on which tenders or exchanges may be made pursuant to such tender or exchange offer, the Conversion Rate shall be increased based on the following formula:

https://cdn.kscope.io/08a2b33b4db3bc012ec960bc041c0ff6-img47977683_4.jpg

where,

 

CR0

=

the Conversion Rate in effect immediately prior to the close of business on the 10th Trading Day immediately following, and including, the Trading Day next succeeding the date such tender or exchange offer expires;

CR'

=

the Conversion Rate in effect immediately after the close of business on the 10th Trading Day immediately following, and including, the Trading Day next succeeding the date such tender or exchange offer expires;

AC

=

the aggregate value of all cash and any other consideration (as determined by the Company in good faith) paid or payable for shares of Common Stock purchased in such tender or exchange offer;

OS0

=

the number of shares of Common Stock outstanding immediately prior to the date such tender or exchange offer expires (prior to giving effect to the purchase of all shares of Common Stock accepted for purchase or exchange in such tender or exchange offer);

OS'

=

the number of shares of Common Stock outstanding immediately after the date such tender or exchange offer expires (after giving effect to the purchase of all shares of Common Stock accepted for purchase or exchange in such tender or exchange offer); and

SP'

=

the average of the Last Reported Sale Prices of the Common Stock over the 10 consecutive Trading Day period commencing on, and including, the Trading Day next succeeding the date such tender or exchange offer expires.

 

78


 

The increase to the Conversion Rate under this ‎Section 14.04(e) shall occur at the close of business on the 10th Trading Day immediately following, and including, the Trading Day next succeeding the date such tender or exchange offer expires; provided that, in respect of any conversion of Notes, for any Trading Day that falls within the relevant Observation Period for the relevant conversion and within the 10 Trading Days immediately following, and including, the Trading Day next succeeding the expiration date of any tender or exchange offer, references to “10” or “10th” in the preceding paragraph shall be deemed replaced with such lesser number of Trading Days as have elapsed from, and including, the Trading Day next succeeding the expiration date of such tender or exchange offer to, and including, such Trading Day in determining the Conversion Rate as of such Trading Day of such Observation Period.

If the Company or one of its Subsidiaries is obligated to purchase shares of Common Stock pursuant to any such tender or exchange offer described in this ‎Section 14.04(e) but the Company or such Subsidiary is permanently prevented by applicable law from effecting any such purchase or all such purchases are rescinded, the Conversion Rate shall be readjusted to be the Conversion Rate that would then be in effect if such tender or exchange offer had not been made or had been made only in respect of the purchases that have been made.

(f) Except as stated herein, the Company shall not adjust the Conversion Rate for the issuance of shares of the Common Stock or any securities convertible into or exchangeable for shares of the Common Stock or the right to purchase shares of the Common Stock or such convertible or exchangeable securities.

(g) In addition to those adjustments required by clauses ‎(a), ‎(b), ‎(c), ‎(d) and ‎(e) of this ‎Section 14.04, and subject to applicable exchange listing rules, the Company from time to time may increase the Conversion Rate by any amount for a period of at least 20 Business Days if the Company determines that such increase would be in the Company’s best interest. In addition, subject to applicable exchange listing rules, the Company may (but is not required to) increase the Conversion Rate to avoid or diminish any income tax to holders of Common Stock or rights to purchase shares of Common Stock in connection with a dividend or distribution of shares of Common Stock (or rights to acquire shares of Common Stock) or similar event.

(h) Notwithstanding anything to the contrary in this ‎Article 14, the Conversion Rate shall not be adjusted:

(i) upon the issuance of any shares of Common Stock at a price below the Conversion Price or otherwise, other than any such issuance described in clause (a), (b) or (c) of this Section 14.04;

(ii) upon the issuance of any shares of Common Stock pursuant to any present or future plan providing for the reinvestment of dividends or interest payable on the Company’s securities and the investment of additional optional amounts in shares of Common Stock under any plan;

(iii) upon the issuance of any shares of Common Stock or options or rights to purchase those shares pursuant to any present or future employee, director or consultant

79


 

benefit or incentive plan or program (including pursuant to any evergreen plan) of or assumed by the Company or any of the Company’s Subsidiaries;

(iv) upon the issuance of any shares of the Common Stock pursuant to any option, warrant, right or exercisable, exchangeable or convertible security not described in clause ‎(iii) of this subsection and outstanding as of the date the Notes were first issued;

(v) for a third-party tender offer by any party other than a tender offer by one or more of the Company’s Subsidiaries as described in clause (e) of this Section 14.04;

(vi) upon the repurchase of any shares of Common Stock pursuant to an open market share purchase program or other buy-back transaction, including structured or derivative transactions such as accelerated share repurchase transactions or similar forward derivatives, or other buy-back transaction, that is not a tender offer or exchange offer of the kind described under clause (e) of this Section 14.04;

(vii) solely for a change in the par value (or lack of par value) of the Common Stock; or

(viii) for accrued and unpaid interest, if any.

(i) All calculations and other determinations under this ‎Article 14 shall be made by the Company and shall be made to the nearest one-ten thousandth (1/10,000th) of a share.

(j) If an adjustment to the Conversion Rate otherwise required by this Section 14.04 would result in a change of less than 1% to the Conversion Rate, then, notwithstanding the foregoing, the Company may, at its election, defer and carry forward such adjustment, except that all such deferred adjustments must be given effect immediately upon the earliest to occur of the following: (i) when all such deferred adjustments would result in an aggregate change of at least 1% to the Conversion Rate, (ii) on each Trading Day of any Observation Period related to any conversion of Notes, (iii) May 15, 2031, (iv) on any date on which the Company delivers a Notice of Redemption and (v) on the effective date of any Fundamental Change and/or Make-Whole Fundamental Change, in each case, unless the adjustment has already been made.

(k) Whenever the Conversion Rate is adjusted as herein provided, the Company shall promptly file with the Trustee (and the Conversion Agent if not the Trustee) an Officer’s Certificate setting forth the Conversion Rate after such adjustment and setting forth a brief statement of the facts requiring such adjustment. Unless and until a Responsible Officer of the Trustee shall have received such Officer’s Certificate, the Trustee shall not be deemed to have knowledge of any adjustment of the Conversion Rate and may assume without inquiry that the last Conversion Rate of which it has knowledge is still in effect. Promptly after delivery of such certificate, the Company shall prepare a notice of such adjustment of the Conversion Rate setting forth the adjusted Conversion Rate and the date on which each adjustment becomes effective and shall deliver such notice of such adjustment of the Conversion Rate to each Holder. Failure to deliver such notice shall not affect the legality or validity of any such adjustment.

80


 

(l) For purposes of this ‎Section 14.04, the number of shares of Common Stock at any time outstanding shall not include shares of Common Stock held in the treasury of the Company so long as the Company does not pay any dividend or make any distribution on shares of Common Stock held in the treasury of the Company, but shall include shares of Common Stock issuable in respect of scrip certificates issued in lieu of fractions of shares of Common Stock.

Section 14.05. Adjustments of Prices. Whenever any provision of this Indenture requires the Company to calculate the Last Reported Sale Prices, the Daily VWAPs, the Daily Conversion Values, the Daily Net Settlement Amounts or the Daily Settlement Amounts over a span of multiple days (including, without limitation, an Observation Period and the period, if any, for determining the Stock Price for purposes of a Make-Whole Fundamental Change or a Notice of Redemption), the Company shall, in good faith, make appropriate adjustments (without duplication in respect of any adjustment made pursuant to ‎Section 14.04) to each to account for any adjustment to the Conversion Rate that becomes effective, or any event requiring an adjustment to the Conversion Rate where the Ex-Dividend Date, Effective Date or expiration date, as the case may be, of the event occurs at any time during the period when the Last Reported Sale Prices, the Daily VWAPs, the Daily Conversion Values, the Daily Net Settlement Amounts or the Daily Settlement Amounts are to be calculated.

Section 14.06. Shares To Be Fully Paid. The Company shall at all times reserve, free from preemptive rights, out of its authorized but unissued shares or shares held in treasury, a number of shares of Common Stock equal to the product of (a) the number of outstanding Notes and (b) the Conversion Rate (assuming the Conversion Rate has been increased by the maximum number of Additional Shares pursuant to ‎Section 14.03), or such lesser number of shares of Common Stock sufficient, to provide for conversion of the Notes from time to time as such Notes are presented for conversion.

Section 14.07. Effect of Recapitalizations, Reclassifications and Changes of the Common Stock.

(a) In the case of:

(i) any recapitalization, reclassification or change of the Common Stock (other than a change to par value, or from par value to no par value, or changes resulting from a subdivision or combination),

(ii) any consolidation, merger, combination or similar transaction involving the Company,

(iii) any sale, lease or other transfer to a third party of the consolidated assets of the Company and the Company’s Subsidiaries substantially as an entirety or

(iv) any statutory share exchange,

in each case, as a result of which the Common Stock would be converted into, or exchanged for, stock, other securities, other property or assets (including cash or any combination thereof) (any

81


 

such event, a “Share Exchange Event”), then, at and after the effective time of such Share Exchange Event, the right to convert each $1,000 principal amount of Notes shall be changed into a right to convert such principal amount of Notes into the kind and amount of shares of stock, other securities or other property or assets (including cash or any combination thereof) that a holder of a number of shares of Common Stock equal to the Conversion Rate immediately prior to such Share Exchange Event would have owned or been entitled to receive (the “Reference Property,” with each “unit of Reference Property” meaning the kind and amount of Reference Property that a holder of one share of Common Stock is entitled to receive) upon such Share Exchange Event and, prior to or at the effective time of such Share Exchange Event, the Company or the successor or acquiring Person, as the case may be, shall execute with the Trustee a supplemental indenture permitted under ‎Section 10.01(g) providing for such change in the right to convert each $1,000 principal amount of Notes; provided, however, that at and after the effective time of the Share Exchange Event (A) the Company or the successor or acquiring Person, as the case may be, shall continue to have the right to elect to determine the form of consideration to be paid or delivered, as the case may be, in respect of the remainder, if any, of the Conversion Obligation in excess of the principal amount of the Notes being converted in accordance with ‎Section 14.02 and (B)(I) the amount payable in cash upon conversion of Notes in accordance with ‎Section 14.02 shall continue to be payable in cash, (II) any shares of Common Stock that the Company would have been required to deliver upon conversion of the Notes in accordance with ‎Section 14.02 shall instead be deliverable in the amount and type of Reference Property that a holder of that number of shares of Common Stock would have received in such Share Exchange Event and (III) the Daily VWAP shall be calculated based on the value of a unit of Reference Property that a holder of one share of Common Stock would have received in such Share Exchange Event.

If the Share Exchange Event causes the Common Stock to be converted into, or exchanged for, the right to receive more than a single type of consideration (determined based in part upon any form of stockholder election), then (i) the Reference Property into which the Notes will be convertible shall be deemed to be the weighted average of the types and amounts of consideration actually received by the holders of Common Stock, and (ii) the unit of Reference Property for purposes of the immediately preceding paragraph shall refer to the consideration referred to in clause (i) attributable to one share of Common Stock. The Company shall notify Holders, the Trustee and the Conversion Agent (if other than the Trustee) in writing of such weighted average as soon as practicable after such determination is made. If the holders of the Common Stock receive only cash in such Share Exchange Event, then for all conversions for which the relevant Conversion Date occurs after the effective date of such Share Exchange Event (A) the consideration due upon conversion of each $1,000 principal amount of Notes shall be solely cash in an amount equal to the Conversion Rate in effect on the Conversion Date (as may be increased by any Additional Shares pursuant to ‎Section 14.03), multiplied by the price paid per share of Common Stock in such Share Exchange Event and (B) the Company shall satisfy the Conversion Obligation by paying cash to converting Holders on the fifth Business Day immediately following the relevant Conversion Date.

82


 

If the Reference Property in respect of any such Share Exchange Event includes, in whole or in part, shares of Common Equity or American depositary receipts (or other Common Equity interests) in respect thereof, such supplemental indenture described in the second immediately preceding paragraph shall provide for anti-dilution and other adjustments that shall be as nearly equivalent as is possible to the adjustments provided for in this ‎Article 14 with respect to the portion of the Reference Property consisting of such Common Equity or American depositary receipts (or other Common Equity interests) in respect thereof. If, in the case of any Share Exchange Event, the Reference Property includes shares of stock, securities or other property or assets (including any combination thereof), other than cash and/or cash equivalents, of a Person other than the Company or the successor or acquiring Person, as the case may be, in such Share Exchange Event, then such supplemental indenture shall also be executed by such other Person, if such Person is an Affiliate of the Company or the successor or acquiring Person, and shall contain such additional provisions to protect the interests of the Holders as the Company shall in good faith reasonably consider necessary by reason of the foregoing, including the provisions providing for the purchase rights set forth in ‎Article 15.

(b) When the Company executes a supplemental indenture pursuant to subsection ‎(a) of this ‎Section 14.07, the Company shall promptly file with the Trustee an Officer’s Certificate briefly stating the reasons therefor, the kind or amount of cash, securities or property or asset that shall comprise a unit of Reference Property after any such Share Exchange Event, any adjustment to be made with respect thereto and that all conditions precedent have been complied with, and shall promptly deliver or cause to be delivered notice thereof to all Holders. The Company shall cause notice of the execution of such supplemental indenture to be delivered to each Holder within 20 days after execution thereof. Failure to deliver such notice shall not affect the legality or validity of such supplemental indenture.

(c) The Company shall not become a party to any Share Exchange Event unless its terms are consistent with this ‎Section 14.07. None of the foregoing provisions shall affect the right of a Holder of Notes to convert its Notes into cash up to the aggregate principal amount of such Notes and cash, shares of Common Stock or a combination of cash and shares of Common Stock, as applicable, in respect of the remainder, if any, of the Conversion Obligation in excess of the aggregate principal amount of such Notes as set forth in ‎Section 14.01 and ‎Section 14.02 prior to the effective date of such Share Exchange Event.

(d) The above provisions of this Section shall similarly apply to successive Share Exchange Events.

Section 14.08. Certain Covenants. (a) The Company covenants that all shares of Common Stock issued upon conversion of Notes shall be fully paid and non-assessable by the Company and free from all taxes, liens and charges with respect to the issue thereof.

(b) The Company covenants that, if any shares of Common Stock to be provided for the purpose of conversion of Notes hereunder require registration with or approval of any governmental authority under any federal or state law before such shares of Common Stock may

83


 

be validly issued upon conversion, the Company shall, to the extent then permitted by the rules and interpretations of the Commission, secure such registration or approval, as the case may be.

(c) The Company further covenants that if at any time the Common Stock shall be listed on any national securities exchange or automated quotation system the Company shall list and keep listed, so long as the Common Stock shall be so listed on such exchange or automated quotation system, any Common Stock issuable upon conversion of the Notes.

Section 14.09. Responsibility of Trustee. The Trustee and any other Conversion Agent shall not at any time be under any duty or responsibility to any Holder to determine the Conversion Rate (or any adjustment thereto) or whether any facts exist that may require any adjustment (including any increase) of the Conversion Rate, or with respect to the nature or extent or calculation of any such adjustment when made, or with respect to the method employed, or herein or in any supplemental indenture provided to be employed, in making the same. The Trustee and any other Conversion Agent shall not be accountable with respect to the validity or value (or the kind or amount) of any shares of Common Stock, or of any securities, property or cash that may at any time be issued or delivered upon the conversion of any Note; and the Trustee and any other Conversion Agent make no representations with respect thereto. Neither the Trustee nor any Conversion Agent shall be responsible for any failure of the Company to issue, transfer or deliver any shares of Common Stock or stock certificates or other securities or property or cash upon the surrender of any Note for the purpose of conversion or to comply with any of the duties, responsibilities or covenants of the Company contained in this Article. Without limiting the generality of the foregoing, neither the Trustee nor any Conversion Agent shall be under any responsibility to determine the correctness of any provisions contained in any supplemental indenture entered into pursuant to ‎Section 14.07 relating either to the kind or amount of shares of stock or securities or property (including cash) receivable by Holders upon the conversion of their Notes after any event referred to in such ‎Section 14.07 or to any adjustment to be made with respect thereto, but, subject to the provisions of ‎Section 7.01, may accept (without any independent investigation) as conclusive evidence of the correctness of any such provisions, and shall be protected in relying upon, the Officer’s Certificate (which the Company shall be obligated to file with the Trustee prior to the execution of any such supplemental indenture) with respect thereto. Neither the Trustee nor the Conversion Agent shall be responsible for determining whether any event contemplated by ‎Section 14.01(b) has occurred that makes the Notes eligible for conversion or no longer eligible therefor until the Company has delivered to the Trustee and the Conversion Agent the notices referred to in ‎Section 14.01(b) with respect to the commencement or termination of such conversion rights, on which notices the Trustee and the Conversion Agent may conclusively rely, and the Company agrees to deliver such notices to the Trustee and the Conversion Agent immediately after the occurrence of any such event or at such other times as shall be provided for in ‎Section 14.01(b).

Section 14.10. [Reserved.]

Section 14.11. Stockholder Rights Plans. If the Company has a stockholder rights plan in effect upon conversion of the Notes, each share of Common Stock, if any, issued upon such conversion shall be entitled to receive the appropriate number of rights, if any, and the

84


 

certificates representing the Common Stock issued upon such conversion shall bear such legends, if any, in each case as may be provided by the terms of any such stockholder rights plan, as the same may be amended from time to time. However, if, prior to any conversion of Notes, the rights have separated from the shares of Common Stock in accordance with the provisions of the applicable stockholder rights plan, the Conversion Rate shall be adjusted at the time of separation as if the Company distributed to all or substantially all holders of the Common Stock Distributed Property as provided in ‎Section 14.04(c), subject to readjustment in the event of the expiration, termination or redemption of such rights.

Section 14.12. Exchange in Lieu of Conversion.

(a) When a Holder surrenders any Notes for conversion, the Company may, at its election (an “Exchange Election”), direct the Conversion Agent to deliver, on or prior to the Trading Day immediately following the Conversion Date, such Notes to one or more financial institutions designated by the Company (each, a “Designated Financial Institution”) for exchange in lieu of conversion. In order to accept any Notes surrendered for conversion, the Designated Financial Institution(s) must agree to timely pay and deliver, as the case may be, in exchange for such Notes, the cash up to the aggregate principal amount of such Notes and cash, shares of Common Stock or a combination thereof in respect of the remainder, if any, of the Conversion Obligation in excess of the aggregate principal amount of such Notes that would otherwise be due upon conversion pursuant to ‎Section 14.02 or such other amount agreed to by the Holder and the Designated Financial Institution(s) (the “Conversion Consideration”). If the Company makes an Exchange Election, the Company shall, by the close of business on the Trading Day following the relevant Conversion Date, notify in writing the Trustee, the Conversion Agent (if other than the Trustee) and the Holder surrendering Notes for conversion that the Company has made the Exchange Election, and the Company shall promptly notify the Designated Financial Institution(s) of the relevant deadline for delivery of the Conversion Consideration and the type of Conversion Consideration to be paid and delivered, as the case may be.

(b) Any Notes delivered to the Designated Financial Institution(s) shall remain outstanding, subject to the applicable procedures of the Depositary. If the Designated Financial Institution(s) agree(s) to accept any Notes for exchange but do(es) not timely pay and deliver, as the case may be, the related Conversion Consideration, or if such Designated Financial Institution(s) do(es) not accept the Notes for exchange, the Company shall pay and deliver, as the case may be, the relevant Conversion Consideration, as, and at the time, required pursuant to this Indenture as if the Company had not made the Exchange Election.

(c) The Company’s designation of any Designated Financial Institution(s) to which the Notes may be submitted for exchange does not require such Designated Financial Institution(s) to accept any Notes.

85


 

Article 15
Repurchase of Notes at Option of Holders

Section 15.01. [Intentionally Omitted].

Section 15.02. Repurchase at Option of Holders Upon a Fundamental Change.

(a) If a Fundamental Change (other than an Exempted Fundamental Change) occurs at any time, each Holder shall have the right, at such Holder’s option, to require the Company to repurchase for cash all of such Holder’s Notes, or any portion of the principal amount thereof properly surrendered and not validly withdrawn pursuant to Section 15.03 that is equal to $1,000 or an integral multiple of $1,000, on the date (the “Fundamental Change Repurchase Date”) specified by the Company that is not less than 20 Business Days or more than 35 Business Days following the date of the Fundamental Change Company Notice at a repurchase price equal to 100% of the principal amount thereof, plus accrued and unpaid Special Interest, if any, thereon to, but excluding, the Fundamental Change Repurchase Date (the “Fundamental Change Repurchase Price”), unless the Fundamental Change Repurchase Date falls after a Special Interest Record Date but on or prior to the Special Interest Payment Date to which such Special Interest Record Date relates, in which case the Company shall instead pay the full amount of accrued and unpaid Special Interest, if any, to Holders of record as of the close of business on such Special Interest Record Date on, or at the Company’s election, before such Special Interest Payment Date, and the Fundamental Change Repurchase Price shall be equal to 100% of the principal amount of Notes to be repurchased pursuant to this ‎Article 15.

(b) Repurchases of Notes under this ‎Section 15.02 shall be made, at the option of the Holder thereof, upon:

(i) delivery to the Paying Agent by a Holder of a duly completed notice (the “Fundamental Change Repurchase Notice”) in the form set forth in Attachment 2 to the Form of Note attached hereto as Exhibit A, if the Notes are Physical Notes, or in compliance with the Depositary’s applicable procedures for surrendering interests in Global Notes, if the Notes are Global Notes, in each case, on or before the close of business on the Business Day immediately preceding the Fundamental Change Repurchase Date; and

(ii) delivery of the Notes, if the Notes are Physical Notes, to the Paying Agent at any time after delivery of the Fundamental Change Repurchase Notice (together with all necessary endorsements for transfer) at the Corporate Trust Office of the Paying Agent, or book-entry transfer of the Notes, if the Notes are Global Notes, in compliance with the applicable procedures of the Depositary, in each case, such delivery or transfer being a condition to receipt by the Holder of the Fundamental Change Repurchase Price therefor.

86


 

The Fundamental Change Repurchase Notice in respect of any Physical Notes to be repurchased shall state:

(i) the certificate numbers of the Notes to be delivered for repurchase;

(ii) the portion of the principal amount of Notes to be repurchased, which must be $1,000 or an integral multiple thereof; and

(iii) that the Notes are to be repurchased by the Company pursuant to the applicable provisions of the Notes and this Indenture.

If the Notes are Global Notes, to exercise the Fundamental Change repurchase right, Holders must surrender their Notes in accordance with applicable Depositary procedures.

Notwithstanding anything herein to the contrary, any Holder delivering to the Paying Agent the Fundamental Change Repurchase Notice contemplated by this ‎Section 15.02 shall have the right to withdraw, in whole or in part, such Fundamental Change Repurchase Notice at any time prior to the close of business on the Business Day immediately preceding the Fundamental Change Repurchase Date by delivery of a written notice of withdrawal to the Paying Agent in accordance with ‎Section 15.03.

The Paying Agent shall promptly notify the Company of the receipt by it of any Fundamental Change Repurchase Notice or written notice of withdrawal thereof.

(c) On or before the 20th Business Day after the occurrence of the effective date of a Fundamental Change, the Company shall provide to all Holders and the Trustee, the Conversion Agent (if other than the Trustee), and the Paying Agent (if other than the Trustee) a notice (the “Fundamental Change Company Notice”) of the occurrence of the effective date of the Fundamental Change and of the resulting repurchase right at the option of the Holders arising as a result thereof. In the case of Physical Notes, such notice shall be delivered by first class mail or, in the case of Global Notes, such notice shall be delivered in accordance with the applicable procedures of the Depositary. Simultaneously with providing such notice, the Company shall publish such information on the Company’s website or through such other public medium as the Company may use at that time. Each Fundamental Change Company Notice shall specify:

(i) the events causing the Fundamental Change;

(ii) the effective date of the Fundamental Change;

(iii) the last date on which a Holder may exercise the repurchase right pursuant to this ‎Article 15;

(iv) the Fundamental Change Repurchase Price;

(v) the Fundamental Change Repurchase Date;

87


 

(vi) the name and address of the Paying Agent and the Conversion Agent, if applicable;

(vii) if applicable, the Conversion Rate and any adjustments to the Conversion Rate as a result of the Fundamental Change (or related Make-Whole Fundamental Change);

(viii) that the Notes with respect to which a Fundamental Change Repurchase Notice has been delivered by a Holder may be converted only if the Holder validly withdraws the Fundamental Change Repurchase Notice in accordance with the terms of this Indenture; and

(ix) the procedures that Holders must follow to require the Company to repurchase their Notes.

No failure of the Company to give the foregoing notices and no defect therein shall limit the Holders’ repurchase rights or affect the validity of the proceedings for the repurchase of the Notes pursuant to this ‎Section 15.02.

At the Company’s written request given at least two (2) Business Days before such notice is to be sent (or such shorter period as shall be acceptable to the Trustee), the Trustee shall give such notice in the Company’s name and at the Company’s expense; provided, however, that, in all cases, the text of such Fundamental Change Company Notice shall be prepared by the Company.

(d) Notwithstanding anything to the contrary in this Article 15, the Company shall not be required to repurchase, or to make an offer to repurchase, the Notes upon a Fundamental Change if a third party makes such an offer in the same manner, at the same time and otherwise in compliance with the requirements for an offer made by the Company as set forth in this Article 15 and such third party purchases all Notes properly surrendered and not validly withdrawn under its offer in the same manner, at the same time and otherwise in compliance with the requirements for an offer made by the Company as set forth above.

(e) Notwithstanding the foregoing, no Notes may be repurchased by the Company on any date at the option of the Holders upon a Fundamental Change if the principal amount of the Notes has been accelerated, and such acceleration has not been rescinded, on or prior to such date (except in the case of an acceleration resulting from a Default by the Company in the payment of the Fundamental Change Repurchase Price with respect to such Notes). The Paying Agent will promptly return to the respective Holders thereof any Physical Notes held by it during the acceleration of the Notes (except in the case of an acceleration resulting from a Default by the Company in the payment of the Fundamental Change Repurchase Price with respect to such Notes), or any instructions for book-entry transfer of the Notes in compliance with the applicable procedures of the Depositary shall be deemed to have been cancelled, and, upon such return or cancellation, as the case may be, the Fundamental Change Repurchase Notice with respect thereto shall be deemed to have been validly withdrawn.

88


 

(f) Notwithstanding anything to the contrary in this ‎Section 15.02, the Company shall not be required to send a Fundamental Change Company Notice, or offer to repurchase or repurchase any Notes, as set forth in this ‎‎Article 15, in connection with a Fundamental Change occurring pursuant to clause (b)(A) or (B) of the definition thereof, if: (i) such Fundamental Change constitutes a Share Exchange Event whose Reference Property consists entirely of cash in U.S. dollars; (ii) immediately after such Fundamental Change, the Notes become immediately convertible (pursuant to ‎‎Section 14.07 and, if applicable, ‎Section 14.03) into consideration that consists solely of U.S. dollars in an amount per $1,000 principal amount of Notes that equals or exceeds the Fundamental Change Repurchase Price per $1,000 principal amount of Notes (calculated assuming that the same includes the maximum amount of any accrued but unpaid Special Interest payable as part of the Fundamental Change Repurchase Price for such Fundamental Change); and (iii) the Company timely sends the notice relating to such Fundamental Change required pursuant to ‎‎Section 14.01(b)(iii). Any Fundamental Change with respect to which, in accordance with the provisions described in this ‎Section 15.02(f), the Company does not offer to repurchase any Notes is referred to as herein as an “Exempted Fundamental Change.”

Section 15.03. Withdrawal of Fundamental Change Repurchase Notice. (a) A Fundamental Change Repurchase Notice may be withdrawn (in whole or in part) in respect of Physical Notes by means of a written notice of withdrawal delivered to the Corporate Trust Office of the Paying Agent in accordance with this ‎Section 15.03 at any time prior to the close of business on the Business Day immediately preceding the Fundamental Change Repurchase Date, specifying:

(i) the principal amount of the Notes with respect to which such notice of withdrawal is being submitted, which must be $1,000 or an integral multiple thereof,

(ii) if Physical Notes have been issued, the certificate number of the Note in respect of which such notice of withdrawal is being submitted, and

(iii) the principal amount, if any, of such Note that remains subject to the original Fundamental Change Repurchase Notice, which portion must be in principal amounts of $1,000 or an integral multiple of $1,000;

If the Notes are Global Notes, Holders must withdraw their Notes subject to repurchase at any time prior to the close of business on the Business Day immediately preceding the Fundamental Change Repurchase Date in accordance with applicable procedures of the Depositary.

Section 15.04. Deposit of Fundamental Change Repurchase Price. (a) The Company will deposit with the Trustee (or other Paying Agent appointed by the Company, or if the Company is acting as its own Paying Agent, set aside, segregate and hold in trust as provided in ‎Section 4.04) on or prior to 11:00 a.m., New York City time, on the Fundamental Change Repurchase Date an amount of money sufficient to repurchase all of the Notes to be repurchased at the appropriate Fundamental Change Repurchase Price. Subject to receipt of funds and/or Notes by the Trustee (or other Paying Agent appointed by the Company), payment for Notes

89


 

surrendered for repurchase (and not validly withdrawn prior to the close of business on the Business Day immediately preceding the Fundamental Change Repurchase Date) will be made on the later of (i) the Fundamental Change Repurchase Date (provided the Holder has satisfied the conditions in ‎Section 15.02) and (ii) the time of book-entry transfer or the delivery of such Note to the Trustee (or other Paying Agent appointed by the Company) by the Holder thereof in the manner required by ‎Section 15.02 by mailing checks for the amount payable to the Holders of such Notes entitled thereto as they shall appear in the Note Register; provided, however, that payments to the Depositary shall be made by wire transfer of immediately available funds to the account of the Depositary or its nominee. The Trustee shall, promptly after such payment and upon written demand by the Company, return to the Company any funds in excess of the Fundamental Change Repurchase Price.

(b) If by 11:00 a.m. New York City time, on the Fundamental Change Repurchase Date, the Trustee (or other Paying Agent appointed by the Company) holds money sufficient to pay the Fundamental Change Repurchase Price (and, to the extent not included in the Fundamental Change Repurchase Price, accrued and unpaid Special Interest, if applicable) of the Notes to be repurchased on such Fundamental Change Repurchase Date, then, with respect to the Notes that have been properly surrendered for repurchase and have not been validly withdrawn, (i) such Notes will cease to be outstanding, (ii) Special Interest, if any, will cease to accrue on such Notes (whether or not book-entry transfer of the Notes has been made or whether or not the Notes have been delivered to the Trustee or Paying Agent) and (iii) all other rights of the Holders of such Notes will terminate (other than the right to receive the Fundamental Change Repurchase Price and, to the extent not included in the Fundamental Change Repurchase Price, accrued and unpaid Special Interest, if applicable).

(c) Upon surrender of a Note that is to be repurchased in part pursuant to ‎Section 15.02, the Company shall execute and the Trustee shall authenticate and deliver to the Holder a new Note in an authorized denomination equal in principal amount to the unrepurchased portion of the Note surrendered.

Section 15.05. Covenant to Comply with Applicable Laws Upon Repurchase of Notes. In connection with any repurchase offer upon a Fundamental Change pursuant to this Article 15, the Company will, if required:

(a) comply with the tender offer rules under the Exchange Act that may then be applicable;

(b) file a Schedule TO or any other required schedule under the Exchange Act; and

(c) otherwise comply in all material respects with all federal and state securities laws in connection with any offer by the Company to repurchase the Notes;

in each case, so as to permit the rights and obligations under this ‎Article 15 to be exercised in the time and in the manner specified in this ‎Article 15.

90


 

To the extent that the provisions of any securities laws or regulations enacted or adopted after the date of this Indenture conflict with the provisions of this Indenture relating to the Company’s obligations to repurchase the Notes upon a Fundamental Change, the Company shall comply with the applicable securities laws and regulations and shall not be deemed to have breached its obligations under such provisions of this Indenture by virtue of such conflict.

Article 16
Optional Redemption

Section 16.01. Optional Redemption. No sinking fund is provided for the Notes. The Notes shall not be redeemable by the Company prior to August 20, 2029. On a Redemption Date on or after August 20, 2029, the Company may redeem (an “Optional Redemption”) for cash all or any portion of the Notes (subject to the Partial Redemption Limitation), at the Redemption Price, if the Last Reported Sale Price of the Common Stock has been at least 130% of the Conversion Price then in effect for at least 20 Trading Days (whether or not consecutive) during any 30 consecutive Trading Day period (including the last Trading Day of such period) ending on, and including, the Trading Day immediately preceding the date on which the Company provides the Notice of Redemption in accordance with ‎Section 16.02.

Section 16.02. Notice of Optional Redemption; Selection of Notes.

(a) In case the Company exercises its Optional Redemption right to redeem all or, as the case may be, any part of the Notes pursuant to ‎Section 16.01, it shall fix a date for redemption (each, a “Redemption Date”) and it or, at its written request received by the Trustee not less than five Business Days prior to the date such Notice of Redemption is to be sent (or such shorter period of time as may be acceptable to the Trustee), the Trustee, in the name of and at the expense of the Company, shall deliver or cause to be delivered a notice of such Optional Redemption (a “Notice of Redemption”) not less than 35 nor more than 55 Scheduled Trading Days prior to the Redemption Date to each Holder so to be redeemed as a whole or in part; provided, however, that, if the Company shall give such notice, it shall also give written notice of the Redemption Date to the Trustee, the Paying Agent (if other than the Trustee) and the Conversion Agent (if other than the Trustee). The Redemption Date must be a Business Day, and the Company shall not specify a Redemption Date that falls on or after the 31st Scheduled Trading Day immediately preceding the Maturity Date.

(b) The Notice of Redemption, if delivered in the manner herein provided, shall be conclusively presumed to have been duly given, whether or not the Holder receives such notice. In any case, failure to give such Notice of Redemption or any defect in the Notice of Redemption to the Holder of any Note designated for redemption as a whole or in part shall not affect the validity of the proceedings for the redemption of any other Note.

(c) Each Notice of Redemption shall specify:

(i) the Redemption Date;

91


 

(ii) the Redemption Price;

(iii) that on the Redemption Date, the Redemption Price will become due and payable upon each Note to be redeemed, and that Special Interest thereon, if any, shall cease to accrue on and after payment of the Redemption Price in full on the Redemption Date;

(iv) the place or places where such Notes are to be surrendered for payment of the Redemption Price;

(v) that Holders of Called Notes may surrender such Notes for conversion at any time during the related Redemption Period;

(vi) the procedures a converting Holder must follow to convert its Called Notes and the Cash Percentage;

(vii) the Conversion Rate and, if applicable, the number of Additional Shares added to the Conversion Rate in accordance with ‎Section 14.03;

(viii) the CUSIP, ISIN or other similar numbers, if any, assigned to such Notes; and

(ix) in case any Note is to be redeemed in part only, the portion of the principal amount thereof to be redeemed and on and after the Redemption Date, upon surrender of such Note, a new Note in principal amount equal to the unredeemed portion thereof shall be issued.

A Notice of Redemption shall be irrevocable.

(d) If the Company elects to redeem fewer than all of the outstanding Notes, at least $75,000,000 aggregate principal amount of Notes must be outstanding and not subject to Optional Redemption as of, and after giving effect to, the delivery of the relevant Notice of Redemption (such requirement, the “Partial Redemption Limitation”). If fewer than all of the outstanding Notes are to be redeemed and the Notes to be redeemed are Global Notes, the Notes to be redeemed shall be selected by the Depositary in accordance with the applicable procedures of the Depositary. If fewer than all of the outstanding Notes are to be redeemed and the Notes to be redeemed are not Global Notes, the Trustee shall select the Notes or portions thereof to be redeemed (in principal amounts of $1,000 or multiples thereof) by lot, on a pro rata basis or by another method the Trustee considers to be fair and appropriate. If any Note selected for partial redemption by the Trustee (or the Depositary, with respect to Global Notes) is submitted for conversion in part after such selection, the portion of the Note submitted for conversion shall be deemed (so far as may be possible) to be the portion selected for redemption, subject, in the case of Notes represented by a Global Note, to the Depositary’s applicable procedures.

92


 

Section 16.03. Payment of Notes Called for Redemption.

(a) If any Notice of Redemption has been given in respect of all or any part of the Notes in accordance with ‎Section 16.02, the Notes so subject to redemption shall become due and payable on the Redemption Date at the place or places stated in the Notice of Redemption and at the applicable Redemption Price. On presentation and surrender of the Notes to be redeemed at the place or places stated in the Notice of Redemption, such Notes shall be paid and redeemed by the Company at the applicable Redemption Price. Upon surrender of a Note that is to be redeemed in part pursuant to ‎Section 16.01, the Company shall execute and the Trustee shall authenticate and deliver to the Holder a new Note in an authorized denomination equal in principal amount to the unredeemed portion of the Note surrendered.

(b) Prior to the open of business on the Redemption Date, the Company shall deposit with the Paying Agent or, if the Company or a Subsidiary of the Company is acting as the Paying Agent, shall segregate and hold in trust as provided in ‎Section 7.05 an amount of cash (in immediately available funds if deposited on the Redemption Date), sufficient to pay the Redemption Price of all of the Notes to be redeemed on such Redemption Date. Subject to receipt of funds by the Paying Agent, payment for the Notes to be redeemed shall be made on the Redemption Date for such Notes. The Paying Agent shall, promptly after such payment and upon written demand by the Company, return to the Company any funds in excess of the Redemption Price.

Section 16.04. Restrictions on Redemption. The Company may not redeem any Notes on any date if the principal amount of the Notes has been accelerated in accordance with the terms of this Indenture, and such acceleration has not been rescinded, on or prior to the Redemption Date (except in the case of an acceleration resulting from a Default by the Company in the payment of the Redemption Price with respect to such Notes).

Article 17
Miscellaneous Provisions

Section 17.01. Provisions Binding on Company’s Successors. All the covenants, stipulations, promises and agreements of the Company contained in this Indenture shall bind its successors and assigns whether so expressed or not.

Section 17.02. Official Acts by Successor Entity. Any act or proceeding by any provision of this Indenture authorized or required to be done or performed by any board, committee or Officer of the Company shall and may be done and performed with like force and effect by the like board, committee or officer of any corporation or other entity that shall at the time be the lawful sole successor of the Company.

Section 17.03. Addresses for Notices, Etc. Any notice or demand that by any provision of this Indenture is required or permitted to be given or served by the Trustee or by the Holders on the Company shall be deemed to have been sufficiently given or made, for all purposes if given or served by overnight courier or by being deposited postage prepaid by registered or

93


 

certified mail in a post office letter box addressed (until another address is filed by the Company with the Trustee) to Diodes Incorporated, 4949 Hedgcoxe Road, Suite 200, Plano, Texas 75024, Attention: Brett Whitmire. Any notice, direction, request or demand hereunder to or upon the Trustee shall be deemed to have been sufficiently given or made, for all purposes, if given or served by being deposited postage prepaid by registered or certified mail in a post office letter box addressed to the Corporate Trust Office or sent electronically in PDF format to an email address specified by the Trustee.

The Trustee, by notice to the Company, may designate additional or different addresses for subsequent notices or communications.

Any notice or communication delivered or to be delivered to a Holder of Physical Notes shall be mailed to it by first class mail, postage prepaid, at its address as it appears on the Note Register and shall be sufficiently given to it if so mailed within the time prescribed. Any notice or communication delivered or to be delivered to a Holder of Global Notes shall be delivered in accordance with the applicable procedures of the Depositary and shall be sufficiently given to it if so delivered within the time prescribed; provided that notice to the Trustee and the Conversion Agent shall be deemed given upon actual receipt by the Trustee or the Conversion Agent, as applicable. Notwithstanding any other provision of this Indenture or any Note, where this Indenture or any Note provides for notice of any event (including any Notice of Redemption or any Fundamental Change Company Notice) to a Holder of a Global Note (whether by mail or otherwise), such notice shall be sufficiently given if given to the Depositary (or its designee) pursuant to the standing instructions from the Depositary or its designee, including by electronic mail in accordance with the Depositary’s applicable procedures.

Failure to mail or deliver a notice or communication to a Holder or any defect in it shall not affect its sufficiency with respect to other Holders. If a notice or communication is mailed or delivered, as the case may be, in the manner provided above, it is duly given, whether or not the addressee receives it.

In case by reason of the suspension of regular mail service or by reason of any other cause it shall be impracticable to give such notice to Holders by mail, then such notification as shall be made with the approval of the Trustee shall constitute a sufficient notification for every purpose hereunder.

Section 17.04. Governing Law; Jurisdiction. THIS INDENTURE AND EACH NOTE, AND ANY CLAIM, CONTROVERSY OR DISPUTE ARISING UNDER OR RELATED TO THIS INDENTURE AND EACH NOTE, SHALL BE GOVERNED BY, AND CONSTRUED IN ACCORDANCE WITH, THE LAWS OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK.

The Company irrevocably consents and agrees, for the benefit of the Holders from time to time of the Notes and the Trustee, that any legal action, suit or proceeding against it with respect to obligations, liabilities or any other matter arising out of or in connection with this Indenture or the Notes may be brought in the courts of the State of New York or the courts of the United States located in the Borough of Manhattan, New York City, New York and, until

94


 

amounts due and to become due in respect of the Notes have been paid, hereby irrevocably consents and submits to the non-exclusive jurisdiction of each such court in personam, generally and unconditionally with respect to any action, suit or proceeding for itself in respect of its properties, assets and revenues.

The Company irrevocably and unconditionally waives, to the fullest extent permitted by law, any objection which it may now or hereafter have to the laying of venue of any of the aforesaid actions, suits or proceedings arising out of or in connection with this Indenture brought in the courts of the State of New York or the courts of the United States located in the Borough of Manhattan, New York City, New York and hereby further irrevocably and unconditionally waives and agrees not to plead or claim in any such court that any such action, suit or proceeding brought in any such court has been brought in an inconvenient forum.

Section 17.05. Evidence of Compliance with Conditions Precedent; Certificates and Opinions of Counsel to Trustee. Upon any application or demand by the Company to the Trustee to take any action under any of the provisions of this Indenture, the Company shall, if requested by the Trustee, furnish to the Trustee an Officer’s Certificate and Opinion of Counsel stating that such action is permitted by the terms of this Indenture and that all conditions precedent to such action have been complied with.

Each Officer’s Certificate and Opinion of Counsel provided for, by or on behalf of the Company in this Indenture and delivered to the Trustee with respect to compliance with this Indenture (other than the Officer’s Certificates provided for in ‎Section 4.08, Section 7.02(h) and Section 8.04) shall include (a) a statement that the person signing such certificate is familiar with the requested action and this Indenture; (b) a brief statement as to the nature and scope of the examination or investigation upon which the statement contained in such certificate is based; (c) a statement that, in the judgment of such person, he or she has made such examination or investigation as is necessary to enable him or her to express an informed judgment as to whether or not such action is permitted by this Indenture; and (d) a statement as to whether or not, in the judgment of such person, such action is permitted by this Indenture and that all conditions precedent to such action have been complied with; provided that no Opinion of Counsel shall be required to be delivered in connection with (1) the original issuance of Notes on the date hereof under this Indenture, (2) the mandatory exchange of the restricted CUSIP of the Restricted Securities to an unrestricted CUSIP pursuant to the applicable procedures of the Depositary upon the Notes becoming freely tradable by non-Affiliates of the Company under Rule 144, or (3) a request by the Company that the Trustee deliver a notice to Holders under this Indenture where the Trustee receives an Officer’s Certificate with respect to such notice. With respect to matters of fact, an Opinion of Counsel may rely on an Officer’s Certificate or certificates of public officials.

Notwithstanding anything to the contrary in this ‎Section 17.05, if any provision in this Indenture specifically provides that the Trustee shall or may receive an Opinion of Counsel in connection with any action to be taken by the Trustee or the Company hereunder, the Trustee shall be entitled to, or entitled to request, such Opinion of Counsel.

95


 

Section 17.06. Legal Holidays. In any case where any Special Interest Payment Date, any Fundamental Change Repurchase Date, any Redemption Date or the Maturity Date is not a Business Day or is a day on which financial institutions located in the state in which the Corporate Trust Office is located are authorized or required by law or executive order to close or be closed, then any action to be taken on such date need not be taken on such date, but may be taken on the next succeeding Business Day that is not a day on which financial institutions located in the state in which the Corporate Trust Office is located are authorized or required by law or executive order to close or be closed with the same force and effect as if taken on such date, and no interest shall accrue in respect of the delay.

Section 17.07. No Security Interest Created. Nothing in this Indenture or in the Notes, expressed or implied, shall be construed to constitute a security interest under the Uniform Commercial Code or similar legislation, as now or hereafter enacted and in effect, in any jurisdiction.

Section 17.08. Benefits of Indenture. Nothing in this Indenture or in the Notes, expressed or implied, shall give to any Person, other than the Holders, the parties hereto, any Paying Agent, any Conversion Agent, any authenticating agent, any Note Registrar and their successors hereunder, any benefit or any legal or equitable right, remedy or claim under this Indenture.

Section 17.09. Table of Contents, Headings, Etc. The table of contents and the titles and headings of the articles and sections of this Indenture have been inserted for convenience of reference only, are not to be considered a part hereof, and shall in no way modify or restrict any of the terms or provisions hereof.

Section 17.10. Authenticating Agent. The Trustee may appoint an authenticating agent that shall be authorized to act on its behalf and subject to its direction in the authentication and delivery of Notes in connection with the original issuance thereof and transfers and exchanges of Notes hereunder, including under ‎Section 2.04, ‎Section 2.05, ‎Section 2.06, ‎Section 2.07, ‎Section 10.04 and ‎Section 15.04 as fully to all intents and purposes as though the authenticating agent had been expressly authorized by this Indenture and those Sections to authenticate and deliver Notes. For all purposes of this Indenture, the authentication and delivery of Notes by the authenticating agent shall be deemed to be authentication and delivery of such Notes “by the Trustee” and a certificate of authentication executed on behalf of the Trustee by an authenticating agent shall be deemed to satisfy any requirement hereunder or in the Notes for the Trustee’s certificate of authentication. Such authenticating agent shall at all times be a Person eligible to serve as trustee hereunder pursuant to ‎Section 7.08.

Any corporation or other entity into which any authenticating agent may be merged or converted or with which it may be consolidated, or any corporation or other entity resulting from any merger, consolidation or conversion to which any authenticating agent shall be a party, or any corporation or other entity succeeding to all or substantially all of the corporate trust business of any authenticating agent, shall be the successor of the authenticating agent hereunder, if such successor corporation or other entity is otherwise eligible under this ‎Section

96


 

17.10, without the execution or filing of any paper or any further act on the part of the parties hereto or the authenticating agent or such successor corporation or other entity.

Any authenticating agent may at any time resign by giving written notice of resignation to the Trustee and to the Company. The Trustee may at any time terminate the agency of any authenticating agent by giving written notice of termination to such authenticating agent and to the Company. Upon receiving such a notice of resignation or upon such a termination, or in case at any time any authenticating agent shall cease to be eligible under this Section, the Trustee may appoint a successor authenticating agent (which may be the Trustee), shall give written notice of such appointment to the Company and shall deliver notice of such appointment to all Holders.

The Company agrees to pay to the authenticating agent from time to time reasonable compensation for its services although the Company may terminate the authenticating agent, if it determines such agent’s fees to be unreasonable.

The provisions of ‎Section 7.02, ‎Section 7.03, ‎Section 7.04, ‎Section 8.03 and this ‎Section 17.10 shall be applicable to any authenticating agent.

If an authenticating agent is appointed pursuant to this ‎Section 17.10, the Notes may have endorsed thereon, in addition to the Trustee’s certificate of authentication, an alternative certificate of authentication in the following form:

 

 

 

,

as Authenticating Agent, certifies that this is one of the Notes described in the within-named Indenture.

By:

 

 

Authorized Officer

 

Section 17.11. Execution in Counterparts. This Indenture may be executed in any number of counterparts, each of which shall be an original, but such counterparts shall together constitute but one and the same instrument. The exchange of copies of this Indenture and of signature pages by facsimile, PDF or other electronic transmission shall constitute effective execution and delivery of this Indenture as to the parties hereto and may be used in lieu of the original Indenture for all purposes. Signatures of the parties hereto transmitted by facsimile, PDF or other electronic transmission shall constitute effective execution and delivery of this Indenture as to the other parties hereto shall be deemed to be their original signatures for all purposes.

Section 17.12. Severability. In the event any provision of this Indenture or in the Notes shall be invalid, illegal or unenforceable, then (to the extent permitted by law) the validity, legality or enforceability of the remaining provisions shall not in any way be affected or impaired.

97


 

Section 17.13. Waiver of Jury Trial. EACH OF THE COMPANY, THE HOLDERS, BY THEIR ACCEPTANCE OF THE NOTES, AND THE TRUSTEE HEREBY IRREVOCABLY WAIVES, TO THE FULLEST EXTENT PERMITTED BY APPLICABLE LAW, ANY AND ALL RIGHT TO TRIAL BY JURY IN ANY LEGAL PROCEEDING ARISING OUT OF OR RELATING TO THIS INDENTURE, THE NOTES OR THE TRANSACTIONS CONTEMPLATED HEREBY.

Section 17.14. Force Majeure. In no event shall the Trustee be responsible or liable for any failure or delay in the performance of its obligations hereunder arising out of or caused by, directly or indirectly, forces beyond its control, including, without limitation, strikes, work stoppages, accidents, acts of war or terrorism, pandemics, epidemics, quarantine restrictions, recognized public emergencies, civil or military disturbances, nuclear or natural catastrophes or acts of God, and interruptions, loss or malfunctions of utilities, communications or computer (software and hardware) services; it being understood that the Trustee shall use reasonable efforts that are consistent with accepted practices in the banking industry to resume performance as soon as practicable under the circumstances.

Section 17.15. Calculations. Except as otherwise provided herein, the Company shall be responsible for making all calculations called for under this Indenture and the Notes. These calculations include, but are not limited to, determinations of the Stock Price, the Last Reported Sale Prices of the Common Stock, the Trading Price of the Notes (for purposes of determining whether the Notes are convertible as described herein), the Redemption Price, the Daily VWAPs, the Daily Conversion Values, the Daily Net Settlement Amounts, the Daily Settlement Amounts, accrued interest, if any, payable on the Notes and the Conversion Rate of the Notes. The Company shall make all these calculations in good faith and, absent manifest error, the Company’s calculations shall be final and binding on Holders of Notes. The Company shall provide a schedule of its calculations to each of the Trustee, the Paying Agent (if other than the Trustee) and the Conversion Agent (if other than the Trustee), and each of the Trustee, the Paying Agent and the Conversion Agent is entitled to rely conclusively upon the accuracy of the Company’s calculations without independent verification. The Company will forward its calculations to any Holder of Notes upon the request of that Holder at the sole cost and expense of the Company. For the avoidance of doubt, none of the Trustee, the Paying Agent nor the Conversion Agent shall have any responsibility to monitor the price of the Common Stock or perform any calculations under this Indenture.

Section 17.16. USA PATRIOT Act. The parties hereto acknowledge that in accordance with Section 326 of the USA PATRIOT Act, the Trustee, like all financial institutions and in order to help fight the funding of terrorism and money laundering, is required to obtain, verify, and record information that identifies each person or legal entity that establishes a relationship or opens an account with the Trustee. The parties to this Indenture agree that they will provide the Trustee with such information as it may request in order for the Trustee to satisfy the requirements of the USA PATRIOT Act.

98


 

Section 17.17. Electronic Signatures. All notices, approvals, consents, requests and any communications hereunder must be in writing (provided that any communication sent to the Trustee hereunder must be in the form of a document that is signed manually or by way of a digital signature provided by DocuSign (or such other digital signature provider as specified in writing to Trustee by the authorized representative), in English). The Company agrees to assume all risks arising out of the use of using digital signatures and electronic methods to submit communications to Trustee, including without limitation the risk of Trustee acting on unauthorized instructions, and the risk of interception and misuse by third parties.

[Remainder of page intentionally left blank]

99


 

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties hereto have caused this Indenture to be duly executed as of the date first written above.

DIODES INCORPORATED

By:

  /s/ Brett R. Whitmire

 

Name:

Brett R. Whitmire

 

Title:

Chief Financial Officer

 

U.S. BANK TRUST COMPANY, NATIONAL ASSOCIATION, as Trustee

By:

  /s/ Greg M. Jackson

 

Name:

Greg M. Jackson

 

Title:

Vice President

 

 

[Signature Page to Indenture]

 


 

EXHIBIT A

[FORM OF FACE OF NOTE]

[INCLUDE FOLLOWING LEGEND IF A GLOBAL NOTE]

[UNLESS THIS CERTIFICATE IS PRESENTED BY AN AUTHORIZED REPRESENTATIVE OF THE DEPOSITORY TRUST COMPANY, A NEW YORK CORPORATION (“DTC”), TO THE COMPANY OR ITS AGENT FOR REGISTRATION OF TRANSFER, EXCHANGE, OR PAYMENT, AND ANY CERTIFICATE ISSUED IS REGISTERED IN THE NAME OF CEDE & CO. OR IN SUCH OTHER NAME AS IS REQUESTED BY AN AUTHORIZED REPRESENTATIVE OF DTC (AND ANY PAYMENT HEREUNDER IS MADE TO CEDE & CO. OR TO SUCH OTHER ENTITY AS IS REQUESTED BY AN AUTHORIZED REPRESENTATIVE OF DTC), ANY TRANSFER, PLEDGE, OR OTHER USE HEREOF FOR VALUE OR OTHERWISE BY OR TO ANY PERSON IS WRONGFUL INASMUCH AS THE REGISTERED OWNER HEREOF, CEDE & CO., HAS AN INTEREST HEREIN.]

[INCLUDE FOLLOWING LEGEND IF A RESTRICTED SECURITY]

[THE OFFER AND SALE OF THIS SECURITY AND THE COMMON STOCK, IF ANY, ISSUABLE UPON CONVERSION OF THIS SECURITY HAVE NOT BEEN REGISTERED UNDER THE SECURITIES ACT OF 1933, AS AMENDED (THE “SECURITIES ACT”) OR THE SECURITIES LAWS OF ANY OTHER JURISDICTION, AND MAY NOT BE OFFERED, SOLD, PLEDGED OR OTHERWISE TRANSFERRED EXCEPT IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE FOLLOWING SENTENCE. BY ITS ACQUISITION HEREOF OR OF A BENEFICIAL INTEREST HEREIN, THE ACQUIRER:

(1) REPRESENTS THAT IT AND ANY ACCOUNT FOR WHICH IT IS ACTING IS A “QUALIFIED INSTITUTIONAL BUYER” (WITHIN THE MEANING OF RULE 144A UNDER THE SECURITIES ACT) AND THAT IT EXERCISES SOLE INVESTMENT DISCRETION WITH RESPECT TO EACH SUCH ACCOUNT, AND

(2) AGREES FOR THE BENEFIT OF DIODES INCORPORATED (THE “COMPANY”) THAT IT WILL NOT OFFER, SELL, PLEDGE OR OTHERWISE TRANSFER THIS SECURITY OR ANY BENEFICIAL INTEREST HEREIN PRIOR TO THE DATE THAT IS THE LATER OF (X) ONE YEAR AFTER THE LAST ORIGINAL ISSUE DATE HEREOF OR SUCH SHORTER PERIOD OF TIME AS PERMITTED BY RULE 144 UNDER THE SECURITIES ACT OR ANY SUCCESSOR PROVISION THERETO AND (Y) SUCH LATER DATE, IF ANY, AS MAY BE REQUIRED BY APPLICABLE LAW, EXCEPT:

(A) TO THE COMPANY OR ANY SUBSIDIARY THEREOF, OR

(B) PURSUANT TO A REGISTRATION STATEMENT THAT HAS BECOME EFFECTIVE UNDER THE SECURITIES ACT, OR

A-1


 

(C) TO A PERSON REASONABLY BELIEVED TO BE A QUALIFIED INSTITUTIONAL BUYER IN COMPLIANCE WITH RULE 144A UNDER THE SECURITIES ACT, OR

(D) PURSUANT TO AN EXEMPTION FROM REGISTRATION PROVIDED BY RULE 144 UNDER THE SECURITIES ACT OR ANY OTHER AVAILABLE EXEMPTION FROM THE REGISTRATION REQUIREMENTS OF THE SECURITIES ACT.

PRIOR TO THE REGISTRATION OF ANY TRANSFER IN ACCORDANCE WITH CLAUSE (2)(D) ABOVE, THE COMPANY AND THE TRUSTEE RESERVE THE RIGHT TO REQUIRE THE DELIVERY OF SUCH LEGAL OPINIONS, CERTIFICATIONS OR OTHER EVIDENCE AS MAY REASONABLY BE REQUIRED IN ORDER TO DETERMINE THAT THE PROPOSED TRANSFER IS BEING MADE IN COMPLIANCE WITH THE SECURITIES ACT AND APPLICABLE STATE SECURITIES LAWS. NO REPRESENTATION IS MADE AS TO THE AVAILABILITY OF ANY EXEMPTION FROM THE REGISTRATION REQUIREMENTS OF THE SECURITIES ACT.]

A-2


 

Diodes Incorporated

0.00% Convertible Senior Note due 2031

No. [_____] [Initially]1 $[_____________]

CUSIP No. [______]2

Diodes Incorporated, a corporation duly organized and validly existing under the laws of the State of Delaware (the “Company,” which term includes any successor corporation or other entity under the Indenture referred to on the reverse hereof), for value received hereby promises to pay to [CEDE & CO.]3 [_______]4, or registered assigns, the principal sum [as set forth in the “Schedule of Exchanges of Notes” attached hereto]5 [of $[_______]]6, which amount, taken together with the principal amounts of all other outstanding Notes, shall not, unless permitted by the Indenture, exceed $375,000,000 in aggregate at any time, in accordance with the rules and applicable procedures of the Depositary, on August 15, 2031, and any interest thereon as set forth below.

This Note shall not bear regular interest, and the principal amount shall not accrete. Any Special Interest is payable semi-annually in arrears on each February 15 and August 15, commencing on February 15, 2027 (if any Special Interest is then payable), to Holders of record at the close of business on the preceding February 1 and August 1 (whether or not such day is a Business Day), respectively. Any Special Interest will be payable as set forth in ‎‎Section 4.06(d), ‎‎Section 4.06(e) and ‎‎Section 6.03 of the within-mentioned Indenture, and any reference to interest on, or in respect of, any Note therein shall be deemed to refer solely to Special Interest (if, in such context, Special Interest is, was or would be payable pursuant to any of such ‎‎Section 4.06(d), ‎‎Section 4.06(e) or ‎‎Section 6.03) and/or to any interest on any Defaulted Amounts payable as set forth in ‎‎Section 2.03(c) of the within-mentioned Indenture.

Any Defaulted Amounts shall not accrue interest unless Special Interest was payable on the required payment date, in which case such Defaulted Amounts shall accrue interest per annum at the then-applicable Special Interest rate borne by the Notes, subject to the enforceability thereof under applicable law, from, and including, such required payment date to, but excluding, the date on which such Defaulted Amounts shall have been paid by the Company, at its election, in accordance with ‎‎Section 2.03(c) of the Indenture.


1 Include if a global note.

2 This Note will be deemed to be identified by CUSIP No. [_____] from and after such time when (i) the Company delivers, pursuant to Section 2.05(c) of the within-mentioned Indenture, written notice to the Trustee of the occurrence of the Resale Restriction Termination Date and the removal of the restrictive legend affixed to this Note and (ii) this Note is identified by such CUSIP number in accordance with the applicable procedures of the Depositary.

3 Include if a global note.

4 Include if a physical note.

5 Include if a global note.

6 Include if a physical note.

A-3


 

The Company shall pay the principal of and interest, if any, on this Note, if and so long as such Note is a Global Note, in immediately available funds to the Depositary or its nominee, as the case may be, as the registered Holder of such Note. As provided in and subject to the provisions of the Indenture, the Company shall pay the principal of any Notes (other than Notes that are Global Notes) at the office or agency designated by the Company for that purpose. The Company has initially designated the Trustee as its Paying Agent and Note Registrar in respect of the Notes and its Corporate Trust Office within the contiguous United States of America as a place where Notes may be presented for payment or for registration of transfer and exchange.

Reference is made to the further provisions of this Note set forth on the reverse hereof, including, without limitation, provisions giving the Holder of this Note the right to convert this Note into cash and, if applicable, shares of Common Stock on the terms and subject to the limitations set forth in the Indenture. Such further provisions shall for all purposes have the same effect as though fully set forth at this place.

This Note, and any claim, controversy or dispute arising under or related to this Note, shall be construed in accordance with and governed by the laws of the State of New York.

In the case of any conflict between this Note and the Indenture, the provisions of the Indenture shall control and govern.

This Note shall not be valid or become obligatory for any purpose until the certificate of authentication hereon shall have been signed manually by the Trustee or a duly authorized authenticating agent under the Indenture.

[Remainder of page intentionally left blank]

A-4


 

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the Company has caused this Note to be duly executed.

 

DIODES INCORPORATED

By:

 

 

Name:

 

 

Title:

 

 

Dated:

TRUSTEE’S CERTIFICATE OF AUTHENTICATION

U.S. BANK TRUST COMPANY, NATIONAL ASSOCIATION

as Trustee, certifies that this is one of the Notes described

in the within-named Indenture.

 

By:

 

 

Authorized Signatory

 

A-5


 

[FORM OF REVERSE OF NOTE]

Diodes Incorporated
0.00% Convertible Senior Note due 2031

This Note is one of a duly authorized issue of Notes of the Company, designated as its 0.00% Convertible Senior Notes due 2031 (the “Notes”), limited to the aggregate principal amount of $375,000,000, all issued or to be issued under and pursuant to an Indenture dated as of August 18, 2026 (the “Indenture”), between the Company and U.S. Bank Trust Company, National Association (the “Trustee”), to which Indenture and all indentures supplemental thereto reference is hereby made for a description of the rights, limitations of rights, obligations, duties and immunities thereunder of the Trustee, the Company and the Holders of the Notes. Additional Notes may be issued in an unlimited aggregate principal amount, subject to certain conditions specified in the Indenture. Capitalized terms used in this Note and not defined in this Note shall have the respective meanings set forth in the Indenture.

In case certain Events of Default shall have occurred and be continuing, the principal of, and Special Interest, if any, on, all Notes may be declared, by either the Trustee or Holders of at least 25% in aggregate principal amount of Notes then outstanding, and upon said declaration shall become, due and payable, in the manner, with the effect and subject to the conditions and certain exceptions set forth in the Indenture.

Subject to the terms and conditions of the Indenture, the Company will make all payments and deliveries in respect of the Fundamental Change Repurchase Price on the Fundamental Change Repurchase Date, the Redemption Price on any Redemption Date and the principal amount on the Maturity Date, as the case may be, to the Holder who surrenders a Note to a Paying Agent to collect such payments in respect of the Note. The Company will pay cash amounts in money of the United States that at the time of payment is legal tender for payment of public and private debts.

The Indenture contains provisions permitting the Company and the Trustee in certain circumstances, without the consent of the Holders of the Notes, and in certain other circumstances, with the consent of the Holders of not less than a majority in aggregate principal amount of the Notes at the time outstanding, evidenced as in the Indenture provided, to execute supplemental indentures modifying the terms of the Indenture and the Notes as described therein. It is also provided in the Indenture that, subject to certain exceptions, the Holders of a majority in aggregate principal amount of the Notes at the time outstanding may on behalf of the Holders of all of the Notes waive any past Default or Event of Default under the Indenture and its consequences.

Each Holder shall have the right to receive payment or delivery, as the case may be, of (x) the principal (including the Redemption Price and the Fundamental Change Repurchase Price, if applicable) of, (y) accrued and unpaid interest, if any, on, and (z) the consideration due upon conversion of, this Note at the place, at the respective times, at the rate and in the lawful money or shares of Common Stock, as the case may be, herein prescribed.

A-6


 

The Notes are issuable in registered form without coupons in denominations of $1,000 principal amount and integral multiples thereof. At the office or agency of the Company referred to on the face hereof, and in the manner and subject to the limitations provided in the Indenture, Notes may be exchanged for a like aggregate principal amount of Notes of other authorized denominations, without payment of any service charge but, if required by the Company or Trustee, with payment of a sum sufficient to cover any transfer or similar tax that may be imposed in connection therewith as a result of the name of the Holder of the new Notes issued upon such exchange of Notes being different from the name of the Holder of the old Notes surrendered for such exchange.

The Notes shall be redeemable at the Company’s option on a Redemption Date on or after August 20, 2029 in accordance with the terms and subject to the conditions specified in the Indenture. No sinking fund is provided for the Notes.

Upon the occurrence of a Fundamental Change (other than an Exempted Fundamental Change), the Holder has the right, at such Holder’s option, to require the Company to repurchase for cash all of such Holder’s Notes or any portion thereof (in principal amounts of $1,000 or integral multiples thereof) on the Fundamental Change Repurchase Date at a price equal to the Fundamental Change Repurchase Price.

Subject to the provisions of the Indenture, the Holder hereof has the right, at its option, during certain periods and upon the occurrence of certain conditions specified in the Indenture, prior to the close of business on the second Scheduled Trading Day immediately preceding the Maturity Date, to convert any Notes or portion thereof that is $1,000 or an integral multiple thereof, into cash up to the principal amount hereof and cash, shares of Common Stock or a combination of cash and shares of Common Stock, as applicable, in respect of the remainder, if any, of the Company’s Conversion Obligation hereof in excess of the principal amount hereof at the Conversion Rate specified in the Indenture, as adjusted from time to time as provided in the Indenture.

A-7


 

ABBREVIATIONS

The following abbreviations, when used in the inscription of the face of this Note, shall be construed as though they were written out in full according to applicable laws or regulations:

TEN COM = as tenants in common

 

UNIF GIFT MIN ACT = Uniform Gifts to Minors Act

 

CUST = Custodian

 

TEN ENT = as tenants by the entireties


JT TEN = joint tenants with right of survivorship and not as tenants in common
 

Additional abbreviations may also be used though not in the above list.

 

A-8


 

SCHEDULE A7

SCHEDULE OF EXCHANGES OF NOTES

Diodes Incorporated
0.00% Convertible Senior Notes due 2031

The initial principal amount of this Global Note is _______ DOLLARS ($[_________]). The following increases or decreases in this Global Note have been made:

Date of exchange

Amount of decrease in principal amount of this Global Note

Amount of increase in principal amount of this Global Note

Principal amount of this Global Note following such decrease or increase

Signature of authorized signatory of Trustee or Custodian

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


7 Include if a global note.

A-9


 

ATTACHMENT 1

[FORM OF NOTICE OF CONVERSION]

 

To:

U.S. Bank Trust Company, National Association

 

2 Concourse Parkway NE, Suite 800

 

Atlanta, GA 30328

 

Attention: Greg M. Jackson

 

The undersigned registered owner of this Note hereby exercises the option to convert this Note, or the portion hereof (that is $1,000 principal amount or an integral multiple thereof) below designated, into cash and, if applicable, shares of Common Stock in accordance with the terms of the Indenture referred to in this Note, and directs that any cash payable and any shares of Common Stock issuable and deliverable upon such conversion, together with any cash for any fractional share, and any Notes representing any unconverted principal amount hereof, be issued and delivered to the registered Holder hereof unless a different name has been indicated below. If any shares of Common Stock or any portion of this Note not converted are to be issued in the name of a Person other than the undersigned, the undersigned will pay all documentary, stamp or similar issue or transfer taxes, if any in accordance with ‎Section 14.02(d) and ‎Section 14.02(e) of the Indenture. Any amount required to be paid to the undersigned on account of Special Interest accompanies this Note. Capitalized terms used herein but not defined shall have the meanings ascribed to such terms in the Indenture.

 

Dated:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Signature(s)

 

___________________________

Signature Guarantee

Signature(s) must be guaranteed
by an eligible Guarantor Institution
(banks, stock brokers, savings and
loan associations and credit unions)
with membership in an approved
signature guarantee medallion program
pursuant to Securities and Exchange
Commission Rule 17Ad-15 if shares
of Common Stock are to be issued, or
Notes are to be delivered, other than
to and in the name of the registered holder.

1


 

Fill in for registration of shares if
to be issued, and Notes if to
be delivered, other than to and in the
name of the registered holder:

 

(Name)

(Street Address)

(City, State and Zip Code)

Please print name and address

 

Principal amount to be converted (if less than all): $______,000

NOTICE: The above signature(s) of the Holder(s) hereof must correspond with the name as written upon the face of the Note in every particular without alteration or enlargement or any change whatever.

Social Security or Other Taxpayer

Identification Number

 

 

2


 

ATTACHMENT 2

[FORM OF FUNDAMENTAL CHANGE REPURCHASE NOTICE]

 

To:

U.S. Bank Trust Company, National Association

 

2 Concourse Parkway NE, Suite 800

 

Atlanta, GA 30328

 

Attention: Greg M. Jackson

 

The undersigned registered owner of this Note hereby acknowledges receipt of a notice from Diodes Incorporated (the “Company”) as to the occurrence of a Fundamental Change with respect to the Company and specifying the Fundamental Change Repurchase Date and requests and instructs the Company to pay to the registered holder hereof in accordance with ‎Section 15.02 of the Indenture referred to in this Note (1) the entire principal amount of this Note, or the portion thereof (that is $1,000 principal amount or an integral multiple thereof) below designated, and (2) if such Fundamental Change Repurchase Date does not fall during the period after a Special Interest Record Date and on or prior to the corresponding Special Interest Payment Date, accrued and unpaid Special Interest, if any, thereon to, but excluding, such Fundamental Change Repurchase Date. Capitalized terms used herein but not defined shall have the meanings ascribed to such terms in the Indenture.

In the case of Physical Notes, the certificate numbers of the Notes to be repurchased are as set forth below:

 

Dated:

 

 

 

 

 

 

Signature(s)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Social Security or Other Taxpayer
Identification Number

 

 

 

 

Principal amount to be repaid (if less than all):
$______,000

 

 

 

NOTICE: The above signature(s) of the Holder(s) hereof must correspond with the name as written upon the face of the Note in every particular without alteration or enlargement or any change whatever.

 

1


 

ATTACHMENT 3

[FORM OF ASSIGNMENT AND TRANSFER]

For value received ____________________________ hereby sell(s), assign(s) and transfer(s) unto _________________ (Please insert social security or Taxpayer Identification Number of assignee) the within Note, and hereby irrevocably constitutes and appoints _____________________ attorney to transfer the said Note on the books of the Company, with full power of substitution in the premises.

In connection with any transfer of the within Note occurring prior to the Resale Restriction Termination Date, as defined in the Indenture governing such Note, the undersigned confirms that such Note is being transferred:

□ To Diodes Incorporated or a subsidiary thereof; or

□ Pursuant to a registration statement that has become or been declared effective under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended; or

□ To a person reasonably believed to be a qualified institutional buyer in compliance with Rule 144A under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended; or

□ Pursuant to and in compliance with Rule 144 under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, or any other available exemption from the registration requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended.

1


 

 

Dated:

 

 

 

 

 

Signature(s)

 

 

 

 

Signature Guarantee

 

Signature(s) must be guaranteed by an
eligible Guarantor Institution (banks, stock
brokers, savings and loan associations and
credit unions) with membership in an approved
signature guarantee medallion program pursuant
to Securities and Exchange Commission
Rule 17Ad-15 if Notes are to be delivered, other
than to and in the name of the registered holder.

NOTICE: The signature on the assignment must correspond with the name as written upon the face of the Note in every particular without alteration or enlargement or any change whatever.

2


EX-10.1

Exhibit 10.1

EXECUTION COPY

AMENDMENT NO. 1 TO THIRD AMENDED

AND RESTATED CREDIT AGREEMENT

THIS AMENDMENT NO. 1 TO THIRD AMENDED AND RESTATED CREDIT AGREEMENT dated as of August 12, 2026 (this “Amendment”) is entered into among DIODES INCORPORATED, a Delaware corporation (the “Domestic Borrower”), DIODES HOLDINGS UK LIMITED, a company incorporated and registered under the laws of England and Wales with registration number 06475363 (the “Foreign Borrower”), certain Subsidiaries of the Domestic Borrower identified on the signature pages hereto as subsidiary guarantors (the “Subsidiary Guarantors”), the Lenders party hereto and BANK OF AMERICA, N.A., as Administrative Agent (in such capacity, the “Administrative Agent”).

PRELIMINARY STATEMENTS

The Domestic Borrower, the Foreign Borrower, the Subsidiary Guarantors, the Lenders and the Administrative Agent are parties to that certain Third Amended and Restated Credit Agreement, dated as of May 26, 2023 (as amended, restated, amended and restated, supplemented or otherwise modified from time to time prior to the date hereof, the “Existing Credit Agreement”).

The Borrowers have requested that the Administrative Agent and the Lenders agree to amend the Existing Credit Agreement as more specifically set forth herein. Subject to the terms and conditions set forth herein, the Administrative Agent and each of the Lenders party hereto have agreed to grant such requests of the Borrowers.

Fifth Third Bank, National Association (successor by merger to Comerica Bank, N.A., the “Exiting Lender”), by its execution of this Amendment, and upon payment in full of its Obligations and satisfaction of the conditions set forth herein, will cease to be a Lender for all purposes under the Credit Agreement and the other Loan Documents.

NOW, THEREFORE, for good and valuable consideration, the receipt and sufficiency of which are hereby acknowledged, the parties hereto hereby agree as follows:

1.
Defined Terms. Except as otherwise provided herein, all capitalized undefined terms used in this Amendment (including, without limitation, in the introductory paragraph and the preliminary statements hereto) shall have the meanings assigned thereto in the Credit Agreement.
2.
Amendments to Credit Agreement.
(a)
Existing Credit Agreement. The Existing Credit Agreement shall be and hereby is amended to delete the stricken text (indicated textually in the same manner as the following example: stricken text), to add the underlined text (indicated textually in the same manner as the following example: underlined text), and to move text (indicated textually in the same manner as the following example: moved text), as set forth in the pages attached hereto as Exhibit A (the Existing Credit Agreement, as so amended, the “Credit Agreement”).
(b)
Schedules to Credit Agreement. Each of Schedule 2.01 (Commitments and Applicable Percentages), Schedule 5.09 (Environmental Matters), Schedule 5.17 (Intellectual Property Matters), Schedule 7.02 (Existing Indebtedness), Schedule 7.09 (Burdensome Agreements) and Schedule 11.02 (Administrative Agent’s Office, Certain Addresses for Notices) of the Credit Agreement are hereby replaced in their entirety with Schedule 2.01 (Commitments and Applicable Percentages), Schedule 5.09 (Environmental Matters), Schedule 5.17 (Intellectual Property Matters), Schedule 7.02 (Existing Indebtedness), Schedule 7.09 (Burdensome Agreements) and Schedule 11.02 (Administrative Agent’s Office, Certain Addresses for Notices), respectively, attached hereto as Exhibit B.

 


(c)
Exhibits to Credit Agreement. Exhibit D (Compliance Certificate) of the Credit Agreement is hereby replaced in its entirety with Exhibit D attached hereto as Exhibit C.
3.
Exiting Lender. The parties hereto acknowledge and agree that simultaneously with the Amendment Effective Date, the Revolving Commitment of each Revolving Lender shall be as set forth in Schedule 2.01 of the Credit Agreement (as amended hereby), and the outstanding amount of the Revolving Credit Loans (the “Outstanding Loans”) (after giving effect to any repayment or reduction thereof with the proceeds of any applicable sources) shall be reallocated in accordance with such Revolving Credit Commitments (and the principal amount of Revolving Credit Loans held by the Exiting Lender shall be $0.00), and the requisite assignments shall be deemed to be made in such amounts among the Lenders (including the Exiting Lender) with the same force and effect as if such assignments were evidenced by applicable Assignment and Assumptions. Notwithstanding anything to the contrary in Section 11.06 of the Credit Agreement, no other documents or instruments, including any Assignment and Assumption, shall be executed in connection with these assignments (all of which requirements are hereby waived), and such assignments shall be deemed to be made with all applicable representations, warranties and covenants as if evidenced by an Assignment and Assumption under the Credit Agreement but without the payment of any related assignment fee or pro rata assignment requirement in Section 11.06(b) of the Credit Agreement, and no other documents or instruments, shall be, or shall be required to be, executed in connection with such assignments (all of which requirements are hereby waived). On the Amendment Effective Date, the Lenders (including the Exiting Lender) shall make full cash settlement with one another with respect to the Outstanding Loans, Revolving Credit Commitments and Revolving Credit Exposure, either directly or through the Administrative Agent, as the Administrative Agent may direct or approve, with respect to all assignments, reallocations and other changes in Revolving Credit Commitments and Revolving Credit Exposure, such that after giving effect to such settlements the Revolving Credit Commitments of each Lender as of the Amendment Effective Date shall be as set forth on Schedule 2.01 of the Credit Agreement (and in the case of the Exiting Lender, the Exiting Lender’s principal, interest and other Obligations shall be paid in full).
4.
Conditions to Effectiveness of Amendment. The effectiveness of this Amendment is subject to the satisfaction (or waiver) of the following conditions precedent (the date on which all such conditions precedent are satisfied (or waived), the “Amendment Effective Date”):
(a)
The Administrative Agent’s receipt of the following, each of which shall be originals or electronic images in a portable document format (e.g., “.pdf” or “.tif”) (followed promptly by originals) unless otherwise specified:
(i)
counterparts to this Amendment executed by each Loan Party, each Lender (including the Exiting Lender), and the Administrative Agent;
(ii)
the favorable opinions of Stubbs Alderton Markiles, LLP and Allen Overy Shearman Sterling US LLP, as counsel to the Loan Parties, addressed to the Administrative Agent and each Lender, as to matters concerning the Loan Parties, this Amendment and the other Loan Documents as the Administrative Agent may reasonably request;
(iii)
a favorable opinion of Simmons & Simmons LLP, English counsel to the Administrative Agent, addressed to the Administrative Agent and each Lender, as to matters concerning the Loan Parties, this Amendment and the other Loan Documents as the Administrative Agent may reasonably request;
(iv)
an officer’s certificate of each Loan Party, dated the Amendment Effective Date, certifying as to the organizational documents of each Loan Party (which, to the extent filed with a Governmental Authority, shall be certified as of a recent date by such Governmental Authority), the resolutions of the governing body of each Loan Party and the good standing, existence or its equivalent of each Loan Party and attaching an incumbency certificate for each Loan Party evidencing the identity,

2


authority and capacity of each Responsible Officer thereof authorized to act as a Responsible Officer in connection with this Amendment and the other Loan Documents to which such Loan Party is a party or is to be a party (including specimen signatures);
(v)
any pledge agreements, charges, debentures, deeds of guarantee, amendments, modifications and confirmations, authorizing resolutions, legal opinions and such other agreements, documents, certificates, filings, notarizations, recordations and searches as may be required under English law to ensure (a) the creation and perfection of security interests (or the continuation and continuing perfection thereof) in favor of the Secured Parties in all Collateral pledged under English law pursuant to the Loan Documents (as defined in the Existing Credit Agreement) and (b) the creation (or continuation of) legally valid and binding guarantees provided by the Foreign Loan Parties, including, without limitation, with respect to both of the foregoing subsections (a) and (b), the items referenced on Schedule A hereto; and
(vi)
such other assurances, certificates, documents, filings, information, consents or opinions as the Administrative Agent, the L/C Issuer, the Swingline Lender or the Lenders reasonably may require.
(b)
Upon the reasonable request of any Lender made at least three Business Days prior to the Amendment Effective Date, the Loan Parties shall have provided to such Lender, and such Lender shall be reasonably satisfied with, the documentation and other information so requested in connection with applicable “know your customer” and anti-money-laundering rules and regulations, including, without limitation, the Act, and any Borrower that qualifies as a “legal entity customer” under the Beneficial Ownership Regulation shall have provided, to each Lender that so requests, a Beneficial Ownership Certification in relation to such Borrower.
(c)
The Loan Parties shall have paid (i) all fees due and payable under the Fee Letters and (ii) all reasonable fees, charges and disbursements of counsel to the Administrative Agent (directly to such counsel if requested by the Administrative Agent) prior to or on the Amendment Effective Date (or on such other date as may be agreed by such counsel).

Without limiting the generality of the provisions of Section 11.01 of the Credit Agreement, for purposes of determining compliance with the conditions specified in this Section 4, each Lender that has signed this Amendment shall be deemed to have consented to, approved or accepted or to be satisfied with, each document or other matter required thereunder to be consented to or approved by or acceptable or satisfactory to a Lender unless the Administrative Agent shall have received notice from such Lender prior to the Amendment Effective Date specifying its objection thereto.

5.
Post-Closing Covenant. Not later than September 12, 2026 (unless extended by the Administrative Agent in its sole discretion), the Loan Parties and their Subsidiaries (as applicable) shall provide the Administrative Agent with executed counterparts to any pledge agreements, charges, debentures, deeds of guarantee, amendments, modifications and confirmations, authorizing resolutions, legal opinions and such other agreements, documents, certificates, filings, notarizations, recordations and searches as may be required under the laws of Hong Kong to ensure the creation and perfection of security interests (or the continuation and continuing perfection thereof) in favor of the Secured Parties in all Collateral pledged under the laws of Hong Kong, including, without limitation, the items referenced on Schedule B hereto. For the avoidance of doubt, the Loan Parties’ failure to comply with this Section 5 shall be an immediate Event of Default under the Credit Agreement.
6.
Effect of this Amendment. Except as expressly provided herein, the Credit Agreement, the Collateral Agreement and the other Loan Documents shall remain unmodified and in full force and effect. Except as expressly set forth herein, this Amendment (including, without limitation, the Consent) shall not be deemed (a) to be a waiver of, or consent to a modification of or amendment of, any other term or condition of the Credit Agreement, the Collateral Agreement or any other Loan Document, (b) to prejudice any other right or rights which

3


the Administrative Agent or the Lenders may now have or may have in the future under or in connection with the Credit Agreement, the Collateral Agreement or the other Loan Documents or any of the instruments or agreements referred to therein, as the same may be amended, restated, supplemented or otherwise modified from time to time, (c) to be a commitment or any other undertaking or expression of any willingness to engage in any further discussion with the Loan Parties or any other Person with respect to any waiver, amendment, modification or any other change to the Credit Agreement, the Collateral Agreement or the other Loan Documents or any rights or remedies arising in favor of the Lenders or the Administrative Agent, or any of them, under or with respect to any such documents, (d) to be a waiver of, or consent to a modification or amendment of, any other term or condition of any other agreement by and among any Loan Party, on the one hand, and the Administrative Agent or any other Lender, on the other hand or (e) to be a course of dealing or a consent to any departure by the Loan Parties from any other term or requirement of the Credit Agreement. References in this Amendment to the Credit Agreement (and indirect references such as “hereunder”, “hereby”, “herein”, and “hereof”) and in any Loan Document to the Credit Agreement shall be deemed to be references to the Credit Agreement as modified hereby.
7.
Representations and Warranties/No Default. By their execution hereof, each Loan Party hereby represents and warrants as follows:
(a)
Such Loan Party has the right, power and authority and has taken all necessary corporate and other action to authorize the execution and delivery of, and the performance in accordance with their respective terms of the transactions consented to in, this Amendment and each other document executed in connection herewith to which it is a party.
(b)
This Amendment and each other document executed in connection herewith has been duly executed and delivered by its duly authorized officers, and each such document constitutes the legal, valid and binding obligation of such Loan Party, enforceable in accordance with its terms, except as such enforceability may be limited by bankruptcy, insolvency, reorganization, moratorium or similar state or federal debtor relief laws from time to time in effect which affect the enforcement of creditors’ rights in general and the availability of equitable remedies.
(c)
Each of the representations and warranties set forth in the Credit Agreement and the other Loan Documents is true and correct as of the date hereof and on the Amendment Effective Date, except (i) to the extent that such representations and warranties specifically refer to an earlier date, in which case they shall be true and correct as of such earlier date, and except that the representations and warranties contained in subsections (a) and (b) of Section 5.05 of the Credit Agreement shall be deemed to refer to the most recent statements furnished pursuant to subsections (a) and (b), respectively, of Section 6.01 of the Credit Agreement. and (ii) except that, for the period from the Amendment Effective Date until the date schedules to the Collateral Agreement are updated and delivered pursuant to Section 10 of this Amendment, the representations and warranties in the Collateral Agreement that require the disclosure of information on schedules to the Collateral Agreement shall be deemed to be true and correct so long as the information to be disclosed on such schedules is updated and disclosed pursuant to Section 10 of this Amendment.
(d)
No Default or Event of Default has occurred or is continuing nor would any Default or Event of Default result after giving effect to this Amendment and the transactions contemplated hereby.
(e)
No Loan Party is an Affected Financial Institution.
8.
Reaffirmations. As of the Amendment Effective Date, each Loan Party:
(a)
agrees that the transactions contemplated by this Amendment shall not limit or diminish the obligations of such Person under, or release such Person from any obligations under, the Credit Agreement (including the Guaranty), the Collateral Agreement and each other Loan Document to which it is a party, and the

4


Credit Agreement (including the Guaranty), the Collateral Agreement and each other Loan Document to which it is a party remain in full force and effect and its obligations thereunder are hereby ratified and confirmed;
(b)
affirms that each of the guarantees made pursuant to the Loan Documents (including, without limitation, the Guaranty and the Foreign Security Agreements listed on Schedule A attached hereto) are valid and subsisting and continue in full force and effect upon the Amendment Effective Date to secure the Obligations, Foreign Obligations and Secured Obligations (as defined in each applicable Loan Document), as applicable, and agrees that this Amendment and all documents executed in connection therewith do not operate to reduce or discharge its obligations under the Loan Documents and shall in no manner otherwise impair or otherwise adversely affect any of the guarantees made in or pursuant to the Loan Documents to which it is party;
(c)
affirms that each of the Liens and pledges granted in or pursuant to the Loan Documents (including, without limitation, the Foreign Security Agreements listed on Schedule A attached hereto and the other Collateral Documents) to which it is party are valid and subsisting and continue in full force and effect upon the Amendment Effective Date to secure the Obligations, Foreign Obligations and Secured Obligations (as defined in each applicable Loan Document), as applicable, and agrees that this Amendment and all documents executed in connection therewith do not operate to reduce or discharge its obligations under the Loan Documents and shall in no manner otherwise impair or otherwise adversely affect any of the Liens and pledges granted in or pursuant to the Loan Documents to which it is party; and
(d)
agrees to, and agrees to cause each of its respective Subsidiaries to, execute any and all further documents, amendments, agreements and instruments, and to take all such further actions as the Administrative Agent may reasonably request, to effectuate the transactions contemplated by the Credit Agreement, or the other Loan Documents (including, without limitation, the Foreign Security Agreements and the other Collateral Documents) to which it is party and to preserve each of the guarantees made pursuant to the Loan Documents and grant, preserve, protect or perfect the Liens and security interests created by the Collateral Documents or the validity or priority of such Lien.
9.
Miscellaneous.
(a)
Governing Law. THIS AMENDMENT SHALL BE GOVERNED BY, AND CONSTRUED IN ACCORDANCE WITH, THE LAW OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK. Without

limiting the general applicability of the foregoing and the terms of the other Loan Documents to this Amendment and the parties hereto, the terms of Section 11.14 and Section 11.15 of the Credit Agreement are incorporated herein by reference, mutatis mutandis. Notwithstanding the foregoing, solely with respect to any Loan Documents governed by English or Hong Kong law, subsections (a) and (b) of Section 8 above shall be governed by and construed in accordance with English or Hong Kong law, as applicable.

(b)
Loan Document. This Amendment shall constitute a “Loan Document” under and as defined in the Credit Agreement.
(c)
Counterparts; Electronic Execution. This Amendment may be executed in counterparts (and by different parties hereto in different counterparts), each of which shall constitute an original, but all of which when taken together shall constitute a single contract. Delivery of an executed counterpart of a signature page of this Amendment by telecopy or other electronic imaging means shall be effective as delivery of a manually executed counterpart of this Amendment.
(d)
Severability. If any provision of this Amendment is determined to be illegal, invalid or unenforceable, such provision shall be fully severable and the remaining provisions shall remain in full force and effect and shall be construed without giving effect to the illegal, invalid or unenforceable provisions.

5


(e)
Entirety. This Amendment, the other Loan Documents and the other documents relating to the Obligations represent the entire agreement of the parties hereto and thereto, and supersede all prior agreements and understandings, oral or written, if any, including any commitment letters or correspondence relating to the Loan Documents, any other documents relating to the Obligations, or the transactions contemplated herein and therein.
(f)
Exiting Lender. Substantially concurrently with the date hereof, all principal, interest, fees, and other amounts shall be paid to the Exiting Lender in immediately available funds, whereupon such Existing Lender shall cease to be a Lender under the Credit Agreement and the other Loan Documents, the Exiting Lender’s Revolving Credit Exposure shall be $0.00, the Exiting Lender’s Commitments to lend and all obligations under the Credit Agreement shall be terminated, the Exiting Lender shall cease to be a Lender for all purposes under the Loan Documents and the Exiting Lender shall not have any rights under the Credit Agreement or any other Loan Document; provided that the rights under the Credit Agreement expressly stated to survive the termination of the Credit Agreement and the repayment of amounts outstanding thereunder shall survive for the benefit of the Exiting Lender. The Exiting Lender joins in the execution of this Amendment solely for purposes of effectuating this Amendment pursuant to Section 4 hereof and assigning its interests pursuant to Section 3 hereof.
10.
Condition Subsequent to Effectiveness. The Loan Parties shall deliver in writing to the Administrative Agent, no later than September 12, 2026 (as such date may be extended by the Administrative Agent in its sole discretion), (a) updated Schedules 5.08(b) (Existing Liens), 5.08(c) (Owned Real Property), 5.08(d)(i) (Leased Real Property (Lessee)), 5.08(d)(ii) (Leased Real Property (Lessor)), 5.08(e) (Existing Investments), 5.10 (Insurance), 5.12(d) (Pension Plans) and 5.13 (Subsidiaries and Other Equity Investments; Loan Parties) to the Credit Agreement, each in form and detail reasonably satisfactory to the Administrative Agent and responsive to the terms and conditions of the applicable provisions of the Credit Agreement, (b) new or updated schedules, disclosures or supplements to the Collateral Agreement, to the extent necessary or appropriate to make the representations and warranties in the Collateral Agreement true and correct as of the Amendment Effective Date, each in form and detail reasonably satisfactory to the Administrative Agent and responsive to the terms and conditions of the applicable provisions of the Collateral Agreement, and (c) executed counterparts to each Notice of Grant of Security Interest in Trademarks and Notice of Grant of Security Interest in Patents, if any, requested by the Administrative Agent in accordance with the terms of the Collateral Agreement with respect to the intellectual property identified on the updated schedules provided under this Section 10.

[REMAINDER OF PAGE INTENTIONALLY BLANK]

6


 

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties hereto have caused this Amendment to be duly executed as of the date first above written.

 

DOMESTIC BORROWER:

 

DIODES INCORPORATED

 

 

 

 

By:

 

/s/ Brett Richardson Whitmire

 

 

 

Name:

Brett Richardson Whitmire

 

 

 

Title:

Chief Financial Officer

 

FOREIGN BORROWER:

 

DIODES HOLDINGS UK LIMITED

 

 

 

 

By:

 

/s/ Brett Richardson Whitmire

 

 

 

Name:

Brett Richardson Whitmire

 

 

 

Title:

Director

 

Signature Page to Amendment No. 1 to Third A&R Credit Agreement

Diodes Incorporated


 

 

SUBSIDIARY GUARANTORS:

 

DIODES ZETEX LIMITED

 

 

 

 

By:

 

/s/ Brett Richardson Whitmire

 

 

 

Name:

Brett Richardson Whitmire

 

 

 

Title:

Director

 

DIODES US MANUFACTURING INCORPORATED

 

 

 

 

By:

 

/s/ Brett Richardson Whitmire

 

 

 

Name:

Brett Richardson Whitmire

 

 

 

Title:

Secretary

 

Signature Page to Amendment No. 1 to Third A&R Credit Agreement

Diodes Incorporated


 

 

BANK OF AMERICA, N.A.,

as Administrative Agent

 

 

 

 

By:

 

/s/ Maurice Washington

 

 

 

Name:

Maurice Washington

 

 

 

Title:

Vice President

 

Signature Page to Amendment No. 1 to Third A&R Credit Agreement

Diodes Incorporated


 

 

BANK OF AMERICA, N.A.,

as a Lender, L/C Issuer and Swingline Lender

 

 

 

 

By:

 

/s/ Adam Rose

 

 

 

Name:

Adam Rose

 

 

 

Title:

Senior Vice President

 

Signature Page to Amendment No. 1 to Third A&R Credit Agreement

Diodes Incorporated


 

 

PNC BANK, NATIONAL ASSOCIATION,

as a Lender

 

 

 

 

By:

 

/s/ Kentaro Umezono

 

 

 

Name:

Kentaro Umezono

 

 

 

Title:

Vice President

 

Signature Page to Amendment No. 1 to Third A&R Credit Agreement

Diodes Incorporated


 

 

CITIBANK, N.A.,

as a Lender

 

 

 

 

By:

 

/s/ Stuart Darby

 

 

 

Name:

Stuart Darby

 

 

 

Title:

Authorized Signatory

 

Signature Page to Amendment No. 1 to Third A&R Credit Agreement

Diodes Incorporated


 

 

REGIONS BANK,

as a Lender

 

 

 

 

By:

 

/s/ Cheryl Shelhart

 

 

 

Name:

Cheryl Shelhart

 

 

 

Title:

Managing Director

 

Signature Page to Amendment No. 1 to Third A&R Credit Agreement

Diodes Incorporated


 

 

HSBC BANK USA, N.A.,

as a Lender

 

 

 

 

By:

 

/s/ Andrew Laughlin

 

 

 

Name:

Andrew Laughlin

 

 

 

Title:

Director

 

 

 

FIFTH THIRD BANK, NATIONAL ASSOCIATION, (SUCCESSOR BY MERGER TO COMERICA BANK, N.A.)

as Exiting Lender

 

 

 

 

By:

 

/s/ Greg Cappel

 

 

 

Name:

Greg Cappel

 

 

 

Title:

Principal

 

Signature Page to Amendment No. 1 to Third A&R Credit Agreement

Diodes Incorporated


 

SCHEDULE A

to

AMENDMENT NO. 1 TO THIRD AMENDED AND RESTATED CREDIT AGREEMENT

UK FOREIGN SECURITY AGREEMENTS AS OF THE AMENDMENT EFFECTIVE DATE

1.
Charge Over Shares dated as of May 26, 2023, between Diodes Incorporated and Bank of America, N.A., as Administrative Agent and Security Trustee, with respect to shares in Diodes Holdings UK Limited.
2.
Composite Debenture dated as of May 26, 2023, between Diodes Holdings UK Limited, Diodes Zetex Limited and Bank of America, N.A., as Administrative Agent and Security Trustee.
3.
Deed of Guarantee dated as of May 26, 2023, between Diodes Holdings UK Limited, Diodes Zetex Limited and Bank of America, N.A., as Administrative Agent.

 


 

SCHEDULE B

to

AMENDMENT NO. 1 TO THIRD AMENDED AND RESTATED CREDIT AGREEMENT

HONG KONG FOREIGN SECURITY AGREEMENTS AS OF THE AMENDMENT

EFFECTIVE DATE

1.
Share Charge dated as of May 26, 2023, made by Diodes Holdings UK Limited in favor of Bank of America, N.A., as Administrative Agent, with respect to 100% of the entire issued capital of Diodes Hong Kong Limited.

 


 

EXHIBIT A

to

AMENDMENT NO. 1 TO THIRD AMENDED AND RESTATED CREDIT AGREEMENT

Conformed Credit Agreement

[see attached]

 


 

EXECUTION COPYFINAL

Published CUSIP Number: 25454HAG5

Revolver Facility CUSIP Number: 25454HAH3

EXHIBIT A TO AMENDMENT NO. 1 TO

THIRD AMENDED AND RESTATED CREDIT AGREEMENT1

THIRD AMENDED AND RESTATED CREDIT AGREEMENT

Dated as of May 26, 2023

among

DIODES INCORPORATED,

as the Domestic Borrower,

DIODES HOLDINGS UK LIMITED,

as the Foreign Borrower,

DIODES ZETEX LIMITED and

DIODES US MANUFACTURING INCORPORATED

as Guarantors,

BANK OF AMERICA, N.A.,

as Administrative Agent, Swingline Lender

and an L/C Issuer,

The Other L/C Issuers Party Hereto, and

The Other Lenders Party Hereto

BOFA SECURITIES, INC. and

PNC CAPITAL MARKETS LLC,

as Joint Lead Arrangers and Joint Bookrunners

PNC BANK, NATIONAL ASSOCIATION,

as Syndication Agent

and

CITIBANK, N.A. and REGIONS BANK,

as Co-Documentation Agents

 

 

 

1 Conformed through Amendment No. 1 to Third Amended and Restated Credit Agreement dated as of August 12, 2026.

Diodes - Exhibit A to Amendment No. 1 to Third A&R Credit Agreement

 


 

TABLE OF CONTENTS

SECTION

 

PAGE

ARTICLE I DEFINITIONS AND ACCOUNTING TERMS

2

Section 1.01.

Defined Terms

2

Section 1.02.

Other Interpretive Provisions

4545

Section 1.03.

Accounting Terms

4646

Section 1.04.

Rounding

4747

Section 1.05.

Exchange Rates; Currency Equivalents.

4747

Section 1.06.

Additional Alternative Currencies

4748

Section 1.07.

Change of Currency

4949

Section 1.08.

Times of Day

4949

Section 1.09.

Letter of Credit Amounts

4949

Section 1.10.

UCC Terms.

4950

ARTICLE II THE COMMITMENTS AND CREDIT EXTENSIONS

5050

Section 2.01.

The Borrowings.

5050

Section 2.02.

Borrowings, Conversions and Continuations of Loans

5050

Section 2.03.

Letters of Credit

5252

Section 2.04.

Swingline Loans.

6261

Section 2.05.

Prepayments

6563

Section 2.06.

Termination or Reduction of Commitments.

6765

Section 2.07.

Repayment of Loans.

6766

Section 2.08.

Interest

6866

Section 2.09.

Fees

6967

Section 2.10.

Computation of Interest and Fees; Retroactive Adjustments of Applicable Rate

6967

Section 2.11.

Evidence of Debt

7068

Section 2.12.

Payments Generally; Administrative Agent’s Clawback.

7069

Section 2.13.

Sharing of Payments by Lenders

7371

Section 2.14.

[Reserved].

7371

Section 2.15.

Cash Collateral.

7471

Section 2.16.

Defaulting Lenders

7572

Section 2.17.

Increase in Revolving Credit Facility.

7774

Section 2.18.

Incremental Term Loans

7976

Section 2.19.

Designated Lenders

8077

Section 2.20.

Sustainability Adjustments; Successor Sustainability Structuring Agent

8178

ARTICLE III TAXES, YIELD PROTECTION AND ILLEGALITY

8279

Section 3.01.

Taxes.

8279

Section 3.02.

Illegality

8683

Section 3.03.

Inability to Determine Rates.

8784

Section 3.04.

Increased Costs; Reserves on Term SOFR Loans.

9188

Section 3.05.

Compensation for Losses

9389

Section 3.06.

Mitigation Obligations; Replacement of Lenders.

9490

Section 3.07.

Survival

9490

ARTICLE IV CONDITIONS PRECEDENT TO CREDIT EXTENSIONS

9491

Section 4.01.

Conditions of Initial Credit Extension

9491

Section 4.02.

Conditions to all Credit Extensions

9894

-i-


 

ARTICLE V REPRESENTATIONS AND WARRANTIES

9995

Section 5.01.

Existence, Qualification and Power

9995

Section 5.02.

Authorization; No Contravention

9995

Section 5.03.

Governmental Authorization; Other Consents

9995

Section 5.04.

Binding Effect

10096

Section 5.05.

Financial Statements; No Material Adverse Effect

10096

Section 5.06.

Litigation

10096

Section 5.07.

No Default

10196

Section 5.08.

Ownership of Property; Liens; Investments

10197

Section 5.09.

Environmental Compliance

10197

Section 5.10.

Insurance

10298

Section 5.11.

Taxes

10298

Section 5.12.

ERISA Compliance

10398

Section 5.13.

Subsidiaries; Equity Interests; Loan Parties

104100

Section 5.14.

Margin Regulations; Investment Company Act

105100

Section 5.15.

Disclosure

105100

Section 5.16.

Compliance with Laws

105101

Section 5.17.

Intellectual Property; Licenses, Etc.

105101

Section 5.18.

Sanctions Concerns and Anti-Corruption Laws.

106101

Section 5.19.

Solvency

106101

Section 5.20.

Labor Matters

106102

Section 5.21.

Collateral Documents

106102

Section 5.22.

European Insolvency Regulation

106102

Section 5.23.

Beneficial Ownership Certificate

106102

Section 5.24.

[Reserved].

106102

Section 5.25.

Representations as to Foreign Loan Parties

107102

Section 5.26.

Covered Entities.

108103

Section 5.27.

Outbound Investment Rules

103

ARTICLE VI AFFIRMATIVE COVENANTS

108104

Section 6.01.

Financial Statements

108104

Section 6.02.

Certificates; Other Information

109105

Section 6.03.

Notices

112107

Section 6.04.

Payment of Obligations

112107

Section 6.05.

Preservation of Existence, Etc.

112108

Section 6.06.

Maintenance of Properties

112108

Section 6.07.

Maintenance of Insurance

113108

Section 6.08.

Compliance with Laws

113108

Section 6.09.

Books and Records

113108

Section 6.10.

Inspection Rights

113108

Section 6.11.

Use of Proceeds

113108

Section 6.12.

Covenant to Guarantee Obligations and Give Security.

113109

Section 6.13.

Compliance with Environmental Laws

114110

Section 6.14.

Further Assurances

115110

Section 6.15.

Material Contracts

115110

Section 6.16.

Post-Closing Matters

115110

-ii-


 

Section 6.17.

Anti-Corruption Laws

115110

ARTICLE VII NEGATIVE COVENANTS

116111

Section 7.01.

Liens

116111

Section 7.02.

Indebtedness

118113

Section 7.03.

Investments

120116

Section 7.04.

Fundamental Changes

122118

Section 7.05.

Dispositions

123119

Section 7.06.

Restricted Payments

124120

Section 7.07.

Change in Nature of Business

125122

Section 7.08.

Transactions with Affiliates

125122

Section 7.09.

Burdensome Agreements

125122

Section 7.10.

Use of Proceeds

125122

Section 7.11.

Financial Covenants

125122

Section 7.12.

Amendments of Organization Documents

126123

Section 7.13.

Accounting Changes

126123

Section 7.14.

Prepayments of Indebtedness

126123

Section 7.15.

Amendment of Indebtedness

126124

Section 7.16.

Sanctions

126124

Section 7.17.

Anti-Corruption Laws

126124

Section 7.18.

Outbound Investment Rules

124

ARTICLE VIII EVENTS OF DEFAULT AND REMEDIES

126124

Section 8.01.

Events of Default

126124

Section 8.02.

Remedies Upon Event of Default

129127

Section 8.03.

Application of Funds.

130127

ARTICLE IX ADMINISTRATIVE AGENT

132129

Section 9.01.

Appointment and Authority

132129

Section 9.02.

Rights as a Lender

133130

Section 9.03.

Exculpatory Provisions

133130

Section 9.04.

Reliance by Administrative Agent

134131

Section 9.05.

Delegation of Duties

135132

Section 9.06.

Resignation of Administrative Agent

135132

Section 9.07.

Non-Reliance on Administrative Agent and Other Lenders

136133

Section 9.08.

No Other Duties, Etc.

137134

Section 9.09.

Administrative Agent May File Proofs of Claim

137134

Section 9.10.

Collateral and Guaranty Matters

139136

Section 9.11.

Secured Cash Management Agreements and Secured Hedge Agreements

139136

Section 9.12.

Certain ERISA Matters

140137

Section 9.13.

Recovery of Erroneous Payments

141137

ARTICLE X GUARANTY

141138

Section 10.01.

The Guaranty.

141138

Section 10.02.

Obligations Unconditional.

142139

Section 10.03.

Reinstatement.

145141

Section 10.04.

Subrogation and Contribution

145142

Section 10.05.

Remedies.

145142

Section 10.06.

Rights of Contribution.

146143

-iii-


 

Section 10.07.

Guarantee of Payment; Continuing Guarantee.

147143

Section 10.08.

Additional Guarantor Waivers and Agreements.

147143

Section 10.09.

Appointment of Domestic Borrower

148144

Section 10.10.

Keepwell

148145

Section 10.11.

Condition of Borrowers.

149145

ARTICLE XI MISCELLANEOUS

149145

Section 11.01.

Amendments, Etc

149145

Section 11.02.

Notices; Effectiveness; Electronic Communication.

152148

Section 11.03.

No Waiver; Cumulative Remedies; Enforcement

154150

Section 11.04.

Expenses; Indemnity; Damage Waiver.

155151

Section 11.05.

Payments Set Aside

157153

Section 11.06.

Successors and Assigns.

158153

Section 11.07.

Treatment of Certain Information; Confidentiality

162158

Section 11.08.

Right of Setoff

163159

Section 11.09.

Interest Rate Limitation

164159

Section 11.10.

Counterparts; Integration; Effectiveness

164159

Section 11.11.

Survival of Representations and Warranties

165160

Section 11.12.

Severability

165160

Section 11.13.

Replacement of Lenders

165160

Section 11.14.

Governing Law; Jurisdiction; Etc.

166161

Section 11.15.

Waiver of Jury Trial

167162

Section 11.16.

California Judicial Reference

168162

Section 11.17.

No Advisory or Fiduciary Responsibility

168163

Section 11.18.

Electronic Execution of Assignments and Certain Other Documents

168163

Section 11.19.

USA PATRIOT Act

170164

Section 11.20.

ENTIRE AGREEMENT

170165

Section 11.21.

Judgment Currency

170165

Section 11.22.

Acknowledgment and Consent to Bail-In of Affected Financial Institutions

171165

Section 11.23.

Acknowledgment Regarding Any Supported QFCs.

171166

Section 11.24.

Subordination.

172166

Section 11.25.

Amendment and Restatement; No Novation

172167

-iv-


 

 

SCHEDULES

 

2.01

Commitments and Applicable Percentages

2.03

Letter of Credit Commitments

5.08(b)

Existing Liens

5.08(c)

Owned Real Property

5.08(d)(i)

Leased Real Property (Lessee)

5.08(d)(ii)

Leased Real Property (Lessor)

5.08(e)

Existing Investments

5.09

Environmental Matters

5.10

Insurance

5.12(d)

Pension Plans

5.13

Subsidiaries and Other Equity Investments; Loan Parties

5.17

Intellectual Property Matters

6.16

Post-Closing Matters

7.02

Existing Indebtedness

7.09

Burdensome Agreements

11.02

Administrative Agent’s Office, Certain Addresses for Notices

EXHIBITS

 

 

 

 

Form of

A

Committed Loan Notice

B

Swingline Loan Notice

C-1

[Reserved]

C-2

[Reserved]

C-3

Incremental Term Note

C-4

Revolving Credit Note

D

Compliance Certificate

E-1

Assignment and Assumption

E-2

Administrative Questionnaire

F

U.S. Tax Compliance Certificates

G

Notice of Loan Prepayment

H

Secured Party Designation Notice

I

Letter of Credit Report

J

Notice of Additional L/C Issuer

 

-v-


 

FINAL

THIRD AMENDED AND RESTATED CREDIT AGREEMENT

This THIRD AMENDED AND RESTATED CREDIT AGREEMENT (“Agreement”) is entered into as of May 26, 2023, among DIODES INCORPORATED, a Delaware corporation (the “Domestic Borrower”), DIODES HOLDINGS UK LIMITED, a company incorporated and registered under the laws of England and Wales with registration number 06475363 (the “Foreign Borrower” and together with the Domestic Borrower, the “Borrowers” and each, individually, a “Borrower”), certain Subsidiaries of the Domestic Borrower identified on the signature pages hereto as guarantors, each lender from time to time party hereto (collectively, the “Lenders” and individually, a “Lender”), BANK OF AMERICA, N.A., as Administrative Agent, Swingline Lender and an L/C Issuer and the other L/C Issuers from time to time party hereto.

PRELIMINARY STATEMENTS:

The Borrowers are party to that certain Second Amended and Restated Credit Agreement, dated as of May 29, 2020 (as amended by that certain First Amendment to Second Amended and Restated Credit Agreement dated as of September 21, 2020, as amended by that certain Consent Agreement with respect to Second Amended and Restated Credit Agreement and Foreign Security Agreements dated as of November 2, 2020, as amended by that certain Consent and Amendment No. 2 to Second Amended and Restated Credit Agreement dated as of November 17, 2020, as amended by the Joinder Agreement dated as of November 30, 2020, as amended by that certain Amendment No. 3 to Second Amended and Restated Credit Agreement dated as of March 4, 2021, as amended by that certain Amendment No. 4 to Second Amended and Restated Credit Agreement, Consent and Release dated as of November 15, 2021, as amended by that certain Amendment No. 5 to Second Amended and Restated Credit Agreement and Consent dated as of December 8, 2021, as amended by that certain Amendment No. 6 to Second Amended and Restated Credit Agreement, Consent and Incremental Term Assumption Agreement dated as of December 29, 2021, and as amended by that certain Joinder Agreement dated as of February 3, 2022, and as further amended, restated, supplemented or otherwise modified from time to time prior to the date hereof, the “Existing Credit Agreement”), among the Borrowers, the Guarantors (as defined therein), the lenders party thereto and the Administrative Agent.

The Borrowers have requested that the Administrative Agent, the Swingline Lender, the L/C Issuers and the Lenders amend and restate the Existing Credit Agreement on the terms and conditions set forth herein, and the Administrative Agent, the Swingline Lender, the L/C Issuers and the Lenders agree to amend and restate the Existing Credit Agreement on the terms and conditions set forth herein to, among other things, extend the Maturity Date and provide for an increase in the Revolving Credit Commitment (as defined herein).

In consideration of the mutual covenants and agreements herein contained, the parties hereto covenant and agree as follows:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Diodes - Exhibit A to Amendment No. 1 to Third A&R Credit Agreement

 


 

ARTICLE I

DEFINITIONS AND ACCOUNTING TERMS

Section 1.01. Defined Terms. As used in this Agreement, the following terms shall have the meanings set forth below:

“Act” has the meaning specified in Section 11.19.

“Additional Secured Obligations” means all obligations arising under Secured Cash Management Agreements and Secured Hedge Agreements, in each case whether direct or indirect (including those acquired by assumption), absolute or contingent, due or to become due, now existing or hereafter arising and including interest, expenses and fees that accrue after the commencement by or against any Loan Party or any Affiliate thereof of any proceeding under any Debtor Relief Laws naming such Person as the debtor in such proceeding, regardless of whether such interest, expenses and fees are allowed claims in such proceeding; provided that Additional Secured Obligations of a Loan Party shall exclude any Excluded Swap Obligations with respect to such Loan Party.

“Administrative Agent” means Bank of America (or any of its designated branch offices or affiliates) in its capacity as administrative agent under any of the Loan Documents, or any successor administrative agent.

“Administrative Agent’s Office” means, with respect to any currency, the Administrative Agent’s address and, as appropriate, account as set forth on Schedule 11.02 with respect to such currency, or such other address or account with respect to such currency as the Administrative Agent may from time to time notify the Domestic Borrower and the Lenders.

“Administrative Questionnaire” means an administrative questionnaire in substantially the form of

Exhibit E-2 or any other form approved by the Administrative Agent.

Affected Financial Institution” means (a) any EEA Financial Institution or (b) any UK Financial Institution.

“Affiliate” means, with respect to a specified Person, another Person that directly, or indirectly through one or more intermediaries, Controls or is Controlled by or is under common Control with the Person specified.

“Agent Parties” has the meaning specified in Section 11.02(c).

“Aggregate Commitments” means the Commitments of all the Lenders. “Agreed Currency” means Dollars or any Alternative Currency, as applicable. “Agreement” means this Third Amended and Restated Credit Agreement. “Agreement Currency” has the meaning specified in Section 11.21.

“Alternative Currency” means each of Euro, Sterling and each other currency (other than Dollars) that is approved in accordance with Section 1.06; provided that for each Alternative Currency, such requested currency is an Eligible Currency.

Alternative Currency Conforming Changes” means, with respect to the use, administration of or any conventions associated with SONIA or EURIBOR or any proposed Successor Rate for any currency, any conforming changes to the definitions of “SONIA”, “EURIBOR”, “Interest Period”, timing and frequency of determining rates and making payments of interest and other technical, administrative or operational matters (including, for the avoidance of doubt, the definition of “Business Day”, timing of borrowing requests or prepayment, conversion or continuation notices and length of lookback periods) as may be appropriate, in the

-2-


 

discretion of the Administrative Agent, to reflect the adoption and implementation of such applicable rate(s) and to permit the administration thereof by the Administrative Agent in a manner substantially consistent with market practice for such currency (or, if the Administrative Agent determines that adoption of any portion of such market practice is not administratively feasible or that no market practice for the administration of such rate for such currency exists, in such other manner of administration as the Administrative Agent determines is reasonably necessary in connection with the administration of this Agreement and any other Loan Document).

Alternative Currency Daily Rate” means, for any day, with respect to any Credit Extension:

(a)
denominated in Sterling, the rate per annum equal to SONIA determined pursuant to the definition thereof plus the SONIA Adjustment; and
(b)
denominated in any other Alternative Currency (to the extent such Loans denominated in such currency will bear interest at a daily rate), the daily rate per annum as designated with respect to such Alternative Currency at the time such Alternative Currency is approved by the Administrative Agent and the relevant Lenders pursuant to Section 1.06 plus the adjustment (if any) determined by the Administrative Agent and the relevant Lenders pursuant to Section 1.06;

provided, that, if any Alternative Currency Daily Rate shall be less than zero, such rate shall be deemed zero for purposes of this Agreement. Any change in an Alternative Currency Daily Rate shall be effective from and including the date of such change without further notice.

Alternative Currency Daily Rate Loan” means a Loan that bears interest at a rate based on the definition of “Alternative Currency Daily Rate.” All Alternative Currency Daily Rate Loans must be denominated in an Alternative Currency.

“Alternative Currency Equivalent” means, at any time, with respect to any amount denominated in Dollars, the equivalent amount thereof in the applicable Alternative Currency as determined by the Administrative Agent or the Alternative Currency L/C Issuer, as the case may be, by reference to Bloomberg (or such other publicly available service for displaying exchange rates), to be the exchange rate for the purchase of such Alternative Currency with Dollars at approximately 11:00 a.m. on the date two (2) Business Days prior to the date as of which the foreign exchange computation is made; provided, however, that if no such rate is available, the “Alternative Currency Equivalent” shall be determined by the Administrative Agent or the Alternative Currency L/C Issuer, as the case may be, using any reasonable method of determination they deem appropriate in their sole discretion (and such determination shall be conclusive absent manifest error).

“Alternative Currency L/C Issuer” means Bank of America, through itself or through one of its designated Affiliates or branch offices, in its capacity as issuer of Letters of Credit issued in any Alternative Currency, or any successor issuer thereof.

Alternative Currency Loan” means an Alternative Currency Daily Rate Loan or an Alternative Currency Term Rate Loan, as applicable.

Alternative Currency Scheduled Unavailability Date” has the meaning set forth in Section 3.03(c)(ii).

“Alternative Currency Sublimit” means an amount equal to the lesser of the Revolving Credit Facility and $40,000,000. The Alternative Currency Sublimit is part of, and not in addition to, the Revolving Credit Facility.

-3-


 

“Alternative Currency Successor Rate” has the meaning set forth in Section 3.03(c).

Alternative Currency Term Rate” means, for any Interest Period, with respect to any Credit Extension:

(a)
denominated in Euros, the rate per annum equal to the Euro Interbank Offered Rate (“EURIBOR”), as published on the applicable Reuters screen page (or such other commercially available source providing such quotations as may be designated by the Administrative Agent from time to time) on the day that is two TARGET Days preceding the first day of such Interest Period with a term equivalent to such Interest Period; or
(b)
denominated in any other Alternative Currency (to the extent such Loans denominated in such currency will bear interest at a term rate), the term rate per annum as designated with respect to such Alternative Currency at the time such Alternative Currency is approved by the Administrative Agent and the relevant Lenders pursuant to Section 1.06 plus the adjustment (if any) determined by the Administrative Agent and the relevant Lenders pursuant to Section 1.06;

provided, that, if any Alternative Currency Term Rate shall be less than zero, such rate shall be deemed zero for purposes of this Agreement.

Alternative Currency Term Rate Loan” means a Loan that bears interest at a rate based on the definition of “Alternative Currency Term Rate.” All Alternative Currency Term Rate Loans must be denominated in an Alternative Currency.

Amendment No. 1” means that certain Amendment No. 1 to Third Amended and Restated Credit Agreement, dated as of the Amendment No. 1 Effective Date, by and among the Administrative Agent, the Loan Parties, the Lenders and the other parties thereto.

Amendment No. 1 Effective Date” means August 12, 2026.

Applicable Alternative Currency Authority” means, with respect to any Alternative Currency, the applicable administrator for the Relevant Rate for such Alternative Currency or any governmental authority having jurisdiction over the Administrative Agent or such administrator.

Applicable Law” means, as to any Person, all applicable Laws binding upon such Person or to which such a Person is subject.

“Applicable Percentage” means (a) [reserved], (b) in respect of any Incremental Term Facility, with respect to any Incremental Term Lender at any time, the percentage (carried out to the ninth decimal place) of such Incremental Term Facility represented by (i) on or prior to the applicable Incremental Term Loan Date, such Incremental Term Lender’s Incremental Term Commitment at such time and (ii) thereafter, the principal amount of such Incremental Term Lender’s Incremental Term Loans at such time and (c) in respect of the Revolving Credit Facility, with respect to any Revolving Credit Lender at any time, the percentage (carried out to the ninth decimal place) of the Revolving Credit Facility represented by such Revolving Credit Lender’s Revolving Credit Commitment at such time. If the commitment of each Revolving Credit Lender to make Revolving Credit Loans and the obligation of the L/C Issuers to make L/C Credit Extensions have been terminated pursuant to Section 8.02, or if the Revolving Credit Commitments have expired, then the Applicable Percentage of each Revolving Credit Lender in respect of the Revolving Credit Facility shall be determined based on the Applicable Percentage of such Revolving Credit Lender in respect of the Revolving Credit Facility most recently in effect, giving effect to any subsequent assignments and to any Lender’s status as a Defaulting Lender at the time of determination. The initial Applicable Percentage of each Lender in respect of each Facility is set forth opposite the name of

-4-


 

such Lender on Schedule 2.01 or in the Assignment and Assumption or Incremental Term Assumption Agreement pursuant to which such Lender becomes a party hereto, as applicable.

“Applicable Rate” means, (I) for Dollar denominated Loans, on any day, the rate per annum set forth below opposite the applicable Pricing Level then in effect (based on the Consolidated Secured Net Leverage Ratio), it being understood that the Applicable Rate for (a) Revolving Credit Loans that are Base Rate Loans shall be the percentage set forth under the column “Revolving Credit Loans” and “Base Rate”, (b) Revolving Credit Loans that are Term SOFR Loans shall be the percentage set forth under the column “Revolving Credit Loans” and “Term SOFR & Letter of Credit Fee”, and (c) the Letter of Credit Fee shall be the percentage set forth under the column “Revolving Credit Loans” and “Term SOFR & Letter of Credit Fee”:

 

APPLICABLE RATE FOR DOLLAR LOANS AND LETTERS OF CREDIT

 

Pricing

Level

Consolidated

Secured Net

Leverage Ratio

Term SOFR &

Letter of Credit Fee

Base Rate

Commitment Fee

 

 

Revolving Credit

Loans

Revolving Credit

Loans

 

1

< 0.75:1

0.875%

0.00%0.000%

0.175%0.125%

2

> 0.75:1 but <

1.00:1

1.00%1.000%

0.00%0.000%

0.175%0.150%

3

> 1.00:1 but < 1.50:1

1.25%1.250%

0.25%0.250%

0.20%0.175%

4

> 1.50:1 but < 2.00:1

1.50%1.500%

0.50%0.500%

0.225%0.200%

5

> 2.00:1 but < 2.50:1

1.75%1.750%

0.75%0.750%

0.25%0.225%

6

> 2.50:1

2.00%

1.00%

0.30%

 

(II) for Alternative Currency Loans, on any day, the rate per annum set forth below opposite the applicable Pricing Level then in effect (based on the Consolidated Secured Net Leverage Ratio), it being understood that the Applicable Rate for (a) Alternative Currency Loans that are Alternative Currency Daily Rate Loans shall be the percentage set forth under the column “Alternative Currency Daily Rate” and (b) Alternative Currency Loans that are Alternative Currency Term Rate Loans shall be the percentage set forth under the column “Alternative Currency Term Rate & Letter of Credit Fee”, and (c) the Letter of Credit Fee for Letters of Credit denominated in (i) Sterling, shall be the percentage set forth under the column “Alternative

-5-


 

Currency Daily Rate” and (ii) in Euros, shall be the percentage set forth under the column “Alternative Currency Term Rate”:

 

APPLICABLE RATE FOR ALTERNATIVE CURRENCY LOANS AND LETTERS OF CREDIT

Pricing

Level

Consolidated

Secured Net Leverage Ratio

Alternative Currency

Term Rate

Alternative

Currency

Daily Rate

Commitment

Fee

1

< 0.75:1

0.875%

0.00%0.000%

0.15%0.125%

2

> 0.75:1 but < 1.00:1

1.00%1.000%

0.00%0.000%

0.175%0.150%

3

> 1.00:1 but < 1.50:1

1.25%1.250%

0.25%0.250%

0.20%0.175%

4

> 1.50:1 but < 2.00:1

1.50%1.500%

0.50%0.500%

0.225%0.200%

5

> 2.00:1 but < 2.50:1

1.75%1.750%

0.75%0.750%

0.25%0.225%

6

> 2.50:1

2.00%

1.00%

0.30%

 

; (III) the Commitment Fee (regardless of currency) shall be the percentage set forth under the column “Commitment Fee” in either of the above charts; and (IV) the Applicable Rate for any Incremental Term Loan shall be as set forth in the Incremental Term Assumption Agreement executed in connection therewith.

Any increase or decrease in the Applicable Rate resulting from a change in the Consolidated Secured Net Leverage Ratio shall become effective as of the first Business Day immediately following the date a Compliance Certificate is delivered pursuant to Section 6.02(a); provided, however, that if a Compliance Certificate is not delivered when due in accordance with such Section, then, upon the request of the Required Lenders, Pricing Level 65 shall apply, in each case as of the first Business Day after the date on which such Compliance Certificate was required to have been delivered and in each case shall remain in effect until the first Business Day following the date on which such Compliance Certificate is delivered.

Notwithstanding anything to the contrary contained in this definition, (x) the determination of the Applicable Rate for any period shall be subject to the provisions of Section 2.10(b) and (y) for the period from the ClosingAmendment No. 1 Effective Date until the first Business Day immediately following the date a Compliance Certificate is delivered pursuant to Section 6.02(b) for the fiscal quarter ending September 30, 20232026, Pricing Level 1 shall apply. Any adjustment in the Applicable Rate shall be applicable to all Credit Extensions then existing or subsequently made or issued.

“Applicable Revolving Credit Percentage” means with respect to any Revolving Credit Lender at any time, such Revolving Credit Lender’s Applicable Percentage in respect of the Revolving Credit Facility at such time.

“Applicable Time” means, with respect to any borrowings and payments in any Alternative Currency, the local time in the place of settlement for such Alternative Currency as may be determined by the Administrative Agent or the applicable L/C Issuer, as the case may be, to be necessary for timely settlement on the relevant date in accordance with normal banking procedures in the place of payment.

-6-


 

“Appropriate Lender” means, at any time, (a) with respect to any Facility, a Lender that has a Commitment with respect to such Facility or holds a Loan with respect to such Facility at such time, (b) with respect to the Letter of Credit Sublimit, (i) the L/C Issuers and (ii) if any Letters of Credit have been issued pursuant to Section 2.03(a), the Revolving Credit Lenders and (c) with respect to the Swingline Sublimit, (i) the Swingline Lender and (ii) if any Swingline Loans are outstanding pursuant to Section 2.04(a), the Revolving Credit Lenders.

“Approved Fund” means any Fund that is administered or managed by (a) a Lender, (b) an Affiliate of a Lender or (c) an entity or an Affiliate of an entity that administers or manages a Lender.

“Arrangers” means BofA Securities, Inc. and PNC Capital Markets, LLC, in their capacities as joint lead arrangers and joint bookrunners.

“Assignment and Assumption” means an assignment and assumption entered into by a Lender and an Eligible Assignee (with the consent of any party whose consent is required by Section 11.06(b)), and accepted by the Administrative Agent, in substantially the form of Exhibit E-1 or any other form (including an electronic documentation form generated by use of an electronic platform) approved by the Administrative Agent.

“Attributable Indebtedness” means, on any date, (a) in respect of any Capitalized Lease of any Person, the capitalized amount thereof that would appear on a balance sheet of such Person prepared as of such date in accordance with GAAP, and (b) in respect of any Synthetic Lease Obligation, the capitalized

amount of the remaining lease or similar payments under the relevant lease or other applicable agreement or instrument that would appear on a balance sheet of such Person prepared as of such date in accordance with GAAP if such lease or other agreement or instrument were accounted for as a Capitalized Lease.

“Audited Financial Statements” means the audited consolidated balance sheet of the Domestic Borrower and its Subsidiaries for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2022, and the related consolidated statements of income or operations, shareholders’ equity and cash flows for such fiscal year of the Domestic Borrower and its Subsidiaries, including the notes thereto.

“Availability Period” means in respect of the Revolving Credit Facility, the period from and including the Closing Date to the earliest of (a) the Maturity Date for the Revolving Credit Facility, (b) the date of termination of the Revolving Credit Commitments pursuant to Section 2.06, and (c) the date of termination of the commitment of each Revolving Credit Lender to make Revolving Credit Loans and of the obligation of the L/C Issuers to make L/C Credit Extensions pursuant to Section 8.02.

“Bail-In Action” means the exercise of any Write-Down and Conversion Powers by the applicable Resolution Authority in respect of any liability of an Affected Financial Institution.

Bail-In Legislation” means, (a) with respect to any EEA Member Country implementing Article 55 of Directive 2014/59/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council of the European Union, the implementing law, rule, regulation or requirement for such EEA Member Country from time to time which is described in the EU Bail-In Legislation Schedule, and (b) with respect to the United Kingdom, Part I of the United Kingdom Banking Act 2009 (as amended from time to time) and any other law, regulation or rule applicable in the United Kingdom relating to the resolution of unsound or failing banks, investment firms or other financial institutions or their affiliates (other than through liquidation, administration or other insolvency proceedings).

-7-


 

“Bank of America” means Bank of America, N.A. and its successors.

“Base Rate” means for any day a fluctuating rate per annum equal to the highest of (a) the Federal Funds Rate plus 1/2 of 1.000.50%, (b) the rate of interest in effect for such day as publicly announced from time to time by Bank of America as its “prime rate,” and (c) Term SOFR plus 1.00%, subject to the interest rate floors set forth therein; and if the Base Rate shall be less than zero, such rate shall be deemed zero for purposes of this Agreement. The “prime rate” is a rate set by Bank of America based upon various factors including Bank of America’s costs and desired return, general economic conditions and other factors, and is used as a reference point for pricing some loans, which may be priced at, above, or below such announced rate. Any change in such prime rate announced by Bank of America shall take effect at the opening of business on the day specified in the public announcement of such change. If the Base Rate is being used as an alternate rate of interest pursuant to Section 3.03 hereof, then the Base Rate shall be the greater of clauses (a) and (b) above and shall be determined without reference to clause (c) above.

“Base Rate Loan” means a Revolving Credit Loan or Incremental Term Loan that bears interest based on the Base Rate. All Base Rate Loans are only available to the Domestic Borrower and shall be denominated in Dollars.

Beneficial Ownership Certification” means a certification regarding beneficial ownership required by the Beneficial Ownership Regulation.

Beneficial Ownership Regulation” means 31 C.F.R. § 1010.230.

Benefit Plan” means any of (a) an “employee benefit plan” (as defined in ERISA) that is subject to Title I of ERISA, (b) a “plan” as defined in and subject to Section 4975 of the Code or (c) any Person whose assets include (for purposes of ERISA Section 3(42) or otherwise for purposes of Title I of ERISA or Section 4975 of the Code) the assets of any such “employee benefit plan” or “plan”.

“Borrowers” has the meaning specified in the introductory paragraph hereto.

“Borrower Materials” has the meaning specified in Section 6.02.

“Borrowing” means a Revolving Credit Borrowing, a Swingline Borrowing or an Incremental Term Borrowing, as the context may require.

“Business Day” means any day other than a Saturday, Sunday or other day on which commercial banks are authorized to close under the Laws of, or are in fact closed in, the state where the Administrative Agent's Office is located and:

(a)
if such day relates to any interest rate settings as to an Alternative Currency Loan denominated in Euro, any fundings, disbursements, settlements and payments in Euro in respect of any such Alternative Currency Loan, or any other dealings in Euro to be carried out pursuant to this Agreement in respect of any such Alternative Currency Loan, means a Business Day that is also a TARGET Day;
(b)
if such day relates to any interest rate settings as to an Alternative Currency Loan denominated in Sterling, means a day other than a day banks are closed for general business in London because such day is a Saturday, Sunday or a legal holiday under the laws of the United Kingdom; and

-8-


 

(c)
if such day relates to any fundings, disbursements, settlements and payments in a currency other than Euro or Sterling in respect of an Alternative Currency Loan denominated in a currency other than Euro or Sterling, or any other dealings in any currency other than Euro or Sterling to be carried out pursuant to this Agreement in respect of any such Alternative Currency Loan (other than any interest rate settings), means any such day on which banks are open for foreign exchange business in the principal financial center of the country of such currency.

“Capitalized Leases” means all leases that have been or should be, in accordance with GAAP, recorded as capitalized leases.

“Cash Collateralize” means to deposit in a Controlled Account or to pledge and deposit with or deliver to the Administrative Agent, for the benefit of one or more of the L/C Issuers or Swingline Lender (as applicable) or the Lenders, as collateral for L/C Obligations, the Obligations in respect of Swingline Loans, or obligations of the Revolving Credit Lenders to fund participations in respect of either thereof (as the context may require), cash or deposit account balances or, if the Administrative Agent and the applicable L/C Issuers or Swingline Lender, as applicable, shall agree in their sole discretion, other credit support, in each case pursuant to documentation in form and substance satisfactory to the Administrative Agent and such L/C Issuer or Swingline Lender (as applicable). “Cash Collateral” shall have a meaning correlative to the foregoing and shall include the proceeds of such cash collateral and other credit support.

“Cash Equivalents” means any of the following types of Investments, to the extent owned by the Domestic Borrower or any of its Subsidiaries free and clear of all Liens (other than Permitted Liens):

(a)
readily marketable obligations issued or directly and fully guaranteed or insured by the United States of America or any agency or instrumentality thereof having maturities of not more than 360 days from the date of acquisition thereof; provided that the full faith and credit of the United States of America is pledged in support thereof;
(b)
time deposits with, or insured certificates of deposit or bankers’ acceptances of, any commercial bank that (i) (A) is a Lender or (B) is organized under the laws of the United States of America, any state thereof or the District of Columbia or is the principal banking subsidiary of a bank holding company organized under the laws of the United States of America, any state thereof or the District of Columbia, and is a member of the Federal Reserve System, (ii) issues (or the parent of which issues) commercial paper rated as described in clause (c) of this definition and (iii) has combined capital and surplus of at least $1,000,000,000, in each case with maturities of not more than 90 days from the date of acquisition thereof;
(c)
commercial paper issued by any Person organized under the laws of any state of the United States of America and rated at least “Prime-1” (or the then equivalent grade) by Moody’s or at least “A-1” (or the then equivalent grade) by S&P, in each case with maturities of not more than 180 days from the date of acquisition thereof;
(d)
Investments, classified in accordance with GAAP as current assets of the Domestic Borrower or any of its Subsidiaries, in money market investment programs registered under the Investment Company Act of 1940, which are administered by reputable financial institutions having capital of at least $1,000,000,000 and the portfolios of which are limited solely to Investments of the character, quality and maturity described in clauses (a), (b) and (c) of this definition; and

-9-


 

(e)
Investments made or held in any country outside of the United States of America by any Foreign Subsidiary pursuant to that certain Investment Policy of Diodes Incorporated and Subsidiaries previously provided to the Lenders and as in effect on the date hereof.

“Cash Management Agreement” means any agreement that is not prohibited by the terms hereof to provide treasury or cash management services, including deposit accounts, foreign exchange services, overnight draft, daylight and other overdraft services, credit cards, debit cards, p-cards (including purchasing cards and commercial cards), funds transfer, intraday credit, automated clearinghouse services, zero balance accounts/arrangements, returned check concentration, controlled disbursement, lockbox, account reconciliation and reporting and trade finance services and other cash management services.

“Cash Management Bank” means any Person in its capacity as a party to a Cash Management Agreement that, (a) at the time it enters into a Cash Management Agreement with a Loan Party or any Subsidiary, is a Lender or an Affiliate of a Lender, or (b) at the time it (or its Affiliate) becomes a Lender, is

a party to a Cash Management Agreement with a Loan Party or any Subsidiary, in each case in its capacity as a party to such Cash Management Agreement (even if such Person ceases to be a Lender or such Person’s Affiliate ceased to be a Lender); provided, however, that for any of the foregoing to be included as a “Secured Cash Management Agreement” on any date of determination by the Administrative Agent, the applicable Cash Management Bank (other than the Administrative Agent or an Affiliate of the Administrative Agent) must have delivered a Secured Party Designation Notice to the Administrative Agent prior to such date of determination.

“CERCLA” means the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act of 1980.

“CERCLIS” means the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Information System maintained by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

“CFC” means a Person that is a controlled foreign corporation under Section 957 of the Code in which the Domestic Borrower or any Loan Party is a United States shareholder within the meaning of Section 951(b) of the Code.

“Change in Law” means the occurrence, after the date of this Agreement, of any of the following:

(a) the adoption or taking effect of any law, rule, regulation or treaty, (b) any change in any law, rule, regulation or treaty or in the administration, interpretation, implementation or application thereof by any Governmental Authority or (c) the making or issuance of any request, rule, guideline or directive (whether or not having the force of law) by any Governmental Authority; provided that notwithstanding anything herein to the contrary, (x) the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act and all requests, rules, guidelines or directives thereunder or issued in connection therewith or in the implementation thereof and (y) all requests, rules, guidelines or directives promulgated by the Bank for International Settlements, the Basel Committee on Banking Supervision (or any successor or similar authority) or the United States or foreign regulatory authorities, in each case pursuant to Basel III, shall in each case be deemed to be a “Change in Law”, regardless of the date enacted, adopted, issued or implemented.

-10-


 

“Change of Control” means an event or series of events by which:

(a)
any “person” or “group” (as such terms are used in Sections 13(d) and 14(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, but excluding any employee benefit plan of such person or its subsidiaries, and any person or entity acting in its capacity as trustee, agent or other fiduciary or administrator of any such plan) becomes the “beneficial owner” (as defined in Rules 13d-3 and 13d-5 under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, except that a person or group shall be deemed to have “beneficial ownership” of all securities that such person or group has the right to acquire, whether such right is exercisable immediately or only after the passage of time (such right, an “option right”)), directly or indirectly, of 35% or more of the Equity Interests of the Domestic Borrower entitled to vote for members of the board of directors or equivalent governing body of the Domestic Borrower on a fully-diluted basis (and taking into account all such securities that such “person” or “group” has the right to acquire pursuant to any option right); or
(b)
the Domestic Borrower shall fail to own 100% of the Equity Interests of the

Foreign Borrower.

“Closing Date” means the first date all the conditions precedent in Section 4.01 are satisfied or waived in accordance with Section 11.01.

CME” means CME Group Benchmark Administration Limited.

“Code” means the Internal Revenue Code of 1986.

“Collateral” means, collectively, all of the “Collateral” as defined in and referred to in the Collateral Agreement, all of the collateral referred to in the Foreign Security Agreements and all of the other property that is or is intended under the terms of the Collateral Documents to be subject to Liens in favor of the Administrative Agent for the benefit of the Secured Parties.

“Collateral Agreement” means the Second Amended and Restated Collateral Agreement dated as of the Closing Date, executed by the Domestic Borrower and certain other Loan Parties in favor of the Administrative Agent, for the ratable benefit of the Secured Parties, together with each other collateral agreement, collateral agreement supplement, collateral agreement joinder and notice of grant of security interest delivered pursuant to Section 6.12, in each case, as amended, restated, supplemented or otherwise modified from time to time.

“Collateral Documents” means, collectively, the Collateral Agreement, the Foreign Security Agreements and each of the collateral assignments, supplements, security agreements, pledge agreements or other similar agreements delivered to the Administrative Agent pursuant to Section 6.12 or pursuant to Section 6.12 of the Existing Credit Agreement, and each of the other agreements, instruments, supplements, addendums or documents that creates or purports to create a Lien in favor of the Administrative Agent for the benefit of the Secured Parties.

“Commitment” means an Incremental Term Commitment or a Revolving Credit Commitment, as the context may require.

-11-


 

“Committed Loan Notice” means a notice of (a) a Borrowing, (b) a conversion of Loans from one Type to another, or (c) a continuation of Term SOFR Loans or Alternative Currency Term Rate Loans, pursuant to Section 2.02(a), which shall be substantially in the form of Exhibit A or such other form as may be approved by the Administrative Agent (including any form on an electronic platform or electronic transmission system as shall be approved by the Administrative Agent), appropriately completed and signed by a Responsible Officer of the Domestic Borrower.

“Commodity Exchange Act” means the Commodity Exchange Act (7 U.S.C. § 1 et seq.), as amended from time to time, and any successor statute.

Communication” means this Agreement, any Loan Document and any document, amendment, approval, consent, information, notice, certificate, request, statement, disclosure or authorization related to any Loan Document.

“Compliance Certificate” means a certificate substantially in the form of Exhibit D.

Conforming Changes” means, with respect to the use, administration of or any conventions associated with SOFR or any proposed Successor Rate or Term SOFR, as applicable, any conforming changes to the definitions of “Base Rate”, “SOFR”, “Term SOFR” and “Interest Period”, timing and frequency of determining rates and making payments of interest and other technical, administrative or operational matters (including, for the avoidance of doubt, the definitions of “Business Day” and “U.S. Government Securities Business Day”, timing of borrowing requests or prepayment, conversion or continuation notices and length of lookback periods) as may be appropriate, in the discretion of the Administrative Agent, to reflect the adoption and implementation of such applicable rate(s) and to permit the administration thereof by the Administrative Agent in a manner substantially consistent with market practice (or, if the Administrative Agent determines that adoption of any portion of such market practice is not administratively feasible or that no market practice for the administration of such rate exists, in such other manner of administration as the Administrative Agent determines is reasonably necessary in connection with the administration of this Agreement and any other Loan Document).

“Connection Income Taxes” means Other Connection Taxes that are imposed on or measured by net income (however denominated) or that are franchise Taxes or branch profits Taxes.

“Consolidated EBITDA” means, at any date of determination, an amount equal to Consolidated Net Income of the Domestic Borrower and its Subsidiaries on a consolidated basis for the most recently completed Measurement Period plus (a) the following to the extent deducted in calculating such Consolidated Net Income: (i) Consolidated Interest Charges,; (ii) the provision for Federal, state, local and foreign income taxes payable,; (iii) depreciation and amortization expense,; (iv) reserved,any fees (including any financial advisory fees, accounting fees, legal fees and other similar advisory and consulting fees), expenses or charges incurred during such Measurement Period in connection with any Permitted Acquisition, Investment, Disposition outside the ordinary course of business, incurrence or repayment of Indebtedness (including such fees, expenses or charges related to the syndication of the credit facilities represented by this Agreement and any other credit facilities), the issuance of Equity Interests, refinancing transactions or the amendment or modification of any debt instrument (including any amendment or other modification of this Agreement and any other credit facilities), in each case to the extent not prohibited by this Agreement and including, in each case, any transaction consummated on or prior to the Amendment No. 1 Effective Date and any such transaction undertaken but not completed; (v) non-cash stock compensation expense, non-cash impairments of assets and intangibles and other non-cash charges (excluding write downs of accounts receivable, write-downs of inventory, and any other non-cash expense to the extent it represents an accrual of or a reserve for cash expense in any future period),; (vi)

-12-


 

with respect to any acquisitions permitted under Sections 7.03(g) and (i), non-cash adjustments in accordance with GAAP purchase accounting rules under FASB Statement No. 141 and EITF Issue No. 01-3, in the event that such an adjustment is required, in each case, as determined in accordance with GAAP and; (vii) other non-recurring expenses reducing such Consolidated Net Income which do not represent a cash item in such period or any future period (in each case of or by the Domestic Borrower and its Subsidiaries for such Measurement Period); (viii) any restructuring charges, integration and facilities opening costs, project start-up costs, costs related to the closure and/or consolidation of facilities, severance costs and recruiting fees and expenses and costs incurred in connection with new systems design and implementation costs, in each case, to the extent paid in cash during such Measurement Period; and (ix) the amount of “run rate” cost savings, operating expense reductions, business optimization expenses and synergies related to Permitted Acquisitions, Dispositions, restructurings, Investments and cost savings initiatives that are reasonably identifiable, factually supportable and projected by the Domestic Borrower in good faith to result from

actions that have been taken or with respect to which substantial steps have been taken or are expected to be taken (in the good faith determination of the Domestic Borrower), in each case, within twenty-four (24) months after such Permitted Acquisition, Disposition, restructuring, Investment or cost savings initiative or (which will be added to Consolidated EBITDA as so projected until fully realized and calculated on a pro forma basis as though such cost savings, operating expense reductions and synergies had been realized on the first day of such period), net of the amount of actual benefits realized during such period from such actions; and minus (b) the following to the extent included in calculating such Consolidated Net Income: (i) Federal, state, local and foreign income tax credits; and (ii) all non-cash items increasing Consolidated Net Income (in each case of or by the Domestic Borrower and its Subsidiaries for such Measurement Period). For the purposes of calculating Consolidated EBITDA for any Measurement Period, pursuant to any determination of the Consolidated Secured Net Leverage Ratio or the Consolidated Interest Coverage Ratio, (x) the Consolidated EBITDA attributable to any Equity Interests of, or any assets comprising a division or business unit or a substantial part of all of the business of, a Subsidiary of the Domestic Borrower Disposed of during such Measurement Period shall be excluded from the calculation of Consolidated EBITDA as if such Disposition and the repayment of any Indebtedness in connection therewith occurred on the first day of such Measurement Period, and (y) the Consolidated EBITDA attributable to any Person, division or business unit acquired by the Domestic Borrower or any Subsidiary pursuant to an acquisition permitted hereunder during such Measurement Period shall be included in the calculation of Consolidated EBITDA as if such permitted acquisition occurred on the first day of such Measurement Period, giving effect only to such pro forma adjustments as are permitted by SEC Regulation S-X.

Notwithstanding the foregoing, the aggregate amount added back pursuant to clauses (iv), (viii) and (ix) for any period shall not exceed an amount equal to twenty-five percent (25%) of Consolidated EBITDA for such period (determined after giving effect to all such add-backs).

“Consolidated Funded Indebtedness” means, as of any date of determination, for the Domestic Borrower and its Subsidiaries on a consolidated basis, the sum of (a) the outstanding principal amount of all obligations, whether current or long-term, for borrowed money (including Obligations hereunder) and all obligations evidenced by bonds, debentures, notes, loan agreements or other similar instruments, (b) all purchase money Indebtedness, (c) all direct obligations arising under letters of credit (including standby and commercial), bankers’ acceptances, bank guaranties, surety bonds and similar instruments, (d) all obligations in respect of the deferred purchase price of property or services (other than trade accounts payable in the ordinary course of business, including Indebtedness incurred under Section 7.02(h)), (e) all Attributable Indebtedness in respect of Capitalized Leases and Synthetic Lease Obligations, (f) all obligations under any

-13-


 

so-called “asset securitization” transaction (including, without limitation, any Securitization Transaction) or any factoring or accounts receivables financing facilities, (g) without duplication, all Guarantees with respect to outstanding Indebtedness of the types specified in clauses (a) through (f) above of Persons other than the Domestic Borrower or any Subsidiary, and (h) all Indebtedness of the types referred to in clauses (a) through (g) above of any partnership or joint venture (other than a joint venture that is itself a corporation or limited liability company) in which the Domestic Borrower or a Subsidiary is a general partner or joint venturer, unless such Indebtedness is expressly made non-recourse to the Domestic Borrower or such Subsidiary.

Consolidated Funded Secured Indebtedness” means Consolidated Funded Indebtedness that is secured by a Lien on the Collateral or any other asset of a Loan Party, including Capitalized Lease

Obligations.

“Consolidated Interest Charges” means, for any Measurement Period, the sum of (a) all interest, premium payments, debt discount, fees, charges and related expenses in connection with borrowed money (including capitalized interest), including, without limitation, any Securitization Transaction, or in connection with the deferred purchase price of assets, in each case to the extent treated as interest in accordance with GAAP and (b) the portion of rent expense under Capitalized Leases that is treated as interest in accordance with GAAP, in each case, of or by the Domestic Borrower and its Subsidiaries on a consolidated basis for the most recently completed Measurement Period.

Consolidated Interest Coverage Ratio” means, as of any date of determination, the ratio of (a) Consolidated EBITDA for the most recently completed Measurement Period, to (b) Consolidated Interest Charges paid in cash for the same Measurement Period.

Consolidated Net Leverage Ratio” means, as of any date of determination, the ratio of (a) Consolidated Funded Indebtedness as of such date less unrestricted cash of the Loan Parties as of such date not to exceed the greater of (x) $200,000,000 and (y) 100% of Consolidated EBITDA for the most recently ended Measurement Period for which financial statements have been delivered pursuant to Section 6.01(a) or (b) to (b) Consolidated EBITDA for the most recently completed Measurement Period.

“Consolidated Net Income” means, at any date of determination, the net income (or loss) of the Domestic Borrower and its Subsidiaries on a consolidated basis for the most recently completed Measurement Period; provided that Consolidated Net Income shall exclude (a) extraordinary gains and extraordinary losses for such Measurement Period, (b) the net income of any Subsidiary during such Measurement Period to the extent that the declaration or payment of dividends or similar distributions by such Subsidiary of such income is not permitted by operation of the terms of its Organization Documents or any agreement, instrument or Law applicable to such Subsidiary during such Measurement Period, except that the Domestic Borrower’s equity in any net loss of any such Subsidiary for such Measurement Period shall be included in determining Consolidated Net Income, and (c) any income (or loss) for such Measurement Period of any Person if such Person is not a Subsidiary, except that the Domestic Borrower’s equity in the net income of any such Person for such Measurement Period shall be included in Consolidated Net Income up to the aggregate amount of cash actually distributed by such Person during such Measurement Period to the Domestic Borrower or a Subsidiary as a dividend or other distribution (and in the case of a dividend or other distribution to a Subsidiary, such Subsidiary is not precluded from further distributing such amount to the Domestic Borrower as described in clause (b) of this proviso).

-14-


 

“Consolidated Secured Net Leverage Ratio” means, as of any date of determination, the ratio of (a) Consolidated Funded Secured Indebtedness as of such date less unrestricted cash of the Loan Parties as of such date not to exceed the greater of (x) $200,000,000 and (y) 100% of Consolidated EBITDA for the most recently ended Measurement Period for which financial statements have been delivered pursuant to Section 6.01(a) or (b) to (b) Consolidated EBITDA for the most recently completed Measurement Period.

“Contractual Obligation” means, as to any Person, any provision of any security issued by such Person or of any agreement, instrument or other undertaking to which such Person is a party or by which it or any of its property is bound.

“Control” means the possession, directly or indirectly, of the power to direct or cause the direction of the management or policies of a Person, whether through the ability to exercise voting power, by contract or otherwise. “Controlling” and “Controlled” have meanings correlative thereto.

Controlled Account” means each deposit account and securities account that is subject to an account control agreement in form and substance satisfactory to the Administrative Agent and the L/C Issuers.

Cost of Acquisition” means, with respect to any Permitted Acquisition, as at the date of entering into any agreement therefor, the sum of the following (without duplication): (a) the value of the Equity Interests of the Domestic Borrower or any Subsidiary to be transferred in connection with such Permitted Acquisition, (b) the amount of any cash and fair market value of other property (excluding property described in clause (a) and the unpaid principal amount of any debt instrument) given as consideration in connection with such Permitted Acquisition, (c) the amount (determined by using the face amount or the amount payable at maturity, whichever is greater) of any Indebtedness incurred, assumed or acquired by the Domestic Borrower or any Subsidiary in connection with such Permitted Acquisition, (d) all additional purchase price amounts in the form of earnouts and other contingent obligations that should be recorded on the financial statements of the Domestic Borrower and its Subsidiaries in accordance with GAAP in connection with such Permitted Acquisition, (e) all amounts paid in respect of covenants not to compete and consulting agreements that should be recorded on the financial statements of the Domestic Borrower and its Subsidiaries in accordance with GAAP, and other affiliated contracts in connection with such Permitted Acquisition, and (f) the aggregate fair market value of all other consideration given by the Domestic Borrower or any Subsidiary in connection with such Permitted Acquisition. For purposes of determining the Cost of Acquisition for any transaction, the Equity Interests of the Domestic Borrower shall be valued in accordance with GAAP.

Covered Entity” means any of the following: (ia) a “covered entity” as that term is defined in, and interpreted in accordance with, 12 C.F.R. § 252.82(b); (iib) a “covered bank” as that term is defined in, and interpreted in accordance with, 12 C.F.R. § 47.3(b); or (iiic) a “covered FSI” as that term is defined in, and interpreted in accordance with, 12 C.F.R. § 382.2(b).

“Credit Extension” means each of the following: (a) a Borrowing and (b) an L/C Credit Extension.

Daily Simple SOFR” with respect to any applicable determination date means the SOFR rate published on such date on the Federal Reserve Bank of New York’s website (or any successor source).

-15-


 

“Debtor Relief Laws” means the Bankruptcy Code of the United States, and all other liquidation, conservatorship, bankruptcy, assignment for the benefit of creditors, moratorium, rearrangement, receivership, insolvency, reorganization, administration or similar debtor relief Laws of the United States or other applicable jurisdictions from time to time in effect.

“Default” means any event or condition that constitutes an Event of Default or that, with the giving of any notice, the passage of time, or both, would be an Event of Default.

“Default Rate” means (a) with respect to any Obligation for which a rate is specified, a rate per annum equal to two percent (2%) in excess of the rate otherwise applicable thereto and (b) with respect to

any Obligation for which a rate is not specified or available, a rate per annum equal to the Base Rate plus the Applicable Rate for Revolving Credit Loans that are Base Rate Loans plus two percent (2%), in each case, to the fullest extent permitted by Applicable Law.

“Defaulting Lender” means, subject to Section 2.16(b), any Lender that (a) has failed to (i) fund all or any portion of its Loans within two Business Days of the date such Loans were required to be funded hereunder unless such Lender notifies the Administrative Agent and the Domestic Borrower in writing that such failure is the result of such Lender’s determination that one or more conditions precedent to funding (each of which conditions precedent, together with any applicable default, shall be specifically identified in such writing) has not been satisfied, or (ii) pay to the Administrative Agent, any L/C Issuer, the Swingline Lender or any other Lender any other amount required to be paid by it hereunder (including in respect of its participation in Letters of Credit or Swingline Loans) within two Business Days of the date when due, (b) has notified the Domestic Borrower, the Administrative Agent, any L/C Issuer or the Swingline Lender in writing that it does not intend to comply with its funding obligations hereunder, or has made a public statement to that effect (unless such writing or public statement relates to such Lender’s obligation to fund a Loan hereunder and states that such position is based on such Lender’s determination that a condition precedent to funding (which condition precedent, together with any applicable default, shall be specifically identified in such writing or public statement) cannot be satisfied), (c) has failed, within three Business Days after written request by the Administrative Agent or the Domestic Borrower, to confirm in writing to the Administrative Agent and the Domestic Borrower that it will comply with its prospective funding obligations hereunder (provided that such Lender shall cease to be a Defaulting Lender pursuant to this clause (c) upon receipt of such written confirmation by the Administrative Agent and the Domestic Borrower), or (d) has, or has a direct or indirect parent company that has, (i) become the subject of a proceeding under any Debtor Relief Law, (ii) had appointed for it a receiver, custodian, conservator, trustee, administrator, assignee for the benefit of creditors or similar Person charged with reorganization or liquidation of its business or assets, including the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation or any other state or federal regulatory authority acting in such a capacity, or (iii) become the subject of a Bail-inIn Action; provided that a Lender shall not be a Defaulting Lender solely by virtue of the ownership or acquisition of any Equity Interest in that Lender or any direct or indirect parent company thereof by a Governmental Authority so long as such ownership interest does not result in or provide such Lender with immunity from the jurisdiction of courts within the United States or from the enforcement of judgments or writs of attachment on its assets or permit such Lender (or such Governmental Authority) to reject, repudiate, disavow or disaffirm any contracts or agreements made with such Lender. Any determination by the Administrative Agent that a Lender is a Defaulting Lender under any one or more of clauses (a) through (d) above, and of the effective date of such status, shall be conclusive and binding absent manifest error, and such Lender shall be deemed to be a Defaulting Lender (subject to Section 2.16(b)) as of the date established therefor by the Administrative Agent in a written notice of such determination, which shall be delivered by the

-16-


 

Administrative Agent to the Domestic Borrower, each L/C Issuer, the Swingline Lender and each other Lender promptly following such determination.

“Designated Jurisdiction” means any country, region or territory to the extent that such country, region or territory itself is the subject of any Sanction.

“Designated Lender” has the meaning specified in Section 2.19.

“Determining Party” has the meaning specified in Section 3.02(b).

Diodes Hong Kong” means Diodes Hong Kong Limited (formerly known as Diodes Hong Kong Holding Company Limited and Wise Mode Holdings Limited (智謀集團有限公司)) (company number: 1168572), a company incorporated in Hong Kong with limited liability, with its registered office at Unit 1405- 1406, Dominion Centre, 43-59 Queen’s Road East, Wanchai, Hong Kong.

Diodes Taiwan SARL” means Diodes Taiwan SARL, an entity organized under the laws of Luxembourg.

Diodes Technologies Taiwan” means Diodes Technologies Taiwan Co., Ltd., a company limited by shares organized under the laws of Taiwan and wholly-owned indirect Subsidiary of the Domestic Borrower; provided that, on May 1, 2023, Diodes Technologies Taiwan merged with and into Diodes Taiwan SARL.

“Diodes Zetex Pension Scheme” means the Diodes Zetex Pension Scheme established under an interim deed dated March 15, 1984 and governed by a third definitive deed and rules dated January 7, 2009, as amended.

“Diodes Zetex Pension Scheme Guarantee” means that certain pension protection fund compliant guarantee by Diodes Zetex Semiconductors Limited, a company incorporated and registered in England and Wales, for the benefit of HR Trustees Limited and others as trustees of the Diodes Zetex Pension Scheme.

“Diodes Zetex Pension Scheme Legal Charge” means that legal charge dated March 26, 2012 by and between Diodes Zetex Semiconductors Limited, a company incorporated and registered in England and Wales, HR Trustees Limited and others as trustees of the Diodes Zetex Pension Scheme, pursuant to which Diodes Zetex Semiconductors Limited grants a lien on certain real property located in the United Kingdom to secure obligations under the Diodes Zetex Pension Scheme.

“Disposition” or “Dispose” means the sale, transfer, license, lease or other disposition (including any sale and leaseback transaction) of any property by any Loan Party or Subsidiary (or the granting of any option or other right to do any of the foregoing), including any sale, assignment, transfer or other disposal, with or without recourse, of any notes or accounts receivable or any rights and claims associated therewith and including any disposition of property to a Divided LLC pursuant to a Division, but excluding any Involuntary Disposition. Notwithstanding the foregoing, the performance by the Domestic Borrower of its obligations under any Permitted Convertible Indebtedness or any Permitted Warrant Transaction, shall not constitute a Disposition.

Divided LLC” means any limited liability company which has been formed upon consummation of a Division.

-17-


 

Division” means the statutory division of any limited liability company into two or more limited liability companies pursuant to Section 18-217 of the Delaware Limited Liability Company Act or any comparable provision under the Applicable Law of a different jurisdiction.

“Dollar” and “$” mean lawful money of the United States.

“Dollar Equivalent” means, for any amount, at the time of determination thereof, (a) if such amount is expressed in Dollars, such amount, (b) if such amount is expressed in an Alternative Currency, the equivalent of such amount in Dollars determined by using the rate of exchange for the purchase of Dollars with the Alternative Currency last provided (either by publication or otherwise provided to the Administrative Agent or the Alternative Currency L/C Issuer, as applicable) by the applicable Bloomberg source (or such other publicly available source for displaying exchange rates) on date that is two (2) Business Days immediately preceding the date of determination (or if such service ceases to be available or ceases to provide such rate of exchange, the equivalent of such amount in Dollars as determined by the Administrative Agent or the Alternative Currency L/C Issuer, as applicable using any method of determination it deems appropriate in its sole discretion) and (c) if such amount is denominated in any other currency, the equivalent of such amount in Dollars as determined by the Administrative Agent or the Alternative Currency L/C Issuer, as applicable, using any method of determination it deems appropriate in its sole discretion. Any determination by the Administrative Agent or the Alternative Currency L/C Issuer pursuant to clauses (b) or (c) above shall be conclusive absent manifest error.

“Domestic Borrower” has the meaning specified in the introductory paragraph hereto.

“Domestic Loan Party” means the Domestic Borrower or any of the Global Guarantors.

“Domestic Subsidiary” means any Subsidiary that is organized under the laws of any political subdivision of the United States.

“EEA Financial Institution” means (a) any credit institution or investment firm established in any EEA Member Country which is subject to the supervision of an EEA Resolution Authority, (b) any entity established in an EEA Member Country which is a parent of an institution described in clause (a) of this definition, or (c) any financial institution established in an EEA Member Country which is a subsidiary of an institution described in clauses (a) or (b) of this definition and is subject to consolidated supervision with its parent.

“EEA Member Country” means any of the member states of the European Union, Iceland, Liechtenstein, and Norway.

“EEA Resolution Authority” means any public administrative authority or any personPerson entrusted with public administrative authority of any EEA Member Country (including any delegee) having responsibility for the resolution of any EEA Financial Institution.

Elevated Covenant Period” has the meaning specified in Section 7.11(a).

“Eligible Assignee” means any Person that meets the requirements to be an assignee under Section 11.06(b)(iii) and (v) (subject to such consents, if any, as may be required under Section 11.06(b)(iii)); provided that notwithstanding the foregoing, “Eligible Assignee” shall not include (x) the Borrowers or any of the

-18-


 

Borrowers’ Affiliates or Subsidiaries or (y) any Person that cannot (either directly or through a Designated Lender) lend to the Foreign Borrower in Alternative Currencies or Dollars.

Eligible Currency” means any lawful currency other than Dollars that is readily available, freely transferable and convertible into Dollars in the international interbank market available to the Lenders in

such market and as to which a Dollar Equivalent may be readily calculated. If, after the designation by the Lenders of any currency as an Alternative Currency, any change in currency controls or exchange regulations or any change in the national or international financial, political or economic conditions are imposed in the country in which such currency is issued, result in, in the reasonable opinion of the Required Lenders (in the case of any Loans to be denominated in an Alternative Currency) or the Alternative Currency L/C Issuer (in the case of any Letter of Credit to be denominated in an Alternative Currency), (a) such currency no longer being readily available, freely transferable and convertible into Dollars, (b) a Dollar Equivalent is no longer readily calculable with respect to such currency, (c) providing such currency is impracticable for the Lenders or (d) no longer a currency in which the Required Lenders are willing to make such Credit Extensions (each of clauses (a), (b), (c), and (d) a “Disqualifying Event”), then the Administrative Agent shall promptly notify the Lenders and the Borrowers, and such country’s currency shall no longer be an Alternative Currency until such time as the Disqualifying Event(s) no longer exist. Within five (5) Business Days after receipt of such notice from the Administrative Agent, the Borrowers shall repay all Loans in such currency to which the Disqualifying Event applies or convert such Loans into the Dollar Equivalent of Loans in Dollars, subject to the other terms contained herein.

“Environmental Laws” means any and all Federal, state, local, and foreign statutes, laws, regulations, ordinances, rules, judgments, orders, decrees, permits, concessions, grants, franchises, licenses, agreements or governmental restrictions relating to pollution and the protection of the environment or the release of any materials into the environment, including those related to hazardous substances or wastes, air emissions and discharges to waste or public systems.

“Environmental Liability” means any liability, contingent or otherwise (including any liability for damages, costs of environmental remediation, fines, penalties or indemnities), of the Borrowers, any other Loan Party or any of their respective Subsidiaries directly or indirectly resulting from or based upon (a) violation of any Environmental Law, (b) the generation, use, handling, transportation, storage, treatment or disposal of any Hazardous Materials, (c) exposure to any Hazardous Materials, (d) the release or threatened release of any Hazardous Materials into the environment or (e) any contract, agreement or other consensual arrangement pursuant to which liability is assumed or imposed with respect to any of the foregoing.

“Environmental Permit” means any permit, approval, identification number, license or other authorization required under any Environmental Law.

“Equity Interests” means, with respect to any Person, all of the shares of capital stock of (or other ownership or profit interests in) such Person, all of the warrants, options or other rights for the purchase or acquisition from such Person of shares of capital stock of (or other ownership or profit interests in) such Person, all of the securities convertible into or exchangeable for shares of capital stock of (or other ownership or profit interests in) such Person or warrants, rights or options for the purchase or acquisition from such Person of such shares (or such other interests), and all of the other ownership or profit interests in such Person (including partnership, member or trust interests therein), whether voting or nonvoting, and whether or not such shares, warrants, options, rights or other interests are outstanding on any date of determination.

-19-


 

“ERISA” means the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974, as amended, and the rules and regulations promulgated thereunder.

“ERISA Affiliate” means any trade or business (whether or not incorporated) under common control with the Domestic Borrower within the meaning of Section 414(b) or (c) of the Code (and Sections 414(m) and (o) of the Code for purposes of provisions relating to Section 412 of the Code).

“ERISA Event” means (a) a Reportable Event with respect to a Pension Plan; (b) the withdrawal of the Domestic Borrower or any ERISA Affiliate from a Pension Plan subject to Section 4063 of ERISA during a plan year in which such entity was a “substantial employer” as defined in Section 4001(a)(2) of ERISA or a cessation of operations that is treated as such a withdrawal under Section 4062(e) of ERISA; (c) a complete or partial withdrawal by the Domestic Borrower or any ERISA Affiliate from a Multiemployer Plan or notification that a Multiemployer Plan is in reorganization or insolvency; (d) the filing of a notice of intent to terminate, the treatment of a Pension Plan amendment as a termination under Section 4041 or 4041A of ERISA; (e) the institution by the PBGC of proceedings to terminate a Pension Plan; (f) any event or condition which constitutes grounds under Section 4042 of ERISA for the termination of, or the appointment of a trustee to administer, any Pension Plan or Multiemployer Plan; (g) the determination that any Pension Plan or Multiemployer Plan is considered an at-risk plan or a plan in endangered or critical status within the meaning of Sections 430, 431 and 432 of the Code or Sections 303, 304 and 305 of ERISA; (h) the imposition of any liability under Title IV of ERISA, other than for PBGC premiums due but not delinquent under Section 4007 of ERISA, upon the Domestic Borrower or any ERISA Affiliate or (i) a failure by the Domestic Borrower or any ERISA Affiliate to meet all applicable requirements under the Pension Funding Rules in respect of a Pension Plan, whether or not waived, or the failure by the Domestic Borrower or any ERISA Affiliate to make any required contribution to a Multiemployer Plan.

ESG” has the meaning set forth in Section 2.20(a).

ESG Amendment” has the meaning set forth in Section 2.20(a).

ESG Pricing Provisions” has the meaning set forth in Section 2.20(a).

“EU Bail-In Legislation Schedule” means the EU Bail-In Legislation Schedule published by the Loan Market Association (or any successor person), as in effect from time to time.

“Euro” and “€” mean the single currency of the Participating Member States.

“Event of Default” has the meaning specified in Section 8.01.

Excluded Securitization Subsidiary” means any special purpose directly or indirectly wholly-owned Subsidiary of the Domestic Borrower created and operated for the sole purpose of engaging only in one or more Qualified Securitization Transactions; provided that (a) neither any Borrower nor any of its Subsidiaries shall have any contract, agreement, arrangement or understanding (other than pursuant to a Qualified Securitization Transaction (including with respect to fees payable in the ordinary course of business in connection with the servicing of accounts receivable and related assets)) with such Subsidiary on terms less favorable to the Borrowers or such Subsidiary than those that might be obtained at the time from Persons that are not Affiliates of the Borrowers and (b) neither any Borrower nor any other Subsidiary of a Borrower shall have any obligation to maintain or preserve such entity’s financial condition or cause such entity to achieve certain levels of operating results; provided further that such Excluded Securitization Subsidiary may engage in necessary corporate governance, accounting and other similar incidental transactions required in connection with maintaining its existence.

-20-


 

“Excluded Subsidiary” means (a) any Domestic Subsidiary that is a Subsidiary of a Foreign Subsidiary, (b) any CFC or (c) any other Domestic Subsidiary with respect to which, (x) the Administrative Agent and the Domestic Borrower reasonably agree that the cost or other consequences of providing a Guarantee of or granting Liens to secure the Obligations are excessive in relation to the value to be afforded thereby or (y) providing such a Guarantee or granting such Liens could reasonably be expected to result in material adverse tax consequences as determined in good faith by the Domestic Borrower in consultation with the Administrative Agent.

“Excluded Swap Obligation” means, with respect to any Loan Party, any Swap Obligation if, and to the extent that, all or a portion of the Guaranty of such Loan Party of, or the grant by such Loan Party of a Lien to secure, such Swap Obligation (or any Guarantee thereof) is or becomes illegal under the Commodity Exchange Act or any rule, regulation or order of the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (or the application or official interpretation thereof) by virtue of such Loan Party’s failure for any reason to constitute an “eligible contract participant” as defined in the Commodity Exchange Act (determined after giving effect to Section 10.10 and any other “keepwell, support or other agreement” for the benefit of such Loan Party and any and all guarantees of such Loan Party’s Swap Obligations by other Loan Parties) at the time the Guaranty of such Loan Party, or grant by such Loan Party of a Lien, becomes effective with respect to such Swap Obligation. If a Swap Obligation arises under a Master Agreement governing more than one Swap Contract, such exclusion shall apply only to the portion of such Swap Obligation that is attributable to Swap Contracts for which such Guaranty or Lien is or becomes excluded in accordance with the first sentence of this definition.

“Excluded Taxes” means any of the following Taxes imposed on or with respect to any Recipient or required to be withheld or deducted from a payment to a Recipient, (a) Taxes imposed on or measured by net income (however denominated), franchise Taxes, and branch profits Taxes, in each case, (i) imposed as a result of such Recipient being organized under the laws of, or having its principal office or, in the case of any Lender, its Lending Office located in, the jurisdiction imposing such Tax (or any political subdivision thereof) or (ii) that are Other Connection Taxes, (b) in the case of a Lender, U.S. federal withholding Taxes imposed on amounts payable to or for the account of such Lender with respect to an applicable interest in a Loan or Commitment pursuant to a law in effect on the date on which (i) such Lender acquires such interest in the Loan or Commitment (other than pursuant to an assignment request by the Domestic Borrower under Section 11.13) or (ii) such Lender changes its Lending Office, except in each case to the extent that, pursuant to Section 3.01(a) or (c), amounts with respect to such Taxes were payable either to such Lender’s assignor immediately before such Lender became a party hereto or to such Lender immediately before it changed its Lending Office, (c) Taxes attributable to such Recipient’s failure to comply with Section 3.01(f), and (d) any U.S. federal withholding Taxes imposed pursuant to FATCA. Notwithstanding anything to the contrary contained in this definition, “Excluded Taxes” shall not include any withholding tax imposed at any time on payments made by or on account of a Foreign Loan Party hereunder or under any other Loan Document; provided that such Recipient shall have complied (to the extent applicable) with Section 3.01(e)(i).

“Existing Credit Agreement” has the meaning specified in the preliminary statements hereto. Exiting Lender” has the meaning specified in Section 11.25(b).

“Extraordinary Receipt” means any cash received by or paid to or for the account of any Person not in the ordinary course of business, including tax refunds, pension plan reversions, condemnation awards (and payments in lieu thereof), indemnity payments and any purchase price adjustments, but excluding proceeds of insurance, and excluding proceeds of Dispositions and Involuntary Dispositions.

-21-


 

“Facility” means an Incremental Term Facility or the Revolving Credit Facility, as the context may require.

“Facility Office” means the office designated by the applicable Lender through which such Lender will perform its obligations under this Agreement.

Facility Termination Date” means the date as of which all of the following shall have occurred: (a) the Aggregate Commitments have terminated, (b) all Obligations have been paid in full (other than contingent indemnification obligations), and (c) all Letters of Credit have terminated or expired (other than Letters of Credit as to which other arrangements with respect thereto satisfactory to the Administrative Agent and the applicable L/C Issuers shall have been made).

“FASB ASC” means the Accounting Standards Codification of the Financial Accounting Standards Board.

“FATCA” means Sections 1471 through 1474 of the Code, as of the date of this Agreement (or any amended or successor version that is substantively comparable and not materially more onerous to comply with), and any current or future regulations or official interpretations thereof and any agreements entered into pursuant to Section 1471(b)(1) of the Code, as of the date of this Agreement (or any amended or successor version described above) and any intergovernmental agreement (and related fiscal or regulatory legislation, or related official rules or practices) implementing the foregoing.

“Federal Funds Rate” means, for any day, the rate per annum calculated by the Federal Reserve Bank of New York based on such day’s federal funds transactions by depository institutions (as determined in such manner as the Federal Reserve Bank of New York shall set forth on its public website from time to time) and published on the next succeeding Business Day by the Federal Reserve Bank of New York as the federal funds effective rate; provided that if the Federal Funds Rate as so determined would be less than zero, such rate shall be deemed to be zero for the purposes of this Agreement.

“Fee Letters” means, collectively, (a) the letter agreement dated April 28, 2023, among the Domestic Borrower, the Administrative Agent and BofA Securities, Inc., (b) the letter agreement dated May 12, 2023, among the Domestic Borrower, PNC Bank, National Association and PNC Capital Markets, LLC, (c) the letter agreement, dated as of July 29, 2026, among the Domestic Borrower, the Administrative Agent and BofA Securities, Inc. and (d) the letter agreement, dated May 12as of July 29, 20232026, among the Domestic Borrower, the Administrative Agent, BofA Securities, Inc., PNC Bank, National Association and PNC Capital Markets, LLC.

“First Tier Foreign Subsidiary” mean a Foreign Subsidiary all or any portion of whose Equity Interests are owned directly by the Domestic Borrower or a Global Guarantor.

“Foreign Borrower” has the meaning specified in the introductory paragraph hereto.

“Foreign Guarantors” means (a) Diodes Zetex Limited, a company incorporated and registered under the laws of England and Wales, (b) each other Foreign Subsidiary that becomes a guarantor and (c) solely with respect to Foreign Obligations consisting of Secured Cash Management Agreements or Secured Hedge Agreements with any other Foreign Loan Party, the Foreign Borrower.

-22-


 

“Foreign Lender” means (a) with respect to the Domestic Borrower, a Lender that is not a U.S. Person, and (b) with respect to the Foreign Borrower, a Lender that is resident or organized under the laws of a jurisdiction other than that in which such Borrower is resident for tax purposes. For purposes of this definition, the United States, each State thereof and the District of Columbia shall be deemed to constitute a single jurisdiction.

“Foreign Loan Parties” means the Foreign Borrower and the Foreign Guarantors.

“Foreign Obligations” means all advances to, and debts, liabilities, obligations, covenants and duties of, any Foreign Loan Party arising under any Loan Document or otherwise with respect to (a) any Loan made to the Foreign Borrower, (b) any Letter of Credit issued for the account of the Foreign Borrower, (c) any Secured Cash Management Agreement with any Foreign Loan Party or (d) any Secured Hedge Agreement with any Foreign Loan Party, in each case whether direct or indirect (including those acquired by assumption), absolute or contingent, due or to become due, now existing or hereafter arising and including interest and fees that accrue after the commencement by or against any Foreign Loan Party or any Affiliate thereof of any proceeding under any Debtor Relief Laws naming such Person as the debtor in such proceeding, regardless of whether such interest and fees are allowed claims in such proceeding; provided that Foreign Obligations of a Foreign Loan Party shall exclude any Excluded Swap Obligations with respect to such Foreign Loan Party.

“Foreign Pension Plan” means any plan, fund (including, without limitation, any super-annuation fund) or other similar program, arrangement or agreement established or maintained outside of the United States by any Loan Party or any of its Subsidiaries primarily for the benefit of employees of such Loan Party or such Subsidiaries residing outside the United States, which plan, fund, or similar program provides or results in, retirement income, a deferral of income in contemplation of retirement or payments to be made upon termination of employment, and which is not subject to ERISA or the Code.

“Foreign Plan Event” means the occurrence of any of the following which, individually or in the aggregate, has resulted or could reasonably be expected to result in liability of any Loan Party or an Affiliate thereof in an aggregate amount in excess of the Threshold Amount: (i) the partial or complete withdrawal of any Loan Party or an Affiliate thereof from a Foreign Pension Plan if withdrawal liability is asserted by such plan, or (ii) the termination of a defined benefit Foreign Pension Plan, the institution of proceedings to terminate a defined benefit Foreign Pension Plan, or the imposition of liability on any Loan Party or an Affiliate thereof due to a violation of foreign law with respect to a defined benefit Foreign Pension Plan.

“Foreign Security Agreements” means the collective reference to the security agreements, debentures, pledge agreements, charges, deeds, guaranty agreements, and other similar documents and agreements pursuant to which any Loan Party purports to pledge or grant a security interest in any property or assets located outside the United States securing all or any portion of the Obligations or provide credit support for the Obligations, in each case, that are governed by the laws of any jurisdiction outside of the United States, each as may be amended, restated, supplemented or otherwise modified from time to time.

“Foreign Subsidiary” means any Subsidiary that is not a Domestic Subsidiary.

“FRB” means the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System of the United States.

-23-


 

“Fronting Exposure” means, at any time there is a Defaulting Lender that is a Revolving Credit Lender, (a) with respect to any L/C Issuer, such Defaulting Lender’s Applicable Percentage of the outstanding L/C Obligations other than L/C Obligations as to which such Defaulting Lender’s participation obligation has been reallocated to other Revolving Credit Lenders or Cash Collateralized in accordance with the terms hereof, and (b) with respect to the Swingline Lender, such Defaulting Lender’s Applicable Percentage of Swingline Loans other than Swingline Loans as to which such Defaulting Lender’s participation obligation has been reallocated to other Revolving Credit Lenders or Cash Collateralized in accordance with the terms hereof.

“Fund” means any Person (other than a natural Person) that is (or will be) engaged in making, purchasing, holding or otherwise investing in commercial loans and similar extensions of credit in the ordinary course of its activities.

“GAAP” means generally accepted accounting principles in the United States set forth from time to time in the opinions and pronouncements of the Accounting Principles Board and the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants and statements and pronouncements of the Financial Accounting Standards Board (or agencies with similar functions of comparable stature and authority within the accounting profession) including, without limitation, the FASB Accounting Standards Codification, that are applicable to the circumstances as of the date of determination, consistently applied and subject to Section 1.03.

“Global Guarantors” means (a) each Domestic Subsidiary identified as a “Global Guarantor” on the signature pages to this Agreement, (b) each Domestic Subsidiary that becomes a guarantor of the Obligations, whether pursuant to Section 6.12 or otherwise and (c) solely with respect to Obligations consisting of Secured Cash Management Agreements or Secured Hedge Agreements with any other Loan Party, the Domestic Borrower.

“Governmental Authority” means the government of the United States or any other nation, or of any political subdivision thereof, whether state or local, and any agency, authority, instrumentality, regulatory body, court, central bank or other entity exercising executive, legislative, judicial, taxing, regulatory or administrative powers or functions of or pertaining to government (including any supra-national bodies such as the European Union or the European Central Bank).

“Guarantee” means, as to any Person, (a) any obligation, contingent or otherwise, of such Person guaranteeing or having the economic effect of guaranteeing any Indebtedness or other obligation payable or performable by another Person (the “primary obligor”) in any manner, whether directly or indirectly, and including any obligation of such Person, direct or indirect, (i) to purchase or pay (or advance or supply funds for the purchase or payment of) such Indebtedness or other obligation, (ii) to purchase or lease property, securities or services for the purpose of assuring the obligee in respect of such Indebtedness or other obligation of the payment or performance of such Indebtedness or other obligation, (iii) to maintain working capital, equity capital or any other financial statement condition or liquidity or level of income or cash flow of the primary obligor so as to enable the primary obligor to pay such Indebtedness or other obligation, or (iv) entered into for the purpose of assuring in any other manner the obligee in respect of such Indebtedness or other obligation of the payment or performance thereof or to protect such obligee against loss in respect thereof (in whole or in part), or (b) any Lien on any assets of such Person securing any Indebtedness or other obligation of any other Person, whether or not such Indebtedness or other obligation is assumed by such Person (or any right, contingent or otherwise, of any holder of such Indebtedness to obtain any such Lien). The amount of any Guarantee shall be deemed to be an amount equal to the stated or determinable amount of the related primary obligation, or portion thereof, in respect of which such Guarantee is made or, if not stated or determinable, the maximum

-24-


 

reasonably anticipated liability in respect thereof as determined by the guaranteeing Person in good faith. The term “Guarantee” as a verb has a corresponding meaning.

“Guarantors” means, collectively, (a) Global Guarantors and the Foreign Guarantors and (b) with respect to Additional Secured Obligations owing by any Loan Party or any of its Subsidiaries and any Swap Obligation of a Specified Loan Party (determined before giving effect to Sections 10.01 and 10.10) under the Guaranty, each Borrower.

“Guaranty” means, collectively, the Guaranty made by the Guarantors under Article X in favor of the Secured Parties and each guaranty and/or deed of guarantee entered into by a Foreign Guarantor, together with each other guaranty and guaranty supplement delivered pursuant to Section 6.12, in each case, as amended, restated, supplemented or otherwise modified from time to time.

“Hazardous Materials” means all explosive or radioactive substances or wastes and all hazardous or toxic substances, wastes or other pollutants, including petroleum or petroleum distillates, asbestos or asbestos-containing materials, polychlorinated biphenyls, radon gas, infectious or medical wastes and all other substances or wastes of any nature regulated pursuant to any Environmental Law.

“Hedge Bank” means any Person in its capacity as a party to a Swap Contract that, (a) at the time it enters into a Swap Contract not prohibited under Articles VI or VII, is a Lender or an Affiliate of a Lender, or (b) at the time it (or its Affiliate) becomes a Lender, is a party to a Swap Contract not prohibited under Articles VI or VII, in each case, in its capacity as a party to such Swap Contract (even if such Person ceases to be a Lender or such Person’s Affiliate ceased to be a Lender); provided that, in the case of a Secured Hedge Agreement with a Person who is no longer a Lender (or Affiliate of a Lender), such Person shall be considered a Hedge Bank only through the stated termination date (without extension or renewal) of such Secured Hedge Agreement; provided further that for any of the foregoing to be included as a “Secured Hedge Agreement” on any date of determination by the Administrative Agent, the applicable Hedge Bank (other than the Administrative Agent or an Affiliate of the Administrative Agent) must have delivered a Secured Party Designation Notice to the Administrative Agent prior to such date of determination.

“IFRS” means international accounting standards within the meaning of IAS Regulation 1606/2002 to the extent applicable to the relevant financial statements delivered under or referred to herein.

Impacted Loans” has the meaning assigned to such term in Section 3.03(a).

“Incremental Term Assumption Agreement” means an Incremental Term Assumption Agreement in form reasonably satisfactory to the Administrative Agent, among the Borrowers, the Administrative

Agent and one or more Incremental Term Lenders.

“Incremental Term Borrowing” means a borrowing consisting of simultaneous Incremental Term Loans of the same Type and, in the case of Term SOFR Loans, having the same Interest Period made by each of the Incremental Term Lenders pursuant to Section 2.18.

“Incremental Term Commitment” means the commitment of any Lender or Eligible Assignee who is or subsequently becomes a Lender pursuant to an Incremental Term Assumption Agreement to make Incremental Term Loans to a Borrower.

-25-


 

“Incremental Term Facility” means, at any time, (a) on or prior to an Incremental Term Loan Date, the aggregate amount of any Incremental Term Commitments at such time and (b) thereafter, the aggregate principal amount of the Incremental Term Loans of all Incremental Term Lenders outstanding at such time.

“Incremental Term Lender” means a Lender with an Incremental Term Commitment or an outstanding Incremental Term Loan.

“Incremental Term Loan Date” means, with respect to any Incremental Term Commitment requested by the Domestic Borrower pursuant to Section 2.18, the date on which such Incremental Term Commitment is requested to become effective.

“Incremental Term Loans” means term loans made by one or more Lenders to the Borrowers pursuant to Section 2.18.

“Incremental Term Note” means a promissory note made by a Borrower in favor of an Incremental Term Lender evidencing Incremental Term Loans made by such Incremental Term Lender, substantially in the form of Exhibit C-3.

“Indebtedness” means, as to any Person at a particular time, without duplication, all of the following, whether or not included as indebtedness or liabilities in accordance with GAAP:

(a)
all obligations of such Person for borrowed money and all obligations of such Person evidenced by bonds, debentures, notes, loan agreements or other similar instruments;
(b)
the maximum amount of all direct or contingent obligations of such Person arising under letters of credit (including standby and commercial), bankers’ acceptances, bank guaranties, surety bonds and similar instruments;
(c)
net obligations of such Person under any Swap Contract;
(d)
all obligations of such Person to pay the deferred purchase price of property or services (other than trade accounts payable in the ordinary course of business and, in each case, not past due for more than 90 days after the date on which such trade account payable was created);
(e)
indebtedness (excluding prepaid interest thereon) secured by a Lien on property owned or being purchased by such Person (including indebtedness arising under conditional sales

or other title retention agreements), whether or not such indebtedness shall have been assumed by such Person or is limited in recourse; provided that if such Person has not assumed or otherwise become liable for such indebtedness, the amount of such indebtedness deemed to be Indebtedness of such Person shall not exceed the fair market value of the property subject to such Lien at the time of determination;

(f)
Capitalized Leases and Synthetic Lease Obligations of such Person and all Synthetic Debt of such Person;

-26-


 

(g)
all obligations of such Person to purchase, redeem, retire, defease or otherwise make any payment in respect of any Equity Interest in such Person or any other Person or any warrant, right or option to acquire such Equity Interest, valued, in the case of a redeemable preferred interest, at the greater of its voluntary or involuntary liquidation preference plus accrued and unpaid dividends;
(h)
all obligations under any so-called “asset securitization” transaction (including, without limitation, any Securitization Transaction) or any factoring or accounts receivables financing facilities entered into by such Person; and
(i)
all Guarantees of such Person in respect of any of the foregoing.

For all purposes hereof, the Indebtedness of any Person shall include the Indebtedness of any partnership or joint venture (other than a joint venture that is itself a corporation or limited liability company) in which such Person is a general partner or a joint venturer, unless such Indebtedness is expressly made non-recourse to such Person. The amount of any net obligation under any Swap Contract on any date shall be deemed to be the Swap Termination Value thereof as of such date. The amount of any Capitalized Lease or Synthetic Lease Obligation as of any date shall be deemed to be the amount of Attributable Indebtedness in respect thereof as of such date. Notwithstanding the foregoing, the obligations of the Domestic Borrower under any Permitted Warrant Transaction shall not constitute Indebtedness so long as the terms of such Permitted Warrant Transaction provide for “net share settlement” (or substantially equivalent term) as the default “settlement method” (or substantially equivalent term) thereunder, except to the extent it is accounted for as a liability under GAAP

“Indemnified Taxes” means (a) Taxes, other than Excluded Taxes, imposed on or with respect to any payment made by or on account of any obligation of any Loan Party under any Loan Document and (b) to the extent not otherwise described in clause (a), Other Taxes.

“Indemnitees” has the meaning specified in Section 11.04(b).

“Information” has the meaning specified in Section 11.07.

Intellectual Property” means, collectively, all rights in intellectual property, whether arising under United States, state, multinational or foreign laws or otherwise, including but not limited to such rights in (i) copyrights, copyright licenses, patents, patent licenses, industrial designs, trademarks, trademark licenses, service marks, technology, know-how and processes, recipes, formulas, and trade secrets, (ii) registrations and applications for any of the foregoing, (iii) income, fees, royalties, damages,

and payments now and hereafter due and/or payable with respect to any of the foregoing, and (iv) all rights to sue at law or in equity for any infringement, misappropriation or other violation or impairment thereof, including the right to receive all proceeds and damages therefrom.

Intercompany Debt” has the meaning specified in Section 7.02(i).

“Interest Payment Date” means, (a) as to any Loan other than a Base Rate Loan or an Alternative Currency Daily Rate Loan, the last day of each Interest Period applicable to such Loan and the Maturity Date of the Facility under which such Loan was made; provided that if any Interest Period for any such Loan exceeds three months, the respective dates that fall every three months after the beginning of such Interest Period shall also be Interest Payment Dates; and (b) as to any Base Rate Loan (including a Swingline Loan) or any

-27-


 

Alternative Currency Daily Rate Loan, the last Business Day of each March, June, September and December and the Maturity Date of the Facility under which such Loan was made (with Swingline Loans being deemed made under the Revolving Credit Facility for purposes of this definition).

“Interest Period” means as to each Term SOFR Loan and Alternative Currency Term Rate Loan, the period commencing on the date such Loan is disbursed or converted to or continued as a Term SOFR Loan or Alternative Currency Term Rate Loan, and ending on the date one, three or six months thereafter (in each case, subject to availability for the interest rate applicable to the relevant currency), as selected by the Domestic Borrower in its Committed Loan Notice; provided that:

(a)
any Interest Period that would otherwise end on a day that is not a Business Day shall be extended to the next succeeding Business Day unless such Business Day falls in another calendar month, in which case such Interest Period shall end on the next preceding Business Day;
(b)
any Interest Period that begins on the last Business Day of a calendar month (or on a day for which there is no numerically corresponding day in the calendar month at the end of such Interest Period) shall end on the last Business Day of the calendar month at the end of such Interest Period; and
(c)
no Interest Period shall extend beyond the Maturity Date of the Facility under which such Loan was made.

“Investment” means, as to any Person, any direct or indirect acquisition or investment by such Person, whether by means of (a) the purchase or other acquisition of Equity Interests of another Person, (b) a loan, advance or capital contribution to, Guarantee or assumption of debt of, or purchase or other acquisition of any other debt or equity participation or interest in, another Person (including any partnership or joint venture interest in such other Person and any arrangement pursuant to which the investor guaranties Indebtedness of such other Person), or (c) the purchase or other acquisition (in one transaction or a series of transactions) of assets of another Person which constitute all or substantially all of the assets of such Person or of a division, line of business or other business unit of such Person. For purposes of covenant compliance, the amount of any Investment shall be the amount actually invested, without adjustment for subsequent increases or decreases in the value of such Investment.

“Involuntary Disposition” means any loss of, damage to or destruction of, or any condemnation or other taking for public use of, any property of any Loan Party or any Subsidiary.

“IP Rights” has the meaning specified in Section 5.17.

“IRS” means the United States Internal Revenue Service.

ISDA Definitions” means the 2006 ISDA Definitions published by the International Swaps and Derivatives Association, Inc. or any successor thereto, as amended or supplemented from time to time, or any successor definitional booklet for interest rate derivatives published from time to time by the International Swaps and Derivatives Association, Inc. or such successor thereto.

“ISP” means the International Standby Practices, International Chamber of Commerce Publication No. 590 (or such later version thereof as may be in effect at the applicable time).

-28-


 

“Issuer Documents” means with respect to any Letter of Credit, the Letter of Credit Application, and any other document, agreement and instrument entered into by any L/C Issuer and the Domestic Borrower (or any Subsidiary) or in favor of such L/C Issuer and relating to such Letter of Credit.

“Judgment Currency” has the meaning specified in Section 11.21.

“Laws” means, collectively, all international, foreign, Federalfederal, state and local statutes, treaties, rules, guidelines, regulations, ordinances, codes and administrative or judicial precedents or authorities, including the interpretation or administration thereof by any Governmental Authority charged with the enforcement, interpretation or administration thereof, and all applicable administrative orders, directed duties, requests, licenses, authorizations and permits of, and agreements with, any Governmental Authority, in each case whether or not having the force of law.

“L/C Advance” means, with respect to each Revolving Credit Lender, such Lender’s funding of its participation in any L/C Borrowing in accordance with its Applicable Revolving Credit Percentage.

“L/C Borrowing” means an extension of credit resulting from a drawing under any Letter of Credit which has not been reimbursed on the date when made or refinanced as a Revolving Credit Borrowing.

L/C Commitment” means, with respect to each L/C Issuer, the commitment of such L/C Issuer to issue Letters of Credit hereunder. The initial amount of each L/C Issuer’s Letter of Credit Commitment is set forth on Schedule 2.03, or if an L/C Issuer has entered into an Assignment and Assumption or has otherwise assumed a Letter of Credit Commitment after the Closing Date, the amount set forth for such L/C Issuer as its Letter of Credit Commitment in the Register maintained by the Administrative Agent. The Letter of Credit Commitment of an L/C Issuer may be modified from time to time by agreement between such L/C Issuer and the Borrowers, and notified to the Administrative Agent.

“L/C Credit Extension” means, with respect to any Letter of Credit, the issuance thereof or extension of the expiry date thereof, or the increase of the amount thereof.

L/C Issuer” means with respect to a particular Letter of Credit, (a) Bank of America, through itself or through one of its designated Affiliates or branch offices, in its capacity as issuer of such Letter of Credit issued in Dollars or, acting as Alternative Currency L/C Issuer, any Alternative Currency, or any successor issuer thereof, (b) such other Lender selected by the Borrowers pursuant to Section 2.03(m) from time to

time to issue such Letter of Credit issued in Dollars (provided that no Lender shall be required to become an L/C Issuer pursuant to this clause (b) without such Lender’s consent), or any successor issuer thereof or (c) any Lender selected by the Borrowers (with the prior consent of the Administrative Agent) to replace a Lender who is a Defaulting Lender at the time of such Lender’s appointment as an L/C Issuer (provided that no Lender shall be required to become an L/C Issuer pursuant to this clause (c) without such Lender’s consent), or any successor issuer thereof.

“L/C Obligations” means, as at any date of determination, the aggregate amount available to be drawn under all outstanding Letters of Credit plus the aggregate of all Unreimbursed Amounts, including all L/C Borrowings. For purposes of computing the amount available to be drawn under any Letter of Credit, the amount of such Letter of Credit shall be determined in accordance with Section 1.09. For all purposes of this Agreement, if on any date of determination a Letter of Credit has expired by its terms but any amount may still be drawn

-29-


 

thereunder by reason of the operation of Rule 3.14 of the ISP, such Letter of Credit shall be deemed to be “outstanding” in the amount so remaining available to be drawn.

“Lender” means each of the Persons identified as a “Lender” on the signature pages hereto, each other Person that becomes a “Lender” in accordance with this Agreement and, their successors and assigns and, unless the context requires otherwise, includes the Swingline Lender and the Incremental Term Lenders.

“Lender Recipient Party” means collectively, the Lenders, the Swingline Lenders and the L/C

Issuers.

“Lending Office” means, as to the Administrative Agent, any L/C Issuer or any Lender, the office or offices of such Person described as such in such Person’s Administrative Questionnaire, or such other office or offices as such Person may from time to time notify the Domestic Borrower and the Administrative Agent; which office may include any Affiliate of such Person or any domestic or foreign branch of such Person or such Affiliate.

“Letter of Credit” means any letter of credit issued hereunder providing for the payment of cash upon the honoring of a presentation thereunder. A Letter of Credit may be a standby letter of credit or a commercial letter of credit payable upon presentation of appropriate supporting documents (“sight”). Letters of Credit may be issued in Dollars or in an Alternative Currency.

“Letter of Credit Application” means an application and agreement for the issuance or amendment of a Letter of Credit in the form from time to time in use by the applicable L/C Issuer.

“Letter of Credit Expiration Date” means the day that is seven days prior to the Maturity Date then in effect for the Revolving Credit Facility (or, if such day is not a Business Day, the next preceding Business Day).

“Letter of Credit Fee” has the meaning specified in Section 2.03(h).

Letter of Credit Report” means a certificate substantially the form of Exhibit I or any other form approved by the Administrative Agent.

“Letter of Credit Sublimit” means an amount equal to the lesser of (a) $100,000,000 and (b) the Revolving Credit Facility. The Letter of Credit Sublimit is part of, and not in addition to, the Revolving Credit Facility.

“Lien” means any mortgage, pledge, hypothecation, assignment, deposit arrangement, encumbrance, lien (statutory or otherwise), charge, or preference, priority or other security interest or preferential arrangement in the nature of a security interest of any kind or nature whatsoever (including any conditional sale or other title retention agreement, any easement, right of way or other encumbrance on title to real property, and any financing lease having substantially the same economic effect as any of the foregoing).

“Loan” means an extension of credit by a Lender to a Borrower under Article II in the form of a Revolving Credit Loan, a Swingline Loan, or, if applicable, any Incremental Term Loan.

-30-


 

“Loan Documents” means, collectively, (a) this Agreement, (b) the Notes, (c) the Guaranty, (d) the Collateral Documents, (e) the Fee Letters, (f) each Issuer Document (g) each Incremental Term Assumption Agreement and (h) all other certificates, agreements, documents and instruments executed and delivered, in each case, by or on behalf of any Loan Party pursuant to the foregoing (but specifically excluding any Secured Hedge Agreement or any Secured Cash Management Agreement); provided, however, that for purposes of Section 11.01, “Loan Documents” shall mean this Agreement, the Guaranty and the Collateral Documents.

“Loan Parties” means, collectively, the Borrowers and the Guarantors.

“Mandatory Cost” means any amount incurred periodically by any Lender during the term of the Facility which constitutes fees, costs or charges imposed on lenders generally in the jurisdiction in which such Lender is domiciled, subject to regulation, or has its Facility Office by any Governmental Authority.

“Master Agreement” has the meaning specified in the definition of “Swap Contract.”

Material Acquisition” means any Permitted Acquisition for which the Cost of Acquisition is equal to or greater than $50,000,000.

“Material Adverse Effect” means (a) a material adverse change in, or a material adverse effect upon, the operations, business, properties, liabilities (actual or contingent) or condition (financial or otherwise) of any Borrower or the Domestic Borrower and its Subsidiaries taken as a whole; (b) a material impairment of the rights and remedies of the Administrative Agent or any Lender under any Loan Document, or of the ability of any Loan Party to perform its obligations under any Loan Document to which it is a party; or (c) a material adverse effect upon the legality, validity, binding effect or enforceability against any Loan Party of any Loan Document to which it is a party.

“Material Contract” means (i) all agreements, indentures or notes governing the terms of any Material Indebtedness and (ii) all other agreements, documents, leases, contracts, indentures and instruments for which a default, breach or termination thereof could reasonably be expected to result in a Material Adverse Effect.

Material Indebtedness” means Indebtedness (other than the Loans and Letters of Credit), and obligations in respect of one or more Swap Contracts, of any one or more of the Loan Parties and their Subsidiaries in an aggregate principal amount exceeding $5,000,000. For purposes of determining Material Indebtedness, the “obligations” of any Loan Party or any Subsidiary in respect of any Swap Contract at any time shall be the maximum aggregate amount (giving effect to any netting agreements) that such Loan Party or such Subsidiary would be required to pay if such Swap Contract were terminated at such time.

Material Intellectual Property” means any Intellectual Property owned by the Borrowers or their respective Subsidiaries that is used in and material to the operation of their respective businesses.

“Material Real Property” means each parcel (or group of contiguous related parcels) of real property owned by the Domestic Borrower or any Subsidiary located within the United States with a book value equal to or greater than $5,000,000; all Material Real Property as of the Closing Date is identified on Schedule 5.08(c).

-31-


 

Maturity Date” means (a) with respect to the Revolving Credit Facility, MayAugust 2612, 20282031, and (b) with respect to any Incremental Term Facility, the maturity date set forth in the applicable Incremental Term Assumption Agreement for such Incremental Term Facility; provided, however, that, in each case, if such date is not a Business Day, the Maturity Date shall be the next preceding Business Day; provided further that, to the extent any Permitted Convertible Indebtedness issued by the Domestic Borrower has a maturity date prior to the date that is 91 days after the then-existing Maturity Date (the maturity date of such Permitted Convertible Indebtedness, the “PCI Maturity Date”), if the Administrative Agent has not received from the Domestic Borrower on or prior to 91 days prior to such PCI Maturity Date (the “Springing Maturity Date”), a true, correct and complete copy of the fully executed and effective amendment, amendment and restatement, extension or other modification to such Permitted Convertible Indebtedness extending the maturity date thereof to a date that is at least 91 days after the then-existing Maturity Date, the date set forth in clause (a) above automatically shall be the applicable Springing Maturity Date; provided further, to the extent the Domestic Borrower has issued multiple items of Permitted Convertible Indebtedness with a PCI Maturity Date prior to the date that is 91 days after the then-existing Maturity Date, the Springing Maturity Date shall be the earliest of such Springing Maturity Dates to occur.

Maximum Rate” has the meaning specified in Section 11.09.

“Measurement Period” means, at any date of determination, the most recently completed four fiscal quarters of the Domestic Borrower.

“Minimum Collateral Amount” means, at any time, (a) with respect to Cash Collateral consisting of cash or deposit account balances provided to reduce or eliminate Fronting Exposure during the existence of a Defaulting Lender, an amount equal to 103% of the Fronting Exposure of all L/C Issuers with respect to Letters of Credit issued and outstanding at such time, (b) with respect to Cash Collateral consisting of cash or deposit account balances provided in accordance with the provisions of Section 2.15(a)(i), (a)(ii) or (a)(iii), an amount equal to 103% of the Outstanding Amount of all L/C Obligations, and (c) otherwise, an amount determined by the Administrative Agent and the L/C Issuers in their sole discretion.

“Moody’s” means Moody’s Investors Service, Inc. and any successor thereto.

“Multiemployer Plan” means any employee benefit plan of the type described in Section 4001(a)(3) of ERISA, to which any Borrower or any ERISA Affiliate makes or is obligated to make contributions, or during the preceding five plan years, has made or been obligated to make contributions.

“Multiple Employer Plan” means a Plan which has two or more contributing sponsors (including any Borrower or any ERISA Affiliate) at least two of whom are not under common control, as such a plan is described in Section 4064 of ERISA.

“Net Cash Proceeds” means the aggregate cash or Cash Equivalents proceeds received by any Loan Party or any Subsidiary in respect of any Disposition or Involuntary Disposition, or any Extraordinary Receipt, in each case net of (a) direct costs incurred in connection therewith (including, without limitation, legal, accounting and investment banking fees and sales commissions), (b) taxes paid or payable as a result thereof and any withholding taxes paid or payable in connection therewith or as a result of any intercompany transfer of such cash or Cash Equivalents, and (c) the amount necessary to retire any Indebtedness secured by a Permitted Lien; it being understood that “Net Cash Proceeds” shall include, without limitation, any cash or Cash Equivalents received upon the sale or other disposition of any non-cash consideration received by any Loan Party or any Subsidiary in any Disposition or Involuntary Disposition.

-32-


 

“Non-Consenting Lender” means any Lender that does not approve any consent, waiver or amendment that (a) requires the approval of all Lenders or all affected Lenders in accordance with the terms of Section 11.01 and (b) has been approved by the Required Lenders.

“Non-Defaulting Lender” means, at any time, each Lender that is not a Defaulting Lender at such time.

“Note” means an Incremental Term Note or a Revolving Credit Note, as the context may require. “Notice of Additional L/C Issuer” means a certificate substantially the form of Exhibit J or any

other form approved by the Administrative Agent.

“Notice of Loan Prepayment” means a notice of prepayment with respect to a Loan, which shall be substantially in the form of Exhibit G or such other form as may be approved by the Administrative Agent (including any form on an electronic platform or electronic transmission system as shall be approved by the Administrative Agent), appropriately completed and signed by a Responsible Officer of the applicable Borrower.

“NPL” means the National Priorities List under CERCLA.

“Obligations” means (a) all advances to, and debts, liabilities, obligations, covenants and duties of, any Loan Party arising under any Loan Document or otherwise with respect to any Loan, or Letter of Credit, Secured Cash Management Agreement or Secured Hedge Agreement and (b) all costs and expenses incurred in connection with enforcement and collection of the foregoing, including the fees, charges and disbursements of counsel, in each case whether direct or indirect (including those acquired by assumption), absolute or contingent, due or to become due, now existing or hereafter arising and including interest, expenses and fees that accrue after the commencement by or against any Loan Party or any Affiliate thereof of any proceeding under any Debtor Relief Laws naming such Person as the debtor in such proceeding, regardless of whether such interest, expenses and fees are allowed claims in such proceeding; provided that without limiting the foregoing, Obligations of a Loan Party shall exclude any Excluded Swap Obligations with respect to such Loan Party.

“OFAC” means the Office of Foreign Assets Control of the United States Department of the Treasury.

“Organization Documents” means, (a) with respect to any corporation, the charter or certificate or articles of incorporation and the bylaws (or equivalent or comparable constitutive documents with respect to any non-U.S. jurisdiction); (b) with respect to any limited liability company, the certificate or articles of formation or organization and operating agreement (or equivalent or comparable constitutive documents with respect to any non-U.S. jurisdiction); (c) with respect to a besloten vennootschap met beperkte aansprakelijkheid, the deed of incorporation and the articles of association and (d) with respect to any partnership, joint venture, trust or other form of business entity, the partnership, joint venture or other applicable agreement of formation or organization (or equivalent or comparable documents with respect to any non-U.S. jurisdiction) and any agreement, instrument, filing or notice with respect thereto filed in connection with its formation or organization with the applicable Governmental Authority in the jurisdiction of its formation or organization and, if applicable, any certificate or articles of formation or organization of such entity (or equivalent or comparable documents with respect to any non-U.S. jurisdiction).

-33-


 

“Other Connection Taxes” means, with respect to any Recipient, Taxes imposed as a result of a present or former connection between such Recipient and the jurisdiction imposing such Tax (other than connections arising from such Recipient having executed, delivered, become a party to, performed its obligations under, received payments under, received or perfected a security interest under, engaged in any other transaction pursuant to or enforced any Loan Document, or sold or assigned an interest in any Loan or Loan Document).

“Other Taxes” means all present or future stamp, court or documentary, intangible, recording, filing or similar Taxes that arise from any payment made under, from the execution, delivery, performance, enforcement or registration of, from the receipt or perfection of a security interest under, or otherwise with respect to, any Loan Document, except any such Taxes that are Other Connection Taxes imposed with respect to an assignment (other than an assignment made pursuant to Section 3.06).

Outbound Investment Rules” means the regulations administered and enforced, together with any related public guidance issued, by the United States Treasury Department under U.S. Executive Order 14105 of August 9, 2023, or any similar law or regulation; as of the Closing Date, and as codified at 31 C.F.R. § 850.101 et seq.

“Outstanding Amount” means (a) with respect to Revolving Credit Loans and Swingline Loans on any date, the Dollar Equivalent amount of the aggregate outstanding principal amount thereof after giving effect to any borrowings and prepayments or repayments of such Revolving Credit Loans and Swingline Loans, as the case may be, occurring on such date, (b) with respect to Incremental Term Loans on any date, the aggregate outstanding principal amount thereof after giving effect to any borrowings and prepayments or repayments of Incremental Term Loans occurring on such date and (c) with respect to any L/C Obligations on any date, the Dollar Equivalent amount of the aggregate outstanding amount of such L/C Obligations on such date after giving effect to any L/C Credit Extension occurring on such date and any other changes in the aggregate amount of the L/C Obligations as of such date, including as a result of any reimbursements of Unreimbursed Amounts.

“Overnight Rate” means, for any day, (a) with respect to any amount denominated in Dollars, the greater of (i) the Federal Funds Rate and (ii) an overnight rate determined by the Administrative Agent, the L/C Issuers, or the Swingline Lender, as the case may be, in accordance with banking industry rules on interbank compensation, and (b) with respect to any amount denominated in an Alternative Currency, an overnight rate determined by the Administrative Agent or the Alternative Currency L/C Issuer, as the case may be, in accordance with banking industry rules on interbank compensation.

“Participant” has the meaning specified in Section 11.06(d).

“Participant Register” has the meaning specified in Section 11.06(d).

“Participating Member State” means any member state of the European Union that adopts or has adopted the Euro as its lawful currency in accordance with legislation of the European Union relating to Economic and Monetary Union.

“PBGC” means the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation.

“Pension Act” means the Pension Protection Act of 2006.

“Pension Funding Rules” means the rules of the Code and ERISA regarding minimum required contributions (including any installment payment thereof) to Pension Plans and Multiemployer Plans and set forth in, with respect to plan years ending prior to the effective date of the Pension Act, Section 412 of the Code and Section 302 of ERISA, each as in effect prior to the Pension Act and, thereafter, Section 412, 430, 431, 432 and 436 of the Code and Sections 302, 303, 304 and 305 of ERISA.

-34-


 

“Pension Plan” means any employee pension benefit plan (other than a Multiemployer Plan) that is maintained or is contributed to by the Domestic Borrower and any ERISA Affiliate and is either covered by Title IV of ERISA or is subject to the minimum funding standards under Section 412 of the Code.

Permitted Acquisition” means the purchase or other acquisition of all of the Equity Interests in, or all or substantially all of the property of, any Person that, upon the consummation thereof, will be wholly-owned directly by the Domestic Borrower or one or more of its wholly-owned Subsidiaries (including as a result of a merger or consolidation), in each case by a Loan Party in accordance with Section 7.03(g).

Permitted Bond Hedge Transaction” means any call or capped call option (or substantively equivalent derivative transaction) relating to the Domestic Borrower’s common stock (or other securities or property following a merger event or other change of the common stock of the Domestic Borrower) purchased by the Domestic Borrower in connection with the issuance of any Permitted Convertible Indebtedness; provided that the purchase price for such Permitted Bond Hedge Transaction, less the proceeds received by the Domestic Borrower from the sale of any related Permitted Warrant Transaction, does not exceed the net proceeds received by the Domestic Borrower from the issuance of such Permitted Convertible Indebtedness in connection with such Permitted Bond Hedge Transaction.

Permitted Convertible Indebtedness” means unsecured notes issued by the Domestic Borrower that are convertible into a fixed number (subject to customary anti-dilution adjustments, “make-whole” increases and other customary changes thereto) of shares of common stock of the Domestic Borrower (or other securities or property following a merger event or other change of the common stock of the Domestic Borrower), cash or any combination thereof (with the amount of such cash or such combination determined by reference to the market price of such common stock or such other securities); provided that, the Indebtedness thereunder must satisfy each of the following conditions: (a) such Indebtedness is not guaranteed by any Subsidiary of the Domestic Borrower, (b) such Indebtedness is unsecured, (c) both immediately prior to and after giving effect thereto, no Default or Event of Default shall exist or would result therefrom, (d) the Borrowers and their respective Subsidiaries shall be in pro forma compliance with all of the covenants set forth in Section 7.11, such compliance to be determined on the basis of the financial information most recently delivered to the Administrative Agent and the Lenders pursuant to Section 6.01(a) or (b), after giving effect to the issuance of such Indebtedness, (e) such Indebtedness does not require any scheduled amortization or other scheduled payments of principal prior to the date that is 91 days after the Maturity Date (other than the scheduled maturity in full of such Permitted Convertible Indebtedness, which is subject to the terms of the definition of “Maturity Date” set forth herein), and (f) the terms, conditions and covenants of such Indebtedness must be customary for convertible Indebtedness of such type (as determined by the board of directors of the Domestic Borrower, or a committee thereof, in good faith).

“Permitted Liens” has the meaning set forth in Section 7.01.

Permitted Receivables Facility” means, with respect to Diodes Taiwan SARL or any Subsidiary of the Domestic Borrower organized under the laws of a jurisdiction in Asia, any factoring or accounts receivables financing facilities of Diodes Taiwan SARL or such Subsidiary, as applicable; provided that no portion of the indebtedness or any other obligations (contingent or otherwise) under such Permitted Receivables Facility (ia) shall be guaranteed by any Borrower or any Subsidiary of a Borrower, (iib) shall be recourse to or obligate any Borrower or any Subsidiary of a Borrower (other than the Subsidiary having entered into such Permitted Receivables Facility) in any way or (iiic) shall subject any property or asset of any Borrower or any Subsidiary of a Borrower (other than the Subsidiary having entered into such Permitted Receivables Facility), directly or indirectly, contingently or

-35-


 

otherwise, to the satisfaction thereof, other than, in the case of each of clauses (ia), (iib) and (iiic), a Guarantee given by the Domestic Borrower as permitted under Section 7.02(e)(ii).

Permitted Warrant Transaction” means any call option, warrant or right to purchase (or substantively equivalent derivative transaction) relating to the Domestic Borrower’s common stock (or other securities or property following a merger event or other change of the common stock of the Domestic Borrower) and/or cash (in an amount determined by reference to the price of such common stock) sold by the Domestic Borrower substantially concurrently with any purchase by the Domestic Borrower of a related Permitted Bond Hedge Transaction.

“Person” means any natural person, corporation, limited liability company, trust, joint venture, association, company, partnership, Governmental Authority or other entity.

“Plan” means any employee benefit plan within the meaning of Section 3(3) of ERISA (including a Pension Plan), maintained for employees of the Domestic Borrower or any ERISA Affiliate or any such Plan to which the Domestic Borrower or any ERISA Affiliate is required to contribute on behalf of any of its employees.

“Platform” has the meaning specified in Section 6.02.

“Pledged Debt” has the meaning specified in the Collateral Agreement.

“Pledged Equity” has the meaning specified in the Collateral Agreement.

PTE” means a prohibited transaction class exemption issued by the U.S. Department of Labor, as any such exemption may be amended from time to time.

“Public Lender” has the meaning specified in Section 6.02.

“Qualified ECP Guarantor” means, at any time, each Loan Party with total assets exceeding

$10,000,000 or that qualifies at such time as an “eligible contract participant” under the Commodity Exchange Act and can cause another Person to qualify as an “eligible contract participant” at such time under Section 1a(18)(A)(v)(II) of the Commodity Exchange Act.

Qualified Securitization Transaction” means any transaction or series of transactions entered into by the Domestic Borrower or a Subsidiary of the Domestic Borrower and designated by the Domestic Borrower as a Qualified Securitization Transaction, pursuant to which the Domestic Borrower or such Subsidiary (including an Excluded Securitization Subsidiary) may sell, convey or otherwise transfer to (i) any Excluded Securitization Subsidiary or (ii) any other Person (in the case of a transfer by an Excluded Securitization Subsidiary), or may grant a security interest in, any Securitization Assets (whether now existing or arising in the future) of a Loan Party or other Subsidiary of the Domestic Borrower, and any assets related thereto, including all collateral securing such Securitization Assets, all contracts and all guarantees or other obligations in respect of such Securitization Assets, and proceeds of such Securitization Assets and other assets that are customarily transferred, or in respect of which security interests are customarily granted, in connection with asset securitization transactions involving such types of assets; provided that no portion of the indebtedness or any other obligations (contingent or otherwise) under such Qualified Securitization Transaction (i) shall be guaranteed by any Borrower or any Subsidiary of a Borrower, (ii) shall be recourse to or obligate any Borrower or any Subsidiary of a Borrower (other than an Excluded Securitization Subsidiary) in any way (subject solely to the customary satisfaction of Standard Securitization Undertakings in a Qualified Securitization Transaction) or (iii) shall subject any property or asset of any Borrower or any Subsidiary

-36-


 

of a Borrower (other than an Excluded Securitization Subsidiary), directly or indirectly, contingently or otherwise, to the satisfaction thereof (subject solely to the customary satisfaction of Standard Securitization Undertakings in a Qualified Securitization Transaction). Any such designation shall be evidenced to the Administrative Agent by delivering to the Administrative Agent written notice of such Qualified Securitization Transaction promptly upon effectiveness certifying that such designation and transaction complied with the foregoing conditions, completed and signed by a Responsible Officer on behalf of the Domestic Borrower and such Excluded Securitization Subsidiary.

“Recipient” means the Administrative Agent, any Lender, any L/C Issuer or any other recipient of any payment to be made by or on account of any obligation of any Loan Party hereunder.

“Register” has the meaning specified in Section 11.06(c).

“Regulation U” means Regulation U of the FRB, as in effect from time to time and all official rulings and interpretations thereunder or thereof.

“Related Parties” means, with respect to any Person, such Person’s Affiliates and the partners, directors, officers, employees, agents, trustees, administrators, managers, advisors and representatives of such Person and of such Person’s Affiliates.

Relevant Governmental Body” means (a) with respect to Loans denominated in Dollars, the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System or the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, or a committee officially endorsed or convened by the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System or the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, or any successor thereto, (b) with respect to Loans denominated in Sterling, the Bank of England, or a committee officially endorsed or convened by the Bank of England or, in each case, any successor thereto, (c) with respect to Loans denominated in Euros, the European Central Bank, or a committee officially endorsed or convened by the European Central Bank or, in each case, any successor thereto, and (d) with respect to Loans denominated in any other Agreed Currency, (i) the central bank for the currency in which such Loan is denominated or any central bank or other supervisor which is responsible for supervising either (x) such Successor Rate or (y) the administrator of such Successor Rate or (ii) any working group or committee officially endorsed or convened by (w) the central bank for the currency in which such Successor Rate is denominated, (x) any central bank or other supervisor that is responsible for supervising either (A) such Successor Rate or (B) the administrator of such Successor Rate, (y) a group of those central banks or other supervisors or (z) the Financial Stability Board or any part thereof.

Relevant Rate” means with respect to any Credit Extension denominated in (a) Dollars, Term SOFR, (b) Sterling, SONIA, and (c) Euros, EURIBOR, as applicable.

“Removal Effective Date” has the meaning specified in Section 9.06(b).

“Reportable Event” means any of the events set forth in Section 4043(c) of ERISA, other than events for which the 30 -day notice period has been waived.

“Request for Credit Extension” means (a) with respect to a Borrowing, conversion or continuation of Incremental Term Loans or Revolving Credit Loans, a Committed Loan Notice, (b) with respect to an L/C Credit Extension, a Letter of Credit Application, and (c) with respect to a Swingline Loan, a Swingline Loan Notice.

-37-


 

“Required Incremental Term Lenders” means, as of any date of determination, with respect to any Incremental Term Facility, Incremental Term Lenders holding more than 50% of such Incremental Term Facility on such date. The portion of any Incremental Term Facility held by any Defaulting Lender shall be disregarded in determining Required Incremental Term Lenders at any time.

“Required Lenders” means, as of any date of determination, Lenders holding more than 50% of the sum of the (a) Total Outstandings (with the aggregate amount of each Revolving Credit Lender’s risk participation and funded participation in L/C Obligations and Swingline Loans being deemed “held” by such Revolving Credit Lender for purposes of this definition), (b) aggregate unused Revolving Credit Commitments, and (c) aggregate unused Incremental Term Commitments, if any. The Total Outstandings of any Defaulting Lender shall be disregarded in determining Required Lenders at any time; provided that, the amount of any participation in any Swingline Loan and Unreimbursed Amounts that such Defaulting Lender has failed to fund that have not been reallocated to and funded by another Lender shall be deemed to be held by the Lender that is the Swingline Lender or applicable L/C Issuer, as the case may be, in making such determination.

“Required Revolving Lenders” means, as of any date of determination, Revolving Credit Lenders holding more than 50% of the sum of the (a) Total Revolving Credit Outstandings (with the aggregate amount of each Revolving Credit Lender’s risk participation and funded participation in L/C Obligations and Swingline Loans being deemed “held” by such Revolving Credit Lender for purposes of this definition) and (b) aggregate unused Revolving Credit Commitments. The unused Revolving Credit Commitment of, and the portion of the Total Outstandings of any Defaulting Lender shall be disregarded in determining Required Revolving Lenders at any time; provided that, the amount of any participation in any Swingline Loan and Unreimbursed Amounts that such Defaulting Lender has failed to fund that have not been reallocated to and funded by another Lender shall be deemed to be held by the Lender that is the Swingline Lender or applicable L/C Issuer, as the case may be, in making such determination.

Rescindable Amount” has the meaning as defined in Section 2.12(b)(ii).

“Resignation Effective Date” has the meaning specified in Section 9.06(a).

Resolution Authority” means an EEA Resolution Authority or, with respect to any UK Financial Institution, a UK Resolution Authority.

“Responsible Officer” means the chief executive officer, president, chief financial officer, treasurer, assistant treasurer or controller of a Loan Party, solely for purposes of the delivery of incumbency certificates pursuant to Section 4.01, the secretary or any assistant secretary of a Loan Party and, solely for purposes of notices given pursuant to Article II, any other officer or employee of the applicable Loan Party so designated by any of the foregoing officers in a notice to the Administrative Agent or any other officer or employee of the applicable Loan Party designated in or pursuant to an agreement between the applicable Loan Party and the Administrative Agent. Any document delivered hereunder that is signed by a Responsible Officer of a Loan Party shall be conclusively presumed to have been authorized by all necessary corporate, partnership and/or other action on the part of such Loan Party and such Responsible Officer shall be conclusively presumed to have acted on behalf of such Loan Party. To the extent requested by the Administrative Agent, each Responsible Officer will provide an incumbency certificate and to the extent requested by the Administrative Agent, appropriate authorization documentation, in form and substance satisfactory to the Administrative Agent.

-38-


 

“Restricted Payment” means any dividend or other distribution (whether in cash, securities or other property) with respect to any capital stock or other Equity Interest of the Domestic Borrower or any Subsidiary, or any payment (whether in cash, securities or other property), including any sinking fund or similar deposit, on account of the purchase, redemption, retirement, acquisition, cancellation or termination of any such capital stock or other Equity Interest, or on account of any return of capital to the Domestic Borrower’s stockholders, partners or members (or the equivalent Person thereof).

“Revaluation Date” means, (a) with respect to any Revolving Credit Loan, each of the following: (i) each date of a Borrowing of an Alternative Currency Term Rate Loan, (ii) each date of a continuation of an Alternative Currency Term Rate Loan pursuant to Section 2.02, and (iii) such additional dates as the Administrative Agent shall determine or the Required Lenders shall require; and (b) with respect to any Letter of Credit, each of the following: (i) each date of issuance, amendment and/or extension of a Letter of Credit denominated in an Alternative Currency, (ii) each date of any payment by the Alternative Currency L/C Issuer under any Letter of Credit denominated in an Alternative Currency, and (iii) such additional dates as the Administrative Agent or the Alternative Currency L/C Issuer shall determine or the Required Lenders shall require.

“Revolving Credit Borrowing” means a borrowing consisting of simultaneous Revolving Credit Loans of the same Type and, in the case of Term SOFR Loans or Alternative Currency Term Rate Loans, having the same Interest Period made by each of the Revolving Credit Lenders pursuant to Section 2.01(b).

“Revolving Credit Commitment” means, as to each Revolving Credit Lender, its obligation to (a) make Revolving Credit Loans to the Borrowers pursuant to Section 2.01(b), (b) purchase participations in L/C Obligations, and (c) purchase participations in Swingline Loans, in an aggregate principal amount at any one time outstanding not to exceed the amount set forth opposite such Lender’s name on Schedule 2.01 under the caption “Revolving Credit Commitment” or opposite such caption in the Assignment and Assumption pursuant to which such Lender becomes a party hereto, as applicable, as such amount may be adjusted from time to time in accordance with this Agreement. The Revolving Credit Commitment of all Revolving Credit Lenders on the Closing Date shall be $225,000,000.

“Revolving Credit Exposure” means, as to any Lender at any time, the aggregate principal amount at such time of its outstanding Revolving Credit Loans and such Lender’s participation in L/C Obligations and Swingline Loans at such time.

“Revolving Credit Facility” means, at any time, the aggregate amount of the Revolving Credit Lenders’ Revolving Credit Commitments at such time.

“Revolving Credit Lender” means, at any time, (a) so long as any Revolving Credit Commitment is in effect, any Lender that has a Revolving Credit Commitment at such time or (b) if the Revolving Credit Commitments have terminated or expired, any Lender that has a Revolving Credit Loan or a participation in L/C Obligations or Swingline Loans at such time.

“Revolving Credit Loan” has the meaning specified in Section 2.01(b).

“Revolving Credit Note” means a promissory note made by a Borrower in favor of a Revolving Credit Lender evidencing Revolving Credit Loans or Swingline Loans, as the case may be, made by such Revolving Credit Lender, substantially in the form of Exhibit C-4.

“Revolving Credit Increase Effective Date” has the meaning specified in Section 2.17(d).

-39-


 

“S&P” means Standard & Poor’s Financial Services LLC, a subsidiary of S&P Global Inc., and any successor thereto.

“Same Day Funds” means (a) with respect to disbursements and payments in Dollars, immediately available funds, and (b) with respect to disbursements and payments in an Alternative Currency, same day or other funds as may be determined by the Administrative Agent or the Alternative Currency L/C Issuer, as the case may be, to be customary in the place of disbursement or payment for the settlement of international banking transactions in the relevant Alternative Currency.

“Sanction(s)” means any sanction administered or enforced by the United States Government (including, without limitation, OFAC), the United Nations Security Council, the European Union, His Majesty’s Treasury (“HMT”) or other relevant sanctions authority.

Scheduled Unavailability Date” has the meaning specified in Section 3.03(b)(ii).

“SEC” means the Securities and Exchange Commission, or any Governmental Authority succeeding to any of its principal functions.

“Secured Cash Management Agreement” means any Cash Management Agreement that is entered into by and between any Loan Party and any Cash Management Bank.

“Secured Hedge Agreement” means any Swap Contract permitted under Article VI or VII that is entered into by and between any Loan Party and any Hedge Bank.

Secured Party Designation Notice” means a notice from any Lender or an Affiliate of a Lender substantially in the form of Exhibit H.

“Secured Parties” means, collectively, the Administrative Agent, the Lenders (including Designated Lenders), the L/C Issuers, the Hedge Banks, the Cash Management Banks, each co-agent or sub-agent appointed by the Administrative Agent from time to time pursuant to Section 9.05, and the other Persons the Obligations owing to which are or are purported to be secured by the Collateral under the terms of the Collateral Documents.

Securitization Assets” means accounts, payments, receivables, rights to future lease or loan payments or residuals or similar rights to payment, and related rights or assets.

Securitization Transaction” means, with respect to any Person, any financing transaction or series of financing transactions (including, without limitation, factoring arrangements and Qualified Securitization Transactions) pursuant to which such Person or any Subsidiary of such Person may sell, convey or otherwise transfer, or grant a security interest in, Securitization Assets to a special purpose subsidiary or affiliate of such Person (including, without limitation, an Excluded Securitization Subsidiary).

SOFR” means the Secured Overnight Financing Rate as administered by the Federal Reserve Bank of New York (or a successor administrator).

SOFR Adjustment” with respect to Daily Simple SOFR and Term SOFR, means 0.10% (10 basis points).

“Solvent” and “Solvency” mean, with respect to any Person on any date of determination, that on such date (a) the fair value of the property of such Person is greater than the total amount of liabilities, including contingent liabilities, of such Person, (b) the present fair saleable value of the assets of such Person is not less than the amount

-40-


 

that will be required to pay the probable liability of such Person on its debts as they become absolute and matured, (c) such Person does not intend to, and does not believe that it will, incur debts or liabilities beyond such Person’s ability to pay such debts and liabilities as they mature, (d) such Person is not engaged in business or a transaction, and is not about to engage in business or a transaction, for which such Person’s property would constitute an unreasonably small capital, and (e) such Person is able to pay its debts and liabilities, contingent obligations and other commitments as they mature in the ordinary course of business. The amount of contingent liabilities at any time shall be computed as the amount that, in the light of all the facts and circumstances existing at such time, represents the amount that can reasonably be expected to become an actual or matured liability.

SONIA” means, with respect to any applicable determination date, the Sterling Overnight Index Average Reference Rate published on the fifth Business Day preceding such date on the applicable Reuters screen page (or such other commercially available source providing such quotations as may be designated by the Administrative Agent from time to time); provided however that if such determination date is not a Business Day, SONIA means such rate that applied on the first Business Day immediately prior thereto.

SONIA Adjustment” means, with respect to SONIA, 0.0326% per annum.

“Special Notice Currency” means at any time an Alternative Currency, other than the currency of a country that is a member of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development at such time located in North America or Europe.

Specified Event of Default” means an Event of Default under Section 8.01(a), (f) or (g).

“Specified Loan Party” means any Loan Party that is not then an “eligible contract participant” under the Commodity Exchange Act (determined prior to giving effect to Section 10.10).

Standard Securitization Undertakings” means those representations, warranties, covenants and indemnities entered into by the Loan Parties or any Excluded Securitization Subsidiary which are customary in securitization transactions of a comparable size involving similar Securitization Assets in the jurisdictions applicable to such transactions.

“Sterling” and “£” mean the lawful currency of the United Kingdom.

“Subsidiary” of a Person means a corporation, partnership, joint venture, limited liability company or other business entity of which a majority of the shares of securities or other interests having ordinary voting power and/or the power for the election of the majority of the directors or other governing body (other than securities or interests having such power only by reason of the happening of a contingency) are at the time beneficially owned, or the management of which is otherwise controlled (pursuant to an agreement or otherwise), directly, or indirectly through one or more intermediaries, or both, by such Person. Unless otherwise specified, all references herein to a “Subsidiary” or to “Subsidiaries” shall refer to a Subsidiary or Subsidiaries of the Domestic Borrower.

Successor Rate” has the meaning set forth in Section 3.03(b)(ii). “Sustainability

Structuring Agent” has the meaning set forth in Section 2.20(a).

-41-


 

“Swap Contract” means (a) any and all rate swap transactions, basis swaps, credit derivative transactions, forward rate transactions, commodity swaps, commodity options, forward commodity contracts, equity or equity index swaps or options, bond or bond price or bond index swaps or options or forward bond or forward bond price or forward bond index transactions, interest rate options, forward foreign exchange transactions, cap transactions, floor transactions, collar transactions, currency swap transactions, cross-currency rate swap transactions, currency options, spot contracts, or any other similar transactions or any combination of any of the foregoing (including any options to enter into any of the foregoing), whether or not any such transaction is governed by or subject to any master agreement, and (b) any and all transactions of any kind, and the related confirmations, which are subject to the terms and conditions of, or governed by, any form of master agreement published by the International Swaps and Derivatives Association, Inc., any International Foreign Exchange Master Agreement, or any other master agreement (any such master agreement, together with any related schedules, a “Master Agreement”), including any such obligations or liabilities under any Master Agreement. Notwithstanding the foregoing, no Permitted Bond Hedge Transaction nor Permitted Warrant Transaction shall constitute a Swap Contract.

“Swap Obligations” means, with respect to any Loan Party, any obligation to pay or perform under any agreement, contract or transaction (other than a Permitted Bond Hedge Transaction or a Permitted Warrant Transaction) that constitutes a “swap” within the meaning of Section 1a(47) of the Commodity Exchange Act.

“Swap Termination Value” means, in respect of any one or more Swap Contracts, after taking into account the effect of any legally enforceable netting agreement relating to such Swap Contracts, (a) for any date on or after the date such Swap Contracts have been closed out and termination value(s) determined in accordance therewith, such termination value(s), and (b) for any date prior to the date referenced in clause (a), the amount(s) determined as the mark-to-market value(s) for such Swap Contracts, as determined based upon one or more mid-market or other readily available quotations provided by any recognized dealer in such Swap Contracts (which may include a Lender or any Affiliate of a Lender).

“Swingline Borrowing” means a borrowing of a Swingline Loan pursuant to Section 2.04.

Swingline Commitment” means, as to any Lender (a) the amount set forth opposite such Lender’s name on Schedule 2.01 hereof or (b) if such Lender has entered into an Assignment and Assumption or has otherwise assumed a Swingline Commitment after the Closing Date, the amount set forth for such Lender as its Swingline Commitment in the Register maintained by the Administrative Agent pursuant to Section 11.06(c).

“Swingline Lender” means Bank of America in its capacity as provider of Swingline Loans, or any successor swingline lender hereunder.

“Swingline Loan” has the meaning specified in Section 2.04(a).

“Swingline Loan Notice” means a notice of a Swingline Borrowing pursuant to Section 2.04(b), which shall be substantially in the form of Exhibit B or such other form as approved by the Administrative Agent (including any form on an electronic platform or electronic transmission system as shall be approved by the Administrative Agent), appropriately completed and signed by a Responsible Officer of the applicable Borrower.

“Swingline Sublimit” means an amount equal to the lesser of (a) $50,000,000 and (b) the Revolving Credit Facility. The Swingline Sublimit is part of, and not in addition to, the Revolving Credit Facility.

-42-


 

“Synthetic Debt” means, with respect to any Person as of any date of determination thereof, all obligations of such Person in respect of transactions entered into by such Person that are intended to function primarily as a borrowing of funds (including any minority interest transactions that function primarily as a borrowing) but are not otherwise included in the definition of “Indebtedness” or as a liability on the Consolidated balance sheet of such Person and its Subsidiaries in accordance with GAAP.

“Synthetic Lease Obligation” means the monetary obligation of a Person under (a) a so-called synthetic, off-balance sheet or tax retention lease, or (b) an agreement for the use or possession of property creating obligations that do not appear on the balance sheet of such Person but which, upon the insolvency or bankruptcy of such Person, would be characterized as the indebtedness of such Person (without regard to accounting treatment).

TARGET2” means the Trans-European Automated Real-time Gross Settlement Express Transfer payment system which utilizes a single shared platform and which was launched on November 19, 2007T2 means the real time gross settlement system operated by the Eurosystem, or any successor system.

TARGET Day” means any day on which TARGET2 (or, if such payment system ceases to be operative, such other payment system, if any, determined by the Administrative Agent to be a suitable replacement)T2 is open for the settlement of payments in Euro.

“Taxes” means all present or future taxes, levies, imposts, duties, deductions, withholdings (including backup withholding), assessments, fees or other charges imposed by any Governmental Authority, including any interest, additions to tax or penalties applicable thereto.

Term SOFR” means:

(a)
for any Interest Period with respect to a Term SOFR Loan, the rate per annum equal to the Term SOFR Screen Rate two U.S. Government Securities Business Days prior to the commencement of such Interest Period with a term equivalent to such Interest Period; provided that if the rate is not published prior to 11:00 a.m. on such determination date then Term SOFR means the Term SOFR Screen Rate on the first U.S. Government Securities Business Day immediately prior thereto, in each case, plus the SOFR Adjustment for such Interest Period; and
(b)
for any interest calculation with respect to a Base Rate Loan on any date, the rate per annum equal to the Term SOFR Screen Rate two U.S. Government Securities Business Days prior to such date with a term of one month commencing that day; provided that if the rate is not published prior to 11:00 a.m. on such determination date then Term SOFR means the Term SOFR Screen Rate on the first U.S. Government Securities Business Day immediately prior thereto, in each case, plus the SOFR Adjustment for such term;

provided that if Term SOFR determined in accordance with either of the foregoing provisions (a) or (b) of this definition would otherwise be less than zero, Term SOFR shall be deemed zero for purposes of this Agreement.

Term SOFR Loan” means a Loan that bears interest at a rate based on clause (a) of the definition of Term SOFR.

Term SOFR Screen Rate” means the forward-looking SOFR term rate administered by CME (or any successor administrator satisfactory to the Administrative Agent) and published on the applicable Reuters screen page (or such other commercially available source providing such quotations as may be designated by the Administrative Agent from time to time).

-43-


 

“Term SOFR Replacement Date” has the meaning specified in Section 3.03(b).

“TFSS Investment” means the investment to be made by the U.S. Borrower in TF Semiconductor Solutions Inc. in the form of a secured revolving credit loan in an aggregate principal amount not to exceed $3,000,000.

“Threshold Amount” means $25,000,000.

“Total Outstandings” means the aggregate Outstanding Amount of all Loans and all L/C Obligations.

“Total Revolving Credit Outstandings” means the aggregate Outstanding Amount of all Revolving Credit Loans, Swingline Loans and L/C Obligations.

Transaction” means, collectively, (a) the entering into by the Loan Parties and their applicable Subsidiaries of the Loan Documents to which they are or are intended to be a party and (b) the payment of the fees and expenses incurred in connection with the consummation of the foregoing.

“Type” means, with respect to a Loan, its character as a Base Rate Loan, a Term SOFR Loan, an Alternative Currency Daily Rate Loan or an Alternative Currency Term Rate Loan.

“UCC” means the Uniform Commercial Code as in effect in the State of New York; provided that, if perfection or the effect of perfection or non-perfection or the priority of any security interest in any Collateral is governed by the Uniform Commercial Code as in effect in a jurisdiction other than the State of New York, “UCC” means the Uniform Commercial Code as in effect from time to time in such other jurisdiction for purposes of the provisions hereof relating to such perfection, effect of perfection or non-perfection or priority.

“UCP” means, with respect to any Letter of Credit, the Uniform Customs and Practice for Documentary Credits, International Chamber of Commerce (“ICC”) Publication No. 600 (or such later version thereof as may be in effect at the time of issuance).

UK Financial Institution” means any BRRD Undertaking (as such term is defined under the PRA Rulebook (as amended from time to time) promulgated by the United Kingdom Prudential Regulation Authority) or any person subject to IFPRU 11.6 of the FCA Handbook (as amended from time to time) promulgated by the United Kingdom Financial Conduct Authority, which includes certain credit institutions and investment firms, and certain affiliates of such credit institutions or investment firms.

UK Resolution Authority” means the Bank of England or any other public administrative authority having responsibility for the resolution of any UK Financial Institution.

“United States” and “U.S.” mean the United States of America.

“Unreimbursed Amount” has the meaning specified in Section 2.03(c)(i).

U.S. Government Securities Business Day” means any Business Day,day except any Business Dayfor (a) a Saturday, (b) a Sunday or (c) a day on which any of the Securities Industry and Financial Markets Association, recommends that the New York Stock Exchange or the Federal Reserve Bank of New York is not open for business because such day is a legal holiday under the federal lawsfixed income departments of its members be closed for the entire day for purposes of thetrading in United States or the laws of the State of New York, as applicablegovernment securities.

-44-


 

“U.S. Loan Party” means any Loan Party that is organized under the laws of one of the states of the United States of America.

“U.S. Person” means any Person that is a “United States Person” as definedUnited States citizen, lawful permanent resident, entity organized under the laws of the United States or any jurisdiction within the United States, including any foreign branch of any such entity, or any person in the United State.

“U.S. Special Resolution Regime” has the meaning specified in Section 7701(a)(30) of the Code11.23.

“U.S. Tax Compliance Certificate” has the meaning specified in Section 3.01(e)(ii)(B)(III).

Withholding Agent” means each Loan Party and the Administrative Agent.

“Write-Down and Conversion Powers” means, (a) with respect to any EEA Resolution Authority, the write-down and conversion powers of such EEA Resolution Authority from time to time under the Bail-In Legislation for the applicable EEA Member Country, which write-down and conversion powers are described in the EU Bail-In Legislation Schedule, and (b) with respect to the United Kingdom, any powers of the applicable Resolution Authority under the Bail-In Legislation to cancel, reduce, modify or change the form of a liability of any UK Financial Institution or any contract or instrument under which that liability arises, to convert all or part of that liability into shares, securities or obligations of that person or any other person, to provide that any such contract or instrument is to have effect as if a right had been exercised under it or to suspend any obligation in respect of that liability or any of the powers under that Bail-In Legislation to cancel, transfer or dilute shares issued by a person that is a bank or investment firm or other financial institution or affiliate of a bank, investment firm or other financial institution that are related to or ancillary to any of those powers.

Section 1.02. Other Interpretive Provisions. With reference to this Agreement and each other Loan Document, unless otherwise specified herein or in such other Loan Document:

(a)
The definitions of terms herein shall apply equally to the singular and plural forms of the terms defined. Whenever the context may require, any pronoun shall include the corresponding masculine, feminine and neuter forms. The words “include,” “includes” and “including” shall be deemed to be followed by the phrase “without limitation.” The word “will” shall be construed to have the same meaning and effect as the word “shall.” Unless the context requires otherwise, (i) any definition of or reference to any agreement, instrument or other document (including the Loan Documents and any Organization Document) shall be construed as referring to such agreement, instrument or other document as from time to time amended, amended and restated, modified, extended, restated, replaced or supplemented from time to time (subject to any restrictions on such amendments, supplements or modifications set forth herein or in any other Loan Document), (ii) any reference herein to any Person shall be construed to include such Person’s successors and assigns, (iii) the words “hereto,” “herein,” “hereof” and “hereunder,” and words of similar import when used in any Loan Document, shall be construed to refer to such Loan Document in its entirety and not to any particular provision thereof, (iv) all references in a Loan Document to Articles, Sections, Preliminary Statements, Exhibits and Schedules shall be construed to refer to Articles and Sections of, and Preliminary Statements, Exhibits and Schedules to, the Loan Document in which such references appear, (v) any reference to any law shall include all statutory and regulatory rules, regulations, orders and provisions consolidating, amending, replacing or interpreting such law and any reference to any law or regulation shall, unless otherwise specified, refer to such law or regulation as amended, modified, extended, restated, replaced or supplemented from time to time, and (vi) the words “asset” and “property” shall be construed to have the same meaning and effect and to refer to any and all tangible and intangible assets and

-45-


 

properties, including cash, securities, accounts and contract rights. Any and all references to “Borrower” regardless of whether preceded by the term a, any, each of, all, and/or, or any other similar term shall be deemed to refer, as the context requires, to each and every (and/or any one or all) parties constituting a Borrower, individually and/or in the aggregate.
(b)
In the computation of periods of time from a specified date to a later specified date, the word “from” means “from and including;” the words “to” and “until” each mean “to but excluding;” and the word “through” means “to and including.”
(c)
Section headings herein and in the other Loan Documents are included for convenience of reference only and shall not affect the interpretation of this Agreement or any other Loan Document.
(d)
Any reference herein to a merger, transfer, consolidation, amalgamation, assignment, sale, disposition, distribution, dividend, investment or transfer, or similar term, shall be deemed to apply to a division of or by a limited liability company, or an allocation of assets to a series of a limited liability company (or the unwinding of such a division or allocation), as if it were a merger, transfer, consolidation, amalgamation, assignment, sale, disposition, distribution, dividend, investment or transfer, or similar term, as applicable, to, of or with a separate Person. Any division of a limited liability company shall constitute a separate Person hereunder (and each division of any limited liability company that is a Subsidiary, joint venture or any other like term shall also constitute such a Person or entity).

Section 1.03. Accounting Terms.

(a)
Generally. All accounting terms not specifically or completely defined herein shall be construed in conformity with, and all financial data (including financial ratios and other financial calculations) required to be submitted pursuant to this Agreement shall be prepared in conformity with, GAAP applied on a consistent basis, as in effect from time to time, applied in a manner consistent with that used in preparing the Audited Financial Statements, except as otherwise specifically prescribed herein. Notwithstanding the foregoing, for purposes of determining compliance with any covenant (including the computation of any financial covenant) contained herein, (i) Indebtedness of the Domestic Borrower and its Subsidiaries shall be deemed to be carried at 100% of the outstanding principal amount thereof, and the effects of FASB ASC 825 on financial liabilities shall be disregarded, (ii) all liability amounts shall be determined excluding any liability relating to any operating lease, all asset amounts shall be determined excluding any right-of-use assets relating to any operating lease, all amortization amounts shall be determined excluding any amortization of a right-of-use asset relating to any operating lease, and all interest amounts shall be determined excluding any deemed interest comprising a portion of fixed rent payable under any operating lease, in each case to the extent that such liability, asset, amortization or interest pertains to an operating lease under which the covenantor or a member of its consolidated group is the lessee and would not have been accounted for as such under GAAP as in effect on December 31, 2015 and (iii) all terms of an accounting or financial nature used herein shall be construed, and all computations of amounts and ratios referred to herein shall be made, without giving effect to any election under FASB ASC Topic 825 “Financial Instruments” (or any other financial accounting standard having a similar result or effect) to value any Indebtedness of the Borrowers or any Subsidiary at “fair value”, as defined therein. For purposes of determining the amount of any outstanding Indebtedness, no effect shall be given to (x) any election by the Borrowers to measure an item of Indebtedness using fair value (as permitted by Financial Accounting Standards Board Accounting Standards Codification 825–10–25 (formerly known as FASB 159) or any similar accounting standard) or (y) any change in accounting for leases pursuant to GAAP resulting from the implementation of Financial Accounting Standards Board ASU No. 2016–02, Leases (Topic 842), to the extent such adoption would require recognition of a lease liability where such lease (or similar arrangement) would not have required a lease liability under GAAP as in effect on December 31, 2015. For the

-46-


 

avoidance of doubt, and without limitation of the foregoing, Permitted Convertible Indebtedness shall at all times be valued at the full stated principal amount thereof and shall not include any reduction or appreciation in value of the shares deliverable upon conversion thereof.
(b)
Changes in GAAP. If at any time any change in GAAP (including the adoption of IFRS) would affect the computation of any financial ratio or requirement set forth in any Loan Document, and either the Domestic Borrower or the Required Lenders shall so request, the Administrative Agent, the Lenders and the Domestic Borrower shall negotiate in good faith to amend such ratio or requirement to preserve the original intent thereof in light of such change in GAAP (subject to the approval of the Required Lenders); provided that, until so amended, (i) such ratio or requirement shall continue to be computed in accordance with GAAP prior to such change therein and (ii) the Domestic Borrower shall provide to the Administrative Agent and the Lenders financial statements and other documents required under this Agreement or as reasonably requested hereunder setting forth a reconciliation between calculations of such ratio or requirement made before and after giving effect to such change in GAAP.

Section 1.04. Rounding. Any financial ratios required to be maintained by the Borrowers pursuant to this Agreement shall be calculated by dividing the appropriate component by the other component, carrying the result to one place more than the number of places by which such ratio is expressed herein and rounding the result up or down to the nearest number (with a rounding-up if there is no nearest number).

Section 1.05. Exchange Rates; Currency Equivalents. (a) The Administrative Agent or the L/C Issuers, as applicable, shall determine the Dollar Equivalent amounts of Credit Extensions and Outstanding Amounts denominated in Alternative Currencies. Such Dollar Equivalent shall become effective as of such Revaluation Date and shall be the Dollar Equivalent of such amounts until the next Revaluation Date to occur. Except for purposes of financial statements delivered by Loan Parties hereunder or calculating financial covenants hereunder or except as otherwise provided herein, the applicable amount of any currency (other than Dollars) for purposes of the Loan Documents shall be such Dollar Equivalent amount as so determined by the Administrative Agent or the L/C Issuers, as applicable.

(b)
Wherever in this Agreement in connection with a Borrowing, conversion, continuation or prepayment of an Alternative Currency Loan or the issuance, amendment or extension of a Letter of Credit, an amount, such as a required minimum or multiple amount, is expressed in Dollars, but such Borrowing, Alternative Currency Loan or Letter of Credit is denominated in an Alternative Currency, such amount shall be the relevant Alternative Currency Equivalent of such Dollar amount (rounded to the nearest unit of such Alternative Currency, with 0.5 of a unit being rounded upward), as determined by the Administrative Agent or the Alternative Currency L/C Issuer, as the case may be.
(c)
The Administrative Agent does not warrant, nor accept responsibility, nor shall the Administrative Agent have any liability with respect to the administration, submission or any other matter related to the rates in the definition of “Term SOFR”, “Alternative Currency Daily Rate”, Alternative Currency Term Rate” or with respect to any rate that is an alternative or replacement for or successor to any of such rate (including, without limitation, any Successor Rate or Alternative Currency Successor Rate) or the effect of any of the foregoing, or of any Conforming Changes or Alternative Currency Conforming Changes. The Administrative Agent and its affiliates or other related entities may engage in transactions or other activities that affect any reference rate referred to herein, or any alternative, successor or replacement rate (including, without limitation, any Successor Rate or Alternative Currency Successor Rate) (or any component of any of the foregoing) or any related spread or other adjustments thereto, in each case, in a manner adverse to the Borrowers. The Administrative Agent may select information sources or services in its reasonable discretion to ascertain any reference rate referred to herein or any alternative, successor or replacement rate (including, without limitation, any Successor Rate or Alternative Currency Successor

-47-


 

Rate) (or any component of any of the foregoing), in each case pursuant to the terms of this Agreement, and shall have no liability to the Borrowers, any Lender or any other person or entity for damages of any kind, including direct or indirect, special, punitive, incidental or consequential damages, costs, losses or expenses (whether in tort, contract or otherwise and whether at law or in equity), for any error or other action or omission related to or affecting the selection, determination, or calculation of any rate (or component thereof) provided by any such information source or service.
(d)
By agreeing to make Loans under this Agreement, each Lender is confirming it has all licenses, permits and approvals necessary for use of the reference rates referred to herein as provided for in this Agreement, and it will comply with, preserve, renew and keep in full force and effect such licenses, permits and approvals for use of such rates under this Agreement.

Section 1.06. Additional Alternative Currencies.

(a)
The Domestic Borrower may from time to time request that Loans be made and/or Letters of Credit be issued in a currency other than those specifically listed in the definition of “Alternative Currency”; provided that such requested currency is an Eligible Currency. In the case of any such request with respect to the making of Alternative Currency Loans, such request shall be subject to the approval of the Administrative Agent and each Lender with a Commitment under which such currency is requested to be made available; and in the case of any such request with respect to the issuance of Letters of Credit, such request shall be subject to the approval of the Administrative Agent and the Alternative Currency L/C Issuer.
(b)
Any such request shall be made to the Administrative Agent not later than 11:00 a.m., twenty (20) Business Days prior to the date of the desired Credit Extension (or such other time or date as may be agreed by the Administrative Agent and, in the case of any such request pertaining to Letters of Credit, the Alternative Currency L/C Issuer, in each case in its sole discretion). In the case of any such request pertaining to Alternative Currency Loans, the Administrative Agent shall promptly notify each Appropriate Lender thereof; and in the case of any such request pertaining to Letters of Credit, the Administrative Agent shall promptly notify the Alternative Currency L/C Issuer thereof. Each Appropriate Lender (in the case of any such request pertaining to Alternative Currency Loans) or the Alternative Currency L/C Issuer (in the case of a request pertaining to Letters of Credit) shall notify the Administrative Agent, not later than 11:00 a.m., ten (10) Business Days after receipt of such request whether it consents, in its sole discretion, to the making of Alternative Currency Loans or the issuance of Letters of Credit, as the case may be, in such requested currency.
(c)
Any failure by a Lender or the Alternative Currency L/C Issuer, as the case may be, to respond to such request within the time period specified in the preceding sentence shall be deemed to be a refusal by such Lender or the Alternative Currency L/C Issuer, as the case may be, to permit Alternative Currency Loans to be made or Letters of Credit to be issued in such requested currency. If the Administrative Agent and all the Appropriate Lenders consent to making Alternative Currency Loans in such requested currency and the Administrative Agent and such Lenders reasonably determine that an appropriate interest rate is available to be used for such requested currency, the Administrative Agent shall so notify the Domestic Borrower and (i) the Administrative Agent and such Lenders may amend the definitions of Alternative Currency Daily Rate or Alternative Currency Term Rate, as applicable, to the extent necessary to add the appropriate interest rate for such currency and any applicable adjustment for such rate and (ii) to the extent the definition of Alternative Currency Daily Rate or Alternative Currency Term Rate, as applicable, reflects the appropriate interest rate for such currency or has been amended to reflect the appropriate interest rate for such currency, such currency shall thereupon be deemed for all purposes to be an Alternative Currency for purposes of any Borrowings of Alternative Currency Loans. If the Administrative Agent and the Alternative Currency L/C Issuer consent to the issuance of Letters of

-48-


 

Credit in such requested currency, the Administrative Agent shall so notify the Domestic Borrower and (i) the Administrative Agent and the Alternative Currency L/C Issuer may amend the definition of Alternative Currency Daily Rate or Alternative Currency Term Rate, as applicable, to the extent necessary to add the appropriate interest rate for such currency and any applicable adjustment for such rate and (ii) to the extent the definition of Alternative Currency Daily Rate or Alternative Currency Term Rate, as applicable, reflects the appropriate interest rate for such currency or has been amended to reflect the appropriate rate for such currency, such currency shall thereupon be deemed for all purposes to be an Alternative Currency, for purposes of any Letter of Credit issuances. If the Administrative Agent shall fail to obtain consent to any request for an additional currency under this Section 1.06, the Administrative Agent shall promptly so notify the Domestic Borrower.

Section 1.07. Change of Currency. (a) Each obligation of the Borrowers to make a payment denominated in the national currency unit of any member state of the European Union that adopts the Euro as its lawful currency after the date hereof shall be redenominated into Euro at the time of such adoption. If, in relation to the currency of any such member state, the basis of accrual of interest expressed in this Agreement in respect of that currency shall be inconsistent with any convention or practice in the interbank market for the basis of accrual of interest in respect of the Euro, such expressed basis shall be replaced by such convention or practice with effect from the date on which such member state adopts the Euro as its lawful currency; provided that if any Revolving Credit Borrowing in the currency of such member state is outstanding immediately prior to such date, such replacement shall take effect, with respect to such Revolving Credit Borrowing, at the end of the then current Interest Period.

(b)
Each provision of this Agreement shall be subject to such reasonable changes of construction as the Administrative Agent may from time to time specify to be appropriate to reflect the adoption of the Euro by any member state of the European Union and any relevant market conventions or practices relating to the Euro.
(c)
Each provision of this Agreement also shall be subject to such reasonable changes of construction as the Administrative Agent may from time to time specify to be appropriate to reflect a change in currency of any other country and any relevant market conventions or practices relating to the change in currency.

Section 1.08. Times of Day. Unless otherwise specified, all references herein to times of day shall be references to U.S. Eastern time (daylight or standard, as applicable).

Section 1.09. Letter of Credit Amounts. Unless otherwise specified herein, the amount of a Letter of Credit at any time shall be deemed to be the Dollar Equivalent of the stated amount of such Letter of Credit in effect at such time; provided that with respect to any Letter of Credit that, by its terms or the terms of any Issuer Document related thereto, provides for one or more automatic increases in the stated amount thereof, the amount of such Letter of Credit shall be deemed to be the Dollar Equivalent of the maximum stated amount of such Letter of Credit after giving effect to all such increases, whether or not such maximum stated amount is in effect at such time.

-49-


 

Section 1.10. UCC Terms.

Terms defined in the UCC in effect on the Closing Date and not otherwise defined herein shall, unless the context otherwise indicates, have the meanings provided by those definitions. Subject to the foregoing, the term “UCC” refers, as of any date of determination, to the UCC then in effect.

ARTICLE II

THE COMMITMENTS AND CREDIT EXTENSIONS

Section 2.01. The Borrowings.

(a)
[Reserved].
(b)
Revolving Credit Borrowings. Subject to the terms and conditions set forth herein, each Revolving Credit Lender severally agrees to make loans (each such loan, a “Revolving Credit Loan”) to the Borrowers in Dollars or in an Alternative Currency from time to time, on any Business Day during the Availability Period, in an aggregate amount not to exceed at any time outstanding the amount of such Lender’s Revolving Credit Commitment; provided that after giving effect to any Revolving Credit Borrowing, (i) the Total Revolving Credit Outstandings shall not exceed the Revolving Credit Facility, (ii) the Revolving Credit Exposure of any Revolving Credit Lender shall not exceed such Lender’s Revolving Credit Commitment, and (iii) the aggregate Outstanding Amount of all Revolving Credit Loans denominated in Alternative Currencies plus the aggregate Outstanding Amount of all L/C Obligations denominated in Alternative Currencies shall not exceed the Alternative Currency Sublimit. Within the limits of each Revolving Credit Lender’s Revolving Credit Commitment, and subject to the other terms and conditions hereof, the Borrowers may borrow under this Section 2.01(b), prepay under Section 2.05, and reborrow under this Section 2.01(b). Revolving Credit Loans may be Base Rate Loans, Term SOFR Loans, Alternative Currency Daily Rate Loans, or Alternative Currency Term Rate Loans, as applicable and as further provided herein.

Section 2.02. Borrowings, Conversions and Continuations of Loans. (a) Each Borrowing, each conversion of Incremental Term Loans or Revolving Credit Loans from one Type to another, and each continuation of Term SOFR Loans or Alternative Currency Term Rate Loans shall be made upon the Domestic Borrower’s irrevocable notice to the Administrative Agent, which may be given by (A) telephone or (B) a Committed Loan Notice; provided that any telephonic notice must be confirmed immediately by delivery to the Administrative Agent of a Committed Loan Notice. Each such Committed Loan Notice must be received by the Administrative Agent not later than 11:00 a.m. (i) three Business Days prior to the requested date of any Borrowing of, conversion to or continuation of Term SOFR Loans or of any conversion of Term SOFR Loans to Base Rate Loans, (ii) on the requested date of any Borrowing of Base Rate Loans, and (iii) four Business Days (or five Business Days in the case of a Special Notice Currency) prior to the requested date of any Borrowing or continuation of Alternative Currency Loans. Each Borrowing of, conversion to or continuation of Term SOFR Loans or Alternative Currency Loans shall be in a principal amount of $5,000,000 or a whole multiple of $1,000,000 in excess thereof (or, in connection with any conversion or continuation of an Incremental Term Loan, if less, the entire principal amount thereof then outstanding). Except as provided in Sections 2.03(c) and 2.04(c), each Borrowing of or conversion to Base Rate Loans shall be in a principal amount of $500,000 or a whole multiple of $100,000in excess thereof (or, in connection with any conversion or continuation of an Incremental Term Loan, if less, the entire principal amount thereof then outstanding). Each Committed Loan Notice and each telephonic notice shall specify (i) the name of the applicable Borrower, (ii) the applicable Facility and whether such Borrower is requesting a Borrowing, a conversion of Loans from one Type to another, or a continuation of Loans, as the case may be, under such Facility, (iii) the requested

-50-


 

date of the Borrowing, conversion or continuation, as the case may be (which shall be a Business Day), (iv) the principal amount of Loans to be borrowed, converted or continued, (v) the Type of Loans to be borrowed or to which existing Loans are to be converted, (vi) if applicable, the duration of the Interest Period with respect thereto, and (vii) the currency of the Loans to be borrowed, converted or continued. If the Domestic Borrower fails to specify a currency in a Committed Loan Notice requesting a Borrowing, then the Loans so requested shall be made in Dollars. If the Domestic Borrower fails to specify a Type of Loan in a Committed Loan Notice or if the Domestic Borrower fails to give a timely notice requesting a conversion or continuation, then the applicable Loans shall be made as, or converted to, Base Rate Loans; provided, however, that in the case of a failure to timely request a continuation of Alternative Currency Term Rate Loans, such Loans shall be continued as Alternative Currency Term Rate Loans in their original currency with an Interest Period of one month. No Revolving Credit Loan may be converted into or continued as a Revolving Credit Loan denominated in a different currency, but instead must be repaid in the original currency of such Revolving Credit Loan and reborrowed in the other currency. Any such automatic conversion to Base Rate Loans shall be effective as of the last day of the Interest Period then in effect with respect to the applicable Term SOFR Loans. If the Domestic Borrower requests a Borrowing of, conversion to, or continuation of Term SOFR Loans or Alternative Currency Term Rate Loans in any such Committed Loan Notice, but fails to specify an Interest Period, it will be deemed to have specified an Interest Period of one month. Notwithstanding anything to the contrary herein, a Swingline Loan may not be converted to a Term SOFR Loan and may only be in Dollars.

(b)
Following receipt of a Committed Loan Notice, the Administrative Agent shall promptly notify each Lender of the amount of its Applicable Percentage under such Facility of the applicable Loans, whether such Loan is to be denominated in Dollars or an Alternative Currency, and if no timely notice of a conversion or continuation is provided by the Domestic Borrower, the Administrative Agent shall notify each Lender of the details of any automatic conversion to Base Rate Loans or continuation of Loan denominated in a currency other than Dollars, in each case as described in the preceding subsection. In the case of a Revolving Credit Borrowing, each Appropriate Lender shall make the amount of its Loan available to the Administrative Agent in Same Day Funds at the Administrative Agent’s Office for the applicable currency not later than 1:00 p.m. in the case of any Loan denominated in Dollars, and not later than the Applicable Time specified by the Administrative Agent in the case of any Loan in an Alternative Currency, in each case on the Business Day specified in the applicable Committed Loan Notice. Upon satisfaction of the applicable conditions set forth in Section 4.02 (and, if such Borrowing is the initial Credit Extension, Section 4.01), the Administrative Agent shall make all funds so received available to the applicable Borrower in like funds as received by the Administrative Agent either by (i) crediting the account of such Borrower on the books of Bank of America with the amount of such funds or (ii) wire transfer of such funds, in each case in accordance with instructions provided to (and reasonably acceptable to) the Administrative Agent by the Domestic Borrower; provided that if, on the date the Committed Loan Notice with respect to a Revolving Credit Borrowing is given by the Domestic Borrower, there are L/C Borrowings outstanding with respect to the applicable Borrower, then the proceeds of such Revolving Credit Borrowing, first, shall be applied to the payment in full of any such L/C Borrowings, and second, shall be made available to such Borrower as provided above.
(c)
Except as otherwise provided herein, a Term SOFR Loan or an Alternative Currency Term Rate Loan may be continued or converted only on the last day of an Interest Period for such Loan. During the existence of a Default, no Loans may be requested as, converted to or continued as Term SOFR Loans or Alternative Currency Term Rate Loans without the consent of the Required Lenders, and the Required Lenders may demand that any or all of the then outstanding Alternative Currency Loans be redenominated into Dollars in the amount of the Dollar Equivalent thereof, on the last day of the then current Interest Period with respect thereto.

-51-


 

(d)
Each determination of an interest rate by the Administrative Agent pursuant to any provision of this Agreement shall be conclusive and binding on the Borrower and the Lenders in the absence of manifest error.
(e)
After giving effect to all Incremental Term Borrowings, all conversions of Incremental Term Loans from one Type to another, and all continuations of Incremental Term Loans as the same Type, there shall not be more than six (6) Interest Periods in effect in respect of the Incremental Term Facility. After giving effect to all Revolving Credit Borrowings, all conversions of Revolving Credit Loans from one Type to another, and all continuations of Revolving Credit Loans as the same Type, there shall not be more than 6 Interest Periods in effect in respect of the Revolving Credit Facility.
(f)
Notwithstanding anything to the contrary in this Agreement, any Lender may exchange, continue or rollover all or the portion of its Loans in connection with any refinancing, extension, loan modification or similar transaction permitted by the terms of this Agreement, pursuant to a cashless settlement mechanism approved by the Borrowers, the Administrative Agent and such Lender.
(g)
With respect to any Alternative Currency Daily Rate, Alternative Currency Term Rate, SOFR or Term SOFR, the Administrative Agent will have the right to make Alternative Currency Conforming Changes or Conforming Changes, as applicable, from time to time and, notwithstanding anything to the contrary herein or in any other Loan Document, any amendments implementing such Alternative Currency Conforming Changes or Conforming Changes, as applicable, will become effective without any further action or consent of any other party to this Agreement or any other Loan Document; provided that, with respect to any such amendment effected, the Administrative Agent shall post each such amendment implementing such Alternative Currency Conforming Changes or Conforming Changes, as applicable, to the Borrowers and the Lenders reasonably promptly after such amendment becomes effective.

Section 2.03. Letters of Credit.

(a)
The Letter of Credit Commitment. (i) Subject to the terms and conditions set forth herein, in addition to the Loans provided for in Section 2.01 (A) Bank of America, in its capacity as an L/C Issuer agrees, in reliance upon the agreements of the Revolving Credit Lenders set forth in this Section 2.03, (1) from time to time on any Business Day during the period from the Closing Date until the Letter of Credit Expiration Date, to issue Letters of Credit denominated in Dollars or, in its capacity as Alternative Currency L/C Issuer, in an Alternative Currency applicable to such L/C Issuer for the account of any Borrower or Loan Party, and to amend Letters of Credit previously issued by it, in accordance with subsection (b) below, and (2) to honor drawings under the Letters of Credit; (B) each other L/C Issuer agrees, in reliance upon the agreements of the Revolving Credit Lenders set forth in this Section 2.03, (1) from time to time on any Business Day during the period from the Closing Date until the Letter of Credit Expiration Date, to issue Letters of Credit denominated in Dollars for the account of any Borrower or Loan Party, and to amend Letters of Credit previously issued by it, in accordance with subsection (b) below, and (2) to honor drawings under the Letters of Credit; and (C) the Revolving Credit Lenders severally agree to participate in Letters of Credit issued for the account of the Borrowers or any Loan Party and any drawings thereunder; provided that after giving effect to any L/C Credit Extension with respect to any Letter of Credit, (w) the Total Revolving Credit Outstandings shall not exceed the Revolving Credit Facility, (x) the Revolving Credit Exposure of any Revolving Credit Lender shall not exceed such Lender’s Commitment, (y) the aggregate Outstanding Amount of all Revolving Credit Loans denominated in Alternative Currencies plus the aggregate Outstanding Amount of all L/C Obligations denominated in Alternative Currencies shall not exceed the Alternative Currency Sublimit, and (z) the Outstanding Amount of the L/C Obligations shall not exceed the Letter of Credit Sublimit. Each request by a Borrower for the issuance or amendment of a Letter of Credit shall be deemed to be a representation by such Borrower that the L/C Credit Extension so requested complies with the conditions set forth

-52-


 

in the proviso to the preceding sentence. Within the foregoing limits, and subject to the terms and conditions hereof, the Borrowers’ ability to obtain Letters of Credit shall be fully revolving, and accordingly the Borrowers may, during the foregoing period, obtain Letters of Credit to replace Letters of Credit that have expired or that have been drawn upon and reimbursed.
(ii)
No L/C Issuer shall issue any Letter of Credit, if:
(A)
the expiry date of the requested Letter of Credit would occur more than twelve months after the date of issuance or last extension, unless the Required Revolving Lenders have approved such expiry date; or
(B)
the expiry date of the requested Letter of Credit would occur after the Letter of Credit Expiration Date, unless all the Revolving Credit Lenders have approved such expiry date.
(iii)
No L/C Issuer shall be under any obligation to issue any Letter of Credit if:
(A)
any order, judgment or decree of any Governmental Authority or arbitrator shall by its terms purport to enjoin or restrain such L/C Issuer from issuing the Letter of Credit, or any Law applicable to such L/C Issuer or any request or directive (whether or not having the force of law) from any Governmental Authority with jurisdiction over such L/C Issuer shall prohibit, or request that such L/C Issuer refrain from, the issuance of letters of credit generally or the Letter of Credit in particular or shall impose upon such L/C Issuer with respect to the Letter of Credit any restriction, reserve or capital requirement (for which such L/C Issuer is not otherwise compensated hereunder) not in effect on the Closing Date, or shall impose upon such L/C Issuer any unreimbursed loss, cost or expense which was not applicable on the Closing Date and which such L/C Issuer in good faith deems material to it;
(B)
the issuance of the Letter of Credit would violate one or more policies of such L/C Issuer applicable to letters of credit generally;
(C)
except as otherwise agreed by the Administrative Agent and such L/C Issuer, the Letter of Credit is in an initial stated amount less than $100,000, in the case of a commercial Letter of Credit, or $500,000, in the case of a standby Letter of Credit;
(D)
except as agreed by the Administrative Agent and the Alternative Currency L/C Issuer, the Letter of Credit is to be denominated in a currency other than Dollars or an Alternative Currency;
(E)
such L/C issuer does not as of the issuance date of such requested Letter of Credit issue letters of credit in the requested currency;
(F)
any Revolving Credit Lender is at that time a Defaulting Lender, unless such L/C Issuer has entered into arrangements, including the delivery of Cash Collateral, satisfactory to such L/C Issuer (in its sole discretion) with the Domestic Borrower or such Revolving Credit Lender to eliminate such L/C Issuer’s actual or potential Fronting Exposure (after giving effect to Section 2.16(a)(iv)) with respect to the Defaulting Lender arising from either the Letter of Credit then

-53-


 

proposed to be issued or that Letter of Credit and all other L/C Obligations as to which such L/C Issuer has actual or potential Fronting Exposure, as it may elect in its sole discretion;
(G)
the Letter of Credit contains any provisions for automatic reinstatement of the stated amount after any drawing thereunder; or
(H)
such L/C Issuer does not as of the issuance date of the requested Letter of Credit issue Letters of Credit in the requested currency.
(iv)
No L/C Issuer shall amend any Letter of Credit if such L/C Issuer would not be permitted at such time to issue the Letter of Credit in its amended form under the terms hereof.
(v)
No L/C Issuer shall be under any obligation to amend any Letter of Credit if (A) such L/C Issuer would have no obligation at such time to issue the Letter of Credit in its amended form under the terms hereof, or (B) the beneficiary of the Letter of Credit does not accept the proposed amendment to the Letter of Credit.
(vi)
Each L/C Issuer shall act on behalf of the Revolving Credit Lenders with respect to any Letters of Credit issued by it and the documents associated therewith, and each L/C Issuer shall have all of the benefits and immunities (A) provided to the Administrative Agent in Article IX with respect to any acts taken or omissions suffered by such L/C Issuer in connection with Letters of Credit issued by it or proposed to be issued by it and Issuer Documents pertaining to such Letters of Credit as fully as if the term “Administrative Agent” as used in Article IX included such L/C Issuer with respect to such acts or omissions, and (B) as additionally provided herein with respect to such L/C Issuer.
(b)
Procedures for Issuance and Amendment of Letters of Credit. (i) Each Letter of Credit shall be issued or amended, as the case may be, upon the request of the applicable Borrower delivered to an L/C Issuer (with a copy to the Administrative Agent) in the form of a Letter of Credit Application, appropriately completed and signed by a Responsible Officer of the applicable Borrower. Such Letter of Credit Application may be sent by facsimile, by United States mail, by overnight courier, by electronic transmission using the system provided by the applicable L/C Issuer, by personal delivery or by any other means acceptable to such L/C Issuer. Such Letter of Credit Application must be received by the applicable L/C Issuer and the Administrative Agent not later than 11:00 a.m. at least two Business Days prior to the proposed issuance date or date of amendment, as the case may be, of any Letter of Credit denominated in Dollars, and not later than 12:00 noon at least ten Business Days prior to the proposed issuance date or date of amendment, as the case may be, of any Letter of Credit denominated in an Alternative Currency (or in each case such later date and time as the Administrative Agent and the applicable L/C Issuer may agree in a particular instance in their sole discretion). In the case of a request for an initial issuance of a Letter of Credit, such Letter of Credit Application shall specify in form and detail satisfactory to the applicable L/C Issuer: (A) the proposed issuance date of the requested Letter of Credit (which shall be a Business Day); (B) the amount and currency thereof and the absence of specification of currency shall be deemed a request for a Letter of Credit denominated in Dollars; (C) the expiry date thereof; (D) the name and address of the beneficiary thereof; (E) the documents to be presented by such beneficiary in case of any drawing thereunder; (F) the full text of any certificate to be presented by such beneficiary in case of any drawing thereunder; (G) the purpose and nature of the requested Letter of Credit; and (H) such other matters as the L/C Issuer may require. In the case of a request for an amendment of any outstanding Letter of Credit, such Letter of Credit Application shall specify in form and detail satisfactory to the applicable L/C Issuer (1) the Letter of Credit to be amended; (2) the proposed date of amendment thereof (which shall be a Business Day); (3) the nature of the proposed amendment; and (4) such other matters as the applicable L/C Issuer may require. Additionally, the applicable Borrower shall furnish to the applicable L/C

-54-


 

Issuer and the Administrative Agent such other documents and information pertaining to such requested Letter of Credit issuance or amendment, including any Issuer Documents, as such L/C Issuer or the Administrative Agent may require.
(ii)
Promptly after receipt of any Letter of Credit Application, the applicable L/C Issuer will confirm with the Administrative Agent (by telephone or in writing) that the Administrative Agent has received a copy of such Letter of Credit Application from the applicable Borrower and, if not, such L/C Issuer will provide the Administrative Agent with a copy thereof. Unless the applicable L/C Issuer has received written notice from any Revolving Credit Lender, the Administrative Agent or any Loan Party, at least one Business Day prior to the requested date of issuance or amendment of the applicable Letter of Credit, that one or more applicable conditions contained in Article IV shall not then be satisfied, then, subject to the terms and conditions hereof, such L/C Issuer shall, on the requested date, issue a Letter of Credit for the account of the applicable Borrower (or the applicable Loan Party) or enter into the applicable amendment, as the case may be, in each case in accordance with such L/C Issuer’s usual and customary business practices. Immediately upon the issuance of each Letter of Credit, each Revolving Credit Lender shall be deemed to, and hereby irrevocably and unconditionally agrees to, purchase from such L/C Issuer a risk participation in such Letter of Credit in an amount equal to the product of such Revolving Credit Lender’s Applicable Revolving Credit Percentage times the amount of such Letter of Credit.
(iii)
Promptly after its delivery of any Letter of Credit or any amendment to a Letter of Credit to an advising bank with respect thereto or to the beneficiary thereof, the applicable L/C Issuer will also deliver to the applicable Borrower and the Administrative Agent a true and complete copy of such Letter of Credit or amendment.
(c)
Drawings and Reimbursements; Funding of Participations. (i) Upon receipt from the beneficiary of any Letter of Credit of any notice of a drawing under such Letter of Credit, the applicable L/C Issuer shall promptly notify the applicable Borrower and the Administrative Agent thereof. In the case of a Letter of Credit denominated in an Alternative Currency, the applicable Borrower shall reimburse the Alternative Currency L/C Issuer in such Alternative Currency, unless (A) the Alternative Currency L/C Issuer (at its option) shall have specified in such notice that it will require reimbursement in Dollars, or (B) in the absence of any such requirement for reimbursement in Dollars, the applicable Borrower shall have notified such L/C Issuer promptly following receipt of the notice of drawing that the applicable Borrower will reimburse such L/C Issuer in Dollars. In the case of any such reimbursement in Dollars of a drawing under a Letter of Credit denominated in an Alternative Currency, the Alternative Currency L/C Issuer shall notify the applicable Borrower of the Dollar Equivalent of the amount of the drawing promptly following the determination thereof. Not later than 11:00 a.m. on the date of any payment by the applicable L/C Issuer under a Letter of Credit to be reimbursed in Dollars, or the Applicable Time on the date of any payment by the Alternative Currency L/C Issuer under a Letter of Credit to be reimbursed in an Alternative Currency (each such date, an “Honor Date”), the applicable Borrower shall reimburse the applicable L/C Issuer through the Administrative Agent in an amount equal to the amount of such drawing and in the applicable currency. In the event that (A) a drawing denominated in an Alternative Currency is to be reimbursed in Dollars pursuant to the second sentence in this Section 2.03(c)(i) and (B) the Dollar amount paid by the applicable Borrower, whether on or after the Honor Date, shall not be adequate on the date of that payment to purchase in accordance with normal banking procedures a sum denominated in the Alternative Currency equal to the drawing, such Borrower agrees, as a separate and independent obligation, to indemnify the Alternative Currency L/C Issuer for the loss resulting from its inability on that date to purchase the Alternative Currency in the full amount of the drawing. If the applicable Borrower fails to so reimburse such L/C Issuer by such time, the Administrative Agent shall promptly notify each Revolving Credit Lender of the Honor Date, the amount of the unreimbursed drawing (expressed in Dollars in the

-55-


 

amount of the Dollar Equivalent thereof in the case of a Letter of Credit denominated in an Alternative Currency) (the “Unreimbursed Amount”), and the amount of such Revolving Credit Lender’s Applicable Revolving Credit Percentage thereof. In such event, the applicable Borrower shall be deemed to have requested a Revolving Credit Borrowing of Base Rate Loans to be disbursed on the Honor Date in an amount equal to the Unreimbursed Amount, without regard to the minimum and multiples specified in Section 2.02 for the principal amount of Base Rate Loans, but subject to the amount of the unutilized portion of the Revolving Credit Commitments and the conditions set forth in Section 4.02 (other than the delivery of a Committed Loan Notice). Any notice given by an L/C Issuer or the Administrative Agent pursuant to this Section 2.03(c)(i) may be given by telephone if immediately confirmed in writing; provided that the lack of such an immediate confirmation shall not affect the conclusiveness or binding effect of such notice.
(ii)
Each Revolving Credit Lender shall upon any notice pursuant to Section 2.03(c)(i) make funds available (and the Administrative Agent may apply Cash Collateral provided for this purpose) for the account of the applicable L/C Issuer, in Dollars, at the Administrative Agent’s Office for Dollar denominated payments in an amount equal to its Applicable Revolving Credit Percentage of the Unreimbursed Amount not later than 1:00 p.m. on the Business Day specified in such notice by the Administrative Agent, whereupon, subject to the provisions of Section 2.03(c)(iii), each Revolving Credit Lender that so makes funds available shall be deemed to have made a Base Rate Loan to the applicable Borrower in such amount. The Administrative Agent shall remit the funds so received to the applicable L/C Issuer in Dollars.
(iii)
With respect to any Unreimbursed Amount that is not fully refinanced by a Revolving Credit Borrowing of Base Rate Loans because the conditions set forth in Section 4.02 cannot be satisfied or for any other reason, the Domestic Borrower shall be deemed to have incurred from the applicable L/C Issuer an L/C Borrowing in the amount of the Unreimbursed Amount that is not so refinanced, which L/C Borrowing shall be due and payable on demand (together with interest) and shall bear interest at the Default Rate. In such event, each Revolving Credit Lender’s payment to the Administrative Agent for the account of the applicable L/C Issuer pursuant to Section 2.03(c)(ii) shall be deemed payment in respect of its participation in such L/C Borrowing and shall constitute an L/C Advance from such Lender in satisfaction of its participation obligation under this Section 2.03.
(iv)
Until each Revolving Credit Lender funds its Revolving Credit Loan or L/C Advance pursuant to this Section 2.03(c) to reimburse the applicable L/C Issuer for any amount drawn under any Letter of Credit, interest in respect of such Lender’s Applicable Revolving Credit Percentage of such amount shall be solely for the account of such L/C Issuer.
(v)
Each Revolving Credit Lender’s obligation to make Revolving Credit Loans or L/C Advances to reimburse an L/C Issuer for amounts drawn under Letters of Credit, as contemplated by this Section 2.03(c), shall be absolute and unconditional and shall not be affected by any circumstance, including (A) any setoff, counterclaim, recoupment, defense or other right which such Lender may have against any L/C Issuer, any Borrower, any Subsidiary or any other Person for any reason whatsoever; (B) the occurrence or continuance of a Default, or (C) any other occurrence, event or condition, whether or not similar to any of the foregoing; provided that each Revolving Credit Lender’s obligation to make Revolving Credit Loans pursuant to this Section 2.03(c) is subject to the conditions set forth in Section 4.02 (other than delivery by the applicable Borrower of a Committed Loan Notice). No such making of an L/C Advance shall relieve or otherwise impair the obligation of the applicable Borrower to reimburse the applicable L/C

-56-


 

Issuer for the amount of any payment made by such L/C Issuer under any Letter of Credit, together with interest as provided herein.
(vi)
If any Revolving Credit Lender fails to make available to the Administrative Agent for the account of the applicable L/C Issuer any amount required to be paid by such Lender pursuant to the foregoing provisions of this Section 2.03(c) by the time specified in Section 2.03(c)(ii), then, without limiting the other provisions of this Agreement, the applicable L/C Issuer shall be entitled to recover from such Lender (acting through the Administrative Agent), on demand, such amount with interest thereon for the period from the date such payment is required to the date on which such payment is immediately available to such L/C Issuer at a rate per annum equal to the applicable Overnight Rate from time to time in effect, plus any administrative, processing or similar fees customarily charged by such L/C Issuer in connection with the foregoing. If such Lender pays such amount (with interest and fees as aforesaid), the amount so paid shall constitute such Lender’s Revolving Credit Loan included in the relevant Revolving Credit Borrowing or L/C Advance in respect of the relevant L/C Borrowing, as the case may be. A certificate of the applicable L/C Issuer submitted to any Revolving Credit Lender (through the Administrative Agent) with respect to any amounts owing under this clause (vi) shall be conclusive absent manifest error.
(d)
Repayment of Participations. (i) At any time after the applicable L/C Issuer has made a payment under any Letter of Credit and has received from any Revolving Credit Lender such Lender’s L/C Advance in respect of such payment in accordance with Section 2.03(c), if the Administrative Agent receives for the account of such L/C Issuer any payment in respect of the related Unreimbursed Amount or interest thereon (whether directly from the applicable Borrower or otherwise, including proceeds of Cash Collateral applied thereto by the Administrative Agent), the Administrative Agent will distribute to such Lender its Applicable Revolving Credit Percentage thereof in the same funds as those received by the Administrative Agent.
(ii)
If any payment received by the Administrative Agent for the account of an L/C Issuer pursuant to Section 2.03(c)(i) is required to be returned under any of the circumstances described in Section 11.05 (including pursuant to any settlement entered into by such L/C Issuer in its discretion), each Revolving Credit Lender shall pay to the Administrative Agent for the account of such L/C Issuer its Applicable Revolving Credit Percentage thereof on demand of the Administrative Agent, plus interest thereon from the date of such demand to the date such amount is returned by such Lender, at a rate per annum equal to the applicable Overnight Rate from time to time in effect. The obligations of the Lenders under this clause shall survive the payment in full of the Obligations and the termination of this Agreement.
(e)
Obligations Absolute. The obligation of the applicable Borrower to reimburse the applicable L/C Issuer in each case for each drawing under each Letter of Credit and to repay each L/C Borrowing shall be absolute, unconditional and irrevocable, and shall be paid strictly in accordance with the terms of this Agreement under all circumstances, including the following:
(i)
any lack of validity or enforceability of such Letter of Credit, this Agreement, or any other Loan Document;
(ii)
the existence of any claim, counterclaim, setoff, defense or other right that any Borrower or any Subsidiary may have at any time against any beneficiary or any transferee of such Letter of Credit (or any Person for whom any such beneficiary or any such transferee may be acting), any L/C Issuer or any

-57-


 

other Person, whether in connection with this Agreement, the transactions contemplated hereby or by such Letter of Credit or any agreement or instrument relating thereto, or any unrelated transaction;
(iii)
any draft, demand, endorsement, certificate or other document presented under or in connection with such Letter of Credit proving to be forged, fraudulent, invalid or insufficient in any respect or any statement therein being untrue or inaccurate in any respect; or any loss or delay in the transmission or otherwise of any document required in order to make a drawing under such Letter of Credit;
(iv)
waiver by any L/C Issuer of any requirement that exists for such L/C Issuer’s protection and not the protection of the applicable Borrower or any waiver by such L/C Issuer which does not in fact materially prejudice the applicable Borrower;
(v)
honor of a demand for payment presented electronically even if such Letter of Credit requires that demand be in the form of a draft;
(vi)
any payment made by the applicable L/C Issuer in respect of an otherwise complying item presented after the date specified as the expiration date of, or the date by which documents must be received under, such Letter of Credit if presentation after such date is authorized by the UCC, the ISP or the UCP, as applicable;
(vii)
any payment by the applicable L/C Issuer under such Letter of Credit against presentation of a draft or certificate that does not strictly comply with the terms of such Letter of Credit; or any payment made by the applicable L/C Issuer under such Letter of Credit to any Person purporting to be a trustee in bankruptcy, debtor-in-possession, assignee for the benefit of creditors, liquidator, receiver or other representative of or successor to any beneficiary or any transferee of such Letter of Credit, including any arising in connection with any proceeding under any Debtor Relief Law;
(viii)
any adverse change in the relevant exchange rates or in the availability of relevant Alternative Currency to any Borrower or any Subsidiary or in the relevant currency markets generally; or
(ix)
any other circumstance or happening whatsoever, whether or not similar to any of the foregoing, including any other circumstance that might otherwise constitute a defense available to, or a discharge of, the Domestic Borrower or any Subsidiary.

The applicable Borrower shall promptly examine a copy of each Letter of Credit and each amendment thereto that is delivered to it and, in the event of any claim of noncompliance with the applicable Borrower’s instructions or other irregularity, the applicable Borrower will immediately notify the applicable L/C Issuer. The applicable Borrower shall be conclusively deemed to have waived any such claim against each L/C Issuer and its correspondents unless such notice is given as aforesaid.

(f)
Role of L/C Issuer. Each Lender and each Borrower agree that, in paying any drawing under a Letter of Credit, no L/C Issuer shall have any responsibility to obtain any document (other than any sight draft, certificates and documents expressly required by the Letter of Credit) or to ascertain or inquire as to the validity or accuracy of any such document or the authority of the Person executing or delivering any such document. None of any L/C Issuer, the Administrative Agent, any of their respective Related Parties nor any correspondent, participant or assignee of any L/C Issuer shall be liable to any Lender for (i) any action taken or omitted in connection herewith at the request or with the approval of the Revolving Credit Lenders or the Required Revolving Lenders, as applicable; (ii) any action taken or omitted in the absence of gross negligence or willful misconduct; or (iii) the due

-58-


 

execution, effectiveness, validity or enforceability of any document or instrument related to any Letter of Credit or Issuer Document. The Borrowers hereby assume all risks of the acts or omissions of any beneficiary or transferee with respect to its use of any Letter of Credit; provided that this assumption is not intended to, and shall not, preclude the applicable Borrower’s pursuing such rights and remedies as it may have against the beneficiary or transferee at law or under any other agreement. Neither any L/C Issuer, the Administrative Agent, any of their respective Related Parties nor any correspondent, participant or assignee of any L/C Issuer shall be liable or responsible for any of the matters described in Section 2.03(e); provided, however, that anything in such clauses to the contrary notwithstanding, the applicable Borrower may have a claim against the applicable L/C Issuer, and the applicable L/C Issuer may be liable to the applicable Borrower, to the extent, but only to the extent, of any direct, as opposed to consequential or exemplary, damages suffered by the applicable Borrower which the applicable Borrower proves, as determined by a final nonappealable judgment of a court of competent jurisdiction, were caused by the applicable L/C Issuer’s willful misconduct or gross negligence or the applicable L/C Issuer’s willful failure to pay under any Letter of Credit after the presentation to it by the beneficiary of a sight draft and certificate(s) strictly complying with the terms and conditions of a Letter of Credit. In furtherance and not in limitation of the foregoing, an L/C Issuer may accept documents that appear on their face to be in order, without responsibility for further investigation, regardless of any notice or information to the contrary, and no L/C Issuer shall be responsible for the validity or sufficiency of any instrument transferring, endorsing or assigning or purporting to transfer, endorse or assign a Letter of Credit or the rights or benefits thereunder or proceeds thereof, in whole or in part, which may prove to be invalid or ineffective for any reason. Each L/C Issuer may send a Letter of Credit or conduct any communication to or from the beneficiary via the Society for Worldwide Interbank Financial Telecommunication (“SWIFT”) message or overnight courier, or any other commercially reasonable means of communicating with a beneficiary.
(g)
Applicability of ISP and UCP; Limitation of Liability. Unless otherwise expressly agreed by the applicable L/C Issuer and the applicable Borrower when a Letter of Credit is issued, (i) the rules of the ISP shall apply to each standby Letter of Credit, and (ii) the rules of the UCP shall apply to each commercial Letter of Credit. Notwithstanding the foregoing, no L/C Issuer shall be responsible to any Borrower for, and no L/C Issuer’s rights and remedies against the applicable Borrower shall be impaired by, any action or inaction of any L/C Issuer required or permitted under any law, order, or practice that is required or permitted to be applied to any Letter of Credit or this Agreement, including the Law or any order of a jurisdiction where such L/C Issuer or the beneficiary is located, the practice stated in the ISP or UCP, as applicable, or in the decisions, opinions, practice statements, or official commentary of the ICC Banking Commission, the Bankers Association for Finance and Trade – International Financial Services Association (BAFT-IFSA), or the Institute of International Banking Law & Practice, whether or not any Letter of Credit chooses such law or practice.
(h)
Letter of Credit Fees. The applicable Borrower shall pay to the Administrative Agent for the account of each Revolving Credit Lender in accordance, subject to Section 2.16, with its Applicable Revolving Credit Percentage a Letter of Credit fee (the “Letter of Credit Fee”) for each Letter of Credit equal to the Applicable Rate times the Dollar Equivalent of the daily amount available to be drawn under such Letter of Credit. For purposes of computing the daily amount available to be drawn under any Letter of Credit, the amount of such Letter of Credit shall be determined in accordance with Section 1.09. Letter of Credit Fees shall be (i) due and payable on the first Business Day after the end of each March, June, September and December, commencing with the first such date to occur after the issuance of such Letter of Credit, on the Letter of Credit Expiration Date and thereafter on demand and (ii) computed on a quarterly basis in arrears. If there is any change in the Applicable Rate during any quarter, the daily amount available to be drawn under each standby Letter of Credit shall be computed and multiplied by the Applicable Rate separately for each period during such quarter that such Applicable Rate was in effect.

-59-


 

Notwithstanding anything to the contrary contained herein, upon the request of the Required Revolving Lenders, while any Event of Default exists, all Letter of Credit Fees shall accrue at the Default Rate.
(i)
Fronting Fee and Documentary and Processing Charges Payable to L/C Issuers. The applicable Borrower shall pay directly to the applicable L/C Issuer for its own account, in Dollars, a fronting fee (i) with respect to each commercial Letter of Credit, at the rate specified in the Fee Letter, computed on the Dollar Equivalent of the amount of such Letter of Credit, and payable upon the issuance thereof, (ii) with respect to any amendment of a commercial Letter of Credit increasing the amount of such Letter of Credit, at a rate separately agreed between the applicable Borrower and such L/C Issuer, computed on the Dollar Equivalent of the amount of such increase, and payable upon the effectiveness of such amendment, and (iii) with respect to each standby Letter of Credit, at the rate per annum specified in the Fee Letter, computed on the Dollar Equivalent of the daily amount available to be drawn under such Letter of Credit on a quarterly basis in arrears. Such fronting fee shall be due and payable on the tenth Business Day after the end of each March, June, September and December in respect of the most recently-ended quarterly period (or portion thereof, in the case of the first payment), commencing with the first such date to occur after the issuance of such Letter of Credit, on the Letter of Credit Expiration Date and thereafter on demand. For purposes of computing the daily amount available to be drawn under any Letter of Credit, the amount of such Letter of Credit shall be determined in accordance with Section 1.09. In addition, the applicable Borrower shall pay directly to the applicable L/C Issuer for its own account, in Dollars, the customary issuance, presentation, amendment and other processing fees, and other standard costs and charges, of such L/C Issuer relating to letters of credit as from time to time in effect. Such customary fees and standard costs and charges are due and payable on demand and are nonrefundable.
(j)
Conflict with Issuer Documents. In the event of any conflict between the terms hereof and the terms of any Issuer Document, the terms hereof shall control.
(k)
Letters of Credit Issued for Subsidiaries. Notwithstanding that a Letter of Credit issued or outstanding hereunder is in support of any obligations of, or is for the account of, a Subsidiary, the applicable Borrower shall be obligated to reimburse the applicable L/C Issuer hereunder for any and all drawings under such Letter of Credit. Each Borrower hereby acknowledges that the issuance of Letters of Credit for the account of Subsidiaries inures to the benefit of the applicable Borrower, and that the applicable Borrower’s business derives substantial benefits from the businesses of such Subsidiaries.
(l)
L/C Issuer Reports to the Administrative Agent. Unless otherwise agreed by the Administrative Agent, each L/C Issuer shall, in addition to its notification obligations set forth elsewhere in this Section 2.03, provide the Administrative Agent a Letter of Credit Report, as set forth below:
(i)
reasonably prior to the time that such L/C Issuer issues, amends, renews, increases or extends a Letter of Credit, the date of such issuance, amendment, renewal, increase or extension and the stated amount of the applicable Letters of Credit after giving effect to such issuance, amendment, renewal or extension (and whether the amounts thereof shall have changed);
(ii)
on each Business Day on which such L/C Issuer makes a payment pursuant to a Letter of Credit, the date and amount of such payment;

-60-


 

(iii)
on any Business Day on which a Borrower fails to reimburse a payment made pursuant to a Letter of Credit required to be reimbursed to such L/C Issuer on such day, the date of such failure and the amount of such payment;
(iv)
on any other Business Day, such other information as the Administrative Agent shall reasonably request as to the Letters of Credit issued by such L/C Issuer; and
(v)
for so long as any Letter of Credit issued by an L/C Issuer is outstanding, such L/C Issuer shall deliver to the Administrative Agent (A) on the last Business Day of each calendar month, (B) at all other times a Letter of Credit Report is required to be delivered pursuant to this Agreement, and (C) on each date that (1) an L/C Credit Extension occurs or (2) there is any expiration, cancellation and/or disbursement, in each case, with respect to any such Letter of Credit, a Letter of Credit Report appropriately completed with the information for every outstanding Letter of Credit issued by such L/C Issuer.
(m)
Additional L/C Issuers. Any Lender hereunder may become an L/C Issuer upon receipt by the Administrative Agent of a fully executed Notice of Additional L/C Issuer which shall be signed by the Borrowers, the Administrative Agent and each L/C Issuer. Such new L/C Issuer shall provide its L/C Commitment in such Notice of Additional L/C Issuer and upon the receipt by the Administrative Agent of the fully executed Notice of Additional L/C Issuer, the defined term L/C Commitment shall be deemed amended to incorporate the L/C Commitment of such new L/C Issuer.

Section 2.04. Swingline Loans.

(a)
The Swingline. Subject to the terms and conditions set forth herein, the Swingline Lender, in reliance upon the agreements of the other Lenders set forth in this Section 2.04, may in its sole discretion make loans in Dollars (each such loan, a “Swingline Loan”) to the Borrowers from time to time on any Business Day during the Availability Period in an aggregate amount not to exceed at any time outstanding the amount of the Swingline Sublimit, notwithstanding the fact that such Swingline Loans, when aggregated with the Applicable Revolving Credit Percentage of the Outstanding Amount of Revolving Credit Loans and L/C Obligations of the Lender acting as Swingline Lender, may exceed the amount of such Lender’s Revolving Credit Commitment; provided, however, that (x) after giving effect to any Swingline Loan, (i) the Total Revolving Credit Outstandings shall not exceed the Revolving Credit Facility at such time, (ii) the Revolving Credit Exposure of any Revolving Credit Lender shall not exceed such Lender’s Revolving Credit Commitment and (iii) the aggregate amount of all Swingline Loans outstanding shall not exceed the Swingline Commitment of the Swingline Lender, (y) the applicable Borrower shall not use the proceeds of any Swingline Loan to refinance any outstanding Swingline Loan, and (z) the Swingline Lender shall not be under any obligation to make any Swingline Loan if it shall determine (which determination shall be conclusive and binding absent manifest error) that it has, or by such Credit Extension may have, Fronting Exposure. Within the foregoing limits, and subject to the other terms and conditions hereof, the Borrowers may borrow under this Section 2.04, prepay under Section 2.05, and reborrow under this Section 2.04. Each Swingline Loan shall be a Base Rate Loan. Immediately upon the making of a Swingline Loan, each Revolving Credit Lender shall be deemed to, and hereby irrevocably and unconditionally agrees to, purchase from the Swingline Lender a risk participation in such Swingline Loan in an amount equal to the product of such Revolving Credit Lender’s Applicable Revolving Credit Percentage times the amount of such Swingline Loan.

-61-


 

(b)
Borrowing Procedures. Each Swingline Borrowing shall be made upon the applicable Borrower’s irrevocable notice to the Swingline Lender and the Administrative Agent, which may be given by: (A) telephone or (B) a Swingline Loan Notice; provided that any telephonic notice must be confirmed immediately by delivery to the Swingline Lender and the Administrative Agent of a Swingline Loan Notice. Each such Swingline Loan Notice must be received by the Swingline Lender and the Administrative Agent not later than 1:00 p.m. on the requested borrowing date, and shall specify (i) the amount to be borrowed, which shall be a minimum of $100,000, and (ii) the requested borrowing date (which shall be a Business Day). Promptly after receipt by the Swingline Lender of any Swingline Loan Notice, the Swingline Lender will confirm with the Administrative Agent (by telephone or in writing) that the Administrative Agent has also received such Swingline Loan Notice and, if not, the Swingline Lender will notify the Administrative Agent (by telephone or in writing) of the contents thereof. Unless the Swingline Lender has received notice (by telephone or in writing) from the Administrative Agent (including at the request of any Revolving Credit Lender) prior to 2:00 p.m. on the date of the proposed Swingline Borrowing (A) directing the Swingline Lender not to make such Swingline Loan as a result of the limitations set forth in the first proviso to the first sentence of Section 2.04(a), or (B) that one or more of the applicable conditions specified in Article IV is not then satisfied, then, subject to the terms and conditions hereof, the Swingline Lender will, not later than 3:00 p.m. on the borrowing date specified in such Swingline Loan Notice, make the amount of its Swingline Loan available to the applicable Borrower at its office by crediting the account of the applicable Borrower on the books of the Swingline Lender in immediately available funds.
(c)
Refinancing of Swingline Loans. (i) The Swingline Lender at any time in its sole discretion may request, on behalf of the applicable Borrower (which hereby irrevocably authorizes the Swingline Lender to so request on its behalf), that each Revolving Credit Lender make a Base Rate Loan in an amount equal to such Lender’s Applicable Revolving Credit Percentage of the amount of Swingline Loans then outstanding. Such request shall be made in writing (which written request shall be deemed to be a Committed Loan Notice for purposes hereof) and in accordance with the requirements of Section 2.02, without regard to the minimum and multiples specified therein for the principal amount of Base Rate Loans, but subject to the unutilized portion of the Revolving Credit Facility and the conditions set forth in Section 4.02. The Swingline Lender shall furnish the applicable Borrower with a copy of the applicable Committed Loan Notice promptly after delivering such notice to the Administrative Agent. Each Revolving Credit Lender shall make an amount equal to its Applicable Revolving Credit Percentage of the amount specified in such Committed Loan Notice available to the Administrative Agent in immediately available funds (and the Administrative Agent may apply Cash Collateral available with respect to the applicable Swingline Loan) for the account of the Swingline Lender at the Administrative Agent’s Office for Dollar-denominated payments not later than 1:00 p.m. on the day specified in such Committed Loan Notice, whereupon, subject to Section 2.04(c)(ii), each Revolving Credit Lender that so makes funds available shall be deemed to have made a Base Rate Loan to the applicable Borrower in such amount. The Administrative Agent shall remit the funds so received to the Swingline Lender.
(ii)
If for any reason any Swingline Loan cannot be refinanced by such a Revolving Credit Borrowing in accordance with Section 2.04(c)(i), the request for Base Rate Loans submitted by the Swingline Lender as set forth herein shall be deemed to be a request by the Swingline Lender that each of the Revolving Credit Lenders fund its risk participation in the relevant Swingline Loan and each Revolving Credit Lender’s payment to the Administrative Agent for the account of the Swingline Lender pursuant to Section 2.04(c)(i) shall be deemed payment in respect of such participation.
(iii)
If any Revolving Credit Lender fails to make available to the Administrative Agent for the account of the Swingline Lender any amount required to be paid by such Lender pursuant to the foregoing provisions of this Section 2.04(c) by the time specified in Section 2.04(c)(i), the Swingline Lender shall be

-62-


 

entitled to recover from such Lender (acting through the Administrative Agent), on demand, such amount with interest thereon for the period from the date such payment is required to the date on which such payment is immediately available to the Swingline Lender at a rate per annum equal to the greater of the Federal Funds Rate and a rate determined by the Swingline Lender in accordance with banking industry rules on interbank compensation, plus any administrative, processing or similar fees customarily charged by the Swingline Lender in connection with the foregoing. If such Lender pays such amount (with interest and fees as aforesaid), the amount so paid shall constitute such Lender’s Revolving Credit Loan included in the relevant Revolving Credit Borrowing or funded participation in the relevant Swingline Loan, as the case may be. A certificate of the Swingline Lender submitted to any Lender (through the Administrative Agent) with respect to any amounts owing under this clause (iii) shall be conclusive absent manifest error.
(iv)
Each Revolving Credit Lender’s obligation to make Revolving Credit Loans or to purchase and fund risk participations in Swingline Loans pursuant to this Section 2.04(c) shall be absolute and unconditional and shall not be affected by any circumstance, including (A) any setoff, counterclaim, recoupment, defense or other right which such Lender may have against the Swingline Lender, the applicable Borrower or any other Person for any reason whatsoever, (B) the occurrence or continuance of a Default, or (C) any other occurrence, event or condition, whether or not similar to any of the foregoing; provided that each Revolving Credit Lender’s obligation to make Revolving Credit Loans pursuant to this Section 2.04(c) is subject to the conditions set forth in Section 4.02. No such funding of risk participations shall relieve or otherwise impair the obligation of the applicable Borrower to repay Swingline Loans, together with interest as provided herein.
(d)
Repayment of Participations. (i) At any time after any Revolving Credit Lender has purchased and funded a risk participation in a Swingline Loan, if the Swingline Lender receives any payment on account of such Swingline Loan, the Swingline Lender will distribute to such Revolving Credit Lender its Applicable Revolving Credit Percentage thereof in the same funds as those received by the Swingline Lender.
(ii)
If any payment received by the Swingline Lender in respect of principal or interest on any Swingline Loan is required to be returned by the Swingline Lender under any of the circumstances described in Section 11.05 (including pursuant to any settlement entered into by the Swingline Lender in its discretion), each Revolving Credit Lender shall pay to the Swingline Lender its Applicable Revolving Credit Percentage thereof on demand of the Administrative Agent, plus interest thereon from the date of such demand to the date such amount is returned, at a rate per annum equal to the Federal Funds Rate. The Administrative Agent will make such demand upon the request of the Swingline Lender. The obligations of the Lenders under this clause shall survive the payment in full of the Obligations and the termination of this Agreement.
(e)
Interest for Account of Swingline Lender. The Swingline Lender shall be responsible for invoicing the applicable Borrower for interest on the Swingline Loans. Until each Revolving Credit Lender funds its Base Rate Loan or risk participation pursuant to this Section 2.04 to refinance such Revolving Credit Lender’s Applicable Revolving Credit Percentage of any Swingline Loan, interest in respect of such Applicable Revolving Credit Percentage shall be solely for the account of the Swingline Lender.
(f)
Payments Directly to Swingline Lender. The applicable Borrower shall make all payments of principal and interest in respect of the Swingline Loans directly to the Swingline Lender.

Section 2.05. Prepayments.

(a)
Optional. (i) Each Borrower may, upon notice to the Administrative Agent pursuant to delivery to the Administrative Agent of a Notice of Loan Prepayment, at any time or from time to time voluntarily prepay Incremental Term Loans and Revolving Credit Loans in whole or in part without premium or penalty; provided

-63-


 

that, unless otherwise agreed by the Administrative Agent, (i) such notice must be received by the Administrative Agent not later than 11:00 a.m. (A) three Business Days prior to any date of prepayment of Term SOFR Loans denominated in Dollars, (B) on the date of prepayment of Base Rate Loans, and (C) four Business Days (or five, in the case of prepayment of Loans denominated in Special Notice Currencies) prior to any date of prepayment of Alternative Currency Loans; (ii) any prepayment of Term SOFR Loans and Alternative Currency Loans shall be in a principal amount of $5,000,000 or a whole multiple of $1,000,000 in excess thereof; and (iii) any prepayment of Base Rate Loans shall be in a principal amount of $500,000 or a whole multiple of $100,000 in excess thereof; or, in each case, if less, the entire principal amount thereof then outstanding. Each such notice shall specify the date and amount of such prepayment, the Type(s) of Loans to be prepaid, the currency in which such Loan(s) to be prepaid is(are) denominated and, if Term SOFR Loans or Alternative Currency Term Rate Loans are to be prepaid, the Interest Period(s) of such Loans. The Administrative Agent will promptly notify each Lender of its receipt of each such notice, and of the amount of such Lender’s ratable portion of such prepayment (based on such Lender’s Applicable Percentage in respect of the relevant Facility). If such notice is given by a Borrower, the applicable Borrower shall make such prepayment and the payment amount specified in such notice shall be due and payable on the date specified therein. Any prepayment of principal shall be accompanied by all accrued interest on the amount prepaid, together with any additional amounts required pursuant to Section 3.05. Each prepayment of the outstanding Incremental Term Loans pursuant to this Section 2.05(a) shall be applied to the principal repayment installments thereof as directed by a Borrower in such notice, or if not so directed by the applicable Borrower, on a pro-rata basis. Subject to Section 2.16, each such prepayment shall be applied to the Loans of the Lenders in accordance with their respective Applicable Percentages in respect of each of the relevant Facilities.
(ii)
The applicable Borrower may, upon notice to the Swingline Lender pursuant to delivery to the Swingline Lender of a Notice of Loan Prepayment (with a copy to the Administrative Agent), at any time or from time to time, voluntarily prepay Swingline Loans in whole or in part without premium or penalty; provided that, unless otherwise agreed by the Swingline Lender, (A) such notice must be received by the Swingline Lender and the Administrative Agent not later than 1:00 p.m. on the date of the prepayment, and (B) any such prepayment shall be in a minimum principal amount of $100,000 or a whole multiple of $100,000 in excess thereof (or, if less, the entire principal thereof then outstanding). Each such notice shall specify the date and amount of such prepayment. If such notice is given by a Borrower, the applicable Borrower shall make such prepayment and the payment amount specified in such notice shall be due and payable on the date specified therein. Any prepayment of principal shall be accompanied by all accrued interest on the amount prepaid, together with any additional amounts required pursuant to Section 3.05.
(b)
Mandatory.
(i)
Reserved.
(ii)
Reserved.
(iii)
Reserved.
(iv)
Revolving Credit Outstandings. If for any reason the Total Revolving Credit Outstandings at any time exceed the Revolving Credit Facility then in effect, the applicable Borrower shall immediately upon notice from the Administrative Agent prepay Revolving Credit Loans, Swingline Loans and L/C Borrowings and/or Cash Collateralize the L/C Obligations in an aggregate amount equal to such excess.

-64-


 

(v)
Application of Other Payments - Revolving Credit Facility. Except as otherwise provided in Section 2.16, prepayments of the Revolving Credit Facility made pursuant to this Section 2.05(b), first, shall be applied ratably to the L/C Borrowings and the Swingline Loans, second, shall be applied to the outstanding Revolving Credit Loans, and, third, shall be used to Cash Collateralize the remaining L/C Obligations. Upon the drawing of any Letter of Credit that has been Cash Collateralized, the funds held as Cash Collateral shall be applied (without any further action by or notice to or from a Borrower or any other Loan Party or any Defaulting Lender that has provided Cash Collateral) to reimburse the applicable L/C Issuers or the Revolving Credit Lenders, as applicable.
(vi)
Alternative Currencies. If the Administrative Agent notifies the Borrowers at any time that the Outstanding Amount of all Loans and L/C Obligations denominated in Alternative Currencies at such time exceeds an amount equal to 105% of the Alternative Currency Sublimit then in effect, then, within two Business Days after receipt of such notice, the Borrowers shall prepay Loans and/or Cash Collateralize the L/C Obligations in an aggregate amount sufficient to reduce such Outstanding Amount as of such date of payment to an amount not to exceed 100% of the Alternative Currency Sublimit then in effect.
(vii)
Reserved.

Within the parameters of the applications set forth above, prepayments pursuant to this Section 2.05(b) shall be applied first to (i) Base Rate Loans and Alternative Currency Daily Rate Loans, and then (ii) Term SOFR Loans and Alternative Currency Term Rate Loans, in direct order of Interest Period maturities. All prepayments under this Section 2.05(b) shall be subject to Section 3.05, but otherwise without premium or penalty, and shall be accompanied by interest on the principal amount prepaid through the date of prepayment.

Section 2.06. Termination or Reduction of Commitments.

(a)
Optional. The Domestic Borrower may, upon notice to the Administrative Agent, terminate the Revolving Credit Facility, the Letter of Credit Sublimit, the Swingline Sublimit or the Alternative Currency Sublimit, or from time to time permanently reduce the Revolving Credit Facility, the Letter of Credit Sublimit, the Swingline Sublimit or the Alternative Currency Sublimit; provided that (i) any such notice shall be received by the Administrative Agent not later than 11:00 a.m. five (5) Business Days prior to the date of termination or reduction, (ii) any such partial reduction shall be in an aggregate amount of $10,000,000 or any whole multiple of $1,000,000 in excess thereof and (iii) the Domestic Borrower shall not terminate or reduce (A) the Revolving Credit Facility if, after giving effect thereto and to any concurrent prepayments hereunder, the Total Revolving Credit Outstandings would exceed the Revolving Credit Facility, (B) the Letter of Credit Sublimit if, after giving effect thereto, the Outstanding Amount of L/C Obligations not fully Cash Collateralized hereunder would exceed the Letter of Credit Sublimit, (C) the Swingline Sublimit if, after giving effect thereto and to any concurrent prepayments hereunder, the Outstanding Amount of Swingline Loans would exceed the Swingline Sublimit or (D) the Alternative Currency Sublimit if, after giving effect thereto and to any concurrent prepayments hereunder, the Outstanding Amount of Revolving Credit Loans denominated in an Alternative Currency would exceed the Alternative Currency Sublimit.

-65-


 

(b)
Reserved.
(c)
Application of Commitment Reductions; Payment of Fees. The Administrative Agent will promptly notify the Lenders of any termination or reduction of the the Letter of Credit Sublimit, Swingline Sublimit, the Alternative Currency Sublimit or the Revolving Credit Facility under this Section 2.06. Upon any reduction of the Revolving Credit Facility, the Revolving Credit Commitment of each Revolving Credit Lender shall be reduced by such Lender’s Applicable Revolving Credit Percentage of such reduction amount. All fees in respect of the Revolving Credit Facility accrued until the effective date of any termination of the Revolving Credit Facility shall be paid on the effective date of such termination.

Section 2.07. Repayment of Loans.

(a)
Reserved.
(b)
Revolving Credit Loans. Each Borrower shall repay to the Revolving Credit Lenders on the Maturity Date for the Revolving Credit Facility the aggregate principal amount of all Revolving Credit Loans outstanding on such date.
(c)
Swingline Loans. Each Borrower shall repay each Swingline Loan on the earlier to occur of (i) the date ten (10) Business Days after such Loan is made and (ii) the Maturity Date for the Revolving Facility.
(d)
Incremental Term Loans. Each Borrower shall repay to the Administrative Agent for the ratable account of the applicable Incremental Term Lenders the aggregate principal amount of each Incremental Term Loan outstanding on the dates in the respective amounts set forth in the applicable Incremental Term Assumption Agreement, with a final principal payment of all outstanding amounts on the applicable Maturity Date for such Incremental Term Loan.

Section 2.08. Interest. (a) Subject to the provisions of subsection (b) below, (i) each Term SOFR Loan under a Facility shall bear interest on the outstanding principal amount thereof for each Interest Period at a rate per annum equal to Term SOFR for such Interest Period plus the Applicable Rate for such Facility; (ii) each Alternative Currency Loan under the Revolving Credit Facility shall bear interest on the outstanding principal amount thereof for each Interest Period at a rate per annum equal to the Alternative Currency Daily Rate or the Alternative Currency Term Rate, as applicable, for the relevant currency, plus, in each case, the Applicable Rate for such Type, (iii) each Base Rate Loan under a Facility shall bear interest on the outstanding principal amount thereof from the applicable borrowing date at a rate per annum equal to the Base Rate plus the Applicable Rate for such Facility; and (iv) each Swingline Loan shall bear interest on the outstanding principal amount thereof from the applicable borrowing date at a rate per annum equal to the Base Rate plus the Applicable Rate for the Revolving Credit Facility. To the extent that any calculation of interest or any fee required to be paid under this Agreement shall be based on (or result in) a calculation that is less than zero, such calculation shall be deemed zero for purposes of this Agreement.

(b)
(i) If any amount of principal of any Loan is not paid when due (without regard to any applicable grace periods), whether at stated maturity, by acceleration or otherwise, such amount shall thereafter bear interest at a fluctuating interest rate per annum at all times equal to the Default Rate to the fullest extent permitted by applicable Laws.
(ii)
If any amount (other than principal of any Loan) payable by any Borrower under any Loan Document is not paid when due (without regard to any applicable grace periods), whether at stated maturity, by acceleration or otherwise, then upon the request of the Required Lenders, such amount shall thereafter

-66-


 

bear interest at a fluctuating interest rate per annum at all times equal to the Default Rate to the fullest extent permitted by applicable Laws.
(iii)
Upon the request of the Required Lenders, while any Event of Default exists (including a payment default), all outstanding Obligations (including Letter of Credit Fees) may accrue at a fluctuating interest rate per annum at all times equal to the Default Rate to the fullest extent permitted by Applicable Laws.
(iv)
Accrued and unpaid interest on past due amounts (including interest on past due interest) shall be due and payable upon demand.
(c)
Interest on each Loan shall be due and payable in arrears on each Interest Payment Date applicable thereto and at such other times as may be specified herein. Interest hereunder shall be due and payable in accordance with the terms hereof before and after judgment, and before and after the commencement of any proceeding under any Debtor Relief Law.

Section 2.09. Fees. In addition to certain fees described in subsections (h) and (i) of Section 2.03:

(a)
Commitment Fee. The Domestic Borrower shall pay to the Administrative Agent for the account of each Revolving Credit Lender in accordance with its Applicable Revolving Credit Percentage, a commitment fee in Dollars equal to the Applicable Rate times the actual daily amount by which the Revolving Credit Facility exceeds the sum of (i) the Outstanding Amount of Revolving Credit Loans and (ii) the Outstanding Amount of L/C Obligations subject to adjustment as provided in Section 2.16. For the avoidance of doubt, the Outstanding Amount of Swingline Loans shall not be counted toward or considered usage of the Revolving Credit Commitments for purposes of determining the commitment fee. The commitment fee shall accrue at all times during the Availability Period, including at any time during which one or more of the conditions in Article IV is not met, and shall be due and payable quarterly in arrears on the last Business Day of each March, June, September and December, commencing with the first such date to occur after the Closing Date, and on the last day of the Availability Period for the Revolving Credit Facility. The commitment fee shall be calculated quarterly in arrears, and if there is any change in the Applicable Rate during any quarter, the actual daily amount shall be computed and multiplied by the Applicable Rate separately for each period during such quarter that such Applicable Rate was in effect.
(b)
Reserved.
(c)
Other Fees. (i) The Domestic Borrower shall pay to the Arrangers and the Administrative Agent for their own respective accounts fees in the amounts and at the times specified in the Fee Letters. Such fees shall be fully earned when paid and shall not be refundable for any reason whatsoever.
(ii)
The Domestic Borrower shall pay to the Lenders such fees as shall have been separately agreed upon in writing in the amounts and at the times so specified. Such fees shall be fully earned when paid and shall not be refundable for any reason whatsoever.

Section 2.10. Computation of Interest and Fees; Retroactive Adjustments of Applicable Rate. (a) All computations of interest for Base Rate Loans (including Base Rate Loans determined by reference to Term SOFR) and all Alternative Currency Loans shall be made on the basis of a year of 365 or 366 days, as the case may be, and actual days elapsed, or, in the case of interest in respect of Alternative Currency Loans as to which market practice differs from the foregoing, in accordance with such market practice. All other computations of fees and interest

-67-


 

shall be made on the basis of a 360-day year and actual days elapsed (which results in more fees or interest, as applicable, being paid than if computed on the basis of a 365-day year). Interest shall accrue on each Loan for the day on which the Loan is made, and shall not accrue on a Loan, or any portion thereof, for the day on which the Loan or such portion is paid; provided that any Loan that is repaid on the same day on which it is made shall, subject to Section 2.12(a), bear interest for one day. Each determination by the Administrative Agent of an interest rate or fee hereunder shall be conclusive and binding for all purposes, absent manifest error.

(b)
If, as a result of any restatement of or other adjustment to the financial statements of the Domestic Borrower or for any other reason, the Domestic Borrower or the Lenders determine that (i) the Consolidated Secured Net Leverage Ratio as calculated by the Domestic Borrower as of any applicable date was inaccurate and (ii) a proper calculation of the Consolidated Secured Net Leverage Ratio would have resulted in higher pricing for such period, each Borrower shall immediately and retroactively be obligated to pay to the Administrative Agent for the account of the applicable Lenders or the applicable L/C Issuer, as the case may be, promptly on demand by the Administrative Agent (or, after the occurrence of an actual or deemed entry of an order for relief with respect to any Borrower under the Bankruptcy Code of the United States, automatically and without further action by the Administrative Agent, any Lender or any L/C Issuer), an amount equal to the excess of the amount of interest and fees that should have been paid for such period over the amount of interest and fees actually paid for such period. This paragraph shall not limit the rights of the Administrative Agent, any Lender or any L/C Issuer, as the case may be, under Section 2.03(c)(iii), Section 2.03(h) or Section 2.08(b) or under Article VIII. Each Borrower’s obligations under this paragraph shall survive the termination of the Aggregate Commitments and the repayment of all other Obligations hereunder.

Section 2.11. Evidence of Debt. (a) The Credit Extensions made by each Lender shall be evidenced by one or more accounts or records maintained by such Lender and by the Administrative Agent in the ordinary course of business. The accounts or records maintained by the Administrative Agent and each Lender shall be conclusive absent manifest error of the amount of the Credit Extensions made by the Lenders to the Borrowers and the interest and payments thereon. Any failure to so record or any error in doing so shall not, however, limit or otherwise affect the obligation of the Borrowers hereunder to pay any amount owing with respect to the Obligations. In the event of any conflict between the accounts and records maintained by any Lender and the accounts and records of the Administrative Agent in respect of such matters, the accounts and records of the Administrative Agent shall control in the absence of manifest error. Upon the request of any Lender made through the Administrative Agent, such Borrower shall execute and deliver to such Lender (through the Administrative Agent) a Note, which shall evidence such Lender’s Loans in addition to such accounts or records. Each Lender may attach schedules to its Note and endorse thereon the date, Type (if applicable), amount, currency and maturity of its Loans and payments with respect thereto.

(b)
In addition to the accounts and records referred to in subsection (a) above, each Lender and the Administrative Agent shall maintain in accordance with its usual practice accounts or records evidencing the purchases and sales by such Lender of participations in Letters of Credit and Swingline Loans. In the event of any conflict between the accounts and records maintained by the Administrative Agent and the accounts and records of any Lender in respect of such matters, the accounts and records of the Administrative Agent shall control in the absence of manifest error.

-68-


 

Section 2.12. Payments Generally; Administrative Agent’s Clawback.

(a)
General. All payments to be made by the Borrowers shall be made free and clear of and without condition or deduction for any counterclaim, defense, recoupment or setoff. Except as otherwise expressly provided herein and except with respect to principal of and interest on Loans denominated in an Alternative Currency, all payments by the Borrowers hereunder shall be made to the Administrative Agent, for the account of the respective Lenders to which such payment is owed, at the Administrative Agent’s Office in Dollars and in Same Day Funds not later than 2:00 p.m. on the date specified herein. Except as otherwise expressly provided herein, all payments by the Borrowers hereunder with respect to principal and interest on Loans denominated in an Alternative Currency shall be made to the Administrative Agent, for the account of the respective Lenders to which such payment is owed, at the applicable Administrative Agent’s Office in such Alternative Currency and in Same Day Funds not later than the Applicable Time specified by the Administrative Agent on the dates specified herein. Without limiting the generality of the foregoing, the Administrative Agent may require that any payments due under this Agreement be made in the United States. If, for any reason, any Borrower is prohibited by any Law from making any required payment hereunder in an Alternative Currency, such Borrower shall make such payment in Dollars in the Dollar Equivalent of the Alternative Currency payment amount. The Administrative Agent will promptly distribute to each Lender its Applicable Percentage in respect of the relevant Facility (or other applicable share as provided herein) of such payment in like funds as received by wire transfer to such Lender’s Lending Office. All payments received by the Administrative Agent (i) after 2:00 p.m., in the case of payments in Dollars, or (ii) after the Applicable Time specified by the Administrative Agent in the case of payments in an Alternative Currency, shall in each case be deemed received on the next succeeding Business Day and any applicable interest or fee shall continue to accrue. Except as otherwise specifically provided for in this Agreement, if any payment to be made by any Borrower shall come due on a day other than a Business Day, payment shall be made on the next following Business Day, and such extension of time shall be reflected in computing interest or fees, as the case may be.
(b)
(i) Funding by Lenders; Presumption by Administrative Agent. Unless the Administrative Agent shall have received notice from a Lender prior to the proposed date of any Borrowing of Term SOFR Loans or Alternative Currency Loans (or, in the case of any Borrowing of Base Rate Loans, prior to 12:00 noon on the date of such Borrowing) that such Lender will not make available to the Administrative Agent such Lender’s share of such Borrowing, the Administrative Agent may assume that such Lender has made such share available on such date in accordance with Section 2.02 (or, in the case of a Borrowing of Base Rate Loans, that such Lender has made such share available in accordance with and at the time required by Section 2.02) and may, in reliance upon such assumption, make available to the applicable Borrower a corresponding amount. In such event, if a Lender has not in fact made its share of the applicable Borrowing available to the Administrative Agent, then the applicable Lender and the applicable Borrower severally agree to pay to the Administrative Agent forthwith on demand such corresponding amount in Same Day Funds with interest thereon, for each day from and including the date such amount is made available to such Borrower to but excluding the date of payment to the Administrative Agent, at (A) in the case of a payment to be made by such Lender, the Overnight Rate, plus any administrative, processing or similar fees customarily charged by the Administrative Agent in connection with the foregoing, and (B) in the case of a payment to be made by such Borrower, the interest rate applicable to Base Rate Loans or in the case of Alternative Currencies in accordance with such market practice, in each case, as applicable. If a Borrower and such Lender shall pay such interest to the Administrative Agent for the same or an overlapping period, the Administrative Agent shall promptly remit to such Borrower the amount of such interest paid by such Borrower for such period. If such Lender pays its share of the applicable Borrowing to the Administrative Agent, then the amount so paid shall constitute such Lender’s Loan included in such Borrowing. Any payment by a Borrower shall be without prejudice to any claim such Borrower may have against a Lender that shall have failed to make such payment to the Administrative Agent.

-69-


 

(ii)
Payments by Borrowers; Presumptions by Administrative Agent. Unless the Administrative Agent shall have received notice from a Borrower prior to the date on which any payment is due to the Administrative Agent for the account of the Lenders or any L/C Issuer hereunder that such Borrower will not make such payment, the Administrative Agent may assume that such Borrower has made such payment on such date in accordance herewith and may, in reliance upon such assumption, distribute to the Appropriate Lenders or the applicable L/C Issuer, as the case may be, the amount due. With respect to any payment that the Administrative Agent makes for the account of the Lenders or any L/C Issuer hereunder as to which the Administrative Agent determines (which determination shall be conclusive absent manifest error) that any of the following applies (such payment referred to as the “Rescindable Amount”): (1) the Borrower has not in fact made such payment; (2) the Administrative Agent has made a payment in excess of the amount so paid by the Borrower (whether or not then owed); or (3) the Administrative agent has for any reason otherwise erroneously made such payment; then each of the Appropriate Lenders or the applicable L/C Issuers, as the case may be, severally agrees to repay to the Administrative Agent forthwith on demand the Rescindable Amount so distributed to such Lender or such L/C Issuer, in immediately available funds with interest thereon, for each day from and including the date such amount is distributed to it to but excluding the date of payment to the Administrative Agent, at the Overnight Rate.
(iii)
In such event, if such Borrower has not in fact made such payment, then each of the Appropriate Lenders or the applicable L/C Issuer, as the case may be, severally agrees to repay to the Administrative Agent forthwith on demand the amount so distributed to such Lender or such

L/C Issuer, in Same Day Funds with interest thereon, for each day from and including the date such amount is distributed to it to but excluding the date of payment to the Administrative Agent, at the Overnight Rate.

A notice of the Administrative Agent to any Lender or any Borrower with respect to any amount owing under this subsection (b) shall be conclusive, absent manifest error.

(c)
Failure to Satisfy Conditions Precedent. If any Lender makes available to the Administrative Agent funds for any Loan to be made by such Lender as provided in the foregoing provisions of this Article II, and such funds are not made available to any Borrower by the Administrative Agent because the conditions to the applicable Credit Extension set forth in Article IV are not satisfied or waived in accordance with the terms hereof, the Administrative Agent shall return such funds (in like funds as received from such Lender) to such Lender, without interest.
(d)
Obligations of Lenders Several. The obligations of the Lenders hereunder to make Loans, to fund participations in Letters of Credit and Swingline Loans and to make payments pursuant to Section 11.04(c) are several and not joint. The failure of any Lender to make any Loan, to fund any such participation or to make any payment under Section 11.04(c) on any date required hereunder shall not relieve any other Lender of its corresponding obligation to do so on such date, and no Lender shall be responsible for the failure of any other Lender to so make its Loan, to purchase its participation or to make its payment under Section 11.04(c).
(e)
Funding Source. Nothing herein shall be deemed to obligate any Lender to obtain the funds for any Loan in any particular place or manner or to constitute a representation by any Lender that it has obtained or will obtain the funds for any Loan in any particular place or manner.

-70-


 

Section 2.13. Sharing of Payments by Lenders. If any Lender shall, by exercising any right of setoff or counterclaim or otherwise, obtain payment in respect of (a) Obligations in respect of any of the Facilities due and payable to such Lender hereunder and under the other Loan Documents at such time in excess of its ratable share (according to the proportion of (i) the amount of such Obligations due and payable to such Lender at such time to (ii) the aggregate amount of the Obligations in respect of the Facilities due and payable to all Lenders hereunder and under the other Loan Documents at such time) of payments on account of the Obligations in respect of the Facilities due and payable to all Lenders hereunder and under the other Loan Documents at such time obtained by all the Lenders at such time or (b) Obligations in respect of any of the Facilities owing (but not due and payable) to such Lender hereunder and under the other Loan Documents at such time in excess of its ratable share (according to the proportion of (i) the amount of such Obligations owing (but not due and payable) to such Lender at such time to (ii) the aggregate amount of the Obligations in respect of the Facilities owing (but not due and payable) to all Lenders hereunder and under the other Loan Documents at such time) of payments on account of the Obligations in respect of the Facilities owing (but not due and payable) to all Lenders hereunder and under the other Loan Documents at such time obtained by all of the Lenders at such time, then, in each case under clauses (a) and (b) above, the Lender receiving such greater proportion shall (A) notify the Administrative Agent of such fact, and (B) purchase (for cash at face value) participations in the Loans and sub-participations in L/C Obligations and Swingline Loans of the other Lenders, or make such other adjustments as shall be equitable, so that the benefit of all such payments shall be shared by the Lenders ratably in accordance with the aggregate amount of Obligations in respect of the Facilities then due and payable to the Lenders or owing (but not due and payable) to the Lenders, as the case may be; provided that:

(i)
if any such participations or subparticipations are purchased and all or any portion of the payment giving rise thereto is recovered, such participations or subparticipations shall be rescinded and the purchase price restored to the extent of such recovery, without interest; and
(ii)
the provisions of this Section shall not be construed to apply to (x) any payment made by or on behalf of a Borrower pursuant to and in accordance with the express terms of this Agreement (including the application of funds arising from the existence of a Defaulting Lender), (y) the application of Cash Collateral provided for in Section 2.15, or (z) any payment obtained by a Lender as consideration for the assignment of or sale of a participation in any of its Loans or subparticipations in L/C Obligations or Swingline Loans to any assignee or participant, other than an assignment to any Loan Party or any Affiliate thereof (as to which the provisions of this Section shall apply).

Each Loan Party consents to the foregoing and agrees, to the extent it may effectively do so under Applicable Law, that any Lender acquiring a participation pursuant to the foregoing arrangements may exercise against such Loan Party rights of setoff and counterclaim with respect to such participation as fully as if such Lender were a direct creditor of such Loan Party in the amount of such participation.

Section 2.14. [Reserved].

Section 2.15. Cash Collateral.

(a)
Certain Credit Support Events. If (i) any L/C Issuer has honored any full or partial drawing request under any Letter of Credit and such drawing has resulted in an L/C Borrowing, (ii) as of the Letter of Credit Expiration Date, any L/C Obligation for any reason remains outstanding, (iii) the Borrowers shall be required to provide Cash Collateral pursuant to Section 8.02(c), or (iv) there shall exist a Defaulting Lender, each Borrower shall immediately (in the case of clause (iii) above) or within one Business Day (in all other cases) following any request by the Administrative Agent or the applicable L/C Issuer, provide Cash Collateral in an amount not less than the applicable Minimum Collateral Amount attributable to Letters of Credit issued at the request of such Borrower (determined in the case of Cash Collateral provided pursuant to clause (iv) above, after giving effect to Section 2.16(a)(iv) and any Cash Collateral provided by the Defaulting Lender).

-71-


 

(b)
Grant of Security Interest. Each Borrower, and to the extent provided by any Defaulting Lender, such Defaulting Lender, hereby grants to (and subjects to the control of) the Administrative Agent, for the benefit of the Administrative Agent, the L/C Issuers and the Lenders, and agrees to maintain, a first priority security interest in all such cash, deposit accounts and all balances therein, and all other property so provided by it as collateral pursuant hereto, and in all proceeds of the foregoing, all as security for the obligations to which such Cash Collateral may be applied pursuant to Section 2.15(c). If at any time the Administrative Agent determines that Cash Collateral is subject to any right or claim of any Person other than the Administrative Agent or the applicable L/C Issuer as herein provided, or that the total amount of such Cash Collateral is less than the Minimum Collateral Amount, each Borrower will, promptly upon demand by the Administrative Agent, pay or provide to the Administrative Agent additional Cash Collateral in an amount sufficient to eliminate such deficiency with respect to Letters of Credit issued for such Borrower’s account. All Cash Collateral (other than credit support not constituting funds subject to deposit) shall be maintained in one or more Controlled Accounts at Bank of America. The Borrowers shall pay on demand therefor from time to time all customary account opening, activity and other administrative fees and charges in connection with the maintenance and disbursement of Cash Collateral.
(c)
Application. Notwithstanding anything to the contrary contained in this Agreement, Cash Collateral provided under any of this Section 2.15 or Sections 2.03, 2.04, 2.05, 2.16 or 8.02 in respect of Letters of Credit shall be held and applied to the satisfaction of the specific L/C Obligations, obligations to fund participations therein (including, as to Cash Collateral provided by a Revolving Credit Lender that is a Defaulting Lender, any interest accrued on such obligation) and other obligations for which the Cash Collateral was so provided, prior to any other application of such property as may otherwise be provided for herein.
(d)
Release. Cash Collateral (or the appropriate portion thereof) provided to reduce Fronting Exposure or to secure other obligations shall be released promptly following (i) the elimination of the applicable Fronting Exposure or other obligations giving rise thereto (including by the termination of Defaulting Lender status of the applicable Revolving Credit Lender (or, as appropriate, its assignee following compliance with Section 11.06(b)(vi))) or (ii) the determination by the Administrative Agent and the applicable L/C Issuer that there exists excess Cash Collateral; provided, however, (x) any such release shall be without prejudice to, and any disbursement or other transfer of Cash Collateral shall be and remain subject to, any other Lien conferred under the Loan Documents and the other applicable provisions of the Loan Documents, and (y) the Person providing Cash Collateral and the applicable L/C Issuer may agree that Cash Collateral shall not be released but instead held to support future anticipated Fronting Exposure or other obligations.

Section 2.16. Defaulting Lenders.

(a)
Adjustments. Notwithstanding anything to the contrary contained in this Agreement, if any Lender becomes a Defaulting Lender, then, until such time as that Lender is no longer a Defaulting Lender, to the extent permitted by applicable Law:
(i)
Waivers and Amendments. Such Defaulting Lender’s right to approve or disapprove any amendment, waiver or consent with respect to this Agreement shall be restricted as set forth in the definition of “Required Lenders” and Section 11.01.
(ii)
Defaulting Lender Waterfall. Any payment of principal, interest, fees or other amounts received by the Administrative Agent for the account of such Defaulting Lender (whether voluntary or mandatory, at maturity, pursuant to Article VIII or otherwise) or received by the Administrative Agent from a Defaulting Lender pursuant to Section 11.08 shall be applied at such time or times as may be determined by the Administrative Agent as follows: first, to the payment of any amounts owing by such Defaulting

-72-


 

Lender to the Administrative Agent hereunder; second, to the payment on a pro rata basis of any amounts owing by such Defaulting Lender to any L/C Issuer or Swingline Lender hereunder; third, to Cash Collateralize the L/C Issuers’ Fronting Exposure with respect to such Defaulting Lender in accordance with Section 2.15; fourth, as the applicable Borrower may request (so long as no Default or Event of Default exists), to the funding of any Loan in respect of which such Defaulting Lender has failed to fund its portion thereof as required by this Agreement, as determined by the Administrative Agent; fifth, if so determined by the Administrative Agent and the applicable Borrower, to be held in a deposit account and released pro rata in order to (x) satisfy such Defaulting Lender’s potential future funding obligations with respect to Loans under this Agreement and (y) Cash Collateralize the L/C Issuers’ future Fronting Exposure with respect to such Defaulting Lender with respect to future Letters of Credit issued under this Agreement, in accordance with Section 2.15; sixth, to the payment of any amounts owing to the Lenders, the L/C Issuers or Swingline Lender as a result of any judgment of a court of competent jurisdiction obtained by any Lender, any L/C Issuer or the Swingline Lender against such Defaulting Lender as a result of such Defaulting Lender’s breach of its obligations under this Agreement; seventh, so long as no Default or Event of Default exists, to the payment of any amounts owing to the applicable Borrower as a result of any judgment of a court of competent jurisdiction obtained by such Borrower against such Defaulting Lender as a result of such Defaulting Lender’s breach of its obligations under this Agreement; and eighth, to such Defaulting Lender or as otherwise as may be required under the Loan Documents in connection with any Lien conferred thereunder or directed by a court of competent jurisdiction; provided that if (x) such payment is a payment of the principal amount of any Loans or L/C Borrowings in respect of which such Defaulting Lender has not fully funded its appropriate share, and (y) such Loans were made or the related Letters of Credit were issued at a time when the conditions set forth in Section 4.02 were satisfied or waived, such payment shall be applied solely to pay the Loans of, and L/C Obligations owed to, all Non-Defaulting Lenders on a pro rata basis prior to being applied to the payment of any Loans of, or L/C Obligations owed to, such Defaulting Lender until such time as all Loans and funded and unfunded participations in L/C Obligations and Swingline Loans are held by the Lenders pro rata in accordance with the Commitments hereunder without giving effect to Section 2.16(a)(iv). Any payments, prepayments or other amounts paid or payable to a Defaulting Lender that are applied (or held) to pay amounts owed by a Defaulting Lender or to post Cash Collateral pursuant to this Section 2.16(a)(ii) shall be deemed paid to and redirected by such Defaulting Lender, and each Lender irrevocably consents hereto.
(iii)
Certain Fees.
(A)
No Defaulting Lender shall be entitled to receive any fee payable under Section 2.09(a) for any period during which that Lender is a Defaulting Lender (and the Borrowers shall not be required to pay any such fee that otherwise would have been required to have been paid to that Defaulting Lender).
(B)
Each Defaulting Lender shall be entitled to receive Letter of Credit Fees for any period during which that Lender is a Defaulting Lender only to the extent allocable to its Applicable Percentage of the stated amount of Letters of Credit for which it has provided Cash Collateral pursuant to Section 2.15.

-73-


 

(C)
With respect to any Letter of Credit Fee not required to be paid to any Defaulting Lender pursuant to clause (A) or (B) above, the Borrowers shall (x) pay to each Non-Defaulting Lender that portion of any such fee otherwise payable to such Defaulting Lender with respect to such Defaulting Lender’s participation in L/C Obligations that has been reallocated to such Non-Defaulting Lender pursuant to clause (iv) below, (y) pay to each L/C Issuer and Swingline Lender, as applicable, the amount of any such fee otherwise payable to such Defaulting Lender to the extent allocable to such L/C Issuer’s or Swingline Lender’s Fronting Exposure to such Defaulting Lender, and (z) not be required to pay the remaining amount of any such fee.
(iv)
Reallocation of Applicable Percentages to Reduce Fronting Exposure. All or any part of such Defaulting Lender’s participation in L/C Obligations and Swingline Loans shall be reallocated among the Non-Defaulting Lenders in accordance with their respective Applicable Revolving Credit Percentages (calculated without regard to such Defaulting Lender’s Commitment) but only to the extent that (x) the conditions set forth in Section 4.02 are satisfied at the time of such reallocation (and, unless the Domestic Borrower shall have otherwise notified the Administrative Agent at such time, the Domestic Borrower shall be deemed to have represented and warranted that such conditions are satisfied at such time), and (y) such reallocation does not cause the aggregate Revolving Credit Exposure of any Non-Defaulting Lender to exceed such Non-Defaulting Lender’s Commitment. Subject to Section 11.23, no reallocation hereunder shall constitute a waiver or release of any claim of any party hereunder against a Defaulting Lender arising from that Lender having become a Defaulting Lender, including any claim of a Non-Defaulting Lender as a result of such Non-Defaulting Lender’s increased exposure following such reallocation.
(v)
Cash Collateral, Repayment of Swingline Loans. If the reallocation described in clause (a)(iv) above cannot, or can only partially, be effected, the Domestic Borrower shall, without prejudice to any right or remedy available to it hereunder or under applicable Law, (x) first, prepay Swingline Loans in an amount equal to the Swingline Lenders’ Fronting Exposure and (y) second, Cash Collateralize the L/C Issuers’ Fronting Exposure in accordance with the procedures set forth in Section 2.15.
(b)
Defaulting Lender Cure. If the Domestic Borrower, the Administrative Agent, the Swingline Lender and each L/C Issuer agree in writing that a Lender is no longer a Defaulting Lender, the Administrative Agent will so notify the parties hereto, whereupon as of the effective date specified in such notice and subject to any conditions set forth therein (which may include arrangements with respect to any Cash Collateral), that Lender will, to the extent applicable, purchase at par that portion of outstanding Loans of the other Lenders or take such other actions as the Administrative Agent may determine to be necessary to cause the Loans and funded and unfunded participations in Letters of Credit and Swingline Loans to be held on a pro rata basis by the Lenders in accordance with their Applicable Percentages (without giving effect to Section 2.16(a)(iv)), whereupon such Lender will cease to be a Defaulting Lender; provided that no adjustments will be made retroactively with respect to fees accrued or payments made by or on behalf of the applicable Borrower while that Lender was a Defaulting Lender; and provided, further, that except to the extent otherwise expressly agreed by the affected parties, no change hereunder from Defaulting Lender to Lender will constitute a waiver or release of any claim of any party hereunder arising from that Lender’s having been a Defaulting Lender.

Section 2.17. Increase in Revolving Credit Facility.

(a)
Request for Increase. Provided there exists no Default, upon notice to the Administrative Agent (which shall promptly notify the Revolving Credit Lenders and other Eligible Assignees selected by the Domestic Borrower with the approval of the Administrative Agent, each L/C Issuer and the Swingline Lender (which approvals shall not be unreasonably withheld) (any such Eligible Assignees, “Potential Revolving Credit

-74-


 

Lenders”)), the Borrowers may from time to time, request an increase in the Revolving Credit Facility (subject to item (iii) in the below proviso) by an aggregate amount of increases in the Revolving Credit Facility (for all such requests, but excluding all portions of such increase requests that are allocated as Incremental Term Loans pursuant to item (iii) of the proviso in this Section 2.17(a)) not greater than (x) $350,000,000 less (y) the amount of all Incremental Term Loans made pursuant to Section 2.18 (whether pursuant to a direct Borrower request under such Section or the operation of item (iii) in the following proviso); provided that (i) any such request for an increase shall be in a minimum amount of $25,000,000, (ii) the Borrowers may make a maximum of five such requests (inclusive of any direct requests made for Incremental Term Loans pursuant to Section 2.18) and (iii) no more than 50% of the aggregate amount requested pursuant to this Section 2.17 (A) by the applicable Borrower may be an increase to the Revolving Credit Facility and the remaining portion of such requested increase under this Section 2.17 shall be deemed a request for an Incremental Term Loan in such amount under, and in accordance with, the terms of Section 2.18. At the time of sending such notice, the applicable Borrower (in consultation with the Administrative Agent) shall specify the time period within which each Revolving Credit Lender or Potential Revolving Credit Lender is requested to respond (which shall in no event be less than ten Business Days from the date of delivery of such notice to the Revolving Credit Lenders and Potential Revolving Credit Lenders).
(b)
Lender Elections to Increase. Each Revolving Credit Lender or Potential Revolving Credit Lender shall notify the Administrative Agent within such time period whether or not it agrees to increase its Revolving Credit Commitment or provide a new Revolving Credit Commitment, as applicable, and, if so, the amount thereof. Any Revolving Credit Lender or Potential Revolving Credit Lender not responding within such time period shall be deemed to have declined to increase its Revolving Credit Commitment or to provide a new Revolving Credit Commitment, as applicable.
(c)
Notification by Administrative Agent; Additional Revolving Credit Lenders. The Administrative Agent shall notify the applicable Borrower and each Revolving Credit Lender of the Revolving Credit Lenders’ and Potential Revolving Credit Lenders’ responses to each request made hereunder. Each Potential Revolving Credit Lender that elects to participate in such requested increase (a “New Revolving Credit Lender”) shall become a Revolving Credit Lender hereunder pursuant to a joinder agreement in form and substance satisfactory to the Administrative Agent and its counsel.
(d)
Effective Date and Allocations. If the Revolving Credit Facility is increased in accordance with this Section, the Administrative Agent and the applicable Borrower shall determine the effective date (the “Revolving Credit Increase Effective Date”) and the final allocation of such increase. The Administrative Agent shall promptly notify the applicable Borrower and the Revolving Credit Lenders and New Revolving Credit Lenders of the final allocation of such increase and the Revolving Credit Increase Effective Date. Upon the effectiveness of any such increase, this Agreement shall be amended to the extent (but only to the extent) necessary to reflect the existence and terms of the increased Revolving Credit Facility. Any such amendment may be memorialized in writing by the Administrative Agent with the Borrowers’ consent and furnished to the other parties hereto.
(e)
Conditions to Effectiveness of Increase. As a condition precedent to such increase, the Domestic Borrower shall deliver to the Administrative Agent a certificate of each Loan Party dated as of the Revolving Credit Increase Effective Date (in sufficient copies for each Lender) signed by a Responsible Officer of such Loan Party (x) certifying and attaching the resolutions adopted by such Loan Party approving or consenting to such increase, and (y) certifying that, before and after giving effect to such increase, (A) no Default or Event of Default exists, (B) the representations and warranties contained in Article V and the other Loan Documents are true and correct in all material respects (or, with respect to representations and warranties modified by materiality standards, in all respects) on and as of the Revolving Credit Increase Effective Date, except to the extent that such representations

-75-


 

and warranties specifically refer to an earlier date, in which case they are true and correct as of such earlier date, and except that for purposes of this Section 2.17, the representations and warranties contained in subsections (a) and (b) of Section 5.05 shall be deemed to refer to the most recent statements furnished pursuant to subsections (a) and (b), respectively, of Section 6.01, (C) on a pro forma basis after giving effect to the incurrence of any Revolving Credit Loans made on the Revolving Credit Increase Effective Date or the incurrence of any Incremental Term Loans made on the Incremental Term Loan Date, the Borrowers and their respective Subsidiaries shall be in pro forma compliance with all of the covenants set forth in Section 7.11, such compliance to be determined on the basis of the financial information most recently delivered to the Administrative Agent and the Lenders pursuant to Section 6.01(a) or (b), (D) no less than 50% of the aggregate amount of the increase requested pursuant to Section 2.17(a) shall have been fully subscribed for as an Incremental Term Loan by existing or new Incremental Term Lenders, and (E) the other conditions set forth in this Section 2.17 have been satisfied. The Administrative Agent shall have received legal opinions relating to such increase and other closing certificates and documentation as may be reasonably requested and consistent with those delivered on the Closing Date under Section 4.01. The Borrowers shall prepay any Revolving Credit Loans outstanding on the Revolving Credit Increase Effective Date (and pay any additional amounts required pursuant to Section 3.05) to the extent necessary to keep the outstanding Revolving Credit Loans ratable with any revised Applicable Revolving Credit Percentages arising from any nonratable increase in the Revolving Credit Commitments under this Section.
(f)
Conflicting Provisions. This Section shall supersede any provisions in Section 2.13 or 11.01 to the contrary.
(g)
Pari Passu. All increases to the Revolving Credit Commitment shall be guaranteed and secured on a pari passu basis with the existing Revolving Credit Facility and any existing Incremental Term Facility.

Section 2.18. Incremental Term Loans. (a) Provided there exists no Default or Event of Default, upon notice to the Administrative Agent (which shall promptly notify the Lenders and other Eligible Assignees selected by the Domestic Borrower with the approval of the Administrative Agent (which approval shall not be unreasonably withheld) (any such Eligible Assignees, “Potential Incremental Term Lenders”)), the Borrowers may from time to time, request Incremental Term Commitments in Dollars in an aggregate amount (for all such requests including all portions of such increase requests that are allocated as Incremental Term Loans pursuant to item (iii) of the proviso in Section 2.17(a)) not greater than (x) $350,000,000 less (y) the aggregate amount of increases in the Revolving Credit Facility made pursuant to Section 2.17; provided that (A) any such request for Incremental Term Commitments shall be in a minimum amount of $25,000,000 and (B) the Borrowers may make a maximum of five such direct requests (inclusive of any requests made pursuant to Section 2.17). At the time of sending such notice, the applicable Borrower (in consultation with the Administrative Agent) shall specify (x) the time period within which each Lender or Potential Incremental Term Lender is requested to respond (which shall in no event be less than fifteen Business Days from the date of delivery of such notice to the Lenders and Potential Incremental Term Lenders), (y) the pricing and the amortization terms with respect to such Incremental Term Commitments and (z) the applicable Incremental Term Loan Date.

(b)
Lender Elections; Additional Lenders. Each Lender and Potential Incremental Term Lender shall notify the Administrative Agent within such time period of its Incremental Term Commitment, if any. Any Lender or Potential Incremental Term Lender not responding within such time period shall be deemed to have declined to

-76-


 

provide an Incremental Term Commitment. The Administrative Agent shall notify the applicable Borrower of the Lenders’ and Potential Incremental Term Lenders’ responses to each request made hereunder.
(c)
Incremental Term Assumption Agreement. The Borrowers and each Incremental Term Lender shall execute and deliver to the Administrative Agent an Incremental Term Assumption Agreement and such other documentation as the Administrative Agent shall reasonably specify to evidence the Incremental Term Commitment of such Incremental Term Lender. Each Incremental Term Assumption Agreement shall specify the terms of the Incremental Term Loans to be made thereunder; provided that the final maturity date of any Incremental Term Loans shall be no earlier than the later of the Maturity Date in respect of the Revolving Credit Facility and the latest maturity date for any Incremental Term Loans then outstanding. The Administrative Agent shall promptly notify each Lender and each Potential Incremental Term Lender that has elected to provide an Incremental Term Commitment as to the effectiveness of each Incremental Term Assumption Agreement. Upon the effectiveness of any Incremental Term Assumption Agreement, this Agreement shall be amended to the extent (but only to the extent) necessary to reflect the existence and terms of the Incremental Term Commitments evidenced thereby. Any such amendment may be memorialized in writing by the Administrative Agent with the Borrowers’ consent and furnished to the other parties hereto.
(d)
Conditions to Effectiveness of Incremental Term Loan. As a condition precedent to any Incremental Term Commitment becoming effective under this Section 2.18, the Domestic Borrower shall deliver to the Administrative Agent a certificate of each Loan Party dated as of the Incremental Term Loan Date (in sufficient copies for each Lender requesting the same) signed by a Responsible Officer of such Loan Party (x) certifying and attaching the resolutions adopted by such Loan Party approving or consenting to such Incremental Term Loan, and (y) certifying that, before and after giving effect to such increase, (A) no Default or Event of Default Exists, (B) the representations and warranties contained in Article V and the other Loan Documents are true and correct in all material respects (or, with respect to representations and warranties modified by materiality standards, in all respects) on and as of the Incremental Term Loan Date, except to the extent that such representations and warranties specifically refer to an earlier date, in which case they are true and correct as of such earlier date, and except that for purposes of this Section 2.18, the representations and warranties contained in subsections (a) and (b) of Section 5.05 shall be deemed to refer to the most recent statements furnished pursuant to subsections (a) and (b), respectively, of Section 6.01, (C) on a pro forma basis after giving effect to the incurrence of any Incremental Term Loans made on the Incremental Term Loan Date or the incurrence of any Revolving Credit Loans made on the Revolving Credit Increase Effective Date, the Borrowers and their respective Subsidiaries shall be in pro forma compliance with all of the covenants set forth in Section 7.11, such compliance to be determined on the basis of the financial information most recently delivered to the Administrative Agent and the Lenders pursuant to Section 6.01(a) or (b) and (D) the other conditions set forth in this Section 2.18 have been satisfied. The Administrative Agent shall have received legal opinions relating to such Incremental Term Loans and other closing certificates and documentation as required by the relevant Incremental Assumption Agreement and consistent with those delivered on the Closing Date under Section 4.01.
(e)
Conflicting Provisions. This Section shall supersede any provisions in Section 2.13 or 11.01 to the contrary.
(f)
Pari Passu. All Incremental Term Loans shall be guaranteed and secured on a pari passu basis with the existing Revolving Credit Facility, and any existing Incremental Term Facility.

Section 2.19. Designated Lenders. Each of the Administrative Agent, each L/C Issuer, the Swingline Lender and each Lender at its option may make any Credit Extension or otherwise perform its obligations hereunder through any Lending Office (each, a “Designated Lender”); provided that any exercise of such option shall not affect the

-77-


 

obligation of such Borrower to repay any Credit Extension in accordance with the terms of this Agreement. Any Designated Lender shall be considered a Lender; provided that in the case of an Affiliate or branch of a Lender, such provisions that would be applicable with respect to Credit Extensions actually provided by such Affiliate or branch of such Lender shall apply to such Affiliate or branch of such Lender to the same extent as such Lender; provided that for the purposes only of voting in connection with any Loan Document, any participation by any Designated Lender in any outstanding Credit Extension shall be deemed a participation of such Lender.

Section 2.20. Sustainability Adjustments; Successor Sustainability Structuring Agent. (a) After the Closing Date, the Domestic Borrower may appoint a sustainability structuring agent (in such capacity, the “Sustainability Structuring Agent”) and, in consultation with the Sustainability Structuring Agent and the Administrative Agent, may establish specified Key Performance Indicators (“KPIs”) with respect to certain Environmental, Social and Governance (“ESG”) targets of the Borrowers and their respective Subsidiaries. The Loan Parties, the Administrative Agent and the Required Lenders may amend this Agreement (such amendment, the “ESG Amendment”) solely for the purpose of incorporating the KPIs and other related provisions (including the ESG Pricing Provisions as defined below) into this Agreement. Any such ESG Amendment shall become effective upon (i) receipt by the Lenders of a lender presentation in regard to the KPIs from the Borrowers no later than ten (10) Business Days before the proposed effective date of such proposed ESG Amendment, (ii) the posting of such proposed ESG Amendment to all Lenders and the Borrowers, (iii) the identification, and engagement at the Borrowers’ cost and expense, of a sustainability metric auditor, which shall be a qualified external reviewer of nationally recognized standing, independent of the Borrowers and their Affiliates and (iv) the receipt by the Administrative Agent of executed signature pages and consents to such ESG Amendment from the Loan Parties, the Administrative Agent and Lenders comprising the Required Lenders. Upon effectiveness of any such ESG Amendment, based on the Borrowers’ performance against the KPIs, certain adjustments to the Applicable Rate for Revolving Credit Loans, Incremental Term Loans and Letters of Credit and the Commitment Fee Rate may be made; provided that the amount of any such adjustments made pursuant to an ESG Amendment shall not result in an increase or decrease of more than (a) 1.00 basis point in the Commitment Fee Rate and/or (b) 5.00 basis points in the Applicable Rate for Revolving Credit Loans, Incremental Term Loans or Letters of Credit, and such adjustments shall not be cumulative year-over-year (such adjustments, the “ESG Pricing Provisions”). The pricing adjustments in the ESG Amendment will require, among other things, reporting and validation of the measurement of the KPIs in a manner that is aligned with the Sustainability Linked Loan Principles (as published from time to time by the Loan Market Association, Asia Pacific Loan Market Association and Loan Syndications & Trading Association). Following the effectiveness of the ESG Amendment, any modification to the ESG Pricing Provisions which does not have the effect of reducing the Applicable Rate for Revolving Credit Loans, Incremental Term Loans or Letters of Credit or the Commitment Fee Rate to a level not otherwise permitted by this paragraph shall be subject only to the consent of the Domestic Borrower and the Required Lenders.

(b)
The Sustainability Structuring Agent will assist the Domestic Borrower in preparing informational materials focused on ESG to be used in connection with the ESG Amendment.
(c)
This Section 2.20 shall supersede any provisions in Section 11.01 to the contrary.
(d)
The Sustainability Structuring Agent shall have the benefit of the provisions in Section 9.01, 9.02, 9.03, 9.04, 9.05, 9.07, 9.08, 11.02 and 11.17 in each case to the same effect as the Administrative Agent thereunder.

-78-


 

(e)
Successor Sustainability Structuring Agent:
(i)
The Sustainability Structuring Agent may at any time give notice of its resignation to the Administrative Agent, the Lenders and the Domestic Borrower. Upon receipt of any such notice of resignation, the Domestic Borrower, with the consent of the Required Lenders (not to be unreasonably withheld or delayed), shall have the right to appoint a successor. If no such successor shall have been so appointed and shall have accepted such appointment within 30 days after the retiring Sustainability Structuring Agent gives notice of its resignation (or such earlier day as shall be agreed by the Required Lenders) (the “Sustainability Resignation Effective Date”), then the retiring Sustainability Structuring Agent may (but shall not be obligated to) on behalf of the Lenders, appoint a successor Sustainability Structuring Agent subject to the consents set forth above. Whether or not a successor has been appointed, such resignation shall become effective in accordance with such notice on the Sustainability Resignation Effective Date.
(ii)
With effect from the Sustainability Resignation Effective Date (1) the retiring or removed Sustainability Structuring Agent shall be discharged from its duties and obligations hereunder and (2) except for any indemnity payments or other amounts then owed to the retiring or removed Sustainability Structuring Agent, all determinations to be made by the Sustainability Structuring Agent shall instead be made by the Required Lenders directly, until such time, if any, as a successor Sustainability Structuring Agent has been appointed as provided for above. Upon the acceptance of a successor’s appointment as Sustainability Structuring Agent hereunder, such successor shall succeed to and become vested with all of the rights, powers, privileges and duties of the retiring Sustainability Structuring Agent (other than any rights to indemnity payments or other amounts owed to the retiring Sustainability Structuring Agent as of the Sustainability Resignation Effective Date), and the retiring Sustainability Structuring Agent shall be discharged from all of its duties and obligations hereunder (if not already discharged therefrom as provided above in this Section 2.20(e)). The fees payable by the Domestic Borrower to a successor Sustainability Structuring Agent (if any) shall be the same as those payable to its predecessor unless otherwise agreed between the Domestic Borrower and such successor. After the retiring Sustainability Structuring Agent’s resignation hereunder, the provisions of this Section 2.20(e) and Section 11.04 shall continue in effect for the benefit of such retiring Sustainability Structuring Agent and its Related Parties in respect of any actions taken or omitted to be taken by any of them (i) while the Sustainability Structuring Agent was acting as Sustainability Structuring Agent and (ii) after such resignation for as long as any of them continues to act in any capacity hereunder, including in respect of any actions taken in connection with transferring the agency to any successor Sustainability Structuring Agent.

ARTICLE III

TAXES, YIELD PROTECTION AND ILLEGALITY

Section 3.01. Taxes.

(a)
Defined Terms. For purposes of this Section 3.01, the term “Applicable Law” includes FATCA and the term “Lender” includes each L/C Issuer.
(b)
Payments Free of Taxes; Obligation to Withhold; Payments on Account of Taxes. Any and all payments by or on account of any obligation of any Loan Party under any Loan Document shall be made without deduction or withholding for any Taxes, except as required by Applicable Laws. If any Applicable Laws (as determined in the good faith discretion of an applicable Withholding Agent) require the deduction or withholding

-79-


 

of any Tax from any such payment by a Withholding Agent, then the applicable Withholding Agent shall be entitled to make such deduction or withholding and shall timely pay the full amount deducted or withheld to the relevant Governmental Authority in accordance with Applicable Law and, if such Tax is an Indemnified Tax, then the sum payable by the applicable Loan Party shall be increased as necessary so that after any required withholding or the making of all required deductions (including deductions applicable to additional sums payable under this Section 3.01) the applicable Recipient receives an amount equal to the sum it would have received had no such withholding or deduction been made.
(c)
Payment of Other Taxes by the Loan Parties. The Loan Parties shall timely pay to the relevant Governmental Authority in accordance with Applicable Law, or at the option of the Administrative Agent timely reimburse it for the payment of, any Other Taxes.
(d)
Tax Indemnifications. (i) Each of the Loan Parties shall, and does hereby, jointly and severally indemnify each Recipient, and shall make payment in respect thereof within 10 days after demand therefor, for the full amount of any Indemnified Taxes (including Indemnified Taxes imposed or asserted on or attributable to amounts payable under this Section 3.01) payable or paid by such Recipient or required to be withheld or deducted from a payment to such Recipient, and any penalties, interest and reasonable expenses arising therefrom or with respect thereto, whether or not such Indemnified Taxes were correctly or legally imposed or asserted by the relevant Governmental Authority. A certificate as to the amount of such payment or liability delivered to such Loan Party by a Lender (with a copy to the Administrative Agent), or by the Administrative Agent on its own behalf or on behalf of a Lender, shall be conclusive absent manifest error. Each Loan Party shall, and does hereby, jointly and severally indemnify the Administrative Agent, and shall make payment in respect thereof within 10 days after demand therefor, for any amount which a Lender for any reason fails to pay indefeasibly to the Administrative Agent as required pursuant to Section 3.01(d)(ii) below.
(ii)
Each Lender shall, and does hereby, severally indemnify, and shall make payment in respect thereof within 10 days after demand therefor, (x) the Administrative Agent against any Indemnified Taxes attributable to such Lender (but only to the extent that any Loan Party has not already indemnified the Administrative Agent for such Indemnified Taxes and without limiting the obligation of such Loan Party to do so), (y) the Administrative Agent and each Loan Party, as applicable, against any Taxes attributable to such Lender’s failure to comply with the provisions of Section 11.06(d) relating to the maintenance of a Participant Register and (z) the Administrative Agent and each Loan Party, as applicable, against any Excluded Taxes attributable to such Lender, in each case, that are payable or paid by the Administrative Agent or any Borrower in connection with any Loan Document, and any reasonable expenses arising therefrom or with respect thereto, whether or not such Taxes were correctly or legally imposed or asserted by the relevant Governmental Authority. A certificate as to the amount of such payment or liability delivered to any Lender by the Administrative Agent shall be conclusive absent manifest error. Each Lender hereby authorizes the Administrative Agent to set off and apply any and all amounts at any time owing to such Lender under this Agreement or any other Loan Document against any amount due to the Administrative Agent under this clause (ii).
(e)
Evidence of Payments. As soon as practicable after any payment of Taxes by any Loan Party to a Governmental Authority, as provided in this Section 3.01, the Domestic Borrower shall deliver to the Administrative Agent the original or a certified copy of a receipt issued by such Governmental Authority evidencing such payment, a copy of any return reporting such payment or other evidence of such payment reasonably satisfactory to the Administrative Agent.

-80-


 

(f)
Status of Lenders; Tax Documentation. (i) Any Lender that is entitled to an exemption from or reduction of withholding Tax with respect to payments made under any Loan Document shall deliver to the Domestic Borrower or the Foreign Borrower and the Administrative Agent, at the time or times reasonably requested by the Domestic Borrower, the Foreign Borrower or the Administrative Agent, such properly completed and executed documentation reasonably requested by the Domestic Borrower, the Foreign Borrower or the Administrative Agent as will permit such payments to be made without withholding or at a reduced rate of withholding. In addition, any Lender, if reasonably requested by the Domestic Borrower, the Foreign Borrower or the Administrative Agent, shall deliver such other documentation prescribed by Applicable Law or reasonably requested by the Domestic Borrower, the Foreign Borrower or the Administrative Agent as will enable Domestic Borrower or the Administrative Agent to determine whether or not such Lender is subject to backup withholding or information reporting requirements or any other applicable withholding tax. Notwithstanding anything to the contrary in the preceding two sentences, the completion, execution and submission of such documentation (other than such documentation set forth in Section 3.01(e)(ii)(A), (ii)(B) and (ii)(D) below) shall not be required if in the Lender’s reasonable judgment such completion, execution or submission would subject such Lender to any material unreimbursed cost or expense or would materially prejudice the legal or commercial position of such Lender.
(ii)
Without limiting the generality of the foregoing, in the event that a Borrower is a U.S. Person,
(A)
any Lender that is a U.S. Person shall deliver to the Domestic Borrower and the Administrative Agent on or prior to the date on which such Lender becomes a Lender under this Agreement (and from time to time thereafter upon the reasonable request of the Domestic Borrower or the Administrative Agent), executed copies of IRS Form W-9 certifying that such Lender is exempt from U.S. federal backup withholding tax;
(B)
any Foreign Lender shall, to the extent it is legally entitled to do so, deliver to the Domestic Borrower and the Administrative Agent (in such number of copies as shall be requested by the recipient) on or prior to the date on which such Foreign Lender becomes a Lender under this Agreement (and from time to time thereafter upon the reasonable request of the Domestic Borrower or the Administrative Agent), whichever of the following is applicable:
(I)
in the case of a Foreign Lender claiming the benefits of an income tax treaty to which the United States is a party (x) with respect to payments of interest under any Loan Document, executed copies of IRS Form W-8BEN-E (or W-8BEN, as applicable) establishing an exemption from, or reduction of, U.S. federal withholding Tax pursuant to the “interest” article of such tax treaty and (y) with respect to any other applicable payments under any Loan Document, IRS Form W-8BEN-E (or W-8BEN, as applicable) establishing an exemption from, or reduction of, U.S. federal withholding Tax pursuant to the “business profits” or “other income” article of such tax treaty;
(II)
executed copies of IRS Form W-8ECI;
(III)
in the case of a Foreign Lender claiming the benefits of the exemption for portfolio interest under Section 881(c) of the Code, (x) a certificate substantially in the form of Exhibit F-1 to the effect that such Foreign Lender is not a “bank” within the meaning of Section 881(c)(3)(A) of the Code, a “10 percent shareholder” of such Borrower within the meaning of Section 871(h)(3)(B) of the Code, or a “controlled foreign corporation” described in Section 881(c)(3)(C) of the Code (a “U.S. Tax Compliance

-81-


 

Certificate”) and (y) executed copies of IRS Form W-8BEN-E (or W-8BEN, as applicable); or
(IV)
to the extent a Foreign Lender is not the beneficial owner, executed copies of IRS Form W-8IMY, accompanied by IRS Form W-8ECI, IRS Form W-8BEN-E (or W-8BEN, as applicable), a U.S. Tax Compliance Certificate substantially in the form of Exhibit F-2 or Exhibit F-3, IRS Form W-9, and/or other certification documents from each beneficial owner, as applicable; provided that if the Foreign Lender is a partnership and one or more direct or indirect partners of such Foreign Lender are claiming the portfolio interest exemption, such Foreign Lender may provide a U.S. Tax Compliance Certificate substantially in the form of Exhibit F-4 on behalf of each such direct and indirect partner;
(C)
any Foreign Lender shall, to the extent it is legally entitled to do so, deliver to the Domestic Borrower and the Administrative Agent (in such number of copies as shall be requested by the recipient) on or prior to the date on which such Foreign Lender becomes a Lender under this Agreement (and from time to time thereafter upon the reasonable request of the Domestic Borrower or the Administrative Agent), executed copies (or originals, as required) of any other form prescribed by Applicable Law as a basis for claiming exemption from or a reduction in U.S. federal withholding Tax, duly completed, together with such supplementary documentation as may be prescribed by Applicable Law to permit the Domestic Borrower or the Administrative Agent to determine the withholding or deduction required to be made; and
(D)
if a payment made to a Lender under any Loan Document would be subject to U.S. federal withholding Tax imposed by FATCA if such Lender were to fail to comply with the applicable reporting requirements of FATCA (including those contained in Section 1471(b) or 1472(b) of the Code, as applicable), such Lender shall deliver to the Domestic Borrower and the Administrative Agent at the time or times prescribed by law and at such time or times reasonably requested by the Domestic Borrower or the Administrative Agent such documentation prescribed by Applicable Law (including as prescribed by Section 1471(b)(3)(C)(i) of the Code) and such additional documentation reasonably requested by the Domestic Borrower or the Administrative Agent as may be necessary for the Domestic Borrower and the Administrative Agent to comply with their obligations under FATCA and to determine that such Lender has complied with such Lender’s obligations under FATCA or to determine the amount to deduct and withhold from such payment. Solely for purposes of this clause (D), “FATCA” shall include any amendments made to FATCA after the date of this Agreement.
(iii)
Each Lender agrees that if any form or certification it previously delivered pursuant to this Section 3.01 expires or becomes obsolete or inaccurate in any respect, it shall update such form or certification or promptly notify the Domestic Borrower and the Administrative Agent in writing of its legal inability to do so.
(g)
Treatment of Certain Refunds. Unless required by applicable Laws, at no time shall the Administrative Agent have any obligation to file for or otherwise pursue on behalf of a Lender, or have any obligation to pay to any Lender, any refund of Taxes withheld or deducted from funds paid for the account of such Lender. If any Recipient determines, in its sole discretion exercised in good faith, that it has received a refund of any Taxes as to which it has been indemnified by any Loan Party or with respect to which any Loan Party has paid additional amounts pursuant to this Section 3.01, it shall pay to such Loan Party an amount equal to such refund (but only to the extent of indemnity payments made, or additional amounts paid, by such Loan Party under this

-82-


 

Section 3.01 with respect to the Taxes giving rise to such refund), net of all out-of-pocket expenses (including Taxes) incurred by such Recipient, and without interest (other than any interest paid by the relevant Governmental Authority with respect to such refund); provided that each Loan Party, upon the request of the Recipient, agrees to repay the amount paid over to such Loan Party (plus any penalties, interest or other charges imposed by the relevant Governmental Authority) to the Recipient in the event the Recipient is required to repay such refund to such Governmental Authority. Notwithstanding anything to the contrary in this subsection, in no event will the applicable Recipient be required to pay any amount to any Loan Party pursuant to this subsection the payment of which would place the Recipient in a less favorable net after-Tax position than such Recipient would have been in if the Tax subject to indemnification and giving rise to such refund had not been deducted, withheld or otherwise imposed and the indemnification payments or additional amounts with respect to such Tax had never been paid. This subsection shall not be construed to require any Recipient to make available its tax returns (or any other information relating to its taxes that it deems confidential) to any Loan Party or any other Person.
(h)
Survival. Each party’s obligations under this Section 3.01 shall survive the resignation or replacement of the Administrative Agent or any assignment of rights by, or the replacement of, a Lender, the termination of the Commitments and the repayment, satisfaction or discharge of all other Obligations.

Section 3.02. Illegality. (a) If any Lender reasonably determines that any Law has made it unlawful, or that any Governmental Authority has asserted that it is unlawful, for such Lender or its applicable Lending Office to make, maintain or fund Credit Extensions whose interest is determined by reference to a Relevant Rate or to determine or charge interest rates based upon a Relevant Rate or to purchase or sell, or to take deposits of, any Alternative Currency in the applicable interbank market, then, upon notice thereof by such Lender to the Borrowers (through the Administrative Agent), (a) any obligation of such Lender to make or maintain Alternative Currency Loans in the affected currency or currencies or, in the case of Loans denominated in Dollars, any obligation of such Lender to make or continue Term SOFR Loans or to convert Base Rate Loans to Term SOFR Loans shall be, in each case, suspended, and (b) if such notice asserts the illegality of such Lender making or maintaining Base Rate Loans the interest rate on which is determined by reference to the Term SOFR component of the Base Rate, the interest rate on which Base Rate Loans of such Lender shall, if necessary to avoid such illegality, be determined by the Administrative Agent without reference to the Term SOFR component of the Base Rate, in each case until such Lender notifies the Administrative Agent and the Borrowers that the circumstances giving rise to such determination no longer exist. Upon receipt of such notice, (i) the Borrowers (or the applicable Borrower) shall, upon demand from such Lender (with a copy to the Administrative Agent), (A) prepay all Alternative Currency Loans in the affected currency or currencies or all Term SOFR Loans, as applicable, of such Lender, or (B) if applicable, convert all Term SOFR Loans of such Lender to Base Rate Loans (the interest rate on which Base Rate Loans of such Lender shall, if necessary to avoid such illegality, be determined by the Administrative Agent without reference to the Term SOFR component of the Base Rate), in each case, immediately, or, in the case of Term SOFR Loans or Alternative Currency Term Rate Loans, as applicable, on the last day of the Interest Period therefor if such Lender may lawfully continue to maintain such Term SOFR Loans or Alternative Currency Term Rate Loans, as applicable, to such day and (ii) if such notice asserts the illegality of such Lender determining or charging interest rates based upon Term SOFR, the Administrative Agent shall during the period of such suspension compute the Base Rate applicable to such Lender without reference to the Term SOFR component thereof until the Administrative Agent is advised in writing by such Lender that it is no longer illegal for such Lender to determine or charge interest rates

-83-


 

based upon Term SOFR. Upon any such prepayment or conversion, the Borrowers shall also pay accrued interest on the amount so prepaid or converted, together with any additional amounts required pursuant to Section 3.05.

(b)
If, in any applicable jurisdiction, the Administrative Agent, any L/C Issuer or any Lender or any Designated Lender (the “Determining Party”) determines that any Law has made it unlawful, or that any Governmental Authority has asserted that it is unlawful, for the Administrative Agent, any L/C Issuer or any Lender or its Designated Lender to (i) perform any of its obligations hereunder or under any other Loan Document, (ii) fund or maintain its participation in any Loan or (iii) issue, make, maintain, fund or charge interest or fees with respect to any Credit Extension to the Foreign Borrower such Determining Party shall promptly notify the Administrative Agent and, upon the Administrative Agent notifying the Domestic Borrower of such determination, and until such notice by such Determining Party is revoked, any obligation of such Person to issue, make, maintain, fund or charge interest or fees with respect to any such Credit Extension shall be suspended, and to the extent required by applicable Law, cancelled. Upon receipt of such notice, the Loan Parties shall, (A) repay such Determining Party’s participation in the Loans or other applicable Obligations on the last day of the Interest Period for each Loan or other Obligation occurring after the Administrative Agent has notified the Domestic Borrower or, if earlier, the date specified by such Determining Party in the notice delivered to the Administrative Agent (being no earlier than the last day of any applicable grace period permitted by applicable Law), (B) to the extent applicable to any L/C Issuer, Cash Collateralize that portion of applicable L/C Obligations comprised of the aggregate undrawn amount of Letters of Credit to the extent not otherwise Cash Collateralized and (C) take all reasonable actions requested by such Determining Party to mitigate or avoid such illegality.

Section 3.03. Inability to Determine Rates. (a) If in connection with any request for a Term SOFR Loan or an Alternative Currency Loan or a conversion of Base Rate Loans to Term SOFR Loans or a continuation of any of such Loans, as applicable, (i) the Administrative Agent determines (which determination shall be conclusive absent manifest error) that (A) no Successor Rate or Alternative Currency Successor Rate, as applicable, for the Relevant Rate for the applicable Agreed Currency has been determined in accordance with Section 3.03(b) or Section 3.03(c), as applicable, and the circumstances under Section 3.03(b)(i) or the Scheduled Unavailability Date or Alternative Currency Scheduled Unavailability Date has occurred with respect to such Relevant Rate (as applicable), or (B) adequate and reasonable means do not otherwise exist for determining the Relevant Rate for the applicable Agreed Currency for any determination date(s) or requested Interest Period, as applicable, with respect to a proposed Term SOFR Loan or an Alternative Currency Loan or in connection with an existing or proposed Base Rate Loan, or (ii) the Administrative Agent or the Required Lenders determine that for any reason that the Relevant Rate with respect to a proposed Loan denominated in an Agreed Currency for any requested Interest Period or determination date(s) does not adequately and fairly reflect the cost to such Lenders of funding such Loan, the Administrative Agent will promptly so notify the Borrowers and each Lender.

Thereafter, (x) the obligation of the Lenders to make or maintain Term SOFR Loans or Alternative Currency Loans in the affected currencies, as applicable, or to convert Base Rate Loans to Term SOFR Loans, shall be suspended to the extent of the affected Loans, Interest Period(s) or determination date(s), as applicable and (y) in the event of a determination described in clause (x) with respect to the Term SOFR component of the Base Rate, the utilization of the Term SOFR component in determining the Base Rate shall be suspended, in each case, until the Administrative Agent (or, in the case of a determination by the Required Lenders described in Section 3.03(a)(ii), until the Administrative Agent upon instruction of the Required Lenders) revokes such notice.

Upon receipt of such notice, (i) the Borrowers may revoke any pending request for a Borrowing of, conversion to or continuation of Term SOFR Loans, or Borrowing of, or continuation of Alternative Currency Loans, in each case to the extent of the affected Loans, Interest Periods or determination date(s), as applicable or,

-84-


 

failing that, will be deemed to have converted such request into a request for a Borrowing of Base Rate Loans denominated in Dollars in the Dollar Equivalent of the amount specified therein, and (ii) (A) any outstanding Term SOFR Loans shall be deemed to have been converted to Base Rate Loans at the end of their respective applicable Interest Period, if such notice relates to Term SOFR Loans and (B) any outstanding affected Alternative Currency Loans, at the Borrowers’ election, shall either (1) be converted into a Borrowing of Base Rate Loans denominated in Dollars in the Dollar Equivalent of the amount of such outstanding Alternative Currency Loan immediately, in the case of an Alternative Currency Daily Rate Loan or at the end of the applicable Interest Period, in the case of an Alternative Currency Term Rate Loan or (2) be prepaid in full immediately, in the case of an Alternative Currency Daily Rate Loan, or at the end of the applicable Interest Period, in the case of an Alternative Currency Term Rate Loan; provided, that, if no election is made by the Borrowers (x) in the case of an Alternative Currency Daily Rate Loan, by the date that is three (3) Business Days after receipt by the Borrowers of such notice or (y) in the case of an Alternative Currency Term Rate Loan, by the last day of the current Interest Period for the applicable Alternative Currency Term Rate Loan, the Borrowers shall be deemed to have elected clause (1) above.

(b)
Notwithstanding anything to the contrary herein or in any other Loan Document, if the Administrative Agent determines (which determination shall be conclusive absent manifest error), or the Borrowers or Required Lenders notify the Administrative Agent (with, in the case of the Required Lenders, a copy to the Borrowers) that the Borrowers or Required Lenders (as applicable) have determined, that:
(i)
adequate and reasonable means do not exist for ascertaining one month, three month and six month interest periods of Term SOFR, including, without limitation, because the Term SOFR Screen Rate is not available or published on a current basis and such circumstances are unlikely to be temporary; or
(ii)
CME or any successor administrator of the Term SOFR Screen Rate or a Governmental Authority having jurisdiction over the Administrative Agent or such administrator with respect to its publication of Term SOFR, in each case acting in such capacity, has made a public statement identifying a specific date after which one month, three month and six month interest periods of Term SOFR or the Term SOFR Screen Rate shall or will no longer be representative or made available, or permitted to be used for determining the interest rate of U.S. dollar denominated syndicated loans, or shall or will otherwise cease, provided that, at the time of such statement, there is no successor administrator that is satisfactory to the Administrative Agent, that will continue to provide such representative interest periods of Term SOFR after such specific date (the latest date on which one month, three month and six month interest periods of Term SOFR or the Term SOFR Screen Rate are no longer representative or available permanently or indefinitely, the “Scheduled Unavailability Date”);

then, on a date and time determined by the Administrative Agent (any such date, the “Term SOFR Replacement Date”), which date shall be at the end of an Interest Period or on the relevant interest payment date, as applicable, for interest calculated and, solely with respect to clause (ii) above, no later than the Scheduled Unavailability Date, Term SOFR will be replaced hereunder and under any Loan Document with Daily Simple SOFR plus the SOFR Adjustment for any payment period for interest calculated that can be determined by the Administrative Agent, in each case, without any amendment to, or further action or consent of any other party to, this Agreement or any other Loan Document (the “Successor Rate”).

-85-


 

If the Successor Rate is Daily Simple SOFR plus the SOFR Adjustment, all interest payments will be payable on a quarterly basis.

Notwithstanding anything to the contrary herein, (i) if the Administrative Agent determines that Daily Simple SOFR is not available on or prior to the Term SOFR Replacement Date, or (ii) if the events or circumstances of the type described in Section 3.03(b)(i) or (ii) have occurred with respect to the Successor Rate then in effect, then in each case, the Administrative Agent and the Borrowers may amend this Agreement solely for the purpose of replacing Term SOFR or any then current Successor Rate in accordance with this Section 3.03 at the end of any Interest Period, relevant interest payment date or payment period for interest calculated, as applicable, with an alternative benchmark rate giving due consideration to any evolving or then

existing convention for similar U.S. dollar denominated credit facilities syndicated and agented in the United States for such alternative benchmark. and, in each case, including any mathematical or other adjustments to such benchmark giving due consideration to any evolving or then existing convention for similar U.S. dollar denominated credit facilities syndicated and agented in the United States for such benchmark. For the avoidance of doubt, any such proposed rate and adjustments, shall constitute a “Successor Rate”. Any such amendment shall become effective at 5:00 p.m. on the fifth Business Day after the Administrative Agent shall have posted such proposed amendment to all Lenders and the Borrowers unless, prior to such time, Lenders comprising the Required Lenders have delivered to the Administrative Agent written notice that such Required Lenders object to such amendment.

The Administrative Agent will promptly (in one or more notices) notify the Borrowers and each Lender of the implementation of any Successor Rate.

Any Successor Rate shall be applied in a manner consistent with market practice; provided that to the extent such market practice is not administratively feasible for the Administrative Agent, such Successor Rate shall be applied in a manner as otherwise reasonably determined by the Administrative Agent.

Notwithstanding anything else herein, if at any time any Successor Rate as so determined would otherwise be less than 0.00%, the Successor Rate will be deemed to be 0.00% for the purposes of this Agreement and the other Loan Documents.

In connection with the implementation of a Successor Rate, the Administrative Agent will have the right to make Conforming Changes from time to time and, notwithstanding anything to the contrary herein or in any other Loan Document, any amendments implementing such Conforming Changes will become effective without any further action or consent of any other party to this Agreement; provided that, with respect to any such amendment effected, the Administrative Agent shall post each such amendment implementing such Conforming Changes to the Borrowers and the Lenders reasonably promptly after such amendment becomes effective.

For purposes of this Section 3.03(b), those Lenders that either have not made, or do not have an obligation under this Agreement to make, the relevant Loans in Dollars shall be excluded from any determination of Required Lenders.

-86-


 

(c)
Notwithstanding anything to the contrary in this Agreement or any other Loan Documents, if the Administrative Agent determines (which determination shall be conclusive absent manifest error), or the Borrowers or Required Lenders notify the Administrative Agent (with, in the case of the Required Lenders, a copy to the Borrowers) that the Borrowers or Required Lenders (as applicable) have determined (which determination likewise shall be conclusive and binding upon all parties hereto absent manifest error), that:
(i)
adequate and reasonable means do not exist for ascertaining the Relevant Rate for an Alternative Currency because none of the tenors of such Relevant Rate (including any forward-looking term rate thereof) is available or published on a current basis and such circumstances are unlikely to be temporary; or
(ii)
the Applicable Alternative Currency Authority has made a public statement identifying a specific date after which all tenors of the Relevant Rate for an Alternative Currency (including any forward-looking term rate thereof) shall or will no longer be representative or made available, or used for determining the interest rate of loans denominated in such Alternative Currency, or shall or will otherwise cease, provided that, in each case, at the time of such statement, there is no successor administrator that is satisfactory to the Administrative Agent that will continue to provide such representative tenor(s) of the Relevant Rate for such Alternative Currency (the latest date on which all tenors of the Relevant Rate for such Alternative Currency (including any forward-looking term rate thereof) are no longer representative or available permanently or indefinitely, the “Alternative Currency Scheduled Unavailability Date”);

or if the events or circumstances of the type described in Section 3.03(c)(i) or (ii) have occurred with respect to the Alternative Currency Successor Rate for an Alternative Currency then in effect, then, the Administrative Agent and the Borrowers may amend this Agreement solely for the purpose of replacing the Relevant Rate for an Alternative Currency or any then current Alternative Currency Successor Rate for an Alternative Currency in accordance with this Section 3.03 with an alternative benchmark rate giving due consideration to any evolving or then existing convention for similar credit facilities syndicated and agented in the U.S. and denominated in such Alternative Currency for such alternative benchmarks, and, in each case, including any mathematical or other adjustments to such benchmark giving due consideration to any evolving or then existing convention for similar credit facilities syndicated and agented in the U.S. and denominated in such Alternative Currency for such benchmarks (any such proposed rate, including for the avoidance of doubt, any adjustment thereto, a “Alternative Currency Successor Rate”), and any such amendment shall become effective at 5:00 p.m. on the fifth Business Day after the Administrative Agent shall have posted such proposed amendment to all Lenders and the Borrowers unless, prior to such time, Lenders comprising the Required Lenders have delivered to the Administrative Agent written notice that such Required Lenders object to such amendment.

The Administrative Agent will promptly (in one or more notices) notify the Borrowers and each Lender of the implementation of any Alternative Currency Successor Rate.

Any Alternative Currency Successor Rate shall be applied in a manner consistent with market practice; provided that to the extent such market practice is not administratively feasible for the Administrative Agent, such Alternative Currency Successor Rate shall be applied in a manner as otherwise reasonably determined by the Administrative Agent.

Notwithstanding anything else herein, if at any time any Alternative Currency Successor Rate as so determined would otherwise be less than 0.00%, the Alternative Currency Successor Rate will be deemed to be 0.00% for the purposes of this Agreement and the other Loan Documents.

-87-


 

In connection with the implementation of a Alternative Currency Successor Rate, the Administrative Agent will have the right to make Alternative Currency Conforming Changes from time to time and, notwithstanding anything to the contrary herein or in any other Loan Document, any amendments implementing such Alternative Currency Conforming Changes will become effective without any further action or consent of any other party to this Agreement; provided that, with respect to any such amendment effected, the Administrative Agent shall post each such amendment implementing such Alternative Currency Conforming Changes to the Borrowers and the Lenders reasonably promptly after such amendment becomes effective.

For purposes of this Section 3.03(c), those Lenders that either have not made, or do not have an obligation under this Agreement to make, the relevant Loans in the Alternative Currency shall be excluded from any determination of Required Lenders.

Section 3.04. Increased Costs; Reserves on Term SOFR Loans.

(a)
Increased Costs Generally. If any Change in Law shall:
(i)
impose, modify or deem applicable any reserve, special deposit, compulsory loan, insurance charge or similar requirement against assets of, deposits with or for the account of, or credit extended or participated in by, any Lender or any L/C Issuer;
(ii)
subject any Recipient to any Taxes (other than (A) Indemnified Taxes, (B) Taxes described in clauses (b) through (d) of the definition of Excluded Taxes and (C) Connection Income Taxes) on its loans, loan principal, letters of credit, commitments, or other obligations, or its deposits, reserves, other liabilities or capital attributable thereto; or
(iii)
impose on any Lender or any L/C Issuer or any applicable interbank market any other condition, cost or expense affecting this Agreement, Term SOFR Loans or Alternative Currency Loans made by such Lender or any Letter of Credit or participation therein;

and the result of any of the foregoing shall be to increase the cost to such Lender of making, converting to, continuing or maintaining any Loan (or of maintaining its obligation to make any Loan), or to increase the cost to such Lender or such L/C Issuer of participating in, issuing or maintaining any Letter of Credit (or of maintaining its obligation to participate in or to issue any Letter of Credit), or to reduce the amount of any sum received or receivable by such Lender or such L/C Issuer hereunder (whether of principal, interest or any other amount) then, upon request of such Lender or such L/C Issuer, the Domestic Borrower will pay (or cause the Foreign Borrower to pay) to such Lender or such L/C Issuer, as the case may be, such additional amount or amounts as will compensate such Lender or such L/C Issuer, as the case may be, for such additional costs incurred or reduction suffered.

(b)
Capital Requirements. If any Lender or any L/C Issuer determines that any Change in Law affecting such Lender or such L/C Issuer or any Lending Office of such Lender or such Lender’s or such L/C Issuer’s holding company, if any, regarding capital or liquidity requirements has or would have the effect of reducing the rate of return on such Lender’s or such L/C Issuer’s capital or on the capital of such Lender’s or such L/C Issuer’s holding company, if any, as a consequence of this Agreement, the Commitments of such Lender or the Loans made by, or participations in Letters of Credit or Swingline Loans held by, such Lender, or the Letters of Credit issued by such L/C Issuer, to a level below that which such Lender or such L/C Issuer or such Lender’s or such L/C Issuer’s holding company could have achieved but for such Change in Law (taking into consideration such Lender’s or such L/C Issuer’s policies and the policies of such Lender’s or such L/C Issuer’s holding company with respect to capital

-88-


 

adequacy and liquidity), then from time to time the Domestic Borrower will pay (or cause the Foreign Borrower to pay) to such Lender or such L/C Issuer, as the case may be, such additional amount or amounts as will compensate such Lender or such L/C Issuer or such Lender’s or such L/C Issuer’s holding company for any such reduction suffered.
(c)
Mandatory Costs. If any Lender or the Alternative Currency L/C Issuer incurs any Mandatory Costs attributable to the Obligations, then from time to time the Domestic Borrower will pay (or cause the Foreign Borrower to pay) to such Lender or the Alternative Currency L/C Issuer, as the case may be, such Mandatory Costs. Such amount shall be expressed as a percentage rate per annum and shall be payable on the full amount of the applicable Obligations.
(d)
Certificates for Reimbursement. A certificate of a Lender or an L/C Issuer setting forth the amount or amounts necessary to compensate such Lender or such L/C Issuer or its holding company, as the case may be, as specified in subsection (a), (b) or (c) of this Section and delivered to the Domestic Borrower shall be conclusive absent manifest error. The Domestic Borrower shall pay (or cause the Foreign Borrower to pay) such Lender or such L/C Issuer, as the case may be, the amount shown as due on any such certificate within 10 days after receipt thereof.
(e)
[Reserved].
(f)
Delay in Requests. Failure or delay on the part of any Lender or any L/C Issuer to demand compensation pursuant to the foregoing provisions of this Section 3.04 shall not constitute a waiver of such Lender’s or such L/C Issuer’s right to demand such compensation; provided that no Borrower shall be required to compensate a Lender or an L/C Issuer pursuant to the foregoing provisions of this Section for any increased costs incurred or reductions suffered more than nine months prior to the date that such Lender or such L/C Issuer, as the case may be, notifies the Domestic Borrower of the Change in Law giving rise to such increased costs or reductions and of such Lender’s or such L/C Issuer’s intention to claim compensation therefor (except that, if the Change in Law giving rise to such increased costs or reductions is retroactive, then the nine-month period referred to above shall be extended to include the period of retroactive effect thereof).

Section 3.05. Compensation for Losses. Upon demand of any Lender (with a copy to the Administrative Agent) from time to time, the Domestic Borrower shall promptly compensate (or cause the Foreign Borrower to compensate) such Lender for and hold such Lender harmless from any loss, cost or expense incurred by it as a result of:

(a)
any continuation, conversion, payment or prepayment of any Loan other than a Base Rate Loan on a day other than the last day of the Interest Period, relevant interest payment date or payment period, as applicable, for such Loan (whether voluntary, mandatory, automatic, by reason of acceleration, or otherwise);
(b)
any failure by any Borrower (for a reason other than the failure of such Lender to make a Loan) to prepay, borrow, continue or convert any Loan other than a Base Rate Loan on the date or in the amount notified by Domestic Borrower or the Foreign Borrower;
(c)
any failure by any Borrower to make payment of any Loan or of any drawing under any Letter of Credit (or interest due thereon) denominated in an Alternative Currency on its scheduled due date or any payment thereof in a different currency; or

-89-


 

(d)
any assignment of a Term SOFR Loan or an Alternative Currency Term Rate Loan on a day other than the last day of the Interest Period therefor as a result of a request by the Domestic Borrower pursuant to Section 11.13;

including any loss of anticipated profits, any foreign exchange losses, and any loss or expense arising from the liquidation or reemployment of funds obtained by it to maintain such Loan or from fees payable to terminate the deposits from which such funds were obtained or from the performance of any foreign exchange contract. The Domestic Borrower shall also pay (or cause the Foreign Borrower to pay) any customary administrative fees charged by such Lender in connection with the foregoing.

For purposes of calculating amounts payable by the Borrowers to the Lenders under this Section 3.05, each Lender shall be deemed to have funded each Term SOFR Loan and Alternative Currency Term Rate Loan, as applicable, made by it at Term SOFR or the Alternative Currency Term Rate, as applicable, for such Loan by a matching deposit or other borrowing in the offshore interbank market for such currency for a comparable amount and for a comparable period, whether or not such Term SOFR Loan or Alternative Currency Term Rate Loan was in fact so funded.

Section 3.06. Mitigation Obligations; Replacement of Lenders.

(a)
Designation of a Different Lending Office. If any Lender requests compensation under Section 3.04, or requires any Borrower to pay any Indemnified Taxes or additional amounts to any Lender, any L/C Issuer, or any Governmental Authority for the account of any Lender or any L/C Issuer pursuant to Section 3.01, or if any Lender gives a notice pursuant to Section 3.02, then at the request of the Domestic Borrower such Lender or such L/C Issuer shall, as applicable, use reasonable efforts to designate a different Lending Office for funding or booking its Loans hereunder or to assign its rights and obligations hereunder to another of its offices, branches or affiliates, if, in the judgment of such Lender or such L/C Issuer, such designation or assignment (i) would eliminate or reduce amounts payable pursuant to Section 3.01 or 3.04, as the case may be, in the future, or eliminate the need for the notice pursuant to Section 3.02, as applicable, and (ii) in each case, would not subject such Lender or such L/C Issuer, as the case may be, to any unreimbursed cost or expense and would not otherwise be disadvantageous to such Lender or such L/C Issuer, as the case may be. The Domestic Borrower hereby agrees to pay all reasonable costs and expenses incurred by any Lender or any L/C Issuer in connection with any such designation or assignment.
(b)
Replacement of Lenders. If any Lender requests compensation under Section 3.04, or if any Borrower is required to pay any Indemnified Taxes or additional amounts to any Lender or any Governmental Authority for the account of any Lender pursuant to Section 3.01 and, in each case, such Lender has declined or is unable to designate a different lending office in accordance with Section 3.06(a), the Domestic Borrower may replace such Lender in accordance with Section 11.13.

Section 3.07. Survival. All obligations under this Article III shall survive termination of the Aggregate Commitments, repayment of all other Obligations hereunder, resignation of the Administrative Agent and the Facility Termination Date.

-90-


 

ARTICLE IV

CONDITIONS PRECEDENT TO CREDIT EXTENSIONS

Section 4.01. Conditions of Initial Credit Extension. The obligation of any L/C Issuer and each Lender to make its initial Credit Extension hereunder is subject to satisfaction of the following conditions precedent:

(a)
The Administrative Agent’s receipt of the following, each of which shall be originals or telecopies (followed promptly by originals) unless otherwise specified, each properly executed by a Responsible Officer of the signing Loan Party, each dated the Closing Date (or, in the case of certificates of governmental officials, a recent date before the Closing Date) and each in form and substance satisfactory to the Administrative Agent and each of the Lenders:
(i)
executed counterparts of this Agreement, sufficient in number for distribution to the Administrative Agent, each Lender and the Domestic Borrower;
(ii)
a Revolving Credit Note executed by each of the Borrowers in favor of each Revolving Credit Lender requesting a Revolving Credit Note;
(iii)
(A)
the Collateral Documents or any reaffirmations, amendments or modifications thereto, duly executed by each Loan Party, to the extent required under local law to ensure the continuing validity and enforceability of such Collateral Document or to ensure the continuing security interests in the applicable assets (and the continuing perfection thereof) granted or purported to be granted pursuant to such Collateral Documents, including, without limitation, in the assets of the Domestic Borrower, the Foreign Borrower and the Foreign Guarantors and in the Equity Interests in the Foreign Borrower, Diodes Zetex Limited and Diodes Hong Kong, and all related confirmations, authorizing resolutions, legal opinions and such other agreements, documents, certificates, filings, notarizations, and recordations,
(B)
certificates representing the Pledged Equity referred to therein accompanied by undated stock powers executed in blank and instruments evidencing the Pledged Debt indorsed in blank (to the extent available in any non-U.S. jurisdiction), in each case to the extent such Pledged Equity is certificated and has not previously been delivered to the Administrative Agent; and the Administrative Agent shall have received satisfactory evidence that the Liens in favor of the Administrative Agent on the equity interests of the Foreign Loan Parties required to be pledged have been validly created, are enforceable and have been perfected under the laws of each applicable jurisdiction,
(C)
proper Financing Statements in form appropriate for filing under the Uniform Commercial Code of all jurisdictions that the Administrative Agent may deem necessary or desirable (or the foreign equivalent thereof) in order to perfect the Liens created under the Collateral Documents, covering the Collateral described in the Collateral Documents as well as UCC, Lien and Intellectual Property, charge, and other searches (to the extent available in any non-U.S. jurisdiction) and other evidence satisfactory to the

-91-


 

Administrative Agent that such Liens are the only Liens upon the Collateral, except Liens permitted hereunder,
(D)
completed requests for information, dated on or before the date of the initial Credit Extension, listing all effective financing statements filed in the jurisdictions referred to in clause (B) above that name any Loan Party as debtor, together with copies of such other financing statements,
(E)
evidence of the completion of all other actions, recordings and filings of or with respect to the Collateral Documents that the Administrative Agent may deem necessary or desirable in order to perfect the Liens created thereby, and
(F)
evidence that all other action that the Administrative Agent may deem necessary or desirable in order to perfect or continue perfection of the Liens created under the Collateral Documents has been taken (including receipt of duly executed payoff letters, UCC-3 termination statements and landlords’ and bailees’ waiver and consent agreements);
(iv)
such certificates of resolutions or other action, incumbency certificates and/or other certificates of Responsible Officers of each Loan Party as the Administrative Agent may require evidencing the identity, authority and capacity of each Responsible Officer thereof authorized to act as a Responsible Officer in connection with this Agreement and the other Loan Documents to which such Loan Party is a party or is to be a party;
(v)
such documents and certifications as the Administrative Agent may reasonably require to evidence that each Loan Party is duly organized or formed, and that each Loan Party is validly existing, in good standing and qualified to engage in business in each jurisdiction where its ownership, lease or operation of properties or the conduct of its business requires such qualification, except to the extent that failure to do so could not reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect;
(vi)
a favorable opinion of Sheppard, Mullin, Richter & Hampton, LLP, counsel to the Loan Parties, addressed to the Administrative Agent and each Lender, as to matters concerning the Loan Parties and the Loan Documents as the Required Lenders may reasonably request;
(vii)
Reserved;
(viii)
a favorable opinion of Allen & Overy LLP, local counsel to the Loan Parties in the United Kingdom, addressed to the Administrative Agent and each Lender, as to matters concerning the Loan Parties and the Loan Documents as the Required Lenders may reasonably request;
(ix)
a certificate of a Responsible Officer of the Domestic Borrower either (A) attaching copies of all consents, licenses and approvals required in connection with the execution, delivery and performance by each Loan Party and the validity against each Loan Party of the Loan Documents to which it is a party, and such consents, licenses and approvals shall be in full force and effect, or (B) stating that no such consents, licenses or approvals are so required;

-92-


 

(x)
a certificate signed by a Responsible Officer of the Domestic Borrower certifying (A) that the conditions specified in Sections 4.02(a) and (b) have been satisfied,and (B) that there has been no event or circumstance since the date of the Audited Financial Statements that has had or could be reasonably expected to have, either individually or in the aggregate, a Material Adverse Effect;
(xi)
no action, suit, investigation, litigation or proceeding pending or, to the knowledge of either Borrower, threatened in any court or before any arbitrator or governmental instrumentality that in the Administrative Agent’s or Arrangers’ judgment could reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect;
(xii)
annual audited financial statements of the Domestic Borrower and its Subsidiaries on a consolidated basis for the fiscal year ended 2022;
(xiii)
interim financial statements of the Domestic Borrower and its Subsidiaries on a consolidated basis described in Section 5.05(b);
(xiv)
pro forma financial statements for the Domestic Borrower and its Subsidiaries on a consolidated basis for the fiscal period ending on March 31, 2023, including forecasts prepared by management of the Domestic Borrower, of consolidated balance sheets and statements of income or operations and cash flows of the Domestic Borrower and its Subsidiaries on a quarterly basis for the first year following the Closing Date and on an annual basis for each year thereafter during the term of this Agreement;
(xv)
certificates attesting to the Solvency of each Borrower and their respective Subsidiaries before and after giving effect to the financing under this Agreement and the transactions contemplated hereby, from the chief financial officer of the Domestic Borrower and from a Responsible Officer of the Foreign Borrower;
(xvi)
evidence that all insurance required to be maintained pursuant to the Loan Documents has been obtained and is in effect;
(xvii)
the documentation and other information as to each Loan Party as requested by the Administrative Agent and each Lender in order to comply with requirements of the PATRIOT Act; and
(xviii)
such other assurances, certificates, documents, consents or opinions as the Administrative Agent, each L/C Issuer, the Swingline Lender or the Required Lenders reasonably may require.
(b)
Each Lender shall have obtained all applicable licenses, consents, permits and approvals as deemed necessary by such Lender in order to execute and perform the transactions contemplated by the Loan Documents.
(c)
The Borrowers shall have repaid Revolving Credit Loans, Swingline Loans and L/C Borrowings and/or Cash Collateralized the L/C Obligations (other than the L/C Borrowings) in an aggregate amount such that the Total Revolving Credit Outstandings do not exceed the Revolving Credit Facility in effect following the Closing Date, taking into account the instructions by the Domestic Borrower to make

-93-


 

such transfers as may be necessary to ensure that all Outstanding Amounts and Commitments are in accordance with the Applicable Percentages of the Lenders in accordance with this Agreement.
(d)
Any fees required to be paid on or before the Closing Date shall have been paid.
(e)
The Domestic Borrower shall have paid all fees, charges and disbursements of counsel to the Administrative Agent (directly to such counsel if requested by the Administrative Agent) to the extent invoiced prior to or on the Closing Date, plus such additional amounts of such fees, charges and disbursements as shall constitute its reasonable estimate of such fees, charges and disbursements incurred or to be incurred by it through the closing proceedings (provided that such estimate shall not thereafter preclude a final settling of accounts between the Domestic Borrower and the Administrative Agent).
(f)
The Lenders shall have completed a due diligence investigation of the Borrowers and their respective Subsidiaries in scope, and with results, satisfactory to the Lenders, and shall have been given such access to the management, records, books of account, contracts and properties of the Borrowers and their respective Subsidiaries and shall have received such financial, business and other information regarding each of the foregoing Persons and businesses as they shall have requested.

Without limiting the generality of the provisions of the last paragraph of Section 9.03, for purposes of determining compliance with the conditions specified in this Section 4.01, each Lender that has signed this Agreement shall be deemed to have consented to, approved or accepted or to be satisfied with, each document or other matter required thereunder to be consented to or approved by or acceptable or satisfactory to a Lender unless the Administrative Agent shall have received notice from such Lender prior to the proposed Closing Date specifying its objection thereto.

Section 4.02. Conditions to all Credit Extensions. The obligation of each Lender to honor any Request for Credit Extension (other than a Committed Loan Notice requesting only a conversion of Loans to the other Type, or a continuation of Term SOFR Loans or Alternative Currency Term Rate Loans) is subject to the following conditions precedent:

(a)
The representations and warranties of the Borrowers and each other Loan Party contained in Article V or any other Loan Document, or which are contained in any document furnished at any time under or in connection herewith or therewith, shall be true and correct in all material respects on and as of the date of such Credit Extension, except to the extent that such representations and warranties specifically refer to an earlier date, in which case they shall be true and correct in all material respects as of such earlier date, and except that for purposes of this Section 4.02, the representations and warranties contained in subsections (a) and (b) of Section 5.05 shall be deemed to refer to the most recent statements furnished pursuant to subsections (a) and (b), respectively, of Section 6.01; provided that any representation and warranty that is qualified by materiality or Material Adverse Effect shall be required to be true and correct in all respects.
(b)
No Default shall exist, or would result from such proposed Credit Extension or from the application of the proceeds thereof.
(c)
The Administrative Agent and, if applicable, the applicable L/C Issuer or the Swingline Lender shall have received a Request for Credit Extension in accordance with the requirements hereof.

-94-


 

(d)
In the case of a Credit Extension to be denominated in an Alternative Currency, such currency remains an Eligible Currency.
(e)
There shall be no impediment, restriction, limitation or prohibition imposed under Law or by any Governmental Authority, as to the proposed financing under this Agreement or the repayment thereof or as to rights created under any Loan Document or as to application of the proceeds of the realization of any such rights.

Each Request for Credit Extension (other than a Committed Loan Notice requesting only a conversion of Loans to the other Type or a continuation of Term SOFR Loans or Alternative Currency Term Rate Loans) submitted by the Borrowers shall be deemed to be a representation and warranty that the conditions specified in Sections 4.02(a) and (b) have been satisfied on and as of the date of the applicable Credit Extension.

ARTICLE V

REPRESENTATIONS AND WARRANTIES

Each Borrower and each other Loan Party, represents and warrants to the Administrative Agent and the Lenders that:

Section 5.01. Existence, Qualification and Power. Each Loan Party and each Subsidiary thereof (a) is duly organized or formed, validly existing and, as applicable, in good standing under the Laws of the jurisdiction of its incorporation or organization, (b) has all requisite power and authority and all requisite governmental licenses, authorizations, consents and approvals to (i) own or lease its assets and carry on its business and (ii) execute, deliver and perform its obligations under the Loan Documents to which it is a party and consummate the transactions contemplated hereby, and (c) is duly qualified and is licensed and, as applicable, in good standing under the Laws of each jurisdiction where its ownership, lease or operation of properties or the conduct of its business requires such qualification or license; except in each case referred to in clauses (b)(i) or (c), to the extent that failure to do so could not reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect.

Section 5.02. Authorization; No Contravention. The execution, delivery and performance by each Loan Party of each Loan Document to which such Person is or is to be a party have been duly authorized by all necessary corporate or other organizational action, and do not and will not (a) contravene the terms of any of such Person’s Organization Documents; (b) conflict with or result in any breach or contravention of, or the creation of any Lien under, or require any payment to be made under (i) any Contractual Obligation to which such Person is a party or affecting such Person or the properties of such Person or any of its Subsidiaries or (ii) any order, injunction, writ or decree of any Governmental Authority or any arbitral award to which such Person or its property is subject; or (c) violate any Law.

Section 5.03. Governmental Authorization; Other Consents. No approval, consent, exemption,authorization, or other action by, or notice to, or filing with, any Governmental Authority or any other Person is necessary or required in connection with (a) the execution, delivery or performance by, or enforcement against, any Loan Party of this Agreement or any other Loan Document, (b) the grant by any Loan Party of the Liens granted by it pursuant to the Collateral Documents, (c) the perfection or maintenance of the Liens created under the Collateral Documents (including the first priority nature thereof) or (d) the exercise by the Administrative Agent or any Lender of its rights under the Loan Documents or the remedies in respect of the Collateral pursuant to the Collateral Documents, other than (i) authorizations, approvals, actions, notices and filings which have been duly obtained prior to the Closing Date and (ii) filings to perfect the Liens created by the Collateral Documents.

-95-


 

Section 5.04. Binding Effect. This Agreement has been, and each other Loan Document, when delivered hereunder, will have been, duly executed and delivered by each Loan Party that is party thereto. This Agreement constitutes, and each other Loan Document when so delivered will constitute, a legal, valid and binding obligation of such Loan Party, enforceable against each Loan Party that is party thereto in accordance with its terms.

Section 5.05. Financial Statements; No Material Adverse Effect. (a) The Audited Financial Statements (i) were prepared in accordance with GAAP consistently applied throughout the period covered thereby, except as otherwise expressly noted therein; (ii) fairly present the financial condition of the Domestic Borrower and its Subsidiaries as of the date thereof and their results of operations for the period covered thereby in accordance with GAAP consistently applied throughout the period covered thereby, except as otherwise expressly noted therein; and (iii) show all material indebtedness and other liabilities, direct or contingent, of the Domestic Borrower and its Subsidiaries as of the date thereof, including liabilities for taxes, material commitments and Indebtedness.

(b)
The unaudited consolidated and consolidating balance sheets of the Domestic Borrower and its Subsidiaries dated March 31, 2023, and the related consolidated and consolidating statements of income or operations, shareholders’ equity and cash flows for the fiscal quarter ended on that date (i) were prepared in accordance with GAAP consistently applied throughout the period covered thereby, except as otherwise expressly noted therein, and (ii) fairly present the financial condition of the Domestic Borrower and its Subsidiaries as of the date thereof and their results of operations for the period covered thereby, subject, in the case of clauses (i) and (ii), to the absence of footnotes and to normal year-end audit adjustments.
(c)
Since the date of the Audited Financial Statements, there has been no event or circumstance, either individually or in the aggregate, that has had or could reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect.
(d)
The consolidated and consolidating forecasted balance sheets, statements of income and cash flows of the Domestic Borrower and its Subsidiaries delivered pursuant to Section 4.01 or Section 6.01(c) were prepared in good faith on the basis of the assumptions stated therein, which assumptions were fair in light of the conditions existing at the time of delivery of such forecasts, and represented, at the time of delivery, the Domestic Borrower’s best estimate of its future financial condition and performance.

Section 5.06. Litigation. There are no actions, suits, proceedings, claims or disputes pending or, to the knowledge of the Domestic Borrower after due and diligent investigation, threatened or contemplated, at law, in equity, in arbitration or before any Governmental Authority, by or against the Domestic Borrower or any of its Subsidiaries or against any of their properties or revenues that (a) purport to affect or pertain to this Agreement, any other Loan Document or any of the transactions contemplated hereby, or (b) either individually or in the aggregate, if determined adversely, could reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect.

Section 5.07. No Default. Neither any Loan Party nor any Subsidiary thereof is in default under, or with respect to, any Contractual Obligation that could, either individually or in the aggregate, reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect. No Default has occurred and is continuing or would result from the consummation of the transactions contemplated by this Agreement or any other Loan Document.

-96-


 

Section 5.08. Ownership of Property; Liens; Investments. (a) Each Loan Party and each Subsidiary thereof has good record and marketable title in fee simple to, or valid leasehold interests in, all real property necessary or used in the ordinary conduct of its business, except for such defects in title as could not, individually or in the aggregate, reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect.

(b)
The property of each Loan Party and each of its Subsidiaries is subject to no Liens, other than Liens permitted by Section 7.01 and as set forth on Schedule 5.08(b) (subject to Section 10 of the Amendment No. 1).
(c)
Subject to Section 10 of the Amendment No. 1, Schedule 5.08(c) sets forth a complete and accurate list of all real property owned by each Loan Party and each of its Subsidiaries, showing as of the date hereof the street address, county or other relevant jurisdiction, state, record owner and book value thereof, and identifying whether such real property is Material Real Property. Each Loan Party and each of its Subsidiaries has good, marketable and insurable fee simple title to the real property owned by such Loan Party or such Subsidiary, free and clear of all Liens, other than Liens created or permitted by the Loan Documents.
(d)
Subject to Section 10 of the Amendment No. 1, Schedule 5.08(d)(i) sets forth a complete and accurate list of all leases of real property under which any Loan Party or any Subsidiary of a Loan Party is the lessee, showing as of the date hereof the street address, county or other relevant jurisdiction, state, lessor, lessee, expiration date and annual rental cost thereof. Each lease is the legal, valid and binding obligation of the lessor thereof, enforceable in accordance with its terms except to the extent that failure of such lease to be so enforceable would not, or could not reasonably be expected to, result in a Material Adverse Effect. Subject to Section 10 of the Amendment No. 1, Schedule 5.08(d)(ii) sets forth a complete and accurate list of all leases of real property under which any Loan Party or any Subsidiary of a Loan Party is the lessor, showing as of the date hereof the street address, county or other relevant jurisdiction, state, lessor, lessee, expiration date and annual rental cost thereof. Each lease is the legal, valid and binding obligation of the lessee thereof, enforceable in accordance with its terms except to the extent that failure of such lease to be so enforceable would not, or could not reasonably be expected to, result in a Material Adverse Effect.
(e)
Subject to Section 10 of the Amendment No. 1, Schedule 5.08(e) sets forth a complete and accurate list of all Investments held by any Loan Party or any Subsidiary of a Loan Party on the date hereof, showing as of the date hereof the amount, obligor or issuer and maturity, if any, thereof.

Section 5.09. Environmental Compliance. (a) The Loan Parties and their respective Subsidiaries conduct in the ordinary course of business a review of the effect of existing Environmental Laws and claims alleging potential liability or responsibility for violation of any Environmental Law on their respective businesses, operations and properties, and as a result thereof each Borrower has reasonably concluded that such Environmental Laws and claims could not, individually or in the aggregate, reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect. Except as otherwise set forth in Schedule 5.09, none of the properties currently or formerly owned or operated by any Loan Party or any of its Subsidiaries is listed or proposed for listing on the NPL or on the CERCLIS or any analogous foreign, state or local list or is adjacent to any such property; there are no and never have been any underground or above-ground storage tanks or any surface impoundments, septic tanks, pits, sumps or lagoons in which Hazardous Materials are being or have been treated, stored or disposed on any property currently owned or operated by any Loan Party or any of its Subsidiaries or, to the best of the knowledge of the Loan Parties, on any property formerly owned or operated by any Loan Party or any of its Subsidiaries; there is no asbestos or asbestos-containing material on any property currently owned or operated by any Loan Party or any of its Subsidiaries; and Hazardous Materials

-97-


 

have not been released, discharged or disposed of on any property currently or formerly owned or operated by any Loan Party or any of its Subsidiaries.

(c)
Neither any Loan Party nor any of its Subsidiaries is undertaking, and has not completed, either individually or together with other potentially responsible parties, any investigation or assessment or remedial or response action relating to any actual or threatened release, discharge or disposal of Hazardous Materials at any site, location or operation, either voluntarily or pursuant to the order of any Governmental Authority or the requirements of any Environmental Law; and all Hazardous Materials generated, used, treated, handled or stored at, or transported to or from, any property currently or formerly owned or operated by any Loan Party or any of its Subsidiaries have been disposed of in a manner not reasonably expected to result in material liability to any Loan Party or any of its Subsidiaries.

Section 5.10. Insurance. The properties of the Domestic Borrower and its Subsidiaries are insured with financially sound and reputable insurance companies not Affiliates of the Domestic Borrower or its Subsidiaries, in such amounts, with such deductibles and covering such risks as are customarily carried by companies engaged in similar businesses and owning similar properties in localities where any Borrower or the applicable Subsidiary operates. The general liability, casualty, property, terrorism and business interruption insurance coverage of the Loan Parties as in effect on the Closing Date, and as of the last date such Schedule was required to be updated in accordance with Sections 6.02 and 6.13, is outlined as to carrier, policy number, expiration date, type, amount and deductibles on Schedule 5.10 (subject to Section 10 of the Amendment No. 1) and such insurance coverage complies with the requirements set forth in this Agreement and the other Loan Documents.

Section 5.11. Taxes. (a) The Domestic Borrower and its Subsidiaries have filed all Federal, state and other material tax returns and reports required to be filed, and have paid all Federal, state and other material taxes, assessments, fees and other governmental charges levied or imposed upon them or their properties, income or assets otherwise due and payable, except those which are being contested in good faith by appropriate proceedings diligently conducted and for which adequate reserves have been provided in accordance with GAAP. There is no proposed tax assessment against the Domestic Borrower or any Subsidiary that would, if made, have a Material Adverse Effect. Neither any Loan Party nor any Subsidiary thereof is party to any tax sharing agreement.

(b)
There is no tax, levy, impost, duty, fee, assessment or other governmental charge, or any deduction or withholding, imposed by any Governmental Authority in or of the jurisdiction in which the Foreign Borrower is organized and existing either (i) on or by virtue of the execution or delivery of any Loan Documents or (ii) on any payment to be made by or on account of the Foreign Borrower pursuant to any Loan Documents.
(c)
The Foreign Borrower is resident for Tax purposes only in the United Kingdom.

Section 5.12. ERISA Compliance. (a) Each Plan is in compliance in all material respects with the applicable provisions of ERISA, the Code and other Federal or state laws. Each Pension Plan that is intended to be a qualified plan under Section 401(a) of the Code has received a favorable determination letter from the Internal Revenue Service to the effect that the form of such Plan is qualified under Section 401(a) of the Code and the trust related thereto has been determined by the Internal Revenue Service to be exempt from federal income tax under Section 501(a) of the Code, or an application for such a letter is currently being processed by the Internal Revenue Service. To the best knowledge of the Domestic Borrower, nothing has occurred that would prevent or cause the loss of such tax-qualified status.

-98-


 

(b)
There are no pending or, to the best knowledge of the Domestic Borrower, threatened claims, actions or lawsuits, or action by any Governmental Authority, with respect to any Plan or Multiemployer Plan that could reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect. There has been no prohibited transaction or violation of the fiduciary responsibility rules with respect to any Plan that has resulted or could reasonably be expected to result in a Material Adverse Effect.
(c)
(i) No ERISA Event has occurred, and neither the Domestic Borrower nor any ERISA Affiliate is aware of any fact, event or circumstance that could reasonably be expected to constitute or result in an ERISA Event; (ii) the Domestic Borrower and each ERISA Affiliate has met all applicable requirements under the Pension Funding Rules in respect of each Pension Plan, and no waiver of the minimum funding standards under the Pension Funding Rules has been applied for or obtained; (iii) as of the most recent valuation date for any Pension Plan, the funding target attainment percentage (as defined in Section 430(d)(2) of the Code) is 60% or higher and neither the Domestic Borrower nor any ERISA Affiliate knows of any facts or circumstances that could reasonably be expected to cause the funding target attainment percentage for any such plan to drop below 60% as of the most recent valuation date; (iv) neither the Domestic Borrower nor any ERISA Affiliate has incurred any liability to the PBGC other than for the payment of premiums, and there are no premium payments which have become due that are unpaid; (v) neither the Domestic Borrower nor any ERISA Affiliate has engaged in a transaction that could be subject to Section 4069 or Section 4212(c) of ERISA; and (vi) no Pension Plan or Multiemployer Plan has been terminated by the plan administrator thereof nor by the PBGC, and no event or circumstance has occurred or exists that could reasonably be expected to cause the PBGC to institute proceedings under Title IV of ERISA to terminate any Pension Plan or Multiemployer Plan.
(d)
Schedule 5.12(d) hereto lists, as of the Closing Date, all Pension Plans, Foreign Pension Plans and Multiemployer Plans and, thereafter, as of each date on which such Schedule is updated pursuant to Section 6.02(i) (subject to Section 10 of the Amendment No. 1), any new Pension Plans, Foreign Pension Plans or Multiemployer Plans for which any Borrower, any Subsidiary or any ERISA Affiliate could have liability.
(e)
Except as, in the aggregate, could not reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect: (i) each Foreign Pension Plan is in compliance and in good standing (to the extent such concept exists in the relevant jurisdiction) with all laws, regulations and rules applicable thereto, including all funding requirements, and the respective requirements of the governing documents for such Foreign Pension Plan; (ii) with respect to each Foreign Pension Plan maintained or contributed to by any Loan Party or any Subsidiary thereof, (A) that is required by Applicable Law to be funded in a trust or other funding vehicle, the aggregate of the accumulated benefit obligations under such Foreign Pension Plan does not exceed to any material extent the current fair market value of the assets held in the trusts or similar funding vehicles for such Foreign Pension Plan and (B) that is not required by Applicable Law to be funded in a trust or other funding vehicle, reasonable reserves have been established in accordance with prudent business practice or where required by ordinary accounting practices in the jurisdiction in which such Foreign Pension Plan is maintained; (iii) there are no actions, suits or claims (other than routine claims for benefits) pending or, to the best knowledge of any Loan Party or any Subsidiary thereof, threatened against any Loan Party or any Subsidiary thereof with respect to any Foreign Pension Plan; (iv) all contributions (including, where applicable, “normal cost”, “special payments” and any other payment in respect of any funding deficiencies or shortfalls) required to have been made by any Loan Party or any Subsidiary thereof to any Foreign Pension Plan have been made within the time required by law or by the terms of such Foreign Pension Plan;(v) no defined benefit Foreign Pension Plan with respect to which any Loan Party or any Subsidiary thereof could have any liability has been terminated or wound-up in whole or in part and no actions or proceedings have been taken or instituted to terminate or wind-up in whole or in part such a defined benefit Foreign Pension Plan; and (vi) no circumstances exist or event has occurred that would reasonably be expected to provide any basis for a Governmental Authority

-99-


 

under Applicable Law to take steps to cause the termination or wind-up, in whole or in part, of any Foreign Pension Plan or the institution of proceedings by any Governmental Authority to terminate or wind-up, in whole or in part, any Foreign Pension Plan or to have a trustee or a replacement administrator appointed to administer any Foreign Pension Plan.
(f)
The Borrowers are not and will not be using “plan assets” (within the meaning of 29 CFR § 2510.3-101, as modified by Section 3(42) of ERISA, or otherwise) of one or more Benefit Plans with respect to the Borrowers’ entrance into, participation in, administration of and performance of the Loans, the Letters of Credit or the Commitments.

Section 5.13. Subsidiaries; Equity Interests; Loan Parties. As of the Closing Date and as of the last date such Schedule was required to be updated in accordance with Sections 6.02 and 6.12 (subject to Section 10 of the Amendment No. 1), the Domestic Borrower has no Subsidiaries other than those specifically disclosed in Part (a) of Schedule 5.13, and all of the outstanding Equity Interests in such Subsidiaries have been validly issued, are fully paid and non-assessable and are owned by the Subsidiary indicated on and in the amounts specified on Part (a) of Schedule 5.13 free and clear of all Liens except those created under the Collateral Documents and other non-consensual Permitted Liens (which non-consensual Permitted Liens shall not secure an aggregate amount in excess of the Threshold Amount). No Loan Party has equity investments in any other corporation or entity other than those specifically disclosed in Part (b) of Schedule 5.13. All of the outstanding Equity Interests in the Domestic Borrower have been validly issued, are fully paid and non-assessable. Set forth on Part (c) of Schedule 5.13 is a complete and accurate list of all Loan Parties, showing as of the Closing Date (as to each Loan Party) the jurisdiction of its incorporation, the address of its principal place of business and its U.S. taxpayer identification number or, in the case of any non-U.S. Loan Party that does not have a U.S. taxpayer identification number, its unique identification number issued to it by the jurisdiction of its incorporation.The copies of the Organization Documents of each Loan Party provided pursuant to Section 4.01(a)(iv) and (v) are true and correct copies of each of the respective documents, each of which is valid and in full force and effect.

Section 5.14. Margin Regulations; Investment Company Act. (a) Borrowers are not engaged, nor will they engage, principally or as one of their important activities, in the business of purchasing or carrying margin stock (within the meaning of Regulation U issued by the FRB), or extending credit for the purpose of purchasing or carrying margin stock. Following the application of the proceeds of each Borrowing or drawing under each Letter of Credit, not more than twenty-five percent (25%) of the value of the assets (either of the Domestic Borrower only or of the Domestic Borrower and its Subsidiaries on a consolidated basis) subject to the provisions of Section 7.01 or Section 7.05 or subject to any restriction contained in any agreement or instrument between a Borrower and any Lender or any Affiliate of any Lender relating to Indebtedness and within the scope of Section 8.01(e) will be margin stock.

(b)
None of the Borrowers, any Person Controlling the Borrowers, or any Subsidiary is or is required to be registered as an “investment company” under the Investment Company Act of 1940.

Section 5.15. Disclosure. The Borrowers have disclosed to the Administrative Agent and the Lenders all agreements, instruments and corporate or other restrictions to which any of them or any of their respective Subsidiaries is subject, and all other matters known to them, that, individually or in the aggregate, could reasonably be expected to result in a Material Adverse Effect. No report, financial statement, certificate or other information furnished (whether in writing or orally) by or on behalf of any Loan Party to the Administrative Agent or any Lender in connection with the transactions contemplated hereby and the negotiation of this Agreement or delivered hereunder or under any other Loan Document (in each case as modified or supplemented by other information so furnished) contains any material misstatement of fact or omits to state any material fact necessary to make the

-100-


 

statements therein, in the light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading; provided that, with respect to projected financial information, the Borrowers represent only that such information was prepared in good faith based upon assumptions believed to be reasonable at the time.

Section 5.16. Compliance with Laws. Each Loan Party and each Subsidiary thereof is in compliance in all material respects with the requirements of all Laws and all orders, writs, injunctions and decrees applicable to it or to its properties, except in such instances in which (a) such requirement of Law or order, writ, injunction or decree is being contested in good faith by appropriate proceedings diligently conducted or (b) the failure to comply therewith, either individually or in the aggregate, could not reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect.

Section 5.17. Intellectual Property; Licenses, Etc. The Domestic Borrower and each of its Subsidiaries own, or possess the right to use, all of the trademarks, service marks, trade names, copyrights, patents, patent rights, franchises, licenses and other intellectual property rights (collectively, “IP Rights”) that are reasonably necessary for the operation of their respective businesses, without conflict with the rights of any other Person. To the best knowledge of the Domestic Borrower, no slogan or other advertising device, product, process, method, substance, part or other material now employed, or now contemplated to be employed, by the Domestic Borrower or any of its Subsidiaries infringes upon any rights held by any other Person. Except as specifically disclosed in Schedule 5.17, no claim or litigation regarding any of the foregoing is pending or, to the best knowledge of the Borrowers, threatened, which, either individually or in the aggregate, could reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect.

Section 5.18. Sanctions Concerns and Anti-Corruption Laws.

(a)
Sanctions Concerns. No Loan Party, nor any Subsidiary, nor, to the knowledge of the Loan Parties and their Subsidiaries, any director, officer, employee, agent, affiliate or representative thereof, is an individual or entity that is, or is owned or controlled by one or more individuals or entities that are (i) currently the subject or target of any Sanctions, (ii) included on OFAC’s List of Specially Designated Nationals or HMT’s Consolidated List of Financial Sanctions Targets, or any similar list enforced by any other relevant sanctions authority or (iii) located, organized or resident in a Designated Jurisdiction. The Domestic Borrower and its Subsidiaries have conducted their businesses in compliance in all material respects with all applicable Sanctions and have instituted and maintained policies and procedures designed to promote and achieve compliance with such Sanctions.
(b)
Anti-Corruption Laws. The Loan Parties and their Subsidiaries have conducted their business in compliance in all material respects with the United States Foreign Corrupt Practices Act of 1977, the UK Bribery Act 2010 and other applicable anti-corruption legislation in other jurisdictions, and have instituted and maintained policies and procedures designed to promote and achieve compliance with such laws.

Section 5.19. Solvency. Each Loan Party is, individually and together with its Subsidiaries on a consolidated basis, Solvent.

-101-


 

Section 5.20. Labor Matters. There are no collective bargaining agreements or Multiemployer Plans covering the employees of the Domestic Borrower or any of its Subsidiaries as of the Closing Date and neither the Domestic Borrower nor any Subsidiary has suffered any strikes, walkouts, work stoppages or other material labor difficulty within the last five years.

Section 5.21. Collateral Documents. The provisions of the Collateral Documents are effective to create in favor of the Administrative Agent for the benefit of the Secured Parties a legal, valid and enforceable first priority Lien (subject to Permitted Liens) on all right, title and interest of the respective Loan Parties in the Collateral described therein. Except for filings completed prior to the Closing Date and as contemplated hereby and by the Collateral Documents, no filing or other action will be necessary to perfect or protect such Liens.

Section 5.22. European Insolvency Regulation. Each of the Foreign Borrower and Diodes Zetex Limited are incorporated in a jurisdiction where Regulation (EU) No 2015/848 of the European Parliament and of the Council on insolvency proceedings of 20 May 2015, as it forms part of retained EU law as defined in the European Union (Withdrawal) Act 2018 as amended from time to time (the “Insolvency Regulation”) applies, its center of main interest (as that term is used in section 3(1) of the Insolvency Regulation) is situated in its jurisdiction of incorporation, and it has no establishment (as defined in section 2(10) of the Insolvency Regulation) in any other jurisdiction.

Section 5.23. Beneficial Ownership Certificate. The information included in the Beneficial Ownership Certification most recently provided to each Lender, if applicable, is true and correct in all respects.

Section 5.24. [Reserved].

Section 5.25. Representations as to Foreign Loan Parties. Each of the Domestic Borrower and each Foreign Loan Party represents and warrants to the Administrative Agent and the Lenders that:

(a)
Such Foreign Loan Party is subject to civil and commercial Laws with respect to its obligations under this Agreement and the other Loan Documents to which it is a party (collectively as to such Foreign Loan Party, the “Applicable Foreign Loan Party Documents”), and the execution, delivery and performance by such Foreign Loan Party of the Applicable Foreign Loan Party Documents constitute and will constitute private and commercial acts and not public or governmental acts. Neither such Foreign Loan Party nor any of its property has any immunity from jurisdiction of any court or from any legal process (whether through service or notice, attachment prior to judgment, attachment in aid of execution, execution or otherwise) under the laws of the jurisdiction in which such Foreign Loan Party is organized and existing in respect of its obligations under the Applicable Foreign Loan Party Documents;
(b)
The Applicable Foreign Loan Party Documents are in proper legal form under the Laws of the jurisdiction in which such Foreign Loan Party is organized and existing for the enforcement thereof against such Foreign Loan Party under the Laws of such jurisdiction, and to ensure the legality, validity, enforceability, priority or admissibility in evidence of the Applicable Foreign Loan Party Documents. It is not necessary to ensure the legality, validity, enforceability, priority or admissibility in evidence of the Applicable Foreign Loan Party Documents that the Applicable Foreign Loan Party Documents be filed, registered or recorded with, or executed or notarized before, any court or other authority in the jurisdiction in which such Foreign Loan Party is organized and existing or that any registration charge or stamp or similar tax be paid on or in respect of the Applicable Foreign Loan Party Documents or any other document, except for (i) any such filing, registration, recording, execution or notarization as has been made or will be made in accordance with the provisions of the relevant Foreign Security Agreements or is not required to

-102-


 

be made until the Applicable Foreign Loan Party Document or any other document is sought to be enforced and (ii) any charge or tax as has been timely paid.
(c)
There is no tax, levy, impost, duty, fee, assessment or other governmental charge, or any deduction or withholding, imposed by any Governmental Authority in or of the jurisdiction in which such Foreign Loan Party is organized and existing either (i) on or by virtue of the execution or delivery of the Applicable Foreign Loan Party Documents or (ii) on any payment to be made by such Foreign Loan Party pursuant to the Applicable Foreign Loan Party Documents, except as has been disclosed to the Administrative Agent. It is not required under the Laws of the jurisdiction in which the Foreign Borrower is incorporated or resident or at the address specified for the Foreign Borrower on Schedule 11.02 to make any deduction for or on account of Tax from any payment it may make under any Loan Documents.
(d)
The execution, delivery and performance of the Applicable Foreign Loan Party Documents executed by such Foreign Loan Party are, under applicable foreign exchange control regulations of the jurisdiction in which such Foreign Loan Party is organized and existing, not subject to any notification or authorization except (i) such as have been made or obtained or (ii) such as cannot be made or obtained until a later date (provided that any notification or authorization described in clause (ii) shall be made or obtained as soon as is reasonably practicable).
(e)
The choice of the law of the State of New York as the governing law of the Loan Documents will be recognized and enforced in the Foreign Borrower’s jurisdiction of incorporation and any judgment obtained in New York in relation to a Loan Document will be recognized and enforced in the Foreign Borrower’s jurisdiction of incorporation.
(f)
Under the Laws of the jurisdiction in which the Foreign Borrower is incorporated it is not necessary that the Loan Documents be filed, recorded or enrolled with any court or other authority in that jurisdiction or that any stamp, registration or similar tax be paid on or in relation to the Loan Documents or the transactions contemplated by the Loan Documents.

Section 5.26. Covered Entities. No Loan Party is a Covered Entity.

Section 5.27. Outbound Investment Rules. None of the Borrowers nor any of their respective Subsidiaries is a “covered foreign person” as that term is used in the Outbound Investment Rules. None of the Borrowers nor any of their respective Subsidiaries currently engages, or has any present intention to engage in the future, directly or indirectly, in (i) a “covered activity” or a “covered transaction”, as each such term is defined in the Outbound Investment Rules, (ii) any activity or transaction that would constitute a “covered activity” or a “covered transaction”, as each such term is defined in the Outbound Investment Rules, if such Person were a United States Person, or (iii) any other activity that would cause the Administrative Agent or the Lenders to be in violation of the Outbound Investment Rules or cause the Administrative Agent or the Lenders to be legally prohibited by the Outbound Investment Rules from performing under this Agreement.

-103-


 

ARTICLE VI

AFFIRMATIVE COVENANTS

Each of the Loan Parties hereby covenants and agrees that on the Closing Date and thereafter until the Facility Termination Date, each Borrower shall, and shall (except in the case of the covenants set forth in Sections 6.01, 6.02, 6.03 and 6.11) cause each Subsidiary to:

Section 6.01. Financial Statements. Deliver to the Administrative Agent and each Lender, in form and detail satisfactory to the Administrative Agent and the Required Lenders:

(a)
as soon as available, but in any event within 90 days after the end of each fiscal year of the Domestic Borrower, a consolidated and consolidating balance sheet of the Domestic Borrower and its Subsidiaries as at the end of such fiscal year, and the related consolidated and consolidating statements of income or operations, changes in shareholders’ equity, and cash flows for such fiscal year, setting forth in each case in comparative form the figures for the previous fiscal year, all in reasonable detail and prepared in accordance with GAAP, such consolidated statements to be audited and accompanied by a report and opinion of an independent certified public accountant of nationally recognized standing reasonably acceptable to the Required Lenders, which report and opinion shall be prepared in accordance with generally accepted auditing standards and shall not be subject to any “going concern” or like qualification or exception or any qualification or exception as to the scope of such audit (other than with respect to, or resulting from, an upcoming maturity date of any indebtedness for borrowed money);
(b)
as soon as available, but in any event within 45 days after the end of each of the first three fiscal quarters of each fiscal year of the Domestic Borrower, a consolidated and consolidating balance sheet of the Domestic Borrower and its Subsidiaries as at the end of such fiscal quarter, the related consolidated and consolidating statements of income or operations for such fiscal quarter and for the portion of the Domestic Borrower’s fiscal year then ended, and the related consolidated and consolidating statements of changes in shareholders’ equity, and cash flows for the portion of the Domestic Borrower’s fiscal year then ended, in each case setting forth in comparative form, as applicable, the figures for the corresponding fiscal quarter of the previous fiscal year and the corresponding portion of the previous fiscal year, all in reasonable detail, such consolidated statements to be certified by the chief executive officer, chief financial officer, treasurer or controller of the Domestic Borrower as fairly presenting the financial condition, results of operations, shareholders’ equity and cash flows of the Domestic Borrower and its Subsidiaries in accordance with GAAP, subject only to normal year-end audit adjustments and the absence of footnotes and such consolidating statements to be certified by the chief executive officer, chief financial officer, treasurer or controller of the Domestic Borrower to the effect that such statements are fairly stated in all material respects when considered in relation to the consolidated financial statements of the Domestic Borrower and its Subsidiaries; and
(c)
as soon as available, but in any event at least 45 days before the end of each fiscal year of the Domestic Borrower, an annual business plan and budget of the Domestic Borrower and its Subsidiaries on a consolidated basis, including forecasts prepared by management of the Domestic Borrower, in form satisfactory to the Administrative Agent and the Required Lenders, of consolidated balance sheets and statements of income or operations and cash flows of the Domestic Borrower and its Subsidiaries on a quarterly basis for the immediately following fiscal year.

-104-


 

Section 6.02. Certificates; Other Information. Deliver to the Administrative Agent and each Lender, in form and detail satisfactory to the Administrative Agent and the Required Lenders:

(a)
concurrently with the delivery of the financial statements referred to in Sections 6.01(a) and (b), a duly completed Compliance Certificate signed by the chief executive officer, chief financial officer, treasurer or controller of the Domestic Borrower (which delivery may, unless Administrative Agent, or a Lender requests executed originals, be by electronic communication including fax or email and shall be deemed to be an original authentic counterpart thereof all purposes);
(b)
promptly after any request by the Administrative Agent or any Lender, copies of any detailed audit reports, management letters or recommendations submitted to the board of directors (or the audit committee of the board of directors) of the Domestic Borrower by independent accountants in connection with the accounts or books of the Domestic Borrower or any Subsidiary, or any audit of any of them;
(c)
promptly after the same are available, copies of each annual report, proxy or financial statement or other report or communication sent to the stockholders of the Domestic Borrower, and copies of all annual, regular, periodic and special reports and registration statements which the Domestic Borrower may file or be required to file with the SEC under Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, and not otherwise required to be delivered to the Administrative Agent pursuant hereto;
(d)
promptly after the furnishing thereof, copies of any statement or report furnished to any holder of debt securities of any Loan Party or any Subsidiary thereof pursuant to the terms of any indenture, loan or credit or similar agreement and not otherwise required to be furnished to the Lenders pursuant to Section 6.01 or any other clause of this Section 6.02;
(e)
promptly, and in any event within fifteen Business Days after receipt thereof by any Loan Party or any Subsidiary thereof, copies of each notice or other correspondence received from the SEC (or comparable agency in any applicable non-U.S. jurisdiction) concerning any investigation or possible investigation or other inquiry by such agency regarding financial or other operational results of any Loan Party or any Subsidiary thereof;
(f)
promptly, such additional information regarding any Foreign Pension Plans, as the Administrative Agent or any Lender may from time to time reasonably request;
(g)
promptly, such additional information regarding the business, financial or corporate affairs of any Loan Party or any Subsidiary thereof, or compliance with the terms of the Loan Documents, as the Administrative Agent or any Lender may from time to time reasonably request;
(h)
promptly after the assertion or occurrence thereof, notice of any action or proceeding against or of any noncompliance by any Loan Party or any of its Subsidiaries with any Environmental Law or Environmental Permit that could reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect;
(i)
as soon as available, but in any event within 30 days after the establishment thereof, a report supplementing Schedule 5.12(d) setting forth each new Pension Plan, Foreign Pension Plan or Multiemployer Plan for which any Borrower, any Subsidiary or any ERISA Affiliate could have liability as may be necessary for such Schedule to be accurate and complete, each such report to be signed by a Responsible Officer of the Domestic Borrower and to be in a form reasonably satisfactory to the Administrative Agent;

-105-


 

(j)
promptly following any request therefor, information and documentation reasonably requested by the Administrative Agent or any Lender for purposes of compliance with applicable “know your customer” and anti-money-laundering rules and regulations, including, without limitation, the Act;
(k)
not later than five (5) Business Days after receipt thereof by any Loan Party or any Subsidiary thereof, copies of all material notices, requests and other documents (including amendments, waivers and other modifications) so received under or pursuant to any Qualified Securitization Transaction, any Permitted Receivables Facility or any instrument, indenture, loan or credit or similar agreement and, from time to time upon request by the Administrative Agent,such information and reports regarding any Qualified Securitization Transaction, any Permitted Receivables Facility and such instruments, indentures and loan and credit and similar agreements as the Administrative Agent may reasonably request;
(l)
[reserved]; and
(m)
to the extent any Loan Party qualifies as a “legal entity customer” under the Beneficial Ownership Regulation, an updated Beneficial Ownership Certification promptly following any change in the information provided in the Beneficial Ownership Certification delivered to any Lender in relation to such Loan Party that would result in a change to the list of beneficial owners identified in such certification.

Documents required to be delivered pursuant to Section 6.01(a) or (b) or Section 6.02(c) (to the extent any such documents are included in materials otherwise filed with the SEC) may be delivered electronically and if so delivered, shall be deemed to have been delivered on the date (i) on which the Domestic Borrower posts such documents, or provides a link thereto on the Domestic Borrower’s website on the Internet at the website address listed on Schedule 11.02; or (ii) on which such documents are posted on the Domestic Borrower’s behalf on an Internet or intranet website, if any, to which each Lender and the Administrative Agent have access (whether a commercial, third-party website or whether sponsored by the Administrative Agent); provided that: (A) the Domestic Borrower shall deliver paper copies of such documents to the Administrative Agent or any Lender upon its request to the Domestic Borrower to deliver such paper copies until a written request to cease delivering paper copies is given by the Administrative Agent or such Lender and (B) the Domestic Borrower shall notify the Administrative Agent and each Lender (by facsimile or electronic mail) of the posting of any such documents and provide to the Administrative Agent by electronic mail electronic versions (i.e., soft copies) of such documents. The Administrative Agent shall have no obligation to request the delivery of or to maintain paper copies of the documents referred to above, and in any event shall have no responsibility to monitor compliance by the Domestic Borrower with any such request by a Lender for delivery, and each Lender shall be solely responsible for requesting delivery to it or maintaining its copies of such documents.

Each Borrower hereby acknowledges that (a) the Administrative Agent and/or any Arranger may, but shall not be obligated to, make available to the Lenders and the L/C Issuers materials and/or information provided by or on behalf of the Borrowers hereunder (collectively, “Borrower Materials”) by posting the Borrower Materials on Debt Domain, IntraLinks, Syndtrak, ClearPar or a substantially similar electronic transmission system (the “Platform”) and (b) certain of the Lenders (each, a “Public Lender”) may have personnel who do not wish to receive material non-public information with respect to any of the Borrowers or their respective Affiliates, or the respective securities of any of the foregoing, and who may be engaged in investment and other market-related activities with respect to such Persons’ securities. Each Borrower hereby agrees that so long as such Borrower is the issuer of any outstanding debt or Equity Interests that are registered or issued pursuant to a private offering or is actively contemplating issuing any such securities it will use commercially reasonable efforts to identify that portion of the Borrower Materials that may be distributed to Public Lenders and that (w) all such Borrower Materials shall be clearly and conspicuously marked “PUBLIC” which, at a minimum, shall mean that the word “PUBLIC”

-106-


 

shall appear prominently on the first page thereof; (x) by marking Borrower Materials “PUBLIC,” such Borrower shall be deemed to have authorized the Administrative Agent, any Affiliate thereof, the Arrangers, the L/C Issuers and the Lenders to treat such Borrower Materials as not containing any material non-public information (although it may be sensitive or proprietary) with respect to such Borrower or its securities for purposes of United States Federal and state securities laws (provided that to the extent such Borrower Materials constitute Information, they shall be treated as set forth in Section 11.07); (y) all Borrower Materials marked “PUBLIC” are permitted to be made available through a portion of the Platform designated “Public Side Information;” and (z) the Administrative Agent and any Affiliate thereof and any Arranger shall be entitled to treat any Borrower Materials that are not marked “PUBLIC” as being suitable only for posting on a portion of the Platform not designated “Public Side Information.” Notwithstanding the foregoing, the Borrowers shall be under no obligation to mark any Borrower Materials “PUBLIC.”

Section 6.03. Notices. Promptly notify the Administrative Agent and each Lender:

(a)
of the occurrence of any Default;
(b)
of any matter that has resulted or could reasonably be expected to result in a Material Adverse Effect, including (i) breach or non-performance of, or any default under, a Contractual Obligation of the Domestic Borrower or any Subsidiary; (ii) any dispute, litigation, investigation, proceeding or suspension between the Domestic Borrower or any Subsidiary and any Governmental Authority; or (iii) the commencement of, or any material development in, any litigation or proceeding affecting the Domestic Borrower or any Subsidiary, including pursuant to any applicable Environmental Laws;
(c)
of the occurrence of any ERISA Event; and
(d)
of any material change in accounting policies or financial reporting practices by the Domestic Borrower or any Subsidiary, including any determination by the Domestic Borrower referred to in Section 2.10(b).

Each notice pursuant to this Section 6.03 shall be accompanied by a statement of a Responsible Officer of the Domestic Borrower setting forth details of the occurrence referred to therein and stating what action the Domestic Borrower has taken and proposes to take with respect thereto. Each notice pursuant to Section 6.03(a) shall describe with particularity any and all provisions of this Agreement and any other Loan Document that have been breached.

Section 6.04. Payment of Obligations. Pay and discharge as the same shall become due and payable, all its obligations and liabilities, including (a) all tax liabilities, assessments and governmental charges or levies upon it or its properties or assets, unless the same are being contested in good faith by appropriate proceedings diligently conducted and adequate reserves in accordance with GAAP are being maintained by the applicable Borrower or such Subsidiary; (b) all lawful claims which, if unpaid, would by law become a Lien upon its property; and (c) all Indebtedness, as and when due and payable, but subject to any subordination provisions contained in any instrument or agreement evidencing such Indebtedness.

-107-


 

Section 6.05. Preservation of Existence, Etc. (a) Preserve, renew and maintain in full force and effect its legal existence and good standing under the Laws of the jurisdiction of its organization except in a transaction permitted by Section 7.04 or 7.05; (b) take all reasonable action to maintain all rights, privileges, permits, licenses and franchises necessary or desirable in the normal conduct of its business, except to the extent that failure to do so could not reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect;and (c) preserve or renew all of its registered patents, trademarks, trade names and service marks, the non-preservation of which could reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect.

Section 6.06. Maintenance of Properties. (a) Maintain, preserve and protect all of its material properties and equipment necessary in the operation of its business in good working order and condition, ordinary wear and tear excepted; and (b) make all necessary repairs thereto and renewals and replacements thereof except where the failure to do so could not reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect.

Section 6.07. Maintenance of Insurance. Maintain with financially sound and reputable insurance companies not Affiliates of the Domestic Borrower, insurance with respect to its properties and business against loss or damage of the kinds customarily insured against by Persons engaged in the same or similar business, of such types and in such amounts as are customarily carried under similar circumstances by such other Persons and providing for not less than 30 days’ prior notice to the Administrative Agent of termination, lapse or cancellation of such insurance.

Section 6.08. Compliance with Laws. Comply in all material respects with the requirements of all Laws and all orders, writs, injunctions and decrees applicable to it or to its business or property, except in such instances in which (a) such requirement of Law or order, writ, injunction or decree is being contested in good faith by appropriate proceedings diligently conducted; or (b) the failure to comply therewith could not reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect.

Section 6.09. Books and Records. (a) Maintain proper books of record and account, in which full, true and correct entries in conformity with GAAP consistently applied shall be made of all financial transactions and matters involving the assets and business of the Domestic Borrower or such Subsidiary, as the case may be; and (b) maintain such books of record and account in material conformity with all applicable requirements of any Governmental Authority having regulatory jurisdiction over the Domestic Borrower or such Subsidiary, as the case may be.

Section 6.10. Inspection Rights. Permit representatives and independent contractors of the Administrative Agent (on behalf of itself and the Lenders) to visit and inspect any of its properties, to examine its corporate, financial and operating records, and make copies thereof or abstracts therefrom, and to discuss its affairs, finances and accounts with its directors, officers, and independent public accountants, all at the expense of the Borrowers and at such reasonable times during normal business hours (not more than twice per calendar year in the aggregate for all such visits and inspections), upon reasonable advance notice to the Domestic Borrower; provided that when an Event of Default exists the Administrative Agent or any Lender (or any of their respective representatives or independent contractors) may do any of the foregoing at the expense of the Domestic Borrower as often as may be reasonably desired at any time during normal business hours and without advance notice.

Section 6.11. Use of Proceeds. Use the proceeds of the Credit Extensions (i) to refinance all outstanding Indebtedness under the Existing Credit Agreement, (ii) for working capital, (iii) for capital expenditures, and (iv) for general corporate purposes not in contravention of any Law or of any Loan Document, including, without limitation, financing permitted acquisitions.

-108-


 

Section 6.12. Covenant to Guarantee Obligations and Give Security.

(a)
Additional Domestic Subsidiaries. Notify the Administrative Agent of the creation or acquisition of any Domestic Subsidiary (including, without limitation, upon the formation of any Domestic Subsidiary that is a Divided LLC) and promptly thereafter (and in any event within thirty (30) days after such creation or acquisition or such later time as may be determined by the Administrative Agent in its sole discretion), other than with respect to an Excluded Subsidiary or an Excluded Securitization Subsidiary, cause such Domestic Subsidiary, and cause each direct and indirect parent of such Domestic Subsidiary (if it has not already done so), to (i) become a Global Guarantor by delivering to the Administrative Agent a duly executed joinder agreement or such other document as the Administrative Agent shall deem appropriate for such purpose, (ii) grant a security interest in all Collateral (subject to the exceptions specified in the Collateral Agreement) owned by such Subsidiary by delivering to the Administrative Agent a duly executed supplement to each Collateral Document or such other document as the Administrative Agent shall deem appropriate for such purpose and comply with the terms of each Collateral Document, (iii) deliver to the Administrative Agent such documents and certificates referred to in Section 4.01 as may be reasonably requested by the Administrative Agent, (iv) deliver to the Administrative Agent such original certificates representing the Pledged Equity or other certificates of such Person accompanied by undated irrevocable stock powers executed in blank, (v) deliver to the Administrative Agent such updated Schedules to the Loan Documents as requested by the Administrative Agent with respect to such Person, and (vi) deliver to the Administrative Agent such other documents as may be reasonably requested by the Administrative Agent, all in form, content and scope reasonably satisfactory to the Administrative Agent.
(b)
Notify the Administrative Agent at the time that any Person becomes a First-Tier Foreign Subsidiary of any Domestic Loan Party, and at the request of the Administrative Agent, promptly thereafter (and in any event within forty-five (45) days after such request or such later time as may be determined by the Administrative Agent in its sole discretion), cause (i) the applicable Domestic Loan Party to deliver to the Administrative Agent Collateral Documents pledging (A) one hundred percent (100%) of the total outstanding non-voting capital stock of such new Foreign Subsidiary to secure the Obligations, (B) one hundred percent (100%) of the total outstanding voting stock of such new Foreign Subsidiary to secure the Foreign Obligations and (C) (1) if the Domestic Loan Party holds more than 65% of the total Voting Stock of such new Foreign Subsidiary, then up to 65% of the total voting stock thereof to secure the Obligations (to the extent the pledge of a greater percentage would result in adverse tax consequences to the Domestic Borrower) or (2) if the Domestic Loan Party holds less than 65% of the total Voting Stock of such new Foreign Subsidiary, the aggregate of all such voting stock thereof owned or held by the Domestic Loan Party to secure the Obligations, and a consent thereto executed by such new Foreign Subsidiary (including, without limitation, if applicable, original stock certificates (or the equivalent thereof pursuant to the applicable Laws and practices of any relevant foreign jurisdiction) evidencing such capital stock of such new Foreign Subsidiary as is being pledged, together with an appropriate undated stock power for each certificate duly executed in blank by the registered owner thereof), (ii) such Person to deliver to the Administrative Agent such documents and certificates as may be reasonably requested by the Administrative Agent, (iii) the applicable Domestic Loan Party to deliver to the Administrative Agent such updated Schedules to the Loan Documents as reasonably requested by the Administrative Agent with regard to such Person and (iv) such Person to deliver to the Administrative Agent such other documents as may be reasonably requested by the Administrative Agent, all in form, content and scope satisfactory to the Administrative Agent.

-109-


 

(c)
Cost. Notwithstanding the foregoing, the provisions of this Section 6.12 shall not apply to assets as to which the Administrative Agent and the Domestic Borrower shall reasonably determine that the costs and burdens of obtaining a security interest therein or perfection thereof outweigh the value of the security afforded thereby.

Section 6.13. Compliance with Environmental Laws. Comply, and cause all lessees and other Persons operating or occupying its properties to comply, in all material respects, with all applicable Environmental Laws and Environmental Permits; obtain and renew all Environmental Permits necessary for its operations and properties; and conduct any investigation, study, sampling and testing, and undertake any cleanup, removal, remedial or other action necessary to remove and clean up all Hazardous Materials from any of its properties, in accordance with the requirements of all Environmental Laws; provided, however, that neither the Domestic Borrower nor any of its Subsidiaries shall be required to undertake any such cleanup, removal, remedial or other action to the extent that its obligation to do so is being contested in good faith and by proper proceedings and appropriate reserves are being maintained with respect to such circumstances in accordance with GAAP.

Section 6.14. Further Assurances. Promptly upon request by the Administrative Agent, or any Lender through the Administrative Agent, (a) correct any material defect or error that may be discovered in any Loan Document or in the execution, acknowledgment, filing or recordation thereof, and (b) do, execute, acknowledge, deliver, record, re-record, file, re-file, register and re-register any and all such further acts, deeds, certificates, assurances and other instruments as the Administrative Agent, or any Lender through the Administrative Agent, may reasonably require from time to time in order to (i) carry out more effectively the purposes of the Loan Documents, (ii) to the fullest extent permitted by Applicable Law and consistent with the terms of this Agreement and the other Loan Documents, subject any Loan Party’s or any of its Subsidiaries’ properties, assets, rights or interests to the Liens now or hereafter intended to be covered by any of the Collateral Documents, (iii) perfect and maintain the validity, effectiveness and priority of any of the Collateral Documents and any of the Liens intended to be created thereunder and (iv) assure, convey, grant, assign, transfer, preserve, protect and confirm more effectively unto the Secured Parties the rights granted or now or hereafter intended to be granted to the Secured Parties under any Loan Document or under any other instrument executed in connection with any Loan Document to which any Loan Party or any of its Subsidiaries is or is to be a party, and cause each of its Subsidiaries to do so.

Section 6.15. Material Contracts. Perform and observe all the terms and provisions of each Material Contract to be performed or observed by it, maintain each such Material Contract in full force and effect, enforce each such Material Contract in accordance with its terms, take all such action to such end as may be from time to time requested by the Administrative Agent and, upon request of the Administrative Agent, make to each other party to each such Material Contract such demands and requests for information and reports or for action as any Loan Party or any of its Subsidiaries is entitled to make under such Material Contract, and cause each of its Subsidiaries to do so, except, in any case, where the failure to do so, either individually or in the aggregate, could not reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect.

Section 6.16. Post-Closing Matters. Execute and deliver the documents and complete the tasks set forth on Schedule 6.16, in each case within the time limits specified on such schedule.

Section 6.17. Anti-Corruption Laws. Conduct its business in compliance in all material respects with the United States Foreign Corrupt Practices Act of 1977, the UK Bribery Act 2010 and other applicable anti-corruption legislation in other jurisdictions and with all applicable Sanctions, and maintain policies and procedures designed to promote and achieve compliance with such laws and Sanctions.

-110-


 

ARTICLE VII

NEGATIVE COVENANTS

Each of the Loan Parties hereby covenants and agrees that on the Closing Date and thereafter until the Facility Termination Date, the Borrowers shall not, nor shall they permit any Subsidiary to, directly or indirectly:

Section 7.01. Liens. Create, incur, assume or suffer to exist any Lien upon any of its property, assets or revenues, whether now owned or hereafter acquired, or sign or file or otherwise authorize the filing under the Uniform Commercial Code of any jurisdiction a financing statement that names the Domestic Borrower or any of its Subsidiaries as debtor, or assign any accounts or other right to receive income, other than the following (the “Permitted Liens”):

(a)
Liens pursuant to any Loan Document;
(b)
Liens securing the Additional Secured Obligations;
(c)
Liens existing on the date hereof and listed on Schedule 5.08(b) and any renewals or extensions thereof; provided that (i) the property covered thereby is not changed, (ii) the amount secured or benefited thereby is not increased except as contemplated by Section 7.02(d), (iii) the direct or any contingent obligor with respect thereto is not changed, and (iv) any renewal or extension of the obligations secured or benefited thereby is permitted by Section 7.02(d);
(d)
Liens for taxes not yet due or which are being contested in good faith and by appropriate proceedings diligently conducted, if adequate reserves with respect thereto are maintained on the books of the applicable Person in accordance with GAAP;
(e)
carriers’, warehousemen’s, mechanics’, materialmen’s, repairmen’s or other like Liens arising in the ordinary course of business which are not overdue for a period of more than 30 days or which are being contested in good faith and by appropriate proceedings diligently conducted, if adequate reserves with respect thereto are maintained on the books of the applicable Person;
(f)
pledges or deposits in the ordinary course of business in connection with workers’ compensation, unemployment insurance and other social security legislation, other than any Lien imposed by ERISA;
(g)
deposits to secure the performance of bids, trade contracts and leases (other than Indebtedness), statutory obligations, surety and appeal bonds, performance bonds and other obligations of a like nature incurred in the ordinary course of business;
(h)
easements, rights-of-way, restrictions and other similar encumbrances affecting real property which, in the aggregate, are not substantial in amount, and which do not in any case materially detract from the value of the property subject thereto or materially interfere with the ordinary conduct of the business of the applicable Person;
(i)
Liens securing judgments for the payment of money not constituting an Event of Default under Section 8.01(h);

-111-


 

(j)
Liens securing Indebtedness permitted under Section 7.02(f); provided that (i) such Liens do not at any time encumber any property other than the property financed by such Indebtedness and (ii) the Indebtedness secured thereby does not exceed the cost or fair market value, whichever is lower, of the property being acquired on the date of acquisition;
(k)
[reserved];
(l)
Liens arising under the Diodes Zetex Pension Scheme Legal Charge;
(m)
Liens arising in connection with Indebtedness permitted under Section 7.02(h); provided that such Liens do not at any time encumber any property other than the property financed by such Indebtedness;
(n)
Liens not otherwise permitted under this Section 7.01 securing Indebtedness outstanding in an aggregate principal amount not to exceed the greater of (x) $50,000,000 and (y) 20% of Consolidated EBITDA for the most recently ended Measurement Period for which financial statements have been delivered pursuant to Section 6.01(a) or (b); provided that no Lien shall extend to or cover any Collateral or any Material Real Property;
(o)
Liens securing Indebtedness permitted under Section 7.03(c)(v); provided that such Liens do not at any time encumber any property other than the property of TF Semiconductor Solutions Inc.;
(p)
bankers’ Liens, rights of setoff and other similar Liens existing solely with respect to cash and Cash Equivalents on deposit in one or more accounts maintained by the Borrowers or any of their Subsidiaries with any Lender, in each case in the ordinary course of business in favor of the bank or banks with which such accounts are maintained, securing solely the customary amounts owing to such bank with respect to cash management and operating account arrangements; provided, that in no case shall any such Liens secure (either directly or indirectly) the repayment of any Indebtedness;
(q)
[reserved];
(r)
Liens with respect to those Securitization Assets and related rights and assets subject to purchase pursuant to any Qualified Securitization Transaction; and
(s)
Liens on accounts receivable of Diodes Taiwan SARL or any Subsidiary of the Domestic Borrower organized under the laws of a jurisdiction in Asia that has entered into a Permitted Receivables Facility securing factoring, sales, pledged assignments, transfers or other dispositions of such accounts receivable pursuant to a Permitted Receivables Facility entered into by Diodes Taiwan SARL or such Subsidiary, as applicable; and
(t)
Liens securing Indebtedness permitted under Section 7.02(m).

For purposes of compliance with this Section 7.01: (x) if any Lien meets the criteria set forth in more than one of clauses (a) through (s) of this Section 7.01 then the Borrowers may classify or reclassify such Lien in any manner that complies with this Section 7.01 and such Lien shall be treated as having been permitted pursuant to only one of the clauses of this Section 7.01; and (y) any obligation secured by a Lien meeting the criteria set forth in more than one of clauses (a) through (s) of this Section 7.01 may be divided and classified and reclassified among more than one of the clauses of this Section 7.01.

-112-


 

Section 7.02. Indebtedness. Create, incur, assume or suffer to exist any Indebtedness, except:

(a)
obligations (contingent or otherwise) existing or arising under any Swap Contract; provided that (i) such obligations are (or were) entered into by such Person in the ordinary course of business for the purpose of directly mitigating risks associated with fluctuations in interest rates or foreign exchange rates and (ii) such Swap Contract does not contain any provision exonerating the non-defaulting party from its obligation to make payments on outstanding transactions to the defaulting party;
(b)
Indebtedness under the Loan Documents;
(c)
Indebtedness among Borrowers and Loan Parties;
(d)
Indebtedness outstanding on the date hereof and listed on Schedule 7.02 and any refinancings, refundings, renewals or extensions thereof; provided that (i) the amount of such Indebtedness is not increased at the time of such refinancing, refunding, renewal or extension except by an amount equal to a reasonable premium or other reasonable amount paid, and fees and expenses reasonably incurred, in connection with such refinancing and by an amount equal to any existing commitments unutilized thereunder and (ii) the terms relating to principal amount, amortization, maturity, collateral (if any) and subordination (if any), and other material terms taken as a whole, of any such refinancing, refunding, renewing or extending Indebtedness, and of any agreement entered into and of any instrument issued in connection therewith, are no less favorable in any material respect to the Loan Parties or the Lenders than the terms of any agreement or instrument governing the Indebtedness being refinanced, refunded, renewed or extended and the interest rate applicable to any such refinancing, refunding, renewing or extending Indebtedness does not exceed the then applicable market interest rate;
(e)
(i) Guarantees of the Domestic Borrower or any Subsidiary in respect of Indebtedness of the Domestic Borrower or any wholly-owned Subsidiary thereof otherwise permitted under Sections 7.02(a), (d), (f), (g) or (k); provided that, solely in the case of clause (g), such Guarantee may only be provided to the extent such Indebtedness is unsecured and the provider of such Indebtedness is a Lender; and (ii) unsecured Guarantees of the Domestic Borrower in respect of Indebtedness incurred by any Excluded Securitization Subsidiary otherwise permitted under Section 7.02(q) and in respect of any Permitted Receivables Facility otherwise permitted under Section 7.02(r);
(f)
Indebtedness in respect of Capitalized Leases, Synthetic Lease Obligations and purchase money obligations for fixed or capital assets within the limitations set forth in Section 7.01(j); provided, however, that the aggregate amount of all such Indebtedness at any one time outstanding shall not exceed the greater of (x) $50,000,000 and (y) 20% of Consolidated EBITDA for the most recently ended Measurement Period for which financial statements have been delivered pursuant to Section 6.01(a) or (b);
(g)
Indebtedness of Subsidiaries (inclusive of the Indebtedness of such Subsidiaries set forth on Schedule 7.02) organized under the laws of a jurisdiction in Asia and of Diodes Taiwan SARL (including, without limitation, Diodes Taiwan S.A.R.L., Hsinchu Branch (Luxembourg)), in an aggregate amount not to exceed $150,000,000 at any time, all of which may be refinanced, amended or replaced from time to time; provided that the aggregate amount of such Indebtedness does not exceed the greater of (x) $150,000,000 and (y) 60% of Consolidated EBITDA for the most recently ended Measurement Period for which financial statements have been delivered pursuant to Section 6.01(a) or (b);

-113-


 

(h)
Indebtedness consisting of the deferred purchase price of equipment that shall be paid for within six months after delivery, subject to such equipment being qualified after delivery;
(i)
Indebtedness of Subsidiaries incurred by reason of Investments in such Subsidiaries permitted under Sections 7.03(c)(ii) (provided that any such Indebtedness made to any Loan Party by a Subsidiary that is not a Loan Party shall be subject to subordination provisions reasonably acceptable to the Administrative Agent which subordination provisions will permit the payment of regularly scheduled payments of interest and principal so long as no Default or Event of Default has occurred and is continuing), (iii), (iv), (v) and (vi) (“Intercompany Debt”);
(j)
Indebtedness arising under the Diodes Zetex Pension Scheme, including the Diodes Zetex Pension Scheme Guarantee;
(k)
Indebtedness incurred under or in connection with Secured Cash Management Agreements, Indebtedness arising from the endorsement of instruments or other payment items for deposit and Indebtedness in respect of netting services or overdraft protection or otherwise in connection with deposit accounts or securities accounts maintained with financial institutions, in each case, incurred in the ordinary course of business that are promptly repaid;
(l)
Guarantees of the Domestic Borrower or any other Loan Party in respect of the obligations of Subsidiaries of the Domestic Borrower to pay the deferred purchase price of property or services (regardless of whether such trade account payables constitute Indebtedness under clause (d) of the definition thereof in Section 1.01); provided that the aggregate amount of such trade account payables Guaranteed pursuant to this clause (l) shall not exceed the greater of (x) $100,000,000 and (y) 40% of Consolidated EBITDA for the most recently ended Measurement Period for which financial statements have been delivered pursuant to Section 6.01(a) or (b), in the aggregate outstanding at any time;
(m)
other Indebtedness of the Loan Parties; provided, that (i) after giving effect thereto on a pro forma basis (A) in the case of Indebtedness that is secured by a Lien on the Collateral on a pari passu basis to the Liens securing the Obligations, the Consolidated Secured Net Leverage Ratio does not exceed (I) 2.25:1.00 or (II) if incurred in connection with a Permitted Acquisition, the greater of (x) 2.25:1.00 and (y) the Consolidated Secured Net Leverage Ratio immediately prior to such incurrence, (B) in the case of any Indebtedness that is unsecured, the Consolidated Net Leverage Ratio does not exceed (I) 3.75:1.00 or (II) if incurred in connection with a Permitted Acquisition, the greater of (x) 3.75:1.00 and (y) the Consolidated Net Leverage Ratio immediately prior to such incurrence, (ii) no Default or Event of Default shall have occurred and be continuing both before and after giving effect to the incurrence of such Indebtedness, (iii) the terms of such Indebtedness are no more restrictive on the Loan Parties than the terms governing the Facilities, (iv) the maturity date with respect to such Indebtedness shall be no earlier than the latest Maturity Date hereunder and (v) if any such Indebtedness is secured by Liens on the Collateral on a pari passu basis with the Liens securing the Obligations, such Indebtedness shall be subject to an intercreditor agreement in form and substance acceptable to the Administrative Agent;
(n)
(m) unsecuredPermitted Convertible Indebtedness in an aggregate principal amount not to exceed $50,000,000500,000,000 at any time outstanding;
(n)
[reserved];

-114-


 

(o)
the unsecured Guarantees of the Domestic Borrower in respect of certain Indebtedness of Diodes Taiwan S.A.R.L., Hsinchu Branch (Luxembourg) incurred pursuant to Section 7.02(g); provided that the aggregate amount of such Indebtedness Guaranteed pursuant to this clause (o) shall not exceed the greater of (x) $20,000,000 and (y) 10% of Consolidated EBITDA for the most recently ended Measurement Period for which financial statements have been delivered pursuant to Section 6.01(a) or (b), in the aggregate outstanding at any time;
(p)
unsecured Indebtedness of the Domestic Borrower owing to any wholly-owned Subsidiary that is not a Loan Party; provided, however, that the aggregate amount of all such Indebtedness at any one time outstanding shall not exceed the greater of (x) $300,000,000 and (y) 115% of Consolidated EBITDA for the most recently ended Measurement Period for which financial statements have been delivered pursuant to Section 6.01(a) or (b); provided further, that no payment on such Indebtedness may be made upon the occurrence and during the continuance of a Default or Event of Default;
(q)
Indebtedness incurred by any Excluded Securitization Subsidiary in connection with any Qualified Securitization Transaction provided that such Indebtedness is non-recourse to any Person other than the Excluded Securitization Subsidiary and other than in respect of a Guarantee given by the Domestic Borrower as permitted under Section 7.02(e)(ii) above; provided, however, that the aggregate amount of all such Indebtedness at any one time outstanding, together with the aggregate amount of all Indebtedness incurred in connection with any Permitted Receivables Facilities permitted pursuant to Section 7.02(r) below, shall not exceed the greater of

(x) $200,000,000; and (y) 80% of Consolidated EBITDA for the most recently ended Measurement Period for which financial statements have been delivered pursuant to Section 6.01(a) or (b);

(r)
any Permitted Receivables Facility; provided, however, that the aggregate amount of all such Indebtedness at any one time outstanding, together with the aggregate amount of all Indebtedness incurred in connection with any Qualified Securitization Transactions permitted pursuant to Section 7.02(q) above, shall not exceed the greater of (x) $200,000,000 and (y) 80% of Consolidated EBITDA for the most recently ended Measurement Period for which financial statements have been delivered pursuant to Section 6.01(a) or (b).

For purposes of compliance with this Section 7.02: (x) if any item meets the criteria set forth in more than one of clauses (a) through (r) of this Section 7.02 then the Borrowers may classify or reclassify such item in any manner that complies with this Section 7.02 and such item shall be treated as having been permitted pursuant to only one of the clauses of this Section 7.02; and (y) any item meeting the criteria set forth in more than one of clauses (a) through (r) of this Section 7.02 may be divided and classified and reclassified among more than one of the clauses of this Section 7.02.

Notwithstanding anything to the contrary set forth herein, no Loan Party shall be permitted to create, incur, assume, guaranty or otherwise become or remain directly or indirectly liable with respect to any Indebtedness that is, from or of a Subsidiary that is a non-Loan Party (such creation, incurrence, assumption or guaranty being referred to as “Non-Loan Party Indebtedness of Loan Parties”) to the extent that the structuring of any claims with respect to any Indebtedness created, assumed, incurred or guaranteed by such Loan Parties, together with any Non-Loan Party Indebtedness of Loan Parties, could reasonably be expected to result in two or more bankruptcy claims against the same Loan Party or a double claim for direct and indirect obligations against the same Loan Party, arising from one transaction or series of transactions relating to the same underlying Non-Loan Party Indebtedness of Loan Parties.

-115-


 

Section 7.03. Investments. Make or hold any Investments, except:

(a)
Investments held by the Domestic Borrower and its Subsidiaries in the form of Cash Equivalents;
(b)
advances to officers, directors and employees of the Domestic Borrower and Subsidiaries for travel, entertainment, relocation and analogous ordinary business purposes;
(c)
(i) Investments by the Domestic Borrower and its Subsidiaries in their respective Subsidiaries outstanding on the date hereof, (ii) additional Investments by the Domestic Borrower and its Subsidiaries in Loan Parties, (iii) additional Investments by Subsidiaries of the Domestic Borrower that are not Loan Parties in other Subsidiaries that are not Loan Parties, (iv) so long as no Default has occurred and is continuing or would result from such Investment, additional Investments by the Loan Parties in wholly-owned Subsidiaries that are not Loan Parties in an aggregate amount invested from the date hereof not to exceed the greater of (x) $100,000,000 and (y) 40% of Consolidated EBITDA for the most recently ended Measurement Period for which financial statements have been delivered pursuant to Section 6.01(a) or (b), (v) the TFSS Investment and (vi) the Domestic Borrower may make Investments in the form of intercompany loans to wholly-owned Subsidiaries of the Domestic Borrower that are not Loan Parties in an aggregate amount for all such intercompany loans not to exceed the greater of (x) $300,000,000 and (y) 100% of Consolidated EBITDA for the most recently ended Measurement Period for which financial statements have been delivered pursuant to Section 6.01(a) or (b), at any one time outstanding; provided that (A) no such loans may be made if a Default or Event of Default has occurred and is continuing, (B) all such intercompany loans shall be made on a demand basis and (C) a copy of such intercompany loan agreement shall be provided to the Administrative Agent within five (5) Business Days of the establishment of each such loan (or the closing of this Agreement to the extent such loan is already in existence);
(d)
Investments consisting of extensions of credit in the nature of accounts receivable or notes receivable arising from the grant of trade credit in the ordinary course of business, and Investments received in satisfaction or partial satisfaction thereof from financially troubled account debtors to the extent reasonably necessary in order to prevent or limit loss;
(e)
Guarantees permitted by Section 7.02;
(f)
Investments existing on the date hereof (other than those referred to in Section 7.03(c)(i)) and set forth on Schedule 5.08(e);
(g)
the purchase or other acquisition of all of the Equity Interests in, or all or substantially all of the property of, any Person that, upon the consummation thereof, will be wholly-owned directly by the Domestic Borrower or one or more of its wholly-owned Subsidiaries (including as a result of a merger or consolidation); provided that, with respect to each purchase or other acquisition made pursuant to this Section 7.03(g):
(i)
any such newly-created or acquired Subsidiary shall comply with the requirements of Section 6.12 if and to the extent applicable;

-116-


 

(ii)
the lines of business of the Person to be (or the property of which is to be) so purchased or otherwise acquired shall be substantially the same lines of business as one or more of the principal businesses of the Domestic Borrower and its Subsidiaries in the ordinary course;
(iii)
such purchase or other acquisition shall not include or result in any contingent liabilities that could reasonably be expected to be material to the business, financial condition or operations of the Domestic Borrower and its Subsidiaries, taken as a whole (as determined in good faith by the board of directors (or the persons performing similar functions) of the Domestic Borrower or such Subsidiary if the board of directors is otherwise approving such transaction and, in each other case, by a Responsible Officer);
(iv)
immediately before and immediately after giving pro forma effect to any such purchase or other acquisition, (A) no Default shall have occurred and be continuing,

(B) the Domestic Borrower and its Subsidiaries shall be in pro forma compliance with the financial covenants set forth in Section 7.11 (such calculation to be determined on the basis of the financial information most recently delivered to the Administrative Agent and the Lenders pursuant to Section 6.01(a) or (b) as though such purchase or other acquisition had been consummated as of the first day of the fiscal period covered thereby) and (C) evidence satisfactory to the Administrative Agent that the Borrowers have availability under the Revolving Credit Facility plus unrestricted cash of the Borrowers in an aggregate amount of at least $25,000,000; and

(v)
the Domestic Borrower shall have delivered to the Administrative Agent and each Lender, at least five Business Days prior to the date on which any such purchase or other acquisition is to be consummated, a certificate of a Responsible Officer, in form and substance reasonably satisfactory to the Administrative Agent and the Required Lenders, certifying that all of the requirements set forth in this Section 7.03(g) have been satisfied or will be satisfied on or prior to the consummation of such purchase or other acquisition;
(h)
other Investments in the aggregate in any fiscal year of the Domestic Borrower not exceeding the sum of (i) the greater of (x) $100,000,000 and 20(y) 40% of Consolidated EBITDA for the most recently ended Measurement Period for which financial statements have been delivered pursuant to Section 6.01(a) or (b) less (ii) all amounts paid by the Domestic Borrower or any other Loan Party in such fiscal year of the Domestic Borrower under Guarantees permitted under Section 7.02(l);
(i)
[reserved]any Permitted Bond Hedge Transactions and Permitted Warrant Transactions (including the Domestic Borrower’s entry into, payments of premiums in respect of, and performance of obligations under, such Permitted Bond Hedge Transactions and Permitted Warrant Transactions, in accordance with their terms);
(j)
Investments in an Excluded Securitization Subsidiary in connection with a sale of Securitization Assets to such Excluded Securitization Subsidiary pursuant to a Qualified Securitization Transaction or any repurchase obligation in connection therewith;
(k)
[reserved]; and

-117-


 

(l)
other Investments (not otherwise referenced in the preceding clauses (a) though (k)), not exceeding in; provided, that (i) after giving pro forma effect thereto, the aggregate outstanding at any time the greater of $100,000,000 and 20% of Consolidated EBITDA for the most recently ended Measurement Period for which financial statements have been delivered pursuant to Section 6.01Consolidated Secured Net Leverage Ratio does not exceed 3.00:1.00 and (aii) or (b); provided that no Specified Event of Default has occurred and is continuing or would result from such Investmentoccur as a consequence therefrom.

For purposes of compliance with this Section 7.03: (x) if any Investment or Acquisition meets the criteria set forth in more than one of clauses (a) through (l) of this Section 7.03 then the Borrowers may classify or reclassify such Investment or Acquisition in any manner that complies with this Section 7.03 and such Investment or Acquisition shall be treated as having been permitted pursuant to only one of the clauses of this Section 7.03; and (y) any Investment or Acquisition meeting the criteria set forth in more than one of clauses (a) through (l) of this Section 7.03 may be divided and classified and reclassified among more than one of the clauses of this Section 7.03.

Notwithstanding anything to the contrary herein, no Loan Party may transfer (whether pursuant to a sale, lease, Disposition, Investment, Restricted Payment or otherwise) any Material Intellectual Property (including any exclusive license or other exclusive rights to such Material Intellectual Property) or any equity interests of any Subsidiary that owns (or exclusively licenses) any Material Intellectual Property to any Subsidiary that is not a Loan Party; provided, however, that the foregoing shall not prohibit a nonexclusive license by a Loan Party of its Material Intellectual Property to a Subsidiary that is not a Loan Party.

Section 7.04. Fundamental Changes. Merge, dissolve, liquidate, consolidate with or into another Person, or Dispose of (whether in one transaction or in a series of transactions) all or substantially all of its assets (whether now owned or hereafter acquired) to or in favor of any Person (including, in each case, pursuant to a Division), except that, so long as no Default exists or would result therefrom:

(a)
subject to Section 7.04(e), any Subsidiary (other than the Foreign Borrower) may merge with (i) the Domestic Borrower; provided that the Domestic Borrower shall be the continuing or surviving Person, (ii) the Foreign Borrower; provided that the Foreign Borrower shall be the continuing or surviving Person or (iii) any one or more other Subsidiaries (other than the Foreign Borrower); provided that when (x) any Loan Party is merging with another Subsidiary, such Loan Party shall be the continuing or surviving Person or the continuing or surviving Person shall thereupon become a Loan Party and (y) any Domestic Subsidiary is merging with another Subsidiary, such Domestic Subsidiary shall be the continuing or surviving Person;
(b)
any Loan Party may Dispose of all or substantially all of its assets (upon voluntary liquidation or otherwise) to the Domestic Borrower or to another Loan Party;
(c)
any Subsidiary that is not a Loan Party may dispose of all or substantially all its assets (including any Disposition that is in the nature of a liquidation) to (i) another Subsidiary that is not a Loan Party or (ii) to a Loan Party;
(d)
in connection with any acquisition permitted under Section 7.03, any Subsidiary of the Domestic Borrower may merge into or consolidate with any other Person or permit any other Person to merge into or consolidate with it; provided that (i) the Person surviving such merger shall be a wholly-owned Subsidiary of the Domestic Borrower, (ii) in the case of any such merger involving the Foreign Borrower, the Foreign Borrower shall be the surviving Person, and (iii) in the case of any such merger to

-118-


 

which any Loan Party (other than the Foreign Borrower) is a party, such Loan Party is the surviving Person; and
(e)
so long as no Default has occurred and is continuing or would result therefrom, any Subsidiary of the Domestic Borrower may merge into or consolidate with any other Person or permit any other Person to merge into or consolidate with it; provided, however, that in each case, immediately after giving effect thereto (i) in the case of any such merger to which the Foreign Borrower is a party, the Foreign Borrower is the surviving corporation and (ii) in the case of any such merger to which any Loan Party (other than the Foreign Borrower) is a party, such Loan Party is the surviving corporation.

Section 7.05. Dispositions. Make any Disposition or enter into any agreement to make any Disposition, except:

(a)
Dispositions of obsolete or worn out property, whether now owned or hereafter acquired, in the ordinary course of business;
(b)
Dispositions of inventory in the ordinary course of business;
(c)
Dispositions of equipment or real property to the extent that (i) such property is exchanged for credit against the purchase price of similar replacement property or (ii) the proceeds of such Disposition are reasonably promptly applied to the purchase price of such replacement property;
(d)
Dispositions of property by any Subsidiary to the Domestic Borrower or to a wholly-owned Subsidiary; provided that if the transferor of such property is a Guarantor, the transferee thereof must either be a Borrower or a Guarantor;
(e)
Dispositions permitted by Section 7.04;
(f)
Dispositions by any Loan Parties not otherwise permitted under this Section 7.05; provided that (i) at the time of such Disposition, no Default shall exist or would result from such Disposition and (ii) the aggregate book value of all property Disposed of in reliance on this clause (f) in any fiscal year shall not exceed the greater of (x) $100,000,000 and (y) 40% of Consolidated EBITDA for the most recently ended Measurement Period for which financial statements have been delivered pursuant to Section 6.01(a) or (b);
(g)
Dispositions by any Subsidiaries that are not Loan Parties not otherwise permitted under this Section 7.05; provided that (i) at the time of such Disposition, no Default shall exist or would result from such Disposition and (ii) the aggregate book value of all property Disposed of in reliance on this clause (g) in any fiscal year shall not exceed the greater of (x) $100,000,000 and (y) 40% of Consolidated EBITDA for the most recently ended Measurement Period for which financial statements have been delivered pursuant to Section 6.01(a) or (b);
(h)
sale of Securitization Assets pursuant to any Qualified Securitization Transactions and preliminary intercompany transfers of such assets and related rights or assets in connection therewith;
(i)
sales, transfers and dispositions of accounts receivable in the ordinary course of business pursuant to any Permitted Receivables Facility; and

-119-


 

(j)
Dispositions made in connection with a Permitted Acquisition, contemplated at the time of such Permitted Acquisition, and occurring within 24 months of the consummation of such Permitted Acquisition; and
(k)
Disposition of any Permitted Bond Hedge Transaction by the Domestic Borrower.

provided, however, that any Disposition pursuant to Section 7.05(a) through (jk) shall be for fair market value.

Notwithstanding anything to the contrary herein, no Loan Party may transfer (whether pursuant to a sale, lease, Disposition, Investment, Restricted Payment or otherwise) any Material Intellectual Property (including any exclusive license or other exclusive rights to such Material Intellectual Property) or any equity interests of any Subsidiary that owns (or exclusively licenses) any Material Intellectual Property to any Subsidiary that is not a Loan Party; provided, however, that the foregoing shall not prohibit a nonexclusive license by a Loan Party of its Material Intellectual Property to a Subsidiary that is not a Loan Party.

Section 7.06. Restricted Payments. Declare or make, directly or indirectly, any Restricted Payment, or incur any obligation (contingent or otherwise) to do so, or issue or sell any Equity Interests or accept any capital contributions, except that, so long as no Default shall have occurred and be continuing at the time of any action described below or would result therefrom:

(a)
each Subsidiary may make Restricted Payments to the Borrowers, any Subsidiaries of the Borrowers and any other Person that owns a direct Equity Interest in such Subsidiary, ratably according to their respective holdings of the type of Equity Interest in respect of which such Restricted Payment is being made;
(b)
the Domestic Borrower and each Subsidiary may declare and make dividend payments or other distributions payable solely in the common stock or other common Equity Interests of such Person;
(c)
the Domestic Borrower and each Subsidiary may purchase, redeem or otherwise acquire its common Equity Interests with the proceeds received from the substantially concurrent issue of new common Equity Interests;
(d)
the Borrowers may make Restricted Payments not otherwise permitted pursuant to this Section 7.06 so long as (i) no Default or Event of Default has occurred and is continuing or would result therefrom and (ii) both before and after giving effect thereto, the pro forma Consolidated Secured Net Leverage Ratio shall be at least 0.25 to 1.00 less than the maximum Consolidated Secured Net Leverage Ratio then permitted pursuant to Section 7.11(a); and
(e)
so long as no Default or Event of Default has occurred and is continuing or would result therefrom, the Domestic Borrower may declare and make dividend payments of a net type not otherwise permitted pursuant to this Section 7.06 in an aggregate amount not to exceed the greater of (x) $75,000,000 and (y) 30% of Consolidated EBITDA for the most recently ended Measurement Period for which financial statements have been delivered pursuant to Section 6.01(a) or (b), in any fiscal year; and
(f)
so long as no Default or Event of Default has occurred and is continuing or would result therefrom, the Domestic Borrower and each of its Subsidiaries may purchase, redeem or otherwise acquire its common Equity Interests with the proceeds received from the substantially concurrent issuance of Permitted Convertible Indebtedness, in an aggregate amount not to exceed the lesser of (x) $100,000,000

-120-


 

and (y) the remaining amount of Permitted Convertible Indebtedness that may be incurred pursuant to Section 7.02(n).

Notwithstanding the foregoing, and for the avoidance of doubt, (i) the conversion by holders of (including any cash payment upon conversion), or required payment of any principal or premium on, or required payment of any interest with respect to, any Permitted Convertible Indebtedness, in each case, in accordance with the terms of the indenture governing such Permitted Convertible Indebtedness, shall not constitute a Restricted Payment; provided that, to the extent both (a) the aggregate amount of cash payable upon conversion or payment of any Permitted Convertible Indebtedness (excluding any required payment of interest with respect to such Permitted Convertible Indebtedness and excluding any payment of cash in lieu of a fractional share due upon conversion thereof) exceeds the aggregate principal amount thereof and (b) such conversion or payment does not trigger or correspond to an exercise or early unwind or settlement of a corresponding portion of the Permitted Bond Hedge Transactions relating to such Permitted Convertible Indebtedness (including, for the avoidance of doubt, the case where there is no Permitted Bond Hedge Transaction relating to such Permitted Convertible Indebtedness), the payment of such excess cash shall constitute a Restricted Payment notwithstanding this clause (i); and (ii) any required payment with respect to, or required early unwind or settlement of, any Permitted Bond Hedge Transaction or Permitted Warrant Transaction, in each case, in accordance with the terms of the agreement governing such Permitted Bond Hedge Transaction or Permitted Warrant Transaction shall not constitute a Restricted Payment; provided that, to the extent cash is required to be paid under a Permitted Warrant Transaction as a result of the election of “cash settlement” (or substantially equivalent term) as the “settlement method” (or substantially equivalent term) thereunder by the Domestic Borrower (or its Affiliate) (including in connection with the exercise and/or early unwind or settlement thereof), the payment of such cash shall constitute a Restricted Payment notwithstanding this clause (ii).

Notwithstanding the foregoing, the Domestic Borrower may repurchase, exchange or induce the conversion of Permitted Convertible Indebtedness by delivery of shares of the Domestic Borrower’s common stock and/or a different series of Permitted Convertible Indebtedness (which series (x) matures after, and does not require any scheduled amortization or other scheduled payments of principal prior to, the analogous date under the indenture governing the Permitted Convertible Indebtedness that is so repurchased, exchanged or converted and (y) has terms, conditions and covenants that are no less favorable to the Domestic Borrower than the Permitted Convertible Indebtedness that is so repurchased, exchanged or converted (as determined by the board of directors of the Domestic Borrower, or a committee thereof, in good faith)) (any such series of Permitted Convertible Indebtedness, “Refinancing Convertible Notes”) and/or by payment of cash (in an amount that does not exceed the proceeds received by the Domestic Borrower from the substantially concurrent issuance of shares of the Domestic Borrower’s common stock and/or Refinancing Convertible Notes plus the net cash proceeds, if any, received by the Domestic Borrower pursuant to the related exercise or early unwind or termination of the related Permitted Bond Hedge Transactions and Permitted Warrant Transactions, if any, pursuant to the immediately following proviso); provided that, substantially concurrently with, or a commercially reasonable period of time before or after, the related settlement date for the Permitted Convertible Indebtedness that are so repurchased, exchanged or converted, the Domestic Borrower shall (and, for the avoidance of doubt, shall be permitted under this Section 7.06 to) exercise or unwind or terminate early (whether in cash, shares or any combination thereof) the portion of the Permitted Bond Hedge Transactions and Permitted Warrant Transactions, if any, corresponding to such Permitted Convertible Indebtedness that are so repurchased, exchanged or converted.

-121-


 

Notwithstanding anything to the contrary herein, no Loan Party may transfer (whether pursuant to a sale, lease, Disposition, Investment, Restricted Payment or otherwise) any Material Intellectual Property (including any exclusive license or other exclusive rights to such Material Intellectual Property) or any equity interests of any Subsidiary that owns (or exclusively licenses) any Material Intellectual Property to any Subsidiary that is not a Loan Party; provided, however, that the foregoing shall not prohibit a nonexclusive license by a Loan Party of its Material Intellectual Property to a Subsidiary that is not a Loan Party.

Section 7.07. Change in Nature of Business. Engage in any material line of business substantially different from those lines of business conducted by the Domestic Borrower and its Subsidiaries on the date hereof or any business substantially related or incidental thereto.

Section 7.08. Transactions with Affiliates. Enter into any transaction of any kind with any Affiliate of any Borrower, whether or not in the ordinary course of business, other than on fair and reasonable terms substantially as favorable to any Borrower or such Subsidiary as would be obtainable by the applicable Borrower or such Subsidiary at the time in a comparable arm’s length transaction with a Person other than an Affiliate; provided that the foregoing restriction shall not apply to transactions between or among the Loan Parties that are otherwise permitted by the terms of this Agreement and to Qualified Securitization Transactions.

Section 7.09. Burdensome Agreements. Enter into or permit to exist any Contractual Obligation (other than this Agreement or any other Loan Document) that (a) limits the ability (i) of any Subsidiary to make Restricted Payments to any Borrower or any Guarantor or to otherwise transfer property to or invest in any Borrower or any Guarantor, except for any agreement in effect (A) on the date hereof and set forth on Schedule 7.09, (B) at the time any Subsidiary becomes a Subsidiary of a Borrower, so long as such agreement was not entered into solely in contemplation of such Person becoming a Subsidiary of such Borrower or (C) customary restrictions and conditions contained in agreements relating to a Qualified Securitization Transaction or a Permitted Receivables Facility, (ii) of any Subsidiary to Guarantee the Indebtedness of a Borrower or (iii) of a Borrower or any Subsidiary to create, incur, assume or suffer to exist Liens on property of such Person; provided, however, that this clause (iii) shall not prohibit any negative pledge incurred or provided in favor of any holder of Indebtedness permitted under Section 7.02(f) solely to the extent any such negative pledge relates to the property financed by or the subject of such Indebtedness; or (b) requires the grant of a Lien to secure an obligation of such Person if a Lien is granted to secure another obligation of such Person.

Section 7.10. Use of Proceeds. Use the proceeds of any Credit Extension, whether directly or indirectly, and whether immediately, incidentally or ultimately, to purchase or carry margin stock (within the meaning of Regulation U of the FRB) or to extend credit to others for the purpose of purchasing or carrying margin stock or to refund indebtedness originally incurred for such purpose.

Section 7.11. Financial Covenants.

(a)
Maximum Consolidated Secured Net Leverage Ratio. Permit the Consolidated Secured Net Leverage Ratio for each fiscal quarter of the Domestic Borrower to be greater than 3.25 to 1.00, for any fiscal quarter ending after the Closing Date;

provided, that the Domestic Borrower may, by written notice to the Administrative Agent for distribution to the Lenders (such request to be made in writing by the Domestic Borrower no later than the date on which a Compliance Certificate is required to be delivered pursuant to Sections 6.02(a) or (b) demonstrating the Consolidated Secured Net Leverage Ratio for the fiscal quarter during which a Material Acquisition has occurred), elect to increase the maximum Consolidated Secured Net Leverage Ratio by 0.25 for a period of four (4) consecutive fiscal quarters

-122-


 

(inclusive of the fiscal quarter in which such Material Acquisition occurred) in connection with a Material Acquisition occurring during the first of such four fiscal quarters (such period, an “Elevated Covenant Period”); provided, that the Consolidated Secured Net Leverage Ratio shall have been less than 3.25:1.00 immediately prior to giving effect to such Material Acquisition (as evidenced by calculations delivered to the Administrative Agent, which such calculations shall be in form and substance satisfactory to the Administrative Agent).

(b)
Minimum Consolidated Interest Coverage Ratio. Permit the Consolidated Interest Coverage Ratio for each fiscal quarter of the Domestic Borrower to be less than 3.503.00 to 1.00, for any fiscal quarter ending after the Closing Date.

Section 7.12. Amendments of Organization Documents. Amend any of its Organization Documents in any manner adverse to the Administrative Agent or the other Secured Parties.

Section 7.13. Accounting Changes. Make any change in (a) accounting policies or reporting practices, except as required by GAAP, or (b) fiscal year.

Section 7.14. Prepayments of Indebtedness.

(a)
Prepay, redeem, purchase, defease or otherwise satisfy prior to the scheduled maturity thereof in any manner, or make any payment in violation of any subordination terms of, any Indebtedness that is subordinated to the Obligations, except regularly scheduled or required repayments or redemptions of Indebtedness set forth in Schedule 7.02 and refinancings and refundings of such Indebtedness in compliance with Section 7.02(d).
(b)
Make any voluntary or optional prepayment, redemption, purchase, defeasance or acquisition for value (including by way of depositing with any trustee with respect thereto money or securities before due for the purpose of paying when due) prior to the maturity of any Permitted Convertible Indebtedness, except:
(i)
in connection with any Refinancing Convertible Notes permitted by Section 7.06;
(ii)
so long as (x) no Default or Event of Default then exists or would be caused thereby and (y) after giving pro forma effect thereto, the Consolidated Secured Net Leverage Ratio does not exceed 2.25:1.00, mandatory repayments, repurchases, redemptions or defeasances of Permitted Convertible Indebtedness;
(iii)
payments and prepayments of any Permitted Convertible Indebtedness made solely with the proceeds of common stock or any capital contribution in respect of common stock of the Domestic Borrower, so long as immediately before and after giving effect to any such payment or prepayment, no Default or Event of Default then exists;
(iv)
(A) payments and prepayments of Permitted Convertible Indebtedness as a result of the conversion of all or any portion of such Permitted Convertible Indebtedness whether settled in cash, common stock of the Domestic Borrower or any combination thereof, and (B) payments of interest in respect of Permitted Convertible Indebtedness in the form of payment in kind interest constituting Indebtedness permitted pursuant to Section 7.02; and

-123-


 

(v)
the payment of regularly scheduled interest, expenses and indemnities in respect of Permitted Convertible Indebtedness.

Section 7.15. Amendment of Indebtedness. Amend, modify or change in any manner any term or condition of (a) any Indebtedness set forth in Schedule 7.02, except for (x) any refinancing, refunding, renewal or extension thereof permitted by Section 7.02(d), and except for(y) any amendment, modification or change of Indebtedness permitted pursuant to Section 7.02(g) and (b) any indenture, convertible note or similar agreement providing for Permitted Convertible Indebtedness, in any respect which would materially and adversely affect the rights or interests of the Administrative Agent and the Lenders hereunder, in each case, without the prior written consent of the Administrative Agent.

Section 7.16. Sanctions. Directly or indirectly, use any Credit Extension or the proceeds of any Credit Extension, or lend, contribute or otherwise make available such Credit Extension or the proceeds of any Credit Extension to any Person, to fund any activities of or business with any Person, that, at the time of such funding, is the subject of Sanctions, or in any other manner that will result in a violation by any Person (including any Person participating in the transaction, whether as Lender, Arranger, Administrative Agent, L/C Issuer, Swingline Lender, or otherwise) of Sanctions.

Section 7.17. Anti-Corruption Laws. Directly or indirectly, use any Credit Extension or the proceeds of any Credit Extension for any purpose which would breach the United States Foreign Corrupt Practices Act of 1977, the UK Bribery Act 2010 and other anti-corruption legislation in other jurisdictions.

Section 7.18. Outbound Investment Rules. (a) Be or become a “covered foreign person”, as that term is defined in the Outbound Investment Rules, or (b) engage, directly or indirectly, in (i) a “covered activity” or a “covered transaction”, as each such term is defined in the Outbound Investment Rules, (ii) any activity or transaction that would constitute a “covered activity” or a “covered transaction”, as each such term is defined in the Outbound Investment Rules, if such Person were a United States Person, or (iii) any other activity that would cause the Administrative Agent or the Lenders to be in violation of the Outbound Investment Rules or cause the Administrative Agent or the Lenders to be legally prohibited by the Outbound Investment Rules from performing under this Agreement.

ARTICLE VIII

EVENTS OF DEFAULT AND REMEDIES

Section 8.01. Events of Default. Any of the following shall constitute an Event of Default:

(a)
Non-Payment. Any Borrower or any other Loan Party fails to pay (i) when and as required to be paid herein, and in the currency required hereunder, any amount of principal of any Loan or any L/C Obligation, or (ii) within three days after the same becomes due, any interest on any Loan or on any L/C Obligation, or any fee due hereunder, or (iii) within five days after the same becomes due, any other amount payable hereunder or under any other Loan Document; or
(b)
Specific Covenants. Any Borrower fails to perform or observe any term, covenant or agreement contained in any of Section 6.01, 6.02(a), 6.03(a), 6.03(b), 6.05 (with respect to the existence of a Loan Party), 6.10, 6.11, 6.12, 6.14, 6.17, or Article VII; or

-124-


 

(c)
Other Defaults. Any Loan Party fails to perform or observe any other covenant or agreement (not specified in subsection (a) or (b) above) contained in any Loan Document on its part to be performed or observed and such failure continues for five days (if such breach relates to terms or provisions of Section 6.02(b) through (m)) or 30 days (if such breach relates to terms or provisions of any other Section of this Agreement or any other Loan Document); or
(d)
Representations and Warranties. Any representation, warranty, certification or statement of fact made or deemed made by or on behalf of any Borrower or any other Loan Party herein, in any other Loan Document, or in any document delivered in connection herewith or therewith shall be incorrect or misleading in any material respect (or, with respect to any representation and warranty that is qualified as to materiality or Material Adverse Effect, in any respect) when made or deemed made; or
(e)
Cross-Default. (i) Any Loan Party or any Subsidiary thereof (A) fails to make any payment when due (whether by scheduled maturity, required prepayment, acceleration, demand, or otherwise) in respect of any Indebtedness or Guarantee (other than Indebtedness hereunder and Indebtedness under Swap Contracts) having an aggregate principal amount (including undrawn committed or available amounts and including amounts owing to all creditors under any combined or syndicated credit arrangement) of more than the Threshold Amount, or (B) fails to observe or perform any other agreement or condition relating to any such Indebtedness or Guarantee (of more than the Threshold Amount) or contained in any instrument or agreement evidencing, securing or relating thereto, or any other event occurs, the effect of which default or other event is to cause, or to permit the holder or holders of such Indebtedness or the beneficiary or beneficiaries of such Guarantee (or a trustee or agent on behalf of such holder or holders or beneficiary or beneficiaries) to cause, with the giving of notice if required, such Indebtedness to be demanded or to become due or to be repurchased, prepaid, defeased or redeemed (automatically or otherwise), or an offer to repurchase, prepay, defease or redeem such Indebtedness to be made, prior to its stated maturity, or such Guarantee to become payable or cash collateral in respect thereof to be demanded; provided, however, that the occurrence of an event or condition entitling holders of Permitted Convertible Indebtedness of the Domestic Borrower to convert such Indebtedness (whether settled in cash, common stock of the Domestic Borrower or any combination thereof) shall not constitute an Event of Default unless such event or condition results from an “event of default” (or similar concept) thereunder or an event of the type that constitutes an Event of Default; or (ii) there occurs under any Swap Contract an Early Termination Date (as defined in such Swap Contract) resulting from (A) any event of default under such Swap Contract as to which a Loan Party or any Subsidiary thereof is the Defaulting Party (as defined in such Swap Contract) or (B) any Termination Event (as so defined) under such Swap Contract as to which a Loan Party or any Subsidiary thereof is an Affected Party (as so defined) and, in either event, the Swap Termination Value owed by such Loan Party or such Subsidiary as a result thereof is greater than the Threshold Amount; or
(f)
Insolvency Proceedings, Etc. The Domestic Borrower or any of its Subsidiaries institutes or consents to the institution of any proceeding under any Debtor Relief Law, or makes an assignment for the benefit of creditors; or applies for or consents to the appointment of any receiver, trustee, custodian, conservator, administrator, liquidator, rehabilitator or similar officer for it or for all or any material part of its property; or any receiver, trustee, custodian, conservator, liquidator, rehabilitator or similar officer is appointed without the application or consent of such Person and the appointment continues undischarged or unstayed for 60 calendar days; or any proceeding under any Debtor Relief Law relating to any such Person or to all or any material part of its property is instituted without the consent of such Person and continues undismissed or unstayed for 60 calendar days, or an order for relief is entered in any such proceeding; or

-125-


 

(g)
Inability to Pay Debts; Attachment. (i) The Domestic Borrower or any Subsidiary thereof becomes unable or admits in writing its inability or fails generally to pay its debts as they become due, or (ii) any writ or warrant of attachment or execution or similar process is issued or levied against all or any material part of the property of any such Person and is not released, vacated or fully bonded within 30 days after its issue or levy; or
(h)
Judgments. There is entered against any Borrower or any Subsidiary thereof (i) one or more final judgments or orders for the payment of money in an aggregate amount (as to all such judgments or orders) exceeding the Threshold Amount (to the extent not covered by independent third-party insurance as to which the insurer does not dispute coverage), or (ii) any one or more non-monetary final judgments that have, or could reasonably be expected to have, individually or in the aggregate, a Material Adverse Effect and, in either case, (A) enforcement proceedings are commenced by any creditor upon such judgment or order, or (B) there is a period of 10 consecutive days during which a stay of enforcement of such judgment, by reason of a pending appeal or otherwise, is not in effect; or
(i)
ERISA. (i) An ERISA Event occurs which has resulted or could reasonably be expected to result in liability of the Domestic Borrower under Title IV of ERISA in an aggregate amount in excess of the Threshold Amount, or (ii) the Domestic Borrower or any ERISA Affiliate fails to pay when due, after the expiration of any applicable grace period, any installment payment with respect to its withdrawal liability under Section 4201 of ERISA under a Multiemployer Plan in an aggregate amount in excess of the Threshold Amount; or
(j)
Foreign Pension Plans. (i) There occurs any Foreign Plan Event or any Loan Party or an Affiliate thereof takes any action or contravenes any Applicable Law with respect to a Foreign Pension Plan that could reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect or (ii) Diodes Zetex Limited, Diodes Zetex Semiconductors Limited or the Domestic Borrower fails to perform any obligation required by the Diodes Zetex Pension Scheme and the result of such failure is the ability of the trustees of such scheme to exercise remedies under the Diodes Zetex Pension Scheme Guarantee or the Diodes Zetex Pension Scheme Legal Charge, whether or not such remedies are actually exercised; or
(k)
Invalidity of Loan Documents. Any provision of any Loan Document, at any time after its execution and delivery and for any reason other than as expressly permitted hereunder or thereunder or satisfaction in full of all the Obligations, ceases to be in full force and effect; or any Loan Party or any other Person contests in any manner the validity or enforceability of any provision of any Loan Document; or any Loan Party denies that it has any or further liability or obligation under any Loan Document, or purports to revoke, terminate or rescind any provision of any Loan Document; or it becomes unlawful for a Loan Party to perform any of its obligations under the Loan Documents; or
(l)
Change of Control. There occurs any Change of Control; or
(m)
Collateral Documents. Any Collateral Document after delivery thereof pursuant to the terms of the Loan Documents shall for any reason (other than pursuant to the terms thereof) cease to create a valid and perfected first priority Lien (subject to Liens permitted by Section 7.01) on the Collateral purported to be covered thereby, or any Loan Party shall assert the invalidity of such Liens.

Without limiting the provisions of Article VII, if a Default shall have occurred under the Loan Documents, then such Default will continue to exist until it either is cured (to the extent specifically permitted) in accordance with the Loan Documents or is otherwise expressly waived by Administrative

-126-


 

Agent (with the approval of requisite Appropriate Lenders (in their sole discretion)) as determined in accordance with Section 11.01; and once an Event of Default occurs under the Loan Documents, then such Event of Default will continue to exist until it is expressly waived by the requisite Appropriate Lenders or by the Administrative Agent with the approval of the requisite Appropriate Lenders, as required hereunder in Section 11.01.

Section 8.02. Remedies Upon Event of Default. If any Event of Default occurs and is continuing, the Administrative Agent shall, at the request of, or may, with the consent of, the Required Lenders, take any or all of the following actions:

(a)
declare the Commitment of each Lender to make Loans and any obligation of each L/C Issuer to make L/C Credit Extensions to be terminated, whereupon such commitments and obligation shall be terminated;
(b)
declare the unpaid principal amount of all outstanding Loans, all interest accrued and unpaid thereon, and all other amounts owing or payable hereunder or under any other Loan Document to be immediately due and payable, without presentment, demand, protest or other notice of any kind, all of which are hereby expressly waived by the Borrowers;
(c)
require that each Borrower Cash Collateralize its L/C Obligations (in an amount equal to the Minimum Collateral Amount with respect thereto); and
(d)
exercise on behalf of itself, the Lenders and the L/C Issuers all rights and remedies available to it, the Lenders and the L/C Issuers under the Loan Documents;

provided that upon the occurrence of an actual or deemed entry of an order for relief with respect to any Borrower under the Bankruptcy Code of the United States, the obligation of each Lender to make Loans and any obligation of each L/C Issuer to make L/C Credit Extensions shall automatically terminate, the unpaid principal amount of all outstanding Loans and all interest and other amounts as aforesaid shall automatically become due and payable, and the obligation of the Borrowers to Cash Collateralize the L/C Obligations as aforesaid shall automatically become effective, in each case without further act of the Administrative Agent or any Lender.

Section 8.03. Application of Funds.

(a)
Domestic Persons. After the exercise of remedies provided for in Section 8.02 (or after the Loans have automatically become immediately due and payable and the L/C Obligations have automatically been required to be Cash Collateralized as set forth in the proviso to Section 8.02), any amounts received on account of the Obligations shall, subject to the provisions of Sections 2.15 and 2.16, be applied by the Administrative Agent in the following order:

First, to payment of that portion of the Obligations constituting fees, indemnities, expenses and other amounts (including fees, charges and disbursements of counsel to the Administrative Agent and amounts payable under Article III) payable to the Administrative Agent in its capacity as such;

Second, to payment of that portion of the Obligations constituting fees, indemnities and other amounts (other than principal, interest, Letter of Credit Fees and any Obligations then owing under Secured Hedge Agreements and Secured Cash Management Agreements) payable to the Lenders and the L/C Issuers (including fees, charges and disbursements of counsel to the respective Lenders and the L/C Issuers arising

-127-


 

under the Loan Documents and amounts payable under Article III), ratably among them in proportion to the respective amounts described in this clause Second payable to them;

Third, to payment of that portion of the Obligations constituting accrued and unpaid Letter of Credit Fees and interest on the Loans, L/C Borrowings and other Obligations arising under the Loan Documents (other than any Obligations then owing under Secured Hedge Agreements and Secured Cash Management Agreements), ratably among the Lenders and the L/C Issuers in proportion to the respective amounts described in this clause Third payable to them;

Fourth, to payment of that portion of the Obligations constituting unpaid principal of the Loans, L/C Borrowings and Obligations then owing under Secured Hedge Agreements and Secured Cash Management Agreement, ratably among the Lenders, the L/C Issuers, the Hedge Banks and the Cash Management Banks in proportion to the respective amounts described in this clause Fourth held by them;

Fifth, to the Administrative Agent for the account of the applicable L/C Issuers, to Cash Collateralize that portion of L/C Obligations comprised of the aggregate undrawn amount of Letters of Credit to the extent not otherwise Cash Collateralized by the applicable Borrower pursuant to Sections 2.03 and 2.15, ratably among the Lenders, the L/C Issuers, the Hedge Banks and the Cash Management Banks in proportion to the respective amounts described in this clause Fifth held by them; and

Last, the balance, if any, after all of the Obligations have been indefeasibly paid in full, to the applicable Borrower or as otherwise required by Law.

Subject to Sections 2.03(c) and 2.15, amounts used to Cash Collateralize the aggregate undrawn amount of Letters of Credit pursuant to clause Fifth above shall be applied to satisfy drawings under such Letters of Credit as they occur. If any amount remains on deposit as Cash Collateral after all Letters of Credit have either been fully drawn or expired, such remaining amount shall be applied to the other Obligations, if any, in the order set forth above. Excluded Swap Obligations with respect to any Loan Party shall not be paid with amounts received from such Loan Party or its assets, but appropriate adjustments shall be made with respect to payments from other Loan Parties to preserve the allocation to Obligations otherwise set forth above in this Section.

(b)
Foreign Persons. After the exercise of remedies provided for in Section 8.02 (or after the Loans have automatically become immediately due and payable and the L/C Obligations have automatically been required to be Cash Collateralized as set forth in the proviso to Section 8.02), any amounts received on account of the Foreign Obligations shall, subject to the provisions of Sections 2.15 and 2.16, be applied by the Administrative Agent in the following order:

First, to payment of that portion of the Foreign Obligations constituting fees, indemnities, expenses and other amounts (including fees, charges and disbursements of counsel to the Administrative Agent and amounts payable under Article III) payable to the Administrative Agent in its capacity as such;

Second, to payment of that portion of the Foreign Obligations constituting fees, indemnities and other amounts (other than principal, interest, Letter of Credit Fees and any Obligations then owing under Secured Hedge Agreements and Secured Cash Management Agreements) payable to the Lenders and the L/C Issuers (including fees, charges and disbursements of counsel to the respective Lenders and the L/C Issuers arising under the Loan Documents and amounts payable under Article III), ratably among them in proportion to the respective amounts described in this clause Second payable to them;

-128-


 

Third, to payment of that portion of the Foreign Obligations constituting accrued and unpaid Letter of Credit Fees and interest on the Loans, L/C Borrowings and other Obligations arising under the Loan Documents (other than any Obligations then owing under Secured Hedge Agreements and Secured Cash Management Agreements), ratably among the Lenders and the L/C Issuers in proportion to the respective amounts described in this clause Third payable to them;

Fourth, to payment of that portion of the Foreign Obligations constituting unpaid principal of the Loans, L/C Borrowings and Foreign Obligations then owing under Secured Hedge Agreements and Secured Cash Management Agreements, ratably among the Lenders, the L/C Issuers, the Hedge Banks and the Cash Management Banks in proportion to the respective amounts described in this clause Fourth held by them;

Fifth, to the Administrative Agent for the account of the applicable L/C Issuers, to Cash Collateralize that portion of L/C Obligations constituting Foreign Obligations comprised of the aggregate undrawn amount of Letters of Credit to the extent not otherwise Cash Collateralized by the applicable Borrower pursuant to Sections 2.03 and 2.15, ratably among the Lenders, the L/C Issuers, the Hedge Banks and the Cash Management Banks in proportion to the respective amounts described in this clause Fifth held by them; and

Last, the balance, if any, after all of the Foreign Obligations have been indefeasibly paid in full, to the applicable Borrower or as otherwise required by Law.

Subject to Sections 2.03(c) and 2.15, amounts used to Cash Collateralize the aggregate undrawn amount of Letters of Credit pursuant to clause Fifth above shall be applied to satisfy drawings under such Letters of Credit as they occur. If any amount remains on deposit as Cash Collateral after all Letters of Credit have either been fully drawn or expired, such remaining amount shall be applied to the other Foreign Obligations, if any, in the order set forth above. Excluded Swap Obligations with respect to any Loan Party shall not be paid with amounts received from such Loan Party or its assets, but appropriate adjustments shall be made with respect to payments from other Loan Parties to preserve the allocation to Foreign Obligations otherwise set forth above in this Section 8.03.

(c)
Cash Management Agreements and Hedge Agreements. Notwithstanding the foregoing, Obligations arising under Secured Cash Management Agreements and Secured Hedge Agreements shall be excluded from the application described above if the Administrative Agent has not received a Secured Party Designation Notice, together with such supporting documentation as the Administrative Agent may request, from the applicable Cash Management Bank or Hedge Bank, as the case may be. Each Cash Management Bank or Hedge Bank not a party to this Agreement that has given the notice contemplated by the preceding sentence shall, by such notice, be deemed to have acknowledged and accepted the appointment of the Administrative Agent pursuant to the terms of Article IX for itself and its Affiliates as if a “Lender” party hereto.

ARTICLE IX

ADMINISTRATIVE AGENT

Section 9.01. Appointment and Authority. (a) Each of the Lenders and each of the L/C Issuers hereby irrevocably appoints, designates and authorizes Bank of America to act on its behalf as the Administrative Agent hereunder and under the other Loan Documents and authorizes the Administrative Agent to take such actions on its behalf and to exercise such powers as are delegated to the Administrative Agent by the terms hereof or thereof, together with such actions and powers as are reasonably incidental thereto. The provisions of this Article are solely for the benefit of the Administrative Agent, the Lenders and the L/C Issuers, and neither the Borrowers nor any

-129-


 

other Loan Party shall have rights as a third party beneficiary of any of such provisions. It is understood and agreed that the use of the term “agent” herein or in any other Loan Documents (or any other similar term) with reference to the Administrative Agent is not intended to connote any fiduciary or other implied (or express) obligations arising under agency doctrine of any applicable Law. Instead such term is used as a matter of market custom, and is intended to create or reflect only an administrative relationship between contracting parties. In addition, to the extent required under the laws of any jurisdiction other than the United States of America, each of the Lenders and Secured Parties hereby grants to the Administrative Agent any required powers of attorney to execute any Collateral Document governed by the laws of such jurisdiction on such Lender’s or Secured Party’s behalf.

(b)
The Administrative Agent shall also act as the “collateral agent” and as “security trustee” under the Loan Documents, and each of the Lenders (including in its capacities as a potential Hedge Bank and a potential Cash Management Bank) and each of the L/C Issuers hereby irrevocably appoints and authorizes the Administrative Agent to act as the agent and security trustee of such Lender and such L/C Issuer for purposes of acquiring, holding and enforcing any and all Liens on Collateral granted by any of the Loan Parties to secure any of the Obligations, together with such powers and discretion as are reasonably incidental thereto and as set out in the Loan Documents. In this connection, the Administrative Agent, as “collateral agent” and as “security trustee” and any co-agents, sub-agents and attorneys-in-fact appointed by the Administrative Agent pursuant to Section 9.05 or any other applicable Loan Document for purposes of holding or enforcing any Lien on the Collateral (or any portion thereof) granted under the Collateral Documents, or for exercising any rights and remedies thereunder at the direction of the Administrative Agent, shall be entitled to the benefits of all provisions of this Article IX and Article XI (including Section 11.04(c)) and any other applicable Loan Document, as though such co-agents, sub-agents and attorneys-in-fact were the “collateral agent” or “security trustee,” as the case may be, under the Loan Documents) as if set forth in full herein with respect thereto.

Section 9.02. Rights as a Lender. The Person serving as the Administrative Agent hereunder shall have the same rights and powers in its capacity as a Lender as any other Lender and may exercise the same as though it were not the Administrative Agent and the term “Lender” or “Lenders” shall, unless otherwise expressly indicated or unless the context otherwise requires, include the Person serving as the Administrative Agent hereunder in its individual capacity. Such Person and its Affiliates may accept deposits from, lend money to, own securities of, act as the financial advisor or in any other advisory capacity for and generally engage in any kind of banking, trust, financial, advisory, underwriting or other business with any Loan Party or any Subsidiary or other Affiliate thereof as if such Person were not the Administrative Agent hereunder and without any duty to account therefor to the Lenders or to provide notice to or consent of the Lenders with respect thereto.

Section 9.03. Exculpatory Provisions. The Administrative Agent, the Sustainability Structuring Agent, or each Arranger, as applicable, shall not have any duties or obligations except those expressly set forth herein and in the other Loan Documents, and its duties hereunder shall be administrative in nature. Without limiting the generality of the foregoing, the Administrative Agent or each Arranger, as applicable, and its Related Parties:

(a)
shall not be subject to any fiduciary or other implied duties, regardless of whether a Default has occurred and is continuing;

-130-


 

(b)
shall not have any duty to take any discretionary action or exercise any discretionary powers, except discretionary rights and powers expressly contemplated hereby or by the other Loan Documents that the Administrative Agent is required to exercise as directed in writing by the Required Lenders (or such other number or percentage of the Lenders as shall be expressly provided for herein or in the other Loan Documents); provided that the Administrative Agent shall not be required to take any action that, in its opinion or the opinion of its counsel, may expose the Administrative Agent to liability or that is contrary to any Loan Document or Applicable Law, including for the avoidance of doubt any action that may be in violation of the automatic stay under any Debtor Relief Law or that may effect a forfeiture, modification or termination of property of a Defaulting Lender in violation of any Debtor Relief Law; and
(c)
shall not have any duty or responsibility to disclose, and shall not be liable for the failure to disclose, to any Lender or any L/C Issuer any credit or other information concerning the business, prospects, operations, property, financial and other condition or creditworthiness of any of the Loan Parties or any of their Affiliates that is communicated to, or in the possession of, the Administrative Agent, any Arranger or any of their Related Parties in any capacity, except for notices, reports and other documents expressly required to be furnished to the Lenders by the Administrative Agent herein.

Neither the Administrative Agent nor any of its Related Parties shall be liable for any action taken or not taken by the Administrative Agent under or in connection with this Agreement or any other Loan Document or the transactions contemplated hereby or thereby (i) with the consent or at the request of the Required Lenders (or such other number or percentage of the Lenders as shall be necessary, or as the Administrative Agent shall believe in good faith shall be necessary, under the circumstances as provided in Sections 11.01 and 8.02) or (ii) in the absence of its own gross negligence or willful misconduct as determined by a court of competent jurisdiction by final and nonappealable judgment. The Administrative Agent shall be deemed not to have knowledge of any Default unless and until notice describing such Default is given in writing to the Administrative Agent by the Domestic Borrower, a Lender or an L/C Issuer.

Neither the Administrative Agent nor any of its Related Parties have any duty or obligation to any Lender or participant or any other Person to ascertain or inquire into (i) any statement, warranty or representation made in or in connection with this Agreement or any other Loan Document, (ii) the contents of any certificate, report or other document delivered hereunder or thereunder or in connection herewith or therewith, (iii) the performance or observance of any of the covenants, agreements or other terms or conditions set forth herein or therein or the occurrence of any Default, (iv) the validity, enforceability, effectiveness or genuineness of this Agreement, any other Loan Document or any other agreement, instrument or document, or the creation, perfection or priority of any Lien purported to be created by the Collateral Documents, (v) the value or the sufficiency of any Collateral, or (vi) the satisfaction of any condition set forth in Article IV or elsewhere herein, other than to confirm receipt of items expressly required to be delivered to the Administrative Agent.

Section 9.04. Reliance by Administrative Agent. The Administrative Agent shall be entitled to rely upon, and shall be fully protected in relying and shall not incur any liability for relying upon, any notice, request, certificate, communication, consent, statement, instrument, document or other writing (including any electronic message, Internet or intranet website posting or other distribution) believed by it to be genuine and to have been signed, sent or otherwise authenticated by the proper Person. The Administrative Agent also may rely upon any statement made to it orally or by telephone and believed by it to have been made by the proper Person, and shall be fully protected in relying and shall not incur any liability for relying thereon. In determining compliance with any condition hereunder to the making of a Loan, or the issuance, extension, renewal or increase of a Letter of Credit, that by its terms must be fulfilled to the satisfaction of a Lender or an L/C Issuer, the Administrative Agent may

-131-


 

presume that such condition is satisfactory to such Lender or such L/C Issuer unless the Administrative Agent shall have received notice to the contrary from such Lender or such L/C Issuer prior to the making of such Loan or the issuance of such Letter of Credit. The Administrative Agent may consult with legal counsel (who may be counsel for the Loan Parties), independent accountants and other experts selected by it, and shall not be liable for any action taken or not taken by it in accordance with the advice of any such counsel, accountants or experts. For purposes of determining compliance with the conditions specified in Section 4.01, each Lender that has signed this Agreement shall be deemed to have consented to, approved or accepted or to be satisfied with, each document or other matter required thereunder to be consented to or approved by or acceptable or satisfactory to a Lender unless the Administrative Agent shall have received notice from such Lender prior to the proposed Closing Date specifying its objections.

Section 9.05. Delegation of Duties. The Administrative Agent may perform any and all of its duties and exercise its rights and powers hereunder or under any other Loan Document by or through any one or more sub-agents appointed by the Administrative Agent. The Administrative Agent and any such sub-agent may perform any and all of its duties and exercise its rights and powers by or through their respective Related Parties. The exculpatory provisions of this Article shall apply to any such sub-agent and to the Related Parties of the Administrative Agent and any such sub-agent, and shall apply to their respective activities in connection with the syndication of the Facilities as well as activities as Administrative Agent. The Administrative Agent shall not be responsible for the negligence or misconduct of any sub-agents except to the extent that a court of competent jurisdiction determines in a final and non appealable judgment that the Administrative Agent acted with gross negligence or willful misconduct in the selection of such sub-agents.

Section 9.06. Resignation of Administrative Agent. (a) The Administrative Agent may at any time give notice of its resignation to the Lenders, the L/C Issuers and the Domestic Borrower. Upon receipt of any such notice of resignation, the Required Lenders shall have the right, in consultation with the Domestic Borrower, to appoint a successor, which shall be a bank with an office in the United States, or an Affiliate of any such bank with an office in the United States. If no such successor shall have been so appointed by the Required Lenders and shall have accepted such appointment within 30 days after the retiring Administrative Agent gives notice of its resignation (or such earlier day as shall be agreed by the Required Lenders) (the “Resignation Effective Date”), then the retiring Administrative Agent may (but shall not be obligated to) on behalf of the Lenders and the L/C Issuers, appoint a successor Administrative Agent meeting the qualifications set forth above; provided that in no event shall any successor Administrative Agent be a Defaulting Lender. Whether or not a successor has been appointed, such resignation shall become effective in accordance with such notice on the Resignation Effective Date.

(b)
If the Person serving as Administrative Agent is a Defaulting Lender pursuant to clause (d) of the definition thereof, the Required Lenders may, to the extent permitted by Applicable Law, by notice in writing to the Domestic Borrower and such Person remove such Person as Administrative Agent and, in consultation with the Domestic Borrower, appoint a successor. If no such successor shall have been so appointed by the Required Lenders and shall have accepted such appointment within 30 days (or such earlier day as shall be agreed by the Required Lenders) (the “Removal Effective Date”), then such removal shall nonetheless become effective in accordance with such notice on the Removal Effective Date.
(c)
With effect from the Resignation Effective Date or the Removal Effective Date (as applicable) (1) the retiring or removed Administrative Agent shall be discharged from its duties and obligations hereunder and under the other Loan Documents (except that in the case of any collateral security held by the Administrative Agent on behalf of the Lenders or the L/C Issuers under any of the Loan Documents, the retiring or removed Administrative Agent shall continue to hold such collateral security until such time as a successor Administrative

-132-


 

Agent is appointed) and (2) except for any indemnity payments or other amounts then owed to the retiring or removed Administrative Agent, all payments, communications and determinations provided to be made by, to or through the Administrative Agent shall instead be made by or to each Lender and each L/C Issuer directly, until such time, if any, as the Required Lenders appoint a successor Administrative Agent as provided for above. Upon the acceptance of a successor’s appointment as Administrative Agent hereunder, such successor shall succeed to and become vested with all of the rights, powers, privileges and duties of the retiring (or removed) Administrative Agent (other than as provided in Section 3.01(g) and other than any rights to indemnity payments or other amounts owed to the retiring or removed Administrative Agent as of the Resignation Effective Date or the Removal Effective Date, as applicable), and the retiring or removed Administrative Agent shall be discharged from all of its duties and obligations hereunder or under the other Loan Documents (if not already discharged therefrom as provided above in this Section). The fees payable by the Borrowers to a successor Administrative Agent shall be the same as those payable to its predecessor unless otherwise agreed between the Domestic Borrower and such successor. After the retiring or removed Administrative Agent’s resignation or removal hereunder and under the other Loan Documents, the provisions of this Article and Section 11.04 shall continue in effect for the benefit of such retiring or removed Administrative Agent, its sub-agents and their respective Related Parties in respect of any actions taken or omitted to be taken by any of them (i) while the retiring or removed Administrative Agent was acting as Administrative Agent and (ii) after such resignation or removal for as long as any of them continues to act in any capacity hereunder or under the other Loan Documents, including, without limitation, (A) acting as collateral agent or otherwise holding any collateral security on behalf of any of the Secured Parties and (B) in respect of any actions taken in connection with transferring the agency to any successor Administrative Agent.
(d)
Any resignation or removal by Bank of America as Administrative Agent pursuant to this Section shall also constitute its resignation as an L/C Issuer and Swingline Lender. If Bank of America resigns as an L/C Issuer, it shall retain all the rights, powers, privileges and duties of an L/C Issuer hereunder with respect to all Letters of Credit outstanding as of the effective date of its resignation as an L/C Issuer and all L/C Obligations with respect thereto, including the right to require the Lenders to make Base Rate Loans or fund risk participations in Unreimbursed Amounts pursuant to Section 2.03(c). If Bank of America resigns as Swingline Lender, it shall retain all the rights of the Swingline Lender provided for hereunder with respect to Swingline Loans made by it and outstanding as of the effective date of such resignation, including the right to require the Lenders to make Base Rate Loans or fund risk participations in outstanding Swingline Loans pursuant to Section 2.04(c). Upon the appointment by the Domestic Borrower of a successor L/C Issuer or Swingline Lender hereunder (which successor shall in all cases be a Lender other than a Defaulting Lender), (a) such successor shall succeed to and become vested with all of the rights, powers, privileges and duties of the retiring L/C Issuer or Swingline Lender, as applicable, (b) the retiring L/C Issuer and Swingline Lender shall be discharged from all of their respective duties and obligations hereunder or under the other Loan Documents, and (c) the successor L/C Issuer shall issue letters of credit in substitution for the Letters of Credit, if any, outstanding at the time of such succession or make other arrangements satisfactory to Bank of America to effectively assume the obligations of Bank of America with respect to such Letters of Credit.

Section 9.07. Non-Reliance on Administrative Agent and Other Lenders. Each Lender and each L/C Issuer expressly acknowledges that none of the Administrative Agent nor any Arranger has made any representation or warranty to it, and that no act by the Administrative Agent or any Arranger hereafter taken, including any consent to, and acceptance of any assignment or review of the affairs of any Loan Party or any Affiliate thereof, shall be deemed to constitute any representation or warranty by the Administrative Agent or any Arranger to any Lender or any L/C Issuer as to any matter, including whether the Administrative Agent or any Arranger have disclosed material information in their (or their Related Parties’) possession. Each Lender and each L/C Issuer represents to the Administrative Agent and each Arranger that it has, independently and without reliance upon the Administrative

-133-


 

Agent, each Arranger, any other Lender or any of their Related Parties and based on such documents and information as it has deemed appropriate, made its own credit analysis of, appraisal of, and investigation into, the business, prospects, operations, property, financial and other condition and creditworthiness of the Loan Parties and their Subsidiaries, and all applicable bank or other regulatory Laws relating to the transactions contemplated hereby, and made its own decision to enter into this Agreement and to extend credit to the Borrowers hereunder. Each Lender and each L/C Issuer also acknowledges that it will, independently and without reliance upon the Administrative Agent, any Arranger, any other Lender or any of their Related Parties and based on such documents and information as it shall from time to time deem appropriate, continue to make its own credit analysis, appraisals and decisions in taking or not taking action under or based upon this Agreement, any other Loan Document or any related agreement or any document furnished hereunder or thereunder, and to make such investigations as it deems necessary to inform itself as to the business, prospects, operations, property, financial and other condition and creditworthiness of the Loan Parties. Each Lender and each L/C Issuer represents and warrants that (i) the Loan Documents set forth the terms of a commercial lending facility and (ii) it is engaged in making, acquiring or holding commercial loans in the ordinary course and is entering into this Agreement as a Lender or an L/C Issuer for the purpose of making, acquiring or holding commercial loans and providing other facilities set forth herein as may be applicable to such Lender or such L/C Issuer, and not for the purpose of purchasing, acquiring or holding any other type of financial instrument, and each Lender and each L/C Issuer agrees not to assert a claim in contravention of the foregoing. Each Lender and each L/C Issuer represents and warrants that it is sophisticated with respect to decisions to make, acquire and/or hold commercial loans and to provide other facilities set forth herein, as may be applicable to such Lender or such L/C Issuer, and either it, or the Person exercising discretion in making its decision to make, acquire and/or hold such commercial loans or to provide such other facilities, is experienced in making, acquiring or holding such commercial loans or providing such other facilities.

Section 9.08. No Other Duties, Etc. Anything herein to the contrary notwithstanding, none of the titles listed on the cover page hereof shall have any powers, duties or responsibilities under this Agreement or any of the other Loan Documents, except in its capacity, as applicable, as the Administrative Agent, an Arranger, a Lender or an L/C Issuer hereunder.

Section 9.09. Administrative Agent May File Proofs of Claim.

(a)
In case of the pendency of any proceeding under any Debtor Relief Law or any other judicial proceeding relative to any Loan Party, the Administrative Agent (irrespective of whether the principal of any Loan or L/C Obligation shall then be due and payable as herein expressed or by declaration or otherwise and irrespective of whether the Administrative Agent shall have made any demand on any Borrower) shall be entitled and empowered, by intervention in such proceeding or otherwise:
(i)
to file and prove a claim for the whole amount of the principal and interest owing and unpaid in respect of the Loans, L/C Obligations and all other Obligations that are owing and unpaid and to file such other documents as may be necessary or advisable in order to have the claims of the Lenders, the L/C Issuers and the Administrative Agent (including any claim for the reasonable compensation, expenses, disbursements and advances of the Lenders, the L/C Issuers and the Administrative Agent and their respective agents and counsel and all other amounts due the Lenders, the L/C Issuers and the Administrative Agent under Sections 2.03(h) and 2.03(i), 2.09, 2.10(b) and 11.04) allowed in such judicial proceeding; and

-134-


 

(ii)
to collect and receive any monies or other property payable or deliverable on any such claims and to distribute the same; and any custodian, receiver, assignee, trustee, liquidator, sequestrator or other similar official in any such judicial proceeding is hereby authorized by each Lender and each L/C Issuer to make such payments to the Administrative Agent and, in the event that the Administrative Agent shall consent to the making of such payments directly to the Lenders and the L/C Issuers, to pay to the Administrative Agent any amount due for the reasonable compensation, expenses, disbursements and advances of the Administrative Agent and its agents and counsel, and any other amounts due the Administrative Agent under Sections 2.09, 2.10(b) and 11.04.
(b)
Nothing contained herein shall be deemed to authorize the Administrative Agent to authorize or consent to or accept or adopt on behalf of any Lender or any L/C Issuer any plan of reorganization, arrangement, adjustment or composition affecting the Obligations or the rights of any Lender or any L/C Issuer to authorize the Administrative Agent to vote in respect of the claim of any Lender or any L/C Issuer or in any such proceeding.
(c)
The Secured Parties hereby irrevocably authorize the Administrative Agent, at the direction of the Required Lenders, to credit bid all or any portion of the Obligations (including accepting some or all of the Collateral in satisfaction of some or all of the Obligations pursuant to a deed in lieu of foreclosure or otherwise) and in such manner purchase (either directly or through one or more acquisition vehicles) all or any portion of the Collateral (i) at any sale thereof conducted under the provisions of the Bankruptcy Code of the United States, including under Sections 363, 1123 or 1129 of the Bankruptcy Code of the United States, or any similar Laws in any other jurisdictions to which a Loan Party is subject, (ii) at any other sale or foreclosure or acceptance of collateral in lieu of debt conducted by (or with the consent or at the direction of) the Administrative Agent (whether by judicial action or otherwise) in accordance with any Applicable Law. In connection with any such credit bid and purchase, the Obligations owed to the Secured Parties shall be entitled to be, and shall be, credit bid on a ratable basis (with Obligations with respect to contingent or unliquidated claims receiving contingent interests in the acquired assets on a ratable basis that would vest upon the liquidation of such claims in an amount proportional to the liquidated portion of the contingent claim amount used in allocating the contingent interests) in the asset or assets so purchased (or in the Equity Interests or debt instruments of the acquisition vehicle or vehicles that are used to consummate such purchase). In connection with any such bid (A) the Administrative Agent shall be authorized to form one or more acquisition vehicles to make a bid, (B) to adopt documents providing for the governance of the acquisition vehicle or vehicles (provided that any actions by the Administrative Agent with respect to such acquisition vehicle or vehicles, including any disposition of the assets or Equity Interests thereof shall be governed, directly or indirectly, by the vote of the Required Lenders, irrespective of the termination of this Agreement and without giving effect to the limitations on actions by the Required Lenders contained in clauses (a) through (k) of Section 11.01 of this Agreement) and (C) to the extent that Obligations that are assigned to an acquisition vehicle are not used to acquire Collateral for any reason (as a result of another bid being higher or better, because the amount of Obligations assigned to the acquisition vehicle exceeds the amount of debt credit bid by the acquisition vehicle or otherwise), such Obligations shall automatically be reassigned to the Lenders pro rata and the Equity Interests and/or debt instruments issued by any acquisition vehicle on account of the Obligations that had been assigned to the acquisition vehicle shall automatically be cancelled, without the need for any Secured Party or any acquisition vehicle to take any further action.

-135-


 

Section 9.10. Collateral and Guaranty Matters. Each Lender (including in its capacities as a potential Cash Management Bank and a potential Hedge Bank) and each L/C Issuer irrevocably authorize the Administrative Agent, at its option and in its discretion,

(a)
to release any Lien on any property granted to or held by the Administrative Agent under any Loan Document (i) upon the Facility Termination Date, (ii) that is sold or otherwise disposed of or to be sold or otherwise disposed of as part of or in connection with any sale or other disposition permitted hereunder or under any other Loan Document, or (iii) subject to Section 11.01, if approved, authorized or ratified in writing by the Required Lenders;
(b)
to subordinate any Lien on any property granted to or held by the Administrative Agent under any Loan Document to the holder of any Lien on such property that is permitted by Section 7.01(j); and
(c)
to release any Guarantor from its obligations under the Guaranty, and to release any pledge of Equity Interests of such Person, if such Person ceases to be a Subsidiary as a result of a transaction permitted under the Loan Documents.

Upon request by the Administrative Agent at any time, the Required Lenders will confirm in writing the Administrative Agent’s authority to release or subordinate its interest in particular types or items of property, or to release any Guarantor from its obligations under the Guaranty pursuant to this Section 9.10. In each case as specified in this Section 9.10, the Administrative Agent will, at the Borrowers’ expense, execute and deliver to the applicable Loan Party such documents as such Loan Party may reasonably request to evidence the release of such item of Collateral from the assignment and security interest granted under the Collateral Documents or to subordinate its interest in such item, or to release such Guarantor from its obligations under the Guaranty, in each case in accordance with the terms of the Loan Documents and this Section 9.10.

The Administrative Agent shall not be responsible for or have a duty to ascertain or inquire into any representation or warranty regarding the existence, value or collectability of the Collateral, the existence, priority or perfection of the Administrative Agent’s Lien thereon, or any certificate prepared by any Loan Party in connection therewith, nor shall the Administrative Agent be responsible or liable to the Lenders for any failure to monitor or maintain any portion of the Collateral.

Section 9.11. Secured Cash Management Agreements and Secured Hedge Agreements. Except as otherwise expressly set forth herein or in any Guaranty or any Collateral Document, no Cash Management Bank or Hedge Bank that obtains the benefits of Section 8.03, any Guaranty or any Collateral by virtue of the provisions hereof or of any Guaranty or any Collateral Document shall have any right to notice of any action or to consent to, direct or object to any action hereunder or under any other Loan Document or otherwise in respect of the Collateral (including the release or impairment of any Collateral) (or to notice of or to consent to any amendment, waiver or modification of the provisions hereof or of any Guaranty or any Collateral Document) other than in its capacity as a Lender and, in such case, only to the extent expressly provided in the Loan Documents. Notwithstanding any other provision of this Article IX to the contrary, the Administrative Agent shall not be required to verify the payment of, or that other satisfactory arrangements have been made with respect to, Obligations arising under Secured Cash Management Agreements and Secured Hedge Agreements unless the Administrative Agent has received written noticea Secured Party Designation Notice of such Obligations, together with such supporting documentation as the Administrative Agent may request, from the applicable Cash Management Bank or Hedge Bank, as the case may be. The Administrative Agent shall not be required to verify the payment of, or that other satisfactory arrangements have been made with respect to, Obligations arising under Secured Cash Management Agreements and Secured Hedge Agreements in the case of a Facility Termination Date.

-136-


 

Section 9.12. Certain ERISA Matters. (a) Each Lender (x) represents and warrants, as of the date such Person became a Lender party hereto, to, and (y) covenants, from the date such Person became a Lender party hereto to the date such Person ceases being a Lender party hereto, for the benefit of, the Administrative Agent, the Sustainability Structuring Agent and each Arranger, and not, for the avoidance of doubt, to or for the benefit of the Borrowers or any other Loan Party, that at least one of the following is and will be true:

(i)
such Lender is not using “plan assets” (within the meaning of Section 3(42) of ERISA or otherwise) of one or more Benefit Plans with respect to such Lender’s entrance into, participation in, administration of and performance of the Loans, the Letters of Credit, the Commitments or this Agreement,
(ii)
the transaction exemption set forth in one or more PTEs, such as PTE 84-14 (a class exemption for certain transactions determined by independent qualified professional asset managers), PTE 95-60 (a class exemption for certain transactions involving insurance company general accounts), PTE 90-1 (a class exemption for certain transactions involving insurance company pooled separate accounts), PTE 91-38 (a class exemption for certain transactions involving bank collective investment funds) or PTE 96-23 (a class exemption for certain transactions determined by in-house asset managers), is applicable with respect to such Lender’s entrance into, participation in, administration of and performance of the Loans, the Letters of Credit, the Commitments and this Agreement,
(iii)
(A) such Lender is an investment fund managed by a “Qualified Professional Asset Manager” (within the meaning of Part VI of PTE 84-14), (B) such Qualified Professional Asset Manager made the investment decision on behalf of such Lender to enter into, participate in, administer and perform the Loans, the Letters of Credit, the Commitments and this Agreement, (C) the entrance into, participation in, administration of and performance of the Loans, the Letters of Credit, the Commitments and this Agreement satisfies the requirements of sub-sections (b) through (g) of Part I of PTE 84-14 and (D) to the best knowledge of such Lender, the requirements of subsection (a) of Part I of PTE 84-14 are satisfied with respect to such Lender’s entrance into, participation in, administration of and performance of the Loans, the Letters of Credit, the Commitments and this Agreement, or
(iv)
such other representation, warranty and covenant as may be agreed in writing between the Administrative Agent, in its sole discretion, and such Lender.

(b) In addition, unless either (1) sub-clause (i) in the immediately preceding clause (a) is true with respect to a Lender or (2) a Lender has provided another representation, warranty and covenant in accordance with sub-clause (iv) in the immediately preceding clause (a), such Lender further (x) represents and warrants, as of the date such Person became a Lender party hereto, to, and (y) covenants, from the date such Person became a Lender party hereto to the date such Person ceases being a Lender party hereto, for the benefit of, the Administrative Agent and not, for the avoidance of doubt, to or for the benefit of the Borrowers or any other Loan Party, that the Administrative Agent is not a fiduciary with respect to the assets of such Lender involved in such Lender’s entrance into, participation in, administration of and performance of the Loans, the Letters of Credit, the Commitments and this Agreement (including in connection with the reservation or exercise of any rights by the Administrative Agent under this Agreement, any Loan Document or any documents related hereto or thereto).

Section 9.13. Recovery of Erroneous Payments. Without limitation of any other provision in this Agreement, if at any time the Administrative Agent makes a payment hereunder in error to any Lender Recipient Party, whether or not in respect of an Obligation due and owing by the Borrower at such time, where such payment is a Rescindable Amount, then in any such event, each Lender Recipient Party receiving a Rescindable Amount severally agrees to repay to the Administrative Agent forthwith on demand the Rescindable Amount received by

-137-


 

such Lender Recipient Party in immediately available funds in the currency so received, with interest thereon, for each day from and including the date such Rescindable Amount is received by it to but excluding the date of payment to the Administrative Agent, at the greater of the Federal Funds Rate and a rate determined by the Administrative Agent in accordance with banking industry rules on interbank compensation. Each Lender Recipient Party irrevocably waives any and all defenses, including any “discharge for value” (under which a creditor might otherwise claim a right to retain funds mistakenly paid by a third party in respect of a debt owed by another) or similar defense to its obligation to return any Rescindable Amount. The Administrative Agent shall inform each Lender Recipient Party promptly upon determining that any payment made to such Lender Recipient Party comprised, in whole or in part, a Rescindable Amount.

ARTICLE X

GUARANTY

Section 10.01. The Guaranty.

(a)
Global Guarantors. Each of the Global Guarantors hereby jointly and severally guarantees to the Secured Parties, as primary obligor and not as surety, the prompt payment of all Obligations in full when due (whether at stated maturity, as a mandatory prepayment, by acceleration, as a mandatory cash collateralization or otherwise) strictly in accordance with the terms thereof. The Global Guarantors hereby further agree that if any of the Obligations are not paid in full when due (whether at stated maturity, as a mandatory prepayment, by acceleration, as a mandatory cash collateralization or otherwise), the Global Guarantors will, jointly and severally, promptly pay the same, without any demand or notice whatsoever (other than as otherwise expressly required pursuant to the Loan Documents), and that in the case of any extension of time of payment or renewal of any of the Obligations, the same will be promptly paid in full when due (whether at extended maturity, as a mandatory prepayment, by acceleration, as a mandatory cash collateralization or otherwise) in accordance with the terms of such extension or renewal.
(b)
Foreign Guarantors. Each of the Foreign Guarantors hereby jointly and severally guarantees the Secured Parties, as primary obligor and not as surety, the prompt payment of all Foreign Obligations in full when due (whether at stated maturity, as a mandatory prepayment, by acceleration, as a mandatory cash collateralization or otherwise) strictly in accordance with the terms thereof. Each of the Foreign Guarantors hereby further agrees that if any of such Foreign Obligations are not paid in full when due (whether at stated maturity, as a mandatory prepayment, by acceleration, as a mandatory cash collateralization or otherwise), the Foreign Guarantors will, jointly and severally, promptly pay the same, without any demand or notice whatsoever (other than as otherwise expressly required pursuant to the Loan Documents), and that in the case of any extension of time of payment or renewal of any of such obligations, the same will be promptly paid in full when due (whether at extended maturity, as a mandatory prepayment, by acceleration, as a mandatory cash collateralization or otherwise) in accordance with the terms of such extension or renewal.
(c)
Domestic Borrower. The Domestic Borrower hereby guarantees to the Secured Parties, as primary obligor and not as surety, the prompt payment of all Foreign Obligations in full when due (whether at stated maturity, as a mandatory prepayment, by acceleration, as a mandatory cash collateralization or otherwise) strictly in accordance with the terms thereof. The Domestic Borrower hereby further agrees that if any of such Foreign Obligations are not paid in full when due (whether at stated maturity, as a mandatory prepayment, by acceleration, as a mandatory cash collateralization or otherwise), it will promptly pay the same, without any demand or notice whatsoever (other than as otherwise expressly required pursuant to the Loan Documents), and that in the case of any extension of time of payment or renewal of any of such obligations, the same will be promptly paid in full when

-138-


 

due (whether at extended maturity, as a mandatory prepayment, by acceleration, as a mandatory cash collateralization or otherwise) in accordance with the terms of such extension or renewal.
(d)
Savings Clause. Notwithstanding any provision to the contrary contained herein or in any other of the Loan Documents, Swap Contracts or Cash Management Agreements, the obligations of each Guarantor (in its capacity as such) under this Agreement and the other Loan Documents shall (A) exclude any Excluded Swap Obligations with respect to such Guarantor and (B) be limited to an aggregate amount equal to the largest amount that would not render such obligations subject to avoidance under the Debtor Relief Laws or any comparable provisions of any applicable Law, and any waiver of rights of a Foreign Guarantor made under this Article X which is invalid, ineffective or unenforceable in whole, in part or to any extent under the Applicable Law of the Foreign Guarantor’s jurisdiction of incorporation or operation shall apply only to the extent that such waiver is valid and enforceable.

Section 10.02. Obligations Unconditional.

(a)
Global Guarantors. The obligations of the Global Guarantors under Section 10.01 are joint and several, absolute and unconditional, irrespective of the value, genuineness, validity, regularity or enforceability of any of the Loan Documents, Swap Contracts or Cash Management Agreements, or any other agreement or instrument referred to therein, or any substitution, release, impairment or exchange of any other guarantee of or security for any of the Obligations, and, to the fullest extent permitted by applicable Law, irrespective of any other circumstance whatsoever that might otherwise constitute a legal or equitable discharge or defense of a surety or guarantor, it being the intent of this Section 10.02 that the obligations of the Global Guarantors hereunder shall be absolute and unconditional under any and all circumstances. Each Global Guarantor agrees that such Global Guarantor shall have no right of subrogation, indemnity, reimbursement or contribution against the Borrowers or any other Guarantor for amounts paid under this Article X until such time as the Obligations have been paid in full and the Commitments have expired or terminated.
(b)
Foreign Guarantors. The obligations of the Foreign Guarantors under Section 10.01 are joint and several, absolute and unconditional, irrespective of the value, genuineness, validity, regularity or enforceability of any of the Loan Documents, Swap Contracts or Cash Management Agreements, or any other agreement or instrument referred to therein, or any substitution, release, impairment or exchange of any other guarantee of or security for any of the Foreign Obligations, and, to the fullest extent permitted by applicable Law, irrespective of any other circumstance whatsoever that might otherwise constitute a legal or equitable discharge or defense of a surety or guarantor, it being the intent of this Section 10.02 that the obligations of the Foreign Guarantors hereunder shall be absolute and unconditional under any and all circumstances. Each of the Foreign Guarantors agrees that such Foreign Guarantor shall have no right of subrogation, indemnity, reimbursement or contribution against the Foreign Borrower, the Domestic Borrower or any other Guarantor for amounts paid under this Article X until such time as the Obligations have been paid in full and the Commitments have expired or terminated.
(c)
Domestic Borrower. The obligations of the Domestic Borrower under Section 10.01 are absolute and unconditional, irrespective of the value, genuineness, validity, regularity or enforceability of any of the Loan Documents, Swap Contracts or Cash Management Agreements, or any other agreement or instrument referred to therein, or any substitution, release, impairment or exchange of any other guarantee of or security for any of the Foreign Obligations, and, to the fullest extent permitted by applicable Law, irrespective of any other circumstance whatsoever that might otherwise constitute a legal or equitable discharge or defense of a surety or guarantor, it being the intent of this Section 10.02 that the obligations of the Domestic Borrower hereunder shall be absolute and unconditional under any and all circumstances. The Domestic Borrower agrees that it shall have no right of subrogation, indemnity, reimbursement or contribution against the Foreign Borrower or any other Guarantor for

-139-


 

amounts paid under this Article X until such time as the Obligations have been paid in full and the Commitments have expired or terminated.
(d)
Certain Waivers. Without limiting the generality of the foregoing subsections (a), (b) and (c), it is agreed that, to the fullest extent permitted by Law, the occurrence of any one or more of the following shall not alter or impair the liability of the Domestic Borrower or any Guarantor hereunder, which shall remain absolute and unconditional as described above:
(i)
at any time or from time to time, without notice to the Domestic Borrower or any Guarantor, the time for any performance of or compliance with any of the Obligations shall be extended, or such performance or compliance shall be waived;
(ii)
any of the acts mentioned in any of the provisions of any of the Loan Documents, any Swap Contract between any Loan Party and any Lender or any Affiliate of a Lender, any Cash Management Agreement between any Loan Party and any Lender or any Affiliate of a Lender, or any other agreement or instrument referred to in the Loan Documents, such Swap Contracts or such Cash Management Agreements shall be done or omitted;
(iii)
the maturity of any of the Obligations shall be accelerated, or any of the Obligations shall be modified, supplemented or amended in any respect, or any right under any of the Loan Documents, any Swap Contract between any Loan Party and any Lender or any Affiliate of a Lender, any Cash Management Agreement between any Loan Party and any Lender or any Affiliate of a Lender, or any other agreement or instrument referred to in the Loan Documents, such Swap Contracts or such Cash Management Agreements shall be waived or any other guarantee of any of the Obligations or any security therefor shall be released, impaired or exchanged in whole or in part or otherwise dealt with;
(iv)
any Lien granted to, or in favor of, the Administrative Agent acting as “collateral agent” in accordance with Section 9.01(b) or any holder of the Obligations as security for any of the Obligations shall fail to attach or be perfected; or
(v)
any of the Obligations shall be determined to be void or voidable (including for the benefit of any creditor of the Domestic Borrower or any Guarantor) or shall be subordinated to the claims of any Person (including any creditor of the Domestic Borrower or any Guarantor).
(e)
Certain Additional Waivers.
(i)
With respect to its obligations under this Article X, the Domestic Borrower and each Guarantor hereby expressly waives diligence, presentment, demand of payment, protest and all notices (other than as otherwise expressly required pursuant to the Loan Documents) whatsoever, and any requirement that the Administrative Agent or any other holder of the Obligations exhaust any right, power or remedy or proceed against any Person under any of the Loan Documents, any Swap Contract between any Loan Party and any Lender or any Affiliate of a Lender, any Cash Management Agreement between any Loan Party and any Lender or any Affiliate of a Lender, or any other agreement or instrument referred to in the Loan Documents, such Swap Contracts or such Cash Management Agreements, or against any other Person under any other guarantee of, or security for, any of the Obligations; and

-140-


 

(ii)
Each Loan Party waives any rights and defenses that are or may become available to it by reason of §§ 2787 to 2855, inclusive, and §§ 2899 and 3433 of the California Civil Code. As provided below, this Guaranty shall be governed by, and construed in accordance with, the laws of the State of New York. The foregoing waivers and the provisions hereinafter set forth in this Guaranty which pertain to California law are included solely out of an abundance of caution, and shall not be construed to mean that any of the above referenced provisions of California law are in any way applicable to this Guaranty or the Obligations.
(iii)
The Domestic Borrower and each Guarantor hereby expressly waives (a) any defense arising by reason of any disability or other defense of the Borrowers or any other guarantor, or the cessation from any cause whatsoever (including any act or omission of any Secured Party) of the liability of any Borrower or any other Loan Party; (b) any defense based on any claim that such Guarantor’s obligations exceed or are more burdensome than those of the Borrowers or any other Loan Party; (c) the benefit of any statute of limitations affecting any Guarantor’s liability hereunder; (d) any right to proceed against the Borrowers or any other Loan Party, proceed against or exhaust any security for the Obligations, or pursue any other remedy in the power of any Secured Party whatsoever; (e) any benefit of and any right to participate in any security now or hereafter held by any Secured Party; and (f) to the fullest extent permitted by law, any and all other defenses or benefits that may be derived from or afforded by Applicable Law limiting the liability of or exonerating guarantors or sureties. Each Guarantor expressly waives all setoffs and counterclaims and all presentments, demands for payment or performance, notices of nonpayment or nonperformance, protests, notices of protest, notices of dishonor and all other notices or demands of any kind or nature whatsoever with respect to the Obligations, and all notices of acceptance of this Guaranty or of the existence, creation or incurrence of new or additional Secured Obligations.

Section 10.03. Reinstatement.

(a)
Global Guarantors. The obligations of each Global Guarantor under this Article X shall be automatically reinstated if and to the extent that for any reason any payment by or on behalf of any Person in respect of the Obligations is rescinded or must be otherwise restored by any holder of any of the Obligations, whether as a result of any proceedings in bankruptcy or reorganization or otherwise, and each Global Guarantor agrees that it will indemnify each Secured Party on demand for all reasonable costs and expenses (including the reasonable fees, charges and disbursements of counsel) incurred by such Person in connection with such rescission or restoration, including any such costs and expenses incurred in defending against any claim alleging that such payment constituted a preference, fraudulent transfer or similar payment under any bankruptcy, insolvency or similar Law.
(b)
Foreign Guarantors. The obligations of each Foreign Guarantor under this Article X shall be automatically reinstated if and to the extent that for any reason any payment by or on behalf of any Person in respect of the Foreign Obligations is rescinded or must be otherwise restored by any holder of any of the Foreign Obligations, whether as a result of any proceedings in bankruptcy or reorganization or otherwise, and each of the Foreign Guarantors agrees that it will indemnify each Secured Party on demand for all reasonable costs and expenses (including the reasonable fees, charges and disbursements of counsel) incurred by such Person in connection with such rescission or restoration, including any such costs and expenses incurred in defending against any claim alleging that such payment constituted a preference, fraudulent transfer or similar payment under any bankruptcy, insolvency or similar Law.

-141-


 

(c)
Domestic Borrower. The obligations of the Domestic Borrower under this Article X shall be automatically reinstated if and to the extent that for any reason any payment by or on behalf of any Person in respect of the Foreign Obligations is rescinded or must be otherwise restored by any holder of any of the Foreign Obligations, whether as a result of any proceedings in bankruptcy or reorganization or otherwise, and the Domestic Borrower agrees that it will indemnify each Secured Party on demand for all reasonable costs and expenses (including the reasonable fees, charges and disbursements of counsel) incurred by such Person in connection with such rescission or restoration, including any such costs and expenses incurred in defending against any claim alleging that such payment constituted a preference, fraudulent transfer or similar payment under any bankruptcy, insolvency or similar Law.

Section 10.04. Subrogation and Contribution. The Domestic Borrower and each Guarantor agrees that it shall have no right of recourse to security for the Obligations, except through the exercise of rights of subrogation pursuant to Section 10.02 and through the exercise of rights of contribution pursuant to Section 10.06.

Section 10.05. Remedies.

(a)
Global Guarantors. Each of the Global Guarantors agrees that, to the fullest extent permitted by Law, as between the Global Guarantors, on the one hand, and holders of the Obligations, on the other hand, the Obligations may be declared to be forthwith due and payable as provided in Section 8.02 (and shall be deemed to have become automatically due and payable in the circumstances provided in said Section 8.02) for purposes of Section 10.01 notwithstanding any stay, injunction or other prohibition preventing such declaration (or preventing the Obligations from becoming automatically due and payable) as against any other Person and that, in the event of such declaration (or the Obligations being deemed to have become automatically due and payable), the Obligations (whether or not due and payable by any other Person) shall forthwith become due and payable by the Global Guarantors for purposes of Section 10.01. The Global Guarantors acknowledge and agree that their obligations hereunder are secured in accordance with the terms of the Collateral Documents and that the holders of the Obligations may exercise their remedies thereunder in accordance with the terms thereof.
(b)
Foreign Guarantors. Each of the Foreign Guarantors agrees that, to the fullest extent permitted by Law, as between the Foreign Guarantors, on the one hand, and the holders of the Foreign Obligations, on the other hand, the Foreign Obligations may be declared to be forthwith due and payable as provided in Section 8.02 (and shall be deemed to have become automatically due and payable in the circumstances provided in said Section 8.02) for purposes of Section 10.01 notwithstanding any stay, injunction or other prohibition preventing such declaration (or preventing the Foreign Obligations from becoming automatically due and payable) as against any other Person and that, in the event of such declaration (or the Foreign Obligations being deemed to have become automatically due and payable), the Foreign Obligations (whether or not due and payable by any other Person) shall forthwith become due and payable by the Foreign Guarantors for purposes of Section 10.01. Each of the Foreign Guarantors acknowledges and agrees that its obligations hereunder are secured in accordance with the terms of the Collateral Documents and that the holders of the Foreign Obligations may exercise their remedies thereunder in accordance with the terms thereof.
(c)
Domestic Borrower. The Domestic Borrower agrees that, to the fullest extent permitted by Law, as between the Domestic Borrower, on the one hand, and the holders of the Foreign Obligations, on the other hand, the Foreign Obligations may be declared to be forthwith due and payable as provided in Section 8.02 (and shall be deemed to have become automatically due and payable in the circumstances provided in said Section 8.02) for purposes of Section 10.01 notwithstanding any stay, injunction or other prohibition preventing such declaration (or preventing the Foreign Obligations from becoming automatically due and payable) as against any other Person and that, in the event of such declaration (or the Foreign Obligations being deemed to have become automatically due

-142-


 

and payable), the Foreign Obligations (whether or not due and payable by any other Person) shall forthwith become due and payable by the Domestic Borrower for purposes of Section 10.01. The Domestic Borrower acknowledges and agrees that its obligations hereunder are secured in accordance with the terms of the Collateral Documents and that the holders of the Foreign Obligations may exercise their remedies thereunder in accordance with the terms thereof.

Section 10.06. Rights of Contribution.

(a)
Global Guarantors. The Domestic Borrower and the Global Guarantors hereby agree as among themselves that, in connection with payments made under this Article X, each Global Guarantor shall have a right of contribution from each other Global Guarantor and the Domestic Borrower (with respect to its guaranty under Section 10.01(c)) in accordance with applicable Law. Such contribution rights shall be subordinate and subject in right of payment to the Obligations until such time as the Obligations have been irrevocably paid in full and the commitments relating thereto shall have expired or been terminated, and none of the Global Guarantors shall exercise any such contribution rights until the Obligations have been irrevocably paid in full and the commitments relating thereto shall have expired or been terminated.
(b)
Foreign Guarantors. The Domestic Borrower, the Global Guarantors and the Foreign Guarantors hereby agree as among themselves that, in connection with payments made under this Article X, the Foreign Guarantors shall have a right of contribution from the Domestic Borrower (with respect to its guaranty under Section 10.01(c)) and each other Guarantor in accordance with applicable Law. Such contribution rights shall be subordinate and subject in right of payment to the Obligations until such time as the Obligations have been irrevocably paid in full and the commitments relating thereto shall have expired or

been terminated, and none of the Foreign Guarantors shall exercise any such contribution rights until the Obligations have been irrevocably paid in full and the commitments relating thereto shall have expired or been terminated.

Section 10.07. Guarantee of Payment; Continuing Guarantee.

(a)
Global Guarantors. The guarantee given by the Global Guarantors in this Article X is a guaranty of payment and not of collection, is a continuing guarantee, shall apply to all Obligations whenever arising and shall remain in full force and effect until the Facility Termination Date.
(b)
Foreign Guarantors. The guarantee given by the Foreign Guarantors in this Article X is a guaranty of payment and not of collection, is a continuing guarantee, shall apply to all Foreign Obligations whenever arising and shall remain in full force and effect until the Facility Termination Date.
(c)
Domestic Borrower. The guarantee given by the Domestic Borrower in this Article X is a guaranty of payment and not of collection, is a continuing guarantee, shall apply to all Foreign Obligations whenever arising and shall remain in full force and effect until the Facility Termination Date.

Section 10.08. Additional Guarantor Waivers and Agreements.

(a)
Each Loan Party understands and acknowledges that if the Secured Parties foreclose judicially or nonjudicially against any real property security for the Obligations, that foreclosure could impair or destroy any ability that such Loan Party may have to seek reimbursement, contribution, or indemnification from any other Loan Party or others based on any right such Loan Party may have of subrogation, reimbursement, contribution, or

-143-


 

indemnification for any amounts paid by such Loan Party under this Guaranty. Each Loan Party further understands and acknowledges that in the absence of this paragraph, such potential impairment or destruction of such Loan Party’s rights, if any, may entitle such Loan Party to assert a defense to this Guaranty based on Section 580d of the California Code of Civil Procedure as interpreted in Union Bank v. Gradsky, 265 Cal. App. 2d 40 (1968). By executing this Guaranty, each Loan Party freely, irrevocably, and unconditionally: (i) waives and relinquishes that defense and agrees that such Loan Party will be fully liable under this Guaranty even though the Secured Parties may foreclose, either by judicial foreclosure or by exercise of power of sale, any deed of trust securing the Obligations; (ii) agrees that such Loan Party will not assert that defense in any action or proceeding which the Secured Parties may commence to enforce this Guaranty; (iii) acknowledges and agrees that the rights and defenses waived by such Loan Party in this Guaranty include any right or defense that such Loan Party may have or be entitled to assert based upon or arising out of any one or more of §§ 580a, 580b, 580d, or 726 of the California Code of Civil Procedure or § 2848 of the California Civil Code; and (iv) acknowledges and agrees that the Secured Parties are relying on this waiver in creating the Obligations, and that this waiver is a material part of the consideration which the Secured Parties are receiving for creating the Obligations.
(b)
Each Loan Party waives all rights and defenses that such Loan Party may have because any of the Obligations is secured by real property. This means, among other things: (i) the Secured Parties may collect from any Loan Party without first foreclosing on any real or personal property collateral pledged by the other Loan Parties; and (ii) if the Secured Parties foreclose on any real property collateral pledged by the other Loan Parties: (A) the amount of the Obligations may be reduced only by the price for which that collateral is sold at the foreclosure sale, even if the collateral is worth more than the sale price, and (B) the

Secured Parties may collect from any Loan Party even if the Secured Parties, by foreclosing on the real property collateral, have destroyed any right such Loan Party may have to collect from the other Loan Parties. This is an unconditional and irrevocable waiver of any rights and defenses each Loan Party may have because any of the Obligations is secured by real property. These rights and defenses include, but are not limited to, any rights or defenses based upon § 580a, 580b, 580d, or 726 of the California Code of Civil Procedure.

(c)
Each Loan Party waives any right or defense it may have at law or equity, including California Code of Civil Procedure § 580a, to a fair market value hearing or action to determine a deficiency judgment after a foreclosure.
(d)
Each Loan Party waives all rights and defenses arising out of an election of remedies by the Secured Parties, even though that election of remedies, such as a nonjudicial foreclosure with respect to security for the Obligations, has destroyed such Loan Party’s rights of subrogation and reimbursement against the Borrowers or any other Loan Party by the operation of § 580d of the California Code of Civil Procedure or otherwise.
(e)
Each Loan Party waives any and all rights of subrogation, reimbursement, indemnification and contribution and any other rights and defenses that are or may become available to such Loan Party by virtue of Sections 2787 to 2855, inclusive, of the California Civil Code.

Section 10.09. Appointment of Domestic Borrower. Each of the Loan Parties hereby appoints the Domestic Borrower to act as its agent for all purposes of this Agreement, the other Loan Documents and all other documents and electronic platforms entered into in connection herewith and agrees that (a) the Domestic Borrower may execute such documents and provide such authorizations on behalf of such Loan Parties as the Domestic Borrower deems appropriate in its sole discretion and each Loan Party shall be obligated by all of the terms of any such document and/or authorization executed on its behalf, (b) any notice or communication delivered by the Administrative Agent, an L/C Issuer or a Lender to the Domestic Borrower shall be deemed delivered to each Loan Party and (c) the

-144-


 

Administrative Agent, the L/C Issuers or the Lenders may accept, and be permitted to rely on, any document, authorization, instrument or agreement executed by the Domestic Borrower on behalf of each of the Loan Parties. The Foreign Borrower, each Foreign Guarantor and each other Loan Party hereby consents to the service of process in any suit, action or proceeding by the mailing thereof by the Administrative Agent or any Lender by hand or overnight courier service or mailed by certified or registered mail, at the notice address of the Domestic Borrower set forth on Schedule 11.02, and agrees that nothing herein shall affect the right to effect service of process in any other manner permitted by law, or shall limit the right to sue in any other jurisdiction.

Section 10.10. Keepwell. Each Loan Party that is a Qualified ECP Guarantor at the time the Guaranty or the grant of a Lien under the Loan Documents, in each case, by any Specified Loan Party becomes effective with respect to any Swap Obligation, hereby jointly and severally, absolutely, unconditionally and irrevocably undertakes to provide such funds or other support to each Specified Loan Party with respect to such Swap Obligation as may be needed by such Specified Loan Party from time to time to honor all of its obligations under the Loan Documents in respect of such Swap Obligation (but, in each case, only up to the maximum amount of such liability that can be hereby incurred without rendering such Qualified ECP Guarantor’s obligations and undertakings under this Article X voidable under Applicable Law relating to fraudulent conveyance or fraudulent transfer, and not for any greater amount).

The obligations and undertakings of each Qualified ECP Guarantor under this Section shall remain in full force and effect until the Obligations have been indefeasibly paid and performed in full. Each Loan Party intends this Section to constitute, and this Section shall be deemed to constitute, a guarantee of the obligations of, and a “keepwell, support, or other agreement” for the benefit of, each Specified Loan Party for all purposes of the Commodity Exchange Act.

Section 10.11. Condition of Borrowers.

Each Guarantor acknowledges and agrees that it has the sole responsibility for, and has adequate means of, obtaining from the Borrowers and any other guarantor such information concerning the financial condition, business and operations of the Borrowers and any such other guarantor as such Guarantor requires, and that none of the Secured Parties has any duty, and such Guarantor is not relying on the Secured Parties at any time, to disclose to it any information relating to the business, operations or financial condition of the Borrowers or any other guarantor (each Guarantor waiving any duty on the part of the Secured Parties to disclose such information and any defense relating to the failure to provide the same).

ARTICLE XI

MISCELLANEOUS

Section 11.01. Amendments, Etc. Subject to Section 3.03, no amendment or waiver of any provision of this Agreement or any other Loan Document, and no consent to any departure by any Borrower or any other Loan Party therefrom, shall be effective unless in writing signed by the Required Lenders (or by the Administrative Agent with the consent of the Required Lenders) and the Borrowers or the applicable Loan Party, as the case may be, and

-145-


 

acknowledged by the Administrative Agent, and each such waiver or consent shall be effective only in the specific instance and for the specific purpose for which given; provided that no such amendment, waiver or consent shall:

(a)
waive any condition set forth in Section 4.01(a) without the written consent of each Lender;
(b)
waive any condition set forth in Section 4.02 as to any Credit Extension under the Revolving Credit Facility without the written consent of the Required Revolving Lenders;
(c)
extend or increase the Commitment of any Lender (or reinstate any Commitment terminated pursuant to Section 8.02) without the written consent of such Lender;
(d)
postpone any date fixed by this Agreement or any other Loan Document for any payment (excluding mandatory prepayments, if any) of principal, interest, fees or other amounts due to the Lenders (or any of them) or reduce the amount of, waive or excuse any such payment hereunder or under any other Loan Document without the written consent of each Lender directly affected thereby;
(e)
reduce the principal of, or the rate of interest specified herein on, any Loan or L/C Borrowing, or (subject to clause (iv) of the second proviso to this Section 11.01) any fees or other amounts payable hereunder or under any other Loan Document without the written consent of each Lender directly affected thereby; provided that only the consent of the Required Lenders shall be necessary (i) to amend the definition of “Default Rate” or to waive any obligation of the Borrowers to pay interest or Letter of Credit Fees at the Default Rate or (ii) to amend any financial covenant hereunder (or any defined term used therein) even if the effect of such amendment would be to reduce the rate of interest on any Loan or L/C Borrowing or to reduce any fee payable hereunder;
(f)
(i) change Section 2.13 or Section 8.03 in a manner that would alter the pro rata sharing of payments required thereby without the written consent of each Lender, or (ii) subordinate, or have the effect of subordinating, the Obligations hereunder to any other Indebtedness or other obligation, in each case, without the written consent of each Lender directly affected thereby, or (iii) except as otherwise permitted under Section 9.10 (as in effect as of the Closing Date), subordinate, or have the effect of subordinating, any of the Liens securing the Obligations to any Liens securing any other Indebtedness or other obligation, or otherwise adversely affect the priority of any of the Liens securing the Obligations relative to any other Liens, in each case, without the written consent of each Lender directly affected thereby, or (iv) change the order of application of any reduction in the Commitments or any prepayment of Loans among the Facilities from the application thereof set forth in the applicable provisions of Section 2.05 or 2.06 in any manner that materially and adversely affects the Lenders under a Facility without the written consent of (A) if such Facility is an Incremental Term Facility, the Required Incremental Term Lenders and (B) if such Facility is the Revolving Credit Facility, the Required Revolving Lenders;
(g)
change (i) any provision of this Section or the definition of “Required Lenders” or any other provision hereof specifying the number or percentage of Lenders required to amend, waive or otherwise modify any rights hereunder or make any determination or grant any consent hereunder (other than the definitions specified in clause (ii) of this Section 11.01(g)), without the written consent of each Lender or (ii) the definition of “Required Revolving Lenders” or “Required Incremental Term Lenders” without the written consent of each Lender under the applicable Facility;
(h)
release all or substantially all of the Collateral in any transaction or series of related transactions, without the written consent of each Lender;

-146-


 

(i)
release all or substantially all of the value of the Guaranty without the written consent of each Lender, except to the extent the release of any Guarantor is permitted pursuant to Section 9.10 (in which case such release may be made by the Administrative Agent acting alone);
(j)
release any Borrower or permit any Borrower to assign or transfer any of its rights or obligations under this Agreement or the other Loan Documents without the consent of each Lender;
(k)
impose any greater restriction on the ability of any Lender under a Facility to assign any of its rights or obligations hereunder without the written consent of (i) if such Facility is an Incremental Term Facility, the Required Incremental Term Lenders and (ii) if such Facility is the Revolving Credit Facility, the Required Revolving Lenders; or
(l)
amend Section 1.06 or the definition of “Alternative Currency”, “Alternative Currency Daily Rate”, or “Alternative Currency Term Rate” other than as provided for below or as provided in Section 1.06, without the written consent of each Revolving Credit Lender; and provided, further, that (i) no amendment, waiver or consent shall, unless in writing and signed by the L/C Issuers in addition to the Lenders required above, affect the rights or duties of the L/C Issuers under this Agreement or any Issuer Document relating to any Letter of Credit issued or to be issued by it; (ii) no amendment, waiver or consent shall, unless in writing and signed by the Swingline Lender in addition to the Lenders required above, affect the rights or duties of the Swingline Lender under this Agreement; (iii) no amendment, waiver or consent shall, unless in writing and signed by the Administrative Agent in addition to the Lenders required above, affect the rights or duties of the Administrative Agent under this Agreement or any other Loan Document; and (iv) the Fee Letter may be amended, or rights or privileges thereunder waived, in a writing executed only by the parties thereto. Notwithstanding anything to the contrary herein, no Defaulting Lender shall have any right to approve or disapprove any amendment, waiver or consent hereunder (and any amendment, waiver or consent which by its terms requires the consent of all Lenders or each affected Lender may be effected with the consent of the applicable Lenders other than Defaulting Lenders), except that (x) the Commitment of any Defaulting Lender may not be increased or extended without the consent of such Lender and (y) any waiver, amendment or modification requiring the consent of all Lenders or each affected Lender that by its terms affects any Defaulting Lender disproportionately adversely relative to other affected Lenders shall require the consent of such Defaulting Lender.

Notwithstanding any provision herein to the contrary, this Agreement may be amended with the written consent of the Administrative Agent, each Lender that is providing new or increased Commitments pursuant to Sections 2.17 or Section 2.18, as applicable, and the Borrowers (i) to add one or more additional revolving credit or incremental term loan facilities to this Agreement, in each case subject to the applicable limitations in Section 2.17 and Section 2.18 and to permit the extensions of credit and all related obligations and liabilities arising in connection therewith from time to time outstanding to share ratably (or on a basis subordinated to the existing facilities hereunder) in the benefits of this Agreement and the other Loan Documents with the obligations and liabilities from time to time outstanding in respect of the existing facilities hereunder, and (ii) in connection with the foregoing, to permit the Lenders providing such additional credit facilities to participate in any required vote or action required to be approved by the Required Lenders or by any other number, percentage or class of Lenders hereunder.

Notwithstanding anything to the contrary herein, this Agreement or any provision hereof may be amended, amended and restated, supplemented or otherwise modified without the consent of a Lender (but with the consent of the Borrowers, the Administrative Agent and the other Lenders whose consent is required pursuant to this Section 11.01) if, upon giving effect to such amendment, amendment and restatement, supplement or other modification, by the terms of such agreement, such Lender shall no longer be a party hereto, the Commitments of such Lender

-147-


 

shall have terminated, such Lender shall have no other commitment or other obligation hereunder and such Lender shall have been paid in full all principal, interest and other amounts owing to it or accrued for its account under this Agreement.

Notwithstanding any provision herein to the contrary, this Agreement may be amended with the written consent of the Administrative Agent, Bank of America in its capacity as L/C Issuer with respect to Letters of Credit denominated in Alternative Currencies, the Borrowers and the Lenders affected thereby to amend the definitions of “Alternative Currency”, “Alternative Currency Daily Rate”, “Alternative Currency Term Rate”, or Section 1.06, as applicable, solely to add additional currency options and the applicable interest rate with respect thereto, in each case solely to the extent permitted pursuant to Section 1.06.

Notwithstanding any provision herein to the contrary, if the Administrative Agent and the Borrowers acting together identify any ambiguity, omission, mistake, typographical error or other defect in any provision of this Agreement or any other Loan Document (including the schedules and exhibits thereto), then the Administrative Agent and the Borrowers shall be permitted to amend, modify or supplement such provision to cure such ambiguity, omission, mistake, typographical error or other defect, and such amendment shall become effective without any further action or consent of any other party to this Agreement.

Section 11.02. Notices; Effectiveness; Electronic Communication.

(a)
Notices Generally. Except in the case of notices and other communications expressly permitted to be given by telephone (and except as provided in subsection (b) below), all notices and other communications provided for herein shall be in writing and shall be delivered by hand or overnight courier service, mailed by certified or registered mail or sent by facsimile or e-mail transmission as follows, and all notices and other communications expressly permitted hereunder to be given by telephone shall be made to the applicable telephone number, as follows:
(i)
if to any Borrower or any other Loan Party, the Administrative Agent, any L/C Issuer or the Swingline Lender, to the address, facsimile number, e-mail address or telephone number specified for such Person on Schedule 11.02; and
(ii)
if to any other Lender, to the address, facsimile number, e-mail address or telephone number specified in its Administrative Questionnaire (including, as appropriate, notices delivered solely to the Person designated by a Lender on its Administrative Questionnaire then in effect for the delivery of notices that may contain material non-public information relating to the Borrowers).

Notices and other communications sent by hand or overnight courier service, or mailed by certified or registered mail, shall be deemed to have been given when received; notices and other communications sent by facsimile shall be deemed to have been given when sent (except that, if not given during normal business hours for the recipient, shall be deemed to have been given at the opening of business on the next Business Day for the

-148-


 

recipient). Notices and other communications delivered through electronic communications to the extent provided in subsection (b) below, shall be effective as provided in such subsection (b).

 

This Agreement was prepared by:

 

Chapman and Cutler LLP

 

 

201650 South CollegeTryon Street, Suite 1600200

 

 

Charlotte, NC 2824428202

 

 

Attention: René LeBlanc-Allman

 

 

Phone: (980) 495-7301

 

 

E-mail: rleblanc@chapman.com

 

(b)
Electronic Communications. Notices and other communications to the Administrative Agent, the Lenders, the Swingline Lender and the L/C Issuers hereunder may be delivered or furnished by electronic communication (including e-mail, FPML messaging and Internet or intranet websites) pursuant to an electronic communications agreement (or such other procedures approved by the Administrative Agent in its sole discretion); provided that the foregoing shall not apply to notices to any Lender, the Swingline Lender or any L/C Issuer pursuant to Article II if such Lender, the Swingline Lender or such L/C Issuer, as applicable, has notified the Administrative Agent that it is incapable of receiving notices under such Article by electronic communication. The Administrative Agent, the Swingline Lender, any L/C Issuer or the Borrowers may each, in its discretion, agree to accept notices and other communications to it hereunder by electronic communications pursuant to procedures approved by it; provided that approval of such procedures may be limited to particular notices or communications.

Unless the Administrative Agent otherwise prescribes, (i) notices and other communications sent to an e-mail address shall be deemed received upon the sender’s receipt of an acknowledgment from the intended recipient (such as by the “return receipt requested” function, as available, return e-mail or other written acknowledgment) and (ii) notices and other communications posted to an Internet or intranet website shall be deemed received by the intended recipient upon the sender’s receipt of an acknowledgment from the intended recipient (such as by the “return receipt requested” function, as available, return e-mail address or other written acknowledgment) indicating that such notice or communication is available and identifying the website address therefor; provided that for both clauses (i) and (ii), if such notice or other communication is not sent during the normal business hours of the recipient, such notice, email or communication shall be deemed to have been sent at the opening of business on the next Business Day for the recipient.

(c)
The Platform. THE PLATFORM IS PROVIDED “AS IS” AND “AS AVAILABLE.” THE AGENT PARTIES (AS DEFINED BELOW) DO NOT WARRANT THE ACCURACY OR COMPLETENESS OF THE BORROWER MATERIALS OR THE ADEQUACY OF THE PLATFORM, AND EXPRESSLY DISCLAIM LIABILITY FOR ERRORS IN OR OMISSIONS FROM THE BORROWER MATERIALS. NO WARRANTY OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS, IMPLIED OR STATUTORY, INCLUDING ANY WARRANTY OF MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE, NON-INFRINGEMENT OF THIRD PARTY RIGHTS OR FREEDOM FROM VIRUSES OR OTHER CODE DEFECTS, IS MADE BY ANY AGENT PARTY IN CONNECTION

WITH THE BORROWER MATERIALS OR THE PLATFORM. In no event shall the Administrative Agent or any of its Related Parties (collectively, the “Agent Parties”) have any liability to any Borrower, any Lender, any L/C Issuer or any other Person for losses, claims, damages, liabilities or expenses of any kind (whether in tort, contract or otherwise) arising out of any Borrower’s, any Loan Party’s or the Administrative Agent’s

-149-


 

transmission of Borrower Materials or notices through the Platform, any other electronic platform or electronic messaging service, or through the Internet.

(d)
Change of Address, Etc. Each of the Borrowers, the Administrative Agent, each L/C Issuer and the Swingline Lender may change its address, facsimile or telephone number or e-mail address for notices and other communications hereunder by notice to the other parties hereto. Each other Lender may change its address, facsimile or telephone number or e-mail address for notices and other communications hereunder by notice to the Domestic Borrower, the Administrative Agent, each L/C Issuer and the Swingline Lender. In addition, each Lender agrees to notify the Administrative Agent from time to time to ensure that the Administrative Agent has on record (i) an effective address, contact name, telephone number, facsimile number and e-mail address to which notices and other communications may be sent and (ii) accurate wire instructions for such Lender. Furthermore, each Public Lender agrees to cause at least one individual at or on behalf of such Public Lender to at all times have selected the “Private Side Information” or similar designation on the content declaration screen of the Platform in order to enable such Public Lender or its delegate, in accordance with such Public Lender’s compliance procedures and applicable Law, including United States Federal and state securities Laws, to make reference to Borrower Materials that are not made available through the “Public Side Information” portion of the Platform and that may contain material non-public information with respect to the Borrowers or their respective securities for purposes of United States Federal or state securities laws.
(e)
Reliance by Administrative Agent, L/C Issuers and Lenders. The Administrative Agent, the L/C Issuers and the Lenders shall be entitled to rely and act upon any notices (including telephonic or electronic notices, Committed Loan Notices, Letter of Credit Applications, Notices of Loan Prepayment and Swingline Loan Notices) purportedly given by or on behalf of any Loan Party even if (i) such notices were not made in a manner specified herein, were incomplete or were not preceded or followed by any other form of notice specified herein, or (ii) the terms thereof, as understood by the recipient, varied from any confirmation thereof. The Borrowers shall, jointly and severally, indemnify the Administrative Agent, each L/C Issuer, each Lender and the Related Parties of each of them from all losses, costs, expenses and liabilities resulting from the reliance by such Person on each notice purportedly given by or on behalf of a Loan Party. All telephonic notices to and other telephonic communications with the Administrative Agent may be recorded by the Administrative Agent, and each of the parties hereto hereby consents to such recording.

Section 11.03. No Waiver; Cumulative Remedies; Enforcement. No failure by any Lender, any L/C Issuer or the Administrative Agent to exercise, and no delay by any such Person in exercising, any right, remedy, power or privilege hereunder or under any other Loan Document shall operate as a waiver thereof; nor shall any single or partial exercise of any right, remedy, power or privilege hereunder or under any other Loan Document preclude any other or further exercise thereof or the exercise of any other right, remedy, power or privilege. The rights, remedies, powers and privileges herein provided, and provided under each other Loan Document, are cumulative and not exclusive of any rights, remedies, powers and privileges provided by law.

Notwithstanding anything to the contrary contained herein or in any other Loan Document, the authority to enforce rights and remedies hereunder and under the other Loan Documents against the Loan Parties or any of them shall be vested exclusively in, and all actions and proceedings at law in connection with such enforcement shall be instituted and maintained exclusively by, the Administrative Agent in accordance with Section 8.02 for the benefit of all the Lenders and all the L/C Issuers; provided that the foregoing shall not prohibit (a) the Administrative Agent from exercising on its own behalf the rights and remedies that inure to its benefit (solely in its capacity as Administrative Agent) hereunder and under the other Loan Documents, (b) any L/C Issuer or the Swingline Lender from exercising the rights and remedies that inure to its benefit (solely in its capacity as an L/C Issuer or Swingline Lender, as the case may be) hereunder and under the other Loan Documents, (c) any Lender from exercising setoff rights in accordance with Section 11.08 (subject to the terms of Section 2.13), or (d) any Lender from filing proofs

-150-


 

of claim or appearing and filing pleadings on its own behalf during the pendency of a proceeding relative to any Loan Party under any Debtor Relief Law; and provided, further, that if at any time there is no Person acting as Administrative Agent hereunder and under the other Loan Documents, then (i) the Required Lenders shall have the rights otherwise ascribed to the Administrative Agent pursuant to Section 8.02 and (ii) in addition to the matters set forth in clauses (b), (c) and (d) of the preceding proviso and subject to Section 2.13, any Lender may, with the consent of the Required Lenders, enforce any rights and remedies available to it and as authorized by the Required Lenders.

Section 11.04. Expenses; Indemnity; Damage Waiver.

(a)
Costs and Expenses. Each Borrower and each other Loan Party shall, jointly and severally, pay (i) all reasonable and documented out-of-pocket expenses incurred by the Administrative Agent and its Affiliates (including the reasonable fees, charges and disbursements of one primary counsel for the Administrative Agent and one local counsel for the Administrative Agent in each relevant jurisdiction), in connection with the syndication of the credit facilities provided for herein, the preparation, negotiation, execution, delivery and administration of this Agreement and the other Loan Documents or any amendments, modifications or waivers of the provisions hereof or thereof (whether or not the transactions contemplated hereby or thereby shall be consummated), (ii) all reasonable and documented out-of-pocket expenses incurred by any L/C Issuer in connection with the issuance, amendment, renewal or extension of any Letter of Credit or any demand for payment thereunder and (iii) all out-of-pocket expenses incurred by the Administrative Agent, any Lender or any L/C Issuer (including the fees, charges and disbursements of one primary counsel for the Administrative Agent, any Lender or any L/C Issuer, taken as a whole, and one local counsel for all such Persons, taken as a whole, in each relevant jurisdiction) in connection with the enforcement or protection of its rights (A) in connection with this Agreement and the other Loan Documents, including its rights under this Section, or (B) in connection with the Loans made or Letters of Credit issued hereunder, including all such out-of-pocket expenses incurred during any workout, restructuring or negotiations in respect of such Loans or Letters of Credit.
(b)
Indemnification. Each Borrower and each other Loan Party shall, jointly and severally, indemnify the Administrative Agent (and any sub-agent thereof), each Arranger, each Lender and each L/C Issuer, and each Related Party of any of the foregoing Persons (each such Person being called an “Indemnitee”) against, and hold each Indemnitee harmless from, any and all losses, claims, damages, liabilities and related expenses (including the fees, charges and disbursements of one primary counsel for the Indemnitees, taken as a whole, one local counsel in each relevant jurisdiction for the Indemnitees, taken as a whole, and solely in the case of an actual or potential conflict of interest, one additional counsel in each relevant jurisdiction for all affected Indemnitees, taken as a whole) incurred by any Indemnitee or asserted against any Indemnitee by any Person (including any Borrower or any other Loan Party) arising out of, in connection with, or as a result of (i) the execution or delivery of this Agreement, any other Loan Document or any agreement or instrument contemplated hereby or thereby (including, without limitation, the Indemnitee’s reliance on any Communication executed using an Electronic Signature, or in the form of an Electronic Record), the performance by the parties hereto of their respective obligations hereunder or thereunder, the consummation of the transactions contemplated hereby or thereby, or, in the case of the Administrative Agent (and any sub-agent thereof) and its Related Parties only, the administration of this Agreement and the other Loan Documents (including in respect of any matters addressed in Section 3.01), (ii) any Loan or Letter of Credit or the use or proposed use of the proceeds therefrom (including any refusal by any L/C Issuer to honor a demand for payment under a Letter of Credit if the documents presented in connection with such demand do not strictly comply with the terms of such Letter of Credit), (iii) any actual or alleged presence or release of Hazardous Materials on or from any property owned or operated by any Borrower or any of its Subsidiaries, or any Environmental Liability related in any way to any Borrower or any of its Subsidiaries, or (iv) any actual or

-151-


 

prospective claim, litigation, investigation or proceeding relating to any of the foregoing, whether based on contract, tort or any other theory, whether brought by a third party or by any Borrower or any other Loan Party, and regardless of whether any Indemnitee is a party thereto, IN ALL CASES, WHETHER OR NOT CAUSED BY OR ARISING, IN WHOLE OR IN PART, OUT OF THE COMPARATIVE, CONTRIBUTORY OR SOLE NEGLIGENCE OF THE INDEMNITEE; provided that such indemnity shall not, as to any Indemnitee, be available to the extent that such losses, claims, damages, liabilities or related expenses (x) are determined by a court of competent jurisdiction by final and nonappealable judgment to have resulted from the gross negligence or willful misconduct of such Indemnitee, (y) result from a claim brought by any Borrower or any other Loan Party against an Indemnitee for breach in bad faith of such Indemnitee’s obligations hereunder or under any other Loan Document, if such Borrower or such Loan Party has obtained a final and nonappealable judgment in its favor on such claim as determined by a court of competent jurisdiction or (z) result from a claim not involving an act or omission of the Borrowers and that is brought by an Indemnitee against another Indemnitee (other than against the Arrangers or the Administrative Agent in their capacities as such). Without limiting the provisions of Section 3.01(c), this Section 11.04(b) shall not apply with respect to Taxes other than any Taxes that represent losses, claims, damages, etc. arising from any non-Tax claim.
(c)
Reimbursement by Lenders. To the extent that the Borrowers or other Loan Parties for any reason fail to indefeasibly pay any amount required under subsection (a) or (b), as applicable, of this Section to be paid by it to the Administrative Agent (or any sub-agent thereof), an Arranger, any L/C Issuer, the Swingline Lender or any Related Party of any of the foregoing, each Lender severally agrees to pay to the Administrative Agent (or any such sub-agent), such L/C Issuer, the Swingline Lender or such Related Party, as the case may be, such Lender’s pro rata share (determined as of the time that the applicable unreimbursed expense or indemnity payment is sought based on each Lender’s share of the aggregate unused Revolving Credit Commitments plus the Total Outstandings (with the aggregate amount of each Revolving Credit Lender’s risk participation and funded participation in L/C Obligations and Swingline Loans being deemed “held” by such Revolving Credit Lender) at such time) of such unpaid amount (including any such unpaid amount in respect of a claim asserted by such Lender), such payment to be made severally among them based on such Lenders’ Applicable Percentage (determined as of the time that the applicable unreimbursed expense or indemnity payment is sought), provided, further, that, the unreimbursed expense or indemnified loss, claim, damage, liability or related expense, as the case may be, was incurred by or asserted against the Administrative Agent (or any such sub-agent), an Arranger, any L/C Issuer or the Swingline Lender in its capacity as such, or against any Related Party of any of the foregoing acting for the Administrative Agent (or any such sub-agent), such Arranger, such L/C Issuer or the Swingline Lender in connection with such capacity. The obligations of the Lenders under this subsection (c) are subject to the provisions of Section 2.12(d).
(d)
Waiver of Consequential Damages, Etc. To the fullest extent permitted by Applicable Law, no Loan Party shall assert, and each Loan Party hereby waives, and acknowledges that no other Person shall have, any claim against any Indemnitee, on any theory of liability, for special, indirect, consequential or punitive damages (as opposed to direct or actual damages) arising out of, in connection with, or as a result of, this Agreement, any other Loan Document or any agreement or instrument contemplated hereby, the transactions contemplated hereby or thereby, any Loan or Letter of Credit or the use of the proceeds thereof. No Indemnitee referred to in subsection (b) above shall be liable for any damages arising from the use by unintended recipients of any information or other materials distributed to such unintended recipients by such Indemnitee through telecommunications, electronic or other information transmission systems in connection with this Agreement or the other Loan Documents or the transactions contemplated hereby or thereby other than for direct or actual damages resulting from the gross negligence or willful misconduct of such Indemnitee as determined by a final and nonappealable judgment of a court of competent jurisdiction.

-152-


 

(e)
Payments. All amounts due under this Section shall be payable not later than ten Business Days after demand therefor.
(f)
Foreign Borrower/Foreign Guarantors. Notwithstanding anything to the contrary in this Agreement or any other Loan Document, the obligations of the Foreign Borrower and the Foreign Guarantors with respect to the indemnification and expense reimbursement obligations set forth in this Section 11.04 and Section 11.02(e) shall, to the extent reasonably ascertainable, be limited to losses, claims, damages, liabilities, costs and expenses arising out of or relating to the obligations of Foreign Borrower and the Foreign Guarantors under this Agreement and the other Loan Documents (including the enforcement thereof) and the Foreign Borrower’s use or proposed use of the proceeds of any Loan made to the Foreign Borrower or Letter of Credit issued for the account of the Foreign Borrower or Foreign Guarantor.
(g)
Survival. The agreements in this Section and the indemnity provisions of Section 11.02(e) shall survive the resignation of the Administrative Agent, the L/C Issuers and the Swingline Lender, the replacement of any Lender, the termination of the Aggregate Commitments and the repayment, satisfaction or discharge of all the other Obligations.

Section 11.05. Payments Set Aside. To the extent that any payment by or on behalf of any Borrower is made to the Administrative Agent, any L/C Issuer or any Lender, or the Administrative Agent, any L/C Issuer or any Lender exercises its right of setoff, and such payment or the proceeds of such setoff or any part thereof is subsequently invalidated, declared to be fraudulent or preferential, set aside or required (including pursuant to any settlement entered into by the Administrative Agent, such L/C Issuer or such Lender in its discretion) to be repaid to a trustee, receiver or any other party, in connection with any proceeding under any Debtor Relief Law or otherwise, then (a) to the extent of such recovery, the obligation or part thereof originally intended to be satisfied shall be revived and continued in full force and effect as if such payment had not been made or such setoff had not occurred, and (b) each Lender and each L/C Issuer severally agrees to pay to the Administrative Agent upon demand its applicable share (without duplication) of any amount so recovered from or repaid by the Administrative Agent, plus interest thereon from the date of such demand to the date such payment is made at a rate per annum equal to the applicable Overnight Rate from time to time in effect in the applicable currency of such recovery or repayment. The obligations of the Lenders and the L/C Issuers under clause (b) of the preceding sentence shall survive the payment in full of the Obligations and the termination of this Agreement.

Section 11.06. Successors and Assigns.

(a)
Successors and Assigns Generally. The provisions of this Agreement and the other Loan Documents shall be binding upon and inure to the benefit of the parties hereto and thereto and their respective successors and assigns permitted hereby, except that neither the Borrowers nor any other Loan Party may assign or otherwise transfer any of its rights or obligations hereunder without the prior written consent of the Administrative Agent and each Lender (except as otherwise permitted pursuant to Section 7.04) and no Lender may assign or otherwise transfer any of its rights or obligations hereunder except (i) to an assignee in accordance with the provisions of subsection (b) of this Section, (ii) by way of participation in accordance with the provisions of subsection (d) of this Section, or (iii) by way of pledge or assignment of a security interest subject to the restrictions of subsection (e) of this Section (and any other attempted assignment or transfer by any party hereto shall be null and void). Nothing in this Agreement, expressed or implied, shall be construed to confer upon any Person (other than the parties hereto, their respective successors and assigns permitted hereby, Participants to the extent provided in subsection (d) of this Section and, to the extent expressly contemplated hereby, the Related Parties of each of the Administrative Agent, the L/C Issuers and the Lenders) any legal or equitable right, remedy or claim under or by reason of this Agreement.

-153-


 

(b)
Assignments by Lenders. Any Lender may at any time assign to one or more assignees all or a portion of its rights and obligations under this Agreement and the other Loan Documents (including all or a portion of its Commitment(s) and the Loans (including for purposes of this subsection (b), participations in L/C Obligations and in Swingline Loans) at the time owing to it); provided that (in each case with respect to any Facility) any such assignment shall be subject to the following conditions:
(i)
Minimum Amounts.
(A)
in the case of an assignment of the entire remaining amount of the assigning Lender’s Commitment under any Facility and/or the Loans at the time owing to it (in each case with respect to any Facility) or contemporaneous assignments to related Approved Funds (determined after giving effect to such Assignments) that equal at least the amount specified in paragraph (b)(i)(B) of this Section in the aggregate or in the case of an assignment to a Lender, an Affiliate of a Lender or an Approved Fund, no minimum amount need be assigned; and
(B)
in any case not described in subsection (b)(i)(A) of this Section, the aggregate amount of the Commitment (which for this purpose includes Loans outstanding thereunder) or, if the Commitment is not then in effect, the principal outstanding balance of the Loans of the assigning Lender subject to each such assignment, determined as of the date the Assignment and Assumption with respect to such assignment is delivered to the Administrative Agent or, if “Trade Date” is specified in the Assignment and Assumption, as of the Trade Date, shall not be less than $5,000,000, in the case of any assignment in respect of the Revolving Credit Facility, or $1,000,000, in the case of any assignment in respect of any Incremental Term Facility, unless each of the Administrative Agent and, so long as no Event of Default has occurred and is continuing, the Domestic Borrower otherwise consents (each such consent not to be unreasonably withheld or delayed).
(ii)
Proportionate Amounts. Each partial assignment shall be made as an assignment of a proportionate part of all the assigning Lender’s rights and obligations under this Agreement and the other Loan Documents with respect to the Loans and/or the Commitment assigned, except that this clause (ii) shall not (A) apply to the Swingline Lender’s rights and obligations in respect of Swingline Loans or (B) prohibit any Lender from assigning all or a portion of its rights and obligations among separate Facilities on a non-pro rata basis;
(iii)
Required Consents. No consent shall be required for any assignment except to the extent required by subsection (b)(i)(B) of this Section and, in addition:
(A)
the consent of the Domestic Borrower (such consent not to be unreasonably withheld or delayed) shall be required unless (1) an Event of Default has occurred and is continuing at the time of such assignment or (2) such assignment is to a Lender, an Affiliate of a Lender or an Approved Fund; provided that the Domestic Borrower shall be deemed to have consented to any such assignment unless it shall object thereto by written notice to the Administrative Agent within ten (10) Business Days after having received notice thereof;

-154-


 

(B)
the consent of the Administrative Agent (such consent not to be unreasonably withheld or delayed) shall be required for assignments in respect of (i) any Revolving Credit Commitment if such assignment is to a Person that is not a Revolving Credit Lender, an Affiliate of such Revolving Credit Lender or an Approved Fund with respect to such Revolving Credit Lender or (ii) any Incremental Term Loan (if any), if in each case, such assignment is to a Person that is not a Lender, an Affiliate of such Lender or an Approved Fund with respect to such Lender; and
(C)
the consent of each L/C Issuer and the Swingline Lender shall be required for any assignment in respect of the Revolving Credit Facility.
(iv)
Assignment and Assumption. The parties to each assignment shall execute and deliver to the Administrative Agent an Assignment and Assumption, together with a processing and recordation fee in the amount of $3,500; provided that the Administrative Agent may, in its sole discretion, elect to waive such processing and recordation fee in the case of any assignment. The assignee, if it is not a Lender, shall deliver to the Administrative Agent an Administrative Questionnaire.
(v)
No Assignment to Certain Persons. No such assignment shall be made (A) to any Borrower or any of its Affiliates or Subsidiaries, (B) to any Defaulting Lender or any of its Subsidiaries, or any Person who, upon becoming a Lender hereunder, would constitute any of the foregoing Persons described in this clause (B), or (C) to a natural Person (or a holding company, investment vehicle or trust for, or owned and operated for the primary benefit of a natural person).
(vi)
Certain Additional Payments. In connection with any assignment of rights and obligations of any Defaulting Lender hereunder, no such assignment shall be effective unless and until, in addition to the other conditions thereto set forth herein, the parties to the assignment shall make such additional payments to the Administrative Agent in an aggregate amount sufficient, upon distribution thereof as appropriate (which may be outright payment, purchases by the assignee of participations or subparticipations, or other compensating actions, including funding, with the consent of the Domestic Borrower and the Administrative Agent, the applicable pro rata share of Loans previously requested but not funded by the Defaulting Lender, to each of which the applicable assignee and assignor hereby irrevocably consent), to (x) pay and satisfy in full all payment liabilities then owed by such Defaulting Lender to the Administrative Agent, any L/C Issuer or any Lender hereunder (and interest accrued thereon) and (y) acquire (and fund as appropriate) its full pro rata share of all Loans and participations in Letters of Credit and Swingline Loans in accordance with its Applicable Percentage. Notwithstanding the foregoing, in the event that any assignment of rights and obligations of any Defaulting Lender hereunder shall become effective under applicable Law without compliance with the provisions of this paragraph, then the assignee of such interest shall be deemed to be a Defaulting Lender for all purposes of this Agreement until such compliance occurs.

Subject to acceptance and recording thereof by the Administrative Agent pursuant to subsection (c) of this Section, from and after the effective date specified in each Assignment and Assumption, the assignee thereunder shall be a party to this Agreement and, to the extent of the interest assigned by such Assignment and Assumption, have the rights and obligations of a Lender under this Agreement, and the assigning Lender thereunder shall, to the extent of the interest assigned by such Assignment and Assumption, be released from its obligations under this Agreement (and, in the case of an Assignment and Assumption covering all of the assigning Lender’s rights and obligations under this Agreement, such Lender shall cease to be a party hereto, subject to Sections 9.06(a) and 11.06 but shall continue to be entitled to the benefits of Sections 3.01, 3.04, 3.05, and 11.04 with respect to facts and circumstances

-155-


 

occurring prior to the effective date of such assignment); provided that except to the extent otherwise expressly agreed by the affected parties, no assignment by a Defaulting Lender will constitute a waiver or release of any claim of any party hereunder arising from that Lender’s having been a Defaulting Lender. Upon request, each Borrower (at its expense) shall execute and deliver a Note to the assignee Lender. Any assignment or transfer by a Lender of rights or obligations under this Agreement that does not comply with this subsection shall be treated for purposes of this Agreement as a sale by such Lender of a participation in such rights and obligations in accordance with subsection (d) of this Section.

(c)
Register. The Administrative Agent, acting solely for this purpose as a non-fiduciary agent of the Borrowers (and such agency being solely for tax purposes), shall maintain at the Administrative Agent’s Office a copy of each Assignment and Assumption delivered to it (or the equivalent thereof in electronic form) and a register for the recordation of the names and addresses of the Lenders, and the Commitments of, and principal amounts (and stated interest) of the Loans and L/C Obligations owing to, each Lender pursuant to the terms hereof from time to time (the “Register”). The entries in the Register shall be conclusive absent manifest error, and the Borrowers, the Administrative Agent and the Lenders shall treat each Person whose name is recorded in the Register pursuant to the terms hereof as a Lender hereunder for all purposes of this Agreement. The Register shall be available for inspection by the Borrowers and any Lender, at any reasonable time and from time to time upon reasonable prior notice.
(d)
Participations. Any Lender may at any time, without the consent of, or notice to, any Borrower or the Administrative Agent, sell participations to any Person (other than a natural Person, or a holding company, investment vehicle or trust for, or owned and operated for the primary benefit for a natural Person, a Defaulting Lender or the Domestic Borrower or any of the Domestic Borrower’s Affiliates or Subsidiaries) (each, a “Participant”) in all or a portion of such Lender’s rights and/or obligations under this Agreement (including all or a portion of its Commitment and/or the Loans (including such Lender’s participations in L/C Obligations and/or Swingline Loans) owing to it); provided that (i) such Lender’s obligations under this Agreement shall remain unchanged, (ii) such Lender shall remain solely responsible to the other parties hereto for the performance of such obligations and (iii) the Borrowers, the Administrative Agent, the Lenders and the L/C Issuers shall continue to deal solely and directly with such Lender in connection with such Lender’s rights and obligations under this Agreement. For the avoidance of doubt, each Lender shall be responsible for the indemnity under Section 11.04(c) without regard to the existence of any participation.

Any agreement or instrument pursuant to which a Lender sells such a participation shall provide that such Lender shall retain the sole right to enforce this Agreement and to approve any amendment, modification or waiver of any provision of this Agreement; provided that such agreement or instrument may provide that such Lender will not, without the consent of the Participant, agree to any amendment, waiver or other modification described in the first proviso to Section 11.01 that affects such Participant. The Loan Parties agree that each Participant shall be entitled to the benefits of Sections 3.01, 3.04 and 3.05 to the same extent as if it were a Lender and had acquired its interest by assignment pursuant to subsection (b) of this Section (it being understood that the documentation required under Section 3.01(e) shall be delivered to the Lender who sells the participation) to the same extent as if it were a Lender and had acquired its interest by assignment pursuant to paragraph (b) of this Section; provided that such Participant (A) agrees to be subject to the provisions of Sections 3.06 and 11.13 as if it were an assignee under paragraph (b) of this Section and (B) shall not be entitled to receive any greater payment under Sections3.01 or 3.04, with respect to any participation, than the Lender from whom it acquired the applicable participation would have been entitled to receive, except to the extent such entitlement to receive a greater payment results from a Change in Law that occurs after the Participant acquired the applicable participation. Each Lender that sells a participation agrees, at such Borrower’s request and expense, to use reasonable efforts to cooperate with such

-156-


 

Borrower to effectuate the provisions of Section 3.06 with respect to any Participant. To the extent permitted by law, each Participant also shall be entitled to the benefits of Section 11.08 as though it were a Lender; provided that such Participant agrees to be subject to Section 2.13 as though it were a Lender. Each Lender that sells a participation shall, acting solely for this purpose as a non-fiduciary agent of such Borrower, maintain a register on which it enters the name and address of each Participant and the principal amounts (and stated interest) of each Participant’s interest in the Loans or other obligations under the Loan Documents (the “Participant Register”); provided that no Lender shall have any obligation to disclose all or any portion of the Participant Register (including the identity of any Participant or any information relating to a Participant’s interest in any commitments, loans, letters of credit or its other obligations under any Loan Document) to any Person except to the extent that such disclosure is necessary to establish that such commitment, loan, letter of credit or other obligation is in registered form under Section 5f.103-1(c) of the United States Treasury Regulations. The entries in the Participant Register shall be conclusive absent manifest error, and such Lender shall treat each Person whose name is recorded in the Participant Register as the owner of such participation for all purposes of this Agreement notwithstanding any notice to the contrary. For the avoidance of doubt, the Administrative Agent (in its capacity as Administrative Agent) shall have no responsibility for maintaining a Participant Register.

(e)
Certain Pledges. Any Lender may at any time pledge or assign a security interest in all or any portion of its rights under this Agreement (including under its Note or Notes, if any) to secure obligations of such Lender, including any pledge or assignment to secure obligations to a Federal Reserve Bank; provided that no such pledge or assignment shall release such Lender from any of its obligations hereunder or substitute any such pledgee or assignee for such Lender as a party hereto.
(f)
Resignation as L/C Issuer or Swingline Lender after Assignment. Notwithstanding anything to the contrary contained herein, if at any time any L/C Issuer or the Swingline Lender assigns all of its Revolving Credit Commitment and Revolving Credit Loans pursuant to subsection (b) above, (i) such L/C Issuer may, upon 30 days’ notice to the Domestic Borrower and the Lenders, resign as L/C Issuer and/or (ii) the Swingline Lender may, upon 30 days’ notice to the Domestic Borrower, resign as Swingline Lender. In the event of any such resignation as an L/C Issuer or Swingline Lender, the Domestic Borrower shall be entitled to appoint from among the Lenders a successor L/C Issuer or Swingline Lender hereunder; provided that no failure by the Domestic Borrower to appoint any such successor shall affect the resignation of the applicable L/C Issuer or the Swingline Lender as an L/C Issuer or Swingline Lender, as the case may be. If an L/C Issuer resigns as L/C Issuer, it shall retain all the rights, powers, privileges and duties of an L/C Issuer hereunder with respect to all Letters of Credit outstanding as of the effective date of its resignation as an L/C Issuer and all L/C Obligations with respect thereto (including the right to require the Lenders to make Base Rate Loans or fund risk participations in Unreimbursed Amounts pursuant to Section 2.03(c)). If Bank of America resigns as Swingline Lender, it shall retain all the rights of the Swingline Lender provided for hereunder with respect to Swingline Loans made by it and outstanding as of the effective date of such resignation, including the right to require the Lenders to make Base Rate Loans or fund risk participations in outstanding Swingline Loans pursuant to Section 2.04(c). Upon the appointment of a successor L/C Issuer and/or Swingline Lender, (a) such successor shall succeed to and become vested with all of the rights, powers, privileges and duties of the retiring L/C Issuer or Swingline Lender, as the case may be, and (b) the successor L/C Issuer shall issue letters of credit in substitution for the Letters of Credit, if any, outstanding at the time of such succession or make other arrangements satisfactory to the applicable retiring L/C Issuer to effectively assume the obligations of such applicable retiring L/C Issuer with respect to such Letters of Credit.

-157-


 

Section 11.07. Treatment of Certain Information; Confidentiality. Each of the Administrative Agent, the Lenders and the L/C Issuers agrees to maintain the confidentiality of the Information (as defined below), except that Information may be disclosed (a) to its Affiliates, its auditors and to its Related Parties (it being understood that the Persons to whom such disclosure is made will be informed of the confidential nature of such Information and instructed to keep such Information confidential), (b) to the extent required or requested by any regulatory authority purporting to have jurisdiction over such Person or its Related Parties (including any self-regulatory authority, such as the National Association of Insurance Commissioners), (c) to the extent required by applicable Laws or regulations or by any subpoena or similar legal process, (d) to any other party hereto, (e) in connection with the exercise of any remedies hereunder or under any other Loan Document or any action or proceeding relating to this Agreement or any other Loan Document or the enforcement of rights hereunder or thereunder, (f) subject to an agreement containing provisions substantially the same as those of this Section, to (i) any assignee of or Participant in, or any prospective assignee of or Participant in, any of its rights and obligations under this Agreement or any Eligible Assignee invited to be a Lender pursuant to Section 2.17(c) and Section 2.18(b) or (ii) any actual or prospective party (or its Related Parties) to any swap, derivative or other transaction under which payments are to be made by reference to a Borrower and its respective obligations, this Agreement or payments hereunder, (g) on a confidential basis to (i) any rating agency in connection with rating a Borrower or its Subsidiaries or the credit facilities provided hereunder, (ii) the provider of any Platform or other electronic delivery service used by the Administrative Agent, any L/C Issuer or the Swingline Lender to deliver Borrower Materials or notices to the Lenders or (iii) the CUSIP Service Bureau or any similar agency in connection with the application, issuance, publishing and monitoring of CUSIP numbers or other market identifiers with respect to the credit facilities provided hereunder, (h) with the consent of the Domestic Borrower, (i) to the extent such Information (x) becomes publicly available other than as a result of a breach of this Section or (y) becomes available to the Administrative Agent, any Lender, any L/C Issuer or any of their respective Affiliates on a nonconfidential basis from a source other than the Domestic Borrower or (j) is independently discovered or developed by a party hereto without utilizing any Information received from the Borrowers or violating the terms of this Section 11.07. For purposes of this Section, “Information” means all information received from the Domestic Borrower or any Subsidiary thereof relating to the Domestic Borrower or any Subsidiary thereof or any of their respective businesses, other than any such information that is available to the Administrative Agent, any Lender or any L/C Issuer on a nonconfidential basis prior to disclosure by the Domestic Borrower or any Subsidiary thereof; provided that, in the case of information received from the Domestic Borrower or any Subsidiary thereof after the date hereof, such information is clearly identified at the time of delivery as confidential. Any Person required to maintain the confidentiality of Information as provided in this Section shall be considered to have complied with its obligation to do so if such Person has exercised the same degree of care to maintain the confidentiality of such Information as such Person would accord to its own confidential information. In addition, the Administrative Agent and the Lenders may disclose the existence of this Agreement and information about this Agreement to market data collectors, similar service providers to the lending industry and service providers to the Administrative Agent and the Lenders in connection with the administration of this Agreement, the other Loan Documents and the Commitments. For the avoidance of doubt, nothing herein prohibits any individual from communicating or disclosing information regarding suspected violations of laws, rules, or regulations to a governmental, regulatory, or self-regulatory authority without any notification to any person.

Each of the Administrative Agent, the Lenders and the L/C Issuers acknowledges that (a) the Information may include material non-public information concerning the Domestic Borrower or a Subsidiary, as the case may be, (b) it has developed compliance procedures regarding the use of material non-public information and (c) it will handle such material non-public information in accordance with applicable Law, including United States Federal and state securities Laws.

-158-


 

The Loan Parties consent to the publication by the Administrative Agent or any Lender of customary advertising material relating to the transactions contemplated hereby using the name, product photographs, logo or trademark of the Loan Parties.

Section 11.08. Right of Setoff. If an Event of Default shall have occurred and be continuing, each Lender, each L/C Issuer and each of their respective Affiliates is hereby authorized at any time and from time to time, after obtaining the prior written consent of the Administrative Agent, to the fullest extent permitted by Applicable Law, to set off and apply any and all deposits (general or special, time or demand, provisional or final, in whatever currency) at any time held and other obligations (in whatever currency) at any time owing by such Lender, such L/C Issuer or any such Affiliate to or for the credit or the account of any Borrower or any other Loan Party against any and all of the obligations of such Borrower or such Loan Party now or hereafter existing under this Agreement or any other Loan Document to such Lender or such L/C Issuer or their respective Affiliates, irrespective of whether or not such Lender, such L/C Issuer or Affiliate shall have made any demand under this Agreement or any other Loan Document and although such obligations of such Borrower or such Loan Party may be contingent or unmatured, secured or unsecured, or are owed to a branch, office or Affiliate of such Lender or such L/C Issuer different from the branch, office or Affiliate holding such deposit or obligated on such indebtedness; provided that in the event that any Defaulting Lender shall exercise any such right of setoff, (x) all amounts so set off shall be paid over immediately to the Administrative Agent for further application in accordance with the provisions of Section 2.16 and, pending such payment, shall be segregated by such Defaulting Lender from its other funds and deemed held in trust for the benefit of the Administrative Agent, the L/C Issuers and the Lenders, and (y) the Defaulting Lender shall provide promptly to the Administrative Agent a statement describing in reasonable detail the Obligations owing to such Defaulting Lender as to which it exercised such right of setoff. The rights of each Lender, each L/C Issuer and their respective Affiliates under this Section are in addition to other rights and remedies (including other rights of setoff) that such Lender, such L/C Issuer or their respective Affiliates may have. Each Lender and each L/C Issuer agrees to notify the Domestic Borrower and the Administrative Agent promptly after any such setoff and application; provided that the failure to give such notice shall not affect the validity of such setoff and application.

Section 11.09. Interest Rate Limitation. Notwithstanding anything to the contrary contained in any Loan Document, the interest paid or agreed to be paid under the Loan Documents shall not exceed the maximum rate of non-usurious interest permitted by applicable Law (the “Maximum Rate”). If the Administrative Agent or any Lender shall receive interest in an amount that exceeds the Maximum Rate, the excess interest shall be applied to the principal of the Loans or, if it exceeds such unpaid principal, refunded to the applicable Borrower. In determining whether the interest contracted for, charged, or received by the Administrative Agent or a Lender exceeds the Maximum Rate, such Person may, to the extent permitted by applicable Law, (a) characterize any payment that is not principal as an expense, fee, or premium rather than interest, (b) exclude voluntary prepayments and the effects thereof, and (c) amortize, prorate, allocate, and spread in equal or unequal parts the total amount of interest throughout the contemplated term of the Obligations hereunder.

Section 11.10. Counterparts; Integration; Effectiveness. This Agreement and each of the other Loan Documents may be executed in counterparts (and by different parties hereto in different counterparts), each of which shall constitute an original, but all of which when taken together shall constitute a single contract. This Agreement, the other Loan Documents, and any separate letter agreements with respect to fees payable to the Administrative Agent or any L/C Issuer, constitute the entire contract among the parties relating to the subject matter hereof and supersede any and all previous agreements and understandings, oral or written, relating to the subject matter hereof. Except as provided in Section 4.01, this Agreement shall become effective when it shall have been executed by the Administrative Agent and when the Administrative Agent shall have received counterparts hereof that, when taken

-159-


 

together, bear the signatures of each of the other parties hereto. Delivery of an executed counterpart of a signature page of this Agreement or any other Loan Document, or any certificate delivered thereunder, by facsimile or e-mail transmission (e.g., “pdf” or “tif”) shall be effective as delivery of a manually executed counterpart of this Agreement or such other Loan Document or certificate. Without limiting the foregoing, to the extent a manually executed counterpart is not specifically required to be delivered under the terms of any Loan Document, upon the request of any party, such facsimile transmission or e-mail transmission shall be promptly followed by such manually executed counterpart.

Section 11.11. Survival of Representations and Warranties. All representations and warranties made hereunder and in any other Loan Document or other document delivered pursuant hereto or thereto or in connection herewith or therewith shall survive the execution and delivery hereof and thereof. Such representations and warranties have been or will be relied upon by the Administrative Agent and each Lender, regardless of any investigation made by the Administrative Agent or any Lender or on their behalf and notwithstanding that the Administrative Agent or any Lender may have had notice or knowledge of any Default at the time of any Credit Extension, and shall continue in full force and effect as long as any Loan or any other Obligation hereunder shall remain unpaid or unsatisfied or any Letter of Credit shall remain outstanding.

Section 11.12. Severability. If any provision of this Agreement or the other Loan Documents is held to be illegal, invalid or unenforceable, (a) the legality, validity and enforceability of the remaining provisions of this Agreement and the other Loan Documents shall not be affected or impaired thereby and (b) the parties shall endeavor in good faith negotiations to replace the illegal, invalid or unenforceable provisions with valid provisions the economic effect of which comes as close as possible to that of the illegal, invalid or unenforceable provisions. The invalidity of a provision in a particular jurisdiction shall not invalidate or render unenforceable such provision in any other jurisdiction. Without limiting the foregoing provisions of this Section 11.12, if and to the extent that the enforceability of any provisions in this Agreement relating to Defaulting Lenders shall be limited by Debtor Relief Laws, as determined in good faith by the Administrative Agent, any L/C Issuer or the Swingline Lender, as applicable, then such provisions shall be deemed to be in effect only to the extent not so limited.

Section 11.13. Replacement of Lenders.

(a)
If the Domestic Borrower is entitled to replace a Lender pursuant to the provisions of Section 3.06, or if any Lender is a Defaulting Lender or a Non-Consenting Lender, then the Domestic Borrower may, at its sole expense and effort, upon notice to such Lender and the Administrative Agent, require such Lender to assign and delegate, without recourse (in accordance with and subject to the restrictions contained in, and consents required by, Section 11.06), all of its interests, rights (other than its existing rights to payments pursuant to Sections 3.01 and 3.04) and obligations under this Agreement and the related Loan Documents to an Eligible Assignee that shall assume such obligations (which assignee may be another Lender, if a Lender accepts such assignment); provided that:
(i)
the Domestic Borrower shall have paid to the Administrative Agent the assignment fee (if any) specified in Section 11.06(b);
(ii)
such Lender shall have received payment of an amount equal to 100% of the outstanding principal of its Loans and L/C Advances, accrued interest thereon, accrued fees and all other amounts payable to it hereunder and under the other Loan Documents (including any amounts under Section 3.05) from the assignee (to the extent of such outstanding principal and accrued interest and fees) or the Borrowers (in the case of all other amounts);

-160-


 

(iii)
in the case of any such assignment resulting from a claim for compensation under Section 3.04 or payments required to be made pursuant to Section 3.01, such assignment will result in a reduction in such compensation or payments thereafter;
(iv)
such assignment does not conflict with applicable Laws; and
(v)
in the case of an assignment resulting from a Lender becoming a Non-Consenting Lender, the applicable assignee shall have consented to the applicable amendment, waiver or consent.
(b)
A Lender shall not be required to make any such assignment or delegation if, prior thereto, as a result of a waiver by such Lender or otherwise, the circumstances entitling the Domestic Borrower to require such assignment and delegation cease to apply.
(c)
Each party hereto agrees that (i) an assignment required pursuant to this Section 11.13 may be effected pursuant to an Assignment and Assumption executed by the Domestic Borrower, the Administrative Agent and the assignee and (ii) the Lender required to make such assignment need not be a party thereto in order for such assignment to be effective and shall be deemed to have consented to an be bound by the terms thereof; provided that, following the effectiveness of any such assignment, the other parties to such assignment agree to execute and deliver such documents necessary to evidence such assignment as reasonably requested by the applicable Lender, provided further that any such documents shall be without recourse to or warranty by the parties thereto.
(d)
Notwithstanding anything in this Section 11.13 to the contrary, (A) any Lender that acts as an L/C Issuer may not be replaced hereunder at any time it has any Letter of Credit outstanding hereunder unless arrangements satisfactory to such Lender (including the furnishing of a backstop standby letter of credit in form and substance, and issued by an issuer, reasonably satisfactory to such L/C Issuer or the depositing of Cash Collateral into a Cash Collateral account in amounts and pursuant to arrangements reasonably satisfactory to such L/C Issuer) have been made with respect to such outstanding Letter of Credit and (B) the Lender that acts as the Administrative Agent may not be replaced hereunder except in accordance with the terms of Section 9.06.

Section 11.14. Governing Law; Jurisdiction; Etc.

(a)
GOVERNING LAW. THIS AGREEMENT AND THE OTHER LOAN DOCUMENTS (EXCEPT, AS TO ANY OTHER LOAN DOCUMENT, AS EXPRESSLY SET FORTH THEREIN) AND ANY CLAIMS, CONTROVERSY, DISPUTE OR CAUSE OF ACTION (WHETHER IN CONTRACT OR TORT OR OTHERWISE) BASED UPON, ARISING OUT OF OR RELATING TO THIS AGREEMENT OR ANY OTHER LOAN DOCUMENT (EXCEPT, AS TO ANY OTHER LOAN DOCUMENT, AS EXPRESSLY SET FORTH THEREIN) AND THE TRANSACTIONS CONTEMPLATED HEREBY AND THEREBY SHALL BE GOVERNED BY, AND CONSTRUED IN ACCORDANCE WITH, THE LAW OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK.
(b)
SUBMISSION TO JURISDICTION. EACH BORROWER AND EACH OTHER LOAN PARTY IRREVOCABLY AND UNCONDITIONALLY AGREES THAT IT WILL NOT COMMENCE ANY ACTION, LITIGATION OR PROCEEDING OF ANY KIND OR DESCRIPTION, WHETHER IN LAW OR EQUITY, WHETHER IN CONTRACT OR IN TORT OR OTHERWISE, AGAINST THE ADMINISTRATIVE AGENT, ANY LENDER, ANY L/C ISSUER, OR ANY RELATED PARTY OF THE FOREGOING IN ANY WAY RELATING TO THIS AGREEMENT OR ANY OTHER LOAN DOCUMENT OR THE TRANSACTIONS RELATING HERETO OR THERETO, IN ANY FORUM OTHER THAN THE COURTS OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK SITTING IN NEW YORK COUNTY AND OF THE UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT OF

-161-


 

THE SOUTHERN DISTRICT OF NEW YORK, AND ANY APPELLATE COURT FROM ANY THEREOF, AND EACH OF THE PARTIES HERETO IRREVOCABLY AND UNCONDITIONALLY SUBMITS TO THE JURISDICTION OF SUCH COURTS AND AGREES THAT ALL CLAIMS IN RESPECT OF ANY SUCH ACTION, LITIGATION OR PROCEEDING MAY BE HEARD AND DETERMINED IN SUCH NEW YORK STATE COURT OR, TO THE FULLEST EXTENT PERMITTED BY APPLICABLE LAW, IN SUCH FEDERAL COURT. EACH OF THE PARTIES HERETO AGREES THAT A FINAL JUDGMENT IN ANY SUCH ACTION, LITIGATION OR PROCEEDING SHALL BE CONCLUSIVE AND MAY BE ENFORCED IN OTHER JURISDICTIONS BY SUIT ON THE JUDGMENT OR IN ANY OTHER MANNER PROVIDED BY LAW. NOTHING IN THIS AGREEMENT OR IN ANY OTHER LOAN DOCUMENT SHALL AFFECT ANY RIGHT THAT THE ADMINISTRATIVE AGENT, ANY LENDER OR ANY L/C ISSUER MAY OTHERWISE HAVE TO BRING ANY ACTION OR PROCEEDING RELATING TO THIS AGREEMENT OR ANY OTHER LOAN DOCUMENT AGAINST ANY BORROWER OR ANY OTHER LOAN PARTY OR ITS PROPERTIES IN THE COURTS OF ANY JURISDICTION.
(c)
WAIVER OF VENUE. EACH BORROWER AND EACH OTHER LOAN PARTY IRREVOCABLY AND UNCONDITIONALLY WAIVES, TO THE FULLEST EXTENT PERMITTED BY APPLICABLE LAW, ANY OBJECTION THAT IT MAY NOW OR HEREAFTER HAVE TO THE LAYING OF VENUE OF ANY ACTION OR PROCEEDING ARISING OUT OF OR RELATING TO THIS AGREEMENT OR ANY OTHER LOAN DOCUMENT IN ANY COURT REFERRED TO IN PARAGRAPH (B) OF THIS SECTION. EACH OF THE PARTIES HERETO HEREBY IRREVOCABLY AND UNCONDITIONALLY WAIVES, TO THE FULLEST EXTENT PERMITTED BY APPLICABLE LAW, THE DEFENSE OF AN INCONVENIENT FORUM TO THE MAINTENANCE OF SUCH ACTION OR PROCEEDING IN ANY SUCH COURT.
(d)
SERVICE OF PROCESS. EACH PARTY HERETO IRREVOCABLY CONSENTS TO SERVICE OF PROCESS IN THE MANNER, AND TO THE PARTIES, PROVIDED FOR NOTICES IN SECTION 10.09 AND SECTION 11.02. NOTHING IN THIS AGREEMENT WILL AFFECT THE RIGHT OF ANY PARTY HERETO TO SERVE PROCESS IN ANY OTHER MANNER PERMITTED BY APPLICABLE LAW.

Section 11.15. Waiver of Jury Trial. EACH PARTY HERETO HEREBY IRREVOCABLY WAIVES, TO THE FULLEST EXTENT PERMITTED BY APPLICABLE LAW, ANY RIGHT IT MAY HAVE TO A TRIAL BY JURY IN ANY LEGAL PROCEEDING DIRECTLY OR INDIRECTLY ARISING OUT OF OR RELATING TO THIS AGREEMENT OR ANY OTHER LOAN DOCUMENT OR THE TRANSACTIONS CONTEMPLATED HEREBY OR THEREBY (WHETHER BASED ON CONTRACT, TORT OR ANY OTHER THEORY). EACH PARTY HERETO (A) CERTIFIES THAT NO REPRESENTATIVE, AGENT OR ATTORNEY OF ANY OTHER PERSON HAS REPRESENTED, EXPRESSLY OR OTHERWISE, THAT SUCH OTHER PERSON WOULD NOT, IN THE EVENT OF LITIGATION, SEEK TO ENFORCE THE FOREGOING WAIVER AND (B) ACKNOWLEDGES THAT IT AND THE OTHER PARTIES HERETO HAVE BEEN INDUCED TO ENTER INTO THIS AGREEMENT AND THE OTHER LOAN DOCUMENTS BY, AMONG OTHER THINGS, THE MUTUAL WAIVERS AND CERTIFICATIONS IN THIS SECTION.

Section 11.16. California Judicial Reference. If any action or proceeding is filed in a court of the State of California by or against any party hereto in connection with any of the transactions contemplated by this Agreement or any other Loan Document, (a) the court shall, and is hereby directed to, make a general reference pursuant to California Code of Civil Procedure Section 638 to a referee (who shall be a single active or retired judge) to hear and determine all of the issues in such action or proceeding (whether of fact or of law) and to report a statement of decision; provided that at the option of any party to such proceeding, any such issues pertaining to a “provisional

-162-


 

remedy” as defined in California Code of Civil Procedure Section 1281.8 shall be heard and determined by the court, and (b) without limiting the generality of Section 11.04, the Domestic Borrower shall be solely responsible to pay all fees and expenses of any referee appointed in such action or proceeding.

Section 11.17. No Advisory or Fiduciary Responsibility. In connection with all aspects of each transaction contemplated hereby (including in connection with any amendment, waiver or other modification hereof or of any other Loan Document), each Borrower and each other Loan Party acknowledges and agrees, and acknowledges their respective Affiliates’ understandings, that: (i) (A) the arranging and other services regarding this Agreement provided by the Administrative Agent, the Arrangers, and the Lenders and their respective Affiliates are arm’s-length commercial transactions between each Borrower, each other Loan Party and their respective Affiliates, on the one hand, and the Administrative Agent, the Arrangers and the Lenders and their respective Affiliates, on the other hand, (B) each Borrower and each other Loan Party has consulted its own legal, accounting, regulatory and tax advisors to the extent it has deemed appropriate, and (C) each Borrower and each other Loan Party is capable of evaluating, and understands and accepts, the terms, risks and conditions of the transactions contemplated hereby and by the other Loan Documents; (ii) (A) the Administrative Agent, each Arranger and each Lender and their respective Affiliates each is and has been acting solely as a principal and, except as expressly agreed in writing by the relevant parties, has not been, is not, and will not be acting as an advisor, agent or fiduciary for any Borrower, or any other Loan Party or any of their respective Affiliates, or any other Person and (B) neither the Administrative Agent nor any Arranger nor any Lender nor any of their respective Affiliates has any obligation to any Borrower, any other Loan Party or any of their respective Affiliates with respect to the transactions contemplated hereby except those obligations expressly set forth herein and in the other Loan Documents; and (iii) the Administrative Agent, the Arrangers and the Lenders and their respective Affiliates may be engaged in a broad range of transactions that involve interests that differ from those of any Borrower, any other Loan Party and their respective Affiliates, and neither the Administrative Agent, nor any Arranger, nor any Lender nor any of their respective Affiliates has any obligation to disclose any of such interests to any Borrower, any other Loan Party or any of their respective Affiliates. To the fullest extent permitted by law, each Borrower and each other Loan Party hereby waives and releases any claims that it may have against the Administrative Agent, any Arranger or any Lender or any of their respective Affiliates with respect to any breach or alleged breach of agency or fiduciary duty in connection with any aspect of any transaction contemplated hereby.

Section 11.18. Electronic Execution of Assignments and Certain Other Documents.

This Agreement, any Loan Document and any other Communication, including Communications required to be in writing, may be in the form of an Electronic Record and may be executed using Electronic Signatures. Each of the Loan Parties and each of the Administrative Agent, the L/C Issuer, the Swingline Lender, and each Lender (collectively, each a “Credit Party”) agrees that any Electronic Signature on or associated with any Communication shall be valid and binding on such Person to the same extent as a manual, original signature, and that any Communication entered into by Electronic Signature, will constitute the legal, valid and binding obligation of such Person enforceable against such Person in accordance with the terms thereof to the same extent as if a manually executed original signature was delivered. Any Communication may be executed in as many counterparts as necessary or convenient, including both paper and electronic counterparts, but all such counterparts are one and the same Communication. For the avoidance of doubt, the authorization under this paragraph may include, without limitation, use or acceptance of a manually signed paper Communication which has been converted into electronic form (such as scanned into PDF format), or an electronically signed Communication converted into another format, for transmission, delivery and/or retention. The Administrative Agent and each of the Credit Parties may, at its option, create one or more copies of any Communication in the form of an imaged Electronic Record (“Electronic Copy”), which shall be deemed created in the ordinary course of such Person’s business, and destroy the original

-163-


 

paper document. All Communications in the form of an Electronic Record, including an Electronic Copy, shall be considered an original for all purposes, and shall have the same legal effect, validity and enforceability as a paper record. Notwithstanding anything contained herein to the contrary, neither the Administrative Agent, L/C Issuer nor Swingline Lender is under any obligation to accept an Electronic Signature in any form or in any format unless expressly agreed to by such Person pursuant to procedures approved by it; provided, further, without limiting the foregoing, (a) to the extent the Administrative Agent, L/C Issuer and/or Swingline Lender has agreed to accept such Electronic Signature, the Administrative Agent and each of the Credit Parties shall be entitled to rely on any such Electronic Signature purportedly given by or on behalf of any Loan Party and/or any Credit Party without further verification and (b) upon the request of the Administrative Agent or any Credit Party, any Electronic Signature shall be promptly followed by such manually executed counterpart. For purposes hereof, “Electronic Record” and “Electronic Signature” shall have the meanings assigned to them, respectively, by 15 USC §7006, as it may be amended from time to time.

Neither the Administrative Agent, L/C Issuer nor Swingline Lender shall be responsible for or have any duty to ascertain or inquire into the sufficiency, validity, enforceability, effectiveness or genuineness of any Loan Document or any other agreement, instrument or document (including, for the avoidance of doubt, in connection with the Administrative Agent’s, L/C Issuer’s or Swingline Lender’s reliance on any Electronic Signature transmitted by telecopy, emailedemail, .pdf or any other electronic means). The Administrative Agent, L/C Issuer and Swingline Lender shall be entitled to rely on, and shall incur no liability under or in respect of this Agreement or any other Loan Document by acting upon, any Communication (which writing may be a fax, any electronic message, Internet or intranet website posting or other distribution or signed using an Electronic Signature) or any statement made to it orally or by telephone and believed by it to be genuine and signed or sent or otherwise authenticated (whether or not such Person in fact meets the requirements set forth in the Loan Documents for being the maker thereof).

Each of the Loan Parties and each Credit Party hereby waives (i) any argument, defense or right to contest the legal effect, validity or enforceability of this Agreement, any other Loan Document based solely on the lack of paper original copies of this Agreement, such other Loan Document, and (ii) waives any claim against the Administrative Agent, each Credit Party and each Related Party for any liabilities arising solely from the Administrative Agent’s and/or any Credit Party’s reliance on or use of Electronic Signatures, including any liabilities arising as a result of the failure of the Loan Parties to use any available security measures in connection with the execution, delivery or transmission of any Electronic Signature.

Section 11.19. USA PATRIOT Act. Each Lender that is subject to the Act (as hereinafter defined) and the Administrative Agent (for itself and not on behalf of any Lender) hereby notifies the Borrowers and the other Loan Parties that pursuant to the requirements of the USA PATRIOT Act (Title III of Pub. L. 107-56 (signed into law October 26, 2001)) (the “Act”), it is required to obtain, verify and record information that identifies each Loan Party, which information includes the name and address of each Loan Party and other information that will allow such Lender or the Administrative Agent, as applicable, to identify each Loan Party in accordance with the Act. Each Borrower and each Loan Party shall, promptly following a request by the Administrative Agent or any Lender, provide all such other documentation and information that the Administrative Agent or such Lender requests in order to comply with its ongoing obligations under applicable “know your customer” and anti-money laundering rules and regulations, including the Act.

-164-


 

Section 11.20. ENTIRE AGREEMENT. THIS AGREEMENT AND THE OTHER LOAN DOCUMENTS REPRESENT THE FINAL AGREEMENT AMONG THE PARTIES AND MAY NOT BE CONTRADICTED BY EVIDENCE OF PRIOR, CONTEMPORANEOUS, OR SUBSEQUENT ORAL AGREEMENTS OF THE PARTIES. THERE ARE NO UNWRITTEN ORAL AGREEMENTS AMONG THE PARTIES.

Section 11.21. Judgment Currency. If, for the purposes of obtaining judgment in any court, it is necessary to convert a sum due hereunder or any other Loan Document in one currency into another currency, the rate of exchange used shall be that at which in accordance with normal banking procedures the Administrative Agent could purchase the first currency with such other currency on the Business Day preceding that on which final judgment is given. The obligation of each Loan Party in respect of any such sum due from it to the Administrative Agent or any Lender hereunder or under the other Loan Documents shall, notwithstanding any judgment in a currency (the “Judgment Currency”) other than that in which such sum is denominated in accordance with the applicable provisions of this Agreement (the “Agreement Currency”), be discharged only to the extent that on the Business Day following receipt by the Administrative Agent or such Lender, as the case may be, of any sum adjudged to be so due in the Judgment Currency, the Administrative Agent or such Lender, as the case may be, may in accordance with normal banking procedures purchase the Agreement Currency with the Judgment Currency. If the amount of the Agreement Currency so purchased is less than the sum originally due to the Administrative Agent or any Lender from any Loan Party in the Agreement Currency, such Loan Party agrees, as a separate obligation and notwithstanding any such judgment, to indemnify the Administrative Agent or such Lender, as the case may be, against such loss. If the amount of the Agreement Currency so purchased is greater than the sum originally due to the Administrative Agent or any Lender in such currency, the Administrative Agent or such Lender, as the case may be, agrees to return the amount of any excess to such Loan Party (or to any other Person who may be entitled thereto under Applicable Law).

Section 11.22. Acknowledgment and Consent to Bail-In of Affected Financial Institutions. Notwithstanding anything to the contrary in any Loan Document or in any other agreement, arrangement or understanding among any such parties, each party hereto acknowledges that any liability of any Lender that is an Affected Financial Institution arising under any Loan Document, to the extent such liability is unsecured, may be subject to the write-downWrite-Down and conversion powersConversion Powers of the applicable Resolution Authority and agrees and consents to, and acknowledges and agrees to be bound by:

(a)
the application of any Write-Down and Conversion Powers by the applicable Resolution Authority to any such liabilities arising hereunder which may be payable to it by any Lender that is an Affected Financial Institution; and
(b)
the effects of any Bail-inIn Action on any such liability, including, if applicable:
(i)
a reduction in full or in part or cancellation of any such liability;
(ii)
a conversion of all, or a portion of, such liability into shares or other instruments of ownership in such Affected Financial Institution, its parent undertaking, or a bridge institution that may be issued to it or otherwise conferred on it, and that such shares or other instruments of ownership will be accepted by it in lieu of any rights with respect to any such liability under this Agreement or any other Loan Document; or
(iii)
the variation of the terms of such liability in connection with the exercise of the Write-Down and Conversion Powers of the applicable Resolution Authority.

-165-


 

Section 11.23. Acknowledgment Regarding Any Supported QFCs. To the extent that the Loan Documents provide support, through a guarantee or otherwise, for any Swap Contract or any other agreement or instrument that is a QFC (such support, “QFC Credit Support”, and each such QFC, a “Supported QFC”), the parties acknowledge and agree as follows with respect to the resolution power of the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation under the Federal Deposit Insurance Act and Title II of the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act (together with the regulations promulgated thereunder, the “U.S. Special Resolution Regimes”) in respect of such Supported QFC and QFC Credit Support (with the provisions below applicable notwithstanding that the Loan Documents and any Supported QFC may in fact be stated to be governed by the laws of the State of New York and/or of the United States or any other state of the United States):

(a)
In the event a Covered Entity that is party to a Supported QFC (each, a “Covered Party”) becomes subject to a proceeding under a U.S. Special Resolution Regime, the transfer of such Supported QFC and the benefit of such QFC Credit Support (and any interest and obligation in or under such Supported QFC and such QFC Credit Support, and any rights in property securing such Supported QFC or such QFC Credit Support) from such Covered Party will be effective to the same extent as the transfer would be effective under the U.S. Special Resolution Regime if the Supported QFC and such QFC Credit Support (and any such interest, obligation and rights in property) were governed by the laws of the United States or a state of the United States. In the event a Covered Party or a BHC Act Affiliate of a Covered Party becomes subject to a proceeding under a U.S. Special Resolution Regime, Default Rights under the Loan Documents that might otherwise apply to such Supported QFC or any QFC Credit Support that may be exercised against such Covered Party are permitted to be exercised to no greater extent than such Default Rights could be exercised under the U.S. Special Resolution Regime if the Supported QFC and the Loan Documents were governed by the laws of the United States or a state of the United States. Without limitation of the foregoing, it is understood and agreed that rights and remedies of the parties with respect to a Defaulting Lender shall in no event affect the rights of any Covered Party with respect to a Supported QFC or any QFC Credit Support.
(b)
As used in this Section 11.23, the following terms have the following meanings:

“BHC Act Affiliate” of a party means an “affiliate” (as such term is defined under, and interpreted in accordance with, 12 U.S.C. 1841(k)) of such party.

Default Right” has the meaning assigned to that term in, and shall be interpreted in accordance with, 12 C.F.R. §§ 252.81, 47.2 or 382.1, as applicable.

QFC” has the meaning assigned to the term “qualified financial contract” in, and shall be interpreted in accordance with, 12 U.S.C. 5390(c)(8)(D).

Section 11.24. Subordination. Each Loan Party (a “Subordinating Loan Party”) hereby subordinates the payment of all obligations and indebtedness of any other Loan Party owing to it, whether now existing or hereafter arising, including but not limited to any obligation of any such other Loan Party to the Subordinating Loan Party as subrogee of the Secured Parties or resulting from such Subordinating Loan Party's performance under this Guaranty, to the indefeasible payment in full in cash of all Obligations. If the Secured Parties so request, any such obligation or indebtedness of any such other Loan Party to the Subordinating Loan Party shall be enforced and performance received by the Subordinating Loan Party as trustee for the Secured Parties and the proceeds thereof shall be paid over to the Secured Parties on account of the Obligations, but without reducing or affecting in any manner the liability of the Subordinating Loan Party under this Agreement. Without limitation of the foregoing, so long as no Default has occurred and is continuing, the Loan Parties may make and receive payments with respect to

-166-


 

Intercompany Debt; provided, that in the event that any Loan Party receives any payment of any Intercompany Debt at a time when such payment is prohibited by this Section 11.24, such payment shall be held by such Loan Party, in trust for the benefit of, and shall be paid forthwith over and delivered, upon written request, to the Administrative Agent.

Section 11.25. Amendment and Restatement; No Novation. (a) This Agreement constitutes an amendment and restatement of the Existing Credit Agreement, as amended, effective from and after the Closing Date. The execution and delivery of this Agreement shall not constitute a novation of any debt or other obligations owing to the Lenders or the Administrative Agent under the Existing Credit Agreement or any other Loan Document based on facts or events occurring or existing prior to the execution and delivery of this Agreement. On the Closing Date, the credit facilities described in the Existing Credit Agreement, as amended, shall be amended, supplemented, modified and restated in their entirety by the credit facilities described herein, and all loans and other obligations of the Borrowers outstanding as of such date under the Existing Credit Agreement, as amended, to the extent not repaid in accordance with the terms herein, shall be deemed to be loans and obligations outstanding under the corresponding facilities described herein, without any further action by any Person, except that the Administrative Agent shall make such transfers of funds as are necessary in order that the outstanding balance of such Loans, together with any Loans funded on the Closing Date, reflect the respective Commitments of the Lenders hereunder.

(b)
On the Closing Date, (i) all outstanding loans under the Existing Credit Agreement (“Existing Loans”) made by any Person that is a “Lender” under the Existing Credit Agreement which is not a Lender hereunder (each, an “Exiting Lender”) shall be repaid in full and the commitments and other obligations and rights (except as expressly set forth in the Existing Credit Agreement) of such Exiting Lender shall be terminated, (ii) all outstanding Existing Loans constituting Revolving Credit Loans under the Existing Credit Agreement that are not being repaid under clause (i) above shall be repaid in accordance with Section 4.01(c), if necessary, or if not necessary, be deemed Revolving Credit Loan hereunder in accordance with Section 2.01(b) and the Administrative Agent shall make such transfers of funds as are necessary in order that the outstanding balance of such Revolving Credit Loans, together with any Revolving Credit Loans funded on the Closing Date, are in accordance with the relevant Applicable Percentages of the Lenders hereunder, (iii) [reserved], (iv) there shall have been paid in cash in full all accrued but unpaid interest on the Existing Loans to the Closing Date, (v) there shall have been paid in cash in full all accrued but unpaid fees under the Existing Credit Agreement due to the Closing Date and all other amounts, costs and expenses then owing to any of the Existing Lenders and/or Bank of America, as administrative agent under the Existing Credit Agreement, (vi) all outstanding Letters of Credit under the Existing Credit Agreement shall be Letters of Credit hereunder and (vii) all outstanding promissory notes issued by the Borrowers to the Existing Lenders under the Existing Credit Agreement shall be promptly returned to the Administrative Agent which shall forward such notes to the Borrowers for cancellation and be replaced with amended and restated promissory notes.
(c)
In furtherance of the foregoing the parties hereto hereby confirm that each of the Collateral Documents entered into in connection with the Existing Credit Agreement shall continue to be in full force and effect and is hereby in all respects ratified and reaffirmed as if fully restated as of the date hereof by this Credit Agreement; provided that: (a) all references therein to the “Credit Agreement” shall be deemed to be references to this Credit Agreement, (b) all references to “Administrative Agent” shall be deemed to be references to Bank of America, N.A., in its capacity as Administrative Agent under this Credit Agreement; and (c) all references to “Lenders” shall be deemed to be references to the Lenders under this Credit Agreement. The Collateral Documents are hereby confirmed, ratified and reaffirmed by this Credit Agreement and shall extend to, and shall secure and guaranty, or continue to secure and guarantee (as the case may be) the Obligations as defined herein and such Collateral Documents shall not be otherwise affected or discharged by the terms of this Credit Agreement.

-167-


 

[REMAINDER OF PAGE INTENTIONALLY LEFT BLANK;

SIGNATURE PAGES FOLLOWINTENTIONALLY OMITTED]

-168-


 

EXHIBIT B

to

AMENDMENT NO. 1 TO THIRD AMENDED AND RESTATED CREDIT AGREEMENT

Schedule 2.01 - Commitments and Applicable Percentages

 

Lender

Revolving Credit Commitment

Revolving Credit Applicable

Percentage

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Total

$225,000,000.00

100.000000000%

 

 


 

EXHIBIT B

to

AMENDMENT NO. 1 TO THIRD AMENDED AND RESTATED CREDIT AGREEMENT

Schedule 5.09 (Environmental Matters)

 


 

EXHIBIT B

to

AMENDMENT NO. 1 TO THIRD AMENDED AND RESTATED CREDIT AGREEMENT

Schedule 5.17 (Intellectual Property Matters)

 


 

EXHIBIT B

to

AMENDMENT NO. 1 TO THIRD AMENDED AND RESTATED CREDIT AGREEMENT

Schedule 7.02 (Existing Indebtedness)

 


 

EXHIBIT B

to

AMENDMENT NO. 1 TO THIRD AMENDED AND RESTATED CREDIT AGREEMENT

Schedule 7.09 (Burdensome Agreements)

 


 

EXHIBIT B

to

AMENDMENT NO. 1 TO THIRD AMENDED AND RESTATED CREDIT AGREEMENT

Schedule 11.02 (Administrative Agent’s Office, Certain Addresses for Notices)

 


 

EXHIBIT C

to

AMENDMENT NO. 1 TO THIRD AMENDED AND RESTATED CREDIT AGREEMENT

Exhibit D (Form of Compliance Certificate) of the Credit Agreement

 


EX-10.2

Exhibit 10.2

[DEALER]

[__], 2026

 

To:

Diodes Incorporated

4949 Hedgcoxe Road, Suite 200

Plano, Texas 75024

Attention: [____________]

Email: [____________]

 

 

Re:

[Base] [Additional] Call Option Transaction

 

The purpose of this communication (this “Confirmation”) is to set forth the terms and conditions of the call option transaction entered into on the Trade Date specified below (the “Transaction”) between [Dealer] (“Dealer”) and Diodes Incorporated (“Counterparty”). This communication constitutes a “Confirmation” as referred to in the Agreement specified below.

1.
This Confirmation is subject to, and incorporates, the definitions and provisions of the 2006 ISDA Definitions (the “2006 Definitions”) and the definitions and provisions of the 2002 ISDA Equity Derivatives Definitions (the “Equity Definitions”, and together with the 2006 Definitions, the “Definitions”), in each case as published by the International Swaps and Derivatives Association, Inc. (“ISDA”). Certain defined terms used herein have the meanings assigned to them in the Offering Memorandum dated [], 2026 (the “Offering Memorandum”) relating to the USD [___________] principal amount of []% Convertible Senior Notes due 2031 (the “Base Convertible Securities”) issued by Counterparty (as increased by [up to] an additional USD [___________] principal amount of []% Convertible Senior Notes due 2031 [that may be] issued pursuant to the option to purchase additional convertible securities [exercised on the date hereof] (the “Optional Convertible Securities” and, together with the Base Convertible Securities, the “Convertible Securities”)) pursuant to an Indenture [to be] dated [], 2026 between Counterparty and U.S. Bank Trust Company, National Association, as trustee (the “Indenture”). In the event of any inconsistency between the terms defined in the Indenture and this Confirmation, this Confirmation shall govern. The parties acknowledge that this Confirmation is entered into on the date hereof with the understanding that (i) definitions set forth in the Indenture that are also defined herein by reference to the Indenture and (ii) sections of the Indenture that are referred to herein, in each case, will conform to the descriptions thereof in the Offering Memorandum. If any such definitions in the Indenture or any such sections of the Indenture differ from the descriptions thereof in the Offering Memorandum, the descriptions thereof in the Offering Memorandum will govern for purposes of this Confirmation. [For the avoidance of doubt, subject to the foregoing, references herein to sections of the Indenture are based on the draft of the Indenture most recently reviewed by the parties at the time of execution of this Confirmation. If any relevant sections of the Indenture are changed, added or renumbered between the execution of this Confirmation and the execution of the Indenture, the parties will amend this Confirmation in good faith and in a commercially reasonable manner to preserve the economic intent of the parties as evidenced by such draft of the Indenture. In addition, subject to the foregoing, the] [The] parties acknowledge that references to the Indenture herein are references to the Indenture [as of its date of execution] [as in effect on the date hereof] and if the Indenture is, or the Convertible Securities are, amended, modified or supplemented following the date hereof or the date of their execution, respectively, any such amendment, modification or supplement (other than any amendment, modification or supplement (i) pursuant to Section 14.07 of the Indenture, subject to the provisions opposite the caption “Counterparty Discretionary Adjustments” in Section 2 hereof, or (ii) pursuant to Section 10.01(h) of the Indenture that, as determined by the Calculation Agent in good faith and in a commercially reasonable manner, conforms the Indenture to the description of Convertible Securities in the Offering Memorandum) will be disregarded for purposes of this Confirmation unless the parties agree otherwise in writing.

1


Each party is hereby advised, and each such party acknowledges, that the other party has engaged in, or refrained from engaging in, substantial financial transactions and has taken other material actions in reliance upon the parties’ entry into the Transaction to which this Confirmation relates on the terms and conditions set forth below.

This Confirmation evidences a complete and binding agreement between Dealer and Counterparty as to the terms of the Transaction to which this Confirmation relates. This Confirmation shall be subject to an agreement (the “Agreement”) in the form of the 2002 ISDA Master Agreement as if Dealer and Counterparty had executed an agreement in such form on the date hereof (but without any Schedule except for (i) the election of US Dollars (“USD”) as the Termination Currency; (ii) the election of the laws of the State of New York as the governing law (without reference to choice of law doctrine); [(iii) the designation of an executed guarantee of [__________] (“Guarantor”) dated on or around the Trade Date in customary form as a Credit Support Document in relation to Dealer, (iv) the designation of Guarantor as Credit Support Provider in relation to Dealer;] [(v)][(iii)] the election that the “Cross-Default” provisions of Section 5(a)(vi) of the Agreement shall not apply to Counterparty and shall apply to Dealer with a “Threshold Amount” of three percent of Dealer’s [ultimate parent’s] shareholders’ equity; provided that (A) “Specified Indebtedness” shall not include obligations in respect of deposits received in the ordinary course of Dealer’s [or Guarantor’s] banking business, (B) the phrase “or becoming capable at such time of being declared” shall be deleted from clause (1) of such Section 5(a)(vi) and (C) the following language shall be added to the end of such Section 5(a)(vi): “Notwithstanding the foregoing, a default under subsection (2) hereof shall not constitute an Event of Default if (x) the default was caused solely by error or omission of an administrative or operational nature; (y) funds were available to enable the party to make the payment when due; and (z) the payment is made within two Local Business Days of such party’s receipt of written notice of its failure to pay.”; [(vi)][(iv)] following the payment of the Premium, the condition precedent in Section 2(a)(iii) of the Agreement with respect to Events of Default or Potential Events of Default shall not apply to a payment or delivery owing by Dealer to Counterparty) and [(vii)(v)] the “Default Under Specified Transaction” provision under Section 5(a)(v) of the Agreement shall not apply to Counterparty.

All provisions contained in, or incorporated by reference to, the Agreement will govern this Confirmation except as expressly modified herein. In the event of any inconsistency among this Confirmation, the Equity Definitions, the 2006 Definitions or the Agreement, the following shall prevail in the order of precedence indicated: (i) this Confirmation; (ii) the Equity Definitions; (iii) the 2006 Definitions; and (iv) the Agreement. For the avoidance of doubt, except to the extent of an express conflict, the application of any provision of this Confirmation, the Agreement, the Equity Definitions or the 2006 Definitions shall not be construed to exclude or limit any other provision of this Confirmation, the Agreement, the Equity Definitions or the 2006 Definitions.

The Transaction hereunder shall be the sole Transaction under the Agreement. If there exists any ISDA Master Agreement between Dealer and Counterparty or any confirmation or other agreement between Dealer and Counterparty pursuant to which an ISDA Master Agreement is deemed to exist between Dealer and Counterparty, then notwithstanding anything to the contrary in such ISDA Master Agreement, such confirmation or agreement or any other agreement to which Dealer and Counterparty are parties, the Transaction shall not be considered a Transaction under, or otherwise governed by, such existing or deemed ISDA Master Agreement.

2


2.
The Transaction constitutes a Share Option Transaction for purposes of the Equity Definitions. The terms of the particular Transaction to which this Confirmation relates are as follows:

General Terms:

 

 

Trade Date:

[__], 2026

 

Effective Date:

The closing date of the [initial] issuance of the Convertible Securities [issued pursuant to the option to purchase additional Convertible Securities exercised on the date hereof].

 

Option Style:

Modified American, as described under “Procedures for Exercise” below.

 

Option Type:

Call

 

Seller:

Dealer

 

Buyer:

Counterparty

 

Shares:

The Common Stock of Counterparty, par value USD 0.66 2/3 per share (Ticker Symbol: “DIOD”).

 

Number of Options:

[The number of Base Convertible Securities in denominations of USD 1,000 principal amount issued by Counterparty on the closing date for the initial issuance of the Convertible Securities.] [The number of Optional Convertible Securities in denominations of USD 1,000 principal amount purchased by the “Initial Purchasers” (as defined in the Purchase Agreement (as defined below)), at their option pursuant to Section 2(b) of the Purchase Agreement.] For the avoidance of doubt, the Number of Options outstanding shall be reduced by each exercise of Options hereunder. In no event will the Number of Options be less than zero.

 

Applicable Percentage:

[__]%

 

Option Entitlement:

A number equal to the product of the Applicable Percentage and [_____]

 

Make-Whole Fundamental Change

 

 

Adjustment:

Any adjustment to the “Conversion Rate” (as defined in the Indenture) pursuant to Section 14.03 of the Indenture.

 

Discretionary Anti-Dilution Adjustment:

Any adjustment to the “Conversion Rate” (as defined in the Indenture) pursuant to Section 14.04(g) of the Indenture.

 

Strike Price:

USD [_____]

 

Cap Price:

USD [_____]

 

Rounding of Strike Price/

 

 

Cap Price/Option Entitlement:

In connection with any adjustment to the Option Entitlement hereunder, the Option Entitlement shall be rounded by the Calculation Agent to the nearest one-ten thousandth (1/10,000th) of a Share. In connection with any adjustment to the Strike Price or Cap Price hereunder, the Stike Price or the Cap Price, as the case may be, shall be rounded by the Calculation Agent to the nearest USD 0.0001.

3


 

Number of Shares:

As of any date, a number of Shares equal to the product of the Number of Options and the Option Entitlement.

 

Premium:

USD [_____]

 

Premium Payment Date:

The Effective Date

 

Exchange:

The Nasdaq Global Select Market

 

Related Exchange:

All Exchanges

Procedures for Exercise:

 

 

Exercise Dates:

Each Conversion Date.

 

Conversion Date:

[With respect to any conversion of a Convertible Security (other than (x) any conversion of Convertible Securities with a “Conversion Date” (as defined in the Indenture) occurring prior to the Free Convertibility Date or (y) any conversion of Convertible Securities in respect of which holder(s) of such Convertible Securities would be entitled to an increase in the Conversion Rate pursuant to a Make-Whole Fundamental Change Adjustment (any conversion described in clause (x) or clause (y), an “Early Conversion”), to which the provisions of Section 8(b)(iii) of this Confirmation shall apply), the “Conversion Date” (as defined in the Indenture); provided that no Conversion Date shall be deemed to have occurred with respect to Exchanged Securities (such Convertible Securities, other than Exchanged Securities, the “Relevant Convertible Securities” for such Conversion Date).]

 

 

[With respect to any conversion of a Convertible Security (other than (x) any conversion of Convertible Securities with a “Conversion Date” (as defined in the Indenture) occurring prior to the Free Convertibility Date or (y) any conversion of Convertible Securities in respect of which holder(s) of such Convertible Securities would be entitled to an increase in the Conversion Rate pursuant to a Make-Whole Fundamental Change Adjustment (any conversion described in clause (x) or clause (y), an “Early Conversion”), to which the provisions of Section 8(b)(iii) of this Confirmation shall apply), the “Conversion Date” (as defined in the Indenture) for Convertible Securities that are not “Relevant Convertible Securities” under (and as defined in) the confirmation between the parties hereto regarding the Base Call Option Transaction dated [__], 2026 (the “Base Call Option Transaction Confirmation”); provided that no Conversion Date shall be deemed to have occurred with respect to Exchanged Securities (such Convertible Securities, other than Exchanged Securities, the “Relevant Convertible Securities” for such Conversion Date). For the purposes of determining whether any Convertible Securities will be Relevant Convertible Securities hereunder or “Relevant Convertible Securities” under the Base Call Option Transaction Confirmation, Convertible Securities that are converted pursuant to the Indenture shall be allocated first to the Base Call Option

4


 

 

Transaction Confirmation until all Options thereunder are exercised or terminated.]

 

Free Convertibility Date:

May 15, 2031

 

Exchanged Securities:

With respect to any Conversion Date, any Convertible Securities with respect to which Counterparty makes the election described in Section 14.12 of the Indenture and the financial institution designated by Counterparty accepts such Convertible Securities in accordance with Section 14.12 of the Indenture, as long as Counterparty does not submit a Notice of Exercise in respect thereof.

 

Expiration Date:

August 15, 2031, subject to earlier exercise.

 

Multiple Exercise:

Applicable, as described under “Automatic Exercise on Conversion Dates” and “Automatic Exercise of Remaining Repurchase Options After Free Convertibility Date” below.

 

Automatic Exercise on

 

 

Conversion Dates:

Applicable, which means that on each Conversion Date occurring on or after the Free Convertibility Date, a number of Options equal to the number of Relevant Convertible Securities for such Conversion Date in denominations of USD 1,000 principal amount shall be automatically exercised, subject to “Notice of Exercise” below.

 

Automatic Exercise of Remaining

 

 

Repurchase Options After Free

 

 

Convertibility Date:

Notwithstanding anything herein (including “Automatic Exercise on Conversion Dates” above) or in Section 3.4 of the Equity Definitions, unless Counterparty notifies Dealer in writing prior to 5:00 p.m. (New York City time) on the “Scheduled Trading Day” (as defined in the Indenture) immediately preceding the Expiration Date that it does not wish automatic exercise pursuant to this paragraph to occur with respect to any Remaining Repurchase Options (as defined below), a number of Options equal to the lesser of (a) the Number of Options (after giving effect to the provisions opposite the caption “Automatic Exercise on Conversion Dates” above) as of 9:00 a.m. (New York City time) on the Expiration Date and (b) the Remaining Repurchase Options [minus the number of Remaining Options (as defined in the Base Call Option Transaction Confirmation)] (such lesser number, the “Remaining Options”) will be deemed to be automatically exercised and the Delivery Obligation (and related provisions) with respect to such Remaining Options shall be calculated as if (i) a number of Convertible Securities (in denominations of USD 1,000 principal amount) equal to such number of Remaining Options were outstanding under the Indenture and were converted with a “Conversion Date” (as defined in the Indenture) occurring on or after the Free Convertibility Date and (ii) the Notice of Final Convertible Security Cash Percentage, if any, applied to such Convertible Securities; provided that no such automatic exercise pursuant to this paragraph will occur if the “Daily VWAP” (as defined in the Indenture) for each “Trading Day” (as defined in the Indenture pursuant to the second proviso in such definition)

5


 

 

during the Cash Settlement Averaging Period is less than or equal to the Strike Price.

 

 

 

 

 

Remaining Repurchase Options” shall mean the excess of (I) the aggregate number of Convertible Securities (in denominations of USD 1,000 principal amount) that were subject to Repurchase Events (as defined below) described in clause (y) of Section 8(b)(ii) (“Optional Unwind Repurchase Events,” which, for the avoidance of doubt, does not include any Repurchase Event pursuant to the terms of the Indenture) during the term of the Transaction over (II) the aggregate number of Repurchase Options (as defined below) that were terminated hereunder in connection with Optional Unwind Repurchase Events during the term of the Transaction [plus the aggregate number of Repurchase Options (as defined in the Base Call Option Transaction Confirmation) terminated under the Base Call Option Transaction Confirmation in connection with Optional Unwind Repurchase Events (as defined therein) during the term of the “Transaction” under the Base Call Option Transaction Confirmation]. Counterparty shall notify Dealer in writing of the number of Remaining Repurchase Options before 5:00 p.m. (New York City time) on the “Scheduled Trading Day” (as defined in the Indenture) immediately preceding the Expiration Date.

 

 

 

 

Notice Deadline:

In respect of any exercise of Options hereunder on any Conversion Date on or after the Free Convertibility Date, 5:00 P.M., New York City time, on the “Scheduled Trading Day” (as defined in the Indenture) immediately preceding the “Maturity Date” (as defined in the Indenture).

 

Notice of Exercise:

Subject to “Automatic Exercise of Remaining Repurchase Options After Free Convertibility Date,” Counterparty shall notify Dealer in writing prior to the Notice Deadline of the number of Relevant Convertible Securities being converted on the related Conversion Date[; provided that any “Notice of Exercise” delivered to Dealer pursuant to the Base Call Option Transaction Confirmation shall be deemed to be a Notice of Exercise pursuant to this Confirmation and the terms of such Notice of Exercise shall apply, mutatis mutandis, to this Confirmation]. For the avoidance of doubt, if Counterparty fails to give such notice when due in respect of any exercise of Options hereunder with a Conversion Date occurring on or after the Free Convertibility Date, automatic exercise shall apply and the Conversion Date shall be deemed to be the second “Scheduled Trading Day” (as defined in the Indenture) immediately preceding the “Maturity Date” (as defined in the Indenture).

 

Notice of Final Convertible Security

 

 

Cash Percentage:

In addition, Counterparty shall notify Dealer in writing before 5:00 P.M., New York City time, on the “Scheduled Trading Day” (as defined in the Indenture) immediately preceding the Free Convertibility Date of the “Cash

6


 

 

Percentage” (as defined in the Indenture) elected (or deemed to be elected) with respect to Relevant Convertible Securities with a Conversion Date occurring on or after the Free Convertibility Date (any such notice, a “Notice of Final Convertible Security Cash Percentage”); provided that, if Counterparty does not timely deliver the Notice of Final Convertible Security Cash Percentage then the Notice of Final Convertible Security Cash Percentage shall be deemed timely given and the “Cash Percentage” (as defined in the Indenture) shall be deemed to be 0%. Counterparty acknowledges its responsibilities under applicable securities laws, and in particular Section 9 and Section 10(b) of the Exchange Act and the rules and regulations thereunder, in respect of any election of a “Cash Percentage” (as defined under the Indenture) hereunder.

 

 

 

 

Dealer’s Telephone Number

 

 

and Telex and/or Facsimile Number

 

 

and Contact Details for purpose of

 

 

Giving Notice:

As specified in Section 6(b) below.

 

 

 

Settlement Terms:

 

 

Settlement Date:

For any Exercise Date, the date that is two “Business Days” (as defined in the Indenture) following the final day of the Cash Settlement Averaging Period; provided that the Settlement Date shall not be prior to the Exchange Business Day immediately following the date Counterparty provides the Notice of Delivery Obligation prior to 5:00 P.M., New York City time.

 

Delivery Obligation:

In lieu of the obligations set forth in Sections 8.1 and 9.1 of the Equity Definitions, and subject to “Notice of Exercise” above and “Method of Adjustment”, “Counterparty Discretionary Adjustments”, “Consequences of Merger Events/Tender Offers”, “Consequences of Announcement Events” and Section 8(c) below, in respect of an Exercise Date, Dealer will deliver to Counterparty on the related Settlement Date (the “Delivery Obligation”), (i) a number of Shares equal to the product of the Applicable Percentage and the aggregate number of Shares, if any, that Counterparty would be obligated to deliver to the “Holder(s)” (as defined in the Indenture) of the Relevant Convertible Securities for such Conversion Date pursuant to Section 14.02(a) of the Indenture (except that such number of Shares shall be rounded down to the nearest whole number) and cash in lieu of any fractional Share resulting from such rounding and/or (ii) the product of the Applicable Percentage and the aggregate amount of cash, if any, in excess of the principal amount of the Relevant Convertible Securities that Counterparty would be obligated to deliver to “Holder(s)” (as defined in the Indenture) of the Relevant Convertible Securities for such Conversion Date pursuant to Section 14.02(a) of the Indenture, determined, for each of clauses (i) and (ii), by the Calculation Agent in a commercially reasonable manner by reference to such Sections of the Indenture as if (i) Counterparty had elected

7


 

 

the “Cash Percentage” elected or deemed elected in the Notice of Final Convertible Security Cash Percentage in connection with satisfying its conversion obligation in respect of such Relevant Convertible Securities, notwithstanding any different actual election by Counterparty with respect to the settlement of such Relevant Convertible Securities and (ii) the relevant “Observation Period” (as defined in the Indenture) were the Cash Settlement Averaging Period; provided that, if the “Daily VWAP” (as defined in the Indenture) for any “Trading Day” (as defined in the Indenture pursuant to the second proviso in such definition) during the Cash Settlement Averaging Period is greater than the Cap Price, then clause (b) of the relevant “Daily Conversion Value” (as defined in the Indenture) for such “Trading Day” shall be determined as if such “Daily VWAP” for such “Trading Day” were deemed to equal the Cap Price; provided further that the Delivery Obligation shall be determined excluding any Shares and/or cash that Counterparty is obligated to deliver to “Holder(s)” (as defined in the Indenture) of the Relevant Convertible Securities as a direct or indirect result of any adjustments to the “Conversion Rate” (as defined in the Indenture) pursuant to a Discretionary Anti-Dilution Adjustment and any interest payment that Counterparty is (or would have been) obligated to deliver to “Holder(s)” (as defined in the Indenture) of the Relevant Convertible Securities for such Conversion Date. Notwithstanding the foregoing, if, in respect of any Exercise Date, (x)(I) the number of Shares included in the Delivery Obligation multiplied by the Share Obligation Value Price plus(II) the amount of cash included in the Delivery Obligation, would otherwise exceed (y) the product of the Applicable Percentage and the relevant Net Convertible Share Obligation Value, such number of Shares and such amount of cash shall be proportionately reduced to the extent necessary to eliminate such excess.

 

Cash Settlement Averaging Period:

The 30 “Trading Days” (as defined in the Indenture pursuant to the second proviso in such definition) commencing on the 31st “Scheduled Trading Day” (as defined in the Indenture) prior to the “Maturity Date” (as defined in the Indenture).

 

Notice of Delivery Obligation:

No later than the Exchange Business Day immediately following the last day of the Cash Settlement Averaging Period, Counterparty shall give Dealer notice of the aggregate number of Shares and/or amount of cash included in the Total Convertible Share Obligation Value (as defined below) for all Exercise Dates (it being understood, for the avoidance of doubt, that the requirement of Counterparty to deliver such notice shall not limit Counterparty’s obligations with respect to a Notice of Exercise or Notice of Final Convertible Security Cash Percentage, as the case may be, as set forth above, in any way).

 

Net Convertible Share Obligation Value:

With respect to Relevant Convertible Securities as to a Conversion Date, (i) the Total Convertible Share Obligation Value of such Relevant Convertible Securities for such

8


 

 

Conversion Date minus (ii) the aggregate principal amount of such Relevant Convertible Securities for such Conversion Date.

 

Total Convertible Share Obligation Value:

With respect to Relevant Convertible Securities with respect to a Conversion Date, (i) (A) the number of Shares equal to the aggregate number of Shares that Counterparty is obligated to deliver to the “Holder(s)” (as defined in the Indenture) of Relevant Convertible Securities for such Conversion Date pursuant to the Indenture multiplied by(B) the Share Obligation Value Price plus(ii) an amount of cash equal to the aggregate amount of cash that Counterparty is obligated to deliver to the “Holder(s)” (as defined in the Indenture) of Relevant Convertible Securities for such Conversion Date pursuant to the Indenture (including, for the avoidance of doubt, any cash payable by Counterparty in lieu of fractional Shares); provided that the Total Convertible Share Obligation Value shall be determined excluding any Shares and/or cash that Counterparty is obligated to deliver to “Holder(s)” (as defined in the Indenture) of the Relevant Convertible Securities as a direct or indirect result of any adjustments to the “Conversion Rate” (as defined in the Indenture) pursuant to a Discretionary Anti-Dilution Adjustment and any interest payment that Counterparty is (or would have been) obligated to deliver to “Holder(s)” (as defined in the Indenture) of the Relevant Convertible Securities for such Conversion Date.

 

Share Obligation Value Price:

The opening price as displayed under the heading “Op” on Bloomberg page “DIOD <Equity>” (or its equivalent successor if such page is not available) on the applicable Settlement Date or other date of delivery.

 

Other Applicable Provisions:

To the extent Dealer is obligated to deliver Shares hereunder, the provisions of Sections 9.8, 9.9 and 9.11 of the Equity Definitions will be applicable as if “Physical Settlement” applied to the Transaction; provided that the Representation and Agreement contained in Section 9.11 of the Equity Definitions shall be modified by excluding any representations therein relating to restrictions, obligations, limitations or requirements under applicable securities laws that exist as a result of the fact that Counterparty is the issuer, or an affiliate of the issuer, of the Shares.

 

Restricted Certificated Shares:

Notwithstanding anything to the contrary in the Equity Definitions, Dealer may, in whole or in part, deliver Shares required to be delivered to Counterparty hereunder in certificated form in lieu of delivery through the Clearance System. With respect to such certificated Shares, the Representation and Agreement contained in Section 9.11 of the Equity Definitions shall be modified by deleting the remainder of the provision after the word “encumbrance” in the fourth line thereof.

Adjustments:

 

 

Method of Adjustment:

Notwithstanding Section 11.2 of the Equity Definitions, upon the occurrence of any event or condition set forth in

9


 

 

the Dilution Adjustment Provisions (a “Potential Adjustment Event”) that requires an adjustment under the Indenture, the Calculation Agent shall, in good faith and in a commercially reasonable manner, make a corresponding adjustment in respect of any one or more of the Strike Price, the Number of Options, the Option Entitlement and any other term relevant to the exercise, settlement or payment of the Transaction, to the extent an analogous adjustment is required under the Indenture, subject to “Counterparty Discretionary Adjustments” below. For the avoidance of doubt, the Delivery Obligation shall be calculated on the basis of such adjustments by the Calculation Agent in respect of such Potential Adjustment Event. Immediately upon the occurrence of any Potential Adjustment Event, Counterparty shall notify the Calculation Agent of such Potential Adjustment Event.

 

 

Notwithstanding anything to the contrary herein or in the Equity Definitions:

 

 

(i) in connection with any Potential Adjustment Event as a result of an event or condition set forth in Section 14.04(b) of the Indenture or Section 14.04(c) of the Indenture where, in either case, the period for determining “Y” (as such term is used in Section 14.04(b) of the Indenture) or “SP0” (as such term is used in Section 14.04(c) of the Indenture), as the case may be, begins before Counterparty has publicly announced the event or condition giving rise to such Potential Adjustment Event, then the Calculation Agent shall, in good faith and in a commercially reasonable manner, have the right to adjust any variable relevant to the exercise, settlement or payment for the Transaction as appropriate to reflect the reasonable costs (including, but not limited to, hedging mismatches and market losses) and commercially reasonable out-of-pocket expenses incurred by Dealer in connection with its commercially reasonable hedging activities as a result of such event or condition not having been publicly announced prior to the beginning of such period; and

(ii) if any Potential Adjustment Event is declared and (a) the event or condition giving rise to such Potential Adjustment Event is subsequently amended, modified, cancelled or abandoned, (b) the “Conversion Rate” (as defined in the Indenture) is otherwise not adjusted at the time or in the manner contemplated by the relevant Dilution Adjustment Provision based on such declaration or (c) the “Conversion Rate” (as defined in the Indenture) is adjusted as a result of such Potential Adjustment Event and subsequently re-adjusted (each of clauses (a), (b) and (c), a “Potential Adjustment Event Change”) then, in each case, the Calculation Agent shall, in good faith and in a commercially reasonable manner, have the right to adjust any variable relevant to the exercise, settlement or payment for the Transaction as appropriate to reflect the reasonable costs (including,

10


 

 

but not limited to, hedging mismatches and market losses) and commercially reasonable out-of-pocket expenses incurred by Dealer in connection with its commercially reasonable hedging activities as a result of such Potential Adjustment Event Change to account solely for hedging mismatches and market losses. Upon the occurrence of any Potential Adjustment Event Change, Counterparty shall immediately notify the Calculation Agent in writing of the details of such Potential Adjustment Event Change.

 

 

 

 

 

For the avoidance of doubt, the Delivery Obligation shall be calculated on the basis of such adjustments by the Calculation Agent in respect of any such event described in clause (i) or clause (ii) above.

 

 

For the avoidance of doubt, Dealer shall not have any payment or delivery obligation hereunder in respect of, and no adjustment shall be made to the terms of the Transaction on account of, (x) any distribution of cash, property or securities by Counterparty to the holders of Convertible Securities (upon conversion or otherwise) or (y) any other transaction in which holders of Convertible Securities are entitled to participate, in each case, in lieu of an adjustment under the Indenture in respect of a Potential Adjustment Event (including, without limitation, under the fourth sentence of Section 14.04(c) of the Indenture or the fourth sentence of Section 14.04(d) of the Indenture).

 

Dilution Adjustment Provisions:

Sections 14.04(a), (b), (c), (d) and (e) and Section 14.05 of the Indenture.

 

Counterparty Discretionary Adjustments:

Notwithstanding anything to the contrary herein or in the Equity Definitions, if the Calculation Agent in good faith and in a commercially reasonable manner disagrees with any adjustment under the Indenture that is the basis of any adjustment hereunder and that involves an exercise of discretion by Counterparty, its board of directors or a committee of its board of directors (including, without limitation, pursuant to Section 14.05 of the Indenture or pursuant to Section 14.07 of the Indenture or any supplemental indenture entered into thereunder or in connection with the determination of the fair value of any securities, property, rights or other assets), then the Calculation Agent will determine the corresponding adjustment to be made to any one or more of the Strike Price, Number of Options, Option Entitlement and any other variable relevant to the exercise, settlement or payment of or under the Transaction in good faith and in a commercially reasonable manner consistent with the methodology set forth in the Indenture. For the avoidance of doubt, the Delivery Obligation shall be calculated on the basis of such adjustments by the Calculation Agent.

11


Extraordinary Events:

 

 

Merger Events:

Notwithstanding Section 12.1(b) of the Equity Definitions, “Merger Event” shall have the meaning set forth for the term “Share Exchange Event” in Section 14.07 of the Indenture.

 

Consequences of Merger Events/

 

 

Tender Offers:

Notwithstanding Section 12.2 of the Equity Definitions, upon the occurrence of a Merger Event, the Calculation Agent, acting in good faith and commercially reasonably, shall make a corresponding adjustment in respect of any adjustment under the Indenture to any one or more of the nature of the Shares, the Number of Options, the Option Entitlement, composition of the “Shares” hereunder and any other variable relevant to the exercise, settlement or payment for the Transaction, to the extent an analogous adjustment is required under Section 14.07 of the Indenture in respect of such Merger Event, as determined in good faith and in a commercially reasonable manner by the Calculation Agent by reference to such Section, subject to “Counterparty Discretionary Adjustments” above; provided that such adjustment shall be made without regard to any adjustment to the “Conversion Rate” (as defined in the Indenture) pursuant to a Make-Whole Fundamental Change Adjustment or a Discretionary Anti-Dilution Adjustment; provided further that in respect of any election by the holders of Shares with respect to the consideration due upon consummation of any Merger Event, the Calculation Agent shall have the right to adjust any variable relevant to the exercise, settlement or payment for the Transaction as appropriate to compensate Dealer for any losses (including, without limitation, market losses customary for transactions similar to the Transaction with counterparties similar to Counterparty) solely as a result of any mismatch on its Hedge Position, assuming Dealer maintains a commercially reasonable Hedge Position, and the type and amount of consideration actually paid or issued to the holders of Shares in respect of such Merger Event; and provided further that if (i) with respect to a Merger Event or a Tender Offer, the consideration for the Shares includes (or, at the option of a holder of Shares, may include) securities issued by an entity that is not a corporation organized under the laws of the United States, any state thereof or the District of Columbia or (ii) the Counterparty to the Transaction, following such Merger Event, will not be a “Qualified Successor Entity” (as defined in the Indenture) organized under the laws of the United States, any State thereof or the District of Columbia or (iii) the Counterparty to the Transaction, following such Merger Event, will not be the Issuer, unless, in the case of this clause (iii), Counterparty and the issuer of the Shares have entered into such documentation containing representations, warranties and agreements related to securities law and other issues as requested by Dealer that Dealer has determined, in its reasonable discretion, to be reasonably necessary or appropriate to allow Dealer to preserve its commercially reasonable hedging or hedge

12


 

 

unwind activities in connection with the Transaction in a manner compliant with applicable legal, regulatory or self-regulatory requirements, or with related policies and procedures applicable to Dealer, in each case, Dealer may elect in its commercially reasonable discretion that Cancellation and Payment (Calculation Agent Determination) shall apply. For the avoidance of doubt (x) the Delivery Obligation shall be calculated on the basis of such adjustments by the Calculation Agent in respect of such Merger Event and (y) adjustments shall be made pursuant to the provisions set forth above regardless of whether any Merger Event gives rise to an Early Conversion. For purposes of this paragraph, “Tender Offer” means the occurrence of any event or condition set forth in Section 14.04(e) of the Indenture.

 

Notice of Merger Consideration:

Upon the occurrence of a Merger Event, Counterparty shall reasonably promptly (but in any event prior to consummation of such Merger Event) notify the Calculation Agent of, in the case of a Merger Event that causes the Shares to be converted into the right to receive more than a single type of consideration (determined based in part upon any form of stockholder election), the weighted average of the types and amounts of consideration actually received by holders of Shares upon consummation of such Merger Event.

 

Consequences of Announcement Events:

Modified Calculation Agent Adjustment as set forth in Section 12.3(d) of the Equity Definitions; provided that, in respect of an Announcement Event, (x) references to “Tender Offer” shall be replaced by references to “Announcement Event” and references to “Tender Offer Date” shall be replaced by references to “date of such Announcement Event”, (y) the phrase “exercise, settlement, payment or any other terms of the Transaction (including, without limitation, the spread)” shall be replaced with the phrase “Cap Price (provided that in no event shall the Cap Price be less than the Strike Price)” and the words “whether within a commercially reasonable (as determined by the Calculation Agent) period of time prior to or after the Announcement Event” shall be inserted prior to the word “which” in the seventh line, and (z) for the avoidance of doubt, the Calculation Agent shall, in good faith and in a commercially reasonable manner, determine whether the relevant Announcement Event has had a material economic effect on the Transaction (the terms of which include, among other terms, the Strike Price and Cap Price), and, if so, shall adjust the Cap Price accordingly to take into account such economic effect on one or more occasions on or after the date of the Announcement Event up to, and including, the Expiration Date, any Early Termination Date and/or any other date of cancellation, it being understood that any adjustment in respect of an Announcement Event shall take into account any earlier adjustment relating to the same Announcement Event and shall not be duplicative with any other adjustment or cancellation valuation made pursuant to this Confirmation, the Equity Definitions or the

13


 

 

Agreement; provided that in no event shall the Cap Price be adjusted to be less than the Strike Price. An Announcement Event shall be an “Extraordinary Event” for purposes of the Equity Definitions, to which Article 12 of the Equity Definitions is applicable; provided further that when the Calculation Agent makes an adjustment, determined in a commercially reasonable manner, to the Cap Price upon any Announcement Event, then the Calculation Agent shall make an adjustment to the Cap Price upon any announcement regarding the same event that gave rise to the original Announcement Event regarding any amendment that the Calculation Agent determines has had a material economic effect on the Transaction or any abandonment of any such event to the extent necessary to reflect the economic effect of such subsequent announcement on the Transaction to account for solely stock price volatility, expected dividends, interest rates, stock loan rate, value of any commercially reasonable hedge positions in connection with the Transaction and liquidity relevant to the Shares or to such Transaction (provided that in no event shall the Cap Price be less than the Strike Price).

 

Announcement Event:

(i) The public announcement by Issuer, any subsidiary of Issuer, any affiliate of Issuer, any agent of Issuer or a Valid Third Party of (x) any transaction or event that, if completed, would constitute a Merger Event or Tender Offer, (y) any potential acquisition or disposition by Issuer and/or its subsidiaries where the aggregate consideration (excluding, for the avoidance of doubt, any consideration in the form of earn-outs or bona fide other arrangements for consideration payable post-closing of such acquisition or disposition contingent upon the satisfaction of specified facts or conditions) exceeds 35% of the market capitalization of Issuer as of the date of such announcement (a “Transformative Transaction”) or (z) the intention to enter into a Merger Event or Tender Offer or a Transformative Transaction, (ii) the public announcement by Issuer of an intention to solicit or enter into, or to explore strategic alternatives or other similar undertaking that may include, a Merger Event or Tender Offer or a Transformative Transaction or (iii) any subsequent public announcement, (x) by Issuer, any subsidiary of Issuer, any affiliate of Issuer, any agent of Issuer or a Valid Third Party of a change to a transaction or intention that is the subject of an announcement of the type described in clause (i) or (y) by Issuer of a change to a transaction or intention that is the subject of an announcement of the type described in clause (ii) of this sentence, in each case, including, without limitation, a new announcement, whether or not by the same party, relating to such a transaction or intention or the announcement of a withdrawal from, or the abandonment or discontinuation of, such a transaction or intention, as determined by the Calculation Agent. For the avoidance of doubt, the occurrence of an Announcement Event with respect to any transaction or intention shall not preclude the occurrence of a later Announcement Event with respect to

14


 

 

such transaction or intention. For purposes of this definition of “Announcement Event,” (A) “Merger Event” shall mean such term as defined under Section 12.1(b) of the Equity Definitions (but, for the avoidance of doubt, the remainder of the definition of “Merger Event” in Section 12.1(b) of the Equity Definitions following the definition of “Reverse Merger” therein shall be disregarded) and (B) “Tender Offer” shall mean such term as defined under Section 12.1(d) of the Equity Definitions; provided that (x) all references to “voting shares” in Sections 12.1(d), 12.1(e) and 12.1(l) of the Equity Definitions shall be replaced by references to “Shares” and (y) Section 12.1(d) of the Equity Definitions is hereby amended by replacing “10%” with “20%” in the third line thereof.

 

Valid Third Party:

In respect of any transaction, any third party that has a bona fide intent to enter into or consummate such transaction (it being understood and agreed that in determining whether such third party has such a bona fide intent, the Calculation Agent shall take into consideration the effect of the relevant announcement by such third party on the Shares and/or options relating to the Shares).

 

Nationalization, Insolvency

 

 

or Delisting:

Cancellation and Payment (Calculation Agent Determination); provided that in addition to the provisions of Section 12.6(a)(iii) of the Equity Definitions, it will also constitute a Delisting if the Shares are not immediately re-listed, re-traded or re-quoted on any of the New York Stock Exchange, The Nasdaq Global Select Market or The Nasdaq Global Market (or their respective successors); if the Shares are immediately re-listed, re-traded or re-quoted on any such exchange or quotation system, such exchange or quotation system shall thereafter be deemed to be the Exchange.

 

 

Additional Termination Event(s):

Notwithstanding anything to the contrary in the Equity Definitions, if, as a result of an Extraordinary Event, the Transaction would be cancelled or terminated (whether in whole or in part) pursuant to Article 12 of the Equity Definitions, an Additional Termination Event (with the Transaction (or the cancelled or terminated portion thereof) being the Affected Transaction and Counterparty being the sole Affected Party) shall be deemed to occur, and, in lieu of Sections 12.7, 12.8 and 12.9 of the Equity Definitions, Section 6 of the Agreement shall apply to such Affected Transaction.

 

Additional Disruption Events:

 

 

(a)
Change in Law:

Applicable; provided that Section 12.9(a)(ii) of the Equity Definitions is hereby amended by (i) replacing the phrase “the interpretation” in the third line thereof with the phrase “, or public announcement of, the formal or informal interpretation”, (ii) adding the phrase “and/or Hedge Positions” after the word “Shares” in clause (X) thereof, (iii) immediately following the word “Transaction” in

15


 

 

clause (X) thereof, adding the phrase “in the manner contemplated by the Hedging Party on the Trade Date”; (iv) replacing the parenthetical beginning after the word “regulation” in the second line thereof with the words “(including, for the avoidance of doubt and without limitation, (x) any tax law or (y) adoption or promulgation of new regulations authorized or mandated by existing statute)”, (v) adding the words “, or holding, acquiring or disposing of Shares or any Hedge Positions relating to,” after the words “obligations under” in clause (Y) thereof and (vi) adding the words “provided that, in the case of clause (Y) hereof and any law, regulation or interpretation, the consequence of such law, regulation or interpretation is applied consistently in good faith and in a commercially reasonable manner by Dealer to all of its similarly situated counterparties and/or similar transactions” after the semi-colon in the last line thereof.

Notwithstanding anything to the contrary in the Equity Definitions, a Change in Law described in clause (Y) of Section 12.9(a)(ii) of the Equity Definitions shall not constitute a Change in Law and instead shall constitute an Increased Cost of Hedging as described in Section 12.9(a)(vi) of the Equity Definitions.

 

 

 

 

(b)
Failure to Deliver:

Applicable

 

(c)
Insolvency Filing:

Not Applicable

 

(d)
Hedging Disruption:

Applicable; provided that:

 

 

(i) Section 12.9(a)(v) of the Equity Definitions is hereby amended by inserting the following sentence at the end of such Section:

“For the avoidance of doubt, (i) the term “equity price risk” shall be deemed to include, but shall not be limited to, stock price and volatility risk, and (ii) the transactions or assets referred to in phrases (A) or (B) above must be available on commercially reasonable pricing and other terms.”; and

(ii) Section 12.9(b)(iii) of the Equity Definitions is hereby amended by inserting in the third line thereof, after the words “to terminate the Transaction”, the words “or a portion of the Transaction affected by such Hedging Disruption”.

Notwithstanding anything to the contrary herein or in the Equity Definitions, in no event will a Hedging Disruption occur solely due to the deterioration of the creditworthiness of the Hedging Party relative to other comparable financial institutions.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

(e)
Increased Cost of Hedging:

Applicable solely with respect to a “Change in Law” described in clause (Y) of Section 12.9(a)(ii) of the Equity Definitions as set forth in the last sentence opposite the caption “Change in Law” above.

16


 

Hedging Party:

Dealer; all calculations and determinations made by the Hedging Party shall be made in good faith and in a commercially reasonable manner; provided that the Hedging Party will promptly, upon written notice from Counterparty, provide a statement displaying in reasonable detail the basis for such determination, adjustment or calculation, as the case may be (including any quotations, market data or information from internal or external sources used in making such determination, adjustment or calculation, it being understood that the Hedging Party shall not be required to disclose any confidential information or proprietary models used by it in connection with such determination, adjustment or calculation, as the case may be) and shall provide such written explanation within five (5) Exchange Business Days from the receipt of such request.

 

Determining Party:

Dealer; all calculations and determinations made by the Determining Party shall be made in good faith and in a commercially reasonable manner; provided that the Determining Party will promptly, upon written notice from Counterparty, provide a statement displaying in reasonable detail the basis for such determination, adjustment or calculation, as the case may be (including any quotations, market data or information from internal or external sources used in making such determination, adjustment or calculation, it being understood that the Determining Party shall not be required to disclose any confidential information or proprietary models used by it in connection with such determination, adjustment or calculation, as the case may be) and shall provide such written explanation within five (5) Exchange Business Days from the receipt of such request.

 

Non-Reliance:

Applicable

 

Agreements and Acknowledgments

 

 

Regarding Hedging Activities:

Applicable

 

Additional Acknowledgments:

Applicable

 

Hedging Adjustment:

For the avoidance of doubt, whenever Dealer, Determining Party, Hedging Party or the Calculation Agent is permitted to make an adjustment pursuant to the terms of this Confirmation or the Equity Definitions to take into account the effect of any event (other than an adjustment that is required to be made by reference to the Indenture), the Calculation Agent, Determining Party, Hedging Party or Dealer, as the case may be, shall make such adjustment by reference to the effect of such event on Dealer assuming that Dealer maintains a commercially reasonable hedge position.

 

 

 

 

3.
Calculation Agent:

Dealer; provided that all calculations and determinations by the Calculation Agent (other than calculations or determinations made by reference to the Indenture) shall be made in good faith and in a commercially reasonable manner and assuming for such purposes that Dealer is maintaining, establishing and/or unwinding, as applicable,

17


 

 

a commercially reasonable hedge position; provided further that if an Event of Default of the type described in Section 5(a)(vii) of the Agreement with respect to which Dealer is the sole Defaulting Party occurs, Counterparty shall have the right to appoint a successor calculation agent which shall be a nationally recognized third-party dealer in over-the-counter corporate equity derivatives. Calculation Agent agrees that it will promptly, upon written notice from Counterparty, provide a statement displaying in reasonable detail the basis for such determination, adjustment or calculation, as the case may be (including any quotations, market data or information from internal or external sources used in making such determination, adjustment or calculation, it being understood that the Calculation Agent shall not be required to disclose any confidential information or proprietary models used by it in connection with such determination, adjustment or calculation, as the case may be) and shall provide such written explanation within five (5) Exchange Business Days from the receipt of such request.

 

 

 

18


 

4.
Account Details:

 

Dealer Payment Instructions:

 

[Dealer Accounts]

 

 

 

Counterparty Payment Instructions:

 

To be provided by Counterparty.

 

5.
Offices:

 

The Office of Dealer for the Transaction is: [Dealer to provide.]

 

The Office of Counterparty for the Transaction is:

 

Inapplicable, Counterparty is not a Multibranch Party

 

6.
Notices: For purposes of this Confirmation:

 

(a)
Address for notices or communications to Counterparty:

 

 

 

To:

Diodes Incorporated

 

 

4949 Hedgcoxe Road, Suite 200

 

 

Plano, Texas 75024

 

 

Attention: [______________]

 

 

Email: [______________]

 

(b)
Address for notices or communications to Dealer:

 

[Dealer address.]

 

7.
Representations, Warranties and Agreements:
(a)
In addition to the representations and warranties in the Agreement and those contained elsewhere herein, Counterparty represents and warrants to and for the benefit of, and agrees with, Dealer as follows:
(i)
On the Trade Date, (A) Counterparty is not aware of any material nonpublic information regarding Counterparty or the Shares and (B) all reports and other documents filed by Counterparty with the Securities and Exchange Commission pursuant to the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”), when considered as a whole (with the more recent such reports and documents deemed to amend inconsistent statements contained in any earlier such reports and documents), do not contain any untrue statement of a material fact or any omission of a material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances in which they were made, not misleading.
(ii)
(A) On the Trade Date, the Shares or securities that are convertible into, or exchangeable or exercisable for Shares, are not subject to a “restricted period,” as such term is defined in Regulation M under the Exchange Act (“Regulation M”) and (B) Counterparty shall not engage in any “distribution,” as such term is defined in Regulation M, other than a distribution meeting the requirements of the exceptions set forth in Rules 101(b)(10), 102(b)(7) or 102(c)(1)(i) of Regulation M, until the third Exchange Business Day immediately following the Trade Date.
(iii)
Without limiting the generality of Section 13.1 of the Equity Definitions, Counterparty acknowledges that neither Dealer nor any of its affiliates is making any representations or warranties or taking any position or expressing any view with respect to the treatment of the Transaction under any accounting standards including ASC Topic 260, Earnings Per Share, ASC Topic 815, Derivatives and Hedging, or ASC Topic 480, Distinguishing Liabilities from Equity and

19


ASC 815-40, Derivatives and Hedging – Contracts in Entity’s Own Equity (or any successor issue statements).
(iv)
Without limiting the generality of Section 3(a)(iii) of the Agreement, the Transaction will not violate Rule 13e-1 or Rule 13e-4 under the Exchange Act.
(v)
Prior to the Trade Date, Counterparty shall deliver to Dealer a resolution of Counterparty’s board of directors authorizing the Transaction.
(vi)
Counterparty is not entering into this Confirmation to create actual or apparent trading activity in the Shares (or any security convertible into or exchangeable for Shares) or to manipulate the price of the Shares (or any security convertible into or exchangeable for Shares) or otherwise in violation of the Exchange Act.
(vii)
Counterparty is not, and after giving effect to the transactions contemplated hereby will not be, required to register as, an “investment company” as such term is defined in the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended.
(viii)
On each of the Trade Date and the Premium Payment Date, Counterparty is not “insolvent” (as such term is defined under Section 101(32) of the U.S. Bankruptcy Code (Title 11 of the United States Code) (the “Bankruptcy Code”)) and Counterparty would be able to purchase the Number of Shares in compliance with the laws of the jurisdiction of Counterparty’s incorporation.
(ix)
[Reserved.]
(x)
To the actual knowledge of Counterparty, no state or local (including non-U.S. jurisdictions) law, rule, regulation or regulatory order applicable to the Shares would give rise to any reporting, consent, registration or other requirement (including without limitation a requirement to obtain prior approval from any person or entity) as a result of Dealer or its affiliates owning or holding (however defined) Shares; provided that Counterparty makes no representation or warranty regarding any such requirement that is applicable generally to the ownership of equity securities by Dealer or any of its affiliates solely as a result of it or any of such affiliates being financial institutions or broker-dealers.
(xi)
Counterparty (A) is capable of evaluating investment risks independently, both in general and with regard to all transactions and investment strategies involving a security or securities; (B) will exercise independent judgment in evaluating the recommendations of any broker-dealer or its associated persons, unless it has otherwise notified the broker-dealer in writing; and (C) has total assets of at least USD 50 million.
(b)
Each of Dealer and Counterparty agrees and represents that it is an “eligible contract participant” as defined in Section 1a(18) of the U.S. Commodity Exchange Act, as amended, and is entering into the Transaction as principal (and not as agent or in any other capacity, fiduciary or otherwise) and not for the benefit of any third party.

20


(c)
Each of Dealer and Counterparty acknowledges that the offer and sale of the Transaction to it is intended to be exempt from registration under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”), by virtue of Section 4(a)(2) thereof. Accordingly, Counterparty represents and warrants to Dealer that (i) it has the financial ability to bear the economic risk of its investment in the Transaction and is able to bear a total loss of its investment and its investments in and liabilities in respect of the Transaction, which it understands are not readily marketable, are not disproportionate to its net worth, and it is able to bear any loss in connection with the Transaction, including the loss of its entire investment in the Transaction, (ii) it is an “accredited investor” as that term is defined in Regulation D as promulgated under the Securities Act, (iii) it is entering into the Transaction for its own account and without a view to the distribution or resale thereof, (iv) the assignment, transfer or other disposition of the Transaction has not been and will not be registered under the Securities Act and is restricted under this Confirmation, the Securities Act and state securities laws, and (v) its financial condition is such that it has no need for liquidity with respect to its investment in the Transaction and no need to dispose of any portion thereof to satisfy any existing or contemplated undertaking or indebtedness and is capable of assessing the merits of and understanding (on its own behalf or through independent professional advice), and understands and accepts, the terms, conditions and risks of the Transaction.
(d)
Each of Dealer and Counterparty agrees and acknowledges that Dealer is a “financial institution” and “financial participant” within the meaning of Sections 101(22) and 101(22A) of the Bankruptcy Code. The parties hereto further agree and acknowledge (A) that this Confirmation is a “securities contract,” as such term is defined in Section 741(7) of the Bankruptcy Code, with respect to which each payment and delivery hereunder or in connection herewith is a “termination value,” “payment amount” or “other transfer obligation” within the meaning of Section 362 of the Bankruptcy Code and a “settlement payment” within the meaning of Section 546 of the Bankruptcy Code, and (B) that Dealer is entitled to the protections afforded by, among other sections, Sections 362(b)(6), 362(b)(27), 362(o), 546(e), 546(j), 548(d)(2), 555 and 561 of the Bankruptcy Code.
(e)
As a condition to the effectiveness of the Transaction, Counterparty shall deliver to Dealer an opinion of counsel, dated as of the Premium Payment Date and reasonably acceptable to Dealer in form and substance, with respect to the matters set forth in Section 3(a)(i), (ii), (iii) and (iv) of the Agreement and Section 7(a)(vii) hereof; provided that any such opinion of counsel may contain customary exceptions and qualifications, including, without limitation, exceptions and qualifications relating to indemnification provisions.
(f)
Counterparty understands that notwithstanding any other relationship between Counterparty and Dealer and its affiliates, in connection with this Transaction and any other over-the-counter derivative transactions between Counterparty and Dealer or its affiliates, Dealer or its affiliates is acting as principal and is not a fiduciary or advisor in respect of any such transaction, including any entry, exercise, amendment, unwind or termination thereof.
(g)
[Counterparty represents and warrants that it has received, read and understands the OTC Options Risk Disclosure Statement and a copy of the most recent disclosure pamphlet prepared by The Options Clearing Corporation entitled “Characteristics and Risks of Standardized Options”.] [Reserved.]
(h)
[Each party acknowledges and agrees to be bound by the Conduct Rules of the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority, Inc. applicable to transactions in options, and further agrees not to violate the position and exercise limits set forth therein, in each case, to the extent such rules are applicable to such party.]
8.
Other Provisions:
(a)
Right to Extend. Dealer may postpone or add, in whole or in part, any Exercise Date or Settlement Date or any other date of valuation, payment or delivery by Dealer, with respect to some or all of the relevant Options (in which event the Calculation Agent, in good faith and in a commercially reasonable manner, shall make appropriate adjustments to the Delivery Obligation), if Dealer determines, in good faith and in a commercially reasonable manner, and, in respect of clause (ii) below, based on the advice of counsel,

21


that such extension is reasonably necessary or appropriate (i) to preserve Dealer’s commercially reasonable hedging or hedge unwind activity hereunder in light of existing liquidity conditions in the cash market, the stock borrow market or other relevant market (but only if there is a material decrease in liquidity relative to Dealer’s expectations on the Trade Date), or (ii) to enable Dealer to effect purchases or sales of Shares or Share Termination Delivery Units in connection with its commercially reasonable hedging, hedge unwind or settlement activity hereunder in a manner that would (assuming, in the case of purchases, Dealer were Counterparty or an affiliated purchaser of Counterparty) be in compliance with applicable legal, regulatory or self-regulatory requirements, or with related policies and procedures (whether or not such requirements, policies or procedures are imposed by law or have been voluntarily adopted by Dealer and, in the case of policies or procedures, so long as such policies or procedures are consistently applied to transactions similar to the Transaction); provided that no such Exercise Date, Settlement Date or other date of valuation, payment or delivery may be postponed or added more than 30 Trading Days after the original Exercise Date, Settlement Date or other date of valuation, payment or delivery, as the case may be.
(b)
Additional Termination Events.
(i)
The occurrence of an event of default with respect to Counterparty under the terms of the Convertible Securities as set forth in Section 6.01 of the Indenture, which default has resulted in the Convertible Securities becoming due and payable under the terms thereof, shall constitute an Additional Termination Event with respect to which the Transaction is the sole Affected Transaction and Counterparty is the sole Affected Party, and Dealer shall be the party entitled to designate an Early Termination Date pursuant to Section 6(b) of the Agreement and to determine the amount payable pursuant to Section 6(e) of the Agreement.
(ii)
As promptly as practicable (but in any event within ten (10) Scheduled Trading Days) following any Repurchase Event (as defined below), Counterparty (x) in the case of a Repurchase Event resulting from a repurchase pursuant to the terms of the Indenture, including any repurchase pursuant to Section 15.02 of the Indenture, or a redemption pursuant to Section 16.01 of the Indenture, shall notify Dealer in writing of such Repurchase Event and of the number of Convertible Securities subject to such Repurchase Event, and (y) in the case of a Repurchase Event not described in clause (x) above, may notify Dealer in writing of such Repurchase Event and, if so, shall notify Dealer of the number of Convertible Securities subject to such Repurchase Event (any such notice, a “Convertible Securities Repurchase Notice”)[; provided that any “Convertible Securities Repurchase Notice” delivered to Dealer pursuant to the Base Call Option Transaction Confirmation shall be deemed to be a Convertible Securities Repurchase Notice pursuant to this Confirmation and the terms of such Convertible Securities Repurchase Notice shall apply, mutatis mutandis, to this Confirmation]. Notwithstanding anything to the contrary in this Confirmation, the receipt by Dealer from Counterparty of (I) any Convertible Securities Repurchase Notice, and (II) in the case of a Repurchase Event described in clause (y) of the immediately preceding sentence, a written representation and warranty by Counterparty that, as of the date of such Convertible Securities Repurchase Notice, Counterparty is not in possession of any material nonpublic information regarding Counterparty or the Shares, in each case, within the applicable time period set forth in the preceding sentence, shall constitute an Additional Termination Event as provided in this Section 8(b)(ii). Upon receipt of any such Convertible Securities Repurchase Notice and the related written representation and warranty (if applicable), Dealer shall promptly designate an Exchange Business Day following receipt of such Convertible Securities Repurchase Notice (which in no event shall be earlier than the related repurchase date for such Convertible Securities) as an Early Termination Date with respect to the portion of this Transaction corresponding to a number of Options (the “Repurchase Options”) equal to the lesser of (A) the number of such Convertible Securities specified in such Convertible Securities Repurchase Notice [minus the number of “Repurchase Options” (as defined in the Base Call Option Transaction Confirmation), if any, that relate to such Convertible Securities (and for purposes of determining whether any Options under this Confirmation or under the Base Call Option Transaction Confirmation will be among the Repurchase Options hereunder or under, and as defined in, the Base Call Option Transaction Confirmation, the Convertible Securities specified in such Convertible Securities Repurchase Notice shall be allocated first to the Base Call Option Transaction Confirmation until all Options

22


thereunder are exercised or terminated)] and (B) the Number of Options as of the date Dealer designates such Early Termination Date and, as of such date, the Number of Options shall be reduced by the number of Repurchase Options. Any payment hereunder with respect to such termination (the “Repurchase Unwind Payment”) shall be calculated pursuant to Section 6 of the Agreement as if (1) an Early Termination Date had been designated in respect of a Transaction having terms identical to this Transaction and a Number of Options equal to the number of Repurchase Options, (2) Counterparty were the sole Affected Party with respect to such Additional Termination Event and (3) the terminated portion of the Transaction were the sole Affected Transaction; provided that, in the event of a Repurchase Event resulting from a repurchase pursuant to Section 15.02 of the Indenture or a redemption pursuant to Section 16.01 of the Indenture, the Repurchase Unwind Payment shall not be greater than (x) the number of Repurchase Options multiplied by (y) the product of (A) the Applicable Percentage and (B) the excess of (I) the amount to be paid by Counterparty per Convertible Security in connection with the Repurchase Event pursuant to the relevant sections of the Indenture over (II) the Synthetic Instrument Adjusted Issue Price (as defined below) determined by the Calculation Agent by reference to the Early Termination Date with respect to such termination pursuant to the table set forth in Section 8(b)(iii)(C) (such table, the “Synthetic Instrument AIP Table”). If the exact Early Termination Date is not listed on the Synthetic Instrument AIP Table, the Synthetic Instrument Adjusted Issue Price per USD 1,000 principal amount of Convertible Securities shall be determined by the Calculation Agent by reference to the Synthetic Instrument AIP Table using linear interpolation between the lower and higher Synthetic Instrument Adjusted Issue Prices per USD 1,000 principal amount of Convertible Securities for the Early Termination Dates immediately preceding and immediately following, as applicable, the Early Termination Date with respect to such termination. “Repurchase Event” means that (i) any Convertible Securities are redeemed or repurchased (whether pursuant to Section 15.02 or Section 16.01 of the Indenture or otherwise) by Counterparty or any of its subsidiaries (including in connection with, or as a result of, a “Fundamental Change” (as defined in the Indenture), a tender offer, exchange offer or similar transaction or for any other reason), (ii) any Convertible Securities are delivered to Counterparty in exchange for delivery of any property or assets of Counterparty or any of its subsidiaries (howsoever described), (iii) any principal of any of the Convertible Securities is repaid prior to the final maturity date of the Convertible Securities (for any reason other than as a result of an acceleration of the Convertible Securities that results in an Additional Termination Event pursuant to the preceding Section 8(b)(i)), or (iv) any Convertible Securities are exchanged by or for the benefit of the “Holders” (as such term is defined in the Indenture) thereof for any other securities of Counterparty or any of its affiliates (or any other property, or any combination thereof) pursuant to any exchange offer or similar transaction. For the avoidance of doubt, any conversion of Convertible Securities (whether into cash, Shares, “Reference Property” (as defined in the Indenture) or any combination thereof) pursuant to the terms of the Indenture shall not constitute a Repurchase Event.
(iii)
Notwithstanding anything to the contrary in this Confirmation, upon any Early Conversion in respect of which the relevant converting “Holder” (as defined in the Indenture) has satisfied the requirements to conversion set forth in Section 14.02(b) of the Indenture:
(A)
Counterparty shall, as promptly as practicable (but in any event within five Scheduled Trading Days of the “Conversion Date” (as defined in the Indenture) for such Early Conversion), provide written notice (an “Early Conversion Notice”) to Dealer specifying the number of Convertible Securities surrendered for conversion on such Conversion Date (such Convertible Securities, the “Affected Convertible Securities”), and the giving of such Early Conversion Notice shall constitute an Additional Termination Event as provided in this Section 8(b)(iii); provided [that any “Early Conversion Notice” delivered to Dealer pursuant to the Base Call Option Transaction Confirmation shall be deemed to be an Early Conversion Notice pursuant to this Confirmation and the terms of such Early Conversion Notice shall apply, mutatis mutandis, to this Confirmation; provided further] that any such Early Conversion Notice shall contain a written

23


acknowledgement by Counterparty of its responsibilities under applicable securities laws, and in particular Section 9 and Section 10(b) of the Exchange Act and the rules and regulations thereunder, in respect of the delivery of such Early Conversion Notice;
(B)
upon receipt of any such Early Conversion Notice, within a commercially reasonable period of time thereafter, Dealer shall designate an Exchange Business Day as an Early Termination Date (which Exchange Business Day shall be on or as promptly as reasonably practicable after the related settlement date for the conversion of such Affected Convertible Securities) with respect to the portion of the Transaction corresponding to a number of Options (the “Affected Number of Options”) equal to the lesser of (x) the number of Affected Convertible Securities [minus the “Affected Number of Options” (as defined in the Base Call Option Transaction Confirmation), if any, that relate to such Affected Convertible Securities (and for purposes of determining whether any Options under this Confirmation or under the Base Call Option Transaction Confirmation will be among the Affected Number of Options hereunder or under, and as defined in, the Base Call Option Transaction Confirmation, the Affected Convertible Securities specified in such Early Conversion Notice shall be allocated first to the Base Call Option Transaction Confirmation until all Options thereunder are exercised or terminated)] and (y) the Number of Options as of the “Conversion Date” (as defined in the Indenture) for such Early Conversion;
(C)
any payment hereunder with respect to such termination shall be calculated pursuant to Section 6 of the Agreement as if (x) an Early Termination Date had been designated in respect of a Transaction having terms identical to the Transaction and a Number of Options equal to the Affected Number of Options (the “Relevant Early Termination Date”), (y) Counterparty were the sole Affected Party with respect to such Additional Termination Event and (z) the terminated portion of the Transaction were the sole Affected Transaction; provided that the amount payable with respect to such termination shall not be greater than (1) the Applicable Percentage, multiplied by (2) the Affected Number of Options, multiplied by (3) (x) the sum of (i) the amount of cash paid (if any) and (ii) the number of Shares delivered (if any) to the “Holder” (as such term is defined in the Indenture) of an Affected Convertible Security upon conversion of such Affected Convertible Security (in each case, including any cash and/or Shares payable and/or deliverable as the result of a Make-Whole Fundamental Change Adjustment (if any)), multiplied by the Share Obligation Value Price on the settlement date of the conversion of such Affected Convertible Securities, minus (y) the Synthetic Instrument Adjusted Issue Price. The “Synthetic Instrument Adjusted Issue Price” per USD 1,000 principal amount of Convertible Securities shall be determined based on the Relevant Early Termination Date pursuant to the Synthetic Instrument AIP Table below; provided that if the exact Relevant Early Termination Date is not listed on the Synthetic Instrument AIP Table below, the Synthetic Instrument Adjusted Issue Price per USD 1,000 principal amount of Convertible Securities shall be determined by the Calculation Agent by reference to the Synthetic Instrument AIP Table below using linear interpolation between the lower and higher Synthetic Instrument Adjusted Issue Prices per USD 1,000 principal amount of Convertible Securities for the Relevant Early Termination Dates specified in the Synthetic Instrument AIP Table below immediately preceding and immediately following, as applicable, the Relevant Early Termination Date;

 

24


Relevant Early Termination Date

Synthetic Instrument Adjusted Issue Price per USD 1,000 principal amount of Convertible Securities

[__________], 2026

USD [_____]

February 15, 2027

USD [_____]

August 15, 2027

USD [_____]

February 15, 2028

USD [_____]

August 15, 2028

USD [_____]

February 15, 2029

USD [_____]

August 15, 2029

USD [_____]

February 15, 2030

USD [_____]

August 15, 2030

USD [_____]

February 15, 2031

USD [_____]

August 15, 2031

USD 1,000.00

(D)
for the avoidance of doubt, in determining the amount payable in respect of such Affected Transaction pursuant to Section 6 of the Agreement, the Calculation Agent shall assume that (x) the relevant Early Conversion and any conversions, adjustments, agreements, payments, deliveries or acquisitions by or on behalf of Counterparty leading thereto had not occurred, (y) no adjustment to the “Conversion Rate” (as defined in the Indenture) for the Convertible Securities has occurred pursuant to any Make-Whole Fundamental Change Adjustment or Discretionary Anti-Dilution Adjustment and (z) the corresponding Convertible Securities remain outstanding; and
(E)
the Transaction shall remain in full force and effect, except that, as of the “Conversion Date” (as defined in the Indenture) for such Early Conversion, the Number of Options shall be reduced by the Affected Number of Options.
(c)
Alternative Calculations and Payment on Early Termination and on Certain Extraordinary Events. If (a) an Early Termination Date (whether as a result of an Event of Default or a Termination Event) occurs or is designated with respect to the Transaction or (b) the Transaction is cancelled or terminated upon the occurrence of an Extraordinary Event (except, in both clauses (a) and (b), as a result of (i) a Nationalization, Insolvency or Merger Event in which the consideration to be paid to all holders of Shares consists solely of cash, (ii) a Merger Event or Tender Offer that is within Counterparty’s control, or (iii) an Event of Default in which Counterparty is the Defaulting Party or a Termination Event in which Counterparty is the Affected Party other than an Event of Default of the type described in Section 5(a)(iii), (v), (vi), (vii) or (viii) of the Agreement or a Termination Event of the type described in Section 5(b) of the Agreement, in each case, that resulted from an event or events outside Counterparty’s control), and if Dealer would owe any amount to Counterparty pursuant to Section 6(d)(ii) and 6(e) of the Agreement (any such amount, a “Payment Obligation”), then Dealer shall satisfy the Payment Obligation by the Share Termination Alternative (as defined below) unless (a) Counterparty gives irrevocable telephonic notice to Dealer, confirmed in writing within one Scheduled Trading Day, no later than 12:00 p.m. (New York City time) on the Merger Date, Tender Offer Date, Announcement Date (in the case of a Nationalization, Insolvency or Delisting), Early Termination Date or date of cancellation, as applicable, of its election that the Share Termination Alternative shall not apply, (b) as of the date of such election, Counterparty represents that it is

25


not in possession of any material nonpublic information regarding Counterparty or the Shares, and that such election is being made in good faith and in a commercially reasonable manner and not as part of a plan or scheme to evade compliance with the federal securities laws, and (c) Dealer agrees, in its commercially reasonable discretion, to such election, in which case the provisions of Section 6(d)(ii) and 6(e) of the Agreement, as the case may be, shall apply.

 

Share Termination Alternative:

 

If applicable, means that Dealer shall deliver to Counterparty the Share Termination Delivery Property on the date on which the Payment Obligation would otherwise be due pursuant to Section 6(d)(ii) of the Agreement or such later date or dates as Dealer may commercially reasonably determine (the “Share Termination Payment Date”) taking into account commercially reasonable hedging or hedge unwind activity, in satisfaction of the Payment Obligation.

Share Termination Delivery

Share

Property:

 

A number of Share Termination Delivery Units, as calculated by the Calculation Agent in good faith and in a commercially reasonable manner, equal to the Payment Obligation divided by the Share Termination Unit Price. The Calculation Agent shall, in good faith and in a commercially reasonable manner, adjust the Share Termination Delivery Property by replacing any fractional portion of the aggregate amount of a security therein with an amount of cash equal to the value of such fractional security based on the values used to calculate the Share Termination Unit Price.

Share Termination Unit Price:

 

The value of property contained in one Share Termination Delivery Unit on the date such Share Termination Delivery Units are to be delivered as Share Termination Delivery Property, as determined by the Calculation Agent in a commercially reasonable manner and notified by the Calculation Agent to Dealer at the time of notification of the Payment Obligation.

Share Termination Delivery Unit:

 

In the case of a Termination Event (other than on account of an Insolvency, Nationalization or Merger Event), Event of Default, Delisting or Additional Disruption Event, one Share or, in the case of an Insolvency, Nationalization or Merger Event, one Share or a unit consisting of the number or amount of each type of property received by a holder of one Share (without consideration of any requirement to pay cash or other consideration in lieu of fractional amounts of any securities) in such Insolvency, Nationalization or Merger Event, as applicable. If such Insolvency, Nationalization or Merger Event involves a choice of consideration to be received by holders, such holder shall be deemed to have elected to receive the maximum possible amount of cash.

Failure to Deliver:

 

Applicable

Other Applicable Provisions:

 

If Share Termination Alternative is applicable, the provisions of Sections 9.8, 9.9 and 9.11 of the Equity Definitions will be applicable as if “Physical Settlement” applied to the Transaction, except that all references to “Shares” shall be read as references to “Share Termination Delivery Units”; provided that the Representation and Agreement contained in Section

26


 

 

9.11 of the Equity Definitions shall be modified by excluding any representations therein relating to restrictions, obligations, limitations or requirements under applicable securities laws as a result of the fact that Counterparty is the issuer of any Share Termination Delivery Units (or any part thereof).

 

(d)
Disposition of Hedge Shares. Counterparty hereby agrees that if, in the good faith reasonable judgment of Dealer, based on the advice of counsel, the Shares (the “Hedge Shares”) acquired by Dealer for the purpose of hedging its obligations pursuant to the Transaction in a commercially reasonable manner cannot be sold in the U.S. public market by Dealer without registration under the Securities Act, Counterparty shall, at its election: (i) in order to allow Dealer to sell the Hedge Shares in a registered offering, make available to Dealer an effective registration statement under the Securities Act to cover the resale of such Hedge Shares and (A) enter into an agreement, in form and substance reasonably satisfactory to Dealer, substantially in the form of an underwriting agreement for a registered offering for companies of a similar size in a similar industry, (B) provide accountant’s “comfort” letters in customary form for registered offerings of equity securities for companies of a similar size in a similar industry, (C) provide disclosure opinions of nationally recognized outside counsel to Counterparty in customary form for registered offerings of equity securities for companies of a similar size in a similar industry, (D) provide other customary opinions, certificates and closing documents customary in form for registered offerings of equity securities for companies of a similar size in a similar industry and (E) afford Dealer a reasonable opportunity to conduct a “due diligence” investigation with respect to Counterparty customary in scope for underwritten offerings of equity securities (in all cases of (A)-(E) above, as would be usual and customary for offerings for companies of similar size and industry); provided that, if Counterparty elects clause (i) above but the items referred to therein are not completed in a timely manner, or if Dealer, in its sole reasonable discretion, is not satisfied with access to due diligence materials, the results of its due diligence investigation, or the procedures and documentation for the registered offering referred to above, then clause (ii) or clause (iii) of this Section 8(d) shall apply at the election of Counterparty; (ii) in order to allow Dealer to sell the Hedge Shares in a private placement, enter into a private placement agreement substantially similar to private placement purchase agreements customary for private placements of equity securities of issuers of similar size and industry, in form and substance commercially reasonably satisfactory to Dealer, including using reasonable efforts to include customary representations, covenants, blue sky and other governmental filings and/or registrations, indemnities to Dealer, due diligence rights (for Dealer or any designated buyer of the Hedge Shares from Dealer), and best efforts obligations to provide opinions and certificates and such other documentation as is customary for private placements agreements for transactions of similar size and type, as is commercially reasonably acceptable to Dealer (in which case, the Calculation Agent shall make any adjustments to the terms of the Transaction that are necessary, in its good faith, commercially reasonable judgment, to compensate Dealer for any commercially reasonable discount from the public market price of the Shares incurred on the sale of Hedge Shares in a private placement); or (iii) purchase the Hedge Shares from Dealer at the then-current market price on such Exchange Business Days, and in the amounts and at such time(s), commercially reasonably requested by Dealer. This Section 8(d) shall survive the termination, expiration or early unwind of the Transaction.
(e)
Repurchase and Conversion Rate Adjustment Notices. Counterparty shall, on or prior to the date that is one (1) Exchange Business Day immediately following any day on which Counterparty effects any repurchase of Shares (other than any Shares withheld to satisfy tax withholding obligations, or otherwise acquired, in connection with the vesting or exercise of any equity awards) or consummates or otherwise engages in any transaction or event (a “Conversion Rate Adjustment Event”) that leads to an increase in the “Conversion Rate” (as defined in the Indenture), give Dealer a written notice of such repurchase or Conversion Rate Adjustment Event (a “Repurchase Notice”) on such day if, following such repurchase or Conversion Rate Adjustment Event, the Notice Percentage is (i) greater than [___]% and (ii) greater by at least 0.5% than the Notice Percentage included in the immediately preceding Repurchase Notice (or, in the case of the first such Repurchase Notice, greater than the Notice Percentage as of the date hereof); provided that Counterparty may provide Dealer advance notice on or prior to any such day on which Counterparty effects any repurchases of Shares or engages in any Conversion Rate Adjustment Event if it expects that such repurchases or such Conversion Rate Adjustment Event effected on such day may result in an obligation to

27


deliver a Repurchase Notice (and in such case, any such advance notice shall be deemed a Repurchase Notice, and any such repurchases or Conversion Rate Adjustment Event shall be given effect for purposes of this Section 8(e), in each case to the maximum extent set forth therein as of the date such advance notice is provided) and in the case of any repurchases of Shares pursuant to a plan under Rule 10b5-1 under the Exchange Act, Counterparty may elect to satisfy such requirement by promptly giving Dealer written notice of entry into such plan, the maximum number of Shares that may be purchased thereunder and the approximate dates or periods during which such repurchases may occur (with such maximum number of Shares deemed repurchased on the date of such notice for purposes of this Section 8(e)), in each case so long as such advance notice shall not contain any material non-public information with respect to the Issuer or the Shares. The “Notice Percentage” as of any day is the fraction, expressed as a percentage, the numerator of which is the Number of Shares plus the number of Shares underlying any other convertible bond hedge transactions or similar call options sold by Dealer to Counterparty and the denominator of which is the number of Shares outstanding on such day. In the event that Counterparty fails to provide Dealer with a Repurchase Notice on the day and in the manner specified in this Section 8(e) then Counterparty agrees to indemnify and hold harmless Dealer, its affiliates and their respective directors, officers, employees, agents and controlling persons (Dealer and each such person being an “Indemnified Party”) from and against any and all losses (including losses relating to the Dealer’s commercially reasonable hedging activities as a consequence of becoming, or of the risk of becoming, a Section 16 “insider”, including without limitation, any forbearance from hedging activities or cessation of hedging activities and any losses in connection therewith with respect to this Transaction), claims, damages and liabilities (or actions in respect thereof), joint or several, to which such Indemnified Party may become subject under applicable securities laws, including without limitation, Section 16 of the Exchange Act or under any state or federal law, regulation or regulatory order, relating to or arising out of such failure. If for any reason the foregoing indemnification is unavailable to any Indemnified Party or insufficient to hold harmless any Indemnified Party, then Counterparty shall contribute, to the maximum extent permitted by law, to the amount paid or payable by the Indemnified Party as a result of such loss, claim, damage or liability. In addition, Counterparty will reimburse any Indemnified Party for all reasonable out-of-pocket expenses (including reasonable counsel fees and expenses) as they are incurred (after notice to Counterparty) in connection with the investigation of, preparation for or defense or settlement of any pending or threatened claim or any action, suit or proceeding arising therefrom, whether or not such Indemnified Party is a party thereto and whether or not such claim, action, suit or proceeding is initiated or brought by or on behalf of Counterparty in each case relating to or arising out of such failure. This indemnity shall survive the completion of the Transaction contemplated by this Confirmation and any assignment and delegation of the Transaction made pursuant to this Confirmation or the Agreement and shall inure to the benefit of any permitted assignee of Dealer. Counterparty will not be liable under this indemnity provision to the extent any loss, claim, damage, liability or expense is found in a final judgment by a court to have resulted from Dealer’s gross negligence or willful misconduct.
(f)
Transfer and Assignment. Either party may transfer or assign any of its rights or obligations under the Transaction with the prior written consent of the non-transferring or non-assigning party, such consent not to be unreasonably withheld or delayed; provided that Dealer may transfer or assign without any consent of Counterparty its rights and obligations hereunder, in whole or in part, to any affiliate, or any affiliate whose obligations would be guaranteed by a person, in either case, with a rating (i) for its long-term, unsecured and unsubordinated indebtedness at least equivalent to Dealer’s [(or Dealer’s ultimate parent’s)] or (ii) that is no lower than A3 from Moody’s Investors Service, Inc. (or its successor) or A- from S&P Global Ratings, a division of S&P Global Inc. (or its successor); provided further that, at the time of such transfer or assignment (i) each of Dealer and the transferee or assignee, as the case may be, in any such transfer or assignment is a “dealer in securities” within the meaning of Section 475(c)(1) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the “Code”), or the transfer or assignment does not result in a deemed exchange by Counterparty within the meaning of Section 1001 of the Code, (ii) after any such transfer or assignment, Counterparty will not, as a result of any withholding or deduction made by the transferee or assignee as a result of any Tax, receive from the transferee or assignee on any payment date or delivery date (after accounting for amounts paid by the transferee or assignee under Section 2(d)(i)(4) of the Agreement as well as such withholding or deduction) an amount or a number of Shares, as applicable, lower than the amount or the number of Shares, as applicable, that Dealer would have been required to pay or deliver to Counterparty in the absence of such transfer or assignment (except to the extent such lower amount or number of Shares results from a Change in Tax Law after the date of such transfer or assignment), and (iii) Dealer

28


shall cause the transferee or assignee to make such Payee Tax Representations and to provide such tax documentation as may reasonably be requested by Counterparty to permit Counterparty to make any necessary determinations pursuant to clause (ii) of this proviso. If at any time at which (1) the Equity Percentage exceeds 8.0% or (2) Dealer, Dealer Group (as defined below) or any person whose ownership position would be aggregated with that of Dealer or Dealer Group (Dealer, Dealer Group or any such person, a “Dealer Person”) under Section 203 of the Delaware General Corporation Law or other federal, state or local law, rule, regulation or regulatory order or organizational documents or contracts of Counterparty applicable to ownership of Shares (“Applicable Restrictions”), owns, beneficially owns, constructively owns, controls, holds the power to vote or otherwise meets a relevant definition of ownership in excess of a number of Shares equal to (x) the number of Shares that would give rise to reporting, registration, filing or notification obligations or other requirements (including obtaining prior approval by a state or federal regulator, but excluding reporting obligations arising under Section 13 of the Exchange Act) of a Dealer Person under Applicable Restrictions and with respect to which such requirements have not been met or the relevant approval has not been received, or that would have any other adverse effect on a Dealer Person, under Applicable Restrictions minus (y) 1% of the number of Shares outstanding on the date of determination (either such condition described in clause (1) or (2), an “Excess Ownership Position”), Dealer, in its reasonable discretion, is unable to effect a transfer or assignment to a third party in accordance with the requirements set forth above after its commercially reasonable efforts on pricing and terms and within a time period reasonably acceptable to Dealer such that an Excess Ownership Position no longer exists, Dealer may designate any Scheduled Trading Day as an Early Termination Date with respect to a portion (the “Terminated Portion”) of the Transaction, such that an Excess Ownership Position would no longer exist following the resulting partial termination of the Transaction (after taking into account commercially reasonable adjustments to Dealer’s commercially reasonable Hedge Positions from such partial termination). In the event that Dealer so designates an Early Termination Date with respect to a portion of the Transaction, a payment or delivery shall be made pursuant to Section 6 of the Agreement or Section 8(c) of this Confirmation as if (i) an Early Termination Date had been designated in respect of a Transaction having terms identical to the Terminated Portion of the Transaction, (ii) Counterparty were the sole Affected Party with respect to such partial termination, (iii) such portion of the Transaction were the only Affected Transaction and (iv) Dealer were the party entitled to designate an Early Termination Date pursuant to Section 6(b) of the Agreement and to determine the amount payable pursuant to Section 6(e) of the Agreement. The “Equity Percentage” as of any day is the fraction, expressed as a percentage, (A) the numerator of which is the number of Shares that Dealer and any of its affiliates or any other person subject to aggregation with Dealer for purposes of the “beneficial ownership” test under Section 13 of the Exchange Act, or any “group” (within the meaning of Section 13 of the Exchange Act) of which Dealer is or may be deemed to be a part (collectively, “Dealer Group”) beneficially owns (within the meaning of Section 13 of the Exchange Act), without duplication, on such day (or, to the extent that for any reason the equivalent calculation under Section 16 of the Exchange Act and the rules and regulations thereunder results in a higher number, such higher number) and (B) the denominator of which is the number of Shares outstanding on such day. In the case of a transfer or assignment by Counterparty of its rights and obligations hereunder and under the Agreement, in whole or in part (any such Options so transferred or assigned, the “Transfer Options”), to any party, withholding of such consent by Dealer shall not be considered unreasonable if such transfer or assignment does not meet the reasonable conditions that Dealer may impose including, but not limited, to the following conditions:
(A)
With respect to any Transfer Options, Counterparty shall not be released from its notice and indemnification obligations pursuant to Section 8(e) or any obligations under Section 2 (regarding Extraordinary Events) or 8(d) of this Confirmation;
(B)
Any Transfer Options shall be transferred or assigned only to a third party that is a United States person (as defined in Section 7701(a)(30) of the Code);

29


(C)
Such transfer or assignment shall be effected on terms, including any reasonable undertakings by such third party (including, but not limited to, undertakings with respect to compliance with applicable securities laws in a manner that, in the reasonable judgment of Dealer, will not expose Dealer to material risks under applicable securities laws) and execution of any documentation and delivery of customary legal opinions with respect to securities laws and other matters by such third party and Counterparty as are reasonably requested by, and reasonably satisfactory to, Dealer;
(D)
Dealer shall not (including, for the avoidance of doubt, after giving effect to any indemnity or other contractual assurance from the transferee or assignee to Dealer provided in connection with such transfer or assignment), as a result of such transfer or assignment, be required to pay the transferee or assignee on any payment date an amount under Section 2(d)(i)(4) of the Agreement greater than an amount that Dealer would have been required to pay to Counterparty in the absence of such transfer or assignment (except to the extent such greater amount results from a Change in Tax Law after the date of such transfer or assignment);
(E)
An Event of Default, Potential Event of Default or Termination Event shall not occur as a result of such transfer or assignment;
(F)
Without limiting the generality of clause (B), Counterparty shall have caused the transferee or assignee to make such Payee Tax Representations and to provide such tax documentation as may be reasonably requested by Dealer to permit Dealer to determine that results described in clauses (D) and (E) will not occur upon or after such transfer or assignment; and
(G)
Counterparty shall be responsible for all reasonable costs and expenses, including reasonable counsel fees, incurred by Dealer in connection with such transfer or assignment.
(g)
Staggered Settlement. If upon advice of counsel with respect to applicable legal and regulatory requirements, including any requirements relating to Dealer’s hedging activities hereunder, Dealer reasonably determines that it would not be practicable or advisable to deliver, or to acquire Shares to deliver, any or all of the Shares to be delivered by Dealer on any Settlement Date for the Transaction, Dealer may, by notice to Counterparty on or prior to any Settlement Date (a “Nominal Settlement Date”), elect to deliver the Shares on two or more dates (each, a “Staggered Settlement Date”) as follows:

(i) in such notice, Dealer will specify to Counterparty the related Staggered Settlement Dates (the first of which will be such Nominal Settlement Date and the last of which will be no later than the fifteenth (15th) Exchange Business Day following such Nominal Settlement Date) and the number of Shares that it will deliver on each Staggered Settlement Date;

(ii) the aggregate number of Shares that Dealer will deliver to Counterparty hereunder on all such Staggered Settlement Dates will equal the number of Shares that Dealer would otherwise be required to deliver on such Nominal Settlement Date; and

(iii) the “Settlement Terms” set forth in Section 2 above will apply on each Staggered Settlement Date, except that the Shares otherwise deliverable on such Nominal Settlement Date will be allocated among such Staggered Settlement Dates as specified by Dealer in the notice referred to in clause (i) above.

(h)
Disclosure. Effective from the date of commencement of discussions concerning the Transaction, Counterparty and each of its employees, representatives, or other agents may disclose to any and all persons, without limitation of any kind, the tax treatment and tax structure of the Transaction and all materials of any kind (including opinions or other tax analyses) that are provided to Counterparty relating to such tax treatment and tax structure.

30


(i)
No Netting and Set-off. The provisions of Section 2(c) of the Agreement shall not apply to the Transaction. Each party waives any and all rights it may have to set-off delivery or payment obligations it owes to the other party under the Transaction against any delivery or payment obligations owed to it by the other party, whether arising under the Agreement, under any other agreement between parties hereto, by operation of law or otherwise.
(j)
Equity Rights. Dealer acknowledges and agrees that this Confirmation is not intended to convey to it rights with respect to the Transaction that are senior to the claims of common stockholders in the event of Counterparty’s bankruptcy. For the avoidance of doubt, the parties agree that the preceding sentence shall not apply at any time other than during Counterparty’s bankruptcy to any claim arising as a result of a breach by Counterparty of any of its obligations under this Confirmation or the Agreement. For the avoidance of doubt, the parties acknowledge that the obligations of Counterparty under this Confirmation are not secured by any collateral that would otherwise secure the obligations of Counterparty herein under or pursuant to any other agreement.
(k)
Early Unwind. In the event the sale by Counterparty of the [Base Convertible Securities] [Optional Convertible Securities] is not consummated pursuant to the Purchase Agreement dated as of [__], 2026 among Counterparty and BofA Securities, Inc., Citigroup Global Markets Inc., and HSBC Securities (USA) Inc., as representatives of the initial purchasers [(the “Purchase Agreement”)] for any reason by the close of business in New York on [___], 2026 (or such later date as agreed upon by the parties) ([__], 2026 or such later date being the “Early Unwind Date”), the Transaction shall automatically terminate (the “Early Unwind”) on the Early Unwind Date and the Transaction and all of the respective rights and obligations of Dealer and Counterparty hereunder shall be cancelled and terminated. Following such termination and cancellation, each party shall be released and discharged by the other party from, and agrees not to make any claim against the other party with respect to, any obligations or liabilities of either party arising out of, and to be performed in connection with, the Transaction either prior to or after the Early Unwind Date. Dealer and Counterparty represent and acknowledge to the other that upon an Early Unwind, all obligations with respect to the Transaction shall be deemed fully and finally discharged.
(l)
Agreements and Acknowledgements Regarding Hedging. Counterparty understands, acknowledges and agrees that: (A) at any time on and prior to the Expiration Date, Dealer and its affiliates may buy or sell Shares or other securities or buy or sell options or futures contracts or enter into swaps or other derivative securities in order to adjust its hedge position with respect to the Transaction; (B) Dealer and its affiliates also may be active in the market for Shares other than in connection with hedging activities in relation to the Transaction; (C) Dealer shall make its own determination as to whether, when or in what manner any hedging or market activities in securities of Issuer shall be conducted and shall do so in a manner that it deems appropriate to hedge its price and market risk with respect to the “Daily VWAP” (as defined in the Indenture); (D) any market activities of Dealer and its affiliates with respect to Shares may affect the market price and volatility of Shares, as well as the “Daily VWAP” (as defined in the Indenture), each in a manner that may be adverse to Counterparty; and (E) the Transaction is a derivatives transaction in which it has granted Dealer an option, and Dealer may purchase shares for its own account at an average price that may be greater than, or less than, the price paid by Counterparty under the terms of the Transaction.
(m)
Wall Street Transparency and Accountability Act. In connection with Section 739 of the Wall Street Transparency and Accountability Act of 2010 (the “WSTAA”), the parties hereby agree that neither the enactment of the WSTAA (or any statute containing any legal certainty provision similar to Section 739 of the WSTAA) or any regulation under the WSTAA (or any such statute), nor any requirement under the WSTAA (or any statute containing any legal certainty provision similar to Section 739 of the WSTAA) or an amendment made by the WSTAA (or any such statute), shall limit or otherwise impair either party’s otherwise applicable rights to terminate, renegotiate, modify, amend or supplement this Confirmation or the Agreement, as applicable, arising from a termination event, force majeure, illegality, increased costs, regulatory change or similar event under this Confirmation, the Equity Definitions incorporated herein, or the Agreement (including, but not limited to, rights arising from Change in Law, Hedging Disruption, Increased Cost of Hedging or Illegality).

31


(n)
Governing Law; Exclusive Jurisdiction; Waiver of Jury.

(i) THE AGREEMENT, THIS CONFIRMATION AND ALL MATTERS ARISING IN CONNECTION WITH THE AGREEMENT AND THIS CONFIRMATION SHALL BE GOVERNED BY, AND CONSTRUED AND ENFORCED IN ACCORDANCE WITH, THE LAWS OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK (WITHOUT REFERENCE TO ITS CHOICE OF LAW DOCTRINE, OTHER THAN TITLE 14 OF ARTICLE 5 OF THE NEW YORK GENERAL OBLIGATIONS LAW).

(ii) Section 13(b) of the Agreement is deleted in its entirety and replaced by the following:

Each party hereby irrevocably and unconditionally submits for itself and its property in any suit, legal action or proceeding relating to any Confirmation or this Agreement, or for recognition and enforcement of any judgment in respect thereof, (each, “Proceedings”) to the exclusive jurisdiction of the Supreme Court of the State of New York, sitting in New York County, the courts of the United States of America for the Southern District of New York and appellate courts from any thereof. Nothing in any Confirmation or this Agreement precludes either party from bringing Proceedings in any other jurisdiction if (A) the courts of the State of New York or the United States of America for the Southern District of New York lack jurisdiction over the parties or the subject matter of the Proceedings or decline to accept the Proceedings on the grounds of lacking such jurisdiction; (B) the Proceedings are commenced by a party for the purpose of enforcing against the other party’s property, assets or estate pursuant to any decision or judgment rendered by any court in which Proceedings may be brought as provided hereunder; (C) the Proceedings are commenced to appeal any such court’s decision or judgment to any higher court with competent appellate jurisdiction over that court’s decisions or judgments if that higher court is located outside the State of New York or Borough of Manhattan, such as a federal court of appeals or the U.S. Supreme Court; or (D) any suit, action or proceeding has been commenced in another jurisdiction by or against the other party or against its property, assets or estate and, in order to exercise or protect its rights, interests or remedies under any Confirmation or this Agreement, the party (1) joins, files a claim, or takes any other action, in any such suit, action or proceeding, or (2) otherwise commences any Proceeding in that other jurisdiction as the result of that other suit, action or proceeding having commenced in that other jurisdiction.”

(iii) EACH OF COUNTERPARTY AND DEALER HEREBY IRREVOCABLY WAIVES (ON ITS OWN BEHALF AND, TO THE EXTENT PERMITTED BY APPLICABLE LAW, ON BEHALF OF ITS STOCKHOLDERS) ALL RIGHT TO TRIAL BY JURY IN ANY ACTION, PROCEEDING OR COUNTERCLAIM (WHETHER BASED ON CONTRACT, TORT OR OTHERWISE) ARISING OUT OF OR RELATING TO THIS CONFIRMATION OR THE AGREEMENT.

(o)
Amendment. This Confirmation and the Agreement may not be modified, amended or supplemented, except in a written instrument signed by Counterparty and Dealer.
(p)
Counterparts; Electronic Signatures. This Confirmation may be executed in several counterparts, each of which shall be deemed an original but all of which together shall constitute one and the same instrument. Delivery of an executed signature page by facsimile or electronic transmission (e.g., “pdf” or “tif”), or any electronic signature complying with the U.S. federal ESIGN Act of 2000, Uniform Electronic Transactions Act or other applicable law, e.g., www.docusign.com, shall be effective as delivery of a manually executed counterpart hereof.

32


(q)
Payee Tax Representations.

(i) For the purpose of Section 3(f) of the Agreement, Counterparty makes the following representation to Dealer:

Counterparty is a corporation and a U.S. person (as that term is defined in Section 7701(a)(30) of the Code and used in Section 1.6045-1(c)(3)(i)(B) of the United States Treasury Regulations) for U.S. federal income tax purposes.

(ii) For the purpose of Section 3(f) of the Agreement, Dealer makes the following representations to Counterparty:

[Dealer to provide.]

(iii) Each party agrees to give notice to the other party of any failure of a representation made by it under this Section 8(q) to be accurate and true promptly upon learning of such failure.

(r)
Tax Matters. For purposes of Sections 4(a)(i) and (ii) of the Agreement, Counterparty agrees to deliver to Dealer one duly executed and completed United States Internal Revenue Service (the “IRS”) Form W-9 (or successor thereto), (A) on or before the date of execution of this Confirmation, (B) promptly upon learning that any such tax form previously provided by it has become obsolete or incorrect, and (C) promptly upon request by Dealer. Dealer shall provide to Counterparty one duly executed and completed IRS [Form W-9] (or successor thereto), (A) on or before the date of execution of this Confirmation, (B) promptly upon learning that any such tax form previously provided by it has become obsolete or incorrect, and (C) promptly upon reasonable request of Counterparty.
(s)
Withholding Tax with Respect to Non-US Counterparties. “Indemnifiable Tax” as defined in Section 14 of the Agreement shall not include (i) any U.S. federal withholding tax imposed or collected pursuant to Sections 1471 through 1474 of the Code, any current or future regulations or official interpretations thereof, any agreement entered into pursuant to Section 1471(b) of the Code, or any fiscal or regulatory legislation, rules or practices adopted pursuant to any intergovernmental agreement entered into in connection with the implementation of such Sections of the Code (a “FATCA Withholding Tax”) or (ii) any tax imposed on amounts treated as dividends from sources within the United States under Section 871(m) of the Code (or any United States Treasury Regulations or other guidance issued thereunder). For the avoidance of doubt, each of a FATCA Withholding Tax and any tax imposed under Section 871(m) of the Code is a Tax the deduction or withholding of which is required by applicable law for the purposes of Section 2(d) of the Agreement.
(t)
Amendments to Equity Definitions.

(i) Solely in respect of adjustments to the Cap Price pursuant to Section 8(u) of this Confirmation, Section 11.2(e)(vii) of the Equity Definitions is hereby amended by deleting the words “that may have a diluting or concentrative effect on the theoretical value of the relevant Shares” and replacing them with the words “that is the result of a corporate event involving the Issuer or its securities that has, in the commercially reasonable judgment of the Calculation Agent, a material economic effect on the Shares or options on the Shares; provided that such event is not based on (a) an observable market, other than the market for Counterparty’s own stock or (b) an observable index, other than an index calculated and measured solely by reference to Counterparty’s own operations.”.

33


(ii) Section 12.9(b)(i) of the Equity Definitions is hereby amended by (1) replacing “either party may elect” with “Dealer may elect or, if Counterparty represents to Dealer in writing at the time of such election that (i) it is not aware of any material nonpublic information with respect to Counterparty or the Shares and (ii) it is not making such election as part of a plan or scheme to evade compliance with the U.S. federal securities laws, Counterparty may elect”.

(iii) Section 12.9(b)(vi) of the Equity Definitions is hereby amended by adding the phrase “; provided that, in the case of clause (C), in order to make such election, Counterparty must represent to Dealer in writing at the time of such election that (1) it is not aware of any material nonpublic information with respect to Counterparty or the Shares and (2) it is not making such election as part of a plan or scheme to evade compliance with the U.S. federal securities laws” at the end of the second sentence of such Section.

(u)
Other Adjustments Pursuant to the Equity Definitions. Notwithstanding anything to the contrary in the Agreement, the Equity Definitions or this Confirmation, upon the occurrence of a Merger Date, the occurrence of a Tender Offer Date, or declaration by Counterparty of the terms of any Potential Adjustment Event, the Calculation Agent shall determine in good faith and in a commercially reasonable manner whether such occurrence or declaration, as applicable, has had a material economic effect on the Transaction and, if so, shall, in its good faith and commercially reasonable discretion, adjust the Cap Price to preserve the fair value of the Options taking into account, for the avoidance of doubt, such economic effect on both the Strike Price and Cap Price to account solely for stock price volatility, expected dividends, interest rates, stock loan rate, value of any commercially reasonable hedge positions in connection with the Transaction and liquidity relevant to the Shares or to such Transaction; provided that (i) in no event shall the Cap Price be less than the Strike Price, (ii) any adjustment to the Cap Price made pursuant to this Section 8(u) shall be made without duplication of any other adjustment hereunder, (iii) with respect to any Announcement Event (or any event that would be an Announcement Event if “35%” and “20%” in the definition thereof were replaced with “0%”), no adjustment to the Cap Price shall be made pursuant to this Section 8(u), and (iv) the parties agree that, for purposes of this Section 8(u), (x) open market Share repurchases at prevailing market prices, (y) Share repurchases through a dealer pursuant to accelerated share repurchases, forward contracts or similar transactions that are entered into at prevailing market prices and in accordance with customary market terms (including, without limitation, any discount to average VWAP prices) for transactions of such type to repurchase the Shares and (z) any reacquisition of Shares pursuant to Counterparty’s employee incentive plans in connection with the related equity transactions, or Counterparty’s withholding of Shares to cover tax liabilities associated with such equity transactions, shall not be considered Potential Adjustment Events or Tender Offers so long as, in the case of clauses (x) and (y), such repurchases in aggregate would not reduce the number of total Shares outstanding to be less than [_______] Shares, as determined by the Calculation Agent and as adjusted by the Calculation Agent to account for any subdivision or combination with respect to the Shares. For purposes of this Section 8(u), (x) the terms “Potential Adjustment Event,” “Merger Event,” and “Tender Offer” shall each have the meanings assigned to each such term in the Equity Definitions (in the case of the definition of “Potential Adjustment Event”, as amended by Section 8(t)(i), and in the case of the definition of “Tender Offer”, as if all references to “voting shares” in Sections 12.1(d), 12.1(e) and 12.1(l) of the Equity Definitions were instead references to “Shares”) and (y) “Extraordinary Dividend” shall mean any cash dividend on the Shares.
(v)
Notice of Certain Other Events. (A) Counterparty shall give Dealer commercially reasonable advance (but in no event less than one Exchange Business Day) written notice of the section or sections of the Indenture and, if applicable, the formula therein, pursuant to which any adjustment will be made to the Convertible Securities in connection with any Potential Adjustment Event, Merger Event or Tender Offer and (B) promptly following any such adjustment, Counterparty shall give Dealer written notice of the details of such adjustment.
(w)
Payment by Counterparty. In the event that, following payment of the Premium, (i) an Early Termination Date occurs or is designated with respect to the Transaction as a result of a Termination Event or an Event of Default (other than an Event of Default arising under Section 5(a)(ii) or 5(a)(iv) of the Agreement) and, as a result, Counterparty owes to Dealer an amount calculated under Section 6(e) of the Agreement, or (ii) Counterparty owes to Dealer, pursuant to Section 12.7 or Section 12.9 of the Equity

34


Definitions, an amount calculated under Section 12.8 of the Equity Definitions, such amount shall be deemed to be zero.
(x)
[Insert Agency Boilerplate, If Applicable.]
(y)
[Insert QFC Language, If Applicable.]
(z)
[Insert additional Dealer boilerplate, if applicable.]

35


 

Please confirm that the foregoing correctly sets forth the terms of the Transaction by executing this Confirmation and returning it to Dealer.

Very truly yours,

 

[DEALER

 

 

By:

 

Name:

Title: ]

 

 


 

Agreed and Accepted By:

DIODES INCORPORATED

 

By:

 

Name:

 

Title:

 

 

 

 

 

[By:

 

Name:

 

Title:]

 

 

 


EX-99.1

Exhibit 99.1

https://cdn.kscope.io/08a2b33b4db3bc012ec960bc041c0ff6-img74335243_0.jpg

 

Diodes Incorporated Announces Proposed Private Placement
of $325 Million of Convertible Senior Notes

PLANO, Texas - August 13, 2026 -- Diodes Incorporated (“Diodes”) (Nasdaq: DIOD), today announced it intends to offer, subject to market conditions and other factors, $325 million aggregate principal amount of Convertible Senior Notes due 2031 (the “notes”) in a private placement (the “offering”) only to persons reasonably believed to be “qualified institutional buyers” pursuant to Rule 144A under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”). Diodes also intends to grant the initial purchasers of the notes an option to purchase, during a 13-day period beginning on, and including, the date on which the notes are first issued, up to an additional $50 million aggregate principal amount of the notes.

Diodes expects to use a portion of the net proceeds from the offering to pay the cost of the capped call transactions described below, to repurchase up to $35 million of shares of its common stock concurrently with the pricing of the offering in privately negotiated transactions effected with or through one of the initial purchasers or one or more of their affiliates, and for general corporate purposes, including potential future acquisitions. If the initial purchasers exercise their option to purchase additional notes, Diodes expects to use a portion of the net proceeds from the sale of the additional notes to enter into additional capped call transactions with the option counterparties (as defined below).

The notes will be general senior unsecured obligations of Diodes, will accrue interest payable semiannually in arrears and will mature on August 15, 2031, unless earlier repurchased, redeemed or converted. Upon conversion, Diodes will pay cash up to the aggregate principal amount of the notes to be converted and pay or deliver, as the case may be, cash, shares of Diodes’ common stock or a combination of cash and shares of Diodes’ common stock, at Diodes’ election, in respect of the remainder, if any, of Diodes’ conversion obligation in excess of the aggregate principal amount of the notes being converted. The interest rate, initial conversion rate and other terms of the notes will be determined at the time of pricing of the offering.

In connection with the pricing of the notes, Diodes expects to enter into privately negotiated capped call transactions with one or more of the initial purchasers or their respective affiliates and/or other financial institutions (the “option counterparties”). The capped call transactions will cover, subject to customary adjustments substantially similar to those applicable to the notes, the number of shares of Diodes’ common stock that will initially underlie the notes. The capped call transactions are expected generally to reduce the potential dilution to Diodes’ common stock upon any conversion of notes and/or offset any cash payments Diodes is required to make in excess of the principal amount of converted notes, as the case may be, with such reduction and/or offset subject to a cap.

In connection with establishing their initial hedges of the capped call transactions, Diodes expects that the option counterparties or their respective affiliates will purchase shares of Diodes’ common stock and/or enter into various derivative transactions with respect to Diodes’ common stock concurrently with or shortly after the pricing of the notes. This activity could increase (or reduce the size of any decrease in) the market price of Diodes’ common stock or the notes at that time.


In addition, Diodes expects that the option counterparties or their respective affiliates may modify their hedge positions by entering into or unwinding various derivatives with respect to Diodes’ common stock and/or purchasing or selling Diodes’ common stock or other securities of Diodes in secondary market transactions following the pricing of the notes and prior to the maturity of the notes (and are likely to do so during any observation period related to a conversion of notes or, to the extent Diodes exercises the relevant election under the capped call transactions, following any repurchase or redemption of the notes). This activity could also cause or avoid an increase or a decrease in the market price of Diodes’ common stock or the notes which could affect the ability of a holder of notes to convert the notes and, to the extent the activity occurs during any observation period related to a conversion of notes, this could affect the number of shares, if any, and value of the consideration that a holder of notes will receive upon conversion of its notes.

The concurrent repurchases of up to $35 million of Diodes’ common stock described above could increase (or reduce the size of any decrease in) the market price of Diodes’ common stock or the notes prior to, concurrently with or shortly after the pricing of the notes, and could result in a higher effective conversion price for the notes. The offering of the notes is not contingent upon the repurchase of any of Diodes’ common stock.

The notes and any shares of Diodes’ common stock issuable upon conversion of the notes have not been and will not be registered under the Securities Act, any state securities laws or the securities laws of any other jurisdiction, and unless so registered, may not be offered or sold in the United States absent registration or an applicable exemption from, or in a transaction not subject to, the registration requirements of the Securities Act and other applicable securities laws.

This press release is neither an offer to sell nor a solicitation of an offer to buy any of these securities nor shall there be any sale of these securities in any state or jurisdiction in which such an offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful prior to the registration or qualification thereof under the securities laws of any such state or jurisdiction.

About Diodes Incorporated

Diodes Incorporated (Nasdaq: DIOD), delivers high-quality semiconductor products to the world’s leading companies in the automotive, industrial, computing, consumer electronics, and communications markets. We leverage our expanded product portfolio of analog and power solutions combined with a flexible hybrid manufacturing model to meet customers’ needs. Our broad range of application-specific products, delivered through a total solutions sales approach and supported by global operations including engineering, testing, manufacturing, and customer service, enable us to be a premier provider for high-growth markets.

Cautions Regarding Forward-Looking Statements:

This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. In some cases, forward-looking statements may be identified by terminology such as “believe,” “may,” “will,” “should,” “predict,” “goal,” “strategy,” “potentially,” “estimate,” “continue,” “anticipate,” “intend,” “could,” “would,” “project,” “plan,” “expect,” “seek” and similar expressions and variations thereof. These words are intended to identify forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements in this press release include statements regarding the anticipated benefits of the proposed offering of the notes, the expected use of proceeds, the capped call transactions, the concurrent repurchase


of shares of our common stock and our business, prospects and market growth opportunities. These forward-looking statements are based on Diodes' current expectations and assumptions and involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties, and other factors that may cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied. Such factors include, but are not limited to: the failure to close the contemplated transaction with respect to the issuance of the notes; market conditions affecting the pricing and completion of the offering of the notes; the impact of the capped call transactions and concurrent share repurchases on the market price of our common stock and the notes; competitive market conditions; changes in demand for semiconductor products; macroeconomic conditions; and other risks described in Diodes' filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including its most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K and Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q. Diodes undertakes no obligation to update any forward-looking statements to reflect events or circumstances after the date of this press release.

The Diodes logo is a registered trademark of Diodes Incorporated in the United States and other countries.

© 2026 Diodes Incorporated. All Rights Reserved.

Company Contact:

Diodes Incorporated

Gurmeet Dhaliwal

Vice President, Corporate Marketing & Investor Relations

P: 408-232-9003

E: Gurmeet_Dhaliwal@diodes.com

Investor Relations Contact:

Shelton Group

Leanne K. Sievers

President, Investor Relations

E: lsievers@sheltongroup.com

 


EX-99.2

 

Exhibit 99.2

https://cdn.kscope.io/08a2b33b4db3bc012ec960bc041c0ff6-img75258764_0.jpg

 

Diodes Incorporated Announces Pricing of
Private Placement of Convertible Senior Notes

PLANO, Texas - August 14, 2026 -- Diodes Incorporated (“Diodes”) (Nasdaq: DIOD), today announced the pricing of $325 million aggregate principal amount of 0.00% Convertible Senior Notes due 2031 (the “notes”) in a private placement (the “offering”) only to persons reasonably believed to be qualified institutional buyers pursuant to Rule 144A under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”). Diodes has also granted the initial purchasers of the notes an option to purchase, during a 13-day period beginning on, and including, the date on which the notes are first issued, up to an additional $50 million aggregate principal amount of the notes. The sale of the notes to the initial purchasers is expected to close on August 18, 2026, subject to customary closing conditions.

Diodes estimates that the net proceeds from the offering will be approximately $315.9 million (or approximately $364.6 million if the initial purchasers exercise their option to purchase additional notes in full) after deducting the initial purchasers’ discounts and commissions and estimated offering expenses payable by Diodes. Diodes expects to use the net proceeds from the offering to pay the approximately $19.0 million cost of the capped call transactions described below, to pay $35.0 million to repurchase approximately 0.36 million shares of its common stock concurrently with the pricing of the offering in privately negotiated transactions effected with or through one of the initial purchasers or one or more of its affiliates. Diodes expects to use the remainder of the net proceeds of the offering for general corporate purposes, including potential future acquisitions.

If the initial purchasers exercise their option to purchase additional notes, then Diodes intends to use a portion of the additional net proceeds to fund the cost of entering into additional capped call transactions, as described below, and the remainder for general corporate purposes, including potential future acquisitions.

The notes will be general senior unsecured obligations of Diodes and will not bear regular interest and the principal amount of the notes will not accrete. The notes will mature on August 15, 2031, unless earlier converted, redeemed or repurchased.

The notes will be convertible at the option of the holders in certain circumstances. Upon conversion, Diodes will pay cash up to the aggregate principal amount of the notes to be converted and pay or deliver, as the case may be, cash, shares of Diodes’ common stock or a combination of cash and shares of Diodes’ common stock, at Diodes’ election, in respect of the remainder, if any, of Diodes’ conversion obligation in excess of the aggregate principal amount of the notes being converted.

The conversion rate will initially be 6.8594 shares of Diodes’ common stock per $1,000 principal amount of notes (equivalent to an initial conversion price of approximately $145.79 per share of Diodes’ common stock). The initial conversion price represents a premium of approximately 50.0% over the last reported sale price of $97.19 per share of Diodes’ common stock on August 13, 2026. The conversion rate will be subject to adjustment in some events but will not be adjusted for any accrued and unpaid special interest. In addition, following certain corporate events that occur prior to the maturity date or if Diodes delivers a notice of redemption, it will, in certain circumstances, increase the conversion rate for a holder who


 

elects to convert its notes in connection with such a corporate event or convert its notes called (or deemed called) for redemption during the related redemption period, as the case may be.

Diodes may not redeem the notes prior to August 20, 2029. Diodes may redeem for cash all or any portion of the notes (subject to certain limitations), at its option, on a redemption date on or after August 20, 2029 and before the 31st scheduled trading day immediately prior to the maturity date if the last reported sale price of Diodes’ common stock has been at least 130% of the conversion price then in effect for at least 20 trading days (whether or not consecutive) during any 30 consecutive trading day period (including the last trading day of such period) ending on, and including, the trading day immediately preceding the date on which Diodes provides notice of redemption at a redemption price equal to 100% of the principal amount of the notes to be redeemed, plus accrued and unpaid special interest, if any, to, but excluding, the redemption date.

If Diodes undergoes a “fundamental change” (as defined in the indenture that will govern the notes) then, subject to certain conditions and exceptions, holders may require Diodes to repurchase for cash all or any portion of their notes at a fundamental change repurchase price equal to 100% of the principal amount of the notes to be repurchased, plus accrued and unpaid special interest, if any, to, but excluding, the fundamental change repurchase date.

In connection with the pricing of the notes, Diodes entered into privately negotiated capped call transactions with certain of the initial purchasers or affiliates thereof and other financial institutions (the “option counterparties”). The capped call transactions cover, subject to customary adjustments substantially similar to those applicable to the notes, the number of shares of Diodes’ common stock initially underlying the notes. The capped call transactions are expected generally to reduce the potential dilution to Diodes’ common stock upon any conversion of notes and/or offset any cash payments Diodes is required to make in excess of the principal amount of converted notes, as the case may be, with such reduction and/or offset subject to a cap.

The cap price of the capped call transactions relating to the notes will initially be $194.38, which represents a premium of 100% over the last reported sale price of Diodes’ common stock on the Nasdaq Global Select Market on August 13, 2026, and is subject to certain adjustments under the terms of the capped call transactions.

In connection with establishing their initial hedges of the capped call transactions, Diodes expects that the option counterparties or their respective affiliates will purchase shares of Diodes’ common stock and/or enter into various derivative transactions with respect to Diodes’ common stock concurrently with or shortly after the pricing of the notes. This activity could increase (or reduce the size of any decrease in) the market price of Diodes’ common stock or the notes at that time.

In addition, Diodes expects that the option counterparties or their respective affiliates may modify their hedge positions by entering into or unwinding various derivatives with respect to Diodes’ common stock and/or purchasing or selling Diodes’ common stock or other securities of Diodes in secondary market transactions following the pricing of the notes and prior to the maturity of the notes (and are likely to do so during any observation period related to a conversion of notes or, to the extent Diodes exercises its related termination right under the capped call transactions, following any repurchase or redemption of the notes). This activity could also cause or avoid an increase or a decrease in the market price of Diodes’ common stock or the notes which could affect the ability of a holder of notes to convert the notes and, to the extent the activity occurs during any observation period related to a conversion of notes, this could affect the number of shares, if any, and value of the consideration that a holder of notes will receive upon conversion of its notes.

Diodes expects to use $35.0 million of the net proceeds from the offering to repurchase approximately 0.36 million shares of its common stock concurrently with the pricing of the offering in privately negotiated transactions effected with or through one of the initial


 

purchasers or its affiliate. The purchase price in such transactions will be $97.19 per share, which is the last reported sale price of our common stock on the Nasdaq Global Select Market on August 13, 2026.

The notes were only offered to persons reasonably believed to be qualified institutional buyers pursuant to Rule 144A promulgated under the Securities Act by means of a private offering memorandum. The notes and any shares of Diodes’ common stock issuable upon conversion of the notes have not been and will not be registered under the Securities Act, any state securities laws or the securities laws of any other jurisdiction, and unless so registered, may not be offered or sold in the United States absent registration or an applicable exemption from, or in a transaction not subject to, the registration requirements of the Securities Act and other applicable securities laws.

This press release is neither an offer to sell nor a solicitation of an offer to buy any of these securities nor shall there be any sale of these securities in any state or jurisdiction in which such an offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful prior to the registration or qualification thereof under the securities laws of any such state or jurisdiction.

About Diodes Incorporated

Diodes Incorporated (Nasdaq: DIOD), delivers high-quality semiconductor products to the world’s leading companies in the automotive, industrial, computing, consumer electronics, and communications markets. We leverage our expanded product portfolio of analog and power solutions combined with a flexible hybrid manufacturing model to meet customers’ needs. Our broad range of application-specific products, delivered through a total solutions sales approach and supported by global operations including engineering, testing, manufacturing, and customer service, enable us to be a premier provider for high-growth markets.

Cautions Regarding Forward-Looking Statements:

This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. In some cases, forward-looking statements may be identified by terminology such as “believe,” “may,” “will,” “should,” “predict,” “goal,” “strategy,” “potentially,” “estimate,” “continue,” “anticipate,” “intend,” “could,” “would,” “project,” “plan,” “expect,” “seek” and similar expressions and variations thereof. These words are intended to identify forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements in this press release include statements regarding the anticipated benefits of the proposed offering of the notes, the expected use of proceeds, the capped call transactions, the concurrent repurchase of shares of our common stock and our business, prospects and market growth opportunities. These forward-looking statements are based on Diodes' current expectations and assumptions and involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties, and other factors that may cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied. Such factors include, but are not limited to: the failure to close the contemplated transaction with respect to the issuance of the notes; market conditions affecting the pricing and completion of the offering of the notes; the impact of the capped call transactions and concurrent share repurchases on the market price of our common stock and the notes; competitive market conditions; changes in demand for semiconductor products; macroeconomic conditions; and other risks described in Diodes' filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including its most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K and Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q. Diodes undertakes no obligation to update any forward-looking statements to reflect events or circumstances after the date of this press release.


 

The Diodes logo is a registered trademark of Diodes Incorporated in the United States and other countries.

© 2026 Diodes Incorporated. All Rights Reserved.

Company Contact:

Diodes Incorporated

Gurmeet Dhaliwal

Vice President, Corporate Marketing & Investor Relations

P: 408-232-9003

E: Gurmeet_Dhaliwal@diodes.com

Investor Relations Contact:

Shelton Group

Leanne K. Sievers

President, Investor Relations

E: lsievers@sheltongroup.com