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Insider Trading Policy
In order to take an active role in the prevention of insider
trading violations by its officers, directors, employees,
consultants, attorneys, advisors and other related individuals,
we have adopted the policies and procedures described in this
Memorandum.
I. Adoption of Insider Trading Policy
Effective as written above, we have adopted the Insider Trading
Policy attached hereto as Exhibit A (the "Policy"),
which prohibits trading based on material, nonpublic information
regarding us ("Inside Information"). The Policy
covers all officers and members of our board of directors
(the "directors"), all our other employees and its
subsidiaries, all secretaries and assistants supporting our
directors and consultants or our contractors or their subsidiaries
who have or may have access to Inside Information and members
of the immediate family or household of any such person, or
any affiliate (as such term is defined under the Securities
Act of 1933, as amended) of any such person or our Company.
The Policy (and/or a summary thereof) is to be delivered to
all our new employees, consultants and related individuals
who are within the categories of covered persons upon the
commencement of their relationships, and is to be circulated
to all covered personnel at least annually.
II. Designation of Certain Persons
A. Section 16 Individuals. All
our directors and executive officers are subject to the
reporting and liability provisions of Section 16 of the
Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the "Exchange
Act") and the rules and regulations promulgated thereunder
("Section 16 Individuals"). Attached hereto as
Exhibit B is a separate memorandum which discusses the relevant
terms of Section 16.
B.Other Persons Subject
to our Policy. In addition, certain employees, consultants,
and advisors as described in Section I above, or certain
of their respective affiliates, have, or are likely to have,
from time to time access to Inside Information and together
with the Section 16 Individuals, are subject to our Policy,
including the pre-clearance requirement described in Section
IV. A. below.
III. Appointment of Compliance Officer
We have appointed Glenn D. Bolduc and Roger Deschenes as the Company's Insider
Trading Compliance Officers (the "Compliance Officers").
IV. Duties of Compliance Officer
The Compliance Officer has been designated by the Board to
handle any and all matters relating to our Insider Trading
Compliance Program. Certain of those duties may be delegated
to outside counsel with special expertise in securities issues
and relevant law. The duties of the Compliance Officer shall
include the following:
A. Pre-clearing all transactions
involving our securities by the Section 16 Individuals and
those individuals having regular access to Inside Information,
defined for these purposes to include our employees and
our subsidiaries, all secretaries and assistants supporting
such directors, officers and employees, and consultants
or contractors or our subsidiaries who have or may have
access to Inside Information and members of the immediate
family or household of any such person, in order to determine
compliance with the Policy, insider trading laws, Section
16 of the Exchange Act and Rule 144 promulgated under the
Securities Act of 1933, as amended. Attached hereto as Exhibit
C is a Pre-Clearance Checklist to assist the Compliance
Officer's performance of this duty.
B. Assisting
in the preparation and filing of Section 16 reports
(Forms 3, 4 and 5) for all Section 16 Individuals.
C. Serving as our designated
recipient copies of reports filed with the Securities and
Exchange Commission by Section 16 Individuals under Section
16 of the Exchange Act.
D. Performing periodic
reviews of available materials, which may include Forms
3, 4 and 5, Form 144, officers and director's questionnaires,
and reports received from our stock administrator and transfer
agent, to determine trading activity by officers, directors
and others who have, or may have, access to Inside Information.
E. Circulating the Policy
(and/or a summary thereof) to all covered employees, including
Section 16 Individuals, on an annual basis, and providing
the Policy and other appropriate materials to new officers,
directors and others who have, or may have, access to Inside
Information.
F. Assisting the Board
of Directors in implementation of the Policy and Sections
I and II of this memorandum.
G. Coordinating our counsel
regarding all securities compliance matters.
H. Retaining copies of
all appropriate securities reports, and maintaining records
of his activities as Compliance Officer.
I. Oversee the implementation
of trading suspensions applicable to directors, officers,
or some or all employees that may be ordered by the Board
or CEO.
Exhibit A
Application of Policy
This Policy applies to all transactions in our securities,
including common stock, options and warrants to purchase common
stock and any other securities the Company may issue from
time to time, such as preferred stock, warrants and convertible
debentures, as well as to derivative securities relating to
our stock, whether or not issued by us, such as exchange-traded
options. It applies to all our officers and directors, all
our other employees and our subsidiaries, all secretaries
and assistants supporting such directors, officers and employees,
and our consultants or contractors or our subsidiaries who
have or may have access to Material Nonpublic Information
(as defined below) regarding us and members of the immediate
family or household of any such person, or any affiliate (as
such term is defined under the Securities Act of 1933, as
amended) of any such person or of us. This group of people
is sometimes referred to in this Policy as "Insiders."
This Policy also applies to any person who receives Material
Nonpublic Information from any Insider.
Any person who possesses Material Nonpublic Information regarding
us is an Insider for so long as such information is not publicly
known.
Definition of Material Nonpublic Information
It is not possible to define all categories of material information.
However, information should be regarded as material if there
is a reasonable likelihood that it would be considered important
to an investor in making an investment decision regarding
the purchase or sale of our securities. Nonpublic information
is information that has not been previously disclosed to the
general public and is otherwise not available to the general
public.
While it may be difficult to determine whether particular
information is material, there are various categories of information
that are particularly sensitive and, as a general rule, should
always be considered material. In addition, material information
may be positive or negative. Examples of such information
may include:
- Financial results
- Projections of future earnings or losses
- Major contract awards, cancellations or
write-offs
- Joint ventures with third parties
- Research milestones
- News of a pending or proposed merger or
acquisition
- News of the disposition of material assets
- Impending bankruptcy or financial liquidity
problems
- Gain or loss of a substantial customer
or supplier
- Results of trials
- New product announcements of a significant
nature
- Significant pricing changes
- Stock splits
- New equity or debt offerings
- Significant litigation exposure due to
actual or threatened litigation
- Changes in senior management
- Capital investment plans
- Changes in dividend policy
Certain Exceptions
For purposes of this Policy, we consider that the exercise
of stock options for cash under our stock option plan (but
not the sale of any such shares) is exempt from this Policy,
since the other party to the transaction is us itself and
the price does not vary with the market but is fixed by the
terms of the option agreement or the plan.Statement of PolicyGeneral
PolicyIt is our policy to prohibit the unauthorized disclosure
of any nonpublic information acquired in the workplace and
the misuse of Material Nonpublic Information in securities
trading.
Statement of Policy
General Policy
It is our policy to prohibit the unauthorized disclosure
of any nonpublic information acquired in the workplace and
the misuse of Material Nonpublic Information in securities
trading.
Specific Policies
1. Trading on Material Nonpublic Information. With
certain exceptions, no officer or director, no employee
or its subsidiaries and no consultant or contractor or any
of our subsidiaries and no members of the immediate family
or household of any such person, shall engage in any transaction
involving a purchase or sale of our securities, including
any offer to purchase or offer to sell, during any period
commencing with the date that he or she possesses Material
Nonpublic Information concerning us, and ending at the close
of business on the second Trading Day following the date
of public disclosure of that information, or at such time
as such nonpublic information is no longer material. However,
see Section 2 under "Permitted Trading Period"
below for a full discussion of trading pursuant to a pre-established
plan or by delegation.
As used herein, the term "Trading Day" shall
mean a day on which national stock exchanges and the NASDAQ
National Market are open for trading.
2. Tipping. No Insider shall disclose ("tip")
Material Nonpublic Information to any other person (including
family members) where such information may be used by such
person to his or her profit by trading in our securities
to which such information relates, nor shall such Insider
or related person make recommendations or express opinions
on the basis of Material Nonpublic Information as to trading
in our securities.
Regulation FD (Fair Disclosure) is an issuer disclosure
rule implemented by the SEC that addresses selective disclosure.
The regulation provides that when we, or person acting on
our behalf, discloses material nonpublic information to
certain enumerated persons (in general, securities market
professionals and holders of our securities who may well
trade on the basis of the information), it must make public
disclosure of that information. The timing of the required
public disclosure depends on whether the selective disclosure
was intentional or unintentional; for an intentional selective
disclosure, we must make public disclosures simultaneously;
for a non-intentional disclosure we must make public disclosure
promptly. Under the regulation, the required public disclosure
may be made by filing or furnishing a Form 8-KSB, or by
another method or combination of methods that is reasonably
designed to effect broad, non-exclusionary distribution
of the information to the public.
It is our policy that all communications with the press
be handled through Phillip Thomas.
3. Confidentiality of Nonpublic Information. Nonpublic
information relating to us is our property and the unauthorized
disclosure of such information is forbidden.
4. Duty to Report Inappropriate
and Irregular Conduct. All employees, and particularly managers
and/or supervisors, have a responsibility for maintaining
financial integrity within our company, consistent with
generally accepted accounting principles and both federal
and state securities laws. Any employee who becomes aware
of any incidents involving financial or accounting manipulation
or irregularities, whether by witnessing the incident or
being told of it, must report it to their immediate supervisor
and to our Audit Committee. In certain instances, employees
are allowed to participate in federal or state proceedings.
For a more complete understanding of this issue, employees
should consult their employee manual and/or seek the advice
of counsel. The Compliance Officer can provide you with
contact information for our outside general corporate and
securities counsel.
Potential Criminal and Civil Liability and/or
Disciplinary Action
1. Liability for Insider
Trading. Insiders may be subject to penalties of up to $1,000,000
and up to ten (10) years in jail for engaging in transactions
in our securities at a time when they possess Material Nonpublic
Information regarding our Company. In addition, the SEC
has the authority to seek a civil monetary penalty of up
to three times the amount of profit gained or loss avoided
by illegal insider trading. "Profit gained" or
"loss avoided" generally means the difference
between the purchase or sale price of our stock and its
value as measured by the trading price of the stock a reasonable
period after public dissemination of the nonpublic information.
2. Liability for Tipping.
Insiders may also be liable for improper transactions by
any person (commonly referred to as a "tippee")
to whom they have disclosed Material Nonpublic Information
regarding our Company or to whom they have made recommendations
or expressed opinions on the basis of such information as
to trading in our securities. The Securities and Exchange
Commission (the "SEC") has imposed large penalties
even when the disclosing person did not profit from the
trading. The SEC, the stock exchanges and the National Association
of Securities Dealers, Inc. use sophisticated electronic
surveillance techniques to monitor and uncover insider trading.
3. Possible Disciplinary
Actions. Individuals subject to the Policy who violate this
Policy shall also be subject to disciplinary action by us,
which may include suspension, forfeiture of perquisites,
ineligibility for future participation in our equity incentive
plans and/or termination of employment.
Permitted Trading Period
1. Black-Out Period and Trading Window.
To ensure compliance with this Policy and applicable federal
and state securities laws, we require that all officers;
directors; employees with the title of general manager,
controller or more senior; and members of the immediate
family or household of any such person refrain from conducting
transactions involving the purchase or sale of our securities,
other than during the period in any fiscal quarter (including
the year end) commencing forty eight hours following the
date and time of public disclosure of the financial results
for the prior fiscal quarter or year with respect to the
Form 10-K and Form 10-Q, as applicable, and ending on the
fifteenth calendar day of the third month of the fiscal
quarter (including the year end) (the "Trading Window").
If such public disclosure occurs on a Trading Day before
the markets close, then such date of disclosure shall be
considered the first Trading Day following such public disclosure.
The safest period for trading in our securities, assuming
the absence of Material Nonpublic Information, is generally
the first ten Trading Days of the Trading Window. The last
month of each fiscal quarter and the period of time from
the end of such quarter until the public disclosure of quarterly
results are particularly sensitive periods of time for transactions
in our securities from the perspective of compliance with
applicable securities laws. This is because officers, directors
and certain other employees, as any quarter progresses,
are increasingly likely to possess Material Nonpublic Information
about the expected financial results for the quarter. The
purpose of the Trading Window is to avoid any unlawful or
improper transactions.
It should be noted that even during the Trading Window
any person possessing Material Nonpublic Information concerning
our Company should not engage in any transactions in our
securities until such information has been known publicly
for at least two Trading Days. We have adopted the policy
of delaying trading for "commencing forty eight hours
following the date and time of public disclosure" because
the securities laws require that the public be informed
effectively of previously undisclosed material information
before Insiders trade in our stock. Public disclosure may
occur through a widely disseminated press release or through
filings, such as Forms 10-K, 10-Q and 8-K, with the SEC.
Furthermore, in order for the public to be effectively informed,
the public must be given time to evaluate the information
disclosed by our Company. Although the amount of time necessary
for the public to evaluate the information may vary depending
on the complexity of the information, generally two Trading
Days is a sufficient period of time.
Although we may from time to time require during a Trading
Window that directors, officers, selected employees and
others suspend trading because of developments known to
us and not yet disclosed to the public, each person is individually
responsible at all times for compliance with the prohibitions
against insider trading. Trading in our securities during
the Trading Window should not be considered a "safe
harbor," and all directors, officers and other persons
should use good judgment at all times.
From time to time, our Company, at the direction of the
CEO or the Board, may also require that directors, officers,
selected or all employees and others suspend trading because
of developments known to us and not yet disclosed to the
public. In such event, such persons are advised not to engage
in any transaction involving the purchase or sale of our
securities during such period and should not disclose to
others the fact of such suspension of trading. Such suspension
shall last for the duration of the period set by the Board
or the CEO, as applicable which shall be the earlier of:
(i) two Trading Days after such developments have been disseminated
to the public or (ii) such time as the Board or the CEO,
as applicable, have determined that the developments are
no longer material.
Notwithstanding these general rules, Insiders may trade
outside of the Trading Window provided that such trades
are made pursuant to a pre-established plan or by delegation;
these alternatives are discussed in the next section.
2. Trading According to a Pre-established Plan or by
Delegation.
Trading which is not "on the basis of" material
non-public information may not give rise to insider trading
liability. The United States Securities and Exchange Commission
has adopted Rule 10b5-1 under which insider trading liability
can be avoided if Insiders follow very specific procedures.
In general, such procedures involve trading according to
pre-established instructions (a "Pre-established Trade").
Pre-established Trades must:
a) Be documented by a
contract, written plan, or formal instruction which provides
that the trade take place in the future. For example,
an Insider can contract to sell his or her shares on a
specific date, or simply delegate such decisions to an
investment manager, 401(k) plan administrator or similar
third party. This documentation must be provided to our
Insider Trading Compliance Officer.
b) Include in its documentation
the specific amount, price and timing of the trade, or
the formula for determining the amount, price and timing.
For example, the Insider can buy or sell shares in a specific
amount and on a specific date each month, or according
to a pre-established percentage (of the Insider's salary,
for example) each time that the share price falls or rises
to pre-established levels. In the case where trading decisions
have been delegated, the specific amount, price and timing
need not be provided.
c) Be implemented at a
time when the Insider does not possess Material Nonpublic
Information. As a practical matter, this means that the
Insider should set up Pre-established Trades, or delegate
trading discretion, only during a "Trading Window"
(discussed in Section 1, above). However, in doing so,
the Insider should take into account the considerations
described in Section 1 above, including, without limitation,
the fact that use of the Trading Window may not provide
a "safe harbor" for the Insider. And,
d) Remain beyond the scope
of the Insider's influence after implementation. In general,
the Insider must allow the Pre-established Trade to be
executed without changes to the accompanying instructions,
and the Insider cannot later execute a hedge transaction
that modifies the effect of the Pre-established Trade.
An Insider wishing to change the amount, price or timing
of a Pre-established Trade, or terminate a Pre-established
Trade, can do so only during a "Trading Window"
(discussed in Section 1, above). If the Insider has delegated
decision-making authority to a third party, the Insider
cannot subsequently influence the third party in any way
and such third party must not possess material non-public
information at the time of any of the trades.
Prior to implementing a pre-established plan for trading,
all officers and directors must receive the approval for
such plan from our Insider Trading Compliance Officer.
No pre-established plan or any amendment thereto may become
effective until 30 calendar days after the execution date
of any such plan or amendment.
3. Pre-Clearance of Trades
Even during a Trading Window, all Insiders must comply
with our "pre-clearance" process prior to trading
in our securities, implementing a pre-established plan for
trading, or delegating decision-making authority over the
Insider's trades. To do so, each officer and director must
contact our Insider Trading Compliance Officer prior to
initiating any of these actions. However, once a pre-established
plan or delegation of trading authority is approved by the
Compliance Officer the Insiders shall not be required to
pre-clear trades executed pursuant to the plan or delegated
authority. We also require compliance with the pre-clearance
process from all other employees, consultants and contractors,
other than and in addition to officers and directors.
4. Individual Responsibility
As Insiders, every person subject to this Policy has the
individual responsibility to comply with this Policy against
insider trading, regardless of whether we have recommended
a Trading Window to that Insider or any other Insiders of
our company. The guidelines set forth in this Policy are
guidelines only, and appropriate judgment should be exercised
in connection with any trade in our securities.
An Insider may, from time to time, have to forego a proposed
transaction in our securities even if he or she planned
to make the transaction before learning of the Material
Nonpublic Information and even though the Insider believes
he or she may suffer an economic loss or forego anticipated
profit by waiting.
Applicability of Policy to Inside Information
Regarding Other Companies
This Policy and the guidelines described herein also apply
to Material Nonpublic Information relating to other companies,
including our customers, vendors or suppliers ("business
partners"), when that information is obtained in the
course of employment with, or other services performed on
behalf of us. Civil and criminal penalties, as well as termination
of employment, may result from trading on inside information
regarding our business partners. All employees should treat
Material Nonpublic Information about our business partners
with the same care as is required with respect to information
relating directly to our company.
Prohibition Against Buying and Selling Company Common Stock
Within a Six-Month Period
Directors, Officers and 10% Shareholders
Purchases and sales (or sales and purchases) of Company common
stock occurring within any six-month period in which a mathematical
profit is realized result in illegal "short-swing profits."
The prohibition against short-swing profits is found in Section
16 of the Exchange Act. Section 16 was drafted as a rather
arbitrary prohibition against profitable "insider trading"
in a company's securities within any six-month period regardless
of the presence or absence of material nonpublic information
that may affect the market price of those securities. Each
executive officer, director and 10% shareholder of our company
is subject to the prohibition against short-swing profits
under Section 16. Such persons are required to file Forms
3, 4 and 5 reports reporting his or her initial ownership
of our common stock and any subsequent changes in such ownership.
The Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 requires officers and directors
("insiders") who must report transactions on Form
4 to do so by the end of the second business day following
the transaction date. Please note that the prohibition against
short-swing profits and the reporting requirements apply to
trades made pursuant to a pre-established plan or delegation
of trading authority.
Profit realized, for the purposes of Section 16, is calculated
generally to provide maximum recovery by us. The measure of
damages is the profit computed from any purchase and sale
or any sale and purchase within the short-swing (i.e., six-month)
period, without regard to any setoffs for losses, any first-in
or first-out rules, or the identity of the shares of common
stock. This approach sometimes has been called the "lowest
price in, highest price out" rule.
Inquiries
Please direct your questions as to any of the matters discussed
in this Policy to our Insider Trading Compliance Officer.
Exhibit B
Section 16 Memorandum
To: All Officer, Directors and 10% Shareholders ("Section
16 Individuals")
Re: Overview of Section 16 Under the Exchange Act of
1934, as Amended
A. Introduction.
This Memorandum provides an overview of Section 16 of the
Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the "Exchange Act"),
and the related rules promulgated by the Securities and
Exchange Commission (the "SEC"). Although each
executive officer, director and 10% shareholder (commonly
called an "Insider") of Implant Sciences is personally
responsible for complying with the provision of Section
16, failure to comply strictly with its reporting provision
will result in obligations on the part of our Company to
publicly disclose such failure. Moreover, Congress has granted
to the SEC authority to seek monetary court-imposed fines
on Insiders who fail to timely comply with their reporting
obligations.
Section 16(a) of the Exchange Act provides that insiders
of a corporation with a class of securities registered under
Section 12 of the Exchange Act (i) must file an initial
report of their beneficial ownership of equity securities
of the corporation (including derivative securities such
as options, warrants and stock appreciation rights) as of
the later of the date on which the corporation becomes subject
to Section 12 of the Exchange Act or ten days after the
date they attain insider status, and (ii) must report subsequent
changes in their beneficial ownership of equity and derivative
securities of the corporation. Section 16(b) provides that
insiders are liable to the corporation for any profits made
on six-month short-swing transactions in the corporation's
securities. Section 16(c) prohibits insiders from engaging
in both traditional short sales of the corporation's securities
and certain other transactions that are economically or
functionally equivalent to a short sale.
B. Reporting Requirements
Under Section 16(a).
1. General. An Insider must disclose his or her
holdings at the time he or she attains insider status
and must disclose all subsequent changes in such holdings
during the time the individual is an Insider (and, in
certain circumstances, for up to six months after the
individual ceases to be an Insider). Disclosure is made
on one of three forms: the Initial Statement of Beneficial
Ownership of Securities on Form 3; the Statement of Changes
in Beneficial Ownership of Securities on Form 4; and the
Annual Statement of Changes in Beneficial Ownership of
Securities on Form 5.
2. Method of Filing.
(a) SEC. The Sarbanes-Oxley Act mandates that all Form
4s must be filed electronically through EDGAR.
(b) Company. In addition, the rules under Section 16
require that a copy of the applicable Form be sent to
our person designated by us to receive such reports
at the same time that copies are sent to the SEC. If
no person such has been designated, reports are to be
sent to the Corporate Secretary at our principal executive
offices. If the designated person at our company does
not receive a copy of the Form within three days of
its due date, we cannot presume that the filing with
the SEC was timely made, which may result in the need
to make disclosure of the late filing in our proxy statement.
(c) Filing Date. In the event that a due date falls
on a weekend or SEC holiday, the Form will be deemed
timely filed if it is received (or receipt is guaranteed)
by the next business day after such weekend or holiday.
(d) Securities to be Reported. A person who is subject
to Section 16 must only report as beneficially owned
those securities in which he or she has a pecuniary
interest. See the discussion of "beneficial ownership"
below at Section D.
3. Initial Report of Ownership - Form 3. Under
Section 16(a), Insiders are required to make an initial
report on Form 3 to the SEC of their holdings of all equity
securities of the corporation (whether or not such equity
securities are registered under the Exchange Act). This
would include all traditional types of securities, such
as Common Stock, Preferred Stock and Junior Stock, as
well as all types of derivative securities, such as warrants
to purchase stock, options to purchase stock, puts and
calls. Even Insiders who do not beneficially own any equity
securities of our company must file a report on Form 3
to that effect.
(a) Initial Filing Deadline. The initial statement
of ownership for persons who become officers, directors
or 10% shareholders of our company must be filed within
ten days after the date on which they become an officer,
director or 10% shareholder, and should reflect ownership
as of the date they became such an Insider.
(b) One-Time Filing. An Insider is required to file
an initial statement of beneficial ownership on Form
3 only once, unless such person ceases to be an Insider
and later becomes an Insider again. Thus, an additional
statement on such Form is not required when either (1)
the Insider attains a second "Insider" position
(such as the election of the President to the Board
of Directors), or (2) an additional class of equity
securities of our Company is registered under Section
12.
4. Changes in Ownership - Form 4. An Insider should
use Form 4 to report (i) all transactions that are not
exempt from Section 16(b), (ii) all exercises and conversions
of derivative securities (e.g. stock options) regardless
of whether they are exempt and (iii) vesting of options.
Directors, officers and 10% shareholders of U.S. public
companies will be required to file their Form 4 reports
under Section 16 of the Exchange Act by the second business
day after execution of a transaction.
(a) Prior Transactions. Our Insiders need not report
transactions that occurred prior to the date they first
became an officer, director or 10% shareholder, and
those transactions may not become a basis for short-swing
profit liability such Section 16(b). However, a director
or officer who becomes subject to Section 16 solely
as a result of the issuer first registering a class
of its equity securities pursuant to Section 12 of the
Exchange Act is subject to the reporting and liability
provisions of Section 16 with respect to any transactions
conducted in the six months prior to the first transaction
requiring a filing on Form 4 after such registration.
(b) Termination of Insider Status. If a person ceases
to be an officer or director, he or she continues to
be subject to the reporting and liability provision
of Section 16 for up to six months following termination
of such status. As a result, he or she must file a Form
4 with respect to any non-exempt change in beneficial
ownership which occurs within six months after any change
in ownership which occurred before he or she ceased
to be an officer or director. Such an individual must
also file a Form 5 after his or her termination to report
exempt and previously unreported transactions for that
portion of the issuer's fiscal year during which he
or she was an officer or director, as well as to report
exempt and previously unreported transactions occurring
within six months of the last transaction conducted
while the person was an officer or director subject
to Section 16.
A 10% shareholder whose beneficial ownership (under
the Section 13(d) voting or investment control test)
drops below 10% need not report any subsequent transactions
on Form 4 after reporting less than 10% but must file
a Form 5 with respect to any exempt or previously unreported
transactions that occurred during the portion of the
fiscal year that such person was a 10% shareholder.
Both Form 4 and Form 5 have an exit box that should
be checked when the Insider after reporting less than
10% files his or her final Form 4 or Form 5 if a final
filing is required.
(c) What Constitutes a Change in Beneficial Ownership.
Generally, an Insider is deemed to have acquired (disposed
of) beneficial ownership of a security at the time he
or she makes a firm commitment to acquire (dispose of)
the security. (Please see Section D below for a complete
definition of "Beneficial Ownership.") If
it is necessary that certain conditions outside the
Insider's control be satisfied prior to the consummation
of the purchase or sale and if it is uncertain whether
such conditions will be satisfied, the Insider will
not be deemed to have acquired beneficial ownership
or to have divested himself or herself until such time
as the conditions prescribed are satisfied and the undertaking
to purchase or sell becomes a firm commitment.
An Insider is deemed to have acquired ownership of
a derivative security (whether issued by us or a third
party) upon grant or acquisition, regardless of when
it becomes exercisable. Similarly, an Insider is deemed
to have disposed of ownership of a derivative security
upon its sale, cancellation or expiration. See Sections
B.6 and C below.
(d) Report Each Change of Ownership. Except for certain
exempt transactions that may be reported on a Form 5,
every change of ownership must be reported on Form 4.
5. Special Transactional Reporting Requirements.
Changes in beneficial ownership that constitute exempt
transactions under Section 16(a) or Section 16(b), other
than the exercise of an option, need not be reported currently
on Form 4. Such transactions fall into two categories:
(i) those which must be reported in the annual filing
on Form 5, and (ii) those which need not be reported at
all. The following are some examples of transactions in
these categories.
(i) Annual Filing on Form 5
(a) Small Acquisitions. Reporting an acquisition of
an equity security not exceeding $10,000 in market value,
or of the right to acquire such securities, may be deferred
until the annual filing on Form 5, so long as (A) total
acquisitions of the same class of security (including
securities underlying derivative securities) within
the preceding six months do not exceed $10,000 in market
value, and (B) the person making the acquisition does
not within six months thereafter make any disposition
that is not exempt from Section 16(b) of the Exchange
Act. Once either of the conditions described in (A)
and (B) is not met, the small acquisition must be reported
on Form 4 within ten days after the end of the calendar
month in which the condition(s) fail.
(b) Gifts and Inheritance. Acquisitions and dispositions
of our securities pursuant to bona fide gifts or by
will or the laws of descent and distribution are exempt
from the liability provisions of Section 16(b). Insiders
need not report such acquisitions or dispositions until
the Form 5 for the fiscal year in which such transaction
occurs.
(c) Option Grants Under Rule 16b-3. The grant of an
option to an Insider pursuant to Rule 16b-3 is exempt
from liability and is reportable on Form 5. See Section
C below.
(ii) No Reporting Required.
(a) Stock Splits and Stock Dividends. Insiders need
not report the acquisition or disposition of stock via
stock splits or stock dividends that are provided pro
rata to all security holders, and such acquisitions
and dispositions are exempt from the liability provision
of Section 16(b). It is advisable for Insiders to use
the extra space provided on Form 4 or Form 5 to explain
any change in their holdings resulting from such events.
(b) Pro Rata Rights. Acquisitions of shareholder rights
granted pro rata to all holders of a class of registered
equity securities (including so-called "poison
pill" shareholder rights) are exempt from the reporting
and liability provisions of Section 16.
6. Year-End Filing - Form 5. An Insider must file
a Form 5 within 45 days after the end of the issuer's
fiscal year (May 14) unless all holdings and transactions
that are required to be reported on Form 5 (including
exempt transactions) have already been reported as of
the date the Form 5 is due.
If not previously reported, the following transactions
must be reported on Form 5: (a) any transaction during
the last fiscal year that was exempt from the operation
of the short-swing profit recovery rules under Section
16(b) (such as grants of options under Rule 16b-3); and
(b) any holdings or transactions that should have been
reported during our last fiscal year (two fiscal years
for the first Form 5 filed) on a Form 3 or Form 4, but
were not reported. The Form 5 filing requirements apply
to each person who was an Insider during any portion of
the applicable fiscal year.
7. Reporting Obligations Regarding Certain Transactions
in Derivative Securities. In general, the acquisition
or disposition of any option, warrant, put or call, whether
or not transferable or then exercisable, is a reportable
purchase or sale of the underlying security to which such
derivative security relates, and requires the filing of
a Form 4.
(a) Grant of Option or Warrant. If a derivative security
is granted pursuant to Rule 16b-3, the otherwise reportable
purchase is exempt and need not be reported until the
annual filing on Form 5. If an Insider receives a derivative
security other than pursuant to Rule 16b-3, the acquisition
is deemed to be a purchase for Section 16 purposes and
must be currently reported on Form 4.
(b) Exercise or Conversion of Option, Warrant or Other
Right. The exercise of any option, warrant or other
right to purchase securities must be currently reported
on Form 4.
(c) Pledges. The right of a pledgee or borrower of
securities to sell the pledged or borrowed securities
is not a derivative security or "option" for
purposes of Section 16, and the acquisition or disposition
of such a right does not require the filing of a Form
4. Moreover, the SEC Staff has taken the position that
bona fide pledges or loans of securities do not represent
changes in beneficial ownership and need not be reported
by the pledgor or lender. However, the sale of the pledged
or borrower securities by the pledgee or borrower must
be reported by the pledgor or lender and may result
in Section 16(b) liability for the pledgor or lender.
(d) Rights Without a Fixed Price. Rights that do not
have a fixed exercise or conversion price, such as a
right to purchase stock at a future date at a specified
percentage of its market value on the date of purchase,
are not derivative securities and need not be reported,
unless such rights have a floor or ceiling to the exercise
or conversion price.
C. Securities Acquired Pursuant to Rule 16b-3.
1. General. Rule 16b-3
generally provides exemptions from Section 16(b) for discretionary
transactions by Insiders (e.g., not at the volition of
the Insider). Rule 16b-3 provides that a grant or award
of equity securities is exempt from Section 16 if any
of the following conditions are met:
(1) the transaction is approved in advance by the board
of directors or a committee of the board composed solely
of two or more non-employee directors;
(2) the transaction is approved in advance by the shareholders,
or subsequently ratified by the shareholders by the
date of the next annual meeting of shareholders; or
(3) the securities so acquired are held by the officer
or director for six months following the date of such
acquisition.
2. Transactions Must Comply
with Rule 16b-3. Individual transactions must meet certain
general requirements in order to qualify for beneficial
treatment under Rule 16b-3.
D. Determining Beneficial Ownership.
The issue of beneficial ownership arises in two contexts
under Section 16:
1. Determining Who is
a 10% Holder. Beneficial ownership in the Section 16 context
is determined by reference to Rule 13d-3, which provides
that a person is the beneficial owner of securities if
that person has or shares voting or disposition power
with respect to such securities, or can acquire such power
within 60 days through the exercise or conversion of derivative
securities.
2. Determining Beneficial
Ownership for Reporting and Short-Swing Profit Liability.
For all Section 16 purposes other than determining who
is a 10% holder, beneficial ownership means a direct or
indirect pecuniary interest in the subject securities
through any contract, arrangement, understanding, relationship
or otherwise. "Pecuniary interest" means the
opportunity, directly or indirectly, to profit or share
in any profit derived from a transaction in the subject
securities. Discussed below are several of the situations
that may give rise to an indirect pecuniary interest.
(a) Family Holdings. An Insider is deemed to have an
indirect pecuniary interest in securities held by members
of the Insider's immediate family sharing the same household.
Immediate family includes grandparents, parents (and step-parents),
spouses, siblings, children (and step-children) and grandchildren,
as well as parents-in-law, siblings-in-law, children-in-law
and all adoptive relationships. An Insider may disclaim
beneficial ownership of shares held by members of his
or her immediate family, but the burden of proof will
be on the Insider to uphold the lack of a pecuniary interest.
(b) Partnership Holdings. Beneficial ownership of a partnership's
securities is attributed to the general partner of a limited
partnership in proportion of such person's partnership
interest. Such interest is measured by the greater of
the general partner's share of partnership profits or
of the general partner's capital account (including any
limited partnership interest held by the general partner).
(c) Corporate Holdings. Beneficial ownership of securities
held by a corporation will not be attributed to its shareholders
who are not controlling shareholders and who do not have
or share investment control over the corporation's portfolio
securities.
(d) Derivative Securities. Ownership of derivative securities
(warrants, stock appreciation rights, convertible securities,
options and the like) is treated as indirect ownership
of the underlying equity securities. Acquisition of derivative
securities must be reported, although the timing of such
reporting depends upon the Rule 16b-3 status of the employee
plan under which the grant was made.
E. Delinquent Filings.
1. Disclosure Requirements.
Item 405 of Regulation S-K requires the Company to disclose
in its proxy statements, information statements and Annual
Reports on Form 10-KSB information regarding delinquent
filings under Section 16(a) by Insiders. Our Company must
identify by name its Insiders who, during the fiscal year,
reported transactions late or failed to file required
reports, and must disclose the number of delinquent filings
and transactions for each such Insider. We do not have
an obligation to research and make inquiry regarding the
delinquent Section 16(a) filings but may rely on the information
disclosed on Forms 3, 4 and 5. We may also rely on a written
representation from the Insider that no Form 5 filing
is required but should retain the representation for two
years. The cover page of Form 10-KSB has been amended
to provide a box which can only be checked by us if we
know at the time of filing that there are no delinquent
filings that will require disclosure pursuant to Item
405. The SEC has indicated that it will select for review
any Form 10-KSB that does not have the box checked and
that they will be using the disclosure of delinquencies
to assist in their enforcement efforts.
2. Correcting Late Filings.
If a particular transaction or holding has not been reported,
the Insider must file a new form for the transaction.
The transaction reported in an untimely manner would be
disclosed pursuant to Item 405 for the fiscal year in
which the report was filed, even if the transaction related
to and should have been reported in a prior fiscal year.
3. Potential Liability.
The SEC has been empowered by Congress to seek civil penalties
against those who fail to comply with the reporting requirements
of Section 16. Penalties may be sought for any violations
occurring on or after October 15, 1990. Penalties for
failure to timely file may range from $5,000 to $100,000
per violation. Moreover, if the SEC obtains a cease-and-desist
order prohibiting future violations of the reporting requirements
under Section 16, each day that a filing is late may be
treated as a separate offense, thereby multiplying the
penalty amount by the number of days that the form is
delinquent.
F. Other Prohibited Insider
Transactions Under Section 16(c).
Section 16(c) of the Exchange Act provides that it is unlawful
for an Insider to sell any equity security (including a
derivative security) of the corporation if the person selling
the security (1) does not own the security sold, or (2)
owns the security but does not deliver it against such sale
within 20 days thereafter, or does not, within five days
after such sale, deposit it in the mails or other usual
channels of transportation.
Clause (1) above is directed to the tradition "short
sale" where the seller borrows stock to make delivery
on sale and repays his or her loan with securities purchased
thereafter.
Clause (2) above is directed to either long sales or "short
sales against the box" where delivery is not made within
the required time limits.
The interactions of Section 16(c) with the derivative securities
concept is not entirely clear, but the establishment of
or increase in a "put equivalent position" (a
broadly defined term that includes any type of short position)
is considered functionally and economically equivalent to
a prohibited short sale if the Insider does not own underlying
securities sufficient to cover the put equivalent position.
Exhibit C
Pre-Clearance Checklist
Individual Proposing to Trade:_________________________
Number of Shares covered by Proposed Trade:_________________________
Date:_________________________
____ Trading Window. Confirm that the trade will be made
during our "trading window."
____ Section 16 Compliance. Confirm, if the individual is
subject to Section 16, that the proposed trade will not give
rise to any potential liability under Section 16 as a result
of matched past (or intended future) transactions. Also, ensure
that a Form 4 has been or will be completed and will be timely
filed.
____ Prohibited Trades. Confirm, if the individual is subject
to Section 16, that the proposed transaction is not a "short
sale," put, call or other prohibited or strongly discouraged
transaction.
____Rule 144 Compliance. Confirm that:
____Current public information requirement has been met;
____Shares are not restricted or, if restricted, the one
year holding period has been met;
____Volume limitations are not exceeded (confirm that the
individual is not part of an aggregated group);
____The manner of sale requirements have been met; and
____The Notice of Form 144 Sale has been completed and filed.
____Rule 10b-5 Concerns. Confirm that (i) the individual
has been reminded that trading is prohibited when in possession
of any material information regarding us that has not been
adequately disclosed to the public, and (ii) the Insider Trading
Compliance Officer has discussed with the individual any information
known to the individual or the Insider Trading Compliance
Officer which might be considered material, so that the individual
has made an informed judgment as to the presence of inside
information.
________________________________________
Signature of Insider Trading Compliance Officer
Transactions Report
Officer or Director:
I. Transactions in___________ (specify dates):
____ No transactions
____ The transactions described below
| Owner of Record
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Transaction
Date (1) |
Transaction
Code (2) |
Security (Common,
Preferred) |
Number of Securities
Acquired |
Number of Securities
Disposed of |
Purchase/ Sale Unit
Price |
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(1)
(a) Brokerage transactions - trade date
(b) Other purchases and sales - date firm commitment is
made
(c) Option and SAR exercises - date of exercise |
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d)
Acquisitions under stock bonus plan - date of grant(e)
Conversion - date of surrender of convertible security(f)
Gifts - date on which gift is made |
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(2) Transaction
Codes:
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(P)
Pre-established Purchase or Sale
(N) Purchase or Sale (not "Pre-established")
(G) Gift(M) Option exercise (in the money option) |
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(Q)
Transfer pursuant to marital settlement
(U) Tender of shares
(W) Acquisition or disposition of will
(J) Other acquisition or disposition (specify) |
II. Securities Ownership After Sale
A. Our Securities Directly
or Indirectly Owned (other than stock options noted below):
| Title of Security
(e.g., Preferred, Common, etc.) |
Number of Shares/Units |
Record Holder
(if not Reporting Person) |
Relationship
to Reporting Person |
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B. Stock Option Ownership:
Vesting Dates Expiration Date Exercises to Date (Date, No.
of Shares)
| Date of Grant |
Number of Shares |
Exercise Price |
Vesting Dates |
Expiration Date |
Exercises to
Date (Date, No. of Shares) |
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