EXODUS COMMUNICATIONS, INC.
1998 EMPLOYEE STOCK PURCHASE PLAN
As Adopted January 15, 1998
1. ESTABLISHMENT OF PLAN. Exodus Communications, Inc. (the 'COMPANY')
proposes to grant options for purchase of the Company's Common Stock to eligible
employees of the Company and its Participating Subsidiaries (as hereinafter
defined) pursuant to this Employee Stock Purchase Plan (this 'PLAN'). For
purposes of this Plan, 'PARENT CORPORATION' and 'SUBSIDIARY' (collectively,
'PARTICIPATING SUBSIDIARIES') shall have the same meanings as 'parent
corporation' and 'subsidiary corporation' in Sections 424(e) and 424(f),
respectively, of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the 'CODE').
'PARTICIPATING SUBSIDIARIES' are Parent Corporations or Subsidiaries that the
Board of Directors of the Company (the 'BOARD') designates from time to time as
corporations that shall participate in this Plan. The Company intends this Plan
to qualify as an 'employee stock purchase plan' under Section 423 of the Code
(including any amendments to or replacements of such Section), and this Plan
shall be so construed. Any term not expressly defined in this Plan but defined
for purposes of Section 423 of the Code shall have the same definition herein. A
total of 600,000 shares of the Company's Common Stock is reserved for issuance
under this Plan. Such number shall be subject to adjustments effected in
accordance with Section 14 of this Plan.
2. PURPOSE. The purpose of this Plan is to provide eligible employees of
the Company and Participating Subsidiaries with a convenient means of acquiring
an equity interest in the Company through payroll deductions, to enhance such
employees' sense of participation in the affairs of the Company and
Participating Subsidiaries, and to provide an incentive for continued
employment.
3. ADMINISTRATION. This Plan shall be administered by the Compensation
Committee of the Board (the 'COMMITTEE'). Subject to the provisions of this Plan
and the limitations of Section 423 of the Code or any successor provision in the
Code, all questions of interpretation or application of this Plan shall be
determined by the Committee and its decisions shall be final and binding upon
all participants. Members of the Committee shall receive no compensation for
their services in connection with the administration of this Plan, other than
standard fees as established from time to time by the Board for services
rendered by Board members serving on Board committees. All expenses incurred in
connection with the administration of this Plan shall be paid by the Company.
4. ELIGIBILITY. Any employee of the Company or the Participating
Subsidiaries is eligible to participate in an Offering Period (as hereinafter
defined) under this Plan except the following:
(a) employees who are customarily employed for twenty (20) hours or
less per week;
(b) employees who are customarily employed for five (5) months or
less in a calendar year;
(c) employees who, together with any other person whose stock would
be attributed to such employee pursuant to Section 424(d) of the Code, own stock
or hold options to purchase stock possessing five percent (5%) or more of the
total combined voting power or value of all classes of stock of the Company or
any of its Participating Subsidiaries or who, as a result of being granted an
option under this Plan with respect to such Offering Period, would own stock or
hold options to purchase stock possessing five percent (5%) or more of the total
combined voting power or value of all classes of stock of the Company or any of
its Participating Subsidiaries; and
(d) individuals who provide services to the Company or any of its
Participating Subsidiaries as independent contractors who are reclassified as
common law employees for any reason except for federal income and employment tax
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purposes.
5. Offering Dates. The offering periods of this Plan (each, an 'OFFERING
PERIOD') shall be of twenty-four (24) months duration commencing on May 1 and
November 1 of each year and ending on April 30 and October 31 of each year;
provided, however, that notwithstanding the foregoing, the first such Offering
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Period shall commence
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Exodus Communications, Inc.
1998 Employee Stock Purchase Plan
on the first business day on which price quotations for the Company's Common
Stock are available on the Nasdaq National Market (the 'FIRST OFFERING DATE')
and shall end on April 30, 2000. Each Offering Period shall consist of four (4)
six month purchase periods (individually, a 'PURCHASE PERIOD') during which
payroll deductions of the participants are accumulated under this Plan. The
first Offering Period shall consist of no more than five and no fewer than three
Purchase Periods, any of which may be greater or less than six months as
determined by the Committee. The first business day of each Offering Period is
referred to as the 'OFFERING DATE'. The last business day of each Purchase
Period is referred to as the 'PURCHASE DATE'. The Committee shall have the power
to change the duration of Offering Periods with respect to offerings without
stockholder approval if such change is announced at least fifteen (15) days
prior to the scheduled beginning of the first Offering Period to be affected.
6. PARTICIPATION IN THIS PLAN. Eligible employees may become participants
in an Offering Period under this Plan on the first Offering Date after
satisfying the eligibility requirements by delivering a subscription agreement
to the Company's treasury department (the 'TREASURY DEPARTMENT') not later than
five (5) days before such Offering Date. Notwithstanding the foregoing, the
Committee may set a later time for filing the subscription agreement authorizing
payroll deductions for all eligible employees with respect to a given Offering
Period. An eligible employee who does not deliver a subscription agreement to
the Treasury Department by such date after becoming eligible to participate in
such Offering Period shall not participate in that Offering Period or any
subsequent Offering Period unless such employee enrolls in this Plan by filing a
subscription agreement with the Treasury Department not later than five (5) days
preceding a subsequent Offering Date. Once an employee becomes a participant in
an Offering Period, such employee will automatically participate in the Offering
Period commencing immediately following the last day of the prior Offering
Period unless the employee withdraws or is deemed to withdraw from this Plan or
terminates further participation in the Offering Period as set forth in Section
11 below. Such participant is not required to file any additional subscription
agreement in order to continue participation in this Plan.
7. GRANT OF OPTION ON ENROLLMENT. Enrollment by an eligible employee in
this Plan with respect to an Offering Period will constitute the grant (as of
the Offering Date) by the Company to such employee of an option to purchase on
the Purchase Date up to that number of shares of Common Stock of the Company
determined by dividing (a) the amount accumulated in such employee's payroll
deduction account during such Purchase Period by (b) the lower of (i) eighty-
five percent (85%) of the fair market value of a share of the Company's Common
Stock on the Offering Date (but in no event less than the par value of a share
of the Company's Common Stock), or (ii) eighty-five percent (85%) of the fair
market value of a share of the Company's Common Stock on the Purchase Date (but
in no event less than the par value of a share of the Company's Common Stock),
provided, however, that the number of shares of the Company's Common Stock
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subject to any option granted pursuant to this Plan shall not exceed the lesser
of (x) the maximum number of shares set by the Committee pursuant to Section
10(c) below with respect to the applicable Purchase Date, or (y) the maximum
number of shares which may be purchased pursuant to Section 10(b) below with
respect to the applicable Purchase Date. The fair market value of a share of the
Company's Common Stock shall be determined as provided in Section 8 below.
8. PURCHASE PRICE. The purchase price per share at which a share of
Common Stock will be sold in any Offering Period shall be eighty-five percent
(85%) of the lesser of:
(a) The fair market value on the Offering Date; or
(b) The fair market value on the Purchase Date.
For purposes of this Plan, the term 'FAIR MARKET VALUE' means, as of
any date, the value of a share of the Company's Common Stock determined as
follows:
(a) if such Common Stock is then quoted on the Nasdaq National
Market, its closing price on the Nasdaq National Market on
the date of determination as reported in The Wall Street
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Journal;
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(b) if such Common Stock is publicly traded and is then listed
on a national securities exchange, its closing price on the
date of determination on the principal national securities
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Exodus Communications, Inc.
1998 Employee Stock Purchase Plan
exchange on which the Common Stock is listed or admitted to
trading as reported in The Wall Street Journal;
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(c) if such Common Stock is publicly traded but is not quoted on
the Nasdaq National Market nor listed or admitted to trading
on a national securities exchange, the average of the
closing bid and asked prices on the date of determination as
reported in The Wall Street Journal; or
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(d) if none of the foregoing is applicable, by the Board in good
faith, which in the case of the First Offering Date will be
the price per share at which shares of the Company's Common
Stock are initially offered for sale to the public by the
Company's underwriters in the initial public offering of the
Company's Common Stock pursuant to a registration statement
filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the
'SEC') under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the
'SECURITIES ACT').
9. PAYMENT OF PURCHASE PRICE; CHANGES IN PAYROLL DEDUCTIONS; ISSUANCE OF
SHARES.
(a) The purchase price of the shares is accumulated by regular
payroll deductions made during each Offering Period. The deductions are made as
a percentage of the participant's compensation in one percent (1%) increments
not less than two percent (2%), nor greater than ten percent (10%) or such lower
limit set by the Committee. Compensation shall mean base salary not to exceed
$250,000 per calendar year, provided however, that for purposes of determining a
participant's compensation, any election by such participant to reduce his or
her regular cash remuneration under Sections 125 or 401(k) of the Code shall be
treated as if the participant did not make such election. Payroll deductions
shall commence on the first payday of the Offering Period and shall continue to
the end of the Offering Period unless sooner altered or terminated as provided
in this Plan.
(b) A participant may decrease or increase the rate of payroll
deductions during an Offering Period by filing with the Treasury Department a
new authorization for payroll deductions, in which case the new rate shall
become effective for the next payroll period commencing more than fifteen (15)
days after the Treasury Department's receipt of the authorization and shall
continue for the remainder of the Offering Period unless changed as described
below. Such change in the rate of payroll deductions may be made at any time
during an Offering Period, but not more than one (1) change may be made
effective during any Offering Period. A participant may increase or decrease the
rate of payroll deductions for any subsequent Offering Period by filing with the
Treasury Department a new authorization for payroll deductions not later than
fifteen (15) days before the beginning of such Offering Period.
(c) All payroll deductions made for a participant are credited to his
or her account under this Plan and are deposited with the general funds of the
Company. No interest accrues on the payroll deductions. All payroll deductions
received or held by the Company may be used by the Company for any corporate
purpose, and the Company shall not be obligated to segregate such payroll
deductions.
(d) On each Purchase Date, so long as this Plan remains in effect and
provided that the participant has not submitted a signed and completed
withdrawal form before that date which notifies the Company that the participant
wishes to withdraw from that Offering Period under this Plan and have all
payroll deductions accumulated in the account maintained on behalf of the
participant as of that date returned to the participant, the Company shall apply
the funds then in the participant's account to the purchase of whole shares of
Common Stock reserved under the option granted to such participant with respect
to the Offering Period to the extent that such option is exercisable on the
Purchase Date. The purchase price per share shall be as specified in Section 8
of this Plan. Any cash remaining in a participant's account after such purchase
of shares shall be refunded to such participant in cash, without interest;
provided, however that any amount remaining in such participant's account on a
Purchase Date which is less than the amount necessary to purchase a full share
of Common Stock of the Company shall be carried forward, without interest, into
the next Purchase Period or Offering Period, as the case may be. In the event
that this Plan has been oversubscribed, all funds not used to purchase shares on
the Purchase Date shall be returned to the participant, without interest. No
Common Stock shall be purchased on a Purchase Date on behalf of any employee
whose participation in this Plan has terminated prior to such Purchase Date.
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Exodus Communications, Inc.
1998 Employee Stock Purchase Plan
(e) As promptly as practicable after the Purchase Date, the Company
shall issue shares for the participant's benefit representing the shares
purchased upon exercise of his or her option.
(f) During a participant's lifetime, his or her option to purchase
shares hereunder is exercisable only by him or her. The participant will have no
interest or voting right in shares covered by his or her option until such
option has been exercised.
10. LIMITATIONS ON SHARES TO BE PURCHASED.
(a) No participant shall be entitled to purchase stock under this
Plan at a rate which, when aggregated with his or her rights to purchase stock
under all other employee stock purchase plans of the Company or any Subsidiary,
exceeds $25,000 in fair market value, determined as of the Offering Date (or
such other limit as may be imposed by the Code) for each calendar year in which
the employee participates in this Plan. The Company shall automatically suspend
the payroll deductions of any participant as necessary to enforce such limit
provided that when the Company automatically resumes such payroll deductions,
the Company must apply the rate in effect immediately prior to such suspension.
(b) No more than two hundred percent (200%) of the number of shares
determined by using eighty-five percent (85%) of the fair market value of a
share of the Company's Common Stock on the Offering Date as the denominator may
be purchased by a participant on any single Purchase Date.
(c) No participant shall be entitled to purchase more than the
Maximum Share Amount (as defined below) on any single Purchase Date. The maximum
number of shares which may be purchased by any employee at any single Purchase
Date (hereinafter the 'MAXIMUM SHARE AMOUNT') shall be 1,000, until otherwise
determined by the Committee not less than thirty (30) days prior to the
commencement of any Offering Period. In no event shall the Maximum Share Amount
exceed the amounts permitted under Section 10(b) above. If a new Maximum Share
Amount is set, then all participants must be notified of such Maximum Share
Amount prior to the commencement of the next Offering Period. The Maximum Share
Amount shall continue to apply with respect to all succeeding Purchase Dates and
Offering Periods unless revised by the Committee as set forth above.
(d) If the number of shares to be purchased on a Purchase Date by all
employees participating in this Plan exceeds the number of shares then available
for issuance under this Plan, then the Company will make a pro rata allocation
of the remaining shares in as uniform a manner as shall be reasonably
practicable and as the Committee shall determine to be equitable. In such event,
the Company shall give written notice of such reduction of the number of shares
to be purchased under a participant's option to each participant affected.
(e) Any payroll deductions accumulated in a participant's account
which are not used to purchase stock due to the limitations in this Section 10
shall be returned to the participant as soon as practicable after the end of the
applicable Purchase Period, without interest.
11. WITHDRAWAL.
(a) Each participant may withdraw from an Offering Period under this
Plan by signing and delivering to the Treasury Department a written notice to
that effect on a form provided for such purpose. Such withdrawal may be elected
at any time at least fifteen (15) days prior to the end of an Offering Period.
(b) Upon withdrawal from this Plan, the accumulated payroll
deductions shall be returned to the withdrawn participant, without interest, and
his or her interest in this Plan shall terminate. In the event a participant
voluntarily elects to withdraw from this Plan, he or she may not resume his or
her participation in this Plan during the same Offering Period, but he or she
may participate in any Offering Period under this Plan which commences on a date
subsequent to such withdrawal by filing a new authorization for payroll
deductions in the same manner as set forth in Section 6 above for initial
participation in this Plan.
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Exodus Communications, Inc.
1998 Employee Stock Purchase Plan
(c) If the Fair Market Value on the first day of the current Offering
Period in which a participant is enrolled is higher than the Fair Market Value
on the first day of any subsequent Offering Period, the Company will
automatically enroll such participant in the subsequent Offering Period. Except
with respect to the first Offering Period, any funds accumulated in a
participant's account prior to the first day of such subsequent Offering Period
will be applied to the purchase of shares on the Purchase Date immediately prior
to the first day of such subsequent Offering Period. In the event that the Fair
Market Value on the First Offering Date is higher than the Fair Market Value on
the first day of the second Offering Period, any funds accumulated in a
participant's account prior to the first day of the second Offering Period will
be applied to the purchase of shares on the Purchase Date next following the
first day of such second Offering Period. A participant does not need to file
any forms with the Company to automatically be enrolled in the subsequent
Offering Period.
12. TERMINATION OF EMPLOYMENT. Termination of a participant's employment
for any reason, including retirement, death or the failure of a participant to
remain an eligible employee of the Company or of a Participating Subsidiary,
immediately terminates his or her participation in this Plan. In such event, the
payroll deductions credited to the participant's account will be returned to him
or her or, in the case of his or her death, to his or her legal representative,
without interest. For purposes of this Section 12, an employee will not be
deemed to have terminated employment or failed to remain in the continuous
employ of the Company or of a Participating Subsidiary in the case of sick
leave, military leave, or any other leave of absence approved by the Board;
provided that such leave is for a period of not more than ninety (90) days or
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reemployment upon the expiration of such leave is guaranteed by contract or
statute.
13. RETURN OF PAYROLL DEDUCTIONS. In the event a participant's interest
in this Plan is terminated by withdrawal, termination of employment or
otherwise, or in the event this Plan is terminated by the Board, the Company
shall deliver to the participant all payroll deductions credited to such
participant's account. No interest shall accrue on the payroll deductions of a
participant in this Plan.
14. CAPITAL CHANGES. Subject to any required action by the stockholders
of the Company, the number of shares of Common Stock covered by each option
under this Plan which has not yet been exercised and the number of shares of
Common Stock which have been authorized for issuance under this Plan but have
not yet been placed under option (collectively, the 'RESERVES'), as well as the
price per share of Common Stock covered by each option under this Plan which has
not yet been exercised, shall be proportionately adjusted for any increase or
decrease in the number of issued and outstanding shares of Common Stock of the
Company resulting from a stock split or the payment of a stock dividend (but
only on the Common Stock) or any other increase or decrease in the number of
issued and outstanding shares of Common Stock effected without receipt of any
consideration by the Company; provided, however, that conversion of any
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convertible securities of the Company shall not be deemed to have been 'effected
without receipt of consideration'. Such adjustment shall be made by the
Committee, whose determination shall be final, binding and conclusive. Except as
expressly provided herein, no issue by the Company of shares of stock of any
class, or securities convertible into shares of stock of any class, shall
affect, and no adjustment by reason thereof shall be made with respect to, the
number or price of shares of Common Stock subject to an option.
In the event of the proposed dissolution or liquidation of the Company, the
Offering Period will terminate immediately prior to the consummation of such
proposed action, unless otherwise provided by the Committee. The Committee may,
in the exercise of its sole discretion in such instances, declare that this Plan
shall terminate as of a date fixed by the Committee and give each participant
the right to purchase shares under this Plan prior to such termination. In the
event of (i) a merger or consolidation in which the Company is not the surviving
corporation (other than a merger or consolidation with a wholly-owned
subsidiary, a reincorporation of the Company in a different jurisdiction, or
other transaction in which there is no substantial change in the stockholders of
the Company or their relative stock holdings and the options under this Plan are
assumed, converted or replaced by the successor corporation, which assumption
will be binding on all participants), (ii) a merger in which the Company is the
surviving corporation but after which the stockholders of the Company
immediately prior to such merger (other than any stockholder that merges, or
which owns or controls another corporation that merges, with the Company in such
merger) cease to own their shares or other equity interest in the Company, (iii)
the sale of all or substantially all of the assets of the Company or (iv) the
acquisition, sale, or transfer of more than 50% of the outstanding shares of the
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Exodus Communications, Inc.
1998 Employee Stock Purchase Plan
Company by tender offer or similar transaction, the Plan will terminate
immediately prior to the consummation of such transaction, unless otherwise
provided by the Committee.
The Committee may, if it so determines in the exercise of its sole
discretion, also make provision for adjusting the Reserves, as well as the price
per share of Common Stock covered by each outstanding option, in the event that
the Company effects one or more reorganizations, recapitalizations, rights
offerings or other increases or reductions of shares of its outstanding Common
Stock, or in the event of the Company being consolidated with or merged into any
other corporation.
15. NONASSIGNABILITY. Neither payroll deductions credited to a
participant's account nor any rights with regard to the exercise of an option or
to receive shares under this Plan may be assigned, transferred, pledged or
otherwise disposed of in any way (other than by will, the laws of descent and
distribution or as provided in Section 22 below) by the participant. Any such
attempt at assignment, transfer, pledge or other disposition shall be void and
without effect.
16. REPORTS. Individual accounts will be maintained for each participant
in this Plan. Each participant shall receive promptly after the end of each
Purchase Period a report of his or her account setting forth the total payroll
deductions accumulated, the number of shares purchased, the per share price
thereof and the remaining cash balance, if any, carried forward to the next
Purchase Period or Offering Period, as the case may be.
17. NOTICE OF DISPOSITION. Each participant shall notify the Company in
writing if the participant disposes of any of the shares purchased in any
Offering Period pursuant to this Plan if such disposition occurs within two (2)
years from the Offering Date or within one (1) year from the Purchase Date on
which such shares were purchased (the 'NOTICE PERIOD'). The Company may, at any
time during the Notice Period, place a legend or legends on any certificate
representing shares acquired pursuant to this Plan requesting the Company's
transfer agent to notify the Company of any transfer of the shares. The
obligation of the participant to provide such notice shall continue
notwithstanding the placement of any such legend on the certificates.
18. NO RIGHTS TO CONTINUED EMPLOYMENT. Neither this Plan nor the grant of
any option hereunder shall confer any right on any employee to remain in the
employ of the Company or any Participating Subsidiary, or restrict the right of
the Company or any Participating Subsidiary to terminate such employee's
employment.
19. EQUAL RIGHTS AND PRIVILEGES. All eligible employees shall have equal
rights and privileges with respect to this Plan so that this Plan qualifies as
an 'employee stock purchase plan' within the meaning of Section 423 or any
successor provision of the Code and the related regulations. Any provision of
this Plan which is inconsistent with Section 423 or any successor provision of
the Code shall, without further act or amendment by the Company, the Committee
or the Board, be reformed to comply with the requirements of Section 423. This
Section 19 shall take precedence over all other provisions in this Plan.
20. NOTICES. All notices or other communications by a participant to the
Company under or in connection with this Plan shall be deemed to have been duly
given when received in the form specified by the Company at the location, or by
the person, designated by the Company for the receipt thereof.
21. TERM; STOCKHOLDER APPROVAL. After this Plan is adopted by the Board,
this Plan will become effective on the First Offering Date (as defined above).
This Plan shall be approved by the stockholders of the Company, in any manner
permitted by applicable corporate law, within twelve (12) months before or after
the date this Plan is adopted by the Board. No purchase of shares pursuant to
this Plan shall occur prior to such stockholder approval. This Plan shall
continue until the earlier to occur of (a) termination of this Plan by the Board
(which termination may be effected by the Board at any time), (b) issuance of
all of the shares of Common Stock reserved for issuance under this Plan, or (c)
ten (10) years from the adoption of this Plan by the Board.
22. DESIGNATION OF BENEFICIARY.
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(a) A participant may file a written designation of a beneficiary who
is to receive any shares and cash, if any, from the participant's account under
this Plan in the event of such participant's death subsequent to the end of an
Purchase Period but prior to delivery to him of such shares and cash. In
addition, a participant may file a written designation of a beneficiary who is
to receive any cash from the participant's account under this Plan in the event
of such participant's death prior to a Purchase Date.
(b) Such designation of beneficiary may be changed by the participant
at any time by written notice. In the event of the death of a participant and in
the absence of a beneficiary validly designated under this Plan who is living at
the time of such participant's death, the Company shall deliver such shares or
cash to the executor or administrator of the estate of the participant, or if no
such executor or administrator has been appointed (to the knowledge of the
Company), the Company, in its discretion, may deliver such shares or cash to the
spouse or to any one or more dependents or relatives of the participant, or if
no spouse, dependent or relative is known to the Company, then to such other
person as the Company may designate.
23. CONDITIONS UPON ISSUANCE OF SHARES; LIMITATION ON SALE OF SHARES.
Shares shall not be issued with respect to an option unless the exercise of such
option and the issuance and delivery of such shares pursuant thereto shall
comply with all applicable provisions of law, domestic or foreign, including,
without limitation, the Securities Act, the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as
amended, the rules and regulations promulgated thereunder, and the requirements
of any stock exchange or automated quotation system upon which the shares may
then be listed, and shall be further subject to the approval of counsel for the
Company with respect to such compliance.
24. APPLICABLE LAW. The Plan shall be governed by the substantive laws
(excluding the conflict of laws rules) of the State of California.
25. AMENDMENT OR TERMINATION OF THIS PLAN. The Board may at any time
amend, terminate or extend the term of this Plan, except that any such
termination cannot affect options previously granted under this Plan, nor may
any amendment make any change in an option previously granted which would
adversely affect the right of any participant, nor may any amendment be made
without approval of the stockholders of the Company obtained in accordance with
Section 21 above within twelve (12) months of the adoption of such amendment (or
earlier if required by Section 21) if such amendment would:
(a) increase the number of shares that may be issued under this Plan;
or
(b) change the designation of the employees (or class of employees)
eligible for participation in this Plan.
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1998 Employee Stock Purchase Plan - Exodus Communications Inc.
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