Unassociated Document
OMB
APPROVAL
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OMB
Number: 3235-0059
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Expires:
January 31, 2008
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Estimated
average burden
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hours
per response . . . . . 14
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United
States Securities and Exchange Commission
Washington,
D.C. 20549
SCHEDULE
14A
Proxy
Statement Pursuant to Section 14(a) of the Securities Exchange Act of
1934
Filed
by
the Registrant x
Filed
by
a Party other than the Registrant o
Check
the
appropriate box:
x
Preliminary Proxy Statement
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o
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Confidential,
for Use of the Commission Only
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o
Definitive
Proxy
Statement
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|
(as
permitted by Rule 14a-6(e)(2))
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o
Definitive
Additional
Materials
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o
Soliciting
Material Under Rule
14a-12
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GoldSpring,
Inc.
(Name
of
Registrant as Specified In Its Charter)
(Name
of
Person(s) Filing Proxy Statement, if Other Than the Registrant)
Payment
of Filing Fee (Check the appropriate box):
x
No fee
required.
o Fee
computed on table below per
Exchange Act Rules 14a-6(i)(1) and 0-11.
1) Title
of
each class of securities to which transaction applies:
2) Aggregate
number of securities to which transaction applies:
3) Per
unit
price or other underlying value of transaction computed pursuant to Exchange
Act
Rule 0- 11
(set
forth the amount on which the filing fee is calculated and state how it was
determined):
4) Proposed
maximum aggregate value of transaction:
5) Total
fee
paid:
o Fee
paid previously with
preliminary materials
o Check
box if any
part of the fee is offset as provided by Exchange Act Rule 0-11(a)(2) and
identify the filing for which the offsetting fee was paid previously. Identify
the previous filing by registration statement number, or the form or schedule
and the date of its filing.
1) Amount
previously paid:
2) Form,
Schedule or Registration Statement No.:
3) Filing
Party:
4) Date
Filed:
WRITTEN
CONSENT OF THE SHAREHOLDERS OF
GOLDSPRING,
INC. IN LIEU OF A SPECIAL MEETING OF SHAREHOLDERS
The
undersigned, constituting holders of a majority of the shares for which consents
are submitted by stockholders holding a majority of the outstanding shares
of
Common Stock (as of June 7, 2006) of Goldspring, Inc., a Florida corporation
(the "Corporation"), do hereby consent, pursuant to Section 607.0704 of the
Florida Statutes, to the implementation of the following resolutions, in lieu
of
a special Meeting of the Shareholders of the Corporation, to have the same
full
force and effect as if passed at a special Meeting of the Shareholders,
and
is solicited on behalf of the Corporation’s Board of
Directors.
We have
attached a separate consent card to this Written Consent so that you may address
each matter presented in this Consent separately. To either consent, not consent
or abstain on each issue, please fill out the Consent Card and return it to
the
Company pursuant to the instructions set forth. Note that you must indicate
your
approval/disapproval/abstention for each other matter to be passed upon
separately by checking the appropriate box. If
you do not check a box, your shares will be voted FOR the resolution for which
no box is checked.
It
is
hereby RESOLVED, that the Corporation's Articles of Incorporation are amended
to
include the following amendment:
Increase
in authorized shares. Article V of the Articles of Incorporation is hereby
amended and restated in its entirety to read as follows:
Article
V
Capital
Stock
The
maximum number of shares of capital stock that this corporation shall be
authorized to have outstanding at any one time shall be Four Billion
(4,000,000,000). Of such amount, Three Billion Nine Hundred Fifty Million
(3,950,000,000) shares shall be designated Common Stock and Fifty Million
(50,000,000) shares shall be designated Preferred Stock. The Common Stock shall
have a par value of $0.000666 per share upon which there are no preemptive
rights. The Preferred Stock shall have a par value of $0.000666 per share.
The
Preferred Stock may be issued in one or more series or classes, each of which
shall have such rights, preferences and privileges as the Board of Directors
shall from time to time designate. The Common Stock and Preferred Stock shall
be
paid for at such time as the Board of Directors shall designate, in cash, real
property, personal property, services, patents, leases, or any other valuable
thing or right for the use and purposes of the corporation, and shares of
capital, which issued in exchange thereof shall thereupon and thereby become
and
be paid in full, the same as though paid in cash at par, and shall be non
assessable forever, the judgment of the Board of Directors as to the value
of
the property right or thing acquired in exchange for such capital stock shall
be
conclusive; and it is hereby
FURTHER
RESOLVED, that the form, terms, provisions and implementation of the
Corporation’s
2006 Stock Option and Incentive Plan (“2006 Plan”) are hereby approved, with
whatever changes are deemed necessary by Board
of
Directors to ensure compliance of the 2006 Plan with all required federal and
state regulations, all as set forth in the Schedule 14A of the Company to be
mailed to the shareholders on or about August __, 2006, to which this resolution
is attached; and it is hereby
FURTHER
RESOLVED, that the Board of Directors may, without further shareholder action,
take all steps necessary to reincorporate the Company as a Nevada corporation,
through a merger of the Company into a wholly owned subsidiary, to be
incorporated in Nevada solely for such purpose, all as set forth in the Schedule
14A of the Company to be mailed to the shareholders on or about August __,
2006,
to which this resolution is attached; and it is hereby
FURTHER
RESOLVED, that the Board of Directors may implement a reverse stock split of
all
of its outstanding shares, without further shareholder action, in a ratio of
not
less than 1:10 and not to exceed 1:200 and may reduce the outstanding shares
without reducing the authorized shares, and may implement such reverse stock
split separately or in conjunction with reincorporating the Company in Nevada,
all as set forth in the Schedule 14A of the Company to be mailed to the
shareholders on or about August __, 2006, to which this resolution is attached;
and it is hereby
FURTHER
RESOLVED, that the officers of the Corporation hereby are, and each of them
hereby is, authorized to execute and deliver any documents and take any actions
necessary to comply with the terms and intent of the foregoing resolutions
and
to consummate the transactions contemplated hereby and thereby. This consent
may
be executed in counterparts all of which taken together shall constitute one
original consent.
IN
WITNESS WHEREOF, the undersigned have executed this Written Consent as of this
__ day of _________, 2006.
Name
Address
City,
State, Zip Code, Country
E-mail
address
Telephone
Number
Number
of
Shares Owned (as of June 7, 2006)
GOLDSPRING,
INC.
P.O.
Box 1118
Virginia
City, NV 89440
CONSENT
CARD FOR
THE
WRITTEN CONSENT IN LIEU OF A SPECIAL MEETING OF SHAREHOLDERS OF
GOLDSPRING,
INC. SOLICITED ON
BEHALF
OF
THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS
The
undersigned hereby grants consent, opposes granting consent or abstains from
granting consent with regard to all of the shares of Common Stock of the Company
which it has the power to vote as of June 7, 2006. This consent will be applied
as specified by the undersigned. If no choice is specified with respect to
a
certain proposal, this Consent will constitute consent FOR that Proposal as
more
fully set forth in the Written Consent of the Shareholders of Goldspring, Inc.
to which this Consent Card is attached.
Please
fill out and sign this card promptly and return to the Company via telefax
at
775-847-4762, attention Chief Executive Officer, via regular mail at P.O. Box
1118, Virginia City, NV 89440, or via email at
rfaber@goldspring.us.
Resolution
1 - Increase in Authorized Shares:
Resolution
2: Approval
of the 2006 Stock Option and Incentive Plan.
Resolution
3: Approval
of the reincorporation of the Company in the State of Nevada.
Resolution
4: Approval a reverse stock split of the Company’s Common Stock, as determined
by the Company’s Board of Directors, in a ratio of not less than 1:10 and not to
exceed 1:200.
IN
WITNESS WHEREOF, the undersigned have executed this Written Consent as of this
__ day of _________, 2006.
Name
Address
City,
State, Zip Code, Country
E-mail
address
Telephone
Number
Number
of
Shares Owned (as of June 7, 2006)
TABLE
OF
CONTENTS
TITLE
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PAGE
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NOTICE
OF ACTION TO BE TAKEN
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1
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DISSENTERS’
RIGHTS
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2
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PROPOSAL
1 - INCREASE IN AUTHORIZED CAPITAL STOCK
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2
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PROPOSAL
2 - APPROVAL
OF 2006 STOCK OPTION AND INCENTIVE PLAN
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3
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PROPOSAL
3 - REINCORPORATION FROM FLORIDA TO NEVADA
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7
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PROPOSAL
4 - REVERSE STOCK SPLIT
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13
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POTENTIAL
ANTI-TAKEOVER EFFECT OF CERTAIN PROVISIONS
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17
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INTEREST
OF CERTAIN PERSONS IN MATTERS TO BE ACTED UPON
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17
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SECURITY
OWNERSHIP OF CERTAIN BENEFICIAL OWNERS AND MANAGEMENT
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17
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SUMMARY
COMPENSATION TABLE
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19
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SECTION
16(A) BENEFICIAL OWNERSHIP REPORTING COMPLIANCE
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19
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MULTIPLE
SHAREHOLDERS SHARING SAME ADDRESS
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19
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SIGNATURES
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19
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EXHIBIT
A - STOCK
OPTION AND INCENTIVE PLAN
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20
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EXHIBIT
B - AGREEMENBT AND PLAN OF MERGER
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33
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EXHIBIT
C - ARTICLES OF INCORPORATION OF GOLDSPRING NEVADA
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36
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EXHIBIT
D - BYLAWS OF GOLDSPRING NEVADA
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41
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EXHIBIT
E - CERTIFICATE OF AMENDMENT FOR REVERSE STOCK SPLIT
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53
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GOLDSPRING,
INC.
P.O.
Box 1118
Virginia
City, NV 89440
NOTICE
OF
SHAREHOLDER ACTION TO BE TAKEN BY
WRITTEN
CONSENT IN JULY 2006 OR THEREAFTER
The
actions, described below, will be approved by written consent of holders of
a
majority of the shares for which a consent is submitted by stockholders holding
a majority of the shares of Common Stock (as of June 7, 2006) of the
Company.
This
Proxy Statement, which is being mailed to shareholders on or about ______ __
2006, is furnished in accordance with the requirements of Regulation 14A
promulgated under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, by
Goldspring, Inc., a Florida corporation (the "Company").
Notice
is
hereby given that the holders of a majority of the shares for which a consent
is
submitted holding a majority of the outstanding shares of the Company's Common
Stock (as of June 7, 2006) will act by written consent to approve the following
actions in lieu of a Special Meeting of Shareholders.
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A.
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To
amend the Corporation's Articles of Incorporation to increase its
authorized shares to 4,000,000,000;
and
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B.
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To
vote on the approval of the 2006 Stock Option and Incentive
Plan.;
and
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C.
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To
approve reincorporation of the Company in the State of Nevada;
and
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D
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To
approve a reverse stock split of the Company’s Common Stock, as determined
by the Company’s Board of Directors in a ratio of not less than 1:10 and
not to exceed 1:200.
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The
Board
of Directors has fixed the close of business on June 7, 2006 as the record
date
(the "Record Date") for determining shareholders entitled to notice of the
Written Consent. Only shareholders of record of the Company's Common Stock
at
the close of business on June 7, 2006 are entitled to notice of the written
consent.
By
the
order of the Board of Directors
/s/
Robert T. Faber
Robert
T.
Faber
CEO
and
President
Virginia
City, NV
July
__,
2006
PLEASE
BE
ASSURED THAT YOUR CONSENT IS IMPORTANT. TO ENSURE THAT YOUR CONSENT WILL BE
COUNTED TOWARD THE NUMBER OF SHARES NECESSARY FOR MAJORITY CONSENT, PLEASE
SIGN
THE ENCLOSED CONSENT FORM AND RETURN TO THE COMPANY VIA THE INSTRUCTIONS SET
FORTH ON THE CONSENT FORM.
GOLDSPRING,
INC.
PROXY
STATEMENT
FOR
WRITTEN CONSENT IN LIEU OF SPECIAL MEETING OF SHAREHOLDERS
This
proxy statement is furnished in connection with the solicitation of written
consents by and on behalf of the Board of Directors of Goldspring, Inc., a
Florida corporation, with its principal executive offices at 1200 American
Flat
Rd, Virginia City, NV 89440 (the “Company”), for a Written Consent in Lieu of a
Special Meeting of Stockholders (the "Consent").
The
cost
of the solicitation will be borne by the Company. Certain of the officers and
regular employees of the Company may solicit consents by correspondence,
telephone or in person, without extra compensation. The Company may also pay
to
banks, brokers, nominees and other fiduciaries their reasonable charges and
expenses incurred in forwarding proxy material to their principals. It is
expected that this proxy statement and the accompanying proxy will be mailed
to
stockholders on or about ________ __, 2006, immediately upon filing of the
Definitive Proxy Statement with the SEC.
The
Company's Board of Director has fixed the close of business on June 7, 2006
as
the record date ("Record Date") for the Consent. Only stockholders of record
at
the close of business on the Record Date will be entitled to receive notice
of
and give their written consent. As of the Record Date, there were outstanding
and entitled to vote 800,000,000 shares of Common Stock, $0.001 par value (the
"Common Stock"), of the Company.
Consents
will be tabulated by the Company. The consents on each matter submitted to
stockholders will be tabulated in the aggregate.
THE
ENCLOSED CONSENT, IF EXECUTED AND RETURNED, WILL BE COUNTED AS SET FORTH AS
DIRECTED IN THE CONSENT. THE CONSENT WILL BECOME EFFECTIVE UPON RECEIPT OF
EXECUTED CONSENTS CONSTITUTING 50.1% OF THE ISSUED AND OUTSTANDING SHARES
ENTITLED TO VOTE THEREON. THIS CONSENT IS NOT REVOCABLE.
DISSENTERS’
RIGHTS
There
are
no rights of appraisal or similar rights of dissenters with respect to any
matter to be voted upon pursuant to this Proxy Statement.
PROPOSAL
1
INCREASE
IN AUTHORIZED CAPITAL STOCK
The
Board
of Directors of the Company authorized an amendment to Article V of its Articles
of Incorporation to allow for an increase in the capital stock of the Company.
This amendment increases the total number of authorized common shares from
850,000,000 to 4,000,000,000.
The
proposed amendment is as follows:
Article
V
of the Articles of Incorporation is hereby amended and restated in its entirety
to read as follows:
Article
V
Capital
Stock
The
maximum number of shares of capital stock that this corporation shall be
authorized to have outstanding at any one time shall be Four Billion
(4,000,000,000). Of such amount, Three Billion Nine Hundred Fifty Million
(3,950,000,000) shares shall be designated Common Stock and Fifty Million
(50,000,000) shares shall be designated Preferred Stock. The Common Stock shall
have a par value of $0.000666 per share upon which there are no preemptive
rights. The Preferred Stock shall have a par value of $0.000666 per share.
The
Preferred Stock may be issued in one or more series or classes, each of which
shall have such rights, preferences and privileges as the Board of Directors
shall from time to time designate. The Common Stock and Preferred Stock shall
be
paid for at such time as the Board of Directors shall designate, in cash, real
property, personal property, services, patents, leases, or any other valuable
thing or right for the use and purposes of the corporation, and shares of
capital, which issued in exchange thereof shall thereupon and thereby become
and
be paid in full, the same as though paid in cash at par, and shall be non
assessable forever, the judgment of the Board of Directors as to the value
of
the property right or thing acquired in exchange for such capital stock shall
be
conclusive.
No
other
changes were made to Article V.
This
amendment will allow the Company to meet its contractual obligations to existing
convertible debtholders by authorizing sufficient stock to meet their conversion
rights, previously granted. In doing so, the Company would also endeavor to
“clean up” its balance sheet by converting all of its outstanding convertible
debt into Common Stock, making the Company attractive to further investors.
Additionally, the Company is in the process of finalizing a $2.2 million
financing package with several existing investors, and a mine acquisition by
an
investor, which ultimately will be transferred to the Company, based upon a
contemplated convertible debenture. These transactions will have a dilutive
effect.
The
Board
of Directors also believes that this amendment will provide the Corporation
with
greater flexibility in capitalization, including potential future equity and/or
convertible debt offerings (which would have a dilutive effect) and
consideration for strategic acquisitions, by increasing authorized capital
to
allow issuance of an additional Three Billion One Hundred Fifty Million shares
of Common Stock, though there are no current finalized arrangements by the
Company that would result in the issuance of the additional authorized shares,
nor does the Company have any current plans to enter into a business combination
or merger, other than as stated above.
Vote
Required
Under
Florida law, assuming consent is submitted, for the number of shares which
would
constitute a quorum, if a meeting of shareholders were actually being held,
the
approval of the Proposal requires the affirmative vote of a majority of the
shares of common stock presented pursuant to the written consent and entitled
to
vote on this Proposal. Unless otherwise indicated, properly executed consents
will be voted in favor of Proposal 1 to approve the increase in authorized
shares.
The
Board
of Directors recommends a vote FOR Proposal 1.
PROPOSAL
2
APPROVAL
OF 2006 STOCK OPTION AND INCENTIVE PLAN
The
Board is seeking stockholder approval to create the 2006 Stock Option and
Incentive Plan, previously approved by the Board. The 2006 Stock Option and
Incentive Plan will have 800,000,000 shares of Common stock and options
available for issuance and a term of 10 years. (If stockholders approve the
amendment to the Company’s Certificate of Incorporation to effect a reverse
stock split at a ratio of not less than 1:10 and not more than 1:200, and the
Board effects such a reverse stock split, then the Plan would have between
4,000,000 (1:200 split) and 80,000,000 (1:10 split) shares of Common Stock
and
options available). The Corporation did not issue any stock options, dividend
equivalents or restricted stock under its previously approved 2005 Stock Option
and Incentive Plan.
Any
executive, employee, officer, director or independent contractor is eligible
to
receive awards under the 2006 Stock Option and Incentive Plan. Because
participation and the types of awards under the 2006 Stock Option and Incentive
Plan are subject to the discretion of the Board’s Compensation Committee, the
benefits or amounts that will be received by any participant or groups of
participants if the creation of the 2006 Stock Option and Incentive Plan are
approved are not currently determinable. The Company estimates that
approximately 10 individuals were eligible to participate in the 2006 Stock
Option and Incentive Plan as of June 7, 2006.
The
Board of Directors believes that stock options and restricted stock will be
an
important compensation element in attract, motivate, retain, and reward
executives, employees, officers, directors, and independent contractors by
providing such persons with annual and long-term performance incentives to
expend their maximum efforts in the creation of stockholder value.
Description
of the 2006 Stock Option and Incentive Plan
A
description of the provisions of the 2006 Stock Option and Incentive Plan is
set
forth below. The 2006 Stock Option and Incentive Plan is set forth herein in
its
entirety as Exhibit A to this Proxy Statement, and the description set forth
herein is qualified in its entirety by the Plan, as set forth in Exhibit A.
Administration.
The
Compensation Committee of the Board of Directors will administer the 2006 Stock
Option and Incentive Plan. Subject to the terms of the plan, the Compensation
Committee may select participants to receive awards, determine the type or
types
of awards to be given and terms and conditions of awards, and interpret
provisions of the plan.
Common
Stock Reserved for Issuance Under the Plan. The
Common Stock to be issued under the Plan consists of authorized but unissued
shares. The number of available shares will be increased by number of shares
with respect to which awards previously granted under the Plan are terminated
without being exercised, expire, are forfeited or cancelled, do not vest, or
are
surrendered in payment of any awards or any tax withholding with respect
thereto. The Plan also provides for adjustment of the number of shares for
which
awards may be granted, the number of shares subject to outstanding awards,
and
the applicable exercise price of outstanding awards in the event of any increase
or decrease in the number of issued and outstanding shares of common stock
as a
result of one or more reorganizations, recapitalizations, stock splits, reverse
stock splits, or stock dividends.
Eligibility.
Awards may be made under the Plan to the Corporation’s executives, employees,
officers, directors, and independent contractors.
Termination
or Amendment of the Plan.
The Board of Directors may amend, alter, suspend, discontinue, or terminate
the
2006 Stock Option and Incentive Plan, except stockholder approval must be
obtained for any amendment or alteration to the extent required by the Internal
Revenue Code or other applicable laws. Unless terminated earlier by the Board
of
Directors, the 2006 Stock Option and Incentive Plan will terminate at such
time
as no shares of common stock remain available for issuance under the plan and
the Company has no further rights or obligations with respect to outstanding
awards under the plan.
Change
in Control. The
Compensation Committee, in its discretion, may accelerate the exercisability,
the lapsing of restrictions, or the expiration of deferral or vesting periods
of
any award, and such accelerated exercisability, lapse, expiration, and, if
so
provided in the award agreement, vesting will occur automatically in the case
of
a “change in control” of the Company. In the event of a “change in control” of
the Company, all awards of restricted stock will vest, and all awards of options
will become exercisable, unless (i) such restricted stock awards and options
are
assumed by a successor entity or a parent or subsidiary of a successor entity;
or (ii) a majority of the Board of Directors determines that the “change in
control” will not trigger these provisions.
Options.
The 2006
Stock Option and Incentive Plan permits the granting of options to purchase
shares of common stock intended to qualify as incentive stock options under
the
Internal Revenue Code and stock options that do not qualify as incentive stock
options.
In
the
case of incentive stock options, the exercise price of each stock option may
not
be less than 100% of the fair market value of the Company’s common stock on the
date of grant. In the case of certain 10% stockholders who receive incentive
stock options, the exercise price may not be less than 110% of the fair market
value of the common stock on the date of grant. An exception to these
requirements is made for options that the Company grants in substitution for
options held by participants of companies that the Company acquires. In such
a
case the exercise price is adjusted to preserve the economic value of the
participant’s stock option from his or her former employer. In no event will the
exercise price be less than the par value of a share of common stock on the
date
of grant. The term of each stock option is fixed by the Compensation Committee
and may not exceed 10 years from the date of grant. Options may be made
exercisable in installments. The Compensation Committee may accelerate the
exercisability of options.
Unless
the Compensation Committee provides otherwise in the applicable option
agreement, unvested options will expire immediately and vested options will
expire 90 days after a grantee terminates employment with the Company for a
reason other than for death or disability. Unless the Compensation Committee
provides otherwise in the applicable option agreement, in the case of a
termination of employment due to death or disability, options will fully vest
and remain exercisable for a period of one year following termination of
employment. In the case of a termination for cause, the Company may cancel
the
options upon the grantee’s termination.
In
general, a grantee may pay the exercise price of an option by cash, certified
check, by tendering shares of common stock (which if acquired from the Company
have been held by the grantee for at least six months), or by means of a
broker-assisted cashless exercise.
Stock
options granted under the 2006 Stock Option and Incentive Plan may not be sold,
transferred, pledged or assigned other than by will or under applicable laws
of
descent and distribution. However, the Company may permit limited transfers
of
non-qualified options for the benefit of immediate family members of grantees
to
help with estate planning concerns or to co-workers or employees of
grantees.
Other
Awards.
The Compensation Committee also may award restricted stock, which are shares
of
common stock subject to restrictions.
Effect
of Certain Corporate Transactions.
Certain change of control transactions involving the Company, such as a sale
of
the Company, may cause awards granted under the 2006 Stock Option and Incentive
Plan to vest, unless the awards are continued or substituted for in connection
with the change of control transaction.
Section 162(m) of
the Internal Revenue Code.
Section 162(m) of the Internal Revenue Code limits publicly-held
companies to an annual deduction for federal income tax purposes of
$1 million for compensation paid to their covered employees. However,
“performance-based compensation” is excluded from this limitation. The 2006
Stock Option and Incentive Plan is designed to permit the Compensation Committee
to grant options that qualify as performance-based for purposes of satisfying
the conditions of Section 162(m).
To
qualify as performance-based:
(a)
the compensation must be paid solely on account of the attainment of one or
more
pre-established, objective performance goals;
(b)
the performance goal under which compensation is paid must be established by
a
compensation committee comprised solely of two or more directors who qualify
as
outside directors for purposes of the exception;
(c)
the material terms under which the compensation is to be paid must be disclosed
to and subsequently approved by stockholders of the Company before payment
is
made in a separate vote; and
(d)
the Compensation Committee must certify in writing before payment of the
compensation that the performance goals and any other material terms were in
fact satisfied.
In
the case of compensation attributable to stock options, the performance goal
requirement (summarized in (a) above) is deemed satisfied, and the
certification requirement (summarized in (d) above) is inapplicable, if the
grant or award is made by the Compensation Committee; the plan under which
the
option is granted states the maximum number of shares with respect to which
options may be granted during a specified period to a participant; and under
the
terms of the option, the amount of compensation is based solely on an increase
in the value of the common stock after the date of grant. The maximum number
of
shares of common stock subject to options that can be awarded under the 2006
Stock Option and Incentive Plan to any person is 80,000,000 shares per
year.
Federal
Income Tax Consequences
Incentive
Stock Options.
The grant of an option will not be a taxable event for the grantee or for the
Company. A grantee will not recognize taxable income upon exercise of an
incentive stock option (except that the alternative minimum tax may apply),
and
any gain realized upon a disposition of the common stock received pursuant
to
the exercise of an incentive stock option will be taxed as long-term capital
gain if the grantee holds the shares of common stock for at least two years
after the date of grant and for one year after the date of exercise (the
“holding period requirement”). The Company will not be entitled to any business
expense deduction with respect to the exercise of an incentive stock option,
except as discussed below.
For
the exercise of an option to qualify for the foregoing tax treatment, the
grantee generally must be the Company’s employee or an employee of the Company’s
subsidiary from the date the option is granted through a date within three
months before the date of exercise of the option.
If
all of the foregoing requirements are met except the holding period requirement
mentioned above, the grantee will recognize ordinary income upon the disposition
of the common stock in an amount generally equal to the excess of the fair
market value of the common stock at the time the option was exercised over
the
option exercise price (but not in excess of the gain realized on the sale).
The
balance of the realized gain, if any, will be capital gain. The Company will
be
allowed a business expense deduction to the extent the grantee recognizes
ordinary income, subject to the Company’s compliance with
Section 162(m) of the Internal Revenue Code and to certain reporting
requirements.
Non-Qualified
Options.
The grant of an option will not be a taxable event for the grantee or for the
Company. Upon exercising a non-qualified option, a grantee will recognize
ordinary income in an amount equal to the difference between the exercise price
and the fair market value of the common stock on the date of exercise. Upon
a
subsequent sale or exchange of shares acquired pursuant to the exercise of
a
non-qualified option, the grantee will have taxable gain or loss, measured
by
the difference between the amounts realized on the disposition and the tax
basis
of the shares of common stock (generally, the amount paid for the shares plus
the amount treated as ordinary income at the time the option was
exercised).
If
the Company complies with applicable reporting requirements and with the
restrictions of Section 162(m) of the Internal Revenue Code, the
Company will be entitled to a business expense deduction in the same amount
and
generally at the same time as the grantee recognizes ordinary
income.
A
grantee who has transferred a non-qualified stock option to a family member
by
gift will realize taxable income at the time the non-qualified stock option
is
exercised by the family member. The grantee will be subject to withholding
of
income and employment taxes at that time. The family member’s tax basis in the
shares of common stock will be the fair market value of the shares of common
stock on the date the option is exercised. The transfer of vested non-qualified
stock options will be treated as a completed gift for gift and estate tax
purposes. Once the gift is completed, neither the transferred options nor the
shares acquired on exercise of the transferred options will be includable in
the
grantee’s estate for estate tax purposes.
Restricted
Stock.
A grantee who is awarded restricted stock will not recognize any taxable income
for federal income tax purposes in the year of the award, provided that the
shares of common stock are subject to restrictions (that is, the restricted
stock is nontransferable and subject to a substantial risk of forfeiture).
However, the grantee may elect under Section 83(b) of the Internal
Revenue Code to recognize compensation income in the year of the award in an
amount equal to the fair market value of the common stock on the date of the
award, determined without regard to the restrictions. If the grantee does not
make such a Section 83(b) election, the fair market value of the
common stock on the date the restrictions lapse will be treated as compensation
income to the grantee and will be taxable in the year the restrictions lapse.
If
the Company complies with applicable reporting requirements and subject to
the
restrictions of Section 162(m) of the Internal Revenue Code, the
Company will be entitled to a business expense deduction in the same amount
and
generally at the same time as the grantee recognizes ordinary
income.
Vote
Required
Under
Florida law, assuming consent is submitted, for the number of shares which
would
constitute a quorum, if a meeting of shareholders were actually being held,
the
approval of the Proposal requires the affirmative vote of a majority of the
shares of the Company’s common stock presented pursuant to the written consent
and entitled to vote on this Proposal. Unless otherwise indicated, properly
executed consents will be voted in favor of Proposal 2.
The
Board
of Directors recommends a vote FOR Proposal 2.
PROPOSAL
3
REINCORPORATION
FROM FLORIDA TO NEVADA
The
Company proposes to reincorporate from the State of Florida to the State of
Nevada. The reincorporation will be effected pursuant to an Agreement and Plan
of Merger (the "Merger Agreement") in the form set forth in Exhibit B hereto,
to
be entered into by and between the Company and a new Nevada corporation to
be
named "Goldspring, Inc.” ("Goldspring Nevada"), which is a wholly owned
subsidiary of the Company. If the proposed reincorporation is approved by the
Stockholders, the Company will cause Goldspring Nevada to be incorporated
pursuant to the form of Articles of Incorporation substantially as set forth
in
Exhibit C hereto, and will cause the Merger Agreement to be approved and signed
by the parties. The Company will also cause Goldspring Nevada to adopt By-laws
in substantially the form as set forth in Exhibit D.
The
Articles of Incorporation and the By-Laws for Goldspring Nevada have been
drafted to substantially reflect the existing Articles of Incorporation and
By-Laws of the Company, except for the following changes and explanations as
to
why the changes are being made:
1.
Change
to Articles: Opt in to NRS 78.3792:
A
new
Article would be added which would read in its entirety as follows:
“The
provisions of Nevada Revised Statutes Section 78.3792 shall not apply to any
acquisition of a controlling interest by any person, entity, persons or entities
in the Corporation meeting the criteria set forth in NRS Sections 78.3780
et
seq.”
The
Board
has determined that opting into this statute would place unnecessary burdens
on
the Company from completing third party financings, and has thus decided to
forego the potential anti takeover protections of this statute.
2.
Changes to the Bylaws:
a.
Calling special shareholder meetings:
“Special
meetings of the shareholders, for any purpose or purposes described in the
notice of meeting, may be called only by (i) shareholders holding a majority
of
the outstanding shares of Common Stock of the Corporation; (ii) a majority
of
the Directors of the Corporation’s Board of Directors; (iii) the Chairman of the
Board of the Corporation; or (iv) the President of the
Corporation”.
This
change to the Bylaws would only permit the calling of special meetings of
shareholders by (i) shareholders holding a majority of the outstanding shares
of
Common Stock of the Company; (ii) a majority of the Directors of the Company’s
Board of Directors; (iii) the Chairman of the Board of the Company; or (iv)
the
President of the Company. Currently, a special meeting may be called by 10%
of
the outstanding shares. The amended provision would limit the ability of
acquirors to control the timing of takeover votes or votes on other corporate
governance matters.
b.
Notice
by shareholders for meetings of shareholders:
“Notice
by Shareholders. With respect to (i) any business sought to be brought before
an
Annual Meeting of Shareholders of the Corporation or (ii) a nomination of a
Director at any Annual or Special Meeting of Shareholders at which an election
of Directors is to take place, in either case by a Shareholder of the
Corporation, such Shareholder must provide notice to the Corporation and each
other Shareholder thereof within 10 business days of the date on which the
Corporation or another Shareholder sends to the Shareholders of the Corporation
written notice of such Annual or Special Meeting. Such Notice shall contain,
at
a minimum: (i) the Shareholder’s name and mailing address; (ii) the date, time
and place of the Meeting (and type) to which the Notice applies; (iii) the
nature of the matter (and for an election of Director(s), the identity and
qualifications of said Director(s); and (iv) any other information required
to
ensure that Shareholders entitled to vote on such matter have a clear
understanding of the ramifications thereof”.
This
change to the Bylaws would require a shareholder seeking to bring business
before any annual meeting of shareholders or to nominate directors at an annual
or special meeting of shareholders to provide advance written notice to the
Company and other shareholders. This provision would delay an acquiror’s ability
to replace directors or to gain shareholder approval of a takeover proposal,
thus providing time for the Board to properly evaluate such shareholder’s
proposals and accord them due consideration.
c.
Removal of directors solely with cause:
“Such
removal shall be solely with cause. For purposes of this Section, “with cause”
shall mean (i)
the Director's conviction for the commission of any act or acts constituting
a
felony under the laws of the United States or any state thereof or the breach
of
any securities law or regulation, (ii) action by the Director toward the
Corporation involving dishonesty (other than good faith expense account
disputes), (iii) the Director's refusal to abide by or follow written directions
of the Board of Directors, (iv) the Director's gross nonfeasance which does
not
cease within ten (10) business days after notice regarding such nonfeasance
has
been given to the Executive by the Corporation; and (v) the material breach
of
any written agreement between the Director (acting in any capacity) and the
Corporation or any written policy or policy regarding confidentiality or
noncompetition, whether verbal or written, of the Corporation.”.
This
change to the Bylaws would limit removal of directors to “for cause” reasons.
This would greatly inhibit the ability of an acquiror from removing the entire
slate of directors at a single meeting which would not necessarily be in the
shareholders’ best interests as it would remove the entire talent pool and those
with experience running the Company in one action and potentially leave the
Company without experienced guidance.
The
Board
of Directors of the Company has unanimously approved this proposal and approved
the form of the Merger Agreement, the form of Articles of Incorporation, and
the
form of By-Laws.
NO
CHANGE
IN BUSINESS, JOBS, PHYSICAL LOCATION, ETC.
The
reincorporation merger will effect a change in the Company’s legal domicile;
however, the reincorporation merger will not result in any change in
headquarters, business, jobs, management, location of any of offices or
facilities, number of employees, assets, liabilities or net worth (other than
as
a result of the costs incident to the reincorporation merger, which are
immaterial). Management, including all directors and officers, will remain
the
same in connection with the reincorporation merger and will assume identical
positions with Goldspring Nevada. There will be no substantive change in the
employment agreements for executive officers or in other direct or indirect
interests of the current directors or executive officers as a result of the
reincorporation. Unless the reincorporation merger and the reverse stock split
are combined as set forth in “COMBINING REINCORPORATION AND REVERSE STOCK
SPLIT”, upon the effective time of the reincorporation merger, each
shareholder’s shares of common stock will be converted into an equivalent number
of shares of common stock of Goldspring Nevada, and such shares will continue
to
trade on the Over the Counter Bulletin Board under the same stock symbol.
REASONS
FOR THE REINCORPORATION
Nevada
is
a nationally-recognized leader in adopting and implementing comprehensive and
flexible corporate laws. The General Corporation Law of the State of Nevada
is
frequently revised and updated to accommodate changing legal and business needs.
With its growth, the Company thinks it will be beneficial to it and its
shareholders to obtain the benefits of Nevada corporate law. Nevada courts
have
developed considerable expertise in dealing with corporate legal issues and
produced a substantial body of case law construing Nevada corporate laws, with
multiple cases concerning areas that no Florida court has considered. Because
the judicial system is based largely on legal precedents, the abundance of
Nevada case law should serve to enhance the relative clarity and predictability
of many areas of corporate law, which should offer added advantages by allowing
the board of directors and management to make corporate decisions and take
corporate actions with greater assurance as to the validity and consequences
of
those decisions and actions. Reincorporation from Florida to Nevada also may
make it easier to attract future candidates willing to serve on the board of
directors, because many of such candidates already will be familiar with Nevada
corporate law, including provisions relating to director indemnification, from
their past business experience. Also, as the Company’s main business
operations, the move will simplify administration and the need to file
documentation in both the State of Florida and the State of Nevada.
COMPARISON
OF SHAREHOLDER RIGHTS BEFORE AND AFTER THE REINCORPORATON
There
are
some differences between the Company’s current Articles of Incorporation (the
“Florida Articles”) and Bylaws (the “Florida Bylaws”) and the corresponding
organizational documents for Goldspring Nevada which are discussed above in
this
section. There are also material differences between the Florida Business
Corporation Act, or “FBCA,” and the Nevada general corporate law, or “NGCL”,
some of which are summarized in the chart below. This chart does not address
each difference between Florida law and Nevada law, but focuses on some of
those
differences which the Company believes are most relevant to the existing
shareholders. This chart is not intended as an exhaustive list of all
differences, and is qualified in its entirety by reference to Florida and Nevada
law.
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FLORIDA
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NEVADA
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Standards
of Conduct for Directors
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Under
the FBCA, directors also have a fiduciary relationship to their
corporation and its shareholders and, as such, are required to discharge
their duties as a director in good faith with the care an ordinarily
prudent person in a like position would exercise under similar
circumstances and in a manner they reasonably believe to be in the
best
interests of the corporation. In discharging his or her duties, a
director
may consider such factors as the director deems relevant, including
the
long-term prospects and interests of the corporation and its shareholders,
and the social, economic, legal, or other effects of any action on
the
employees, suppliers, customers of the corporation or its subsidiaries,
the communities and society in which the corporation or its subsidiaries
operate, and the economy of the state and the nation.
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In
Nevada, a corporation’s directors are held accountable to use "reasonable
business judgment" in directing and overseeing the activities of
the
corporation. They have fiduciary obligations which cannot be breached.
Directors can be held accountable to the shareholders if they fail
to
properly fulfill their duties or otherwise act against the interests
of
the corporation.
In
order to fulfill their duties to the corporation and shareholders,
directors are bound to use reasonable care and business judgment.
Their
performance will be based upon what a prudent person would decide
under
the circumstances. Their decisions do not necessarily need to pan
out to
be successful, as long as their business judgment was reasonable
under the
circumstances at the time that the relevant decision was
made.
Directors
must make all decisions in the best interest of the corporation and
not
based upon their own self interests or the interests of other parties.
Directors generally cannot personally profit to the detriment of
the
corporation. In any situation where a director stands to benefit
personally, full disclosure of this personal benefit should be made
prior
to the making of such decisions. Transactions where a director stands
to
gain personally are not necessarily invalid, but will be specially
scrutinized for fairness to the corporation and to determine whether
the
director's personal interests were properly disclosed prior to the
making
of the relevant decision.
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Dividends
and other Distributions
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Under
the FBCA, the Company may make a distribution, unless after giving
effect
to the distribution: the Company would not be able to pay its debts
as
they come due in the usual course of business; or the Company’s assets
would be less than the sum of its total liabilities. Under the FBCA,
a
corporation’s redemption of its own common stock is deemed a distribution.
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Nevada
law prohibits distributions to stockholders when the distributions
would
(i) render the corporation unable to pay its debts as they become
due in
the usual course of business; and (ii) render the corporation's total
assets less than the sum of its total liabilities plus the amount
that
would be needed to satisfy the preferential rights upon dissolution
of
stockholders whose preferential rights are superior to those receiving
the
distribution.
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Limitation
of Liability
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The
FBCA generally provides that a director of a corporation is not personally
liable for monetary damages to the corporation or other person unless
the
director breached or failed to perform his duties as a director,
and such
breach or failure: constitutes a violation of criminal law, unless
the
director had reasonable cause to believe his conduct was lawful or
had no
reasonable cause to believe his conduct was unlawful; constitutes
a
transaction from which the director derived an improper personal
benefit;
and results in an unlawful distribution; in the case of a derivative
action or an action by a shareholder, which constitutes conscious
disregard for the best interests of the corporation or willful misconduct;
or in the case of a proceeding other than a derivative action or
an action
by a shareholder, constitutes recklessness or an act or omission
which was
committed in bad faith or with malicious purpose or in a manner exhibiting
wanton and willful disregard of human rights, safety or
property.
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Nevada
law does not expressly preclude a corporation from limiting liability
for
a director's breach of the duty of loyalty or preclude a corporation
from
limiting liability for any transaction from which a director derives
an
improper personal benefit.
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Indemnification
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Florida
law allows indemnification if a person had reasonable cause to believe
his
or her conduct was lawful or had no reasonable cause to believe his
or her
conduct was unlawful; a transaction from which the person derived
an
improper personal benefit; in the case of a director, an unlawful
distribution to shareholders; or willful
misconduct or a conscious disregard for the best interests of the
corporation in a proceeding by or in the right of the corporation
or a
shareholder.
Under
Florida law, unless the corporation’s articles of incorporation provide
otherwise, notwithstanding the failure of a corporation to provide
indemnification, and despite any contrary determination of the
board or of
the shareholders in the specific case, a director, officer, employee,
or
agent of the corporation who is or was a party to a proceeding
may apply
for indemnification or advancement of expenses, or both, to the
court
conducting the proceeding, to the circuit court, or to another
court of
competent jurisdiction. On receipt of an application, the court,
after
giving any notice that it considers necessary, may order indemnification
and advancement of expenses, including expenses incurred in seeking
court-ordered indemnification or advancement of expenses, if it
determines
that:
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Nevada
law permits corporations to adopt provisions in their charter documents
that eliminate or limit the personal liability of directors to the
corporation or their stockholders for monetary damages for breach
of a
director's fiduciary duty.
In
suits that are not brought by or in the right of the corporation,
Nevada
permits a corporation to indemnify directors, officers, employees
and
agents for attorney's fees and other expenses, judgments and amounts
paid
in settlement. The person seeking indemnity may recover as long
as he
acted in good faith and believed his actions were either in the
best
interests of or not opposed to the best interests of the corporation.
Similarly, the person seeking indemnification must not have had
any reason
to believe his conduct was unlawful.
In
derivative suits, a corporation may indemnify its agents for
expenses that
the person actually and reasonably incurred. A corporation may
not
indemnify a person if the person was adjudged to be liable to
the
corporation unless a court otherwise orders.
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the
indemnitee is entitled to mandatory indemnification, in which case
the
court shall also order the corporation to pay the director reasonable
expenses incurred in obtaining court-ordered indemnification or
advancement of expenses;
the
indemnitee is entitled to further indemnification or advancement
of
expenses, or both, by virtue of the corporation’s exercise of its power;
or
the
indemnitee is fairly and reasonably entitled to indemnification
or
advancement of expenses, or both, in view of all the relevant
circumstances, regardless of whether such person met the required
standard
of conduct.
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No
corporation may indemnify a party unless it makes a determination
that
indemnification is proper. The corporation through its stockholders,
directors or independent counsel must only determine that the
indemnification is proper.
Nevada
law does not require employees to give the undertaking. Nevada
precludes
liability limitation for acts or omissions not in good faith or
involving
intentional misconduct and for paying dividends or repurchasing
stock out
of other than lawfully available funds.
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Amendment
to Articles of Incorporation
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The
FBCA generally requires approval by a majority of directors and by
holders
of a majority of the shares entitled to vote on any amendment to
a Florida
corporation’s articles of incorporation. In addition, the amendment must
be approved by a majority of the votes entitled to be cast on the
amendment by any class or series of shares with respect to which
the
amendment would create dissenters’ rights. The board of directors must
recommend the amendment to the shareholders, unless the board of
directors
determines that because of conflict of interest or other special
circumstances it should make no recommendation and the shareholders
with
the amendment.
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Nevada
law requires the approval of the holders of a majority of all outstanding
shares entitled to vote (with, in each case, each stockholder being
entitled to one vote for each share so held) to approve proposed
amendments to a corporation's charter.
Nevada
does not require stockholder approval for the board of directors
of a
corporation to fix the voting powers, designation, preferences,
limitations, restrictions and rights of a class of stock provided
that the
corporation's charter documents grant such power to its board of
directors. The holders of the outstanding shares of a particular
class are
entitled to vote as a class on a proposed amendment if the amendment
would
alter or change the power, preferences or special rights of one
or more
series of any class so to affect them adversely.
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Corporate
Opportunity
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The
FBCA provides that a contract or other transaction between a Florida
corporation and any of its directors or any entity in which one of
its
directors or officers holds a position of office or a financial interest
will not be void because of such relationship or interest or because
that
director was present at the meeting of directors which authorized
that
transaction if: the fact of the relationship or interest is disclosed
or
known to the board and the transaction is authorized by a majority
of the
disinterested directors.
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A
director breaches her duty of loyalty to the corporation if the director
takes a business opportunity that is within the scope of the corporation's
potential business for himself or presents it to another party without
first giving the corporation an opportunity to fairly consider the
business opportunity. All such opportunities should be presented
first to
the corporation and fully considered.
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This
proxy statement merely summarizes certain differences between the corporation
laws of Florida and Nevada. Many provisions of the FBCA and the NGCL may be
subject to differing interpretations, and the discussion offered herein may
be
incomplete in certain respects. The discussion contained in this proxy statement
is not a substitute for direct reference to the FBCA and the NGCL.
ACCOUNTING
TREATMENT
The
reincorporation would be accounted for as a reverse merger under which, for
accounting purposes, the Company would be considered the acquiror and the
surviving corporation, Goldspring Nevada, would be treated as the successor
to
the Company’s historical operations. Accordingly, the Company’s historical
financial statements would be treated as the financial statements of the
surviving corporation.
Appraisal
rights are not available to the Company’s shareholders with respect to the
reincorporation proposal and appraisal rights are therefore not addressed in
the
above comparison.
The
Company has drafted these Bylaws and Articles of Incorporation so that other
than as discussed above, the impact on shareholder rights will be minimal,
subject to differences between Florida and Nevada law. Other than as presented
in this proxy, there will be no material changes in shareholder rights. As
a
result, the rights and obligations of the common and preferred shares, voting
rights, votes required for the election of directors and other matters,
indemnification provisions, procedures for amending the Articles of
Incorporation and By-laws, dividend and liquidation rights, examination of
books
and records and procedures for setting a record date will not change in any
material way. If the proposal is adopted by the Stockholders, the Company will
undertake to prepare and cause to be filed such documents as may be necessary
to
ensure that to the greatest extent possible the existing Articles of
Incorporation, Articles of Amendment, Certificates of Designation of Preferred
Shares and other statutory documents currently on file with the Florida
Secretary of State will be duplicated, to the extent necessary and filed with
the Nevada Secretary of State.
"GOLDSPRING
NEVADA"
Goldspring
Nevada will be incorporated under the name "Goldspring, Inc." exclusively for
the purpose of merging with us. Prior to the reincorporation merger, Goldspring
Nevada will have no material assets or liabilities and will not have carried
on
any business. Upon completion of the reincorporation merger, the rights of
the
stockholders of Goldspring Nevada will be governed by Nevada corporate law
and
the Articles of Incorporation and the By-laws of Goldspring Nevada. The Nevada
Articles of Incorporation and the Nevada By-laws are attached to this proxy
statement as Exhibits C and D, respectively.
THE
MERGER AGREEMENT
The
merger agreement provides that Goldspring Florida will merge with and into
Goldspring Nevada, with Goldspring Nevada being the surviving corporation.
Pursuant to the merger agreement, Goldspring Nevada will assume all of
Goldspring Florida’s assets and liabilities, including obligations under the
outstanding indebtedness and contracts. The existing board of directors and
officers will become the board of directors and officers of Goldspring Nevada
for identical terms of office. Any subsidiaries will become subsidiaries of
Goldspring Nevada. At the effective time of the reincorporation merger, each
outstanding share of Goldspring Florida common stock, automatically will be
converted into one share of common stock of Goldspring Nevada. If the proposal
for Reincorporation is approved by the shareholders, the Company may cause
the
existing stock certificates to be exchanged for new stock certificates of
Goldspring Nevada. If so, the Stock Transfer Agent will handle the exchange
process.
NO
APPRAISAL RIGHTS
Under
neither the Florida Business Corporation Act nor the Nevada General Corporation
Law are shareholders entitled to appraisal rights with respect to
reincorporation of the Company in Nevada.
CERTAIN
FEDERAL INCOME TAX CONSEQUENCES OF REINCORPORATION
The
Company intends the reincorporation to be a tax-free reorganization under the
Internal Revenue Code (the "Code"). Assuming the reincorporation qualifies
as a
reorganization, the holders of common stock will not recognize any gain or
loss
under the Federal tax laws as a result of the occurrence of the reincorporation,
and neither will Goldspring, Inc. Each holder will have the same basis in the
common stock received as a result of the reincorporation as that holder has
in
the corresponding Goldspring, Inc. common stock held at the time the
reincorporation occurs.
The
Company has discussed solely U.S. federal income tax consequences and have
done
so only for general information. The Company did not address all of the federal
income tax consequences that may be relevant to particular shareholders based
upon individual circumstances or to shareholders who are subject to special
rules (e.g., financial institutions, tax-exempt organizations, insurance
companies, dealers in securities, foreign holders or holders who acquired their
shares as compensation, whether through employee stock options or otherwise).
The Company did not address the tax consequences under state, local or foreign
laws. The Company based the discussion on the Code, laws, regulations, rulings
and decisions in effect as of the date of this proxy statement, all of which
are
subject to differing interpretations and change, possibly with retroactive
effect. The Company has neither requested nor received a tax opinion from legal
counsel or rulings from the Internal Revenue Service regarding the consequences
of reincorporation. Future legislation, regulations, administrative rulings
or
court decisions may alter the consequences discussed above.
You
should consult your own tax advisor to determine the particular tax consequences
to you of the reincorporation, including the applicability and effect of
federal, state, local, foreign and other tax laws.
EFFECTIVE
TIME
If
approved by the requisite vote of the holders of shares of the common stock,
it
is anticipated that the reincorporation merger, and consequently the
reincorporation, will become effective at the discretion of the Board of
Directors but no later than two years from the date on which required consent
from the shareholders is received.
EFFECT
OF
NOT OBTAINING THE REQUIRED VOTE FOR APPROVAL
If
the
reincorporation proposal fails to obtain the requisite vote for approval, the
reincorporation merger will not be consummated and the Company will continue
to
be incorporated in Florida.
Vote
Required
Under
Florida law, assuming consent is submitted, for the number of shares which
would
constitute a quorum, if a meeting of shareholders were actually being held,
the
approval of the Proposal requires the affirmative vote of a majority of the
shares of the common stock presented pursuant to the written consent and
entitled to vote on this Proposal. Unless otherwise indicated, properly executed
consents will be voted in favor of Proposal 3.
The
Board
of Directors recommends a vote FOR Proposal 3.
PROPOSAL
FOUR
PROPOSAL
TO AUTHORIZE THE COMPANY TO EFFECT A REVERSE STOCK SPLIT OF THE COMPANY’S COMMON
STOCK IN THE RANGE OF NOT LESS THAN 1:10 AND NOT MORE THAN 1:200, AS DETERMINED
IN THE SOLE DISCRETION OF ITS BOARD OF DIRECTORS
OVERVIEW
The
Company’s shareholders are being asked to approve a reverse stock split of its
outstanding Common Stock of not less than 1:10 and not more than 1:200 (i.e.:
the shareholder would get one share of stock post split for each 10 - 200 shares
owned pre split), as determined in the sole discretion of the Board of
Directors. The Board has adopted a resolution (i) declaring the advisability
of
a reverse stock split of not less than 1:10 and not more than 1:200, subject
to
Stockholder approval, (ii) in connection therewith, a form of amendment to
the
Articles of Incorporation to effect such a reverse stock split, subject to
stockholder approval, and (iii) authorizing any other action it deems necessary
to effect such a reverse stock split, without further approval or authorization
of the Company’s stockholders, at any time between now and July 31, 2008. If the
proposed Reverse Split is approved, the Board would have the discretion to
elect, as it determines to be in the best interests of the Company and its
Stockholders, to effect the Reverse Split at any exchange ratio within the
range
at any time before July 31, 2008. The Board may elect not to implement the
approved Reverse Split at its sole discretion. The Board believes that approval
of a proposal granting this discretion to the Board provides the Board with
appropriate flexibility to achieve the purposes of the Reverse Split, if
implemented, and to act in the best interests of the Company and its
Stockholders.
THE
PURPOSE FOR WHICH THE BOARD WOULD EFFECT THE REVERSE SPLIT
In
order
to attempt to proportionally raise the per share price of the common stock,
the
Board of Directors believes that it is in the best interests of its stockholders
for the Board to obtain the authority to implement a reverse stock split. The
Board believes that stockholder approval of a range of potential exchange ratios
(rather than a single exchange ratio) provides the Board with the flexibility
to
achieve the desired results of the reverse stock split. If the stockholders
approve this proposal, the Board would carry out a reverse stock split only
upon
the Board’s determination that a reverse stock split would be in the best
interests of the stockholders at that time.
To
accomplish the Reverse Split, the Company would file an amendment to the
Articles of Incorporation with the appropriate Secretary of State. The form
of
amendment to the Articles of Incorporation to accomplish the proposed Reverse
Split is attached to this Proxy Statement as Exhibit E. The text of the
amendment to the Restated Articles of Incorporation is subject to modification
to include such changes as may be required by the laws of the state of domicile
and as the Board of Directors deems necessary and advisable to effect the
reverse stock split, including the applicable ratio for the reverse stock split.
If the Board elects to implement the Reverse Split, the number of issued and
outstanding shares of the Common Stock would be reduced in accordance with
the
selected exchange ratio for the Reverse Split. The number of authorized shares
of the Common and Preferred Stock would remain unchanged. The Reverse Split
would become effective upon filing the amendment to the Articles of
Incorporation with the Secretary of State. No further action on the part of
Stockholders would be required to either effect or abandon the Reverse Split.
If
the Board does not implement the reverse stock split prior by July 31, 2008,
the
authority granted in this proposal to implement the reverse stock split will
terminate. The Board reserves its right to elect not to proceed and abandon
the
reverse stock split if it determines, in its sole discretion, that this proposal
is no longer in the best interests of its stockholders.
POTENTIAL
EFFECTS OF THE PROPOSED REVERSE SPLIT
The
immediate effect of the Reverse Split would be to reduce the number of shares
of
the outstanding Common Stock and to increase the trading price of such Common
Stock. However, the effect of any effected Reverse Split upon the market price
of the Common Stock cannot be predicted, and the history of reverse stock splits
for companies in similar circumstances sometimes improves stock performance,
but
in many cases does not. There can be no assurance that the trading price of
the
Common Stock after the Reverse Split will rise in proportion to the reduction
in
the number of shares of the Common Stock outstanding as a result of the Reverse
Split or remain at an increased level for any period. Also, there is no
assurance that a reverse stock split would not eventually lead to a decrease
in
the trading price of the Common Stock, that the trading price would remain
above
the thresholds required by the Over-The-Counter Bulletin Board or that the
Company will be able to continue to meet the other continued listing
requirements of the Over-The-Counter Bulletin Board. The trading price of the
Common Stock may change due to a variety of other factors, including operating
results, other factors related to business and general market
conditions.
EFFECTS
ON OWNERSHIP BY INDIVIDUAL STOCKHOLDERS
If
the
Company implements the Reverse Split, the number of shares of the Common Stock
held by each Stockholder would be reduced by multiplying the number of shares
held immediately before the Reverse Split by the selected exchange ratio, and
then rounded up to the nearest whole share. The Reverse Split would not affect
any Stockholder’s percentage ownership interests in the Company or proportionate
voting power, except to the extent that interests in fractional shares would
be
rounded up to the nearest whole share.
EFFECT
ON
OPTIONS, WARRANTS AND OTHER SECURITIES
In
addition, all outstanding options, warrants and other securities entitling
their
holders to purchase shares of the Common Stock would be adjusted as a result
of
the Reverse Split, as required by the terms of these securities. In particular,
proportionate adjustments will be made to the exercise price per share and
the
number of shares issuable upon the exercise of all outstanding options,
entitling the holders to purchase shares of the common stock, which will result
in approximately the same aggregate price being required to be paid for such
options upon exercise immediately preceding the reverse stock split. Also,
the
number of shares reserved for issuance under any existing employee stock option
plans would be reduced proportionally based on the selected exchange ratio
of
the Reverse Split.
OTHER
EFFECTS ON OUTSTANDING SHARES
If
the
Reverse Split is implemented, the rights and preferences of the outstanding
shares of the Common Stock would remain the same after the Reverse Split. Each
share of Common Stock issued pursuant to the Reverse Split would be fully paid
and non-assessable. The Reverse Split would result in some Stockholders owning
"odd-lots" of less than 100 shares of the Common Stock. Brokerage commissions
and other costs of transactions in odd-lots are generally higher than the costs
of transactions in "round-lots" of even multiples of 100 shares.
AUTHORIZED
SHARES OF COMMON STOCK
The
Reverse Split, if implemented, would not change the number of authorized shares
of the Common Stock as designated by the Articles of Incorporation. Therefore,
because the number of issued and outstanding shares of Common Stock would
decrease, the number of shares remaining available for issuance under the
Company’s authorized pool of Common Stock would increase.
The
additional shares of Common Stock that would become available for issuance
if
the Split is approved could also be used by the Company’s management to oppose a
hostile takeover attempt or delay or prevent changes of control or changes
in or
removal of management, including transactions that are favored by a majority
of
the Stockholders or in which the Stockholders might otherwise receive a premium
for their shares over then-current market prices or benefit in some other
manner. Although the proposed Reverse Stock Split has been prompted by business
and financial considerations, Stockholders nevertheless should be aware that
approval of the proposal could facilitate future efforts by Company management
to deter or prevent a change in control of the Company. The Board has no plans
to use any of the additional shares of Common Stock that would become available
following the approval of the Reverse Split, if any, for any such purposes.
PROCEDURE
FOR IMPLEMENTING THE PROPOSED REVERSE SPLIT AND EXCHANGE OF STOCK CERTIFICATES
If
Stockholders approve the Reverse Split, the Board may elect whether or not
to
declare a Reverse Split at any time before July 31, 2008. The Reverse Split
would be implemented by filing the amendment to the Articles of Incorporation
with the appropriate Secretary of State, and the Reverse Split would become
effective on the date the filing is accepted by the Secretary of
State.
As
of the
effective date of the Reverse Split, each certificate representing shares of
the
Common Stock before the Reverse Stock Split would be deemed, for all corporate
purposes, to evidence ownership of the reduced number of shares of the Common
Stock resulting from the Reverse Split, except that holders of un-exchanged
shares would not be entitled to receive any dividends or other distributions
payable by us after the effective date until they surrender their old stock
certificates for exchange. All shares, underlying options and warrants and
other
securities would also be automatically adjusted on the effective
date.
If
the
Company elects to exchange share certificates, the transfer agent would act
as
the exchange agent for purposes of implementing the exchange of stock
certificates. In such event, as soon as practicable after the effective date,
Stockholders and holders of securities convertible into the Common Stock would
be notified of the effectiveness of the Reverse Split. Stockholders of record
would receive a letter of transmittal requesting them to surrender their stock
certificates for stock certificates reflecting the adjusted number of shares
as
a result of the Reverse Split. Persons who hold their shares in brokerage
accounts or "street name" would not be required to take any further actions
to
effect the exchange of their certificates. No new certificates would be issued
to a Stockholder until such Stockholder has surrendered the outstanding
certificate(s) together with the properly completed and executed letter of
transmittal to the exchange agent. Until surrender, each certificate
representing shares before the Reverse Stock Split would continue to be valid
and would represent the adjusted number of shares based on the exchange ratio
of
the Reverse Stock Split, rounded up to the nearest whole share. Stockholders
should not destroy any stock certificate and should not submit any certificates
until they receive a letter of transmittal.
ACCOUNTING
CONSEQUENCES
The
par
value per share of the Common Stock would remain unchanged after the Reverse
Stock Split. As a result, on the effective date of the Reverse Stock Split,
the
stated capital on the balance sheet attributable to the Common Stock will be
reduced proportionally, based on the selected exchange ratio of the Reverse
Stock Split, from its present amount, and the additional paid-in capital account
will be credited with the amount by which the stated capital is reduced. The
per
share Common Stock net income or loss and net book value will be increased
because there will be fewer shares of the Common Stock outstanding. The Company
does not anticipate that any other accounting consequences would arise as a
result of the Reverse Stock Split.
FRACTIONAL
SHARES
The
Company will not issue fractional shares in connection with the Reverse Split.
In order to avoid the expense and inconvenience of issuing and transferring
fractional shares of Common Stock to Stockholders who would otherwise be
entitled to receive fractional shares of Common Stock following the Reverse
Split, any fractional shares which result from the Reverse Split will be rounded
up to the next whole share.
NO
APPRAISAL RIGHTS
Under
neither Florida nor Nevada General Corporation Law, shareholders are not
entitled to appraisal rights with respect to the proposed amendment to the
Articles of Incorporation to effect the Reverse Split.
UNITED
STATES FEDERAL INCOME TAX CONSEQUENCES OF THE REVERSE SPLIT
The
following is a summary of important U.S. tax considerations of the Reverse
Split. It addresses only Stockholders who hold the pre-Reverse Split shares
and
post-Reverse Split shares as capital assets. It does not purport to be complete
and does not address Stockholders subject to special rules, such as financial
institutions, tax-exempt organizations, insurance companies, dealers in
securities, mutual funds, foreign stockholders, stockholders who hold the
pre-Reverse Split shares as part of a straddle, hedge, or conversion
transaction, stockholders who hold the pre-Reverse Split shares as qualified
small business stock within the meaning of Section 1202 of the Internal Revenue
Code of 1986, as amended (the "Code"), stockholders who are subject to the
alternative minimum tax provisions of the Code, and stockholders who acquired
their pre-Reverse Split shares pursuant to the exercise of employee stock
options or otherwise as compensation. This summary is based upon current law,
which may change, possibly even retroactively. It does not address tax
considerations under state, local, foreign, and other laws. Furthermore, we
have
not obtained a ruling from the Internal Revenue Service or an opinion of legal
or tax counsel with respect to the consequences of the Reverse Split. Each
stockholder is advised to consult a qualified tax advisor.
The
proposed Reverse Split is intended as a “reorganization” within the meaning of
Section 368 of the Code. Assuming the Reverse Split qualifies as a
reorganization, a Stockholder generally will not recognize gain or loss on
the
Reverse Split. The aggregate tax basis of the post-Reverse Stock Split shares
received will be equal to the aggregate tax basis of the pre-Reverse Split
shares exchanged therefor (excluding any portion of the holder’s basis allocated
to fractional shares), and the holding period of the post-Reverse Split shares
received will include the holding period of the pre-Reverse Split shares
exchanged. The rounding up in respect of fractional shares will not result
in a
taxable event to a Stockholder; however, there will be an adjustment to the
Stockholder’s basis equal to the fractional share times the market value on the
date of issuance. No gain or loss will be recognized by us as a result of the
Reverse Split.
The
amendment to the Articles of Incorporation is attached as Exhibit E to this
proxy statement. However, this proposal is not dependent on shareholders
approving the reincorporation from Florida to Nevada. If this Proposal Four
is
approved by shareholders, but the reincorporation to Nevada is not approved
by
shareholders, we intend to amend the current Restated Articles of Incorporation
filed in Florida to reflect the Reverse Split.
Vote
Required
Under
Florida law, assuming consent is submitted, for the number of shares which
would
constitute a quorum, if a meeting of shareholders were actually being held,
the
approval of the Proposal requires the affirmative vote of a majority of the
shares of the Company’s common stock presented pursuant to the written consent
and entitled to vote on this Proposal. Unless otherwise indicated, properly
executed consents will be voted in favor of Proposal 4.
The
Board
of Directors recommends a vote FOR Proposal 4.
COMBINING
REINCORPORATION AND REVERSE STOCK SPLIT
While
the
proposals to reincorporate the Company in Nevada and to effect a reverse stock
split are independent, and each shareholder may approve one and not the other,
and even if both are approved, the Board may opt to implement neither, both
or
either of the two. In the event that both proposals are approved and the Board
opts to implement both, then the Board has the right to effect both
simultaneously in order to reduce transaction costs. If both proposals are
implemented at the same time, then the amendment to the articles of
incorporation set forth in Exhibit E would not be utilized. Instead the exchange
ratio in the merger agreement attached as Exhibit B would be appropriately
changed from 1:1 to the ratio for the reverse stock split.
POTENTIAL
ANTI-TAKEOVER EFFECT OF CERTAIN PROVISIONS
Tender
offers or other non-open market acquisitions of stock are usually made at prices
above the prevailing market price. In addition, acquisitions of stock by persons
attempting to acquire control through market purchases may cause the market
price of the stock to reach levels which are higher than would otherwise be
the
case. By increasing the number of shares available to authorize and issue,
the
Company has caused a potential anti takeover effect by creating potential
dilution to the number of outstanding shares. Such dilution will cause a party
attempting a takeover to be required to buy more shares of the Company stock
and
to expend additional resources to accomplish such a measure.
Other
matters presented herein, if approved by the shareholders, could also have
potential anti-takeover effects as discussed above with respect to the
description of those provisions.
INTEREST
OF CERTAIN PERSONS IN MATTERS TO BE ACTED UPON
No
director, executive officer, nominee for election as a director, associate
of
any director, executive officer or nominee or any other person has any
substantial interest, direct or indirect, by security holdings or otherwise,
if
the Proposals are passed, which is not shared by all other stockholders. Note
however, that if Proposal 2 is approved and a Plan adopted, certain officers
and
directors of the Company could be issued securities thereunder at a later date
upon approval of the Board’s Compensation Committee.
SECURITY
OWNERSHIP OF CERTAIN BENEFICIAL OWNERS AND MANAGEMENT
The
following table sets forth as of June 7, 2006, the record date set by the
Company’s Board of Directors, the total number of shares owned beneficially by
each of Registrant's directors, officers and key employees, individually and
as
a group, and the present non director, officer, employee owners of 5% or more
of
total outstanding shares. The stockholders listed below have direct ownership
of
their shares and possess sole voting and dispositive power with respect to
the
shares. Applicable percentages are based on 800,000,000 shares outstanding
on
June 7, 2006.
Title
of Class Owned or into Which Warrants are Convertible
|
Name
and Address
of
Beneficial
Owner
(and Title for Employees, Officers and Directors)
|
Amount
and
Nature
of
Beneficial
Ownership
(A) (B)
|
Percent
of
Class (A) (B)
|
|
|
|
|
Officers
and Directors
|
|
|
|
Common
Stock
|
Robert
T. Faber - CEO
6129
E. Danbury Road
Scottsdale,
AZ 85254
|
2,054,683
|
0.26
|
Common
Stock
|
Christopher
L. Aguilar - Director
301
H. Macalla Court
Yerba
Buena Island
San
Francisco, CA 91430
|
251,248
|
0
|
Common
Stock
|
Todd
S. Brown - Director
11435
N. St. Andrew Way
Scottsdale,
AZ 85254
|
0
|
0
|
Common
Stock
|
Rex
Outzen - Director
9339
So. New Heritage Drive
West
Jordan, UT 84088
|
0
|
0
|
Common
Stock
|
James
Golden - COO
6012
Birch
Omaha,
NE 68104
|
0
|
0
|
Common
Stock
|
Stanley
A. Hirschman - Director
5960
West Parker Road
Plano,
TX 75093
|
0
|
0
|
Common
Stock
|
William
Nance - Director
2025
Avenue of the Stars
Los
Angeles, CA 90067
|
0
|
0
|
|
|
|
|
All
Officers and Directors as a Group
|
|
2,305,931
|
.29
|
|
|
|
|
Other
5% Holders
|
|
|
|
Common
Stock
|
Stephen
B. Parent
16706
N. 109th
Way
Scottsdale,
AZ 85255
|
46,062,750
|
5.8
|
Common
Stock
|
John
W. Winfield
c/o
Intergroup Corp.
820
Moraga Drive
Los
Angeles, CA 90049
|
47,225,119
|
5.9
|
*(A)
=
Percentages reflect ownership based solely on Company records, as if no stock
issued has been sold, and as if all warrants owned on June 7, 2006 were
exercised. Does not take into account any convertible debentures owned, which
are currently convertible.
*(B)
=
Direct Beneficial Ownership.
The
following table sets forth, for the periods indicated, the total compensation
for services provided to us in all capacities by the Chief Executive Officer.
No
other executive officer received aggregate compensation exceeding $100,000
during 2005.
SUMMARY
COMPENSATION TABLE
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Long-Term
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Compensation
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Awards
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Securities
|
|
All
Other
|
|
|
Annual
Compensation(1)
|
|
Underlying
|
|
Compensation
|
Name
and Principal Position
|
|
Year
|
|
Salary
($)
|
|
Bonus
($)
|
|
Options
(#)(2)
|
|
($)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Robert
T. Faber(2) (3)
President
and Chief Executive Officer and Financial Officer
|
|
2005
2004
2003
|
|
$120,000
$115,000
$33,000
|
|
$0
$10,000
$0
|
|
0
0
0
|
|
$0
0
0
|
__________________
(1)
|
Executive
officers received certain perquisites, the value of which did not
exceed
the lesser of $50,000 or 10% of that officer’s salary and bonus during
fiscal 2005.
|
(2)
|
Mr.
Faber has served as President and Chief Executive Officer since September
2004 and Chief Financial Officer since June
2003.
|
(3)
|
$25,000
of Mr. Faber’s 2005 salary has not yet been paid. We intend to pay this
amount in 2006.
|
Stock
Options
The
Company did not grant stock options to directors, officers, or employees in
2005. There were no shares of common stock underlying unexercised stock options
at December 31, 2005.
SECTION
16(A) BENEFICIAL OWNERSHIP REPORTING COMPLIANCE
There
were no delinquent filings in 2005, to the Company’s actual
knowledge.
MULTIPLE
SHAREHOLDERS SHARING THE SAME ADDRESS
Recent
changes in the regulations regarding the delivery of copies of information
materials and annual reports to shareholders permit the Company to send one
annual report and information statement to multiple shareholders who share
the
same address under certain circumstances, unless otherwise requested. This
practice is known as "householding". If a shareholder sharing an address who
now
receives only one copy of the Company's annual report and information statement
per household wishes to receive separate copies of these materials, then the
shareholder should contact Goldspring, Inc. at P.O. Box 1118, Virginia City,
NV
87440, phone number (775) 847-5272.
If
a
shareholder of record sharing an address who currently receives multiple copies
of the Company's annual report and information statement wishes to receive
only
one copy of these materials per household in the future, then the shareholder
should also contact the Company by mail as instructed above.
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 hereunto
duly authorized.
Date:
|
July
__, 2006
|
GOLDSPRING,
INC.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
By:
/s/ Robert T. Faber
|
|
|
Name:
Robert T. Faber
|
|
|
Title:
CEO and President
|
EXHIBIT
A
STOCK
OPTION AND INCENTIVE PLAN
2006
Stock Option and Incentive Plan
Goldspring,
Inc., a Florida corporation (the “Company”), sets forth herein the terms of its
2006 Stock Option and Incentive Plan (the “Plan”) as follows:
1.
PURPOSE
Any
executive, employee, officer, director or independent contractor is eligible
to
receive awards under the 2006 Stock Option and Incentive Plan. The Board of
Directors believes that stock options and restricted stock will be an important
compensation element in attract, motivate, retain, and reward the executives,
employees, officers, directors, and independent contractors by providing such
persons with annual and long-term performance incentives to expend their maximum
efforts in the creation of stockholder value.
2.
DEFINITIONS
For
purposes of interpreting the Plan and related documents (including Award
Agreements), the following definitions shall apply:
2.1
|
|
“Affiliate”
of, or person “affiliated” with, a person means any company or other trade
or business that controls, is controlled by, or is under common control
with such person within the meaning of Rule 405 of Regulation C under
the Securities Act, including, without limitation, any
Subsidiary.
|
|
2.2
|
|
“Award
Agreement” means the stock option agreement, restricted stock agreement,
restricted stock unit agreement, or other written agreement between
the
Company and a Grantee that evidences and sets out the terms and conditions
of a Grant.
|
|
2.3
|
|
“Benefit
Arrangement” shall have the meaning set forth in Section 14
hereof.
|
|
2.4
|
|
“Board”
means the Board of Directors of the Company.
|
|
2.5
|
|
“Change
of Control” means (i) the dissolution or liquidation of the Company
or a merger, consolidation, or reorganization of the Company with
one or
more other entities in which the Company is not the surviving entity,
(ii) a sale of substantially all of the assets of the Company to
another entity, or (iii) any transaction (including without
limitation a merger or reorganization in which the Company is the
surviving entity) which results in any person or entity (other than
persons who are stockholders or affiliates of the Company at the
time the
Plan is approved by the Company’s stockholders) owning 50% or more of the
combined voting power of all classes of stock of the
Company.
|
|
2.6
|
|
“Code”
means the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as now in effect or as hereafter
amended.
|
|
2.7
|
|
“Committee”
means a committee of, and designated from time to time by resolution
of,
the Board.
|
|
2.8
|
|
“Company”
means Goldspring, Inc.
|
|
2.9
|
|
“Effective
Date” means July 12, 2006, the date the Plan was approved by the
Board.
|
|
2.10
|
|
“Exchange
Act” means the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as now in effect or as
hereafter amended.
|
|
2.11
|
|
“Fair
Market Value” means the closing price of the Stock on the American Stock
Exchange or the Nasdaq Stock Market on the Grant Date or such other
determination date (or if there is no such reported closing price,
the
Fair Market Value shall be the mean between the highest bid and lowest
asked prices or between the high and low sale prices on such trading
day)
or, if no sale of Stock is reported for such trading day, on the
next
preceding day on which any sale shall have been reported.
|
|
2.12
|
|
“Family
Member” means a person who is a spouse, child, stepchild, grandchild,
parent, stepparent, grandparent, sibling, niece, nephew, mother-in-law,
father-in-law, son-in-law, daughter-in-law, brother-in-law, or
sister-in-law, including adoptive relationships, of the Grantee,
any
person sharing the Grantee’s household (other than a tenant or employee),
a trust in which these persons have more than fifty percent of the
beneficial interest, a foundation in which these persons (or the
Grantee)
control the management of assets, and any other entity in which these
persons (or the Grantee) own more than fifty percent of the voting
interests.
|
|
2.13
|
|
“Grant”
means an award of an Option, Restricted Stock, or Restricted Stock
Unit
under the Plan.
|
|
2.14
|
|
“Grant
Date” means, as determined by the Board or authorized Committee,
(i) the date as of which the Board or such Committee approves a
Grant, (ii) the date on which the recipient of a Grant first becomes
eligible to receive a Grant under Section 6 hereof, or
(iii) such other date as may be specified by the Board or such
Committee.
|
|
2.15
|
|
“Grantee”
means a person who receives or holds an Option, Restricted Stock,
or
Restricted Stock Unit under the Plan.
|
|
2.16
|
|
“Incentive
Stock Option” means an “incentive stock option” within the meaning of
Section 422 of the Code, or the corresponding provision of any
subsequently enacted tax statute, as amended from time to
time.
|
|
2.17
|
|
“Option”
means an option to purchase one or more shares of Stock pursuant
to the
Plan.
|
|
2.18
|
|
“Option
Period” means the period during which Options may be exercised as set
forth in Section 10 hereof.
|
|
2.19
|
|
“Option
Price” means the purchase price for each share of Stock subject to an
Option.
|
|
2.20
|
|
“Other
Agreement” shall have the meaning set forth in Section 14
hereof.
|
|
2.21
|
|
“Plan”
means this 2006 Stock Option and Incentive Plan.
|
|
2.22
|
|
“Reporting
Person” means a person who is required to file reports under
Section 16(a) of the Exchange Act.
|
|
2.23
|
|
“Restricted
Period” means the period during which Restricted Stock or Restricted Stock
Units are subject to restrictions or conditions pursuant to
Section 12.2 hereof.
|
|
2.24
|
|
“Restricted
Stock” means shares of Stock, awarded to a Grantee pursuant to
Section 12 hereof, that are subject to restrictions and to a risk of
forfeiture.
|
|
2.25
|
|
“Restricted
Stock Unit” means a unit awarded to a Grantee pursuant to Section 12
hereof, which represents a conditional right to receive a share of
Stock
in the future, and which is subject to restrictions and to a risk
of
forfeiture.
|
|
2.26
|
|
“Securities
Act” means the Securities Act of 1933, as now in effect or as hereafter
amended.
|
|
3.1
Board.
The
Board or a committee thereof so designated shall have such powers and
authorities related to the administration of the Plan as are consistent with
the
Company’s certificate of incorporation and by-laws and applicable law. The Board
shall have full power and authority to take all actions and to make all
determinations required or provided for under the Plan, any Grant, or any Award
Agreement, and shall have full power and authority to take all such other
actions and make all such other determinations not inconsistent with the
specific terms and provisions of the Plan that the Board deems to be necessary
or appropriate to the administration of the Plan, any Grant, or any Award
Agreement. All such actions and determinations shall be by the affirmative
vote
of a majority of the members of the Board present at a meeting or by unanimous
consent of the Board executed in writing in accordance with the Company’s
certificate of incorporation and by-laws and applicable law. The interpretation
and construction by the Board of any provision of the Plan, any Grant, or any
Award Agreement shall be final and conclusive.
3.2
Committee.
The
Board from time to time may delegate to a Committee such powers and authorities
related to the administration and implementation of the Plan, as set forth
in
Section 3.1 above and in other applicable provisions, as the Board shall
determine, consistent with the certificate of incorporation and by-laws of
the
Company and applicable law. In the event that the Plan, any Grant, or any Award
Agreement entered into hereunder provides for any action to be taken by or
determination to be made by the Board, such action may be taken by or such
determination may be made by the Committee if the power and authority to do
so
has been delegated to the Committee by the Board as provided for in this
Section. Unless otherwise expressly determined by the Board, any such action
or
determination by the Committee shall be final, binding, and conclusive. For
purposes of this Plan, the committee so designated is the Board’s Compensation
Committee, and references to the Board shall include the Compensation Committee
for purposes of Plan administration.
3.3
Grants.
Subject
to the other terms and conditions of the Plan, the Board shall have full and
final authority (i) to designate Grantees, (ii) to determine the type
or types of Grant to be made to a Grantee, (iii) to determine the number of
shares of Stock to be subject to a Grant, (iv) to establish the terms and
conditions of each Grant (including, but not limited to, the exercise price
of
any Option, the nature and duration of any restriction or condition (or
provision for lapse thereof) relating to the vesting, exercise, transfer, or
forfeiture of a Grant or the shares of Stock subject thereto, and any terms
or
conditions that may be necessary to qualify Options as Incentive Stock Options),
(v) to prescribe the form of each Award Agreement evidencing a Grant, and
(vi) to amend, modify, or supplement the terms of any outstanding Grant.
Such authority specifically includes the authority, in order to effectuate
the
purposes of the Plan but without amending the Plan, to modify Grants to eligible
individuals who are foreign nationals or are individuals who are employed
outside the United States to recognize differences in local law, tax policy,
or
custom. As a condition to any Grant, the Board shall have the right, at its
discretion, to require Grantees to return to the Company Grants previously
awarded under the Plan. Subject to the terms and conditions of the Plan, any
such subsequent Grant shall be upon such terms and conditions as are specified
by the Board at the time the new Grant is made. The Company may retain the
right
in an Award Agreement to cause a forfeiture of the gain realized by a Grantee
on
account of actions taken by the Grantee in violation or breach of or in conflict
with any non-competition agreement, any agreement prohibiting solicitation
of
employees or clients of the Company or any affiliate thereof or any
confidentiality obligation with respect to the Company or any affiliate thereof
or otherwise in competition with the Company, to the extent specified in such
Award Agreement applicable to the Grantee. Furthermore, the Company may annul
a
Grant if the Grantee is an employee of the Company or an affiliate thereof
and
is terminated “for cause” as defined in the applicable Award Agreement. The
Board may permit or require the deferral of any award payment, subject to such
rules and procedures as it may establish, which may include provisions for
the payment or crediting of interest or dividend equivalents, including
converting such credits into deferred Stock equivalents.
3.4
No Liability.
No
member of the Board or of the Committee shall be liable for any action or
determination made in good faith with respect to the Plan or any Grant or Award
Agreement.
4.
STOCK SUBJECT TO THE PLAN
Subject
to adjustment as provided in Section 17 hereof, the number of shares of
Stock available for issuance under the Plan shall be 800,000,000. Stock issued
or to be issued under the Plan shall be authorized but unissued shares. If
any
shares covered by a Grant are not purchased or are forfeited, or if a Grant
otherwise terminates without delivery of any Stock subject thereto, then the
number of shares of Stock counted against the aggregate number of shares
available under the Plan with respect to such Grant shall, to the extent of
any
such forfeiture or termination, again be available for making Grants under
the
Plan.
5.
EFFECTIVE DATE AND TERM OF THE PLAN
5.1
Effective Date.
The
Plan shall be effective as of the Effective Date, subject to approval of the
Plan within one year of the Effective Date, by the stockholders of the Company
in accordance with Section 422(b) of the Code and the regulations
thereunder. Upon approval of the Plan by the stockholders of the Company as
set
forth above, all Grants made under the Plan on or after the Effective Date
shall
be fully effective as if the stockholders of the Company had approved the Plan
on the Effective Date. If the stockholders fail to approve the Plan within
one
year after the Effective Date, any Grants made hereunder shall be null and
void
and of no effect.
5.2
Term.
The
Plan shall terminate on the tenth anniversary of the Effective Date.
6.
OPTION GRANTS
6.1
Employees or Consultants.
Grants
(including Grants of Incentive Stock Options, subject to Section 7.1) may
be made under the Plan to any executives, employees, officers, directors, and
independent contractors of the Company or any Subsidiary, as the Board shall
determine and designate from time to time, but no more than 10,000,000 shares
or
options may be given to any grantee in any one year.
6.2
Successive Grants.
An
eligible person may receive more than one Grant, subject to such restrictions
as
are provided herein.
7.
LIMITATIONS ON GRANTS
7.1
Limitations on Incentive Stock Options.
An
Option shall constitute an Incentive Stock Option only (i) if the Grantee
of such Option is an employee of the Company or any Subsidiary of the Company;
(ii) to the extent specifically provided in the related Award Agreement;
and (iii) to the extent that the aggregate Fair Market Value (determined at
the time the Option is granted) of the shares of Stock with respect to which
all
Incentive Stock Options held by such Grantee become exercisable for the first
time during any calendar year (under the Plan and all other plans of the
Grantee’s employer and its affiliates) does not exceed $100,000 (or an increased
number permissible under federal and state law upon approval by the Compensation
Committee). This limitation shall be applied by taking Options into account
in
the order in which they were granted.
8.
AWARD AGREEMENT
Each
Grant pursuant to the Plan shall be evidenced by an Award Agreement, in such
form or forms as the Board shall from time to time determine. Award Agreements
granted from time to time or at the same time need not contain similar
provisions but shall be consistent with the terms of the Plan. Each Award
Agreement evidencing a Grant of Options shall specify whether such Options
are
intended to be non-qualified stock options or Incentive Stock Options, and
in
the absence of such specification such options shall be deemed non-qualified
stock options.
9.
OPTION PRICE
The
Option Price of each Option shall be fixed by the Board and stated in the Award
Agreement evidencing such Option. In the case of an Incentive Stock Option
the
Option Price shall be the Fair Market Value on the Grant Date of a share of
Stock;
provided
,
however
, that in the event that a Grantee would otherwise be ineligible to receive
an
Incentive Stock Option by reason of the provisions of Sections
422(b)(6) and 424(d) of the Code (relating to ownership of more than
ten percent of the Company’s outstanding shares of Stock), the Option Price of
an Option granted to such Grantee that is intended to be an Incentive Stock
Option shall be not less than the greater of the par value or 110 percent of
the
Fair Market Value of a share of Stock on the Grant Date. In no case shall the
Option Price of any Option be less than the par value of a share of
Stock.
10.
VESTING, TERM AND EXERCISE OF OPTIONS
10.1
Vesting and Option Period.
Subject
to Sections 10.2 and 17.3 hereof, each Option granted under the Plan shall
become exercisable at such times and under such conditions as shall be
determined by the Board and stated in the Award Agreement. For purposes of
this
Section 10.1 , fractional numbers of shares of Stock subject to an Option
shall be rounded down to the next nearest whole number. The period during which
any Option shall be exercisable shall constitute the “Option Period” with
respect to such Option.
10.2
Term.
Each
Option granted under the Plan shall terminate, and all rights to purchase shares
of Stock thereunder shall cease, upon the expiration of ten years from the
date
such Option is granted, or under such circumstances and on such date prior
thereto as is set forth in the Plan or as may be fixed by the Board and stated
in the Award Agreement relating to such Option;
provided
,
however
, that in the event that the Grantee would otherwise be ineligible to receive
an
Incentive Stock Option by reason of the provisions of Sections
422(b)(6) and 424(d) of the Code (relating to ownership of more than
ten percent of the outstanding shares of Stock), an Option granted to such
Grantee that is intended to be an Incentive Stock Option shall not be
exercisable after the expiration of five years from its Grant Date.
10.3
Acceleration.
Any
limitation on the exercise of an Option contained in any Award Agreement may
be
rescinded, modified or waived by the Board, in its sole discretion, at any
time
and from time to time after the Grant Date of such Option, so as to accelerate
the time at which the Option may be exercised. Notwithstanding any other
provision of the Plan, no Option shall be exercisable in whole or in part prior
to the date the Plan is approved by the stockholders of the Company as provided
in Section 5.1 hereof.
10.4
Termination of Employment or Other Relationship.
Unless
otherwise provided by the Board, upon the termination of a Grantee’s employment
or other relationship with the Company or any Subsidiary other than by reason
of
death or “permanent and total disability” (within the meaning of
Section 22(e)(3) of the Code), any Option or portion thereof held by
such Grantee that has not vested in accordance with the provisions of
Section 10.1 hereof shall terminate immediately, and any Option or portion
thereof that has vested in accordance with the provisions of Section 10.1
hereof but has not been exercised shall terminate at the close of business
on
the 90th day following the Grantee’s termination of employment or other
relationship (or, if such 90th day is a Saturday, Sunday or holiday, at the
close of business on the next preceding day that is not a Saturday, Sunday
or
holiday). Upon termination of an Option or portion thereof, the Grantee shall
have no further right to purchase shares of Stock pursuant to such Option or
portion thereof. Whether a termination of employment or other relationship
shall
have occurred for purposes of the Plan shall be determined by the Board, which
determination shall be final and conclusive. For purposes of the Plan, a
termination of employment, service or other relationship shall not be deemed
to
occur if the Grantee is immediately thereafter a director of the Company or
an
affiliate.
10.5
Rights in the Event of Death.
Unless
otherwise provided by the Board, if a Grantee dies while employed by or
providing services to the Company or Subsidiary, all Options granted to such
Grantee shall fully vest on the date of death, and the executors or
administrators or legatees or distributees of such Grantee’s estate shall have
the right, at any time within one year after the date of such Grantee’s death
and prior to termination of the Option pursuant to Section 10.2 above, to
exercise any Option held by such Grantee at the date of such Grantee’s
death.
10.6
Rights in the Event of Disability.
Unless
otherwise provided by the Board, if a Grantee’s employment or other relationship
with the Company or Subsidiary is terminated by reason of the “permanent and
total disability” (within the meaning of Section 22(e)(3) of the Code)
of such Grantee, all Options granted to such Grantee shall fully vest on the
date of permanent and total disability, and the Grantee shall have the right,
at
any time within one year after the date of such Grantee’s permanent and total
disability and prior to termination of the Option pursuant to Section 10.2
above, to exercise any Option held by such Grantee. Whether a termination of
employment or service is to be considered by reason of “permanent and total
disability” for purposes of the Plan shall be determined by the Board, which
determination shall be final and conclusive.
10.7
Limitations on Exercise of Option.
Notwithstanding
any other provision of the Plan, in no event may any Option be exercised, in
whole or in part, prior to the date the Plan is approved by the stockholders
of
the Company as provided herein, or after ten years following the date upon
which
the Option is granted, or after the occurrence of an event referred to in
Section 17 hereof which results in termination of the Option.
10.8
Method of Exercise.
An
Option that is exercisable may be exercised by the Grantee’s delivery to the
Company of written notice of exercise on any business day, at the Company’s
principal office, addressed to the attention of the Board. Such notice shall
specify the number of shares of Stock with respect to which the Option is being
exercised and shall be accompanied by payment in full of the Option Price of
the
shares for which the Option is being exercised. The minimum number of shares
of
Stock with respect to which an Option may be exercised, in whole or in part,
at
any time shall be the lesser of (i) 100 shares or such lesser number set
forth in the applicable Award Agreement and (ii) the maximum number of
shares available for purchase under the Option at the time of exercise. Payment
of the Option Price for the shares purchased pursuant to the exercise of an
Option shall be made (i) in cash or in cash equivalents acceptable to the
Company; (ii) to the extent permitted by law and at the Board’s discretion,
through the tender to the Company of shares of Stock, which shares, if acquired
from the Company, shall have been held for at least six months at the time
of
tender and which shall be valued, for purposes of determining the extent to
which the Option Price has been paid thereby, at their Fair Market Value on
the
date of exercise; or (iii) to the extent permitted by law and at the
Board’s discretion, by a combination of the methods described in (i) and
(ii). In addition and unless the Board provides otherwise in the Award
Agreement, payment in full of the Option Price need not accompany the written
notice of exercise provided that the notice of exercise directs that the
certificate or certificates for the shares of Stock for which the Option is
exercised be delivered to a licensed broker acceptable to the Company as the
agent for the individual exercising the Option and, at the time such certificate
or certificates are delivered, the broker tenders to the Company cash (or cash
equivalents acceptable to the Company) equal to the Option Price for the shares
of Stock purchased pursuant to the exercise of the Option plus the amount (if
any) of federal and/or other taxes which the Company may in its judgment, be
required to withhold with respect to the exercise of the Option. An attempt
to
exercise any Option granted hereunder other than as set forth above shall be
invalid and of no force and effect. Unless otherwise stated in the applicable
Award Agreement, an individual holding or exercising an Option shall have none
of the rights of a stockholder (for example, the right to receive cash or
dividend payments or distributions attributable to the subject shares of Stock
or to direct the voting of the subject shares of Stock) until the shares of
Stock covered thereby are fully paid and issued to such individual. Except
as
provided in Section 17 hereof, no adjustment shall be made for dividends,
distributions, or other rights for which the record date is prior to the date
of
such issuance.
10.9
Delivery of Stock Certificates.
Promptly
after the exercise of an Option by a Grantee and the payment in full of the
Option Price, such Grantee shall be entitled to the issuance of a stock
certificate or certificates evidencing such Grantee’s ownership of the shares of
Stock subject to the Option.
11.
TRANSFERABILITY OF OPTIONS
11.1
Transferability of Options.
Except
as provided in Section 11.2, during the lifetime of a Grantee, only the
Grantee (or, in the event of legal incapacity or incompetency, the Grantee’s
guardian or legal representative) may exercise an Option. Except as provided
in
Section 11.2 , no Option shall be assignable or transferable by the Grantee
to whom it is granted, other than by will or the laws of descent and
distribution.
11.2
Transfers.
If
authorized in the applicable Award Agreement, a Grantee may transfer, not for
value, all or part of an Option which is not an Incentive Stock Option to any
Family Member. For the purpose of this Section 11.2, a “not for value”
transfer is a transfer which is (i) a gift, (ii) a transfer under a
domestic relations order in settlement of marital property rights; or
(iii) a transfer to an entity in which more than fifty percent of the
voting interests are owned by Family Members (or the Grantee) in exchange for
an
interest in that entity. Following a transfer under this Section 11.2 , any
such Option shall continue to be subject to the same terms and conditions as
were applicable immediately prior to transfer. Subsequent transfers of
transferred Options are prohibited except to Family Members of the original
Grantee in accordance with this Section 11.2 or by will or the laws of
descent and distribution. The events of termination of employment or other
relationship of Section 10.4 hereof shall continue to be applied with
respect to the original Grantee, following which the Option shall be exercisable
by the transferee only to the extent, and for the periods specified in Sections
10.4 , 10.5 , or 10.6 .
12.
RESTRICTED STOCK AND RESTRICTED STOCK UNITS
12.1
Grant of Restricted Stock or Restricted Stock Units.
The
Board may from time to time grant Restricted Stock or Restricted Stock Units
to
persons eligible to receive Grants under Section 6 hereof, subject to such
restrictions, conditions and other terms as the Board may
determine.
12.2
Restrictions.
At
the time a Grant of Restricted Stock or Restricted Stock Units is made, the
Board shall establish a period of time (the “Restricted Period”) applicable to
such Restricted Stock or Restricted Stock Units. Each Grant of Restricted Stock
or Restricted Stock Units may be subject to a different Restricted Period.
The
Board may, in its sole discretion, at the time a Grant of Restricted Stock
or
Restricted Stock Units is made, prescribe restrictions in addition to or other
than the expiration of the Restricted Period, including the satisfaction of
corporate or individual performance objectives, which may be applicable to
all
or any portion of the Restricted Stock or Restricted Stock Units. Such
performance objectives shall be established in writing by the Board prior to
the
ninetieth day of the year in which the Grant is made and while the outcome
is
substantially uncertain. Performance objectives shall be based on a number
of
factors including, but not limited to, Stock price, market share, sales,
earnings per share, return on equity or costs. Performance objectives may
include positive results, maintaining the status quo or limiting economic
losses. Subject to the fourth sentence of this Section 12.2 , the Board
also may, in its sole discretion, shorten or terminate the Restricted Period
or
waive any other restrictions applicable to all or a portion of the Restricted
Stock or Restricted Stock Units. Neither Restricted Stock nor Restricted Stock
Units may be sold, transferred, assigned, pledged or otherwise encumbered or
disposed of during the Restricted Period or prior to the satisfaction of any
other restrictions prescribed by the Board with respect to such Restricted
Stock
or Restricted Stock Units.
12.3
Restricted Stock Certificates.
The
Company shall issue, in the name of each Grantee to whom Restricted Stock has
been granted, stock certificates representing the total number of shares of
Restricted Stock granted to the Grantee, as soon as reasonably practicable
after
the Grant Date. The Board may provide in an Award Agreement that either
(i) the Secretary of the Company shall hold such certificates for the
Grantees’ benefit until such time as the Restricted Stock is forfeited to the
Company , or the restrictions lapse, or (ii) such certificates shall be
delivered to the Grantee, provided, however, that such certificates shall bear
a
legend or legends that complies with the applicable securities laws and
regulations and makes appropriate reference to the restrictions imposed under
the Plan and the Award Agreement.
12.4
Rights of Holders of Restricted Stock.
Unless
the Board otherwise provides in an Award Agreement, holders of Restricted Stock
shall have the right to vote such Stock and the right to receive any dividends
declared or paid with respect to such Stock. The Board may provide that any
dividends paid on Restricted Stock must be reinvested in shares of Stock, which
may or may not be subject to the same vesting conditions and restrictions
applicable to such Restricted Stock. All distributions, if any, received by
a
Grantee with respect to Restricted Stock as a result of any stock split, stock
dividend, combination of shares or other similar transaction shall be subject
to
the restrictions applicable to the original Grant.
12.5
Rights of Holders of Restricted Stock Units.
Unless
the Board otherwise provides in an Award Agreement, holders of Restricted Stock
Units shall have no rights as stockholders of the Company. The Board may provide
in an Award Agreement evidencing a Grant of Restricted Stock Units that the
holder of such Restricted Stock Units shall be entitled to receive, upon the
Company’s payment of a cash dividend on its outstanding Stock, a cash payment
for each Restricted Stock Unit held equal to the per-share dividend paid on
the
Stock. Such Award Agreement may also provide that such cash payment will be
deemed reinvested in additional Restricted Stock Units at a price per unit
equal
to the Fair Market Value of a share of Stock on the date that such dividend
is
paid.
12.6
Termination of Employment or Other Relationship.
Unless
otherwise provided by the Board, upon the termination of a Grantee’s employment
or other relationship with the Company or Subsidiary other than by reason of
death or “permanent and total disability” (within the meaning of
Section 22(e)(3) of the Code), any shares of Restricted Stock or
Restricted Stock Units held by such Grantee that have not vested, or with
respect to which all applicable restrictions and conditions have not lapsed,
shall immediately be deemed forfeited. Upon forfeiture of Restricted Stock
or
Restricted Stock Units, the Grantee shall have no further rights with respect
to
such Grant, including but not limited to any right to vote Restricted Stock
or
any right to receive dividends with respect to shares of Restricted Stock or
Restricted Stock Units. Whether a termination of employment or other
relationship shall have occurred for purposes of the Plan shall be determined
by
the Board, which determination shall be final and conclusive. For purposes
of
the Plan, a termination of employment, service or other relationship shall
not
be deemed to occur if the Grantee is immediately thereafter a director of the
Company or an affiliate.
12.7
Rights in the Event of Death.
Unless
otherwise provided by the Board, if a Grantee dies while employed by the Company
or Subsidiary, all Restricted Stock or Restricted Stock Units granted to such
Grantee shall fully vest on the date of death, and the shares of Stock
represented thereby shall be deliverable in accordance with the terms of the
Plan to the executors, administrators, legatees or distributees of the Grantee’s
estate.
12.8
Rights in the Event of Disability.
Unless
otherwise provided by the Board, if a Grantee’s employment or other relationship
with the Company or Subsidiary is terminated by reason of the “permanent and
total disability” (within the meaning of Section 22(e)(3) of the Code)
of such Grantee, such Grantee’s Restricted Stock or Restricted Stock Units shall
continue to vest in accordance with the applicable Award Agreement for a period
of one year after such termination of employment or service, subject to the
earlier forfeiture of such Restricted Stock or Restricted Stock Units in
accordance with the terms of the applicable Award Agreement. Whether a
termination of employment or service is to be considered by reason of “permanent
and total disability” for purposes of the Plan shall be determined by the Board,
which determination shall be final and conclusive.
12.9
Delivery of Stock and Payment Therefor.
Upon
the expiration or termination of the Restricted Period and the satisfaction
of
any other conditions prescribed by the Board, the restrictions applicable to
shares of Restricted Stock or Restricted Stock Units shall lapse, and, unless
otherwise provided in the Award Agreement, upon payment by the Grantee to the
Company, in cash or by check, of the greater of (i) the aggregate par value
of the shares of Stock represented by such Restricted Stock or Restricted Stock
Units or (ii) the purchase price, if any, specified in the Award agreement
relating to such Restricted Stock or Restricted Stock Units, a stock certificate
for such shares shall be delivered, free of all such restrictions, to the
Grantee or the Grantee’s beneficiary or estate, as the case may be.
13.
CERTAIN PROVISIONS APPLICABLE TO AWARDS
13.1
Stand-Alone, Additional, Tandem, and Substitute Grants.
Grants
under the Plan may, in the discretion of the Board, be granted either alone
or
in addition to, in tandem with or in substitution or exchange for, any other
Grant or any award granted under another plan of the Company, any affiliate
or
any business entity to be acquired by the Company or an affiliate, or any other
right of a Grantee to receive payment from the Company or any affiliate. Such
additional, tandem and substitute or exchange Grants may be awarded at any
time.
If a Grant is awarded in substitution or exchange for another Grant, the Board
shall require the surrender of such other Grant in consideration for the new
Grant. In addition, Grants may be made in lieu of cash compensation, including
in lieu of cash amounts payable under other plans of the Company or any
affiliate, in which the value of Stock subject to the Grant is equivalent in
value to the cash compensation (for example, Restricted Stock), or in which
the
exercise price, grant price or purchase price of the Grant in the nature of
a
right that may be exercised is equal to the Fair Market Value of the underlying
Stock minus the value of the cash compensation surrendered (for example, Options
granted with an exercise price “discounted” by the amount of the cash
compensation surrendered).
13.2
Term of Grant.
The
term of each Grant shall be for such period as may be determined by the Board;
provided that in no event shall the term of any Option exceed a period of ten
years (or such shorter term as may be required in respect of an Incentive Stock
Option under Section 422 of the Code).
13.3
Form and Timing of Payment Under Grants; Deferrals.
Subject
to the terms of the Plan and any applicable Award Agreement, payments to be
made
by the Company or an affiliate upon the exercise of an Option or other Grant
may
be made in such forms as the Board shall determine, including, without
limitation, cash, Stock, other Grants or other property, and may be made in
a
single payment or transfer, in installments, or on a deferred basis. The
settlement of any Grant may be accelerated, and cash paid in lieu of Stock
in
connection with such settlement, in the discretion of the Board or upon
occurrence of one or more specified events. Installment or deferred payments
may
be required by the Board or permitted at the election of the Grantee on terms
and conditions established by the Board. Payments may include, without
limitation, provisions for the payment or crediting of a reasonable interest
rate on installment or deferred payments or the grant or crediting of dividend
equivalents or other amounts in respect of installment or deferred payments
denominated in Stock.
14.
PARACHUTE LIMITATIONS
Notwithstanding
any other provision of this Plan or of any other agreement, contract, or
understanding heretofore or hereafter entered into by a Grantee with the Company
or any affiliate, except an agreement, contract, or understanding hereafter
entered into that expressly modifies or excludes application of this paragraph
(an “Other Agreement”), and notwithstanding any formal or informal plan or other
arrangement for the direct or indirect provision of compensation to the Grantee
(including groups or classes of participants or beneficiaries of which the
Grantee is a member), whether or not such compensation is deferred, is in cash
or is in the form of a benefit to or for the Grantee (a “Benefit Arrangement”),
if the Grantee is a “disqualified individual,” as defined in
Section 280G(c) of the Code, any Option, Restricted Stock or
Restricted Stock Unit held by that Grantee and any right to receive any payment
or other benefit under this Plan shall not become exercisable or vested
(i) to the extent that such right to exercise, vesting, payment or benefit,
taking into account all other rights, payments, or benefits to or for the
Grantee under this Plan, all Other Agreements and all Benefit Arrangements,
would cause any payment or benefit to the Grantee under this Plan to be
considered a “parachute payment” within the meaning of
Section 280G(b)(2) of the Code as then in effect (a “Parachute
Payment”)
and
(ii) if, as a result of receiving a Parachute Payment, the aggregate
after-tax amounts received by the Grantee from the Company under this Plan,
all
Other Agreements and all Benefit Arrangements would be less than the maximum
after-tax amount that could be received by the Grantee without causing any
such
payment or benefit to be considered a Parachute Payment. In the event that
the
receipt of any such right to exercise, vesting, payment or benefit under this
Plan, in conjunction with all other rights, payments or benefits to or for
the
Grantee under any Other Agreement or any Benefit Arrangement would cause the
Grantee to be considered to have received a Parachute Payment under this Plan
that would have the effect of decreasing the after-tax amount received by the
Grantee as described in clause (ii) of the preceding sentence, then the
Grantee shall have the right, in the Grantee’s sole discretion, to designate
those rights, payments or benefits under this Plan, any Other Agreements and
any
Benefit Arrangements that should be reduced or eliminated so as to avoid having
the payment or benefit to the Grantee under this Plan be deemed to be a
Parachute Payment.
15.
REQUIREMENTS OF LAW
15.1
General.
The
Company shall not be required to sell or issue any shares of Stock under any
Grant if the sale or issuance of such shares would constitute a violation by
the
Grantee, any other individual exercising a right emanating from such Grant,
or
the Company of any provision of any law or regulation of any governmental
authority, including without limitation any federal or state securities laws
or
regulations. If at any time the Company shall determine, in its discretion,
that
the listing, registration or qualification of any shares subject to a Grant
upon
any securities exchange or under any governmental regulatory body is necessary
or desirable as a condition of, or in connection with, the issuance or purchase
of shares hereunder, no shares of Stock may be issued or sold to the Grantee
or
any other individual exercising an Option pursuant to such Grant unless such
listing, registration, qualification, consent or approval shall have been
effected or obtained free of any conditions not acceptable to the Company,
and
any delay caused thereby shall in no way affect the date of termination of
the
Grant. Specifically, in connection with the Securities Act, upon the exercise
of
any right emanating from such Grant or the delivery of any shares of Restricted
Stock or Stock underlying Restricted Stock Units, unless a registration
statement under such Act is in effect with respect to the shares of Stock
covered by such Grant, the Company shall not be required to sell or issue such
shares unless the Board has received evidence satisfactory to it that the
Grantee or any other individual exercising an Option may acquire such shares
pursuant to an exemption from registration under the Securities Act. Any
determination in this connection by the Board shall be final, binding and
conclusive. The Company may, but shall in no event be obligated to, register
any
securities covered hereby
pursuant to the Securities Act. The Company shall not be obligated to take
any
affirmative action in order to cause the exercise of an Option or the issuance
of shares of Stock pursuant to the Plan to comply with any law or regulation
of
any governmental authority. As to any jurisdiction that expressly imposes the
requirement that an Option shall not be exercisable until the shares of Stock
covered by such Option are registered or are exempt from registration, the
exercise of such Option (under circumstances in which the laws of such
jurisdiction apply) shall be deemed conditioned upon the effectiveness of such
registration or the availability of such an exemption.
15.2
Rule 16b-3.
During
any time when the Company has a class of equity security registered under
Section 12 of the Exchange Act, it is the intent of the Company that Grants
pursuant to the Plan and the exercise of Options granted hereunder will qualify
for the exemption provided by Rule 16b-3 under the Exchange Act. To the
extent that any provision of the Plan or action by the Board does not comply
with the requirements of Rule 16b-3, it shall be deemed inoperative to the
extent permitted by law and deemed advisable by the Board, and shall not affect
the validity of the Plan. In the event that Rule 16b-3 is revised or
replaced, the Board may exercise its discretion to modify this Plan in any
respect necessary to satisfy the requirements of, or to take advantage of any
features of, the revised exemption or its replacement.
16.
AMENDMENT AND TERMINATION OF THE PLAN
The
Board may, at any time and from time to time, amend, suspend or terminate the
Plan as to any shares of Stock as to which Grants have not been
made;
provided
,
however
, that the Board shall not, without approval of the Company’s stockholders,
amend the Plan such that it does not comply with the Code. Except as permitted
under this Section 16 or Section 17 hereof, no amendment, suspension
or termination of the Plan shall, without the consent of the Grantee, alter
or
impair rights or obligations under any Grant theretofore awarded under the
Plan.
17.
EFFECT OF CHANGES IN CAPITALIZATION
17.1
Changes in Stock.
If
the number of outstanding shares of Stock is increased or decreased or the
shares of Stock are changed into or exchanged for a different number or kind
of
shares or other securities of the Company on account of any recapitalization,
reclassification, stock split, reverse split, combination of shares, exchange
of
shares, stock dividend or other distribution payable in capital stock, or other
increase or decrease in such shares effected without receipt of consideration
by
the Company occurring after the Effective Date, the number and kinds of shares
for which Grants of Options, Restricted Stock and Restricted Stock Units may
be
made under the Plan shall be adjusted proportionately and accordingly by the
Company. In addition, the number and kind of shares for which Grants are
outstanding shall be adjusted proportionately and accordingly so that the
proportionate interest of the Grantee immediately following such event shall
be,
to the extent practicable, the same as immediately before such event. Any such
adjustment in outstanding Options shall not change the aggregate Option Price
payable with respect to shares that are subject to the unexercised portion
of an
Option outstanding but shall include a corresponding proportionate adjustment
in
the Option Price per share. The conversion of any convertible securities of
the
Company shall not be treated as an increase in shares effected without receipt
of consideration.
17.2
Reorganization in Which the Company Is the Surviving Entity and in Which No
Change of Control Occurs.
Subject
to Section 17.3 hereof, if the Company shall be the surviving entity in any
reorganization, merger or consolidation of the Company with one or more other
entities and in which no Change of Control occurs, any Option theretofore
granted pursuant to the Plan shall pertain to and apply to the securities to
which a holder of the number of shares of Stock subject to such Option would
have been entitled immediately following such reorganization, merger or
consolidation, with a corresponding proportionate adjustment of the Option
Price
per share so that the aggregate Option Price thereafter shall be the same as
the
aggregate Option Price of the shares remaining subject to the Option immediately
prior to such reorganization, merger or consolidation. Subject to any contrary
language in an Award Agreement evidencing a Grant of Restricted Stock, any
restrictions applicable to such Restricted Stock shall apply as well to any
replacement shares received by the Grantee as a result of the reorganization,
merger or consolidation. Specifically, a merger of the Company into a wholly
owned subsidiary incorporated in either Delaware or Nevada for purposes of
corporate migration to that jurisdiction shall be deemed to not involve a change
in control.
17.3
Reorganization, Sale of Assets or Sale of Stock Which Involves a Change of
Control.
Subject
to the exceptions set forth in the last sentence of this Section 17.3,
(i) upon the occurrence of a Change of Control, all outstanding shares of
Restricted Stock and Restricted Stock Units shall be deemed to have vested,
and
all restrictions and conditions applicable to such shares of Restricted Stock
and Restricted Stock Units shall be deemed to have lapsed, immediately prior
to
the occurrence of such Change of Control, and (ii) fifteen days prior to
the scheduled consummation of a Change of Control, all Options outstanding
hereunder shall become immediately exercisable and shall remain exercisable
for
a period of fifteen days. Any exercise of an Option during such fifteen-day
period shall be conditioned upon the consummation of the event and shall be
effective only immediately before the consummation of the event. Upon
consummation of any Change of Control, the Plan and all outstanding but
unexercised Options shall terminate. The Board shall send written notice of
an
event that will result in such a termination to all individuals who hold Options
not later than the time at which the Company gives notice thereof to its
stockholders. This Section 17.3 shall not apply to any Change of Control to
the extent that (A) provision is made in writing in connection with such
Change of Control for the assumption of the Options, Restricted Stock and
Restricted Stock Units theretofore granted, or for the substitution for such
Options, Restricted Stock and Restricted Stock Units of new options, restricted
stock and restricted stock units covering the stock of a successor entity,
or a
parent or subsidiary thereof, with appropriate adjustments as to the number
and
kinds of shares or units and exercise prices, in which event the Plan and
Options, Restricted Stock and Restricted Stock Units theretofore granted shall
continue in the manner and under the terms so provided or (B) a majority of
the full Board determines that such Change of Control shall not trigger
application of the provisions of this Section 17.3.
17.4
Adjustments.
Adjustments
under this Section 17 related to shares of Stock or securities of the
Company shall be made by the Board, whose determination in that respect shall
be
final, binding and conclusive. No fractional shares or other securities shall
be
issued pursuant to any such adjustment, and any fractions resulting from any
such adjustment shall be eliminated in each case by rounding downward to the
nearest whole share.
17.5
No Limitations on Company.
The
making of Grants pursuant to the Plan shall not affect or limit in any way
the
right or power of the Company to make adjustments, reclassifications,
reorganizations or changes of its capital or business structure or to merge,
consolidate, dissolve or liquidate, or to sell or transfer all or any part
of
its business or assets.
18.
DISCLAIMER OF RIGHTS
No
provision in the Plan or in any Grant or Award Agreement shall be construed
to
confer upon any individual the right to remain in the employ or service of
the
Company or any affiliate, or to interfere in any way with any contractual or
other right or authority of the Company either to increase or decrease the
compensation or other payments to any individual at any time, or to terminate
any employment or other relationship between any individual and the Company.
In
addition, notwithstanding anything contained in the Plan to the contrary, unless
otherwise stated in the applicable Award Agreement, no Grant awarded under
the
Plan shall be affected by any change of duties or position of the Grantee,
so
long as such Grantee continues to be a director of the Company or any affiliate.
The obligation of the Company to pay any benefits pursuant to this Plan shall
be
interpreted as a contractual obligation to pay only those amounts described
herein, in the manner and under the conditions prescribed herein. The Plan
shall
in no way be interpreted to require the Company to transfer any amounts to
a
third party trustee or otherwise hold any amounts in trust or escrow for payment
to any participant or beneficiary under the terms of the Plan. No Grantee shall
have any of the rights of a stockholder with respect to the shares of Stock
subject to an Option except to the extent the certificates for such shares
of
Stock shall have been issued upon the exercise of the Option.
19.
NONEXCLUSIVITY OF THE PLAN
Neither
the adoption of the Plan nor the submission of the Plan to the stockholders
of
the Company for approval shall be construed as creating any limitations upon
the
right and authority of the Board to adopt such other incentive compensation
arrangements (which arrangements may be applicable either generally to a class
or classes of individuals or specifically to a particular individual or
particular individuals) as the Board in its discretion determines desirable,
including, without limitation, the granting of stock options otherwise than
under the Plan.
20.
WITHHOLDING TAXES
The
Company or any affiliate, as the case may be, shall have the right to deduct
from payments of any kind otherwise due to a Grantee any Federal, state or
local
taxes of any kind required by law to be withheld with respect to the vesting
of
or other lapse of restrictions applicable to Restricted Stock or Restricted
Stock Units or upon the issuance of any shares of Stock upon the exercise of
an
Option. At the time of such vesting, lapse or exercise, the Grantee shall pay
to
the Company or affiliate, as the case may be, any amount that the Company or
affiliate may reasonably determine to be necessary to satisfy such withholding
obligation. Subject to the prior approval of the Company or the affiliate,
which
may be withheld by the Company or the affiliate, as the case may be, in its
sole
discretion, the Grantee may elect to satisfy such obligations, in whole or
in
part, (i) by causing the Company or the affiliate to withhold shares of
Stock otherwise issuable to the Grantee in an amount equal to the statutory
withholding amount or (ii) by delivering to the Company or the affiliate
shares of Stock already owned by the Grantee. The shares of Stock so delivered
or withheld shall have an aggregate Fair Market Value equal to such withholding
obligations. The Fair Market Value of the shares of Stock used to satisfy such
withholding obligation shall be determined by the Company or the affiliate
as of
the date that the amount of tax to be withheld is to be determined. A Grantee
who has made an election pursuant to this Section 20 may satisfy his or her
withholding obligation only with shares of Stock that are not subject to any
repurchase, forfeiture, unfulfilled vesting or other similar
requirements.
21.
CAPTIONS
The
use of captions in this Plan or any Award Agreement is for the convenience
of
reference only and shall not affect the meaning of any provision of the Plan
or
such Award Agreement.
22.
OTHER PROVISIONS
Each
Grant awarded under the Plan may contain such other terms and conditions not
inconsistent with the Plan as may be determined by the Board, in its sole
discretion.
23.
NUMBER AND GENDER
With
respect to words used in this Plan, the singular form shall include the plural
form, the masculine gender shall include the feminine gender, etc., as the
context requires.
24.
SEVERABILITY
If
any provision of the Plan or any Award Agreement shall be determined to be
illegal or unenforceable by any court of law in any jurisdiction, the remaining
provisions hereof and thereof shall be severable and enforceable in accordance
with their terms, and all provisions shall remain enforceable in any other
jurisdiction.
25.
POOLING
To
the extent permissible under GAAP, in the event any provision of the Plan or the
Award Agreement would prevent the use of pooling of interests accounting in
a
corporate transaction involving the Company and such transaction is contingent
upon pooling of interests accounting, then that provision shall be deemed
amended or revoked to the extent required to preserve such pooling of interests.
The Company may require in an Award Agreement that a Grantee who receives a
Grant under the Plan shall, upon advice from the Company, take (or refrain
from
taking, as appropriate) all actions necessary or desirable to ensure that
pooling of interests accounting is available.
26.
GOVERNING LAW
The
validity and construction of this Plan and the instruments evidencing the Grants
awarded hereunder shall be governed by the laws of the State of Florida
(excluding the choice of law rules thereof). Should Goldspring, Inc., be
merged into a wholly owned subsidiary incorporated in either Delaware or Nevada
for purposes of corporate migration, the laws of the state of incorporation
of
the surviving entity shall replace Florida as the governing
jurisdiction.
EXHIBIT
B
AGREEMENT
AND PLAN OF MERGER
AGREEMENT
AND PLAN OF MERGER dated as of ____________________ ("Agreement"), between
Goldspring, Inc., a Florida corporation ("Goldspring Florida"), and Goldspring,
Inc., a Nevada corporation ("Goldspring Nevada").
RECITALS
Whereas,
the Board of Directors of Goldspring Florida has approved a change of legal
domicile to the State of Nevada as being in the best interests of the
corporation and its shareholders; and
Whereas,
the change of legal domicile through the merger ("Merger") with Goldspring
Nevada will take place under the terms and conditions set forth in this
Agreement.
Now
Therefore, in consideration of the respective representations, warranties,
covenants and agreements contained in this Agreement, Goldspring Florida and
Goldspring Nevada hereby agree as follows:
ARTICLE
I
- THE MERGER
1.01
THE
MERGER. Upon the terms and subject to the conditions of this Agreement, and
in
accordance with the relevant provisions of the Florida Business Corporation
Act
("Florida Statute") and the Nevada Business Corporation Act ("Nevada Statute"),
respectively, Goldspring Florida will be merged with and into Goldspring Nevada
as soon as practicable following the satisfaction or waiver, if permissible,
of
the conditions set forth in Article IV of this Agreement. Following the Merger,
Goldspring Nevada will continue as the surviving corporation and will continue
its existence under the laws of the State of Nevada, and the separate corporate
existence of Goldspring Florida will cease.
1.02
EFFECTIVE DATE. As soon as practicable following the satisfaction or waiver,
if
permissible, of the conditions set forth in Article IV of this Agreement, the
Merger will be consummated by filing with the Secretaries of State of the States
of Florida and Nevada, respectively, Articles of Merger, and any other
appropriate documents ("Articles of Merger") in accordance with the Florida
Statute and the Nevada Statute, respectively. The Merger will become effective
at such time as the Articles of Merger are duly filed, or at such later time
as
specified in the Articles of Merger (the time the Merger becomes effective
being
the "Effective Date").
1.03
EFFECTS OF THE MERGER. The Merger will have the effects specified in the Florida
Statute and the Nevada Statute, respectively.
1.04
DIRECTORS AND OFFICERS OF GOLDSPRING NEVADA. After the Effective Date, the
initial directors and officers of Goldspring Nevada, as the surviving
corporation, will be those persons most recently elected as officers and
directors of Goldspring Florida.
Such
persons will serve until their successors will have been duly elected or
appointed and qualified or until their earlier death, resignation or removal
in
accordance with Goldspring Nevada’s Certificate of Incorporation and by laws.
ARTICLE
II - EXCHANGE OF SHARES
2.01
SHARE EXCHANGE. On the Effective Date by virtue of the Merger, each share of
common stock and/or Preferred stock of Goldspring Florida held by the
shareholders of Goldspring Florida will be deemed exchanged for corresponding
shares of the common stock and/or Preferred stock as the case may be of
Goldspring Nevada. Promptly after the Effective Date, Goldspring Nevada may
issue to each shareholder of Goldspring Florida a certificate representing
the
common stock and/or preferred stock to be issued to each shareholder and in
such
event each shareholder of Goldspring Florida will be required to exchange and
surrender the certificate representing all of such shareholder’s shares in
Goldspring Florida. At the close of business on the day of the Effective Date,
the stock ledger of Goldspring Florida will be closed. Notwithstanding anything
to the foregoing, should the Board of Directors of Goldspring Florida elect
to
reverse split the common stock of Goldspring Florida simultaneously with this
merger, the number of shares of common stock of Goldspring Nevada received
for
each share of Goldspring Florida shall be in the same ratio as the stock split
approved by Goldspring Florida’s Board.
ARTICLE
III - COVENANTS
3.01
FURTHER ACTION. The parties will, subject to the fulfillment at or before the
Effective Date of each of the conditions of performance set forth in Section
IV
herein, perform such further acts and execute such documents as may be
reasonably required to effect the Merger.
3.02
CONSENT OF SHAREHOLDERS. Goldspring Florida will submit the Merger to its
shareholders for their consideration and consent in accordance with the Florida
Statute and other provisions of applicable law. Goldspring Florida will notify
Goldspring Nevada that the consent of the shareholders has been obtained.
3.03
BEST
EFFORTS TO CLOSE. The parties hereto agree to use their best efforts to close
the transactions contemplated hereby as soon as practicable after the execution
of this Agreement.
ARTICLE
IV - CONDITIONS TO CONSUMMATION OF THE MERGER
4.01
CONDITIONS TO EACH PARTY’S OBLIGATION TO EFFECT THE MERGER. The respective
obligations of each party to effect the Merger are subject to the satisfaction
or waiver, where permissible, prior to the Effective Date, of the following
conditions:
(a)
This
Agreement will have been approved by the affirmative vote of the shareholders
of
Goldspring Florida by the requisite vote in accordance with applicable law;
(b)
No
statute, rule, regulation, executive order, decree, injunction or other order
(whether temporary, preliminary or permanent), will have been enacted, entered,
promulgated or enforced by any court or governmental authority which is in
effect and has the effect of prohibiting the consummation of the Merger;
provided, however, that each of the parties will have used its best efforts
to
prevent the entry of any injunction or other order and to appeal as promptly
as
possible any injunction or other order that may be entered.
ARTICLE
V
- MISCELLANEOUS
5.01
ASSIGNMENT, BINDING EFFECT; BENEFIT; ENTIRE AGREEMENT. Neither this Agreement
nor any of the rights, interests or obligations hereunder will be assigned
by
any of the parties hereto (whether by operation of law or otherwise) without
the
prior written consent of the other parties. Subject to the preceding sentence,
this Agreement will be binding upon and will inure to the benefit of the parties
hereto and their respective successors and assigns. Notwithstanding anything
contained in this Agreement to the contrary, nothing in this Agreement,
expressed or implied, is intended to confer on any person other than the parties
hereto or their respective heirs, successors, executors, administrators and
assign any rights, remedies, obligations or liabilities under or by reason
of
this Agreement. This Agreement and any documents delivered by the parties in
connection herewith constitute the entire agreement among the parties with
respect to the subject matter hereof and supersede all prior agreements and
understandings (oral and written) among the parties with respect thereto. No
addition to or modification of any provision of this Agreement will be binding
upon any party hereto unless made in writing and signed by all parties
hereto.
5.02
SEVERABILITY. Any term or provision of this Agreement which is invalid or
unenforceable in any jurisdiction will, as to that jurisdiction, be ineffective
to the extent of such invalidity or unenforceability without rendering invalid
or unenforceable the remaining terms and provisions of this Agreement in any
other jurisdiction. If any provision, clause, section or part of this Agreement
is so broad as to be unenforceable, the provision, clause, section or part
will
be interpreted to be only so broad as is enforceable, and all other provisions,
clauses, sections or parts of this Agreement which can be effective without
such
unenforceable provision, clause, section or part will, nevertheless, remain
in
full force and effect.
5.03
GOVERNING LAW. This Agreement will be governed by and construed in accordance
with the laws of the State of Nevada without regard to its rules of conflict
of
laws.
5.04
DESCRIPTIVE HEADINGS. The descriptive headings herein are inserted for
convenience of reference only and are not intended to be part of or to affect
the meaning or interpretation of this Agreement.
5.05
COUNTERPARTS. This Agreement may be executed by the parties hereto in separate
counterparts, each of which when so executed and delivered will be an original,
but all such counterparts will together constitute one and the same instrument.
Each counterpart may consist of a number of copies of this Agreement each of
which may be signed by less than all of the parties hereto, but together all
such copies will constitute one and the same instrument.
IN
WITNESS WHEREOF, each of the parties has caused this Agreement to be executed
on
its behalf by its respective officers hereunto duly authorized, all as of the
day and year first above written.
Goldspring,
Inc. (Florida)
By:_______________________
Title:
President
Goldspring,
Inc. (Nevada)
By:_______________________
Title:
President
EXHIBIT
C
ARTICLES
OF INCORPORATION OF GOLDSPRING, INC.
ARTICLES
OF INCORPORATION
OF
GOLDSPRING,
INC.
The
undersigned, to form a Nevada corporation, CERTIFIES THAT:
I.
NAME:
The name of the corporation is Goldspring, Inc.
II.
REGISTERED OFFICE: RESIDENT AGENT: The location of the registered office of
this
corporation within the State of Nevada is P.O. Box 1118, Virginia City, NV
89440; this corporation may maintain an office or offices in such other place
within or without the State of Nevada as may be from time to time designated
by
the Board of Directors or by the By-Laws of the corporation; and this
corporation may conduct all corporation business of every kind or nature,
including the holding of any meetings of directors either inside or outside
the
State of Nevada, as well as without the State of Nevada.
The
Resident Agent for the corporation shall be Robert Faber, P.O. Box 1118,
Virginia City, NV 89440.
III. PURPOSE: The
purpose for which this corporation is formed is: To engage in any lawful
activity.
IV. AUTHORIZATION
OF CAPITAL STOCK: The maximum number of shares of capital stock that this
corporation shall be authorized to have outstanding at any one time shall be
Four Billion (4,000,000,000). Of such amount, Three Billion Nine Hundred Fifty
Million (3,950,000,000) shares shall be designated Common Stock and Fifty
Million (50,000,000) shares shall be designated Preferred Stock. The Common
Stock shall have a par value of $0.000666 per share upon which there are no
preemptive rights. The Preferred Stock shall have a par value of $0.000666
per
share. The Preferred Stock may be issued in one or more series or classes,
each
of which shall have such rights, preferences and privileges as the Board of
Directors shall from time to time designate. The Common Stock and Preferred
Stock shall be paid for at such time as the Board of Directors shall designate,
in cash, real property, personal property, services, patents, leases, or any
other valuable thing or right for the use and purposes of the corporation,
and
shares of capital, which issued in exchange thereof shall thereupon and thereby
become and be paid in full, the same as though paid in cash at par, and shall
be
non assessable forever, the judgment of the Board of Directors as to the value
of the property right or thing acquired in exchange for such capital stock
shall
be conclusive.
V. INCORPORATOR:
The name and post office address of the Incorporator signing these Articles
of
Incorporation is as follows:
NAME |
|
POST OFFICE ADDRESS |
|
|
|
Robert Faber |
|
P.O.
Box 1118 Virginia City, Nevada
89440 |
VI. DIRECTORS:
The governing board of this corporation shall be known as directors, and the
first Board shall consist of five (5) directors.
The
number of directors may be increased or decreased by the Board of Directors,
provided there shall be no less than one (1) nor more than nine (9)
Directors.
The
name
and post office addresses of the directors constituting the first
Board
of
Directors is as follows:
NAME |
|
POST OFFICE ADDRESS |
|
|
|
Christopher L. Aguilar
|
|
P.O.
Box 1118 Virginia City, Nevada 89440 |
|
|
|
Todd S. Brown |
|
P.O. Box 1118 Virginia City, Nevada
89440 |
|
|
|
Stanley A. Hirschman |
|
P.O. Box 1118 Virginia City, Nevada
89440 |
|
|
|
William J. Nance |
|
P.O. Box 1118 Virginia City, Nevada
89440 |
|
|
|
Rex L. Outzen |
|
P.O. Box 1118 Virginia City, Nevada
89440 |
VII. STOCK
NON-ASSESSABLE: The
capital stock, or the holders thereof, After the amount of the subscription
price has been paid in, shall not be subject to any assessment whatsoever to
pay
the debts of the corporation.
VIII. TERM
OF
EXISTENCE: This corporation shall have perpetual existence.
IX. CUMULATIVE
VOTING: No cumulative voting shall be permitted in the election of
directors.
X. PREEMPTIVE
RIGHTS: Shareholders shall not be entitled to preemptive rights.
XI. LIMITED
LIABILITY: No officer or director of the Corporation shall be personally liable
to the Corporation or its stockholders for monetary damages for breach of
fiduciary duty as an officer or director, except for liability (I) for any
breach of the officer or directors duty of loyalty to the Corporation or its
Stockholders, (ii) for acts or omissions not in good faith or which involve
intentional misconduct or a knowing violation of law, or (iii) for any
transaction from which the officer or director the Nevada General Corporation
Law is amended after the date of incorporation to authorize corporate action
further eliminating or limiting the personal liability of officers or directors,
then the liability of an officer or director of the Corporation shall be
eliminated or limited to the fullest extent permitted by the Nevada General
Corporation Law, or amendments thereto. No repeal or modification of this
paragraph shall adversely affect any right or protection of an officer or
director of the Corporation existing at the time of such repeal or
modification.
XII.
INDEMNIFICATION: Each person who was or is made a party or is threatened to
be
made a party to or is involved in any action, suit or proceeding, whether civil,
criminal, administrative or investigative (hereinafter a proceeding), by reason
of the fact that he or she, or a person for whom he or she is the legal
representative, is or was an officer or director of the Corporation or is or
was
serving at the request of the Corporation as an officer or director of another
corporation or of a partnership, joint venture, trust or other enterprise,
including service with respect to employee benefit plans whether the basis
of
such proceeding is alleged action in an official capacity as an officer or
director, or in any other capacity while serving as an officer or director,
shall be indemnified and held harmless by the Corporation to the fullest extent
authorized by the Nevada General Corporation law, as the same exists, or may
hereafter be amended, (but, in the case of any such amendment, only to the
extent that such amendment permits the Corporation to provide broader
indemnification rights than said law permitted the Corporation to provide prior
to such amendment), against all expense, liability, and loss, including
attorneys fees, judgments, fines, excise taxes or penalties and amounts to
be
paid in settlement) reasonably incurred or suffered by such person in connection
therewith and such indemnification shall continue as to a person who has ceased
to be an officer or director and shall inure to the benefit of his or her
heirs,
executors
and administrators; provided, however, that except as provided herein with
respect to proceedings seeking to enforce rights to indemnification, the
Corporation shall indemnify any such person seeking indemnification in
connection with a proceeding (or part thereof) initiated by such person only
if
such proceeding (or part thereof) was authorized by the Board of Directors
of
the Corporation. The right to indemnification conferred in this Section shall
be
a contract right and shall include the right to be paid by the Corporation
the
expenses incurred in defending any such proceeding in advance of its final
disposition; provided however, that, if the Nevada General Corporation Law
requires the payment of such expenses incurred by an officer or director in
his
or her capacity as an officer or director (and not in any other capacity in
which service was or is rendered by such person while an officer or director,
including, without limitation, service to an employee benefit plan) in advance
of the final disposition of a proceeding, payment shall be made only upon
delivery to the Corporation of an undertaking, by or on behalf of such officer
or director, to repay all amounts so advanced if it shall ultimately be
determined that such officer or director is not entitled to be indemnified
under
the Section or otherwise.
If
a
claim hereunder is not paid in full by the Corporation within ninety days after
a written claim has been received by the Corporation, the claimant may, at
any
time thereafter, bring suit against the Corporation to recover the unpaid amount
of the claim and, if successful, in whole or in part, the claimant shall be
entitled to be paid the expense of prosecuting such claim. It shall be a defense
to any such action (other than an action brought to enforce a claim for expenses
incurred in defending any proceeding in advance of its final disposition where
the required undertaking, if any, is required, has been tendered to the
corporation) that the claimant has not met the standards of conduct which make
it permissible under the Nevada General Corporation Law for the Corporation
to
indemnify the claimant for the amount claimed, but the burden of proving such
defense shall be on the Corporation. Neither the failure of the Corporation
(including its Board of Directors, independent legal counsel, or its
stockholders) to have made a determination of such action that indemnification
of the claimant is proper in the circumstances because he or she has met the
applicable standard of conduct set forth in the Nevada General Corporation
Law,
nor an actual determination by the Corporation (including its Board of
Directors, independent legal counsel, or its stockholders) that the claimant
has
not met such applicable standard of conduct, shall be a defense to the action
or
create a presumption that the claimant has not met the applicable standard
of
conduct.
The
right
to indemnification and the payment of expenses incurred in defending a
proceeding in advance of its final disposition conferred in this Section shall
not be exclusive of any other right which any person may have or hereafter
acquire under any statute, provision of the Certificate of Incorporation,
By-Law, agreement, vote of stockholders or disinterested directors or
otherwise.
The
Corporation may maintain insurance, at its expense, to protect itself and any
officer, director, employee or agent of the Corporation or another corporation,
partnership, joint venture, trust or other enterprise against any expense,
liability or loss, whether or not the Corporation would have the power to
indemnify such person against such expense, liability or loss under the Nevada
General Corporation Law.
The
Corporation may, to the extent authorized from time to time by the Board of
Directors, grant rights to indemnification to any employee or agent of the
Corporation tot he fullest extent of the provisions of this Section with respect
to the indemnification and advancement of expenses of officers and directors
of
the Corporation or individuals serving at the request of the Corporation as
an
officer, director, employee or agent of another corporation or of a partnership,
joint venture, trust or other enterprise.
XIII.
OPT
OUT OF NRS Sections 78.3780 et seq.
The
provisions of Nevada Revised Statutes Section 78.3792 shall not apply to any
acquisition of a controlling interest by any person, entity, persons or entities
in the Corporation meeting the criteria set forth in NRS Sections 78.3780
et
seq
THE
UNDERSIGNED, being the Incorporator hereinbefore named for the purpose of
forming a corporation pursuant to the General Corporation Law of the State
of
Nevada, does make and file these Articles of Incorporation, hereby declaring
and
certifying the facts herein stated are true, and, accordingly, has hereunto
set
her hand this --__ day of _____________, 2006.
_____________________________________
Robert
Faber
Sole
Incorporator
STATE
OF
______ )
) SS.
COUNTY
OF
_____
)
On
this
____ day of _________, 2006, before me, a Notary Public, personally appeared
_____________________, who acknowledged to me that he executed the above
instrument.
______________________
Notary
CERTIFICATE
OF ACCEPTANCE OF APPOINTMENT BY RESIDENT AGENT
In
the
matter of Goldspring, Inc., I, Robert T. Faber hereby accept the appointment
as
Resident Agent of the above-entitled corporation in accordance with NRS 78.090.
Furthermore, that the mailing address for the above registered office is P.O.
Box 1118, Virginia City, NV89440.
IN
WITNESS WHEREOF, I hereunto set my hand this ____ day of ____________,
2006.
_______________
Robert
T.
Faber
EXHIBIT
D
BYLAWS
OF
GOLDSPRING, INC.
AMENDED
AND RESTATED
BYLAWS
OF
GOLDSPRING,
INC.
(A
Nevada Corporation)
____________________
[August]
2006
____________________
GOLDSPRING,
INC.
BYLAWS
ARTICLE
I
OFFICES
1. Registered
Office.
The
registered office of GoldSpring, Inc., a Nevada corporation (the "Corporation"),
shall be located in the State of Nevada, unless otherwise designated by the
Board of Directors.
2. Other
Offices.
The
Corporation may also have offices at such other places, either within or without
the State of Nevada, as the Board of Directors of the Corporation (the "Board
of
Directors") may from time to time determine or as the business of the
Corporation may require.
ARTICLE
II
MEETINGS
OF SHAREHOLDERS
1. Place.
All
annual meetings of shareholders shall be held at such place, within or without
the State of Nevada, as may be designated by the Board of Directors and stated
in the notice of the meeting or in a duly executed waiver of notice thereof.
Special meetings of shareholders may be held at such place, within or without
the State of Nevada, and at such time as shall be stated in the notice of the
meeting or in a duly executed waiver of notice thereof.
2. Time
of Annual Meeting.
Annual
meetings of shareholders shall be held on such date and at such time fixed,
from
time to time, by the Board of Directors, provided that there shall be an annual
meeting held every year at which the shareholders shall elect a Board of
Directors and transact such other business as may properly be brought before
the
meeting.
3. Call
of Special Meetings.
Special
meetings of the shareholders, for any purpose or purposes described in the
notice of meeting, may be called only by (i) shareholders holding a majority
of
the outstanding shares of Common Stock of the Corporation; (ii) a majority
of
the Directors of the Corporation’s Board of Directors; (iii) the Chairman of the
Board of the Corporation; or (iv) the President of the Corporation
4. Conduct
of Meetings.
The
Chairman of the Board (or in his absence, the President or such other designee
of the Chairman of the Board) shall preside at the annual and special meetings
of shareholders and shall be given full discretion in establishing the rules
and
procedures to be followed in conducting the meetings, except as otherwise
provided by law or in these Bylaws.
4. Notice
and Waiver of Notice.
Except
as otherwise provided by law, written or printed notice stating the place,
day,
and hour of the meeting and, in the case of a special meeting, the purpose
or
purposes for which the meeting is called, shall be delivered not less than
ten
(10) nor more than sixty (60) days before the day of the meeting, either
personally or by first-class mail, by or at the direction of the President,
the
Secretary, or the officer or person calling the meeting, to each shareholder
of
record entitled to vote at such meeting. If the notice is mailed at least thirty
(30) days before the date of the meeting, it may be done by a class of United
States mail other than first-class. If mailed, such notice shall be deemed
to be
delivered when deposited in the United States mail addressed to the shareholder
at his or her address as it appears on the stock transfer books of the
Corporation, with postage thereon prepaid. If a meeting is adjourned to another
time and/or place, and if an announcement of the new time and/or place is made
at the meeting before an adjournment is taken, it shall not be necessary to
give
notice of the adjourned meeting unless the Board of Directors, after
adjournment, fixes a new record date for the adjourned meeting. Whenever any
notice is required to be given to any shareholder, a waiver thereof in writing
signed by the person or persons entitled to such notice, whether signed before,
during or after the time of the meeting stated therein, and delivered to the
Corporation for inclusion in the minutes or filing with the corporate records,
shall be equivalent to the giving of such notice. Neither the business to be
transacted at, nor the purpose of, any regular or special meeting of the
shareholders need be specified in any written waiver of notice. Attendance
of a
person at a meeting shall constitute a waiver of (a) lack of or defective notice
of such meeting, unless the person objects at the beginning to the holding
of
the meeting or the transacting of any business at the meeting, or (b) lack
of
defective notice of a particular matter at a meeting that is not within the
purpose or purposes described in the meeting notice, unless the person objects
to considering such matter when it is presented.
Notwithstanding
anything to the foregoing stated herein, with respect to (i) any business sought
to be brought before an Annual Meeting of Shareholders of the Corporation or
(ii) a nomination of a Director at any Annual or Special Meeting of Shareholders
at which an election of Directors is to take place, in either case by a
Shareholder of the Corporation, such Shareholder must provide notice to the
Corporation and each other Shareholder thereof within 10 business days of the
date on which the Corporation or another Shareholder sends to the Shareholders
of the Corporation written notice of such Annual or Special Meeting. Such Notice
shall contain, at a minimum: (i) the Shareholder’s name and mailing address;
(ii) the date, time and place of the Meeting (and type) to which the Notice
applies; (iii) the nature of the matter (and for an election of Director(s),
the
identity and qualifications of said Director(s); and (iv) any other information
required to ensure that Shareholders entitled to vote on such matter have a
clear understanding of the ramifications thereof.
5. Business
of Special Meeting.
Business transacted at any special meeting shall be confined to the purposes
stated in the notice thereof.
6. Quorum.
Shares
entitled to vote as a separate voting group may take action on a matter at
a
meeting only if a quorum of these shares exists with respect to that matter.
Except as otherwise provided in the Articles of Incorporation or by law, a
majority of the shares entitled to vote on the matter by each voting group,
represented in person or by proxy, shall constitute a quorum at any meeting
of
shareholders, but in no event shall a quorum consist of less than one-third
(1/3) of the shares of each voting group entitled to vote. If less than a
majority of outstanding shares entitled to vote are represented at a meeting,
a
majority of the shares so represented may adjourn the meeting from time to
time
without further notice. After a quorum has been established at any shareholders'
meeting, the subsequent withdrawal of shareholders, so as to reduce the number
of shares entitled to vote at the meeting below the number required for a
quorum, shall not affect the validity of any action taken at the meeting or
any
adjournment thereof. Once a share is represented for any purpose at a meeting,
it is deemed present for quorum purposes for the remainder of the meeting and
for any adjournment of that meeting unless a new record date is or must be
set
for that adjourned meeting.
7. Voting
Per Share.
Except
as otherwise provided in the Articles of Incorporation or by law, each
shareholder is entitled to one (1) vote for each outstanding share held by
him
on each matter voted at a shareholders' meeting.
8. Voting
of Shares.
A
shareholder may vote at any meeting of shareholders of the Corporation, either
in person or by proxy. Shares standing in the name of another corporation,
domestic or foreign, may be voted by the officer, agent, or proxy designated
by
the bylaws of such corporate shareholder or, in the absence of any applicable
bylaw, by such person or persons as the board of directors of the corporate
shareholder may designate. In the absence of any such designation, or, in case
of conflicting designation by the corporate shareholder, the chairman of the
board, the president, any vice president, the secretary, and the treasurer
of
the corporate shareholder, in that order, shall be presumed to be fully
authorized to vote such shares. Shares held by an administrator, executor,
guardian, personal representative, or conservator may be voted by him or her,
either in person or by proxy, without a transfer of such shares into his or
her
name. Shares standing in the name of a trustee may be voted by him or her,
either in person or by proxy, but no trustee shall be entitled to vote shares
held by him or her without a transfer of such shares into his or her name or
the
name of his or her nominee. Shares held by or under the control of a receiver,
a
trustee in bankruptcy proceedings, or an assignee for the benefit of creditors
may be voted by such person without the transfer thereof into his or her name.
If shares stand of record in the names of two or more persons, whether
fiduciaries, members of a partnership, joint tenants, tenants in common, tenants
by the entirety, or otherwise, or if two or more persons have the same fiduciary
relationship respecting the same shares, unless the Secretary of the Corporation
is given notice to the contrary and is furnished with a copy of the instrument
or order appointing them or creating the relationship wherein it is so provided,
then acts with respect to voting shall have the following effect: (a) if only
one votes, in person or by proxy, his or her act binds all; (b) if more than
one
vote, in person or by proxy, the act of the majority so voting binds all; (c)
if
more than one vote, in person or by proxy, but the vote is evenly split on
any
particular matter, each faction is entitled to vote the share or shares in
question proportionally; or (d) if the instrument or order so filed shows that
any such tenancy is held in unequal interest, a majority or a vote evenly split
for purposes hereof shall be a majority or a vote evenly split in interest.
The
principles of this paragraph shall apply, insofar as possible, to execution
of
proxies, waivers, consents, or objections and for the purpose of ascertaining
the presence of a quorum.
9. Proxies.
Any
shareholder of the Corporation, other person entitled to vote on behalf of
a
shareholder pursuant to law, or attorney-in-fact for such persons may vote
the
shareholder's shares in person or by proxy. Any shareholder, other person
entitled to vote on behalf of a shareholder, or attorney-in-fact for a
shareholder may appoint a proxy to vote or otherwise act for him by signing
an
appointment form or by electronic transmission. Any type of electronic
transaction appearing to have been, or containing or accompanied by such
information or obtained under such procedures to reasonably ensure that the
electronic transmission was transmitted by such person, shall be deemed a
sufficient appointment subject to verification by the Corporation. Without
limiting the manner in which a shareholder, other person entitled to vote on
behalf of a shareholder, or attorney-in-fact for a shareholder may appoint
a
proxy to vote or otherwise act for the shareholder pursuant hereto, a
shareholder, other person entitled to vote on behalf of a shareholder, or
attorney-in-fact for a shareholder may grant such authority by (a) signing
an
appointment form, or having such form signed by the shareholder's authorized
officer, director, employee, or agent by any reasonable means including, but
not
limited to, facsimile or electronic signature, or (b) transmitting or
authorizing the transmission of an electronic transmission to the person who
will be appointed as the proxy or to a proxy solicitation firm, proxy support
service organization, registrar, or agent authorized by the person who will
be
designated as the proxy to receive such transmission. However, an electronic
transmission must set forth or be submitted with information from which it
can
be determined that the electronic transmission was authorized by the
shareholder, other person entitled to vote on behalf of a shareholder, or
attorney-in-fact for a shareholder. If it is determined that the transmission
is
valid, the inspectors of election or, if there are no inspectors, such other
persons making that determination shall specify the information upon which
they
relied. An appointment of a proxy is effective when received by the Secretary
of
the Corporation or such other officer or agent which is authorized to tabulate
votes, and shall be valid for up to 11 months, unless a longer period is
expressly provided in the appointment form. The death or incapacity of the
shareholder appointing a proxy does not affect the right of the Corporation
to
accept the proxy's authority unless notice of the death or incapacity is
received by the secretary or other officer or agent authorized to tabulate
votes
before the proxy exercises his authority under the appointment. An appointment
of a proxy is revocable by the shareholder unless the appointment form or
electronic transmission conspicuously states that it is irrevocable and the
appointment is coupled with an interest.
10. Shareholder
List.
After
fixing a record date for a meeting of shareholders, the Corporation shall
prepare an alphabetical list of the names of all its shareholders who are
entitled to notice of the meeting, arranged by voting group with the address
of,
and the number and class and series, if any, of shares held by each. The
shareholders' list must be available for inspection by any shareholder for
a
period of ten (10) days prior to the meeting or such shorter time as exists
between the record date and the meeting and continuing through the meeting
at
the Corporation's principal office, at a place identified in the meeting notice
in the city where the meeting will be held, or at the office of the
Corporation's transfer agent or registrar. Any shareholder of the Corporation
or
the shareholder's agent or attorney is entitled on written demand to inspect
the
shareholders' list (subject to the requirements of law), during regular business
hours and at his or her expense, during the period it is available for
inspection. The Corporation shall make the shareholders' list available at
the
meeting of shareholders, and any shareholder or the shareholder's agent or
attorney is entitled to inspect the list at any time during the meeting or
any
adjournment.
11. Action
Without Meeting.
Any
action required by law to be taken at a meeting of shareholders, or any action
that may be taken at a meeting of shareholders, may be taken without a meeting
or notice if a consent in writing, setting forth the action so taken, shall
be
signed by the holders of outstanding stock having not less than the minimum
number of votes that would be necessary to authorize or take such action at
a
meeting at which all shares entitled to vote thereon were present and voted
with
respect to the subject matter thereof, and such consent shall have the same
force and effect as a vote of shareholders taken at such a meeting. In order
to
be effective the action must be evidenced by one or more written consents
describing the action taken, dated and signed by approving shareholders having
the requisite number of votes of each voting group entitled to vote thereon,
and
delivered to the Corporation by delivery to its principal office in this state,
its principal place of business, the corporate secretary, or another officer
or
agent of the Corporation having custody of the book in which proceedings of
meetings of shareholders are recorded. No written consent shall be effective
to
take the corporate action referred to therein unless, within 60 days of the
date
of the earliest dated consent delivered in the manner required by this section,
written consents signed by the number of holders required to take action are
delivered to the Corporation by delivery as set forth in this section. Any
written consent may be revoked prior to the date that the Corporation receives
the required number of consents to authorize the proposed action. No revocation
is effective unless in writing and until received by the Corporation at its
principal office or received by the corporate secretary or other officer or
agent of the Corporation having custody of the book in which proceedings of
meetings of shareholders are recorded. Within 10 days after obtaining such
authorization by written consent, notice must be given to those shareholders
who
have not consented in writing or who are not entitled to vote on the action.
The
notice shall fairly summarize the material features of the authorized action,
and if the action be such for which dissenters’ rights are provided under Nevada
law, the notice shall contain a clear statement of the right of shareholders
dissenting therefrom to be paid the fair value of their shares upon compliance
with Nevada law regarding the rights of dissenting shareholders.
12. Fixing
Record Date.
For the
purpose of determining shareholders entitled to notice of or to vote at any
meeting of shareholders or any adjournment thereof, or entitled to receive
payment of any dividend, or in order to make a determination of shareholders
for
any other proper purposes, the Board of Directors may fix in advance a date
as
the record date for any such determination of shareholders, such date in any
case to be not more than seventy (70) days, and, in case of a meeting of
shareholders, not less than ten (10) days, prior to the date on which the
particular action requiring such determination of shareholders is to be taken.
If no record date is fixed for the determination of shareholders entitled to
notice of or to vote at a meeting of shareholders, or shareholders entitled
to
receive payment of a dividend, the date on which the notice of the meeting
is
mailed or the date on which the resolutions of the Board of Directors declaring
such dividend is adopted, as the case may be, shall be the record date for
such
determination of shareholders. When a determination of shareholders entitled
to
vote at any meeting of shareholders has been made as provided in this Section
13, such determination shall apply to any adjournment thereof, except where
the
Board of Directors fixes a new record date for the adjourned meeting or as
required by law.
13. Inspectors
and Judges.
The
Board of Directors in advance of any meeting may, but need not, appoint one
or
more inspectors of election or judges of the vote, as the case may be, to act
at
the meeting or any adjournment(s) thereof. If any inspector or inspectors,
or
judge or judges, are not appointed, the person presiding at the meeting may,
but
need not, appoint one or more inspectors or judges. In case any person who
may
be appointed as an inspector or judge fails to appear or act, the vacancy may
be
filled by the Board of Directors in advance of the meeting, or at the meeting
by
the person presiding thereat. The inspectors or judges, if any, shall determine
the number of shares of stock outstanding and the voting power of each, the
shares of stock represented at the meeting, the existence of a quorum, the
validity and effect of proxies, and shall receive votes, ballots, and consents,
hear and determine all challenges and questions arising in connection with
the
right to vote, count, and tabulate votes, ballots, and consents, determine
the
result, and do such acts as are proper to conduct the election or vote with
fairness to all shareholders. On request of the person presiding at the meeting,
the inspector or inspectors or judge or judges, if any, shall make a report
in
writing of any challenge, question, or matter determined by him or them, and
execute a certificate of any fact found by him or them.
14. Voting
for Directors.
Unless
otherwise provided in the Articles of Incorporation, directors shall be elected
by a plurality of the votes cast by the shares entitled to vote in the election
at a meeting at which a quorum is present.
15. Removal
of Directors.
Such
removal shall be solely with cause. For purposes of this paragraph, “with cause”
shall mean (i)
the Director's conviction for the commission of any act or acts constituting
a
felony under the laws of the United States or any state thereof or the breach
of
any securities law or regulation, (ii) action by the Director toward the
Corporation involving dishonesty (other than good faith expense account
disputes), (iii) the Director's refusal to abide by or follow written directions
of the Board of Directors, (iv) the Director's gross nonfeasance which does
not
cease within ten (10) business days after notice regarding such nonfeasance
has
been given to the Executive by the Corporation; and (v) the material breach
of
any written agreement between the Director (acting in any capacity) and the
Corporation or any written policy or policy regarding confidentiality,
noncircumvention or noncompetition, whether verbal or written, of the
Corporation.
ARTICLE
III
DIRECTORS
1. Number,
Election and Term.
The
number of directors of the Corporation shall be fixed from time to time, within
any limits specified by the Articles of Incorporation, by resolution of the
Board of Directors; provided, however, no director's term shall be shortened
by
reason of a resolution reducing the number of directors. The directors shall
be
elected at the annual meeting of the shareholders, except as provided in Section
2 of this Article, and each director elected shall hold office for the term
for
which he is elected and until his successor is elected and qualified or until
his earlier resignation, removal from office or death. Directors must be natural
persons who are 18 years of age or older but need not be residents of the State
of Nevada, shareholders of the Corporation, or citizens of the United States.
Any director may be removed at any time, with or without cause, at a special
meeting of the shareholders called for that purpose.
2. Vacancies.
A
director may resign at any time by delivering written notice to the Corporation,
the Board of Directors, or the Chairman of the Board. Such resignation shall
take effect when the notice is delivered unless the notice specifies a later
effective date, in which event the Board of Directors may fill the pending
vacancy before the effective date if they provide that the successor does not
take office until the effective date. Any vacancy occurring in the Board of
Directors and any directorship to be filled by reason of an increase in the
size
of the Board of Directors shall be filled by the affirmative vote of a majority
of the current directors, though less than a quorum of the Board of Directors,
or may be filled by an election at an annual or special meeting of the
shareholders called for that purpose, unless otherwise provided by law. A
director elected to fill a vacancy shall be elected for the unexpired term
of
his predecessor in office, or until the next election of one or more directors
by shareholders if the vacancy is caused by an increase in the number of
directors.
3. Powers.
Except
as provided in the Articles of Incorporation and by law, all corporate powers
shall be exercised by or under the authority of, and the business and affairs
of
the Corporation shall be managed under the direction of, its Board of
Directors.
4. Place
of Meetings.
Meetings of the Board of Directors, regular or special, may be held either
within or without the State of Nevada.
5. Annual
Meeting.
The
first meeting of each newly elected Board of Directors shall be held, without
call or notice, immediately following each annual meeting of
shareholders.
6. Regular
Meetings.
Regular
meetings of the Board of Directors may also be held without notice at such
time
and at such place as shall from time to time be determined by the Board of
Directors.
7. Special
Meetings and Notice.
Special
meetings of the Board of Directors may be called by the Chairman of the Board
or
by the President and shall be called by the Secretary on the written request
of
any two directors. Written notice of special meetings of the Board of Directors
shall be given to each director at least forty-eight (48) hours before the
meeting. Except as required by law, neither the business to be transacted at,
nor the purpose of, any regular or special meeting of the Board of Directors
need be specified in the notice or waiver of notice of such meeting. Notices
to
directors shall be in writing and delivered personally or mailed to the
directors at their addresses appearing on the books of the Corporation. Notice
by mail shall be deemed to be given at the time when the same shall be received.
Notice to directors may also be given by telegram, teletype, or other form
of
electronic communication. Notice of a meeting of the Board of Directors need
not
be given to any director who signs a written waiver of notice before, during
or
after the meeting. Attendance of a director at a meeting shall constitute a
waiver of notice of such meeting and a waiver of any and all objections to
the
place of the meeting, the time of the meeting, and the manner in which it has
been called or convened, except when a director states, at the beginning of
the
meeting or promptly upon arrival at the meeting, any objection to the
transaction of business because the meeting is not lawfully called or
convened.
8. Quorum;
Required Vote; Presumption of Assent.
A
majority of the number of directors fixed by, or in the manner provided in,
these bylaws shall constitute a quorum for the transaction of business;
provided, however, that whenever, for any reason, a vacancy occurs in the Board
of Directors, a quorum shall consist of a majority of the remaining directors
until the vacancy has been filled. The act of a majority of the directors
present at a meeting at which a quorum is present when the vote is taken shall
be the act of the Board of Directors. A director of the Corporation who is
present at a meeting of the Board of Directors or a committee of the Board
of
Directors when corporate action is taken shall be presumed to have assented
to
the action taken, unless the director (a) objects at the beginning of the
meeting, or promptly upon his or her arrival, to holding the meeting or
transacting specific business at the meeting, or (b) votes against or abstains
from the action taken.
9. Action
Without Meeting.
Any
action required or permitted to be taken at a meeting of the Board of Directors
or a committee thereof may be taken without a meeting if a consent in writing,
setting forth the action taken, is signed by all of the members of the Board
of
Directors or the committee, as the case may be, and such consent shall have
the
same force and effect as a unanimous vote at a meeting. Action taken under
this
section is effective when the last director signs the consent, unless the
consent specifies a different effective date. A consent signed under this
Section 9 shall have the effect of a meeting vote and may be described as such
in any document.
10. Conference
Telephone or Similar Communications Equipment Meetings.
Members
of the Board of Directors may participate in a meeting of the Board by means
of
conference telephone or similar communications equipment by means of which
all
persons participating in the meeting can hear each other at the same time.
Participation in such a meeting shall constitute presence in person at the
meeting, except where a person participates in the meeting for the express
purpose of objecting to the transaction of any business on the ground the
meeting is not lawfully called or convened.
11. Committees.
The
Board of Directors, by resolution adopted by a majority of the full Board of
Directors, may designate from among its members an executive committee and
one
or more other committees, each of which, to the extent provided in such
resolution, shall have and may exercise all of the authority of the Board of
Directors in the business and affairs of the Corporation except where the action
of the full Board of Directors is required by law. Each committee must have
two
or more members who serve at the pleasure of the Board of Directors. The Board
of Directors, by resolution adopted in accordance with this Article, may
designate one or more directors as alternate members of any committee, who
may
act in the place and stead of any absent member or members at any meeting of
such committee. Vacancies in the membership of a committee shall be filled
by
the Board of Directors at a regular or special meeting of the Board of
Directors. The executive committee shall keep regular minutes of its proceedings
and report the same to the Board of Directors when required. The designation
of
any such committee and the delegation thereto of authority shall not operate
to
relieve the Board of Directors, or any member thereof, of any responsibility
imposed upon it or him by law.
12. Compensation
of Directors.
The
directors may be paid their expenses, if any, of attendance at each meeting
of
the Board of Directors and may be paid a fixed sum for attendance at each
meeting of the Board of Directors or a stated salary as director. No such
payment shall preclude any director from serving the Corporation in any other
capacity and receiving compensation therefor. Members of special or standing
committees may be allowed like compensation for attending committee
meetings.
13. Chairman
of the Board.
The
Board of Directors may, in its discretion, choose a Chairman of the Board who
shall preside at meetings of the shareholders and of the directors and shall
be
an ex officio member of all standing committees. The Chairman of the Board
shall
have such other powers and shall perform such other duties as shall be
designated by the Board of Directors. The Chairman of the Board shall be a
member of the Board of Directors but no other officers of the Corporation need
be a director. The Chairman of the Board shall serve until his successor is
chosen and qualified, but he may be removed at any time by the affirmative
vote
of a majority of the Board of Directors.
ARTICLE
IV
OFFICERS
1. Positions.
The
officers of the Corporation shall consist of a President, a Secretary, and
a
Treasurer, and, if elected by the Board of Directors by resolution, a Chairman
of the Board and/or one or more Vice Presidents. Any two or more offices may
be
held by the same person.
2. Election
of Specified Officers by Board.
The
Board of Directors at its first meeting after each annual meeting of
shareholders shall elect a President, a Secretary, a Treasurer, and may elect
one or more Vice Presidents.
3. Election
or Appointment of Other Officers.
Such
other officers and assistant officers and agents as may be deemed necessary
may
be elected or appointed by the Board of Directors, or, unless otherwise
specified herein, appointed by the President of the Corporation. The Board
of
Directors shall be advised of appointments by the President at or before the
next scheduled Board of Directors meeting.
4. Salaries.
The
salaries of all officers of the Corporation to be elected by the Board of
Directors pursuant to this Section 2 shall be fixed from time to time by the
Board of Directors or pursuant to its discretion. The salaries of all other
elected or appointed officers of the Corporation shall be fixed from time to
time by the President of the Corporation or pursuant to his
direction.
5. Term;
Resignation.
The
officers of the Corporation shall hold office until their successors are chosen
and qualified. Any officer or agent elected or appointed by the Board of
Directors or the President of the Corporation may be removed, with or without
cause, by the Board of Directors. Any officers or agents appointed by the
President of the Corporation pursuant to Section 3 of this Article may also
be
removed from such officer positions by the President, with or without cause.
Any
vacancy occurring in any office of the Corporation by death, resignation,
removal, or otherwise shall be filled by the Board of Directors, or, in the
case
of an officer appointed by the President of the Corporation, by the President
or
the Board of Directors. Any officer of the Corporation may resign from his
respective office or position by delivering notice to the Corporation. Such
resignation is effective when delivered unless the notice specifies a later
effective date. If a resignation is made effective at a later date and the
Corporation accepts the future effective date, the Board of Directors may fill
the pending vacancy before the effective date if the Board provides that the
successor does not take office until the effective date.
6. President.
The
President shall be the Chief Executive Officer of the Corporation, shall have
general and active management of the business of the Corporation and shall
see
that all orders and resolutions of the Board of Directors are carried into
effect. In the absence of the Chairman of the Board or in the event the Board
of
Directors shall not have designated a chairman of the board, the President
shall
preside at meetings of the shareholders and the Board of Directors.
7. Vice
Presidents.
The
Vice Presidents in the order of their seniority, unless otherwise determined
by
the Board of Directors, shall, in the absence or disability of the President,
perform the duties and exercise the powers of the President. They shall perform
such other duties and have such other powers as the Board of Directors shall
prescribe or as the President may from time to time delegate.
8. Secretary.
The
Secretary shall attend all meetings of the Board of Directors and all meetings
of the shareholders and record all the proceedings of the meetings of the
shareholders and of the Board of Directors in a book to be kept for that purpose
and shall perform like duties for the standing committees when required. He
shall give, or cause to be given, notice of all meetings of the shareholders
and
special meetings of the Board of Directors, and shall perform such other duties
as may be prescribed by the Board of Directors or President, under whose
supervision he shall be. He shall keep in safe custody the seal of the
Corporation and, when authorized by the Board of Directors, affix the same
to
any instrument requiring it.
9. Treasurer.
The
Treasurer shall have the custody of corporate funds and securities and shall
keep full and accurate accounts of receipts and disbursements in books belonging
to the Corporation and shall deposit all moneys and other valuable effects
in
the name and to the credit of the Corporation in such depositories as may be
designated by the Board of Directors. He shall disburse the funds of the
Corporation as may be ordered by the Board of Directors, taking proper vouchers
for such disbursements, and shall render to the President and the Board of
Directors at its regular meetings or when the Board of Directors so requires
an
account of all his transactions as treasurer and of the financial condition
of
the Corporation unless otherwise specified by the Board of Directors, the
Treasurer shall be the Corporation's Chief Financial Officer.
10. Other
Officers, Employees, and Agents.
Each
and every other officer, employee, and agent of the Corporation shall possess,
and may exercise, such power and authority, and shall perform such duties,
as
may from time to time be assigned to him by the Board of Directors, the officer
so appointing him and such officer or officers who may from time to time be
designated by the Board of Directors to exercise such supervisory
authority.
ARTICLE
V
CERTIFICATES
FOR SHARES
1. Issue
of Certificates.
The
Corporation shall deliver certificates representing all shares to which
shareholders are entitled; and such certificates shall be signed by the Chairman
of the Board, President, or a Vice President, and by the Secretary or an
Assistant Secretary of the Corporation, and may be sealed with the seal of
the
Corporation or a facsimile thereof.
2. Legends
for Preferences and Restrictions on Transfer.
The
designations, relative rights, preferences, and limitations applicable to each
class of shares and the variations in rights, preferences, and limitations
determined for each series within a class (and the authority of the Board of
Directors to determine variations for future series) shall be summarized on
the
front or back of each certificate. Alternatively, each certificate may state
conspicuously on its front or back that the Corporation will furnish the
shareholder a full statement of this information on request and without charge.
Every certificate representing shares that are restricted as to the sale,
disposition, or transfer of such shares shall also indicate that such shares
are
restricted as to transfer and there shall be set forth or fairly summarized
upon
the certificate, or the certificate shall indicate that the Corporation will
furnish to any shareholder upon request and without charge, a full statement
of
such restrictions. If the Corporation issues any shares that are not registered
under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and registered or qualified under
the applicable state securities laws, the transfer of any such shares shall
be
restricted substantially in accordance with the following legend:
"THESE
SECURITIES ARE SUBJECT TO RESTRICTIONS ON TRANSFERABILITY AND RESALE AND MAY
NOT
BE TRANSFERRED OR RESOLD EXCEPT AS PERMITTED UNDER THE SECURITIES ACT OF 1933,
AS AMENDED, AND THE APPLICABLE STATE SECURITIES LAWS, PURSUANT TO REGISTRATION
OR EXEMPTION THEREFROM."
3. Facsimile
Signatures.
The
signatures of the Chairman of the Board, the President or a Vice President
and
the Secretary or Assistant Secretary upon a certificate may be facsimiles,
if
the certificate is manually signed by a transfer agent, or registered by a
registrar, other than the Corporation itself or an employee of the Corporation.
In case any officer who has signed or whose facsimile signature has been placed
upon such certificate shall have ceased to be such officer before such
certificate is issued, it may be issued by the Corporation with the same effect
as if he were such officer at the date of the issuance.
4. Lost
Certificates.
The
Board of Directors may direct a new certificate or certificates to be issued
in
place of any certificate or certificates theretofore issued by the Corporation
alleged to have been lost or destroyed, upon the making of an affidavit of
that
fact by the person claiming the certificate of stock to be lost or destroyed.
When authorizing such issue of a new certificate or certificates, the Board
of
Directors may, in its discretion and as a condition precedent to the issuance
thereof, require the owner of such lost or destroyed certificate or
certificates, or his legal representative, to advertise the same in such manner
as it shall require and/or to give the Corporation a bond in such sum as it
may
direct as indemnity against any claim that may be made against the Corporation
with respect to the certificate alleged to have been lost or
destroyed.
5. Transfer
of Shares.
Upon
surrender to the Corporation or the transfer agent of the Corporation of a
certificate for shares duly endorsed or accompanied by proper evidence of
succession, assignment, or authority to transfer, it shall be the duty of the
Corporation to issue a new certificate to the person entitled thereto, cancel
the old certificate and record the transaction upon its books.
6. Registered
Shareholders.
The
Corporation shall be entitled to recognize the exclusive rights of a person
registered on its books as the owner of shares to receive dividends, and to
vote
as such owner, and shall not be bound to recognize any equitable or other claim
to or interest in such share or shares on the part of any other person, whether
or not it shall have express or other notice thereof, except as otherwise
provided by law.
7. Redemption
of Control Shares.
As
provided by the Nevada Business Corporation Act, if a person acquiring control
shares of the Corporation does not file an acquiring person statement with
the
Corporation, the Corporation may redeem the control shares at fair market value
at any time during the 60-day period after the last acquisition of such control
shares by such acquiring person. If a person acquiring control shares of the
Corporation files an acquiring person statement with the Corporation, the
control shares may be redeemed by the Corporation only if such shares are not
accorded full voting rights by the shareholders as provided by law.
ARTICLE
VI
GENERAL
PROVISIONS
1. Dividends.
The
Board of Directors may from time to time declare, and the Corporation may pay,
dividends on its outstanding shares in cash, property, or its own shares
pursuant to law and subject to the provisions of the Articles of
Incorporation.
2. Reserves.
The
Board of Directors may by resolution create a reserve or reserves out of earned
surplus for any proper purpose or purposes, and may abolish any such reserve
in
the same manner.
3. Checks.
All
checks or demands for money and notes of the Corporation shall be signed by
such
officer or officers or such other person or persons as the Board of Directors
may from time to time designate.
4. Fiscal
Year.
The
fiscal year of the Corporation shall end on December 31 of each year unless
otherwise fixed from time to time by resolution of the Board of
Directors.
5. Seal.
The
corporate seal shall have inscribed thereon the name and state of incorporation
of the Corporation. The seal may be used by causing it or a facsimile thereof
to
be impressed or affixed or in any other manner reproduced.
6. Gender.
All
words used in these Bylaws in the masculine gender shall extend to and shall
include the feminine and neuter genders.
ARTICLE
VII
AMENDMENTS
OF BYLAWS
Unless
otherwise provided by law, these Bylaws may be altered, amended, or repealed
or
new Bylaws may be adopted by action of the Board of Directors.
EXHIBIT
E
AMENDMENT
TO ARTICLES OF INCORPORATION OF GOLDSPRING, INC.
CERTIFICATE
OF AMENDMENT
TO
ARTICLES
OF INCORPORATION
OF
GOLDSPRING,
INC.
The
undersigned hereby certifies as follows:
ONE:
That they are the President and Secretary, respectively, of Goldspring, Inc.,
a
________ Corporation (the "Corporation").
TWO:
That, at a meeting of the Board of Directors held on ___________ which was
approved by a subsequent stockholders’ vote, the Corporation resolved to amend
its Articles of Incorporation, as follows:
IT
IS RESOLVED, that the Articles of Incorporation are hereby amended to read
as
follows:
___TH:
That the Board of Directors be authorized, without further approval of the
shareholders, to take all steps necessary to effect, or in its discretion not
to
effect, a reverse split of the Common Stock of the Corporation on the basis
of a
ratio not more than PRE-SPLIT shares for every one POST-SPLIT share of Common
Stock, with the ratio to be selected and implemented by the Corporation’s Board
of Directors in its sole discretion (the "Reverse Split"), and further that
the
Board of Director be authorized to take all others actions necessary and
appropriate to effect such Reverse Split if so required.
THREE:
This Amendment was approved by the required vote of stockholders in accordance
with the Corporation’s law of the state of __________. The total number of
outstanding shares of each class entitled to vote for the amendment was
_______________. The number of shares of each class voting for the amendment
equaled or exceeded the vote required. The amendment was approved by a vote
of
__________ shares, or _______% of all shares entitled to vote.
Dated:
__________________
We
the undersigned, hereby declare under penalty of perjury, in accordance with
the
laws of the state of _______________, that we are the President and Secretary
of
the above-referenced Corporation, that we executed this Certificate of Amendment
to the Articles of Incorporation, that we have personal knowledge of the
information contained therein, and that the information contained therein is
true and correct.
By:
__________________________
Title:
By: __________________________
Title: