AMENDED AND RESTATED AGREEMENT AND DECLARATION OF TRUST of THE DFA INVESTMENT TRUST COMPANY a Delaware Statutory Trust (Original Agreement and Declaration of Trust was adopted December 27, 1993; current Amended and Restated Agreement and Declaration...
AMENDED
AND RESTATED
of
THE
DFA INVESTMENT TRUST COMPANY
a
Delaware Statutory Trust
(Original
Agreement and Declaration of Trust was adopted December 27, 1993;
current
Amended and Restated Agreement and Declaration of Trust
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Page
ARTICLE
I. - NAME; OFFICES; REGISTERED AGENT;
DEFINITIONS 2
Section
1. Name 2
Section
2. Offices of the
Trust
2
Section
3. Registered Agent and Registered
Office 2
Section
4. Definitions
2
ARTICLE
II. - PURPOSE OF
TRUST 4
ARTICLE
III. -
SHARES
8
Section
1. Division of Beneficial Interest
8
Section
2. Ownership of
Shares
9
Section
3. Sale of
Shares
9
Section
4. Status of Shares and Limitation of Personal
Liability 10
Section
5. Tax Status; Partnership
Provisions
10
Section
6. Establishment and Designation of Series and
Classes 11
(a) Assets
Held with Respect to a Particular
Series 11
(b) Liabilities
Held with Respect to a Particular Series or
Class 12
(c) Dividends,
Distributions and
Redemptions
13
(d) Voting
13
(e) Equality
14
(f) Fractions
14
(g) Exchange
Privilege
14
(h) Combination
of Series or Classes
14
(i) Dissolution
or
Termination
14
Section
7. Indemnification of
Shareholders 15
ARTICLE
IV. - THE BOARD OF
TRUSTEES
15
Section
1. Number, Election, Term, Removal and Resignation
15
Section
2. Trustee Action by Written Consent Without a
Meeting 16
Section
3. Powers; Other Business Interests; Quorum and Required Vote
16
(a) Powers
16
(b) Other
Business
Interests
18
(c) Quorum
and Required
Vote
18
Section
4. Payment of Expenses by the
Trust 18
i
Section
5. Payment of Expenses by
Shareholders
19
Section
6. Ownership of Trust
Property 19
Section
7. Service Contracts
19
ARTICLE
V. - SHAREHOLDERS’ VOTING POWERS AND
MEETINGS 20
Section
1. Voting
Powers
20
Section
2. Quorum and Required Vote
20
Section
3. Shareholder Action by Written Consent Without a
Meeting 21
Section
4. Record Dates
21
Section
5. Additional
Provisions 23
ARTICLE
VI. - NET ASSET VALUE; DISTRIBUTIONS; REDEMPTIONS;
TRANSFERS
23
Section
1. Determination of Net Asset Value, Net Income and Distributions
23
Section
2. Redemptions at the Option of a
Shareholder
25
Section
3. Redemptions at the Option of the
Trust
26
Section
4. Transfer of
Shares
26
ARTICLE
VII. - LIMITATION OF LIABILITY AND INDEMNIFICATION OF
AGENT
26
Section
1. Limitation of Liability
26
Section
2. Indemnification
27
(a) Indemnification
by
Trust
28
(b) Exclusion
of
Indemnification
28
(c) Required
Approval
28
(d) Advancement
of
Expenses
28
(e) Other
Contractual
Rights
28
(f) Fiduciaries
of Employee Benefit
Plan
28
Section
3. Insurance
29
Section
4. Derivative
Actions
29
ARTICLE
VIII. - CERTAIN
TRANSACTIONS 29
Section
1. Dissolution of Trust or
Series 29
Section
2. Merger or Consolidation; Conversion;
Reorganization. 31
(a) Merger
or
Consolidation
31
(b) Conversion
31
(c) Reorganization
32
ii
Section
3. Master Feeder
Structure
32
Section
4. Absence of Appraisal or Dissenters’
Rights 32
ARTICLE
IX. -
AMENDMENTS
32
Section
1. Amendments
Generally
32
ARTICLE
X. -
MISCELLANEOUS
33
Section
1. References; Headings;
Counterparts 33
Section
2. Applicable
Law
33
Section
3. Provisions in Conflict with Law or
Regulations. 34
Section
4. Statutory Trust
Only
34
Section
5. Use of the Name
“DFA”
34
APPENDIX
A – SERIES AND CLASSES OF THE
TRUST A-1
iii
AMENDED
AND RESTATED AGREEMENT AND DECLARATION OF TRUST
OF
THE
DFA INVESTMENT TRUST COMPANY
THIS AMENDED AND RESTATED AGREEMENT
AND DECLARATION OF TRUST is made as of this ____ day of ____________,
2009, by the Trustees and (i) incorporates herein and makes a part of this
Amended and Restated Agreement and Declaration of Trust the resolutions of the
Board of Trustees of The DFA Investment Trust Company (the “Trust”) adopted
prior to the date set forth above, pursuant to the provisions of the original
Agreement and Declaration of Trust, dated December 27, 1993, as amended and
restated to date (the “Original Declaration of Trust”), regarding the
establishment and designation of Series and/or Classes of the Shares of the
Trust, and any amendments or modifications to such resolutions adopted through
the date hereof, as of the date of the adoption of each such resolution; and
(ii) amends and restates the Original Declaration of Trust pursuant to Article
VIII, Section 4 of such Original Declaration of Trust, as hereinafter
provided.
WITNESSETH:
WHEREAS, the Trust was formed
to carry on the business of an open-end management investment company as defined
in the 1940 Act; and
WHEREAS, this Trust is
authorized to divide its Shares into two or more Classes, to issue its Shares in
separate Series, to divide Shares of any Series into two or more Classes, and to
issue Classes of the Trust or the Series, if any, all in accordance with the
provisions hereinafter set forth; and
WHEREAS, the Trustees have
agreed to manage all property coming into their hands as trustees of a Delaware
statutory trust in accordance with the provisions of the Delaware Statutory
Trust Act, as amended, from time to time, and the provisions hereinafter set
forth;
NOW, THEREFORE, the Trustees
hereby declare that:
(i) the
Original Declaration of Trust is amended and restated in its entirety in the
manner herein set forth;
(ii) the
Trustees will hold all cash, securities, and other assets that they may acquire,
from time to time, in any manner as Trustees hereunder IN TRUST and will manage
and dispose of the same, from time to time, upon the following terms and
conditions for the benefit of the holders of Shares issued hereunder as
hereinafter set forth; and
(iii) this
Declaration of Trust and the Bylaws shall be binding in accordance with their
terms on every Trustee, by virtue of having become a Trustee of the Trust, and
on every Shareholder, by virtue of having become a Shareholder of the Trust,
pursuant to the terms of the Original Declaration of Trust and/or this
Declaration of Trust and the Bylaws.
ARTICLE
I
NAME;
OFFICES; REGISTERED AGENT; DEFINITIONS
Section
1. Name. The
Trust shall be known as “The DFA Investment Trust Company” and the Board of
Trustees shall conduct the business of the Trust under that name, or any other
name as the Board of Trustees may designate, from time to time. The
Trustees may, without Shareholder approval, change the name of the Trust or any
Series or Class thereof. In the event of any such change, the
Trustees shall cause notice to be given to the affected Shareholders within a
reasonable time after the implementation of any such change.
Section
2. Offices of the
Trust. The Board at any time may establish offices of the
Trust at any place or places where the Trust intends to do
business.
Section
3. Registered Agent and
Registered Office. The name of the registered agent of the
Trust and the address of the registered office of the Trust in the State of
Delaware are as set forth in the Trust’s Certificate of Trust. The
Trustees may, without Shareholder approval, change the registered agent and the
registered office of the Trust.
Section
4. Definitions. Whenever
used herein, unless otherwise required by the context or specifically
provided:
(a) “1940 Act” shall mean
the Investment Company Act of 1940 and the rules and regulations thereunder, all
as adopted or amended from time to time;
(b) “Affiliate” shall have
the same meaning as “affiliated person,” as such term is defined in the 1940
Act, when used with reference to a specified Person;
(c) “Board of Trustees” or
“Board” shall
mean the governing body of the Trust, which is comprised of the number of
Trustees of the Trust fixed, from time to time, pursuant to Article IV hereof,
having the powers and duties set forth herein;
(d) “Bylaws” shall mean
Bylaws of the Trust, as amended or restated, from time to time, in accordance
with Article VIII therein. Such Bylaws may contain any provision not
inconsistent with applicable law or this Declaration of Trust, relating to the
governance of the Trust. The Bylaws are expressly herein incorporated
by reference as part of the “governing instrument” of the Trust within the
meaning of the DSTA;
(e) “Certificate of Trust”
shall mean the certificate of trust of the Trust filed on October 27, 1992
with the Office of the Secretary of State of the State of Delaware, as required
under the Delaware Statutory Trust Act, as such certificate has been or shall be
amended or restated, from time to time;
(f) “Class” shall mean
each class of Shares of the Trust or of a Series of the Trust established and
designated under and in accordance with the provisions of Article III hereof or
the corresponding provisions of the Original Declaration of Trust;
2
(g) “Code” shall mean the
Internal Revenue Code of 1986 and the rules and regulations thereunder, all as
adopted or amended, from time to time;
(h) “Commission” shall
have the meaning given that term in the 1940 Act;
(i) “DGCL” shall mean the
General Corporation Law of the State of Delaware (8 Del. C. § 101, et seq.), as amended
from time to time;
(j) “DSTA” shall mean the
Delaware Statutory Trust Act (12 Del. C. § 3801,
et seq.), as amended,
from time to time;
(k) “Declaration of Trust”
shall mean this Amended and Restated Agreement and Declaration of Trust,
including resolutions of the Board of Trustees of the Trust that have been
adopted prior to the date of this Declaration of Trust, or that may be adopted
hereafter, regarding the establishment and designation of Series and/or Classes
of Shares of the Trust, and any amendments or modifications to such resolutions,
as of the date of the adoption of each such resolution;
(l) “General Liabilities”
shall have the meaning given it in Article III, Section 6(b) of this Declaration
of Trust;
(m) “Interested Person”
shall have the meaning given that term in the 1940 Act;
(n) “Investment Adviser”
or “Adviser”
shall mean a Person, as defined below, furnishing services to the Trust pursuant
to any investment advisory or investment management contract described in
Article IV, Section 7(a) hereof;
(o) “National Financial
Emergency” shall mean, as determined by the Board in its sole discretion,
the whole or any part of any period during (i) which an emergency exists as a
result of which disposal by the Trust of securities or other assets owned by the
Trust is not reasonably practicable; (ii) which it is not reasonably practicable
for the Trust to determine fairly the net asset value of its assets; or (iii)
such other period as the Commission may by order permit for the protection of
investors;
(p) “Person” shall mean a
natural person, partnership, limited partnership, limited liability company,
trust, estate, association, corporation, organization, custodian, nominee,
government or any political subdivision, agency or instrumentality thereof or
any other individual or entity in its own or any representative capacity, in
each case, whether domestic or foreign, and a statutory trust or a foreign
statutory or business trust;
(q) “Principal
Underwriter” shall have the meaning given that term in the 1940
Act;
(r) “Series” shall mean
each Series of Shares established and designated under and in accordance with
the provisions of Article III hereof, or the corresponding provisions of the
Original Declaration of Trust;
3
(s) “Shares” shall mean
the transferable shares of beneficial interest into which the beneficial
interest in the Trust have been or shall be divided, from time to time, and
shall include fractional and whole shares;
(t) “Shareholder” shall
mean a record owner of Shares pursuant to this Declaration of Trust and the
Bylaws;
(u) “Trust” shall mean The
DFA Investment Trust Company, the Delaware statutory trust formed by the
Original Declaration of Trust and by filing the Certificate of Trust with the
Office of the Secretary of State of the State of Delaware;
(v) “Trust Property” shall
mean any and all property, real or personal, tangible or intangible, which is
owned or held by or for the account of the Trust, or one or more of any Series
thereof, including, without limitation, the rights referenced in Article X,
Section 5 hereof; and
(w) “Trustee” or “Trustees” shall mean
each Person who signs this Declaration of Trust as a trustee and all other
Persons who, from time to time, may be duly elected or appointed, qualified, and
serving on the Board of Trustees in accordance with the provisions hereof and
the Bylaws, so long as such signatory or other Person continues in office in
accordance with the terms hereof and the Bylaws. Reference herein to
a Trustee or the Trustees shall refer to such Person or Persons in such Person’s
or Persons’ capacity as a Trustee or Trustees hereunder and under the
Bylaws.
ARTICLE
II
PURPOSE
OF TRUST
The
purpose of the Trust is to conduct, operate, and carry on the business of a
registered management investment company registered under the 1940 Act,
directly, or if one or more Series is established hereunder, through one or more
Series, investing primarily in securities, and to exercise all of the powers,
rights, and privileges granted to, or conferred upon, a statutory trust formed
under the DSTA, including, without limitation, the following
powers:
(a) To hold,
invest, and reinvest its funds, and in connection therewith, to make any changes
in the investment of the assets of the Trust, to hold part or all of its funds
in cash, to hold cash uninvested, to subscribe for, invest in, reinvest in,
purchase or otherwise acquire, own, hold, pledge, sell, assign, mortgage,
transfer, exchange, distribute, write options on, lend, or otherwise deal in or
dispose of contracts for the future acquisition or delivery of fixed income or
other securities, and securities or property of every nature and kind,
including, without limitation, all types of bonds, debentures, stocks, shares,
units of beneficial interest, preferred stocks, negotiable or non-negotiable
instruments, obligations, evidences of indebtedness, money market instruments,
certificates of deposit or indebtedness, bills, notes, mortgages, commercial
paper, repurchase or reverse repurchase agreements, bankers’ acceptances,
finance paper, and any options, certificates, receipts, warrants, futures
contracts, or other instruments representing rights to receive, purchase, or
subscribe for the same, or evidencing or representing any other rights or
interests therein or in any property or assets, and other securities of any
kind, as the foregoing are issued, created, guaranteed, or sponsored by any and
all Persons, including, without limitation, states, territories, and possessions
of the United States and the District of Columbia, and any political
subdivision, agency, or instrumentality thereof, any foreign government or any
political subdivision of the U.S. Government or any foreign government, or any
international instrumentality, or by any bank or savings institution, or by any
corporation or organization organized under the laws of the United States or of
any state, territory, or possession thereof, or by any corporation or
organization organized under any foreign law, or in “when issued” contracts for
any such securities;
4
(b) To
exercise any and all rights, powers, and privileges with reference to or
incident to ownership or interest, use, and enjoyment of any of such securities
and other instruments or property of every kind and description, including, but
without limitation, the right, power, and privilege to own, vote, hold,
purchase, sell, negotiate, assign, exchange, lend, transfer, mortgage,
hypothecate, lease, pledge, or write options with respect to or otherwise deal
with, dispose of, use, exercise, or enjoy any rights, title, interest, powers,
or privileges under or with reference to any of such securities and other
instruments or property, the right to consent and otherwise act with respect
thereto, with power to designate one or more Persons, to exercise any of said
rights, powers, and privileges in respect of any of said instruments, and to do
any and all acts and things for the preservation, protection, improvement, and
enhancement in value of any of such securities and other instruments or
property;
(c) To sell,
exchange, lend, pledge, mortgage, hypothecate, lease, or write options with
respect to or otherwise deal in any property rights relating to any or all of
the assets of the Trust or any Series, subject to any requirements of the 1940
Act;
(d) To vote
or give assent, or exercise any rights of ownership, with respect to stock or
other securities or property; and to execute and deliver proxies or powers of
attorney to such Person or Persons as the Board of Trustees shall deem proper,
granting to such Person or Persons such power and discretion with relation to
securities or property as the Board of Trustees shall deem proper;
(e) To
exercise powers and rights of subscription or otherwise that arise in any manner
out of ownership of securities and/or other property;
(f) To hold
any security or property in a form not indicating that it is trust property,
whether in bearer, unregistered, or other negotiable form, or in its own name or
in the name of a custodian or subcustodian or a nominee or nominees or
otherwise, or to authorize the custodian or a subcustodian or a nominee or
nominees to deposit the same in a securities depository, subject in each case to
proper safeguards according to the usual practice of investment companies or any
rules or regulations applicable thereto;
(g) To
consent to, or participate in, any plan for the reorganization, consolidation,
or merger of any corporation or issuer of any security which is held in the
Trust; to consent to any contract, lease, mortgage, purchase, or sale of
property by such corporation or issuer; and to pay calls or subscriptions with
respect to any security held in the Trust;
5
(h) To join
with other security holders in acting through a committee, depositary, voting
trustee, or otherwise, and in that connection to deposit any security with, or
transfer any security to, any such committee, depositary, or trustee, and to
delegate to them such power and authority with relation to any security (whether
or not so deposited or transferred) as the Board of Trustees shall deem proper,
and to agree to pay, and to pay, such portion of the expenses and compensation
of such committee, depositary, or trustee as the Board of Trustees shall deem
proper;
(i) To
compromise, arbitrate, or otherwise adjust claims in favor of or against the
Trust or any matter in controversy, including, but not limited to, claims for
taxes;
(j) To enter
into joint ventures, general or limited partnerships, and any other combinations
or associations;
(k) To
endorse or guarantee the payment of any notes or other obligations of any
Person; to make contracts of guaranty or suretyship; or otherwise assume
liability for payment thereof;
(l) To
purchase and pay for such insurance as the Board of Trustees may deem necessary
or appropriate for the conduct of the business entirely out of Trust Property,
including, without limitation, insurance policies insuring the assets of the
Trust or payment of distributions and principal on its portfolio investments,
and insurance policies insuring the Shareholders, Trustees, officers, employees,
agents, Investment Advisers, Principal Underwriters, or independent contractors
of the Trust, individually against all claims and liabilities of every nature
arising by reason of holding Shares, holding, being, or having held any such
office or position, or by reason of any action alleged to have been taken or
omitted by any such Person as Trustee, officer, employee, agent, Investment
Adviser, Principal Underwriter, or independent contractor, to the fullest extent
permitted by this Declaration of Trust, the Bylaws, and by applicable
law;
(m) To adopt,
establish, and carry out pension, profit-sharing, share bonus, share purchase,
savings, thrift, and other retirement, incentive, and benefit plans, trusts and
provisions, including the purchasing of life insurance and annuity contracts as
a means of providing such retirement and other benefits, for any or all of the
Trustees, officers, employees, and agents of the Trust;
(n) To
purchase or otherwise acquire, own, hold, sell, negotiate, exchange, assign,
transfer, mortgage, pledge, or otherwise deal with, dispose of, use, exercise,
or enjoy property of all kinds;
(o) To buy,
sell, mortgage, encumber, hold, own, exchange, rent, or otherwise acquire and
dispose of, and to develop, improve, manage, subdivide, and generally to deal
and trade in real property, improved and unimproved, and wheresoever situated;
and to build, erect, construct, alter, and maintain buildings, structures, and
other improvements on real property;
(p) To borrow
or raise moneys for any of the purposes of the Trust, and to mortgage or pledge
the whole or any part of the property and franchises of the Trust, real,
personal, and mixed, tangible or intangible, and wheresoever
situated;
6
(q) To enter
into, make, and perform contracts and undertakings of every kind for any lawful
purpose, without limit as to amount;
(r) To issue,
purchase, sell and transfer, reacquire, hold, trade, and deal in stocks, shares,
bonds, debentures, and other securities, instruments, or other property of the
Trust, from time to time, to such extent as the Board of Trustees shall
determine, consistent with the provisions of this Declaration of Trust; and to
reacquire and purchase, from time to time, its Shares or, if any, its bonds,
debentures, and other securities;
(s) To engage
in and to prosecute, defend, compromise, abandon, or adjust, by arbitration or
otherwise, any actions, suits, proceedings, disputes, claims, and demands
relating to the Trust, and out of the assets of the Trust to pay or to satisfy
any debts, claims, or expenses incurred in connection therewith, including those
of litigation, and such power shall include, without limitation, the power of
the Board of Trustees or any appropriate committee thereof, in the exercise of
their or its good faith business judgment, to dismiss any action, suit,
proceeding, dispute, claim, or demand, derivative or otherwise, brought by any
Person, including a Shareholder in the Shareholder’s own name or the name of the
Trust, whether or not the Trust or any of the Trustees may be named individually
therein or the subject matter arises by reason of business for or on behalf of
the Trust;
(t) To
exercise and enjoy, in Delaware and in any other states, territories, districts,
and United States dependencies, and in foreign countries, all of the foregoing
powers, rights, and privileges, and the enumeration of the foregoing powers
shall not be deemed to exclude any powers, rights, or privileges so granted or
conferred; and
(u) In
general, to carry on any other business in connection with or incidental to its
trust purposes, to do everything necessary, suitable, or proper for the
accomplishment of such purposes or for the attainment of any object or the
furtherance of any power hereinbefore set forth, either alone or in association
with others, and to do every other act or thing incidental or appurtenant to, or
growing out of or connected with, its business or purposes, objects, or
powers.
The Trust
shall not be limited to investing in obligations maturing before the possible
dissolution of the Trust or one or more of its Series. Neither the
Trust nor the Board of Trustees shall be required to obtain any court order to
deal with any assets of the Trust or take any other action
hereunder.
The
foregoing clauses each shall be construed as purposes, objects, and powers, and
it is hereby expressly provided that the foregoing enumeration of specific
purposes, objects, and powers shall not be held to limit or restrict in any
manner the powers of the Trust, and that they are in furtherance of, and in
addition to and not in limitation of, the general powers conferred upon the
Trust by the DSTA and the other laws of the State of Delaware or otherwise; nor
shall the enumeration of one thing be deemed to exclude another, although it be
of like nature, not expressed.
7
ARTICLE
III
SHARES
Section
1. Division of Beneficial
Interest.
(a) The
beneficial interest in the Trust shall be divided into Shares, each Share
without a par value. The number of Shares in the Trust authorized
under the Original Declaration of Trust and authorized hereunder, and of each
Series and Class as may be established, from time to time, is
unlimited. The Board of Trustees may authorize the division of Shares
into separate Classes of Shares and into separate and distinct Series of Shares
and the division of any Series of Shares into separate Classes of Shares in
accordance with the 1940 Act. As of the effective date of this
Declaration of Trust, any new Series and Classes, if any, shall be established
and designated by the Board of Trustees pursuant to Article III, Section 6
hereof. If no separate Series or Classes shall be established, the
Shares of the Trust shall have the rights, powers, and duties provided for
herein, including Article III, Section 6 hereof to the extent relevant and not
otherwise provided for herein. All references to Shares in this
Declaration of Trust shall be deemed to be Shares of the Trust or any or all
Series or Classes thereof that may be established from time to time, as the
context may require.
(i)
|
The
fact that the Trust shall have one or more established and designated
Classes of the Trust shall not limit the authority of the Board of
Trustees to establish and designate additional Classes of the
Trust. The fact that one or more Classes of the Trust shall
have been established initially and designated without any specific
establishment or designation of a Series (i.e., that all Shares of the
Trust are initially Shares of one or more Classes) shall not limit the
authority of the Board of Trustees to later establish and designate a
Series and establish and designate the Class or Classes of the Trust as
Class or Classes, respectively, of such
Series.
|
(ii)
|
The
fact that a Series shall have initially been established and designated
without any specific establishment or designation of Classes (i.e., that
all Shares of such Series are initially of a single Class) shall not limit
the authority of the Board of Trustees to establish and designate separate
Classes of said Series. The fact that a Series shall have more
than one established and designated Class shall not limit the authority of
the Board of Trustees to establish and designate additional Classes of
said Series.
|
(b) Subject
to any requirements or limitations of the 1940 Act, the Board of Trustees shall
have the power to issue authorized but unissued Shares of beneficial interest of
the Trust, or any Series and Class thereof, from time to time, for such
consideration paid wholly or partly in cash, securities, or other property, as
may be determined, from time to time, by the Board of Trustees. The
Board of Trustees, on behalf of the Trust, may acquire and hold as treasury
shares, reissue for such consideration and on such terms as the Board of
Trustees may determine, or cancel, at its discretion, from time to time, any
Shares reacquired by the Trust. The Board of Trustees may classify or
reclassify any unissued Shares of beneficial interest, or any Shares of
beneficial interest of the Trust or any Series or Class thereof, which were
previously issued and are reacquired, into one or more Series or Classes that
may be established and designated, from time to time. Notwithstanding
the foregoing, the Trust and any Series thereof may acquire, hold, sell, and
otherwise deal in, for purposes of investment or otherwise, the Shares of any
other Series of the Trust or Shares of the Trust, and such Shares shall not be
deemed treasury Shares or cancelled. Shares held in the treasury
shall not confer any voting rights on the Trustees and shall not be entitled to
any dividends or other distributions declared with respect to the
Shares.
8
(c) Subject
to the provisions of Section 6 of this Article III, each Share shall entitle the
holder to voting rights as provided in Article V hereof and the
Bylaws. Shareholders shall have no preemptive or other right to
subscribe for new or additional authorized but unissued Shares or other
securities issued by the Trust or any Series thereof. The Board of
Trustees, from time to time, may divide or combine the Shares of the Trust, or
any particular Series thereof, into a greater or lesser number of Shares of the
Trust or that Series, respectively. Such division or combination
shall not materially change the proportionate beneficial interests of the
holders of Shares of the Trust or that Series, as the case may be, in the Trust
Property at the time of such division or combination that is held with respect
to the Trust or that Series, as the case may be.
(d) Any
Trustee, officer, or other agent of the Trust, and any organization in which any
such Person has an economic or other interest, may acquire, own, hold, and
dispose of Shares of beneficial interest in the Trust or any Series and Class
thereof, to the same extent as if such Person were not a Trustee, officer, or
other agent of the Trust; and the Trust or any Series may issue and sell and may
purchase such Shares from any such Person or any such organization, subject to
the limitations, restrictions, or other provisions applicable to the sale or
purchase of such Shares herein and in the 1940 Act.
Section
2. Ownership of
Shares. The Board of Trustees may make such rules not
inconsistent with the provisions of the 1940 Act as the Board of Trustees
considers appropriate for recording the ownership of Shares, the issuance of
Share certificates, the transfer of Shares of the Trust, and each Series and
Class thereof, if any, and similar matters.
Section
3. Sale of
Shares. Subject to the 1940 Act and applicable law, the Trust
may sell its authorized but unissued Shares of beneficial interest to such
Persons, at such times, on such terms, and for such consideration as the Board
of Trustees may authorize, from time to time. All consideration
received by the Trust in each sale shall be credited to the individual
purchaser’s account in the form of full or fractional Shares of the Trust or
such Series thereof (and Class thereof, if any), as the purchaser may select, at
the net asset value per Share, as determined by the Board of Trustees in
accordance with Article VI hereof, subject to Section 22 of the 1940 Act,
and the rules and regulations adopted thereunder; provided, however, that the
Board of Trustees may, in its sole discretion, permit the Principal Underwriter
or the selling broker or dealer to impose a sales charge upon any such
sale. Every Shareholder by virtue of having become a Shareholder
shall be deemed to have expressly assented and agreed to the terms of this
Declaration of Trust and to have become bound as a party hereto.
9
Section
4. Status of Shares and
Limitation of Personal Liability. Shares shall be deemed to be
personal property giving to Shareholders only the rights provided in this
Declaration of Trust, the Bylaws, and under applicable law. Ownership
of Shares shall not entitle the Shareholders to any title in or to the whole or
any part of the Trust Property or right to call for a partition or division of
the same or for an accounting, nor shall the ownership of Shares constitute the
Shareholders as partners. Subject to Article VIII, Section 1 hereof,
the death, incapacity, dissolution, termination, or bankruptcy of a Shareholder
during the existence of the Trust and any Series thereof shall not operate to
dissolve the Trust or any such Series, nor entitle the representative of any
deceased, incapacitated, dissolved, terminated, or bankrupt Shareholder to an
accounting or to take any action in court or elsewhere against the Trust, the
Trustees, or any such Series, but entitles such representative only to the
rights of said deceased, incapacitated, dissolved, terminated, or bankrupt
Shareholder under this Declaration of Trust, the Bylaws and applicable
law. Neither the Trust nor the Trustees, nor any officer, employee,
or agent of the Trust, shall have any power to bind personally any Shareholder
nor, except as specifically provided herein, to call upon any Shareholder for
the payment of any sum of money other than such as the Shareholder personally,
at any time may agree to pay. Each Share, when issued on the terms
determined by the Board of Trustees, shall be fully paid and
nonassessable. As provided in the DSTA, Shareholders shall be
entitled to the same limitation of personal liability as that extended to
stockholders of a private corporation organized for profit under the
DGCL.
Section
5. Tax Status; Partnership
Provisions.
(a) Power to Make Tax Status
Election. The Board of Trustees shall have the power, in
its discretion, to make an initial entity classification election, and to change
any such entity classification election, of the Trust and any Series for U.S.
federal income tax purposes as may be permitted or required under the Code,
without the vote or consent of any Shareholder. In furtherance
thereof, the Board of Trustees, or an appropriate officer as determined by the
Board of Trustees, is authorized (but not required) to make and sign any such
entity classification election on Form 8832, Entity Classification Election (or
successor form thereto), on behalf of the Trust or any Series, sign the consent
statement contained therein on behalf of all of the Shareholders thereof, and
file the same with the U.S. Internal Revenue Service.
(b) Series Established as a
Partnership. In accordance with Section 5(a) and Section
6 of this Article III, the resolution, as may be amended, establishing or
changing the classification of a Series as a Partnership for U.S. federal income
tax purposes may provide, among other things, that notwithstanding anything in
this Declaration of Trust to the contrary (i) Book Capital Accounts (as defined
in any resolution establishing and designating such Series) are to be determined
and maintained for each Shareholder in accordance with Section 704(b) of the
Code (and any successor provision thereto); (ii) upon liquidation of a Series
(or any Shareholder’s interest therein), liquidating distributions shall be made
in accordance with the positive Book Capital Account balances of the
Shareholders; and, (iii) if any Shareholder in such Series has a deficit balance
in his Book Capital Account following the liquidation of his interest in the
Series, such Shareholder is unconditionally required to restore the amount of
such deficit balance to the Series, or in lieu thereof, the resolution
establishing the Series contain a “qualified income offset” within the meaning
of Treasury Regulations Section 1.704-1(b)(2)(ii)(d).
10
Section
6. Establishment and
Designation of Series and Classes. Without limiting the
authority of the Trustees to establish and designate any further Series or
Classes, to classify or reclassify all or any part of the issued Shares of any
Series to make them part of an existing or newly created Class or to amend
rights and preferences of any new or existing Series or Class, including the
Series and Classes, if any, listed on Appendix A hereto, all without Shareholder
approval, the Trustees hereby establish and designate fourteen (14) separate
Series of Shares (and any designated Classes thereof, if any) as listed on
Appendix A to this Declaration of Trust, which may be amended or supplemented
from time to time hereafter. The establishment and designation of any additional
Series or Class shall be effective, without the requirement of Shareholder
approval, upon the adoption of a resolution by not less than a majority of the
then Board of Trustees, which resolution shall set forth such establishment and
designation and may provide, to the extent permitted by the DSTA, for rights,
powers, and duties of such Series or Class (including variations in the relative
rights and preferences as between the different Series and Classes), thereof or
of the Trust as the Board of Trustees may determine from time to time, which
rights, powers and duties may be senior or subordinate to any existing Series or
Class. Such resolution may establish such Series or Classes directly
in such resolution or by reference to, or approval of, another document that
sets forth such Series or Classes, including without limitation, any
registration statement of the Trust, or as otherwise provided in such
resolution. Each such resolution shall be incorporated herein upon
adoption, and the resolutions that have been adopted prior to _________, 2009
regarding the establishment and designation of Series and/or Classes of Shares
of the Trust pursuant to the applicable provisions of the Original Declaration
of Trust, and any amendments or modifications to such resolutions through the
date hereof, are hereby incorporated herein as of the date of their
adoption. Any such resolution may be amended by a further resolution
of a majority of the Board of Trustees, and if Shareholder approval would be
required to make such an amendment to the language set forth in this Declaration
of Trust, such further resolution shall require the same Shareholder approval
that would be necessary to make such amendment to the language set forth in this
Declaration of Trust. Each such further resolution shall be
incorporated herein by reference upon adoption.
Each
Series shall be separate and distinct from any other Series, separate and
distinct records on the books of the Trust shall be maintained for each Series,
and the assets and liabilities belonging to any such Series shall be held and
accounted for separately from the assets and liabilities of the Trust or any
other Series. Each Class of the Trust shall be separate and distinct
from any other Class of the Trust. Each Class of a Series shall be
separate and distinct from any other Class of the Series. As
appropriate, in a manner determined by the Board of Trustees, the liabilities
belonging to any such Class shall be held and accounted for separately from the
liabilities of the Trust, the Series, or any other Class, and separate and
distinct records on the books of the Trust for the Class shall be maintained for
this purpose. Subject to Article II hereof, each such Series shall
operate as a separate and distinct investment medium, with separately defined
investment objectives and policies.
Shares of
each Series (and Class where applicable) established and designated pursuant to
this Section 6 or the corresponding provisions of the Original Declaration of
Trust shall have the following rights, powers, and duties, unless otherwise
provided to the extent permitted by the DSTA, in the resolution establishing and
designating such Series or Class:
(a) Assets Held with Respect to
a Particular Series. All consideration received by the Trust
for the issue or sale of Shares of a particular Series, together with all assets
in which such consideration is invested or reinvested, all income, earnings,
profits, and proceeds thereof, from whatever source derived, including, without
limitation, any proceeds derived from the sale, exchange, or liquidation of such
assets, and any funds or payments derived from any reinvestment of such
proceeds, in whatever form the same may be, shall irrevocably be held with
respect to that Series for all purposes, subject only to the rights of creditors
with respect to that Series, and shall be so recorded upon the books of account
of the Trust. Such consideration, assets, income, earnings, profits,
and proceeds thereof, from whatever source derived, including, without
limitation, any proceeds derived from the sale, exchange, or liquidation of such
assets, and any funds or payments derived from any reinvestment of such
proceeds, in whatever form the same may be, are herein referred to as “assets
held with respect to” that Series. In the event that there are any
assets, income, earnings, profits and proceeds thereof, funds, or payments which
are not readily identifiable as assets held with respect to any particular
Series (collectively “General Assets”), the Board of Trustees, or an appropriate
officer as determined by the Board of Trustees, shall allocate such General
Assets to, between, or among any one or more of the Series in such manner and on
such basis as the Board of Trustees, in its sole discretion, deems fair and
equitable, and any General Asset so allocated to a particular Series shall be
held with respect to that Series. Each such allocation by or under
the direction of the Board of Trustees shall be conclusive and binding upon the
Shareholders of all Series for all purposes.
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(b) Liabilities Held with
Respect to a Particular Series or Class. The assets of the
Trust held with respect to a particular Series shall be charged with the
liabilities, debts, obligations, costs, charges, reserves, and expenses of the
Trust incurred, contracted for, or otherwise existing with respect to such
Series. Such liabilities, debts, obligations, costs, charges,
reserves, and expenses incurred, contracted for, or otherwise existing with
respect to a particular Series are herein referred to as “liabilities held with
respect to” that Series. Any liabilities, debts, obligations, costs,
charges, reserves, and expenses of the Trust that are not identifiable readily
as being liabilities held with respect to any particular Series (collectively
“General Liabilities”) shall be allocated by the Board of Trustees, or an
appropriate officer as determined by the Board of Trustees, to and among any one
or more of the Series in such manner and on such basis as the Board of Trustees
in its sole discretion deems fair and equitable. Each allocation of
liabilities, debts, obligations, costs, charges, reserves, and expenses by or
under the direction of the Board of Trustees shall be conclusive and binding
upon the Shareholders of all Series for all purposes. All Persons who
have extended credit that has been allocated to a particular Series, or who have
a claim or contract that has been allocated to any particular Series, shall look
exclusively to the assets of that particular Series for payment of such credit,
claim, or contract. In the absence of an express contractual
agreement so limiting the claims of such creditors, claimants, and contract
providers, each creditor, claimant, and contract provider shall be deemed
nevertheless to have agreed impliedly to such limitation.
Subject
to the right of the Board of Trustees in its discretion to allocate General
Liabilities as provided herein, the debts, liabilities, obligations, and
expenses incurred, contracted for, or otherwise existing with respect to a
particular Series, whether such Series is now authorized and existing pursuant
to the Original Declaration of Trust, or is hereafter authorized and existing
pursuant to this Declaration of Trust, shall be enforceable against the assets
held with respect to that Series only, and not against the assets of any other
Series or the Trust generally, and none of the debts, liabilities, obligations,
and expenses incurred, contracted for, or otherwise existing with respect to the
Trust generally or any other Series thereof shall be enforceable against the
assets held with respect to such Series. Notice of this limitation on
liabilities between and among Series has been set forth in the Certificate of
Trust filed in the Office of the Secretary of State of the State of Delaware
pursuant to the DSTA, and having given such notice in the Certificate of Trust,
the statutory provisions of Section 3804 of the DSTA relating to limitations on
liabilities between and among Series (and the statutory effect under Section
3804 of setting forth such notice in the Certificate of Trust) are applicable to
the Trust and each Series.
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Liabilities,
debts, obligations, costs, charges, reserves, and expenses related to the
distribution of and other identified expenses that properly should or may be
allocated to the Shares of a particular Class may be charged to and borne solely
by such Class. The bearing of expenses solely by a particular Class
of Shares may be reflected appropriately (in a manner determined by the Board of
Trustees) and may affect the net asset value attributable to, and the dividend,
redemption, and liquidation rights of, such Class. Each allocation of
liabilities, debts, obligations, costs, charges, reserves, and expenses by or
under the direction of the Board of Trustees shall be conclusive and binding
upon the Shareholders of all Classes for all purposes. All Persons
who have extended credit that has been allocated to a particular Class, or who
have a claim or contract that has been allocated to any particular Class, shall
look, and may be required by contract to look, exclusively to that particular
Class for payment of such credit, claim, or contract.
(c) Dividends, Distributions,
and Redemptions. Notwithstanding any other provisions of this
Declaration of Trust, including, without limitation, Article VI hereof, no
dividend or distribution, including, without limitation, any distribution paid
upon dissolution of the Trust or of any Series with respect to, nor any
redemption of, the Shares of any Series or Class of such Series shall be
effected by the Trust other than from the assets held with respect to such
Series nor, except as specifically provided in Section 7 of this Article III,
shall any Shareholder of any particular Series otherwise have any right or claim
against the assets held with respect to any other Series or the Trust generally
except, in the case of a right or claim against the assets held with respect to
any other Series, to the extent that such Shareholder has such a right or claim
hereunder as a Shareholder of such other Series. The Board of
Trustees shall have full discretion, to the extent not inconsistent with the
1940 Act, to determine which items shall be treated as income and which items as
capital, and each such determination and allocation shall be conclusive and
binding upon the Shareholders. In addition, the Board of Trustees may
delegate to a committee of the Board of Trustees or an officer of the Trust, the
authority to fix the amount and other terms of any dividend or distribution,
including without limitation, the power to fix the declaration date of the
dividend or distribution.
(d) Voting. All
Shares of the Trust entitled to vote on a matter shall vote in the aggregate
without differentiation between the Shares of the separate Series, if any, or
separate Classes, if any; provided that (i) with respect to any matter that
affects only the interests of some but not all Series, then only the Shares of
such affected Series, voting separately, shall be entitled to vote on the
matter; (ii) with respect to any matter that affects only the interests of some
but not all Classes, then only the Shares of such affected Classes, voting
separately, shall be entitled to vote on the matter; and (iii) notwithstanding
the foregoing, with respect to any matter as to which the 1940 Act or other
applicable law or regulation requires voting, by Series or by Class, then the
Shares of the Trust shall vote as prescribed in such law or
regulation.
13
(e) Equality. Each
Share of the Trust shall be equal to each other Share of the Trust (subject to
the rights and preferences with respect to separate Series or Classes of the
Trust).
(f) Fractions. A
fractional Share of the Trust shall carry proportionately all the rights and
obligations of a whole Share of the Trust, including rights with respect to
voting, receipt of dividends and distributions, redemption of Shares, and
dissolution of the Trust.
(g) Exchange
Privilege. The Board of Trustees shall have the authority to
provide that the holders of Shares of any Series shall have the right to
exchange said Shares for Shares of one or more other Series in accordance with
such requirements and procedures as may be established by the Board of Trustees,
and in accordance with the 1940 Act.
(h) Combination of Series or
Classes.
(i)
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The
Board of Trustees shall have the authority, without the approval, vote, or
consent of the Shareholders of any Series, unless otherwise required by
applicable law, to combine the assets and liabilities held with respect to
any two or more Series into assets and liabilities held with respect to a
single Series, provided that, upon
completion of such combination of Series, the interest of each Shareholder
in the combined assets and liabilities held with respect to the combined
Series shall equal the interest of each such Shareholder in the aggregate
of the assets and liabilities held with respect to the Series that were
combined.
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(ii)
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The
Board of Trustees shall have the authority, without the approval, vote, or
consent of the Shareholders of any Series or Class, unless otherwise
required by applicable law, to combine, merge, or otherwise consolidate
the Shares of two or more Classes of Shares of a Series with and/or into a
single Class of Shares of such Series, with such designation, preference,
conversion, or other rights, voting powers, restrictions, limitations as
to dividends, qualifications, terms and conditions of redemption, and
other characteristics as the Trustees may determine; provided, however, that
the Trustees shall provide written notice to the affected Shareholders of
any such transaction.
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(iii)
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The
transactions in (i) and (ii) above may be effected through share-for-share
exchanges, transfers, or sales of assets, Shareholder in-kind redemptions
and purchases, exchange offers, or any other method approved by the
Trustees.
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(i) Dissolution or
Termination. Any particular Series shall be dissolved upon the
occurrence of the applicable dissolution events set forth in Article VIII,
Section 1 hereof. Upon dissolution of a particular Series, the
Trustees shall wind up the affairs of such Series in accordance with Article
VIII, Section 1 hereof, and thereafter rescind the establishment and designation
thereof. The Board of Trustees shall terminate any particular Class
and rescind the establishment and designation thereof: (i) upon
approval by a majority of votes cast at a meeting of the Shareholders of such
Class, provided a quorum of Shareholders of such Class is present, or by action
of the Shareholders of such Class by written consent without a meeting pursuant
to Article V, Section 3; or (ii) at the discretion of the Board of Trustees,
either (A) at any time there are no Shares outstanding of such Class, or (B)
upon prior written notice to the Shareholders of such Class; provided, however, that upon
the rescission of the establishment and designation of any particular Series,
every Class of such Series thereby shall be terminated and its establishment and
designation rescinded. Each resolution of the Board of Trustees
pursuant to this Section 6(i) shall be incorporated herein by reference upon
adoption.
14
Section
7. Indemnification of
Shareholders. No Shareholder as such shall be subject to any
personal liability whatsoever to any Person in connection with Trust Property or
the acts, obligations, or affairs of the Trust. If any Shareholder or
former Shareholder shall be exposed to liability, charged with liability, or
held personally liable for any obligations or liability of the Trust, by reason
of a claim or demand relating exclusively to his, her or it being or having been
a Shareholder and not because of such Shareholder’s actions or omissions, such
Shareholder or former Shareholder (or in the case of a natural Person, his or
her heirs, executors, administrators, or other legal representatives, or in the
case of a corporation or other entity, its corporate or other general successor)
shall be entitled to be held harmless from and indemnified out of the assets of
the Trust or out of the assets of such Series thereof, as the case may be,
against all loss and expense, including, without limitation, attorneys’ fees
arising from such claim or demand; provided, however, such
indemnity shall not cover (i) any taxes due or paid by reason of such
Shareholder’s ownership of any Shares, and (ii) expenses charged to a
Shareholder pursuant to Article IV, Section 5 hereof.
ARTICLE
IV
THE
BOARD OF TRUSTEES
Section
1. Number, Election, Term,
Removal and Resignation.
(a) In
accordance with Section 3801 of the DSTA, each Trustee shall become a Trustee
and be bound by this Declaration of Trust and the Bylaws when such Person signs
this Declaration of Trust as a Trustee and/or is duly elected or appointed,
qualified, and serving on the Board of Trustees in accordance with the
provisions hereof and the Bylaws, so long as such signatory or other Person
continues in office in accordance with the terms hereof.
(b) The
number of Trustees constituting the entire Board of Trustees shall initially be
equal to the number of Persons signing this Declaration of Trust as of the date
first written above and, thereafter, may be fixed, from time to time, by the
vote of a majority of the then Board of Trustees; provided, however, that the
number of Trustees shall in no event be less than one (1) nor more than fifteen
(15). The number of Trustees shall not be reduced so as to shorten
the term of any Trustee then in office.
(c) Each
Trustee shall hold office for the lifetime of the Trust or until such Trustee’s
earlier death, resignation, removal, retirement, or inability otherwise to
serve, or if sooner than any of such events, until the next meeting of
Shareholders called for the purpose of electing Trustees or consent of
Shareholders in lieu thereof for the election of Trustees, and until the
election and qualification of his or her successor.
15
(d) Any
Trustee may be removed, with or without cause, by the Board of Trustees by
action of a majority of the Trustees then in office, or by vote of the
Shareholders at any meeting called for that purpose.
(e) Any
Trustee may resign at any time by giving written notice to the secretary of the
Trust or to the Board of Trustees. Such resignation shall be
effective upon receipt, unless specified to be effective at some later
time.
Section
2. Trustee Action by Written
Consent Without a Meeting. To the extent not inconsistent with
the provisions of the 1940 Act, any action that may be taken at any meeting of
the Board of Trustees or any committee thereof may be taken without a meeting
and without prior written notice if a consent or consents in writing setting
forth the action so taken is signed by the Trustees having not less than the
minimum number of votes that would be necessary to authorize or take that action
at a meeting at which all Trustees on the Board of Trustees or any committee
thereof, as the case may be, were present and voted. Written consents
of the Trustees may be executed in one or more counterparts. A
consent transmitted by electronic transmission (as defined in Section 3806 of
the DSTA) by a Trustee shall be deemed to be written and signed for purposes of
this Section. All such consents shall be filed with the secretary of
the Trust and shall be maintained in the Trust’s records.
Section
3. Powers; Other Business
Interests; Quorum and Required Vote.
(a) Powers. Subject
to the provisions of this Declaration of Trust, the business of the Trust
(including every Series thereof) shall be managed by or under the direction of
the Board of Trustees, and such Board of Trustees shall have all powers
necessary or convenient to carry out that responsibility. The Board
of Trustees shall have full power and authority to do any and all acts and to
make and execute any and all contracts and instruments that it may consider
necessary or appropriate in connection with the operation and administration of
the Trust (including every Series thereof). The Board of Trustees
shall not be bound or limited by present or future laws or customs with regard
to investments by trustees or fiduciaries, but, subject to the other provisions
of this Declaration of Trust and the Bylaws, shall have full authority and
absolute power and control over the assets and the business of the Trust
(including every Series thereof) to the same extent as if the Board of Trustees
was the sole owner of such assets and business in its own right, including such
authority, power, and control to do all acts and things as the Board of
Trustees, in its sole discretion, shall deem proper to accomplish the purposes
of this Trust. Without limiting the foregoing, the Board of Trustees,
subject to the requisite vote for such actions as set forth in this Declaration
of Trust and the Bylaws, may: (i) adopt Bylaws not inconsistent with
applicable law or this Declaration of Trust; (ii) amend, restate, and repeal
such Bylaws, subject to and in accordance with the provisions of such Bylaws;
(iii) remove Trustees and fill vacancies on the Board of Trustees in accordance
with this Declaration of Trust and the Bylaws; (iv) elect and remove such
officers and appoint and terminate such agents as the Board of Trustees
considers appropriate, in accordance with this Declaration of Trust and the
Bylaws; (v) establish and terminate one or more committees of the Board of
Trustees pursuant to the Bylaws; (vi) place Trust Property in custody as
required by the
16
1940 Act,
employ one or more custodians of the Trust Property, and authorize such
custodians to employ subcustodians and to place all or any part of such Trust
Property with a custodian or a custodial system meeting the requirements of the
1940 Act; (vii) retain a transfer agent, dividend disbursing agent, shareholder
servicing agent, or administrative services agent, or any number thereof, or any
other service provider, as deemed appropriate; (viii) provide for the issuance
and distribution of Shares or other securities or financial instruments directly
or through one or more Principal Underwriters or otherwise; (ix) retain one or
more Investment Adviser(s); (x) reacquire and redeem Shares on behalf of the
Trust and transfer Shares pursuant to applicable law; (xi) set record dates for
the determination of Shareholders with respect to various matters in the manner
provided in Article V, Section 4 of this Declaration of Trust; (xii) declare and
pay dividends and distributions to Shareholders from the Trust Property in
accordance with this Declaration of Trust and the Bylaws; (xiii) establish,
designate, and redesignate any Series or Class of the Trust or Class of a
Series, from time to time, in accordance with the provisions of Article III,
Section 6 hereof; (xiv) hire personnel as staff for the Board of Trustees, or
for those Trustees who are not Interested Persons of the Trust, the Investment
Adviser, or the Principal Underwriter, set the compensation to be paid by the
Trust to such personnel, exercise exclusive supervision of such personnel, and
remove one or more of such personnel at the discretion of the Board of Trustees;
(xv) retain special counsel, other experts, and/or consultants for the Board of
Trustees, for those Trustees who are not Interested Persons of the Trust, the
Investment Adviser, or the Principal Underwriter, and/or for one or more of the
committees of the Board of Trustees, set the compensation to be paid by the
Trust to such special counsel, other experts, and/or consultants, and remove one
or more of such special counsel, other experts, and/or consultants at the
discretion of the Board of Trustees; (xvi) engage in and prosecute, defend,
compromise, abandon, or adjust, by arbitration or otherwise, any actions, suits,
proceedings, disputes, claims, and demands relating to the Trust, and out of the
assets of the Trust to pay or to satisfy any debts, claims, or expenses incurred
in connection therewith, including those of litigation, and such power shall
include, without limitation, the power of the Board of Trustees or any
appropriate committee thereof, in the exercise of its good faith business
judgment, to dismiss any action, suit, proceeding, dispute, claim, or demand,
derivative or otherwise, brought by any person, including a Shareholder in its
own name or in the name of the Trust, whether or not the Trust or any of the
Trustees may be named individually therein or the subject matter arises by
reason of business for or on behalf of the Trust; and (xvii) in general,
delegate such authority as the Board of Trustees considers desirable to any
Trustee or officer of the Trust, to any committee of the Trust, to any agent or
employee of the Trust, or to any custodian, transfer, dividend disbursing or
shareholder servicing agent, Principal Underwriter, Investment Adviser, or other
service provider.
The
powers of the Board of Trustees set forth in this Section 3(a) are without
prejudice to any other powers of the Board of Trustees set forth in this
Declaration of Trust and the Bylaws. Any determination as to what is
in the best interests of the Trust or any Series or Class thereof and its
Shareholders made by the Board of Trustees in good faith shall be
conclusive. In construing the provisions of this Declaration of
Trust, the presumption shall be in favor of a grant of power to the Board of
Trustees.
The
Trustees shall be subject to the same fiduciary duties to which the directors of
a Delaware corporation would be subject if the Trust were a Delaware
corporation, the Shareholders were shareholders of such Delaware corporation and
the Trustees were directors of such Delaware corporation, and such modified
duties shall replace any fiduciary duties to which the Trustees would otherwise
be subject. Without limiting the generality of the foregoing, all
actions and omissions of the Trustees shall be evaluated under the doctrine
commonly referred to as the “business judgment rule,” as defined and developed
under Delaware law, to the same extent that the same actions or omissions of
directors of a Delaware corporation in a substantially similar circumstance
would be evaluated under such doctrine. Notwithstanding the
foregoing, the provisions of this Declaration of Trust and the Bylaws, to the
extent that they restrict or eliminate the duties (including fiduciary duties)
and liabilities relating thereto of a Trustee otherwise applicable under the
foregoing standard or otherwise existing at law or in equity, are agreed by each
Shareholder and the Trust to replace such other duties and liabilities of such
Trustee.
17
(b) Other Business
Interests. The Trustees shall devote to the affairs of the
Trust (including every Series thereof) such time as may be necessary for the
proper performance of their duties hereunder, but neither the Trustees nor the
officers, directors, shareholders, partners, or employees of the Trustees, if
any, shall be expected to devote their full time to the performance of such
duties. The Trustees or any Affiliate, shareholder, officer,
director, partner, or employee thereof, or any Person owning a legal or
beneficial interest therein, may engage in, serve as a director, trustee or
officer of, or possess an interest in, any business or venture other than the
Trust or any Series thereof, of any nature and description, independently or
with or for the account of others, without such activities or ownership being
deemed to be a violation of a duty of loyalty. None of the Trust, any
Series thereof, or any Shareholder shall have the right to participate or share
in such other business or venture or any profit or compensation derived
therefrom.
(c) Quorum and Required
Vote. At all meetings of the Board of Trustees, a majority of
the Board of Trustees then in office shall be present in person in order to
constitute a quorum for the transaction of business. A meeting at
which a quorum is initially present may continue to transact business,
notwithstanding the departure of Trustees from the meeting, if any action taken
is approved by at least a majority of the required quorum for that
meeting. Subject to Article III, Sections 1 and 6 of the Bylaws, and
except as otherwise provided herein or required by applicable law, the vote of
not less than a majority of the Trustees present at a meeting at which a quorum
is present shall be the act of the Board of Trustees. Trustees may
not vote by proxy.
Section
4. Payment of Expenses by the
Trust. Subject to the provisions of Article III, Section 6
hereof, an officer of the Trust authorized by the Board of Trustees shall pay or
cause to be paid out of the principal or income of the Trust or any particular
Series or Class thereof, or partly out of the principal and partly out of the
income of the Trust or any particular Series or Class thereof, and charge or
allocate the same to, between, or among such one or more of the Series or
Classes that may be established or designated pursuant to Article III, Section 6
hereof, as such officer deems fair, all expenses, fees, charges, taxes, and
liabilities incurred by or arising in connection with the maintenance or
operation of the Trust or a particular Series or Class thereof, or in connection
with the management thereof, including, but not limited to, the Trustees’
compensation and such expenses, fees, charges, taxes, and liabilities associated
with the services of the Trust’s officers, employees, Investment Adviser(s),
Principal Underwriter, auditors, counsel, custodian, subcustodian, transfer
agent, dividend disbursing agent, shareholder servicing agent, and such other
agents or independent contractors, and such other expenses, fees, charges,
taxes, and liabilities as the Board of Trustees may deem necessary or proper to
incur.
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Section
5. Payment of Expenses by
Shareholders. The Board of Trustees shall have the power, as
frequently as it may determine, to cause any Shareholder to pay directly, in
advance or arrears, an amount fixed, from time to time, by the Board of Trustees
or an officer of the Trust for charges of the Trust’s custodian or transfer,
dividend disbursing, shareholder servicing, or similar agent that are not
customarily charged generally to the Trust, a Series, or a Class, where such
services are provided to such Shareholder individually, rather than to all
Shareholders collectively, including, without limitation, by setting off such
amount due from such Shareholder from the amount of (i) declared but unpaid
dividends or distributions owed such Shareholder, or (ii) proceeds from the
redemption by the Trust of Shares from such Shareholder pursuant to Article VI
hereof.
Section
6. Ownership of Trust
Property. Legal title to all of the Trust Property shall at
all times be vested in the Trust, except that the Board of Trustees shall have
the power to cause legal title to any Trust Property to be held by or in the
name of any Person as nominee, on such terms as the Board of Trustees may
determine, in accordance with applicable law.
Section
7. Service
Contracts.
(a) Subject
to this Declaration of Trust, the Bylaws, and the 1940 Act, the Board of
Trustees, at any time and from time to time, may contract for exclusive or
nonexclusive investment advisory or investment management services for the Trust
or for any Series thereof with any corporation, trust, association, or other
organization, including any Affiliate, and any such contract may contain such
other terms as the Board of Trustees may determine, including, without
limitation, delegation of authority to the Investment Adviser to determine, from
time to time, without prior consultation with the Board of Trustees, what
securities and other instruments or property shall be purchased or otherwise
acquired, owned, held, invested or reinvested in, sold, exchanged, transferred,
mortgaged, pledged, assigned, negotiated, or otherwise dealt with or disposed
of, and what portion if any of the Trust Property shall be held uninvested, and
to make changes in the Trust’s or a particular Series’ investments, or to engage
in such other activities, including administrative services, as may be delegated
specifically to such party.
(b) The Board
of Trustees also, at any time and from time to time, may contract with any
Person, including any Affiliate, appointing it or them as the exclusive or
nonexclusive placement agent, distributor, or Principal Underwriter for the
Shares of the Trust or one or more of the Series or Classes thereof, or for
other securities or financial instruments to be issued by the Trust, or
appointing it or them to act as the administrator, fund accountant, or
accounting agent, custodian, transfer agent, dividend disbursing agent, and/or
shareholder servicing agent for the Trust or one or more of the Series or
Classes thereof.
(c) The Board
of Trustees is further empowered, at any time and from time to time, to contract
with any Persons, including any Affiliates, to provide such other services to
the Trust or one or more of its Series as the Board of Trustees determines to be
in the best interests of the Trust, such Series, and its
Shareholders.
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(d) None of
the following facts or circumstances shall affect the validity of any of the
contracts provided for in this Article IV, Section 7, or disqualify any
Shareholder, Trustee, employee, or officer of the Trust from voting upon or
executing the same, or create any liability or accountability to the Trust, any
Series thereof, or the Shareholders, provided that the
establishment and performance of each such contract is permissible under the
1940 Act, and provided further that such
Person is authorized to vote upon such contract under the 1940 Act:
(i)
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the
fact that any of the Shareholders, Trustees, employees, or officers of the
Trust is a shareholder, director, officer, partner, trustee, employee,
manager, Investment Adviser, placement agent, Principal Underwriter,
distributor, or Affiliate or agent of or for any Person, or for any parent
or Affiliate of any Person, with which any type of service contract
provided for in this Article IV, Section 7 may have been or may be made
hereafter, or that any such Person, or any parent or Affiliate thereof, is
a Shareholder or has an interest in the Trust,
or
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(ii)
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the
fact that any Person with which any type of service contract provided for
in this Article IV, Section 7 may have been or may be made hereafter also
has such a service contract with one or more other Persons, or has other
business or interests.
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(e) Every
contract referred to in this Section 7 is required to comply with this
Declaration of Trust, the Bylaws, the 1940 Act, other applicable law, and any
stipulation by resolution of the Board of Trustees.
ARTICLE
V
SHAREHOLDERS’
VOTING POWERS AND MEETINGS
Section
1. Voting
Powers. Subject to the provisions of Article III, Section 6
hereof, the Shareholders shall have the power to vote only (i) on such matters
required by this Declaration of Trust, the Bylaws, the 1940 Act, other
applicable law, and any registration statement of the Trust filed with the
Commission, the registration of which is effective; and (ii) on such other
matters as the Board of Trustees may consider necessary or
desirable. Subject to Article III hereof, each Shareholder of record
(as of the record date established pursuant to Section 4 of this Article V)
shall be entitled to one vote for each full Share and a fractional vote for each
fractional Share held by such Shareholder. Shareholders shall not be
entitled to cumulative voting in the election of Trustees or on any other
matter.
Section
2. Quorum and Required
Vote.
(a) Forty
percent (40%) of the outstanding Shares entitled to vote at a Shareholders’
meeting, which are present in person or represented by proxy, shall constitute a
quorum at such Shareholders’ meeting, except when a larger quorum is required by
this Declaration of Trust, the Bylaws, applicable law, or the requirements of
any securities exchange on which Shares are listed for trading, in which case
such quorum shall comply with such requirements. When a separate vote
by one or more Series or Classes is required, forty percent (40%) of the
outstanding Shares of each such Series or Class entitled to vote at a
Shareholders’ meeting of such Series or Class, which are present in person or
represented by proxy, shall constitute a quorum at the Shareholders’ meeting of
such Series or Class, except when a larger quorum is required by this
Declaration of Trust, the Bylaws, applicable law, or the requirements of any
securities exchange on which Shares of such Series or Class are listed for
trading, in which case such quorum shall comply with such
requirements.
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(b) Subject
to the provisions of Article III, Section 6(d), when a quorum is present at any
meeting, a majority of the votes cast shall decide any questions and a plurality
shall elect a Trustee, except when a larger vote is required by any provision of
this Declaration of Trust or the Bylaws or by applicable
law. Pursuant to Article III, Section 6(d) hereof, where a separate
vote by Series and, if applicable by Class, is required, the preceding sentence
shall apply to such separate votes by Series and Classes.
(c) Abstentions
and broker non-votes will be treated as votes present at a Shareholders’
meeting; abstentions and broker non-votes will not be treated as votes cast at
such Shareholders’ meeting. Abstentions and broker non-votes,
therefore, (i) will be included for purposes of determining whether a quorum is
present; and (ii) will have no effect on proposals that require a plurality for
approval or on proposals requiring an affirmative vote of a majority of votes
cast for approval.
Section
3. Shareholder Action by
Written Consent Without a Meeting. Any action which may be
taken at any meeting of Shareholders may be taken without a meeting if a consent
or consents in writing setting forth the action so taken is or are signed by the
holders of a majority of the Shares entitled to vote on such action (or such
different proportion thereof as shall be required by law, this Declaration of
Trust, or the Bylaws for approval of such action) and is or are received by the
secretary of the Trust either: (i) by the date set by resolution of
the Board of Trustees for the Shareholders’ vote on such action; or (ii) if no
date is set by resolution of the Board, within thirty (30) days after the record
date for such action as determined by reference to Article V, Section 4(b)
hereof. The written consent for any such action may be executed in
one or more counterparts, each of which shall be deemed an original, and all of
which, when taken together, shall constitute one and the same
instrument. A consent transmitted by electronic transmission (as
defined in the DSTA) by a Shareholder or by a Person or Persons authorized to
act for a Shareholder shall be deemed to be written and signed for purposes of
this Section. All such consents shall be filed with the secretary of
the Trust and shall be maintained in the Trust’s records. Any
Shareholder that has given a written consent or the Shareholder’s proxyholder or
a personal representative of the Shareholder or its respective proxyholder may
revoke the consent by a writing received by the secretary of the Trust
either: (i) before the date set by resolution of the Board of
Trustees for the Shareholder vote on such action; or (ii) if no date is set by
resolution of the Board, within thirty (30) days after the record date for such
action as determined by reference to Article V, Section 4(b)
hereof.
Section
4. Record
Dates.
(a) For
purposes of determining the Shareholders entitled to notice of and to vote at
any meeting of Shareholders, the Board of Trustees may fix a record date, which
record date shall not precede the date upon which the resolution fixing the
record date is adopted by the Board of Trustees, and which record date shall not
be more than one hundred and twenty (120) days nor less than ten (10) days
before the date of any such meeting. A determination of Shareholders
of record entitled to notice of or to vote at a meeting of Shareholders shall
apply to any adjournment of the meeting; provided, however, that the
Board of Trustees may fix a new record date for the adjourned meeting and shall
fix a new record date for any meeting that is adjourned for more than sixty (60)
days from the date set for the original meeting. For purposes of
determining the Shareholders entitled to vote on any action without a meeting,
the Board of Trustees may fix a record date, which record date shall not precede
the date upon which the resolution fixing the record date is adopted by the
Board of Trustees, and which record date shall not be more than thirty (30) days
after the date upon which the resolution fixing the record date is adopted by
the Board of Trustees.
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(b) If the
Board of Trustees does not so fix a record date:
(i)
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the
record date for determining Shareholders entitled to notice of and to vote
at a meeting of Shareholders shall be at the close of business on the day
next preceding the day on which notice is given, or if notice is waived,
at the close of business on the day next preceding the day on which the
meeting is held; and/or
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(ii)
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the
record date for determining Shareholders entitled to vote on any action by
consent in writing without a meeting of Shareholders (A) when no prior
action by the Board of Trustees has been taken, shall be the day on which
the first signed written consent setting forth the action taken is
delivered to the Trust, or (B) when prior action of the Board of Trustees
has been taken, shall be at the close of business on the day on which the
Board of Trustees adopts the resolution taking such prior
action.
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(c) For the
purpose of determining the Shareholders of the Trust or any Series or Class
thereof who are entitled to receive payment of any dividend or of any other
distribution of assets of the Trust or any Series or Class thereof (other than
in connection with a dissolution of the Trust or a Series, a merger,
consolidation, conversion, sale of all or substantially all of its assets, or
any other transaction, in each case that is governed by Article VIII of this
Declaration of Trust), the Board of Trustees may:
(i)
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from
time to time, fix a record date, which record date shall not precede the
date upon which the resolution fixing the record date is adopted, and
which record date shall not be more than sixty (60) days before the date
for the payment of such dividend and/or such other
distribution;
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(ii)
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adopt
standing resolutions fixing record dates and related payment dates at
periodic intervals of any duration for the payment of such dividend and/or
such other distribution; and/or
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(iii)
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delegate
to an officer or officers of the Trust the determination of such periodic
record and/or payments dates with respect to such dividend and/or such
other distribution.
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22
Nothing
in this Section shall be construed as precluding the Board of Trustees from
setting different record dates for different Series or Classes.
Section
5. Additional
Provisions. The Bylaws may include further provisions for
Shareholders’ votes, meetings, and related matters.
ARTICLE
VI
NET
ASSET VALUE; DISTRIBUTIONS;
REDEMPTIONS;
TRANSFERS
Section
1. Determination of Net Asset
Value, Net Income, and Distributions.
(a) Subject
to Article III, Section 6 hereof and any applicable requirement or limitation of
the 1940 Act, the Board of Trustees shall have the power to determine, from time
to time, the offering price for authorized but unissued Shares of the Trust, or
any Series or Class thereof, as applicable, which shall yield to the Trust or
the applicable Series or Class not less than the net asset value thereof, in
addition to any amount of applicable sales charge to be paid to the Principal
Underwriter or the selling broker or dealer in connection with the sale of such
Shares, at which price such Shares shall be offered for sale.
(b) Subject
to Article III, Section 6 hereof, the Board of Trustees, subject to the 1940
Act, may prescribe and shall set forth in the Bylaws, this Declaration of Trust,
or in a resolution of the Board of Trustees such bases and time for determining
the net asset value per Share of the Trust, or any Series or Class thereof, or
net income attributable to the Shares of the Trust, or any Series or Class
thereof, or the declaration and payment of dividends and distributions on the
Shares of the Trust, or any Series or Class thereof, as the Board of Trustees
may deem necessary or desirable, and such dividends and distributions may vary
between the Classes to reflect differing allocations of the expenses of the
Trust between such Classes to such extent and for such purposes as the Trustees
may deem appropriate. Any resolution may set forth such information
directly in such resolution or by reference to, or approval of, another document
that sets forth such information, including, without limitation, any
registration statement of the Trust, or as otherwise provided in such
resolution. The Board of Trustees may delegate the power or duty to
determine net asset value per Share of the Trust or any Series or Class thereof
or the net income attributable to the Shares of the Trust or any Series or Class
thereof to one or more Trustees or officers of the Trust or to a custodian,
depositary or other agent appointed for such purpose.
(c) The
Shareholders of the Trust, or any Series or Class if any, shall be entitled to
receive dividends and distributions when, if, and as declared by the Board of
Trustees with respect thereto, provided that with respect to
Classes such dividends and distributions shall comply with the 1940
Act. The right of Shareholders to receive dividends or other
distributions on Shares of any Class may be set forth in a plan adopted by the
Board of Trustees and amended, from time to time, pursuant to the 1940
Act. No Share shall have any priority or preference over any other
Share of the Trust with respect to dividends or distributions paid in the
ordinary course of business or distributions upon dissolution of the Trust made
pursuant to Article VIII, Section 1 hereof; provided, however,
that
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(i)
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if
the Shares of the Trust are divided into Series thereof, no Share of a
particular Series shall have any priority or preference over any other
Share of the same Series with respect to dividends or distributions paid
in the ordinary course of business or distributions upon dissolution of
the Trust or of such Series made pursuant to Article VIII, Section 1
hereof;
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(ii)
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if
the Shares of the Trust are divided into Classes thereof, no Share of a
particular Class shall have any priority or preference over any other
Share of the same Class with respect to dividends or distributions paid in
the ordinary course of business or distributions upon dissolution of the
Trust made pursuant to Article VIII, Section 1 hereof;
and
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(iii)
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if
the Shares of a Series are divided into Classes thereof, no Share of a
particular Class of such Series shall have any priority or preference over
any other Share of the same Class of such Series with respect to dividends
or distributions paid in the ordinary course of business or distributions
upon dissolution of such Series made pursuant to Article VIII, Section 1
hereof.
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All
dividends and distributions shall be made ratably among all Shareholders of the
Trust, a particular Class of the Trust, a particular Series, or a particular
Class of a Series from the Trust Property held with respect to the Trust, such
Series, or such Class, respectively, according to the number of Shares of the
Trust, such Series, or such Class held of record by such Shareholders on the
record date for any dividend or distribution; provided, however,
that
(i)
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if
the Shares of the Trust are divided into Series thereof, all dividends and
distributions from the Trust Property and, if applicable, held with
respect to such Series shall be distributed to each Series thereof
according to the net asset value computed for such Series, and within such
particular Series, shall be distributed ratably to the Shareholders of
such Series according to the number of Shares of such Series held of
record by such Shareholders on the record date for any dividend or
distribution; and
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(ii)
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if
the Shares of the Trust or of a Series are divided into Classes thereof,
all dividends and distributions from the Trust Property and, if
applicable, held with respect to the Trust or such Series shall be
distributed to each Class thereof according to the net asset value
computed for such Class, and within such particular Class, shall be
distributed ratably to the Shareholders of such Class according to the
number of Shares of such Class held of record by such Shareholders on the
record date for any dividend or
distribution.
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Dividends
and distributions may be paid in cash, in kind, or in Shares.
(d) Before
payment of any dividend or distribution, there may be set aside out of any funds
of the Trust, or the applicable Series thereof, available for dividends or
distributions such sum or sums as the Board of Trustees, from time to time, in
its absolute discretion, may think proper as a reserve fund to meet
contingencies, or for equalizing dividends or distributions, or for repairing or
maintaining any property of the Trust, or any Series thereof, or for such other
lawful purpose as the Board of Trustees shall deem to be in the best interests
of the Trust, or the applicable Series, as the case may be, and the Board of
Trustees may abolish any such reserve in the manner in which the reserve was
created.
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Section
2. Redemptions at the Option of
a Shareholder. Unless otherwise provided in the prospectus of
the Trust relating to the Shares, as such prospectus may be amended, from time
to time:
(a) The Trust
shall purchase such Shares as are offered by any Shareholder for redemption upon
the presentation of a proper instrument of transfer, together with a request
directed to the Trust or a Person designated by the Trust that the Trust
purchase such Shares and/or in accordance with such other procedures for
redemption as the Board of Trustees may authorize, from time to
time. If certificates have been issued to a Shareholder, any request
for redemption by such Shareholder must be accompanied by surrender of any
outstanding certificate or certificates for such Shares in form for transfer,
together with such proof of the authenticity of signatures as may reasonably be
required on such Shares and accompanied by proper stock transfer stamps, if
applicable.
(b) The Trust
shall pay for such Shares the net asset value thereof (excluding any applicable
redemption fee or sales load) in accordance with this Declaration of Trust, the
Bylaws, the 1940 Act, and other applicable law. Payments for Shares
so redeemed by the Trust shall be made in cash, except payment for such Shares,
at the option of the Board of Trustees or such officer or officers as it may
duly authorize in its complete discretion, may be made in kind or partially in
cash and partially in kind. In case of any payment in kind, the Board
of Trustees or its authorized officers shall have absolute discretion as to what
security or securities of the Trust or the applicable Series shall be
distributed in kind and the amount of the same; and the securities shall be
valued for purposes of distribution at the value at which they were appraised in
computing the then current net asset value of the Shares, provided that any Shareholder
who legally cannot acquire securities so distributed in kind shall receive cash
to the extent permitted by the 1940 Act. Shareholders shall bear the
expenses of in-kind transactions, including, but not limited to, transfer agency
fees, custodian fees, and costs of disposition of such securities.
(c) Payment
by the Trust for such redemption of Shares shall be made by the Trust to the
Shareholder within seven (7) days after the date on which the redemption request
is received in proper form and/or such other procedures authorized by the Board
of Trustees are complied with; provided, however, that if
payment shall be made other than exclusively in cash, any securities to be
delivered as part of such payment shall be delivered as promptly as any
necessary transfers of such securities on the books of the several corporations
whose securities are to be delivered practicably can be made, which may not
occur necessarily within such seven- (7) day period. In no case shall
the Trust be liable for any delay of any corporation or other Person in
transferring securities selected for delivery as all or part of any payment in
kind.
(d) The
obligations of the Trust set forth in this Section 2 are subject to the
provision that such obligations may be suspended or postponed by the Board of
Trustees (i) during any time the New York Stock Exchange (the “Exchange”) is
closed for other than weekends or holidays; (ii) if permitted by the rules of
the Commission, during periods when trading on the Exchange is restricted; or
(iii) during any National Financial Emergency. The Board of Trustees,
in its discretion, may declare that the suspension relating to a National
Financial Emergency shall terminate, as the case may be, on the first business
day on which the Exchange shall have reopened or the period specified above
shall have expired (as to which, in the absence of an official ruling by the
Commission, the determination of the Board of Trustees shall be
conclusive).
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(e) The right
of any Shareholder of the Trust, or any Series or Class thereof, to receive
dividends or other distributions on Shares redeemed and all other rights of such
Shareholder with respect to the Shares so redeemed, except the right of such
Shareholder to receive payment for such Shares, shall cease at the time the
purchase price of such Shares shall have been fixed, as provided
above.
Section
3. Redemptions at the Option of
the Trust. At the option of the Board of Trustees, the Trust,
from time to time, without the vote of the Shareholders but subject to the 1940
Act, may redeem Shares or authorize the closing of any Shareholder account,
subject to such conditions as may be established, from time to time, by the
Board of Trustees.
Section
4. Transfer of
Shares. Shares shall be transferable in accordance with the
provisions of this Declaration of Trust and the Bylaws.
ARTICLE
VII
LIMITATION
OF LIABILITY
AND
INDEMNIFICATION OF AGENT
Section
1. Limitation of
Liability.
(a) For the
purpose of this Article, “Agent” means any Person who is or was a Trustee,
officer, employee, or other agent of the Trust or is or was serving at the
request of the Trust as a trustee, director, officer, employee, or other agent
of another foreign or domestic corporation, partnership, joint venture, trust,
or other enterprise; “Proceeding” means any threatened, pending, or completed
action or proceeding, whether civil, criminal, administrative, arbitral, or
investigative; and “Expenses” include, without limitation, attorneys’ fees and
any expenses of establishing a right to indemnification under this
Article.
(b) An Agent
shall be liable to the Trust and to any Shareholder for any act or omission that
constitutes a bad faith violation of the implied contractual covenant of good
faith and fair dealing, for such Agent’s own willful misfeasance, bad faith,
gross negligence, or reckless disregard of the duties involved in the conduct of
such Agent (such conduct referred to herein as “Disqualifying Conduct”), and for
nothing else.
(c) Subject
to subsection (b) of this Section 1 and to the fullest extent that limitations
on the liability of Agents are permitted by the DSTA, the Agents shall not be
responsible or liable in any event for any act or omission of any other Agent of
the Trust or any Investment Adviser or Principal Underwriter of the
Trust.
26
(d) No Agent,
when acting in its respective capacity as such, shall be liable personally to
any Person, other than the Trust or a Shareholder, to the extent provided in
subsections (b) and (c) of this Section 1, for any act, omission, or obligation
of the Trust or any Trustee thereof.
(e) Each
Trustee, officer, and employee of the Trust shall be justified fully and
completely in the performance of his or her duties, and protected with regard to
any act or any failure to act resulting from reliance in good faith upon the
books of account or other records of the Trust, upon an opinion of counsel, or
upon reports made to the Trust by any of its officers or employees, or by the
Investment Adviser, the Principal Underwriter, any other Agent, selected
dealers, accountants, appraisers, or other experts or consultants reasonably
believed by such Trustee, officer or employee of the Trust to be within such
Person’s professional or expert competence, regardless of whether such counsel
or expert may also be a Trustee. The officers and Trustees may obtain
the advice of counsel or other experts with respect to the meaning and operation
of this Declaration of Trust, the Bylaws, applicable law, and their respective
duties as officers or Trustees. No such officer or Trustee shall be
liable for any act or omission in accordance with such advice, records, and/or
reports, and no inference concerning liability shall arise from a failure to
follow such advice, records, and/or reports. The officers and
Trustees shall not be required to give any bond hereunder nor any surety if a
bond is required by applicable law.
(f) The
failure to make timely collection of dividends or interest, or to take timely
action with respect to entitlements, on the Trust’s securities issued in
emerging countries shall not be deemed to be negligence or other fault on the
part of any Agent, and no Agent shall have any liability for such failure or for
any loss or damage resulting from the imposition by any government of exchange
control restrictions that might affect the liquidity of the Trust’s assets or
from any war or political act of any foreign government to which such assets
might be exposed, except, in the case of a Trustee or officer, for liability
resulting from such Trustee’s or officer’s Disqualifying Conduct.
(g) The
limitation on liability contained in this Article applies to events occurring at
the time a Person serves as an Agent, whether or not such Person is an Agent at
the time of any Proceeding in which liability is asserted.
(h) No
amendment or repeal of this Article shall adversely affect any right or
protection of an Agent that exists at the time of such amendment or
repeal.
Section
2. Indemnification.
(a) Indemnification by
Trust. The Trust shall indemnify, out of Trust Property, to
the fullest extent permitted under applicable law, any Person who was or is a
party or is threatened to be made a party to any Proceeding by reason of the
fact that such Person is or was an Agent of the Trust, against Expenses,
judgments, fines, settlements, and other amounts actually and reasonably
incurred in connection with such Proceeding if such Person acted in good faith,
or in the case of a criminal proceeding, had no reasonable cause to believe the
conduct of such Person was unlawful. The termination of any
Proceeding by judgment, order, settlement, conviction, or plea of nolo
contendere or its equivalent shall not of itself create a presumption that the
Person did not act in good faith or that the Person had reasonable cause to
believe that the Person’s conduct was unlawful.
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(b) Exclusion of
Indemnification. Notwithstanding any provision to the contrary
contained herein, there shall be no right to indemnification for any liability
arising by reason of the Agent’s Disqualifying Conduct. In respect of
any claim, issue, or matter as to which that Person shall have been adjudged to
be liable in the performance of that Person’s duty to the Trust or the
Shareholders, indemnification shall be made only to the extent that the court in
which that action was brought shall determine, upon application or otherwise,
that in view of all the circumstances of the case, that Person was not liable by
reason of that Person’s Disqualifying Conduct.
(c) Required
Approval. Any indemnification under this Article shall be made
by the Trust if authorized in the specific case on a determination that
indemnification of the Agent is proper in the circumstances by (i) a final
decision on the merits by a court or other body before whom the proceeding was
brought that the Agent was not liable by reason of Disqualifying Conduct
(including, but not limited to, dismissal of either a court action or an
administrative proceeding against the Agent for insufficiency of evidence of any
Disqualifying Conduct); or (ii) in the absence of such a decision, a reasonable
determination, based upon a review of the facts, that the Agent was not liable
by reason of Disqualifying Conduct, by (A) the vote of a majority of a quorum of
the Trustees who are not (x) Interested Persons of the Trust, (y) parties
to the proceeding, or (z) parties who have any economic or other interest in
connection with such specific case (the “disinterested, non-party Trustees”), or
(B) by independent legal counsel in a written opinion.
(d) Advancement of
Expenses. Expenses incurred by an Agent in defending any
Proceeding may be advanced by the Trust before the final disposition of the
Proceeding on receipt of an undertaking by or on behalf of the Agent to repay
the amount of the advance if it shall be determined ultimately that the Agent is
not entitled to be indemnified as authorized in this Article, provided that at least one of
the following conditions for the advancement of expenses is met: (i)
the Agent shall provide appropriate security for his undertaking; (ii) the Trust
shall be insured against losses arising by reason of any lawful advances; or
(iii) a majority of a quorum of the disinterested non-party Trustees of the
Trust, or an independent legal counsel in a written opinion, shall determine,
based on a review of readily available facts (as opposed to a full trial-type
inquiry), that there is reason to believe that the Agent ultimately will be
found entitled to indemnification.
(e) Other Contractual
Rights. Nothing contained in this Article shall affect any
right to indemnification to which Persons other than Trustees and officers of
the Trust or any subsidiary thereof may be entitled by contract or
otherwise.
(f) Fiduciaries of Employee
Benefit Plan. This Article does not apply to any Proceeding
against any trustee, investment manager, or other fiduciary of an employee
benefit plan in that Person’s capacity as such, even though that Person may also
be an Agent of the Trust as defined in Section 1 of this
Article. Nothing contained in this Article shall limit any right to
indemnification to which such a trustee, investment manager, or other fiduciary
may be entitled by contract or otherwise which shall be enforceable to the
extent permitted by applicable law other than this Article.
28
Section
3. Insurance. To
the fullest extent permitted by applicable law, the Board of Trustees shall have
the authority to purchase with Trust Property, insurance for liability and for
all Expenses reasonably incurred or paid or expected to be paid by an Agent in
connection with any Proceeding in which such Agent becomes involved by virtue of
such Agent’s actions, or omissions to act, in its capacity or former capacity
with the Trust, whether or not the Trust would have the power to indemnify such
Agent against such liability.
Section
4. Derivative
Actions. In addition to the requirements set forth in Section
3816 of the DSTA, a Shareholder may bring a derivative action on behalf of the
Trust only if the following conditions are met:
(a) The
Shareholder or Shareholders must make a pre-suit demand upon the Board of
Trustees to bring the subject action unless an effort to cause the Board of
Trustees to bring such an action is not likely to succeed. For
purposes of this Section 4, a demand on the Board of Trustees shall only be
deemed not likely to succeed and therefore excused if a majority of the Board of
Trustees, or a majority of any committee established to consider the merits of
such action, is composed of Trustees who are not “independent trustees” (as such
term is defined in the DSTA).
(b) Unless a
demand is not required under paragraph (a) of this Section 4, Shareholders
eligible to bring such derivative action under the DSTA who hold at least 10% of
the outstanding Shares of the Trust, or 10% of the outstanding Shares of the
Series or Class to which such action relates, shall join in the request for the
Board of Trustees to commence such action; and
(c) Unless a
demand is not required under paragraph (a) of this Section 4, the Board of
Trustees must be afforded a reasonable amount of time to consider such
Shareholder request and to investigate the basis of such claim. The
Board of Trustees shall be entitled to retain counsel or other advisors in
considering the merits of the request and shall require an undertaking by the
Shareholders making such request to reimburse the Trust for the expense of any
such advisors in the event that the Board of Trustees determines not to bring
such action.
For
purposes of this Section 4, the Board of Trustees may designate a committee of
one Trustee to consider a Shareholder demand if necessary to create a committee
with a majority of Trustees who are “independent trustees” (as such term in
defined in the DSTA).
ARTICLE
VIII
CERTAIN
TRANSACTIONS
Section
1. Dissolution of Trust or
Series. The Trust and each Series shall have perpetual
existence, except that the Trust (or a particular Series) shall be
dissolved:
(a) With
respect to the Trust, (i) upon the vote of the holders of not less than a
majority of the Shares of the Trust cast, or (ii) at the discretion of the Board
of Trustees either (A) at any time there are no Shares outstanding of the Trust,
or (B) upon prior written notice to the Shareholders of the Trust;
or
29
(b) With
respect to a particular Series, (i) upon the vote of the holders of not less
than a majority of the Shares of such Series cast, or (ii) at the discretion of
the Board of Trustees either (A) at any time there are no Shares outstanding of
such Series, or (B) upon prior written notice to the Shareholders of such
Series; or
(c) With
respect to the Trust (or a particular Series), upon the occurrence of a
dissolution or termination event pursuant to any other provision of this
Declaration of Trust (including Article VIII, Section 2) or the DSTA;
or
(d) With
respect to any Series, upon any event that causes the dissolution of the
Trust.
Upon
dissolution of the Trust (or a particular Series, as the case may be), the Board
of Trustees (in accordance with Section 3808 of the DSTA) shall pay or make
reasonable provision to pay all claims and obligations of the Trust and/or each
Series (or the particular Series, as the case may be), including all contingent,
conditional, or unmatured claims and obligations known to the Trust, and all
claims and obligations that are known to the Trust but for which the identity of
the claimant is unknown. If there are sufficient assets held with
respect to the Trust and/or each Series of the Trust (or the particular Series,
as the case may be), such claims and obligations shall be paid in full and any
such provisions for payment shall be made in full. If there are
insufficient assets held with respect to the Trust and/or each Series of the
Trust (or the particular Series, as the case may be), such claims and
obligations shall be paid or provided for according to their priority and, among
claims and obligations of equal priority, ratably to the extent of assets
available therefor. Any remaining assets (including, without
limitation, cash, securities, or any combination thereof) held with respect to
the Trust and/or each Series of the Trust (or the particular Series, as the case
may be) shall be distributed to the Shareholders of the Trust and/or each Series
of the Trust (or the particular Series, as the case may be) ratably according to
the number of Shares of the Trust and/or such Series thereof (or the particular
Series, as the case may be) held of record by the several Shareholders on the
date for such dissolution distribution; provided, however, that if the
Shares of the Trust or a Series are divided into Classes thereof, any remaining
assets (including, without limitation, cash, securities, or any combination
thereof) held with respect to the Trust or such Series, as applicable, shall be
distributed to each Class of the Trust or such Series according to the net asset
value computed for such Class, and within such particular Class, shall be
distributed ratably to the Shareholders of such Class according to the number of
Shares of such Class held of record by the several Shareholders on the date for
such dissolution distribution. Upon the completion of the winding up
of the Trust in accordance with Section 3808 of the DSTA, any one Trustee shall
execute and cause to be filed a certificate of cancellation with the Office of
the Secretary of State of the State of Delaware, in accordance with the
provisions of Section 3810 of the DSTA.
30
Section
2. Merger or Consolidation;
Conversion; Reorganization.
(a) Merger or
Consolidation. Pursuant to an agreement of merger or
consolidation, the Board of Trustees, by vote of a majority of the Trustees, may
cause the Trust to merge or consolidate with or into one or more statutory
trusts or “other business entities” (as defined in Section 3801 of the DSTA)
formed or organized or existing under the laws of the State of Delaware or any
other state of the United States, or any foreign country or other foreign
jurisdiction. Any such merger or consolidation shall not require the
vote of the Shareholders unless such vote is required by the 1940 Act; provided, however, that the
Board of Trustees shall provide at least thirty (30) days’ prior written notice
to the Shareholders of such merger or consolidation. By reference to
Section 3815(f) of the DSTA, any agreement of merger or consolidation approved
in accordance with this Section 2(a) may effect any amendment to this
Declaration of Trust or the Bylaws or effect the adoption of a new governing
instrument without a Shareholder vote, unless required by the 1940 Act or any
other provision of this Declaration of Trust or the Bylaws, if the Trust is the
surviving or resulting statutory trust in the merger or consolidation, which
amendment or new governing instrument shall be effective at the effective time
or date of the merger or consolidation. In all respects not governed
by the DSTA, the 1940 Act, or other applicable law, the Board of Trustees shall
have the power to prescribe additional procedures necessary or appropriate to
accomplish a merger or consolidation, including the power to create one or more
separate statutory trusts to which all or any part of the assets, liabilities,
profits, or losses of the Trust may be transferred and to provide for the
conversion of Shares into beneficial interests in such separate statutory trust
or trusts. In order to effect any such merger or consolidation, if
the Trust is the surviving or resulting statutory trust, any one Trustee shall
execute and cause to be filed a certificate of merger or consolidation in
accordance with Section 3815 of the DSTA.
(b) Conversion. The
Board of Trustees, by vote of a majority of the Trustees, may cause (i) the
Trust to convert to an “other business entity” (as defined in Section 3801 of
the DSTA) formed or organized under the laws of the State of Delaware, as
permitted pursuant to Section 3821 of the DSTA; (ii) the Shares of the Trust or
any Series to be converted into beneficial interests in another statutory trust
(or series thereof) created pursuant to this Section 2 of this Article VIII; or
(iii) the Shares to be exchanged under or pursuant to any state or federal
statute to the extent permitted by law. Any such statutory
conversion, Share conversion, or Share exchange shall not require the vote of
the Shareholders unless such vote is required by the 1940 Act; provided, however, that the
Board of Trustees shall provide at least thirty (30) days’ prior written notice
to the Shareholders of the Trust of any conversion of Shares of the Trust
pursuant to Subsections (b)(i) or (b)(ii) of this Section 2 or exchange of
Shares of the Trust pursuant to Subsection (b)(iii) of this Section 2, and at
least thirty (30) days’ prior written notice to the Shareholders of a particular
Series of any conversion of Shares of such Series pursuant to Subsection (b)(ii)
of this Section 2 or exchange of Shares of such Series pursuant to Subsection
(b)(iii) of this Section 2. In all respects not governed by the DSTA,
the 1940 Act, or other applicable law, the Board of Trustees shall have the
power to prescribe additional procedures necessary or appropriate to accomplish
a statutory conversion, Share conversion, or Share exchange, including the power
to create one or more separate statutory trusts to which all or any part of the
assets, liabilities, profits, or losses of the Trust may be transferred and to
provide for the conversion of Shares of the Trust or any Series thereof into
beneficial interests in such separate statutory trust or trusts (or series
thereof).
31
(c) Sale of
Assets. The Board of Trustees, by vote of a majority of the
Trustees, may cause the Trust to sell, convey, and transfer all or substantially
all of the assets of the Trust (“sale of Trust assets”) or all or substantially
all of the assets associated with any one or more Series (“sale of such Series’
assets”) to another trust, statutory trust, partnership, limited partnership,
limited liability company, corporation, or other association organized under the
laws of any state, or to one or more separate series thereof, or to the Trust to
be held as assets associated with one or more other Series of the Trust, in
exchange for cash, shares, or other securities (including, without limitation,
in the case of a transfer to another Series of the Trust, Shares of such other
Series) with such sale, conveyance, and transfer either (i) being made subject
to or with the assumption by the transferee of the liabilities associated with
the Trust or the liabilities associated with the Series, the assets of which are
so transferred, as applicable, or (ii) not being made subject to or not with the
assumption of such liabilities. Any such sale, conveyance, and
transfer shall not require the vote of the Shareholders unless such vote is
required by the 1940 Act; provided, however, that the
Board of Trustees shall provide at least thirty (30) days’ prior written notice
to the Shareholders of the Trust of any such sale of Trust assets, and at least
thirty (30) days’ prior written notice to the Shareholders of a particular
Series of any sale of such Series’ assets. Following such sale of
Trust assets, if all or substantially all of the assets of the Trust have been
so sold, conveyed, and transferred, the Trust shall be
dissolved. Following a sale of such Series’ assets, if all or
substantially all of the assets of such Series have been so sold, conveyed, and
transferred, such Series and the Classes thereof shall be
dissolved. In all respects not governed by the DSTA, the 1940 Act, or
other applicable law, the Board of Trustees shall have the power to prescribe
additional procedures necessary or appropriate to accomplish such sale,
conveyance, and transfer, including the power to create one or more separate
statutory trusts to which all or any part of the assets, liabilities, profits,
or losses of the Trust may be transferred and to provide for the conversion of
Shares of the Trust into beneficial interests in such separate statutory trust
or trusts.
Section
3. Master Feeder
Structure. If permitted by the 1940 Act, the Board of
Trustees, by vote of a majority of the Trustees, and without a Shareholder vote,
may cause the Trust or any one or more Series to convert to a master feeder
structure (a structure in which a feeder fund invests all of its assets in a
master fund rather than making investments in securities directly) and thereby
cause existing Series of the Trust to either become feeders in a master fund, or
to become master funds in which other funds are feeders.
Section
4. Absence of Appraisal or
Dissenters’ Rights. No Shareholder shall be entitled, as a
matter of right, to appraisal rights or to any other relief as a dissenting
Shareholder in respect of any proposal or action involving the Trust or any
Series or any Class thereof.
ARTICLE
IX
AMENDMENTS
Section
1. Amendments
Generally. This Declaration of Trust may be restated and/or
amended at any time by an instrument in writing signed by not less than a
majority of the Board of Trustees and, to the extent required by this
Declaration of Trust or the 1940 Act, by approval of such amendment by the
Shareholders in accordance with Article III, Section 6 hereof and Article V
hereof. Any such restatement hereof and/or amendment hereto shall be
effective immediately upon execution and, if applicable, Shareholder approval or
upon such future date and time as may be stated therein. The
Certificate of Trust shall be restated and/or amended at any time by the Board
of Trustees, without Shareholder approval, to correct any inaccuracy contained
therein. Any such restatement and/or amendment of the Certificate of
Trust shall be executed by at least one Trustee and shall be effective
immediately upon its filing with the Office of the Secretary of State of the
State of Delaware or upon such future date as may be stated
therein.
32
ARTICLE
X
MISCELLANEOUS
Section
1. References; Headings;
Counterparts. In this Declaration of Trust and in any
restatement hereof and/or amendment hereto, references to this instrument, and
all expressions of similar effect to “herein,” “hereof,” and “hereunder” shall
be deemed to refer to this instrument as so restated and/or
amended. Headings are placed herein for convenience of reference only
and shall not be taken as a part hereof or to control or affect the meaning,
construction, or effect of this instrument. Whenever the singular
number is used herein, the same shall include the plural, and the neuter,
masculine, and feminine genders shall include each other, as
applicable. Any references herein to specific sections of the DSTA,
the Code, or the 1940 Act shall refer to such sections as amended, from time to
time, or any successor sections thereof. This Declaration of Trust
may be executed in any number of counterparts, each of which shall be deemed an
original. To the extent permitted by the 1940 Act, (a) any
document, consent, instrument or notice referenced in or contemplated by this
Declaration of Trust or the Bylaws that is to be executed by one or more
Trustees may be executed by means of original, facsimile or electronic signature
and (b) any document, consent, instrument or notice referenced in or
contemplated by this Declaration of Trust or the Bylaws that is to be delivered
by one or more Trustees may be delivered by facsimile or electronic means
(including e-mail), unless, in the case of either clause (a) or (b), otherwise
expressly provided herein or in the Bylaws or determined by the Board of
Trustees. The terms “include,” “includes” and “including” and any
comparable terms shall be deemed to mean “including, without
limitation.”
Section
2. Applicable
Law. This Declaration of Trust is created under and is to be
governed by and construed and administered according to the laws of the State of
Delaware and the applicable provisions of the 1940 Act and the Code; provided,
that, all matters relating to or in connection with the conduct of Shareholders’
and Trustees’ meetings (excluding, however, the Shareholders’ right to vote),
including, without limitation, matters relating to or in connection with record
dates, notices to Shareholders or Trustees, nominations and elections of
Trustees, voting by, and the validity of, Shareholder proxies, quorum
requirements, meeting adjournments, meeting postponements and inspectors, which
are not specifically addressed in this Declaration of Trust, in the Bylaws or in
the DSTA (other than DSTA Section 3809), or as to which an ambiguity exists,
shall be governed by the DGCL, and judicial interpretations thereunder, as if
the Trust were a Delaware corporation, the Shareholders were shareholders of
such Delaware corporation and the Trustees were directors of such Delaware
corporation; provided, further, however, that there shall not be applicable to
the Trust, the Trustees, the Shareholders or any other Person or to this
Declaration of Trust or the Bylaws (a) the provisions of Sections 3533, 3540 and
3583(a) of Title 12 of the Delaware Code or (b) any provisions of the laws
(statutory or common) of the State of Delaware (other than the DSTA) pertaining
to trusts which relate to or regulate (i) the filing with any court or
governmental body or agency of trustee accounts or schedules of trustee fees and
charges, (ii) affirmative requirements to post bonds for trustees, officers,
agents or employees of a trust, (iii) the necessity for obtaining court or other
governmental approval concerning the acquisition, holding or disposition of real
or personal property, (iv) fees or other sums payable to trustees, officers,
agents or employees of a trust, (v) the allocation of receipts and
expenditures to income or principal, (vi) restrictions or limitations on the
permissible nature, amount or concentration of trust investments or requirements
relating to the titling, storage or other manner of holding of trust assets, or
(vii) the establishment of fiduciary or other standards or responsibilities or
limitations on the indemnification, acts or powers of trustees or other Persons,
which are inconsistent with the limitations of liabilities or authorities and
powers of the Trustees or officers of the Trust set forth or referenced in this
Declaration of Trust or the Bylaws. The Trust shall be a Delaware
statutory trust pursuant to the DSTA, and without limiting the provisions
hereof, the Trust may exercise all powers that are ordinarily exercised by such
a statutory trust.
33
Section
3. Provisions in Conflict with
Law or Regulations.
(a) The
provisions of this Declaration of Trust are severable, and if the Board of
Trustees shall determine, with the advice of counsel, that any of such
provisions is in conflict with the 1940 Act, the Code, the DSTA, or with other
applicable laws and regulations, the conflicting provision shall be deemed not
to have constituted a part of this Declaration of Trust from the time when such
provisions became inconsistent with such laws or regulations; provided, however, that such
determination shall not affect any of the remaining provisions of this
Declaration of Trust or render invalid or improper any action taken or omitted
prior to such determination.
(b) If any
provision of this Declaration of Trust shall be held invalid or unenforceable in
any jurisdiction, such invalidity or unenforceability shall attach only to such
provision in such jurisdiction and shall not in any manner affect such provision
in any other jurisdiction or any other provision of this Declaration of Trust in
any jurisdiction.
Section
4. Statutory Trust
Only. It is the intention of the Trustees to create hereby a
statutory trust pursuant to the DSTA, and thereby to create the relationship of
trustee and beneficial owners within the meaning of the DSTA between the
Trustees and each Shareholder, respectively. It is not the intention
of the Trustees to create a general or limited partnership, limited liability
company, joint stock association, corporation, bailment, or any form of legal
relationship other than a statutory trust pursuant to the
DSTA. Nothing in this Declaration of Trust shall be construed to make
the Shareholders, either by themselves or with the Trustees, partners or members
of a joint stock association except as specifically provided for U.S. federal
income tax purposes pursuant to Article III, Section 5(a) and Section 6 herein
or by resolution of the Board of Trustees.
Section
5. Use of the Name
“DFA.” The Board of Trustees expressly agrees and acknowledges
that the name “DFA” is the sole property of Dimensional Fund Advisors LP
(“DFALP”). DFALP has granted to the Trust a non-exclusive license to
use such name as part of the name of the Trust now and in the
future. The Board of Trustees further expressly agrees and
acknowledges that the non-exclusive license granted herein may be terminated by
DFALP if the Trust ceases to use DFALP or one of its Affiliates as Investment
Adviser or to use other Affiliates or successors of DFALP for such
purposes. In such event, the nonexclusive license may be revoked by
DFALP and the Trust shall cease using the name “DFA,” or any name misleadingly
implying a continuing relationship between the Trust and DFALP or any of its
Affiliates, as part of its name unless otherwise consented to by DFALP or any
successor to its interests in such names.
34
The Board
of Trustees further understands and agrees that so long as DFALP and/or any
future advisory Affiliate of DFALP shall continue to serve as the Trust’s
Investment Adviser, other registered open- or closed-end investment companies
(“funds”) as may be sponsored or advised by DFALP or its Affiliates shall have
the right permanently to adopt and to use the name “DFA” in their names and in
the names of any series or Class of shares of such funds.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the
Trustees of The DFA Investment Trust Company named below do hereby make and
enter into this Amended and Restated Agreement and Declaration of Trust as of
the date first written above.
/s/ Xxxxx X.
Xxxxx
/s/ Xxxxxx X.
Xxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Xxxxx X.
Xxxxx,
Trustee Xxxxxx
X. Xxxxxxxxxxxxxx, Trustee
/s/ Xxxx X.
Xxxxx
/s/ Xxxxx X.
Xxxxxxxx
Xxxx X.
Xxxxx,
Trustee
Xxxxx X. Xxxxxxxx, Trustee
/s/ Xxxxxx X.
Xxxxxx
s/ Xxxxxxx X.
Xxxxxxx
Xxxxxx X.
Xxxxxx,
Trustee Xxxxxxx
X. Xxxxxxx, Trustee
/s/ Xxxxx X.
Xxxxxxx s/ Xxxxx X.
Xxxxx
Xxxxx X.
Xxxxxxx,
Trustee Xxxxx
X. Xxxxx, Trustee
35
APPENDIX
A
The U.S.
Large Company Series
The U.S.
Large Cap Value Series
The
Tax-Managed U.S. Marketwide Value Series
The
Tax-Managed U.S. Equity Series
The DFA
International Value Series
The
Japanese Small Company Series
The Asia
Pacific Small Company Series
The
United Kingdom Small Company Series
The
Continental Small Company Series
The
Canadian Small Company Series
The
Emerging Markets Series
The
Emerging Markets Small Cap Series
The DFA
One-Year Fixed Income Series
The DFA
Two-Year Global Fixed Income Series
As of
June 5, 2009
A-1