STOCK OPTION GRANT AGREEMENT
EXHIBIT 10.4 |
This Stock Option Grant Agreement (“Grant Agreement”) together with the accompanying Notice of Grant of Stock Option (“Notice”) and the 2011 Nonqualified Equity Compensation Plan of Acxiom Corporation (the “Plan”) constitute the agreement (“Agreement”) between Acxiom Corporation (the “Company”) and you with regard to the stock options (“Options”) described on the Notice. Capitalized terms not otherwise defined in the Grant Agreement shall have the meanings set forth in the Plan. References in the Grant Agreement to “the Company” shall be deemed to also include its subsidiaries.
(a) If, at any time during your employment or within one year after termination of your employment you engage in any activity which competes with any activity of the Company, or if you engage in any of the prohibited activities listed below, then
(i) any unexpired, unpaid or unexercised Options granted to you under the Agreement shall be canceled,
(ii) any option gain (i.e, the product of (x) the number of shares of Company stock realized from an exercise of the Option and (y) the difference in the closing sale price of the Company’s stock on the date of exercise and the exercise price) (“Option Gain”) realized by you within the three-year period before and the three-year period after your termination date from exercising any Options granted under the Agreement shall be paid by you to the Company, and
(iii) the Company shall be entitled to set off against the amount of any such Option Gain any amount owed to you by the Company.
The prohibited activities include:
(1) accepting employment with or serving as a consultant, advisor or in any other capacity to anyone that is in competition with or acting against the interests of the Company;
(2) disclosing or misusing any confidential information or material concerning the Company;
(3) any attempt, directly or indirectly, to induce any associate of the Company to be employed or perform services elsewhere;
(4) any attempt, directly or indirectly, to solicit the trade or business of any current or prospective customer of the Company;
(5) the failure or refusal to disclose promptly and to assign to the Company all right, title and interest in any invention or idea made or conceived in whole or in part by you in the course of your employment by the Company, relating to the actual or anticipated business, research or development work of the Company, or the failure or refusal to do anything reasonably necessary to enable the Company to secure a patent or other intellectual property right;
(6) participating in a hostile takeover attempt against the Company;
(7) a material violation of Company policy, including, without limitation, the Company's xxxxxxx xxxxxxx policies; or
(8) conduct related to your employment for which you have been convicted of criminal conduct or for which you have been assessed civil penalties.
The purpose of this Section 3 is to ensure that the interests of the Company’s shareholders are aligned with and not competitive with or in conflict with the interests of the Company.
(b) Upon exercise, payment or delivery pursuant to exercise of an Option, you agree to certify, if requested by the Company, that you are in compliance with the terms and conditions of this Section 3.
(c) You may be released from your obligations under this Section 3 only if the Compensation Committee, or its authorized designee(s), determines in its discretion that to do so is in the best interests of the Company.
11. Applicable Law. The Agreement shall be governed by the laws (excluding the conflict of laws rules) of the State of Delaware.