1
EXHIBIT 4.1
FORM OF 6 5/8% NOTE DUE 2006
THIS NOTE IS A GLOBAL SECURITY WITHIN THE MEANING OF THE INDENTURE HEREINAFTER
REFERRED TO AND IS REGISTERED IN THE NAME OF A DEPOSITARY OR A NOMINEE THEREOF.
THIS SECURITY MAY NOT BE TRANSFERRED, WHETHER IN WHOLE OR IN PART, TO, OR
REGISTERED OR EXCHANGED FOR SECURITIES REGISTERED IN THE NAME OF, ANY PERSON
OTHER THAN THE DEPOSITARY OR A NOMINEE THEREOF AND NO SUCH TRANSFER MAY BE
REGISTERED, EXCEPT IN THE LIMITED CIRCUMSTANCES DESCRIBED IN THE INDENTURE.
EVERY SECURITY AUTHENTICATED AND DELIVERED UPON REGISTRATION OF TRANSFER OF, OR
IN EXCHANGE FOR OR IN LIEU OF, THIS SECURITY SHALL BE A GLOBAL SECURITY SUBJECT
TO THE FOREGOING, EXCEPT IN SUCH LIMITED CIRCUMSTANCES.
THE GOODYEAR TIRE & RUBBER COMPANY
6 5/8% NOTE DUE 2006
CUSIP 382550 AC 5
No. $250,000,000.00
THE GOODYEAR TIRE & RUBBER COMPANY, a corporation duly
organized and existing under the laws of the State of Ohio (herein called the
"Company", which term includes any successor Person under the Indenture
hereinafter referred to), for value received, hereby promises to pay to CEDE &
Co., or registered assigns, the principal sum of TWO HUNDRED FIFTY MILLION
DOLLARS ($250,000,000.00) on December 1, 2006, and to pay interest thereon from
December 9, 1996, or from the most recent Interest Payment Date to which
interest has been paid or duly provided for, semiannually on June 1 and December
1 in each year, commencing June 1, 1997, at the rate of 6 5/8% per annum, until
the principal hereof is paid or made available for payment. The interest so
payable, and punctually paid or duly provided for, on any Interest Payment Date
will, as provided in the Indenture, be paid to the Person in whose name this
Note (or one or more Predecessor Securities) is registered at the close of
business on the Regular Record Date for such interest, which shall be the May 15
or November 15 (whether or not a Business Day), as the case may be, next
preceding such Interest Payment Date. Any such interest not so punctually paid
or duly provided for will forthwith cease to be payable to the Holder on such
Regular Record Date and may either be paid to the Person in whose name this Note
(or one or more Predecessor Securities) is registered at the close of business
on a Special Record Date for the payment of such Defaulted Interest to be fixed
by the Trustee, notice whereof shall be given to Holders of Notes of this series
not less than 10 days prior to such Special Record Date, or be paid at any time
in any other lawful manner not inconsistent with the requirements of any
securities exchange on which the Notes of this series may be listed, and upon
such notice as may be required by such exchange, all as more fully provided in
said Indenture.
Payment of the principal of (and premium, if any) and interest
on this Note will be made at the office or agency of the Company maintained for
that purpose in such coin or currency of the United States of America as at the
time of payment is legal tender for payment of public and private debts;
provided, however, that at the option of the Company payment of interest may be
made by check mailed to the address of the Person entitled thereto as such
address shall appear in the Security Register.
Reference is hereby made to the further provisions of this
Note set forth on the reverse hereof, which further provisions shall for all
purposes have the same effect as if set forth at this place.
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(Front side of note continued)
Unless the certificate of authentication hereon has been
executed by the Trustee referred to on the reverse hereof by manual signature,
this Note shall not be entitled to any benefit under the Indenture or be valid
or obligatory for any purpose.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the Company has caused this instrument to
be duly executed under its corporate seal.
Dated: December 9, 1996 THE GOODYEAR TIRE & RUBBER COMPANY
By
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[Seal] Xxxxxx X Xxxxxx, Executive Vice President
Attest:
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Xxxxx Xxxxxxx, Secretary
This is one of the Securities of the series designated therein
referred to in the within-mentioned Indenture.
THE CHASE MANHATTAN BANK, as Trustee
by
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Authorized Officer
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(Reverse side of note)
This Note is one of a duly authorized issue of securities of the
Company (herein called the "Securities"), issued and to be issued in one or more
series under an Indenture, dated as of March 15, 1996 (herein called the
"Indenture"), between the Company and The Chase Manhattan Bank (formerly
Chemical Bank), as Trustee (herein called the "Trustee", which term includes any
successor trustee under the Indenture), to which Indenture and all indentures
supplemental thereto reference is hereby made for a statement of the respective
rights, limitations of rights, duties and immunities thereunder of the Company,
the Trustee and the Holders of the Securities and of the terms upon which the
Securities are, and are to be, authenticated and delivered. This Note is one of
the series designated on the face hereof [as the Company's 6 5/8% Notes due
2006, limited in aggregate principal amount to $250,000,000.00 (herein referred
to as the "Notes").
The Notes are subject to redemption, as a whole at any time or in
part from time to time, at the sole election of the Company, upon not less than
30 or more than 60 days' notice by mail to the Trustee at a Redemption Price
equal to the greater of (1) 100% of the principal amount, and (2) the sum of the
present values of the remaining scheduled payments of principal and interest
thereon discounted to the Redemption Date, on a semiannual basis, at the
Treasury Rate (as defined herein) plus ten basis points (.10%), plus accrued
interest thereon to the Redemption Date. As used herein, the term: (a) "Treasury
Rate" means, with respect to any Redemption Date, the rate per annum equal to
the semiannual equivalent yield to maturity of the Comparable Treasury Issue,
assuming a price for the Comparable Treasury Issue (expressed as a percentage of
its principal amount) equal to the Comparable Treasury Price for such Redemption
Date; (b) "Comparable Treasury Issue" means the United States Treasury security
selected by an Independent Investment Banker as having a maturity comparable to
the remaining term of the Notes to be redeemed that would be utilized, at the
time of selection and in accordance with customary financial practice, in
pricing new issues of corporate debt securities of comparable maturity to the
remaining term of such Notes; (c) "Independent Investment Banker" means one of
the Reference Treasury Dealers appointed by the Trustee after consultation with
the Company; (d) "Comparable Treasury Price" means, with respect to any
Redemption Date, (A) the average of the Reference Treasury Dealer Quotations for
such Redemption Date, after excluding the highest and lowest such Reference
Treasury Dealer Quotations, or (B) if the Trustee obtains fewer than four such
Reference Treasury Dealer Quotations, the average of all such Quotations; (e)
"Reference Treasury Dealer Quotations" means, with respect to each Reference
Treasury Dealer and any Redemption Date, the average, as determined by the
Trustee, of the bid and asked prices for the Comparable Treasury Issue
(expressed in each case as a percentage of its principal amount) quoted in
writing to the Trustee by such Reference Treasury Dealer at 5:00 p.m. on the
third business day preceding such Redemption Date; and (f) "Reference Treasury
Dealer" means each of Chase Securities Inc., Xxxxxx Xxxxxxx & Co. Incorporated
and their respective successors and, at the option of the Company, additional
Primary Treasury Dealers; provided, however, that if any of the foregoing shall
cease to be a primary U.S. Government securities dealer in New York City (a
"Primary Treasury Dealer"), the Company shall substitute therefor another
Primary Treasury Dealer. If money sufficient to pay the redemption price of and
accrued interest on all Notes (or the portions thereof) to be redeemed on the
Redemption Date is deposited with the Trustee on or before the Redemption Date
and certain other conditions are satisfied, on and after such date interest will
cease to accrue on such Notes (or such portions thereof) called for redemption.
In the event of redemption of this Note in part only, a new Note or Notes
of like tenor for the unredeemed portion hereof will be issued in the name of
the Holder hereof upon the cancellation hereof.
The Indenture contains provisions for defeasance at any time of (a) the
entire indebtedness evidenced by this Security and (b) certain restrictive
covenants, in each case upon compliance by the Company with certain conditions
set forth therein, which provisions apply to this Note.
If an Event of Default with respect to the Notes of this series shall
occur and be con tinuing, the principal of the Notes of this Series may be
declared due and payable in the manner and with the effect provided in the
Indenture. "Event of Default" means any one of the events specified at clauses
(a), (b), (d), (e) and (f) of Section 5.01 of the Indenture.
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(Reverse side of note continued)
The Indenture permits, with certain exceptions as therein provided, the
amendment thereof and the modification of the rights and obligations of the
Company and the rights of the Holders of the Securities of each series to be
affected under the Indenture at any time by the Company and the Trustee with the
consent of the Holders of a majority in principal amount of the Securities at
the time Outstanding of all series to be affected (voting as a single class).
The Indenture also contains provisions permitting the Holders of specified
percentages in principal amount of the Securities of each series at the time
Outstanding, on behalf of the Holders of all Securities of such series, to waive
compliance by the Company with certain provisions of the Indenture and certain
past defaults under the Indenture and their consequences. Any such consent or
waiver by the Holder of this Note shall be conclusive and binding upon such
Holder and upon all future Holders of this Note and of any Note issued upon the
registration of transfer hereof or in exchange herefor or in lieu hereof,
whether or not notation of such consent or waiver is made upon this Security.
No reference herein to the Indenture and no provision of this Note or of
the Indenture shall alter or impair the obligation of the Company, which is
absolute and unconditional, to pay the principal of and any premium and interest
on this Note at the times, place and rate, and in the coin or currency, herein
prescribed.
As provided in the Indenture and subject to certain limitations therein
set forth, the transfer of this Note is registerable in the Security Register,
upon surrender of this Security for registration of transfer at the office or
agency of the Company in any place where the principal of and any premium and
interest on this Security are payable, duly endorsed by, or accompanied by a
written instrument of transfer in form satisfactory to the Company and the
Security Registrar duly executed by, the Holder hereof or his attorney duly
authorized in writing, and thereupon one or more new Notes of like tenor, of
authorized denominations and for the same aggregate principal amount, will be
issued to the designated transferee or transferees.
The Notes of this series will be represented by one or more global
securities (collectively, the "Global Security") registered in the name of The
Depository Trust Company, New York, New York (the "Depositary") or a nominee of
the Depositary. So long as the Depositary, or its nominee, is the registered
holder and owner of this Global Note, the Depositary or such nominee, as the
case may be, will be considered the sole owner and holder of the Notes for all
purposes under the Indenture. The Global Security may be transferred, in whole
and not in part, only to the Depositary or another nominee of the Depositary.
The Depositary will credit, on its book-entry registration and transfer system,
the respective principal amounts of the Notes represented by such Global
Security to the accounts of institutions that have accounts with the Depositary
or its nominee ("participants"). Ownership of beneficial interests in a Global
Security will be limited to participants or persons that may hold interests
through participants. Ownership of interests in such Global Security will be
shown on, and the transfer of those ownership interests will be effected
through, records maintained by the Depositary (with respect to participants'
interests) and such participants (with respect to the owners of beneficial
interests in such Global Security).
The Global Security are exchangeable for Notes in definitive form of like
tenor as such Global Security in denominations of $1,000 and in any greater
amount that is an integral multiple thereof if (i) the Depositary notifies the
Company that it is unwilling or unable to continue as Depositary for this Global
Security or if at any time the Depositary ceases to be a clearing agency
registered under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, (ii) the
Company in its discretion at any time determines not to have all of the Notes of
this series represented by a Global Security and notifies the Trustee thereof,
or (iii) an Event of Default has occurred and is continuing with respect to the
Notes. Any Note that is exchangeable pursuant to the preceding sentence is
exchangeable only for Notes of this series.
No service charge shall be made for any such registration of transfer or
exchange, but the Company may require payment of a sum sufficient to cover any
tax or other governmental charge payable in connection therewith.
Prior to due presentment of this Note for registration of transfer, the
Company, the Trustee and any agent of the Company or the Trustee may treat the
Person in whose name this Note is registered as the owner hereof for all
purposes, whether or not this Note be overdue, and neither the Company, the
Trustee nor any such agent shall be affected by notice to the contrary.
All terms used in this Note which are defined in the Indenture shall have
the meanings assigned to them in the Indenture.
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