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DEPOSIT AGREEMENT
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by and among
ATA INC.
AND
CITIBANK, N.A.,
as Depositary,
AND
THE HOLDERS AND BENEFICIAL OWNERS OF
AMERICAN DEPOSITARY SHARES
ISSUED HEREUNDER
Dated as of [DATE], 2008
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
ARTICLE I DEFINITIONS..........................................................1
Section 1.1 "ADS Record Date"...............................................1
Section 1.2 "Affiliate".....................................................2
Section 1.3 "American Depositary Receipt(s)", "ADR(s)" and "Receipt(s)".....2
Section 1.4 "American Depositary Share(s)" and "ADS(s)".....................2
Section 1.5 "Applicant".....................................................2
Section 1.6 "Beneficial Owner"..............................................2
Section 1.7 "Book-Entry Settlement Entity"..................................2
Section 1.8 "Certificated ADS(s)"...........................................2
Section 1.9 "Commission"....................................................3
Section 1.10 "Company".......................................................3
Section 1.11 "Custodian".....................................................3
Section 1.12 "Deliver" and "Delivery"........................................3
Section 1.13 "Deposit Agreement".............................................3
Section 1.14 "Depositary"....................................................3
Section 1.15 "Deposited Securities"..........................................3
Section 1.16 "Dollars" and "$"...............................................3
Section 1.17 "DTC"...........................................................3
Section 1.18 "DTC Participant"...............................................4
Section 1.19 "Exchange Act"..................................................4
Section 1.20 "Foreign Currency"..............................................4
Section 1.21 "Full Entitlement ADR(s)", "Full Entitlement ADS(s)" and
"Full Entitlement Share(s)".....................................4
Section 1.22 "Holder(s)".....................................................4
Section 1.23 "Partial Entitlement ADR(s)", "Partial Entitlement ADS(s)"
and "Partial Entitlement Share(s)"..............................4
Section 1.24 "Pre-Release Transaction".......................................4
Section 1.25 "Principal Office"..............................................4
Section 1.26 "Registrar".....................................................4
Section 1.27 "Restricted Securities".........................................4
Section 1.28 "Restricted ADR(s)", "Restricted ADS(s)" and
"Restricted Shares".............................................5
Section 1.29 "Securities Act"................................................5
Section 1.30 "Share Registrar"...............................................5
Section 1.31 "Shares"........................................................5
Section 1.32 "Uncertificated ADS(s)".........................................5
Section 1.33 "United States" and "U.S."......................................5
ARTICLE II APPOINTMENT OF DEPOSITARY; FORM OF RECEIPTS; DEPOSIT OF SHARES;
EXECUTION AND DELIVERY, TRANSFER AND SURRENDER OF RECEIPTS.....................5
Section 2.1 Appointment of Depositary.......................................5
Section 2.2 Form and Transferability of ADSs................................6
Section 2.3 Deposit with Custodian..........................................7
Section 2.4 Registration and Safekeeping of Deposited Securities............9
Section 2.5 Issuance of ADSs................................................9
Section 2.6 Transfer, Combination and Split-up of ADRs.....................10
Section 2.7 Surrender of ADSs and Withdrawal of Deposited Securities.......11
Section 2.8 Limitations on Execution and Delivery, Transfer, etc.
of ADSs; Suspension of Delivery, Transfer, etc.................12
Section 2.9 Lost ADRs, etc.................................................13
Section 2.10 Cancellation and Destruction of Surrendered ADRs;
Maintenance of Records.........................................13
Section 2.11 Escheatment....................................................13
Section 2.12 Partial Entitlement ADSs.......................................13
Section 2.13 Certificated/Uncertificated ADSs...............................14
Section 2.14 Restricted ADSs................................................15
ARTICLE III CERTAIN OBLIGATIONS OF HOLDERS AND BENEFICIAL OWNERS OF ADSs......16
Section 3.1 Proofs, Certificates and Other Information.....................16
Section 3.2 Liability for Taxes and Other Charges..........................17
Section 3.3 Representations and Warranties on Deposit of Shares............17
Section 3.4 Compliance with Information Requests...........................18
Section 3.5 Ownership Restrictions.........................................18
ARTICLE IV THE DEPOSITED SECURITIES...........................................19
Section 4.1 Cash Distributions.............................................19
Section 4.2 Distribution in Shares.........................................19
Section 4.3 Elective Distributions in Cash or Shares.......................20
Section 4.4 Distribution of Rights to Purchase Additional ADSs.............21
Section 4.5 Distributions Other Than Cash, Shares or Rights
to Purchase Shares.............................................22
Section 4.6 Distributions with Respect to Deposited Securities in
Bearer Form....................................................23
Section 4.7 Redemption.....................................................23
Section 4.8 Conversion of Foreign Currency.................................24
Section 4.9 Fixing of ADS Record Date......................................24
Section 4.10 Voting of Deposited Securities.................................25
Section 4.11 Changes Affecting Deposited Securities.........................27
Section 4.12 Available Information..........................................28
Section 4.13 Reports........................................................28
Section 4.14 List of Holders................................................28
Section 4.15 Taxation.......................................................28
ARTICLE V THE DEPOSITARY, THE CUSTODIAN AND THE COMPANY.......................29
Section 5.1 Maintenance of Office and Transfer Books by the Registrar......29
Section 5.2 Exoneration....................................................30
Section 5.3 Standard of Care...............................................30
Section 5.4 Resignation and Removal of the Depositary; Appointment of
Successor Depositary...........................................31
Section 5.5 The Custodian..................................................31
Section 5.6 Notices and Reports............................................32
Section 5.7 Issuance of Additional Shares, ADSs etc........................33
Section 5.8 Indemnification................................................33
Section 5.9 Fees and Charges of Depositary.................................34
Section 5.10 Pre-Release Transactions.......................................35
Section 5.11 Restricted Securities Owners...................................36
ARTICLE VI AMENDMENT AND TERMINATION..........................................36
Section 6.1 Amendment/Supplement...........................................36
Section 6.2 Termination....................................................37
ARTICLE VII MISCELLANEOUS.....................................................38
Section 7.1 Counterparts...................................................38
Section 7.2 No Third-Party Beneficiaries...................................38
Section 7.3 Severability...................................................38
Section 7.4 Holders and Beneficial Owners as Parties; Binding Effect.......39
Section 7.5 Notices........................................................39
Section 7.6 Governing Law and Jurisdiction.................................40
Section 7.7 Assignment.....................................................41
Section 7.8 Compliance with U.S. Securities Laws...........................41
Section 7.9 Cayman Islands Law References..................................41
Section 7.10 Titles and References..........................................41
EXHIBITS
Form of ADR...................................................A-1
Fee Schedule..................................................B-1
DEPOSIT AGREEMENT
DEPOSIT AGREEMENT, dated as of [DATE], 2008, by and among (i) ATA INC., an
exempted company with limited liability incorporated under the laws of the
Cayman Islands, and its successors (the "Company"), (ii) CITIBANK, N.A., a
national banking association organized under the laws of the United States of
America acting in its capacity as depositary, and any successor depositary
hereunder (the "Depositary"), and (iii) all Holders and Beneficial Owners of
American Depositary Shares issued hereunder (all such capitalized terms as
hereinafter defined).
W I T N E S S E T H T H A T:
WHEREAS, the Company desires to establish with the Depositary an ADR
facility to provide for the deposit of the Shares (as hereinafter defined) and
the creation of American Depositary Shares representing the Shares so deposited
and for the execution and delivery of American Depositary Receipts (as
hereinafter defined) evidencing such American Depositary Shares; and
WHEREAS, the Depositary is willing to act as the Depositary for such ADR
facility upon the terms set forth in the Deposit Agreement (as hereinafter
defined); and
WHEREAS, any American Depositary Receipts issued pursuant to the terms of
the Deposit Agreement are to be substantially in the form of Exhibit A attached
hereto, with appropriate insertions, modifications and omissions, as hereinafter
provided in the Deposit Agreement; and
WHEREAS, the American Depositary Shares to be issued pursuant to the terms
of the Deposit Agreement are to be listed for trading on the NASDAQ Stock
Market; and
WHEREAS, the Board of Directors of the Company (or an authorized committee
thereof) has duly approved the establishment of an ADR facility upon the terms
set forth in the Deposit Agreement, the execution and delivery of the Deposit
Agreement on behalf of the Company, and the actions of the Company and the
transactions contemplated herein.
NOW, THEREFORE, for good and valuable consideration, the receipt and
sufficiency of which are hereby acknowledged, the parties hereto agree as
follows:
ARTICLE I
DEFINITIONS
All capitalized terms used, but not otherwise defined, herein shall have
the meanings set forth below, unless otherwise clearly indicated:
Section 1.1 "ADS Record Date" shall have the meaning given to such term in
Section 4.9.
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Section 1.2 "Affiliate" shall have the meaning assigned to such term by
the Commission (as hereinafter defined) under Regulation C promulgated under the
Securities Act (as hereinafter defined), or under any successor regulation
thereto.
Section 1.3 "American Depositary Receipt(s)", "ADR(s)" and "Receipt(s)"
shall mean the certificate(s) issued by the Depositary to evidence the American
Depositary Shares issued under the terms of the Deposit Agreement in the form of
Certificated ADS(s) (as hereinafter defined), as such ADRs may be amended from
time to time in accordance with the provisions of the Deposit Agreement. An ADR
may evidence any number of ADSs and may, in the case of ADSs held through a
central depository such as DTC, be in the form of a "Balance Certificate."
Section 1.4 "American Depositary Share(s)" and "ADS(s)" shall mean the
rights and interests in the Deposited Securities (as hereinafter defined)
granted to the Holders and Beneficial Owners pursuant to the terms and
conditions of the Deposit Agreement and , if issued as Certificated ADS(s), (as
hereinafter defined) the ADR(s) issued to evidence such ADSs. ADS(s) may be
issued under the terms of the Deposit Agreement in the form of (a) Certificated
ADS(s) (as hereinafter defined), in which case the ADS(s) are evidenced by
ADR(s), or (b) Uncertificated ADS(s) (as hereinafter defined), in which case the
ADS(s) are not evidenced by ADR(s) but are reflected on the direct registration
system maintained by the Depositary for such purposes under the terms of Section
2.13. Unless otherwise specified in the Deposit Agreement or in any ADR, or
unless the context otherwise requires, any reference to ADS(s) shall include
Certificated ADS(s) and Uncertificated ADS(s), individually or collectively, as
the context may require. Each ADS shall represent one (1) Share until there
shall occur a distribution upon Deposited Securities referred to in Section 4.2
or a change in Deposited Securities referred to in Section 4.11 with respect to
which additional ADSs are not issued, and thereafter each ADS shall represent
the Deposited Securities determined in accordance with the terms of such
Sections.
Section 1.5 "Applicant" shall have the meaning given to such term in
Section 5.10.
Section 1.6 "Beneficial Owner" shall mean, as to any ADS, any person or
entity having a beneficial interest deriving from the ownership of such ADS. A
Beneficial Owner of ADSs may or may not be the Holder of such ADSs. A Beneficial
Owner shall be able to exercise any right or receive any benefit hereunder
solely through the person who is the Holder of the ADSs owned by such Beneficial
Owner. Unless otherwise identified to the Depositary, a Holder shall be deemed
to be the Beneficial Owner of all the ADSs registered in his/her/its name.
Section 1.7 "Book-Entry Settlement Entity" shall mean the book-entry
settlement entity, which provides the book-entry settlement system for equity
securities in the Cayman Islands, or Hong Kong, if applicable, or any successor
entity thereto.
Section 1.8 "Certificated ADS(s)" shall have the meaning set forth in
Section 2.13.
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Section 1.9 "Commission" shall mean the Securities and Exchange Commission
of the United States or any successor governmental agency thereto in the United
States.
Section 1.10 "Company" shall mean ATA Inc., a company incorporated and
existing under the laws of the Cayman Islands, and its successors.
Section 1.11 "Custodian" shall mean, as of the date hereof, Citibank Hong
Kong, having its principal office at 10/F, Harbour Front (II), 22, Xxx Xxxx
Street, Xxxx Xxx, Kowloon, Hong Kong, as the custodian for the purposes of the
Deposit Agreement, and any other entity that may be appointed by the Depositary
pursuant to the terms of Section 5.5 as successor, substitute or additional
custodian hereunder. The term "Custodian" shall mean any Custodian individually
or all Custodians collectively, as the context requires.
Section 1.12 "Deliver" and "Delivery" shall mean, when used in respect of
ADSs, Deposited Securities and Shares, either (i) the physical delivery of the
certificate(s) representing such securities, or (ii) the electronic delivery of
such securities by means of book-entry transfer, if available.
Section 1.13 "Deposit Agreement" shall mean this Deposit Agreement and all
exhibits hereto, as the same may from time to time be amended and supplemented
from time to time in accordance with the terms of the Deposit Agreement.
Section 1.14 "Depositary" shall mean Citibank, N.A., a national banking
association organized under the laws of the United States, in its capacity as
depositary under the terms of the Deposit Agreement, and any successor
depositary hereunder.
Section 1.15 "Deposited Securities" shall mean Shares at any time
deposited under the Deposit Agreement and any and all other securities, property
and cash held by the Depositary or the Custodian in respect thereof, subject, in
the case of cash, to the provisions of Section 4.8. The collateral delivered in
connection with Pre-Release Transactions described in Section 5.10 shall not
constitute Deposited Securities.
Section 1.16 "Dollars" and "$" shall refer to the lawful currency of the
United States.
Section 1.17 "DTC" shall mean The Depository Trust Company, a national
clearinghouse and the central book-entry settlement system for securities traded
in the United States and, as such, the custodian for the securities of DTC
Participants (as hereinafter defined) maintained in DTC, and any successor
thereto.
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Section 1.18 "DTC Participant" shall mean any financial institution (or
any nominee of such institution) having one or more participant accounts with
DTC for receiving, holding and delivering the securities and cash held in DTC. A
DTC Participant may or may not be a Beneficial Owner. If a DTC Participant is
not the Beneficial Owner of the ADSs credited to its account at DTC, or of the
ADSs in respect of which the DTC Participant is otherwise acting, such DTC
Participant shall be deemed, for all purposes hereunder, to have all requisite
authority to act on behalf of the Beneficial Owner(s) of the ADSs credited to
its account at DTC or in respect of which the DTC Participant is so acting.
Section 1.19 "Exchange Act" shall mean the United States Securities
Exchange Act of 1934, as amended from time to time.
Section 1.20 "Foreign Currency" shall mean any currency other than
Dollars.
Section 1.21 "Full Entitlement ADR(s)", "Full Entitlement ADS(s)" and
"Full Entitlement Share(s)" shall have the respective meanings set forth in
Section 2.11.
Section 1.22 "Holder(s)" shall mean the person(s) in whose name the ADSs
are registered on the books of the Depositary (or the Registrar, if any)
maintained for such purpose. A Holder may or may not be a Beneficial Owner. If a
Holder is not the Beneficial Owner of the ADS(s) registered in its name, such
person shall be deemed, for all purposes hereunder, to have all requisite
authority to act on behalf of the Beneficial Owners of the ADSs registered in
its name.
Section 1.23 "Partial Entitlement ADR(s)", "Partial Entitlement ADS(s)"
and "Partial Entitlement Share(s)" shall have the respective meanings set forth
in Section 2.11.
Section 1.24 "Pre-Release Transaction" shall have the meaning set forth in
Section 5.10.
Section 1.25 "Principal Office" shall mean, when used with respect to the
Depositary, the principal office of the Depositary at which at any particular
time its depositary receipts business shall be administered, which, at the date
of the Deposit Agreement, is located at 000 Xxxxxxxxx Xxxxxx, Xxx Xxxx, Xxx Xxxx
00000, X.X.X.
Section 1.26 "Registrar" shall mean the Depositary or any bank or trust
company having an office in the Borough of Manhattan, The City of New York,
which shall be appointed by the Depositary to register issuances, transfers and
cancellations of ADSs as herein provided, and shall include any co-registrar
appointed by the Depositary for such purposes. Registrars (other than the
Depositary) may be removed and substitutes appointed by the Depositary. Each
Registrar (other than the Depositary) appointed pursuant to the Deposit
Agreement shall be required to give notice in writing to the Depositary
accepting such appointment and agreeing to be bound by the applicable terms of
the Deposit Agreement.
Section 1.27 "Restricted Securities" shall mean Shares, Deposited
Securities or ADSs which (i) have been acquired directly or indirectly from the
Company or any of its Affiliates in a transaction or chain of transactions not
involving any public offering and are subject to resale limitations under the
Securities Act or the rules issued thereunder, or (ii) are held by an officer or
director (or persons performing similar functions) or other Affiliate of the
Company, or (iii) are subject to other restrictions on sale or deposit under the
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laws of the United States, the Cayman Islands, or under a shareholder agreement
or the Articles of Association of the Company or under the regulations of an
applicable securities exchange unless, in each case, such Shares, Deposited
Securities or ADSs are being transferred or sold to persons other than an
Affiliate of the Company in a transaction (a) covered by an effective resale
registration statement, or (b) exempt from the registration requirements of the
Securities Act (as hereinafter defined), and the Shares, Deposited Securities or
ADSs are not, when held by such person(s), Restricted Securities.
Section 1.28 "Restricted ADR(s)", "Restricted ADS(s)" and "Restricted
Shares" shall have the respective meanings set forth in Section 2.13.
Section 1.29 "Securities Act" shall mean the United States Securities Act
of 1933, as amended from time to time.
Section 1.30 "Share Registrar" shall mean [Codan Trust Company (Cayman)
Limited] or any other institution organized under the laws of the Cayman Islands
appointed by the Company to carry out the duties of registrar for the Shares,
and any successor thereto.
Section 1.31 "Shares" shall mean the Company's common shares, $0.01 par
value per share, validly issued and outstanding and fully paid and may, if the
Depositary so agrees after consultation with the Company, include evidence of
the right to receive Shares; provided that in no event shall Shares include
evidence of the right to receive Shares with respect to which the full purchase
price has not been paid or Shares as to which preemptive rights have theretofore
not been validly waived or exercised; provided further, however, that, if there
shall occur any change in par value, split-up, consolidation, reclassification,
exchange, conversion or any other event described in Section 4.11 hereof in
respect of the Shares of the Company, the term "Shares" shall thereafter, to the
maximum extent permitted by law, represent the successor securities resulting
from such event.
Section 1.32 "Uncertificated ADS(s)" shall have the meaning set forth in
Section 2.13.
Section 1.33 "United States" and "U.S." shall have the meaning assigned to
it in Regulation S as promulgated by the Commission under the Securities Act.
ARTICLE II
APPOINTMENT OF DEPOSITARY; FORM OF RECEIPTS;
DEPOSIT OF SHARES; EXECUTION AND
DELIVERY, TRANSFER AND SURRENDER OF RECEIPTS
Section 2.1 Appointment of Depositary. The Company hereby appoints the
Depositary as depositary for the Deposited Securities and hereby authorizes and
directs the Depositary to act in accordance with the terms and conditions set
forth in the Deposit Agreement and the applicable ADRs. Each Holder and each
Beneficial Owner, upon acceptance of any ADSs (or any interest therein) issued
in accordance with the terms and conditions of the Deposit Agreement shall be
deemed for all purposes to (a) be a party to and bound by the terms of the
Deposit Agreement and the applicable ADR(s), and (b) appoint the Depositary its
5
attorney-in-fact, with full power to delegate, to act on its behalf and to take
any and all actions contemplated in the Deposit Agreement and the applicable
ADR(s), to adopt any and all procedures necessary to comply with applicable law
and to take such action as the Depositary in its sole discretion may deem
necessary or appropriate to carry out the purposes of the Deposit Agreement and
the applicable ADR(s), the taking of such actions to be the conclusive
determinant of the necessity and appropriateness thereof.
Section 2.2 Form and Transferability of ADSs.
(a) Form. Certificated ADSs shall be evidenced by definitive ADRs which
shall be engraved, printed, lithographed or produced in such other manner as may
be agreed upon by the Company and the Depositary. ADRs may be issued under the
Deposit Agreement in denominations of any whole number of ADSs. The ADRs shall
be substantially in the form set forth in Exhibit A to the Deposit Agreement,
with any appropriate insertions, modifications and omissions, in each case as
otherwise contemplated in the Deposit Agreement or required by law. ADRs shall
be (i) dated, (ii) signed by the manual or facsimile signature of a duly
authorized signatory of the Depositary, (iii) countersigned by the manual or
facsimile signature of a duly authorized signatory of the Registrar, and (iv)
registered in the books maintained by the Registrar for the registration of
issuances and transfers of ADSs. No ADR and no Certificated ADS evidenced
thereby shall be entitled to any benefits under the Deposit Agreement or be
valid or enforceable for any purpose against the Depositary or the Company,
unless such ADR shall have been so dated, signed, countersigned and registered.
ADRs bearing the facsimile signature of a duly-authorized signatory of the
Depositary or the Registrar, who at the time of signature was a duly-authorized
signatory of the Depositary or the Registrar, as the case may be, shall bind the
Depositary, notwithstanding the fact that such signatory has ceased to be so
authorized prior to the delivery of such ADR by the Depositary. The ADRs shall
bear a CUSIP number that is different from any CUSIP number that was, is or may
be assigned to any depositary receipts previously or subsequently issued
pursuant to any other arrangement between the Depositary (or any other
depositary) and the Company and which are not ADRs outstanding hereunder.
(b) Legends. The ADRs may be endorsed with, or have incorporated in the
text thereof, such legends or recitals not inconsistent with the provisions of
the Deposit Agreement as (i) may be necessary to enable the Depositary and the
Company to perform their respective obligations hereunder, (ii) may be required
to comply with any applicable laws or regulations, or with the rules and
regulations of any securities exchange or market upon which ADSs may be traded,
listed or quoted, or to conform with any usage with respect thereto, (iii) may
be necessary to indicate any special limitations or restrictions to which any
particular ADRs or ADSs are subject by reason of the date of issuance of the
Deposited Securities or otherwise, or (iv) may be required by any book-entry
system in which the ADSs are held. Holders and Beneficial Owners shall be
deemed, for all purposes, to have notice of, and to be bound by, the terms and
conditions of the legends set forth, in the case of Holders, on the ADR
registered in the name of the applicable Holders or, in the case of Beneficial
Owners, on the ADR representing the ADSs owned by such Beneficial Owners.
(c) Title. Subject to the limitations contained herein and in the ADR,
title to an ADR (and to each Certificated ADS evidenced thereby) shall be
transferable upon the same terms as a certificated security under the laws of
the State of New York, provided that, in the case of Certificated ADSs, such ADR
has been properly endorsed or is accompanied by proper instruments of transfer.
Notwithstanding any notice to the contrary, the Depositary and the Company may
6
deem and treat the Holder of an ADS (that is, the person in whose name an ADS is
registered on the books of the Depositary) as the absolute owner thereof for all
purposes. Neither the Depositary nor the Company shall have any obligation nor
be subject to any liability under the Deposit Agreement or any ADR to any holder
or any Beneficial Owner unless such holder is the Holder registered on the books
of the Depositary or, in the case of a Beneficial Owner, such Beneficial Owner,
or the Beneficial Owner's representative, is the Holder registered on the books
of the Depositary.
(d) Book-Entry Systems. The Depositary shall make arrangements for the
acceptance of the ADSs into DTC. All ADSs held through DTC will be registered in
the name of the nominee for DTC (currently "Cede & Co."). As such, the nominee
for DTC will be the only "Holder" of all ADSs held through DTC. Unless issued by
the Depositary as Uncertificated ADSs, the ADSs registered in the name of Cede &
Co. will be evidenced by a single ADR in the form of a "Balance Certificate,"
which will provide that it represents the aggregate number of ADSs from time to
time indicated in the records of the Depositary as being issued hereunder and
that the aggregate number of ADSs represented thereby may from time to time be
increased or decreased by making adjustments on such records of the Depositary
and of DTC or its nominee as hereinafter provided. Citibank, N.A. (or such other
entity as is appointed by DTC or its nominee) may hold the "Balance Certificate"
as custodian for DTC. Each Beneficial Owner of ADSs held through DTC must rely
upon the procedures of DTC and the DTC Participants to exercise or be entitled
to any rights attributable to such ADSs. The DTC Participants shall for all
purposes be deemed to have all requisite power and authority to act on behalf of
the Beneficial Owners of the ADSs held in the DTC Participants' respective
accounts in DTC and the Depositary shall for all purposes be authorized to rely
upon any instructions and information given to it by DTC Participants. So long
as ADSs are held through DTC or unless otherwise required by law, ownership of
beneficial interests in the ADSs registered in the name of the nominee for DTC
will be shown on, and transfers of such ownership will be effected only through,
records maintained by (i) DTC or its nominee (with respect to the interests of
DTC Participants), or (ii) DTC Participants or their nominees (with respect to
the interests of clients of DTC Participants).
Section 2.3 Deposit with Custodian. Subject to the terms and conditions of
the Deposit Agreement and applicable law, Shares or evidence of rights to
receive Shares (other than Restricted Securities) may be deposited by any person
(including the Depositary in its individual capacity but subject, however, in
the case of the Company or any Affiliate of the Company, to Section 5.7) at any
time, whether or not the transfer books of the Company or the Share Registrar,
if any, are closed, by Delivery of the Shares to the Custodian. Every deposit of
Shares shall be accompanied by the following: (A) (i) in the case of Shares
represented by certificates issued in registered form, appropriate instruments
of transfer or endorsement, in a form satisfactory to the Custodian, (ii) in the
case of Shares represented by certificates in bearer form. the requisite coupons
and talons pertaining thereto, and (iii) in the case of Shares delivered by
book-entry transfer, confirmation of such book-entry transfer to the Custodian
or that irrevocable instructions have been given to cause such Shares to be so
transferred, (B) such certifications and payments (including, without
limitation, the Depositary's fees and related charges) and evidence of such
payments (including, without limitation, stamping or otherwise marking such
Shares by way of receipt) as may be required by the Depositary or the Custodian
in accordance with the provisions of the Deposit Agreement and applicable law,
(C) if the Depositary so requires, a written order directing the Depositary to
issue and deliver to, or upon the written order of, the person(s) stated in such
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order the number of ADSs representing the Shares so deposited, (D) evidence
satisfactory to the Depositary (which may be an opinion of counsel) that all
necessary approvals have been granted by, or there has been compliance with the
rules and regulations of, any applicable governmental agency in the Cayman
Islands, and (E) if the Depositary so requires, (i) an agreement, assignment or
instrument satisfactory to the Depositary or the Custodian which provides for
the prompt transfer by any person in whose name the Shares are or have been
recorded to the Custodian of any distribution, or right to subscribe for
additional Shares or to receive other property in respect of any such deposited
Shares or, in lieu thereof, such indemnity or other agreement as shall be
satisfactory to the Depositary or the Custodian and (ii) if the Shares are
registered in the name of the person on whose behalf they are presented for
deposit, a proxy or proxies entitling the Custodian to exercise voting rights in
respect of the Shares for any and all purposes until the Shares so deposited are
registered in the name of the Depositary, the Custodian or any nominee.
Without limiting any other provision of the Deposit Agreement, the
Depositary shall instruct the Custodian not to, and the Depositary shall not
knowingly, accept for deposit (a) any Restricted Securities except as
contemplated by Section 2.14) nor (b) any fractional Shares or fractional
Deposited Securities nor (c) a number of Shares or Deposited Securities which
upon application of the ADS to Shares ratio would give rise to fractional ADSs.
No Shares shall be accepted for deposit unless accompanied by evidence, if any
is required by the Depositary, that is reasonably satisfactory to the Depositary
or the Custodian that all conditions to such deposit have been satisfied by the
person depositing such Shares under the laws and regulations of the Cayman
Islands and any necessary approval has been granted by any applicable
governmental body in the Cayman Islands, if any. The Depositary may issue ADSs
against evidence of rights to receive Shares from the Company, any agent of the
Company or any custodian, registrar, transfer agent, clearing agency or other
entity involved in ownership or transaction records in respect of the Shares.
Such evidence of rights shall consist of written blanket or specific guarantees
of ownership of Shares furnished by the Company or any such custodian,
registrar, transfer agent, clearing agency or other entity involved in ownership
or transaction records in respect of the Shares.
Without limitation of the foregoing, the Depositary shall not knowingly
accept for deposit under the Deposit Agreement (A) any Shares or other
securities required to be registered under the provisions of the Securities Act,
unless (i) a registration statement is in effect as to such Shares or other
securities or (ii) the deposit is made upon terms contemplated in Section 2.14,
or (B) any Shares or other securities the deposit of which would violate any
provisions of the Articles of Association of the Company. For purposes of the
foregoing sentence, the Depositary shall be entitled to rely upon
representations and warranties made or deemed made pursuant to the Deposit
Agreement and shall not be required to make any further investigation. The
Depositary will comply with written instructions of the Company (received by the
Depositary reasonably in advance) not to accept for deposit hereunder any Shares
identified in such instructions at such times and under such circumstances as
may reasonably be specified in such instructions in order to facilitate the
Company's compliance with the securities laws of the United States.
8
Section 2.4 Registration and Safekeeping of Deposited Securities. The
Depositary shall instruct the Custodian upon each Delivery of certificates
representing registered Shares being deposited hereunder with the Custodian (or
other Deposited Securities pursuant to Article IV hereof), together with the
other documents above specified, to present such certificate(s), together with
the appropriate instrument(s) of transfer or endorsement, duly stamped, to the
Share Registrar for transfer and registration of the Shares (as soon as transfer
and registration can be accomplished and at the expense of the person for whom
the deposit is made) in the name of the Depositary, the Custodian or a nominee
of either. Deposited Securities shall be held by the Depositary or by a
Custodian for the account and to the order of the Depositary or a nominee in
each case on behalf of the Holders and Beneficial Owners, at such place or
places as the Depositary or the Custodian shall determine.
Section 2.5 Issuance of ADSs. The Depositary has made arrangements with
the Custodian for the Custodian to confirm to the Depositary upon receipt of a
deposit of Shares (i) that a deposit of Shares has been made pursuant to Section
2.3, (ii) that such Deposited Securities have been recorded in the name of the
Depositary, the Custodian or a nominee of either on the shareholders' register
maintained by or on behalf of the Company by the Share Registrar if registered
Shares have been deposited or, if deposit is made by book-entry transfer,
confirmation of such transfer in the books of the Book-Entry Settlement Entity,
(iii) that all required documents have been received, and (iv) the person(s) to
whom or upon whose order ADSs are deliverable in respect thereof and the number
of ADSs to be so delivered. Such notification may be made by letter, cable,
telex, SWIFT message or, at the risk and expense of the person making the
deposit, by facsimile or other means of electronic transmission. Upon receiving
such notice from the Custodian, the Depositary, subject to the terms and
conditions of the Deposit Agreement and applicable law, shall issue the ADSs
representing the Shares so deposited to or upon the order of the person(s) named
in the notice delivered to the Depositary and, if applicable, shall execute and
deliver at its Principal Office Receipt(s) registered in the name(s) requested
by such person(s) and evidencing the aggregate number of ADSs to which such
person(s) are entitled, but, in each case, only upon payment to the Depositary
of the charges of the Depositary for accepting a deposit, issuing ADSs (as set
forth in Section 5.9 and Exhibit B hereto) and all taxes and governmental
charges and fees payable in connection with such deposit and the transfer of the
Shares and the issuance of the ADS(s). The Depositary shall only issue ADSs in
whole numbers and deliver, if applicable, ADR(s) evidencing whole numbers of
ADSs. Nothing herein shall prohibit any Pre-Release Transaction upon the terms
set forth in the Deposit Agreement.
9
Section 2.6 Transfer, Combination and Split-up of ADRs.
(a) Transfer. The Registrar shall register the transfer of ADRs (and of
the ADSs represented thereby) on the books maintained for such purpose and the
Depositary shall, as promptly as practicable, (x) cancel such ADRs and execute
new ADRs evidencing the same aggregate number of ADSs as those evidenced by the
ADRs canceled by the Depositary, (y) cause the Registrar to countersign such new
ADRs and (z) Deliver such new ADRs to or upon the order of the person entitled
thereto, if each of the following conditions has been satisfied: (i) the ADRs
have been duly Delivered by the Holder (or by a duly authorized attorney of the
Holder) to the Depositary at its Principal Office for the purpose of effecting a
transfer thereof, (ii) the surrendered ADRs have been properly endorsed or are
accompanied by proper instruments of transfer (including signature guarantees in
accordance with standard securities industry practice), (iii) the surrendered
ADRs have been duly stamped (if required by the laws of the State of New York or
of the United States), and (iv) all applicable fees and charges of, and expenses
incurred by, the Depositary and all applicable taxes and governmental charges
(as are set forth in Section 5.9 and Exhibit B hereto) have been paid, subject,
however, in each case, to the terms and conditions of the applicable ADRs, of
the Deposit Agreement and of applicable law, in each case as in effect at the
time thereof.
(b) Combination & Split Up. The Registrar shall register the split-up or
combination of ADRs (and of the ADSs represented thereby) on the books
maintained for such purpose and the Depositary shall, as promptly as
practicable, (x) cancel such ADRs and execute new ADRs for the number of ADSs
requested, but in the aggregate not exceeding the number of ADSs evidenced by
the ADRs cancelled by the Depositary, (y) cause the Registrar to countersign
such new ADRs and (z) Deliver such new ADRs to or upon the order of the Holder
thereof, if each of the following conditions has been satisfied: (i) the ADRs
have been duly Delivered by the Holder (or by a duly authorized attorney of the
Holder) to the Depositary at its Principal Office for the purpose of effecting a
split-up or combination thereof, and (ii) all applicable fees and charges of,
and expenses incurred by, the Depositary and all applicable taxes and
governmental charges (as are set forth in Section 5.9 and Exhibit B hereto) have
been paid, subject, however, in each case, to the terms and conditions of the
applicable ADRs, of the Deposit Agreement and of applicable law, in each case as
in effect at the time thereof.
(c) Co-Transfer Agents. The Depositary may appoint one or more co-transfer
agents for the purpose of effecting transfers, combinations and split-ups of
ADRs at designated transfer offices on behalf of the Depositary and the
Depositary shall notify the Company of any such appointment. In carrying out its
functions, a co-transfer agent may require evidence of authority and compliance
with applicable laws and other requirements by Holders or persons entitled to
such ADRs and will be entitled to protection and indemnity to the same extent as
the Depositary. Such co-transfer agents may be removed and substitutes appointed
by the Depositary and the Depositary shall notify the Company of any such
removal or substitution. Each co-transfer agent appointed under this Section 2.6
(other than the Depositary) shall give notice in writing to the Depositary
accepting such appointment and agreeing to be bound by the applicable terms of
the Deposit Agreement.
10
Section 2.7 Surrender of ADSs and Withdrawal of Deposited Securities. The
Holder of ADSs shall be entitled to Delivery (at the Custodian's designated
office) of the Deposited Securities at the time represented by the ADSs upon
satisfaction of each of the following conditions: (i) the Holder (or a
duly-authorized attorney of the Holder) has duly Delivered ADSs to the
Depositary at its Principal Office (and if applicable, the ADRs evidencing such
ADSs) for the purpose of withdrawal of the Deposited Securities represented
thereby, (ii) if applicable and so required by the Depositary, the ADRs
Delivered to the Depositary for such purpose have been properly endorsed in
blank or are accompanied by proper instruments of transfer in blank (including
signature guarantees in accordance with standard securities industry practice),
(iii) if so required by the Depositary, the Holder of the ADSs has executed and
delivered to the Depositary a written order directing the Depositary to cause
the Deposited Securities being withdrawn to be Delivered to or upon the written
order of the person(s) designated in such order, and (iv) all applicable fees
and charges of, and expenses incurred by, the Depositary and all applicable
taxes and governmental charges (as are set forth in Section 5.9 and Exhibit B)
have been paid, subject, however, in each case, to the terms and conditions of
the ADRs evidencing the surrendered ADSs, of the Deposit Agreement, of the
Company's Articles of Association and of any applicable laws and the rules of
the applicable Book-Entry Settlement Entity, and to any provisions of or
governing the Deposited Securities, in each case as in effect at the time
thereof.
Upon satisfaction of each of the conditions specified above, the
Depositary (i) shall cancel the ADSs Delivered to it (and, if applicable, the
ADRs evidencing the ADSs so Delivered), (ii) shall direct the Registrar to
record the cancellation of the ADSs so Delivered on the books maintained for
such purpose, and (iii) shall direct the Custodian to Deliver (without
unreasonable delay) at the Custodian's designated office the Deposited
Securities represented by the ADSs so canceled together with any certificate or
other document of title for the Deposited Securities, or evidence of the
electronic transfer thereof (if available), as the case may be, to or upon the
written order of the person(s) designated in the order delivered to the
Depositary for such purpose, subject however, in each case, to the terms and
conditions of the Deposit Agreement, of the ADRs evidencing the ADSs so
cancelled, of the Articles of Association of the Company, of any applicable laws
and of the rules of the applicable Book-Entry Settlement Entity, and to the
terms and conditions of or governing the Deposited Securities, in each case as
in effect at the time thereof.
The Depositary shall not accept for surrender ADSs representing less than
one (1) Share. In the case of the Delivery to it of ADSs representing a number
other than a whole number of Shares, the Depositary shall cause ownership of the
appropriate whole number of Shares to be Delivered in accordance with the terms
hereof, and shall, at the discretion of the Depositary, either (i) return to the
person surrendering such ADSs the number of ADSs representing any remaining
fractional Share, or (ii) sell or cause to be sold the fractional Share
represented by the ADSs so surrendered and remit the proceeds of such sale (net
of (a) applicable fees and charges of, and expenses incurred by, the Depositary
and (b) taxes withheld) to the person surrendering the ADSs.
Notwithstanding anything else contained in any ADR or the Deposit
Agreement, the Depositary may make delivery at the Principal Office of the
Depositary of (i) any cash dividends or cash distributions, or (ii) any proceeds
from the sale of any distributions of shares or rights, which are at the time
held by the Depositary in respect of the Deposited Securities represented by the
ADSs surrendered for cancellation and withdrawal. At the request, risk and
expense of any Holder so surrendering ADSs, and for the account of such Holder,
11
the Depositary shall direct the Custodian to forward (to the extent
permitted by law) any cash or other property (other than securities) held by the
Custodian in respect of the Deposited Securities represented by such ADSs to the
Depositary for delivery at the Principal Office of the Depositary. Such
direction shall be given by letter or, at the request, risk and expense of such
Holder, by cable, telex or facsimile transmission.
Section 2.8 Limitations on Execution and Delivery, Transfer, etc. of ADSs;
Suspension of Delivery, Transfer, etc.
(a) Additional Requirements. As a condition precedent to the execution and
delivery, registration of issuance, transfer, split-up, combination or
surrender, of any ADS, the delivery of any distribution thereon, or the
withdrawal of any Deposited Securities, the Depositary or the Custodian may
require (i) payment from the depositor of Shares or presenter of ADSs or of an
ADR of a sum sufficient to reimburse it for any tax or other governmental charge
and any stock transfer or registration fee with respect thereto (including any
such tax or charge and fee with respect to Shares being deposited or withdrawn)
and payment of any applicable fees and charges of the Depositary as provided in
Section 5.9 and Exhibit B, (ii) the production of proof satisfactory to it as to
the identity and genuineness of any signature or any other matter contemplated
by Section 3.1, and (iii) compliance with (A) any laws or governmental
regulations relating to the execution and delivery of ADRs or ADSs or to the
withdrawal of Deposited Securities and (B) such reasonable regulations as the
Depositary and the Company may establish consistent with the provisions of the
representative ADR, if applicable, the Deposit Agreement and applicable law.
(b) Additional Limitations. The issuance of ADSs against deposits of
Shares generally or against deposits of particular Shares may be suspended, or
the deposit of particular Shares may be refused, or the registration of transfer
of ADSs in particular instances may be refused, or the registration of transfers
of ADSs generally may be suspended, during any period when the transfer books of
the Company, the Depositary, a Registrar or the Share Registrar are closed or if
any such action is deemed necessary or advisable by the Depositary (whereupon
the Depositary shall notify the Company and vice versa) or the Company, in good
faith, at any time or from time to time because of any requirement of law or
regulation, any government or governmental body or commission or any securities
exchange on which the ADSs or Shares are listed, or under any provision of the
Deposit Agreement or the representative ADR(s), if applicable, or under any
provision of, or governing, the Deposited Securities, or because of a meeting of
shareholders of the Company or for any other reason, subject, in all cases, to
Section 7.8.
(c) Regulatory Restrictions. Notwithstanding any provision of the Deposit
Agreement or any ADR(s) to the contrary, Holders are entitled to surrender
outstanding ADSs to withdraw the Deposited Securities at any time subject only
to (i) temporary delays caused by closing the transfer books of the Depositary
or the Company or the deposit of Shares in connection with voting at a
shareholders' meeting or the payment of dividends, (ii) the payment of fees,
taxes and similar charges, (iii) compliance with any U.S. or foreign laws or
governmental regulations relating to the ADSs or to the withdrawal of the
Deposited Securities, and (iv) other circumstances specifically contemplated by
Instruction I.A.(l) of the General Instructions to Form F-6 (as such General
Instructions may be amended from time to time).
12
Section 2.9 Lost ADRs, etc. In case any ADR shall be mutilated, destroyed,
lost, or stolen, the Depositary shall execute and deliver a new ADR of like
tenor at the expense of the Holder (a) in the case of a mutilated ADR, in
exchange of and substitution for such mutilated ADR upon cancellation thereof,
or (b) in the case of a destroyed, lost or stolen ADR, in lieu of and in
substitution for such destroyed, lost, or stolen ADR, after the Holder thereof
(i) has submitted to the Depositary a written request for such exchange and
substitution before the Depositary has notice that the ADR has been acquired by
a bona fide purchaser, (ii) has provided such security or indemnity (including
an indemnity bond) as may be required by the Depositary to save it and any of
its agents harmless, and (iii) has satisfied any other reasonable requirements
imposed by the Depositary, including, without limitation, evidence satisfactory
to the Depositary of such destruction, loss or theft of such ADR, the
authenticity thereof and the Holder's ownership thereof.
Section 2.10 Cancellation and Destruction of Surrendered ADRs; Maintenance
of Records. All ADRs surrendered to the Depositary shall be canceled by the
Depositary. Canceled ADRs shall not be entitled to any benefits under the
Deposit Agreement or be valid or enforceable against the Depositary or the
Company for any purpose. The Depositary is authorized to destroy ADRs so
canceled, provided the Depositary maintains a record of all destroyed ADRs. Any
ADSs held in book-entry form (i.e., through accounts at DTC) shall be deemed
canceled when the Depositary causes the number of ADSs evidenced by the Balance
Certificate to be reduced by the number of ADSs surrendered (without the need to
physically destroy the Balance Certificate). .
Section 2.11 Escheatment. In the event any unclaimed property relating to
the ADSs, for any reason, is in the possession of Depositary and has not been
claimed by the Holder thereof or cannot be delivered to the Holder thereof
through usual channels, the Depositary shall, upon expiration of any applicable
statutory period relating to abandoned property laws, escheat such unclaimed
property to the relevant authorities in accordance with the laws of each of the
relevant States of the United States.
Section 2.12 Partial Entitlement ADSs. In the event any Shares are
deposited which (i) entitle the holders thereof to receive a per-share
distribution or other entitlement in an amount different from the Shares then on
deposit or (ii) are not fully fungible (including, without limitation, as to
settlement or trading) with the Shares then on deposit (the Shares then on
deposit collectively, "Full Entitlement Shares" and the Shares with different
entitlement, "Partial Entitlement Shares"), the Depositary shall (i) cause the
Custodian to hold Partial Entitlement Shares separate and distinct from Full
Entitlement Shares, and (ii) subject to the terms of the Deposit Agreement,
issue ADSs representing Partial Entitlement Shares which are separate and
distinct from the ADSs representing Full Entitlement Shares, by means of
separate CUSIP numbering and legending (if necessary) and, if applicable, by
issuing ADRs evidencing such ADSs with applicable notations thereon ("Partial
Entitlement ADSs/ADRs" and "Full Entitlement ADSs/ADRs", respectively). If and
when Partial Entitlement Shares become Full Entitlement Shares, the Depositary
shall (a) give notice thereof to Holders of Partial Entitlement ADSs and give
Holders of Partial Entitlement ADRs the opportunity to exchange such Partial
Entitlement ADRs for Full Entitlement ADRs, (b) cause the Custodian to transfer
the Partial Entitlement Shares into the account of the Full Entitlement Shares,
and (c) take such actions as are necessary to remove the distinctions between
(i) the Partial Entitlement ADRs and ADSs, on the one hand, and (ii) the Full
Entitlement ADRs and ADSs on the other. Holders and Beneficial Owners of Partial
13
Entitlement ADSs shall only be entitled to the entitlements of Partial
Entitlement Shares. Holders and Beneficial Owners of Full Entitlement ADSs shall
be entitled only to the entitlements of Full Entitlement Shares. All provisions
and conditions of the Deposit Agreement shall apply to Partial Entitlement ADRs
and ADSs to the same extent as Full Entitlement ADRs and ADSs, except as
contemplated by this Section 2.12. The Depositary is authorized to take any and
all other actions as may be necessary (including, without limitation, making the
necessary notations on ADRs) to give effect to the terms of this Section 2.12.
The Company agrees to give timely written notice to the Depositary if any Shares
issued or to be issued are Partial Entitlement Shares and shall assist the
Depositary with the establishment of procedures enabling the identification of
Partial Entitlement Shares upon Delivery to the Custodian.
Section 2.13 Certificated/Uncertificated ADSs. Notwithstanding any other
provision of the Deposit Agreement, the Depositary may, at any time and from
time to time, issue ADSs that are not evidenced by ADRs (such ADSs, the
"Uncertificated ADS(s)" and the ADS(s) evidenced by ADR(s), the "Certificated
ADS(s)"). When issuing and maintaining Uncertificated ADS(s) under the Deposit
Agreement, the Depositary shall at all times be subject to (i) the standards
applicable to registrars and transfer agents maintaining direct registration
systems for equity securities in New York and issuing uncertificated securities
under New York law, and (ii) the terms of New York law applicable to
uncertificated equity securities. Uncertificated ADSs shall not be represented
by any instruments but shall be evidenced by registration in the books of the
Depositary maintained for such purpose. Holders of Uncertificated ADSs, that are
not subject to any registered pledges, liens, restrictions or adverse claims of
which the Depositary has notice at such time, shall at all times have the right
to exchange the Uncertificated ADS(s) for Certificated ADS(s) of the same type
and class, subject in each case to applicable laws and any rules and regulations
the Depositary may have established in respect of the Uncertificated ADSs.
Holders of Certificated ADSs shall, if the Depositary maintains a direct
registration system for the ADSs, have the right to exchange the Certificated
ADSs for Uncertificated ADSs upon (i) the due surrender of the Certificated
ADS(s) to the Depositary for such purpose and (ii) the presentation of a written
request to that effect to the Depositary, subject in each case to (a) all liens
and restrictions noted on the ADR evidencing the Certificated ADS(s) and all
adverse claims of which the Depositary then has notice, (b) the terms of the
Deposit Agreement and the rules and regulations that the Depositary may
establish for such purposes hereunder, (c) applicable law, and (d) payment of
the Depositary fees and expenses applicable to such exchange of Certificated
ADS(s) for Uncertificated ADS(s). Uncertificated ADSs shall in all respects be
identical to Certificated ADS(s) of the same type and class, except that (i) no
ADR(s) shall be, or shall need to be, issued to evidence Uncertificated ADS(s),
(ii) Uncertificated ADS(s) shall, subject to the terms of the Deposit Agreement,
be transferable upon the same terms and conditions as uncertificated securities
under New York law, (iii) the ownership of Uncertificated ADS(s) shall be
recorded on the books of the Depositary maintained for such purpose and evidence
of such ownership shall be reflected in periodic statements provided by the
Depositary to the Holder(s) in accordance with applicable New York law, (iv) the
Depositary may from time to time, upon notice to the Holders of Uncertificated
ADSs affected thereby, establish rules and regulations, and amend or supplement
existing rules and regulations, as may be deemed reasonably necessary to
maintain Uncertificated ADS(s) on behalf of Holders, provided that (a) such
rules and regulations do not conflict with the terms of the Deposit Agreement
and applicable law, and (b) the terms of such rules and regulations are readily
available to Holders upon request, (v) the Uncertificated ADS(s) shall not be
entitled to any benefits under the Deposit Agreement or be valid or enforceable
14
for any purpose against the Depositary or the Company unless such Uncertificated
ADS(s) is/are registered on the books of the Depositary maintained for such
purpose, (vi) the Depositary may, in connection with any deposit of Shares
resulting in the issuance of Uncertificated ADSs and with any transfer, pledge,
release and cancellation of Uncertificated ADSs, require the prior receipt of
such documentation as the Depositary may deem reasonably appropriate, and (vii)
upon termination of the Deposit Agreement, the Depositary shall not require
Holders of Uncertificated ADSs to affirmatively instruct the Depositary before
remitting proceeds from the sale of the Deposited Securities represented by such
Holders' Uncertificated ADSs under the terms of Section 6.2 of the Deposit
Agreement. When issuing ADSs under the terms of the Deposit Agreement,
including, without limitation, issuances pursuant to Sections 2.5, 4.2, 4.3,
4.4, 4.5 and 4.11, the Depositary may in its discretion determine to issue
Uncertificated ADSs rather than Certificated ADSs, unless otherwise specifically
instructed by the applicable Holder to issue Certificated ADSs. All provisions
and conditions of the Deposit Agreement shall apply to Uncertificated ADSs to
the same extent as to Certificated ADSs, except as contemplated by this Section
2.13. The Depositary is authorized and directed to take any and all actions and
establish any and all procedures deemed reasonably necessary to give effect to
the terms of this Section 2.13. Any references in the Deposit Agreement or any
ADR(s) to the terms "American Depositary Share(s)" or "ADS(s)" shall, unless the
context otherwise requires, include Certificated ADS(s) and Uncertificated
ADS(s). Except as set forth in this Section 2.13 and except as required by
applicable law, the Uncertificated ADSs shall be treated as ADSs issued and
outstanding under the terms of the Deposit Agreement. In the event that, in
determining the rights and obligations of parties hereto with respect to any
Uncertificated ADSs, any conflict arises between (a) the terms of the Deposit
Agreement (other than this Section 2.13) and (b) the terms of this Section 2.13,
the terms and conditions set forth in this Section 2.13 shall be controlling and
shall govern the rights and obligations of the parties to the Deposit Agreement
pertaining to the Uncertificated ADSs.
Section 2.14 Restricted ADSs. The Depositary shall, at the request and
expense of the Company, establish procedures enabling the deposit hereunder of
Shares that are Restricted Securities in order to enable the holder of such
Shares to hold its ownership interests in such Restricted Shares in the form of
ADSs issued under the terms hereof (such Shares, "Restricted Shares"). Upon
receipt of a written request from the Company to accept Restricted Shares for
deposit hereunder, the Depositary agrees to establish procedures permitting the
deposit of such Restricted Shares and the issuance of ADSs representing such
deposited Restricted Shares (such ADSs, the "Restricted ADSs," and the ADRs
evidencing such Restricted ADSs, the "Restricted ADRs"). The Company shall
assist the Depositary in the establishment of such procedures and agrees that it
shall take all steps necessary and satisfactory to the Depositary to insure that
the establishment of such procedures does not violate the provisions of the
Securities Act or any other applicable laws. The depositors of such Restricted
Shares and the holders of the Restricted ADSs may be required prior to the
deposit of such Restricted Shares, the transfer of the Restricted ADRs and the
Restricted ADSs evidenced thereby or the withdrawal of the Restricted Shares
represented by Restricted ADSs to provide such written certifications or
agreements as the Depositary or the Company may require. The Company shall
provide to the Depositary in writing the legend(s) to be affixed to the
Restricted ADRs, which legends shall (i) be in a form reasonably satisfactory to
the Depositary and (ii) contain the specific circumstances under which the
Restricted ADRs and the Restricted ADSs represented thereby may be transferred
or the Restricted Shares withdrawn. The Restricted ADSs issued upon the deposit
of Restricted Shares shall be separately identified on the books of the
Depositary and the Restricted Shares so deposited shall be held separate and
15
distinct from the other Deposited Securities held hereunder. The Restricted
Shares and the Restricted ADSs shall not be eligible for Pre-Release
Transactions. The Restricted ADSs shall not be eligible for inclusion in any
Book-Entry Settlement Entity, including, without limitation, DTC, and shall not
in any way be fungible with the ADSs issued under the terms hereof that are not
Restricted ADSs. The Restricted ADRs and the Restricted ADSs evidenced thereby
shall be transferable only by the Holder thereof upon delivery to the Depositary
of (i) all documentation otherwise contemplated by the Deposit Agreement and
(ii) an opinion of counsel satisfactory to the Depositary setting forth, inter
alia, the conditions upon which the Restricted ADR presented is, and the
Restricted ADSs evidenced thereby are, transferable by the Holder thereof under
applicable securities laws and the transfer restrictions contained in the legend
set forth on the Restricted ADR presented for transfer. Except as set forth in
this Section 2.14 and except as required by applicable law, the Restricted ADRs
and the Restricted ADSs evidenced thereby shall be treated as ADRs and ADSs
issued and outstanding under the terms of the Deposit Agreement. In the event
that, in determining the rights and obligations of parties hereto with respect
to any Restricted ADSs, any conflict arises between (a) the terms of the Deposit
Agreement (other than this Section 2.14) and (b) the terms of (i) this Section
2.14 or (ii) the applicable Restricted ADR, the terms and conditions set forth
in this Section 2.14 and of the Restricted ADR shall be controlling and shall
govern the rights and obligations of the parties to the Deposit Agreement
pertaining to the deposited Restricted Shares, the Restricted ADSs and
Restricted ADRs.
If the Restricted ADRs, the Restricted ADSs and the Restricted Shares cease to
be Restricted Securities, the Depositary, upon receipt of (x) an opinion of
counsel satisfactory to the Depositary setting forth, inter alia, that the
Restricted ADRs, the Restricted ADSs and the Restricted Shares are not as of
such time Restricted Securities, and (y) instructions from the Company to remove
the restrictions applicable to the Restricted ADRs, the Restricted ADSs and the
Restricted Shares, shall (i) eliminate the distinctions and separations between
the applicable Restricted Shares held on deposit under this Section 2.14 and the
other Shares held on deposit under the terms of the Deposit Agreement that are
not Restricted Shares, (ii) treat the newly unrestricted ADRs and ADSs on the
same terms as, and fully fungible with, the other ADRs and ADSs issued and
outstanding under the terms of the Deposit Agreement that are not Restricted
ADRs or Restricted ADSs, (iii) take all actions necessary to remove any
distinctions, limitations and restrictions previously existing under this
Section 2.14 between the applicable Restricted ADRs and Restricted ADSs,
respectively, on the one hand, and the other ADRs and ADSs that are not
Restricted ADRs or Restricted ADSs, respectively, on the other hand, including,
without limitation, by making the newly-unrestricted ADSs eligible for
Pre-Release Transactions and for inclusion in the applicable book-entry
settlement systems.
ARTICLE III
CERTAIN OBLIGATIONS OF HOLDERS
AND BENEFICIAL OWNERS OF ADSs
Section 3.1 Proofs, Certificates and Other Information. Any person
presenting Shares for deposit, any Holder and any Beneficial Owner may be
required, and every Holder and Beneficial Owner agrees, from time to time to
provide to the Depositary and the Custodian such proof of citizenship or
residence, taxpayer status, payment of all applicable taxes or other
governmental charges, exchange control approval, legal or beneficial ownership
of ADSs and Deposited Securities, compliance with applicable laws, the terms of
the Deposit Agreement or the ADR(s) evidencing the ADSs and the provisions of,
16
or governing, the Deposited Securities, to execute such certifications and to
make such representations and warranties, and to provide such other information
and documentation (or, in the case of Shares in registered form presented for
deposit, such information relating to the registration on the books of the
Company or of the Share Registrar) as the Depositary or the Custodian may deem
necessary or proper or as the Company may reasonably require by written request
to the Depositary consistent with its obligations under the Deposit Agreement
and the applicable ADR(s). The Depositary and the Registrar, as applicable, may
withhold the execution or delivery or registration of transfer of any ADR or ADS
or the distribution or sale of any dividend or distribution of rights or of the
proceeds thereof or, to the extent not limited by the terms of Section 7.8, the
delivery of any Deposited Securities until such proof or other information is
filed or such certifications are executed, or such representations are made, or
such other documentation or information provided, in each case to the
Depositary's, the Registrar's and the Company's satisfaction.
Section 3.2 Liability for Taxes and Other Charges. Any tax or other
governmental charge payable by the Custodian or by the Depositary with respect
to any ADR or any Deposited Securities or ADSs shall be payable by the Holders
and Beneficial Owners to the Depositary. The Company, the Custodian or the
Depositary may withhold or deduct from any distributions made in respect of
Deposited Securities and may sell for the account of a Holder and/or Beneficial
Owner any or all of the Deposited Securities and apply such distributions and
sale proceeds in payment of such taxes (including applicable interest and
penalties) or charges, the Holder and the Beneficial Owner remaining liable for
any deficiency. The Custodian may refuse the deposit of Shares and the
Depositary may refuse to issue ADSs, to deliver ADRs, register the transfer of
ADSs, register the split-up or combination of ADRs and (subject to Section 7.8)
the withdrawal of Deposited Securities until payment in full of such tax,
charge, penalty or interest is received. Every Holder and Beneficial Owner
agrees to indemnify the Depositary, the Company, the Custodian, and any of their
agents, officers, employees and Affiliates for, and to hold each of them
harmless from, any claims with respect to taxes or additions to tax, including
applicable interest and penalties thereon, arising from any inaccuracy of any
information provided by such Holder or Beneficial Owner in order to obtain any
tax benefit on behalf of such Holder and/or Beneficial Owner.
Section 3.3 Representations and Warranties on Deposit of Shares. Each
person depositing Shares under the Deposit Agreement shall be deemed thereby to
represent and warrant that (i) such Shares and the certificates therefor are
duly authorized, validly issued, fully paid, non-assessable and legally obtained
by such person, (ii) all preemptive (and similar) rights, if any, with respect
to such Shares have been validly waived or exercised, (iii) the person making
such deposit is duly authorized so to do, (iv) the Shares presented for deposit
are free and clear of any lien, encumbrance, security interest, charge, mortgage
or adverse claim, and (v) the Shares presented for deposit are not, and the ADSs
issuable upon such deposit will not be, Restricted Securities (except as
contemplated in Section 2.14), and (vi) the Shares presented for deposit have
not been stripped of any rights or entitlements. Such representations and
warranties shall survive the deposit and withdrawal of Shares, the issuance and
cancellation of ADSs in respect thereof and the transfer of such ADSs. If any
such representations or warranties are false in any way, the Company and the
Depositary shall be authorized, at the cost and expense of the person depositing
Shares, to take any and all actions necessary to correct the consequences
thereof.
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Section 3.4 Compliance with Information Requests. Notwithstanding any
other provision of the Deposit Agreement or any ADR(s), each Holder and
Beneficial Owner agrees to comply with requests from the Company pursuant to
applicable law, the rules and requirements of the NASDAQ Stock Market, and any
other stock exchange on which the Shares or ADSs are, or will be, registered,
traded or listed or the Articles of Association of the Company, which are made
to provide information, inter alia, as to the capacity in which such Holder or
Beneficial Owner owns ADSs (and Shares as the case may be) and regarding the
identity of any other person(s) interested in such ADSs and the nature of such
interest and various other matters, whether or not they are Holders or
Beneficial Owners at the time of such request. The Depositary agrees to use its
reasonable efforts to forward, upon the request of the Company and at the
Company's expense, any such request from the Company to the Holders and to
forward to the Company any such responses to such requests received by the
Depositary.
Section 3.5 Ownership Restrictions.Notwithstanding any other provision in
the Deposit Agreement or any ADR, the Company may restrict transfers of the
Shares where such transfer might result in ownership of Shares exceeding limits
imposed by applicable law or the Articles of Association of the Company. The
Company may also restrict, in such manner as it deems appropriate, transfers of
the ADSs where such transfer may result in the total number of Shares
represented by the ADSs owned by a single Holder or Beneficial Owner to exceed
any such limits. The Company may, in its sole discretion but subject to
applicable law, instruct the Depositary to take action with respect to the
ownership interest of any Holder or Beneficial Owner in excess of the limits set
forth in the preceding sentence, including, but not limited to, the imposition
of restrictions on the transfer of ADSs, the removal or limitation of voting
rights or mandatory sale or disposition on behalf of a Holder or Beneficial
Owner of the Shares represented by the ADSs held by such Holder or Beneficial
Owner in excess of such limitations, if and to the extent such disposition is
permitted by applicable law and the Articles of Association of the Company.
Nothing herein shall be interpreted as obligating the Depositary or the Company
to ensure compliance with the ownership restrictions described in this Section
3.5.
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ARTICLE IV
THE DEPOSITED SECURITIES
Section 4.1 Cash Distributions. Whenever the Company intends to make a
distribution of a cash dividend or other cash distribution, the Company shall
give timely notice thereof to the Depositary at least twenty (20) days (or such
other number of days as the Depositary and the Company may from time to time
agree to) prior to the proposed distribution specifying, inter alia, the record
date applicable for determining the holders of Deposited Securities entitled to
receive such distribution. Upon the timely receipt of such notice, the
Depositary shall establish an ADS Record Date upon the terms described in
Section 4.9. Upon confirmation from the Custodian of the receipt of any cash
dividend or other cash distribution on any Deposited Securities, or upon receipt
of proceeds from the sale of any Deposited Securities or any other entitlements
held in respect of Deposited Securities under the terms hereof, the Depositary
will (i) if at the time of receipt thereof any amounts received in a Foreign
Currency can, in the judgment of the Depositary (pursuant to Section 4.8), be
converted on a practicable basis into Dollars transferable to the United States,
promptly convert or cause to be converted such cash dividend, distribution or
proceeds into Dollars (on the terms described in Section 4.8), (ii) if
applicable, establish the ADS Record Date upon the terms described in Section
4.9, and (iii) distribute promptly the amount thus received (net of (a) the
applicable fees and charges of, and expenses incurred by, the Depositary and (b)
taxes withheld) to the Holders entitled thereto as of the ADS Record Date in
proportion to the number of ADSs held as of the ADS Record Date. The Depositary
shall distribute only such amount, however, as can be distributed without
attributing to any Holder a fraction of one cent, and any balance not so
distributed shall be held by the Depositary (without liability for interest
thereon) and shall be added to and become part of the next sum received by the
Depositary for distribution to Holders of ADSs outstanding at the time of the
next distribution. If the Company, the Custodian or the Depositary is required
to withhold and does withhold from any cash dividend or other cash distribution
in respect of any Deposited Securities an amount on account of taxes, duties or
other governmental charges, the amount distributed to Holders on the ADSs
representing such Deposited Securities shall be reduced accordingly. Such
withheld amounts shall be forwarded by the Company, the Custodian or the
Depositary to the relevant governmental authority. Evidence of payment thereof
by the Company shall be forwarded by the Company to the Depositary upon request.
The Depositary or the Custodian, as the case may be, will forward to the Company
or its agent such information from its records as the Company may request to
enable the Company or its agent to file necessary reports with the governmental
agencies, and the Depositary or the Custodian, as the case may be, or the
Company or its agent may (but shall not be obligated to) file any such reports
necessary to obtain benefits under the applicable tax treaties for Holders of
ADSs.
Section 4.2 Distribution in Shares. Whenever the Company intends to make a
distribution that consists of a dividend in, or free distribution of, Shares,
the Company shall give timely notice thereof to the Depositary at least twenty
(20) days (or such other number of days as the Depositary and the Company may
from time to time agree to) prior to the proposed distribution specifying, inter
alia, the record date applicable for determining the holders of Deposited
Securities entitled to receive such distribution. Upon the timely receipt of
such notice from the Company, the Depositary shall establish the ADS Record Date
upon the terms described in Section 4.9 and either (i) the Depositary shall,
subject to Section 5.9, distribute to the Holders as of the ADS Record Date in
proportion to the number of ADSs held as of the ADS Record Date, additional
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ADSs, which represent in the aggregate the number of Shares received as such
dividend, or free distribution, subject to the other terms of the Deposit
Agreement (including, without limitation, (a) the applicable fees and charges
of, and expenses incurred by, the Depositary and (b) taxes), or (ii) if
additional ADSs are not so distributed, take all actions necessary so that each
ADS issued and outstanding after the ADS Record Date shall, to the extent
permissible by law, thenceforth also represent rights and interests in the
additional integral number of Shares distributed upon the Deposited Securities
represented thereby (net of (a) the applicable fees and charges of, and expenses
incurred by, the Depositary and (b) taxes). In lieu of delivering fractional
ADSs, the Depositary shall sell the number of Shares or ADSs, as the case may
be, represented by the aggregate of such fractions and distribute the net
proceeds upon the terms described in Section 4.1. In the event that the
Depositary determines that any distribution in property (including Shares) is
subject to any tax or other governmental charges which the Depositary is
obligated to withhold, or, if the Company in the fulfillment of its obligation
under Section 5.7, has furnished an opinion of U.S. counsel determining that
Shares must be registered under the Securities Act or other laws in order to be
distributed to Holders (and no such registration statement has been declared
effective), the Depositary may dispose of all or a portion of such property
(including Shares and rights to subscribe therefor) in such amounts and in such
manner, including by public or private sale, as the Depositary deems necessary
and practicable, and the Depositary shall distribute the net proceeds of any
such sale (after deduction of (a) taxes and (b) reasonable fees and charges of,
and expenses incurred by, the Depositary) to Holders entitled thereto upon the
terms described in Section 4.1. The Depositary shall hold and/or distribute any
unsold balance of such property in accordance with the provisions of the Deposit
Agreement.
Section 4.3 Elective Distributions in Cash or Shares. Whenever the Company
intends to make a distribution payable at the election of the holders of Shares
in cash or in additional Shares, the Company shall give notice thereof to the
Depositary at least sixty (60) days (or such other number of days as the
Depositary and the Company may from time to time agree to) prior to the proposed
distribution specifying whether or not it wishes such elective distribution to
be made available to Holders of ADSs. Upon timely receipt of notice indicating
that the Company wishes such elective distribution to be made available to
Holders of ADSs, the Depositary shall consult with the Company to determine, and
the Company shall assist the Depositary in its determination, whether it is
lawful and reasonably practicable to make such elective distribution available
to the Holders of ADSs. The Depositary shall make such elective distribution
available to Holders only if (i) the Company shall have timely requested that
the elective distribution be made available to Holders, (ii) the Depositary
shall have determined that such distribution is reasonably practicable and (iii)
the Depositary shall have received satisfactory documentation within the terms
of Section 5.7. If the above conditions are not satisfied, the Depositary shall
establish an ADS Record Date on the terms described in Section 4.9 and, to the
extent permitted by law, distribute to the Holders, on the basis of the same
determination as is made in the Cayman Islands in respect of the Shares for
which no election is made, either (X) cash upon the terms described in Section
4.1 or (Y) additional ADSs representing such additional Shares upon the terms
described in Section 4.2. If the above conditions are satisfied, the Depositary
shall establish an ADS Record Date on the terms described in Section 4.9 and
establish procedures to enable Holders to elect the receipt of the proposed
distribution in cash or in additional ADSs. The Company shall assist the
Depositary in establishing such procedures to the extent necessary. If a Holder
elects to receive the proposed distribution (X) in cash, the distribution shall
be made upon the terms described in Section 4.1, or (Y) in ADSs, the
20
distribution shall be made upon the terms described in Section 4.2. Nothing
herein shall obligate the Depositary to make available to Holders a method to
receive the elective distribution in Shares (rather than ADSs). There can be no
assurance that Holders generally, or any Holder in particular, will be given the
opportunity to receive elective distributions on the same terms and conditions
as the holders of Shares.
Section 4.4 Distribution of Rights to Purchase Additional ADSs.
(a) Distribution to ADS Holders. Whenever the Company intends to
distribute to the holders of the Deposited Securities rights to subscribe for
additional Shares, the Company shall give notice thereof to the Depositary at
least sixty (60) days (or such other number of days as the Depositary and the
Company may from time to time agree to) prior to the proposed distribution
specifying whether or not it wishes such rights to be made available to Holders
of ADSs. Upon timely receipt of notice indicating that the Company wishes such
rights to be made available to Holders of ADSs, the Depositary shall consult
with the Company to determine, and the Company shall assist the Depositary in
its determination, whether it is lawful and reasonably practicable to make such
rights available to the Holders. The Depositary shall make such rights available
to Holders only if (i) the Company shall have timely requested that such rights
be made available to Holders, (ii) the Depositary shall have received
satisfactory documentation within the terms of Section 5.7, and (iii) the
Depositary shall have determined that such distribution of rights is reasonably
practicable. In the event any of the conditions set forth above are not
satisfied or if the Company requests that the rights not be made available to
Holders of ADSs, the Depositary shall proceed with the sale of the rights as
contemplated in Section 4.4(b) below. In the event all conditions set forth
above are satisfied, the Depositary shall establish an ADS Record Date (upon the
terms described in Section 4.9) and establish procedures to (x) distribute
rights to purchase additional ADSs (by means of warrants or otherwise), (y) to
enable the Holders to exercise such rights (upon payment of the subscription
price and of the applicable (a) fees and charges of, and expenses incurred by,
the Depositary and (b) taxes), and (z) to deliver ADSs upon the valid exercise
of such rights. The Company shall assist the Depositary to the extent necessary
in establishing such procedures. Nothing herein shall obligate the Depositary to
make available to the Holders a method to exercise rights to subscribe for
Shares (rather than ADSs).
(b) Sale of Rights. If (i) the Company does not timely request the
Depositary to make the rights available to Holders or requests that the rights
not be made available to Holders, (ii) the Depositary fails to receive
satisfactory documentation within the terms of Section 5.7 or determines it is
not reasonably practicable to make the rights available to Holders, or (iii) any
rights made available are not exercised and appear to be about to lapse, the
Depositary shall determine whether it is lawful and reasonably practicable to
sell such rights, in a riskless principal capacity, at such place and upon such
terms (including public or private sale) as it may deem practicable. The Company
shall assist the Depositary to the extent necessary to determine such legality
and practicability. The Depositary shall, upon such sale, convert and distribute
proceeds of such sale (net of applicable (a) fees and charges of, and expenses
incurred by, the Depositary and (b) taxes) upon the terms set forth in Section
4.1.
(c) Lapse of Rights. If the Depositary is unable to make any rights
available to Holders upon the terms described in Section 4.4(a) or to arrange
for the sale of the rights upon the terms described in Section 4.4(b), the
Depositary shall allow such rights to lapse.
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The Depositary shall not be responsible for (i) any failure to determine
that it may be lawful or practicable to make such rights available to Holders in
general or any Holders in particular, (ii) any foreign exchange exposure or loss
incurred in connection with such sale, or exercise, or (iii) the content of any
materials forwarded to the Holders on behalf of the Company in connection with
the rights distribution.
Notwithstanding anything to the contrary in this Section 4.4, if
registration (under the Securities Act or any other applicable law) of the
rights or the securities to which any rights relate may be required in order for
the Company to offer such rights or such securities to Holders and to sell the
securities represented by such rights, the Depositary will not distribute such
rights to the Holders (i) unless and until a registration statement under the
Securities Act (or other applicable law) covering such offering is in effect or
(ii) unless the Company furnishes the Depositary opinion(s) of counsel for the
Company in the United States and counsel to the Company in any other applicable
country in which rights would be distributed, in each case satisfactory to the
Depositary, to the effect that the offering and sale of such securities to
Holders and Beneficial Owners are exempt from, or do not require registration
under, the provisions of the Securities Act or any other applicable laws. A
liquid market for rights may not exist, and this may adversely affect (1) the
ability of the Depositary to dispose of such rights or (2) the amount the
Depositary would realize upon disposal of rights.
In the event that the Company, the Depositary or the Custodian shall be
required to withhold and does withhold from any distribution of property
(including rights) an amount on account of taxes or other governmental charges,
the amount distributed to the Holders of ADSs representing such Deposited
Securities shall be reduced accordingly. In the event that the Depositary
determines that any distribution in property (including Shares and rights to
subscribe therefor) is subject to any tax or other governmental charges which
the Depositary is obligated to withhold, the Depositary may dispose of all or a
portion of such property (including Shares and rights to subscribe therefor) in
such amounts and in such manner, including by public or private sale, as the
Depositary deems necessary and practicable to pay any such taxes or charges.
There can be no assurance that Holders generally, or any Holder in
particular, will be given the opportunity to receive or exercise rights on the
same terms and conditions as the holders of Shares or be able to exercise such
rights. Nothing herein shall obligate the Company to file any registration
statement in respect of any rights or Shares or other securities to be acquired
upon the exercise of such rights.
Section 4.5 Distributions Other Than Cash, Shares or Rights to Purchase
Shares.
(a) Whenever the Company intends to distribute to the holders of Deposited
Securities property other than cash, Shares or rights to purchase additional
Shares, the Company shall give timely notice thereof to the Depositary and shall
indicate whether or not it wishes such distribution to be made to Holders of
ADSs. Upon receipt of a notice indicating that the Company wishes such
distribution be made to Holders of ADSs, the Depositary shall consult with the
Company, and the Company shall assist the Depositary, to determine whether such
distribution to Holders is lawful and reasonably practicable. The Depositary
shall not make such distribution unless (i) the Company shall have requested the
Depositary to make such distribution to Holders, (ii) the Depositary shall have
received satisfactory documentation within the terms of Section 5.7, and (iii)
the Depositary shall have determined that such distribution is reasonably
practicable.
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(b) Upon receipt of satisfactory documentation and the request of the
Company to distribute property to Holders of ADSs and after making the requisite
determinations set forth in (a) above, the Depositary shall distribute the
property so received to the Holders of record, as of the ADS Record Date, in
proportion to the number of ADSs held by them respectively and in such manner as
the Depositary may deem practicable for accomplishing such distribution (i) upon
receipt of payment or net of the applicable fees and charges of, and expenses
incurred by, the Depositary, and (ii) net of any taxes withheld. The Depositary
may dispose of all or a portion of the property so distributed and deposited, in
such amounts and in such manner (including public or private sale) as the
Depositary may deem practicable or necessary to satisfy any taxes (including
applicable interest and penalties) or other governmental charges applicable to
the distribution.
(c) If (i) the Company does not request the Depositary to make such
distribution to Holders or requests not to make such distribution to Holders,
(ii) the Depositary does not receive satisfactory documentation within the terms
of Section 5.7, or (iii) the Depositary determines that all or a portion of such
distribution is not reasonably practicable, the Depositary shall sell or cause
such property to be sold in a public or private sale, at such place or places
and upon such terms as it may deem practicable and shall (i) cause the proceeds
of such sale, if any, to be converted into Dollars and (ii) distribute the
proceeds of such conversion received by the Depositary (net of applicable (a)
fees and charges of, and expenses incurred by, the Depositary and (b) taxes) to
the Holders as of the ADS Record Date upon the terms of Section 4.1. If the
Depositary is unable to sell such property, the Depositary may dispose of such
property for the account of the Holders in any way it deems reasonably
practicable under the circumstances.
Section 4.6 Distributions with Respect to Deposited Securities in Bearer
Form. Subject to the terms of this Article IV, distributions in respect of
Deposited Securities that are held by the Depositary in bearer form shall be
made to the Depositary for the account of the respective Holders of ADS(s) with
respect to which any such distribution is made upon due presentation by the
Depositary or the Custodian to the Company of any relevant coupons, talons, or
certificates. The Company shall promptly notify the Depositary of such
distributions. The Depositary or the Custodian shall promptly present such
coupons, talons or certificates, as the case may be, in connection with any such
distribution.
Section 4.7 Redemption. If the Company intends to exercise any right of
redemption in respect of any of the Deposited Securities, the Company shall give
notice thereof to the Depositary at least sixty (60) days (or such other number
of days as the Depositary and the Company may from time to time agree to) prior
to the intended date of redemption which notice shall set forth the particulars
of the proposed redemption. Upon timely receipt of (i) such notice and (ii)
satisfactory documentation given by the Company to the Depositary within the
terms of Section 5.7, and only if the Depositary shall have determined that such
proposed redemption is practicable, the Depositary shall provide to each Holder
a notice setting forth the intended exercise by the Company of the redemption
rights and any other particulars set forth in the Company's notice to the
Depositary. The Depositary shall instruct the Custodian to present to the
Company the Deposited Securities in respect of which redemption rights are being
exercised against payment of the applicable redemption price. Upon receipt of
confirmation from the Custodian that the redemption has taken place and that
funds representing the redemption price have been received, the Depositary shall
convert, transfer, and distribute the proceeds (net of applicable (a) fees and
charges of, and the expenses incurred by, the Depositary, and (b) taxes), retire
ADSs and cancel ADRs, if applicable, upon delivery of such ADSs by Holders
23
thereof and the terms set forth in Sections 4.1 and 6.2. If less than all
outstanding Deposited Securities are redeemed, the ADSs to be retired will be
selected by lot or on a pro rata basis, as may be determined by the Depositary.
The redemption price per ADS shall be the dollar equivalent of the per share
amount received by the Depositary (adjusted to reflect the ADS(s)-to-Share(s)
ratio) upon the redemption of the Deposited Securities represented by ADSs
(subject to the terms of Section 4.8 and the reasonable applicable fees and
charges of, and expenses incurred by, the Depositary, and taxes) multiplied by
the number of Deposited Securities represented by each ADS redeemed.
Section 4.8 Conversion of Foreign Currency. Whenever the Depositary or the
Custodian shall receive Foreign Currency, by way of dividends or other
distributions or the net proceeds from the sale of securities, property or
rights, which in the judgment of the Depositary can at such time be converted on
a practicable basis, by sale or in any other manner that it may determine in
accordance with applicable law, into Dollars transferable to the United States
and distributable to the Holders entitled thereto, the Depositary shall convert
or cause to be converted, by sale or in any other manner that it may determine,
such Foreign Currency into Dollars, and shall distribute such Dollars (net of
any applicable fees, any reasonable and customary expenses incurred in such
conversion and any expenses incurred on behalf of the Holders in complying with
currency exchange control or other governmental requirements) in accordance with
the terms of the applicable sections of the Deposit Agreement. If the Depositary
shall have distributed warrants or other instruments that entitle the holders
thereof to such Dollars, the Depositary shall distribute such Dollars to the
holders of such warrants and/or instruments upon surrender thereof for
cancellation, in either case without liability for interest thereon. Such
distribution may be made upon an averaged or other practicable basis without
regard to any distinctions among Holders on account of any application of
exchange restrictions or otherwise.
If such conversion or distribution generally or with regard to a
particular Holder can be effected only with the approval or license of any
government or agency thereof, the Depositary shall have authority to file such
application for approval or license, if any, as it may deem desirable. In no
event, however, shall the Depositary be obligated to make such a filing.
If at any time the Depositary shall determine that in its judgment the
conversion of any Foreign Currency and the transfer and distribution of proceeds
of such conversion received by the Depositary is not practicable or lawful, or
if any approval or license of any governmental authority or agency thereof that
is required for such conversion, transfer and distribution is denied or, in the
opinion of the Depositary, not obtainable at a reasonable cost or within a
reasonable period, the Depositary may, in its discretion, (i) make such
conversion and distribution in Dollars to the Holders for whom such conversion,
transfer and distribution is lawful and practicable, (ii) distribute the Foreign
Currency (or an appropriate document evidencing the right to receive such
Foreign Currency) to Holders for whom this is lawful and practicable or (iii)
hold (or cause the Custodian to hold) such Foreign Currency (without liability
for interest thereon) for the respective accounts of the Holders entitled to
receive the same.
Section 4.9 Fixing of ADS Record Date. Whenever the Depositary shall
receive notice of the fixing of a record date by the Company for the
determination of holders of Deposited Securities entitled to receive any
distribution (whether in cash, Shares, rights, or other distribution), or
whenever for any reason the Depositary causes a change in the number of Shares
that are represented by each ADS, or whenever the Depositary shall receive
notice of any meeting of, or solicitation of consents or proxies of, holders of
24
Shares or other Deposited Securities, or whenever the Depositary shall find it
necessary or convenient in connection with the giving of any notice,
solicitation of any consent or any other matter, the Depositary shall fix a
record date (the "ADS Record Date") for the determination of the Holders of
ADS(s) who shall be entitled to receive such distribution, to give instructions
for the exercise of voting rights at any such meeting, to give or withhold such
consent, to receive such notice or solicitation or to otherwise take action, or
to exercise the rights of Holders with respect to such changed number of Shares
represented by each ADS. The Depositary shall make reasonable efforts to
establish the ADS Record Date as closely as possible to the applicable record
date for the Deposited Securities (if any) set by the Company in the Cayman
Islands. Subject to applicable law and the provisions of Section 4.1 through 4.8
and to the other terms and conditions of the Deposit Agreement, only the Holders
of ADSs at the close of business in New York on such ADS Record Date shall be
entitled to receive such distribution, to give such voting instructions, to
receive such notice or solicitation, or otherwise take action.
Section 4.10 Voting of Deposited Securities. As soon as practicable after
receipt of notice of any meeting at which the holders of Deposited Securities
are entitled to vote, or of solicitation of consents or proxies from holders of
Deposited Securities, the Depositary shall fix the ADS Record Date in respect of
such meeting or solicitation of consent or proxy in accordance with Section 4.9.
The Depositary shall, if requested by the Company in writing in a timely manner
(the Depositary having no obligation to take any further action if the request
shall not have been received by the Depositary at least thirty (30) days prior
to the date of such vote or meeting), at the Company's expense and provided no
U.S. legal prohibitions exist, distribute as soon as practicable after receipt
thereof to Holders as of the ADS Record Date: (a) such notice of meeting or
solicitation of consent or proxy, (b) a statement that the Holders at the close
of business on the ADS Record Date will be entitled, subject to any applicable
law, the provisions of the Deposit Agreement, the Articles of Association of the
Company and the provisions of or governing the Deposited Securities (which
provisions, if any, shall be summarized in pertinent part by the Company), to
instruct the Depositary as to the exercise of the voting rights, if any,
pertaining to the Deposited Securities represented by such Holder's ADSs, and
(c) a brief statement as to the manner in which such voting instructions may be
given to the Depositary or in which voting instructions may be deemed to have
been given in accordance with this Section 4.10 if no instructions are received
prior to the deadline set for such purposes to the Depositary to give a
discretionary proxy to a person designated by the Company. Voting instructions
may be given only in respect of a number of ADSs representing an integral number
of Deposited Securities.
Notwithstanding anything contained in the Deposit Agreement or any ADR, the
Depositary may, to the extent not prohibited by law, regulation or applicable
stock exchange requirements, in lieu of distribution of the materials provided
to the Depositary in connection with any meeting of, or solicitation of consents
or proxies from, holders of Deposited Securities, distribute to the Holders a
notice that provides Holders with a means to retrieve such materials or receive
such materials upon request (i.e., by reference to a website containing the
materials for retrieval or a contact for requesting copies of the materials).
The Depositary has been advised by the Company that under the Cayman Islands'
law as in effect as of the date of the Deposit Agreement, voting at any meeting
of shareholders is by show of hands unless a poll is demanded. The Depositary
will not join in demanding a poll, whether or not requested to do so by Holders
of ADSs. Under the Articles of Association of the Company (as in effect on the
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date of the Deposit Agreement) a poll may be demanded by (i) the chairman of the
meeting, (ii) at least three shareholders present in person or in the case of a
shareholder being a corporation by its duly authorized representative or by
proxy for the time being entitled to vote at the meeting, (iii) any shareholder
or shareholders present in person or in the case of a shareholder being a
corporation by its duly authorized representative or by proxy and representing
not less than one-tenth of the total voting rights of all shareholders having
the right to vote at the meeting, (iv) by a shareholder or shareholders present
in person or in the case of a shareholder being a corporation by its duly
authorized representative or by proxy and holding Shares in the Company
conferring a right to vote at a meeting being Shares on which an aggregate sum
has been paid up equal to not less than one-tenth of the total sum paid on all
shares conferring that right, or (v) if required by the rules of the NASDAQ
Stock Market, by any director or directors of the Company who, individually or
collectively, hold proxies in respect of Shares representing 5% or more of the
total voting rights at such meeting.
Upon the timely receipt from a Holder of ADSs as of the ADS Record Date of
voting instructions in the manner specified by the Depositary, the Depositary
shall endeavor, insofar as practicable and permitted under applicable law, the
provisions of the Deposit Agreement, Articles of Association of the Company and
the provisions of the Deposited Securities, to vote, or cause the Custodian to
vote, the Deposited Securities (in person or by proxy) represented by such
Holder's ADSs as follows: (i) in the event voting takes place at a shareholders'
meeting by show of hands, the Depositary will instruct the Custodian to vote all
Deposited Securities (including Deposited Securities represented by ADSs for
which no timely voting instructions are received by the Depositary from the
Holder) in accordance with the voting instructions received from a majority of
Holders of ADSs who provided voting instructions; or (ii) in the event voting
takes place at a shareholders' meeting by poll, (a) the Depositary will instruct
the Custodian to vote the Deposited Securities in accordance with the voting
instructions received from the Holders of ADSs, or (b) if the Depositary does
not receive instructions from a Holder as of the ADS Record Date on or before
the date established by the Depositary for such purpose, such Holder shall be
deemed, and the Depositary shall deem such Holder, to have instructed the
Depositary to give a discretionary proxy to a person designated by the Company
to vote the Deposited Securities; provided, however, that no such discretionary
proxy shall be given by the Depositary with respect to any matter to be voted
upon as to which the Company informs the Depositary that (A) the Company does
not wish such proxy to be given, (B) substantial opposition exists, or (C) the
rights of holders of Deposited Securities may be adversely affected.
Neither the Depositary nor the Custodian shall under any circumstances exercise
any discretion as to voting and neither the Depositary nor the Custodian shall
vote, attempt to exercise the right to vote, or in any way make use of for
purposes of establishing a quorum or otherwise, the Deposited Securities
represented by ADSs, except pursuant to and in accordance with the voting
instructions timely received from Holders or as otherwise contemplated herein.
If the Depositary timely receives voting instructions from a Holder which fail
to specify the manner in which the Depositary is to vote the Deposited
Securities represented by such Holder's ADSs, the Depositary will deem such
Holder (unless otherwise specified in the notice distributed to Holders) to have
instructed the Depositary to vote in favor of the items set forth in such voting
instructions. Deposited Securities represented by ADSs for which no timely
voting instructions are received by the Depositary from the Holder shall be
voted in the manner expressly provided in this Section 4.10. Notwithstanding
anything else contained herein, the Depositary shall, if so requested in writing
by the Company, represent all Deposited Securities (whether or not voting
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instructions have been received in respect of such Deposited Securities from
Holders as of the ADS Record Date) for the sole purpose of establishing quorum
at a meeting of shareholders.
Notwithstanding anything else contained in the Deposit Agreement or any ADR, the
Depositary shall not have any obligation to take any action with respect to any
meeting, or solicitation of consents or proxies, of holders of Deposited
Securities if the taking of such action would violate U.S. laws. The Company
agrees to take any and all actions reasonably necessary and as permitted by
Cayman Islands law to enable Holders and Beneficial Owners to exercise the
voting rights relating to the Deposited Securities and to deliver to the
Depositary an opinion of U.S. counsel addressing any actions requested to be
taken if so requested by the Depositary.
There can be no assurance that Holders generally or any Holder in particular
will receive the notice described above with sufficient time to enable the
Holder to return voting instructions to the Depositary in a timely manner.
Section 4.11 Changes Affecting Deposited Securities. Upon any change in
nominal or par value, split-up, cancellation, consolidation or any other
reclassification of Deposited Securities, or upon any recapitalization,
reorganization, merger, consolidation or sale of assets affecting the Company or
to which it is a party, any securities which shall be received by the Depositary
or the Custodian in exchange for, or in conversion of or replacement of or
otherwise in respect of, such Deposited Securities shall, to the extent
permitted by law, be treated as new Deposited Securities under the Deposit
Agreement, and the ADRs shall, subject to the provisions of the Deposit
Agreement and applicable law, evidence ADSs representing the right to receive
such additional or replacement securities, as applicable. The Depositary may,
with the Company's approval, and shall, if the Company shall so request, subject
to the terms of the Deposit Agreement and receipt of an opinion of counsel to
the Company satisfactory to the Depositary that such actions are not in
violation of any applicable laws or regulations, (i) issue and deliver
additional ADSs as in the case of a stock dividend on the Shares, (ii) amend the
Deposit Agreement and the applicable ADRs, (iii) amend the applicable
Registration Statement(s) on Form F-6 as filed with the Commission in respect of
the ADSs, (iv) call for the surrender of outstanding ADRs to be exchanged for
new ADRs, and (v) take such other actions as are appropriate to reflect the
transaction with respect to the ADSs. The Company agrees to, jointly with the
Depositary, amend the Registration Statement on Form F-6 as filed with the
Commission to permit the issuance of such new form of ADRs. Notwithstanding the
foregoing, in the event that any security so received may not be lawfully
distributed to some or all Holders, the Depositary may, with the Company's
approval, and shall, if the Company requests, subject to receipt of an opinion
of Company's counsel satisfactory to the Depositary that such action is not in
violation of any applicable laws or regulations, sell such securities at public
or private sale, at such place or places and upon such terms as it may deem
proper and may allocate the net proceeds of such sales (net of (a) reasonable
fees and charges of, and expenses incurred by, the Depositary and (b) taxes) for
the account of the Holders otherwise entitled to such securities upon an
averaged or other practicable basis without regard to any distinctions among
such Holders and distribute the net proceeds so allocated to the extent
practicable as in the case of a distribution received in cash pursuant to
Section 4.1. The Depositary shall not be responsible for (i) any failure to
determine that it may be lawful or feasible to make such securities available to
Holders in general or to any Holder in particular, (ii) any foreign exchange
exposure or loss incurred in connection with such sale, or (iii) any liability
to the purchaser of such securities.
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Section 4.12 Available Information. The Company is subject to the periodic
reporting requirements of the Exchange Act and, accordingly, is required to file
or submit certain reports with the Commission. These reports can be retrieved
from the Commission's website (xxx.xxx.xxx) and can be inspected and copied at
the public reference facilities maintained by the Commission located (as of the
date of the Deposit Agreement) at 000 X Xxxxxx, X.X., Xxxxxxxxxx X.X. 00000.
Section 4.13 Reports. The Depositary shall make available for inspection
by Holders at its Principal Office any reports and communications, including any
proxy soliciting materials, received from the Company which are both (a)
received by the Depositary, the Custodian, or the nominee of either of them as
the holder of the Deposited Securities and (b) made generally available to the
holders of such Deposited Securities by the Company. The Depositary shall also
provide or make available to Holders copies of such reports when furnished by
the Company pursuant to Section 5.6.
Section 4.14 List of Holders. Promptly upon written request by the
Company, the Depositary shall furnish to it a list, as of a recent date, of the
names, addresses and holdings of ADSs of all Holders.
Section 4.15 Taxation. The Depositary will, and will instruct the
Custodian to, forward to the Company or its agents such information from its
records as the Company may reasonably request to enable the Company or its
agents to file the necessary tax reports with governmental authorities or
agencies. The Depositary, the Custodian or the Company and its agents may (but
shall not be obligated to) file such reports as are necessary to reduce or
eliminate applicable taxes on dividends and on other distributions in respect of
Deposited Securities under applicable tax treaties or laws for the Holders and
Beneficial Owners. In accordance with instructions from the Company and to the
extent practicable, the Depositary or the Custodian will take reasonable
administrative actions to obtain tax refunds, reduced withholding of tax at
source on dividends and other benefits under applicable tax treaties or laws
with respect to dividends and other distributions on the Deposited Securities.
As a condition to receiving such benefits, Holders and Beneficial Owners of ADSs
may be required from time to time, and in a timely manner, to file such proof of
taxpayer status, residence and beneficial ownership (as applicable), to execute
such certificates and to make such representations and warranties, or to provide
any other information or documents, as the Depositary or the Custodian may deem
necessary or proper to fulfill the Depositary's or the Custodian's obligations
under applicable law. The Holders and Beneficial Owners shall indemnify the
Depositary, the Company, the Custodian and any of their respective directors,
employees, agents and Affiliates against, and hold each of them harmless from,
any claims by any governmental authority with respect to taxes, additions to
tax, penalties or interest arising out of the inaccuracy of any information
provided by such Holders or Beneficial Owners in order to obtain any refund of
taxes, reduced rate of withholding at source or other tax benefit on behalf of
such Holders or Beneficial Owners.
If the Company (or any of its agents) withholds from any distribution any
amount on account of taxes or governmental charges, or pays any other tax in
respect of such distribution (i.e., stamp duty tax, capital gains or other
similar tax), the Company shall (and shall cause such agent to) remit promptly
to the Depositary information about such taxes or governmental charges withheld
or paid, and, if so requested, the tax receipt (or other proof of payment to the
28
applicable governmental authority) therefor, in each case, in a form
satisfactory to the Depositary. The Depositary shall, to the extent required by
U.S. law, report to Holders any taxes withheld by it or the Custodian, and, if
such information is provided to it by the Company, any taxes withheld by the
Company. The Depositary and the Custodian shall not be required to provide the
Holders with any evidence of the remittance by the Company (or its agents) of
any taxes withheld, or of the payment of taxes by the Company, except to the
extent the evidence is provided by the Company to the Depositary or the
Custodian, as applicable. Neither the Depositary nor the Custodian shall be
liable for the failure by any Holder or Beneficial Owner to obtain the benefits
of credits on the basis of non-U.S. tax paid against such Holder's or Beneficial
Owner's income tax liability.
The Depositary is under no obligation to provide the Holders and
Beneficial Owners with any information about the tax status of the Company. The
Depositary shall not incur any liability for any tax consequences that may be
incurred by Holders and Beneficial Owners on account of their ownership of the
ADSs, including without limitation, tax consequences resulting from the Company
(or any of its subsidiaries) being treated as a "Passive Foreign Investment
Company" (in each case as defined in the U.S. Internal Revenue Code and the
regulations issued thereunder) or otherwise.
ARTICLE V
THE DEPOSITARY, THE CUSTODIAN AND THE COMPANY
Section 5.1 Maintenance of Office and Transfer Books by the Registrar.
Until termination of the Deposit Agreement in accordance with its terms, the
Registrar shall maintain in the Borough of Manhattan, the City of New York, an
office and facilities for the issuance and delivery of ADSs, the acceptance for
surrender of ADS(s) for the purpose of withdrawal of Deposited Securities, the
registration of issuances, cancellations, transfers, combinations and split-ups
of ADS(s) and, if applicable, to countersign ADRs evidencing the ADSs so issued,
transferred, combined or split-up, in each case in accordance with the
provisions of the Deposit Agreement.
The Registrar shall keep books for the registration of ADSs which at all
reasonable times shall be open for inspection by the Company and by the Holders
of such ADSs, provided that such inspection shall not be, to the Registrar's
knowledge, for the purpose of communicating with Holders of such ADSs in the
interest of a business or object other than the business of the Company or other
than a matter related to the Deposit Agreement or the ADSs.
The Registrar may close the transfer books with respect to the ADSs, at
any time or from time to time, when deemed necessary or advisable by it in good
faith in connection with the performance of its duties hereunder, or at the
reasonable written request of the Company subject, in all cases, to Section 7.8.
If any ADSs are listed on one or more stock exchanges or automated
quotation systems in the United States, the Depositary shall act as Registrar or
appoint a Registrar or one or more co-registrars for registration of issuances,
cancellations, transfers, combinations and split-ups of ADSs and, if applicable,
to countersign ADRs evidencing the ADSs so issued, transferred, combined or
split-up, in accordance with any requirements of such exchanges or systems. Such
Registrar or co-registrars may be removed and a substitute or substitutes
appointed by the Depositary. The Depositary shall promptly notify the Company of
any such removal or appointment.
29
Section 5.2 Exoneration. Neither the Depositary nor the Company shall be
obligated to do or perform any act which is inconsistent with the provisions of
the Deposit Agreement or incur any liability (i) if the Depositary or the
Company shall be prevented or forbidden from, or delayed in, doing or performing
any act or thing required by the terms of the Deposit Agreement, by reason of
any provision of any present or future law or regulation of the United States,
the Cayman Islands or any other country, or of any other governmental authority
or regulatory authority or stock exchange, or on account of the possible
criminal or civil penalties or restraint, or by reason of any provision, present
or future, of the Articles of Association of the Company or any provision of or
governing any Deposited Securities, or by reason of any act of God or war or
other circumstances beyond its control (including, without limitation,
nationalization, expropriation, currency restrictions, work stoppage, strikes,
civil unrest, acts of terrorism, revolutions, rebellions, explosions and
computer failure), (ii) by reason of any exercise of, or failure to exercise,
any discretion provided for in the Deposit Agreement or in the Articles of
Association of the Company or provisions of or governing Deposited Securities,
(iii) for any action or inaction in reliance upon the advice of or information
from legal counsel, accountants, any person presenting Shares for deposit, any
Holder, any Beneficial Owner or authorized representative thereof, or any other
person believed by it in good faith to be competent to give such advice or
information, (iv) for the inability by a Holder or Beneficial Owner to benefit
from any distribution, offering, right or other benefit which is made available
to holders of Deposited Securities but is not, under the terms of the Deposit
Agreement, made available to Holders of ADSs, or (v) for any consequential or
punitive damages for any breach of the terms of the Deposit Agreement.
The Depositary, its controlling persons, its agents, any Custodian and the
Company, its controlling persons and its agents may rely and shall be protected
in acting upon any written notice, request or other document believed by it to
be genuine and to have been signed or presented by the proper party or parties.
No disclaimer of liability under the Securities Act is intended by any
provision of the Deposit Agreement.
Section 5.3 Standard of Care. The Company and the Depositary assume no
obligation and shall not be subject to any liability under the Deposit Agreement
or any ADRs to any Holder(s) or Beneficial Owner(s), except that the Company and
the Depositary agree to perform their respective obligations specifically set
forth in the Deposit Agreement or the applicable ADRs without negligence or bad
faith.
Without limitation of the foregoing, neither the Depositary, nor the
Company, nor any of their respective controlling persons, or agents, shall be
under any obligation to appear in, prosecute or defend any action, suit or other
proceeding in respect of any Deposited Securities or in respect of the ADSs,
which in its opinion may involve it in expense or liability, unless indemnity
satisfactory to it against all expense (including fees and disbursements of
counsel) and liability be furnished as often as may be required (and no
Custodian shall be under any obligation whatsoever with respect to such
proceedings, the responsibility of the Custodian being solely to the
Depositary).
30
The Depositary and its agents shall not be liable for any failure to carry
out any instructions to vote any of the Deposited Securities, or for the manner
in which any vote is cast or the effect of any vote, provided that any such
action or omission is in good faith and in accordance with the terms of the
Deposit Agreement. The Depositary shall not incur any liability for any failure
to determine that any distribution or action may be lawful or reasonably
practicable, for the content of any information submitted to it by the Company
for distribution to the Holders or for any inaccuracy of any translation
thereof, for any investment risk associated with acquiring an interest in the
Deposited Securities, for the validity or worth of the Deposited Securities or
for any tax consequences that may result from the ownership of ADSs, Shares or
Deposited Securities, for the credit-worthiness of any third party, for allowing
any rights to lapse upon the terms of the Deposit Agreement, or for the failure
or timeliness of any notice from the Company.
Section 5.4 Resignation and Removal of the Depositary; Appointment of
Successor Depositary. The Depositary may at any time resign as Depositary
hereunder by written notice of resignation delivered to the Company, such
resignation to be effective on the earlier of (i) the 90th day after delivery
thereof to the Company (whereupon the Depositary shall be entitled to take the
actions contemplated in Section 6.2), or (ii) the appointment by the Company of
a successor depositary and its acceptance of such appointment as hereinafter
provided.
The Depositary may at any time be removed by the Company by written notice
of such removal, which removal shall be effective on the later of (i) the 90th
day after delivery thereof to the Depositary (whereupon the Depositary shall be
entitled to take the actions contemplated in Section 6.2), or (ii) upon the
appointment by the Company of a successor depositary and its acceptance of such
appointment as hereinafter provided.
In case at any time the Depositary acting hereunder shall resign or be
removed, the Company shall use its best efforts to appoint a successor
depositary, which shall be a bank or trust company having an office in the
Borough of Manhattan, the City of New York. Every successor depositary shall be
required by the Company to execute and deliver to its predecessor and to the
Company an instrument in writing accepting its appointment hereunder, and
thereupon such successor depositary, without any further act or deed (except as
required by applicable law), shall become fully vested with all the rights,
powers, duties and obligations of its predecessor (other than as contemplated in
Sections 5.8 and 5.9). The predecessor depositary, upon payment of all sums due
it and on the written request of the Company shall, (i) execute and deliver an
instrument transferring to such successor all rights and powers of such
predecessor hereunder (other than as contemplated in Sections 5.8 and 5.9), (ii)
duly assign, transfer and deliver all right, title and interest to the Deposited
Securities to such successor, and (iii) deliver to such successor a list of the
Holders of all outstanding ADSs and such other information relating to ADSs and
Holders thereof as the successor may reasonably request. Any such successor
depositary shall promptly provide notice of its appointment to such Holders.
Any corporation into or with which the Depositary may be merged or
consolidated shall be the successor of the Depositary without the execution or
filing of any document or any further act.
Section 5.5 The Custodian. The Depositary has initially appointed Citibank
Hong Kong as Custodian for the purpose of the Deposit Agreement. The Custodian
31
or its successors in acting hereunder shall be subject at all times and in all
respects to the direction of the Depositary for the Shares for which the
Custodian acts as custodian and shall be responsible solely to it. If any
Custodian resigns or is discharged from its duties hereunder with respect to any
Deposited Securities and no other Custodian has previously been appointed
hereunder, the Depositary shall promptly appoint a substitute custodian that is
organized under the laws of the Cayman Islands. The Depositary shall require
such resigning or discharged Custodian to deliver the Deposited Securities held
by it, together with all such records maintained by it as Custodian with respect
to such Deposited Securities as the Depositary may request, to the Custodian
designated by the Depositary. Whenever the Depositary determines, in its
discretion, that it is appropriate to do so, it may appoint an additional
custodian with respect to any Deposited Securities, or discharge the Custodian
with respect to any Deposited Securities and appoint a substitute custodian,
which shall thereafter be Custodian hereunder with respect to the Deposited
Securities. Immediately upon any such change, the Depositary shall give notice
thereof in writing to all Holders of ADSs, each other Custodian and the Company.
Upon the appointment of any successor depositary, any Custodian then
acting hereunder shall, unless otherwise instructed by the Depositary, continue
to be the Custodian of the Deposited Securities without any further act or
writing, and shall be subject to the direction of the successor depositary. The
successor depositary so appointed shall, nevertheless, on the written request of
any Custodian, execute and deliver to such Custodian all such instruments as may
be proper to give to such Custodian full and complete power and authority to act
on the direction of such successor depositary.
Section 5.6 Notices and Reports. On or before the first date on which the
Company gives notice, by publication or otherwise, of any meeting of holders of
Shares or other Deposited Securities, or of any adjourned meeting of such
holders, or of the taking of any action by such holders other than at a meeting,
or of the taking of any action in respect of any cash or other distributions or
the offering of any rights in respect of Deposited Securities, the Company shall
transmit to the Depositary and the Custodian a copy of the notice thereof in the
English language but otherwise in the form given or to be given to holders of
Shares or other Deposited Securities. The Company shall also furnish to the
Custodian and the Depositary a summary, in English, of any applicable provisions
or proposed provisions of the Articles of Association of the Company that may be
relevant or pertain to such notice of meeting or be the subject of a vote
thereat.
The Depositary shall arrange, at the request of the Company and at the
Company's expense, to provide copies thereof to all Holders or make such
notices, reports and other communications available to all Holders on a basis
similar to that for holders of Shares or other Deposited Securities or on such
other basis as the Company may advise the Depositary or as may be required by
any applicable law, regulation or stock exchange requirement. The Company has
delivered to the Depositary and the Custodian a copy of the Company's Articles
of Association along with the provisions of or governing the Shares and any
other Deposited Securities issued by the Company in connection with such Shares,
and promptly upon any amendment thereto or change therein, the Company shall
deliver to the Depositary and the Custodian a copy of such amendment thereto or
change therein. The Depositary may rely upon such copy for all purposes of the
Deposit Agreement.
The Depositary will, at the expense of the Company, make available a copy
of any such notices, reports or communications issued by the Company and
delivered to the Depositary for inspection by the Holders of the ADSs at the
Depositary's Principal Office, at the office of the Custodian and at any other
designated transfer office.
32
Section 5.7 Issuance of Additional Shares, ADSs etc. The Company agrees
that in the event it or any of its Affiliates proposes (i) an issuance, sale or
distribution of additional Shares, (ii) an offering of rights to subscribe for
Shares or other Deposited Securities, (iii) an issuance or assumption of
securities convertible into or exchangeable for Shares, (iv) an issuance of
rights to subscribe for securities convertible into or exchangeable for Shares,
(v) an elective dividend of cash or Shares, (vi) a redemption of Deposited
Securities, (vii) a meeting of holders of Deposited Securities, or solicitation
of consents or proxies, relating to any reclassification of securities, merger
or consolidation or transfer of assets, or (viii) any assumption,
reclassification, recapitalization, reorganization, merger, consolidation or
sale of assets which affects the Deposited Securities, it will obtain U.S. legal
advice and take all steps necessary to ensure that the proposed transaction does
not violate the registration provisions of the Securities Act, or any other
applicable laws (including, without limitation, the Investment Company Act of
1940, as amended, the Exchange Act and the securities laws of the states of the
U.S.). In support of the foregoing, the Company will furnish to the Depositary
(a) a written opinion of U.S. counsel (reasonably satisfactory to the
Depositary) stating whether such transaction (1) requires a registration
statement under the Securities Act to be in effect or (2) is exempt from the
registration requirements of the Securities Act and (b) an opinion of the Cayman
Islands counsel stating that (1) making the transaction available to Holders and
Beneficial Owners does not violate the laws or regulations of the Cayman Islands
and (2) all requisite regulatory consents and approvals have been obtained in
the Cayman Islands, provided, however, that no such opinions shall be required
in the event of an issuance of Shares as a bonus or stock split. If the filing
of a registration statement is required, the Depositary shall not have any
obligation to proceed with the transaction unless it shall have received
evidence reasonably satisfactory to it that such registration statement has been
declared effective. If, being advised by counsel, the Company determines that a
transaction is required to be registered under the Securities Act, the Company
will either (i) register such transaction to the extent necessary, (ii) alter
the terms of the transaction to avoid the registration requirements of the
Securities Act or (iii) direct the Depositary to take specific measures, in each
case as contemplated in the Deposit Agreement, to prevent such transaction from
violating the registration requirements of the Securities Act. The Company
agrees with the Depositary that neither the Company nor any of its Affiliates
will at any time (i) deposit any Shares or other Deposited Securities, either
upon original issuance or upon a sale of Shares or other Deposited Securities
previously issued and reacquired by the Company or by any such Affiliate, or
(ii) issue additional Shares, rights to subscribe for such Shares, securities
convertible into or exchangeable for Shares or rights to subscribe for such
securities, unless such transaction and the securities issuable in such
transaction are exempt from registration under the Securities Act and, if
applicable, the Exchange Act or have been registered under the Securities Act
and, if applicable, the Exchange Act (and such registration statement has been
declared effective).
Notwithstanding anything else contained in the Deposit Agreement, nothing
in the Deposit Agreement shall be deemed to obligate the Company to file any
registration statement in respect of any proposed transaction.
Section 5.8 Indemnification. The Depositary agrees to indemnify the
Company and its directors, officers, employees, agents and Affiliates against,
and hold each of them harmless from, any direct loss, liability, tax, charge or
expense of any kind whatsoever (including, but not limited to, the reasonable
33
fees and expenses of counsel) which may arise out of acts performed or omitted
by the Depositary and the Custodian (for so long as the Custodian is a branch of
Citibank, N.A.) under the terms hereof due to the negligence or bad faith of the
Depositary or Custodian, as applicable.
The Company agrees to indemnify the Depositary, the Custodian and any of
their respective directors, officers, employees, agents and Affiliates against,
and hold each of them harmless from, any direct loss, liability, tax, charge or
expense of any kind whatsoever (including, but not limited to, the reasonable
fees and expenses of counsel) that may arise (a) out of or in connection with
any offer, issuance, sale, resale, transfer, deposit or withdrawal of ADRs,
ADSs, the Shares, or other Deposited Securities, as the case may be, (b) out of
or as a result of any offering documents in respect thereof or (c) out of acts
performed or omitted, including, but not limited to, any delivery by the
Depositary on behalf of the Company of information regarding the Company in
connection with the Deposit Agreement, the ADRs, the ADSs, the Shares, or any
Deposited Securities, in any such case (i) by the Depositary, the Custodian or
any of their respective directors, officers, employees, agents and Affiliates,
except to the extent such loss, liability, tax, charge or expense is due to the
negligence or bad faith of any of them, or (ii) by the Company or any of its
directors, officers, employees, agents and Affiliates. The Company shall not
indemnify the Depositary or the Custodian (for so long as the Custodian is a
branch of Citibank, N.A.) against any liability or expense arising out of
information relating to the Depositary or such Custodian, as the case may be,
furnished in a signed writing to the Company, executed by the Depositary or such
Custodian expressly for use in any registration statement, prospectus or
preliminary prospectus relating to any Deposited Securities represented by the
ADSs.
The obligations set forth in this Section shall survive the termination of
the Deposit Agreement and the succession or substitution of any party hereto.
Any person seeking indemnification hereunder (an "indemnified person")
shall notify the person from whom it is seeking indemnification (the
"indemnifying person") of the commencement of any indemnifiable action or claim
promptly after such indemnified person becomes aware of such commencement
(provided that the failure to make such notification shall not affect such
indemnified person's rights to seek indemnification except to the extent the
indemnifying person is materially prejudiced by such failure) and shall consult
in good faith with the indemnifying person as to the conduct of the defense of
such action or claim that may give rise to an indemnity hereunder, which defense
shall be reasonable in the circumstances. No indemnified person shall compromise
or settle any action or claim that may give rise to an indemnity hereunder
without the consent of the indemnifying person, which consent shall not be
unreasonably withheld.
Section 5.9 Fees and Charges of Depositary. The Company, the Holders, the
Beneficial Owners, and persons depositing Shares or surrendering ADSs for
cancellation and withdrawal of Deposited Securities shall be required to pay to
the Depositary the Depositary's fees and related charges identified as payable
by them respectively in the Fee Schedule attached hereto as Exhibit B. All fees
and charges so payable may, at any time and from time to time, be changed by
agreement between the Depositary and the Company, but, in the case of fees and
charges payable by Holders and Beneficial Owners, only in the manner
contemplated in Section 6.1. The Depositary shall provide, without charge, a
copy of its latest fee schedule to anyone upon request.
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Depositary Fees payable upon (i) deposit of Shares against issuance of
ADSs and (ii) surrender of ADSs for cancellation and withdrawal of Deposited
Securities will be charged by the Depositary to the person to whom the ADSs so
issued are delivered (in the case of ADS issuances) and to the person who
delivers the ADS for cancellation to the Depositary (in the case of ADS
cancellations). In the case of ADSs issued by the Depositary into DTC or
presented to the Depositary via DTC, the ADS issuance and cancellation fees will
be payable to the Depositary by the DTC Participant(s) receiving the ADSs from
the Depositary or the DTC Participant(s) surrendering the ADSs to the Depositary
for cancellation, as the case may be, on behalf of the Beneficial Owner(s) and
will be charged by the DTC Participant(s) to the account(s) of the applicable
Beneficial Owner(s) in accordance with the procedures and practices of the DTC
participant(s) as in effect at the time. Depositary fees in respect of
distributions and the Depositary services fee are payable to the Depositary by
Holders as of the applicable ADS Record Date established by the Depositary. In
the case of distributions of cash, the amount of the applicable Depositary fees
is deducted by the Depositary from the funds being distributed. In the case of
distributions other than cash and the Depositary service fee, the Depositary
will invoice the applicable Holders as of the ADS Record Date established by the
Depositary. For ADSs held through DTC, the Depositary fees for distributions
other than cash and the Depositary service fee are charged by the Depositary to
the DTC Participants in accordance with the procedures and practices prescribed
by DTC from time to time and the DTC Participants in turn charge the amount of
such fees to the Beneficial Owners for whom they hold ADSs.
The Depositary may remit to the Company a portion of the Depositary fees,
as well as make contributions, for the reimbursement of certain expenses
incurred by the Company in respect of the ADR program established pursuant to
the Deposit Agreement upon such terms and conditions as the Company and the
Depositary may agree from time to time. The Company shall pay to the Depositary
such fees and charges and reimburse the Depositary for such out-of-pocket
expenses as the Depositary and the Company may agree from time to time.
Responsibility for payment of such charges may and reimbursement may from time
to time be changed by agreement between the Company and the Depositary. Unless
otherwise agreed, the Depositary shall present its statement for such expenses
and fees or charges to the Company once every three months. The charges and
expenses of the Custodian are for the sole account of the Depositary.
The right of the Depositary to receive payment of fees, charges and
expenses as provided above shall survive the termination of the Deposit
Agreement. As to any Depositary, upon the resignation or removal of such
Depositary as described in Section 5.4, such right shall extend for those fees,
charges and expenses incurred prior to the effectiveness of such resignation or
removal.
Section 5.10 Pre-Release Transactions. Subject to the further terms and
provisions of this Section 5.10, the Depositary, its Affiliates and their
agents, on their own behalf, may own and deal in any class of securities of the
Company and its Affiliates and in ADSs. In its capacity as Depositary, the
Depositary shall not lend Shares or ADSs; provided, however, that the Depositary
may (i) issue ADSs prior to the receipt of Shares pursuant to Section 2.3 and
(ii) deliver Shares prior to the receipt of ADSs for withdrawal of Deposited
Securities pursuant to Section 2.7, including ADSs which were issued under (i)
above but for which Shares may not have been received (each such transaction a
"Pre-Release Transaction"). The Depositary may receive ADSs in lieu of Shares
under (i) above and receive Shares in lieu of ADSs under (ii) above. Each such
Pre-Release Transaction will be (a) subject to a written agreement whereby the
35
person or entity (the "Applicant") to whom ADSs or Shares are to be delivered
(w) represents that at the time of the Pre-Release Transaction the Applicant or
its customer owns the Shares or ADSs that are to be delivered by the Applicant
under such Pre-Release Transaction, (x) agrees to indicate the Depositary as
owner of such Shares or ADSs in its records and to hold such Shares or ADSs in
trust for the Depositary until such Shares or ADSs are delivered to the
Depositary or the Custodian, (y) unconditionally guarantees to deliver to the
Depositary or the Custodian, as applicable, such Shares or ADSs, and (z) agrees
to any additional restrictions or requirements that the Depositary deems
appropriate, (b) at all times fully collateralized with cash, U.S. government
securities or such other collateral as the Depositary deems appropriate, (c)
terminable by the Depositary on not more than five (5) business days' notice and
(d) subject to such further indemnities and credit regulations as the Depositary
deems appropriate. The Depositary will normally limit the number of ADSs and
Shares involved in such Pre-Release Transactions at any time to thirty percent
(30%) of the ADSs outstanding (without giving effect to ADSs outstanding under
(i) above), provided, however, that the Depositary reserves the right to change
or disregard such limit from time to time as it deems appropriate.
The Depositary may also set limits with respect to the number of ADSs and
Shares involved in Pre-Release Transactions with any one person on a
case-by-case basis as it deems appropriate. The Depositary may retain for its
own account any compensation received by it in conjunction with the foregoing.
Collateral provided pursuant to (b) above, but not the earnings thereon, shall
be held for the benefit of the Holders (other than the Applicant).
Section 5.11 Restricted Securities Owners. The Company agrees to advise in
writing each of the persons or entities who, to the knowledge of the Company,
holds Restricted Securities that such Restricted Securities are ineligible for
deposit hereunder (except under the circumstances contemplated in Section 2.14)
and, to the extent practicable, shall require each of such persons to represent
in writing that such person will not deposit Restricted Securities hereunder
(except under the circumstances contemplated in Section 2.14).
ARTICLE VI
AMENDMENT AND TERMINATION
Section 6.1 Amendment/Supplement. Subject to the terms and conditions of
this Section 6.1 and applicable law, the ADRs outstanding at any time, the
provisions of the Deposit Agreement and the form of ADR attached hereto and to
be issued under the terms hereof may at any time and from time to time be
amended or supplemented by written agreement between the Company and the
Depositary in any respect which they may deem necessary or desirable without the
prior written consent of the Holders or Beneficial Owners. Any amendment or
supplement which shall impose or increase any fees or charges (other than
charges in connection with foreign exchange control regulations, and taxes and
other governmental charges, delivery and other such expenses), or which shall
otherwise materially prejudice any substantial existing right of Holders or
Beneficial Owners, shall not, however, become effective as to outstanding ADSs
until the expiration of thirty (30) days after notice of such amendment or
supplement shall have been given to the Holders of outstanding ADSs. Notice of
any amendment to the Deposit Agreement or any ADR shall not need to describe in
detail the specific amendments effectuated thereby, and failure to describe the
specific amendments in any such notice shall not render such notice invalid,
provided, however, that, in each such case, the notice given to the Holders
identifies a means for Holders and Beneficial Owners to retrieve or receive the
36
text of such amendment (i.e., upon retrieval from the Commission's, the
Depositary's or the Company's website or upon request from the Depositary). The
parties hereto agree that any amendments or supplements which (i) are reasonably
necessary (as agreed by the Company and the Depositary) in order for (a) the
ADSs to be registered on Form F-6 under the Securities Act or (b) the ADSs to be
settled solely in electronic book-entry form and (ii) do not in either such case
impose or increase any fees or charges to be borne by Holders, shall be deemed
not to materially prejudice any substantial rights of Holders or Beneficial
Owners. Every Holder and Beneficial Owner at the time any amendment or
supplement so becomes effective shall be deemed, by continuing to hold such
ADSs, to consent and agree to such amendment or supplement and to be bound by
the Deposit Agreement and the ADR, if applicable, as amended or supplemented
thereby. In no event shall any amendment or supplement impair the right of the
Holder to surrender such ADS and receive therefor the Deposited Securities
represented thereby, except in order to comply with mandatory provisions of
applicable law. Notwithstanding the foregoing, if any governmental body should
adopt new laws, rules or regulations which would require an amendment of, or
supplement to, the Deposit Agreement to ensure compliance therewith, the Company
and the Depositary may amend or supplement the Deposit Agreement and any ADRs at
any time in accordance with such changed laws, rules or regulations. Such
amendment or supplement to the Deposit Agreement and any ADRs in such
circumstances may become effective before a notice of such amendment or
supplement is given to Holders or within any other period of time as required
for compliance with such laws, rules or regulations.
Section 6.2 Termination. The Depositary shall, at any time at the written
direction of the Company, terminate the Deposit Agreement by distributing notice
of such termination to the Holders of all ADSs then outstanding at least thirty
(30) days prior to the date fixed in such notice for such termination. If ninety
(90) days shall have expired after (i) the Depositary shall have delivered to
the Company a written notice of its election to resign, or (ii) the Company
shall have delivered to the Depositary a written notice of the removal of the
Depositary, and, in either case, a successor depositary shall not have been
appointed and accepted its appointment as provided in Section 5.4 of the Deposit
Agreement, the Depositary may terminate the Deposit Agreement by distributing
notice of such termination to the Holders of all ADSs then outstanding at least
thirty (30) days prior to the date fixed in such notice for such termination.
The date so fixed for termination of the Deposit Agreement in any termination
notice so distributed by the Depositary to the Holders of ADSs is referred to as
the "Termination Date". Until the Termination Date, the Depositary shall
continue to perform all of its obligations under the Deposit Agreement, and the
Holders and Beneficial Owners will be entitled to all of their rights under the
Deposit Agreement.
If any ADSs shall remain outstanding after the Termination Date, the
Registrar and the Depositary shall not, after the Termination Date, have any
obligation to perform any further acts under the Deposit Agreement, except that
the Depositary shall, subject, in each case, to the terms and conditions of the
Deposit Agreement, continue to (i) collect dividends and other distributions
pertaining to Deposited Securities, (ii) sell securities and other property
received in respect of Deposited Securities, (iii) deliver Deposited Securities,
together with any dividends or other distributions received with respect thereto
and the net proceeds of the sale of any securities or other property, in
exchange for ADSs surrendered to the Depositary (after deducting, or charging,
as the case may be, in each case, the fees and charges of, and expenses incurred
by, the Depositary, and all applicable taxes or governmental charges for the
account of the Holders and Beneficial Owners, in each case upon the terms set
forth in Section 5.9 of the Deposit Agreement), and (iv) take such actions as
may be required under applicable law in connection with its role as Depositary
under the Deposit Agreement.
37
At any time after the Termination Date, the Depositary may sell the
Deposited Securities then held under the Deposit Agreement and shall after such
sale hold un-invested the net proceeds of such sale, together with any other
cash then held by it under the Deposit Agreement, in an un-segregated account
and without liability for interest, for the pro - rata benefit of the Holders
whose ADSs have not theretofore been surrendered. After making such sale, the
Depositary shall be discharged from all obligations under the Deposit Agreement
except (i) to account for such net proceeds and other cash (after deducting, or
charging, as the case may be, in each case, the fees and charges of, and
expenses incurred by, the Depositary, and all applicable taxes or governmental
charges for the account of the Holders and Beneficial Owners, in each case upon
the terms set forth in Section 5.9 of the Deposit Agreement), and (ii) as may be
required at law in connection with the termination of the Deposit Agreement.
After the Termination Date, the Company shall be discharged from all obligations
under the Deposit Agreement, except for its obligations to the Depositary under
Sections 5.8, 5.9 and 7.6 of the Deposit Agreement. The obligations under the
terms of the Deposit Agreement of Holders and Beneficial Owners of ADSs
outstanding as of the Termination Date shall survive the Termination Date and
shall be discharged only when the applicable ADSs are presented by their Holders
to the Depositary for cancellation under the terms of the Deposit Agreement.
ARTICLE VII
MISCELLANEOUS
Section 7.1 Counterparts. The Deposit Agreement may be executed in any
number of counterparts, each of which shall be deemed an original and all of
such counterparts together shall constitute one and the same agreement. Copies
of the Deposit Agreement shall be maintained with the Depositary and shall be
open to inspection by any Holder during business hours.
Section 7.2 No Third-Party Beneficiaries. The Deposit Agreement is for the
exclusive benefit of the parties hereto (and their successors) and shall not be
deemed to give any legal or equitable right, remedy or claim whatsoever to any
other person, except to the extent specifically set forth in the Deposit
Agreement. Nothing in the Deposit Agreement shall be deemed to give rise to a
partnership or joint venture among the parties nor establish a fiduciary or
similar relationship among the parties. The parties hereto acknowledge and agree
that (i) the Depositary and its Affiliates may at any time have multiple banking
relationships with the Company and its Affiliates, (ii) the Depositary and its
Affiliates may be engaged at any time in transactions in which parties adverse
to the Company or the Holders or Beneficial Owners may have interests and (iii)
nothing contained in the Deposit Agreement shall (a) preclude the Depositary or
any of its Affiliates from engaging in such transactions or establishing or
maintaining such relationships, and (b) obligate the Depositary or any of its
Affiliates to disclose such transactions or relationships or to account for any
profit made or payment received in such transactions or relationships.
Section 7.3 Severability. In case any one or more of the provisions
contained in the Deposit Agreement or in the ADRs should be or become invalid,
illegal or unenforceable in any respect, the validity, legality and
enforceability of the remaining provisions contained herein or therein shall in
no way be affected, prejudiced or disturbed thereby.
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Section 7.4 Holders and Beneficial Owners as Parties; Binding Effect. The
Holders and Beneficial Owners from time to time of ADSs shall be parties to the
Deposit Agreement and shall be bound by all of the terms and conditions hereof
and of any ADR by acceptance thereof or any beneficial interest therein.
Section 7.5 Notices. Any and all notices to be given to the Company shall
be deemed to have been duly given if personally delivered or sent by mail, air
courier or cable, telex or facsimile transmission, confirmed by letter
personally delivered or sent by mail or air courier, addressed to 0xx Xxxxx,
Xxxxx X, 0 Xxxxxxxx Xxxx Xxxxxx, Xxxx Xxx Men Nei, Beijing 100005, the People's
Republic of China, Attention: Xxxxxx Xxx Jiang, Company Secretary, or to any
other address which the Company may specify in writing to the Depositary.
Any and all notices to be given to the Depositary shall be deemed to have
been duly given if personally delivered or sent by mail, air courier or cable,
telex or facsimile transmission, confirmed by letter personally delivered or
sent by mail or air courier, addressed to Citibank, N.A., 000 Xxxxxxxxx Xxxxxx,
Xxx Xxxx, Xxx Xxxx 00000, U.S.A., Attention: Depositary Receipts Department, or
to any other address which the Depositary may specify in writing to the Company.
Any and all notices to be given to any Holder shall be deemed to have been
duly given if (a) personally delivered or sent by mail or cable, telex or
facsimile transmission, confirmed by letter, addressed to such Holder at the
address of such Holder as it appears on the books of the Depositary or, if such
Holder shall have filed with the Depositary a request that notices intended for
such Holder be mailed to some other address, at the address specified in such
request, or (b) if a Holder shall have designated such means of notification as
an acceptable means of notification under the terms of the Deposit Agreement, by
means of electronic messaging addressed for delivery to the e-mail address
designated by the Holder for such purpose. Notice to Holders shall be deemed to
be notice to Beneficial Owners for all purposes of the Deposit Agreement.
Failure to notify a Holder or any defect in the notification to a Holder shall
not affect the sufficiency of notification to other Holders or to the Beneficial
Owners of ADSs held by such other Holders.
Delivery of a notice sent by mail, air courier or cable, telex or
facsimile transmission shall be deemed to be effective at the time when a duly
addressed letter containing the same (or a confirmation thereof in the case of a
cable, telex or facsimile transmission) is deposited, postage prepaid, in a
post-office letter box or delivered to an air courier service, without regard
for the actual receipt or time of actual receipt thereof by a Holder. The
Depositary or the Company may, however, act upon any cable, telex or facsimile
transmission received by it from any Holder, the Custodian, the Depositary, or
the Company, notwithstanding that such cable, telex or facsimile transmission
shall not be subsequently confirmed by letter.
Delivery of a notice by means of electronic messaging shall be deemed to
be effective at the time of the initiation of the transmission by the sender (as
shown on the sender's records), notwithstanding that the intended recipient
retrieves the message at a later date, fails to retrieve such message, or fails
to receive such notice on account of its failure to maintain the designated
e-mail address, its failure to designate a substitute e-mail address or for any
other reason.
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Section 7.6 Governing Law and Jurisdiction. The Deposit Agreement and the
ADRs shall be interpreted in accordance with, and all rights hereunder and
thereunder and provisions hereof and thereof shall be governed by, the laws of
the State of New York without reference to the principles of choice of law
thereof. Notwithstanding anything contained in the Deposit Agreement, any ADR or
any present or future provisions of the laws of the State of New York, the
rights of holders of Shares and of any other Deposited Securities and the
obligations and duties of the Company in respect of the holders of Shares and
other Deposited Securities, as such, shall be governed by the laws of the Cayman
Islands (or, if applicable, such other laws as may govern the Deposited
Securities).
Except as set forth in the following paragraph of this Section 7.6, the
Company and the Depositary agree that the federal or state courts in the City of
New York shall have jurisdiction to hear and determine any suit, action or
proceeding and to settle any dispute between them that may arise out of or in
connection with the Deposit Agreement and, for such purposes, each irrevocably
submits to the non-exclusive jurisdiction of such courts. The Company hereby
irrevocably designates, appoints and empowers CT Corporation System (the
"Agent") now at 000 Xxxxxx Xxxxxx, 00xx Xxxxx, Xxx Xxxx, XX 00000 as its
authorized agent to receive and accept for and on its behalf, and on behalf of
its properties, assets and revenues, service by mail of any and all legal
process, summons, notices and documents that may be served in any suit, action
or proceeding brought against the Company in any federal or state court as
described in the preceding sentence or in the next paragraph of this Section
7.6. If for any reason the Agent shall cease to be available to act as such, the
Company agrees to designate a new agent in New York on the terms and for the
purposes of this Section 7.6 reasonably satisfactory to the Depositary. The
Company further hereby irrevocably consents and agrees to the service of any and
all legal process, summons, notices and documents in any suit, action or
proceeding against the Company, by service by mail of a copy thereof upon the
Agent (whether or not the appointment of such Agent shall for any reason prove
to be ineffective or such Agent shall fail to accept or acknowledge such
service), with a copy mailed to the Company by registered or certified air mail,
postage prepaid, to its address provided in Section 7.5. The Company agrees that
the failure of the Agent to give any notice of such service to it shall not
impair or affect in any way the validity of such service or any judgment
rendered in any action or proceeding based thereon.
Notwithstanding the foregoing, the Depositary and the Company
unconditionally agree that in the event that a Holder or Beneficial Owner brings
a suit, action or proceeding against (a) the Company, (b) the Depositary in its
capacity as Depositary under the Deposit Agreement or (c) against both the
Company and the Depositary, in any such case, in any state or federal court of
the United States, and the Depositary or the Company have any claim, for
indemnification or otherwise, against each other arising out of the subject
matter of such suit, action or proceeding, then the Company and the Depositary
may pursue such claim against each other in the state or federal court in the
United States in which such suit, action, or proceeding is pending and, for such
purposes, the Company and the Depositary irrevocably submit to the non-exclusive
jurisdiction of such courts. The Company agrees that service of process upon the
Agent in the manner set forth in the preceding paragraph shall be effective
service upon it for any suit, action or proceeding brought against it as
described in this paragraph.
The Company irrevocably and unconditionally waives, to the fullest extent
permitted by law, any objection that it may now or hereafter have to the laying
of venue of any actions, suits or proceedings brought in any court as provided
in this Section 7.6, and hereby further irrevocably and unconditionally waives
and agrees not to plead or claim in any such court that any such action, suit or
proceeding brought in any such court has been brought in an inconvenient forum.
40
The Company irrevocably and unconditionally waives, to the fullest extent
permitted by law, and agrees not to plead or claim, any right of immunity from
legal action, suit or proceeding, from setoff or counterclaim, from the
jurisdiction of any court, from service of process, from attachment upon or
prior to judgment, from attachment in aid of execution or judgment, from
execution of judgment, or from any other legal process or proceeding for the
giving of any relief or for the enforcement of any judgment, and consents to
such relief and enforcement against it, its assets and its revenues in any
jurisdiction, in each case with respect to any matter arising out of, or in
connection with, the Deposit Agreement, any ADR or the Deposited Securities.
No disclaimer of liability under the Securities Act is intended by any
provision of the Deposit Agreement. The provisions of this Section 7.6 shall
survive any termination of the Deposit Agreement, in whole or in part.
Section 7.7 Assignment. Subject to the provisions of Section 5.4, the
Deposit Agreement may not be assigned by either the Company or the Depositary.
Section 7.8 Compliance with U.S. Securities Laws. Notwithstanding anything
in the Deposit Agreement to the contrary, the withdrawal or delivery of
Deposited Securities will not be suspended by the Company or the Depositary
except as would be permitted by Instruction I.A.(1) of the General Instructions
to Form F-6 Registration Statement, as amended from time to time, under the
Securities Act.
Section 7.9 Cayman Islands Law References. Any summary of the laws of the
Cayman Islands and regulations and of the terms of the Company's Articles of
Association set forth in the Deposit Agreement have been provided by the Company
solely for the convenience of Holders, Beneficial Owners and the Depositary.
While such summaries are believed by the Company to be accurate as of the date
of the Deposit Agreement, (i) they are summaries and as such may not include all
aspects of the materials summarized applicable to a Holder or Beneficial Owner,
and (ii) these laws and regulations and the Company's Articles of Association
may change after the date of the Deposit Agreement. Neither the Depositary nor
the Company has any obligation under the terms of the Deposit Agreement to
update any such summaries.
Section 7.10 Titles and References.
(a) Deposit Agreement. All references in the Deposit Agreement to
exhibits, articles, sections, subsections, and other subdivisions refer to the
exhibits, articles, sections, subsections and other subdivisions of the Deposit
Agreement unless expressly provided otherwise. The words "the Deposit
Agreement", "herein", "hereof", "hereby", "hereunder", and words of similar
import refer to the Deposit Agreement as a whole as in effect at the relevant
time between the Company, the Depositary and the Holders and Beneficial Owners
of ADSs and not to any particular subdivision unless expressly so limited.
Pronouns in masculine, feminine and neuter gender shall be construed to include
any other gender, and words in the singular form shall be construed to include
the plural and vice versa unless the context otherwise requires. Titles to
41
sections of the Deposit Agreement are included for convenience only and shall be
disregarded in construing the language contained in the Deposit Agreement.
References to "applicable laws and regulations" shall refer to laws and
regulations applicable to ADRs, ADSs or Deposited Securities as in effect at the
relevant time of determination, unless otherwise required by law or regulation.
(b) ADRs. All references in any ADR(s) to paragraphs, exhibits, articles,
sections, subsections, and other subdivisions refer to the paragraphs, exhibits,
articles, sections, subsections and other subdivisions of the ADR(s) in question
unless expressly provided otherwise. The words "the Receipt", "the ADR",
"herein", "hereof", "hereby", "hereunder", and words of similar import used in
any ADR refer to the ADR as a whole and as in effect at the relevant time, and
not to any particular subdivision unless expressly so limited. Pronouns in
masculine, feminine and neuter gender in any ADR shall be construed to include
any other gender, and words in the singular form shall be construed to include
the plural and vice versa unless the context otherwise requires. Titles to
paragraphs of any ADR are included for convenience only and shall be disregarded
in construing the language contained in the ADR. References to "applicable laws
and regulations" shall refer to laws and regulations applicable to ADRs, ADSs or
Deposited Securities as in effect at the relevant time of determination, unless
otherwise required by law or regulation.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, ATA INC. and CITIBANK, N.A. have duly executed the
Deposit Agreement as of the day and year first above set forth and all Holders
and Beneficial Owners shall become parties hereto upon acceptance by them of
ADSs issued in accordance with the terms hereof, or upon acquisition of any
beneficial interest therein.
ATA INC.
By:
-------------------------------
Name:
Title:
CITIBANK, N.A.
By:
-------------------------------
Name:
Title:
42
EXHIBIT A
[FORM OF ADR]
Number_____________ CUSIP NUMBER:
American Depositary Shares (each
American Depositary Share
representing one (1) common
share par value $0.01 per share)
AMERICAN DEPOSITARY RECEIPT
FOR
AMERICAN DEPOSITARY SHARES
representing
DEPOSITED COMMON SHARES
of
ATA INC.
(Incorporated under the laws of the Cayman Islands)
CITIBANK, N.A., a national banking association organized and existing
under the laws of the United States of America, as depositary (the
"Depositary"), hereby certifies that _____________is the owner of ______________
American Depositary Shares (hereinafter "ADS"), representing deposited common
shares, par value $0.01 per share, including evidence of rights to receive such
common shares (the "Shares"), of ATA INC., a corporation incorporated under the
laws of the Cayman Islands (the "Company"). As of the date of the Deposit
Agreement (as hereinafter defined), each ADS represents one (1) Share deposited
under the Deposit Agreement with the Custodian, which at the date of execution
of the Deposit Agreement is Citibank Hong Kong (the "Custodian"). The
ADS(s)-to-Share(s) ratio is subject to amendment as provided in Articles IV and
VI of the Deposit Agreement. The Depositary's Principal Office is located at 000
Xxxxxxxxx Xxxxxx, Xxx Xxxx, Xxx Xxxx 00000, X.X.X.
(1) The Deposit Agreement. This American Depositary Receipt is one of an
issue of American Depositary Receipts ("ADRs"), all issued and to be issued upon
the terms and conditions set forth in the Deposit Agreement, dated as of [DATE],
2008 (as amended and supplemented from time to time, the "Deposit Agreement"),
by and among the Company, the Depositary, and all Holders and Beneficial Owners
from time to time of ADSs issued thereunder. The Deposit Agreement sets forth
the rights and obligations of Holders and Beneficial Owners of ADSs and the
rights and duties of the Depositary in respect of the Shares deposited
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thereunder and any and all other securities, property and cash from time to time
received in respect of such Shares and held thereunder (such Shares, securities,
property and cash are herein called "Deposited Securities"). Copies of the
Deposit Agreement are on file at the Principal Office of the Depositary and with
the Custodian. Each Holder and each Beneficial Owner, upon acceptance of any
ADSs (or any interest therein) issued in accordance with the terms and
conditions of the Deposit Agreement, shall be deemed for all purposes to (a) be
a party to and bound by the terms of the Deposit Agreement and applicable
ADR(s), and (b) appoint the Depositary its attorney-in-fact, with full power to
delegate, to act on its behalf and to take any and all actions contemplated in
the Deposit Agreement and the applicable ADR(s), to adopt any and all procedures
necessary to comply with applicable law and to take such action as the
Depositary in its sole discretion may deem necessary or appropriate to carry out
the purposes of the Deposit Agreement and the applicable ADR(s), the taking of
such actions to be the conclusive determinant of the necessity and
appropriateness thereof.
The statements made on the face and reverse of this ADR are summaries of
certain provisions of the Deposit Agreement and the Articles of Association of
the Company (as in effect on the date of the signing of the Deposit Agreement)
and are qualified by and subject to the detailed provisions of the Deposit
Agreement and the Articles of Association, to which reference is hereby made.
All capitalized terms used herein which are not otherwise defined herein shall
have the meanings ascribed thereto in the Deposit Agreement. The Depositary
makes no representation or warranty as to the validity or worth of the Deposited
Securities. The Depositary has made arrangements for the acceptance of the ADSs
into DTC. Each Beneficial Owner of ADSs held through DTC must rely on the
procedures of DTC and the DTC Participants to exercise and be entitled to any
rights attributable to such ADSs. The Depositary may issue Uncertificated ADSs
subject, however, to the terms and conditions of Section 2.13 of the Deposit
Agreement.
(2) Withdrawal of Deposited Securities. The Holder of this ADR (and of the
ADSs evidenced hereby) shall be entitled to Delivery (at the Custodian's
designated office) of the Deposited Securities at the time represented by the
ADSs upon satisfaction of each of the following conditions: (i) the Holder (or a
duly authorized attorney of the Holder) has duly Delivered to the Depositary at
its Principal Office the ADSs evidenced hereby (and, if applicable, this ADR)
for the purpose of withdrawal of the Deposited Securities represented thereby,
(ii) if applicable and so required by the Depositary, this ADR Delivered to the
Depositary for such purpose has been properly endorsed in blank or is
accompanied by proper instruments of transfer in blank (including signature
guarantees in accordance with standard securities industry practice), (iii) if
so required by the Depositary, the Holder of the ADSs has executed and delivered
to the Depositary a written order directing the Depositary to cause the
Deposited Securities being withdrawn to be Delivered to or upon the written
order of the person(s) designated in such order, and (iv) all applicable fees
and charges of, and expenses incurred by, the Depositary and all applicable
taxes and governmental charges (as are set forth in Section 5.9 of, and Exhibit
B to, the Deposit Agreement) have been paid, subject, however, in each case, to
the terms and conditions of this ADR evidencing the surrendered ADSs, of the
Deposit Agreement, of the Company's Articles of Association, of any applicable
laws and the rules of the applicable Book-Entry Settlement Entity, and to any
provisions of or governing the Deposited Securities, in each case as in effect
at the time thereof.
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Upon satisfaction of each of the conditions specified above, the
Depositary (i) shall cancel the ADSs Delivered to it (and, if applicable, the
ADR(s) evidencing the ADSs so Delivered), (ii) shall direct the Registrar to
record the cancellation of the ADSs so Delivered on the books maintained for
such purpose, and (iii) shall direct the Custodian to Deliver (without
unreasonable delay) at the Custodian's designated office the Deposited
Securities represented by the ADSs so canceled together with any certificate or
other document of title for the Deposited Securities, or evidence of the
electronic transfer thereof (if available), as the case may be, to or upon the
written order of the person(s) designated in the order delivered to the
Depositary for such purpose, subject however, in each case, to the terms and
conditions of the Deposit Agreement, of this ADR evidencing the ADS so
cancelled, of the Articles of Association of the Company, of any applicable laws
and of the rules of the applicable Book-Entry Settlement Entity, and to the
terms and conditions of or governing the Deposited Securities, in each case as
in effect at the time thereof.
The Depositary shall not accept for surrender ADSs representing less than
one (1) Share. In the case of Delivery to it of ADSs representing a number other
than a whole number of Shares, the Depositary shall cause ownership of the
appropriate whole number of Shares to be Delivered in accordance with the terms
hereof, and shall, at the discretion of the Depositary, either (i) return to the
person surrendering such ADSs the number of ADSs representing any remaining
fractional Share, or (ii) sell or cause to be sold the fractional Share
represented by the ADSs so surrendered and remit the proceeds of such sale (net
of (a) applicable fees and charges of, and expenses incurred by, the Depositary
and (b) taxes withheld) to the person surrendering the ADSs. Notwithstanding
anything else contained in this ADR or the Deposit Agreement, the Depositary may
make delivery at the Principal Office of the Depositary of (i) any cash
dividends or cash distributions, or (ii) any proceeds from the sale of any
distributions of shares or rights, which are at the time held by the Depositary
in respect of the Deposited Securities represented by the ADSs surrendered for
cancellation and withdrawal. At the request, risk and expense of any Holder so
surrendering ADSs represented by this ADR, and for the account of such Holder,
the Depositary shall direct the Custodian to forward (to the extent permitted by
law) any cash or other property (other than securities) held by the Custodian in
respect of the Deposited Securities represented by such ADSs to the Depositary
for delivery at the Principal Office of the Depositary. Such direction shall be
given by letter or, at the request, risk and expense of such Holder, by cable,
telex or facsimile transmission.
(3) Transfer, Combination and Split-Up of ADRs. The Registrar shall
register the transfer of this ADR (and of the ADSs represented hereby) on the
books maintained for such purpose and the Depositary shall, as promptly as
practicable, (x) cancel this ADR and execute new ADRs evidencing the same
aggregate number of ADSs as those evidenced by this ADR when canceled by the
Depositary, (y) cause the Registrar to countersign such new ADRs, and (z)
Deliver such new ADRs to or upon the order of the person entitled thereto, if
each of the following conditions has been satisfied: (i) this ADR has been duly
Delivered by the Holder (or by a duly authorized attorney of the Holder) to the
Depositary at its Principal Office for the purpose of effecting a transfer
thereof, (ii) this surrendered ADR has been properly endorsed or is accompanied
by proper instruments of transfer (including signature guarantees in accordance
with standard securities industry practice), (iii) this surrendered ADR has been
duly stamped (if required by the laws of the State of New York or of the United
States), and (iv) all applicable fees and charges of, and expenses incurred by,
the Depositary and all applicable taxes and governmental charges (as are set
forth in Section 5.9 of, and Exhibit B to, the Deposit Agreement) have been
paid, subject, however, in each case, to the terms and conditions of this ADR,
of the Deposit Agreement and of applicable law, in each case as in effect at the
time thereof.
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The Registrar shall register the split-up or combination of this ADR (and
of the ADSs represented hereby) on the books maintained for such purpose and the
Depositary shall, as promptly as practicable, (x) cancel this ADR and execute
new ADRs for the number of ADSs requested, but in the aggregate not exceeding
the number of ADSs evidenced by this ADR (canceled), (y) cause the Registrar to
countersign such new ADRs, and (z) Deliver such new ADRs to or upon the order of
the Holder thereof, if each of the following conditions has been satisfied: (i)
this ADR has been duly Delivered by the Holder (or by a duly authorized attorney
of the Holder) to the Depositary at its Principal Office for the purpose of
effecting a split-up or combination hereof, and (ii) all applicable fees and
charges of, and expenses incurred by, the Depositary and all applicable taxes
and government charges (as are set forth in Section 5.9 of, and Exhibit B to,
the Deposit Agreement) have been paid, subject, however, in each case, to the
terms and conditions of this ADR, of the Deposit Agreement and of applicable
law, in each case as in effect at the time thereof.
(4) Pre-Conditions to Registration, Transfer, Etc. As a condition
precedent to the execution and delivery, the registration of issuance, transfer,
split-up, combination or surrender, of any ADR, the delivery of any distribution
thereon, or the withdrawal of any Deposited Securities, the Depositary or the
Custodian may require (i) payment from the depositor of Shares or presenter of
ADSs or of an ADR of a sum sufficient to reimburse it for any tax or other
governmental charge and any stock transfer or registration fee with respect
thereto (including any such tax or charge and fee with respect to Shares being
deposited or withdrawn) and payment of any applicable fees and charges of the
Depositary as provided in Section 5.9 and Exhibit B to the Deposit Agreement and
in this ADR, (ii) the production of proof satisfactory to it as to the identity
and genuineness of any signature or any other matters contemplated in Section
3.1 of the Deposit Agreement, and (iii) compliance with (A) any laws or
governmental regulations relating to the execution and delivery of ADRs or ADSs
or to the withdrawal of Deposited Securities and (B) such reasonable regulations
as the Depositary and the Company may establish consistent with the provisions
of this ADR, the Deposit Agreement and applicable law.
The issuance of ADSs against deposits of Shares generally or against
deposits of particular Shares may be suspended, or the deposit of particular
Shares may be refused, or the registration of transfer of ADSs in particular
instances may be refused, or the registration of transfer of ADSs generally may
be suspended, during any period when the transfer books of the Company, the
Depositary, a Registrar or the Share Registrar are closed or if any such action
is deemed necessary or advisable by the Depositary (whereupon the Depositary
shall notify the Company and vice versa) or the Company, in good faith, at any
time or from time to time because of any requirement of law or regulation, any
government or governmental body or commission or any securities exchange on
which the Shares or ADSs are listed, or under any provision of the Deposit
Agreement or this ADR, or under any provision of, or governing, the Deposited
Securities, or because of a meeting of shareholders of the Company or for any
other reason, subject, in all cases to paragraph (24) and Section 7.8 of the
Deposit Agreement. Notwithstanding any provision of the Deposit Agreement or
this ADR to the contrary, Holders are entitled to surrender outstanding ADSs to
withdraw the Deposited Securities at any time subject only to (i) temporary
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delays caused by closing the transfer books of the Depositary or the Company or
the deposit of Shares in connection with voting at a shareholders' meeting or
the payment of dividends, (ii) the payment of fees, taxes and similar charges,
(iii) compliance with any U.S. or foreign laws or governmental regulations
relating to the ADSs or the withdrawal of the Deposited Securities, and (iv)
other circumstances specifically contemplated by Instruction I.A.(l) of the
General Instructions to Form F-6 (as such General Instructions may be amended
from time to time).
(5) Compliance With Information Requests. Notwithstanding any other
provision of the Deposit Agreement or this ADR, each Holder and Beneficial Owner
of the ADSs represented hereby agrees to comply with requests from the Company
pursuant to applicable Cayman Islands law, the rules and requirements of the
NASDAQ Stock Market, and of any other stock exchange on which Shares or ADSs
are, or will be, registered, traded or listed, or the Articles of Association of
the Company, which are made to provide information, inter alia, as to the
capacity in which such Holder or Beneficial Owner owns ADSs (and Shares, as the
case may be) and regarding the identity of any other person(s) interested in
such ADSs and the nature of such interest and various other matters, whether or
not they are Holders or Beneficial Owners at the time of such request.
(6) Ownership Restrictions. Notwithstanding any provision of this ADR or
of the Deposit Agreement, the Company may restrict transfers of the Shares where
such transfer might result in ownership of Shares exceeding limits imposed by
applicable law or the Articles of Association of the Company. The Company may
also restrict, in such manner as it deems appropriate, transfers of the ADSs
where such transfer may result in the total number of Shares represented by the
ADSs owned by a single Holder or Beneficial Owner to exceed any such limits. The
Company may, in its sole discretion but subject to applicable law, instruct the
Depositary to take action with respect to the ownership interest of any Holder
or Beneficial Owner in excess of the limits set forth in the preceding sentence,
including but not limited to, the imposition of restrictions on the transfer of
ADSs, the removal or limitation of voting rights or mandatory sale or
disposition on behalf of a Holder or Beneficial Owner of the Shares represented
by the ADSs held by such Holder or Beneficial Owner in excess of such
limitations, if and to the extent such disposition is permitted by applicable
law and the Articles of Association of the Company. Nothing herein or in the
Deposit Agreement shall be interpreted as obligating the Depositary or the
Company to ensure compliance with the ownership restrictions described herein or
in Section 3.5 of the Deposit Agreement.
(7) Liability for Taxes and Other Charges. Any tax or other governmental
charge payable with respect to any ADR or any Deposited Securities or ADSs shall
be payable by the Holders and Beneficial Owners to the Depositary. The Company,
the Custodian and/or Depositary may withhold or deduct from any distributions
made in respect of Deposited Securities and may sell for the account of a Holder
and/or Beneficial Owner any or all of the Deposited Securities and apply such
distributions and sale proceeds in payment of such taxes (including applicable
interest and penalties) or charges, the Holder and the Beneficial Owner hereof
remaining liable for any deficiency. The Custodian may refuse the deposit of
Shares and the Depositary may refuse to issue ADSs, to deliver ADRs, register
the transfer of ADSs, register the split-up or combination of ADRs and (subject
to paragraph (24) hereof and Section 7.8 of the Deposit Agreement) the
withdrawal of Deposited Securities until payment in full of such tax, charge,
penalty or interest is received. Every Holder and Beneficial Owner agrees to
indemnify the Depositary, the Company, the Custodian, and any of their agents,
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officers, employees and Affiliates for, and hold each of them harmless from, any
claims with respect to taxes (or additions to tax, including applicable interest
and penalties thereon), arising from any inaccuracy of any information provided
by such Holder or Beneficial Owner in order to obtain any tax benefit on behalf
of such Holder and/or Beneficial Owner.
(8) Representations and Warranties of Depositors. Each person depositing
Shares under the Deposit Agreement shall be deemed thereby to represent and
warrant that (i) such Shares and the certificates therefor are duly authorized,
validly issued, fully paid, non-assessable and legally obtained by such person,
(ii) all preemptive (and similar) rights, if any, with respect to such Shares
have been validly waived or exercised, (iii) the person making such deposit is
duly authorized so to do, (iv) the Shares presented for deposit are free and
clear of any lien, encumbrance, security interest, charge, mortgage or adverse
claim, and (v) the Shares presented for deposit are not, and the ADSs issuable
upon such deposit will not be, Restricted Securities (except as contemplated in
Section 2.14 of the Deposit Agreement), and (vi) the Shares presented for
deposit have not been stripped of any rights or entitlements. Such
representations and warranties shall survive the deposit and withdrawal of
Shares, the issuance and cancellation of ADSs in respect thereof and the
transfer of such ADSs. If any such representations or warranties are false in
any way, the Company and the Depositary shall be authorized, at the cost and
expense of the person depositing Shares, to take any and all actions necessary
to correct the consequences thereof.
(9) Proofs, Certificates and Other Information. Any person presenting
Shares for deposit, and any Holder and any Beneficial Owner may be required, and
every Holder and Beneficial Owner agrees, from time to time to provide to the
Depositary and the Custodian such proof of citizenship or residence, taxpayer
status, payment of all applicable taxes or other governmental charges, exchange
control approval, legal or beneficial ownership of ADSs and Deposited
Securities, compliance with applicable laws, the terms of the Deposit Agreement
or the ADR(s) evidencing the ADSs and the provisions of, or governing, the
Deposited Securities, to execute such certifications and to make such
representations and warranties, and to provide such other information and
documentation (or, in the case of Shares in registered form presented for
deposit, such information relating to the registration on the books of the
Company or of the Shares Registrar) as the Depositary or the Custodian may deem
necessary or proper or as the Company may reasonably require by written request
to the Depositary consistent with its obligations under the Deposit Agreement
and the applicable ADR(s). The Depositary and the Registrar, as applicable, may
withhold the execution or delivery or registration of transfer of any ADR or ADS
or the distribution or sale of any dividend or distribution of rights or of the
proceeds thereof or, to the extent not limited by paragraph (24) and Section 7.8
of the Deposit Agreement, the delivery of any Deposited Securities until such
proof or other information is filed or such certifications are executed, or such
representations are made or such other information or documentation are
provided, in each case to the Depositary's, the Registrar's and the Company's
satisfaction.
(10) Charges of Depositary. The Depositary shall charge the following
fees:
(i) Issuance Fee: to any person depositing Shares or to whom ADSs
are issued upon the deposit of Shares, a fee not in excess of
U.S. $5.00 per 100 ADSs (or fraction thereof) issued under the
terms of the Deposit Agreement (excluding issuances as a
result of distributions described in paragraph (iv) below);
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(ii) Cancellation Fee: to any person surrendering ADSs for
cancellation and withdrawal of Deposited Securities, a fee not
in excess of U.S. $5.00 per 100 ADSs (or fraction thereof)
surrendered;
(iii) Cash Distribution Fee: to any Holder of ADS(s), a fee not in
excess of U.S. $2.00 per 100 ADSs (or fraction thereof) held
for the distribution of cash dividends or other cash
distributions (i.e., sale of rights and other entitlements);
and
(iv) Stock Distribution/Rights Exercise Fee: to any Holder of
ADS(s), a fee not in excess of U.S. $5.00 per 100 ADSs (or
fraction thereof) pursuant to (i) stock dividends or other
free stock distributions or (ii) exercise of rights to
purchase additional ADSs;
(v) Other Distribution Fee: to any Holder of ADS(s), a fee not in
excess of U.S. $5.00 per 100 ADSs (or fraction thereof) held
for the distribution of securities other than ADSs or rights
to purchase additional ADSs (i.e., spin-off shares); and
(vi) Depositary Services Fee: to any Holder of ADS(s), a fee not in
excess of U.S. $2.00 per 100 ADSs (or fraction thereof) held
on the applicable record date(s) established by the
Depositary.
(vii) ADR Transfer Fee: to any person presenting an ADR for
transfer, a fee not in excess of U.S. $1.50 per certificate
presented for transfer.
Holders, Beneficial Owners, persons depositing Shares and persons
surrendering ADSs for cancellation and for the purpose of withdrawing Deposited
Securities shall be responsible for the following charges:
(i) taxes (including applicable interest and penalties) and other
governmental charges;
(ii) such registration fees as may from time to time be in effect
for the registration of Shares or other Deposited Securities
on the share register and applicable to transfers of Shares or
other Deposited Securities to or from the name of the
Custodian, the Depositary or any nominees upon the making of
deposits and withdrawals, respectively;
(iii) such cable, telex and facsimile transmission and delivery
expenses as are expressly provided in the Deposit Agreement to
be at the expense of the person depositing or withdrawing
Shares or Holders and Beneficial Owners of ADSs;
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(iv) the expenses and charges incurred by the Depositary in the
conversion of foreign currency;
(v) such fees and expenses as are incurred by the Depositary in
connection with compliance with exchange control regulations
and other regulatory requirements applicable to Shares,
Deposited Securities, ADSs and ADRs; and
(vi) the fees and expenses incurred by the Depositary, the
Custodian, or any nominee in connection with the delivery or
servicing of Deposited Securities.
The Company, the Holders, the Beneficial Owners, and persons depositing
Shares or surrendering ADSs for cancellation and withdrawal of Deposited
Securities shall be required to pay to the Depositary the Depositary's fees and
related charges identified as payable by them respectively in the Fee Schedule
attached hereto as Exhibit B to the Deposit Agreement. All fees and charges may,
at any time and from time to time, be changed by agreement between the
Depositary and Company but, in the case of fees and charges payable by Holders
or Beneficial Owners, only in the manner contemplated by paragraph (22) of this
ADR and as contemplated in the Deposit Agreement. The Depositary will provide,
without charge, a copy of its latest fee schedule to anyone upon request.
Depositary Fees payable upon (i) deposit of Shares against issuance of
ADSs and (ii) surrender of ADSs for cancellation and withdrawal of Deposited
Securities will be charged by the Depositary to the person to whom the ADSs so
issues are delivered (in the case of ADS issuances) and to the person who
delivers the ADS for cancellation to the Depositary (in the case of ADS
cancellations). In the case of ADSs issued by the Depositary into DTC or
presented to the Depositary via DTC, the ADS issuance and cancellation fees will
be payable to the Depositary by the DTC Participant(s) receiving the ADSs from
the Depositary or the DTC Participant(s) surrendering the ADSs to the Depositary
for cancellation, as the case may be, on behalf of the Beneficial Owner(s) and
will be charged by the DTC Participant(s) to the account(s) of the applicable
Beneficial Owner(s) in accordance with the procedures and practices of the DTC
participant(s) as in effect at the time. Depositary fees in respect of
distributions and the Depositary services fee are payable to the Depositary by
Holders as of the applicable ADS Record Date established by the Depositary. In
the case of distributions of cash, the amount of the applicable Depositary fees
is deducted by the Depositary from the funds being distributed. In the case of
distributions other than cash and the Depositary service fee, the Depositary
will invoice the applicable Holders as of the ADS Record Date established by the
Depositary. For ADSs held through DTC, the Depositary fees for distributions
other than cash and the Depositary service fee are charged by the Depositary to
the DTC Participants in accordance with the procedures and practices prescribed
by DTC from time to time and the DTC Participants in turn charge the amount of
such fees to the Beneficial Owners for whom they hold ADSs.
The Depositary may remit to the Company a portion of the Depositary fees,
as well as make contributions for, the reimbursement of certain expenses
incurred by the Company in respect of the ADR program established pursuant to
the Deposit Agreement upon such terms and conditions as the Company and the
Depositary may agree from time to time. The Company shall pay to the Depositary
such fees and charges and reimburse the Depositary for such out-of-pocket
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expenses as the Depositary and the Company may agree from time to time.
Responsibility for payment of such charges may and reimbursement may from time
to time be changed by agreement between the Company and the Depositary. Unless
otherwise agreed, the Depositary shall present its statement for such expenses
and fees or charges to the Company once every three months. The charges and
expenses of the Custodian are for the sole account of the Depositary.
The right of the Depositary to receive payment of fees, charges and
expenses as provided above shall survive the termination of the Deposit
Agreement. As to any Depositary, upon the resignation or removal of such
Depositary as described in Section 5.4, such right shall extend for those fees,
charges and expenses incurred prior to the effectiveness of such resignation or
removal.
(11) Title to ADRs. It is a condition of this ADR, and every successive
Holder of this ADR by accepting or holding the same consents and agrees, that
title to this ADR (and to each ADS evidenced hereby) shall be transferable upon
the same terms as a certificated security under the laws of the State of New
York, provided that, in the case of Certificated ADSs, such ADR has been
properly endorsed or is accompanied by proper instruments of transfer.
Notwithstanding any notice to the contrary, the Depositary and the Company may
deem and treat the Holder of this ADR (that is, the person in whose name this
ADR is registered on the books of the Depositary) as the absolute owner thereof
for all purposes. Neither the Depositary nor the Company shall have any
obligation nor be subject to any liability under the Deposit Agreement or this
ADR to any holder of this ADR or any Beneficial Owner unless such holder is the
Holder of this ADR registered on the books of the Depositary or, in the case of
a Beneficial Owner, such Beneficial Owner or the Beneficial Owner's
representative is the Holder registered on the books of the Depositary.
(12) Validity of ADR. The Holder(s) of this ADR (and the ADSs represented
hereby) shall not be entitled to any benefits under the Deposit Agreement or be
valid or enforceable for any purpose against the Depositary or the Company
unless this ADR has been (i) dated, (ii) signed by the manual or facsimile
signature of a duly-authorized signatory of the Depositary, (iii) countersigned
by the manual or facsimile signature of a duly-authorized signatory of the
Registrar, and (iv) registered in the books maintained by the Registrar for the
registration of issuances and transfers of ADRs. An ADR bearing the facsimile
signature of a duly-authorized signatory of the Depositary or the Registrar, who
at the time of signature was a duly authorized signatory of the Depositary or
the Registrar, as the case may be, shall bind the Depositary, notwithstanding
the fact that such signatory has ceased to be so authorized prior to the
delivery of such ADR by the Depositary.
(13) Available Information; Reports; Inspection of Transfer Books.
The Company is subject to the periodic reporting requirements of the
Exchange Act and, accordingly, is required to file or submit certain reports
with the Commission. These reports can be retrieved from the Commission's
website (xxx.xxx.xxx) and can be inspected and copied at the public reference
facilities maintained by the Commission located (as of the date of the Deposit
Agreement) at 000 X Xxxxxx, X.X., Xxxxxxxxxx X.X. 00000. The Depositary shall
make available for inspection by Holders at its Principal Office any reports and
communications, including any proxy soliciting materials, received from the
Company which are both (a) received by the Depositary, the Custodian, or the
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nominee of either of them as the holder of the Deposited Securities and (b) made
generally available to the holders of such Deposited Securities by the Company.
The Depositary shall also provide or make available to Holders copies of such
reports when furnished by the Company pursuant to Section 5.6 of the Deposit
Agreement.
Dated:
CITIBANK, N.A. CITIBANK, N.A.
Transfer Agent and Registrar as Depositary
By: By:
--------------------------------- ---------------------------------
Authorized Signatory Authorized Signatory
The address of the Principal Office of the Depositary is 000 Xxxxxxxxx
Xxxxxx, Xxx Xxxx, Xxx Xxxx 00000, X.X.X.
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[FORM OF REVERSE OF ADR]
SUMMARY OF CERTAIN ADDITIONAL PROVISIONS
OF THE DEPOSIT AGREEMENT
(14) Dividends and Distributions in Cash, Shares, etc. Whenever the
Company intends to make a distribution of a cash dividend or other cash
distribution, the Company shall give timely notice thereof to the Depositary at
least twenty (20) days (or such other number of days as the Depositary and the
Company may from time to time agree to) prior to the proposed distribution
specifying, inter alia, the record date applicable for determining the holders
of Deposited Securities entitled to receive such distribution. Upon the timely
receipt of such notice, the Depositary shall establish an ADS Record Date upon
the terms described in Section 4.9 of the Deposit Agreement. Upon confirmation
from the Custodian of receipt of any cash dividend or other cash distribution on
any Deposited Securities, or upon receipt of proceeds from the sale of any
Deposited Securities or of any entitlements held in respect of Deposited
Securities under the terms of the Deposit Agreement, the Depositary will (i) if
at the time of receipt thereof any amounts received in a Foreign Currency can in
the judgment of the Depositary (upon the terms of Section 4.8 of the Deposit
Agreement), be converted on a practicable basis into Dollars transferable to the
United States, promptly convert or cause to be converted such cash dividend,
distribution or proceeds into Dollars (upon the terms of Section 4.8 of the
Deposit Agreement), (ii) if applicable, establish the ADS Record Date upon the
terms described in Section 4.9 of the Deposit Agreement, and (iii) distribute
promptly the amount thus received (net of (a) applicable fees and charges of,
and expenses incurred by, the Depositary and (b) taxes withheld) to the Holders
entitled thereto as of the ADS Record Date in proportion to the number of ADSs
held as of the ADS Record Date. The Depositary shall distribute only such
amount, however, as can be distributed without attributing to any Holder a
fraction of one cent, and any balance not so distributed shall be held by the
Depositary (without liability for interest thereon) and shall be added to and
become part of the next sum received by the Depositary for distribution to
Holders of ADSs outstanding at the time of the next distribution. If the
Company, the Custodian or the Depositary is required to withhold and does
withhold from any cash dividend or other cash distribution in respect of any
Deposited Securities an amount on account of taxes, duties or other governmental
charges, the amount distributed to Holders on the ADSs representing such
Deposited Securities shall be reduced accordingly. Such withheld amounts shall
be forwarded by the Company, the Custodian or the Depositary to the relevant
governmental authority. Evidence of payment thereof by the Company shall be
forwarded by the Company to the Depositary upon request. The Depositary or the
Custodian, as the case may be, will forward to the Company or its agent such
information from its records as the Company may request to enable the Company or
its agent to file necessary reports with the governmental agencies, and the
Depositary or the Custodian, as the case may be, or the Company or its agent may
(but shall not be obligated to) file any such reports necessary to obtain
benefits under the applicable tax treaties for Holders of ADSs.
Whenever the Company intends to make a distribution that consists of a
dividend in, or free distribution of, Shares, the Company shall give timely
notice thereof to the Depositary at least twenty (20) days (or such other number
of days as the Depositary and the Company may from time to time agree to) prior
to the proposed distribution, specifying, inter alia, the record date applicable
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for determining holders of Deposited Securities entitled to receive such
distribution. Upon the timely receipt of such notice, from the Company, the
Depositary shall establish the ADS Record Date upon the terms described in
Section 4.9 of the Deposit Agreement and either (i) the Depositary shall,
subject to Section 5.9, distribute to the Holders as of the ADS Record Date in
proportion to the number of ADSs held as of the ADS Record Date, additional
ADSs, which represent in the aggregate the number of Shares received as such
dividend, or free distribution, subject to the other terms of the Deposit
Agreement (including, without limitation, (a) the applicable fees and charges
of, and expenses incurred by, the Depositary and (b) taxes), or (ii) if
additional ADSs are not so distributed, take all actions necessary so that each
ADS issued and outstanding after the ADS Record Date shall, to the extent
permissible by law, thenceforth also represent rights and interests in the
additional integral number of Shares distributed upon the Deposited Securities
represented thereby (net of (a) the applicable fees and charges of, and expenses
incurred by, the Depositary and (b) taxes). In lieu of delivering fractional
ADSs, the Depositary shall sell the number of Shares or ADSs, as the case may
be, represented by the aggregate of such fractions and distribute the net
proceeds upon the terms described in Section 4.1 of the Deposit Agreement.
In the event that the Depositary determines that any distribution in
property (including Shares) is subject to any tax or other governmental charges
which the Depositary is obligated to withhold, or, if the Company in the
fulfillment of its obligations under Section 5.7 of the Deposit Agreement, has
furnished an opinion of U.S. counsel determining that Shares must be registered
under the Securities Act or other laws in order to be distributed to Holders
(and no such registration statement has been declared effective), the Depositary
may dispose of all or a portion of such property (including Shares and rights to
subscribe therefor) in such amounts and in such manner, including by public or
private sale, as the Depositary deems necessary and practicable, and the
Depositary shall distribute the net proceeds of any such sale (after deduction
of (a) taxes and (b) fees and charges of, and the expenses incurred by, the
Depositary) to Holders entitled thereto upon the terms of Section 4.1 of the
Deposit Agreement. The Depositary shall hold and/or distribute any unsold
balance of such property in accordance with the provisions of the Deposit
Agreement.
Whenever the Company intends to make a distribution payable at the
election of the holders of Shares in cash or in additional Shares, the Company
shall give notice thereof to the Depositary at least sixty (60) days (or such
other number of days as the Depositary and the Company may from time to time
agree to) prior to the proposed distribution specifying whether or not it wishes
such elective distribution to be made available to Holders of ADSs. Upon timely
receipt of notice indicating that the Company wishes such elective distribution
to be made available to Holders of ADSs, the Depositary shall consult with the
Company to determine, and the Company shall assist the Depositary in its
determination, whether it is lawful and reasonably practicable to make such
elective distribution available to the Holders of ADSs. The Depositary shall
make such elective distribution available to Holders only if (i) the Company
shall have timely requested that the elective distribution be made available to
Holders, (ii) the Depositary shall have determined that such distribution is
reasonably practicable and (iii) the Depositary shall have received satisfactory
documentation within the terms of Section 5.7 of the Deposit Agreement. If the
above conditions are not satisfied, the Depositary shall establish an ADS Record
Date on the terms described in Section 4.9 of the Deposit Agreement and, to the
extent permitted by law, distribute to the Holders, on the basis of the same
determination as is made in the Cayman Islands in respect of the Shares for
which no election is made, either (X) cash upon the terms described in Section
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4.1 of the Deposit Agreement or (Y) additional ADSs representing such additional
Shares upon the terms described in Section 4.2 of the Deposit Agreement. If the
above conditions are satisfied, the Depositary shall establish an ADS Record
Date on the terms described in Section 4.9 of the Deposit Agreement and
establish procedures to enable Holders to elect the receipt of the proposed
distribution in cash or in additional ADSs. The Company shall assist the
Depositary in establishing such procedures to the extent necessary. If a Holder
elects to receive the proposed distribution (X) in cash, the distribution shall
be made upon the terms described in Section 4.1, or (Y) in ADSs, the
distribution shall be made upon the terms described in Section 4.2 of the
Deposit Agreement. Nothing herein shall obligate the Depositary to make
available to Holders a method to receive the elective distribution in Shares
(rather than ADSs). There can be no assurance that Holders generally, or any
Holder in particular, will be given the opportunity to receive elective
distributions on the same terms and conditions as the holders of Shares.
Whenever the Company intends to distribute to the holders of the Deposited
Securities rights to subscribe for additional Shares, the Company shall give
notice thereof to the Depositary at least sixty (60) days (or such other number
of days as the Depositary and the Company may from time to time agree to) prior
to the proposed distribution specifying whether or not it wishes such rights to
be made available to Holders of ADSs. Upon timely receipt of notice indicating
that the Company wishes such rights to be made available to Holders of ADSs, the
Depositary shall consult with the Company to determine, and the Company shall
assist the Depositary in its determination, whether it is lawful and reasonably
practicable to make such rights available to the Holders. The Depositary shall
make such rights available to Holders only if (i) the Company shall have timely
requested that such rights be made available to Holders, (ii) the Depositary
shall have received satisfactory documentation within the terms of Section 5.7
of the Deposit Agreement, and (iii) the Depositary shall have determined that
such distribution of rights is reasonably practicable. In the event any of the
conditions set forth above are not satisfied or if the Company requests that the
rights not be made available to Holders of ADSs, the Depositary shall proceed
with the sale of the rights as contemplated in Section 4.4(b) of the Deposit
Agreement. In the event all conditions set forth above are satisfied, the
Depositary shall establish an ADS Record Date (upon the terms described in
Section 4.9 of the Deposit Agreement) and establish procedures to (x) distribute
rights to purchase additional ADSs (by means of warrants or otherwise), (y) to
enable the Holders to exercise such rights (upon payment of the subscription
price and of the applicable (a) fees and charges of, and expenses incurred by,
the Depositary and (b) taxes), and (z) to deliver ADSs upon the valid exercise
of such rights. The Company shall assist the Depositary to the extent necessary
in establishing such procedures. Nothing herein shall obligate the Depositary to
make available to the Holders a method to exercise rights to subscribe for
Shares (rather than ADSs). If (i) the Company does not timely request the
Depositary to make the rights available to Holders or requests that the rights
not be made available to Holders, (ii) the Depositary fails to receive
satisfactory documentation within the terms of Section 5,7 of the Deposit
Agreement or determines it is not reasonably practicable to make the rights
available to Holders, or (iii) any rights made available are not exercised and
appear to be about to lapse, the Depositary shall determine whether it is lawful
and reasonably practicable to sell such rights, in a riskless principal
capacity, at such place and upon such terms (including public and private sale)
as it may deem practicable. The Company shall assist the Depositary to the
extent necessary to determine such legality and practicability. The Depositary
shall, upon such sale, convert and distribute proceeds of such sale (net of
applicable (a) fees and charges of, and expenses incurred by, the Depositary and
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(b) taxes) upon the terms hereof and of Section 4.1 of the Deposit Agreement. If
the Depositary is unable to make any rights available to Holders upon the terms
described in Section 4.4(a) of the Deposit Agreement or to arrange for the sale
of the rights upon the terms described in Section 4.4(b) of the Deposit
Agreement, the Depositary shall allow such rights to lapse. The Depositary shall
not be responsible for (i) any failure to determine that it may be lawful or
practicable to make such rights available to Holders in general or any Holders
in particular, (ii) any foreign exchange exposure or loss incurred in connection
with such sale or exercise, or (iii) the content of any materials forwarded to
the ADS Holders on behalf of the Company in connection with the rights
distribution.
Notwithstanding anything herein or in Section 4.4 the Deposit Agreement to
the contrary, if registration (under the Securities Act or any other applicable
law) of the rights or the securities to which any rights relate may be required
in order for the Company to offer such rights or such securities to Holders and
to sell the securities represented by such rights, the Depositary will not
distribute such rights to the Holders (i) unless and until a registration
statement under the Securities Act (or other applicable law) covering such
offering is in effect or (ii) unless the Company furnishes the Depositary
opinion(s) of counsel for the Company in the United States and counsel to the
Company in any other applicable country in which rights would be distributed, in
each case satisfactory to the Depositary, to the effect that the offering and
sale of such securities to Holders and Beneficial Owners are exempt from, or do
not require registration under, the provisions of the Securities Act or any
other applicable laws. A liquid market for rights may not exist, and this may
adversely affect (1) the ability of the Depositary to dispose of such rights or
(2) the amount the Depositary would realize upon disposal of rights. In the
event that the Company, the Depositary or the Custodian shall be required to
withhold and does withhold from any distribution of property (including rights)
an amount on account of taxes or other governmental charges, the amount
distributed to the Holders of ADSs representing such Deposited Securities shall
be reduced accordingly. In the event that the Depositary determines that any
distribution in property (including Shares and rights to subscribe therefor) is
subject to any tax or other governmental charges which the Depositary is
obligated to withhold, the Depositary may dispose of all or a portion of such
property (including Shares and rights to subscribe therefor) in such amounts and
in such manner, including by public or private sale, as the Depositary deems
necessary and practicable to pay any such taxes or charges.
There can be no assurance that Holders generally, or any Holder in
particular, will be given the opportunity to receive or exercise rights on the
same terms and conditions as the holders of Shares or be able to exercise such
rights. Nothing herein or in the Deposit Agreement shall obligate the Company to
file any registration statement in respect of any rights or Shares or other
securities to be acquired upon the exercise of such rights.
(a) Whenever the Company intends to distribute to the holders of Deposited
Securities property other than cash, Shares or rights to purchase additional
Shares, the Company shall give timely notice thereof to the Depositary and shall
indicate whether or not it wishes such distribution to be made to Holders of
ADSs. Upon receipt of a notice indicating that the Company wishes such
distribution be made to Holders of ADSs, the Depositary shall consult with the
Company, and the Company shall assist the Depositary, to determine whether such
distribution to Holders is lawful and reasonably practicable. The Depositary
shall not make such distribution unless (i) the Company shall have requested the
Depositary to make such distribution to Holders, (ii) the Depositary shall have
received satisfactory documentation within the terms of Section 5.7 of the
Deposit Agreement, and (iii) the Depositary shall have determined that such
distribution is reasonably practicable.
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(b) Upon receipt of satisfactory documentation and the request of the
Company to distribute property to Holders of ADSs and after making the requisite
determinations set forth in (a) above, the Depositary shall distribute the
property so received to the Holders of record, as of the ADS Record Date, in
proportion to the number of ADSs held by them respectively and in such manner as
the Depositary may deem practicable for accomplishing such distribution (i) upon
receipt of payment or net of the applicable fees and charges of, and expenses
incurred by, the Depositary, and (ii) net of any taxes withheld. The Depositary
may dispose of all or a portion of the property so distributed and deposited, in
such amounts and in such manner (including public or private sale) as the
Depositary may deem practicable or necessary to satisfy any taxes (including
applicable interest and penalties) or other governmental charges applicable to
the distribution.
(c) If (i) the Company does not request the Depositary to make such
distribution to Holders or requests not to make such distribution to Holders,
(ii) the Depositary does not receive satisfactory documentation within the terms
of Section 5.7 of the Deposit Agreement, or (iii) the Depositary determines that
all or a portion of such distribution is not reasonably practicable, the
Depositary shall sell or cause such property to be sold in a public or private
sale, at such place or places and upon such terms as it may deem practicable and
shall (i) cause the proceeds of such sale, if any, to be converted into Dollars
and (ii) distribute the proceeds of such conversion received by the Depositary
(net of applicable (a) fees and charges of, and expenses incurred by, the
Depositary and (b) taxes) to the Holders as of the ADS Record Date upon the
terms of Section 4.1 of the Deposit Agreement. If the Depositary is unable to
sell such property, the Depositary may dispose of such property for the account
of the Holders in any way it deems reasonably practicable under the
circumstances.
(15) Redemption. If the Company intends to exercise any right of
redemption in respect of any of the Deposited Securities, the Company shall give
notice thereof to the Depositary at least sixty (60) days (or such other number
of days as the Depositary and the Company may from time to time agree to) prior
to the intended date of redemption which notice shall set forth the particulars
of the proposed redemption. Upon timely receipt of (i) such notice and (ii)
satisfactory documentation given by the Company to the Depositary within the
terms of Section 5.7 of the Deposit Agreement, and only if the Depositary shall
have determined that such proposed redemption is practicable, the Depositary
shall provide to each Holder a notice setting forth the intended exercise by the
Company of the redemption rights and any other particulars set forth in the
Company's notice to the Depositary. The Depositary shall instruct the Custodian
to present to the Company the Deposited Securities in respect of which
redemption rights are being exercised against payment of the applicable
redemption price. Upon receipt of confirmation from the Custodian that the
redemption has taken place and that funds representing the redemption price have
been received, the Depositary shall convert, transfer, and distribute the
proceeds (net of applicable (a) fees and charges of, and the expenses incurred
by, the Depositary, and (b) taxes), retire ADSs and cancel ADRs, if applicable,
upon delivery of such ADSs by Holders thereof and the terms set forth in
Sections 4.1 and 6.2 of the Deposit Agreement. If less than all outstanding
Deposited Securities are redeemed, the ADSs to be retired will be selected by
lot or on a pro rata basis, as may be determined by the Depositary. The
redemption price per ADS shall be the dollar equivalent of the per share amount
received by the Depositary (adjusted to reflect the ADS(s)-to-Share(s) ratio)
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upon the redemption of the Deposited Securities represented by ADSs (subject to
the terms of Section 4.8 of the Deposit Agreement and the reasonable applicable
fees and charges of, and expenses incurred by, the Depositary, and taxes)
multiplied by the number of Deposited Securities represented by each ADS
redeemed.
(16) Fixing of ADS Record Date. Whenever the Depositary shall receive
notice of the fixing of a record date by the Company for the determination of
holders of Deposited Securities entitled to receive any distribution (whether in
cash, Shares, rights or other distribution), or whenever for any reason the
Depositary causes a change in the number of Shares that are represented by each
ADS, or whenever the Depositary shall receive notice of any meeting of, or
solicitation of consents or proxies of, holders of Shares or other Deposited
Securities, or whenever the Depositary shall find it necessary or convenient in
connection with the giving of any notice, solicitation of any consent or any
other matter, the Depositary shall fix a record date ("ADS Record Date") for the
determination of the Holders of ADSs who shall be entitled to receive such
distribution, to give instructions for the exercise of voting rights at any such
meeting, to give or withhold such consent, to receive such notice or
solicitation or to otherwise take action, or to exercise the rights of Holders
with respect to such changed number of Shares represented by each ADS. The
Depositary shall make reasonable efforts to establish the ADS Record Date as
closely as possible to the applicable record date for the Deposited Securities
(if any) set by the Company in the Cayman Islands. Subject to applicable law and
the terms and conditions of this ADR and Sections 4.1 through 4.8 of the Deposit
Agreement, only the Holders of ADSs at the close of business in New York on such
ADS Record Date shall be entitled to receive such distributions, to give such
instructions, to receive such notice or solicitation, or otherwise take action.
(17) Voting of Deposited Securities. As soon as practicable after receipt
of notice of any meeting at which the holders of Deposited Securities are
entitled to vote, or of solicitation of consents or proxies from holders of
Deposited Securities, the Depositary shall fix the ADS Record Date in respect of
such meeting or solicitation of such consent or proxy in accordance with Section
4.9 of the Deposit Agreement. The Depositary shall, if requested by the Company
in writing in a timely manner (the Depositary having no obligation to take any
further action if the request shall not have been received by the Depositary at
least thirty (30) days prior to the date of such vote or meeting), at the
Company's expense and provided no U.S. legal prohibitions exist, distribute as
soon as practicable after receipt thereof to Holders as of the ADS Record Date:
(a) such notice of meeting or solicitation of consent or proxies, (b) a
statement that the Holders at the close of business on the ADS Record Date will
be entitled, subject to any applicable law, the provisions of the Deposit
Agreement, the Company's Articles of Association and the provisions of or
governing Deposited Securities (which provisions, if any, shall be summarized in
pertinent part by the Company), to instruct the Depositary as to the exercise of
the voting rights, if any, pertaining to the Deposited Securities represented by
such Holder's ADSs and (c) a brief statement as to the manner in which such
voting instructions may be given to the Depositary or in which voting
instructions may be deemed to have been given in accordance with this Section
4.10 if no instructions are received prior to the deadline set for such purposes
to the Depositary to give a discretionary proxy to a person designated by the
Company. Voting instructions may be given only in respect of a number of ADSs
representing an integral number of Deposited Securities.
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Notwithstanding anything contained in the Deposit Agreement or any ADR, the
Depositary may, to the extent not prohibited by law or regulations, or by the
requirements of the stock exchange on which the ADSs are listed, in lieu of
distribution of the materials provided to the Depositary in connection with any
meeting of, or solicitation of consents or proxies from, holders of Deposited
Securities, distribute to the Holders a notice that provides Holders with, or
otherwise publicizes to Holders, instructions on how to retrieve such materials
or receive such materials upon request (i.e., by reference to a website
containing the materials for retrieval or a contact for requesting copies of the
materials).
The Depositary has been advised by the Company that under the Cayman Islands'
law as in effect as of the date of the Deposit Agreement, voting at any meeting
of shareholders is by show of hands unless a poll is demanded. The Depositary
will not join in demanding a poll, whether or not requested to do so by Holders
of ADSs. Under the Articles of Association of the Company (as in effect on the
date of the Deposit Agreement) a poll may be demanded by (i) the chairman of the
meeting, (ii) at least three shareholders present in person or in the case of a
shareholder being a corporation by its duly authorized representative or by
proxy for the time being entitled to vote at the meeting, (iii) any shareholder
or shareholders present in person or in the case of a shareholder being a
corporation by its duly authorized representative or by proxy and representing
not less than one-tenth of the total voting rights of all shareholders having
the right to vote at the meeting, (iv) by a shareholder or shareholders present
in person or in the case of a shareholder being a corporation by its duly
authorized representative or by proxy and holding Shares in the Company
conferring a right to vote at a meeting being Shares on which an aggregate sum
has been paid up equal to not less than one-tenth of the total sum paid on all
shares conferring that right, or (v) if required by the rules of the NASDAQ
Stock Market, by any director or directors of the Company who, individually or
collectively, hold proxies in respect of Shares representing 5% or more of the
total voting rights at such meeting.
Upon the timely receipt from a Holder of ADSs as of the ADS Record Date of
voting instructions in the manner specified by the Depositary, the Depositary
shall endeavor, insofar as practicable and permitted under applicable law, the
provisions of the Deposit Agreement, Articles of Association of the Company and
the provisions of the Deposited Securities, to vote, or cause the Custodian to
vote, the Deposited Securities (in person or by proxy) represented by such
Holder's ADSs as follows: (i) in the event voting takes place at a shareholders'
meeting by show of hands, the Depositary will instruct the Custodian to vote all
Deposited Securities (including Deposited Securities represented by ADSs for
which no timely voting instructions are received by the Depositary from the
Holder) in accordance with the voting instructions received from a majority of
Holders of ADSs who provided voting instructions; or (ii) in the event voting
takes place at a shareholders' meeting by poll, (a) the Depositary will instruct
the Custodian to vote the Deposited Securities in accordance with the voting
instructions received from the Holders of ADSs, or (b) if the Depositary does
not receive instructions from a Holder as of the ADS Record Date on or before
the date established by the Depositary for such purpose, such Holder shall be
deemed, and the Depositary shall deem such Holder, to have instructed the
Depositary to give a discretionary proxy to a person designated by the Company
to vote the Deposited Securities; provided, however, that no such discretionary
proxy shall be given by the Depositary with respect to any matter to be voted
upon as to which the Company informs the Depositary that (A) the Company does
not wish such proxy to be given, (B) substantial opposition exists, or (C) the
rights of holders of Deposited Securities may be adversely affected.
A-17
Neither the Depositary nor the Custodian shall under any circumstances exercise
any discretion as to voting and neither the Depositary nor the Custodian shall
vote, attempt to exercise the right to vote, or in any way make use of for
purposes of establishing a quorum or otherwise, the Deposited Securities
represented by ADSs, except pursuant to and in accordance with the voting
instructions timely received from Holders or as otherwise contemplated herein.
If the Depositary timely receives voting instructions from a Holder which fail
to specify the manner in which the Depositary is to vote the Deposited
Securities represented by such Holder's ADSs, the Depositary will deem such
Holder (unless otherwise specified in the notice distributed to Holders) to have
instructed the Depositary to vote in favor of the items set forth in such voting
instructions. Deposited Securities represented by ADSs for which no timely
voting instructions are received by the Depositary from the Holder shall be
voted in the manner expressly provided by this paragraph. Notwithstanding
anything else contained herein, the Depositary shall, if so requested in writing
by the Company, represent all Deposited Securities (whether or not voting
instructions have been received in respect of such Deposited Securities from
Holders as of the ADS Record Date) for the sole purpose of establishing quorum
at a meeting of shareholders.
Notwithstanding anything else contained in the Deposit Agreement or any ADR, the
Depositary shall not have any obligation to take any action with respect to any
meeting, or solicitation of consents or proxies, of holders of Deposited
Securities if the taking of such action would violate U.S. laws. The Company
agrees to take any and all actions reasonably necessary and as permitted by
Cayman Islands law to enable Holders and Beneficial Owners to exercise the
voting rights relating to the Deposited Securities and to deliver to the
Depositary an opinion of U.S. counsel addressing any actions requested to be
taken if so requested by the Depositary.
There can be no assurance that Holders generally or any Holder in particular
will receive the notice described above with sufficient time to enable the
Holder to return voting instructions to the Depositary in a timely manner.
(18) Changes Affecting Deposited Securities. Upon any change in nominal or
par value, split-up, cancellation, consolidation or any other reclassification
of Deposited Securities, or upon any recapitalization, reorganization, merger,
consolidation or sale of assets affecting the Company or to which it is a party,
any securities which shall be received by the Depositary or the Custodian in
exchange for, or in conversion of or replacement of or otherwise in respect of,
such Deposited Securities shall, to the extent permitted by law, be treated as
new Deposited Securities under the Deposit Agreement, and the ADRs shall,
subject to the provisions of the Deposit Agreement and applicable law, evidence
ADSs representing the right to receive such additional or replacement
securities, as applicable. The Depositary may, with the Company's approval, and
shall, if the Company shall so request, subject to the terms of the Deposit
Agreement and receipt of an opinion of counsel to the Company satisfactory to
the Depositary that such actions are not in violation of any applicable laws or
regulations, (i) issue and deliver additional ADSs as in the case of a stock
dividend on the Shares, (ii) amend the Deposit Agreement and the applicable
ADRs, (iii) amend the applicable Registration Statement(s) on Form F-6 as filed
with the Commission in respect of the ADSs, (iv) call for the surrender of
outstanding ADRs to be exchanged for new ADRs, and (v) take such other actions
as are appropriate to reflect the transaction with respect to the ADSs. The
Company agrees to, jointly with the Depositary, amend the Registration Statement
A-18
on Form F-6 as filed with the Commission to permit the issuance of such new form
of ADRs. Notwithstanding the foregoing, in the event that any security so
received may not be lawfully distributed to some or all Holders, the Depositary
may, with the Company's approval, and shall, if the Company requests, subject to
receipt of an opinion of Company's counsel satisfactory to the Depositary that
such action is not in violation of any applicable laws or regulations, sell such
securities at public or private sale, at such place or places and upon such
terms as it may deem proper and may allocate the net proceeds of such sales (net
of (a) reasonable fees and charges of, and expenses incurred by, the Depositary
and (b) taxes) for the account of the Holders otherwise entitled to such
securities upon an averaged or other practicable basis without regard to any
distinctions among such Holders and distribute the net proceeds so allocated to
the extent practicable as in the case of a distribution received in cash
pursuant to Section 4.1 of the Deposit Agreement. The Depositary shall not be
responsible for (i) any failure to determine that it may be lawful or feasible
to make such securities available to Holders in general or any Holder in
particular, (ii) any foreign exchange exposure or loss incurred in connection
with such sale, or (iii) any liability to the purchaser of such securities.
(19) Exoneration. Neither the Depositary nor the Company shall be
obligated to do or perform any act which is inconsistent with the provisions of
the Deposit Agreement or incur any liability (i) if the Depositary or the
Company shall be prevented or forbidden from, or subjected to any civil or
criminal penalty or restraint on account of, or delayed in, doing or performing
any act or thing required by the terms of the Deposit Agreement and this ADR, by
reason of any provision of any present or future law or regulation of the United
States, the Cayman Islands or any other country, or of any other governmental
authority or regulatory authority or stock exchange, or on account of the
possible criminal or civil penalties or restraint, or by reason of any
provision, present or future, of the Articles of Association of the Company or
any provision of or governing any Deposited Securities, or by reason of any act
of God or war or other circumstances beyond its control (including, without
limitation, nationalization, expropriation, currency restrictions, work
stoppage, strikes, civil unrest, acts of terrorism, revolutions, rebellions,
explosions and computer failure), (ii) by reason of any exercise of, or failure
to exercise, any discretion provided for in the Deposit Agreement or in the
Articles of Association of the Company or provisions of or governing Deposited
Securities, (iii) for any action or inaction in reliance upon the advice of or
information from legal counsel, accountants, any person presenting Shares for
deposit, any Holder, any Beneficial Owner or authorized representative thereof,
or any other person believed by it in good faith to be competent to give such
advice or information, (iv) for the inability by a Holder or Beneficial Owner to
benefit from any distribution, offering, right or other benefit which is made
available to holders of Deposited Securities but is not, under the terms of the
Deposit Agreement, made available to Holders of ADSs or (v) for any
consequential or punitive damages for any breach of the terms of the Deposit
Agreement. The Depositary, its controlling persons, its agents, any Custodian
and the Company, its controlling persons and its agents may rely and shall be
protected in acting upon any written notice, request or other document believed
by it to be genuine and to have been signed or presented by the proper party or
parties. No disclaimer of liability under the Securities Act is intended by any
provision of the Deposit Agreement or this ADR.
(20) Standard of Care. The Company and the Depositary assume no obligation
and shall not be subject to any liability under the Deposit Agreement or this
ADR to any Holder(s) or Beneficial Owner(s), except that the Company and
Depositary agree to perform their respective obligations specifically set forth
in the Deposit Agreement and this ADR without negligence or bad faith. Without
A-19
limitation of the foregoing, neither the Depositary, nor the Company, nor any of
their respective controlling persons, or agents, shall be under any obligation
to appear in, prosecute or defend any action, suit or other proceeding in
respect of any Deposited Securities or in respect of the ADSs, which in its
opinion may involve it in expense or liability, unless indemnity satisfactory to
it against all expense (including fees and disbursements of counsel) and
liability be furnished as often as may be required (and no Custodian shall be
under any obligation whatsoever with respect to such proceedings, the
responsibility of the Custodian being solely to the Depositary). The Depositary
and its agents shall not be liable for any failure to carry out any instructions
to vote any of the Deposited Securities, or for the manner in which any vote is
cast or the effect of any vote, provided that any such action or omission is in
good faith and in accordance with the terms of the Deposit Agreement. The
Depositary shall not incur any liability for any failure to determine that any
distribution or action may be lawful or reasonably practicable, for the content
of any information submitted to it by the Company for distribution to the
Holders or for any inaccuracy of any translation thereof, for any investment
risk associated with acquiring an interest in the Deposited Securities, for the
validity or worth of the Deposited Securities or for any tax consequences that
may result from the ownership of ADSs, Shares or Deposited Securities, for the
credit-worthiness of any third party, for allowing any rights to lapse upon the
terms of the Deposit Agreement, or for the failure or timeliness of any notice
from the Company.
(21) Resignation and Removal of the Depositary; Appointment of Successor
Depositary. The Depositary may at any time resign as Depositary under the
Deposit Agreement by written notice of resignation delivered to the Company,
such resignation to be effective on the earlier of (i) the 90th day after
delivery thereof to the Company (whereupon the Depositary shall be entitled to
take the actions contemplated in Section 6.2 of the Deposit Agreement), or (ii)
upon the appointment of a successor depositary and its acceptance of such
appointment as provided in the Deposit Agreement. The Depositary may at any time
be removed by the Company by written notice of such removal, which removal shall
be effective on the later of (i) the 90th day after delivery thereof to the
Depositary (whereupon the Depositary shall be entitled to take the actions
contemplated in Section 6.2 of the Deposit Agreement), or (ii) upon the
appointment of a successor depositary and its acceptance of such appointment as
provided in the Deposit Agreement. In case at any time the Depositary acting
hereunder shall resign or be removed, the Company shall use its best efforts to
appoint a successor depositary, which shall be a bank or trust company having an
office in the Borough of Manhattan, the City of New York. Every successor
depositary shall be required by the Company to execute and deliver to its
predecessor and to the Company an instrument in writing accepting its
appointment hereunder, and thereupon such successor depositary, without any
further act or deed (except as required by applicable law), shall become fully
vested with all the rights, powers, duties and obligations of its predecessor
(other than as contemplated in Sections 5.8 and 5.9 of the Deposit Agreement).
The predecessor depositary, upon payment of all sums due it and on the written
request of the Company, shall (i) execute and deliver an instrument transferring
to such successor all rights and powers of such predecessor hereunder (other
than as contemplated in Sections 5.8 and 5.9 of the Deposit Agreement), (ii)
duly assign, transfer and deliver all right, title and interest to the Deposited
Securities to such successor, and (iii) deliver to such successor a list of the
Holders of all outstanding ADSs and such other information relating to ADSs and
Holders thereof as the successor may reasonably request. Any such successor
depositary shall promptly provide notice of its appointment to such Holders. Any
corporation into or with which the Depositary may be merged or consolidated
shall be the successor of the Depositary without the execution or filing of any
document or any further act.
A-20
(22) Amendment/Supplement. Subject to the terms and conditions of this
paragraph 22, the Deposit Agreement and applicable law, this ADR and any
provisions of the Deposit Agreement may at any time and from time to time be
amended or supplemented by written agreement between the Company and the
Depositary in any respect which they may deem necessary or desirable without the
prior written consent of the Holders or Beneficial Owners. Any amendment or
supplement which shall impose or increase any fees or charges (other than
charges in connection with foreign exchange control regulations, and taxes and
other governmental charges, delivery and other such expenses), or which shall
otherwise materially prejudice any substantial existing right of Holders or
Beneficial Owners, shall not, however, become effective as to outstanding ADSs
until the expiration of thirty (30) days after notice of such amendment or
supplement shall have been given to the Holders of outstanding ADSs. Notice of
any amendment to the Deposit Agreement or any ADR shall not need to describe in
detail the specific amendments effectuated thereby, and failure to describe the
specific amendments in any such notice shall not render such notice invalid,
provided, however, that, in each such case, the notice given to the Holders
identifies a means for Holders and Beneficial Owners to retrieve or receive the
text of such amendment (i.e., upon retrieval from the Commission's, the
Depositary's or the Company's website or upon request from the Depositary). The
parties hereto agree that any amendments or supplements which (i) are reasonably
necessary (as agreed by the Company and the Depositary) in order for (a) the
ADSs to be registered on Form F-6 under the Securities Act or (b) the ADSs to be
settled solely in electronic book-entry form and (ii) do not in either such case
impose or increase any fees or charges to be borne by Holders, shall be deemed
not to materially prejudice any substantial rights of Holders or Beneficial
Owners. Every Holder and Beneficial Owner at the time any amendment or
supplement so becomes effective shall be deemed, by continuing to hold such
ADSs, to consent and agree to such amendment or supplement and to be bound by
the Deposit Agreement and this ADR, if applicable, as amended or supplemented
thereby. In no event shall any amendment or supplement impair the right of the
Holder to surrender such ADS and receive therefor the Deposited Securities
represented thereby, except in order to comply with mandatory provisions of
applicable law. Notwithstanding the foregoing, if any governmental body should
adopt new laws, rules or regulations which would require an amendment of, or
supplement to, the Deposit Agreement to ensure compliance therewith, the Company
and the Depositary may amend or supplement the Deposit Agreement and this ADR at
any time in accordance with such changed laws, rules or regulations. Such
amendment or supplement to the Deposit Agreement and this ADR in such
circumstances may become effective before a notice of such amendment or
supplement is given to Holders or within any other period of time as required
for compliance with such laws, rules or regulations.
(23) Termination. The Depositary shall, at any time at the written
direction of the Company, terminate the Deposit Agreement by distributing notice
of such termination to the Holders of all ADSs then outstanding at least thirty
(30) days prior to the date fixed in such notice for such termination. If ninety
(90) days shall have expired after (i) the Depositary shall have delivered to
the Company a written notice of its election to resign, or (ii) the Company
shall have delivered to the Depositary a written notice of the removal of the
Depositary, and, in either case, a successor depositary shall not have been
appointed and accepted its appointment as provided in Section 5.4 of the Deposit
Agreement, the Depositary may terminate the Deposit Agreement by distributing
A-21
notice of such termination to the Holders of all ADSs then outstanding at least
thirty (30) days prior to the date fixed in such notice for such termination.
The date so fixed for termination of the Deposit Agreement in any termination
notice so distributed by the Depositary to the Holders of ADSs is referred to as
the "Termination Date". Until the Termination Date, the Depositary shall
continue to perform all of its obligations under the Deposit Agreement, and the
Holders and Beneficial Owners will be entitled to all of their rights under the
Deposit Agreement. If any ADSs shall remain outstanding after the Termination
Date, the Registrar and the Depositary shall not, after the Termination Date,
have any obligation to perform any further acts under the Deposit Agreement,
except that the Depositary shall, subject, in each case, to the terms and
conditions of the Deposit Agreement, continue to (i) collect dividends and other
distributions pertaining to Deposited Securities, (ii) sell securities and other
property received in respect of Deposited Securities, (iii) deliver Deposited
Securities, together with any dividends or other distributions received with
respect thereto and the net proceeds of the sale of any securities or other
property, in exchange for ADSs surrendered to the Depositary (after deducting,
or charging, as the case may be, in each case, the fees and charges of, and
expenses incurred by, the Depositary, and all applicable taxes or governmental
charges for the account of the Holders and Beneficial Owners, in each case upon
the terms set forth in Section 5.9 of the Deposit Agreement), and (iv) take such
actions as may be required under applicable law in connection with its role as
Depositary under the Deposit Agreement. At any time after the Termination Date,
the Depositary may sell the Deposited Securities then held under the Deposit
Agreement and shall after such sale hold un-invested the net proceeds of such
sale, together with any other cash then held by it under the Deposit Agreement,
in an un-segregated account and without liability for interest, for the pro -
rata benefit of the Holders whose ADSs have not theretofore been surrendered.
After making such sale, the Depositary shall be discharged from all obligations
under the Deposit Agreement except (i) to account for such net proceeds and
other cash (after deducting, or charging, as the case may be, in each case, the
fees and charges of, and expenses incurred by, the Depositary, and all
applicable taxes or governmental charges for the account of the Holders and
Beneficial Owners, in each case upon the terms set forth in Section 5.9 of the
Deposit Agreement), and (ii) as may be required at law in connection with the
termination of the Deposit Agreement. After the Termination Date, the Company
shall be discharged from all obligations under the Deposit Agreement, except for
its obligations to the Depositary under Sections 5.8, 5.9 and 7.6 of the Deposit
Agreement. The obligations under the terms of the Deposit Agreement of Holders
and Beneficial Owners of ADSs outstanding as of the Termination Date shall
survive the Termination Date and shall be discharged only when the applicable
ADSs are presented by their Holders to the Depositary for cancellation under the
terms of the Deposit Agreement.
(24) Compliance with U.S. Securities Laws. Notwithstanding any provisions
in this ADR or the Deposit Agreement to the contrary, the withdrawal or delivery
of Deposited Securities will not be suspended by the Company or the Depositary
except as would be permitted by Instruction I.A.(1) of the General Instructions
to the Form F-6 Registration Statement, as amended from time to time, under the
Securities Act.
(25) Certain Rights of the Depositary; Limitations. Subject to the further
terms and provisions of this paragraph (25) and Section 5.10 of the Deposit
Agreement, the Depositary, its Affiliates and their agents, on their own behalf,
may own and deal in any class of securities of the Company and its Affiliates
and in ADSs. In its capacity as Depositary, the Depositary shall not lend Shares
or ADSs; provided, however, that the Depositary may (i) issue ADSs prior to the
A-22
receipt of Shares pursuant to Section 2.3 of the Deposit Agreement and (ii)
deliver Shares prior to the receipt of ADSs for withdrawal of Deposited
Securities pursuant to Section 2.7 of the Deposit Agreement, including ADSs
which were issued under (i) above but for which Shares may not have been
received (each such transaction a "Pre-Release Transaction"). The Depositary may
receive ADSs in lieu of Shares under (i) above and receive Shares in lieu of
ADSs under (ii) above. Each such Pre-Release Transaction will be (a) subject to
a written agreement whereby the person or entity (the "Applicant") to whom ADSs
or Shares are to be delivered (w) represents that at the time of the Pre-Release
Transaction the Applicant or its customer owns the Shares or ADSs that are to be
delivered by the Applicant under such Pre-Release Transaction, (x) agrees to
indicate the Depositary as owner of such Shares or ADSs in its records and to
hold such Shares or ADSs in trust for the Depositary until such Shares or ADSs
are delivered to the Depositary or the Custodian, (y) unconditionally guarantees
to deliver to the Depositary or the Custodian, as applicable, such Shares or
ADSs and (z) agrees to any additional restrictions or requirements that the
Depositary deems appropriate, (b) at all times fully collateralized with cash,
U.S. government securities or such other collateral as the Depositary deems
appropriate, (c) terminable by the Depositary on not more than five (5) business
days' notice and (d) subject to such further indemnities and credit regulations
as the Depositary deems appropriate. The Depositary will normally limit the
number of ADSs and Shares involved in such Pre-Release Transactions at any one
time to thirty percent (30%) of the ADSs outstanding (without giving effect to
ADSs outstanding under (i) above), provided, however, that the Depositary
reserves the right to change or disregard such limit from time to time as it
deems appropriate. The Depositary may also set limits with respect to the number
of ADSs and Shares involved in Pre-Release Transactions with any one person on a
case by case basis as it deems appropriate. The Depositary may retain for its
own account any compensation received by it in conjunction with the foregoing.
Collateral provided pursuant to (b) above, but not earnings thereon, shall be
held for the benefit of the Holders (other than the Applicant).
A-23
(ASSIGNMENT AND TRANSFER SIGNATURE LINES)
FOR VALUE RECEIVED, the undersigned Holder hereby sell(s), assign(s) and
transfer(s) unto ______________________________ whose taxpayer identification
number is _______________________ and whose address including postal zip code is
________________, the within ADS and all rights thereunder, hereby irrevocably
constituting and appointing ________________________ attorney-in-fact to
transfer said ADS on the books of the Depositary with full power of substitution
in the premises.
Dated: Name: ______________________________________
By:
Title:
NOTICE: The signature of the Holder to this
assignment must correspond with the name as
written upon the face of the within
instrument in every particular, without
alteration or enlargement or any change
whatsoever.
If the endorsement be executed by an
attorney, executor, administrator, trustee
or guardian, the person executing the
endorsement must give his/her full title in
such capacity and proper evidence of
authority to act in such capacity, if not on
file with the Depositary, must be forwarded
with this ADR.
__________________________
SIGNATURE GUARANTEED
All endorsements or assignments of ADRs must
be guaranteed by a member of a Medallion
Signature Program approved by the Securities
Transfer Association, Inc.
Legends
[The ADRs issued in respect of Partial Entitlement American Depositary Shares
shall bear the following legend on the face of the ADR: "This ADR evidences ADSs
representing 'partial entitlement' [type of shares] of [Company] and as such do
not entitle the holders thereof to the same per-share entitlement as other [type
of shares] Shares (which are 'full entitlement' [type of shares] Shares) issued
and outstanding at such time. The ADSs represented by this ADR shall entitle
holders to distributions and entitlements identical to other ADSs when the [type
of shares] Shares represented by such ADSs become 'full entitlement' [type of
shares] Shares."] . X-0 XXX - Xxxxxxx Xxxxxxxxx.XXX
X-00
XXXXXXX X
FEE SCHEDULE
DEPOSITARY FEES AND RELATED CHARGES
All capitalized terms used but not otherwise defined herein shall have the
meaning given to such terms in the Deposit Agreement.
I. Depositary Fees
The Company, the Holders, the Beneficial Owners and the persons depositing
Shares or surrendering ADSs for cancellation agree to pay the following fees of
the Depositary:
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Service Rate By Whom Paid
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
(1) Issuance of ADSs upon deposit Up to U.S. $5.00 per 100 ADSs (or Person depositing Shares [or person
of Shares (excluding fraction thereof) issued. receiving ADSs].
issuances as a result of
distributions described in
paragraph (4) below).
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
(2) Delivery of Deposited Up to U.S. $5.00 per 100 ADSs (or Person surrendering ADSs for
Securities against surrender fraction thereof) surrendered. purpose of withdrawal of Deposited
of ADSs. Securities [or person to whom
Deposited Securities are delivered].
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
(3) Distribution of cash Up to U.S. $2.00 per 100 ADSs (or Person to whom distribution is made.
dividends or other cash fraction thereof) held.
distributions (i.e., sale of
rights and other
entitlements).
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
(4) Distribution of ADSs pursuant Up to U.S. $5.00 per 100 ADSs (or Person to whom distribution is made.
to (i) stock dividends or fraction thereof) held.
other free stock
distributions, or
(ii) exercise of rights to
purchase additional ADSs.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
(5) Distribution of securities Up to U.S. $5.00 per 100 ADSs (or Person to whom distribution is made.
other than ADSs or rights to fraction thereof) held.
purchase additional ADSs
(i.e., spin-off shares).
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
(6) Depositary Services. Up to U.S. $2.00 per 100 ADSs (or Person holding ADSs on applicable
fraction thereof) held. record date(s) established by the
Depositary.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
(7) Transfer of ADRs. U.S. $1.50 per certificate Person presenting certificate for
presented for transfer. transfer.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
B-1
II. Charges
Holders, Beneficial Owners, persons depositing Shares and persons
surrendering ADSs for cancellation and for the purpose of withdrawing Deposited
Securities shall be responsible for the following charges:
(i) taxes (including applicable interest and penalties) and other governmental
charges;
(ii) such registration fees as may from time to time be in effect for the
registration of Shares or other Deposited Securities on the share register
and applicable to transfers of Shares or other Deposited Securities to or
from the name of the Custodian, the Depositary or any nominees upon the
making of deposits and withdrawals, respectively;
(iii) such cable, telex and facsimile transmission and delivery expenses as are
expressly provided in the Deposit Agreement to be at the expense of the
person depositing or withdrawing Shares or Holders and Beneficial Owners
of ADSs;
(iv) the expenses and charges incurred by the Depositary in the conversion of
foreign currency;
(v) such fees and expenses as are incurred by the Depositary in connection
with compliance with exchange control regulations and other regulatory
requirements applicable to Shares, Deposited Securities, ADSs and ADRs;
and
(vi) the fees and expenses incurred by the Depositary, the Custodian, or any
nominee in connection with the servicing or delivery of Deposited
Securities.
B-2
