UNITED STATES OIL FUND, LP FIRST AMENDED AND RESTATED AGREEMENT OF LIMITED PARTNERSHIP
Exhibit 3.1
This First Amended and Restated Agreement of Limited Partnership (this “Agreement”), executed
on , 2006, is entered into by and among Victoria Bay Asset Management, LLC, a Delaware
limited liability company, as General Partner, Xxxxxxxxxx Holdings, Inc., a Delaware corporation,
as the Organizational Limited Partner, and [NAME OF INITIAL LIMITED PARTNER TO BE INSERTED PRIOR TO
EFFECTIVENESS], as a Limited Partner, together with any Persons who shall hereafter be admitted as
Partners in accordance with this Agreement.
NOW THEREFORE, in consideration of the mutual promises and agreements herein made and
intending to be legally bound, the Partners hereby agree as follows:
Article 1
DEFINITIONS
As used in this Agreement, the following terms shall have the following meanings:
1.1 “Accounting Period” shall mean the following periods: The initial accounting period shall
commence upon the commencement of operations of the Partnership. Each subsequent Accounting Period
shall commence immediately after the close of the preceding Accounting Period. Each Accounting
Period hereunder shall close on earliest of (i) the last Business Day of a month, (ii) the
effective date of dissolution of the Partnership, and (iii) such other day or days in addition
thereto or in substitution therefore as may from time to time be determined by the General Partner
in its discretion either in any particular case or generally.
1.2 “Act” shall mean the Revised Uniform Limited Partnership Act of the State of Delaware, as
amended from time to time.
1.3 “Additional Limited Partner” shall mean a Person admitted to the Partnership as a Limited
Partner pursuant to this Agreement and who is shown as such on the books and records of the
Partnership.
1.4 “Affiliate” shall mean, when used with reference to a specified Person, (i) any Person who
directly or indirectly through one or more intermediaries controls or is controlled by or is under
common control with the specified Person or (ii) any Person that is an officer of, partner in, or
trustee of, or serves in a similar capacity with respect to, the specified Person or of which the
specified person is an officer, partner or trustee, or with respect to which the specified Person
serves in a similar capacity.
1.5 “Assignee” shall mean a Record Holder that has not been admitted to the Partnership as a
Substituted Limited Partner.
1.6 “Agreement” shall mean this Agreement of Limited Partnership, as originally executed and
as amended, modified, supplemented or restated from time to time, as the context requires.
1.7 “Authorized Purchaser Agreement” means an agreement among the Partnership, the General
Partner and a Participant as it may be amended or supplemented from time to time in accordance with
its terms.
1.8 “Business Day” shall any day other than a day on which the American Stock Exchange, the
New York Mercantile Exchange or the New York Stock Exchange is closed for regular trading
1.9 “Beneficial Owner” shall mean the ultimate beneficial owner of Units held by a nominee
which has furnished the identity of the Beneficial Owner in accordance with Section 6031(c) of the
Code (or any other method acceptable to the General Partner in its sole discretion) and with
Section 9.2.2 of this Agreement.
1.10 “Capital Account” shall mean an account established on the books and records of the
Partnership for each Partner as set forth in this Agreement.
1.11 “Capital Contribution” shall mean the total amount of money or agreed-upon value of
property contributed to the Partnership by all the Partners or any class of Partners or any one
Partner, as the case may be (or the predecessor holders of the interests of such Partner or
Partners).
1.12 “Capital Transaction” shall mean a sale of all or substantially all of the assets of the
Partnership not in the ordinary course of business.
1.13 “Certificate” shall mean a certificate, substantially in the form of Exhibit B to this
Agreement or in such other forms as may be adopted by the General Partner in its sole discretion,
issued by the Partnership evidencing ownership of one or more Units.
1.14 “Close of Business” shall mean 5:00 PM (New York City time).
1.15 “Creation Basket” shall mean 100,000 Units or such other number of Units as may be
determined by the General Partner from time to time.
1.16 “Code” shall mean the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended.
1.17 “Departing Partner” shall mean a former General Partner, from and after the effective
date of any withdrawal or removal of such former General Partner.
1.18 “Depository” or “DTC” means The Depository Trust Company, New York, New York, or such
other depository of Units as may be selected by the General Partner as specified herein.
1.19 “Depository Agreement” means the Letter of Representations from the General Partner to
the Depository, dated as of , 2006, as the same may be amended or supplemented from time
to time.
1.20 “Distributable Cash” shall mean with respect to any period all cash revenues of the
Partnership (not including (i) Capital Contributions, (ii) funds received by the Partnership in
respect of indebtedness incurred by the Partnership, (iii) interest or other income earned on
temporary investments of Partnership funds pending utilization, and (iv) proceeds from any Capital
Transaction), less the sum of the following: (x) all amounts expended by the Partnership pursuant
to this Agreement in such period and (y) such working capital or reserves or other amounts as the
General Partner reasonably deems to be necessary or appropriate for the proper
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operation of the Partnership’s business or its winding up and liquidation. The General Partner
in its sole discretion may from time to time declare other funds of the Partnership to be
Distributable Cash.
1.21 “DTC Participants” shall have the meaning assigned to such term in Section 9.2.2.
1.22 “General Partner” shall mean Victoria Bay Asset Management, LLC, a Delaware limited
liability company, or any Person who, at the time of reference thereto, serves as a general partner
of the Partnership.
1.23 “Global Certificates” means the global certificate or certificates issued to the
Depository as provided in the Depository Agreement, each of which shall be in substantially the
form attached hereto as Exhibit B.
1.24 “Indirect Participants” shall have the meaning assigned to such term in Section 9.2.2.
1.25 “Initial Offering Period” means the period commencing with the initial effective date of
the Prospectus and terminating no later than the ninetieth (90th) day following such date unless
extended for up to an additional ninety (90) days at the sole discretion of the General Partner.
1.26 “Limited Partner” shall mean the Organizational Limited Partner prior to its withdrawal
from the Partnership and any other Person who is a limited partner (whether the Initial Limited
Partner, a Limited Partner admitted pursuant to this Agreement or an assignee who is admitted as a
Limited Partner) at the time of reference thereto, in such Person’s capacity as a limited partner
of the Partnership.
1.27 “Management Fee” shall mean the management fee paid to the General Partner pursuant to
this Agreement.
1.28 “Net Asset Value” or “NAV” shall mean the current market value of the Partnership’s total
assets, less any liabilities, as reasonably determined by the General Partner or its designee.
1.29 “Opinion of Counsel” shall mean a written opinion of counsel (who may be regular counsel
to the Partnership or the General Partner) acceptable to the General Partner.
1.30 “Organizational Limited Partner” shall mean Xxxxxxxxxx Holdings, Inc., a Delaware
corporation, in its capacity as the organizational limited partner of the Partnership pursuant to
this Agreement.
1.31 “Outstanding” shall mean, with respect to the Units or other Partnership Securities, as
the case may be, all Units or other Partnership Securities of that are issued by the Partnership
and reflected as outstanding on the Partnership’s books and records as of the date of
determination.
1.32 “Participant” means a Person that is a DTC Participant and has entered into an Authorized
Purchaser Agreement which, at the relevant time, is in full force and effect.
1.33 “Partner” shall mean the General Partner or any Limited Partner. “Partners” shall mean
the General Partner and all Limited Partners (unless otherwise indicated).
1.34 “Partnership” shall mean the limited partnership hereby formed, as such limited
partnership may from time to time be constituted.
1.35 “Partnership Securities” shall mean any additional Units, options, rights, warrants or
appreciation rights
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relating thereto, or any other type of equity security that the Partnership may lawfully
issue, any unsecured or secured debt obligations of the Partnership or debt obligations of the
Partnership convertible into any class or series of equity securities of the Partnership.
1.36 “Person” shall mean any natural person, partnership, limited partnership, trust, estate,
corporation, association, custodian, nominee or any other individual or entity in their own or any
representative capacity.
1.37 “Profit or Loss” with respect to any Accounting Period shall mean the excess (if any) of:
(a) the Net Asset Value as of the Valuation Time on the Valuation Date, less
(b) the Net Asset Value as of the Valuation Time on the Valuation Date immediately preceding
the commencement of such Accounting Period,
adjusted as deemed appropriate by the General Partner to reflect any Capital Contributions,
redemptions, withdrawals, distributions, or other events occurring or accounted for during such
Accounting Period (including any allocation of Profit or Loss to a Redeeming Partner pursuant to
Article 4.3.2 with respect to such Accounting Period).
If the amount determined pursuant to the preceding sentence is a positive number, such amount shall
be the “Profit” for the Accounting Period and if such amount is a negative number, such amount
shall be the “Loss” for the Accounting Period.
1.38 “Prospectus” shall mean the United States Oil Fund, LP Prospectus, dated ___, 2006,
as the same may have been amended or supplemented, used in connection with the offer and sale of
interests.
1.39 “Record Date” shall mean the date established by the General Partner for determining (a)
the identity of Limited Partners (or Assignees if applicable) entitled to notice of, or to vote at
any meeting of Limited Partners or entitled to vote by ballot or give approval of Partnership
action in writing without a meeting or entitled to exercise rights in respect of any action of
Limited Partners or (b) the identity of Record Holders entitled to receive any report or
distribution.
1.40 “Record Holder” shall mean the Person in whose name such Unit is registered on the books
of the Transfer Agent as of the open of business on a particular Business Day.
1.41 “Redeemable Units” shall mean any Units for which a redemption notice has been given.
1.42 “Redemption Basket” shall mean 100,000 Units or such other number of Units as may be
determined by the General Partner from time to time
1.43 “Revolving Credit Facility” shall mean a revolving credit facility which the Partnership
may enter into on behalf of the Partnership with one or more commercial banks or other lenders for
liquidity or other purposes for the benefit of the Partnership.
1.44 “Substituted Limited Partner” shall mean a Person who is admitted as a Limited Partner to
the Partnership pursuant to Article 11.2 in place of and with all the rights of a Limited Partner
and who is shown as a Limited Partner on the books and records of the Partnership.
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1.45 “Tax Certificate” shall mean an Internal Revenue Service Form W-9 (or the substantial
equivalent thereof) in the case of Limited Partner that is a U.S. person within the meaning of the
Code, or an Internal Revenue Service Form W-8BEN or other applicable form in the case of a Limited
Partner that is not a U.S. person.
1.46 “Transfer Agent” shall mean Xxxxx Brothers Xxxxxxxx & Co. or such bank, trust company or
other Person (including, without limitation, the General Partner or one of its Affiliates) as shall
be appointed from time to time by the Partnership to act as registrar and transfer agent for the
Units or any applicable Partnership Securities.
1.47 “Transfer Application” shall mean an application and agreement for transfer of Units in
the form attached to this Agreement, substantially in the form of Exhibit D attached hereto.
1.48 “Unit” shall mean an interest of a Limited Partner or an assignee of the Partnership
representing such fractional part of the interests of all Limited Partners and assignees as shall
be determined by the General Partner pursuant to this Agreement.
1.49 “Unitholders” means the General Partner and all holders of Units, where no distinction is
required by the context in which the term is used.
1.50 “Valuation Date” shall mean the last Business Day of any Accounting Period.
1.51 “Valuation Time” shall mean (i) Close of Business on a Valuation Date or (ii) such other
time or day as the General Partner in its discretion may determine from time to time either in any
particular case or generally.
Article 2
GENERAL PROVISIONS
2.1 The General Partner and the Organizational Limited Partner have previously formed the
Partnership as a limited partnership pursuant to the Act and hereby amend and restate the original
Agreement of Limited Partnership of the Partnership in its entirety. This amendment and restatement
shall become effective on the date of this Agreement. The rights and liabilities of the Partners
shall be as provided in the Act, except as herein otherwise expressly provided. The Partnership
shall continue without interruption as a limited partnership pursuant to the provisions of the Act.
2.2 The name of the Partnership shall be United States Oil Fund, LP; however, the business of
the Partnership may be conducted, upon compliance with all applicable laws, under any other name
designated in writing by the General Partner to the Limited Partners.
2.3 The Partnership’s principal place of business shall be located at 0000 Xxxxxx Xxx Xxxxxxx,
Xxxxx 000, Xxxxxxx, Xxxxxxxxxx 00000 or such other place as the General Partner may designate from
time to time. The Registered Agent for the Partnership is Corporation Service Company and the
registered office is located at 0000 Xxxxxxxxxxx Xxxx, Xxxxx 000, Xxxxxxxxxx, Xxxxxxxx 00000,
County of New Castle. The Partnership may maintain such other offices at such other places, as the
General Partner deems advisable.
2.4 The investment objective of the Partnership is for the units’ net asset value to reflect
the performance of the spot price of West Texas Intermediate light, sweet crude oil delivered to
Cushing, Oklahoma (“WTI light, sweet crude oil”), less the Partnership’s expenses. The Partnership
will invest in futures contracts for WTI light,
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sweet crude oil and other petroleum-based fuels that are traded on the New York Mercantile
Exchange or other U.S. and foreign exchanges (collectively, “Oil Futures Contracts”) and other oil
interests such as cash-settled options on Oil Futures Contracts, forward contracts for oil, and
over-the-counter transactions that are based on the price of oil, other petroleum-based fuels, Oil
Futures Contracts and indices based on the foregoing (collectively, “Other Oil Interests”’). The
Partnership seeks to achieve its investment objective by investing in a mix of Oil Futures
Contracts and Other Oil Interests such that the Partnership’s NAV will closely track the price of
an Oil Futures Contract (the “Benchmark Oil Futures Contract”) that the General Partner believes
has historically exhibited a close price correlation with the spot price of WTI light, sweet crude
oil.
2.5 The term of the Partnership shall be from the date of its formation in perpetuity, unless
earlier terminated in accordance with the terms of this Agreement.
2.6 The General Partner shall execute, file and publish all such certificates, notices,
statements or other instruments required by law for the formation or operation of a limited
partnership in all jurisdictions where the Partnership may elect to do business. A copy of this
Agreement may be filed as the Certificate of Limited Partnership of the Partnership. The General
Partner shall not be required to deliver or mail to Limited Partners a copy of the certificate of
limited partnership of the Partnership or any certificate of amendment thereto.
2.7 The Partnership shall be empowered to do any and all acts and things necessary,
appropriate, proper, advisable, incidental to or convenient for the furtherance and accomplishment
of the purposes, business, protection and benefit of the Partnership.
2.8 The business and affairs of the Partnership shall be managed by the General Partner in
accordance with Article 7 hereof and by seven directors, four of whom may also be executive
officers of the General Partner. The General Partner shall establish and maintain an audit
committee in compliance with, and granted the requisite authority and funding pursuant to, any
applicable (1) federal securities laws and regulations, including the Xxxxxxxx-Xxxxx Act of 2002,
and (2) rules, policies and procedures of any national securities exchange on which the securities
issued by the Partnership are listed and traded.
Article 3
PARTNERS AND CAPITAL CONTRIBUTIONS
3.1 General Partner.
3.1.1 The name of the General Partner is Victoria Bay Asset Management, LLC, which maintains
its principal business office at 0000 Xxxxxx Xxx Xxxxxxx, Xxxxx 000, Xxxxxxx, Xxxxxxxxxx 00000.
3.1.2 In consideration of management and administrative services rendered by the General
Partner, the Partnership shall pay the Management Fee to the General Partner (or such other person
or entity designated by the General Partner) including the payment of expenses in the ordinary
course of business. The Management Fee shall be payable monthly. The initial Management Fee shall
be set forth on Exhibit A attached hereto, as may be amended from time to time. The General Partner
may, in its sole discretion, waive all or part of the Management Fee. The Partnership shall be
responsible for extraordinary expenses (i.e., expenses not in the ordinary course of business,
including the indemnification of any Person against liabilities and obligations to the extent
permitted by law and required under this Agreement and the bringing and defending of actions at law
or in equity and otherwise engaging in the conduct of litigation and the incurring of legal expense
and the settlement of claims and litigation.)
3.1.3 In connection with the formation of the Partnership under the Act, the General Partner
acquired a 2%
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interest in the profits and losses of the Partnership, was admitted as the General Partner of
the Partnership and later made an initial capital contribution to the Partnership in the amount of
$20.00, and the Organizational Limited Partner acquired a ninety-eight percent (98%) interest in
the profits and losses of the Partnership, was admitted as a Limited Partner of the Partnership and
later made an initial capital contribution to the Partnership in the amount of $980.00. As of the
date hereof, the interest of the Organizational Limited Partner shall be redeemed, the initial
capital contribution of the Organizational Limited Partner shall be refunded, and the
Organizational Limited Partner shall thereupon withdraw and cease to be a Limited Partner.
Ninety-eight percent (98%) of any interest or other profit that may have resulted from the
investment or other use of such initial capital contributions shall be allocated and distributed to
the Organizational Limited Partner, and the balance thereof shall be allocated and distributed to
the General Partner. As of the first date of the offering, the General Partner shall be issued an
appropriate number of Units based on its initial capital contribution. The General Partner may but
shall not be required to make Capital Contributions to the Partnership on or after the date hereof.
If the General Partner does make a Capital Contribution to the Partnership on or after the date
hereof, it shall be issued Units based on the same terms and conditions applicable to the purchase
of a Creation Basket under Article 16 hereof.
3.1.4 The General Partner may not, without written approval of the specific act by all of the
Limited Partners or by other written instrument executed and delivered by all of the Limited
Partners subsequent to the date of this Agreement, take any action in contravention of this
Agreement, including, without limitation, (i) any act that would make it impossible to carry on the
ordinary business of the Partnership, except as otherwise provided in this Agreement; (ii) possess
Partnership property, or assign any rights in specific Partnership property, for other than a
Partnership purpose; (iii) admit a Person as a Partner, except as otherwise provided in this
Agreement; (iv) amend this Agreement in any manner, except as otherwise provided in this Agreement
or under applicable law; or (v) transfer its interest as general partner of the Partnership, except
as otherwise provided in this Agreement.
3.1.5 Except as provided in certain articles, the General Partner may not sell, exchange or
otherwise dispose of all or substantially all of the Partnership’s assets in a single transaction
or a series of related transactions (including by way of merger, consolidation or other combination
with any other Person) or approve on behalf of the Partnership the sale, exchange or other
disposition of all or substantially all of the assets of the Partnership, taken as a whole, without
the approval of at least a majority of the Limited Partners; provided, however, that this provision
shall not preclude or limit the General Partner’s ability to mortgage, pledge, hypothecate or grant
a security interest in all or substantially all of the Partnership’s assets and shall not apply to
any forced sale of any or all of the Partnership’s assets pursuant to the foreclosure of, or other
realization upon, any such encumbrance.
3.1.6 Unless approved by a majority of the Limited Partners, the General Partner shall not
take any action or refuse to take any reasonable action the effect of which, if taken or not taken,
as the case may be, would be to cause the Partnership, to the extent it would materially and
adversely affect the Limited Partners, to be taxable as a corporation for federal income tax
purposes.
3.1.7 Notwithstanding any other provision of this Agreement, the General Partner is not
authorized to institute or initiate on behalf of, or otherwise cause the Partnership to:
(a) | make a general assignment for the benefit of creditors; | ||
(b) | file a voluntary bankruptcy petition; or | ||
(c) | file a petition seeking for the Partnership a reorganization, arrangement, composition, readjustment |
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liquidation, dissolution or similar relief under any law.
3.2 Issuance of Units. Units in the Partnership will only be issued in a Creation Basket or
whole number multiples thereof.
3.3 Initial Limited Partner. The name, business address and Capital Contribution of the
Initial Limited Partner are [INSERT INFORMATION PRIOR TO EFFECTIVENESS]. The Initial Limited
Partner shall purchase the initial Creation Basket at an initial offering price per Unit equal to
the closing price of near-month oil futures contracts for light, sweet crude oil as listed on the
New York Mercantile Exchange on the last business date prior to the effective date of the
registration statement relating to the Prospectus.
3.4 Except as otherwise provided in this Agreement, no Partner shall have any right to demand
or receive the return of his Capital Contribution to the Partnership. No Partner shall be entitled
to interest on any Capital Contribution to the Partnership or on such Partner’s capital account.
Article 4
CAPITAL ACCOUNTS OF PARTNERS AND OPERATION THEREOF
4.1 Capital Accounts. There shall be established on the books and records of the Partnership
for each Partner (or Beneficial Owner in the case of Units held by a nominee) a capital account (a
“Capital Account”). It is intended that each Partner’s Capital Account shall be maintained at all
times in a manner consistent with Section 704 of the Code and applicable Treasury regulations
thereunder, and that the provisions hereof relating to the Capital Accounts shall be interpreted in
a manner consistent therewith. For each Accounting Period, the Capital Account of each Member shall
be:
(i) credited with the amount of any Capital Contributions made by such Partner during such
Accounting Period;
(ii) credited with any allocation of Profit made to such Partner for such Accounting Period;
(iii) debited with any allocation of Loss made to such Partners for such Accounting Period;
and
(iv) debited with the amount of cash paid to such Partner as an amount withdrawn or
distributed to such Partner during such Accounting Period, or, in the case of any payment of a
withdrawal or distribution in kind, the fair value of the property paid or distributed during such
Accounting Period.
4.1.1 For any Accounting Period in which additional Units are issued or redeemed for cash or
other property, the General Partner shall, in accordance with Treasury Regulation Section
1.704-1(b)(2)(iv)(f), adjust the Capital Accounts of all Partners and the carrying value of each
Partnership asset upward or downward to reflect any unrealized gain or unrealized loss attributable
to each such Partnership asset, as if such unrealized gain or unrealized loss had been recognized
on an actual sale of the asset and had been allocated to the Partners at such time pursuant to
Article 4.2 of this Agreement in the same manner as any item of gain or loss actually recognized
during such period would have been allocated.
4.1.2 To the extent an adjustment to the adjusted tax basis of any Partnership asset pursuant
to Section 734(b) or 743(b) of the Code is required, pursuant to Treasury Regulation Section
1.704-1(b)(2)(iv)(m), to be taken into account in determining Capital Accounts, the amount of such
adjustment to the Capital Accounts shall be treated as an item of gain (if the adjustment increases
the basis of the asset) or loss (if the adjustment decreases such basis), and such item of gain or
loss shall be specially allocated to the Partners in a manner consistent with the manner in which
their Capital Accounts are required to be adjusted pursuant to such Section
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of the Treasury Regulations.
4.2 Allocation of Profit or Loss. Profit or Loss for an Accounting Period shall be allocated
among the Partners in proportion to the number of Units each Partner holds as of the close of
business on the last Business Day of such Accounting Period. The General Partner may revise, alter
or otherwise modify this method of allocation to the extent it deems necessary to comply with the
requirements of Section 704 or Section 706 of the Code and Treasury Regulations or administrative
rulings thereunder.
4.3 Allocations for Tax Purposes
4.3.1 Except as otherwise provided in this Agreement, for each fiscal year of the Partnership,
items of income, deduction, gain, loss, and credit recognized by the Partnership for federal income
tax purposes shall be allocated among the Partners in a manner that equitably reflects the amounts
credited or debited to each Partner’s Capital Account for each Accounting Period during such fiscal
year. Allocations under this Article 4.3 shall be made by the General Partner in accordance with
the principles of Sections 704(b) and 704(c) of the Code and in conformity with applicable Treasury
Regulations promulgated thereunder (including, without limitation, Treasury Regulations Sections
1.704-1(b)(2)(iv)(f), 1.704-1(b)(4)(i), and 1.704-3(e)).
4.3.2 Notwithstanding anything else contained in this Article 4, if any Partner has a deficit
Capital Account for any Accounting Period as a result of any adjustment of the type described in
Treasury Regulation Section 1.704-1(b)(2)(ii)(d)(5) or 1.704-1(b)(2)(ii)(d) (6), then the
Partnership’s income and gain shall be specially allocated to such Partner in an amount and manner
sufficient to eliminate such deficit as quickly as possible. Any special allocation of items of
income or gain pursuant to this Article 4.3.2 shall be taken into account in computing subsequent
allocations pursuant to this Article 4 so that the cumulative net amount of all items allocated to
each Partner shall, to the extent possible, be equal to the amount that would have been allocated
to such Partner if there had never been any allocation pursuant to the first sentence of this
Article 4.3.2.
4.3.3 Allocations that would otherwise be made to a Limited Partner under the provisions of
this Article 4 shall instead be made to the Beneficial Owner of Units held by a nominee.
4.4 In applying the provisions of this Article 4, the General Partner is authorized to utilize
such reasonable accounting conventions, valuation methods and assumptions as the General Partner
shall determine to be appropriate and in compliance with the Code and applicable Treasury
Regulations. The General Partner may amend the provisions of this Agreement to the extent it
determines to be necessary to comply with the Code and Treasury Regulations.
Article 5
RECORDS AND ACCOUNTING; REPORTS
5.1 Records and Accounting. The Partnership will keep proper books of record and account of
the Partnership at its office located in 0000 Xxxxxx Xxx Xxxxxxx, Xxxxx 000, Xxxxxxx, Xxxxxxxxxx
00000 or such office, including of an administrative agent, as it may subsequently designate upon
notice. These books and records are open to inspection by any person who establishes to the
Partnership’s satisfaction that such person is a Limited Partner upon reasonable advance notice at
all reasonable times during the usual business hours of the Partnership.
5.2 Annual Reports. Within 90 days after the end of each fiscal year, the General Partner
shall cause to be delivered to each Person who was a Partner at any time during the fiscal year, an
annual report containing the
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following:
(i) financial statements of the Partnership, including, without limitation, a balance sheet as
of the end of the Partnership’s fiscal year and statements of income, Partners’ equity and changes
in financial position, for such fiscal year, which shall be prepared in accordance with generally
accepted accounting principles consistently applied and shall be audited by a firm of independent
certified public accountants registered with the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board,
(ii) a general description of the activities of the Partnership during the period covered by
the report, and
(iii) a report of any material transactions between the Partnership and the General Partner or
any of its Affiliates, including fees or compensation paid by the Partnership and the services
performed by the General Partner or any such Affiliate of or such fees or compensation.
5.3 Quarterly Reports. Within 45 days after the end of each quarter of each fiscal year, the
General Partner shall cause to be delivered to each Person who was a Partner at any time during the
quarter then ended, a quarterly report containing a balance sheet and statement of income for the
period covered by the report, each of which may be unaudited but shall be certified by the General
Partner as fairly presenting the financial position and results of operations of the partnership
during the period covered by the report. The report shall also contain a description of any
material event regarding the business of the Partnership during the period covered by the report.
5.4 Monthly Reports. Within 30 days after the after the end of each month, the General Partner
shall cause to be delivered to each Person who was a Partner at any time during the month then
ended, a monthly report containing an account statement, which will include a statement of income
(loss) and a statement of changes in NAV, for the prescribed period. In addition, the account
statement will disclose any material business dealings between the Partnership, General Partner,
commodity trading advisor (if any), futures commission merchant, or the principals thereof that
previously have not been disclosed in the Partnership’s Prospectus or any amendment thereto, other
account statements or annual reports.
5.5 Tax Information. The General Partner shall use its best efforts to prepare and to transmit
a U.S. federal income tax form K-1 for each Partner, Assignee, or Beneficial Owner or a report
setting forth in sufficient detail such transactions effected by the Partnership during each fiscal
year as shall enable each Partner, Assignee, or Beneficial Owner to prepare its U.S. federal income
tax return, if any, within a reasonable period after the end of such fiscal year.
5.6 Tax Returns. The General Partner shall cause income tax returns of the Partnership to be
prepared and timely filed with the appropriate authorities.
5.7 Tax Matters Partner. The General Partner is hereby designated as the Partnership’s “Tax
Matters Partner,” as defined under Section 6231(a)(7) of the Code. The General Partner is
specifically directed and authorized to take whatever steps the General Partner, in its discretion,
deems necessary or desirable to perfect such designation, including filing any forms or documents
with the U.S. Internal Revenue Service and taking such other action as may from time to time be
required under U.S. Treasury regulations. Any Partner shall have the right to participate in any
administrative proceedings relating to the determination of Partnership items at the Partnership
level. Expenses of such administrative proceedings undertaken by the Tax Matters Partner shall be
expenses of the Partnership. Each Partner who elects to participate in such proceedings shall be
responsible for any expenses incurred by such Partner in connection with such participation. The
cost of any resulting audits or adjustments of a Partner’s tax return shall be borne solely by the
affected Partner. In the event of any audit, investigation, settlement or review, for which the
General Partner is carrying out the responsibilities of Tax
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Matters Partner, the General Partner shall keep the Partners reasonably apprised of the status
and course of such audit, investigation, settlement or review and shall forward copies of all
written communications from or to any regulatory, investigative or judicial authority with regard
thereto.
Article 6
FISCAL AFFAIRS
6.1 Fiscal Year. The fiscal year of the Partnership shall be the calendar year. The General
Partner may select an alternate fiscal year.
6.2 Partnership Funds. Pending application or distribution, the funds of the Partnership shall
be deposited in such bank account or accounts, or invested in such interest-bearing or non-interest
bearing investment, including, without limitation, checking and savings accounts, certificates of
deposit and time or demand deposits in commercial banks, U.S. government securities and securities
guaranteed by U.S. government agencies as shall be designed by the General Partner. Such funds
shall not be commingled with funds of any other Person. Withdrawals there from shall be made upon
such signatures as the General Partner may designate.
6.3 Accounting Decisions. All decisions as to accounting principles, except as specifically
provided to the contrary herein, shall be made by the General Partner.
6.4 Tax Elections. The General Partner shall, from time to time, make such tax elections as it
deems necessary or desirable in its sole discretion to carry out the business of the Partnership or
the purposes of this Agreement. Notwithstanding the foregoing, the General Partner shall make a
timely election under Section 754 of the Code.
6.5 Title to the Partnership assets shall be deemed to be owned by the Partnership as an
entity, and no Partner or Assignee, individually or collectively, shall have any ownership interest
in such Partnership assets or any portion thereof. Title to any or all of the Partnership assets
may be held in the name of the Partnership, the General Partner or one or more nominees, as the
General Partner may determine. The General Partner hereby declares and warrants that any
Partnership assets for which record title is held in the name of the General Partner shall be held
by the General Partner for the exclusive use and benefit of the Partnership in accordance with the
provisions of this Agreement; provided, however, that the General Partner shall use its reasonable
efforts to cause record title to such assets (other than those assets in respect of which the
General Partner determines that the expense and difficulty of conveyancing makes transfer of record
title to the Partnership impracticable) to be vested in the Partnership as soon as reasonably
practicable; provided, that prior to the withdrawal or removal of the General Partner or as soon
thereafter as practicable, the General Partner will use reasonable efforts to effect the transfer
of record title to the Partnership and, prior to any such transfer, will provide for the use of
such assets in a manner satisfactory to the Partnership. All Partnership Assets shall be recorded
as the property of the Partnership in its books and records, irrespective of the name in which
record title to such Partnership assets are held.
Article 7
RIGHTS AND DUTIES OF THE GENERAL PARTNER
7.1 Management Power. The General Partner shall have exclusive management and control of the
business and affairs of the Partnership, and all decisions regarding the management and affairs of
the Partnership shall be made by the General Partner. The General Partner shall have all the rights
and powers of general partner as provided in the Act and as otherwise provided by law. Except as
otherwise expressly provided in this Agreement, the General Partner is hereby granted the right,
power and authority to do on behalf of the Partnership all things which, in its sole judgment, are
necessary, proper or desirable to carry out the
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aforementioned duties and responsibilities, including but not limited to, the right, power and
authority from time to time to do the following:
(a) the making of any expenditures, the lending or borrowing of money, the assumption or
guarantee of, or other contracting for, indebtedness and other liabilities, the issuance of
evidences of indebtedness and the incurring of any other obligations and the securing of same by
mortgage, deed of trust or other lien or encumbrance;
(b) the making of tax, regulatory and other filings, or rendering of periodic or other reports
to governmental or other agencies having jurisdiction over the business or assets of the
Partnership;
(c) the acquisition, disposition, mortgage, pledge, encumbrance, hypothecation or exchange of
any or all of the assets of the Partnership, or the merger or other combination of the Partnership
with or into another Person (the matters described in this clause (c) being subject, however, to
any prior approval that may be required of the Limited Partners);
(d) the use of the assets of the Partnership (including, without limitation, cash on hand) for
any purpose consistent with the terms of this Agreement including, without limitation, the
financing of the conduct of the operations of the Partnership, the lending of funds to other
Persons, and the repayment of obligations of the Partnership;
(e) the negotiation, execution and performance of any contracts, conveyances or other
instruments (including, without limitation, instruments that limit the liability of the Partnership
under contractual arrangements to all or particular assets of the Partnership with the other party
to the contract to have no recourse against the General Partner or its assets other than its
interest in the Partnership, even if same results in the terms of the transaction being less
favorable to the Partnership than would otherwise be the case);
(f) the distribution of Distributable Cash;
(g) the selection and dismissal of employees (including, without limitation, employees having
titles such as “president,” “vice president,” “secretary” and “treasurer”), agents, outside
attorneys, accountants, consultants and contractors and the determination of their compensation and
other terms of employment or hiring;
(h) the maintenance of insurance for the benefit of the Partners and the Partnership
(including, without limitation, the assets and operations of the Partnership;
(i) the formation of, or acquisition of an interest in, and the contribution of property to,
any further limited or general partnerships, joint ventures or other relationships;
(j) the control of any matters affecting the rights and obligations of the Partnership,
including, without limitation, the bringing and defending of actions at law or in equity and
otherwise engaging in the conduct of litigation and the incurring of legal expense and the
settlement of claims and litigation;
(k) the indemnification of any Person against liabilities and contingencies to the extent
permitted by law;
(l) the entering into of listing agreements with the American Stock Exchange and any other
securities exchange and the delisting of some or all of the Units from, or requesting that trading
be suspended on, any such exchange; and
(m) the purchase, sale or other acquisition or disposition of Units.
7.2 The General Partner will use its best efforts to cause the Partnership to be formed,
reformed, qualified or
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registered under assumed or fictitious name statutes or similar laws in any state in which the
Partnership owns property or transacts business if such information, reformation, qualification or
registration is necessary in order to protect the limited liability of the Limited Partners or to
permit the Partnership lawfully to own property or transact business.
7.3 Right of Public to Rely on Authority of a General Partner. No person shall be required to
determine the General Partner’s authority to make any undertaking on behalf of the Partnership.
7.4 Obligation of the General Partner. The General Partner shall:
(a) devote to the Partnership and apply to the accomplishment of the Partnership purposes so
much of its time and attention as is necessary or advisable to manage properly the affairs of the
Partnership;
(b) maintain the Capital Account for each Partner; and
(c) cause the Partnership to enter into and carry out the obligations of the Partnership
contained in the agreements with Affiliates of the General Partner as described in the Prospectus
and cause the Partnership not to take any action in violation of such agreements.
7.5 Good Faith. The General Partner has a responsibility to the Limited Partners to exercise good
faith and fairness in all dealings. In the event that a Limited Partner believes that the General
Partner has violated its fiduciary duty to the Limited Partners, he may seek legal relief
individually or on behalf of the Partnership under applicable laws, including under the Act and
under securities and commodities laws, to recover damages from or require an accounting by the
General Partner. Limited Partners should be aware that performance by the General Partner of its
fiduciary duty is measured by the terms of this Agreement as well as applicable law. Limited
Partners may also have the right, subject to applicable procedural and jurisdictional requirements,
to bring class actions in federal court to enforce their rights under the federal securities laws
and the rules and regulations promulgated thereunder by the Securities and Exchange Commission
(“SEC”). Limited Partners who have suffered losses in connection with the purchase or sale of the
Units may be able to recover such losses from the General Partner where the losses result from a
violation by the General Partner of the federal securities laws. State securities laws may also
provide certain remedies to limited partners. Limited partners are afforded certain rights to
institute reparations proceedings under the Commodity Exchange Act for violations of the Commodity
Exchange Act or of any rule, regulation or order of the Commodities Futures Trading Commission
(“CFTC”) by the General Partner.
7.6 Indemnification
7.6.1 Notwithstanding any other provision of this Agreement, neither a General Partner nor any
employee or other agent of the Partnership nor any officer, director, stockholder, partner,
employee or agent of a General Partner (a “Protected Person”) shall be liable to any Partner or the
Partnership for any mistake of judgment or for any action or inaction taken, nor for any losses due
to any mistake of judgment or to any action or inaction or to the negligence, dishonesty or bad
faith of any officer, employee, broker or other agent of the Partnership or any officer, director,
stockholder, partner, employee or agent of such General Partner, provided that such officer,
director, stockholder, employee, broker or agent of the Partner or officer, employee, partner or
agent of such General Partner was selected, engaged or retained by such General Partner with
reasonable care, except with respect to any matter as to which such General Partner shall have been
finally adjudicated in any action, suit or other proceeding not to have acted in good faith in the
reasonable belief that such Protected Person’s actions was in the best interests of the Partnership
and except that no Protected person shall be relieved of any liability to which such Protected
Person would otherwise be subject by reason of willful misfeasance, gross negligence or reckless
disregard of the duties involved in the conduct of the Protected Person’s office. A
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General Partner and its officers, directors, employees or partners may consult with counsel
and accountants (except for the Partnership’s independent auditors) in respect of Partnership
affairs and be fully protected and justified in any action or inaction which is taken in accordance
with the advice or opinion of such counsel or accountants (except for the Partnership’s independent
auditors), provided that they shall have been selected with reasonable care.
Notwithstanding any of the foregoing to the contrary, the provisions of this Article 7.6.1 and of
Article 7.6.2 hereof shall not be construed so as to relieve (or attempt to relieve) a General
Partner (or any employee or other agent thereof or any partner, employee or agent of such General
Partner) of any liability to the extent (but only to the extent) that such liability may not be
waived, modified or limited under applicable law, but shall be construed so as to effectuate the
provisions of this Article 7.6.1 and of Article 7.6.2 hereof to the fullest extent permitted by
law.
7.6.2 The Partnership shall, to the fullest extent permitted by law, but only out of
Partnership assets, indemnify and hold harmless a General Partner and each officer, director,
employee and agent thereof (including persons who serve at the Partnership’s request as directors,
officers or trustees of another organization in which the Partnership has an interest as a
Unitholder, creditor or otherwise) and their respective Legal Representatives and successors
(hereinafter referred to as a “Covered Person” against all liabilities and expenses, including but
not limited to amounts paid in satisfaction of judgments, in compromise or as fines and penalties,
and counsel fees reasonably incurred by any Covered Person in connection with the defense or
disposition of any action, suit or other proceedings, whether civil or criminal, before any court
or administrative or legislative body, in which such Covered Person may be or may have been
involved as a party or otherwise or with which such person may be or may have been threatened,
while in office or thereafter, by reason of an alleged act or omission as a General Partner or
officer thereof or by reason of its being or having been such a General Partner or officer, except
with respect to any matter as to which such Covered Person shall have been finally adjudicated in
any such action, suit or other proceeding not to have acted in good faith in the reasonable believe
that such Covered Person’s action was in the best interest of the Partnership, and except that no
Covered Person shall be indemnified against any liability to the Partnership or Limited Partners to
which such Covered Person would otherwise be subject by reason of willful misfeasance, bad faith,
gross negligence or reckless disregard of the duties involved in the conduct of such Covered
Person’s office. Expenses, including counsel fees so incurred by any such Covered Person, may be
paid from time to time by the Partnership in advance of the final disposition of any such action,
suit or proceeding on the condition that the amounts so paid shall be repaid to the Partnership if
it is ultimately determined that the indemnification of such expenses is not authorized hereunder.
As to any matter disposed of by a compromise payment by any such Covered Person, pursuant to a
consent decree or otherwise, no such indemnification either for said payment or for any other
expenses shall be provided unless such compromise shall be approved as in the best interests of the
Partnership, after notice that it involved such indemnification by any disinterested person or
persons to whom the questions may be referred by the General Partner, provided that there has been
obtained an opinion in writing of independent legal counsel to the effect that such Covered Person
appears to have acted in good faith in the reasonable belief that his or her action was in the best
interests of the Partnership and that such indemnification would not protect such persons against
any liability to the Partnership or its Limited Partners to which such person would otherwise by
subject by reason of willful misfeasance, bad faith, gross negligence or reckless disregard of the
duties involved in the conduct of office. Approval by any disinterested person or persons shall not
prevent the recovery from persons as indemnification if such Covered Person is subsequently
adjudicated by a court of competent jurisdiction not
14
to have acted in good faith in the reasonable belief that such Covered Person’s action was in
the best interests of the Partnership or to have been liable to the Partnership or its Limited
Partners by reason of willful misfeasance, bad faith, gross negligence or reckless disregard of the
duties involved in the conduct of such Covered Person’s office.
The right of indemnification hereby provided shall not be exclusive of or affect any other
rights to which any such Covered Person may be entitled. As used in this Article 7.6.2, an
“interested Covered Person” is one against whom the action, suit or other proceeding on the same or
similar grounds is then or has been pending and a “disinterested person” is a person against whom
none of such actions, suits or other proceedings or another action, suit or other proceeding on the
same or similar grounds is then or has been pending. Nothing contained in this Article 7.6.2 shall
affect any rights to indemnification to which personnel of a General Partner, other than directors
and officers, and other persons may be entitled by contract or otherwise under law, nor the power
of the Partnership to purchase and maintain liability insurance on behalf of any such person.
Nothing in this Article 7.6.2 shall be construed to subject any Covered Person to any
liability to which he is not already liable under this Agreement or applicable law.
7.6.3 Each Limited Partner agrees that it will not hold any Affiliate or any stockholder,
director, officer, employee or agent of any Affiliate of the General Partner to any liability for
any actions of such General Partner or any obligations arising under or in connection with this
Agreement or the transactions contemplated hereby.
7.7 Resolutions of Conflicts of Interest; Standard of Care.
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7.7.1 Unless otherwise expressly provided in this Agreement or any other agreement
contemplated hereby, whenever a conflict of interest exists or arises between the General Partner
on the one hand, and the Partnership or any Limited Partner, on the other hand, any resolution or
course of action by the General Partner in respect of such conflict of interest shall be permitted
and deemed approved by all Partners and shall not constitute a breach of this Agreement or of any
agreement contemplated hereby or of a duty stated or implied by law or equity, if the resolution or
course of action is, or by operation of this Agreement is deemed to be, fair and reasonable to the
Partnership. If a dispute arises, it will be resolved through negotiations with the General Partner
or by a court located in the State of Delaware. Any resolution is deemed to be fair and reasonable
to the Partnership if the resolution is:
- | approved by the audit committee of the Partnership (the “Audit Committee”), although no party is obligated to seek such approval and the General Partner may adopt a resolution or course of action that has not received such approval; | ||
- | on terms no less favorable to the Limited Partners than those generally being provided to or available from unrelated third parties; or | ||
- | fair to the Limited Partners, taking into account the totality of the relationships of the parties involved including other transactions that may be particularly favorable or advantageous to the Limited Partners. |
7.7.2 Whenever this Agreement or any other agreement contemplated hereby provides that the
General Partner is permitted or required to make a decision (i) in its discretion or under a grant
of similar authority or latitude, the General Partner shall be entitled to the extent permitted by
applicable law, to consider only such interest and factors as it desires and shall have no duty or
obligation to give any consideration to any interest of or factors affecting the partnership or the
Limited Partners, or (ii) in its good faith or under another express standard, the General Partner
shall act under such express standard and except as required by applicable law, shall not be
subject to any other different standards imposed buy this Agreement, any other agreement
contemplated hereby or applicable law.
7.8 Other Matters Concerning the General Partner.
7.8.1 The General Partner (including the Audit Committee) may rely and shall be protected in
acting or refraining from acting upon any certificate, document or other instrument believed by it
to be genuine and to have been signed or presented by the proper party or parties.
7.8.2 The General Partner (including the Audit Committee) may consult with legal counsel,
accountants, appraisers, management consultants, investment bankers and other consultants and
advisors selected by it and any opinion or advice of any such person as to matters which the
General Partner (including the Audit Committee) believes to be within such person’s professional or
expert competence shall be full and complete authorization and protection with respect to any
action taken or suffered or omitted by the General Partner (including the Audit Committee)
hereunder in good faith and in accordance with such opinion or advice.
7.8.3 The General Partner (including the Audit Committee) may exercise any of the powers
granted to it by this Agreement and perform any of the duties imposed upon it hereunder either
directly or by or through its agents, and the General Partner (including the Audit Committee) shall
not be responsible for any misconduct or negligence on the part of any such agent appointed by the
General Partner in good faith.
7.9 Other Business Ventures. Any Partner, director, employee, Affiliate or other person
holding a legal or
16
beneficial interest in any entity which is a Partner, may engage in or possess an interest in
other business ventures of every nature and description, independently or with others, whether such
ventures are competitive with the Partnership or otherwise; and, neither the Partnership nor the
Partners shall have any right by virtue of this Agreement in or to such independent ventures or to
the income or profits derived there from.
7.10 Contracts with the General Partner or its Affiliates. The General Partner may, on behalf
of the Partnership, enter into contracts with any Affiliate. The validity of any transaction,
agreement or payment involving the partnership and any General Partner or any Affiliate of a
General Partner otherwise permitted by the terms of this Agreements shall not be affected by reason
of (i) the relationship between the Partnership and the Affiliate of the General Partner, or (ii)
the approval of said transaction agreement or payment by officers or directors of the General
Partner.
7.11 Additional General Partners. Additional general partners may be admitted with the consent
of the General Partner.
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Article 8
RIGHTS AND OBLIGATIONS OF LIMITED PARTNERS
8.1 No Participation in Management. No Limited Partner (other than a General Partner if it has
acquired an interest of a Limited Partner) shall take part in the management of the Partnership’s
business, transact any business in the Partnership’s name or have the power to sign documents for
or otherwise bind the Partnership.
8.2 Limitation of Liability. Except as provided in the Act, the debts, obligations, and
liabilities of the Partnership, whether arising in contract, tort or otherwise, shall be solely the
debts, obligations and liabilities of the Partnership. A limited partner will not be liable for
assessments in addition to its initial capital investment in any our capital securities
representing limited partnership interests. However, a limited partner may be required to repay to
the Partnership any amounts wrongfully returned or distributed to it under some circumstances.
8.3 Indemnification and Terms of Admission. Each Limited Partner shall indemnify and hold
harmless the Partnership, the General Partner and every Limited Partner who was or is a party or is
threatened to be made a party to any threatened, pending or completed action, suit or proceedings,
whether civil, criminal, administrative or investigative, by reason of or arising from any actual
or alleged misrepresentation or misstatement of facts or omission to state facts made (or omitted
to be made) by such Limited Partner in connection with any assignment, transfer, encumbrance or
other disposition of all or any part of an interest, or the admission of a Limited Partner to the
Partnership, against expenses for which the Partnership or such other Person has not otherwise been
reimbursed (including attorneys’ fees, judgments, fines and amounts paid in settlement) actually
and reasonably incurred by him in connection with such action, suit or proceeding.
8.4 Effective Date. The effective date of admission of a Limited Partner shall be the date
designated by the General Partner in writing to such assignee or transferee, which shall not be
later than the first day of the fiscal quarter of the partnership next following the date upon
which the General Partner has given its written consent to such substitution.
8.5 Death or Incapacity of Limited Partner. The death or legal incapacity of a Limited Partner
shall not cause dissolution of the Partnership.
8.6 Rights of Limited Partner Relating to the Partnership.
(a) In addition to other rights provided by this Agreement or by applicable law, and except as
otherwise limited under this Agreement, each Limited Partner shall have the right, for a purpose
reasonably related to such Limited Partner’s interest as a limited partner in the Partnership, upon
reasonable demand and at such Limited Partner’s own expense:
(i) to obtain true and full information regarding the status of the business and financial
condition of the Partnership;
(ii) promptly after becoming available, to obtain a copy of the Partnership’s federal, state
and local tax returns for each year;
(iii) to have furnished to him, upon notification to the General Partner, a current list of
the name and last known business, residence or mailing address of each Partner;
(iv) to have furnished to him, upon notification to the General Partner, a copy of this
Agreement
18
and the Certificate of Limited Partnership and all amendments thereto;
(v) to obtain true and full information regarding the amount of cash and description and
statement of the value of any other Capital Contribution by each Partner and which each Partner
has agreed to contribute in the future, and the date on which each became a Partner; and
(vi) to obtain such other information regarding the affairs of the Partnership as is just
and reasonable.
(b) Notwithstanding any other provision of this Agreement, the General Partner may keep
confidential from the Limited Partners and Assignees for such period of time as the General Partner
deems reasonable, any information that the General Partner reasonably believes to be in the nature
of trade secrets or other information the disclosure of which the General Partner in good faith
believes is not in the best interests of the Partnership or could damage the Partnership or that
the Partnership is required by law or by agreements with third parties to keep confidential (other
than agreements with Affiliates the primary purpose of which is to circumvent the obligations set
forth in this Article 8.6).
Article 9
UNIT CERTIFICATES
9.1 Unit Certificates. Unit Certificates shall be executed on behalf of the Partnership by any
officer of either the General Partner or the Partnership.
9.2 Registration Form, Registration of Transfer and Exchange.
9.2.1 The General Partner shall cause to be kept on behalf of the Partnership a register (the
“Unit Register”) in which, subject to such reasonable regulations as it may prescribe, the General
Partner will provide for the registration and the transfer of Units. The Transfer Agent is hereby
appointed registrar and transfer agent for the purpose of registering and transferring Units as
herein provided. The Partnership shall not recognize transfers of Certificates representing Units
unless same are effected in the manner described in this Article 9.2. Upon surrender for
registration of transfer of any Units evidenced by a Certificate, the General Partner on behalf of
the Partnership will execute, and the Transfer Agent will countersign and deliver, in the name of
the holder or the designated transferee or transferees, as required pursuant to the holder’s
instructions, one or more new Certificates evidencing the same aggregate number of Units as was
evidenced by the Certificate so surrendered.
9.2.2 Book-Entry-Only System.
(a) Global Certificate Only. Certificates for Units will not be issued, other than the one or
more Global Certificates issued to the Depository. So long as the Depository Agreement is in
effect, Creation Baskets will be issued and redeemed and Units will be transferable solely through
the book-entry systems of the Depository and the DTC Participants and their Indirect Participants
as more fully below.
(1) Global Certificate. The Partnership and the General Partner will enter into the
Depository Agreement pursuant to which the Depository will act as securities depository for
Units. Units will be represented by the Global Certificate (which may consist of one or more
certificates as required by the Depository), which will be registered, as the Depository
shall direct, in the name of Cede & Co., as nominee for the Depository and deposited with, or
on behalf of, the Depository. No other certificates evidencing Units will be issued. The
Global Certificate shall be in the form attached hereto as Exhibit B and shall represent such
Units as shall be specified therein, and may provide that it shall represent the aggregate
amount of outstanding Units from time to time endorsed thereon and that the aggregate
19
amount of outstanding Units represented thereby may from time to time be increased or
decreased to reflect creations or redemptions of Baskets. Any endorsement of a Global
Certificate to reflect the amount, or any increase or decrease in the amount, of outstanding
Units represented thereby shall be made in such manner and upon instructions given by the
General Partner on behalf of the Partnership as specified in the Depository Agreement.
(2) Legend. Any Global Certificate issued to the Depository or its nominee shall bear a
legend substantially to the following effect: “Unless this certificate is presented by an
authorized representative of The Depository Trust Company, a New York corporation (“DTC”), to
the Partnership or its agent for registration of transfer, exchange, or payment, and any
certificate issued is registered in the name of Cede & Co. or in such other name as is
requested by an authorized representative of DTC (and any payment is made to Cede & Co. or to
such other entity as is required by an authorized representative of DTC), ANY TRANSFER,
PLEDGE, OR OTHER USE HEREOF FOR VALUE OR OTHERWISE BY OR TO ANY PERSON IS WRONGFUL inasmuch
as the registered owner hereof, Cede & Co., has an interest herein.”
(3) The Depository. The Depository has advised the Partnership and the General Partner
as follows: the Depository is a limited-purpose trust company organized under the laws of the
State of New York, a member of the U.S. Federal Reserve System, a “clearing corporation”
within the meaning of the New York Uniform Commercial Code, and a “clearing agency”
registered pursuant to the provisions of Section 17A of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934,
as amended. The Depository was created to hold securities of DTC Participants and to
facilitate the clearance and settlement of securities transactions among the DTC Participants
in such securities through electronic book-entry changes in accounts of the DTC Participants,
thereby eliminating the need for physical movement of securities certificates. DTC
Participants include securities brokers and dealers, banks, trust companies, clearing
corporations, and certain other organizations, some of whom (and/or their representatives)
own the Depository. Access to the Depository’s system is also available to others such as
banks, brokers, dealers and trust companies that clear through or maintain a custodial
relationship with a DTC Participant, either directly or indirectly (“Indirect Participants”).
The Depository may determine to discontinue providing its service with respect to Creation
Baskets and Units by giving notice to the General Partner pursuant to and in conformity with
the provisions of the Depository Agreement and discharging its responsibilities with respect
thereto under applicable law. Under such circumstances, the General Partner shall take action
either to find a replacement for the Depository to perform its functions at a comparable cost
and on terms acceptable to the General Partner or, if such a replacement is unavailable, to
terminate the Partnership.
(4) Beneficial Owners. As provided in the Depository Agreement, upon the settlement date
of any creation, transfer or redemption of Units, the Depository will credit or debit, on its
book-entry registration and transfer system, the number of Units so created, transferred or
redeemed to the accounts of the appropriate DTC Participants. The accounts to be credited and
charged shall be designated by the General Partner on behalf of the Partnership and each
Participant, in the case of a creation or redemption of Baskets. Ownership of beneficial
interest in Units will be limited to DTC Participants, Indirect Participants and persons
holding interests through DTC Participants and Indirect Participants. Owners of beneficial
interests in Units (“Beneficial Owners”) will be shown on, and the transfer of beneficial
ownership by Beneficial Owners will be effected only through, in the case of DTC
Participants, records maintained by the Depository and, in the case of Indirect Participants
and Beneficial Owners holding through a DTC Participant or an Indirect Participant, through
those records or the records of the relevant DTC Participants. Beneficial Owners are expected
to receive from or through the broker or bank that
20
maintains the account through which the Beneficial Owner has purchased Units a written
confirmation relating to their purchase of Units.
(5) Reliance on Procedures. Except for those who have provided Transfer Applications to
the General Partner, so long as Cede & Co., as nominee of the Depository, is the registered
owner of Units, references herein to the registered or record owners of Units shall mean Cede
& Co. and shall not mean the Beneficial Owners of Units. Beneficial Owners of Units will not
be entitled to have Units registered in their names, will not receive or be entitled to
receive physical delivery of certificates in definitive form and will not be considered the
record or registered holder of Units under this Agreement. Accordingly, to exercise any
rights of a holder of Units under the Agreement, a Beneficial Owner must rely on the
procedures of the Depository and, if such Beneficial Owner is not a DTC Participant, on the
procedures of each DTC Participant or Indirect Participant through which such Beneficial
Owner holds its interests. The Partnership and the General Partner understand that under
existing industry practice, if the Partnership requests any action of a Beneficial Owner, or
a Beneficial Owner desires to take any action that the Depository, as the record owner of all
outstanding Units, is entitled to take, in the case of a Trustee request, the Depository will
notify the DTC Participants regarding such request, such DTC Participants will in turn notify
each Indirect Participant holding Units through it, with each successive Indirect Participant
continuing to notify each person holding Units through it until the request has reached the
Beneficial Owner, and in the case of a request or authorization to act being sought or given
by a Beneficial Owner, such request or authorization is given by the Beneficial Owner and
relayed back to the Partnership through each Indirect Participant and DTC Participant through
which the Beneficial Owner’s interest in the Units is held.
(6) Communication between the Partnership and the Beneficial Owners. As described above,
the Partnership will recognize the Depository or its nominee as the owner of all Units for
all purposes except as expressly set forth in this Agreement. Conveyance of all notices,
statements and other communications to Beneficial Owners will be effected as follows:
pursuant to the Depository Agreement, the Depository is required to make available to the
Partnership upon request and for a fee to be charged to the Partnership a listing of the Unit
holdings of each DTC Participant. The Partnership shall inquire of each such DTC Participant
as to the number of Beneficial Owners holding Units, directly or indirectly, through such DTC
Participant. The Partnership shall provide each such DTC Participant with sufficient copies
of such notice, statement or other communication, in such form, number and at such place as
such DTC Participant may reasonably request, in order that such notice, statement or
communication may be transmitted by such DTC Participant, directly or indirectly, to such
Beneficial Owners. In addition, the Partnership shall pay to each such DTC Participant an
amount as reimbursement for the expenses attendant to such transmittal, all subject to
applicable statutory and regulatory requirements.
(7) Distributions. Distributions on Units pursuant this Agreement shall be made to the
Depository or its nominee, Cede & Co., as the registered owner of all Units. The Partnership
and the General Partner expect that the Depository or its nominee, upon receipt of any
payment of distributions in respect of Units, shall credit immediately DTC Participants’
accounts with payments in amounts proportionate to their respective beneficial interests in
Units as shown on the records of the Depository or its nominee. The Partnership and the
General Partner also expect that payments by DTC Participants to Indirect Participants and
Beneficial Owners held through such DTC Participants and Indirect Participants will be
governed by standing instructions and customary practices, as is now the case with securities
held for the accounts of customers in bearer form or registered in a “street name,” and will
be the responsibility of such DTC Participants and Indirect Participants. Neither the
Partnership nor the General Partner will
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have any responsibility or liability for any aspects of the records relating to or
notices to Beneficial Owners, or payments made on account of beneficial ownership interests
in Units, or for maintaining, supervising or reviewing any records relating to such
beneficial ownership interests or for any other aspect of the relationship between the
Depository and the DTC Participants or the relationship between such DTC Participants and the
Indirect Participants and Beneficial Owners owning through such DTC Participants or Indirect
Participants or between or among the Depository, any Beneficial Owner and any person by or
through which such Beneficial Owner is considered to own Units.
(8) Limitation of Liability. The Global Certificate to be issued hereunder is executed
and delivered solely on behalf of the Partnership by the General Partner, as General Partner,
in the exercise of the powers and authority conferred and vested in it by this Agreement. The
representations, undertakings and agreements made on the part of the Partnership in the
Global Certificate are made and intended not as personal representations, undertakings and
agreements by the General Partner, but are made and intended for the purpose of binding only
the Partnership. Nothing in the Global Certificate shall be construed as creating any
liability on the General Partner, individually or personally, to fulfill any representation,
undertaking or agreement other than as provided in this Agreement.
(9) Successor Depository. If a successor to the Depository shall be employed as
Depository hereunder, the Partnership and the General Partner shall establish procedures
acceptable to such successor with respect to the matters addressed in this Section 9.2.2.
(10) Transfer of Units. Beneficial Owners that are not DTC Participants may transfer
Units by instructing the DTC Participant or Indirect Participant holding the Units for such
Beneficial Owner in accordance with standard securities industry practice. Beneficial Owners
that are DTC Participants may transfer Units by instructing the Depository in accordance with
the rules of the Depository and standard securities industry practice.
9.2.3 Except as otherwise provided in the Agreement, the Partnership shall not recognize any
transfer of Units until the Certificates (if applicable), and a Transfer Application has been
provided to the General Partner evidencing such Units are surrendered for registration of transfer
and such Certificates are accompanied by a Transfer Application duly executed by the transferee (or
the transferee’s attorney-in-fact duly authorized in writing). No charge shall be imposed by the
Partnership for such transfer, provided, that, as a condition to the issuance of any new
Certificate under this Article 9.2, the General Partner may require the payment of a sum sufficient
to cover any tax or other governmental charge that may be imposed with respect thereto.
9.3 Mutilated, Destroyed, Lost or Stolen Certificates.
9.3.1 If any mutilated Certificate is surrendered to the Transfer Agent, the General Partner
on behalf of the Partnership shall execute, and upon its request, the Transfer Agent shall
countersign and deliver in exchange therefore, a new Certificate evidencing the same number of
Units as the Certificate so surrendered.
9.3.2 The General Partner on behalf of the Partnership shall execute, and upon its request,
the Transfer Agent shall countersign and deliver a new Certificate in place of any Certificate
previously issued if the Record Holder of the Certificate:
(a) makes proof by affidavit, in form and substance satisfactory to the General Partner, that
a previously issued Certificate has been lost, destroyed or stolen;
(b) requests the issuance of a new Certificate before the Partnership has received notice that
the Certificate has been acquired by a purchaser for value in good faith and without notice of an
adverse claim;
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(c) if requested by the General Partner, delivers to the Partnership a bond or such other form
of security or indemnity as may be required by the General Partner, in form and substance
satisfactory to the General Partner, with surety or sureties and with fixed or open penalty as the
General Partner may direct, in its sole discretion, to indemnify the Partnership, the General
Partner and the Transfer Agent against any claim that may be made on account of the alleged loss,
destruction or theft of the Certificate; and
(d) satisfies any other reasonable requirements imposed by the General Partner. If a Limited
Partner or Assignee fails to notify the Partnership within a reasonable time after he has notice of
the loss, destruction or theft of a Certificate, and a transfer of the Units represented by the
Certificate is registered before the Partnership, the General Partner or the Transfer Agent
receives such notification, the Limited Partner or Assignee shall be precluded from making any
claim against the Partnership, the General Partner or the Transfer Agent for such transfer or for a
new Certificate.
9.3.3 As a condition to the issuance of any Certificate under this Article 9.3, the General
Partner may require the payment of a sum sufficient to cover any tax or other governmental charge
that may be imposed in relation thereto and any other expenses (including, without limitation, the
fees and expenses of the Transfer Agent) connected therewith.
9.4 Record Holder. The Partnership shall be entitled to recognize the Record Holder as the
Limited Partner or Assignee with respect to any Units and, accordingly, shall not be bound to
recognize any equitable or other claim to or interest in such Units on the part of any other
Person, whether or not the Partnership shall have actual or other notice thereof, except as
otherwise provided by law or any applicable rule, regulation, guideline or requirement of any
national securities exchange on which the Units are listed for trading. Without limiting the
foregoing, when a Person (such as a broker, dealer, bank trust company or clearing corporation or
an agent of any of the foregoing) is acting as nominee, agent or in some other representative
capacity for another Person in acquiring and/or holding Units, as between the Partnership on the
one hand and such other Persons on the other hand such representative Person (a) shall be the
Limited Partner or Assignee (as the case may be) of record and beneficially, (b) must execute and
deliver a Transfer Application and (c) shall be bound by this Agreement and shall have the rights
and obligations of a Limited Partner or Assignee (as the case may be) hereunder and as provided for
herein.
9.5 The General Partner is hereby authorized to cause the Partnership to issue Partnership
Securities, for any Partnership purpose, at any time or from time to time, to the Partners or to
other Persons for such consideration and on such terms and conditions as shall be established by
the General Partner in its sole discretion, all without the approval of any Limited Partners. The
General Partner shall have sole discretion, subject to the requirements of the Act, in determining
the consideration and terms and conditions with respect to any future issuance of Partnership
Securities.
9.6 The General Partner shall do all things necessary to comply with the Act and is authorized
and directed to do all things it deems to be necessary or advisable in connection with any future
issuance of Partnership Securities, including, without limitation, compliance with any statute,
rule, regulation or guideline of any federal, state or other governmental agency or any national
securities exchange on which the Units or other Partnership Securities are listed for ruling.
Article 10
TRANSFER OF INTERESTS
10.1 Transfer.
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10.1.1 The term “transfer,” when used in this Article 10 with respect to an interest, shall be
deemed to refer to an appropriate transaction by which the General Partner assigns its interest as
General Partner to another Person or by which the holder of a Unit assigns such Unit to another
Person who is or becomes an Assignee and includes a sale, assignment, gift, pledge, encumbrance,
hypothecation, mortgage, exchange or any other disposition by law or otherwise.
10.1.2 No Interest shall be transferred in whole or in part, except in accordance with the
terms and conditions set forth in this Article 10. Any transfer or purported transfer of an
interest not made in accordance with this Article 10 shall be null and void.
10.2 Transfer of General Partner’s Interest.
10.2.1 Except as set forth in this Article 10.2.1, the General Partner may transfer all, but
not less than all, of its interest as the general partner to a single transferee if, but only if,
(i) at least a majority of the voting Units (excluding for this purpose Units held by the General
Partner and its Affiliates) approve of such transfer and of the admission of such transferee as
general partner, (ii) the transferee agrees to assume the rights and duties of the General Partner
and be bound by the provisions of this Agreement and other applicable agreements, and (iii) the
Partnership receives an Opinion of Counsel that such transfer would not result in the loss of
limited liability of any Limited Partner or of the Partnership or cause the Partnership to be
taxable as a corporation or otherwise taxed as an entity for federal income tax purposes. The
foregoing notwithstanding, the General Partner is expressly permitted to pledge its interest as
General Partner to secure the obligations of the Partnership under a Revolving Credit Facility, as
the same may be amended, supplemented, replaced, refinanced or restated from time to time, or any
successor or subsequent loan agreement.
10.2.2 Neither Article 10.2.1 nor any other provision of this Agreement shall be construed to
prevent (and all Partners do hereby consent to) (i) the transfer by the General Partner of all of
its interest as a general partner to an Affiliate or (ii) the transfer by the General Partner of
all its interest as a general partner upon its merger or consolidation with or other combination
into any other Person or the transfer by it of all or substantially all of its assets to another
Person if, in the case of a transfer described in either clause (i) or (ii) of this sentence, the
rights and duties of the General Partner with respect to the interest so transferred are assumed by
the transferee and the transferee agrees to be bound by the provisions of this Agreement; provided,
that in either such case, such transferee furnishes to the Partnership an Opinion of Counsel that
such merger, consolidation, combination, transfer or assumption will not result in a loss of
limited liability of any Limited Partner or of the Partnership or cause the Partnership to be
taxable as a corporation or otherwise taxed as an entity for federal income tax purpose. In the
case of a transfer pursuant to this Article 10.2.2, the transferee or successor (as the case may
be) shall be admitted to the Partnership as the General Partner immediately prior to the transfer
of the interest, and the business of the Partnership shall continue without dissolution.
10.3 Transfer of Units.
10.3.1 Units may be transferred only in the manner described in Article 9.2. The transfer of
any Units and the admission of any new Partner shall not constitute an amendment to this Agreement.
10.3.2 Until admitted as a Substituted Limited Partner pursuant to Article 11, the Record
Holder of a Unit shall be an Assignee in respect of such Unit. Limited Partners may include
custodians, nominees or any other individual or entity in its own or any representative capacity.
10.3.3 Each distribution in respect of Units shall be paid by the Partnership, directly or
through the Transfer Agent or through any other Person or agent, only to the Record Holders thereof
as of the Record Date set for the
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distribution. Such payment shall constitute full payment and satisfaction of the Partnership’s
liability in respect of such payment, regardless of any claim of any Person who may have an
interest in such payment by reason of an assignment or otherwise.
10.3.4 A transferee who has completed and delivered a Transfer Application provided by the
seller of the Units (or if purchased on an exchange directly from the Partnership), shall be deemed
to have (i) requested admission as a Substituted Limited Partner, (ii) agreed to comply with and be
bound by and to have executed this Agreement, (iii) represented and warranted that such transferee
has the capacity and authority to enter into this Agreement, (iv) made the powers of attorney set
forth in this Agreement, and (v) given the consents and made the waivers contained in this
Agreement.
10.4 Restrictions on Transfers. Notwithstanding the other provisions of this Article 10, no
transfer of any Unit or interest therein of any Limited Partner or Assignee shall be made if such
transfer would (a) violate the then applicable federal or state securities laws or rules and
regulations of the SEC, any state securities commission, the CFTC, or any other governmental
authorities with jurisdiction over such transfer, (b) cause the Partnership to be taxable as a
corporation or (c) affect the Partnership’s existence or qualification as a limited partnership
under the Act. The General Partner may request each record holder to furnish certain information,
including that holder’s nationality, citizenship or other related status. A transferee who is not a
U.S. resident may not be eligible to become a record holder or a Limited Partner if such ownership
would subject the Partnership to the risk of cancellation or forfeiture of any of its assets under
any federal, state or local law or regulation. If the record holder fails to furnish the
information or if the General Partner determines, on the basis of the information furnished by the
holder in response to the request, that such holder is not qualified to become one of a Limited
Partner, the General Partner may be substituted as a holder for the record holder, who will then be
treated as a non-citizen assignee, and the Partnership will have the right to redeem those
securities held by the record holder.
10.5 Tax Certificates.
10.5.1 All Limited Partners or Assignees (or, if the Limited Partner or Assignee is a nominee
holding for the account of a Beneficial Owner, the Beneficial Owner) are required to provide the
Partnership with a properly completed Tax Certificate.
10.5.2 If a Limited Partner or Assignee (or, if the Limited Partner or Assignee is a nominee
holding for the account of a Beneficial Owner, the Beneficial Owner) fails to provide the
Partnership with a properly completed Tax Certificate, the General Partner may request at any time
and from time to time, that such Limited Partner or Assignee (or Beneficial Owner) shall, within 15
days after request (whether oral or written) therefore by the General Partner, furnish to the
Partnership, a properly completed Tax Certificate. If a Limited Partner or Assignee fails to
furnish to the General Partner within the aforementioned 15-day period such Tax Certificate, the
Units owned by such Limited Partner or Assignee (or in the case of a Limited Partner or Assignee
that holds Units on behalf of a Beneficial Owner, the Units held on behalf of the Beneficial Owner)
shall be subject to redemption in accordance with the provisions of Article 10.6.
10.6 Redemption of Units for Failure to Provide Tax Certification.
10.6.1 If at any time a Limited Partner or Assignee fails to furnish a properly completed Tax
Certificate within the 15-day period specified in Article 10.5.2, The Partnership may redeem the
Units of such Limited Partner or Assignee as follows:
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(a) The General Partner shall not later than the tenth (10th) day before the date fixed for
redemption, give notice of redemption to the Limited Partner or Assignee, at his last address
designated on the records of the Partnership or the Transfer Agent, by registered or certified
mail, postage prepaid. The notice shall be deemed to have been given when so mailed (the “Notice
Date”). The notice shall specify the Redeemable Units, the date fixed for redemption, the place of
payment, that payment of the redemption price will be made upon surrender of the Certification
evidencing the Redeemable Units.
(b) The aggregate redemption price for Redeemable Units shall be an amount equal to the market
price as of the Close of Business on the Business Day immediately prior to the date fixed for
redemption of Units to be so redeemed multiplied by the number of Units included among the
Redeemable Units. The redemption price shall be paid in the sole discretion of the General Partner,
in cash or by delivery of a promissory note of the Partnership in the principal amount of the
redemption price, bearing interest at the Prime Rate and payable in three equal annual installments
of principal together with accrued interest commencing one year after the redemption date.
(c) Upon surrender by or on behalf of the Limited Partner or Assignee, at the place specified
in the notice of redemption, of the Certificate evidencing the Redeemable Units, duly endorsed in
blank or accompanied by an assignment duly executed in blank, the Limited Partner or Assignee or
his duly authorized representative shall be entitled to receive the payment therefore.
(d) In the event the Partnership is required to pay withholding tax or otherwise withhold any
amount on behalf of, or with respect to, a Limited Partner or Assignee (or Beneficial Owner) who
has failed to provide a properly completed Tax Certificate, such amounts paid or withheld by the
Partnership shall be deemed to have been paid to such Limited Partner or Assignee (or Beneficial
Owner) as part of the redemption price for the Redeemable Units and the Partnership shall reduce
the amount of the payment made to such Limited Partner or Assignee (or Beneficial owner) in
redemption of such Redeemable Units by any amounts so withheld.
10.6.2 After the Notice Date, Redeemable Units shall no longer constitute issued and
Outstanding Units and no allocations or distributions shall be made with respect to such Redeemable
Units. In addition, after the Notice Date, the Redeemable Units shall not be Transferable.
10.6.3 The provisions of this Article 10.6 shall also be applicable to Units held by a Limited
Partner or Assignee as nominee of a Beneficial Owner.
Article 11
ADMISSION OF PARTNERS
11.1 Admission of Initial Limited Partners and Other Creation Basket Purchases. Upon the
issuance by the Partnership of Units to Initial Limited Partners and any other purchases of a
Creation Basket, the General Partner shall admit the Initial Limited Partner and such other
purchasers of the Creation Basket to the Partnership as Limited Partners in respect of the Units
purchased.
11.2 Admission of Substituted Limited Partners. By transfer of a Unit in accordance with
Article 10, the transferor shall be deemed to have given the transferee the right to seek admission
as a Substituted Limited Partner subject to the conditions of, and in the manner permitted under,
this Agreement. A transferor of a Certificate shall, however, only have the authority to convey to
a purchaser or other transferee who does not execute and deliver a Transfer Application (i) the
right to negotiate such Certificate to a purchaser or other transferee and (ii) the right to
transfer the right to request admission as a Substituted Limited Partner to such
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purchaser or other transferee in respect of the transferred Units. Each transferee of a Unit
(including, without limitation, any nominee holder or an agent acquiring such Unit for the account
of another Person) who executes and delivers a Transfer Application shall, by virtue of such
execution and delivery, be an Assignee and be deemed to have applied to become a Substituted
Limited Partner with respect to the Units so transferred to such Person. Such Assignee shall become
a Substituted Limited Partner (i) at such time as the General Partner consents thereto, which
consent may be given or withheld in the General Partner’s sole discretion, and (ii) when any such
admission is shown on the books and records of the Partnership. If such consent is withheld such
transferee shall be an Assignee. An Assignee shall have an interest in the Partnership equivalent
to that of a Limited Partner with respect to allocations and distributions, including, without
limitation, liquidating distributions, of the Partnership. With respect to voting rights
attributable to Units that are held by Assignees, the General Partner shall be deemed to be the
Limited Partner with respect thereto and shall, in exercising the voting rights in respect of such
Units on any matter, vote such Units at the written direction of the Assignee who is the Record
Holder of such Units. If no such written direction is received, such Units will not be voted. An
Assignee shall have no other rights of a Limited Partner.
11.3 Admission of Successor General Partner. A successor General Partner approved pursuant to
this Article 11.3 or the transferee of or successor to all of the General Partner’s interest
pursuant to Article 10.2 who is proposed to be admitted as a successor General Partner shall be
admitted to the Partnership as the General Partner, effective immediately prior to the withdrawal
or removal of the General Partner pursuant to Article 12 or the transfer of the General Partner’s
interest pursuant to Article 10.2; provided, however, that no such successor shall be admitted to
the Partnership until compliance with the terms of Article 10.2 has occurred. Any such successor
shall carry on the business of the Partnership without dissolution. In each case, the admission
shall be subject to the successor General Partner executing and delivering to the Partnership an
acceptance of all of the terms and conditions of this Agreement and such other documents or
instruments as may be requited to effect the admission.
11.4 Admission of Additional Limited Partners.
11.4.1 A Person (other than the General Partner, an Initial Limited Partner or a Substituted
Limited Partner) who makes a Capital Contribution to the Partnership in accordance with this
Agreement shall be admitted to the Partnership as an Additional Limited Partner only upon
furnishing to the General Partner (i) evidence of acceptance in form satisfactory to the General
Partner of all of the terms and conditions of this Agreement, including, without limitation, the
power of attorney granted in this Agreement, (ii) such other documents or instruments as may be
required in the discretion of the General Partner to effect such Person’s admission as an
Additional Limited Partner.
11.4.2 Notwithstanding anything to the contrary in this Article 11.4, no Person shall be
admitted as an Additional Limited Partner without the consent of the General Partner, which consent
may be given or withheld in the General Partner’s sole discretion. The admission of any Person as
an Additional Limited Partner shall become effective on the date upon which the name of such Person
is recorded on the books and records of the Partnership, following the consent of the General
Partner to such admission.
11.5 Amendment of Agreement and Certificate of Limited Partnership. To effect the admission to
the Partnership of any Partner, the General Partner shall take all steps necessary and appropriate
under the Act to amend the records of the Partnership and if necessary, to prepare as soon as
practical an amendment of this Agreement and if required by law, to prepare and file an amendment
to the Certificate of Limited Partnership and may for this purpose, among others, exercise the
power of attorney granted pursuant to Article 15.
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Article 12
WITHDRAWAL OR REMOVAL OF PARTNERS
12.1 Withdrawal of the General Partner.
12.1.1 The General Partner shall be deemed to have withdrawn from the Partnership upon the
occurrence of any one of the following events (each such event herein referred to as an “Event of
Withdrawal”):
(a) the General Partner voluntarily withdraws from the Partnership by giving written notice to
the other Partners;
(b) the General Partner transfers all of its rights as general partner pursuant to this
Agreement;
(c) the General Partner is removed;
(d) the General Partner (A) makes a general assignment for the benefit of creditors; (B) files
a voluntary bankruptcy petition; (C) files a petition or answer seeking for itself a
reorganization, arrangement, composition, readjustment liquidation, dissolution or similar relief
under any law; (D) files an answer or other pleading admitting or failing to contest the material
allegations of a petition filed against the General Partner in a proceeding of the type described
in clauses (A) — (C) of this sentence; or (E) seeks, consents to or acquiesces in the appointment
of a trustee, receiver or liquidator of the General Partner or of all or any substantial part of
its properties;
(e) a final and non-appealable judgment is entered by a court with appropriate jurisdiction
ruling that the General Partner is bankrupt or insolvent or a final and non-appealable order for
relief is entered by a court with appropriate jurisdiction against the General Partner, in each
case under any federal or state bankruptcy or insolvency laws as now or hereafter in effect; or
(f) a certificate of dissolution or its equivalent is filed for the General Partner, or 90
days expire after the date of notice to the General Partner of revocation of its charter without a
reinstatement of its charter, under the laws of its state of incorporation.
If an Event of Withdrawal specified in this Article 12.1.1(d), (e) or (f) occurs, the withdrawing
General Partner shall give written notice to the Limited Partners within 30 days after such
occurrence. The Partners hereby agree that only the Events of Withdrawal described in this Article
12.1 shall result in the withdrawal of the General Partner from the Partnership.
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12.1.2 Withdrawal of the General Partner from the Partnership upon the occurrence of an Event
of Withdrawal will not constitute a breach of this Agreement under the following circumstances, (i)
the General Partner voluntarily withdraws by giving at least 90 days’ advance notice to the Limited
Partners, such withdrawal to take effect on the date specified in such notice; (ii) at any time
that the General Partner ceases to be a General Partner pursuant to Article 12.1.1(b) or is removed
pursuant to Article 12.2; or (iii), at any time that the General Partner voluntarily withdraws by
giving at least 90 days’ advance notice of its intention to withdraw to the Limited Partners, such
withdrawal to take effect on the date specified in the notice, if at the time such notice is given
one Person and its Affiliates (other than the General Partner and its Affiliates) own beneficially
or of record or control at least 50% of the Outstanding Voting Units. If the General Partner gives
a notice of withdrawal pursuant to Article 12.1.1(a), holders of at least a majority of such
Outstanding Units (excluding for purposes of such determination Units owned by the General Partner
and its Affiliates) may, prior to the effective date of such withdrawal, elect a successor General
Partner. If, prior to the effective date of the General Partner’s withdrawal, a successor is not
selected by the Limited Partners as provided herein, the Partnership shall be dissolved in
accordance with Article 13. If a successor General Partner is elected, such successor shall be
admitted immediately prior to the effective time of the withdrawal or removal of the Departing
Partner and shall continue the business of the Partnership without dissolution.
12.2 Removal of the General Partner. The General Partner may be removed with or without cause
if such removal is approved by at least 66 2/3% of the Outstanding Voting Units (excluding for this
purpose Units held by the General Partner and its Affiliates). Any such action by such Limited
Partners for removal of the General Partner also must provide for the election of a new General
Partner by the holders of a majority of the Outstanding Units (excluding for this purpose Units
held by the General Partner and its Affiliates). Such removal shall be effective immediately
following the admission of the successor General Partner pursuant to Article 11.
12.3 Withdrawal of a Limited Partner. In addition to withdrawal of a Limited Partner due to
its redemption of Units constituting a Redemption Basket under this Agreement, the General Partner
may, at any time, in its sole discretion, require any Limited Partner to withdraw entirely from the
Partnership or to withdraw a portion of his Partner capital account, by giving not less than
fifteen (15) days’ advance written notice to the Limited Partner thus designated. In addition, the
General Partner without notice may require at any time, or retroactively, withdrawal of all or any
portion of the capital account of any Limited Partner: (i) that made a misrepresentation to the
General Partner in connection with its purchase of Units; or (ii) whose ownership of Units would
result in the violation of any law or regulations applicable to the Partnership or a Partner. The
Limited Partner thus designated shall withdraw from the Partnership or withdraw that portion of his
Partner capital account specified in such notice, as the case may be, as of the Close of Business
on such date as determined by the General Partner. The Limited Partner thus designated shall be
deemed to have withdrawn from the Partnership or to have made a partial withdrawal from his Partner
capital account, as the case may be, without further action on the part of said Limited Partner and
the provisions of Article 17.6 shall apply.
Article 13
TERMINATION AND DISTRIBUTION
13.1 Termination. The Partnership shall continue in effect from the date of its formation in
perpetuity, unless sooner terminated upon the occurrence of any one or more of the following
events:
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13.1.1 The death, adjudication of incompetence, bankruptcy, dissolution, withdrawal, or
removal of a General Partner who is the sole remaining General Partner, unless a majority in
interest of Limited Partners within ninety (90) days after such event elects to continue the
Partnership and appoints a Successor General Partner; or
13.1.2 The affirmative vote of a majority in interest of the Limited Partners; provided
however, that any such termination shall be subject to the conditions set forth in this Agreement.
13.2 Assumption of Agreements. No vote by the Limited Partners to terminate the Partnership
pursuant to paragraph 13.1.2 shall be effective unless, prior to or concurrently with such vote,
there shall have been established procedures for the assumption of the Partnership’s obligations
arising under any agreement to which the Partnership is a party and which is still in force
immediately prior to such vote regarding termination, and there shall have been an irrevocable
appointment of an agent who shall be empowered to give and receive notices, reports and payments
under such agreements, and hold and exercise such other powers as are necessary to permit all other
parties to such agreements to deal with such agent as if the agent were the sole owner of the
Partnership’s interest, which procedures are agreed to in writing by each to he other parties to
such agreements.
13.3 Distribution
13.3.1 Upon termination of the Partnership, the affairs of the Partnership shall be wound up
and all of its debts and liabilities discharged or otherwise provided for in the order of priority
as provided by law. The fair market value of the remaining assets of the Partnership shall then be
determined by the General Partner. Thereupon, the assets of the Partnership shall be distributed to
the Partners in accordance pro rata in accordance with their Units. Each Partner shall receive his
share of the assets in cash or in kind, and the proportion of such share that is received in cash
may vary from Partner to Partner, all as the General Partner in its sole discretion may decide. If
such distributions are insufficient to return to any Partner the full amount of his Capital
Contributions, he shall have no recourse against any other Partner.
13.3.2 The winding up of the affairs of the Partnership and the distribution of its assets
shall be conducted exclusively by the General Partner or its successor, which is hereby authorized
to do all acts authorized by law for these purposes. Without limited the generality of the
foregoing, the General Partner, in carrying out such winding up and distribution, shall have full
power and authority to sell all or any of the Partnership’s assets or to distribute the same in
kind to the Partners.
Article 14
MEETINGS
14.1 Meeting of Limited Partners. Upon the written request of 20% or more in interest of the
Limited Partners, the General Partner may, but is not required to, call a meeting of the Limited
Partners. Notice of such meeting shall be given within 30 days after, and the meeting shall be held
within 60 days after, receipt of such request. The General Partner may also call a meeting not less
than 20 and not more than 60 days prior to the meeting. Any such notice shall state briefly the
purpose of the meeting, which shall be held at a reasonable time and place. Any Limited Partner may
obtain a list of names, addresses, and interests of the Limited Partners upon written request to
the General Partner.
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Article 15
POWER OF ATTORNEY
15.1 Each Limited Partner and each Assignee hereby constitutes and appoints each of the
General Partner and, if a liquidator shall have been selected, the liquidator severally (and any
successor to either thereof by merger, transfer, assignment, election or otherwise) and each of
their respective authorized officers and attorneys-in-fact with full power of substitution, as his
true and lawful agent and attorney-in-fact with full power and authority in his name, place and
xxxxx to:
(a) execute, swear to, acknowledge, deliver, file and record in the appropriate public offices
(A) all certificates, documents and other instruments (including, without limitation, this
Agreement and the Certificate of Limited Partnership and all amendments or restatements thereof)
that the General Partner or the liquidator deems necessary or appropriate to form, qualify or
continue the existence or qualification of the Partnership as a limited partnership (or a
partnership in which the limited partners have limited liability) in the State of Delaware and in
all other jurisdictions in which the Partnership may conduct business or own property, (B) all
certificates, documents and other instruments that the General Partner or the liquidator deems
necessary or appropriate to reflect, in accordance with its terms, any amendment, change,
modification or restatement of this Agreement, (C) all certificates, documents and other
instruments (including, without limitation, conveyances and a certificate of cancellation) that the
General Partner or the liquidator deems necessary or appropriate to reflect the dissolution and
liquidation of the Partnership pursuant to the terms of this Agreement, (D) all certificates,
documents and other instruments relating to the admission, withdrawal, removal or substitution of
any Partner or the Capital Contribution of any Partner, (E) all certificates, documents and other
instruments relating to the determination of the rights, preferences and privileges of any class or
series of Units or other securities issued pursuant to Article 4.4 and (F) all certificates
documents and other instruments (including, without limitation, agreements and a certificate of
merger) relating to a merger or consolidation of the Partnership;
(b) execute, swear to, acknowledge, deliver, file and record all ballots, consents, approval
waivers, certificates and other instruments necessary or appropriate, in the sole discretion of the
General Partner or the liquidator, to make, evidence, give, confirm or ratify any vote, consent,
approval, agreement or other action that is made or given by the Partners hereunder or is
consistent with the terms of this Agreement or is necessary or appropriate, in the sole discretion
of the General Partner or the liquidator, to effectuate the terms or intent of this Agreement,
provided, that when required by this Agreement that establishes a percentage of the Limited
Partners or of the Limited Partners of any class or series required to take any action, the General
Partner or the liquidator may exercise the power of attorney made in this Article 15 only after the
necessary vote, consent or approval of the Limited Partners or of the Limited Partners of such
class or series;
(c) sign, execute and file with the Department of Interior (including any bureau, office or
other Unit thereof, whether in Washington, D.C., or in the field, or any officer or employee
thereof), as well as with any other federal or state agencies, departments, bureaus, offices or
authorities, any documents or instruments related to the Partnership or its business which the
General Partner in its sole discretion determines should be filed, including, without limitation,
all statements of interest and holdings on behalf of the Partnership or the Partners, and any other
statements, notices or communications now or hereafter required or permitted to be filed under any
law, rule or regulation of the United States or any state.
31
15.2 The foregoing power of attorney is hereby declared to be irrevocable and a power coupled
with an interest and it shall survive and not be affected by the subsequent death, incompetence,
disability, incapacity, dissolution, bankruptcy or termination of any Limited Partner or Assignee
and the transfer of all or any portion of such Limited Partner’s or Assignee’s Partnership interest
and shall extend to such Limited Partners or Assignee’s heirs, successors, assigns and personal
representatives. Each such Limited Partner or Assignee hereby agrees to be bound by any
representation made by the General Partner or the liquidator acting in good faith pursuant to such
power of attorney; and each such Limited Partner or Assignee hereby waives any and all defenses
that may be available to contest, negate or disaffirm the action of the General Partner or the
liquidator taken in good faith under such power of attorney. Each Limited Partner or Assignee shall
execute and deliver to the General Partner or the liquidator, within 15 days after receipt of the
General Partner’s or the liquidator’s request therefore, such further designations, powers of
attorney and other instruments as the General Partner or the liquidator deems necessary to
effectuate this Agreement and the purposes of the Partnership.
Article 16
CREATION OF UNITS
16.1 General. The Partnership will create and redeem Units from time to time, but only in one
or more Creation Baskets or Redemption Baskets (a Creation/Redemption Basket (“Basket”’) equals a
block of 100,000 Units). The creation and redemption of Baskets will only be made in exchange for
delivery to the Partnership or the distribution by the Partnership of the amount of United States
government securities with maturities of two years or less (“Treasuries”) and any cash represented
by the Baskets being created or redeemed, the amount of which will be based on the combined NAV of
the number of Units included in the Baskets being created or redeemed determined on the day the
order to create or redeem Baskets is properly received.
16.2 Creation Procedures. On any Business Day, a Limited Partner, through an Participant, may
place an order with the Partnership’s marketing agent to create one or more Baskets. Purchase
orders must be placed by 12:00 PM New York time or the close of regular trading on the American
Stock Exchange, whichever is earlier. The day on which the marketing agent receives a valid
purchase order is the purchase order date. By placing a purchase order, the Limited Partner agrees
to deposit Treasuries with the Partnership, or a combination of Treasuries and cash. Prior to the
delivery of Baskets for a purchase order, the Limited Partner must also have wired to the custodian
the non-refundable creation transaction fee described in this Article.
16.3 Determination of required deposits. The total deposit required to create each Basket
(“Creation Basket Deposit”) is an amount of Treasuries and cash with a value that is in the same
proportion to the total assets of the Partnership (net of estimated accrued but unpaid fees,
expenses and other liabilities) on the date the order to purchase is properly received as the
number of Units to be created under the purchase order is in proportion to the total number of
Units outstanding on the date the order is received. The General Partner determines, in its sole
discretion or in consultation with the Administrator, the requirements for Treasuries that may be
included in deposits to create Baskets (e.g., the issuer and the maximum permitted remaining
maturity of a Treasury) and publishes, or its agent publishes on its behalf, such requirements at
the beginning of each Business Day. The amount of cash deposit required is the difference between
the aggregate market value of the Treasuries included in a Creation Basket Deposit as of 4:00 p.m.
on the date the order to purchase properly was made and the total required deposit.
16.4 Delivery of required deposits. A Limited Partner who places a purchase order is
responsible for
32
transferring the Partnership’s account with the custodian the required amount of Treasuries
and cash by the end of the third Business Day following the purchase order date. Upon receipt of
the deposit amount, the marketing agent will direct DTC to credit the number of Baskets ordered to
the Limited Partner’s DTC account on the third Business Day following the purchase order date. The
expense and risk of delivery and ownership of Treasuries until such Treasuries have been received
by the custodian on behalf of the Partnership shall be borne solely by the Limited Partner.
16.5 Rejection of purchase orders. The General Partner, or its marketing agent on its behalf,
may reject a purchase order or a Creation Basket Deposit if: (1) it determines that the purchase
order or the Creation Basket Deposit is not in proper form; (2) the General Partner believes that
the purchase order or the Creation Basket Deposit would have adverse tax consequences to the
Partnership or Limited Partners; (3) the acceptance or receipt of the Creation Basket Deposit
would, in the opinion of counsel to the General Partner, be unlawful; or (4) circumstances outside
the control of the General Partner, marketing agent or custodian make it, for all practical
purposes, not feasible to process creations of Baskets. None of the General Partner, marketing
agent or custodian will be liable for the rejection of any purchase order or Creation Basket
Deposit.
16.6 Creation Transaction Fee. To compensate the Partnership for its expenses in connection
with the creation of Baskets, a Limited Partner is required to pay a transaction fee to the
Partnership of $1,000 per order to create Baskets. An order may include multiple Baskets. The
transaction fee may be reduced, increased or otherwise changed by the General Partner. The General
Partner shall notify DTC of any change in the transaction fee and will not implement any increase
in the fee for the creation of Baskets until 30 days after the date of the notice.
Article 17
REDEMPTION OF UNITS
17.1 General. The procedures by which a Limited Partner can redeem, through an authorized
Participant, one or more Baskets mirror the procedures for the creation of Baskets. On any Business
Day, a Limited Partner may place an order with the marketing agent to redeem one or more Baskets.
Redemption orders must be placed by 12:00 PM New York time or the close of regular trading on the
American Stock Exchange, whichever is earlier. A redemption order so received is effective on the
date it is received in satisfactory form by the marketing agent. The day on which the marketing
agent receives a valid redemption order is the redemption order date. By placing a redemption
order, a Limited Partner agrees to deliver the Baskets to be redeemed through DTC’s book-entry
system to the Partnership not later than 11a.m. on the third Business Day following the effective
date of the redemption order. Prior to the delivery of the redemption distribution for a redemption
order, the Limited Partner must also have wired to the Partnership’s account at the custodian the
non-refundable redemption transaction fee described in this Article.
17.2 Determination of Redemption Distribution. The redemption distribution from the
Partnership consists of a transfer to the redeeming Limited Partner of an amount of Treasuries with
a value that is in the same proportion to the total assets of the Partnership (net of estimated
accrued but unpaid fees, expenses and other liabilities) on the date the order to redeem is
properly received as the number of Units to be redeemed under the redemption order is in proportion
to the total number of Units outstanding on the date the order is received. The General Partner,
directly or through its agent, will determine the requirements for Treasuries and the amount of
cash, including the maximum permitted remaining maturity of a Treasury, and the proportions of
Treasuries and cash, that may be included in distributions to redeem Baskets. The marketing agent
will publish such requirements as of 4:00 PM New York time on the redemption order date.
33
17.3 Delivery of Redemption Distribution. The redemption distribution due from the Partnership
is delivered to the Limited Partner on the third Business Day following the redemption order date
if, by 9:00 AM New York time on such third Business Day, the Partnership’s DTC account has been
credited with the Baskets to be redeemed. If the Partnership’s DTC account has not been credited
with all of the Baskets to be redeemed by such time, the redemption distribution is delivered to
the extent of whole Baskets received. Any remainder of the redemption distribution is delivered on
the next Business Day to the extent of remaining whole Baskets received if the Partnership receives
the fee applicable to the extension of the redemption distribution date which the General Partner
may, from time to time, determine and the remaining Baskets to be redeemed are credited to the
Partnership’s DTC account by 9:00 AM New York time on such next Business Day. Any further
outstanding amount of the redemption order shall be cancelled. The custodian is also authorized to
deliver the redemption distribution notwithstanding that the Baskets to be redeemed are not
credited to the Partnership’s DTC account by 9:00 AM New York time on the third Business Day
following the redemption order date if the Limited Partner has collateralized its obligation to
deliver the Baskets through DTC’s book entry system on such terms as the General Partner may from
time to time determine.
17.4 Suspension or Rejection of Redemption orders. The General Partner may, in its discretion,
suspend the right of redemption, or postpone the redemption settlement date, (1) for any period
during which any of the New York Mercantile Exchange, the American Stock Exchange or the New York
Stock Exchange is closed other than customary weekend or holiday closings, or trading on the
American Stock Exchange is suspended or restricted, (2) for any period during which an emergency
exists as a result of which delivery, disposal or evaluation of Treasuries is not reasonably
practicable, or (3) for such other period as the General Partner determines to be necessary for the
protection of the Limited Partners. None of the General Partner, the marketing agent or the
custodian will be liable to any person or in any way for any loss or damages that may result from
any such suspension or postponement. The General Partner will reject a redemption order if the
order is not in proper form or if the fulfillment of the order, in the opinion of its counsel,
might be unlawful.
17.5 Redemption Transaction Fee. To compensate the Partnership for its expenses in connection
with the redemption of Baskets, a Limited Partner is required to pay a transaction fee to the
Partnership of $1,000 per order to redeem Baskets. An order may include multiple Baskets. The
transaction fee may be reduced, increased or otherwise changed by the General Partner. The General
Partner shall notify DTC of any change in the transaction fee and will not implement any increase
in the fee for the redemption of Baskets until 30 days after the date of the notice.
17.6 Required Redemption. The General Partner may, at any time, in its sole discretion,
require any Limited Partner to withdraw entirely from the Partnership or to withdraw a portion of
his Partner capital account, by giving not less than fifteen (15) days’ advance written notice to
the Limited Partner thus designated. In addition, the General Partner without notice may require at
any time, or retroactively, withdrawal of all or any portion of the capital account of any Limited
Partner: (i) that the General Partner determines is a benefit plan investor (within the meaning of
the Department of Labor Regulation (s) 2510.3-101(f)(2)) in order for the assets of the Partnership
not to be treated as plan assets under ERISA; (ii) that made a misrepresentation to the General
Partner in connection with its purchase of Units; or (iii) whose ownership of Units would result in
the violation of any law or regulations applicable to the Partnership or a Partner. The Limited
Partner thus designated shall withdraw from the Partnership or withdraw that portion of his Partner
capital account specified in such notice, as the case may be, as of the Close of Business on such
date as determined by the General Partner. The Limited Partner thus designated shall be deemed to
have withdrawn from the Partnership or to have made a partial withdrawal from his Partner capital
account, as the case may be, without further action on the part of said Limited Partner.
34
Article 18
MISCELLANEOUS
18.1 Notices. Any notice, offer, consent or other communication required or permitted to be
given or made hereunder shall be in writing and shall be deemed to have been sufficiently given or
made when delivered personally to the party (or an officer of the party) to whom the same is
directed, or (except in the event of a mail strike) five days after being mailed by first-class
mail, postage prepaid, if to the Partnership or to a General Partner, or if to a Limited Partner,
to the address set forth on Exhibit C hereof. Any Partner may change his address for the purpose of
this Article by giving notice of such change to the Partnership, such change to become effective on
the tenth day after such notice is given.
18.2 Waiver of Partition. Each Partner hereby irrevocably waives during the term of the
Partnership any right that it or he may have to maintain any action for partition with respect to
any Partnership property.
18.3 Governing Law, Successors, Severability. This Agreement shall be governed by the laws of
the State of Delaware, as such laws are applied by Delaware courts to agreements entered into and
to be performed in Delaware by and between residents of Delaware and shall, subject to the
restrictions on transferability set forth herein, bind and inure to the benefit of the heirs,
executors, personal representatives successors and assigns of the parties hereto. If any provision
of this Agreement shall be held to be invalid, the remained of this Agreement shall not be affected
thereby.
Consent to Jurisdiction. The General Partner and the Limited Partners hereby (1) irrevocably
submit to the non-exclusive jurisdiction of any Delaware state court or federal court sitting in
Wilmington, Delaware in any action arising out of or relating to this Agreement, and (ii) consent
to the service of process by mail. Nothing herein shall affect the right of any party to serve
legal process in any manner permitted by law or affect its right to bring any action in any other
court. Each party agrees that, in the event that any dispute arising from or relating to this
Agreement becomes subject to any judicial proceeding, such party, to the fullest extent permitted
by applicable law, waives any right it may otherwise have to (a) seek punitive or consequential
damages, or (b) request a trial by jury.
18.5 Entire Agreement. This Agreement constitutes the entire agreement among the parties; it
supercedes any prior agreement or understanding among them, oral or written, all of which are
hereby canceled. This Agreement may not be modified or amended other than pursuant to Article 15.
18.6 Headings. The headings in this Agreement are inserted for convenience of reference only
and shall not affect interpretation of this Agreement. Wherever from the context it appears
appropriate, each term stated in either the singular or the plural shall include the singular and
the plural and pronouns stated in either the masculine or the neuter gender shall include the
masculine, the feminine and the neuter.
18.7 No Waiver. The failure of any Partner to seek redress for violation, or to insist on
strict performance, of any covenant or condition of this Agreement shall not prevent a subsequent
act which would have constituted a violation from having the effect of an original violation.
18.8 Legends. If certificates for any interest or interests are issued evidencing a Limited
Partner’s interest in
35
the Partnerships, each such certificate shall bear such legends as may be required by
applicable Federal and state laws, or as may be deemed necessary or appropriate by the General
Partner to reflect restrictions upon transfer contemplated herein.
18.9 Counterparts. This Agreement may be executed in several counterparts, each of which shall
be deemed an original but all of which shall constitute one and the same instrument.
18.10 Relationship between the Agreement and the Act. Regardless of whether any provisions of
this Agreement specifically refer to particular Default Rules, (a) if any provision of this
Agreement conflicts with a Default Rule, the provision of this Agreement controls and the Default
Rule is modified or negated accordingly, and (b) if it is necessary to construe a Default Rule as
modified or negated in order to effectuate any provision of this Agreement, the Default Rule is
modified or negated accordingly. For purposes of this Article 18.10, “Default Rule” shall mean a
rule stated in the Act that applies except to the extent it is negated or modified through the
provisions of a limited partnership’s Certificate or limited partnership agreement.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties hereto have executed this Agreement on the date first appearing
above.
GENERAL PARTNER Victoria Bay Asset Management, LLC |
||||||
By: | ||||||
Title: | ||||||
ORGANIZATIONAL LIMITED PARTNER Xxxxxxxxxx Holdings, Inc. |
||||||
By: | ||||||
Name: | ||||||
Title: | ||||||
INITIAL LIMITED PARTNER | ||||||
[ ] | ||||||
By: | ||||||
Name: | ||||||
Title: |
36
EXHIBIT A
ASSETS | MANAGEMENT FEE | |||
First $1,000,000,000 |
0.50% of NAV | |||
After the first $1,000,000,000 |
0.20% of NAV |
Fees and Expenses are calculated on a daily basis and paid on a monthly basis (accrued at 1/365 of
applicable percentage of the NAV on that day).
37
EXHIBIT B
FORM OF GLOBAL CERTIFICATE
Evidencing Units Representing Limited Partner Interests
in United States Oil Fund, LP
FORM OF GLOBAL CERTIFICATE
Evidencing Units Representing Limited Partner Interests
in United States Oil Fund, LP
UNLESS THIS CERTIFICATE IS PRESENTED BY AN AUTHORIZED REPRESENTATIVE OF THE DEPOSITORY TRUST
COMPANY, A NEW YORK CORPORATION (“DTC”), TO THE FUND OR ITS AGENT FOR REGISTRATION OF TRANSFER,
EXCHANGE OR PAYMENT, AND ANY CERTIFICATE ISSUED AS IS REQUESTED BY AN AUTHORIZED REPRESENTATIVE OF
DTC (AND ANY PAYMENT IS MADE TO CEDE & CO. OR TO SUCH OTHER ENTITY AS IS REQUIRED BY AN AUTHORIZED
REPRESENTATIVE OF DTC), ANY TRANSFER, PLEDGE OR OTHER USE HEREOF FOR VALUE OR OTHERWISE BY OR TO
ANY PERSON IS WRONGFUL INASMUCH AS THE REGISTERED OWNER HEREOF, CEDE & CO., HAS AN INTEREST HEREIN.
This is to certify that Cede & Co. is the owner and registered holder of this Certificate
evidencing the ownership of issued and outstanding Limited Partner Units (“Units”), each of which
represents a fractional undivided unit of a beneficial interest in United States Oil Fund (the
“Fund”), a Delaware limited partnership.
At any given time, this Certificate shall represent the limited units of beneficial interest
in the Fund purchased by a particular authorized Participant on the date of this Certificate. The
Limited Partnership Agreement provides for the deposit of cash with the Fund from time to time and
the issuance by the Fund of additional Creation Baskets representing the undivided units of
beneficial interest in the assets of the Fund. At the request of the registered holder, this
Certificate may be exchanged for one or more Certificates issued to the registered holder in such
denominations as the registered holder may request; provided, however, that in the aggregate, the
Certificates issued to the registered holder hereof shall represent all Units outstanding at any
given time.
Each authorized Participant hereby grants and conveys all of its rights, title and interest in
and to the Fund to the extent of the undivided interest represented hereby to the registered holder
of this Certificate subject to and in pursuance of the Limited Partnership Agreement, all the
terms, conditions and covenants of which are incorporated herein as if fully set forth at length.
The registered holder of this Certificate is entitled at any time upon tender of this
Certificate to the Fund, endorsed in blank or accompanied by all necessary instruments of
assignment and transfer in proper form, at its principal office in the State of New York and, upon
payment of any tax or other governmental charges, to receive at the time and in the manner provided
in the Limited Partnership Agreement, such holder’s ratable portion of the assets of the Fund for
each Redemption Basket tendered and evidenced by this Certificate.
The holder of this Certificate, by virtue of the purchase and acceptance hereof, assents to
and shall be bound by the terms of the Limited Partnership Agreement, copies of which are on file
and available for inspection at reasonable times during business hours at the principal office of
the General Partner.
The Fund may deem and treat the person in whose name this Certificate is registered upon the
books of the Fund as the owner hereof for all purposes and the Fund shall not be affected by any
notice to the contrary.
The Limited Partnership Agreement and this Certificate are executed and delivered by Victoria
Bay Asset
38
Management, LLC as General Partner of the Fund, in the exercise of the powers and authority
conferred and vested in it by the Limited Partnership Agreement. The representations, undertakings
and agreements made on the part of the Fund in the Limited Partnership Agreement or this
Certificate are made and intended not as personal representations, undertakings and agreements by
the General Partner but are made and intended for the purpose of binding only the Fund. Nothing in
the Limited Partnership Agreement or this Certificate shall be construed as creating any liability
on the General Partner, individually or personally, to fulfill any representation, undertaking or
agreement other than as provided in the Limited Partnership Agreement or this Certificate.
39
THE HOLDER OF THIS SECURITY ACKNOWLEDGES FOR THE BENEFIT OF UNITED STATES OIL FUND, LP THAT THIS
SECURITY MAY NOT BE SOLD, OFFERED, RESOLD, PLEDGED OR OTHERWISE TRANSFERRED IF SUCH TRANSFER WOULD
(a) VIOLATE THE THEN APPLICABLE FEDERAL OR STATE SECURITIES LAWS OR RULES AND REGULATIONS OF THE
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION, ANY STATE SECURITIES COMMISSION OR ANY OTHER GOVERNMENTAL
AUTHORITY WITH JURISDICTION OVER SUCH TRANSFER, (b) TERMINATE THE EXISTENCE OR QUALIFICATION OF
UNITED STATES OIL FUND, LP UNDER THE LAWS OF THE STATE OF DELAWARE, OR (c) CAUSE UNITED STATES OIL
FUND, LP TO BE TREATED AS AN ASSOCIATION TAXABLE AS A CORPORATION OR OTHERWISE TO BE TAXED AS AN
ENTITY FOR FEDERAL INCOME TAX PURPOSES (TO THE EXTENT NOT ALREADY SO TREATED OR TAXED). VICTORIA
BAY ASSET MANAGEMENT, LLC, THE GENERAL PARTNER OF UNITED STATES OIL FUND, LP, MAY IMPOSE ADDITIONAL
RESTRICTIONS ON THE TRANSFER OF THIS SECURITY IF IT RECEIVES AN OPINION OF COUNSEL THAT SUCH
RESTRICTIONS ARE NECESSARY TO AVOID A SIGNIFICANT RISK OF UNITED STATES OIL FUND, LP BECOMING
TAXABLE AS A CORPORATION OR OTHERWISE BECOMING TAXABLE AS AN ENTITY FOR FEDERAL INCOME TAX
PURPOSES. THE RESTRICTIONS SET FORTH ABOVE SHALL NOT PRECLUDE THE SETTLEMENT OF ANY TRANSACTIONS
INVOLVING THIS SECURITY ENTERED INTO THROUGH THE FACILITIES OF ANY NATIONAL SECURITIES EXCHANGE ON
WHICH THIS SECURITY IS LISTED OR ADMITTED TO TRADING.
This Certificate shall not become valid or binding for any purpose until properly executed by
the General Partner. Terms not defined herein have the same meaning as in the Limited Partnership
Agreement.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, Victoria Bay Asset Management LLC, as General Partner of the Fund, has
caused this Certificate to be executed in its name by the manual or facsimile signature of one of
its Authorized Persons.
Victoria Bay Asset Management, LLC, | ||||||
as General Partner | ||||||
By: | ||||||
Date: | ||||||
40
EXHIBIT C
ADDRESSES FOR NOTICE
41
EXHIBIT D
APPLICATION FOR TRANSFER OF UNITS
Transferees of Units must execute and deliver this application to United States Oil Fund, LP, c/o
Victoria Bay Asset Management, LLC, 0000 Xxxxxx Xxx Xxxxxxx, Xxxxx 000, Xxxxxxx, Xxxxxxxxxx 00000,
to be admitted as limited partners to United States Oil Fund, LP.
The undersigned (“Assignee”) hereby applies for transfer to the name of the Assignee of the Units
evidenced hereby and hereby certifies to United States Oil Fund, LP (the “Partnership”) that the
Assignee (including to the best of Assignee’s knowledge, any person for whom the Assignee will hold
the Units) is an Eligible Holder.*
The Assignee (a) requests admission as a Limited Partner and agrees to comply with and be bound by,
and hereby executes, the Amended and Restated Agreement of Limited Partnership of the Partnership,
as amended, supplemented or restated to the date hereof (the “ Partnership Agreement”), (b)
represents and warrants that the Assignee has all right, power and authority and, if an individual,
the capacity necessary to enter into the Partnership Agreement, (c) appoints the General Partner of
the Partnership and, if a Liquidator shall be appointed, the Liquidator of the Partnership as the
Assignee’s attorney-in-fact to execute, swear to, acknowledge and file any document, including,
without limitation, the Partnership Agreement and any amendment thereto and the Certificate of
Limited Partnership of the Partnership and any amendment thereto, necessary or appropriate for the
Assignee’s admission as a Substituted Limited Partner and as a party to the Partnership Agreement,
(d) gives the powers of attorney provided for in the Partnership Agreement, and (e) makes the
waivers and gives the consents and approvals contained in the Partnership Agreement. Capitalized
terms not defined herein have the meanings assigned to such terms in the Partnership Agreement.
Date: |
||||||||
Social Security or other identifying | Signature of Assignee | |||||||
number of Assignee | ||||||||
Purchase Price including commissions, if any | Name and Address of Assignee |
Type of Entity (check one):
o Individual o Partnership o Corporation
o Trust o Other (specify)
If not an Individual (check one):
o the entity is subject to United States federal income taxation on the income
generated by the Partnership;
42
o the entity is not subject to United States federal income taxation, but it is a
pass-through entity and all of its beneficial owners are subject to United States federal income
taxation on the income generated by the Partnership;
o the entity is not subject to United States federal income taxation and it is (a) not
a pass-through entity or (b) a pass-through entity, but not all of its beneficial owners are
subject to United States federal income taxation on the income generated by the Partnership.
Important Note—by checking this box, the Assignee is contradicting its certification that it is an
Eligible Holder.
* The Term “Eligible Holder” means (a) an individual or entity subject to United States federal
income taxation on the income generated by the Partnership; or (b) an entity not subject to United
States federal income taxation on the income generated by the Partnership, so long as all of the
entity’s owners are subject to United States federal income taxation on the income generated by the
Partnership. Individuals or entities are subject to taxation, in the context of defining an
Eligible Holder, to the extent they are taxable on the items of income and gain allocated by the
Partnership. Schedule I hereto contains a list of various types of investors that are categorized
and identified as either “Eligible Holders” or “Non-Eligible Holders.”
Nationality (check one):
o U.S. Citizen, Resident or Domestic Entity o Non-resident Alien
o Foreign Corporation
If the U.S. Citizen, Resident or Domestic Entity box is checked, the following certification must
be completed.
Under Section 1445(e) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the “Code”), the
Partnership must withhold tax with respect to certain transfers of property if a holder of an
interest in the Partnership is a foreign person. To inform the Partnership that no withholding is
required with respect to the undersigned interestholder’s interest in it, the undersigned hereby
certifies the following (or, if applicable, certifies the following on behalf of the
interestholder).
Complete Either A or B:
A. Individual Interestholder
1. I am not a non-resident alien for purposes of U.S. income taxation.
2. My U.S. taxpayer identification number (Social Security Number) is
3. My home address is
2. My U.S. taxpayer identification number (Social Security Number) is
3. My home address is
B. Partnership, Corporation or Other Interestholder
1. The interestholder is not a foreign corporation, foreign partnership, foreign trust or foreign
estate (as those terms are defined in the Code and Treasury Regulations).
2. The interestholder’s U.S. employer identification number is
3. The interestholder’s office address and place of incorporation (if applicable) is
1. The interestholder is not a foreign corporation, foreign partnership, foreign trust or foreign
estate (as those terms are defined in the Code and Treasury Regulations).
2. The interestholder’s U.S. employer identification number is
3. The interestholder’s office address and place of incorporation (if applicable) is
The interestholder agrees to notify the Partnership within sixty (60) days of the date the
interestholder becomes a foreign person.
43
The interestholder understands that this certificate may be disclosed to the Internal Revenue
Service by the Partnership and that any false statement contained herein could be punishable by
fine, imprisonment or both.
Under penalties of perjury, I declare that I have examined this certification and, to the best of
my knowledge and belief, it is true, correct and complete and, if applicable, I further declare
that I have authority to sign this document on behalf of:
Note: If the Assignee is a broker, dealer, bank, trust company, clearing corporation, other nominee
holder or an agent of any of the foregoing, and is holding for the account of any other person,
this application should be completed by an officer thereof or, in the case of a broker or dealer,
by a registered representative who is a member of a registered national securities exchange or a
member of the National Association of Securities Dealers, Inc., or, in the case of any other
nominee holder, a person performing a similar function. If the Assignee is a broker, dealer, bank,
trust company, clearing corporation, other nominee owner or an agent of any of the foregoing, the
above certification as to any person for whom the Assignee will hold the Units shall be made to the
best of the Assignee’s knowledge.
44