SHAREHOLDER PROTECTION RIGHTS AGREEMENT BETWEEN MONTEREY GOURMET FOODS AND CORPORATE STOCK TRANSFER as Rights Agent Dated as of July 1, 2008

Exhibit 10.1

SHAREHOLDER PROTECTION RIGHTS AGREEMENT

BETWEEN

AND

CORPORATE STOCK TRANSFER
as Rights Agent

Dated as of July 1, 2008

TABLE OF CONTENTS


		Page


SECTION 1.	DEFINITIONS	1
SECTION 2.	APPOINTMENT OF RIGHTS AGENT	4
SECTION 3.	ISSUE OF RIGHTS CERTIFICATES	4
SECTION 4.	FORM OF RIGHTS CERTIFICATES	6
SECTION 5.	COUNTERSIGNATURE AND REGISTRATION	6
SECTION 6.	TRANSFER, SPLIT UP, COMBINATION AND EXCHANGE OF RIGHTS CERTIFICATES; MUTILATED, DESTROYED, LOST OR STOLEN RIGHTS CERTIFICATES	7
SECTION 7.	EXERCISE OF RIGHTS; PURCHASE PRICE; EXPIRATION DATE OF RIGHTS	8
SECTION 8.	CANCELLATION AND DESTRUCTION OF RIGHTS CERTIFICATES	9
SECTION 9.	AVAILABILITY OF PREFERRED SHARES	10
SECTION 10.	PREFERRED SHARES RECORD DATE	10
SECTION 11.	ADJUSTMENT OF PURCHASE PRICE, NUMBER OF SHARES OR NUMBER OF RIGHTS	10
SECTION 12.	CERTIFICATE OF ADJUSTED PURCHASE PRICE OR NUMBER OF SHARES	18
SECTION 13.	CONSOLIDATION, MERGER OR SALE OR TRANSFER OF ASSETS OR EARNING POWER	19
SECTION 14.	FRACTIONAL RIGHTS AND FRACTIONAL SHARES	23
SECTION 15.	RIGHTS OF ACTION	24
SECTION 16.	AGREEMENT OF RIGHTS HOLDERS	24
SECTION 17.	RIGHTS CERTIFICATE HOLDER NOT DEEMED A SHAREHOLDER	25
SECTION 18.	FEES, EXPENSES AND LIABILITIES OF THE RIGHTS AGENT	25
SECTION 19.	MERGER OR CONSOLIDATION OR CHANGE OF NAME OF RIGHTS AGENT	26
SECTION 20.	DUTIES OF RIGHTS AGENT	26
SECTION 21.	CHANGE OF RIGHTS AGENT	29
SECTION 22.	ISSUANCE OF NEW RIGHTS CERTIFICATES	29
SECTION 23.	REDEMPTION	30
SECTION 24.	EXCHANGE	31
SECTION 25.	NOTICE OF CERTAIN EVENTS	32
SECTION 26.	NOTICES	33
SECTION 27.	SUPPLEMENTS AND AMENDMENTS	34
SECTION 28.	REGISTRATION OF SECURITIES	34
SECTION 29.	DETERMINATIONS AND ACTIONS BY THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS; TIDE COMMITTEE	34
SECTION 30.	SUCCESSORS	35
SECTION 31.	BENEFITS OF THIS AGREEMENT	35
SECTION 32.	SEVERABILITY	36
SECTION 33.	GOVERNING LAW	00

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XXXXXXX 00.	COUNTERPARTS	36
SECTION 35.	DESCRIPTIVE HEADINGS	36

EXHIBIT A - Certificate of Determination (§1(m))

EXHIBIT B - Form of Rights Certificate (§3(a)(2); §4)

EXHIBIT C - Summary of Rights (Letter to Shareholders) (§3(b))

-ii-

SHAREHOLDER PROTECTION RIGHTS AGREEMENT

This Shareholder Protection Rights Agreement (the “Agreement”), dated as of July 1, 2008, is made between Monterey Gourmet Foods, Inc., a Delaware corporation (the “Company”), and Corporate Stock Transfer, Inc., a Colorado corporation (the “Rights Agent”).

Pursuant to this Agreement, the Board of Directors of the Company has authorized and declared a dividend of one preferred share purchase right (a “Right”) for each Common Share (as hereinafter defined) of the Company outstanding on July 11, 2008 (the “Record Date”), each Right representing the right to purchase one one-hundredth of a Preferred Share (as hereinafter defined), upon the terms and subject to the conditions herein set forth, and has further authorized and directed the issuance of one Right with respect to each Common Share that shall become outstanding between the Record Date and the earliest of the Distribution Date, the Redemption Date and the Final Expiration Date (as such terms are hereinafter defined).

Accordingly, in consideration of the premises and the mutual agreements herein set forth, the parties hereby agree as follows:

SECTION 1.
DEFINITIONS

For purposes of this Agreement, the following terms have the meanings indicated:

(a) “Acquiring Person” shall mean any Person (as such term is hereinafter defined) who or which, together with all Affiliates and Associates (as such terms are hereinafter defined) of such Person, shall be the Beneficial Owner (as such term is hereinafter defined) of 20% or more of the Common Shares of the Company then outstanding, but shall not include the Company, any Subsidiary (as such term is hereinafter defined) of the Company, any employee benefit plan of the Company (including without limitation the Employee Plans) or of any Subsidiary of the Company, or of any entity holding Common Shares for or pursuant to the terms of any such plan, provided, however, that any Person who first obtains the written approval of a majority of the Board of Directors of the Company for the acquisition of 20% or more of the Common Shares of the Company and therefore accumulates at least 20% of the Common Shares, within six months of the date of such written approval shall not be an “Acquiring Person.”

Notwithstanding the preceding paragraph, no Person shall become an “Acquiring Person” as the result of an acquisition of Common Shares by the Company which, by reducing the number of shares outstanding, increases the proportionate number of shares beneficially owned by such Person to 20% or more of the Common Shares of the Company then outstanding by reason of share purchases by the Company and shall, after such share purchases by the Company, become the Beneficial Owner of any additional Common Shares of the Company, then such Person shall be deemed to be an “Acquiring Person”.

(b) “Adjustment Shares” shall have the meaning set forth in Section 11(a)(ii) hereof.

(c) “Affiliate” and “Associate” shall have the respective meanings ascribed to such terms in Rule 12b-2 of the General Rules and Regulations under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”), as in effect on the date of this Agreement.

(d) A Person shall be deemed the “Beneficial Owner” of and shall be deemed to “beneficially own” any securities:


	(i) Which such Person or any of such Person’s Affiliates or Associates beneficially owns, directly or indirectly;

	(ii) Which such Person or any of such Person’s Affiliates or Associates has

		(A) The right to acquire (whether such right is exercisable immediately or only after the passage of time) pursuant to any agreement, arrangement or understanding (other than customary agreements with and between underwriters and selling group members with respect to a bona fide public offering of securities), or upon the exercise of conversion rights, exchange rights, rights (other than these Rights), warrants or options, or otherwise; provided, however, that a Person shall not be deemed the Beneficial Owner of, or to beneficially own, securities tendered pursuant to a tender or exchange offer made by or on behalf of such Person or any of such Person’s Affiliates or Associates until such tendered securities are accepted for purchase or exchange; or

		(B) The right to vote pursuant to any agreement, arrangement or understanding; provided, however, that a Person shall not be deemed the Beneficial Owner of, or to beneficially own, any security if the agreement, arrangement or understanding to vote such security (1) arises solely from a revocable proxy or consent given to such Person in response to a public proxy or consent solicitation made pursuant to, and in accordance with, the applicable rules and regulations promulgated under the Exchange Act and (2) is not also then reportable on Schedule 13D under the Exchange Act (or any comparable or successor report); or

	(iii) Which are beneficially owned, directly or indirectly, by any other Person with which such Person or any of such Person’s Affiliates or Associates has any agreement, arrangement or understanding (other than customary agreements with and between underwriters and selling group members with respect to a bona fide public offering of securities) for the purpose of acquiring, holding, voting (except to the extent contemplated by the proviso in Section l(d)(ii)(B)) or disposing of any securities of the Company; provided, however, that in no case shall an officer or director of the Company be deemed the Beneficial Owner of securities held of record by the trustee of any employee benefit plan of the Company (including without limitation the Employee Plans) or any Subsidiary of the Company for the benefit of any employee (other than the officer or director) of the Company or any Subsidiary of the Company, by reason of any influence that such officer or director may have over the voting of the securities held in the plan.

Notwithstanding anything in this definition of Beneficial Ownership to the contrary, the phrase “then outstanding,” when used with reference to a Person’s Beneficial Ownership of securities of the Company, shall mean the number of such securities then issued and outstanding together with the number of such securities not then actually issued and outstanding which such Person would be deemed to own beneficially hereunder.

(e) “Business Day” shall mean any day other than a Saturday, a Sunday, or a day on which business corporations in the States of California and Colorado are authorized or obligated by law or executive order to close.

(f) “Close of Business” on any given date shall mean 5:00 P.M Salinas, California time, on such date; provided, however, that if such date is not a Business Day it shall mean 5:00 P.M., Salinas, California time, on the next succeeding Business Day.

(g) “Common Shares” when used with reference to the Company shall mean the shares of common stock, $.001 par value, of the Company. “Common Shares” when used with reference to any Person other than the Company shall mean the capital stock (or equity interest) with the greatest voting power of such other Person or, if such other Person is a Subsidiary of another Person, the Person or Persons which ultimately control such first-mentioned Person.

(h) “Current Value” shall have the meaning set forth in Section 11(a)(iv) hereof.

(i) “Distribution Date” shall have the meaning set forth in Section 3 hereof.

(j) “Employee Plans” shall mean the Monterey Gourmet Foods Employee Stock Purchase Plan and any other tax-qualified employee benefit plan of the Company or any Subsidiary, or any of them, and any successor plan to any of them.

(k) “Final Expiration Date” shall have the meaning set forth in Section 7(a) hereof.

(l) “Person” shall mean any individual, firm, association, partnership, joint venture, corporation, limited liability company or other entity, and shall include any successor (by merger or otherwise) of such entity.

(m) “Preferred Shares” shall mean shares of Series A Junior Participating Preferred Stock, par value $.001 per share, of the Company having the rights and preferences set forth in the Certificate of Determination for Series A Junior Participating Preferred Stock attached hereto as Exhibit A.

(n) “Principal Party” shall have the meaning set forth in Section 13(b) hereof.

(o) “Purchase Price” shall have the meaning set forth in Section 4 hereof.

(p) “Redemption Date” shall have the meaning set forth in Section 7(a) hereof.

(q) “Registered Common Shares” shall have the meaning set forth in Section 13(b)(ii) hereof.

(r) “Shares Acquisition Date” shall mean the date of first public announcement (which, for purposes of this definition, shall include, without limitation, the date of filing of a report filed pursuant to Section 13(d) of the Exchange Act) by the Company or an Acquiring Person that an Acquiring Person has become an Acquiring Person, or such earlier date as a majority of the directors of the Company shall become aware of the existence of an Acquiring Person.

(s) “Spread” shall have the meaning set forth in Section 11(a)(iv) hereof.

(t) “Subsidiary” of any Person shall mean any corporation or other entity, the majority of the voting power of the voting equity securities or equity interest of which is owned, directly or indirectly, by such Person.

(u) “Substitution Period” shall have the meaning set forth in Section 11(a)(iv) hereof.

(v) “Trading Day” shall have the meaning set forth in Section 11(d)(ii) hereof.

(w) A “Trigger Event” shall be deemed to have occurred when any Person, together with all Affiliates and Associates of such Person, becomes an Acquiring Person.

SECTION 2.
APPOINTMENT OF RIGHTS AGENT

The Company hereby appoints the Rights Agent to act as rights agent for the Company in accordance with the terms and conditions hereof, and the Rights Agent hereby accepts such appointment. The Company may from time to time appoint such co-Rights Agents as it may deem necessary or desirable. The Rights Agent shall have no duty to supervise, and in no event shall be liable for, the acts or omissions of any such co-Rights Agent.

SECTION 3.
ISSUANCE OF RIGHTS CERTIFICATES

(a) Except as provided in subsections (i) and (ii) below, the Rights shall at all times be evidenced (subject to the provisions of Section 3(b) hereof) by the certificates for Common Shares registered in the names of the holders thereof (which certificates shall also be deemed to be Rights Certificates) and not by separate Rights Certificates, and the right to receive Rights Certificates will be transferable only in connection with the transfer of Common Shares.


	(i) After the Close of Business on the earlier of (A) the tenth day after the Shares Acquisition Date, or (B) the tenth Business Day (or such later date as may be determined by action of the Board of Directors prior to such time as any Person becomes an Acquiring Person) after the date when any Person (other than the Company, any Subsidiary of the Company, any employee benefit plan of the Company, including without limitation the Employee Plans, or of any Subsidiary of the Company or of any entity holding Common Shares for or pursuant to the terms of any such plan) commences, or first publicly announces an intention to commence, a tender or exchange offer which would result in such Person becoming the Beneficial Owner of Common Shares aggregating 20% or more of the then outstanding Common Shares (the earliest of such dates being herein referred to as the “Distribution Date”), the Company shall distribute Rights Certificates in accordance with subsection (ii). The provisions of this Section 3(a) shall control regardless of whether any Common Shares are actually purchased pursuant to such offer, and the Distribution Date may include any date which is after the date of this Agreement and prior to the issuance of the Rights.

	(ii) As soon as practicable after the Distribution Date, the Company will prepare and execute, the Rights Agent will countersign, and the Company will send or cause to be sent (and the Rights Agent will, if requested and provided with all necessary information, send) by first-class, insured, postage-prepaid mail, to each record holder of Common Shares as of the Close of Business on the Distribution Date, at the address of such holder shown on the records of the Company, a Rights Certificate, in substantially the form of Exhibit B hereto (a “Rights Certificate”), evidencing one Right for each Common Share so held. As of the Distribution Date, the Rights will be evidenced solely by such Rights Certificates. The Company shall promptly notify the Rights Agent in writing upon the occurrence of the Distribution Date and, if such notification is given orally, the Company shall confirm same in writing on or prior to the Business Day next following. Until such notice is received by the Rights Agent, the Rights Agent may presume conclusively for all purposes that the Distribution Date has not occurred.

(b) On the Record Date, or as soon as practicable thereafter, the Company will send a copy of a Summary of Rights to Purchase Preferred Shares, in substantially the form of Exhibit C hereto (the “Summary of Rights”), by first- class, postage-prepaid mail, to each record holder of Common Shares as of the Close of Business on the Record Date, at the address of such holder shown on the records of the Company. With respect to certificates for Common Shares outstanding as of the Record Date, until the Distribution Date, the Rights will be evidenced by such certificates registered in the names of the holders thereof regardless of whether a copy of the Summary of Rights is attached thereto. Until the Distribution Date (or the earlier of the Redemption Date or the Final Expiration Date), the surrender for transfer of any certificate for Common Shares outstanding on the Record Date, with or without a copy of the Summary of Rights attached thereto, shall also constitute the transfer of the Rights associated with the Common Shares represented thereby.


(c) Certificates for Common Shares (including, without limitation, reacquired Common Shares referred to in the last sentence of this paragraph (c)) which become outstanding after the Record Date but prior to the earliest of the Distribution Date, the Redemption Date or the Final Expiration Date shall have impressed on, printed on, written on or otherwise affixed to them the following legend:

	This certificate also evidences and entitles the holder hereof to certain rights as set forth in an agreement between Monterey Gourmet Foods, Inc. and Corporate Stock Transfer, Inc., as Rights Agent, dated as of July 1, 2008 (the “Rights Agreement”), the terms of which are hereby incorporated herein by reference and a copy of which is on file at the principal executive offices of Monterey Gourmet Foods, Inc. Under certain circumstances, as set forth in the Rights Agreement, such Rights will be evidenced by separate certificates and will no longer be evidenced by this certificate. Monterey Gourmet Foods, Inc. will mail to the holder of this certificate a copy of the Rights Agreement without charge after receipt of a written request therefor. Under certain circumstances, as set forth in the Rights Agreement, Rights issued to any Person who becomes an Acquiring Person (as defined in the Rights Agreement) may become null and void.

With respect to such certificates containing the foregoing legend, until the Distribution Date, such certificates alone shall evidence the Rights associated with the Common Shares represented by such certificates, and the surrender for transfer of any such certificate shall also constitute the transfer of the Rights associated with the Common Shares represented thereby. In the event that the Company purchases or acquires any Common Shares after the Record Date but prior to the Distribution Date, any Rights associated with such Common Shares shall be deemed cancelled and retired so that the Company shall not be entitled to exercise any Rights associated with such Common Shares while they are not outstanding.

SECTION 4.
FORM OF RIGHTS CERTIFICATES

The Rights Certificates (and the forms of election to purchase Preferred Shares and of assignment to be printed on the reverse thereof) shall be substantially the same as Exhibit B hereto and may have such marks of identification or designation and such legends, summaries or endorsements printed thereon as the Company may deem appropriate (but do not affect the rights, duties or responsibilities of the Rights Agent) and as are not inconsistent with the provisions of this Agreement, or as may be required to comply with any applicable law or with any rule or regulation made pursuant thereto or with any rule or regulation of any stock exchange or other organization on which the Rights may from time to time be listed or quoted, or to conform to usage. Subject to the provisions of Section 22 hereof, the Rights Certificates shall entitle the holders thereof to purchase such number of one one-hundredths of a Preferred Share as shall be set forth therein at the price per one one-hundredth of a Preferred Share set forth therein (the “Purchase Price”), but the number of such one one-hundredths of a Preferred Share and the Purchase Price shall be subject to adjustment as provided herein.

SECTION 5.
COUNTERSIGNATURE AND REGISTRATION

The Rights Certificates shall be executed on behalf of the Company by its Chairman of the Board, its Chief Executive Officer, its President, or any of its Executive Vice Presidents, either manually or by facsimile signature and shall be attested by the Secretary or an Assistant Secretary of the Company, either manually or by facsimile signature. The Rights Certificates shall be manually countersigned by the Rights Agent and shall not be valid for any purpose unless countersigned. In case any officer of the Company who shall have signed any of the Rights Certificates shall cease to be such officer of the Company before countersignature by the Rights Agent and issuance and delivery by the Company, such Rights Certificates, nevertheless, may be countersigned by the Rights Agent and issued and delivered by the Company with the same force and effect as though the person who signed such Rights Certificates had not ceased to be such officer of the Company; and any Rights Certificate may be signed on behalf of the Company by any person who, at the actual date of the execution of such Rights Certificate, shall be a proper officer of the Company to sign such Rights Certificate, although at the date of the execution of this Agreement any such person was not such an officer.

Following the Distribution Date, receipt by the Rights Agent of notice to that effect and all other relevant information referred to in Section 3(a), the Rights Agent will keep or cause to be kept, at its office designated for such purpose, books for registration and transfer of the Rights Certificates issued hereunder. Such books shall show the names and addresses of the respective holders of the Rights Certificates, the number of Rights evidenced on its face by each of the Rights Certificates and the date of each of the Rights Certificates.

SECTION 6.
TRANSFER, SPLIT UP, COMBINATION AND
EXCHANGE OF RIGHTS CERTIFICATES; MUTILATED,
DESTROYED, LOST OR STOLEN RIGHTS CERTIFICATES

Subject to the provisions of Section 14 hereof, at any time after the Close of Business on the Distribution Date, and at or prior to the Close of Business on the earlier of the Redemption Date or the Final Expiration Date, any Rights Certificate or Rights Certificates, other than Rights Certificates representing Rights that have become null and void pursuant to Section 11(a)(ii) hereof or that have been exchanged pursuant to Section 24 hereof, may be transferred, split up, combined or exchanged for another Rights Certificate or Rights Certificates, entitling the registered holder to purchase a like number of one one-hundredths of a Preferred Share as the Rights Certificate or Rights Certificates surrendered then entitled such holder to purchase. Any registered holders desiring to transfer, split up, combine or exchange any Rights Certificate or Rights Certificates shall make such request in writing delivered to the Rights Agent, and shall surrender the Rights Certificate or Rights Certificates to be transferred, split up, combined or exchanged at the office of the Rights Agent designated for such purpose. Thereupon the Rights Agent shall countersign and deliver to the person entitled thereto a Rights Certificate or Rights Certificates, as the case may be, as so requested. The Company may require payment by the holder of such Rights of a sum sufficient to cover any tax or governmental charge that may be imposed in connection with any transfer, split up, combination or exchange of Rights Certificates. Neither the Rights Agent nor the Company shall have any duty or be obligated to take any action whatsoever with respect to the transfer of any such surrendered Rights Certificate or Certificates until the registered holder thereof shall have (i) completed and signed the certificate contained in the form set forth on the reverse side of each such Rights Certificate and (ii) provided such additional evidence of the identity of the Beneficial Owner (or former Beneficial Owner) thereof and of the Rights evidenced thereby and the Affiliates and Associates of such Beneficial Owner (or former Beneficial Owner) as the Company or the Rights Agent shall reasonably request. The Rights Agent shall have no duty or obligation to take any action under any Section of this Agreement which requires, or under which the Company may request and does request (with prompt written notice thereof to the Rights Agent), the payment by a Rights holder of applicable taxes or governmental charges unless and until it is satisfied that all such taxes and/or governmental charges have been paid.

Upon receipt by the Company and the Rights Agent of evidence reasonably satisfactory to them of the loss, theft, destruction or mutilation of a Rights Certificate, and, in case of loss, theft or destruction, of indemnity or security satisfactory to them and, at the request of the Company, reimbursement to the Company and the Rights Agent of all reasonable expenses incidental thereto, and upon surrender to the Rights Agent and cancellation of the Rights Certificate if mutilated, the Company will make and deliver a new Rights Certificate of like tenor to the Rights Agent for countersignature and delivery to the registered holder in lieu of the Rights Certificate so lost, stolen, destroyed or mutilated.

SECTION 7.
EXERCISE OF RIGHTS; PURCHASE PRICE; EXPIRATION DATE OF RIGHTS

(a) The registered holder of any Rights Certificate may exercise the Rights evidenced thereby (except as otherwise provided in this Rights Agreement) in whole or in part at any time after the Distribution Date upon surrender of the Rights Certificate, with the form of election to purchase on the reverse side thereof duly executed, to the Rights Agent at the office of the Rights Agent designated for such purpose, together with payment of the Purchase Price for each one one-hundredth of a Preferred Share as to which the Rights are exercised, at or prior to the earliest of (i) the Close of Business on July 1, 2018 (the “Final Expiration Date”), (ii) the time at which the Rights are redeemed as provided in Section 23 hereof (the “Redemption Date”), or (iii) the time at which such Rights are exchanged as provided in Section 24 hereof.

(b) The Purchase Price for each one one-hundredth of a Preferred Share purchasable pursuant to the exercise of a Right shall initially be $11.70, shall be subject to adjustment from time to time as provided in Sections 11 and 13 hereof and shall be payable in lawful money of the United States of America in accordance with paragraph (c) below.


(c) Upon receipt of a Rights Certificate representing exercisable Rights, with the form of election to purchase duly and properly executed, accompanied by payment of the Purchase Price for the shares to be purchased and an amount equal to any applicable tax or charge required to be paid by the holder of such Rights Certificate in accordance with Section 9 hereof by cash, certified check, cashier’s check or money order payable to the order of the Company, subject to Section 20(i) hereof, the Rights Agent shall thereupon promptly:

	(i) Requisition (A) from any transfer agent of the Preferred Shares, certificates for the number of Preferred Shares to be purchased and the Company hereby irrevocably authorizes each such transfer agent of the Preferred Shares to comply with all such requests, or (B) from the depository agent, depository receipts representing such number of one one-hundredths of a Preferred Share as are to be purchased (in which case certificates for the Preferred Shares represented by such receipts shall be deposited by the transfer agent with the depository agent) and the Company hereby directs the depository agent to comply with such request;

	(ii) When necessary to comply with this Agreement, requisition from the Company the amount of cash to be paid in lieu of issuance of fractional shares in accordance with Section 14 hereof;


	(iii) After receipt of such certificates or depository receipts, cause the same to be delivered to or upon the order of the registered holder of such Rights Certificate, registered in such name or names as may be designated by such holder; and

	(iv) When necessary to comply with this Agreement, after receipt, deliver such cash to or upon the order of the registered holder of such Rights Certificate.

(d) In case the registered holder of any Rights Certificate shall exercise less than all the Rights evidenced thereby, the Rights Agent shall issue a new Rights Certificate evidencing Rights equivalent to the Rights remaining unexercised to the registered holder of such Rights Certificate or to his duly authorized assigns, subject to the provisions of Section 14 hereof.

(e) The Company covenants and agrees that it will cause to be reserved and kept available out of its authorized and unissued Preferred Shares or any Preferred Shares held in its treasury the number of Preferred Shares that will be sufficient to permit the exercise in full of all outstanding Rights in accordance with this Section 7.

(f) Notwithstanding anything in this Agreement to the contrary, neither the Rights Agent nor the Company shall be obligated to undertake any action with respect to a registered holder of Rights or other securities upon the occurrence of any purported exercise as set forth in this Section 7 unless such registered holder shall have (i) properly completed and signed the certificate contained in the form of election to purchase set forth on the reverse side of the Right Certificate surrendered for such exercise and (ii) provided such additional evidence of the identity of the Beneficial Owner (or former Beneficial Owner) thereof and of the Rights evidenced thereby and of the Affiliates and Associates of such Beneficial Owner (or former Beneficial Owner) as the Company or the Rights Agent shall reasonably request.

SECTION 8.
CANCELLATION AND DESTRUCTION OF RIGHTS CERTIFICATES

All Rights Certificates surrendered for the purpose of exercise, transfer, split-up, combination or exchange shall, if surrendered to the Company or to any of its agents, be delivered to the Rights Agent for cancellation or in cancelled form, or, if surrendered to the Rights Agent, shall be cancelled by it, and no Rights Certificates shall be issued in lieu thereof except as expressly permitted by any of the provisions of this Agreement. The Company shall deliver to the Rights Agent for cancellation and retirement, and the Rights Agent shall so cancel and retire, any other Rights Certificate purchased or acquired by the Company otherwise than upon the exercise thereof. The Rights Agent shall deliver all cancelled Rights Certificates to the Company, or shall, at the written request of the Company, destroy such cancelled Rights Certificates, and in such case shall deliver a certificate of destruction thereof to the Company.

SECTION 9.
AVAILABILITY OF PREFERRED SHARES

The Company covenants and agrees that it will take all such action as may be necessary to ensure that all Preferred Shares delivered upon exercise of Rights shall, at the time of delivery of the certificates for such Preferred Shares (subject to payment of the Purchase Price), be duly and validly authorized and issued, fully paid and nonassessable.

The Company further covenants and agrees that it will pay when due and payable any and all taxes and governmental charges which may be payable in respect of the issuance or delivery of the Rights Certificates or of any Preferred Shares upon the exercise of Rights. The Company shall not, however, be required to pay any tax or charge which may be payable in respect of any transfer or delivery of Rights Certificates to a Person other than, or the issuance or delivery of certificates or depository receipts for the Preferred Shares in a name other than that of, the registered holder of the Rights Certificate evidencing Rights surrendered for exercise or to issue or to deliver any certificates or depository receipts for Preferred Shares upon the exercise of any Rights until any such tax or charge shall have been paid (any such tax or charge being payable by the holder of such Rights Certificate at the time of surrender) or until it has been established to the Company’s reasonable satisfaction that no such tax or charge is due.

SECTION 10.
PREFERRED SHARES RECORD DATE

Each person in whose name any certificate for Preferred Shares is issued upon the exercise of Rights shall for all purposes be deemed to have become the holder of record of the Preferred Shares represented thereby on, and such certificate shall be dated, the date upon which the Rights Certificate evidencing such Rights was duly surrendered and payment of the Purchase Price (and any applicable taxes or governmental charges) was made; provided, however, that if the date of such surrender and payment is a date upon which the Preferred Shares transfer books of the Company are closed, such person shall be deemed to have become the record holder of such shares on, and such certificate shall be dated, the next succeeding Business Day on which the Preferred Shares transfer books of the Company are open. Prior to the exercise of the Rights evidenced thereby, the holder of a Rights Certificate shall not be entitled to any rights of a holder of Preferred Shares for which the Rights shall be exercisable, including, without limitation, the rights to vote, to receive dividends or other distributions or to exercise any preemptive rights, and shall not be entitled to receive any notice of any proceedings of the Company, except as provided herein.

SECTION 11.
ADJUSTMENT OF PURCHASE PRICE,
NUMBER OF SHARES OR NUMBER OF RIGHTS

(a) The Purchase Price, the number of Preferred Shares covered by each Right and the number of Rights outstanding shall be subject to adjustment from time to time as provided in this Section 11.


	(i) In the event the Company shall at any time after the date of this Agreement:

	(A) Declare a dividend on the Preferred Shares payable in Preferred Shares;

	(B) Subdivide the outstanding Preferred Shares;

	(C) Combine the outstanding Preferred Shares into a smaller number of Preferred Shares; or

	(D) Issue any shares of its capital stock in a reclassification of the Preferred Shares (including any such reclassification in connection with a consolidation or merger in which the Company is the continuing or surviving corporation),

except as otherwise provided in this Section 11(a), the Purchase Price in effect at the time of the record date for such dividend or of the effective date of such subdivision, combination or reclassification, and the number and kind of shares of capital stock issuable on such date, shall be proportionately adjusted so that the holder of any Rights exercised after such time shall be entitled to receive the aggregate number and kind of shares of capital stock which, if such Rights had been exercised immediately prior to such date and at a time when the Preferred Shares transfer books of the Company were open, such holder would have owned upon such exercise and been entitled to receive by virtue of such dividend, subdivision, combination or reclassification; provided, however, that in no event shall the consideration to be paid upon the exercise of one Right be less than the aggregate par value of the shares of capital stock of the Company issuable upon exercise of one Right.

	(ii)	Subject to Section 24 of this Agreement, in the event:

	(A) A Trigger Event shall have occurred (other than through an acquisition described in subparagraph (iii) of this paragraph (a)); or

	(B) During such time as there is an Acquiring Person, there shall be any reclassification of securities (including any reverse stock split), or recapitalization or reorganization of the Company or other transaction or series of transactions involving the Company which has the effect, directly or indirectly, of increasing by more than 1% the proportionate share of the outstanding shares of any class of equity securities of the Company or any of its Subsidiaries beneficially owned by any Acquiring Person or any Affiliate or Associate thereof,

each holder of a Right shall thereafter have a right to receive, upon exercise thereof at a price equal to the then current Purchase Price multiplied by the number of one one-hundredths of a Preferred Share for which a Right is then exercisable, in accordance with the terms of this Agreement and in lieu of Preferred Shares, such number of Common Shares of the Company (such number of shares being referred to herein as the “Adjustment Shares”) as shall equal the result obtained by (x) multiplying the then current Purchase Price by the number of one one-hundredths of a Preferred Share for which a Right is then exercisable, and dividing that product by (y) 50% of the then current per share market price of the Company’s Common Shares (determined pursuant to Section 11(d) hereof) on the date of the occurrence of the earliest of the events described in clauses (A) and (B) above.

From and after the occurrence of the earliest of the events described in clauses (A) and (B) above, any Rights that are or were acquired or are or were beneficially owned by any Acquiring Person (or any Associate or Affiliate of such Acquiring Person) shall be null and void and any holder of such Rights (including any subsequent transferee) shall thereafter have no right whatsoever with respect to such Rights under any provision of this Agreement. No Rights Certificate shall be issued pursuant to Section 3 that represents Rights beneficially owned by an Acquiring Person whose Rights would be null and void pursuant to the preceding sentence or any representative, nominee, Associate or Affiliate thereof; no Rights Certificate shall be issued at any time upon the transfer of any Rights to an Acquiring Person whose Rights would be null and void pursuant to the preceding sentence or any Associate or Affiliate thereof or to any nominee of such Acquiring Person, Associate or Affiliate; and any Rights Certificate delivered to the Rights Agent for transfer to an Acquiring Person whose Rights would be null and void pursuant to the preceding sentence or any representative, nominee, Associate or Affiliate thereof, shall be cancelled. The Company shall give the Rights Agent written notice of the identity of any such Acquiring Person, Associate or Affiliate, or the representative or nominee of any of the foregoing, and the Rights Agent may rely on such notice in carrying out its duties under this Agreement and shall be deemed not to have any knowledge of the identity of any such Acquiring Person, Associate or Affiliate, or the representative or nominee of any of the foregoing unless and until it shall have received such notice.


	(iii) The right to buy Common Shares of the Company pursuant to subparagraph (ii) of this paragraph (a) shall not arise as a result of any Person becoming an Acquiring Person through a purchase of Common Shares pursuant to a tender offer made in the manner prescribed by Section 14(d) of the Exchange Act and the rules and regulations promulgated thereunder; provided, however, that such tender offer shall provide for the acquisition of all of the outstanding Common Shares held by any Person other than such Acquiring Person and its Affiliates or Associates at a price and on terms determined by at least a majority of the members of the Board of Directors who are not officers of the Company and who are not representatives, nominees, Affiliates or Associates of an Acquiring Person, after receiving advice from one or more investment or financial advisers, to be (A) fair to shareholders, taking into account all factors which such members of the Board deem relevant including, without limitation, prices which could reasonably be achieved if the Company or its assets were sold on an orderly basis designed to realize maximum value, and (B) otherwise in the best interests of the Company and its shareholders, employees, customers and communities in which the Company does business.


	(iv) In the event that there shall not be sufficient Common Shares authorized but unissued to permit the exercise in full of the Rights in accordance with the foregoing subparagraph (ii), the Company shall:

		(A) Determine the excess of (1) the value of the Adjustment Shares issuable upon the exercise of a Right (the “Current Value”), over (2) the Purchase Price (such excess being hereinafter referred to as the “Spread”); and

		(B) With respect to each Right, make adequate provision to substitute for such unavailable Adjustment Shares either (1) cash, (2) a reduction in the Purchase Price, (3) other equity securities of the Company, including without limitation, Preferred Shares, (4) debt securities of the Company, (5) other assets, or (6) any combination of the foregoing having, together with the Adjustment Shares issued upon exercise of such Right, an aggregate value equal to the Current Value, where such aggregate value has been determined by the Board of Directors of the Company based upon the advice of a reputable investment banking firm selected by the Board of Directors of the Company.

Notwithstanding the provisions of the preceding paragraph, if, within 30 days following the date of the occurrence of the earliest of the events described in clauses (A) and (B) of Section 11(a)(ii) above, the Company shall have not made adequate provision to deliver value pursuant to clause (B) above, then the Company shall be obligated to deliver, upon the surrender for exercise of a Right and without requiring payment of the Purchase Price, Common Shares (to the extent such shares are available) and then, if necessary, cash or Preferred Shares, which shares and/or cash have an aggregate value equal to the Spread. If the Board of Directors of the Company shall determine in good faith that it is likely that sufficient additional Common Shares could be authorized for issuance upon exercise in full of the Rights, the 30-day period set forth above may be extended to the extent necessary, but not more than 120 days following the date of the occurrence of the earliest of the events described in clauses (A) and (B) of Section 11(a)(ii) above, in order that the Company may seek shareholder approval for the authorization of such additional shares (such period, as it may be extended, hereinafter referred to as the “Substitution Period”).

To the extent that the Company determines that action needs be taken pursuant to the first and/or second sentences of this Section 11(a)(iv), the Company (x) shall provide, subject to Section 11(a)(ii) hereof, that such action shall apply uniformly to all outstanding Rights, and (y) may suspend the exercisability of the Rights until the expiration of the Substitution Period in order to seek any authorization of additional shares and/or to decide the appropriate form of distribution to be made pursuant to such first sentence and to determine the value thereof. In the event of any such suspension, the Company shall issue a public announcement (with prompt written notice thereof to the Rights Agent) stating that the exercisability of the Rights has been temporarily suspended, as well as a public announcement (with prompt written notice thereof to the Rights Agent) at such time as the suspension is no longer in effect. For purposes of this Section 11(a)(iv), the value of the Common Shares shall be the current per share market price (as determined pursuant to Section 11(d) hereof) per Common Share on the date of the occurrence of the earliest of the events described in clauses (A) and (B) of Section 11(a)(ii) above.

(b) In case the Company shall fix a record date for the issuance of rights, options or warrants to all holders of Preferred Shares entitling them (for a period expiring within 45 calendar days after such record date) to subscribe for or purchase Preferred Shares (or shares having the same rights, privileges and preferences as the Preferred Shares (“equivalent preferred shares”)) or securities convertible into Preferred Shares or equivalent preferred shares at a price per Preferred Share or equivalent preferred share (or having a conversion price per share, if a security is convertible into Preferred Shares or equivalent preferred shares) less than the then current per share market price of the Preferred Shares (as defined in Section 11(d) hereof) on such record date, the Purchase Price to be in effect after such record date shall be determined by multiplying the Purchase Price in effect immediately prior to such record date by a fraction, the numerator of which shall be the number of Preferred Shares outstanding on such record date plus the number of Preferred Shares which the aggregate offering price of the total number of Preferred Shares and/or equivalent preferred shares so to be offered (and/or the aggregate initial conversion price of the convertible securities so to be offered) would purchase at such current market price and the denominator of which shall be the number of Preferred Shares outstanding on such record date plus the number of additional Preferred Shares and/or equivalent preferred shares to be offered for subscription or purchase (or into which the convertible securities so to be offered are initially convertible).

In case such subscription price may be paid in a consideration part or all of which shall be in a form other than cash, the value of such consideration shall be as determined in good faith by the Board of Directors of the Company, whose determination shall be described in a statement filed with the Rights Agent. Preferred Shares owned by or held for the account of the Company shall not be deemed outstanding for the purpose of any such computation. Such adjustment shall be made successively whenever such record date is fixed; and in the event that such rights, options or warrants are not so issued, the Purchase Price shall be adjusted to be the Purchase Price which would then be in effect if such record date had not been fixed.

(c) In case the Company shall fix a record date for the making of a distribution to all holders of the Preferred Shares (including any such distribution made in connection with a consolidation or merger in which the Company is the continuing or surviving corporation) of evidences of indebtedness or assets (other than a regular quarterly cash dividend or a dividend payable in Preferred Shares) or rights, options or warrants (excluding those referred to in Section 11(b) hereof), the Purchase Price to be in effect after such record date shall be determined by multiplying the Purchase Price in effect immediately prior to such record date by a fraction, the numerator of which shall be the then current per share market price of the Preferred Shares on such record date, less the fair market value (as determined in good faith by the Board of Directors of the Company, whose determination shall be described in a statement filed with the Rights Agent) of the portion of the assets or evidences of indebtedness so to be distributed or of such subscription rights or warrants applicable to one Preferred Share and the denominator of which shall be such current per share market price of the Preferred Shares. Such adjustments shall be made successively whenever such a record date is fixed; and in the event that such distribution is not so made, the Purchase Price shall again be adjusted to be the Purchase Price which would then be in effect if such record date had not been fixed.


(d)	For the purpose of any computation hereunder:

(i) The “current per share market price” of any security (a “Security” for the purpose of this Section 11(d)(i)) on any date shall be deemed to be the average of the daily closing prices per share of such Security for the 20 consecutive Trading Days (as such term is hereinafter defined) immediately prior to, but not including, such date. In the event that the current per share market price of the Security is determined:

	(A) During a period following the announcement by the issuer of such Security of:

		(1) A dividend or distribution on such Security payable in shares of such Security or securities convertible into such Security; or

		(2) Any subdivision, combination or reclassification of such Security, and

	(B) Prior to, but not including, the expiration of 20 Trading Days after the ex-dividend date for such dividend or distribution, or the record date for such subdivision, combination or reclassification,

then, and in each such case, the current per share market price shall be appropriately adjusted to reflect the current market price per share equivalent of such Security. The closing price for each day shall be the last sale price or, in case no such sale takes place on such day, the average of the closing bid and asked prices in either case as reported in the principal consolidated transaction reporting system with respect to securities listed or admitted to trading on the New York Stock Exchange or, if the Security is not listed or admitted to trading on the New York Stock Exchange, as reported in the principal consolidated transaction reporting system with respect to securities listed on the principal national securities exchange on which the Security is listed or admitted to trading or, if the Security is not listed or admitted to trading on any national securities exchange, the last reported trade in the over-the-counter market, as reported by the Nasdaq Global Market (“Nasdaq”) or such other system then in use, or, if on any such date the Security is not quoted by any such organization, the average of the closing bid and asked prices as furnished by a professional market maker making a market in the Security selected by the Board of Directors of the Company. If on any such date no such market maker is making a market in the Security, the fair value of the Security on such date as determined in good faith by the Board of Directors of the Company shall be used.

The term “Trading Day” shall mean a day on which the principal national securities exchange on which the Security is listed or admitted to trading is open for the transaction of business or, if the Security is not listed or admitted to trading on any national securities exchange, a Business Day.

(ii) For the purpose of any computation hereunder, if the Preferred Shares are publicly traded, the “current per share market price” of the Preferred Shares shall be determined in accordance with the method set forth in Section 11(d)(i). If the Preferred Shares are not publicly traded but the Common Shares are publicly traded, the “current per share market price” of the Preferred Shares shall be conclusively deemed to be the current per share market price of the Common Shares as determined pursuant to Section 11(d)(i) (appropriately adjusted to reflect any stock split, stock dividend or similar transaction occurring after the date hereof), multiplied by one hundred. If neither the Common Shares nor the Preferred Shares are publicly held or so listed or traded, “current per share market price” shall mean the fair value per share as determined in good faith by the Board of Directors of the Company, whose determination shall be described in a statement filed with the Rights Agent.

(e) No adjustment in the Purchase Price shall be required unless such adjustment would require an increase or decrease of at least 1% in the Purchase Price; provided, however, that any adjustments which by reason of this Section 11(e) are not required to be made shall be carried forward and taken into account in any subsequent adjustment. All calculations under this Section 11 shall be made to the nearest cent or to the nearest one ten-thousandth of a Preferred Share or one one-hundredth of any other share or security, as the case may be. Notwithstanding the first sentence of this Section 11(e), any adjustment required by this Section 11 shall be made no later than the earlier of (i) three years from the date of the transaction which requires such adjustment or (ii) the date of the expiration of the right to exercise any Rights.

(f) If as a result of an adjustment made pursuant to Section 11(a) hereof, the holder of any Rights thereafter exercised shall become entitled to receive any shares of capital stock of the Company other than Preferred Shares, thereafter the number of such other shares so receivable upon exercise of any Rights shall be subject to adjustment from time to time in a manner and on terms as nearly equivalent as practicable to the provisions with respect to the Preferred Shares contained in Section 11(a) through (c), inclusive, and the provisions of Sections 7, 9, 10 and 13 with respect to the Preferred Shares shall apply on like terms to any such other shares.

(g) All Rights originally issued by the Company subsequent to any adjustment made to the Purchase Price hereunder shall evidence the right to purchase, at the adjusted Purchase Price, the number of one one-hundredths of a Preferred Share purchasable from time to time hereunder upon exercise of the Rights, all subject to further adjustment as provided herein.

(h) Unless the Company shall have exercised its election as provided in Section 11(i) below, upon each adjustment of the Purchase Price as a result of the calculations made in Sections 11(b) and (c) hereof, each Right outstanding immediately prior to the making of such adjustment shall thereafter evidence the right to purchase, at the adjusted Purchase Price, that number of one one-hundredths of a Preferred Share (calculated to the nearest one one-hundredth of a Preferred Share) obtained by (i) multiplying (x) the number of one one-hundredths of a share covered by a Right immediately prior to this adjustment by (y) the Purchase Price in effect immediately prior to such adjustment of the Purchase Price and (ii) dividing the product so obtained by the Purchase Price in effect immediately after such adjustment of the Purchase Price.

(i) The Company may elect on or after the date of any adjustment of the Purchase Price to adjust the number of Rights, in substitution for any adjustment in the number of one one-hundredths of a Preferred Share purchasable upon the exercise of a Right. Each of the Rights outstanding after such adjustment of the number of Rights shall be exercisable for the number of one one-hundredths of a Preferred Share for which a Right was exercisable immediately prior to such adjustment. Each Right held of record prior to such adjustment of the number of Rights shall become that number of Rights (calculated to the nearest one one-hundredth) obtained by dividing the Purchase Price in effect immediately prior to adjustment of the Purchase Price by the Purchase Price in effect immediately after adjustment of the Purchase Price. The Company shall make a public announcement (with prompt written notice thereof to the Rights Agent) of its election to adjust the number of Rights, indicating the record date for the adjustment, and, if known at the time, the amount of the adjustment to be made. This record date may be the date on which the Purchase Price is adjusted or any day thereafter, but, if the Rights Certificates have been issued, shall be at least 10 days later than the date of the public announcement.

If Rights Certificates have been issued, upon each adjustment of the number of Rights pursuant to this Section 11(i), the Company shall, as promptly as practicable, cause to be distributed to holders of record of Rights Certificates on such record date Rights Certificates evidencing, subject to Section 14 hereof, the additional Rights to which such holders shall be entitled as a result of such adjustment, or, at the option of the Company, shall cause to be distributed to such holders of record in substitution and replacement for the Rights Certificates held by such holders prior to the date of adjustment, and upon surrender thereof, if required by the Company, new Rights Certificates evidencing all the Rights to which such holders shall be entitled after such adjustment. Rights Certificates so to be distributed shall be issued, executed and delivered by the Company and countersigned and delivered by the Rights Agent in the manner provided for herein and shall be registered in the names of the holders of record of Rights Certificates on the record date specified in the public announcement.

(j) Irrespective of any adjustment or change in the Purchase Price or the number of one one-hundredths of a Preferred Share issuable upon the exercise of the Rights, the Rights Certificates previously and thereafter issued may continue to express the Purchase Price and the number of one one-hundredths of a Preferred Share that were expressed in the initial Rights Certificates issued hereunder.

(k) Before taking any action that would cause an adjustment reducing the Purchase Price below one one-hundredth of the then par value, if any, of the Preferred Shares issuable upon exercise of the Rights, the Company shall take any corporate action which may, in the opinion of its counsel, be necessary in order that the Company may validly and legally issue fully paid and nonassessable Preferred Shares at such adjusted Purchase Price.

(l) In any case in which this Section 11 shall require that an adjustment in the Purchase Price be made effective as of a record date for a specified event, the Company may elect to defer (with prompt written notice of such deferral to the Rights Agent) until the occurrence of such event the issuing to the holder of any Rights exercised after such record date of the Preferred Shares and other capital stock or securities of the Company, if any, issuable upon such exercise over and above the Preferred Shares and other capital stock or securities of the Company, if any, issuable upon such exercise on the basis of the Purchase Price in effect prior to such adjustment; provided, however that the Company shall deliver to such holder a due xxxx or other appropriate instrument evidencing such holder’s right to receive such additional shares upon the occurrence of the event requiring such adjustment.

(m) Anything in this Section 11 to the contrary notwithstanding, the Company shall be entitled to make such reductions in the Purchase Price, in addition to those adjustments expressly required by this Section 11, as and to the extent that it in its sole discretion shall determine to be advisable in order that any consolidation or subdivision of the Preferred Shares, issuance wholly for cash of any Preferred Shares at less than the current market price, issuance wholly for cash of Preferred Shares or securities which by their terms are convertible into or exchangeable for Preferred Shares, dividends on Preferred Shares payable in Preferred Shares or issuance of rights, options or warrants referred to hereinabove in Section 11(b), hereafter made by the Company to holders of its Preferred Shares shall not be taxable to such shareholders.

(n) The Company covenants and agrees that it shall not, at any time after the Distribution Date, (i) consolidate with, or merge with and into, any other Person (other than a Subsidiary of the Company in a transaction that complies with Section 11(o)), (ii) permit or cause any Person to consolidate with the Company, or merge with and into the Company (other than a Subsidiary of the Company in a transaction that complies with Section 11(o)), or (iii) sell or otherwise transfer (or permit any Subsidiary to sell or transfer), in one or more transactions, assets or earning power aggregating 50% or more of the assets or earning power of the Company and its Subsidiaries (taken as a whole) to any other Person or Persons (other than the Company and/or any of its Subsidiaries in one or more transactions each of which complies with Section 11(o)), if at the time of or immediately after such consolidation, merger or sale there are any rights, warrants or other instruments or securities outstanding or agreements in effect that would substantially diminish or otherwise eliminate the benefits intended to be afforded by the Rights.

(o) The Company covenants and agrees that, after the Distribution Date, it will not, except as permitted by Section 23, Section 24 or Section 27 hereof, take (or permit any Subsidiary of the Company to take) any action if at the time such action is taken it is reasonably foreseeable that such action will diminish substantially or otherwise eliminate the benefits intended to be afforded by the Rights.

(p) In the event that at any time after the date of this Agreement and prior to the Distribution Date, the Company shall (i) declare or pay any dividend on the Common Shares payable in Common Shares or (ii) effect a subdivision, combination or consolidation of the Common Shares (by reclassification or otherwise than by payment of dividends in Common Shares) into a greater or lesser number of Common Shares, then in any such case (A) the number of one one-hundredths of a Preferred Share purchasable after such event upon proper exercise of each Right shall be determined by multiplying the number of one one-hundredths of a Preferred Share so purchasable immediately prior to such event by a fraction, the numerator of which is the number of Common Shares outstanding immediately before such event and the denominator of which is the number of Common Shares outstanding immediately after such event, and (B) each Common Share outstanding immediately after such event shall have issued with respect to it that number of Rights which each Common Share outstanding immediately prior to such event had issued with respect to it. The adjustments provided for in this Section 11(p) shall be made successively whenever such a dividend is declared or paid or such a subdivision, combination or consolidation is effected.

SECTION 12.
CERTIFICATE OF ADJUSTED
PURCHASE PRICE OR NUMBER OF SHARES

Whenever an adjustment is made or any event affecting the Rights or their exercisability (including without limitation an event which causes Rights to become null and void) occurs as provided in Section 11 or 13 hereof, the Company shall promptly (a) prepare a certificate setting forth such adjustment or describing such event, and a brief, reasonably detailed statement of the facts, computation and methodology accounting for any adjustment, (b) file with the Rights Agent and with each transfer agent for the Common Shares or the Preferred Shares a copy of such certificate and (c) mail a brief summary thereof to each holder of a Rights Certificate in accordance with Sections 25 and 26 hereof. The Rights Agent shall be fully protected in relying on any such certificate and on any adjustment or statement therein contained and shall have no duty or liability with respect to, and shall not be deemed to have knowledge of, any adjustment or any such event unless and until it shall have received such a certificate.

SECTION 13.
CONSOLIDATION, MERGER OR SALE OR
TRANSFER OF ASSETS OR EARNING POWER


	(a)	If, following the Distribution Date, directly or indirectly:

	(i) The Company shall consolidate with, or merge with and into, any other Person and the Company shall not be the continuing or surviving corporation of such consolidation or merger;

	(ii) Any Person shall consolidate with the Company, or merge with and into the Company and the Company shall be the continuing or surviving corporation of such merger and, in connection with such merger, all or part of the Common Shares shall be changed into or exchanged for stock or other securities of any other Person (or the Company) or cash or any other property;

	(iii) Any Person shall acquire all or a majority of the Common Shares pursuant to a statutory plan of exchange; or

	(iv) The Company shall sell or otherwise transfer (or one or more of its Subsidiaries shall sell or otherwise transfer), in one or more transactions, assets or earning power aggregating 50% or more of the assets or earning power of the Company and its Subsidiaries (taken as a whole) to any other Person other than the Company or one or more of its wholly-owned Subsidiaries,

	then, and in each such case, proper provision shall be made so that:

	(A) Each holder of a Right (except as otherwise provided herein) shall thereafter have the right to receive, upon the exercise thereof at a price equal to the then current Purchase Price multiplied by the number of one one-hundredths of a Preferred Share for which a Right is then exercisable, in accordance with the terms of this Agreement and in lieu of Preferred Shares, such number of Common Shares of the Principal Party (as hereinafter defined), not subject to any liens, encumbrances, rights of first refusal or other adverse claims, as shall equal the result obtained by (1) multiplying the then current Purchase Price by the number of one one-hundredths of a Preferred Share for which a Right is then exercisable and dividing that product by (2) 50% of the then current per share market price of the Common Shares (determined pursuant to Section 11(d) hereof) of such Principal Party on the date of consummation of such consolidation, merger, sale or transfer;


	(B) Such Principal Party shall thereafter be liable for, and shall assume, by virtue of such consolidation, merger, sale or transfer, all the obligations and duties of the Company pursuant to this Agreement;

	(C) The term “Company” shall thereafter be deemed to refer to such Principal Party, it being specifically intended that the provisions of Section 11 shall apply only to such Principal Party after the first occurrence of an event described in this Section 13(a);

	(D) Such Principal Party shall take such steps (including, but not limited to, the reservation of a sufficient number of its Common Shares in accordance with Section 9 hereof) in connection with such consummation as may be necessary to assure that the provisions hereof shall thereafter be applicable, as nearly as reasonably may be, in relation to the Common Shares thereafter deliverable upon the exercise of the Rights; and

	(E) The provisions of Section 11(a)(ii) shall be of no further effect following the first occurrence of any event described in this Section 13(a).

	(b)	“Principal Party” shall mean:

	(i) In the case of any transaction described in clause (i), (ii) or (iii) of Section 13(a):

		(A) The Person that is the issuer of any securities into which Common Shares of the Company are converted in such merger, consolidation or for which they are exchanged in such statutory plan of exchange, or, if there is more than one such issuer, the issuer of Common Shares that has the highest aggregate current market price (determined in accordance with Section 11(d)); and

		(B) If no securities are so issued, the Person that is the other party to such merger, consolidation or statutory plan of exchange, or, if there is more than one such Person, the Person whose Common Shares have the highest aggregate current market price (determined in accordance with Section 11(d)); and

	(ii) In the case of any transaction described in clause (iv) of Section 13(a), the Person that is the party receiving the largest portion of the assets or earning power transferred pursuant to such transaction or transactions, or, if each Person that is a party to such transaction or transactions receives the same portion of the assets or earning power transferred pursuant to such transaction or transactions or if the Person receiving the largest portion of the assets or earning power cannot be determined, whichever Person whose Common Shares have the highest aggregate current market price (determined in accordance with Section 11(d)); provided, however, that in any such case:

		(A) If the Common Shares of such Person are not at such time and have not been continuously over the preceding twelve-month period registered under Section 12 of the Exchange Act (“Registered Common Shares”), or such Person is not a corporation, and such Person is a direct or indirect Subsidiary of another Person that has Registered Common Shares outstanding, “Principal Party” shall refer to such other Person;


		(B) If the Common Shares of such Person are not Registered Common Shares or such Person is not a corporation, and such Person is a direct or indirect Subsidiary of another Person but is not a direct or indirect Subsidiary of another Person which has Registered Common Shares outstanding, “Principal Party” shall refer to the ultimate parent entity of such first-mentioned Person;

		(C) If the Common Shares of such Person are not Registered Common Shares or such Person is not a corporation, and such Person is directly or indirectly controlled by more than one Person, and one or more of such other Persons has Registered Common Shares outstanding, “Principal Party” shall refer to whichever of such other Persons is the issuer of the Registered Common Shares having the highest aggregate current market price (determined in accordance with Section 11(d)); and

		(D) If the Common Shares of such Person are not Registered Common Shares or such Person is not a corporation, and such Person is directly or indirectly controlled by more than one Person, and none of such other Persons have Registered Common Shares outstanding, “Principal Party” shall refer to whichever ultimate parent entity is the corporation having the greatest shareholders’ equity or, if no such ultimate parent entity is a corporation, shall refer to whichever ultimate parent entity is the entity having the greatest net assets.

(c) The Company shall not consummate any such consolidation, merger, statutory plan of exchange, sale or transfer unless prior thereto the Company and the Principal Party shall have executed and delivered to the Rights Agent a supplemental agreement confirming that:

	(i) Such Principal Party shall, upon consummation of such consolidation, merger, statutory plan of exchange or sale or transfer of assets or earning power, assume this Agreement in accordance with Section 13;

	(ii) All rights of first refusal or preemptive rights in respect of the issuance of Common Shares of such Principal Party upon exercise of outstanding Rights have been waived;

	(iii) Any provision of the authorized securities of such Principal Party or of its charter, bylaws or other instruments governing its corporate affairs which would obligate such Principal Party to issue in connection with, or as a consequence of, the consummation of a transaction referred to in Section 13(a), Common Shares of such Principal Party at less than the then-current per share market price (determined in accordance with Section 11(d)(i)) or securities exercisable for, or convertible into, such Common Shares at less than such then- current per share market price (other than to the holders of Rights pursuant to this Section 13) have been waived or canceled; and


	(iv) Such transaction shall not result in a default by such Principal Party under this Agreement, and further providing that, as soon as practicable after the date of any consolidation, merger, statutory plan of exchange or sale or transfer of assets or earning power referred to in Section 13(a), such Principal Party will:


	(A) Prepare and file a registration statement under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, with respect to the Rights and the securities purchasable upon exercise of the Rights on an appropriate form, use its best efforts to cause such registration statement to become effective as soon as practicable after such filing and use its best efforts to cause such registration statement to remain effective (with a prospectus at all times meeting the requirements of the Securities Act until the Final Expiration Date of the Rights), and similarly comply with applicable state securities laws;

	(B) Use its best efforts to list (or continue the listing of) the Rights and the securities purchasable upon exercise of the Rights or to meet the eligibility requirements for quotation of the Rights and such securities on Nasdaq or other system then in use; and

	(C) Deliver to holders of the Rights historical financial statements for such Principal Party which comply in all respects with the requirements for registration on Form 10 (or any successor form) under the Exchange Act.

In the event that at any time after the occurrence of an event described in Section 11(a)(ii) hereof some or all of the Rights shall not have then been exercised at the time of the occurrence of an event described in Section 13(a) hereof, the Rights which have not theretofore been exercised shall thereafter be exercisable in the manner described in Section 13(a) (without taking into account any prior adjustment required by Section 11(a)(ii)).

(d) The provisions of this Section 13 shall similarly apply to successive mergers or consolidations or sales or other transfers.

(e) Notwithstanding anything in this Agreement to the contrary, this Section 13 shall not be applicable to a transaction described in Section 13(a)(i), (ii) or (iii) if: (i) such transaction is consummated with a Person or Persons who acquired Common Shares pursuant to a tender offer described in Section 11(a)(iii) (or with a wholly-owned Subsidiary of any such Person or Persons), (ii) the price per Common Share offered in such transaction is not less than the price per Common Share paid to all holders of Common Shares whose shares were purchased pursuant to such tender or exchange offer, and (iii) the form of consideration being offered to the remaining holders of Common Shares pursuant to such transaction is the same as the form of consideration paid pursuant to such tender offer. Upon consummation of any such transaction contemplated by this Section 13(e), all Rights shall expire.

SECTION 14.
FRACTIONAL RIGHTS AND FRACTIONAL SHARES

(a) The Company shall not be required to issue fractions of Rights or to distribute Rights Certificates which evidence fractional Rights. In lieu of such fractional Rights, there shall be paid to the registered holders of the Rights Certificates with regard to which such fractional Rights would otherwise be issuable, an amount in cash equal to the same fraction of the current market value of a whole Right. For the purposes of this Section 14(a), the current market value of a whole Right shall be the closing price of the Rights for the Trading Day immediately prior to the date on which such fractional Right would have been otherwise issuable. The closing price for any day shall be the last sale price, or, in case no such sale takes place on such day, the average of the closing bid and asked prices, in either case as reported in the principal consolidated transaction reporting system with respect to securities listed or admitted to trading on the New York Stock Exchange or, if the Rights are not listed or admitted to trading on the New York Stock Exchange, as reported in the principal consolidated transaction reporting system with respect to securities listed on the principal national securities exchange on which the Rights are listed or admitted to trading or, if the Rights are not listed or admitted to trading on any national securities exchange, the last reported trade in the over-the-counter market, as reported by Nasdaq or such other system then in use or, if on any such date the Rights are not quoted by any such organization, the average of the closing bid and asked prices as furnished by a professional market maker making a market in the Rights selected by the Board of Directors of the Company.

(b) The Company shall not be required to issue fractions of Preferred Shares (other than fractions which are integral multiples of one one-hundredth of a Preferred Share) upon exercise of the Rights or to distribute certificates which evidence fractional Preferred Shares (other than fractions which are integral multiples of one one-hundredth of a Preferred Share). Fractions of Preferred Shares in integral multiples of one one-hundredth of a Preferred Share may, at the election of the Company, be evidenced by depository receipts, pursuant to an appropriate agreement between the Company and a depository selected by it; provided, that such agreement shall provide that the holders of such depository receipts shall have all the rights, privileges and preferences to which they are entitled as beneficial owners of the Preferred Shares represented by such depository receipts. In lieu of fractional Preferred Shares that are not integral multiples of one one-hundredth of a Preferred Share, the Company shall pay to the registered holders of Rights Certificates at the time such Rights are exercised as herein provided an amount in cash equal to the same fraction of the current market value of one Preferred Share. For the purposes of this Section 14(b), the current market value of a Preferred Share shall be the closing price of a Preferred Share (as determined pursuant to Section 11(d) hereof) for the Trading Day immediately prior to the date of such exercise.

(c) The holder of a Right by the acceptance of the Right expressly waives his right to receive any fractional Rights or any fractional shares upon exercise of a Right (except as expressly provided above).

(d) Whenever a payment for fractional Rights or fractional shares is to be made by the Rights Agent, the Company shall (i) promptly prepare and deliver to the Rights Agent a certificate setting forth in reasonable detail the facts related to such payments and the prices and/or formulas utilized in calculating such payments, and (ii) provide sufficient monies to the Rights Agent in the form of fully collected funds to make such payments. The Rights Agent shall be fully protected in relying upon such a certificate and shall have no duty with respect to, and shall not be deemed to have knowledge of any payment for fractional Rights or fractional shares under any Section of this Agreement relating to the payment of fractional Rights or fractional shares unless and until the Rights Agent shall have received such a certificate and sufficient monies.

SECTION 15.
RIGHTS OF ACTION

All rights of action in respect of this Agreement, excepting the rights of action given to the Rights Agent under Section 18 and Section 20 hereof, are vested in the respective registered holders of the Rights Certificates (and, prior to the Distribution Date, the registered holders of the Common Shares); and any registered holder of any Rights Certificate (or, prior to the Distribution Date, of the Common Shares), without the consent of the Rights Agent or of the holder of any other Rights Certificate (or, prior to the Distribution Date, of the Common Shares), may, in his own behalf and for his own benefit, enforce, and may institute and maintain any suit, action or proceeding against the Company to enforce, or otherwise act in respect of, his right to exercise the Rights evidenced by such Rights Certificate in the manner provided in such Rights Certificate and in this Agreement. Without limiting the foregoing or any remedies available to the holders of Rights, it is specifically acknowledged that the holders of Rights would not have an adequate remedy at law for any breach by the Company of this Agreement and will be entitled to specific performance of the obligations under, and injunctive relief against actual or threatened violations by the Company of the obligations of any Person subject to, this Agreement.

Notwithstanding anything in this Agreement to the contrary, neither the Company nor the Rights Agent shall have any liability to any holder of a Right or other Person as a result of its inability to perform any of its obligations under this Agreement by reason of any preliminary or permanent injunction or other order, judgment, decree or ruling (whether interlocutory or final) issued by a court or by a governmental, regulatory, self-regulatory or administrative agency or commission, or any statute, rule, regulation or executive order promulgated or enacted by any governmental authority, prohibiting or otherwise restraining performance of such obligation; provided, however, that the Company must use all reasonable efforts to have any such injunction, order, judgment, decree or ruling lifted or otherwise overturned as soon as possible.

SECTION 16.
AGREEMENT OF RIGHTS HOLDERS

Every holder of a Right, by accepting the same, consents and agrees with the Company and the Rights Agent and with every other holder of a Right that:

(a) Prior to the Distribution Date, the Rights will be transferable only in connection with the transfer of the Common Shares;

(b) After the Distribution Date, the Rights Certificates are transferable only on the registry books of the Rights Agent if surrendered at the office of the Rights Agent designated for such purpose, duly endorsed or accompanied by a proper instrument of transfer; and

(c) Each of the Company and the Rights Agent may deem and treat the person in whose name the Rights Certificate (or, prior to the Distribution Date, the associated Common Shares certificate) is registered as the absolute owner thereof and of the Rights evidenced thereby (notwithstanding any notations of ownership or writing on the Rights Certificates or the associated Common Shares certificate made by anyone other than the Company or the Rights Agent) for all purposes whatsoever, and neither the Company nor the Rights Agent shall be affected by any notice to the contrary.

SECTION 17.
RIGHTS CERTIFICATE HOLDER NOT DEEMED A SHAREHOLDER

No holder of any Rights Certificate, by reason only of being a holder of such Rights Certificate, shall be entitled to vote, receive dividends or be deemed for any purpose the holder of the Preferred Shares or any other securities of the Company which may at any time be issuable on the exercise of the Rights represented thereby, nor shall anything contained herein or in any Rights Certificate be construed to confer upon the holder of any Rights Certificate, by reason only of being a holder of such Rights Certificate, any of the rights of a shareholder of the Company or any right to vote for the election of directors or upon any matter submitted to shareholders at any meeting thereof, or to give or withhold consent to any corporate action, or to receive notice of meetings or other actions affecting shareholders (except as provided in Section 25 hereof), or to receive dividends or subscription rights, or otherwise, until the Right or Rights evidenced by such Rights Certificate shall have been exercised in accordance with the provisions hereof.

SECTION 18.
FEES, EXPENSES AND LIABILITIES OF THE RIGHTS AGENT

The Company agrees to pay to the Rights Agent reasonable compensation for all services rendered by it hereunder and, from time to time, on demand of the Rights Agent, its reasonable expenses and counsel fees and other disbursements incurred in the preparation, delivery, amendment, administration and execution of this Agreement and the exercise and performance of its duties hereunder. The Company also agrees to indemnify the Rights Agent for, and to hold it harmless against, any loss, liability, damage, judgment, fine, penalty, claim, demand, settlement, cost or expense (including, without limitation, the reasonable fees and expenses of legal counsel), incurred without gross negligence, bad faith or willful misconduct on the part of the Rights Agent (which gross negligence, bad faith or willful misconduct must be determined by a final, non-appealable order, judgment, decree or ruling of a court of competent jurisdiction), for any action taken, suffered or omitted by the Rights Agent in connection with the acceptance, administration, exercise and performance of its duties under this Agreement. The costs and expenses incurred in enforcing this right of indemnification shall be paid by the Company. The provisions of this Section 18 and Section 20 below shall survive the termination of this Agreement, the exercise or expiration of the Rights and the resignation, replacement or removal of the Rights Agent.

The Rights Agent shall be authorized and protected and shall incur no liability for, or in respect of any action taken, suffered or omitted by it in connection with its acceptance and administration of this Agreement and the exercise and performance of its duties hereunder, in reliance upon any Rights Certificate or certificate for the Preferred Shares or Common Shares or for other securities of the Company, instrument of assignment or transfer, power of attorney, endorsement, affidavit, letter, notice, direction, consent, certificate, statement, or other paper or document believed by it to be genuine and to be signed, executed and, where necessary, verified or acknowledged, by the proper Person or Persons, or otherwise upon the advice of counsel as set forth in Section 20 hereof.

SECTION 19.
MERGER OR CONSOLIDATION OR CHANGE OF NAME OF RIGHTS AGENT

Any Person into which the Rights Agent or any successor Rights Agent may be merged or with which it may be consolidated, or any Person resulting from any merger or consolidation to which the Rights Agent or any successor Rights Agent shall be a party, or any Person succeeding to the shareholder services business of the Rights Agent or any successor Rights Agent, shall be the successor to the Rights Agent under this Agreement without the execution or filing of any paper or any further act on the part of any of the parties hereto, provided that such Person would be eligible for appointment as a successor Rights Agent under the provisions of Section 21 hereof. In case at the time such successor Rights Agent shall succeed to the agency created by this Agreement any of the Rights Certificates shall have been countersigned but not delivered, any such successor Rights Agent may adopt the countersignature of the predecessor Rights Agent and deliver such Rights Certificates so countersigned; and in case at that time any of the Rights Certificates shall not have been countersigned, any successor Rights Agent may countersign such Rights Certificates either in the name of the predecessor Rights Agent or in the name of the successor Rights Agent; and in all such cases such Rights Certificates shall have the full force provided in the Rights Certificates and in this Agreement.

In case at any time the name of the Rights Agent shall be changed and at such time any of the Rights Certificates shall have been countersigned but not delivered, the Rights Agent may adopt the countersignature under its prior name and deliver Rights Certificates so countersigned; and in case at that time any of the Rights Certificates shall not have been countersigned, the Rights Agent may countersign such Rights Certificates either in its prior name or in its changed name; and in all such cases such Rights Certificates shall have the full force provided in the Rights Certificates and in this Agreement.

SECTION 20.
DUTIES OF RIGHTS AGENT

The Rights Agent undertakes to perform only the duties and obligations expressly imposed by this Agreement (and no implied duties) upon the following terms and conditions, by all of which the Company and the holders of Rights Certificates, by their acceptance thereof, shall be bound:

(a) The Rights Agent may consult with legal counsel (who may be legal counsel for the Company or an employee of the Rights Agent), and the advice or opinion of such counsel shall be full and complete authorization and protection to the Rights Agent and the Rights Agent shall incur no liability for or in respect of any action taken, suffered or omitted by it and in accordance with such advice or opinion.

(b) Whenever in the performance of its duties under this Agreement the Rights Agent shall deem it necessary or desirable that any fact or matter (including without limitation the identity of an Acquiring Person and the determination of the current per share market price of any Security)be proved or established by the Company prior to taking or suffering or omitting to take any action hereunder, such fact or matter (unless other evidence in respect thereof be herein specifically prescribed) may be deemed to be conclusively proved and established by a certificate signed by any one of the Chairman of the Board, the Chief Executive Officer, the President, any Executive Vice President, or the Secretary of the Company and delivered to the Rights Agent; and such certificate shall be full and complete authorization and protection to the Rights Agent for any action taken, suffered or omitted by it under the provisions of this Agreement in reliance upon such certificate.

(c) The Rights Agent shall be liable hereunder to the Company and any other Person only for its own gross negligence, bad faith or willful misconduct (which gross negligence, bad faith or willful misconduct must be determined by a final, non-appealable order, judgment, decree or ruling of a court of competent jurisdiction). Anything in this Agreement to the contrary notwithstanding, in no event shall the Rights Agent be liable for special, punitive, incidental, indirect or consequential loss or damage of any kind whatsoever (including, but not limited to, lost profits), even if the Rights Agent has been advised of the likelihood of such loss or damage and regardless of the form of action. Any liability of the Rights Agent under this Rights Agreement will be limited to the annual fees paid by the Company to the Rights Agent.

(d) The Rights Agent shall not be liable for or by reason of any of the statements of fact or recitals contained in this Agreement or in the Rights Certificates (except its countersignature thereof) or be required to verify the same, but all such statements and recitals are and shall be deemed to have been made by the Company only.

(e) The Rights Agent shall not have any liability for or be under any responsibility in respect of the validity of this Agreement or the execution and delivery hereof (except the due execution hereof by the Rights Agent) or in respect of the validity or execution of any Rights Certificate (except its countersignature thereof); nor shall it be responsible for any breach by the Company of any covenant or condition contained in this Agreement or in any Rights Certificate; nor shall it be responsible for any change in the exercisability of the Rights (including the Rights becoming null and void pursuant to Section 11(a)(ii) hereof) or any change or adjustment in the terms of the Rights (including the manner, method or amount thereof) provided for in Sections 3, 11, 13, 23 or 24, or the ascertaining of the existence of facts that would require any such change or adjustment (except with respect to the exercise of Rights evidenced by Rights Certificates after receipt of the certificate described in Section 12 hereof, upon which the Rights Agent may rely); nor shall it by any act hereunder be deemed to make any representation or warranty as to the authorization or reservation of any Preferred Shares to be issued pursuant to this Agreement or any Rights Certificate or as to whether any Preferred Shares will, when issued, be duly and validly authorized and issued, fully paid and nonassessable.

(f) The Company agrees that it will perform, execute, acknowledge and deliver or cause to be performed, executed, acknowledged and delivered all such further and other acts, instruments and assurances as may reasonably be required by the Rights Agent for the carrying out or performing by the Rights Agent of the provisions of this Agreement.

(g) The Rights Agent is hereby authorized and directed to accept instructions with respect to the performance of its duties hereunder from any one of the Chairman of the Board, the Chief Executive Officer, the President, the Chief Financial Officer, or the Secretary of the Company, and to apply to such officers for advice or instructions in connection with its duties, and such instructions shall be full authorization and protection to the Rights Agent and the Rights Agent shall not be liable for any action taken or suffered or omitted to be taken by it in accordance with instructions of any such officer or for any delay in acting while waiting for those instructions. The Rights Agent shall be fully authorized and protected in relying upon the most recent instructions received by any such officer.

(h) The Rights Agent and any stockholder, Affiliate, director, officer or employee of the Rights Agent may buy, sell or deal in any of the Rights or other securities of the Company or become pecuniarily interested in any transaction in which the Company may be interested, or contract with or lend money to the Company or otherwise act as fully and freely as though it were not Rights Agent or any such any stockholder, Affiliate, director, officer or employee under this Agreement. Nothing herein shall preclude the Rights Agent or any such any stockholder, Affiliate, director, officer or employee from acting in any other capacity for the Company or for any other Person.

(i) If, with respect to any Right Certificate surrendered to the Rights Agent for exercise or transfer, the certificate contained in the form of assignment or the form of election to purchase set forth on the reverse thereof has not been completed, the Rights Agent shall not take any further action with respect to such requested exercise or transfer without first consulting with the Company.

(j) The Rights Agent may execute and exercise any of the rights or powers hereby vested in it or perform any duty hereunder either itself (through its directors, officers and employees) or by or through its attorneys or agents, and the Rights Agent shall not be answerable or accountable for any act, default, neglect or misconduct of any such attorneys or agents or for any loss to the Company or any other Person resulting from any such act, default, neglect or misconduct, absent gross negligence, bad faith or willful misconduct in the selection and continued employment thereof (which gross negligence, bad faith or willful misconduct must be determined by a final, non-appealable order, judgment, decree or ruling of a court of competent jurisdiction).

(k) No provision of this Agreement shall require the Rights Agent to expend or risk its own funds or otherwise incur any financial liability in the performance of any of its duties hereunder or in the exercise of its rights if it believes that repayment of such funds or adequate indemnification against such risk or liability is not reasonably assured to it.

SECTION 21.
CHANGE OF RIGHTS AGENT

The Rights Agent or any successor Rights Agent may resign and be discharged from its duties under this Agreement upon 30 days’ prior notice in writing mailed to the Company and to each transfer agent of the Common Shares or Preferred Shares known to the Rights Agent by registered or certified mail, and to the holders of the Rights Certificates by first-class mail. The Company may remove the Rights Agent or any successor Rights Agent upon 30 days’ prior notice in writing, mailed to the Rights Agent or successor Rights Agent, as the case may be, and to each transfer agent of the Common Shares or Preferred Shares by registered or certified mail, and to the holders of the Rights Certificates by first-class mail. If the Rights Agent shall resign or be removed or shall otherwise become incapable of acting, the Company shall appoint a successor to the Rights Agent. If the Company shall fail to make such appointment within a period of 30 days after giving notice of such removal or after it has been notified in writing of such resignation or incapacity by the resigning or incapacitated Rights Agent or by the holder of a Rights Certificate (who shall, with such notice, submit his Rights Certificate for inspection by the Company), then the registered holder of any Rights Certificate may apply to any court of competent jurisdiction for the appointment of a new Rights Agent.

Any successor Rights Agent, whether appointed by the Company or by such a court, shall be (a) a Person organized and doing business under the laws of the United States or any state of the United States so long as such Person is authorized to do business as a banking institution, is authorized under such laws to exercise corporate trust or stock transfer powers, is in good standing, and is subject to supervision or examination by federal or state authority and which has at the time of its appointment as Rights Agent a combined capital and surplus of at least $50 million, or (b) an Affiliate of any such Person described in part (a) of this sentence. After appointment, the successor Rights Agent shall be vested with the same powers, rights, duties and responsibilities as if it had been originally named as Rights Agent without further act or deed; but the predecessor Rights Agent shall deliver and transfer to the successor Rights Agent any property at the time held by it hereunder, and execute and deliver any further assurance, conveyance, act or deed necessary for the purpose.

Not later than the effective date of any such appointment the Company shall file notice thereof in writing with the predecessor Rights Agent and each transfer agent of the Common Shares or Preferred Shares, and mail a notice thereof in writing to the registered holders of the Rights Certificates. Failure to give any notice provided for in this Section 21, however, or any defect therein, shall not affect the legality or validity of the resignation or removal of the Rights Agent or the appointment of the successor Rights Agent, as the case may be.

SECTION 22.
ISSUANCE OF NEW RIGHTS CERTIFICATES

Notwithstanding any of the provisions of this Agreement or of the Rights to the contrary, the Company may, at its option, issue new Rights Certificates evidencing Rights in such form as may be approved by its Board of Directors to reflect any adjustment or change in the Purchase Price and the number or kind or class of shares or other securities or property purchasable under the Rights Certificates made in accordance with the provisions of this Agreement.

SECTION 23.
REDEMPTION

(a) The Board of Directors of the Company may, at its option, at any time prior to such time as any Person becomes an Acquiring Person, redeem all but not less than all the then outstanding Rights at a redemption price of $0.001 per Right, appropriately adjusted to reflect any stock split, stock dividend or similar transaction occurring after the date hereof (such redemption price being hereinafter referred to as the “Redemption Price”); provided, however, that if, following the occurrence of a Shares Acquisition Date and following the expiration of the right of redemption hereunder but prior to any event described in clause (B) of Section 11(a)(ii) or clauses (i), (ii), (iii) or (iv) of Section 13(a) hereof:


	(i) A Person who is an Acquiring Person shall have transferred or otherwise disposed of a number of shares of Common Shares in one transaction or series of transactions, not directly or indirectly involving the Company or any of its Subsidiaries, which did not result in the occurrence of an event described in clause (B) of Section 11(a)(ii) or clauses (i), (ii), (iii) or (iv) of Section 13(a) hereof such that such Person is thereafter a Beneficial Owner of less than 15% of the outstanding Common Shares; and

	(ii) There are no other Persons, immediately following the occurrence of the event described in clause (i), who are Acquiring Persons,

then the right of redemption shall be reinstated and thereafter be subject to the provisions of this Section 23. The redemption of the Rights by the Board of Directors may be made effective at such time, on such basis and with such conditions as the Board of Directors in its sole discretion may establish. The Company may, in its discretion, round up the redemption price to be paid to any holder of Rights to the nearest whole cent.

(b) Immediately upon the action of the Board of Directors of the Company ordering the redemption of the Rights pursuant to paragraph (a) of this Section 23, and without any further action and without any notice, the right to exercise the Rights will terminate and the only right thereafter of the holders of Rights shall be to receive the Redemption Price. The Company shall promptly give public notice of any such redemption (with prompt written notice thereof to the Rights Agent); provided, however, that the failure to give, or any defect in, any such notice shall not affect the legality or validity of such redemption. Within 10 days after such action of the Board of Directors ordering the redemption of the Rights, the Company shall mail a notice of redemption to all the holders of the then outstanding Rights at their last addresses as they appear upon the registry books of the Rights Agent or, prior to the Distribution Date, on the registry books of the transfer agent for the Common Shares. Any notice that is mailed in the manner herein provided shall be deemed given, whether or not the holder receives the notice. Each such notice of redemption will state the method by which the payment of the Redemption Price will be made.

SECTION 24.
EXCHANGE

(a) The Board of Directors of the Company may, at its option, at any time after any Person becomes an Acquiring Person, exchange all or part of the then outstanding and exercisable Rights (which shall not include Rights that have become null and void pursuant to the provisions of Section 11(a)(ii) hereof) for Common Shares at an exchange ratio of one Common Share per Right, appropriately adjusted to reflect any stock split, stock dividend or similar transaction occurring after the date hereof (such exchange ratio being hereinafter referred to as the “Exchange Ratio”). Notwithstanding the foregoing, the Board of Directors shall not be empowered to effect such exchange at any time after any Person (other than the Company, any Subsidiary of the Company, any employee benefit plan of the Company, including without limitation the Employee Plans, or of any such Subsidiary, or of any entity holding Common Shares for or pursuant to the terms of any such plan), together with all Affiliates and Associates of such Person, becomes the Beneficial Owner of 50% or more of the Common Shares then outstanding.

(b) Immediately upon the action of the Board of Directors of the Company ordering the exchange of any Rights pursuant to subsection (a) of this Section 24 and without any further action and without any notice, the right to exercise such Rights shall terminate and the only right thereafter of a holder of such Rights shall be to receive that number of Common Shares equal to the number of such Rights held by such holder multiplied by the Exchange Ratio. The Company shall promptly give public notice of any such exchange (with prompt written notice thereof to the Rights Agent); provided, however, that the failure to give, or any defect in, such notice shall not affect the validity of such exchange. The Company promptly shall mail a notice of any such exchange to all of the holders of such Rights at their last addresses as they appear upon the registry books of the Rights Agent. Any notice that is mailed in the manner herein provided shall be deemed given, whether or not the holder receives the notice. Each such notice of exchange will state the method by which the exchange of the Common Shares for Rights will be effected and, in the event of any partial exchange, the number of Rights that will be exchanged. Any partial exchange shall be effected pro rata based on the number of Rights (other than Rights which have become null and void pursuant to the provisions of Section 11(a)(ii) hereof) held by each holder of Rights.

(c) In any exchange pursuant to this Section 24, the Company, at its option, may substitute Preferred Shares (or equivalent preferred shares, as such term is defined in Section 11(b) hereof) for Common Shares exchangeable for Rights, at the initial rate of one one-hundredth of a Preferred Share (or equivalent preferred share) for each Common Share, as appropriately adjusted to reflect adjustments in the voting rights of the Preferred Shares pursuant to the terms thereof, so that the fraction of a Preferred Share delivered in lieu of each Common Share shall have the same voting rights as one Common Share.

(d) In the event that there shall not be sufficient Common Shares or Preferred Shares issued but not outstanding or authorized but unissued to permit any exchange of Rights as contemplated in accordance with this Section 24, the Company shall use its best efforts to cause all such action to be taken as may be necessary to authorize additional Common Shares or Preferred Shares for issuance upon exchange of the Rights.

(e) The Company shall not be required to issue fractions of Common Shares or to distribute certificates which evidence fractional Common Shares. In lieu of such fractional Common Shares, the Company shall pay to the registered holders of the Rights Certificates with regard to which such fractional Common Shares would otherwise be issuable an amount in cash equal to the same fraction of the current market value of a whole Common Share. For the purposes of this paragraph (e), the current market value of a whole Common Share shall be the closing price of a Common Share (as determined pursuant to Section 11(d) hereof) for the Trading Day immediately prior to the date of exchange pursuant to this Section 24.

SECTION 25.
NOTICE OF CERTAIN EVENTS


	(a) In case the Company shall propose to:

	(i) Pay any dividend payable in stock of any class to the holders of its Preferred Shares or to make any other distribution to the holders of its Preferred Shares (other than a regular quarterly cash dividend);

	(ii) Offer to the holders of its Preferred Shares rights, options or warrants to subscribe for or to purchase any additional Preferred Shares or shares of stock of any class or any other securities, rights, options or warrants;

	(iii) Effect any reclassification of its Preferred Shares (other than a reclassification involving only the subdivision of outstanding Preferred Shares);

	(iv) Effect any consolidation or merger into or with, or to effect any sale, disposition or other transfer (or to permit one or more of its Subsidiaries to effect any sale, disposition or other transfer), in one or more transactions, of 50% or more of the assets or earning power of the Company and its Subsidiaries (taken as a whole) to, any other Person;

	(v) Effect the liquidation, dissolution or winding up of the Company; or

	(vi) Declare or pay any dividend on the Common Shares payable in Common Shares or effect a subdivision, combination or consolidation of the Common Shares (by reclassification or otherwise than by payment of dividends in Common Shares);

then, in each such case, the Company shall give to the Rights Agent and to each holder of a Rights Certificate, in accordance with Section 26 hereof, a notice of such proposed action, which shall specify the record date for the purposes of such stock dividend, or distribution of rights, options or warrants, or the date on which such reclassification, consolidation, merger, sale, disposition, transfer, liquidation, dissolution, or winding up is to take place and the date of participation therein by the holders of the Common Shares and/or Preferred Shares, if any such date is to be fixed. Such notice shall be so given in the case of any action covered by clause (i) or (ii) above at least 10 days prior to the record date for determining holders of the Preferred Shares for purposes of such action, and in the case of any such other action, at least 10 days prior to the date of the taking of such proposed action or the date of participation therein by the holders of the Common Shares and/or Preferred Shares, whichever shall be the earlier.

(b) In case any of the events set forth in Section 11(a)(ii) hereof shall occur, then the Company shall as soon as practicable thereafter give to the Rights Agent and to each holder of a Rights Certificate, in accordance with Section 26 hereof, a notice of the occurrence of such event, which notice shall describe such event and the consequences of such event to holders of Rights under Section 11(a)(ii) hereof.

SECTION 26.
NOTICES

Notices or demands authorized by this Agreement to be given or made by the Rights Agent or by the holder of any Rights Certificate to or on the Company shall be sufficiently given or made if sent by first-class mail, postage prepaid, addressed (until another address is filed in writing with the Rights Agent) as follows:


	Monterey Gourmet Foods
	0000 Xxxxxxx Xxxxxx
	Xxxxxxx, XX 00000
	Attn: Chief Financial Officer

Subject to the provisions of Section 21 hereof, any notice or demand authorized by this Agreement to be given or made by the Company or by the holder of any Rights Certificate to or on the Rights Agent shall be sufficiently given or made if sent by first-class mail, postage prepaid, addressed (until another address is filed in writing with the Company) as follows:


	Corporate Stock Transfer
	0000 Xxxxxx Xxxxx Xxxxx Xxxxx
	# 000
	Xxxxxx, XX 00000
	Attention: Xxxxxxx Xxxx

	With a copy to:

	Corporate Stock Transfer
	0000 Xxxxxx Xxxxx Xxxxx Xxxxx
	# 000
	Xxxxxx, XX 00000
	Attention: General Counsel

Notices or demands authorized by this Agreement to be given or made by the Company or the Rights Agent to the holder of any Rights Certificate shall be sufficiently given or made if sent by first-class mail, postage prepaid, addressed to such holder at the address of such holder as shown on the registry books of the Company.

SECTION 27.
SUPPLEMENTS AND AMENDMENTS

The Company may from time to time supplement or amend this Agreement without the approval of any holders of Rights Certificates in order to cure any ambiguity, to correct or supplement any provision contained herein which may be defective or inconsistent with any other provisions herein, or to make any other provisions with respect to the Rights which the Company may deem necessary or desirable, any such supplement or amendment to be evidenced by a writing signed by the Company and the Rights Agent; provided, however, that from and after such time as any Person becomes an Acquiring Person, this Agreement shall not be amended in any manner which would adversely affect the interests of the holders of Rights. Without limiting the foregoing, the Company at any time prior to such time as any Person becomes an Acquiring Person may amend this Agreement to raise or lower the thresholds set forth in Sections l(a) and 3(a), provided the threshold may not be lowered to less than the greater of (i) any percentage greater than the largest percentage of the outstanding Common Shares then known by the Company to be beneficially owned by any Person (other than the Company, any Subsidiary of the Company, any employee benefit plan of the Company or of any Subsidiary of the Company or any Person holding Common Shares for or pursuant to the terms of any such plan or a person excluded from the definition of “Acquiring Person” by such definition), and (ii) 10%. Notwithstanding anything contained in this Agreement to the contrary, the Rights Agent may, but shall not be obligated to, enter into any supplement or amendment that affects the Rights Agent’s own rights, duties, obligations or immunities under this Agreement. Prior to the executing any amendments or supplements, the Rights Agent shall be entitled to request and rely on a certificate from an appropriate officer of the Company and, if requested by the Rights Agent, an opinion of counsel, that states that the proposed supplement or amendment complies with this Section 27.

SECTION 28.
REGISTRATION OF SECURITIES

The Company may temporarily suspend, for a period of time not to exceed ninety (90) days, the exercisability of the Rights in order to prepare and file, if deemed necessary by the Company, such registration statements and other filings under the Securities Act and the securities or “blue sky” laws of any state, with respect to any securities purchasable upon the exercise of the Rights, and to permit the same to become effective. Upon any such suspension, the Company shall issue a public announcement (with prompt written notice thereof to the Rights Agent) stating that the exercisability of the Rights has been temporarily suspended, as well as a public announcement (with prompt written notice thereof to the Rights Agent) at such time as the suspension is no longer in effect. Notwithstanding any provision of this Agreement to the contrary, the Rights shall not be exercisable in any jurisdiction unless the requisite qualification in such jurisdiction has been obtained.

SECTION 29.
DETERMINATIONS AND ACTIONS BY THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS;
TIDE COMMITTEE

(a) The Board of Directors of the Company shall have the exclusive power and authority to administer this Agreement and to exercise all rights and powers specifically granted to the Board of Directors or to the Company, or as may be necessary or advisable in the administration of this Agreement, including, without limitation, the right and power to (i) interpret the provisions of this Agreement, and (ii) make all determinations deemed necessary or advisable for the administration of this Agreement (including a determination to redeem or to not redeem the Rights or to amend the Agreement). All such actions, calculations, interpretations and determinations (including, for purposes of clause (y) below, all omissions with respect to the foregoing) which are done or made by the Board of Directors in good faith, shall (x) be final, conclusive and binding on the Company, the Rights Agent, the holders of the Rights and all other Persons, and (y) not subject the Board to any liability to the holders of the Rights. The Rights Agent is entitled always to assume the Company’s Board of Directors acted in good faith and shall fully be protected and incur no liability in reliance thereon.

(b) It is understood that the TIDE Committee (as described below) of the Board of Directors shall review and evaluate this Agreement in order to consider whether the maintenance of this Agreement continues to be in the best interests of the Company, its stockholders and other relevant constituencies of the Company at least once every three years, or sooner than that if any Person shall have made a proposal to the Company or its stockholders, or taken any other action that, if effective, could cause such Person to become an Acquiring Person hereunder, if a majority of the members of the TIDE Committee shall deem such review and evaluation appropriate after giving due regard to all relevant circumstances. Following each such review, the TIDE Committee shall communicate its conclusions to the full Board of Directors, including any recommendation in light thereof as to whether this Agreement should be modified or the Rights should be redeemed. If the Company has a non-executive chairman, the TIDE Committee shall be chaired by the non-executive chairman and comprised of all members of the Board of Directors who are not officers, employees or Affiliates of the Company. If the Company does not have a non-executive chairman, the TIDE Committee shall be comprised of the members of the Corporate Governance and Nominating Committee of the Board of Directors (or any successor committee) who are not officers, employees or Affiliates of the Company

(c) The TIDE Committee and the Board of Directors, when considering whether this Agreement should be modified or the Rights should be redeemed, shall have the power to set their own agenda and to retain at the expense of the Company their choice of legal counsel, investment bankers and other advisors. The TIDE Committee and the Board of Directors, when considering whether this Agreement should be modified or the Rights should be redeemed, shall have the authority to review all information of the Company and to consider any and all factors they deem relevant to an evaluation of whether this Agreement should be modified or the Rights should be redeemed.

SECTION 30.
SUCCESSORS

All the covenants and provisions of this Agreement by or for the benefit of the Company or the Rights Agent shall bind and inure to the benefit of their respective successors and assigns hereunder.

SECTION 31.
BENEFITS OF THIS AGREEMENT

Nothing in this Agreement shall be construed to give to any Person or corporation other than the Company, the Rights Agent and the registered holders of the Rights Certificates (and, prior to the Distribution Date, the Common Shares) any legal or equitable right, remedy or claim under this Agreement; but this Agreement shall be for the sole and exclusive benefit of the Company, the Rights Agent and the registered holders of the Rights Certificates (and, prior to the Distribution Date, the Common Shares).

SECTION 32.
SEVERABILITY

If any term, provision, covenant or restriction of this Agreement is held by a court of competent jurisdiction or other authority to be invalid, void or unenforceable, the remainder of the terms, provisions, covenants and restrictions of this Agreement shall remain in full force and effect and shall in no way be affected, impaired or invalidated.

SECTION 33.
GOVERNING LAW

This Agreement and each Rights Certificate issued hereunder shall be deemed to be a contract made under the laws of the State of California and for all purposes shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of such State applicable to contracts to be made and performed entirely within such State, provided, however, that all provisions regarding the rights, duties and obligations of the Rights Agent shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the State of Colorado applicable to contracts made and to be performed entirely within such State.

SECTION 34.
COUNTERPARTS

This Agreement may be executed in any number of counterparts and each of such counterparts shall for all purposes be deemed to be an original, and all such counterparts shall together constitute but one and the same instrument.

SECTION 35.
DESCRIPTIVE HEADINGS

Descriptive headings of the several Sections of this Agreement are inserted for convenience only and shall not control or affect the meaning or construction of any of the provisions hereof.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties hereto have caused this Agreement to be duly executed and attested, all as of the day and year first above written.


	MONTEREY GOURMET FOODS, INC.

	/s/ XXX XXXXXXXX

	Xxx Xxxxxxxx
	Chairman of the Board


	CORPORATE STOCK TRANSFER, INC.

	By:	/s/ XXXXXXX XXXX

		Title: President

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SHAREHOLDER PROTECTION RIGHTS AGREEMENT BETWEEN MONTEREY GOURMET FOODS AND CORPORATE STOCK TRANSFER as Rights Agent Dated as of July 1, 2008

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