EBay (EBAY)

incentive stock options are exercisable for the first time by an employee in any calendar year may not exceed $100,000, or such other amount as the Code provides.

 

The Compensation Committee will determine the methods by which payments by any award holder with respect to any awards may be paid, the form of payment, including, without limitation: (1) cash, (2) shares of common stock held for such period of time as may be required by the Compensation Committee in order to avoid adverse accounting consequences and having a fair market value on the date of delivery equal to the aggregate payments required, or (3) other property acceptable to the Compensation Committee (including through the delivery of a notice that the award holder has placed a market sell order with a broker with respect to shares of common stock then issuable upon exercise or vesting of an award, and that the broker has been directed to pay a sufficient portion of the net proceeds of the sale to us in satisfaction of the aggregate payments required; provided that payment of such proceeds is then made to us upon settlement of such sale). However, no participant who is a member of the Board or an “executive officer” of the company within the meaning of Section 13(k) of the Exchange Act will be permitted to pay the exercise price of an option in any method which would violate the prohibitions on loans made or arranged by us as set forth in Section 13(k) of the Exchange Act.

 

Restricted stock units may be granted pursuant to the 2008 Plan. A restricted stock unit award provides for the issuance of common stock at a future date upon the satisfaction of specific conditions set forth in the applicable award agreement. The vesting and maturity dates will be established at the time of grant, and may provide for the deferral of receipt of the common stock beyond the vesting date. On the maturity date, we will transfer to the participant one unrestricted, fully transferable share of common stock for each restricted stock unit scheduled to be paid out on such date and not previously forfeited. The Compensation Committee will specify the purchase price, if any, to be paid by the participant to us for such shares of common stock. Restricted stock units may constitute, or provide for a deferral of compensation, subject to Section 409A of the Code and there may be certain tax consequences if the requirements of Section 409A of the Code are not met.

 

Restricted stock may be granted pursuant to the 2008 Plan. A restricted stock award is the grant of shares of common stock at a price determined by the Compensation Committee (including zero), that is nontransferable and may be subject to substantial risk of forfeiture until specific conditions are met. Conditions may be based on continuing employment or achieving performance goals. During the period of restriction, participants holding shares of restricted stock may have full voting and dividend rights with respect to such shares. The restrictions will lapse in accordance with a schedule or other conditions determined by the Compensation Committee.

 

The other types of equity awards that may be granted under the 2008 Plan include performance shares, performance stock units, dividend equivalents, deferred stock units, stock appreciation rights and other stock-based awards.

 

Performance bonus awards may also be granted pursuant to the 2008 Plan. Performance bonus awards are cash bonuses payable upon the attainment of pre-established performance goals based on established performance criteria and are intended to be performance-based awards within the meaning of Section 162(m) of the Code. The goals are established and evaluated by the Compensation Committee and may relate to performance over any periods as determined by the Compensation Committee. Following is a brief discussion of the requirements for awards, including performance bonus awards, to be treated as performance-based awards within the meaning of Section 162(m) of the Code.

 

The Compensation Committee may grant awards to employees who are or may be “covered employees,” as defined in Section 162(m) of the Code, that are intended to be performance-based awards within the meaning of Section 162(m) of the Code in order to preserve the deductibility of these awards for federal income tax. Under the 2008 Plan, these performance-based awards may be either equity awards or performance bonus awards. Participants are only entitled to receive payment for a performance-based award for any given performance period to the extent that pre-established performance goals set by the Board for the period are satisfied. These pre-established performance goals must be based on one or more of the following performance criteria:

 

 

 

any of which may be measured with respect to us, or any subsidiary, affiliate or other business unit of ours, either in absolute terms, terms of growth or as compared to any incremental increase, as compared to results of a peer group. The Compensation Committee will define in an objective fashion the manner of calculating the performance criteria it selects to use for such awards. With regard to a particular performance period, the Compensation Committee will have the discretion to select the length of the performance period, the type of performance-based awards to be granted, and the goals that will be used to measure the performance for the period. In determining the actual size of an individual performance-based award for a performance period, the Compensation Committee may reduce or eliminate (but not increase) the initial award. Generally, a participant will have to be employed by or providing services to the company on the date the performance-based award is paid to be eligible for a performance-based award for any period.