MERGE TECHNOLOGIES INCOPROATED
Filed
pursuant to Rule 424(b)(3)
Registration No. 333-125603
1,712,983 Shares
Merge Technologies Incorporated
Common Stock
We may issue from time to
time up to 1,712,983 shares of our Common Stock in exchange for exchangeable shares of a special purpose
subsidiary of ours, Merge Cedara ExchangeCo Limited, which we refer to in this prospectus as
ExchangeCo. ExchangeCo issued 13,210,168 exchangeable shares to certain Canadian shareholders of
Cedara Software Corp., in connection with a merger transaction between Cedara Software Corp. and us
that was consummated on June 1, 2005. Through May 1, 2007, 11,497,179 exchangeable shares were
exchanged for an equal number of shares of our Common Stock. Holders of exchangeable shares may
exchange the exchangeable shares for our Common Stock at any time following effectiveness of the
Registration Statement of which this prospectus is a part. Subject to applicable law and the
overriding right of Merge Technologies Holdings Co., our wholly-owned Nova Scotia subsidiary, which
we refer to in this prospectus as Merge Holdings, to purchase the exchangeable shares, ExchangeCo
will redeem all of the exchangeable shares on the date established by the board of directors of
ExchangeCo, which date shall be no earlier than April 30, 2010. In certain circumstances,
ExchangeCo has the right to require a redemption of the exchangeable shares prior to April 30,
2010. The exchangeable shares trade on the Toronto Stock Exchange under the symbol MRG. See the
section of this prospectus captioned Description of Capital Stock Exchangeable Shares for a
description of the circumstances under which the exchangeable shares may be redeemed.
Our Common Stock trades
on the NASDAQ Global Market under the symbol MRGE. On
May 24,
2007, the per share closing price of our Common Stock on such market
was $7.06 per share.
Neither the Securities and Exchange Commission nor any state securities commission has
approved or disapproved of the securities or determined if this prospectus is truthful or complete.
Any representation to the contrary is a criminal offense.
Investing in our Common Stock involves risks. See Risk Factors beginning on page 5.
The
date of this prospectus is June 5, 2007.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
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You should rely only on the information contained in this prospectus. We have not authorized anyone
to provide you with information different from that contained in this prospectus. The information
contained in this prospectus is accurate only on the date of this prospectus regardless of the time
of delivery of this prospectus or of any sale or issuance of our Common Stock.
PROSPECTUS SUMMARY
This summary highlights selected information contained elsewhere or incorporated by
reference in this prospectus. This summary may not contain all of the information that you should
consider before investing in our Common Stock. You should read the entire prospectus, including
the statements incorporated by reference, carefully before making an investment decision.
MERGE TECHNOLOGIES INCORPORATED
Our Business
Merge Technologies Incorporated, a Wisconsin corporation doing business as Merge Healthcare,
and its subsidiaries or affiliates (collectively, Merge Healthcare, we, us, or our),
develops medical imaging and information management software and delivers related services. Late in
2006 we reorganized our business to better reflect emerging market needs. We established three
distinct business units: Merge Healthcare North America, which primarily sells directly to the
end-user healthcare market comprised of hospitals, imaging centers and specialty clinics located in
the U.S. and Canada and also distributes certain products through the Internet via our website;
Cedara Software, which primarily sells to Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs) and Value Added
Resellers (VARs), comprised of companies that develop, manufacture or resell medical imaging
software or devices; and Merge Healthcare EMEA, which sells to the end-user healthcare market in
Europe, the Middle East and Africa.
We develop clinical and medical imaging software applications and development tools that are
on the forefront of medicine. We also develop medical imaging software solutions that support
end-to-end business and clinical workflow for radiology department and specialty practices, imaging
centers and hospitals. Our software technologies accelerate market delivery for our global OEM
customers, while our end-user solutions improve our customers productivity and enhance the quality
of the patient experience. Our diagnostic imaging workflow applications are commonly categorized as
Picture Archiving and Communication Systems (PACS), Radiology Information Systems (RIS) and
clinical applications, which include, but are not limited to, software products that support
medical imaging in many specialized areas such as orthopedics, cardiology, mammography and
oncology. We believe the combination of RIS/PACS/clinical applications and Healthcare Information
Management improves diagnostic imaging workflow. It also provides value by making images and other
information available throughout the enterprise.
Corporate Information
We were founded in 1987 and built a reputation as a company that enabled the transformation of
legacy radiology (film-based) images into modern (filmless) digitized images for distribution and
diagnostic interpretation. We acquired eFilm Medical Inc. (eFilm) in June 2002 and began doing
business under the name of Merge eFilm in order to leverage eFilms international name recognition
for diagnostic medical image workstation software. In July 2003, we acquired RIS Logic, Inc. (RIS
Logic), a radiology information systems (RIS) company that designed software to manage business and
clinical workflow for imaging centers to streamline operations and accelerate productivity. We
acquired AccuImage Diagnostics Corp. (AccuImage) in January 2005. AccuImage was founded from
radiology academic research, and created products that used advanced visualization technologies for
clinical specialty medical imaging. In June 2005, we acquired Cedara Software Corp., which was
established in 1982 and creates medical imaging software for OEM and VAR customers worldwide.
Our principal executive offices are located at 6737 West Washington Street, Suite 2250,
Milwaukee, Wisconsin 53214-5650, and our telephone number there is (414) 977-4000. Our web site is
located at www.merge.com. The information on our web site is not a part of this prospectus.
3
THE OFFERING
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Common stock offering by us
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1,712,983 shares subject to adjustment for
stock splits, stock dividends or
similar transactions. |
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Purpose of the offering
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This offering is related to a merger
transaction that we consummated with
Cedara Software Corp. on June 1, 2005,
and pursuant to which Merge Cedara
ExchangeCo Limited, our indirect
wholly owned subsidiary
(ExchangeCo), issued the
exchangeable shares to certain
Canadian shareholders of Cedara
Software Corp. The holders of
exchangeable shares may exchange such
shares for shares of our Common Stock
at any time following effectiveness of
the Registration Statement of which
this prospectus is a part. See the
section of this prospectus captioned
Description of Capital Stock for a
description and terms of the
exchangeable shares. |
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Common stock outstanding before
the offering
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32,204,035 shares as of May 22, 2007. |
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Use of proceeds
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The Common Stock offered in this
prospectus will be issued in exchange
for the exchangeable shares and
accordingly, we will receive no cash
proceeds from this offering. |
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Dividends
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We have not paid any cash dividends on
our Common Stock since our formation.
We currently do not intend to declare
or pay any cash dividends on our
Common Stock in the foreseeable
future. |
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No board recommendation
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Our Board of Directors makes no
recommendation to the holders of
exchangeable shares regarding the
exchange of such shares for the shares
of our Common Stock offered in this
offering. We refer you to the section
of this prospectus captioned Risk
Factors. |
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NASDAQ Global Market Symbol
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MRGE |
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Risk Factors
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You should carefully read and consider
the information set forth under the
section of this prospectus captioned
Risk Factors and all other
information included or incorporated
by reference in this prospectus before
investing in our Common Stock. |
4
RISK FACTORS
You should carefully consider the risks, uncertainties and other factors described below,
along with all of the other information included or incorporated by reference in this prospectus,
including our financial statements and the related notes. Any of the following risks could
materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition, operating results, cash flows
and prospects and could negatively impact the value of your investment.
We have identified material weaknesses in our disclosure controls and procedures and our
internal control over financial reporting, which, if not remedied effectively, could have an
adverse effect on the trading price of our Common Stock and otherwise seriously harm our business
As discussed in Item 9A, Controls and Procedures of our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year
ended December 31, 2006 and in Item 4, Controls and Procedures of our Quarterly Report on Form
10-Q for the quarter ended March 31, 2007, each of which is incorporated by reference herein, our
management has concluded that our disclosure controls and procedures were not effective and our
internal control over financial reporting had material weaknesses as of December 31, 2006 and as of
March 31, 2007, respectively. Although we have taken actions to remediate the material weaknesses,
our inability to remedy all such material weaknesses promptly and effectively could have a material
adverse effect on the accuracy and completeness of our financial statements, as well as impair our
ability to meet our quarterly and annual reporting requirements in a timely manner and could also
have a material adverse effect on our business relationships and our reputation. Moreover, our
remediation efforts have required, and may continue to require, the commitment of significant
financial and managerial resources. Prior to the remediation of these material weaknesses, there
remains the risk that the controls on which we currently rely will fail to be sufficiently
effective, which could result in a material misstatement of our financial position or results of
operations, delays in timely filing of our financial statements and require restatement of our
financial statements. If we are unable, or are perceived as unable, to produce reliable financial
reports due to disclosure control or internal control deficiencies, investors could lose confidence
in our reported financial information and our operating results and the market price of our Common
Stock could be adversely affected. In addition, even if we are successful in strengthening our
controls and procedures, such controls and procedures may not be adequate to prevent or identify
misstatements or to provide reasonable assurance that our financial statements are prepared in
conformity with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP) and fairly present our
operating results and financial condition.
The actual costs and savings associated with our reorganization and rightsizing initiatives
may differ materially from amounts we estimate In November 2006, we commenced various
reorganization and rightsizing initiatives intended to streamline our operations, reduce costs and
bring our staffing and structure in line with our revenue base. These initiatives included
consolidating many aspects of our operations, including centralizing the leadership of our
worldwide software development activities under one person, hiring a Senior Vice President of
worldwide product management, closing offices in San Francisco, California and Tokyo, Japan,
downsizing our operations in Burlington, Massachusetts, Cleveland, Ohio and Mississauga, Ontario
and shifting to a blended onshore-offshore delivery model by establishing a global software
engineering and customer support center in Pune, India.
We cannot provide assurance that we will be able to successfully implement these restructuring
and rightsizing initiatives or the transition to a blended onshore-offshore global delivery model,
or that such actions will produce the anticipated cost savings. Even if we are successful in our
cost reduction initiatives, we may face other risks associated with these plans, including delayed
product releases or decreased customer satisfaction, which in turn could lead to decreased revenues
and profitability.
We intend to rapidly grow our India operations, which are subject to regulatory, economic and
political uncertainties We intend to continue to develop and expand our offshore operations in
India through outsourcing partnerships and increasing numbers of our own personnel. While wage
costs are lower in India than in the United States and other developed countries for comparably
skilled professionals, wages in India are increasing at a faster rate than in the United States,
which could result in our incurring increased costs for technical professionals and reduced
operating margins. In addition, there is intense competition in India for skilled technical
professionals and we expect that competition to increase. With the exception of a few employees, we
have limited experience in building and operating offshore development and support operations. We
may therefore have difficulty managing our employees and our service vendors employees in our
Indian operations and maintaining uniform standards for our product engineering and customer
service as well as other policies and procedures across our locations. Our
5
inability to properly manage and integrate our Indian operation into the rest of the company
could materially affect our financial results.
India has also experienced civil unrest and terrorism and has been involved in conflicts with
neighboring countries. In recent years, there have been military confrontations between India and
Pakistan that have occurred in the region of Kashmir and along the India-Pakistan border. The
potential for hostilities between the two countries has been high in light of tensions related to
recent terrorist incidents in India and the unsettled nature of the regional geopolitical
environment, including events in and related to Afghanistan and Iraq. If India were to become
engaged in armed hostilities, particularly if these hostilities were protracted or involved the
threat or use of weapons of mass destruction, our operations could be materially adversely
affected. In addition, U.S. companies may decline to contract with us for services in light of
international terrorist incidents or armed hostilities, even where India is not involved, because
of more generalized concerns about relying on a service provider utilizing international resources.
In the past, the Indian economy has experienced many of the problems confronting the economies
of developing countries, including high inflation, erratic gross domestic product growth and
shortages of foreign exchange. The Indian government has exercised and continues to exercise
significant influence over many aspects of the Indian economy, and Indian government actions
concerning the economy could have a material adverse effect on private sector entities, including
us.
Anti-outsourcing legislation, if adopted, could adversely affect our business, financial
condition and results of operations and impair our ability to service our customers and develop
products The issue of outsourcing of services abroad by U.S. companies is a topic of political
discussion in the United States. Measures aimed at limiting or restricting outsourcing by U.S.
companies are under discussion in Congress and in numerous state legislatures. While no substantive
anti-outsourcing legislation has been introduced to date, given the ongoing debate over this issue,
the introduction of such legislation is possible. If new measures are introduced that impact the
private sector, such as tax disincentives or intellectual property transfer restrictions, our
financial condition and results of operations could be adversely affected and our ability to
service our customers could be impaired.
Our recent headcount reductions have placed additional strain on our resources, may impair our
operations and may adversely impact our ability to attract and retain qualified technical,
managerial and sales personnel In connection with our efforts to streamline our operations, reduce
costs and bring our staffing and cost structure in line with our revenue base, we restructured our
organization and reduced our workforce by approximately 150 employees (including consultants and
temporary workforce), or approximately 28% of our workforce, in the fourth quarter of 2006.
Offsetting this reduction, we have moved approximately 100 of these positions to our offshore
software engineering and customer support center in Pune, India and intend to increase this number
to 200 or more positions during 2007. Further reductions and possible offshore increases could
occur if we are unable to grow our revenues. There have been and may continue to be substantial
severance and other employee-related costs associated with the workforce reduction and our
restructuring plan may yield unanticipated consequences, such as attrition beyond the planned
reduction. In addition, many of the employees who were terminated possessed specific knowledge or
expertise, and we may be unable to transfer that knowledge or expertise to others in our Indian or
domestic operations. In that case, the absence of such employees creates significant operational
difficulties. Further, the reduction in workforce may reduce employee morale, may create concern
among potential and existing employees about job security, which may lead to difficulty in hiring
and increased turnover in our current workforce and place undue strain upon our operational
resources. As a result, our ability to respond to unexpected challenges may be impaired, and we may
be unable to take advantage of new opportunities.
Changes in the healthcare industry, including the changes to reimbursement schedules under the
Deficit Reduction Act of 2005, or the DRA, could negatively impact our business The healthcare
industry is highly regulated and is subject to changing political, economic and regulatory
influences. These factors affect the purchasing practices and operation of healthcare
organizations. Federal and state legislatures have periodically considered programs to reform the
U.S. healthcare system and to change healthcare financing and reimbursement systems. In 2005,
Congress legislated an increase (fee schedule update) of approximately 1.5% in the overall federal
reimbursement rates for physician and outpatient services, including diagnostic imaging services.
On February 8, 2006, the President signed the DRA into law. Effective for services provided on or
after January 1, 2007, the DRA provides that reimbursement for the technical component for imaging
services (excluding diagnostic and screening mammography) in non-hospital-based freestanding
facilities will be capped at the lesser of reimbursement under the Medicare Part B physician fee
schedule or the Hospital Outpatient Prospective Payment System (HOPPS) schedule.
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The DRA also codifies the reduction in reimbursement for multiple images on contiguous body
parts previously announced by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS). Effective
January 1, 2007, CMS is paying 100% of the technical component of the higher-priced imaging
procedure and 75% for the technical component of each additional procedure for imaging procedures
within a family of codes involving contiguous body parts when the multiple procedures are performed
in the same session.
A significant portion of our net sales are derived directly or indirectly from sales to
end-users, including hospitals, diagnostic imaging centers and specialty clinics, many of which
generate some or all of their revenues from government sponsored healthcare programs (principally,
Medicare and Medicaid). We believe that the implementation of the reimbursement reductions
contained in the DRA will adversely impact our end-user customers revenues per examination, which
may cause some of them to respond by reducing their investments or postponing investment decisions,
including investments in our software solutions and services.
Our operating results may be impacted by actions related to the implementation of a new
information technology (or accounting) system We are in the process of implementing certain
financial modules of an enterprise resource planning system. Our implementation process will
include the migration of data and users from multiple legacy systems to a common platform. If we
were to suffer any significant problems related to this system implementation, our ability to
fulfill and ship end-user customer orders might be hindered or stopped and our ability to access
and report financial information in a timely manner might be impaired. Because of the complexity of
this initiative, we are subject to the risks that (1) we may be unable to complete the
implementation in accordance with our timeline and incur additional costs, (2) the implementation
could result in operating inefficiencies which could impact operating results, and (3) the
implementation could impact our ability to perform necessary business transactions. All of these
risks could adversely impact our results of operations, financial condition and cash flows.
Litigation or regulatory actions could adversely affect our financial condition We and
certain of our former officers are defendants in several lawsuits relating to our accounting and
financial disclosure. These lawsuits and other legal matters in which we have become involved are
described in Part I, Item 3, Legal Proceedings of our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year
ended December 31, 2006 and in Part II, Item 1, Legal Proceedings of our Quarterly Report on Form
10-Q for the quarterly period ended March 31, 2007, which are incorporated by reference herein.
These lawsuits present material and significant risks to us. We are unable at this time to predict
the outcome of these actions or reasonably estimate a range of damages in the event plaintiffs in
these or other potential matters relating to the same events prevail under one or more of their
claims.
The Midwest Office of the SEC has notified us that we are the subject of an informal,
non-public inquiry. We are cooperating with the SEC in response to its request for information. The
inquiry generally concerns our financial statement restatements and the anonymous letters we have
received regarding our accounting and financial disclosure. We cannot predict whether the SEC will
expand the scope of its inquiry or obtain a formal order of investigation. These lawsuits and
regulatory matters are having, and will continue to have, a disruptive effect upon the operations
of the business, including the diversion of significant time and attention of our senior
management, which adversely affected our results of operations for 2006 and may continue to
adversely affect our results of operations in 2007. In addition, we have incurred and are likely to
continue to incur substantial expenses in connection with such matters, including substantial fees
for attorneys and other professional advisors, as well as amounts paid to settle certain actions.
Our ability to obtain directors and officers liability insurance in the future and to
maintain coverage under existing policies may be adversely affected by the lawsuits and regulatory
actions against us and certain of our executive officers The Company has purchased directors and
officers liability insurance that may provide coverage for some or all of the matters described
immediately above. However, the facts alleged in the lawsuits and the regulatory actions described
above may make directors and officers liability insurance extremely expensive or unavailable for
us now or in the future and may also jeopardize existing coverage. Certain of the D&O insurers have
indicated they may seek to rescind the existing policies. If such insurance policies were
rescinded, our results of operations and liquidity may be significantly impaired. Further, the
insurers may take the position that some or all of the claims will not be covered by such policies.
Moreover, even if there is full coverage, there is a chance that our ultimate liability will exceed
the available insurance limits. Future D&O insurance coverage may entail increased premiums which
could materially harm our financial results in future periods. The inability to obtain this
coverage due to its unavailability or prohibitively expensive premiums would make it more difficult
to retain and attract
7
officers and directors and expose us to potentially self-funding any potential future
liabilities ordinarily mitigated by directors and officers liability insurance.
The turnover in our management team could negatively impact our business and the trading price
of our Common Stock As previously disclosed, in 2006 we lost the services of most of our senior
executive officers, including our Chief Executive Officer, our founder and interim Chief Executive
Officer, our Chief Financial Officer, our Senior Vice President, Strategic Business Development and
two of our business unit presidents. In addition, several other members of our senior management
team have assumed new roles in our organization. With the departures, we lost persons with a
significant amount of experience and knowledge about our business, and industry, and who maintained
strong relationships with our customers, suppliers and employees. Further, we believe that our
management turnover and the uncertainty it has generated has adversely affected our relationships
with customers and employees and impaired our reputation in the marketplace. Kenneth D. Rardin, our
President and Chief Executive Officer, and Steven R. Norton, our Executive Vice President and Chief
Financial Officer, have only been with us for a short time (since September 2006 and January 2007,
respectively) and each of them continues to learn our business. The new members of our management
team, and the persons now serving in new positions, may need to devote a significant amount of time
to learning about aspects of our business and our markets, which could limit their effectiveness in
managing our business for a period of time. If our management team cannot effectively manage and
operate our business, our net sales and profitability and the trading price of our Common Stock may
be adversely affected.
Our performance and future success depends on our ability to attract, integrate and retain
qualified technical, managerial and sales personnel We are dependent, in part, upon the services
of our senior executives, some of whom are new hires or have recently assumed new roles, and other
key business and technical personnel. We do not currently maintain key-man life insurance on our
senior executives. The loss of the services of any of our senior executives or key employees could
have a material adverse effect on our business. Our commercial success will depend upon, among
other things, the successful recruiting and retention of highly skilled technical, managerial and
sales personnel with experience in business activities such as ours. Competition for the type of
highly skilled individuals sought by us is intense. We may not be able to retain existing key
employees or be able to find, attract and retain skilled personnel on acceptable terms.
Relationships with our customers, potential customers and suppliers have been adversely
affected, and our competitors competitive position improved, by our restatement of our financial
results, related litigation and regulatory proceedings and management turnover Due to our
restatement of our financial statements, related litigation and regulatory proceedings, uncertainty
regarding changes in our senior management team, and the former threat of a potential NASDAQ
delisting, our customers and potential customers, new or existing suppliers or others have had
concerns that we have become unreliable in operating our business. As a result, we have
experienced, and may continue to experience, a decrease in the number of new customers or
reluctance on the part of existing customers to renew their contracts with us. In addition, we have
experienced and may continue to experience, a loss of other important business relationships. As a
result, our business has been materially harmed and our competitors competitive positions relative
to us have been improved.
Our quarterly net sales may vary significantly Our quarterly operating results have varied in
the past and may continue to vary in future periods. Quarterly operating results may vary for a
number of reasons, including, but not limited to, demand for our software solutions and services,
our sales cycle, economic cycles, the level of reimbursements to our end-user customers from
government sponsored healthcare programs (principally, Medicare and Medicaid), accounting policy
changes mandated by regulating entities, and other factors described in this section and elsewhere
in this report. As a result of healthcare industry trends and the market for our RIS, PACS or
RIS/PACS solutions, a large percentage of our revenues are generated by sale and installation of
systems sold directly to healthcare institutions. These sales may be subject to delays due to
customers internal budgets and procedures for approving capital expenditures and by competing
needs for other capital expenditures, the deployment of new technologies and personnel resources.
Delays in the expected sale or installation of these contracts may have a significant impact on our
anticipated quarterly revenues and consequently, our earnings, since a significant percentage of
our expenses are relatively fixed. Additionally, we sometimes depend, in part, upon large contracts
with a small number of OEMs to meet our sales goals in any particular quarter. For example, one
customer accounted for approximately 37% of our total net sales for the three months ended
September 30, 2005, and during the three months ended December 31, 2005, another single customer
accounted for approximately 27% of our total net sales. Delays in the expected sale or installation
of solutions under these large contracts may have a significant
8
impact on our quarterly net sales and consequently our earnings, particularly because a
significant percentage of our expenses are fixed.
The length of our sales and implementation cycles may adversely affect our future operating
results We have experienced long sales and implementation cycles. How and when to implement,
replace, expand or substantially modify medical imaging management software, or modify or add
business processes, are major decisions for our end-user target market. Furthermore, our software
generally requires significant capital expenditures by our customers, especially OEMs. The sales
cycle for our software ranges from six to 18 months or more from initial contact to contract
execution. Our end-user implementation cycle has generally ranged from three to nine months from
contract execution to completion of implementation. During the sales and implementation cycles, we
will expend substantial time, effort and resources preparing contract proposals, negotiating the
contract and implementing the software. We may not realize any revenues to offset these
expenditures. Additionally, any decision by our customers to delay or cancel purchases or the
implementation of our software may adversely affect our net sales.
We face aggressive competition in many areas of our business, and our business will be harmed
if we fail to compete effectively The market for medical imaging solutions is highly competitive
and subject to rapid technological change. We may be unable to maintain our competitive position
against our current and potential competitors. Many of our current and potential competitors have
greater financial, technical, product development, marketing and other resources than we have, and
we may not be able to compete effectively with them. In addition, new competitors may emerge and
our system and software solution offerings may be threatened by new technologies or market trends
that reduce the value of our solutions. Further, our recent challenges may have weakened our
competitive position.
The development and acquisition of additional products and technologies, and the improvement
of our existing products requires significant investments in research and development. For example,
our current product candidates are in various stages of development, and may require significant
further research, development, pre-clinical or clinical testing, regulatory approval and
commercialization. If we fail to successfully sell new products and update our existing products,
our operating results may decline as our existing products reach the end of their commercial life
cycles.
Our proprietary technology may be subjected to infringement claims or may be infringed upon
which could result in additional costs or lost sales Our success depends, in part, on our ability,
and the ability of our licensors, to obtain, assert and defend patent rights, protect trade secrets
and operate without infringing the proprietary rights of others. We currently own or have rights to
a number of U.S. patents and have a number of outstanding patent applications. We may not, however,
be able to obtain additional licenses to patents of others or be able to develop additional
patentable technology of our own. Any patents issued to us may not provide us with competitive
advantages, or the patents or proprietary rights of others may have an adverse effect on our
ability to do business. Others may independently develop similar products or design around such
patents or proprietary rights owned by or licensed to us. Any patent obtained or licensed by us may
not be held to be valid and enforceable if challenged by another party. We also have operations in
China and India, whose laws do not protect intellectual property rights to the same extent as those
in the United States. Accordingly, our efforts to protect our intellectual property in such
countries may be inadequate.
Although we endeavor to protect our patent rights from infringement, we may not be aware, or
become aware, of patents issued to our competitors or others that conflict with our own. Such
conflicts could result in a rejection of important patent applications or the invalidation of
important patents, which could have a materially adverse effect on our competitive position. In the
event of such conflicts, or in the event we believe that competitive products infringe patents to
which we hold rights or others believe that our products infringe patents to which they hold
rights, we may pursue patent infringement litigation or interference proceedings against, or may be
required to defend against such litigation or proceedings involving holders of such conflicting
patents or competing products. Such litigation or proceedings may have a materially adverse effect
on our competitive position, and there can be no assurance that we will be successful in any such
litigation or proceeding. Litigation and other proceedings relating to patent matters, whether
initiated by us or a third party, can be expensive and time consuming, regardless of whether the
outcome is favorable to us, and can result in the diversion of substantial financial, managerial
and other resources. An adverse outcome could subject us to significant liabilities to third
parties or require us to cease any related development or commercialization activities. In
addition, if patents that contain dominating or conflicting
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claims have been or are subsequently issued to others and such claims are ultimately
determined to be valid, we may be required to obtain licenses under patents or other proprietary
rights of others. Any licenses required under any such patents or proprietary rights may not be
made available on terms acceptable to us, if at all. If we do not obtain such licenses, we could
encounter delays or could find that the development, manufacture or sale of products requiring such
licenses is foreclosed.
We also rely on proprietary know how and confidential information and employ various methods,
such as entering into confidentiality and non-compete agreements with our current employees and
with certain third parties to whom we have divulged proprietary information, to protect the
processes, concepts, ideas and documentation associated with our solutions. Such methods may not
afford sufficient protection to us, and we may not be able to adequately protect our trade secrets
or ensure that other companies would not acquire information that we consider proprietary.
We depend on licenses from third parties for rights to some technology we use, and if we are
unable to continue these relationships and maintain our rights to this technology, our business
could suffer For some of the technology used in our software, we depend upon licenses from a
number of third party vendors. These licenses are provided to us under contracts that typically
expire within one to five years, can be renewed only by mutual consent and may be terminated if we
breach the terms of the contract and fail to cure the breach within a specified period of time. We
may not be able to continue using the technology made available to us under these contracts on
commercially reasonable terms or at all. As a result, we may have to discontinue, delay or reduce
software shipments until we obtain equivalent technology, which could hurt our business. Most of
our third party licenses are nonexclusive. Our competitors may obtain the right to use any of the
technology covered by these licenses and use the technology to compete directly with us. In
addition, if our vendors choose to discontinue support of the licensed technology in the future or
are unsuccessful in their continued research and development efforts, particularly with regard to
the Microsoft Windows/Intel platform on which most of our products operate, we may not be able to
modify or adapt our own software.
We are subject to government regulation, changes to which could negatively impact our
business We are subject to regulation in the U.S. by the United States Food and Drug
Administration (FDA), including periodic FDA inspections, in Canada under Health Canadas Medical
Devices Regulations, and in other countries by corresponding regulatory authorities. We may be
required to undertake additional actions in the U.S. to comply with the Federal Food, Drug and
Cosmetic Act (the Act), regulations promulgated under such act, and any other applicable
regulatory requirements. For example, the FDA has increased its focus on regulating computer
software intended for the use in a healthcare setting. If our software solutions are deemed to be
actively regulated medical devices by the FDA, we could be subject to more extensive requirements
governing pre- and post-marketing activities. Complying with these regulations could be time
consuming and expensive, and may include:
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requiring us to receive FDA clearance of a pre-market notification submission
demonstrating substantial equivalence to a device already legally marketed, or to
obtain FDA approval of a pre-market approval application establishing the safety and
effectiveness of the software; |
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requiring us to comply with rigorous regulations governing the pre-clinical and
clinical testing, manufacture, distribution, labeling and promotion of medical devices;
and |
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requiring us to comply with the Act regarding general controls, including
establishment registration, device listing, compliance with good manufacturing
practices, reporting of specified malfunctions and adverse device events. |
Similar obligations may exist in other countries in which we do business, including Canada.
Any failure by us to comply with the Act and any other applicable regulatory requirements, both
domestic and foreign, could subject us to a number of enforcement actions, including warning
letters, fines, product seizures, recalls, injunctions, total or partial suspension of production,
operating restrictions or limitations on marketing, refusal of the government to grant new
clearances or approvals, withdrawal of marketing clearances or approvals and civil and criminal
penalties.
Changes in federal and state regulations relating to patient data could depress the demand for
our software and impose significant software redesign costs on us Federal regulations under the
Health Insurance
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Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA) impose national health data standards on
healthcare providers that conduct electronic health transactions, healthcare clearinghouses that
convert health data between HIPAA compliant and non-compliant formats and health plans.
Collectively, these groups are known as covered entities. The HIPAA regulations proscribe
transaction formats and code sets for electronic health transactions; protect individual privacy by
limiting the uses and disclosures of individually identifiable health information; and require
covered entities to implement administrative, physical and technological safeguards to ensure the
confidentiality, integrity, availability and security of individually identifiable health
information in electronic form. Though we are not a covered entity, most of our customers are and
require that our software and services adhere to HIPAA regulations. Any failure or perception of
failure of our software or services to meet HIPAA regulations could adversely affect demand for our
software and services and force us to potentially expend significant capital, research and
development and other resources to modify our software or services to address the privacy and
security requirements of our clients. States and foreign jurisdictions in which our clients or we
operate have adopted, or may adopt, privacy standards that are similar to or more stringent than
the federal HIPAA privacy regulations. This may lead to different restrictions for handling
individually identifiable health information. As a result, our customers may demand IT solutions
and services that are adaptable to reflect different and changing regulatory requirements, which
could increase our development costs. In the future, federal, state or foreign governmental
authorities may impose new data security regulations or additional restrictions on the collection,
use, transmission and other disclosures of health information. We cannot predict the potential
impact that these future rules may have on our business; however, the demand for our software and
services may decrease if we are not able to develop and offer software and services that can
address the regulatory challenges and compliance obligations facing our clients.
The complexity presented by international operations could negatively affect our business Net
sales from customers outside of the U.S., which we classify as international net sales, account for
a material portion of our revenues. Net sales from our international customers accounted for
approximately 18% of our total net sales for the year ended December 31, 2006, 40% of our total net
sales for the year ended December 31, 2005, and 32% of total net sales for the year ended December
31, 2004. While we plan to continue expanding our presence in international markets, our
international operations may not produce sufficient international sales and our overseas
development efforts may not generate saleable products. Our international operations also present a
number of other risks, including the following:
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the need to conform with local business and market norms; |
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difficulties managing and integrating new international facilities; |
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greater difficulty in collecting accounts receivable and longer collection periods; |
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potentially unfavorable economic conditions outside of the U.S.; |
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changes in local currencies may impact the attractiveness of our product
competitiveness as we invoice most of our net sales in U.S. Dollars; |
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certification requirements; |
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lack of, or limited protection of intellectual property rights in some countries; |
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potentially adverse tax consequences; |
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wage pressures, particularly in India, where wages are generally rising at a faster
rate than in the United States; |
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political instability; |
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trade protection measures and other regulatory requirements; |
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service provider and government spending patterns; |
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potential adverse impact on the demand for products and services of U.S.-based
businesses due to perceptions regarding U.S. foreign policy; |
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natural disasters, war or terrorist acts; |
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ineffective strategic relationships with international partners; and |
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political conditions which may threaten the safety of our employees or the employees
of our customers or our continued presence in foreign countries, particularly civil
unrest and hostilities among neighboring countries in South Asia, including India and
Pakistan. |
Furthermore, our entry into additional international markets requires significant management
attention and financial resources, which could lessen our ability to manage our existing business
effectively.
We provide our customers with certain warranties which could result in higher costs than we
anticipate Software products as complex as those offered by us and used in a wide range of
clinical and health information systems settings are likely to contain a number of errors or
bugs, especially early in their product life cycle. Our products include clinical information
systems used in patient care settings where a low tolerance for bugs exists. Testing of products is
difficult due to the wide range of environments in which systems are installed. The discovery of
defects or errors in our software products may cause delays in product delivery, poor client
references, payment disputes, contract cancellations, or additional expenses and payments to
rectify problems. Any of those factors may result in delayed acceptance of, or the return of, our
software products.
We may be unable to successfully integrate acquisitions, which could negatively impact our
results We have experienced significant challenges integrating our recent acquisitions. In
particular, we have struggled to realize synergistic benefits, primarily within our product sales
and service groups, following our June 1, 2005, business combination with Cedara Software Corp. We
may continue to acquire or make investments in complementary businesses, products or technologies.
The process of integrating any acquired business, product or technology into our business and
operations may result in unforeseen operating difficulties and expenditures. Any acquisition may
involve a number of risks, including:
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an increase in our expenses and working capital requirements in connection with the
integration of the personnel, operations, technologies or products of the acquired
companies; |
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other financial risks, such as potential liabilities associated with the businesses that we acquire; |
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diversion of capital and managements attention from our core business; |
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adverse effects on business relationships with our existing customers and suppliers
and those of the acquired company; |
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an increased risk that we become the subject of litigation regarding intellectual
property or other matters; |
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difficulty in successfully implementing acquired operations, IT systems, customers,
supplier and partner relationships, products and business with our operations; |
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acquired assets becoming impaired as a result of technical advancements or worse
than expected performance by the acquired company; |
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entering markets in which we have no, or limited, prior experience; and |
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potential loss of our key employees and those of the acquired company.
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In addition, in connection with any business combinations, acquisitions or investments we could: |
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issue stock that would dilute existing shareholders percentage of ownership; |
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incur debt and assume liabilities, perhaps on terms that prove unfavorable to us or
our security holders; |
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incur significant expenditures related to office closures of the acquired companies,
including costs relating to termination of employees and leasehold improvement charges
relating to vacating the acquired companies or our premises; or |
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use cash that would otherwise be available to fund operations or to use for other
purposes. |
Product liability suits against us could result in expensive and time consuming litigation,
payment of substantial damages and an increase in our insurance rates Many of our software
solutions provide data for use by healthcare providers in clinical decision making and creating
patient treatment plans. If our software fails to provide accurate and timely information, or if
our content or any other element of our software is associated with faulty clinical decisions or
treatment, we could be exposed to claims of liability by customers, clinicians or patients against
us relating to the use of our software solutions. The assertion of such claims, whether or not
valid, and ensuing litigation, regardless of its outcome, could result in substantial cost to us,
divert managements attention from our operations and decrease market acceptance of our software.
The allocations of responsibility and limitations of liability set forth in our contracts may not
be enforceable, may not be binding upon patients, or may not otherwise protect us from liability
for damages. Although we maintain product liability insurance coverage, our coverage may not cover
a particular claim that may be brought in the future, may prove to be inadequate or may not be
available in the future on acceptable terms, if at all. A successful claim brought against us,
which is uninsured or underinsured, could materially harm our business, results of operations or
financial condition.
We may not be able to generate sufficient cash from our operations to meet our future
operating, financing and capital requirements At March 31, 2007, our cash and cash equivalents
were approximately $37.2 million. Our uses of cash in the future will depend on a variety of
factors, such as our results of operations, the amounts we are required to devote to defend and
address our outstanding legal and regulatory proceedings (see Part I, Item 3, Legal Proceedings,
in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2006 and Part II, Item 1, Legal
Proceedings, in our Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarterly period ended March 31. 2007,
which are incorporated by reference herein) and our capital expenditure plans. If we are unable to
generate sufficient cash from our operations to meet our short-term or long-term liquidity needs,
we may need to raise additional capital. To raise such additional capital, we may sell equity or
raise debt from third-party sources. The sale of additional equity or convertible debt securities
could result in dilution to current shareholders. In addition, debt financing, if available, could
involve restrictive covenants, which could adversely affect operations. Furthermore, these
financing alternatives may not be available in amounts or on terms acceptable to us or our security
holders.
We maintain substantial deposits of cash and cash equivalents at a limited number of financial
institutions in excess of amounts covered by insurance. If one or more of these financial
institutions fail, our financial condition may be adversely affected Substantially all of our cash
and cash equivalents are held at a few financial institutions located in the U.S., Canada and the
Netherlands. Deposits held with these banks exceed the amount of insurance, if any, provided on
such deposits and, with respect to one such banking institution, we are the largest depositor. If
one or more of these financial institutions were to fail and we were unable to timely recover the
cash and cash equivalents deposited at such institution, it could adversely affect our financial
condition.
Healthcare industry consolidation could impose pressure on our software prices, reduce our
potential client base and reduce demand for our software Many hospitals and imaging centers have
consolidated to create larger healthcare enterprises with greater market power. If this
consolidation trend continues, it could reduce the size of our target market and give the resulting
enterprises greater bargaining power, which may lead to erosion of the prices for our software. In
addition, when hospitals and imaging centers combine, they often consolidate infrastructure, and
acquisition of our customers could erode our revenue base.
The trading price of our Common Stock has been volatile and may fluctuate substantially in the
future The price of our Common Stock has been, and is likely to continue to be, volatile. For
example, the closing price of our Common Stock from January 1, 2006 through May 23, 2007 was as
high as $27.36 and as low as $3.70. The trading price of our Common Stock may continue to fluctuate
widely as a result of a number of factors, some of which are not in our control, including:
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our ability to meet or exceed the expectations of analysts or investors; |
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changes in our own forecasts or earnings estimates by analysts; |
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quarter-to-quarter variations in our operating results; |
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announcements regarding clinical activities or new products by our competitors or us; |
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general conditions in the healthcare IT industry; |
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governmental regulatory action and healthcare reform measures, including changes in
reimbursement rates for imaging procedures; |
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rumors about our performance or software solutions; |
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price and volume fluctuations in the overall stock market, which have particularly
affected the market prices of many software, healthcare and technology companies; and |
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general economic conditions. |
In addition, the market for our Common Stock may experience price and volume fluctuations
unrelated or disproportionate to our operating performance.
Anti-takeover provisions in our governing documents and under Wisconsin law and our
shareholders rights plan could make an acquisition of us, which may be beneficial to our
shareholders, more difficult Our Articles of Incorporation and our Amended and Restated Bylaws
contain provisions that may delay, defer, or inhibit a future acquisition of us not approved by our
Board of Directors. These provisions would likely encourage any person interested in acquiring us
to negotiate with, and obtain the approval of, our Board of Directors in connection with the
transaction. Our Articles of Incorporation authorize our Board of Directors to issue shares of
preferred stock in one or more series with such dividend rights, dividend rate, conversion, voting,
and other rights, preferences, privileges, and restrictions as the Board determines, without any
further vote or action by our shareholders. Pursuant to these provisions, in September 2006, we
implemented a shareholders rights plan, also commonly called a poison pill, that would
substantially reduce or eliminate the expected economic benefit to an acquirer from acquiring us in
a manner or on terms not approved by our Board of Directors. See Description of Capital Stock
for information regarding our shareholder rights plan. The rights of the holders of our Common
Stock will be subject to, and may be harmed by, the rights of the holders of the preferred share
purchase rights and any preferred stock that may be issued in the future. We are also subject to
the provisions of Wisconsin law that could have the effect of delaying, deferring, or preventing a
change of control of our company. One of these provisions prevents us from engaging in a business
combination with any interested stockholder for a period of three years from the date the person
becomes an interested stockholder, unless specified conditions are satisfied. These and other
impediments to a third-party acquisition or change of control could limit the price investors are
willing to pay in the future for shares of our Common Stock.
CAUTIONARY NOTE REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS
This prospectus contains and incorporates by reference certain statements that are not
historical facts, including statements that reflect our current expectations regarding our future
growth, results of operations, performance, business prospects and opportunities, which constitute
forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, and
Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. Forward-looking statements may be identified by
the use of terms such as believes, intends, anticipates, expects, will and similar
expressions, but such terms and expressions are not the exclusive means of identifying them. These
statements are based on information currently available to us and are subject to a number of risks
and uncertainties that may cause our actual growth, results of operations, financial condition,
cash flows, performance, business prospects and opportunities and the timing of certain events to
differ materially from those expressed in, or implied by, these statements. These risks,
uncertainties and other factors include, without limitation, those matters discussed in the section
of this prospectus captioned Risk Factors above, in any prospectus supplement and in any
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of the documents incorporated by reference. Except as expressly required by the federal
securities laws, we undertake no obligation to publicly update these factors or any of the
forward-looking statements to reflect future events, developments or changed circumstances, or for
any other reason.
USE OF PROCEEDS
The Common Stock offered in this prospectus will be issued in exchange for the
exchangeable shares and accordingly, we will receive no cash proceeds from this offering.
MATERIAL UNITED STATES AND
CANADIAN FEDERAL INCOME TAX CONSIDERATIONS
Material Canadian Federal Income Tax Considerations
In the opinion of Stikeman Elliott LLP, our Canadian counsel, the following is a summary of
the material Canadian federal income tax considerations under the Income Tax Act (Canada), which we
refer to in this section as the Canadian Tax Act, relating to the transaction that are applicable
to holders of exchangeable shares who, for purposes of the Canadian Tax Act and at all relevant
times, hold their exchangeable shares and will hold our Common Stock as capital property and deal
at arms length and are not and will not be affiliated with Merge Healthcare, Merge Holdings or
ExchangeCo. This summary does not apply to a holder of exchangeable shares with respect to whom we
are or will be a foreign affiliate within the meaning of the Canadian Tax Act.
The exchangeable shares and our Common Stock will generally be considered to be capital
property to a shareholder unless held in the course of carrying on a business, in an adventure in
the nature of trade or as mark-to-market property for purposes of the Canadian Tax Act.
Shareholders who do not hold exchangeable shares and/or our Common Stock as capital property should
consult their own tax advisors regarding their particular circumstances, as this summary does not
apply to such holders.
This summary is based on the Canadian Tax Act, the regulations thereunder and counsels
understanding of published administrative practices and policies of the Canada Revenue Agency,
which we refer to in this section as the CRA, all in effect as of the date of this prospectus.
This summary takes into account all specific proposals to amend the Canadian Tax Act or the
regulations thereto publicly announced by or on behalf of the Department of Finance (Canada) prior
to the date of this prospectus. No assurances can be given that such proposed amendments will be
enacted in the form proposed, or at all. This summary does not take into account or anticipate any
other changes in law or administrative practices, whether by judicial, governmental or legislative
action or decision, nor does it take into account provincial, territorial or foreign income tax
legislation or considerations, which may differ from the Canadian federal income tax considerations
described herein. No advance income tax ruling has been sought or obtained from the CRA to confirm
the tax consequences of any of the transactions described herein.
This summary does not take into account the potential application to certain financial
institutions (as that term is defined in section 142.2 of the Canadian Tax Act) of the
mark-to-market rules.
THIS SUMMARY IS OF A GENERAL NATURE ONLY AND IS NOT INTENDED TO BE, AND SHOULD NOT BE CONSTRUED TO
BE, LEGAL, BUSINESS OR TAX ADVICE. THEREFORE, YOU SHOULD CONSULT YOUR OWN TAX ADVISORS AS TO THE
TAX CONSEQUENCES OF THE DESCRIBED TRANSACTIONS IN YOUR PARTICULAR CIRCUMSTANCES.
For the purposes of the Canadian Tax Act, all amounts must be expressed in Canadian dollars,
including dividends, adjusted cost base and proceeds of disposition. Amounts denominated in United
States dollars must be converted into Canadian dollars based on the prevailing United States dollar
exchange rate generally at the time such amounts arise.
Dividends on Exchangeable Shares
In the case of a Canadian resident holder of exchangeable shares who is an individual,
dividends received or deemed to be received by the holder on exchangeable shares will be included
in computing the holders income
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and will be subject to the gross-up and dividend tax credit rules normally applicable to
taxable dividends received from taxable Canadian corporations.
In the case of a Canadian resident holder of exchangeable shares that is a corporation, other
than a specified financial institution, dividends received or deemed to be received by the holder
on exchangeable shares will be included in computing the holders income and, subject to the
special rules and limitations described below, will normally be deductible in computing its taxable
income.
A Canadian resident holder of exchangeable shares that is a private corporation (as defined
in the Canadian Tax Act) or any other corporation resident in Canada and controlled or deemed to be
controlled by or for the benefit of an individual (other than a trust) or a related group of
individuals (other than trusts) may be liable under Part IV of the Canadian Tax Act to pay a
refundable tax of 33 1¤ 3% on dividends received or deemed to be received
on the exchangeable shares to the extent that such dividends are deductible in computing the
holders taxable income. A holder of exchangeable shares that is a Canadian-controlled private
corporation (as defined in the Canadian Tax Act) throughout the relevant taxation year may be
liable to pay an additional refundable tax of 6 2 ¤ 3 % on dividends or
deemed dividends on exchangeable shares that are not deductible in computing the holders taxable
income.
In the case of a Canadian resident holder of exchangeable shares that is a specified
financial institution, dividends on such shares will not be deductible in computing its taxable
income unless either: (i) the specified financial institution did not acquire the exchangeable
shares in the ordinary course of the business carried on by the specified financial institution; or
(ii) at the time of the receipt of the dividend by the specified financial institution, the
exchangeable shares are listed on a prescribed stock exchange in Canada (which currently includes
the Toronto Stock Exchange) and the specified financial institution (together with persons with
whom it does not deal at arms length, and any partnership or trust of which the specified
financial institution or such person is a member or beneficiary, respectively), does not receive
and is not deemed to receive dividends in respect of more than 10% of the issued and outstanding
exchangeable shares. A corporation will, in general, be a specified financial institution for
purposes of the Canadian Tax Act if it is a bank, a trust company, a credit union, an insurance
corporation or a corporation whose principal business is the lending of money to persons with whom
the corporation is dealing at arms length or the purchasing of debt obligations issued by such
persons or a combination thereof, a prescribed corporation, or a corporation controlled by or
related to such entities.
If we (or any person with whom we do not deal at arms length) are a specified financial
institution at the time a dividend is paid on an exchangeable share, then, subject to the exemption
described below, dividends received or deemed to be received by a Canadian resident holder of the
exchangeable share that is a corporation will not be deductible in computing its taxable income.
This denial of the dividend deduction to a corporate holder will not apply if, at the time a
dividend is received or deemed to be received, the exchangeable shares are listed on a prescribed
stock exchange (which currently includes the Toronto Stock Exchange), we are related to ExchangeCo
for the purposes of the Canadian Tax Act, and the recipient of the dividend (together with persons
with whom the recipient does not deal at arms length and any partnership or trust of which the
recipient or such person is a member or beneficiary, respectively) does not receive, and is not
deemed to receive, dividends on more than 10% of the issued and outstanding exchangeable shares.
The exchangeable shares are taxable preferred shares and short-term preferred shares for
the purposes of the Canadian Tax Act. A Canadian resident holder of exchangeable shares who
receives or is deemed to receive dividends on such shares will not be subject to the 10% tax under
Part IV.1 of the Canadian Tax Act.
Dividends on Our Common Stock
In the case of a Canadian resident holder of shares of our Common Stock who is an individual,
dividends received or deemed to be received by the holder on such shares will be included in
computing the holders income and will not be subject to the gross-up and dividend tax credit rules
in the Canadian Tax Act. In the case of a Canadian resident holder of our Common Stock that is a
corporation, dividends received or deemed to be received by the holder on such shares will be
included in computing the holders income and generally will not be deductible in computing the
holders taxable income. A holder of shares of our Common Stock that is a Canadian-controlled
private corporation may be liable to pay an additional refundable tax of 6 2 ¤
3 % on such dividends.
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United States non-resident withholding tax on dividends on shares of our Common Stock
generally will be eligible for foreign tax credit or deduction treatment where applicable under the
Canadian Tax Act, subject to certain limitations.
Redemption, Retraction or Exchange of Exchangeable Shares
A holder of exchangeable shares cannot control whether such holder will receive our Common
Stock by way of redemption (or retraction) of the exchangeable shares by ExchangeCo or by way of
purchase of the exchangeable shares by Merge Holdings. However, a holder who exercises the right
of retraction will be notified if Merge Holdings will not exercise its retraction call right, and
if such holder does not wish to proceed, the holder may revoke its retraction request. As described
below, the Canadian federal income tax consequences of a redemption (or retraction) differ from
those of a purchase.
Redemption or Retraction by ExchangeCo
On the redemption (or retraction) of exchangeable shares by ExchangeCo, a Canadian resident
holder of the exchangeable shares will be deemed to receive a dividend equal to the amount, if any,
by which the redemption (or retraction) proceeds (i.e. the fair market value at that time of the
shares of our Common Stock received by the holder of the exchangeable shares from ExchangeCo on the
redemption or retraction) exceeds the paid-up capital (for purposes of the Canadian Tax Act) at the
time of the redemption (or retraction) of the exchangeable shares. The amount of any such dividend
and/or deemed dividend will be subject to the tax treatment described above under Dividends on
Exchangeable Shares. On the redemption (or retraction) of exchangeable shares, the holder of the
exchangeable shares will also be considered to have disposed of the exchangeable shares for
proceeds of disposition equal to the redemption (or retraction) proceeds (determined as described
above) less the amount of such deemed dividend. The holder of the exchangeable shares redeemed (or
retracted) will, in general, realize a capital gain (or a capital loss) equal to the amount by
which the adjusted cost base to the holder of the exchangeable shares immediately before redemption
(or retraction) is less than (or exceeds) such proceeds of disposition. See Taxation of Capital
Gain or Capital Loss below for a description of the tax treatment of capital gains and losses. In
the case of a holder of exchangeable shares that is a corporation, in some circumstances, the
amount of any deemed dividend arising on redemption (or retraction) may be treated as proceeds of
disposition and not as a dividend.
Exchange with Merge Holdings
On the exchange of exchangeable shares by a Canadian resident holder with Merge Holdings for
our Common Stock, the holder will, in general, realize a capital gain (or a capital loss) equal to
the amount by which the proceeds of disposition of the exchangeable shares exceed (or are less
than) (i) the adjusted cost base to the holder of the exchangeable shares immediately before the
exchange, and (ii) any reasonable costs of disposition. For these purposes, the proceeds of
disposition will be the fair market value at that time of the shares of our Common Stock received
by the holder of the exchangeable shares from Merge Holdings on the exchange. See Taxation of
Capital Gain or Capital Loss below for a description of the tax treatment of capital gains and
losses.
In the February 23, 2005, budget, the Department of Finance (Canada) indicated that it
intended to release a detailed proposal for future amendments to the Canadian Tax Act to allow
holders of shares of a Canadian corporation to exchange such shares for shares of a foreign
corporation on a tax-deferred basis. This proposal reiterated statements made by the Department of
Finance in 2000, 2003 and 2004. It is possible that the proposed amendments, if enacted into law,
could, from the time any such change takes effect, allow a Canadian resident holder of exchangeable
shares to exchange such shares for our Common Stock on a tax-deferred basis. However, as of the
date hereof the Department of Finance has not released any draft legislation or details regarding
the requirements for the tax-deferred share exchange, and there are no assurances that the
requirements could be satisfied in the circumstances or that the proposed amendments will be
enacted.
Disposition of Exchangeable Shares other than on Redemption or Exchange
A disposition or deemed disposition of exchangeable shares by a Canadian resident holder,
other than on a redemption (or retraction) by ExchangeCo or an exchange of the shares with Merge
Holdings, will generally result in a capital gain (or capital loss) in an amount by which the
proceeds of disposition exceed (or are less than) (i) the adjusted cost base to the holder of such
shares immediately before the disposition, and (ii) any reasonable costs of
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disposition. See Taxation of Capital Gain or Capital Loss below for a description of the tax
treatment of capital gains and losses.
Acquisition and Disposition of Our Common Stock
The cost of a share of our Common Stock received by a Canadian resident holder of exchangeable
shares on the redemption, retraction or exchange of exchangeable shares will be equal to the fair
market value of the share of our Common Stock at the time of such event and will be averaged with
the adjusted cost base of any other shares of our Common Stock held at that time by such holder as
capital property.
A disposition or deemed disposition of shares of our Common Stock by a Canadian resident
holder will generally result in a capital gain (or capital loss) in an amount by which the proceeds
of disposition exceed (or are less than) (i) the adjusted cost base to the holder of such shares
immediately before the disposition, and (ii) any reasonable costs of disposition. See Taxation of
Capital Gain or Capital Loss below for a description of the tax treatment of capital gains and
losses.
Taxation of Capital Gain or Capital Loss
One-half of any capital gain (the taxable capital gain) realized by a Canadian resident
shareholder will be included in the holders income for the year of disposition. One-half of any
capital loss realized (the allowable capital loss) may be deducted by the holder against taxable
capital gains realized by the holder for the year of disposition. Any excess of allowable capital
losses over taxable capital gains for the year of disposition may be carried back up to three
taxation years or forward indefinitely and deducted against net taxable capital gains in those
other years to the extent and in the circumstances prescribed in the Canadian Tax Act.
Capital gains realized by a Canadian resident holder that is an individual or trust, other
than certain trusts, may give rise to alternative minimum tax under the Canadian Tax Act. A holder
that is a Canadian-controlled private corporation (as defined in the Canadian Tax Act) may be
liable to pay an additional refundable tax of 6 2 / 3 % on taxable capital gains.
If the Canadian resident holder of an exchangeable share is a corporation, the amount of any
capital loss realized on a disposition or deemed disposition of any such share may be reduced by
the amount of dividends received or deemed to have been received by it on such share to the extent
and under circumstances prescribed by the Canadian Tax Act. Similar rules may apply where a
corporation is a member of a partnership or a beneficiary of a trust that owns an exchangeable
share, or where a trust or partnership of which a corporation is a beneficiary or a member is a
member of a partnership or a beneficiary of a trust that owns any such share.
Foreign Property Information Reporting
In general, a specified Canadian entity, as defined in the Canadian Tax Act, for a taxation
year or fiscal period whose total cost amount of specified foreign property, as defined in the
Canadian Tax Act, at any time in the year or fiscal period exceeds CDN$100,000, is required to file
an information return for the year or period disclosing prescribed information, including the cost
amount, any dividends received in the year, and any gains or losses realized in the year, in
respect of such property. With some exceptions, a taxpayer resident in Canada in the year will be a
specified Canadian entity. Exchangeable shares and shares of our Common Stock are specified
foreign property to a holder. Accordingly, holders of exchangeable shares and shares of our Common
Stock should consult their own advisors regarding compliance with these rules.
Proposed Tax Amendments Regarding Foreign Investment Entities
On November 22, 2006, Bill C-33 to amend the Canadian Tax Act, including proposals relating to
foreign investment entities, received its First Reading in the House of Commons. The proposed
legislation (referred to in this Prospectus as the FIE proposals) is generally applicable for
taxation years of taxpayers commencing after 2006. If the FIE proposals are enacted as proposed,
where a Canadian resident holds shares, other than shares that are an exempt interest, in a
corporation that constitutes a foreign investment entity (as such terms are defined in the FIE
proposals) at the corporations year end, or a property, other than property that is an exempt
interest, that is convertible into, exchangeable for, or a right to acquire, directly or
indirectly, such shares (such shares and
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property being referred to in the FIE proposals as a participating interest), the Canadian
resident generally will be required to either (i) include in its income for its taxation year that
includes the foreign investment entitys year end an amount determined as a prescribed percentage
of such Canadian residents designated cost for the shares at the end of each month ending in the
Canadian residents taxation year during which the shares were held by the Canadian resident, or
(ii) in certain circumstances, include in (or deduct from) its income on an annual basis any
increase (or decrease) in the value of that interest.
Merge Healthcare will not be a foreign investment entity at the end of a particular taxation
year if, at that time, the carrying value of all of its investment property is not greater than
one-half of the carrying value of all of its property, or if, throughout that taxation year, its
principal undertaking is not an investment business, within the meaning of these terms in the FIE
proposals. The determination of whether Merge Healthcare is a foreign investment entity must be
made on an annual basis at the end of each taxation year of Merge Healthcare and no assurance can
be given that Merge Healthcare will not be a foreign investment entity at the end of any of its
taxation years. You should consult your own tax advisor in this respect.
In any event, the FIE proposals will not apply to you for a particular taxation year if at the
end of the taxation year of Merge Healthcare that ends in that particular taxation year, the
exchangeable shares are an exempt interest to you. The exchangeable shares will constitute an
exempt interest to you at a particular time if,
throughout the period, in Merge Healthcares
taxation year that includes that time, during which you held the exchangeable shares:
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(i) |
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the exchangeable shares are shares of the capital stock of a corporation
resident in Canada; |
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(ii) |
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the exchangeable shares would not be a participating interest if they were not
convertible into, exchangeable for or a right to acquire shares of the capital of a
non-resident corporation; and |
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(iii) |
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the exchangeable shares are convertible into, exchangeable for, or a right to
acquire only property that, if the conversion, exchange or right were exercised by you
at that time, would be a share of the capital stock of a non-resident corporation that
is at that time an exempt interest to you. |
The common stock acquired by you on a retraction, redemption or exchange of exchangeable
shares would constitute an exempt interest to you at any time if it is reasonable to conclude
that you have no tax avoidance motive (within the meaning of the FIE proposals) in respect of the
common stock, and:
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(i) |
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throughout the period, in Merge Healthcares taxation year that includes that
time, during which you would hold the common stock; |
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(A) |
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the common stock is an arms length interest (within the
meaning of the FIE proposals) to you; |
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(B) |
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Merge Healthcare is resident in a country in which there is a
prescribed stock exchange (which currently includes the NASDAQ); and |
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(C) |
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the common stock is listed on a prescribed stock exchange
(which currently includes the NASDAQ), or |
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(A) |
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through that period, Merge Healthcare: |
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(1) |
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is governed by the laws of a country with which
Canada has entered into a tax treaty (which currently includes the
United States); |
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(2) |
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exists, was formed or organized, or was last
continued, under those laws; and |
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(3) |
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while it is governed by the laws of a country,
is, under the tax treaty with that country, resident in that country;
and |
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(B) |
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throughout that period, the common stock would be an arms
length interest to you. |
The determination of whether you will have a tax avoidance motive in respect of our Common
Stock within the meaning of the FIE proposals will depend upon your particular circumstances. You
should consult your own tax advisors in this respect. At any time, our Common Stock will qualify
for purposes of the FIE proposals as an arms length interest to you, provided that (i) it is
reasonable to conclude that there are at least 150 persons each of which holds at that time common
stock having a total fair market value of at least CDN$500, (ii) it is reasonable to conclude that
common stock can normally be acquired and sold by members of the public in the open market, and
(iii) the aggregate fair market value at that time of the common stock held by you, or an entity or
individual with whom you do not deal at arms length, does not exceed 10% of the fair market value
of all of the common stock held by any entity or individual at that time. No assurances can be
given that our Common Stock will qualify as an arms length interest at any particular time.
Material United States Federal Income Tax Considerations
The following is a general discussion of the anticipated material United States federal income
and estate tax consequences to a non-U.S. Holder (as defined below) of the acquisition, ownership
and disposition of our Common Stock under current United States federal income and estate tax law.
This discussion does not address specific tax consequences that may be relevant to particular
persons in light of their individual circumstances (including, for example, pass-through entities
(e.g., partnerships) or persons who hold our Common Stock through pass-through entities, banks or
financial institutions, broker-dealers, insurance companies, tax-exempt entities, common trust
funds, pension plans, controlled foreign corporations, passive foreign investment companies,
foreign personal holding companies, certain U.S. expatriates, dealers in securities or currencies
and persons in special situations, such as those who hold our Common Stock or exchangeable shares
as part of a straddle, hedge, conversion transaction, or other integrated investment), all of whom
may be subject to tax rules that differ significantly from those summarized below. Unless
otherwise stated, this discussion is limited to the tax consequences to those non-U.S. Holders who
are the original owners of our Common Stock issued in exchange for exchangeable shares and who hold
such Common Stock and held such exchangeable shares as capital assets. In addition, this
discussion does not describe any tax consequences arising under the tax laws of any state, local or
non-United States jurisdiction. This discussion is based upon the Internal Revenue Code of 1986,
as amended (the Code), the Treasury Department regulations promulgated thereunder (the Treasury
Regulations) and administrative and judicial interpretations thereof, all as of the date hereof and
all of which are subject to change, possibly with retroactive effect.
Prospective acquirers of our Common Stock are urged to consult their tax advisors concerning the
United Sates federal tax consequences of acquiring, owning and disposing of our Common Stock, as
well as the application of state, local and foreign income and other tax laws.
As used herein, a U.S. Holder means a holder of our Common Stock or exchangeable shares that
is for United States federal income tax purposes (1) an individual citizen or resident of the
United States, (2) a corporation (including an entity treated as a corporation for United States
federal income tax purposes) or partnership created or organized in the United States or under the
laws of the United States, any state thereof or the District of Columbia, (3) an estate the income
of which is subject to United States federal income taxation regardless of its source, or (4) a
trust if it (a) is subject to the primary supervision of a court within the United States and one
or more United States persons have the authority to control all substantial decisions of the trust
or (b) was in existence on August 20, 1996, was properly treated as a domestic trust under the Code
on August 19, 1996 and has a valid election in effect under applicable United States Treasury
Regulations to continue to be treated as a United States person. A Non-U.S. Holder is a holder
of our Common Stock or exchangeable shares that is not a U.S. Holder. If a partnership holds our
Common Stock or exchangeable shares, the tax treatment of each partner will generally depend upon
the status of the partner and the activities of the partnership. Persons who are partners of
partnerships holding our Common Stock or exchangeable shares should consult their tax advisors.
EACH HOLDER IS ADVISED TO CONSULT ITS TAX ADVISOR REGARDING THE U.S. FEDERAL, STATE, LOCAL AND
NON-U.S. TAX CONSEQUENCES OF THE EXCHANGE OF THE EXCHANGEABLE SHARES FOR SHARES OF OUR COMMON STOCK
AND THE RESULTING INVESTMENT IN SUCH SHARES.
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Exchangeable Shares
Sale or Exchange of Exchangeable Shares
A non-U.S. holder generally will not be subject to United States federal income tax on any
gain recognized for United States federal income tax purposes on the exchange of exchangeable
shares for our Common Stock, unless such gain is effectively connected with a United States trade
or business of the non-U.S. holder (or, if a tax treaty applies, is attributable to a permanent
establishment of the non-U.S. holder in the United States) or, in the case of gain recognized by an
individual non-U.S. holder, such individual is present in the United States for 183 days or more
during the taxable year of disposition and certain other conditions are satisfied, unless otherwise
specified by an applicable income tax treaty between the United States and the country of residence
of the non-U.S. holder. In the case of a corporate non-U.S. holder whose gain is effectively
connected with the conduct of a trade or business within the United States or attributable to a
permanent establishment in the United States, an additional branch profits tax may apply. See
the discussion under Our Common StockSale or Exchange of Our Common Stock below for a
description of the consequences if we are a USRPHC (as defined below).
Our Common Stock
Dividends on Our Common Stock
Dividends paid to a non-U.S. holder of our Common Stock will generally be subject to
withholding of United States federal income tax at a rate of 30% (or such lower rate as may be
specified by an applicable income tax treaty) unless the dividend is (a) effectively connected with
the conduct of a trade or business by the non-U.S. holder within the United States or (b) if a tax
treaty applies, attributable to a United States permanent establishment of the non-U.S. holder, in
which case the dividend will be taxed at ordinary United States federal income tax rates. A
non-U.S. holder may be required to satisfy certain certification requirements to claim treaty
benefits or otherwise claim a reduction of, or exemption from, the United States withholding tax
described above. Generally, the right to treaty benefits is established by filing an IRS Form W-8
BEN (or an appropriate substitute), and an exemption from withholding attributable to non-U.S.
holder having a United States trade or business is obtained by filing an IRS Form W-8 ECI (or an
appropriate substitute). Under the Canada United States Income Tax Convention, a maximum
withholding tax rate of 15% applies to dividends from United States sources distributed to
residents of Canada entitled to benefits of such tax convention. If the non-U.S. holder is a
corporation, any effectively connected income or income attributable to a permanent establishment
may be subject to an additional branch profits tax.
Sale or Exchange of Our Common Stock
A non-U.S. holder generally will not be subject to United States federal income or withholding
tax in respect of any gain recognized on the sale or other disposition of our Common Stock unless
(a) the gain is effectively connected with the conduct of a trade or business within the United
States by the non-U.S. holder, or if a tax treaty applies, is attributable to a permanent
establishment in the United States of the non-U.S. holder; (b) in the case of a non-U.S. holder who
is an individual, the non-U.S. holder is present in the United States for 183 (one hundred eighty
three) or more days during the taxable year of the sale or other disposition and certain other
conditions are satisfied; or (c) we are or have been a U.S. real property holding corporation
(USRPHC) for United States federal income tax purposes at some time during the five year period
preceding such sale or other disposition (or if shorter, the period that the non-U.S. holder held
those shares) (the USRPHC Period), as discussed below. A non-U.S. holder that is a corporation
may be subject to an additional branch profits tax in the case of (a) above.
A USRPHC is a corporation organized under the laws of the United States or any state thereof
50% or more of the fair market value of the assets of which (including assets held indirectly
through subsidiaries) consist of United States real property interests. We do not believe that we
are a USRPHC for United States federal income tax purposes, and we do not presently anticipate
becoming one. If we were determined to be a USRPHC at any time during the USRPHC Period, a
non-U.S. holder who owned (actually or constructively) more than 5% of our Common Stock at any time
during such period would generally be subject to United States federal income tax on any gain
recognized on the sale or other disposition of the Common Stock at ordinary income tax rates as if
such gain were effectively connected with the conduct of a United States trade or business
(although the branch profits tax would not apply). Furthermore, if we were a USRPHC at any time
during the USRPHC Period, a non-U.S.
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holder who owned (actually or constructively), during such period, exchangeable shares with a
fair market value in excess of 5% of the fair market value of our outstanding Common Stock
(determined at the time that the non-U.S. holder first acquired such exchangeable shares) would
generally be subject to United States federal income tax on any gain recognized on such sale or
other disposition of such exchangeable shares at ordinary income tax rates as if such gain were
effectively connected with the conduct of a United States trade or business (although the branch
profits tax would not apply). A non-U.S. holder who owns (actually or constructively) more than 5%
of our Common Stock should consult its tax advisor concerning the United States federal income tax
consequences to it if we were determined to be a USRPHC.
United States Federal Estate Tax
Our Common Stock held by (or deemed held by) an individual non-U.S. holder at the time of
death will be included in that holders gross estate for U.S. federal estate tax purposes
Backup Withholding and Information Reporting
In general, information reporting requirements may apply to the amount of dividends paid to a
holder of Merge Common Stock or exchangeable shares or to the proceeds received by a holder from
the sale or exchange of Merge Common Stock, exchangeable shares or Cedara common shares. Backup
withholding may be imposed (currently at 28% on the above payments or proceeds) unless the holder
is eligible for an exemption. A holder that is not otherwise exempt from backup withholding
generally can avoid backup withholding by providing an IRS Form W-9 (in the case of a U.S. holder)
or applicable IRS Form W-8 (in the case of a non-U.S. holder). Any amounts withheld under the
backup withholding rules will be allowed as a refund or a credit against a holders U.S. federal
income tax liability provided the required information is furnished to the IRS.
In addition, the American Jobs Creation Act of 2004 added new Section 6043A to the United
States Internal Revenue Code which, when implemented by regulations, will require the issuance of
informational reports which will include the identities of persons whose Cedara common shares were
acquired together with the value of the consideration received by each. Until regulations are
issued, it is impossible to determine the scope of the reporting obligation that will be imposed
under this new provision.
PLAN OF DISTRIBUTION
The Common Stock offered in this prospectus will be issued in exchange for exchangeable
shares. We have not engaged any broker, dealer or underwriter in connection with this offering.
The exchangeable shares were issued to certain shareholders of Cedara Software Corp. who are
Canadian residents, in connection with our business combination with Cedara Software Corp. We will
pay all expenses related to the distribution of the shares of Common Stock offered in this
prospectus.
DESCRIPTION OF CAPITAL STOCK
Our Articles of Incorporation authorize us to issue 105,000,000 shares of capital stock,
of which 100,000,000 shares are designated Common Stock, 1,000,000 shares are designated Series A
preferred stock, 1,000,000 shares are designated Series B Junior Participating preferred stock, one
share is designated Special Voting preferred stock, one share is designated Series 2 Special Voting
preferred stock, one share is designated Series 3 Special Voting preferred stock, and 2,999,997
shares are designated preferred stock. As of May 22, 2007, we had 32,204,035 shares of Common
Stock and one share of Series 3 Special Voting preferred stock issued and outstanding.
Common Stock
Holders of our Common Stock are entitled to one vote per share of Common Stock beneficially
owned on each matter submitted to a vote at a meeting of shareholders, except to the extent that
the voting rights of any class or classes are enlarged, limited or denied by our Articles of
Incorporation or the Wisconsin Business Corporation Law. The Common Stock does not have cumulative
voting rights. Directors are elected by a plurality of the votes cast by the share entitled to
vote in the election of directors at any meeting of shareholders at which a quorum is
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present. The Common Stock has no preemptive rights and no redemption or conversion
privileges. Subject to any preferences of any outstanding preferred stock, the holders of Common
Stock are entitled to receive dividends out of assets legally available at such times, and in such
amounts, as the Board of Directors may, from time to time, determine, and upon liquidation and
dissolution are entitled to receive all assets available for distribution to our shareholders.
Under our Amended and Restated By-laws, a majority of votes entitled to be cast on a matter will
constitute a quorum of the voting group for action on that matter. Generally, action on a matter
will be approved if the votes cast within the voting group favoring the action exceed the votes
cast opposing the action. However, under the Wisconsin Business Corporation Law, certain actions
require enhanced approval by a supermajority of eighty percent or two-thirds of all outstanding
shares entitled to vote, and certain actions require a majority of all outstanding shares entitled
to vote. See Wisconsin Anti-takeover Statutes below. All of the outstanding shares of our
Common Stock are, and the shares to be issued by us as part of this offering when issued and paid
for will be, fully paid and nonassessable.
Preferred Stock and Other Rights
Our Board of Directors may, without further action by our stockholders, from time to time,
issue shares of preferred stock in one or more series and may, at the time of issuance, determine
the rights, preferences and limitations of each series. On September 6, 2006, our Board of
Directors declared a dividend of one preferred share purchase right for each outstanding share of
our Common Stock and each outstanding exchangeable share. Each preferred share purchase right
entitles the registered holder to purchase from us one one-hundredth of a share of our Series B
Junior Participating preferred stock (the Preferred Shares) at a price of $50.00 per one
one-hundredth of a preferred share, subject to adjustment (the Purchase Price). The description
and terms of the preferred share purchase rights are set forth in a Rights Agreement (the Rights
Agreement), between us and American Stock Transfer & Trust Co., as Rights Agent (the Rights
Agent).
Under the Rights Agreement, until the earlier to occur of (i) 10 days following a public
announcement that a person or group of affiliated or associated persons (other than us, our
subsidiary or our employee benefit plan or that of our subsidiary) (an Acquiring Person) has
acquired beneficial ownership of 15% or more of our outstanding Common Stock (the Shares
Acquisition Date) or (ii) 10 business days (or such later date as may be determined by action of
our Board of Directors prior to such time as any person becomes an Acquiring Person) following the
commencement of, or announcement of an intention to make, a tender offer or exchange offer the
consummation of which would result in the beneficial ownership by a person or group (other than us,
our subsidiary or our employee benefit plan or that of our subsidiary) of 15% or more of such
outstanding Common Stock (the earlier of such dates being called the Distribution Date), the
preferred share purchase rights are evidenced, with respect to any of the Common Stock certificates
outstanding as of the September 25, 2006, by such Common Stock certificate.
Until the Distribution Date, the preferred share purchase rights will be transferred with, and
only with, the Common Stock. Until the Distribution Date (or earlier redemption or expiration of
the preferred share purchase rights), new Common Stock certificates issued upon transfer or new
issuance of Common Stock will contain a notation incorporating the Rights Agreement by reference.
Until the Distribution Date (or earlier redemption or expiration of the preferred share purchase
rights), the surrender for transfer of any certificates for Common Stock, outstanding as of
September 25, 2006, even without such notation, will also constitute the transfer of the preferred
share purchase rights associated with the Common Stock represented by such certificate. As soon as
practicable following the Distribution Date, separate certificates evidencing the preferred share
purchase rights (Right Certificates) will be mailed to holders of record of the Common Stock as
of the close of business on the Distribution Date and such separate Right Certificates alone will
evidence the preferred share purchase rights.
The preferred share purchase rights are not exercisable until the Distribution Date. The
preferred share purchase rights will expire on October 2, 2016 (the Final Expiration Date),
subject to extension, unless the Rights are earlier redeemed or exchanged by us, in each case as
described below.
The Purchase Price payable, and the number of Preferred Shares or other securities or property
issuable, upon exercise of the preferred share purchase rights are subject to adjustment from time
to time to prevent dilution (i) in the event of a stock dividend on, or a subdivision, combination
or reclassification of, the Preferred Shares, (ii) upon the grant to holders of the Preferred
Shares of certain rights or warrants to subscribe for or purchase Preferred Shares at a price, or
securities convertible into Preferred Shares with a conversion price, less than the then current
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market price of the Preferred Shares or (iii) upon the distribution to holders of the
Preferred Shares of evidences of indebtedness or assets (excluding regular quarterly cash dividends
or dividends payable in Preferred Shares) or of subscription rights or warrants (other than those
referred to above).
The number of outstanding preferred share purchase rights and the number of one one-hundredths
of a Preferred Share issuable upon exercise of each Right are also subject to adjustment in the
event of a stock split of the Common Stock or a stock dividend on the Common Stock payable in
Common Stock or subdivisions, consolidations or combinations of the Common Stock occurring, in any
such case, prior to the Distribution Date.
Because of the nature of the Preferred Shares dividend, voting and liquidation rights, the
value of the one one-hundredth interest in a Preferred Share purchasable upon exercise of each
preferred share purchase right should approximate the value of one share of Common Stock.
In the event that any person becomes an Acquiring Person (a Flip-In Event), each holder of a
preferred share purchase right (except as otherwise provided in the Rights Agreement) will
thereafter have the right to receive upon exercise that number of shares of Common Stock (or, in
certain circumstances cash, property or other securities of us or a reduction in the Purchase
Price) having a market value of two times the then current Purchase Price. Notwithstanding any of
the foregoing, following the occurrence of a Flip-In Event all Rights that are, or (under certain
circumstances specified in the Rights Agreement) were, or subsequently become beneficially owned by
an Acquiring Person, related persons and transferees will be null and void.
In the event that, at any time following the Shares Acquisition Date, (i) we are acquired in a
merger or other business combination transaction or (ii) 50% or more of its consolidated assets or
earning power are sold (the events described in clauses (i) and (ii) are herein referred to as
Flip-Over Events), proper provision will be made so that each holder of a Right (except as
otherwise provided in the Rights Agreement) will thereafter have the right to receive, upon the
exercise thereof at the then current Purchase Price, that number of shares of common stock of the
acquiring company which at the time of such transaction will have a market value of two times the
then current Purchase Price.
With certain exceptions, no adjustment in the Purchase Price will be required until cumulative
adjustments require an adjustment of at least 1% in such Purchase Price. No fractional Preferred
Shares will be issued (other than fractions which are integral multiples of one one-hundredth of a
Preferred Share, which may, at our election be evidenced by depositary receipts). In lieu thereof,
an adjustment in cash will be made based on the market price of the Preferred Shares on the last
trading day prior to the date of exercise.
The Purchase Price is payable by certified check, cashiers check, bank draft or money order
or, if so provided by us, the Purchase Price following the occurrence of a Flip-In Event and until
the first occurrence of a Flip-Over Event may be paid in Common Stock having an equivalent value.
At any time after a person becomes an Acquiring Person and prior to the acquisition by such
Acquiring Person of 50% or more of the outstanding Common Stock, our Board of Directors may
exchange the preferred share purchase rights (other than preferred share purchase rights owned by
any Acquiring Person which have become void), in whole or in part, for Common Stock or Preferred
Shares, at an exchange ratio of one share of Common Stock, or one one-hundredth of a Preferred
Share (or of a share of a class or series of the Companys preferred stock having equivalent
rights, preferences and privileges), per preferred share purchase right (subject to adjustment).
At any time prior to a person becoming an Acquiring Person, our Board of Directors may redeem
the preferred share purchase rights in whole, but not in part, at a price of $.001 per Right (the
Redemption Price). The redemption of the preferred share purchase rights may be made effective at
such time, on such basis and with such conditions as our Board of Directors in its sole discretion
may establish. Immediately upon any redemption of the preferred share purchase rights, the right to
exercise the preferred share purchase rights will terminate and the only right of the holders of
preferred share purchase rights will be to receive the Redemption Price.
Other than amendments that would change the Redemption Price or move to an earlier date the
Final Expiration Date of the preferred share purchase rights, the terms of such rights may be
amended by our Board of Directors without the consent of the holders of the preferred share
purchase rights, including an amendment to lower the threshold for exercisability of the preferred
share purchase rights from 15% to not less than 10%, with
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appropriate exceptions for any person then beneficially owning a percentage of the number of
shares of Common Stock then outstanding equal to, or in excess of, the new threshold, except that
from and after such time as any person becomes an Acquiring Person no such amendment may adversely
affect the interests of the holders of the preferred share purchase rights.
Until a preferred share purchase right is exercised, the holder thereof, as such, will have no
rights as our shareholder, including, without limitation, the right to vote or to receive
dividends.
In June 2005, we issued one share of Series 3 Special Voting Preferred Stock to Computershare
Trust Company of Canada (Computershare), which serves as a trustee in voting matters on behalf of
the holders of ExchangeCo exchangeable shares. The holder of the Series 3 Special Voting Preferred
Stock is not entitled to receive dividends with respect to such preferred stock, and upon any
voluntary or involuntary liquidation, dissolution or winding up of us, will be entitled to receive
an amount equal to $0.01 before any distribution is made on our Common Stock. The Series 3 Special
Voting Preferred Stock is not subject to redemption, except that at such time as no ExchangeCo
exchangeable shares are outstanding, and no shares of stock, debt, options or other agreements
which could give rise to the issuance of any ExchangeCo exchangeable shares to any person exist,
the Series 3 Special Voting Preferred Stock will automatically be redeemed and canceled, for an
amount equal to $0.01 per share due and payable upon such redemption. Pursuant to the terms of the
Voting and Exchange Trust Agreement dated June 1, 2005, among us, ExchangeCo and Computershare, as
trustee, which is filed as Exhibit 99.2 to the registration statement of which this prospectus is a
part, (1) during the term of the Trust Agreement, we may not, without the consent of the holders of
the exchangeable shares, issue any shares of our Series 3 Special Voting Preferred Stock in
addition to the one share issued to the Trustee (the Series 3 Special Voting Share), (2) the
Series 3 Special Voting Share entitles the holder of record to a number of votes at meetings of
holders of shares of our Common Stock equal to the number of exchangeable shares outstanding from
time to time (other than the exchangeable shares held by us and our affiliates), (3) the Trustee
will exercise the votes held by the Series 3 Special Voting Share pursuant to and in accordance
with the Trust Agreement, and (4) the voting rights attached to the Special 3 Voting Share will
terminate pursuant to, and in accordance with, the Trust Agreement.
Exchangeable Shares
The following summary is qualified in its entirety to the Plan of Arrangement under Section
182 of the Ontario Business Corporations Act for the Merger Agreement among us, Cedara Software
Corp. and Corrida, Ltd. dated January 17, 2005, and the Voting and Exchange Trust Agreement, which
are filed as Exhibit 99.1 and Exhibit 99.2 to the registration statement of which this prospectus
is a part. We urge you to read the full text of the Plan of Arrangement and the Voting and
Exchange Trust Agreement.
ExchangeCo Share Capital
ExchangeCos authorized capital includes an unlimited number of common shares. All outstanding
common shares of ExchangeCo are held by Merge Holdings. The holders of common shares of ExchangeCo
are entitled to receive notice of and to attend all meetings of the shareholders and are entitled
to one vote for each share held of record on all matters submitted to a vote of holders of common
shares of ExchangeCo. Subject to the prior rights of the holders of the exchangeable shares or any
other shares ranking senior to the common shares of ExchangeCo with respect to priority in the
payment of dividends, the holders of common shares of ExchangeCo are entitled to receive such
dividends as may be declared by the board of directors of ExchangeCo out of legally available
funds. Holders of common shares of ExchangeCo are entitled upon any liquidation, dissolution or
winding-up of ExchangeCo, subject to the prior rights of the holders of the exchangeable shares or
any other shares ranking senior to the ExchangeCo common shares, to receive the remaining property
and assets of ExchangeCo.
ExchangeCos capital also includes an unlimited number of non-voting preference shares.
Subject to the prior rights of the holders of any shares ranking senior to the preference shares,
the registered holders of the preference shares are entitled to receive, and ExchangeCo shall pay
to such holders as and when declared by the directors out of the moneys of ExchangeCo properly
applicable to the payment of dividends, non-cumulative preferential cash dividends at the rate of
6% per year (less any tax required to be withheld by ExchangeCo) per share in each fiscal year. On
a liquidation, dissolution or winding-up of ExchangeCo the holders of the preference shares are
entitled to receive, an amount equal to $1,000 per share plus any accrued and unpaid dividends.
All outstanding preference shares are held by Merge Holdings.
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Retraction of Exchangeable Shares
Subject to the overriding right of Merge Holdings to purchase the exchangeable shares, as
described below, holders of exchangeable shares are entitled at any time to retract (i.e., require
redemption by ExchangeCo, the issuer of the exchangeable shares) any or all of the exchangeable
shares held by such holder for an amount per share equal to the sum of (1) the current market price
of a share of our Common Stock on the last business day prior to the date of redemption, to be
satisfied by the delivery of one share of our Common Stock (subject to adjustment in certain
circumstances), and (2) all declared and unpaid dividends, if any. The current market price is
defined as the Canadian dollar equivalent of the average of the closing bid and asked prices of our
Common Stock for the 20-day trading period ending not more than three trading days before such date
on the NASDAQ. Holders of exchangeable shares may effect such retraction by presenting properly
completed documents (including the certificate for such shares) to ExchangeCo or Computershare.
When a holder requests ExchangeCo to redeem retracted exchangeable shares, Merge Holdings will
have an overriding right to purchase on the date of retraction all, but not less than all, of the
retracted exchangeable shares, at a purchase price per share equal to the current market price, as
defined, of a share of our Common Stock on the last business day prior to the date of redemption,
to be satisfied by the delivery of one share of our Common Stock, plus, on the designated payment
date therefor, to the extent not paid by ExchangeCo, all declared and unpaid dividends, if any. To
the extent that Merge Holdings pays such declared and unpaid dividends, ExchangeCo is no longer be
obligated to pay such declared and unpaid dividends on such retracted exchangeable shares. Upon
receipt of a retraction request, ExchangeCo will immediately notify Merge Holdings. Merge Holdings
must then advise ExchangeCo within five business days as to whether it will exercise its right to
purchase the retracted exchangeable shares. If Merge Holdings does not so advise ExchangeCo,
ExchangeCo will notify the holder as soon as possible thereafter that Merge Holdings will not
exercise its right to purchase. If Merge Holdings advises ExchangeCo that it will exercise its
right to purchase the retracted exchangeable shares, then, provided the holder does not revoke its
request for retraction in the manner described below, the retraction request will be considered to
be an offer by the holder to sell its exchangeable shares to Merge Holdings.
Cedara Software Corp. shareholders who received exchangeable shares in the arrangement and
later request to receive our Common Stock in exchange for their exchangeable shares will not
receive our Common Stock until 10 to 15 business days after the retraction request is received.
During the 10 to 15 business day period referenced above, the market price of our Common Stock may
increase or decrease. Any such increase or decrease would affect the value of the consideration to
be received by the holder of exchangeable shares on the effective date of the exchange.
A holder may revoke its request for retraction, in writing, at any time prior to the close of
business on the business day immediately preceding the date of retraction, in which case the
retraction request will be null and void and the revocable offer constituted by the revocation
request to sell exchangeable shares to Merge Holdings will be deemed to have been revoked. If the
holder does not revoke its retraction request, on the date of retraction, the retracted
exchangeable shares will be purchased by Merge Holdings or redeemed by ExchangeCo, as the case may
be, in each case as set out above. ExchangeCo or Merge Holdings, as the case may be, will deliver
or cause Computershare to deliver:
(1) the certificates, representing the aggregate number of shares of our Common Stock
calculated as described above, registered in the name of the holder or in such other name as the
holder may request, and
(2) if applicable, a check for the aggregate declared and unpaid dividends to the holder at
the address recorded in the securities register or at the address specified in the holders
retraction request or by holding the same for pick up by the holder at the registered office of
ExchangeCo or the office of Computershare as specified by ExchangeCo, in each case less any amounts
withheld on account of tax required to be deducted and withheld.
If, as a result of solvency requirements or applicable law, ExchangeCo is not permitted to
redeem all retracted exchangeable shares tendered by a holder, and provided Merge Holdings has not
exercised its right to purchase such exchangeable shares, ExchangeCo will redeem only those
retracted exchangeable shares tendered by the holder (rounded down to a whole number of shares) as
would not be contrary to such provisions or applicable law, and Computershare, on behalf of the
holder of any retracted exchangeable shares not so redeemed by ExchangeCo, will require us to
purchase such retracted exchangeable shares on the date of retraction for a purchase
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price per share of one share of our Common Stock plus, to the extent not paid by ExchangeCo,
all declared and unpaid dividends on each exchangeable share on any dividend record date which
occurred prior to the date of such purchase.
Early Redemption
As of May 1, 2007, there were 1,712,983 exchangeable shares outstanding. In certain
circumstances, ExchangeCo has the right to require a redemption of the exchangeable shares prior to
April 30, 2010. An early redemption may occur upon:
(1) there being outstanding fewer than 1,321,017 exchangeable shares, or 10% of the number of
exchangeable shares issued on the effective date of the transaction (excluding the exchangeable
shares held by us and its affiliates);
(2) the occurrence of a Merge control transaction, which is any merger, amalgamation, tender
offer, material sale of shares or rights or interests therein or similar transactions involving us,
or any proposal to do so;
(3) a proposal for an exchangeable share voting event, which is any matter in respect of which
holders of exchangeable shares are entitled to vote as shareholders of ExchangeCo, other than as
outlined in (3), and, for greater certainty, excluding any matter in respect of which holders of
exchangeable shares are entitled to vote (or instruct Computershare to vote) under the Voting and
Exchange Trust Agreement; or
(4) the failure to approve or disapprove, as applicable, an exempt exchangeable share voting
event, which is any matter in respect of which holders of exchangeable shares are entitled to vote,
in order to approve or disapprove, as applicable, any change to, or in the rights of the holders
of, the exchangeable shares, where the approval or disapproval, as applicable, of such change would
be required to maintain the equivalence of the exchangeable shares and our Common Stock.
The accidental failure or omission to give any notice of redemption under clauses (1) to (4)
will not affect the validity of any such redemption.
If, prior to April 30, 2010, there are fewer than 1,321,017 exchangeable shares outstanding,
the board of directors of ExchangeCo may accelerate the redemption date to a date prior to April
30, 2010 as they may determine, upon at least 60 days prior written notice to the holders of
exchangeable shares.
If, prior to April 30, 2010, a Merge control transaction occurs, provided that the board of
directors of ExchangeCo determines, in good faith and in its sole discretion, that it is not
reasonably practicable to substantially replicate the terms and conditions of the exchangeable
shares in connection with such control transaction and that the redemption of all but not less than
all of the outstanding exchangeable shares is necessary to enable the completion of such control
transaction in accordance with its terms, the board of directors of ExchangeCo may accelerate the
date of redemption to such date prior to April 30, 2010 as the board of directors of ExchangeCo may
determine, upon such number of days prior written notice to the holders of exchangeable shares as
the board of directors of ExchangeCo may determine to be reasonably practicable in such
circumstances.
If, prior to April 30, 2010, an exchangeable share voting event is proposed, provided that the
board of directors of ExchangeCo has determined, in good faith and in its sole discretion, that it
is not reasonably practicable to accomplish the business purpose intended by the exchangeable share
voting event, which business purpose must be bona fide and not for the primary purpose of causing
the occurrence of a date of redemption, in any other commercially reasonable manner that does not
result in an exchangeable share voting event, the date of redemption shall be the business day
prior to the record date for any meeting or vote of the holders of exchangeable shares to consider
the exchangeable share voting event and the board of directors of ExchangeCo shall give such number
of days prior written notice of such redemption to the holders of exchangeable shares as the board
of directors of ExchangeCo may determine to be reasonably practicable in such circumstances.
If, prior to April 30, 2010, an exempt exchangeable share voting event is proposed and the
holders of exchangeable shares fail to take the necessary action at a meeting or other vote of
holders of exchangeable shares, to
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approve or disapprove, as applicable, the exempt exchangeable share voting event, the date of
redemption shall be the business day following the day on which the holders of exchangeable shares
failed to take such action.
Redemption of Exchangeable Shares
Subject to applicable law and the overriding right of Merge Holdings to purchase the
exchangeable shares, ExchangeCo will redeem on the date established by the board of directors of
ExchangeCo, which date will be no earlier than April 30, 2010, all but not less than all of the
then outstanding exchangeable shares for an amount per share equal to the sum of (A) the current
market price of a share of our Common Stock on the last business day prior to the date of
redemption, to be satisfied by the delivery of one share of our Common Stock, and (B) all declared
and unpaid dividends on each exchangeable share held by a holder on any dividend record date which
occurred prior to the date of redemption. ExchangeCo will provide written notice of the proposed
redemption of the exchangeable shares by ExchangeCo or the purchase of the exchangeable shares by
Merge Holdings pursuant to its overriding right to purchase, at least 60 days prior to the date of
redemption, or such number of days as the board of directors of ExchangeCo may determine to be
reasonably practicable under the circumstances in respect of a date of redemption arising in
connection with:
(1) a Merge control transaction, which is any merger, amalgamation, tender offer, material
sale of shares or rights or interests therein or similar transactions involving us, or any proposal
to do so;
(2) an exchangeable share voting event, which is any matter in respect of which holders of
exchangeable shares are entitled to vote as shareholders of ExchangeCo, other than as outlined in
(3), and, for greater certainty, excluding any matter in respect of which holders of exchangeable
shares are entitled to vote (or instruct Computershare to vote) under the voting and exchange trust
agreement; or
(3) an exempt exchangeable share voting event, which is any matter in respect of which holders
of exchangeable shares are entitled to vote, in order to approve or disapprove, as applicable, any
change to, or in the rights of the holders of, the exchangeable shares, where the approval or
disapproval, as applicable, of such change would be required to maintain the equivalence of the
exchangeable shares and our Common Stock.
On or after the date of redemption, and provided Merge Holdings has not exercised its right to
purchase the exchangeable shares, upon receipt at the office of Computershare or the registered
office of ExchangeCo of the certificates representing the exchangeable shares and such other
documents as may be required, ExchangeCo will deliver to holders of exchangeable shares an amount
per share equal to the current market price, as defined, of a share of our Common Stock on the last
business day prior to the date of redemption, to be satisfied by the delivery of one share of our
Common Stock, plus all declared and unpaid dividends, if any. ExchangeCo will mail certificates for
the applicable number of shares of our Common Stock registered in the name of the holder or such
other name as the holder may request and, if applicable, a check for the aggregate amount of such
declared and unpaid dividends to the holder at the address of the holder recorded in the securities
register or hold the same for pick up by the holder at the registered office of ExchangeCo or the
office of Computershare as specified in the written notice of redemption, in each case, less any
amounts withheld on account of tax required to be deducted and withheld therefrom.
Merge Holdings will have an overriding right to purchase on the date of redemption all, but
not less than all, of the exchangeable shares then outstanding (other than exchangeable shares held
by us and our affiliates) for an amount per share equal to the current market price of a share of
our Common Stock on the last business day prior to the date of redemption, to be satisfied by the
delivery of one share of our Common Stock, plus declared and unpaid dividends, if any. Upon the
exercise of such right by Merge Holdings, holders will be obligated to sell their exchangeable
shares to Merge Holdings. If Merge Holdings exercises such right, ExchangeCos right and
obligation to pay any declared and unpaid dividends on the exchangeable shares so purchased by
Merge Holdings will be fully satisfied.
Purchase for Cancellation
Subject to applicable law, ExchangeCo may at any time and from time to time purchase for
cancellation all or any part of the outstanding exchangeable shares at any price by tender to all
the holders of record of exchangeable shares then outstanding or through the facilities of any
stock exchange on which the exchangeable shares are listed or quoted at any price per share.
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In addition, subject to applicable law, ExchangeCo may at any time and from time to time
purchase for cancellation all or any part of the exchangeable shares by private agreement with any
holder of exchangeable shares for consideration consisting of shares of our Common Stock.
Voting Rights with Respect to ExchangeCo
Except as required by law, under certain circumstances concerning the addition to, amendment
or removal of the rights, privileges, restrictions and conditions of the exchangeable shares and
the dissolution of ExchangeCo or the sale, lease, exchange of all or substantially all of the
property of ExchangeCo, the holders of exchangeable shares are not entitled as such to receive
notice of or attend any meeting of shareholders of ExchangeCo or to vote at any such meeting.
Voting Rights with Respect to Us
We have issued the Series 3 Special Voting Share to Computershare for the benefit of the
holders of exchangeable shares (other than us and our affiliates). The Series 3 Special Voting
Share has the number of votes, which may be cast at any meeting at which our shareholders are
entitled to vote, equal to the number of outstanding exchangeable shares (other than exchangeable
shares held by us and our affiliates).
Each holder of exchangeable shares on the record date for any meeting at which our
shareholders are entitled to vote will be entitled to instruct Computershare to exercise one of the
votes attached to the Series 3 Special Voting Share for each exchangeable share held by such
holder. Computershare will exercise (either by proxy or in person) each vote attached to the
special voting share only as directed by the relevant holder and, in the absence of instructions
from a holder as to voting, will not exercise such votes. A holder of exchangeable shares may,
upon instructing Computershare, obtain a proxy from Computershare entitling the holder to vote
directly at the relevant meeting the votes attached to the special voting share to which the holder
is entitled.
All rights of a holder of exchangeable shares to exercise votes attached to the Series 3
Special Voting Share will cease upon the exchange (whether by redemption, retraction or
liquidation, or through the exercise of the related rights of Merge Holdings to purchase) of such
exchangeable shares for our Common Stock.
Dividend Rights
Holders of exchangeable shares will be entitled to receive, subject to applicable law,
dividends (1) in the case of a cash dividend declared on our Common Stock, in an amount in cash for
each exchangeable share corresponding to the cash dividend declared on each share of our Common
Stock, (2) in the case of a stock dividend declared on our Common Stock to be paid in our Common
Stock, in such number of exchangeable shares for each exchangeable share as is equal to the number
of shares of our Common Stock to be paid on each share of our Common Stock, or (3) in the case of a
dividend declared on our Common Stock in property other than cash or our Common Stock, in such type
and amount of property as is the same as, or economically equivalent to (as determined by
ExchangeCos board of directors in good faith and in its sole discretion) the type and amount of
property declared as a dividend on each share of our Common Stock. Cash dividends on the
exchangeable shares are payable in U.S. dollars or the Canadian dollar equivalent thereof, at the
option of ExchangeCo. The declaration date, record date and payment date for dividends on the
exchangeable shares will be the same as the relevant date for the corresponding dividends on our
Common Stock.
Liquidation Rights with Respect to ExchangeCo
In the event of the liquidation, dissolution or winding-up of ExchangeCo or any other proposed
distribution of the assets of ExchangeCo among its shareholders for the purpose of winding-up its
affairs, each holder of exchangeable shares will have, subject to applicable law, the right to
receive from ExchangeCo for each exchangeable share held by such holder an amount equal to the
current market price, as defined, of a share of our Common Stock on the last business day prior to
the date of liquidation, dissolution or winding-up, to be satisfied by the delivery of one share of
our Common Stock, plus all declared and unpaid dividends on each such exchangeable share held by
such holder on any dividend record date which occurred prior to the effective date of such
liquidation, dissolution or winding-up. Upon the occurrence of such liquidation, dissolution or
winding-up, Merge Holdings will
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have an overriding right to purchase all of the outstanding exchangeable shares (other than
exchangeable shares held by us and our affiliates) from the holders thereof on the effective date
of the liquidation, dissolution or winding-up for an amount per share equal to the current market
price of a share of our Common Stock on the last business day prior to the date of liquidation,
dissolution or winding-up to be satisfied by the delivery of one share of our Common Stock, plus
all declared and unpaid dividends on each such exchangeable share held by such holder on any
dividend record date which occurred prior to the effective date of such liquidation, dissolution or
winding-up. If Merge Holdings exercises this right and pays the declared and unpaid dividends
owing, if any, the right of the holder of the exchangeable shares so purchased to receive declared
and unpaid dividends from ExchangeCo will be fully satisfied.
Withholding Rights
Each of us, ExchangeCo, Merge Holdings and Computershare are entitled to deduct and withhold
from any dividends or consideration otherwise payable to any holder of exchangeable shares or our
Common Stock such amounts as we, ExchangeCo, Merge Holdings or Computershare is required to deduct
and withhold with respect to such payment under the Canadian Tax Act, the Code or any provision of
provincial, state, local or foreign tax law. Any amounts withheld will be treated as having been
paid to the holder of the shares in respect of which such deduction and withholding was made,
provided that the withheld amounts are actually remitted to the appropriate taxing authority. To
the extent that the amount so required to be deducted or withheld from any payment to a holder
exceeds the cash portion of the amount otherwise payable to the holder, we, ExchangeCo, Merge
Holdings and Computershare may sell or otherwise dispose of that portion of the consideration as is
necessary to provide sufficient funds to us, ExchangeCo, Merge Holdings or Computershare, as the
case may be, to enable it to comply with such deduction or withholding requirement. We,
ExchangeCo, Merge Holdings or Computershare must notify the holder of any such sale and remit to
such holder any unapplied balance of the net proceeds of such sale.
Ranking
The exchangeable shares are entitled to a preference over the common shares of ExchangeCo and
any other shares ranking junior to the exchangeable shares with respect to the payment of dividends
and the distribution of assets in the event of a liquidation, dissolution or winding-up of
ExchangeCo; whether voluntary or involuntary, or any other distribution of the assets of ExchangeCo
among its members for the purpose of winding-up its affairs. The exchangeable shares rank junior
to the non-voting preference shares of ExchangeCo described above under ExchangeCo Share Capital.
Certain Restrictions
ExchangeCo will not, without the approval of the holders of exchangeable shares as set forth
below under Amendment and Approval:
(1) pay any dividends on the common shares of ExchangeCo, or any other shares ranking junior
to the exchangeable shares, other than stock dividends payable in common shares of ExchangeCo or
any such other shares ranking junior to the exchangeable shares, as the case may be;
(2) redeem, purchase or make any capital distribution in respect of common shares of
ExchangeCo or any other shares ranking junior to the exchangeable shares;
(3) redeem or purchase any other shares of ExchangeCo ranking equally with the exchangeable
shares with respect to the payment of dividends or on any liquidation distribution; or
(4) issue any exchangeable shares or any other shares of ExchangeCo ranking equally with, or
superior to, the exchangeable shares other than by way of stock dividends to the holders of the
exchangeable shares.
The restrictions in paragraphs (1), (2), (3) and (4) above will not apply at any time when the
dividends on the outstanding exchangeable shares corresponding to dividends declared and paid on
our Common Stock have been declared and paid in full.
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Amendment and Approval
The rights, privileges, restrictions and conditions attaching to the exchangeable shares may
be added to, changed or removed only with the approval of the holders the exchangeable shares.
That approval or any other approval or consent to be given by the holders of exchangeable shares
will be sufficiently given if given in accordance with applicable law, subject to a minimum
requirement that that approval or consent be evidenced by a resolution passed by not less than
three-fourths of the votes cast on such resolution at a meeting of the holders of exchangeable
shares duly called and held at which holders of at least 25% of the then outstanding exchangeable
shares are present or represented by proxy. If no such quorum is present at such meeting within
one-half hour after the time appointed for that meeting, then the meeting will be adjourned to such
place and time (not less than five days later) as may be designated by the chair of such meeting.
At such adjourned meeting, the holders of exchangeable shares present or represented by proxy may
transact the business for which the meeting was originally called, and a resolution passed by the
affirmative vote of not less than three-fourths of the votes cast on such resolution will
constitute the approval or consent of the holders of exchangeable shares.
Exchangeable Share Support Agreement
The following summary is qualified in its entirety to the Support Agreement dated June 1,
2005, by and among us, Merge Holdings and Exchange Co, which is filed as Exhibit 99.3 to the
registration statement of which this prospectus is a part. We urge you to read the full text of
the Support Agreement. The Support Agreement provides that for so long as any exchangeable shares
(other than exchangeable shares owned by us or our affiliates) remain outstanding:
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we will not declare or pay dividends on our Common Stock unless (1) ExchangeCo
simultaneously declares or pays, as the case may be, an equivalent dividend on the
exchangeable shares and (2) ExchangeCo has sufficient money or other assets or
authorized but unissued securities available to enable the due declaration and the due
and punctual payment of the equivalent dividend to the holders of exchangeable shares; |
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we will advise ExchangeCo sufficiently in advance of the declaration of any dividend
on our Common Stock and take all action reasonably necessary, in cooperation with
ExchangeCo, to ensure that the declaration date, record date and payment date for
dividends on the exchangeable shares are the same as that for dividends on our Common
Stock; |
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we will ensure that the record date for any dividend declared on our Common Stock is
not less than 10 business days after the declaration date of that dividend; |
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we will take all actions and do all things reasonably necessary or desirable, in
accordance with applicable law: |
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to enable and permit ExchangeCo to pay and otherwise perform its obligations in
respect of each issued and outstanding exchangeable share (other than exchangeable
shares owned by us or our affiliates) arising (a) upon the liquidation, dissolution
or winding-up or any other distribution of the assets of ExchangeCo among its
shareholders for the purpose of winding-up its affairs, (b) in the event of a
retraction demand by a holder of exchangeable shares, or (c) upon a redemption of
exchangeable shares, including all actions and things that are reasonably necessary
or desirable to enable and permit ExchangeCo to deliver shares of our Common Stock
to the holders of exchangeable shares and cash in respect of declared and unpaid
dividends when obligated to do so; |
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to enable and permit Merge Holdings, in accordance with applicable law, to
perform its obligations arising upon the exercise by it of its overriding call
rights, including all actions and things as are necessary or desirable to enable
Merge Holdings to deliver shares of our Common Stock to the holders of exchangeable
shares and cash in respect of declared and unpaid dividends when obligated to do
so; and |
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to ensure that each of us, Merge Holdings and its affiliates will not, exercise
its vote as a shareholder to initiate the voluntary liquidation, dissolution or
winding-up of ExchangeCo or any other distribution of the assets of ExchangeCo
among its shareholders for the purpose of winding-up its affairs nor take any
action or omit to take any action that is designed to result in the liquidation,
dissolution or winding-up of ExchangeCo or any other distribution of the assets of
ExchangeCo among its shareholders for the purpose of winding-up its affairs. |
In addition, the Support Agreement provides that we will take all such actions and do all
things as are necessary or desirable to cause the shares of our Common Stock that are to be
delivered upon exchange of the exchangeable shares to be freely tradeable, including, if necessary,
registering shares of our Common Stock under applicable securities laws and maintaining the listing
or quotation of our Common Stock for trading on all stock exchanges and quotation systems where the
outstanding shares of our Common Stock are then listed and quoted.
The Support Agreement further provides that, so long as any exchangeable shares (other than
those held by us or our affiliates) are outstanding, we will not, without the prior approval of
ExchangeCo and the holders of the exchangeable shares:
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issue or distribute to all or substantially all of the holders of the then
outstanding shares of our Common Stock: |
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shares of our Common Stock (or securities exchangeable for or convertible into
or carrying rights to acquire shares of our Common Stock) by way of stock dividend
or other distribution (other than to holders of our Common Stock who exercise an
option to receive those securities in lieu of receiving a cash dividend); |
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rights, options or warrants to subscribe for or purchase any shares of our
Common Stock (or securities exchangeable for or convertible into or carrying rights
to acquire shares of our Common Stock);shares or other securities of any class
other than our Common Stock (other than shares convertible into or exchangeable for
or carrying rights to acquire shares of our Common Stock); |
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evidences of our indebtedness; or |
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our assets; |
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subdivide, redivide, reduce, consolidate, combine or otherwise change the then
outstanding shares of our Common Stock into a different number of shares of our Common
Stock; or |
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reclassify or otherwise change our Common Stock or effect an amalgamation, merger,
reorganization or other transaction affecting our Common Stock, |
unless the same or an economically equivalent distribution on or change to, or in the rights of the
holders of, exchangeable shares is made simultaneously. We will ensure that the record date for
any of the foregoing events (or the effective date if there is no record date) is not less than
five business days after the date that we announce the event. The board of directors of ExchangeCo
will determine, in good faith and in its sole discretion, economic equivalence for these
purposes, and its determination, based upon the factors specified in the Support Agreement, will be
conclusive and binding.
Under the Support Agreement, so long as any exchangeable shares (other than those held by us
or our affiliates) are outstanding, we and our board of directors are be prohibited from proposing
or recommending or otherwise effecting with the consent or approval of our board of directors any
tender or share exchange offer, issuer bid, take-over bid or similar transaction with respect to
our Common Stock, unless the holders of exchangeable shares (other than us and our affiliates)
participate in the transaction to the same extent on an economically equivalent basis as the
holders of our Common Stock, without discrimination. In addition, we will use its reasonable
efforts expeditiously and in good faith to ensure the holders of the exchangeable share may
participate without being required to retract their exchangeable shares or, if so required, to
ensure any such retraction shall be effective only upon, and shall be conditional upon, the closing
of such transaction and only to the extent necessary to tender or deposit to the transaction.
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In addition, under the Support Agreement, we may not consummate any transaction (whether by
way of reconstruction, reorganization, consolidation, merger, transfer, sale, lease or otherwise)
whereby all or substantially all of our undertaking, property and assets would become the property
of any other person or, in the case of a merger, of the continuing corporation unless (1) the
acquiring person or continuing corporation by operation of law becomes bound by the terms and
provisions of the Support Agreement or, if not so bound, executes, prior to or contemporaneously
with the consummation of the transaction, an agreement to evidence the assumption by such person or
continuing corporation of our obligations under the Support Agreement, and (2) the rights of the
holders of exchangeable shares are substantially preserved and not impaired in any material
respect.
We also agreed that without the prior approval of ExchangeCo and the holders of the
exchangeable shares and for so long as any exchangeable shares are owned by any person other than
us or our affiliates, we will remain the direct or indirect beneficial owner of all of the
outstanding voting shares of ExchangeCo and Merge Holdings.
Under the Support Agreement, we will not, and will cause our affiliates to not, exercise any
voting rights attached to the exchangeable shares owned by us or any of our affiliates on any
matter considered at any meeting of holders of exchangeable shares. We also agreed to use our
reasonable efforts to ensure that ExchangeCo:
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maintains a substantial Canadian presence within the meaning of the Income Tax Act
(Canada) if required to cause the exchangeable shares not to be foreign property for
purposes of the Income Tax Act (Canada), but only to the extent that the Canadian Tax
Act provides limits on the level of foreign property which may be held without penalty;
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maintains a listing for the exchangeable shares on the Toronto Stock Exchange. |
With the exception of administrative changes for the purpose of adding covenants that are not
prejudicial to the rights and interests of the holders of exchangeable shares, making certain
necessary amendments or curing ambiguities or clerical errors (in each case provided that the board
of directors of each of us, ExchangeCo and Merge Holdings are of the opinion that the amendments
are not prejudicial to the rights or interests of the holders of exchangeable shares), the Support
Agreement may not be amended without the approval of the holders of exchangeable shares.
Limitation of Liability and Indemnification Matters
Under Section 180.0828 of the Wisconsin Business Corporation Law, a director is not liable to
us, our shareholders, or any person asserting rights on behalf of us or our shareholders, for
damages, settlements, fees, fines, penalties or other monetary liabilities arising from a breach
of, or failure to perform, any duty resulting solely from his or her status as a director, unless
the person asserting liability proves that the breach or failure to perform constitutes any of the
following: (1) a willful failure to deal fairly with us or our shareholders in connection with a
matter in which the director has a material conflict of interest; (2) a violation of criminal law,
unless the director had reasonable cause to believe that his or her conduct was lawful or no
reasonable cause to believe that his or her conduct was unlawful; (3) a transaction from which the
director derived an improper personal profit; or (4) willful misconduct. These provisions do not
affect a directors responsibilities under any other laws, including the federal securities laws or
state or federal environmental laws.
Our Amended and Restated By-laws also contain provisions that require us to indemnify our
directors and officers to the fullest extent permitted by Wisconsin law. Specifically, under
Section 180.0851 of the Wisconsin Business Corporation Law, our directors and officers are entitled
to mandatory indemnification from us against certain liabilities and expenses (1) to the extent
such officers or directors are successful in the defense of a proceeding, and (2) in proceedings in
which the director or officer is not successful in the defense thereof, unless (in the latter case
only) it is determined that the director or officer breached or failed to perform his or her duties
to us and such breach or failure constituted: (a) a willful failure to deal fairly with us or our
shareholders in connection with a matter in which the director or officer had a material conflict
of interest; (b) a violation of the criminal law unless the director or officer had reasonable
cause to believe his or her conduct was lawful or had no reasonable cause to believe his or her
conduct was unlawful; (c) a transaction from which the director or officer derived an improper
personal profit; or (d) willful misconduct. Under Section 180.0853 of the Wisconsin Business
Corporation Law, upon written request by a director or officer who is a party to a proceeding, we
may pay or reimburse his or her reasonable expenses as incurred if the director or officer provides us with (1) a written
affirmation of his or her good
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faith belief that he or she has not breached or failed to perform his or her duties to us, and
(2) a written undertaking to repay the allowance and, if required by us, to pay reasonable interest
on the allowance to the extent that it is ultimately determined that indemnification is not
required and that indemnification is not ordered by a court. Wisconsin law allows a corporation to
limit its obligation to indemnify officers and directors by providing so in its articles of
incorporation.
We have directors and officers liability insurance coverage; however the carriers who issued
such coverage may seek to rescind such policies due to the events which are the subject of the
shareholders class and derivative lawsuits.
Constituency or Stakeholder Provision
Under Section 180.0827 of the Wisconsin Business Corporation Law, in discharging his or her
duties to us and in determining what he or she believes to be in our best interests of, a director
or officer may, in addition to considering the effects of any action on shareholders, consider the
effects of the action on employees, suppliers, customers, the communities in which we operate and
any other factors that the director or officer considers pertinent.
Wisconsin Anti-takeover Statutes
Sections 180.1140 to 180.1144 of the Wisconsin Business Corporation Law (the Wisconsin
Business Combination Statute) regulate the broad range of business combinations between a
resident domestic corporation (such as us) and an interested stockholder. The Wisconsin
Business Combination Statute defines a business combination to include a merger or share
exchange, or a sale, lease, exchange, mortgage, pledge, transfer or other disposition of assets
equal to at least 5% of the market value of the stock or assets of the corporation or 10% of its
earning power, or the issuance of stock or rights to purchase stock with a market value equal to at
least 5% of the outstanding stock, the adoption of a plan of liquidation or dissolution and certain
other transactions involving an interested stockholder, defined as a person who beneficially owns
10% of the voting power of the outstanding voting stock of the corporation or who is an affiliate
or associate of the corporation and beneficially owned 10% of the voting power of the then
outstanding voting stock within the last three years. Section 180.1141 of the Wisconsin Business
Combination Statute prohibits a corporation from engaging in a business combination (other than a
business combination of a type specifically excluded from the coverage of the statute) with an
interested stockholder for a period of three years following the date such person becomes an
interested stockholder, unless the board of directors approved the business combination, or the
acquisition of the stock that resulted in a person becoming an interested stockholder, before such
acquisition. Accordingly, the Wisconsin Business Combination Statutes prohibition on business
combinations cannot be avoided during the three-year period by subsequent action of the board of
directors or shareholders. Business combinations after the three-year period following the stock
acquisition date are permitted only if (1) the board of directors approved the acquisition of the
stock by the interested stockholder prior to the acquisition date, (2) the business combination is
approved by a majority of the outstanding voting stock not beneficially owned by the interested
stockholder, or (3) the consideration to be received by shareholders meets certain requirements of
the statute with respect to form and amount.
In addition, the Wisconsin Business Corporation Law provides in Sections 180.1130 to 180.1133
that business combinations involving a significant shareholder (as defined below) and a resident
domestic corporation (such as us) are subject to a two-thirds supermajority vote of shareholders
(the Wisconsin Fair Price Statute), in addition to any approval otherwise required. A
significant shareholder, with respect to a resident domestic corporation, is defined as a person
who beneficially owns, directly or indirectly, 10% or more of the voting stock of the corporation,
or an affiliate of the corporation which beneficially owned, directly or indirectly, 10% or more of
the voting stock of the corporation within the last two years. Under Section 180.1131 and Section
180.1132 of the Wisconsin Business Corporation Law, the business combinations described above must
be approved by 80% of the voting power of the corporations stock and at least two-thirds of the
voting power of the corporations stock not beneficially held by the significant shareholder who is
party to the relevant transaction or any of its affiliates or associates, in each case voting
together as a single group, unless the following fair price standards have been met: (1) the
aggregate value of the per share consideration is equal to the highest of (a) the highest price
paid for any shares of the corporation by the significant shareholder either in the transaction in
which it became a significant shareholder or within two years before the date of the business
combination, whichever is higher, (b) the market value of the corporations shares on the date of commencement of any tender offer by the
significant shareholder,
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the date on which the person became a significant shareholder or the date of the first public
announcement of the proposed business combination, whichever is highest, or (c) the highest
liquidation or dissolution distribution to which holders of the shares would be entitled; and (2)
either cash, or the form of consideration used by the significant shareholder to acquire the
largest number of shares, is offered.
Section 180.1134 of the Wisconsin Business Corporation Law (the Wisconsin Defensive Action
Restrictions) provides that, in addition to the vote otherwise required by law or the articles of
incorporation of a resident domestic corporation, the approval of the holders of a majority of the
shares entitled to vote is required before such corporation can take certain action while a
takeover offer is being made or after a takeover offer has been publicly announced and before it is
concluded. Under the Wisconsin Defensive Action Restrictions, shareholder approval is required for
the corporation to (1) acquire more than 5% of the outstanding voting shares at a price above the
market price from any individual who, or organization which, owns more than 3% of the outstanding
voting shares and has held such shares for less than two years, unless a similar offer is made to
acquire all voting shares, or (2) sell or option assets of the corporation which amount to 10% or
more of the market value of the corporation, unless the corporation has at least three independent
directors (directors who are not officers or employees) and a majority of the independent directors
vote not to have this provision apply to the corporation. The restrictions described in clause (1)
above may have the effect of deterring a shareholder from acquiring shares with the goal of seeking
to have us repurchase such shares at a premium over the market price, a situation commonly referred
to as greenmail.
Section 180.1150 of the Wisconsin Business Corporation Law provides that the voting power of
shares of resident domestic corporations held by any person or persons acting as a group in excess
of 20% of the voting power in the election of directors is limited to 10% of the full voting power
of those shares. This statutory voting restriction does not apply to shares acquired directly from
us or in certain specified transactions or shares for which full voting power has been restored
pursuant to a vote of shareholders.
Anti-Takeover Effects of Articles of Incorporation, Bylaw and the Wisconsin Anti-Takeover Statutes
Our Articles of Incorporation, Amended and Restated By-laws, and the provisions of the
Wisconsin Business Corporation Law described above, may delay, defer or inhibit a future
acquisition of us that shareholders might consider in their best interest, including takeover
attempts that might result in a premium over the market price for the shares held by shareholders.
Issuance of Blank Check Preferred Stock and Our Shareholder Rights Plan
The issuance of preferred stock pursuant to the Boards authority described above may
adversely affect the rights of the holders of our Common Stock. For example, preferred stock
issued by us may rank prior to our Common Stock as to dividend rights, liquidation preference or
both, may have full or limited voting rights and may be convertible into shares of our Common
Stock. Accordingly, the ability of our Board of Directors to issue undesignated preferred stock
may discourage bids for our Common Stock or may otherwise adversely affect the market price of our
Common Stock.
On September 6, 2006, our Board of Directors declared a dividend of one preferred share
purchase right for each outstanding share of our Common Stock and each outstanding exchangeable
share issued by ExchangeCo. The dividend was payable upon the close of business on October 2,
2006, to the shareholders of record at the close of business on September 25, 2006. Each purchase
right entitles the registered holder to purchase from us one one-hundredth of a share of our Series
B Junior Participating preferred stock, par value $0.01 per share, which the Board designated
pursuant to our blank check authorization in our Articles of Incorporation, at a price of $50.00
per one one-hundredth of a Series B Junior Participating preferred share, subject to adjustment. A
description and terms of the preferred share purchase rights and the Series B Junior Participating
preferred stock are set forth in our Current Report on Form 8-K, filed with the SEC on September 6,
2006, and incorporated in this prospectus by reference.
Removal of Directors Only for Cause
Our Amended and Restated By-laws provide that a director may be removed from office by our
shareholders only for cause; provided, however, that, if the Board recommends removal of a
director, then the shareholders may remove such director without cause. As used in the Amended and Restated
By-laws, cause
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exists only if the director whose removal is proposed has been convicted of a felony by a
court of competent jurisdiction or has been adjudged liable for actions or omissions in the
performance of his or her duty to us in a matter which has had a materially adverse effect on our
business.
Advance Notice Requirements
Our Amended and Restated By-laws impose advance notice and informational requirements for
shareholder proposals and nominations of directors to be considered at meetings of shareholders.
Bylaw Amendments
Our Amended and Restated By-laws generally permit our Board of Directors to amend, alter or
repeal our bylaws, except to the extent otherwise provided therein, without the assent or vote of
shareholders.
Wisconsin Law
The Wisconsin Business Corporation Law statutory provisions referenced above are intended to
encourage persons seeking to acquire control of us to initiate such an acquisition through
arms-length negotiations with our Board of Directors and to ensure that sufficient time for
consideration of such a proposal, and any alternatives, is available. The measures are also
designed to discourage investors from attempting to accumulate a significant minority position in
us and then use the threat of a proxy contest as a means to pressure us to repurchase shares of our
Common Stock at a premium over the market value. To the extent that such measures make it more
difficult for, or discourage, a proxy contest or the assumption of control by a holder of a
substantial block of our Common Stock, they could increase the likelihood that incumbent directors
will retain their positions and may also have the effect of discouraging a tender offer or other
attempt to obtain control of us, even though such attempt might be beneficial to us and our
shareholders.
EXPERTS
Our consolidated financial statements as of December 31, 2006 and 2005, and for each of
the years in the three-year period ended December 31, 2006, and managements assessment of the
effectiveness of internal control over financial reporting as of December 31, 2006, have been
incorporated by reference herein in reliance on the reports of KPMG LLP (KPMG), independent
registered public accounting firm, incorporated by reference herein, and upon the authority of said
firm as experts in accounting and auditing.
The audit report on managements assessment of the effectiveness of internal control over
financial reporting and the effectiveness of internal control over financial reporting as of
December 31, 2006, expresses KPMGs opinion that we did not maintain effective internal control
over financial reporting as of December 31, 2006 because of the effects of material weaknesses on
the achievement of the objectives of the control criteria and contains an explanatory paragraph
that states that management identified and included in managements assessment material weaknesses
relating to an ineffective control environment, revenue recognition, income taxes, business
combinations, and the implementation of a new accounting system.
The audit report covering the 2006 consolidated financial statements contains an explanatory
paragraph stating that, effective January 1, 2006, the Company adopted the provisions of Statement
of Financial Accounting Standards No. 123 (revised 2004), Share-Based Payment.
LEGAL MATTERS
The validity of the Common Stock offered in this prospectus is being passed upon for us
by Craig D. Apolinsky, Esq., our Vice President and General Counsel. Stikeman Elliott LLP, Toronto,
Canada, has advised us with respect to certain Canadian tax matters, and Katten Muchin Rosenman LLP
has advised us with respect to certain U.S. federal income tax matters.
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INFORMATION WITH RESPECT TO THE REGISTRANT
All other information required by this item with respect to us is incorporated in this
prospectus by reference to: (A) our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31,
2006, filed with the SEC on March 8, 2007; (B) our Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter
ended March 31, 2007, filed with the SEC on May 9, 2007; (C) our Current Reports on Form 8-K filed
with the SEC on January 16, 2007, February 13, 2007, February 28, 2007, March 9, 2007 and April 4,
2007; and (C) our Definitive Proxy Statement on Schedule 14A, filed with the SEC on April 5, 2007.
ExchangeCo
ExchangeCo is a direct wholly-owned subsidiary of Merge Holdings. ExchangeCo was incorporated
under the Business Corporations Act (Ontario) on January 12, 2005, for the purpose of effecting our
business combination with Cedara Software Corp. ExchangeCos only material assets are issued and
outstanding Cedara Software Corp. common shares. ExchangeCos registered office is located at 199
Bay Street, Commerce Court West, Suite 2800, Toronto, Ontario, Canada M5L 1A9.
WHERE YOU CAN FIND MORE INFORMATION
We are a reporting company and file annual, quarterly and current reports, proxy
statements and other information with the SEC. We have filed with the SEC a registration statement
on Form S-1 under the Securities Act with respect to the securities we are offering under this
prospectus. This prospectus does not contain all of the information set forth in the registration
statement and the exhibits to the registration statement. For further information with respect to
us and the securities we are offering under this prospectus, we refer you to the registration
statement and the exhibits and schedules filed as a part of the registration statement. You may
read and copy the registration statement, as well as our reports, proxy statements and other
information, at the SECs public reference room at 100 F Street, N.E., Washington, D.C. 20549. You
can request copies of these documents by writing to the SEC and paying a fee for the copying cost.
Please call the SEC at 1-800-SEC-0330 for more information about the operation of the public
reference rooms. Our SEC filings are also available at the SECs web site at www.sec.gov.
The SEC allows us to incorporate by reference in the registration statement of which this
prospectus is a part other information we file with them, which means that we can disclose
important information to you by referring you to those documents. The information incorporated by
reference is an important part of this prospectus; however, to the extent that there are any
inconsistencies between information presented in this prospectus and information contained in
incorporated documents filed with the SEC before the date of this prospectus, the information in
this prospectus automatically updates and supersedes the earlier information. Specifically, we
incorporate by reference:
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our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2006; |
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our Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended March 31, 2007; |
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our Current Reports on Form 8-K filed with the SEC on January 16, 2007, February 13,
2007, February 28, 2007, March 9, 2007 and April 4, 2007; and |
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our Definitive Proxy Statement on Schedule 14A, filed with the SEC on April 5, 2007. |
The registration statement on Form S-1 of which this prospectus is a part and all of the
reports or documents that have been incorporated by reference in the prospectus contained in the
Registration Statement but not delivered with the prospectus may be accessed on our web site at
www.merge.com under the section captioned Investor Relations SEC Filings. We will also provide
without charge upon written or oral request, to each person to whom a copy of this prospectus is
delivered, a copy of such reports or documents. Requests should be directed to:
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Merge Technologies Incorporated
6737 West Washington Street, Suite 2250
Milwaukee, WI 53214
Attention: Investor Relations
(414) 977-4000
shareholderinfo@merge.com
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