Exhibit
(a)(1)(A)
OFFER TO
PURCHASE FOR CASH
Up to 30,000,000 Shares of
its Common Stock
At a Purchase Price Not Greater
Than $22.00
Nor Less Than $18.50 Per
Share
by
Expedia, Inc.
THE TENDER OFFER, PRORATION
PERIOD AND WITHDRAWAL RIGHTS WILL EXPIRE AT 5:00 P.M., NEW
YORK CITY TIME, ON WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 10, 2007, UNLESS
EXPEDIA EXTENDS THE TENDER OFFER.
Expedia, Inc., a Delaware corporation (Expedia), is
offering to purchase for cash up to 30,000,000 shares of
its common stock, par value $.001 per share, upon the terms
and subject to the conditions set forth in this document and the
letter of transmittal (which together, as they may be amended
and supplemented from time to time, constitute the tender
offer). On the terms and subject to the conditions of the tender
offer, we will determine the single per share price, not greater
than $22.00 nor less than $18.50 per share, net to you in cash,
without interest, that we will pay for shares properly tendered
and not properly withdrawn in the tender offer, taking into
account the total number of shares so tendered and the prices
specified by the tendering stockholders. We will select the
lowest purchase price that will allow us to purchase
30,000,000 shares, or such fewer number of shares as are
properly tendered and not properly withdrawn, at prices not
greater than $22.00 nor less than $18.50 per share. Expedia will
purchase at the purchase price all shares properly tendered at
prices at or below the purchase price and not properly
withdrawn, on the terms and subject to the conditions of the
tender offer, including the odd lot, conditional tender and
proration provisions. We reserve the right, in our sole
discretion, to purchase more than 30,000,000 shares in the
tender offer, subject to applicable law. Expedia will not
purchase shares tendered at prices greater than the purchase
price and shares that we do not accept for purchase because of
proration provisions or conditional tenders. Shares not
purchased in the tender offer will be returned to the tendering
stockholders at our expense as promptly as practicable after the
expiration of the tender offer. See Section 1.
THE TENDER OFFER IS NOT CONDITIONED ON ANY MINIMUM NUMBER OF
SHARES BEING TENDERED. THE TENDER OFFER IS, HOWEVER, SUBJECT TO
OTHER CONDITIONS. SEE SECTION 7.
IMPORTANT
If you wish to tender all or any part of your shares, you must
either (1) (a) complete and sign a letter of transmittal
according to the instructions in the letter of transmittal and
mail or deliver it, together with any required signature
guarantee and any other required documents, including the share
certificates, to The Bank of New York, the depositary for the
tender offer, or (b) tender the shares according to the
procedure for book-entry transfer described in Section 3,
or (2) request a broker, dealer, commercial bank, trust
company or other nominee to effect the transaction for you. If
your shares are registered in the name of a broker, dealer,
commercial bank, trust company or other nominee, you should
contact that person if you desire to tender your shares. If you
desire to tender your shares and (1) your share
certificates are not immediately available or cannot be
delivered to the depositary, (2) you cannot comply with the
procedure for book-entry transfer, or (3) you cannot
deliver the other required documents to the depositary by the
expiration of the tender offer, you must tender your shares
according to the guaranteed delivery procedure described in
Section 3.
Holders or beneficial owners of shares under the Expedia
Retirement Savings Plan (if such shares are not, at the time of
tender, subject to any restrictions on transferability) who wish
to tender any of such shares in the tender offer must follow the
separate instructions and procedures described in Section 3.
OUR BOARD OF DIRECTORS HAS APPROVED THE TENDER
OFFER. HOWEVER, NEITHER WE NOR OUR BOARD OF DIRECTORS
MAKES ANY RECOMMENDATION TO YOU AS TO WHETHER YOU SHOULD TENDER
OR REFRAIN FROM TENDERING YOUR SHARES OR AS TO THE PRICE OR
PRICES AT WHICH YOU MAY CHOOSE TO TENDER YOUR SHARES. YOU MUST
MAKE YOUR OWN DECISION AS TO WHETHER TO TENDER YOUR
SHARES AND, IF SO, HOW MANY SHARES TO TENDER AND THE
PRICE OR PRICES AT WHICH TO TENDER YOUR SHARES. IN SO DOING, YOU
SHOULD READ CAREFULLY THE INFORMATION IN THIS OFFER TO PURCHASE
AND IN THE LETTER OF TRANSMITTAL, INCLUDING OUR REASONS FOR
MAKING THE TENDER OFFER. OUR DIRECTORS AND EXECUTIVE OFFICERS
AND LIBERTY MEDIA CORPORATION HAVE ADVISED US THAT THEY DO NOT
INTEND TO TENDER ANY SHARES IN THE TENDER OFFER.
The shares are quoted on The Nasdaq Stock Market under the
ticker symbol EXPE. We publicly announced the tender
offer prior to the close of trading on The Nasdaq Stock Market
on December 8, 2006. On December 7, 2006, the reported
closing price of the shares on The Nasdaq Stock Market was
$18.62 per share. We urge stockholders to obtain current market
quotations for the shares. See Section 8.
You may direct questions and requests for assistance to
MacKenzie Partners, Inc., the information agent for the tender
offer at their address and telephone number set forth on the
back cover page of this document. You may also direct requests
for additional copies of this document, the letter of
transmittal or the notice of guaranteed delivery to the
information agent.
December 11, 2006
We have not authorized any person to make any recommendation
on our behalf as to whether you should tender or refrain from
tendering your shares in the tender offer. We have not
authorized any person to give any information or to make any
representation in connection with the tender offer other than
those contained in this document or in the letter of
transmittal. If given or made, you must not rely upon any such
information or representation as having been authorized by
us.
We are not making the tender offer to (nor will we accept any
tender of shares from or on behalf of) holders in any
jurisdiction in which the making of the tender offer or the
acceptance of any tender of shares would not be in compliance
with the laws of such jurisdiction. However, we may, at our
discretion, take such action as we may deem necessary for us to
make the tender offer in any such jurisdiction and extend the
tender offer to holders in such jurisdiction.
TABLE OF
CONTENTS
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i
FORWARD-LOOKING
STATEMENTS
This offer to purchase, the documents incorporated by
reference and other written reports and oral statements made
from time to time by Expedia, Inc. may contain
forward-looking statements regarding future events
and our future results. These forward-looking statements reflect
the views of our management regarding current expectations and
projections about future events and are based on currently
available information. Actual results, performance or
achievement could differ materially from those contained in
these forward-looking statements for a variety of reasons,
including, without limitation, those discussed elsewhere in this
offer to purchase, the documents incorporated by reference and
in our other reports filed with the Securities and Exchange
Commission. Other unknown or unpredictable factors also could
have a material adverse effect on our business, financial
condition and results of operations. Accordingly, readers should
not place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements.
The use of words such as anticipates,
estimates, expects, intends,
plans and believes, among others,
generally identify forward-looking statements; however, these
words are not the exclusive means of identifying such
statements. In addition, any statements that refer to
expectations, projections or other characterizations of future
events or circumstances are forward-looking statements. In
addition, please refer to our Quarterly Report on
Form 10-Q
for the quarter ended September 30, 2006 and our Annual
Report on
Form 10-K
for the year ended December 31, 2005, in each case as filed
with the Securities and Exchange Commission, for additional
information on risks and uncertainties that could cause actual
results to differ materially from those described in the
forward-looking statements or that may otherwise impact us and
our business.
These forward-looking statements are inherently subject to
uncertainties, risks and changes in circumstances that are
difficult to predict. We are not under any obligation and do not
intend to publicly update or review any of these forward-looking
statements, whether as a result of new information, future
events or otherwise, even if experience or future events make it
clear that any expected results expressed or implied by those
forward-looking statements will not be realized.
Please carefully review and consider the various disclosures
made in this offer to purchase and in our other reports filed
with the Securities and Exchange Commission that attempt to
advise interested parties of the risks and factors that may
affect our business, results of operations, financial condition
or prospects.
ii
SUMMARY
TERM SHEET
We are providing this summary term sheet for your
convenience. It highlights the most material information in this
document, but you should realize that it does not describe all
of the details of the tender offer to the same extent described
in this document. We urge you to read the entire document and
the letter of transmittal because they contain the full details
of the tender offer. We have included references to the sections
of this document where you will find a more complete discussion.
Unless otherwise indicated, references to shares are to shares
of our common stock, and not to shares of our Class B
common stock or any other securities.
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Who is offering to purchase my shares? |
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Expedia, Inc. is offering to purchase your shares.
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What will the purchase price for the shares be? |
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We will determine the purchase price that we will pay per share
as promptly as practicable after the tender offer expires. The
purchase price will be the lowest price at which, based on the
number of shares tendered and the prices specified by the
tendering stockholders, we can purchase 30,000,000 shares,
or such fewer number of shares as are properly tendered and not
properly withdrawn prior to the expiration date. The purchase
price will not be greater than $22.00 nor less than $18.50 per
share. We will pay this purchase price in cash, without
interest, for all the shares we purchase under the tender offer,
even if some of the shares are tendered at a price below the
purchase price. See Section 1. |
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How many shares will Expedia purchase? |
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We will purchase 30,000,000 shares properly tendered in the
tender offer, or such fewer number of shares as are properly
tendered and not properly withdrawn prior to the expiration
date. The 30,000,000 shares represent approximately 9.8% of
our outstanding common stock as of December 1, 2006. The
30,000,000 shares represent approximately 9.1% of the total
number of shares of our outstanding common stock and
Class B common stock and 5.3% of the combined voting power
of our outstanding common stock and Class B common stock as
of December 1, 2006. Expedia expressly reserves the right
to purchase an additional number of shares of common stock not
to exceed 2% of the outstanding shares of common stock, and
could decide to purchase more shares, subject to applicable
legal requirements. See Section 1. The tender offer
is not conditioned on any minimum number of shares being
tendered. See Section 7. |
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What will happen if more than 30,000,000 shares are
tendered at or below the purchase price? |
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If more than 30,000,000 shares are tendered at or below the
purchase price, we will purchase all shares tendered at or below
the purchase price on a pro rata basis, except for odd
lots (lots held by owners of less than 100 shares),
which we will purchase on a priority basis as described in the
immediately following paragraph and except for shares that were
conditionally tendered and for which the condition was not
satisfied. |
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If I own fewer than 100 shares and I tender all of my
shares, will I be subject to proration? |
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If you own beneficially or of record fewer than 100 shares
in the aggregate, you properly tender all of these shares at or
below the purchase price before the tender offer expires and you
complete the section entitled Odd Lots in the letter
of transmittal, we will purchase all of your shares without
subjecting them to the proration procedure. See
Section 1. |
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How will Expedia pay for the shares? |
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We anticipate that we will obtain all of the funds necessary to
purchase shares tendered in the tender offer, and to pay related
fees and expenses, through cash on hand and/or through the
proceeds of |
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additional indebtedness that we may incur either in the form of
borrowings under our current bank credit facility or through the
public
and/or
private placement of new debt securities. The tender offer is
not subject to the receipt of financing by us. See
Section 9. |
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How long do I have to tender my shares? |
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You may tender your shares until the tender offer expires. The
tender offer will expire on Wednesday, January 10, 2007, at
5:00 p.m., New York City time, unless we extend it. See
Section 1. We may choose to extend the tender offer for any
reason, subject to applicable laws. We cannot assure you that we
will extend the tender offer or indicate the length of any
extension that we may provide. See Section 15. If a broker,
dealer, commercial bank, trust company or other nominee holds
your shares, it is likely they have an earlier deadline for you
to act to instruct them to accept the tender offer on your
behalf. We urge you to contact the broker, dealer, commercial
bank, trust company or other nominee to find out their deadline. |
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Can the tender offer be extended, amended or terminated, and
under what circumstances? |
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We can extend or amend the tender offer in our sole discretion.
If we extend the tender offer, we will delay the acceptance of
any shares that have been tendered. We can terminate the tender
offer under certain circumstances. See Section 7 and
Section 15. |
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How will I be notified if Expedia extends the tender offer or
amends the terms of the tender offer? |
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We will issue a press release no later than 9:00 a.m., New
York City time, on the business day after the scheduled
expiration date if we decide to extend the tender offer. We will
announce any amendment to the tender offer by making a public
announcement of the amendment. See Section 15. |
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What is the purpose of the tender offer? |
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Expedia believes that the tender offer is a prudent use of its
financial resources given its business profile, capital
structure, assets and the current market price of the shares,
and that investing in its own shares is an attractive use of
capital and an efficient means to provide value to its
stockholders. The tender offer represents the opportunity for
Expedia to return cash to stockholders who elect to tender their
shares, while at the same time increasing non-tendering
stockholders proportionate interest in Expedia. Expedia
believes the tender offer, if completed, will be accretive to
earnings per share. See Section 2 and
Section 10. |
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Are there any conditions to the tender offer? |
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Yes. The tender offer is subject to conditions, such as the
absence of court and governmental action prohibiting the tender
offer and of changes in general market conditions or our
business that, in our reasonable judgment, are or may be
materially adverse to us, as well as other conditions. See
Section 7. |
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Following the tender offer, will Expedia continue as a public
company? |
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Yes. The completion of the tender offer in accordance with its
terms and conditions will not cause Expedias shares to
cease to be quoted on The Nasdaq Stock Market
(Nasdaq) or to stop being subject to the periodic
reporting requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934,
as amended (the Exchange Act). See
Section 12. |
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How do I tender my shares? |
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The tender offer will expire at 5:00 p.m., New York City
time, on Wednesday, January 10, 2007, unless Expedia
extends the tender offer. To tender your shares prior to the
expiration of the tender offer: you must deliver your share
certificate(s) and a properly completed and duly executed letter
of transmittal to the depositary at the address |
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appearing on the back cover page of this document; or the
depositary must receive a confirmation of receipt of your shares
by book-entry transfer and a properly completed and duly
executed letter of transmittal; or you must request a broker,
dealer, commercial bank, trust company or other nominee to
effect the transaction for you; or you must comply with the
guaranteed delivery procedure. You should contact the
information agent if you need assistance. See Section 3
and the instructions to the letter of transmittal. |
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Please note that Expedia will not purchase your shares in the
tender offer unless the depositary receives the required
documents prior to the expiration of the tender offer. If a
broker, dealer, commercial bank, trust company or other nominee
holds your shares, it is likely that they have an earlier
deadline for you to act to instruct them to accept the tender
offer on your behalf. We urge you to contact your broker,
dealer, commercial bank, trust company or other nominee to find
out their applicable deadline. |
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Once I have tendered shares in the tender offer, can I
withdraw my tender? |
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You may withdraw any shares you have tendered at any time before
the expiration of the tender offer which will occur at
5:00 p.m., New York City time, on Wednesday,
January 10, 2007, unless we extend the tender offer. If we
have not accepted for payment the shares you have tendered to
us, you may also withdraw your shares after 12:00 Midnight, New
York City time, on Wednesday, February 7, 2007. See
Section 4. |
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How do I withdraw shares I previously tendered? |
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You must deliver, on a timely basis, a written or facsimile
notice of your withdrawal to the depositary at the address
appearing on the back cover page of this document. Your notice
of withdrawal must specify your name, the number of shares to be
withdrawn and the name of the registered holder of these shares.
Some additional requirements apply if the share certificates to
be withdrawn have been delivered to the depositary or if your
shares have been tendered under the procedure for book-entry
transfer set forth in Section 3. See Section 4. |
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Individuals who own shares through the Expedia Retirement
Savings Plan who wish to withdraw their shares must follow the
instructions found in the materials sent to them separately.
See Section 4. |
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Can I participate in the tender offer if I hold shares
through the Expedia Retirement Savings Plan? |
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Yes. Participants who hold shares of Expedia common stock
through the Expedia Retirement Savings Plan will receive
instruction forms which they may use to direct the trustee for
the plan to tender eligible shares held through their accounts.
See Section 3. |
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How do holders of vested stock options for shares participate
in the tender offer? |
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If you hold vested but unexercised options, you may exercise
such options in accordance with the terms of the applicable
stock option plans and tender the shares received upon such
exercise in accordance with this tender offer. See
Section 3. |
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How do holders of warrants or preferred stock participate in
the tender offer? |
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If you hold exercisable warrants for common stock, you may
exercise such warrants in accordance with the terms of the
applicable warrant agreement and tender the shares received upon
such exercise in accordance with this tender offer. If you hold
shares of our Series A preferred stock, you may convert
those preferred shares into shares of common stock in accordance
with the terms of the preferred stock and |
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tender the shares received upon such conversion in accordance
with this tender offer. See Section 3. |
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Has Expedia or its Board of Directors adopted a position on
the tender offer? |
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Our Board of Directors has approved the tender offer. However,
neither we nor our Board of Directors makes any recommendation
to you as to whether you should tender or refrain from tendering
your shares or as to the price or prices at which you may choose
to tender your shares. You must make your own decision as to
whether to tender your shares and, if so, how many shares to
tender and the price or prices at which you choose to tender
your shares. In so doing, you should read carefully the
information in this offer to purchase and in the letter of
transmittal, including our reasons for making the tender offer.
Our directors and executive officers and Liberty Media
Corporation have advised us that they do not intend to tender
any shares in the tender offer. See Section 11. |
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If I decide not to tender, how will the tender offer affect
my shares? |
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Stockholders who choose not to tender will own a greater
percentage interest in our outstanding common stock immediately
following the consummation of the tender offer. |
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What is the recent market price for the shares? |
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We publicly announced the tender offer on December 8, 2006,
prior to the close of trading on Nasdaq on that date. On
December 7, 2006, the reported closing price of the shares
on Nasdaq was $18.62 per share. On December 8, 2006, the
last trading day prior to the commencement of the tender offer,
the reported closing price of the shares on Nasdaq was $20.46.
We urge you to obtain current market quotations for the shares.
See Section 8. |
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When will Expedia pay for the shares I tender? |
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We will pay the purchase price, net to you in cash, without
interest, for the shares we purchase as promptly as practicable
after the expiration of the tender offer and the acceptance of
the shares for payment; provided, however, that, if proration is
required, we do not expect to announce the results of the pro
ration and begin paying for tendered shares until at least five
business days after the expiration of the tender offer. See
Section 5. |
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Will I have to pay brokerage commissions if I tender my
shares? |
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If you are a registered stockholder and you tender your shares
directly to the depositary, you will not incur any brokerage
commissions. If you hold shares through a broker or bank, we
urge you to consult your broker or bank to determine whether
transaction costs are applicable. See Section 3. |
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What are the U.S. federal income tax consequences if I
tender my shares? |
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Generally, you will be subject to U.S. federal income
taxation when you receive cash from us in exchange for the
shares you tender. In addition, the receipt of cash for your
tendered shares will be treated either as (1) consideration
received in respect of a sale or exchange or (2) a
distribution from us in respect of our stock. See
Section 14. |
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Will I have to pay any stock transfer tax if I tender my
shares? |
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If you instruct the depositary in the letter of transmittal to
make the payment for the shares to the registered holder, you
will not incur any stock transfer tax. See Section 5. |
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Whom can I talk to if I have questions? |
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The information agent can help answer your questions. The
information agent is MacKenzie Partners, Inc. Their contact
information is set forth on the back cover page of this document. |
4
INTRODUCTION
To the Holders of our Common Stock:
We invite our stockholders to tender shares of our common stock,
par value $.001 per share, for purchase by us. Upon the
terms and subject to the conditions set forth in this offer to
purchase and in the letter of transmittal, we are offering to
purchase up to 30,000,000 shares at a price not greater
than $22.00 nor less than $18.50 per share, net to the seller in
cash, without interest.
We will select the lowest purchase price within the range that
will allow us to buy 30,000,000 shares or, if a lesser
number of shares is properly tendered, all shares that are
properly tendered and not properly withdrawn. We will acquire
all shares that we purchase in the tender offer at the same
purchase price regardless of whether the stockholder tendered at
a lower price. However, because of the odd lot
priority, proration and conditional tender provisions described
in this offer to purchase, we may not purchase all of the shares
tendered at or below the purchase price if more than the number
of shares we seek are properly tendered. We will return tendered
shares that we do not purchase to the tendering stockholders at
our expense as promptly as practicable after the expiration of
the tender offer. See Section 1.
We reserve the right to purchase more than
30,000,000 shares pursuant to the tender offer, subject to
certain limitations and legal requirements. See
Section 1.
The tender offer will expire at 5:00 p.m., New York City
time, on Wednesday, January 10, 2007, unless extended (such
date and time, as the same may be extended, the expiration
date). We may, in our sole discretion, extend the period
of time in which the tender offer will remain open.
Stockholders must complete the section of the letter of
transmittal relating to the price at which they are tendering
shares in order to properly tender shares.
We will pay the purchase price, net to the tendering
stockholders in cash, without interest, for all shares that we
purchase. Tendering stockholders whose shares are registered in
their own names and who tender directly to The Bank of New York,
the depositary in the tender offer, will not be obligated to pay
brokerage fees or commissions or, except as set forth in
Instruction 9 to the letter of transmittal, stock transfer
taxes on the purchase of shares by us under the tender offer. If
you own your shares through a bank, broker, dealer, trust
company or other nominee and that person tenders your shares on
your behalf, that person may charge you a fee for doing so. You
should consult your bank, broker, dealer, trust company or other
nominee to determine whether any charges will apply.
The tender offer is not conditioned upon any minimum number of
shares being tendered. The tender offer is, however, subject to
certain other conditions. See Section 7.
OUR BOARD OF DIRECTORS HAS APPROVED THE TENDER OFFER.
HOWEVER, NEITHER WE NOR OUR BOARD OF DIRECTORS MAKES ANY
RECOMMENDATION TO YOU AS TO WHETHER YOU SHOULD TENDER OR REFRAIN
FROM TENDERING YOUR SHARES OR AS TO THE PURCHASE PRICE OR
PURCHASE PRICES AT WHICH YOU MAY CHOOSE TO TENDER YOUR SHARES.
YOU MUST MAKE YOUR OWN DECISION AS TO WHETHER TO TENDER YOUR
SHARES AND, IF SO, HOW MANY SHARES TO TENDER AND THE
PRICE OR PRICES AT WHICH TO TENDER YOUR SHARES. IN SO DOING, YOU
SHOULD READ CAREFULLY THE INFORMATION IN THIS OFFER TO PURCHASE
AND IN THE LETTER OF TRANSMITTAL, INCLUDING OUR REASONS FOR
MAKING THE TENDER OFFER. SEE SECTION 2. OUR
DIRECTORS AND EXECUTIVE OFFICERS AND LIBERTY MEDIA CORPORATION
HAVE ADVISED US THAT THEY DO NOT INTEND TO TENDER ANY
SHARES IN THE TENDER OFFER.
If, at the expiration date, more than 30,000,000 shares (or
such greater number of shares as we may elect to purchase,
subject to applicable law) are properly tendered at or below the
purchase price and not properly withdrawn, we will buy shares:
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first, from all holders of odd lots (holders of less
than 100 shares) who properly tender all their shares at or
below the purchase price selected by us and do not properly
withdraw them before the expiration date;
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second, on a pro rata basis from all other stockholders who
properly tender shares at or below the purchase price selected
by us, other than stockholders who tender conditionally and
whose conditions are not satisfied; and
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third, only if necessary to permit us to purchase
30,000,000 shares (or such greater number of shares as we
may elect to purchase, subject to applicable law) from holders
who have tendered shares at or below the purchase price subject
to the condition that a specified minimum number of the
holders shares be purchased if any of the holders
shares are purchased in the tender offer (for which the
condition was not initially satisfied) by random lot, to the
extent feasible. To be eligible for purchase by random lot,
stockholders whose shares are conditionally tendered must have
tendered all of their shares.
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We may not purchase all of the shares tendered pursuant to the
tender offer even if the shares are tendered at or below the
purchase price. See Section 1, Section 5
and Section 6, respectively, for additional
information concerning priority, proration and conditional
tender procedures.
Section 14 of this offer to purchase describes various
United States federal income tax consequences of a sale of
shares under the tender offer.
Participants in the Expedia Retirement Savings Plan may not use
the letter of transmittal to direct the tender of their shares
held in the plan but instead must follow the separate
instructions related to those shares. If the trustee for the
plan has not received a participants instructions at least
three business days prior to the expiration date of the
tender offer, the trustee may not tender any shares held on
behalf of that participant.
Holders of vested but unexercised options to purchase shares may
exercise such options in accordance with the applicable option
plan and tender some or all of the shares issued upon such
exercise. Holders of exercisable warrants for common stock may
exercise such warrants in accordance with the terms of the
applicable warrant agreement and tender some or all of the
shares issued upon such exercise. Holders of our Series A
preferred stock may convert their shares into shares of common
stock in accordance with the terms of the preferred stock and
tender some or all of the shares issued upon such conversion.
In order to validly tender shares in the tender offer, you
must exercise or convert your options, warrants or preferred
stock, as the case may be. Only tenders of common stock will be
accepted under the terms of the tender offer.
As of December 1, 2006, we had issued and outstanding
305,671,754 shares of common stock and
25,599,998 shares of Class B common stock. The
30,000,000 shares of common stock that we are offering to
purchase represent approximately 9.8% of the shares of common
stock then outstanding, and represent 9.1% of the total number
of shares of common stock and shares of Class B common
stock then outstanding and 5.3% of the total combined voting
power of the common stock and Class B common stock then
outstanding. The shares of common stock are quoted on Nasdaq
under the ticker symbol EXPE. See
Section 8. We urge stockholders to obtain current
market quotations for the shares.
THE
TENDER OFFER
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1.
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Number of
Shares; Proration.
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General. Upon the terms and subject to the
conditions of the tender offer, Expedia will purchase
30,000,000 shares, or such fewer number of shares as are
properly tendered and not properly withdrawn in accordance with
Section 4, before the scheduled expiration date of the
tender offer, at prices not greater than $22.00 nor less than
$18.50 per share, net to the seller in cash, without interest.
The term expiration date means 5:00 p.m., New
York City time, on Wednesday, January 10, 2007, unless and
until Expedia, in its sole discretion, shall have extended the
period of time during which the tender offer will remain open,
in which event the term expiration date shall refer
to the latest time and date at which the tender offer, as so
extended by Expedia, shall expire. See Section 15 for a
description of Expedias right to extend, delay, terminate
or amend the tender offer. In accordance with the rules of the
Securities and Exchange Commission, Expedia may, and Expedia
expressly reserves the right to, purchase under the tender offer
an additional number of shares not to exceed 2% of the
outstanding shares of common stock without amending or extending
the tender offer. See Section 15. In
6
the event of an over-subscription of the tender offer as
described below, shares tendered at or below the purchase price
will be subject to proration, except for odd lots. The proration
period and, except as described herein, withdrawal rights,
expire on the expiration date.
If we
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increase the price to be paid for shares above $22.00 per share
or decrease the price to be paid for shares below $18.50 per
share,
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increase the number of shares being sought in the tender offer
and this increase in the number of shares sought exceeds 2% of
the outstanding shares of common stock, or
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decrease the number of shares being sought, and
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the tender offer is scheduled to expire at any time earlier than
the expiration of a period ending on the tenth business day
from, and including, the date that we first publish, send or
give notice, in the manner specified in Section 15, of any
such increase or decrease, we will extend the tender offer until
the expiration of ten business days from the date that we first
publish notice of any increase or decrease. For the purposes of
the tender offer, a business day means any day other
than a Saturday, Sunday or U.S. federal holiday and
consists of the time period from 12:01 a.m. through 12:00
Midnight, New York City time.
The tender offer is not conditioned on any minimum number of
shares being tendered. The tender offer is, however, subject to
other conditions. See Section 7.
In accordance with Instruction 5 of the letter of
transmittal, stockholders desiring to tender shares must specify
the price or prices, not greater than $22.00 nor less than
$18.50 per share, at which they are willing to sell their shares
to Expedia under the tender offer. Alternatively, stockholders
desiring to tender shares can choose not to specify a price and,
instead, specify that they will sell their shares at the
purchase price that Expedia ultimately pays for shares properly
tendered and not properly withdrawn in the tender offer, which
could result in the tendering stockholder receiving a price per
share as low as $18.50 or as high as $22.00. If tendering
stockholders wish to maximize the chance that Expedia will
purchase their shares, they should check the box in the section
of the letter of transmittal captioned
Shares Tendered at Price Determined Pursuant to the
Tender Offer. Note that this election could result in the
tendered shares being purchased at the minimum price of $18.50
per share.
To tender shares properly, stockholders must specify one and
only one price box in the appropriate section in each letter of
transmittal. If you specify more than one price or if you fail
to check any price at all you will not have validly tendered
your shares. See Section 3.
As promptly as practicable following the expiration date,
Expedia will, in its sole discretion, determine the purchase
price that it will pay for shares properly tendered and not
properly withdrawn, taking into account the number of shares
tendered and the prices specified by tendering stockholders.
Expedia will select the lowest purchase price, not greater than
$22.00 nor less than $18.50 per share, net to the seller in
cash, without interest, that will enable it to purchase
30,000,000 shares, or such fewer number of shares as are
properly tendered and not properly withdrawn in the tender
offer. Expedia will purchase all shares properly tendered at or
below the purchase price (and not properly withdrawn), all at
the purchase price, upon the terms and subject to the conditions
of the tender offer, including the odd lot, proration and
conditional tender provisions.
Expedia will not purchase shares tendered at prices greater than
the purchase price and shares that it does not accept in the
tender offer because of proration provisions or conditional
tenders. Expedia will return to the tendering stockholders
shares that it does not purchase in the tender offer at
Expedias expense as promptly as practicable after the
expiration date. By following the instructions to the letter of
transmittal, stockholders can specify one minimum price for a
specified portion of their shares and a different minimum price
for other specified shares, but stockholders must submit a
separate letter of transmittal for shares tendered at each
price. Stockholders also can specify the order in which Expedia
will purchase the specified portions in the event that, as a
result of the proration provisions or otherwise, Expedia
purchases some but not all of the tendered shares pursuant to
the tender offer.
7
If the number of shares properly tendered at or below the
purchase price and not properly withdrawn prior to the
expiration date is fewer than or equal to
30,000,000 shares, or such greater number of shares as
Expedia may elect to purchase, subject to applicable law,
Expedia will, upon the terms and subject to the conditions of
the tender offer, purchase all such shares.
Priority of Purchases. Upon the terms and
subject to the conditions of the tender offer, if greater than
30,000,000 shares, or such greater number of shares as
Expedia may elect to purchase, subject to applicable law, have
been properly tendered at prices at or below the purchase price
and not properly withdrawn prior to the expiration date, Expedia
will purchase properly tendered shares on the basis set forth
below:
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First, we will purchase all shares tendered by all holders of
odd lots who:
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tender all shares owned beneficially or of record at a price at
or below the purchase price selected by us (partial tenders will
not qualify for this preference); and
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complete the section entitled Odd Lots in the letter
of transmittal and, if applicable, in the notice of guaranteed
delivery.
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Second, subject to the conditional tender provisions described
in Section 6, we will purchase all other shares tendered at
prices at or below the purchase price selected by us on a pro
rata basis with appropriate adjustments to avoid purchases of
fractional shares, as described below.
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Third, only if necessary to permit us to purchase
30,000,000 shares (or such greater number of shares as we
may elect to purchase, subject to applicable law), shares
conditionally tendered (for which the condition was not
initially satisfied) at or below the purchase price selected by
us, will, to the extent feasible, be selected for purchase by
random lot. To be eligible for purchase by random lot,
stockholders whose shares are conditionally tendered must have
tendered all of their shares.
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Expedia may not purchase all of the shares that a stockholder
tenders in the tender offer even if they are tendered at prices
at or below the purchase price. It is also possible that Expedia
will not purchase any of the shares conditionally tendered even
though those shares were tendered at prices at or below the
purchase price.
Odd Lots. For purposes of the tender offer,
the term odd lots shall mean all shares properly
tendered prior to the expiration date at prices at or below the
purchase price and not properly withdrawn by any person,
referred to as an odd lot holder, who owns
beneficially or of record an aggregate of fewer than
100 shares and so certifies in the appropriate place on the
letter of transmittal and, if applicable, on the notice of
guaranteed delivery. To qualify for this preference, an odd lot
holder must tender all shares owned beneficially or of record by
the odd lot holder in accordance with the procedures described
in Section 3. As set forth above, Expedia will accept odd
lots for payment before proration, if any, of the purchase of
other tendered shares. This preference is not available to
partial tenders or to beneficial or record holders of an
aggregate of 100 or more shares, even if these holders have
separate accounts or share certificates representing fewer than
100 shares. By accepting the tender offer, an odd lot
holder who holds shares in its name and tenders its shares
directly to the depositary would not only avoid the payment of
brokerage commissions, but also would avoid any applicable odd
lot discounts in a sale of the odd lot holders shares on
Nasdaq. Any odd lot holder wishing to tender all of its shares
pursuant to the tender offer should complete the section
entitled Odd Lots in the letter of transmittal and,
if applicable, in the notice of guaranteed delivery.
Proration. If proration of tendered shares is
required, Expedia will determine the proration factor as soon as
practicable following the expiration date. Subject to adjustment
to avoid the purchase of fractional shares and subject to the
provisions governing conditional tenders described in
Section 6 of this offer to purchase, proration for each
stockholder that tenders shares will be based on the ratio of
the total number of shares that we accept for purchase
(excluding odd lots) to the total number of shares
properly tendered (and not properly withdrawn) at or below the
purchase price by all stockholders (other than odd
lot holders).
Because of the difficulty in determining the number of shares
properly tendered, including shares tendered by guaranteed
delivery procedures, as described in Section 3, and not
properly withdrawn, and because of the odd lot procedure and
conditional tender provisions, Expedia does not expect that it
will be able to announce the final proration factor or commence
payment for any shares purchased under the tender offer until at
least five business days after the expiration date. The
preliminary results of any proration will be announced by press
release as
8
promptly as practicable after the expiration date. Stockholders
may obtain preliminary proration information from the
information agent and may be able to obtain this information
from their brokers.
As described in Section 14, the number of shares that
Expedia will purchase from a stockholder under the tender offer
may affect the U.S. federal income tax consequences to that
stockholder and, therefore, may be relevant to that
stockholders decision whether or not to tender shares.
We will mail this offer to purchase and the letter of
transmittal to record holders of shares and we will furnish this
offer to purchase to brokers, dealers, commercial banks and
trust companies whose names, or the names of whose nominees,
appear on Expedias stockholder list or, if applicable,
that are listed as participants in a clearing agencys
security position listing for subsequent transmittal to
beneficial owners of shares.
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2.
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Purpose
of the Tender Offer.
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Expedia believes that the tender offer is a prudent use of its
financial resources given its business profile, capital
structure, assets and the current market price of the shares,
and that investing in its own shares is an attractive use of
capital and an efficient means to provide value to its
stockholders. The tender offer represents the opportunity for
Expedia to return cash to stockholders who elect to tender their
shares. Where shares are tendered by the registered owner of
those shares directly to the depositary, the sale of those
shares in the tender offer will permit the seller to avoid the
usual transaction costs associated with open market sales.
Furthermore, odd lot holders who hold shares registered in their
names and tender their shares directly to the depositary and
whose shares are purchased under the tender offer will avoid not
only the payment of brokerage commissions but also any
applicable odd lot discounts that might be payable on sales of
their shares in Nasdaq transactions.
Stockholders who do not tender their shares pursuant to the
tender offer and stockholders who otherwise retain an equity
interest in Expedia as a result of a partial tender of shares,
proration or a conditional tender for which the condition is not
satisfied will continue to be owners of Expedia and will realize
a proportionate increase in their relative equity interest in
Expedia immediately following consummation of the tender offer
and thus in Expedias future earnings and assets, and will
bear the attendant risks and rewards associated with owning the
equity securities of Expedia, including risks associated with
owning equity in a company that may be more highly leveraged
than Expedia is currently. Expedia believes the tender offer, if
completed, will be accretive to earnings per share. However the
actual impact of the tender offer on Expedias earnings per
share will depend upon, among other things, the terms and
conditions of additional indebtedness, if any. See
Section 10.
After the completion of the tender offer, Expedia expects to
have sufficient cash flow and access to funding to meet its cash
needs for normal operations, anticipated capital expenditures
and acquisition opportunities that may arise. However, Expedia
does from time to time evaluate potential acquisition
opportunities, which in some cases may involve a significant
amount of cash consideration, and which, as a result of the
purchase of shares in the tender offer and any such acquisitions
for cash using the proceeds of debt financing, could result in a
significant increase in the amount of Expedias
indebtedness and leverage. See Section 9.
Neither Expedia nor the Expedia Board of Directors makes any
recommendation to any stockholder as to whether to tender or
refrain from tendering any shares or as to the price or prices
at which stockholders may choose to tender their shares. Expedia
has not authorized any person to make any recommendation.
Stockholders should carefully evaluate all information in the
tender offer, should consult their own investment and tax
advisors, and should make their own decisions about whether to
tender shares, and, if so, how many shares to tender and the
price or prices at which to tender. Expedia has been advised
that none of its directors or executive officers or Liberty
Media Corporation (Liberty Media) intends to tender
any shares in the tender offer.
The tender offer is in addition to the share repurchase program
authorized by our Board of Directors in August 2006, pursuant to
which Expedia is authorized to repurchase up to an additional
20 million outstanding shares of common stock. Whether or
not we may make such repurchases or any additional repurchases
will depend on many factors, including, without limitation, the
number of shares, if any, that we purchase in this tender offer,
whether or not, in Expedias judgment, such future
repurchases would be accretive to earnings per share,
Expedias business and financial performance and situation,
the business and market conditions at the time, including the
price of the shares, and such other factors as Expedia may
consider relevant. Any future repurchases may be on the same
terms
9
or on terms that are more or less favorable to the selling
stockholders than the terms of the tender offer.
Rule 13e-4
of the Exchange Act prohibits Expedia and its affiliates from
purchasing any shares, other than pursuant to the tender offer,
until at least ten business days after the expiration date of
the tender offer, except pursuant to certain limited exceptions
provided in
Rule 14e-5
of the Exchange Act.
Expedia will hold in treasury any shares that it acquires
pursuant to the tender offer, and such shares will be available
for Expedia to issue without further stockholder action (except
as required by applicable law or the rules of Nasdaq or any
other securities exchange on which the shares may then be
listed) for various purposes including, without limitation,
acquisitions, raising additional capital and the satisfaction of
obligations under existing or future employee benefit or
compensation programs or stock plans or compensation programs
for directors.
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3.
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Procedures
for Tendering Shares.
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Proper Tender of Shares. For stockholders to
properly tender shares under the tender offer:
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the depositary must receive, at the depositarys address
set forth on the back cover page of this offer to purchase,
share certificates (or confirmation of receipt of such shares
under the procedure for book-entry transfer set forth below),
together with a properly completed and duly executed letter of
transmittal, including any required signature guarantees, or an
agents message, and any other documents
required by the letter of transmittal, before the tender offer
expires, or
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the tendering stockholder must comply with the guaranteed
delivery procedure set forth below.
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If a broker, dealer, commercial bank, trust company or other
nominee holds your shares, it is likely they have an earlier
deadline for you to act to instruct them to accept the tender
offer on your behalf. We urge you to contact your broker,
dealer, commercial bank, trust company or other nominee to find
out their applicable deadline.
In accordance with Instruction 5 of the letter of
transmittal, stockholders desiring to tender shares in the
tender offer must properly indicate in the section captioned
(1) Price (in Dollars) Per Share at Which Shares are
Being Tendered on the letter of transmittal the price (in
multiples of $.25) at which stockholders are tendering shares or
(2) Shares Tendered at Price Determined Pursuant
to the Tender Offer in the letter of transmittal that the
stockholder will accept the purchase price determined by Expedia
in accordance with the terms of the tender offer.
If tendering stockholders wish to maximize the chance that
Expedia will purchase their shares, they should check the box in
the section of the letter of transmittal captioned
Shares Tendered at Price Determined Pursuant to the
Tender Offer. Note that this election could have the
effect of decreasing the price at which Expedia purchases
tendered shares because shares tendered using this election will
be available for purchase at the minimum price of $18.50 per
share and, as a result, it is possible that this election could
result in Expedia purchasing tendered shares at the minimum
price of $18.50 per share.
A stockholder who desires to tender shares at more than one
price must complete a separate letter of transmittal for each
price at which such stockholder tenders shares, provided that a
stockholder may not tender the same shares (unless properly
withdrawn previously in accordance with Section 4) at
more than one price. To tender shares properly, stockholders
must check one and only one price box in the appropriate section
of each letter of transmittal. If you check more than one box or
if you fail to check any box at all you will not have validly
tendered your shares.
Odd lot holders who tender all shares must complete the section
captioned Odd Lots in the letter of transmittal and,
if applicable, in the notice of guaranteed delivery, to qualify
for the preferential treatment available to odd lot holders as
set forth in Section 1.
We urge stockholders who hold shares through brokers or banks
to consult the brokers or banks to determine whether transaction
costs are applicable if they tender shares through the brokers
or banks and not directly to the depositary.
Signature Guarantees. Except as otherwise
provided below, all signatures on a letter of transmittal must
be guaranteed by a financial institution (including most banks,
savings and loans associations and brokerage houses)
10
which is a participant in the Securities Transfer Agents
Medallion Program. Signatures on a letter of transmittal need
not be guaranteed if:
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the letter of transmittal is signed by the registered holder of
the shares (which term, for purposes of this Section 3,
shall include any participant in The Depository Trust Company,
referred to as the book-entry transfer facility,
whose name appears on a security position listing as the owner
of the shares) tendered therewith and the holder has not
completed either the box captioned Special Delivery
Instructions or the box captioned Special Payment
Instructions in the letter of transmittal; or
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if shares are tendered for the account of a bank, broker,
dealer, credit union, savings association or other entity which
is a member in good standing of the Securities Transfer Agents
Medallion Program or a bank, broker, dealer, credit union,
savings association or other entity which is an eligible
guarantor institution, as such term is defined in
Rule 17Ad-15
under the Exchange Act. See Instruction 1 of the letter
of transmittal.
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If a share certificate is registered in the name of a person
other than the person executing a letter of transmittal, or if
payment is to be made to a person other than the registered
holder, then the certificate must be endorsed or accompanied by
an appropriate stock power, in either case signed exactly as the
name of the registered holder appears on the certificate, with
the signature guaranteed by an eligible guarantor institution.
Expedia will make payment for shares tendered and accepted for
payment under the tender offer only after the depositary timely
receives share certificates or a timely confirmation of the
book-entry transfer of the shares into the depositarys
account at the book-entry transfer facility as described above,
a properly completed and duly executed letter of transmittal, or
an agents message in the case of a book-entry transfer,
and any other documents required by the letter of transmittal.
Method of Delivery. The method of delivery
of all documents, including share certificates, the letter of
transmittal and any other required documents, is at the election
and risk of the tendering stockholder. If you choose to deliver
required documents by mail, we recommend that you use registered
mail with return receipt requested, properly insured.
Book-Entry Delivery. The depositary will
establish an account with respect to the shares for purposes of
the tender offer at the book-entry transfer facility within two
business days after the date of this offer to purchase, and any
financial institution that is a participant in the book-entry
transfer facilitys system may make book-entry delivery of
the shares by causing the book-entry transfer facility to
transfer shares into the depositarys account in accordance
with the book-entry transfer facilitys procedures for
transfer. Although participants in the book-entry transfer
facility may effect delivery of shares through a book-entry
transfer into the depositarys account at the book-entry
transfer facility, either
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a properly completed and duly executed letter of transmittal,
including any required signature guarantees, or an agents
message, and any other required documents must, in any case, be
transmitted to and received by the depositary at its address set
forth on the back cover page of this offer to purchase before
the expiration date, or
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the guaranteed delivery procedure described below must be
followed.
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Delivery of the letter of transmittal and any other required
documents to the book-entry transfer facility does not
constitute delivery to the depositary.
The term agents message means a message
transmitted by the book-entry transfer facility to, and received
by, the depositary, which states that the book-entry transfer
facility has received an express acknowledgment from the
participant in the book-entry transfer facility tendering the
shares that the participant has received and agrees to be bound
by the terms of the letter of transmittal and that Expedia may
enforce the agreement against the participant.
Expedia Retirement Savings Plan. Participants
who hold shares of Expedia common stock through the Expedia
Retirement Savings Plan desiring to direct Fidelity Management
Trust Company, the trustee for the plan, to tender any shares
held through their accounts under the plan pursuant to the
tender offer must instruct the trustee to tender such shares by
properly completing, duly executing and returning to the trustee
the election forms sent
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separately to such participants by Expedia. The trustee will
aggregate all such tenders and execute letters of transmittal on
behalf of all plan participants desiring to tender plan shares.
Delivery of a letter of transmittal by a participant in the
plan with respect to any plan shares does not constitute proper
tender of such shares. Only the trustee can properly tender any
plan shares. The deadline for submitting election forms to the
trustee is earlier than the expiration date because of the need
to tabulate participant instructions. If a stockholder
desires to tender shares owned outside of a plan, as well as
plan shares, such stockholder must properly complete and duly
execute a letter of transmittal for the shares owned outside the
plan and deliver such letter of transmittal directly to the
depositary, and follow the special instructions provided by
Expedia for directing the trustee to tender plan shares. Please
direct any questions regarding the tender of plan shares to the
trustee in accordance with the procedures described in the
separate materials provided to plan participants.
Federal Backup Withholding Tax. Under the
federal income tax backup withholding rules, 28% of the gross
proceeds payable to a stockholder or other payee pursuant to the
tender offer must be withheld and remitted to the United States
Treasury, unless the stockholder or other payee provides his or
her taxpayer identification number (employer identification
number or social security number) to the depositary and
certifies that such number is correct or an exemption otherwise
applies under applicable regulations. Therefore, unless such an
exemption exists and is proven in a manner satisfactory to the
depositary, each tendering stockholder should complete and sign
the Substitute
Form W-9
included as part of the letter of transmittal so as to provide
the information and certification necessary to avoid backup
withholding. Certain stockholders (including, among others, all
corporations and certain foreign individuals) are not subject to
these backup withholding and reporting requirements. In order
for a foreign individual to qualify as an exempt recipient, that
stockholder must submit a statement, signed under penalties of
perjury, attesting to that individuals exempt status.
Tendering stockholders can obtain such statements from the
depositary. See Instruction 12 of the letter of
transmittal.
Any tendering stockholder or other payee who fails to
complete fully and sign the Substitute
Form W-9
included in the letter of transmittal may be subject to required
federal income tax backup withholding of 28% of the gross
proceeds paid to such stockholder or other payee pursuant to the
tender offer.
Gross proceeds payable pursuant to the tender offer to a foreign
stockholder or his or her agent will be subject to withholding
of federal income tax at a rate of 30%, unless we determine that
a reduced rate of withholding is applicable pursuant to a tax
treaty or that an exemption from withholding is applicable
because such gross proceeds are effectively connected with the
conduct of a trade or business within the United States. For
this purpose, a foreign stockholder is any stockholder that is
not
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a citizen or resident of the United States,
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a corporation, partnership or other entity created or organized
in or under the laws of the United States,
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a trust whose administration is subject to the primary
supervision of a U.S. court and which has one or more
U.S. persons who have the authority to make all substantial
decisions, or
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an estate the income of which is subject to United States
federal income taxation regardless of its source.
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A foreign stockholder may be eligible to file for a refund of
such tax or a portion of such tax if such stockholder meets the
complete redemption, substantially
disproportionate or not essentially equivalent to a
dividend tests described in Section 14 or if such
stockholder is entitled to a reduced rate of withholding
pursuant to a tax treaty and Expedia withheld at a higher rate.
In order to obtain a reduced rate of withholding under a tax
treaty, a foreign stockholder must deliver to the depositary
before the payment a properly completed and executed statement
claiming such an exemption or reduction. Tendering stockholders
can obtain such statements from the depositary. In order to
claim an exemption from withholding on the grounds that gross
proceeds paid pursuant to the tender offer are effectively
connected with the conduct of a trade or business within the
United States, a foreign stockholder must deliver to the
depositary a properly executed statement claiming such
exemption. Tendering stockholders can obtain such statements
from the depositary. See Instruction 12 of the letter of
transmittal. We urge foreign stockholders to consult their
own tax advisors regarding the application of federal income tax
withholding, including eligibility for a withholding tax
reduction or exemption and the refund procedure.
For a discussion of United States federal income tax
consequences to tendering stockholders, see
Section 14.
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Guaranteed Delivery. If a stockholder desires
to tender shares under the tender offer and the
stockholders share certificates are not immediately
available or the stockholder cannot deliver the share
certificates to the depositary before the expiration date, or
the stockholder cannot complete the procedure for book-entry
transfer on a timely basis, or if time will not permit all
required documents to reach the depositary before the expiration
date, the stockholder may nevertheless tender the shares,
provided that the stockholder satisfies all of the following
conditions:
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the stockholder makes the tender by or through an eligible
guarantor institution;
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the depositary receives by hand, mail, overnight courier or
facsimile transmission, before the expiration date, a properly
completed and duly executed notice of guaranteed delivery in the
form Expedia has provided, specifying the price at which the
stockholder is tendering shares, including (where required) a
signature guarantee by an eligible guarantor institution in the
form set forth in such notice of guaranteed delivery; and
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the depositary receives the share certificates, in proper form
for transfer, or confirmation of book-entry transfer of the
shares into the depositarys account at the book-entry
transfer facility, together with a properly completed and duly
executed letter of transmittal, or a manually signed facsimile
thereof, and including any required signature guarantees, or an
agents message, and any other documents required by the
letter of transmittal, within three Nasdaq trading days after
the date of receipt by the depositary of the notice of
guaranteed delivery.
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Return of Unpurchased Shares. The depositary
will return certificates for unpurchased shares as promptly as
practicable after the expiration or termination of the tender
offer or the proper withdrawal of the shares, as applicable, or,
in the case of shares tendered by book-entry transfer at the
book-entry transfer facility, the depositary will credit the
shares to the appropriate account maintained by the tendering
stockholder at the book-entry transfer facility, in each case
without expense to the stockholder.
Determination of Validity; Rejection of Shares; Waiver of
Defects; No Obligation to Give Notice of
Defects. Expedia will determine, in its sole
discretion, all questions as to the number of shares that we
will accept, the price that we will pay for shares that we
accept and the validity, form, eligibility (including time of
receipt) and acceptance for payment of any tender of shares, and
our determination will be final and binding on all parties.
Expedia reserves the absolute right to reject any or all tenders
of any shares that it determines are not in proper form or the
acceptance for payment of or payment for which Expedia
determines may be unlawful. Expedia also reserves the absolute
right to waive any defect or irregularity in any tender with
respect to any particular shares or any particular stockholder,
and Expedias interpretation of the terms of the tender
offer will be final and binding on all parties. No tender of
shares will be deemed to have been properly made until the
stockholder cures, or Expedia waives, all defects or
irregularities. None of Expedia, the depositary, the information
agent or any other person will be under any duty to give
notification of any defects or irregularities in any tender or
incur any liability for failure to give this notification.
Tendering Stockholders Representation and Warranty;
Expedias Acceptance Constitutes an
Agreement. A tender of shares under any of the
procedures described above will constitute the tendering
stockholders acceptance of the terms and conditions of the
tender offer, as well as the tendering stockholders
representation and warranty to Expedia that:
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the stockholder has a net long position in the shares or
equivalent securities at least equal to the shares tendered
within the meaning of
Rule 14e-4
of the Exchange Act, and
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the tender of shares complies with
Rule 14e-4.
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It is a violation of
Rule 14e-4
for a person, directly or indirectly, to tender shares for that
persons own account unless, at the time of tender and at
the end of the proration period or period during which shares
are accepted by lot (including any extensions thereof), the
person so tendering:
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has a net long position equal to or greater than the amount
tendered in
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the shares, or
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securities immediately convertible into, or exchangeable or
exercisable for, the shares, and
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will deliver or cause to be delivered the shares in accordance
with the terms of the tender offer.
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13
Rule 14e-4
provides a similar restriction applicable to the tender or
guarantee of a tender on behalf of another person.
Expedias acceptance for payment of shares tendered under
the tender offer will constitute a binding agreement between the
tendering stockholder and Expedia upon the terms and conditions
of the tender offer.
Lost or Destroyed Certificates. Stockholders
whose share certificate for part or all of their shares has been
lost, stolen, misplaced or destroyed may contact The Bank of New
York, the transfer agent for Expedia shares, at the address and
telephone number set forth on the back cover of this offer to
purchase, for instructions as to obtaining a replacement share
certificate. That share certificate will then be required to be
submitted together with the letter of transmittal in order to
receive payment for shares that are tendered and accepted for
payment. The stockholder may be required to post a bond to
secure against the risk that the original share certificate may
subsequently emerge. We urge stockholders to contact The Bank of
New York immediately in order to permit timely processing of
this documentation.
Stockholders must deliver share certificates, together with a
properly completed and duly executed letter of transmittal,
including any signature guarantees, or an agents message,
and any other required documents to the depositary and not to
Expedia or the information agent. Expedia or the information
agent will not forward any such documents to the depositary and
delivery to Expedia or the information agent will not constitute
a proper tender of shares.
Stockholders may withdraw shares tendered under the tender offer
at any time prior to the expiration date. Thereafter, such
tenders are irrevocable, except that they may be withdrawn after
12:00 Midnight, New York City time, on Wednesday,
February 7, 2007 unless theretofore accepted for payment as
provided in this offer to purchase.
For a withdrawal to be effective, the depositary must timely
receive a written or facsimile transmission notice of withdrawal
at the depositarys address set forth on the back cover
page of this offer to purchase. Any such notice of withdrawal
must specify the name of the tendering stockholder, the number
of shares that the stockholder wishes to withdraw and the name
of the registered holder of the shares. If the share
certificates to be withdrawn have been delivered or otherwise
identified to the depositary, then, before the release of the
share certificates, the serial numbers shown on the share
certificates must be submitted to the depositary and the
signature(s) on the notice of withdrawal must be guaranteed by
an eligible guarantor institution, unless the shares have been
tendered for the account of an eligible guarantor institution.
If a stockholder has tendered shares under the procedure for
book-entry transfer set forth in Section 3, any notice of
withdrawal also must specify the name and the number of the
account at the book-entry transfer facility to be credited with
the withdrawn shares and must otherwise comply with the
book-entry transfer facilitys procedures. Expedia will
determine all questions as to the form and validity (including
the time of receipt) of any notice of withdrawal, in its sole
discretion, and such determination will be final and binding on
all parties. None of Expedia, the depositary, the information
agent or any other person will be under any duty to give
notification of any defects or irregularities in any notice of
withdrawal or incur any liability for failure to give this
notification.
A stockholder may not rescind a withdrawal and Expedia will deem
any shares that a stockholder properly withdraws not properly
tendered for purposes of the tender offer, unless the
stockholder properly re-tenders the withdrawn shares before the
expiration date by following one of the procedures described in
Section 3.
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5.
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Purchase
of Shares and Payment of Purchase Price.
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Upon the terms and subject to the conditions of the tender
offer, as promptly as practicable following the expiration date,
Expedia:
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will determine the purchase price it will pay for shares
properly tendered and not properly withdrawn before the
expiration date, taking into account the number of shares so
tendered and the prices specified by tendering
stockholders, and
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will accept for payment and pay for, and thereby purchase,
shares properly tendered at prices at or below the purchase
price and not properly withdrawn prior to the expiration date.
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14
For purposes of the tender offer, Expedia will be deemed to have
accepted for payment, and therefore purchased shares, that are
properly tendered at or below the purchase price and are not
properly withdrawn, subject to the odd lot,
proration and conditional tender provisions of the tender offer,
only when, as and if it gives oral or written notice to the
depositary of its acceptance of the shares for payment under the
tender offer.
Upon the terms and subject to the conditions of the tender
offer, as promptly as practicable after the expiration date,
Expedia will accept for payment and pay a single per share
purchase price not greater than $22.00 nor less than $18.50 per
share for 30,000,000 shares, subject to increase or
decrease as provided in Section 15, if properly tendered
and not properly withdrawn, or such fewer number of shares as
are properly tendered and not properly withdrawn.
Expedia will pay for shares that it purchases under the tender
offer by depositing the aggregate purchase price for these
shares with the depositary, which will act as agent for
tendering stockholders for the purpose of receiving payment from
Expedia and transmitting payment to the tendering stockholders.
In the event of proration, Expedia will determine the proration
factor and pay for those tendered shares accepted for payment as
soon as practicable after the expiration date; however, Expedia
does not expect to be able to announce the final results of any
proration and commence payment for shares purchased until at
least five business days after the expiration date. Shares
tendered and not purchased, including all shares tendered at
prices greater than the purchase price and shares that Expedia
does not accept for purchase due to proration or conditional
tenders, will be returned to the tendering stockholder, or, in
the case of shares tendered by book-entry transfer, will be
credited to the account maintained with the book-entry transfer
facility by the participant therein who so delivered the shares,
at Expedias expense, as promptly as practicable after the
expiration date or termination of the tender offer without
expense to the tendering stockholders. Under no circumstances
will Expedia pay interest on the purchase price regardless of
any delay in making the payment. If certain events occur,
Expedia may not be obligated to purchase shares under the tender
offer. See Section 7.
Expedia will pay all stock transfer taxes, if any, payable on
the transfer to it of shares purchased under the tender offer.
If, however,
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payment of the purchase price is to be made to any person other
than the registered holder,
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certificate(s) for shares not tendered or tendered but not
purchased are to be returned in the name of and to any person
other than the registered holder(s) of such shares, or
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if tendered certificates are registered in the name of any
person other than the person signing the letter of transmittal,
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the amount of all stock transfer taxes, if any (whether imposed
on the registered holder or the other person), payable on
account of the transfer to the person will be deducted from the
purchase price unless satisfactory evidence of the payment of
the stock transfer taxes, or exemption therefrom, is submitted.
See Instruction 9 of the letter of transmittal.
Any tendering stockholder or other payee who fails to
complete fully, sign and return to the depositary the substitute
Form W-9
included with the letter of transmittal may be subject to
U.S. federal income tax backup withholding on the gross
proceeds paid to the stockholder or other payee under the tender
offer. See Section 3.
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6.
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Conditional
Tender of Shares.
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Subject to the exception for holders of odd lots, in the event
of an over-subscription of the tender offer, shares tendered at
or below the purchase price prior to the expiration date will be
subject to proration. See Section 1. As discussed in
Section 14, the number of shares to be purchased from a
particular stockholder may affect the tax treatment of the
purchase to the stockholder and the stockholders decision
whether to tender. Accordingly, a stockholder may tender shares
subject to the condition that Expedia must purchase a specified
minimum number of the stockholders shares tendered
pursuant to a letter of transmittal if Expedia purchases any
shares tendered. Any stockholder desiring to make a conditional
tender must so indicate in the box entitled Conditional
Tender in the
15
letter of transmittal and indicate the minimum number of shares
that Expedia must purchase if Expedia purchases any shares. We
urge each stockholder to consult with his or her own financial
or tax advisors.
After the expiration date, if more than 30,000,000 shares
(or such greater number of shares as we may elect to purchase,
subject to applicable law) are properly tendered and not
properly withdrawn, so that we must prorate our acceptance of
and payment for tendered shares, we will calculate a preliminary
proration factor based upon all shares properly tendered,
conditionally or unconditionally. If the effect of this
preliminary proration would be to reduce the number of shares
that we purchase from any stockholder below the minimum number
specified, the shares conditionally tendered will automatically
be regarded as withdrawn (except as provided in the next
paragraph). All shares tendered by a stockholder subject to a
conditional tender that are withdrawn as a result of proration
will be returned at our expense to the tendering stockholder.
After giving effect to these withdrawals, we will accept the
remaining shares properly tendered, conditionally or
unconditionally, on a pro rata basis, if necessary. If
conditional tenders that would otherwise be regarded as
withdrawn would cause the total number of shares that we
purchase to fall below 30,000,000 (or such greater number of
shares as we may elect to purchase, subject to applicable law)
then, to the extent feasible, we will select enough of the
shares conditionally tendered that would otherwise have been
withdrawn to permit us to purchase such number of shares. In
selecting among the conditional tenders, we will select by
random lot, treating all tenders by a particular taxpayer as a
single lot, and will limit our purchase in each case to the
designated minimum number of shares to be purchased. To be
eligible for purchase by random lot, stockholders whose shares
are conditionally tendered must have tendered all of their
shares.
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7.
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Conditions
of the Tender Offer.
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Notwithstanding any other provision of the tender offer, Expedia
will not be required to accept for payment, purchase or pay for
any shares tendered, and may terminate or amend the tender offer
or may postpone the acceptance for payment of, or the purchase
of and the payment for shares tendered, subject to
Rule 13e-4(f)
under the Exchange Act, if, at any time on or after
December 11, 2006 and before the expiration date, any of
the following events shall have occurred (or shall have been
reasonably determined by Expedia to have occurred) that, in
Expedias reasonable judgment and regardless of the
circumstances giving rise to the event or events, make it
inadvisable to proceed with the tender offer or with acceptance
for payment:
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there shall have been threatened, instituted or pending any
action or proceeding by any government or governmental,
regulatory or administrative agency, authority or tribunal or
any other person, domestic or foreign, before any court,
authority, agency or tribunal that directly or indirectly:
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challenges the making of the tender offer, the acquisition of
some or all of the shares under the tender offer or otherwise
relates in any manner to the tender offer, or
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in Expedias reasonable judgment, could materially and
adversely affect the business, condition (financial or other),
assets, income, operations or prospects of Expedia or any of its
subsidiaries, or otherwise materially impair in any way the
contemplated future conduct of the business of Expedia or any of
its subsidiaries or materially impair the contemplated benefits
of the tender offer to Expedia;
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there shall have been any action threatened, pending or taken,
or approval withheld, or any statute, rule, regulation,
judgment, order or injunction threatened, proposed, sought,
promulgated, enacted, entered, amended, enforced or deemed to be
applicable to the tender offer or Expedia or any of its
subsidiaries, by any court or any authority, agency or tribunal
that, in Expedias reasonable judgment, would or might,
directly or indirectly:
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make the acceptance for payment of, or payment for, some or all
of the shares illegal or otherwise restrict or prohibit
completion of the tender offer,
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delay or restrict the ability of Expedia, or render Expedia
unable, to accept for payment or pay for some or all of the
shares,
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materially impair the contemplated benefits of the tender offer
to Expedia, or
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materially and adversely affect the business, condition
(financial or other), assets, income, operations or prospects of
Expedia, or any of its subsidiaries, or otherwise materially
impair in any way the contemplated future conduct of the
business of Expedia or any of its subsidiaries;
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there shall have occurred:
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any general suspension of trading in, or limitation on prices
for, securities on any national securities exchange or in the
over-the-counter
market in the United States or the European Union,
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the declaration of a banking moratorium or any suspension of
payments in respect of banks in the United States or the
European Union,
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a material change in United States or any other currency
exchange rates or a suspension of or limitation on the markets
therefor,
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the commencement or escalation of a war, armed hostilities or
other international or national calamity directly or indirectly
involving the United States or any of its territories, including
but not limited to an act of terrorism,
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any limitation (whether or not mandatory) by any governmental,
regulatory or administrative agency or authority on, or any
event, or any disruption or adverse change in the financial or
capital markets generally or the market for loan syndications in
particular, that, in Expedias reasonable judgment, might
affect the extension of credit by banks or other lending
institutions in the United States,
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any change in the general political, market, economic or
financial conditions in the United States or abroad that could,
in the reasonable judgment of Expedia, have a material adverse
effect on the business, condition (financial or other), assets,
income, operations or prospects of Expedia or any of its
subsidiaries, or otherwise materially impair in any way the
contemplated future conduct of the business of Expedia or any of
its subsidiaries,
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in the case of any of the foregoing existing at the time of the
commencement of the tender offer, a material acceleration or
worsening thereof, or
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any decline in the market price of the shares or the Dow Jones
Industrial Average or the Standard and Poors Index of 500
Industrial Companies or the New York Stock Exchange or the
Nasdaq Composite Index by a material amount (including, without
limitation, an amount greater than 10%) from the close of
business on December 8, 2006;
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a tender offer or exchange offer for any or all of the shares
(other than this tender offer), or any merger, business
combination or other similar transaction with or involving
Expedia or any of its subsidiaries or affiliates, shall have
been proposed, announced or made by any person;
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any change or combination of changes shall have occurred or been
threatened in the business, condition (financial or other),
assets, income, operations, prospects or stock ownership of
Expedia or any of its subsidiaries, that in Expedias
reasonable judgment is or may reasonably be likely to be
material and adverse to Expedia or any of its subsidiaries or
that otherwise materially impairs in any way the contemplated
future conduct of the business of Expedia or any of its
subsidiaries;
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any approval, permit, authorization, favorable review or consent
of any governmental entity required to be obtained in connection
with the tender offer shall not have been obtained on terms
satisfactory to Expedia in its reasonable judgment;
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Expedia shall not have received a Required Opinion in respect of
the purchase of shares pursuant to the tender offer (See
Interests of Directors and Executive Officers;
Transactions and Arrangements Concerning Shares
Transactions and Arrangements Concerning Shares Tax
Sharing Agreement);
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Expedia reasonably determines that the completion of the tender
offer and the purchase of the shares may
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cause the shares to be held of record by fewer than 300
persons, or
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cause the shares to cease to be traded on Nasdaq or to be
eligible for deregistration under the Exchange Act.
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The foregoing conditions are for the sole benefit of Expedia and
may be asserted by Expedia regardless of the circumstances
giving rise to any of these conditions, and may be waived by
Expedia, in whole or in part, at any time and from time to time,
before the expiration date, in its sole discretion.
Expedias failure at any time to exercise any of the
foregoing rights shall not be deemed a waiver of any of these
rights, and each of these rights shall be deemed an ongoing
right that may be asserted at any time and from time to time.
Any determination or judgment by Expedia concerning the events
described above will be final and binding on all parties.
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8.
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Price
Range of Shares; Dividends.
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The shares of common stock have been quoted on Nasdaq under the
ticker symbol EXPE since August 9, 2005. The
following table sets forth the high and low sales prices for
Expedia common stock for each of the quarterly periods presented.
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High
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Low
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Fiscal 2005:
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Third Quarter (from August 9,
2005 through September 30, 2005)
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$
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24.52
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$
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18.61
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Fourth Quarter
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26.32
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18.49
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Fiscal 2006:
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First Quarter
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$
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27.55
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$
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17.42
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Second Quarter
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20.55
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13.36
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Third Quarter
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17.28
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12.87
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Fourth Quarter (through
December 8, 2006)
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21.00
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15.55
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We publicly announced the tender offer prior to the close of
trading on Nasdaq on December 8, 2006. On December 7,
2006, the reported closing price of the common stock on Nasdaq
was $18.62 per share. On December 8, 2006, the last trading day
prior to the commencement of the tender offer, the reported
closing price of the common stock on Nasdaq was $20.46. We
urge stockholders to obtain current market quotations for the
shares.
We have not historically paid dividends on our common stock or
Class B common stock. Declaration and payment of future
dividends, if any, will be at the discretion of the Board of
Directors and will depend on, among other things, our results of
operations, cash requirements and surplus, financial condition,
share dilution management, legal risks, capital requirements
relating to research and development, investments and
acquisitions, and challenges to our business model and other
factors that the Board of Directors may deem relevant. In
addition, our bank credit facility limits our ability to pay
cash dividends under certain circumstances.
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9.
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Source
and Amount of Funds.
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Assuming that 30,000,000 shares are purchased in the tender
offer at a price between $18.50 and $22.00 per share, the
aggregate purchase price will be between approximately
$555 million and $660 million. Expedia expects that
its related fees and expenses for the tender offer will be
approximately $1.5 million. Expedia anticipates that it
will obtain all of the funds necessary to purchase shares
tendered in the tender offer, and to pay related fees and
expenses, through cash on hand
and/or
through the proceeds of additional indebtedness that we may
incur either in the form of borrowings under our current bank
credit facility described below to the extent permitted under
the facility or through the public
and/or
private placement of new debt securities. The tender offer is
not subject to the receipt of financing by Expedia.
On July 8, 2005 we entered into a Credit Agreement, as
amended as of December 7, 2006, among us, Expedia, Inc., a
Washington corporation, Travelscape, Inc., a Nevada corporation,
Hotels.com, a Delaware corporation, and Hotwire, Inc., a
Delaware corporation, as Borrowers; the Lenders party thereto;
Bank of America, N.A., as Syndication Agent; Wachovia Bank, N.A.
and The Royal Bank of Scotland PLC, as Co-Documentation Agents;
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JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A., as Administrative Agent; and
J.P. Morgan Europe Limited, as London Agent. The credit
agreement is a $1.0 billion five-year unsecured revolving
credit facility and is unconditionally guaranteed by certain of
our subsidiaries. The facility bears interest based on our
financial leverage, which as of December 1, 2006 was equal to
LIBOR plus 0.50%. The amount of standby letters of credit issued
under the facility reduces the amount available to us. As of
December 1, 2006 there was $51.4 million of
outstanding stand-by letters of credit issued under the
facility, leaving available borrowings of $948.6 million.
The facility also contains financial covenants consisting of a
leverage ratio and a minimum net worth requirement. As a result
of the minimum net worth requirement and depending upon the
purchase price and the number of shares accepted for purchase,
we expect that we would either seek an agreement with the
lenders under the facility to amend the facility or terminate
the facility and pay for the tendered shares using cash on hand
and/or the proceeds from new indebtedness. Any such termination
or failure to obtain new debt financing could have a material
adverse effect on our liquidity. If Expedia incurs additional
indebtedness to purchase tendered shares in the tender offer, we
expect to repay such indebtedness using cash from Expedias
operations and may refinance any such borrowing from time to
time.
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10.
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Certain
Information Concerning Expedia.
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Expedia, Inc. is an online travel company, empowering business
and leisure travelers with the tools and information they need
to efficiently research, plan, book and experience travel. We
have created a global travel marketplace used by a broad range
of leisure and corporate travelers and offline retail travel
agents. We make available, on a stand-alone and package basis,
travel products and services provided by numerous airlines,
lodging properties, car rental companies, destination service
providers, cruise lines and other travel products and services.
Our portfolio of brands, which are described below, includes:
Expedia.com, Hotels.com, Hotwire.com, our private label programs
(Worldwide Travel Exchange and Interactive Affiliate Network),
Classic Vacations, Expedia Corporate Travel, eLong, and
TripAdvisor. In addition, many of these brands have related
international points of sale.
Our executive offices are located at 3150 139th Avenue
S.E., Bellevue, Washington 98005, telephone number
(425) 679-7200.
Our Internet address is www.expediainc.com for corporate
and investor information. The information contained on our web
site or connected to our web site is not incorporated by
reference into this offer to purchase and should not be
considered part of this offer to purchase.
Additional Information. Expedia is subject to
the information requirements of the Exchange Act, and, in
accordance therewith, files periodic reports, proxy statements
and other information relating to its business, financial
condition and other matters. Expedia is required to disclose in
these proxy statements certain information, as of particular
dates, concerning the Expedia directors and executive officers,
their compensation, securities granted to them, the principal
holders of the securities of Expedia and any material interest
of such persons in transactions with Expedia. Pursuant to
Rule 13e-4(c)(2)
under the Exchange Act, Expedia has filed with the Securities
and Exchange Commission an Issuer Tender Offer Statement on
Schedule TO which includes additional information with
respect to the tender offer. This material and other information
may be inspected at the public reference facilities maintained
by the Securities and Exchange Commission at Room 1024,
450 Fifth Street, N.W., Washington, D.C. 20549. Copies
of this material can also be obtained by mail, upon payment of
the Securities and Exchange Commissions customary charges,
by writing to the Public Reference Section at 450 Fifth
Street, N.W., Washington, D.C. 20549. The Securities and
Exchange Commission also maintains a web site on the Internet at
http://www.sec.gov that contains reports, proxy and
information statements and other information regarding
registrants that file electronically with the Securities and
Exchange Commission.
Incorporation by Reference. The rules of the
Securities and Exchange Commission allow us to incorporate
by reference information into this document, which means
that we can disclose important information to you by referring
you to another document filed separately with the Securities and
Exchange Commission. These documents contain important
information about us.
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SEC Filings (File No.
000-51447)
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Period or Date Filed
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Annual Report on
Form 10-K
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Year ended December 31, 2005
(including information specifically incorporated by reference
into the Annual Report on
Form 10-K
from Expedias definitive proxy statement filed on
May 1, 2006)
|
|
Quarterly Reports on
Form 10-Q
|
|
Quarters ended March 31,
2006, June 30, 2006 and September 30, 2006
|
|
Current Reports on
Form 8-K
|
|
Filed March 3, 2006,
March 6, 2006, March 13, 2006, March 13, 2006,
April 7, 2006 (except for the information furnished
pursuant to Item 7.01 of
Form 8-K
and the furnished exhibits relating to that information),
May 31, 2006, August 4, 2006, August 10, 2006
(with respect to Item 8.01 information only),
August 17, 2006 and October 31, 2006
|
We incorporate by reference the documents listed above. You may
request a copy of these filings, at no cost, by writing or
telephoning us at our principal executive offices at the
following address: Investor Relations Department, Expedia,
Inc., 3150 139th Avenue S.E., Bellevue, Washington 98005,
(425) 679-7200.
Please be sure to include your complete name and address in the
request.
|
|
|
11.
|
Interests
of Directors and Executive Officers; Transactions and
Arrangements Concerning Shares.
|
Interests of Directors and Executive Officers. As of
December 1, 2006, Expedia had 305,671,754 issued and
outstanding shares of common stock, 25,599,998 issued and
outstanding shares of Class B common stock, 846 shares
of issued and outstanding Series A preferred stock
convertible into 846 shares of common stock, outstanding
warrants to purchase 34,646,282 shares of common stock and
outstanding options to purchase 23,301,475 shares of common
stock. The 30,000,000 shares Expedia is offering to
purchase under the tender offer represent approximately 9.8% of
the shares of common stock outstanding as of December 1,
2006 and 7.7% of the shares of common stock assuming exercise of
all outstanding warrants and options and the conversion of all
outstanding shares of Class B common stock and
Series A preferred stock.
As of December 1, 2006, Expedias directors and
executive officers as a group (15 individuals) beneficially
owned an aggregate of 86,280,595 shares of common stock,
representing approximately 25.19% of the outstanding shares of
common stock assuming conversion or exercise of certain Expedia
equity securities as described below. The directors and
executive officers of Expedia are entitled to participate in the
tender offer on the same basis as all other stockholders.
However, they and Liberty Media have advised Expedia that they
do not intend to tender any shares in the tender offer. To
Expedias knowledge, none of its affiliates intends to
tender any shares in the tender offer.
The following table presents information as of December 1,
2006 relating to the beneficial ownership of Expedias
capital stock by (1) each director and executive officer of
Expedia, (2) all directors and executive officers of
Expedia as a group and (3) Liberty Media. Except as
set forth in the table, such persons listed in the table may be
contacted at Expedias corporate headquarters at 3150
139th Avenue S.E., Bellevue, Washington 98005.
For each listed person, the number of shares of Expedia common
stock and Class B common stock and the percentage of each
such class listed assume the conversion or exercise of certain
Expedia equity securities, as described below, owned by such
person, but do not assume the conversion or exercise of any
equity securities owned by any other person, entity or group.
Shares of Expedia Class B common stock may, at the option
of the holder, be converted on a
one-for-one
basis into shares of Expedia common stock. For each listed
person, the number of shares of Expedia common stock and
Class B common stock and the percentage of each such class
listed include shares of Expedia common stock and Class B
common stock that may be acquired by such person, entity or
group on the conversion or exercise of equity securities, such
as stock options and warrants, that can be converted or
exercised, and restricted stock units that have or will have
vested, within 60 days of December 1, 2006.
The percentage of votes for all classes of Expedias
capital stock is based on one vote for each share of common
stock, 10 votes for each share of Class B common stock and
two votes for each share of Series A preferred stock.
20
The last two columns of the table below reflect ownership and
voting percentages after giving effect to the tender offer,
assuming Expedia purchases 30,000,000 shares and that
Expedias directors and executive officers and Liberty
Media do not tender any shares.
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|
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|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
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|
|
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|
Percent of
|
|
|
Percent of Votes
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
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|
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Common Stock
|
|
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(All Classes)
|
|
|
|
|
Expedia Common Stock
|
|
|
Expedia Class B Common Stock
|
|
|
Percent of Votes
|
|
|
After Tender
|
|
|
After Tender
|
|
|
Beneficial Owner
|
|
Shares
|
|
|
%
|
|
|
Shares
|
|
|
%
|
|
|
(All Classes)
|
|
|
Offer(+)
|
|
|
Offer(+)
|
|
|
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Liberty Media Corporation 12300
Liberty Blvd. Englewood, CO 80112
|
|
|
69,219,787(1
|
)
|
|
|
20.90
|
%
|
|
|
25,599,998
|
(2)
|
|
|
100
|
%
|
|
|
53.34
|
%
|
|
|
22.98
|
%
|
|
|
56.35
|
%
|
|
Barry Diller
|
|
|
84,345,775(3
|
)
|
|
|
24.75
|
%
|
|
|
25,599,998
|
(4)
|
|
|
100
|
%
|
|
|
55.11
|
%
|
|
|
27.14
|
%
|
|
|
58.16
|
%
|
|
Victor A. Kaufman
|
|
|
831,250(5
|
)
|
|
|
*
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
*
|
|
|
|
*
|
|
|
|
*
|
|
|
Dara Khosrowshahi
|
|
|
647,903(6
|
)
|
|
|
*
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
*
|
|
|
|
*
|
|
|
|
*
|
|
|
A. George Skip Battle
|
|
|
252,530(7
|
)
|
|
|
*
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
*
|
|
|
|
*
|
|
|
|
*
|
|
|
Simon Breakwell
|
|
|
62,513(8
|
)
|
|
|
*
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
*
|
|
|
|
*
|
|
|
|
*
|
|
|
Jonathan Dolgen
|
|
|
14,228(9
|
)
|
|
|
*
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
*
|
|
|
|
*
|
|
|
|
*
|
|
|
David Goldhill
|
|
|
2,500
|
|
|
|
*
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
*
|
|
|
|
*
|
|
|
|
*
|
|
|
William R. Fitzgerald
|
|
|
(10
|
)
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|
|
|
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|
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|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Peter Kern
|
|
|
2,500
|
|
|
|
*
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
*
|
|
|
|
*
|
|
|
|
*
|
|
|
John C. Malone
|
|
|
(10
|
)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Michael B. Adler
|
|
|
1,034
|
|
|
|
*
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
*
|
|
|
|
*
|
|
|
|
*
|
|
|
Kathleen K. Dellplain
|
|
|
115,733(11
|
)
|
|
|
*
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
*
|
|
|
|
*
|
|
|
|
*
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|
|
Burke F. Norton
|
|
|
|
|
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|
|
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|
|
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|
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|
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|
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|
Paul Onnen
|
|
|
3,727
|
|
|
|
*
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
*
|
|
|
|
*
|
|
|
|
*
|
|
|
Patricia L. Zuccotti
|
|
|
902
|
|
|
|
*
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
*
|
|
|
|
*
|
|
|
|
*
|
|
|
All executive officers and
directors as a group (15 persons) (12)
|
|
|
86,280,595
|
|
|
|
25.19
|
%
|
|
|
25,599,998
|
|
|
|
100
|
%
|
|
|
55.27
|
%
|
|
|
27.6
|
%
|
|
|
58.32
|
%
|
|
|
|
|
(+) |
|
Assuming Expedia purchases 30,000,000 shares and that
Expedias directors and executive officers and Liberty
Media do not tender. |
| |
|
(*) |
|
The percentage of shares beneficially owned does not exceed 1%
of the class. |
| |
|
(1) |
|
Based on information filed on Schedule 13D/A with the SEC
on December 13, 2005 by Liberty Media, Mr. Diller and
the BDTV Entities. Consists of (i) 43,619,789 shares
of Expedia common stock held by Liberty Media,
(ii) 1,176,594 shares of Class B common stock
held by Liberty Media and (iii) 24,423,404 shares of
Class B common stock held by the BDTV Entities. The
BDTV Entities consist of BDTV Inc., BDTV II
Inc., BDTV III Inc. and BDTV IV Inc. Pursuant to a
Stockholders Agreement, dated as of August 9, 2005 by and
between Liberty Media and Mr. Diller (the
Stockholders Agreement) described below,
Mr. Diller generally has the right to vote all of the
shares of Expedia common stock and Class B common stock
held by Liberty Media and the BDTV Entities. |
| |
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(2) |
|
Consists of 1,176,594 shares of Expedia Class B common
stock held by Liberty Media and 24,423,404 shares of
Expedia Class B common stock held by the BDTV Entities.
Pursuant to the Stockholders Agreement, Mr. Diller
generally has the right to vote all of the shares of Expedia
common stock and Class B common stock held by Liberty Media
and the BDTV Entities. |
| |
|
(3) |
|
Based on information filed on Schedule 13D/A with the SEC
on December 13, 2005 by Liberty Media, Mr. Diller and
the BDTV Entities. Consists of (i) 5,441,618 shares of
Expedia common stock owned by Mr. Diller, (ii) options
to purchase 9,500,000 shares of Expedia common stock held
by Mr. Diller, (iii) 184,370 shares of Expedia
common stock held by a private foundation as to which
Mr. Diller disclaims beneficial ownership,
(iv) 24,423,404 shares of Expedia Class B common
stock held by the BDTV Entities (see footnote 1 above),
(v) 43,619,789 shares of Expedia common stock held by
the BDTV Entities (see footnote 1 above) and
(vi) 1,176,594 shares of Expedia Class B common
stock held by Liberty Media (see footnote 1 above).
Pursuant to the Stockholders Agreement, Mr. Diller
generally has the right to vote all of the |
21
|
|
|
|
|
|
shares of Expedia common stock and Class B common stock
held by Liberty Media and the BDTV Entities. Excludes shares of
Expedia common stock and options to purchase shares of Expedia
common stock held by Diane Von Furstenberg,
Mr. Dillers spouse, as to which Mr. Diller
disclaims beneficial ownership. |
| |
|
(4) |
|
Consists of 1,176,594 shares of Expedia Class B common
stock held by Liberty Media and 24,423,404 shares of
Expedia Class B common stock held by the BDTV Entities.
Pursuant to the Stockholders Agreement, Mr. Diller
generally has the right to vote all of the shares of Expedia
Class B common stock held by Liberty Media and the BDTV
Entities. |
| |
|
(5) |
|
Consists of options to purchase 831,250 shares of Expedia
common stock. |
| |
|
(6) |
|
Consists of 99,707 shares of Expedia common stock and
options to purchase 548,196 shares of Expedia common stock. |
| |
|
(7) |
|
Consists of (i) 2,500 shares of Expedia common stock,
(ii) options to purchase 232,137 shares of Expedia
common stock, (iii) 9,999 shares of Expedia common
stock held by the Battle Family Foundation, as to which
Mr. Battle disclaims beneficial ownership,
(iv) 5,067 shares of Expedia common stock held by
Mr. Battles wife as custodian under CAUTMA for
Catherine McNelley and (iv) 2,827 shares of Expedia
common stock held by Mr. Battles wife. |
| |
|
(8) |
|
Consists of (i) 12,179 shares of Expedia common stock,
(ii) warrants to purchase 17,710 shares of Expedia
common stock, (iii) options to purchase 30,354 share
of Expedia common stock exercisable as of December 1, 2006
and (iv) options to purchase 2,270 shares of Expedia
common stock exercisable within 60 days of December 1,
2006. |
| |
|
(9) |
|
Consists of (i) 2,500 shares of Expedia common stock,
(ii) options to purchase 11,261 shares of Expedia
common stock and (iii) 467 shares of Expedia common
stock held indirectly by a charitable trust, of which
Mr. Dolgen is the trustee and as to which Mr. Dolgen
disclaims beneficial ownership. |
| |
|
(10) |
|
Excludes shares of Expedia common stock and Class B common
stock owned by Liberty Media, as to which
Messrs. Fitzgerald and Malone disclaim beneficial ownership. |
| |
|
(11) |
|
Consists of (i) 9,309 shares of Expedia common stock,
(ii) options to purchase 99,656 shares of Expedia
common stock and (iii) a warrant to purchase
6,768 shares of Expedia common stock. |
| |
|
(12) |
|
Consists of (i) 49,391,366 shares of Expedia common
stock, (ii) options to purchase 11,255,124 shares of
Expedia common stock, (iii) warrants to purchase
24,478 shares of Expedia common stock and
(iv) 25,599,998 shares of Expedia Class B common
stock. |
Based on Expedias records and information provided to
Expedia by its directors, executive officers, associates and
subsidiaries, neither Expedia, nor, to the best of
Expedias knowledge, any directors or executive officers of
Expedia or any associates or subsidiaries of Expedia, has
effected any transactions in shares during the
60 day-period before the date hereof, except that
Mr. Battle has informed Expedia that he has made a gift of
2,827 shares to a charitable organization within the last
60 days. Such transfer is not reflected in the beneficial
ownership table above.
Transactions and Arrangements Concerning Shares.
Warrants. Expedia has fully vested stock warrants
with expiration dates through February 2012 outstanding, certain
of which trade on the Nasdaq under the symbols EXPEW
and EXPEZ. Each stock warrant is exercisable for a
certain number of shares of our common stock or a fraction
thereof. As of December 1, 2006, we had approximately
58.5 million warrants outstanding with a weighted average
exercise price of $22.33, which if exercised in full would
entitle holders to acquire 34.6 million of our common
shares. These warrants included:
|
|
|
| |
|
EXPEW Warrants. Each EXPEW warrant entitles
its holder to purchase one half of one share of Expedia common
stock at an exercise price equal to $15.61 per warrant.
Each EXPEW warrant may be exercised on any business day on or
prior to February 4, 2009. The warrants trade on Nasdaq
under the symbol EXPEW. As of December 1, 2006,
there were 14.6 million EXPEW warrants outstanding.
|
| |
| |
|
EXPEZ Warrants. Each EXPEZ warrant entitles
its holder to purchase 0.969375 shares of Expedia common
stock at an exercise price equal to $11.56 per warrant. The
exercise price must be paid in cash. Each EXPEZ warrant may be
exercised on any business day on or prior to February 4,
2009. These warrants
|
22
|
|
|
| |
|
trade on Nasdaq under the symbol EXPEZ. As of
December 1, 2006, there were 11.4 million EXPEZ
warrants outstanding.
|
|
|
|
| |
|
VUE Warrants. Each Tranche 1 and Tranche
2 VUE warrant entitles its holder to purchase one half of a
share of Expedia common stock at an average exercise price of
$25.56. The exercise price must be paid in cash. Each VUE
warrant may be exercised on any business day on or prior to
May 7, 2012. As of December 1, 2006, there were
32.2 million VUE warrants outstanding.
|
| |
| |
|
Integrated Warrants. Pursuant to the
separation agreement (the separation agreement)
entered into with IAC/InterActiveCorp (IAC), Expedia
has issued into an escrow account a number of shares of Expedia
common stock sufficient to satisfy the obligation for future
delivery of Expedia common stock to the holders of warrants
initially assumed or issued by IAC prior to the spin-off of
Expedia from IAC in August 2005 (the spin-off) who
elect to exercise them. Under the terms of the escrow agreement,
any such shares of Expedia common stock that are not delivered
to exercising warrant holders will be returned to Expedia upon
the expiration of the warrants in accordance with their terms.
As of December 1, 2006, Expedia was obligated to deliver up
to 42,669 shares of Expedia common stock to IAC pursuant to
the separation agreement and the escrow agreement in connection
with the exercise of these warrants for an average exercise
price per share equal to $21.43. The expiration dates of these
warrants range from November 7, 2009 to May 19, 2010.
|
Obligations Relating to the Ask Jeeves
Notes. Under the separation agreement,
Expedia contractually assumed IACs obligation to deliver
Expedia common stock to the holders (upon conversion) of certain
Ask Jeeves, Inc. Zero Coupon Convertible Notes Due June 1,
2008 assumed by IAC in connection with the acquisition of Ask
Jeeves, Inc. Upon notice of conversion, Expedia is obligated to
deliver shares of Expedia common stock to IAC for delivery to
the holders of Ask Jeeves Notes, or deliver cash in equal value
in lieu of issuing such shares. If Expedia elects to issue cash
rather than shares, the holder may revoke its notice of
conversion. Pursuant to an escrow agreement entered into with
The Bank of New York, Expedia has deposited into an escrow
account a number of its shares of common stock sufficient to
satisfy its obligations for future delivery of Expedia shares.
Any such shares of Expedia common stock placed in escrow that
are not delivered to converting holders of notes will be
returned to Expedia at the maturity of the notes. As of
December 1, 2006, Expedia could be required to deliver up
to 800,000 shares of common stock pursuant to the
separation agreement and the escrow agreement in connection with
the conversion of these notes.
Tax Sharing Agreement. IAC and Expedia
entered into a tax sharing agreement in connection with the
spin-off. The tax sharing agreement governs IACs and
Expedias respective rights, responsibilities and
obligations after the spin-off with respect to taxes for the
periods ending on or before the spin-off. Under the tax sharing
agreement Expedia generally (i) may not take (or fail to
take) any action that would cause any representations,
information or covenants in the separation documents concerning
the spin-off or documents relating to the tax opinion concerning
the spin-off to be untrue, (ii) may not take (or fail to take)
any action that would cause the spin-off to lose its tax free
status, (iii) may not sell, issue, redeem or otherwise
acquire any of its equity securities (or equity securities of
members of its group), except in specified transactions (not
including the purchase of shares pursuant to the tender offer),
for a period of 25 months following the spin-off and (iv)
may not, other than in the ordinary course of business, sell or
otherwise dispose of a substantial portion of its assets,
liquidate, merge or consolidate with any other person for a
period of 25 months following the spin-off. During that
period, Expedia may take some actions prohibited by these
covenants if it provides IAC with an Internal Revenue Service
ruling or an unqualified opinion of counsel to the effect that
these actions will not affect the tax free nature of the
spin-off, in each case satisfactory to IAC in its sole and
absolute discretion (such an opinion of counsel satisfactory to
IAC, a Required Opinion). Notwithstanding the
receipt of any such Internal Revenue Service ruling or opinion,
Expedia must indemnify IAC for any taxes and related losses
resulting from (i) any act or failure to act described in
the covenants above, (ii) any acquisition of equity securities
or assets of Expedia or any member of its group, and (iii)
any breach by Expedia or any member of its group of
representations in the separation documents between IAC and
Expedia or the documents relating to the tax opinion concerning
the spin-off. Expedias obligation to accept for payment,
and pay for, shares tendered pursuant to the tender offer is
conditioned on its receipt of a Required Opinion in respect of
the purchase of shares pursuant to the tender offer. See
Section 7.
23
|
|
|
| |
|
Stockholders Agreement. Subject
to the terms of a Stockholders Agreement between Mr. Diller
and Liberty Media, Mr. Diller holds an irrevocable proxy to
vote shares of Expedia common stock and Class B common
stock beneficially owned by Liberty Media. By virtue of the
proxy, as well as through shares owned by Mr. Diller
directly, Mr. Diller is effectively able to control the
outcome of all matters submitted to a vote or for the consent of
Expedias stockholders (other than with respect to the
election by the holders of Expedia common stock of 25% of the
members of Expedias Board of Directors and matters as to
which Delaware law requires a separate class vote).
|
In addition, until the later of (1) the date
Mr. Diller no longer serves as Chairman of Expedia and
(2) the date Mr. Diller no longer holds the proxy to
vote Liberty Medias shares of Expedia described above
(or upon Mr. Diller becoming disabled, if that occurs
first), and subject to the other provisions of the Stockholders
Agreement, neither Liberty Media nor Mr. Diller can
transfer shares of common stock or Class B common stock,
other than:
|
|
|
| |
|
transfers by Mr. Diller to pay taxes relating to the
granting, vesting
and/or
exercise of stock options to purchase common stock of Expedia;
|
| |
| |
|
transfers to each partys respective affiliates;
|
| |
| |
|
pledges relating to financings, subject to certain
conditions; and
|
| |
| |
|
transfers of options or common stock in connection with
cashless exercises of Mr. Dillers options
to purchase shares of common stock.
|
The restrictions on transfer are subject to a number of
exceptions (which exceptions are generally subject to the rights
of first refusal described below):
|
|
|
| |
|
either of Liberty Media or Mr. Diller may transfer shares
of common stock or Class B common stock to an unaffiliated
third party, subject to tag-along rights described below;
|
| |
| |
|
either of Liberty Media or Mr. Diller may transfer shares
of common stock or Class B common stock so long as, in the
case of Mr. Diller, he continues to beneficially own at
least 2,200,000 shares of common stock and Class B
common stock (including stock options) and, in the case of
Liberty Media, Liberty Media continues to beneficially own
2,000,000 shares of common stock and Class B common
stock, and in the case of a transfer of an interest in, or of
any of the shares of common stock or Class B common stock
held by, specified entities referred to as the BDTV
Limited Entities, after such transfer, Liberty Media and
Mr. Diller collectively control at least 50.1% of the total
voting power of Expedia; and
|
| |
| |
|
either of Liberty Media or Mr. Diller may transfer shares
of common stock or Class B common stock so long as the
transfer complies with the requirements of Rule 144 or
Rule 145 under the Securities Act, and, in the case of a
transfer of an interest in, or of any of the shares of common
stock or Class B common stock held by, the BDTV Limited
Entities, after such transfer, Liberty Media and Mr. Diller
collectively control at least 50.1% of the total voting power of
Expedia.
|
Each of Mr. Diller and Liberty Media will be entitled to a
right to tag-along (i.e., participate on a pro rata
basis) on sales by the other of shares of common stock or
Class B common stock to any third party. Liberty Media will
not have a tag-along right in the event of:
|
|
|
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sales by Mr. Diller of up to 2,000,000 shares of
common stock or Class B common stock within any rolling
twelve-month period;
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transfers by Mr. Diller to pay taxes relating to the
granting, vesting
and/or
exercise of stock options to purchase shares of common stock or
transfers in connection with cashless exercises of
Mr. Dillers options to purchase shares of common
stock;
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specified brokers transactions, as defined
under the Securities Act, referred to as market
sales; or
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generally, when Mr. Diller no longer serves as Chairman of
Expedia.
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24
Mr. Diller will not have a tag-along right with respect to
hedging transactions and stock lending transactions related
thereto effected by Liberty Media, in each case meeting certain
requirements, or market sales by Liberty Media.
Each of Mr. Diller and Liberty Media has a right of first
refusal in the case of a proposed transfer by the other of
shares of Class B common stock of Expedia to a third party.
If either Liberty Media or Mr. Diller proposes to transfer
shares of Class B common stock, the other will be entitled
to swap any shares of common stock it or he owns for such shares
of Class B common stock (subject to the rights of first
refusal described above). To the extent there remain shares of
Class B common stock that the selling stockholder would
otherwise transfer to a third party, such shares must first be
converted into shares of common stock. This restriction does not
apply to, among other specified transfers, transfers among the
parties and their affiliates.
In connection with the spin-off, Mr. Diller and Liberty
Media agreed that the BDTV entities would hold shares of common
stock and Class B common stock received by each BDTV entity
as a result of the spin-off. Mr. Diller and Liberty Media
will continue to have substantially similar arrangements with
respect to the voting control and ownership of the equity of
each BDTV entity, which together hold a substantial majority of
the shares of Class B common stock. These arrangements
effectively provide that Mr. Diller controls the voting of
Expedia securities held by these entities, other than with
respect to certain actions by Expedia, and Liberty Media retains
substantially all of the equity interest in such entities.
Liberty Media may purchase Mr. Dillers nominal equity
interest in these entities for a fixed price.
Mr. Dillers and Liberty Medias rights and
obligations under the Stockholders Agreement generally terminate
at such time as, in the case of Mr. Diller, he no longer
beneficially owns at least 2,200,000 shares of common stock
and Class B common stock (including stock options) and, in
the case of Liberty Media, Liberty Media no longer beneficially
owns at least 2,000,000 shares of common stock and
Class B common stock. Liberty Medias tag-along rights
and obligations terminate at such time as Liberty Media ceases
to beneficially own at least 5% of the total equity securities
of Expedia. In calculating Liberty Medias beneficial
ownership of shares of common stock and shares of Class B
common stock of Expedia, Liberty Media will be deemed to own all
shares of common stock and Class B common stock held by the
BDTV Entities. In addition, Mr. Dillers rights under
the Stockholders Agreement will terminate upon the later of
(1) the date Mr. Diller ceases to serve as Chairman of
Expedia or becomes disabled and (2) the date
Mr. Diller no longer holds a proxy to vote the shares of
Expedia owned by Liberty Media.
Governance Agreement. Liberty Media,
Expedia and Mr. Diller are parties to a Governance
Agreement pursuant to which, among other things:
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Liberty Media has the right to nominate up to two directors of
Expedia so long as Liberty Media beneficially owns at least
33,651,963 equity securities of Expedia (and so long as Liberty
Medias ownership percentage is at least equal to 15% of
the total equity securities of Expedia); and
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Liberty Media has the right to nominate one director of Expedia
so long as Liberty Media beneficially owns at least 22,434,642
equity securities of Expedia (and so long as Liberty Media owns
at least 5% of the total equity securities of Expedia).
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For so long as certain conditions relating, among other things,
to ownership are met, Expedia has agreed that, without the prior
approval of Liberty Media
and/or
Mr. Diller, as applicable, it will not engage in any
transaction that would result in Liberty Media or
Mr. Diller having to divest any part of their interests in
Expedia or any other material assets, or that would render any
such ownership illegal or would subject Mr. Diller or
Liberty Media to any fines, penalties or material additional
restrictions or limitations. In addition, for so long as the
above conditions apply, and if Expedias total debt
ratio equals or exceeds 4:1 over a twelve-month period,
Expedia may not take certain specified actions without the prior
approval of Liberty Media
and/or
Mr. Diller. These actions include making material
amendments to the certificate of incorporation or bylaws of
Expedia, adopting any stockholder rights plan that would
adversely affect Liberty Media or Mr. Diller, as
applicable, and granting additional consent rights to a
stockholder of Expedia.
In the event that Expedia issues or proposes to issue any shares
of common stock or Class B common stock (with certain
limited exceptions) including shares issued upon exercise,
conversion or exchange of options,
25
warrants and convertible securities, Liberty Media will have
preemptive rights that entitle it to purchase a number of common
shares so that Liberty Media will maintain the identical
ownership interest in Expedia (subject to certain adjustments)
that Liberty Media had immediately prior to such issuance or
proposed issuance (but not in excess of a specified percentage).
Any purchase by Liberty Media will be allocated between common
stock and Class B common stock in the same proportion as
the issuance or issuances giving rise to the preemptive right,
except to the extent that Liberty Media opts to acquire shares
of common stock in lieu of shares of Class B common stock.
Liberty Media and Mr. Diller are entitled to customary,
transferable registration rights with respect to common stock
owned by them. Liberty Media is entitled to four demand
registration rights and Mr. Diller is entitled to three
demand registration rights. Expedia will pay the costs
associated with such registrations (other than underwriting
discounts, fees and commissions). Expedia will not be required
to register shares of its common stock if a stockholder could
sell the shares in the quantities proposed to be sold at such
time in one transaction pursuant to Rule 144 promulgated
under the Securities Act or under another comparable exemption
from registration.
Generally, the Governance Agreement will terminate:
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with respect to Liberty Media, at such time that Liberty Media
beneficially owns equity securities representing less than 5% of
the total equity securities of Expedia; and
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with respect to Mr. Diller, at the later of (1) the
date Mr. Diller ceases to be the Chairman of Expedia or
becomes disabled and (2) the date Mr. Diller no longer
holds a proxy to vote the shares of Liberty Media (as described
above).
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Indenture Governing Expedia, Inc.s
7.456% Senior Notes due 2018 and Registration Rights
Agreement. Indenture Governing Expedia,
Inc.s 7.456% Senior Notes due 2018. In
August 2006, Expedia privately placed $500 million of
senior unsecured notes due 2018 pursuant to an indenture entered
into among The Bank of New York, as trustee, Expedia and its
subsidiary guarantors from time to time party thereto. The notes
bear a fixed rate interest of 7.456% with interest payable
semi-annually in February and August of each year, beginning in
February 2007. The notes are repayable in whole or in part on
August 15, 2013, at the option of the holder of such notes,
at 100% of the principal amount plus accrued interest. Expedia
may redeem the notes in accordance with the terms of the
agreement, in whole or in part at any time at its option. The
notes are senior unsecured obligations guaranteed by certain
domestic Expedia subsidiaries and rank equally in right of
payment with all of our existing and future unsecured and
unsubordinated obligations. The notes include covenants that,
among other things, limit Expedias ability to
(i) incur liens, (ii) enter into sale and leaseback
transactions and (iii) merge, consolidate or sell
substantially all of its assets.
Registration Rights Agreement. Under a
Registration Rights Agreement entered into among Expedia,
certain subsidiary guarantors, J.P. Morgan Securities Inc.
and Lehman Brothers Inc. (as representatives of the initial
purchasers of the notes), Expedia and the subsidiary guarantors
have agreed to use their commercially reasonable efforts
(i) to cause to be filed as soon as practicable and in no
event later than February 17, 2007 a registration statement
(and to cause such registration statement to be declared
effective no later than May 18, 2007) for an offer to
exchange the notes for registered notes having the same
financial terms and covenants as the privately placed notes or
(ii) under certain circumstances, cause to be filed and
declared effective a shelf registration statement for resale of
the notes. In the event of a failure to cause the notes, or the
exchange notes, to be registered in accordance with the
Registration Rights Agreement, the interest rate on the notes
would increase under certain circumstances.
Board Compensation Arrangements Involving Expedia
Securities. Each director of Expedia who is
not an employee of Expedia or any of its businesses or
affiliates or a Liberty Media nominee receives an annual
retainer of $30,000. Expedia pays such qualifying directors
$1,000 for each Board and each committee meeting attended. In
addition, each qualifying director receives a grant of 7,500
restricted stock units (or such lesser number of restricted
stock units with a dollar value of $250,000) upon such
directors initial election to office and annually
thereafter on the date of Expedias annual meeting of
stockholders at which the director is re-elected. These
restricted stock units vest in three equal annual installments
commencing on the first anniversary of the grant date. The
chairmen of the audit and compensation/benefits committees and
each member of the audit committee receive an additional annual
retainer of $10,000, and each member of the
compensation/benefits committee receives an additional annual
26
retainer of $5,000. Expedia also reimburses directors for all
reasonable expenses incurred by directors as a result of
attendance at meetings.
Under Expedias Non-Employee Director Deferred Compensation
Plan, non-employee directors may defer all or a portion of their
annual retainer and all of their meeting attendance fees.
Eligible directors who defer their directors fees can
elect to have such deferred fees (i) applied to the
purchase of share units, representing the number of shares of
Expedia common stock that could have been purchased on the
relevant date, or (ii) credited to a cash fund. If any
dividends are paid on Expedia common stock, dividend equivalents
will be credited on the share units. The cash fund will be
credited with deemed interest at an annual rate equal to the
weighted-average prime or base lending rate of The Chase
Manhattan Bank (or successor thereto). Upon termination, a
director will receive (1) with respect to share units, such
number of shares of Expedia common stock as the share units
represent and (2) with respect to the cash fund, a cash
payment. Payments upon termination will be made in either one
lump sum or up to five installments, as elected by the eligible
director at the time of the deferral election.
Officer and Employee Compensation Arrangements Involving
Expedia Securities. 401(k)
Plan. Expedia maintains the Expedia Retirement
Savings Plan, for which Fidelity Management Trust Company serves
as trustee under a Trust Agreement, entered into as of
August 15, 2005, between a wholly-owned subsidiary of
Expedia that serves as plan administrator and the trustee.
Participating employees may contribute up to 16% of their
eligible compensation, but not more than statutory limits.
Expedia contributes a matching contribution each pay period
equal to 50% of a participants contributions up to a 6%
contribution rate, and we may make additional annual profit
sharing contributions. Matching contributions are invested
proportionate to each participants voluntary contributions
in the investment options provided under the plan. Investment
options in the plan include Expedia common stock, but neither
the participant nor our matching contributions are required to
be invested in Expedia common stock.
2005 Stock and Annual Incentive
Plan. Expedias 2005 Stock and Annual
Incentive Plan provides for grants of restricted stock,
restricted stock awards (RSA), restricted stock
units (RSUs), stock options and other stock-based
awards to directors, officers, employees and consultants
pursuant to award agreements to be entered into from time to
time with beneficiaries of the awards. Expedia issues new shares
to satisfy the exercise or release of stock-based awards. RSUs,
which are awards in the form of phantom shares or units that are
denominated in a hypothetical equivalent number of shares of
Expedia common stock, are Expedias primary form of
stock-based award. As of December 1, 2006, Expedia had
approximately 8.2 million shares of common stock reserved
for new stock-based awards under the 2005 Stock and Annual
Incentive Plan. As of December 1, 2006, Expedia had
approximately 7.2 million RSUs outstanding, 26,800 RSAs
outstanding and 23.3 million stock options outstanding.
Unless otherwise provided by the Compensation Committee of the
Board of Directors in an award agreement (and with respect to
such awards granted by IAC prior to the spin-off and converted
into Expedia awards as part of the spin-off, only if provided in
an applicable award agreement or in the IAC Long Term Incentive
Plan under which such converted award was originally granted),
in the event of a change in control of Expedia, in
the case of officers of Expedia (and not the companys
subsidiaries) who are Senior Vice Presidents and above as of the
time of the change in control and, in the case of other
employees of Expedia if provided by the Compensation Committee
in an award agreement (i) any stock appreciation rights and
stock options outstanding as of the date of the change in
control which are not then exercisable and vested will become
fully exercisable and vested, (ii) the restrictions and
deferral limitations applicable to RSAs will lapse and the
restricted stock underlying the awards will become free of all
restrictions and fully vested, (iii) all RSUs will be
considered to be earned and payable in full and any deferral or
other restrictions will lapse and such RSUs will be settled in
cash or shares of Expedia common stock as promptly as
practicable and (iv) bonus awards may be paid out, in whole
or in part, in the discretion of the Compensation Committee,
notwithstanding whether performance goals have been achieved. In
addition, in the event that, during the two-year period
following a change in control, a plan participants
employment is terminated other than for cause or disability or a
plan participant resigns for good reason, (i) any stock
appreciation rights and stock options outstanding as of the date
of the change in control will become fully exercisable and
vested and will remain exercisable for the greater of
(a) the period that they would remain exercisable absent
the change in control provision and (b) the lesser of the
expiration of the term of such stock appreciation right or stock
option or one year following such termination of employment,
(ii) the restrictions and deferral limitations applicable
to RSAs will lapse and the restricted stock underlying the
awards will become free of all restrictions and fully vested,
and (iii) all
27
RSUs will be considered to be earned and payable in full and any
deferral or other restrictions will lapse and such RSUs will be
settled in cash or shares of Expedia common stock as promptly as
practicable.
Specific Agreements with Certain Executive Officers. Dara
Khosrowshahi. Prior to the spin-off, outstanding
equity awards held by Mr. Khosrowshahi, Expedias
Chief Executive Officer, were amended to provide that in the
event of his termination of employment without cause (including
resignation by Mr. Khosrowshahi for good
reason), all RSUs held by Mr. Khosrowshahi on the
date of the spin-off will vest and all options that are vested
on the date of termination will remain exercisable for a period
of 24 months from the date of termination or until the
stated expiration date of the option, whichever is shorter.
Immediately following the spin-off, Mr. Khosrowshahi held
unvested RSUs under three awards, covering a total of
249,958 shares of Expedia common stock and options to
purchase 548,796 shares of Expedia common stock, of which
477,920 were vested.
On March 7, 2006, the Compensation Committee and the
Section 16 Committee of the Board of Directors (together,
the committees) approved the grant to
Mr. Khosrowshahi of 800,000 RSUs that vest as follows: upon
Expedias achievement of (i) certain operating income
before amortization targets approved by the committees and
(ii) either achievement of a target increase in the price
of the Expedias common stock or the achievement of certain
EBITA targets approved by the committees (the DK
performance goals), 75% of the restricted stock unit grant
will vest (the DK initial vesting). If
Mr. Khosrowshahi has not voluntarily terminated his
employment with Expedia or has not been terminated for cause on
the first anniversary of the DK initial vesting, the remaining
portion of the RSUs will vest. If Expedia terminates
Mr. Khosrowshahi without cause in any year in which the
operating income before amortization reaches the targets
approved by the committees for that year, then 75% of the RSUs
will vest upon such termination of employment, subject to
Expedias achievement of one of the DK performance goals,
and the remaining RSUs will be forfeited. If there is a change
in control of Expedia (as provided in the agreement), then 50%
of the outstanding RSUs vest immediately, without regard to the
operating income before amortization targets or performance
goals. If within one year of the change in control,
Mr. Khosrowshahi is terminated without cause or
Mr. Khosrowshahi terminates employment following a
modification of his duties and responsibilities, then the
remaining RSUs will vest, without regard to the operating income
before amortization targets or DK performance goals.
Michael B. Adler. Expedia entered into an
employment agreement and a Restricted Stock Unit Agreement with
Michael B. Adler, Expedias Executive Vice President and
Chief Financial Officer. Mr. Adler was granted 84,832 RSUs
(the first award) and 53,020 RSUs (the second
award) pursuant to the Expedia 2005 Stock and Annual
Incentive Plan. Material vesting terms are as follows:
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Both awards vest in equal increments over five years, contingent
upon satisfaction of performance goals established by
Expedias Compensation Committee.
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Contingent upon satisfaction of applicable performance goals,
50% of the first award and that portion of the second award that
would have vested during the twelve months following termination
will vest upon a termination of employment by Expedia without
cause or an employee termination of employment for good reason.
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Both awards vest upon a change in control (as provided in the
agreement).
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Burke F. Norton. Expedia entered into an
employment agreement and two Restricted Stock Unit Agreements
with Burke F. Norton, Expedias Executive Vice President,
General Counsel and Secretary. Mr. Norton was granted
62,235 RSUs (tranche vesting RSUs) and 31,117 RSUs
(the cliff vesting RSUs) pursuant to the Expedia
2005 Stock and Annual Incentive Plan. Material vesting terms are
as follows:
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The tranche vesting RSUs vest in equal increments over four
years, contingent upon satisfaction of applicable performance
goals.
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The cliff vesting RSUs vest in full after five years, contingent
upon satisfaction of applicable performance goals.
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Contingent upon satisfaction of applicable performance goals,
upon a termination of employment by Expedia without cause or an
employee termination of employment for good reason, (1) the
tranche vesting
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RSUs that would have vested during the twelve months following
termination and (2) a pro rata portion of the cliff vesting
RSUs will immediately vest.
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Pursuant to the terms of the RSU agreements both awards vest
upon a change in control of Expedia (as provided in the
agreements) provided that in specified change in control
transactions the awards will vest only following a subsequent
termination of employment by Expedia without cause or by
Mr. Norton for good reason.
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Except as otherwise described herein, neither Expedia nor, to
the best of Expedias knowledge, any of its affiliates,
directors or executive officers is a party to any agreement,
arrangement or understanding with any other person relating,
directly or indirectly, to the tender offer or with respect to
any securities of Expedia, including, but not limited to, any
agreement, arrangement or understanding concerning the transfer
or the voting of the securities of Expedia, joint ventures, loan
or option arrangements, puts or calls, guarantees of loans,
guarantees against loss, or the giving or withholding of
proxies, consents or authorizations.
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12.
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Effects
of the Tender Offer on the Market for Shares; Registration under
the Exchange Act.
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The purchase by Expedia of shares under the tender offer will
reduce the number of shares that might otherwise be traded
publicly and may reduce the number of Expedia stockholders.
These reductions may reduce the volume of trading in our shares
and may result in lower stock prices and reduced liquidity in
the trading of our shares following completion of the tender
offer. As of December 1, 2006, we had issued and
outstanding 305,671,754 shares of common stock. The
30,000,000 shares that we are offering to purchase pursuant
to the tender offer represent approximately 9.8% of the shares
of common stock outstanding as of that date. Stockholders may be
able to sell non-tendered shares in the future on Nasdaq or
otherwise, at a net price higher or lower than the purchase
price in the tender offer. We can give no assurance, however, as
to the price at which a stockholder may be able to sell such
shares in the future.
Expedia anticipates that there will be a sufficient number of
shares outstanding and publicly traded following completion of
the tender offer to ensure a continued trading market for the
shares. Based upon published guidelines of Nasdaq, Expedia does
not believe that its purchase of shares under the tender offer
will cause the remaining outstanding shares of Expedia common
stock to be delisted from trading on Nasdaq.
The shares are currently margin securities under the
rules of the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System.
This classification has the effect, among other things, of
allowing brokers to extend credit to their customers using the
shares as collateral. Expedia believes that, following the
purchase of shares under the tender offer, the shares remaining
outstanding will continue to be margin securities for purposes
of the Federal Reserve Boards margin rules and regulations.
The shares are registered under the Exchange Act, which
requires, among other things, that Expedia furnish certain
information to its stockholders and the Securities and Exchange
Commission and comply with the Securities and Exchange
Commissions proxy rules in connection with meetings of the
Expedia stockholders. Expedia believes that its purchase of
shares under the tender offer will not result in the shares
becoming eligible for deregistration under the Exchange Act.
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13.
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Legal
Matters; Regulatory Approvals.
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Except as described above, Expedia is not aware of any license
or regulatory permit that appears material to its business that
might be adversely affected by its acquisition of shares as
contemplated by the tender offer or of any approval or other
action by any government or governmental, administrative or
regulatory authority or agency, domestic, foreign or
supranational, that would be required for the acquisition of
shares by Expedia as contemplated
29
by the tender offer. Should any approval or other action be
required, Expedia presently contemplates that it will seek that
approval or other action. Expedia is unable to predict whether
it will be required to delay the acceptance for payment of or
payment for shares tendered under the tender offer pending the
outcome of any such matter. There can be no assurance that any
approval or other action, if needed, would be obtained or would
be obtained without substantial cost or conditions or that the
failure to obtain the approval or other action might not result
in adverse consequences to its business and financial condition.
The obligations of Expedia under the tender offer to accept for
payment and pay for shares is subject to conditions. See
Section 7.
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14.
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U.S. Federal
Income Tax Consequences.
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The following describes the material United States federal
income tax consequences relevant to the tender offer. This
discussion is based upon the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as
amended to the date hereof (the Code), existing and
proposed Treasury Regulations, administrative pronouncements and
judicial decisions, changes to which could materially affect the
tax consequences described herein and could be made on a
retroactive basis.
This discussion deals only with stockholders who hold their
shares as capital assets and does not deal with all tax
consequences that may be relevant to all categories of holders
(such as financial institutions, dealers in securities or
commodities, traders in securities who elect to apply a
mark-to-market
method of accounting, insurance companies, tax-exempt
organizations, former citizens or residents of the United States
or persons who hold shares as part of a hedge, straddle,
constructive sale or conversion transaction). In particular,
different rules may apply to shares received through the
exercise of employee stock options or otherwise as compensation.
This discussion does not address the state, local or foreign tax
consequences of participating in the tender offer. Holders of
shares should consult their tax advisors as to the particular
consequences to them of participation in the tender offer.
We have not sought, nor do we expect to seek, any ruling from
the Internal Revenue Service with respect to the matters
discussed below. There can be no assurances that the Internal
Revenue Service will not take a different position concerning
the tax consequences of the sale of shares to Expedia pursuant
to the tender offer or that any such position would be sustained.
As used herein, a Holder means a beneficial holder
of shares that is a citizen or resident of the United States, a
corporation or a partnership created or organized under the laws
of the United States or any State thereof, a trust whose
administration is subject to the primary supervision of a
U.S. court and which has one or more U.S. persons who
have the authority to make all substantial decisions, or an
estate the income of which is subject to United States federal
income taxation regardless of its source.
Holders of shares who are not United States holders
(foreign stockholders) should consult their tax
advisors regarding the United States federal income tax
consequences and any applicable foreign tax consequences of the
tender offer and should also see Section 3 for a discussion
of the applicable United States withholding rules and the
potential for obtaining a refund of all or a portion of any tax
withheld.
We urge stockholders to consult their tax advisors to
determine the particular tax consequences to them of
participating in the tender offer.
Non-Participation in the Tender Offer. Holders
of shares who do not participate in the tender offer will not
incur any tax liability as a result of the consummation of the
tender offer.
Exchange of Shares Pursuant to the Tender
Offer. An exchange of shares for cash pursuant to
the tender offer will be a taxable transaction for United States
federal income tax purposes. A Holder who participates in the
tender offer will, depending on such Holders particular
circumstances, be treated either as recognizing gain or loss
from the disposition of the shares or as receiving a
distribution from us with respect to our stock.
Under Section 302 of the Code, a Holder will recognize gain
or loss on an exchange of shares for cash if the exchange:
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results in a complete termination of all such
Holders equity interest in us,
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results in a substantially disproportionate
redemption with respect to such Holder, or
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is not essentially equivalent to a dividend with
respect to the Holder.
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30
In applying the Section 302 tests, a Holder must take
account of shares that such Holder constructively owns under
attribution rules, pursuant to which the Holder will be treated
as owning shares owned by certain family members (except that in
the case of a complete termination a Holder may,
under certain circumstances, waive attribution from family
members) and related entities and shares that the Holder has the
right to acquire by exercise of an option. An exchange of shares
for cash will be a substantially disproportionate redemption
with respect to a Holder if the percentage of the then
outstanding shares owned by such Holder immediately after the
exchange is less than 80% of the percentage of the shares owned
by such Holder immediately before the exchange. If an exchange
of shares for cash fails to satisfy the substantially
disproportionate test, the Holder may nonetheless satisfy
the not essentially equivalent to a dividend test.
An exchange of shares for cash will satisfy the not
essentially equivalent to a dividend test if it results in
a meaningful reduction of the Holders equity
interest in us. An exchange of shares for cash that results in a
relatively minor (e.g., approximately 3%) reduction of the
proportionate equity interest in us of a Holder whose relative
equity interest in us is minimal (an interest of less than one
percent should satisfy this requirement) and who does not
exercise any control over or participate in the management of
our corporate affairs should be treated as not essentially
equivalent to a dividend. Holders should consult their tax
advisors regarding the application of the rules of
Section 302 in their particular circumstances.
If a Holder is treated as recognizing gain or loss from the
disposition of the shares for cash, such gain or loss will be
equal to the difference between the amount of cash received and
such Holders tax basis in the shares exchanged therefor.
Any such gain or loss will be capital gain or loss and will be
long-term capital gain or loss if the holding period of the
shares exceeds one year as of the date of the exchange.
If a Holder is not treated under the Section 302 tests as
recognizing gain or loss on an exchange of shares for cash, the
entire amount of cash received by such Holder pursuant to the
exchange will be treated as a dividend to the extent of the
Holders allocable portion of our current or accumulated
earnings and profits and then as a return of capital to the
extent of the Holders basis in the shares exchanged and
thereafter as capital gain. Provided certain holding period
requirements are satisfied, non-corporate Holders generally will
be subject to U.S. federal income tax at a maximum rate of
15% on amounts treated as dividends. Such a dividend will be
taxed at a maximum rate of 15% in its entirety, without
reduction for the tax basis of the shares exchanged. To the
extent that a purchase of a Holders shares by us in the
tender offer is treated as the receipt by the Holder of a
dividend, the Holders remaining adjusted basis (reduced by
the amount, if any, treated as a return of capital) in the
purchased shares will be added to any shares retained by the
Holder, subject, in the case of corporate stockholders, to
reduction of basis or possible gain recognition under the
extraordinary dividend provisions of the Code in an
amount equal to the non-taxed portion of the dividend. To the
extent that cash received in exchange for shares is treated as a
dividend to a corporate Holder, (i) it will be eligible for
a dividends-received deduction (subject to applicable
limitations) and (ii) it will be subject to the
extraordinary dividend provisions of the Code.
Corporate Holders should consult their tax advisors concerning
the availability of the dividends-received deduction and the
application of the extraordinary dividend provisions
of the Code in their particular circumstances.
We cannot predict whether or the extent to which the tender
offer will be oversubscribed. If the tender offer is
oversubscribed, proration of tenders pursuant to the tender
offer will cause us to accept fewer shares than are tendered.
Therefore, a Holder can be given no assurance that a sufficient
number of such Holders shares will be purchased pursuant
to the tender offer to ensure that such purchase will be treated
as a sale or exchange, rather than as a dividend, for federal
income tax purposes pursuant to the rules discussed above.
See Section 3 with respect to the application of federal
income tax withholding and back-up withholding.
We have included the discussion set forth above for general
information only. We urge stockholders to consult their tax
advisor to determine the particular tax consequences to them of
the tender offer, including the applicability and effect of
state, local and foreign tax laws.
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15.
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Extension
of the Tender Offer; Termination; Amendment.
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Expedia expressly reserves the right, in its sole discretion, at
any time and from time to time, and regardless of whether or not
any of the events set forth in Section 7 shall have
occurred or shall be deemed by Expedia to have occurred, to
extend the period of time during which the tender offer is open
and thereby delay acceptance for payment of, and payment for,
any shares by giving oral or written notice of the extension to
the depositary and
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making a public announcement of the extension. Expedia also
expressly reserves the right, in its sole discretion, to
terminate the tender offer and not accept for payment or pay for
any shares not theretofore accepted for payment or paid for or,
subject to applicable law, to postpone payment for shares upon
the occurrence of any of the conditions specified in
Section 7 by giving oral or written notice of termination
or postponement to the depositary and making a public
announcement of termination or postponement. Expedias
reservation of the right to delay payment for shares that it has
accepted for payment is limited by
Rule 13e-4(f)(5)
promulgated under the Exchange Act, which requires that Expedia
must pay the consideration offered or return the shares tendered
promptly after termination or withdrawal of a tender offer.
Subject to compliance with applicable law, Expedia further
reserves the right, in its sole discretion, and regardless of
whether any of the events set forth in Section 7 shall have
occurred or shall be deemed by Expedia to have occurred, to
amend the tender offer in any respect, including, without
limitation, by decreasing or increasing the consideration
offered in the tender offer to holders of shares or by
decreasing or increasing the number of shares being sought in
the tender offer. Amendments to the tender offer may be made at
any time and from time to time effected by public announcement,
the announcement, in the case of an extension, to be issued no
later than 9:00 a.m., New York City time, on the next
business day after the last previously scheduled or announced
expiration date. Any public announcement made under the tender
offer will be disseminated promptly to stockholders in a manner
reasonably designed to inform stockholders of the change.
Without limiting the manner in which Expedia may choose to make
a public announcement, except as required by applicable law,
Expedia shall have no obligation to publish, advertise or
otherwise communicate any public announcement other than by
making a release through PR Newswire.
If Expedia materially changes the terms of the tender offer or
the information concerning the tender offer, Expedia will extend
the tender offer to the extent required by
Rules 13e-4(d)(2),
13e-4(e)(3)
and
13e-4(f)(1)
promulgated under the Exchange Act. These rules and certain
related releases and interpretations of the Securities and
Exchange Commission provide that the minimum period during which
a tender offer must remain open following material changes in
the terms of the tender offer or information concerning the
tender offer (other than a change in price or a change in
percentage of securities sought) will depend on the facts and
circumstances, including the relative materiality of the terms
or information. If:
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Expedia increases or decreases the price to be paid for shares
or increases or decreases the number of shares being sought in
the tender offer and, if an increase in the number of shares
being sought, such increase exceeds 2% of the outstanding
shares, and
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the tender offer is scheduled to expire at any time earlier than
the expiration of a period ending on the tenth business day
from, and including, the date that the notice of an increase or
decrease is first published, sent or given to security holders
in the manner specified in this Section 15,
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the tender offer will be extended until the expiration of such
ten business day period.
Expedia has retained MacKenzie Partners, Inc. to act as
information agent and The Bank of New York to act as depositary
in connection with the tender offer. The information agent may
contact holders of shares by mail, telephone, telegraph and in
person, and may request brokers, dealers, commercial banks,
trust companies and other nominee stockholders to forward
materials relating to the tender offer to beneficial owners. The
information agent and the depositary each will receive
reasonable and customary compensation for their respective
services, will be reimbursed by Expedia for specified reasonable
out-of-pocket
expenses, and will be indemnified against certain liabilities in
connection with the tender offer, including certain liabilities
under the U.S. federal securities laws.
In connection with the tender offer, Fidelity Management Trust
Company, the trustee for the Expedia Retirement Savings Plan,
may contact participants in the plan by mail, telephone, fax and
personal interviews. The trustee for the plan receives
reasonable and customary compensation for its services and is
reimbursed for certain
out-of-pocket
expenses pursuant to arrangements with Expedia to act as trustee
for the plan. Under those arrangements, no separate fee is
payable to the trustee in connection with the tender offer.
No fees or commissions will be payable by Expedia to brokers,
dealers, commercial banks or trust companies (other than fees to
the information agent as described above) for soliciting tenders
of shares under the tender offer.
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We urge stockholders holding shares through brokers or banks to
consult the brokers or banks to determine whether transaction
costs are applicable if stockholders tender shares through such
brokers or banks and not directly to the depositary. Expedia,
however, upon request, will reimburse brokers, dealers,
commercial banks and trust companies for customary mailing and
handling expenses incurred by them in forwarding the tender
offer and related materials to the beneficial owners of shares
held by them as a nominee or in a fiduciary capacity. No broker,
dealer, commercial bank or trust company has been authorized to
act as the agent of Expedia or the information agent for
purposes of the tender offer. Expedia will pay or cause to be
paid all stock transfer taxes, if any, on its purchase of
shares, except as otherwise provided in this document and
Instruction 9 in the letter of transmittal.
Expedia is not aware of any jurisdiction where the making of the
tender offer is not in compliance with applicable law. If
Expedia becomes aware of any jurisdiction where the making of
the tender offer or the acceptance of shares pursuant thereto is
not in compliance with applicable law, Expedia will make a good
faith effort to comply with the applicable law. If, after such
good faith effort, Expedia cannot comply with the applicable
law, Expedia will not make the tender offer to (nor will tenders
be accepted from or on behalf of) the holders of shares in that
jurisdiction.
Pursuant to
Rule 13e-4(c)(2)
under the Exchange Act, Expedia has filed with the Commission an
Issuer Tender Offer Statement on Schedule TO, which
contains additional information with respect to the tender
offer. The Schedule TO, including the exhibits and any
amendments and supplements thereto, may be examined, and copies
may be obtained, at the same places and in the same manner as is
set forth in Section 10 with respect to information
concerning Expedia.
Expedia has not authorized any person to make any
recommendation on behalf of Expedia as to whether you should
tender or refrain from tendering your shares in the tender
offer. Expedia has not authorized any person to give any
information or to make any representation in connection with the
tender offer other than those contained in this offer to
purchase or in the letter of transmittal. If anyone makes any
recommendation or representation to you or gives you any
information, you must not rely upon that recommendation,
representation or information as having been authorized by
Expedia.
December 11, 2006
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The letter of transmittal and share certificates and any other
required documents should be sent or delivered by each
stockholder or that stockholders broker, dealer,
commercial bank, trust company or nominee to the depositary at
one of its addresses set forth below.
The
depositary for the tender offer is:
THE BANK OF NEW YORK
Telephone Assistance:
1-800-507-9357
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By Mail:
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By Hand:
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By Overnight
Delivery:
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The Bank of New York
Expedia Inc.
P.O. Box 859208
Braintree, MA 02185-9028
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The Bank of New York
Tender & Exchange Dept.
11W
101 Barclay Street
Receive & Deliver Window
Street Level
New York, NY 10286
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The Bank of New York
Expedia Inc.
161 Bay State Road
Braintree, MA 02184
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By Facsimile:
For Eligible Institutions Only
(781) 380-3388
Confirm Facsimile Receipt
by telephone:
(781) 843-1833, Ext 200
Please direct any questions or requests for assistance and any
requests for additional copies of this offer to purchase, the
letter of transmittal or the notice of guaranteed delivery to
the information agent at the telephone number and address set
forth below. Stockholders also may contact their broker, dealer,
commercial bank, trust company or nominee for assistance
concerning the tender offer. Please contact the depositary to
confirm delivery of shares.
The information agent for the tender offer is:
105 Madison Avenue
New York, New York 10016
(212) 929-5500
(call collect)
E-mail:
proxy@mackenziepartners.com
or
Call Toll Free
(800) 322-2885
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