UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

WASHINGTON, D.C. 20549

FORM 8-K

CURRENT REPORT

Pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d) of the

Securities Exchange Act of 1934

Date of report (Date of earliest event reported): October 17, 2011

ModusLink Global Solutions, Inc.

(Exact name of registrant as specified in charter)

1601 Trapelo Road

Waltham, Massachusetts 02451

(Address of Principal Executive Offices)

(781) 663-5000

(Registrant’s telephone number, including area code)

Check the appropriate box below if the Form 8-K filing is intended to simultaneously satisfy the filing obligation of the registrant under any of the following provisions:

The information set forth under “Item 3.03 Material Modification to Rights of Security Holders” of this Current Report on Form 8-K with respect to the entry into a Tax Benefit Preservation Plan is incorporated into this Item 1.01 by reference.

On October 17, 2011, the Board of Directors (the “Board”) of ModusLink Global Solutions, Inc. (the “Company”) adopted a Tax Benefit Preservation Plan between the Company and American Stock Transfer & Trust Company, LLC, as rights agent (as amended from time to time, the “Tax Plan”).

By adopting the Tax Plan, the Board is helping to preserve the value of certain deferred tax benefits, including those generated by net operating losses and certain other tax attributes (collectively, the “Tax Benefits”). The Company’s ability to use these Tax Benefits would be substantially limited if it were to experience an “ownership change” as defined under Section 382 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the “Code”). In general, an ownership change would occur if there is a greater than 50-percentage point change in ownership of securities by stockholders owning (or deemed to own under Section 382 of the Code) five percent or more of a corporation’s securities over a rolling three-year period. The Tax Plan reduces the likelihood that changes in the Company’s investor base have the unintended effect of limiting the Company’s use of its Tax Benefits. The Board believes it is in the best interest of the Company and its stockholders that the Company provide for the protection of the Tax Benefits by adopting the Plan.

The Tax Plan is intended to act as a deterrent to any person acquiring shares of the Company’s securities equal to or exceeding the Trigger Amount (as defined below) without the approval of the Board. This would protect the Tax Benefits because changes in ownership by a person owning less than 4.99% of the Company’s stock are not included in the calculation of “ownership change” for purposes of Section 382 of the Code. The Board has established procedures to consider requests to exempt certain acquisitions of the Company’s securities from the Tax Plan if the Board determines that doing so would not limit or impair the availability of the Tax Benefits or is otherwise in the best interests of the Company.

The Tax Plan specifying the terms of the Rights (as defined below) and the text of the press release announcing the declaration of the Rights are incorporated herein by reference as exhibits to this current report. The following summary provides only a general description of the Tax Plan and is qualified in its entirety by reference to such exhibits.

Dividend of Preferred Stock Purchase Rights

In connection with its adoption of the Tax Plan, the Board declared a dividend of one preferred stock purchase right (individually, a “Right” and collectively, the “Rights”) for each share of Common Stock, par value $.01 (the “Common Stock”) of the Company outstanding at the close of business on October 28, 2011 (the “Record Date”). As long as the Rights are attached to the Common Stock, the Company will issue one Right (subject to adjustment) with

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each new share of the Common Stock so that all such shares will have attached Rights. When exercisable, each Right will entitle the registered holder to purchase from the Company one ten-thousandth of a share of Series A Junior Participating Preferred Stock, par value $.01 per share (the “Series A Preferred”), of the Company at a price of $20.00 per one ten-thousandth of a share of Series A Preferred, subject to adjustment (the “Purchase Price”).

Transfer, “Flip In” and Exercise of the Rights

The Rights detach from the Common Stock and become exercisable if: (i) at the close of business on the tenth business day following a public announcement that a person or group of affiliated or associated persons has acquired, or obtained the right to acquire, beneficial ownership of 4.99% or more of the Common Stock (each such person, an “Acquiring Person”) or (ii) at the close of business on the tenth business day (or such later date as may be determined by action of the Board prior to such time as any person or group of affiliated persons becomes an Acquiring Person) following the commencement or announcement of an intention to make a tender offer or exchange offer the consummation of which would result in the beneficial ownership by a person or group of affiliated or associated persons of shares of Common Stock equal to or exceeding 4.99% of the oustanding Common Stock (the earlier of (i) and (ii) being called the “Distribution Date”). The Board may postpone the Distribution Date of the rights under certain circumstances.

The Tax Plan provides that any person who beneficially owned shares of Common Stock equal to or exceeding 4.99% of the outstanding Common Stock immediately prior to the first public announcement of the adoption of the Tax Plan, together with any affiliates and associates of that person (each, an “Existing Holder”), shall not be deemed to be an “Acquiring Person” for purposes of the Tax Plan unless the Existing Holder becomes the beneficial owner of one or more additional shares of Common Stock (other than pursuant to a dividend or distribution paid or made by the Company on the outstanding Common Stock in Common Stock, pursuant to a split or subdivision of the outstanding Common Stock, pursuant to any unilateral grant of any Common Stock by the Company). However, if upon acquiring beneficial ownership of one or more additional shares of Common Stock, the Existing Holder does not beneficially own shares of Common Stock equal to or exceeding 4.99% of the Common Stock oustanding, the Existing Holder shall not be deemed to be an “Acquiring Person” for purposes of the Tax Plan.

The Rights will be transferred only with the Common Stock until the Distribution Date (or earlier redemption, exchange, termination or expiration of the Rights). After the Distribution Date, separate rights certificates will be issued evidencing the Rights and become separately transferable apart from the Common Stock.

Unless redeemed or exchanged earlier by the Company or terminated, the rights will expire upon the earliest to occur of (i) October 17, 2014, (ii) if stockholder approval of the Tax Plan is not obtained at the annual stockholder meeting (or any adjournment thereof), the close of business on the date of such stockholder meeting (or adjournment, if applicable), or the close of business on February 28, 2012, if stockholder approval of the Tax Plan has not otherwise been obtained by that date (iii) the close of business on the effective date of the repeal of Section 382 of the Code if the Board determines that the Tax Plan is no longer necessary or desirable for the preservation of the Tax Benefits or (iv) the time at which the Board determines that the Tax

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Benefits are fully utilized or no longer available under Section 382 of the Code or that an ownership change under Section 382 of the Code would not adversely impact in any material respect the time period in which the Company could use the Tax Benefits, or materially impair the amount of the Tax Benefits that could be used by the Company in any particular time period, for applicable tax purposes.

Rights and Preferences of Preferred Stock

Each share of Series A Preferred purchasable upon exercise of the Rights will be entitled, when, as and if declared, to a minimum preferential quarterly dividend payment of $1.00 per share or, if greater, an aggregate dividend of 10,000 times the dividend, if any, declared per share of Common Stock. In the event of liquidation, dissolution or winding up of the Company, the holders of the Series A Preferred will be entitled to a minimum preferential liquidation payment of $10,000 per share (plus any accrued but unpaid dividends), provided that such holders of the Series A Preferred will be entitled to an aggregate payment of 10,000 times the payment made per share of Common Stock. Except as otherwise provided by law, the holders of the Series A Preferred Stock are not entitled to vote on matters submitted to the stockholders. Finally, in the event of any merger, consolidation or other transaction in which shares of the Common Stock are exchanged, each share of Series A Preferred will be entitled to receive 10,000 times the amount received per share of Common Stock. The Series A Preferred will not be redeemable. These rights are protected by customary antidilution provisions. Because of the nature of the Series A Preferred’s dividend and liquidation rights, the value of one ten-thousandth of a share of Series A Preferred purchasable upon exercise of each Right should approximate the economic value of one share of Common Stock.

The Purchase Price payable, and the number of shares of Series A Preferred or other securities or property issuable, upon exercise of the Rights are subject to adjustment from time to time to prevent dilution (i) in the event of a stock dividend on, or a subdivision, combination or reclassification of, the Series A Preferred, (ii) upon the grant to holders of the Series A Preferred of certain rights or warrants to subscribe for or purchase Series A Preferred or convertible securities at less than the then current market price of the Series A Preferred or (iii) upon the distribution to holders of the Series A Preferred of evidences of indebtedness, cash, securities or assets (excluding regular periodic cash dividends at a rate not in excess of 125% of the rate of the last regular periodic cash dividend theretofore paid or, in case regular periodic cash dividends have not theretofore been paid, at a rate not in excess of 50% of the average net income per share of the Company for the four quarters ended immediately prior to the payment of such dividend, or dividends payable in shares of Series A Preferred (which dividends will be subject to the adjustment described in clause (i) above)) or of subscription rights or warrants (other than those referred to above).

Until a Right is exercised, the holder thereof, as such, will have no rights as a stockholder of the Company beyond those as an existing stockholder, including, without limitation, the right to vote or to receive dividends.

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Merger, Exchange or Redemption of the Rights

In the event that a Person becomes an Acquiring Person or if the Company were the surviving corporation in a merger with an Acquiring Person and shares of the Common Stock were not changed or exchanged, each holder of a Right, other than Rights that are or were acquired or beneficially owned by the Acquiring Person (which Rights will thereafter be void), will thereafter have the right to receive upon exercise that number of shares of Common Stock having a market value of two times the then current Purchase Price of the Right. In the event that, after a Person has become an Acquiring Person, the Company were acquired in a merger or other business combination transaction or more than 50% of its assets or earning power were sold, proper provision shall be made so that each holder of a Right shall thereafter have the right to receive, upon the exercise thereof at the then current Purchase Price of the Right, that number of shares of common stock of the acquiring company which at the time of such transaction would have a market value of two times the then current Purchase Price of the Right.

At any time after a Person becomes an Acquiring Person and prior to the earlier of one of the events described in the last sentence of the previous paragraph or the acquisition by such Acquiring Person of 50% or more of the then outstanding Common Stock, the Board of Directors may cause the Company to exchange the Rights (other than Rights owned by an Acquiring Person which will have become null and void), in whole or in part, for shares of Common Stock at an exchange rate of one share of Common Stock per Right (subject to adjustment).

The Rights may be redeemed in whole, but not in part, at a price of $.0001 per Right (the “Redemption Price”) by the Board of Directors at any time prior to the time that an Acquiring Person has become such. The redemption of the Rights may be made effective at such time, on such basis and with such conditions as the Board of Directors in its sole discretion may establish. Immediately upon any redemption of the Rights, the right to exercise the Rights will terminate and the only right of the holders of Rights will be to receive the Redemption Price.

Amendment of Tax Benefit Preservation Plan

Any of the provisions of the Plan may be amended by the Board of Directors, or a duly authorized committee thereof, for so long as the Rights are then redeemable, and after the Rights are no longer redeemable, the Company may amend or supplement the Plan in any manner that does not adversely affect the interests of the holders of the Rights (other than an Acquiring Person or any affiliate or associate of an Acquiring Person).

On October 18, 2011, the Company filed with the office of the Secretary of State of the State of Delaware a Certificate of Designations to its Charter establishing in the Charter all matters set forth in the Certificate of Designations of Series A Junior Participating Preferred Stock. A copy of the Certificate of Designations is attached hereto as Exhibit 3.1 and is incorporated herein by this reference.

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(d) Exhibits.

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SIGNATURES

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned hereunto duly authorized.

EXHIBIT INDEX