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): May 12, 2017
 
brcdlogo.jpg
BROCADE COMMUNICATIONS SYSTEMS, INC.
(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)
 
Delaware
 
000-25601
 
77-0409517
(State or other jurisdiction
of incorporation)
 
(Commission
File Number)
 
(I.R.S. Employer
Identification Number)
130 Holger Way
San Jose, CA 95134-1376
(Address, including zip code, of principal executive offices)
(408) 333-8000
(Registrant’s telephone number, including area code)
Not Applicable
(Former name or former address, if changed since last report)
 
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 (see General Instruction A.2. below):
¨
Written communications pursuant to Rule 425 under the Securities Act (17 CFR 230.425)
¨
Soliciting material pursuant to Rule 14a-12 under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.14a-12)
¨
Pre-commencement communications pursuant to Rule 14d-2(b) under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.14d-2(b))
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Pre-commencement communications pursuant to Rule 13e-4(c) under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.13e-4(c))

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is an emerging growth company as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act of 1933 (§230.405 of this chapter) or Rule 12b-2 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (§240.12b-2 of this chapter).
Emerging growth company     ¨
If an emerging growth company, indicate by check mark if the registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for complying with any new or revised financial accounting standards provided pursuant to Section 13(a) of the Exchange Act.     ¨





Item 8.01. Other Events.

As previously reported, on November 2, 2016, Brocade Communications Systems, Inc. (the “Company”) entered into an Agreement and Plan of Merger with Broadcom Limited (“Broadcom”), Broadcom Corporation and Bobcat Merger Sub, Inc. (the “Merger Agreement”) pursuant to which Broadcom agreed to acquire the Company. Broadcom Corporation subsequently assigned all of its rights under the Merger Agreement to LSI Corporation on December 19, 2016.

On May 12, 2017, the European Commission (the “EC”) announced that it had granted conditional antitrust clearance of the proposed acquisition (the “Merger”) contemplated by the Merger Agreement. As part of the EC’s clearance decision, Broadcom has agreed to certain commitments as set forth in that decision, which commitments will be monitored by a trustee. Broadcom has also committed to the EC that it will not close the Merger before the appointment of the monitoring trustee.

As previously announced, the Company’s stockholders approved the Merger on January 26, 2017. The Merger remains subject to the satisfaction or waiver of the other closing conditions, including receipt of U.S. and certain other foreign antitrust and regulatory approvals.

Legal Notice Regarding Forward-Looking Statements

This communication, and any documents to which the Company refers you in this communication, contains not only historical information, but also forward-looking statements made pursuant to the safe-harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These forward-looking statements represent the Company’s current expectations or beliefs concerning future events, including but not limited to the expected completion and timing of the proposed transaction and other information relating to the proposed transaction. Without limiting the foregoing, the words “believes,” “anticipates,” “plans,” “expects,” “intends,” “forecasts,” “should,” “estimates,” “contemplate,” “future,” “goal,” “potential,” “predict,” “project,” “projection,” “target,” “seek,” “may,” “will,” “could,” “should,” “would,” “assuming” and similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements. You should read any such forward-looking statements carefully, as they involve a number of risks, uncertainties and assumptions that may cause actual results to differ significantly from those projected or contemplated in any such forward-looking statement. Those risks, uncertainties and assumptions include, (i) the risk that the proposed transaction may not be completed in a timely manner or at all, which may adversely affect the Company’s business and the price of the Company’s common stock, (ii) the failure to satisfy any of the conditions to the consummation of the proposed transaction, including the receipt of certain governmental and regulatory approvals, (iii) the occurrence of any event, change or other circumstance that could give rise to the termination of the Merger Agreement, (iv) the outcome of any legal proceedings that have been or may be instituted against the Company related to the Merger Agreement or the proposed transaction, and (v) other risks described in the Company’s and Broadcom’s filings with the SEC, such as their respective Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q and Annual Reports on Form 10-K. Forward-looking statements speak only as of the date of this communication or the date of any document incorporated by reference in this document. Except as required by applicable law or regulation, the Company does not assume any obligation to update any such forward-looking statements whether as the result of new developments or otherwise.





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.
 
 
 
 
BROCADE COMMUNICATIONS SYSTEMS, INC.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Date: May 12, 2017
 
 
 
By:
 
/s/ Ellen A. O’Donnell
 
 
 
 
 
 
Ellen A. O’Donnell
 
 
 
 
 
 
Senior Vice President, General Counsel and Corporate Secretary