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UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington, D.C. 20549

SCHEDULE 14A

Proxy Statement Pursuant to Section 14(a) of
the Securities Exchange Act of 1934

Filed by the Registrant ý

Filed by a Party other than the Registrant o

Check the appropriate box:

ý

 

Preliminary Proxy Statement

o

 

Confidential, for Use of the Commission Only (as permitted by Rule 14a-6(e)(2))

o

 

Definitive Proxy Statement

o

 

Definitive Additional Materials

o

 

Soliciting Material under §240.14a-12

 

DIGITAL RIVER, INC.

(Name of Registrant as Specified In Its Charter)


N/A

(Name of Person(s) Filing Proxy Statement, if other than the Registrant)


Payment of Filing Fee (Check the appropriate box):

o

 

No fee required.

ý

 

Fee computed on table below per Exchange Act Rules 14a-6(i)(1) and 0-11.

 

 

(1)

 

Title of each class of securities to which transaction applies:

 

 

 

 

        Common stock, par value $0.01 per share, of Digital River, Inc.
         

 

 

(2)

 

Aggregate number of securities to which transaction applies:

 

 

 

 

        35,189,207 shares of common stock as of December 2, 2014, which consists of (A) 31,841,105 shares of common stock outstanding (including 2,139,267 shares of restricted stock, which includes shares of restricted stock subject to performance-based or time-based vesting); (B) 3,250 shares of common stock issuable upon the exercise of in-the-money stock options; (C) 519,925 shares of common stock issuable upon vesting and settlement of restricted stock units and performance stock unit awards; (D) 73,513 shares of common stock issuable through the end of the current offering period under Digital River, Inc.'s Amended and Restated 2011 Employee Stock Purchase Plan; and (E) 2,751,414 shares of common stock issuable upon conversion of Digital River, Inc.'s 2010 Senior Convertible Notes.
         

 

 

(3)

 

Per unit price or other underlying value of transaction computed pursuant to Exchange Act Rule 0-11 (set forth the amount on which the filing fee is calculated and state how it was determined):

 

 

 

 

        Solely for purposes of calculating the filing fee, the maximum aggregate value was determined based upon the sum of (A) (i) 31,841,105 shares of common stock outstanding as of December 2, 2014 (including 2,139,267 shares of restricted stock, which includes shares of restricted stock subject to performance-based or time-based vesting), (ii) 519,925 shares of common stock issuable upon vesting and settlement of restricted stock units and performance stock unit awards, (iii) 73,513 shares of common stock issuable through the end of the current offering period under Digital River, Inc.'s Amended and Restated 2011 Employee Stock Purchase Plan and (iv) 2,751,414 shares of common stock issuable upon conversion of Digital River, Inc.'s 2010 Senior Convertible Notes, each multiplied by $26.00 per share, and (B) 3,250 shares of common stock issuable upon the exercise of in-the-money stock options multiplied by $1.89 (the difference between $26.00 and the average per share exercise price of $24.11). In accordance with Section 14(g) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, the filed fee was determined by multiplying the sum calculated in the preceding sentence by 0.0001162.
         

 

 

(4)

 

Proposed maximum aggregate value of transaction:

 

 

 

 

        $914,841,025
         

 

 

(5)

 

Total fee paid:

 

 

 

 

        $106,305
         

o

 

Fee paid previously with preliminary materials.

o

 

Check box if any part of the fee is offset as provided by Exchange Act Rule 0-11(a)(2) and identify the filing for which the offsetting fee was paid previously. Identify the previous filing by registration statement number, or the Form or Schedule and the date of its filing.

 

 

(1)

 

Amount Previously Paid:

 

 

 

 

        
         

 

 

(2)

 

Form, Schedule or Registration Statement No.:

 

 

 

 

        
         

 

 

(3)

 

Filing Party:

 

 

 

 

        
         

 

 

(4)

 

Date Filed:

 

 

 

 

        
         

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PRELIMINARY PROXY STATEMENT—SUBJECT TO COMPLETION

DATED DECEMBER 3, 2014

LOGO

[    •    ], 201[    •    ]

Dear Stockholder:

        You are cordially invited to attend a special meeting of stockholders of Digital River, Inc., which we refer to as Digital River, to be held on [    •    ], 201[    •    ] at our offices at 10380 Bren Road West, Minnetonka, Minnesota, 55343, at 9:00 a.m., Central time.

        At the special meeting, you will be asked to consider and vote upon a proposal to adopt the Agreement and Plan of Merger, dated October 23, 2014, which we refer to as the merger agreement, by and among Danube Private Holdings II, LLC, which we refer to as Parent; Danube Private Acquisition Corp., which we refer to as Acquisition Sub and which is a direct wholly owned subsidiary of Parent; and Digital River. Parent and Acquisition Sub are affiliates of Siris Capital Group, LLC. Pursuant to the terms of the merger agreement, Acquisition Sub will merge with and into Digital River, which we refer to as the merger, and Digital River will become a direct wholly owned subsidiary of Parent. You will also be asked to consider and vote on a non-binding, advisory proposal to approve compensation that will or may become payable by Digital River to its named executive officers in connection with the merger.

        If the merger is consummated, you will be entitled to receive $26.00 in cash, without interest, for each share of our common stock you own (unless you have properly exercised your appraisal rights with respect to such shares), which represents a premium of (i) approximately 50% to Digital River's closing stock price on October 23, 2014, the last trading day prior to the public announcement of the execution of the merger agreement, and (ii) approximately 67% over the volume weighted average share price of our common stock during the 90 days ended October 23, 2014.

        Digital River's Board of Directors, after considering factors more fully described in this proxy statement, determined that the merger agreement and the transactions contemplated by the merger agreement, including the merger, are fair to, advisable and in the best interests of Digital River and its stockholders, declared the merger agreement advisable under Delaware law and approved, adopted and authorized the merger agreement and the transactions contemplated by the merger agreement, including the merger. The Board of Directors recommends that you vote (i) "FOR" the proposal to adopt the merger agreement and thereby approve the transactions contemplated by the merger agreement, including the merger, (ii) "FOR" the proposal to approve one or more adjournments of the special meeting, if necessary or appropriate, to solicit additional proxies if there are insufficient votes to adopt the merger agreement at the time of the special meeting and (iii) "FOR" the proposal to approve, by non-binding, advisory vote, compensation that will or may become payable by Digital River to its named executive officers in connection with the merger.

        The enclosed proxy statement provides detailed information about the special meeting, the merger agreement and the merger. A copy of the merger agreement is attached as Annex A to the proxy statement. The proxy statement also describes the actions and determinations of our Board of Directors in connection with its evaluation of the merger agreement and the merger. We encourage you to read the proxy statement and its annexes, including the merger agreement, carefully and in their entirety. You may also obtain more information about Digital River from documents we file with the Securities and Exchange Commission from time to time.

        Whether or not you plan to attend the special meeting in person, please complete, sign, date and return, as promptly as possible, the enclosed proxy card in the accompanying prepaid reply envelope or grant your proxy electronically over the Internet or by telephone. If you attend the special meeting and vote in person by ballot, your vote will revoke any proxy that you have previously submitted. If you


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hold your shares in "street name," you should instruct your broker how to vote in accordance with the voting instruction form you will receive from your broker, bank or other nominee.

        Your vote is very important, regardless of the number of shares that you own. We cannot consummate the merger unless the proposal to adopt the merger agreement is approved by the affirmative vote of the holders of a majority of the outstanding shares of our common stock. The failure of any stockholder to vote in person by ballot at the special meeting, to submit a signed proxy card or to grant a proxy electronically over the Internet or by telephone will have the same effect as a vote "AGAINST" the proposal to adopt the merger agreement. If you hold your shares in "street name," the failure to instruct your broker, bank or other nominee on how to vote your shares will have the same effect as a vote "AGAINST" the proposal to adopt the merger agreement.

        If you have any questions or need assistance voting your shares of our common stock, please contact MacKenzie Partners, Inc., our proxy solicitor, by calling (800) 322-2885 toll-free or (212) 929-5500 collect.

        On behalf of our Board of Directors, I thank you for your support and appreciate your consideration of this matter.

    Sincerely,

 

 

Thomas F. Madison
Chairman of the Board of Directors

        Neither the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission nor any state securities regulatory agency has approved or disapproved of the transactions described in this document, including the merger, or determined if the information contained in this document is accurate or adequate. Any representation to the contrary is a criminal offense.

        The accompanying proxy statement is dated [    •    ], 201[    •    ] and, together with the enclosed form of proxy card, is first being mailed to stockholders of Digital River on or about [    •    ], 201[    •    ].


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PRELIMINARY PROXY STATEMENT—SUBJECT TO COMPLETION

DATED DECEMBER 3, 2014

LOGO

NOTICE OF SPECIAL MEETING OF STOCKHOLDERS
YOUR VOTE IS VERY IMPORTANT. PLEASE VOTE YOUR SHARES PROMPTLY.

        Notice is hereby given that a special meeting of stockholders of Digital River, Inc., a Delaware corporation, which we refer to as Digital River, will be held on [    •    ], 201[    •    ] at our offices at 10380 Bren Road West, Minnetonka, Minnesota, 55343, at 9:00 a.m., Central time for the following purposes:

        The affirmative vote of the holders of a majority of the outstanding shares of our common stock entitled to vote thereon is required to approve the proposal to adopt the merger agreement. The affirmative vote of a majority of our shares of common stock represented at the special meeting, either in person or by proxy, and entitled to vote thereon, whether or not a quorum is present, is required to approve the proposal to approve one or more adjournments of the special meeting. The affirmative vote of a majority of the shares of our common stock represented at the special meeting, either in person or by proxy, and entitled to vote thereon is required to approve the proposal to approve, by non-binding, advisory vote, compensation that will or may become payable by Digital River to its named executive officers in connection with the merger. The failure of any stockholder of record to submit a signed proxy card, grant a proxy electronically over the Internet or by telephone or to vote in person by ballot at the special meeting will have the same effect as a vote "AGAINST" the proposal to adopt the merger agreement, but will not have any effect on the adjournment proposal or the proposal to approve, by non-binding, advisory vote, compensation that will or may become payable by Digital River to its named executive officers in connection with the merger. If you hold your shares in "street name," the failure to instruct your broker, bank or other nominee on how to vote your shares will have the same effect as a vote "AGAINST" the proposal to adopt the merger agreement, but will not have any effect on the adjournment proposal or the proposal to approve, by non-binding, advisory vote, compensation that will or may be paid to Digital River's named executive officers that is based on or otherwise relates to the merger. Abstentions will have the same effect as a vote "AGAINST" the proposal to adopt the merger agreement, the adjournment proposal and the proposal to approve, by non-binding, advisory vote, compensation that will or may become payable by Digital River to its named executive officers in connection with the merger.

        Only stockholders of record as of the close of business on [    •    ], 201[    •    ] are entitled to notice of the special meeting and to vote at the special meeting or at any adjournment or postponement thereof. A list of stockholders entitled to vote at the special meeting will be available in


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our offices located at 10380 Bren Road West, Minnetonka, Minnesota, 55343, during regular business hours for a period of at least ten days before the special meeting and at the place of the special meeting during the meeting.

        Stockholders who do not vote in favor of the proposal to adopt the merger agreement will have the right to seek appraisal of the fair value of their shares of Digital River common stock if they deliver a demand for appraisal before the vote is taken on the merger agreement and comply with all the requirements of Delaware law, which are summarized herein and reproduced in their entirety in Annex C to the accompanying proxy statement.

        The Board of Directors recommends that you vote (i) "FOR" the proposal to adopt the merger agreement and thereby approve the transactions contemplated by the merger agreement, including the merger, (ii) "FOR" the proposal to approve one or more adjournments of the special meeting to a later date or dates if necessary or appropriate to solicit additional proxies if there are insufficient votes to adopt the merger agreement at the time of the special meeting and (iii) "FOR" the proposal to approve, by non-binding, advisory vote, compensation that will or may become payable by Digital River to its named executive officers in connection with the merger.

    By Order of the Board of Directors,

 

 

Kevin L. Crudden
Senior Vice President, General Counsel and Secretary

Dated: [    •    ], 201[    •    ]


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YOUR VOTE IS IMPORTANT

        WHETHER OR NOT YOU EXPECT TO ATTEND THE SPECIAL MEETING IN PERSON, WE ENCOURAGE YOU TO SUBMIT YOUR PROXY AS PROMPTLY AS POSSIBLE (1) BY TELEPHONE, (2) THROUGH THE INTERNET OR (3) BY MARKING, SIGNING AND DATING THE ENCLOSED PROXY CARD AND RETURNING IT IN THE POSTAGE-PAID ENVELOPE PROVIDED. You may revoke your proxy or change your vote at any time before the special meeting. If your shares are held in the name of a broker, bank or other nominee, please follow the instructions on the voting instruction card furnished to you by such broker, bank or other nominee, which is considered the stockholder of record, in order to vote. As a beneficial owner, you have the right to direct your broker or other agent on how to vote the shares in your account. Your broker or other agent cannot vote on any of the proposals, including the proposal to adopt the merger agreement, without your instructions.

        If you fail to return your proxy card, grant your proxy electronically over the Internet or by telephone or vote by ballot in person at the special meeting, your shares will not be counted for purposes of determining whether a quorum is present at the special meeting. If you are a stockholder of record, voting in person by ballot at the special meeting will revoke any proxy that you previously submitted. If you hold your shares through a broker, bank or other nominee, you must obtain from the record holder a valid proxy issued in your name in order to vote in person at the special meeting.

        We encourage you to read the accompanying proxy statement, including all documents incorporated by reference into the accompanying proxy statement, and its annexes carefully and in their entirety. If you have any questions concerning the merger, the special meeting or the accompanying proxy statement, would like additional copies of the accompanying proxy statement or need help voting your shares of common stock, please contact our proxy solicitor:

MacKenzie Partners, Inc.
105 Madison Avenue
New York, NY 10016
Email: proxy@mackenziepartners.com
Call collect: (212) 929-5500
Call toll-free: (800) 322-2885


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TABLE OF CONTENTS

 
  Page  

SUMMARY

    1  

Parties Involved in the Merger

    1  

Certain Effects of the Merger on Digital River

    2  

Effect on Digital River if the Merger is Not Completed

    2  

Merger Consideration

    2  

The Special Meeting

    3  

Recommendation of Our Board of Directors and Reasons for the Merger

    4  

Opinion of Morgan Stanley & Co. LLC

    4  

Financing of the Merger

    5  

Limited Guarantee

    6  

Other Covenants

    6  

Treatment of Options, Restricted Stock, Performance Share Awards and Other Awards

    7  

Employee Benefits

    8  

Interests of the Directors and Executive Officers of Digital River in the Merger

    8  

Appraisal Rights

    9  

U.S. Federal Income Tax Consequences of the Merger

    9  

Regulatory Approvals Required for the Merger

    10  

Legal Proceedings Regarding the Merger

    10  

Solicitations of Other Offers

    10  

Adverse Recommendation Changes; Alternative Acquisition Agreements

    12  

Conditions to the Closing of the Merger

    13  

Termination of the Merger Agreement

    13  

Termination Fees

    14  

Expense Reimbursement

    14  

Specific Performance

    15  

Fees and Expenses

    15  

Market Prices and Dividend Data

    15  

QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS

    16  

FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

    25  

THE SPECIAL MEETING

    27  

Date, Time and Place

    27  

Purpose of the Special Meeting

    27  

Record Date; Shares Entitled to Vote; Quorum

    27  

Vote Required; Abstentions and Broker Non-Votes

    27  

Shares Held by Digital River's Directors and Executive Officers

    28  

Voting of Proxies

    28  

Revocability of Proxies

    29  

Board of Directors' Recommendation

    30  

Solicitation of Proxies

    30  

Anticipated Date of Completion of the Merger

    30  

Rights of Stockholders Who Seek Appraisal

    30  

Other Matters

    31  

Important Notice Regarding the Availability of Proxy Materials for the Stockholder Meeting to be Held on [•], 201[•]

    31  

Householding of Special Meeting Materials

    31  

THE MERGER

    32  

Parties Involved in the Merger

    32  

Certain Effects of the Merger on Digital River

    33  

Effect on Digital River if the Merger is Not Completed

    33  

Merger Consideration

    34  

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  Page  

Background of the Merger

    34  

Recommendation of Our Board of Directors and Reasons for the Merger

    40  

Opinion of Morgan Stanley & Co. LLC

    44  

Certain Financial Forecasts

    57  

Interests of the Directors and Executive Officers of Digital River in the Merger

    60  

Financing of the Merger

    66  

Limited Guarantee

    69  

Closing and Effective Time of the Merger

    70  

Appraisal Rights

    70  

Accounting Treatment

    74  

U.S. Federal Income Tax Consequences of the Merger

    75  

Regulatory Approvals Required for the Merger

    77  

Legal Proceedings Regarding the Merger

    78  

PROPOSAL 1: ADOPTION OF THE MERGER AGREEMENT

    79  

Effects of the Merger; Directors and Officers; Certificate of Incorporation; By-laws

    79  

Closing and Effective Time of the Merger

    80  

Merger Consideration

    80  

Exchange and Payment Procedures

    81  

Representations and Warranties

    82  

Conduct of Business Pending the Merger

    85  

Solicitations of Other Offers

    87  

Adverse Recommendation Changes; Alternative Acquisition Agreements

    90  

Financing Efforts

    91  

Employee Benefits

    93  

Efforts to Close the Merger

    95  

Indemnification and Insurance

    95  

Other Covenants

    95  

Conditions to the Closing of the Merger

    96  

Termination of the Merger Agreement

    97  

Termination Fees

    99  

Expense Reimbursement

    100  

Specific Performance

    100  

Limitations of Liability

    101  

Fees and Expenses

    101  

Amendment

    101  

Governing Law

    101  

PROPOSAL 2: ADJOURNMENT OF THE SPECIAL MEETING

    102  

The Adjournment Proposal

    102  

Vote Required and Board Recommendation

    102  

PROPOSAL 3: ADVISORY VOTE ON MERGER-RELATED EXECUTIVE COMPENSATION ARRANGEMENTS

    103  

The Non-Binding Advisory Proposal

    103  

Vote Required and Board Recommendation

    103  

MARKET PRICES AND DIVIDEND DATA

    104  

SECURITY OWNERSHIP OF CERTAIN BENEFICIAL OWNERS AND MANAGEMENT

    105  

FUTURE STOCKHOLDER PROPOSALS

    107  

WHERE YOU CAN FIND MORE INFORMATION

    108  

MISCELLANEOUS

    110  

Annex A: Agreement and Plan of Merger

    A-1  

Annex B: Opinion of Morgan Stanley & Co. LLC

    B-1  

Annex C: Section 262 of the General Corporation Law of the State of Delaware

    C-1  

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SUMMARY

        This summary highlights selected information from this proxy statement related to the merger of Danube Private Acquisition Corp. with and into Digital River, Inc., with Digital River, Inc. surviving as a direct wholly owned subsidiary of Danube Private Holdings II, LLC, which transaction we refer to as the merger, and may not contain all of the information that is important to you. To understand the merger more fully and for a more complete description of the legal terms of the merger, you should read carefully this entire proxy statement, the annexes to this proxy statement, including the merger agreement, and the documents we incorporate by reference in this proxy statement. You may obtain the documents and information incorporated by reference in this proxy statement without charge by following the instructions under "Where You Can Find More Information" beginning on page [    •    ]. The merger agreement is attached as Annex A to this proxy statement.

        Except as otherwise specifically noted in this proxy statement or as context otherwise requires, "Digital River," "we," "our," "us" and similar words in this proxy statement refer to Digital River, Inc. including, in certain cases, our subsidiaries. Throughout this proxy statement we refer to Danube Private Holdings II, LLC as Parent and Danube Private Acquisition Corp. as Acquisition Sub. In addition, throughout this proxy statement we refer to the Agreement and Plan of Merger, dated October 23, 2014, as it may be amended from time to time, by and among Parent, Acquisition Sub and Digital River, as the merger agreement.


Parties Involved in the Merger (page [    •    ])

Digital River, Inc.

        Digital River is a leading provider of global Commerce-as-a-Service solutions. We provide commerce, payments and marketing solutions to business-to-business and business-to-consumer digital product and cloud service companies as well as branded manufacturers across a variety of vertical markets through our multi-tenant technology, platform and service offerings. Our customers range in size from small to mid-sized companies to multi-national enterprises that serve a wide variety of markets, including, software, consumer electronics, computer games, publishing, travel, music, video games, electronic toys, housewares, medical equipment, power tools and direct-selling, among others.

        We offer our customers a broad range of solutions to quickly and cost effectively establish, manage and grow commerce sales channels via Internet-connected devices. We have invested substantial resources to develop our solutions, services, infrastructure and platforms, and to mitigate the risks our customers may encounter when conducting global commerce.

        Our common stock is currently listed on the Nasdaq Global Select Market under the symbol "DRIV."


Danube Private Holdings II, LLC

        Parent is a Delaware limited liability company that was formed on October 15, 2014 by Siris Capital Group, LLC, which we refer to as Siris. Siris is a private equity firm focused on complex, control equity investments in the telecom, technology and technology-enabled business service sectors. Parent was formed solely for the purpose of entering into the merger agreement and completing the transactions contemplated by the merger agreement and the related financing transactions. Parent has not conducted any business operations except in furtherance of this purpose and activities incident to its formation. Upon completion of the merger, Digital River will be a direct wholly owned subsidiary of Parent.


Danube Private Acquisition Corp.

        Acquisition Sub is a Delaware corporation and a direct wholly owned subsidiary of Parent, formed on October 15, 2014, solely for the purpose of entering into the merger agreement and completing the transactions contemplated by the merger agreement and the related financing transactions. Acquisition


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Sub has not conducted any business operations except in furtherance of this purpose and activities incident to its formation. Upon completion of the merger, Acquisition Sub will cease to exist.


Certain Effects of the Merger on Digital River (page [    •    ])

        Upon the terms and subject to the conditions of the merger agreement, Acquisition Sub will merge with and into Digital River, with Digital River continuing as the surviving corporation and a direct wholly owned subsidiary of Parent. Throughout this proxy statement, we use the term surviving corporation to refer to Digital River as the surviving corporation following the merger. If the merger is consummated, you will not own any shares of the capital stock of the surviving corporation.

        The time at which the merger will become effective, which we refer to as the effective time of the merger, will occur upon the filing of a certificate of merger with the Secretary of State of the State of Delaware (or at such later time as we and Parent may agree and specify in the certificate of merger).


Effect on Digital River if the Merger is Not Completed (page [    •    ])

        If the merger agreement is not adopted by Digital River stockholders or if the merger is not completed for any other reason, Digital River stockholders will not receive any payment for their shares of common stock. Instead, Digital River will remain a public company, our common stock will continue to be listed and traded on the Nasdaq Global Select Market and registered under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, which we refer to as the Exchange Act, and we will continue to file periodic reports with the Securities and Exchange Commission, which we refer to as the SEC. Under specified circumstances, Digital River may be required to reimburse certain of Parent's expenses incurred in respect of the transactions contemplated by the merger agreement or pay Parent a termination fee, or may be entitled to receive a reverse termination fee from Parent, upon the termination of the merger agreement, as described under "Proposal 1: Adoption of the Merger Agreement—Termination Fees" beginning on page [    •    ].


Merger Consideration (page [    •    ])

        In the merger, each outstanding share of our common stock (other than (i) shares owned by Digital River as treasury stock, (ii) shares owned, directly or indirectly, by Parent or Acquisition Sub, (iii) shares owned by wholly owned subsidiaries of Digital River and (iv) shares owned by stockholders who are entitled to and who properly exercise and perfect their demand for appraisal rights under Delaware law) will be converted automatically into the right to receive $26.00 in cash, without interest and less any applicable withholding taxes, which amount we refer to as the per share merger consideration, and, without any action by the holders of such shares, will cease to be outstanding, be canceled and cease to exist, and each certificate formerly representing any of the shares of Digital River common stock will thereafter represent only the right to receive the per share merger consideration. As described further in "Proposal 1: Adoption of the Merger Agreement—Exchange and Payment Procedures" beginning on page [    •    ], at or immediately prior to the effective time of the merger, Parent will deposit or cause to be deposited sufficient funds to pay the aggregate per share merger consideration with a designated paying agent. Following completion of the merger, once a stockholder has provided the paying agent with his or her stock certificates or book-entry shares, as applicable, and the other items specified by the paying agent, the paying agent will promptly pay the stockholder the per share merger consideration.

        After the merger is completed, under the terms of the merger agreement, you will have the right to receive the per share merger consideration, but you will no longer have any rights as a Digital River stockholder as a result of the merger (except that stockholders who properly exercise and perfect their demand for right of appraisal will have the right to receive a payment for the "fair value" of their

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shares as determined pursuant to an appraisal proceeding as contemplated by Delaware law, as described below under "The Merger—Appraisal Rights" beginning on page [    •    ]).


The Special Meeting (page [    •    ])

Date, Time and Place

        A special meeting of our stockholders will be held on [    •    ], 201[    •    ], at our offices at 10380 Bren Road West, Minnetonka, Minnesota, 55343, at 9:00 a.m., Central time.


Record Date; Shares Entitled to Vote

        You are entitled to vote at the special meeting if you owned shares of our common stock at the close of business on [    •    ], 201[    •    ], the record date for the special meeting. You will have one vote at the special meeting for each share of our common stock you owned at the close of business on the record date.


Purpose

        At the special meeting, we will ask our stockholders of record as of the record date to vote on proposals (i) to adopt the merger agreement, (ii) to approve one or more adjournments of the special meeting to a later date to solicit additional proxies if there are insufficient votes to adopt the merger agreement at the time of the special meeting and (iii) to approve, by non-binding, advisory vote, compensation that will or may become payable by Digital River to its named executive officers in connection with the merger.


Quorum

        As of the record date, there were approximately [    •    ] shares of our common stock outstanding and entitled to be voted at the special meeting. A quorum of stockholders is necessary to hold a special meeting. The holders of a majority of the outstanding shares of our common stock entitled to vote at the special meeting, either present in person or represented by proxy, will constitute a quorum at the special meeting. As a result, [    •    ] shares must be represented by proxy or by stockholders present and entitled to vote at the special meeting to have a quorum.


Required Vote

        The affirmative vote of the holders of a majority of the outstanding shares of our common stock entitled to vote thereon is required to adopt the merger agreement. Approval of the proposal to approve one or more adjournments of the special meeting, whether or not a quorum is present, requires the affirmative vote of a majority of the shares of our common stock represented at the special meeting, either in person or by proxy, and entitled to vote thereon. Approval of the proposal to approve, by non-binding, advisory vote, compensation that will or may become payable by Digital River to its named executive officers in connection with the merger requires the affirmative vote of a majority of the shares of our common stock represented at the special meeting, in person or by proxy, and entitled to vote thereon.


Share Ownership of Our Directors and Executive Officers

        As of [    •    ], 201[    •    ], the record date, our directors and executive officers beneficially owned and were entitled to vote, in the aggregate, [    •    ] shares of our common stock (excluding any shares of our common stock that would be delivered upon exercise or conversion of stock options or other equity-based awards), representing approximately [    •    ]% of the outstanding shares of our common stock. Our directors and executive officers have informed us that they currently intend to vote all of

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their shares of Digital River common stock (i) "FOR" the proposal to adopt the merger agreement, (ii) "FOR" the proposal to approve one or more adjournments of the special meeting to a later date or dates if necessary or appropriate to solicit additional proxies if there are insufficient votes to adopt the merger agreement at the time of the special meeting and (iii) "FOR" the proposal to approve, by non-binding, advisory vote, compensation that will or may become payable by Digital River to its named executive officers in connection with the merger.


Voting of Proxies

        Any Digital River stockholder of record entitled to vote at the special meeting may submit a proxy by returning a signed proxy card by mail or voting electronically over the Internet or by telephone, or may vote in person by appearing at the special meeting. If you are a beneficial owner and hold your shares of Digital River common stock in "street name" through a broker, bank or other nominee, you should instruct your broker, bank or other nominee on how you wish to vote your shares of Digital River common stock using the instructions provided by your broker, bank or other nominee. Under applicable stock exchange rules, brokers, banks or other nominees have the discretion to vote your shares on routine matters if you fail to instruct your broker, bank or other nominee on how to vote your shares with respect to such matters. The proposals in this proxy statement are non-routine matters, and brokers, banks and other nominees therefore cannot vote on these proposals without your instructions, resulting in what we refer to as a broker non-vote. Therefore, it is important that you cast your vote or instruct your broker, bank or nominee on how you wish to vote your shares.

        If you are a stockholder of record, you may change your vote or revoke your proxy at any time before it is voted at the special meeting by submitting a new proxy electronically over the Internet or by telephone after the date of the earlier submitted proxy, signing another proxy card with a later date and returning it to us prior to the special meeting or attending the special meeting and voting in person. If you hold your shares of common stock in "street name," you should contact your broker, bank or other nominee for instructions regarding how to change your vote.


Recommendation of Our Board of Directors and Reasons for the Merger (page [    •    ])

        Our Board of Directors, which we refer to as the Board, after considering various factors described in the section entitled "The Merger—Recommendation of Our Board of Directors and Reasons for the Merger," determined that the merger agreement and the transactions contemplated by the merger agreement, including the merger, are fair to, advisable and in the best interests of Digital River and its stockholders, declared the merger agreement advisable under Delaware law and approved, adopted and authorized the merger agreement and the transactions contemplated by the merger agreement, including the merger. The Board recommends that you vote (i) "FOR" the proposal to adopt the merger agreement and thereby approve the transactions contemplated by the merger agreement, including the merger, (ii) "FOR" the proposal to approve one or more adjournments of the special meeting to a later date or dates if necessary or appropriate to solicit additional proxies if there are insufficient votes to adopt the merger agreement at the time of the special meeting and (iii) "FOR" the proposal to approve, by non-binding, advisory vote, compensation that will or may become payable by Digital River to its named executive officers in connection with the merger.


Opinion of Morgan Stanley & Co. LLC (page [    •    ])

        On October 22, 2014, Morgan Stanley & Co. LLC, which we refer to as Morgan Stanley, rendered its oral opinion to the Board, subsequently confirmed in writing on October 23, 2014, that as of that date, and based upon and subject to the assumptions made, procedures followed, matters considered and qualifications and limitations on the scope of review undertaken by Morgan Stanley as set forth in the written opinion, the per share merger consideration of $26.00 in cash to be received by the holders of shares of Digital River's common stock (other than (i) shares owned by Digital River as treasury

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stock, (ii) shares owned, directly or indirectly, by Parent or Acquisition Sub, (iii) shares owned by wholly owned subsidiaries of Digital River and (iv) shares owned by stockholders who are entitled to and who properly exercise and perfect appraisal rights under Delaware law) pursuant to the merger agreement was fair from a financial point of view to the holders of Digital River's common stock.

        The full text of the written opinion of Morgan Stanley to the Board, dated as of October 23, 2014, which sets forth, among other things, the assumptions made, procedures followed, matters considered and qualifications and limitations on the scope of the review undertaken by Morgan Stanley in rendering its opinion, is attached to this proxy statement as Annex B, and is incorporated by reference in this proxy statement in its entirety. The summary of the opinion of Morgan Stanley in this proxy statement is qualified in its entirety by reference to the full text of the opinion. You are encouraged to read Morgan Stanley's opinion and the section summarizing Morgan Stanley's opinion carefully and in their entirety. Morgan Stanley's opinion was directed to the Board, in its capacity as such, and addressed only the fairness from a financial point of view of the consideration to be received by the holders of shares of Digital River's common stock (other than (i) shares owned by Digital River as treasury stock, (ii) shares owned, directly or indirectly, by Parent or Acquisition Sub, (iii) shares owned by wholly owned subsidiaries of Digital River and (iv) shares owned by stockholders who are entitled to and who properly exercise and perfect appraisal rights under Delaware law) pursuant to the merger agreement as of the date of the opinion and did not address any other aspects or implications of the merger. It was not intended to, and does not, constitute advice or a recommendation to any holder of shares of Digital River's common stock as to how to vote at any stockholders meeting to be held in connection with the merger or whether to take any other action with respect to the merger.


Financing of the Merger (page [    •    ])

        We anticipate that the total amount of funds necessary to consummate the merger and the related transactions, including the funds needed to (i) pay our stockholders the amounts due to them under the merger agreement; (ii) make payments in respect of Digital River's outstanding equity and equity-based awards pursuant to the merger agreement; (iii) refinance or otherwise discharge certain outstanding indebtedness of Digital River, including indebtedness that will come due or otherwise be repaid or repurchased as a result of the merger (and with respect to certain convertible notes, as described further in "Proposal 1: Adoption of the Merger Agreement—Other Covenants—Treatment of Convertible Notes" beginning on page [    •    ]); and (iv) pay all fees and expenses payable by Parent and Acquisition Sub under the merger agreement and in connection with the debt financing under the debt commitment letters described below, will be approximately $1,010 million. This amount will be funded through a combination of up to approximately $328.9 million in equity financing under the equity commitment letters described below, up to $345 million in debt financing under the debt commitment letter described below, and Digital River's cash and cash equivalents on hand at closing.

        In connection with the financing of the merger, Parent has entered into equity commitment letters, dated as of October 23, 2014, with each of (i) Siris Partners II, L.P. (an affiliate of Siris that we refer to as the guarantor or Siris Partners), (ii) GCM SPV 14 Beta, LLC, (iii) GCM Grosvenor Co-Investment Opportunities Fund, L.P., (iv) MIHI LLC, (v) Sankaty Drawbridge Opportunities, L.P., (vi) Sankaty Credit Opportunities V-B, L.P., (vii) Sankaty Credit Opportunities V AIV II, L.P. (Master), (viii) Sankaty Credit Opportunities V AIV I, L.P., (ix) Sankaty Middle Market Opportunities Fund II, L.P., (x) Sankaty Middle Market Opportunities Fund II-A (Master), L.P. and (xi) Sankaty Middle Market Opportunities Fund II-F, L.P., which letters we refer to collectively as the equity commitment letters and which parties we refer to collectively as the equity investors.

        In addition, Parent has entered into a debt commitment letter, dated as of October 23, 2014, with (i) MIHI LLC, (ii) Macquarie Capital (USA) Inc. (which we refer to as Macquarie), (iii) Sankaty Middle Market Opportunities Fund II, L.P., (iv) Sankaty Middle Market Opportunities Fund II-A (Master), L.P., (v) Sankaty Middle Market Opportunities Fund II-F, L.P., (vi) MPS Investments S.À

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R.L. and (vii) BCSSS Investments S.À R.L., which letter we refer to as the debt commitment letter and which parties we refer to collectively as the debt financing parties. We refer to the equity commitment letters and the debt commitment letter collectively as the financing commitments and the financing under each of them as the equity financing and the debt financing, respectively. We cannot assure you that the amounts committed under the financing commitments, together with Digital River's cash and cash equivalents on hand, will be sufficient to consummate the merger. Those amounts might be insufficient if, among other things, one or more of the parties to the financing commitments fails to fund the committed amounts in breach of such financing commitments or if the conditions to such commitments are not met. Although obtaining the proceeds of any financing, including the financing under the financing commitments, is not a condition to the consummation of the merger, the failure of Parent and Acquisition Sub to obtain any portion of the equity financing or debt financing (or any alternative financing) is likely to result in the failure of the merger to be completed. In that case, Parent may be obligated to pay Digital River a fee of $50,370,547, as described under "Proposal 1: Adoption of the Merger Agreement—Termination Fees" beginning on page [    •    ].

        The funding under the financing commitments is subject to conditions, including conditions that do not relate directly to the conditions to closing in the merger agreement.


Limited Guarantee (page [    •    ])

        Pursuant to a limited guarantee delivered by the guarantor in favor of Digital River, dated as of October 23, 2014, which we refer to as the limited guarantee, the guarantor agreed to guarantee the due, punctual and complete payment of:

        The guarantor's obligations under the limited guarantee are subject to an aggregate cap equal to the amount of (i) the reverse termination fee plus (ii) certain expense reimbursement and indemnification obligations specified in the merger agreement plus (iii) the reasonable and documented out-of-pocket costs and expenses (including reasonable fees and expenses of counsel) incurred by Digital River in connection with its enforcement of such guarantee, less the portion of the above amounts, if any, paid to Digital River by Parent, Acquisition Sub or any other person that is not returned or rescinded.


Other Covenants (page [    •    ])

Treatment of Convertible Notes

        Among other covenants in the merger agreement, Digital River agreed that before the effective time of the merger, Digital River will take all actions required in connection with the transactions contemplated by the merger agreement pursuant to the terms of the Indenture, dated as of November 1, 2010, between Digital River and Wells Fargo Bank, National Association, as trustee, as amended or supplemented to the date of the merger agreement, which we refer to as the convertible notes indenture.

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Treatment of Options, Restricted Stock, Performance Share Awards and Other Awards (page [    •    ])

        The merger agreement provides that Digital River's equity awards that are outstanding immediately prior to the effective time of the merger will be subject to the following treatment at the effective time of the merger:


Options

        Each outstanding option to purchase shares of Digital River common stock, whether or not vested, will be canceled and converted into the right to receive an amount in cash (subject to any applicable withholding or other taxes, or other amounts as required by law) equal to the product of (i) the total number of shares of Digital River common stock subject to the option as of the effective time of the merger and (ii) the amount, if any, by which $26.00 exceeds the exercise price per share of Digital River common stock underlying the stock option.


Restricted Stock

        Immediately prior to the effective time of the merger, each then-outstanding share of unvested Digital River restricted stock, including shares of restricted stock subject to time-based or performance-based vesting, which we refer to as restricted stock, will, contingent upon the effective time of the merger, vest and, at the effective time of the merger, be canceled and converted into the right to receive the per share merger consideration.


Performance Share Awards

        Each Digital River restricted stock unit, which we refer to as an RSU, or performance stock unit granted pursuant to Digital River's benefit plans that is subject to performance-based vesting conditions, which awards we refer to as performance share awards, that is outstanding and vested immediately prior to the effective time of the merger (after taking into account any acceleration of vesting or lapse restrictions thereto provided for in Digital River's benefit plans or in any award agreement by reason of the transactions contemplated by the merger agreement), will automatically be canceled and cease to exist, and the holder of such performance share award will be entitled to receive an amount in cash equal (subject to any applicable withholding or other taxes required by applicable law to be withheld) to the product of (i) the total number of vested shares of Digital River common stock subject to such performance share award and (ii) the per share merger consideration. Each performance share award that is not so vested immediately prior to the effective time of the merger will be canceled without consideration.


Other Company Awards

        Any vesting or settlement conditions or restrictions applicable to each RSU and performance stock unit granted pursuant to Digital River's benefit plans that is not subject to performance-based vesting conditions, other than stock options and restricted stock, which awards we refer to as other company awards, outstanding immediately prior to the effective time of the merger will lapse and the holder will receive an amount in cash equal (subject to any applicable withholding or other taxes required by applicable law to be withheld) to the product of (i) the total number of shares of Digital River common stock subject to such other company award and (ii) the per share merger consideration.


Employee Stock Purchase Plan

        Under Digital River's Amended and Restated 2011 Employee Stock Purchase Plan, which we refer to as the stock purchase plan, no new offering period will commence following completion of the offering period in progress as of the date of the merger agreement; we refer to the date of such completion as the final purchase date. Shares of Digital River common stock will be issued to

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participants under the stock purchase plan on the final purchase date, such that each then outstanding option under the stock purchase plan will be exercised automatically on such final purchase date. Digital River will terminate the stock purchase plan as of or prior to the effective time of the merger.


Employee Benefits (page [    •    ])

        For one year following the effective time of the merger, Parent has agreed to provide, or cause the surviving corporation to provide, each employee of Digital River and its subsidiaries who continues to be so employed following the effective time of the merger, who we refer to collectively as the continuing employees, with (i) a base salary and target cash bonus opportunity (excluding any equity or equity-based compensation) that are each no less favorable than, and (ii) defined contribution pension and welfare plan benefits (excluding any severance benefits) that in the aggregate are no less favorable than, the base salary and target cash bonus opportunity (excluding any equity or equity-based compensation) and defined contribution pension and welfare plan benefits (excluding any severance benefits) provided to such individuals by Digital River and its subsidiaries immediately prior to the effective time of the merger. Parent has also agreed to provide, or cause the surviving corporation to provide, severance payments and benefits to each continuing employee whose employment is terminated without cause, on or before the first anniversary of the effective time of the merger, that are consistent with the severance payments and benefits that would have been paid or provided under the terms and conditions of Digital River's severance plan. As of the effective time of the merger, Parent has also agreed to honor, and cause the surviving corporation to honor, in accordance with their terms, all employment, change in control, severance and other compensation plans and agreements existing immediately prior to the execution of the merger agreement, which are between Digital River or any of its subsidiaries and any director, officer or employee thereof or maintained by Digital River or any of its subsidiaries, and we refer to each such agreement as a company agreement. Parent has also agreed to pay 2014 cash bonuses (including annual bonuses, annual sales awards and other annual cash incentive awards in respect of Digital River's 2014 fiscal year) under Digital River's applicable benefit plans if the effective time of the merger occurs prior such payment otherwise coming due under the terms of the applicable benefit plan.


Interests of the Directors and Executive Officers of Digital River in the Merger (page [    •    ])

        When considering the recommendation of the Board that you vote to approve the proposal to adopt the merger agreement, you should be aware that our directors and executive officers may have interests in the merger that may be deemed to be different from, or in addition to, your interests as a stockholder. The Board was aware of and considered these interests to the extent such interests existed at the time, among other matters, in evaluating and overseeing the negotiation of the merger agreement, in approving the merger agreement and the merger and in recommending that the merger agreement be adopted by the stockholders of Digital River. These interests may include the following:

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        If the proposal to adopt the merger agreement is approved by our stockholders and the merger closes, under the terms of the merger agreement any shares of common stock held by our directors and executive officers, including such shares held following the vesting or settlement of equity and equity-based awards, will be treated in the same manner as outstanding shares of common stock held by all other stockholders of Digital River entitled to receive the per share merger consideration.


Appraisal Rights (page [    •    ])

        If the merger is adopted by Digital River stockholders, stockholders who do not vote in favor of the adoption of the merger agreement and who properly exercise and perfect their demand for appraisal of their shares will be entitled to appraisal rights in connection with the merger under Section 262 of the General Corporation Law of the State of Delaware, which we refer to as the DGCL. This means that holders of Digital River common stock are entitled to have their shares appraised by the Delaware Court of Chancery and to receive payment in cash of the "fair value" of the shares of Digital River common stock, exclusive of any elements of value arising from the accomplishment or expectation of the merger, together with interest based to be paid upon the amount determined to be fair value, if any, as determined by the court. Stockholders who wish to seek appraisal of their shares are in any case encouraged to seek the advice of legal counsel with respect to the exercise of appraisal rights due to the complexity of the appraisal process.

        Stockholders considering seeking appraisal should be aware that the fair value of their shares as determined pursuant to Section 262 of the DGCL could be more than, the same as or less than the value of the consideration they would receive pursuant to the merger if they did not seek appraisal of their shares.

        To exercise your appraisal rights, you must submit a written demand for appraisal to Digital River before the vote is taken on the adoption of the merger agreement, you must not submit a proxy or otherwise vote in favor of the proposal to adopt the merger agreement and you must continue to hold the shares of Digital River common stock of record through the effective time of the merger. Your failure to follow the procedures specified under the DGCL will result in the loss of your appraisal rights. The DGCL requirements for exercising appraisal rights are described in further detail in this proxy statement, and the relevant section of the DGCL regarding appraisal rights is reproduced and attached as Annex C to this proxy statement. If you hold your shares of Digital River common stock through a broker, bank or other nominee and you wish to exercise appraisal rights, you should consult with your broker, bank or other nominee to determine the appropriate procedures for the making of a demand for appraisal by such broker, bank or nominee.


U.S. Federal Income Tax Consequences of the Merger (page [    •    ])

        The receipt of cash for shares of Digital River common stock pursuant to the merger generally will be a taxable transaction for U.S. federal income tax purposes. The receipt of cash by a U.S. Holder (as defined under "The Merger—U.S. Federal Income Tax Consequences of the Merger" beginning on page [    •    ]) in exchange for such U.S. Holder's shares of Digital River common stock in the merger generally will result in the recognition of gain or loss in an amount measured by the difference between the cash such U.S. Holder receives in the merger and such U.S. Holder's adjusted tax basis in the shares of Digital River common stock surrendered in the merger. A Non-U.S. Holder (as defined under "The Merger—U.S. Federal Income Tax Consequences of the Merger" beginning on page [    •    ]) generally will not be subject to U.S. federal income tax with respect to the exchange of our common stock for cash in the merger unless such Non-U.S. Holder has certain connections to the

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United States. Stockholders should refer to the discussion in the section entitled "The Merger—U.S. Federal Income Tax Consequences of the Merger," beginning on page [    •    ] and consult their own tax advisors concerning the U.S. federal income tax consequences relating to the merger in light of their particular circumstances and any consequences arising under the laws of any state, local or foreign taxing jurisdiction.


Regulatory Approvals Required for the Merger (page [    •    ])

        Under the merger agreement, the merger cannot be completed until (i) the applicable waiting period under the Hart-Scott-Rodino Antitrust Improvements Act of 1976, which we refer to as the HSR Act, has expired or been terminated and (ii) the approval of the merger by the Russian competition authority of the merger has been granted. Digital River and Parent and its affiliates filed their respective HSR Act notifications on November 6, 2014. Parent filed its application for approval of the merger with the Russian competition authority on November 20, 2014.


Legal Proceedings Regarding the Merger (page [    •    ])

        On November 18, 2014, a purported stockholder of Digital River filed a complaint styled as a class action lawsuit in the Delaware Court of Chancery. The case caption of this complaint, which we refer to as the Parsons Complaint, is: Amy Parsons, Individually and on behalf of all others similarly situated, v. Digital River, Inc., David C. Dobson, Thomas F. Madison, Alfred Castino, Ed Eger, Jeffrey Katz, Timothy J. Pawlenty, Cheryl F. Rosner, Douglas M. Steenland, Perry W. Steiner, Danube Private Acquisition Corp., Danube Private Holdings II, LLC, and Siris Capital Group, LLC, Civil Action No. 10370-CB. The Parsons Complaint asserts that the members of the Board breached their fiduciary duties in agreeing to the merger, and that Digital River, Parent, Acquisition Sub and Siris aided and abetted in the alleged breaches of fiduciary duties. The Parsons Complaint seeks to enjoin the merger and an award of money damages. Although it is not possible to predict the outcome of litigation matters with certainty, Digital River and our directors believe that the claims raised by the purported stockholder is without merit, and we intend to defend our position in the matter vigorously.


Solicitations of Other Offers (page [    •    ])

Go-Shop Period

        From the date of the merger agreement until 11:59 p.m. Chicago time on December 7, 2014, which period we refer to as the go-shop period, Digital River and its subsidiaries are permitted to, directly or indirectly,

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        From the tenth day following the execution of the merger agreement through the end of the go-shop period, Digital River is required to provide a written report to Parent every ten business days setting forth certain information regarding the foregoing actions and third party discussions.

        Following the end of the go-shop period:


No-Shop Period

        Except as otherwise provided in the merger agreement, following the end of the go-shop period until the effective time of the merger or, if earlier, the termination of the merger agreement, which period we refer to as the no-shop period, Digital River will not,

        Notwithstanding the start of the no-shop period, during the no-shop period and before Digital River obtains the approval of the proposal to adopt the merger agreement by holders of a majority of the outstanding shares of Digital River common stock entitled to vote thereon, which we refer to as the stockholder approval, Digital River may continue to engage in the activities permitted during the go-shop period with respect to any excluded party.

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        At any time during the no-shop period and before the stockholder approval is obtained, in the event that Digital River receives a written competing proposal from any third party,


Adverse Recommendation Changes; Alternative Acquisition Agreements (page [    •    ])

        Under the merger agreement, generally, the Board will not:

        Subject to certain notice obligations, and having in good faith taken into account any revisions proposed in writing by Parent to the merger agreement or certain other agreements in response to such notice, at any time before obtaining stockholder approval for the proposal to adopt the merger agreement, the Board may:

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Conditions to the Closing of the Merger (page [    •    ])

        The following are some of the conditions that must be satisfied or, where permitted by law, waived before the merger may be consummated:


Termination of the Merger Agreement (page [    •    ])

        In general, the merger agreement may be terminated at any time prior to the effective time, whether before or after approval of the proposal to adopt the merger agreement by the stockholders of Digital River, in the following ways:

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Termination Fees (page [    •    ])

        Under the merger agreement, Digital River may be required to pay to Parent a termination fee of either $27,284,046 or $12,592,637 (less certain Parent expenses of up to $8.4 million, if reimbursed by Digital River, as described below), or approximately 3.25% and 1.50%, respectively, of the aggregate equity value of the transaction, if the merger agreement is terminated under specified circumstances.

        Under the merger agreement, Parent may be required to pay to Digital River a reverse termination fee of $50,370,547, or approximately 6.0% of the aggregate equity value of the transaction, if the merger agreement is terminated under specified circumstances. In no event will either Digital River or Parent be required to pay a termination fee more than once.


Expense Reimbursement (page [    •    ])

        If the merger agreement is terminated due to failure to obtain stockholder approval of the merger, Digital River would be required to reimburse up to $8.4 million in certain reasonable, documented out-of-pocket expenses incurred by Parent and Acquisition Sub in connection with the merger agreement and the transactions contemplated thereby. The payment of any termination fee by Digital River to Parent would be reduced by any such expense reimbursement amount previously paid.

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Specific Performance (page [    •    ])

        Parent, Acquisition Sub and Digital River are entitled to seek specific performance to prevent breaches of the merger agreement and to enforce the terms of the merger agreement in addition to any other remedy to which they are entitled at law or in equity. Digital River is entitled to obtain specific performance or other equitable relief to cause the full proceeds of the equity financing contemplated by the equity commitment letter to be drawn down on the terms and subject to the conditions set forth in the equity commitment letter and the merger agreement and/or to cause Parent and/or Acquisition Sub to consummate the transactions contemplated the merger agreement if and only if (i) all conditions to Parent and Acquisition Sub's obligation to consummate the merger (other than conditions to be satisfied at the closing, each of which is capable of being satisfied at that time) have been satisfied at the time when the closing would have occurred but for the failure of the equity financing and the debt financing to be funded, and remain satisfied, (ii) Parent and Acquisition Sub fail to complete the closing by the date the closing is required to have occurred pursuant to the merger agreement, (iii) the debt financing provided for by the debt commitment letter (or by alternative financing, if applicable) has been funded or is required under the terms of the debt commitment letter to be funded at the closing if the equity financing is funded at the closing and (iv) Digital River has irrevocably confirmed in writing to Parent that if specific performance is granted and the equity financing and the debt financing are funded, then the closing would occur.


Fees and Expenses (page [    •    ])

        Except in specified circumstances, whether or not the merger is consummated, Digital River and Parent are each responsible for all of their respective costs and expenses incurred in connection with the merger and the other transactions contemplated by the merger agreement.


Market Prices and Dividend Data (page [    •    ])

        Our common stock is listed on the Nasdaq Global Select Market under the symbol "DRIV." On October 23, 2014, the last trading day prior to the public announcement of the execution of the merger agreement, the closing price of our common stock was $17.38 per share. On [    •    ], 201[    •    ], the latest practicable trading day before the printing of this proxy statement, the closing price for our common stock on the Nasdaq Global Select Market was $[    •    ] per share.

        Under the terms of the merger agreement, from the date of the merger agreement until the earlier of the effective time of the merger or the termination of the merger agreement, we may not declare or pay quarterly cash dividends to our common stockholders without Parent's written consent. Under our current dividend policy, we have never declared or paid any cash dividends on our capital stock and have retained any future earnings to support operations and to finance the growth and development of our business.

        Neither the SEC nor any state securities regulatory agency has approved or disapproved of the transactions described in this document, including the merger, or determined if the information contained in this document is accurate or adequate. Any representation to the contrary is a criminal offense.

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QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS

        The following questions and answers are intended to address some commonly asked questions regarding the merger, the merger agreement and the special meeting. These questions and answers may not address all questions that may be important to you as a Digital River stockholder. We encourage you to read carefully the more detailed information contained elsewhere in this proxy statement, the annexes to this proxy statement, including the merger agreement, and the documents we incorporate by reference in this proxy statement. You may obtain the documents and information incorporated by reference in this proxy statement without charge by following the instructions under "Where You Can Find More Information" beginning on page [    •    ]. The merger agreement is attached as Annex A to this proxy statement.

Q:
Why am I receiving these materials?

A:
The Board is furnishing this proxy statement and form of proxy card to the holders of Digital River common stock in connection with the solicitation of proxies to be voted at a special meeting of stockholders or at any adjournments or postponements of the special meeting.

Q:
When and where is the special meeting?

A:
The special meeting will take place on [    •    ], 201[    •    ] at our offices at 10380 Bren Road West, Minnetonka, Minnesota, 55343, at 9:00 a.m., Central time.

Q:
Who is entitled to vote at the special meeting?

A:
Only stockholders of record as of the close of business on [    •    ], 201[    •    ] are entitled to notice of the special meeting and to vote at the special meeting or at any adjournments or postponements thereof. Each holder of Digital River common stock is entitled to cast one vote on each matter properly brought before the special meeting for each share of Digital River common stock that such holder owned as of the record date.

Q:
May I attend the special meeting and vote in person?

A:
Yes. All stockholders as of the record date may attend the special meeting and vote in person. Seating will be limited. Stockholders will need to present proof of ownership of Digital River common stock, such as a bank or brokerage account statement, and a form of personal identification to be admitted to the special meeting. No cameras, recording equipment, electronic devices, large bags, briefcases or packages will be permitted in the special meeting. Even if you plan to attend the special meeting in person, we encourage you to complete, sign, date and return the enclosed proxy or vote electronically over the Internet or via telephone to ensure that your shares will be represented at the special meeting. If you attend the special meeting and vote in person, your vote by ballot will revoke any proxy previously submitted. If you hold your shares in "street name," because you are not the stockholder of record, you may not vote your shares in person at the special meeting unless you request and obtain a valid proxy from your broker, bank or other nominee.

Q:
What am I being asked to vote on at the special meeting?

A:
You are being asked to consider and vote on the following proposals:

To adopt the merger agreement, pursuant to which Acquisition Sub will merge with and into Digital River, and Digital River will become a direct wholly owned subsidiary of Parent;

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Q:
What is the proposed merger and what effects will it have on Digital River?

A:
The proposed merger is the acquisition of Digital River by Parent pursuant to the merger agreement. If the proposal to adopt the merger agreement is approved by the holders of Digital River common stock and the other closing conditions under the merger agreement have been satisfied or waived, Acquisition Sub will merge with and into Digital River, with Digital River continuing as the surviving corporation. As a result of the merger, Digital River will become a direct wholly owned subsidiary of Parent. Digital River will cooperate with Parent to de-list our common stock from the Nasdaq Global Select Market and de-register under the Exchange Act as soon as reasonably practicable following the effective time of the merger, and at such time, we will no longer be a publicly traded company and will no longer file periodic reports with the SEC. If the merger is consummated, you will not own any shares of the capital stock of the surviving corporation.

Q:
What will I receive if the merger is completed?

A:
Upon completion of the merger, you will be entitled to receive the per share merger consideration of $26.00 in cash, without interest and less any applicable withholding taxes, for each share of common stock that you own, unless you have properly exercised and perfected and not withdrawn your demand for appraisal rights under the DGCL with respect to such shares. For example, if you own 100 shares of common stock, you will receive $2,600 in cash in exchange for your shares of common stock, less any applicable withholding taxes. In either case, you will not own shares in the surviving corporation.

Q:
How does the per share merger consideration compare to the market price of Digital River common stock prior to the public announcement of the merger agreement?

A:
The per share merger consideration represents a premium of (i) approximately 50% to Digital River's closing stock price on October 23, 2014, the last trading day prior to the public announcement of the execution of the merger agreement, and (ii) approximately 67% over the volume weighted average share price of the common stock during the 90 days ended October 23, 2014.

Q:
What do I need to do now?

A:
We encourage you to read this proxy statement, the annexes to this proxy statement, including the merger agreement, and the documents we refer to in this proxy statement carefully and consider how the merger affects you. Then complete, sign, date and return, as promptly as possible, the enclosed proxy card in the accompanying reply envelope or grant your proxy electronically over the Internet or by telephone, so that your shares can be voted at the special meeting. If you hold your shares in "street name," please refer to the voting instruction forms provided by your broker, bank or other nominee to vote your shares.

Q:
Should I send in my stock certificates now?

A:
No. After the merger is completed, under the terms of the merger agreement, you will receive shortly thereafter the letter of transmittal instructing you to send your stock certificates to the

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Q:
What happens if I sell or otherwise transfer my shares of Digital River common stock after the record date but before the special meeting?

A:
The record date for the special meeting is earlier than the date of the special meeting and the date the merger is expected to be completed. If you sell or transfer your shares of our common stock after the record date but before the special meeting, unless special arrangements (such as provision of a proxy) are made between you and the person to whom you sell or otherwise transfer your shares and each of you notifies Digital River in writing of such special arrangements, you will transfer the right to receive the per share merger consideration, if the merger is completed, to the person to whom you sell or transfer your shares of our common stock, but you will retain your right to vote these shares at the special meeting. Even if you sell or otherwise transfer your shares of common stock after the record date, we encourage you to complete, date, sign and return the enclosed proxy or vote via the Internet or telephone.

Q:
How does Digital River's Board of Directors recommend that I vote?

A:
The Board, after considering the various factors described under "The Merger—Recommendation of Our Board of Directors and Reasons for the Merger," determined that the merger agreement and the transactions contemplated by the merger agreement, including the merger, are fair to, advisable and in the best interests of Digital River and its stockholders, declared the merger agreement advisable under Delaware law and approved, adopted and authorized the merger agreement and the transactions contemplated by the merger agreement, including the merger.
Q:
What happens if the merger is not completed?

A:
If the merger agreement is not adopted by Digital River stockholders or if the merger is not consummated for any other reason, Digital River stockholders will not receive any payment for their shares of common stock. Instead, Digital River will remain a public company, the common stock will continue to be listed and traded on the Nasdaq Global Select Market and registered under the Exchange Act and we will continue to file periodic reports with the SEC.

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Q:
Do any of Digital River's directors or officers have interests in the merger that may differ from those of Digital River stockholders generally?

A:
In considering the recommendation of the Board with respect to the proposal to adopt the merger agreement, you should be aware that our directors and executive officers may have interests in the merger that may be deemed to be different from, or in addition to, the interests of our stockholders generally. The Board was aware of and considered these interests to the extent such interests existed at the time, among other matters, in evaluating and overseeing the negotiation of the merger agreement, in approving the merger agreement and the merger and in recommending that the merger agreement be adopted by the stockholders of Digital River. For a description of the interests of our directors and executive officers in the merger, see "The Merger—Interests of the Directors and Executive Officers of Digital River in the Merger" beginning on page [    •    ].

Q:
What vote is required to adopt the merger agreement?

A:
The affirmative vote of the holders of a majority of the outstanding shares of our common stock is required to approve the proposal to adopt the merger agreement.
Q:
What vote is required to approve the proposal to approve one or more adjournments of the special meeting to a later date or dates if necessary or appropriate to solicit additional proxies and the proposal to approve, by non-binding, advisory vote, compensation that will or may become payable by Digital River to its named executive officers in connection with the merger?

A:
Approval of the proposal to approve one or more adjournments of the special meeting, whether or not a quorum is present, requires the affirmative vote of a majority of the shares of our common stock represented at the special meeting, either in person or by proxy, and entitled to vote thereon. Approval of the proposal to approve, by non-binding, advisory vote, compensation that will or may become payable by Digital River to its named executive officers in connection with the merger requires the affirmative vote of a majority of the shares of our common stock represented at the special meeting, in person or by proxy, and entitled to vote thereon.

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Q:
What is the difference between holding shares as a stockholder of record and as a beneficial owner?

A:
If your shares are registered directly in your name with our transfer agent, Wells Fargo Shareowner Services, you are considered, with respect to those shares, to be the "stockholder of record." In this case, this proxy statement and your proxy card have been sent directly to you by Digital River.
Q:
How may I vote?

A:
If you are a stockholder of record (that is, if your shares of common stock are registered in your name with Wells Fargo Shareowner Services, our transfer agent), there are four ways to vote:

By attending the special meeting and voting in person by ballot;

By visiting the Internet at the address on your proxy card;

By calling toll-free (within the U.S. or Canada) at the phone number on your proxy card; or

By completing, dating, signing and returning the enclosed proxy card in the accompanying prepaid reply envelope.

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Q:
If my broker holds my shares in "street name," will my broker vote my shares for me?

A:
Not without your direction. Your broker, bank or other nominee will only be permitted to vote your shares on any proposal only if you instruct your broker, bank or other nominee on how to vote. Under applicable stock exchange rules, brokers, banks or other nominees have the discretion to vote your shares on routine matters if you fail to instruct your broker, bank or other nominee on how to vote your shares with respect to such matters. The proposals in this proxy statement are non-routine matters, and brokers, banks and other nominees therefore cannot vote on these proposals without your instructions. Therefore, it is important that you instruct your broker, bank or nominee on how you wish to vote your shares.
Q:
May I change my vote after I have mailed my signed proxy card or otherwise submitted my vote by proxy?

A:
Yes. If you are a stockholder of record, you may change your vote or revoke your proxy at any time before it is voted at the special meeting by:

Submitting a new proxy electronically over the Internet or by telephone after the date of the earlier submitted proxy;

Delivering a written notice of revocation to our Secretary;

Signing another proxy card with a later date and returning it to us prior to the special meeting; or

Attending the special meeting and voting in person.
Q:
What is a proxy?

A:
A proxy is your legal designation of another person, referred to as a "proxy," to vote your shares of Digital River common stock. The written document describing the matters to be considered and voted on at the special meeting is called a "proxy statement." The document used to designate a proxy to vote your shares of Digital River common stock is called a "proxy card." The Board has designated David C. Dobson and Kevin L. Crudden, and each of them with full power of substitution, as proxies for the special meeting.

Q:
If a stockholder gives a proxy, how are the shares voted?

A:
Regardless of the method you choose to vote, the individuals named on the enclosed proxy card, or your proxies, will vote your shares in the way that you indicate. When completing the Internet or telephone process or the proxy card, you may specify whether your shares should be voted for or against or to abstain from voting on all, some or none of the specific items of business to come before the special meeting.

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Q:
What should I do if I receive more than one set of voting materials?

A:
You may receive more than one set of voting materials, including multiple copies of this proxy statement and multiple proxy cards or voting instruction cards. For example, if you hold your shares in more than one brokerage account, you will receive a separate voting instruction card for each brokerage account in which you hold shares. If you are a stockholder of record and your shares are registered in more than one name, you will receive more than one proxy card. Please complete, date, sign and return (or vote via the Internet or telephone with respect to) each proxy card and voting instruction card that you receive.

Q:
Where can I find the voting results of the special meeting?

A:
Digital River intends to announce preliminary voting results at the special meeting and publish final results in a Current Report on Form 8-K that will be filed with the SEC following the special meeting. All reports Digital River files with the SEC are publicly available when filed. See "Where You Can Find More Information" beginning on page [    •    ] of this proxy statement.

Q:
Will I be subject to U.S. federal income tax upon the exchange of Digital River common stock for cash pursuant to the merger?

A:
If you are a U.S. Holder (as defined under "The Merger—U.S. Federal Income Tax Consequences of the Merger" beginning on page [    •    ]), the exchange of Digital River common stock for cash pursuant to the merger generally will require a U.S. Holder to recognize gain or loss for U.S. federal income tax purposes in an amount equal to the difference between the amount of cash received by such U.S. Holder pursuant to the merger and such U.S. Holder's adjusted tax basis in the shares of our common stock surrendered pursuant to the merger. A Non-U.S. Holder (as defined under "The Merger—U.S. Federal Income Tax Consequences of the Merger" beginning on page [    •    ]) generally will not be subject to U.S. federal income tax with respect to the exchange of our common stock for cash in the merger unless such Non-U.S. Holder has certain connections to the United States. Because particular circumstances may differ, we recommend that you consult your own tax advisor to determine the U.S. federal income tax consequences relating to the merger in light of your own particular circumstances and any consequences arising under the laws of any state, local or foreign taxing jurisdiction. A more complete description of the U.S. federal income tax consequences of the merger is provided under "The Merger—U.S. Federal Income Tax Consequences of the Merger" beginning on page [    •    ] of this proxy statement.

Q:
What will the holders of Digital River stock options, restricted stock and other company awards and the participants in Digital River's stock purchase plan receive in the merger?

A:
At the effective time of the merger, each outstanding option to purchase shares of Digital River common stock, whether or not vested, will be canceled and converted into the right to receive an amount in cash (subject to any applicable withholding or other taxes, or other amounts as required by law) equal to the product of (i) the total number of shares of Digital River common stock subject to the option as of the effective time of the merger and (ii) the amount, if any, by which

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Q:
When do you expect the merger to be completed?

A:
We are working toward completing the merger as quickly as possible and currently expect to consummate the merger in the first calendar quarter of 2015. However, the exact timing of completion of the merger cannot be predicted because the merger is subject to conditions, including adoption of the merger agreement by our stockholders and the receipt of regulatory approvals.

Q:
Am I entitled to appraisal rights under the DGCL?

A:
If the merger is adopted by Digital River's stockholders, stockholders who do not vote (whether in person or by proxy) in favor of the adoption of the merger agreement and who properly exercise and perfect their demand for appraisal of their shares will be entitled to appraisal rights in connection with the merger under Section 262 of the DGCL. This means that holders of Digital River common stock are entitled to have their shares appraised by the Delaware Court of Chancery and to receive payment in cash of the "fair value" of the shares of Digital River common stock, exclusive of any elements of value arising from the accomplishment or expectation of the merger, together with interest based to be paid upon the amount determined to be fair value, if any, as determined by the court. Stockholders who wish to seek appraisal of their shares are in any case encouraged to seek the advice of legal counsel with respect to the exercise of appraisal rights due to the complexity of the appraisal process. The DGCL requirements for exercising appraisal rights are described in further detail in this proxy statement, and the relevant

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Q:
Who can help answer my questions?

A:
If you have any questions concerning the merger, the special meeting or this proxy statement, would like additional copies of this proxy statement or need help voting your shares of common stock, please contact our proxy solicitor:

MacKenzie Partners, Inc.
105 Madison Avenue
New York, NY 10016
Email: proxy@mackenziepartners.com
Call collect: (212) 929-5500
Call toll-free: (800) 322-2885

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FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

        This proxy statement, and the documents to which we refer you in this proxy statement, as well as information included in oral statements or other written statements made or to be made by us or on our behalf, contain "forward-looking statements" that do not directly or exclusively relate to historical facts. You can typically identify forward-looking statements by the use of forward-looking words, such as "may," "should," "could," "project," "believe," "anticipate," "expect," "estimate," "continue," "potential," "plan," "forecast" and other words of similar import. Stockholders are cautioned that any such forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance and may involve significant risks and uncertainties, and that actual results may vary materially from those in the forward-looking statements. These risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to, the risks detailed in our filings with the SEC, including in our most recent filings on Forms 10-Q and 10-K, factors and matters described or incorporated by reference in this proxy statement, and the following factors:

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        Consequently, all of the forward-looking statements we make in this proxy statement are qualified by the information contained or incorporated by reference herein, including, but not limited to, (a) the information contained under this heading and (b) the information contained under the headings "Risk Factors" and information in our consolidated financial statements and notes thereto included in our most recent filings on Forms 10-K and 10-Q (see "Where You Can Find More Information" beginning on page [    •    ]). No assurance can be given that these are all of the factors that could cause actual results to vary materially from the forward-looking statements.

        Except as required by applicable law, we undertake no obligation to publicly update forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. Digital River stockholders are advised, however, to consult any future disclosures we make on related subjects as may be detailed in our other filings made from time to time with the SEC.

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THE SPECIAL MEETING

        The enclosed proxy is solicited on behalf of the Board for use at the special meeting of stockholders or at any adjournments or postponements thereof.


Date, Time and Place

        We will hold the special meeting on [    •    ], 201[    •    ] at our offices at 10380 Bren Road West, Minnetonka, Minnesota, 55343, at 9:00 a.m., Central time.


Purpose of the Special Meeting

        At the special meeting, we will ask our stockholders of record as of the record date to vote on proposals to (i) adopt the merger agreement, (ii) approve one or more adjournments of the special meeting to a later date or dates if necessary or appropriate to solicit additional proxies if there are insufficient votes to adopt the merger agreement at the time of the special meeting and (iii) approve, by non-binding, advisory vote, compensation that will or may become payable by Digital River to its named executive officers in connection with the merger.


Record Date; Shares Entitled to Vote; Quorum

        Only stockholders of record as of the close of business on [    •    ], 201[    •    ] are entitled to notice of the special meeting and to vote at the special meeting or at any adjournments or postponements thereof. A list of stockholders entitled to vote at the special meeting will be available in our offices located at 10380 Bren Road West, Minnetonka, Minnesota, 55343, during regular business hours for a period of at least ten days before the special meeting and at the place of the special meeting during the meeting.

        As of the record date, there were approximately [    •    ] shares of our common stock outstanding and entitled to be voted at the special meeting.

        A quorum of stockholders is necessary to hold a special meeting. The holders of a majority of the outstanding shares of our common stock entitled to vote at the special meeting, either present in person or represented by proxy, will constitute a quorum at the special meeting. As a result, [    •    ] shares must be represented by proxy or by stockholders present and entitled to vote at the special meeting to have a quorum.

        In the event that a quorum is not present at the special meeting, it is expected that the meeting would be adjourned to a later date to solicit additional proxies.


Vote Required; Abstentions and Broker Non-Votes

        The affirmative vote of the holders of a majority of the outstanding shares of our common stock entitled to vote thereon is required to approve the proposal to adopt the merger agreement. Adoption of the merger agreement by our stockholders is a condition to the closing of the merger.

        Approval of the proposal to approve one or more adjournments of the special meeting, whether or not a quorum is present, requires the affirmative vote of a majority of the shares of our common stock represented at the special meeting, either in person or by proxy, and entitled to vote thereon. Approval of the proposal to approve, by non-binding, advisory vote, compensation that will or may become payable by Digital River to its named executive officers in connection with the merger requires the affirmative vote of a majority of the shares of our common stock represented at the special meeting, in person or by proxy, and entitled to vote thereon.

        If a Digital River stockholder abstains from voting, the abstention will have the same effect as if the stockholder voted "AGAINST" the proposal to adopt the merger agreement. For stockholders who

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attend the meeting or are represented by proxy and abstain from voting, the abstention will have the same effect as if the stockholder voted "AGAINST" the proposal to approve one or more adjournments of the special meeting to a later date or dates if necessary or appropriate to solicit additional proxies if there are insufficient votes to adopt the merger agreement at the time of the special meeting and "AGAINST" the proposal to approve, by non-binding, advisory vote, compensation that will or may become payable by Digital River to its named executive officers in connection with the merger.

        If you hold your shares in "street name," the failure to instruct your broker, bank or other nominee on how to vote your shares will result in a broker non-vote, and each broker non-vote will count as a vote "AGAINST" the proposal to adopt the merger agreement, but will have no effect on the proposal to approve one or more adjournments of the special meeting to a later date or dates if necessary or appropriate to solicit additional proxies if there are insufficient votes to adopt the merger agreement at the time of the special meeting and the proposal to approve, by non-binding, advisory vote, compensation that will or may become payable by Digital River to its named executive officers in connection with the merger.


Shares Held by Digital River's Directors and Executive Officers

        At the close of business on [    •    ], 201[    •    ], our directors and executive officers beneficially owned and were entitled to vote, in the aggregate, [    •    ] shares of our common stock (excluding any shares of our common stock that would be delivered upon exercise or conversion of stock options or other equity-based awards), which represented approximately [    •    ]% of the shares of our outstanding common stock on that date. The directors and executive officers have informed Digital River that they currently intend to vote all of their shares of Digital River common stock (i) "FOR" the proposal to adopt the merger agreement, (ii) "FOR" the proposal to approve one or more adjournments of the special meeting to a later date or dates if necessary or appropriate to solicit additional proxies if there are insufficient votes to adopt the merger agreement at the time of the special meeting and (iii) "FOR" the proposal to approve, by non-binding, advisory vote, compensation that will or may become payable by Digital River to its named executive officers in connection with the merger.


Voting of Proxies

        If your shares are registered in your name with our transfer agent, Wells Fargo Shareowner Services, you may cause your shares to be voted by returning a signed proxy card, or you may vote in person at the special meeting. Additionally, you may submit electronically over the Internet or by phone a proxy authorizing the voting of your shares by following the instructions on your proxy card. You must have the enclosed proxy card available, and follow the instructions on the proxy card, in order to submit a proxy electronically over the Internet or by telephone. Based on your proxy cards or Internet and telephone proxies, the proxy holders will vote your shares according to your directions.

        If you plan to attend the special meeting and wish to vote in person, you will be given a ballot at the meeting. If your shares are registered in your name, you are encouraged to vote by proxy even if you plan to attend the special meeting in person. If you attend the special meeting and vote in person, your vote by ballot will revoke any proxy previously submitted.

        Voting instructions are included on your proxy card. All shares represented by properly executed proxies received in time for the special meeting will be voted at the special meeting in accordance with the instructions of the stockholder. Properly executed proxies that do not contain voting instructions will be voted (i) "FOR" the proposal to adopt the merger agreement, (ii) "FOR" the proposal to approve one or more adjournments of the special meeting to a later date or dates if necessary or appropriate to solicit additional proxies if there are insufficient votes to adopt the merger agreement at the time of the special meeting and (iii) "FOR" the proposal to approve, by non-binding, advisory vote,

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compensation that will or may become payable by Digital River to its named executive officers in connection with the merger. No proxy that is specifically marked against the proposal to adopt the merger agreement will be voted in favor of the proposal to approve, by non-binding, advisory vote, compensation that will or may become payable by Digital River to its named executive officers in connection with the merger, unless it is specifically marked "FOR" the approval of such proposal.

        If your shares are held in "street name" through a broker, bank or other nominee, you may vote through your broker, bank or other nominee by completing and returning the voting form provided by your broker, bank or other nominee, or by the Internet or telephone through your broker, bank or other nominee if such a service is provided. To vote via the Internet or telephone through your broker, bank or other nominee, you should follow the instructions on the voting form provided by your broker, bank or other nominee. Under applicable stock exchange rules, brokers, banks or other nominees have the discretion to vote your shares on routine matters if you fail to instruct your broker, bank or other nominee on how to vote your shares with respect to such matters. The proposals in this proxy statement are non-routine matters, and brokers, banks and other nominees therefore cannot vote on these proposals without your instructions. If you do not return your broker's, bank's or other nominee's voting form, do not vote via the Internet or telephone through your broker, bank or other nominee, if applicable, or do not attend the special meeting and vote in person with a proxy from your broker, bank or other nominee, such actions will result in a broker non-vote and will have the same effect as if you voted "AGAINST" the proposal to adopt the merger agreement but will not have any effect on the adjournment proposal or the proposal to approve, by non-binding, advisory vote, compensation that will or may become payable by Digital River to its named executive officers in connection with the merger.


Revocability of Proxies

        If you are a stockholder of record, you may change your vote or revoke your proxy at any time before it is voted at the special meeting by:

        Please note that to be effective, your new proxy card, internet or telephonic voting instructions or written notice of revocation must be received by our Secretary prior to the special meeting and, in the case of Internet or telephonic voting instructions, must be received before [    •    ] on [    •    ], 201[    •    ]. If you have submitted a proxy, your appearance at the special meeting, in the absence of voting in person or submitting an additional proxy or revocation, will not have the effect of revoking your prior proxy.

        If you hold your shares of common stock in "street name," you should contact your broker, bank or other nominee for instructions regarding how to change your vote. You may also vote in person at the special meeting if you obtain a valid proxy from your broker, bank or other nominee. Any adjournment of the special meeting for the purpose of soliciting additional proxies will allow Digital River stockholders who have already sent in their proxies to revoke them at any time prior to their use at the special meeting, as adjourned.

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Board of Directors' Recommendation

        The Board, after considering various factors described in the section entitled "The Merger—Recommendation of Our Board of Directors and Reasons for the Merger," determined that the merger agreement and the transactions contemplated by the merger agreement, including the merger, are fair to, advisable and in the best interests of Digital River and its stockholders, declared the merger agreement advisable under Delaware law and approved, adopted and authorized the merger agreement and the transactions contemplated by the merger agreement, including the merger. The Board recommends that you vote (i) "FOR" the proposal to adopt the merger agreement and thereby approve the transactions contemplated by the merger agreement, including the merger, (ii) "FOR" the proposal to approve one or more adjournments of the special meeting to a later date or dates if necessary or appropriate to solicit additional proxies if there are insufficient votes to adopt the merger agreement at the time of the special meeting and (iii) "FOR" the proposal to approve, by non-binding, advisory vote, compensation that will or may become payable by Digital River to its named executive officers in connection with the merger.


Solicitation of Proxies

        The expense of soliciting proxies in the enclosed form will be borne by Digital River. We have retained MacKenzie Partners, Inc., a proxy solicitation firm, to solicit proxies in connection with the special meeting at a cost of approximately $[    •    ] plus expenses. Proxies may also be solicited by some of our directors, officers and employees, personally or by telephone, facsimile or other means of communication. No additional compensation will be paid for such services.


Anticipated Date of Completion of the Merger

        Assuming timely satisfaction of necessary closing conditions, including the approval by our stockholders of the proposal to adopt the merger agreement, we anticipate that the merger will be consummated in the first calendar quarter of 2015.


Rights of Stockholders Who Seek Appraisal

        If the merger is adopted by Digital River stockholders, stockholders who do not vote in favor of the adoption of the merger agreement and who properly exercise and perfect their demand for appraisal of their shares will be entitled to appraisal rights in connection with the merger under Section 262 of the DGCL. This means that holders of Digital River common stock are entitled to have their shares appraised by the Delaware Court of Chancery and to receive payment in cash of the "fair value" of the shares of Digital River common stock, exclusive of any elements of value arising from the accomplishment or expectation of the merger, together with interest based to be paid upon the amount determined to be fair value, if any, as determined by the court. Stockholders who wish to seek appraisal of their shares are in any case encouraged to seek the advice of legal counsel with respect to the exercise of appraisal rights due to the complexity of the appraisal process.

        Stockholders considering seeking appraisal should be aware that the fair value of their shares as determined pursuant to Section 262 of the DGCL could be more than, the same as or less than the value of the consideration they would receive pursuant to the merger if they did not seek appraisal of their shares.

        To exercise your appraisal rights, you must submit a written demand for appraisal to Digital River before the vote is taken on the adoption of the merger agreement, you must not submit a proxy or otherwise vote in favor of the proposal to adopt the merger agreement and you must continue to hold the shares of Digital River common stock of record through the effective time of the merger. Your failure to follow the procedures specified under the DGCL will result in the loss of your appraisal rights. The DGCL requirements for exercising appraisal rights are described in further detail in this

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proxy statement, and the relevant section of the DGCL regarding appraisal rights is reproduced and attached as Annex C to this proxy statement. If you hold your shares of Digital River common stock through a broker, bank or other nominee and you wish to exercise appraisal rights, you should consult with your broker, bank or other nominee to determine the appropriate procedures for the making of a demand for appraisal by such broker, bank firm or nominee.


Other Matters

        At this time, we know of no other matters to be submitted at the special meeting.


Important Notice Regarding the Availability of Proxy Materials for the Stockholder Meeting to be Held on [    •    ], 201 [    •    ]

        The proxy statement is available at www.digitalriver.com under "Company—Investor Relations—Proxy Materials."


Householding of Special Meeting Materials

        We may send a single copy of this proxy statement to any household at which two or more stockholders reside in accordance with SEC rules, unless we have received contrary instructions. Each stockholder in the household will continue to receive a separate proxy card. This process, known as "householding," reduces the volume of duplicate information received at your household and helps to reduce our expenses.

        If, at any time, you no longer wish to participate in "householding" and would prefer to receive a separate proxy statement, please notify your broker or direct your written request to: Investor Relations, Digital River, Inc., 10380 Bren Road West, Minnetonka, Minnesota 55343 or contact our Investor Relations department at (952) 253-1234. We will promptly deliver upon written or oral request a separate copy of the proxy statement to a stockholder at a shared address to which a single copy of the proxy statement was delivered. Stockholders who currently receive multiple copies of the proxy statement at their addresses and would like to request "householding" of their communications should contact their broker.

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THE MERGER

        This discussion of the merger is qualified in its entirety by reference to the merger agreement, which is attached to this proxy statement as Annex A and incorporated into this proxy statement by reference. You should read the entire merger agreement carefully as it is the legal document that governs the merger.


Parties Involved in the Merger

Digital River, Inc.

        Digital River is a leading provider of global Commerce-as-a-Service solutions. We provide commerce, payments and marketing solutions to business-to-business and business-to-consumer digital product and cloud service companies as well as branded manufacturers across a variety of vertical markets through our multi-tenant technology, platform and service offerings. Our customers range in size from small to mid-sized companies to multi-national enterprises that serve a wide variety of markets, including, software, consumer electronics, computer games, publishing, travel, music, video games, electronic toys, housewares, medical equipment, power tools and direct-selling, among others.

        We offer our customers a broad range of solutions to quickly and cost effectively establish, manage and grow commerce sales channels via Internet-connected devices. We have invested substantial resources to develop our solutions, services, infrastructure and platforms, and to mitigate the risks our customers may encounter when conducting global commerce.

        For more information about Digital River, please visit our website at http://www.digitalriver.com. Our website address is provided as an inactive textual reference only. The information contained on our website is not incorporated into, and does not form a part of, this proxy statement or any other report or document on file with or furnished to the SEC. See also "Where You Can Find More Information" beginning on page [    •    ].

        Our common stock is currently listed on the Nasdaq Global Select Market under the symbol "DRIV."


Danube Private Holdings II, LLC

        Parent is a Delaware limited liability company that was formed on October 15, 2014 by Siris Capital Group, LLC, which we refer to as Siris. Siris is a private equity firm focused on complex, control equity investments in the telecom, technology and technology-enabled business service sectors. Parent was formed solely for the purpose of entering into the merger agreement and completing the transactions contemplated by the merger agreement and the related financing transactions. Parent has not conducted any business operations except in furtherance of this purpose and activities incident to its formation. Upon completion of the merger, Digital River will be a direct wholly owned subsidiary of Parent.

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Danube Private Acquisition Corp.

        Acquisition Sub is a Delaware corporation and a direct wholly owned subsidiary of Parent, formed on October 15, 2014, solely for the purpose of entering into the merger agreement and completing the transactions contemplated by the merger agreement and the related financing transactions. Acquisition Sub has not conducted any business operations except in furtherance of this purpose and activities incident to its formation. Upon completion of the merger, Acquisition Sub will cease to exist.


Certain Effects of the Merger on Digital River

        Upon the terms and subject to the conditions of the merger agreement, Acquisition Sub will merge with and into Digital River, with Digital River continuing as the surviving corporation. As a result of the merger, Digital River will become a direct wholly owned subsidiary of Parent. Digital River will cooperate with Parent to de-list our common stock from the Nasdaq Global Select Market and de-register under the Exchange Act as soon as reasonably practicable following the effective time of the merger, and at such time, we will no longer be a publicly traded company and will no longer file periodic reports with the SEC. If the merger is consummated, you will not own any shares of the capital stock of the surviving corporation.

        The time at which the merger will become effective, which we refer to as the effective time of the merger, will occur upon the filing of a certificate of merger with the Secretary of State of the State of Delaware (or at such later time as we and Parent may agree and specify in the certificate of merger).


Effect on Digital River if the Merger is Not Completed

        If the merger agreement is not adopted by Digital River stockholders or if the merger is not completed for any other reason, Digital River stockholders will not receive any payment for their shares of common stock. Instead, Digital River will remain a public company, our common stock will continue to be listed and traded on the Nasdaq Global Select Market and registered under the Exchange Act and we will continue to file periodic reports with the SEC.

        Furthermore, if the merger is not consummated, and depending on the circumstances that would have caused the merger not to be consummated, it is likely that the price of Digital River's common stock will decline significantly. If that were to occur, it is uncertain when, if ever, the price of Digital River's common stock would return to the price at which it trades as of the date of this proxy statement.

        Accordingly, if the merger is not consummated, there can be no assurance as to the effect of these risks and opportunities on the future value of your shares of Digital River's common stock. If the merger is not consummated, the Board will continue to evaluate and review Digital River's business operations, properties, dividend policy and capitalization, among other things, make such changes as are deemed appropriate and continue to seek to enhance stockholder value. If the merger agreement is not adopted by Digital River's stockholders or if the merger is not consummated for any other reason, there can be no assurance that any other transaction acceptable to Digital River will be offered or that Digital River's business, prospects or results of operation will not be adversely impacted.

        In addition, under specified circumstances, Digital River may be required to reimburse certain of Parent's expenses incurred in respect of the transactions contemplated by the merger agreement or pay Parent a termination fee, or may be entitled to receive a reverse termination fee from Parent, upon the

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termination of the merger agreement, as described under "Proposal 1: Adoption of the Merger Agreement—Termination Fees" beginning on page [    •    ].

Merger Consideration

        In the merger, each outstanding share of common stock, par value $0.01 per share, of Digital River issued and outstanding immediately prior to the effective time of the merger (other than (i) shares owned by Digital River as treasury stock, (ii) shares owned, directly or indirectly, by Parent or Acquisition Sub, (iii) shares owned by wholly owned subsidiaries of Digital River and (iv) shares owned by stockholders who are entitled to and who properly exercise and perfect their demand for appraisal rights under Delaware law) will be converted automatically into the right to receive $26.00 in cash, without interest and less any applicable withholding taxes, which amount we refer to as the per share merger consideration, and, without any action by the holders of such shares, will cease to be outstanding, be canceled and cease to exist, and each certificate formerly representing any of the shares of Digital River common stock will thereafter represent only the right to receive the per share merger consideration.

        After the merger is completed, under the terms of the merger agreement, you will have the right to receive the per share merger consideration, but you will no longer have any rights as a Digital River stockholder as a result of the merger (except that stockholders who properly exercise and perfect their demand for right of appraisal will have the right to receive a payment for the "fair value" of their shares as determined pursuant to an appraisal proceeding as contemplated by Delaware law, as described below under "—Appraisal Rights").


Background of the Merger

        The following chronology summarizes certain key events and contacts that led to the signing of the merger agreement. It does not purport to catalogue every conversation among the Board, members of our management or our representatives and other parties.

        The Board and Digital River's senior management regularly review Digital River's long-term strategic plan with the goal of maximizing stockholder value. As part of that process, in 2013, in response to challenges in Digital River's business, Digital River began implementing a "strategic transformation" plan to drive revenue growth, address customer attrition and customer concentration and increase profitability. As part of the strategic transformation plan, Digital River increased investment in its technology platforms and information technology infrastructure while divesting non-core assets and has focused on strengthening relationships with existing customers, allocating resources to its highest growth markets and improving its operational capacity. In addition, the Board and Digital River's senior management have evaluated potential acquisitions, dispositions and other potential opportunities intended to increase stockholder value.

        From time to time, Digital River has been contacted by industry participants, investors and other parties indicating interest in Digital River's business and expressing a desire to meet to discuss Digital River.

        On November 25, 2013, Siris sent a letter to Digital River expressing a general interest in exploring possible strategic alliances and partnerships involving Digital River and a Siris portfolio company. On January 24, 2014, Mr. David Dobson, Chief Executive Officer of Digital River, and Ms. Melissa Fisher, Vice President of Corporate Development, Treasury and Investor Relations of Digital River, met with representatives of Siris in New York. This meeting did not involve a specific discussion of a potential acquisition of Digital River and was instead focused on the industry and strategy.

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        On May 1, 2014, representatives of Morgan Stanley, at the Board's request, presented to the Board a preliminary overview of the strategic mergers and acquisitions environment and provided a preliminary segment valuation analysis of certain of Digital River's businesses. These presentations were not related to any offer from Siris.

        On May 23, 2014, Mr. Dobson had a follow-up meeting with representatives of Siris in New York. As with the January 24, 2014 meeting, this meeting did not involve a specific discussion of a potential acquisition of Digital River and was instead focused on the industry and strategy.

        On June 13, 2014, Mr. Dobson and Ms. Fisher again met with representatives of Siris in New York. At this meeting, representatives of Siris indicated a strong interest in reviewing a potential transaction with Digital River but did not provide a price or other substantive terms. Mr. Dobson told the representatives of Siris that he believed the Board would consider any bona fide proposal received from any interested party and that Siris could present a proposal, but he did not believe the Board was likely to pursue a proposal unless it reflected a compelling offer that the Board believed reflected the future value of Digital River executing its business plan.

        On June 20, 2014, Mr. Thomas Madison, Chairman of the Board, and Mr. Dobson received a letter from Mr. Frank A. Baker, co-founder of Siris, regarding Siris' interest in a potential acquisition of Digital River. The letter indicated that Siris would be interested in discussing a potential negotiated transaction to acquire 100% of the common stock of Digital River at a price in a range of $23.00 to $25.00 per share. According to the letter, the contemplated price represented a 49% to 62% premium to Digital River's closing share price and a 47% to 60% premium to Digital River's weighted average closing price over the 30 trading days ended June 18, 2014.

        On June 23, 2014, a meeting of the Board was held, at which representatives of Morgan Stanley were present. At the meeting, the Board reviewed the June 20 letter from Siris, and Mr. Dobson and representatives of Morgan Stanley provided background information regarding Siris. The Board requested Digital River's management to work with Morgan Stanley to review Siris' indication of interest and instructed Digital River's management to advise Siris that the Board would review Siris' indication of interest.

        During the period between June 20, 2014 and July 14, 2014, members of Digital River's management and Morgan Stanley performed a preliminary financial analysis of Digital River and Siris' indication of interest.

        On July 14, 2014, the Board held a strategic review session focused on Digital River and industry trends, including Digital River's growth strategy and the impact of Digital River's transformation process on its growth strategy.

        On July 15, 2014, a meeting of the Board was held, at which representatives of Morgan Stanley and Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP, legal advisor to Digital River, which we refer to as Skadden, were present. At this meeting, senior management of Digital River reviewed with the Board Digital River's 2014 operating plan and medium-term financial outlook. Representatives of Morgan Stanley reviewed the financial terms of the June 20 letter from Siris and its preliminary valuation analysis as well as potential alternatives to a transaction with Siris, such as alternative acquisition or disposition transactions or continuing to execute Digital River's strategic transformation plan. A representative of Skadden reviewed legal matters including directors' fiduciary duties. The Board considered whether to engage in discussions with Siris and possible alternatives if the Board were to determine to explore a sale of Digital River. After discussion, the Board instructed Digital River's management and Morgan Stanley to obtain from Siris additional information regarding its indication of interest and ability to finance a transaction. Mr. Dobson subsequently asked representatives of Morgan Stanley and Ms. Fisher to follow up in order to determine this additional information.

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        On July 18, 2014, Ms. Fisher and representatives of Morgan Stanley met via telephone conference with representatives of Siris to discuss Siris' June 20 letter and the additional information requested by the Board. At this meeting, Siris representatives provided an overview of Siris, its view of Digital River and its assessment of potential financing for a transaction.

        On July 29, 2014, a meeting of the Board was held, at which representatives of Morgan Stanley and Skadden were present. At this meeting, senior management of Digital River and representatives of Morgan Stanley reviewed the information provided by Siris in response to the Board's request for more information at its July 15 meeting. Representatives of Morgan Stanley reviewed Siris' financial assumptions about Digital River and Siris' sources of capital and potential alternatives should the Board determine to further pursue a potential transaction. The Board determined to request additional information regarding Siris' indication of interest before taking any further action regarding Siris' proposal.

        On August 7, 2014, a meeting of the Board was held, at which representatives of Morgan Stanley were present. At the meeting, representatives of Morgan Stanley reviewed financial matters, including information regarding Siris' indication of interest and certain financial forecasts of Digital River. The Board determined, subject to execution of a satisfactory confidentiality agreement, to provide Digital River's forecasts to Siris and for Digital River's management to provide presentations to Siris in order to allow Siris to confirm its offer range per share.

        On August 8, 2014, Mr. Kevin Crudden, Senior Vice President and General Counsel of Digital River, provided a representative of Siris a draft confidentiality agreement. Representatives of Digital River and Siris then negotiated the terms of the confidentiality agreement, and on August 20, 2014, Digital River and Siris executed the confidentiality agreement. Following entry into such agreement, Digital River made available to Siris certain due diligence materials, including certain financial information, and representatives of Digital River's management and Morgan Stanley participated in telephone conferences with Siris and its advisors with respect to diligence matters.

        On August 26, 2014, certain representatives of senior management of Digital River, representatives of Morgan Stanley and representatives of Siris met in Edina, Minnesota. At this meeting, Digital River's senior management provided an overview of Digital River's business and strategic goals and discussed financial topics. The management presentation materials included certain unaudited prospective financial information of Digital River, as described further in "The Merger—Certain Financial Forecasts" in this proxy statement.

        On September 12, 2014, a representative of Siris sent a letter to Messrs. Dobson and Madison reaffirming Siris' interest in acquiring Digital River at a price range of $23.50-$24.50 per share. The letter contained a request that Digital River agree to exclusively negotiate with Siris and noted that Siris' proposal was predicated on exclusivity. The letter also indicated Siris' willingness to agree to a post-signing go-shop process.

        On September 14, 2014, Siris sent a presentation to representatives of Morgan Stanley containing additional information regarding Siris' indication of interest. The presentation contained additional details regarding sources and uses of the potential debt and equity financing in the contemplated acquisition, noting that necessary financing would be committed by the time of signing of a definitive acquisition agreement. The presentation also contained an overview of certain of Siris' proposed terms of a potential acquisition agreement, including the existence of a 45 day go-shop period (subject to a four day Siris match right); that obtaining financing would not be a condition to closing the acquisition; a Digital River termination fee during the go-shop period of 1.75% of Digital River's equity value and 3.25% thereafter, in each case in connection with certain terminations of the acquisition agreement; a Digital River termination fee of 1% in the event Digital River stockholder approval was not obtained; a 6% reverse termination fee payable by Siris upon certain terminations; and a "modified" specific performance right for Digital River to enforce the equity commitments in certain circumstances. Siris

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also proposed that its representatives be permitted to have limited pre-signing discussions with key customers of Digital River.

        On September 16, 2014, a meeting of the Board was held, at which representatives of Morgan Stanley and Skadden were present. At the meeting, representatives of Morgan Stanley and members of Digital River's senior management reviewed information regarding Siris' interest in Digital River and the status of due diligence being conducted by Siris since the last meeting. Representatives of Morgan Stanley and Skadden reviewed the terms of Siris' proposal, and representatives of Morgan Stanley reviewed with the Board Morgan Stanley's preliminary financial analysis of the proposal. A representative of Skadden reviewed legal matters including directors' fiduciary duties. The non-management members of the Board met without any members of Digital River management present to discuss Siris' proposal and the potential responses. The Board considered Siris' request for exclusivity, including possible benefits and risks of granting exclusivity, and received advice from the representatives of Morgan Stanley and Skadden. The Board determined to offer exclusivity in return for an increase in the price being offered by Siris to a level that the Board believed would maximize the value attainable by stockholders. As a negotiating matter, the Board determined to request from Siris an increased price of $26.50 per share and certain other improved terms in exchange for agreeing to a limited 30-day exclusivity period. The Board directed Morgan Stanley to contact Siris and propose a price of $26.50 per share and to improve other terms of a potential acquisition agreement, including a reduction in the termination fee during the go-shop period. The Board also instructed Mr. Dobson that members of management were not to discuss with Siris any potential employment or other arrangements prior to express Board authorization, and requested that Mr. Madison work with the advisors and management to oversee the process for Digital River's interaction with Siris and any other potential acquirers.

        On September 17, 2014, a representative of Morgan Stanley contacted Mr. Baker of Siris and conveyed the Board's proposed terms for agreeing to an exclusivity period. Later that day, Mr. Baker indicated that Siris would agree to the proposed terms, except that Siris would only raise its indicative offer price to $25.75 per share. The representative of Morgan Stanley indicated that he would convey Siris' counter-proposal to the Board for its consideration.

        Later on September 17, 2014, a meeting of the Board was held, at which representatives of Morgan Stanley and Skadden were present. At the meeting, a representative of Morgan Stanley provided an overview of the counter-proposal from Siris and reviewed potential alternatives available to the Board in response. After discussion and receiving advice from its financial and legal advisors, the Board determined to propose that Siris agree to a price of $26.00 per share in return for agreement to the contemplated exclusivity period and instructed Morgan Stanley to convey the Board's counter-proposal to Siris. Later in the day, a representative of Morgan Stanley contacted Mr. Baker and conveyed the Board's proposed price and other terms. Mr. Baker agreed, in return for exclusivity, to raise Siris' offer price to $26.00 per share.

        On September 19, 2014, Digital River and Siris executed an exclusivity agreement, which provided that Digital River would not negotiate with any party other than Siris with respect to a potential acquisition for a period ending on October 19, 2014.

        Following the execution of the exclusivity agreement through signing of the merger agreement, an electronic data site was opened for diligence purposes to Siris and various due diligence meetings and calls between Siris and Digital River management were held.

        On October 3, 2014, Skadden sent a draft merger agreement to Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP, counsel to Siris and which we refer to as Simpson.

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        On October 7, 2014, a representative of Siris provided "highly confident" letters of Sankaty Advisors, LLC, which we refer to as Sankaty, GSO Capital Partners LP and Macquarie with respect to financing of a potential acquisition of Digital River to representatives of Morgan Stanley.

        On October 10, 2014, Simpson sent a revised draft of the merger agreement to Skadden.

        On October 13, 2014, a meeting of the Board was held, at which representatives of Morgan Stanley and Skadden were present. At the meeting, the Board formalized Morgan Stanley's retention as Digital River's financial advisor by approving the terms of an engagement letter with Morgan Stanley setting forth those terms. At the meeting, a representative of Morgan Stanley provided an update of the status of diligence with Siris and the status of Siris' financing. Representatives of Skadden reviewed the terms of the draft merger agreement and the revisions proposed by Siris to Digital River's draft. A representative of Morgan Stanley then provided an overview of a potential "go-shop" process that might be employed should an agreement with Siris ultimately be reached.

        On October 15, 2014, Skadden sent a revised draft merger agreement to Simpson.

        On October 16, 2014, a representative of Siris provided a draft debt commitment letter to Skadden and Simpson sent a draft of a limited guarantee to Skadden.

        Later on October 16, a meeting of the Board was held, at which representatives of Morgan Stanley and Skadden were present. At this meeting, senior management of Digital River provided an update on Siris due diligence, including a meeting held among Digital River, Siris and Digital River's largest customer, noting that Siris desired to see the terms of an upcoming renewal of the contract with such customer before entering into any agreement with Digital River. A representative of Morgan Stanley provided an update on Siris' financing efforts and potential plans for conduct of the post-signing "go-shop" period and a representative of Skadden provided an update on the status of negotiations on the key transaction documents. During the meeting, the non-management members of the Board met with representatives of Morgan Stanley and Skadden.

        On October 17, 2014, Simpson sent a revised draft merger agreement to Skadden. Later on October 17, Skadden sent comments to the draft debt commitment letter to Simpson. Also on October 17, Messrs. Dobson and Schulz and Ms. Fisher, together with representatives of Siris and Morgan Stanley, made a presentation to Siris' potential financing sources. On October 18, 2014, Simpson sent comments on the draft disclosure letter and a draft of equity commitment letters to Skadden.

        Later on October 18, a meeting of the Board was held, at which representatives of Morgan Stanley and Skadden were present. A representative of Morgan Stanley then provided an update on due diligence matters and Siris' financing efforts and a representative of Skadden provided an update on the status of negotiations on the key transaction documents. Members of senior management then provided an update on the status of discussions regarding Digital River's pending contract renewal negotiations with its largest customer. Mr. Dobson also confirmed that neither he nor other members of senior management had discussed any arrangements with Siris regarding potential post-transaction employment by Digital River, although he believed it likely that Siris would be interested in retaining members of senior management post-closing. The representative of Skadden noted the pending expiration of the exclusivity period and described options available to the Board in connection with the expiration.

        On October 19, 2014, a meeting of the Board was held, at which representatives of Morgan Stanley and Skadden were present. At the meeting, Mr. Dobson provided an update on discussions with Siris with respect to a potential contract renewal with Digital River's largest customer, and a representative of Skadden described the parties' positions with respect to the potential impact of non-renewal under the terms of the merger agreement. The representative of Skadden also provided an overview of certain other proposed terms of the merger agreement, including the legal framework of

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the go-shop process contemplated and the non-solicitation period that would follow, the circumstances in which the Board would be entitled to change its recommendation of the Siris transaction, the circumstances in which the Board would be entitled to terminate the merger agreement to accept a superior proposal, the termination events and circumstances giving rise to, and the amount of, the termination fees and expenses. A representative of Morgan Stanley then noted the pending expiration of the exclusivity period and reviewed potential alternatives available with the Board in light of Siris' request to extend the exclusivity period. The Board determined that in light of the continued attractiveness of Siris' proposed price and the proposed terms of the merger agreement to grant an extension of the exclusivity period through October 22, 2014.

        On October 19, 2014 through October 22, 2014, Skadden and Simpson negotiated the terms of, and exchanged multiple drafts of, the merger agreement, debt and equity commitment letters, limited guarantee and disclosure letter.

        On October 22, 2014, a meeting of the Board was held, at which representatives of Morgan Stanley and Skadden were present. At the meeting, Mr. Dobson provided an update with respect to the contract renewal negotiations with Digital River's largest customer, including a meeting held among representatives of Digital River, Siris and Digital River's largest customer. Mr. Dobson noted that Siris had agreed to forgo insisting that Digital River's contract with the customer be finalized prior to execution of a merger agreement, so long as the "material adverse effect" provision of the merger agreement did not expressly exclude from consideration non-renewal or termination of customer contracts. A representative of Skadden discussed the impact of Siris' position and also provided a summary of the proposed terms of the transaction documents, including changes in proposed terms since the prior meeting. The representative of Skadden also reviewed the fiduciary duties of the Board in the context of a sale of Digital River. Representatives of Morgan Stanley then reviewed with the Board Morgan Stanley's financial analysis of the proposed transaction and rendered Morgan Stanley's oral opinion, subsequently confirmed by delivery of a written opinion dated October 23, 2014, to the effect that, as of that date, and based upon and subject to the assumptions made, procedures followed, matters considered and qualifications and limitations on the scope of review undertaken by Morgan Stanley as set forth in its written opinion, the per share merger consideration to be received by the holders of shares of Digital River's common stock pursuant to the merger agreement was fair from a financial point of view to such holders. After discussion, the Board determined that the merger agreement and the transactions contemplated by the merger agreement, including the merger, were fair to, advisable and in the best interests of Digital River and its stockholders, declared the merger agreement advisable under Delaware law, approved, adopted and authorized the merger agreement and the transactions contemplated by the merger agreement, including the merger, subject to Digital River's receipt of the financing commitments and resolved, subject to the terms of the merger agreement, to recommend that Digital River's stockholders vote in favor of the adoption of the merger agreement. The Board then requested Mr. Madison oversee finalizing the merger agreement working with the advisors and Digital River's management and directed Digital River's management to, subject to receipt of the final debt and equity commitment letters in a form consistent with agreed terms, execute and enter into the merger agreement consistent with the Board's instructions. Representatives of Morgan Stanley next provided an overview of the potential go-shop process following signing. After discussion, the Board directed Morgan Stanley to initiate the contemplated go-shop process following execution of the merger agreement.

        During the course of the day on October 23, 2014, representatives of Siris delivered the execution versions of the debt and equity commitment letters. Following the close of business on October 23, 2014, the parties executed the merger agreement and Siris delivered the final executed debt commitment letter, limited guarantee and equity commitment letters, and Digital River issued a press release announcing entry into the merger agreement.

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Recommendation of Our Board of Directors and Reasons for the Merger

Recommendation of Our Board of Directors

        The Board, after considering various factors described below, determined that the merger agreement and the transactions contemplated by the merger agreement, including the merger, are fair to, advisable and in the best interests of Digital River and its stockholders, declared the merger agreement advisable under Delaware law and approved, adopted and authorized the merger agreement and the transactions contemplated by the merger agreement, including the merger.

        The Board recommends that you vote (i) "FOR" the proposal to adopt the merger agreement and thereby approve the transactions contemplated by the merger agreement, including the merger, (ii) "FOR" the proposal to approve one or more adjournments of the special meeting to a later date or dates if necessary or appropriate to solicit additional proxies if there are insufficient votes to adopt the merger agreement at the time of the special meeting and (iii) "FOR" the proposal to approve, by non-binding, advisory vote, compensation that will or may become payable by Digital River to its named executive officers in connection with the merger.


Reasons for the Merger

        In evaluating the merger agreement, the merger and the other transactions contemplated by the merger agreement, the Board consulted with Digital River's senior management, outside legal counsel and an independent financial advisor. In recommending that Digital River's stockholders vote their shares of common stock in favor of the proposal to adopt the merger agreement, the Board also considered a number of factors, including the following (not necessarily in order of relative importance):

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        The Board also considered a number of uncertainties, risks and other factors in its deliberations concerning the merger and the other transactions contemplated by the merger agreement, including the following (not necessarily in order of relative importance):

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        The Board believed that, overall, the potential benefits of the merger to Digital River's stockholders outweighed the risks and uncertainties of the merger.

        The foregoing discussion of factors considered by the Board not intended to be exhaustive, but includes the material factors considered by the Board. In light of the variety of factors considered in connection with its evaluation of the merger, the Board did not find it practicable to, and did not, quantify or otherwise assign relative weights to the specific factors considered in reaching its determinations and recommendations. Moreover, each member of the Board applied his or her own personal business judgment to the process and may have given different weight to different factors. The Board did not undertake to make any specific determination as to whether any factor, or any particular aspect of any factor, supported or did not support its ultimate determination. The Board based its recommendation on the totality of the information presented.


Opinion of Morgan Stanley & Co. LLC

        Digital River retained Morgan Stanley to provide it with financial advisory services and to render a financial opinion in connection with the proposed merger. The Board selected Morgan Stanley to act as its financial advisor based on Morgan Stanley's qualifications, expertise and reputation, its knowledge of and involvement in recent transactions in Digital River's industry, and its knowledge of Digital River's business and affairs. On October 22, 2014, Morgan Stanley rendered its oral opinion to the Board, subsequently confirmed in writing on October 23, 2014, that as of that date, and based upon and subject to the assumptions made, procedures followed, matters considered and qualifications and limitations on the scope of review undertaken by Morgan Stanley as set forth in the written opinion, the per share merger consideration of $26.00 in cash to be received by the holders of shares of Digital River's common stock (other than (i) shares owned by Digital River as treasury stock, (ii) shares

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owned, directly or indirectly, by Parent or Acquisition Sub, (iii) shares owned by wholly owned subsidiaries of Digital River and (iv) shares owned by stockholders who are entitled to and who properly exercise and perfect appraisal rights under Delaware law) pursuant to the merger agreement was fair from a financial point of view to the holders of Digital River's common stock.

        The full text of the written opinion of Morgan Stanley to the Board, dated as of October 23, 2014, which sets forth, among other things, the assumptions made, procedures followed, matters considered and qualifications and limitations on the scope of the review undertaken by Morgan Stanley in rendering its opinion, is attached to this proxy statement as Annex B, and is incorporated by reference in this proxy statement in its entirety. The summary of the opinion of Morgan Stanley in this proxy statement is qualified in its entirety by reference to the full text of the opinion. You are encouraged to read Morgan Stanley's opinion and this section summarizing Morgan Stanley's opinion carefully and in their entirety. Morgan Stanley's opinion was directed to the Board, in its capacity as such, and addressed only the fairness from a financial point of view of the consideration to be received by the holders of shares of Digital River's common stock (other than (i) shares owned by Digital River as treasury stock, (ii) shares owned, directly or indirectly, by Parent or Acquisition Sub, (iii) shares owned by wholly owned subsidiaries of Digital River and (iv) shares owned by stockholders who are entitled to and who properly exercise and perfect appraisal rights under Delaware law) pursuant to the merger agreement as of the date of the opinion and did not address any other aspects or implications of the merger. It was not intended to, and does not, constitute advice or a recommendation to any holder of shares of Digital River's common stock as to how to vote at any stockholders meeting to be held in connection with the merger or whether to take any other action with respect to the merger.

        In connection with rendering its opinion, Morgan Stanley, among other things:

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        In arriving at its opinion, Morgan Stanley assumed and relied upon, without independent verification, the accuracy and completeness of the information that was publicly available or supplied or otherwise made available to Morgan Stanley by Digital River, and that formed a substantial basis for its opinion. With respect to Digital River's financial projections, Morgan Stanley assumed that they had been reasonably prepared on bases reflecting the best currently available estimates and judgments of the management of Digital River of the future financial performance of Digital River. In addition, Morgan Stanley assumed that the merger will be consummated in accordance with the terms set forth in the merger agreement without any waiver, amendment or delay of any terms or conditions, including, among other things, that Parent will obtain financing in accordance with the terms set forth in the financing commitments. Morgan Stanley has assumed that in connection with the receipt of all necessary governmental, regulatory or other approvals and consents required for the merger, no delays, limitations, conditions or restrictions will be imposed that would have a material adverse effect on the contemplated benefits expected to be derived in the merger. Morgan Stanley is not a legal, tax, or regulatory advisor. Morgan Stanley is a financial advisor only and has relied upon, without independent verification, the assessment of Digital River and its legal, tax and regulatory advisors with respect to legal, tax and regulatory matters. Morgan Stanley expressed no opinion with respect to the fairness of the amount or nature of the consideration to be received by any of Digital River's officers, directors or employees, or any class of such persons, relative to the consideration to be received by the holders of shares of Digital River's common stock in the merger. Morgan Stanley's opinion does not address the relative merits of the merger as compared to any other alternative business transaction, or other alternatives, or whether or not such alternatives could be achieved or are available. Morgan Stanley has not made any independent valuation or appraisal of the assets or liabilities of Digital River, nor has it been furnished with any such valuations or appraisals. Morgan Stanley's opinion is necessarily based on financial, economic, market and other conditions as in effect on, and the information made available to Morgan Stanley as of, the date of its opinion. Events occurring after such date may affect Morgan Stanley's opinion and the assumptions used in preparing it, and Morgan Stanley does not assume any obligation to update, revise or reaffirm its opinion.

        In arriving at its opinion, Morgan Stanley was not authorized to solicit, and did not solicit, interest from any party with respect to the acquisition, business combination or other extraordinary transaction, involving Digital River. However, during the go-shop period following the execution of the merger agreement, Morgan Stanley solicited interest on behalf of Digital River from other parties with respect to the possible acquisition of Digital River. See "—Background of the Merger" above.


Summary of Financial Analyses

        The following is a brief summary of the material financial analyses performed by Morgan Stanley in connection with the preparation of its opinion to the Board. The following summary is not a complete description of Morgan Stanley's opinion or the financial analyses performed and factors considered by Morgan Stanley in connection with its opinion, nor does the order of analyses described represent the relative importance or weight given to those analyses. Except as otherwise noted, the following quantitative information, to the extent that it is based on market data, is based on market data as it existed on or before October 20, 2014. The various analyses summarized below were based on the closing price of $16.68 per share of Digital River's common stock as of October 20, 2014, and is not necessarily indicative of current market conditions. Some of these summaries of financial analyses include information presented in tabular format. In order to fully understand the financial analyses used by Morgan Stanley, the tables must be read together with the text of each summary. The tables alone do not constitute a complete description of the financial analyses. The analyses listed in the tables and described below must be considered as a whole; considering any portion of such analyses and of the factors considered, without considering all analyses and factors, could create a misleading or incomplete view of the process underlying Morgan Stanley's opinion. Furthermore, mathematical

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analysis (such as determining the average or median) is not in itself a meaningful method of using the data referred to below.

        In performing the financial analysis summarized below and arriving at its opinion, Morgan Stanley used and relied upon certain non-public unaudited prospective financial information provided by Digital River's management and referred to below, including management-provided estimates (referred to in this summary of Morgan Stanley's opinion as the Management Case). For further information regarding this unaudited prospective financial information, see "—Certain Financial Forecasts" below.


Historical Trading Range Analysis

        Morgan Stanley performed a trading range analysis with respect to the historical share prices of Digital River's common stock for various periods ending on October 20, 2014. Morgan Stanley observed the following:

Period Ending October 20, 2014
  Range of
Closing Prices
 

Last Month

  $ 14.52 - 18.11  

Last Three Months

  $ 14.17 - 18.11  

Last Six Months

  $ 14.17 - 18.11  

Last Twelve Months

  $ 14.17 - 19.51  

        Morgan Stanley noted that during the last twelve months ending on October 20, 2014, the maximum closing trading price for shares of Digital River's common stock was $19.51 and the minimum closing trading price for shares of Digital River's common stock was $14.17. Morgan Stanley compared the per share merger consideration to the share price performance of Digital River's common stock over such periods and on such dates. Morgan Stanley calculated that the per share merger consideration represents:


Analysts' Price Targets

        Morgan Stanley reviewed and analyzed future public market trading price targets for Digital River's common stock prepared and published by equity research analysts prior to October 20, 2014. These future stock price targets reflected each analyst's estimate of the future public market trading price of Digital River's common stock and were not discounted to reflect present values. The range of undiscounted analysts' future stock price targets for Digital River's common stock was $14.00 to $22.00 per share as of October 20, 2014. In order to better compare the equity research analysts' future stock price targets with the per share merger consideration, Morgan Stanley discounted the range of analysts'

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future stock price targets for Digital River's common stock for one year at a rate of 9.5%, which discount rate was selected based on Digital River's cost of equity. Morgan Stanley calculated Digital River's cost of equity using the capital asset pricing model with a 6% market premium, 2.57% 10-Year risk free rate, and beta of 1.15 from Barra Beta's predicted U.S. Equity Model (Long Term Horizon). Morgan Stanley assumed an all equity capital structure for Digital River given its large cash balance, a portion of which is expected to be used to repay, repurchase or otherwise retire its outstanding convertible notes, resulting in a cost of equity that was equal to Digital River's cost of capital. This analysis indicated an implied range of equity values for Digital River's common stock of $12.79 to $20.10 per share.

        The public market trading price targets published by equity research analysts do not necessarily reflect current market trading prices for Digital River's common stock, and these estimates are subject to uncertainties, including the future financial performance of Digital River and future financial market conditions.


Public Trading Comparables Analysis

        Morgan Stanley performed a public trading comparables analysis, which attempts to provide an implied value of a company by comparing it to similar companies that are publicly traded. Morgan Stanley reviewed and compared certain financial estimates for Digital River with comparable publicly available consensus equity analyst research estimates for selected technology companies that share similar business characteristics and have certain comparable operating characteristics including, among other things, similarly sized revenue and/or revenue growth rates, market capitalizations, profitability, scale and/or other similar operating characteristics. These companies were the following:

        For purposes of this analysis, Morgan Stanley analyzed the ratio of aggregate value to estimated revenue and Adjusted EBITDA for calendar year 2015 for each of the companies above. Morgan Stanley calculated the aggregate value of each company as its fully diluted market capitalization, plus total debt, plus non-controlling interests, less cash, cash equivalents, short-term investments and liquid long-term investments. Revenue and Adjusted EBITDA estimates were based on publicly available consensus equity analyst research estimates compiled by Thompson Reuters. Equity analysts typically

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calculate Adjusted EBITDA as net income excluding net interest expense, income tax expense and certain other non-cash and non-recurring items, principally depreciation, amortization and stock-based compensation and charges.

        Based on its analysis of the relevant metrics for the comparable companies and upon the application of its professional judgment and experience, Morgan Stanley selected representative ranges of aggregate value to revenue and Adjusted EBITDA multiples and applied these ranges of multiples to the estimated relevant metric for Digital River, in each case as shown below. In determining the aggregate value to Adjusted EBITDA range, Morgan Stanley excluded as not meaningful comparable companies with negative Adjusted EBITDA or aggregate value to Adjusted EBITDA multiples exceeding 50x.

        For purposes of this analysis and other analyses described below, Morgan Stanley utilized the financial projections represented by the Management Case, as well as publicly available consensus analyst estimates of revenue and Adjusted EBITDA for Digital River that had been compiled by Thomson Reuters prior to October 20, 2014, which is referred to in this section as the Street Case. For the Management Case, Adjusted EBITDA was calculated as described above for analyst estimates, but did not reflect any exclusions or adjustments for non-recurring items.

        Based on the outstanding shares of Digital River's common stock on a fully-diluted basis (including outstanding equity awards) provided by Digital River's management as of October 15, 2014, Morgan Stanley calculated the estimated implied value per share of Digital River's common stock as follows:

Financial Statistic
  Comparable
Company Representative
Multiple Ranges
  Implied Value
Per Share
Range of
Common Stock ($)
 

Aggregate Value to Estimated 2015 Adjusted EBITDA

             

Management Case

    7.0x - 9.0x     16.89 - 20.23  

Street Case

    7.0x - 9.0x     16.07 - 19.18  

Aggregate Value to Estimated 2015 Revenue

             

Management Case

    1.0x - 1.5x     17.87 - 24.21  

Street Case

    1.0x - 1.5x     17.71 - 23.96  

        No company utilized in the public trading comparables analysis is identical to Digital River. In evaluating comparable companies, Morgan Stanley made judgments and assumptions with regard to industry performance, general business, economic, market and financial conditions and other matters, many of which are beyond Digital River's and Morgan Stanley's control. These include, among other things, comparable company growth, profitability and customer concentration, the impact of competition on Digital River's businesses and the industry generally, industry growth and the absence of any adverse material change in Digital River's financial condition and prospects or the industry, or in the financial markets in general. Mathematical analysis (such as determining the average or median) is not in itself a meaningful method of using comparable company data.


Discounted Cash Flow Analysis

        Morgan Stanley performed a discounted cash flow analysis, which is designed to provide an implied value of a company by calculating the present value of the estimated future cash flows and terminal value of such company. Morgan Stanley calculated a range of implied equity values per share for Digital River's common stock based on a discounted cash flow analysis to value Digital River as a stand-alone entity. Morgan Stanley utilized financial projections for Digital River from September 30, 2014 to December 31, 2023 in its analysis. Financial projections for Digital River from September 30, 2014 through December 31, 2017 were from the Management Case. Financial projections for Digital

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River from calendar years 2018 through 2023 were prepared by Morgan Stanley by extrapolating the Management Case, which extrapolations were reviewed and approved by Digital River for use by Morgan Stanley in its analysis.

        In performing its discounted cash flow analysis, Morgan Stanley first calculated Digital River's estimated unlevered free cash flows, which it defined as Adjusted EBITDA, less (1) stock-based compensation expense, (2) taxes, (3) capital expenditures, and (4) net changes in working capital. For purposes of the discounted cash flow analysis, changes in net working capital excluded client cash (which is cash Digital River is holding for which it has an offsetting obligation to pay to or on behalf of customers) and were assumed to be zero because forecasted growth in free cash flow from changes in net working capital is primarily generated by an increase in client cash. Morgan Stanley then calculated a range of implied aggregate values of Digital River by calculating a range of the present values of Digital River's free cash flows for the period from September 30, 2014 through December 31, 2023 and a terminal value based on a terminal perpetual growth rate ranging from 2.5% to 3.5%. Morgan Stanley selected these terminal perpetual growth rates based on the application of its professional judgment and experience. The free cash flows and terminal values were discounted to present values as of September 30, 2014 at a range of discount rates of 8.5% to 10.5%, which range was selected, in Morgan Stanley's professional judgment and experience, by applying a 1% sensitivity to Digital River's cost of equity (which was assumed equal to its weighted average cost of capital) as described above. Morgan Stanley then adjusted the total implied aggregate value ranges by Digital River's (i) $168 million in net cash, defined as cash and cash equivalents (excluding $122 million of cash held by Digital River that it is obligated to remit to its clients), plus short-term investments and liquid long-term investments, less debt, and (ii) net operating losses, which had a net present value of $7 million, and divided the resulting implied total equity value ranges by Digital River's approximately 32.3 million fully-diluted shares outstanding.

        Based on the above-described analysis, Morgan Stanley derived an implied range of equity values per share of Digital River's common stock of $16.13 to $21.68.

        Morgan Stanley also performed a sensitivity analysis on its discounted cash flow analysis by upwardly adjusting the calendar 2018 through 2023 Adjusted EBITDA margin extrapolation assumptions based on guidance from Digital River's management to reflect potential operating improvements that might be implemented. This analysis resulted in an implied present value per share range for Digital River's common stock of $17.49 to $24.04.


Discounted Equity Value Analysis

        Morgan Stanley performed a discounted equity value analysis, which is designed to provide insight into the estimated future value of a company's common equity price per share as a function of the company's estimated future Adjusted EBITDA and price-earnings ("P/E") ratio, and a potential range of aggregate value to Adjusted EBITDA and P/E ratio multiples. The resulting values are subsequently discounted to arrive at a range of present values for such company's price per share. In connection with this analysis, Morgan Stanley calculated a range of present equity values per share of Digital River's common stock on a stand-alone basis.

        For purposes of its analysis, Morgan Stanley reviewed and compared certain financial estimates for Digital River with comparable publicly available consensus equity analyst research estimates for technology companies with 5% to 10% projected 2015 revenue growth rates and 12.5% to 17.5% projected 2015 Adjusted EBITDA margin, according to Capital IQ. These companies were the following:

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        Based on its analysis of the relevant metrics for each of the comparable companies above, Morgan Stanley determined a range of forward aggregate value to Adjusted EBITDA and P/E multiples, based on the upper and lower quartiles of the comparable company set for each metric, and applied these multiples to Digital River's aggregate value to calendar year 2017 Adjusted EBITDA estimate based on the Management Case and Digital River's calendar year 2017 fully-diluted non-GAAP earnings per share ("EPS") estimate based on the Management Case. Morgan Stanley then discounted the results to their net present values as of September 30, 2014 by applying a discount rate of 9.5%, which was selected based on Digital River's cost of equity.

        In determining the forward aggregate value to Adjusted EBITDA multiple range, Morgan Stanley excluded as not meaningful comparable companies with aggregate value to Adjusted EBITDA multiples exceeding 45x. In determining the forward P/E multiple range, Morgan Stanley excluded as not meaningful comparable companies with multiples exceeding 35x. In calculating P/E multiples, Morgan Stanley based fully diluted non-GAAP EPS on publicly available consensus equity analyst research estimates that had been compiled by Thomson Reuters. In addition, for purposes of this analysis, Morgan Stanley calculated fully-diluted non-GAAP EPS for Digital River as tax-effected income (loss) from continuing operations, plus amortization of acquisition-related intangibles, stock-based compensation expense, restructuring related costs, litigation settlement-related costs, acquisition and integration costs, realized investment loss (gain), goodwill impairment charges, and debt interest expense and issuance cost amortization, divided by weighted average shares outstanding. Morgan

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Stanley applied its selected comparable company multiples range to Digital River's 2017 metrics, as 2017 was considered more representative of Digital River's long-term operating model.

        The following table summarizes Morgan Stanley's analysis:

 
  Comparable Company
Representative
Multiple Range
  Implied Present
Value Per
Share Range of
Common Stock ($)

Calendar Year 2017 Estimated P/E Ratio

  10.5x - 17.5x   11.09 - 18.56

Calendar Year 2017 Estimated P/E Ratio (Adjusted)(1)

  10.5x - 17.5x   15.85 - 23.32

Calendar Year 2017 Aggregate Value to Estimated Adjusted EBITDA

  6.1x - 9.7x   17.51 - 24.10

(1)
Due to its sizable net cash balance, Digital River has a significantly higher equity value relative to its aggregate value compared to its peers. Digital River's net cash was 31% of its equity value as compared to -4% for the comparable companies. In order to account for this and enhance comparability on a P/E valuation basis, the implied equity value based on the comparables analysis was adjusted upwards by 35% of Digital River's current equity value.

        No company utilized in the discounted equity value analysis is identical to Digital River. In evaluating comparable companies, Morgan Stanley made judgments and assumptions with regard to industry performance, general business, economic, market and financial conditions and other matters, many of which are beyond Digital River's and Morgan Stanley's control. These include, among other things, the impact of competition on Digital River's businesses and the industry generally, industry growth and the absence of any adverse material change in Digital River's financial condition and prospects or the industry, or in the financial markets in general. Mathematical analysis (such as determining the average or median) is not in itself a meaningful method of using comparable company data.


Leveraged Buyout Analysis

        Morgan Stanley performed a leveraged buyout analysis, which is designed to illustrate the ability of a financial sponsor to pay, at a given return target, exit multiple and financing structure. Morgan Stanley performed the leveraged buyout analysis to estimate the theoretical prices at which a financial sponsor might effect a leveraged buyout of Digital River if the sponsor based its buyout on the Management Case, as extrapolated as discussed above, and on the Street Case. Because the Street Case did not include financial results for calendar years after 2015, Morgan Stanley based the Street Case Adjusted EBITDA for the exit transaction on extrapolation using 5% revenue growth and constant Adjusted EBITDA margin.

        Based upon its professional judgment, Morgan Stanley assumed a financing structure consisting of debt in the amount of five (5) times estimated Adjusted EBITDA for the twelve months ended December 31, 2014 and that a financial buyer would attempt to realize a return on its investment on December 31, 2019 (approximately 5 years after purchase).

        Morgan Stanley then derived a range of theoretical purchase prices that a financial sponsor might pay in a leveraged buyout of Digital River using each of the Management Case and Street Case, based on a range of internal rates of return for a financial buyer of between 20.0% and 25.0%, determined through Morgan Stanley's professional judgment and experience, at an assumed exit multiple range of last twelve months ("LTM") Adjusted EBITDA. The midpoint of the exit multiple range was based on the assumption that the exit multiple would equal the acquisition multiple. Based on the number of

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outstanding shares of Digital River's common stock on a fully-diluted basis and Digital River's net cash, the analysis indicated the following implied per share reference ranges for Digital River's common stock:

Forecast Scenario
  Internal Rate
of Return
  Exit Multiple of
LTM Adjusted
EBITDA
  Implied Value
Per Share($)

Street Case

  20.0% - 25.0%   13.5x - 15.5x   18.88 - 21.88

Management Case

  20.0% - 25.0%   13.5x - 15.5x   22.74 - 26.96


Precedent Premiums Paid Analysis

        Morgan Stanley considered, based on publicly available information, premiums paid in all-cash acquisition transactions in Morgan Stanley's transaction database occurring from 2011 through September 30, 2014, which was the date that Morgan Stanley compiled the analysis, involving U.S. public company targets in the technology sector having a transaction value of more than $250 million (64 total transactions). Morgan Stanley reviewed the premium paid to the target company's closing stock price one day and 30 days prior to market awareness of such transaction, as well as to the company's highest closing stock price in the 52-weeks prior to such market awareness. Morgan Stanley's analysis identified the following premium ranges:

Financial Statistic
  Premium
(25th - 75th percentiles)

Premium to one-day prior price

  21% - 52%

Premium to 30-day average prior price

  27% - 54%

Premium to 52-week highest price

  (3)% - 20%

        Morgan Stanley then applied these premium ranges to Digital River's stock price for the relevant period or date. The analysis indicated an implied value per share reference range as follows:

Financial Statistic
  Implied Value
Per Share($)

Premium to one-day prior price

  20.22 - 25.43

Premium to 30-day average prior price

  19.78 - 24.03

Premium to 52-week highest price

  18.97 - 23.37

        No company or transaction utilized in the precedent premiums paid analysis is identical to Digital River or to the merger. In evaluating the precedent transactions, Morgan Stanley made judgments and assumptions with regard to industry performance, general business, market and financial conditions and other matters, which are beyond the control of Digital River, such as the impact of competition on the business of Digital River or the industry generally, industry growth and the absence of any adverse material change in the financial condition of Digital River or the industry or in the financial markets in general, which could affect the public trading value of the companies and the aggregate value of the transactions to which they are being compared.


Comparable Company Sum-of-the-Parts Analysis

        Morgan Stanley performed a comparable company sum-of-the-parts analysis with respect to Digital River. This valuation methodology is designed to provide an implied public trading value of a company by comparing segments of a company's business to trading levels of other companies engaged in a similar business, and aggregating the implied valuations of each segment. Morgan Stanley compared certain financial information of Digital River with publicly available information for peers that operate in and are exposed to similar lines of business as Digital River's primary lines of business:

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(1) enterprise eCommerce, (2) small to mid-sized businesses ("SMB") eCommerce, (3) BlueHornet (marketing) and (4) Payments (payment processing).

        With respect to eCommerce, the peer group included the following companies:

        The enterprise eCommerce and SMB eCommerce peer companies were grouped due to similarities in these businesses and the limited availability of "pure play" comparable companies within these two categories.

        With respect to BlueHornet, the peer group included the following companies:

        With respect to Payments, the peer group included the following companies:

        With respect to the enterprise eCommerce peer group companies, the BlueHornet peer group companies and the Payments peer group companies, Morgan Stanley analyzed the following statistics for each company in the respective group, as of October 20, 2014, based on publicly available consensus equity analyst research estimates and trading data for the applicable company:

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        With respect to SMB eCommerce, Morgan Stanley did not include multiple ranges based on comparable Adjusted EBITDA metrics due to the limited usefulness of valuing the SMB eCommerce business on an EBITDA basis given SMB eCommerce's relatively low EBITDA levels.

        Based on the analysis of the relevant metrics for each of the comparable companies and on the professional judgment and experience of Morgan Stanley, Morgan Stanley selected a representative range of financial multiples of the comparable companies, by peer group, and applied this range of multiples to the relevant financial statistics for each of Digital River's business lines derived from the Management Case to determine an indicative value range by business line. A summary of Morgan Stanley's analysis is below:

Financial Statistic
  Metric   Peer Group
Statistic Multiple
Range
  Indicative
Aggregate Value
Range
($ in millions)

Enterprise eCommerce

             

Aggregate Value to Estimated 2014 Adjusted EBITDA

  $ 44   6.0x - 8.0x   $275 - $350

Aggregate Value to Estimated 2015 Adjusted EBITDA

  $ 43   6.0x - 8.0x    

Aggregate Value to Estimated 2014 Revenue

  $ 254   0.3x - 0.5x    

SMB eCommerce

             

Aggregate Value to Estimated 2014 Revenue

  $ 33   0.4x - 0.5x   $15 - $20

BlueHornet

             

Aggregate Value to Estimated 2014 Adjusted EBITDA

  $ 2   7.5x - 11.5x   $30 - $40

Aggregate Value to Estimated 2015 Adjusted EBITDA

  $ 2   7.0x - 9.0x    

Aggregate Value to Estimated 2014 Revenue

  $ 20   1.0x - 2.0x    

Payment Processing

             

Aggregate Value to Estimated 2014 Adjusted EBITDA

  $ 5   15.0x - 18.0x   $200 - $250

Aggregate Value to Estimated 2015 Adjusted EBITDA

  $ 7   13.0x - 15.0x    

Aggregate Value to Estimated 2014 Revenue

  $ 71   2.5x - 3.5x    

        Morgan Stanley then estimated a range of aggregate values for the entirety of Digital River as the sum of the indicative value ranges for each business line shown above plus Digital River's net cash at September 30, 2014. Based on Digital River's fully-diluted outstanding shares, Morgan Stanley estimated the implied range of equity values per share of Digital River's common stock to be $21.31 to $25.65.

        No company utilized in the comparable company sum-of-the-parts analysis is identical to Digital River. In evaluating peer companies, Morgan Stanley made judgments and assumptions with regard to industry performance, general business, economic, market and financial conditions and other matters, many of which are beyond the control of Digital River, such as the impact of competition on the businesses of Digital River and the industry generally, industry growth and the absence of any adverse material change in the financial condition and prospects of Digital River. Mathematical analysis (such as determining the average or median) is not in itself a meaningful method of using comparable company data.


General

        In connection with the review of the merger by the Board, Morgan Stanley performed a variety of financial and comparative analyses for purposes of rendering its opinion. The preparation of a financial opinion is a complex process and is not necessarily susceptible to a partial analysis or summary description. In arriving at its opinion, Morgan Stanley considered the results of all of its analyses as a whole and did not attribute any particular weight to any analysis or factor it considered. Morgan Stanley believes that selecting any portion of its analyses, without considering all analyses as a whole, would create an incomplete view of the process underlying its analyses and opinion. In addition,

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Morgan Stanley may have given various analyses and factors more or less weight than other analyses and factors, and may have deemed various assumptions more or less probable than other assumptions. As a result, the ranges of valuations resulting from any particular analysis described above should not be taken to be Morgan Stanley's view of the actual value of Digital River. In performing its analyses, Morgan Stanley made numerous assumptions with respect to industry performance, general business, regulatory, economic, market and financial conditions and other matters, many of which are beyond Digital River's control. These include, among other things, the impact of competition on Digital River's businesses and the industry generally, industry growth, and the absence of any adverse material change in the financial condition and prospects of Digital River and the industry, and in the financial markets in general. Any estimates contained in Morgan Stanley's analyses are not necessarily indicative of future results or actual values, which may be significantly more or less favorable than those suggested by such estimates.

        Morgan Stanley conducted the analyses described above solely as part of its analysis of the fairness from a financial point of view of the per share merger consideration to be received by the holders of Digital River's common stock (other than (i) shares owned by Digital River as treasury stock, (ii) shares owned, directly or indirectly, by Parent or Acquisition Sub, (iii) shares owned by wholly owned subsidiaries of Digital River and (iv) shares owned by stockholders who are entitled to and who properly exercise and perfect appraisal rights under Delaware law) pursuant to the merger agreement and in connection with the delivery of its opinion to the Board. These analyses do not purport to be appraisals or to reflect the prices at which shares of Digital River's common stock might actually trade.

        The per share merger consideration to be received by the holders of shares of Digital River's common stock (other than (i) shares owned by Digital River as treasury stock, (ii) shares owned, directly or indirectly, by Parent or Acquisition Sub, (iii) shares owned by wholly owned subsidiaries of Digital River and (iv) shares owned by stockholders who are entitled to and who properly exercise and perfect appraisal rights under Delaware law) pursuant to the merger agreement was determined through arm's length negotiations between Digital River and Parent and was approved by the Board. Morgan Stanley provided advice to the Board during these negotiations but did not, however, recommend any specific consideration to Digital River or the Board, nor did Morgan Stanley opine that any specific consideration constituted the only appropriate consideration for the merger. Morgan Stanley's opinion does not address the relative merits of the merger as compared to any other alternative business transactions, or whether or not such alternative business transactions could be achieved or are available. Morgan Stanley's opinion was not intended to, and does not, constitute advice or a recommendation to any holder of shares of Digital River's common stock as to how such holder should vote at any stockholders meeting to be held in connection with the merger or whether to take any other action with respect to the merger.

        Morgan Stanley's opinion and its oral presentation to the Board was one of many factors taken into consideration by the Board in deciding to approve the merger. Consequently, the analyses as described above should not be viewed as determinative of the opinion of the Board with respect to the per share merger consideration pursuant to the merger agreement or of whether the Board would have been willing to agree to different consideration. Morgan Stanley's opinion was approved by a committee of Morgan Stanley investment banking and other professionals in accordance with Morgan Stanley's customary practice.

        The Board retained Morgan Stanley based upon Morgan Stanley's qualifications, experience and expertise. Morgan Stanley is a global financial services firm engaged in the securities, investment management and individual wealth management businesses. Its securities business is engaged in securities underwriting, trading and brokerage activities, foreign exchange, commodities and derivatives trading, prime brokerage, as well as providing investment banking, financing and financial advisory services. Morgan Stanley, its affiliates, directors and officers may at any time invest on a principal basis or manage funds that invest, hold long or short positions, finance positions, and may trade or otherwise

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structure and effect transactions, for their own account or the accounts of its customers, in debt or equity securities or loans of Parent, Digital River, or any other company, or any currency or commodity, that may be involved in the merger, or any related derivative instrument. Investment funds managed by an affiliate of Morgan Stanley, whose limited partners include third-party clients of Morgan Stanley, currently hold limited partnership interests in a Siris fund. In addition, Morgan Stanley, its affiliates, directors or officers, including individuals working with Digital River in connection with the merger, may have committed and may commit in the future to invest in private equity funds managed by affiliates of Parent. None of the Morgan Stanley professionals working with Digital River on the merger, however, have any personal direct equity interests in private equity funds managed by affiliates of Parent. Moreover, in the ordinary course of its investment banking business, Morgan Stanley has relationships with various private equity firms, including Siris, and discusses potential transactions with such firms from time to time. Morgan Stanley is also currently providing financial advisory services to Transaction Network Services, Inc., a portfolio company affiliated with Siris, in connection with the announced sale of its Payment Gateway Services business, and expects to receive customary fees for rendering such services.

        Under the terms of its engagement letter, Morgan Stanley provided Digital River financial advisory services and a financial opinion, described in this section and attached to this proxy statement as Annex B, in connection with the merger, and Digital River has agreed to pay Morgan Stanley a fee estimated to be approximately $10.1 million for its services, of which $1.5 million was payable upon rendering its opinion, and the remainder of which is contingent upon the closing of the merger. Digital River has also agreed to reimburse Morgan Stanley for its reasonable out-of-pocket expenses, including fees of outside counsel and other professional advisors, incurred in connection with its engagement. In addition, Digital River has agreed to indemnify Morgan Stanley and its affiliates, their respective directors, officers, agents and employees and each person, if any, controlling Morgan Stanley or any of its affiliates against certain liabilities and expenses relating to or arising out of Morgan Stanley's engagement. In the two years prior to the date of its opinion, Morgan Stanley or its affiliates have provided financing services for Digital River and Siris and have received fees of approximately $38,000 from Digital River and approximately $0.7 million from Siris, respectively, in connection with such services. In the two years prior to the date of its opinion, Morgan Stanley or its affiliates have provided financing services to an affiliate of Macquarie and have received fees of approximately $6.2 million from such affiliate of Macquarie in connection with such services. Morgan Stanley or its affiliates may also provide or seek to provide financial advisory or financing services to Parent, Macquarie, Sankaty, GCM Grosvenor and/or Digital River or any of their affiliates, including portfolio companies of Siris, in the future and would expect to receive customary fees for the rendering of these services.


Certain Financial Forecasts

        Digital River does not, as a matter of course, publicly disclose long-term projections as to its future financial performance due to, among other reasons, the unpredictability of the underlying assumptions and estimates, though Digital River has in the past provided investors with quarterly and full-year financial guidance which may cover areas such as revenue and earnings per share, among other items, which it may update from time to time during the relevant year. However, in connection with Digital River's evaluation of a possible transaction, Digital River provided the Board and its advisors, including Morgan Stanley in performing its financial analysis summarized under "—Opinion of Morgan Stanley & Co. LLC" with certain non-public unaudited prospective financial information prepared by our management. The forecasts were used as the basis for the Management Case (including the extrapolations) summarized below and presented to the Board by Morgan Stanley, which we refer to as the Final Forecasts. The Final Forecasts (excluding the unlevered free cash flows therein) were also provided to Siris in connection with its due diligence review of a possible transaction. In August 2014, Digital River also provided Siris certain additional non-public unaudited prospective financial information prepared by our management, which we refer to as the August

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Operational Forecasts and a summary of which is presented in this section as described below. The Final Forecasts and the August Operational Forecasts together are referred to herein as the Forecasts.

        The Forecasts were not prepared with a view to public disclosure and are included in this proxy statement only because such information was made available as described above. The Forecasts were not prepared with a view to compliance with generally accepted accounting principles as applied in the United States, which we refer to as GAAP, the published guidelines of the SEC regarding projections and forward-looking statements or the guidelines established by the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants for preparation and presentation of prospective financial information. Furthermore, Ernst & Young LLP, our independent auditor, has not examined, reviewed, compiled or otherwise applied procedures to, the Forecasts and, accordingly, assumes no responsibility for, and expresses no opinion on, them. The Forecasts included in this proxy statement have been prepared by, and are the responsibility of, our management. The Forecasts were prepared solely for internal use of Digital River and are subjective in many respects.

        Although a summary of the Forecasts is presented with numerical specificity, they reflect numerous assumptions and estimates as to future events made by our management that our management believed were reasonable at the time the Forecasts were prepared, taking into account the relevant information available to management at the time. However, this information is not fact and should not be relied upon as being necessarily indicative of actual future results. Important factors that may affect actual results and cause the Forecasts not to be achieved include general economic conditions, accuracy of certain accounting assumptions, changes in actual or projected cash flows, competitive pressures, and changes in tax laws. In addition, the Forecasts do not take into account any circumstances or events occurring after the date that they were prepared and do not give effect to the merger. As a result, there can be no assurance that the Forecasts will be realized, and actual results may be materially better or worse than those contained in the Forecasts. The inclusion of this information should not be regarded as an indication that the Board, Digital River, Morgan Stanley or any other recipient of this information considered, or now considers, the Forecasts to be material information of Digital River or predictive of actual future results nor should it be construed as financial guidance, and it should not be relied upon as such. The summary of the Forecasts is not included in this proxy statement in order to induce any stockholder to vote in favor of the proposal to adopt the merger agreement or any of the other proposals to be voted on at the special meeting or to influence any stockholder to make any investment decision with respect to the merger, including whether or not to seek appraisal rights with respect to shares of our common stock.

        The Forecasts should be evaluated, if at all, in conjunction with the historical financial statements and other information regarding Digital River contained in our public filings with the SEC. The Final Forecasts were reviewed by Digital River's management with, and considered by, the Board in connection with its evaluation and approval of the merger.

        The Forecasts are forward-looking statements. For information on factors that may cause Digital River's future results to materially vary, see "Forward-Looking Statements" beginning on page [    •    ].

        Except to the extent required by applicable federal securities laws, we do not intend, and expressly disclaim any responsibility, to update or otherwise revise the Forecasts to reflect circumstances existing after the date when Digital River prepared the Forecasts or to reflect the occurrence of future events or changes in general economic or industry conditions, even in the event that any of the assumptions underlying the Forecasts are shown to be in error.

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        In light of the foregoing factors and the uncertainties inherent in the Forecasts, stockholders are cautioned not to rely on the Forecasts included in this proxy statement.

        Certain of the measures included in the Forecasts may be considered non-GAAP financial measures, as noted below. Non-GAAP financial measures should not be considered in isolation from, or as a substitute for, financial information presented in compliance with GAAP, and non-GAAP financial measures as used by Digital River may not be comparable to similarly titled amounts used by other companies.


Management Case-Final Forecasts

 
  Final Forecasts(1)   Extrapolations(1)(4)  
($ in millions)
  Q4
2014E
  2015E   2016E   2017E   2018E   2019E   2020E   2021E   2022E   2023E  

Revenue

  $ 104   $ 409   $ 442   $ 481   $ 519   $ 556   $ 589   $ 619   $ 643   $ 663  

Adjusted EBITDA(2)

    22     54     60     72     78     83     88     93     97     99  

Unlevered Free Cash Flow(3)

    10     16     22     28     27     28     30     32     33     34  

Source:
Digital River management for Final Forecasts (other than unlevered free cash flow computation methodology); Morgan Stanley (reviewed and approved by Digital River) for extrapolations and unlevered free cash flow computation methodology

(1)
This table reflects selected measures from the Final Forecasts prepared by Digital River management and the extrapolated forecasted amounts for these measures following 2017 prepared by Morgan Stanley and reviewed and approved by Digital River. These Final Forecasts and extrapolations are included in the Management Case as used by Morgan Stanley in connection with its financial analysis summarized under "—Opinion of Morgan Stanley & Co. LLC". Siris received the Final Forecasts (excluding the unlevered free cash flows therein) prior to signing the merger agreement but did not receive the extrapolations prior to signing the merger agreement.

(2)
Adjusted EBITDA is defined with respect to the Management Case as net income excluding net interest expense, income tax expense and depreciation, amortization and stock-based compensation and charges. Adjusted EBITDA is a non-GAAP financial measure and should not be considered as an alternative to operating income or net income as a measure of operating performance or cash flow or as a measure of liquidity.

(3)
Unlevered free cash flow, as presented to the Board and as used by Morgan Stanley in the Final Forecasts and the extrapolations, is defined as Adjusted EBITDA plus increases in (or less decreases in) working capital, less stock-based compensation, capital expenditures and taxes. Unlevered free cash flow is a non-GAAP financial measure and should not be considered as an alternative to operating income or net income as a measure of operating performance or cash flow or as a measure of liquidity. Assumptions made in calculating unlevered free cash flow for the Final Forecasts included: (a) an overall tax rate of 35%, (b) stock-based compensation of $5 million for 4Q 2014 and $20 million per year for 2015 through 2017, (c) no changes in working capital requirements in any year and (d) capital expenditures of $5 million in 4Q 2014, $18 million in 2015 and $15 million per year in 2016 and 2017. Morgan Stanley, upon consultation with Digital River's management, made the foregoing assumptions in calculating the unlevered free cash flows in the foregoing manner in connection with its valuation analysis.

(4)
As noted in "—Opinion of Morgan Stanley & Co. LLC—Discounted Cash Flow Analysis", Morgan Stanley performed a sensitivity analysis by upwardly adjusting the calendar 2018 through 2023 Adjusted EBITDA margin extrapolation assumptions based on guidance from Digital River's management to reflect potential operating improvements that might be implemented. This sensitivity analysis resulted in an Adjusted EBITDA of (in millions) $78, $85, $92, $98, $104 and

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Certain Forecasts

 
  August Operational Forecasts(1)  
($ in millions)
  2014E   2015E   2016E   2017E  

Total Revenue

  $ 383   $ 409   $ 442   $ 481  

Adjusted EBITDA(2)

    51     54     60     72  

Unlevered Free Cash Flow(3)

    23     45     54     60  

Source: Digital River Management

(1)
This table reflects selected measures from the August Operational Forecasts as provided to Siris in connection with its due diligence review of a possible transaction in late August 2014. Subsequently, Digital River management revised the calendar year 2014 total revenue and Adjusted EBITDA forecasted amounts to (in millions) $378.0 and $51.5, respectively, and these updated amounts were provided to Morgan Stanley in connection with its financial analysis summarized under "—Opinion of Morgan Stanley & Co. LLC" and its preparation of the Management Case, and Siris.

(2)
Adjusted EBITDA is defined for purposes of the August Operational Forecasts in the same manner as it is defined for purposes of the Final Forecasts. Adjusted EBITDA is a non-GAAP financial measure and should not be considered as an alternative to operating income or net income as a measure of operating performance or cash flow or as a measure of liquidity.

(3)
Unlevered free cash flow, as presented to Siris in the August Operational Forecasts, is defined as Adjusted EBITDA plus increases in (or less decreases in) working capital (including those amounts due to or payable on behalf of customers), less capital expenditures and taxes. Unlevered free cash flow is a non-GAAP financial measure and should not be considered as an alternative to operating income or net income as a measure of operating performance or cash flow or as a measure of liquidity. Assumptions made by Digital River's management in calculating unlevered free cash flows for purposes of the August Operational Forecasts included: (a) an overall tax rate of 21%, which is the blended tax rate generally used by Digital River in its internal non-GAAP analyses, resulting in assumed taxes of $5 million, $6 million, $7 million and $11 million in 2014, 2015, 2016 and 2017, respectively, (b) making no adjustments (deductions) for stock-based compensation, (c) an increase in required working capital of $4 million in 2014 but a decrease in required working capital of $12 million, $16 million and $14 million in 2015, 2016 and 2017, respectively, due to an assumption that a potential increase in client cash from growth in the customer base may provide lower cash requirements over the 2015-2017 period and (d) capital expenditures of $18 million in 2014 and $15 million per year in each of 2015, 2016 and 2017, respectively. Digital River's management made the foregoing assumptions in calculating the unlevered free cash flows for purposes of the August Operational Forecasts in the foregoing manner because the calculations were intended to be used to demonstrate potential projected amounts of cash generated from an operational perspective in the short- to medium-term and not as a potential valuation metric.

Interests of the Directors and Executive Officers of Digital River in the Merger

        When considering the recommendation of the Board that you vote to approve the proposal to adopt the merger agreement, you should be aware that some of our directors and executive officers

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may have interests in the merger that may be deemed to be different from, or in addition to, the interests of our stockholders generally, as more fully described below. The Board was aware of and considered these interests to the extent such interests existed at the time, among other matters, in evaluating and overseeing the negotiation of the merger agreement, in approving the merger agreement and the merger and in recommending that the merger agreement be adopted by the stockholders of Digital River.


Arrangements with Parent

        As of the date of this proxy statement, none of our executive officers has entered into any agreement with Parent or any of its affiliates regarding employment with, or the right to purchase or participate in the equity of, the surviving corporation or one or more of its affiliates. Prior to or following the closing, however, some or all of our executive officers may discuss or enter into agreements with Parent or Acquisition Sub or any of their respective affiliates regarding employment with, or the right to purchase or participate in the equity of, the surviving corporation or one or more of its affiliates.


Insurance and Indemnification of Directors and Executive Officers

        Parent will cause the certificate of incorporation, bylaws or other organizational documents of the surviving corporation and its subsidiaries to contain provisions with respect to indemnification, advancement of expenses and limitation of director, officer and employee liability that are no less favorable to the current or former directors, officers, managers or employees of Digital River and its subsidiaries than those set forth in Digital River's and its subsidiaries' organizational documents as of the date of the merger agreement. The surviving corporation and its subsidiaries will not, for a period of six years from the effective time of the merger, amend, repeal or otherwise modify these provisions in the organizational documents in any manner that would adversely affect the rights of the current or former directors, officers, managers or employees of Digital River and its subsidiaries.

        To the fullest extent that Digital River would be permitted by applicable law to do so, Parent will, or will cause the surviving corporation to, (i) indemnify and hold harmless each current or former director, officer, manager or employee of Digital River or its subsidiaries against and from any costs or expenses (including reasonable attorneys' fees), judgments and similar liabilities and amounts paid in settlement in connection with any claim, action, suit, proceeding or investigation, whether civil, criminal, administrative or investigative, to the extent such claim, action, suit, proceeding or investigation arises out of or pertains to (A) any alleged action or omission in such indemnified party's capacity as a director, officer or employee of Digital River or any of its subsidiaries prior to the effective time of the merger or (B) the merger agreement or the transactions contemplated thereby and (ii) pay in advance of the final disposition of any such claim, action, suit, proceeding or investigation the expenses (including attorneys' fees) of any such indemnified party upon receipt of an undertaking by or on behalf of such indemnified party to repay such amount if it shall ultimately be determined that such indemnified party is not entitled to be indemnified by applicable law.

        The merger agreement also provides that prior to the effective time of the merger, Digital River may purchase a six year "tail" prepaid policy on the same terms and conditions as Parent would be required to cause the surviving corporation to purchase as discussed below. Digital River's ability to purchase a "tail" policy is subject to a cap on a one-time premium for such policy equal to 200% of the aggregate annual premiums currently paid by Digital River for its existing directors' and officers' liability insurance and fiduciary insurance as of the date of the merger agreement. If Digital River does not purchase a "tail" policy prior to the effective time of the merger, for at least six years after the effective time, Parent will cause the surviving corporation to maintain in full force and effect, on terms and conditions no less advantageous to the current or former directors, officers, managers or employees of Digital River and its subsidiaries, the existing directors' and officers' liability insurance and fiduciary

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insurance maintained by Digital River as of the date of the merger agreement. The "tail" policy will cover claims arising from facts, events, acts or omissions that occurred at or prior to the effective time, including the transactions contemplated in the merger agreement. Parent will not be required to pay premiums which on an annual basis exceed 300% of the aggregate annual premiums currently paid by Digital River; however, Parent must obtain the greatest coverage available at such cost. Please see "Proposal 1: Adoption of the Merger Agreement—Indemnification and Insurance" section for additional information beginning on page [    •    ].


Treatment of Equity and Equity-Based Awards

        Each Digital River stock option that is outstanding immediately prior to the completion of the merger, whether or not vested, will fully vest immediately prior to the completion of the merger and will be canceled and converted into the right to receive an amount in cash (subject to any applicable withholding or other taxes, or other amounts as required by law) equal to the product of (i) the total number of shares of Digital River common stock subject to the option as of the effective time of the merger and (ii) the amount, if any, by which $26.00 exceeds the exercise price per share of Digital River common stock underlying the stock option.

        Each share of Digital River restricted stock that is outstanding and unvested immediately prior to the effective time of the merger, including shares of restricted stock subject to time-based or performance-based vesting, which we refer to as restricted stock, will, contingent upon the effective time of the merger, vest and at the effective time of the merger be canceled and converted into the right to receive the per share merger consideration.

        Each Digital River restricted stock unit, which we refer to as an RSU, or performance stock unit granted pursuant to Digital River's benefit plans that is subject to performance-based vesting conditions, which awards we refer to as performance share awards, that is outstanding and vested immediately prior to the effective time of the merger (after taking into account any acceleration of vesting or lapse restrictions thereto provided for in Digital River's benefit plans or in any award agreement by reason of the transactions contemplated by the merger agreement) will automatically be canceled and cease to exist, and the holder of such performance share award will be entitled to receive an amount in cash equal (subject to any applicable withholding or other taxes required by applicable law to be withheld) to the product of (i) the total number of vested shares of Digital River common stock subject to such performance share award and (ii) the per share merger consideration. Each performance share award that is not so vested immediately prior to the effective time of the merger will be canceled without consideration.

        Any vesting or settlement conditions or restrictions applicable to each RSU and performance stock unit granted pursuant to Digital River's benefit plans that is not subject to performance-based vesting conditions, other than stock options and restricted stock, which awards we refer to as other company awards, that is outstanding immediately prior to the effective time of the merger, will lapse and the holder will receive an amount in cash equal (subject to any applicable withholding or other taxes required by applicable law to be withheld) to the product of (i) the total number of shares of Digital River common stock subject to such other company award and (ii) the per share merger consideration.

        Under Digital River's Amended and Restated 2011 Employee Stock Purchase Plan, which we refer to as the stock purchase plan, no new offering period will commence following completion of the offering period in progress as of the date of the merger agreement; we refer to the date of such completion as the final purchase date. Shares of Digital River common stock will be issued to participants under the stock purchase plan on the final purchase date, such that each then outstanding option under the stock purchase plan will be exercised automatically on such final purchase date. Digital River will terminate the stock purchase plan as of or prior to the effective time of the merger.

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Payments to Executives Upon Termination Following Change-in-Control

Executive Change in Control and Retention Agreements

        Each of Digital River's named executive officers except for Mr. Dobson is party to a Change of Control and Severance Agreement, which we refer to collectively as the change in control agreements. Mr. Dobson is party to an Executive Employment Agreement and an Employee Retention and Motivation Agreement with Digital River, which we refer to collectively as the employee retention agreement. The change in control agreements and the employee retention agreement provide enhanced benefits generally in the event a named executive officer party thereto experiences a qualifying termination of employment without cause or resigns for good reason, which we refer to as a qualifying termination, on or following the completion of a transaction such as the merger.

        No named executive officer's severance payments pursuant to a change in control agreement or the employee retention agreement, as applicable, shall exceed the greater of (i) the largest portion of the payment that would result in no portion of the payment being subject to an excise tax under Sections 280G and 4999 of the Code, which we refer to as the excise tax, and (ii) the total payment, whichever amount, after taking into account all applicable federal, state and local employment taxes, income taxes, and any excise tax (all computed at the highest applicable marginal rate) that results in such named executive officer's receipt, on an after-tax basis, of the greater amount of the payment notwithstanding that all or some portion of the payment may be subject to the excise tax. In addition, each named executive officer must refrain from competing with Digital River for one year following a qualifying termination, except for Mr. Dobson, whose non-competition period would last for 18 months following a qualifying termination.

        Mr. Dobson's employee retention agreement provides that if he experiences a qualifying termination following completion of the merger and prior to the first anniversary thereof, subject to his execution and non-revocation of a release of claims in favor of Digital River, (i) he will be paid the sum of his annual base salary and target bonus based upon 100% attainment of performance levels applicable to him from the period of time immediately prior to the change in control through the effective date of his termination, and (ii) for a period of 12 months after such termination, Digital River will be obligated to provide him with benefits that are substantially equivalent to his benefits (e.g., medical, dental and vision insurance) that were in effect immediately prior to the change in control. Such severance payments will be paid in one lump sum cash amount (less any required withholding taxes) on the date that is at least 6 months after Mr. Dobson's termination or, if allowed under Section 409A of the Code, within 30 days of the effective date of Mr. Dobson's termination.

        Mr. Schulz's change in control agreement provides that if he experiences a qualifying termination following completion of the merger, subject to his execution of a release of claims in favor of Digital River, (i) he will be paid a cash amount equal to the sum of his base salary in effect at the time of the change in control plus the average of the annual bonus amount paid to him for the prior 3 years, and (ii) for a period of 12 months after such termination, Digital River will be obligated to provide him with benefits that are substantially equivalent to his benefits (e.g., medical, dental and vision insurance) that were in effect immediately prior to the change in control. Such severance payments will be paid in one lump sum amount on the date that is 6 months after Mr. Schulz's termination or, if allowed under Section 409A of the Code, in 12 equal monthly installments during the 12 months following such termination.

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        Messrs. Cahall's and Peterson's change in control agreements each provide that if the respective executive experiences a qualifying termination following completion of the merger, subject to his execution of a release of claims in favor of Digital River, (i) he will be paid a cash amount equal to the sum of (A) his base salary in effect at the time of the change in control and (B) a pro-rated portion of his target bonus for the year in which the change in control occurs and (ii) for a period of 12 months after such termination, Digital River will be obligated to provide him with benefits that are substantially equivalent to his benefits (e.g., medical, dental and vision insurance) that were in effect immediately prior to the change in control. Such severance payments will be paid in one lump sum amount on the date that is 6 months after such executive's termination or, if allowed under Section 409A of the Code, in 12 equal monthly installments during the 12 months following such termination.

        Mr. Crudden's change in control agreement provides that if he experiences a qualifying termination following completion of the merger, subject to his execution of a release of claims in favor of Digital River, (i) he will be paid a cash amount equal to his base salary in effect at the time of the change in control and (ii) for a period of 12 months after such termination, Digital River will be obligated to provide him with benefits that are substantially equivalent to his benefits (e.g., medical, dental and vision insurance) that were in effect immediately prior to the change in control. Such severance payments will be paid in one lump sum amount on the date that is 6 months after Mr. Crudden's termination or, if allowed under Section 409A of the Code, in 12 equal monthly installments during the 12 months following such termination.


Golden Parachutes

        The following tables show the estimated amounts of payments and benefits that each named executive officer of Digital River would receive in connection with the merger, assuming consummation of the merger occurred on April 23, 2015, the termination date of the merger agreement, and the employment of the named executive officer was terminated without cause or resigned for good reason on such date.

        The first table below, entitled "Potential Change-in-Control Payments to Named Executive Officers," along with its footnotes, sets forth the information required by Item 402(t) of Regulation S-K regarding the compensation payable to Digital River's chief executive officer, chief financial officer and the three other most highly compensated executive officers, as determined for purposes of its most recent annual proxy statement, each of which we refer to as a named executive officer, which compensation is subject to an advisory vote of Digital River's stockholders, as described below in "Proposal 3: Advisory Vote on Merger-Related Executive Compensation Arrangements" beginning on page [    •    ].

        The calculations in the tables below do not include amounts the named executive officers were already entitled to receive or vested as of April 23, 2015, or amounts under contracts, agreements, plans or arrangements to the extent they do not discriminate in scope, terms or operation in favor of executive officers and that are available generally to all of the salaried employees of Digital River. In addition to the assumptions regarding the consummation date of the merger and termination of the employment of the named executive officers, these estimates are based on certain other assumptions that are described in the footnotes accompanying the tables below. Accordingly, the ultimate values to be received by a named executive officer in connection with the merger may differ from the amounts set forth below.

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Potential Change-in-Control Payments to Named Executive Officers

Named Executive Officers
  Cash
($)(1)
  Acceleration of
Existing Equity
($)(2)
  Total
($)(3)
 

David C. Dobson

  $ 1,220,557   $ 9,177,532   $ 10,398,089  

Stefan B. Schulz

  $ 567,448   $ 2,426,242   $ 2,993,690  

Theodore R. Cahall, Jr. 

  $ 805,484   $ 3,043,508   $ 3,848,992  

Thomas E. Peterson

  $ 713,420   $ 975,000   $ 1,688,420  

Kevin L. Crudden

  $ 310,025   $ 1,598,272   $ 1,908,297  

(1)
As described above in "The Merger—Interests of the Directors and Executive Officers of Digital River in the Merger—Payments to Executives Upon Termination Following Change-in-Control—Executive Change in Control and Retention Agreements," the cash payments to the named executive officers consist of the sum of (i) amounts equal to their base salaries, (ii) bonuses equal to annual bonuses (in the case of Mr. Dobson), average of attained bonuses for the prior three years (in the case of Mr. Schulz, as discussed further following the table immediately below), pro-rated bonuses (in the case of Mr. Cahall and Mr. Peterson) or no bonus (in the case of Mr. Crudden), and (iii) an estimate of reimbursement for continued welfare benefits for a period of twelve months following a termination event. Any amounts shown above that are subject to the golden parachute excise tax under Section 4999 of the Code may be subject to reduction to the extent such reduction would result in the named executive officer retaining a greater after-tax amount of such payment.

Named Executive Officers
  Multiple of Base
Salary and Annual
Incentive Award ($)
  Prorated or
Average
Target Annual
Incentive
Award ($)
  Cost of Certain
Benefits ($)
  Total ($)  

David C. Dobson

  $ 600,000   $ 600,000   $ 20,557   $ 1,220,557  

Stefan B. Schulz

  $ 330,000   $ 220,885   $ 16,563   $ 567,448  

Theodore R. Cahall, Jr. 

  $ 400,000   $ 400,000   $ 5,484   $ 805,484  

Thomas E. Peterson

  $ 350,000   $ 350,000   $ 13,420   $ 713,420  

Kevin L. Crudden

  $ 290,000   $   $ 20,025   $ 310,025  
(2)
As described above in "The Merger—Interests of the Directors and Executive Officers of Digital River in the Merger—Treatment of Equity and Equity-Based Awards," the equity amounts consist of the accelerated vesting and cash-out of unvested in-the-money stock options and restricted stock, as well as the lapsing of any vesting or settlement conditions or restrictions on any RSUs and performance stock units (assuming the achievement of

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Equity and Equity-Based Awards

Named Executive Officers
  Restricted
Stock ($)
  Unvested
Options ($)
  Unvested
RSUs ($)
  Unvested
PSUs ($)
  Total ($)  

David C. Dobson

  $ 4,708,392   $   $   $ 4,469,140   $ 9,177,532  

Stefan B. Schulz

  $ 1,127,464   $   $   $ 1,298,778   $ 2,426,242  

Theodore R. Cahall, Jr. 

  $ 2,222,896   $   $   $ 820,612   $ 3,043,508  

Thomas E. Peterson

  $ 975,000   $   $   $   $ 975,000  

Kevin L. Crudden

  $ 630,292   $   $   $ 967,980   $ 1,598,272  
(3)
The amounts in this column represent the total of all compensation in columns (1) and (2). For Mr. Dobson, the above payments are a mix of "single-trigger" in nature as they will become payable immediately upon the completion of the merger and "double-trigger" in nature as they will only be payable in the event of a termination of employment without cause or for good reason following the completion of the merger, or in the event of a termination without cause in anticipation of the completion of the merger, as described above. For all named executive officers other than Mr. Dobson, the payments are double-trigger in nature. The "single-trigger" and "double-trigger" components of the aggregate total compensation amounts, respectively, for each named executive officer are as follows:

Named Executive Officers
  Single-Trigger
Payments ($)
  Double-Trigger
Payments ($)
 

David C. Dobson

  $ 9,177,532   $ 1,220,557  

Stefan B. Schulz

  $ 2,426,242   $ 567,448  

Theodore R. Cahall, Jr. 

  $ 3,043,508   $ 805,484  

Thomas E. Peterson

  $ 975,000   $ 713,420  

Kevin L. Crudden

  $ 1,598,272   $ 310,025  


Financing of the Merger

        We anticipate that the total funds needed to consummate the merger and the other transactions contemplated by the merger agreement, will be approximately $1,010 million, which includes approximately $843 million to pay our stockholders the amounts due to them under the merger agreement and make payments in respect of Digital River's outstanding equity and equity-based awards pursuant to the merger agreement, and $167 million to pay all fees and expenses (including any

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amounts payable with respect to Digital River's indebtedness, as described below) payable by Parent and Acquisition Sub under the merger agreement and in connection with the debt financing. These payments are expected to be funded through a combination of equity financing under the equity commitment letters of up to approximately $328.9 million to be provided by the equity investors; debt financing under the debt commitment letter of up to $345 million to be provided by the debt financing parties; and Digital River's cash and cash equivalents on hand. Following the closing, Parent and Acquisition Sub also expect to use the proceeds of the financing to refinance or otherwise discharge certain of our outstanding indebtedness, including indebtedness that will come due or otherwise be repaid or repurchased as a result of the merger (and with respect to certain convertible notes, as described further in "Proposal 1: Adoption of the Merger Agreement—Other Covenants—Treatment of Convertible Notes" beginning on page [    •    ]). We cannot assure you that the amounts committed under the financing commitments, together with Digital River's cash and cash equivalents on hand, will be sufficient to consummate the merger. Those amounts might be insufficient if, among other things, one or more of the parties to the financing commitments fails to fund the committed amounts in breach of such financing commitments or if the conditions to such commitments are not met. Although obtaining the proceeds of any financing, including the financing under the financing commitments, is not a condition to the consummation of the merger, the failure of Parent and Acquisition Sub to obtain any portion of the equity financing or debt financing (or any alternative financing) is likely to result in the failure of the merger to be completed. In that case, Parent may be obligated to pay Digital River a fee of $50,370,547, as described under "Proposal 1: Adoption of the Merger Agreement—Termination Fees" beginning on page [    •    ].


Equity Financing

        Parent has entered into the equity commitment letters with the equity investors, each dated October 23, 2014, pursuant to which the equity investors have committed to make contributions to Parent at or prior to the closing in an aggregate amount of up to $328.9 million. Each equity investor may assign all or a portion of its equity commitment to its affiliates. However, the assignment by any equity investor of any equity financing commitment to other persons will not affect such equity investor's commitment to make capital contributions to Parent pursuant to its equity financing.

        The obligation to fund the commitment of each equity investor under each equity commitment letter is subject to the following conditions:

        Digital River is an express third-party beneficiary of the equity commitment letters and has the right to seek specific performance of Parent's obligation to cause an equity investor to fund its equity financing commitment upon the satisfaction of the conditions set forth therein and on the terms described in "Proposal 1: Adoption of the Merger Agreement—Specific Performance" beginning on page [    •    ].

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Debt Financing

        Parent has entered into the debt commitment letter, dated October 23, 2014, with the debt financing parties pursuant to which the debt financing parties have variously committed to provide an aggregate of up to $345 million in debt financing to Parent consisting of (i) a senior secured first lien term loan facility in an aggregate principal amount of $255 million; (ii) a senior secured first lien revolving credit facility in an aggregate principal amount of $10 million; and (iii) a senior secured second lien term loan facility of $80 million.

        The commitment of the debt financing parties under the debt commitment letter expires upon the earliest of (i) after execution of the merger agreement and prior to the consummation of the merger, the termination in writing of the merger agreement by Parent in accordance with its terms, (ii) the public announcement by Parent that it does not intend to proceed with the merger, (iii) the funding of the merger without the use of the debt financing and (iv) 11:59 p.m., New York City time, on April 23, 2015. The documentation governing the debt financing has not been finalized and, accordingly, the actual terms of the debt financing may differ from those described in this document.

        Each of Parent and Acquisition Sub has agreed to use reasonable best efforts to obtain the debt financing on the terms and conditions described in the debt commitment letter. If any portion of the financing becomes unavailable on the terms and conditions contemplated in the financing commitments or Parent or Acquisition Sub become aware of any fact, event or circumstance that makes or will make any portion of the financing unavailable on the terms and conditions contemplated in the financing commitments and such portion is reasonably required to consummate the merger and the other transactions contemplated by the merger agreement, (i) Parent must promptly so notify Digital River, and (ii) Parent and Acquisition Sub must use their respective reasonable best efforts to obtain, and enter into definitive agreements with respect to, alternative financing. See "Proposal 1: Adoption of the Merger Agreement—Financing Efforts" beginning on page [    •    ].

        The availability of the debt financing is subject, among other things, to the following conditions:

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        As of the date of this proxy statement, no alternative financing arrangements or alternative financing plans have been made in the event that the debt financing is not available. Although the debt financing is not subject to a due diligence or "market out," such financing may not be considered assured.


Limited Guarantee

        Pursuant to a limited guarantee delivered by the guarantor in favor of Digital River, dated as of October 23, 2014, which we refer to as the limited guarantee, the guarantor agreed to guarantee the due, punctual and complete payment of:

        We refer to the amounts in the previous two bullets as the guaranteed obligations.

        The guarantor's obligations under the limited guarantee are subject to an aggregate cap equal to the amount of (i) the reverse termination fee plus (ii) certain expense reimbursement and indemnification obligations specified in the merger agreement plus (iii) the reasonable and documented out-of-pocket costs and expenses (including reasonable fees and expenses of counsel) incurred by Digital River in connection with its enforcement of such guarantee, less the portion of the above amounts, if any, paid to Digital River by Parent, Acquisition Sub or any other person that is not returned or rescinded.

        Subject to specified exceptions, the limited guarantee will terminate upon the earliest of:

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Closing and Effective Time of the Merger

        Unless another date is agreed by the parties, the closing will take place no later than the second business day following the satisfaction or waiver in accordance with the merger agreement of all of the conditions to closing (as described under "Proposal 1: Adoption of the Merger Agreement—Conditions to the Closing of the Merger" beginning on page [    •    ]), other than conditions that by their terms are to be satisfied at the closing, but subject to the satisfaction or waiver of such conditions. Concurrently with the closing, the parties will file a certificate of merger with the Secretary of State for the State of Delaware as provided under the DGCL. The merger will become effective upon the filing of the certificate of merger, or at such later time as is agreed by the parties and specified in the certificate of merger.


Appraisal Rights

        If the merger agreement is adopted by Digital River stockholders, stockholders who do not vote in favor of the proposal to adopt the merger agreement and who properly exercise and perfect their demand for appraisal of their shares will be entitled to appraisal rights in connection with the merger under Section 262 of the DGCL, which we refer to as Section 262.

        The following discussion is not a complete statement of the law pertaining to appraisal rights under the DGCL and is qualified in its entirety by the full text of Section 262, which is attached to this proxy statement as Annex C. The following summary does not constitute any legal or other advice nor does it constitute a recommendation that stockholders exercise their appraisal rights under Section 262. Only a holder of record of shares of Digital River common stock is entitled to demand appraisal rights for the shares registered in that holder's name. A person having a beneficial interest in shares of common stock of Digital River held of record in the name of another person, such as a bank, broker, fiduciary, depositary or other nominee, must act promptly to cause the record holder to follow the steps summarized below properly and in a timely manner to perfect appraisal rights. If you hold your shares of Digital River common stock through a broker, bank or other nominee and you wish to exercise appraisal rights, you should consult with your broker, bank or the other nominee.

        Under Section 262, holders of shares of common stock of Digital River who do not vote in favor of the proposal to adopt the merger agreement, who continuously are the record holders of such shares through the effective time of the merger, and who otherwise follow the procedures set forth in Section 262 will be entitled to have their shares appraised by the Delaware Court of Chancery and to receive payment in cash of the "fair value" of the shares of Digital River common stock, exclusive of any element of value arising from the accomplishment or expectation of the merger, together with interest to be paid upon the amount determined to be fair value, if any, as determined by the court.

        Under Section 262, where a merger agreement is to be submitted for adoption at a meeting of stockholders, the corporation, not less than 20 days prior to the meeting, must notify each of its stockholders entitled to appraisal rights that appraisal rights are available and include in the notice a copy of Section 262. This proxy statement constitutes Digital River's notice to its stockholders that appraisal rights are available in connection with the merger, and the full text of Section 262 is attached to this proxy statement as Annex C. In connection with the merger, any holder of common stock of Digital River who wishes to exercise appraisal rights, or who wishes to preserve such holder's right to do so, should review Annex C carefully. Failure to strictly comply with the requirements of Section 262 in a timely and proper manner will result in the loss of appraisal rights under the DGCL. A stockholder who loses his, her or its appraisal rights will be entitled to receive the per share merger consideration described in the merger agreement. Moreover, because of the complexity of the procedures for exercising the right to seek appraisal of shares of common stock, Digital River believes that if a stockholder considers exercising such rights, such stockholder should seek the advice of legal counsel.

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        Stockholders wishing to exercise the right to seek an appraisal of their shares of Digital River common stock must do ALL of the following:


Filing Written Demand

        Any holder of shares of common stock of Digital River wishing to exercise appraisal rights must deliver to Digital River, before the vote on the adoption of the merger agreement at the special meeting at which the proposal to adopt the merger agreement will be submitted to the stockholders, a written demand for the appraisal of the stockholder's shares, and that stockholder must not vote or submit a proxy in favor of the proposal to adopt the merger agreement. A holder of shares of common stock of Digital River wishing to exercise appraisal rights must hold of record the shares on the date the written demand for appraisal is made and must continue to hold the shares of record through the effective time of the merger. A proxy that is submitted and does not contain voting instructions will, unless revoked, be voted in favor of the proposal to adopt the merger agreement, and it will constitute a waiver of the stockholder's right of appraisal and will nullify any previously delivered written demand for appraisal. Therefore, a stockholder who submits a proxy and who wishes to exercise appraisal rights must submit a proxy containing instructions to vote against the proposal to adopt the merger agreement or abstain from voting on the proposal to adopt the merger agreement. Neither voting against the proposal to adopt the merger agreement nor abstaining from voting or failing to vote on the proposal to adopt the merger agreement will, in and of itself, constitute a written demand for appraisal satisfying the requirements of Section 262. The written demand for appraisal must be in addition to and separate from any proxy or vote on the proposal to adopt the merger agreement. A proxy or vote against the proposal to adopt the merger agreement will not constitute a demand. A stockholder's failure to make the written demand prior to the taking of the vote on the proposal to adopt the merger agreement at the special meeting of Digital River's stockholders will constitute a waiver of appraisal rights.

        Only a holder of record of shares of Digital River common stock is entitled to demand appraisal rights for the shares registered in that holder's name. A demand for appraisal in respect of shares of common stock of Digital River should be executed by or on behalf of the holder of record, and must reasonably inform Digital River of the identity of the holder and state that the person intends thereby to demand appraisal of the holder's shares in connection with the merger. If the shares are owned of record in a fiduciary capacity, such as by a trustee, guardian or custodian, such demand must be executed by or on behalf of the record owner, and if the shares are owned of record by more than one person, as in a joint tenancy and tenancy in common, the demand should be executed by or on behalf of all joint owners. An authorized agent, including an authorized agent for two or more joint owners, may execute a demand for appraisal on behalf of a holder of record; however, the agent must identify

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the record owner or owners and expressly disclose that, in executing the demand, the agent is acting as agent for the record owner or owners.

        STOCKHOLDERS WHO HOLD THEIR SHARES IN BROKERAGE OR BANK ACCOUNTS OR OTHER NOMINEE FORMS, AND WHO WISH TO EXERCISE APPRAISAL RIGHTS, SHOULD CONSULT WITH THEIR BROKERS, BANKS AND NOMINEES, AS APPLICABLE, TO DETERMINE THE APPROPRIATE PROCEDURES FOR THE BROKER, BANK OR OTHER NOMINEE HOLDER TO MAKE A DEMAND FOR APPRAISAL OF THOSE SHARES. A PERSON HAVING A BENEFICIAL INTEREST IN SHARES HELD OF RECORD IN THE NAME OF ANOTHER PERSON, SUCH AS A BROKER, BANK OR OTHER NOMINEE, MUST ACT PROMPTLY TO CAUSE THE RECORD HOLDER TO FOLLOW PROPERLY AND IN A TIMELY MANNER THE STEPS NECESSARY TO PERFECT APPRAISAL RIGHTS.

        All written demands for appraisal pursuant to Section 262 should be mailed or delivered to:

Digital River, Inc.
10380 Bren Road West,
Minnetonka, MN 55343
Attention: Corporate Secretary

        Any holder of common stock of Digital River may withdraw his, her or its demand for appraisal and accept the consideration offered pursuant to the merger agreement by delivering to Digital River a written withdrawal of the demand for appraisal. However, any such attempt to withdraw the demand made more than 60 days after the effective time of the merger will require written approval of the surviving corporation. No appraisal proceeding in the Delaware Court of Chancery will be dismissed without the approval of the Delaware Court of Chancery, and such approval may be conditioned upon such terms as the Delaware Court of Chancery deems just.


Notice by the Surviving Corporation

        If the merger is completed, within ten days after the effective time of the merger, the surviving corporation will notify each holder of common stock of Digital River who has made a written demand for appraisal pursuant to Section 262, and who has not voted in favor of the proposal to adopt the merger agreement, that the merger has become effective and the effective date thereof.


Filing a Petition for Appraisal

        Within 120 days after the effective time of the merger, but not thereafter, the surviving corporation or any holder of common stock of Digital River who has complied with Section 262 and is entitled to appraisal rights under Section 262 may commence an appraisal proceeding by filing a petition in the Delaware Court of Chancery, with a copy served on the surviving corporation in the case of a petition filed by a stockholder, demanding a determination of the fair value of the shares held by all stockholders entitled to appraisal. The surviving corporation is under no obligation to and has no present intention to file a petition, and holders should not assume that the surviving corporation will file a petition or initiate any negotiations with respect to the fair value of shares of common stock of Digital River. Accordingly, any holders of common stock of Digital River who desire to have their shares appraised should initiate all necessary action to perfect their appraisal rights in respect of shares of common stock of Digital River within the time and in the manner prescribed in Section 262. The failure of a holder of common stock of Digital River to file such a petition within the period specified in Section 262 could nullify the stockholder's previous written demand for appraisal.

        Within 120 days after the effective time of the merger, any holder of common stock of Digital River who has complied with the requirements for exercise of appraisal rights will be entitled, upon written request, to receive from the surviving corporation a statement setting forth the aggregate

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number of shares not voted in favor of the proposal to adopt the merger agreement and with respect to which Digital River has received demands for appraisal, and the aggregate number of holders of such shares. The surviving corporation must mail this statement to the requesting stockholder within 10 days after receipt of the written request for such a statement or within 10 days after the expiration of the period for delivery of demands for appraisal, whichever is later. A beneficial owner of shares held either in a voting trust or by a nominee on behalf of such person may, in such person's own name, file a petition seeking appraisal or request from the surviving corporation the foregoing statements. As noted above, however, the demand for appraisal can only be made by a stockholder of record.

        If a petition for an appraisal is duly filed by a holder of shares of common stock of Digital River and a copy thereof is served upon the surviving corporation, the surviving corporation will then be obligated within 20 days to file with the Delaware Register in Chancery a duly verified list containing the names and addresses of all stockholders who have demanded payment for their shares and with whom agreements as to the value of their shares have not been reached. After notice to the stockholders as required by the court, the Delaware Court of Chancery is empowered to conduct a hearing on the petition to determine those stockholders who have complied with Section 262 and who have become entitled to appraisal rights thereunder. The Delaware Court of Chancery may require the stockholders who demanded payment for their shares to submit their stock certificates to the Delaware Register in Chancery for notation thereon of the pendency of the appraisal proceedings, and if any stockholder fails to comply with the direction, the Delaware Court of Chancery may dismiss such stockholder from the proceedings.


Determination of Fair Value

        After determining the holders of common stock of Digital River entitled to appraisal, the Delaware Court of Chancery will appraise the "fair value" of the shares of common stock of Digital River, exclusive of any element of value arising from the accomplishment or expectation of the merger, together with interest, if any, to be paid upon the amount determined to be the fair value. In determining fair value, the Delaware Court of Chancery will take into account all relevant factors. Unless the court in its discretion determines otherwise for good cause shown, interest from the effective date of the merger through the date of payment of the judgment will be compounded quarterly and will accrue at 5% over the Federal Reserve discount rate (including any surcharge) as established from time to time during the period between the effective date of the merger and the date of payment of the judgment. In Weinberger v. UOP, Inc., the Supreme Court of Delaware discussed the factors that could be considered in determining fair value in an appraisal proceeding, stating that "proof of value by any techniques or methods which are generally considered acceptable in the financial community and otherwise admissible in court" should be considered, and that "[f]air price obviously requires consideration of all relevant factors involving the value of a company." The Delaware Supreme Court stated that, in making this determination of fair value, the court must consider market value, asset value, dividends, earnings prospects, the nature of the enterprise and any other facts that could be ascertained as of the date of the merger that throw any light on future prospects of the merged corporation. Section 262 provides that fair value is to be "exclusive of any element of value arising from the accomplishment or expectation of the merger." In Cede & Co. v. Technicolor, Inc., the Delaware Supreme Court stated that such exclusion is a "narrow exclusion [that] does not encompass known elements of value," but which rather applies only to the speculative elements of value arising from such accomplishment or expectation. In Weinberger, the Supreme Court of Delaware also stated that "elements of future value, including the nature of the enterprise, which are known or susceptible of proof as of the date of the merger and not the product of speculation, may be considered."

        Stockholders considering seeking appraisal should be aware that the fair value of their shares as so determined by the Delaware Court of Chancery could be more than, the same as or less than the

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consideration they would receive pursuant to the merger if they did not seek appraisal of their shares and that an opinion of an investment banking firm as to the fairness from a financial point of view of the consideration payable in a merger is not an opinion as to, and does not in any manner address, fair value under Section 262 of the DGCL. Although Digital River believes that the per share merger consideration is fair, no representation is made as to the outcome of the appraisal of fair value as determined by the Delaware Court of Chancery, and stockholders should recognize that such an appraisal could result in a determination of a value higher or lower than, or the same as, the per share merger consideration. Neither Digital River nor Parent anticipates offering more than the per share merger consideration to any stockholder of Digital River exercising appraisal rights, and each of Digital River and Parent reserves the right to assert, in any appraisal proceeding, that for purposes of Section 262, the "fair value" of a share of common stock of Digital River is less than the per share merger consideration. If a petition for appraisal is not timely filed, then the right to an appraisal will cease. The costs of the appraisal proceedings (which do not include attorneys' fees or the fees and expenses of experts) may be determined by the Delaware Court of Chancery and taxed upon the parties as the Delaware Court of Chancery deems equitable under the circumstances. Upon application of a stockholder, the Delaware Court of Chancery may also order that all or a portion of the expenses incurred by a stockholder in connection with an appraisal, including, without limitation, reasonable attorneys' fees and the fees and expenses of experts, be charged pro rata against the value of all the shares entitled to be appraised.

        If any stockholder who demands appraisal of shares of common stock of Digital River under Section 262 fails to perfect, or loses or successfully withdraws, such holder's right to appraisal, the stockholder's shares of common stock of Digital River will be deemed to have been converted at the effective time of the merger into the right to receive the per share merger consideration applicable to the shares, less applicable withholding taxes. A stockholder will fail to perfect, or effectively lose or withdraw, the holder's right to appraisal if no petition for appraisal is filed within 120 days after the effective time of the merger or if the stockholder delivers to the surviving corporation a written withdrawal of the holder's demand for appraisal and an acceptance of the per share merger consideration in accordance with Section 262.

        From and after the effective time of the merger, no stockholder who has demanded appraisal rights will be entitled to vote the common stock of Digital River for any purpose, or to receive payment of dividends or other distributions on the stock, except dividends or other distributions on the holder's shares of common stock of Digital River, if any, payable to stockholders of Digital River of record as of a time prior to the effective time of the merger; provided, however, that if no petition for an appraisal is filed, or if the stockholder delivers to the surviving corporation a written withdrawal of the demand for an appraisal and an acceptance of the merger, either within 60 days after the effective time of the merger or thereafter with the written approval of the corporation, then the right of such stockholder to an appraisal will cease. Once a petition for appraisal is filed with the Delaware Court of Chancery, however, the appraisal proceeding may not be dismissed as to any stockholder of Digital River without the approval of the court.

        Failure to comply strictly with all of the procedures set forth in Section 262 may result in the loss of a stockholder's statutory appraisal rights. Consequently, any stockholder of Digital River wishing to exercise appraisal rights is encouraged to consult legal counsel before attempting to exercise those rights.


Accounting Treatment

        The merger will be accounted for as a "purchase transaction" for financial accounting purposes.

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U.S. Federal Income Tax Consequences of the Merger

        The following discussion is a summary of the U.S. federal income tax consequences of the merger that are relevant to holders of shares of Digital River common stock whose shares are converted into the right to receive cash pursuant to the merger. This discussion is based upon the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended, which we refer to as the Code, Treasury Regulations promulgated under the Code, court decisions, published positions of the Internal Revenue Service, which we refer to as the IRS, and other applicable authorities, all as in effect on the date of this proxy statement and all of which are subject to change or differing interpretations, possibly with retroactive effect. This discussion is limited to holders who hold their shares of Digital River common stock as "capital assets" within the meaning of Section 1221 of the Code (generally, property held for investment purposes). This summary does not describe any of the tax consequences arising under the laws of any state, local or foreign tax jurisdiction and does not consider any aspects of U.S. federal tax law other than income taxation (e.g., state, gift or alternative minimum tax or the Medicare net investment income surtax). In addition, this summary does not address the U.S. federal income tax consequences to holders of shares who exercise appraisal rights under Delaware law. For purposes of this discussion, a "holder" means either a U.S. Holder or a Non-U.S. Holder (each as defined below) or both, as the context may require.

        This discussion is for general information only and does not address all of the tax consequences that may be relevant to holders in light of their particular circumstances, including:

        If a partnership (including an entity or arrangement treated as a partnership for U.S. federal income tax purposes) is a beneficial owner of shares of Digital River common stock, the tax treatment of a partner in such partnership will generally depend upon the status of the partner and the activities of the partnership. Partnerships holding the shares of Digital River common stock and partners therein should consult their tax advisors regarding the consequences of the merger.

        We have not sought, and do not intend to seek, any ruling from the IRS with respect to the statements made and the conclusions reached in the following summary. No assurance can be given that the IRS will agree with the views expressed in this summary, or that a court will not sustain any challenge by the IRS in the event of litigation.

        THIS DISCUSSION IS PROVIDED FOR GENERAL INFORMATION ONLY AND DOES NOT CONSTITUTE LEGAL ADVICE TO ANY HOLDER. A HOLDER SHOULD CONSULT ITS OWN TAX ADVISORS CONCERNING THE U.S. FEDERAL INCOME TAX CONSEQUENCES RELATING TO THE MERGER IN LIGHT OF ITS PARTICULAR CIRCUMSTANCES AND ANY CONSEQUENCES ARISING UNDER THE LAWS OF ANY STATE, LOCAL OR FOREIGN TAXING JURISDICTION.

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U.S. Holders

        For purposes of this discussion, a "U.S. Holder" is a beneficial owner of shares of Digital River common stock who or that is for U.S. federal income tax purposes:

        The receipt of cash by a U.S. Holder in exchange for shares of Digital River common stock pursuant to the merger will be a taxable transaction for U.S. federal income tax purposes. In general, such U.S. Holder's gain or loss will be equal to the difference, if any, between the amount of cash received and the U.S. Holder's adjusted tax basis in the shares surrendered pursuant to the merger. A U.S. Holder's adjusted tax basis generally will equal the amount that such U.S. Holder paid for the shares. Such gain or loss generally will be capital gain or loss and will be long-term capital gain or loss if such U.S. Holder's holding period in such shares is more than one year at the time of the completion of the merger. A reduced tax rate on capital gain generally will apply to long-term capital gain of a non-corporate U.S. Holder. There are limitations on the deductibility of capital losses.


Non-U.S. Holders

        For purposes of this discussion, the term "Non-U.S. Holder" means a beneficial owner of shares of Digital River common stock who or that is not a U.S. Holder for U.S. federal income tax purposes.

        Special rules not discussed below may apply to certain Non-U.S. Holders subject to special tax treatment such as "controlled foreign corporations" or "passive foreign investment companies." Non-U.S. Holders should consult their own tax advisors to determine the U.S. federal, state, local and other tax consequences that may be relevant to them in light of their particular circumstances.

        Any gain realized by a Non-U.S. Holder pursuant to the merger generally will not be subject to U.S. federal income tax unless:

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Regulatory Approvals Required for the Merger

General

        Digital River and Parent have agreed to use their reasonable best efforts to comply with all regulatory notification requirements and obtain all regulatory approvals required to consummate the merger and the other transactions contemplated by the merger agreement. These approvals include approval under, or notifications pursuant to, the HSR Act and the competition law of Russia. Although we expect that all required regulatory clearances and approvals will be obtained, we cannot assure you that these regulatory clearances and approvals will be timely obtained, obtained at all or that the granting of these regulatory clearances and approvals will not involve the imposition of additional conditions on the completion of the merger, including the requirement to divest assets, or require changes to the terms of the merger agreement.


HSR Act and U.S. Antitrust Matters

        Under the HSR Act and the rules promulgated thereunder by the FTC, the merger cannot be completed until Digital River and Parent each file a notification and report form with the FTC and the Antitrust Division of the DOJ under the HSR Act and the applicable waiting period has expired or been terminated. A transaction notifiable under the HSR Act may not be completed until the expiration of a 30 calendar day waiting period following the parties' filing of their respective HSR Act notification forms or the early termination of that waiting period. Digital River and Parent and its affiliates filed their respective HSR Act notifications on November 6, 2014.

        At any time before or after consummation of the merger, notwithstanding the termination of the waiting period under the HSR Act, the Antitrust Division of the DOJ or the FTC could take such action under the antitrust laws as it deems necessary or desirable in the public interest, including seeking to enjoin the completion of the merger, seeking divestiture of substantial assets of the parties or requiring the parties to license, or hold separate, assets or terminate existing relationships and contractual rights. At any time before or after the completion of the merger, and notwithstanding the termination of the waiting period under the HSR Act, any state could take such action under the antitrust laws as it deems necessary or desirable in the public interest. Such action could include seeking to enjoin the completion of the merger or seeking divestiture of substantial assets of the parties. Private parties may also seek to take legal action under the antitrust laws under certain circumstances.


Russian Competition Law

        Consummation of the merger is conditioned on approval under the competition law of Russia, or the Law on Protection of Competition, which we refer to as the LPC, the merger may only be completed if it is approved by the Federal Antimonopoly Service, which we refer to as the FAS. Under Russian law, the FAS is required to act upon a complete application for approval of the merger prior to or on the expiration of a 30 calendar day waiting period that began on the date of submission of such application, though the FAS may at such time extend the review period up to 60 additional

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calendar days. Parent filed its application for approval of the merger with the FAS on November 20, 2014.


Legal Proceedings Regarding the Merger

        On November 18, 2014, a purported stockholder of Digital River filed a complaint styled as a class action lawsuit in the Delaware Court of Chancery. The case caption of this complaint, which we refer to as the Parsons Complaint, is: Amy Parsons, Individually and on behalf of all others similarly situated, v. Digital River, Inc., David C. Dobson, Thomas F. Madison, Alfred Castino, Ed Eger, Jeffrey Katz, Timothy J. Pawlenty, Cheryl F. Rosner, Douglas M. Steenland, Perry W. Steiner, Danube Private Acquisition Corp., Danube Private Holdings II, LLC, and Siris Capital Group, LLC, Civil Action No. 10370-CB. The Parsons Complaint asserts that the members of the Board breached their fiduciary duties in agreeing to the merger, and that Digital River, Parent, Acquisition Sub and Siris aided and abetted in the alleged breaches of fiduciary duties. The Parsons Complaint seeks to enjoin the merger and an award of money damages. Although it is not possible to predict the outcome of litigation matters with certainty, Digital River and our directors believe that the claims raised by the purported stockholder is without merit, and we intend to defend our position in the matter vigorously.

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PROPOSAL 1: ADOPTION OF THE MERGER AGREEMENT

        The following summary describes certain material provisions of the merger agreement. This summary is not complete and is qualified in its entirety by reference to the merger agreement, which is attached to this proxy statement as Annex A and incorporated into this proxy statement by reference. We encourage you to read the merger agreement carefully in its entirety because this summary may not contain all the information about the merger agreement that is important to you. The rights and obligations of the parties are governed by the express terms of the merger agreement and not by this summary or any other information contained in this proxy statement.

        The representations, warranties, covenants and agreements described below and included in the merger agreement were made only for purposes of the merger agreement and as of specific dates, were solely for the benefit of the parties to the merger agreement except as expressly stated therein and may be subject to important qualifications, limitations and supplemental information agreed to by Digital River, Parent and Acquisition Sub in connection with negotiating the terms of the merger agreement. In addition, the representations and warranties were included in the merger agreement for the purpose of allocating contractual risk between Digital River, Parent and Acquisition Sub rather than to establish matters as facts, and may be subject to standards of materiality applicable to such parties that differ from those applicable to investors. Investors and security holders are not third-party beneficiaries under the merger agreement and should not rely on the representations, warranties, covenants and agreements or any descriptions thereof as characterizations of the actual state of facts or condition of Digital River, Parent or Acquisition Sub or any of their respective affiliates or businesses. Moreover, information concerning the subject matter of the representations and warranties may change after the date of the merger agreement. The merger agreement is described below, and attached as Annex A hereto, only to provide you with information regarding its terms and conditions, and not to provide any other factual information regarding Digital River or our business. Accordingly, the representations, warranties, covenants and other agreements in the merger agreement should not be read alone, and you should read the information provided elsewhere in this document and in our filings with the SEC regarding Digital River and our business. Please see "Where You Can Find More Information" beginning on page [    •    ].


Effects of the Merger; Directors and Officers; Certificate of Incorporation; By-laws

        The merger agreement provides that, subject to the terms and conditions of the merger agreement, and in accordance with the DGCL, at the effective time of the merger, Acquisition Sub will be merged with and into Digital River, with Digital River becoming a direct wholly owned subsidiary of Parent. From and after the effective time of the merger, the surviving corporation will possess all rights, privileges, powers and franchises of Digital River and Acquisition Sub, and all of the obligations, liabilities and duties of Digital River and Acquisition Sub will become the obligations, liabilities and duties of the surviving corporation.

        Effective as of, and immediately following, the effective time of the merger, the board of directors of the surviving corporation will consist of the directors of Acquisition Sub, each to hold office in accordance with the certificate of incorporation and by-laws of the surviving corporation until the earlier of their death, resignation or removal or until their successors are duly elected, designated or qualified, as the case may be. From and after the effective time of the merger, the officers of Digital River at the effective time will be the officers of the surviving corporation, until the earlier of their death, resignation or removal or until their successors have been duly elected or appointed and qualified, as the case maybe. At the effective time of the merger, the certificate of incorporation of Digital River as the surviving corporation will be amended to be identical to the certificate set forth in Exhibit B to the merger agreement until amended in accordance with applicable law and the applicable provisions of such certification (subject to Parent's and the surviving corporation's obligations described in "The Merger—Interests of the Directors and Executive Officers of Digital River in the Merger—Insurance and Indemnification of Directors and Executive Officers" beginning on page [    •    ]), and

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the bylaws of the surviving corporation, without any further action on the part of Digital River and Acquisition Sub, will be the bylaws of Acquisition Sub (except references to Acquisition Sub's name will be replaced by references to "Digital River, Inc.").


Closing and Effective Time of the Merger

        Unless another date is agreed by the parties, the closing will take place no later than the second business day following the satisfaction or, to the extent permitted by law, waiver of all conditions to closing (described below under "—Conditions to the Closing of the Merger") (other than those conditions to be satisfied at the closing). Concurrently with the closing, the parties will file a certificate of merger with the Secretary of State for the State of Delaware as provided under the DGCL. The merger will become effective upon the filing of the certificate of merger, or at such later time as is agreed by Parent and Digital River and specified in the certificate of merger.


Merger Consideration

Common Stock

        At the effective time of the merger, each share of Digital River common stock issued and outstanding immediately prior to such time, other than (i) shares owned by Digital River as treasury stock, (ii) shares owned, directly or indirectly, by Parent or Acquisition Sub, (iii) shares owned by wholly owned subsidiaries of Digital River and (iv) shares owned by stockholders who are entitled to and who have exercised and perfected and not withdrawn a demand for appraisal rights pursuant to Section 262 of the DGCL, will be converted into the right to receive $26.00 per share in cash, without interest and less any applicable withholding taxes. All shares converted into the right to receive the per share merger consideration will automatically be canceled at the effective time of the merger.


Outstanding Equity Awards and Other Awards

        The merger agreement provides that Digital River's equity and equity-based awards that are outstanding immediately prior to the effective time of the merger will be subject to the following treatment at the effective time of the merger:

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Exchange and Payment Procedures

        Prior to the closing, Parent will enter into a customary paying agent agreement with a nationally recognized financial institution designated by Parent and reasonably acceptable to Digital River, which institution we refer to as the paying agent, to make payments of the per share merger consideration to stockholders. At or prior to the effective time of the merger, Parent will deposit or cause to be deposited with the paying agent, cash sufficient to pay the aggregate merger consideration to stockholders.

        As promptly as reasonably practicable (but no later than the second business day) after the effective time of the merger, the paying agent will send to each holder of Digital River common stock (other than the surviving corporation, its subsidiaries and Parent) a letter of transmittal and instructions advising stockholders how to surrender stock certificates and book-entry shares in exchange for the per share merger consideration. Upon receipt of (i) surrendered certificates (or affidavits of loss in lieu thereof) or book-entry shares representing the shares of common stock and (ii) a signed letter of transmittal and such other documents as may be required pursuant to such instructions, the holder of such shares will be entitled to receive the per share merger consideration in exchange therefor within two business days following the later of (x) the effective time of the merger and (y) the paying agent's receipt of such certificate or book-entry share, together with a letter of transmittal duly completed and validly executed under the instructions thereto. The amount of any per share merger consideration paid to the stockholders may be reduced by any applicable withholding taxes. Parent or the surviving

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corporation will pay all charges and expenses, including those of the paying agent, in connection with the foregoing exchange procedures.

        If any cash deposited with the paying agent is not claimed within one year following the effective time of the merger, such cash will be returned to Parent or its designee, upon demand, and any holders of common stock who have not complied with the exchange procedures in the merger agreement will thereafter look only to Parent and the surviving corporation (subject to applicable abandoned property, escheat or other similar laws) as general creditor for payment of the per share merger consideration.

        The letter of transmittal will include instructions if a stockholder has lost a share certificate or if such certificate has been stolen or destroyed. If a stockholder has lost a certificate, or if such certificate has been stolen or destroyed, then before such stockholder will be entitled to receive the per share merger consideration, such stockholder will have to make an affidavit of the loss, theft or destruction, and if required by Parent, post a bond in a reasonable and customary amount as indemnity against any claim that may be made against it with respect to such certificate.


Representations and Warranties

        The merger agreement contains representations and warranties of Digital River, Parent and Acquisition Sub.


Digital River

        Certain of the representations and warranties in the merger agreement made by Digital River are qualified as to "materiality" or a "Company Material Adverse Effect." For purposes of the merger agreement, "Company Material Adverse Effect" means any fact, circumstance, event, change, occurrence or effect that has had or would reasonably be expected to have a material adverse effect on (i) on the business, condition (financial or otherwise), properties, liabilities, assets or results of operations of Digital River and its subsidiaries, taken as a whole, or (ii) the ability of Digital River to timely perform its obligations under the merger agreement or consummate the transactions contemplated thereby prevents or would reasonably be expected to prevent the consummation of the transactions contemplated by the merger agreement. The foregoing notwithstanding, none of the following will constitute, or be taken into account in determining whether such Company Material Adverse Effect has occurred or would occur, a Company Material Adverse Effect:

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        The facts, circumstances, events, changes, occurrences or effects set forth in the first through third exclusions and the seventh exclusion above will be taken into account in determining whether a Company Material Adverse Effect with respect to Digital River has occurred to the extent (but only to such extent) such facts, circumstances, events, changes, occurrences or effects have a disproportionate adverse impact on Digital River and its subsidiaries, taken as a whole, relative to the other participants in the industries in which Digital River or its subsidiaries operate.

        In the merger agreement, Digital River has made customary representations and warranties to Parent and Acquisition Sub that are subject, in some cases, to specified exceptions and qualifications contained in the merger agreement. These representations and warranties relate to, among other things:

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Parent and Acquisition Sub

        Certain of the representations and warranties in the merger agreement made by Parent and Acquisition Sub are qualified as to a "Parent Material Adverse Effect." For purposes of the merger agreement, "Parent Material Adverse Effect" means any fact, circumstance, event, change, occurrence or effect that has or would reasonably be expected to prevent, materially delay or materially impede the performance by Parent or Acquisition Sub of its obligations under the merger agreement or the consummation of the merger and the other transactions contemplated by the merger agreement.

        In the merger agreement, Parent and Acquisition Sub have made customary representations and warranties to Digital River that are subject, in some cases, to specified exceptions and qualifications

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contained in the merger agreement. These representations and warranties relate to, among other things:

        None of the representations and warranties contained in the merger agreement survive the consummation of the merger.


Conduct of Business Pending the Merger

        The merger agreement provides that, except as may be (i) required by law, (ii) agreed in writing by Parent (such consent not to be unreasonably withheld, delayed or conditioned, except with respect to the third and fourth bullets below); (iii) expressly contemplated or permitted pursuant to the merger agreement; or (iv) set forth in Digital River's disclosure letter, between the date of the merger agreement and the earlier of the effective time of the merger and the date, if any, the merger agreement is terminated as described in "—Termination of the Merger Agreement" below, (x) Digital River will, and will cause its subsidiaries to (A) conduct its business in the ordinary course of business and in a manner consistent with past practice in all material respects and (B) use its commercially reasonable efforts to preserve intact its business organization and preserve its present relationships and goodwill with governmental authorities, customers, suppliers, distributors, creditors, lessors, employees

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and other persons with which it has material business relations and (y) Digital River will not, and will not permit any of its subsidiaries to, subject in each case to certain specified exceptions:

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Solicitations of Other Offers

        As described below, the merger agreement provides for a "go-shop period" during which Digital River may solicit or discuss any competing proposals with third parties, subject to, among other things, certain notice and reporting obligations owed to Parent. Following the end of the go-shop period and the start of a "no-shop period," as described below, Digital River will generally no longer be permitted to solicit or discuss competing proposals with third parties, subject to certain exceptions (including that Digital River may continue discussions with any "excluded party").

        For purposes of the merger agreement:


Go-Shop Period

        From the date of the merger agreement until 11:59 p.m. Chicago time on December 7, 2014, which period we refer to as the go-shop period, Digital River and its subsidiaries are permitted to, directly or indirectly,

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        From the tenth day following the execution of the merger agreement through the end of the go-shop period, Digital River has provided and will provide a written report to Parent every ten business days setting forth (i) the total number of parties contacted to date during the go-shop period, (ii) the number of parties that have affirmatively declined to receive information or enter into discussions regarding a competing proposal, (iii) the number of parties that have affirmatively expressed interest in receiving information or entering into discussions regarding a competing proposal and (iv) the number of parties that have executed an acceptable confidentiality agreement.

        Following the end of the go-shop period:

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No-Shop Period

        Except as otherwise provided in the merger agreement, following the end of the go-shop period until the effective time of the merger or, if earlier, the termination of the merger agreement in accordance with its terms, which period we refer to as the no-shop period, Digital River and its subsidiaries and their respective officers and directors will not, and Digital River will instruct and use its commercially reasonable efforts to cause its representatives not to,

        Notwithstanding the start of the no-shop period, during the no-shop period and before the stockholder approval is obtained, Digital River may continue to engage in the activities permitted during the go-shop period with respect to any excluded party.

        At any time during the no-shop period and before the stockholder approval is obtained, in the event that Digital River receives a written competing proposal (that did not result from a breach of its solicitation, adverse recommendation change and alternative acquisition agreement obligations described in this section and the section immediately below) from any third party,

        During the no-shop period, Digital River will, as promptly as reasonably practicable, and in any event within forty-eight hours of Digital River receiving any competing proposal or any inquiry that

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could reasonably be expected to lead to a competing proposal, deliver to Parent a written notice including (i) the identity of the third Party making such Competing Proposal or inquiry (to the extent not prohibited by any applicable confidentiality agreement in place prior to the date of the merger agreement) and (ii) if applicable, the material terms and conditions of any such competing proposal (and, if available, a copy of the written offer or proposal submitted therewith). In addition, during the no-shop period, Digital River will keep Parent reasonably informed of any material amendment or modification of any such competing proposal (including any competing proposal received during the go-shop period) on a prompt basis, and in any event within forty-eight hours.


Adverse Recommendation Changes; Alternative Acquisition Agreements

        As described in the "The Merger—Recommendation of Our Board of Directors and Reasons for the Merger" beginning on page [    •    ], and subject to the provisions described below, the Board has made the recommendation that the holders of shares of our common stock vote "FOR" the proposal to adopt the merger agreement and thereby approve the transactions contemplated by the merger agreement, including the merger, which recommendation we refer to as the Digital River recommendation. The merger agreement provides that the Board will not effect an "adverse recommendation change" except as described below.

        Generally, the Board (and each committee thereof) will not:

        Subject to certain notice obligations described below, at any time before obtaining the stockholder approval, the Board may:

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        The Board may make no adverse recommendation change, and Digital River may not terminate the merger agreement in connection with a superior proposal, in each case until after the third business day following Parent's receipt of written notice from Digital River advising Parent that the Board intends to make an adverse recommendation change or terminate the merger agreement in connection with a superior proposal and specifying the reasons therefor, including, if the basis of the proposed action by the Board is the existence of a superior proposal, the identity of the person making the superior proposal (to the extent permitted by any applicable confidentiality agreement) and a copy of the relevant proposed transaction documents related to the superior proposal. In determining whether to make an adverse recommendation change or in determining whether a competing proposal constitutes a superior proposal, the Board will, in good faith, take into account any revisions to the terms of the merger agreement, the financing commitments and the limited guarantee proposed in writing by Parent in response to such a notice or otherwise. Any material amendment to the terms (financial or otherwise) of such superior proposal will require a new notice and Digital River will be required to comply again with the requirements of this paragraph.

        The merger agreement does not restrict Digital River from taking and disclosing a position contemplated by Rule 14d-9 or Rule 14e-2(a) under the Exchange Act, or otherwise making disclosure to comply with any applicable law. However, any such disclosure, other than (i) issuing a "stop, look and listen" statement in accordance with the Exchange Act pending disclosure of the Board's position thereunder or (ii) an express rejection of any competing proposal or an unqualified reaffirmation of the Digital River recommendation, will be deemed to be an adverse recommendation change unless the Board expressly, publicly and unconditionally reaffirms the Digital River recommendation within four business days following any request by Parent for such reaffirmation. Parent may make only one such request with respect to any single such disclosure and no more than two such disclosures in the aggregate.


Financing Efforts

        Each of Parent and Acquisition Sub must use their respective reasonable best efforts to take or cause to be taken all actions and to do all things necessary, proper or advisable to consummate and obtain the proceeds of the financing on the terms and conditions described in the financing commitments, including using (and causing their affiliates to use) their respective reasonable best efforts to:

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        Parent may not agree to any amendments or modifications to, or grant any waivers of, any condition, remedy or other provision under the financing commitments without the prior written consent of Digital River if it would (i) reduce the aggregate amount of the financing below the amount required to satisfy all of Parent's and Acquisition Sub's obligations under the merger agreement, (ii) impose new or additional conditions or (iii) otherwise (A) expand in any respect the conditions precedent or contingencies to the funding at closing or prevent or delay or impair the ability of Parent and Acquisition Sub to consummate the merger and the other transactions contemplated by the merger agreement, (B) adversely impact the ability of Parent or Acquisition Sub to enforce its rights against the other parties to the financing commitments or (C) adversely impact the ability of Parent or Acquisition Sub to consummate the transactions contemplated by the merger agreement. Parent may, however, replace, amend, supplement or modify the debt commitment letter for the purpose of adding agents, co-agents, lenders, arrangers, joint bookrunners or other persons that have not executed the debt commitment letter as of the date of the merger agreement, in each case in accordance with the debt commitment letter as of the date of the merger agreement.

        Parent may not release or consent to the termination of the obligations of the debt financing parties under the debt commitment letter, except for assignments and replacements of an individual lender (subject to certain obligations summarized below) under the terms of or in connection with the syndication of the debt commitment letter (so long as the assignment or replacement of such additional parties, individually or in the aggregate, would not result in any of the effects described in the paragraph above or otherwise reasonably be expected to prevent or delay or impair the availability of the financing under the debt commitment letter or the consummation of the transactions contemplated by the merger agreement).

        Except as set forth in the Parent disclosure letter, neither Parent nor Acquisition Sub, nor any of their affiliates (including each direct or indirect investor or potential investor in Parent or Acquisition Sub or any of their respective financing sources or representatives) may prohibit or seek to prohibit any potential provider of debt or equity financing from providing financing or financial advisory services to any person in connection with a transaction relating to Digital River or its subsidiaries or in connection with the merger or the other transactions contemplated by the merger agreement.

        If any portion of the financing becomes unavailable on the terms and conditions contemplated in the financing commitments or Parent or Acquisition Sub become aware of any fact, event or circumstance that makes or will make any portion of the financing unavailable on the terms and conditions contemplated in the financing commitments and such portion is reasonably required to consummate the merger and the other transactions contemplated by the merger agreement, (i) Parent must promptly so notify Digital River, and (ii) Parent and Acquisition Sub must use their respective reasonable best efforts to obtain, and enter into definitive agreements with respect to, alternative financing in an amount sufficient to consummate the transactions contemplated by the merger agreement upon conditions not materially less favorable to Parent, Acquisition Sub and Digital River than those in the financing commitments, such financing we refer to as alternative financing.

        Obtaining the financing (or alternative financing) and/or the completion of any securities issuance is not a condition to the closing. Parent has agreed to keep Digital River reasonably informed of the status of its efforts to arrange the financing or any alternative financing.

        Digital River has agreed to use its reasonable best efforts to, at Parent's sole expense, provide all reasonable cooperation that is reasonably necessary and customary to assist Parent and Acquisition Sub in connection with the financing as may be reasonably requested by Parent, including (i) providing to Parent and the Acquisition Sub from time to time certain financial and other information regarding Digital River and its subsidiaries reasonably requested by Parent or the debt financing parties in order

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to consummate the financing; (ii) using commercially reasonable efforts to secure consents of Digital River's accountants related to the foregoing financial information; (iii) participating in a reasonable number of meetings, lender presentations, ratings agency meetings (and other reasonable assistance in procuring a public corporate credit rating and a public corporate family rating in respect of the relevant borrower under the debt financing and public ratings in respect of the debt financing), due diligence sessions, drafting sessions and road shows, in each case, upon reasonable advance notice and at mutually agreed times; (iv) providing reasonable assistance to Parent in its preparation of customary rating agency presentations, customary bank information memoranda (including an additional bank information memorandum that does not include material non-public information and the obtaining and delivery of executed authorization letters by a senior officer of Digital River with respect to such memoranda), offering memoranda and similar documents reasonably and customarily required in connection with the financing; (v) reasonably cooperating with the debt financing parties in an evaluation of Digital River's assets for the purpose of establishing collateral arrangements; (vi) furnishing at least four business days prior to the closing all documentation and other information relating to Digital River or any of its subsidiaries reasonably required by the debt financing parties and requested no later than ten business days prior to the closing under applicable "know your customer" and anti-money laundering rules and regulations; (vii) obtaining customary evidence of authority and customary officer's certificates, and facilitating the receipt of customary legal opinions; and (viii) assisting in the preparation of one or more credit agreements, note purchase agreements, indentures and/or other instruments, pledge and security documents and other definitive financing documents (including guarantees) or certificates or other documents, in each case as contemplated by the debt commitment letter, and reasonably facilitating the taking of all corporate actions by Digital River and its subsidiaries with respect to entering into such definitive financing documents and otherwise necessary to permit consummation of the debt financing. Digital River also agreed to the reasonable use of its logos in connection with the financing.

        The actions listed in the foregoing paragraph will not (i) involve any binding commitment by Digital River or any of its subsidiaries which commitment is not conditioned on the closing and does not terminate without liability to Digital River or any of its subsidiaries upon the termination of the merger agreement, (ii) require Digital River or any of its subsidiaries to be the issuer of any securities or issue any offering document prior to the closing, (iii) require Digital River or any of its subsidiaries to provide any information the disclosure of which is prohibited or restricted under applicable law or is legally privileged, (iv) require Digital River or any of its subsidiaries to take any action that will conflict with or violate its organizational documents or any laws or (v) require Digital River or any of its subsidiaries to enter into or approve any financing or purchase agreement for the financing prior to the effective time of the merger.

        Parent and Acquisition Sub agreed that, prior to the effective time of the merger, Digital River and its affiliates are not required to pay any commitment or similar fee, enter into any definitive agreement, incur any liability or make any other payment in connection with any financing (including any alternative financing) that Parent and Acquisition Sub may raise in connection with the transactions contemplated by the merger agreement or any cooperation provided in connection with such financing and that Parent and Acquisition Sub will indemnify Digital River, its affiliates and their respective representatives from any and all liabilities, losses, damages, claims, costs, interest, awards, judgments, penalties or expenses suffered or incurred by any of them in connection with the financing and any information utilized in connection therewith.


Employee Benefits

        For one year following the effective time of the merger, Parent has agreed to, or will cause the surviving corporation to, provide each employee of Digital River and its subsidiaries who continues to be so employed following the effective time of the merger, and who we refer to collectively as the

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continuing employees, with (i) a base salary and target cash bonus opportunity (excluding any equity or equity-based compensation) that are each no less favorable than, and (ii) defined contribution pension and welfare plan benefits (excluding any severance benefits) that in the aggregate are no less favorable than, the base salary and target cash bonus opportunity (excluding any equity or equity-based compensation) and defined contribution pension and welfare plan benefits (excluding any severance benefits) provided to such individuals by Digital River and its subsidiaries immediately prior to the effective time of the merger.

        Parent also agrees that the surviving corporation will cause the surviving corporation's employee benefit plans established following the closing date of the merger (if any) and any other employee benefit plans covering the continuing employees following the effective time of the merger, which we refer to collectively as the post-closing benefit plans, to recognize the service of each continuing employee (to the extent such service was recognized by Digital River) for purposes of eligibility, vesting (other than vesting of future equity awards) and, for purposes of future vacation accruals and levels of severance benefits only, determination of the level of benefits (but not for benefit accrual purposes under a defined benefit pension plan) under the post-closing benefit plans.

        For the calendar year including the effective time of the merger, the continuing employees will not be required to satisfy any deductible, co-payment, out-of-pocket maximum or similar requirements under the post-closing benefit plans that provide medical, dental and other welfare benefits, which we refer to collectively as the post-closing welfare plans, to the extent amounts were previously credited for such purposes under Digital River's comparable benefit plans that provide medical, dental and other welfare benefits, which we refer to as the company welfare plans.

        For the calendar year including the effective time of the merger, any waiting periods, pre-existing condition exclusions and requirements to show evidence of good health contained in such post-closing welfare plans will be waived with respect to the continuing employees (except to the extent any such waiting period, pre-existing condition exclusion, or requirement of show evidence of good health was already in effect with respect to such employees and that have not been satisfied under the applicable company welfare plan in which the participant then participates or is otherwise eligible to participate as of immediately prior to the effective time of the merger).

        Parent has agreed to, or will cause the surviving corporation to, provide severance payments and benefits to each continuing employee whose employment is terminated without cause, on or before the first anniversary of the effective time of the merger, that are consistent with the severance payments and benefits that would have been paid or provided under the terms and conditions of Digital River's severance plan.

        As of the effective time of the merger, Parent has agreed to, or will cause the surviving corporation and its subsidiaries to, honor in accordance with their terms, all employment, change in control, severance and other compensation plans and agreements existing immediately prior to the execution of the merger agreement, which are between Digital River or any of its subsidiaries and any director, officer or employee thereof or maintained by Digital River or any of its subsidiaries, each such agreement we refer to as a company agreement. Parent and Digital River also agreed that the occurrence of the effective time of the merger will constitute a "Change in Control" for purposes of all company agreements and all of Digital River's benefit plans in which the term is relevant.

        If the effective time of the merger occurs prior to the payment of the annual cash bonuses otherwise payable under any of Digital River's benefit plans that provide for payments of annual bonuses, annual sales awards or other annual cash incentive awards in respect of Digital River's 2014 fiscal year, which payments we refer to collectively as the 2014 cash bonuses, such payments will be determined based on actual results and level of performance achieved in respect of Digital River's 2014 fiscal year measured against the applicable targets under Digital River's applicable benefit plans as in effect on the date of the merger agreement and, if and to the extent earned, the 2014 cash bonuses will

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be paid to eligible continuing employees at the same time Digital River otherwise would pay such bonuses in the ordinary course of business. The 2014 cash bonuses will be paid in accordance with and subject to the terms of Digital River's applicable benefit plans as in effect on the date of the merger agreement (including, without limitation, subject to any requirement that the continuing employee remain an employee in good standing on the applicable payment date). Any continuing employee who is involuntarily terminated by Parent or the surviving corporation following the effective time of the merger and prior to payment of the 2014 cash bonuses will receive full payment of any 2014 cash bonus at the same time such 2014 cash bonuses are paid to the continuing employees.


Efforts to Close the Merger

        Digital River, Parent and Acquisition Sub agreed to use their respective reasonable best efforts to consummate the transactions contemplated by the merger agreement and to cause the conditions to the merger to be satisfied. Parent and Acquisition Sub also agree to promptly take any and all steps necessary to avoid or eliminate any impediment and obtain all consents under antitrust laws, including committing to or effecting, by consent decree or otherwise, the sale or disposition of such assets or businesses as are required to be divested in order to avoid or vacate any order that would otherwise prevent or materially delay the transactions contemplated by the merger agreement.


Indemnification and Insurance

        In the merger agreement, Parent and Acquisition Sub agreed that all rights to exculpation and indemnification for acts or omissions occurring at or prior to the effective time of the merger existing as of the signing of the merger agreement in favor of the current or former directors, officers, managers or employees of Digital River or its subsidiaries as provided in their respective organizational documents or in any agreement will survive the merger and will continue in full force and effect.

        Unless Digital River has purchased a "tail" policy prior to the effective time of the merger (which it may purchase, provided that the one-time premium for such insurance does not exceed 200% of the aggregate annual premiums currently paid), the merger agreement requires Parent to maintain, on terms no less advantageous to the indemnified parties, Digital River's directors' and officers' insurance policies for six years following the effective time of the merger. Parent will not be required to pay premiums which on an annual basis exceed 300% of the aggregate annual premiums currently paid by Digital River; however, Parent must obtain the greatest coverage available at such cost.

        Please see "The Merger—Interests of the Directors and Executive Officers of Digital River in the Merger—Insurance and Indemnification of Directors and Executive Officers" for additional information beginning on page [    •    ].


Other Covenants

Stockholders Meeting

        Digital River has agreed to duly call, convene and hold a meeting of stockholders as promptly as practicable after the date of the merger agreement following the clearance of this proxy statement by the SEC for the purpose of voting upon the proposal to adopt the merger agreement. Under the merger agreement, Digital River may postpone or adjourn such meeting of stockholders only (i) with the written consent of Parent and Acquisition Sub (which consent shall not be unreasonably withheld, conditioned or delayed), (ii) for the absence of a quorum, (iii) to allow additional solicitation of votes in order to obtain the stockholder approval or (iv) as required by applicable law.

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Treatment of Convertible Notes

        Before the effective time of the merger, Digital River will take all actions required in connection with the transactions contemplated by the merger agreement pursuant to the terms of the Indenture, dated as of November 1, 2010, between Digital River and Wells Fargo Bank, National Association, as trustee, as amended or supplemented to the date of the merger agreement, which we refer to as the convertible notes indenture, at such time as such actions are required to be taken, including the giving of any notices that may be required in connection with any repurchases or conversions of the convertible notes issued pursuant to the convertible notes indenture occurring as a result of the transactions contemplated by the merger agreement constituting a "fundamental change" and/or a "make-whole fundamental change" (as such terms are defined in the convertible notes indenture) and delivery of any supplemental indentures, legal opinions, officer's certificates or other documents or instruments required in connection with the consummation of the merger, in each case, in form and substance reasonably satisfactory to Parent.


Conditions to the Closing of the Merger

        The respective obligations of each party to consummate the merger are subject to the satisfaction or (to the extent permitted by law) waiver by Digital River and Parent of the following conditions:

        The obligations of Parent and Acquisition Sub to effect the merger are also subject to the satisfaction or (to the extent permitted by applicable law) waiver by Parent of the following conditions:

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        The obligations of Digital River to effect the merger are also subject to the satisfaction or (to the extent permitted by applicable law) waiver by Digital River of the following conditions:

        Further, neither Parent nor Acquisition Sub may rely on the failure of any of the mutual conditions to merger agreement parties' obligations to consummate the merger or the conditions with respect to the obligations of Parent or Acquisition Sub to effect the merger to be satisfied if such failure was primarily caused by the failure of Parent or Acquisition Sub to perform any of its material obligations under the merger agreement. Digital River may not rely on the failure of any of the mutual conditions to merger agreement parties' obligations to consummate the merger or the conditions with respect to the obligations of Digital River to effect the merger to be satisfied if such failure was primarily caused by its failure to perform any of its material obligations under the merger agreement.


Termination of the Merger Agreement

        The merger agreement may be terminated at any time prior to the effective time, whether before or after approval of the proposal to adopt the merger agreement by the stockholders of Digital River:

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        In the event that the merger agreement is terminated pursuant to the termination rights above, the merger agreement will become null and void and of no effect without liability on the part of any party thereto, and all rights and obligations of any party thereto will cease. However, certain related documents, including the limited guarantee, and the reimbursement obligations of Parent in relation to the financing, and the provisions of the merger agreement relating to the effect of termination of the merger agreement, termination fees, expenses and certain general provisions will survive any termination of the merger agreement.


Termination Fees

        If the merger agreement is terminated in specified circumstances, the terminating party may be required to pay a termination fee.

        Parent would be entitled to receive a termination fee equal to $27,284,046 from Digital River if the merger agreement is terminated:

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        Parent would be entitled to receive a termination fee equal to $12,592,637 from Digital River if the merger agreement is terminated:

        Digital River would be entitled to receive a reverse termination fee equal to $50,370,547 from Parent if the merger agreement is terminated by Digital River (i) pursuant to the Digital River satisfaction termination right or (ii) pursuant to the Digital River closing termination right.


Expense Reimbursement

        If the merger agreement is terminated pursuant to the stockholder approval termination right, Digital River would be required to reimburse Parent up to $8.4 million in certain reasonable, documented out-of-pocket expenses incurred by Parent and Acquisition Sub in connection with the merger agreement and the transactions contemplated thereby. The amount of any termination fee by Digital River to Parent would be reduced by any such expense reimbursement amount paid. In addition, if the merger agreement is terminated in certain other circumstances, Digital River would be required to reimburse certain expenses incurred by Parent in connection with the required antitrust approvals.


Specific Performance

        Parent, Acquisition Sub and Digital River are entitled to seek specific performance to prevent breaches of the merger agreement and to enforce the terms of the merger agreement in addition to any other remedy to which they are entitled at law or in equity. Digital River is entitled to obtain specific performance or other equitable relief to cause the full proceeds of the equity financing contemplated by the equity commitment letters to be drawn down on the terms and subject to the conditions in the equity commitment letters and the merger agreement and/or to cause Parent and/or Acquisition Sub to consummate the transactions contemplated the merger agreement if and only if (i) all conditions to Parent and Acquisition Sub's obligation to consummate the merger (other than conditions to be satisfied at the closing, each of which is capable of being satisfied at that time) have been satisfied at the time when the closing would have occurred but for the failure of the equity financing and the debt financing to be funded, and remain satisfied, (ii) Parent and Acquisition Sub fail to complete the closing by the date the closing is required to have occurred pursuant to the merger agreement, (iii) the debt financing provided for by the debt commitment letter (or by alternative financing, if applicable) has been funded or is required under the terms of the debt commitment letter to be funded at the closing if the equity financing is funded at the closing and (iv) Digital River has irrevocably confirmed in writing to Parent that if specific performance is granted and the equity financing and the debt financing are funded, then the closing would occur.

        Digital River has agreed that it will not, and will cause its subsidiaries not to, institute any proceeding or bring any other claim arising under the merger agreement, the financing commitments, the limited guarantee or the negotiation, execution, performance, abandonment or termination of the transactions contemplated thereby (whether at law or in equity) under any theory of liability against Parent or any related party except for claims: (i) against Parent and/or Acquisition Sub in accordance with and pursuant to the terms of the merger agreement; (ii) against Parent and/or Acquisition Sub for indemnification or expense reimbursement under pursuant to the terms of the merger agreement; (iii) against the guarantor under the limited guarantee; (iv) against the equity investors for specific performance of their respective obligations under the equity commitment letters to fund their

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respective commitments thereunder, subject to the terms and limitations thereof if, and only if, the conditions in the paragraph immediately above have been satisfied; and (v) against Siris under the confidentiality agreement, dated August 20, 2014, between Siris and Digital River.


Limitations of Liability

        The maximum aggregate liability of Parent and Acquisition Sub under the merger agreement is limited to the amount of the reverse termination fee plus specified reimbursement and indemnification obligations of Parent and Acquisition Sub under the merger agreement. The reverse termination fee plus specified reimbursement and indemnification obligations of Parent, Acquisition Sub, Siris and the guarantor, in any case, when payable, are the sole and exclusive remedy of Digital River and its affiliates against Parent, Acquisition Sub, the guarantor, the equity investors and the debt financing parties or any of their respective affiliates in respect of losses or damages under the merger agreement and/or Parent and Acquisition Sub's failure to effect the closing or otherwise breach or fail to perform thereunder. Except for Parent's right to specific performance as described above, the termination fee and the expense reimbursement described above, when payable, are the sole and exclusive remedy of Parent and its affiliates against Digital River or its affiliates in respect of losses or damages under the merger agreement. However, such liability limitations in no way limit the rights of any party to an injunction to prevent breaches of the merger agreement and to enforce specifically the terms of the merger agreement as described in the immediately preceding section.


Fees and Expenses

        Except for the provisions described above in the section "—Expense Reimbursement" plus specified reimbursement and indemnification obligations of Parent and Acquisition Sub, all fees and expenses incurred in connection with the transactions contemplated by the merger agreement will be paid by the party incurring such fees or expenses.


Amendment

        Generally, the merger agreement may be amended in writing at any time before or after approval of the proposal to adopt the merger agreement by the stockholders of Digital River. However, no amendment may decrease the per share merger consideration, and after the stockholder approval is obtained, no amendment that requires further approval by such stockholders pursuant to law or the rules of any stock exchange may be made without further stockholder approval nor any change not permitted by law. Moreover, certain provisions related to remedies may not be amended in a way that would adversely affect any of the equity investors or debt financing parties without the prior written consent of such adversely affected investor.


Governing Law

        The merger agreement is governed by Delaware law.

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PROPOSAL 2: ADJOURNMENT OF THE SPECIAL MEETING

The Adjournment Proposal

        We are asking you to approve a proposal to approve one or more adjournments of the special meeting to a later date or dates if necessary or appropriate to solicit additional proxies if there are insufficient votes to adopt the merger agreement at the time of the special meeting. If our stockholders approve the adjournment proposal, we could adjourn the special meeting and any adjourned session of the special meeting and use the additional time to solicit additional proxies, including the solicitation of proxies from stockholders that have previously returned properly executed proxies voting against adoption of the merger agreement. Among other things, approval of the adjournment proposal could mean that, even if we had received proxies representing a sufficient number of votes against adoption of the merger agreement such that the proposal to adopt the merger agreement would be defeated, we could adjourn the special meeting without a vote on the adoption of the merger agreement and seek to convince the holders of those shares to change their votes to votes in favor of adoption of the merger agreement. Additionally, we may seek to adjourn the special meeting if a quorum is not present at the special meeting.


Vote Required and Board Recommendation

        Approval of the proposal to approve one or more adjournments of the special meeting, whether or not a quorum is present, requires the affirmative vote of a majority of the shares of our common stock represented at the special meeting, either in person or by proxy, and entitled to vote thereon.

        The Board believes that it is in the best interests of Digital River and its stockholders to be able to adjourn the special meeting, if necessary or appropriate, for the purpose of soliciting additional proxies in respect of the proposal to adopt the merger agreement if there are insufficient votes to adopt the merger agreement at the time of the special meeting.

        The Board recommends that you vote "FOR" the proposal to approve one or more adjournments of the special meeting.

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PROPOSAL 3: ADVISORY VOTE ON MERGER-RELATED EXECUTIVE COMPENSATION ARRANGEMENTS

The Non-Binding Advisory Proposal

        Section 14A of the Exchange Act, which was enacted as part of the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act of 2010, requires that we provide our stockholders with the opportunity to vote to approve, on an advisory non-binding basis, the payment of certain compensation that will or may become payable by Digital River to its named executive officers in connection with the merger, as disclosed in the section of this proxy statement entitled "The Merger—Interests of the Directors and Executive Officers of Digital River in the Merger—Payments to Executives Upon Termination Following Change-in-Control" beginning on page [    •    ].

        We are asking our stockholders to indicate their approval of the compensation that will or may become payable by Digital River to its named executive officers in connection with the merger. These payments are set forth in the section entitled "The Merger—Interests of the Directors and Executive Officers of Digital River in the Merger—Payments to Executives Upon Termination Following Change-in-Control" beginning on page [    •    ] of this proxy statement and the accompanying footnotes. In general, the various plans and arrangements pursuant to which these compensation payments may be made formed part of Digital River's overall compensation program for its named executive officers, and have previously been disclosed to our stockholders as part of the Compensation Discussion and Analysis and related sections of our annual proxy statements. The Compensation Committee of the Board, which is composed solely of non-management directors, believes such compensatory arrangements to be reasonable and in line with marketplace norms and has historically adopted and approved these arrangements.

        The Board encourages you to review carefully the named executive officer merger-related compensation information disclosed in this proxy statement. The Board recommends that you vote "FOR" the following resolution:

        "RESOLVED, that the stockholders of Digital River, Inc. approve, on a nonbinding, advisory basis, the compensation that will or may become payable to Digital River's named executive officers that is based on or otherwise relates to the merger as disclosed pursuant to Item 402(t) of Regulation S-K in the section entitled "The Merger—Interests of the Directors and Executive Officers of Digital River in the Merger—Payments to Executives Upon Termination Following Change-in-Control" in Digital River's proxy statement for the special meeting."

        Stockholders should note that this proposal is not a condition to completion of the merger, and as an advisory vote, the result will not be binding on Digital River, the Board or Parent. Further, the underlying plans and arrangements are contractual in nature and not, by their terms, subject to stockholder approval. Accordingly, regardless of the outcome of the advisory vote, if the merger is consummated our named executive officers will be eligible to receive the compensation that is based on or otherwise relates to the merger in accordance with the terms and conditions applicable to those payments.


Vote Required and Board Recommendation

        Approval of the proposal to approve, by non-binding, advisory vote, compensation that will or may become payable by Digital River to its named executive officers in connection with the merger requires the affirmative vote of a majority of those shares of common stock present or represented by proxy at the special meeting and entitled to vote thereon.

        The Board recommends that you vote "FOR" the proposal to approve, by non-binding, advisory vote, compensation that will or may become payable by Digital River to its named executive officers in connection with the merger.

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MARKET PRICES AND DIVIDEND DATA

        Digital River's common stock is listed on the Nasdaq Global Select Market under the symbol "DRIV." As of [    •    ], 201[    •    ], there were [    •    ] shares of our common stock outstanding, held by approximately [    •    ] stockholders of record.

        The following table sets forth, for the indicated periods, the high and low sales prices of Digital River's common stock for the period's shown as reported by the Nasdaq Global Select Market:

 
  Common Stock
Prices
 
 
  High   Low  

FY 2014—Quarter Ended

             

December 31 (through December 2, 2014)

  $ 25.88   $ 14.29  

September 30

    16.04     13.61  

June 30

    17.99     14.69  

March 31

    18.99     15.57  

FY 2013—Quarter Ended

             

December 31

  $ 19.67   $ 16.57  

September 30

    20.29     16.26  

June 30

    18.94     12.80  

March 31

    15.18     13.75  

FY 2012—Quarter Ended

             

December 31

  $ 17.06   $ 13.00  

September 30

    17.82     12.87  

June 30

    19.10     13.81  

March 31

    19.10     14.13  

        Under our current dividend policy, we have never declared or paid any cash dividends on our capital stock and have retained any future earnings to support operations and to finance the growth and development of our business. Under the terms of the merger agreement, from the date of the merger agreement until the earlier of the effective time of the merger or the termination of the merger agreement, we may not declare or pay quarterly cash dividends to our common stockholders without Parent's written consent.

        The closing price of our common stock on the Nasdaq Global Select Market on October 23, 2014, the last trading day prior to the public announcement of the merger agreement, was $17.38 per share. On [    •    ], 201[    •    ], the latest practicable trading day before the printing of this proxy statement, the closing price of our common stock on the Nasdaq Global Select Market was $[    •    ] per share. You are encouraged to obtain current market quotations for our common stock.

        Following the merger, there will be no further market for our common stock and our stock will be delisted from the Nasdaq Global Select Market and deregistered under the Exchange Act. As a result, following the merger and such deregistration, we will no longer file periodic reports with the SEC.

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SECURITY OWNERSHIP OF CERTAIN BENEFICIAL OWNERS AND MANAGEMENT

        The following tables set forth certain information regarding the beneficial ownership of our common stock as of December 1, 2014 (except as otherwise noted below), by (i) each person known by us to be the beneficial owner of more than five percent of the outstanding shares of our common stock; (ii) each of our directors; (iii) each of our named executive officers; and (iv) all directors and executive officers as a group. Based on information furnished by such stockholders and Schedules 13D and 13G and Form 13F-HR, as applicable, filed with the SEC, we believe that each person has sole voting and dispositive power over the shares indicated as owned by such person unless otherwise indicated. The address of each director and officer is the same as the address for our executive offices.

Name and Address
  Number of Shares
Beneficially Owned
  Percentage
Beneficially
Owned(1)
 

Soros Fund Management LLC(2)

    2,476,303     7.2 %

888 Seventh Avenue

             

New York, New York 10106

             

BlackRock, Inc.(3)

    2,889,390     9.1 %

40 East 52nd Street

             

New York, New York 10022

             

The Vanguard Group, Inc. 

    2,039,556     6.4 %

100 Vanguard Blvd.

             

Malvern, Pennsylvania 19355

             

Wellington Capital Management Co LLP

    1,864,884     5.9 %

280 Congress Street

             

Boston, Massachusetts 02210

             

Dimensional Fund Advisors, L.P. 

    1,644,451     5.2 %

6300 Bee Cave Road, Building One

             

Austin, Texas 78746

             

(1)
Except as adjusted pursuant to footnote 2 below with respect to Soros Fund Management LLC, applicable percentages are based on 31,859,938 shares outstanding on December 1, 2014, adjusted as required by rules promulgated by the SEC.

(2)
May be deemed to be the beneficial owner of (i) 2,460,253 shares issuable upon the conversion of 2.00% convertible bonds due November 1, 2030 (the "Convertible Bonds") and (ii) 16,050 shares beneficially owned. Percent beneficially owned assumes full conversion of the Convertible Bonds held by Soros Fund Management LLC and a corresponding increase in the number of shares outstanding upon such conversion of 2,460,253 shares.

(3)
Includes 90,258 shares with respect to which only dispositive power is held.

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Name
  Number of Shares
Beneficially Owned
  Percentage
Beneficially
Owned(1)
 

David C. Dobson(2)

    369,769     1.2 %

Theodore R. Cahall(3)

    111,481     *  

Thomas E. Peterson(4)

    50,000     *  

Stefan B. Schulz(5)

    107,938     *  

Kevin L. Crudden(6)

    178,318     *  

Thomas F. Madison(7)

    116,366     *  

Douglas M. Steenland(8)

    47,620     *  

Alfred F. Castino(9)

    38,620     *  

Perry W. Steiner(10)

    72,620     *  

Cheryl F. Rosner(11)

    41,620     *  

Timothy J. Pawlenty(12)

    29,620     *  

Edmond I. Eger III(13)

    14,967     *  

Jeffrey G. Katz(14)

    8,844     *  

All directors and executive officers as a group(15)

    1,187,783     3.7 %

*
Less than 1%

(1)
Applicable percentages are based on 31,859,938 shares outstanding on December 1, 2014, adjusted as required by rules promulgated by the SEC.

(2)
Includes 288,012 shares of restricted stock and performance awards subject to our right of repurchase.

(3)
Includes 96,607 shares of restricted stock and performance awards subject to our right of repurchase.

(4)
Includes 50,000 shares of restricted stock and performance awards subject to our right of repurchase.

(5)
Includes 72,560 shares of restricted stock and performance awards subject to our right of repurchase.

(6)
Includes 46,677 shares of restricted stock and performance awards subject to our right of repurchase and 55,760 shares issuable upon exercise of options exercisable within 60 days of December 1, 2014.

(7)
Includes 8,844 shares of restricted stock subject to our right of repurchase and 37,500 shares issuable upon exercise of stock options exercisable within 60 days of December 1, 2014. Also includes 2,892 shares indirectly owned.

(8)
Includes 8,844 shares of restricted stock subject to our right of repurchase.

(9)
Includes 8,844 shares of restricted stock subject to our right of repurchase.

(10)
Includes 8,844 shares of restricted stock subject to our right of repurchase and 25,000 shares issuable upon exercise of stock options exercisable within 60 days of December 1, 2014.

(11)
Includes 8,844 shares of restricted stock subject to our right of repurchase.

(12)
Includes 9,844 shares of restricted stock subject to our right of repurchase.

(13)
Includes 8,844 shares of restricted stock subject to our right of repurchase.

(14)
Includes 8,844 shares of restricted stock subject to our right of repurchase.

(15)
See footnotes number 2 through 14 above. Includes 625,608 shares of restricted stock and performance awards subject to our right of repurchase and 118,260 shares issuable upon exercise of stock options exercisable within 60 days of December 1, 2014.

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FUTURE STOCKHOLDER PROPOSALS

        If the merger is completed, we will have no public stockholders and there will be no public participation in any future meetings of stockholders of Digital River. However, if the merger is not completed, our stockholders will continue to be entitled to attend and participate in our stockholders' meetings.

        Digital River will hold an annual meeting of stockholders in 2015 only if the merger has not already been completed. If the merger is not completed and any stockholder intends to present a proposal to be considered for inclusion in our proxy material in connection with the 2015 Annual Meeting of stockholders (if one is held), the stockholder must follow the procedures of Rule 14a-8 under the Exchange Act and the proposal must have been received at our corporate offices at the mailing address below not later than December 13, 2014 if the date of the annual meeting has not been changed by more than 30 days from the date of the previous year's meeting, or by a reasonable time before Digital River begins to print and send its proxy materials in the event that the date of such meeting has been changed by more than 30 days from the date of the previous year's meeting.

        Stockholder proposals that are intended to be presented at our 2015 Annual Meeting of stockholders, but that are not intended to be considered for inclusion in our proxy material related to that meeting, must be delivered to our Corporate Secretary at our corporate offices at the mailing address below no earlier than the close of business on the 120th day, and no later than the close of business on the later of the 90th day, prior to the date of the preceding year's annual meeting, or no earlier than the close of business on January 21, 2015 nor later than the close of business on February 20, 2015 based on the date of our 2014 Annual Meeting of stockholders. If the date of the 2015 Annual Meeting is advanced more than 30 days prior to, or delayed by more than 30 days after, the anniversary of the preceding year's annual meeting, notice by the stockholder to be timely must be delivered no earlier than the close of business on the 120th day prior to such annual meeting and not later than the close of business on the later of the 90th day prior to such annual meeting or the 10th day following the day on which public announcement of the date of such meeting is first made. Any stockholder who gives notice of any such proposal will deliver therewith (i) as to each person whom the stockholder proposed to nominate for election or reelection as a director all information relating to such person that is required to be disclosed in solicitations of proxies for election of directors in an election contest, or is otherwise required, in each case pursuant to the Exchange Act; (ii) as to any other business that the stockholder proposes to bring before the meeting, a brief description of the business desired to be brought before the meeting, the reasons for conducting such business at the meeting and any material interest in such business of such stockholder and the beneficial owner, if any, on whose behalf the proposal is made; and (iii) as to the stockholder giving the notice and the beneficial owner, if any, on whose behalf the nomination or proposal is made (A) the name and address of such stockholder, as they appear on Digital River's books, and of such beneficial owner, (B) the class and number of shares of Digital River which are owned beneficially and of record by such stockholder and such beneficial owner, and (C) whether either such stockholder or beneficial owner intends to deliver a proxy statement and form of proxy to holders of, in the case of the proposal, at least the percentage of Digital River's voting shares required under applicable law to carry the proposal or, in the case of a nomination or nominations, a sufficient number of holders of Digital River's voting shares to elect such nominee or nominees

        Such proposals or nominations should be addressed to Digital River, Inc., 10380 Bren Road West, Minnetonka, MN 55343, Attention: Corporate Secretary.

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WHERE YOU CAN FIND MORE INFORMATION

        The SEC allows us to "incorporate by reference" information into this proxy statement, which means that we can disclose important information to you by referring you to other documents filed separately with the SEC. The information incorporated by reference is deemed to be part of this proxy statement, except for any information superseded by information in this proxy statement or incorporated by reference subsequent to the date of this proxy statement. This proxy statement incorporates by reference the documents set forth below that we have previously filed with the SEC. These documents contain important information about us and our financial condition and are incorporated by reference into this proxy statement.

        The following Digital River filings with the SEC are incorporated by reference:

        We also incorporate by reference into this proxy statement additional documents that we may file with the SEC between the date of this proxy statement and the earlier of the date of the special meeting or the termination of the merger agreement. These documents include periodic reports, such as Annual Reports on Form 10-K and Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q, as well as Current Reports on Form 8-K and proxy soliciting materials. The information provided on our website is not part of this proxy statement, and therefore is not incorporated by reference herein.

        You may read and copy any reports, statements or other information that we file with the SEC at the SEC's public reference room at the following location: Station Place, 100 F Street, N.E., Room 1580, Washington, D.C. 20549. You may also obtain copies of those documents at prescribed rates by writing to the Public Reference Section of the SEC at that address. Please call the SEC at (800) SEC-0330 for further information on the public reference room. These SEC filings are also available to the public from commercial document retrieval services and at www.sec.gov. In addition, stockholders may obtain free copies of the documents filed with the SEC by Digital River through the Investor Relations section of our website, and the "SEC Filings" tab therein.

        You may obtain any of the documents we file with the SEC, without charge, by requesting them in writing or by telephone from us at the following address:

Digital River, Inc.
Attn: Investor Relations
10380 Bren Road West
Minnetonka, MN 55343
(952) 253-1234

        If you would like to request documents from us, please do so by [    •    ], 201[    •    ], to receive them before the special meeting. If you request any documents from us, we will mail them to you by first class mail, or another equally prompt method, within one business day after we receive your

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request. Please note that all of our documents that we file with the SEC are also promptly available through the Investor Relations section of our website, www.digitalriver.com, and the "SEC Filings" section therein. The information included on our website is not incorporated by reference into this proxy statement.

        If you have any questions about this proxy statement, the special meeting or the merger or need assistance with voting procedures, you should contact:

MacKenzie Partners, Inc.
105 Madison Avenue
New York, NY 10016
Email: proxy@mackenziepartners.com
Call collect: (212) 929-5500
Call toll-free: (800) 322-2885

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MISCELLANEOUS

        Digital River has supplied all information relating to Digital River, and Parent has supplied, and Digital River has not independently verified, all of the information relating to Parent, Acquisition Sub and the equity investors and debt financing parties contained in "Summary—Parties Involved in the Merger," "Summary—Financing of the Merger," "The Merger—Parties Involved in the Merger" and "The Merger—Financing of the Merger."

        You should not send in your Digital River stock certificates until you receive transmittal materials after the merger is completed.

        You should rely only on the information contained in this proxy statement, the annexes to this proxy statement and the documents we refer to in this proxy statement to vote on the merger. We have not authorized anyone to provide you with information that is different from what is contained in this proxy statement. This proxy statement is dated [    •    ], 201[    •    ]. You should not assume that the information contained in this proxy statement is accurate as of any date other than that date (or as of an earlier date if so indicated in this proxy statement) and the mailing of this proxy statement to stockholders does not create any implication to the contrary. This proxy statement does not constitute a solicitation of a proxy in any jurisdiction where, or to or from any person to whom, it is unlawful to make a proxy solicitation.

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ANNEX A

EXECUTION COPY

AGREEMENT AND PLAN OF MERGER

by and among

DANUBE PRIVATE HOLDINGS II, LLC,

DANUBE PRIVATE ACQUISITION CORP.

and

DIGITAL RIVER,  INC.

Dated as of October 23, 2014


Table of Contents


TABLE OF CONTENTS

Article I


DEFINITIONS

Section 1.1

 

Definitions

 
A-1


Article II


THE MERGER

Section 2.1

 

The Merger

 
A-1

Section 2.2

 

The Closing

  A-1

Section 2.3

 

Effective Time

  A-2

Section 2.4

 

Certificate of Incorporation and Bylaws

  A-2

Section 2.5

 

Board of Directors

  A-2

Section 2.6

 

Officers

  A-2


Article III


EFFECT OF THE MERGER ON CAPITAL STOCK; EXCHANGE OF CERTIFICATES

Section 3.1

 

Effect on Securities

 
A-2

Section 3.2

 

Exchange of Certificates

  A-3

Section 3.3

 

Company Options, Company Restricted Stock, Other Company Awards; Company ESPP; Performance Share Awards

  A-5

Section 3.4

 

Lost Certificates

  A-7

Section 3.5

 

Dissenting Shares

  A-7

Section 3.6

 

Transfers; No Further Ownership Rights

  A-7


Article IV


REPRESENTATIONS AND WARRANTIES OF THE COMPANY

Section 4.1

 

Organization and Qualification; Subsidiaries

 
A-8

Section 4.2

 

Capitalization

  A-8

Section 4.3

 

Authority Relative to Agreement

  A-9

Section 4.4

 

No Conflict; Required Filings and Consents

  A-10

Section 4.5

 

Permits; Compliance With Laws

  A-10

Section 4.6

 

Company SEC Documents; Financial Statements

  A-11

Section 4.7

 

Information Supplied

  A-12

Section 4.8

 

Disclosure Controls and Procedures

  A-12

Section 4.9

 

Absence of Certain Changes or Events

  A-13

Section 4.10

 

No Undisclosed Liabilities

  A-13

Section 4.11

 

Litigation

  A-13

Section 4.12

 

Employee Benefit Plans

  A-13

Section 4.13

 

Labor Matters

  A-15

Section 4.14

 

Trademarks, Patents and Copyrights

  A-15

Section 4.15

 

Taxes

  A-16

Section 4.16

 

Material Contracts

  A-17

Section 4.17

 

Properties

  A-19

Section 4.18

 

Environmental

  A-20

Section 4.19

 

Takeover Statutes

  A-20

Section 4.20

 

Vote Required

  A-20

Section 4.21

 

Brokers

  A-20

A-i


Table of Contents

Section 4.22

 

Opinion of Financial Advisor

  A-21

Section 4.23

 

Insurance

  A-21

Section 4.24

 

Related Party Transactions

  A-21

Section 4.25

 

No Other Representations or Warranties

  A-21


Article V


REPRESENTATIONS AND WARRANTIES OF PARENT AND ACQUISITION SUB

Section 5.1

 

Organization and Qualification; Subsidiaries

 
A-21

Section 5.2

 

Authority Relative to Agreement

  A-22

Section 5.3

 

No Conflict; Required Filings and Consents

  A-23

Section 5.4

 

Litigation

  A-23

Section 5.5

 

Absence of Certain Agreements

  A-23

Section 5.6

 

Information Supplied

  A-23

Section 5.7

 

Sufficient Funds; Financing

  A-23

Section 5.8

 

Guaranty

  A-25

Section 5.9

 

Capitalization of Acquisition Sub

  A-25

Section 5.10

 

Interest in Competitors

  A-25

Section 5.11

 

Investment Intention

  A-25

Section 5.12

 

Brokers

  A-25

Section 5.13

 

Solvency

  A-25

Section 5.14

 

Share Ownership

  A-26

Section 5.15

 

Management Agreements

  A-26

Section 5.16

 

Acknowledgment of Disclaimer of Other Representations and Warranties

  A-26


Article VI


COVENANTS AND AGREEMENTS

Section 6.1

 

Conduct of Business by the Company Pending the Merger

 
A-27

Section 6.2

 

Preparation of the Proxy Statement; Stockholders' Meeting

  A-29

Section 6.3

 

Appropriate Action; Consents; Filings

  A-30

Section 6.4

 

Access to Information; Confidentiality

  A-32

Section 6.5

 

Go-Shop; Non-Solicitation; Competing Proposals

  A-33

Section 6.6

 

Directors' and Officers' Indemnification and Insurance

  A-37

Section 6.7

 

Notification of Certain Matters

  A-38

Section 6.8

 

Public Announcements

  A-39

Section 6.9

 

Employee Benefits

  A-39

Section 6.10

 

Conduct of Business by Parent Pending the Merger

  A-40

Section 6.11

 

Financing

  A-41

Section 6.12

 

Financing Cooperation

  A-43

Section 6.13

 

Treatment of Convertible Notes

  A-44

Section 6.14

 

Acquisition Sub

  A-45

Section 6.15

 

No Control of the Company's Business

  A-45

Section 6.16

 

Rule 16b-3 Matters

  A-45

Section 6.17

 

Delisting; Deregistration

  A-45

Section 6.18

 

Director Resignations

  A-45

Section 6.19

 

WARN Act

  A-45

A-ii


Table of Contents


Article VII


CONDITIONS TO THE MERGER

Section 7.1

 

Conditions to the Obligations of Each Party

 
A-45

Section 7.2

 

Conditions to Obligations of Parent and Sub to Effect the Merger

  A-46

Section 7.3

 

Conditions to Obligation of the Company to Effect the Merger

  A-46

Section 7.4

 

Frustration of Closing Conditions

  A-47


Article VIII


TERMINATION, AMENDMENT AND WAIVER

Section 8.1

 

Termination

 
A-47

Section 8.2

 

Effect of Termination

  A-48

Section 8.3

 

Termination Fees

  A-49

Section 8.4

 

Amendment

  A-51

Section 8.5

 

Extension; Waiver

  A-51

Section 8.6

 

Expenses; Transfer Taxes

  A-52


Article IX


GENERAL PROVISIONS

Section 9.1

 

Non-Survival of Representations, Warranties and Agreements

 
A-52

Section 9.2

 

Notices

  A-52

Section 9.3

 

Interpretation; Certain Definitions

  A-53

Section 9.4

 

Severability

  A-54

Section 9.5

 

Assignment

  A-54

Section 9.6

 

Entire Agreement

  A-55

Section 9.7

 

No Third-Party Beneficiaries

  A-55

Section 9.8

 

Governing Law

  A-55

Section 9.9

 

Specific Performance

  A-55

Section 9.10

 

Consent to Jurisdiction

  A-57

Section 9.11

 

Counterparts

  A-57

Section 9.12

 

WAIVER OF JURY TRIAL

  A-57

Exhibit A

 

Definitions

   

Exhibit B

 

Certificate of Incorporation of the Surviving Corporation

   


Index of Defined Terms

2014 Cash Bonuses

  A-40

Acceptable Confidentiality Agreement

  A-33

Acquisition Sub

  A-1

Additional Amounts

  A-50

Adverse Recommendation Change

  A-35

Affiliate

  A-A-1

Aggregate Merger Consideration

  A-3

Agreement

  A-1

Alternative Acquisition Agreement

  A-35

Alternative Financing

  A-42

Anti-Money Laundering Laws

  A-11

Antitrust Division

  A-A-1

Antitrust Laws

  A-10

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Blue Sky Laws

  A-A-1

Book-Entry Shares

  A-3

Business Day

  A-A-1

Certificate of Merger

  A-2

Certificates

  A-3

claim

  A-26

Closing

  A-1

Closing Date

  A-2

Code

  A-A-1

Company

  A-1

Company Agreement

  A-40

Company Benefit Plan

  A-13

Company Common Stock

  A-2

Company Disclosure Letter

  A-A-1

Company Equity Awards

  A-A-1

Company ESPP

  A-A-1

Company Material Adverse Effect

  A-A-1

Company Material Contract

  A-17

Company Option

  A-A-3

Company Permits

  A-10

Company Recommendation

  A-A-2

Company Related Parties

  A-50

Company Restricted Stock

  A-A-3

Company SEC Documents

  A-11

Company Stockholder Advisory Vote

  A-9

Company Welfare Plans

  A-39

Competing Proposal

  A-36

Confidentiality Agreement

  A-A-4

Consent

  A-10

Continuing Employees

  A-39

Contract

  A-A-3

control

  A-A-3

Convertible Notes Indenture

  A-44

D&O Indemnified Parties

  A-37

debt

  A-26

Debt Commitment Letter

  A-23

Debt Financing

  A-24

Debt Financing Sources

  A-A-3

DGCL

  A-1

Dissenting Shares

  A-7

Effective Time

  A-2

Environmental Laws

  A-A-3

Environmental Permits

  A-20

Equity Commitment Letter

  A-24

Equity Financing

  A-24

Equity Financing Sources

  A-A-4

ERISA

  A-A-4

ERISA Affiliate

  A-A-14

Exchange Act

  A-A-4

Exchange Fund

  A-3

Excluded Party

  A-37

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Final Purchase Date

  A-6

Financing

  A-24

Financing Agreements

  A-42

Financing Commitments

  A-24

Financing Sources

  A-A-4

GAAP

  A-A-4

Go-Shop Period

  A-33

Governmental Authority

  A-A-4

Guarantors

  A-1

Guaranty

  A-1

Hazardous Materials

  A-A-4

HSR Act

  A-A-4

Insurance Policies

  A-21

Intellectual Property Rights

  A-15

Intervening Event

  A-35

IRS

  A-A-4

Knowledge

  A-A-4

Law

  A-A-4

Leased Real Property

  A-19

Leases

  A-A-5

Lien

  A-A-5

Merger

  A-1

Merger Consideration

  A-3

Merger Litigation

  A-31

Morgan Stanley

  A-20

Non-US Plans

  A-14

Notice of Adverse Recommendation

  A-36

Notice of Superior Proposal

  A-36

Option Cash Payment

  A-5

Order

  A-A-5

Other Company Award Payment

  A-6

Other Company Awards

  A-A-5

Parent

  A-1

Parent Disclosure Letter

  A-A-5

Parent Expenses

  A-51

Parent Material Adverse Effect

  A-A-5

Parent Organizational Documents

  A-A-5

Parent Related Parties

  A-50

Paying Agent

  A-3

Performance Share Award

  A-A-5

Performance Share Award Payment

  A-6

Permitted Lien

  A-A-6

Person

  A-A-6

Post-Closing Plans

  A-39

Post-Closing Welfare Plans

  A-39

Proxy Statement

  A-12

Release

  A-A-6

Representatives

  A-32

Requisite Stockholder Approval

  A-20

Retained Claims

  A-56

Reverse Termination Fee

  A-49

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Sanctioned Country

  A-11

Sanctions

  A-11

Sarbanes-Oxley Act

  A-11

SEC

  A-A-6

Secretary of State

  A-A-6

Securities Act

  A-A-6

Solvent

  A-25

Stockholders' Meeting

  A-30

Subsidiary

  A-A-6

Superior Proposal

  A-37

Surviving Corporation

  A-1

Tax

  A-A-6

Tax Returns

  A-A-7

Taxes

  A-A-6

Termination Date

  A-47

Termination Fee

  A-49

Third Party

  A-A-7

Total Common Merger Consideration

  A-A-7

WARN Act

  A-A-7

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        THIS AGREEMENT AND PLAN OF MERGER, dated as of October 23, 2014 (this "Agreement"), is made by and among Danube Private Holdings II, LLC, a Delaware limited liability company ("Parent"), Danube Private Acquisition Corp., a Delaware corporation and a direct wholly owned Subsidiary of Parent ("Acquisition Sub"), and Digital River, Inc., a Delaware corporation (the "Company").


W I T N E S S E T H:

        WHEREAS, the board of managers of Parent and the respective boards of directors of Acquisition Sub and the Company have approved the acquisition of the Company by Parent upon the terms and subject to the conditions and limitations set forth in this Agreement;

        WHEREAS, the respective boards of directors of the Company and Acquisition Sub have approved and declared advisable, and each of the board of managers of Parent and Parent as the sole stockholder of Acquisition Sub has approved or adopted, this Agreement and the transactions contemplated hereby, including the merger of Acquisition Sub with and into the Company, with the Company surviving as a wholly owned Subsidiary of Parent (the "Merger"), upon the terms and subject to the conditions and limitations set forth in this Agreement and in accordance with the General Corporation Law of the State of Delaware (the "DGCL");

        WHEREAS, concurrently with the execution of this Agreement, and as a condition to the willingness of the Company to enter into this Agreement, Siris Partners II, L.P., a Delaware limited partnership (the "Guarantor"), is entering into a limited guaranty (the "Guaranty") in favor of the Company, dated as of the date hereof, pursuant to which the Guarantor has guaranteed certain obligations of Parent and Acquisition Sub under this Agreement; and

        WHEREAS, each of Parent, Acquisition Sub and the Company desire to make certain representations, warranties, covenants and agreements in connection with the Merger and also to prescribe various conditions to the Merger.

        NOW, THEREFORE, in consideration of the foregoing and the representations, warranties and covenants and subject to the conditions herein contained, and intending to be legally bound hereby, the parties hereto hereby agree as follows:


ARTICLE I

DEFINITIONS

        Section 1.1    Definitions.     Defined terms used in this Agreement have the respective meanings ascribed to them by definition in this Agreement or in Exhibit A.


ARTICLE II

THE MERGER

        Section 2.1    The Merger.     Upon the terms and subject to the conditions of this Agreement, and in accordance with the DGCL, at the Effective Time, Acquisition Sub shall be merged with and into the Company, whereupon the separate existence of Acquisition Sub shall cease, and the Company shall continue as the surviving corporation (the "Surviving Corporation") and a wholly owned Subsidiary of Parent.


        Section 2.2
    The Closing.     Subject to the provisions of Article VII, the closing of the Merger (the "Closing") shall take place at 10:00 a.m. (Chicago time) on a date to be specified by the parties hereto, but no later than the second Business Day after the satisfaction or waiver of the conditions set forth in Article VII (other than those conditions that by their terms are to be satisfied at the Closing, but subject to the satisfaction or waiver of such conditions), at the offices of Skadden, Arps, Slate,

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Meagher & Flom LLP, 155 N. Wacker Drive, Chicago, Illinois 60606, unless another time, date or place is agreed to in writing by the parties hereto (such date being the "Closing Date").


        Section 2.3
    Effective Time.     


        Section 2.4
    Certificate of Incorporation and Bylaws.     


        Section 2.5
    Board of Directors.     The board of directors of the Surviving Corporation effective as of, and immediately following, the Effective Time shall consist of the members of the board of directors of Acquisition Sub immediately prior to the Effective Time, each to hold office in accordance with the certificate of incorporation and bylaws of the Surviving Corporation until the earlier of their death, resignation or removal or until their respective successors are duly elected, designated or qualified, as the case may be.


        Section 2.6
    Officers.     From and after the Effective Time, the officers of the Company at the Effective Time shall be the officers of the Surviving Corporation, until the earlier of their death, resignation or removal or until their respective successors are duly elected or appointed and qualified, as the case may be.


ARTICLE III

EFFECT OF THE MERGER ON CAPITAL STOCK; EXCHANGE OF CERTIFICATES

        Section 3.1    Effect on Securities.     At the Effective Time, by virtue of the Merger and without any action on the part of the Company, Parent, Acquisition Sub or the holders of any securities of the Company or Acquisition Sub:

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        Section 3.2
    Exchange of Certificates.     

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        Section 3.3
    Company Options, Company Restricted Stock, Other Company Awards; Company ESPP; Performance Share Awards.     

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        Section 3.4
    Lost Certificates.     If any Certificate shall have been lost, stolen or destroyed, then upon the making of an affidavit, in form and substance reasonably acceptable to Parent, of that fact by the Person claiming such Certificate to be lost, stolen or destroyed and, if required by Parent, the posting by such Person of a bond, in such reasonable amount as Parent may direct, as indemnity against any claim that may be made against it with respect to such Certificate, the Paying Agent will issue in exchange for such lost, stolen or destroyed Certificate the Merger Consideration to which the holder thereof is entitled pursuant to this Article III.


        Section 3.5
    Dissenting Shares.     Notwithstanding anything to the contrary in Section 3.1(b), to the extent that holders thereof are entitled to appraisal rights under Section 262 of the DGCL, shares of Company Common Stock issued and outstanding immediately prior to the Effective Time and held by a holder who has properly exercised and perfected his or her demand for appraisal rights under Section 262 of the DGCL (the "Dissenting Shares"), shall not be converted into the right to receive the Merger Consideration, but the holders of such Dissenting Shares shall be entitled to receive such consideration as shall be determined pursuant to Section 262 of the DGCL; provided, however, that if any such holder shall have failed to perfect or shall have effectively withdrawn or lost his or her right to appraisal and payment under the DGCL (whether occurring before, at or after the Effective Time), such holder's shares of Company Common Stock shall thereupon be deemed to have been converted as of the Effective Time into the right to receive the Merger Consideration, without any interest thereon, and such shares shall not be deemed to be Dissenting Shares. Any payments required to be made with respect to the Dissenting Shares shall be made by Parent (and not the Company or Acquisition Sub) or, if the Exchange Fund is being administered by the Paying Agent at such time, the Paying Agent, and the Aggregate Merger Consideration (and, if applicable, the Exchange Fund) shall be reduced, on a dollar for dollar basis, as if the holder of such Dissenting Shares had not been a stockholder on the Closing Date. The Company shall give prompt notice to Parent of any demands for appraisal of any shares of Company Common Stock, withdrawals of such demands and any other instruments served pursuant to the DGCL received by the Company relating to appraisal demands, and Parent shall have the right to direct, and otherwise participate in, all negotiations and proceedings with respect to such demands. The Company shall not, without the prior written consent of Parent, make any payment with respect to, or compromise or settle, or offer to compromise or settle, any such demands. Following the Effective Time, the Surviving Corporation will comply with any notice requirements applicable to a merger without a meeting of stockholders pursuant to Section 262 of the DGCL.


        Section 3.6
    Transfers; No Further Ownership Rights.     After the Effective Time, there shall be no registration of transfers on the stock transfer books of the Company of shares of Company Common Stock that were outstanding immediately prior to the Effective Time. If Certificates or Book-Entry Shares are presented to the Surviving Corporation for transfer following the Effective Time, they shall be canceled against delivery of the applicable Merger Consideration, as provided for in Section 3.1(b), for each share of Company Common Stock formerly represented by such Certificates or Book-Entry Shares, subject to applicable Law in the case of Dissenting Shares.

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ARTICLE IV

REPRESENTATIONS AND WARRANTIES OF THE COMPANY

        Except as disclosed in the Company SEC Documents filed by the Company prior to the date of this Agreement (but excluding any risk factor disclosures contained under the heading "Risk Factors," any disclosure of risks included in any "forward-looking statements" disclaimer or any other statements that are similarly cautionary, predictive or forward-looking in nature, in each case, other than any specific factual information contained therein) (provided, that no information disclosed in the Company SEC Documents shall be deemed to modify or qualify the representations and warranties set forth in Section 4.2(a) or Section 4.9(b) ) or as disclosed in the Company Disclosure Letter (subject to Section 9.3(b)), the Company hereby represents and warrants to Parent as follows:


        Section 4.1
    Organization and Qualification; Subsidiaries.     Each of the Company and its Subsidiaries is a corporation or other entity duly organized, validly existing and (to the extent applicable) in good standing under the laws of the jurisdiction of its incorporation or organization and has the requisite entity power and authority to conduct its business as it is now being conducted, except where the failure to be in good standing or to have such power and authority would not have, individually or in the aggregate, a Company Material Adverse Effect. Each of the Company and its Subsidiaries is duly qualified or licensed to do business and is in good standing in each jurisdiction in which the nature of the business conducted by it makes such qualification or licensing necessary, except where the failure to be so duly qualified or licensed and in good standing would not have, individually or in the aggregate, a Company Material Adverse Effect. The Company's Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation (as amended) and Amended and Restated Bylaws, as currently in effect, are included in the Company SEC Documents and the Company is not in violation of any provision of such documents. Section 4.1 of the Company Disclosure Letter sets forth a complete and correct list, as of the date hereof, of each Subsidiary of the Company and its place and form of organization.


        Section 4.2
    Capitalization.     

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        Section 4.3
    Authority Relative to Agreement.     

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        Section 4.4
    No Conflict; Required Filings and Consents.     No consent, approval, license, permit, order or authorization (a "Consent") of, or registration, declaration or filing with, or notice to, any Governmental Authority is required to be obtained or made by or with respect to the Company or any of its Subsidiaries in connection with the execution, delivery and performance of this Agreement by the Company or the consummation of the transactions contemplated hereby by the Company, other than (i) applicable requirements of and filings with the SEC under the Exchange Act, (ii) the filing of the Certificate of Merger with the Secretary of State and appropriate documents with the relevant authorities of the other jurisdictions in which the Company or any of its Subsidiaries is qualified to do business, (iii) applicable requirements under corporation or Blue Sky Laws of various states, (iv) such filings as may be required in connection with the Taxes described in Section 8.6, (v) compliance with applicable rules and regulations of the Nasdaq Stock Market LLC, (vi) compliance with and filings or notifications under the HSR Act and any other applicable U.S. or foreign competition, antitrust, merger control or investment Laws (together with the HSR Act, "Antitrust Laws") and (vii) such other Consents, registrations, declarations, filings or notices the failure of which to be obtained or made would not have, individually or in the aggregate, a Company Material Adverse Effect.


        Section 4.5
    Permits; Compliance With Laws.     

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        Section 4.6
  &