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EXHIBIT 10.1
NETGEAR, INC.
INDEMNIFICATION AGREEMENT
This Indemnification Agreement ("Agreement") is made as of August___,
2000 by and between Netgear, Inc., a Delaware corporation (the "Company"), and
________________ ("Indemnitee").
WHEREAS, the Company and Indemnitee recognize the increasing difficulty
in obtaining directors' and officers' liability insurance, the significant
increases in the cost of such insurance and the general reductions in the
coverage of such insurance;
WHEREAS, the Company and Indemnitee further recognize the substantial
increase in corporate litigation in general, subjecting officers and directors
to expensive litigation risks at the same time as the coverage of liability
insurance has been limited;
WHEREAS, Indemnitee does not regard the current protection available as
adequate under the present circumstances, and Indemnitee and other officers and
directors of the Company may not be willing to continue to serve as officers and
directors without additional protection; and
WHEREAS, the Company desires to attract and retain the services of
highly qualified individuals, such as Indemnitee, to serve as officers and
directors of the Company and to indemnify its officers and directors so as to
provide them with the maximum protection permitted by law.
NOW, THEREFORE, the Company and Indemnitee hereby agree as follows:
1. Indemnification.
(a) Third Party Proceedings. The Company shall indemnify
Indemnitee if Indemnitee is or was a party or is threatened to be made a party
to any threatened, pending or completed action or proceeding, whether civil,
criminal, administrative or investigative (other than an action by or in the
right of the Company) by reason of the fact that Indemnitee is or was a
director, officer, employee or agent of the Company, or any subsidiary of the
Company, by reason of any action or inaction on the part of Indemnitee while an
officer or director or by reason of the fact that Indemnitee is or was serving
at the request of the Company as a director, officer, employee or agent of
another corporation, partnership, joint venture, trust or other enterprise,
against expenses (including attorneys' fees), judgments, fines and amounts paid
in settlement (if such settlement is approved in advance by the Company, which
approval shall not be unreasonably withheld) actually and reasonably incurred by
Indemnitee in connection with such action or proceeding if Indemnitee acted in
good faith and in a manner Indemnitee reasonably believed to be in or not
opposed to the best interests of the Company, and, with respect to any criminal
action or proceeding, had no reasonable cause to believe Indemnitee's conduct
was unlawful. The termination of any action, suit or proceeding by judgment,
order, settlement, conviction, or upon a plea of nolo contendere or its
equivalent, shall not, of itself, create a presumption that (i) Indemnitee did
not act in good faith, (ii) Indemnitee did not act in a manner which Indemnitee
reasonably believed to be in or not opposed to
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the best interests of the Company, or (iii) with respect to any criminal action
or proceeding, Indemnitee had no reasonable cause to believe that Indemnitee's
conduct was unlawful.
(b) Proceedings By or in the Right of the Company. The Company
shall indemnify Indemnitee if Indemnitee was or is a party or is threatened to
be made a party to any threatened, pending or completed action or suit by or in
the right of the Company or any subsidiary of the Company to procure a judgment
in its favor by reason of the fact that Indemnitee is or was a director,
officer, employee or agent of the Company, or any subsidiary of the Company, by
reason of any action or inaction on the part of Indemnitee while an officer or
director or by reason of the fact that Indemnitee is or was serving at the
request of the Company as a director, officer, employee or agent of another
corporation, partnership, joint venture, trust or other enterprise, against
expenses (including attorneys' fees) and, to the fullest extent permitted by
law, amounts paid in settlement, in each case to the extent actually and
reasonably incurred by Indemnitee in connection with the defense or settlement
of such action or proceeding if Indemnitee acted in good faith and in a manner
Indemnitee reasonably believed to be in or not opposed to the best interests of
the Company and its stockholders, except that no indemnification shall be made
in respect of any claim, issue or matter as to which Indemnitee shall have been
adjudged to be liable to the Company in the performance of Indemnitee's duty to
the Company and its stockholders unless and only to the extent that the court in
which such action or suit is or was pending shall determine upon application
that, in view of all the circumstances of the case, Indemnitee is fairly and
reasonably entitled to indemnity for such expenses and then only to the extent
that the court shall determine.
2. Agreement to Serve. In consideration of the protection afforded by
this Agreement, if Indemnitee is a director of the Company, he agrees to serve
at least for the balance of the current term as a director and not to resign
voluntarily during such period without the written consent of a majority of the
Board of Directors. If Indemnitee is an officer of the Company not serving under
an employment contract, he agrees to serve in such capacity at least for the
balance of the current fiscal year of the Company and not to resign voluntarily
during such period without the written consent of a majority of the Board of
Directors. Following the applicable period set forth above, Indemnitee agrees to
continue to serve in such capacity at the will of the Company (or under separate
agreement, if such agreement exists) so long as he is duly appointed or elected
and qualified in accordance with the applicable provisions of the Bylaws of the
Company or any subsidiary of the Company or until such time as he tenders his
resignation in writing. Nothing contained in this Agreement is intended to or
shall create in Indemnitee any right to continued employment.
3. Expenses; Indemnification Procedure.
(a) Advancement of Expenses. The Company shall advance all
expenses incurred by Indemnitee in connection with the investigation, defense,
settlement or appeal of any civil or criminal action or proceeding referenced in
Section 1(a) or (b) hereof (but not amounts actually paid in settlement of any
such action or proceeding). Indemnitee hereby undertakes to repay such expenses
advanced only if, and to the extent that, it shall ultimately be determined that
Indemnitee is not entitled to be indemnified by the Company as authorized
hereby. The advances to be made hereunder shall be paid by the Company to
Indemnitee within twenty (20) days following delivery of a written request
therefor by Indemnitee to the Company.
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(b) Notice/Cooperation by Indemnitee. Indemnitee shall, as a
condition precedent to his right to be indemnified under this Agreement, give
the Company notice in writing as soon as practicable of any claim made against
Indemnitee for which indemnification will or could be sought under this
Agreement. Notice to the Company shall be directed to the Chief Executive
Officer of the Company at the address shown on the signature page of this
Agreement (or such other address as the Company shall designate in writing to
Indemnitee). Notice shall be deemed received three (3) business days after the
date postmarked if sent by domestic certified or registered mail, properly
addressed; otherwise notice shall be deemed received when such notice shall
actually be received by the Company. In addition, Indemnitee shall give the
Company such information and cooperation as it may reasonably require and as
shall be within Indemnitee's power.
(c) Procedure. Any indemnification provided for in Section 1
shall be made no later than forty-five (45) days after receipt of the written
request of Indemnitee. If a claim under this Agreement, under any statute, or
under any provision of the Company's Certificate of Incorporation or Bylaws
providing for indemnification, is not paid in full by the Company within
forty-five (45) days after a written request for payment thereof has first been
received by the Company, Indemnitee may, but need not, at any time thereafter
submit his claim to arbitration as described in Section 14 to recover the unpaid
amount of the claim and, subject to Section 15 of this Agreement, Indemnitee
shall also be entitled to be paid for the expenses (including attorneys' fees)
of bringing such claim. It shall be a defense to any such action (other than a
claim brought for expenses incurred in connection with any action or proceeding
in advance of its final disposition) that Indemnitee has not met the standards
of conduct which make it permissible under applicable law for the Company to
indemnify Indemnitee for the amount claimed, but the burden of proving such
defense shall be on the Company, and Indemnitee shall be entitled to receive
interim payments of expenses pursuant to Section 3(a) unless and until such
defense may be finally adjudicated by court order or judgment from which no
further right of appeal exists or an arbitration panel as described in Section
14. It is the parties' intention that if the Company contests Indemnitee's right
to indemnification, the question of Indemnitee's right to indemnification shall
be for the court or arbitration panel to decide, and neither the failure of the
Company (including its Board of Directors, any committee or subgroup of the
Board of Directors, independent legal counsel, or its stockholders) to have made
a determination that indemnification of Indemnitee is proper in the
circumstances because Indemnitee has met the applicable standard of conduct
required by applicable law, nor an actual determination by the Company
(including its Board of Directors, any committee or subgroup of the Board of
Directors, independent legal counsel, or its stockholders) that Indemnitee has
not met such applicable standard of conduct, shall create a presumption that
Indemnitee has or has not met the applicable standard of conduct.
(d) Notice to Insurers. If, at the time of the receipt of a
notice of a claim pursuant to Section 3(b) hereof, the Company has director and
officer liability insurance in effect, the Company shall give prompt notice of
the commencement of such proceeding to the insurers in accordance with the
procedures set forth in the respective policies. The Company shall thereafter
take all necessary or desirable action to cause such insurers to pay, on behalf
of the Indemnitee, all amounts payable as a result of such proceeding in
accordance with the terms of such policies.
(e) Selection of Counsel. In the event the Company shall be
obligated under Section 3(a) hereof to pay the expenses of any proceeding
against Indemnitee, the Company, if
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appropriate, shall be entitled to assume the defense of such proceeding, with
counsel approved by Indemnitee, which approval shall not be unreasonably
withheld, upon the delivery to Indemnitee of written notice of its election so
to do. After delivery of such notice, approval of such counsel by Indemnitee and
the retention of such counsel by the Company, the Company will not be liable to
Indemnitee under this Agreement for any fees of counsel subsequently incurred by
Indemnitee with respect to the same proceeding, provided that (i) Indemnitee
shall have the right to employ his own counsel in any such proceeding at
Indemnitee's expense; and (ii) if (A) the employment of counsel by Indemnitee
has been previously authorized by the Company, (B) Indemnitee shall have
reasonably concluded that there may be a conflict of interest between the
Company and Indemnitee in the conduct of any such defense or (C) the Company
shall not, in fact, have employed counsel to assume the defense of such
proceeding, then the fees and expenses of Indemnitee's counsel shall be at the
expense of the Company.
4. Additional Indemnification Rights; Nonexclusivity.
(a) Scope. Notwithstanding any other provision of this Agreement,
the Company hereby agrees to indemnify the Indemnitee to the fullest extent
permitted by law, notwithstanding that such indemnification is not specifically
authorized by the other provisions of this Agreement, the Company's Certificate
of Incorporation, the Company's Bylaws or by statute. In the event of any
change, after the date of this Agreement, in any applicable law, statute or rule
which expands the right of a Delaware corporation to indemnify a member of its
Board of Directors or an officer, such changes shall be, ipso facto, within the
purview of Indemnitee's rights and Company's obligations under this Agreement.
In the event of any change in any applicable law, statute or rule which narrows
the right of a Delaware corporation to indemnify a member of its Board of
Directors or an officer, such changes, to the extent not otherwise required by
such law, statute or rule to be applied to this Agreement shall have no effect
on this Agreement or the parties' rights and obligations hereunder.
(b) Nonexclusivity. The indemnification provided by this
Agreement shall not be deemed exclusive of any rights to which Indemnitee may be
entitled under the Company's Certificate of Incorporation, its Bylaws, any
agreement, any vote of stockholders or disinterested directors, the General
Corporation Law of the State of Delaware, or otherwise, both as to action in
Indemnitee's official capacity and as to action in another capacity while
holding such office. The indemnification provided under this Agreement shall
continue as to Indemnitee for any action taken or not taken while serving in an
indemnified capacity even though he may have ceased to serve in such capacity at
the time of any action or other covered proceeding.
5. Partial Indemnification. If Indemnitee is entitled under any
provision of this Agreement to indemnification by the Company for some or a
portion of the expenses, judgments, fines, penalties or amounts paid in
settlement actually or reasonably incurred by him in the investigation, defense,
appeal or settlement of any civil or criminal action or proceeding, but not,
however, for the total amount thereof, the Company shall nevertheless indemnify
Indemnitee for the portion of such expenses, judgments, fines or penalties to
which Indemnitee is entitled.
6. Mutual Acknowledgement. Both the Company and Indemnitee acknowledge
that in certain instances, Federal law or applicable public policy may prohibit
the Company from
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indemnifying its directors and officers under this Agreement or otherwise.
Indemnitee understands and acknowledges that the Company has undertaken or may
be required in the future to undertake with the Securities and Exchange
Commission to submit the question of indemnification to a court in certain
circumstances for a determination of the Company's right under public policy to
indemnify Indemnitee.
7. Directors' and Officers' Liability Insurance. The Company shall, from
time to time, make a good faith determination whether or not it is practicable
for the Company to obtain and maintain a policy or policies of insurance with
reputable insurance companies providing the officers and directors of the
Company with coverage for losses from wrongful acts, or to ensure the Company's
performance of its indemnification obligations under this Agreement. Among other
considerations, the Company will weigh the costs of obtaining such insurance
coverage against the protection afforded by such coverage. In all policies of
directors' and officers' liability insurance, Indemnitee shall be named as an
insured in such a manner as to provide Indemnitee the same rights and benefits
as are accorded to the most favorably insured of the Company's directors, if
Indemnitee is a director; or of the Company's officers, if Indemnitee is not a
director of the Company but is an officer; or of the Company's key employees, if
Indemnitee is not an officer or director but is a key employee. Notwithstanding
the foregoing, the Company shall have no obligation to obtain or maintain such
insurance if the Company determines in good faith that such insurance is not
reasonably available, if the premium costs for such insurance are
disproportionate to the amount of coverage provided, if the coverage provided by
such insurance is limited by exclusions so as to provide an insufficient
benefit, or if Indemnitee is covered by similar insurance maintained by a
subsidiary or parent of the Company.
8. Severability. Nothing in this Agreement is intended to require or
shall be construed as requiring the Company to do or fail to do any act in
violation of applicable law. The Company's inability, pursuant to court order,
to perform its obligations under this Agreement shall not constitute a breach of
this Agreement. The provisions of this Agreement shall be severable as provided
in this Section 8. If this Agreement or any portion hereof shall be invalidated
on any ground by any court of competent jurisdiction, then the Company shall
nevertheless indemnify Indemnitee to the full extent permitted by any applicable
portion of this Agreement that shall not have been invalidated, and the balance
of this Agreement not so invalidated shall be enforceable in accordance with its
terms.
9. Exceptions. Any other provision herein to the contrary
notwithstanding, the Company shall not be obligated pursuant to the terms of
this Agreement:
(a) Excluded Acts. To indemnify Indemnitee for any acts or
omissions or transactions from which a director may not be indemnified under the
Delaware General Corporation Law; or
(b) Claims Initiated by Indemnitee. To indemnify or advance
expenses to Indemnitee with respect to proceedings or claims initiated or
brought voluntarily by Indemnitee and not by way of defense, except with respect
to proceedings brought to establish or enforce a right to indemnification under
this Agreement or any other statute or law or otherwise as required under
Section 145 of the Delaware General Corporation Law, but such indemnification or
advancement of
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expenses may be provided by the Company in specific cases if the Board of
Directors has approved the initiation or bringing of such claim; or
(c) Lack of Good Faith. To indemnify Indemnitee for any expenses
incurred by the Indemnitee with respect to any proceeding instituted by
Indemnitee to enforce or interpret this Agreement, if a court of competent
jurisdiction or the arbitration panel determines that each of the material
assertions made by the Indemnitee in such proceeding was not made in good faith
or was frivolous; or
(d) Insured Claims. To indemnify Indemnitee for expenses or
liabilities of any type whatsoever (including, but not limited to, judgments,
fines, ERISA excise taxes or penalties, and amounts paid in settlement) which
have been paid directly to Indemnitee by an insurance carrier under a policy of
directors' and officers' liability insurance maintained by the Company; or
(e) Claims Under Section 16(b). To indemnify Indemnitee for
expenses and the payment of profits arising from the purchase and sale by
Indemnitee of securities in violation of Section 16(b) of the Securities
Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, or any similar successor statute.
10. Effectiveness of Agreement. To the extent that the indemnification
permitted under the terms of certain provisions of this Agreement exceeds the
scope of the indemnification provided for in the Delaware General Corporation
Law, such provisions shall not be effective unless and until the Company's
Certificate of Incorporation authorizes such additional rights of
indemnification. In all other respects, the balance of this Agreement shall be
effective as of the date set forth on the first page and may apply to acts or
omissions of Indemnitee which occurred prior to such date if Indemnitee was an
officer, director, employee or other agent of the Company, or was serving at the
request of the Company as a director, officer, employee or agent of another
corporation, partnership, joint venture, trust or other enterprise, at the time
such act or omission occurred.
11. Construction of Certain Phrases.
(a) For purposes of this Agreement, references to the "Company"
shall include, in addition to the resulting corporation, any constituent
corporation (including any constituent of a constituent) absorbed in a
consolidation or merger which, if its separate existence had continued, would
have had power and authority to indemnify its directors, officers, employees or
agents, so that if Indemnitee is or was a director, officer, employee or agent
of such constituent corporation, or is or was serving at the request of such
constituent corporation as a director, officer, employee or agent of another
corporation, partnership, joint venture, trust or other enterprise, Indemnitee
shall stand in the same position under the provisions of this Agreement with
respect to the resulting or surviving corporation as Indemnitee would have with
respect to such constituent corporation if its separate existence had continued.
(b) For purposes of this Agreement, references to "other
enterprises" shall include employee benefit plans; references to "fines" shall
include any excise taxes assessed on Indemnitee with respect to an employee
benefit plan; and references to "serving at the request of the Company" shall
include any service as a director, officer, employee or agent of the Company
which imposes
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duties on, or involves services by, such director, officer, employee or agent
with respect to an employee benefit plan, its participants, or beneficiaries.
12. Counterparts. This Agreement may be executed in one or more
counterparts, each of which shall constitute an original.
13. Successors and Assigns. This Agreement shall be binding upon the
Company and its successors and assigns, and shall inure to the benefit of
Indemnitee and Indemnitee's estate, heirs, legal representatives and assigns.
14. Arbitration. It is understood and agreed that the Company and
Indemnitee shall carry out this Agreement in the spirit of mutual cooperation
and good faith and that any differences, disputes or controversies shall be
resolved and settled amicably among the parties hereto. In the event that the
dispute, controversy or difference is not so settled in the above manner within
forty-five (45) days, then the matter shall be exclusively submitted to
arbitration in Santa Clara County, California before three independent
technically qualified arbitrators in accordance with the Commercial Arbitration
Rules of the American Arbitration Association and under the laws of Delaware,
without reference to conflict of laws principles. Subject to Sections 1(b) and
6, arbitration shall be the exclusive forum and the decision and award by the
arbitrator(s) shall be final and binding upon the parties concerned and may be
entered in any state court of California having jurisdiction.
15. Attorneys' Fees. In the event that any action is instituted or claim
is submitted to arbitration by Indemnitee under this Agreement to enforce or
interpret any of the terms hereof, Indemnitee shall be entitled to be paid all
court costs and expenses, including reasonable attorneys' fees, incurred by
Indemnitee with respect to such action or arbitration, unless as a part of such
action, a court of competent jurisdiction or the arbitrator(s) determines that
each of the material assertions made by Indemnitee as a basis for such claim
were not made in good faith or were frivolous. In the event of an action
instituted or a claim submitted to arbitration by or in the name of the Company
under this Agreement or to enforce or interpret any of the terms of this
Agreement, Indemnitee shall be entitled to be paid all court costs and expenses,
including attorneys' fees, incurred by Indemnitee in defense of such action or
claim (including with respect to Indemnitee's counterclaims and cross-claims
made in such action or arbitration), unless as a part of such action the court
or the arbitrator(s) determines that each of Indemnitee's material defenses to
such action or claim were made in bad faith or were frivolous.
16. Notice. All notices, requests, demands and other communications
under this Agreement shall be in writing and shall be deemed duly given (i) if
delivered by hand and receipted for by the party addressee, on the date of such
receipt, or (ii) if mailed by domestic certified or registered mail with postage
prepaid, on the third business day after the date postmarked. Addresses for
notice to either party are as shown on the signature page of this Agreement, or
as subsequently modified by written notice.
17. Consent to Jurisdiction. The Company and Indemnitee each hereby
irrevocably consent to the jurisdiction of the courts of the State of California
for all purposes in connection with any proceeding which arises out of or
relates to this Agreement and agree that any action instituted
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under this Agreement shall be brought only in the state courts of the State of
California in Santa Clara County and that any arbitration proceeding which
arises out of or relates to this Agreement shall be held in Santa Clara County,
California.
18. Choice of Law. This Agreement shall be governed by and its
provisions construed in accordance with the laws of the State of Delaware as
applied to contracts between Delaware residents entered into and performed
entirely within Delaware.
19. Subrogation. In the event of payment under this Agreement, the
Company shall be subrogated to the extent of such payment to all of the rights
of recovery of Indemnitee, who shall execute all documents required and shall do
all acts that may be necessary to secure such rights and to enable the
corporation effectively to bring suit to enforce such rights.
20. Continuation of Indemnification. All agreements and obligations of
the Company contained herein shall continue during the period that Indemnitee is
a director, officer or agent of the Company and shall continue thereafter so
long as Indemnitee shall be subject to any possible claim or threatened, pending
or completed action, suit or proceeding, whether civil, criminal, arbitrational,
administrative or investigative, by reason of the fact that Indemnitee was
serving in the capacity referred to herein.
21. Amendment and Termination. Subject to Section 20, no amendment,
modification, termination or cancellation of this Agreement shall be effective
unless in writing signed by both parties hereto.
22. Integration and Entire Agreement. This Agreement (a) sets forth the
entire understanding between the parties, (b) supersedes all previous written or
oral negotiations, commitments, understandings and agreements relating to the
subject matter hereof and (c) merges all prior and contemporaneous discussions
between the parties.
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IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties hereto have executed this Agreement as
of the date first above written.
NETGEAR, INC.
By:
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Title:
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Address:
4401 Great America Parkway
P.O. Box 58185
Santa Clara, CA 95052
AGREED TO AND ACCEPTED:
INDEMNITEE:
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Signature
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Print Name
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Address