EXHIBIT 1.1
OHS DRAFT
1/26/98
[Form of Underwriting Agreement - Subject to Additional Review]
2,000,000 Shares of Common Stock and
1,000,000 Redeemable Common Stock Purchase Warrant
SONIC FOUNDRY, INC.
UNDERWRITING AGREEMENT
----------------------
New York, New York
, 1998
DIRKS & COMPANY, INC.
SECURITY CAPITAL TRADING CORP.
As Representatives of the
several Underwriters named
in Schedule A to Exhibit A
annexed hereto
520 Madison Avenue
10th Floor
New York, New York 10022
Ladies and Gentlemen:
Sonic Foundry, Inc., a Maryland corporation (the "Company"), confirms its
agreement with Dirks & Company, Inc. ("Dirks") and Security Capital Trading
Corp. ("Security Capital") and each of the underwriters named in Schedule A
hereto (collectively, the "Underwriters," which term shall also include any
underwriter substituted as hereinafter provided in Section 11), for whom Dirks
and Security Capital are acting as Representatives (in such capacity, Dirks and
Security Capital shall hereinafter be referred to as "you" or the
"Representatives"), with respect to the sale by the Company and the purchase by
the Underwriters, acting severally and not jointly, of the respective number of
shares ("Shares") of the Company's common stock, $0.01 par value per share
("Common Stock"), and redeemable common stock purchase warrants (the "Redeemable
Warrants"), each to purchase one share of Common Stock set forth in Schedule A
hereto. The aggregate 2,000,000 shares of Common Stock and 1,000,000 Redeemable
Warrants
will be separately tradable upon issuance and are hereinafter referred
to as the "Firm Securities." Each Redeemable Warrant is exercisable commencing
on ____________, 1998 [6 months from the date of this Agreement] until
____________, 2003 [60 months from the date of this Agreement], unless
previously redeemed by the Company, at an initial exercise price of $_______
[150% of the initial public offering price per share of Common Stock] per share
of Common Stock. The Redeemable Warrants may be redeemed by the Company at a
redemption price of $.10 per Redeemable Warrant at any time after _____________,
1999 [18 months from the date of this Agreement] on thirty (30) days' prior
written notice, provided that the closing bid price of the Common Stock equals
or exceeds $20.00 per share, for any twenty (20) trading days within a period of
thirty (30) consecutive trading days ending on the fifth trading day prior to
the notice of redemption, all in accordance with the terms and conditions of the
Warrant Agreement (herein defined).
Upon your request, as provided in Section 2(b) of this Agreement, the
Company shall also issue and sell to the Underwriters, acting severally and not
jointly, up to an additional 300,000 shares of Common Stock and/or 150,000
Redeemable Warrants for the purpose of covering over-allotments, if any. Such
300,000 shares of Common Stock and 150,000 Redeemable Warrants are hereinafter
collectively to as the "Option Securities." The Company also proposes to issue
and sell to you warrants (the "Representatives' Warrants") pursuant to the
Representatives' Warrant Agreement (the "Representatives' Warrant Agreement")
for the purchase of an additional 200,000 shares of Common Stock and/or 100,000
Redeemable Warrants. The shares of Common Stock and Redeemable Warrants
issuable upon exercise of the Representatives' Warrants are hereinafter referred
to as the "Representatives' Securities." The Firm Securities, the Option
Securities, the Representatives' Warrants and the Representatives' Securities
(collectively, hereinafter referred to as the "Securities") are more fully
described in the Registration Statement and the Prospectus referred to below.
1. Representations and Warranties of the Company. The Company represents
and warrants to, and agrees with, each of the Underwriters as of the date
hereof, and as of the Closing Date (as hereinafter defined) and each Option
Closing Date (as hereinafter defined), if any, as follows:
(a) The Company has prepared and filed with the Securities and
Exchange Commission (the "Commission") a registration statement, and an
amendment or amendments thereto, on Form SB-2 (No. 333-_________), including any
related preliminary prospectus ("Preliminary Prospectus"), for the registration
of the Firm Securities, the Option Securities and the Representatives'
Securities under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the "Act"), which
registration statement and amendment or amendments have been prepared by the
Company in conformity with the requirements of the Act, and the rules and
regulations (the "Regulations") of the Commission under the Act. The Company
will promptly file a further amendment to said registration statement in the
form heretofore delivered to the Underwriters and will not file any other
amendment thereto to which the Underwriters shall have objected in writing after
having been furnished with a copy thereof. Except as the context may otherwise
require, such registration statement, as amended, on file with the Commission at
the time the registration statement becomes effective (including the prospectus,
financial statements, schedules, exhibits and all other documents filed as a
part thereof or incorporated therein (including, but not limited to those
documents or information incorporated by reference therein) and all information
deemed
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to be a part thereof as of such time pursuant to paragraph (b) of Rule 430(A) of
the Regulations), is hereinafter called the "Registration Statement", and the
form of prospectus in the form first filed with the Commission pursuant to Rule
424(b) of the Regulations, is hereinafter called the "Prospectus." For purposes
hereof, "Rules and Regulations" mean the rules and regulations adopted by the
Commission under either the Act or the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as
amended (the "Exchange Act"), as applicable.
(b) Neither the Commission nor any state regulatory authority has
issued any order preventing or suspending the use of any Preliminary Prospectus,
the Registration Statement or Prospectus or any part of any thereof and no
proceedings for a stop order suspending the effectiveness of the Registration
Statement or any of the Company's securities have been instituted or are pending
or threatened. Each of the Preliminary Prospectus, the Registration Statement
and Prospectus at the time of filing thereof conformed with the requirements of
the Act and the Rules and Regulations, and none of the Preliminary Prospectus,
the Registration Statement or Prospectus at the time of filing thereof contained
an untrue statement of a material fact or omitted to state a material fact
required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein, in
light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading, except
that this representation and warranty does not apply to statements made in
reliance upon and in conformity with written information furnished to the
Company with respect to the Underwriters by or on behalf of the Underwriters
expressly for use in such Preliminary Prospectus, Registration Statement or
Prospectus or any amendment thereof or supplement thereto.
(c) When the Registration Statement becomes effective and at all times
subsequent thereto up to the Closing Date (as defined herein) and each Option
Closing Date (as defined herein), if any, and during such longer period as the
Prospectus may be required to be delivered in connection with sales by the
Underwriters or a dealer, the Registration Statement and the Prospectus will
contain all statements which are required to be stated therein in accordance
with the Act and the Rules and Regulations, and will conform to the requirements
of the Act and the Rules and Regulations; neither the Registration Statement nor
the Prospectus, nor any amendment or supplement thereto, will contain any untrue
statement of a material fact or omit to state any material fact required to be
stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein, in light of the
circumstances under which they were made, not misleading, provided, however,
that this representation and warranty does not apply to statements made or
statements omitted in reliance upon and in strict conformity with information
furnished to the Company in writing by or on behalf of any Underwriter expressly
for use in the Preliminary Prospectus, Registration Statement or Prospectus or
any amendment thereof or supplement thereto.
(d) The Company has been duly organized and is validly existing as a
corporation in good standing under the laws of the state of its incorporation.
Except as set forth in the Prospectus, the Company does not own an interest in
any corporation, partnership, trust, joint venture or other business entity.
The Company is duly qualified and licensed and in good standing as a foreign
corporation in each jurisdiction in which its ownership or leasing of any
properties or the character of its operations requires such qualification or
licensing. The Company has all requisite power and authority (corporate and
other), and has obtained any and all necessary authorizations, approvals,
orders, licenses, certificates, franchises and permits of and from all
governmental or regulatory officials and bodies (including, without limitation,
those
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having jurisdiction over environmental or similar matters), to own or
lease its properties and conduct its business as described in the Prospectus;
the Company is and has been doing business in compliance with all such
authorizations, approvals, orders, licenses, certificates, franchises and
permits and all applicable federal, state, local and foreign laws, rules and
regulations; and the Company has not received any notice of proceedings relating
to the revocation or modification of any such authorization, approval, order,
license, certificate, franchise, or permit which, singly or in the aggregate, if
the subject of an unfavorable decision, ruling or finding, would materially and
adversely affect the condition, financial or otherwise, or the earnings,
position, prospects, value, operation, properties, business or results of
operations of the Company. The disclosures in the Registration Statement
concerning the effects of federal, state, local, and foreign laws, rules and
regulations on the Company's business as currently conducted and as contemplated
are correct in all material respects and do not omit to state a material fact
required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements contained
therein not misleading in light of the circumstances under which they were made.
(e) The Company has a duly authorized, issued and outstanding
capitalization as set forth in the Prospectus under "Capitalization" and
"Description of Securities" and will have the adjusted capitalization set forth
therein on the Closing Date and each Option Closing Date, if any, based upon the
assumptions set forth therein, and the Company is not a party to or bound by any
instrument, agreement or other arrangement providing for it to issue any capital
stock, rights, warrants, options or other securities, except for this Agreement,
the Warrant Agreement, the Representatives' Warrant Agreement and as described
in the Prospectus. The Securities and all other securities issued or issuable
by the Company conform or, when issued and paid for, will conform, in all
respects to all statements with respect thereto contained in the Registration
Statement and the Prospectus. All issued and outstanding securities of the
Company have been duly authorized and validly issued and are fully paid and non-
assessable and the holders thereof have no rights of rescission with respect
thereto, and are not subject to personal liability by reason of being such
holders; and none of such securities were issued in violation of the preemptive
rights of any holders of any security of the Company or similar contractual
rights granted by the Company. The Securities are not and will not be subject
to any preemptive or other similar rights of any stockholder, have been duly
authorized and, when issued, paid for and delivered in accordance with the terms
hereof, will be validly issued, fully paid and non-assessable and will conform
to the description thereof contained in the Prospectus; the holders thereof will
not be subject to any liability solely as such holders; all corporate action
required to be taken for the authorization, issue and sale of the Securities has
been duly and validly taken; and the certificates representing the Securities
will be in due and proper form. Upon the issuance and delivery pursuant to the
terms hereof of the Securities to be sold by the Company hereunder, the
Underwriters or the Representatives, as the case may be, will acquire good and
marketable title to such Securities free and clear of any lien, charge, claim,
encumbrance, pledge, security interest, defect or other restriction or equity of
any kind whatsoever.
(f) The financial statements of the Company, together with the related
notes and schedules thereto, included in the Registration Statement, each
Preliminary Prospectus and the Prospectus fairly present the financial position,
income, changes in cash flow, changes in stockholders' equity and the results of
operations of the Company at the respective dates and for the respective periods
to which they apply and such financial statements have been prepared in
conformity with generally accepted accounting principles and the Rules and
Regulations,
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consistently applied throughout the periods involved and such financial
statements as are audited have been examined by Ernst & Young LLP, who are
independent certified public accountants within the meaning of the Act and the
Rules and Regulations, as indicated in their reports filed therewith. There has
been no adverse change or development involving a prospective adverse change in
the condition, financial or otherwise, or in the earnings, position, prospects,
value, operation, properties, business, or results of operations of the Company,
whether or not arising in the ordinary course of business, since the date of the
financial statements included in the Registration Statement and the Prospectus
and the outstanding debt, the property, both tangible and intangible, and the
business of the Company, conform in all material respects to the descriptions
thereof contained in the Registration Statement and the Prospectus. Financial
information (including, without limitation, any pro forma financial information)
set forth in the Prospectus under the headings "Summary Financial Data,"
"Selected Financial Data," "Capitalization," and "Management's Discussion and
Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations," fairly present, on
the basis stated in the Prospectus, the information set forth therein, and have
been derived from or compiled on a basis consistent with that of the audited
financial statements included in the Prospectus; and, in the case of pro forma
financial information, if any, the assumptions used in the preparation thereof
are reasonable and the adjustments used therein are appropriate to give effect
to the transactions and circumstances referred to therein. The amounts shown as
accrued for current and deferred income and other taxes in such financial
statements are sufficient for the payment of all accrued and unpaid federal,
state, local and foreign income taxes, interest, penalties, assessments or
deficiencies applicable to the Company, whether disputed or not, for the
applicable period then ended and periods prior thereto; adequate allowance for
doubtful accounts has been provided for unindemnified losses due to the
operations of the Company; and the statements of income do not contain any items
of special or nonrecurring income not earned in the ordinary course of business,
except as specified in the notes thereto.
(g) The Company (i) has paid all federal, state, local, and foreign
taxes for which it is liable, including, but not limited to, withholding taxes
and amounts payable under Chapters 21 through 24 of the Internal Revenue Code of
1986, as amended (the "Code"), and has furnished all information returns it is
required to furnish pursuant to the Code, (ii) has established adequate reserves
for such taxes which are not due and payable, and (iii) does not have any tax
deficiency or claims outstanding, proposed or assessed against it.
(h) No transfer tax, stamp duty or other similar tax is payable by or
on behalf of the Underwriters in connection with (i) the issuance by the Company
of the Securities, (ii) the purchase by the Underwriters of the Firm Securities
and the Option Securities from the Company and the purchase by the
Representatives of the Representatives' Warrants from the Company, (iii) the
consummation by the Company of any of its obligations under this Agreement, or
(iv) resales of the Firm Securities and the Option Securities in connection with
the distribution contemplated hereby.
(i) The Company maintains insurance policies, including, but not
limited to, general liability, malpractice and property insurance, which insures
each of the Company and its employees, against such losses and risks generally
insured against by comparable businesses. The Company (A) has not failed to
give notice or present any insurance claim with respect to any matter, including
but not limited to the Company's business, property or employees, under any
5
insurance policy or surety bond in a due and timely manner, (B) does not have
any disputes or claims against any underwriter of such insurance policies or
surety bonds or has failed to pay any premiums due and payable thereunder, or
(C) has failed to comply with all conditions contained in such insurance
policies and surety bonds. There are no facts or circumstances under any such
insurance policy or surety bond which would relieve any insurer of its
obligation to satisfy in full any valid claim of the Company.
(j) There is no action, suit, proceeding, inquiry, arbitration,
investigation, litigation or governmental proceeding (including, without
limitation, those having jurisdiction over environmental or similar matters),
domestic or foreign, pending or threatened against (or circumstances that may
give rise to the same), or involving the properties or business of, the Company
which (i) questions the validity of the capital stock of the Company, this
Agreement, the Warrant Agreement or the Representatives' Warrant Agreement, or
of any action taken or to be taken by the Company pursuant to or in connection
with this Agreement, the Warrant Agreement or the Representatives' Warrant
Agreement, (ii) is required to be disclosed in the Registration Statement which
is not so disclosed (and such proceedings as are summarized in the Registration
Statement are accurately summarized in all material respects), or (iii) might
materially and adversely affect the condition, financial or otherwise, or the
earnings, position, prospects, stockholders' equity, value, operation,
properties, business or results of operations of the Company.
(k) The Company has full legal right, power and authority to
authorize, issue, deliver and sell the Securities, enter into this Agreement,
the Warrant Agreement and the Representatives' Warrant Agreement and to
consummate the transactions provided for in this Agreement, the Warrant
Agreement and the Representatives' Warrant Agreement; and this Agreement, the
Warrant Agreement and the Representatives' Warrant Agreement have each been duly
and properly authorized, executed and delivered by the Company. Each of this
Agreement, the Warrant Agreement and the Representatives' Warrant Agreement
constitutes a legal, valid and binding agreement of the Company enforceable
against the Company in accordance with its terms, and none of the Company's
issue and sale of the Securities, execution or delivery of this Agreement, the
Warrant Agreement or the Representatives' Warrant Agreement, its performance
hereunder and thereunder, its consummation of the transactions contemplated
herein and therein, or the conduct of its business as described in the
Registration Statement, the Prospectus, and any amendments or supplements
thereto, conflicts with or will conflict with or results or will result in any
breach or violation of any of the terms or provisions of, or constitutes or will
constitute a default under, or result in the creation or imposition of any lien,
charge, claim, encumbrance, pledge, security interest, defect or other
restriction or equity of any kind whatsoever upon, any property or assets
(tangible or intangible) of the Company pursuant to the terms of (i) the
certificate of incorporation or by-laws of the Company, (ii) any license,
contract, collective bargaining agreement, indenture, mortgage, deed of trust,
lease, voting trust agreement, stockholders agreement, note, loan or credit
agreement or any other agreement or instrument to which the Company is a party
or by which the Company is or may be bound or to which its or assets (tangible
or intangible) is or may be subject, or any indebtedness, or (iii) any statute,
judgment, decree, order, rule or regulation applicable to the Company of any
arbitrator, court, regulatory body or administrative agency or other
governmental agency or body (including, without limitation, those having
jurisdiction over environmental or similar matters), domestic or foreign, having
jurisdiction over the Company or any of its activities or properties.
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(l) No consent, approval, authorization or order of, and no filing
with, any court, regulatory body, government agency or other body, domestic or
foreign, is required for the issuance of the Securities pursuant to the
Prospectus and the Registration Statement, the performance of this Agreement,
the Warrant Agreement and the Representatives' Warrant Agreement and the
transactions contemplated hereby and thereby, including without limitation, any
waiver of any preemptive, first refusal or other rights that any entity or
person may have for the issue and/or sale of any of the Securities, except such
as have been or may be obtained under the Act or may be required under state
securities or Blue Sky laws in connection with the Underwriters' purchase and
distribution of the Firm Securities and the Option Securities, and the
Representatives' Warrants to be sold by the Company hereunder.
(m) All executed agreements, contracts or other documents or copies of
executed agreements, contracts or other documents filed as exhibits to the
Registration Statement to which the Company is a party or by which it or they
may be bound or to which its or their respective assets, properties or business
may be subject have been duly and validly authorized, executed and delivered by
the Company and constitute the legal, valid and binding agreements of the
Company, as the case may be, enforceable against it in accordance with its
terms. The descriptions in the Registration Statement of agreements, contracts
and other documents are accurate and fairly present the information required to
be shown with respect thereto by Form SB-2, and there are no contracts or other
documents which are required by the Act to be described in the Registration
Statement or filed as exhibits to the Registration Statement which are not
described or filed as required, and the exhibits which have been filed are
complete and correct copies of the documents of which they purport to be copies.
(n) Subsequent to the respective dates as of which information is set
forth in the Registration Statement and Prospectus, and except as may otherwise
be indicated or contemplated herein or therein, the Company has not (i) issued
any securities or incurred any liability or obligation, direct or contingent,
for borrowed money, (ii) entered into any transaction other than in the ordinary
course of business, or (iii) declared or paid any dividend or made any other
distribution on or in respect of its capital stock of any class, and there has
not been any change in the capital stock, or any change in the debt (long or
short term) or liabilities or material adverse change in or affecting the
general affairs, management, financial operations, stockholders' equity or
results of operations of the Company.
(o) No default exists in the due performance and observance of any
term, covenant or condition of any license, contract, collective bargaining
agreement, indenture, mortgage, installment sale agreement, lease, deed of
trust, voting trust agreement, stockholders agreement, partnership agreement,
note, loan or credit agreement, purchase order, or any other agreement or
instrument evidencing an obligation for borrowed money, or any other material
agreement or instrument to which the Company is a party or by which the Company
may be bound or to which the property or assets (tangible or intangible) of the
Company is subject or affected.
(p) The Company has generally enjoyed a satisfactory employer-employee
relationship with its employees and is in compliance with all federal, state,
local and foreign laws and regulations respecting employment and employment
practices, terms and conditions of employment and wages and hours. There are no
pending investigations involving the Company
7
by the U.S. Department of Labor, or any other governmental agency responsible
for the enforcement of such federal, state, local, or foreign laws and
regulations. There is no unfair labor practice charge or complaint against the
Company pending before the National Labor Relations Board or any lockout,
strike, picketing, boycott, dispute, slowdown or stoppage pending or threatened
against or involving the Company, or any predecessor entity, and none has ever
occurred. No representation question exists respecting the employees of the
Company, and no collective bargaining agreement or modification thereof is
currently being negotiated by the Company. No grievance or arbitration
proceeding is pending under any expired or existing collective bargaining
agreements of the Company. No labor dispute with the employees of the Company
exists, or, is imminent.
(q) The Company does not maintain, sponsor or contribute to any
program or arrangement that is an "employee pension benefit plan," an "employee
welfare benefit plan," or a "multiemployer plan" as such terms are defined in
Sections 3(2), 3(1) and 3(37), respectively, of the Employee Retirement Income
Security Act of 1974, as amended ("ERISA") ("ERISA Plans"). The Company does
not maintain or contribute, now or at any time previously, to a defined benefit
plan, as defined in Section 3(35) of ERISA. No ERISA Plan (or any trust created
thereunder) has engaged in a "prohibited transaction" within the meaning of
Section 406 of ERISA or Section 4975 of the Code, which could subject the
Company or the Subsidiaries to any tax penalty on prohibited transactions and
which has not adequately been corrected. Each ERISA Plan is in compliance with
all reporting, disclosure and other requirements of the Code and ERISA as they
relate to any such ERISA Plan. Determination letters have been received from
the Internal Revenue Service with respect to each ERISA Plan which is intended
to comply with Code Section 401(a), stating that such ERISA Plan and the
attendant trust are qualified thereunder. The Company has never completely or
partially withdrawn from a "multiemployer plan."
(r) Neither the Company, nor any of its employees, directors,
stockholders, partners, or affiliates (within the meaning of the Rules and
Regulations) of any of the foregoing has taken or will take, directly or
indirectly, any action designed to or which has constituted or which might be
expected to cause or result in, under the Exchange Act, or otherwise,
stabilization or manipulation of the price of any security of the Company to
facilitate the sale or resale of the Securities or otherwise.
(s) Except as otherwise disclosed in the Prospectus, none of the
patents, patent applications, trademarks, service marks, trade names and
copyrights, and licenses and rights to the foregoing presently owned or held by
the Company, are in dispute so far as known by the Company or are in any
conflict with the right of any other person or entity. The Company (i) owns or
has the right to use, free and clear of all liens, charges, claims,
encumbrances, pledges, security interests, defects or other restrictions or
equities of any kind whatsoever, all patents, trademarks, service marks, trade
names and copyrights, technology and licenses and rights with respect to the
foregoing, used in the conduct of its business as now conducted or proposed to
be conducted without infringing upon or otherwise acting adversely to the right
or claimed right of any person, corporation or other entity under or with
respect to any of the foregoing and (ii) is not obligated or under any liability
whatsoever to make any payment by way of royalties, fees or otherwise to any
owner or licensee of, or other claimant to, any patent,
8
trademark, service mark, trade name, copyright, know-how, technology or other
intangible asset, with respect to the use thereof or in connection with the
conduct of its business or otherwise.
(t) The Company has good and marketable title to, or valid and
enforceable leasehold estates in, all items of real and personal property stated
in the Prospectus to be owned or leased by it, free and clear of all liens,
charges, claims, encumbrances, pledges, security interests, defects, or other
restrictions or equities of any kind whatsoever, other than those referred to in
the Prospectus and liens for taxes not yet due and payable.
(u) Ernst & Young LLP, whose report is filed with the Commission as a
part of the Registration Statement, are independent certified public accountants
as required by the Act and the Rules and Regulations.
(v) The Company has caused to be duly executed legally binding and
enforceable agreements pursuant to which each of the Company's officers,
directors, stockholders (except for the stockholders whose shares of Common
Stock are being registered in the Registration Statement) and holders of
securities exchangeable or exercisable for or convertible into shares of Common
Stock has agreed not to, directly or indirectly, issue, offer, offer to sell,
sell, grant any option for the sale or purchase of, assign, transfer, pledge,
hypothecate or otherwise encumber or dispose of any shares of Common Stock or
securities convertible into, exercisable or exchangeable for or evidencing any
right to purchase or subscribe for any shares of Common Stock (either pursuant
to Rule 144 of the Rules and Regulations or otherwise) or dispose of any
beneficial interest therein for a period of not less than twelve (12) months
following the effective date of the Registration Statement (the "Lock-Up
Period") without the prior written consent of the Representatives and the
Company. During the 12 month period commencing on the effective date of the
Registration Statement, the Company shall not, without the prior written consent
of the Representatives, sell, contract or offer to sell, issue, transfer,
assign, pledge, distribute, or otherwise dispose of, directly or indirectly, any
shares of Common Stock or any options, rights or warrants with respect to any
shares of Common Stock. In the case of the stockholders whose shares of Common
Stock are being registered in the Registration Statement, the Lock-Up Period
shall be 90 days following the effective date of the Registration Statement.
The Company will cause the Transfer Agent (as hereinafter defined) to mark an
appropriate legend on the face of stock certificates representing all of such
securities and to place "stop transfer" orders on the Company's stock ledgers.
(w) There are no claims, payments, issuances, arrangements or
understandings, whether oral or written, for services in the nature of a
finder's or origination fee with respect to the sale of the Securities hereunder
or any other arrangements, agreements, understandings, payments or issuance with
respect to the Company, or any of its officers, directors, stockholders,
partners, employees or affiliates, that may affect the Underwriters'
compensation, as determined by the National Association of Securities Dealers,
Inc. ("NASD").
(x) The Common Stock has been approved for quotation on the Nasdaq
SmallCap Market ("Nasdaq").
(y) None of the Company, nor any of its officers, employees, agents or
any other person acting on behalf of the Company has, directly or indirectly,
given or agreed to give
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any money, gift or similar benefit (other than legal price concessions to
customers in the ordinary course of business) to any customer, supplier,
employee or agent of a customer or supplier, or official or employee of any
governmental agency (domestic or foreign) or instrumentality of any government
(domestic or foreign) or any political party or candidate for office (domestic
or foreign) or other person who was, is, or may be in a position to help or
hinder the business of the Company (or assist the Company in connection with any
actual or proposed transaction) which (a) might subject the Company, or any
other such person to any damage or penalty in any civil, criminal or
governmental litigation or proceeding (domestic or foreign), (b) if not given in
the past, might have had a material adverse effect on the assets, business or
operations of the Company, or (c) if not continued in the future, might
adversely affect the assets, business, condition, financial or otherwise,
earnings, position, properties, value, operations or prospects of the Company.
The Company's internal accounting controls are sufficient to cause the Company
to comply with the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act of 1977, as amended.
(z) Except as set forth in the Prospectus, no officer, director,
stockholder or partner of the Company, or any "affiliate" or "associate" (as
these terms are defined in Rule 405 promulgated under the Rules and Regulations)
of any of the foregoing persons or entities has or has had, either directly or
indirectly, (i) an interest in any person or entity which (A) furnishes or sells
services or products which are furnished or sold or are proposed to be furnished
or sold by the Company, or (B) purchases from or sells or furnishes to the
Company any goods or services, or (ii) a beneficiary interest in any contract or
agreement to which the Company is a party or by which it may be bound or
affected. Except as set forth in the Prospectus under "Certain Transactions,"
there are no existing agreements, arrangements, understandings or transactions,
or proposed agreements, arrangements, understandings or transactions, between or
among the Company, and any officer, director, or 5% or greater securityholder of
the Company, or any partner, affiliate or associate of any of the foregoing
persons or entities.
(aa) Any certificate signed by any officer of the Company, and
delivered to the Underwriters or to Underwriters' Counsel (as defined herein)
shall be deemed a representation and warranty by the Company to the Underwriters
as to the matters covered thereby.
(bb) The minute books of the Company have been made available to the
Underwriters and contain a complete summary of all meetings and actions of the
directors (including committees thereof) and stockholders of the Company, since
the time of its incorporation, and reflect all transactions referred to in such
minutes accurately in all material respects.
(cc) Except and to the extent described in the Prospectus, no holders
of any securities of the Company or of any options, warrants or other
convertible or exchangeable securities of the Company have the right to include
any securities issued by the Company in the Registration Statement or any
registration statement to be filed by the Company or to require the Company to
file a registration statement under the Act and no person or entity holds any
anti-dilution rights with respect to any securities of the Company.
(dd) The Company has as of the effective date of the Registration
Statement (i) entered into an employment agreement with each of Rimas
Buinevicius, Curtis Palmer and Monty Schmidt in the form filed as Exhibits ____,
____ and ____, respectively, to the
10
Registration Statement and (ii) purchased term key person insurance on the lives
of each of Rimas Buinevicius, Curtis Palmer and Monty Schmidt in the amount of
$1 million each which policies name the Company as the sole beneficiary thereof.
(ee) The Company confirms as of the date hereof that it is in
compliance with all provisions of Section 1 of Laws of Florida, Chapter 92-198,
An Act Relating to Disclosure of Doing Business with Cuba, and the Company
further agrees that if it or any affiliate commences engaging in business with
the government of Cuba or with any person or affiliate located in Cuba after the
date the Registration Statement becomes or has become effective with the
Commission or with the Florida Department of Banking and Finance (the
"Department"), whichever date is later, or if the information reported or
incorporated by reference in the Prospectus, if any, concerning the Company's,
or any affiliate's, business with Cuba or with any person or affiliate located
in Cuba changes in any material way, the Company will provide the Department
notice of such business or change, as appropriate, in a form acceptable to the
Department.
(ff) The Company is not, and upon the issuance and sale of the
Securities as herein contemplated and the application of the net proceeds
therefrom as described in the Prospectus under the caption "Use of Proceeds"
will not be, an "investment company" or an entity "controlled" by an "investment
company" as such terms are defined in the Investment Company Act of 1940, as
amended (the "1940 Act").
(gg) The Company maintains a system of internal accounting controls
sufficient to provide reasonable assurance that (i) transactions are executed in
accordance with management's general or specific authorizations; (ii)
transactions are recorded as necessary to permit preparations of financial
statements in conformity with generally accepted accounting principles and to
maintain accountability for assets; (iii) access to assets is permitted only in
accordance with management's general or specific authorizations; and (iv) the
recorded accountability for assets is compared with the existing assets at
reasonable intervals and appropriate action is taken with respect to any
differences.
(hh) The Company has entered into a warrant agreement substantially in
the form filed as Exhibit ____ to the Registration Statement (the "Warrant
Agreement") with Continental Stock Transfer and Trust Company, as Warrant Agent,
in form and substance satisfactory to the Representatives, with respect to the
Redeemable Warrants.
11
2. Purchase, Sale and Delivery of the Securities.
(a) On the basis of the representations, warranties, covenants and
agreements herein contained, but subject to the terms and conditions herein set
forth, the Company agrees to sell to each Underwriter, and each Underwriter,
severally and not jointly, agrees to purchase from the Company at a price of
$_______ [90% of the initial public offering price per share of Common Stock]
per share of Common Stock and $____ [90% of the initial public offering price
per Redeemable Warrant] per Redeemable Warrant, that number of Firm Securities
set forth in Schedule A opposite the name of such Underwriter, subject to such
adjustment as the Representatives in its sole discretion shall make to eliminate
any sales or purchases of fractional shares, plus any additional number of Firm
Securities which such Underwriter may become obligated to purchase pursuant to
the provisions of Section 11 hereof.
(b) In addition, on the basis of the representations, warranties,
covenants and agreements herein contained, but subject to the terms and
conditions herein set forth, the Company hereby grants an option to the
Underwriters, severally and not jointly, to purchase all or any part of an
additional 300,000 shares of Common Stock at a price of $_________ per share of
Common Stock [90% of the initial public offering price per share of Common
Stock] and/or an additional 150,000 Redeemable Warrants at a price of $____ per
Redeemable Warrant [90% of the initial public offering price per Redeemable
Warrant]. The option granted hereby will expire forty-five (45) days after (i)
the date the Registration Statement becomes effective, if the Company has
elected not to rely on Rule 430A under the Rules and Regulations, or (ii) the
date of this Agreement if the Company has elected to rely upon Rule 430A under
the Rules and Regulations, and may be exercised in whole or in part from time to
time only for the purpose of covering over-allotments which may be made in
connection with the offering and distribution of the Firm Securities upon notice
by the Representatives to the Company setting forth the number of Option
Securities as to which the several Underwriters are then exercising the option
and the time and date of payment and delivery for any such Option Securities.
Any such time and date of delivery (an "Option Closing Date") shall be
determined by the Representatives, but shall not be later than three (3) full
business days after the exercise of said option, nor in any event prior to the
Closing Date, as hereinafter defined, unless otherwise agreed upon by the
Representatives and the Company. Nothing herein contained shall obligate the
Underwriters to make any over-allotments. No Option Securities shall be
delivered unless the Firm Securities shall be simultaneously delivered or shall
theretofore have been delivered as herein provided.
(c) Payment of the purchase price for, and delivery of certificates
for, the Firm Securities shall be made at the offices of Dirks at 520 Madison
Avenue, 10th Floor, New York, New York 10022, or at such other place as shall be
agreed upon by the Representatives and the Company. Such delivery and payment
shall be made at 10:00 a.m. (New York City time) on ________, 1998 or at such
other time and date as shall be agreed upon by the Representatives and the
Company, but not less than three (3) nor more than five (5) full business days
after the effective date of the Registration Statement (such time and date of
payment and delivery being herein called the "Closing Date"). In addition, in
the event that any or all of the Option Securities are purchased by the
Underwriters, payment of the purchase price for, and delivery of certificates
for, such Option Securities shall be made at the above-mentioned office of the
Representatives or at such other place as shall be agreed upon by the
Representatives and the Company on each Option Closing Date as specified in the
notice from the Representatives to
12
the Company. Delivery of the certificates for the Firm Securities and the Option
Securities, if any, shall be made to the Underwriters against payment by the
Underwriters, severally and not jointly, of the purchase price for the Firm
Securities and the Option Securities, if any, to the order of the Company for
the Firm Securities and the Option Securities, if any, by New York Clearing
House funds. In the event such option is exercised, each of the Underwriters,
acting severally and not jointly, shall purchase that proportion of the total
number of Option Securities then being purchased which the number of Firm
Securities set forth in Schedule A hereto opposite the name of such Underwriter
bears to the total number of Firm Securities, subject in each case to such
adjustments as the Representatives in its discretion shall make to eliminate any
sales or purchases of fractional shares. Certificates for the Firm Securities
and the Option Securities, if any, shall be in definitive, fully registered
form, shall bear no restrictive legends and shall be in such denominations and
registered in such names as the Underwriters may request in writing at least two
(2) business days prior to the Closing Date or the relevant Option Closing Date,
as the case may be. The certificates for the Firm Securities and the Option
Securities, if any, shall be made available to the Representatives at such
office or such other place as the Representatives may designate for inspection,
checking and packaging no later than 9:30 a.m. on the last business day prior to
the Closing Date or the relevant Option Closing Date, as the case may be.
(d) On the Closing Date, the Company shall issue and sell to the
Representatives Representatives' Warrants at a purchase price of $.0001 per
warrant, which Representatives' Warrants shall entitle the holders thereof to
purchase an aggregate of 200,000 shares of Common Stock and/or 100,000
Redeemable Warrants. The Representatives' Warrants shall be exercisable for a
period of four (4) years commencing one (1) year from the effective date of the
Registration Statement at a price equaling one hundred twenty percent (120%) of
the respective initial public offering price of the Shares and the Redeemable
Warrants. The Representatives' Warrant Agreement and form of Warrant
Certificate shall be substantially in the form filed as Exhibit [___] to the
Registration Statement. Payment for the Representatives' Warrants shall be made
on the Closing Date.
3. Public Offering of the Shares and Redeemable Warrants. As soon after
the Registration Statement becomes effective as the Representatives deems
advisable, the Underwriters shall make a public offering of the Shares and
Redeemable Warrants (other than to residents of or in any jurisdiction in which
qualification of the Securities is required and has not become effective) at the
price and upon the other terms set forth in the Prospectus. The Representatives
may from time to time increase or decrease the public offering price after
distribution of the Shares and Redeemable Warrants has been completed to such
extent as the Representatives, in its sole discretion deems advisable. The
Underwriters may enter into one of more agreements as the Underwriters, in each
of their sole discretion, deem advisable with one or more broker-dealers who
shall act as dealers in connection with such public offering.
4. Covenants and Agreements of the Company. The Company covenants and
agrees with each of the Underwriters as follows:
(a) The Company shall use its best efforts to cause the Registration
Statement and any amendments thereto to become effective as promptly as
practicable and will not at any time, whether before or after the effective date
of the Registration Statement, file any amendment
13
to the Registration Statement or supplement to the Prospectus or file any
document under the Act or Exchange Act before termination of the offering of the
Shares and the Redeemable Warrants by the Underwriters of which the
Representatives shall not previously have been advised and furnished with a
copy, or to which the Representatives shall have objected or which is not in
compliance with the Act, the Exchange Act or the Rules and Regulations.
(b) As soon as the Company is advised or obtains knowledge thereof,
the Company will advise the Representatives and confirm the notice in writing
(i) when the Registration Statement, as amended, becomes effective, if the
provisions of Rule 430A promulgated under the Act will be relied upon, when the
Prospectus has been filed in accordance with said Rule 430A and when any post-
effective amendment to the Registration Statement becomes effective; (ii) of the
issuance by the Commission of any stop order or of the initiation, or the
threatening, of any proceeding suspending the effectiveness of the Registration
Statement or any order preventing or suspending the use of the Preliminary
Prospectus or the Prospectus, or any amendment or supplement thereto, or the
institution of proceedings for that purpose; (iii) of the issuance by the
Commission or by any state securities commission of any proceedings for the
suspension of the qualification of any of the Securities for offering or sale in
any jurisdiction or of the initiation, or the threatening, of any proceeding for
that purpose; (iv) of the receipt of any comments from the Commission; and (v)
of any request by the Commission for any amendment to the Registration Statement
or any amendment or supplement to the Prospectus or for additional information.
If the Commission or any state securities commission shall enter a stop order or
suspend such qualification at any time, the Company will make every effort to
obtain promptly the lifting of such order.
(c) The Company shall file the Prospectus (in form and substance
satisfactory to the Representatives) or transmit the Prospectus by a means
reasonably calculated to result in filing with the Commission pursuant to Rule
424(b)(1) (or, if applicable and if consented to by the Representatives,
pursuant to Rule 424(b)(4)) not later than the Commission's close of business on
the earlier of (i) the second business day following the execution and delivery
of this Agreement and (ii) the fifth business day after the effective date of
the Registration Statement.
(d) The Company will give the Representatives notice of its intention
to file or prepare any amendment to the Registration Statement (including any
post-effective amendment) or any amendment or supplement to the Prospectus
(including any revised prospectus which the Company proposes for use by the
Underwriters in connection with the offering of the Securities which differs
from the corresponding prospectus on file at the Commission at the time the
Registration Statement becomes effective, whether or not such revised prospectus
is required to be filed pursuant to Rule 424(b) of the Rules and Regulations),
and will furnish the Representatives with copies of any such amendment or
supplement a reasonable amount of time prior to such proposed filing or use, as
the case may be, and will not file any such prospectus to which the
Representatives or Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe LLP ("Underwriters' Counsel")
shall object.
(e) The Company shall endeavor in good faith, in cooperation with the
Representatives, at or prior to the time the Registration Statement becomes
effective, to qualify the Securities for offering and sale under the securities
laws of such jurisdictions as the Representatives may designate to permit the
continuance of sales and dealings therein for as long
14
as may be necessary to complete the distribution, and shall make such
applications, file such documents and furnish such information as may be
required for such purpose; provided, however, the Company shall not be required
to qualify as a foreign corporation or file a general or limited consent to
service of process in any such jurisdiction. In each jurisdiction where such
qualification shall be effected, the Company will, unless the Representatives
agrees that such action is not at the time necessary or advisable, use all
reasonable efforts to file and make such statements or reports at such times as
are or may reasonably be required by the laws of such jurisdiction to continue
such qualification.
(f) During the time when a prospectus is required to be delivered
under the Act, the Company shall use all reasonable efforts to comply with all
requirements imposed upon it by the Act and the Exchange Act, as now and
hereafter amended and by the Rules and Regulations, as from time to time in
force, so far as necessary to permit the continuance of sales of or dealings in
the Securities in accordance with the provisions hereof and the Prospectus, or
any amendments or supplements thereto. If at any time when a prospectus
relating to the Securities is required to be delivered under the Act, any event
shall have occurred as a result of which, in the opinion of counsel for the
Company or Underwriters' Counsel, the Prospectus, as then amended or
supplemented, includes an untrue statement of a material fact or omits to state
any material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make the
statements therein, in the light of the circumstances under which they were
made, not misleading, or if it is necessary at any time to amend the Prospectus
to comply with the Act, the Company will notify the Representatives promptly and
prepare and file with the Commission an appropriate amendment or supplement in
accordance with Section 10 of the Act, each such amendment or supplement to be
satisfactory to Underwriters' Counsel, and the Company will furnish to the
Underwriters copies of such amendment or supplement as soon as available and in
such quantities as the Underwriters may request.
(g) As soon as practicable, but in any event not later than forty-five
(45) days after the end of the 12-month period beginning on the day after the
end of the fiscal quarter of the Company during which the effective date of the
Registration Statement occurs (ninety (90) days in the event that the end of
such fiscal quarter is the end of the Company's fiscal year), the Company shall
make generally available to its security holders, in the manner specified in
Rule 158(b) of the Rules and Regulations, and to the Representatives, an
earnings statement which will be in the detail required by, and will otherwise
comply with, the provisions of Section 11(a) of the Act and Rule 158(a) of the
Rules and Regulations, which statement need not be audited unless required by
the Act, covering a period of at least twelve (12) consecutive months after the
effective date of the Registration Statement.
(h) During a period of seven (7) years after the date hereof, the
Company will furnish to its stockholders, as soon as practicable, annual reports
(including financial statements audited by independent public accountants) and
unaudited quarterly reports of earnings, and will deliver to the
Representatives:
15
(i) concurrently with furnishing such quarterly reports to its
stockholders, statements of income of the Company for each quarter in the
form furnished to the Company's stockholders and certified by the Company's
principal financial or accounting officer;
(ii) concurrently with furnishing such annual reports to its
stockholders, a balance sheet of the Company as at the end of the preceding
fiscal year, together with statements of operations, stockholders' equity,
and cash flows of the Company for such fiscal year, accompanied by a copy
of the certificate thereon of independent certified public accountants;
(iii) as soon as they are available, copies of all reports
(financial or other) mailed to stockholders;
(iv) as soon as they are available, copies of all reports and
financial statements furnished to or filed with the Commission, the NASD or
any securities exchange;
(v) every press release and every material news item or article
of interest to the financial community in respect of the Company, or its
affairs, which was released or prepared by or on behalf of the Company; and
(vi) any additional information of a public nature concerning the
Company (and any future subsidiary) or its businesses which the
Representatives may request.
During such seven-year period, if the Company has an active subsidiary, the
foregoing financial statements will be on a consolidated basis to the extent
that the accounts of the Company and its subsidiary(ies) are consolidated, and
will be accompanied by similar financial statements for any significant
subsidiary which is not so consolidated.
(i) The Company will maintain a transfer agent and warrant agent
("Transfer Agent") and, if necessary under the jurisdiction of incorporation of
the Company, a Registrar (which may be the same entity as the Transfer Agent)
for its Common Stock and Redeemable Warrants.
(j) The Company will furnish to the Representatives or on the
Representatives' order, without charge, at such place as the Representatives may
designate, copies of each Preliminary Prospectus, the Registration Statement and
any pre-effective or post-effective amendments thereto (two of which copies will
be signed and will include all financial statements and exhibits), the
Prospectus, and all amendments and supplements thereto, including any prospectus
prepared after the effective date of the Registration Statement, in each case as
soon as available and in such quantities as the Representatives may request.
(k) On or before the effective date of the Registration Statement, the
Company shall provide the Representatives with true original copies of duly
executed, legally binding and enforceable agreements pursuant to which, for a
period of twelve (12) months from the effective date of the Registration
Statement, each of the Company's stockholders (except for
16
the stockholders whose shares of Common Stock are being registered in the
Registration Statement) and holders of securities exchangeable or exercisable
for or convertible into shares of Common Stock agrees that it or he or she will
not, directly or indirectly, issue, offer to sell, sell, grant an option for the
sale or purchase of, assign, transfer, pledge, hypothecate or otherwise encumber
or dispose of any shares of Common Stock or securities convertible into,
exercisable or exchangeable for or evidencing any right to purchase or subscribe
for any shares of Common Stock (either pursuant to Rule 144 of the Rules and
Regulations or otherwise) or dispose of any beneficial interest therein without
the prior consent of the Representatives (collectively, the "Lock-up
Agreements"). During the 12 month period commencing on the effective date of the
Registration Statement, the Company shall not, without the prior written consent
of the Representatives, sell, contract or offer to sell, issue, transfer,
assign, pledge, distribute, or otherwise dispose of, directly or indirectly, any
shares of Common Stock or any options, rights or warrants with respect to any
shares of Common Stock. In the case of the stockholders whose shares of Common
Stock are being registered in the Registration Statement, the Lock-up Agreement
shall be for a period of 90 days following the effective date of the
Registration Statement. On or before the Closing Date, the Company shall deliver
instructions to the Transfer Agent authorizing it to place appropriate legends
on the certificates representing the securities subject to the Lock-up
Agreements and to place appropriate stop transfer orders on the Company's
ledgers.
(l) None of the Company, nor any of its officers, directors,
stockholders, nor any of its affiliates (within the meaning of the Rules and
Regulations) will take, directly or indirectly, any action designed to, or which
might in the future reasonably be expected to cause or result in, stabilization
or manipulation of the price of any securities of the Company.
(m) The Company shall apply the net proceeds from the sale of the
Securities in the manner, and subject to the conditions, set forth under "Use of
Proceeds" in the Prospectus. No portion of the net proceeds will be used,
directly or indirectly, to acquire any securities issued by the Company.
(n) The Company shall timely file all such reports, forms or other
documents as may be required (including, but not limited to, a Form SR as may be
required pursuant to Rule 463 under the Act) from time to time, under the Act,
the Exchange Act, and the Rules and Regulations, and all such reports, forms and
documents filed will comply as to form and substance with the applicable
requirements under the Act, the Exchange Act, and the Rules and Regulations.
(o) The Company shall furnish to the Representatives as early as
practicable prior to each of the date hereof, the Closing Date and each Option
Closing Date, if any, but no later than two (2) full business days prior
thereto, a copy of the latest available unaudited interim financial statements
of the Company (which in no event shall be as of a date more than thirty (30)
days prior to the date of the Registration Statement) which have been read by
the Company's independent public accountants, as stated in their letters to be
furnished pursuant to Sections 6(l) and 6(m) hereof.
(p) The Company shall cause the Common Stock and Redeemable Warrants
to be quoted on Nasdaq and, for a period of seven (7) years from the date
hereof, use its best
17
efforts to maintain the Nasdaq quotation of the Common Stock and the Redeemable
Warrants to the extent outstanding.
(q) For a period of five (5) years from the Closing Date, the Company
shall furnish to the Representatives at the Company's sole expense, (i) daily
consolidated transfer sheets relating to the Common Stock and Redeemable
Warrants (ii) the list of holders of all of the Company's securities and (iii) a
Blue Sky "Trading Survey" for secondary sales of the Company's securities
prepared by counsel to the Company.
(r) As soon as practicable, (i) but in no event more than five (5)
business days before the effective date of the Registration Statement, file a
Form 8-A with the Commission providing for the registration under the Exchange
Act of the Securities and (ii) but in no event more than thirty (30) days after
the effective date of the Registration Statement, take all necessary and
appropriate actions to be included in Standard and Poor's Corporation
Descriptions and Moody's OTC Manual and to continue such inclusion for a period
of not less than seven (7) years.
(s) The Company hereby agrees that it will not, for a period of twelve
(12) months from the effective date of the Registration Statement, adopt,
propose to adopt or otherwise permit to exist any employee, officer, director,
consultant or compensation plan or similar arrangement permitting (i) the grant,
issue, sale or entry into any agreement to grant, issue or sell any option,
warrant or other contract right (x) at an exercise price that is less than the
greater of the public offering price of the Shares set forth herein and the fair
market value on the date of grant or sale or (y) to any of its executive
officers or directors or to any holder of 5% or more of the Common Stock; (ii)
the maximum number of shares of Common Stock or other securities of the Company
purchasable at any time pursuant to options or warrants issued by the Company to
exceed the aggregate 1,000,000 shares reserved for future issuance under the
Company's Stock Option Plan; (iii) the payment for such securities with any form
of consideration other than cash; or (iv) the existence of stock appreciation
rights, phantom options or similar arrangements.
(t) Until the completion of the distribution of the Securities, the
Company shall not, without the prior written consent of the Representatives and
Underwriters' Counsel, issue, directly or indirectly, any press release or other
communication or hold any press conference with respect to the Company or its
activities or the offering contemplated hereby, other than trade releases issued
in the ordinary course of the Company's business consistent with past practices
with respect to the Company's operations.
(u) For a period equal to the lesser of (i) seven (7) years from the
date hereof, and (ii) the sale to the public of the Representatives' Securities,
the Company will not take any action or actions which may prevent or disqualify
the Company's use of Form SB-2 (or other appropriate form) for the registration
under the Act of the Representatives' Securities. The Company further agrees to
use its best efforts to file such post-effective amendments to the Registration
Statement, as may be necessary, in order to maintain its effectiveness and to
keep such Registration Statement effective while any of the Redeemable Warrants
or Representatives' Warrants remain outstanding.
18
5. Payment of Expenses.
(a) The Company hereby agrees to pay on each of the Closing Date and
the Option Closing Date (to the extent not paid at the Closing Date) all
expenses and fees (other than fees of Underwriters' Counsel, except as provided
in (iv) below) incident to the performance of the obligations of the Company
under this Agreement, the Warrant Agreement and the Representatives' Warrant
Agreement, including, without limitation, (i) the fees and expenses of
accountants and counsel for the Company, (ii) all costs and expenses incurred in
connection with the preparation, duplication, printing (including mailing and
handling charges), filing, delivery and mailing (including the payment of
postage with respect thereto) of the Registration Statement and the Prospectus
and any amendments and supplements thereto and the printing, mailing (including
the payment of postage with respect thereto) and delivery of this Agreement, the
Warrant Agreement, the Representatives' Warrant Agreement, the Agreement Among
Underwriters, the Selected Dealer Agreements, and related documents, including
the cost of all copies thereof and of the Preliminary Prospectuses and of the
Prospectus and any amendments thereof or supplements thereto supplied to the
Underwriters and such dealers as the Underwriters may request, in quantities as
hereinabove stated, (iii) the printing, engraving, issuance and delivery of the
Securities including, but not limited to, (x) the purchase by the Underwriters
of the Firm Securities and the Option Securities and the purchase by the
Representatives of the Representatives' Warrants from the Company, (y) the
consummation by the Company of any of its obligations under this Agreement, the
Warrant Agreement and the Representatives' Warrant Agreement, and (z) resale of
the Firm Securities and the Option Securities by the Underwriters in connection
with the distribution contemplated hereby, (iv) the qualification of the
Securities under state or foreign securities or "Blue Sky" laws and
determination of the status of such securities under legal investment laws,
including the costs of printing and mailing the "Preliminary Blue Sky
Memorandum", the "Supplemental Blue Sky Memorandum" and "Legal Investments
Survey," if any, and disbursements and fees of counsel in connection therewith,
(v) costs and expenses incurred by the Company in connection with the "road
show", (vi) fees and expenses of the Transfer Agent and registrar and all issue
and transfer taxes, if any, (vii) applications for assignment of a rating of the
Securities by qualified rating agencies, (viii) the fees payable to the
Commission and the NASD, and (ix) the fees and expenses incurred in connection
with the quotation of the Securities on Nasdaq and any other exchange.
(b) If this Agreement is terminated by the Underwriters in accordance
with the provisions of Section 6 or Section 12, the Company shall reimburse and
indemnify the Underwriters for all of their actual out-of-pocket expenses,
including the fees and disbursements of Underwriters' Counsel, less any amounts
already paid pursuant to Section 5(c) hereof.
(c) The Company further agrees that, in addition to the expenses
payable pursuant to subsection (a) of this Section 5, it will pay to the
Representatives on the Closing Date by certified or bank cashier's check or, at
the election of the Representatives, by deduction from the proceeds of the
offering of the Firm Securities, a non-accountable expense allowance equal to 3%
of the gross proceeds received by the Company from the sale of the Firm
Securities, $25,000 of which has been paid to date. In the event the
Representatives elects to exercise the overallotment option described in Section
2(b) hereof, the Company further agrees to pay to the Representatives on each
Option Closing Date, by certified or bank cashier's check, or at the
Representatives' election, by deduction from the proceeds of the Option
Securities purchased on
19
such Option Closing Date, a non-accountable expense allowance equal to 3% of the
gross proceeds received by the Company from the sale of such Option Securities.
6. Conditions of the Underwriters' Obligations. The obligations of the
Underwriters hereunder shall be subject to the continuing accuracy of the
representations and warranties of the Company herein as of the date hereof and
as of the Closing Date and each Option Closing Date, if any, as if they had been
made on and as of the Closing Date or each Option Closing Date, as the case may
be; the accuracy on and as of the Closing Date or Option Closing Date, if any,
of the statements of the officers of the Company made pursuant to the provisions
hereof; and the performance by the Company on and as of the Closing Date and
each Option Closing Date, if any, of its covenants and obligations hereunder and
to the following further conditions:
(a) The Registration Statement shall have become effective not later
than 12:00 P.M., New York time, on the date of this Agreement or such later date
and time as shall be consented to in writing by the Representatives, and, at the
Closing Date and each Option Closing Date, if any, no stop order suspending the
effectiveness of the Registration Statement shall have been issued and no
proceedings for that purpose shall have been instituted or shall be pending or
contemplated by the Commission and any request on the part of the Commission for
additional information shall have been complied with to the reasonable
satisfaction of Underwriters' Counsel. If the Company has elected to rely upon
Rule 430A of the Rules and Regulations, the price of the Units and any price-
related information previously omitted from the effective Registration Statement
pursuant to such Rule 430A shall have been transmitted to the Commission for
filing pursuant to Rule 424(b) of the Rules and Regulations within the
prescribed time period and, prior to the Closing Date, the Company shall have
provided evidence satisfactory to the Representatives of such timely filing, or
a post-effective amendment providing such information shall have been promptly
filed and declared effective in accordance with the requirements of Rule 430A of
the Rules and Regulations.
(b) The Representatives shall not have advised the Company that the
Registration Statement, or any amendment thereto, contains an untrue statement
of fact which, in the Representatives' opinion, is material, or omits to state a
fact which, in the Representatives' opinion, is material and is required to be
stated therein or is necessary to make the statements therein not misleading, or
that the Prospectus, or any supplement thereto, contains an untrue statement of
fact which, in the Representatives' opinion, is material, or omits to state a
fact which, in the Representatives' opinion, is material and is required to be
stated therein or is necessary to make the statements therein, in light of the
circumstances under which they were made, not misleading.
(c) On or prior to each of the Closing Date and each Option Closing
Date, if any, the Representatives shall have received from Underwriters'
Counsel, such opinion or opinions with respect to the organization of the
Company, the validity of the Securities, the Registration Statement, the
Prospectus and other related matters as the Representatives may request and
Underwriters' Counsel shall have received such papers and information as they
request to enable them to pass upon such matters.
(d) At the Closing Date, the Underwriters shall have received the
favorable opinion of McBreen, McBreen & Kopko, counsel to the Company, dated the
Closing Date,
20
addressed to the Underwriters and in form and substance satisfactory to
Underwriters' Counsel, to the effect that:
(i) the Company (A) has been duly organized and is validly
existing as a corporation in good standing under the laws of its
jurisdiction, (B) is duly qualified and licensed and in good standing as a
foreign corporation in each jurisdiction in which its ownership or leasing
of any properties or the character of its operations requires such
qualification or licensing, and (C) has all requisite corporate power and
authority, and has obtained any and all necessary authorizations,
approvals, orders, licenses, certificates, franchises and permits of and
from all governmental or regulatory officials and bodies (including,
without limitation, those having jurisdiction over environmental or similar
matters), to own or lease its properties and conduct its business as
described in the Prospectus; the Company is and has been doing business in
compliance with all such authorizations, approvals, orders, licenses,
certificates, franchises and permits and all federal, state and local laws,
rules and regulations; and, the Company has not received any notice of
proceedings relating to the revocation or modification of any such
authorization, approval, order, license, certificate, franchise, or permit
which, singly or in the aggregate, if the subject of an unfavorable
decision, ruling or finding, would materially adversely affect the
business, operations, condition, financial or otherwise, or the earnings,
business affairs, position, prospects, value, operation, properties,
business or results of operations of the Company. The disclosures in the
Registration Statement concerning the effects of federal, state and local
laws, rules and regulations on the Company's business as currently
conducted and as contemplated are correct in all material respects and do
not omit to state a fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make
the statements contained therein not misleading in light of the
circumstances in which they were made.
(ii) except as described in the Prospectus, the Company does not
own an interest in any other corporation, partnership, joint venture, trust
or other business entity;
(iii) the Company has a duly authorized, issued and outstanding
capitalization as set forth in the Prospectus, and any amendment or
supplement thereto, under "CAPITALIZATION", and the Company is not a party
to or bound by any instrument, agreement or other arrangement providing for
it to issue, sell, transfer, purchase or redeem any capital stock, rights,
warrants, options or other securities, except for this Agreement, the
Warrant Agreement and the Representatives' Warrant Agreement and as
described in the Prospectus. The Securities and all other securities
issued or issuable by the Company conform in all material respects to all
statements with respect thereto contained in the Registration Statement and
the Prospectus. All issued and outstanding securities of the Company have
been duly authorized and validly issued and are fully paid and non-
assessable; the holders thereof have no rights of rescission with respect
thereto, and are not subject to personal liability by reason of being such
holders; and none of such securities were issued in violation of the
preemptive rights of any holders of any security of the Company or any
similar rights granted by the Company. The Securities to be sold by the
Company hereunder and under the Warrant Agreement and the Representatives'
Warrant Agreement are not and will not be subject to any
21
preemptive or other similar rights of any stockholder, have been duly
authorized and, when issued, paid for and delivered in accordance with the
terms hereof, will be validly issued, fully paid and non-assessable and
conform to the description thereof contained in the Prospectus; the holders
thereof will not be subject to any liability solely as such holders; all
corporate action required to be taken for the authorization, issue and sale
of the Securities has been duly and validly taken; and the certificates
representing the Securities are in due and proper form. The
Representatives' Warrants and the Redeemable Warrants constitute valid and
binding obligations of the Company to issue and sell, upon exercise thereof
and payment therefor, the number and type of securities of the Company
called for thereby. Upon the issuance and delivery pursuant to this
Agreement of the Firm Securities and the Option Securities and the
Representatives' Warrants to be sold by the Company, the Underwriters and
the Representatives, respectively, will acquire good and marketable title
to the Firm Securities and the Option Securities and the Representatives'
Warrants free and clear of any pledge, lien, charge, claim, encumbrance,
pledge, security interest, or other restriction or equity of any kind
whatsoever. No transfer tax is payable by or on behalf of the Underwriters
in connection with (A) the issuance by the Company of the Securities, (B)
the purchase by the Underwriters of the Firm Securities and the Option
Securities from the Company, and the purchase by the Representatives of the
Representatives' Warrants from the Company (C) the consummation by the
Company of any of its obligations under this Agreement, the Warrant
Agreement or the Representatives' Warrant Agreement, or (D) resales of the
Firm Securities and the Option Securities in connection with the
distribution contemplated hereby.
(iv) the Registration Statement is effective under the Act,
and, if applicable, filing of all pricing information has been timely made
in the appropriate form under Rule 430A, and no stop order suspending the
use of the Preliminary Prospectus, the Registration Statement or Prospectus
or any part of any thereof or suspending the effectiveness of the
Registration Statement has been issued and no proceedings for that purpose
have been instituted or are pending or, to the best of such counsel's
knowledge, threatened or contemplated under the Act;
(v) each of the Preliminary Prospectus, the Registration
Statement, and the Prospectus and any amendments or supplements thereto
(other than the financial statements and other financial and statistical
data included therein, as to which no opinion need be rendered) comply as
to form in all material respects with the requirements of the Act and the
Rules and Regulations.
(vi) to the best of such counsel's knowledge, (A) there are no
agreements, contracts or other documents required by the Act to be
described in the Registration Statement and the Prospectus and filed as
exhibits to the Registration Statement other than those described in the
Registration Statement (or required to be filed under the Exchange Act if
upon such filing they would be incorporated, in whole or in part, by
reference therein) and the Prospectus and filed as exhibits thereto, and
the exhibits which have been filed are correct copies of the documents of
which they purport to be copies; (B) the descriptions in the Registration
Statement and the Prospectus and any supplement or amendment thereto of
contracts and other documents to which the
22
Company is a party or by which it is bound, including any document to which
the Company is a party or by which it is bound, incorporated by reference
into the Prospectus and any supplement or amendment thereto, are accurate
and fairly represent the information required to be shown by Form SB-2; (C)
there is not pending or threatened against the Company any action,
arbitration, suit, proceeding, inquiry, investigation, litigation,
governmental or other proceeding (including, without limitation, those
having jurisdiction over environmental or similar matters), domestic or
foreign, pending or threatened against (or circumstances that may give rise
to the same), or involving the properties or business of the Company which
(x) is required to be disclosed in the Registration Statement which is not
so disclosed (and such proceedings as are summarized in the Registration
Statement are accurately summarized in all respects), (y) questions the
validity of the capital stock of the Company or this Agreement, the Warrant
Agreement or the Representatives' Warrant Agreement, or of any action taken
or to be taken by the Company pursuant to or in connection with any of the
foregoing; (D) no statute or regulation or legal or governmental proceeding
required to be described in the Prospectus is not described as required;
and (E) there is no action, suit or proceeding pending, or threatened,
against or affecting the Company before any court or arbitrator or
governmental body, agency or official (or any basis thereof known to such
counsel) in which there is a reasonable possibility of a decision which may
result in a material adverse change in the condition, financial or
otherwise, or the earnings, position, prospects, stockholders' equity,
value, operation, properties, business or results of operations of the
Company, which could adversely affect the present or prospective ability of
the Company to perform its obligations under this Agreement, the Warrant
Agreement or the Representatives' Warrant Agreement or which in any manner
draws into question the validity or enforceability of this Agreement, the
Warrant Agreement or the Representatives' Warrant Agreement;
(vii) the Company has full legal right, power and authority to
enter into each of this Agreement, the Warrant Agreement and the
Representatives' Warrant Agreement, and to consummate the transactions
provided for therein; and each of this Agreement, the Warrant Agreement and
the Representatives' Warrant Agreement has been duly authorized, executed
and delivered by the Company. Each of this Agreement, the Warrant
Agreement and the Representatives' Warrant Agreement, assuming due
authorization, execution and delivery by each other party thereto
constitutes a legal, valid and binding agreement of the Company enforceable
against the Company in accordance with its terms (except as such
enforceability may be limited by applicable bankruptcy, insolvency,
reorganization, moratorium or other laws of general application relating to
or affecting enforcement of creditors' rights and the application of
equitable principles in any action, legal or equitable, and except as
rights to indemnity or contribution may be limited by applicable law), and
none of the Company's execution or delivery of this Agreement, the Warrant
Agreement and the Representatives' Warrant Agreement, its performance
hereunder or thereunder, its consummation of the transactions contemplated
herein or therein, or the conduct of its business as described in the
Registration Statement, the Prospectus, and any amendments or supplements
thereto, conflicts with or will conflict with or results or will result in
any breach or violation of any of the terms or provisions of, or
constitutes or will constitute a default under, or result in the creation
or imposition of any lien, charge, claim, encumbrance, pledge, security
interest, defect or
23
other restriction or equity of any kind whatsoever upon, any property or
assets (tangible or intangible) of the Company pursuant to the terms of,
(A) the certificate of incorporation or by-laws of the Company, (B) any
license, contract, collective bargaining agreement, indenture, mortgage,
deed of trust, lease, voting trust agreement, stockholders agreement, note,
loan or credit agreement or any other agreement or instrument to which the
Company is a party or by which it is or they are or may be bound or to
which any of its or their respective properties or assets (tangible or
intangible) is or may be subject, or any indebtedness, or (C) any statute,
judgment, decree, order, rule or regulation applicable to the Company of
any arbitrator, court, regulatory body or administrative agency or other
governmental agency or body (including, without limitation, those having
jurisdiction over environmental or similar matters), domestic or foreign,
having jurisdiction over the Company or any of its activities or
properties.
(viii) no consent, approval, authorization or order, and no
filing with, any court, regulatory body, government agency or other body
(other than such as may be required under Blue Sky laws, as to which no
opinion need be rendered) is required in connection with the issuance of
the Firm Securities and the Option Securities pursuant to the Prospectus
and the Registration Statement, the issuance of the Representatives'
Warrants, the performance of this Agreement, the Warrant Agreement and the
Representatives' Warrant Agreement, and the transactions contemplated
hereby and thereby;
(ix) the properties and business of the Company conforms in
all material respects to the description thereof contained in the
Registration Statement and the Prospectus; and the Company has good and
marketable title to, or valid and enforceable leasehold estates in, all
items of real and personal property stated in the Prospectus to be owned or
leased by it, in each case free and clear of all liens, charges, claims,
encumbrances, pledges, security interests, defects or other restrictions or
equities of any kind whatsoever, other than those referred to in the
Prospectus and liens for taxes not yet due and payable;
(x) the Company is not in breach of, or in default under, any
term or provision of any license, contract, collective bargaining
agreement, indenture, mortgage, installment sale agreement, deed of trust,
lease, voting trust agreement, stockholders' agreement, partnership
agreement, note, loan or credit agreement or any other agreement or
instrument evidencing an obligation for borrowed money, or any other
agreement or instrument to which the Company is a party or by which the
Company may be bound or to which the properties or assets (tangible or
intangible) of the Company is subject or affected; and the Company is not
in violation of any term or provision of its Articles of Incorporation or
By-Laws or in violation of any franchise, license, permit, judgment,
decree, order, statute, rule or regulation;
(xi) the statements in the Prospectus under "RISK FACTORS," "THE
COMPANY," "BUSINESS," "MANAGEMENT," "PRINCIPAL STOCKHOLDERS," "SELLING
SHAREHOLDERS," "CERTAIN TRANSACTIONS," "DESCRIPTION OF SECURITIES," and
"SHARES ELIGIBLE FOR FUTURE SALE" have been reviewed
24
by such counsel, and insofar as they refer to statements of law,
descriptions of statutes, licenses, rules or regulations or legal
conclusions, are correct in all material respects;
(xii) the Securities have been accepted for quotation on Nasdaq;
(xiii) the persons listed under the caption "PRINCIPAL
STOCKHOLDERS" in the Prospectus are the respective "beneficial owners" (as
such phrase is defined in regulation 13d-3 under the Exchange Act) of the
securities set forth opposite their respective names thereunder as and to
the extent set forth therein;
(xiv) none of the Company, nor any of its officers,
stockholders, employees or agents, nor any other person acting on behalf of
the Company has, directly or indirectly, given or agreed to give any money,
gift or similar benefit (other than legal price concessions to customers in
the ordinary course of business) to any customer, supplier, employee or
agent of a customer or supplier, or official or employee of any
governmental agency or instrumentality of any government (domestic or
foreign) or any political party or candidate for office (domestic or
foreign) or other person who is or may be in a position to help or hinder
the business of the Company (or assist it in connection with any actual or
proposed transaction) which (A) might subject the Company to any damage or
penalty in any civil, criminal or governmental litigation or proceeding,
(B) if not given in the past, might have had an adverse effect on the
assets, business or operations of the Company, as reflected in any of the
financial statements contained in the Registration Statement, or (C) if not
continued in the future, might adversely affect the assets, business,
operations or prospects of the Company;
(xv) no person, corporation, trust, partnership, association or
other entity has the right to include and/or register any securities of the
Company in the Registration Statement, require the Company to file any
registration statement or, if filed, to include any security in such
registration statement;
(xvi) except as described in the Prospectus, there are no claims,
payments, issuances, arrangements or understandings for services in the
nature of a finder's or origination fee with respect to the sale of the
Securities hereunder or financial consulting arrangements or any other
arrangements, agreements, understandings, payments or issuances that may
affect the Underwriters' compensation, as determined by the NASD;
(xvii) assuming due execution by the parties thereto other than
the Company, the Lock-up Agreements are legal, valid and binding
obligations of the parties thereto, enforceable against the party and any
subsequent holder of the securities subject thereto in accordance with its
terms (except as such enforceability may be limited by applicable
bankruptcy, insolvency, reorganization, moratorium or other laws of general
application relating to or affecting enforcement of creditors' rights and
the application of equitable principles in any action, legal or equitable,
and except as rights to indemnity or contribution may be limited by
applicable law);
25
(xviii) except as described in the Prospectus, the Company does
not (A) maintain, sponsor or contribute to any ERISA Plans, (B) maintain or
contribute, now or at any time previously, to a defined benefit plan, as
defined in Section 3(35) of ERISA, and (C) has ever completely or partially
withdrawn from a "multiemployer plan";
(xix) the Company is in compliance with all provisions of
Section 1 of Laws of Florida, Chapter 92-198, An Act Relating to Disclosure
of Doing Business with Cuba;
(xx) none of the Company or any of its affiliates shall be
subject to the requirements of or shall be deemed an "Investment Company,"
pursuant to and as defined under, respectively, the Investment Company Act.
Such counsel shall state that such counsel has participated in conferences
with officers and other Representatives of the Company, and Representatives of
the independent public accountants for the Company, at which conferences such
counsel made inquiries of such officers, Representatives and accountants and
discussed the contents of the Preliminary Prospectus, the Registration
Statement, the Prospectus, and related matters and, although such counsel is not
passing upon and does not assume any responsibility for the accuracy,
completeness or fairness of the statements contained in the Preliminary
Prospectus, the Registration Statement and Prospectus, on the basis of the
foregoing, no facts have come to the attention of such counsel which lead them
to believe that either the Registration Statement or any amendment thereto, at
the time such Registration Statement or amendment became effective or the
Preliminary Prospectus or Prospectus or amendment or supplement thereto as of
the date of such opinion contained any untrue statement of a material fact or
omitted to state a material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to
make the statements therein not misleading (it being understood that such
counsel need express no opinion with respect to the financial statements and
schedules and other financial and statistical data included in the Preliminary
Prospectus, the Registration Statement or the Prospectus). Such counsel shall
further state that its opinions may be relied upon by Underwriters' Counsel in
rendering its opinion to the Underwriters.
In rendering such opinion, such counsel may rely (A) as to matters
involving the application of laws other than the laws of the United States and
jurisdictions in which they are admitted, to the extent such counsel deems
proper and to the extent specified in such opinion, if at all, upon an opinion
or opinions (in form and substance satisfactory to Underwriters' Counsel) of
other counsel acceptable to Underwriters' Counsel, familiar with the applicable
laws; (B) as to matters of fact, to the extent they deem proper, on certificates
and written statements of responsible officers of the Company and certificates
or other written statements of officers of departments of various jurisdictions
having custody of documents respecting the corporate existence or good standing
of the Company, provided that copies of any such statements or certificates
shall be delivered to Underwriters' Counsel if requested. The opinion of such
counsel for the Company shall state that the opinion of any such other counsel
is in form satisfactory to such counsel and that the Representatives,
Underwriters' Counsel and they are each justified in relying thereon. Any
opinion of counsel for the Company and the Subsidiaries shall not state that it
is to be governed or qualified by, or that it is otherwise subject to, any
treatise, written policy or other document relating to legal opinions,
including, without limitation, the Legal Opinion Accord of the ABA Section of
Business Law (1991) or any comparable state accord.
26
(e) At the Closing Date, the Underwriters shall have received the
favorable opinion of __________________ , patent counsel to the Company, dated
the Closing Date, addressed to the Underwriters, in form and substance
satisfactory to Underwriters' Counsel and in substantially the form of Schedule
B hereto.
(f) At each Option Closing Date, if any, the Underwriters shall have
received the favorable opinions of each of McBreen, McBreen & Kopko, counsel to
the Company, and __________________, patent counsel to the Company dated such
Option Closing Date, addressed to the Underwriters and in form and substance
satisfactory to Underwriters' Counsel confirming as of such Option Closing Date
the statements made by each of McBreen, McBreen & Kopko, and __________________,
in their respective opinions delivered on the Closing Date.
(g) On or prior to each of the Closing Date and each Option Closing
Date, if any, Underwriters' Counsel shall have been furnished such documents,
certificates and opinions as they may reasonably require for the purpose of
enabling them to review or pass upon the matters referred to in subsection (c)
of this Section 6, or in order to evidence the accuracy, completeness or
satisfaction of any of the representations, warranties or conditions of the
Company, or herein contained.
(h) Prior to each of the Closing Date and each Option Closing Date, if
any, (i) there shall have been no material adverse change nor development
involving a prospective change in the condition, financial or otherwise,
earnings, position, value, properties, results of operations, prospects,
stockholders' equity or the business activities of the Company, whether or not
in the ordinary course of business, from the latest dates as of which such
condition is set forth in the Registration Statement and Prospectus; (ii) there
shall have been no transaction, not in the ordinary course of business, entered
into by the Company, from the latest date as of which the financial condition of
the Company is set forth in the Registration Statement and Prospectus which is
adverse to the Company; (iii) the Company shall not be in default under any
provision of any instrument relating to any outstanding indebtedness; (iv) none
of the Company shall not have issued any securities (other than the Securities)
or declared or paid any dividend or made any distribution in respect of its
capital stock of any class and there has not been any change in the capital
stock or any material change in the debt (long or short term) or liabilities or
obligations of the Company (contingent or otherwise); (v) no material amount of
the assets of the Company shall have been pledged or mortgaged, except as set
forth in the Registration Statement and Prospectus; (vi) no action, suit or
proceeding, at law or in equity, shall have been pending or threatened (or
circumstances giving rise to same) against the Company, or affecting any of its
or their respective properties or businesses before or by any court or federal,
state or foreign commission, board or other administrative agency wherein an
unfavorable decision, ruling or finding may adversely affect the business,
operations, earnings, position, value, properties, results of operations,
prospects or financial condition or income of the Company; and (vii) no stop
order shall have been issued under the Act and no proceedings therefor shall
have been initiated, threatened or contemplated by the Commission.
(i) At each of the Closing Date and each Option Closing Date, if any,
the Underwriters shall have received a certificate of the Company signed by the
principal executive officer and by the chief financial or chief accounting
officer of the Company, dated the Closing
27
Date or Option Closing Date, as the case may be, to the effect that each of such
persons has carefully examined the Registration Statement, the Prospectus and
this Agreement, and that:
(i) The representations and warranties of the Company in this
Agreement are true and correct, as if made on and as of the Closing Date or
the Option Closing Date, as the case may be, and the Company has complied
with all agreements and covenants and satisfied all conditions contained in
this Agreement on its part to be performed or satisfied at or prior to such
Closing Date or Option Closing Date, as the case may be;
(ii) No stop order suspending the effectiveness of the
Registration Statement or any part thereof has been issued, and no
proceedings for that purpose have been instituted or are pending or, to
the best of each of such person's knowledge, are contemplated or threatened
under the Act;
(iii) The Registration Statement and the Prospectus and, if
any, each amendment and each supplement thereto, contain all statements and
information required to be included therein, and none of the Registration
Statement, the Prospectus nor any amendment or supplement thereto includes
any untrue statement of a material fact or omits to state any material fact
required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein
not misleading and neither the Preliminary Prospectus or any supplement
thereto included any untrue statement of a material fact or omitted to
state any material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make
the statements therein, in light of the circumstances under which they were
made, not misleading; and
(iv) Subsequent to the respective dates as of which
information is given in the Registration Statement and the Prospectus, (a)
the Company has not incurred up to and including the Closing Date or the
Option Closing Date, as the case may be, other than in the ordinary course
of its business, any material liabilities or obligations, direct or
contingent; (b) the Company has not paid or declared any dividends or other
distributions on its capital stock; (c) the Company has not entered into
any transactions not in the ordinary course of business; (d) there has not
been any change in the capital stock or long-term debt or any increase in
the short-term borrowings (other than any increase in the short-term
borrowings in the ordinary course of business) of the Company; (e) the
Company has not sustained any loss or damage to its properties or assets,
whether or not insured; (f) there is no litigation which is pending or
threatened (or circumstances giving rise to same) against the Company or
any affiliated party which is required to be set forth in an amended or
supplemented Prospectus which has not been set forth; and (g) there has
occurred no event required to be set forth in an amended or supplemented
Prospectus which has not been set forth.
References to the Registration Statement and the Prospectus in this subsection
(i) are to such documents as amended and supplemented at the date of such
certificate.
(j) By the Closing Date, the Underwriters will have received clearance
from the NASD as to the amount of compensation allowable or payable to the
Underwriters, as described in the Registration Statement.
28
(k) At the time this Agreement is executed, the Underwriters shall
have received a letter, dated such date, addressed to the Underwriters in form
and substance satisfactory (including the non-material nature of the changes or
decreases, if any, referred to in clause (iii) below) in all respects to the
Underwriters and Underwriters' Counsel, from Ernst & Young LLP:
(i) confirming that they are independent certified public
accountants with respect to the Company within the meaning of the Act and
the applicable Rules and Regulations;
(ii) stating that it is their opinion that the financial
statements and supporting schedules of the Company included in the
Registration Statement comply as to form in all material respects with the
applicable accounting requirements of the Act and the Rules and Regulations
thereunder and that the Representatives may rely upon the opinion of Ernst
& Young LLP with respect to the financial statements and supporting
schedules included in the Registration Statement;
(iii) stating that, on the basis of a limited review which
included a reading of the latest available unaudited interim financial
statements of the Company, a reading of the latest available minutes of the
stockholders and board of directors and the various committees of the board
of directors of the Company, consultations with officers and other
employees of the Company responsible for financial and accounting matters
and other specified procedures and inquiries, nothing has come to their
attention which would lead them to believe that (A) the unaudited financial
statements and supporting schedules of the Company included in the
Registration Statement do not comply as to form in all material respects
with the applicable accounting requirements of the Act and the Rules and
Regulations or are not fairly presented in conformity with generally
accepted accounting principles applied on a basis substantially consistent
with that of the audited financial statements of the Company included in
the Registration Statement, or (B) at a specified date not more than five
(5) days prior to the effective date of the Registration Statement, there
has been any change in the capital stock or long-term debt of the Company,
or any decrease in the stockholders' equity or net current assets or net
assets of the Company as compared with amounts shown in the December 31,
1997 balance sheet included in the Registration Statement, other than as
set forth in or contemplated by the Registration Statement, or, if there
was any change or decrease, setting forth the amount of such change or
decrease, and (C) during the period from December 31, 1997 to a specified
date not more than five (5) days prior to the effective date of the
Registration Statement, there was any decrease in net revenues, net
earnings or increase in net earnings per common share of any of the Company
or the Subsidiaries, in each case as compared with the corresponding period
beginning December 31, 1996, other than as set forth in or contemplated by
the Registration Statement, or, if there was any such decrease, setting
forth the amount of such decrease;
(iv) setting forth, at a date not later than five (5) days prior
to the date of the Registration Statement, the amount of liabilities of the
Company and the Subsidiaries taken as a whole (including a break-down of
commercial paper and notes payable to banks);
29
(v) stating that they have compared specific dollar amounts,
numbers of shares, percentages of revenues and earnings, statements and
other financial information pertaining to the Company set forth in the
Prospectus in each case to the extent that such amounts, numbers,
percentages, statements and information may be derived from the general
accounting records, including work sheets, of the Company and excluding any
questions requiring an interpretation by legal counsel, with the results
obtained from the application of specified readings, inquiries and other
appropriate procedures (which procedures do not constitute an examination
in accordance with generally accepted auditing standards) set forth in the
letter and found them to be in agreement;
(vi) statements as to such other matters incident to the
transaction contemplated hereby as the Representatives may request.
(l) At the Closing Date and each Option Closing Date, if any, the
Underwriters shall have received from Ernst & Young LLP a letter, dated as of
the Closing Date or the Option Closing Date, as the case may be, to the effect
that they reaffirm that statements made in the letter furnished pursuant to
subsection (k) of this Section, except that the specified date referred to shall
be a date not more than five (5) days prior to the Closing Date or the Option
Closing Date, as the case may be, and, if the Company has elected to rely on
Rule 430A of the Rules and Regulations, to the further effect that they have
carried out procedures as specified in clause (v) of subsection (k) of this
Section with respect to certain amounts, percentages and financial information
as specified by the Representatives and deemed to be a part of the Registration
Statement pursuant to Rule 430A(b) and have found such amounts, percentages and
financial information to be in agreement with the records specified in such
clause (v).
(m) On each of the Closing Date and each Option Closing Date, if any,
there shall have been duly tendered to the Representatives for the several
Underwriters' accounts the appropriate number of Securities.
(n) No order suspending the sale of the Securities in any jurisdiction
designated by the Representatives pursuant to subsection (e) of Section 4 hereof
shall have been issued on either the Closing Date or the Option Closing Date, if
any, and no proceedings for that purpose shall have been instituted or shall be
contemplated.
(o) On or before the Closing Date, the Company shall have executed and
delivered to the Representatives, (i) the Representatives' Warrant Agreement
substantially in the form filed as Exhibit [___] to the Registration Statement,
in final form and substance satisfactory to the Representatives, and (ii) the
Representatives' Warrants in such denominations and to such designees as shall
have been provided to the Company.
(p) On or before the Closing Date, the Firm Securities and Option
Securities shall have been duly approved for quotation on Nasdaq, subject to
official notice of issuance.
(q) On or before the Closing Date, there shall have been delivered to
the Representatives all of the Lock-up Agreements, in form and substance
satisfactory to Underwriters' Counsel.
30
(r) On or before the Closing Date, the Company shall have executed and
delivered to the Representatives and the Transfer Agent the Warrant Agreement
substantially in the form filed as Exhibit [___] to the Registration Statement,
in final form and substance satisfactory to the Representatives.
If any condition to the Underwriters' obligations hereunder to be fulfilled
prior to or at the Closing Date or the relevant Option Closing Date, as the case
may be, is not so fulfilled, the Representatives may terminate this Agreement
or, if the Representatives so elects, it may waive any such conditions which
have not been fulfilled or extend the time for their fulfillment.
7. Indemnification.
(a) The Company agrees to indemnify and hold harmless each of the
Underwriters (for purposes of this Section 7 "Underwriter" shall include the
officers, directors, partners, employees, agents and counsel of the Underwriter,
including specifically each person who may be substituted for an Underwriter as
provided in Section 11 hereof), and each person, if any, who controls the
Underwriter ("controlling person") within the meaning of Section 15 of the Act
or Section 20(a) of the Exchange Act, from and against any and all losses,
claims, damages, expenses or liabilities, joint or several (and actions,
proceedings, investigations, inquiries, suits and litigation in respect
thereof), whatsoever (including but not limited to any and all expenses
whatsoever reasonably incurred in investigating, preparing or defending against
any such claim, action, proceeding, investigation, inquiry, suit or litigation,
commenced or threatened, or any claim whatsoever), as such are incurred, to
which the Underwriter or such controlling person may become subject under the
Act, the Exchange Act or any other statute or at common law or otherwise or
under the laws of foreign countries, arising out of or based upon (A) any untrue
statement or alleged untrue statement of a material fact contained (i) in any
Preliminary Prospectus, the Registration Statement or the Prospectus (as from
time to time amended and supplemented); (ii) in any post-effective amendment or
amendments or any new registration statement and prospectus in which is included
securities of the Company issued or issuable upon exercise of the Securities; or
(iii) in any application or other document or written communication (in this
Section 7 collectively called "application") executed by the Company or based
upon written information furnished by the Company in any jurisdiction in order
to qualify the Securities under the securities laws thereof or filed with the
Commission, any state securities commission or agency, Nasdaq or any other
securities exchange; (B) the omission or alleged omission therefrom of a
material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements
therein not misleading (in the case of the Prospectus, in the light of the
circumstances under which they were made), or (C) any breach of any
representation, warranty, covenant or agreement of the Company contained herein
or in any certificate by or on behalf of the Company or any of its officers
delivered pursuant hereto, unless, in the case of clause (A) or (B) above, such
statement or omission was made in reliance upon and in strict conformity with
written information furnished to the Company with respect to any Underwriter by
or on behalf of such Underwriter expressly for use in any Preliminary
Prospectus, the Registration Statement or Prospectus, or any amendment thereof
or supplement thereto, or in any application, as the case may be.
The indemnity agreement in this subsection (a) shall be in addition to any
liability which the Company may have at common law or otherwise.
31
(b) Each of the Underwriters agrees severally, but not jointly, to
indemnify and hold harmless the Company, each of its directors, each of its
officers who has signed the Registration Statement, and each other person, if
any, who controls the Company within the meaning of the Act, to the same extent
as the foregoing indemnity from the Company to the Underwriters but only with
respect to statements or omissions, if any, made in any Preliminary Prospectus,
the Registration Statement or Prospectus or any amendment thereof or supplement
thereto or in any application made in reliance upon, and in strict conformity
with, written information furnished to the Company with respect to any
Underwriter by such Underwriter expressly for use in such Preliminary
Prospectus, the Registration Statement or Prospectus or any amendment thereof or
supplement thereto or in any such application, provided that such written
information or omissions only pertain to disclosures in the Preliminary
Prospectus, the Registration Statement or Prospectus directly relating to the
transactions effected by the Underwriters in connection with this Offering. The
Company acknowledges that the statements with respect to the public offering of
the Firm Securities and the Option Securities set forth under the heading
"Underwriting" and the stabilization legend in the Prospectus have been
furnished by the Underwriters expressly for use therein and constitute the only
information furnished in writing by or on behalf of the Underwriters for
inclusion in the Prospectus.
(c) Promptly after receipt by an indemnified party under this Section
7 of notice of the commencement of any claim, action, suit, investigation,
inquiry, proceeding or litigation, such indemnified party shall, if a claim in
respect thereof is to be made against one or more indemnifying parties under
this Section 7, notify each party against whom indemnification is to be sought
in writing of the commencement thereof (but the failure so to notify an
indemnifying party shall not relieve it from any liability which it may have
under this Section 7 except to the extent that it has been prejudiced in any
material respect by such failure or from any liability which it may have
otherwise). In case any such claim, action, suit, investigation, inquiry,
proceeding or litigation is brought against any indemnified party, and it
notifies an indemnifying party or parties of the commencement thereof, the
indemnifying party or parties will be entitled to participate therein, and to
the extent it may elect by written notice delivered to the indemnified party
promptly after receiving the aforesaid notice from such indemnified party, to
assume the defense thereof with counsel reasonably satisfactory to such
indemnified party. Notwithstanding the foregoing, the indemnified party or
parties shall have the right to employ its or their own counsel in any such case
but the fees and expenses of such counsel shall be at the expense of such
indemnified party or parties unless (i) the employment of such counsel shall
have been authorized in writing by the indemnifying parties in connection with
the defense of thereof at the expense of the indemnifying party, (ii) the
indemnifying parties shall not have employed counsel reasonably satisfactory to
such indemnified party to have charge of the defense thereof within a reasonable
time after notice of commencement thereof, or (iii) such indemnified party or
parties shall have reasonably concluded that there may be defenses available to
it or them which are different from or additional to those available to one or
all of the indemnifying parties (in which case the indemnifying parties shall
not have the right to direct the defense thereof on behalf of the indemnified
party or parties), in any of which events such fees and expenses of one
additional counsel shall be borne by the indemnifying parties. In no event
shall the indemnifying parties be liable for fees and expenses of more than one
counsel (in addition to any local counsel) separate from their own counsel for
all indemnified parties in connection with any one claim, action, suit,
investigation, inquiry, proceeding or litigation or separate but similar or
related claims, actions, suits, investigations, inquiries, proceedings or
32
litigation in the same jurisdiction arising out of the same general allegations
or circumstances. Anything in this Section 7 to the contrary notwithstanding,
an indemnifying party shall not be liable for any settlement of any claim,
action, suit, investigation, inquiry, proceeding or litigation effected without
its written consent; provided, however, that such consent was not unreasonably
withheld. An indemnifying party will not, without the prior written consent of
the indemnified parties, settle, compromise or consent to the entry of any
judgment with respect to any pending or threatened claim, action, suit,
investigation, inquiry, proceeding or litigation in respect of which
indemnification or contribution may be sought hereunder (whether or not the
indemnified parties are actual or potential parties to such claim, action, suit,
investigation, inquiry, proceeding or litigation), unless such settlement,
compromise or consent (i) includes an unconditional release of each indemnified
party from all liability arising out of such claim, action, suit, investigation,
inquiry, proceeding or litigation and (ii) does not include a statement as to or
an admission of fault, culpability or a failure to act by or on behalf of any
indemnified party.
(d) In order to provide for just and equitable contribution in any
case in which (i) an indemnified party makes claim for indemnification pursuant
to this Section 7, but it is judicially determined (by the entry of a final
judgment or decree by a court of competent jurisdiction and the expiration of
time to appeal or the denial of the last right of appeal) that such
indemnification may not be enforced in such case notwithstanding the fact that
the express provisions of this Section 7 provide for indemnification in such
case, or (ii) contribution under the Act may be required on the part of any
indemnified party, then each indemnifying party shall contribute to the amount
paid as a result of such losses, claims, damages, expenses or liabilities (or
actions in respect thereof) (A) in such proportion as is appropriate to reflect
the relative benefits received by each of the contributing parties, on the one
hand, and the party to be indemnified on the other hand, from the offering of
the Firm Securities and the Option Securities or (B) if the allocation provided
by clause (A) above is not permitted by applicable law, in such proportion as is
appropriate to reflect not only the relative benefits referred to in clause (i)
above but also the relative fault of each of the contributing parties, on the
one hand, and the party to be indemnified on the other hand in connection with
the statements or omissions that resulted in such losses, claims, damages,
expenses or liabilities, as well as any other relevant equitable considerations.
In any case where the Company is the contributing party and the Underwriters are
the indemnified party, the relative benefits received by the Company on the one
hand, and the Underwriters, on the other, shall be deemed to be in the same
proportion as the total net proceeds from the offering of the Firm Securities
and the Option Securities (before deducting expenses) bear to the total
underwriting discounts received by the Underwriters hereunder, in each case as
set forth in the table on the Cover Page of the Prospectus. Relative fault
shall be determined by reference to, among other things, whether the untrue or
alleged untrue statement of a material fact or the omission or alleged omission
to state a material fact relates to information supplied by the Company, or by
the Underwriters, and the parties' relative intent, knowledge, access to
information and opportunity to correct or prevent such untrue statement or
omission. The amount paid or payable by an indemnified party as a result of the
losses, claims, damages, expenses or liabilities (or actions in respect thereof)
referred to above in this subsection (d) shall be deemed to include any legal or
other expenses reasonably incurred by such indemnified party in connection with
investigating or defending any such action or claim. Notwithstanding the
provisions of this subsection (d), the Underwriters shall not be required to
contribute any amount in excess of the underwriting discount applicable to the
Firm Securities and the Option Securities purchased by the Underwriters
hereunder. No person guilty of fraudulent misrepresentation (within the meaning
of Section 11(f) of the Act) shall be entitled to contribution from any person
who was
33
not guilty of such fraudulent misrepresentation. For purposes of this Section 7,
each person, if any, who controls the Company or the Underwriter within the
meaning of the Act, each officer of the Company who has signed the Registration
Statement, and each director of the Company shall have the same rights to
contribution as the Company or the Underwriter, as the case may be, subject in
each case to this subsection (d). Any party entitled to contribution will,
promptly after receipt of notice of commencement of any action, suit or
proceeding against such party in respect to which a claim for contribution may
be made against another party or parties under this subsection (d), notify such
party or parties from whom contribution may be sought, but the omission so to
notify such party or parties shall not relieve the party or parties from whom
contribution may be sought from any obligation it or they may have hereunder or
otherwise than under this subsection (d), or to the extent that such party or
parties were not adversely affected by such omission. The contribution agreement
set forth above shall be in addition to any liabilities which any indemnifying
party may have at common law or otherwise.
8. Representations and Agreements to Survive Delivery. All
representations, warranties and agreements contained in this Agreement or
contained in certificates of officers of the Company submitted pursuant hereto,
shall be deemed to be representations, warranties and agreements at the Closing
Date and the Option Closing Date, as the case may be, and such representations,
warranties and agreements of the Company and the indemnity agreements contained
in Section 7 hereof, shall remain operative and in full force and effect
regardless of any investigation made by or on behalf of any Underwriter, the
Company, any controlling person of any Underwriter or the Company, and shall
survive termination of this Agreement or the issuance and delivery of the
Securities to the Underwriters and the Representatives, as the case may be.
9. Effective Date. This Agreement shall become effective at 10:00 a.m.,
New York City time, on the next full business day following the date hereof, or
at such earlier time after the Registration Statement becomes effective as the
Representatives, in its discretion, shall release the Securities for sale to the
public; provided, however, that the provisions of Sections 5, 7 and 10 of this
Agreement shall at all times be effective. For purposes of this Section 9, the
Securities to be purchased hereunder shall be deemed to have been so released
upon the earlier of dispatch by the Representatives of telegrams to securities
dealers releasing such securities for offering or the release by the
Representatives for publication of the first newspaper advertisement which is
subsequently published relating to the Securities.
10. Termination.
(a) Subject to subsection (b) of this Section 10, the Representatives
shall have the right to terminate this Agreement, (i) if any domestic or
international event or act or occurrence has materially adversely disrupted, or
in the Representatives' opinion will in the immediate future materially
adversely disrupt, the financial markets; or (ii) if any material adverse change
in the financial markets shall have occurred; or (iii) if trading generally
shall have been suspended or materially limited on or by, as the case may be,
any of the New York Stock Exchange, the American Stock Exchange, the NASD, the
Boston Stock Exchange, the Commission or any governmental authority having
jurisdiction over such matters; or (iv) if trading of any of the securities of
the Company shall have been suspended, or any of the securities of the Company
shall have been delisted, on any exchange or in any over-the-counter
34
market; (v) if the United States shall have become involved in a war or major
hostilities, or if there shall have been an escalation in an existing war or
major hostilities or a national emergency shall have been declared in the United
States; or (vi) if a banking moratorium has been declared by a state or federal
authority; or (vii) if a moratorium in foreign exchange trading has been
declared; or (viii) if the Company shall have sustained a loss material or
substantial to the Company by fire, flood, accident, hurricane, earthquake,
theft, sabotage or other calamity or malicious act which, whether or not such
loss shall have been insured, will, in the Representatives' opinion, make it
inadvisable to proceed with the offering, sale and/or delivery of the
Securities; or (ix) if there shall have been such a material adverse change in
the conditions or prospects of the Company, or such material adverse change in
the general market, political or economic conditions, in the United States or
elsewhere, that, in each case, in the Representatives' judgment, would make it
inadvisable to proceed with the offering, sale and/or delivery of the Securities
or (x) if either Rimas P. Buinevicius, Monty R. Schmidt or Curtis J. Palmer
shall no longer serve the Company in their respective present capacities.
(b) If this Agreement is terminated by the Representatives in
accordance with the provisions of Section 10(a) the Company shall promptly
reimburse and indemnify the Representatives for all of its actual out-of-pocket
expenses, including the fees and disbursements of counsel for the Underwriters
(less amounts previously paid pursuant to Section 5(c) above). Notwithstanding
any contrary provision contained in this Agreement, if this Agreement shall not
be carried out within the time specified herein, or any extension thereof
granted to the Representatives, by reason of any failure on the part of the
Company to perform any undertaking or satisfy any condition of this Agreement by
it to be performed or satisfied (including, without limitation, pursuant to
Section 6 or Section 12) then, the Company shall promptly reimburse and
indemnify the Representatives for all of its actual out-of-pocket expenses,
including the fees and disbursements of counsel for the Underwriters (less
amounts previously paid pursuant to Section 5(c) above). In addition, the
Company shall remain liable for all Blue Sky counsel fees and disbursements,
expenses and filing fees. Notwithstanding any contrary provision contained in
this Agreement, any election hereunder or any termination of this Agreement
(including, without limitation, pursuant to Sections 6, 10, 11 and 12 hereof),
and whether or not this Agreement is otherwise carried out, the provisions of
Section 5 and Section 7 shall not be in any way affected by such election or
termination or failure to carry out the terms of this Agreement or any part
hereof.
11. Substitution of the Underwriters. If one or more of the Underwriters
shall fail (otherwise than for a reason sufficient to justify the termination of
this Agreement under the provisions of Section 6, Section 10 or Section 12
hereof) to purchase the Securities which it or they are obligated to purchase on
such date under this Agreement (the "Defaulted Securities"), the Representatives
shall have the right, within 24 hours thereafter, to make arrangement for one or
more of the non-defaulting Underwriters, or any other underwriters, to purchase
all, but not less than all, of the Defaulted Securities in such amounts as may
be agreed upon and upon the terms herein set forth; if, however, the
Representatives shall not have completed such arrangements within such 24-hour
period, then:
(a) if the number of Defaulted Securities does not exceed 10% of the
total number of Firm Securities to be purchased on such date, the non-
defaulting Underwriters shall be obligated to purchase the full amount
thereof in the proportions that their
35
respective underwriting obligations hereunder bear to the underwriting
obligations of all non-defaulting Underwriters, or
(b) if the number of Defaulted Securities exceeds 10% of the total
number of Firm Securities, this Agreement shall terminate without liability
on the part of any non-defaulting Underwriters (or, if such default shall
occur with respect to any Option Securities to be purchased on an Option
Closing Date, the Underwriters may at the Representatives' option, by
notice from the Representatives to the Company, terminate the Underwriters'
obligation to purchase Option Securities from the Company on such date).
No action taken pursuant to this Section 11 shall relieve any defaulting
Underwriter from liability in respect of any default by such Underwriter under
this Agreement.
In the event of any such default which does not result in a termination of
this Agreement, the Representatives shall have the right to postpone the Closing
Date for a period not exceeding seven (7) days in order to effect any required
changes in the Registration Statement or Prospectus or in any other documents or
arrangements.
12. Default by the Company. If the Company shall fail at the Closing Date
or at any Option Closing Date, as applicable, to sell and deliver the number of
Securities which it is obligated to sell hereunder on such date, then this
Agreement shall terminate (or, if such default shall occur with respect to any
Option Securities to be purchased on an Option Closing Date, the Underwriters
may at the Representatives' option, by notice from the Representatives to the
Company, terminate the Underwriters' obligation to purchase Option Securities
from the Company on such date) without any liability on the part of any non-
defaulting party other than pursuant to Section 5, Section 7 and Section 10
hereof. No action taken pursuant to this Section 12 shall relieve the Company
from liability, if any, in respect of such default.
13. Notices. All notices and communications hereunder, except as herein
otherwise specifically provided, shall be in writing and shall be deemed to have
been duly given if mailed or transmitted by any standard form of
telecommunication. Notices to the Underwriters shall be directed to the
Representatives c/o Dirks & Company, Inc., 520 Madison Avenue, 10th Floor, New
York, New York 10022, Attention: Jessy Dirks, President, with a copy to Orrick,
Herrington & Sutcliffe LLP, 666 Fifth Avenue, New York, New York 10103,
Attention: Lawrence B. Fisher, Esq. Notices to the Company shall be directed
to the Company at 754 William Street, Madison, Wisconsin 53703, Attention: Rimas
P. Buinevicius, Chief Executive Officer, with a copy to: McBreen, McBreen &
Kopko, 20 North Wacker Drive, Suite 2520, Chicago, Illinois 60606, Attention:
Frederick H. Kopko, Jr., Esq.
14. Parties. This Agreement shall inure solely to the benefit of and
shall be binding upon, the Underwriters, the Company and the controlling
persons, directors and officers referred to in Section 7 hereof, and their
respective successors, legal Representatives and assigns, and no other person
shall have or be construed to have any legal or equitable right, remedy or claim
under or in respect of or by virtue of this Agreement or any provisions herein
contained. No purchaser of Securities from any Underwriter shall be deemed to
be a successor by reason merely of such purchase.
36
15. Construction. This Agreement shall be governed by and construed and
enforced in accordance with the laws of the State of New York without giving
effect to the choice of law or conflict of laws principles.
16. Counterparts. This Agreement may be executed in any number of
counterparts, each of which shall be deemed to be an original, and all of which
taken together shall be deemed to be one and the same instrument.
17. Entire Agreement; Amendments. This Agreement, the Warrant Agreement
and the Representatives' Warrant Agreement constitute the entire agreement of
the parties hereto and supersede all prior written or oral agreements,
understandings and negotiations with respect to the subject matter hereof. This
Agreement may not be amended except in a writing, signed by the Representatives
and the Company.
If the foregoing correctly sets forth the understanding between the
Underwriters and the Company, please so indicate in the space provided below for
that purpose, whereupon this letter shall constitute a binding agreement among
us.
Very truly yours,
SONIC FOUNDRY, INC.
By:
--------------------------------
Rimas P. Buinevicius
Chief Executive Officer
Confirmed and accepted as of
the date first above written.
DIRKS & COMPANY, INC.
SECURITY CAPITAL TRADING CORP.
For themselves and as Representatives of the
several Underwriters named in
Schedule A hereto.
By: DIRKS & COMPANY, INC.
By:
--------------------------------
Name:
Title:
37
SCHEDULE A
----------
Number of Shares Number of Redeemable
Name of Underwriters to be Purchased Warrants to be Purchased
- -------------------- ---------------- ------------------------
Dirks & Company, Inc. .........................
Security Capital Trading Corp. ................
Total..........................................
---------------
===============
A-1
SCHEDULE B
----------
[FORM OF INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY OPINION]
___________________, 1997
DIRKS & COMPANY, INC.
As Representatives of the
several Underwriters named
in Schedule A to Exhibit A
annexed hereto
520 Madison Avenue
10th Floor
New York, New York 10022
Re: Initial Public Offering of 2,000,000 Shares
of Common Stock and 1,000,000 Redeemable
Warrants of Sonic Foundry, Inc.
--------------------------------------------
Gentlemen:
We have acted as special counsel to Sonic Foundry, Inc., a Maryland
corporation (the "Company"), in connection with the entering into by the Company
of that certain Underwriting Agreement by and between Dirks & Company, Inc. (as
Representatives of the several underwriters named therein) (the
"Representatives") and the Company, dated _______________, 1998 (the
"Underwriting Agreement"). This opinion is provided to you pursuant to Section
6(e) of the Underwriting Agreement.
For the purpose of rendering the opinions set forth below we have reviewed
the following (collectively, the "Documents"):
(i) the Underwriting Agreement;
(ii) that certain Form SB-2 as filed by the Company with the Securities and
Exchange Commission on ______, 1998, together with any and all exhibits and
schedules and all heretofore filed amendments thereto (collectively, the
"Registration Statement");
(iii) the Company's prospectus dated _______________, 1998 (the
"Prospectus");
(iv) a search of the United States Patent and Trademark Office records
relevant to ownership of any and all:
patents and patent applications (including, without limitation, the
patents and patent applications listed on Schedule A annexed hereto
and hereby incorporated
B-1
by reference herein (collectively, the "Patents")), and trademarks,
trademark applications, service marks and service mark applications
(collectively, the "Marks") (including, without limitation, the Marks
listed on Schedule B annexed hereto and hereby incorporated by
reference herein (collectively, the "Trademarks")),
owned, purportedly owned or licensed by the Company (including, those patents,
patent applications and Marks licensed, without limitation, pursuant to the
licenses listed on Schedule C annexed hereto and hereby incorporated by
reference herein (collectively, the "Licenses")), conducted by
______________________________ and certified as true and correct as of
_______________________, 1998 (no earlier than 5 days prior to the effective
date of the Registration Statement);
(v) a search of the United States Copyright Office records relevant to
ownership of any and all copyrighted material (including, without
limitation, the copyright in, or license permitting the Company's actual
use of, the material licensed or otherwise distributed by either the
Company and listed on Schedule D annexed hereto and hereby incorporated by
reference herein (collectively, the "Copyrighted Material")), owned,
purportedly owned or licensed by the Company conducted by
_____________________ and certified as true and correct as of
__________________, 1998 (no earlier than 5 days prior to the effective
date of the Registration Statement);
(vi) an intellectual property litigation search with respect to all
Patents, Trademarks, Licenses and Copyrighted Material, listed on Schedules
A, B, C and D, respectively;
(i) a search of the Uniform Commercial Code ("UCC") recordation offices,
in the following jurisdictions Wisconsin, Maryland, Delaware and New York,
with respect to the following two categories of general intangibles:
(a) the intellectual property general intangibles of the Company,
including, without limitation, the Company's patents, patent
applications, inventions, know how, trademarks, service marks,
copyrights, service and trade names, intellectual property licenses
and other rights, and
(b) the intellectual property general intangibles licensed to the
Company, including, without limitation, the patents, patent
applications, inventions, know how, trademarks, service marks,
copyrights, service and trade names and other intellectual property
rights licensed to the Company pursuant to the Licenses (listed on
Schedule C),
said search certified to us as complete and accurate by ________________
and current through ________________________, 1998 (no earlier than 5 days
prior to the effective date of the Registration Statement) and said
jurisdictions being the only jurisdictions in which filing of UCC financing
statements or other documents may be filed to effectively evidence a
security or other interest in said general intangibles; and
B-2
(viii) any and all records, documents, instruments and agreements in our
possession or under our control relating to the Company.
We have also examined such corporate records, documents, instruments and
agreements, and inquired into such other matters, as we have deemed necessary or
appropriate as a basis for the opinions set forth herein. Whenever our opinion
herein is qualified by the phrase "to the best of our knowledge" or "to the best
of our knowledge, after due inquiry," such language means that, based upon (i)
our inquiries of officers of the Company, (ii) our review of the Documents, and
(iii) our review of such other corporate records, documents, instruments and
agreements described in the first sentence of this paragraph, we believe that
such opinions are factually correct.
To the best of our knowledge, as to all matters of fact represented to you
by the Company, we advise you that nothing has come to our attention that would
cause us to believe that such facts are incorrect, incomplete or misleading or
that reliance thereon is not warranted under the circumstances. We call to your
attention that our opinion is limited to such facts as they exist on the date
hereof and do not take into account any change of circumstances, fact or law
subsequent thereto.
Based upon and subject to the foregoing, we are of the opinion that:
1. To the best of our knowledge, after due inquiry, except as
described in the Prospectus, the Company owns or has the right to use, free
and clear of all liens, encumbrances, pledges, security interests, defects
or other restrictions or equities of any kind whatsoever,
(i) all patents and patent applications (including, without
limitation, the Patents),
(ii) all trademarks and service marks (including, without
limitation, the Trademarks),
(iii) all copyrights (including, without limitation, the
Copyrighted Material),
(iv) all service and trade names, and
(v) all intellectual property licenses (including, without
limitation, the Licenses),
used in, or required for, the conduct of the Company's business.
2. To the best of our knowledge, after due inquiry, the Company
possesses all material intellectual property licenses or rights used in, or
required for, the conduct of its respective business (including, the
Licenses and without limitation, any such licenses or rights described in
the Prospectus as being owned, possessed or licensed by the Company) and
such licenses and rights are in full force and effect.
B-3
3. To the best of our knowledge, after due inquiry, there is no claim
or action, pending, threatened or potential, which affects or could affect
the rights of the Company with respect to any trademarks, service marks,
copyrights, service names, trade names, patents, patent applications or
licenses used in, or required for, the conduct of the Company's business.
4. To the best of our knowledge, after due inquiry, there is no
intellectual property based claim or action, pending, threatened or
potential, which affects or could affect the rights of the Company with
respect to any products, services, processes or licenses, including,
without limitation, the Licenses used in the conduct of the Company's
business.
5. To the best of our knowledge, after due inquiry, except as
described in the Prospectus, the Company is not under any obligation to pay
royalties or fees to any third party with respect to any material,
technology or intellectual properties developed, employed, licensed or used
by the Company.
6. To the best of our knowledge, after due inquiry, the statements in
the Prospectus under the headings, "Risk Factors - Uncertainty Regarding
Patents and Proprietary Rights," and "Business - Patents and Proprietary
Rights", are accurate in all material respects, fairly represent the
information disclosed therein and do not omit to state any fact necessary
to make the statements made therein complete and accurate.
7. To the best of our knowledge, after due inquiry, the statements in
the Registration Statement and Prospectus do not contain any untrue
statement of a material fact with respect to the intellectual property
position of the Company, or omit to state any material fact relating to the
intellectual property position of the Company which is required to be
stated in the Registration Statement and the Prospectus or is necessary to
make the statements therein not misleading.
We call your attention to the fact that the members of this firm are
licensed to practice law in the State of ______________ and before the United
States Patent and Trademark Office as Registered Patent Attorneys. Accordingly,
we express no opinion with respect to the laws, rules and regulations of any
jurisdictions other than the State of ___________ and the United States of
America.
The opinions expressed herein are for the sole benefit of, and may be
relied upon only by, the several Underwriters named in Schedule A to the
Underwriting Agreement and Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe LLP.
Very truly yours,
B-4