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EXHIBIT 10.24
THESE SECURITIES HAVE NOT BEEN REGISTERED UNDER THE U.S. SECURITIES ACT
OF 1933, AS AMENDED. THEY MAY NOT BE SOLD, OFFERED FOR SALE, PLEDGED, OR
HYPOTHECATED IN THE ABSENCE OF AN EFFECTIVE REGISTRATION STATEMENT
RELATED THERETO OR AN OPINION OF COUNSEL, SATISFACTORY TO THE COMPANY,
THAT SUCH REGISTRATION IS NOT REQUIRED UNDER THE SECURITIES ACT OF 1933,
AS AMENDED.
COMMON STOCK WARRANT
OF
NEWSREAL, INC.
January 22, 2000
THIS CERTIFIES that, for value received, Park & Vaughan LLP, 399 Sherman
Avenue, Suite 5, Palo Alto, CA 94306 (the "Warrantholder"), is entitled, upon
the terms and subject to the conditions set forth herein, to purchase from
NewsReal, Inc., a Delaware corporation (the "Company"), two thousand one hundred
twenty-two (2,122)(1) shares of the common stock, par value $.001 per share (the
"Common Stock"), of the Company (the "Shares") at the purchase price per share
of $5.88 (the "Exercise Price"). The number of shares and Exercise Price are
subject to adjustment as provided below.
This Warrant is being issued to the Warrantholder in lieu of cash
compensation for services previously rendered by the Warrantholder to the
Company, and is subject to the following terms and conditions:
1. Exercise of Warrant. Upon satisfactory completion of the
services to be rendered under the Contractor Agreement, this Warrant may be
exercised in whole or in part, at any time, or from time to time, after the date
hereof and on or before the fifth anniversary of the date hereof by the
surrender of this Warrant and the Notice of Exercise annexed hereto (duly
completed and executed on behalf of the Warrantholder) to the Company and by the
payment of the Exercise Price for the Shares to be purchased by the
Warrantholder to the Company by cash or check acceptable to the Company, except
as provided in Section 13 hereof. The Company will prepare a certificate for the
Shares purchased and, if this Warrant is exercised in part, a new Warrant for
the unexercised portion of this Warrant. The Company agrees that, upon exercise
of this Warrant in accordance with the terms hereof, the Shares so purchased
will be deemed to be issued to the Warrantholder as the record owner of such
Shares as of the close of business on the date on which this Warrant was
exercised.
The Warrantholder, by acceptance hereof, acknowledges that this Warrant
and Shares to be issued upon exercise hereof, are being acquired solely for the
Warrantholder's own account. The Warrantholder will not offer, sell or otherwise
dispose of this Warrant or the Shares to be issued upon exercise hereof except
under circumstances that will not result in a violation of Secunties Act
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(1) This amount equals the value of services rendered divided by the exercise
price, times a factor of 1.5.
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of 1933, as amended (the "Act") or other applicable federal or state securities
laws. Upon exercise or transfer of this Warrant, the Warrantholder shall provide
the Company with such information as may be necessary or reasonably requested by
the Company to establish an exemption from the registration requirements under
the Act, including without limitation, representation regarding the status of
the Warrantholder as a non-U.S. Person or accredited investor and such other
matters as may be appropriate to establish the availability of the Regulation S
or Regulation D exemption from the registration requirements of the Act. If the
Company reasonably determines that registration under the Act is required or
that the Warrantholder has failed to provide the Company with such information
as may be necessary to establish an exemption from the registration requirements
under the Act, the Company may defer the exercise or transfer of this Warrant
until either a registration statement under the Act has been declared effective
or the Warrantholder has provided information satisfactory to the Company that
establishes the availability of an exemption from the registration requirements
under the Act.
Certificates for Shares purchased under this Warrant and, on partial
exercise of this Warrant, a new Warrant for the unexercised portion of this
Warrant will be delivered to the Warrantholder or to such person or persons as
the Warrantholder may direct as promptly as practicable after the date on which
this Warrant was exercised. The Company covenants that all Shares that may be
issued upon the exercise of rights represented by this Warrant will, upon
exercise of the rights represented by this Warrant, payment of the Exercise
Price and issuance by the Company, be duly authorized, validly issued, fully
paid and nonassessable.
With the consent of the Company, which consent will not be unreasonably
withheld, and subject to applicable laws and regulations, the Warrantholder may
direct that the certificates for Shares purchased under this Warrant be issued
in name or names other than the name of the Warrantholder. In this case, this
Warrant when surrendered for exercise must be accompanied by the Assignment Form
attached hereto duly executed by the Warrantholder and the Notice of Exercise
duly completed and executed and stating in whose name or names certificates are
to be issued.
2. Reservation of Shares; No Impairment or Amendment. The Company
will at all times reserve and keep available, solely for issuance, sale and
delivery upon the exercise of this Warrant, a number of shares of Common Stock
equal to the number of shares of Common Stock issuable upon the exercise of this
Warrant. The Company will not by any amendment of its Articles of Incorporation
or through any other means, avoid or seek to avoid the observance or performance
of any of the terms of this Warrant. The Company will take all such reasonable
action as may be necessary to assure that such shares of Common Stock may be
issued as provided herein without violation of any applicable law or regulation,
or of any requirements of any domestic securities exchange or automated
quotation system upon which the shares of Common Stock may be listed.
3. Expiration. This Warrant, if not exercised by Warrantholder
prior thereto, will expire on the fifth anniversary of the date hereof.
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4. Adjustments of Exercise Price and Number of Shares Purchasable.
The Exercise Price and the number of shares purchasable under this Warrant is
subject to adjustment from time to time in accordance with the following
provisions:
(a) Reorganization, Reclassification, Consolidation or
Merger. If any capital reorganization or reclassification of the capital stock
of the Company, or an Exchange Transaction (as defined below), or the sale of
all or substantially all of its assets to another corporation shall be effected
in such a way that holders of Common Stock shall be entitled to receive stock,
securities, cash or other property with respect to or in exchange for Common
Stock, then, as a condition of such reorganization, reclassification, Exchange
Transaction or sale, lawful and adequate provision shall be made whereby the
holder of this Warrant shall have the right to acquire and receive upon exercise
of this Warrant such shares of stock, securities, cash or other property
issuable or payable (as part of the reorganization, reclassification, Exchange
Transaction or sale) with respect to or in exchange for such number of
outstanding shares of the Company's Common Stock as would have been received
upon exercise of this Warrant at the Exercise Price then in effect and which
represent Warrant Shares that are vested and exercisable as of the date
immediately preceding such reorganization, reclassification, Exchange
Transaction or sale. The Company will not effect any such Exchange Transaction
or sale, unless prior to the consummation thereof the successor corporation (if
other than the Company) resulting from such Exchange Transaction or the
corporation purchasing such assets shall assume by written instrument mailed or
delivered to the holder of this Warrant at the last address of such holder
appearing on the books of the Company, the obligation to deliver to such holder
such shares of stock, securities or assets as, in accordance with the foregoing
provisions, such holder may be entitled to purchase. If a purchase, tender or
exchange offer is made to and accepted by the holders of more than 50% of the
outstanding shares of Common Stock of the Company, the Company shall not effect
any Exchange Transaction or sale with the person having made such offer or with
any Affiliate of such person, unless prior to the consummation of such Exchange
Transaction or sale the holder of this Warrant shall have been given a
reasonable opportunity to then elect to receive upon the exercise of this
Warrant either the stock, securities or assets then issuable with respect to the
Common Stock of the Company or the stock, securities or assets, or the
equivalent, issued to previous holders of the Common Stock in accordance with
such offer, in each case with respect to Warrant Shares that are vested and
exercisable as of the date immediately preceding such reorganization,
reclassification, Exchange Transaction or sale or which, immediately after
giving effect to such a transaction, would be vested pursuant to Section 1.2
above. For purposes hereof, the term "Affiliate" with respect to any given
person shall mean any person controlling, controlled by or under common control
with the given person. This Warrant shall terminate with respect to any Shares
that are not vested or deemed vested pursuant to this Section 4 as of the date
of any reorganization, reclassification, Exchange Transaction or sale referred
to above effective simultaneously with such a transaction.
For purposes hereof, the term "Exchange Transaction" means a merger
(other than a merger of the Company in which the holders of Common Stock
immediately prior to the merger
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have the same proportionate ownership of Common Stock in the surviving
corporation immediately after the merger), consolidation, acquisition of
property or stock, separation, reorganization (other than a mere reincorporation
or the creation of a holding company), liquidation of the Company or any other
similar transaction or event so designated by the Board, in its sole discretion,
as a result of which the stockholders of the Company receive cash, stock or
other property in exchange for or in connection with their shares of Common
Stock.
(b) Adjustment to Exercise Price. The Exercise Price will be
proportionately adjusted based on any adjustment to the number of Shares
purchasable hereunder following the date of this Warrant.
5. Notice of Adjustment; Notices. Whenever the Exercise Price or
number of shares purchasable hereunder will be adjusted, the Company at its
expense will promptly issue a certificate signed by an executive officer of the
Company setting forth, in reasonable detail, the event requiring the adjustment,
the amount of the adjustment, the method by which such adjustment was calculated
and the Exercise Price and number of shares purchasable hereunder after giving
effect to such adjustment, and will cause a copy of such certificate to be sent
to the Warrantholder.
6. No Fractionalized Shares. No fractionalized shares of Common
Stock or other security will be issued upon exercise of this Warrant. The shares
of Common Stock or other security issued to the Warrantholder as a result of any
exercise of this Warrant in accordance with the terms hereof will be rounded
down to the nearest whole share.
7. Transfer of Warrant. Subject to section 1 hereof, this Warrant
and all rights hereunder are transferable, in whole or in part, but only with
the prior written consent of the Company, which consent will not be unreasonably
withheld. In order to transfer this Warrant, the Warrantholder must deliver to
the Company this Warrant together with the Assignment Form annexed hereto
properly endorsed. Upon receipt thereof, the Company will affect such transfer
as promptly as practicable.
8. No Voting Rights, Etc. Prior to the proper exercise of this
Warrant, the Warrantholder, as such, is not entitled to vote or receive
dividends or be deemed to be a shareholder of the Company for any purposes, nor
may anything contained in this Warrant be construed to confer such rights upon
Warrantholder.
9. Registry of Warrant. The Company will maintain a registry
showing the name and address of the Warrantholder and the Company will be
entitled to rely in all respects, prior to written notice to the contrary, upon
such registry. The Warrantholder is responsible for notifying the Company of any
change of its address.
10. Loss, Theft, Destruction or Mutilation of Warrant. Upon receipt
by the Company of evidence reasonably satisfactory to it of the loss, theft,
destruction or mutilation of this Warrant,
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and in case of loss, theft or destruction, of indemnity or security reasonably
satisfactory to the Company, and upon reimbursement to the Company of all
reasonable expenses incidental thereto, and upon surrender and cancellation of
this Warrant, if mutilated, the Company will replace this Warrant with a new
Warrant of like tenor, dated as of such cancellation, and deliver it to the
Warrantholder.
11. Office for Exercise or Exchange. This Warrant may be surrendered
for exchange, transfer or exercise, in accordance with its terms, at the
principal office of the Company, or at such other office or such other office or
agency of the Company as it may designate in writing to the Warrantholder at its
address appearing on the Company's registry or other books.
12. Charges, Taxes and Expenses. Issuance of certificates to the
Warrantholder for Shares upon the exercise of this Warrant will be made without
charge to the Warrantholder for any issue or transfer tax or other incidental
expense in respect of the issuance of such certificates, all of which taxes and
expenses will be paid by the Company. However, if the certificates are to be
issued in a name or names other than the name of the Warrantholder, the Company
may require, as a condition to such issuance, the payment of a sum sufficient to
reimburse it for any transfer tax incidental thereto.
13. Cashless Exercise. In lieu of payment of the aggregate Exercise
Price, the Warrantholder may exercise this Warrant with respect to the Shares
that are then vested and exercisable, in whole or in part, by presentation and
surrender of this Warrant to the Company, together with a Cashless Exercise Form
attached hereto (or a reasonable facsimile thereof) duly executed (a "Cashless
Exercise"). Acceptance by the Company of such presentation and surrender shall
be deemed a waiver of the Warrantholder's obligation to pay all or any portion
of the aggregate Exercise Price. In the event of a Cashless Exercise, the
Warrantholder shall exchange this Warrant for that number of shares of Common
Stock determined by multiplying the number of Shares being exercised by a
fraction, the numerator of which shall be the difference between the then
current market price per share of the Common Stock and the Exercise Price, and
the denominator of which shall be the then current market price per share of
Common Stock. For purposes of any computation under this Section 13, the then
current market price per share of Common Stock at any date shall be deemed to be
the average for the five consecutive business days immediately prior to the
Cashless Exercise of the daily closing prices of the Common Stock on the
principal national securities exchange on which the Common Stock is admitted to
trading or listed, or if not listed or admitted to trading on any such exchange,
the closing prices as reported by the Nasdaq National Market, or if not then
listed on the Nasdaq National Market, the average of the highest reported bid
and lowest reported asked prices as reported by the National Association of
Securities Dealers, Inc. Automated Quotations System ("NASDAQ") or if not then
publicly traded, the fair market price of the Common Stock as determined by the
Board.
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134. Miscellaneous.
(a) Governing Law. This Warrant constitutes a contract under
and will be construed in accordance with and governed by the internal laws of
the State of Delaware.
(b) Successors and Assigns. This Warrant is binding upon any
successors or assigns of the Company and the Warrantholder and of the Shares
issued or issuable upon the exercise hereof.
(c) Definition of Warrantholder. The term Warrantholder
means the Warrantholder named in the first paragraph of this Warrant and any
successor or permitted assign of such Warrantholder known to the Company and
reflected on the Company's registry as the holder of this Warrant.
(d) Restrictions. THESE SECURITIES HAVE NOT BEEN REGISTERED
UNDER THE SECURITIES ACT OF 1933, AS AMENDED. THEY MAY NOT BE SOLD, OFFERED FOR
SALE, PLEDGED, OR HYPOTHECATED IN THE ABSENCE OF ANY EFFECTIVE REGISTRATION
STATEMENT RELATED THERETO OR AN OPINION OF COUNSEL SATISFACTORY TO THE COMPANY
THAT SUCH REGISTRATION IS NOT REQUIRED UNDER THE SECURITIES ACT OF 1933, AS
AMENDED.
(e) Amendments. This Warrant may be amended and the
observance of any term of this Warrant may be waived only with the written
consent of the Company and the Warrantholder.
(f) Notice. Any notice required or permitted under this
Warrant will be deemed effectively given upon personal delivery, delivery by
recognized international express courier or upon deposit with the United States
Post Office, by certified mail, postage prepaid and addressed to the party to be
notified at the address indicated below for such party, or at such other address
as such other party may designate by ten-day advance written notice.
(g) Acceptance. Receipt of this Warrant by the Warrantholder
constitutes acceptance of and agreement to the foregoing terms and conditions.
[The remainder of this page is left intentionally blank.]
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This Warrant Agreement has been duly executed on the date first written
above.
NEWSREAL, INC., a Delaware corporation
By: \s\ DAVID C. HOPPMANN(SEAL)
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David C. Hoppmann
President & CEO
Agreed to and accepted by:
\s\DANIEL VAUGHAN
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BY: DANIEL VAUGHAN
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Name: Daniel Vaughan
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Title:
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NOTICE OF EXERCISE
To: NEWSREAL, INC.
1. The undersigned hereby elects to purchase ____________________
shares of Common Stock ("Stock") of NEWSREAL, INC. (the "Company") pursuant to
the terms of the attached Warrant, and tenders herewith payment of the purchase
price, together with an Investment Representation Statement (see attached form)
in form and substance satisfactory to legal counsel to the Company.
2. The shares of Stock to be received by the undersigned upon
exercise of the Warrant are being acquired for its own account, not as a nominee
or agent, and not with a view to resale or distribution of any part thereof, and
the undersigned has no present intention of selling, granting any participation
in, or otherwise distributing the same. The undersigned further represents that
it does not have any contract, undertaking, agreement or arrangement with any
person to sell, transfer or grant participation to such person or to any third
person, with respect to the Stock. The undersigned believes it has received all
the information it considers necessary or appropriate for deciding whether to
purchase the Stock.
3. The undersigned understands that the shares of Stock and the
shares of the Company's Common Stock into which the Stock is convertible are
characterized as "restricted securities" under the federal securities laws
inasmuch as they are being acquired from the Company in transactions not
involving a public offering and that under such laws and applicable regulations
such securities may be resold without registration under the Securities Act of
1933, as amended (the "Act"), only in certain limited circumstances. In this
connection, the undersigned represents that it is familiar with Rule 144
promulgated under the Act, as presently in effect, and understandings the resale
limitations imposed thereby and by the Act.
4. The undersigned is an "accredited investor" as defined in Rule
502 of Regulation D under the Act or is not a "U.S. Person" as defined in Rule
902 regulations under the Act.
5. The undersigned understands the instruments evidencing the Stock
may bear one or all of the following legends:
(a) "THESE SECURITIES HAVE NOT BEEN REGISTERED UNDER THE
SECURITIES ACT OF 1933, AS AMENDED. THEY MAY NOT BE SOLD, OFFERED FOR
SALE, PLEDGED, OR HYPOTHECATED IN THE ABSENCE OF AN EFFECTIVE
REGISTRATION STATEMENT RELATED THERETO OR AN OPINION OF COUNSEL
SATISFACTORY TO THE COMPANY THAT SUCH REGISTRATION IS NOT REQUIRED UNDER
THE SECURiTIES ACT OF 1933, AS AMENDED."
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(b) Any legend required by applicable state law.
6. Please issue a certificate or certificates representing said
shares of Stock in the name set forth below.
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[Please type or print name]
7. Please issue a new Warrant for the unexercised portion of the
attached Warrant in the name set forth below.
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[Please type or print name]
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Park & Vaughan LLP
By:
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Name:
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Title:
----------------------
Date:
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NEWSREAL, INC.
CASHLESS EXERCISE FORM
(To be executed upon exercise of Warrant pursuant to Section 13)
The undersigned hereby irrevocably elects to surrender
______________________ shares purchasable under this Warrant for such shares of
Common Stock issuable in exchange therefor pursuant to the Cashless Exercise
provisions of the within Warrant, as provided for in Section 13 of such Warrant.
Please issue a certificate or certificates for such Common Stock in the
name of, and pay cash for fractional shares in the name of:
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(Please print name, address, and social security number/tax identification
number:)
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and, if said number of shares of Common Stock shall not be all the shares of
Common Stock purchasable thereunder, that a new Warrant for the balance
remaining of the shares of Common Stock purchasable under the within Warrant be
registered in the name of the undersigned Warrantholder or his or her Assignee
as below indicated and delivered to the address stated below.
Dated:
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Name of Holder
or Assignee:
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(Please print)
Address:
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Signature:
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NOTE: The above signature must correspond exactly with the name on the first
page of this Warrant or with the name of the assignee appearing in the
assignment form below.
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ASSIGNMENT FORM
(To assign the foregoing Warrant, execute this form and supply
required information. Do not use this form to purchase shares.)
FOR VALUE RECEIVED, the foregoing Warrant and all rights evidenced
thereby are hereby assigned to
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[Please type or print name.]
whose address is
--------------------------------------
[Please type or print address.]
--------------------------------------
--------------------------------------
By:
-------------------------
Name:
Title:
Date:
--------------------
Signature Guaranteed:
---------------------
NOTE: The signature to this Assignment Form must correspond with the name as it
appears on the face of the Warrant, without alteration or enlargement or any
change whatever, and must be guaranteed by a bank or trust company. Officers of
a corporation and those acting in a fiduciary or other representative capacity
should file proper evidence of authority to assign the foregoing Warrant.
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INVESTMENT REPRESENTATION STATEMENT
PURCHASER:
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COMPANY: NEWSREAL, INC.
SECURITIES: Warrant to purchase _____________ shares of Common Stock
DATE:
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In connection with the purchase of the above-listed Securities, the undersigned,
the Purchaser, represents to the Company the following:
(a) The undersigned is sufficiently aware of the Company's
business affairs and financial condition to reach an informed and knowledgeable
decision to acquire the Securities. The undersigned is purchasing these
Securities for its own account for investment purposes only and not with a view
to, or for the resale in connection with, any "distribution" thereof for
purposes of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the "Securities Act").
(b) The undersigned understands that the Securities have not
been registered under the Securities Act in reliance upon a specific exemption
therefrom, which exemption depends upon, among other things, the bona fide
nature of its investment intent as expressed herein. In this connection, the
undersigned understands that, in the view of the Securities and Exchange
Commission (the "SEC"), the statutory basis for such exemption may be
unavailable if its representation was predicated solely upon a present intention
to hold these Securities for the minimum capital gains period specified under
tax statutes for a deferred sale, for or until an increase or decrease in the
market price of the Securities, or for a period of one year or any other fixed
period in the future.
(c) The undersigned further understands that the Securities
must be held indefinitely unless subsequently registered under the Securities
Act or unless an exemption from registration is otherwise available (such as
Rule 144 under the Securities Act). In addition, the undersigned understands
that the certificate evidencing the Securities may be imprinted with a legend
which prohibits the transfer of the Securities unless they are registered or
such registration is not required in the opinion of counsel for the Company.
(d) The undersigned is familiar with the provisions of Rule
144, promulgated under the Securities Act, which, in substance, permits limited
public resale of "restricted securities" acquired, directly or indirectly, from
the issuer thereof (or from an affiliate of such issuer), in a non-public
offering subject to the satisfaction of certain conditions, including, among
other things: (1) The availability of certain public information about the
Company; (2) the resale occurring not less than two years after the party has
purchased, and made full payment for, within the meaning of Rule 144, the
securities to be
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sold; and, in the case of an affiliate, or of a non-affiliate who has held the
securities less than three years; and (3) the sale being made through a broker
in an unsolicited "broker's transaction" or in transactions directly with a
market maker, as said term is defined under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934,
as amended (the "Exchange Act"), and the amount of securities being sold during
any three month period not exceeding the specified limitation stated therein, if
applicable. There can be no assurances that the requirements of Rule 144 will be
met, or that the Securities will ever be saleable.
(e) The undersigned further understands that at the time the
undersigned wishes to sell the Securities there may be no public market upon
which to make such a sale, and that, even if such a public market then exists,
the Company may not be satisfying the current public information requirements of
Rule 144, and that, in such event, the undersigned would be precluded from
selling the Securities under Rule 144 even if the two-year minimum holding
period has been satisfied.
(f) The undersigned further understands that in the event
all of the applicable requirements of Rule 144 are not satisfied registration
under the Securities Act, compliance with some other registration exemption or
the notification to the Company of the proposed disposition by it and the
furnishing to the Company of (i) detailed information regarding the disposition,
and (ii) opinion of its counsel to the effect that such disposition will not
require registration (the undersigned understands such counsel's opinion must
concur with the opinion by counsel for the Company and the undersigned must have
been informed of such compliance) will be required and that, notwithstanding the
fact that Rule 144 is not exclusive, the Staff of the SEC has expressed its
opinion that person proposing to sell private placement securities other than in
a registered offering and otherwise than pursuant to Rule 144 will have a
substantial burden of proof in establishing that an exemption from registration
is available for such offers or sales, and that such persons and their
respective brokers who participate in such transactions do so at their own risk.
Signature of Purchaser:
By:
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Name:
Title:
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