Holdback Agreement (a) In connection with any Demand Offering, the Company shall not effect any public sale of any shares of Class A Common Stock or Class A Common Stock Equivalents during the ten (10) Business Days, or such shorter period beginning with delivery of a Demand Notice or Company Notice, as applicable, prior to the anticipated date such Public Offering is expected to be launched (the “Launch Date”) and during such time period after the pricing of such Demand Offering (not to exceed 90 days or sixty (60) days after the first Demand Offering) as the Company and the managing underwriter may agree, in each case except as part of such Demand Offering, pursuant to an Excluded Registration or as otherwise agreed between the Company and the managing underwriter for such Demand Offering.
(b) In connection with any Demand Offering, Non-Private Equity Offering or any Company Primary Offering, each Holder that participates in such Public Offering (including pursuant to Standing Instructions), shall not effect (subject to any exceptions the managing underwriter may agree) any public sale or private offer or distribution of any shares of Class A Common Stock or Class A Common Stock Equivalents during the ten (10) Business Days, or such shorter period beginning with delivery of a Demand Notice, Company Notice or Piggyback Notice, as applicable, or a notice by the Company to the Informed Holders or Standing Instructions Holders informing them of such Public Offering, prior to the anticipated Launch Date for any Public Offering and during such time period after the pricing of such Public Offering (not to exceed ninety (90) days (or sixty (60) days after the first Demand Offering)) (except as part of such Public Offering) as the managing underwriter may agree (the “Lockup Period”). Each Holder shall receive the benefit of any shorter Lockup Period or permitted exceptions (on a pro rata basis) agreed to by the managing underwriter for any Public Offering pursuant to this Agreement; provided, that nothing herein will prevent any Holder that is a limited liability company, partnership or corporation from making a distribution of shares of Class A Common Stock or Class A Common Stock Equivalents to the members, partners or stockholders thereof or a transfer to an Affiliate that is otherwise in compliance with the applicable securities laws, so long as such distributees or transferees agree to be bound by the restrictions set forth in this Section 2.5 (subject to any exceptions the managing underwriter may agree). Each such Holder agrees to execute a lock-up agreement in favor of the underwriters to such effect and, in any event, that the underwriters in any relevant Public Offering shall be third-party beneficiaries of this Section 2.5.
(c) Any discretionary waiver or termination of the requirements under the foregoing provisions made by the managing underwriter shall apply to each Holder on a pro rata basis in accordance with the number of Registrable Shares owned by each such Holder.
(d) The obligations of any person under this Section 2.5 are not in limitation of holdback or transfer restrictions that may otherwise apply by virtue of any other agreement or undertaking.
Holdback Agreements (a) The Company shall not effect any public sale or distribution of its equity securities, or any securities convertible into or exchangeable or exercisable for such securities, during the seven days prior to and during the 90-day period beginning on the effective date of any registration statement in connection with a Demand Registration (other than a Shelf Registration), or in the case of a Shelf Registration, the filing of any prospectus relating to the offer and sale of Registrable Securities, or a Piggyback Registration, except pursuant to any registrations on Form S-4 or Form S-8 or any successor form or unless the underwriters managing any such public offering otherwise agree.
(b) If any Holder of Registrable Securities notifies the Company in writing that it intends to effect an underwritten sale registered pursuant to a Shelf Registration pursuant to Article 2 hereof, the Company shall not effect any public sale or distribution of its equity securities, or any securities convertible into or exchangeable or exercisable for its equity securities, during the seven days prior to and during the 90-day period beginning on the pricing date for such underwritten offering, except pursuant to registrations on Form S-4 or Form S-8 or any successor form or unless the underwriters managing any such public offering otherwise agree.
(c) Each Holder agrees, in the event of an underwritten offering by the Company (whether for the account of the Company or otherwise), not to offer, sell, contract to sell or otherwise dispose of any Registrable Securities, or any securities convertible into or exchangeable or exercisable for such securities, including any sale pursuant to Rule 144 under the Securities Act (except as part of such underwritten offering), during the seven days prior to, and during the 90-day period (or such lesser period as the lead or managing underwriters may require) beginning on the effective date of the registration statement for such underwritten offering (or, in the case of an offering pursuant to an effective shelf registration statement pursuant to Rule 415, the pricing date for such underwritten offering).
Escrow Agreement Purchaser and the Escrow Agent shall have executed and delivered the Escrow Agreement.
Escrow Agreements (i) The Company and the Initial Stockholders have entered into an escrow agreement ("Initial Share Escrow Agreement") with Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company ("Escrow Agent") substantially in the form annexed as Exhibit 10.8 to the Registration Statement, whereby the Common Stock owned by the Initial Stockholders will be held in escrow by the Escrow Agent, until one year after the consummation of a Business Combination. During such escrow period, the Initial Stockholders shall be prohibited from selling or otherwise transferring such shares (except to spouses and children of Initial Stockholders and trusts established for their benefit and as otherwise set forth in the Escrow Agreement) but will retain the right to vote such shares. To the Company's knowledge, the Escrow Agreement is enforceable against each of the Initial Stockholders and will not, with or without the giving of notice or the lapse of time or both, result in a breach of, or conflict with any of the terms and provisions of, or constitute a default under, any agreement or instrument to which any of the Initial Stockholders is a party. The Escrow Agreement shall not be amended, modified or otherwise changed without the prior written consent of Ladenburg, which such consent will not be unreasonably withheld.
(ii) The Company and the Insider Purchaser have entered into an escrow agreement ("Insider Warrant Escrow Agreement" and together with the Initial Share Escrow Agreement, the "Escrow Agreements") with the Escrow Agent substantially in the form annexed as Exhibit 10.9 to the Registration Statement, whereby the Insider Warrants owned by the Insider Purchaser will be held in escrow by the Escrow Agent, until 30 days after the consummation of a Business Combination. During such escrow period, the Insider Purchaser shall be prohibited from selling or otherwise transferring such Insider Warrants (except for certain exceptions set forth in the Escrow Agreement). To the Company's knowledge, the Escrow Agreement is enforceable against the Insider Purchaser and will not, with or without the giving of notice or the lapse of time or both, result in a breach of, or conflict with any of the terms and provisions of, or constitute a default under, any agreement or instrument to which the Insider Purchaser is a party. The Insider Warrant Escrow Agreement shall not be amended, modified or otherwise changed without the prior written consent of Ladenburg, which such consent will not be unreasonably withheld.
Standstill Agreement (A) During the Standstill Period, and, if this Agreement is terminated prior to Closing pursuant to Section 10.1(a), for the one year period after the end of the Standstill Period (such one year period, the "Post Termination Standstill Period"), unless the Company shall have materially breached its obligation to nominate Investor Nominees or to appoint any Fully Independent Director pursuant to Section 5 (provided that, with respect to any such material breach that does not concern a Pre-Approved Person, a court of competent jurisdiction shall have determined pursuant to a final non-appealable order that the Company has so materially breached its obligations), the Investor shall not, shall cause each other member of the Investor Group not to, and shall use reasonable commercial efforts to cause other Affiliates and Associates of the Investor not members of the Investor Group ("Other Investor Affiliates") not to, directly or indirectly, alone or in concert with others:
(a) acquire, offer or propose to acquire or agree to acquire, whether by purchase, tender or exchange offer, through the acquisition of control of another person, by joining a partnership, limited partnership, syndicate or other 13D Group or otherwise, Beneficial Ownership of any Voting Securities, Derivative Securities or any other securities of the Company or any rights to acquire (whether currently, upon lapse of time, following the satisfaction of any conditions, upon the occurrence of any event or any combination of the foregoing) any Voting Securities, other than (i) the purchase of Shares or other Voting Securities expressly permitted by this Agreement, (ii) the acquisition of Voting Securities as a result of any stock split, stock dividends or other distributions, recapitalizations or offerings made available by the Company to holders of Voting Securities generally or (iii) in a transaction in which the Investor or a Subsidiary of the Investor acquires a previously unaffiliated business entity that, to the knowledge of the Investor after reasonable inquiry, owns shares of Common Stock that represents less than 4% of the Company's outstanding Common Stock and less than 10% of the unaffiliated entity's assets; provided, that all such Voting Securities shall be subject to the terms of this Agreement; provided, further, however, that in the event of a transaction as contemplated by clause (iii) hereof, the Investor will transfer, or cause such Subsidiary to transfer, in a manner consistent with Section 6.3, such shares of Common Stock previously owned by the unaffiliated entity within twelve months following the consummation of such transaction and all such shares of Common Stock, pending their transfer, shall be voted by the Investor or such Subsidiary in accordance with the requirements of clauses (w) through (z) of Section 6.2 and on any other matter in the same proportion as the votes cast by or on behalf of all holders of the Company's Voting Securities other than the Investor Group and Other Investor Affiliates;
(b) propose or seek to effect any merger, business combination, restructuring, recapitalization or similar transaction involving the Company or any of its Subsidiaries or the sale or other disposition outside the ordinary course of business of any material portion of the assets of the Company or any of its Subsidiaries except pursuant to Section 8.2 hereof;
(c) deposit any Voting Securities in a voting trust or subject any Voting Securities to any arrangement or agreement with respect to the voting of such Voting Securities except pursuant to Section 8.8 hereof;
(d) seek election to, seek to place a representative on, or seek the removal of any member of, the Board, except pursuant to Section 5 hereof;
(e) engage in any "solicitation" (within the meaning of rule 14a-1 under the Exchange Act) of proxies or consents (whether or not relating to the election or removal of directors) with respect to the Company, or become a "participant" in any "election contest" (within the meaning of Rule 14a-11 under the Exchange Act) or, unless the execution by the Investor, member of the Investor Group or Other Investor Affiliate is first approved by the Board, execute any written consent in lieu of a meeting of the holders of any class of Voting Securities that is solicited by or on behalf of any shareholder of the Company;
(f) call or seek to have called any meeting of the shareholders of the Company (except for the exercise by the Investor of its rights pursuant to Section 5.1(d));
(g) initiate, propose or otherwise solicit shareholders for the approval of any shareholder proposal (as described in Rule 14a-8 under the Exchange Act or otherwise) with respect to the Company;
(h) form, join or in any way participate in or assist in the formation of a 13D Group with respect to any Voting Securities, other than any such "group" consisting exclusively of the Investor and other wholly-owned United States Subsidiaries of the Investor who have acquired Voting Securities in accordance with Section 2.2(b) or Section 6.3(a);
(i) otherwise act, alone or in concert with others, to seek control or influence the management, the Board or the policies of the Company in a manner designed or having the deliberate effect of circumventing the restrictions otherwise imposed under this Section 6.1(A);
(j) disclose or publicly announce any intention, plan or arrangement inconsistent with the foregoing;
(k) advise, assist or encourage or finance any other persons in connection with any of the foregoing types of activities; or
(l) request the Company (or its directors, officers, employees or agents) to amend or waive any provision of this Agreement; provided that nothing in this Section 6.1(A) shall limit any rights of the members of the Investor Group under the Joint Venture Agreement or the Research Alliance Agreement, or (I) prohibit any individual who is serving as a Director of the Company, solely in his or her capacity as such Director and provided no public disclosure thereof by the Company would be required, from (x) taking any action or making any statement at any meeting of the Board of Directors or of any committee thereof, (y) making any statement to any Representative of the Company, or (z) making any statement or disclosure required under federal securities laws or other applicable Law, (II) restrict any private communications not requiring public disclosure between the Investor and any Investor Nominee, (III) restrict any disclosure or statements required to be made by any member of the Investor Group under applicable Law to the extent any such requirement does not arise from actions by the Investor Group inconsistent with this Agreement, or (IV) limit the rights of the Investor Group pursuant to Section 6.2, Section 6.9 or Section 8.2.
(B) Notwithstanding the foregoing, if this Agreement is terminated prior to Closing pursuant to Section 10.1(a), the provisions of paragraph (A) of this Section 6.1 (other than the provisions of clauses (a) (except as to proposals to the Company as to the matters in clause (b)) and (h) thereof and the provisions of (i), (j), (k) and (l) thereof to the extent such provisions relate to the acquisition of Voting Securities or other securities of the Company) shall cease to apply during the Post-Termination Standstill Period if (i) the Company enters into an agreement contemplating a Change in Control Transaction or a Competing Investment or the Company makes any filing with respect to, or seeks expiration of the waiting period under, the HSR Act with respect to a Change in Control Transaction or Competing Investment; (ii) the Board of Directors publicly announces its intention to solicit or publicly solicits any Proposal or publicly approves, accepts, authorizes or recommends to shareholders of the Company their approval of or the conveyance of shares pursuant to a Change in Control Transaction or Competing Investment; (iii) during or prior to the pendency of a bona fide tender or exchange offer made by any Person or 13D Group (other than a member of the Investor Group), the Board of Directors determines or resolves to, or announces its intention to, or is ordered or directed by any Governmental Entity to, redeem, amend or modify (to render inapplicable (including by taking action to cause a Section 11(a)(ii) Event or Section 13 Event (each as defined in the Amended Rights Agreement as in effect on the date hereof), not to occur that, absent such action, would otherwise have occurred, or to redeem the Preferred Stock Purchase Rights) thereto or otherwise exempt therefrom) the Preferred Stock Purchase Rights or the Amended Rights Agreement (or a Substantially Similar Agreement) or; (iv) any Person other than the Investor or an Excluded Person acquires or agrees to acquire 20% or more of the then outstanding Voting Securities or Common Securities.
Hold-Back Agreements (a) The Company agrees (i) if so required by the managing underwriter of an underwritten offering effected pursuant to a Registration under Section 2 or 3 hereof, not to effect any public or private sale or distribution of securities of the same type (including any underlying securities) as the Registrable Securities included in such underwritten registration, or any securities convertible into or exchangeable or exercisable for such securities, during the seven days prior to the pricing of such offering and until the earlier of (A) the end of the 180-day period beginning on the date of pricing of such offering (except as part of such underwritten offering and except pursuant to registrations on Form S-4 or Form S-8 (or any successor form to such Form)), unless the managing underwriter for such offering otherwise agrees, and (B) the abandonment of such offering, and (ii) to use reasonable best efforts to cause each holder of securities of the same type as the securities included in such underwritten offering, or any securities convertible into or exchangeable or exercisable for such securities, in each case purchased from the Company at any time after the date of this Agreement (other than in a registered public offering) to agree not to effect any public or private sale or distribution or otherwise dispose (including sales pursuant to Rule 144 under the Securities Act) of any such securities during such period (except as part of such underwritten registration, if otherwise permitted), unless the managing underwriter for such offering otherwise agrees.
(b) If the Company registers securities of the Company in connection with an underwritten public offering of Common Stock solely by the Company, the Holders, if so requested by the managing underwriter of such underwritten offering, agree not to effect any public sale or distribution of any of the Registrable Securities, including any sale pursuant to Rule 144 under the Securities Act (other than as a part of such underwritten public offering) without the consent of the Company or such managing underwriter during the period commencing on a date specified by the underwriter, such date not to exceed seven days prior to the effective date of such registration statement, and ending on the earlier of (A) 180 days after the pricing of such offering, (B) the abandonment of such offering and (C) the first date on which the Company or any affiliate or executive officer of the Company is permitted to sell shares of Common Stock of the Company.
Lock-Up Agreement The Underwriters shall have received all of the Lock-Up Agreements referenced in Section 4 and the Lock-Up Agreements shall remain in full force and effect.
Noncompetition Agreement (a) Employee shall not, during the term of his employment hereunder, be engaged in any other business activity pursued for gain, profit or other pecuniary advantage if such activity interferes with Employee's duties and responsibilities hereunder. The foregoing limitations shall not be construed as prohibiting Employee from making personal investments in such form or manner as will neither require his services in the operation or affairs of the companies or enterprises in which such investments are made nor violate the terms of this paragraph 3. Employee will not, during the period of his employment by or with Employer, and for a period of two (2) years immediately following the termination of his employment under this Agreement, except as provided below, directly or indirectly, for himself or on behalf of or in conjunction with any other person, persons, company, partnership, corporation or business of whatever nature:
(i) engage, as an officer, director, shareholder, owner, partner, joint venturer, or in a managerial capacity, whether as an employee, independent contractor, consultant or advisor, or as a sales representative, in any business in direct competition with Employer or the Company within 100 miles of where the Company or any of its subsidiaries conduct business, including any territory serviced by the Company or any of such subsidiaries (the "TERRITORY");
(ii) call upon any person who is, at that time, an employee of Employer or the Company (including the respective subsidiaries thereof) in a sales or managerial capacity for the purpose or with the intent of enticing such employee away from or out of the employ of Employer or the Company (including the respective subsidiaries thereof);
(iii) call upon any person or entity which is, at that time, or which has been, within one (1) year prior to that time, a customer of the Company (including the respective subsidiaries thereof) for the purpose of soliciting or selling products or services in direct competition with the Company; or
(iv) call upon any prospective acquisition candidate, on Employee's own behalf or on behalf of any competitor, which candidate was, to Employee's actual knowledge after due inquiry, either called upon by Employer or the Company (including the respective subsidiaries thereof) or for which Employer or the Company made an acquisition analysis for the purpose of acquiring such entity or all or substantially all of such entity's assets. Notwithstanding the above, the foregoing covenant shall not be deemed to prohibit Employee from acquiring as a passive investment not more than two percent (2%) of the capital stock of a competing business the stock of which is traded on a national securities exchange or on an over-the -counter or similar market.
(b) Because of the difficulty of measuring economic losses to Employer or the Company as a result of a breach of the foregoing covenant, and because of the immediate and irreparable damage that could be caused to Employer or the Company for which they would have no other adequate remedy, Employee agrees that the foregoing covenant may be enforced by Employer or the Company in the event of breach or threatened breach by Employee, by injunctions, restraining orders and other appropriate equitable relief.
(c) It is agreed by the parties that the foregoing covenants in this paragraph 3 impose a reasonable restraint on Employee in light of the activities and business of the Company (including the Company's subsidiaries) on the date of the execution of this Agreement and the current plans of the Company (including the Company's subsidiaries); but it is also the intent of the Company and Employee that such covenants be construed and enforced in accordance with the changing activities, business and locations of the Company (including the Company's subsidiaries) throughout the term of this covenant, whether before or after the date of termination of the employment of Employee. For example, if, during the term of this Agreement, the Company (including the Company's subsidiaries) engages in new and different activities, enters a new business or establishes new locations for its current activities or business in addition to or other than the activities or business enumerated under the Recitals above or the locations currently established therefor, then Employee will be precluded from soliciting the customers or Employees of such new activities or business or from such new location and from directly competing with such new business within 100 miles of its then-established operating location(s) through the term of this covenant. It is further agreed by the parties hereto that, in the event that Employee shall cease to be employed hereunder, and shall enter into a business or pursue other activities not in competition with the Company (including the Company's subsidiaries), or similar activities or business in locations the operation of which, under such circumstances, does not violate clause (i) of paragraph 3(a), Employee shall not be chargeable with a violation of this paragraph 3 if the Company (including the Company's subsidiaries) shall thereafter enter the same, similar or a competitive (i) business, (ii) course of activities or (iii) location, as applicable.
(d) The covenants in this paragraph 3 are severable and separate, and the unenforceability of any specific covenant shall not affect the provisions of any other covenant. Moreover, in the event any court of competent jurisdiction shall determine that the scope, time or territorial restrictions set forth herein are unreasonable, then it is the intention of the parties that such restrictions be enforced to the fullest extent which the court deems reasonable, and this Agreement shall thereby be reformed.
(e) All of the covenants in this paragraph 3 shall be construed as an agreement independent of any other provision in this Agreement, and the existence of any claim or cause of action of Employee against Employer or the Company, whether predicated on this Agreement or otherwise, shall not constitute a defense to the enforcement by Employer or the Company of such covenants. It is specifically agreed that the period of two (2) years following termination of employment stated at the beginning of this paragraph 3, during which the agreements and covenants of Employee made in this paragraph 3 shall be effective, shall be computed by excluding from such computation any time during which Employee is in violation of any provision of this paragraph 3.
Non-Competition Agreements Except as described in the Statutory Prospectus and the Prospectus, to the Company’s knowledge, none of the Sponsor, directors or executive officers of the Company is subject to a non-competition agreement or non-solicitation agreement with any employer or prior employer which could materially affect his, her or its ability to be and act in the capacity of shareholder, executive officer or director of the Company, as applicable.
Non-Competition Agreement (a) Executive shall not, during the term of his employment hereunder, be engaged in any other business activity pursued for gain, profit or other pecuniary advantage if such activity interferes in any material respect with Executive's duties and responsibilities hereunder. The foregoing limitations shall not be construed as prohibiting Executive from making personal investments in such form or manner as will neither require his services in the operation or affairs of the companies or enterprises in which such investments are made nor violate the terms of this paragraph 3. In addition, Executive shall not, during the period of his employment by or with the Company, and for a period of two (2) years immediately following the termination of his employment under this Agreement, for any reason whatsoever, other than a termination by the Company without cause or by Executive for Good Reason, directly or indirectly, for himself or on behalf of or in conjunction with any other person, company, partnership, corporation or business of whatever nature:
(i) engage, as an officer, director, shareholder, owner, partner, joint venturer, or in a managerial capacity, whether as an employee, independent contractor, consultant or advisor, or as a sales representative, in any business in direct competition with the Company or Metals, within 200 miles of where the Company or any of Metals' subsidiaries conducts business, including any territory serviced by the Company or Metals or any of such subsidiaries (the "Territory");
(ii) call upon any person who is, at that time, within the Territory, an employee of the Company or Metals (including the respective subsidiaries thereof) in a managerial capacity for the purpose or with the intent of enticing such employee away from or out of the employ of the Company or Metals (including the respective subsidiaries thereof);
(iii) call upon any person or entity which is, at that time, or which has been, within one (1) year prior to that time, a customer of the Company or Metals (including the respective subsidiaries thereof) within the Territory for the purpose of soliciting or selling products or services in direct competition with the Company or Metals within the Territory;
(iv) call upon any prospective acquisition candidate, on Executive's own behalf or on behalf of any competitor, which candidate was, to Executive's actual knowledge after due inquiry, either called upon by the Company or Metals (including the respective subsidiaries thereof) or for which the Company or Metals made an acquisition analysis, for the purpose of acquiring such entity. Notwithstanding the above, the foregoing covenant shall not be deemed to prohibit Executive from acquiring as an investment not more than one percent (1%) of the capital stock of a competing business, whose stock is traded on a national securities exchange or on an over-the-counter or similar market.
(b) Because of the difficulty of measuring economic losses to the Company and Metals as a result of a breach of the foregoing covenant, and because of the immediate and irreparable damage that could be caused to the Company and Metals for which they would have no other adequate remedy, Executive agrees that the foregoing covenant may be enforced by Metals or the Company in the event of breach by him, by injunctions and restraining orders.
(c) It is agreed by the parties that the foregoing covenants in this paragraph 3 impose a reasonable restraint on Executive in light of the activities and business of the Company or Metals, as the case may be (including Metals' other subsidiaries) on the date of the execution of this Agreement and the current plans of Metals (including Metals' other subsidiaries); but it is also the intent of the Company and Executive that such covenants be construed and enforced in accordance with the changing activities, business and locations of the Company and Metals, as the case may be (including Metals' other subsidiaries) throughout the term of this covenant, whether before or after the date of termination of the employment of Executive. For example, if, during the term of this Agreement, the Company or Metals, as the case may be (including Metals' other subsidiaries) engages in new and different activities, enters a new business or establishes new locations for its current activities or business in addition to or other than the activities or business enumerated under the Recitals above or the locations currently established therefor, then Executive will be precluded from soliciting the customers or employees of such new activities or business or from such new location and from directly competing with such new business within 200 miles of its then-established operating location(s) through the term of this covenant. It is further agreed by the parties hereto that, in the event that Executive shall cease to be employed hereunder, and shall enter into a business or pursue other activities not in competition with the Company or Metals (including Metals' other subsidiaries), or similar activities or business in locations the operation of which, under such circumstances, does not violate clause (i) of this paragraph 3, and in any event such new business, activities or location are not in violation of this paragraph 3 or of Executive's obligations under this paragraph 3, if any, Executive shall not be chargeable with a violation of this paragraph 3 if the Company or Metals (including Metals' other subsidiaries) shall thereafter enter the same, similar or a competitive (i) business, (ii) course of activities or (iii) location, as applicable.
(d) The covenants in this paragraph 3 are severable and separate, and the unenforceability of any specific covenant shall not affect the provisions of any other covenant. Moreover, in the event any court of competent jurisdiction shall determine that the scope, time or territorial restrictions set forth are unreasonable, then it is the intention of the parties that such restrictions be enforced to the fullest extent which the court deems reasonable, and the Agreement shall thereby be reformed.
(e) All of the covenants in this paragraph 3 shall be construed as an agreement independent of any other provision in this Agreement, and the existence of any claim or cause of action of Executive against the Company or Metals, whether predicated on this Agreement or otherwise, shall not constitute a defense to the enforcement by Metals or the Company of such covenants. It is specifically agreed that the period of two (2) years following termination of employment stated at the beginning of this paragraph 3, during which the agreements and covenants of Executive made in this paragraph 3 shall be effective, shall be computed by excluding from such computation any time during which Executive is in violation of any provision of this paragraph 3.
