Appointment of Collateral Agent Each Holder (including each Purchaser party hereto) desires to designate a Person to act as their administrative agent, collateral agent, trustee and representative for and on their behalf with respect to all administrative agency and collateral matters and under the Note Documents. Accordingly, by the Purchasers’ execution of this Agreement and by each Holder’s acceptance of a Convertible Note, each Holder (including the Purchasers) hereby irrevocably designates, authorizes and appoints DBFIP ANI LLC (“DBFIP”) to act as its administrative agent, collateral agent, trustee and representative for and on its behalf with respect to all administrative and collateral matters and under Note Documents and to exercise such powers and perform such duties as are expressly delegated to the Collateral Agent by the terms of this Agreement, the Collateral Documents, the Note Documents and the Intercreditor and Subordination Agreements, and consents and agrees to the terms of the Intercreditor and Subordination Agreements and each Collateral Document and each other Note Document, as the same may be in effect or may be amended, restated, supplemented or otherwise modified from time to time in accordance with their respective terms. Each Purchaser and each other Holder hereby grants to the Collateral Agent all such powers and authority as are necessary, desirable or appropriate to carry out the functions and duties delegated or assigned to the Collateral Agent hereunder and thereunder (including, without limitation, the authority to release Collateral from the Liens, security interests and encumbrances created under the Note Documents under the circumstances specifically provided therein).
(a) The Collateral Agent agrees to act as such on the express conditions contained in this Section 11.1. The provisions of this Section 11.1 are solely for the benefit of the Collateral Agent and neither the Issuer nor any of the Holders or Guarantors or any other Person shall have any rights as a third party beneficiary of any of the provisions contained herein. Each Holder agrees that any action taken by the Collateral Agent in accordance with the provision of this Agreement, the Intercreditor and Subordination Agreements, the Collateral Documents and/or the other Note Documents, and the exercise by the Collateral Agent of any rights or remedies set forth herein and therein shall be authorized and binding upon all Holders. Notwithstanding any provision to the contrary contained elsewhere in this Agreement, the Collateral Documents, the Note Documents and/or the Intercreditor and Subordination Agreements, the duties of the Collateral Agent shall be ministerial and administrative in nature, and the Collateral Agent shall not have any duties or responsibilities, except those expressly set forth herein, in the Intercreditor and Subordination Agreements, and in the other Note Documents to which the Collateral Agent is a party, nor shall the Collateral Agent have or be deemed to have any trust or other fiduciary relationship with the Issuer, any Holder or any Grantor, and no implied covenants, functions, responsibilities, duties, obligations or liabilities shall be read into this Agreement, the Collateral Documents and the Intercreditor and Subordination Agreements or otherwise exist against the Collateral Agent. Without limiting the generality of the foregoing sentence, the use of the term “agent” in this Agreement with reference to the Collateral Agent is not intended to connote any fiduciary or other implied (or express) obligations arising under agency doctrine of any applicable law. Instead, such term is used merely as a matter of market custom, and is intended to create or reflect only an administrative relationship between independent contracting parties.
(b) The Collateral Agent may perform any of its duties under this Agreement, the Collateral Documents, the Note Documents or the Intercreditor Agreement (if any) by or through receivers, agents, employees, attorneys-in-fact or with respect to any specified Person, such Person’s Affiliates, and the respective officers, directors, employees, agents, advisors and attorneys-in-fact of such Person and its Affiliates, (a “Related Person”) and shall be entitled to seek and rely on advice of counsel and other advisors or advisory committees of any Secured Party concerning all matters pertaining to such duties, and shall be entitled to act upon, and shall be fully protected in taking action in reliance upon any advice or opinion given by legal counsel or such other advisors or advisory committees of any Secured Party. The Collateral Agent shall not be responsible for the negligence or willful misconduct of any receiver, agent, employee, attorney-in-fact or Related Person that it selects as long as such selection was made in good faith.
(c) None of the Collateral Agent or any of its respective Related Persons shall (i) be liable for any action taken or omitted to be taken by any of them under or in connection with this Agreement or the transactions contemplated hereby (except for its own gross negligence or willful misconduct) or under or in connection with any Collateral Document, Note Document or the Intercreditor Agreement (if any) or the transactions contemplated thereby (except for its own gross negligence or willful misconduct), or (ii) be responsible in any manner to any Holder for any recital, statement, representation, warranty, covenant or agreement made by the Issuer or any other Grantor or Affiliate of any Grantor, or any Officer or Related Person thereof, contained in this Agreement, or any other Note Documents, or in any certificate, report, statement or other document referred to or provided for in, or received by the Collateral Agent under or in connection with, this Agreement, the Collateral Documents, the Note Documents or the Intercreditor and Subordination Agreements (if any), or the validity, effectiveness, genuineness, enforceability or sufficiency of this Agreement, the Collateral Documents, the Note Documents or the Intercreditor Agreement, or for any failure of any Grantor or any other party to this Agreement, the Collateral Documents, the Note Documents or the Intercreditor and Subordination Agreements to perform its obligations hereunder or thereunder. None of the Collateral Agent or any of its respective Related Persons shall be under any obligation to any Holder to ascertain or to inquire as to the observance or performance of any of the agreements contained in, or conditions of, this Agreement, the Collateral Documents, the Note Documents or the Intercreditor and Subordination Agreements or to inspect the properties, books, or records of the Issuer, any Guarantor or any Guarantor’s Subsidiaries or Affiliates.
(d) The Collateral Agent shall be entitled to rely, and shall be fully protected in relying, upon any writing, resolution, notice, consent, certificate, affidavit, letter, telegram, facsimile, certification, telephone message, statement, or other communication, document or conversation (including those by telephone or e-mail) reasonably believed by it to be genuine and correct and to have been signed, sent, or made by the proper Person or Persons, and upon advice and statements of legal counsel (including, without limitation, counsel to the Issuer or any other Guarantor), independent accountants and other experts, advisory committees, and advisors selected by the Collateral Agent. The Collateral Agent shall not be bound to make any investigation into the facts or matters stated in any resolution, certificate, statement, instrument, opinion, report, notice, request, direction, consent, order, bond, debenture, or other paper or document reasonably believed by it to be genuine and correct. The Collateral Agent shall be fully justified in failing or refusing to take any action under this Agreement, the Collateral Documents, the Note Documents or the Intercreditor and Subordination Agreements unless it shall first receive such advice or concurrence of the Holders of a majority in aggregate principal amount of the Convertible Notes as it determines and, if it so requests, it shall first be indemnified to its satisfaction by the Holders against any and all liability, loss and expense which may be incurred by it by reason of taking or continuing to take any such action. The Collateral Agent shall in all cases be fully protected in acting, or in refraining from acting, under this Agreement, the Collateral Documents, the Note Documents or the Intercreditor and Subordination Agreements in accordance with a request, direction, instruction or consent of the Holders of a majority in aggregate principal amount of the then outstanding Convertible Notes and such request and any action taken or failure to act pursuant thereto shall be binding upon all of the Holders.
(e) The Collateral Agent shall not be deemed to have knowledge or notice of the occurrence of any Default or Event of Default (each as defined in the Convertible Notes), unless a responsible officer of the Collateral Agent shall have received written notice from the Holders of a majority of the principal amount of the Convertible Notes or the Issuer referring to this Agreement or the Convertible Notes, describing such Default or Event of Default and stating that such notice is a “notice of default.” The Collateral Agent shall take such action with respect to such Default or Event of Default as may be requested by the Holders of a majority in aggregate principal amount of the Convertible Notes.
(f) The Collateral Agent may resign at any time by notice to the Issuer, such resignation to be effective upon the acceptance of a successor agent to its appointment as Collateral Agent. If the Collateral Agent resigns under this Agreement, the Issuer shall appoint a successor collateral agent. If no successor collateral agent is appointed prior to the intended effective date of the resignation of the Collateral Agent (as stated in the notice of resignation), the Collateral Agent may appoint, after consulting with the Holders, subject to the consent of the Issuer (which shall not be unreasonably withheld and which shall not be required during a continuing Event of Default), a successor collateral agent. If no successor collateral agent is appointed and consented to by the Issuer pursuant to the preceding sentence within thirty (30) days after the intended effective date of resignation (as stated in the notice of resignation) the Collateral Agent shall be entitled to petition a court of competent jurisdiction to appoint a successor. Upon the acceptance of its appointment as successor collateral agent hereunder, such successor collateral agent shall succeed to all the rights, powers and duties of the retiring Collateral Agent, and the term “Collateral Agent” shall mean such successor collateral agent, and the retiring Collateral Agent’s appointment, powers and duties as the Collateral Agent shall be terminated. After the retiring Collateral Agent’s resignation hereunder, the provisions of this Section 11 (and Section 9) shall continue to inure to its benefit and the retiring Collateral Agent shall not by reason of such resignation be deemed to be released from liability as to any actions taken or omitted to be taken by it while it was the Collateral Agent under this Agreement.
