Conduct of the Business (a) Except as (i) set forth in Section 5.2(a) of the Sellers’ Disclosure Schedule or (ii) as is necessary and commercially reasonable in response to a Contagion Event or Contagion Event Measures, subject to Sellers providing Purchaser with advance notice and obtaining Purchaser’s prior written consent in respect of any such action (unless it is not reasonably practicable under the circumstances to provide such prior notice and obtain prior consent, in which case Sellers shall provide notice to Purchaser as soon as reasonably practicable), from the date hereof until the earlier of the Closing Date or the termination of this Agreement, the Sellers shall cause the Bank and the Transferred Subsidiaries to (1) carry on their businesses in the ordinary course of business in all material respects; (2) use commercially reasonable efforts to preserve their present business organizations and relationships; and (3) use commercially reasonable efforts to preserve the rights, franchises, goodwill and relations of their customers, clients and others with whom business relationships exist; provided, that this Section 5.2(a) shall not apply to the Excluded Assets and Liabilities. (b) Except as set forth in Section 5.2(b) of the Sellers’ Disclosure Schedule or to the extent required to effect the Excluded Assets and Liabilities Transfer, from the date hereof until the earlier of the Closing Date or the termination of this Agreement, except as (A) otherwise expressly required by this Agreement, (B) consented to in writing in advance by Purchaser (which consent shall not be unreasonably conditioned, withheld or delayed), or (C) required by applicable Law, Sellers shall cause the Bank and the Transferred Subsidiaries not to: (i) amend the Bank’s or any Transferred Subsidiaries’ Constituent Documents or permit any waiver or grant any consent under their respective Constituent Documents; (ii) (A) merge or consolidate with any other Person, (B) acquire (including by merger, consolidation, or acquisition of stock or assets) any interest in any other Person or any division thereof or any assets, securities or property, other than (x) acquisitions of securities under the Bank’s or an applicable Transferred Subsidiary’s investment portfolio consistent with the Bank’s or an applicable Transferred Subsidiary’s investment policy in effect as of the date hereof, (y) as may be deemed necessary or advisable by it in the exercise of its rights in connection with an Extension of Credit, or (z) acquisitions in the ordinary course of business, or (C) adopt a plan of complete or partial liquidation, dissolution, recapitalization, restructuring or other reorganization; -55- purchases of federal funds, borrowings from any Federal Home Loan Bank, sales of certificates of deposit, issuances of commercial papers, entry into repurchase agreements and satisfaction of legal requirements in the exercise of trust powers, in each case, on terms and in amounts consistent with past practice) or (y) for any Excluded Assets and Liabilities, (A) subject any material asset of the Bank or of any Transferred Subsidiary to a Lien or permit, allow or suffer to exist any Lien in respect thereof, other than Permitted Liens; or (B) incur any liability for borrowed money (or guarantee any indebtedness for borrowed money), issue any debt securities, assume, guarantee, endorse or otherwise as an accommodation become responsible for the obligations of any other Person (other than a Transferred Subsidiary); (viii) dispose of any material assets (without limiting Section 5.2(b)(xii), other than Intellectual Property) to any person other than a Transferred Subsidiary, including existing branches of the Bank, except in the ordinary course of business or pursuant to Contracts in force as of the date of this Agreement; (ix) other than as required by the terms of any Benefit Plan existing as of the date hereof, (A) increase the compensation or benefits of any Business Employee, other than the payment of incentive compensation for completed performance periods based upon corporate performance, the performance of such employee and, if applicable, such employee’s business, in each case determined in accordance with the terms of the applicable Benefit Plan and in the ordinary course of business consistent with past practice, (B) enter into any change-in-control, retention, employment, severance, termination or other similar agreement or arrangement with any Business Employee, or increase or commit to increase the change-in-control, severance or termination pay or benefits payable to any Business Employee, (C) pay or award, or commit to pay or award, any bonuses or incentive compensation to any Business Employee other than incentive compensation payments contemplated by clause (A) above, (D) enter into, establish, adopt, terminate or amend any Benefit Plan or any plan, program, arrangement, practice or agreement that would be a Benefit Plan if it were in existence on the date hereof, except for de minimis administrative amendments that would not increase the benefits provided thereunder or the cost thereof to the Bank and the Transferred Subsidiaries, (E) take any action to amend or waive any performance or vesting criteria or accelerate vesting, exercisability or funding under any Benefit Plan, with respect to any Business Employee, (F) hire any Business Employee, other than as permitted under Section 5.10(e), (G) terminate the employment of any Business Employee with the title of Managing Director or above, other than for cause or pay any severance, termination pay or benefits to any employee without obtaining an effective comprehensive general release of claims against the Bank and the Transferred Subsidiaries, (H) transfer the employment of any Business Employee to Sellers or any of their Affiliates (other than the Bank or any Transferred Subsidiary), or transfer the employment of any employee, officer, director, or natural person independent contractor of Sellers or any of their Affiliates (other than the Bank or any Transferred Subsidiary) to the Bank or its Affiliates (other than as permitted under Section 5.10(e)), (I) grant to any Business Employee any right to reimbursement, indemnification, or payment for any Taxes incurred under Section 409A or 4999 of the Code, or (J) recognize any union, labor organization or
Conduct of the Company’s Business The Company covenants and agrees that, prior to the Effective Time, unless Parent shall otherwise consent in writing or as otherwise expressly contemplated by this Agreement:
Conduct of Research Program Each Party:
Conduct of the Company From the date of this Agreement until the Closing or the earlier termination of this Agreement in accordance with Article 8 (the “Pre-Closing Period”), except as (i) expressly required or expressly contemplated by this Agreement, (ii) set forth in Section 5.01 of the Company Letter, (iii) required by applicable Law or (iv) consented to in advance in writing by Parent or Buyer (such consent not to be unreasonably withheld, conditioned or delayed), the Company shall, and shall cause each of its Subsidiaries to, (A) conduct its business in all material respects in the ordinary course of business consistent with past practice, (B) use its reasonable best efforts to preserve intact in all material respects its business organization and material business relationships with suppliers, vendors, Governmental Authorities, Customers and other Persons with which the Company has material business relationships and keep available the services of its present officers and key employees and (C) use commercially reasonable efforts to undertake the actions enumerated in Section 5.01-1 of the Company Letter; provided, that none of the Company or any of its Subsidiaries shall be required to (or shall without Parent’s or Buyer’s prior consent, not to be unreasonably withheld, conditioned or delayed) make any payments to its business relationship counterparties, beyond that paid in the ordinary course of business in order to maintain such business relationships. In addition to and without limiting the generality of the foregoing, during the Pre-Closing Period, except as (w) expressly required or expressly contemplated by this Agreement, (x) set forth in Section 5.01 of the Company Letter, (y) required by applicable Law or (z) consented to in advance in writing by Parent or Buyer (such consent not to be unreasonably withheld, conditioned or delayed), the Company shall not, and shall cause its Subsidiaries not to:
Outside Activities Subject to the Articles of Incorporation and any agreements entered into by the General Partner or its Affiliates with the Partnership or a Subsidiary, any officer, director, employee, agent, trustee, Affiliate or stockholder of the General Partner shall be entitled to and may have business interests and engage in business activities in addition to those relating to the Partnership, including business interests and activities substantially similar or identical to those of the Partnership. Neither the Partnership nor any of the Limited Partners shall have any rights by virtue of this Agreement in any such business ventures, interest or activities. None of the Limited Partners nor any other Person shall have any rights by virtue of this Agreement or the partnership relationship established hereby in any such business ventures, interests or activities, and the General Partner shall have no obligation pursuant to this Agreement to offer any interest in any such business ventures, interests and activities to the Partnership or any Limited Partner, even if such opportunity is of a character which, if presented to the Partnership or any Limited Partner, could be taken by such Person.
Independent Activities 14.1 Except as expressly provided herein, each party shall have the free and unrestricted right to independently engage in and receive the full benefit of any and all business endeavours of any sort whatsoever, whether or not competitive with the endeavours contemplated herein without consulting the other or inviting or allowing the other to participate therein. No party shall be under any fiduciary or other duty to the other which will prevent it from engaging in or enjoying the benefits of competing endeavours within the general scope of the endeavours contemplated herein. The legal doctrines of "corporate opportunity" sometimes applied to persons engaged in a joint venture or having fiduciary status shall not apply in the case of any party. In particular, without limiting the foregoing, no party shall have any obligation to any other party as to:
Conduct of Research The Parties shall use Diligent Efforts to conduct their respective tasks, as assigned under the Research Plan, throughout the Mode of Action Program and shall conduct the Mode of Action Program in good scientific manner, and in compliance in all material respects with the requirements of applicable laws, rules and regulations and all applicable good laboratory practices to attempt to achieve their objectives efficiently and expeditiously.
Conduct of Third Party Claims 11.4.1 If the matter or circumstance that may give rise to a claim against the Seller under this Agreement for breach of any Seller’s Warranty is a result of or in connection with a claim by a third party (a “Third Party Claim”) then:
Commercialization Activities Within North America, the Parties will use Commercially Reasonable Efforts to Commercialize Licensed Products in the Field. In addition, within North America and subject to Section 2.7.6, the Parties will use Commercially Reasonable Efforts to conduct the Commercialization activities assigned to them pursuant to the Commercialization Plan/Budget, including the performance of detailing in accordance therewith. In conducting the Commercialization activities, the Parties will comply with all Applicable Laws, applicable industry professional standards and compliance policies of Celgene which have been previously furnished to Acceleron, as the same may be updated from time to time and provided to Acceleron. Neither Party shall make any claims or statements with respect to the Licensed Products that are not strictly consistent with the product labeling and the sales and marketing materials approved for use pursuant to the Commercialization Plan/Budget.
Restrictions on Business Activities There is no agreement, commitment, judgment, injunction, order or decree binding upon the Company or any Company Subsidiary or to which the Company or any Company Subsidiary is a party which has or would reasonably be expected to have the effect of prohibiting or materially impairing any business practice material to the Company or any Company Subsidiary, any acquisition of property by the Company or any Company Subsidiary or the conduct of business by the Company or any Company Subsidiary as currently conducted.
