Indemnification by the Distributor (a) The Distributor agrees to indemnify and hold harmless the Company and each of its directors and officers and each person, if any, who controls the Company within the meaning of Section 15 of the 1933 Act (collectively, the “Indemnified Parties” for purposes of this Section 7.4) against any and all losses, claims, damages, liabilities (including amounts paid in settlement with the written consent of the Sponsor) or litigation (including legal and other expenses) to which the Indemnified Parties may become subject under any statute, at common law or otherwise, insofar as such losses, claims, damages, liabilities or expenses (or actions in respect thereof) or settlements are related to the sale or acquisition of the Fund’s shares or the Variable Insurance Products and:
(i) arise out of or are based upon any untrue statement or alleged untrue statement of any material fact contained in the registration statement or prospectus or sales literature of the Fund (or any amendment or supplement to any of the foregoing), or arise out of or are based upon the omission or the alleged omission to state therein a material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein not misleading, provided that this agreement to indemnify shall not apply as to any Indemnified Party if such statement or omission or such alleged statement or omission was made in reliance upon and in conformity with information furnished to the Distributor or the Fund by or on behalf of the Company for use in the registration statement or prospectus for the Fund or in sales literature (or any amendment or supplement thereto) or otherwise for use in connection with the sale of the Variable Insurance Products or Fund shares; or
(ii) arise out of or as a result of statements or representations (other than statements or representations contained in the registration statement, prospectus or sales literature for the Variable Insurance Products not supplied by the Distributor or persons under its control) or unlawful conduct of the Fund, the Advisers or persons under their control, with respect to the sale or distribution of the Variable Insurance Products or Fund shares; or
(iii) arise out of any untrue statement or alleged untrue statement of a material fact contained in a registration statement, prospectus or sales literature covering the Variable Insurance Products (or any amendment or supplement thereto), or the omission or alleged omission to state therein a material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statement or statements therein not misleading, if such statement or omission was made in reliance upon information furnished to the Company by or on behalf of the Fund; or
(iv) result from any failure by the Distributor or the Fund to provide the services and furnish the materials under the terms of this Agreement; or
(v) arise out of or result from any material breach of any representation and/or warranty made by the Distributor or the Fund in this Agreement or arise out of or result from any other material breach of this Agreement by the Distributor of the Fund; as limited by and in accordance with the provisions of Sections 7.4(b) and 7.4(c) hereof.
(b) The Distributor shall not be liable under this indemnification provision with respect to any losses, claims, damages, liabilities or litigation to which an Indemnified Party would otherwise be subject by reason of such Indemnified Party’s willful misfeasance, bad faith, or gross negligence in the performance of such Indemnified Party’s duties or by reason of such Indemnified Party’s reckless disregard of obligations and duties under this Agreement or to the Company or the Accounts, whichever is applicable.
(c) The Distributor shall not be liable under this indemnification provision with respect to any claim made against an Indemnified Party unless such Indemnified Party shall have notified the Distributor in writing within a reasonable time after the summons or other first legal process giving information of the nature of the claim shall have been served upon such Indemnified Party (or after such Indemnified Party shall have received notice of any such service on any designated agent), but failure to notify the Distributor of any such claim shall not relieve the Distributor from any liability which it may have to the Indemnified Party against whom such action is brought otherwise than on account of this indemnification provision. In any case any such action is brought against the Indemnified Parties, the Distributor will be entitled to participate, at its own expense, in the defense thereof. The Sponsor also shall be entitled to assume the defense thereof, with counsel satisfactory to the party named in the action. After notice from the Distributor to such party of the Distributor’s election to assume the defense thereof, the Indemnified Party shall bear the fees and expenses of any additional counsel retained by it, and the Distributor will not be liable to such party under this Agreement for any legal or other expenses subsequently incurred by each party independently in connection with the defense thereof other than reasonable costs of investigation.
(d) The Company agrees promptly to notify the Distributor of the commencement of any litigation or proceedings against it or any of its officers or directors in connection with the issuance or sale of the Variable Insurance Products or the operation of each account.
Expenses Payable by the Company The Company will pay all expenses incident to the performance of its obligations under this Agreement, including (i) the preparation, printing and filing of the Registration Statement (including financial statements and exhibits) as originally filed and of each amendment thereto, (ii) the preparation, printing and delivery to the Sales Agent of this Agreement and such other documents as may be required in connection with the offering, purchase, sale, issuance or delivery of the Shares, (iii) the preparation, issuance and delivery of the certificate or certificates for the Shares, (iv) the fees and disbursements of the Company’s counsel, accountants and other advisors, (v) the qualification of the Shares under securities laws in accordance with the provisions of Section 4(h) hereof, (vi) the printing and delivery to the Sales Agent of copies of each Issuer Free Writing Prospectus and of the Prospectus and any amendments or supplements thereto, (vii) the preparation, printing and delivery to the Sales Agent of copies of any Blue Sky survey and any supplement thereto, (viii) the costs and expenses of the Company relating to investor presentations on any “road show” undertaken in connection with the marketing of the Shares, including without limitation, expenses associated with the production of road show slides and graphics, fees and expenses of any consultants engaged in connection with the road show presentations, travel and lodging expenses of the Sales Agent and officers of the Company and any such consultants, and the cost of aircraft and other transportation chartered in connection with the road show and (ix) the reasonable documented out-of-pocket expenses of the Sales Agent, including the reasonable fees and disbursements of counsel for the Sales Agent, in connection with the negotiation, execution and delivery of this Agreement and the performance of its obligations hereunder during the Commitment Period, it being understood that the Company shall be required to pay the fees and disbursements of only one counsel for the Sales Agent and the Other Sales Agents.
Termination by Either Parent or the Company This Agreement may be terminated and the Merger Transactions abandoned at any time before the Acceptance Time by either Parent or the Company upon written notice to the other party:
(a) at any time after 12:01 a.m. Eastern Time on February 29, 2024 (the “Outside Date”) if the Acceptance Time shall not have occurred on or before the Outside Date; provided, further, that the right to terminate this Agreement under this Section 7.2(a) shall not be available to any party to this Agreement if the failure of such party to perform any of its covenants or agreements under this Agreement has been a principal cause of the failure of the Acceptance Time to occur by the Outside Date; or
(b) if any Order having the effect set forth in paragraph (b) of Annex I shall be in effect and shall have become final and nonappealable, except that the right to terminate this Agreement under this Section 7.2(b) shall not be available to any party to this Agreement whose breach of any representation, warranty, covenant or agreement set forth in this Agreement has been the proximate cause of, or resulted in, the issuance, promulgation, enforcement or entry of any such Order.
(c) if the Offer (as it may have been extended pursuant to this Agreement) shall have expired as a result of the non-satisfaction of one or more Offer Conditions or is terminated or withdrawn prior to the Acceptance Time (to the extent permitted under the terms of this Agreement) without the acceptance for payment by Merger Sub of shares of Company Common Stock pursuant to the Offer, except that the right to terminate this Agreement under this Section 7.2(c) shall not be available to a party if that party’s failure to perform any of its covenants or agreements under this Agreement has been a principal cause of the failure of the Acceptance Time to occur by the Outside Date.
Expenses Paid by Fund The Corporation or Fund, as appropriate, shall bear all expenses of its organization, operations, and business not specifically assumed or agreed to be paid by the Manager as provided in this Agreement. In particular, but without limiting the generality of the foregoing, the Corporation or Fund, as appropriate, shall pay:
Expenses Paid by Manager The Manager hereby agrees to pay all expenses of the Fund, including the Fund's management and investment advisory fee and the Fund's dividend disbursing, administrative and accounting services fee (but excluding taxes and brokerage fees and commissions, if any) that exceed 1.25% of the Fund's average daily net assets on an annual basis up to the amount of the management and investment advisory fee payable by the Fund to the Manager. All other expenses shall be paid by the Fund. From time to time and subject to discontinuance at any time, the Manager may voluntarily assume certain expenses of the Fund. Organizational costs borne by the Manager to the Fund will be amortized and reimbursed to the Manager by the Fund over a 60-month period.
Termination by Licensee Licensee, at its option, may terminate the Agreement by providing Licensor written notice of intent to terminate, which such termination effective will be ninety (90) days following receipt of such notice by Licensor.
Termination by Licensor Without Notice Licensee shall be deemed to be in default under this Agreement, and all rights granted herein shall automatically terminate without notice to Licensee, if Licensee becomes insolvent or makes a general assignment for the benefit of creditors; or if a petition in bankruptcy is filed by Licensee or against Licensee and not opposed by Licensee within sixty (60) days of such filing; or if Licensee is adjudicated as bankrupt or insolvent; or if a bill xx equity or other proceeding for the appointment of a receiver of Licensee or other custodian for Licensee's business or assets if filed and consented to by Licensee; or if a receiver or other permanent or temporary custodian of Licensee's assets or property, or any part thereof, is appointed by any court of competent jurisdiction; or if proceedings for a composition with creditors under any state or federal law should be instituted by or against Licensee; or if a material final judgment remains unsatisfied or of record for thirty (30) days or longer (unless supersedeas bond is filed); or if Licensee is dissolved; or if a suit to foreclose any lien or mortgage against real or personal property used in the operation of Licensee's business, the loss of which would have a material adverse effect on Licensee, is instituted against Licensee and not dismissed within thirty (30) days; or if execution is levied against Licensee's business or property, the loss of which would have a material adverse effect on Licensee; or if real or personal property of Licensee used in its business, the loss of which would have a material adverse effect on Licensee, shall be sold after levy thereupon by any sheriff, marshal, or constable; or if Licensee at any time ceases to operate or otherwise abandons its business or otherwise forfeits the right to do or transact business in any market(s) in the Territory; or if Licensee loses any government license required to engage in the Business or otherwise forfeits the right to do or transact business in one or more market(s), in which event Licensee's rights under this Agreement shall automatically terminate.
Provision of Services by Third Parties The Administrator shall, to the extent it determines that it would be advisable in connection with or incidental to the activities contemplated hereby, arrange for and coordinate the services of other professionals, experts and consultants to provide any or all of the Services, in which case, the costs and expenses of such third parties for providing such services shall be borne by the Administrator other than as set forth in Section 3; it being understood that the Administrator shall not charge to the Issuer any fees in addition thereto with respect to such outsourced Painting-Level Services that are described in Section 1(a)(i) and Entity-Level Services described in Section 1(a)(ii), but the Administrator shall be entitled to reimbursement for third party costs incurred in connection with Non-Routine Services described in Section 1(a)(iii) as set forth in Section 3(b). Reimbursement for Non-Routine Services shall be reimbursed by the Issuer out of the proceeds from a sale of the Painting. In addition, Masterworks may determine to sell the Painting without engaging a third-party intermediary, in which event, the Administrator would charge the buyer of the Painting a reasonable fee not to exceed the lowest published buyer’s premium charged by Sotheby’s, Christie’s or Pxxxxxxx in effect at such time.
Conduct of Business by the Company Pending the Closing The Company covenants and agrees that, between the date of this Agreement and the Effective Time, except as set forth in Section 6.1 of the Company Disclosure Schedule or as permitted by any other provision of this Agreement, unless Parent will otherwise agree in writing (which agreement will not be unreasonably withheld, delayed or conditioned), the Company will, and will cause each Company Subsidiary to, conduct its operations in the ordinary course of business and use commercially reasonable efforts to preserve substantially intact its business organization and maintain existing relations and goodwill with customers, suppliers and employees in the ordinary course of business consistent with past practice. Without limiting the foregoing, and as an extension thereof, except as set forth in Section 6.1 of the Company Disclosure Schedule or as permitted by any other provision of this Agreement, the Company will not (unless required by applicable Law), and will not permit any Company Subsidiary to, between the date of this Agreement and the Effective Time, directly or indirectly, do, or agree to do, any of the following without the prior written consent of Parent (which consent will not be unreasonably withheld, delayed or conditioned):
(a) amend or otherwise change its certificate of incorporation or bylaws or equivalent organizational documents;
(b) issue, sell, pledge, dispose of, grant, transfer or encumber, or authorize the issuance, sale, pledge, disposition, grant, transfer, or encumbrance of, any shares of capital stock of, or other Equity Interests in, the Company or any Company Subsidiary of any class, or securities convertible into, or exchangeable or exercisable for, any shares of such capital stock or other Equity Interests, or any options, warrants or other rights of any kind to acquire any shares of such capital stock or other Equity Interests or such convertible or exchangeable securities, or any other ownership interest (including, without limitation, any such interest represented by Contract right), of the Company or any Company Subsidiary, other than the issuance of Shares (i) upon the vesting of Company RSUs or Company Restricted Shares, (ii) the exercise of Company Options outstanding as of the date hereof in accordance with their terms or (iii) in connection with the Top-Up Option;
(c) sell, pledge, dispose of, let lapse, abandon, assign, transfer, lease, license, guarantee or encumber any material property or assets of the Company or any Company Subsidiary (including any Registered Intellectual Property and unregistered Owned Intellectual Property), except (i) to the extent required pursuant to Contracts in effect prior to the date hereof, (ii) pursuant to the sale, purchase or licensing of inventory, raw materials, equipment, goods, or other supplies in the ordinary course of business consistent with past practice or (iii) for non-exclusive licenses in the ordinary course of business consistent with past practice with a fair market value not in excess of $2,500,000 in the aggregate;
(d) declare, set aside, make or pay any dividend or other distribution (whether payable in cash, stock, property or a combination thereof) with respect to any of its capital stock (other than dividends paid by a wholly-owned Company Subsidiary to the Company or another wholly-owned Company Subsidiary) or enter into any agreement with respect to the voting or registration of its capital stock;
(e) reclassify, combine, split, subdivide or amend the terms of, or redeem, purchase or otherwise acquire, directly or indirectly, any of its capital stock, other Equity Interests or any other securities, or authorize or propose the issuance of any other securities in respect of, in lieu of or in substitution for shares of its capital stock or other securities, in each case other than in connection with the Top-Up Option;
(f) merge or consolidate the Company or any Company Subsidiary with any Person or adopt a plan of complete or partial liquidation or resolutions providing for a complete or partial liquidation, dissolution, restructuring, recapitalization or other reorganization of the Company or any Company Subsidiary, or otherwise enter into any agreements imposing material restrictions on the assets, operations or businesses of the Company or any Company Subsidiary;
(g) enter into a new line of business (other than currently-projected extensions of existing product lines);
(h) acquire (including, without limitation, by merger, consolidation, or acquisition of stock or assets) any interest in any Person or any division thereof or any assets, other than acquisitions of assets (including, without limitation, the purchase of inventory, raw materials, equipment, goods, or other supplies) in the ordinary course of business consistent with past practice and any other acquisitions for consideration that is individually not in excess of $2,500,000, or in the aggregate not in excess of $5,000,000;
(i) incur any indebtedness for borrowed money or issue any debt securities or assume, guarantee or endorse, or otherwise become responsible for the obligations of any Person (other than a wholly-owned Company Subsidiary) for borrowed money;
(j) make any loans, advances, guarantees or capital contributions to, or investments in, any other Person (other than any wholly-owned Company Subsidiary) in excess of $2,500,000 in the aggregate;
(k) terminate, cancel or amend any Company Material Contract, or cancel, modify or waive any rights thereunder, or enter into or amend any Contract that, if existing on the date hereof, would be a Company Material Contract;
(l) make or authorize any capital expenditure in excess of the Company’s capital expenditure budget as disclosed to Parent prior to the date hereof, other than capital expenditures that are not, in the aggregate, in excess of $2,500,000;
(m) except to the extent required by (i) applicable Law, (ii) the existing terms of any Company Benefit Plan, (iii) contractual commitments or corporate policies with respect to severance or termination pay as in existence on the date hereof and listed on Section 6.1(m) of the Company Disclosure Schedule or (iv) as otherwise provided on Section 6.1(m) of the Company Disclosure Schedule: (A) increase in any manner the compensation, bonus or benefits payable or to become payable to its Service Providers (except for increases in the ordinary course of business consistent with past practice in base salaries or base wages of employees of the Company or any Company Subsidiary); (B) grant any additional rights to severance or termination pay to, or enter into any severance agreement with, any Service Provider, or establish, adopt, enter into or amend any Company Benefit Plan; (C) grant any new awards under any Company Benefit Plan, (D) amend or modify any outstanding award under any Company Benefit Plan, (E) take any action to amend, waive or accelerate the vesting criteria or vesting requirements of payment of any compensation or benefit under any Company Benefit Plan or remove any existing restrictions in any Company Benefit Plans or awards made thereunder, (F) take any action to accelerate the payment, or to fund or in any other way secure the payment, of compensation or benefits under any Company Benefit Plan, to the extent not already provided in any such Company Benefit Plan or (G) change any actuarial or other assumptions used to calculate funding obligations with respect to any Company Benefit Plan or to change the manner in which contributions to such plans are made or the basis on which such contributions are determined, except as may be required by GAAP or applicable laws;
(n) forgive any loans to Service Providers or any of their respective affiliates;
(o) make any material change in accounting policies, practices, principles, methods or procedures, other than as required by GAAP or by a Governmental Entity;
(p) encourage customers to make payments earlier than would otherwise reasonably be expected (based on past practice) to be made to the Company or the Company Subsidiaries, or agree to payment terms or conditions with suppliers that are not consistent in all material respects with past practice;
(q) compromise, settle or agree to settle any Proceeding (including any Proceeding relating to this Agreement or the transactions contemplated hereby) other than compromises, settlements or agreements in the ordinary course of business that involve only the payment of monetary damages not in excess of $2,500,000 individually or $5,000,000 in the aggregate, in any case without the imposition of equitable relief on, or the admission of wrongdoing by, the Company or any Company Subsidiary;
(r) (i) make, change, or rescind any material Tax election, (ii) file any material amended Tax Return of the Company or any of the Company Subsidiaries, (iii) or adopt or change any material method or period of Tax accounting, (iv) settle or compromise any material claim relating to Taxes; (v) surrender any material claim for a refund of Taxes; (vi) enter into any “closing agreement” as described in Section 7121 of the Code with respect to material Taxes; or (vii) consent to any extension or waiver of the limitation period applicable to any material Tax claim or assessment (other than pursuant to extensions of time to file Tax Returns obtained in the ordinary course of business);
(s) write up, write down or write off the book value of any assets, except for depreciation and amortization and normal valuation adjustments to accounts receivable and inventory in accordance with GAAP consistently applied;
(t) pre-pay any long-term debt; or
(u) authorize or enter into any Contract or otherwise make any commitment, in each case to do any of the foregoing in clauses (a) through (t).
Certain Additional Payments by the Company (a) Anything in this Agreement to the contrary notwithstanding and except as set forth below, in the event it shall be determined that any payment or distribution by the Company to or for the benefit of Executive (whether paid or payable or distributed or distributable pursuant to the terms of this Agreement or otherwise, but determined without regard to any additional payments required under this Section 5) (a “Payment”) would be subject to the excise tax imposed by Section 4999 of the Code or any interest or penalties are incurred by Executive with respect to such excise tax (such excise tax, together with any such interest and penalties, are hereinafter collectively referred to as the “Excise Tax”), then Executive shall be entitled to receive an additional payment (a “Gross-Up Payment”) in an amount such that after payment by Executive of all taxes (including any interest or penalties imposed with respect to such taxes), including, without limitation, any income taxes (and any interest and penalties imposed with respect thereto) and Excise Tax imposed upon the Gross-Up Payment, and taking into account any withholding obligation on the part of the Company, Executive retains an amount of the Gross-Up Payment equal to the Excise Tax imposed upon the Payments.
(b) Subject to the provisions of Section 5(c), all determinations required to be made under this Section 5, including whether and when a Gross-Up Payment is required and the amount of such Gross-Up Payment and the assumptions to be used in arriving at such determination, shall be made by the Company’s regular independent accounting firm (the “Accounting Firm”) which shall provide detailed supporting calculations both to the Company and Executive within 15 business days of the receipt of notice from Executive that there has been a Payment, or such earlier time as is requested by the Company. All fees and expenses of the Accounting Firm shall be borne solely by the Company. Any Gross-Up Payment, as determined pursuant to this Section 5, shall be paid by the Company to Executive, net of any of the Company’s federal or state withholding obligations with respect to such Payment, within five days of the receipt of the Accounting Firm’s determination. Any determination by the Accounting Firm shall be binding upon the Company and Executive. As a result of the uncertainty in the application of Section 4999 of the Code at the time of the initial determination by the Accounting Firm hereunder, it is possible that Gross-Up Payments which will not have been made by the Company should have been made (each, an “Underpayment”), consistent with the calculations required to be made hereunder. In the event that the Company exhausts its remedies pursuant to Section 5(c) and Executive thereafter is required to make a payment of any Excise Tax, the Accounting Firm shall determine the amount of the Underpayment that has occurred and any such Underpayment shall be promptly paid by the Company to or for the benefit of Executive.
(c) Executive shall notify the Company in writing of any claim by the Internal Revenue Service that, if successful, would require the payment by the Company of a Gross-Up Payment (or an additional Gross-Up Payment). Such notification shall be given as soon as practicable but no later than 10 business days after Executive is informed in writing of such claim and shall apprise the Company of the nature of such claim and the date on which such claim is requested to be paid. Executive shall not pay such claim prior to the expiration of the 30-day period following the date on which it gives such notice to the Company (or such shorter period ending on the date that any payment of taxes with respect to such claim is due). If the Company notifies Executive in writing prior to the expiration of such period that it desires to contest such claim, Executive shall:
(i) give the Company any information reasonably requested by the Company relating to such claim,
(ii) take such action in connection with contesting such claim as the Company shall reasonably request in writing from time to time, including, without limitation, accepting legal representation with respect to such claim by an attorney reasonably selected by the Company,
(iii) cooperate with the Company in good faith in order to effectively contest such claim, and
(iv) permit the Company to participate in any proceedings relating to such claim; provided, however, that the Company shall bear and pay directly all costs and expenses (including additional interest and penalties) incurred in connection with such contest and shall indemnify and hold Executive harmless, on an after-tax basis, for any Excise Tax or income tax (including interest and penalties with respect thereto) imposed as a result of such representation and payment of costs and expenses. Without limitation of the foregoing provisions of this Section 5(c), the Company shall control all proceedings taken in connection with such contest (to the extent applicable to the Excise Tax and the Gross-Up Payment) and, at its sole option, may pursue or forgo any and all administrative appeals, proceedings, hearings and conferences with the taxing authority in respect of such claim and may, at its sole option, either direct Executive to pay the tax claimed and xxx for a refund or contest the claim in any permissible manner, and Executive agrees to prosecute such contest to a determination before any administrative tribunal, in a court of initial jurisdiction and in one or more appellate courts, as the Company shall determine; provided, however, that if the Company directs Executive to pay such claim and xxx for a refund, the Company shall advance the amount of such payment to Executive, on an interest-free basis and shall indemnify and hold Executive harmless, on an after-tax basis, from any Excise Tax or income tax (including interest or penalties with respect thereto) imposed with respect to such advance or with respect to any imputed income with respect to such advance; and further provided that any extension of the statute of limitations relating to payment of taxes for the taxable year of Executive with respect to which such contested amount is claimed to be due is limited solely to such contested amount. Furthermore, the Company’s control of the contest shall be limited to issues with respect to which a Gross-Up Payment would be payable hereunder and Executive shall be entitled to settle or contest, as the case may be, any other issue raised by the Internal Revenue Service or any other taxing authority.
(d) If, after the receipt by Executive of an amount advanced by the Company pursuant to Section 5(c), Executive becomes entitled to receive any refund with respect to such claim, Executive shall (subject to the Company’s complying with the requirements of Section 5(c)) promptly pay (in no more than five business days) to the Company the amount of such refund (together with any interest paid or credited thereon after taxes applicable thereto). If, after the receipt by Executive of an amount advanced by the Company pursuant to Section 5(c), a determination is made that Executive shall not be entitled to any refund with respect to such claim and the Company does not notify Executive in writing of its intent to contest such denial of refund prior to the expiration of 30 days after such determination, then such advance shall be forgiven and shall not be required to be repaid and the amount of such advance shall offset, to the extent thereof, the amount of Gross-Up Payment required to be paid.
