REGISTRATION RIGHTS AGREEMENT
Exhibit
2.4
REGISTRATION
RIGHTS AGREEMENT (this “Agreement”) dated as of [●],
2009 among:
(i)
PartnerRe Ltd., a Bermuda exempted Parent (“Parent”); and
(ii)
[ ], [ ] and [ ] (collectively, the
“Holders”, and each, a
“Holder”);
W
I T N E S S E T H:
WHEREAS,
Parent intends to consummate, through Purchaser (as defined below), a series of
transactions in order to acquire Paris Re Holdings Limited, a Swiss corporation
(the “Company”);
and
WHEREAS,
as the first step in acquiring the Company, Parent desires to cause Purchaser to
purchase (the “Purchase”) all of the Company
Shares (as defined below) owned by the Holders, and the Holders, as the owners
of such Company Shares, desire to sell such Company Shares to Purchaser, upon
the terms and subject to the conditions of the Securities Purchase Agreement
among the Company, the Holders, certain other holders (the “Other Holders”) and the Parent
dated as of July 4, 2009 (the “Securities Purchase
Agreement”).
NOW,
THEREFORE, in order to induce the Holders to sell their Company Shares pursuant
to the Securities Purchase Agreement, the Parent has agreed to provide the
registration rights set forth in this Agreement.
The
parties hereto agree as follows:
ARTICLE
1
Definitions
“Adverse Disclosure” means
public disclosure of material nonpublic information that has not been, and is
not otherwise required to be, disclosed to the public, and that, in Parent’s
good-faith judgment after consultation with outside counsel to
Parent: (i) would be required to be made in any Registration
Statement or report filed with the Commission by the Parent so that such
Registration Statement or report would not be materially misleading; (ii) would
not be required to be made at such time but for the filing of such Registration
Statement; and (iii) would not be in the best interests of the Parent to
disclose in a Registration Statement at such time.
“affiliate” means, with respect
to any person, any person directly or indirectly controlling, controlled by or
under common control with, such other person. For purposes of this
definition, “control”
when used with respect to any person, means the possession, directly or
indirectly, of the power to cause the direction of management and/or policies of
such person, whether through the ownership of voting securities, by contract or
otherwise.
“Business Day” means a day,
other than Saturday, Sunday or other day on which commercial banks in New York
are authorized or required by applicable law to close.
“Commission” means the
Securities and Exchange Commission.
“Company” shall have the
meaning set forth in the preamble.
“Company Shares” means the
common bearer shares, CHF 4.51 par value per share of the
Company.
“Closing” means the closing of
the purchase and sale of the Company Shares pursuant to the Securities Purchase
Agreement.
“Closing Date” means the date
of the Closing.
“Email” shall have the meaning
set forth in Section 3.01.
“Holder” shall have the meaning
set forth in the preamble.
“Holders’ Counsel” shall have
the meaning set forth in Section 2.02.
“Holder Indemnified Person”
shall have the meaning set forth in Section 2.05(a).
“Investor Agreement” means each
Investor Agreement entered into by the Company and one or more Holders in
connection with the consummation of the transactions contemplated by the
Securities Purchase Agreement.
“Lock-up Period” shall have the
meaning set forth in Section 2.01(f).
“Losses” shall have the meaning
set forth in Section 2.05(a).
“Other Holders” shall have the
meaning set forth in the preamble.
“Parent Common Shares” means
the common bearer shares, $1.00 par value per shares of the Parent.
“Parent Equity Offering” shall
have the meaning set forth in Section 2.01(f)
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“Parent Indemnified Person”
shall have the meaning set forth in Section 2.05(b).
“Person” or “person” means an individual,
corporation, association, partnership (as such term is used in Section 13(d)(3)
of the Exchange Act), limited liability company, limited or general partnership,
joint venture, association, joint stock company, trust, unincorporated
organization, government or any agency or political subdivisions thereof or any
group (within the meaning of Section 13(d)(3) of the Exchange Act) comprised of
two or more of the foregoing.
“Purchase” shall have the
meaning set forth in the preamble.
“Purchaser” shall have the
meaning given to such term in the Transaction Agreement.
“Prospectus” means the
prospectus included in any Shelf Registration Statement (including a prospectus
that discloses information previously omitted from a prospectus filed as part of
an effective Shelf Registration Statement in reliance upon Rule 430A promulgated
under the Securities Act), as amended or supplemented by any prospectus
supplement with respect to the terms of the offering of any portion of the
Registrable Securities covered by such Shelf Registration Statement, and all
other amendments and supplements to such prospectus, including post-effective
amendments, and all material incorporated by reference or deemed to be
incorporated by reference in such prospectus.
“Registrable Securities” means
the Parent Common Shares owned by the Holders or the Other Holders and any
securities owned by the Holders or the Other Holders which may be issued or
distributed in respect thereof by way of stock dividend or stock split or other
distribution, recapitalization or reclassification. As to any
particular Registrable Securities, such securities shall cease to be Registrable
Securities upon the earlier of (i) the date when such securities have been sold
or otherwise transferred by the holder thereof pursuant to an effective Shelf
Registration Statement, (ii) the date such securities have been sold to the
public in accordance with Rule 144, (iii) the date such securities are no longer
outstanding, or (iv) two years following the Restriction Termination Date (the
“Two Year Period”), as
extended in accordance with Sections 2.01(e), 2.01(f) and
2.03(a)(v).
“Requested Information” shall
have the meaning set forth in Section 2.03(b).
“Restriction Termination Date”
shall have the meaning set forth in the Investor Agreement.
“Scheduled Black-out Period”
means the period from and including the Business Day preceding the last day of a
fiscal quarter of the Parent to and
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including
the Business Day after the day on which the Parent publicly releases its
earnings for such fiscal quarter.
“Securities Purchase Agreement”
shall have the meaning set forth in the preamble.
“Shelf Demand Notice” shall
have the meaning set forth in Section 2.01(b).
“Shelf Demand Offering” shall
have the meaning set forth in Section 2.01(b).
“Shelf Registration Period”
shall mean the period starting on the Restriction Termination Date and ending on
the date that the Parent Common Shares owned by the Holders or the Other Holders
and any securities owned by the Holders or the Other Holders which may be issued
or distributed in respect thereof by way of stock dividend or stock split or
other distribution, recapitalization or reclassification cease to be Registrable
Securities.
“Shelf Registration Statement”
shall have the meaning set forth in Section 2.01(a).
“Shelf Resale” shall have the
meaning set forth in Section 2.01(b).
“Shelf Resale Notice” shall
have the meaning set forth in Section 2.01(b).
“Underwriter Indemnified
Person” shall have the meaning set forth in Section 2.05(a).
“Underwritten Offering” means
a sale of securities of the Parent to an underwriter or underwriters for
reoffering to the public.
ARTICLE
2
demand
registration
Section
2.01. Shelf
Registration. (a) No later than the Restriction Termination
Date, the Parent will (i) have an effective shelf registration statement in
place that shall permit resales by the Holders of Registrable Securities and
that shall include a plan of distribution substantially in the form set forth in
Exhibit A and (ii) file pursuant to Rule 424 (or any similar provision then in
force) a Prospectus relating to such Shelf Registration Statement, which
Prospectus shall contain the names and address of the Holders and all of the
Registrable Securities owned by such Holders. The term “Shelf Registration
Statement” as used herein means an existing shelf registration statement and any
post-effective amendment thereto or a new shelf registration
statement. The Parent shall use its reasonable best efforts to keep
such Shelf Registration Statement continuously effective
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(including
by filing any necessary post-effective amendments to such Shelf Registration
Statement or a new Shelf Registration Statement) throughout the Shelf
Registration Period.
(b) Shelf Resales. If
at any time during the Shelf Registration Period, a Holder desires to sell all
or any portion of its Registrable Securities under such Shelf Registration
Statement in a non-underwritten sale (a “Shelf Resale”), such Holder
shall notify the Parent of such intent (such notice, the “Shelf Resale Notice”) at least
one business day prior to such proposed sale. No Shelf Resale shall
be permitted during any Scheduled Black-out Period and no Shelf Resale Notice
that would result in a Shelf Resale during any Scheduled Black-out Period shall
be permitted to be given.
(c) Shelf Demand
Offering. If at any time during the Shelf Registration Period,
a Holder desires to sell all or any portion of its Registrable Securities under
such Shelf Registration Statement in an underwritten sale (a “Shelf Demand Offering”), such
Holder shall cause the Holders’ Counsel to notify the Parent of such intent
(such notice, the “Shelf Demand
Notice”). No Shelf Demand Notice that would result in a Shelf
Demand Offering during any Scheduled Black-out Period shall be permitted to be
given. The Shelf Demand Notice shall: (1) specify (x) the
aggregate number of Registrable Securities requested to be sold in such Shelf
Demand Offering and (y) the identity of the Holders and the Other Holders
participating in the Shelf Demand Offering. The Holders’ Counsel will
notify all Holders and Other Holders that have previously notified the Holders’
Counsel that they desire to effect coordinated sales (the “Coordinating Holders”) of such
request and offer the opportunity to participate in the Shelf Demand Offering
and shall coordinate the determination of the extent of such participation, and
the Holders’ Counsel will confirm in the Shelf Demand Notice to the Parent that
it has done so. If any Coordinating Holder declines the opportunity
to participate in the Shelf Demand Offering, such Coordinating Holder shall not
be permitted to dispose of any Registrable Securities during the period
commencing from the date of receipt of the notice of such request from the
Holders’ Counsel until the earlier of the date that is (i) five (5) days after
the pricing of such Shelf Demand Offering and (ii) two (2) weeks after receipt
of the notice of such request from the Holders’ Counsel. Any Holders
and Other Holders that are not Coordinating Holders will not be subject to the
limitation in the preceding sentence. Subject to Sections 2.02(a) and
2.03(b)(i), the Parent shall include in the Shelf Demand Offering all
Registrable Securities requested to be sold in the related Shelf Demand Notice
pursuant to this Section 2.01(c). Upon receipt of the Shelf Demand
Notice from the Holders’ Counsel, the Parent shall as soon as reasonably
practicable prepare and file a supplement to the related Prospectus,
post-effective amendment to the Shelf Registration Statement and/or Exchange Act
reports incorporated by reference into the Shelf Registration Statement and take
such other actions as reasonably necessary or appropriate to permit the
consummation of such Shelf Demand Offering. The Holders’ Counsel
shall have the right to withdraw a Shelf Demand Notice by giving written notice
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to the
Parent. A Shelf Demand Notice, so withdrawn, shall be
considered to be a Shelf Demand Offering and shall count against the number of
Shelf Demand Offerings that the Parent is required to effect unless (i) the
revocation is based upon (x) any fact, circumstance, event, change, effect or
occurrence that individually or in the aggregate with all other facts or
circumstances, events, changes, effects or occurrences has a material adverse
effect on the Parent, (y) material adverse information concerning the Parent
that the Parent had not publicly revealed at least forty-eight hours prior to
the request or that the Parent had not otherwise notified the participating
Holders and Other Holders of at the time of such demand or (z) the Parent
imposing a Suspension Period, and (ii) the Holders and Other Holders included in
the withdrawn Shelf Demand Offering reimburse the Parent in accordance with
Section 2.04 for their portion of the expenses of such revoked Shelf Demand
Notice, which portion shall be determined pro rata to the number of Registrable
Securities of all the Holders and the Other Holders included in the Shelf Demand
Notice that was withdrawn.
(d) Limitation on Shelf Demand Offerings
and Demand Registrations. The Parent shall not be obligated to
effect a Shelf Demand Offering unless the aggregate number of Registrable
Securities to be included in such Shelf Demand Offering have a market value at
least equal to (i) $100 million based on the most recent closing price of Parent
Common Shares on the New York Stock Exchange or (ii) if less, all the remaining
Parent Common Shares owned by the Holders and Other Holders participating in the
Shelf Demand Offering. Notwithstanding anything to the contrary in
this Agreement, the Parent shall not be obligated to effect more than three
Shelf Demand Offering during any fiscal quarter, regardless whether such Shelf
Demand Offering is at the request of a Holder under this Agreement or an Other
Holder under a similar agreement with such Other Holder, and the Parent shall
not be obligated to facilitate more than one Shelf Demand Offering at one
time. For the avoidance of any doubt, a Shelf Demand Offering shall
count against the number of Shelf Demand Offerings that the Parent is required
to effect under this Agreement for the Holders if any of the Holders are
participating in such Shelf Demand Offering, regardless whether such Holders
initiated such Shelf Demand Offering.
(e) Suspension of Shelf Registration
Statement. Notwithstanding anything to the contrary contained
in this Agreement, the Parent shall be entitled to suspend the use of the Shelf
Registration Statement for a period of time not to exceed 30 days in succession
or 90 days in the aggregate in any 12-month period (a “Suspension Period”); provided
that the Parent shall deliver a written certificate to the Holders and the Other
Holders signed by either the Chief Executive Officer of the Parent or the Chief
Financial Officer of the Parent, certifying that the Parent has determined, in
its good faith judgment, that such action or proposed action (x) would adversely
affect or interfere with any proposal or plan by the Parent or any of its
affiliates to engage in any material financing or in any material acquisition,
merger, consolidation, tender offer, business combination, securities offering
or other material transaction or (y)
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would
require the Parent to make an Adverse Disclosure. Notwithstanding the
foregoing, the Parent shall have the right, exercisable one time under this
Section 2.01(e), to extend the successive 30-day or aggregate 90-day Suspension
Period limitation for up to an additional 15 days, provided that the Parent
shall deliver a written certificate to the Holders and the Other Holders signed
by either the Chief Executive Officer of the Parent or the Chief Financial
Officer of the Parent certifying that the Parent has a proposal or plan with
respect to a material acquisition, merger, consolidation, tender offer, business
combination or other strategic transaction and that, in its good faith judgment,
such action would adversely affect or interfere with such proposal or
plan. Immediately upon receipt of such notice, the Holders and Other
Holders covered by the Shelf Registration Statement shall discontinue the
disposition of Registrable Securities under such Shelf Registration Statement
until the requisite changes to the Prospectus have been made as required
below. Each Holder and Other Holder shall keep, and shall cause the
Holders’ Counsel, to keep, confidential any communications received from the
Parent regarding the suspension of the use of the Shelf Registration
Statement. The Parent agrees that it will terminate any such
Suspension Period as promptly as reasonably practicable and will promptly notify
the Holders and the Other Holders of such termination. Upon the
occurrence of any Suspension Period, the Two Year Period shall be extended by
the number of days during the Suspension Period.
(f) Lock-up. If the
Parent determines it is necessary to raise equity capital (a “Parent Equity Offering”), the
Parent shall give notice to the Holders and the Holders shall not (1) offer,
pledge, sell, contract to sell, sell any option or contract to purchase,
purchase any option or contract to sell, grant any option, right or warrant to
purchase, lend, or otherwise transfer or dispose of, directly or indirectly, any
Parent Common Shares or any securities convertible into or exercisable or
exchangeable for Parent Common Shares or (2) enter into any swap or other
arrangement that transfers to another, in whole or in part, any of the economic
consequences of ownership of the Parent Common Shares (regardless whether any
such transaction described in clause (1) or (2) above is to be settled by
delivery of Parent Common Shares or such other securities, in cash or otherwise)
during the period beginning upon receipt by the Holders of such notice from the
parent related to the Parent Equity Offering until 45 days after the closing of
such Parent Equity Offering (such period, the “Lock-up Period”); provided
that in no event will the Lock-up Period last for a period of longer than 52
days. Each Holder agrees that it will, if requested, enter into a customary
lock-up agreement with the managing underwriter of the Parent Common Shares for
45 days after the closing of the Parent Equity Offering. Each Holder
shall keep confidential any communications received by it from the Parent
regarding a Parent Equity Offering and Lock-up Period. Upon the
occurrence of any Lock-up Period, the Two Year Period shall be extended by the
number of days during such Lock-up Period. The Lock-up Period shall
not apply to distributions of Parent Common Shares or any security convertible
into Parent Common Shares to limited partners of members or other investors of
the Holders; provided that the
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Holders
shall agree to not effect any such distribution until at least 30 days after the
closing of the Parent Equity Offering. Notwithstanding the foregoing,
to the extent a Holder has, prior to the beginning of a Lock-up Period, entered
into a swap, hedge, derivative or similar agreement requiring such Holder to
deliver or transfer Parent Common Shares during such Lock-up Period, such
delivery or transfer shall not be restricted by this Section
2.01(f).
Section
2.02. Underwritten
Offerings. (a) If the Holders desire to retain
counsel in connection with an underwritten Shelf Demand Offering, the Holders
may retain such counsel as they desire; provided that the Parent shall only be
required to cooperate as described in this Agreement with one counsel
representing all Holders and Other Holders, which initially shall be Xxxxxxx
Xxxxxxx & Xxxxxxxx LLP or such other one counsel as the Holders and Other
Holders shall agree and so notify the Parent (the “Holders’
Counsel”).
(b) In
the event that the underwriters desire to retain counsel in connection with an
underwritten Shelf Demand Offering, the Holders shall cause the underwriters to
retain underwriter’s counsel reasonably designated by the Parent (the “Designated Underwriters’
Counsel”).
Section
2.03. Registration
Procedures. (a) Parent Obligations. Subject
to the provisions of Sections 2.01, when the Parent is required to have an
effective shelf registration statement in place that shall permit resales by the
Holders of Registrable Securities, the Parent shall:
(i) (A)
in the case of a Shelf Demand Offering, or in the case of any Shelf Resale if
requested by any of the Holders and to the extent required by law, prepare and
file with the Commission a supplement to the related Prospectus to give effect
to the sale of the Registrable Securities by the Holders and (B) furnish to each
selling Holder, the Holders’ Counsel and the managing underwriter(s), if any,
copies of such prospectus supplement; provided that before filing such
prospectus supplement, the Parent will furnish to each selling Holder, the
Holders’ Counsel and the managing underwriter(s), if any, copies of such
prospectus supplement proposed to be filed, which will be subject to the
reasonable review and comment of such counsel (such review to be conducted with
reasonable promptness);
(ii) in
the case of a Shelf Demand Offering, or in the case of any Shelf Resale if
requested by any of the Holders and to the extent required by law, prepare and
file with the Commission such amendments, post-effective amendments and
supplements to each Shelf Registration Statement and the Prospectus used in
connection therewith as may be necessary to comply with the provisions of the
Securities Act with respect to the disposition of all securities covered by such
Shelf Registration Statement (including the filing of the form of underwriting
agreement to
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be used
in connection with a Shelf Demand Offering), and cause the related Prospectus to
be supplemented by any prospectus supplement or issuer free writing prospectus
as may be necessary to comply with the provisions of the Securities Act with
respect to the disposition of the securities covered by such Shelf Registration
Statement in accordance with the intended method or methods of distribution by
the Holders;
(iii) in
connection with any Shelf Demand Offering, use its commercially reasonable
efforts to register or qualify or cooperate with the Holders participating in
such Shelf Demand Offering, the managing underwriter(s), if any, and their
respective counsel in connection with the registration or qualification (or
exemption from such registration or qualification) of such Registrable
Securities for offer or sale under the securities or “blue sky laws” of such
jurisdictions as such Holder or underwriter shall reasonably request in writing
and to keep each such registration or qualification (or exemption therefrom)
effective during the period that such Shelf Registration Statement is required
to be kept effective and to take any other action that may be necessary or
advisable to enable such Holder or underwriter to consummate the disposition in
such jurisdictions of the Registrable Securities, except that the Parent shall
not for any such purpose be required to (A) qualify generally to do business as
a foreign corporation in any jurisdiction wherein it would not but for the
requirements of this paragraph (iii) be obligated to be so qualified, or (B)
take any action that would subject it to general service of process in any such
jurisdiction where it is not then so subject;
(iv) notify
in writing the Holders and the underwriters, if any, of the following
events:
(1) any
request by the Commission or any other governmental entity for amendments or
supplements to the Shelf Registration Statement or related Prospectus or issuer
free writing prospectus or for additional information, including the receipt of
comments from the Commission;
(2) the
issuance by the Commission of any stop order suspending the effectiveness of the
Shelf Registration Statement or the initiation of any proceedings by any person
for that purpose; and
(3) the
receipt by the Parent of any notification with respect to the suspension of the
qualification or exception from qualification of any Registrable Securities for
sale in any jurisdiction or the
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initiation
or threat of any proceeding for such purpose; and
(4)
when any supplement to the Prospectus and any amendments to the Prospectus shall
have been filed,
(v)
(A)notify in writing the Holders, at any time when a Prospectus relating to the
sale of Registrable Securities is required to be delivered under the Securities
Act, upon discovery that the Shelf Registration Statement or the Prospectus
included therein, as then in effect, includes an untrue statement of a material
fact or omits to state any material fact required to be stated therein or
necessary to make the statements therein not misleading, (B) upon such discovery
and at the request of any Holder, prepare and file a supplement or amendment to
the related Prospectus or any document incorporated or deemed to be incorporated
therein by reference or an issuer free writing prospectus related thereto, and
furnish to such Holder a reasonable number of copies of such Prospectus or
document as may be necessary so that such Prospectus shall not include an untrue
statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact required to be
stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein not misleading, and
(C) in the event the Parent gives a notice as described in clause (A) above,
extend the Two Year Period by the number of days during the period starting on
the date such notice is given and ending on the date when all Holders shall
receive such a supplemented or amended Prospectus or such Prospectus shall have
been filed with the Commission;
(vi) use
its reasonable best efforts to prevent the issuance of any stop order suspending
the effectiveness of the Shelf Registration Statement or of any order preventing
or suspending the use of any Prospectus and, if any such order is issued, obtain
the withdrawal of such order suspending the effectiveness of such Shelf
Registration Statement, or the lifting of any suspension of the qualification
(or exemption from qualification) of any of the Registrable Securities for sale
in any jurisdiction at the reasonably earliest practical date;
(vii) otherwise
use reasonable best efforts to comply with all applicable rules and regulations
of the Commission and any applicable national securities exchange, and make
available to the Holders and the underwriters, if any, as soon as reasonably
practicable (but not more than 18 months), an earnings statement of the Parent
covering the period of at least 12 months, beginning with the first day of the
Parent’s first full quarter after the Restriction Termination Date, which
earnings statement shall satisfy the provisions of Section 11(a) of the
Securities Act and Rule 158 thereunder;
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(viii) cooperate
with the Holders and the managing underwriter(s), if any, to facilitate the
timely preparation and delivery of certificates (which shall not bear any
restrictive legends) representing Registrable Securities to be sold under any
Shelf Registration Statement, and enable such Registrable Securities to be in
such denominations and registered in such names as the managing underwriter(s)
or selling Holders may request and keep available and make available to the
Parent’s transfer agent prior to the effectiveness of such Shelf Registration
Statement a supply of such certificates;
(ix) in
connection with any underwritten Shelf Demand Offering, (i) enter into an
underwriting agreement in form, scope and substance as is customary in
underwritten offerings and consistent with Parent’s past practice, (ii) make
available Parent’s Chief Financial Officer or other appropriate officers for a
customary due diligence call and otherwise use its reasonable best efforts to
permit the underwriters and Designated Underwriters’ Counsel to timely complete
customary due diligence review, (iii) use its reasonable best efforts to furnish
customary 10b-5 letters and opinions of counsel to the Parent and updates
thereof, addressed to each selling Holder of Registrable Securities and each of
the managing underwriter(s), if any, covering the matters customarily covered by
10b-5 statements and such opinions in underwritten offerings, (iv) use its
reasonable best efforts to obtain “comfort” letters and updates thereof from the
independent certified public accountants of the Parent who have certified the
financial statements included in such Shelf Registration Statement, addressed to
each selling Holder of Registrable Securities (unless such accountants shall be
prohibited from so addressing such letters by applicable standards of the
accounting profession, in which case an “agreed-upon procedures” letter may be
provided if permitted by applicable standards of the accounting profession) and
each of the managing underwriter(s), if any, such letters to be in customary
form and covering matters of the type customarily covered in “comfort” letters
in connection with underwritten offerings and (v) indemnification provisions and
procedures substantially to the effect set forth in Section 2.05 hereof;
provided, that, for the avoidance of any doubt, the Parent and any of its
officers will not be required to participate in any marketing activities in
connection with any Shelf Demand Offering or Shelf Resale, including without
limitation road shows and conference calls with investors;
(x) deliver
to each selling Holder, and the managing underwriter(s), if any, without charge,
as many copies of the Prospectus or Prospectuses (including each form of
Prospectus and any issuer free writing prospectus related to any such
Prospectuses) as such Persons may reasonably request in connection with the
distribution of the Registrable Securities; and the Parent, subject to Section
2.03(b)(iii), hereby consents to the use of such Prospectus by each of the
selling Holders and the
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managing
underwriter(s), if any, in connection with the offering and sale of the
Registrable Securities covered by such Prospectus;
(xi) provide
and cause to be maintained a transfer agent and registrar for all Registrable
Securities covered by such Shelf Registration Statement from and after a date
not later than the effective date of such Shelf Registration Statement;
and
(xii) use
its reasonable best efforts to list, on or prior to the Restriction Termination
Date, all Registrable Securities covered by the Shelf Registration Statement on
any securities exchange on which any of the Registrable Securities are then
listed or traded and to maintain such listing during the Shelf Registration
Period.
(b) Holder
Obligations. Each Holder agrees:
(i) on
or prior to the Restriction Termination Date, each Holder shall provide to the
Parent (i) a customary completed selling shareholder questionnaire and (ii) an
undertaking to update such questionnaire during the Shelf Registration Period
promptly upon the occurrence of any change that results in such questionnaire
containing an untrue statement or an omission to state a material
fact.
(ii) (A)
to provide to Parent and any underwriter any information, documents and
instruments from such Holder that the Parent or such underwriter reasonably
requests in connection with the supplement to the related Prospectus, including
a customary selling shareholder questionnaire and, in the case of a Shelf Demand
Offering, the Holders’ duly executed counterpart of the underwriting agreement
(the “Requested
Information”), within two business days after the Shelf Demand Notice
(or, in the case of a Shelf Resale, immediately upon request), (B) that the
Parent may file the supplement to the related Prospectus covering only the
Registrable Securities requested to be sold in the Shelf Demand Notice of those
Holders that have provided the Requested information within the time period
described in clause (A) above and excluding the Registrable Securities of the
Holders that did not provide the Requested Information within such time period,
and (C) that the failure to so include in any Shelf Registration Statement the
Registrable Securities of a Holder shall not result in any liability on the part
of the Parent to such Holder;
(iii) upon
receipt of any notice from the Parent of the occurrence of any event of the kind
described in Section 2.03(a)(v)(A), to forthwith (i) discontinue any disposition
of Registrable Securities pursuant to the Shelf Registration Statement until (A)
such Holder’s receipt of the copies of the supplemented or amended Prospectus
contemplated by Section 2.03(a)(v) or (B) such supplemented or amended
Prospectus has
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been
filed with the Commission, and (ii) if so directed by the Parent, deliver to the
Parent, at the Parent’s expense, all copies, other than permanent file copies,
then in such Holder’s possession of the Prospectus covering Registrable
Securities at the time of receipt of such notice; and
(iv) that
no Holder or underwriter shall use any free writing prospectus (as defined in
Rule 405 under the Securities Act) in connection with the sale of Registrable
Securities without the prior written consent of Parent.
Section
2.04. Registration
Expenses. The Holders shall, jointly and severally, pay their
portion of all reasonable and documented out of pocket expenses incurred by the
Parent in connection with filing of the Shelf Registration Statement, if any,
and any related Prospectus and supplement thereto, any Shelf Demand Offerings
and any Shelf Resales pursuant to this Agreement, including all (a) registration
and filing fees and all fees and expenses of compliance with securities and
“blue sky” laws, (b) fees and expenses associated with filings required to be
made with The Financial Industry Regulatory Authority, (c) printing and copying
expenses (including expenses of printing certificates for Registrable Securities
in a form eligible for deposit with The Depository Trust Company), (d) messenger
and delivery expenses, (e) fees and expenses of all independent certified public
accountants and counsel (including with respect to “comfort” letters, 10b-5
letters and opinions) (f) fees and expenses of underwriters’ counsel that the
applicable underwriting agreement states should be paid for by the Parent, and
(g) all transfer taxes incurred or payable by each Holder in connection with
sale of such Holder’s Registrable Securities. The Holders’ portion of
such expenses shall be determined pro rata to the number of Registrable
Securities of all of the Holders and the Other Holders; provided that, with
respect to a particular Shelf Demand Offering or Shelf Resale, the Holders’
portion of such expenses shall be determined pro rata to the number of
Registrable Securities of all of the Holders and the Other Holders covered, or
proposed to be covered, by such Shelf Demand Offering or Shelf Resale,
regardless of whether such Shelf Demand Offering or Shelf Resale is
effected. The Parent will pay its internal expenses (including all
salaries and expenses of its officers and employees performing legal or
accounting duties, the expense of any annual audit and the expense of any
liability insurance) and the expenses and fees for listing the securities to be
registered on each securities exchange on which similar securities issued by the
Parent are then listed.
Section
2.05. Indemnification. (a)
By the
Parent. The Parent agrees to indemnify and hold harmless, to
the fullest extent permitted by law, (i) each Holder and, as applicable, its
affiliates, officers, directors, employees, representatives and agents
(collectively, the “Holder
Indemnified Persons”) and (ii) each person who controls (within the
meaning of Section 15 of the Securities Act and Section 20 of the Exchange Act)
any such Holder Indemnified Person, in each case, from and against all losses,
claims, actions, judgments, damages,
13
liabilities,
costs and expenses, including reasonable expenses of investigation and
reasonable attorneys’ fees and expenses (collectively, “Losses”) caused by, arising
out of, resulting from, based on or relating to (A) any untrue statement or
alleged untrue statement of a material fact contained in any Shelf Registration
Statement, Prospectus or preliminary Prospectus or any amendment or supplement
thereto, or any documents incorporated therein by reference, or (B) any omission
or alleged omission to state therein a material fact required to be stated
therein or necessary to make the statements therein not misleading, in each
case, except insofar as the same are caused by any information furnished in
writing to the Parent by any Holder Indemnified Persons expressly for inclusion
therein. In connection with an Underwritten Offering and without
limiting any of the Parent’s other obligations under this Agreement, the Parent
shall also provide customary indemnities to (i) such underwriters and their
affiliates, officers, directors, employees, representatives and agents
(collectively, the “Underwriter
Indemnified Persons”) and (ii) each person who controls (within the
meaning of Section 15 of the Securities Act and Section 20 of the Exchange Act)
any such Underwriter Indemnified Person to the same extent as provided above
with respect to the indemnification (and exceptions thereto) of the Holder
Indemnified Person and the person controlling such Holder Indemnified
Persons.
(b) By the Holders. In
connection with any Shelf Registration Statement in which a Holder of
Registrable Securities is participating, the participating Holders will furnish
to the Parent in writing information regarding the Holders’ ownership of
Registrable Securities and their intended method of distribution thereof and, to
the extent permitted by law, shall, severally and jointly, indemnify (i) the
Parent and its affiliates, directors, officers, employees, representatives and
agents (collectively, the “Parent Indemnified Persons”)
and (ii) each person who controls (within the meaning of Section 15 of the
Securities Act and Section 20 of the Exchange Act) any such Parent Indemnified
Person against all Losses caused by (A) any untrue statement of material fact
contained in the Shelf Registration Statement, Prospectus or preliminary
Prospectus or any amendment or supplement thereto, or any documents incorporated
therein by reference, or (B) any omission to state therein a material fact
required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein not
misleading, but, in each case, only to the extent that such untrue statement or
omission is caused by any information furnished in writing by any Holder
Indemnified Person expressly for inclusion therein. Notwithstanding
the foregoing, the Holders shall not be liable to the Parent for amounts in
excess of the net amounts received by the Holders in the offering giving rise to
such liability. In connection with an Underwritten Offering and
without limiting any of the other obligations of the Holders under this
Agreement, the Holders shall also provide customary indemnities to (i) such
Underwriter Indemnified Persons and (ii) each person who controls (within the
meaning of Section 15 of the Securities Act and Section 20 of the Exchange Act)
any such Underwriter Indemnified Person to the same extent as provided above
with respect to the indemnification (and exceptions thereto) of the Parent
Indemnified Person and the person controlling such Parent Indemnified
Persons.
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(c) Notice. Any person
entitled to indemnification hereunder shall give prompt written notice to the
indemnifying party of any claim with respect to which it seeks indemnification;
provided, however, that the failure to give such notice shall not release the
indemnifying party from its obligation, except to the extent that the
indemnifying party has been materially prejudiced by such failure to provide
such notice on a timely basis.
(d) Defense of
Actions. In any case in which any such action is brought
against any indemnified party, and it notifies an indemnifying party of the
commencement thereof, the indemnifying party shall be entitled to participate
therein, and, to the extent that it may wish, jointly with any other
indemnifying party similarly notified, assume the defense thereof, with counsel
reasonably satisfactory to such indemnified party, and after notice from the
indemnifying party to such indemnified party of its election so to assume the
defense thereof, the indemnifying party will not (so long as it shall continue
to have the right to defend, contest, litigate and settle the matter in question
in accordance with this paragraph) be liable to such indemnified party hereunder
for any legal or other expenses subsequently incurred by such indemnified party
in connection with the defense thereof other than reasonable costs of
investigation, supervision and monitoring (unless (i) such indemnified party
reasonably objects to such assumption on the grounds that there may be defenses
available to it that are different from or in addition to the defenses available
to such indemnifying party or (ii) the indemnifying party shall have failed
within a reasonable period of time to assume such defense and the indemnified
party is or is reasonably likely to be prejudiced by such delay). In either
event the indemnified party shall be reimbursed by the indemnifying party for
the reasonable fees and expenses incurred in connection with retaining separate
legal counsel; provided that, the indemnifying party shall not, in connection
with any one such action or proceeding or separate but substantially similar or
related actions or proceedings in the same jurisdiction arising out of the same
general allegations or circumstances, be liable for the fees and expenses of
more than one separate firm of attorneys for all the indemnified
parties. An indemnifying party shall not be liable for any settlement
of an action or claim effected without its consent. No matter shall
be settled by an indemnifying party without the consent of the indemnified
party, which consent shall not be unreasonably withheld.
(e) Survival. The
indemnification provided for under this Agreement shall remain in full force and
effect regardless of any investigation made by or on behalf of the indemnified
person and will survive the transfer of the Registrable Securities and the
termination of this Agreement.
(f) Contribution. If
recovery is not available or insufficient to hold harmless an indemnified party
in respect of any Losses under the foregoing indemnification provisions for any
reason or reasons other than as specified therein, any person who would
otherwise be entitled to indemnification by the terms thereof shall nevertheless
be entitled to contribution with respect to any
15
Losses
with respect to which such person would be entitled to such indemnification but
for such reason or reasons. In determining the amount of contribution
to which the respective persons are entitled, there shall be considered the
persons’ relative fault, relative knowledge and access to information concerning
the matter with respect to which the claim was asserted, the opportunity to
correct and prevent any statement or omission and other equitable considerations
appropriate under the circumstances. It is hereby agreed that it
would not necessarily be equitable if the amount of such contribution were
determined by pro rata or per capita allocation. No person guilty of
fraudulent misrepresentation (within the meaning of Section 11(f) of the
Securities Act) shall be entitled to contribution from any person who was not
found guilty of such fraudulent misrepresentation. Notwithstanding
the foregoing, the Holders shall not be required to make a contribution in
excess of the net amounts received by the Holders in the offering giving rise to
such liability.
Section
2.06. Termination
of Registration Rights. This Article II (other than Sections
2.04 and 2.05) will terminate on the date on which all Parent Common Shares
subject to this Agreement cease to be Registrable Securities.
Section
2.07. No Transfer
of Registration Rights. None of the rights of Holders under
this Section shall be assignable by any Holder to any Person.
Section
2.08. Authorization
of the Holders’ Counsel. The Holders hereby authorize the
Holders’ Counsel to act on their behalf as set forth in this Agreement,
including to provide on their behalf a Shelf Demand Notice and the information
contained therein.
ARTICLE
3
Miscellaneous
Section
3.01. Notices. All
notices, requests and other communications to any party hereunder shall be in
writing (including facsimile transmission and electronic mail (“e-mail”) transmission, so long
as a receipt of such e-mail is requested and received) and shall be
given,
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if to
Parent, to:
Wellesley
Xxxxx
00 Xxxxx
Xxx Xxxx
Xxxxxxxx
XX
00
Xxxxxxx
Xxxxxxxxx:
Xxxxxx Xxxxxxxxx
Facsimile
No.:000 000 0000
E-mail:xxxxxx.xxxxxxxxx@xxxxxxxxx.xxx
with a
copy to:
Xxxxx
Xxxx & Xxxxxxxx LLP
000
Xxxxxxxxx Xxxxxx
Xxx Xxxx,
Xxx Xxxx 00000
Attention:
Xxxxxxx X. Xxxxxxx
Facsimile
No.: (000) 000-0000
E-mail:
xxxxxxx.xxxxxxx@xxxxxxxxx.xxx
if
to a Holder, to it and its counsel at their addresses, facsimile numbers or
e-mail addresses set forth in Exhibit B hereto,
or to such other address or facsimile number as such party may hereafter specify
for the purpose by notice to the other parties hereto. All such
notices, requests and other communications shall be deemed received on the date
of receipt by the recipient thereof if received prior to 5:00 p.m. on a business
day in the place of receipt. Otherwise, any such notice, request or
communication shall be deemed not to have been received until the next
succeeding business day in the place of receipt.
Section
3.02. Amendments
and Waivers. (a) Any provision of this Agreement may be
amended or waived if, but only if, such amendment or waiver is in writing and is
signed, in the case of an amendment, by each party to this Agreement, or, in the
case of a waiver, by each party against whom the waiver is to be
effective.
(b) No
failure or delay by any party in exercising any right, power or privilege
hereunder shall operate as a waiver thereof nor shall any single or partial
exercise thereof preclude any other or further exercise thereof or the exercise
of any other right, power or privilege. The rights and remedies herein provided
shall be cumulative and not exclusive of any rights or remedies provided by
applicable law.
Section
3.03. Binding
Effect; Benefit; Assignment. (a) The provisions of this
Agreement shall be binding upon and shall inure to the benefit of the parties
hereto and their respective successors and assigns. No provision of
this
17
Agreement
is intended to confer any rights, benefits, remedies, obligations or liabilities
hereunder upon any Person other than the parties hereto and their respective
successors and assigns.
(b) No
party may assign, delegate or otherwise transfer any of its rights or
obligations under this Agreement without the consent of each other party
hereto.
Section
3.04. Governing
Law. This Agreement shall be governed by and construed in
accordance with the laws of the State of New York, without regard to the
conflicts of law rules of such state.
Section
3.05. Jurisdiction. The
parties hereto agree that any suit, action or proceeding seeking to enforce any
provision of, or based on any matter arising out of or in connection with, this
Agreement or the transactions contemplated hereby shall be brought in the United
States District Court for the Southern District of New York, so long as such
court shall have subject matter jurisdiction over such suit, action or
proceeding, and that any cause of action arising out of this Agreement shall be
deemed to have arisen from a transaction of business in the State of New York,
and each of the parties hereby irrevocably consents to the jurisdiction of such
courts (and of the appropriate appellate courts therefrom) in any such suit,
action or proceeding and irrevocably waives, to the fullest extent permitted by
law, any objection that it may now or hereafter have to the laying of the venue
of any such suit, action or proceeding in any such court or that any such suit,
action or proceeding brought in any such court has been brought in an
inconvenient forum. Process in any such suit, action or proceeding
may be served on any party anywhere in the world, whether within or without the
jurisdiction of any such court. Without limiting the foregoing,
each party agrees that service of process on such party as provided in Section
3.01 shall be deemed effective service of process on such party. The
parties agree that a final judgment in any such suit, action or proceeding shall
be conclusive and may be enforced in other jurisdictions in any manner provided
by Applicable Law.
Section
3.06. WAIVER OF JURY
TRIAL. EACH OF THE PARTIES HERETO HEREBY IRREVOCABLY WAIVES
ANY AND ALL RIGHT TO TRIAL BY JURY IN ANY LEGAL PROCEEDING ARISING OUT OF OR
RELATED TO THIS AGREEMENT OR THE TRANSACTIONS CONTEMPLATED HEREBY.
Section
3.07. Counterparts;
Effectiveness. This Agreement
may be signed in any number of counterparts, each of which shall be an original,
with the same effect as if the signatures thereto and hereto were upon the same
instrument. This Agreement shall become effective when each party
hereto shall have received a counterpart hereof signed by all of the other
parties hereto. Until and unless each party has received a
counterpart hereof signed by the other party hereto, this Agreement shall have
no effect and no party shall have any right or
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obligation
hereunder (whether by virtue of any other oral or written agreement or other
communication).
Section
3.08. Entire
Agreement. This Agreement, the Securities Purchase Agreement,
the Confidentiality Agreements (as defined in the Transaction Agreement) and,
upon the entry into thereof at the Closing, the applicable Investor Agreement,
constitute the entire agreement among the parties with respect to the subject
matter of this Agreement and supersede all prior agreements and understandings,
both oral and written, among the parties hereto with respect to the subject
matter of this Agreement. Notwithstanding anything to the contrary in
this Agreement, any sale by a Holder or underwriter of Registrable Securities
under a Shelf Registration Statement shall be subject to the transfer
restrictions set forth in the applicable Investor Agreement.
Section
3.09. Severability. If
any term, provision, covenant or restriction of this Agreement is held by a
court of competent jurisdiction or other Governmental Authority to be invalid,
void or unenforceable, the remainder of the terms, provisions, covenants and
restrictions of this Agreement shall remain in full force and effect and shall
in no way be affected, impaired or invalidated so long as the economic or legal
substance of the transactions contemplated hereby is not affected in any manner
materially adverse to any party. Upon such a determination, the
parties shall negotiate in good faith to modify this Agreement so as to effect
the original intent of the parties as closely as possible in an acceptable
manner in order that the transactions contemplated hereby be consummated as
originally contemplated to the fullest extent possible.
Section
3.10. Specific
Performance. The parties hereto agree that irreparable damage
would occur if any provision of this Agreement were not performed in accordance
with the specific terms hereof and that the parties shall be entitled to an
injunction or injunctions to prevent breaches of this Agreement or to enforce
specifically the performance of the terms and provisions hereof in the United
States District Court for the Southern District of New York, in addition to any
other remedy to which they are entitled at law or in equity.
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the
next page is the signature page.]
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IN
WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties hereto have caused this Agreement to be duly
executed by their respective authorized officers as of the day and year first
above written.
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