REGISTRATION RIGHTS AGREEMENT
This
Registration Rights Agreement (this “Agreement”)
is
made and entered into as of August 22, 2007, by and between Interstate Data
USA,
Inc., a Delaware corporation (the “Company”),
and
the purchaser that has executed the signature page of this Agreement (the
“Purchaser”).
Preliminary
Statements
The
Purchaser has purchased Units (the “Units”)
of the
Company, each Unit consisting of one share of the Company’s 8% Series A
convertible preferred stock, par value $0.001 per share (the “Series
A Preferred Stock”),
and
one callable warrant to purchase one share of Common Stock (the “Warrant”).
The
Units were purchased pursuant to that certain subscription agreement entered
into between the Purchaser and the Company (the “Subscription
Agreement”).
The
Company has agreed to grant the Purchaser certain registration rights in
accordance with the terms of this Agreement. Therefore, in consideration of
the
mutual promises and covenants set forth herein, the parties agree as
follows:
1. Definitions.
As used
in this Agreement, the following terms shall have the following
meanings:
“Commission”
means
the Securities and Exchange Commission.
“Common
Stock”
means
shares of the Company’s common stock, par value $0.001 per share.
“Exchange
Act”
means
the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, and any successor
statute.
“Holder”
or
“Holders”
means
the Purchaser or Purchasers or any of their affiliates or transferees to the
extent any of them hold Registrable Securities.
“Indemnified
Party”
shall
have the meaning set forth in Section 5(b).
“Indemnifying
Party”
shall
have the meaning set forth in Section 5(b).
“Proceeding”
means
an action, claim, suit, investigation or proceeding (including, without
limitation, an investigation or partial proceeding, such as a deposition),
whether commenced or threatened.
“Prospectus”
means
the prospectus included in the Registration Statement (including, without
limitation, a prospectus that includes any information previously omitted from
a
prospectus filed as part of an effective 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 the Registration Statement,
and
all other amendments and supplements to the 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 shares of Common Stock underlying the Series A Preferred Stock purchased
as
a portion of the Units, or purchased upon exercise of the Warrants contained
in
the Units, or other securities of the Company or any other issuer or issuable
in
respect of such shares (because of stock splits, stock dividends,
reclassifications, recapitalizations, mergers, combinations or similar events,
if applicable); provided, however, that the shares of Common Stock which are
Registrable Securities shall cease to be Registrable Securities upon any sale
or
transfer of such shares pursuant to a Registration Statement, Section 4(1)
of
the Securities Act, Rule 144 under the Securities Act or otherwise.
“Registration
Statement”
means
a
registration statement filed by the Company with the Commission on any
registration form prescribed by the Commission permitting a secondary offering
or distribution, other than on Form X-0, Xxxx X-0 or similar forms.
“Rule
144”
means
Rule 144 promulgated by the Commission pursuant to the Securities Act, as such
Rule may be amended from time to time, or any similar rule or regulation
hereafter adopted by the Commission having substantially the same effect as
such
Rule.
“Securities
Act”
means
the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and any successor statute.
“Series
A Preferred Stock”
means
the Company’s 8% Series A convertible preferred stock, par value $0.001 per
share, which rights and preferences are evidenced by a Certificate Of
Designation of 8% Series A Convertible Preferred Stock and Qualifications,
Limitations And Restrictions thereof approved by the Company’s board of
directors on May 15, 2007.
“Trading
Market”
means
any of the Pink Sheets LLC electronic quotation service, NASD OTC Bulletin
Board, NASDAQ Global Select Market, NASDAQ Global Market, NASDAQ Capital Market,
American Stock Exchange or the New York Stock Exchange.
“Warrants”
means
the Common Stock purchase warrants issued by the Company.
2. Piggyback
Registration.
(a) At
any
time and from time to time after the date of this Agreement, whenever the
Company proposes to file a Registration Statement, the Company will prior to
such filing give written notice to Purchaser of its intention to do so and,
upon
the written request of Purchaser given within thirty (30) days after the Company
provides such notice, the Company shall use its good faith efforts to cause
all
Registrable Securities which the Company has been requested by Purchaser to
register to be registered under the Securities Act to the extent necessary
to
permit their sale or other disposition in accordance with the intended methods
of distribution specified in the request of Purchaser; provided that the Company
shall have the right to postpone or withdraw any registration effected pursuant
to this Section 2 without obligation or liability to Purchaser. In the
Purchaser’s request, the Purchaser will be required to describe briefly its
proposed disposition of the Registrable Securities. However, in connection
with
any registration under Section 2, the Purchaser’s Registrable Securities shall
be junior and subordinate to any registration rights granted by the Company
which are already outstanding.
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(b) In
connection with any registration under Section 2 involving a firm commitment
underwritten offering of the Company’s securities, the Company shall not be
required to include any Registrable Securities in such underwriting unless
Purchaser accepts the terms of the underwriting as agreed upon between the
Company and the underwriters selected by it applicable to the Purchaser’s sale
of the Registrable Securities, and then only in such quantity as will not,
in
the sole discretion of the underwriters, jeopardize the success of the offering
by the Company. Additionally, the Purchaser agrees that if requested by an
underwriter in connection with an underwritten offering of the Company’s Common
Stock or other securities, it will execute a lock-up agreement not to sell
or
otherwise transfer or dispose of any of the Registrable Securities for a
specified period of time before or after the effective date of the registration
statement and understands that such lock-up agreement is required to be in
writing in a form satisfactory to the Company and any such underwriter. If
in
the sole discretion of the managing underwriter or underwriters the registration
of all, or part of, the Registrable Securities which Purchaser has requested
to
be included would adversely affect such public offering, then the Company shall
be required to include in the underwriting only that number of Registrable
Securities, if any, which the managing underwriter or underwriters believe
may
be sold without causing such adverse effect. If the number of Registrable
Securities to be included in the underwriting in accordance with the foregoing
is less than the total number of shares which Purchaser has requested to be
included, then Purchaser and each participant other than the Company in such
underwriting shall participate in the underwriting pro rata based upon their
total ownership of Registrable Securities. Any such limitation shall be imposed
in such manner so as to avoid any diminution in the number of shares the Company
may register for sale by giving first priority for the shares to be registered
for issuance and sale by the Company and the underwriter, and by giving second
priority for the shares to be registered for sale by any holder of Registrable
Securities pursuant to the terms of this Agreement.
(c) In
connection with any registration under Section 2 involving a selling stockholder
registration statement or any other registration statement not involving a
firm
commitment underwritten offering of the Company’s securities, the Company
reserves the right to include only that number of Registrable Securities, if
any, as it shall determine in its reasonable discretion, may be sold without
jeopardizing the success of the offering or having adverse effect on the
offering. If the number of Registrable Securities to be included in the offering
in accordance with the foregoing is less than the total number of shares which
Purchaser has requested to be included, then Purchaser and each participant
other than the Company in such offering shall participate in the offering pro
rata based upon their total ownership of Registrable Securities. Any such
limitation shall be imposed in such manner so as to avoid any diminution in
the
number of shares the Company may register for sale by giving first priority
for
the shares to be registered for issuance and sale by the Company, and by giving
second priority for the shares to be registered for sale by any holder of
Registrable Securities pursuant to the terms of this Agreement.
3
3. Registration
Procedures.
When
the Company proposes to effect the registration of any of the Registrable
Securities under the Securities Act, the Company shall:
(a) furnish
to the Purchaser such number of copies of the Registration Statement and the
Prospectus included therein (including each preliminary Prospectus) as the
Purchaser reasonably may request to facilitate the public sale or disposition
of
the Registrable Securities covered by the Registration Statement;
(b) use
its
commercially reasonable efforts to register or qualify the Purchaser’s
Registrable Securities covered by the Registration Statement under the
securities or “blue sky” laws of such jurisdictions within the United States as
the Purchaser may reasonably request, provided, however, that the Company shall
not for any such purpose be required to qualify generally to transact business
as a foreign corporation in any jurisdiction where it is not so qualified or
to
consent to general service of process in any such jurisdiction; and
(c) list
the
Registrable Securities covered by the Registration Statement with any Trading
Market on which the Common Stock of the Company is then listed.
4. Registration
Expenses.
All
expenses relating to the Company’s compliance with Sections 2 and 3 hereof,
including, without limitation, all registration and filing fees, printing
expenses, fees and disbursements of counsel and independent public accountants
for the Company, fees and expenses (including reasonable counsel fees) incurred
in connection with complying with state securities or “blue sky” laws, fees of
the NASD, transfer taxes, fees of transfer agents and registrars are called
“Registration Expenses”. All selling commissions applicable to the sale of
Registrable Securities, including any fees and disbursements of any counsel
to
the Holders, are called “Selling Expenses” and shall be the responsibility of
the Purchasers. The Company shall only be responsible for all Registration
Expenses.
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5. Indemnification.
(a) In
the
event of a registration of the Registrable Securities, the Holder (subject
to
the provisions of Section 5(b)) will indemnify and hold harmless the Company,
and its officers, directors and each other person, if any, who controls the
Company within the meaning of the Securities Act, against all losses, claims,
damages or liabilities, joint or several, to which the Company or such persons
may become subject under the Securities Act, the Exchange Act or otherwise,
insofar as such losses, claims, damages or liabilities (or actions in respect
thereof) arise out of or are based upon: (i) any untrue statement or alleged
untrue statement of any material fact which was furnished in writing by the
Holder to the Company expressly for use in (and such information is contained
in) the Registration Statement under which such Registrable Securities were
registered under the Securities Act pursuant to this Agreement, any preliminary
Prospectus or final Prospectus contained therein, or any amendment or supplement
thereof, or arise out of or are based upon the omission or alleged omission
to
state therein a material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to
make
the statements therein not misleading, and will reimburse the Company and each
such person for any reasonable legal or other expenses incurred by them in
connection with investigating or defending any such loss, claim, damage,
liability or action, provided, however, that such Holder will be liable in
any
such case if and only to the extent that any such loss, claim, damage or
liability arises out of or is based upon said Holder’s untrue statement or
alleged untrue statement or omission or alleged omission so made in conformity
with information furnished in writing to the Company by or on behalf of said
Holder specifically for use in any such document, or (ii) in connection with
a
Holder’s sale of Registrable Securities, including without limitation alleged
violations of Regulation M. Notwithstanding the provisions of this paragraph,
no
Holder shall be required to indemnify any person or entity in excess of the
amount of the aggregate net proceeds received by said Holder in respect of
Registrable Securities in connection with any such registration under the
Securities Act.
(b) In
the
event of a registration of the Registrable Securities, the Company (subject
to
the provisions of Section 5(c)) will indemnify and hold harmless the Purchaser,
and its officers, directors and each other person, if any, who controls the
Purchaser within the meaning of the Securities Act, against all losses, claims,
damages or liabilities, joint or several, to which the Purchaser or such persons
may become subject under the Securities Act, the Exchange Act or otherwise,
insofar as such losses, claims, damages or liabilities (or actions in respect
thereof) arise out of or are based upon: (i) any untrue statement or alleged
untrue statement of any material fact contained in the Registration Statement
under which such Registrable Securities were registered under the Securities
Act
pursuant to this Agreement, any preliminary Prospectus or final Prospectus
contained therein, or any amendment or supplement thereof, or arise out of
or
are based upon the omission or alleged omission to state therein a material
fact
required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein not
misleading, and will reimburse the Purchaser and each such person for any
reasonable legal or other expenses incurred by them in connection with
investigating or defending any such loss, claim, damage, liability or action,
provided, however, that the Company will be liable in any such case if and
only
to the extent that any such loss, claim, damage or liability arises out of
or is
based upon the Company’s untrue statement or alleged untrue statement or
omission or alleged omission in the Registration Statement in connection with
a
Holder’s sale of Registrable Securities, including without limitation alleged
violations of Regulation M. Notwithstanding the provisions of this paragraph,
the Company shall not be required to indemnify any person or entity in excess
of
the amount of the aggregate net proceeds received by the Company from such
Purchaser in respect of the sale of the Registrable Securities.
5
(c) Promptly
after receipt by a party entitled to claim indemnification hereunder (an
“Indemnified Party”) of notice of the commencement of any action, such
Indemnified Party shall, if a claim for indemnification in respect thereof
is to
be made against a party hereto obligated to indemnify such Indemnified Party
(an
“Indemnifying Party”), notify the Indemnifying Party in writing thereof, but the
omission so to notify the Indemnifying Party shall not relieve it from any
liability which it may have to such Indemnified Party other than under this
Section 5(c) and shall only relieve it from any liability which it may have
to
such Indemnified Party under this Section 5(c) if and to the extent the
Indemnifying Party is prejudiced by such omission. In case any such action
shall
be brought against any Indemnified Party and it shall notify the Indemnifying
Party of the commencement thereof, the Indemnifying Party shall be entitled
to
participate in and, to the extent it shall wish, to assume and undertake 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 and undertake the defense thereof, the Indemnifying Party
shall not be liable to such Indemnified Party under this Section 5(c) for any
legal expenses subsequently incurred by such Indemnified Party in connection
with the defense thereof; if the Indemnified Party retains its own counsel,
then
the Indemnified Party shall pay all fees, costs and expenses of such counsel,
provided, however, that, if the defendants in any such action include both
the
Indemnified Party and the Indemnifying Party and if counsel shall have
reasonably concluded that there may be reasonable defenses available to the
Indemnified Party which are different from or additional to those available
to
the Indemnifying Party or if the interests of the Indemnified Party reasonably
may be deemed to conflict with the interests of the Indemnifying Party in either
case which would prohibit such counsel from representing both parties under
applicable conflicts of interest rules of professional ethics, the Indemnified
Party shall have the right to select one separate counsel and to assume such
legal defenses and otherwise to participate in the defense of such action,
with
the reasonable expenses and fees of such separate counsel and other expenses
related to such participation to be reimbursed by the Indemnifying Party as
incurred. Neither party shall settle any proceeding for which indemnification
is
sought without the written consent of the other party, which shall not be
unreasonably withheld.
6
(d)
Notwithstanding
any provision of this Agreement to the contrary, each Holder shall be treated
individually and separately from all other Holders under this Section 5, and
will not become the subject of any obligation under this Section 5 as a result
of any action, failure to act, statement, omission, or otherwise of any other
Holder hereunder.
6. Miscellaneous.
(a) Remedies.
In the
event of a breach by the Company or by a Holder, of any of their respective
obligations under this Agreement, each Holder or the Company, as the case may
be, in addition to being entitled to exercise all rights granted by law and
under this Agreement, including recovery of damages, will be entitled to
specific performance of its rights under this Agreement.
(b) Compliance.
The
Purchaser covenants and agrees that it (i) will comply with the prospectus
delivery requirements of the Securities Act as applicable to it in connection
with sales of Registrable Securities pursuant to the Registration Statement
and
(ii) promptly furnish to the Company all information required to be disclosed
in
the Registration Statement and Prospectus concerning the Purchaser (including
information in order to make the information previously furnished to the Company
by such Purchaser not misleading) and any other information regarding such
Purchaser and the distribution of such Registrable Securities as the Company
may
from time to time reasonably request.
(c) Discontinued
Disposition.
The
Holder agrees by its acquisition of such Registrable Securities that, upon
receipt of a notice from the Company of the occurrence of a Discontinuation
Event (as defined below), it will forthwith discontinue disposition of such
Registrable Securities under the applicable Registration Statement until such
Holder’s receipt of the copies of the supplemented Prospectus and/or amended
Registration Statement or until it is advised in writing (the “Advice”) by the
Company that the use of the applicable Prospectus may be resumed, and, in either
case, has received copies of any additional or supplemental filings that are
incorporated or deemed to be incorporated by reference in such Prospectus or
Registration Statement. The Company may provide appropriate stop orders to
enforce the provisions of this paragraph. For purposes of this Section 6(c),
a
“Discontinuation Event” shall mean (i) when the Commission notifies the Company
whether there will be a “review” of such Registration Statement and whenever the
Commission comments in writing on such Registration Statement (the Company
shall
provide true and complete copies thereof and all written responses thereto
to
each of the Holders); (ii) any request by the Commission or any other Federal
or
state governmental authority for amendments or supplements to such Registration
Statement or Prospectus or for additional information; (iii) the issuance by
the
Commission of any stop order suspending the effectiveness of such Registration
Statement covering any or all of the Registrable Securities or the initiation
of
any Proceedings for that purpose; (iv) the receipt by the Company of any
notification with respect to the suspension of the qualification or exemption
from qualification of any of the Registrable Securities for sale in any
jurisdiction, or the initiation or threatening of any Proceeding for such
purpose; (v) the occurrence of any event or passage of time that makes the
financial statements included in such Registration Statement ineligible for
inclusion therein or any statement made in such Registration Statement or
Prospectus or any document incorporated or deemed to be incorporated therein
by
reference untrue in any material respect or that requires any revisions to
such
Registration Statement, Prospectus or other documents so that, in the case
of
such Registration Statement or Prospectus, as the case may be, it will not
contain any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state any material
fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein,
in light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading; and/or
(vi) the occurrence or existence of any pending corporate development that,
in the reasonable discretion of the Board of Directors of the Company, makes
it
appropriate to suspend the availability of the Registration Statement and the
related Prospectus.
7
(d) Amendments
and Waivers.
The
provisions of this Agreement, including the provisions of this sentence, may
not
be amended, modified or supplemented, and waivers or consents to departures
from
the provisions hereof may not be given, unless the same shall be in writing
and
signed by the Company and the Holders of a majority of the then outstanding
Registrable Securities. Notwithstanding the foregoing, a waiver or consent
to
depart from the provisions hereof with respect to a matter that relates
exclusively to the rights of certain Holders and that does not directly or
indirectly affect the rights of other Holders may be given by Holders of at
least a majority of the Registrable Securities to which such waiver or consent
relates; provided, however, that the provisions of this sentence may not be
amended, modified, or supplemented except in accordance with the provisions
of
the immediately preceding sentence.
7. Notices.
No
notice
or other communication under this Agreement shall be effective unless, such
notice or other communication is in writing and is mailed by first-class mail,
postage prepaid, addressed to:
Registered Holder: |
To
his or her last known address as indicated on the Company’s books and
records; or such other address as the Holder has designated in writing
to
the Company.
|
|
The Company: |
Interstate
Data USA, Inc.
0000
Xxxx Xxxx Xxxxx, #0000
Xxxxxxx,
XX 00000
Attention: Xxxxx
Xxxxxxxxx
|
8
Or
such
other address as the Company has designated in writing to the
Holder.
If
to any other Person who is
then the registered Holder:
|
To
the address of such Holder as it appears in the stock transfer books
of
the Company
|
8. Successors
and Assigns.
This
Agreement shall inure to the benefit of and be binding upon the successors
and
permitted assigns of each of the parties and shall inure to the benefit of
and
be binding upon the Holders. Except as it relates to assignments to affiliates
of the Company, the Company may not assign its rights or obligations hereunder
without the prior written consent of each Holder. Each Holder may assign their
respective rights hereunder in the manner and to the Persons as permitted under
the Warrants and the Subscription Agreement with the prior written consent
of
the Company. No person shall have the rights of the Holder hereunder unless
they
have executed a joinder to the Agreement in a form reasonably acceptable to
the
Company.
9. Execution
in Counterparts.
This
Agreement may be executed in any number of counterparts, each of which when
so
executed shall be deemed to be an original and, all of which taken together
shall constitute one and the same Agreement. In the event that any signature
is
delivered by facsimile transmission, such signature shall create a valid binding
obligation of the party executing (or on whose behalf such signature is
executed) the same with the same force and effect as if such facsimile signature
were the original thereof.
10. Governing
Law.
This
Agreement shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of
the
State of Delaware without giving effect to the principles of conflicts of law
thereof. Any judicial proceeding involving any dispute, controversy or claim
arising out of or relating to this Agreement may be brought in a court located
in the State of Texas, and each of the Company and Holder (i) unconditionally
accepts the nonexclusive jurisdiction of such courts and any related appellate
court and irrevocably agrees to be bound by any judgment rendered thereby,
(ii)
irrevocably waives any objection it may now or hereafter have as to the venue
of
any such proceeding brought in such a court or that such a court is an
inconvenient forum.
11. Remedies.
The
remedies provided herein are cumulative and not exclusive of any remedies
provided by law.
12. Severability.
If any
term, provision, covenant or restriction of this Agreement is held by a court
of
competent jurisdiction to be invalid, illegal, void or unenforceable, the
remainder of the terms, provisions, covenants and restrictions set forth herein
shall remain in full force and effect and shall in no way be affected, impaired
or invalidated, and the parties hereto shall use their reasonable efforts to
find and employ an alternative means to achieve the same or substantially the
same result as that contemplated by such term, provision, covenant or
restriction. It is hereby stipulated and declared to be the intention of the
parties that they would have executed the remaining terms, provisions, covenants
and restrictions without including any of such that may be hereafter declared
invalid, illegal, void or unenforceable.
9
13. Headings.
The
headings in this Agreement are for convenience of reference only and shall
not
limit or otherwise affect the meaning hereof.
[registration
rights agreement signature page follows]
10
[registration
rights agreement signature page]
IN
WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties have executed this Agreement as of the date first
written above.
INTERSTATE
DATA USA, INC.
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PURCHASER:
|
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||
By:
Xxxxx
Xxxxxxxxx, President
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By:
Address:
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