NONCOMPETITION, NONDISCLOSURE AND NONSOLICITATION AGREEMENT
NONCOMPETITION,
NONDISCLOSURE AND NONSOLICITATION
AGREEMENT
This
NONCOMPETITION,
NONDISCLOSURE AND NONSOLICITATION AGREEMENT
(this
“Agreement”)
is
made as of June 6, 2007, by and between YP Corp., a Nevada corporation
(“YP”),
and
Xxxxxx Xxxxx (“Shareholder”).
RECITALS
A. Shareholder
owns approximately 70% of all the issued and outstanding capital stock of
LiveDeal on a fully-diluted basis.
B. YP;
LD
Acquisition Co., a California corporation wholly owned by YP (“Merger
Sub”);
LiveDeal, Inc., a California corporation (“LiveDeal”);
Xxxxxx Xxxxx and Xxxxx Xxxxx, Trustees of the Rajesh & Xxxxx Xxxxx Living
Trust dated 9/23/2002; and Shareholder, in his capacity as the Shareholders’
Representative, are parties to that certain Agreement and Plan of Merger
dated
as of the date hereof (the “Merger
Agreement”),
pursuant to which the Merger Sub will merge with and into LiveDeal so that
LiveDeal will become a wholly-owned subsidiary of YP. Capitalized terms used
herein which are not otherwise defined herein shall have the meanings ascribed
to them in the Merger Agreement.
C. As
a
condition to its willingness to enter into the Merger Agreement, YP has required
that this
Agreement be executed and delivered by Shareholder at or prior to the
Closing.
D. Shareholder
has entered into an Employment Agreement with YP, dated as of even date hereof
(the “Employment
Agreement”)
AGREEMENT
NOW,
THEREFORE, for good and valuable consideration, the sufficiency and receipt
of
which are hereby acknowledged, the parties hereto, intending to be legally
bound, hereby agree as follows:
1.
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Acknowledgments
by Shareholder.
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(a) Shareholder
acknowledges that he has occupied a position of trust and confidence with
LiveDeal prior to the date hereof and has had access to and has become familiar
with the following, any and all of which constitute confidential information
of
LiveDeal (collectively the “Confidential
Information”):
(a)
any and all trade secrets concerning the business and affairs of LiveDeal,
product specifications, data, know-how, formulae, compositions, processes,
designs, sketches, photographs, graphs, drawings, samples, inventions and
ideas,
past, current and planned research and development, current and planned
manufacturing and distribution methods and processes, customer lists, current
and anticipated customer requirements, price lists, market studies, business
plans, computer software and programs (including object code and source code),
database technologies, systems, structures architectures processes,
improvements, devices, know-how, discoveries, concepts, methods of LiveDeal
and
any other information, however documented, of LiveDeal that is considered
a
trade secret under applicable law; (b) any and all information concerning
the
business and affairs of LiveDeal (which includes historical financial
statements, financial projections and budgets, historical and projected sales,
capital spending budgets and plans, the names and backgrounds of key personnel,
contractors, agents, suppliers and potential suppliers, personnel training
and
techniques and materials, purchasing methods and techniques, however documented;
and (c) any and all notes, analysis, compilations, studies, summaries and
other
material prepared by or for LiveDeal containing or based, in whole or in
part,
upon any information included in the foregoing.
(b) Shareholder
acknowledges that (a) the business of LiveDeal relating to the use and operation
of the business by LiveDeal prior to Closing is international in scope; (b)
its
products and services related to such business are marketed throughout the
world; (c) LiveDeal’s business prior to Closing competes with other businesses
that are or could be located in any part of the world; (d) YP has required
that
Shareholder make the covenants set forth in Sections 2 and 3 of this Agreement
as a condition to YP’s entering into the Merger Agreement and causing Merger Sub
to merge into LiveDeal; (e) the provisions of Sections 2 and 3 of this Agreement
are reasonable and necessary to protect and preserve YP’s interests in and right
to the use and operation of the assets and business of LiveDeal from and
after
Closing; and (f) YP would be irreparably damaged if Shareholder were to breach
the covenants set forth in Sections 2 and 3 of this Agreement.
2. Nondisclosure.
Shareholder acknowledges and agrees that the protection of the Confidential
Information is necessary to protect and preserve the value of the assets
and
business of LiveDeal. Therefore, Shareholder hereby agrees not to disclose
to
any unauthorized person or entity or use for his own account or for the benefit
of any third party any Confidential Information, whether or not such information
is embodied in writing or other physical form or is retained in the memory
of
Shareholder, without YP’s written consent, unless and to the extent that the
Confidential Information is or becomes generally known to the public other
than
as a result of Shareholder’s fault or as required by law or legal process.
Shareholder agrees to deliver to YP or destroy, promptly following such time
as
YP may request in writing, all documents, memoranda, notes, plans, records,
reports and other documentation, models, components, devices or computer
software, whether embodied in a disk or in other form (and all copies of
all of
the foregoing), that contain Confidential Information.
3. Noncompetition,
Nonsolicitation and Nondisparagement.
(a) For
purposes of this Agreement, the terms listed below shall have the following
meanings:
(i)
“Area”
means
the world; provided,
however, that if a court of competent jurisdiction determines that such area
is
unenforceable, “Area” shall be defined as all countries in which the Company
provides its services, or has provided within the 12 months preceding the
date
of this Agreement; provided, however, that if a court of competent jurisdiction
determines that such area is unenforceable, “Area” shall be defined as the
United States.
(ii) “Client
Nonsolicitation Period”
means
the period beginning on the date of this Agreement and ending on the greater
of
(A) the three-year anniversary of the date of this Agreement and (B) one-year
from the date of termination of Shareholder’s employment by or service to YP;
provided, however, that the Client Nonsolicitation Period will end immediately
in the event Shareholder is terminated by YP without Cause (as defined in
the
Employment Agreement) or that he terminates his employment for Good Reason
(as
defined in the Employment Agreement) or that the Company fails to nominate
him
as a member of the Board of Directors of YP.
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(iii) “Competing
Business”
means
any person or entity engaged in the on-line, classified advertising services
industry or that provides online yellow pages listing services, in each case,
as
its principal business.
(iv) “LiveDeal
Client(s)”
means
(a)
any person or entity to which LiveDeal sells any products or services, or
licenses any proprietary information, at any time during the Noncompetition
Time
Period, the Employee Nonsolicitation Time Period, or the Client Nonsolicitation
Period, as applicable, and (b) any person or entity which LiveDeal has
actively solicited and that Shareholder has knowledge of with respect to
the
sale of products or services at
any
time during the NoncompetitionTime Period, the Employee Nonsolicitation Time
Period, or the Client Nonsolicitation Period, as applicable. In the case
of a
corporate client, “LiveDeal Client” shall be, in addition to the corporate
client itself, the individual representative of the corporate client and
his or
her successor or equivalent within the organizational subdivision of the
corporate client on behalf of which he or she patronized LiveDeal, and any
organizational subdivision of the corporate client on behalf of which such
individual representative has patronized LiveDeal, in each case, to the extent
such individual representative is then employed with the corporate
client.
(v) “Employee
Nonsolicitation Period”
means
the period beginning on the date of this Agreement and ending on the greater
of
the following: (A) one-year from the date of termination of Shareholder’s
employment by or service to YP; or (B) the two-year anniversary of the date
of
this Agreement.
(vi) “Noncompetition
Time Period”
means
the period beginning on the date of this Agreement and ending on the greater
of
(A) the three-year anniversary of the date of this Agreement and (B) one-year
from the date of termination of Shareholder’s employment by or service to YP;
provided, however, that the Client Noncompetition Time Period will end
immediately in the event Shareholder is terminated by YP without Cause (as
defined in the Employment Agreement) or that he terminates his employment
for
Good Reason (as defined in the Employment Agreement) or that the Company
fails
to nominate him as a member of the Board of Directors of YP.
(vii)
“YP
Client(s)”
means
(a)
any person or entity to which YP sells any products or services, or licenses
any
proprietary information, at any time during the Client Nonsolicitation Time
Period, and (b) any person or entity which YP has
actively solicited with respect to the sale of products or services at
any
time during the Client Nonsolicitation Period. In the case of a corporate
client, “YP Client” shall be, in addition to the corporate client itself, the
individual representative of the corporate client and his or her successor
or
equivalent within the organizational subdivision of the corporate client
on
behalf of which he or she patronized YP, and any organizational subdivision
of
the corporate client on behalf of which such individual representative has
patronized YP.
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(b) As
an
inducement for YP to enter into the Merger Agreement and as additional
consideration for the consideration to be paid to Shareholder under the Merger
Agreement, Shareholder agrees that:
(i)
During
the Noncompetition Time Period and in the Area, Shareholder will not, directly
engage or invest in, own, manage, operate, finance, control or participate
in
the ownership, management, operation, financing or control of, be employed
by,
associated with or in any manner connected with, or render services or advice
or
other aid to, or guarantee any obligation of, any person or entity engaged
in or
planning to become engaged in a Competing Business, provided, however, that
Shareholder may purchase or otherwise acquire up to (but not more than) two
percent of any class of securities of any enterprise (but without otherwise
participating in the activities of such enterprise) if such securities are
listed on any national or regional securities exchange or have been registered
under Section 12(g) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. Shareholder agrees
that this covenant is reasonable with respect to its duration, geographical
area
and scope.
(ii) During
the Employee Nonsolicitation Period, Shareholder shall not, directly or
indirectly: (A) induce or attempt to induce any employee of LiveDeal who
becomes
an employee of YP in connection with the merger of LiveDeal into Merger Sub
to
leave the employ of YP; (B) in any way interfere with the relationship between
YP and any such employee of YP; or (C) employ or otherwise engage as an
employee, independent contractor or otherwise any such employee of YP; provided,
however, that the restrictive covenants set forth in this Section 3(b)(ii)
shall
not restrict Shareholder from soliciting for hire or hiring any YP or LiveDeal
employee who was terminated by LiveDeal or YP without cause or as a result
of a
constructive termination.
(iii) During
the Client Nonsolicitation Period, Shareholder shall not, directly or
indirectly: (A) induce or attempt to induce any LiveDeal Client to cease
doing
business with YP or in any way interfere with the relationship between any
such
LiveDeal Client and the YP; or (B) solicit the business of any YP Client
known
to Shareholder to be a YP Client, whether or not such Shareholder had personal
contact with such YP Client, with respect to products or activities which
compete in whole or in part with the business operated by YP.
(c) In
the
event of a breach by Shareholder of any covenant set forth in this Section,
the
term of such covenant will be extended by the period of the duration of such
breach.
(d) Shareholder
shall not disparage YP, LiveDeal, the business conducted by LiveDeal, the
business conducted by YP, or any shareholder, director, officer, employee
or
agent of YP. None of YP, LiveDeal, any officer or director of either YP or
LiveDeal shall disparage Shareholder or any of its affiliates. Anything to
the
contrary notwithstanding, this Section 3(e) shall not apply to any statements
made in good faith during any litigation, arbitration or other legal proceeding
involving any of the parties to this Agreement.
(e) Shareholder
will, for a period of three years after the Closing, within ten days after
accepting any employment, consulting engagement, engagement as an independent
contractor, partnership or other association, advise YP of the identity of
the
new employer, client, partner or other person or entity with whom Shareholder
has become associated. YP may serve notice upon each such person or entity
that
Shareholder is bound by this Agreement and furnish each such person or entity
with a copy of this Agreement or relevant portions thereof.
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4. Remedies.
Shareholder hereto agrees that YP may seek injunctive relief or any other
equitable remedy, in addition to remedies at law or in damages, for any such
failure.
5. Successors
and Assigns.
This
Agreement shall be binding upon, inure to the benefit of, and be enforceable
by
the parties hereto and their respective successors, assigns, heirs and devises,
as applicable; and, nothing in this Agreement, express or implied, is intended
to confer upon any other person or entity any rights or remedies of any nature
whatsoever under or by reason of this Agreement. This Agreement shall not
be
assignable without the written consent of the other party hereto, except
that YP
may assign, in its sole discretion, all or any of its rights, interests and
obligations hereunder to any of its affiliates.
6. Entire
Agreement.
This
Agreement (including the documents and the instruments referred to herein)
constitutes the entire agreement and supersedes all prior agreements and
understandings, both written and oral, between the parties with respect to
the
subject matter hereof.
7. Governing
Law.
This
Agreement shall be governed by, and construed in accordance with, the internal
laws of the State of California applicable to contracts executed and fully
performed within the State of California, without regard to the conflicts
of
laws provisions thereof.
8. Jurisdiction;
Waiver of Venue.
Each of
the parties hereto irrevocably and unconditionally: (a) agrees that any legal
suit, action or proceeding brought by any party hereto arising out of or
based
upon this Agreement or the transactions contemplated hereby may be brought
in
the Courts of the State of California or the United States District Court
for
the Northern District of California (each, a “Designated
Court”);
(b)
waives, to the fullest extent it may effectively do so, any objection which
it
may now or hereafter have to the laying of venue of any such proceeding brought
in any Designated Court, and any claim that any such action or proceeding
brought in any Designated Court has been brought in an inconvenient forum;
and
(c) submits to the non-exclusive jurisdiction of Designated Courts in any
suit,
action or proceeding. Each of the parties agrees that a judgment in any suit,
action or proceeding brought in a Designated Court shall be conclusive and
binding upon it and may be enforced in any other courts to whose jurisdiction
it
is or may be subject, by suit upon such judgment.
9. Notices.
All
notices and other communications hereunder shall be in writing and shall
be
deemed given upon receipt by the parties at the addresses (or at such other
address for a party as shall be specified by like notice) as set forth in
Section 9.2 of the Merger Agreement or on the signature pages thereto, as
applicable.
10. Severability.
This
Agreement shall be deemed severable and the invalidity or unenforceability
of
any term or provision of this Agreement shall not affect the validity or
enforceability of the balance of this Agreement or of any other term hereof,
which shall remain in full force and effect. With respect to any
term or provision that is invalid or unenforceable, any
court
of competent jurisdiction is hereby authorized and respectfully directed
to excise any such term or provision that is invalid or unenforceable
and modify such term or provision to the extent necessary to be able to
make such term or provision valid or enforceable.
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11. Waiver.
The
parties hereto may, to the extent permitted by applicable law, subject to
Section 12 hereof, (a) waive any inaccuracies in the representations and
warranties contained herein or in any document delivered pursuant hereto,
or (b)
waive compliance with any of the agreements or conditions contained herein.
Any
agreement on the part of a party hereto to any such waiver shall be valid
only
if set forth in a written instrument signed on behalf of such party. The
failure
of any party to this Agreement to assert any of its rights under this Agreement
or otherwise shall not constitute a waiver of those rights.
12. Modification.
No
supplement, modification or amendment of this Agreement will be binding unless
made in a written instrument that is signed by all of the parties hereto
and
that specifically refers to this Agreement.
13. Counterparts.
This
Agreement may be executed in counterparts, all of which shall be considered
one
and the same agreement and shall become effective when such counterparts
have
been signed by each of the parties and delivered to the other parties, it
being
understood that all parties need not sign the same counterpart.
14. Headings.
All
Section headings contained in this Agreement are for reference purposes only
and
shall not affect in any way the meaning or interpretation of this Agreement.
[SIGNATURE
PAGE FOLLOWS]
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NONCOMPETITION,
NONDISLOSURE AND NONSOLICITATION AGREEMENT
SIGNATURE
PAGE
IN
WITNESS WHEREOF, Shareholder and YP have caused this Agreement to be executed
on
the date first written above.
SHAREHOLDER:
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YP:
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YP
Corp., a Nevada corporation
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/s/ Xxxxxx Xxxxx |
By:
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/s/ Xxxxxx X. Xxxxx, Xx. | |
Xxxxxx
Xxxxx
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Name:
Xxxxxx X. Xxxxx, Xx.
Title:
Chief Executive Officer
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