1.1 Terms Defined Above 1 1.2 Additional Defined Terms 1 1.3 References 5 1.4 Articles and Sections 5 1.5 Number and Gender 5 1.6 Incorporation of Exhibits 5 ARTICLE II TERMINATION OF ORIGINAL AGREEMENT; GRANT OF RIGHTS 5 2.1 License 5 2.2 Limitation...
Exhibit
10.3
TECHNOLOGY
LICENSE
FROM
ARKENOL,
INC.
IN
FAVOR
OF
BlueFire
Ethanol, Inc.
FOR
THE
PROCESSING OF
CELLULOSE
TO ETHANOL
IN
NORTH
AMERICA
Dated
as
of
March
1,
2006
TABLE
OF
CONTENTS
ARTICLE I DEFINITIONS AND INTERPRETATION |
1
|
1.1 Terms
Defined Above
|
1
|
1.2 Additional
Defined Terms
|
1
|
1.3 References
|
5
|
1.4 Articles
and Sections
|
5
|
1.5 Number
and Gender
|
5
|
1.6 Incorporation
of Exhibits
|
5
|
ARTICLE II TERMINATION OF ORIGINAL AGREEMENT; GRANT OF RIGHTS |
5
|
2.1 License
|
5
|
2.2 Limitation
on Use of Technology
|
6
|
2.3 Confidentiality
|
6
|
2.5 Royalty
Payment
|
7
|
ARTICLE III OWNERSHIP AND IMPROVEMENTS |
8
|
3.1 Licensor
as Sole Owner
|
8
|
3.2 Improvements
Assigned to Licensor
|
8
|
3.3 Cooperation
|
8
|
3.4 No
Challenge to Ownership
|
8
|
3.5 Enforcement
of Intellectual Property Rights
|
9
|
3.6 Appointment
of Licensor as Attorney-in-Fact
|
9
|
ARTICLE
IV ACCESS
TO PROJECTS AND INFORMATION
|
10
|
ARTICLE V REPRESENTATIONS AND WARRANTIES |
10
|
5.1 Licensor
Representations
|
10
|
5.2 Negation
of Certain Warranties
|
11
|
5.3 Licensee
Representations
|
11
|
ARTICLE VI TERM AND TERMINATION |
11
|
6.1 Term
|
11
|
6.2 Event
of Default
|
12
|
6.4 Default
Remedies
|
13
|
6.5 Obligations
of the Parties
|
13
|
6.6 Survival
of Claims
|
13
|
6.7 Survival
of Certain Provisions
|
13
|
i
ARTICLE VII INDEMNIFICATION |
13
|
|
|
7.1 Indemnification
by
Licensor
|
13
|
7.2 Indemnification
by
Licensee
|
14
|
7.3 Duty
to Defend
|
14
|
7.4 Settlement
|
14
|
ARTICLE VIII DISPUTE RESOLUTION |
15
|
8.1 Agreement
to Dispute Resolution
|
15
|
8.2 Initiation
of Dispute Resolution
|
15
|
8.3 Mediation
|
15
|
8.4
Expense of Mediation
|
15
|
ARTICLE IX MISCELLANEOUS PROVISIONS |
16
|
9.1 Assignment
and Sublicensing
|
16
|
9.2 Successors
and
Assigns
|
16
|
9.3 Parties
in Interest
|
16
|
9.4 Amendments
|
16
|
9.5 Non-Waiver
|
16
|
9.6 Notices
|
16
|
9.7 Attorneys'
Fees
|
17
|
9.8 Injunctive
Relief
|
18
|
9.9 Remedies
|
18
|
9.10
Further
Assurances
|
18
|
9.11
No
Agency, Joint Venture, Partnership
|
18
|
9.12
Severability
|
18
|
9.13
Negotiated
Transaction
|
18
|
9.14
Counterparts
|
19
|
9.15 Entire
Agreement
|
19
|
9.16
Jurisdiction
and Venue
|
19
|
9.17
Governing
Law
|
19
|
ii
TECHNOLOGY
LICENSE
THIS
TECHNOLOGY LICENSE (as amended, modified, supplemented or restated from time
to
time, this "Agreement")
is
made and entered into as of the 1st day of March, 2006, by and between ARKENOL,
INC., a corporation organized under the laws of the State of Nevada
("Licensor"),
and
BlueFire Ethanol, Inc., a to be formed Nevada corporation ("Licensee").
Licensor and Licensee are sometimes hereinafter referred to individually as
a
"Party"
and
collectively as the "Parties."
RECITALS
WHEREAS,
Licensee is a to be formed company to promote, among other things, conversion
of
the cellulose fractions of municipal solid waste and other opportunistic
feedstocks into ethanol;
WHEREAS,
Licensor has developed the Technology, owns the patents and intellectual
property for and has maintained exclusive rights to license the Technology
(as
herein defined);
WHEREAS,
Licensee wishes to license the Technology from Licensor for use and sublicense
in connection with Licensee’s desire to develop and commercialize the production
of Ethanol from cellulose, and Licensor desires to grant such license to
Licensee, all on the terms and conditions set forth herein;
WHEREAS,
Licensor’s Technology is capable and pre-commercially developed to process this
type of feedstock; and
WHEREAS,
Licensee desires to obtain from Licensor an exclusive license to use and
sublicense the Technology in North America, and Licensor desires to grant such
license to Licensee, all on the terms and conditions set forth
herein;
NOW,
THEREFORE, in consideration of the foregoing premises and the mutual promises
and covenants contained herein, Licensor and Licensee hereby agree as
follows:
ARTICLE
I
DEFINITIONS
AND INTERPRETATION
1.1 Terms
Defined Above.
As used
in this Technology License, each of the terms "Agreement,"
"Licensee,"
"Licensor,"
"Party,"
and
"Parties"
shall
have the meaning assigned to such term hereinabove.
1.2 Additional
Defined Terms.
As used
in this Agreement, each of the following terms shall have the meaning assigned
to such term below.
1
"Additional
Facility License"
shall
have the meaning set forth in Section
2.7.
"Affiliate"
shall
mean, with respect to any Person, any other Person who, directly or indirectly,
controls, is controlled by, or is under common control with such Person. For
purposes of this definition, "control" means the ability to direct or cause
the
direction of the management or affairs of a Person, whether through the direct
or indirect ownership of voting interests, by contract or otherwise. For
purposes of this Agreement, neither Party shall be considered an Affiliate
of
the other Party unless otherwise expressly stated.
"By-Products"
shall
mean salable materials, which result from operation of the Process to create
sugars from lignocellulosic feedstocks, and which are not the intended final
product from sugars fermentation; for example lignin, gypsum, yeast, carbon
dioxide.
"Commercial
Operation"
shall
mean the continuous operation of a Project after completion of the commissioning
of the Project, which shall be deemed to occur no earlier than the satisfaction
of all contractual requirements (e.g., completion of all tests required under
applicable construction contracts) and material regulatory requirements (e.g.,
tests required under applicable governmental permits and approvals) in
connection with the commencement of continuous commercial
operations.
"Confidential
Information"
shall
mean, in whatever form, tangible or intangible, whether written, oral or visual,
including electronic data recorded or retrieved by any means, any and all trade
secrets, confidential knowledge, and proprietary data of a Party (the
"Disclosing Party"), including technical specifications, diagrams, flow charts,
methods, processes, procedures, discoveries, concepts, calculations, techniques,
formulas, systems, production plans, designs, research and development plans,
business opportunities, cost and pricing data, customer records and lists,
special chemical, engineering, manufacturing, financial, and marketing know-how,
but expressly excluding information which (a) was generally available to the
public prior to the time of disclosure to the other Party (the "Receiving
Party"), (b) becomes generally available to the public through no act or
omission of the Receiving Party, or any employee, Affiliate, agent or contractor
of the Receiving Party, or (c) becomes available to the Receiving Party through
or from a third party who is not an agent, contractor, employee or Affiliate
of
the Receiving Party and who is not, to the knowledge of the Receiving Party
after reasonable investigation, under any obligation of confidentiality to
the
Disclosing Party.
"Effective
Date"
shall
mean the date first hereinabove written.
"Event
of Default"
shall
have the meaning set forth in Section
6.2.
"Exclusive
Payment"
shall
have the meaning set forth in Section
2.5.
"Force
Majeure"
shall
mean an event or occurrence that is not reasonably foreseeable by a Party,
is
beyond such Party's reasonable control, and is not caused by its negligence
or
lack of due diligence, including acts of God, strikes, labor disputes, lockouts
or other industrial disturbances, riots, epidemics, landslides, lightning,
earthquakes, fires, storms, washouts, the enactment of, or changes in, Laws,
the
cancellation or withdrawal of a governmental permit, arrests and restraints
of
governments and people, civil disturbances and explosions; provided,
however,
neither
economic hardship of either Party nor changes in market conditions shall
constitute a Force Majeure.
2
"Governmental
Authority"
shall
mean any national, state or local government, any political subdivision or
any
governmental, quasi-governmental, judicial, public or statutory instrumentality,
authority, body or entity, or other regulatory bureau, authority, body or
entity.
"Improvements"
shall
mean all inventions, modifications, revisions, alterations, enhancements,
betterments, ideas, and discoveries (whether or not patentable) conceived or
reduced to practice (actually or constructively) by either Party or under the
direction of either Party or acquired by Licensor or Licensee by operation
of
any license or sublicense of the Technology to any Person, or from any other
source and which, in any case, are based in any way on, or arise in any manner
out of, all or any portion of the Process, the Patents, the Licensor
Confidential Information or the Intellectual Property, or any such invention,
modification, revision, alteration, enhancement, betterment, idea or discovery
to any of the foregoing, including any developed through reverse engineering
or
independent derivation.
"Intellectual
Property"
shall
mean the Patents and all United States and foreign patents, applications
therefore, know-how, copyrightable works and applications for registration
and
registrations thereof, trademarks, trade names, service marks and all other
intellectual property rights with respect to or relating to all or any portion
of the Process.
"Law"
shall
mean any applicable Federal, state, local or other constitution, charter, act,
statute, law, ordinance, code, rule, regulation, or order, or other legislative
or administrative action of a Governmental Authority, or a final decree,
judgment, or order of a court having jurisdiction over any relevant Project
or
any Party.
"License"
shall
have the meaning assigned in Section
2.1.
"License
Fee"
shall
have the meaning assigned in Section
2.6.
"Licensee
Indemnitees"
shall
have the meaning assigned in Section
7.1.
"Licensor
Confidential Information"
shall
mean any Confidential Information relating to or arising out of any aspect
of
the Technology or Licensor's business other than information specifically
related to a Project that is in the public domain. For purposes of this
Agreement, and without otherwise affecting the respective ownership rights
of
Persons thereto, where any Confidential Information relating to or arising
out
of any aspect of the Technology is developed by any Person who is an Affiliate
of both Parties, then such Confidential Information shall be deemed to be
Licensor Confidential Information.
"Licensor
Indemnitees"
shall
have the meaning assigned in Section
7.2.
3
"Notice"
shall
have the meaning assigned to such term in Section
9.6.
"North
America"
shall
include all 50 United States and Canada.
"Patents"
shall
mean, collectively, Patent Nos. 5,562,777 and 5,580,389 issued by the United
States Patent and Trademark Office on October 8, 1996 and December 3, 1996,
respectively; any and all continuations, continuations-in-part, divisionals,
reissues, reexaminations or extensions thereof; all corresponding foreign
counterpart patents and applications thereto; and any additional patents issued
to Licensor from time to time by the United States Patent and Trademark
Office.
"Person"
shall
mean any individual, partnership, corporation, Limited Liability Company,
association, business, trust, government or political subdivision thereof,
Governmental Authority, or other entity.
"Prime
Rate"
shall
mean the per annum rate of interest announced or published from time to time
by
The Chase Manhattan Bank, N.A., as its reference or prime rate.
"Process"
shall
mean the acid hydrolysis process for lignocellulosic materials as more
particularly described on Exhibit
A.
"Products"
shall
mean By-Products, goods and materials produced through the
Technology.
"Project"
shall
mean a facility established for the purpose of using and practicing the
Technology in the production of one or more Products.
"Project
Entity"
shall
mean each entity formed for the ownership of a Project.
"Project
Lender"
shall
mean any bank, financial institution or other Person (or trustee or agent for
any such Person) providing any financing for, in whole or in part, the design,
acquisition, construction, refurbishment, modification, start-up, testing,
operation, maintenance or repair of any Project.
"Royalty"
shall
have the meaning assigned in Section
2.4.
"Technology"
shall
mean, collectively, the Process, the Patents, the Intellectual Property, the
Licensor Confidential Information, and all Improvements.
"Term"
shall
have the meaning assigned in Section
6.1.
4
1.3 References.
References in this Agreement to Exhibit, Article or Section numbers shall be
to
Exhibits, Articles and Sections of this Agreement, unless expressly stated
herein to the contrary. References in this Agreement to "hereby," "herein,"
"hereinabove," "hereinafter," "herein below," "hereof," "hereunder," or words
of
similar import shall be to this Agreement in its entirety and not only to the
particular Exhibit, Article or Section in which such reference appears.
References in this Agreement to "includes" or "including" shall mean "includes,
without limitation," or "including, without limitation," as the case may be.
References in this Agreement to statutes, sections or regulations are to be
construed as including all statutory or regulatory provisions consolidating,
amending, replacing, succeeding or supplementing the statute, section or
regulation referred to. References in this Agreement to "writing" include
printing, typing, lithography, facsimile reproduction and other means of
reproducing words in a tangible visible form. References in this Agreement
to
agreements and other contractual instruments shall be deemed to include all
exhibits and appendices attached thereto and all subsequent amendments and
other
modifications to such instruments, but only to the extent such amendments and
other modifications are not prohibited by the terms of this Agreement.
References in this Agreement to Persons include their respective successors
and
permitted assigns.
1.4 Articles
and Sections.
This
Agreement, for convenience only, has been divided into Articles and Sections
and
it is understood that the rights, powers, privileges, duties, and other legal
relations of the Parties shall be determined from this Agreement as an entirety
and without regard to the aforesaid division into Articles and Sections and
without regard to headings affixed to such Articles or Sections.
1.5 Number
and Gender.
Whenever the context requires, reference herein made to the single number shall
be understood to include the plural and likewise the plural shall be understood
to include the singular. Words denoting sex shall be construed to include the
masculine, feminine, and neuter, when such construction is appropriate, and
specific enumeration shall not exclude the general, but shall be construed
as
cumulative. Definitions of terms defined in the singular or plural shall be
equally applicable to the plural or singular, as the case may be.
1.6 Incorporation
of Exhibits.
The
Exhibits attached to this Agreement are incorporated herein and shall be
considered a part of this Agreement for all purposes.
ARTICLE
II
GRANT
OF LICENSE
2.1 License.
Subject
to the further provisions of this Section
2.1
and
Section
9.1,
and for
good and valuable consideration, the receipt and sufficiency of which are hereby
acknowledged, Licensor hereby grants to Licensee from and after the Effective
Date, and Licensee hereby accepts from and after the Effective Date, an
exclusive, non-transferable, North American license (the "License")
during
the Term to use and sublicense the Technology for any purpose pursuant to the
terms and conditions set forth herein. Notwithstanding the foregoing, Licensee
shall not use or sublicense the Technology, or allow the use of the Technology
by any permitted assignee or sublicensee of Licensee, outside of North America.
Licensor shall not permit any Person other than Licensee and its sublicensees
to
use the Technology; provided,
however,
this
limitation shall not apply to rights established in other Persons in accordance
with the express provisions of Section
9.1
or
following termination of this Agreement. Licensor and Licensee acknowledge
and
agree that the proprietary rights of Licensor in the Technology are extremely
valuable separate and apart from any patent rights related thereto, including
the Patents and any rights related thereto, and that the issuance of any
additional patent related to the Process or the Technology or the invalidation,
expiration or failure to obtain or prosecute any of the Patents shall not in
any
way affect the rights granted in this Section
2.1.
5
2.2 Limitation
on Use of Technology.
Licensee and its sublicensees shall use the Technology in the precise manner
indicated in this Agreement and in any specifications that may be provided
to
Licensee by Licensor from time to time. Licensee and its sublicensees shall
not
make any material changes in the use or application of the Technology as set
forth in such specifications without the prior written consent of Licensor,
which consent shall not be unreasonably withheld so long as Licensor has been
provided with all reasonably necessary information as to the basis for the
requested change and has received reimbursement for the reasonable direct cost
to Licensor of evaluating such requested change and submitted information.
2.3 Confidentiality.
(a)
During
the Term and for a period of two (2) years after the expiration of the Term
or
earlier termination of this Agreement pursuant to Section
6.4,
each of
Licensee and Licensor shall hold, and shall take all reasonable precautions
to
cause each of their Affiliates, and the directors, officers, managers,
employees, agents, contractors and advisors of the Parties and their respective
Affiliates, and, in the case of the Licensee, those of its permitted sub
licensees, and each of such sub licensees' and its Affiliates' respective
directors, officers, managers, employees, agents, and contractors coming into
possession or knowledge of any Confidential Information of the other Party,
to
hold the Confidential Information of the other Party in strictest confidence
and
trust (making only such copies thereof as necessary or appropriate for the
location, feasibility assessment, development, design, engineering, procurement,
construction, testing, modification, operation and maintenance of the Projects).
Notwithstanding the foregoing, (i) Licensor may make all disclosures which
are
reasonably necessary, appropriate or advisable to obtain protection of the
confidential and proprietary character of the Technology in the United States
and Canada, and (ii) Licensee may disclose Licensor Confidential Information
to
other Persons in connection with any financing whether through debt, equity
or
otherwise), assignment, sale, transfer or other disposition of any Project
Entity or interest in any Project Entity, provided,
that
Licensee shall be required to take all necessary precautions to cause such
other
Persons to hold the Licensor Confidential Information in strictest confidence
and to prevent its misappropriation, including the execution of written
confidentiality agreements with such Persons (containing terms and conditions
similar to those in this Section
2.3)
providing Licensor Confidential Information only on a limited need-to-know
basis, and taking reasonable security measures to ensure that only such portion
of the Licensor Confidential Information that is reasonable under the
circumstances is disclosed. Licensor shall be either (i) expressly named as
a
party to any such confidentiality agreement entered into by Licensee with any
of
its Affiliates, directors, managers, employees, agents, contractors, creditors
or other Persons permitted to come into possession or knowledge of any Licensor
Confidential Information, or (ii) shall be expressly named as a third-party
beneficiary of any such confidentiality agreement, and, in either case, Licensor
shall be entitled to enforce any such confidentiality agreement, including,
by
way of injunctive or other equitable relief.
(b) In
addition to the disclosures permitted under the second sentence of Section 2.3
(a),
each
Party may disclose Confidential Information of the other Party only (i) to
those
of its then current Affiliates, and the directors, officers, managers,
employees, agents, contractors, and advisors (including attorneys, accountants,
and consultants) of the Parties and such Affiliates, together with the permitted
sub licensees of Licensee, and the directors, officers, managers, employees,
agents, contractors, and advisors of such sub licensees and their Affiliates,
who need to know the Confidential Information for purposes of performing the
services for which they have been engaged, (ii) pursuant to the order or
subpoena of a Governmental Authority with subpoena power or as otherwise
required pursuant to applicable Law; provided,
however,
should
either Party receive any such order or subpoena or propose to make voluntary
disclosure pursuant to any Law deemed by such Party to require such disclosure,
such Party shall notify the other Party promptly and in any event sufficiently
prior to compliance with the relevant order or subpoena or deemed applicable
Law
to enable such other Party to seek an appropriate protective order; provided,
further,
any
disclosure pursuant to such an order or subpoena or deemed applicable Law shall
not act to relieve any Party of its continuing obligation to hold the
Confidential Information in strictest confidence and trust and cause other
Persons to do so as provided above in this Section
2.3,
and,
except for such disclosure pursuant to order or subpoena or deemed applicable
Law, each Party shall continue to be bound by the obligations of this
Section
2.3
with
respect to the Confidential Information.
6
(c) The
Parties may enter into a separate Confidentiality Agreement relating to the
obligation to hold the Confidential Information in strictest confidence and
trust. In such event, if there is any conflict between the terms and conditions
of such Confidentiality Agreement and the terms and conditions of this Agreement
relating to the Confidential Information and the obligations of the Parties
in
connection therewith, the terms and conditions of such Confidentiality Agreement
shall govern and control.
2.4 Royalty
Payment.
As
consideration for the grant of the License pursuant to Section
2.1,
Licensee shall pay Licensor a royalty (the "Royalty")
equal
to three percent (3%) of the gross sales price for sales by Licensee, its
Affiliates, sublicensees or assignees, of all Products produced from any use
of
the Technology pursuant to the License. For sales by sublicensees, the Royalty
to Licensor is conditional upon the sublicense royalty fees being paid to
Licensor. The Royalty shall be calculated on an accrual (rather than a cash)
basis. The Royalty shall be payable semi-annually on each August 1 (as to sales
accrued during the preceding January 1 through and including June 30) and on
each February 1 (as to sales accrued during the preceding July 1 through and
including December 31) during the Term. Royalty payments to Licensor shall
be
submitted with supporting documentation on a facility-by-facility basis as
to
(i) volumes of Products produced through the use or practice of the Technology
pursuant to the License during the relevant period, (ii) the name, address,
contact Person, and telephone number of the purchaser in each relevant sale
of
Products, and (iii) the gross sales price as to each relevant sale of Products.
Any Royalty owed to Licensor by Licensee beyond the date such amount is due
and
payable shall accrue interest at the per annum rate equal to the Prime Rate
in
effect from time to time plus two percent (2%); provided,
however,
in no
event shall such rate of interest exceed the maximum lawful rate under
applicable Law. Failure to make any Royalty payment due shall constitute an
Event of Default giving rise to a right of Licensor to terminate this Agreement
and the License with notice from Licensor and the passage of time as provided
in
Section
6.2(a).
2.5 Exclusivity
Payment.
As
consideration for the grant of exclusive license for North
America, Licensee shall pay Licensor a one time payment of One Million Dollars
($1,000,000) at first project construction funding or term of a Licensee or
sublicense Project. A good faith payment of Thirty Thousand Dollars is to made
upon first funding of BlueFire which is deducted from the total amount. These
payments subject to subordination rights of lender only.
2.6 License
Fee.
A
one-time License Fee will be paid by Licensee for Licensor and sublicensee
Project in the amount of Forty Dollars U.S. ($40.00) per 1000 gallons of
production capacity.
2.7 Commercial
Operation.
Licensee shall use its good faith efforts to effect Commercial Operation of
any
Licensee Project as soon as practicable after the Effective Date; provided,
however,
that
Licensee must complete the following or this Agreement shall terminate pursuant
to Section
6.2(b):
(i) the
expenditure of at least Five Hundred Thousand Dollars ($500,000) toward the
commencement of development and Commercial Operation of the Project within
eighteen (18) months after the Effective Date, which may include the retention
of Licensor or its agent to perform the testing and analysis described in
Exhibit “B” hereto in order to produce data suitable for the preparation and
implementation of an engineering, procurement and construction contract between
Licensee and a third party contractor, containing appropriate financeable
performance guarantees, which testing and analysis shall use a feedstock that
has been delivered to Licensor in a form suitable for conversion using the
Technology, (ii) the expenditure of an additional One Million Five Hundred
Thousand Dollars ($1,500,000.00) prior to the third (3rd)
anniversary of the Effective Date, and
(iii)
the taking, on or before the 3rd
anniversary of the Effective Date, of other significant actions to effectuate
the commencement of Commercial Operation of the Project, such as obtaining
significant written contracts for the sale of Ethanol, obtaining Project site
control, and obtaining contracts for the supply of Biomass. Licensee’s
compliance with all of the provisions of this Section
2.7
shall be
deemed to be a material obligation within the meaning of paragraph (b) of
Section
6.2
herein;
provided,
however,
that
Licensor’s sole remedy in the event Licensee shall fail to comply with this
Section
2.7
shall be
the termination of this agreement pursuant to Section
6.2(b).
7
ARTICLE
III
OWNERSHIP
AND IMPROVEMENTS
3.1 Licensor
as Sole Owner.
Licensee acknowledges and agrees that it does not now own, nor will it obtain
any interest in, the Technology, except for the License granted
herein.
3.2 Improvements
Assigned to Licensor.
Licensee acknowledges and agrees that all Improvements shall be the exclusive
property of Licensor, and Licensee agrees to assign, and does hereby assign,
and
agrees to cause each of its Affiliates, permitted assignees and sublicensees,
and the Project Entities to assign, to Licensor any and all right, title, and
interest each of them may now hold or hereafter obtain in any such Improvements,
including any and all (a) applications for Letters Patent and all divisionals,
renewals, continuations and continuations-in-part thereof, (b) Letters Patent
of
the United States which may now or hereafter be granted thereon and all reissues
and extensions thereof, (c) rights of priority under international conventions
and applications for Letters Patent which may hereafter be filed for such
Improvements in any country other than the United States, and (d) all Letters
Patent which may be granted for such Improvements in any country or countries
other than the United States and all extensions, renewals, and reissues thereof.
Licensor agrees to license, and does hereby license, without further
consideration to Licensor, all such Improvements to Licensee pursuant to the
terms and provisions of this Agreement.
3.3 Cooperation.
Licensee agrees to communicate to Licensor promptly upon becoming aware thereof,
any facts known to Licensee respecting the Technology and to testify in any
legal proceedings, sign all lawful papers, execute all divisional, continuing
and reissue applications, make all rightful oaths and generally do everything
possible to cooperate to effectuate the terms of this Article
III.
Upon
the reasonable request of Licensee exercisable from time to time, the Parties
shall meet to discuss any Improvements.
3.4 No
Challenge to Ownership.
Except
in asserting rights of Licensee expressly granted hereunder, Licensee agrees
not
to take any action challenging or opposing, on any grounds whatsoever, the
ownership or intellectual property rights of Licensor with respect to the
Technology, the status thereof as the property of Licensor, or the validity
or
enforceability thereof by Licensor.
8
3.5 Enforcement
of Intellectual Property Rights.
Subject
to the further provisions of this Section
3.5,
Licensor shall have the first right, but not the obligation, to enforce any
and/or all of the rights granted herein to Licensee against any third parties
believed by Licensor to be infringing, or about to infringe, upon any rights
forming a part of the Technology. Licensor is hereby authorized to initiate
any
legal proceeding in any court or administrative body for the enforcement of
any
such rights in the name of Licensor and/or Licensee (pursuant to the authority
granted in Section
3.6),
and
Licensee shall do all lawful things required or desirable to assist Licensor
in
the enforcement of any such rights. The rights of enforcement by Licensor under
this Section
3.5
shall
include the initiation of any legal proceeding in any Federal or state court
or
administrative body in the form of an initial pleading or complaint, the filing
of a counterclaim, the filing of a declaratory judgment action, and the defense
of any action relating in any way to rights granted herein to Licensee. Any
and
all costs associated with such enforcement rights and actions initiated and
continued by Licensor shall be the sole and exclusive obligation of Licensor,
and Licensor shall retain all monetary damages, awards and recoveries there
from
and shall have the exclusive right to settle and/or compromise any matter
relating thereto. Licensee shall be entitled to participate, at its sole
expense, in any such action initiated by Licensor. Nothing contained in this
Section
3.5
shall be
construed as creating any obligation of Licensor to initiate or continue any
proceedings involving the enforcement of the rights granted herein to Licensee.
In the event that Licensor elects not to initiate and/or pursue any action
against any third party relating to the rights granted herein to Licensee,
Licensor shall so notify Licensee in writing within thirty (30) days (or ten
(10) days in the event of receipt of a petition or other complaint) after the
earlier of (a) receipt by Licensor from Licensee of actual notice of any alleged
infringement or (b) actual knowledge by Licensor of any alleged or threatened
infringement. After such notification by Licensor to Licensee, such right shall
revert to Licensee and Licensee shall have thereafter the right to take, at
the
sole expense of Licensee, whatever action, in the sole and exclusive opinion
of
Licensee, is reasonably necessary to protect the use and practice by Licensee
of
the Technology in accordance with the provisions of this Agreement. Should
Licensee, following such notice from Licensor, proceed to take any action,
Licensee shall retain all monetary damages, awards and recoveries from such
action and shall have the exclusive right to settle and/or compromise the
relevant matter; provided,
however,
Licensee shall not be entitled to enter into any settlement or compromise which
could, in the good-faith opinion of Licensor, create a precedent or implication
that any Person other than Licensor owns the Technology or otherwise have a
materially adverse effect on Licensor.
3.6 Appointment
of Licensor as Attorney-in-Fact.
Licensee hereby appoints Licensor as its attorney-in-fact for the specific
limited purpose of executing in the name of Licensee all documents and
performing in the name of Licensee all other acts necessary, appropriate or
desirable to protect, through filings with Governmental Authorities of the
United States, any state thereof or any foreign country or legal proceedings
before any court of other such Governmental Authority, the confidential and
proprietary nature of the Technology or the ownership thereof by
Licensor.
9
ARTICLE
IV
ACCESS
TO PROJECTS AND INFORMATION
Licensor
and its Affiliates, directors, officers, employees, agents and contractors
shall
have the right to be present at any Project at any reasonable time during normal
business hours during the Term upon no less than twenty-four (24) hours' advance
telephonic notice, but such access shall be at the sole risk and expense of
Licensor. Licensor and its shareholders, directors, officers, employees, agents
and contractors shall also have reasonable access during normal business hours
and upon no less than twenty-four (24) hours' advance telephonic notice to
inspect, audit and review all applications of the Technology and all operating
data, books, records, and other information of Licensee and the Project Entities
relating to applications of the Technology, provided
that
such inspection and review does not interfere materially with the business
of
Licensee, or any Project Entity, as the case may be, and, provided further,
that
Licensor treats all such information which is Confidential Information (and
which is not otherwise Licensor Confidential Information) in trust and
confidence as provided in Section
2.3.
ARTICLE
V
REPRESENTATIONS
AND WARRANTIES
5.1 Licensor
Representations.
Licensor represents and warrants to Licensee (each of which representations
and
warranties shall survive the execution and delivery of this Agreement for a
period of two (2) years after the expiration of the Term or the earlier
termination of this Agreement), subject to the provisions of Section
5.2,
that
(a) Licensor is a corporation duly organized, validly existing, and in good
standing under the laws of the jurisdiction of its incorporation, (b) Licensor
has clear title to the Technology, free of any judgments, liens or encumbrances,
and has the right to grant the License under this Agreement, and the Technology
does not infringe any issued United States or foreign patent rights of others
or
pending patent applications of which Licensor has notice, and Licensor has
no
notice of any claim that the Technology so infringes or that the use of the
Technology by Licensee or its Affiliates or agents pursuant to this Agreement
would so infringe, (c) the Technology includes patented technology which
converts cellulosic materials into sugars through a concentrated acid
hydrolysis, (d) Licensor has the power and all requisite authority to enter
into
this Agreement, (e) the execution and delivery of this Agreement by Licensor
and
the performance of its obligations hereunder do not conflict with or result
in a
default or imposition of any lien or encumbrance against any property of
Licensor under any agreement to which Licensor is a party or by which any of
its
property is bound which, in any such case, could reasonably be expected to
have
a materially adverse effect on the business or financial performance of
Licensor, and (f) this Agreement constitutes Licensor's legal, valid, and
binding obligation.
10
5.2 Negation
of Certain Warranties.
LICENSOR
MAKES NO REPRESENTATION OR WARRANTY, EITHER EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, AS TO THE
ADEQUACY OF THE TECHNOLOGY, OR ITS SUFFICIENCY FOR ANY SPECIFIC PURPOSE OR
FREEDOM FROM ANY DEFECT OF ANY KIND, INCLUDING FREEDOM FROM ANY PATENT OR TRADE
SECRET INFRINGEMENT THAT MAY RESULT FROM THE USE BY LICENSEE OF THE TECHNOLOGY
(BUT WITHOUT IN ANY MANNER INTENDING TO LIMIT THE INDEMNIFICATION BY LICENSOR
PURSUANT TO SECTION
7.1).
FURTHER, LICENSOR MAKES NO REPRESENTATION, GUARANTY OR WARRANTY THAT THE
TECHNOLOGY DESCRIBED IN ANY PATENT APPLICATIONS, ISSUED PATENTS OR TRADE SECRET
DOCUMENTS IS SUITABLE FOR USE BY LICENSEE OR THAT ANY APPLICATION FOR A PATENT
WILL RESULT IN THE GRANT OF A PATENT.
5.3 Licensee
Representations.
Licensee represents and warrants to Licensor (each of which representations
and
warranties shall survive the execution and delivery of this Agreement for a
period of two (2) years after the expiration of the Term or the earlier
termination this Agreement) that (a) Licensee is a to be duly formed and validly
existing under the laws of its jurisdiction of formation, (b) Licensee has
the
power and all requisite authority to enter into this Agreement, (c) the
execution and delivery of this Agreement by Licensee and the performance of
Licensee's obligations hereunder do not conflict with or result in a default
or
imposition of any lien or encumbrance under any other agreement to which
Licensee is a party or by which any of its property is bound which could
reasonably be expected to have a materially adverse effect on the business
or
financial performance of Licensee, and (d) this Agreement constitutes Licensee's
legal, valid, and binding obligation.
ARTICLE
VI
TERM
AND TERMINATION
6.1 Term.
Subject
to the further provisions of this Article
VI,
this
Agreement shall remain in force and effect and the Parties shall remain
obligated hereby and entitled to rights and benefits hereunder until the earlier
of (the "Term")
(a)
termination of this Agreement by mutual agreement of the Parties, or (b) the
expiration of thirty (30) years from the Effective Date; provided,
however,
that
with respect to any Project for which the owners thereof have, as of the
effective date of such termination or expiration, expended material funds in
connection with the development thereof, Licensor shall grant a license to
such
Project under substantially the same terms and conditions as set forth herein,
which license shall be for a term equal to twenty-five (25) years from the
commencement of Commercial Operation of such Project. Notwithstanding the
foregoing, if a project is not built and operating within the conditions set
forth in Section
2.7,
Licensor has the right to revoke this License if substantial progress or
financing has not been demonstrated or the company has not been formed within
the first date shown on this agreement.
11
6.2 Event
of Default.
An
event of default under this Agreement (an "Event
of Default")
shall
be deemed to exist upon the occurrence of any one or more of the following
events:
(a) failure
by a Party to make payment of any amounts due under this Agreement, including
the Royalty, which failure continues for a period of thirty (30) days after
written notice of such nonpayment from the Party entitled to
payment;
(b) failure
by a Party to perform fully any material provision of this Agreement, other
than
the payment of any amounts due, and (i) such failure continues for a period
of
sixty (60) days after notice of such nonperformance from the other Party
describing in reasonable detail the relevant nonperformance or (ii) if such
nonperforming Party shall commence within such thirty (30) days and shall
thereafter proceed with all due diligence to cure such failure, such failure
is
not cured within such longer period as shall be necessary for such nonperforming
Party to cure the same with all due diligence, such longer period, in all
events, not to exceed ninety (90) days; or
(c) either
Party shall (i) file, or consent to the filing against it of or admit any
allegations made against it in, a petition for relief or reorganization or
arrangement or any other petition in bankruptcy, for liquidation or to take
advantage of any bankruptcy or insolvency law of any jurisdiction; (ii) make
an
assignment for the benefit of its creditors; (iii) seek or consent to, or
acquiesce in, the appointment of a custodian, receiver, trustee, or other
officer with similar powers, for substantially all its property; (iv) be
adjudicated bankrupt or insolvent, or (v) suffer the entry against such Party
of
an order for relief in any case or proceeding for liquidation or reorganization
or otherwise to take advantage of any bankruptcy or insolvency law of any
jurisdiction or ordering the dissolution, winding up or liquidation of all
or
any substantial part of the property of such Party or have filed against such
Party any petition for any such relief and any such order or petition shall
remain unvacated or pending and unstayed for an aggregate of ninety (90) days
(whether or not consecutive).
6.3 Force
Majeure.
In the
event that either Party is rendered unable, by reason of an event of Force
Majeure, to perform, wholly or in part, any obligation or commitment set forth
in this Agreement, then, provided such Party gives prompt written notice
describing the particulars of such event, including the nature of the occurrence
and its expected duration, and continues to furnish monthly reports with respect
thereto during the period of the Force Majeure, the obligations of both Parties
(except for the obligation of Licensee to pay accrued Royalties pursuant to
Section
2.4)
shall
be suspended to the extent and for the period of such Force Majeure condition;
provided,
however,
that
(a) the suspension of performance is of no greater scope and of no longer
duration than is required by the Force Majeure and (b) the Party whose
performance is being excused shall use its reasonable efforts to perform its
obligations hereunder and use its reasonable efforts to remedy its inability
to
perform. If a Force Majeure affects a material obligation or commitment and
continues for more than six (6) consecutive months, either Party may terminate
this Agreement upon thirty (30) days' prior written notice.
12
6.4 Default
Remedies.
Subject
in each case to the provisions of Article
VIII
or
Section
9.8
to the
contrary, immediately upon the occurrence of an Event of Default under
Section
6.2
on the
part of either Party, the non-defaulting Party shall have the right, at its
election, to terminate this Agreement and/or xxx such defaulting Party for
damages and/or injunctive or other equitable relief arising in connection with
such Event of Default.
6.5 Obligations
of the Parties.
Upon
the expiration of the Term or the earlier termination of this Agreement,
Licensee shall, and shall cause each Project Entity, which is not a party to
a
separate sublicense with Licensee, or eligible under the proviso set forth
in
Section
9.1
to enter
into a license with Licensor, to (a) immediately cease all uses of the
Technology, (b) make no further use of any rights licensed to Licensee by this
Agreement, except to the extent of rights granted in any other written agreement
entered into after the Effective Date between Licensor and Licensee, and (c)
return to Licensor promptly (i) all Improvements in the possession of Licensee
and (ii) the originals and all copies of all Licensor Confidential Information.
Upon any termination of this Agreement, Licensor shall promptly return upon
request by Licensee the originals and all copies of all Confidential Information
relating to Licensee's business.
6.6 Survival
of Claims.
Any
claims by either Party against the other Party existing under this Agreement
at
the expiration or any termination of this Agreement shall survive such
termination or expiration.
6.7 Survival
of Certain Provisions.
Any
provisions, agreements, warranties or representations contained in this
Agreement which expressly or by implication come into or remain in force
following the termination or expiration of this Agreement shall survive such
termination or expiration, including the provisions of Articles
III, V, VII and VIII and Sections 2.3, 2.4, 9.1, 9.2, 9.7, 9.8, 9.16 and
9.17.
ARTICLE
VII
INDEMNIFICATION
7.1 Indemnification
by Licensor.
Licensor, as indemnitor, agrees to indemnify, defend, and hold harmless Licensee
and its Affiliates (except for those Affiliates which are also Affiliates of
Licensor), and their respective officers, directors, managers, members,
shareholders, agents, employees, successors and assigns, as indemnitees
("Licensee
Indemnitees")
from
and against any and all claims, demands, liabilities, judgments, awards, liens,
losses, damages, or costs (including reasonable attorneys' fees and expenses)
of
any kind or nature (unless caused by the conduct of or omission by any of the
Licensee Indemnitees) arising from or in any manner related to (a) any
allegation by any Person other than an Affiliate of Licensee that any portion
of
the Technology or the use or practice thereof by Licensee (or any permitted
Sub
licensee thereof) in accordance with this Agreement infringes upon prior rights
of any other Person; (b) to the extent not covered by clause (a) immediately
above, the failure by Licensor to observe or perform the covenants and
agreements of Licensor under this Agreement or the inaccuracy of any
representation or warranty made by Licensor in this Agreement.
13
7.2 Indemnification
by Licensee.
Licensee, as indemnitor, agrees to indemnify, defend, and hold harmless Licensor
and its Affiliates (except for those Affiliates which are also Affiliates of
Licensee), and their respective officers, directors, shareholders, agents,
employees, successors and assigns, as indemnitees ("Licensor
Indemnitees"),
from
and against any and all claims, demands, liabilities, judgments, awards, liens,
losses, damages, or costs (including reasonable attorneys' fees and expenses)
of
any kind or nature (unless caused by the conduct of or omission by any of the
Licensor Indemnitees) arising from or in any manner related to (a) the use
or
practice by Licensee of the Technology where such use and practice is not in
compliance with the provisions of Section
2.2,
except
to the extent arising from or related to any allegation by a Person other than
an Affiliate of Licensee that any portion of the Technology or the use thereof
by Licensee in accordance with this Agreement infringes upon prior rights of
any
other Person; (b) the operation of the business of Licensee and the Projects
as
they may relate to this Agreement or the Technology; or (c) to the extent not
covered by clause (a) immediately above, the failure by Licensee to observe
or
perform the covenants and agreements of Licensee under this Agreement or the
inaccuracy of any representation or warranty made by Licensee in this
Agreement.
7.3 Duty
to Defend.
Each
indemnitor, at its sole cost and expense, shall defend, with counsel reasonably
satisfactory to each indemnitee, any claim, demand, suit, cause of action or
proceeding covered by the indemnities set forth in Section
7.1
or
Section
7.2,
as the
case may be. Each indemnitor shall have the right to control the defense of
any
claim, demand, suit, cause of action, or proceeding without prejudice to its
right to contest thereafter whether such was within the scope of the indemnities
contained in Section
7.1
or
Section
7.2,
as the
case may be. Each indemnitee shall have the right, but not the obligation,
at
its sole cost and expense, to participate in the defense of any such claim,
demand, suit, cause of action or proceeding. Each indemnitee shall have the
right at any time, by notice to each indemnitor, to assume exclusive control
of
the defense of any claim, demand, suit, cause of action or proceeding insofar
as
such indemnitee is concerned, at the sole cost and expense of the relevant
indemnitor (subject to the right of the relevant indemnitor to contest whether
such claim, demand, suit, cause of action or proceeding is within the scope
of
the indemnities contained in Section
7.1
or
Section
7.2
as the
case may be), if (a) the relevant indemnitor fails to defend diligently such
claim, demand, suit, cause of action or proceeding, (b) there is a conflict
in
the interests of the relevant indemnitor and such indemnitee with respect to
such claim, demand, suit, cause of action or proceeding, or (c) at any time
during the pendency of such claim, demand, suit, cause of action or proceeding
the relevant indemnitor shall disaffirm its responsibility for the claim
involved. Each indemnitor shall pay all reasonable costs that may be incurred
by
all indemnitees in such defense or in enforcing the indemnity set forth in
Section
7.1
or
Section
7.2,
as the
case may be, including reasonable attorneys' fees, within ten (10) days after
request therefor.
7.4 Settlement.
Each
indemnitor shall have the right to settle, at its sole cost and expense, any
claim, demand, suit, cause of action, or proceeding within the scope of
Section
7.1
or
Section
7.2,
as the
case may be, which results only in the payment of money. No indemnitor shall,
however, have the right, without the prior written consent of the relevant
indemnitee, to settle any claim, demand, suit, cause of action, or proceeding
which claim, demand, suit, cause of action or proceeding or settlement thereof,
involves nonmonetary obligations of any indemnitee; provided,
however,
any
indemnitee not agreeing to any such settlement proposed by an indemnitor shall
be responsible, without benefit of the indemnity contained in Section
7.1
or
Section
7.2,
as the
case may be, for damages of such indemnitee incurred as a result of not agreeing
to such settlement and neither Licensee nor any Affiliate of Licensee shall
enter into any such settlement if, in the good-faith opinion of Licensor, such
settlement could create a precedent or implication that any Person other than
Licensor owns the Technology.
14
ARTICLE
VIII
DISPUTE
RESOLUTION
8.1 Agreement
to Dispute Resolution.
Subject
to the provisions of Section
9.8,
in the
event a dispute arises between Licensor and Licensee regarding the application
or interpretation of this Agreement, such dispute shall be the subject of a
dispute resolution process, as provided below in this Article, before either
Licensor or Licensee may resort to litigation. Any such dispute resolution
process shall be conducted in Orange County, California, or at such other
location as may be mutually agreed upon by the Parties.
8.2 Initiation
of Dispute Resolution.
The
Party proposing that any dispute be submitted to dispute resolution shall do
so
by giving written notice to the other Party of its desire to submit the matter
to dispute resolution. Promptly thereafter, but in any event within ten (10)
days or such longer time as the Parties may agree upon, the Parties (each being
represented by representatives with decision-making authority as to the relevant
dispute) shall meet to attempt to resolve the relevant dispute. Each of the
Parties shall bear its own expenses incurred in connection with any such
meeting.
8.3 Mediation.
If the
Parties shall fail for any reason, within thirty (30) days from the initial
notice provided for in Section
8.2,
to
resolve the relevant dispute, then, prior to resorting to litigation, the
Parties shall submit the relevant dispute to mediation before a single
disinterested mediator, who shall be agreed upon mutually from among those
affiliated with Judicial Arbitration & Mediation Services, Inc., or any
other mediation service mutually agreed to by the Parties.
8.4 Expense
of Mediation.
The
fees and expenses occasioned by a mediation, including reasonable attorneys'
fees of the prevailing Party, shall be the obligation of the nonprevailing
Party; provided,
however,
in the
event that neither Party is the sole prevailing Party, unless otherwise agreed
by the Parties, the fees and expenses of the mediation process shall be paid
in
equal proportions by the Parties and each of the Parties shall pay the fees
and
expenses of its counsel.
15
ARTICLE
IX
MISCELLANEOUS
PROVISIONS
9.1 Assignment.
Licensor may assign its rights under this Agreement, including in connection
with any sale, transfer or other disposition of the Technology, to any other
Person, without the consent of Licensee; provided,
however,
that
any such Assignment shall be made expressly subject to this Agreement. Upon
the
prior written consent of Licensor, which consent shall not be unreasonably
withheld, Licensee may assign all or any portion of its rights under this
Agreement to a Project Entity, including any assignment or collateral assignment
of this Agreement by Licensee to (a) any Project Lender, or a purchaser at
a
foreclosure sale who assumes the interests and obligations of Licensee
hereunder, or (b) in connection with a sale, transfer or other disposition
of a
Project to a Project Entity in which the Project Entity assumes the interests
and obligations of Licensee with respect to this Agreement. Any attempt by
either Party to make any assignment, transfer or other disposition of this
Agreement or any rights or obligations hereunder, other than in accordance
with
the provisions of this Section shall be null and void and of no
effect.
9.2 Successors
and Assigns.
All
terms and provisions contained herein shall inure to the benefit of and shall
be
binding on each of the Parties and their respective successors and permitted
assigns.
9.3 Parties
in Interest.
Subject
to the provisions of Sections
2.3 and 9.2,
and
unless otherwise expressly provided herein, this Agreement and each and every
provision hereof is for the exclusive benefit of the Parties and is not for
the
benefit of any third Person.
9.4 Amendments;
Waivers.
Neither
this Agreement nor any provision hereof may be amended, waived, discharged,
or
terminated orally, but only by an instrument in writing signed by the Party
against whom enforcement of the amendment, waiver, discharge, or termination
is
sought.
9.5 Non-Waiver.
It is
understood and agreed that any delay, waiver, or omission by any Party to
exercise any right or power arising from any breach or default by the other
Party with respect to any of the terms, provisions, or covenants of this
Agreement shall not be construed to be a waiver by such Party of any subsequent
breach or default of the same or other terms, provisions or covenants on the
part of such other Party.
9.6 Notices.
Any
notice, demand, offer, or other written instrument required or permitted to
be
given pursuant to this Agreement shall be in writing signed by the Party giving
such notice and shall be hand delivered or sent by overnight courier, certified
mail (return receipt requested), or telefax to the other Party at the relevant
address set forth below:
If
delivered to Licensor:
Arkenol,
Inc.
31
Xxxxxx
Xxxxxx,
Xxxxxxxxxx 00000
Attention: Xxxxxx
X.
Xxxxx
Telephone: (000)
000-0000
Telefax: (000)
000-0000
16
with
copy
to:
Xxxxxxxx
X. Xxxxx
Arkenol,
Inc.
31
Xxxxxx
Xxxxxx,
Xxxxxxxxxx 00000
Telephone: (000)
000-0000
Telefax: (000)
000-0000
If
delivered to Licensee:
BlueFire
Ethanol, Inc.
Attention: Xxxx
Xxxxxx
Telephone:
Telefax:
With
a
copy to:
Corporate
attorney (To Be Determined)
BLUEFIRE
ETHANOL, INC.
Telephone:
Telefax:
Either
Party shall have the right to change the address to which notice shall be sent
or delivered by similar notice sent in like manner to the other Party. Without
limiting any other means by which a Party may be able to provide that a notice
has been received by the other Party, a notice shall be deemed to be duly
received (a) if sent by hand, on the date when left with a responsible Person
at
the address of the recipient; (b) if sent by registered mail or overnight
courier, on the date of receipt; or (c) if sent by telefax upon receipt by
the
sender of an acknowledgment or transmission report generated by the machine
from
which the telefax was sent indicating that the telefax was sent in its entirety
to the recipient's facsimile number.
9.7 Attorneys'
Fees.
In the
event any dispute between the Parties to this Agreement should result in
litigation or any other proceeding (including mediation), then, subject to
the
provisions of Section
8.4
to the
contrary, the prevailing Party shall be reimbursed by the nonprevailing Party
for all reasonable costs and expenses, including reasonable attorneys' fees,
incurred by the prevailing Party in connection with such litigation or other
proceeding and any appeal or enforcement thereof.
17
9.8 Injunctive
Relief.
It is
understood and agreed that any breach by Licensee of any of its obligations
or
agreements under any of Sections
2.1, 2.2, 2.3, 3.2, 3.3, 3.4, 3.5, 3.6, 6.5
and
9.1,
and
under either of Articles
IV
and
VII
would
cause irreparable injury to Licensor for which money damages would not be a
sufficient remedy. In addition, it is understood and agreed that any breach
by
Licensor of any of its obligations or agreements under any of Sections
2.3, 6.5
and
9.1
and
under Article
VII
would
cause irreparable injury to Licensee for which money damages would not be a
sufficient remedy. Accordingly, in addition to any remedies available at law,
the Parties shall each, as the case may be, be entitled to seek equitable
relief, including a restraining order, an injunction and an order of specific
performance in the event of any breach or threatened breach by the other Party
of any of its respective obligations or agreements under the Sections and
Articles of this Agreement referenced above in this Section. Such remedies
shall
not be deemed to be the exclusive remedy for any such breach or threatened
breach of this Agreement, but shall be in addition to all other remedies
available to the Parties at law or in equity. The breach or threatened breach
of
the provisions of the Sections and Articles of this Agreement referenced above
shall not be subject to the dispute resolution provisions of this Agreement
and
the Parties need not pursue dispute resolution prior to seeking relief pursuant
to this Section.
9.9 Remedies.
Except
as provided herein to the contrary, no remedy conferred by any specific
provision of this Agreement is intended to be exclusive of any other remedy,
and
each and every remedy shall be cumulative and shall be in addition to every
other remedy given hereunder, or now, or hereafter existing at law, in equity,
by statute or otherwise. The election of one or more remedies by either Party
shall not constitute a waiver of the right to pursue other available
remedies.
9.10
Further
Assurances.
Each of
the Parties agrees to execute and deliver any and all additional papers and
documents, and to do any and all acts reasonably necessary in connection with
the performance of its obligations hereunder or to carry out the intent of
the
Parties reflected herein.
9.11
No
Agency, Joint Venture, Partnership.
The
Parties hereby agree that this Agreement merely constitutes a license agreement,
and that no agency (except as expressly provided to the contrary in Section
3.6),
joint
venture or partnership is created hereby, and that neither Party shall incur
obligations in the name of the other or be obligated in respect of any
obligation of the other Party without the prior written consent of such other
Party or such Party, as the case may be.
9.12
Severability.
Should
any part or provision of this Agreement be held unenforceable, the validity
of
the remaining parts or provisions shall not be affected by such holding so
long
as the primary purposes and intentions of the Parties can still be
accomplished.
9.13
Negotiated
Transaction.
Each
Party affirms to the other that it has had the opportunity to consult and
discuss the provisions of this Agreement with independent legal counsel and
fully understands the legal effect of each provision. For all purposes, this
Agreement shall be deemed to have been drafted jointly by both
Parties.
18
9.14
Counterparts.
This
Agreement may be executed in multiple counterparts, each of which shall be
deemed an original instrument and which shall have the same force and effect
as
the original instrument, and all of which shall constitute one and the same
agreement.
9.15
Entire
Agreement.
This
Agreement constitutes the entire agreement of the Parties with respect to the
subject matter hereof and supersedes all prior agreements and understandings,
both written and oral, between the Parties with respect to the subject matter
hereof, including the Original Agreement.
9.16
Jurisdiction
and Venue.
Subject
to the provisions of Article
VIII,
all
actions or proceedings with respect to, arising directly or indirectly in
connection with, out of, related to, or from this Agreement or any of the other
documents or agreements contemplated herein to be executed by either of the
Parties shall be litigated in courts having situs in Orange County, California,
and each Party hereby submits to the jurisdiction of such courts in any such
action and hereby waives any rights it may have to transfer or change the
jurisdiction or venue of any litigation brought against it in accordance with
this Section.
9.17
Governing
Law.
This
Agreement shall be governed and construed in accordance with the laws of the
State of California without giving effect to the principles thereof relating
to
conflicts of laws.
IN
WITNESS WHEREOF, the Parties have caused this Agreement to be executed,
effective as of the day and year first set forth hereinabove.
LICENSOR:
ARKENOL,
INC.
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|
By:
/s/ Xxxxxx
X. Xxxxx
Xxxxxx
X. Xxxxx, President
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LICENSEE:
BLUEFIRE
ETHANOL, INC.
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By:
/s/ Xxxxxx
X. Xxxxx
It’s
President
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19
EXHIBIT
A
- Description of Process
EXHIBIT
B
- Description of Testing - Ethanol Specifications
EXHIBIT
A
DESCRIPTION
OF THE PROCESS
The
Process relates to a method of producing sugars and other end products using
strong acid hydrolysis of cellulosic and hemicellulosic materials, as described
in U.S. Patents Nos. 5,562,777 and 5,580,389, issued October 8, 1996 and
December 3, 1996, respectively. The Process also includes all related know-how
and Improvements to the Technology, whether described in said Patents or in
additional patents issued to Licensor from time to time in the future, and
whether such know-how or Improvements are protected as trade secrets or
not.
EXHIBIT
B
DESCRIPTION
OF TESTING - ETHANOL SPECIFICATIONS
· |
Collection
of target feedstock under Arkenol
supervision;
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· |
Characterization
of feedstock;
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· |
Conversion
of feedstock to acid hydrolysis
sugar;
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· |
Analysis
of sugar for trace contaminants;
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· |
Conversion
of acid hydrolysis sugar to
Ethanol;
|
· |
Evaluation
of optimum separation techniques for sugar-acid
separation.
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