REGISTRATION RIGHTS AGREEMENT
EXHIBIT
C
This
Registration Rights Agreement (this "Agreement") is
made
and entered into as of June
24,
2004, between Global IT Staffing Group, Inc. having its principal address at
00
X. 00xx Xxxxxx,
Xxxxx 000, Xxx Xxxx, XX 00000 (the "Company"), and Advantage Fund I, LLC having
its principal
address at 0000 XX 000xx Xxxxxx,
Xxxxxxxxx Xxx, Xxxxxxxx, XX 00000 (the "Holder").
This
Agreement is made pursuant to that 10% Convertible Promissory Note, dated as
of
the
date hereof issued by the Company and the Holder (the "Note"). THIS
AGREEMENT SHALL
BE NECESSARY TO ALLOW THE HOLDER TO REGISTER SO MANY SHARES
AS
ARE NECESSARY TO ALLOW IT TO CONVERT ANY OR ALL OF THE NOTE IN
TO
COMMON SHARES OF THE COMPANY.
The
Parties hereto, for good and valuable consideration the receipt and adequacy
of
which
are
hereby acknowledged, hereby agree as follows:
Definitions
Capitalized
terms used and not otherwise defined herein that are defined in the Purchase
Agreement shall have the meanings
given
such terms in the Purchase Agreement. As used in
this
Agreement, the following terms shall have the following meanings:
"Affiliate" means,
with respect to any Person, any other Person that directly or indirectly
controls or is controlled by or under common control with such Person. For
the
purposes of
this
definition, "control," when
used
with respect to any Person, means the possession, direct or indirect,
of the power to direct or cause the direction of the management and policies
of
such Person, whether
through the ownership of voting securities, by contract or otherwise; and the
terms of "affiliated," "controlling" and
"controlled" have
meanings correlative to the foregoing.
"Business
Day" means
any
day except Saturday, Sunday and any day which shall be a legal
holiday or a day on which banking institutions in the State of New York or
State
of Florida are authorized
or required by law or other government actions to close.
"Closing
Date" shall
have the meaning set forth in the Purchase Agreement. "Commission" means
the
Securities and Exchange Commission.
"Common
Stock" means
the
Company's common stock, or such securities in to which that
such
stock shall hereafter be reclassified.
"Counsel" means
one
counsel to the Holders, for which the Holders will be reimbursed
by the Company pursuant to Section 4.
"Effectiveness
Date" means
with respect to the initial Registration Statement required to
be
filed hereunder, the 120th day
following the Closing Date and, with respect to any additional Registration
Statements which may be required pursuant to Section 3(c),
the
120th day
following the date
that
notice of the requirement to file such additional Registration Statement is
provided.
"Effectiveness
Period" shall
have the meaning set forth in Section 2(a).
"Exchange
Act" means
the
Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended.
"Filing
Date" means
the
30thday
following the Closing Date and, with respect to any additional
Registration Statements which may be required pursuant to Section 3(c),
the 30th
day
following
the date that notice of the requirement to file such additional Registration
Statement is
provided.
"Holder" or
means
the Holder, from time to time of Registerable Securities. "Indemnified
Party" shall
have the meaning set forth in Section 5(c).
"Indemnifying
Party" shall
have the meaning set forth in Section 5(c).
"Losses" shall
have the meaning set forth in Section 5(a).
"Person" means
an
individual or a corporation, partnership, trust, incorporated or unincorporated
association, joint venture, limited
liability company, joint stock company, government
(or an agency or political subdivision thereof) or other entity of any
kind.
"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 Registerable 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.
"Registerable
Securities"
means
the Shares as defined in the Purchase Agreement.
"Registration
Statement" means
the
registration statement and any additional registration
statements contemplated by Section 3(c),
including
(in each case) the Prospectus, amendments
and supplements to such registration statement or Prospectus, including
pre- and post-effective amendments, all exhibits thereto, and all material
incorporated by reference or deemed to
be
incorporated by reference in such registration statement.
"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.
"Rule
415" means
Rule 415 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.
"Rule
424," means
Rule 424 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 the rules and regulations
promulgated thereunder.
2. Shelf
Registration
(a)
On
or
prior to each Filing Date, the Company shall prepare and file with the
Commission
a "Shelf" Registration Statement covering the resale of all Registerable
Securities for an
offering to be made on a continuous basis pursuant to Rule 415. The Registration
Statement shall be
on
Form S-1 (except if the Company is not then eligible to register for resale
the
Registerable Securities
on Form S-1,
in
which case such registration
shall be on another appropriate form and shall
contain the "Plan of Distribution" attached hereto as Annex
A. The
Company shall use its best efforts
to cause the Registration Statement to be declared effective under the
Securities Act as promptly
as possible after the filing thereof, but in any event prior to the
Effectiveness Date, and shall
use
its best efforts to keep such Registration Statement continuously effective
under the Securities
Act until the date which is two years after the date that such Registration
Statement is declared
effective by the Commission or such earlier date when all Registerable
Securities covered by such Registration Statement have been sold or may be
sold
without volume restrictions pursuant to
Rule
144(k) (the "Effectiveness
Period"). The
Company agrees that it will make such pre- and post-effective
filings with the Commission as are necessary in order to convert the
Registration Statement
to a Registration Statement under Form S-3 promulgated under the Securities
Act
as soon as
possible following the date, if any, on which the
Company iseligible
to utilize such form to register
the resale of its securities as contemplated by this Agreement.
(b)
The
initial Registration Statement to be filed hereunder shall include (but not
be
limited to) a number of shares of Common Stock equal to no less than 200% of
the
then shares to be
issued
upon conversion of the Notes inclusive of any and all accrued
interest.
(c)
if
(a) a Registration Statement is not fled on or prior to its Filing Date (if
the
Company
files such Registration Statement without affording the Holder the opportunity
to review and
comment on the same as required by Section 3(a) hereof, the Company shall not
be
deemed
to
have
satisfied this clause (a)),
or
(b)
the Company fails to file with the Commission a request for acceleration
in accordance with Rule 461 promulgated under the Securities Act, within five
days of the date that the Company is notified (orally or in writing, whichever
is earlier) by the Commission that
a
Registration Statement will not be "reviewed," or not subject to further review,
or (c) a Registration
Statement filed hereunder is not declared effective by the Commission on or
prior to its Effectiveness
Date, or (d) after a Registration Statement is filed with and declared effective
by the Commission, such Registration Statement ceases to be effective as to
all
Registerable Securities to which
it
is required to relate at any time prior to the expiration of the Effectiveness
Period without beingsucceeded
within ten Business Days by an amendment to such Registration Statement or
by a
subsequent
Registration Statement filed with and declared effective by the Commission,
or
(e) the Common
Stock shall not be quoted on the OTC Bulletin Board ("OTC")
or shall
be delisted or suspended
from trading on the New York Stock Exchange, American Stock Exchange, the Nasdaq
National
Market or the Nasdaq SmallCap Market (each, a "Subsequent
Market") for
more
than three Trading
Days (which need not be consecutive Trading Days), or (f) the rights of the
Holders pursuant
to the Note are suspended for any
reason,
or (g) an amendment to a Registration Statement is
not
filed by the Company with the Commission within ten Business Days of the
Commission's notifying
the Company that such amendment is required in order for such Registration
Statement to be
declared effective (any such failure or breach being referred to as an
"Event," and
for
purposes of clauses
(a),
(c)
and
(f) the date on which such Event occurs, or for purposes of clause (b) the
date
on which
such -five
day
period is exceeded, or for purposes of clauses (d) and (g) the date which such
ten
Business Day-period is exceeded, or for purposes of clause (e) the date on
which
such three Trading
Day-period is exceeded, being referred to as "Event
Date"), then,
on
the first monthly anniversary
of such Event Date, the Company shall pay to each Holder an amount in cash,
as
liquidated
damages and not as a penalty, equal to 2.0% of the principal amount of the
note
plus any accrued interest loaned by such Holder pursuant to the Note, and on
each monthly anniversary thereafter
of such Event Date and every monthly anniversary thereof until the applicable
Event is cured.
If
the Company fails to pay any liquidated damages pursuant to this Section in
full
within seven
days after the date payable, the Company will pay interest thereon at a rate
of
15%per
annum
(or
such
lesser maximum amount that is permitted to be paid by applicable law) to the
Holder, accruing
daily from the date such liquidated damages are due until such amounts, plus
all
such interest
thereon, are paid in full and if not in cash by the tenth Business Day after
first accrued, at the option
of
the Holder, such liquidated damages be paid in shares of Common Stock. The
liquidated damages
pursuant to the terms hereof shall apply on a non pro-rata basis for any portion
of a month prior
to
the cure of an Event.
3. Registration
Procedures
In
connection with the Company's registration obligations hereunder, the Company
shall:
(a)
Not
less
than five Business Days prior to the filing of each Registration Statement
or any related Prospectus or any amendment or supplement thereto (including
any
document
that would be incorporated or deemed to be incorporated therein by reference),
the Company
shall, (i) furnish to the Holders and their Counsel copies of all such documents
proposed to be
filed,
which documents (other than those incorporated or deemed to be incorporated
by
reference) will
be
subject to the review of such Holders and their Counsel, and (ii) cause its
officers and directors,
counsel and independent certified public accountants to respond to such
inquiries as shall be
necessary, in the reasonable opinion of respective counsel to conduct a
reasonable investigation within
the meaning of the Securities Act. The Company shall not file the Registration
Statement or any
such
Prospectus or any amendments or supplements thereto to which the Holders of
a
majority of the
Registerable Securities and their Counsel shall reasonably object, provided,
the
Company is notified
of such objection no later than 3 Business Days after the Holders have been
so
furnished copies of such documents.
(b)
(i)
Prepare and file
with
the
Commission such amendments, including post-effective
amendments, to the Registration Statement and the Prospectus used in connection
therewith
as may be necessary to keep the Registration Statement continuously effective
as
to the applicable
Registerable Securities for the Effectiveness Period and prepare and file with
the Commission
such additional Registration Statements in order to register for resale under
the Securities
Act all of the Registerable Securities; (ii) cause the related Prospectus to
be
amended or supplemented
by any required Prospectus supplement, and as so supplemented or amended to
be
filed pursuant to Rule 424; (iii) respond as promptly as reasonably possible,
and in any event within ten Business Days, to any comments received from
the
Commission with respect to the Registration Statement or any amendment thereto
and as promptly as reasonably possible provide the Holders true and
complete copies of all correspondence from and to the Commission relating to
the
Registration Statement;
and (iv) comply in all material respects with the provisions of the Securities
Act and the Exchange
Act with respect to the disposition of all Registerable Securities covered
by
the Registration
Statement during the applicable period in accordance with the intended methods
of disposition
by the Holders thereof set forth in the Registration Statement as so amended
or
in such Prospectus as so supplemented.
(c)
File
additional Registration Statements if the number of Registerable Securities
at any time exceeds 80% of the number of shares of Common Stock then registered
in all their
existing Registration Statements hereunder.
(d)
Notify
the Holders of Registerable Securities to be sold and their Counsel as
promptly
as reasonably possible (and, in the case of (i)(A) below,
not less than five Business Days prior
to
such filing) and (if requested by any such Person) confirm such notice in
writing no later than
one
Business Day following the day (i)(A)
when
a
Prospectus or any Prospectus supplement or post-effective
amendment to the Registration Statement is proposed to be filed; (B) 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);
and (C) with respect to the Registration Statement or any post-effective
amendment, when the
same
has become effective; (ii) of any request by the Commission or any other Federal
or state governmental
authority for amendments or supplements to the Registration Statement or
Prospectus or
for
additional information; (iii) of the issuance by the Commission of any stop
order suspending the
effectiveness of the Registration Statement covering any or all of the
Registerable Securities or the initiation of any Proceedings for that purpose;
(iv) if at any time any of the representations and warranties
of the Company contained in any agreement contemplated hereby ceases to be
true
and correct
in all material respects; (v) of the receipt by the Company of any notification
with respect to the
suspension of the qualification or exemption from qualification of any of the
Registerable Securities
for sale in any jurisdiction, or the initiation or threatening of any Proceeding
for such purpose;
and (vi)
of
the
occurrence of any event or passage of time that makes the financial statements
included in the Registration Statement ineligible for inclusion therein or
any
statement made in the 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 the Registration
Statement, Prospectus or other documents so that, in the case of the
Registration Statement
or the 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.
(e)
Promptly
deliver to each Holder and their Counsel, without charge, as many copies
of
the Prospectus or Prospectuses (including each form of prospectus) and each
amendment or supplement
thereto as such Persons may reasonably request. The Company hereby consents
to
the use
of
such Prospectus and each amendment or supplement thereto by each of the selling
Holders in connection
with the offering and sale of the Registerable Securities covered by such
Prospectus and any
amendment or supplement thereto.
(f)
Prior
to
any public offering of Registerable Securities, use its best efforts to register
or qualify or cooperate with the selling Holders and their Counsel in connection
with the registration
or qualification (or exemption from such registration or qualification) of
such
Registerable
Securities for offer and sale under the securities or Blue Sky laws of such
jurisdictions within
the United States as any Holder requests in writing, to keep each such
registration or qualification
(or exemption therefrom) effective during the Effectiveness Period and to do
any
and all
other
acts or things necessary or advisable to enable the disposition in such
jurisdictions of the Registerable Securities covered by a Registration
Statement; provided, that
the
Company shall not be required
to qualify generally to do business in any jurisdiction where it is not then
so
qualified or subject
the Company to any material tax in any such jurisdiction where it is not then
so
subject.
(g)
Cooperate
with the Holders to facilitate the timely preparation and delivery of
certificates
representing Registerable Securities to be delivered to a transferee pursuant
to
a Registration
Statement, which certificates shall be free, to the extent permitted by the
Purchase Agreement, of all
restrictive
legends, and to enable such Registerable Securities to be in such denominations
and registered in such names as any such Holders may request.
(h)
Upon
the
occurrence of any event contemplated by Section 3(d)(vi),
as
promptly
as reasonably possible, prepare a supplement or amendment, including a
post-effective amendment,
to the Registration Statement or a supplement to the related Prospectus or
any
document incorporated or deemed to be incorporated therein by reference, and
file any other required document so
that,
as thereafter delivered, neither the Registration Statement nor such Prospectus
will contain an
untrue
statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact required to be
stated therein or necessary
to make the statements therein, in light of the circumstances under which they
were made, not
misleading.
(i) Comply
with all applicable rules and regulations of the Commission.
4.
Registration
Expenses. All
fees
and expenses incident to the performance of or
compliance with this Agreement by the Company shall be borne by the Company
whether or not any
Registerable Securities are sold pursuant to the Registration Statement.
The
fees
and expenses referred
to in the foregoing sentence shall include, without limitation, (i) all
registration and filing
fees
(including, without limitation, fees and expenses (A) with respect to filings
required to be made with
any
Subsequent Market on which the Common Stock is then listed for trading, and
(B)
in
compliance
with applicable state securities or Blue Sky laws (including, without
limitation, fees and disbursements
of counsel for the Company in connection with Blue Sky qualifications or
exemptions of
the
Registerable Securities and determination of the eligibility of the Registerable
Securities for
investment
under the laws of such, jurisdictions as requested by the Holders)), (ii)
printing expenses (including,
without limitation, expenses of printing certificates for Registerable
Securities and
of
printing
prospectuses requested by the Holders), (iii) messenger, telephone and delivery
expenses, (iv) fees and disbursements of counsel for the Company and Counsel
for
the Holders and (v) fees and
expenses of all other Persons retained by the Company in connection with the
consummation of the
transactions contemplated by this Agreement, including attorneys fees of the
Holder.
5. Indemnification
(a)
Indemnification
by the Company. The
Company shall, notwithstanding any termination
of this Agreement, indemnify and hold harmless each Holder, the officers,
directors, agents,
brokers (including brokers who offer and sell Registerable Securities as
principal as a result of
a
pledge or any failure to perform under a margin call of Common Stock),
investment advisors, legal
counsel and employees of each of them, each Person who controls any such Holder
(within the meaning
of Section 15 of the Securities Act or Section 20 of the Exchange Act) and
the
officers,
directors,
agents and employees of each such controlling Person, to the fullest extent
permitted by applicable
law, from and against any and all losses, claims, damages, liabilities, costs
(including, without
limitation, costs of preparation and attorneys' fees) and expenses
(collectively, "Losses"), as
incurred,
arising out of or relating to any untrue or alleged untrue statement of a
material fact
contained
in the Registration Statement, any Prospectus or any form of prospectus
or
in any
amendment
or supplement thereto or in any preliminary prospectus, or arising out of or
relating to any
omission or alleged omission of a material fact required to be stated therein
or
necessary to make the
statements therein (in the case of any Prospectus or form of prospectus or
supplement thereto, in light
of
the circumstances under which they were made) not misleading, except to the
extent, but only
to
the extent, that (1) such untrue statements or omissions are based solely upon
information regarding
such Holder furnished in writing to the Company by such Holder expressly for
use
therein, or
to the
extent that such information relates to such Holder or such Holder's proposed
method of distribution
of Registerable Securities and was reviewed and expressly approved in writing
by
such Holder
expressly for use in the Registration Statement, such Prospectus or such form
of
Prospectus or
in any
amendment or supplement thereto or (2) in the case of an occurrence of an event
of the type specified
in Section 3(d)(ii)-(vi),
the
use
by such Holder of an outdated or defective Prospectus after the
Company has notified such Holder in writing that the Prospectus is outdated
or
defective and
prior
to
the receipt by
such
Holder
of
the Advice contemplated in Section 6(e). The
Company shall notify
the Holders promptly of the institution, threat or assertion of any Proceeding
of which the
Company
is aware in connection with the transactions contemplated by this
Agreement.
(b) Indemnification
by Holders. Each
Holder shall, severally and not jointly, indemnify
and hold harmless the Company, its directors, officers, agents and employees,
each Person who
controls the Company (within the meaning of Section 15 of the Securities Act
and
Section 20 of the
Exchange Act), and the directors, officers, agents or employees of such
controlling Persons, to the
fullest extent permitted by applicable law, from and against all Losses (as
determined by a court of
competent jurisdiction in a final judgment not subject to appeal or review)
arising solely out of or based
solely upon any untrue statement of a material fact contained in any
Registration Statement, any
Prospectus, or any form of prospectus, or in any amendment or supplement
thereto, or arising solely
out of or based solely upon any omission of a material fact required to be
stated therein or necessary
to make the statements therein not misleading to the extent, but only to the
extent, that such
untrue statement or omission is contained in any information so furnished in
writing by such Holder
to
the Company specifically for inclusion in such Registration Statement or such
Prospectus or
to the
extent that (1) such untrue statements or omissions are based solely upon
information regarding
such Holder furnished in writing to the Company by such Holder expressly for
use
therein, or
to the
extent that such information relates to such Holder or such Holder's proposed
method of distribution
of Registerable Securities and was reviewed and expressly approved in writing
by
such Holder
expressly for use in the Registration Statement, such Prospectus or such form
of
Prospectus or
in any
amendment or supplement thereto or (2) in the case of an occurrence of an event
of the type specified
in Section 3(d)(ii)-(vi), the
use
by such Holder of an outdated or defective Prospectus after the
Company has notified such Holder in writing that the Prospectus is outdated
or
defective and prior
to
the receipt by such Holder of the Advice contemplated in Section 6(e).
In
no
event shall the liability
of any selling Holder hereunder be greater in amount than the dollar amount
of
the net proceeds
received by such Holder upon the sale of the Registerable Securities giving
rise
to such indemnification
obligation.
(c)
Conduct
of Indemnification Proceedings. If
any
Proceeding shall be brought or asserted
against any Person entitled to indemnity hereunder (an "Indemnified
Party"), such
Indemnified
Party shall promptly notify the Person from whom indemnity is sought (the
"Indemnifying
Party") in
writing, and the Indemnifying Party shall assume the defense thereof, including
the employment of counsel reasonably satisfactory to the Indemnified Party
and
the payment
of all fees and expenses incurred in connection with defense thereof; provided,
that the failure of any Indemnified Party to give such notice shall not relieve
the Indemnifying Party of its obligations
or liabilities pursuant to this Agreement, except (and only) to the extent
that
it shall be finally
determined by a court of competent jurisdiction (which determination is not
subject to appeal or
further review) that such failure shall have proximately and materially
adversely prejudiced the Indemnifying Party.
An
Indemnified Party shall have the right to employ separate counsel in any such
Proceeding
and to participate in the defense thereof, but the fees and expenses of such
counsel shall beat
the
expense of such Indemnified Party or Parties unless: (1) the Indemnifying Party
has agreed in writing to pay such fees and expenses; or (2) the Indemnifying
Party shall have failed promptly to assume
the defense of such Proceeding and to employ counsel reasonably satisfactory
to
such Indemnified
Party in any such Proceeding; or (3) the named parties to any such Proceeding
(including
any impleaded parties) include both such Indemnified Party and the Indemnifying
Party, and such Indemnified Party shall have been advised by counsel that a
conflict of interest is likely to exist if the same counsel were to represent
such Indemnified Party and the Indemnifying Party (in which
case, if such Indemnified Party notifies the Indemnifying Party in writing
that
it elects to employ
separate counsel at the expense of the Indemnifying Party, the Indemnifying
Party shall not have
the
right to assume the defense thereof and such counsel shall be at the expense
of
the Indemnifying
Party). The Indemnifying Party shall not be liable for any settlement of any
such Proceeding
effected without its written consent, which consent shall not be unreasonably
withheld. No Indemnifying Party shall, without the prior written consent of
the
Indemnified Party, effect any settlement
of any pending Proceeding in respect of which any Indemnified Party is a party,
unless such
settlement includes an unconditional release of such Indemnified Party from
all
liability on claims
that are the subject matter of such Proceeding.
All
fees
and expenses of the Indemnified Party (including reasonable fees and expenses
to
the extent incurred in connection with investigating or preparing to defend
such
Proceeding
in a manner not inconsistent with this Section) shall be paid to the Indemnified
Party, as incurred,
within ten Business Days of written notice thereof to the Indemnifying Party
(regardless of whether
it is ultimately determined that an Indemnified Party is not entitled to
indemnification hereunder; provided, that
the
Indemnifying Party may require such Indemnified Party to undertake to
reimburse
all such fees and expenses to the extent it is finally judicially determined
that such Indemnified
Party is not entitled to indemnification hereunder).
(d)
Contribution. If
a
claim for indemnification under Section 5(a) or 5(b) is unavailable
to an Indemnified Party (by reason of public policy or otherwise), then each
Indemnifying
Party, in lieu of indemnifying such Indemnified Party, shall contribute to
the
amount paid
or
payable by such Indemnified Party as a result of such Losses, in such proportion
as is appropriate
to reflect the relative fault of the Indemnifying Party and Indemnified Party
in
connection with
the
actions, statements or omissions that resulted in such Losses as well as any
other relevant equitable considerations. The relative fault of such Indemnifying
Party and Indemnified Party shall be determined by reference to, among other
things, whether any action in question, including any untrue
or
alleged untrue statement of a material fact or omission or alleged omission
of a
material fact, has been taken or made by, or relates to information supplied
by,
such Indemnifying Party or Indemnified
Party, and the parties' relative intent, knowledge, access to information and
opportunity to correct or prevent such action, statement or omission. The amount
paid or payable by a party as a result
of
any Losses shall be deemed to include, subject to the limitations set forth
in
Section 5(c),
any
reasonable attorneys' or other reasonable fees or expenses incurred by such
party in connection with
any
Proceeding to the extent such party would have been indemnified for such fees
or
expenses if
the
indemnification provided for in this Section was available to such party in
accordance with its terms.
The
parties hereto agree that it would not be just and equitable if contribution
pursuant
to this Section 5(d) were determined by pro rata
allocation or by any other method of allocation
that does not take into account the equitable considerations referred to
in
the
immediately preceding
paragraph. Notwithstanding the provisions of this Section 5(d),
no
Holder
shall be required
to contribute, in the aggregate, any amount in excess of the amount by which
the
proceeds actually
received by such Holder from the sale of the Registerable Securities subject
to
the Proceeding
exceeds the amount of any damages that such Holder has otherwise been required
to pay by reason
of
such untrue or alleged untrue statement or omission or alleged
omission.
The
indemnity and contribution agreements contained in this Section are in addition
to
any
liability that the Indemnifying Parties may have to the Indemnified
Parties.
6. Miscellaneous
(a)
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 at least two-thirds
of
the then outstanding Registerable 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
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 Registerable
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.
(b)
No
Inconsistent Agreements. Neither
the Company nor any of its subsidiaries has
entered, as of the date hereof, nor shall the Company or any of its
subsidiaries, on or after the date
of
this Agreement, enter into any agreement with respect to its securities that
would have the effect
of
impairing the rights granted to the Holders in this Agreement or otherwise
conflicts with the provisions
hereof. Except as and to the extent specified in Schedule
6(b) hereto,
neither the Company
nor any of its subsidiaries has previously entered into any agreement granting
any registration
rights with respect to any of its securities to any Person that have not been
satisfied in full.
(c)
No
Piggyback on Registrations. Except
as
and to the extent specified in Schedule
6(b) hereto,
neither the Company nor any of its security Holders (other than the Holders
in
such
capacity pursuant hereto) may include securities of the Company in the
Registration Statement other
than the Registerable Securities, and the Company shall not after the date
hereof enter into any agreement
providing any such right to any of its security Holders.
(d)
Compliance. Each
Holder covenants and agrees that it will comply with the prospectus delivery
requirements of the Securities Act as applicable to it in connection with sales
of Registerable
Securities pursuant to the Registration Statement.
(e)
Discontinued
Disposition. Each
Holder agrees by its acquisition of such Registerable
Securities that, upon receipt of a notice from the Company of the occurrence
of
any event
of
the kind described in Sections 3(d)(ii),
3(d)(iii),
3(d)(iv),
3(d)(v) or
3(d)(vi),
such
Holder will
forthwith discontinue disposition of such Registerable Securities under the
Registration Statement
until such Holder's receipt of the copies of the supplemented Prospectus and/or
amended Registration
Statement contemplated by Section 3(h),
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.
(f)
Piggy-Back
Registrations. If
at any
time during the Effectiveness Period there is
not an
effective Registration Statement covering all of the Registerable Securities
and
the Company
shall determine to prepare and file with the Commission a registration statement
relating to an
offering for its own account or the account of others under the Securities
Act
of any of its equity securities,
other than on Form S-4 or Form S-8 (each as promulgated under the Securities
Act) or their
then equivalents relating to equity securities to be issued solely in connection
with any acquisition
of any entity or business or equity securities issuable in connection with
stock
option or other
employee benefit plans, then the Company shall send to each Holder written
notice of such determination
and, if within fifteen days after receipt of such notice, any such Holder shall
so request in
writing, the Company shall include in such registration statement all or any
part of such Registerable
Securities such Holder requests to be registered.
(g)
Notices. Any
and
all notices or other communications or deliveries required or permitted to
be
provided hereunder shall be in writing and shall be deemed given and effective
on the earliest of (i)
the
date of transmission, if such notice or communication is delivered via facsimile
at the facsimile
telephone number specified in this Section prior to 6:30 p.m. (New York City
time) on a Business
Day, (ii) the Business Day after the date of transmission, if such notice or
communication is delivered
via facsimile at the facsimile telephone number specified in this Agreement
later than 6:30 p.m.
(New
York City time) on any date and earlier than 11:59 p.m. (New York City time)
on
such date,
(iii) the Business Day following the date of mailing, if sent by nationally
recognized overnight courier service, or (iv) upon actual receipt by the party
to whom such notice is required to be given.
(h)
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
each
Holder. 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 aspermitted
under the purchase Agreement.
(i)
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.
(j)
Governing
Law. All
questions concerning the construction, validity, enforcement
and interpretation of this Agreement shall be governed by and
construed
and enforced in accordance
with the internal laws of the State of Florida, without regard to the principles
of conflicts of
law
thereof. Each
party
hereby irrevocably submits to the exclusive jurisdiction of the state and
federal
courts sitting in Dade County, Florida, for the adjudication of any dispute
hereunder or in connection
herewith or with any transaction contemplated hereby or discussed herein, and
hereby irrevocably
waives, and agrees not to assert in any suit, action or proceeding, any claim
that it is not personally
subject to the jurisdiction of any such court, that such suit, action or
proceeding is improper.
Each party hereby irrevocably waives personal service of process and consents
to
process being
served in any such suit, action or proceeding by mailing a copy thereof to
such
party at the address
in effect for notices to it under this Agreement and agrees that such service
shall constitute good
and
sufficient service of process and notice thereof. Nothing contained herein
shall
be deemed to
limit
in any way any right to serve process in any manner permitted by law. Each
party
irrevocably waives, to the fullest extent permitted by applicable law, any
and
all right to trial by jury in any legal proceeding
arising out of or relating to this Agreement or the transactions contemplated
hereby. If either
party shall commence an action or proceeding to enforce any provisions of this
Agreement, then
the
prevailing party in such action or proceeding shall be reimbursed by the other
party for its attorneys
fees and other costs and expenses incurred with the investigation, preparation
and prosecution
of such action or proceeding.
(k) Cumulative
Remedies. The
remedies provided herein are cumulative and not exclusive
of any remedies provided by law.
(1)
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.
(m)
Headings. The
headings in this Agreement are for convenience of reference only
and
shall not limit or otherwise affect the meaning hereof.
(n)
Independent
Nature of Holders' Obligations and Rights. The
obligations of each
Holder, Holder and Investor hereunder are several and not joint with the
obligations of any other
Holder, Holder and Investor hereunder, and no such Person shall be responsible
in anyway for the
performance of the obligations of any other such Person hereunder.
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Annex
A
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Plan
of Distribution
The
Selling Stock Holders and any of their pledgees, assignees and
successors-in-interest may,
from
time to time, sell any or all of their shares of Common Stock on any stock
exchange, market
or
trading facility on which the shares are traded or in private transactions.
These sales may be
at
fixed or negotiated prices. The Selling Stock Holders may use any one or more
of
the following methods when selling shares:
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ordinary
brokerage transactions and transactions in which the broker-dealer
solicits Holders;
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block
trades in which the broker-dealer will attempt to sell the shares
as agent
but may position and resell a portion of the block as principal
to
facilitate the transaction;
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purchases
by a broker-dealer as principal and resale by the broker-dealer
for its
account;
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an
exchange distribution in accordance with the rules of the applicable
exchange;
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privately
negotiated transactions;
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short
sales;
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broker-dealers
may agree with the Selling Stock k Holders to sell a specified
number of
such shares at a stipulated price per
share;
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a
combination of any such methods of sale;
and
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any
other method permitted pursuant to applicable
law.
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The
Selling Stock Holders may also sell shares under Rule 144 under the Securities
Act, if available,
rather than under this prospectus.
The
Selling Stock Holders may also engage in short sales against the box, puts
and
calls and other transactions in securities of the Company or derivatives of
Company securities and may sell or deliver shares in connection with these
trades. The Selling Stock Holders may pledge their shares to their
brokers under the margin provisions of customer agreements. If a Selling Stock
Holder defaults on
a
margin loan, the broker may, from time to time, offer and sell the pledged
shares. The Selling Stock
Holders have advised the Company that they have not entered into any agreements,
understandings
or arrangements with any underwriters or broker-dealers regarding the sale
of
their shares other than
ordinary
course brokerage arrangements, nor is there an underwriter or coordinating
broker
acting in connection with the proposed sale of shares by the Selling
StockHolders.
Broker-dealers
engaged by the Selling Stock Holders may arrange for other brokers-dealers
to
participate
in sales. Broker-dealers may receive commissions or discounts from the
Selling
Stock Holders
(or, if any broker-dealer acts as agent for the Holder of shares, from the
Holder) in amounts to
be
negotiated. The Selling Stock Holders do not expect these commissions and
discounts to
exceed
what is customary in the types of transactions involved.
The
Investor and any broker-dealers or agents that are involved in selling the
shares are
considered
"underwriters" by the Securities and Exchange Commission within the meaning
of
the Securities
Act in connection with sales under this Registration Statement. Accordingly,
any commissions
received by such broker-dealers or agents and any profit on the resale of the
shares
purchased
by them will be deemed underwriting commissions or discounts under the
Securities Act.
The
Company is required to pay all fees and expenses incident to the registration
of
the shares,
including fees and disbursements of counsel to the Selling Stock Holders.
The
Company has agreed
to
indemnify the Selling Stock Holders against certain losses, claims, damages
and
liabilities, including
liabilities under the Securities Act.