PLACEMENT AGENCY AGREEMENT
February
8, 2007
Xxxxx
Xxxxxxxxx, President
Interstate
Data USA, Inc.
0000
Xxxxxx Xxxxxx
Xxxxxxx,
XX 00000
Re:
Private
Placement of $2,100,000 Unit Offering
Dear
Xxxxx:
This
Placement Agency Agreement (the “Agreement”) confirms the retention by
Interstate Data USA, Inc., a Delaware corporation (the “Company”), of Newbridge
Securities Corporation, a Virginia corporation (the
“Placement Agent”), to act as the placement agent on a “best efforts” basis in
connection with the private placement (the “Placement”) of Units (as defined
below) of the Company on the terms set forth below. The Company acknowledges
and
agrees that the Agreement is not an agreement by the Placement Agent or any
of
its affiliates to underwrite or purchase any securities or otherwise provide
any
financing. Under no circumstances will the Placement Agent be obligated to
purchase any Units (as defined below) for its own account, and in soliciting
purchases of Units, the Placement Agent shall act solely as the Company’s agent
and not as principal. Notwithstanding the foregoing, it is understood and agreed
that the Placement Agent (or its affiliates) may, solely at its discretion
and
without any obligation to do so, purchase Units as principal.
1. PLACEMENT
(a) The
securities of the Company which are the subject of the Placement shall consist
of a
maximum
of Two Million One Hundred Thousand Dollars ($2,100,000) (the “Maximum
Amount”)
of
units
(the “Units”),
at a
price per Unit of Three Dollars ($3.00) (the “Unit
Price”),
with
each Unit consisting of:
(i) One
(1)
share (collectively, the “Shares”)
of the
common stock of the Company, par value $0.001 per share (the “Common
Stock”);
and
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(ii) One
(1)
callable warrant (collectively, the “Warrants”)
to
purchase, at
any
time prior to the third (3rd) anniversary following the date of issuance of
the
Warrant, one (1) share of Common Stock at a price equal to Four Dollars and
Fifty Cents ($4.50) per share of Common Stock (the “Warrant
Exercise Price”).
The
shares of Common Stock underlying the Warrants are referred to herein as the
“Warrant
Shares.”
The
Units, the Shares, the shares of Common Stock generally, the Warrants and the
Warrant Shares are sometimes referred to collectively herein as the
“Securities.”
The
Warrants may be called at any time by the Company if at least one of the
following events occur (each, a “Call
Event”)
(i)
the closing or last sale price, if the Common Stock is traded on an Exchange
(as
defined herein), or the average of the closing bid and ask prices, if the
Company’s common stock is not traded on an Exchange, of the Common Stock is
equal to or greater than the callable price of $13.50 for a period of twenty
(20) consecutive trading days or (ii) (1)
any
company or individual acquires direct or indirect ownership or control of any
voting shares of the Company if, after such acquisition, such company or
individual will directly or indirectly own or control more than 50% of the
voting shares of the Company; (2) any company or individual acquires a majority
of the assets of the Company; or (3) any company merges or consolidates with
the
Company, which results in the members
of the Company’s Board of Directors in office immediately prior to such
transaction or event constituting less than a majority of such Board of
Directors thereafter. At any time after a Call Event occurs, if the Company
elects to exercise its rights hereunder, the Company will provide notice
(“Notice”)
to the
holders of the Warrants. Each
holder
of Warrants
must
exercise, in whole or in part, the holder’s Warrants within thirty
(30) days of receipt of the Notice (“Exercise
Period”).
If
the Warrants are exercised, the holder must deliver to the Company at its
principal offices a check or wire transfer payable to the order of the Company,
in an amount equal to the product of the Warrant Exercise Price multiplied
by
the
number of Warrants held (“Aggregate
Warrant Exercise Price”).
If
the Warrants are not exercised on or before the expiration of the Exercise
Period, then the Warrant will expire. Within five (5) days after the expiration
of the Exercise Period, the Company shall remit to the Placement Agent a fee
equal to eight percent (8%) multiplied
by
the
Aggregate Warrant Exercise Price paid to the Company by each Warrant holder.
"Exchange" shall mean any organization, association, or group of persons,
whether incorporated or unincorporated, which constitutes, maintains, or
provides a market place or facilities for bringing together purchasers and
sellers of securities or for otherwise performing with respect to securities
the
functions commonly performed by a stock exchange as that term is generally
understood, and includes the market place and the market facilities maintained
by such exchange.
(b) The
Placement Agent accepts its appointment as exclusive placement agent and shall
use its best efforts to sell the Units, except as otherwise provided in Section
3(a) hereof. The Initial Closing is expected to occur on or before February
28,
2007, provided that, a minimum of $500,000 of Units has been sold, otherwise
the
Initial Closing shall occur within fifteen (15) calendar days after a minimum
of
$500,000 of Units has been sold (the “Initial
Closing Date”),
and
there shall be subsequent closings of the Placement as contemplated hereby
(each, a “Subsequent
Closing”
and
together with the Initial Closing, each, a “Closing”
and
collectively, the “Closings”)
each
of which shall occur within fifteen (15) calendar days after an incremental
$500,000 of Units has been sold, until the date on which the Maximum Amount
is
subscribed for by investors in the Placement (the “Investors”)
and
accepted by the Company (the “Final
Closing Date”).
Unless terminated earlier, the offering period for the Placement (the
“Offering
Period”)
will
expire on the earlier to occur of: (i) March 31, 2007 (the “Termination
Date”),
(ii)
the date on which the Maximum Amount is subscribed for and accepted by the
Company or (iii) the termination of the Placement or this Agreement. Upon the
written consent of the Placement Agent and the Company, the Termination Date
shall be automatically extended on a monthly basis without notice to Investors
unless otherwise terminated in writing by either party pursuant to Section
5
herein.
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(c) The
Placement will be made pursuant to the Memorandum (as defined in Section 2
below). The Securities will not be registered under the Securities Act of 1933,
as amended, or any applicable successor statute (the “Securities Act”),
but
will be issued in reliance on the private offering exemption available under
Section 4(2) of the Securities Act and the Rules and Regulations (as defined
below) promulgated thereunder, including Regulation D (“Regulation
D”).
The
Placement Agent understands that all subscriptions for Units are subject to
acceptance by the Company. The Company and the Placement Agent reserve the
right
in their reasonable discretion to accept or reject any or all subscriptions
for
Units in whole or in part, regardless whether any funds have been deposited
into
an escrow account. Any subscription monies received by the Placement Agent
from
Investors will be handled in accordance with Rule 15c2-4 under the Securities
Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange
Act”),
whether or not the Placement Agent is subject to the Exchange Act, and as
otherwise may be prescribed by the terms of the Memorandum. As used herein,
the
term “Rules
and Regulations”
means
the applicable rules and regulations promulgated under the Securities Act and
the Exchange Act.
(d) All
subscription funds received shall be held by U.S. Bank N.A. (the “Escrow
Agent”).
The
Placement Agent shall not have any independent obligation to verify the accuracy
or completeness of any information contained in any Subscription Documents
(as
defined in Section 2 below) or the authenticity, sufficiency or validity of
any
check delivered by any prospective Investor in payment for the Units, nor shall
the Placement Agent incur any liability with respect to any such verification
or
failure to verify. All subscription checks and funds shall be promptly and
directly delivered without offset or deduction to the Escrow Agent.
2. OFFERING
MEMORANDUM AND RELATED MATTERS
(a) The
Company has prepared or will prepare a Confidential Private Placement
Memorandum, relating to the Company and the Placement (such memorandum, together
with the exhibits and attachments thereto or available thereunder and any
amendments or supplements thereto prepared and furnished by the Company, being
referred to herein as the “Memorandum”),
which
Memorandum, among other things, describes the Placement and certain investment
risks relating thereto.
(b) The
Company has been and will continue to be responsible for preparing and filing
required documentation, if any, with the authorities in the United States or
any
state located therein (and subsequent to, if required by the laws of any such
jurisdiction) in connection with the distribution of the Memorandum to
prospective Investors (the parties acknowledging, however, that the Placement
of
the Units is intended and expected to be wholly or partially exempt from filing
requirements in the United States by reason of an “accredited investor”
exemption).
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(c) The
Placement Agent and its counsel and the Company and its counsel have or will
jointly prepare a form of subscription agreement (the “Subscription
Agreement”),
a
form of accredited investor questionnaire and an investment letter (collectively
with the Subscription Agreement and any other stock purchase or other documents
required in connection with the Placement, the “Subscription
Documents”),
which
Subscription Documents shall contain such representations, warranties,
conditions and covenants as are customary in private placements of corporate
debt and equity securities with United States investors that qualify as
accredited investors, as defined in Rule 501(a) of Regulation D under the
Securities Act (“Accredited
Investors”).
The
Placement Agent and its counsel have had or will have a sufficient opportunity,
in their discretion, to review the final form of the Memorandum and Subscription
Documents prior to the distribution thereof to prospective Investors, and the
Memorandum and the Subscription Documents will be the only offering documents
(other than cover letters which may be used by the Placement Agent, and any
documents made available to Investors in accordance with the terms of the
Memorandum) shown to prospective Investors. The Placement Agent shall advise
the
Company of those jurisdictions in which the Placement Agent is licensed as
a
broker-dealer and in which the Placement Agent desires to offer the Units and
the Company and its counsel will thereafter advise the Placement Agent and
its
counsel in writing of those jurisdictions in which the Units may lawfully be
offered and sold and the Placement Agent agrees that the Units will be offered
or sold only in such jurisdictions and in the manner specified by the Company;
provided,
however,
that
the
Placement Agent shall not be responsible for independently verifying such
written advice with respect to the jurisdictions in which the Units
may be
offered and sold and with respect to the manner in which the Units
may be
offered and sold in such jurisdictions.
Notwithstanding the foregoing, the Placement Agent shall determine whether
it is
licensed to offer and sell the Units in each jurisdiction
in which it intends to do so.
(d) Units
will be offered and sold in accordance with the requirements of Section 4(2)
under the Securities Act and/or Regulation D only to Accredited Investors,
purchasing for their own account for investment purposes only and not with
a
view to the distribution thereof. Furthermore, prospective Investors will have
been provided the Memorandum and access to the management of the Company and
afforded the opportunity to ask questions.
(e) The
Company recognizes, agrees and confirms that the Placement Agent (or any selling
agent permitted to be utilized by the Placement Agreement under Section 3(a)
hereof): (i) will use and rely exclusively on the information contained in
the
Memorandum and the Subscription Documents in performing the services
contemplated by this Agreement without having independently verified the same;
(ii) is authorized, as the Company’s exclusive placement agent in connection
with the Placement, to transmit to any prospective Investor a copy or copies
of
the Memorandum, the Subsciption Documents and any other documentation supplied
to the Placement Agent for transmission to any prospective Investor by or on
behalf of the Company or by any of the Company’s officers, representatives or
agents, in connection with the performance of the Placement Agent’s services
hereunder or any transaction contemplated hereby; (iii) does not assume
responsibility for the accuracy or completeness of any information contained
in
the Memorandum and the Subsciption Documents or any such other information;
(iv)
will not make an appraisal of the Company or any assets of the Company or the
securities being offered by the Company in the Placement; and (v) retains the
right to continue to perform due diligence of the Company during the course
of
the Company’s engagement of the Placement Agent.
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3. PLACEMENT
AGENT
(a) The
Company hereby engages the Placement Agent as its exclusive placement agent
in
the United States for the purpose of selling the Units for the account and
risk
of the Company, subject to termination as provided in this Agreement. This
appointment shall be exclusive for a period of 180 days with respect to the
Placement and otherwise as provided herein, and the Company shall not have
the
right to appoint additional sales agents in the United States without the
Placement Agent’s express prior written consent. The Company hereby agrees that
the Placement Agent shall have the right to utilize other selling
broker-dealers, with the Company’s consent, which consent shall not be
unreasonably withheld, in connection with the Placement of the Units on terms
approved by the Placement Agent. Subject to the provisions of Section 5 hereof
and to the performance by the Company of all of its obligations to be performed
hereunder, the Placement Agent agrees to use its best efforts to assist in
arranging for sales of Units. The Company recognizes that “best efforts” does
not assure that the Placement will be consummated. It is understood and agreed
that this Agreement does not create any partnership, joint venture or other
similar relationship between or among the Placement Agent and the Company,
and
that the Placement Agent is acting only as a sales agent.
(b) For
the
services of the Placement Agent hereunder, the Company will pay or cause to
be
paid to the Placement Agent at any Closing by wire transfer of immediately
available funds to an account or accounts designated by the Placement Agent
the
following fees:
(i) a
managing placement agent cash fee equal to ten percent (10%) of the gross
proceeds (prior to the payment of expenses) received by the Company in the
Placement as a result of the Placement Agent’s sale of Units (to be paid
simultaneously with each applicable Closing);
(ii) a
cash
commission fee, equal to two percent (2%) of the gross proceeds (prior to the
payment of any fees or expenses to any party) received by the Company in the
Placement as a result of the Placement Agent’s sale of Units (to be paid
simultaneously with each applicable Closing); and
(iii) Three
(3)
year warrants (the “Placement
Agent Warrants”)
for
the purchase of shares of Common Stock of the Company (the “Placement
Agent Warrant
Shares”)
equal
to fifteen percent (15%) of the Shares sold by the Company as a result of the
Placement Agent’s introduction of Investors to the Company, which Placement
Agent Warrants will have an exercise price of Four Dollars and Fifty Cents
($4.50).
5
(c) To
the
extent Units are sold as a result of the direct efforts of the Company, the
Placement Agent shall receive
(i)
a
cash fee equal to two percent (2%) of the gross proceeds (prior to the payment
of expenses) received by the Company as a result of the direct efforts of the
Company; and
(ii)
three (3) year warrants (collectively with the warrants referenced in Section
3(b)(iii), the “Placement
Agent Warrants”)
for
the purchase of shares of Common Stock of the Company (collectively with the
shares underlying the warrants referenced in Section 3(b)(iii), the
“Placement
Agent Warrant
Shares”)
equal
to fifteen percent (15%) of the Shares sold by the Company as a result of the
direct efforts of the Company, which Placement Agent Warrants will have an
exercise price of Four Dollars and Fifty Cents ($4.50).
(d) Notwithstanding
any termination of this Agreement pursuant to the terms hereof or otherwise,
if
on or before the one (1) year anniversary of the Final Closing Date, the Company
enters into a commitment or letter of intent relating to any offering of debt
or
equity securities of the Company or any other financing with any financing
source and their affiliates to whom the Company was introduced by the Placement
Agent, the Company shall pay to the Placement Agent, at the closing of any
such
offering or financing, the fees described in, and in accordance with the terms
and provisions of, Section 3(b)(i), (ii) and (iii) above. The Placement Agent
will provide to the Company a list of all financing sources so introduced by
the
Placement Agent to the Company.
(e) In
the
event the Company terminates the Placement pursuant to Section 5 before the
Initial Closing, then, provided that sufficient arrangements shall have been
made by Placement Agent so that the Placement contemplated hereby is in a
position to be consummated on reasonable terms, the Company shall pay to
Placement Agent a “break-up” fee as compensation for services and as liquidated
damages, in lieu of any and all other damages, and in addition to any advances
paid pursuant to this Agreement, in the amount of twenty thousand dollars
($20,000.00).
(f) In
the
event that the Company determines that it will undertake an initial public
offering of its Common Stock (“Public Offering”) within three (3) years from the
date of this Agreeement, the Company agrees and acknowledges that the Company
will appoint the Placement Agent as the lead managing underwriter of the Public
Offering. The Placement Agent, in its sole discretion, shall accept or decline
such appointment within 30 days of its receipt of notice from the Company
regarding the Company's intent to pursue the Public Offering. The Placement
Agent’s declination of the appointment shall not prevent the Placement Agent
from acting as a co-manager in a syndicate in the Public Offering. In the event
that the Placement Agent accepts such appointment, a separate engagement letter,
which will require the execution of an underwriting agreement, in a form
acceptable to the Placement Agent and its counsel, shall be executed. The
provisons of this Section 3(f) shall survive the termination (for any reason)
or
expiration of this Agreement.
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4.
PAYMENT
BY COMPANY OF EXPENSES
(a) The
Company will pay for or promptly reimburse to the Placement Agent, as the case
may be, and whether or not any Units are sold in connection with the Placement,
all
reasonable expenses of the Company and the Placement Agent relating to the
Placement, including actual legal fees incurred by the Placement Agent plus
out-of-pocket expenses incurred by counsel to the Placement Agent and all other
reasonable out-of-pocket expenses of the Placement Agent relating to activities
under this Agreement, including, without limitation: (i)
the
preparation, printing, reproduction, filing, distribution and mailing of the
Memorandum and all other documents relating to the Placement, and any
supplements or amendments thereto, including the fees and expenses of counsel
to
the Company, and the cost of all copies thereof; (ii) the public registration
and listing of, or registration and qualification of the Units or the securing
of an exemption therefrom under state of foreign “blue sky” or securities laws,
including, without limitation, filing fees payable in the jurisdictions in
which
such registration or qualification or exemption therefrom is sought, the costs
of preparing preliminary, supplemental and final “blue sky surveys” relating to
the offer and sale of the Securities and the fees and disbursements of counsel
to the Placement Agent in connection with such “blue sky” matters; (iii) the
filing fees, if any, payable to the applicable securities regulatory
authorities; (iv) all Escrow Agent fees; and (v) all
road
show expenses, travel, legal, and other related expenses. All
expenses incurred by the Placement Agent shall be subject to prior approval
by
the Company, which approval shall not be unreasonably withheld or delayed,
and
shall be invoiced and due upon receipt. All unpaid expenses due the Placement
Agent will be deducted from the proceeds of a Closing and are subject to
applicable charges pursuant to Section 4(c).
(b) In
addition to its obligations under Section 4(a) above, the Company agrees to
pay
the Placement Agent a non-accountable expense allowance, for which no accounting
will be provided, equal to two percent (2%) of the gross proceeds raised in
the
Placement as a result of
the
Placement Agent’s introduction of Investors to the Company.
Such
allowance shall be paid to the Placement Agent by the Company concurrently
with
each Closing.
5.
TERMINATION
OF PLACEMENT
This
Agreement may be terminated: (i) by the Placement Agent or the Company at any
time upon thirty (30) days prior written notice or (ii) immediately by the
Placement Agent upon giving written notice to the Company, but only in the
event
that if:
(a) in
the
reasonable opinion of the Placement Agent, the Memorandum contains an untrue
statement of a material fact or omits to state a material fact required to
be
stated therein or necessary in order to make the statements appearing therein
not misleading in the light of the circumstances in which they were made, and
the Company shall not have corrected such untrue statement or omission to the
reasonable satisfaction of the Placement Agent and its counsel within ten (10)
days after the Company receives notice of such untrue statement or omission,
provided that notwithstanding such ten (10) day period, the Initial Closing
or,
as the case may be, any Subsequent Closing shall not occur hereunder until
the
Placement Agent shall notify the Company that it is satisfied, in its reasonable
determination, that the Company has taken such steps (including circulating
amended offering materials and afforded prospective Investors a reasonable
opportunity to review such amendments) to allow the Closing to occur;
or
7
(b) the
Company shall be in material breach of any representation, warranty, agreement
or covenant made by it in this Agreement, any Subscription Document or any
other
document relating to the Placement and, in the case of a covenant, the Company
has not cured any such breach after the expiration of seven (7) days written
notice by the Placement Agent; or
(c) (i)
any
calamitous domestic or international event or act or occurrence has taken place
and, in the Placement Agent’s reasonable opinion, has or will materially disrupt
general securities markets in the United States in the immediate future; or
(ii)
if trading on the New York Stock Exchange, the American Stock Exchange, the
NASDAQ Stock Market, or in the over-the-counter market shall have been suspended
or minimum or maximum prices for trading shall have been fixed, or maximum
ranges for prices for securities shall have been required on the
over-the-counter market by the National Association of Securities Dealers,
Inc.
(“NASD”)
or by
order of the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”)
or any
other government authority having jurisdiction; or (iii) if the United States
shall have become involved in a war, major hostilities or the like; or (iv)
if a
banking moratorium has been declared by a New York State or federal authority;
or (v) if the Company shall have sustained a material loss, whether or not
insured, by reason of fire, flood, accident or other calamity; or (vii) if
there
shall have been such material adverse change in the conditions or prospects
of
the Company; or (viii) if there shall have been such material adverse general
market conditions as in the Placement Agent’s reasonable judgment would make it
inadvisable to proceed with the Placement or the sale or delivery of the Units.
6.
OFFERING
PERIOD; CLOSINGS
Subject
to the terms and conditions set forth in Sections 5 and 10 hereof, the Units
will be offered during the Offering Period as described in Section 1(b) hereof.
Any Closing shall be undertaken in a manner agreed to by the Company and the
Placement Agent.
7.
REPRESENTATIONS,
WARRANTIES AND COVENANTS OF THE COMPANY
The
Company represents and warrants to the Placement Agent, as of the date hereof,
the Initial Closing Date and each Subsequent Closing Date, that:
(a) The
Company has been validly formed and is legally existing as a corporation in
good
standing under the laws of the State of Delaware, with full corporate power
and
authority to conduct its business as currently conducted, and is in good
standing in each jurisdiction in which the conduct of its business or the nature
of its properties requires such qualification or authorization, except where
the
failure to be so qualified or authorized and in good standing could not
reasonably be expected to have a material adverse effect on the business and
financial condition of the Company, taken as a whole (a “Material
Adverse Effect”).
As of
the date hereof, the Company does not have, directly or indirectly, any
subsidiaries.
8
(b) The
Company holds no ownership or other interest, nominal or beneficial, direct
or
indirect, in any corporation, partnership, joint venture or other business
entity, except that the Company has an agreement to purchase 15% of the
membership interests of MobileGates, LLC.
(c) The
authorized capital stock of the Company consists of 100,000,000 shares of
capital stock, of which 80,000,000 are classified as Common Stock, par value
$0.001 per share and 20,000,000 are classified as Preferred Stock, no par value.
As of the date hereof and as of the Initial Closing Date, there will be such
number of outstanding shares of Common Stock and shares of Preferred Stock
(and
no other shares of capital stock of the Company are or will be issued and
outstanding other than the Securities issued in the Placement) as set forth
in
the Memorandum, and all such shares of capital stock (including the Shares
issued in the Placement) are, as the case may be, duly authorized, validly
issued, fully paid and nonassessable and not subject to preemptive rights.
As of
the Initial Closing Date, the Shares, the Warrant Shares and the Placement
Agent
Warrant Shares have been duly reserved, and when issued in accordance with
the
terms of this Agreement, the Warrants and the Placement Agent Warrants, as
applicable, will be validly issued, fully paid and nonassessable and not subject
to preemptive or any other similar rights and no personal liability will attach
to the ownership thereof. The outstanding options, warrants and other
convertible securities of the Company are as set forth on Schedule "A" hereto
and in the Memorandum. The Company is not a party to an agreement, instrument
or
understanding which calls for, and no securities of the Company contains
provisions relating to, the
resetting or repricing
of any debt or equity security instrument of the Company. The issuance of the
Securities or the consummation of the Placement will not trigger any resetting
or repricing of any debt or equity security instrument of the Company.
(d) Neither
the Memorandum nor the Subscription Documents contain any untrue statement
of a
material fact, and the Memorandum will not omit to state any material fact
necessary in order to make the statements made, in light of the circumstances
under which they were made, not misleading, except that the Company shall have
no liability for any information provided to the Company in writing by, and
relating to, the Placement Agent, for use in and used in the Memorandum. It
is
understood that any summary in the Memorandum of a document which appears
therein in full (either as signed or substantially in the form to be signed)
does not constitute an untrue or misleading statement merely because it is
a
summary; provided,
however,
that
any such summary may not contain any untrue statement of a material fact or
omit
to state any material fact necessary to make the statements made, in light
of
the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading. If, at any time
before the Placement is completed or terminated or before all subscriptions
are
accepted by the Company, there should be any change which would cause the
Memorandum or the Subscription Documents not to comply with this Section 7(d),
the Company will promptly advise the Placement Agent thereof and prepare and
furnish the Placement Agent with, for distribution to Investors, after prior
review and approval by the Placement Agent and its counsel (such approval not
to
be unreasonably withheld), such copies of such supplements or amendments to
the
Memorandum and the Subscription Documents as will cause the Memorandum and
the
Subscription Documents, as so supplemented or amended, to comply with this
Section 7(d), and will authorize the Placement Agent to make to Investors,
if:
(i) deemed necessary by counsel to the Placement Agent and approved by the
Placement Agent, or (ii) if deemed necessary by counsel to the Company, an
offer
of rescission.
9
(e) The
Company is not in: (i) violation of its certificate or articles of
incorporation, by-laws or other organizational documents, (ii) except as
disclosed in the Memorandum, default under, and no event has occurred which,
with notice or lapse of time or both, would constitute a default under or result
in the creation or imposition of any lien, charge, mortgage, pledge, security
interest, claim, equity, trust or other encumbrance, preferential arrangement,
defect or restriction of any kind whatsoever (each, a “Lien”)
upon
any of its property or assets pursuant to, any indenture, mortgage, deed of
trust, loan agreement or other agreement or instrument to which it is a party
or
by which it is bound or to which any of its property or assets is subject or
(iii) violation, to its Knowledge (as defined herein), in any respect of any
law, rule, regulation, ordinance, directive, judgment, decree or order of any
judicial, regulatory or other legal or governmental agency or body, foreign
or
domestic, except (in the case of clause (ii) above) for any Lien disclosed
in
the Memorandum and the exhibits thereto and except, in the cases of (ii) and
(iii), where such defaults or violations do not, individually or in the
aggregate, have a Material Adverse Effect. In this Agreement "Knowledge" shall
mean the actual knowledge of any officer of the Company after due investigation
made by that officer.
(f) The
execution, delivery and performance of this Agreement, the Memorandum, the
Subscription Documents, the Warrants, the Placement Agent Warrants and all
other
documents to be entered into by the Company in connection with any transaction
described in the Memorandum or in connection with the Placement, and the
consummation of the transactions contemplated hereby and thereby, have been
or
will be prior to such execution, delivery, performance or consummation, as
the
case may be, duly and validly authorized by the Company and do not and will
not:
(i) constitute, or result in, a breach or violation of any of the terms,
provisions or conditions of the Certificate of Incorporation or Bylaws of the
Company, (ii) constitute, or result in, a material violation of any applicable
statute, law, ordinance or regulation of any state, territory or other
jurisdiction, or (iii) violate, constitute, or result in, a default under (or
an
event which with the passing of time or the giving of notice or both would
constitute a default under) or breach of the terms, provisions or conditions
of
any material indenture, note, contract, commitment, instrument or document
to
which the Company is or will be a party or by which the Company, or any of
its
respective properties are bound, or any award, judgment, decree, rule or
regulation of any court or governmental or regulatory agency or body having
jurisdiction over the Company or its respective activities or properties except,
in the cases of (ii) and (iii), where such defaults or violations do not,
individually or in the aggregate, have a Material Adverse Effect.
(g) This
Agreement, the Subscription Documents, the Warrants, the Placement Agent
Warrants and all other documents to be entered into by the Company in connection
with any transaction described in the Memorandum or in connection with the
Placement have been duly authorized, executed and delivered by the Company
and
constitute the legal, valid and binding obligation of the Company, enforceable
against the Company in accordance with their terms, except insofar as
enforcement of the indemnification or contribution provisions hereof may be
limited by applicable laws or principles of public policy and except further
as
to enforcement, to the availability of equitable remedies and limitations
imposed by bankruptcy, insolvency, reorganization and other similar laws and
related court decisions relating to or affecting creditors’ rights
generally.
10
(h) The
Company has never declared, paid or made any dividends or other distributions
of
any kind on or in respect of its capital stock.
(i) Except
as
disclosed in the Memorandum, since December 31, 2006, there has been no material
adverse change (or any development involving a prospective material adverse
change), whether or not arising from transactions in the ordinary course of
business, in or affecting: (i) the business, condition (financial or otherwise),
results of operations, shareholders’ equity, properties or prospects of the
Company, taken as a whole; (ii) the long-term debt or capital stock of the
Company; or (iii) the Placement or consummation of any of the other transactions
contemplated by this Agreement. Since the date of the latest balance sheet
presented in or attached to the Memorandum, the Company has not incurred or
undertaken any liabilities or obligations, whether direct or indirect,
liquidated or contingent, matured or unmatured, or entered into any
transactions, including any acquisition or disposition of any business or asset,
which are material to the Company taken as a whole, except for liabilities,
obligations and transactions which are disclosed in the Memorandum and the
exhibits thereto.
(j) The
financial statements, including the notes thereto, and the supporting schedules
included in the Memorandum present fairly, in all material respects and as
of
the dates indicated and for the periods specified the financial position and
the
cash flows and results of operations of the Company. Except as otherwise stated
in the Memorandum, such financial statements have been prepared in conformity
with United States generally accepted accounting principles applied on a
consistent basis throughout the periods involved. The supporting schedules,
if
any, included in the Memorandum present fairly the information required to
be
stated therein. The other financial and statistical information included in
the
Memorandum presents fairly the information included therein in all material
respects.
(k) The
accounting firm or firms which audited the financial statements of the Company
as of, and for the periods ended, December 31, 2005 and 2004, and which is
expected to audit the Company’s financial statements as of, and for the period
ended December 31, 2006, are independent certified public accountants as
required by the Securities Act, the Exchange Act and the Rules and
Regulations.
(l) The
statistical, industry-related and market-related data included in the Memorandum
are based on or derived from sources which the Company reasonably and in good
faith believes are reliable and accurate, and such data agree with the sources
from which they are derived.
(m) No
consent, approval, authorization or order of any court or governmental or
regulatory agency or body or any individual or entity is required on the part
of
the Company for the lawful consummation of the transactions contemplated hereby
and thereby, except for such consents and approvals with respect to the offer
and sale of the Units in certain jurisdictions which are identified to the
Company by the Placement Agent or its counsel.
11
(n) The
Company has all necessary consents, approvals, authorizations, orders,
registrations, qualifications, licenses, filings and permits of, with and from
all applicable judicial, regulatory and other legal or governmental agencies
and
bodies and all third parties, foreign and domestic (collectively, the
“Consents”),
to
own, lease and operate their respective properties and conduct their respective
businesses as are now being conducted and as disclosed in the Memorandum, except
where the failure to have any such Consent would not have a Material Adverse
Effect. Each such Consent is valid and in full force and effect, and the Company
has not received written notice of any investigation or proceedings which
results in or, if decided adversely to the Company, could reasonably be expected
to result in, the revocation of, or imposition of a materially burdensome
restriction on, any Consent.
(o) To
its
Knowledge, the Company is in compliance with all applicable laws, rules,
regulations, ordinances, directives, judgments, decrees and orders, foreign
and
domestic, except where the failure to so comply does or would not have a
Material Adverse Effect.
(p) Neither
the Company nor any of its directors, officers, employees, agents or
representatives (“Company
Representatives”)
has
taken or will take any action which has caused or may cause the Placement not
to
qualify for exemption from the registration requirements of the Securities
Act
or of United States federal, state or other securities or other laws. In
connection with the Placement, neither the Company nor the Company
Representatives shall offer or cause to be offered the Units by any form of
general solicitation or general advertising as defined in Rule 502(c) of
Regulation D. The Company and the Company Representatives have not taken and
shall not take any action (except for actions contemplated by the Memorandum)
that would cause the Placement to be integrated with other transactions under
Rule 502(a) of Regulation D. Neither the Company nor, to the Company’s
Knowledge, any of its Affiliates or Company Representatives has, prior to the
date hereof, made any offer or sale of any securities which could be
“integrated” for purposes of the Securities Act or the Rules and Regulations
with the offer and sale of the Securities pursuant to the
Memorandum.
(q) Except
as
disclosed in the Memorandum, and except for such matters that, individually
or
in the aggregate, would not have a Material Adverse Effect on the business,
operations or financial results of the
Company (either individually or in the aggregate), including a potential dispute
relating to a Consulting Contract between the Company and Service Merchants
Corp., dated April 3, 2006, there are no claims, actions, suits, investigations
or proceedings before or by any arbitrator, court, governmental authority or
instrumentality pending or threatened against or affecting the Company or
involving the properties of the Company which might affect the business,
properties or financial condition of the Company or which might affect the
transactions or other acts contemplated by this Agreement or the validity or
enforceability of this Agreement;
(r) The
Company will not offer the Units for sale hereunder on the basis of any
communications or documents relating to the Placement Agent or the Units except
the Memorandum and the exhibits thereto and documents described or referred
to
therein, including the Subscription Documents.
12
(s) To
its
Knowledge, the Company has neither violated nor is currently in violation of
any
provisions of: (a) any code, law (including common law), ordinance, regulation,
reporting or licensing requirement, rule, or statute promulgated by any federal,
state, county, local or other governmental or regulatory agencies, authorities
(including self- regulatory authorities), instrumentalities, commissions, boards
or bodies relating in any way to protection or regulation of public health,
human health, or the environment, including, but not limited to, ambient air,
indoor air, surface water, ground water, other waters, land surface, subsurface
strata, or occupational safety and health, the emission, discharge, disposal,
spill, release, or threatened release of any hazardous material, or otherwise
relating to the manufacture, processing, distribution, use, treatment, storage,
disposal, transport, or handling of any hazardous material; (b) Employee
Retirement Income Security Act of 1974, as amended, including the regulations
and published interpretations thereunder (“ERISA”),
(c)
the Bank Secrecy Act, as amended, (d) the Money Laundering Control Act of 1986,
as amended, (e) the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, or (f) the Uniting and
Strengthening of America by Providing Appropriate Tools Required to Intercept
and Obstruct Terrorism (USA PATRIOT ACT) Act of 2001, and the rules and
regulations promulgated under any such law, or any successor law, except for
such violations which, singly or in the aggregate, would not have a Material
Adverse Effect.
(t) So
long
as the Common Stock and the Warrants (including the Common Stock receivable
upon
the exercise thereof) are “restricted securities” within the meaning of Rule
144(a)(3) under the Securities Act, the Company, during any period in which
it
is not subject to and in compliance with Section 13 or 15(d) of the Exchange
Act, or is not exempt from such reporting requirements pursuant to and in
compliance with Rule 12g3-2b under the Exchange Act, provide to each holder
of
Common Stock and to each prospective purchaser (as designated by such holder)
of
Common Stock upon the request of such holder or prospective holder, any
information required to be provided by Rule 144A(d)(4) under the Securities
Act.
(u) The
Company is not and, at all times up to and including consummation of the
transactions contemplated by this Agreement, and after giving effect to
application of the net proceeds of the Placement, will not be, subject to
registration as an “investment company” under the Investment Company Act of
1940, as amended (the “1940
Act”),
and
is not and will not be an entity “controlled” by an “investment company” within
the meaning of the 1940 Act. The Company will: (i) utilize the proceeds of
the
Placement in accordance with the “Use of Proceeds” section of the Memorandum and
(ii) initially utilize the proceeds of the Placement and all other funds of
the
Company in such a manner so as to cause the Company not to be subject to the
1940 Act, and will thereafter use its best efforts to avoid the Company’s
becoming subject to the 1940 Act.
(v) Except
as
disclosed in the Memorandum, there are no contracts, agreements or
understandings between the Company and any person that would give rise to a
valid claim against the Company or the Placement Agent for a brokerage
commission, finder’s fee or other like payment in connection with the
transactions contemplated by this Agreement or, to the Company’s Knowledge, any
arrangements, agreements, understandings, payments or issuance with respect
to
the Company or any of its officers, directors, shareholders, partners,
employees, or affiliates that may affect the Placement Agent’s
compensation.
13
(w) No
relationship, direct or indirect, exists between or among any of the Company
or
any Affiliate of the Company, on the one hand, and any director, officer,
stockholder, customer or supplier of the Company or any Affiliate of the
Company, on the other hand, which is required by the Securities Act, the
Exchange Act or the Rules and Regulations to be described in the Memorandum
which is not so described. There are no outstanding loans (except for mortgage
loans made in the ordinary course of business), advances (except normal advances
for business expenses in the ordinary course of business) or guarantees of
indebtedness by the Company to or for the benefit of any of the officers or
directors of the Company or any of their respective family members, except
as
disclosed in the Memorandum.
(x) The
Company owns or leases all such properties as are necessary to the conduct
of
its business as presently operated. The Company has good and marketable title
in
fee simple to all real property and good and marketable title to all personal
property owned by it, in each case free and clear of all Liens except such
as
are described in the Memorandum or such as do not (individually or in the
aggregate) materially interfere with the use made or proposed to be made of
such
property by the Company. Any real property and buildings held under lease or
sublease by the Company are held by it under valid and enforceable leases with
such exceptions as are not material to, and do not interfere with, the use
made
and proposed to be made of such property and buildings by the Company. The
Company has not received any written notice (or, to the Company’s Knowledge, any
other notice) of any claim adverse to its ownership of any real or personal
property or of any claim against the continued possession of any real property,
whether owned or held under lease or sublease by the Company.
(y) The
Company: (i) owns or possesses all rights to use, option and/or license, as
the
case may be, all patents, patent applications, provisional patents, trademarks,
service marks, trade names, trademark registrations, service xxxx registrations,
copyrights, licenses, formulae, mask works, customer lists, internet domain
names, know-how and other intellectual property (including trade secrets and
other unpatented and/or unpatentable proprietary or confidential information,
systems or procedures, “Intellectual
Property”)
necessary for the conduct of their respective businesses as being conducted
and
as described in the Memorandum and (ii) does not believe that the conduct of
their respective businesses does or will conflict with, and have not received
any notice of any claim of conflict with, any such right of others, which
conflict would have a Material Adverse Effect. To the best of the Company’s
Knowledge, all Intellectual Property developed by and belonging to the Company
(including, without limitation, that which is developed by consultants to the
Company) which has not been patented has been kept confidential so as, among
other things, all such information may be deemed proprietary to the Company.
To
the Company’s Knowledge, there is no infringement by third parties of any
Intellectual Property. There are no pending or, to the Company’s Knowledge,
threatened actions, suits, proceedings or claims by others challenging the
Company’s rights in or to any Intellectual Property, and to the Company's
Knowledge there are no facts which would form a reasonable basis for any such
claim. There is no pending or, to the Company’s Knowledge, threatened action,
suit, proceeding or claim by others that the Company infringes or otherwise
violates any Intellectual Property rights of others, in each case which would
be
reasonably likely to have a Material Adverse Effect, and the Company is unaware
of any other fact which would form a reasonable basis for any such claim.
14
(z) The
Company maintains insurance in such amounts and covering such risks as are
customary for similarly-sized private companies engaged in similar businesses
in
similar industries, all of which insurance is in full force and effect. There
are no material claims by the Company under any such policy or instrument as
to
which any insurance company is denying liability or defending under a
reservation of rights clause. The Company reasonably believes that it will
be
able to renew its existing insurance as and when such coverage expires or will
be able to obtain replacement insurance adequate for the conduct of its
business.
(aa) The
Company has prepared and timely filed all federal, state, foreign and other
tax
returns that are required to be filed by it and has paid or made provision
for
the payment of, except such as may be contested in good faith, all taxes,
assessments, governmental or other similar charges, including without
limitation, all sales and use taxes and all taxes which the Company is obligated
to withhold from amounts owing to employees, creditors and third parties, with
respect to the periods covered by such tax returns (whether or not such amounts
are shown as due on any tax return). No deficiency assessment with respect
to a
proposed adjustment of the Company’s federal, state, local or foreign taxes is
pending or, to the Company’s knowledge, threatened which, if the subject of an
unfavorable decision, ruling or finding, would have a Material Adverse Effect.
The accruals and reserves on the books and records of the Company in respect
of
tax liabilities for any taxable period not finally determined are adequate
in
all material respects to meet any assessments and related liabilities for any
such period and, since the date of the Company’s most recent audited financial
statements, the Company has not incurred any liability for taxes other than
in
the ordinary course of its business. There is no tax Lien, whether imposed
by
any federal, state, foreign or other taxing authority, outstanding against
the
assets, properties or business of the Company.
(bb) No
labor
disturbance by the employees of the Company currently exists or, to the
Company’s Knowledge, is likely to occur.
(cc) No
“prohibited transaction” (as defined in either Section 406 of the ERISA or
Section 4975 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended from time to
time
(the “Code”)),
“accumulated funding deficiency” (as defined in Section 302 of ERISA) or other
event of the kind described in Section 4043(b) of ERISA (other than events
with
respect to which the 30-day notice requirement under Section 4043 of ERISA
has
been waived) has occurred with respect to any employee benefit plan for which
the Company would have any liability; each employee benefit plan of the Company
is in compliance in all material respects with applicable law, including
(without limitation) ERISA and the Code; the Company has not incurred and does
not expect to incur liability under Title IV of ERISA with respect to the
termination of, or withdrawal from any “pension plan”; and each employee benefit
plan of the Company that is intended to be qualified under Section 401(a) of
the
Code is so qualified and nothing has occurred, whether by action or by failure
to act, which could cause the loss of such qualification.
15
(dd) In
addition to the foregoing, to the extent not set forth herein, the Placement
Agent may rely on the representations and warranties made by the Company in
the
Subscription Agreement provided by the Company and used in connection with
the
Placement.
8.
REPRESENTATIONS,
WARRANTIES AND COVENANTS OF THE PLACEMENT
AGENT
The
Placement Agent hereby represents and warrants to, and covenants with, the
Company that:
(a) This
Agreement has been duly authorized, executed and delivered by the Placement
Agent and constitutes the legal, valid and binding obligation of the Placement
Agent, enforceable against it in accordance with its terms, except insofar
as
enforcement of the indemnification or contribution provisions hereof may be
limited by applicable laws or principles of public policy and subject, as to
enforcement, to the availability of equitable remedies and limitations imposed
by bankruptcy, insolvency, reorganization and other similar laws and related
court decisions relating to or affecting creditors’ rights
generally.
(b) The
Placement Agent will cooperate with the Company to ensure that the offering
and
sale of the Units will comply with the requirements of the Securities Act,
including, without limitation, the general conditions contained in Regulation
D
and the federal securities laws, and will follow the reasonable advice of the
Company with respect to the manner in which to offer and sell the Units so
as to
ensure that the offering and sale thereof will comply with the securities laws
of any jurisdiction in which Securities are offered by the Placement Agent,
and
the Placement Agent will not make an offer of Securities in any jurisdiction
in
which the Company advises it in writing that such offer would be unlawful for
the Placement Agent to offer or sell securities.
(c) The
Placement Agent is: (i) a registered broker-dealer under the Exchange Act;
(ii)
a member in good standing of the NASD; and (iii) registered as a broker-dealer
in each jurisdiction in which it is required to be registered as such in order
to offer and sell the Units in such jurisdiction. The compensation to the
Placement Agent provided for in this Agreement complies with the rules of the
NASD in all respects.
(d) The
Placement Agent has not and will not make an offer of Units (or of any
securities, the offering of which may be integrated with the Placement) on
the
basis of any communications or documents relating to the Company or the Units
except the Memorandum and the exhibits thereto and documents described or
referred to therein (including the Subscription Documents), and the cover
letters referred to in Section 2 hereof. Without limiting the generality of
the
foregoing, the Placement Agent has not and will not make any representation
as
to any rate of return on investment that an offeree may obtain from the
ownership of Common Stock or Warrants other than as set forth in the Memorandum.
The Placement Agent will deliver a copy of the Memorandum to each prospective
Investor solicited by it prior to such offeree’s execution of the Subscription
Documents or, in the case of amendments or supplements to the Memorandum (other
than those amendments and supplements approved in writing by the Company but
designated in writing as not subject to this requirement), prior to such
offeree’s execution of an acknowledgment of receipt of such amendment or
supplement and reconfirmation of intent to subscribe.
16
(e) The
Placement Agent will obtain from each investor purchasing Securities in the
Placement duly executed Subscription Documents, in the forms provided to the
Placement Agent by the Company with the approval of the Placement Agent and
its
counsel.
(f) The
Placement Agent will use its best efforts to promptly notify the Company of
the
jurisdictions in which the Securities will be offered pursuant to this Agreement
prior to such offers and will periodically notify the Company of the status
of
the offering conducted pursuant to this Agreement. Such notices will be provided
to the Company so as to enable the Company to timely comply with its filing
obligations under applicable federal and state laws, including blue sky laws
which the Placement Agency acknowledges may require filings prior to any offers
or sales of the Securities.
(g) The
Placement Agent has delivered or caused to be delivered (or will so deliver
prior to the applicable closing date) to each prospective Investor the
Memorandum.
(h) The
Placement Agent will not deliver the Memorandum or Subscription Documents to
any
person it does not reasonably believe to be an Accredited Investor or to any
person in a state where it does not reasonably believe that the Placement will
qualify under applicable state "Blue Sky" laws.
(i) The
Placement Agent shall use all commercially reasonable efforts to determine
whether any prospective purchaser is an Accredited Investor and that any
information furnished by a prospective purchaser is accurate.
9.
ADDITIONAL
COVENANTS AND AGREEMENTS OF THE COMPANY
The
Company covenants to and agrees with the Placement Agent that it
shall:
(a) Notify
the Placement Agent as soon as practicable, and confirm such notice promptly
in
writing: (i) when any event shall have occurred during the period commencing
on
the date hereof and ending on the later of the Final Closing Date as a result
of
which the Memorandum would include 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 not misleading, and (ii) of the receipt of any
notification with respect to the modification, rescission, withdrawal or
suspension of the qualification or registration of the Securities or of an
exemption from such registration or qualification in any jurisdiction. The
Company will use its reasonable best efforts to prevent the issuance of any
such
modification, rescission, withdrawal or suspension and, if any such
modification, rescission, withdrawal or suspension is issued, to obtain the
lifting thereof as promptly as possible.
17
(b) Not
supplement or amend the Memorandum unless the Placement Agent and its counsel
shall have approved of such supplement or amendment in writing, such approval
not to be unreasonably withheld, delayed or conditioned. If, at any time during
the period commencing on the date hereof and ending on the Final Closing Date,
any event shall have occurred as a result of which the Memorandum contains
any
untrue statement of a material fact or omits to state any material fact required
to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein not misleading,
or if, in the opinion of counsel to the Company or counsel to the Placement
Agent, it is necessary at any time to supplement or amend the Memorandum to
comply with the Securities Act, Regulation D or any applicable securities or
“blue sky” laws, the Company will promptly prepare an appropriate supplement or
amendment (in form and substance reasonably satisfactory to the Placement Agent
and its counsel) which will correct such statement or omission or which will
effect such compliance.
(c) Deliver
without charge to the Placement Agent such number of copies of the Memorandum
and any supplement or amendment thereto as may reasonably be requested by the
Placement Agent.
(d) Not,
directly or indirectly, in connection with the Placement or as otherwise agreed
to in this Agreement, solicit any offer to buy from, or offer to sell to, any
person or entity any Securities or other securities of the Company except
through the Placement Agent.
(e) Not
solicit any offer to buy or offer to sell Securities by any form of general
solicitation or advertising, including, without limitation, any advertisement,
article, notice or other communication published in any newspaper, magazine
or
similar medium or broadcast over the Internet, television or radio or at any
seminar or meeting whose attendees have been invited by any general solicitation
or advertising.
(f) At
all
times during the period commencing on the date hereof and ending on the date
of
the Final Closing Date, provide to each prospective Investor or his purchaser
representative, if any, on reasonable request, such information (in addition
to
that contained in the Memorandum) concerning the Placement, the Company, the
Securities and any other relevant matters as it possesses or can acquire without
unreasonable effort or expense and extend to each prospective Investor or his
purchaser representative, if any, the opportunity to ask questions of, and
receive answers from the Company concerning the terms and conditions of the
Placement and the business of the Company and to obtain any other additional
information, to the extent it possesses the same or can acquire it without
unreasonable effort or expense, as such prospective Investor or purchaser
representative may consider necessary in making an informed investment decision
or in order to verify the accuracy of the information furnished to such
prospective Investor or purchaser representative, as the case may
be.
(g) Notify
the Placement Agent promptly of the acceptance or rejection of any
subscription.
18
(h) File
five
(5) copies of a Notice of Sales of Securities on Form D with the SEC no later
than 15 days after the first sale of the Securities, if required by law. The
Company shall file promptly such amendments to such Notices on Form D as shall
become necessary and shall also comply with any filing requirement imposed
by
the laws of any state, province or jurisdiction in which offers and sales are
made, including all appropriate “blue sky” filings. The Company shall furnish
the Placement Agent with copies of all filings made hereunder.
(i) Place
the
following legend on all certificates representing the Shares and the
Warrants:
“THE
SECURITIES REPRESENTED HEREBY HAVE NOT BEEN REGISTERED UNDER THE SECURITIES
ACT
OF 1933, AS AMENDED, OR ANY STATE SECURITIES LAWS AND NEITHER THE SECURITIES
NOR
ANY INTEREST THEREIN MAY BE OFFERED, SOLD, TRANSFERRED, PLEDGED OR OTHERWISE
DISPOSED OF EXCEPT PURSUANT TO AN EFFECTIVE REGISTRATION STATEMENT UNDER SUCH
ACT OR SUCH LAWS OR AN EXEMPTION FROM REGISTRATION UNDER SUCH ACT AND SUCH
LAWS
WHICH, IN THE OPINION OF COUNSEL FOR THE COMPANY, IS AVAILABLE.”
(j) Not,
directly or indirectly, engage in any act or activity which may jeopardize
the
status of the offering and sale of the Units as exempt transactions under the
Securities Act or under the securities or “blue sky” laws of any jurisdiction in
which the Placement may be made.
(k) Apply
the
net proceeds from the sale of the Units for the purposes set forth under the
caption “Use of Proceeds” in the Memorandum in the manner indicated thereunder.
(l) Not,
during the period commencing on the date hereof and ending on the Final Closing
Date, issue any press release or other communication or hold any press
conference with respect to the Company, its financial condition, results of
operations, business properties, assets, liabilities or future prospects of
the
Placement, without the prior written consent of the Placement Agent, which
consent will not be unreasonably withheld or delayed.
(m) Not,
prior to the completion of the Placement, bid for, purchase, attempt to induce
others to purchase, or sell, directly or indirectly, any shares of Common Stock
or any other securities in violation of the provisions of Regulation M under
the
Exchange Act.
(n) In
addition to the foregoing, to the extent not set forth herein, the Placement
Agent may rely on the covenants made by the Company in the Subscription
Documents used in connection with the Placement.
19
10.
CONDITIONS
OF THE PLACEMENT AGENT’S OBLIGATIONS
The
obligations of the Placement Agent pursuant to this Agreement shall be subject,
in its discretion, to the continuing accuracy of the representations and
warranties of the Company contained herein and in each certificate and document
contemplated under this Agreement to be delivered to the Placement Agent or
otherwise at any closing (including, without limitation, all Subscription
Documents and the Memorandum), as of the date hereof and as of the Initial
Closing Date or the date of any closing subsequent to the Initial Closing Date,
to the performance by the Company of its obligations hereunder, and to the
following conditions:
(a) At
the
Initial Closing and each Subsequent Closing, the Placement Agent shall have
received certificates for the Shares sold to the Investors in the Placement,
duly executed and made out in the name of such Investors for the amount of
Shares purchased.
(b) At
the
Initial Closing and each Subsequent Closing, the Placement Agent shall have
received warrant certificates for the Warrants sold to the Investors in the
Placement, duly executed and made out in the name of such Investors for the
amount of Warrant Shares which may be received upon the exercise
thereof.
(c) At
the
Initial Closing and each Subsequent Closing, the Placement Agent shall have
received warrant certificates for the Placement Agent Warrants, duly executed
and made out in the name of the Placement Agent for the amount of Placement
Agent Warrant Shares which may be received upon the exercise
thereof
(d) At
the
Initial Closing and each Subsequent Closing, the Placement Agent shall have
received the applicable fees payable to the Placement Agent as described in
Section 3 hereof.
(e) At
the
Initial Closing and each Subsequent Closing, the Placement Agent shall have
received the favorable opinion of Blank Rome, LLP, as counsel for the Company,
in the form and substance customary for transactions such as the placement
and
reasonably satisfactory to the Placement Agent.
(f) At
the
Initial Closing and each Subsequent Closing, the Placement Agent shall have
received the favorable opinion of intellectual property
counsel for the Company with respect to the intellectual
property
rights
of
the
Company and other related matters as the Placement Agent may
require.
(g) At
each
Closing, the Placement Agent shall have received a certificate of the Chief
Executive Officer of the Company, dated, as applicable, as of the date of such
Closing: (i) to the effect that, as of the date of this Agreement and as of
the
applicable date, the representations and warranties of the Company contained
herein were and are accurate, and that, as of the applicable date, the
obligations to be performed by the Company hereunder on or prior thereto have
been fully performed, and (ii) with respect to the incumbency of the officers
of
the Company executing the documentation delivered at such
Closing.
20
(h) At
each
Closing, the Placement Agent shall have received a certificate of the Secretary
of the Company, dated, as applicable, as of the date of such Closing, certifying
to the charter, by-laws, good standing in their respective states of
incorporation and board resolutions relating to the Placement of, as applicable,
the Company.
(i) All
proceedings taken in connection with the issuance, sale and delivery of the
Securities shall be reasonably satisfactory in form and substance to the
Placement Agent and its counsel.
(j) On
or
prior to or following the Initial Closing Date or the date of any Subsequent
Closing, as the case may be, the Placement Agent shall have been furnished
with:
(i) such information, documents and certificates as it may reasonably require
for the purpose of enabling it to review the matters referred to in this Section
10 and in order to evidence the accuracy, completeness or satisfaction of any
of
the representations, warranties, covenants, agreements or conditions herein
contained, and (ii) such other closing documentation as may be required in
order
to affect the applicable Closing or as the Placement Agent may otherwise
reasonably request.
(k) Any
certificate or other document signed by any officer of the Company and delivered
to the Placement Agent and its counsel as required hereunder shall be deemed
a
representation and warranty by the Company hereunder as to the statements made
therein. If any condition to the Placement Agent’s obligations hereunder have
not been fulfilled as and when required to be so fulfilled, the Placement Agent
may terminate this Agreement or, if the Placement Agent so elects, in writing
waive any such conditions which have not been fulfilled or extend the time
for
their fulfillment. In the event that Placement Agent elects to terminate this
Agreement, Placement Agent shall notify the Company of such election in writing.
Upon such termination, neither party shall have any further liability nor
obligation to the other except as provided in Section 11 hereof.
(l) If
there
is more than one Closing, then at each such Closing there shall be delivered
to
the Placement Agent updated opinions, certificates or other information
described in this Section 10.
21
11.
INDEMNIFICATION
(a) The
Company agrees to indemnify and hold harmless the Placement Agent, each person
who controls the Placement Agent within the meaning of the Securities Act,
Section 20(a) of the Exchange Act or any applicable statute, and each partner,
director, officer, employee, agent and representative of the Placement Agent
and
its representatives from and against any loss, damage, expense, liability or
claim whatsoever, or actions or proceedings in respect thereof (including,
without limitation, reasonable attorneys’ fees and expenses incurred in
investigating, preparing or defending against any litigation commenced,
collectively “Damages”)
which
any such person or entity may incur or which may be made or brought against
any
such person arising out of or based upon, in whole or in part: (i) any breach
or
alleged breach of any of the agreements, representations or warranties of the
Company contained in or contemplated by this Agreement or the Subscription
Documents, including, without limitation, those arising out of or based on
any
alleged untrue statement of a material fact or omission to state a material
fact
required to be stated in the Memorandum or the Subscription Documents or
necessary in order to make the statements appearing therein not misleading
in
the light of the circumstances in which they were made, (ii) any untrue
statement or alleged untrue statement of material fact contained in any
information or documents executed in favor of or furnished or made available
to
the Placement Agent by the Company, (iii) any omission or alleged omission
to
state in any information or documents executed in favor of or furnished or
made
available to the Placement Agent by the Company a material fact necessary to
make the statements therein not misleading, (iv) any violation of any federal
or
state securities laws attributable to the Placement, (v) any violation of law
by
the Company or any affiliate thereof, or any director, officer, employee, agent
or representative of any of them, related to or arising out of the Placement,
and (vi) the services provided by the Placement Agent pursuant to the terms
of
this Agreement; except, with respect to subsection (vi), to the extent that
any
Damages are determined by a final unappealable order of a court of competent
jurisdiction to have directly resulted from the gross negligence or willful
misconduct of the Placement Agent, provided,
however,
that if
the Company has indemnified the Placement Agent pursuant to Section 11(a)(vi)
and such judicial determination has been made, then the Placement Agent shall
promptly remit to the Company any amounts relating to such judicial
determination and which were provided pursuant to the Section 11(a)(vi). This
indemnity agreement by, and the agreements, warranties and representations
of,
the Company shall survive the offer, sale and delivery of the Units and the
termination of this Agreement and shall remain in full force and effect
regardless of any investigation made by or on behalf of any person indemnified
hereunder, and termination of this Agreement and acceptance of any payment
for
the Units hereunder.
(b) The
Placement Agent agrees to indemnify and hold harmless the Company and its
affiliates, any person who controls any of them within the meaning of the
Securities Act, Section 20(a) of the Exchange Act or any applicable statute,
and
each officer, director, employee, agent and representative of the Company or
any
of its affiliates from and against any Damages which any such person or entity
may incur or which may be made or brought against any such person, but only
to
the extent the same arises out of or is based upon: any untrue
statement of a material fact in any information provided to the Company in
writing by the Placement Agent, expressly for use in and used in the Memorandum.
This indemnity agreement by, and the agreements, warranties and representations
of, the Placement Agent shall survive the offer, sale and delivery of the Units
and shall remain in full force and effect regardless of any investigation made
by or on behalf of any person indemnified hereunder, and termination of this
Agreement and acceptance of any payment for the Units
hereunder.
22
(c) If
any
action is brought against a party (the “Indemnified
Party”)
in
respect of which indemnity may be sought against one or more other parties
(the
“Indemnifying
Party”
or
“Indemnifying
Parties”),
the
Indemnified Party shall promptly notify the Indemnifying Party or Parties in
writing of the institution of such action; provided,
however,
the
failure to give such notice shall not release the Indemnifying Party or Parties
from its or their obligation to indemnify the Indemnified Party hereunder except
to the extent the Indemnifying Party actually incurs damage by reason of such
failure and shall not release the Indemnifying Party or Parties from any other
obligations or liabilities to the Indemnified Party in any event. The
Indemnifying Party or Parties may at its or their own expense elect to assume
the defense of such action, including the employment of counsel reasonably
acceptable to the Indemnified Party; provided,
however,
that no
Indemnifying or Indemnified Party shall consent to the entry of any judgment
or
enter into any settlement by which the other party is to be bound without the
prior written consent of such other party, which consent shall not be
unreasonably withheld. In the event the Indemnifying Party or Parties assume
a
defense hereunder, the Indemnified Party shall be entitled to retain its own
counsel in connection therewith and, except as provided below, shall bear the
fees and expenses of any such counsel, and counsel to the Indemnified Party
or
Parties shall cooperate with such counsel to the Indemnifying Party in
connection with such proceeding. If an Indemnified Party reasonably determines
that there are or may be differing or additional defenses available to the
Indemnified Party which are not available to the Indemnifying Party, or that
there is or may be a conflict between the respective positions of the
Indemnifying Party and of the Indemnified Party in conducting the defense of
any
action, then the Indemnifying Party shall bear the reasonable fees and expenses
of any counsel retained by the Indemnified Party in connection with such
proceeding. All references to the Indemnified Party contained in this Section
11(c) include, and extend to and protect with equal effect, any persons who
may
control the Indemnified Party within the meaning of the Securities Act, Section
20(a) of the Exchange Act or any applicable statute, any successor to the
Indemnified Party and each of its partners, officers, directors, employees,
agents and representatives. The indemnity agreements set forth in this Section
11 shall be in addition to any other obligations or liabilities of the
Indemnifying Party or Parties hereunder or at common law or otherwise.
Notwithstanding anything herein to the contrary, in no event shall the Placement
Agent be obligated to indemnify any person or entity in an amount in excess
of
the gross consideration received by the Placement Agent for services rendered
hereunder.
(d) If
recovery is not available under the foregoing indemnification provisions of
this
Section 11, for any reason other than as specified therein, the party entitled
to indemnification by the terms thereof shall be entitled to contribution to
losses, damages, liabilities and expenses of the nature contemplated by such
indemnification provisions. In determining the amount of such contribution,
there shall be considered the relative benefits received by the Company on
the
one hand, and the Placement Agent on the other hand from the Placement, the
parties’ relative Knowledge and access to information concerning the matter with
respect to which the claim was asserted, the opportunity to correct and prevent
any statement or omission, the relative culpability of the parties, the relative
benefits received by the parties and any other equitable considerations
appropriate under the circumstances. No party shall be liable for contribution
with respect to any action or claim settled without its consent.
(e) The
relative benefits received by the Company, on the one hand, and the Placement
Agent, on the other hand, in connection with the Placement pursuant to this
Agreement shall be deemed to be in the same respective proportions as the total
net proceeds from the Placement pursuant to this Agreement (before deducting
expenses) received by the Company and the total cash remuneration received
by
the Placement Agent bear to the aggregate offering price of the
Securities.
23
(f) Any
party
entitled to contribution will, promptly after receipt of notice of commencement
of any action, suit or proceeding against such party in respect of which a
claim
for contribution may be made against another party or parties under this Section
11, notify such party or parties from whom contribution may be sought, but
the
omission to so notify such party or parties shall not relieve the party or
parties from whom contribution may be sought from any obligation it or they
may
have under this Section 11 or otherwise. For purposes of this Section 11, each
person, if any, who controls a party to this Agreement within the meaning of
Section 15 of the Securities Act or Section 20(a) of the Exchange Act shall
have
the same rights to contribution as that party to this Placement
Agreement.
(g) The
Company and the Placement Agent agree that it would not be just and equitable
if
contribution pursuant to this Section 11(d) were determined by pro rata
allocation or by any other method of allocation which does not take account
of
the equitable considerations referred to above in this Section 11(d). The
aggregate amount of losses, liabilities, claims, damages and expenses incurred
by an indemnified party and referred to above in this Section 11(d) shall be
deemed to include any legal or other expenses reasonably incurred by such
indemnified party in investigating, preparing or defending against any
litigation, or any investigation or proceeding by any governmental agency or
body, commenced or threatened, or any claim whatsoever based upon any such
untrue or alleged untrue statement or omission or alleged omission.
(h) Notwithstanding
the provisions of this Section 11(d), the Placement Agent shall not be required
to contribute any amount in excess of the amount by which its commissions
received pursuant to Section 3(b) hereof exceeds the amount of any Damages
which
the Placement Agent has otherwise been required to pay by reason of such untrue
or alleged untrue statement or omission or alleged omission.
(i) No
person
guilty of fraudulent misrepresentation (within the meaning of Section 11(f)
of
the 0000 Xxx) shall be entitled to contribution from any person who was not
guilty of such fraudulent misrepresentation.
(j) In
any
claim for indemnification for United States Federal or state securities law
violations, the party seeking indemnification shall place before the court
the
position of: (i) the SEC and (ii) if applicable, any state securities
commissioner or agency having jurisdiction with respect to the issue of
indemnification for securities law violations.
12. NO
THIRD PARTY RIGHTS
The
agreements set forth in this Agreement have been made and are made solely for
the benefit of the Company, the Placement Agent, and the respective affiliates,
heirs, personal representatives and permitted successors and assigns thereof,
and except as expressly provided herein nothing expressed or mentioned herein
is
intended or shall be construed to give any other person, firm or corporation
any
legal or equitable right, remedy or claim under or in respect of this Agreement
or any representation, warranty or agreement herein contained. The term
“successors and assigns” as used herein shall not include any purchaser of any
Units merely because of such purchase.
24
13. FORCE
MAJEURE
Neither
party will be liable to the other by reason of any failure in performances
of
this Agreement if the failure arises out of the unavailability of third party
communication facilities or energy sources or acts of God, acts of governmental
authority, fires, strikes, delays in transportation, riots or war, or any cause
beyond the reasonable control of such party.
14. NOTICES
All
notices, requests, consents and other communications required or permitted
under
this Agreement shall be in writing and shall be (as elected by the person giving
such notice) hand delivered by messenger or courier service, transmitted by
fax,
or mailed by registered or certified mail (postage prepaid), return receipt
requested, addressed to:
Placement
Agent:
With
a copy to:
|
|
Newbridge
Securities Corporation
|
Gunster,
Yoakley & Xxxxxxx P.A.
|
0000
Xxxx Xxxxxx Xxxxxx, Xxxxx 000
|
000
Xxxx Xxxxxxx Xxxx., Xxxxx 0000
|
Xxxx
Xxxxx, XX 00000
|
Xxxx
Xxxxxxxxxx, XX 00000
|
Attn:
Xxxxx X. Xxxxxxx
|
Attn:
Xxxxxx X. Xxxxx, Esq.
|
Tel:
(000) 000-0000
|
Tel:
(000) 000-0000
|
Fax:
(000) 000-0000
|
Fax:
(000) 000-0000
|
Company:
With
a copy to:
|
|
Interstate
Data USA, Inc.
|
Blank
Rome, LLP
|
0000
Xxxxxx Xxxxxx
|
0000
X. Xxxxxxx Xxxxxxx, Xxxxx 000
|
Xxxxxxx,
Xxxxxxxx 00000
|
Xxxx
Xxxxx, XX 00000
|
Attn:
Xxxxx Xxxxxxxxx, President
|
Attn:
Xxxxxxx X. XxXxxxxxx
|
Tel:
(000) 000-0000
|
Tel:
(000) 000-0000
|
Fax:
(000) 000-0000
|
Fax:
(000) 000-0000
|
or
to
such other address as any party may designate by notice complying with the
terms
of this Section. Each such notice shall be deemed delivered (a) on the date
delivered, if by messenger or courier service; (b) on the date of the
confirmation of receipt, if by fax; and (c) either upon the date of receipt
or refusal of delivery, if mailed.
25
15. BINDING
EFFECT
All
of
the terms and provisions of this Agreement shall be binding upon, inure to
the
benefit of, and be enforceable by the parties and their respective legal
representatives, successors and permitted assigns, whether so expressed or
not.
16. ASSIGNMENTS
No
party
shall assign his or its rights or obligations under this Agreement without
the
prior written consent of each party to this Agreement, which consent can be
withheld in the sole discretion of any party.
17. GOVERNING
LAW
This
Agreement and all transactions contemplated by this Agreement shall be governed
by, and construed and enforced in accordance with, the internal laws of the
State of Florida without regard to principles of conflicts of laws.
18. JURISDICTION
AND VENUE
The
parties acknowledge that a substantial portion of the negotiations and
anticipated performance of this Agreement occurred or shall occur in Palm Beach
County, Florida. Any civil action or legal proceeding arising out of or relating
to this Agreement shall be brought in the courts of record of the State of
Florida in Palm Beach County or the United States District Court, Southern
District of Florida. Each party consents to the jurisdiction of such Florida
court in any such civil action or legal proceeding and waives any objection
to
the laying of venue of any such civil action or legal proceeding in such Florida
court. Service of any court paper may be effected on such party by mail, as
provided in this Agreement, or in such other manner as may be provided under
applicable laws, rules of procedure or local rules.
19. ENFORCEMENT
COSTS
If
any
civil action, arbitration or other legal proceeding is brought for the
enforcement of this Agreement, or because of an alleged dispute, breach, default
or misrepresentation in connection with any provision of this Agreement, the
successful or prevailing party or parties shall be entitled to recover
reasonable attorneys' fees, court costs, sales and use taxes and all expenses
even if not taxable as court costs (including, without limitation, all such
fees, taxes, costs and expenses incident to arbitration, appellate, bankruptcy
and post-judgment proceedings), incurred in that proceeding, in addition to
any
other relief to which such party or parties may be entitled. Attorneys' fees
shall include, without limitation, paralegal fees, investigative fees,
administrative costs, sales and use taxes and all other charges billed by the
attorney to the prevailing party (including any fees and costs associated with
collecting such amounts).
20. AMENDMENTS
The
provisions of this Agreement may not be amended, supplemented, waived or changed
orally, but only by a writing signed by all parties to this Agreement and making
specific reference to this Agreement.
26
21. SEVERABILITY
If
any
provision of this Agreement is or becomes illegal, invalid or unenforceable
in
any respect under the law of any jurisdiction, neither the legality, validity
or
enforceability of the remaining provisions of this Agreement nor the legality,
validity or enforceability of such provision under the law of any other
jurisdiction shall in any way be affected or impaired thereby. If any provision
of this Agreement may be construed in two or more ways, one of which would
render the provision invalid or otherwise voidable or unenforceable and another
of which would render the provision valid and enforceable, such provision shall
have the meaning which renders it valid and enforceable.
22. SECTION
HEADINGS; DEFINED TERMS
Numbered
and titled section headings and defined terms are for convenience only and
shall
not be construed as amplifying or limiting any of the provisions of this
Agreement.
23. COUNTERPARTS
This
Agreement may be executed in one or more counterparts, each of which shall
be
deemed an original, but all of which taken together shall constitute one and
the
same instrument. Confirmation of execution by electronic transmission of a
facsimile signature page shall be binding upon any party so
confirming.
24. ENTIRE
AGREEMENT
This
Agreement and all exhibits and schedules attached to this Agreement, if any,
represent the entire understanding and agreement between the parties with
respect to the subject
matter of this Agreement, and supersedes all other negotiations, understandings
and representations (if any), whether oral or written, made by and between
such
parties.
27
Please
confirm that the foregoing correctly sets forth your understanding of our
agreement and return one executed copy of this Agreement to our office at 0000
Xxxx Xxxxxx Xxxxxx, Xxxxx 000, Xxxx Xxxxx, Xxxxxxx 00000. This Placement Agency
Agreement is executed and shall be effective as of the date set forth
above.
Very
truly yours,
|
|
NEWBRIDGE
SECURITIES CORPORATION
|
|
By:
|
/s/ D. Aguililla |
Name:
Xxxxxxx X. Xxxxxxxxx
|
|
Title:
Director of Investment Banking
|
Accepted
and agreed to this ______day of____________, 2007, Ashland,
Kentucky.
By:
|
/s/ Xxxxx Xxxxxxxxx |
Xxxxx
Xxxxxxxxx, President
|
28