Contract
Exhibit
4.14
THIS
EMPLOYMENT AGREEMENT
(the
“Agreement”) is entered into at the City of Montreal, Province of Quebec as of
the 6th day of March, 2006:
BY AND BETWEEN:
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DYNASTY GAMING INC.,a corporation duly constituted under the laws of Canada, herein acting and represented by Xxxxxx Xxxxxxxx, duly authorized as he so declares, | |
(the “Company”) | ||
AND: |
XXXX
XXXXXXXX,
a
resident of Montreal, Province of Quebec,
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(the “Employee”) |
WHEREAS
the
Company is a holding company holding shares of subsidiaries that are primarily
engaged in the business of developing, marketing and licensing Internet-based
gaming software;
WHEREAS
the
Company desires to employ the Employee as Chief Financial Officer and the
Employee desires to accept such employment on the terms and conditions herein
set forth.
NOW,
THEREFORE, IN CONSIDERATION OF THE PREMISES AND OF THE MUTUAL COVENANTS AND
AGREEMENTS HEREINAFTER SET FORTH, THE PARTIES HERETO, INTENDING LEGALLY TO
BE
BOUND, HEREBY AGREE AS FOLLOWS:
ARTICLE
I
EMPLOYMENT
1.1
|
The
Company hereby employs the Employee as Chief Financial Officer and
the
Employee hereby accepts such employment upon the terms and conditions
set
forth in this Agreement.
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ARTICLE
2
TERM
2.1
|
Unless
otherwise terminated in accordance with the terms hereof, the term
of this
Agreement shall be for a period of three (3) years commencing as
of the
date hereof (the “Term”).
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2.2
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This
Agreement may thereafter be renewed upon the mutual consent of the
parties
on such terms and conditions as mutually agreed. The parties agree
to
commence discussions regarding renewal six (6) months prior to the
end of
the Term.
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ARTICLE
3
OFFICE
AND DUTIES
3.1
|
During
the Term and any renewal thereof, the Employee shall render such
services
normally associated with the position of Chief Financial Officer
and such
other duties as may from time to time be assigned to the Employee
by the
Chief Executive Officer or the Board of Directors of the Company
(“Duties”),
it being agreed and acknowledged that the Employee shall be actively
involved in the business development of the Company. The Employee
shall
report directly to the Chief Executive Officer of the
Company.
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3.2
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During
the Term and any renewal thereof, the Employee agrees to diligently
and in
a faithful and honest manner devote his best efforts to carry out
the
Duties and other obligations hereunder and to promote the business
and
affairs of the Company.
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3.3
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Notwithstanding
anything herein to the contrary, the Company hereby agrees and
acknowledges that the Employee shall be entitled to act as an advisor,
officer or director of other entities, provided that such activities
do
not conflict or compete with the Company or do not adversely affect
the
performance of the Employee’s Duties and that the Employee has fully
disclosed such activities to the Company and obtained the Company’s
written consent, which shall not be unreasonably withheld, prior
to
accepting any such position. The Company further acknowledges and
agrees
that the Employee shall be entitled to retain any and all remuneration
or
benefits (including, without limitation, any options) that the Employee
currently has or may hereafter acquire in respect of such activities.
As
of the date of signing of this Agreement, the Company has consented
to the
Employee holding positions with Soficap Acquisition Corp., the Napoleon
Group and a natural resources company, the name of which will be
disclosed
at a later date due to confidentiality
concerns.
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ARTICLE
4
REMUNERATION
4.1
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As
compensation for the services rendered hereunder, the Employee shall
be
entitled to a base salary of $120,000.00 per year (“Base
Salary”)
payable every two (2) weeks in accordance with the Company’s policy. The
Employee shall undergo an annual performance review at which time
the Base
Salary may be increased by such amount, if any, as determined by
the
Company’s Board of Directors.
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4.2
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The
Employee shall receive the following options to acquire common shares
of
the Company, which the Company represents to be granted in accordance
with
the Company’s stock option plan, if
any:
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4.2.1
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500,000
options to be issued upon the execution of this
Agreement;
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4.2.2
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200,000
options to be issued upon the Company having achieved $2,000,000
of
cumulative gross revenues, directly or indirectly, from its Mahjong
Mania
and any other current or future gaming
software;
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4.2.3
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200,000
options to be issued upon the launch of the first World Series of
Mahjong
tournament (or such similar tournament) which the Company will be
organizing; and
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4.2.4
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200,000
options to be issued upon the successful launch of the Mahjong Club
web
site (or such similar web site owned and operated by the
Company);
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it
being
agreed and understood that all of the foregoing options shall:
4.2.5
|
be
subject to and governed by the terms of the Company’s stock option plan
(the “Plan”)
and any applicable laws and
regulations;
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4.2.6
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vest
over 18 months from their issuance date, in accordance with the
Plan;
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4.2.7
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have
a strike price equal to the price of the Company’s common shares as of the
close of business on the date the particular options are
granted;
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4.2.8
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have
a term of five (5) years from the date of their respective
issuance;
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4.2.9
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the
Board of Directors shall reserve the shares for
issuance.
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4.3
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During
the Term and any renewals thereof, the Employee shall be entitled
to
receive the following benefits:
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4.3.1
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an
annual bonus equal to 2% of pre-tax profits subject to a maximum
payment
of no more than 50% of the Employee’s Base Salary, the whole to be payable
no later than 15 business days following the release of the Company’s
audited financial statements;
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4.3.2
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four
(4) weeks of paid vacation each year;
and
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4.3.3
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full
participation in the Company’s group health and dental insurance
plan.
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4.4
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The
Company hereby agrees that it shall provide, at its expense, the
Employee
with all the tools and equipment necessary to enable the Employee
to
properly provide his services and fulfill his Duties including, without
limitation:
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4.4.1
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a
computer to be agreed upon by the Employer and the
Employee;
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4.4.2
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a
cellular phone to be agreed upon by the Employer and the
Employee;
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4.4.3
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an
annual membership to the CFA Institute;
and
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4.4.4
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any
other tool or equipment that the Employee may reasonably
request;
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all
in accordance with any applicable Company
guidelines and subject to the approval of the Company’s Chief Executive
Officer.
4.5
|
During
the Term and any renewal thereof, the Company shall reimburse the
Employee
in full for all reasonable and necessary business and travel expenses
incurred by him in connection with the performance of his employment
Duties upon presentation of written vouchers or expense
statements.
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ARTICLE
5
TERMINATION
OF EMPLOYMENT
5.1
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Notwithstanding
anything to the contrary, this Agreement shall be terminated upon
the
occurrence of any of the following
events:
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5.1.1
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by
the death of the Employee;
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5.1.2
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by
the permanent disability of the Employee. For the purposes of this
Agreement “permanent
disability of the Employee”
shall mean the physical or mental incapacity of the Employee to the
extent
that he has been unable for a period of six (6) consecutive months
(in any
twelve consecutive month period) to perform his duties under this
Agreement;
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5.1.3
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by
the Company for Just Cause (as hereinafter defined) after providing
the
Employee with a Notice of Termination for Just Cause (as hereinafter
defined);
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5.2 For
purposes of this Agreement, “Just
Cause”
shall
mean:
5.2.1
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the
repeated and demonstrated failure on the part of the Employee to
substantially perform his duties and, where he fails to substantially
remedy such failure within a reasonable amount of time after receipt
of
written notice specifying such
failure;
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5.2.2
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the
willful engaging by the Employee in any act that is materially injurious
to the Company monetarily or otherwise;
or
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5.2.3
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if
the Employee has been convicted of a criminal offence involving fraud
or
dishonesty, or if the Employee has engaged in any criminal act or
dishonesty resulting or intended to result directly or indirectly
in
personal gain of the Employee at the expense of the
Company;
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5.3
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For
the purposes of this Agreement, “Notice
of Termination for Just Cause”
means a written notice indicating the specific termination provision
in
section 5.1.3 relied upon and setting forth in reasonable detail
the facts
and circumstances which provide the basis for such termination for
Just
Cause.
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5.4
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The
Employee may terminate his employment hereunder with or without Good
Reason (as hereinafter defined) at any time upon thirty (30) days’ written
notice to the Company.
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5.5
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For
the purposes of this Agreement, “Good Reason” means the occurrence or
failure to cause the occurrence, as the case may be, without the
Employee’s express written consent, of any of the
following:
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5.5.1
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a
substantial change to the Employee’s core Duties or removal of the
Employee’s responsibility for those core Duties, so as to effectively
cause the Employee to no longer be performing the Duties of his
position;
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5.5.2
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the
removal or non-re-appointment of the Employee from his position within
the
Company specified herein, or removal of the Employee from any of
his then
officer positions; or
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5.5.3
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any
material breach by the Company of any provision of this
Agreement.
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ARTICLE
6
COMPENSATION
IN THE EVENT OF
TERMINATION
OF EMPLOYMENT
6.1
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In
the event that the Employee’s employment is terminated by reason of death
or permanent disability of the Employee, the Company shall pay to
the
Employee or his beneficiary or estate, as the case may be, the following
amounts:
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6.1.1
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any
accrued but unpaid Base Salary, bonus and vacation for the period
up to
the date of death or permanent disability as well as any accrued
but
unpaid expenses required to be reimbursed under this Agreement;
and
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6.1.2
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all
benefits, if any, to which the Employee may be entitled pursuant
to the
plans, policies and arrangements of the Company, as determined and
paid in
accordance with the terms of such plans, policies and
arrangements.
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6.2
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In
the event that the Employee’s employment is terminated by the Company for
Just Cause or voluntarily by the Employee without Good Reason, the
Company
shall pay to the Employee the following
amounts:
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6.2.1
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any
accrued but unpaid Base Salary, bonus and vacation for the period
up to
the date of termination, as well as any accrued but unpaid expenses
required to be reimbursed under this
Agreement;
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6.2.2
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all
benefits, if any, to which the Employee may be entitled pursuant
to plans,
policies and arrangements of the Company, as determined and paid
in
accordance with the terms of such plans, policies and arrangements;
and
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6.2.3
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any
options that have not vested as at the date of termination shall
be
immediately and automatically
cancelled.
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6.3
|
In
the event that the Employee’s employment is terminated by the Company
without Just Cause, or voluntarily by the Employee with Good Reason,
the
Company shall pay to the Employee the following
amounts:
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6.3.1
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any
accrued but unpaid Base Salary, bonus and vacation for the period
up to
the date of termination, as well as any accrued but unpaid expenses
required to be reimbursed under this
Agreement;
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6.3.2
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all
benefits, if any, to which the Employee may be entitled pursuant
to plans,
policies and arrangements of the Company, as determined and paid
in
accordance with the terms of such plans, policies and arrangements;
and
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6.3.3
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an
amount equal to the Employee’s annual Base Salary (at the rate in effect
as of the date of termination of the Employee) for one full year
in the
event that the termination occurs in the first two (2) years of the
Term,
or for the balance of the Term in the event that the termination
occurs in
the last year of the Term.
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ARTICLE
7
CONFIDENTIALITY
7.1
|
The
Employee hereby acknowledges that during the Term and any renewal
thereof,
he will have access to confidential information of the Company and
its
subsidiaries, including plans for future developments and information
concerning costs, customers, potential customers, pricing and other
business affairs of the Company and its subsidiaries and other information
not available to the public or in the public domain (the “Confidential
Information”).
The Employee covenants and agrees that except as required by the
Employee’s Duties to the Company, the Employee will keep secret all
Confidential Information and will not, directly or indirectly, either
during the Term or thereafter, disclose or disseminate to anyone
or make
use of, for any purpose other than the fulfillment of his employment
Duties hereunder, any Confidential
Information.
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7.2
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Notwithstanding
section 7.1, the obligations of confidentiality and non-disclosure
herein
shall not apply to information
that:
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7.2.1
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at
the time of disclosure or thereafter becomes a part of the public
domain
through no fault of the Employee;
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7.2.2
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is
at the time of disclosure already in the possession of or becomes
lawfully
available the recipient on a non-confidential basis from a third
party
entitled to make such disclosures;
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7.2.3
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is
required to be disclosed in virtue of any law, regulation, policy
or order
by any competent authority provided that the Employee has given the
Company five (5) days prior notice of such disclosure;
or
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7.2.4
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is
specifically released in writing by the Company from confidential
status.
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ARTICLE
8
NON-COMPETITION
8.1
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The
Employee agrees that during the Term and any renewal thereof and
for a
period of one (1) year thereafter, the Employee shall not, without
the
prior written approval of the Board of Directors of the Company,
directly
or indirectly through any other person, firm or corporation, whether
individually or in partnership or in conjunction with any other person,
or
as an employee, agent, representative, partner or holder of any interest
in any other person, firm, corporation or other association, carry
on or
be engaged in or concerned with or interested in or advise, lend
money to,
or guarantee the debts of, or permit the Employee’s name to be used by, a
business of an identical or similar nature to that carried on by
the
Company or its subsidiaries, including, without limitation, the business
involved with the Mahjong game, in the territories where the Company
carries on such business at the time the Employee’s employment hereunder
ceases.
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8.2
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Nothing
in the foregoing shall prohibit the Employee from engaging in any
business, after the termination of the Employee’s employment hereunder,
that does not compete with the Company or its
subsidiaries.
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ARTICLE
9
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS,
REPRESENTATIONS AND
WARRANTIES
OF THE EMPLOYEE
9.1
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The
Employee represents and warrants to the Company that the execution
and
performance of this Agreement does not and will not cause a breach
of any
agreement or undertaking to which he is a
party.
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9.2
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The
Employee hereby acknowledges that a breach of the provisions of this
Agreement and particularly, but without limitation, a breach of the
provisions set forth in Articles 7 and 8 hereof, will cause serious
and
irreparable injury to the Company which breach by the Employee cannot
be
adequately remedied by damages and, as a consequence, the Employee
hereby
agrees that in the event of a breach of Article 7 or 8 of this Agreement
by the Employee, injunctive relief, interim, provisional, interlocutory
and permanent, shall be an appropriate remedy for the Company without
prejudice to any other rights or remedies including damages which
may
otherwise be available to the Company; it being agreed that the rights
and
remedies herein provided shall be cumulative and not alternative;
and any
waiver by the Company of the strict observance or performance of
the terms
of this Agreement and any indulgence granted by the Company shall
be
deemed not to be a waiver of any subsequent
default.
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ARTICLE
10
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS,
REPRESENTATIONS AND
WARRANTIES
OF THE COMPANY
10.1
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The
Company hereby represents and warrants
that:
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10.1.1
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the
Company is a duly incorporated and subsisting corporate entity under
the
Canada
Business Corporations Act
and has all the necessary power, authority and capacity to enter
into this
Agreement and to carry on its business as now conducted, and to own
its
property and assets;
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10.1.2
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the
Company has all requisite corporate power and authority to carry
out its
obligations under this Agreement;
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10.1.3
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this
Agreement has been duly authorized, executed and delivered by, and
constitutes a legal, valid and binding obligation of the Company,
enforceable against it in accordance with its
terms;
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10.1.4
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the
Company is a reporting issuer in the provinces of British Columbia,
Alberta, Ontario and Quebec, and is in good standing with the securities
regulatory authorities in each of these jurisdictions, the Company
further
undertaking that it will use its reasonable efforts to maintain such
status as a reporting issuer or the equivalent
thereto;
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10.1.5
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the
Company’s common shares are listed on the TSX Venture Exchange, and the
Company has complied at all times with and is not in breach of any
of the
policies of said exchange including any securities legislation applicable
to it, the Company further undertaking that it will use its reasonable
efforts to maintain such listing;
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10.1.6
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that
all information and documentation (including, without limitation,
all
financial statements) provided or to be provided by the Company to
the
Employee is and will be true and accurate in all material
respects;
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10.1.7
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the
Company and/or its subsidiaries have valid, legal and beneficial
ownership, free and clear of all encumbrances, of all intellectual
and
industrial property currently used by the Company (including, without
limitation, all intellectual property associated with the game “MAHJONG
MANIA”) including, without limitation (a) any domestic or foreign patent,
trademark, copyright, and trade name, and all applications therefor;
(b)
any invention (whether patentable or not), invention disclosure,
improvement, trade secret, proprietary information, know-how, technology,
technical data or schematic, and all documentation and other materials
relating thereto; (c) any software (both source code and object code
form)
and any proprietary rights in such software and all documentation
and
other materials relating thereto; and (d) any and all other intellectual
or industrial property or rights, (collectively, the “Intellectual
Property”);
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10.1.8
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there
is no claim for any infringement or breach by the Company of any
intellectual and industrial rights of any other person or entity,
nor does
the use of the Company’s Intellectual Property infringe upon or breach any
intellectual or industrial property rights of any other person or
entity;
and
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10.1.9
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there
is no (a) action, suit or proceeding, at law or in equity, (b) arbitration
or alternative dispute resolution process, or (c) administrative
or other
proceeding by or before (or to the knowledge of the Company, any
investigation by) any governmental or regulatory authority, pending
or, to
the knowledge of the Company, threatened against or affecting the
Company,
its operations or any of its assets (including, without limitation,
the
Intellectual Property referred to in paragraph 10.1.7
above).
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ARTICLE
11
INDEMNIFICATION
11.1
|
Subject
to the provisions hereof, the Company
shall:
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11.1.1
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indemnify
and save the Employee harmless from any liability or injury to persons
or
damage to property by reason of any cause as a result of the performance
of this Agreement by the Employee;
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11.1.2
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indemnify
and reimburse the Employee upon demand for any money or property
that the
latter is required to pay out for any reason whatsoever, whether
the
payment is for operating expenses or any other charges or debts incurred
or assumed by the Employee, or judgments, settlements or expenses
in
defense of any claim, civil or criminal action, proceeding, charge
or
prosecution made, instituted or maintained against the Employee or
the
Company jointly and severally affecting or as a result of the performance
of this Agreement by the Employee;
and
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11.1.3
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defend
promptly and diligently, at the Company’s expense, any claim, action or
proceedings brought against the Employee or the Company jointly and
severally arising out of or connected with any of the foregoing,
and to
save harmless and fully indemnify the Employee from any judgment
loss or
settlement on account thereof regardless of the jurisdiction in which
any
such claims, actions or proceedings may be
brought.
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11.2
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The
Company agrees that throughout the Term of this Agreement and any
renewal
thereof, it shall subscribe for and maintain, at its expense, adequate
directors and officers liability insurance in order to cover any
possible
claims against the Employee for which he may be entitled to be indemnified
pursuant to this Article 11.
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11.3
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Notwithstanding
the foregoing, the Company shall not be liable to indemnify and save
the
Employee harmless from any such liability which results from acts
of
omission or commission committed by the Employee outside the scope
of this
Agreement or the scope of his functions or Duties with the Company
or the
gross negligence or willful misconduct of the
Employee.
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ARTICLE
12
NOTICE
12.1
|
Any
notice authorized or required to be given or made by or pursuant
to this
Agreement shall be made in writing and either personally delivered
or
mailed by registered mail, postage prepaid to the following
addresses:
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12.1.1
In the
case of the Company: Dynasty
Gaming Inc.
000
Xxxxxx Xxxxxxxx, Xxxxx 000
Xxxxxxxx,
Xxxxxx X0X 0X0
Attention: Xxxxxx
Xxxxxxxx, President
and
Chief Executive Officer
12.1.2
In the
case of the Employee:
Xxxx
Xxxxxxxx
0000
Xxxxxxx Xxxxxx
Xxxxxxxx,
Xxxxxx X0X 0X0
or
such
other address as either party may designate in writing from time to
time.
ARTICLE
13
INTERPRETATION
13.1
|
This
Agreement contains the entire agreement of the parties hereto and
any and
all previous agreements, written or oral, between the parties hereto
or on
their behalf, relating to the engagement of the Employee by the company,
are hereby terminated and cancelled. Except as otherwise provided
for
herein, no amendment or variation of any of the provisions of this
Agreement shall be valid unless made in writing and signed by each
of the
parties hereto.
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13.2
|
All
dollar amounts referred to in this Agreement are in Canadian
funds.
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13.3
|
The
provisions of this Agreement shall enure to the benefit of and be
binding
upon the Employee and his heirs, executors and administrators, and
upon
the Company and its successors and assigns. This Agreement shall
not be
assigned by the Employee.
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13.4
|
Headings
are included in this Agreement for convenience of reference only
and are
not intended to be full or accurate description of the contents
thereof.
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13.5
|
If
any provision or part of any provision of this Agreement, or the
application of any such provision or part of such provision to any
person
or circumstance, shall be held invalid, null, void, illegal or
unenforceable, the remainder of this Agreement, or the application
of such
provision to any person or circumstance other than those as to which
it is
held invalid, null, void, illegal or unenforceable shall not be affected
thereby.
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13.6
|
No
provision of this Agreement shall be deemed to be waived as a result
of
the failure of either of the parties to require the performance of
any
term or condition of this Agreement or by other course of
conduct.
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13.7
|
This
Agreement shall be governed by the laws of the Province of
Quebec.
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ARTICLE
14
LANGUAGE
14.1
|
The
parties hereto have required that this Agreement and related documents
be
drafted in the English language. Les
parties aux présentes ont exigé que ce contrat et les documents y
afférents soient rédigés dans la langue
anglaise.
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IN
WITNESS WHEREOF
the
parties hereto have executed this Agreement at the place and as of the date
first hereinabove mentioned.
DYNASTY GAMING INC. | ||
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Per: | /s/ Xxxxxx Xxxxxxxx | |
Xxxxxx Xxxxxxxx |
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President and Chief Executive Officer |
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/s/ XXXX XXXXXXXX | |
XXXX XXXXXXXX |
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