AGREEMENT AND PLAN OF MERGER BY AND AMONG ROCKET SOFTWARE, INC., ROCKET SOFTWARE MINNESOTA, INC. AND CORVU CORPORATION Dated as of March 5, 2007
Exhibit
2.1
BY
AND AMONG
ROCKET
SOFTWARE, INC.,
ROCKET
SOFTWARE MINNESOTA, INC.
AND
CORVU
CORPORATION
Dated
as of March 5, 2007
TABLE
OF CONTENTS
2
|
||
1.1
|
The
Merger
|
2
|
1.2
|
Effective
Time
|
2
|
1.3
|
Effects
of the Merger
|
2
|
1.4
|
Closing
|
2
|
|
||
Article
II. SURVIVING CORPORATION
|
3
|
|
2.1
|
Articles
of Incorporation
|
3
|
2.2
|
Bylaws
|
3
|
2.3
|
Directors
and Officers
|
3
|
|
||
Article
III. MERGER CONSIDERATION; CONVERSION OR CANCELLATION OF
|
|
|
SECURITIES
IN THE MERGER
|
3
|
|
3.1
|
Share
Consideration for the Merger; Conversion or Cancellation of Shares
in the
Merger
|
3
|
3.2
|
Stock
Options and Warrants
|
4
|
3.3
|
Payment
for Securities in the Merger
|
5
|
3.4
|
Dissenting
Shares.
|
7
|
3.5
|
No
Further Rights or Transfers
|
8
|
3.6
|
Certain
Company Actions
|
8
|
|
||
Article
IV. REPRESENTATIONS AND WARRANTIES OF THE COMPANY
|
8
|
|
4.1
|
Corporate
Organization and Qualification
|
9
|
4.2
|
Capitalization;
Subsidiaries
|
9
|
4.3
|
Authority
Relative to This Agreement
|
10
|
4.4
|
Consents
and Approvals; No Violation
|
11
|
4.5
|
SEC
Reports; Financial Statements
|
12
|
4.6
|
Absence
of Certain Changes or Events
|
12
|
4.7
|
Litigation
|
13
|
4.8
|
Absence
of Undisclosed Liabilities
|
13
|
4.9
|
Proxy
Statement
|
13
|
4.10
|
Taxes
|
13
|
4.11
|
Employee
Benefit Plans; Labor Matters
|
15
|
4.12
|
Environmental
Laws and Regulations
|
17
|
i
4.13
|
Intellectual
Property.
|
17
|
4.14
|
Compliance
with Laws
|
22
|
4.15
|
Takeover
Statutes
|
22
|
4.16
|
Agreements,
Contracts and Commitments
|
23
|
4.17
|
Permits
|
24
|
4.18
|
Brokers,
Finders and Others
|
24
|
4.19
|
Opinion
of Financial Advisor
|
24
|
4.20
|
Property
|
24
|
4.21
|
Insurance
|
25
|
4.22
|
Books
and Records
|
25
|
4.23
|
Foreign
Corrupt Practices
|
25
|
4.24
|
Affiliate
Transactions; Xxxxxxxx-Xxxxx Act
|
25
|
4.25
|
Expenses
|
26
|
|
||
Article
V. REPRESENTATIONS AND WARRANTIES OF PARENT AND NEWCO
|
26
|
|
5.1
|
Corporate
Organization and Qualification
|
26
|
5.2
|
Authority
Relative to This Agreement
|
26
|
5.3
|
Consents
and Approvals; No Violation
|
27
|
5.4
|
Proxy
Statement
|
27
|
5.5
|
Interim
Operations of Newco
|
28
|
5.6
|
Brokers
and Finders
|
28
|
5.7
|
Company
Stock
|
28
|
|
||
Article
VI. COVENANTS AND AGREEMENTS
|
28
|
|
6.1
|
Conduct
of Business of the Company
|
28
|
6.2
|
No
Solicitation of Transactions.
|
31
|
6.3
|
Reasonable
Best Efforts to Complete Transactions
|
33
|
6.4
|
Shareholders
Meeting; Proxy Statement.
|
34
|
6.5
|
Access
to Information
|
35
|
6.6
|
Publicity
|
36
|
6.7
|
Indemnification
of Directors and Officers
|
36
|
6.8
|
Invention
Assignment Agreements
|
37
|
|
||
Article
VII. CONDITIONS TO CONSUMMATION OF THE MERGER
|
38
|
|
7.1
|
Conditions
to Each Party’s Obligations to Effect the Merger
|
38
|
7.2
|
Conditions
to the Company’s Obligations to Effect the Merger
|
38
|
ii
7.3
|
Conditions
to Parent’s and Newco’s Obligations to Effect the Merger
|
38
|
|
||
Article
VIII. TERMINATION; WAIVER
|
41
|
|
8.1
|
Termination
by Mutual Consent
|
41
|
8.2
|
Termination
by Either Parent or the Company
|
41
|
8.3
|
Termination
by Parent
|
41
|
8.4
|
Termination
by the Company
|
42
|
8.5
|
Effect
of Termination.
|
42
|
8.6
|
Extension;
Waiver
|
43
|
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||
Article
IX. ADDITIONAL DEFINITIONS
|
44
|
|
9.1
|
Certain
Definitions
|
44
|
|
||
Article
X. MISCELLANEOUS
|
48
|
|
10.1
|
Payment
of Expenses
|
48
|
10.2
|
Survival
of Confidentiality
|
48
|
10.3
|
Modification
or Amendment
|
48
|
10.4
|
Waiver
of Conditions
|
49
|
10.5
|
Counterparts
|
49
|
10.6
|
Governing
Law
|
49
|
10.7
|
Notices
|
49
|
10.8
|
Entire
Agreement; Assignment
|
50
|
10.9
|
Parties
in Interest
|
50
|
10.10
|
Obligation
of Parent
|
51
|
10.11
|
Severability
|
51
|
10.12
|
Specific
Performance
|
51
|
10.13
|
Certain
Interpretations
|
51
|
Attachments
Exhibit
A
- Warrant Waiver Agreement
Exhibit
B
- Option and Support Agreement
Exhibit
C
- Management Employment Acknowledgement
Exhibit
D
- Officers and Directors of Surviving Corporation
Exhibit
E
- Form of Confidentiality, Assignment and Loyalty Agreement
Exhibit
F
- Form of Opinion
Exhibit
G
- Certificate
Company
Disclosure Schedule
Schedule
A Shareholder Register
Schedule
B Net Working Capital
iii
AGREEMENT
AND PLAN OF MERGER
(this
“Agreement”),
dated
as of March 5, 2007, by and among Rocket Software, Inc., a Delaware
corporation (“Parent”),
Rocket Software Minnesota, Inc., a Minnesota corporation and a direct
wholly-owned Subsidiary of Parent (“Newco”),
and
CorVu Corporation, a Minnesota corporation (the “Company”).
RECITALS
WHEREAS,
each of Parent and the Company has determined that it is in its best interests
for Parent to acquire the Company, upon the terms and subject to the conditions
set forth in this Agreement;
WHEREAS,
concurrently herewith, ComVest Investment Partners II LLC, a Delaware limited
liability company (“ComVest”)
is
entering into an agreement in the form of Exhibit
A
attached
(the “Warrant
Waiver Agreement”),
pursuant to which it is agreeing that
the
Protective Warrant issued to ComVest as of February 11, 2005 pursuant to which
ComVest is entitled to purchase up to 2,000,000 shares of common stock of the
Company, par value $0.01 per share (“Common
Stock”)
upon
the happening of certain events (the “ComVest
Protective Warrant”),
automatically shall be cancelled without payment immediately prior to the
Effective Time;
WHEREAS,
ComVest, Xxxxxx X. XxxXxxxxx and Xxxxx XxxXxxxxx are executing and delivering
an
Option and Support Agreement to Parent substantially in the form attached hereto
as Exhibit
B
(the
“Option
and Support Agreement”),
pursuant to which, among other things, such persons are agreeing to vote certain
shares for the Merger and Parent has the option to purchase a portion of such
holder’s Common Stock, as more fully described in the respective Option and
Support Agreements;
WHEREAS,
prior to the date hereof, the Company has redeemed and retired each formerly
outstanding share of Series C Convertible Preferred Stock, par value $100.00
per
share (the “Series
C Stock”),
of
the Company, such that none of such securities currently are
outstanding;
WHEREAS,
prior to the date hereof, the Company has paid in full and forever extinguished
any payment or other obligations with respect to the Senior Secured Promissory
Note in the initial principal amount of $1,500,000 issued in favor of ComVest
as
of February 11, 2005 (the “ComVest
Note”);
WHEREAS,
concurrently herewith, each of the Key Employees is entering into an employment
agreement, a form of which is attached hereto as Exhibit
C(each,
a
“Management
Employment Acknowledgement”);
WHEREAS,
concurrently herewith, Parent and Company are executing and delivering to U.S.
Bank National Association, a national banking association (the “Escrow
Agent”),
an
escrow agreement (the “Escrow
Agreement”),
and
Parent is depositing One Million Dollars ($1,000,000) (the “Escrow
Fund”),
to
serve as a source of payment if Parent is required to pay the Company the fee
provided in Section
8.5(d)
hereof;
1
WHEREAS,
a duly constituted committee of disinterested members of the board of directors
of the Company (the “Special
Committee”),
has
determined that this Agreement and the transactions contemplated hereby,
including the Merger, are in the best interests of the shareholders of the
Company, has approved this Agreement and the transactions contemplated hereby
in
accordance with the Minnesota Business Corporation Act (the “MBCA”),
and
has resolved to recommend that the shareholders of the Company adopt this
Agreement and approve the Merger at a special meeting of shareholders to be
duly
called and held by the Company;
WHEREAS,
the board of directors of each of Parent and Newco has approved this Agreement,
the Merger and the other transactions contemplated by this Agreement;
and
WHEREAS,
Parent, Newco and the Company desire to make certain representations,
warranties, covenants and agreements in connection with the Merger.
NOW,
THEREFORE, in consideration of the foregoing and the mutual representations,
warranties, covenants and agreements set forth herein, Parent, Newco and the
Company hereby agree as follows:
ARTICLE
I.
THE
MERGER
1.1 The
Merger .
Subject
to the terms and conditions of this Agreement, at the Effective Time (as defined
below), the Company and Newco shall consummate a merger (the “Merger”)
in
which (a) Newco shall be merged with and into the Company and the separate
corporate existence of Newco shall thereupon cease, (b) the Company shall be
the
surviving corporation in the Merger and shall continue to be governed by the
Laws (as defined below) of the State of Minnesota, and (c) the separate
corporate existence of the Company shall continue unaffected by the Merger.
The
corporation surviving the Merger is sometimes hereinafter referred to as the
“Surviving
Corporation.”
1.2 Effective
Time.
As soon
as practicable after the satisfaction or waiver of the conditions set forth
in
Article
VII
hereof,
the appropriate parties hereto shall execute in the manner required by the
MBCA
and file with the Minnesota Secretary of State appropriate articles of merger
relating to the Merger (the “Articles
of Merger”),
and
the parties hereto shall take such other reasonable and further actions as
may
be required by Law to make the Merger effective. The time that the Merger
becomes effective in accordance with applicable Law is hereinafter referred
to
as the “Effective
Time.”
1.3 Effects
of the Merger.
The
Merger shall have the effects set forth in Section 302A.641 of the
MBCA.
1.4 Closing.
The
closing of the Merger (the “Closing”)
shall
take place (a) at the offices of Xxxxxxxxxx & Xxxxx, P.A., 000 Xxxxx
Xxxxx Xxxxxx, Xxxxx 0000, Xxxxxxxxxxx, XX 00000-0000 on the third business
day
following the date on which the last of the conditions set forth in Article
VII
hereof
shall be fulfilled or waived in accordance with this Agreement, or (b) at such
other place, time and date and in such other manner as Parent and the Company
may agree.
2
ARTICLE
II.
SURVIVING
CORPORATION
2.1 Articles
of Incorporation .
The
Articles of Incorporation of Newco, as in effect immediately prior to the
Effective Time, shall be the Articles of Incorporation of the Surviving
Corporation, until thereafter further amended in accordance with the MBCA and
the provisions of such Articles of Incorporation, except that such Articles
of
Incorporation shall be amended so as to change the name of Newco to “CorVu
Corporation”.
2.2 Bylaws.
The
Bylaws of Newco, as in effect immediately prior to the Effective Time, shall
be
the Bylaws of the Surviving Corporation, until thereafter amended in accordance
with the MBCA and the provisions of Newco’s Articles of Incorporation and such
Bylaws.
2.3 Directors
and Officers.
From
and after the Effective Time, the directors and officers of the Surviving
Corporation shall be those individuals listed on Exhibit
D
until
their successors have been duly elected or appointed and qualified, or until
their earlier death, resignation or removal, in accordance with the Surviving
Corporation’s Articles of Incorporation and Bylaws.
ARTICLE
III.
MERGER
CONSIDERATION; CONVERSION OR CANCELLATION OF SECURITIES IN THE
MERGER
3.1 Share
Consideration for the Merger; Conversion or Cancellation of Shares in the
Merger.
At the
Effective Time, by virtue of the Merger and without any action on the part
of
Parent, Newco, the Company, the Surviving Corporation or the holders of any
outstanding shares of the Company’s Capital Stock described in Section 4.2
below,
each share of such Capital Stock (collectively, the “Shares,”
and
each, a “Share”)
shall
be treated as follows:
(a) Each
share of Common Stock issued and outstanding immediately prior to the Effective
Time (other than those shares of Common Stock which are Dissenting
Shares
(as defined below) and shares owned by Parent, Newco or any direct or indirect
wholly-owned Subsidiary of Parent (collectively, “Parent
Companies”)
or by
the Company or any of the Company’s direct or indirect wholly-owned
Subsidiaries), shall be cancelled and extinguished and converted into the right
to receive from Parent, pursuant to Section 3.3,
an
amount equal to the Per Share Merger Consideration, payable to the holder
thereof without interest thereon, upon the surrender of the certificate formerly
representing such share of Common Stock.
(b) Each
Share issued and outstanding and owned by the Parent Companies or the Company
or
any of the Company’s direct or indirect wholly-owned Subsidiaries shall
immediately prior to the Effective Time cease to be outstanding, be cancelled
and retired, without payment of any consideration therefor, and shall cease
to
exist.
(c) Each
share of Series B Convertible Preferred Stock, par value $0.01 per share (the
“Series
B Stock”)
issued
and outstanding immediately prior to the Effective Time (other than those shares
of Series B Stock which are Dissenting Shares), shall be cancelled and
extinguished and converted into the right to receive, pursuant to Section
3.3,
an
amount equal to the Per Share Merger Consideration, payable to the holder
thereof without interest thereon, upon the surrender of the certificate formerly
representing such share of Series B Stock.
3
(d) Each
share of common stock of Newco issued and outstanding immediately prior to
the
Effective Time shall be converted into one validly issued, fully paid and
nonassessable share of common stock of the Surviving Corporation.
3.2 Stock
Options and Warrants.
(a) Prior
to
the Effective Time, the Board of Directors shall adopt such resolutions and
take
such other actions as are required to approve and effect the matters
contemplated by this Section 3.2.
The
Company shall use its best efforts to obtain any necessary consents of the
holders of Options and Warrants (each as defined below) to effect this
Section 3.2.
(b) The
Company shall take all necessary steps to ensure that each option to acquire
shares of capital stock of the Company (“Option”)
that
has been granted under the Company’s 1996 Stock Option Plan or the Company’s
2005 Equity Incentive Plan (collectively, the “Option
Plans”),
or
otherwise, and is outstanding as of immediately prior to the Effective Time,
and
each warrant to purchase Capital Stock, that is outstanding as of immediately
prior to the Effective Time (the “Warrants”),
other
than the ComVest Protective Warrant, will (i) become fully exercisable or
“vested” as of immediately prior to the Effective Time, and (ii) at the
Effective Time, automatically shall be cancelled and converted into the right
to
receive, upon compliance with the provisions noted below, a lump sum cash
payment in an amount equal to the product of the following:
(i) the
excess, if any, of the Per Share Merger Consideration
payable
per share of Common Stock over the per share exercise price of each share of
Common Stock subject to such Option or Warrant, multiplied by
(ii) the
number of shares of Capital Stock covered by such Option or Warrant, and in
each
case
less
applicable taxes required to be withheld pursuant to Section 3.2(f).
(c) If,
in
accordance with Section 3.2(b)(i)
above,
the Per Share Merger Consideration payable per share of Common Stock is less
than the per share exercise price of any Option or Warrant, then any such Option
or Warrant shall automatically be cancelled without any consideration as of
the
Effective Time.
(d) As
of the
Effective Time, each of the Option Plans and any other plan, program or
arrangement providing for the issuance or grant of any other interest in respect
of securities or rights to acquire securities of the Company shall be terminated
and cancelled (without any liability on the part of Parent or the Surviving
Corporation other than as expressly set forth in this Section 3.2).
4
(e) No
party
to this Agreement shall be liable to any holder of any Option or Warrant for
any
cash delivered to a public official pursuant to and in accordance with any
abandoned property, escheat or similar Law.
(f) Parent
shall cause the Surviving Corporation to deduct and withhold from the cash
otherwise payable to the holder of any Option or Warrant pursuant to this
Section 3.2,
such
amounts as the Parent and the Surviving Corporation reasonably and in good
faith
determine are required to be deducted and withheld with respect to the making
of
such payment under the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the
“Code”),
or
any social security, FICA or Medicare tax Law, or any other provision of
federal, state, local or foreign tax Law. To the extent that amounts are so
withheld by the Surviving Corporation, such withheld amounts shall be (i)
treated for all purposes of this Agreement as having been paid to the Option
or
Warrant holder in respect of which such deduction and withholding was made
by
the Surviving Corporation, and (ii) deposited on such Option or Warrant holder’s
behalf with the appropriate taxing authorities.
(g) The
Company and the Board of Directors shall take any and all actions (including,
but not limited to, giving requisite notices to, and using their best efforts
to
obtain all necessary consents from, holders of Options and Warrants advising
them of such cancellations and any rights pursuant to this Section 3.2)
as are
necessary to (i) fully advise holders of Options of their rights under the
Option Plans or otherwise and the Options in connection with the Merger and
the
rights of holders of Warrants of their rights under the Warrants in connection
with the Merger, and (ii) effectuate the provisions of this Section 3.2
under
the terms of the Option Plans or other Option-related agreements and Warrants.
From and after the Effective Time, other than as expressly set forth in this
Section 3.2,
no
holder of an Option or Warrant shall have any rights in respect thereof other
than to receive payment (if any) for the Options or Warrants as set forth in
this Section 3.2,
and
neither Parent nor the Surviving Corporation shall have any liability or
obligation under any of the Option Plans or, other than the obligation to make
any required payment set forth in this Section 3.2,
with
respect to the Options or Warrants.
(h) Any
payment to be made to a holder of any Option or Warrant in accordance with
this
Section 3.2
shall be
subject to Parent’s prior receipt of (i) the Option or Warrant, as the case may
be, for cancellation or delivery of an instrument reasonably satisfactory to
Parent effecting the cancellation of the Option or Warrant, as the case may
be,
and (ii) written instructions from the holder of such Option or Warrant
specifying the Person to whom payment should be made and the address where
such
check should be sent, or appropriate wire transfer instructions. Upon receipt
of
such items, Parent shall direct the Paying Agent (as defined below) to make
any
such payment in respect of such Option or Warrant. Until surrendered in
accordance with the provisions of this Section 3.2,
each
Option and Warrant shall represent for all purposes after the Effective Time
only the right to receive the payments, if any, pursuant to this Section 3.2.
3.3 Payment
for Securities in the Merger.
The
manner of making payment for Shares, Options and Warrants in the Merger shall
be
as follows:
(a) Prior
to
the Effective Time, Parent shall designate a reputable bank or trust company
or
other entity reasonably acceptable to the Company to act as paying agent for
the
holders of Shares, Options and Warrants in connection with the Merger (the
“Paying
Agent”),
and
to receive the funds to which the holders of Shares will become entitled
pursuant to Section 3.1(a),
and to
which the holders of Options and Warrants may become entitled pursuant to
Section 3.2.
Immediately prior to the Effective Time, Parent shall deposit, or cause to
be
deposited, with the Paying Agent, for the benefit of the holders of Shares,
Options and Warrants, the funds necessary to make the payments contemplated
by
Sections
3.1
and
3.2,
respectively (the “Payment
Fund”).
The
Paying Agent shall, pursuant to irrevocable instructions, make the payments
contemplated by Sections
3.1(a)
and
(c)
and
3.2,
respectively, out of the Payment Fund in accordance with the provisions of
Section 3.3(c)
below.
5
(b) The
Paying Agent shall invest the Payment Fund as directed by Parent or Newco in
(i)
investment grade money market instruments, (ii) direct obligations of the United
States of America, (iii) obligations for which the full faith and credit of
the
United States of America is pledged to provide for the payment of principal
and
interest, (iv) commercial paper rated the highest quality by either Xxxxx’x
Investors Services, Inc. or Standard & Poor’s Corporation, or (v)
certificates of deposit, bank repurchase agreements or bankers’ acceptances of
commercial banks with capital exceeding $1 billion, in each case having
maturities not to exceed thirty (30) days and as designated by Parent, with
any
interest earned thereon being payable to Parent. Parent shall cause the Payment
Fund to be promptly replenished to the extent of any losses incurred and not
offset by earnings or gains as a result of the aforementioned investments.
All
earnings and gains thereon shall inure to the benefit of Parent. If for any
reason (including losses) the Payment Fund is inadequate to pay the amounts
to
which holders of Shares shall be entitled under Sections 3.1(a)
and
(c),
and
this Section 3.3,
and to
which holders of Options or Warrants shall be entitled under Section 3.2
and this
Section 3.3,
Parent
shall in any event be liable for payment thereof. The Payment Fund shall not
be
used for any purpose except as expressly provided in this
Agreement.
(c) As
soon
as reasonably practicable after the Effective Time, the Paying Agent shall
mail
to each holder of record (other than holders of certificates representing
Dissenting Shares and for Shares referred to in Section 3.1(b))
of a
certificate or certificates which immediately prior to the Effective Time
represented outstanding Common Stock (the “Certificates”)
and to
each holder of record of Series B Convertible Preferred Stock (other than
holders owning Dissenting Shares), (i) a notice and letter of transmittal
(which shall specify that delivery shall be effected, and risk of loss and
title
to the Certificates shall pass, only upon proper delivery of the Certificates
to
the Paying Agent, and shall be in such form and have such other provisions
as
Parent may reasonably specify), and (ii) instructions for use in effecting
the
surrender of the Certificates for payment therefor. Upon surrender of
Certificates, if any, for cancellation to the Paying Agent, together with such
letter of transmittal duly executed and properly completed, and any other
required documents, the holder of such Certificates shall be entitled to receive
for each Share represented by such Certificates, and the holder of record of
Series B Convertible Preferred Stock shall be entitled to receive for each
Share
of Series B Convertible Preferred Stock, the Per Share Merger Consideration,
without any interest thereon, less
any
required withholding of taxes, and the Certificates so surrendered shall
forthwith be cancelled.. With respect to Options and Warrants, Parent shall
direct the Paying Agent to make payments to the holders of Options and Warrants
(other than the ComVest Protective Warrant) in accordance with the provisions
of
Section 3.2(h).
6
(d) If
payment is to be made to a Person other than the Person in whose name a
Certificate so surrendered is registered, it shall be a condition of payment
that the Certificate so surrendered shall be properly endorsed and otherwise
in
proper form for transfer and that the Person requesting such payment shall
pay
to the Paying Agent any transfer or other taxes required by reason of the
payment to a Person other than the registered holder of the Certificate
surrendered, or shall establish to the satisfaction of the Paying Agent that
such tax has been paid or is not applicable. Until surrendered in accordance
with the provisions of this Section 3.3,
each
Certificate (other than certificates representing Dissenting Shares or Shares
referred to in Section 3.1(b))
shall
represent for all purposes only the right to receive, for each Share represented
thereby, the Per Share Merger Consideration, and shall not evidence any interest
in, or any right to exercise the rights of a shareholder or other equityholder
of, the Company or the Surviving Corporation.
(e) Any
portion of the Payment Fund made available to the Paying Agent which remains
unclaimed by the former shareholders, holders of Options or holders of Warrants
of the Company for nine (9) months after the Effective Time shall be delivered
to Parent, upon demand of Parent, and any former shareholders, holders of
Options or holders of Warrants of the Company shall thereafter look only to
Parent for payment of any amounts to which such holders are entitled pursuant
to
Sections
3.1
or
3.2,
as
applicable, in each case without any interest thereon and subject to any taxes
required to be withheld.
(f) Neither
the Paying Agent nor any party to this Agreement shall be liable to any
shareholder or holder of Options or Warrants of the Company for any Merger
Consideration or cash delivered to a public official pursuant to and in
accordance with any abandoned property, escheat or similar Law.
(g) The
Paying Agent shall be entitled to deduct and withhold from the amounts otherwise
payable pursuant to this Agreement to any former holder of Shares, Options
or
Warrants of the Company such amounts as Parent and the Surviving Corporation
reasonably and in good faith determine are required to be deducted and withheld
with respect to the making of such payment under the Code, or any social
security, FICA or Medicare tax Law or any other provision of federal, state,
local or foreign tax Law. To the extent that amounts are so withheld by the
Paying Agent, such withheld amounts shall be (i) treated for all purposes
of this Agreement as having been paid to the former holder of Shares, Options
or
Warrants, as the case may be, in respect of which such deduction and withholding
was made by the Paying Agent, and (ii) deposited on behalf of such former
holder with the appropriate tax authorities.
3.4 Dissenting
Shares.
(a) Notwithstanding
anything in this Agreement to the contrary, Shares that are issued and
outstanding immediately prior to the Effective Time and which are held by a
holder who has not voted such Shares in favor of the Merger, who will have
delivered, prior to any vote on the Merger, a written demand for the fair value
of such Shares in the manner provided in Section 302A.473 of the MBCA and
who, as of the Effective Time, will not have effectively withdrawn or lost
such
right to dissenters’ rights (“Dissenting
Shares”)
will
not be converted into or represent a right to receive the Per Share Merger
Consideration pursuant to Section 3.1,
but
the holder thereof will be entitled only to such rights as are granted by
Section 302A.473 of the MBCA. Each holder of Dissenting Shares who becomes
entitled to payment for such Shares pursuant to Sections 302A.471 and 302A.473
of the MBCA will receive payment therefor from the Surviving Corporation in
accordance with the MBCA; provided,
however,
that if
any such holder of Dissenting Shares will have effectively withdrawn such
holder’s demand for appraisal of such Shares or lost such holder’s right to
appraisal and payment of such shares under Section 302A.473 of the MBCA,
such holder will forfeit the right to appraisal of such Shares and each such
Share will thereupon be deemed to have been canceled, extinguished and
converted, as of the Effective Time, into and represent the right to receive
payment from the Surviving Corporation of the Per Share Merger Consideration,
as
provided in Section 3.1.
7
(b) The
Company will give Parent (i) prompt notice of any written notice of intent
to
demand fair value, any withdrawal of such notice and any other instrument served
pursuant to Section 302A.473 of the MBCA received by the Company and (ii)
the opportunity to direct all negotiations and proceedings with respect to
notice of intent to demand fair value under Section 302A.473 of the MBCA.
The Company will not, except with the prior written consent of Parent,
voluntarily make any payment with respect to any such notices or offer to settle
or settle any such demand.
3.5 No
Further Rights or Transfers .
Except
for the surrender of the Certificates representing the Shares in exchange for
the right to receive the Per Share Merger Consideration with respect to each
Share or the perfection of dissenters’ rights with respect to the Dissenting
Shares, at and after the Effective Time, a holder of Shares shall cease to
have
any rights as a shareholder of the Company, and no transfer of Shares shall
thereafter be made on the stock transfer books of the Company.
3.6 Certain
Company Actions .
Prior
to the Effective Time, each of the Company and Parent shall take all such steps
as may be required (to the extent permitted under applicable Law) to cause
any
dispositions of Shares (including derivative securities with respect to Shares)
resulting from the transactions contemplated by Article
III
of this
Agreement by each individual who is subject to the reporting requirements of
Section 16(a)
of the
Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange
Act”)
with
respect to the Company to be exempt under Rule 16b-3 promulgated under the
Exchange Act.
ARTICLE
IV.
REPRESENTATIONS
AND WARRANTIES OF THE COMPANY
The
Company hereby makes the representations and warranties in this Article
IV
to
Parent and Newco, except as qualified or supplemented by sections in the Company
Disclosure Schedule attached hereto.
4.1 Corporate
Organization and Qualification.
The
Company is a corporation, duly incorporated, validly existing and in good
standing under the Laws of the State of Minnesota and is qualified and in good
standing as a foreign corporation in each jurisdiction where the properties
owned, leased or operated or the business conducted by it require such
qualification, except failure to so qualify or be in good standing would not
have a Company Material Adverse Effect (as hereinafter defined in Section 9.1).
Each
of the Subsidiaries (as hereinafter defined in Section 9.1)
of the
Company is duly organized, validly existing and in good standing under the
Laws
of its respective jurisdiction of organization and is qualified and in good
standing as a foreign corporation in each jurisdiction where the properties
owned, leased or operated or the business conducted by it require such
qualification, except where failure to so qualify or be in good standing would
not have a Company Material Adverse Effect (as hereinafter defined in
Section 9.1).
The
Company has all requisite corporate power and authority to own its properties
and to carry on its business as it is now being conducted. Each of the
Subsidiaries of the Company has all requisite power and authority to own its
properties and to carry on its business as it is now being conducted. The
Company has previously made available to Parent complete and correct copies
of
the Company Articles, and the Company’s Restated Bylaws, as amended and in
effect on the date hereof (the “Company
Bylaws”),
and
the certificate of incorporation and bylaws (or other comparable organizational
documents) of each of its Subsidiaries (the “Subsidiary
Organizational Documents”).
8
4.2 Capitalization;
Subsidiaries.
(a) The
authorized capital stock of the Company consists of 100,000,000 shares,
75,000,000 shares of which are designated as Common Stock, 1,000,000 shares
of
which are designated as Series A Convertible Preferred Stock, par value $10.00
per share (the “Series
A Stock”),
600,000 shares of which are designated as Series
B
Stock,
and
17,000 shares of which are designated as Series C Stock (the Series C Stock,
together with the Series A Stock, the Series B Stock and the Common Stock are
collectively referred to herein as the “Capital
Stock”).
As of
the date of this Agreement, 49,527,274 shares of Common Stock were issued and
outstanding, no shares of Series A Stock were issued and outstanding, 360,000
shares of Series B Stock were issued and outstanding and no shares of Series
C
Stock were issued and outstanding. Other than the foregoing, there are no other
shares of a class or series of Capital Stock of the Company or any Subsidiary
thereof authorized or outstanding. All of the issued and outstanding shares
of
Capital Stock have been duly authorized and validly issued and are fully paid
and nonassessable, and are free of preemptive rights. All of the issued and
outstanding shares of Capital Stock were issued in compliance with any
preemptive rights and any other statutory or contractual rights of any
shareholders of the Company and in compliance with all applicable securities
Laws. As of the date hereof, 1,200,000 shares of Common Stock are reserved
for
issuance upon conversion of the Series B Stock, 8,129,751 shares of Common
Stock
are reserved for issuance upon the exercise of outstanding Options granted
pursuant to the Option Plans, 150,440 shares of Common Stock are reserved for
issuance upon the exercise of outstanding Options granted outside of the Option
Plans, and 8,239,999 shares of Common Stock are reserved for issuance upon
the
exercise of outstanding Warrants (including the ComVest Protective Warrant).
Section 4.2(a)
of the
Company Disclosure Schedule sets forth a correct, true and complete list of
each
Person who, as of the close of business on March 2, 2007, held an Option under
any of the Option Plans or otherwise or a Warrant, indicating with respect
to
each Option and Warrant then outstanding, the number of Shares subject to such
Option or Warrant, the grant date and exercise price of such Option or Warrant,
and the vesting schedule and expiration of such Option or Warrant. The only
security issuable upon exercise of outstanding Options or Warrants is Common
Stock. There are not as of the date hereof, and at the Effective Time there
will
not be, any subscriptions, outstanding or authorized options, warrants,
convertible securities, calls, rights (including preemptive rights), commitments
or any other agreements of any character to which the Company or any of its
Subsidiaries is a party, or by which it may be bound, requiring it to issue,
transfer, sell, purchase, redeem or acquire any shares of its capital stock
or
any securities or rights convertible into, exercisable or exchangeable for,
or
evidencing the right to subscribe for, any shares of its capital stock, or
requiring it to give any Person the right to receive any benefit or rights
similar to any rights enjoyed by or accruing to the holders of its shares of
capital stock or any rights to participate in the equity or net income of the
Company or any of its Subsidiaries. Other than the Option and Support
Agreements, there are no shareholders’ agreements, voting trusts or other
agreements or understandings to which the Company or any of its Subsidiaries
is
a party or by which it is bound or, to the Knowledge of the Company, between
or
among shareholders, in each case with respect to the transfer or voting of
any
capital stock of the Company or any of its Subsidiaries.
9
(b) To
the
Knowledge of the Company, the shareholder register attached to this Agreement
as
Schedule
A
accurately records, in all material respects: (i) the name and address of
each Person owning shares of Capital Stock and (ii) the certificate number
of each certificate evidencing shares of Capital Stock issued by the Company,
the number of shares evidenced by each such certificate, the date of issuance
thereof and, in the case of cancellation, the date of cancellation.
(c) Section 4.2(c)
of the
Company Disclosure Schedule sets forth a true and complete list of the names,
jurisdictions of organization, and jurisdictions of qualification as a foreign
entity of each of the Company’s Subsidiaries. All outstanding shares of capital
stock or other equity interests of the Company’s Subsidiaries are owned by the
Company or a direct or indirect wholly-owned Subsidiary of the Company free
and
clear of all Liens, other than Permitted Liens (each term as defined in
Section 9.1).
(d) Other
than the Subsidiaries, there are no other corporations, joint ventures,
associations or other entities in which the Company or any of its Subsidiaries
owns, of record or beneficially, any direct or indirect equity or other interest
or any right (contingent or otherwise) to acquire the same. Other than the
Subsidiaries, neither the Company nor any of its Subsidiaries is a member of
(nor is any part of its business conducted through) any partnership nor is
the
Company or any of its Subsidiaries a participant in any joint venture or similar
arrangement.
4.3 Authority
Relative to This Agreement.
The
Company has the requisite corporate power and authority to execute and deliver
this Agreement and each instrument required hereby to be executed and delivered
by it at the Closing, to perform its obligations hereunder or thereunder and
to
consummate the transactions contemplated hereby and thereby. This Agreement
and
each instrument required hereby to be executed and delivered by the Company
at
the Closing and the consummation by the Company of the transactions contemplated
hereby have been duly and validly authorized by the Special Committee and no
other corporate proceedings on the part of the Company are necessary to
authorize this Agreement or to consummate the transactions contemplated hereby,
other than the approval of the Merger and the adoption of this Agreement by
holders of the Shares in accordance with the MBCA and the Company Articles.
This
Agreement has been duly and validly executed and delivered by the Company and,
assuming that this Agreement constitutes the legal, valid and binding agreement
of Parent and Newco, constitutes the legal, valid and binding agreement of
the
Company, enforceable against the Company in accordance with its terms, except
that such enforceability may be limited by (i) bankruptcy, insolvency,
reorganization, moratorium or other similar Laws now or hereafter in effect
relating to creditors’ rights generally, and (ii) general principles of equity
(regardless of whether enforceability is considered in a proceeding in equity
or
at Law).
10
4.4 Consents
and Approvals; No Violation.
(a) Neither
the execution and delivery by the Company of this Agreement and of each
instrument required hereby to be executed and delivered by the Company at the
Closing, nor the performance of its obligations hereunder or thereunder, nor
the
consummation by the Company of the transactions contemplated hereby or thereby,
will:
(i) conflict
with or result in any breach of any provision of the Company Articles or Company
Bylaws or the respective Subsidiary Organizational Documents of any of the
Company’s Subsidiaries;
(ii) require
any consent, approval, authorization or permit of, or filing with or
notification to, any governmental
authority, except (A) pursuant to the applicable requirements of the Securities
Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities
Act”)
or the
Exchange Act, (B) the filing of the Articles of Merger pursuant to the MBCA
and
appropriate documents with the relevant authorities of other states in which
the
Company or any of its Subsidiaries is authorized to do business, (C) as may
be
required by any applicable state securities or “blue sky” Laws, or (D) where the
failure to obtain such consent, approval, authorization or permit, or to make
such filing or notification, would not, individually or in the aggregate,
reasonably be expected to have a Company Material Adverse Effect, or adversely
affect or materially delay the consummation of the transactions contemplated
hereby;
(iii) result
in
a violation or breach of, or constitute (with or without due notice or lapse
of
time or both) a default (or give rise to any right of termination, cancellation
or acceleration or Lien) under any of the terms, conditions or provisions of
any
note, license, agreement or other instrument or obligation to which the Company
or any of its Subsidiaries is a party or by which any of its or their assets
may
be bound, except for such violations, breaches and defaults (or rights of
termination, cancellation or acceleration or Lien) as to which requisite waivers
or consents have been obtained by the Company or the failure of which to obtain
would not, individually or in the aggregate, reasonably be expected to have
a
Company Material Adverse Effect; or
(iv) assuming
that the consents, approvals, authorizations or permits and filings or
notifications referred to in this Section 4.4
are duly
and timely obtained or made and the approval of the Merger and the adoption
of
this Agreement by the Company’s shareholders have been obtained, violate any
Order (as defined in Section 4.14),
or any
statute, rule or regulation applicable to the Company or any of its
Subsidiaries, or to any of their respective assets.
11
(b) The
only
votes of the holders of any class or series of the Company’s or its
Subsidiaries’ securities necessary to approve this Agreement, the Merger and the
other transactions contemplated hereby are the affirmative vote of the holders
of a majority of the outstanding voting
power
of (A) the Common Stock and the Series B Stock (on an as-converted basis),
voting together as a single class and (B) the Series B Stock, voting as a single
class (such approvals, collectively, the “Company
Shareholder Approval”).
4.5 SEC
Reports; Financial Statements.
(a) The
Company has filed all forms, reports and documents required to be filed by
it
with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”)
since
January 1, 2004, pursuant to the federal securities Laws and the SEC rules
and
regulations thereunder (collectively, the “Company
SEC Reports”),
all
of which, as of their respective dates (or if subsequently amended or superseded
by a Company SEC Report, then as of the date of such subsequent filing),
complied in all material respects with all applicable requirements of the
Exchange Act and the Securities Act, as the case may be. None of the Company
SEC
Reports, including, without limitation, any financial statements or schedules
included therein, as of their respective dates, contained any untrue statement
of a material fact or omitted to state a material fact required to be stated
therein or necessary in order to make the statements therein, in light of the
circumstances under which they were made, not misleading.
(b) The
consolidated balance sheets and the related consolidated statements of income
and cash flows (including the related notes thereto) of the Company included
in
the Company SEC Reports, as of their respective dates, (i) complied in all
material respects with applicable accounting requirements and the published
rules and regulations of the SEC with respect thereto, (ii) were prepared in
accordance with the books and records of the Company and with United States
generally accepted accounting principles (“GAAP”)
applied on a basis consistent with prior periods (except as otherwise noted
therein and, subject, in the case of any unaudited interim financial statements,
to normal year-end adjustments and the lack of footnotes), and (iii) presented
fairly, in all material respects, the consolidated financial position of the
Company and its consolidated Subsidiaries as of their respective dates, and
the
consolidated results of their operations and their cash flows for the periods
presented therein (subject, in the case of any unaudited interim financial
statements, to normal year-end adjustments), all in accordance with GAAP.
4.6 Absence
of Certain Changes or Events .
As of
the date of this Agreement, since June 30, 2006, the Company has not suffered
any Company Material Adverse Effect, and to the Knowledge of the Company, no
fact, condition or circumstance exists that would reasonably be expected to
have, individually or in the aggregate, a Company Material Adverse
Effect.
4.7 Litigation.
As of
the date of this Agreement, there are no actions, claims, suits, proceedings,
governmental investigations, inquiries or subpoenas (collectively, “Actions”),
pending or, to the Knowledge of the Company, threatened against the Company
or
any of its Subsidiaries, or any property or asset of the Company or any of
its
Subsidiaries.
12
4.8 Absence
of Undisclosed Liabilities.
Except
for obligations required or permitted to be incurred in connection with the
transactions contemplated hereby, neither the Company nor any of its
Subsidiaries has any material liabilities or obligations of any nature (whether
accrued, absolute or contingent, asserted or unasserted, due or to become due)
of the type required by GAAP to be reflected as a liability on a consolidated
balance sheet of the Company, other than liabilities and obligations
(i) reflected on the balance sheet included in the Company’s Quarterly
Report on Form 10-QSB for the fiscal quarter ended December 31, 2006, or
(ii) incurred after December 31, 2006 in the ordinary course of business
consistent with past practice and immaterial in amount.
4.9 Proxy
Statement.
The
Proxy Statement (as defined below) and other materials distributed to the
Company’s shareholders in connection with the Merger, including any amendments
or supplements thereto, will comply in all material respects with applicable
federal securities Laws, and the Proxy Statement and any other proxy materials
will not, (a) at the time that it or any amendment or supplement thereto is
mailed to the Company’s shareholders, (b) at the time of the Shareholders
Meeting (as defined below) or (c) at the Effective Time, contain any untrue
statement of a material fact or omit to state any material fact required to
be
stated therein or necessary in order to make the statements therein, in light
of
the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading, except that no
representation is made by the Company with respect to information that is
supplied in writing by Newco or Parent expressly for inclusion in the Proxy
Statement.
4.10 Taxes.
(a) Tax
Returns.
(i) The
Company and each of its Subsidiaries have duly, timely and properly filed all
federal, state, local and foreign tax
returns (including, but not limited to, income, franchise, sales, payroll,
employee withholding and social security and unemployment) which were or (in
the
case of returns not yet due but due on or before the date of the Closing, taking
into account any valid extension of the time for filing) will be required to
be
filed with the appropriate taxing authority. All such tax returns accurately
reflect in all material respects all liabilities for taxes for the periods
covered thereby, and the Company and its Subsidiaries have paid or accrued,
or
caused to be paid or accrued, all material taxes for all periods or portions
thereof ending on or prior to the date of this Agreement (whether or not shown
on any tax return), including interest and penalties and withholding amounts
owed by the Company or any such Subsidiary, other than amounts being contested
in good faith for which appropriate reserves have been included on the balance
sheet of the appropriate Person. Without
limiting the generality of the foregoing, the accruals and reserves for current
taxes reflected in the financial statements included in the Company SEC Reports
are adequate in all material respects to cover all taxes accruable through
the
respective dates thereof (including interest and penalties, if any, thereon)
in
accordance with GAAP consistently applied.
(ii) Neither
the Company nor any of its Subsidiaries has received written notice of any
material claim made by a governmental authority in a jurisdiction where the
Company or such Subsidiary, as the case may be, does not file tax returns that
the Company or such Subsidiary is or may be subject to taxation by that
jurisdiction.
13
(iii) No
unpaid
tax deficiencies have been proposed or assessed in writing against the Company
or any of its Subsidiaries and no material tax deficiencies, whether paid or
unpaid, have been proposed or assessed in writing against the Company or any
of
its Subsidiaries since January 1, 2002.
(iv) Neither
the Company nor any of its Subsidiaries is liable for any taxes attributable
to
any other Person under any Law, whether by reason of being a member of another
affiliated group, being a party to a tax sharing agreement, as a transferee
or
successor, or otherwise. Neither the Company nor any of its Subsidiaries is
a
party to any material tax sharing, tax indemnity or other agreement or
arrangement with any entity not included in the Company’s consolidated financial
statements most recently filed by the Company with the SEC contained in the
2006
Form 10-KSB. No Person has any right of claim, reimbursement, allocation or
sharing against any tax refunds received or due to be received by the
Company.
(b) Audits.
Neither
the Company nor any of its Subsidiaries has consented to any extension of time
with respect to a tax assessment or deficiency or has waived any statute of
limitations in respect of taxes. In addition, (i)
none
of the federal income tax returns of the Company or any of its Subsidiaries
has
been examined by the Internal Revenue Service during the last six (6) taxable
years, (ii) no tax audit, examinations or other administrative or judicial
proceedings are pending or being conducted, or, to the Knowledge of the Company,
threatened, with respect to any taxes due from or with respect to or
attributable to the Company or any Subsidiary of the Company or any tax return
filed by or with respect to the Company or any Subsidiary of the Company, and
(iii) no written notification of an intent to audit, to examine or to initiate
administrative or judicial proceedings has been received by the Company or
by
any of its Subsidiaries.
(c) Liens.
There
are no tax Liens upon any property or assets of the Company or any of its
Subsidiaries, except for Liens for current taxes not yet due and payable and
Permitted Liens.
(d) Withholding
Taxes.
The
Company and each of its Subsidiaries has properly withheld and timely paid
in
all material respects all taxes which it was required to withhold and pay in
connection with or relating to salaries, compensation and other amounts paid
or
owing to its employees, consultants, creditors, shareholders, independent
contractors or other third parties. All Forms W-2 and 1099 required to be filed
with respect thereto have been timely and properly filed.
(e) Other
Representations.
(i) There
is
no contract, agreement, plan or arrangement to which the Company or any of
its
Subsidiaries is a party, or to which the Company or any of its Subsidiaries
is
bound, including, but not limited to, the provisions of this Agreement, covering
any Person that, individually or collectively, has resulted or would result
in
the payment of any “excess parachute payment” within the meaning of
Section 280G of the Code or any similar provision of foreign, state or
local Law.
14
(ii) Neither
the Company nor any of its Subsidiaries (A) is a party to or bound by any
closing agreement or offer in compromise with any taxing
authority, (B) has been or will be required to include any material adjustment
in taxable income for any tax period (or portion thereof) pursuant to
Section 481 or Section 263A of the Code or any similar provision of
foreign, state or local Law as a result of the transactions, events or
accounting methods employed as of or prior to the Closing, (C) has any excess
loss account (as defined in Treasury Regulations Section 1.1502-19), or (D)
has any deferred intercompany gains (as defined in Treasury Regulations
Section 1.1502-13).
(iii) None
of
the assets of the Company or any of its Subsidiaries is (A) “tax
exempt use property”
within
the meaning of Section 168(h) of the Code, (B) subject to any lease made
pursuant to Section 168(f) (8) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1954 or (C)
directly or indirectly secures any debt the interest on which is tax exempt
under Section 103(a) of the Code.
(iv) The
Company and each of its Subsidiaries have disclosed on their federal income
tax
returns all positions taken therein that (A) constitute a reportable tax shelter
transaction or any other tax shelter transaction within the meaning of
Section 6011 of the Code or (B) to the Knowledge of the Company, could give
rise to a substantial understatement of federal income tax within the meaning
of
Section 6662 of the Code.
(v) There
are
no powers of attorney or other authorizations in effect that grant to any Person
the authority to represent the Company or any of its Subsidiaries in connection
with any tax matter or proceeding.
4.11 Employee
Benefit Plans; Labor Matters.
(a) Employee
Benefit Plans.
(i) Section
4.11(a)(i)
of the
Company Disclosure Schedule sets forth a list of all Company Plans. The Company
and the Subsidiaries have performed all material obligations required to be
performed by them under and are not in any material respect in default under
or
in violation of, and to the Knowledge of the Company, there is no material
default or violation by any party to, any Company Plan. No Action is pending
or,
to the Knowledge of the Company, threatened with respect to any Company Plan
(other than claims for benefits in the ordinary course) and, to the Knowledge
of
the Company, no fact or event exists that could give rise to any such
Action.
(ii) All
contributions required to be made to each Company Plan under the terms thereof,
the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974, as amended (“ERISA”),
the
Code, or any other applicable Law have in all material respects been timely
made, and are in all material respects fully deductible in the year for which
they were paid or accrued. All other amounts that should be accrued in
accordance with GAAP as liabilities of the Company or any Subsidiary under
or
with respect to each Company Plan (including any unpaid administrative expenses
and incurred but not reported claims) for the current plan year of each Company
Plan have been recorded in all material respects on the books of the Company
or
such Subsidiary.
15
(iii) There
has
been no “reportable event,” as that term is defined in Section 4043 of
ERISA and the regulations thereunder, with respect to any of the Company Plans
which would require the giving of notice, or any event requiring notice to
be
provided, under Section 4063(a) of ERISA.
(iv) To
the
Knowledge of the Company, there has been no violation of ERISA that could
reasonably be expected to result in a material liability with respect to the
filing of applicable returns, reports, documents or notices regarding any of
the
Employee Benefit Plans with the Secretary of Labor or the Secretary of the
Treasury or the furnishing of such notices or documents to the participants
or
beneficiaries of the Employee Benefit Plans.
(v) No
Action
is pending or has been asserted or instituted against any Employee Benefit
Plan
or its assets or against the Company, or, to the Knowledge of the Company,
against any plan administrator or fiduciary of any Employee Benefit Plan, with
respect to the operation of any such Employee Benefit Plan (other than routine,
uncontested benefit claims). To the Knowledge of the Company, the Company has
not engaged in a nonexempt prohibited transaction described in Sections 406
of
ERISA or 4975 of the Code.
(vi) Neither
the Company nor any Subsidiary maintains, contributes to or is obligated to
contribute to (or within the past three (3) years has maintained, contributed
to
or been obligated to contribute to) any Pension Plan that is subject to Title
IV
of ERISA or Section 412 of the Code.
(vii) There
will be no material liability of the Company or
any
Subsidiary thereof (A) with respect to any Company Plan that has previously
been
terminated or (B) under any insurance policy or similar arrangement procured
in
connection with any Company Plan in the nature of a retroactive rate adjustment,
loss sharing arrangement, or other liability arising wholly or partially out
of
events occurring at or prior to the Effective Time.
(b) Labor
Matters.
Neither
the Company nor any of its Subsidiaries is a party to any collective bargaining
or other labor union contracts. There is no labor union or organizing activity
pending or, to the Knowledge of the Company, threatened, with respect to the
Company, any of its Subsidiaries or their respective businesses. There is no
pending or, to the Knowledge of the Company, threatened labor dispute, strike
or
work stoppage against the Company or any of its Subsidiaries which would
interfere with the respective business activities of the Company or its
Subsidiaries. To
the
Knowledge of the Company, as of the date of this Agreement, no executive, key
employee or significant group of employees plans to terminate employment with
the Company or any Subsidiary during the next twelve (12) months.
16
4.12 Environmental
Laws and Regulations.
The
Company and each of its Subsidiaries and their respective properties are in
compliance in all material respects with all applicable federal, state, local
and foreign Laws and regulations relating to pollution or protection of human
health or the environment, including, without limitation, the
Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act of 1980,
42 U.S.C. § 9601 et seq., and any amendments thereto, the Resource
Conservation and Recovery Act, 42 U.S.C. § 6901 et seq., and any amendments
thereto, the Hazardous Materials Transportation Act, 49 U.S.C. § 1801 et seq.,
any other Laws now in effect relating to, or imposing liability or standards
of
conduct concerning, any Hazardous Materials (as defined in Section 9.1)
(collectively,
“Environmental
Laws”).
Neither the Company nor any of its Subsidiaries has received within the period
of five (5) years prior to the Effective Time written notice of, or, to the
Knowledge of the Company, is the subject of, any action, cause of action, claim,
investigation, demand or notice by any Person alleging material liability under
or noncompliance in any material respect with any Environmental Law or advising
it that it is or may be responsible, or potentially responsible, for material
response costs with respect to a release or threatened release of any Hazardous
Materials. To
the
Knowledge of the Company, neither
the Company nor any of its Subsidiaries nor anyone acting on their behalf in
the
course of so acting, has used, generated, stored, released, manufactured,
processed, treated, transported or disposed of any Hazardous Materials on,
beneath or about any premises owned or used by the Company or any of its
Subsidiaries at any time, except for Hazardous Materials that were and are
used,
generated, stored, released, manufactured, processed, treated, transported
and
disposed of in the ordinary course of business in material
compliance with all applicable Environmental Laws. To the Knowledge of the
Company, neither the Company nor any of its Subsidiaries has caused or is aware
of any release or threat of release of any Hazardous Materials on, beneath
or
about any premises owned or used by the Company or any of its Subsidiaries
at
any time, except such releases that are in material compliance with all
applicable Environmental Laws.
4.13 Intellectual
Property.
(a) Section 4.13(a)
of the
Company Disclosure Schedule sets forth true, complete and correct lists of
the
following Intellectual Property (as defined below), both U.S. and foreign,
that
are owned or claimed by the Company or any Subsidiary of the Company as of
the
date of this Agreement along with the jurisdiction in which each such item
of
Intellectual Property has been registered or filed and the applicable
registration, application or serial number or similar identifier:
(i) all
patents and pending patent applications, including
any and all extensions, continuations, continuations-in-part, divisions,
reissues, reexaminations, substitutes, renewals, and foreign counterparts
thereof;
(ii) all
trademark registrations and pending trademark registration applications;
and
(iii) all
copyright registrations and pending copyright registration
applications.
For
purposes of this Agreement, the “Company’s
Registered Intellectual Property”
shall
mean the above categories (i), (ii) and (iii), collectively.
17
(b) All
of
the Company’s Registered Intellectual Property is owned collectively by the
Company or a Subsidiary of the Company.
(c) All
of
the Company’s Registered Intellectual Property is subsisting, and, to the
Knowledge of the Company, valid and in full force and effect (except with
respect to applications), and has not expired or been cancelled or abandoned.
All necessary documents and certificates in connection with such Company
Registered Intellectual Property have been filed with the relevant patent,
copyright, trademark or other authorities in the United States or foreign
jurisdictions, as the case may be, for the purposes of avoiding
abandonment, prosecuting and maintaining of such Company Registered Intellectual
Property.
(d) Except
for official actions of the relevant jurisdiction’s patent and trademark office
or other government intellectual property office (“Office
Actions”),
the
Company has not received written notice of any pending or threatened (and at
no
time within the two years prior to the date of this Agreement has there been
pending any) Action (as defined below) before any court, governmental authority
or arbitral tribunal in any jurisdiction challenging the use, ownership,
validity, enforceability or registerability of any of the Company’s Registered
Intellectual Property. Rejections of pending applications before a national
patent, trademark or intellectual property office shall not constitute such
written notice. Except for Office Actions, neither the Company nor any
Subsidiary of the Company is a party to any settlements, covenants not to xxx,
consents, decrees, stipulations, judgments or orders resulting from Actions
which permit third parties to use any of the Company’s Registered Intellectual
Property.
(e) The
Company and each of the Company’s Subsidiaries owns, or has valid rights to use,
all the Intellectual Property (as defined below) used in the business of the
Company or such Subsidiary, as applicable, as currently conducted, including
without limitation (i) the reproduction, manufacture, branding, marketing,
use,
distribution, import, licensing, provision and sale of Proprietary Products
(as
defined below), and (ii) to the Knowledge of the Company, the design and
development of Proprietary Products (as defined below).
(f) To
the
Knowledge of the Company, the conduct of the business of the Company and each
of
the Company’s Subsidiaries as currently conducted, including without limitation
the design, development, reproduction, manufacture, branding, marketing, use,
distribution, import, licensing, provision and sale of Proprietary Products
does
not infringe upon or misappropriate any Intellectual Property or other
proprietary right owned by any Person, violate any right to privacy or publicity
of any person, or constitute unfair competition or unfair trade practices under
the Laws of any jurisdiction where the Company currently conducts
business.
(g) To
the
Knowledge of the Company, no third party is misappropriating, infringing,
diluting (with respect to trademarks) or violating any Intellectual Property
owned by the Company or any of the Company’s Subsidiaries (collectively, and
including the Company’s Registered Intellectual Property, the “Company
Intellectual Property”),
and
no Intellectual Property or other proprietary right, misappropriation,
infringement, trademark dilution or violation Actions have been brought against
any third party by the Company or any Subsidiary of the Company.
18
(h) As
of the
date of this Agreement, the Company has not received written notice of any
pending or threatened (and at no time within the two years prior to the date
of
this Agreement has there been, to the Knowledge of the Company, pending any)
Action alleging that the activities or the conduct of the Company’s business or
any Company Subsidiary’s business dilutes (solely with respect to trademark
rights), misappropriates, infringes, violates or constitutes the unauthorized
use of, or will dilute (solely with respect to trademark rights),
misappropriate, infringe upon, violate or constitute the unauthorized use of
the
Intellectual Property of any third party (nor, to the Knowledge of the Company
does there exist any basis therefor). Except for Office Actions pertaining
to
Company’s Registered Intellectual Property, neither the Company nor any of the
Company’s Subsidiaries is party to any settlement, covenant not to xxx, consent,
decree, stipulation, judgment, or order resulting from any Action which
(i) restricts the Company’s or any such Subsidiary’s rights to use any
Intellectual Property, (ii) restricts the Company’s or any such
Subsidiary’s business in order to accommodate a third party’s Intellectual
Property rights or (iii) requires any future payment by the Company or any
such Subsidiary.
(i) Other
than under an appropriate confidentiality or nondisclosure agreement or
contractual provision relating to confidentiality and nondisclosure, there
has
been no disclosure to any third party of material confidential or proprietary
information or trade secrets of the Company or any Subsidiary of the Company
related to any product currently being marketed, sold, licensed or developed
by
the Company or any Subsidiary of the Company (each such product, a “Proprietary
Product”).
The
current and former employees of the Company and each Subsidiary set forth on
Section 4.13(i) of the Company Disclosure Schedule have made material
contributions to the development of any Proprietary Product (including without
limitation all employees who have designed, written, tested or worked on any
software code contained in any Proprietary Product) and have signed an invention
assignment agreement or have performed such work on the software code in the
course of and within the scope of their employment. All consultants and
independent contractors currently or previously engaged by the Company or its
Subsidiaries who made contributions to the development of any Proprietary
Product (including without limitation all consultants and independent
contractors who have designed, written, or modified any software code contained
in any Proprietary Product) have entered into a work-made-for-hire agreement
or
have otherwise assigned to the Company or a Subsidiary of the Company (or a
third party that previously conducted any business currently conducted by the
Company and that has subsequently assigned its rights in such Proprietary
Product to the Company) all of their right, title and interest (other than
moral
rights, if any) in and to the portions of such Proprietary Product developed
by
them in the course of their work for the Company or any such Subsidiary. To
the
Knowledge of the Company, other than the employees, consultants and contractors
referred to in this Section
4.13(i),
no
Person currently makes any contribution to the development of any components
of
any Proprietary Product owned by the Company.
(j) Neither
the Company nor any Subsidiary has granted nor is it obligated to grant access
or a license to any of the source code relating to any Proprietary Product,
where the Proprietary Product consists of a compiled binary distribution of
such
source code (including, without limitation, in any such case any conditional
right to access or under which the Company or any of its Subsidiaries has
established any escrow arrangement for the storage and conditional release
of
any of its source code). Section 4.13(j)
of the
Company Disclosure Schedule includes, with respect to any grant or obligation
to
grant access or a license to source code listed therein, a detailed description
of such grant or obligation, including the source code to which it relates.
The
source code for all Proprietary Products that include software has been
documented in a manner that is reasonably sufficient to independently enable
a
programmer of reasonable skill, competence and experience with the programming
language in which the software is programmed to understand, analyze, and
interpret program logic, correct errors and improve, enhance, modify and support
the respective Proprietary Product.
19
(k) Section
4.13(k)
of the
Company Disclosure Schedule accurately identifies and describes (i) each
item of Open Source Code (defined below) that is contained in any Proprietary
Product or from which any part of any Proprietary Product is derived,
(ii) the applicable license agreement for each such item of Open Source
Code, and (iii) the Proprietary Product(s) to which each such item of Open
Source Code relates. None of the Proprietary Products is subject to the
provisions of any contract or agreement which conditions the distribution of
such Proprietary Product on a requirement that the Proprietary Product or any
portion thereof be licensed to the public generally for the purpose of making
modifications or derivative works, or on a requirement that such Proprietary
Product or any portion thereof be distributed without charge to the public
generally. For purposes of this Agreement, “Open
Source Code”
means
any software code that is licensed under the GNU General Public License, GNU
Lesser General Public License, Mozilla License, Common Public License, Apache
License, BSD License, Artistic License, or Sun Community available to the public
generally under a license approved, as of the date hereof, by the Open Source
Initiative of San Francisco, California as an Open Source License.
(l) Neither
the Company nor any Subsidiary of the Company has any obligation to pay any
third party any future royalties or other fees for the continued use of
Intellectual Property and will not have any obligation to pay such royalties
or
other fees arising from the consummation of the transactions contemplated by
this Agreement.
(m)
To the
Knowledge of the Company, neither the Company nor any Subsidiary of the Company
is in material violation of any contract, agreement, license or other instrument
relating to Intellectual Property to which it is a party or otherwise bound,
or
is in any violation of such contract, agreement, license or instrument which
violation gives grounds for termination of the same by any other party thereto.
The consummation by the Company of the transactions contemplated hereby will
not
result in any violation, loss or impairment of ownership by the Company or
any
Company Subsidiary of, or impair or restrict the right of any of them to use,
any Intellectual Property that is material to the business of the Company or
any
Subsidiary of the Company as currently conducted, and will not require the
consent of any governmental authority or third party with respect to any such
Intellectual Property. Neither the Company nor any Subsidiary of the Company
is
a party to any contract, agreement, license or other instrument under which
a
third party would have or would be entitled to receive a license or any other
right to any Intellectual Property of Parent or any of Parent’s affiliates as a
result of the consummation of the transactions contemplated by this Agreement
nor would the consummation of such transactions result in the amendment,
alteration or termination of any such license or other right which exists on
the
date of this Agreement.
20
(n) Other
than inbound licenses for generally-available commercial software, implied
licenses attendant to the sale or purchase of non-software products, and
outbound non-sublicensable licenses to end-user customers in the ordinary course
of business, the contracts, licenses and agreements listed in Section
4.13(n)(ii)
of the
Company Disclosure Schedule lists all contracts, licenses and agreements to
which the Company or any of the Company’s Subsidiaries is a party with respect
to any Intellectual Property, including all licenses of Intellectual Property
granted to or by the Company or its Subsidiaries and all assignments of
Intellectual Property to or by the Company or its Subsidiaries, except for
assignments by employees pursuant to invention or copyright assignment
agreements. All such contracts, licenses and agreements are in full force and
effect, and neither the Company nor any Subsidiary of the Company is in material
breach of or has failed to perform under, any of such contracts, licenses or
agreements to which it is party and, to the Knowledge of the Company, no other
party to any such contract, license or agreement is in material breach thereof
or has failed to perform thereunder. The consummation of the transactions
contemplated by this Agreement, will neither violate nor result in the breach,
modification, cancellation, termination or suspension of such contracts,
licenses, arrangements and agreements set forth in Section
4.13(n).
Following the Effective Time, both Parent and the Surviving Corporation will
be
permitted to exercise all of the Company’s rights under such contracts, licenses
and agreements to the same extent the Company and its Subsidiaries would have
been able to had the transactions contemplated by this Agreement not occurred
and without the payment of any additional amounts or consideration other than
ongoing fees, royalties or payments which Company or it Subsidiaries would
otherwise be required to pay.
(o) To
the
Knowledge of the Company, all Company Intellectual Property will be fully
transferable, alienable or licensable by the Surviving Corporation and Parent
from and after the Effective Time without restriction and without payment of
any
kind to any third party.
(p) Except
for non-sublicensable licenses to end-user customers in the ordinary course
of
business, Section
4.13(p)
of the
Company Disclosure Schedule lists all contracts, licenses and agreements between
the Company or any of its Subsidiaries, on the one hand, and any other Person,
on the other hand, wherein or whereby the Company or any such Subsidiary has
agreed to, or assumed, any obligation or duty to warrant, indemnify, reimburse,
hold harmless, guaranty or otherwise assume or incur any obligation or liability
or provide a right of rescission or similar right with respect to the
infringement or misappropriation by the Company, any such Subsidiary or such
other Person with respect to any Intellectual Property.
(q) To
the
Knowledge of the Company, no government funding, facilities of a university,
college, other educational institution or research center or non-revenue funding
from third parties was used in the development of any Company Intellectual
Property. To the Knowledge of the Company, no current or former employee,
consultant or independent contractor of the Company or any Company Subsidiary,
who was involved in, or who contributed to, the creation or development of
any
Company Intellectual Property, has performed services for the government,
university, college, or other educational institution or research center during
a period of time during which such employee, consultant or independent
contractor was also performing services for the Company or such
Subsidiary.
21
(r) To
the
Knowledge of the Company, the Proprietary Products are free of all viruses,
worms, and Trojan horses, excluding key registration and activation mechanisms
and self-help mechanisms.
(s) The
Company and its Subsidiaries have entered an agreement with an ICANN-sanctioned
domain name registrar for the registration and DNS sponsoring and administration
of the second level domain names set forth in Section
4.13(s)
of the
Company Disclosure Schedules (“Domain
Names”).
The
domain name registration agreements provide for the registration of each Domain
Name of the Company Disclosure Schedules until the date indicated in
Section
4.13(s)
of the
Company Disclosure Schedules, and to the Knowledge of the Company, no
third-party other than ICANN has rights in the Domain Names superior to the
Company or its Subsidiaries and no Person has made any claims against the
Company’s Domain Names.
(t) For
purposes of this Agreement, “Intellectual
Property”
shall
mean trademarks, service marks, trade names, slogans, logos, trade dress, and
other similar designations of source or origin, together with all goodwill,
registrations and applications related to the foregoing; patents, utility,
models and industrial design registrations or applications therefor (including
without limitation any continuations, divisionals, continuations-in-part,
provisionals, extensions, renewals, reissues, re-examinations and applications
for any of the foregoing and foreign counterparts thereof); copyrights and
copyrightable subject matter (including without limitation any registration
and
applications for any of the foregoing); mask works rights and trade secrets
and
other confidential business information (including manufacturing and production
processes and techniques, research and development information, technology,
drawings, specifications, designs, plans, proposals, technical data, financial,
marketing and business data, pricing and cost information, business and
marketing plans, customer and supplier lists and information, where
confidential), and computer programs (whether in source code, object code or
other form).
4.14 Compliance
with Laws.
(a)
Neither the Company nor any of its Subsidiaries has in any material respect
violated or failed to comply with, or is in any material respect in default
under, any Law, applicable to the Company or any of its Subsidiaries or any
of
their respective material assets and material properties and non-compliance
with
which has resulted or would be reasonably likely to result in a material adverse
effect upon the Company, such Subsidiary or such asset or property, as the
case
may be, and (b) neither the Company nor any of its Subsidiaries has received
any
written notice from any governmental authority or other Person claiming any
material violation of any Law with respect to the Company, any of its
Subsidiaries or any of their respective businesses.
4.15 Takeover
Statutes.
The
Special Committee has taken all action necessary to render inapplicable to
the
Merger and to the transactions contemplated by this Agreement the provisions
of
Section 302A.673 of the MBCA restricting business combinations with “interested
shareholders” (including any such restrictions that may arise on account of the
Option and Support Agreements entered into after such Special Committee
meeting). The Company does not have any stockholder or shareholder rights
agreement or any similar type of anti-takeover protections or
defenses.
22
4.16 Agreements,
Contracts and Commitments.
(a)
Section 4.16
of the
Company Disclosure Schedule contains a list of the following written contracts,
agreements, understandings or other instruments or obligations to which either
the Company or any of its Subsidiaries is a party or by which the Company or
any
of its Subsidiaries is bound or has committed to be bound (the “Contracts”)
as of
the date hereof:
(i) all
leases for personal property in which the amount of payments which the Company
is required to make on an annual basis exceeds $50,000;
(ii) all
Contracts between the Company or any of its Subsidiaries and their
twenty (20)
largest customers relating to the provision of maintenance services and/or
consulting services by the Company or its Subsidiaries, as the case may be,
determined on the basis of consolidated revenue for the twelve months ended
December 31, 2006;
(iii) all
Contracts between the Company or any of its Subsidiaries and their
twenty (20)
largest suppliers determined on the basis of the total dollar value of goods
or
services purchased by the Company and the Subsidiaries for the twelve months
ended December 31, 2006;
(iv) all
Contracts limiting
the freedom of the Company or any of its Subsidiaries to compete in any line
of
business or in any geographic area or with any Person;
(v) all
Contracts to make any capital expenditures in excess of $50,000;
and
(vi) all
Contracts with any director, officer, employee or consultant of or to the
Company or any of its Subsidiaries or any family member or other Person
affiliated with any of the foregoing.
(b) All
Contracts required to be listed in Section 4.16(a)
of the
Company Disclosure Schedule and any “material contract” (as such term is defined
in Item 601(b)(10) of Regulation S-B of the Securities Act) with respect to
the
Company or any of its Subsidiaries (such contracts being referred to herein
as
“Material
Contracts”)
are
valid and binding agreements of the Company or a Subsidiary of the Company,
as
the case may be, and are in full force and effect. To the Knowledge of the
Company, none of the parties to the Material Contracts is
in
any
material respect in breach thereof or default thereunder or, subject to receipt
of the consents, waivers or amendments with respect to such Material Contracts
as are described in Section
4.4(a)(iii)
of the
Company Disclosure Schedule, will be in any material respect in breach thereof
or default thereunder as a result of the execution of this Agreement or the
consummation of the transactions contemplated hereby.
(c) Neither
the Company nor any of its Subsidiaries is a party to any oral or written
agreement or plan, including any stock option plan, stock appreciation rights
plan, restricted stock plan or stock purchase plan, any of the benefits of
which
will be increased, or the vesting of the benefits of which will be accelerated,
by the occurrence of any of the transactions contemplated by this Agreement
or
the value of any of the benefits of which will be calculated on the basis of
any
of the transactions contemplated by this Agreement. There are no amounts payable
by the Company or its Subsidiaries to any officers of the Company or its
Subsidiaries (in their capacity as officers) as a result of the transactions
contemplated by this Agreement and/or any subsequent employment
termination.
23
4.17 Permits.
The
Company and each of its Subsidiaries hold all material permits, licenses,
variances, exemptions, orders, registrations, certificates and other approvals
from all governmental authorities that are required from them to own, lease
or
operate their assets and to carry on their businesses as presently conducted
in
compliance with all applicable Law (the “Company
Permits”).
Neither the Company nor any of its Subsidiaries is in material violation of
the
terms of any such Company Permit. To the Knowledge of the Company, the Merger,
in and of itself, would not cause the revocation or cancellation of any Company
Permit.
4.18 Brokers,
Finders and Others.
Except
for the fees and expenses in the total amount of Eight Hundred Thirty Seven
Thousand Dollars ($837,000) (plus $10,000 of reimbursable expenses) payable
to
ComVest Group Holdings, LLC and $100,000 (plus a maximum of $100 of reimbursable
expenses) payable to Cherry Tree Securities, LLC (“Cherry
Tree”),
the
Company has not employed, and to the Knowledge of the Company, no other Person
has made any arrangement by or on behalf of the Company with, any Person in
connection with the transactions contemplated by this Agreement which would
be
entitled to any investment banking, brokerage, finder’s or similar fee or
commission in connection with this Agreement or the transactions contemplated
hereby.
4.19 Opinion
of Financial Advisor.
The
Special Committee has received the opinion of Cherry Tree to the effect that,
as
of the date hereof, the Per Share Merger Consideration to be received by the
shareholders of the Company for each share of Common Stock pursuant to the
Merger is fair to such shareholders from a financial point of view (such opinion
that the Per Share Merger Consideration is fair from a financial point of view,
the “Fairness
Opinion”).
Cherry Tree has consented to being named in and to the inclusion of a copy
of
the Fairness Opinion in its entirety and a description of its analysis and
other
bases for the Fairness Opinion in customary form in the Proxy
Statement.
4.20 Property.
(a) The
Company and its Subsidiaries have good and valid title in all personal property
owned by them that is material to the business of the Company and its
Subsidiaries and/or is included as an owned asset of the Company or any of
its
Subsidiaries in any of the financial statements included in the Company SEC
Reports. The Company and each of its Subsidiaries holds valid leasehold or
license interests in all personal
property leased by or licensed to it that is material to its respective
business, in each case free and clear of all Liens, except for Permitted Liens.
24
(b) True
and
correct descriptions of all real property leased by the Company or any of its
Subsidiaries are set forth in Section
4.20
of the
Company Disclosure Schedule. The Company or a Subsidiary of the Company has
a
valid leasehold interest in all real property leased by it, free and clear
of
all Liens except for Permitted Liens. Neither
the Company nor any Subsidiary of the Company owns any real property.
4.21 Insurance.
The
Company and its Subsidiaries are insured by insurers of recognized financial
responsibility against such losses and risks and in such amounts as are prudent
and customary in its businesses in which the Company and the Subsidiaries are
engaged. True and correct copies of all such insurance contracts and policies
have been provided to Parent, and none have been subsequently amended,
terminated or not renewed. Neither the Company nor any Subsidiary has any reason
to believe that it or the Surviving Corporation will not be able to renew its
existing insurance coverage as and when such coverage expires or to obtain
similar coverage from similar insurers as may be necessary to continue its
business without a significant increase in cost.
4.22 Books
and Records.
The
books and records of the Company and each of its Subsidiaries are true and
complete in all material respects, and the matters contained therein are
appropriately reflected in the financial statements to the extent required
to be
reflected therein. Without limiting the foregoing, the minute books of the
Company and its Subsidiaries contain accurate records of all meetings and
accurately reflect all other actions taken by the stockholders, boards of
directors and all committees of the boards of directors of the Company and
the
Subsidiaries. Copies of all such books and records (including a copy of the
stock register for each) of the Company and each Company Subsidiary have been
provided by the Company to Parent.
4.23 Foreign
Corrupt Practices.
Neither
the Company nor any Company Subsidiary, nor to the Knowledge of the Company,
any
agent or other Person acting on behalf of the Company or any of its
Subsidiaries, has (i) directly or indirectly, used any funds for unlawful
contributions, gifts, entertainment or other unlawful expenses related to
foreign or domestic political activity, (ii) made any unlawful payment to
foreign or domestic government officials or employees or to any foreign or
domestic political parties or campaigns from corporate funds, (iii) failed
to
disclose fully any contribution made by the Company or any of its Subsidiaries
(or made by any Person acting on its behalf or any of its Subsidiaries to the
Knowledge of the Company) which is in violation of law, or (iv) violated in
any
material respect any provision of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act of 1977,
as
amended.
4.24 Affiliate
Transactions; Xxxxxxxx-Xxxxx Act.
(a) No
executive officer, director or employee of the Company or any of its
Subsidiaries or any Person owning 1% or more of the Capital Stock (an
“Affiliated
Party”)
is a
party to any Contract or has any material interest in any property or assets
owned by the Company or any of its Subsidiaries or has engaged in any
transaction with the Company material to the Company since January 1, 2004.
Each
contract, commitment or other arrangement between an Affiliated Party and the
Company or any of its Subsidiaries is on terms no less favorable to the Company
and its Subsidiaries than would have been available from an unaffiliated third
party at the time such Contract or commitment was executed and is terminable
by
the Company or such Subsidiary at any time without cost, penalty charge, or
any
other premium. Since January 1, 2004, no event or transaction has occurred
that
would be required to be reported as a Certain Relationship or Related
Transaction or similar relationship or transaction pursuant to Statement of
Financial Accounting Standards No. 57, or in any SEC filing pursuant to
Item 404 of Regulation S-B that was not so reported.
25
(b) The
Company is in compliance with the applicable provisions of the Xxxxxxxx-Xxxxx
Act of 2002 (the “Xxxxxxxx-Xxxxx
Act”),
and
the rules and regulations promulgated thereunder, that are effective, and
intends to comply substantially with other applicable provisions of the
Xxxxxxxx-Xxxxx Act, and the rules and regulations promulgated thereunder, upon
the effectiveness of such provisions. Without limiting the generality of the
foregoing, there are no outstanding loans to directors or officers of the
Company or any of its Subsidiaries of the kind prohibited by Section 402 of
the Xxxxxxxx-Xxxxx Act.
4.25 Expenses.
Section
4.25
of the
Company Disclosure Schedule sets forth a true and complete list of all Company
Expenses, including the maximum amount of the obligation (including the maximum
amount of any reimbursable expenses) and to whom the respective Company Expenses
are payable. Except for the Company Expenses, which shall in no event exceed
$1,900,000 in the aggregate (including the full amount of any reimbursable
expenses), neither the Company nor any of its Subsidiaries is obligated (and
the
Surviving Corporation will not be obligated following the Effective Time) to
pay
any fees or reimburse any expense in connection with this Agreement and the
transactions contemplated hereby.
ARTICLE
V.
REPRESENTATIONS
AND WARRANTIES OF PARENT AND NEWCO
Parent
and Newco represent and warrant, jointly and severally, to the Company
that:
5.1 Corporate
Organization and Qualification.
Each of
Parent and Newco is a corporation duly organized, validly existing and in good
standing under the Laws of its jurisdiction of incorporation and is qualified
and in good standing as a foreign corporation in each jurisdiction where the
properties owned, leased or operated, or the business conducted, by it require
such qualification, except where the failure to so qualify or be in such good
standing would not have a Parent Material Adverse Effect. Each of Parent and
Newco has all requisite power and authority (corporate or otherwise) to own
its
properties and to carry on its business as it is now being
conducted.
5.2 Authority
Relative to This Agreement.
Each of
Parent and Newco has the requisite corporate power and authority to execute
and
deliver this Agreement and each instrument required hereby to be executed and
delivered by it at Closing, to perform its obligations hereunder and thereunder
and to consummate the transactions contemplated hereby and thereby. This
Agreement and each instrument required hereby to be executed and delivered
by
Parent or Newco at Closing, and the consummation by Parent and Newco of the
transactions contemplated hereby and thereby have been duly and validly
authorized by the respective boards of directors of Parent and Newco and by
Parent as the sole shareholder of Newco, and no other corporate proceedings
on
the part of Parent and Newco are necessary to authorize this Agreement or to
consummate the transactions contemplated hereby. This Agreement has been duly
and validly executed and delivered by each of Parent and Newco and, assuming
that this Agreement constitutes the legal, valid and binding agreement of the
Company, constitutes the legal, valid and binding agreement of each of Parent
and Newco, enforceable against each of them in accordance with its terms, except
that such enforceability may be limited by (a) bankruptcy, insolvency,
reorganization, moratorium or other similar Laws now or hereafter in effect
relating to creditors’ rights generally, and (b) general principles of equity
(regardless of whether enforceability is considered in a proceeding at law
or in
equity).
26
5.3 Consents
and Approvals; No Violation.
Neither
the execution and delivery by Parent or Newco of this Agreement or any
instrument required hereby to be delivered by Parent and Newco at the Closing,
nor the performance by Parent and Newco of their respective obligations
hereunder or thereunder, nor the consummation by Parent and Newco of the
transactions contemplated hereby, will:
(a) conflict
with or result in any breach of any provision of the Articles of Incorporation
(or Certificate of Incorporation, as the case may be) or Bylaws, respectively,
of Parent or Newco;
(b) require
Parent or Newco to obtain or make any consent, approval, authorization, permit
or filing with or notification to, any governmental
authority, except (i) pursuant to the applicable requirements of the Securities
Act or the Exchange Act, (ii) the filing of the Articles of Merger pursuant
to
the MBCA, (iii) as may be required by any applicable state securities or “blue
sky” Laws, or (iv) where the failure to obtain such consent, approval,
authorization or permit, or to make such filing or notification, would not,
individually or in the aggregate, reasonably be expected to have a Parent
Material Adverse Effect or adversely affect or materially delay the consummation
of the transactions contemplated hereby;
(c) result
in
a violation or breach of, or constitute (with or without due notice or lapse
of
time or both) a default (or give rise to any right of termination, cancellation
or acceleration or Lien) under any of the terms, conditions or provisions of
any
note, license, agreement or other instrument or obligation to which Parent
or
any of its Subsidiaries is a party or by which any of their assets may be bound,
except for such violations, breaches and defaults (or rights of termination,
cancellation or acceleration or Lien) as to which requisite waivers or consents
have been obtained or which, individually or in the aggregate, would not
reasonably be expected to have a Parent Material Adverse Effect or adversely
affect the consummation of the transactions contemplated hereby; or
(d) assuming
that the consents, approvals, authorizations or permits and filings or
notifications referred to in this Section 5.3
are duly
and timely obtained or made, violate in any material respect any applicable
Law
to Parent or any of its Subsidiaries or to any of their respective
assets.
5.4 Proxy
Statement.
None of
the information supplied by Parent or Newco in writing for inclusion in the
Proxy Statement will, (a) at the time that it or any amendment or supplement
thereto is mailed to the Company’s shareholders, (b) at the time of the
Shareholders Meeting or (c) at the Effective Time, contain any untrue statement
of a material fact or omit to state any material fact required to be stated
therein or necessary in order to make the statements therein, in light of the
circumstances under which they are made, not misleading. No representation
or
warranty is made by Parent or Newco with respect to (i) statements made or
incorporated by reference in the Proxy Statement based on information supplied
by the Company expressly for inclusion or incorporation by reference therein
or
(ii) statements regarding Parent or Newco that become incorrect after the filing
or mailing of the Proxy Statement which the Company does not correct by amending
or supplementing the Proxy Statement to the extent appropriate with a reasonable
period of time after written notice of such change from Parent or
Newco.
27
5.5 Interim
Operations of Newco.
Newco
was formed solely for the purpose of engaging in the transactions contemplated
hereby and has not engaged in any business activities or conducted any
operations, other than in connection with the transactions contemplated
hereby.
5.6 Brokers
and Finders.
Neither
Parent nor Newco has employed, and to the Knowledge of Parent, no other Person
has made any arrangement by or on behalf of Parent or Newco with, any investment
banker, broker, finder, consultant or intermediary in connection with the
transactions contemplated by this Agreement which would be entitled to any
investment banking, brokerage, finder’s or similar fee or commission in
connection with this Agreement or the transactions contemplated
hereby.
5.7 Company
Stock.
Neither
Parent nor Newco is, nor at any time during the last four years has it been,
an
“interested shareholder” of the Company as defined in Section 302A.011 subd. 49
of the MBCA. As of the date hereof, and except to the extent of the rights
set
forth in the Option and Support Agreements, neither Parent nor Newco is a
“beneficial owner” (as defined in Section 302A.011 subd. 41 of the MBCA) of any
Shares.
ARTICLE
VI.
COVENANTS
AND AGREEMENTS
6.1 Conduct
of Business of the Company.
The
Company agrees that during the period from the date of this Agreement to the
Effective Time (unless Parent shall otherwise agree in writing and except as
otherwise contemplated by this Agreement), the Company will, and will cause
each
of its Subsidiaries to, conduct its operations according to its ordinary and
usual course of business consistent with past practice in compliance in all
material respects with all applicable Laws, pay its debts and taxes when due
(subject to good faith disputes over such debts), pay or perform other material
obligations when due, and, to the extent consistent therewith, with no less
diligence and effort than would be applied in the absence of this Agreement,
use
commercially reasonable efforts to preserve intact its current business
organizations, keep available the service of its current officers and employees
and preserve its relationships with customers, suppliers and others having
business dealings with it to the end that goodwill and ongoing businesses shall
not be impaired in any material respect at or prior to the Effective Time.
Without limiting the generality of the foregoing, and except as otherwise
expressly permitted in this Agreement, or as set forth in Section 6.1
of the
Company Disclosure Schedule, prior to the Effective Time, neither the Company
nor any of its Subsidiaries will, without the prior written consent of
Parent:
28
(a) except
for shares to be issued or delivered upon exercise of the Options outstanding
as
of the date hereof in accordance with the Option Plans or other Option-related
agreements or Warrants outstanding as of the date hereof in accordance with
their respective terms, issue, deliver, sell, dispose of, pledge or otherwise
encumber, or authorize or propose the issuance, sale, disposition or pledge
or
other encumbrance of (i) any additional shares of capital stock of any class
(including the Shares), or any securities or rights convertible into,
exercisable or exchangeable for, or evidencing the right to subscribe for any
shares of capital stock, or any rights, warrants, options, calls, commitments
or
any other agreements of any character to purchase or acquire any shares of
capital stock or any securities or rights convertible into, exchangeable for,
or
evidencing the right to subscribe for, any shares of capital stock, or (ii)
any
other securities in respect of, in lieu of, or in substitution for, Shares
outstanding on the date hereof;
(b) redeem,
purchase or otherwise acquire, or propose to redeem, purchase or otherwise
acquire, any of its outstanding shares of capital
stock;
(c) split,
combine, subdivide or reclassify any shares of capital stock or declare, set
aside for payment or pay any dividend, or make any other actual, constructive
or
deemed distribution in respect of any shares of capital stock or otherwise
make
any payments to shareholders in their capacity as such, except for “upstream”
dividends paid by a Subsidiary to the Company;
(d) adopt
a
plan of complete or partial liquidation, dissolution, merger, consolidation,
restructuring, recapitalization or other reorganization of the Company or any
of
its Subsidiaries (other than the Merger);
(e) adopt
any
amendment, modification or repeal, or propose to, or permit or consent to,
any
amendment, modification or repeal of the Company Articles of Incorporation
or
the Company Bylaws (or the equivalent Subsidiary Organizational Documents)
or
alter through merger, liquidation, reorganization, restructuring or in any
other
fashion the corporate structure or ownership of any of the Company’s
Subsidiaries;
(f) make
any
acquisition, by means of merger, consolidation, acquisition of all or
substantially all of the assets, capital stock or equity interests, or
otherwise, of any Person, or make any disposition or assignment, of any of
its
capital stock, material assets or properties or permit any of its assets or
properties to be subject to any Liens (other than Permitted Liens), except
to
the extent such disposition or Lien is made or incurred in the ordinary course
of business consistent with past practice;
(g) incur
any
Indebtedness for borrowed money or guarantee any such Indebtedness, or make
any
loans, advances or capital contributions to, or investments in, any other Person
other than to or in the Company or any of its Subsidiaries, or enter into any
“keep well” or other agreement to maintain any financial statement condition of
another Person or enter into any arrangement having the economic effect of
any
of the foregoing;
(h) grant
any
increases (other than as required by Law) in the compensation, pension,
retirement or other employment benefit of any character, or grant any new
material benefit to any of its directors, officers or employees, except for
increases in compensation for employees who are not officers in the ordinary
course of business and in accordance with past practice;
29
(i) pay
or
agree to pay any pension, retirement allowance or other employee benefit with
respect to its directors, employees, agents or consultants not required or
contemplated by any of the existing Company Plans as in effect on the date
hereof;
(j) enter
into any new, or amend any existing, employment, severance, change of control
or
termination agreement with any director, officer, consultant, agent or
employee;
(k) except
as
may be required to comply with applicable Law, become obligated under any new
pension plan, welfare plan, multiemployer plan, employee benefit plan, severance
plan, benefit arrangement or similar plan or arrangement, which was not in
existence on the date hereof, or amend any such plan or arrangement in existence
on the date hereof if such amendment would have the effect of enhancing of
any
benefits thereunder;
(l) change
or
remove the certified public accountants for the Company or change any of the
accounting methods, policies, procedures, practices or principles used by the
Company unless required by GAAP or the SEC;
(m)
enter
into, or become obligated under, or change, amend, terminate or otherwise modify
any Material Contract;
(n) modify
the terms of, discount, setoff or accelerate the collection of, any accounts
receivable, except in the ordinary course of business consistent with past
practice;
(o) pay
accounts payable and other obligations and liabilities other than in the
ordinary course of business consistent with past practice;
(p) fail
to
maintain in all material respects inventory levels appropriate for the
businesses of the Company and each of its Subsidiaries;
(q) make
or
commit to make aggregate capital expenditures in excess of $50,000;
(r) settle
any material pending claim or other material disagreement resulting in any
payment of an amount in excess of $50,000 in the aggregate as to all such claims
or disagreements;
(s) grant
any
Lien on the capital stock of the Company or any of its Subsidiaries except
for a
Permitted Lien;
(t) enter
into, directly or indirectly, any new material transaction with any Affiliate
of
the Company (excluding transactions with the Subsidiaries in the ordinary course
of business and consistent with past practice), including, without limitation,
any transaction, agreement, arrangement or understanding that would be required
to be reported as a Certain Relationship or Related Transaction or similar
relationship or transaction pursuant to Statement of Financial Accounting
Standards No. 57, or in any SEC filing pursuant to Item 404 of Regulation
S-B;
30
(u) take,
undertake, incur, authorize, commit or agree to take any action that would
cause
any of the representations or warranties in Article
IV
to be
untrue in any respect or would reasonably be anticipated to cause any of the
conditions to closing set forth in Article
VII
not to
be satisfied; or
(v) authorize,
recommend, propose or announce an intention to do any of the foregoing, or
enter
into any contract, agreement, commitment or arrangement to do any of the
foregoing.
6.2 No
Solicitation of Transactions.
(a) The
Company has ceased and terminated, and has directed each officer, director,
employee, investment banker, attorney or other advisor or representative of
the
Company to cease and terminate, all activities, discussions, solicitations,
communications or negotiations with any Third Party (as defined below) with
respect to any Competing Transaction (as defined below). The Company shall
not,
nor shall it permit any of its Subsidiaries to, nor shall it authorize or permit
any officer, director or employee of, or any investment banker, attorney or
other advisor or representative of, the Company or any of its Subsidiaries
to
(i) solicit, accept or initiate, encourage, or facilitate, directly or
indirectly, any inquiries relating to, or the submission of, any proposal or
offer, whether in writing or otherwise, from any Person other than Parent,
Newco
or any Affiliates thereof (any such other Person, a “Third
Party”)
to
acquire beneficial ownership (as defined under Rule 13(d) of the Exchange Act)
of all or more than fifteen percent (15%) of the assets of the Company and
its
Subsidiaries, taken as a whole, or fifteen percent (15%) or more of any class
or
series of equity securities of the Company, whether pursuant to a merger,
consolidation or other business combination or other transaction, sale of shares
of stock, sale of assets, tender offer, exchange offer or similar transaction
or
series of related transactions, which is structured to permit such Third Party
to acquire beneficial ownership of more than fifteen percent (15%) of the assets
of the Company and its Subsidiaries, taken as a whole, or fifteen percent (15%)
or more of any class or series of equity securities of the Company (any
transaction or series of transactions with the foregoing effect, a “Competing
Transaction”);
(ii)
participate or engage in any discussions or negotiations with any Third Party
regarding any Competing Transaction, or furnish to any Third Party any
information or data with respect to or access to the properties of the Company
in connection with a Competing Transaction, or take any other action to
facilitate the making of any proposal that constitutes, or may reasonably be
expected to lead to, any Competing Transaction; (iii) withdraw, modify or amend
in any way adverse to Parent or Newco its recommendation to the Company’s
stockholders that they approve this Agreement and the Merger, except in strict
compliance with this Section
6.2,
or (iv)
enter into any agreement with respect to any Competing Transaction, approve
or
recommend or resolve to approve or recommend any Competing Transaction, or
enter
into any agreement requiring it to abandon, terminate or fail to consummate
the
Merger or the other transactions contemplated by this Agreement.
31
(b) Notwithstanding
the foregoing sentence or anything to the contrary in this Agreement, if the
Company receives (in the absence of any violation of this Section 6.2)
a bona
fide, unsolicited written proposal or offer for a Competing Transaction prior
to
the receipt of the Company Shareholder Approval and that has not been withdrawn,
which the Special Committee, acting reasonably and in good faith (after
consultation with the Company’s outside legal counsel and financial advisor),
determines by majority vote (excluding any members of the Special Committee
that
are not independent of the Third Parties making such offer for a Competing
Transaction) (i) is reasonably likely to result in terms which are more
favorable from a financial point of view to the holders of Shares than the
Merger, (ii) is reasonably capable of being consummated within a reasonable
period of time, and (iii) for which financing, to the extent required, is
committed (a “Superior
Competing Transaction”),
then
the Company may, in response to such unsolicited proposal or offer and subject
to compliance with this Section 6.2,
furnish
information with respect to the Company and its Subsidiaries to, and participate
in discussions and negotiations directly or through its representatives with,
such Third Party. Notwithstanding the foregoing, the Company shall not provide
any non-public information to any such Third Party unless the Company provides
such non-public information pursuant to a nondisclosure agreement at least
as
restrictive as the Confidentiality Agreement (defined below) or any such other
agreement binding on Parent or Newco. The Company shall be permitted to waive
the provisions of any “standstill” agreement between the Company and a Third
Party to the extent necessary to permit such Third Party to submit a Competing
Transaction that the Special Committee believes, in its good faith judgment
(after consultation with its legal counsel and financial advisors), is
reasonably likely to result in a Superior Competing Transaction. Nothing
contained in this Agreement shall prevent the Special Committee or the Board
of
Directors from (i) complying with any applicable Law, rule or regulation,
including, without limitation, Rule 14d-9 and Rule l4e-2 promulgated under
the
Exchange Act, (ii) making any disclosure to the Company’s shareholders required
by applicable Law, rule or regulation, or (iii) otherwise making such disclosure
to the Company’s shareholders or otherwise that the Board of Directors (after
consultation with its counsel) concludes in good faith is necessary in order
to
comply with its fiduciary duties to the Company’s shareholders under applicable
Law.
(c) Subject
to subparagraph (d) below, if the Special Committee determines that it has
received a proposal for a Superior Competing Transaction and reasonably
determines in good faith (after consultation with the Company’s outside counsel
and financial advisors) that taking any or all of the following actions is
necessary in order to comply with its fiduciary duties under applicable Law,
and
provided,
that
neither the Company nor any representative of the Company is and would not
as a
result be in breach of any of the provisions of this Section 6.2,
the
Company and the Special Committee may (i) withdraw, modify or change the Special
Committee’s approval or recommendation of this Agreement or the Merger, (ii)
approve or recommend to the Company’s shareholders such Superior Competing
Transaction, (iii) terminate this Agreement in accordance with Section 8.4(ii),
and/or
(iv) publicly announce the Special Committee’s intention to do any or all of the
foregoing; provided,
that in
any such event the Company shall timely pay any amounts owing to Parent as
a
result thereof pursuant to Section
8.5.
32
(d) The
Company shall not take any of the actions referred to in Section
6.2(b)
and the
Special Committee shall not take any of the actions referred to in Section
6.2(c)
unless
the Company shall have delivered to Parent prior written notice advising Parent
that it intends to take such action, which written notice shall state the
material terms and conditions of the applicable Superior Competing Transaction
and the identity of the applicable Third Party (including the ultimate
beneficial owner thereof if the Third Party is an entity and such information
is
known to the Company), and shall be accompanied by any written materials and
correspondence (or a summary of any oral communications) from or to such Third
Party or its advisors with respect to the purportedly Superior Competing
Transaction. The parties hereto agree that, in the event any such written notice
is delivered pursuant hereto, before the Company takes any action referred
to in
Section
6.2(b)
or the
Special Committee takes any action referred to in Section
6.2(c),
Parent
shall be provided with three business days from the date of delivery of such
notice to agree to make adjustments to the terms and conditions of this
Agreement, and the Company shall negotiate in good faith with respect thereto,
to match or improve upon the economic or other terms of the purportedly Superior
Competing Transaction. In addition, the Company shall notify Parent as promptly
as reasonably practicable, and use its reasonable best efforts to provide such
notice within one business day, following receipt by the Company (or any of
its
advisors) of any proposal for a Competing Transaction or any written request
for
nonpublic information relating to the Company or any of its Subsidiaries or
for
access to the business, properties, assets, personnel, books or records of
the
Company or any of its Subsidiaries by any Third Party that indicates it may
be
considering making, or has made, a proposal for a Competing Transaction
(including the identity of such Third Party and the material terms and
conditions of any such proposal, indication of interest or request relating
to a
Competing Transaction). The Company shall keep Parent reasonably informed,
on a
current basis, of the status and material details of any such proposal,
indication or request (and any modification or amendment thereof), including
of
any meeting of its Board of Directors (or any committee thereof) at which its
Board of Directors (or such committee) is reasonably expected to consider any
Competing Transaction.
(e) The
Company shall not take any action to exempt any Person (other than Parent and
Newco) from the restrictions on “business combinations” contained in Section
302A.673 of Minnesota Law (or any similar provisions) or otherwise cause such
restrictions not to apply unless such actions are taken after a termination
of
this Agreement in accordance with Section
8.3(iii)
or
(iv)
or
Section
8.4(ii).
6.3 Reasonable
Best Efforts to Complete Transactions.
(a) Subject
to the terms and conditions herein provided, each of the parties hereto shall
cooperate with the other and use its reasonable best efforts to take, or cause
to be taken, all actions and to do, or cause to be done, all things necessary,
proper or advisable to consummate and make effective, in the most expeditious
manner possible, the Merger and the other transactions contemplated by this
Agreement, including using its reasonable best efforts to obtain the
Company
Shareholder Approval, all necessary or appropriate waivers, consents, and
approvals, to effect all necessary registrations, filings and submissions
(including, but not limited to, the filings referred to in Sections
4.4(a)(ii)
and
5.3(b)
and such
filings, consents, approvals, orders registrations and declarations as may
be
required under applicable Laws, which shall be made as promptly as reasonably
practicable after the date of this Agreement, and to challenge or lift any
injunction or other legal bar to the Merger (and, in such case, to proceed
with
the Merger as expeditiously as possible).
33
(b) Each
of
the parties hereto agrees to cooperate with each other in taking, or causing
to
be taken, all actions necessary to terminate registration of the Company’s
Capital Stock under the Exchange Act as of the Effective Time.
(c) Each
of
the Company and Parent shall keep the other reasonably informed of the status
of
their respective efforts to consummate the transactions contemplated hereby,
including by furnishing the other with such necessary information and reasonable
assistance as it may reasonably request in connection with its preparation
of
necessary filings or submissions of information to any governmental authority
and by giving prompt notice of (i) any representation or warranty made by it
contained in this Agreement becoming untrue or inaccurate in accordance with
its
terms, (ii) the failure by it to comply with or satisfy in any material respect
any covenant, condition or agreement to be complied with or satisfied by it
under this Agreement; provided,
however,
that no
such notification provided pursuant to clause (i) or (ii) above shall affect
the
representations, warranties, covenants or agreements of the parties or the
conditions to or obligations of the parties under this Agreement, (iii) any
notice or other communication from any Person alleging that the consent of
such
Person is or may be required in connection with the Merger or the transactions
contemplated by this Agreement, (iv) any notice or other communication relating
to an investigation or restraint from any governmental authority in connection
with the Merger or the transactions contemplated by this Agreement,
(v) any
notice or communication from the Key Employees who executed and delivered
Management Employment Acknowledgements proposing to terminate, revoke or
withdraw any statements made therein and (vi) any Action commenced or, to the
Knowledge of the Company, on the one hand, or to the Knowledge of Parent, on
the
other hand, threatened against, relating to or involving or otherwise affecting
the Company or any of its Subsidiaries, on the one hand, and Parent or Newco,
on
the other hand, and which, if pending on the date of this Agreement, would
have
been required to have been disclosed pursuant to Article
IV
or
Article
V,
as the
case may be, or which relate to the consummation of the transactions
contemplated by this Agreement.
(d) Notwithstanding
the foregoing, the Company shall not be obligated to use its reasonable efforts
or take any action pursuant to this Section 6.3
if in
the good faith opinion of the Special Committee (after consultation with
counsel) such actions would violate its fiduciary duties to the Company’s
shareholders under applicable Law.
6.4 Shareholders
Meeting; Proxy Statement.
(a) The
Company, acting through the Special Committee, shall:
(i) (A)
use
all commercially reasonable efforts to promptly prepare and, no later than
fifteen (15) business days after the date of this Agreement, file with the
SEC a
proxy statement complying with applicable requirements of Law and all of the
proxy rules of the SEC for the purposes of considering and taking action upon
this Agreement (the “Proxy
Statement”),
(B)
obtain and furnish the information required to be included by it in the Proxy
Statement and, after consultation with Parent and Newco, respond promptly to
any
comments made by the SEC with respect to the Proxy Statement and any preliminary
version thereof, and (C) undertake to obtain the Company Shareholder Approval,
unless the Company has received and accepted an offer for a Superior Competing
Transaction and has terminated this Agreement pursuant to Section
8.4(ii);
34
(ii) include
in the Proxy Statement the unanimous recommendation of the Special Committee
that the shareholders of the Company vote in favor of the approval of this
Agreement and the Merger and use its reasonable best efforts to solicit from
the
shareholders of the Company proxies in favor of adoption of this Agreement
and
approval of the Merger for the Shareholders Meeting; provided,
that,
notwithstanding anything to the contrary set forth in this Agreement, the
Special Committee may withdraw, modify or amend its recommendation if, permitted
by and in accordance with Section
6.2;
(iii) duly
call, give notice of, convene and hold a special meeting of its shareholders
for
the purpose of obtaining Company Shareholder Approval (the “Shareholders
Meeting”),
to be
held thirty (30) days following the filing of the definitive Proxy Statement
with the SEC (even in the case that the Special Committee has withdrawn,
modified or amended its recommendation that the shareholders approve this
Agreement and the Merger); and
(iv) if
at any
time prior to the Shareholders Meeting any information relating to the Company,
or any of its Affiliates, officers or directors, should be discovered which
should be set forth in an amendment or supplement to the Proxy Statement, so
that it would not include any misstatement of a material fact or omit to state
any material fact necessary to make the statements therein, in light of the
circumstances under which they were made, not misleading, the Company shall
promptly notify Parent and shall promptly file an appropriate amendment or
supplement describing such information with the SEC and, to the extent required
by Law, disseminate it to the shareholders of the Company.
(b) Parent
and Newco shall, upon request, furnish the Company with all information
concerning it and its Affiliates as the Company may deem reasonably necessary
or
advisable in connection with the Company preparing the Proxy Statement, and
Parent shall be entitled to review and approve the statements made regarding
such matters prior to filing with the SEC. If at any time prior to the
Shareholders Meeting any information relating to the Parent, or any of its
Affiliates, officers or directors, should be discovered by Parent which should
be set forth in an amendment or supplement to the Proxy Statement, so that
it
would not include any misstatement of a material fact or omit to state any
material fact necessary to make the statements therein, in light of the
circumstances under which they were made, not misleading, Parent shall promptly
notify the Company and the Company shall promptly file an appropriate amendment
or supplement describing such information with the SEC and, to the extent
required by Law, disseminate it
to the
shareholders of the Company.
6.5 Access
to Information.
(a) The
Company shall (and shall cause each of its Subsidiaries to) afford to the
officers, employees, counsel, accountants and other authorized representatives
of Parent (“Representatives”),
in
order to evaluate the transactions contemplated by this Agreement and from
time
to time evaluate the Company’s Net Working Capital, reasonable access, during
normal business hours and upon reasonable advance notice throughout the period
prior to the Effective Time, to its properties, books, records, facilities,
officers, directors and accountants and, during such period, shall (and shall
cause each of its Subsidiaries to) furnish or make available reasonably promptly
to such Representatives all information concerning its business, properties
and
personnel as may reasonably be requested; provided,
however,
that
any such access shall be conducted under the supervision of personnel of the
Company and in a manner that does not unreasonably interfere with the normal
operations of the Company.
Parent
agrees that it shall not, and shall cause its Representatives not to, use any
information obtained pursuant to this Section 6.5
for any
purpose unrelated to the consummation of the transactions contemplated by this
Agreement.
35
(b) No
information received pursuant to an investigation made under this Section 6.5
shall be
deemed to (i) qualify, modify, amend or otherwise affect any
representations, warranties, covenants or other agreements of the Company set
forth in this Agreement or any certificate or other instrument delivered to
Parent and Newco in connection with the transactions contemplated hereby,
(ii) amend or otherwise supplement the information set forth in the Company
Disclosure Schedule, (iii) limit or restrict the remedies available to the
parties under applicable Law arising out of a breach of this Agreement or
otherwise available at Law or in equity, or (iv) limit or restrict the
ability of either party to invoke or rely on the conditions to the obligations
of the parties to consummate the transactions contemplated by this Agreement
set
forth in Article
VII
hereof.
(c) The
Confidentiality Agreement, dated September 11, 2006 (the “Confidentiality
Agreement”),
by
and between the Company (being represented by ComVest Group Holdings, LLC)
and
Parent shall apply, in accordance with the terms thereof, to information
furnished by the Company, its Subsidiaries and the Company’s officers,
employees, counsel, accountants and other authorized representatives pursuant
to
this Section 6.5.
6.6 Publicity.
The
parties shall consult with each other and shall mutually agree upon any press
releases or public announcements pertaining to this Agreement and the Merger
and
shall not issue any such press releases or make any such public announcements
prior to such consultation and agreement, except as may be required by
applicable Law or by obligations pursuant to any agreement with any automated
quotation system, in which case the party proposing to issue such press release
or make such public announcement shall consult in good faith with, the other
parties before issuing any such press releases or making any such public
announcements; provided,
that no
such consultation shall be
required
to make any disclosure or otherwise take any action expressly permitted by
Section 6.2.
6.7 Indemnification
of Directors and Officers.
(a) Parent
and Newco agree that all rights to indemnification existing in favor of, and
all
exculpations and limitations of the personal liability of, the directors,
officers, employees and agents of the Company (the “Indemnified
Parties”)
in the
Company Articles and Company Bylaws, and of the Company’s Subsidiaries in their
respective Articles of Incorporation and Bylaws, as in effect as of the date
hereof with respect to matters occurring at or prior to the Effective Time,
including the Merger, shall continue in full force and effect for a period
of
not less than six (6) years after the Effective Time, and Parent shall cause
the
Surviving Corporation to honor all such obligations to the Indemnified Parties;
provided,
however,
that
(i) all rights to indemnification in respect of any such claims (each, a
“Claim”)
asserted or made within such period shall continue until the disposition of
such
Claim, and (ii) Parent and Newco shall acquire “tail” directors’ and officers’
liability insurance and fiduciary insurance policies effective as of the
Effective Time covering Claims with respect to matters occurring at or prior
to
the Effective Time, including the Merger, and with terms that are no less
favorable to the Indemnified Parties than the Company’s existing directors’ and
officers’ liability insurance and fiduciary insurance policies in effect
immediately prior to the Effective Time; provided,
however,
that
Parent and Newco collectively shall be obligated to pay no more than $100,000
in
the aggregate for such “tail” directors’ and officers’ liability insurance and
fiduciary insurance policies and if such insurance with terms no less favorable
to the Indemnified Parties than such existing directors’ and officers’ liability
insurance and fiduciary insurance policies cannot be obtained for aggregate
premiums of $100,000 or less, then Parent shall only be obligated to obtain
such
insurance coverage on such terms and for such duration as reasonably can be
obtained for $100,000.
36
(b) This
Section
6.7
is
intended for the irrevocable benefit of, and to grant third party rights to,
the
Indemnified Parties and shall be binding on all successors and assigns of
Parent, the Company and the Surviving Corporation. Each of the Indemnified
Parties shall be entitled to enforce the covenants contained in this
Section
6.7.
The
obligations under this Section
6.7 shall
not
be terminated, amended or otherwise modified in such a manner as to adversely
affect any Indemnified Party (or any other Person who is a beneficiary under
the
“tail” policy referred to in paragraph (a) above) and their respective
heirs,
successors and assignees
without
the prior written consent of such Indemnified Party (or other Person who is
a
beneficiary under such “tail” policy) and their respective heirs,
successors and assignees.
The
rights of each Indemnified Party (and other Person who is a beneficiary under
such “tail” policy) (and their respective heirs,
successors and assignees)
under
this Section
6.7
shall be
in addition to, and not in substitution for, any other rights that such Persons
may have as of the date hereof under the certificate or articles of
incorporation, bylaws or other equivalent organizational documents, any
indemnification agreements to which such Indemnified Party or other Person
is a
party, or applicable Law (whether in a proceeding at Law or in
equity).
(c) In
the
event that the Surviving Corporation or any of its successors or assigns (i)
consolidates with or merges with or into any other Person and shall not be
the
continuing or surviving entity of such consolidation or merger, or (ii)
transfers or conveys a majority of its properties and assets to any Person,
then, and in each such case, proper provision shall be made so that the
successors, assigns and transferees of the Surviving Corporation, as the case
may be, assume the obligations set forth in this Section
6.7.
6.8 Invention
Assignment Agreements.
The
Company shall use its commercially reasonable best efforts to cause each Person
who (i) is currently employed by the Company or any of its Subsidiaries or
is
providing services to the Company or any of its Subsidiaries as a consultant
or
an independent contractor, or (ii) is hired by the Company or any Subsidiary
after the date of this Agreement and through the Effective Time who has material
responsibilities or makes or has made material contributions with respect to
the
development of any Proprietary Products (including, designing, writing, testing
or working on any software code contained in a Proprietary Product) to execute
a
Confidentiality, Assignment and Loyalty Agreement, in the form attached hereto
as Exhibit
E
as
promptly as reasonably practicable after the date of this
Agreement.
37
ARTICLE
VII.
CONDITIONS
TO CONSUMMATION OF THE MERGER
7.1 Conditions
to Each Party’s Obligations to Effect the Merger.
The
respective obligations of each party to this Agreement to effect the Merger
are
subject to the satisfaction or written waiver by the party protected by the
condition to be satisfied or waived, at or prior to the Effective Time, of
the
following conditions:
(a) Shareholder
Approval.
The
Company Shareholder Approval shall have been obtained in accordance with
applicable Law and the Company Articles and Company By-Laws.
(b) Injunction.
There
shall not be in effect any Law enjoining or prohibiting the consummation of
the
transactions contemplated hereby; provided,
however,
that
prior to any party invoking this condition, such party shall use its
commercially reasonable efforts to have any such Law lifted, vacated, or
rendered inapplicable to such transactions.
(c) Governmental
Filings and Consents.
All
consents, orders and approvals of governmental authorities legally required
for
the consummation of the Merger and the transactions contemplated hereby shall
have been obtained and be in effect at the Effective Time.
7.2 Conditions
to the Company’s Obligations to Effect the Merger.
The
obligations of the Company to effect the Merger are subject to the satisfaction,
at or prior to the Effective Time, of the following additional conditions (any
of which may be waived by the Company, in whole or in part, at any time prior
to
the Effective Time):
(a) The
representations and warranties of Parent and Newco
contained in this Agreement, without regard to any qualification or reference
to
“material”, “Material Adverse Effect” or similar variation thereof (a
“Materiality
Qualifier”)
shall
be true and correct at and as of the Effective Time as though made on and as
of
such date (except that those representations and warranties which address
matters only as of a particular date shall remain true and correct as of such
date), except for those failures to be true and correct which individually
or in
the aggregate, have not had and would not reasonably be expected to have a
Parent Material Adverse Effect, and the Company shall have received a
certificate of a duly authorized officer of Parent to the foregoing
effect.
(b) Parent
and Newco shall have performed and complied with in all material respects their
obligations under this Agreement required to be performed or complied with
on or
prior to the Effective Time, and the Company shall have received a certificate
of a duly authorized officer of Parent to the foregoing effect.
7.3 Conditions
to Parent’s and Newco’s Obligations to Effect the Merger.
The
obligations of Parent and Newco to effect the Merger are subject to the
satisfaction, at or prior to the Effective Time, of the following additional
conditions (any of which may be waived by Parent and Newco, in whole or in
part,
at any time prior to the Effective Time):
38
(a) The
representations and warranties of the Company contained in this
Agreement,
without
regard to any Materiality Qualifiers, shall be true and correct at and as of
the
Effective Time as though made on and as of such date (except that those
representations and warranties which address matters only as of a particular
date shall remain true and correct as of such date) except for those failures
to
be true and correct which, individually or in the aggregate, have not had and
would not reasonably be expected to have a Company Material Adverse Effect,
and
Parent shall have received a certificate of a duly authorized officer of the
Company to the foregoing effect.
(b) The
Company shall have performed and complied with in all material respects its
obligations under this Agreement, required to be performed or complied with
on
or prior to the Effective Time, and Parent shall have received a certificate
of
a duly authorized officer of the Company to the foregoing effect.
(c) All
consents, approvals and authorizations necessary for the Company to consummate
the Merger and the other transactions contemplated hereby shall have been
obtained (including any consents needed from holders of Options and
Warrants).
(d) Less
than
ten percent (10%) of the outstanding shares of Capital Stock shall be Dissenting
Shares.
(e) There
shall not have occurred or exist a Company Material Adverse Effect.
(f) There
shall not be pending any Action that has a reasonable likelihood of success
challenging this Agreement or the transactions contemplated hereby, seeking
to
delay, restrain or prohibit the Merger or seeking to prohibit or impose material
limitations on the ownership or operations of all or a material portion of
the
operations or assets of the Company or any of its Subsidiaries that would be
effective after the Effective Time, or seeking the payment of any material
amount of damages.
(g) Parent
and Newco shall have sufficient funds available to them to consummate the
Merger.
(h) The
Company shall have (i) repaid the ComVest Note in full, in accordance with
its
terms as in effect as of the date of such repayment and without making any
other
payment not required by its express terms, and (ii) delivered to Parent evidence
of repayment in full of the ComVest Note and the release of any related Liens,
and except for that certain term loan in the principal amount of $3,200,000,
as
evidenced by that certain promissory note, dated as of February 20, 2007 issued
by the Company in favor of Commerce Bank pursuant to that certain Term Loan
Agreement, dated as for February 20, 2007 between the Company and Commerce
Bank,
there shall be no other Indebtedness of the Company outstanding as of the
Effective Time, other than accounts payable, trade payables and capital lease
obligations incurred in the ordinary course of business.
(i) Parent
shall have received an opinion of the Company’s outside legal counsel in form
and substance in the form attached hereto as Exhibit F.
39
(j) Parent
shall have received a certificate of a duly authorized officer of the Company
certifying (i) as to the accuracy and completeness of Section
4.25
of the
Company Disclosure Schedule and (ii) that Company Expenses do not exceed, in
the
aggregate, $1,900,000 (including the full amount of any reimbursable expenses).
Parent shall have received an executed release, in a form reasonably
satisfactory to Parent, from each Person to whom any Company Expense is payable
as set forth in Section
4.25
of the
Company Disclosure Schedule, and pursuant to which the Company, the Surviving
Corporation, Parent and Newco and any Affiliate of any of them, are fully
released from any obligation or liability in respect of any amounts in excess
of
the respective amounts owed to such Person (whether for fees, reimbursable
expenses or otherwise) as set forth in Section
4.25
of the
Company Disclosure Schedule.
(k) The
Warrant Waiver Agreement shall be in full force and effect and shall not have
been amended since the execution thereof.
(l)
The
Company shall have delivered to Parent the following documents: (i) a certified
copy of the resolutions duly adopted by the Board of Directors authorizing
the
execution, delivery and performance of this Agreement and the Merger, (ii)
a
certified copy of the resolutions duly adopted by the Company’s shareholders
adopting this Agreement, (iii) a good standing certificate, or equivalent
document, certified by the Secretary of State of the State of Minnesota, and
dated no more than two (2) business days prior to the Closing Date (iv) a copy
of the Company’s Articles, certified by the Secretary of State of the State of
Minnesota as of no more than two (2) business days prior to the Closing Date,
and (v) a certificate executed by a duly authorized officer of the Company
to
the effect that neither the Company nor any Subsidiary of the Company is a
U.S.
real property holding company substantially in the form attached hereto as
Exhibit
G.
(m) The
Net
Working Capital deficit as of the Closing Date shall be no greater than negative
$5,463,000 calculated in the same manner as the Target Working Capital as set
forth on Schedule B.
(n) The
Fairness Opinion shall have been delivered and not subsequently modified,
amended, withdrawn or rescinded.
(o) The
Company shall have delivered to Parent copies of all Confidentiality, Assignment
and Loyalty Agreements executed pursuant to Section 6.8.
(p) The
Tax
Indemnification Arrangement shall be in full force and effect in favor of the
Company, and shall be available to and enforceable by the Surviving Corporation
from and after the Effective Time notwithstanding the consummation of the Merger
and the other transactions contemplated hereby.
(q) All
previously outstanding shares of Series C Stock shall have been redeemed and
retired in accordance with the terms of such Capital Stock and there shall
be no
Series C Stock outstanding and no holder of such shares entitled to vote on
any
matter contemplated hereby by virtue of ownership of Series C Stock. Parent
shall have received the original Series C Stock certificates marked “CANCELLED”
and wire confirmations or cancelled checks, as the case may be, showing the
full
amount paid in respect of the redemption of such shares of Series C Stock,
as
evidence of the completion of the redemption. In addition, Parent shall have
received a stock ledger showing all issuances of Series C Stock, as well as
reflecting the redemption of all outstanding shares of Series C Stock, such
that
no share of Series C Stock remains outstanding.
40
ARTICLE
VIII.
TERMINATION;
WAIVER
8.1 Termination
by Mutual Consent.
This
Agreement may be terminated and the Merger may be abandoned at any time prior
to
the Effective Time (even after obtaining the Company Shareholder Approval),
by
the mutual written consent of Parent and the Company.
8.2 Termination
by Either Parent or the Company.
This
Agreement may be terminated and the Merger may be abandoned by Parent or the
Company if (i) there is in force a Law permanently restraining, enjoining or
otherwise prohibiting the Merger and such Law shall have become final and
non-appealable and not subject to challenge, (ii) the Company Shareholder
Approval shall not have been received at the Shareholders Meeting duly called
and held at which a quorum was present or any adjournment thereof; provided
that
the right to terminate this Agreement pursuant to this Section 8.2(ii)
(A)
shall not be available to the Company if the Company has breached the provisions
of Section 6.2
or 6.4,
and (B)
shall be subject to the Company’s obligation to pay any amounts determined to be
payable to Parent under Section
8.5
as and
when due, or (iii) the Effective Time shall not have occurred on or before
June
30, 2007 (the “Termination
Date”);
provided, that (A) the right to terminate this Agreement pursuant to this
Section 8.2(iii)
shall
not be available to any party whose failure to fulfill any of its obligations
under this Agreement results in such failure to close, and (B) the Termination
Date for any termination by the Company pursuant to this Section 8.2(iii)
shall be
extended by the number of days in excess of thirty (30) days that is required
to
obtain final SEC approval of the Proxy Statement (measured from the date of
the
first filing of the preliminary Proxy Statement with the SEC until the date
the
Proxy Statement is cleared by the SEC to be mailed to the shareholders of the
Company).
8.3 Termination
by Parent.
This
Agreement may be terminated by Parent prior to the Effective Time (even after
receipt of the Company Shareholder Approval), if (i) there shall have been
a
breach of representation, warranty or covenant of the Company that gives rise
to
a failure of the conditions to Closing in Sections
7.3(a)
or
7.3(b),
which
breach or failure is not cured, or is incapable of being cured, within ten
(10)
days after the receipt by the Company of written notice, provided,
that at
such time Parent shall not be in breach of its representations, warranties,
or
covenants such that the conditions in Sections
7.2(a)
or
7.2(b)
are not
then capable of being satisfied other than as a result of the Company’s actions
or omissions, (ii) the Special Committee withdraws or modifies or changes its
recommendation of this Agreement or the Merger in a manner adverse to Parent
or
Newco, or (iii) the Company shall have approved or recommended a Competing
Transaction.
41
8.4 Termination
by the Company.
This
Agreement may be terminated by the Company and the Merger may be abandoned
at
any time prior to the Effective Time if (i) there shall have been a breach
of
representation, warranty or covenant of Parent or Newco that gives rise to
a
failure of the conditions to Closing in Sections
7.2(a)
or
7.2(b),
which
breach or failure is not cured, or is incapable of being cured, within ten
(10)
days after the receipt by Parent of written notice, provided,
that at
such time the Company shall not be in breach of its representations, warranties,
or covenants such that the conditions in Sections
7.3(a)
or
7.3(b)
are not
then capable of being satisfied, other than as a result of Parent’s actions or
omissions, or (ii) the Special Committee withdraws or modifies or changes its
recommendation of this Agreement or the Merger and there exists at such time
a
proposal or offer for a Competing Transaction that constitutes a Superior
Competing Transaction and the Company concurrently enters into, a definitive
agreement providing for the consummation of such Superior Competing Transaction;
provided,
that,
in the case of any such termination by the Company, (A) prior to such
termination, the Company shall have complied with its obligations under
Section
6.2(d),
(B)
Parent does not make, within three (3) business days of receipt of the written
notice to be delivered pursuant to Section
6.2(d),
an
irrevocable unconditional offer that the Special Committee reasonably and in
good faith determines is at least as favorable to the stockholders of the
Company as the proposal or offer for such Superior Competing Transaction, it
being understood that the Company shall not enter into such binding agreement
during such three (3) business day period, and (C) the Company shall timely
pay
the Termination Fee or Expense Reimbursement to Parent required by Section 8.5(b)
within
the applicable time period specified in Section
8.5.
8.5 Effect
of Termination.
(a) In
the
event of the termination or abandonment of this Agreement pursuant to
Sections
8.1,
8.2,
8.3
or
8.4,
this
Agreement shall forthwith become void and have no effect, without any liability
on the part of any party hereto or its Affiliates, directors, or officers
thereof other than pursuant to the provisions of this Section 8.5;
provided,
that
nothing contained in this Section 8.5
shall
relieve any party from liability for any fraud or the breach of any
representation, warranty, covenant or other agreement contained in this
Agreement occurring prior to termination.
(b) In
the
event of termination of this Agreement without consummation of the transactions
contemplated hereby:
(i) by
the
Company pursuant to Section
8.2(ii)
or
8.2(iii),
if
within nine (9) months of the date of such termination, the Company and/or
its
shareholders enters into a definitive agreement for or consummates a Competing
Transaction (for purposes of which the definition of “Competing Transaction”
shall be as defined in Section
6.2
except
that all references to “15%” shall instead be deemed to refer to “50%”);
(ii) by
Parent
pursuant to Sections 8.3(ii)
or
8.3(iii);
or
(iii) by
the
Company pursuant to Section
8.4(ii),
then
the
Company shall pay Parent by wire transfer of immediately available funds a
nonrefundable fee in the amount of One Million Dollars ($1,000,000) (the
“Termination
Fee”),
in
the case of clause (i) above concurrently with the consummation of the Competing
Transaction, or in the case of clauses (ii) or (iii) above concurrently with
termination.
42
(c) In
the
event of termination of this Agreement without consummation of the transactions
contemplated hereby by either Parent or the Company pursuant to Section
8.2(ii),
then
the Company shall reimburse Parent by wire transfer of immediately available
funds for the amount of expenses (including any financing commitment fees)
actually incurred by Parent or Newco in connection with this Agreement or the
transactions contemplated hereby, up to a maximum of One Million Dollars
($1,000,000) (the “Expense
Reimbursement”),
concurrently with such termination, provided
that if
the Company is obligated to pay a Termination Fee in compliance with
Section
8.5(b)(i)
thereafter, then the Termination Fee so payable shall be reduced by the amount
previously paid by the Company for the Expense Reimbursement.
(d) If
this
Agreement is terminated by either Parent or the Company pursuant to Section
8.2(iii)
and at
such time Parent (i) is not otherwise entitled to terminate this Agreement
pursuant to this Article
VIII,
and
(ii) each and every condition to Parent and Newco’s obligation to effect the
Merger, other than the financing condition in Section
7.3(g),
is then
satisfied, (or,
to
the extent any such condition requires the delivery of documents by or on behalf
of the Company at the Closing, the Company shall then be in a position to
deliver or cause the delivery of such items to Parent were the Closing then
to
occur), Parent shall pay to the Company a nonrefundable fee of One Million
Dollars ($1,000,000) (the “Parent
Termination Fee”)
which
shall be paid from the Escrow Fund pursuant to the Escrow Agreement. Upon
payment of the Parent Termination Fee, Parent, Newco and their respective
shareholders, partners, members, Affiliates, directors, officers, employees
and
agents shall be forever fully released and discharged by the Company from any
liability or obligation under this Agreement or as a result of the termination
or failure to consummate the transactions contemplated by this Agreement or
any
claims or Actions arising therefrom.
(e) The
parties acknowledge and agree that Parent and the Company have incurred
significant expense in negotiation and entering into this Agreement and that
if
terminated in the context of facts giving rise to the payment of the Termination
Fee, the Parent Termination Fee or the Expense Reimbursement, (i) the
Termination Fee or the Parent Termination Fee, respectively, shall be deemed
liquidated damages appropriate in such circumstances and not in the nature
of a
penalty, and (ii) the payment of the Expense Reimbursement also shall be deemed
an appropriate measure of liquidated damages to compensate Parent or Newco
for
expenses associated with the transactions contemplated hereby, and not in the
nature of a penalty.
8.6 Extension;
Waiver.
At any
time prior to the Effective Time, each of Parent, Newco and the Company may
(i)
extend the time for the performance of any of the obligations or other acts
of
the other parties hereto, (ii) waive any inaccuracies in the representations
and
warranties of the other parties contained herein or in any document, certificate
or writing delivered pursuant hereto, or (iii) waive compliance by the other
parties hereto with any of the agreements or conditions contained herein. Any
agreement on the part of any party hereto to any such extension or waiver shall
be valid only if set forth in any instrument in writing signed on behalf of
such
party. The failure of any party hereto to assert any of its rights hereunder
shall not constitute a waiver of such rights.
43
ARTICLE
IX.
ADDITIONAL
DEFINITIONS
9.1 Certain
Definitions.
As used
herein the following terms have the following respective meanings:
(a) An
“Affiliate”
of,
or
a Person “affiliated” with, a specific Person is a Person that directly, or
indirectly through one or more intermediaries, controls, or is controlled by,
or
is under common control with, the Person specified.
(b) “Company
Disclosure Schedule”
means
the Company Disclosure Schedule dated as of March 5, 2007, delivered to Parent
by the Company in connection with the execution and delivery of this
Agreement
(c) “Company
Expenses”
means
the any and all fees and expenses, whether previously paid, accrued or payable
in the future, of financial advisors, proxy solicitors, legal counsel,
accountants, and all other third parties providing services or advice to the
Company in connection with the transactions contemplated hereby, retention
or
change in control bonuses payable to Company employees, severance payments
incurred but not yet paid to Xxxxxx X. Xxxxxxxxxx and Xxxxx X. Xxxxxxx as a
result of the consummation of the Merger or the execution of this Agreement,
and
all other fees and expenses incurred by the Company or payable by the Company
on
behalf of other Persons, all in connection with the negotiation, execution
and
consummation of this Agreement and the transactions contemplated
hereby.
(d) “Company
Material Adverse Effect”
shall
mean any circumstance, change in or effect on the business, assets or
liabilities of the Company or any Subsidiary of the Company that, individually
or in the aggregate with all other circumstances, changes in, or effects on
such
business, assets or liabilities of the Company or any Subsidiary of the Company:
(i) is or is reasonably likely to be materially adverse to the business,
operations, assets or liabilities (including contingent liabilities), employee
relationships, customer or supplier relationships, results of operations or
the
condition (financial or otherwise) of the Company and its Subsidiaries taken
as
a whole or (ii) is reasonably likely to materially adversely effect the ability
of the Surviving Corporation to operate or conduct its business in the manner
in
which the Company currently conducts its business; but
excluding
any
changes or effects resulting from (i) general changes in economic, or financial
or capital market conditions, in each case which do not affect
disproportionately the Company and its Subsidiaries, taken as a whole, (ii)
terrorism, war or the outbreak of hostilities, (iii) changes in conditions
generally applicable to the industries in which the Company and its Subsidiaries
are involved, in each case which do not affect the Company and its Subsidiaries,
taken as a whole, to a materially disproportionate degree relative to other
companies in such industries, (iv) changes in the Law or GAAP, or (v) from
the
announcement of the transactions contemplated hereby, the taking of any action
contemplated or required by this Agreement, or the consummation of the
transactions contemplated hereby.
44
(e) “Company
Plan”
means
(i) all “employee benefit plans” (as defined in Section 3(3) of ERISA), and
any other employee benefit arrangements or payroll practices (including, without
limitation, severance pay, vacation pay, company awards, salary continuation
for
disability, sick leave, death benefit, hospitalization, medical welfare benefit,
deferred compensation, profit sharing, retirement, retiree medical or life
insurance, supplemental retirement, bonus or other incentive compensation,
stock
purchase, stock option, restricted stock and phantom stock arrangements or
policies) (collectively, the “Employee
Benefit Plans”);
(ii)
all Employee Benefit Plans which are “pension plans” (as defined in
Section 3(2) of ERISA (“Pension
Plans”));
and
(iii) all material employment, termination, bonus, severance or other contracts
or agreements (“Employment
Agreements”),
in
each case to which the Company or any ERISA Affiliate (as defined below) is
a
party, with respect to which the Company or any ERISA Affiliate has any
obligation or which are maintained by the Company or any ERISA Affiliate or
to
which the Company or an ERISA Affiliate contributes or is obligated to
contribute with respect to current or former employees of the
Company.
(f) “Consolidated
Current Assets”
means,
at any relevant time, the aggregate amount of the current assets, being cash
and
cash equivalents, trade receivables, prepaid expenses and other receivables
of
the Company and its Subsidiaries at such time calculated on a consolidated
basis, but, in each case, excluding the deferred tax accounts and any cash
paid
in connection with the exercise of Options or Warrants between the date of
this
Agreement and the Effective Time.
(g) “Consolidated
Current Liabilities”
means,
at any relevant time, the aggregate amount of the current liabilities,
including, but not limited to, accounts payable, payroll accruals, corporation
taxes, other current liabilities and deferred revenues, of the Company and
its
Subsidiaries at such time calculated on a consolidated basis.
(h) “governmental
authority”
means
any agency, public or regulatory authority, instrumentality, department,
commission, court, ministry, tribunal or board of any government, whether
foreign or domestic or supranational and whether national, federal, tribal,
provincial, state, regional, local or municipal.
(i) “Hazardous
Materials”
means
petroleum and all derivatives thereof or synthetic substitutes therefor,
asbestos and asbestos-containing materials, and any and all materials now or
hereafter defined, listed, designated or classified as, or otherwise determined
to be, “hazardous wastes,” “hazardous substances,” “radioactive,” “solid
wastes,” or “toxic” under or pursuant to or otherwise listed or regulated
pursuant to any Environmental Law.
45
(j) “Indebtedness”
means,
with respect to any Person, (a) all indebtedness of such Person, whether or
not contingent, for borrowed money, (b) all obligations of such Person for
the deferred purchase price of property or services, (c) all obligations of
such Person evidenced by notes, bonds, debentures or other similar instruments,
(d) all indebtedness created or arising under any conditional sale or other
title retention agreement with respect to property acquired by such Person
(even
though the rights and remedies of the Company or lender under such agreement
in
the event of default are limited to repossession or sale of such property),
(e) all obligations of such Person as lessee under leases that have been or
should be, in accordance with GAAP, recorded as capital leases, (f) all
obligations, contingent or otherwise, of such Person under acceptance, letter
of
credit or similar facilities (whether or not drawn), (g) all obligations of
such Person to purchase, redeem, retire, defease or otherwise acquire for value
any capital stock of such Person or any warrants, rights or options to acquire
such capital stock, valued, in the case of redeemable preferred stock, at the
greater of its voluntary or involuntary liquidation preference plus accrued
and
unpaid dividends, (h) all Indebtedness of others referred to in clauses (a)
through (g) above guaranteed directly or indirectly in any manner by such
Person, or in effect guaranteed directly or indirectly by such Person through
an
agreement (i) to pay or purchase such Indebtedness or to advance or supply
funds for the payment or purchase of such Indebtedness, (ii) to purchase,
sell or lease (as lessee or lessor) property, or to purchase or sell services,
primarily for the purpose of enabling the debtor to make payment of such
Indebtedness or to assure the holder of such Indebtedness against loss,
(iii) to supply funds to or in any other manner invest in the debtor
(including any agreement to pay for property or services irrespective of whether
such property is received or such services are rendered) or (iv) otherwise
to assure a creditor against loss, and (i) all Indebtedness referred to in
clauses (a) through (g) above secured by (or for which the holder of such
Indebtedness has an existing right, contingent or otherwise, to be secured
by)
any Lien on property (including accounts and contract rights) owned by such
Person, even though such Person has not assumed or become liable for the payment
of such Indebtedness.
(k) “Key
Employees”
shall
mean Xxxxx X’Xxxxxx, Xxxx Xxxxx, Xxxxx Xxxxxxxxx and Xxxxxx Xxxxxx.
(l) “Knowledge
of the Company”
shall
mean the actual knowledge of Xxxxxx X. Xxxxxxxxxx, Xxxxxx X. XxxXxxxxx, Xxxxx
X’Xxxxxx, Xxxx Xxxxx, Xxxx Xxxxxxx, Xxxxx Xxxxxxxxx, and Xxxxxx
Xxxxxx.
(m) “Knowledge
of Parent”
shall
mean the actual knowledge of Xxxxx Xxxxxxxxx Gedda.
(n) “Law”
shall
mean statutes, common laws, rules, ordinances, regulations, codes, licensing
requirements, writs, orders, judgments, injunctions, decrees, licenses,
agreements, settlements, governmental guidelines or interpretations, permits,
rules and bylaws of a governmental authority.
(o) “Lien”
means
any charge, encumbrance, lien, pledge, security interest or adverse claim.
(p) “Net
Working Capital”
means,
at any time, the aggregate amount of the Consolidated Current Assets of the
Company at such time less the aggregate amount of the Consolidated Current
Liabilities of the Company at such time.
(q) “Parent
Material Adverse Effect”
shall
mean a material adverse change in the financial condition, business, assets,
liabilities, properties or results of operations of Parent and its Subsidiaries,
taken as a whole, excluding any changes or effects resulting from (i) general
changes in economic, or financial or capital market conditions, (ii) terrorism,
war or the outbreak of hostilities, (iii) changes in conditions generally
applicable to the industries in which Parent and its Subsidiaries are involved,
in each case which do not affect Parent and its Subsidiaries, taken as a whole,
to a materially disproportionate degree relative to other companies in such
industries, (iv) changes in the Law or GAAP, or (v) the announcement of the
transactions contemplated hereby, the taking of any action contemplated or
required by this Agreement, or the consummation of the transactions contemplated
hereby, and that in each case would prevent Parent from performing its
obligations to pay the Total Merger Consideration payable
hereunder.
46
(r) “Per
Share Merger Consideration”
means
(i)
with
respect to each Share of outstanding Common Stock, $0.40 per Share;
and
(ii)
with
respect to each Share of outstanding Series B Stock, an amount equal to the
sum
of (A) $1.00 plus
(B) the
amount obtained by dividing the Per Share Merger Consideration payable per
share
of Common Stock by 0.3 (carried out to five decimal places).
(s) “Permitted
Lien”
means
(i) Liens for utilities and current taxes not yet due and payable,
(ii) mechanics’, carriers’, workers’, repairers’, materialmen’s,
warehousemen’s, lessor’s, landlord’s and other similar Liens arising or incurred
in the ordinary course of business with respect to which the underlying
obligations are not yet due and payable, (iii) Liens for taxes being contested
in good faith for which appropriate reserves have been included on the balance
sheet of the applicable Person, (iv) easements, restrictive covenants and
similar encumbrances or impediments against any of the Company’s assets or
properties which do not materially interfere with the business of the Company
and its Subsidiaries, and (v) minor irregularities and defects of title
which do not materially interfere with the business of the Company and its
Subsidiaries.
(t) “Person”
means
an individual, corporation, partnership, limited liability company, association,
trust, unincorporated organization other entity or group (as defined in
Section 13(d)(3) of the Exchange Act).
(u) “Subsidiary”
means,
with respect to any party, any Person of which (i) such party or any
Subsidiary of such party owns, of record or beneficially, at least 50% of the
outstanding equity or voting securities or interests of such Person, or
(ii) such party or any Subsidiary of such party has the right to elect at
least a majority of the board of directors or others performing similar
functions with respect to such Person.
(v) “Target
Working Capital”
means
negative $5,163,000, as reflected and calculated in accordance with Schedule
B
attached hereto.
(w) “tax”
and
“taxes”
means
(i) all federal, state, local or foreign taxes, charges, fees, imposts, levies
or other assessments, including, without limitation, all net income, gross
receipts, capital, sales, use, ad valorem, value added, transfer, franchise,
profits, inventory, capital stock, license, withholding, payroll, employment,
social security, unemployment, excise, severance, stamp, occupation, property
and estimated taxes, customs duties, fees, assessments and charges of any kind
whatsoever and (ii) all interest, penalties, fines, additions to tax or
additional amounts imposed by any taxing authority in connection with any item
described in clause (i).
(x) “Tax
Indemnification Arrangement”
means
the obligation of Xxxxxx XxxXxxxxx pursuant to a letter agreement dated February
11, 2005 to indemnify the Company from and against certain liability for foreign
taxes in excess of $400,000 not timely or fully paid by the Company prior to
the
Effective Time (including the amount of such tax and any interest, penalties,
fines, additions to tax or additional amounts imposed by any taxing authority
relating thereto), including any document, agreements or other arrangements
implemented to give effect to such indemnification obligation.
47
(y) “tax
returns”
means
all returns, declarations, reports, estimates, information returns and statement
required to be filed in respect of any taxes.
(z) “Total
Merger Consideration”
means
the aggregate Per Share Merger Consideration plus any amounts due in respect
of
Options and Warrants under Section
3.2.
ARTICLE
X.
MISCELLANEOUS
10.1 Payment
of Expenses.
If the
Merger is not consummated, each party hereto shall pay its own expenses incident
to preparing for, entering into and carrying out this Agreement and the
consummation of the transactions contemplated hereby.
10.2 Survival
of Confidentiality.
None of
the representations, warranties, covenants and other agreements in this
Agreement or in any instrument delivered pursuant to this Agreement, including
any rights arising out of any breach of any such representations, warranties,
covenants and other agreements, shall survive beyond the earlier of (i)
termination of this Agreement, or (ii) the Effective Time, except for (A) those
covenants and agreements contained herein that by their terms apply or are
to be
performed in whole or in part after the Effective Time and(B) the provisions
of
this Article
X.
Each
party hereto agrees that, except for the representations and warranties
contained in this Agreement or in a certificate delivered at the Closing, none
of the Company, Parent or Newco makes any other representations or warranties,
and each hereby disclaims any other representations and warranties made by
itself or any of its officers, directors, employees, agents, financial and
legal
advisors or other representatives, with respect to the execution and delivery
of
this Agreement, the documents and the instruments referred to herein, or the
transactions contemplated hereby or thereby, notwithstanding the delivery or
disclosure to any other party or other party’s representatives of any
documentation or other information with respect to any one or more of the
foregoing. The Confidentiality Agreement shall survive the execution and
delivery of this Agreement and any termination of this Agreement in accordance
with the terms of such Confidentiality Agreement, and the provisions of such
Confidentiality Agreement shall apply to all information and material delivered
by any party hereunder.
10.3 Modification
or Amendment.
Subject
to the applicable provisions of the MBCA, at any time prior to the Effective
Time, the parties hereto may modify or amend this Agreement, by written
agreement executed and delivered by duly authorized officers of the respective
parties; provided,
however,
that
after approval of this Agreement by the shareholders of the Company, no
amendment shall be made which changes the consideration payable in the Merger
or
adversely affects the rights of the Company’s shareholders hereunder, or which
by Law requires further approval by the Company’s shareholders, without the
approval of such shareholders; provided, further
that if
the amendment adversely affects the rights of only a particular shareholder
(or
holders of a separate class or series of securities), then this Agreement may
be
amended with the approval of only that shareholder or those affected holders.
48
10.4 Waiver
of Conditions.
The
conditions to each of the parties’ obligations to consummate the Merger are for
the sole benefit of such party and may be waived by such party in whole or
in
part to the extent permitted by applicable Law.
10.5 Counterparts.
For the
convenience of the parties hereto, this Agreement may be executed (by facsimile
or pdf signature) in any number of counterparts, each such counterpart being
deemed to be an original instrument, and all such counterparts shall together
constitute the same agreement.
10.6 Governing
Law.
This
Agreement shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the Laws of
the
State of Minnesota, without giving effect to the principles of conflicts of
law
thereof.
10.7 Notices.
Unless
otherwise set forth herein, any notice, request, instruction or other document
to be given hereunder by any party to the other parties shall be in writing
and
shall be deemed duly given (i) upon delivery, when delivered personally, (ii)
one (1) business day after being sent by overnight courier or when sent by
facsimile transmission (with a confirming copy sent by overnight courier),
and
(iii) five (5) business days after being sent by registered or certified mail,
postage prepaid, as follows:
If
to the
Company:
CorVu
Corporation
0000
X.
00xx Xx.
Xxxxx
000
Xxxxx,
XX
00000
Attn: Xxxxxx
Xxxxxxxxxx, CEO
Facsimile
No.: (000) 000-0000
With
copies (which shall not constitute effective notice) to:
CorVu
Corporation
0000
X.
00xx Xx.
Xxxxx
000
Xxxxx,
XX
00000
Attn: Xxxxx
Xxxxxxx, CFO
Facsimile
No.: (000) 000-0000
and
to
Xxxxxxxxxx
& Xxxxx, P.A.
000
Xxxxx
Xxxxx Xxxxxx
Xxxxx
0000
Xxxxxxxxxxx,
XX 00000-0000
Attn: Xxxx
X.
Xxxxx, Esq.
Facsimile
No.: (000) 000-0000
49
If
to
Parent or Newco:
Rocket
Software, Inc.
000
Xxxxx
Xxxxxx
Xxxxxx,
XX 00000-0000
Attn:
Xxxxx Xxxxxxxxx Gedda
Facsimile
No.: (000) 000-0000
With
a
copy (which shall not constitute effective notice) to:
Xxxxxxx
XxXxxxxxx LLP
000
Xxxxx
Xxxxx Xxxxxx
Xxx
Xxxxxxx, XX 00000-0000
Attn:
Xxxxx Xxxxxxx, Esq.
Facsimile
No.: (000) 000-0000
or
to
such other Persons or addresses as may be designated in writing by the party
to
receive such notice.
10.8 Entire
Agreement; Assignment.
This
Agreement (including the exhibits, schedules, documents and instruments referred
to herein, including the Confidentiality Agreement) constitutes the entire
agreement of the parties and supersedes all prior or contemporaneous agreements
and understandings, both written and oral, among the parties hereto, or any
of
them, with respect to the collective subject matter hereof. All exhibits and
schedules (including the Company Disclosure Schedule) attached to this Agreement
are expressly made a part of, and incorporated by reference into, this
Agreement. This Agreement may not be assigned by any of the parties hereto
by
operation of Law or otherwise without the written consent of the other parties
except that (a) Parent may assign any or all of its rights hereunder to any
Affiliate of Parent and Newco may assign any or all of its rights hereunder
to
any other newly organized corporation under the Laws of the State of Minnesota,
all of the capital stock of which is owned directly or indirectly by Parent;
provided,
that
Parent shall remain liable on a direct and primary basis for the performance
of
any such Affiliate or direct or indirect Subsidiary, and (b) Parent or Newco
may
assign its rights hereunder to any lender financing any portion of the Total
Merger Consideration.
10.9 Parties
in Interest.
This
Agreement shall be binding upon and inure solely to the benefit of each party
hereto and their respective successors and assigns. Nothing in this Agreement,
express or implied, other than the right to receive the consideration payable
in
the Merger pursuant to Article
III
hereof,
is intended to or shall confer upon any other Person any rights, benefits or
remedies of any nature whatsoever under or by reason of this Agreement;
provided,
however,
that
the provisions of Section 6.7
shall
inure to the benefit of and be enforceable by the Indemnified
Parties.
50
10.10 Obligation
of Parent.
Whenever this Agreement requires Newco or the Surviving Corporation to take
any
action, such requirement shall be deemed to include an undertaking on the part
of Parent to cause Newco or the Surviving Corporation to take such action and
a
guarantee of the performance thereof.
10.11 Severability.
If any
term or other provision of this Agreement is invalid, illegal or incapable
of
being enforced by any rule of Law or public policy, all other conditions and
provisions of this Agreement shall nevertheless remain in full force and effect
so long as the economic or legal substance of the transactions contemplated
hereby is not affected in a manner adverse to any party. Upon such determination
that any term or other provision is invalid, illegal or incapable of being
enforced, the parties hereto shall negotiate in good faith to modify this
Agreement so as to effect the original intent of the parties as closely as
possible in an acceptable manner to the end that the transactions contemplated
hereby are fulfilled to the fullest extent possible.
10.12 Specific
Performance.
The
parties agree that irreparable damage would occur and that the parties would
not
have any adequate remedy at Law in the event that any of the provisions of
this
Agreement were not performed in accordance with their specific terms. It is
accordingly agreed that the parties shall be entitled to specific performance
of
the terms hereof, this being in addition to any other remedy to which they
are
entitled at Law or in equity.
10.13 Certain
Interpretations.
For
purposes of this Agreement:
(a) Unless
otherwise specified, all references in this Agreement to Articles, Sections,
Schedules and Exhibits shall be deemed to refer to Articles, Sections, Schedules
and Exhibits to this Agreement.
(b) The
Article, Section and paragraph captions herein are for convenience of
reference only, do not constitute part of this Agreement and shall not be deemed
to limit or otherwise affect any of the provisions hereof.
(c) The
words
“include,” includes” and “including,” when used herein shall be deemed in each
case to be followed by the words “without limitation.”
(d) The
parties hereto agree that they have been represented by legal counsel during
the
negotiation and execution of this Agreement and, therefore, waive the
application of any Law, regulation, holding or rule of construction providing
that ambiguities in an agreement or other document shall be construed against
the party drafting such agreement or document.
[Remainder
of page intentionally left blank]
51
IN
WITNESS WHEREOF,
the
parties hereto have caused this Agreement and Plan of Merger to be executed
by
their respective duly authorized officers as of the date first above
written.
CORVU
CORPORATION
By:
/s/
Xxxxx X. Xxxxxxx
Name:
Xxxxx X. Xxxxxxx
Title:
Chief Financial Officer
ROCKET
SOFTWARE, INC.
By:
/s/
Xxxxx Xxxxxxxxx Gedda
Name:
Xxxxx Xxxxxxxxx Gedda
Title:
Executive Vice President
ROCKET
SOFTWARE MINNESOTA, INC.
By:
/s/
Xxxxx Xxxxxxxxx Gedda
Name:
Xxxxx Xxxxxxxxx Gedda
Title:
52