EXHIBIT 10.1
MPATH INTERACTIVE, INC.
FORM OF INDEMNIFICATION AGREEMENT
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THIS INDEMNIFICATION AGREEMENT ("Agreement") is made as of ___________,
199____ by and between Mpath Interactive, Inc., a Delaware corporation (the
"Company"), and Indemnitee ("Indemnitee").
WHEREAS, the Company and Indemnitee recognize the increasing difficulty in
obtaining directors' and officers' liability insurance, the significant
increases in the cost of such insurance and the general reductions in the
coverage of such insurance;
WHEREAS, the Company and Indemnitee further recognize the substantial
increase in corporate litigation in general, subjecting officers and directors
to expensive litigation risks at the same time as the availability and coverage
of liability insurance has been severely limited and is not currently available
to the Company;
WHEREAS, Indemnitee does not regard the current protection available as
adequate under the present circumstances, and Indemnitee and other officers and
directors of the Company may not be willing to continue to serve as officers and
directors without additional protection; and
WHEREAS, the Company desires to attract and retain the services of highly
qualified individuals, such as Indemnitee, to serve as officers and directors of
the Company and to indemnify its officers and directors so as to provide them
with the maximum protection permitted by law.
NOW, THEREFORE, the Company and Indemnitee hereby agree as follows:
1. Indemnification.
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(a) Third Party Proceedings. The Company shall indemnify Indemnitee
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if Indemnitee is or was a party or is threatened to be made a party to any
threatened, pending or completed action, suit or proceeding, whether civil,
criminal, administrative or investigative (other than an action by or in the
right of the Company) by reason of the fact that Indemnitee is or was a
director, officer, employee or agent of the Company, or any subsidiary of the
Company, by reason of any action or inaction on the part of Indemnitee while an
officer or director or by reason of the fact that Indemnitee is or was serving
at the request of the Company as a director, officer, employee or agent of
another corporation, partnership, joint venture, trust or other enterprise,
against expenses (including attorneys' fees), judgments, fines and amounts paid
in settlement (if such settlement is approved in advance by the Company, which
approval shall not be unreasonably withheld) actually and reasonably incurred by
Indemnitee in connection with such action, suit or proceeding if Indemnitee
acted in good faith and in a manner Indemnitee reasonably believed to be in or
not opposed to the best interests of the Company, and, with respect to any
criminal action or proceeding, had no reasonable cause to believe Indemnitee's
conduct was unlawful. The termination of any action, suit or proceeding by
judgment, order, settlement, conviction, or upon a plea of nolo contendere or
its equivalent, shall not, of itself, create a presumption that Indemnitee did
not act in good faith and in a manner which Indemnitee reasonably believed to be
in or not opposed to the best interests of the Company, and, with respect to any
criminal action or proceeding, had reasonable cause to believe that Indemnitee's
conduct was unlawful.
(b) Proceedings By or in the Right of the Company. The Company shall
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indemnify Indemnitee if Indemnitee was or is a party or is threatened to be made
a party to any threatened, pending or completed action or suit by or in the
right of the Company or any subsidiary of the Company to procure a judgment in
its favor by reason of the fact that Indemnitee is or was a director, officer,
employee or agent of the Company, or any subsidiary of the Company, by reason of
any action or inaction on the part of Indemnitee while an officer or director or
by reason of the fact that Indemnitee is or was serving at the request of the
Company as a director, officer, employee or agent of another corporation,
partnership, joint venture, trust or other enterprise, against expenses
(including attorneys' fees) and amounts paid in settlement actually and
reasonably incurred by Indemnitee in connection with the defense or settlement
of such action or suit if Indemnitee acted in good faith and in a manner
Indemnitee reasonably believed to be in or not opposed to the best interests of
the Company, except that no indemnification shall be made in respect of any
claim, issue or matter as to which Indemnitee shall have been adjudged to be
liable to the Company unless and only to the extent that the Court of Chancery
of the State of Delaware or the court in which such action or suit was brought
shall determine upon application that, despite the adjudication of liability but
in view of all the circumstances of the case, Indemnitee is fairly and
reasonably entitled to indemnity for such expenses which the Court of Chancery
of the State of Delaware or such other court shall deem proper.
(c) Mandatory Payment of Expenses. To the extent that Indemnitee has
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been successful on the merits or otherwise in defense of any action, suit or
proceeding referred to in Subsections (a) and (b) of this Section 1 or the
defense of any claim, issue or matter therein, Indemnitee shall be indemnified
against expenses (including attorneys' fees) actually and reasonably incurred by
Indemnitee in connection therewith.
2. Expenses; Indemnification Procedure.
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(a) Advancement of Expenses. The Company shall advance all expenses
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incurred by Indemnitee in connection with the investigation, defense, settlement
or appeal of any civil or criminal action, suit or proceeding referenced in
Section 1(a) or (b) hereof. Indemnitee hereby undertakes to repay such amounts
advanced only if, and to the extent that, it shall ultimately be determined that
the Indemnitee is not entitled to be indemnified by the Company as authorized
hereby. The advances to be made hereunder shall be paid by the Company to the
Indemnitee within twenty (20) days following delivery of a written request
therefor by Indemnitee to the Company.
(b) Notice/Cooperation by Indemnitee. Indemnitee shall, as a
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condition precedent to his right to be indemnified under this Agreement, give
the Company notice in writing as soon as practicable of any claim made against
Indemnitee for which indemnification will or could be sought under this
Agreement. Notice to the Company shall be directed to Mpath Interactive, Inc.
at the address as shown on the signature page of this Agreement (or such other
address as the Company shall designate in writing to Indemnitee). Notice shall
be deemed received on the third business day after the date postmarked if sent
by domestic certified or registered mail, properly addressed; otherwise notice
shall be deemed received when such notice shall actually be received by the
Company. In addition, Indemnitee shall give the Company such information and
cooperation as it may reasonably require and as shall be within Indemnitee's
power.
(c) Procedure. Any indemnification and advances provided for in
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Section 1 and this Section 2 shall be made no later than forty-five (45) days
after receipt of the written request of Indemnitee. If a claim under this
Agreement, under any statute, or under any provision of the Company's
Certificate of Incorporation or Bylaws providing for indemnification, is not
paid in full by the Company within forty-five (45) days after a written request
for payment thereof has first been received by the Company, Indemnitee may, but
need not, at any time thereafter bring an action against the Company to recover
the unpaid amount of the claim and, subject to Section 12 of this Agreement,
Indemnitee shall also be entitled to be paid for the expenses (including
attorneys' fees) of bringing such action. It shall be a defense to any such
action (other than an action brought to enforce a claim for expenses incurred in
connection with any action, suit or proceeding in advance of its final
disposition) that Indemnitee has not met the standards of conduct which make it
permissible under applicable law for the Company to indemnify Indemnitee for the
amount claimed, but the burden of proving such defense shall be on the Company
and Indemnitee shall be entitled to receive interim payments of expenses
pursuant to Subsection 2(a) unless and until such defense may be finally
adjudicated by court order or judgment from which no further right of appeal
exists. It is the parties' intention that if the Company contests Indemnitee's
right to indemnification, the question of Indemnitee's right to indemnification
shall be for the court to decide, and neither the failure of the Company
(including its Board of Directors, any committee or subgroup of the Board of
Directors, independent legal counsel, or its stockholders) to have made a
determination that indemnification of Indemnitee is proper in the circumstances
because Indemnitee has met the applicable standard of conduct required by
applicable law, nor an actual determination by the Company (including its Board
of Directors, any committee or subgroup of the Board of Directors, independent
legal counsel, or its stockholders) that Indemnitee has not met such applicable
standard of conduct, shall create a presumption that Indemnitee has or has not
met the applicable standard of conduct.
(d) Notice to Insurers. If, at the time of the receipt of a notice of
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a claim pursuant to Section 3(b) hereof, the Company has director and officer
liability insurance in effect, the Company shall give prompt notice of the
commencement of such proceeding to the insurers in accordance with the
procedures set forth in the respective policies. The Company shall thereafter
take all necessary or desirable action to cause such insurers to pay, on behalf
of the Indemnitee, all amounts payable as a result of such proceeding in
accordance with the terms of such policies.
(e) Selection of Counsel. In the event the Company shall be obligated
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under Section 3(a) hereof to pay the expenses of any proceeding against
Indemnitee, the Company, if appropriate, shall be entitled to assume the defense
of such proceeding, with counsel approved by Indemnitee, upon the delivery to
Indemnitee of written notice of its election so to do. After delivery of such
notice, approval of such counsel by Indemnitee and the retention of such counsel
by the Company, the Company will not be liable to Indemnitee under this
Agreement for any fees of counsel subsequently incurred by Indemnitee with
respect to the same proceeding, provided that (i) Indemnitee shall have the
right to employ his counsel in any such proceeding at Indemnitee's expense; and
(ii) if (A) the employment of counsel by Indemnitee has been previously
authorized by the Company, (B) Indemnitee shall have reasonably concluded that
there may be a conflict of interest between the Company and Indemnitee in the
conduct of any such defense or (C) the Company shall not, in fact, have
employed counsel to assume the defense of such proceeding, then the fees and
expenses of Indemnitee's counsel shall be at the expense of the Company.
3. Additional Indemnification Rights; Nonexclusivity.
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(a) Scope. Notwithstanding any other provision of this Agreement, the
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Company hereby agrees to indemnify the Indemnitee to the fullest extent
permitted by law, notwithstanding that such indemnification is not specifically
authorized by the other provisions of this Agreement, the Company's Certificate
of Incorporation, the Company's Bylaws or by statute. In the event of any
change, after the date of this Agreement, in any applicable law, statute, or
rule which expands the right of a Delaware corporation to indemnify a member of
its board of directors or an officer, such changes shall be, ipso facto, within
the purview of Indemnitee's rights and Company's obligations, under this
Agreement. In the event of any change in any applicable law, statute or rule
which narrows the right of a Delaware corporation to indemnify a member of its
board of directors or an officer, such changes, to the extent not otherwise
required by such law, statute or rule to be applied to this Agreement shall have
no effect on this Agreement or the parties' rights and obligations hereunder.
(b) Nonexclusivity. The indemnification provided by this Agreement
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shall not be deemed exclusive of any rights to which Indemnitee may be entitled
under the Company's Certificate of Incorporation, its Bylaws, any agreement, any
vote of stockholders or disinterested Directors, the General Corporation Law of
the State of Delaware, or otherwise, both as to action in Indemnitee's official
capacity and as to action in another capacity while holding such office. The
indemnification provided under this Agreement shall continue as to Indemnitee
for any action taken or not taken while serving in an Indemnified Capacity even
though he may have ceased to serve in an Indemnified Capacity at the time of any
action, suit or other covered proceeding.
4. Partial Indemnification. If Indemnitee is entitled under any provision
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of this Agreement to indemnification by the Company for some or a portion of the
expenses, judgments, fines or penalties actually or reasonably incurred by him
in the investigation, defense, appeal or settlement of any civil or criminal
action, suit or proceeding, but not, however, for the total
amount thereof, the Company shall nevertheless indemnify Indemnitee for the
portion of such expenses, judgments, fines or penalties to which Indemnitee is
entitled.
5. Mutual Acknowledgment. Both the Company and Indemnitee acknowledge
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that in certain instances, Federal law or public policy may override applicable
state law and prohibit the Company from indemnifying its directors and officers
under this Agreement or otherwise. For example, the Company and Indemnitee
acknowledge that the Securities and Exchange Commission (the "SEC") has taken
the position that indemnification is not permissible for liabilities arising
under certain federal securities laws, and federal legislation prohibits
indemnification for certain ERISA violations. Indemnitee understands and
acknowledges that the Company has undertaken or may be required in the future to
undertake with the SEC to submit the question of indemnification to a court in
certain circumstances for a determination of the Company's right under public
policy to indemnify Indemnitee.
6. Officer and Director Liability Insurance. The Company shall, from time
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to time, make the good faith determination whether or not it is practicable for
the Company to obtain and maintain a policy or policies of insurance with
reputable insurance companies providing the officers and directors of the
Company with coverage for losses from wrongful acts, or to ensure the Company's
performance of its indemnification obligations under this Agreement. Among other
considerations, the Company will weigh the costs of obtaining such insurance
coverage against the protection afforded by such coverage. In all policies of
director and officer liability insurance, Indemnitee shall be named as an
insured in such a manner as to provide Indemnitee the same rights and benefits
as are accorded to the most favorably insured of the Company's directors, if
Indemnitee is a director; or of the Company's officers, if Indemnitee is not a
director of the Company but is an officer; or of the Company's key employees, if
Indemnitee is not an officer or director but is a key employee. Notwithstanding
the foregoing, the Company shall have no obligation to obtain or maintain such
insurance if the Company determines in good faith that such insurance is not
reasonably available, if the premium costs for such insurance are
disproportionate to the amount of coverage provided, if the coverage provided
by such insurance is limited by exclusions so as to provide an insufficient
benefit, or if Indemnitee is covered by similar insurance maintained by a parent
or subsidiary of the Company.
7. Severability. Nothing in this Agreement is intended to require or
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shall be construed as requiring the Company to do or fail to do any act in
violation of applicable law. The Company's inability, pursuant to court order,
to perform its obligations under this Agreement shall not constitute a breach of
this Agreement. The provisions of this Agreement shall be severable as provided
in this Section 7. If this Agreement or any portion hereof shall be invalidated
on any ground by any court of competent jurisdiction, then the Company shall
nevertheless indemnify Indemnitee to the full extent permitted by any applicable
portion of this Agreement that shall not have been invalidated, and the balance
of this Agreement not so invalidated shall be enforceable in accordance with its
terms.
8. Exceptions. Any other provision herein to the contrary
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notwithstanding, the Company shall not be obligated pursuant to the terms of
this Agreement:
(a) Claims Initiated by Indemnitee. To indemnify or advance expenses
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to Indemnitee with respect to proceedings or claims initiated or brought
voluntarily by Indemnitee and not by way of defense, except with respect to
proceedings brought to establish or enforce a right to indemnification under
this Agreement or any other statute or law or otherwise as required under
Section 145 of the Delaware General Corporation Law, but such indemnification or
advancement of expenses may be provided by the Company in specific cases if the
Board of Directors finds it to be appropriate; or
(b) Lack of Good Faith. To indemnify Indemnitee for any expenses
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incurred by Indemnitee with respect to any proceeding instituted by Indemnitee
to enforce or interpret this Agreement, if a court of competent jurisdiction
determines that each of the material assertions made by Indemnitee in such
proceeding was not made in good faith or was frivolous;
(c) Insured Claims. To indemnify Indemnitee for expenses or
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liabilities of any type whatsoever (including, but not limited to, judgments,
fines, ERISA excise taxes or penalties, and amounts paid in settlement) which
have been paid directly to Indemnitee by an insurance carrier under a policy of
officers' and directors' liability insurance maintained by the Company.
(d) Claims under Section 16(b). To indemnify Indemnitee for expenses
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or the payment of profits arising from the purchase and sale by Indemnitee of
securities in violation of Section 16(b) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934,
as amended, or any similar successor statute.
9. Construction of Certain Phrases.
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(a) For purposes of this Agreement, references to the "Company" shall
include, in addition to the resulting corporation, any constituent corporation
(including any constituent of a constituent) absorbed in a consolidation or
merger which, if its separate existence had continued, would have had power and
authority to indemnify its directors, officers, and employees or agents, so that
if Indemnitee is or was a director, officer, employee or agent of such
constituent corporation, or is or was serving at the request of such constituent
corporation as a director, officer, employee or agent of another corporation,
partnership, joint venture, trust or other enterprise, Indemnitee shall stand in
the same position under the provisions of this Agreement with respect to the
resulting or surviving corporation as Indemnitee would have with respect to such
constituent corporation if its separate existence had continued.
(b) For purposes of this Agreement, references to "other enterprises"
shall include employee benefit plans; references to "fines" shall include any
excise taxes assessed on Indemnitee with respect to an employee benefit plan;
and references to "serving at the request of the Company" shall include any
service as a director, officer, employee or agent of the Company which imposes
duties on, or involves services by, such director, officer, employee or agent
with respect to an employee benefit plan, its participants, or beneficiaries;
and if Indemnitee acted in good faith and in a manner Indemnitee reasonably
believed to be in the interest of the participants and beneficiaries of an
employee benefit plan, Indemnitee shall be deemed to have
acted in a manner "not opposed to the best interests of the Company" as referred
to in this Agreement.
10. Counterparts. This Agreement may be executed in one or more
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counterparts, each of which shall constitute an original.
11. Successors and Assigns. This Agreement shall be binding upon the
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Company and its successors and assigns, and shall inure to the benefit of
Indemnitee and Indemnitee's estate, heirs, legal representatives and assigns.
12. Attorneys' Fees. In the event that any action is instituted by
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Indemnitee under this Agreement to enforce or interpret any of the terms hereof,
Indemnitee shall be entitled to be paid all court costs and expenses, including
reasonable attorneys' fees, incurred by Indemnitee with respect to such action,
unless as a part of such action, the court of competent jurisdiction determines
that each of the material assertions made by Indemnitee as a basis for such
action were not made in good faith or were frivolous. In the event of an action
instituted by or in the name of the Company under this Agreement or to enforce
or interpret any of the terms of this Agreement, Indemnitee shall be entitled to
be paid all court costs and expenses, including attorneys' fees, incurred by
Indemnitee in defense of such action (including with respect to Indemnitee's
counterclaims and cross-claims made in such action), unless as a part of such
action the court determines that each of Indemnitee's material defenses to such
action were made in bad faith or were frivolous.
13. Notice. All notices, requests, demands and other communications under
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this Agreement shall be in writing and shall be deemed duly given (i) if
delivered by hand and receipted for by the party addressee, on the date of such
receipt, or (ii) if mailed by certified or registered mail with postage prepaid,
on the third business day after the date postmarked. Addresses for notice to
either party are as shown on the signature page of this Agreement, or as
subsequently modified by written notice.
14. Consent to Jurisdiction. The Company and the Indemnitee each hereby
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irrevocably consent to the jurisdiction of the courts of the State of Delaware
for all purposes in connection with any action or proceeding which arises out of
or relates to this Agreement and agree that any action instituted under this
Agreement shall be brought only in the state courts of the State of Delaware.
15. Choice of Law. This Agreement shall be governed by and its provisions
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construed in accordance with the laws of the State of Delaware, as applied to
contracts between Delaware residents entered into and to be performed entirely
within Delaware.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties hereto have executed this Agreement as of
the date first above written.
Mpath Interactive, Inc.
By:______________________
Its:_____________________
Address: 000 Xxxxx Xxxxxx
Xxxxxxxx Xxxx, XX 00000
AGREED TO AND ACCEPTED:
INDEMNITEE:
_________________________________
Indemnitee
Address:_________________________
_________________________
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