CYBERDEFENDER CORPORATION INDEMNIFICATION AGREEMENT
CYBERDEFENDER
CORPORATION
This
Indemnification Agreement (“Agreement”) is made effective as of January 19, 2010
by and between CyberDefender Corporation, a
California corporation (the “Company”), and Xxx Xxxxxx
(“Indemnitee”).
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; and
WHEREAS, the Company is
required to enter into an indemnification agreement with the Indemnitee pursuant
to that certain Media and Marketing Services Agreement (the “Media Services
Agreement”), dated as of March 24, 2009, between the Company and GR Match,
LLC;
NOW, THEREFORE, the Company
and Indemnitee hereby agree as follows:
1. Indemnification.
(a) Third Party Proceedings. The
Company shall indemnify Indemnitee if Indemnitee is or was a party to or witness
or other participant in or is threatened to be made a party to or witness or
other participant in any threatened, pending or completed action 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, expert fees,
other professional fees and court costs, and fees and expenses incurred in
connection with any appeals) (“Expenses”), judgments (including punitive and
exemplary damages), penalties, 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 or proceeding if Indemnitee acted in good faith and
in a manner Indemnitee reasonably believed to be in 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 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 (i) Indemnitee did not act in good faith,
(ii) Indemnitee did not act in a manner which Indemnitee reasonably
believed to be in the best interests of the Company, or (iii) with respect
to any criminal action or proceeding, Indemnitee had reasonable cause to believe
that Indemnitee’s conduct was unlawful.
(b) Proceedings By or in the Right of
the Company. The Company shall indemnify Indemnitee if Indemnitee was or
is a party to or witness or other participant in or is threatened to be made a
party to or witness or other participant in any threatened, pending or completed
action or proceeding 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 and, to the fullest extent permitted by law,
amounts paid in settlement, in each case to the extent actually and reasonably
incurred by Indemnitee in connection with the defense or settlement of such
action or proceeding if Indemnitee acted in good faith and in a manner
Indemnitee reasonably believed to be in the best interests of the Company and
its shareholders, 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 in the performance of Indemnitee’s duty to the Company and
its shareholders unless and only to the extent that the court in which such
action or proceeding is or was pending shall determine upon application that, in
view of all the circumstances of the case, Indemnitee is fairly and reasonably
entitled to indemnity for expenses and then only to the extent that the court
shall determine.
2. Expenses; Indemnification
Procedure.
(a) Advancement of Expenses. The
Company shall advance all Expenses incurred by Indemnitee in connection with the
investigation, defense, settlement or appeal of any civil or criminal action or
proceeding referenced in Section 1(a) or (b) hereof (but not amounts
actually paid in settlement of any such action or proceeding). Indemnitee hereby
undertakes promptly to repay such amounts advanced only if, and to the extent
that, it shall ultimately be determined by the court (as to which all rights of
appeal therefrom have been exhausted or lapsed) that Indemnitee is not entitled
to be indemnified by the Company as authorized hereby. Indemnitee’s obligation
to repay the Company for any such amounts shall be unsecured
and no interest shall be charged thereon. The advances to be made hereunder
shall be paid by the Company to Indemnitee within five (5) days following
delivery of a written request therefor by Indemnitee to the
Company.
(b) Notice/Cooperation by
Indemnitee. Indemnitee shall 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; provided, however, that no failure
to provide or delay in giving such notice shall be deemed to reduce or limit the
Company’s obligations under this Agreement unless (and only to the extent) such
failure or delay materially prejudices the Company. Notice to the Company shall
be directed to the Chief Executive Officer of the Company at the address 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 three
business days 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 reasonable
control.
(c) Procedure. Any
indemnification provided for in Section 1 shall be paid no later than five
(5) 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
Articles of Incorporation or Bylaws providing for indemnification, is not paid
in full by the Company within five (5) 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 14 of this Agreement,
Indemnitee shall also be entitled to be paid for the Expenses of bringing such
action irrespective of the ultimate determination as to Indemnitee’s entitlement
to indemnification. It shall be a defense to any such action 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 shareholders) 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 shareholders) 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 a claim pursuant to Section 2(b)
hereof, the Company has director and officer liability insurance in effect, the
Company shall give notice of such claim to the insurers under any applicable
policies in accordance with the procedures set forth in those 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 claim in accordance with the terms of such policies.
(e) Selection of Counsel. In the
event the Company shall be obligated under Section 2(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 in writing by Indemnitee, which approval shall not be unreasonably
withheld, upon the delivery to Indemnitee of written notice of its election so
to do. After delivery of such notice, written 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 (other
than the fees of Indemnitee’s counsel in connection with transitioning the
defense of such proceeding to counsel employed by the Company), 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 or shall have
ceased to employ counsel in the defense of such proceeding, then the fees and
expenses of Indemnitee’s counsel shall be at the expense of the Company. Neither
the Company nor the Indemnitee will settle any matter the subject of this
Agreement without the written consent of the other, which will not be
unreasonably withheld.
3. Additional Indemnification Rights;
Nonexclusivity.
(a) Scope. Subject to
Section 9 of this Agreement and any other provision of this Agreement that
expressly prohibits, limits or conditions indemnification by the Company, the
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 Articles 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 California 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 California 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 shall not be deemed exclusive of any
rights to which Indemnitee may be entitled under the Company’s Articles of
Incorporation, its Bylaws, any agreement, any vote of shareholders or
disinterested directors, the General Corporation Law of the State of California,
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 such capacity at the time of any action or other covered
proceeding.
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4. Partial Indemnification. If
Indemnitee is entitled under any provision 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 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. Contribution. If the
indemnification provided for in this Agreement is unavailable to Indemnitee for
any reason whatsoever, the Company, in lieu of indemnifying Indemnitee, shall
contribute to the amount incurred by Indemnitee, whether for judgments, fines,
penalties, excise taxes, amounts paid or to be paid in settlement and/or for
Expenses, in connection with any claim relating to an indemnifiable event, in
such proportion as is deemed fair and reasonable in light of all circumstances
of such action by the court before which such action was brought in order to
reflect (i) the relative benefits received by the Company and Indemnitee as
a result of the event(s) and/or transaction(s) giving cause to such action;
and/or (ii) the relative fault of the Company (and its other directors,
officers, employees and agents) and Indemnitee in connection with such event(s)
and/or transaction(s). Indemnitee’s right to contribution under this
Section 5 shall be determined in accordance with, pursuant to and in the
same manner as, the provisions in Section 1 hereof relating to Indemnitee’s
right to indemnification under this Agreement.
6. Mutual Acknowledgment. Both
the Company and Indemnitee acknowledge that in certain instances, Federal law or
applicable public policy may prohibit the Company from indemnifying its
directors and officers under this Agreement or otherwise. Indemnitee understands
and acknowledges that the Company may be required in the future to undertake
with the Securities and Exchange Commission 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.
7. Directors’ and Officers’ Liability
Insurance. The Company agrees to maintain director’s and officer’s
liability insurance to the extent required pursuant to Section 9 of the Media
Services Agreement. In all policies of directors’ and officers’
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 or officers if Indemnitee is a
director; or of the Company’s officers, if Indemnitee is an officer; or of the
Company’s key employees, if Indemnitee is not an officer or director but is a
key employee.
8. Severability. Nothing in this
Agreement is intended to require or shall be construed as requiring the Company
to do or fail to do any act in violation of applicable law. If any term or
provision of the Agreement is determined to be invalid, illegal or unenforceable
in whole or in part for any reason, such illegal, unenforceable, or invalid
provisions or part thereof shall be stricken from this Agreement, and such
provision shall not affect the legality, enforceability, or validity of the
remainder of this Agreement. If any provision or part of this Agreement is
stricken in accordance with the provisions of this section, then this stricken
provision shall be replaced, to the extent possible, with a legal, enforceable,
and valid provision that is as similar in tenor to the stricken provision as is
legally possible.
9. Exceptions. Any other
provision herein to the contrary notwithstanding, the Company shall not be
obligated pursuant to the terms of this Agreement:
(a) Excluded Acts. To indemnify
Indemnitee for (i) any acts or omissions or transactions from which a
director may not be relieved of liability under the California Corporations
Code; or (ii) for breach of any duty to the Company or its shareholders as
to circumstances in which indemnity is expressly prohibited by Section 317
of the California Corporations Code; or
(b) Claims Initiated by
Indemnitee. To indemnify or advance Expenses 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 or claims brought to
establish or enforce a right to indemnification under this Agreement or under
any other statute or law or otherwise as required under Section 317 of the
California Corporations Code, but such indemnification or advancement of
Expenses may be provided by the Company in specific cases if the Board of
Directors has approved the initiation or bringing of such proceeding or claim;
or
(c) Lack of Good Faith. To
indemnify Indemnitee for any Expenses incurred by the 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 the Indemnitee in such proceeding was not made in good faith
or was frivolous; or
(d) Insured Claims. To indemnify
Indemnitee for Expenses or 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 directors’ and officers’ liability insurance
maintained by the Company; or
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(e) Claims Under
Section 16(b). To indemnify Indemnitee for Expenses and 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.
10. Effectiveness of Agreement.
To the extent that the indemnification permitted under the terms of certain
provisions of this Agreement exceeds the scope of the indemnification provided
for in the California Corporations Code, such provisions shall not be effective
unless and until the Company’s Articles of Incorporation authorize such
additional rights of indemnification. In all other respects, the balance of this
Agreement shall be effective as of the date set forth on the first page and may
apply to acts or omissions of Indemnitee which occurred prior to such date if
Indemnitee was an officer, director, employee or other agent of the Company, 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, at the time such act or omission occurred. All of the Company’s
obligations under this Agreement will continue as long as Indemnitee is subject
to any actual or possible matter which is the subject of this Agreement,
notwithstanding Indemnitee’s termination of service as an officer or director of
the Company.
11. Construction of Certain
Phrases.
(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, 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.
12. Counterparts. This Agreement
may be executed in one or more counterparts, each of which shall constitute an
original.
13. Successors and Assigns. This
Agreement shall be binding upon the Company and its successors (whether direct
or indirect, voluntary or involuntary by purchase, merger or otherwise) and
assigns, and shall inure to the benefit of Indemnitee and Indemnitee’s estate,
heirs, legal representatives and assigns. Any such assumption will not release
the Company from its obligations under this Agreement.
14. Attorneys’ Fees. In the event
that any action is instituted or any mediation is commenced by Indemnitee under
this Agreement to enforce or interpret any of the terms hereof, Indemnitee shall
be entitled to be paid all costs and expenses, including reasonable attorneys’
fees, incurred by Indemnitee with respect to such action or mediation, unless as
a part of such action or mediation, the court of competent jurisdiction or
mediator determines (as to which all rights of appeal therefrom have been
exhausted or lapsed) that each of the material assertions made by Indemnitee as
a basis for such action or mediation was not made in good faith or was
frivolous. In the event of an action instituted or mediation commenced 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 costs
and expenses, including attorneys’ fees, incurred by Indemnitee in defense of
such action or mediation (including with respect to Indemnitee’s counterclaims
and cross-claims made in such action or mediation), unless as a part of such
action or mediation the court or mediator determines (as to which all rights of
appeal therefrom have been exhausted or lapsed) that each of Indemnitee’s
material defenses to such action or mediation was made in bad faith or were
frivolous.
15. Notice. All notices,
requests, demands and other communications under 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 domestic certified or registered mail with postage
prepaid, on the third business day after the date postmarked, or (iii) if
delivered by a nationally recognized overnight courier service, such as FedEx or
DHL, on the date of delivery. Addresses for notice to either party are as shown
on the signature page of this Agreement, or as subsequently modified by written
notice.
16. Consent to Jurisdiction,
Venue.
A dispute
or claim arising out of or relating to this Agreement (“Dispute”) shall be
resolved in the following manner:
(a) A
Dispute may be submitted to JAMS for non-binding mediation either prior to or at
the same time that any civil action with respect to such Dispute is commenced.
Either party may commence mediation by providing to JAMS and the other party a
written request for mediation, setting forth the subject of the dispute and the
relief requested. The parties will cooperate with JAMS and with one another in
selecting a mediator from JAMS panel of neutrals, and in scheduling the
mediation proceedings. The parties covenant that they will participate in the
mediation in good faith. All offers, promises, conduct and statements, whether
oral or written, made in the course of the mediation by any of the parties,
their agents, employees, experts and attorneys, and by the mediator and any JAMS
employees, are confidential, privileged and inadmissible for any purpose,
including impeachment, in any litigation or other proceeding involving the
parties, provided that evidence that is otherwise admissible or discoverable
shall not be rendered inadmissible or non-discoverable as a result of its use in
the mediation. The provisions of this Section may be enforced by any court of
competent jurisdiction.
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(b) Any
civil action with respect to a Dispute may be brought only in the United States
District Court for the Central District of California (Western Division) or in
any court of the State of California sitting in the City of Los Angeles.
Each party waives, to the fullest extent permitted by law, any objection which
such party may now or later have to the laying of venue of any legal action or
proceeding arising out of or relating to this Agreement as described in this
Section, and any claim that any action or proceeding brought in any such court
has been brought in an inconvenient forum. Both parties hereby authorize and
accept service of process sufficient for personal jurisdiction in any action
against such party as contemplated by this Section by registered or certified
mail, return receipt requested, postage prepaid, to the party’s address for the
giving of notices as set forth in this Agreement. Any final judgment rendered
against either party in any action or proceeding shall be conclusive as to the
subject of such final judgment and may be enforced in other jurisdictions in any
manner provided by law.
17. Amendments. Any repeal or
modification of Company’s Articles of Incorporation or Bylaws or any repeal or
modification of the relevant provisions of any applicable law will not in any
way diminish any of Indemnitee’s rights or the Company’s obligations under this
Agreement. This Agreement cannot be amended except with the written consent of
the Company and Indemnitee. No waiver of any provision of this Agreement shall
be binding on either party unless it is in writing and signed by both the
Company and Indemnitee.
18. Choice of Law. This Agreement
shall be governed by and its provisions construed in accordance with the laws of
the State of California as applied to contracts between California residents
entered into and to be performed entirely within California.
19. Subrogation. In the event of
payment under this Agreement, the Company shall be subrogated to the extent of
such payment to all of the rights of recovery of Indemnitee, who shall execute
all documents required and shall do all acts that may be necessary to secure
such rights and to enable the Company effectively to bring suit to enforce such
rights.
20. Integration and Entire
Agreement. This Agreement (i) sets forth the entire understanding
between the parties in respect to the subject matter hereof,
(ii) supersedes all previous written or oral negotiations, commitments,
understandings, and agreements relating to the subject matter hereof and
(iii) merges all prior and contemporaneous discussion between the
parties.
[SIGNATURES
FOLLOW]
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IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the
parties hereto have executed this Indemnification Agreement as of the date first
above written.
CyberDefender Corporation | |||
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By:
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/s/ Xxxx Xxxxxxxx | |
Xxxx Xxxxxxxx | |||
Its: | Chief Executive Officer | ||
Address: | 000 Xxxx 0xx Xxxxxx, Xxxxx 000 | ||
Xxx Xxxxxxx, XX 00000 |
AGREED TO AND ACCEPTED BY INDEMNITEE: | ||||
/s/
Xxx Xxxxxx
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Xxx
Xxxxxx
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Address: |
c/o
Xxxxx-Xxxxxx
0000
Xxxxx Xxxx Xxxx.
Xxxxx
0000
Xxxxx
Xxxxxx,
XX 00000
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